Daily Archives: August 25, 2015

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee:… Isaiah 43:1-5

 

One thing for certain, two things for sure: Life happens fast and furious! Preparing for the unexpected is a challenge for any of us! Saved or Unsaved, huh?

Yet as believers in The Lordship of Jesus Christ, we’re taught to do just that! The Word of God warns us that when faced with seemingly overwhelming circumstances, to resist panic and anxiety! How many times has your circumstantial evidence threatened to destroy all hope for recovering the calmness that we once enjoyed walking in the comfort of God’s favor? #bothhandsup!

Nevertheless, time and wisdom have trained us that Satan delights in using the sporadic turbulent winds and upheaval waves of chaos, temptations and uncertainty to manipulate and vex the minds of unsuspecting sainted-souls of God’s elect.

From the beginning, The Master of Deceit, has proven himself quite adept in distracting our hearts away from what we know of God, derailing our commitment to trust to questioning, doubt, unbelief and ultimately dissipating our hope-filled confidence into pits of of desperation, fear and despair. While it sometimes appears as if Satan has been declared the victor, it behooves you to not fall for the ‘ookey-doke’, and never ever underestimate The Power of God! God is Sovereign! Hence, your enemies can’t intrude into your life, except God allows! And the only way that He’ll permit the demons to invade your personal space, is to prove that His greater purpose excels far beyond your temporary pain and discomfort!

Therefore, Beloved, don’t believe everything you see! The enemy’s arsenal is flanked by confusion, isolation, intimidation and fear. #FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL! Chances are, it ain’t what it looks like! Besides, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but as Children of Light, we’ve inherited HOLY GHOST POWER, LOVE AND A SOUND MIND! (Ref. 1 Peter 4:12-14)

Regardless of what attempts to impede your trust and confident reliance on The Presence and Prominence of your Loving Heavenly Father, you cling steadfastly to what you’ve already experienced and sojourn safely through the murky rivers of Life! And even if, some water gets into your boat, keep in mind that your life is anchored in the Cleft of the Rock!

Faith in God’s Loving Care, gives us eternal assurance that whatever life assails against us, we can ride out the storms in quiet confidence that He Will NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US! (Ref. Hebrews 13:5)

JESUS LIVED ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES! SO, WHAT’S UP WITH U?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

DESERT GRACE

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 31:2-6

What a Life, huh? Sometimes, you just gotta take a deep breath and make a moment of reflection and introspection in order to put things in proper perspective. Granted, this is no easy feat, given that we’re all so busy now with so much to do and never enough time to do it, right? However, these day it’s no longer optional, but rather essential! Didjaheardat?

Considering the very fact that God communicates with such lowly creatures at all yet continues to baffle the regenerated soul. BUT HE’S JUS THAT KINDA GOD! What a blessing God has reserved for those who seek His Presence and guidance in the pages of His Holy Word.

Today’s scripture text allows us to mine the surface of our Creator’s loving devotion towards us as God unravels the historical context of a somewhat capricious (on our part) relationship with His Beloved Israel. Notice how tactfully The Holy Spirit enumerates the way that God’s endless loyal love is reciprocated with our disloyalty, rejection and unfaithfulness!  Even so, God’s desperation, despair and disappointment seeps out of His Yearning Heart onto the pages of these sacred writings, piercing the hearts and minds of generations who earnestly await, longing for His appearance. Don’t you just Love The Lord? Who else would go to such lengths to draw such a people, steeped in rebellion and prone to wandering back into His Providential Care?

The Holy Spirit labors to impress upon us the attentiveness by which The Heavenly Father consistently demonstrates His commitment to gently lead, guide and train us thru courses of harsh terrains, plagued with extreme hot and cold, poisonous thorns, sand storms and drought of desert life!

Lest we forget that it’s God’s Faithfulness that gives us the faith and hope to live through the dearth, every now and then we come upon random respite oasis of joy-filled celebrations to convince us not to focus on present temporal circumstances but entrust our hearts to His Hands that He might carry us to the places He wants us to go.

For some of us, the journey may start out as a dance through the tulips filled with wonder and hope-filled ease until the tide shifts and we’re encompassed about with confusion, heartache and void of all reason to hope. It’s at this point, that we come face to face with J The Good Shepherd and Savior. Christ JESUS! Much to our amazement, we soon discover that it is HE who has choreographed our steps and stops all along. More astonishing, we realize that while we have been slipping and sliding all over the place, searching for the promised land of contentment and solace, God has been right with us, waiting for us to acknowledge our intimate need for something (SOMEONE) greater than self!

Fortunately for many of us, that’s when we discover personally JESUS CHRIST! DESERT GRACE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 Ann Caffee