Category Archives: Covered by The Blood

MAKING THE CUT!

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MAKING THE CUT 3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Ephesians 2:14-18

Remember, how it felt, as a child, standing amongst your peers, who were about to play a game; and one particular kid, the captain of the team, was authorized to hand-pick the members of his team? And there you are waiting, wanting, wondering and wishing “Pick me…please!”? Only to be overlooked and rejected, without a moment’s hesitation, as usual, in favor of the captain’s personal favs.

It didn’t matter how much you wanted to play or even how much better you could play, if given the opportunity, you never seemed quite enough to make the cut. But not so in The Kingdom of Faith!

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Rev. 22:17

The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords stands as The Gateway to The Father! Having torn down the barriers between the possessors of The Law and the Lawless, Jesus, bridging the gap, as a testament of The Heavenly Father’s immense mercy and incredible love towards the most precious of His creation—mankind.

No longer are we denied the right-hand-of fellowship because of our nationality, racial ethnicity or gender; but standing at the foot of the Cross of Christ  levels the field,  for all who will submit their hearts to the True Circumcision of The Holy Spirit.

Jesus, The Mediator sent from Heaven to reconcile both Jew and Gentile back to The Kingdom of God through the tearing of His own flesh, has fulfilled the greatest desire of the Father’s Heart, creating One New Man!

And you, who were once aliens to the Promise, had no clue! The Truth was hidden, in the darkness of sinful flesh, until you opened your heart, trusting in and embracing Jesus Christ alone as your only hope for salvation, allowing The Light of Glory to reveal that before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God has already chosen you for His own! (Ref. Ephesians 1:4)
 
THANK GOD, YOU MADE THE CUT!
 
SELAH!
 
“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”
 
Ann Caffee

WAITING 4 HOPE!

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WAITING 4 HOPE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:19-25

“Semper Fidelis”, are two Latin words that the wife of every single USMC member (active-duty or retired) recognizes! Perhaps you might’ve seen it plastered on the rear window or bumper as you’re driving down the road! Semper Fi (the short version) meaning “Always Faithful” is the motto exemplifying the code of conduct and character of these courageously loyal soldiers.

While many of us who have enlisted in The Army of The Lord, strive diligently to honorably discharge this same spiritual SOP,  all of us sometimes falter in our attempts to sustain such lofty moral excellency, only to find ourselves desperately isolated in the hornet’s nest of a godless nation!

Such appears to be the predicament of God’s Prophet, Jeremiah, aka The Weeping Prophet! According to our scripture text, Jeremiah’s passionate efforts to persuade his beloved countrymen to repent of their persistent back-slidding rebellious ways and turn their hearts back to The One True God, once again fell on deaf ears! Consequently leaving Jeremiah lamenting exhausted, slipping helplessly further down into a bottomless pit of discouragement and drowning in his own tears.

Truthfully, many a soul can identify with The Prophet!  After having repeatedly warned our love ones of the error of their sinful lifestyle and encouraging them to seek The Savior to escape imminent destruction , yet instead of being embraced with grace-filled gratitude, we end up rejected, ridiculed and cast off like a badly-told joke.

I thank God for recording this historical event for 21st Century Believers to glean powerful insights from the experiences of those faithful servants of old  as to how we might also overcome these same challenges in our lives!

Looking around him, seeing the terror of Satan’s threats and looming clouds of fear, destruction and death Jeremiah found no reason to hope. But! Looking up, remembering Who he served and Whom he belonged to, there was every reason to hope!

When your hope is rooted and grounded in the never-ending Compassionate Mercies and Faithfulness of The Almighty God of the Angel Armies, it will inevitably ignite a courageous confidence and assurance that not only is Our God more than able to keep me, but He shall deliver me out of every evil situation that ever confronts me! (Ref. Psalms 34:19)

Jeremiah’s hope emerges, out of the depths of a compassionate sorrow for his people who, adamantly refusing to submit to God’s Lordship, would endure the brutal wrath of God’s anger, being exiled to Babylon, nevertheless stood firm on The Rock of His Salvation, knowing that now is not always!

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5

We too have this confidence!  No matter what or how bleak your circumstances appear to be, be still knowing that we have The Strong Deliverer–Christ in Us – Our Hope of Glory! (Ref. Colossians 1:27)   AT EASE, SOLDIER!  WAITING 4 HOPE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

LET’S GET SPIRITUAL!

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LET'S GET SPIRITUAL

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4

 

Didjaknow? On the inside of every human being there’s a God-sized void and you’d never imagine the lengths man has gone to create the garden variety of temple trinkets, be it crystal, metal or wood, the special chantings, and the elite secret orders, etc. in his attempt to fill in this gapping sink hole in his soul. And we’d be remiss if we neglect considering the smorgage board of religions available to suit the distinct palates of ardent seekers! I mean it’s kinda hard to find anyone these days who’s not spiritual, huh?

However, if it ain’t of The Holy Spirit, it ain’t God! Seriously!

Unfortunately, history proves that these fanatical religious pursuits ultimately entrap unsuspecting devout followers! Subsequently, leaving them fatally victimized by unrealized series of legalistic rituals, hopelessly condemned by the flesh’s inability to consistentlly conform nor perform the multitude of oppressive regulations required to appease the spiritual guides to immortal bliss.

Why? Because every human born since Adam and Eve is born naughty by nature. Therefore, before you can truly experience the only True Spiritual Connection to A Holy God, you must deal with the root of the problem that ripped us apart from the intimate relationship mankind once held before…SIN! OH NO SHE DIDN’T….OH YES I DID!

“Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thilng: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:17-20

BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! The Father of Mercy and Grace initiated His Plan (Salvation) before the foundation of the world to rescue you from your dilemma! When God personally entered into the very world that He created (and we’d messed up living according to our perverted lustful desires), He took on the likeness of human flesh, nailed our sins to the cross, died for us and was raised by The Holy Spirit, freeing us from the power and penalty of sin, once and for all! Hence, Jesus died for you so that you could live for Him! Awwwmazing, huh?

Beloved, according to Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”, hence, the moment you make a consciencious decision to die to self, turn from the evil dictates of your self-serving flesh and cry out, in absolute sincerity from a repented heart to the Father of Glory, He saves you, adopts you into His Own Royal Family, moves into your heart and begins to transform your entire life! Therefore, you are  free from the death-gripping stronghold of your former slave master, Satan. By God’s own Power, you have been translated into a life far beyond anything you ever dared imagined possible for the rest of eternity! #didjaheardat?

COME ON YALL!  LET’S GET TRULLY SPIRITUAL…RECEIVE JESUS!

SELAH!

‘Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

N…R…B

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N..R..B

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

NOW, ARE, BE?

Well that makes no sense. Exactly! For the most part, in this westernized self-enabled, psychotic-entitlement, success-intoxicated, counterfeit-autonomy 21st Century culture that eschews different while giving replicas standing ovations, living your life as if THE BIBLE is indeed God-Breathed Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth written expressly to you, makes absolutely no sense at all, right?

While, there’s much to be admired for setting goals and the recompense of overcoming obstacles to fulfill them, wisdom demands a proper perspective before initiating your plans. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

Unfortunately, by the time a lot of us get the revelation, way too much valuable time has been spent making a living that we lose out on living life!

Consequently, completely un-aware of the original plan that The Master designed for his most precious creation. In the eyes of our Creator, the destiny of mankind is exceedingly greater than anything we could possibly do, imagine or even hope!

Ask any true believer! Most likely, their testimony will be the same; “if I had only known how good my live could be, coming into the knowledge of The True and Living God, and who I am in Christ, I would’ve, should’ve accepted Him a long time ago”.  #hindsight, huh? 

But, God already knew what challenges we’d face as human, with the pressure and influence from the world. He knew how easily we could be trapped by the perverse principles of this fallen world. That’s why He sent Jesus to restore our true personality which had been so subtly stolen from us by the first identity-thief, Satan! #canthechurchsaythankya!

It’s the mission of Holy Spirit to open hearts once calloused by fear, rejection, abuse, disappointment, regret! NOW that you’ve accepted Jesus, God has so Graciously, supernaturally infused such unfathomable, unconditional, unrequited Transforming Love into our hearts that that stretches far beyond past hurt, guilt, shame, others expectations and approval that now releases you to be that fearfully, wonder-filled, unlike any other, authentic, once-in-eternity spectacle, the “true you”—a magnificent reflection of Himself!

Once YOU personally experience the Liquid Agape of our Heavenly Father, absolutely nothing that this world has to offer ever remotely compares with our desire to love and live for HIM!

Beloved, you ARE destined to live Life far beyond yourself; opened handed to love, touch, affirm, assist and bless others who have not yet come to be who they are created to BE—A HAND OF HOPE! NRB!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

GODZ EXPECTATIONS!

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GOD'Z EXPECTATIONS

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?  shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 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 6:6-8

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 2:10

 

For those of us, who truly love God with all of our hearts, spirit, soul and body, yet feel an intrinsic urging to apologize to Him each and every day because it’s a guarantee that at some point between the time you get out of bed and the time you crawl back into bed, you have inevitably fallen short of living up to God’s Righteous expectations of you, have I got some great news for you!

Given the fact that He is our Creator, God is perfectly justified in establishing specific standards of behavior for us to live by. Hence, it also stands to reason that because He has shown such unfathomable loving-kindness, tender-mercy and unmerited favor towards us, that the only reasonable response should be radical thanksgiving and faithful obedience! Yet, try as we may, left to our own efforts, we’re totally incapable of reaching this level of holy worship that God so richly deserves.

I mean, even on those day where we actually do some righteous things, they could never equal out all our unrighteous thoughts, words and deeds! So we certainly can’t gloat in our self-righteousness. However there’s yet Hope for our terminal dis-ease!

According to God’s Word, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

Truthfully, my precious ones, what God really expects from each one of us, is failure! And from sixty something years of personal experience, I can testify, with absolute confidence, that we can surely do! Royally! Can I get a Hallelujah and Amen 3x?

Dontchakno?  It’s only when we come to the end of ourselves and acknowledge our weaknesses that God is truly glorified!

For without Him, we can do absolutely nothing, however through Christ’s strength, we can do all things.(Ref. Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13) As long as we think we’re capable of doing anything on our own, we deceive ourselves and deny God the pleasure of delivering us from any and everything that is trying to hold us captive. That’s why The Bible encourages the weak to say I am strong. (Ref. Joel 3:10) Therefore, with holy boldness, we humbly confess that the only thing standing between our strength and weakness, righteousness and wickedness, success and failure, is Jesus!

GLORRAAAA 2 GOD! Christ IN us, The Hope of Glory, guarantees our victory every single time! (Ref. Colossians 1:27)

WHO NU ACCOMPLISHING GOD’S EXPECTATIONS WAS THAT EASY, huh?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

SAVE THE BABY!

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SAVE THE BABY

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” Psalm 119:9-16

Ever noticed how that sometimes 21th Century Church folk lifestyles assert the attitude ‘I’m gonna live just close enough to God to say I’m saved yet close enough to the world to fit in’?

Anybody remember when the deacons testified, “I come over here to stay!” and the Missionaries would haply proclaim “I’ve come too far to turn around!”?

It seems to me that once upon a time, the people of God reverenced God’s Gracious Gift of Salvation with such an holy awe that’s rarely experienced in the lives of converted believers today. It’s almost as if Jesus is type of ornate accessory to life as usual, which can be applied and removed at one’s own discretion. WOW! itain’tmybusiness2judge BUT…  I’m jus say’n, yall! What a stark divergence from church culture of yesterdays.

Imagine what a difference it might make if the world could see more saints actually living in divine fellowship with Jesus Christ—everyday! What if more of God’s people really trusted the Holy Bible to be The Only Infallible, God-Inspired-Written-Word for personal salvation, guidance and instructions to live consecrated according to God’s standards for Righteousness? What if, instead of bombarding the Gates of The Throne Room pleading for a man, woman, a better paying job, bigger homes, newer cars, another college degree, another spouse, the saints would entreat The Savior’s Presence crying out, “Just A Closer Walk with Thee”?

What if, instead of us sending subliminal messages to our young people that ‘it’s okay to do you, sow your wild oats, after all you got time’, the seasoned-sanctified-saints could humble ourselves to be transparent enough to encourage the future deacons, evangelists, pastors, preachers, teachers to surrender their hearts to The Savior now and not wait (regrettably, like many of us) until they’ve been beaten, broken down and tarnished and tainted by the world’s dainties, but while they have sound minds and strong bodies, to devote their lives to serving The Creator!

Don’t get me wrong, in retrospect there were a lotta things about the good ol’ days that I’m truly grateful to be delivered from. Nevertheless, considering the desperately despicable state of this New Millennium Age today, we might need to revisit and revamp a lot more of the ol’ church’s teachings. Perhaps then, we’d stop doing our Sunday morning church thang and BE The HOLY-WALKING True Bride of Christ earnestly anticipating the soon coming return of our King!

While change is inevitable, personal salvation is a choice! HENCE, DON’T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee