Category Archives: Acceptance

HE’S ALREADY THERE

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HE'S ALREADY THERE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalm 139:7-12

At any time, completely unbeknown to us, we could find ourselves pinned to the pendulum of time, swaying violently from side to side, moment by moment, being extended to the furthers spectrum of either end, coming desperately close to the edge of sanity!

While our faith is demanding absolute confident trust (despite the mounting circumstantial evidence) that our Heavenly Father is in complete control, our inner-most consciousness is being tormented by the constant influx of those taunting threatening “what if’s”.

Unfortunately, most of the time our hearts tends to lean toward the most pessimistic catastrophic conclusion. To further compound an already desperately fragmented state of mind, there’s that unmentionable guilt and shame for even doubting God’s accessibility, ability, availability and even His willingness to intervene on our behalf!

I know! We’ve all been there. That’s the other part of our grandiose soul-stirring testimony that we are usually reluctant to share.

Yet, The Psalmist so adeptly and melodiously blends together the dangling, mangling emotions that one endures finding themselves in such a unpredictable predicament; giving us a model by which to navigate our way through the turbulence safely to the after side of life’s contrary oceans.

Not surprisingly, having walked with God for a while now, the Answer is always the same for any hopelessly-helpless,critically-chaotic circumstance.

In the midst of overwhelming uncertainties, set your eyes on The One Constant Creator and Sustainer of the seen and unseen. Jesus Christ; The Bright and Morning Star!

ITZ DA TRUTH!  Anywhere and everywhere you are, God is already there!

The ol’ folk used to sanng, “He’s too high, you can’t go over; too low, you can’t go under; too wide, you can’t go around”! Hence, there’s not a spot in the known universe where God is not!

So you see, whether you’re coming, or going, or smack dab in the middle of an unsettle ling situation, there is unspeakable joy and enormous comfort and strength in acknowledging THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT’S  Reassuring Presence!

The Psalmist further validating the foundation of every Christian’s faith, recognizes that even the most seasoned saints encounter season of glaring darkness; yet God is not intimidated nor His Will hampered! He works The Night Shift! Because darkness and light are the same to God, He is always able to see us; even when we can’t trace His Hand, we can yet trust His Heart! (Ref. Psalm 139:12)

God is too Great to figure out; too Wonderful to predict; too Marvelous to ignore and too Amazing to deny!

So you must simply, trust and thank Him for guiding you safely pass our past, sustaining you in your present, and carrying you securely into your future!

DON’T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, GOD IS ALREADY THERE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

GOD’S VOICE

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.  Galatians 1:15-16

In today’s scripture text, we hear the testimonial of The Apostle Paul in response to The Lord’s prompting to go spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. And we all know how that turned out, huh? 

GGGGLLLLORRRRRAAA 2 GOD! However, what stands out to me, is what Paul didn’t do!

The Apostle didn’t wait to get an Executive Order from The White House nor a congregational consensus before stepping out by faith. Instead of asking anybody what they thought about it, relying solely on his personal relationship with His Savior, feeling no need for further validation, The Apostle Paul immediately obeyed God’s instructions!

How about you? When you’ve heard from God, what’s your initial response? Before you move, do you have to survey the opinions of your family and friends? Does the fear of failure, embarrassment, humiliation or retaliation cause you to stagger at God’s Word? Are you willing to take a leap of faith and just do what you believe God is asking of you?

As believers, we’re sometimes reluctant to move out on a WORD FROM GOD. Not so much because we’re not trusting God, but more often than not, it’s because of a spirit of difiance deeply rooted in the lack of self-confidence in our own ability. Ooops…#noshedidn’t!

In an attempt to re-assure ourselves that we’re in God’s will, like Gideon, we will ask God for a sign and come up with some kinda obtuse fleece as further proof that it is actually God speaking. ( Judges 6) And while God so graciously granted Gideon’s request, twice, as believers, we must recognize that God often tests our trust and confidence by commissioning us to do what seems impossible!

