The Secret Chamber | A Digital Devotional February 2023 Edition
The Secret Chamber, the Department of Church Growth and Development’s daily devotional guide, is herein recognized as an aid to worship; it is also made an official periodical of the Church and listed in The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the annual report of the pastor on periodicals.
The Reverend Dr. Marcellus A. Norris, Executive Director African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Church Growth and Development
The Reverend Dr. Susan Hillary Buckson, Copy Editor
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington, Graphic Editor
Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVUE
Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Senior Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Commission ChairLittle children, you are from God and have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Surrender
I have learned that when a woman is fed up, she is typically moved past crying, past verbalizing her complaints, and more quiet than silent. It is a feeling that fuels addictions, anger, and antagonism. I have been told that when a man is fed up and too afraid to cry, he is on edge. He knows that real men cry, but he cannot cry because that rests him on the edge-of-the-ledge fear, and if pushed, he might explode.
Being afraid or unable to cry is rage. It is an inner rage bottled up tight. For Black folks, it is quite challenging when we are expected to understand how to live in a world that often acts as if it hates us, yet, our text reminds us that we are overcomers of any external evil forces because of Christ Jesus, who is within us. The counterattack for the believer is to surrender all to the one who is already within us. Whenever it feels like you are under attack, declare, “All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give. I will always love and trust him. In his presence daily live.”
Surrendering to Jesus Christ our Savior, who is always on the side of the oppressed and not of the racism, oppression, classism, ageism, and sexism of this world is empowering. Surrendering to the Lord is an act of overcoming by faith, whether our rage is personal or interpersonal. Surrendering to the Lord connects us to divine wisdom, divine intervention, and divine transformation that fuels our fight against injustice anywhere and everywhere. Surrendering to the Lord is not for the weak but for the strong who know that they already possess what it takes to live and love as conquerors in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: God, help me to see beyond the natural to a place of complete surrender unto you.
Rev. Lola S. Russell, Ph.D. Pleasant Hill Victory AME Church, Pastor South Fulton, GA lola.russell@gmail.com
Thursday | February 2, 2023
John 14:12
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus has a Higher Expectation of You
With great intention, Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River specifically to be baptized by John the Baptist. However, when Jesus got there, John the Baptist, the most famous baptizer of all time, did not want to baptize Jesus because John believed he was not worthy.
John told Jesus in Matthew 3:14, “This isn’t proper. I am the one who needs to be baptized by you.” Then Jesus said to John, “Please do it, for I must do all that is right.” So, then John baptized Jesus. Proving that John was worthy.
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist was not only the fulfillment of prophecy, but it also demonstrates that Jesus has a higher expectation of you. Jesus sees things in you that you do not see. However, when you are led by faith and the Holy Spirit, you can do great things.
Jesus has higher expectations of you. A higher expectation to be baptized in living your life with a longing inspired by Micah 6:8 to “Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with Your God.”
Prayer: God, thank you for holding me to the higher calling you have placed on my life.
Rev. Marben Bland Greater Bethel AME Church, Pastor Athens, GA www.marbenbland.comLuke 21:36
Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Watch and Pray
Luke admonishes us, as sons and daughters of the Most-High God, to watch and always pray so that we may escape that which shall come to pass. What is Luke exclaiming shall come to pass? As the chapter begins, Luke says that Jesus warns the disciples that many will come in his name, saying they are the Christ, nation shall rise against nation, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful sights, and great signs shall there be from heaven. Luke also warns us to watch and pray so that when Christ returns, we will not be caught off guard. Since we know not when Christ shall return, Luke gives us good advice for how we shall live as we anticipate Christ’s return: watch and pray.
The enemy does not want us to be ready when Christ returns. The enemy will often confuse us by renaming sin to justify it. The enemy leads us to believe we have time to get saved, change our ungodly habits, join a church, and work for the Lord. Clearly, this is a distraction because if the truth be told, how will we really know if we have time if we do not know when Christ shall return?
Children of God, as we welcome a brand new day as people of faith, do as Luke suggests –watch and pray, so you will not be deceived, afraid, or distracted as we wait for Christ to come back again.
Prayer: God, help me to remain focused on what is holy, pure, and righteous.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Founder and Pastor Baltimore, MD ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Genesis 15:1-18
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” 5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other, but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years, 14 but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…
Never Doubt the Process
After a while, the Lord grows tired of our doubt. Look at Abram, on his way and still doubting. He missed the memo that said, “I am God Almighty!” You know we rise each day to a brand-new day. A new day, every day! A day to help somebody, learn new things, carve new paths, gain new wisdom, climb new mountains, and swim new seas, wrestle new enemies and defeat old ones...I mean a new day and we start each one with an Abrahamic covenant...that as Abram’s descendants, we will inherit everything (v 4), come away [from adversity] with great wealth (v 14), and possess great lands (v 18). These are each promise of God for his children yes, that means us. But I ask you, why didn’t Abram, a man recorded in the annals of the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), see the covenant come to pass he doubted. At some point in our lives, we doubt that we will be able to do this or do that and that we still may be regarded, like Abram (Abraham), as a person of faith. But we will never know the fullness of the Lord’s blessings in our lives if we live in doubt. Sometimes it’s just better to be expectant and wait on the mystery to unfold. Tell yourself, “I don’t know what. I don’t know where. But, as long as the Lord has my back, I know I will be OK.” Trust that you are where you are right now as a part of God’s plan in your life. There is a lesson in it all. Don’t doubt appreciate the process.
Prayer: God, help me to appreciate the unknowns in the process.
Luke 2:37b-38
She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Tell Your Story
Anna, a prophetess and the daughter of Phanuel was an active evangelist who served God with fasting, prayers, and witnessing. Notice the scripture says she began to “speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” This scripture should remind us that we, too, like Anna, should be witnessing. We, too, have a testimony that needs to be told. We, too, have a song that needs to be sung. But far too often, we never give God praise or witness because we find telling our story too difficult. Some of us become so distraught that we forget we have a story to tell. Our problems come so furiously and fast that we become overwhelmed and forget to tell our story.
However, we should never, ever get so busy that we forget to witness to the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. No matter what our age or physical condition, no matter what has taken place in our past, there is still some witnessing that we must do. As long as we have blood running in our veins, there is still some witnessing to be done. Others may say you are too old or too young; too poor or too plain; too sick or too stupid to witness but know that God has given you a witness and expects you to share it.
No one else can tell your story the way you can tell it with proper passion. Every child of God has some experience, testimony, or story that can save a soul, cheer a weary traveler, inspire the young, and encourage the fainthearted. Someone needs to hear your story.
Prayer: God, may I always remember to tell the story of how you have worked in my life.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey
Bethlehem AME Church, Founder and Pastor Baltimore, MD
ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Philippians 3:17
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.
Stay True to God
Stay true to the Lord! What a powerful statement!
At all times, in all places, and with all people! There is such a process called code-switching.” It is a term for transitioning in the formality or informality of your language in varied situations (Paycheck English and Home English). Well, we cannot “code switch” with the Lord! As Christians, we cannot change with the tide, deciding when we are going to be godly and when we are going to be worldly. We must remember; that always, someone is watching...even if it is the Lord...someone is always watching! The enemy is mad that we are on this fasting journey and will do anything to cause you to stumble, and believe, the enemy will make sure that someone is there to see it. Even if you are hiding in your car or behind closed doors someone sees you. Certainly, yes, we may fall. The Bible tells us (not just Donnie McClurkin) that “for though they fall seven times.” (Proverbs 24:16) It continues, however, with the assurance that they will “rise again.” So be of good courage.
Scripture also instructs us to not “do anything...if it might cause another Christian to stumble (Romans 14:21). And since we do not know if the person watching us is Christian or not...let us remember that non-Christians may see us in “all our worldly glory” and run from Christianity with all their might. So be vigilant at all times. We are not of this world, and therefore we are not to revel in its ways.
Prayer: God, help me to walk in a way that allows others to see you in me.
Luke 13:31-45
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Be Bold
Our Savior is comforting, but he can get with the people too...I mean “fox.” Jesus is tellin’ it like it is! You go Jesus! And guess what, that same bold Jesus lives on the inside of you. That salty attitude, when poured out onto the slugs of the world, will make them shrivel and die.
When you are working for God, there will be many who want to build roadblocks for you. They want to try to steal your joy, pity your cause, thwart your ministry and even kill you, but praise be to God, that you don’t have to back down. Now certainly, we all should do things in all decency and order but my brothers and sister at some point we must take a stand for our right as children of God to do God’s work and not let anybody sway us from our path so that we might accomplish our purpose in Christ Jesus. If you do not know what that actually is...just keep fasting and praying and most importantly, listening for the voice of God. In God’s time, it will be so loud in your Spirit that it will come with a neon sign: “THIS IS IT! THIS IS YOUR PURPOSE!”
Prayer: God, help me to walk boldly in the plan that you have established for my life.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
For Jews ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
The Foolishness of God
Thank God for God’s “foolishness!” Often there are people around us, who just look at us and wonder what in the world has gotten into us! I mean, singing and dancing and praising and prospering and laying before the Lord and humming and of course, let us not forget fasting. I mean, we must be crazy fools! Again, I say, “Thank God for God’s foolishness!” There is not one thing of “this world” that we should act a fool over. There is, however, someone who has ascended from this world who we should act a fool over...and that is Jesus!
There are some situations in our lives that simply will change as a result of fasting and praying (Mark 9:29) If it is in our hearts! And that means in many cases, the Lord will simply show off in our lives so that we can give him the glory. So, the next time someone looks at you with a look of awkward puzzlement...just look at him or her and smile, then say, “It’s just Jesus showing off!”
Prayer: God, help me to be free in you.
Deuteronomy 17:1
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
How’s Your Sanctuary
We need to take a hard look at our sanctuary. No, not the building; hopefully the church officers are maintaining that. But what about us. What needs to be turned over and thrown? Friends? Drugs? Fornication? Hording? Vanity? What is it? What is the Lord so sick of in your life that he is angry enough to go in and turn you upside down? Know that the Lord may not be ready to clean house yet, but be clear, that we are accountable for keeping our own house clean. The Lord will let us go but so far and then watch out, because the Lord’s wrath is for real. It may come in the form of lung cancer after smoking two packs a day for years or an arrest for participating in child pornography or drug dealing. It may appear as a check that we must write because we did not do the necessary maintenance on our home or our car up front. The ground may not open and swallow us as it did the children of Israel; but when the Lord tires of our foolishness and disorder and disobedience, the Lord will deal with us on our own level. Do you need to start cleaning before the Lord begins to clean for you?
Prayer: God, help me constantly check my living so that I might clean up what dishonors you.
Luke 13:1-9
At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way, they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them do you think that they were worse offenders than all the other people living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
Bear Fruit
Is your goal to produce some fruit? This whole Christian journey means absolutely nothing if we are not going to produce any fruit. What does that mean exactly? Does it mean plant a tree? No. It means that we must demonstrate love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23) and people ought to see these in us. As a matter of fact, they ought to rave about it. Do not be fooled by those people who say that it does not make any difference what other people think. It does for a Christian when it comes to the fruit you bear.
Imagine if you will if Christians just did whatever ungodly mess they wanted. Imagine than, that they used, “do as I say, not as I do” as their mantra (Many do, but that is for another day). If we are ever going to grow as Christians, we must be concerned when people look at us and see a barren tree. You are absolutely valuable to God, but what witness are you in God’s kingdom here on earth if you bear no fruit? What good are you if you have gifts and talents and you hide them? What good are you if your conversation is not God-minded? What good are you if you just show up on Sunday and do not add to the worship? Who cares that you are sitting in the pew? Stuffed animals can do that.
We cannot allow the world to blaspheme the name of God because of us (Romans 2:24). The world must see us, and the world must know by our fruit that we belong to God.
So, do not be misled we are in the spotlight whether we want to be or not. Get accustomed to it. It is where God is, and there should we also be.
Prayer: God, help me to bear fruit that glorifies you.
Saturday
John 9:39-41
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Right Living
Most powerful in this scripture is Jesus’ conversation with the hypercritical pharisees who in their pomp and circumstance of tradition and haughtiness, choose to remain blind to the salvation that stood physically in their presence. One thing that we should certainly not be as Christians is blind. We have the word that provides revelation knowledge to us about every situation in our lives. If we are stumbling in the darkness, perhaps there are too many other nonessential experiences going on in our lives that have absolutely nothing to do with what God wants for our lives or where God is taking us. We ought to not, as children of God, go around fumbling in the dark...how can we, if the light of Christ shines from within? How can we? We can, if we continue to remain blind to the light, close our eyes and our hearts to God's admonishment and align our will with that of God. Even Jesus said, "not my will, Lord, but thy will be done." Is that a prayer that you pray every night: "thy kingdom come, thy will be done!" (Sound familiar?) Do you really want the lord's will to reign in your life? If your answer is, “Yes! Reign in my life, Lord!” Take off the blinders and walk in God's marvelous light. Do not just claim to see...see! See that you are and heir of God's salvific nature, and because that you have the privilege of abundance in every area of your lives and the calling to right living.
Prayer: God, help me to remove the blinders that keep me from seeing your wonderous work in the world and in me.
2 Chronicles 36:14-21
14 All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations, and they polluted the house of the Lord that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place, 16 but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord against his people became so great that there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their youths with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or young woman, the aged or the feeble; he gave them all into his hand. 18 All the vessels of the house of God, large and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officials, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
Steadfast Faith
Thank God for Jesus! Look at what our Old Testament brothers and sisters had to go through because of their disobedience. Sadly, however, we New Testament folks have not learned much from our ancestors. We, the priests, and the people, become more and more unfaithful. Certainly, as individuals, we may have faith…we believe in God and all that, but do we walk in and exercise the faith power that we have because we are children of God? Again, we believe, and we even shout about the goodness of the Lord, but what of the faith to simply walk in the blessings of God.
It is often a struggle to simply accept the fullness of God. When doors open, we may continually ask, Lord, is that you? When there is no way that it could be anyone but the Lord! We do not need to live in 70 years of bondage because of disobedience or unfaithfulness, when we have a Lord who breaks shackles and splits chains! Again, thank God for Jesus the ultimate remedy to God's wrath. Thank God for Jesus, the one who bore our sins. Thank God for Jesus who, though his earthly temple was destroyed, rose, overcoming death so that we might live in these fleshly temples and experience the abundance and privilege of God not just "over in glory," but here on earth.
Prayer: God, help me to be steadfast in my faith. 17
Ephesians 2:1-10
2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, doing the will of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else, 4 but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.
AnAbundant Blessing
Ask yourself? Can God point to me as an example of the incredible wealth of God's favor and kindness? Am I living in the fullness of the Lord? In me is Christ creating a new creature (note creating...not has he created...we should always be actively growing in Christ)? Am I doing the good things that God has planned for me?
Well...have you answered “YES” to each of these questions readily...or did you have to stop and think about one or two (or all for that matter)? The miracle is that God allows us to get up each day despite ourselves and despite our indiscretions, because God allows us to live through the salvific nature of Jesus Christ.
This text reminds us that when we were yet dead because of our sin, Jesus died so that we might have life! What a marvelous gift life! To live it according to the will of God is even more of a precious gift! As we grow through this period of fellowship in the Secret Chamber may we earnestly and continually remain fixed on the glory of God operating in our lives so that we might be an abundant blessing in the body of Christ.
God has planned for each of us to do "good things." For some of us, God has already shown us what this means for our lives...walk in it...in power and with conviction! For others, we may still be wrestling with where God is trying to take us...go ahead... wrestle. God is patient and loving. God made you and God knows your temperament. Wherever we are in our walk on this day, know that we are still "God's masterpiece", crafted in the image of the Creator and sculpted through the salvation of our Savior!
Prayer: God help me appreciate the miracle of living each day as your wonderful creation.
Tuesday | February 14, 2023
Isaiah 43:18
Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.
Choose to Forget
It is so wonderful that God created us with memories and the ability to remember. I cherish the memories I made with family and friends who have gone on to glory. I love sitting around with my family and looking at pictures that remind me of good times. There is nothing better than talking about experiences that still make you laugh out loud or remember a day when God granted you a miracle like the birth of a child that the doctors said would not live. Oh yes, many of us are appreciative that God blessed us with the ability to remember especially the wonderful memories we do not ever want to forget.
On the flip side of remembering, however, too many of us remember things that we should be releasing. Can I challenge you today to choose to forget some things on purpose? The following are some things I plan on forgetting. If you wronged me, it is all good and I am forgetting it. If you owe me do not worry about it, I have written it off. If you are talking about me negatively, thank you because it is nice that you are even thinking about me. If we have been beefing, I release whatever the beef was about, I have let it go and I pray you can do the same. I choose to let go of all the negative, demonic, ungodly things that arrived in my life in and I refuse to carry them with me another day. I am not taking anything with me that does not glorify God.
The word of God tells us to “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.” I am embracing this scripture in my life and choosing not to remember any of the negatives of years past. I refuse to take with me any negative baggage, and I invite you to join me. God blessed us with this new day for a reason. Let’s make the best of it.
Prayer: God help me to release the negativity of the past so I might walk freely today.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Founder and Pastor Baltimore, MD ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Deuteronomy 28:2
all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God
God’s Good and Perfect Gifts
When we walk in fellowship with God, we do not have to ask God to bless us. God wants to bless us! Just as you enjoy surprising someone you love with unexpected gifts; God delights in giving you gifts in times and ways that you might never expect. God’s blessings often come during your everyday life – an encouraging telephone call in the middle of a busy morning or a letter you receive at the end of a hard day. A friend may drop by to help when you are overwhelmed, or you may receive unexpected financial help at a time of need. Often, God’s blessings do not come in spectacular ways but in the ordinary busyness of your life. They come just when you most need an expression of God’s love.
Blessings come as a result of obedience. When we walk closely with the Lord, blessings will come, regardless of whether we seek them. Blessings from our obedience will also come to those around us – our children, our grandchildren, our godchildren, and our nieces and nephews. Solomon enjoyed vast wealth during his reign, but God’s blessing upon him came largely because of his father David’s obedience in the previous generation. God promised Abraham that his obedience would bring blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen.12:2-3).
Do not take God’s gifts for granted. When you receive an unexpected blessing, thank God for His continuing love and be alert to recognize the next time God’s blessings are showered upon you and yours!
Prayer: God, help me to appreciate your every good and perfect gift.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Founder and Pastor Baltimore, MD ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Matthew 14:16
16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Divine Possibilities
Jesus asked His disciples to do something that clearly was impossible. There were five thousand famished men, along with their famished families. There were only five loaves of bread and two small fish – obviously not enough to feed a multitude. The cost of food for even a portion of the crowd would have far exceeded the disciple’s small budget. It may have seemed absurd to the disciples that Jesus should ask them to distribute the paltry amount of food to the massive crowd. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus asked them to do. Because Jesus had given the command, the disciples obeyed and witnessed an incredible miracle.
Christ often leads us into situations that will seem impossible, but we must not try to avoid them. We must stay in the middle of them, for that is where we will experience God. The key difference between what appears to be impossible to us and what is possible is a word from our master. Faith accepts God’s divine command and steps out in a direction that only God can complete. If we attempt only things that we know are possible with the visible resources we possess, those around us will not see God at work. We will be the one who receives the credit for a job well done, but God will have no part in it.
Take inventory of your life and the decisions you are presently facing. Have you received a word from the Master that awaits your next step of faith? If you will proceed with what God has told you, no matter how incredible it might seem, you will experience the joy of seeing your Lord perform a miracle, and so will those around you.
Prayer: God, help me to act at your command.
Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Pastor and Founder Baltimore, MD
1 Samuel 15:22
22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of rams.
ADecision is not Enough
It is extremely important for the children of God to not just know the will of God but once we know God’s will it is important to do God’s will. When we know God’s will and refuse to do it, we sin. Often, we make all kinds of excuses for our lack of obedience: “I’m just not ready yet” or “I’ll do it later” or “I don’t think it will make a difference” or “I can’t afford to.” We rationalize, we procrastinate; yet, in God’s eyes, rationalization and procrastination are nothing more than disobedience.
We even deceive ourselves into thinking that good intentions equal obedient actions. They do not. A good intention without corresponding activity is disobedience. When God gives us a direction, it is not enough to write down the date in our spiritual journal, or even to tell our friends and church of our “decision.” God’s call is not to “make a decision” but to obey! Deciding to obey is not equal to obeying. Loudly affirming the necessity of obedience is not the same as obeying. Making commitments, even publicly, is not the same as obeying our Lord. Substituting our own good works is not the same as obeying.
God told King Saul to wait until the prophet Samuel arrived. Instead of waiting, Saul offered a sacrifice. Saul soon discovered to his deep dismay that other acts of supposed piety do not take the place of obeying a clear command from God either. As with Saul, God expects us to obey everything exactly as God tells us. We must always remember that only obedience satisfies God. As the Bible teaches us, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”
Prayer: God, help me to act on my intentions.
Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Pastor and Founder Baltimore, MDSaturday | February 18, 2023
Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.
Influence
The children of Noah faced a significant decision. They lived in a world where everyone blatantly disregarded God. Wickedness was the norm. No one would have condemned Noah’s sons for living evil lives like the rest of society – no one except their father. In a world rampant with ungodly attitudes and every form of wicked behavior, they were fortunate to be Noah’s son. When their father invited them to spend the next hundred years building an ark in obedience to a word from God, Noah’s sons had to choose whether to believe those around them or to trust their father. They chose to join their father. What a wonderful testimony of Noah’s godly influence in his home! How fortunate for Shem, Ham, and Japheth that their father refused to compromise his integrity, even though everyone else in his society had done so.
Your life has an influence on those around you as well. Your spouse and your children are profoundly affected by your choices. Your co-workers, your neighbors, and your friends will all be impacted by your life. As the world tries to persuade people to follow its standard, your life should stand in stark contrast as an example of a righteous person. Your life should convince those around you of the wisdom of following God. Do not underestimate the positive effect that your obedience to God will have upon those close to you.
Prayer: God, help my walk influence others to follow your good and perfect will.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Pastor and Founder Baltimore, MD
ramseyetta1@gmail.com
2
Corinthians 5:16-21
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we no longer know him in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are all in this Together
It is not OK just for me to change, but I also have a responsibility to help others to tell them about Jesus in my talk and to show them Jesus through my walk. Though salvation is an individual process, Christianity is not. As we grow in Christ, becoming more like Christ, we are called to do as Christ did...go and tell the "wonderful message that God has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassador, and as such, we have a responsibility to seek out those who do not know Jesus, those who are hurting and feeling hopeless and drowning in sin and tell them simply that God loves them so much that God gave his only begotten son, Jesus, as a sacrifice so that we might be reconciled to him. That is no ordinary love!
God has entrusted you with the story of salvation. It is not responsibility to save anyone, but it is your responsibility to share the Good News of Christ. It is your responsibility to share what the Lord has done in your life. Both take a higher level of engagement in the body of Christ. Our journey in Christianity is not a solitary one. God created us to commune one with another and to be an encouragement to all. We each have a role to play in enriching the lives of others. In this we are all striving to grow together.
Prayer: God, help me to be intentional in building encouraging relationships with others.
Monday | February 20, 2023
Romans 14:10-12
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12 So then, each one of us will be held accountable
ADailyAccount
Verse 12 of our text must be at the forefront of each of our minds every day. We must each give a personal account before God. We will each stand before God's judgment one day...Wow! What it if is today? What if it is right now? What in the world would God's verdict be for you? Will Jesus say that you accepted him! Has God heard your prayer(s) of forgiveness and seen your love for your God and for your neighbor?
Each day, God must see us purposefully releasing our will to that of God and growing in our spiritual walk, and not criticizing others for what we believe is their Christian walk, but rather, encouraging others by our walk.
And so today, pray that you are simply walking your path and seeking God's face in all that you do so that you are guided every day to be the best ambassador for Christ that you can be. Pray that you are fixed on Jesus and that you are doing those things eating, living, witnessing, loving, believing, trusting that the Lord has given to you to do.
My brothers and sisters, if you will that each of us including you must give a personal account for who we are, whose we are and what we do. Only God knows if we are living in the way that pleases God. We cannot rationalize our mediocrity with a God who expects our greatness.
Prayer: God, help me to be accountable for doing your will daily
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.
Praise God for a New Covenant
There is but so much any one person can say to another person about developing a relationship with Christ. I mean, how many times have we heard the voice of our ancestors telling us that we must "know him for ourselves." Billy Holiday sang it well, "God bless the child that's got his own" relationship with God, that is. There is just a point when we each make a conscious decision, not an emotional or desperate one, but a moment of true clarity, when we simply accept the new covenant salvation through Jesus that God freely gives.
Perhaps you are saved, but you have not been living in the abundance of the Lord! Perhaps you are struggling with taking the steps in the direction that God would have you go. Perhaps you are simply not hearing (or listening to) the voice of God in your life. It matters. Know where you are in the "process" of growth in Christ, know that no one else can force you to decide to accept Christ or to follow the plan of God for your life. It is a decision that only you can make!
Please do not be like our ancestors who would not yield to the leading of the Spirit in their lives. Do not remain stubborn and heathens at heart...deaf to the truth of God's leading as Paul urges in Acts 7:51. Do not resist the Holy Spirit! Accept God's new covenant for your life.
Prayer: God, help me to be obedient to your will for my life
Isaiah 43:16-21
16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,17 who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down; they cannot rise; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18 Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20 The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.
It Does Not YetAppear
The Lord has kept you! Yes, the Lord has performed miracles in your life! Yes, the Lord has kept your family together! Yes, the Lord has kept you sane! Yes, the Lord has provided for you when you did not see how you were going to make it! Yes, the Lord sent a word that kept you putting one foot in front of the other when all you wanted to do was sit down and cry! Yes, the Lord picked you up and brushed you off, and made you look like a brand-new person...even when you did not feel like one! Yes, the Lord made your enemies your footstools! Yes, it was the Lord! Yes, it was the Lord...strong and mighty! But forget all that it is nothing compared to what the lord is going to do!
In all of what the Lord has done, nothing compares to what the Lord is going to do. It doth not yet appear!
Get ready! God is bringing wholeness where there is brokenness of health! God is ensuring deliverance from the bondage of abuse (specifically financial and emotional. Glory to God)! God is breathing a fresh anointing on ministry and on relationships! God is empowering clarity of thought and speech at work. God is revealing emerging footpaths to follow where there has been no clear path. Walk! Run...and do not look back! Glory! Hallelujah! Praise the name of the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!
Prayer: God, help me walk today in the reality of what shall be.
Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
When God places people in your life who are in need, God is aware of what they lack, and the resources that God has already given you to meet those needs. You know God does nothing by accident. When a need surfaces around you, immediately go to God and say, “You put me here for a reason. You knew this was going to happen. What did You intend to do through me that would help this person become closer to You?”
Recognizing a need in someone’s life can be one of the greatest invitations from God you will ever experience. It is easy to become frustrated by the problems of others. They can overwhelm you as you become aware of need after need. Rather than looking at each new problem as one more drain on your time, energy, or finances, ask God why God placed you in this situation. Allow God to help you see beyond the obvious needs of others to what God wants to accomplish in their lives and in yours.
Is God blessing you materially, spiritually, relationally, intellectually, emotionally? It maybe that God is developing a “supply depot” in your life through which God can provide for others. Has God granted you a strong, healthy, family life? It may be that God requires such a home to minister to hurting families around you. Has God released you from sinful habits? Has God’s peace comforted you in a time of great sorrow? Has God miraculously provided for your needs? It may be that Gd has been purposefully building you to be a blessing to someone else.
Prayer: God, help me to see my circumstance as an opportunity that will enrich others.
Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church, Founder and Pastor Baltimore, MD
Philippians 3:8-14
8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow, I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Dying to Soar
A dying that must take place in our flesh so that our spirits might soar. There is a shift among God's people and those who are stubborn enough to remain in the flesh are going to miss it. We are going to miss a mighty move of God in our homes and in our workplaces, in the gyms where we work out and even in the aisles of the grocery store where we shop. God is calling us to a higher level through our giving up our denial of the flesh. It is not by happenstance that you arrived at this reading today. God is shifting and doing a new thing in you and in the body of Christ.
God is calling out prophets and teachers and encouragers and preachers. God is anointing children and God is lifting fathers and mothers to stand righteously before their children (AMEN somebody). God is tugging at the heart of the unsaved and calling each of us to be a vocal witness to the salvation and glory of God. God is ready to move us ahead. And ahead is not a position of stagnation. Ahead is higher in the spirit and closer to God's presence. Glory!
Prayer: God, help me to receive your calling to a higher place in you.
John 8:1-11
1 while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and, making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”
Misleading Headlines
What a blessed Savior we have! I mean the Lord saves us by his wisdom and mercy every day. When we are wrong, the Lord sees us in the context of our salvation and protects us from those who would use our "wrong" as a vehicle to hinder not just us, but to trample on the name of the Lord! See how the religious folk tried to use this situation to "trap" Jesus. Everything that we do as Christians is monitored by somebody. They are waiting to see us "mess up." They are waiting to see us fall so that the headline can read: "Christians Not All They are Cracked Up to Be." The glorious part of this entire experience is that not one of us has any right to judge anyone else Christian or not. As the saying goes, we all have some skeletons in our closets...some of us families of them. Amen somebody! For we all have sinned and come short of God's glory! But praise be to God that there is “no there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
(Romans 8:2)
So, Lord, we cry as David cried: " Teach [us] your way, O Lord, and lead [us] on a level path because of [our] enemies. (Psalm 27:11). Remember that someone is always watching to see if your words and your actions align. Run on my fellow Warriors! Run on!
Prayer: God, help me to walk in mercy and wisdom of Christ Jesus.
Luke 12:34
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What do you Treasure?
What do you value most in this world? Is it your children, your family, your job, your home, your possessions, or your wealth? Do you value your relationship with God? What you value most is your treasure. Where you spend your time, and your money is your treasure. What others know you for is a good indication of what your treasure is. Most born-again believers are quick to claim that God is their priority. Yet often their actions reveal that their treasure is not God but the things of this world. Some Christians find it difficult to discuss their relationship with God, but they can chatter easily about their family, friends, or hobbies. Some find it impossible to rise early to spend time with God, but they are willing to get up at dawn to pursue a hobby. Some find it difficult to give tithe or an offering to God of $200.00 or $300.00 but will buy a ticket to a show for $200.00 or $300.00 or more. Some boldly approach strangers to sell a product, yet they are painfully timid in telling others about their Savior, Jesus Christ. Some give hundreds of hours to serve in volunteer organizations but feel they have no time available to serve God.
If you are unsure of where your treasure is, examine where you spend your available time and money. Reflect on what it is you most enjoy thinking about and discussing. Ask your friends that you trust to tell you the truth to tell you what they think is most important to you. Ask your children to list the things most valuable to you. It may surprise you to know what others consider to be your treasure.
Prayer: God, help me to make you the treasure of my heart.
James 1:17
17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Give a Thought
When is the last time you gave any thought to the good and perfect gifts God has bestowed upon you, not the last time you showed gratitude, but the last time you gave thought?
When is the last time you sat down and remembered each one of them: The job you currently possess making more money than you ever thought possible. The home you live in that no other human being lived in prior to you. The regulation of your body systems and the air that you breath. The children you were blessed to conceive who have grown up and are now leading happy and productive lives. The ministry that you started from nothing that is now twenty years old. The family vacations that you get to take every year and have enough money to do anything and everything you want. The audiences you have been blessed to stand in front of and proclaim the word of God. The degree you earned while working a full-time job. The life that you have after a global pandemic killed millions. The disease-free body that you are now carrying as you move into your fifties. The marriage you have been in now for over forty years and the thrill is not gone. The relationship you now experience with God who walks with you and talks to you daily.
Beloved, every now and again it is good for the children of God to pause and reflect on every good and perfect gift God has bestowed upon us. Amen!
Prayer: God help me to reflect on my blessings daily.
Matthew 14:31
31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Look to God
One factor in our life that holds us back from accomplishing the unthinkable or miraculous is fear. When Peter was asked by God to walk on the water, he allowed fear to bind him and hold him back. God responds to Peter’s fear by saying, “You of little faith.”
Is there something that you want to do but fear is holding you back? Many have been in your position. But today, take a step. Go after your heart’s desire, God will add the increase and like Peter, you will be victorious. God will walk with you every step of the way. No matter who tells you that what you want to do cannot be done, remember God says you can do it. No matter how much the wind blows against you, God says you can do it. No matter how many demons arise, and fears attack, remember God says you can do it.
Remember all is not lost and all is not hopeless because we stumble. If you begin to sink, look up your higher power your Savior. Look up to your redeemer, look up to your Lord, look up to your friend, look up to your Master who created this world and all that is in it. It is God who promised us that we can do all things through Christ who strengths us and not we ourselves. Hallelujah and Amen!
Prayer: God, help me to look to you for the strength I need for today.
