Category Archives: Conviction

FAIL FORWARD!

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FAIL FORWARD

 

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 your mind with intimidating thoughts to taint your perspective and sabotage your peace.  Satan, aka da devil,  knows fully well that he has absolutely no power to stop what God has planned for your future, yet,  he’s determined to strip us of the joy of our Salvation! Saints, regardless of his deceptive tactics, remember Satan is not God!  Since his first encounter with our foreparents, Adam and Eve, he’s become quite adept  in manipulating our thoughts to cause us to question the Faithfulness of God! How? Well, one of his favorite methods is to use our 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!  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. We can remind the devil that what happened back then was just a chapter setting me up for future episodes of coming attractions! The Bible says, let the redeedmed of the  lord, tell their story! 

You have been authorized to speak The Word of God with confident assurance. You know, like James Brown, ‘SAY It loud! Say it proud! Failure ain’t Final!  In fact, because I AM the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and  I’m not in this thing by myself, Christ in Me enables me to fall forward! (Ref. Colossians 1:27)

Take a stand! Let the devil know, ‘I am fully persuaded that whatever you’re planning to trip me up,  give it your best shot, just like it didn’t work the last time,  it won’t work this time either.(Ref. Isaiah 54:17)

My God  has ggggrrreeeaaaatt 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)

“Oh, Devil, can we talk? I peeped in the back of the Book, and I know in the end, we win and you’re still a loser!

 #BAMM! FAIL FORWARD!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

DISCOURAGED BY THE WAY

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DISCOURAGED BY THE WAY

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. Numbers 21:4
God had kept His promise to deliver His people out from under the gruesome bondage of their Egyptian captors. Time and time again, they saw The Mighty Hand of God’s miraculous power triumph over their enemies and now they were on the way to their prosperous place finally free to serve their God!

Yet, the very first time one of their enemies refused them passage through to the Promised Land, the people of God became so discouraged and began to murmur and complain. Some even had the nerve to accuse God of making promises that He couldn’t keep. IMAGINE DAT?

It’s amusing, how we tend to judge them so harshly! As if we would’ve handled the situation any differently, huh?. Hind sight is always 20/20. And in retrospect, given the way we’ve responded in our personal wilderness experiences, we probably can relate a whole lot more than we’d be willing to acknowledge in public. Really?

Nevertheless, we must admit that there are important lessons to be learned from the Israelites. Such as, don’t be deceived just because it appears that it’s taking too long to receive that thing God has promised. Be careful that you do not allow discouragement to cause you to murmur and complain about the way that God is leading you.

Don’t ever forget to be grateful for God’s provision while you’re  enroute to the promised land. And above all, never allow your past nor present circumstances to dictate your future.

While trouble might be on your itenerary, it’s not your destiny! Remember Job? (Ref. Job 23:10) Trust that God knows the way that you take! Not only is He your Guide but He’s also your Guard! 
 
DISCOURAGEMENT IS TOXIC. IF LEFT UNCONFINED,  IT WILL KILL THE FAITH OF A BELIEVER! #DIDJAHEARDAT? WELL..PRAIZ HIM ON THE WAY! #ijs

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

TURNING POINT

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TURNING POINT

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and  whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25

 

At some point in the life of every single man, woman, boy and girl born into the Earth, we will be challenged to personally respond to some potentially life-altering questions.  At that point, they must make critical conscious decisions.  Whatever choices he/she makes will dictate the consequences of his/her ultimate eternal destiny.

Will I continue to live my life depending solely upon my own understanding, relying on my own opinion of what seems right and wrong according to my own moral standards and principles?  Or, am I willing to acknowledge the reality that  I need help from some other Source Greater than myself?

Am I willing to turn my life completely over to The One who created me? Am I entrusting my total care to Him; recognizing that He alone knows and desires the absolute best for my life?  Are you confidently assured that the only motivating factor for His Perfect Will for your life is His unconditional, unwavering, never ending, Faithful and Loyal Love for you?

The good news is that it’s an open-book test, but it’s still your choice!

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.  (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Precious one,  the moment you say emphatically, unapologetically, unrestricted,  ‘YES LORD’… DATZ YOUR TURNING POINT! 

Selah!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

1 WORD!

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ONE WORD

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
Lamentations 3:57

 

Some saints would have you to believe that since they’ve been saved, they’ve never experienced a moment of fear, grief or despair. Oh, yall know what I mean! Listening to their church testimony, you’d think that all their days were ‘goody, goody and howdy, howdy’! Okay, well Bless God, I guess, I’m yet a work in progress. But perhaps, I am not the only one, huh?

According to our text, Jeremiah, aka The Weeping Prophet, came to realize that neither his great love for nor his faithful obedience to God exempted him from suffering depression, sorrow and fear. Ironically, Jeremiah’s tears didn’t stem from personal defiance but rather the insolence of his fellow-countrymen. The prophet’s heart was broken and burdened because his beloved nation was facing imminent destruction due to their continuous rebellion against God.

Instead of God’s chosen people gratefully heeding Jeremiah’s warnings, the Prophet’s concern was repeatedly met with murderous bitter resentment. Jeremiah was beaten severely, thrown into an empty cistern, and left to die for daring to tell the people the Truth. According to the scriptures, there Jeremiah called out to God and God responded with A GRACE WORD … ‘fear not!’

While there’s some degree of solace in knowing we, the Elect of God, are in this world, BUT we’re not of this world, nonetheless we, like Jeremiah, will also endure times of suffering due to the ungodliness of others. The degradation of morality and diminishing respect for life in general, often lead us down into pits of muck and miry clay. Relationships drive us to the edge and end of ourselves, through valleys of ‘don’t know what else we can do’ and onto the intersection of ‘helpless to change our condition’—yet we are never without this Hope—our deliverance is always just a prayer away! One short faith-filled“HELP ME, LORD JESUS!” releases The Power and The Glory of God—right on time, every time!

In the midst of your turmoil, has God ever whispered a Rhema Word that instantly checked your spirit, jump started your hope and restored your peace, right? Just One Word can flip the script, strengthen your heart, renew your mind, quicken your faith, stir up the Holy Ghost, Who empowers you with that second wind that catapults you to run on, convinced that, ‘Yeah Baby! WE GOT THIS!’ (Ref. Isaiah 40: 30-31)

Don’t be scarred! God’s near! Let Hell know WHO YOU KNOW, WHOSE YOU ARE AND WHOM YOU SERVE!

Oh yeah! ONE WORD FROM GOD CHANGES EVERYTHING!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

TRUE CIRCUMCISION

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TRUE CIRCUMCISION

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, And have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3

 

According to the Old Testament, God commanded every male child to be circumcised on the 8th day of their birth. (Ref. Genesis 17:7-14) As you (women) can only  imagine, this procedure was extremely bloody. God wanted his people to stand out from the rest of the nations.  Hence, circumcision became the outward sign symbolizing that you were a member of a Peculiar, Elite, a Royal Family!

Today, God’s chosen people still undergo a procedure. However, ours is spiritual and involves a circumcision of our hearts! The procedure can only be performed under the direction of the skillful hand of the Holy Ghost. Because of the fragility and exceptionality of this procedure, it requires the use of particular surgical instruments. Every incision must be meticulously and tediously made with a two edged sword—The Word of God—that’s capable of dividing, piercing asunder both the soul and the spirit! (Ref. Hebrews 4:12)

And guess what else? The best part about this whole thing is that you don’t have to be pre-approved by Kaiser, Aetna, Blue Cross or Blue Shield… it’s already paid for! But keep in mind, this surgical procedure is solely elective. This means that the patient must willingly submit to the knife because The Holy Ghost will never impose or force Himself upon anyone!

Once the patient embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by humbly allowing the Word of God to penetrate and cut away their old stony heart, confessing that he’s a sinner, alienated from God’s family and in need of a Savior, he receives a brand new heart—The Heart of Jesus!

When the procedure is completed, successfully, the patient becomes a new species—a born-again Believer—A Christian!  (Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:17)

This new Christian is now free to worship and serve God faithfully by presenting his body as a living sacrifice. Wow! Could that be why they praise Him like they do? The truth of the matter is, God is a heart-fixer and a mind-regulator! If you will allow HIM to exchange your heart for HIS, it’ll change your mind! When you change your mind, everything else in your life’s gotta change! #SERIOUSLY

Have you scheduled your appointment with the Master Surgeon yet?

Don’t delay! They tell me procrastination kills, Eternally! TRUE CIRCUMCISION!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
 
Ann Caffee

GOTTA LUV HIM

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GOTTA LUV HIM

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!    

Your mercy and loving kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds, Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like the great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.  They relish and feast on the abundance of Your house and You cause them to drink of the stream of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. O continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, Your righteousness (salvation) to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride overtake me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.  PSALMS 36:6-11

 

Really, I don’t want to be just another voice flippantly spewing Pentecostal clichés, but  hear the sincerity of my heart’s cry… “WHEN I THINK OF THE GOODNESS OF JESUS, AND ALL THAT HE’S DONE FOR ME, MY HEART CRIES OUT HALLELUJAH, I THANK GOD FOR SAVING ME”!

It’s totally mind-boggling that the Creator of the universes actually cared enough for ‘us‘ to sacrifice His Only Begotten Son in order that we might be adopted into His Family! (Ref. Isaiah 53:10)

Looking back I never imagined that I’d be a Child of The King. I was one of ‘them’ who used to laugh and joke about ‘yall’ Christians. In fact, I can distinctly remember, blatantly ignorant proclaiming, “I know  me and all my friends gonna be parta’n down in Hell!”

All the while, completely unbeknownst to me, Satan was plotting to destroy me! BUT GOD had predestined Purpose for my life! Before the foundation of the world, God set in Eternity, His appointed time to fulfill my Destiny!  (Ref. Romans 6:5)

No wonder, we so easily identify with The Psalmist’s losing himself in the midst of exaltation, worship and praise at The Magnificence and Marvelous Works of God!  Truthfully, GOD can’t be praised enough!

O the Wonder of His Glory to allow ol’ wretched men, to approach His Throne, surrendering our bankrupted lives in exchange for His Loving-Kindness, Tender Mercy and His Saving Grace!  I still don’t know how or why!  But—I’m soooo glad He did!

We can only conclude, ‘HE’S A WONDER’!  GOTTA LOVE HIM!

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

UNSHAKABLE LOVE!

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UNSHAKEABLE LUV

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

EVER since man left the Garden of Eden, God has been trying to show us how much He loves, misses and how badly He wants us to come Home to Him!

He spoke to a man Abram, through His Prophets, through visitations, dreams, signs, parables and innumerable unexplainable events. Finally, He spoke to us in the Person of His Only Son, Jesus! (Ref. Hebrews 1:1-3) Jesus, if you will, is GOD’s Illustrated Sermon, preached by The Father of All Creation, because LOVE refused to let go!

Now, understandably, given the limitation of our perverted perception of love, this Love makes absolutely no sense!

It’s almost unbelievable! But GOD’s ways are higher than ours and HIS thoughts are greater than ours. Therefore, humanity struggles to comprehend the infinite capacity of our Creator’s faithful, committed and unshakable love for us! Agape, GOD LOVE, can only be revealed through the Power of The Holy Ghost! (Ref. Romans 5:5)

At best, here’s a working definition of‘ ‘agape love’; “it’s The Love that’s just enough to meet you where you are, but is too full with compassion to leave you there and is only satisfied by lifting you up to where He is!’

It’s The Love that says, I don’t care what you do, what you don’t do, MY Love will never stop loving you! Just trust MY Love! Now that’s The Gospel of Jesus Christ!

You see, I’ve learned that threatening folk with hell to make them love Jesus is not enough to make them repent before GOD! I mean, you can’t win souls to Christ if you only tell them how bad they are and never tell them how Good Jesus is! It’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance! (Ref. Romans 2:4) Now Ain’t that good news? Saints, datz The Gospel!

When people understand that ‘No-thing’ shall separate you/me from the LOVE of GOD IN CHRIST JESUS–It’s life-changing! (Ref. Romans 8:38-39)

Now, 4 the LUV OF GOD, why don’t cha’ run and tell that! God Love is For Ever Faithful! Datz UNSHAKEABLE LOVE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

ALWAYS & 4 EVER!

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ALWAYS AND 4 EVER

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:7

 

There’s never been a point, place or space in time where God is not! God IS and will ever BE—for He is ETERNALLY GOD! #didjaheardat?

To souls wearied and wounded from matriculating through the sporadic-tumultuous terrains of life, this  statement has proven to be the Source of great comfort and strength. At the same time, it’s the sting of predictable debilitating destruction and defeat against the insidious attacks to the forces of evil!

The primary mission of the Kingdom of darkness is to cause the people of God to abandon their hope and personal trust in The Eternal Father by any means necessary! Satan’s disciples strategically set up obstacles to ensnare believers with confusion, fear and doubt designed ultimately to contaminate their faith, causing them to re-evaluate the Reliability of trusting in an invisible, yet all emcompassing True and Living God!

Problem is, all too often, it’s the personal testimonies of triumphant victories down thru the years that continue to rigorously validate God’s Faithfulness, fueling the Believer’s Hope of Eternal Glory!

Finding ourselves knee-deep in the midst of this 21st Century Anti-Christ culture, there’s no shortage of opportunities to throw in the towel and tap-out on the Promises revealed in the Sacred Writ, resolving that they’re no longer relevant in this self-centered, self-righteous, intellectually astute, Hi-Tech, contemporal society!  

However, such thinking is only logical to those who have foolishly opted to avoid the reality of The Omnipresent Omnipotent God! Nothing ever happens that catches God off-guard. Hence, He is Alpha and Omega!  The Omniscient Creator, Sovereignly orchestrating the affairs of  humanity from eternity past, thru present into eternity future,  determined that His Purpose shall never be frustrated by the  inherent iniquity of flawed-fickled-fleshy-lust-filled mankind!

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two inchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of The Hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this Hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:17-19

 

Beloved, standing firmly on the Immutability of God’s Word, gives us the leverage to embrace every situation with confident assurance that we’ll never alone and God is always in control. Therefore, our Heavenly Father is always Present  to help, constantly undergirding our inabilities with His Infinite Excellence!

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Remember, My child, when the odds are stacked against the righteous—GOD’S AT HIS BEST! FAITHFUL…ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 Ann Caffee

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

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Don't Even Think About It

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead…and the deadness of Sarah’s womb…” (Romans 4:19)

According to the rules regulating our Judicial System, the Presiding Judge is authorized to determine whether evidence that has been presented during the trial is admissible or inadmissible. It then becomes the jury’s charge to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant. According to the Judge’s instructions, the jury’s decision must be based solely upon deliberation of the factual information introduced during the proceedings that has been conclusively substantiated.

When God told His Friend, Abram, that he was going to be the father of a great nation, He  called him outside and instructed him to look up to the heavens and count the stars and  declared to Abram “so shall your descendants be.”  The text goes on to say, “Abraham believed God and God reckoned Abraham to be righteous.” (Genesis 15:2-6)  Evidently, the only admissible evidence that Abraham was allowed to consider was The Word of God and the stars in the heaven. Everything else was merely circumstantial! Seriously!

“He did not waiver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded, convinced that what God had promised He was also able to perform.” (Romans 4:-20)
 
Think about this—JESUS—is your Public Defender—His BLOOD is your only witness—and whatever evidence that the devil is trying to introduce against you—the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE (your Heavenly Father) has already deemed—inadmissible!  Didjaheardat?  …WOW!!
 
Beloved, God is calling you out today! Stop fretting over the circumstances, just change the channel! Look up and consider not! In other words—Focus your faith on The Faithfulness of Jesus and The Immutability of His Word!

The sky is the limit of what you can have and be! ALL ELSE…DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

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

 

HE’S ALWAYS THERE

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HE'S ALWAYS THERE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

I am with you always, even to the end of the age

Matthew 28:20 
 

One morning I received an email that took me back to an all too familiar place. As I read  on, I immediately realized that the lost sheep could very well had been me. Feel free to eavesdrop on the conversation,…
 
 “In the early 1980s I counseled a Christian young woman who was languishing in deep spiritual, mental and emotional torment. She wrote:
 
“Dear God, Where are you? How can you watch and not help me? I hurt so bad, and you don’t even care. If you cared you’d make it stop or let me die. I love you, but you seem so far away. I can’t hear you or feel you or see you, but I’m supposed to believe you’re here. Lord, I feel them and hear them. They are here. I know you’re real, God, but they are more real to me right now. Please make someone believe me, Lord. Why won’t you make it stop? Please, lord, please! If you love me you’ll let me die…A lost sheep”
 
I deal with many Christians who are filled with such confusion that their daily walk with Christ is unfulfilling and unproductive. When they try to pray, they begin thinking about a million things they should be doing. When they sit down to read the bible, they can’t concentrate. Whenever they have an opportunity to serve the Lord in some way, it comes up short by discouraging thoughts of self-doubt.
 
Having found freedom and deliverance, “the lost sheep” penned a response to her own prayer based on her new understanding of God’s provision in Christ.
 
“My dear lost sheep, You ask me where I am. My child, I am with you and I always will be. You are weak, but in me you are strong. I am so close that I feel everything you feel. Be crucified with me and I will live in you, and you shall live with me. I will direct you in paths of righteousness. My child, I love you and I will never forsake you, for you are truly mine…Love, God”
 
Saints, by The Grace of God, while I too have experienced the freedom of  being delivered from the tormenting trauma and enslavement to depression; however I will never everrrr forget to remember How Great A Salvation that The Lord wrought in my life!  
 
It’s incumbent upon us to remember, this is not heaven, the devil is still a liar and God’s Word is Truth! If the saints are feeling the heat of the devil’s wicked devises, can you imagine what he’s putting the unsaved through?

Saints, ask God to open the eyes of your heart that you may see who’s hurting around you. If the whole world’s coming out the closet, we certainly can’t afford to be closet Christians! We have an awesome responsibility and an obligation to be the Love, Compassion and Hope of Christ to a lost generation! You ought to tell one somebody that there is a Hope that’s out of this world…I mean, really?
 
His Name is Jesus and He’s Always There!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee