Tag Archives: Holiness

WEIGHT ON THE LORD!

weight on the LORD 3

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:13-14

“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Isaiah 55:22

 

Glancing up at the TV screen on my way into the kitchen one morning, I couldn’t help but hear this early morning’s breaking news report that sometime, while most of us slept in the comfort and safety of our homes, a group of bomb-strapped terrorist had stormed into a Pakistani school house killing over 120 people, including  a number of 1st to 6th grade students, teachers and anyone else who crossed their sight lines. As I tuned my ears, the commentator continuing on said that Isis had proudly stepped up, acclaiming  responsibility for this heinous act in retaliation for a previous attack against their forces.

After reminding myself again,why I’m not an avid news watcher, I came up stairs to ask my husband whether or not he’d heard about it, and he had. Almost simultaneously, both of us asked “What is this world coming to”?  ” It’s as if nothing is sacred, nothing is restricted by basic human morality!

Suddenly, the Holy Spirit cut into our conversation; “The End!” I repeated, as if the light had just been cut on. “The End!” The world, as we’ve known, is coming to an end,  live and living HD color! Who nu? The 21st century generation would be eye witnesses to the actualization of the antiquated prophetic utterances of God’s servants.

I found myself praying, “Lord, as Pastors, preachers, teachers, evangelists, your servants, what are we supposed to do? How can we continue to preach trust and hope to comfort and encourage your people surroundied by the presence of lawless gross darkness? Especially when we ourselves are fainting, wearied, overwhelmed and being choked by the cords of cares and chaos!”

The Holy Spirit interrupted my self-induced saga; “Tell them about JESUS! After all He is The Only Hope of the World! Preach, JESUS! The Eternal Light that yet shines out of the darkness. Remind them that all these things must be before The Kingdom of God ushers in The New Life! Hail to the scattered sheep that NOW is the time for Salvation! Warn them that time is winding up, spiraling intently towards eternity and NOW is the time to prepare to meet their Master in peace; for He could show up at any minute!”

“Encourage your fellow-sojourners to take full advantage of these days, not trembling in fearful foreboding but celebrating God all day,every day!”

My mind went back to the wisdom of those ol’ skool  Churrch Mothers? ‘Wear this world like a loosing fitting overcoat, that you can drop-off at a moment’s notice!’ That was their way of reminding us that we are not home yet. We are still passing through this barren land on our way to Heaven!

Beloved, if all your hope is wrapped up in what you can collect, seeking man’s approval and striving to attain society’s standard of success, then my precious one, the best you can expect to see in this world is constant decadence of morality and amplified misery. But asThe Redeemed, we have an resounding advantage over those who are yet in darkness. GOD IS STILL GOD!

God is not surprised at anything that’s happening! He Reigns Supreme Ruler over His Creation, astutely aware and actively involved in the intrinsic detailed affairs of man-kind! And to top it all off, God loves us with an Everlasting Love that compassionately invites us to come boldly before His Throne daily to find Hope, Help, Mercy and Grace!

Therefore, Beloved, we do not give up HOPE! We contend for the faith, waiting patiently in earnest expectation, resting in quiet confidence and believing to see that THE ONE WHO HAS PROMISED IS FAITHFUL TO PERFORM! WEIGHT ON THE LORD!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

WHAT’S THAT SMELL?

WHAZ DAT SMELL

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.” Leviticus 10:1-3

You wouldn’t be the first person to accuse us Newton’s of having a peculiar sense of humor, okay?

But I gotta admit that’ I do so get a kick out of watching that strange look that suddenly appears on the face of the sales clerk at the department store’s perfume counter after she offers me that scented card to smell to which I immediately, ever so politely, of course, inform her, “Oh, don’t bother! I haven’t been able to smell nothing in years!” Then I hit her with, “ I had sinus surgery and they removed all of my smellers!” They normally respond, unspoken of course; “then what da heck are you doing at this perfume counter?” To which I offer, “I just like to smell good!” Considering the high cost of the most popular fragrances today, obviously I am not alone!

Unfortunately, this sentiment doesn’t always spill over into the spiritual realm. According to today’s scripture text, God doesn’t not appreciate neither does He accept any ol’ kind of worship! The Nerve of God, huh? Absolutely! Ain’t nobody else God BUT GOD! Hence, He Alone gets to set the parameters of Holy Worship!

Nevertheless, with us being so suchy much, we tend to have our own opinions about everything, including what’s acceptable service and worship of God. As if we could possibly have the spiritual fortitude to pick and choose what’s holy and unholy, huh?

Although, sometimes, you can’t really tell who’s who. We’ve become so proficient in covering up our true scent—at least between the hours of 11-1:30 on Sundays! But try following some of us to the parking lot—confusion-with a capital C!

Aaron’s son’s Nadab and Abihu are startling examples, of what foul worship can cost us! But they aren’t the only ones in the Holy Writ who profaned the sanctity of God’s Commandments. In fact, man-kind has a long history of being outright obstinate when it comes to following God’s Ways, completely ignoring that other side of God’s Righteousness, Justice!

NEWS FLASH!!! God hates Sin! Sin is a stench in God’s Nostrils! Sin separates us from God! BUT DO WE REALLY CARE?

Not according to Jeremiah 5 “Right and wrong mean nothing to them. They stand for nothing, stand up for no one; throw…Do you think I’ll stand by and do nothing about this?”… “Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures against a people like this?”

What does your praise small like when it hits GOD’s nostril! Does it exude a sweet smelling aroma…or as my grand-baby likes to say “uuhhhh DISGUSTIN’!” SMELL CHECK! OMG! WHAT’S THAT SMELL? #IJS

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

 Ann Caffee

LIVE FREE!

 

LIVE FREE 3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s why God sent Jesus!

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

OMG, SMH…AGAIN! Didjaheardat?

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

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

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

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

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

THURSDAY’S PRAYER!

PRAYN AND FASTING PIC

GOOD MORNING FAMILY! GOTTA MOMENT? This is the day that our Lord God has created and bcuz ur able to ready this message, He’s blessed u a brand new day to rejoice and give GOD the Glory! Once again, The New Nations Worship Ministries Family invite u to join us in our Corporate Day of Fasting and Prayer between the hours of 6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

LET’S PRAY,

“Here we r to worship, Here we r to bow down, Here we r to say that You’re Our God! You’re altogether Love, altogether Worthy, altogether WONDERFUL!

Eternal God our Father, we’ll never know why You love us so; but we’re so glad that You do. We know that it’s because of this, it was You who awakened us to this new day, gave us the mind to recognize that for The Grace and Mercy of God, we’d be lost, outdoors, homeless, hungry, and without the strength to get up on our own! We thankya, Kind Jesus, for watching over us, while we slept, keeping us safe from murders, rapist, thieves and robbers; it was nobody but Your Sovereignty that rebuked, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, fires, floods and death, allowing us to rest secure under the Shadow of Your Almighty Wings!

Father, we come today, acknowledging that it is indeed an honor and a priviledge that you have esteemed us worthy to approach ur Throne of Majesty, Grace and Mercy! It with humble gratitude that we come boldly without fear of wrath or retribution because of the Sacrifical Lamb, Jesus, who has destroyed every obstacle that our sinfulness has locked us outside of Your Covenant Care; and because of Your Faithfulness and acceptance of His Atoning Blood, You welcome and embrace us with righteous, peace and joy in The Holy Ghost!

We are fully aware that we, in and of ourselves, could never warrant such Lovingkindness, but because of Your Holiness and personal commitment to Your Word, You have adopted us into Your Royal Family, even given us Your Name, declaring to a thousand generations, that whosoever would call upon the name of The Lord Jesus, shall be saved and engrafted into The Kingdom of your Beloved Son, inheriting everything that we will ever need pertaining to life and godliness!

Heavenly Father, we thankya for recognizing the fraility of this human flesh and the deafness that too often causes us to ignore Your righteous commands, giving heed to the seducing spirits that intice our flesh to willfully and unwillfully disobey You and walk outside of the paths that Your Word have designed and directed us to shield us from destruction! But Your Patience and Compassion for us won’t allow You to leave us there, but shepherd us to return to Your fold, leading us to green pastures and still waters.

Father, You already know what’s going in the lives of each and everyone who is reading and echoing this prayer in their hearts right now, because You are Omniscient and You Omnipresence assures us that nothing happens in our lives by happenstance, but except You have allowed it, we pray that You will give us the confidence to walk through these circumstances, holding on to Your nail-scarred Hand, fully persuaded by The Hope that dwell is us, that You will never leave us, never forsake us, never tempt us beyond that which we can endure!

Abba Father, we pray that as we endure the hardships that are part of our living in this broken world, that we remain steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your Work of Your Hands, trusting You even when we don’t understand why, what, how or when, nevertheless convicted and convinced by the faith that working in us, that Your Purpose yeilds peaceful fruit of righteousness that we’d never experienced except thru the painful process that You’ve orchestrated in our walk to Destiny!

Lord, we ask also, as You have commanded that You bless everyone who has yet to personally accept Your free gift of Salvation that You have wrought thru the life, death, burial and ressurection of Jesus Christ. Let today be the day that Holy Spirit quickens their stony hearts with God-inspired Repentance, that they’ll bow their hearts to You asking Your forgiveness and confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Lord, we ask You to put a yes in the heart and mind of every backslider, let today be the day that they come back to You and come back Home to the local church.

Father, we also pray for every believer who is yet holding on to Your Hand by faith today, that You will release Divine power, Supernatural strength and health, provision, prosperity and protection. We ask that You will preserve them thru the tests that they must go thru and that You will bring them out wholly restored, renewed, refreshed and with the reward as You have promised them in Your Word.

Heavenly Father, we believe with all of our heart, mind, body and soul that You are able to make everything work together for our greatest good and your Highest Glory! As we pray, Lord, we’re lifting up our families, friends and anyone who needs to know Your Love and Help, trusting You to cover them in Your Blood; Jesus according to Your Word and your Name, we have been authorized to bind and rebuke every Satanic influence over their minds, to cast down every demonic spirit that would take our children away from you, we decree and agree that every negative spirit that would hinder our loved-ones and those who love you from walking in the God-Ordained plan and purpose for their lives, be dismissed today, in Jesus Name! We release, healing, hope, peace, love, joy, prosperity and wholeness in every area of our lives, suddenly!

We pray for every leader, government, judicicial, coporate, financial, educational official, every Apostle, Bishop, Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, Evangelist and Missionary, for we recognize that the kings heart is in Your Hands; we ask that The Holy Ghost break up the fallow ground and loose a spirit of repentance immediately, fill them with holy reverance and a burning desire for righteousness! Lord we ask you to equip every soul that You’ve called, empower them to perform Your Will that they may be pleasing in Your sight.

Father we pray that your favor rest upon Your people wherever they go; open doors that have been shut before them and close every open door that would detour them from Your Perfect Way!

We, with joyful thanksgiving and praise, and confident trust, rooted firmely in Your Loving-Kindness, Faithfulness, Power, Mercy and Grace, we fear no mere man or demonic spirit . We stand strong, resting in the shadow of Your Countenance because You are our Shield and Buckler! Your Words affirm that You are watching over us, listening to our hearts plea and Sovereignly granting even those unexpressed desires of all those who trust in You! You, O Lord, are always on alert, constantly on the look-out for your people, who are totally committed to you, we humbly thank you for these and all blessing, in Jesus Name! Amen 3x