Category Archives: Empowerment

RELEASE URSELF!

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RELEASE URSELF

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus For good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should Walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

 

Okay, let me begin by saying, it’s not my intention to offend the sanctity of The Holy Writ, however to simply relay my personal internal experience!  Down the these 60 sumthin’ years, I’ve discovered that oftimes the process of life application is ‘easier said than done’!  #Understatement! Needless to say, transitioning this mindset to real-life tends to involve hauling along its own measure of self-accusing, doubt, ignominy and guilt. After all, we’re people of faith, right?

Fortunately, when we understand The Truth, that God Himself, fully aware of who and what we are capable (aka incapable of), has saved us, not because—but—in spite—of, we get a snapshot of impregnable fortress of our Heavenly Father’s Loving Kindness towards us, laced with a whopping dollop of reality!

Hence, armed with this intelligence, give yourself permission to get over you! News Flash! As difficult as it may be to latch onto, my Precious One, you are not the ‘good news’! JESUS Is!

None of us is saved by trusting in ourselves, but anyone can be saved by trusting in God’s Mercy! None of us can keep our selves saved through our own volition, however by trusting in God’s Grace we are sustained through His Sufficiency!

Ultimately, its placing your personal confidence in The Almighty God, realizing (as the Ol’ Skool Church Mothers’ sanng) “JESUS PAID IT ALL, ALL TO HIM I OWE, SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN, AND HE WASHED ME WHITE AS SNOW”, and accepting as Truth, that everything required to satisfy The Righteousness of God, Jesus already did it, releases us from the daily burden of ‘being good enough to deserve God’s goodness! Didjaheardat?

WOW! JESUS, Perfection Personified, got it all right for you!

Now that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook! Don’t be foolish; be grateful! Because of His Once-and-for-all Sacrificial Death,  no longer will we be judged according to our filthy righteousness but are now free to live hope-filled, holy, God-Honoring, God-Witnessing lives, reflecting the Light of God’s Glory to a dark, lost, and dying world! (Ref. John 10:10)

As we continue to walk with Jesus, entrusting our very lives to Him, our faith increases, our knowledge expands, and our experiences will teach us that trusting God is about releasing yourself from the futility of struggling to meet the unrealistic expectations of others, and most importantly, releasing yourself from devastating side effect of self-imposed exile, self -rejection!

If you are a bona-fied, Blood-Washed-Born-Again-Child of The Most High God, your life is hidden in Christ and you are kept by The Hands of The Almighty God! Remember, The Omnipotent, Omnscient, Omnipresent Creator of Heaven and Earth is always with you, working everything out in your life for your highest good and His GREATER GLORY! WHEWWWW! So, REST IN HIM  & RELEASE URSELF!  #GETIT?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

AFTER THIS…LOOK 4 THE GLORY!

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after-this-look-4-the-glory-2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said. There is nothing. And he said, go up again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, go up, say unto Ahab. Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. 1 Kings 18:43-45

 

It’s one thing to say that we trust God, but it’s how we endure the proving time that determines the genuineness of our trust! #Didjaheardat?

Life inevitably includes intervals of those pesty impositions I call ‘the dark times’! Like unexpected uninvited guest, trouble has a way of poppin in and staying way longer than we’d prefer! And to make matters even more unsettling, it’s during these seasons that we’re most likely to experience times when all evidence to substantiate that God is still with you and any sign indicating that He’s even listening to your prayers is essentially non-existent!

Knowing personally, it’s not easy watching our children’s lives being ravished by sickness and their youthful dreams and ambitions dissipated by helpless-hopelessness. But this is where the clichés that we so impressively sprout off to others are proven real or Memorex!  Beloved, the longer we walk with Jesus we discover that it’s in the midst of the storms that God reveals His Best Handy Work!  Who would’ve ever imagined that in spite of the dire forecast, The SON yet shines, leading and drawing us closer to Himself! Clearly, He’s determined, through any means necessary, to prove unequivocally that everything that the devil meant for evil, God can turn it around and make it work in our favor! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

Oh My! How my soul rejoiced that day, hearing that my son had given his life to The Lord during a bible study class the evening before! Little did I know that God would use this storm to woo him into seeking Him for himself , thereby positioning him for the miraculous showers of blessings that would follow! And most certainly, I never imagined as I was praying that God would stretch my faith and increase my knowledge of His Wisdom and Power, that I’d have to bury his twin brother to experience a whole new dimension of God’s Super-Sustaining Grace!

The Prophet Elijah teaches his young protégé that even when we can’t see no way to escape the very real threat of emminent destruction, we can yet trust God’s Heart and His Hands. God’s vision is far greater than 20/20. It’s from eternity past to eternity future! God watches guardingly over us thru The Blood stained eyes of Jesus. And through Divinely-inspired confident trust and quiet patience we discover the inexhaustible treaures God’s Faithfulness!

Today, you may find yourself plagued by all manner of maladies. Many of God’s people’s lives are being wounded and worn out by the insidious attacks of the enemies of God and  unfortunately, many are losing hope for life getting any better. But remember, anything is possible with God! TRUST2KNO, while our troubles have a predesignated date of expiration;  our prayers are eternal! #DIDJAHEARDAT??

As people of Hope, instead of surrendering to the pressures of circumstantial evidence, we pray; committing ourselves and our circumstances to our Omnipotent, Omniscient Omnipresent Savior and Lord! By doing this, we’re demonstrating to God that we are relying wholeheartedly upon His Love and the sufficiency of His Grace to sustain and deliver us! As we pray, God intervenes in His designated timing, turning everything the devil meant for evil—around for our greatest good and His Highest Glory! (Ref. 1 Chronicles 7:14)  #4REAL!

Don’t allow the darkness to deceive you. Could God be using the clouds to shield you from your enemies view, aligning you up for an unexpected miracle? (Ref. Exodus 13:21) I know it’s been a long night, but don’t give up! They tell me, the darkest hour is just before the break of a new day.

Beloved, go take another look! SEEDAT? AFTER THIS, LOOK FOR THE GLORY!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

WHO MOVED?

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WHO MOVED

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” Hebrews 2:1-3

One morning during my devotion, the Lord began speaking to me about The Millennium Church Age. At this point in my walk with Jesus, needless to say, I’ve heard many a message preached about the Church of God down through the years! Gratefully, much has been pontification of the Glorious and Victorious Church as well as those that admonish the people of God concerning the goats and the sheep and the wheat and the tare. However, I must confess I was a bit surprised when God began to talk to me about a different threat (either unnoticed or unacknowledged) that has slipped under the radar of nodding watchmen into the Kingdom. He asked, “Have you heard the one about the ‘drifters and the disciples?”

After thinking for a moment, I responded “No, Lord. I don’t recall hearing that one.” Honestly, my mind went ‘back in da day’, remembering the Drifters, that group of fine black men, dressed to da T and sanng’n those ‘Good ol’ slow songs’! For the 30 and under crew, u betta ask ya Mama!

Abruptly bringing me back from the edge of Egypt, God began to reveal to me, “Oh yes! You’ve heard about them. They may have been called ‘Backsliders’ instead!’

Okay! I know about the backsliders! But, when church folk think of a backslider, what generally comes to mind are those wicked ol’ evil rebellious hypocrites, aka that heathen who has turned his back and walked away from the Lord and the Church. In other words, we’ve categorized them as somebody who didn’t really love the Lord, at least not as much as he loved the world. Right?  HOWEVERRR! The Lord, allowing me to peep into His thoughts for a moment, led me to Webster’s Dictionary to look up the word ‘drift’ to discover that Webster defines it several ways, but here are a few that Holy Spirit highlighted:

“To be carried along by a current of air or water; to pile up or to heap, to move or appear to move aimlessly, go along without knowing or caring where one is going; the sideways movement of an aircraft or ship off it’s projected course due to cross currents.”

OMG!  #Didjaheardat? First of all, you don’t have to leave the church at all to backslide! You can become a drifter sitting front row, center aisle, or back row, far left and yes, truthfully, center stage of the pulpiteers!  #WOW! That ol’ devil is as cunning and subtle in 2017 as ever, huh?

Satan knows he can’t just blatantly confront some of us face 2 face with the lies that have been proven so successful among the babes in Christ. You know; like, “I don’t need to go to church; I can read my bible at home (the bedside Baptist)”; or “who says you have to belong to a church to serve God?” What about this one, “Get with the times! Don’t be so narrow-minded; after all there are all kinds of roads that lead to the Universal god, you know The Higher Power!”  #BOOM!

Therefore, he applies another method to bring down the more seasoned saints. Unfortunately, all too often they’re just as lethal and successful! Satan hurls wicked devices (distractions) into our lives to catch us off guard and sidetrack us from our true mission! A little trouble here; a trial there; a threat here lodging a bit of anxiety there; an ominous sense of foreboding fear here; a dip of delay, denial and disappointment there; a letter here and a phone call there, a rumor here and a lie there; a modest competitive spirit there or a root of resentment and rejection here!  Didjaseedat? Who nu?

The scariest part about drifting is that you rarely recognize that you’ve moved at all! It’s not as if you were swept away from the shore by some gi-normous wave; you didn’t even hear the thunder or see the lightening flashing. In fact you never felt the ground collapsing underfoot. One minute, there you were sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tides rolling—you thought you had it all together, handling thangs, maintaining! Until… you reached for that dose of The Holy Ghost and discovered that your cup was empty and your subscription had run out! Apparently, somewhere along the trip, we got so busy with other ‘real-life-stuff’ at the expense of your personal, intimate time with Jesus! Unbeknownst to you, you’d become weary in your well-doing and unconsciously decided that it don’t take all that!

Tell somebody it takes all that and more! More prayer, more fasting, more wisdom, knowledge and understanding of his word, more praising, and a whole lot more His Grace to stay anchored in The Lord!

But here’s the ultimate catastrophic fatality, when all hell breaks out in your life, we tend to look at Godc, ross-eyed, and place the blame for our circumstances on HIM!  Of course, we’ll most likely not own up to such brazen charges again our Redeemer, howeverrrr buried down in the seat of our being, we whisper “Lord, if  You  REALLY love me like You said, why did You let this happen to me?”  #BOOM  We’ve swalled Satan’s bait and the seeds of doubt have taken root  producing a crop of accusations, distrust and unbelief!  #canIgetagoodAMEN3X? OK, maybe not, huh?

TRUTH BE TOLD, God can’t lie and God can’t fail!  If He said, “I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, NOR FORSAKE YOU, NEVER” THEN IT STANDS TO REASON, GOD NEVER MOVED!  (Ref. Hebrew 13:5)
Precious Ones, with all that’s going on in the world around us, it’s incumbent upon each one of us to not make light of the lessons to be learned from The Apostle Paul’s teaching! Hence, make a real earnest commitment to BE a true disciple of Jesus Christ. GET A GRIP ON THE MASTER’S HAND AND HOLD ON AS IF YOUR VERY LIFE DEPENDED UPON IT! BCUZ IT DOES!

WHO MOVED? HOPEFULLY NOT U! #SERIOUSLY? #IJS

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

WHEN I Can’t, GOD CAN!

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WHEN I CAN'T, GOD CAN 2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb; He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Romans 4:19-22

 

As a remnant of the 20th Century Church, at the ripe ol’ age of 60 sumptin’  I’ve lived long and experienced and seen enough to have a much clearer understanding of why The God of The Bible adamantly commanded His Chosen Ones to resist amalgamating with those outside of covenant relationship with Him. (Ref. 2 Corinthians 6:17) And some of us thought that God just wanted to keep us from having any fun, huh?  Considering the way this world is headed, now we see the consequences of not distinguishing ourselves from unbelievers. Apparently, Father still knows best, huh? #SERIOUSLY

Unfortunately, many who profess Christ, remain double-minded and straddling the fence! I can only assume their current stance is peculiarly depending on the group they happen to be in the midst of. Of course, God never intended for us to strut around robed in a spirit of self-righteous-arrogance, with our noses in the air, as if we are somehow better than anybody else! Howeverrrr, spiritually speaking, as recipients of God’s Amazing Grace, it does make us better-off! Oh no she didn’t!!! OOOHHH YES, I DID!

What’s the matter Zion? Are we allowing the hourly massive influx of social-media reports of wide-spread chaos leave us so traumatized by predictions of doom and gloom that they have muted our praise and drained us of  ANY Hope? If we’re walking around with our heads hung down and hearts inundated with fear and anxiety; worried about how we gonna make it, then what separates us from the Gentiles? Don’t shout me down, nah?  #IJS…

Abraham,  God’s Proclaimed ‘Father of faith’, found himself in a seemingly hopeless situation. Not surprisingly, Abraham tried to fix the problem by himself. He ended up with an Ishmael (the child of the flesh) when God intended to give him Isaac (the child of Promise)!  Finally, after the drama and chaos had escalated to the point that Sarah gave him an ultimatum (it’s either her or me) suddenly, Father Abraham had an epiphany, ultimately resigning to the one viable conclusion, “the only hope that I have of this thing ever working is Divine Intervention.” In other words, “Lord, without YOUR GRACE, I can’t do this!”

OMG! Can we ever identify with Abraham! How many times have we been in a situation and we tried and tried, we cried and cried, murmured and complained, spent all we had and still came up short? It was not until we, like Abraham, made a conscious decision to stop depending on our inability, started relying on God’s Ability and turned it over to Jesus, that our hope was revived!

As the text says, when all human reasoning for hope was exhausted, Abraham hoped on and God brought life into his dead situation. (Ref. Romans 4:17-18) Hence, when we come to the end of ourselves, God steps in and does what seemed impossible!

Stop listening to that devil telling you, “it’s too late, you might as well accept the situation for what it is –eminent defeat!” He’s still is and willl always be a LIAR and THE FATHER OF LIES! My precious saints, don’t allow your present (temporary) circumstances cause you to doubt the Faithful Power of God’s Eternal Word. Why settle for seconds?  #ijs If you are Abraham’s seed, you are the heirs of righteousness! #didjaheardat? WOW!

Lift up your heads, O Ye Gates! You have been  ordained, anointed and authorized as agents of change! SO, gird up the loins of your mind AND walk this thang out, confident, courageous and fully persuaded that SINCE YOU ARE IN CHRIST, THE CHRIST IN YOU automatically gives you a Supernatural advantage over natural consequences! (Ref. Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

TRUST2KNO, EVERYTHING GOD STARTS, HE COMPLETES! (Philippians 1:6) AND WHATEVER GOD PROMISES, HE IS WELL ABLE  AND WILLING 2 PERFORM! 

PRECIOUS ONE,  JUS LET IT GO, REMEMBER…EVEN IF I CAN’T, GOD CAN!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

BEHOLD OUR GOD!

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BEHOLD OUR GOD

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for YAH, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:2-3

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isa. 49:16

 

In light of prevailing gross darkness and prevalent winds of foreboding devastation and desolation in our world today, it’s no wonder that we’re stressed out, huh? Even those who have placed their faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus very souls have been vexed by the state of this nation! In answer to my prayerful inquiry, ‘Precious Lord, what’s going on?’,  I was incited by the Comforting Presence of Holy Spirit to review the words of God’s Prophet, Isaiah, speaking to the remnant of God’s Elect nation.

According to the text, once again, God’s people find themselves facing eminent danger of massive destruction, yet we hear Isaiah offering  words of warning and hope that we’d do well to glean from today! The Prophet encourages them that no matter what’s happening around you, don’t be afraid, but keep trusting and praising our God! Isaiah, knowing God inhabits the praises of His people, speaks to souls wearied by the consequences of unwise choices and reminds them that their only hope of deliverance was to remain steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of their Lord! (Ref. 1 Corinthians 15:58)

Saints, the first step in overcoming any challenge is to keep the main thing the main thing! God is Holy, Righteous and Just! While He must punish the unjust, His Anger does not last forever! Unlike many of our earthly fathers, YAH is our covenant-keeping God and remains a Faithful Father, Saving Strength, Shield, Provider and Redeemer to all who call upon Him! From His own Mouth, Abba Father promises to wipe away the tears from our faces and keep us in perfect peace just because we trust in Him! #Didjaheardat?  WOW! (Ref. Isaiah 25:8, 26:3-4)

Beloved, when life is out of your control, set your affections on The Eternal Hope of the Ages and not the temporary circumstances of this present time! Rest assured, Jesus is always in control!  God’s Word declares that you are the apple of His eye and He has tatooed your name in the palm of His Hands forever. (Ref. Psalm 17:8; Isa. 49:16)

In the midst of these unsettling times, I adjourn you to keep your eyes on Jesus, The Joy of your Salvation! Precious ones, when you can’t see no way, why not confuse hell and praiz JESUS anyhow! Don’tchaknow? At the mere mentioning of THE NAME OF JESUS demons tremble and the angelic host is put on alert!

Ooooh Yeah! TRUST2KNOW, The Great and Holy One of Israel is closer than ever before! Therefore, Precious Ones, don’t be deceived by temporary circumstantial evidence! Hold on to every Promise we’ve been given by your Covenant Keeping Lord and “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”  (Psalm 121:4)  LOOK UP AND BEHOLD YOUR GOD!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

ARISE AND CONQUER!

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ARISE AND CONQUER

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5, 9

 

Throughout the [ages of The Holy Scriptures God has placed examples (role models) to teach us wisdom, to encourage us and to show us the potential hidden within each of us who will allow His Power to be manifested through our very being! However, it’s important to note that at some point in the lives of His servants, God will remove anyone or anything that you become co-dependent upon and anything that represents a mark for you to follow other than GOD-SELF! You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3

 For forty years, Joshua had witnessed the anointing that rested upon Moses demonstrated through miraculous signs and wonders. He saw the courage and boldness with which Moses approached Pharaoh, commanding that he release God’s Chosen People.
“Go back to Pharaoh,” the LORD commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me” Exodus 9:1

THEN, God spoke to Joshua, calling him to complete the task of leading Israel into The Promised Land. “Moses is dead; his season is over. Now it’s time for you, Joshua, to arise and position yourself that I might use you to fulfill my purpose through you. It’s time to go over the Jordan!”

Perhaps you’ve been there, huh? I mean, being confronted by an amazing opportunity that while potentially privileged, at the same time, seeming undeniably impossible! Seriously, when you don’t have that person/job/wisdom, skill, etc. that mentored, challenged, encouraged and stretched you beyond your comfort zone, it’s highly likely the waves of personal insufficiency will rise up and suddenly you find yourself tripping over hidden rocks of low self-esteem! Of course you don’t know if you have what you need to go over whatever it’s gonna take to overcome and succeed! #ijs!

Barricaded by the Spirit of Lo-debar, beneath the rubble of fear, doubt, shame and anxiety, the insurgent provocative ‘what if’s’ begin to surface, challenging your faith! Not in God, but can you stand up to the responsibility of such daunting privilege? Okay, I guess it’s jus me, huh?

BUT…Ain’t you glad that God already knows what He’s getting when He calls us? Hallelujah 2 the Lamb!!!

Thankfully, God knowing our frame, never asks us to do anything that He’s not totally committed to helping us complete! God made Joshua a Promise that you and your people will go over this Jordan! Didjaheardatt? Don’t jus dream about it, don’t just talk about it! BUT position yourself in GOD and GOD WILL give you the land! Be strong in the Lord and the Power of HIS MIGHT! (Ref. Ephesians 6:10) Ignore the naysayers, and take GOD at HIS WORD! Don’t fret, falter or fain! Put it in your heart, mind and your mouth! U gotta know that over that barrier, there’s a blessing awaiting you!

Remember, wherever your feet go, GOD SAID, I HAVE GIVEN IT 2 U! AS I WAS WITH MOSES, SO SHALL I BE WITH U! Hence, Beloved, take courage and trust GOD for your success! NOW GET UP AND GO GET YOUR BLESSING! #ARISE&CONQUER!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

HELP 2 HOPE!

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HELP 2 HOPE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them. I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:38-41

 

As a child, I vaguely remember a glimpse of pride swelling up inside whenever I heard someone say,‘this is the GREATEST nation in the world’! I suppose that’s what they mean by ‘let’s make this nation great…again, huh? But, that was before I became abruptly aware of the undeniable reality that there were two nations insidiously co-existing in one! #ijs

According to historical accounts, Courage and Confidence was once the unrefutable hallmark of our GREAT nation, huh? Yet, some would say that the infamous catastrophic events of 911 has since radically stripped away this lofty heritage and hope-filled future legacy  once ascribed to the land of power, peace and prosperity! The land of the free is now being besieged by the rampant rage of darkening clouds of an evil foreboding fear, doubt, deception, anxiety, stress, hatred, manipulation, guilt, shame, confusion and condemnation!

Well, it’s not my intent to debate the inevitable result of widespread deviation from the moral standards as defined by The Holy Bible. Howeverrrr, may I submit for your consideration, that without a holy reverential awe, a clear vision and a Divine impartation of  wisdom and understanding of WHO GOD IS & WHAT HE REQUIRES OF US, people’s strength will fail and their expectations of security  inevitably perishes! A conscientious analysis of  our country’s past proves that without the restraint of  righteous law and order, destruction prevails! Well, like the ol’ skool preacha used to say, “I jus lost half my churrch!” Seriously?

Honestly, when we don’t understand Whose we are, we’ll be inclined to doubt God’s ability and even His willingness to help us. Void of genuine hope and unable to trust God’s Unfailing Love, we instinctively depend upon the ingenuous wisdom and compassionate concern of nonpartisant national leadership, notwithstanding the innate proclivity of self to take care of our needs and satisfy the desires of our own biased hearts! And we all know how that turns out, right?

But those of us who dare to risk resentment, ridicule and rejection from those who will slander our righteousness, labeling us as unloving and intolerant, WE DEFY the prevailing opinions of the worldly in favor of the guidelines of the Ancient Landmarks, rejoice in hope, fully persuaded that if we suffer for Christ sake, we shall also reign with Him!  #CANIGETAGOODAMEN?

Through faith and hope, TRUE WORSHIPERS develop a singleness of -heart and mind, stemming from personal intimacy with The Lord Jesus Christ whereby we experience the Abiding Presence of  The True and Living God, trusting wholly in His Sustaining Grace!

Instead of conforming to the ways of the world, true believers don’t bail out! Hence, in the face of impending calamity and the uncertainty of chaotic circumstances, we stand steadfast, rooted and grounded in The Promises, Provision and Power, persevering in the midst of devastation, famine and plagues, confident that we’re covered! Remember Goshen, God’s Protected Place? (Ref. Exodus 8:22)

Beloved, trust2kno, when it looks like your world is falling apart, look again! Don’t allow fear to drain your faith while simultaneously diminishing your hope! From Heaven’s perspective, everything is falling right in place! The Eternal Omnipotent, Omnscient Creator and Sustainer of ALL life is never caught off guard by the fraudulent affairs of human-kind! A man’s heart plans his way, BUT the Lord directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)  Hence, while Satan is always plotting against the people of God, we who delight in The Saving Grace of  King Jesus, have this confidence as an anchor of our soul! The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing! (Psalm 33:10)

Precious ones,  Jesus has already gone into Tomorrow to prepare a table before you, right in the presence of your enemies! (Ref. Psalm 23:5) #Didjaheardat?

REST ASSURED, IT AIN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, K? YOU GOTTA HOPE BEYOND THIS WORLD! HIS NAME IS JESUS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

ALL POWER BELONGS 2 GOD!

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ALL POWER BELONGS 2 GOD

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah…God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Psalm 62:7-8,11
 

Over the past 50 years, we’ve seen a whole lot of changes. Our society has evolved from being agriculturally dominated, thru industrially dominated, into an age where information technology dominates. Some of you remember what it was like growing up in the country. You worked hard and you played hard,  right? But through it all, you were able to maintain a healthy balance between the physical labor of working the fields and the ease of drinking a cold glass of lemonade sitting on the porch come Sunday afternoon.
 
Then, the war came, and many of our brothers went off to war leaving the familiarity of the farms for foreign soil, forcing those left behind into factories working the machinery building weapons, mass production of crops, meat, clothing, etc. The dirt roads and shotgun houses were replaced by concrete paved streets and skyscrapers. The Industrial Age had taken over and the ease of those Sunday mornings vacated and swapped with washing the car, 2 hours at the gym, 3-mile runs, kids soccer games, karate tournaments, or at the very least, I gotta get my stuff ready to go back to work next week!
 
As wars and rumors of wars escalate, so has tension, stress and the push for greater technological advancements. The factories have basically come to a hault as the focus shifted away from meeting the needs of common folk  onto which nation will gather the most information proving who’s the best of the best; who’s going to be the first country to put a man on the moon, mars of take over a yet undiscovered universe; who’s gonna build the biggest bomb, and who’s gonna conquer outer space once we blow up this planet. YEAH BABY, WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, huh?
 
Who nu? Here we are in the 21st Century, and for many we got what we wanted, but at what cost? The laughter of our children in the yard jumping double-dutch, playing football, the swish of the ball dropping through a wooden loop, the clicking sounds of cardboard or plastic between the spikes of bikes, roller skates racing down the streets have been silenced by the noise of doors being slammed by rebellious children barricading themselves in their rooms; whispering, texting and yes, even sexing on $500 cell phones/ipads or the clicking of remote controls to $700  video games played on 75-inch flat screen TV’s! Owww Wheeeeee, don’t shout me down now!
 
While we, the parents have bought into the propaganda being dupped with the misguidedphilosopy, “I’m gonna make sure that my baby has it better than I did”, we’ve created a generation of young people who seem to get everything in life they want, yet have nothing to live for. Meanwhile, many of them are engaging in disruptive habits that scream, “LIFE’S A BEACH! I hate myself, and I hate you too. So why not make a pact to commit suicide, or I’m bored so let’s go shoot up a bunch of folk we don’t even know.”
 
Honestly! If you’re not prayerful, it’s easy to allow all the hell of this world to consume your whole life.  Yall don’t believe it, huh?  Well, it’s gotten to the point now that even the most seasoned saints may ponder the Satanically-induced thought of cutting your own wrist, just to escape the peril of these wicked times. 

BUT GOD! Knowing everything that humanity would experience, left it on record to console those who would become weary in well-doing, ‘while we’re in this world—we are not of this world!’ Although, we are not exempt from test, trials and persecution, we are never alone! (Ref. Hebrews 13:5)
 
Precious Saints, when it looks like there’s no point to living for God (aka) living holy and you’ve come to the end of your rope, that’s your clue—not to give up but to take a stand—tie a knot in the rope and hang on! Cling to the Hope of your calling, Jesus Christ—The Living Word of Life! (Ref. Ephesians 1:18)  Don’t get it twisted, it ain’t always what it looks like!
 
Remember, when the dusts settles,  He Who has called you is Faithful and True (Ref. 1 Thessalonians 5:24; Revelations 19:11) and He Yet Reigns! ALL POWER BELONGS 2 GOD! #Didjaheardat?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
 
Ann Caffee

THURSDAYS’ PRAYERS!

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

GM FBF! GOTTA MOMENT? GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY!

We’re delighted that you have joined us today in our Weekly Corporate Thursdays’ Prayer and Fasting! While the world is foolishly looking to man to deliver us, we, Your Children, in faithful obedience, look to You, JESUS, The Author and Finisher of our Faith to cause us to NOT JUS SURVIVE BUT THRIVE in the day of evil! Let’s pray…Ooops Care2Share?

Reach out and touch The Lord, as He goes by! You’ll find He’s not too busy to hear your cry! He IS PASSING BY THIS MOMENT! UR NEED HE WILL SUPPLY! REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE LORD AS HE GOES BY! O, Sweet Wonder! Oh Sweet Wonder! Jesus, The Son of God! Ooohh Sweet Wonder! Oh! Sweet Wonder! Jesus! The Son of God! Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You’re my God, You’re altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me!

Our Father and Our God, we come this morning, eternally grateful for Your Loving-Kindness and Tender Mercy us that has been bestowed upon us! For this is the day that You have made and we SHALL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT! With joy-filled humbled hearts, we set our attentions on things above and not below, knowing that You Forever Rule and Reign! You are Elohim, LORD, GOD, ALMIGHTY, JEHOVAH all by YOURSELF! Beside YOU, there is none else to revere, fear and none to compare! For You are HOLY!

Throughout the Ages, You Alone have proven to be The Only Wise God, Savior and Lord of all, in and through all! As You have blessed and favored us, we now come boldly before Your Throne, lifting up The Name that is above all names, The Sweetest Name we know, JESUS!

SWEET JESUS, we’re thankful that because You are Enthoned at The Right Hand of The Father, clothed in Majesty as The Great and Eternal High Priest, Who voluntarily stripped GODself to come down and walk amongst us, allowing Yourself to be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, bore our guilt and shame and have been touched with the feelings of our infirmities! It’s only by Your Graciousness, we are able to approach You confident that Your Mercy has imputed ALL THAT JESUS IS unto us! Therefore, we stand in this Amazing Grace, resting assured that In Christ Jesus, we are The Righteousness of God, Forgiven, Redeemed, Restored and inheriting all the riches and glory of Thine Eternal Kingdom!

Abba Father, as we come today with our our hearts rejoicing, hands lifted up and our lips forever praizing You we declare, Oh, how awesome are Your deeds! For You have preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping! Because You know our frame, Your faithfulness and compassion continuously allows You to look beyond our human frailties, faults and iniquities to see and yet minister to all of our real need! Because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God You keep right on blessing us over and over again! With sincere Godly-repentance, we ask You to forgive us this day for any and everything we have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to Your Heart. As we confess our sin, You are Faithful and Just to forgive, pardon and restore us back into rightful fellowship with You, we ask now for Your forgiveness, in The Precious Name of Jesus!

And because no man can come to The Father, except You draw them, we pray for the lost and the blind who have no personal revelation of Who You are an all that You’ve Done for us! We ask that You open their eyes to see the lawless of their sin through Your eyes and to acknowledge it as evil wickedness and rebellion against the Creator and Lover of our souls, The Giver and Sustainer of All Life! Hence, we pray that You quicken their spirits to repent immediately, and confess with their mouths their wrongdoing that they might receive the Gracious forgiveness of our Heavenly Father! As You have forgiven me, Lord forgive them for their sins, because they know not what they do!

Lord God, because Your Word declares that You are married to the backslider, we ask You to put a  “committed YES” in the heart and mind of every backslider! Let today be the day that they come back to You and come back to YOUR church where they will submit their lives to the sound teachings of Your Word, and learn to love and live their lives walking to please You First!

Father, there are so many who are faced with many different situations. Some are dealing with hurt, pain, illnesses, sorrow and grief. Some are battling depression and oppression; addictions, low self esteem and the list goes on and on. Many are contemplating throwing in the towel on your spouse, your family; some simply don’t know what to do. As Your Word has instructed, we now look to the hills from whence cometh all our help; knowing that whatever challenges we’re faced with, You are still in control.

Jehovah Rophe, touch our brother, touch our sister whose body has been afflicted by sickness and disease, especially the spirit of cancer, kidney disease, heart/lung disease and rebuke and cast it out at the root, for Your Name Sake. You are Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today and forever! Therefore, even as You walked this earth healing all who were sick, feeble, lame we know that You’re Well Able to do the same right now! Your Word declares that Your stripes have redeemed and healed us and we’re yet standing on your promises that the prayer of faith shall save the sick and raise them up! In Jesus Name we declare and decree that The God of ALL Peace, Love, Hope, Wholeness and Serenity is covering and comforting each one of us even as we pray! Amen 3x!

Dear Lord, we’re believing that as You are releasing Divine power, Supernatural strength and health, provision, prosperity and protection, we’re trusting that You will keep us constantly aware of YOUR PRESENCE and fully-confident that at the appointed time, You, will bring us out wholly restored, renewed, refreshed and with the reward as You have promised in Your Word!

Heavenly Father, as You have instructed us, we pray for the leaders of our nation and the world and every corporate, judicial, education, financial institutions! We ask that You touch their minds and hearts, speak to them in dreams and visions letting them know that You Who Sit Enthroned Above the Heavens are keeping record of the deeds of every man’s heart and will reward accordingly! We believe that because their hearts are in Your Hands, they are being continuously opened to hear and obey Your Will! Lord Jesus, we’re standing on Your Word as decreed thatThe government of this world shall rest upon Your shoulders and that You are The Eternal King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Abba Father, we lift up every Bishop, Pastor, Overseer, Apostle, Evangelist, Preacher, Teacher and auxiliary leader. Undergird them with Your Anointing and conviction to carry out their assignment, under the direction of Holy Spirit. Cover them as they go in and out amongst Your people and those who would seek to discredit, hinder and even destroy their faith, faithfulness and ministry, You have ordained!

Father, we’re lifting up our children, our children’s children by faith, as many of them are about to begin a new school year, some are entering the workforce, hence, we’re committing them into Your care, realizing that You have a plan and purpose for their lives too; we have the blessed assurance that their steps and stops are being Divinely orchestrated by Your eyes!

Lord Jesus, when the cares of this world begins to close in on us, help us to slip away and find a quiet place to pray! And in those moments when we can’t pray, we know that You listen to our hearts and interpret every moan, groan and sigh of our spirits! Father, we thank You that despite our fractures and dysfunctions, You yet continue to bless us that we may be a blessing to others. You keep us strong that we may help the weak. You will keep us uplifted that we may have words of encouragement for others. You will strengthen our hearts to pray for those who are lost and can’t find their way, pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood, those who don’t know You intimately and for those who don’t believe that You sent Jesus not to condemn us, but to convict us and to free us from the power, pain and penalty of Sin!

Abba Father, we know that You have instructed us to look not at the temporary things but to the eternal, so please help those whose hearts are burdened with the pressures of this life, wearied with fear, doubt, unbelief, sickness and disease, financial debt, broken relationships, unprovoked threats, depression, addictions, insecurities and grief, the widows, the downcast who have born the heat of the day, those who pushed and prayed us through! Lord, give them sweet Peace! Lord, keep us as only You can!

Father, help us to not complain about things that are out of our control and enlighten us to recognize that faith in God not only changes people, it changes me; and only You, O God have the Power to change things!

As we near the close of our prayer, we’re praising You for peace, unity, love and joy in our homes; believing that Your Divine Favor is being poured out upon everyone now and their faith is rising to a level that they’re faithful and obedient to live everyday as You have commanded, allowing You to release supernatural abundance in every area of our lives, because we have committed to put You first,all our needs are met. In Jesus Name!
Lord, save, heal and deliver speedily all who are crying out to you, seeking Your Face at this very moment! Give us to know that because we belong to You, we’re never too far that You can’t see us, reach us, and shield us from anything that the devil would rail against us. Help us to understand that Your Name, Jesus is a Strong Tower, and those that run into it and are saved!
Lord Jesus, while there are many other things that we have yet to mention, we’re trusting that You are not just able, but You’re willing to do anything that we ask and imagine, according to You Perfect Will. We decree and declare, believing You to fix IT Jesus, as only You can!
Abba Father, we wait in confidence and quietness, rejoicing in hope and trusting wholly that You have listened, heard the voice of our weeping, our supplications and received our prayer as a sweet savor coming up before Your Sovereign Throne of Grace and Mercy! We thank You and seal this Prayer In The Holy Ghost, for WE KNOW THAT IT IS DONE! In The Exalted Name of Jesus. Amen 3X

Now every child of God who is standing in agreement with this prayer, GO TELL SOMEBODY THAT JESUS LOVES AND CARES ABOUT U2!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 

 

UNSHAKEABLE PEACE!

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UNSHAKEABLE PEACE 2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither, And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:3

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

 

SOMETIMES! I wonder how much easier life would be, if in fact it was meant to be lived “Que sera, sera …Whatever will be, will be. The future’s not ours to see. Que sera, sera …What will be, will be“ ?

However appealing this perspective might appear at first glance, truthfully, God Who Sovereignly created us in His Own Image, never intended us to be merely robotic beings devoid of the ability to reason and make decisions based on our individual free will. God deliberately fashioned and formed us to be fully capable active participants in working out His Plan for each of our individual lives. In other words, life, according to God’s Purpose, is not a spectator’s sport!

How childish and immature it would be to think otherwise, huh? As my son once reminded me, reminiscing back to the days when the most critical decisions he had to make that day was, ‘is it gonna be Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch’? But now, finally, as all-grown-up adults,we no longer enjoy the privileges childhood innocence affords to casting off the burden of personal responsibility and accountability for our own actions unto unsuspecting parents, school teachers, coaches, counselors, professors, supervisors, pervasive racism, financially scrapped government institutions, corrupt politicians, over zealous police officers, the collapse of basic moral ethics and inevitable endangered decaying environmental resources.

And we couldn’t wait for this?

God uses all of these, (and much much more) to train and transform us into the persons that He’s Divinely ordained us to be—a reflection of His Amazing Grace and Ominous Glory! The problem is, we’re hell-bent on thinking that God expects us to carry out this work, totally independent of His Sovereign Controlling Interest in the Process! And we all know how that eventually turns out, huh?

Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we having exhausted all of our own fire, are forced to acknowledge “This ain’t working, Lord. I need Your helllpppp! Lord, save me!” Thank God, Who steps right in, rolling up His spiritual sleeves, bears us up under The Power of Holy Spirit, places us back on The Potter’s Wheel, gracefully presses, pinches, prodding, pounding, purges and pushes us through the next phase in His process of Restoration.

When we pray and ask God to restore us, we must be willing to submit to the process. Here is where most of us miss it. We don’t want the pain, humility and the lack of control that’s often required in order to equip and empower us for the next level of spiritual growth and development. So often we, the unwilling participants, come kicking and screaming, murmuring and complaining, doubting and accusing God of miscalculating just how much we can bear!

Until finally, we surrender, committing our care to His Loving Hands, trusting His Purpose to be greater than our personal pain, embracing HIS Will rather than ours, finding more  power, rest, hope and joy than you ever  dared imagined,  are comforted by HIS UNSHAKEABLE PEACE! Hallelujah 2 The Lamb!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee