Tag Archives: darkness

THE NIGHT SHIFT!

1 Reply

 

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

DELAYED BUT NOT DENIED!

1 Reply

the-hand-of-god-3

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, for for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek…to profane my holy name. Amos 2:6-7

 

Imagine that? Living your life as if there’s no consequences or no accountability! Well, guess what? There’s a whole lot of grown folk still playing Hide and Seek! I suppose, they’ve convinced themselves that if I can’t see Him, He can’t see me! Evidently, they forgot to check The Book! ‘Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ Ps. 139:12 Didjaheardat? WOW! Day and Night are the same to Him!

Amazingly, despite the highly-skilled hackers and all those international satellite peepers who have managed to evade the secrecy of the most sophisticated technologically advanced security systems of this New Millennium Age, the devil still manages to bamboozle some folk into arrogantly thinking that they have somehow successfully covered up their mess., huh? Seriously! Even more mind-blowing is the foolishness of the folk who consistently reject the reality of The True and Living God Who has 20/20 vision! #ijs

Yep! THERE IS A GOD who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; keeping its inhabitants under constant surveillance!! (Ref. Isaiah 40:22) And while this TRUTH brings tremendous comfort to the hearts and minds of true believers, at the same time it strikes fear in the hearts of the heathen. U think somebody would tell them that there’s no where to run and no where to hide from His Presence! God always knows exactly where you are at any time? I get it, chances are they wouldn’t believe it, huh?

Well, The Book is filled with examples of what happens when The Sovereign God of The Universe decides, enuff is enuff! Take a look at today’s scripture, Amos 2:6-7! God gave His humble servant, Amos, a vision of Israel’s future which, to the keen of eye, should potentially impact the lives of today’s contemporary readers. God charged this lowly  herdsman with the assignment to announce to God’s people that He was going to avenge their enemies. I would imagine this news was received with great relief and joy. However, their celebration was suddenly replaced with shame, fear and remorse. We must never fail to acknowledge The Holiness of The Righteous God demands Justice as well as Mercy!

Those who tend to forget that Power belongs to God will inevitably miss-use their designated authority  to satisfy their greed, fostering a sense of self-sufficiency that leads to a life-time of pursuing their own personal undersanding of spiritual integrity, morality and luxurious comfort at the expense and neglect of the poor and the needy! Apparently, this doesn’t set to well with our Heavenly Father! God does not take the abuse of His FAITHFUL people lightly!

Granted, at times it may seem as if God has forgotten us! BUT! Beloved, IT AIN’T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! History proves that God will never be without a witness OF HIS FAITHFULNESS in the earth! 

“Remove the turban, and take off the crown; Nothing shall reman the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted. Overthrown, overthrone! It shall be no longer, Until He comes whose right it is, And I will give it to Him.”  Ezekiel 21:25b-27

Beloved, Trust2kno, there is yet a Remnant of God, who refuse to be distracted by circumstantial evidence! Look around you, we’re everywhere! We’re those whose lights are yet shining in the midst of  the gross darkness of this world,  holding fast to The Name of Jesus! We’re the ones who might bend, but don’t break because we’re rooted and grounded, standing firmly in faith, wholly believing in the Only Inspired-Infallible-Eternal Word of God!

We’re the ones who, even in the midst of these challenging times,  don’t quit  because we live, move,  empowered and fully persuaded by the Indwelling Presence of Holy Spirit that IT AIN’T OVER UNTIL WE WIN! REST ASSURED, GOD WILL VINDICATE HIS OWN! DELAYED BUT NEVER DENIED! #GETIT

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

TRUSTING SILENCE

1 Reply

trusting-silence

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:46

 

I don’t pretend to speak for every believer, however one of the most difficult things for me is trusting God when Heaven goes mute! Not only does this create anxiety, stress and discouragement, but the doubt, confusion and sense of abandonment becomes a personal virtual hell. And no, I am not a babe-in-Christ, but I’d consider myself to be a reasonably seasoned-saint! #ijs

Our spirit man knows quite well that God answers all of our prayers in one of three ways. Yes, No or Not Now, right? Nevertheless the carnal mind could care less! Flesh  wants immediate gratification. ‘I did what You told me, I asked, seeked and knocked; but I guess the answer must’ve got lost in the mail or either perhaps You’re too busy managing the world to be concerned about what’s concerning me, huh?’ Now don’t look at me with that tone of voice, surely I’m not the only one to concede to the Tempter’s situational analysis!

In all of scripture, these feelings of abandonment is never more profound than at the words uttered from the mouth of our Savior hanging on The Cross… and God is silent! And while there is no record of God’s answer in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, or Luke, the Passion story does not end with our Lord’s despairing cry. In Psalm 22, God’s affirming Love and Grace encourages us to trust Him to resurrect Greater Greaterness out of our greatest messes! “In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.”

While some folk would have you believe that faith means unwavering trust in God’s power and ability to do anything, and that’s absolutely Truth. Nevertheless, there’s that other part of faith that commands trusting God’s silence as well as His actions, that has proven to be, at the least, extremely unsettling!

The Word of God tells us that the promises of God are Yeah and Amen, however we tend to forget that spiritual things are governed by spiritual laws. Case in point, seed-time-harvest! God is more concerned about developing christian core values and attributes than providing our fleshly creature comforts!

The Prophet Isaiah encourages believers to persevere through the trials expecting your deliverance is soon to come. ‘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 40:31) And James 1:4 admonishes us to ‘let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Honestly, while both texts have been tremendously resourceful, strengthening and comforting, sometimes they ring hollow when the circumstantial eveidence against you is screaming hopelessness, rejection and it appears as if Heaven’s doors are closed and locked you out!

As you walk with Jesus, experience will teach you that these feelings are just a trick of the enemy to get you to doubt the validity and Faithfulness of God’s Word. If He ain’t saying nothing else, then keep doing the last thing He told you because evidently He ain’t changed His mind!

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

Beloved, when you can’t see God’s Hand, feel His touch or hear His Voice, trust His Heart! REMEMBER THE TEACHER NEVER TALKS DURING THE TEST! TRUSTING GOD’S SILENCE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

HE’S ALREADY THERE

Leave a reply

HE'S ALREADY THERE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Psalm 139:7-12

At any time, completely unbeknown to us, we could find ourselves pinned to the pendulum of time, swaying violently from side to side, moment by moment, being extended to the furthers spectrum of either end, coming desperately close to the edge of sanity!

While our faith is demanding absolute confident trust (despite the mounting circumstantial evidence) that our Heavenly Father is in complete control, our inner-most consciousness is being tormented by the constant influx of those taunting threatening “what if’s”.

Unfortunately, most of the time our hearts tends to lean toward the most pessimistic catastrophic conclusion. To further compound an already desperately fragmented state of mind, there’s that unmentionable guilt and shame for even doubting God’s accessibility, ability, availability and even His willingness to intervene on our behalf!

I know! We’ve all been there. That’s the other part of our grandiose soul-stirring testimony that we are usually reluctant to share.

Yet, The Psalmist so adeptly and melodiously blends together the dangling, mangling emotions that one endures finding themselves in such a unpredictable predicament; giving us a model by which to navigate our way through the turbulence safely to the after side of life’s contrary oceans.

Not surprisingly, having walked with God for a while now, the Answer is always the same for any hopelessly-helpless,critically-chaotic circumstance.

In the midst of overwhelming uncertainties, set your eyes on The One Constant Creator and Sustainer of the seen and unseen. Jesus Christ; The Bright and Morning Star!

ITZ DA TRUTH!  Anywhere and everywhere you are, God is already there!

The ol’ folk used to sanng, “He’s too high, you can’t go over; too low, you can’t go under; too wide, you can’t go around”! Hence, there’s not a spot in the known universe where God is not!

So you see, whether you’re coming, or going, or smack dab in the middle of an unsettle ling situation, there is unspeakable joy and enormous comfort and strength in acknowledging THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT’S  Reassuring Presence!

The Psalmist further validating the foundation of every Christian’s faith, recognizes that even the most seasoned saints encounter season of glaring darkness; yet God is not intimidated nor His Will hampered! He works The Night Shift! Because darkness and light are the same to God, He is always able to see us; even when we can’t trace His Hand, we can yet trust His Heart! (Ref. Psalm 139:12)

God is too Great to figure out; too Wonderful to predict; too Marvelous to ignore and too Amazing to deny!

So you must simply, trust and thank Him for guiding you safely pass our past, sustaining you in your present, and carrying you securely into your future!

DON’T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, GOD IS ALREADY THERE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

LOCK AND LOAD!

1 Reply

LOCK AND LOAD 2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

 

As long as I can remember, our country has been involved in some type of warfare some place across this world. Whether it was an Executive Order Proclamation or a covert operation, there has never been a time, since The Garden of Eden, when a citizen of Earth could claim a state of World Peace. Sometimes, the motives for our nation’s involvement were clear and then there were those times when the intent was suspect! Wisdom teaches that the natural is often a replication of the spiritual!

You probably don’ really need to wait for a confirmation on CNN or MSNBC first to recognize this, however, let me state the obvious! Since you made a conscious commitment to seek God, you are now officially an enemy of the state! Hence, you have become the target of every demon commissioned by The Kingdom of Darkness!

It’s irrelevant whether you’ve been saved 40 years or just made a decision early this morning, you now have an arch enemy who’s three fold mission is to steal, kill and destroy! Simply put, he’s determined to take you out, permanently! (Ref. John 10:10)

I’ve heard that during the Viet Nam war, the soldiers were often ambushed because it was difficult for them to identify who was friend and who was foe. Unfortunately, the same is true in the lives of many undiscerning believers. Sometimes, it appears as if  your supervisor, or that person who keeps bucking up against you at every turn, or that person who keeps getting up in your face is your enemy. But don’t be deceived. This warfare is not fleshy. It goes a lot deeper than that, this is spiritual!

The real culprit, your true adversary, is none other than the devil himself,  Satan, aka  Prince of Darkness, Lucifer, Beelzebub,  Belial,  Accuser, god of this world and prince of the power of the air! Although Satan tries to hide himself and confuse you, He’s still a Liar and the Father of Lies! In fact, one of his other names is The Master of Deceit.

You might think that he’s come to steal your joy, peace and destroy your relationships, finances or your health, and HE WILL! But, Beloved, this diabolical Ruler of Demons‘  hatred goes a lot further than harming you, his real purpose in razing enough hell in your life to contaminate your confidence, escalate your doubts and terminate your trust in our Heavenly Father, The True King of Creation!

Satan has had untold eon-aeons to study mankind and unfortunately he’s become quite proficient in tormenting and terrorizing God’s chosen people. The Bible warns that Satan comes immediately to steal the Word—if he can get the WORD before it gets rooted into your heart, most likely his mission will successful!

NOW DON’T GET IT TWISTED! Satan is a created being, therefore he can’t do anything except The Lord allows AND GOD already knows that no weapon that’s formed against us shall prosper! In other words, the devil might have a loud roar but he’s on a lease and ain’t running nothing! GOD SOVEREIGNLY REIGNS ETERNALLY OVER ALL, AND HE SHALL NEVER RELINQUISH HIS THRONE NOR HIS GLORY TO ANY THING NOR ONE!

TRUST2KNOW! God has made available to those who love and rely on Him, The Divine Weapon of Mass Destruction! Hence, The WORD OF GOD! Remember what happened when the devil came slithering into the desert where Jesus had been fasting and praying 40 days and 40 nights? EXACTLY! Jesus whipped that lying devil using THE WORD OF GOD!   (Ref. Luke 4:1-13) And guess what? He intends for us to do the same thing!

The Psalmist, King David told us how to do it. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. “ Psalm 119:11 Didjaheardat?

If you’re gonna survive and thrive in these evil days, you’re gonna have to take a stand.! And the only sure foundation in this world, is THE WORD OF GOD! (Ref. Hebrews 4:12)

In case you hadn’t noticed, Satan is not moved by your threats nor your tears, however he has NO choice but to bow to the Implicit Authority of The Word!

That’s why Biblical Illiteracy is no longer feasible, under any circumstance! Your duty as a soldier in The Army of The Lord is to BE ready, armed and dangerous, packing The Word! 

Therefore, your assignment, if you choose to accept this mission, is to get yourself in The Book and STAY THERE! #Didjaheardat?

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

#IJS…LOCK AND LOAD!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

DON’T SWALLOW THE BAIT

Leave a reply

DON'T SWALLOW THE BAIT

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.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” Psalm 27:4-6 KJV

 

One thing for sure, nobody who knows me would ever accuse me of being remotely ‘out-door-sy”, huh? Yessssirreeeyyy! I’m totally domesticated!

So when it comes to taking part in those adventures that so many of yall find such immense pleasure in, such as camping, hiking, fishing, skiing, anything I say about them are solely vicarious! However, I am married to an avid fisherman who would rather be on a boat in the middle of a lake for hours at a time than just about any other place; save Heaven!

I understand that in order to catch a fish you must have certain equipment. A fishing line, a hook and a bait! I have experienced opening up my freezer door and being greeted by neatly packaged baggies filled with all kinds of strange looking objects to which I’ve been inclined to immediately dump in the garbage; that is until he informs me of their intrinsic value.

Unfortunately, too many of you are just as ignorant of Satan’s wicked devices as I am when it comes to fishing!

While we  may acknowledge this Truth, mentally assenting to its veracity, that as Born-Again, Blood-Washed, Children of The King, Satan no longer has authority to lord over our lives far too often,  yet the revelation fails to transcend into our ‘real life’, huh? Apparently there’s a innately human flaw of fickleness that tends to overcome even the most sainted believer the moment The Designated Accuser fires his darts, interrupting your blissful state of abiding in God’s Presence! Hence, you develop an acute case of selective amnesia; forgetting the Fundamental of Christianity 101!

When you placed your personal trust in The Lord Jesus, accepting Him as your Redeemer, you were immediately rescued from The Kingdom of Darkness and transferred into The Kingdom of God’s Son! (Ref. Colossians 1:12-14) Didjaheardat?

Ooooh Glorrraaaa! That means that the devil has no right or power to control any area of your life! He’s a defeated foe! Now, of course being the Master of Deceit, he’s unable to resist his diabolical urges to persistently threaten any unsuspecting Child of God who will swallow the bait, hook line and sink to a level far beneath his God-Ordained position of Righteousness in Christ Jesus!

But you don’t have to! Today’s scripture text tells you where you are, from God’s Perspective! Hidden in God’s Pavillion, seated safe and secure in The Rock of Ages, far beyond the reach of all of your enemies!

So, before you start acting like Satan is a true prophet, re-evaluate the Reality of your situation!

Pause, take a deep breath, ponder and relish His Presence! Got it?

AAAAAWWWWWW!!!! NOT TODAY DEVIL! AND FROM WHERE I’M SITTING…IT AIN’T LOOKING DAT GOOD FOR YOU TOMORROW EITHER! BBBBAAAAMMMMM!!! DON’T SWALLOW THE BAIT!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

I LIVED!

1 Reply

I LIVED 2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD hath chastened me sore : but he hath not given me over unto death. Psalm 118:17-18

Everything living changes! #Didjaheardat?

From the moment of beginning, life evolves, progressively spiraling from eternity past through present towards eternity future. The Eternal Life-Giver sets into motion HIS own pre-determined course, every thing according to the counsel of His Will and Good Pleasure. (Ref. Ecclesiastes 3:1)

So why are we so taken aback by the sudden shifts?

Perhaps it has a lot to do with the often brutal abrupt interruptions to the comfort and security of familiarity. Be it pleasant or unpleasant, there’s something about humanity’s expectation of normal that enables us to resign to a certain sense of contentment. Some might call it the spirit of survival or resilience.

Pass the mic and every one of us could undoubtedly recite times of suffering some kinda personal tragedy, un-relentless abuse, myriad temptations, bona fide threats through which we’ve already come. But almost as fluently, we can enumerate with timeless ecstacy those experiences where closed gates were opened before us, night weeping gave way to the morning joy, mourning bowed to dancing and desperation succumbed to determination. And yet life goes on!

As children of faith we must recognize that wherever we are, we’re never alone! God has planted us there not to die, but to grow through our wildernesses. As we learn to trust and confidently submit to His Will, GOD gives us Grace to come out better and not bitter, stronger and wiser and with a new life-giving, soul-stirring, encouraging, strengthening, empowering—“COME SEE WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!” testimony!

Nevertheless, we, God’s Chosen, continue in hope for that time when happiness is unchanging, fear and doubt is terminated, and the foreboding darkness is consumed by the all encompassing Eternal Light of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:23-24

IS THERE ANYBODY WHO AIN’T AFRAID TO ADMIT, “THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES, I ALMOST…BUT! I LIVED!”??? #bothhandsup, huh?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee