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TOTALLY COMMITTED

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TOTALLY COMMITTED

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee…Fear not; for I am with thee. Even everyone that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory; I have formed him, yeah, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:2, 5

Jesus is our living example of God, a Son, a Servant, a man, who is totally committed!

Remember that song, “Fully Committed”. I believe it topped the charts and was hailed by choirs all over the world for months. Yet, I wonder how many of us were just repeating as opposed to actually repenting? UUMMMM! Wonder why you hardly ever hear that song these day?

Have you noticed that many of us struggle in making commitments, and even more critical, in our being totally committed?

Commitment is one of the greatest forms of worship! My brothers and my sisters, God is calling Zion to a higher place of worship and praise! It’s not about the lifting up of our hands; it’s about the lifting up of our hearts!

Do you believe that every believer has a ministry? Or are you one of those who still think that that’s just for the card carrying saints? Well it’s time for you to know the Truth! Jesus is calling every single one of us to be His witnesses in the earth; and commitment is the character of a true disciple! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:18) Unfortunately, too many of God’s people are so pre-occupied by the ”self-centered-what about me-I-doctrine” that they never answer the call!

I’m not saying that God doesn’t want us to enjoy the blessings of His Salvation Benefits Package, but He doesn’t want them to consume all of our tasks, time and talents with ‘what’s in it for me’ that we lose sight of the Eternal Kingdom Mission, i.e. SOULS FOR CHRIST!

NOW THAT U KNOW, lets’ all Pray,
“Father, now that I know what You really want from me,  I surrender and commit all –“my everything”.  Everything I am, everything I got, everything I’m not; I give to you. Unto you O Lord, I lift up my soul. I release it, my ‘self’, into your hands. I empty myself unto and into You. Like a person who is being committed to a mental health institution!

I COME because Your Word promises to keep my mind in perfect peace; like a person who has been committed to a high security penal institution, like the Apostle Paul, I am a prisoner of Christ, I am being confined for life, with no chance of parole nor probation!
Lord Jesus, as I COME. I come to abide, remain forever in the secret place, under the shadow of the Almighty God; I commit MY SELF – my heart, my thoughts, my body, my emotions, my relationships, my care, MY WILL – MY BEING – my entire EXISTENCE!

I come to you now, and I volunteer my service –I give up my rights and bow to Your Right as my Creator to rule and to reign over my life! I come to you now, without fear, fully persuaded in light of all that You’ve done for me, it’s only my reasonable service! (Ref. Romans 12:1)

Today, Father, I submit, surrender and commit  ALL I AM To You, in The Majestic Name Lord Jesus! Amen 3x!”

 TOTALLY COMMITTED? SERIOUSLY? WOW! #freedom

SELAH!

“Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!”

Ann Caffee

 

WHATCHA SAY?

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whaacha-say-2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Ever wonder why it seems like The Word of God isn’t working for you? Hopefully, we do know that the fault can’t be with God, right? Well that leaves, you know who; and I ain’t talking about the devil. Although he doesn’t mind a bit lapping up the free publicity! So what are we doing, or perhaps more appropriately, what are we not doing?

Normally, in our western culture, we tend to use the words, declare and decree interchangeably when in fact they are quite different. Judicially, before a policy or a law can be enforced or carried out there must be a decree or a mandate  authorized by a source who is empowered to rule or to govern. In other words a decree must be handed down from a sovereign or higher authority!

One of the many fringe benefits of our Covenant Relationship through our Lord Jesus Christ is as bona fide heirs we have The Keys to the Kingdom! Keys represent authority! However, we must first understand not what but Who our Key is—it is the Name of JESUS! (Ref. Romans 4:11) Hence, The Creator of the universe has entrusted us to speak (decree) things that be not and expect them to come to pass. (Ref. Romans 4:17) Didjaheardat?

As authorized agents of the Kingdom, we’re charged to enforce the plan of God—which is the WILL of GOD revealed in the WORD of GOD! This means any demonic attempt to block us from receiving the blessings of our Heavenly Father is thereby bound and forced to bow to The Name of Jesus!

The problem is, ofttimes, His children never reach a level of maturity in the things of God to freely operate in the power that God has ordained. Hence, instead of calling those things that be not as though they were, we continue to call things that are as if they will always be! And guess what, since we are created in His Image, we get just what we say! And then blame GOD because we don’t get the results we expect! We got some nerve, huh?

