The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, October 27, 2020.

God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right. Psalm 7:10

Always Ready

There is nothing worse than getting caught in the rain without an umbrella. It typically happens to me on days when there is “no chance of rain.” You see, on days when I expect rain, I prepare for rain. I bring an umbrella, wear the right shoes and make sure I have a water-resistant coat because I am expecting rain.  Unfortunately, there are those occasions when there is not a cloud in the sky and no chance of rain, yet something along the way changes, and there I am stuck in the rain completely unprepared. On those days, I wind up soggy, clothes ruined and wondering what happened.

It is on those soggy days that I remember that it is better to be prepared than unprepared. You see, when the unexpected shows up, it is way too late to prepare. What has happened has already happened, and you are left to deal with it. The problem is, some things are too important just to let happen — some things you need always to be prepared for. There may be times in life when the enemy will show up unexpectedly, without warning, and try to take a piece out of you. It is in those days that you need God to act as your shield, and he shields those whose hearts are true and right.

Every day, we must take time to make sure that our hearts are right with God. We have to take the time to pray, confess, and ask for forgiveness so that we stay in right relationship with God. When we do that, we are assured of His protection on those days that something is supposed to happen and on the days when nothing is supposed to happen. By always having your heart in the right posture with God, you ensure that you are protected even when the unexpected comes.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, October 26, 2020.

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1

Can We Talk

I am thankful for unlimited cell phone plans. If they did not exist, my phone bill could be almost as much as my mortgage, not really but close. You see, my wife and I talk serval times a day. We check in with each other. We confirm the plans with each other. We arrange child care and dinner plans with each other. Sometimes we just chat because one of us is waiting in line, so we call the other to keep us company. It seems like a lot, but the truth is we enjoy each other’s company, and talking several times a day keeps us connected. So much so that if one of us does not call the other back, the offending party can expect a text message with the words “You didn’t call me back” to shortly follow.

Any great relationship requires communication, and communication is always two way. My wife and I get upset with each other when one of us is not holding up their end of the conversation. We both want to talk, but we also want to hear back. We want to be acknowledged, heard, and responded to, or we feel alone. So when we don’t hear back from each other, we are first agitated, then concerned, and finally worried because it is just not like either of us to not respond to the other person.

If you want to have a great relationship with someone, you must communicate with them. In the same way, if you want to have a great relationship with God, you must communicate with Him as well. Communicating with God is not just saying grace and asking God for things you need. It is also checking in, spending time, and occasionally just listening just to hear His voice. All of us want to have a close relationship with God, but it will require spending the time to communicate with Him and to let Him communicate with you.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Friday, October 23, 2020.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. Psalm 1:1-2

The Company You Keep

Whenever I wanted to visit a friend’s house as a child, my mother had a battery of questions. What time are you going? What time are you coming back? Who is going to be there? Are their parents going to be home? How do you know these people? Have I met any of them? Where do they go to school? Have they ever been in any trouble? I would always dutifully answer the questions because I wanted to hurry up and be on my way, but I always thought mom was a bit dramatic with the third degree until she told me why.

One day my mother sat me down and explained why she asked so many questions. She told me it’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s that you will be known by the company you keep. No matter who you are and what you do, if you are with the wrong crowd, they will rub off on you, and you will become more like them and less like you. So as your mother, it is my job to make sure that the company you keep will allow you to keep the good name that your father and I have passed onto you.

Friends, the company you keep matters. Even as adults, we are known by the people with whom we are associated. Think about it. When you see a group of people, you make certain assumptions about them. The way they look, the way they dress, the way they act gives you a picture of the group that you then apply to the individuals. That is why you must always be careful of the group that you get painted by. You may be different, but if you are with them, you become one of them. Therefore, make sure that you are with people of good report, righteous thoughts, and deeds. That way, you can live up to the company you are keeping.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Thursday, October 22, 2020.

The Lord is my strength and my shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7

Sing Your Song

For the record, I am a terrible singer. I’m not saying that with false humility, I am really terrible. When I was in the youth choir at my church, I was the lead baritone. That sounds like an honor until you realize that I’m probably not actually a baritone it was just a great way to stop me from throwing the tenors around me off-key. Yes, I am that bad, but I didn’t want to leave the choir because I love to sing. I don’t love to sing because I think I’m a good singer, I’m admittedly not, I love to sing because there are some things my heart can only express to the Lord through song.

You see I believe that when I sing, the Lord hears me in perfect tune and harmony. He doesn’t hear the notes of my vocal cords but rather the tone and rhythm of my heart. He hears a heart that trusts him, a heart that longs to be with Him, and a heart that always remains thankful for all that He has done. When I sing, it is simply the outpouring of my heart with gratitude and love for a great and gracious God.

Today take a minute to sing. You don’t have to be on key; you don’t have to know the note, all you have to know is who God is to you. If you know God is a healer, then sing His praises. If you know God is a deliverer, then sing to His glory. If you know God will never fail you, then sing to His steadfast love. When you know who God is, and your heart is filled with joy, it doesn’t matter what the key is, or the note is, just take a minute to sing your song to Him.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

A Light In Darkness

As a child, I was desperately afraid of the dark. When my parents were ready to put me to bed everything was just fine until they turned off the lights. Bath, no problem. Bedtime story, no problem. Say your prayers, no problem at all. Get in bed, that’s easy. OK, now I’m turning off the lights, HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM! You see, I was fine as long as I could see what was going on around me, but when the lights went out, that’s when the monsters came out. When I couldn’t see the monster in the closet made himself known, and the one under the bed and the one that was in my toy chest. In the dark, they all came out to get me. That is until my parents got me a night light.

The joy of a night light is that it is always there when you need it. My nightlight wasn’t terribly bright. As a matter of fact, if it were on during the day, you wouldn’t even notice it. But when the room got dark, and my fears got big, the night light was just enough to let me know that the monsters were not real, I was safe and everything would be alright. It was because of the nightlight that I was able to sleep, rest, and be restored and ready for the day ahead.

If we are honest, all of us have times when life gets dark. We all have moments when fear and doubt overwhelm us, and we are not sure what to do. Moments when we want to cry, cry out, or just have someone come and to turn a light on. It is in those moments that you must remember that you have a nightlight. In the best of times and the worst of times, God is always there. He is your light and your salvation, so there is nothing to be afraid of. My brothers and my sisters, the monsters are not real, and you have nothing to be afraid of, just look towards the light!

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. Psalm 26:3

Loved

For many of us, there are times that we feel unloveable. While we put on a great smile for the public and make sure our social media posts show us living our best lives, we sometimes struggle with deep-rooted feelings of insecurity, unworthiness, and self-doubt. We sometimes doubt that we will ever truly achieve our dreams. We sometimes doubt that anybody knows the real us. Worst of all, we sometimes doubt that if people knew the real us, the person under the façade, that anyone would ever really love us for us.

The truth of the matter is, no matter how you feel, you are loved. God knows exactly who you are, and He loves you anyway. God knows that we struggle, make mistakes, and often let ourselves down. That is not what matters to God. To God, you are not your accomplishments or judged by your performance. You are simply His beloved child. With your flaws, with your mistakes, and with your doubts, you are, always have been, and always will be loved by God.

Today is the day to accept the love of God into your heart. You are absolutely flawed, imperfect, and have all kinds of issues. Guess what; God loves you anyway. With your issues and flaws, God is not asking you to be perfect. He simply wants you to be you. He wants you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He loves you. He doesn’t love you because you’re worthy, and He’s not looking for you to try harder and do better.  He simply loves you because you are His child. So today, let go of the fear, the self-condemnation, and the doubt. God loves you, and so do I.

Be Blessed,

Rev 

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Monday, October 19, 2020.

Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Psalm 25:4

Lost?

What do you do when you are lost? It’s not a question that we typically have to ask anymore. With the advent of smartphones, GoogleMaps, iMaps, and Waze, it seems like we never have to be lost again. All of these wonderful inventions work the same way. By using global positioning, they locate where you are and then plot a route to where you want to be. The only problem is, for the technology to work you have to be able to identify both where you are and where you would like to be.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves lost in ways that an app simply can’t solve. It is not that we don’t know our physical location but spiritually and mentally we feel lost.  There are occasions when life has not turned out the way we wanted it to, and we feel lost. There are also times when we feel lost because we are in a season where there simply seem to be more questions than answers about who we are and where we are supposed to be going. In these times we may not have an app that we can use, but we certainly have a God we can call on.

One of the great things about God is that He knows where you are and where you are supposed to be going. No matter how lost you may feel, there is never a time where God has lost you. He always knows right where you are, exactly what you are going through, and has a plan to get you on track to where you need to be.  So the next time you feel lost like you don’t know where you are or where you’re supposed to be headed to, take a minute to ask the Lord. He will certainly know where you are and be able to put you on the right path to your destination.

Be Blessed,

Rev

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Friday, October 16, 2020.

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Psalm 8:9

Look At God

There are times when you see things with different eyes. It is not that you are looking at anything new; it is just that you are seeing it differently this time. This often happens to me when I am walking my dog. In the evening, when all I want is my dog to do his business so that we can get back into the safe confines of our house, sometimes something on his walk will catch my eye differently. Sometimes it is just the way a star is twinkling in the sky on that evening. Other times, it is just the way the wind is whistling through the trees that just plays a melody that is just different to the ear this time. There is just something in those moments that I realize that there is something different going on here.

I call those moments, God moments. It is in those moments where it feels as if there is a layer that is pulled back from the world and you can just see and feel the glory of God. It is in those quiet moments when all I want to do is get home, that I am often reminded of the majesty and glory of God filling the earth and calling me to worship Him in all that He has done. In those moments, there is a vivid and visceral reminder that we are not alone, there is a God and He is awesome.

Today, take a minute to look beyond what you see. Ask the Lord to pull back the curtain so that you can see His glory and majesty. When you do it, you will see that in all things, and at all times God’s glory is always there. You will begin to see that there is beauty in the mundane, joy in the trivial, and music in the noise. You will begin to see that the name of the Lord fills the earth and we are better for it.

Be Blessed,

Rev 

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Thursday, October 15, 2020.

For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. Psalm 26:3

Loved

For many of us, there are times that we feel unloveable. While we put on a great smile for the public and make sure our social media posts show us living our best lives, we sometimes struggle with deep-rooted feelings of insecurity, unworthiness, and self-doubt. We sometimes doubt that we will ever truly achieve our dreams. We sometimes doubt that anybody knows the real us. Worst of all, we sometimes doubt that if people knew the real us, the person under the façade, that anyone would ever really love us for us.

The truth of the matter is, no matter how you feel you are loved. God knows exactly who you are and He loves you anyway. God knows that we struggle, make mistakes and often let ourselves down. That is not what matters to God. To God you are not your accomplishments or judged by your performance, you are simply His beloved child. With your flaws, with your mistakes and with your doubts you are, always have been and always will be loved by God.

Today is the day to accept the love of God into your heart. You are absolutely flawed, imperfect, and have all kinds of issues. Guess what; God loves you anyway. With your issues and flaws God is not asking you to be perfect, he simply wants you to be you. He wants you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He loves you. He doesn’t love you because you’re worthy and He’s not looking for you to try harder and do better.  He simply loves you because you are His child. So today let go of the fear, the self-condemnation, and the doubt. God loves you, and so do I.

Be Blessed,

Rev 

The Daily Dose with Dr. Daryl L. Williams

A Word every day to get you on your way!

Here is the Daily Dose for Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook. Proverbs 18:4

Watch For Spills

Before podcasts, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, there was a time-honored tradition of sitting at the feet of the elders. As opposed to just scrolling and picking up bite-sized nuggets of wisdom, in 140 characters or less, people took the time to sit in rooms with wise people and let them talk to each other. Not lecture the crowd, or give a good TED Talk, but rather just sitting quietly and letting wisdom converse with wisdom. The idea was in listening to these sage minds share at their level; there could be something that spilled down to your level that you could use later.

When we spend time with people who are deep founts of wisdom, their spillage and overflow could be the thing that takes us to the next level. When we spend time around the truly wise, we begin to see that they are rarely drawing off new information but a deep well that has accumulated over years of experience. The type of experience that only comes from living long, making mistakes, learning from them, and pushing on to the next adventure. People like these are walking treasures who can be a blessing to you if you just let them spill on you a little bit.

As you go through this week, look for some opportunities to pick up spills. I don’t mean walking around with a mop and bucket but rather spending time with people who are so wise that they may spill a little wisdom on you. Find someone what has gotten to where you are trying to go and just let them talk for a while. Let them tell you about their successes and their failures. Let them tell you about what they have learned along the way and what they wish they knew when they were your age. If you let them pour out for a while, they may spill just enough that it gets on you.

Be Blessed,

Rev