That’s what our life in Christ is about. God doesn’t require us to walk by signs, but by hope-filled trust that whatever He asks us to do, by His Grace, we are well able to perform.

The Bible says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:27. As we entreat His Presence daily in prayer inquiring direction, thru diligent study  and meditation of His Word, we learn to distinguish His Voice from the chatter emanating from the world and He will teach you what He wants of you!

That’s why it’s so important to build an intimate relationship with your Heavenly Father and not just show up at The Throne Room for emergency visits! God really cares about you! He is not a dead-beat Dad nor is He willing to settle for weekend visitations! God wants to be actively involved in every aspect of your life, every day!

WHEN YOU KNOW HIM, YOU WILL KNOW HIS WILL!  WHEN YOU KNOW HIS WILL, YOU DON’T NEED TO CONFER WITH ANYBODY…BUT U GOTTA KNOW GOD’S VOICE! #canuhearMEnow!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

WHAT DID HE DO?

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WHAT DID HE DO

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south,” Psalm 107:1-3

 

Do you know how many times we, who claim The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, are admonished by the Sacred Scriptures to exalt Him in exuberant praise and heart-felt adorning worship? Suffice it to say numerous times in each of Its 66 Books, huh? And for the most part, we’re all faithfully obedient to comply, particularly when we’re all assembled together in the Sanctuary, with the choir singing, the high-sounding instruments blasting in our ears, ushering us into The Presence!

Yet, inspite of His Absolute Worthiness, there are still times when even the most seasoned-elect, find it difficult to mutter even a whisper of ‘Glorrraaa’ out of a heart overwhelmed by the cares of this world, through the muted lips frozen by the temptation of mumuring complaints!

Let it be known, that mine is the first hand lifted in affirmation, Amen!

It matters not how long you’ve been walking with the Lord, life has a way of placing you smack dab in the middle of crisis and suddenly you find yourself coming down with an acute case of spiritual amnesia! It’s during these moments that we need to attack the demonic spirits with a direct hit drawn from the arsenal of weaponry that God has given to every believer. A personal testimony! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Revelations 12:11)

Backndaday, The Ol’ Mothers used to open up Tuesday Nite Bible Study with a Testimony Service. One of my favorite songs they saang was, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus and alllll He’s done for me, myyyyyyyy soul cries out Hallaleujah, I thank God for saving me!” Remember? And when you took the time to reflect back over your life and began to count how many times God stepped in, right in the nick of time, and delivered you from all manner of maladies, you can’t help but the give Him praiz!

Come to think of it, the Bible is filled with countless mind-refreshing BUT by The Grace of God testimonies of triumphant conquerers who acknowledge that they never would’ve made it over into the Land of Promises if the Lord had not been with them all the way!

There’s another ol’ song, that comes to mind; ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what The Lord has done”! WOW! Didjaheardat?

Truthfully, one of those most difficult times for a believer to praise GOD is in the meantime! I’m talking about while you’re waiting for God to move on your behalf and every demon assigned to your region is blasting threatening what-if’s soundtracs in your mind! That’s when you need to deliberately take authority over your thoughts. Instead of focusing on what it is you need Him to do, make a faith-conscious-decison to set your affections on those things JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE!

Okay? There you were wandering around in the desert, lost in the wilderness of sin, stumbling through life, homeless, hopless, confused yet desperate for change, starving for love, parched for peace and joy and you cried out for help, knowing perfectly well there was nobody to hear, much less care! BUT GOD heard you and sent Jesus to lead you out of that barreness, placing your feet on a Straight Path to The Good Life, filling your belly with The Living Bread and Living Water of Holy Spirit to the point of unimaginable satisfaction and sustaining strength!

