Category Archives: Change

INCREDIBLE

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INCREDIBLE

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“There are so many wonderful things, about Jesus; there’s so many wonderful things about Him! His name is wonderful, He’s a wonderful counselor! There’s so many wonderful things about Him.  He is the Mighty God, Everlasting Father.
He Is the Prince Of Peace , So many wonderful things about Him. Wonderful yes you are  Wonderful! Marevouls! Glorious! Excellent! Yes You Are! ” (jus sang’n Bishop Trotter’s song, yall)!

Funny how over time words can be used so casually to describe so many different things, yet there are  times when those same words ascribed to certain people, places, class or circumstances take on a uniquely exclusive persona, huh?  For example, “I jus love  me some fudge!”  “I love my family more than anything else in this world!” Or “That  was a great movie ”  or  “Let’s make America GREAT, again!” #ijs!!!

However, when we attribute these same adjectives to intimate the supremacy of The True and Living God,  suddenly we’ve catapulted into a realm of  unimaginable-reality that excels  far beyond the syntax of the natural man’s vision, hearing, touch, smell or taste,  that’s defies possibility without the guidance and instruction of The Spirit of Holiness!  Jus ask Bishop Larry Trotter! 

No wonder the Bible says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:25)  OMG! Sounds like if the whole of what God has already revealed about Godself, The Bible would be too large to haul, much less carry, huh? At least, that’s how I’d paraphrase it, yall! Most of us are having a difficult enough time of digesting the part of the roll that’s been set before us! #AMIRIGHTABOUTIT!

One thing for sure, it’s indeed a WONDER! Anytime you bring GOD into the thought, conversation or circumstances, it automatically trips the wire and sets off the alarm signifying, “YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED INTO THE REALM OF IT’S SUPERNATURAL!”

As  previously mentioned, many of the same words that were once exclusively used to define the Inimitable Character of The Most High God, have been re-designated to insinuate something unusually pleasing or significantly unique. “The steak was amazing!” “Her performance was outstanding!”; “Did we ever have a wonderful time!” Et cetera…Et cetera…Et cetera! 

Nonetheless,  it behooves us to not get it twisted! ONLY GOD IS GOD!

The Bible illustrates this  TRUTH profoundly over and over and over!  Remember, God allowed Isaiah to get a glimpse of the cherubim and seraphim circling the Throne symphonically calling out to one another ‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY Is The Lord!’ (Ref. Isaiah 6:3)  Again, God’s Glorious Power over all of Creation  is clearly demonstrated as The Red Sea opened, becoming a Highway of Liberation for His Chosen Ones after 400 years of Egyptian bondage!  And Good God Almighty, there’s no denying God’s Amazing Grace and the Awesome Love manifested as HE single-handedly  ripped mankind from the clutches of Sin and Satan, sealing the deal once and for all, reconciling us back unto GODSELF (Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:19) WOW!

Can you even begin to imagine what Hell said, suddenly astonished, realizing that Jesus had been Victoriously resurrected from Death, Triumphantly proclaiming All Power and Authority in Heaven, Earth and beneath the Earth has been delegated to Him? (Ref. Matthew 28:18)

TRUST2KNO, some of the demons are still shaking, trembling confused saying, ‘“Aaaawww Hell NO! But, but, but…datz impossible, right?”

NAY! THAT’S GOD! INCREDIBLE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

SHOW-OFF!

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SHOW OFF

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.” Psalm 118:5

Those who know me, already know how much I love to decorate, redecorate… and decorate again!  Yep! My name is Ann Caffee and I’m an HGTV/DIY addict!  LOL! Several years ago, there was a reformation in the Home Décor arena. Remember that old piece of furniture secretly sequestered in the backroom, garage or attic? Yeah, like your Mother-in-law’s first nightstand! Well it was no longer considered an eyesore, but it resurfaced as ‘shabby chic’!  WHO KNU, huh?

Of course furniture manufacturers picked up on it and immediately began to build new pieces that resembled those old used and somewhat abused pieces. What was once disgustingly dubbed ‘old-timey’ was now the new ‘distressed’! I can only imagine the timidity of the challenge to abandon traditional artistic craftsmanship to achieve this look.

OMG! The brutal assault and the punishment inflicted upon each piece—painstakingly beaten, burned, chipped and hammered with metal chains, and torched…but once the process was completed the item was pompously positioned on the showroom floor.

Now doesn’t that sound slightly too uncomfortably familiar to the what believers go through at the Hand of The Master. Oh, we know, no one actually told us that once we turned the reins of our lives over to Jesus, it would be smooth sailing on The Ol’ Ship of Zion; but for real—we had no clue that life would take on this new persona. After all, we came to Christ to get out of hell, right?

While we’re encouraged to gravitate to the Covenant Promises of God, nevertheless, we’re totally oblivious to the progressive transformation from receiving Christ as Savior to submission to His Lordship! As disciples, we’re taught to pray and believe God to enlarge our territory, increase our anointing and give us wisdom to impact our families, church and communities and TRUST2KNO…God answers our prayers! Unfortunately, we tend to grossly misinterpret the process thru manifestation! It’s the refiner’s fire that produces the purest gold! 

Don’t get it twisted! Trusting God to take care of you in the midst of overwhelming stressful circumstances is quite a challenge; but that’s exactly what we must do!

The first step to this amazing transition is acknowledging that God is not trying to harm you. God loves you, and is committed to seeing you reach your highest potential!

Once this Truth  is firmly affixed in the seat of your soul, the devil knows he’s in big trouble!  That’s why he works double-time and a half to fill your heart with guilt, shame, condemnation to the point where you actually doubt that God knew exactly what He  was getting when HE CHOSE YOU!

HOWEVRRRR, being armed with a personal reality and intimacy of God’s Loyal Love enables you to walk in a state of inward rest, frees you to experience the strength and encoragement to live the-above-circumstances-abundant-life that Jesus’ sacrifice procured for you. (Ref. John 10:10)

Remember, no matter how out of control life  you think your life is,  there is NEVER a moment when  your Sovereign God is not in ABSOLUTE control of it ALL!

DISTRESSED? DIG-IN AND ENDURE! YOU’RE BEING PROCESSED FOR  SHOW ROOM PRESENTATION!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

GOD’S CHOICE!

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GOD'S CHOICE 2

 

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And he LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst o his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:12b-13

 

In a perfect world one might expect to be valued for their compassion, kindness, integrity, selflessness, caring, thoughtfulness, humility, intestinal fortitude (grit), courage, loyalty and strength to be true to one’s self and others! Might I venture to say given the socially-challenged-spiritually-bankrupt state of humanity in this New Millennial society, a concordant manifestation of any combination of these heavenly attributes would be most welcomed, appreciated, admired and envied! Needless to say, we ain’t there yet! Can I get a strong AMEN 3x and double Hi-5?

TRUTHBTOLD, as far as we know, since that first infraction of our progenitors, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, mankind has lost the glorious innocence and sensitivity that once clothed the most precious of God’s creation! Hence, opening up the way for self preservation, shame, guilt, blame, hatred, inconsideration, covetousness, envy, jealousy and irresponsibility to become the new norm of the land! Could that be why God said, ‘don’t eat of the tree of good and evil’? UUUMMMMM?

Fortunately, God always had a plan to redeem and restore humanity back to HIS original intent, to surround Godself with an Eternal Family! He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, serving as an illustrated sermon, to teach us the perfect, good and acceptable standard of Righteousness Personified!

Unfortunately, to attain such a lofty estate one must be transformed from faith to faith and glory to glory! This transition requires discipline and endurance,  which most of f us refuse to tolerate having little or no time for dat! A closer investigation of David, dubbed a man after God’s Own Heart, reveals that rarely does man and God come to the same conclusion when it comes to choosing candidates for the most likely to achieve success, IN GOD’S EYES! #ijs

Not only was David rejected by his father, he was not even considered remotely eligible to fill the position that Samuel was sent to appoint! Jessie lined his seven sons up before Samuel from the eldest on down; but much to his surprise, the oil refused to flow! And guess what, Samuel didn’t fair much better himself!  Looking at Eliab’s physical statue, he was confident that he had to be the best man for the mission! Until God corrected him!  “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart!? (Ref. 1 Samuel 16:7) Finally, Samuel informed Jessie, “The LORD has not chosen these”! And inquired, “Are all the young men here?” Reluctantly, Jessie was forced to admit, “There remains yet the youngest, and he is, keeping the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16-10-11)

#DIDJACDAT? TALK ABOUT BEING OVERLOOKED, huh? #WOW!

You might think that someone would’ve remembered what happened the last time the people over-ruled God’s leadership preferring SAUL, the people’s CHOICE? And we all know how that turned out, right?

IS IT JUS ME? OR DOES THIS SOUND UNCOMFORTABLY 2 FAMILIAR?  YEP! SOMETIMES, YOU GET WHAT YOU WANTED, BUT LOSE WHAT YOU HAD, huh? Sounds like, ‘FATHER REALLY DOES KNOW WHAT’S BEST!’ Don’t shout me down nah!
Beloved, the LORD KNOWS them that are His, and He knows the gifts and callings He’s placed inside of you from your Mother’s womb! Don’t be dismayed or discouraged by those who fail to recognize your hidden treasure but are quick to acknowledge your inadequacies! Afterall, They can’t see what U C, because GOD DIDN’T SHOW IT 2 THEM! BESIDES THAT…GOD WASN’T TALKING TO THEM…HE WAS TALKING 2 U! Remember, God doesn’t usually call the qualified, BUT HE ALWAYS QUALIFIES THE CALLED!

PRECIOUS ONE, THE OIL IS FLOWING! NOW, THE CHOICE IS YOURS! WHO ARE U TRYING 2 BE, THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE OR GOD’S CHOICE? #ijs!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAILURE AIN’T FATAL!

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FAILURE AIN'T FATAL

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

 

Isn’t is just annoying? I mean the constant bombarding of your mind with intimidating taunting thoughts designed to taint your perspective and ultimately sabotage your peace! #SERIOUSLY!!! Satan, aka da devil, knows fully well that he has absolutely no power to stop what God has planned for your future, nevertheless, he’s determined to strip away every ounce of  our in joy in the journey to our Final Destination…Heaven’s Glorious Salvation! Saints, regardless of his deceptive tactics, never 4get 2 remember, Satan is not GOD!  Notwithstanding, since his first encounter with our foreparents, Adam and Eve, he’s become quite adept in manipulating our thoughts and causing us to question the Faithfulness of God! How? Well, one of his favorite methods is to use your Memories!

Ever notice how the devil keeps bringing up your past mistakes and failures, reminding you of what you did and accusing you about what you should’ve done and didn’t? Oh Yeah, I gotta few witness, huh? Well, this morning I was reminded of something I heard many years ago ‘When the devil starts messing with your mind about your PAST, just remind him of his FUTURE!’

My Precious ones, we don’t have to tuck tail and squirm away in shame as if that’s the end of our story. BUT, AGREE WITH YOUR ADVERSARY QUICKLY? #4REAL! When we  remind the devil that what happened back then was just a chapter setting me up for future episodes of coming attractions, it terrorizes the Hell of o him!  Hence, The Bible says, let the redeedmed of the LORD tell their story!

Beloved, didjakno that the last thing that Satan wants to come up against, is a BIBLE BELIEVING BELIEVER! BUT THAT’S HIS PROBLEM not yours!  You have been Divinely authorized to speak The Word of God with such tenacity, Holy boldeness and confident assurance that  it will actually change your current circumstances!  It’s True!  The CHRIST IN YOU empowers You to call those things that be not, as though they were!

WOW!  Didjaheardat? Sounds like it’s time to let the devil know up front, you ain’t scarred, huh? You know, like that great R&B Prophet  James Brown, ‘SAY It loud! SAY it proud! 

So the next time you feel like giving up, jus remind yourself that “I AM the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus;  I’m not in this thing by myself and GOD SAID, that I shoud Glory in mine infirmities because when I am at my weakest that’s when THE POWER OF GOD’s GRACE RESTS UPON ME! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 12:9)  OMG! #GAMECHANGER!

WORSHIPING WARRIORS TAKE A STAND!  Let the devil know, “HOLD UP! Today ain’t looking that good for ya, and TRUTHBTOLD, tomorrow either! SOOOO, whatever you’re planning to trip me up, U might wanna reconsider! *ijs…Chances are, just like it didn’t work the last time, it won’t work this time either.” (Ref. Isaiah 54:17)

“My God has GGGggrrreeeaaaatt plans for me, for good and not for evil, and He swore by God-self, to bring me into an amazingly glorious future! And remember all that stuff you keep reminding me of, it’s covered, blotted out by the BLOOD!! I know it ain’t fair, it’s called‘favor’!” (Ref. Jeremiah 29:11)

“OOOOOh, Devil, QUESS WHAAA? UR STILL THE BIGGEST LOSER! I peeped  the back of the Book, and in the end, WE WIN! 

#BAMM!  #GOTTCHA! FAILURE AIN’T FATAL!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

DON’T LOOK BACK!

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DON'T LOOK BACK2

 

Selah Daily Devotions!

 

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back, I gave my back to the smitters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spiting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED. He is near that justifieth me; who will content with me? Behold the Lord will help me, who is he that shall condemn me? Isaiah 50:5-9

 

The Psalmist said, ‘Before I was afflicted, I went astray’. Well, King David, you’re not the only one! Can I get a witness? Before our ears were opened,  you know, before our personal encounter with The Divine Kind, before we met Jesus, all of us rebelled against God’s Righteous standards! Amen 3x!

But! Just like The Prophet Isaiah, when we finally heard that ‘un-mistakable’ Voice of Our Lord speaking to our heart, we turned our face to God and our back to Satan! We made the conscious, irrevocable determination to commit ourselves to our Redeemer, begin a new life, walk a new path, and emphatically denounced our former Task Master, declaring—‘I’m so through with you!’

However, I must confess! Much to my surprise, not everyone celebrated! In fact, some of the same folk that we used to kick it with backndaday ‘don’t treat me like they used to, since I laid my burden down’! Many of your peeps, who used to ‘have your back’ become back-stabbers or now avoid you like a bubonic plague. Don’t think it strange if some even set traps to get you to fall, just to let you know that you ain’t no better then they are! #ijs For real!

I know we’ve heard the seasoned saints testify, “I’m so glad God delivered me from a miserable life of sin!” But honestly, all of our past life wasn’t miserable! In fact, some of it was down right pleasurable! Y’all, don’t play me nah!

The problem is, the partaa didn’t last! That’s when we realized that we needed some ONE Greater than ‘self’ to pick up the pieces and put our lives together!

But guess what? No one who walks away from the world ever comes up short. Nothing that you give up to follow Jesus is ever in vain. So don’t worry about your haters. Remember, you now have a Friend who sticks closer than any brother; and He has promised to never leave you or give up on you. (Ref. Proverbs 18:24; Hebrews 13:5)

Don’t try to defend yourself, just let your life speak for you! Trust me, some of those folk who walked away, they’re still watchin’. And guess who they’ll come to when they hit that pothole? EXACTLY! The ‘new and improved you’!

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Hebrews 4:2

Now, before we go any further, it’s important that you understand, that not one of us can claim that we’re in any way, shape or form deserving of such great a SALVATION! It’s totally a Gift of God and not due to anything we ever coulda, shoulda, woulda earned! That’s what’s so awemaazing about GRACE, huh? (Ref. Ephesians 2:8) Hence, clearly Salvation doesn’t make you better than anyone else, however it does make us better off than those who’ve yet to come into a  personal Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ!

It’s also imperative to note that while Salvation does not exempt us from experiencing many of the same maladies as the ungenerated souls, it does guarantee us that life goes better with Christ, a Surety of a Peace that surpasses all understanding and a Hope that’s beyond this world! #ETERNALLY!!!

Precious one, TRUST2KNOW, God’s got your back! Just keep walking, unashamedly, looking unto Jesus! Trusting in His Promises, with all of your heart, knowing that God’s got a Plan and a Purpose for your life and I hearrrd (in my best preacha voice) that what’s coming is better than what’s been! (Ref. Jeremiah 29:11) #Didjaheardat? #WOW!

So the next time that ol’ lying devil tries to make you doubt God’s Faithfulness and derail your Divine Destiny—tell him—”Obviously, you’ve mistaken me for someone else! I ain’t Lot’s wife! I WON’T TURN BACK!” #BOOMMMM #Didjaheardat? 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

LET’S GO DEEPER!

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LETZ GO DEEPER

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an everlasting spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” John 4:13-14

It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration. John 4:23-24

 

A closer investigation into GOD’S ETERNAL WORD will reveal that throughout Jesus’ public ministry,  most of his criticism came not from the heathens, but from religious folk!  I’m not being sacrilegious BUT…Can I tell ya something, Jesus hates RELIGION!

Now that might shock some of you, because all your life, you’ve been lead to believe that that’s what church is all about. But Jesus never came to start a new religion! In fact there’s too much of that going on now and it makes God puke! #ijs!

According to the scriptures, religious folk claim to be close to God, but their lifestyle of habitual rebellious disobedience proves otherwise. They’re simply going thru the motions and their religion boils down to simply checking off the boxes in an effort to comply with shallow practices of routine rituals. Howeverrr, MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT GOD READS HEARTS! #SERIOUSLY!!!

Just imagine The Omniscient, Creator God, looking deep into their hearts, seeing that there’s is nothing real about their worship, no real love for Him and no sincere thankfulness to HIM for all of  HIS Lovingkindness towards them!

Hence, TRUST2KNO…No matter how high they jump or how loud they shout, GOD’S NOT IMPRESSED! In the Sovereignty of God’s Mind, HE KNOWS that there’s absolutely nothing personal about their relationship, they’re simply empty pots making a whole lot of noise—but ain’t saying nothing to touch His Heart!

