Tag Archives: Atonement

LEAVE THE REST 2 JESUS!

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LEAVE THE REST2 JESUS 4

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (Heb. 4:11)

 

There is a certain ‘place’ that every human, believer or unbeliever, inevitably seeks  to inhabit. However, you can’t locate in on Map Quest, Google or GPS. Amazingly, given all of the sophisticated technological advancement of our 2lst Century, it can’t be seen by telescope, satellite or heard by electronic ultra sonic sound systems. You can’t travel there walking, driving or riding in a bus, train, plane, rocket, cruise liner, submarine or battle ship!

Nevertheless, many a lifetime is spent meandering through days and nights pursuing it! Unfortunately, few ever get there. Some get closer than others, yet they’re left disappointed. For reasons unbeknownst to them, before they’re able to get a firm grasp, some way and some how, ‘it’ escapes to just beyond reach. Many have sought for it at the pinnacle of corporate, academia or entertainment world. Only to ascertain that despite the success, accolades, notoriety, wealth and privileges of the elite, there yet remains this insatiable unfulfilled inner-quest!

Where is this place that continues to evade so many a desperately wandering soul?

In case you haven’t figured it out, it’s called ‘REST’! And the reason so many fail to reach it, is because it is not a place but a person; and His Name is JESUS!

According to these Scriptures: “And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?” (Heb. 3:18)

“Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief” (Heb. 4:6)

Apparently, that which is impossible to man is always possible to God! (Ref. Matthew 19:26)

Didjaheardat? Amazingly, the very moment anyone places their ABSOLUTE trust in The Saving Grace of The Lord Jesus Christ, they have finally arrived, safe and sound, at their Destination—REST!

So do what you can. Pray about anything; trust God for everything and LEAVE THE REST TO JESUS! #GOTIT?? Aaawwwwmmmaaaazzzzzin!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

U TOOK MY SIDE…

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U TOOK MY SIDE...

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:55-58

I must confess, I have a lot in common with The Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah! I guess you call it kindred spirits! I am, personally, persuaded that if you have The Love of Christ in you at all, I suspect you can identify with God’s Prophet also. The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?

Jeremiah’s pure love of God and his devotion to the people of God, often landed him swamped smack-dab-n-the-middle of backstabbing plots, the main attraction of malicious gossip, abuse, victimization and isolation! Basically, all because he dared to live godly in an ungodly environment! There goes that glitz. glam and prestigious mirage of the lifestyle of the true servants of God, huh?
Often times, in the midst of the excitement, honor, and humbling of being called, we underestimate the burden that comes along with the privilege of being used by God.

I would imagine Jeremiah was no different. Little did the he know that the weight of The Prophetic calling on his life meant being exposed to unimaginable, unparalleled suffering, grief, sorrow and yes even fear! Somebody called it—the  cost of the anointing!

Much like any faithful intercessor today, much of his ministry encompassed weeping and mourning, not just for his own life, but because he knew the certainty of ultimate destruction awaiting the nation of Israel if they persisted in flaunting their outrageous rebellion again their God!

While the Bible does make it clear, that because we represent another Kingdom and King, we should expected to be tagged alien intolerant troublers, BUT spit on, chased down and beaten, treated like last weeks garbage, thrown into an empty cistern, left to die in the muck and the mire? I know it’s not always easy to help hurting people! Oh, come on now!

Nevertheless, when the saints suffer persecution because of the ungodliness of others, there is great recompense of reward! According to today’s scripture text, when Jeremiah called out to God, God rescued him. Just as He does for us! Have I got a witness?

When we come to the end of ourselves and our lamenting heart cries out, “LORD HELP ME!” our Loving Father, looking down from on high, seeing the tears streaming from our eyes, comes near, saying “Don’t be afraid! It’s gonna be all right! I gotcha!”

Has God ever restored you with A WORD? Seriously! It only takes One Rhema Word from God to jump-start the most wearied heart and re-igniting the faintest hope, with His Peace. Thereby, allowing that you to rest assured in quiet expectation of imminent rescue and deliverance trusting solely in The Loving Caring Heart of The Faithful Friend!

THANKYA JESUS FOR TAKING MY SIDE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

RELEASE AND RELAX!

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RELEASE AND RELAX!

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 it’s been my personal internal experience that often the process of life application is ‘easier said than done’! Needless to say, this mindset tends to carry  along its own measure of 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 God’s Impregnable Loving Kindness towards us, laced with a whopping dollop of reality!

Hence, GET OVER U! News Flash! 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, we no longer have to be judged according to our filthy righteousness but now are 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!

WHEWWWW! So, RELEASE AND RELAX! REST YOURSELF! You’re in The Hands of The Almighty God who is always with you; working everything out in your life for your highest good and His GREATER GLORY!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

LIVE FREE!

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LIVE FREE 3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

 SMH!!!! Coming into another dimension of Revelation of the ‘almost too good to be true’ Gospel of Jesus Christ, my only appropriate response is shaking my head in wonder-filled absolute amazement! I’m not a novice to this thing we call ‘Salvation’, by no means. I’ve been saved for more than thirty years! Yet, I’m almost embarrassed to admit it; nevertheless, for most of my walk with Christ, I’ve struggled secretly imprisoned by guilt and shame for sins I have committed. And I’m not just talking about those B.C. (before Christ). I’m talking about the since I’ve been saved stuff too! 

Just in case someone else out there knows what I’m talking about, I feel an urging in my spirit, compelling me to put myself out on blast just to let you know that there’s Hope for you also, and it’s “IN” Christ Jesus!

Now, don’t get it twisted!  I’m not trying to push the blame off on somebody else. I’m just acknowledging that for whatever reason I adapted a sense of ‘performance-based-legalism’ that followed me right into Christianity! Do good, get good—do bad, get bad!  This kind of thinking just about seals the deal—you’re doomed for failure and defeat, desolation and destruction because there’s no wiggle-room for our innately flawed human characteristics. You lie because you are a liar, you steal because you are a thief; you sin because you were born a sinner!

The Devil’s had a very long time to master deception and manipulation. Frankly,  he’s become quite proficient in using us against us! He cloaks his best handiwork in fostering our ‘self-righteousness, self-degradation and ultimate self-rejection’! Yall know how he just loves to throw a rock and hide his hand. Unfortunately there’s little need to change his tactics, after all, it still works!

Truth be told, on our ‘bestest’ days, we still aren’t good enough to somehow deserve God’s Grace! That’s what’s so Great about Salvation! Even if we could, by accident, done some ‘right’ act it never would’ve equaled out all of the ‘wrong’ acts we’ve committed.

That’s why God sent Jesus!

God knew the first plan was not and never could work—because ‘they just don’t have it in them’! In Hebrews 10:18 Jesus said it something like this…this new covenant will not be written on tablets of stone, but ‘I’m writing it in their hearts and in their minds’! Father, prepare me A Body… I, The Righteous One, will come to live in them and will empower them to become righteous and do right things the right way!

OMG, SMH…AGAIN! Didjaheardat?

It ain’t about ‘you’ it’s all about ‘JESUS’!!!

Hence, why keep trying to earn something that God’s already given you for free? Just accept Jesus’  unmerited Love and Loyalty by living  your life to the fullest every day in HIM!

That’s what it means to be ‘BORN AGAIN’ …saved and set free! IT’S SUCH A BLESSING…NO MORE CHAINS HOLDING ME!

When we place our personal confident trust not in ‘self’ –not in what we can’t do—but IN WHAT JESUS CHRIST HAS ALREADY DONE, WE’RE FREE—TO DO AND BE EVERYTHING HE WANTS US TO BE! —IN DEED–LIVE FREE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

LET’S GET SPIRITUAL!

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LET'S GET SPIRITUAL

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SELAH!

‘Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

N…R…B

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N..R..B

SELAH Daily Devotions!

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

NOW, ARE, BE?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee