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- Make room... in THIS season
Devotional: Imagine that you've outgrown the home/space you currently dwell in. There are certain things you'll let go of and then there are others you'll keep with you. As you transition into a broader space you will need to do some rearranging. Where things once could fit in the old space, they now have to be adjusted to your new. Not to mention all the new God will bring into your life as well. Truth is, every new season you enter into, requires a new version of you. As an adult and one of the faith, you are continuously evolving. There's no two seasons where you can say you've operated the same. Every season requires you to do some rearranging to your faith. How things worked last season won't necessarily get you by in this one. Quite often, you may find yourself overly focused on making room for the things you are waiting on God to bring forth in your life. But more importantly than the things is your actual relationship with the Father. You will need a solid foundation with Him to sustain anything He gives you. So, wouldn't it make sense to ensure that you make room for that first? Some of you are preparing to become wives, mothers, billionaires etc. That is a completely different lifestyle than you have now and it requires serious adjusting. You have to take the time now and evaluate how you will fit God into that new venture in your life. If you don't make room now, you never will. Regardless of what you decide to do, what you've prayed for is on the way. The best thing you can do is learn to put God first now... Scripture(s) Meditation: "I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8 NKJV "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33 NKJV Songs) Meditation: Make Room by Jonathan McReynolds To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What does God have you making room for? Has it been hard making room for God with where you are in life now? If so, why? How will you begin to make room for Him before what you've prayed for arrives? Sun'Ray💕
- The bird still sings…
Devotional: Every morning I wake up to a bird chirping outside of my window. It doesn't matter how dismal the day, it still sings. I'm not even sure if it's eaten just yet, and yet, it still sings. There are many of you that have allowed your voices to become stifled by the woes and despairs of life. It's time for you to sing again. I remember as a child I used to sing all the time. In High School, I even began participating in singing competitions. But somewhere between junior year and college, I just stopped. The young girl that used to chirp away all the time, had become so silent. Between the toxic environment at home, the pressure at work and the heavy workload at school, it became too much for me. It wasn't until I re-dedicated my life to God at the age of 26, that my voice was restored. While in that dark pit, God cleaned me up and placed a new song in my mouth. For once, it felt good to do something I once loved. But I couldn't have done this on my own, I needed God to come in and restore what was lost. Maybe you find yourself in this same space. And possibly you've been trying to get your voice back on your own. But don't forget that God is a good Father and He knows exactly what you need. Humble yourself before Him and simply ask Him to give you your voice back. As the Lord cleans you up, He will remove the chains off your voice. He will give you a new song to sing. He will restore all that was lost. The question that remains is this, will you let Him? Scripture(s) Meditation: "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What was life like when you "lost" your voice? How has life been since "losing" it? Will you let God have His way to restore it? Sun'Ray💕
- "In my rear view"
Devotional: It's time for you to become forward focused. Now is not the time for you to be looking back at things of the old. Many of you are driving in the car of your destiny, but are looking through your rear view. Maybe there are some pleasant experiences you had in your past, but as Jonathan says, "your rear view, can't compare to, what God will do in your life." The first generation of Israelites had this very problem. When faced with troublesome circumstances, they found themselves looking back. Despite what they heard about the land of promise, their limited perception kept them desiring the things of old. Comfort and bondage was more appealing to them than their freedom in a land that flowed with milk and honey. Many of you need to trust God more. Though you might not have seen the goodness that lies up ahead yet, you can indeed trust the report of the Lord. Even the best moments in your past can't compare to your new on it's worst day. As with anything transitory, it's a process that requires you to move past some ugly parts. But don't miss out on the beauty that's up ahead by staying focused on what's in your rearview. Embrace your now. Your rearview can't possibly compare to where God is taking you! Scripture(s) Meditation: "Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”" Exodus 14:11-12 NKJV Song(s) Meditation: Moving On by Jonathan McReynolds To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. Just as with driving, it's okay to look in your rear view for a brief second when switching lanes (season change). But it's time for many of you to return your focus to the front facing window. How will you change your focus and keep it there? Sun'Ray💕
- New Shoes