The Prophet Isaiah says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men –who turn my words upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Can the pot say of the potter, HE KNOWS NOTHING!” (Isaiah 29:13-14)

In other words, God’s not affected by our performance, remember God is SPIRIT! So those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth!

Beloved, God longs to have an intimate fellowship/communion that goes beyond our flesh and makes its home within our spirits! He wants us to meet Him Spirit-to-spirit. That’s what the scriptures means when it says, Deep calls unto deep! Jesus died for us in order that we could draw nigh to Him humbly, transparently, honestly, withholding nothing but recognizing WHO HE IS and accepting who WE ARE IN HIS PRESENCE! Y’all jus missed a shoutin’ moment!

Saints, what separates Christianity, not just apart, but above every other religion, is when we invite Christ into our hearts, immediately we shift from one Kingdom to another Kingdom! We transition from DEATH N2 ETERNAL LIFE! That’s what Salvation thru Jesus Christ is all about! YES LAWD! NOW AIN’T DAT GOOD NEWS?

The Heavenly Father welcomes all to come as you are, but once you come into The Body of Christ, you don’t just stay where you are! It’s a rite of passage, kindred to taking a quantum leap from religious rituals to personal relationship! Once you taste of The Goodness of Jesus, you can’t resist the Holy Spirit’s promptings and urgency to change.! BCUZ YOUR WELL GETS DEEPER! #4REAL!

Could this be why carnal folk don’t understand why you go to church on a Tuesday nite, tithe the whole 10% , and give a LOVE offering every time you come to church? #interesting, huh? However, you can’t get mad at them, because spiritual things cannot be carnally discerned. (Ref. 1 Corinthians 2:14) They’re just speaking out of the shallowness of their well! Believe it or not…some folk are just content to be CME …CHRISTMAS, MOTHER’S DAY AND EASTER WORSHIPERS! Don’t shout me down nah!

Nonetheless, there yet remains a remnant of witnesses in the Earth who unashamedly dare 2 testify,

“ I can’t take no credit for none of it …BUT HE CHOSE ME anyhow and SINCE I met JESUS… my well is continuously getting deeper. I no longer need my environment to consent that I need to praise God. I don’t have to have my circumstances to be perfect to determine whether or not MY GOD IS WORTHY 2 B PRAISED! BUT WHEN I FOUND  A LOVE THAT’S STRONGER AND FLOWS DEEPER THAN DEATH…

I MADE UP IN MY OWN MIND…COME WHAT MAY… I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES! GOOD, BAD, UGLY AND INDIFFERENT…MOUNTAIN TOP OR VALLEY LOW…I WILL LIFT UP MY VOICE AND MAGNIFY HIS NAME…FOR IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD ON MY SIDE, I COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA BEEN YET AMONG THE WALKING DEAD, WITHOUT A GOD ON MY SIDE! SHUCKS, CHANCES ARE I’D PROBABLY NOT EVEN BE HERE TODAY!” BUT GOD, huh? #BOUT2LOSE1/2MYCHURCH

C’mon nah! HOW DEEP IS UR WELL? WOW! #LET’S GO DEEPER…

SELAH!
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
Ann Caffee

 

HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM?

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HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Philippians 3:10

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

 

One of the most intriguing topical discussions amongst expectant mothers and women who have become mothers (besides swapping labor stories) is the abnormally-intensified cravings that we experience during pregnancy awaiting the birth of their beautiful bouncing bundle of joy!

While, much to my amazement, my eldest is presently encroaching 50 years of age, yet, I can still summon up that daily occurrence of overwhelming ferociousness, provoking me to walk my big-belly-self five city blocks up to MLK Avenue to get my hands around a 6 in., lettuce and tomatoes, fried onions, mayo, ketchup and mustard, salt and pepper, heavily-loaded with pickles steak and cheese sandwich. This became such a ritual that the moment I wobbled through the threshold of the deli, the cashier would holla to the cook “Steak and Cheese Special for the big lady”. And off I’d be to our little one-bedroom apartment on Oakwood Street, five blocks back, just as happy as if I’d discovered a treasure chest filled with diamonds, rubies and gold.

Somehow, the journey back never seemed as difficult or as long, perhaps because I’d be that much closer to relishing the second I’d take my first bite of my bounty! Oh my, what we won’t do for love, huh?

Well guess what? That’s exactly how believers ought to be in our quest for Jesus Christ!

We see this truth evidenced in the life of The Apostle Paul. We can almost feel the earnest urgency with which The Apostle sought after his intentional personal, intimate- knowing and understanding of “The True One” Who had apprehended him on the Damascus Road. (Ref. Acts 9) It was as if Paul was driven by an uncommonly unique passionate desire that set him on a course that remains unchartered territory to even the most astutely-religious 21st Century church-goers today.

Yet, there is that remnant of us whose yearning for more JESUS consumes most of our waking moments and often invading our nights with dreams and images of His Awesomeness. Imagine my surprise at the realization that not everyone in the church shares this delight-filled insatiable lusting for The Living Water and The Bread of Life! #4REAL!

This might very well explain why some who profess Christ, are content with following Him a far off while others are compelled to dig-out the secret treasures hidden in The Word of God, diligently, intentionally searching the Scriptures daily that they might know HIM in ways that may never be actualized by the second-handed-casually-acquainted follower—experientially! (Ref. Acts 17:11)

The Word of God is Alive and gives LIFE to any who have a desire for The God Who Speaks revealing GOD-SELF through His Auto-Biography, inscribed through Genesis into Revelation, that all who seek Him with all of their hearts, minds, spirit, soul and body may know HIM (TRUTH) intimately. Sadly, not everyone who calls Him Savior seek Him as Lord, huh? #ijs Yall!

Therefore, much to their own sorrow, they miss out on the true wealth and reward of a personal, dynamic, GOD-involved relationship that awaits us who lend our hearts and attention to discovering The Father in the face of His First-Begotten Son, Jesus! (Ref. Colossians 1:15-16)

My precious one, seeking God, although often challenging, should never become be a chore! However, may I submit for your momentary consideration, that our response to His drawing is vindictive of the level of love, faith and commitment towards Him!

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

HENCE, WHATEVER POSITION GOD OCCUPIES IN YOUR HEART DETERMINES HIS PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE! #IJS HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM?  

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

GOD MATTERS?

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GOD MATTERS

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:1-2
Is it just me, or have you noticed the newest 21st Century jargon? The sheer variety of objectivity seem to suggests that there has been an awakening in the consciousness of The Millennials that has shifted away from ‘It’s all about me’ to ‘a genuine concern for the well-being of other than self’! Or NOT! Okay yall, I might as well let the cat outta the bag. I’m referring to the popular trending idiom ‘MATTERS’.

Apparently, everything and the kitchen sink, has taken on a persona of distinctive significance. And there’s a T-shirt somewhere out there to prove it! Hey, I’m not judging, simply highlighting the obvious, k? If you ask anybody what are some of the things that they’re most interested in, it’s guaranteed that their responses would be endless. However, may I suggest that given the innate nature of humans to be drawn to individual preferences, in order to secure its fundamental security and uniformity, certain things are essential to the future of any society!

Obviously, there will be those who’d swear that being ‘pet parents’ is no different from parenting ‘live human children’ or wearing pants 25 inches below your waist-line to a job interview is as acceptable as nudity in a court room. As long as you’re comfortable with yourself, huh? Now that The Supreme Court has determined that regardless of sexual orientation, Love Matters! The capitalist affirm that it’s the bottom line that counts, not human rights! Hence Money Matters! Since, The NRA ascribes to ‘the right to bear arms’, above the ‘right to live in a safe neighborhoods’ thus—everybody’s packin! Billions of funds are being funneled to Animal Rights activists discretly away from those insidious issues of education, homelessness and hunger! Seriously!

Of course, we are not implying that as Christians we’re not supposed to have interests outside of the church. But! Does anyone care about what Matters to God? Well?

Looking at the more contemporary-all-embracing, newly-enlightened, come-as-u-r-stay-as-u-r doctrines of the 21st Century church, apparently, ain’t nobody got time for dat? It’s common place, now that church-folk tend to gravitate (assembling together) to like-minded sophisticated folk who prefer creature comforts above christian character! And if the ol’ skool preacha insists on sticking to those irrevelant antiquated suggestions of The Holy Bible and preachilng against SIN, well we can just Google the net and find another church that’s more condusive to our religious persuasions!

#DON’TSHOUTMEDOWNNAH!

Far be it for me to infer that Father GOD knows what’s best for His Children! However, isn’t that the reason that He drew us out of the world? God wants us to be happy and holy! That’s why He sent The Holy Spirit to live in us, leading and guiding us through the maze of a hellish world, instilling godly morals to assure that we get safely home to Heaven’s Glory! “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14

It’s perfectly understandable that an unregenerated person has no hope beyond this life, hence their universe is focused on accumulating a wealth of materialistic trinkets! However, where did so many carnal-minded christians come from?

I still remember when those who have a personal trust in Christ, peering through the clarity of the Scriptures, wore our earthly life as a loose-fitting overcoat, easily discarded and replaced by the robes of righteousness, laced with Love, Loyalty, Grace and Mercy as garments of praiz while eagerly awaiting The Trump of GOD to sound beckoning the Faithful TO COME UP HITHER! WOW! #GOALS #RAPTUREREADY #GODMATTERS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

PROMISE KEEPER!

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PROMISE KEEPER

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

So He said, “I will certainly be with you….” Exodus 3:12a
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! Psalm 30:11-12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

 

As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we vow to live our lives according to the testimony God reveals in The Holy Bible. As our knowledge of God’s Word increases, we discover how God has ordained certain rights, privileges and promises to us and for us. Yet, even as confessing Believers, sometimes we fall short when it comes to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises. Don’t shout me down now, yall!

Consequently, our churches are filled with frustrated, anxious, angry and unsatisfied folk who’re secretly disappointed with God. AMEN Anyhow! For the record, let’s concede this, GOD IS NOT THE PROBLEM! Therefore, His Faithfulness is not on trial! God’s Word is Eternally Immutable, Faithful and True.

So what’s up? We go to church and hear the gospel—well most of the time—anyway, preached with power and conviction. We enjoy the sermon, buy the CD’s and the DVD’s. We’ll leave the sanctuary talking about “Man, we had CHUURCH today”. But, the question is, where’s the evidence that what we’ve heard has profited our lives? For real, where’s the change in our personal situations?

It may behoove us to interrogate the Word more closely. The Scripture declares, ‘Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing By The Word’, right?  Obviously, the breakdown does not exist in the effectiveness of THE WORD! Hence, that leaves the higher probability that our inability to see the manifestation of the PROMISE lies in our personal cognition to believe and accept the Integrity of GOD’S WORD!

Moses was called by GOD to do a task that was so completely outside of his comfort zone causing him to offer up a plethora of excuses why successfully completing the assignment was impossible! GOD told Moses that He’d heard the desperate cry of the children of Israel, I’ve see how the Egyptians have oppressed; now I am sending you to Pharaoh that you may bring MY people out of Egypt! I will certainly be with you…When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve GOD on this mountain.” (Ref. Exodus 3:9-10; 12)

Now, stop looking at me with that tone of voice! U know there’s been plenty of times God presented a situation in your face, that even with the aid of 66 Books of Holy Writ, you were so overwhelmed with the challenge that you immediately started questioning God’s reasoning not to mention His decision that you were remotely qualified and equipped to go thru what you would have to go thru, not to mention come out! #ijs

However, GOD never asks us to do anything that He’s not willing to get personally involved! When GOD promised Moses, ‘I WILL CERTAINLY BE WITH YOU’ that was the game changer! The value of a promise solely depends upon the Authority, Ability and the Involvement of the One who’s making the promise! SINCE GOD ALONE IS THE SELF-PROCLAIMED I AM WHO I AM…THE ALPHA & THE OMEGA, WHO SPOKE TO NOTHING AND CREATED EVERYTHING…we might jus wanna put our trust and confidence in whatever HE SAYS, HE CAN AND WILL DO!

After all, WHO CAN STAY HIS HAND! Remember Pharaoh and his horses all drowned in the Red Sea! (Ref. Exodus 14:21-23)

Beloved, it matters not how high the mountain you must overcome, how wide valley you must go thru, nor how deep the river you must cross over, hold on the The Master’s Hand, lean not to your own understanding, but trust in His Promises with all of your heart, committing your whole being to His Keeping Power and you shall see The Saving Grace of our God! TRUST2KNO! Every Promise that God’s left on record is still as good as it was the day He Spoke it into Being! Hence, don’t wait ’til the battle is over, SHOUT NOW!

#BELIEVE 2 C THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING! HE IS THE PROMISE KEEPER!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

WHAT? FAITH-Based INITIATIVE!!!

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WHAT FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:48

Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. 1 Samuel 17:51

 

Honestly, still not sure when it happened! Anyhow, us ‘baby-boomers’, have witnessed some major transformations to the systemic culture of this nation and the world at large!  We’ve seen the  so-called ‘powers that be’ set into motion a myriad of legal and judicial orders, reforms and deregulations calling for separation of church and state, which under the radar, were unquestionably directed to push the very Presence of God out of the focus of our daily lives.

This Satanically-induced plot was introduced under the guise of safeguards to protect our human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of choice, etc. But while the flesh was enjoying its emancipation from the ‘antiquated codes of morality’ and moving into the land of parta hardy, it’s your thang, do what you wanna do, we were lured into a false sense of security. Never realizing that there would be consequences of this so-called liberation. When you eliminate God from the equation, what you’re left with is hell on earth!

Along with free love, free sex, free drugs, fast money, came increase in teen pregnancy, abortions, STD’s (and worse), drug addictions, divorce, fatherless homes, suicide, fraud, just to name a few by-products of an ‘it’s all about me’ generation! WHO KNU?

In January 2001, President George Bush signed an Executive Order establishing a program that would ‘Rally America’s Army of Compassion’ to stimulate and enable private, charitable and religious organizations to access federal funds for social service programs to address the rising challenges and concerns that the nation was experiencing. At least, these were the “TALKING POINTS”  of  what The White House Press Release report.

But in ‘laymen’s terms’, America was jacked up, unraveling at the roots, and they were clueless as to how to turn this mess around! Hence, somebody realized that the Church was the only real hope to preserve this nation. They invited churches and community leaders to come get this free money (grants) and do something to calm the restless beasts who were getting out of hand. Perhaps you’ve already guessed, this program was dubbed ‘Faith-Based Initiatives’.

#IJS! If the world got sense enough to know that God is the ONLY ONE who can fix the wiles of this world, what’s up with the real faith-based people—THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD? Decades have passed, and what’s changed? TRUTHBTOLD, this world has pludged deeper into the depths of apostacy than we ever could’ve imagined!  Looking through the lense of the natural eye, which is generally aimed at getting a few more dollars in my pocket, unfortunately many (saved and unsaved) are rallying around the insane partisan ideology of  “LET’S MAKE AMERICA GREAT…AGAIN!

What are we waiting for? When will we start taking some faith-based initiative and start walking in the power and authority that we shout about in the sanctuary?

According to today’s scripture text, 1 Sam 17:45-51, we see one individual, David, who was bold enough to actually put his faith to work to impact the environment and to make a difference in the lives of the people. May I submit for your consideration, that the underlying strength of Satan’s kingdom is the persistently passive complacent ‘Saint.’ His whole kingdom is utterly reliant upon what I call the ‘spirit of toleration’ that has many believers shut-up and locked down by a ‘victim mentality’. DON’T SHOUT ME DOWN, NAH? #ijs

The Apostle James says, ‘You show me your faith without works, and I’ll show you my faith by what I do’. (Ref. James 2:14-26). The devil is not impressed because your faith gets a bigger house, a new car, 20 credit cards—for a season.  While you’re walking around so high and lofty=minded, that thieving liar knows that with you paying 32% interest rates, any time he’s ready, he can pull the rug right out from under you!  However, what Satan really fears is ‘a BELIEVING BELIEVER’ who actually takes their faith to the trenches of the marketplace, hospital rooms, schools, court room, prisons, crack house, state house and certainly not into your own house!-

Unfortunately, many of God’s elect have become lethargic, disgruntled and are merely biding their time, waiting for Jesus to show up and rapture them off to Heaven? Can you imagine what could happen if instead of blaming God for what’s going on in the earth somebody would actually believe that God is Sovereign and satan ain’t running nothing?  Quess ain’t nobody got time for dat, huh?

Saints, this is war! Like David, when challenged by Goliath, we must stop waiting for the devil to make his next move. The Bible says, “Since the days of John The Baptist, the Kingdom of God has suffered violence, but the violent shall take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

It’s time for the Church to take the initiative and confront the devil on our terms! God has given us weapons of mass destruction that enables us to pull down Satan’s strongholds — THE WORD OF GOD, PRAYER & PRAIZ!  “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Those who recognize their Godly lineage and legacy, will not be content to sit behind the doors of the church, bracing for the devil’s next blow. There’s a remnant of true believers, who will activate their faith, as the Anointed Army of The Living God, and take dominion over the works of the kingdom of darkness!

Precious Warrior, God has not given us the spirit of fear, but a holy bodacious faith!

#SATANICSPOILERALERT! We ain’t scarred to let the devil know, “I am not losing my mind and I’m not giving in! I will bless The Lord at all times! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I’m fully persuaded that Greater is He that’s in me. I am more than a conqueror through Christ and ain’t no devil in hell gonna walk on the Jesus in me! NOW BACK UP OFF OF ME, YOU LYING DEVIL!”

Didjagetit? NOW, GET UP AND DO SOMETHING! TAKE SOME FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee