Category Archives: Incredible Faith

RISKY BUSINESS

RISKY BUSINESS

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Hebrew 11:1

 

At the hazard of being sacrilegious or sounding debasing, may I submit for your consideration that today’s scripture text may very well be the Preamble to God’s Covenant between every born-again, blood-washed believer and The Almighty Creator and Sustainer of Life! Truthfully, no one enters into a personal relationship with God without faith and without it, it’s impossible to please Him. (Ref. Hebrew 11:6) Yet, quiet as it’s kept, one of the hardest things for a Christian to do is to live by faith and not by sight.

The difficulty may stem from its decisive departure from the profound proclamation of this world’s culture, i.e., “seeing is believing”. Whereas, when we come into The Kingdom of God, we are taught “believe to see the invisible achieve the impossible”! (Ref. Psalm 27:13) Perhaps that’s why Christianity tends to defy the logic of the more mentally astute intellectuals. Expressly, if I can’t see it, touch it, smell it, taste it…it can’t possibly be real. Undeniably, faith demands risks that not everyone is willing to take!

Biblical Faith commands a conscious decision based solely on our willingness to trust in An Invisible Maker’s ability and commitment to fulfill yet unrealized promises. Specifically, we must first believe that there is A Holy God; Who before the foundation of the world, Sovereignly made immutable promises to His Chosen people which history has established GOD’s absolute commitment to fulfill every last one of them forever!

Coming out from a world where integrity is at an all time low, sometimes “trusting” can be an almost insurmountable challenge to even the most sincere hearted saints. However, as you continue to walk with Jesus, you discover that He is indeed Trustworthy and Forever Faithful! As you spend time in fellowship with HIM through prayer and studying The Word of God, you’ll unearth a perfecting of your faith and a level of trust mounting just like yeast in fresh dough.

A Living Faith is trusting the Promises of God, despite all of the circumstantial evidence that testifies to the pointlessness of expecting these things to somehow work together for our good and His Greatest Glory!  Just when everything within incites us to abandon all hope, suddenly out of  the depts of our inner-most being, a supernatural unction swells up igniting a Divine Impartation of Hope against hope! (Ref. Romans 4:18)

Can you imagine where we would be if Jesus had looked at us and decided, ‘What’s the point? Dad, scratch that! Let’s just start over again with a new batch”?  In Hell, probably, huh? But Thank God! Our Heavenly Father refused to leave so Great a Task up to the fickleness of our flawed flesh! The Bible says, Jesus looked beyond all our faults, seeing our needs, faithfully submitted Himself to do His Father’s Will and humbly came down to secure Eternal Salvation for any who would trust and accept His Divine Provision, GRACE!

WOW! KNOWING WHAT SOME OF US WERE B.C. (BEFORE CHRIST)…NOW THAT’S WHAT YOU CALL, TAKING A RISK…SERIOUSLY!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Pastor Ann Caffee

 

 

AN ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE!

acafy2014's avatarSELAH Daily Devotions

AN ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE

SELAH Daily Devotions!

You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, ‘No one sees me. Your widom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself “I am, and there is none beside me.’ Isaiah 47:10
I still remember, as a child being ushered from my classroom, thru the halls and down to the basement to the make-shift -fall-out-shelters. Despite of that lingering black cloud of fear looming over the atmosphere, most of the time folk went about doing life as usual. We hardly ever thought about the fact that there was a ‘cold war’ going on between our country and the Russians. That is, until the alarms went off alerting us to proceed immediately to the designated Bomb-Shelters! The thing is, we never knew whether it was just another drill or had the OTHER shoe finally dropped.

Like today, there’s a war going on all around us and…

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THE NIGHT SHIFT!

 

the-night-shift

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4

 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.  Genesis 28:15 ESV

 

Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus for a long time or just recently made your decision to follow Christ, none of us are excluded from faith’s stresses, test and trials! If you don’t have a clue about what I’m talking about, may I draw from dem ol’ skool Mothers’ terminology, “Baby, jus keep getting up in the mornin’ and going to bed at night, sooner or later you will encounter a season in your life when you’ll feel as though God has left you in the valley of the shadows of death to fend for yourself!”

I understand that this kinda theology may seem a bit strange, (not to mention unbiblical, after all we live in the Dispensation of Grace) to some Millenniums who’ve been spoon fed Gospel-Lite-Prosperity pablum prepared by the more sophisticated-socially-acceptable-all-ingratiating-all-inclusive preachers! But check The Book, it’s still in there! “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” 1 Peter 4:12

Yet! When you’re forced to trample through the turbulence terrains of this life, know, that your Heavenly Father is not a dead-beat absentee Father. God has left His Eternal Word as a Light to the 21st Century Saints! Hence, The Word of God is still well able to comfort, strengthen and encourage those who seek Him!

Precious ones, perhaps, at this reading, you find yourself smack-dab-in-the-middle of a loooonnnnggg night of overwhelming fear and anxiety,  yet Truth remains! Even when you’re unable  to trace God’s Face or feel His Hand, trust His Heart!

Sometimes, we’re so focused on the trauma of the moment that we forget that we have a real enemy who delights in secretly launching attacks against God’s elect, under the cloak of darkness with his diabolical wiles, strategically aimed to diminish your confidence and trust in God!  Nevertheless,  don’t fall for the okey-doke…Satan ain’t running nothing! Your God is Sovereignly watching over you 24/7! He never naps! Day and night are the same to Him! Every step you take is Divinely-ordered by The Lord! He’s already gone before you preparing designated rest areas along the road to revive and re-energize our spirit and soul! #Didjaheardat? IT’S TRUE!

Beloved, when it seems as if everything is falling apart, Holy Spirit says, ‘It’s falling right in place’! Abba Father is weaving each piece of your life together for your greatest good and His Highest Glory! And at the appointed time, He will flip it over to display His Magnificent Masterpiece! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

“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

Like Jacob, as we continue our pilgrimage through the gross darkness of this fallen world en route to the celestial city, we may all proclaim of our Savior “The God that led me all my life long” works THE NIGHT SHIFT!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

HOPE UNDER SEIGE!

hope-under-seige

 

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 that there were two nations co-existing in one! #ijs

According to historical accounts, Courage and Confidence was once the hallmark of our nation! Yet, some say that the infamous catastrophic events of 911 has radically stripped away this lofty heritage and the hope-filled future legacy  that was once ascribed to the land of the power, peace and prosperity is now being besieged by the rampant rage of darkening clouds of an evil foreboding fear, doubt, anxiety, stress, 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 reverence, a clear vision and a Divine impartation of understanding of WHO GOD IS & WHAT HE REQUIRES OF US, people’s strength will fail and their expectations of security perishes! The past has proven that without the restraint of 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 self to take care of our needs and satisfy the desires of our own 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!  #CANIGETANGOODAMEN?

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 God, trusting wholly in His Sustaining Grace!

Instead of conforming to the ways of the world, believers don’t bail out! Hence, in the face of the calamity and 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, trust 2 know that when it looks like your world is falling apart, look again! Don’t allow fear to drain your faith! From Heaven’s perspective, everything is falling right in place!  Remember, Jesus has already gone into Tomorrow to prepare a table before you, right in the presence of your enemies! (Ref. Psalm 23:5) #Didjaheardat?

IT AIN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, K? YOU GOTTA HOPE BEYOND THIS WORLD!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

SLAVE 2 HOPE!

African black hands in chains on white

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”…being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. Romans 4:18, 21

 

Do you remember, as a child, ever being warned by your parents (supposing to avoid the pain of disappointment),“Don’t get your hopes up”? For many of us, the devil was laying a foundation for years of pessimism, doubt, unbelief, hopelessness, low self-esteem, depression and despair! WOW! Who Knu?

Ever wonder why God told us not to walk by our feelings? Well, if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably accumulated enough regrets, resulting from poor choices you’ve made listening to your fickle-feelings, to realize how irrational flesh can be, huh?

Let’s set the record straight! Sometimes, it’s difficult to ascribe a tag to feelings; feelings jus are! Directed by proper motivation, feelings are good! That’s why we need the Spirit of Discernment! Remember, when out of no where, you felt that bleep that kept on bleeping up  out of your spirit and something told you…‘don’t go that way, stop right now and turn around or call so-and-so, pray for him now?

Unfortunately, more often than not, we’re tempted to dismiss things if it doesn’t fit within the realm of our logic. Kinda like Abram’s first response to the burning bush! Yet, something pricked his curiosity to closely investigate and ultimately leading him into a personal encounter with The Supernatural Almighty God!

Abram over-ruling emotions and human reasoning, choosing to consider not what he could see (circumstantial evidence) but rather believed and reached for what was not seen! That was faith, yall!

Now, the world looks at this and calls it foolishness, weakness and denial! However, the scriptures reveal that Abram was clearly aware that except by Divine Intervention, it was impossible for a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman to conceive and birth a child! Because God does nothing in the earth until He gets a man to come into agreement with Him, have you ever wondered what if Abram and Sarai had continued to jus laugh off the promised as an impossible pipe-dream, if perhaps…???

No doubt over the next 25 loonnng years, Abram faced many demonic challenges tempting him to give up his hope of  living to see the manifestation of such a miraculous feat. Yet, against all hope, Abraham hope on! Oooh Glorraa2GAWD! God testified that because Abram believed that His God had the power to shift nature and call those things that be not as though they were, Abraham received the Promise and thus became the Father of our faith!

Howeverrr, how often have we insisted upon ignoring that still small voice of conscience to satisfy feelings of our own lusting, self-centered emotions driven by fear of ‘What if and What’s in it for me’? Even if it means forfeiting our Hope and God’s Peace?  OMG! The next time, perhaps we need to re-think before we act on them, huh? #ijs

Beloved, HONESTLY! This walk of faith that GOD EXPECTS is NOT REALLY all that unreasonable when your HOPE is firmly rooted and ground in Jesus Alone, consistently trusting, wholly relying upon HIS Supernatural Grace to strengthened us to walk out our faith, looking unto JESUS, obeying HIS teachings and patiently awaiting HIM to fulfill every Promise that HE has ever spoken over our lives! #Didjaheardat? SLAVE2HOPE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

OUT ON A LIMB…

out-on-a-limb-2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:5-10

 

According to the latest statistics of The US Census Bureau regarding the world population in 2016, there are approximately 7,346,235,000 people on earth, as of August 23, 2016! These numbers are expected to increase at a rate of 1.13% annually! WOW! Who Knu?

Have you ever gazed up at the night sky  and wondered, ‘IS THERE ANYONE WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT ME?’ Oooh, I’m not saying that You don’t know that GOD is REAL and believe that HIS WORD IS TRUTH! But, I’m just wondering if you’ve ever entertained the thought, given the enormity of individuals inhabiting Terra Firma, ‘What’s the chance that God has time to be concerned about what’s going on in my life, at any given moment? I mean, something like 1 in 7 billion? YET! That’s exactly what The HOLY BIBLE says! While many are called, The God of all flesh chooses us, name by name!

Perhaps, Zacchaeus pondered these very thoughts before risking public humiliation in front of the ever increasing crowds of folk who followed this new Prophet from Galilee! Being the Chief Tax Collector, he was already ostracized as it was. Yall know how folk feel about the IRS. Unless it involves a refund check, huh? Even though Zacchaeus was at the top of his profession and apparently extremely wealthy, we can safely assume that he didn’t have a whole lot of real friends. But for reasons, yet undisclosed by Scriptures, when he heard that Jesus was passing through town, Zacchaeus was driven by a passionate desire to get close to Jesus!

Now, we know that nothing Jesus did was by happenstance; wherever He went, He was sent on assignment. Nonetheless, who would  ever expect Jesus to make time out of His busy schedule for a face-to-face encounter with the likes of Zacchaeus! According to historical accounts, Jesus, Himself had testified that it’s easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into Heaven. (Ref. Matthew 19:24) No! It’s not because The Father just wants poor folk, but because most wealthy people believe that everything they’ve accomplished, they’ve achieved on their own. So there’s no reason to submit to nobody—especially an Invisible Superior Being. After all, when this life is over, it’s over! Right?

Apparently, life had led Zacchaeus to the inevitable conclusion, ‘With all that I have, it’s still not enough to make me whole. Something missing, and from the stories I’ve heard, perhaps this MAN, JESUS, can fill the gaping hole in my life!’  Zacchaeus’ decision was eternally life-changing for himself as well as his family! He determined within himself that he would not allow anything to stand between his soul and His Savior. Hence, he ran ahead of the crowd, climbed a sycamore tree and went out on a limb to make sure that he didn’t miss Jesus!

I must confess, having grown up vertically challenged, I know what it’s like to be the runt of the pack, never quite measuring up to the crowd, as if you had a choice in being who God created you to be!

Unfortunately, the crowds aren’t the only things that keep some people from getting close to Jesus.! What about, pride, self-righteousness, education, careers, drinking and druggin, adultery and fornication, lying and cheating? And we can’t forget what would happen when the people we hang out with find out that we’ve given our lives completely over to Jesus 4 REAL! Yeah, sometimes we might have to climb over a whole lotta stuff to get to Jesus, huh? Nevertheless, like Zach, sooner or later everyone must answer, why am I here, where am I going and what am I going to do about Jesus? Whether we decide to accept or reject the Savior’s free gift of Grace, not one of us can remain indifferent!

Zach said, ‘I’m going to do whatever I need to do to get to the only ONE, who truly knows me, loves me and believes that I was worth dying for!’ Amazingly, Jesus knowing exactly where Zacchaeus was, spoke to him specifically as if He was the only person that He’d come to see! The Good News is…Jesus doesn’t play favorites! #didjaheardat?

Beloved, you are somebody special to Jesus! The Ol’ Skool preacha said, “He left His Home in Glory, came down thru 40 and 2 generations, was mocked, jailed, beaten, crucified, died, was buried, went down to hell before ascending back to Heaven, to be seated at the right side of The Father Eternally! There now, as our Great High Priest, He intercedes on our behalf, pleading for mercy, forgiveness and grace, waiting for you and I to come to the end of ourselves and seek SINCERELY after Him with all our hearts, minds, body and spirit!

The next question is, what risks are you willing to take to reach Jesus? What are you willing to let go of to lay hold of everything that Christ has prepared for you? How far are you willing to go to get closer to Him? #OUTONALIMB! #REALLY?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

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

UN-HOLY COWS

 

UN-HOLY COW!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LordGod of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 12:1-4

 

Due to the incredible technological advances, we’re now living in an Age of constant transition. As knowledge increases, our world appears to be getting smaller by the second. Yet many of us escape the stress and chaos that often accompanies such swift changeovers by clinging to the Hope and Comfort of The Holy Scriptures, which profoundly proclaim to 21st Century Believers, that while time is spiraling down into Eternity at unprecedented speeds of Life, Jesus remains the same; Yesterday, Today and Forevermore! (Ref. Hebrews 13:8)

While there are no shortages of intellectually astute scoffers who, sparing no punches, continually dispute its validity  and adamantly renounce the relevance of The Bible’s antiquated moral code to their sophisticated culture! HOWEVRRRR, that’shouldn’t surprise any of us!

The Holy Spirit already told us these days were coming, right?  Certainly does! The Good Book lets us know that there will be those who would choose to ignore what their eyes clearly observe, trivializing Truth into fabricated self-delusions and imagining themselves excused from the obligation of submission to any authority outside of the god of self! (Ref. Romans 1:18-23)

Nevertheless, what’s more even vexing to the hearts of God-Honoring followers of The Lord Jesus Christ, is the misconception of some New Millennium converts who have latched onto the false doctrine of “Come as U R and Stay as U R”!  C’mon nah, don’t yall shout me down!

Hence, on any given Sabbath Day, padded pews are filled with unsuspecting people clad in their mindset, clinched fisted and unashamedly determined, “Preacha, I’m Good! Okay, so don’t bother me with your out-dated version of un-realistic expectations. After all, we’re no longer under the Law, we’re under Grace! And besides that, who are you to judge me anyhow?”

BUT! Before you get a little bit too happy, can we allow The Living Word of God to shed some Truth on what God thinks about this matter? Isn’t that what every Born-Again, Blood Washed Child of God has sworn to live by? Right!

God sent His Son, Jesus seeking to save those of us who were lost (outside of Covenant-Relationship with The Father of Glory)! Jesus Sacrificial Blood redeemed you from darkness and dominion of Satan! By personally trusting in HIM, you have become a Child of The Kingdom of Christ! Now, that your eyes have been exposed to The Light of Truth, why would you want to continue in bondange to the works of wickedness and evil? If it was all that good, why did you want to leave Egypt in the first place, huh? EXACTLY!

R U listening? God has stratetically placed you in The Body of Christ, under the direction of His Shepherd, Holy Spirit, whom He has appointed to lead, guide, instruct, encourage and discipline you in The Ways of Righteousness, Love, Peace and Joy! So…stop kicking against the prick!

Now! Isn’t it time to make that change!  Ooops, I jus felt a ‘tomato throwing spirit’ in da house!  Seriously, The  rules of engagement in The Kingdom of God demands both a change of mind and heart! Tear down those sacred shrines and stop making those un-sanctified offerings of yester-year (when you were out there doing everything and anything that the devil, your former Hard-Task-Master, COMMANDED YOU TO DO)!

DIDJAHEARDAT?

#IJS…Now that Jesus  HAS DELIVERED YOU INTO HIS ETERNAL ABUNDANT LIFE, STOP THE BULL! UN-HOLY COWS! #ijs

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

HE’S ALWAYS THERE

HE'S ALWAYS THERE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

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

Matthew 28:20 
 

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

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

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

SEIZE YOUR MOMENT

SEIZE UR MOMENT

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. Numbers 10:29-32

 

Do you know what time it is? I mean, REALLY?

Each one of us has been given a ‘pre-planned’ moment of Destiny! Everything that you’ve been through was designed by God to transition you into a specific place on God’s itinerary. At His appointed time, the spot light will be on you and that will be your moment to shine.

In today’s scripture text, Moses invites Horab, his brother-in-law, to join them on their way to The Promised Land which God had given them. This journey was nothing new to Horab, having traveled to Cannan on several occasions, he was well aquainted with the dangers of the wilderness terrain and he knew the best route to travel. Having Horab’s eyes guiding them would be extremely beneficial to them. Horab knew where the water and the fuel were; he knew where the best green pastures were. Moses also promised Horab that if he would agree to come with them, he would also be given a healthy portion of the riches that awaited them in Cannan.

Despite Moses’ persistent pleadings and the promise of great wealth, Horab turned Moses down, choosing rather to return back to his own country and to his own family. Horab was not aware that a window of opportunity was being opened unto him and because of this one decision, missed his moment! From this single incident, he drifted back into obscurity and his name was wiped out of Bible history.

Glancing back over your life, you’ve probably gained a proliferation of valuable insights that would be tremendously helpful to that certain someone who’s embarking upon their own wilderness experience. Don’t be afraid to let somebody know what you’ve been through and how you made it out. It’ll save them a whole lot of time, energy, and strength. Often times, just knowing that somone has survived the desert storms offers tremendous hope, encouragement that empowers them to just keep moving, no matter what challenges they face, trusting God will carry them safely to their land of promise. Be somebody’s eyes!

Horab, not realizing who The Hand of The Lord was on and more importantly who it’s not, probably looked at the children of God and saw a bunch of ignorant slaves who didn’t have nothing and weren’t going no where. God doesn’t see as man sees!

Life changes often!  We need wisdom to prepare to make the best of it by seeking God’s guidance as we deal with challenging times and seasons. It’s imperative that you know who you’re hooked up to! Be careful that you don’t hook-up with folk who don’t have a vision and a plan. Without a vision, the people perish. (Ref. Proverbs 29:18) Without a clear vision, you’ll keep going around in circles, getting no where fast!

As a disciple of Christ, there is a Divine order to our life! We’d do well to seek, accept and embrace it with hope, trust and confidence. When you unselfishly submit and commit to helping others to fulfill their vision, when God does it for them, because you are hooked up with them, He will do it for you too!

Beloved, God is ready to take the limits off, open doors, and raise windows for you. He’s already set-up your destination and all the help you need will be given in the fullness of time. Be mindful, the anointing to get through rests in your obedience to His instructions! #DIDJAHEARDAT?

Everything is in place, are you ready? Don’t miss your moment. Expect it! Seize it!

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