Devotional: Every school year, I looked forward to getting a new pair of shoes. Though I knew my mother would never buy the name brand ones, I was happy to have something new on my feet. But there was something I'd forget about. The new shoes weren't always comfortable at first. By the end of the school day, I felt I would have been better off wearing something old. How many of you find yourselves feeling this way now? When God calls us into the new, it can be very exciting at first. But because it's new, there's also a large degree of discomfort that comes with it. There's a need to shift our perspectives, develop new strategies and adjust to what will be our new lives. Many of us even have to do something we've been doing in a new way. In these moments, we must be gentle with ourselves, because it will take some time. Don't decide to give up on something because it's uncomfortable. Through discomfort is where we experience the most growth. Many of you are finding yourselves in new situations that feel like a pruning season. Know that this pruning is not to the detriment of you but to further shape your fruitfulness. As you are in the new, certain things have to be removed to help you grow in that place. Don't allow the present circumstances to cause you to go back to something you're comfortable with. Those old shoes won't help you forge this new path. Scripture(s) Meditation: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2 NKJV Song(s) Meditation: All Things New by Big Daddy Weave To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What new shoes has God equipped you with? What exactly about these shoes are causing you discomfort? How will you prevent yourself from going back to old habits or ways? Sun'Ray💕
- The RIGHT Response!
Devotional: Our response to God matters. When everything in your life seems to be falling apart, how will you respond? Will you take the approach of Job and say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him?” Or will you take the approach that is full of fear and doubt God? When in the midst of the storm, the RIGHT response to your situation is everything. “Though the fig tree may not blossom… Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” In the midst of a drought, Habakkuk praised God. He didn’t allow his sight to hinder what he believed. As I read this one day, it’s like I could hear The Holy Spirit saying, “This is the right response.” I myself was in a drought type season and this scripture helped me. It showed me the true substance of faith. There are some situations that God places us in to test our faith. It’s not that God doesn’t love us or doesn’t care, He wishes to see how we will respond. After all the lessons we have learned, will we choose the right response or the wrong one? I am sure that many of us have failed this test a multitude of times. But at what point do we get tired of failing and desire to pass? Yes we have God’s grace, but don’t you get tired of learning the same lessons? Currently you may find yourself in a testing season. Though you see nothing bearing fruit will you still trust and believe in the Ancient of Days? Will you fail the test of trusting God again? Or will you take the right response and increase in your level of faith because of it? If you could have one take away today, let it be that you will have the RIGHT response! Scripture(s) Meditation: “Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18 NKJV Song(s) Meditation: Jireh by Maverick City To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What is the storm you're facing? How have you been responding? Now that you've read this devotional, how will you respond now? Sun'Ray💕
- Don’t beat yourself up
Devotional: Many of us are doing the enemy's job for him. Instead of allowing him to beat us up, we literally decide to wallow in defeat and shame. Mostly over the mistakes that we make or life's circumstances that are completely out of our control. All this does is rob us of the fullness of joy we can find in God's presence and the opportunity to just become better. When I suffered severely with anxiety, I would often times spend days wallowing in my emotions. For some reason, I couldn't detach myself from thinking the worst of me. I'd cycle through the same list of questions/statements over and over again. "How could I hurt them?" " I should know better than to have done that!" "Leave it to me to always f^$% something up!!" The last one is kind of explicit, but hey, it's my truth. One day, I had to recognize that this behavior wasn't helping me at all. It definitely didn't help the situation nor did it help me when I'd encounter a future scenario of the same type. What it did was make me feel worse and suffocated by condemnation as I replayed the events in my head. No matter how comforting it seemed, I had to wake up from this madness. The world and Satan were already beating me up, now here I am helping them do it. Allow this devotional to be your wake up call. I hate to break it to you but you aren't perfect. You won't always get it right. There will be some friendships and opportunities you'll completely fumble. But know that focusing on what was done helps no one. Instead, learn from your mistakes and just try to be better in the future. If you didn't learn anything today, take away this : God doesn't expect you to be perfect, He just expects you to be better than the previous day. Scripture(s) Meditation: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8 NKJV “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NLT Song(s) Meditation: Better by Jonathan McReynolds To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. If you don't mind sharing, what is one situation/circumstance that you can't seem to stop replaying? Why does it leave you feeling shame or condemnation? What will you do to break out of that toxic cycle? How will you approach that situation/circumstance differently in the future? Sun'Ray💕
- Take it easy!
Devotional: Have you been so busy "churching" that you have forgotten to live? Have you forgotten that Jesus came to give us life and it more abundantly? Is your daily schedule and routine wrapped around the things of God with no time for yourself? Are you extremely hard on yourself because you aren't where you think you should be? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, I want to remind you to take it easy. You can become so obsessed with reading the Word, fasting and praying that you forget to function on this Earthly plane. Some of you are motivated by your love for God but many of you are motivated by what you need. Secretly harboring this fear that if you don't function in the realm of the Spirit 24/7, God will somehow cast you down to hell. Allow me to burst that fictional bubble for you. God doesn't ever want you to think that you receive blessings based off your works. He wants you to know that He is your Father and He wants to love on you simply because He loves you. Too many people pull away from God and encounter burnout because they visualize Him as this overbearing boss. Know that God is a good Father, a good Shepherd and cares about the things you care about too. So instead of being hyper-religious, take some time for yourself and love on you. You'd be surprised at how much your relationship grows with God when you begin to include Him in the other things you love. Scripture(s) Meditation: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 NKJV Song(s) Meditation: Put your records on by Corinne Bailey Rae To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. Write down three things you love to do. (Don't include anything Bible or Worship related) Sun'Ray💕
- You got the power!
Devotional: When surrounded by the woes of life, it's easy to give in. Many of you have even traded in your garments of praise for garments of the blues. Y'all know exactly what I'm talking about. You become a CNN reporter of your own life, just sitting and complaining about all the things going wrong. Allowing that Certainly Negative News to keep you in a place of torment. But you have to remember who you are and who's you are. When you received Christ, you also received an advocate. The Holy Spirit gives you power when you feel weak. Helps you to feel God's love when you are in a pit of despair. Helps you to focus when you can't help but get distracted. KNOW there is POWER flowing through you. This is the same power that resurrected our savior from the grave. The same power that performed mighty miracles in the days of old. You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. You have the authority to tread on the heads of serpents and scorpions. To trample on all the power of the enemy. Yes, YOU! Spend some time today and remind yourself that YOU GOT THE POWER! Scripture(s) Meditation: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19 NIV Song(s) Meditation: The Power by SNAP! To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. Pick three scriptures and decree them over yourselves daily. Pick ones that will fill you with power and remind you of who you are in God! Sun'Ray💕
- Stay in position ‼️
Devotional: This is an urgent matter. God needs you to stay in position! When God is orchestrating a mighty move of His hand behind the scenes, it's a must we remain in Him. During the Appointed Times of God is where the enemy ramps up his activity. Because he can't discern exactly what God is doing, he begins to pull out all the traps he can. These traps are purely set out to pull you from being postured to receive. Back in my Biochemistry days, I remember studying enzymes. For those who aren't scientifically savy, don't worry I'll make this easy for you. There's only a few different ways that enzymes are able to join with a substrate to successfully produce a product. One of those mechanisms is called a lock and key enzyme. Just as the key for my home won't open yours, the same goes here for this type of mechanism. If the enzyme and substrate aren't in the right position, the reaction won't move forward. Simply meaning, no product will be produced. Visualize this same situation for your breakthrough. Unless you stay in the right position, what you've been waiting for won't be produced. Let this encourage you to remain in God as you wait. Don't allow the circumstances of life or your situation to pull you from the place that will birth your breakthrough. You've made it this far on faith, just keep going! You got this! Scripture(s) Meditation: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalms 37:7 NIV Song(s) Meditation: Wait by Nia Allen To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What exactly did God say He is preparing to do in your life? Make a list of the circumstances or emotions that go directly against that thing. Take it to God in prayer and allow Him to instruct you on how He wants you to wait. Sun'Ray💕
- Encourage Yourself
Devotional: There are seasons of isolation where encouragement from others is a rare occurrence. If people can't pat you on the back, what do you do? Give up? No, you learn to encourage yourself. As a child I learned the people that love you "the most" usually support you the least. There were so many times I wanted to have my family show up for me, but they just didn't. I'm talking honor society inductions, performances, track meets, graduations and the list goes on. It's not that I was a bad kid, it's just that encouraging me wasn't the top thing on their list. Could I blame them? We are talking about people that wouldn't know emotional intelligence if it hit them in the face. So I learned instead of harboring anger and resentment, I called a spade a spade. They would never be there because they didn't know how to be there. Some families think food on the table, a roof over your head and clothes on your back is enough. But how many of you know that we all desire something more? I had to learn to encourage myself through the storms of life. When I felt low, I'd remind myself of all I'd been through. How the strength I needed was always deeply rooted in me and some situations required a deeper dive to access it. Back then, I thought it was me that brought me through these trials. But I've come to learn this amazing strength from God called "grace." This is the same grace you can access in moments when you feel you have no one. To whomever reads this and you feel this way today? Know that everything will be alright, and God's grace will make up for the spaces you lack. Scripture(s) Meditation: “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT Song Meditation: Be Alright by Kehlani To listen to today's song meditation, click here. Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. How do you encourage yourself? Leave some encouragement for someone else today below in the comments! Sun'Ray💕
- I am a Miracle (A Psalm)
Oh, How lost I was Breaking down my trauma Rolling up my pain And blowing it all away Trading clarity for confusion My Bible for self-help manuals My body for comfort And my love for lust It felt good to numb the pain Not realizing the toxicity that flowed through my veins Everyday I drifted further and further away Yet for some strange reason I was still surrounded by Your grace Instead of leaving me, You stayed right there Instead of judging me, You gave me a chance You saw the filth in my heart, and still chose to look past it My God, Your love is everlasting I am here today because Your love for me wasn't shaken You came and found me, restored me to righteousness Healed every bruise and scar on my heart Said Your covenant will forever be in it God, I look in the mirror today And realize I am staring a miracle in the face By Your grace, I am a walking, breathing, living, miracle. Sun'Ray💕
- Leave the old
Devotional: You want to know the scariest part about transitioning? Walking into something completely new and cutting off all ties to the past. You’d think the new would bring great joy, but it honestly brings the human mind much anxiety. During the Great Exodus, we experienced the great pain transition can cause. With so much fear concerning the new, the Israelites began to hunger for the old again. Because the new was something God desired for them, and not them for themselves, their perception was tainted. Though Canaan would be their "more than enough", they couldn't get themselves to renew their mind to embrace that new. Are you finding yourself in the same place? Have you grown so accustomed to the old, you don’t even desire the new? If that’s the case, know that this is an area that needs your attention. If you want what God has for you, it will require a perspective shift on your behalf. This isn’t like the last time because the last time it was you deciding what would happen next. Just like with Israel, God Himself has crafted this new for you. Because it’s Him doing the acting, all you need to do is trust that everything will work out for your good. I know it may be hard, and honestly no transition is easy. But this time you have the great El Shaddai on your side. You aren’t walking into this or through this alone. God Himself is ahead of you. As hard as it may be, it’s time for you to leave the old. Scripture(s) Meditation: “Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”” Exodus 14:11-12 NKJV ““Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV Reflection Question(s): We invite you to discuss below. What does your old look like? How about the new? What is keeping your mind stuck in the old and from embracing the new? What can you do to shift your perception? Sun'Ray💕