Considering Amos 3:3 asks “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” , today, is your walk in alignment with Kingdom Authority? Are you calling those things which be not as though they are? Or, are you calling those things as they are? #IJS

ARE YOU SAYING WHAT GOD SAYS OR SAYING WHAT YOU SEE? INTERESTING, huh? WHATCHA SAY?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

WORTHY!

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WORTHY!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. 1 Chronicles 16:23-27

 

Today’s scripture text takes place when King David and the Levitical Priests were finally bringing The Ark of the Covenant home to Jerusalem, after their first attempt turned drastically wrong, releasing the burning Anger of God resulting in the death of the King’s servant, Uzzah, who unsuspectingly illegally handled The Ark. (Ref. 2 Samuel 6:6-11)

But GOD! In his infinite Mercy and Grace, allows David a second chance to restore The Presence of God to its rightful place, in the center of the City of David. This time, David sought instructions of The Lord rather than presuming that he already knew the Will of God. Oh Hallelujahhhhh!!!!

How many times have we run ahead of God, only to regrettably discover that our decisions landed us smack-dab-in-the middle of a dead-end situation? Oh, the folly of man’s failure to remember The Wonders of God’s Sovereignty is far too great to be limited by our past experiences or the inadequacy of human intellectual presupposition. Nevertheless,  our Condescending Savior’s Grace towards us is revealed time and time again as His Favor allows us the opportunity to repent and turn back to Him that He might Shepherd and direct us in the appropriate Ways we should go. Have I gotta a bonifide witness to tell da truth and shame da devil?

It’s no wonder David, overwhelmed with ecstasy, joy and delight, rejoiced, danced, singing a new song celebrated before the Lord without reserve, uninhibited by person, title, position, nor shame. Israel’s King recognized fully well, that GOD alone, having forgiven his rebellious presumptions sin, restoring him back into proper right-standing with The King of Kings was indeed worthy of unrelenting worship, praise, honor and glory!

When was the last time you abandoned your expectations, mistakes, predicaments and criticisms, and lost yourself to inflamed worship in The Shechinah Glory for another second chance?

” FOR THERE IS NONE ELSE IS LIKE YOU LORD! NONE ELSE TO COMPARE WITH YOUR MAJESTIC GLORY! FOR THIS CAUSE, WE BLESS AND MAGNIFY YOUR NAME, KING JESUS… TODAY AND FOREVER MORE! FOR YOU ALONE ARE WORTHY!”

Didjaheardat? WELL…LET IT GO! MY HALLELUJAH BELONGS 2 U! ALL OF THE GLORRRAAAA BELONG 2 U! U DESERVE IT….4 U ALONE R WORTHY!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

 

DON’T GET SIDETRACKED!

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dont-get-sidebraked3

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.”…”Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:” Deuteronomy 29:9, 18-19 NIV

“All the nations will ask, “Why did God do this to this country? What on earth could have made Him this angry?”

Your children will answer, “Because they abandoned the Covenant of the God of their ancestors that He made with them after He got them out of Egypt; they went off and worshiped other gods, submitted to gods they’d never heard of before, gods they had no business dealing with. So God’s anger erupted against that land and all the curses written in this book came down on it. God, furiously angry, pulled them, roots and all, out of their land and dumped them in another country; as you can see.”

God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It’s up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation.” Deuteronomy 29:24-29 The Message

OMG!  NOT AGAIN…What is it with us? While our spirit knows fully well that Your Ways are always the best for us, yet this ol’ fickle flesh is so easily tempted to …as if we could ever possibly improve on Perfection!

When are we gonna recognize that our Heavenly Father IS OMNISCIENT… dat means HE knows the end from the beginning? Even more important, you need to remember that HE IS GOD AND UR NOT! K?  Therefore, absolutely  NOTHING IN YOUR LIFE CAN EVER TAKE HIM BY SURPRISE! #DIDJAHEARDAT?

So you still think you got a better plan, huh?  

Okay! BUT…while you’re doing YOU…Don’t let your guard down, lest there be hell to pay!

LORD, HELP US! Lord deliver us from us!  Father, when our circumstances contradict Your Promises, teach us to trust the Power of Your Word and how to activate it in our lives as we await Your Perfect Timing!  Lord Jesus, help us to stay focused on Your Word that we may see Your goodness in the land of the living! 

