Category Archives: Devotional

Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips – Psalm 17:1

What does God desire from your prayer? He desires honesty, humility, and obedience. Honesty is about speaking what is truly in your heart instead of saying what you think He wants to hear. This means if you are upset with God, then you tell Him! If you are wondering why He is silent, then you let Him know. If you are disappointed, you don’t hold back. Friend, anything other than your honesty is deceitful. Anything other than your honest reveals that you are not comfortable with God. Humility is about opening the ears of your heart to hear from God after you have spoken honestly. Prayer is not simply an opportunity to vent but an opportunity to hear from Him with a receptive heart. Lastly, prayer is about obedience, which is to listen intently to God with the intention of acting on what He says. The intent to act on God’s words is pivotal to unleashing the power of prayer. So, if you want to pray powerful prayers, focus less on being verbose but pray honestly, humbly, and obediently.

Honest, humble, and obedient prayers have the capacity to change my life

In your presence is the fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore – Psalm 16:11

Have you ever met a person who has achieved so much but was utterly miserable? This is what happens when we do not develop our personal relationship with God. It can be easy to neglect our spiritual walk in a bid to live a comfortable or luxurious life, but what is the point of reaching our life goals while feeling lonely, dejected, and unfulfilled. With God, we don’t have to suffer this fate. By prioritizing His presence, we can experience the fruit of the Spirit, including the fullness of joy, while at the same time experiencing the pleasures of life. King Solomon writes that the blessings of the Lord makes one rich without the addition of sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). Jesus says that all the things we seek will be added to us when we prioritize the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). The world wants to have it all but it is going about it the wrong way. The only way to have it all is to have the One who has it all and can give it all to us. With God, you don’t have to choose between achievement and fulfilment, you don’t have to choose between prosperity and purpose, With God, you can have it all.

I don’t have to choose between achievement and fulfillment. With God I get both

Who may dwell on Your Holy Hill…He who swears to his own hurt and does not change – Psalm 15:4

Do you want to live an elevated life? Then you must choose to dwell on God’s Holy Hill. To dwell on God’s Holy Hill is about living in an elevated place (Hill) that is different and set-apart (Holy) from where others are in the world in the presence of God. King David in Psalm 15 tell us that one of the ways to accomplish this goal is to swear to our own hurt and not to change. Put another way, we should mean what we say and do what we say even when it requires great sacrifice and it hurts. This is what it means to be a person of integrity and character. If you are a person of integrity and character, people will put their trust in you and you will find yourself being elevated in different spheres of life! Beloved, I know it is natural for you to want a change when things start to hurt. Yet, change is often not the right answer. To live an elevated life requires that you are committed and persistent, especially when things are not going the way you would like. Things won’t always go the way you like and there will be tests. But tests are opportunities to rely on God’s wisdom so you can come out of them with testimonies. Stick to character and integrity and you will enjoy a life of joy, goodness, and the fulfilment of God’s promises.

I will not allow storms to abort my journey but will ask God how to navigate the storms

The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth , Purified seven times – Psalm 12:6

Whose words are the loudest in your ears? King David was so concerned about the words that were pervasive around him that he asked God for help. People were speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts (Psalm 11:2), were speaking proudly (Psalm 11:3), and leaned on their communication abilities to win in life (Psalm 11:4). King Solomon also bemoans this type of situation when he speaks of the person whose mouth is as smooth as oil, meaning the person speaks very eloquently, but in the end the person is as bitter as wormwood, meaning the person’s intentions were wicked (Proverbs 5:3). Beware of the political figures, newscasters, religious characters, celebrities, and other so-called experts who have an agenda and who have sold their words to special interest groups. Beware of groupthink and beware of living in an echo chamber. Do not allow people to take you for a ride and cause you to follow words and ideologies that are impure. No matter how the words are dressed and no matter what platform they speak from, if the words are not of God and if the heart intention behind the words are not godly, then the words are tainted and cannot be trusted.

I will choose to be swayed by words that reflect God’s heart, nature, and character.

The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates – Psalm 11:5

What is your attitude when it comes to tests? The bible tells us that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted (Matthew 4:1). After passing the final tests, the bible tells us that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14) to begin His earthly ministry. This tells us that tests are often designed by God as opportunities to step into the destiny that God has for us. For the righteous, tests are opportunities for promotion. Thus, we see that God tests us not to punish us for something we have done wrong, but to promote us so that we can do what He wants done right. That God is testing you means that He has called you do something great. Therefore, you should consider being tested as an honor and a privilege that the wicked do not experience. You are being tested because He has great plans for you and has chosen you for greatness. Like Jesus, be sure you stay ready for the tests so you can pass them with flying colors. Your future, and the fate of others may very well depend on it.

If God chooses to have me tested, it is because He has great plans for me

In the LORD I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? – Psalm 11:1

What speaks to you more often, your faith or your fear? Fear tells us to flee while faith tells us to trust. The bible tells of the story of prophet Elijah who trusted in God until his fear of the words of Jezebel spoke to him and caused him to run away (1 kings 19:1-18). The example of prophet Elijah lets us know that no one, not even those we consider people of great faith, are immune from struggling with fear. The good news that king David shares with us in this verse is we can challenge our fears. When fear spoke to his soul (mind, will, and emotions) to flee, he responded to fear by saying to his fear that he had put his trust in the Lord. This tells us that fear does not have to rule over us. Like king David, you should always think about whether faith or fear is speaking to you. If it is faith, then you should simply accept it. If it is fear, then you should challenge that fear with words of faith. Practically, this means you should practice mindfulness (that is to think about what you are thinking about) and then take your thoughts captive to obey what Christ has said to you and about you (2 Corinthians 10:5).  

I won’t let fear dominate my thoughts but take every thought captive