Which side are you on? The alcohol debate among Christians has been going on for decades. Team #It’sOkayToDrink holds to the fact that the Bible not only cites Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding but also instances when Jesus drinks wine. However, team #Don’tDrink has Biblical support, too, and we will be exploring those scriptures today. Almost anyone can quote Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine, but how many people know the supporting scriptures for team #Don’tDrink? Exactly! This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 23:29 —  (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou thalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have striken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

In modern terms, the scriptural support for team #Don’tDrink is saying, “Who has issues? People who drink.” This passage is saying, “Sure. Alcohol looks great, sounds great, and it may go down smooth, but if you’re not careful it will make you a hot mess.” To the credit of team #It’sOkayToDrink, it is worth noting that this Bible passage is not saying, “Drinking is banned by God, because it is evil,” but don’t get too excited. What it is warning us of is the fact that too much indulgence in alcohol — “tarrying long at the wine” — will put your life in shambles. Team #Don’tDrink simply and wisely operates on prevention. Their mentality is, “Wow! I don’t want those horrible consequences from alcohol, and I don’t want to risk it, so I think it’s best to just not drink at all.” The reality is that many people do not have the discipline to handle alcohol responsibly. Don’t believe me? Just watch the news. This is why our Heavenly Father gives us this warning in His Word.

Now that you know this passage of scripture, what side are you on now?

Have a blessed day!

~

Click here to submit your prayer request. Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

You know those people who are always up to no good. They always have a trick up their sleeve and a devious disposition, but sometimes they will invite you to socialize with them. When you get that dinner party invitation from them, you do not know what to think. You find it a bit stragne and surprising — maybe even a bit alarming. So, what should you do? Should you go? This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 23:6 — 7 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

6 Eat thou not the bread of him who hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

According to our key text, the answer is no. You should not attend the dinner party or desire things of this person, because he or she does not mean you well. The scripture above does not only apply to physical food, however. When it comes to people who we know take joy in walking the crooked path, we should not ingest their words either. We should not let our ears feast upon nor our minds digest what they have to say. It can be easy to be fooled by fancy facades of kindness, but it is the genuine heart of a man that defines him — not his fake actions. It may appear that the type of person depicted in this scripture means well or just wants to be friendly, but as the Word of God warns us, “…as he (him who hath an evil eye) thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Have a blessed day!

Have a prayer request? Click here to submit it. 

~

Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Do you know someone who just lives life steeped in anger? It may sound silly, but think about it for real. Do you know anyone who is quick to start a fight as opposed to resolving it? Does the music they listen to on a regular basis celebrate or glorify altercation? Can you spend time with them without having to walk on egg shells for fear of provoking them in some insignificant way? This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 22:24 — 25 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go; 25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

The Bible already instructs us as individuals to be slow to anger. In this text, the Word of God takes it even further and tells us to not keep company with people predisposed to anger or who bear a furious disposition. Although it is possible to maintain one’s composure while filled with anger, it is extremely difficult to do so. If you have noticed in life, anger has a tendency to cause trouble. This is why we hear horrible stories in the news of people snapping and harming — sometimes even killing — others. Although it is not always that severe, anger can certainly make people do and say things they would not otherwise do or say. I imagine these are the very reasons our Heavenly Father takes special care to explicitly tell us “Sin not in your anger.” It only follows that if God instructs us to be slow to anger for ourselves, He would not then want us to go about keeping company with people who revel in fury. If not for our well-being, God does not want us picking up the bad habit and corrupting our character.

Have a blessed day!

Have a prayer request or praise report? Click here to submit it.

 ~

Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

We all know it’s good to give to the poor, but did you know that the Bible actually establishes a working relationship between those more fortunate and those less fortunate? The Bible not only points out this relationship but explains how God sees fit for it to function. The wealthy and the poor are mentioned many times within the book of Proverbs, but in chapter 22 alone there are six verses that give us intricate insight into this topic. This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 22:2,7,9,16,22 — 23 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all….7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender…9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor….16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want….22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate 23 For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of the those that spoiled them

The relationship between the wealthy and the poor can be broken down into six components.

First: God establishes the fact that He is the maker of both the rich and the poor and that we all live in this world together.

Second: We learn that the rich rule over the poor. Those who control more resources clearly have more power. Furthermore, if the poor borrow from the rich, they are a servant to the rich. In other words, if one borrows, he or she needs to honor the terms of that agreement, and pay back the designated amount.

Third: It is one thing to make a loan to someone less fortunate, but the Bible specifically says you are blessed when you give in order to help someone as opposed to lending.

Fourth: Though the rich rule over the poor, the Word of God makes it clear that they are not to abuse their power. If the rich oppress the poor in an attempt to increase their own gain, the Bible says they will end up losing instead.

Fifth: In addition to not oppressing those less fortunate, we are not to rob from them. Though oppressing and robbing are two different things, they are both abhorred by God.

Sixth: Lastly the Lord’s Word explicitly tells us that He will indeed punish those who oppress and/or rob the poor.

In a nutshell, there is to be a level of respect between the poor and the wealthy. If the poor need to borrow from the wealthy, they should honor whatever agreement is set in place. Though the wealthy are set in power over the poor, they should use that power to bless and not oppress. We are all God’s children, and we need to follow His blueprint. Life can change in an instant, and you never know which side of the fence you’ll be on tomorrow.

Have a blessed day!

Have a prayer request or praise report? Click here to submit it.

~

Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

You are absolutely positive that your kids have lost their minds. At this very moment, you’re thinking “Gosh! I know I did not raise my babies to act this way.” Yep, they’re going through that phase — that rebellious stage where kids throw everything their parents ever taught them out of the window. Technically, this should never happen for children who are believers, right? Ideally, a believer always strives to follow after the Word of the Lord — the very Word you have striven so diligently to instill in them throughout their childhood. Yet, none of us can escape the fallen nature of our humanity. Though salvation frees us from being enslaved by sin, it does not mean we all of a sudden gain the capacity to never sin again. At this point you may be thinking, “That’s all fine and dandy, but right now it’s not looking like my son or daughter will ever do RIGHT again.” Fear not concernedly disgruntled parent. God already has a plan of action in place. If you’re the God-fearing parent I know you are, all you have to do is sit back, trust the Lord, and watch Him work. This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 22:6 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Voila! Your problem is already solved. Though some take longer than others, if you have been raising your children in the Word, they will come back to their righteous senses. As we speak, God is convicting their hearts. Save yourself the agony of worrying. Continue to pray God’s divine protection for your children as they sow their wild oats. Our Heavenly Father honors His Word, so stand firm on it, and before you know it, you’ll have that good little boy or girl back.

Have a blessed day!

~

Click here to submit your prayer request. Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Sin always has a way of looking downright irresistible no matter how old or young we are. In the words of one of my high school classmates who was caught red handed by the teacher, ”But…candy always tastes so much better when you know you’re not supposed to have it!”  This is what the world will have you thinking not only about candy but about everything in life. The Bible, however, teaches us quite the contrary. Sin never improves a situation, and when we see temptation coming our way, running to greet it with open arms is the last thing we should be doing. This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 22:3 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

3 A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

This scripture informs us that wise people avoid sin and that those who fail to do so reap negative consequences. We all have those moments when we know what we are about to do is wrong, but we do it anyway. How many can testify that it was not worth it in the end? It is not that God does not want us to have any fun or enjoy ourselves in life. He just knows way better than we do what is and is not good for us. He can see repercussions that we cannot see. Hence, if we are smart, we will not only listen to the voice of God when He gives us the heads up that trouble is around but also take action to remove ourselves from the tempting situation.

Have a blessed day!

Have a prayer request? Click here to submit it now!

~

Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Money is a dangerous thing for those untrained in the spirit. People who are not careful can find themselves doing anything for money. That’s what’s wrong with a lot of people in the pop culture of today. We see a lot of individuals and families signing up to either be a part of or have their own reality show in order to gain fortune and fame. By the end of season 1, however, the lives of those same people end up torn in shambles behind engaging in scandelous behavior. Yes, their bank accounts wax full, but the positivity of their reputations often wane thin. Are the green-backs really worth tainting your name? This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs chapter 22 and the “a” portion of verse 1 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

1a A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches

Yes, it is primarily people in popular culture who are spotlighted and glamorized for choosing to lead their lives contrary to this admonition, but we cannot mistake the fact that even everyday people get caught up in the same unwholesome lifestyle. We may not be running around getting rich off of a s*x tape like some celebrities, but what about those who are willing to lie for the sake of a job promotion? What good is being able to buy whatever you want with your new-found riches if no one wants to be around you, because you’re known as a cheater, thief, liar, or…? It’s simply not worth it. Why? Because God has given us a better way to achieve wealth both physically and spiritually. His Word tells us in Proverbs 22:4 (KJV), “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.” When we serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the absence of pride, He will bless us not only with riches but also with life and a good reputation to go along with it. To answer the former question directly, no, lots of money is not worth having a messed up reputation.

Have a blessed day!

~

Click here to submit your prayer request. Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Calling up a friend or confidant for advice is only natural when we’re not sure what to do in certain situations. As believers, however, we must be careful to make sure that what our friends — or any other people — are telling us line up with the Bible. Although people may mean well, if they are not rooted in the Word of God, they could actually make our problems even worse — that is, if we take their advice. This brings us to our key text coming out of Proverbs 21:30 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

Just because an eighty-year-old person says it, it does not mean it’s wisdom or understanding. Just because you asked a family member, it does not mean you received good counsel. If the advice someone gives you does not line up with what Jesus would have you to do, it is bad advice. To put it bluntly, anything that goes against what God would have us do cannot even be called wisdom, understanding, or counsel.This is why it is so important for us as believers to study the Word of God and know it for ourselves. No matter what you are going through or what the crisis is, never be too stricken to check in with our Heavenly Father. Yes, it can be nice to have a friend to go to, but there is no better person to guide you through uncertain territory than God the Father.

Have a blessed day!

~

Click here to submit your prayer request. Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Our key text for today comes out of Proverbs 21:27 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind!

In the times of the old testament, God required man to make animal sacrifices to Him. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, however, the shedding of His pure blood was the final blood sacrifice on behalf of mankind. That said, there are other forms of sacrifice that the Lord asks believers to make for His sake. For example, we are to   give up some of our time in order to dedicate it to studying God’s Word and to help others. We are to sacrifice our pride and trade it in for a spirit of humility in acknowledgement that we are nothing without God. We are to sacrifice ten percent of our income and give it back to the Lord as an offering of gratitude. These are just a few examples of sacrifices we make in order to please our Lord, but the scriptures tell us that they are detested by God if our hearts are in the wrong place. For instance, yes, it is good to take time out of your day to read the Bible, but if your mind is on the TV show you’re missing, your sacrifice is frowned upon by God. Likewise, yes, the Bible tell us to pay our tithes, but God is not pleased with your ten percent sacrificial offering if you are giving it grudingly.

What’s the big picture here? No matter what you do for Christ, make sure you do it with an eager, joyful spirit.

Have a blessed day!

~

Click here to submit your prayer request. Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Let’s jump right to our key text coming out of Proverbs 20:22 (KJV). The Word of the Lord reads:

22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

Whether you’re the spit-fire type who is quick on your feet or the type who walks away from an arguement wondering why you didn’t think of that line 5 minutes ago, it is so easy to want to get back at people who mistreat us. No matter what type we are, we can save it. Why get our hands dirty in the fight, when God’s already got it covered? Jesus can handle people better than we ever can. All we have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy “the show.” That said, God does not always let us see how He sets the people straight who have done us wrong. Often times human nature stirs a desire in us to want to physically see the other person get hurt for mistreating us. First of all, that is the improper spirit to have, so we should pray for help in casting it aside. Secondly, we can rest assured knowing that we serve a God of justice. In the book of Proverbs it is repeated numerous times that evildoers and those who take joy in doing ill towards the righteous will not go unpunished. Even if God does not let us see a person get divinely reprimanded, we have God’s Word that He stands up for us.

Have a blessed day!

~

Ayvaunn Penn is an award-winning writer and the author of Ephemeral Moments, a book of poetry and short stories from the Christian perspective, available on Amazon.com in the fall of 2013. She is also the founder of Your Black Poets. To receive Ayvaunn’s daily Bible devotionals by email, click here. Click to follow her on Twitter and Facebo