Category Archives: Freedom from Fear

THE ETERNAL HOPE!

the-eternal-hope

SELAH Daily Devotions!

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverence, despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord, he is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.May your unfailing love, rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33:16-22

WOAH! TIME OUT! It’s obvious that there’s a whole lotta shakin’ going on, huh? To those of us who have experienced an eye-opening awakening of our spiritual understanding realize that we’re definitely living in the times that have been prophesied not just by the Ancient patriots of faith but even Jesus himself! (Ref. Matthew 24:6) WHO KNU?

Any given morning, we wake up to broadcasts of  the latest epidemic of civic unrest, chaotic rioting, slayings, wars and rumors of wars, unraveling of corrupt political slanderers of ice and fire, global warming, earthquakes and floodings, threats of government shutdowns, human trafficking, corporate bankruptcy, lay-offs, hackers,  airport and school shootings, drug overdoses, suicides coupled with sporatic plane, train and car crashes. It’s no wonder that so many of us are stressed out, right?

Yet!  As Believers, we have an advantage that the world knows not of! We know that now is not always! According to our  Heavenly King, the sufferings of this present time, are not worth even sweating over; compared to the glorious future that awaits us at His Appearance!  There’s no denying that it’s extremely difficult to not be frustrated as the wickedness of man profusely increases, nevertheless, we have a Hope that reaches beyond this world! The Word of God stands firm forever! (Ref. Psalm 33:10-11)

Scriptures reveal that sometimes, God allows the horsemen to trample over our heads. Nonetheless, when we are faced with the harshness of life’s  real-time woes, we must anchor our trust in His Unfailing Love; knowing that it’s just a temporary set-up to catch our enemies off-guard to their imminent destruction and our inevitable Triumph! (Ref. 2 Corinthisans 2:14) The Word of God assures us that when we’re at our weakest, His Faithfulness to save, rescue and cover us is stronger than our momentary doubts and fears!

Children, when your heart is overwhelmed, look to The Rock from which you were hued! (Ref. Isaiah 51:1)  The One who stands beside us is Greater than the ones who are against us. (Ref. 1 John 4:4) For The Eyes of The Lord are always looking on His Beloved and His Ears are ever attentive to the cries of those whose hearts revere and Hope in His Holy Name! Didjaheardat?

WOW! Despite of this world’s dispair, we have every reason to lift up our heads and let your hearts rejoice in boasting as we wait in Hope, resting secure, trusting in The Strength of His Unfailing Love! #4OURGODREIGNS4EVER! THE ETERNAL HOPE!

SELAH!

Pause, Pondr, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

THURSDAYS’ PRAYERS!

prayn-and-fasting-pic

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

GOTTA MOMENT?

Good Morning Family, once again, we are excited to ask you to join us today in our Thurdays Corporate Fasting and Prayer ! We know that there’s much to place before The Throne of Mercy and Grace personally and on behalf of our loved ones, friends and this entire world in which we live. As them ol’ skool saints used to say, “those who know the word and worth of prayer’ let’s us pray believing that God hears and answers according to the Power that works within us!

OOOOH HOW I LOVE JESUS! OOOHHH HOW I LOVE JESUS! OOOH HOW I LOVE JESUS! BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED MEEEE! HE IS SO WONDERFUL, HE IS SOOO WONDERFUL, HE IS SOOO WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL JESUS…WONDERFUL GOD… AND HERE WE ARE TO WORSHIP, HERE WE ARE TO BOW DOWN, HERE WE ARE TO SAY THAT YOU’RE OUR GOD! YOU’RE ALTOGETHER LOVELY, ALTOGETHER WORTHY, ALTOGETHER WONDERFUL! Shall we pray?

Almighty Lord God, in The Precious Name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we come together now thanking You for this day! For this is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! We bless You Lord Jesus for making a Way for us to approach The Throne of Mercy with a holy boldness and confidence that You sit on The Right Side of The God Who Is, Was, and Shall Eternally Be The One True God, Creator of Everything!

Heavenly Father, with eternal gratitude we bless You for allowing us to enter into Your Throne Room, hope-filled that You will entreat us graciously as we pour out the burdens that seem to overwhelm our hearts and releasing everything that concerns us.

Lord, we know that You are Omniscient, Omnipresent, You see and You already know everything about everyone of us, yet You have welcomed us to come to You, and find Mercy and Grace to comfort, strengthen and encourage us to hold on to every Word that You have spoken over our lives, before we were born! We ask that Holy Spirit, intercede on our behalf, our family, our friends, even our enemies. Lord, we stand humbly before Your Sovereignty, asking you to forgive us for everything that we, your servants, have spoken, done and thought that was not pleasing in Your sight!

We thank You now because You have assured us that if we would confess our sins, You, Abba being Faithful and Just will forgive us, and wash us in The Precious Blood of Jesus, cleansing us from all unrighteousness, and restoring the breach that our disobedience has caused between our poor souls and our Lord and Savior, Jesus!

Lord, as we come reverently praying for all our sisters and brothers,  we ask that The Prince of Peace fill our hearts and our homes with peace, love, and joy! We ask , believing that You are The Author, Sustainer and Finisher of our faith, therefore we’re trusting that every eye that reads and says this Prayer come to know that there is no problem, no circumstance, no situation that is greater than our God, for You Father God are greater than all,  greater in all,  greater through all, and  greater upon all. For You Holy Father, are the Most High God, Almighty of all the Universes is truly the Greatest of All!

Father, we pray as you have commanded in Your Holy Word, for all our enemies, and those who have used and abused us, and have lifted up their hands and their tongue against us, we now forgive them for all they have done. In Jesus Name, for we are Children of God.
Abba Father, we are so grateful that as we continue to walk closely with You, we understand that every battle that we have ever encountered in our lives is always in the control of Your Loving Hands, for You, have Sovereignly Ordained everything to work together for my highest good and Your Greater Glory!

Lord, while we try to please You by trusting in Your Word, You know that sometimes, it’s difficult to over-ride the noise of the pestilence, the chaos of uncertainty and the pain of condemnation, guilt, and shame that seems to lure us into the valleys shadowed with danger, fear, anger, bitterness, anxiety, hopelessness and self-doubt! That’s why we gladly run to You, daily to find refuge, peace, restoration that You have prepared for any who would come to You in hope-filled assurance that You will never deny Your Word! Heavenly Father, we’re forever praising and Glorifying Your Name for continuing to renew our strength, understanding and power as we open our hearts to You, depending and relying only on You.

Sweet Jesus, as we yield before Your Face, we intercede for anyone who has not yet acknowledged You as The Only Way to receive Your Gracious Salvation!  Father, we’re believing You to ignite a spirit of Godly-repentance that infuses a “Yes” in their heart and in their mind and that they will have a desire to come to you today and receive You as their personal Lord and Savior! Father, we rebuke the spirit of deception, complacency, indifference and ask that You quicken  an urgency in them, knowing that You are coming back to judge the world sooner than they thought and we must be prepared to receive You in Peace!

We pray for every one who has, for whatever reason, walked away from You, be provoked by the anointing that is on our prayer, to come back to you today and that You will put a new ‘Commited YES LORD’ in their hearts and a willful obedience in their spirit to live the rest of their lives faithful and committed to Your WILL (WORD) and WAYS!

Father God, we ask that anyone reading this prayer, wondering why they even find themselves reading it, will bow their hearts toward You now, confessing their need for You in their lives, acknowledging Your Amazing Love towards them and in appreciation will invite The Lord Jesus Christ to come into my life and change my heart now!

Abba Father, we pray for the elderly, the widows, the downcast who have born the heat of the day, and have been those who pushed and prayed us through, Lord fill their hearts and minds with Your sweet Peace and unspeakable Joy.

Lord, we pray for the leaders of governments world-wide, knowing their hearts are in Your Hands, we believe that You will visit them in the night season and command them to do Your Will. Abba, we lift up every Bishop, Pastor, Overseer, Apostle, Evangelist, Preacher and Teacher. Undergird them with Your Anointing 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 the ministry You have ordained.

