Tag Archives: Chosen

THE CALLED vs THE CHOSEN!

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MORNING GLORAAA

ETERNAL TRUTHS!

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'”48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

49And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

 

Down thru time, much discussion has persisted regarding Divine Election. Yet the Scriptures testify, while many are called few are chosen. Such controversy has lead some to assert that GOD has predesignated a CERTAIN number of seats in His Kingdom and that’s it! TRUTHBTOLD, GOD calls ALL men to GODSELF, YET HE FORCES NONE 2 COME! That leaves the responsibility and the response up to each and everyone of us, personally and individually! We have the power to make the choice whether to accept the invitation or reject it! #WOW #ijs!!!

According to our text, some of the more outstanding Jews, believed that based soley on their ethnicity, they were the only ones privileged to be called GOD’s Elect! While those unlucky enough to be born into the barbarian race (Gentiles) were destined to accept their fate as substandard humans, unworthy and undeserving of the rights and privileges exclusively bestowed upon GOD’S CHOSEN!

However, when Paul and Barnabas showed up at the Synagogue, finding these previously rejected Gentiles were hungry to hear and actually begged them to preach the WORD OF GOD, they agreed! That next Sabbath the Synagogue was overflowing with both Jew and Gentiles, who eagerly came to hear them preach. Yet, instead of welcoming the outsiders in, the elite Jews of the community were so taken aback with anger, jealousy, envy and resentment that they accused Paul and Barnabas of blaspheming against GOD!

However, much to their dismay, it didn’t stop these radical preachers from sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ! In fact, it provoked them to even more holy boldness that they began to serve notice on their Jewish brethren that while God had indeed revealed Himself and His Word to them first, their continuous blatant dishonor, disregard, disobedience and willful rejection had opened up the opportunity for the Gentiles to become willing partakers of God’s Divine MERCY and GRACE through His Son, JESUS CHRIST!

When the Gentiles HEARD this and BELIEVED, unimaginable joy erupted from their grateful hearts that they began to glorify God with such fervency, igniting outrage amongst the so-called prominent devout Jewish men and women, who immediately expelled the Preachas out of the region!

With their assignment being successfully accomplished, Paul and Barnabas, following their Master’s Command, shook the dust off their feet against their accusers and kept it moving!

…NEXT!

#Didjaheardat? I GUESS TIMES HAVEN’T CHANGED THAT MUCH, huh?

BUT…GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! AND WHOSOEVER WILL BELIEVE, ACCEPT AND RECEIVE HIM AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR AND LORD SHALL BE SAVED! (Ref. John 3:16)

THE CALLED VS THE CHOSEN, #WOW… #nowTRUMPDAT!

ETERNAL TRUTHS! #CARE2SHARE #SERIOUSLY?

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EXCHANGING TRUTH 4 A LIE!

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EXCHANGING THE TRUTH 4 A LIE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened Romans 1:21

Therefore God also gave tem up to uncleanness, in the lusts of teir hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Romans 1:24-25

 

Granted, you don’t hear a lotta preaching these days about this particular subject, nevertheless, TRUTHBTOLD, there is NO EXCUSE!

I know many have chosen to sugar-coat reality in an attempt to dismiss their personal obligation and responsibility, preferring to see themselves as victims of some mystical cosmic mishap, yet from the beginning of time, GOD has openly made GODSELF known to humanity. The Holy Scriptures announce that even ‘the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament displays His handiwork.’ (Ref. Psalm 19:1, Acts 14:15-17)!
Can we talk 4REAL 4REAL?

Our problem has never been that we don’t know the TRUTH, but as history has clearly disclosed, since mankind’s knowledge of God became perverted by the willfulness of rebellious flesh, humanity has been determined to oppose the Righteousness of God! As a result man’s heinous act of high treason, his God Consciousness has been severed, thereby losing contact with the true purpose of his existence!

Choosing to yield to the dictates of their heart’s fleshy lusts, instead of Glorifying God, they rejected Truth for a Lie!  Having created man with the power, ability and freedom of choice, God turned them over to pursue the vile passions and inevitable consequences of the insatiable deception,  idolatry and corruption, reaping the Wrath of their selfishness, uncleanliness, ingratitude and rebellion!

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

While the godz 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 height, 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 humility, loyalty and faithful obedience!

God has so wondrously fashioned each man with a GOD-SIZED VOID 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 to ETERNAL LIFE!

But every once in a while, a isolated sojourner catches a glimpse of The EVERLASTING LIGHT OF HOPE found ONLY in Christ Jesus, forsakes the ways of this ungodly world to lay hold of ETERNAL TRUTH,  establishing themselves firmly rooted and grounded in The Hands of  JESUS CHRIST, The Almighty King, who has Sovereignly summoned them, before the foundation of this world, as HIS BELOVED! 

SSSHHHH! #Didjaheardat? #WOW! EXCHANGING THE LIES 4 TRUTH!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

THURSDAYS’ PRAYERS!

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

GM FAM! GOTTA MOMENT? AWEMAZING!

Once again, we are exceedingly grateful that you’re joining us in our weekly Thursdays’ Corporate Prayer and Fasting! We appreciate every opportunity and privilege extended to us that we might entreat The Presence of our Great High Priest, pouring out our hearts desires, petitions and supplications with Thanksgiving. Humbled by such graciousness, we bow before Him, embracing Him in earnest expectation, confident that He Rules Forever by His Power is able to save and deliver us from any of life’s maladies we grab hold to The Horns of The Altar now to worship Him…

 

I really love The LORD! I really love The Lord! U don’t know what He’s done 4 ME…HE GAVE ME THE VICTORY! I love Him! I love Him…I REALLY LOVE MY LORD! My Precious Bros. & Sistas, AS WE’RE PRAYING, WE’RE BELIEVING AND DECREEING…

Abba Father, we yield before You once again, In the Magnificent, All Powerful Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, rejoicing, praising and thanking You for one more opportunity to embrace and enjoy the abundance of Your Mercy, Your Grace, Your Power, Peace and Hope!

Heavenly Father, it is with unspeakable joy that we thank You for being The One True God of our Salvation, Deliverance, Breakthrough and Provision. With heartfelt humility and sincere gratitude, we acknowledge that Grace, Compassion and Faithfulness that allows You, knowing our frame, YET continuing to look beyond our human frailties, faults and iniquities and faithfully minister to all of our need even blessing us with the desires of our hearts, as You see fit, according to Your Riches in Glory! From a heart open, depending and relying only on You, we offer up precious praise! We bless You Holy Spirit for the generous outpouring of strength, wisdom, understanding and power as we reverently exalt Your Name, declaring You as our personal Savior and Lord and endeavoring to apply Your Righteous Statues to our everyday lives, seeking to please You that we may enjoy the abundant life that You predestined for us in this world and in the world to come! 

Precious Jesus, YOU ARE THE SOVEREIGN LORD, therefore are always in absolute control of all things. In light of the continuous influx of unsolicited atrocities, senseless shootings and bombings taking place all around us, the profound wickedness, arrogance, deception, selfishness and greed, collusion, conspiracy, that emboldens all types of illegal transactions and perverted injustices and racism to be perpetrated upon Your people from those who seek to abuse and misuse the power that You have given them, we lift of all those whose hearts are faint, spirits wearied and grieving hopelessly we’re praying that You bring comfort and strength, heal brokenness and restore joy! Lord, we know that regardless of our circumstances, we are yet able to rely on Your faithfulness to keep us hidden under The BLOOD of JESUS! Just as You provided Light and Provision for Your people in Goshen, You cover us under The shadow of Your Wings, safe and secure! We praise You, Heavenly Father, that even in these days of imminent terror, tragedy, chaos and destruction, we know that the safest place in this whole world is in YOUR PERFECT WILL!

Abba Father, kneeling our hearts before You, we ask You to forgive us for every sin that we have committed, willfully and unwillfully, spoken or thought that was not pleasing in Your sight and that caused grief to Holy Spirit! We believe, according to Your Promise, that as we confess our transgressions and repent from the sincerity of our hearts, that You are Faithful and Just to forgive us, remove our sins from us, casting them into the Sea of Your Selective Forgetfulness, cleanse us from all unrighteousness through The Word and the Blood of Your Son Jesus and restoring us to The Righteousness of The Royal Sheepfold! For this cause, we gladly present our spirit, soul and body as a living holy sacrifice to be used for Your Greatest Glory!

Sweet Jesus, because no man can come to the Father except You draw them, we interceded on behalf of every lost soul today, asking You to quicken the Spirit of Godly-repentance in their heart and in their mind that they will come confessing with their mouths “a SINCERE YES” to Your unmerited Gift of Grace and receive You now as their personal Savior and LORD pf their life! We’re believing that because it’s never Your Will that anyone should perish but that all humanity be saved, You are directing their footsteps, placing and settling them into a local church home where they will be welcome, loved, nurtured and encouraged to live holy, acceptable and committed lives of faithful obedience to Your Word!

Lord, we ask You reclaim every soul that has turned their back and walked away from Your Perfect Love and Will! Put a fresh “COMMITTED YES” in their heart and mind and let today be the day that they come back to You and come back to The Body of Christ, submitting the rest of their lives to the so und teachings of Your Word, learn to love and live their lives denying the lust of their flesh, walking daily to please and Glorify You to this lost, dark and dying world! 

Abba Father, because so many of our family and friends are being afflicted by all manner of sicknesses and diseaseas, we pray that You will touch our brother, touch our sister, bind, rebuke casting out every dis-ease at the root, for Your Name Sake!

Heavenly Father, You are Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today and forever! Even as You walked in this earth healing all who were sick, feeble, lame we know that You’re Well Able to do the same right now! Lord Jesus, Your Word declares that Your stripes have redeemed and healed us and we’re yet standing on Your promises that the prayer of faith shall save the sick and raise them up, In Jesus Name! Amen 3x!

Lord, we lift up every believer who’s faith is being sifted by the cares of this world, yet they’re struggling to hold on to Your Word, hoping and trusting that this is the day that You release Divine Power, Supernatural Hope, Strength, Health, Provision, Prosperity and Protection.

Holy Father, we’re fully persuaded that You are our Shield and Buckler therefore we commit our lives to You, trusting You to preserve everyone of us thru the tests that You’ve ordained us to go thru, keeping our minds in PERFECT PEACE, constantly stayed on YOUR PRESENCE! We rebuke doubt and unbelief and standing still, fully-confident that our trouble has an expiration date but Your Power does not! Hence, at Your appointed time, You will bring us out wholly restored, renewed, refreshed and with every reward as You have promised in Your Word.

Precious Lord, we pray for every one being torment by Spirits of fear, rejection, disappointment, discouragement, depression, defeat, divorce, loss of employment, bankruptcy, those who are being victimized by institutionalized racism, and unjust illegal incarcerations! We plead the Blood of Jesus over every demonic thought, spirits of anxiety, oppression and confusion. We know that You are not the author of these satanic thoughts and feelings, but You have given us who have put our personal faith through Your Son Jesus, Your Righteousness, You have given us a Spirit of Love, Peace, Joy and a Sound Mind! 

Abba Father, as we lift up our children, our grand and great-grand children, by faith, we abort and overrule every curse that’s been ordered against their lives and we cancel every evil destructive scheme and detour that Satan desires to inflict upon them! As we commit 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 and stops are being Divinely orchestrated by Your eyes! Therefore we speak The Peace of God over their spirits, minds and bodies releasing a spirit of Love, Holiness and Excellence to fulfill their God ordained destiny!

Sweet Jesus, we lift up every spiritual leader, believing for immediate manifestation of that special miracle for them who are yet standing on the wall proclaiming Your Word under the conviction and anointing of Holy Spirit. Jesus, we’re trusting and believing You to Grace and encourage them to be the examples of Your Righteousness in their homes, churches and community that will cause everyone who comes into contact with them to fall in love with You, trust wholly in and commit to live the rest of their lives serving You!

Knowing that You Sovereignly Rule and Reign over the affairs of mankind, we’re praying and thanking You for the government/legislative/corporate leaders of our nation! Heavenly Father, we’re praying that You will visit them in the night seasons with dreams and visions, warning them that He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out will fall into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself and his violent schemes will come down on his own head.

Abba, we ask that You encourage and comfort the souls of Your elect whose spirits are vexed and overwhelmed with fear, doubt and worry because of the things that are going on in our personal lives and in this ungodly world systems! Lord, send Your assurance that we are never forsaken, alone, and never without Your Very Present Help!

Heavenly Father, we’re trusting You to release a downpour of Divine Favor upon Your children who are challenged by seemingly time-sensitive situations, broken marital relationships, wayward children, loneliness, financial pressures, furloughs, employment and promotion issues, approvals of student/car/home loans! Over rule the predictions and send signs and wonders to assure them that YOU Jehovah Jareh, who shall supply all of their need according to Your Riches in Glory!

Father, we know that there’s so much more that perhaps we should ask, but we’re trusting Holy Spirit to intercept our moans and groans and stir up the hearts and minds of those who are professing Your Name to pray without ceasing! We ask that You release into our hearts, an ever-burning desire for an even greater personal intimacy with Creator God through fellowship of Holy Spirit that we might prove what is the perfect and acceptable will of The Lord Jesus!


Lord Jesus, Your children, the apple of Your Eye, await Your Salvation, in patient confidence and quietness, rejoicing in hope and trusting wholly that all workers of iniquity are trembling, suddenly departing in shameful defeat, recognizing that You have heard the voice of our weeping, our supplications and received our prayer as a sweet savor coming up before Your Sovereign Throne of Grace and Mercy and through patient confidence we shall inherit the Promises of GOD!

Abba Father, because You have chosen us and brought us near to dwell safety and secure in Your House, we align our spirits, soul and body with Your Eternal Word! We bow in obedient reverence before The Hope of all the earth, believing that as Your face shines upon us that, You are making Your ways and salvation known among all nations for You Guide and Rule justly! Father, believing that IT IS DONE, In The Exalted Name of Jesus we offer up this prayer, Sealed in The Holy Ghost with a HOLY Alleleujah! Amen 3X!

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

SELAH!

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GOD REMEMBERS!!!

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GOD REMEMBERS2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

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

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

 

In light of the prevailing gross darkness, devastation and desolation taking place in our world today, I was incited to review the words of God’s Prophet, Isaiah, speaking to the remnant of God’s Chosen nation.

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

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

Beloved, when life is out of your control, rest assured, Jesus is always in control! The Eternal Word testifies that you are the apple of His eye and He has tatooed your name in the palm of His Hands forever. (Ref. Psalm 17:8; Isa. 49:16)

In the midst of these unsettling times,  there’s no denying the myriad of distractions that are attempting to cause even the most seasoned of saints to question whether or not The Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of All Life is really concerned about what’s going on down here amongst the gross darkness of a lost, unfaithful and rebellious world,  nevertheless, I adjure you to keep your eyes on Jesus, The Joy of your Salvation and your feet steadfast on THE WORD! Be confident of this very thing, He that has begun a GOOD WORK IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST! (Ref. Philippians 1:6)

Precious ones, when you can’t see no way, why not confuse hell and praiz JESUS anyhow! Don’tchaknow? At the mere mentioning of THE NAME OF JESUS demons tremble and the angelic host is put on alert!

Ooooh Yeah!  TRUST2KNO, The Great and Holy One of Israel is closer than ever before! Hence, don’t ever forget that YOUR GOD REMEMBERS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

A WORD 2 THE WISE: STAY FOCUSED & FAITHFUL!

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A WORD 2 THE WISE. STAY FOCUSED AND FAITHFUL

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts; I am The First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? …
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are MY witnesses. Is there a GOD besides Me?” Isaiah 44:6, 8

 

We’re living in a day in time where Satan is going throughout the land rampantly, seeking to sift the faith and courage of the people of God by inflicting them with a spirit of intimidation and deception! As the waves of chaos and darkness continue to sweep over our heads, even those who proclaim the Name of Christ find themselves reeling and gasping for hope as this world is being turned upside down! What was once sacredly beheld as right is now being promoted as wrong! But, knowing the frailty of our flesh, the Eternal Words our Heavenly King speaks to us from Eternity Past, assuring us that everything that’s happening in this 21st Century has been appointed, declared and proclaimed from The Ancient of Days!

While we may be surprised by many of the things that are going down in our midst, TRUST2KNO, nothing ever happens that can make God say “Ooops, where did that come from?” #NEVER #EVER!

Therefore, while it appears as if our world is falling apart, we must not allow our trust to waiver nor our focus to be tossed to and fro by the turbulent winds erupting from the last-ditch end-time disastrous efforts of the adversary to confuse and dispel our confidence! Hence, since we’ve been forewarned, our faith must yet remain steadfastly affixed in the Sovereign Love, Power and Faithfulness of HE Who has chosen us to be His eye witnesses to His Magnificent Glory, The Rock of Ages!

Yes, Satan does have a PLOT, BUT GOD’S PURPOSE SHALL 4EVER PREVAIL!

“I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happenstance to them all.” Eccl. 9:11

Didjaheardat?

Beloved, Don’t Be Foolish! It behooves each and every one of us to make a personal decision and irrevocable commitment, ‘COME WHAT MAY…But as for ME and my house, we’re gonna stick with The One Who called us from our Mother’s Womb AND Who brought US this far to Carry US ALL THE WAY N2 OUR ETERNAL DESTINY!

A WORD 2 THE WISE: STAY FOCUSED & STAY FAITHFUL!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

SHOW-OFF!

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SHOW OFF

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.” Psalm 118:5

Those who know me, already know how much I love to decorate, redecorate… and decorate again!  Yep! My name is Ann Caffee and I’m an HGTV/DIY addict!  LOL! Several years ago, there was a reformation in the Home Décor arena. Remember that old piece of furniture secretly sequestered in the backroom, garage or attic? Yeah, like your Mother-in-law’s first nightstand! Well it was no longer considered an eyesore, but it resurfaced as ‘shabby chic’!  WHO KNU, huh?

Of course furniture manufacturers picked up on it and immediately began to build new pieces that resembled those old used and somewhat abused pieces. What was once disgustingly dubbed ‘old-timey’ was now the new ‘distressed’! I can only imagine the timidity of the challenge to abandon traditional artistic craftsmanship to achieve this look.

OMG! The brutal assault and the punishment inflicted upon each piece—painstakingly beaten, burned, chipped and hammered with metal chains, and torched…but once the process was completed the item was pompously positioned on the showroom floor.

Now doesn’t that sound slightly too uncomfortably familiar to the what believers go through at the Hand of The Master. Oh, we know, no one actually told us that once we turned the reins of our lives over to Jesus, it would be smooth sailing on The Ol’ Ship of Zion; but for real—we had no clue that life would take on this new persona. After all, we came to Christ to get out of hell, right?

While we’re encouraged to gravitate to the Covenant Promises of God, nevertheless, we’re totally oblivious to the progressive transformation from receiving Christ as Savior to submission to His Lordship! As disciples, we’re taught to pray and believe God to enlarge our territory, increase our anointing and give us wisdom to impact our families, church and communities and TRUST2KNO…God answers our prayers! Unfortunately, we tend to grossly misinterpret the process thru manifestation! It’s the refiner’s fire that produces the purest gold! 

Don’t get it twisted! Trusting God to take care of you in the midst of overwhelming stressful circumstances is quite a challenge; but that’s exactly what we must do!

The first step to this amazing transition is acknowledging that God is not trying to harm you. God loves you, and is committed to seeing you reach your highest potential!

Once this Truth  is firmly affixed in the seat of your soul, the devil knows he’s in big trouble!  That’s why he works double-time and a half to fill your heart with guilt, shame, condemnation to the point where you actually doubt that God knew exactly what He  was getting when HE CHOSE YOU!

HOWEVRRRR, being armed with a personal reality and intimacy of God’s Loyal Love enables you to walk in a state of inward rest, frees you to experience the strength and encoragement to live the-above-circumstances-abundant-life that Jesus’ sacrifice procured for you. (Ref. John 10:10)

Remember, no matter how out of control life  you think your life is,  there is NEVER a moment when  your Sovereign God is not in ABSOLUTE control of it ALL!

DISTRESSED? DIG-IN AND ENDURE! YOU’RE BEING PROCESSED FOR  SHOW ROOM PRESENTATION!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

GOD’S CHOICE!

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GOD'S CHOICE 2

 

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And he LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst o his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:12b-13

 

In a perfect world one might expect to be valued for their compassion, kindness, integrity, selflessness, caring, thoughtfulness, humility, intestinal fortitude (grit), courage, loyalty and strength to be true to one’s self and others! Might I venture to say given the socially-challenged-spiritually-bankrupt state of humanity in this New Millennial society, a concordant manifestation of any combination of these heavenly attributes would be most welcomed, appreciated, admired and envied! Needless to say, we ain’t there yet! Can I get a strong AMEN 3x and double Hi-5?

TRUTHBTOLD, as far as we know, since that first infraction of our progenitors, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, mankind has lost the glorious innocence and sensitivity that once clothed the most precious of God’s creation! Hence, opening up the way for self preservation, shame, guilt, blame, hatred, inconsideration, covetousness, envy, jealousy and irresponsibility to become the new norm of the land! Could that be why God said, ‘don’t eat of the tree of good and evil’? UUUMMMMM?

Fortunately, God always had a plan to redeem and restore humanity back to HIS original intent, to surround Godself with an Eternal Family! He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, serving as an illustrated sermon, to teach us the perfect, good and acceptable standard of Righteousness Personified!

Unfortunately, to attain such a lofty estate one must be transformed from faith to faith and glory to glory! This transition requires discipline and endurance,  which most of f us refuse to tolerate having little or no time for dat! A closer investigation of David, dubbed a man after God’s Own Heart, reveals that rarely does man and God come to the same conclusion when it comes to choosing candidates for the most likely to achieve success, IN GOD’S EYES! #ijs

Not only was David rejected by his father, he was not even considered remotely eligible to fill the position that Samuel was sent to appoint! Jessie lined his seven sons up before Samuel from the eldest on down; but much to his surprise, the oil refused to flow! And guess what, Samuel didn’t fair much better himself!  Looking at Eliab’s physical statue, he was confident that he had to be the best man for the mission! Until God corrected him!  “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart!? (Ref. 1 Samuel 16:7) Finally, Samuel informed Jessie, “The LORD has not chosen these”! And inquired, “Are all the young men here?” Reluctantly, Jessie was forced to admit, “There remains yet the youngest, and he is, keeping the sheep.” (1 Samuel 16-10-11)

#DIDJACDAT? TALK ABOUT BEING OVERLOOKED, huh? #WOW!

You might think that someone would’ve remembered what happened the last time the people over-ruled God’s leadership preferring SAUL, the people’s CHOICE? And we all know how that turned out, right?

IS IT JUS ME? OR DOES THIS SOUND UNCOMFORTABLY 2 FAMILIAR?  YEP! SOMETIMES, YOU GET WHAT YOU WANTED, BUT LOSE WHAT YOU HAD, huh? Sounds like, ‘FATHER REALLY DOES KNOW WHAT’S BEST!’ Don’t shout me down nah!
Beloved, the LORD KNOWS them that are His, and He knows the gifts and callings He’s placed inside of you from your Mother’s womb! Don’t be dismayed or discouraged by those who fail to recognize your hidden treasure but are quick to acknowledge your inadequacies! Afterall, They can’t see what U C, because GOD DIDN’T SHOW IT 2 THEM! BESIDES THAT…GOD WASN’T TALKING TO THEM…HE WAS TALKING 2 U! Remember, God doesn’t usually call the qualified, BUT HE ALWAYS QUALIFIES THE CALLED!

PRECIOUS ONE, THE OIL IS FLOWING! NOW, THE CHOICE IS YOURS! WHO ARE U TRYING 2 BE, THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE OR GOD’S CHOICE? #ijs!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IS FAIRNESS OVERRATED?

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IS FAIRNESS OVERRATED

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: Romans 1:21-26a

 

Oh, c’mon nah? Don’t be looking at me with that tone of voice! Even if we were too sccaarred to speak it out loud, chances are, we’ve all thought about it at some point in our lives, huh?

Particularly, when circumstances didn’t flow in the natural order of progression according to our personal logic! That’s when we tend to get all philosophical and put God on the witness stand! “Why would a Loving God send people to Hell? Why do innocent babies die? Why do bad things happen to good people?” Unfortunately, as Bro. Job can attest to, except thru Holy Spirits’ impartation of revelation, we’re fundamentally incapable of assessing the Ways and Means of our Sovereign Lord’s Infinite Wisdom and Knowledge. (Ref. Job 42:3-5) Am I right about it?

Amazingly, The Sustainer of everything, knowing the hopelessness of relying on the innate frailty of our flawed, fickled, self-centered frame, so graciously restrains Godself with compassionate patience, suffering with us through The Divine Maturation Process, until we arrive at the unity of faith implied by trusting in The Son of God! (Ref. Ephesians 4:13)

Howeverrrrr, TruthBtold, this type of interrogation is generally a direct result of a deliberate, self-induced distortion, rebellion and ultimate rejection of God’s Perfect Morality in order to justify our unmoral proclivity to satisfy the our own fleshy lust for wickedness and evil-doing! WELL? #Didjaheardat? Like the ol’ skool preacha said, “I jus lost 1/2 my church!”

According to Scriptures, Creation declares the reality of God. Barring some rare genetic malfunction, every human being born into the earth has an inner GPS (God’s Protection System) directly plugged into The Creator of The Universe,  otherwise known as a conscience. This inner sensory perception allows us to discern good from evil. Therefore, there’s no excuse for anyone to claim that they don’t know whether God exists or if He does exists, what He requires of their lives! Now, given that we are not robots, we all have the freedom and ability to suppress God’s moral standards in favor of our own or the world’s! And…such were all of us! (Ref. 1 Corinthians 6:11) Yet, the consequences of our erroneous decisions are completely out of our hands! And we all know how well that plays out, huh?

Beloved, there’s no denying how much God loves us! I mean, He was willing to sacrifice His Righteous Son to save us who so deserved the punishment for our unrighteousness! NEVERTHELESS HE CANNOT DENY HIS LOVE!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Yet to deny the other part of GOD’s Holy Nature, is down-right foolish!

Hence, stop trying to PLAY God! HE IS NOT THE ONE! Trust2kno…the last thing you ever wanna DO is make God angry! Seriously! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrew 10:31)

Beloved, God’s mercy awaits us every morning as He awakens us to embrace one more day! Unfortunately, we have no clue how long before Grace is frustrated. While it is yet today, Precious Ones, exercise your choice, accept Jesus as Savior and Lord! When it comes to your eternal destination…FAIRNESS IS OVER-RATED…CHOOSE LIFE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

GOD DID IT!

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GOD DID IT.1

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And thinkest thou this O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness, and forebearance and long-suffering; not kowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:3-4

 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25

 

A while ago, I heard a preacher confessing that at one time he was an avid believer and willing partaker of one of the greatest lies that Satan has perpetrated. As he went on to talk about his early perception of God, I began reflecting back on the  B.C. (Before Christ) in my own personal life, I humbly concluded, “You ain’t by yourself preacha!” If we would be honest, for real, a whole lot of us would have to raise both our hands and say “Amen 3X, Preacha!”

How many of you once believed that somewhere, way out there, there was a Great Big Ol’ Angry God, watching and recording every single thing you did? And when you had accumulated that mystical, unknown number of sins, His Hand of Wrath would suddenly appear from heaven, striking you down with a big sledge hammer, crush you and fling your po’ soul straight into the devil’s hell! Oh, C’mon nah; don’t play me like you never…

Perhaps you were with that other group—the self-righteous, who ascribe to the lie that when they get themselves together, they fully intend to start going to church but they’re not going to be no hypocrite, like all them other folk. They’re gonna be real about serving God! And we all know how that’s gonna turn out, huh?

Truth be told, this  sin-thing started way before any of us were born! Because of our original progenitor’s high treason against the Righteous instructions given by The Creator of Life, we are all born naughty by nature! Thus, every human born into the earth since our fore-parents’ willful rebellion is corrupted by an innate disorder called iniquity! Now, don’t look at me with that self-righteous attitude! (Ref. Ps. 51:5) 

But, it goes deeper! The Glory of Innocence that once covered Adam and us had now been disrupted by sin, exposing us to evil, guilt, shame and fear! That precious intimacy with God that man once enjoyed in Paradise was violently yanked from him plunging all of creation into gross darkness and utter chaos! And as they say, the rest is history, huh?

Now, just think about all those times GOD could’ve, should’ve, BUT didn’t serve you your just desserts! Remember all those unfulfilled promises you made (lies) just before GOD delivered you, again?  Evvrrr wonder, how many times God chose to withhold justice prefering to dispense Grace and Mercy towards us? WOW! Haven’t got a clue, huh? Neither do I! #ijs

Can we be for real? You and I will never, ever be good enough to remotely qualify as ‘acceptable’ to a HOLY GOD—SO….get over you! God already knew that we’d fall short numerous times, BEFORE AND AFTER WE RECEIVED JESUS!  That’s why, before we were even formed in our mother’s womb, God’s plan of Salvation was already established!

Ephesians 2:8 declares, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”! Didjaheardat? God never left it up to us! Salvation is God’s free gift.

That’s the GOSPEL! It’s called GRACE, YALL! And guess what?  This offer is still available to WHOSOEVER will humble themselves before God, acknowledge themselves as sinners who have no other Hope for Salvation but JESUS and accept His Amazingly-Gracious-Merciful GIFT OF FORGIVENESS!

NOW, don’t get it twisted! There is such a thing as frustrating the GRACE OF GOD! Hence, it behooves each of us to make a sincere concerted effort to daily live our lives doing those things that are pleasing to GOD! Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? GOD FORBID. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Ref. Romans 6:1-2)

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS 2 good 2 be true!  YET, IT IS! GOD ALREADY DID EVERYTHING NEEDED 2 SAVE ANY ONE OF US! THAT’S JUS HOW GOOD GOD IS! NOW??? WHAT’S UR EXCUSE, huh?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

R…U…N???

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R..U..N2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

 

Didjaheardat? WHO KNU? Most of us (Christians) already knew that the Jews held a uniquely privileged position in The Kingdom of God, having been Sovereignly called out by GOD Who introduced Himself, calling them His Chosen and giving them The Laws of Commandments through His servant Moses. Yet the truth of the matter is, they were still denied direct access into The Presence of God! Why? Because they had the same problem that every other human being born into the earth had. Sin-lusting Flesh! Don’t look at me with that tone of voice?

While they were given Stone Tablets outlining God’s Righteous Expectations of His people, to which they’d ignorantly profoundly arrogantly sworn to obey, in and of themselves, they were powerless to fulfill. The problem was, if you broke even one of The Law’s Commandments, you were guilty of breaking them all. Therefore, The Law blocked them, just as it does us 21st Century Believers. So God, in His Infinite Mercy, instituted a substitute ritual (animal blood sacrifice) to temporarily cover them from the penalty of their sinful ways yet affirming His Righteous Judgment! However, the blood of bulls, rams, goats and pigeons could never remove the power which sin held over our lives!

But GOD had a Plan and a Secret Weapon established before the foundation of this world! JESUS! The Holy Lamb of GOD! The only MAN capable of systematically rejecting the Master of Seduction and ruler of this world, Satan, despising the lure of sin’s temptations and steadfastly submitting to The Will of His Father (Ref. John 14:30) thereby abolishing the enmity of the Law in His Own Flesh! (Ref. Ephesians 2:13) GGLORRRAAAAA 2 GOD!

Not only was this GOOD NEWS for us Gentiles, who were outsiders of The Covenant Relationship that the Jews boasted of, but they too (who confess faith in The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ) have now been granted total access through The Atoning Blood of Jesus Christ, to boldly enter The Holy of Holies, The Very Presence of God! Not just once a year and not just the High Priest, but any one of us at anytime we need, can confidently embrace His Throne of Grace and Mercy! (Ref. Hebrews 10:4)

THANKS BE TO THE HOLY LAMB OF GOD! We, who were once afar off, are now part of God’s Inner-Circle! BUT DON’T GET IT TWISTED! IT’S NOT based on our righteousness, but by GOD’S STANDARD OF PERFECTION, JESUS!  NOW THAT’S GRACE, huh? R…U…N?

SELAH!

PAUSE, PONDER, PRAY & PRAIZ!

Ann Caffee