Tag Archives: anxiety

GOD’S WAR!

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GOD'S WAR!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15

 

In The 3rd Chapter of The Book of Ecclesiastics The Preacher, Solomon, offers his observations on the purpose of times and seasons that God appoints throughout our journey in an attempt to answer the age old question of humanity, “Why am I here?” Looking back I recognize that my time on Terra Firma continues to swiftly transition through certain uncertainties, predictable resistance and uncommon clarity, leaving me totally dependent upon my Creator!

The Holy Writ alerts us to the inevitable reality that there is a Devil on the loose who has made it his mission to steal, kill and destroy the peace, comfort, joy and hope of everyone who has been created in the image of God.  Hence, beloved, there’s a war going on! Therefore we should expect to be tempted by tests, trials, trouble and tragedy! However, along with this ominous warning, our Heavenly Father also gives us His Eternal Assurance, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Unfortunately, most of our attacks come from unseen forces! Satan has become quite proficient in throwing rocks and hiding his hands. Then he sits back relishing the chaos, confusion, havoc and vengence that we wreak upon one another. Notwithstanding, God has equipped those with a discerning spirit, with weapons that are not carnal, but mighty through God, enabling us to triumphantly invade and eradicate the forces of evil every time! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 10:4; Romans 8:37)

Just knowing that we’re encompassed about by enemy forces is not always enough, you gotta know when to hold ’em, and when to fold ’em, huh? In order to be successful in your conquest, it is vital that you remain strategically positioned to hear the instructions of The Captain of The Lord’s Host. Truth be told, while God teaches our hands to war, some battles are not meant for us to fight! #Seriously!

Just like King Jehoshaphat, when challenged by demonic intimidation, we must resist the temptation to bow down to our fears, taking matters into our own hands; but immediately turn our face toward our Master in fervent prayer and worship! By making prayer your daily regiment, we build up our most holy faith. When the enemy comes upon us suddenly, instead of retreating to imminent failure and surrendering to hopelessness and despair, we automatically release our faith in the Trustworthiness of The Power and Promises of God!

When we seek God first, we gain supernatural strength and courage to boldly withstand and confront any opposition. Armed with unwavering holy confidence that God is with you and is always in absolute control over everything, we march towards adversity, knowing God will turn it around in our favor and make it work together for your good and His Greatest Glory! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20

Didjaheardat? It jus confuses Hell, when you really believe God! LOL! #GODZWAR!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

YOUR ANSWER IS AT THE DOOR!

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UR ANSWER IS AT THE DOOR

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she wa so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” Acts 12:13-14

 

According to Acts Chapter 12, the 1st Century Church was experiencing phenomenal growth as the Gospel spread. Not surprisingly, everybody was not excited about what God was doing! The people were leaving the synagogue in droves to follow the Message of this relatively new (and suspect prophet) Jesus Christ. The religious leaders were quite upset because their social and economic status was diminishing as the offerings were declining with so many of their big time supporters leaving the Temple. In order to gain political clout, recognition and favor within the Jewish community, King Herod Agrippa launched an all hands on deck campaign to quench the fire of this Gospel preaching by killing as many leaders of this so call “Christ Ones’ Movement”. Now, it’s Peter who was locked up awaiting execution. BUT GOD BLOCKED IT!

God sent an angel into the Maximum-Security Detention Center, where Peer was chained hand and feet in stocks under the watch of 16 armed guards assigned to secure one unarmed Preacha! WOW! I must point out that (unlike a lot of us) Peter was not up pacing the floor crying, ‘Why me, Lord’ or accusing God for letting this happen to him, but according to the text, Peter was sleeping so hard that the angel had to hit him forcefully just to wake him up! The Bible says, immediately the chains fell off of him. Everything happened so fast, Peter thought he was having a dream or a vision!

Once he came to himself and realized that he was free, Peter decided to catch up with his boys (who were most likely at John Mark’s Mother’s house) and let the know what The Lord had done. Unbeknownst to Peter, while he was locked up in prison, they were having a shut-in (all night prayer meeting)! While they were ernestly seeking God’s help on behalf of their brother, Peter knocked on the door! Rhoda, the servant girl, went to the door, seeing Peter, got so excited that she ran to tell the others and she forgot to open the door to let Peter in. When they finally opened the door and saw Peter standing there, the scripture say they were utterly astonished. Didjaheardat? They were praying to God, but not really expecting their prayers to be answered. #OUCH! Sounds like some of us, huh?

How many times have you, with your sanctimonious self, taken the time to pray for something not really expecting God to answer your prayer? Or worse yet, failed to recognize the answer when it came knocking at your door? Yall know, we have a tendency to allow what we’ve experiences in the past to get in our present circumstances and rob us of now faith!

God is Sovereign! Hence, His Ways are not our ways! We must remember that when we pray, we’re not praying to a mere mortal or some distant-disinterested,-sub-diety—BUT THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD WHO CAN DO ANY AND EVERYTHING! In fact, it grieves the Holy Spirit when He sends answers to our prayers and they’re returned to Him stamped ‘unclaimed’! When we pray we must know not only does God care about everything you care about, but He is willing and able to give you those things that you desire of Him, that’s according to His Word!

Precious Ones, don’t miss your breakthrough because it doesn’t look like what you were expecting. Don’t give up! Keep on praying; keep on knocking! Keep on believing! God’s listening and any moment now expect to be blessed! TRUST2KNOW; YOUR ANSWER WILL SOON BE AT THE DOOR!  SSHHHH! What’s dat?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

GOD LASTS!

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GOD LASTS!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

 

The Apostle Paul describes life as a race. However, sometimes we tend to forget that real life is not a sprint, but a marathon! Unlike a physical marathon,  rarely are we privy to advanced knowledge of our designated course. God doesn’t let us in on the specifics that we’ll encounter along the way that could potentially hinder, detour, derail our progress and ultimately keep us from finishing our course.

Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus for a long time or just recently made your decision to follow Jesus, none of us are exempted from faith stresses, test and trials! Hence, The Prophet alerts us, professing faith-walking Christians, to expect trying times.

Our Omniscient Fathers knows that even the young and physically strong, struggling with doubt, unbelief and fear, will become weak and faint. God also recognizes those seasoned in the Savior’s ways experience times where we’ve reached the end of our rope, become weary in well doing, stumble and even fall out of the race momentarily.

Isaiah prescribes the antidote for those seasons when you’re forced to trample through turbulent terrains and valleys surrounded by the shadows of death seemingly alone to fend for yourself, don’t stop—keep it moving; press on, trusting that every minute of every day, you’re never outside of God’s view or His Presence and Power!

The Prophet’s words  yet ring out to 21st Century Saints of The Most High God, assuring us that Jehovah, our Provider, has already gone before us, preparing designated rest areas along the road to renew and energize our spirit and soul!

Beloved, your God is not a dead-beat absentee Father! God never intended us to be struggling to handle things on our own, burdened and burnt out by the cares of this world. Every morning He invites us to come, as a little child running boldly to your Daddy, entrusting all your cares to Him, fully persuaded, absolutely confident that ABBA FATHER CAN DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL !

Now Beloved, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him; don’t fret yourself! (Ref. Psalm 37:7) Everything’s coming together in your life, JUST LIKE GOD PLANNED! 

REMEMBER, GOD IS NOT A MAN! GOD DOESN’T COME AND GO! GOD’S LOVE REMAINS LOYAL! HENCE, GOD LASTS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

EMPTY POTS

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EMPTY POT 2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? Isaiah 44:20

I can only imagine what’s going on in the mind and heart of Elohim gazing down the the portals of time from Eternity, seeing the massive gathering of Sunday Morning worshipers.

Look at us, over there we’re suited down in our St. Johns and over here in our Sean Johns. Got our weaves looking fresh jus like dat and our hair perfectly trimmed tight. Etienne Aigner shoes and our New York Yankees designer hats neatly tucked under the pews, just in case the person next to us gets a bit too unruly.

Once the policeman re-directed the traffic to turn left (because the parking lot was already filled to its capacity) finally, we’re glad to be seated in our favorite row. The stage is set! The sound-man gives the nod, the lighting is in sync with the Minister of Music and the Choreographer has gotten the attention of the Liturgical Dancers, we’re ready! Let’s Get It Done…BAMM!

Not so fast! I see ‘yall’, BUT where’s ‘The Glory’? Where are the God-Seekers? Who’s actually among us here to Honor HIM?

“What’s up with you asking us these kinds of questions? How could you miss HIM? Didn’t you see all those fine automobiles parked outside of this grandiose sanctuary? I bet if you tallied up the cost that was spent at the hair salons this week, you’d probably could buy a small nation. And you know the price for an authentic custom-tailored suit these days ain’t cheap, given inflation. Not to mention the small fortune the church puts out to fuel up our Pastor’s jet. You got some nerve asking about GOD! Obviously GOD has been good to us!”

Okay! Granted, you got a whole lot of stuff going on. You can afford to sit back on your laurels proudly contented and cozy, belly full and satisfied, enjoying the fruit of your successful accomplishments, and resting in the warm of your own fire. Man! that’s the life that God promised us or is it?

When was the last time you actually talked to The God you claim to belong to and serve? Did you even thank HIM for waking you up this morning, giving you the strength to get up (under your own volition) and the mind to brush your teeth with a toothbrush and not a hair brush? Have you really forgotten that there was a time when going to church on a Sunday morning never crossed you mind and the only cross you carried was dangling from your rear view mirror as a token protector for you and your property? Remember when the only word you read with any consistency was your horoscope?

Yeah, Buddy! What a life!

And you call those folk—who just can’t wait to get to Church, not just on Sunday mornings, but Bible Study, prayer meetings, whatever and whenever the doors of the church are open, they gotta be in The House, in fellowship with like-minded spirits after being amidst a bunch of God-Haters all week/day long, we who are desperate for the times of refreshment found only in the Presence of The Lord—out of touch with reality! REALLY?

Come, let’s reason this thing out together.

IS GOD BLESSED BY YOUR WORSHIP OR IS IT A STINCH IN HIS NOSTRILS?

EMPTY POTS, huh?

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

 

THE PERFECT STORM

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THE PERFECT STORM 2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” Psalm 27:4-5

 

Aaawwwww…Fantasy! Believe it or not, that’s where many escape to when the painful realities of life become much more than a person can bear. Perhaps, this might explain why that 1965 Classic American Sitcom “I Dream of Genie” (staring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman) drew such a faithful following!

Week after week families gathered around their b/w TV’s anxiously gasping for any momentary retreat from the real-time burdens facing our nation. I mean who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to have anything their heart desired suddenly appear simply by swiping a lamp, right?  Yep, those were the good ol’ days, huh?

History records President Lyndon B. Johnson struggling to lead the nation through a multiplicity of vexing controversial challenges and at the same time maintain some semblance of the homeland security that many cleaved to so dearly.

Remember, The First Combat Boots landing in Viet Nam and the Dominican Republic, the arrest of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King along with 2,600 others in Selma Alabama for demonstrating against voter-registration rules. Malcom X was shot to death in a Harlem rally, while the newly recognized Afro-Americans were rioting in Watts and others were rudely awakened to the undeniable existence of racism in The Land of the Free? Yep! Yep! #thoseweredadays!

The point is, despite the torrid winds of time, we survived!

Truthfully, as long as we live and breathe on this earth, there will be storms of adversity. In today’s scripture text, the Psalmist offers a brilliant ray of confident hope, strength and encouragement to those who yet contend for the faith found only in an intimate personal relationship with The God of all flesh.

Having been victimized by jealously, hatred and malicious rejection from those closes to him on numerous occasions, David sticks out in history as a true, honest, God-revealing companion to the desperate and down casts. A recap of God’s servant’s life depicts one who repeatedly finds himself besieged by fear, doubt, betrayal, death and isolation from human kindness. Yet in the midst of chaos, terror and tragedy, The Shepherd boy/King, David discovers the Source of true solace under the watchful care of His Sovereign Lord!

Beloved, we’re living in a day in time where it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind of hussle and bustle, striving for the world’s standards of successful accomplishments and accommodations! However,  in spite of those poignant pathetic prophetic voices declaring peace and prosperity, sometimes we are left trembling and shaken by the inscrutable ungodliness of the systems of this world!

Nevertheless, if we keep our eyes pointed Heavenward, we too can be blessed, revitalized and restored by that Peace that passes all understanding, swept over by the unspeakable joy and resting assured in the Presence of the One Savior and Lord that David delighted in, Jesus Christ!  THE PERFECT ANSWER TO THE PERFECT STORM!

SELAH!
 
PAUSE, PONDER, PRAY & PRAIZ!
 
Ann Caffee