And you gotta remember, it wasn’t that long ago that you were locked in a self-induced cell of darkness, imprisoned by an evil consciousness of guilt and shame, condemned and sentenced to a lifetime of isolation and hard labor, eternally separated from God! But you cried out to God and He came for you, breaking through the prison bars as if they were match sticks, opened up the Gates that had you trapped and led you out into the Light of Freedom!

What about that storm? Despite of how hard you tried to navigate your way, there you were lost on the Sea of Life, desperately struggling to keep your head above water, being tossed by contrary winds, finding yourself swept away by towering turbulent waves, until the bottom dropped out and finally, not knowing what else to do, you called out to God who faithfully showed up just in the nick of time, commanded the wind and the waves to quietly surrender to Peace and so graciously drew you out and carried you safely to His Harbor!

NOW! Beloved, rest assured, confidently trusting that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. IF HE DID IT BEFORE…HE’LL DO IT AGAILN! SO, THINKABOUT IT…WHAT DID HE DO! O Give Thanks unto The Lord, my Beloved! 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

ITZ ALL ABOUT THE CROWN

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Revelations 2:10-11

 

PARDON ME, again! I know this isn’t religiously correct, how—evrrrr sometimes, it’s just hard!

Here you are, as the ol’ saints used to say, ‘living all u know how 2 live for JESUS’, with everything in you clinging to The Testimony of God’s Faithful Witness, who is TRUTH, YET …EVERYWHERE U TURN, U GOT TROUBLE BREAKING OUT!!! #WHADA…???

Seriously, none of us normal human beings enjoy suffering, right?
Nevertheless, life has taught you (and even the Word admonishes us) that those who Name the Name of Jesus must expect trouble. Afterall, even “Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered”! (Ref. Hebrew 5:8)

“Yeah, but but butt”…I feelya, okay? Yet, according to The Scriptures, God has Sovereignly linked suffering and glory into the lives of those who have confessed their trust in His Plan for our lives. Remember the words of The Apostle Paul? “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Roman 8:36

I know, sometimes that doesn’t help MUCH! BUT! We have this confident assurance that before God permits sporadic seasons of tribulations He sets an expiration date before the test begin! Aren’t U Soooo glad, trouble don’t last always!

Beloved, there’s always a greater purpose behind our pain! And no, it ain’t always God punishing you for your disobedience! For His own reasons, God has elected to allow test, trials and trouble along the landscape of our journey to draw us closer to Him, to purify, purge and position us to partake of His Divine Nature—HOLINESS!

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

This life has a way of putting you through the ringer, huh? But God has decreed, that nothing you will ever experiene can separate you from His Love! “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Rest Assured, GOD KNOWS!

Today, receive His Words to The church at Smyrna, as your very own! Don’t allow fear of this temporary situation to deter you from your eternal goal! The King of Glory has declared and decreed that I AM ALPHA and OMEGA! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. LO I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAY!  FOR WHO CAN STAY MY HAND! (Ref. Rev. 22:13; Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:2o; Isa. 43:13) Didjaheardat? #WOW!!!

Precious ones,  endure persecution with fidelity, confident that “I AM THE RESURRECTION AND YOUR REWARDER! DON’T QUIT! YOUR CROWN AWAITS YOU!”

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

ONE ON ONE

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1 on 1

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” (Psalm 84:10-12 KJV)

Life is complicated! WOW! Talk about genuine ‘over-simplification’?

From beginning to end, effectively maneuvering through the matrix of 21st Century mores is no small achievement! Particularly for the more seasoned members of society who find ourselves pryingly wondering “Am I really smarter than a 5th Grader?” I remember when the word ‘text” referred to “the main body of a book or other piece of writing, printed work or document”. Who knew?

Nevertheless, broken down to its least-common denominator, we all have the same needs. That is, “to love and be loved among un-lovables, find solace amidst chaos, and ultimately gain insight and direction to sequester that all-too-often-elusive sense of true satisfaction and accomplishment”. Preferably, sooner than later!

We live in a culture where individualism is glorified and self-denial is discarded as a sign of weakness and failure. Unfortunately for too many, it’s only after we’ve reached the pinnacle of success (according to man’s interpretation) do we realize that while we were so busy getting, we lost track of what we’d been given. Prayerfully, it’s at that point we’ll ask, “What does GOD want from me?”

GOD summed it up like this, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)

While time is barreling towards eternity at the speed of life, there is One Constant Consistency! His Name is JESUS. Every day, GOD is watching, waiting, seeking those busy, desperately wearied souls to turn towards HIM!

GOD knows that the Answer to every longing heart’s hunger and thirst is SIMPLY JESUS! Time spent alone with HIM is never wasted. Jesus is our SAFE HOUSE! He’s so kind and patient; yet truthfully, HE can hardly wait to see you!

HE LEFT THE DOOR OPEN! STOP BY TODAY FOR SOME ONE-ON-ONE TIME!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

THE VIEW

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Jesus Christ Crucifixion on Good Friday Silhouette

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. John 3:14

Suspended between the heavens and the earth, stood an old rugged cross poised as an emblem of suffering and shame! While an arduous structure in its own rite, it was not the most prominent piece in this view of the Jerusalem countryside. Neither was it the soldiers, the sky nor the rock-laden landscape that captured the attention of the passers-by. But nailed to the center of the Altar was The Sacrificial Lamb of God—Jesus—The Son of Man!

Looking up from the earth, some saw The Messiah, sent from God to a people lost and perishing in their sin; helplessly and hopelessly destined for death. While others saw traitor, a wine-bibblier, Law-Breaking Blasphemer! And yet, some saw the only One capable of acquiring our Salvation—our Kinsman Redeemer! And the only Hope for rescue was to, by faith, look upon HIM (as God had so ordained), acknowledging your own guilt for trespassing against God’s righteous commands, with a sincere-repenting-desire to be delivered from the curse and penalty imposed by The Creator for our rebellious acts. (Ref. Romans 6:23)

Looking down from The Throne of Majestic Glory, Grace and Mercy, gazing upon the beaten-torn-bloody body of the Righteous Savior, was The Father of All Comfort, cringing yet accepting the Self-Sacrificial Atoning Death of His First-Begotten, as propitiation for our unrighteousness and as a sign of our faith that only God can forgive, heal and restore sin-ridden humanity back into right-standing with The Eternal Judge.

As the brazen serpent Moses hung in the wilderness as an innocent representative of the the same self-tempting deceiving-culprit who showed up in The Garden of Eden (Ref. Genesis 3) so was Jesus, The Sinless, hung shamefully cursed; bearing the penalty of sin for all generations of human-kind upon His own body, once and for all; that we might live free eternally in The House of our King! (Ref. Numbers 21:9)

Many of us yet marvel at such Amazing Grace displayed towards us, while others say relying on a dead Jew, crucified over two thousand years ago to determine your eternal destination, is sheer foolishness!

WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? #juswondering

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

ACCOUNTS SETTLED?

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accounts settled2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. So don’t you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”…The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities! Luke 12:39-40, 47-48 THE MESSAGE

You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now. You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make. Luke 12:56-59 THE MESSAGE

A bystander said, ‘Master, will only a few be saved’?

He said, ‘Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going to be banging on the door, wanting to get in, but you’ll find the door locked and the Master saying, ‘Sorry, you’re not on my guest list.’

You’ll protest, ‘But we’ve known you all our lives!’ only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don’t know the first thing about me.’ That’s when you’ll find yourselves out in the cold, strangers to grace. You’ll watch Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets march into God’s kingdom. You’ll watch outsiders stream in from east, west, north, and south and sit down at the table of God’s kingdom. And all the time you’ll be outside looking in—and wondering what happened.

This is the Great Reversal: the last in line put at the head of the line, and the so-called first ending up last.” Luke 13:23-30 THE MESSAGE

 

OMG… Didjaheardat? Think about it! It’s not that difficult! Just use a little common sense. If Time is the most valuable commodities you have in the earth, then why go to hell by default? Seriously!

Since, not one of us knows how much time we have left to spend in this life, it behooves every one of us to manage it wisely. In other words, don’t blow it presumptuously!

Let’s keep it real!  Face it, is, even on your bestest days, our score still isn’t high enough to merit a free pass through Heaven’s Pearly Gates. Truthfully, unless you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, at the end of the day, we’re all spiritually bankrupt and not one of us can afford the high price of low living.

BUT GOD has put a deal on the table that we’d have to be a fool to refuse. It’s called Salvation by Grace. By His Amazing Grace, The Father of Creation has offered and accepted The Blood of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, as collateral to completely wipe out a debt that HE DIDN’T EVEN OWE, and one that we would never EVVRRRR be able to pay!

I know, sounds UNBELIEVABLE, but it’s TRUE! THAT’S THE GOSPEL!

It’s right there in John Chapter 3:16! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

When we admit that we’re guilty of rebellion against His Righteousness, are willing to accept Jesus into our hearts and commit the rest our of lives to faithful obedience to His standards, GOD fixes the BOOKS! YES, IT’S ACCOUNTS SETTLED—PAID IN FULL! #didjagetit?  WHACHAWAITN4??? #slowbus,huh?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

EXCLUSIVE!

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EXCLUSIVE 2 JESUS WINKS

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.” 2 Kings 17:32-33

“But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner. So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.” 2 Kings 17:39-41

 

America, the land of the free! A nation established and founded on the premises that no longer will its citizens be forced to hide their religious convictions in fear of retaliation or retribution, and are now free to express their devotion and adoration to The God of The Bible. Right? Well, perhaps that’s the original interpretation of The Constitution. But that kind of thinking is no longer relevant to 21st Century contemporary constituents, huh?

Apparently, that’s a bit too narrow-minded. After all, considering all of the astonishing advancements in technology has expanded our world-view far beyond anything that our forefathers’ localized-tribunal expectations. And besides that, what difference does it make who or how you worship as long as you worship a god? At least, that’s the New Age Theologists’ perspective!

Surprisingly, this humanistic approach to religion did not just pop-up in our lifetime. But according to our scripture text, it has  perpetuated down through the ages. While this concept of worship may be more palatable to so many, the ultimate result is a fatal collision with the explicit commandments of the Supreme Being, The Creator of the universes, Elohim.

It’s the nature of un-regenerated humanity to reject and rebel against authority. In fact, the very first words that most toddlers say is ‘NO’ and ‘MINE’.The truth of the matter is, it permeates throughout adolescence into adulthood. Unfortunately, oftentimes the residual effects tend to influence our relationship with The Only God of our Salvation. We want to incorporate carry-on-gods of our past into our newly found faith. But! This doesn’t set too well with The True God who demands absolute exclusive solidarity and adoration of those who have been called into His Kingdom!

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me”. Exodus 20:3-5

Nevertheless,  some yet stagger at such obstinacy, considering it demeaning and uncharacteristic of a universal gOD and choosing to overlook God’s Sovereignty, gravitate to a more inclusive tolerating object of personal worship.

There’s a prevalent trend in The New Millennium church doctrine that teaches it’s okay to cover all your bases and act like a Christian when it’s convenient, but at the same time, be a realist. Don’t forget or neglect the gods of the land you came from! Ain’t nobody perfect, right? In other words, you can have your cake and eat it too, huh?

Despite the popularity of Self-aggrandizing Narcisism religious affiliations, there yet remains a Remnant Church who prefer a personal intimate relationship as opposed to a form of godliness that denies the Authority and Power of The One and Only True GOD to rule over the daily affairs of mankind! (Ref. 2 Timothy 3:5)

Didjaheardat? SOUNDS LIKE EXCLUSIVE WORSHIP TO ME! #howboutu?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

U AIN’T RIGHT!

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U AINT RIGHT

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Philippians 3:9-10

Are you proud of yourself!

Come on now; how many of us have, consciously or unconsciously, given ourselves a slight pat on the back or an inward nod because we did something better or knew more about something that no one else in our sphere of influence knew? Exactly!

Of course I’m not suggesting that we venture off to the other end of the spectrum and fall into self-debasement or self-loathing. I’m simply noting how easily the line between arrogance and self esteem can become blurred!

Taking pride in our successful accomplishments has its place in our lives. However when we over-compensate ourselves for what we’ve managed to attain to the point that we levitate through life as if our ‘performance’ gives us an edge above everyone else, WATCHOUT! You’re headed down a slippery ledge to destruction! (Ref. Proverb 16:18)

Sometimes even Christians find themselves ominously near the vicinity of Pharisee Blvd and Straight Street, when it comes to Righteousness. (Ref. Matthew 5:20) When our righteousness is based on our performance, we’ve missed it by miles! If we’re relying upon our good works to qualify us for a automatic ticket to Heaven, boy are we ever deceiving ourselves! When we equate our holiness according to the world’s standards, we’re sho nuff trippin’! So what hope do we have of reaching the lofty Pentacle of Acceptability to GOD?

Have I got some good news for you! There is a way to receive God’s Righteousness and it doesn’t involve anything that YOU can do on your own. It’s called Grace! Grace is God’s free Gift to us, something that we could never earn or merit—a right-standing with a Holy God!

God’s Righteousness is based solely upon personal acceptance, through faith in the finished works of Christ Jesus! The scripture say, ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There is a well-spring of exhilarating freedom in just taking God at His Word; knowing that you ain’t right, BUT…JESUS IS!

SELAH!

Have a WONDER-FILLED day!

Ann Caffee

THE UNTOUCHABLES!

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The_Untouchables

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Matthew 9:21

A while back, there was a TV drama entitled, “Touch by An Angel” starring Roma Downey and Della Reese. The program was about “a female angel sent to Earth to help solve people’s problems with a touch of spiritual guidance”. Not surprising, it became quite popular and the series lasted from 1994-2003. Can you image how much better we’d be if all of our life’s crisis were eradicated by Divine intervention?Well guess what, it’s absolutely possible!

According to Free On-Line Dictionary, ‘touch’ means “To cause or permit a part of the body, especially the hand or fingers, to come in contact with so as to feel”. Just wondering, if you conducted a census of church attendees, what percentage of those on the rolls have actually personally touched or been touched by Christ?  I’ve discovered that talking about God or studying Theology (The Story of God) and actually experiencing GOD is as different as life and death!
 
According to studies, never in the history of the western world have we had so many people on church rolls as there are today. I’m talking about folk who ‘profess’ to know Christ! Unfortunately, these same studies conclude that the number of ‘committed’ Christians is at an all time low!

Evidently, it is possible to be in Church yet not in Christ! Don’t  u dare touch that delete key!

I’m simply submitting, for your consideration, the reason we have so many border-line-hypocritical-uncommitted folk in our churches today, is because you can’t really be faithful and committed to a god that you can’t touch or who can’t touch you! #FLATOUT!

There is an exclusively reserved GOD-size hole in each of us! And while some church folk are content with a theoretical relationship (living on the edge, in the vicinity of) with Christ, others of us have such an insatiable thirst, hunger, a longing for HIM that keeps us in constant pursuit for more and more of His Presence, His Grace, Peace and His Joy!

Just like the woman with the issues in today’s scripture text, we have come into contact with the ONLY TRUE, LIVING, HOLY, LOVING, DELIVERING SAVING GOD who can be touched even with our weaknesses!

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

DO YOU KNOW HIM OR R U yet THE UNTOUCHABLES? #jusaskining
 
SELAH!
 
“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”
 
Ann Caffee