IF GOD SAID IT, THAT SETTLES IT…BELIEVE IT OR NOT! DON‘T GET SIDETRACKED!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

I CAN’T, BUT GOD CAN!

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i-cant-but-god-can-3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb; He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:19-22

As a remnant of the 20th Century Church, I’ve lived long enough to have a clearer understanding, why The God of The Bible adamantly commanded His Chosen Ones to resist amalgamating with those outside of covenant relationship with Him. (Ref. 2 Corinthians 6:17) And some of us thought that God just wanted to keep us from having any fun! Considering the way this world is headed, now we see the consequences of not distinguishing ourselves from unbelievers. Apparently, Father still knows best, huh?

Unfortunately, many who profess Christ, remain double-minded, straddling the fence! I can only assume their stance is depending on the group they happen to be in the midst of. Of course,  God never intended  for us to strut around robed in a spirit of self-righteous-arrogance, with our noses in the air, as if we are better than anybody else! Howeverrrr, spiritually speaking, as recipients of God’s Amazing Grace, it does make us better-off!  Oh no she didn’t!!! OOOHHH YES, I DID!

What’s the matter Zion?  Are we allowing the daily influx of mass media’s reportings  of  wide-spread chaos to leave us so traumatized by predictions of doom and gloom that they have muted our praise and drained us of Hope? If we’re walking around with our heads hung down and hearts inundated with fear and anxiety; worried about how we gonna make it, then what separates us from the Gentiles? #IJS…

Abraham,The Father of our faith, found himself in a seemingly hopeless situation. Not surprisingly, Abraham tried to fix the problem by himself. He got Ishmael (the child of the flesh) when God intended to give him Isaac (the child of Promise).When the drama and chaos had escalated to the point that Sarah gave him an ultimatum (it’s either her or me) suddenly, Abraham had an epiphany “the only hope that I have of this thing ever working is Divine Intervention.” In other words, “ Lord, I can’t do this, without Your Grace!”

OMG! Can we ever identify with Abraham! How many times have we been in a situation and we tried and tried, we cried and cried, murmured and complained, spent all we had and still came up short? It was not until we, like Abraham, made a conscious decision to stop depending on our inability, started relying on God’s Ability and turned it over to Jesus, that our hope was revived! As the text says, when all human reasoning for hope was exhausted, Abraham hoped on and God brought life into his dead situation. (Romans 4:17-18) Hence, when we come to the end of ourselves, God steps in and does what seemed impossible!

Stop listening to that devil telling you, “it’s too late, you might as well accept the situation for what it is –eminent defeat!” He’s still a liar! My precious saints, don’t allow your present (temporary) circumstances cause you to doubt the Faithful Power of God’s Eternal Word. Why settle for seconds? If you are Abraham’s seed, you are the heirs of righteousness! #didjaheardat? WOW! 

So… lift up your heads, O Ye Gates! You have been anointed as agents of change! Gird up the loins of your mind AND be confident and fully persuaded that  SINCE YOU ARE IN CHRIST, THE CHRIST IN YOU automatically gives you a Supernatural advantage over natural consequences! (Ref. Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

Beloved,TRUST 2 KNOW THAT WHATEVER GOD PROMISES, HE IS WELL ABLE TO PERFORM! ALWAYS REMEMBER…EVEN IF I CAN’T, GOD CAN!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

DRIFTERS?

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drifters-2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” Hebrews 2:1-3

 

One morning during my devotion, the Lord began speaking to me about The Millennium Church Age. At this point in my walk with Jesus, needless to say, I’ve heard many a message preached about the Church of God down through the years! Gratefully, much has been pontification of the Glorious and Victorious Church as well as those that admonish the people of God concerning the goats and the sheep and the wheat and the tare. However, I must confess I was a bit surprised when God began to talk to me about a different threat (either unnoticed or unacknowledged) that has slipped under the radar of nodding watchmen into the Kingdom. He asked, “Have you heard the one about the ‘drifters and the disciples?”
 
After thinking for a moment, I responded “No, Lord. I don’t recall hearing that one.” Honestly, my mind went ‘back in da day’, remembering the Drifters, that group of fine black men, dressed to da T and sanng’n those ‘Good ol’ slow songs’! For the 30 and under crew, u betta ask ya Mama!
 
Abruptly bringing me back from the edge of Egypt, God began to reveal to me, “Oh yes! You’ve heard about them. They may have been called ‘Backsliders’ instead!’
 
Okay! I know about the backsliders! But, when church folk think of a backslider, what generally comes to mind are those wicked ol’ evil rebellious hypocrites, aka that heathen who has turned his back and walked away from the Lord and the Church. In other words, we’ve categorized them as somebody who didn’t really love the Lord, at least not as much as he loved the world. Right? HOWEVERRR! The Lord, allowing me to peep into His thoughts for a moment, led me to Webster’s Dictionary to look up the word ‘drift’ to discover that Webster defines it several ways, but here are a few that Holy Spirit highlighted:
 
“To be carried along by a current of air or water; to pile up or to heap, to move or appear to move aimlessly, go along without knowing or caring where one is going; the sideways movement of an aircraft or ship off it’s projected course due to cross currents.”
 
Oh my! First of all, you don’t have to leave the church at all to backslide! You can become a drifter sitting front row, center aisle, or back row, far left and yes, truthfully, center stage of the pulpiteers! Didjaheardat? That ol’ devil is as cunning and subtle in 2016 as ever, huh?
 
Satan knows he can’t just blatantly confront some of us face to face with the lies that have been proven so successful among the babes in Christ. You know; like, “I don’t need to go to church; I can read my bible at home (the bedside Baptist)”; or “who says you have to belong to a church to serve God?” What about this one, “Get with the times! Don’t be so narrow-minded; after all there are all kinds of roads that lead to the Universal god, you know The Higher Power!”
 
Therefore, he applies another method to bring down the more seasoned saints. Unfortunately, all too often they’re just as lethal and successful!  Satan hurls wicked devices (distractions) into our lives to throw us off guard! A little trouble here; a trial there; a threat here lodging a bit of anxiety there; an ominous sense of foreboding fear here; a dip of delay, denial and disappointment there; a letter here and a phone call there, a rumor here and a lie there; a modest competitive spirit there or a root of resentment and rejection here! WOW! Who nu?
 
The scariest part about drifting is that you rarely recognize that you’ve moved at all! It’s not as if you were swept away from the shore by some gi-normous wave, you didn’t even hear the thunder or see the lightening flashing. In fact you never felt the ground collapsing underfoot. One minute, there you were sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tides rolling—you thought you had it all together, handling thangs, maintaining! Until… you reached for that dose of The Holy Ghost and discovered that your cup was empty and your subscription had run out! Apparently, somewhere along the trip, we got so busy with other ‘real-life-stuff’ at the expense of your personal, intimate time with Jesus! Unbeknownst to you, you’d become weary in your well-doing and unconsciously decided that it don’t take all that!
 
Tell somebody it takes all that and more! More prayer, more fasting, more wisdom, knowledge and understanding of his word, more praising, and a whole lot more His Grace to stay anchored in The Lord!
 
With all that’s going on in the world around us, it’s incumbent upon each one of us to not make light of the Apostle Paul’s teaching! Hence, make a real earnest commitment to BE a true disciple of Jesus Christ. GET A GRIP ON THE MASTER’S HAND AND HOLD ON AS IF YOUR VERY LIFE DEPENDED UPON IT! IT DOES!
 
DRIFTER? HOPE NOT!
 
SELAH!
 
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
 
 Ann Caffee

 

 

HEADED FOR THE SHOWER!

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HEADED 4 THE SHOWER!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekiel 34:26

“Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17

 

I recognize this might be hard for some of you to believe, yet as quiet as it’s kept, sometimes, it AIN’T EASY being a Christian!   Don’t shout me down now! #ijs! 

Over the past several years, many of God’s people have been going through some of the most barren, bone dry places of spiritual wilderness that they’ve experienced in their lives!

Oh, I know! We aren’t usually allowed to be so transparent (especially amongst the piously religious folk). “But, IIIII HEEEAAARRDDD” (in my best preaching voice, yall) “DA BBIIBLLE SAYS….’Many are the afflicitons of the righteous. BUT! The Lord delivers them out of them all!’” (Psalm 34:19) “CAN I GET A AMEN, CHURRCH?”

Honestly, those of you who ain’t ashamed to stand on God’s Word, recognize that God factors into our life’s iternary intermittent seasons of drought as well as luxurant abundance. Not to destroy us! He takes no pleasure in allowing His servants to suffer lack. GOD FORBID! But that His Beloved Children may learn to rely upon His Faithful Compassionate Love, regardless of harsh environmental conditions!

I don’t mean to be sacrilegious! However, sometimes knowing that all of us go through is not enough!

Nevertheless, since I must, knowing there’s a reward awaiting on the otherside worth enduring this hell to get what God has for you, somehow ignites the momentum to thrust forward!

As you walk through these unavoidable, tempestuous, unsettling spells, a seed of earnest expectation within your heart begins to sprout! Some call it a second-wind. I call is a Dinvinely prescriped injection of SUPER-GRACE! While you may not know when, where or how, somewhere down in the seat of your being, you know that a Holy-Ghost induced revival is on the way to you.

Unlike the regularly scheduled evangelistic revivals, where the unsaved are targeted, a Holy-Ghost unctioned revival is an Outpouring of Divinely Designed gut-drenching showering of blessings that quickens, revitalizes, refreshing anew the thirsty and hungering souls of those who have weathered the storms, trudging through the desolate terrain, bearing the heat of the day, trusting soley on The Promise “…Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”! (Ref. Matthew 28:20)

If you’re like me, you need the Wind of God to breath on you—again! But this time, you don’t want to stay in the same position you were before you went in. You want God to take you higher, so when that devil comes looking for you, he won’t be able to find you laying down in that same spot.

I just believe that you’re ready for everything in your life to be elevated to higher ground! I’m talking your faith, your prayer life, your praise, your obedience even your awareness of God’s Presence taking a quantrum leap toward your Purpose, huh? Of course you do!

Let the devil know, “AIN’T NO QUIT IN ME! DON’T LET MY SWEAT FOOL U, I’M HEADED FOR THE SHOWERS!”

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

AN ANEMIC CHURCH???

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AN ANEMIC CHURCH 2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Recently, I’ve come into contact with several people who undergo Dialysis treatment due to severe kidney failure. I am certainly not an expert in these matters, so humor me in my attempt to describe, in my acutely limited understanding, how dialysis works. Okay, here goes?

Apparently, the dialysis process involves draining the blood from the patient’s body thru a machine which filters out the impurities in the blood system and returns the clean blood back into the body. The number of the times the patient visits the dialysis center weekly varies according to the level of kidney dysfunction of the individual. While the benefits outweigh the risks of this procedure, there are potentially critical consequences of this process. One being anemia. One of the markers that the physician looks at to determine the stage of anemia is the ratio of white blood cells to red blood cells.

Prayerfully, none of you will ever suffer through anything like this, in the natural; yet it prompted me to look at its similarities spiritually. It’s becoming profoundly evident that The New millennium church is suffering from a severe case of spiritual anemic. Somewhere along the way, there has been a gradual drifting away and a markedly diminishing of the revelation, significance and the Power of The Blood of Jesus!

Consequently, the church is in dire need of a blood transfusion. The problem is most of the times this dis-ease goes virtually unnoticed and undiagnosed until we find ourselves sprawled out on a gurney in the ER (the Altar) depleted physically, emotionally, financially, relationally scrapped and spiritually bankrupt.

Oh yeah, some of us have become quite adept at putting on our ‘church-game-face’ and can actually manage to press on, for a good while, conquering one hurdle after another before draining all our strength. But inevitably, we get to that place where we’ve no other option but to come clean. ‘That’s it…I’m through…Kapoop…there’s absolute nothing left…I’ve tried to stop lying and cussin’, drinking and dopin’… I tried to handle this adulterous relationship…I’ve done all I can think of to keep this house/business/church afloat, keep these kids from going to jail…but now …I’m at my wits end.” And… That’s when we turn to Jesus, the True Source of All Strength and Power…The Master Physician!

You see the problem is, God never intended us to do it (LIFE) alone! That’s why He sent Jesus to restore the connection severed by Adam’s rebellion. The Blood of God’s Sacrificial Lamb flows from The Righteous to the unrighteous. As it is applied daily to our hearts, minds, our will through prayer and study of His Word, filtering into every area of our lives we are fortified and sanctified holy and acceptable to God!

The transforming Blood of Jesus purifies our sin-consciousness and empowers us to overcome all of this life’s maladies replenishing hope and healing to an anemic church and to a lost and unholy world.

THAT’S THE GOSPEL! NEED A BLOOD TRANSFUSION? #hookmeupLORD

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

DON’T LOOK BACK!

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DON'T LOOK BACK

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel Psalm 78:40-41

Ever notice how memories have a way of distorting reality.  Somehow, once we’re no longer ‘there’  WE  have this proclivity  to delete all of the bad and ugly stuff that happened to us?

Have you ever wondered why in the midst of our tests and trials, how easily our minds revert back to an earlier time and subconsciously embellishes those former times as ‘the good ol days’?

Today’s scripture text, ‘them’ Israelites illustrate this innately human response to selectively reminisce over the episodes of history, particularly whenever we’re faced with the fear of the unknown.  Hence, the grass always looks greener and better on the other side, right?

It was only about a month after God had miraculously delivered over a million former slaves out from the cruelty of Egyptian bondage, when they began to feel differently about their utterly hopelessly distressful past circumstances.  The moment they were faced with a challenge, they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron and to make matters even worse, they accused God of bringing them out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness!  

‘We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.’ (Numbers 11:5-6)

…Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:1-3) 

Somehow, they dismissed the reality, like we often do, that God had just lead His Chosen People to freedom, faithfully, supernaturally supplying everything they needed, yet they failed to appropriately appraise God’s Eternal Presence and Divine Favor based on unfamiliar temporary circumstances.

Saints, the truth is, nothing that you’ve been thru; nothing you’re going thru NOW should make you want to turn back. Remember what happened to Lots’ wife? (Ref. Luke 17:32)

Don’t make the same mistake that our forefathers made. Don’t limit your expectations of God to your former experiences! We forget that God has a panoramic view of our lives! What God has for you is always in front of you!!  Don’t worry about what you can’t see, remember GOD’s guiding us by His Eyes! So keep moving forward!  If He ever did it before, trust Him to do it again!

Our God “is well able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or thing, according to the power that works in us”. (Ephesians 3:20). 

Beloved, trust 2 Know…your future won’t  even fit in your past!  What God has prepared for you is always greater than anything you’ve been thru! 

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

Check the end of the Book–YOU WIN! DON’T LOOK BACK! 

SELAH!
 
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
 
Ann Caffee

 

NOW AIN’T DAT PECULIAR?

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AIN'T DAT PECULIAR 3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 1 Peter 2:9

 

If you’re a card-holding member of the baby-boomers community, you probably remember R&B recording Artist, Marvin Gayes’ 1965 hit song, “Ain’t That Peculiar!”. This song went on to become one of his best known signature solo-hits.

Now, of course I realize that the object of this writer’s (Smokey Robinson) affection is a two-timing-unfaithful-serial-cheating-significant-other-who-would-never-return-his-misguided- affections, but as we read the last verse, perhaps we might express this same peculiar sentiment when we consider Our Savior’s heart towards His Beloved Creation –Man-kind. “I know love can last through years…But how can love last through tears”.

While the world looks at Christians as being peculiar, stupid, unintelligent, weak-minded, poverty-stricken individuals, who are desperately looking to escape reality with fantasy, but GOD’s interpretation of peculiar differs drastically. According to the bible, peculiar not only means strange, but also connotes the exclusively chosen, uniquely selected, belonging to and set-apart for HIS Divine Purpose. God has the uncanny abiity to hand-pick the foolish for Christ to confound the world’s wise and astute, bringing Praise and Glory to God!

WHO NU? Believers are God’s Very Own Special People!  #didjaheardat? WOW!

One of the most strangely amazing things about God’s People is the reality that God ordained before the foundation of the world, that He would have HIMSELF a people, who would be different from the world around them. Different because they’d be born-again, by The Spirit of God, adopted and transformed by the Indwelling Holy Spirit! #didjaheardat?  Hence, you can’t even take credit for your own ELECT- Royal-Position!

It’s ALL GOD!!! GOD gave us The Faith to trust in Him and it’s only by GOD’s GRACE that we are empowered to live holy, separated and sanctified thru HIS SPIRIT!

None of us could ever live righteously enough to deserve this GRACE! But! While we were yet weak and powerless, at the right time, a LOVING FATHER, sent and sacrificed HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS, not to save us IN our sin, but to save us FROM our sin, reconciling us back into HIS FAMILY! (Romans 5:8) OH YEAH! WE ARE GOD’S INHERITANCE! #CANUBELIEVEIT?

WHOOAAAA! GOD’S LOVE LASTS THROUGH TEARS!  NOW DATZ PECULIAR, HUH?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee