Tag Archives: depend

NEVER 4GOTTEN; NEVER 4SAKEN!

Leave a reply

MORNING GLORAAA

ETERNAL TRUTHS!

 

Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; 13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15 But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it. 

16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. 20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 22 But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Psalm 94:12-23

The enemy seeks to obliterate God’s people. The evildoers target the most vulnerable groups in society, whom the LORD will defend. God will discipline those He loves, correcting and instructing them to bring them back into relationship with Him. God recognizes humanity/s inherent weaknesses. Corrupt rulers enact legislation that persecutes the righteous an enables wickedness, which is CLEARLY contrary to God’s Will! (Excerpts from Ps. 94:5-23 Study Bible, KJV)

“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” Psalm 91:14-16 The Message

 

REST ASSURED, 4 JUSTICE IS ON ITS WAY! GOD PROTECTS W HAT THE WICKED WOULD DESTROY! BLESSED BE GOD 4EVER & ALWAYS!

NEVER 4GOTTEN; NEVER 4SAKEN!

ETERNAL TRUTHS!

#CARE2SHARE

 

SUPER VISION!

Leave a reply

SUPER VISION

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey–the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Exodus 3:7-8

 

Has God’s Promises ever seemed too good to be true? C’mon nah, I’m talking to some REAL-FOLK! Seriously! The reason being, our interaction with the physical world is naturally limited to the realm of our five senses! What we see, touch, feel, taste and smell is how we perceive the reality of the world around us! Unfortunately, there’s always much more going on than the natural man can conceive! For example, you can feel the breeze but what does the wind look like? Technicians can take a picture of a brain, but who can know the mind, BUT GOD! The stethoscope can hear the heartbeat, but can’t determine when you’re broken, hard-or faint-hearted! #ijs!!

Have you ever felt discarded or deserted, even by GOD? Well, let me assure you, you’re not alone! According to the historical events relayed in our scripture text, The Hebrews, God’s Chosen, who finding themselves smack-dab-n-da-middle of circumstantial evidence that most likely caused them to experience these very same emotions! For 450 years they lived enslaved to their Egyptian captors who took great pleasure in inflicting intolerable pain and suffering, intentionally rationing food and water only when they deemed necessary to keep them totally dependent upon their Hard Task Master’s will! Can you imagine the shame and hopelessness they, God’s Elect, having to endure the consequences of their rebellion and ensuing result of God’s Justice, with no end in sight? Howevrrr, even when they couldn’t detect His Presence, GOD’s LOVE abides Faithful!

 

Having lured His Servant, Moses to the backside of Mt. Horeb and startling him with a strange phenomenon, the Bush that refused to be consumed, God commissioned him to go tell “MY” people that ENUFF IS ENUFF!  (That’s contemporized AEC Version) “I’ve seen their oppression, I’ve heard their cry,  bottled every tear,  heard every prayer and NOW I AM COME to shut Pharaoh down and DELIVER you out of the hand of your enemy!” Not knowing whether or not his Israelite brothers would even listen to him, being a escaped felon hiding out in a foreign land, but Moses heeded God’s Word and shared it with his fellow-captives. Much to Moses’ amazement, the people grabbed hold to The Promise with all of their hearts and began shouting and dancing in the streets, celebrating the GOOD NEWS, believing that THE WORDS THAT MOSES SPAKE CAME STRAIGHT FROM GOD’S MOUTH!

Eventually, the message got to Pharaoh’s Palace, nevertheless, he took it as a grain of salt. After all, this was not the first time that these ignorant slaves had started these silly rumors in an effort to keep HOPE ALIVE! Pharaoh was convinced that it’s JUS FAKE NEWS! But for those who had endured 450 years of GOD’s SILENCE IN THE MIDST OF GROSS DARKNESS, IT WAS LIFE AND LIGHT!

 

The Bible says, “My Sheep know MY VOICE AND I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME”! (Ref. John 10:27) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) When you begin to look beyond what your natural eyes can see and your vision is filtered through the lens of FAITH, YOU COME2KNO THAT IT AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! While the world’s systems operates on the principle “I’ll BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT”, GOD’s Kingdom operates by a higher standard, “I WILL BELIEVE TO SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING!” (Ref. Psalm 27:13)

When you place your personal trust in The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and The God of Jacob, faith opens you up to experience SUPER VISION, exposing things that are not seen as though they already exist! God’s Word is filled with exceeding great and Precious Promises that are greater than anything that the oppressor threatens! Oh, remember what happened to that arrogant obstinate Pharaoh and His Army? Right, THEY ALL DROWNED IN THE RED SEA! (Ref. Exodus 14:28-29) #ijs!!

 

BELOVED, WHEN WE TRUST GOD WITH ALL OF OUR HEART, MIND, SOUL AND SPIRIT, we discover POWER that’s out of this world that erupts A HOPE-FILLED PRAISE, an ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE THAT ‘I AM, WILL CERTAINLY BE WITH U’, and A CONFIDENT HOLY BOLDNESS THAT PUTS THE DEVIL ON NOTICE OF HIS IMMINENT DEMISE!

TRUST2KNO, NOT MATTER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, IF GOD SAID IT, IT’S GOTTA HAPPEN! Didjaseedat? YEAH, SUPER VISION!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann E. Caffee

EVERLASTING LOVE!

Leave a reply

 

3701-000310

 

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

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:17

 

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. Hence, 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!  In fact, The Prophet Isaiah alerts us, professing faith-walking Christians, to expect trying times. #SERIOUSLY!

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.

However, the antidoe for either season is prescribed by Isaiah encouraging words!  When forced to tred tightropes of uncertainties or 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 Presence and Power!

WHO KNU? The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?  GOD DID!

That’s why The Prophet’s words yet ring out igniting faith and hope to the desperaate souls of 21st Century Saints of The Most High God, bringing comfort and assurance that Jehovah, our Provider, is the same, yesterday, today and forever!

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. That’s exactly why He goes ahead of us into our tomorrows,  preparing designated rest areas along the road to renew and energize our spirit and soul!

Precious One, when the world around you seems to be falling apart, don’t fret yourself! BUT REST CONFIDENTLY IN THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM! (Ref. Psalm 37:7) TRUST2KNO…Everything’s coming together… JUST LIKE GOD PLANNED!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Isa. 29:11 NLT

NEVER 4GET, TROUBLE HAS A PRE-SET TERMINATION DATE! BUT GOD’S FAITHFULNESS DOESN’T!  GOD’S LOVE REMAINS LOYAL! NOW THAT’S WHAT U CALL, ROCK SOLID EVERLASTING LOVE!

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

 

I WON’T TURN BACK!

1 Reply

I WON'T TURN BACK

 

Selah Daily Devotions!

 

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back, I gave my back to the smitters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spiting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED. He is near that justifieth me; who will content with me? Behold the Lord will help me, who is he that shall condemn me? Isaiah 50:5-9

 

The Psalmist said, ‘Before I was afflicted, I went astray’. Well, King David, you’re not the only one! Can I get a witness? Before our ears were opened, before our personal encounter with The Divine Kind, before we met Jesus, all of us rebelled against God’s Righteous standards! Amen 3x!

But! Just like The Prophet Isaiah, when we finally heard that ‘un-mistakable’ Voice of Our Lord speaking to our heart, we turned our face to God and our back to Satan! We made the conscious, irrevocable determination to commit ourselves to The Redeemer, begin a new life, walk a new path, and emphatically denounced our former Task Master, declaring—I’m through with you!

However, I must confess! Much to my surprise, not everyone celebrated! In fact, some of the same folk that we used to kick it with backndaday ‘don’t treat me like they used to, since I laid my burden down’! Many of your peeps, who used to ‘have your back’ become back-stabbers or now avoid you like a bubonic plague. Don’t think it strange if some even set traps to get you to fall, just to let you know that you ain’t no better then they are!  #ijs For real!

But guess what? No one who walks away from the world ever comes up short. Nothing that you give up to follow Jesus is ever in vain. So don’t worry about your haters. Remember, you now have a Friend who sticks closer than any brother; and He has promised to never leave you or give up on you. (Ref. Proverbs 18:24; Hebrews 13:5)

Don’t try to defend yourself, just let your life speak for you! Trust me, some of those folk who walked away, they’re still watchin’. And guess who they’ll come to when they hit that pothole? EXACTLY! The ‘new and improved you’!

For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Hebrews 4:2

Precious one, God’s got your back! Just keep walking, unashamedly, looking unto Jesus! Trusting in His Promises, with all of your heart knowing that God’s got a plan for your life and I hearrrd  (in my best preacha voice) that what’s coming is better than what’s been! (Ref. Jeremiah 29:11) #Didjaheardat? #WOW!

So the next time that lying devil tries to make you doubt God’s faithfulness and derail your destiny—tell him—”Obviously, you’ve mistaken me for someone else! I ain’t Lot’s wife! I WON’T TURN BACK!” #BOOMMMM

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

TIME AND CHANCE

1 Reply

TIME AND CHANCE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.  Ecclesiastes 9:11

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
Wake Up! God’s got a blessing with your name on it, it’s called ‘TODAY’!

God has endowed every one of us with personal power! It’s called CHOICE, huh? Hence, no thing or no one has the power to determine your response to a brand new day of life! You can choose whether to approach it with joyful celebration and gratitude or you can drag the burdens of disappointment, failure, defeat and guilt of yesterday into today!

Now, I hearya, ‘uuuhhh, obviously you have no idea what I’m going thru, sista!’ You’re absolutely right, but GOD does! He also knows everything that you will face each and every tomorrow! Since He’s in absolute control of all creations, why not trust Him to handle the details of each moment. Rest assured, it’s all working together for your good! ( Romans 8:28)

Now, let me warn you, it’s gonna feel strange, at first but datz okay! Once you experience that peace that surpasses all understanding, you’ll agree that in the long run, it’s well worth whatever it costs! Can you imagine waking up every day filled with the enthusiastic anticipation of embracing another opportunity to experience God’s Glory, Grace and Praise? Instead of pulling the covers over your head,  overwhelmed by a cloud of foreboding fear, worry, dread, discouragement, defeat, murmuring and complaining, WHY NOT wake up with an attitude of gratitude for what God’s already done, is doing now and ernestly hopeful for what He’s about to do? #ijs
.
As a disciple of Christ, from the moment you open your eyes you can direct your day by calling those things that be not as though they were! (Romans 4:17) Today, choose to enjoy this wonderful gift of present and keep moving forward into this new day! After all,  the CEO of Life is living on the inside of you.

The Ol’ Saints used to sing, ‘Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!’ And don’t get it twisted, they lived through some very distressing times. Remember The Great Depression? Yet, amidst their adversity, they learned how to trust and depend on The Lord. With every triumph they gained courageous confidence that God was well able to keep them thru and bring them out of anything that would unfold during the course of a day!

When Jesus is your Shepherd, it really doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, God is yet God! Never forget that The God of the mountain top is also the God of the valley! ( 1Kings 20:23-27) So, why not expect to be strengthened, encouraged, delivered and re-joyed! Make today another chance to do better, become more and get closer to Jesus.

WOW! 24 hours OR 1440 minutes OR 86,400 seconds! Spend it well! Remember, Time and Chance Happens To All of US!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

GOD’S WAR!

1 Reply

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

LET GOD BE GOD!

2 Replies

LET GOD BE GOD

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen 1 Peter 5:10-11
‘He’s got the whole world, in His Hands! He’s got the whole wide world, in His Hands! He’s got the whole world, in His Hands! He got the whole world in His Hands!’

WOW! I’m good with that; for about the first 22 seconds of consciousness! Then I realize that I’m awake! Opening my eyes, immediately hell’s hounds pounce onto my thoughts filling them with the residue of yesterday’s drama, failures, guilt, shame; which gives way to loneliness, dispair, taunting fears and ravaging accusations! Puff! There goes my  joy, hope and confidence.  Oh, don’t get your knickers twisted! I’m talking about me, yall!!!

Oh Yeah! It’s easy to quote the scriptures and sing the songs when life is beautiful, all is well, the air is filled with the sweetness of His Wonder Working Power. The problem is, life is not always bliss because we’re still living in a fallen world! I don’t care how long you’ve been walking in da way, trusting God in times of tests and tragedy is trying, huh?

One of the most difficult things I’ve ever been asked to do, is absolutely nothing! It’s kinda like asking your child to sit for five minutes without saying a single word? Obviously, stillness is not one of our more dominating genetic traits.

Particularly, when it comes to waiting on God’s answer in what we perceive as  ‘time-sensitive’ issues. Unfortunately, the art of stillness doesn’t always get better with age. Quiet as it’s kept, even the more seasoned of saints find ourselves boppin up and down in a faith dance every now and then. Oh, we start off fired-up, after all ‘We know God is able to do all things’. That is, until He doesn’t do what we’re expecting—when we expect it!

What happens after you’ve been faithful to follow (as best as you can) all that God has required of us, and yet find yourself backed up against a stonewall, surrounded by situations that are hell bent on taking you out? What can you do when the realities of your circumstances collide with His Promises and the suffering and the pain are screaming ‘this will never end’? Apparently, the only thing God expects any of us to do is trust Him to be God!

Seriously? Absolutely! The same God who created the entire world, faithfully ordered, maintained and sustained everything since it’s beginning, is He not also capable of taking care of anything that’s happening in your life? Duuhhhh! The last time you breathed, ought to tell you God’s Still Reigns, huh?

However, He’s such a gentle Savior! He never forces Himself into situations uninvited. However, the moment we let IT go, releasing and casting the care of the circumstances into His Almighty Hands, entrusting Him to make everything work together for our greatest good and His Highest Glory, His Incomprehensible Peace comes in; flooding our hearts, overwhelming the burdens of fear, doubt, anxiety and hopelessness!

As we acknowledge The Inseparable richness of His Lovingkindness and Compassion towards us, suddenly, His Amazing Grace begins to restore quiet rest and ernest expectations to our po-wearied soul!

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

I know, feels strange, huh? I’m not saying it’s easy, but I’m a living witness,  IT IS POSSIBLE! Hey, don’t knock it until you try it!

Take a couple of days off, from running your world, k? Pray and wait for God’s answer! HENCE, LET GOD BE GOD 2 & 4 U!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

PURPOSE TRUMPS PAIN

1 Reply

PURPOSE TRUMPS PAIN

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

 
“Don’t put a question mark where God has put a period.” Sounds good, huh? Plastered on a billboard, right? Unfortunately, it’s potetency seeps out in everyday real life! Because that’s exactly what many of us do when things don’t workout like we think they should. We marry our soul mate and three years later, we’re widowed. We train up our children to love and follow Jesus, and they’re addicted to cocaine. We finally get that promotion and are able to buy our dream house and the doctor reports confirm that your wife has Stage 4 breast cancer!

Sometimes life doesn’t make sense! Perhaps, that’s why God told us not to lean to our own understanding, knowing His ways are beyond our human comprehension, huh? But He does tell us that before we breathed our first day, He’s designed each day to work together for our greatest good and His Higher Glory. I surely recognize that to the carnal mind, in the midst of tests, trials and tragedy, this offers little help (and even less hope). But there is some Good News for those who’ve become wearied in well-doing! The True and Living God Who takes pleasure in our prosperity is in complete control of our end from the beginning! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

Contrary to this new 21st Century Gospel-Lite philosophical preaching that asserts that if you choose to follow Jesus, (as if you ever would) the rest of your journey will be a flowery bed of ease,  God recycles those who have put their faith and trust in Him alone into agents of transformation for the upbuilding of His Kingdom in the Earth! While The Father of Comfort is determined that you reach the fullness of your Destiny, He’s Sovereignly ordained that you face resistance, struggles and adversity in this life, in order to produce and prove your Godly character.

It’s easy for us to get stuck in the muck and mire of our pain and waste it! #Datsoundsabitharsh, huh? Honestly, while life is filled with unexpected uninvited disruptions, nothing happens coincidentally! God doesn’t waste pain! It’s in the midst of these sporadic interuptions that we discover what God has put on the inside of you, not to deminish you, but to prepare you for the next level of your mission. Hence, we must decide whether or not we’re going to remain pitififul or allow this to make us powerful!

I tend to think about it like this, everytime I use my painful experiences to help somebody who’s facing a challenge that I’ve already come thru, I just imagine the demons trembling in terror. Remember the scripture that says, if they only knew what was going to happen when they crucified our Lord and Savior, they never would’ve done it! (Ref. 1 Corinthians 2:8) Ha! Ha! So, I gotta admit that turning the tables on the devil is absolutely delightful. In fact, I tell him, “Satan, you’re gonna regret every moment of this more than I ever will!”

Beloved, by using the lessons we gain to help somebody else, we’re heaping coals of fire on the devil’s head! If you will allow the pain to transform your mind, you gain a greater understanding of God’s miraculous Power and sustaining Grace! Besides that, your faith will boister a personal confidence that affirms ‘IF GOD DID IT BEFORE, HE’LL DO IT AGAIN! As I allow these experiences to make me better rather than bitter, I can be content regardless of my circircumstances!’ (Ref. Philippians 4:11)

Somebody said, NO PAIN NO GAIN! However, unless you change your perspective, this offers little to motivate you in the furnace of affliction! In order for us to grow through these seasons of difficulties we must be fully persuaded that because of God’s unconditional Love and immutable Faithfulness, the only reason God has allowed this, is because He knows He can trusts me with this trouble! WOW! PURPOSE TRUMPS PAIN!

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