Can you believe that we are on day 134 in 2020?! What a YEAR! What an intense year, right? So, I’ve still been sending out daily devotionals with 365 and the Holy Spirit told me to send this out to everyone. Soo, here you go!
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Keep it real.
Ask yourself that question.
Do you love that person that really, really hurt you.
Do you love that parent that abandoned you?
Do you love that friend that talked about you?
Do you love that person that made up lies about you?
Or is your love conditional?
Ouch.
You may have read this scripture a million times, but I want you to slow down and really digest every single word:
1 Corinthians 13:1-8
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
Whew.
I don’t know about you but I’m challenged every single time I read this scripture and I ask myself, do I love like that?
The scripture says that you can do all of these “great” things for God but it means NOTHING if you don’t love the way HE does.
The Lord took me to Luke 6:32-33
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!
I had to bold that scripture because I think that as believers, it’s easy to love those people that are sweet to us.
But what about loving that person that trashes you?
What about loving the person who abused you?
What about loving that person that hit you?
What about loving that person that called you names?
With tears in my eyes, this whole message really struck a cord in me. Do I really love that ex boyfriend I had as a teen who used to beat me up?
No.
Not really.
I mean, I have forgiven him. But love him? I don’t think about the man. I think about how WRONG he was for hurting me as a teenager but that’s about it.
I think there’s a misconception that says just because you love someone it means that you’ve accepted what they’ve done to you as ok.
Nah, what they did was not ok.
What they said was not ok.
How they hurt you was NOT OK.
You hear me? You didn’t deserve it.
But, it happened.
You cannot control them but you can control your response towards them.
Matthew 5:44
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
Welp.
I think that hearing these scriptures are so hard sometimes because the pain of what they did was so real.
But if you want to go higher in God and love the way He did, it’s going to cost you something.
It’s going to cost you your pride.
It’s going to cost you your ego.
It’s going to cost you forgiveness.
It’s going to cost that your flesh is torn apart and taught to think God’s kinda way.
The beautiful thing about loving the God kinda way is that He fights your battles, you become crazy anointed and USEFUL for the Master’s use. You become one of those expensive utensils we talked about in previous devotions.
So, I want you to do this with me.
I want you to forgive whoever has hurt you and choose to love them. This doesn’t mean you reach out to dysfunctional relationship and start back up. It means that between you and God — you have this pouring out. This surrender. A surrender that says, “God, I want to love the way that Jesus did. He is my great example. I want to be useful and I don’t want hate and unforgiveness to block what you have called me to do!”
So, let go of that person that hurt you as a child.
Let go of that person that abused you.
Let go of that person who trashed you.
Let go of that person who ignores you.
Let go of that person who rejected you.
Let go of that person who threw you under the bus.
Let go.
Let go.
Choose to bless them today. Pray for them. Pray that they may come into the knowledge of who Jesus is. Pray that they will live for Jesus all of the days of their life. Pray that they will repent of their sins.
Pray.
Pray.
Pray.
You think satan is going to keep trying to attack you in that area if you stand up and use the word for real against him?
Let’s be radical christians today. And tomorrow, and everyday after that.
So, include your enemies on your prayer list moving forward. Practice this until it becomes so natural to forgive whosoever for whatsoever. This fight ain’t physical. It’s spiritual. Fight with the right weapons.
It’s time to DECLUTTER.
Yes. What areas in your house need some de-cluttering?
I want you to take 3 areas and tackle those this month starting with the first week of May.
For me, it’s my closet. I’m going to pull out items that I no longer wear.
Then, I’m going to declutter an area in my kids play living room. I always just “throw” things into this drawer.
The last area for me in my storage area in the basement. It’s pretty bad and will take a good 2 weeks to organize.
Getting decluttered will HELP us to feel less stressed and more focused!
BOOK THIS MONTH
For the month of May, I want to encourage you to read a book on never giving up. Here’s a few of my recommendations:
Silent Seasons — By me!
Crushing – TD Jakes
The scripture for this week:
Luke 1:37
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Just a few things:
-If you’re struggling with rejection, abandonment, or insecurities then check out this course that I did on those areas HERE.
– If you need a journal for 365 you can purchase one HERE! I got you!
– Check out my Youtube Channel. I have sermons, and encouraging messages that will encourage you, inspire you, & push you closer to Jesus! You can watch them HERE.
– Come to the Pinky Promise Conference and be with a sisterhood of women who all desire to seek the face of Jesus! I am always wrecked at my conference! Check it out HERE.
– Join the Pinky Promise Sisterhood facebook group HERE!
– Remember, it’s easy to start. The goal here is the FINISH. You have 24 hours in ONE day. Give 1% of your day to God for the next year! I can ASSURE you that it will change your life.God loves you like crazy,