Father, as we lift up our children, our children’s children and by faith, canceling every scheme that Satan desires to inflict upon them, committing them into Your providential care, we realize that You have a plan and purpose for their lives too and we have the blessed assurance that their steps are being ordered by Your eyes!

Father, stir up the hearts and minds of those who are professing Your Name that they will have a desire for an even greater personal, intimate relationship with Creator God through fellowship of Holy Spirit that they might prove what is the perfect and acceptable will of The Lord Jesus!

We ask that You continue to open the eyes of understanding so that your people are not easily deceived by those who would desire to entrap Your children in bondage to that which you have delivered us from.

Father, we believe that every demonic-induced spirit of temptation, perversion, addiction, rejection, self-hate, suicide, fear and failure is already defeated by Your Anointing and that the Spirit of Love, Power and Sound-mindness is being released now, in Jesus Name!

Father, we rejoice now in confidence and quietness, trusting wholly that all workers of iniquity are trembling and suddenly departing in shame and defeat, turning their backs from Your people, because You have heard the voice of our weeping, our supplications and received our prayers as sweet savor coming up before Your Sovereign Throne of Grace and Mercy!

Lord God, there are so many other things, that we have yet to mention, but we’re trusting, believing you to fix it, Jesus as only You can!

Father because Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, my Lord,  Savior, and Eternal King, we confess TODAY that I AM HIGHLY FAVORED BY GOD and man, I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, COVERED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND WALK IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST JESUS!

As we offer up this prayer we’re praising and thanking You in advance, knowing that You are not just able, but willing to do anything that we ask, in accordance to Your Word!

We pray that these words be believed, received and accepted into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every tongue that confesses them In  that Name of Jesus Christ!  Amen 3x! It is done! Alleluia!

NOW, BELOVED, GO TELL SOMEONE THAT JESUS STILL CARES!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

CHAINED OR CHANGED???

chained-or-changed-2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

When crowds of people came out for baptism because it was the popular thing to do, John exploded, “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment? It’s your life that must change, not your skin. And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as ‘father.’ Being a child of Abraham is neither here nor there—children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if he wants. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire. Luke 3:7-9

 

Ever asked someone, “Are you saved?” to which they responded, ‘matter-of-factly’,“uuuhhh…Mama told me I been baptized!” or “I belong to First Bed-Rock of The Divine Pentecostal Kingdom Fellowship” Don’t shout me down, now yall….jus wondering?

Seems to be a lot of that going around, huh? We’re living in a world where pretty much everybody’s ‘saved’! I mean, just look at the explosion of ‘Mega Ministries’, that have popped up in this country alone, right? Kinda makes you wonder why Jesus hasn’t returned! Well, may I submit for your consideration, while church attendance is a critical component of our spiritual development,church membership doesn’t make you a Christian any more than living in a garage makes you a car!

I understand how one might be confused, given the ‘mob mentality’ of the more contemporary theological persuasions of The New Millennium Era, that more means better. This is nothing new! According to our scripture text, it’s been going on since the days of John The Baptist! One might wonder, given the number of churches and folk who pour into the buildings any Sunday morning, why we don’t see much change as individuals, in our families, communities, even as a nation?

Simply put, too many folk try to cut across the field, by-pass the cross and creep into the Kingdom through an imaginary backdoor!

That’s why some imposters casually enter the church house,‘carrying their chains, tuck them quietly under the plush pews, sanng, shout, dance up and down the aisle, sit like a bump on a log while the sermon is presented, Hi-5 your neighbor 10x, turn around 7x, repeat the benediction, greet your neighbor, pick up your chains and get back out there and do what u gotta do’! #OHYESSHEDIDSAYDAT!!!

Beloved! Jesus came not to set up another system of legalistic religious rituals, but to restore the personal intimate relationship, severed by our First Parents, Adam and Eve’s rebellion against the righteous commands of The True and Living God! And when He ascended back to The Throne Room on High, Father God sent The Holy Spirit to live inside of anyone who makes a conscious decision to humble themselves, repent and put their personal faith in The Only Saving Grace of Jesus Christ! The indwelling Presence of The Spirit of Jesus, empowers us to live a holy, separated, consecrated life of triumphant deliverance in the midst of this dark and depraved world! Didjaheardat?

“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose,” Philippians 2:13

Sadly, despite the finished work of the Cross, Satan has yet been able to keep too many of God’s precious ones, illegally chained to stuff that Jesus has already secured their glorious freedom from!  

But that’s why we’re here, right? To shine out for God by spreading the Good News,“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

CHAINED? OR CHANGED? #WOW

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

I WON’T TURN BACK!

I WON'T TURN BACK

 

Selah Daily Devotions!

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

KNOWING GOD KNOWS

KNOWING GOD KNOWS

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this, I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth. (1 Kings 17:24)
We’ve all heard it, probably said it ourselves! ‘We found Jesus’, as if He was lost, huh? It’s God who initiates the search and orchestrates the circumstances for the encounter. Truthfully, no man can know GOD except GOD reveals GODSELF.

I know we don’t often hear it preached these days; howeverrr, The Holy Scriptures still reveal to man The Wisdom of God! According to Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

God has so wondrously fashioned man so that the ultimate fulfillment of life can only be consummated through his pursuit of intimacy with his Creator! Unfortunately only a few are driven to forsake the lure of this world’s glitz and glamour to tread the least traveled remote pathways. But every once in a while, a isolated sojourner will catch a glimpse of The Hope that placing ones personal trust in Jesus makes available to any man!

But what is the fear of God? It’s the awe-inspiring adoring response to His Divine Character, HOLY (absolute sinlessness) and the reality of His Omnipotent Omniscient Omnipresence!

Only a fool denies the existence of GOD.(Ref. Psalm 14:1) Still too many, by failing to acknowledge Him, refusing to bow to His Majesty in their faithful obedient service, are determined to attain righteousness through their own understanding of good and acceptable behavior. And we all know how that turns out, k?

Today’s text illustrates God’s unmerited compassion to a widow in the midst of a distressing situation who dared to dismiss the visible, grab hold to the invisible (unseen to the natural eye) and take God at His Word!

Her initial response to the Prophet Elijah’s request and her acknowledgement of His God shows a measure of faith. When she did what the Man of God had required, she demonstrated that her faith had rose to another level. However, when she personally experienced the miraculous power of God by the resurrection of her son from the claws of death, her faith took an obvious quantum leap. It’s one thing to hear others testify of God’s Supernatural Power; but when you experience His Glory for yourself, you enter an exclusively different dimension of faith!

As believers in Christ, our earnest heart cry ought to be that everyone come to know who Jesus really is. But the reality is, that it’s incumbent upon each individual to pursue their own intimate personal relationship with the Creator. This relationship is only accessible through knowing The God Who Knows us!

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12

While the gods of this world work relentlessly to distract us away from seeking a personal revelation of Our Loving Father,  we must always remember, that our enemies can do absolutely nothing, except God allows! Hence, as The Good Shepherd safely guides us through the fires, floods and the storms of this life, these experiences allow us to gain a fresh insight into the length, dept and width of His Loving Kindness and the Sufficiency of His Grace to any who demonstrates personal trust in Him through a lifestyle of faithful obedience!

It’s perfectly acceptable to seek wisdom; but understand this, Godly Wisdom is ONLY cultivated through KNOWING GOD KNOWS! #PEACETHRUINTIMACY

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

TIME AND CHANCE

TIME AND CHANCE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.  Ecclesiastes 9:11

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Wake Up! God’s got a blessing with your name on it, it’s called ‘TODAY’!

God has endowed every one of us with personal power! It’s called CHOICE, huh? Hence, no thing or no one has the power to determine your response to a brand new day of life! You can choose whether to approach it with joyful celebration and gratitude or you can drag the burdens of disappointment, failure, defeat and guilt of yesterday into today!

Now, I hearya, ‘uuuhhh, obviously you have no idea what I’m going thru, sista!’ You’re absolutely right, but GOD does! He also knows everything that you will face each and every tomorrow! Since He’s in absolute control of all creations, why not trust Him to handle the details of each moment. Rest assured, it’s all working together for your good! ( Romans 8:28)

Now, let me warn you, it’s gonna feel strange, at first but datz okay! Once you experience that peace that surpasses all understanding, you’ll agree that in the long run, it’s well worth whatever it costs! Can you imagine waking up every day filled with the enthusiastic anticipation of embracing another opportunity to experience God’s Glory, Grace and Praise? Instead of pulling the covers over your head,  overwhelmed by a cloud of foreboding fear, worry, dread, discouragement, defeat, murmuring and complaining, WHY NOT wake up with an attitude of gratitude for what God’s already done, is doing now and ernestly hopeful for what He’s about to do? #ijs
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As a disciple of Christ, from the moment you open your eyes you can direct your day by calling those things that be not as though they were! (Romans 4:17) Today, choose to enjoy this wonderful gift of present and keep moving forward into this new day! After all,  the CEO of Life is living on the inside of you.

The Ol’ Saints used to sing, ‘Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!’ And don’t get it twisted, they lived through some very distressing times. Remember The Great Depression? Yet, amidst their adversity, they learned how to trust and depend on The Lord. With every triumph they gained courageous confidence that God was well able to keep them thru and bring them out of anything that would unfold during the course of a day!

When Jesus is your Shepherd, it really doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, God is yet God! Never forget that The God of the mountain top is also the God of the valley! ( 1Kings 20:23-27) So, why not expect to be strengthened, encouraged, delivered and re-joyed! Make today another chance to do better, become more and get closer to Jesus.

WOW! 24 hours OR 1440 minutes OR 86,400 seconds! Spend it well! Remember, Time and Chance Happens To All of US!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

PREDESTINED 2 UNCONQUERABLE LOVE

PREDESTINED 2 UNCONQUERABLE LOVE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

There are various perspectives on ‘predestination’ even amongst the Christian community. Some believe that God has earmarked certain ones to receive His gift of Salvation; while others believe that because The Omniscient Creator already knew those who would respond to this gracious offer by accepting the atonement offered by Christ, their salvation is inevitable! But for those, just like me, my philosophy is ‘I don’t know why Jesus loved me, I don’t know why He cared! I don’t know why He Sacraficed His Life, Oooohhh But I’m glad! So glad HE DID!’

 
I  don’t know about you, but I still get happy just thinking about being saved! I mean, knowing that there was absolutely nothing in my life’s repertoire that remotely merited so great a gift, but God summoned me to such Grace according to His own purpose, amazes the hell outta a wretch like me! To those who have an ongoing proclivity to engage in a self-loathing-guilt-shame-blame game, these words scribed by The Apostle Paul in Romans Chapter 8:28-39, offer  new perspective and continue to be a source of great comfort, confidence, strength and hope to po’ souls!

Do you understand, beloved, that in the Mind of God, you and I are not an afterthought? Oh Yeah! Before the foundation of the world God Soveignly called us to fulfill His ultimate purpose, to make us like His Son Jesus! WOW! I know, right? Knowing that The Omniscient God knew you would sin before you committed one sin, yet loved you and will always love you is beyond human comprehension, but it’s TRUE! Kinda sheds a new light on how and why Paul calls the painful test, trials and tragedies that we all experience in this fallen world, a light affliction, huh?

Can you imagine how Micael, Gabriel and the rest of the angels who have never failed to honor God feel about us? (Ref. Psalm 8:4) WOW! Crazy LOVE, right!

Now! We need to understand that there’s an Accuser who will never forget that you defected from his kingdom of darkness, volunteering to go to the other side, Jesus Christ! Satan’s tracking your every move, gathering infractions you’ve committed in order to charge you before The Righteous Judge, but don’t be fooled! You have an Advocate, Jesus! His Sacrificial Blood has already rendered the devil, defeated!

God promised those who trust in the riches of Jesus are secure in His Righteousness and Hope for His Redemption, need never fear His Rejection!

Precious Saints, the reality is, this same GRACE that saves us, empowers us to live to serve and honor The One who loves us eternally! #whatalife! UNCONQUERABLE LOVE!

 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

 

IT’S ONLY TEMPORARY

IT'Z ONLY TEMPORARY

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal wieght of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things wich are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

 

One of the most difficult things for us to comprehend , especially in the midst of chaos and drama, is the reality of our being creatures in time while God is Eternal. As creatures of time, we have a tendency to focus on the intensity of our current struggle, losing sight of the unchangeable nature of The Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent Creator and Sustainer of the Ages!

Despite personally experiencing numerous historical testaments of our previous deliverances, apparently there’s an innately human proclivity to suffer spontaneous outbreaks of accute spiritual amnesia when faced with a new challenge! Hence, we forget that the same God who brought us out the last time is still with us.

While there’s no known cure for this dis-ease, it is treatable! The Word of God subscribes that as a child of God, arm yourself with the Mind of Christ. Consider your present condition, in light of The Word of God rather than the intimidations and threats of the wicked, deceitful raving antics of God’s enemy, Satan! And Yessss, it’s easier said than done, nevertheless IT IS POSSIBLE!

How, you say? We do it all the time! Seriously! Just think about a cute lil’ cuddly brown and white kitty, can you see her in your mind? Okay, now think of a pit bull! Uuuhhh! What happened to the kittycat?

God has so wonderously created us with the ability to cast down images, overthrowing arguments, and every high thing lifting itself up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every thought into the obedience of Christ. (Ref. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

If you make a conscious decision to rely upon your spiritual eyes regardless of what your natural eyes see, faith will always trump fear! In other words, the strongest man always wins!! Recognize the source. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind, right? The devil is a thief, a liar and the father of lies! Well? Who you gonna trust? (Ref. 2 Timothy 1:7; John 10:10)

Keep in mind, your Heavenly Father is never taken by suprise, never caught off guard and will never scratch His Head saying, “Wheredatcomefrom?” The Holy Scriptures assure us that before we ask, He already knows what we need! And don’t forget, His delay does not mean automatic denial. The Good Shepherd doesn’t lead us anywhere that HIS GRACE can’t keep us.

Beloved, remember God does not move in time according to circumstances. He’s more interested in eqipping and furnishing you and I with His characteristics that your faith and trust is not easily moved, come what may! The ol’ skool Mothers said, ‘Baby, He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always on right on time, k?

During moments of stress and afflictions, God wants you to focus on the things which are not seen in order that the knowledge and assurance of His Amazing Grace will sustain us throughout Eternity may be perfected in us! Be not dismayed,Ye are spiritual beings, created in His Image! Encourage yourself to remember, this is only temporary! At any moment now, I know God ‘s gonna shall breakthru and change my circumstances around for my good and HIS GLORAAA.

Just like He brought me out of THAT, HE WILL BRING ME OUT OF THIS! When I come out of this, I’ll be able to tell somebody else, my God is Faithful and worthy of your trust, patience and praiz! This came to past not to stay!  SPEAK UPWORDS! IT’S ONLY TEMPORARY!
SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

I DON’T MIND WAITING

I DON'T MIND WAITING!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3
If there’s anything that I find more detestable than eating okra, it’s gotta be waiting! Oh, don’t look at me with that tone of voice. I see your hand up too! Out of all of the spiritual gifts we crave, patience is probably at least next to the bottom of the list! The Ol’ Churrch Mothers used to say, ‘Baby, don’t ever ask God for patience, cause you’re inviting trouble to your door’!

But I’ve lived long enough to conclude, invited or not, Trouble’s bound to show up sooner or later. So it behooves us to not just expect it but to prepare for the unexpected. One of the first things on the ‘to do list’ of every soul who pledges allegiance to The Cross should be learning how to wait! While there’s little to none chance of escaping waiting, I’ve found it to be extremely efficacious to establish a few things at the onset!

Primarily, Who you’re waiting on has a direct affect on how you wait. Next, consider the probability of facilitation of your expectation. Lastly, what time constraints are you prepared to impose on the process? #WOW, huh?

Waiting on God is always our best bet! (Ref. Philippians 3:1-4) As you’ve probably realized by now, the odds of success when putting all of your confidence in any flesh, especially your own, is kinda like winning Power Ball Mega Millions the first time you purchased a lottery ticket. Exactly! Not that their intentions weren’t honorable; BUT! Sometimes, God will ordain those certain ONLY GOD types of situations to tutor us in ‘The Validity of Maintaining Confidence in His Trustworthiness’! God knows that as long as we can handle life on our own (or with the aid of that other person), chances are we’ll never come to Him! When we seek God first (not as a last resort), our faith is rewarded exceedingly beyond our expectations (Ref. Matthew 6:31-33)

GOD CANNOT LIE! (Ref Numbers 23:19) Once we’ve established the reliability of God’s Word, based conclusively upon a settled-realism that everything God ever promised already is, that all of the promises of God are Yea and Amen (Ref. 2 Corinthians 1:20) and that God has obligated Himself to bring every Word He’s ever spoken it to pass, we rest!  Hence,  personal trust blossomes through patient waiting, in quiet confident hope, knowing that our Harvest Time is coming! (Ref. Hebrews 6:18)

So the next time the devil asks, “Whatcha waiting on?”, don’t bother to respond! Just stretch out the cords, buckle down the hatches and get ready for the overflow!

When you’re expecting God, anytime He shows up is your season for Grace and Favor!  #ijs, DON’T MIND THE WAITING!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

SHALLOW CHRISTIANITY

SHALLOW CHRISTIANITY

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we’ll be ready for HIM when HE appears, ready to receive Him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when He arrives. Once you’re convinced that he is right and righteous, you’ll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God’s true children. 1 JOHN 2:28-29 THE MESSAGE

 
It might surprise you! One of the greatest deterrents to advancing The Kingdom of God in the earth is not ‘da devil’ BUT ‘Shallow Christians’! What is that, you ask. Well they’re not that hard to recognize. In fact, they’re probably your pew partners. Whhhaaaa? #ikr! While they confess their faith in The Lord Jesus, their walk does not line up with their talk, and as a result, most likely they’re confusing many who’ve yet to invite Christ into their lives as Savior and Lord!

OOOHHH Yessss I did go there! I know how churrch-folk are adamant about not judging, right? But, for your own safety, the Bible says a tree is known by the fruit it bears! More importantly, God knows those who are His! (Ref. 2 Timothy 2:19)

The preaching and teaching of this Gospel of Christ is still the best way to get souls saved, but sometimes His PR staff could use a refreshers course on what it means to live deeply in Christ!

Rest assured, God is not mocked! (Ref. Galatians 6:7) While we might impress some people with our 11:00 A.M. Sunday morning tongue-talking, pew hopping, propha-lyin, shout’n and danc’n, GOD KNOWS the difference between those who are faking it ’till they make it and those who freely rejoice in the mercy, compassionate, longsuffering, unconditional Love of The Heavenly Father, yet acknowledge that sometimes they miss the mark and have yet to reach perfection!

Shallow christians hide behind shameless excuses to continue to satisfy their ungodly cravings, but a true child of God will be quick to repent. GOD KNOWS those who are genuinely striving everyday to mortify the wickness of their flesh and live a life that pleases HIM even at their own hurt! After all, we are living epistles! It’s our holy lifestyle  that will advertise and promote the True Answer to mankinds’ most dire and desperate need–THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, JESUS CHRIST!

I am by no means suggesting that this is easy nor is it a one and done thang! But God already took care of that too. He sent your Guardian, Holy Spirit, to live inside of you to teach and empower you to say no to sin and yes to righteousness!

Sometimes, it looks like Satan is gaining the upper hand, huh?  Beloved, don’t fall for the devil’s tricks and please don’t blame God! Trust 2 know, God ain’t scarred! Remember what happened when Jesus went to Hell, snatched the keys from his puny hands and got up proclaiming, ALL POWER IS IN MY HANDS?

God is raising up an army of disciples that no man can number; building a new nation of trusting believers who will obey His Voice; hewing out a courageous People who’re not ashamed to live righteously in the midst of darkness as a monument to HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, POWER AND MAJESTY!

Examine yourself? REPRSENT JESUS? LIVE DEEPLY?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee