Tag Archives: hope

BOTTOMS UP!

1 Reply

 

BOTTOMS UP 4

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:15-16

 

We are a piece of work, huh? And living proof of the Loving Compassion of our Creator! #ijs

Seriously, no other god would put up with us for as long as The Living God of the Bible. Every morning we’re awaken to a brand new day filled with hopeful promises of  fresh Mercy and Grace. Every evening we lie down confident that He who never sleeps nor slumbers will watch over us, protecting and shielding us from dangers seen and unseen, sustaining our bodies, assuring that every particle of flesh and bone is in perfect alignment with its ordained purpose and functioning at the precise rhythm of its appointed origin, without any assistance from us. (Ref. Psalm 121:4) Awemaazin!

Nevertheless, at the first hint or threat that our circumstances aren’t going the way we think they ought to go, immediately we are stricken with an acute case of fatalistic-selective amnesia, forgetting that that Self-Same-God of The Universe Who has elected to be our Father also rules and reigns over the affairs of his most precious creation, humanity!

Unfortunately, our tendency to adapt to the world’s mindset that says, ‘if I don’t, nobody else will’, often lands us smack-dab-center–staged in the valley of despair victimized by fear of lack and hopelessly doomed to looming defeat and death. The truth of the matter is, God never intended us to live independent of Him in any area of our lives!

However, it’s the all-consuming task of our adversary, Satan, to keep us so pre-occupied with our personal comfort that it takes a conscious concerted self-determined humility to commit our entire being into the Hands of our Faithful Savior, fully trusting that He’s already provided everything that will ever be needed to prosper in this life and the life to come!  (Ref. 2 Peter 1:3)  OMG! #Didjaheardat?

As our scripture text unfolds, we see The Sovereign Teacher, using a season of severe drought and famine as the Lesson Plan, to test and strengthen the faith of both His servant Elijah and the un-named widow of Zarephath. The Prophet of God had oftentimes experienced the miracle working power of God’s Grace to deliver him triumphantly over his enemies. Yet when suddenly confronted by a new threat to take him out, finds himself hiding at the Kerith Ravine on the other side of The Jordan River being waited on by God-Sent Ravens. Then God orders him to leave that place and go to another place where he’d find a woman, who God had instructed to feed him. Being the obedient servant that he was, Elijah obeyed.  Howevrrr, unbeknownst to him, this woman was dealing with her own desperately dramatic circumstances. In fact, by the time Elijah got there, she’d made a decision to prepare this last meal for herself and her son after which they’d both die and it would all be over!

God is not limited to temporary situations, neither is His power diminished by our finite ability to accurately assess what, how, where or when He dispenses out miracles. Notwithstanding, God’s miraculous intervention is sometimes limited by our personal willingness to trust Him to do whatever He promises for us! Hence, we must take care to not miss our miracle because it doesn’t look like what we expect.

For instance, imagine if Elijah had allowed the outward appearance and the initial assumption of the woman’s distressing circumstances to direct his steps? He would’ve missed another opportunity to testify to the Glory of The True Source and Sustainer of Life! And, if the widow woman had allowed her wearied fluctuating state of emotions and even the reality of physical hunger to confine her to her own plan, she and her son would’ve missed their Divine Visitation!

The scripture also makes mention that God did not instantly pour down a whole barrel of oil and a full bin of flour. And we know that HE COULD’VE! However, each day The Good Shepherd supplied them with a sufficient portion of bread and oil from the bottom of the vessels! (Ref. Matthew 6:11) Apparently, it is the delight of our Heavenly Father to joyfully greet and so graciously meet the needs of those who offer their personal trust and confidence to Him one day at a time!

REMEMBER…THEY DID EAT! FROM THE BOTTOM UP!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

AFTER THIS, LOOK FOR THE GLORY!

1 Reply

AFTER THIS, LOOK 4 THE GLORY!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“And said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked, and said. There is nothing. And he said, go up again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, go up, say unto Ahab. Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”(1 Kings 18:43-45)

 

It’s one thing to say that we trust God, but it’s how we endure the proving time that determines the genuineness of our trust!

Life inevitably includes intervals of those pesty impositions I call ‘the dark times’! Like unexpected uninvited guest, trouble has a way of poppin in and staying way longer than we’d prefer! And to make matters more unsettling, it’s during these seasons that we’ll most likely to experience times when all evidence to substantiate that God is still with you and any sign indicating that He’s even listening to your prayers is essentially non-existent!

Knowing personally, it’s not easy watching our children’s lives being ravished by sickness and their youthful dreams and ambitions dissipated by helpless hopelessness. But this is where the clichés that we so impressively sprout off to others are proven real or Memorex! Yet it’s in the midst of the storms God reveals His Best Handy Work. Who would’ve ever imagined that in spite of the dire forecast, The Son yet shines, leading and drawing us closer to Himself! Clearly, He’s determined, through any means necessary, to prove unequivocally that everything that the devil meant for evil, God can turn it around and make it work in our favor! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

Oh My! How my soul rejoiced that day, hearing that my son had given his life to The Lord during a bible study class the evening before! Little did I know that God would use this storm to woo him into seeking Him for himself positioning him for the miraculous showers of blessings that would followed! And most certainly, I never imagined as I was praying that God would stretch my faith and increase my knowledge of His Wisdom and Power, that I’d have to bury a son to experience a whole new level of God’s Sustaining Super-Grace.

The Prophet Elijah teaches his young protégé that even when we can’t see no way to escape the threat of emminent destruction, we can yet trust God’s Heart and His Hands. God’s vision is far greater than 20/20. It’s from eternity past to eternity future! God watches guardingly over us thru The Blood stained eyes of Jesus. And through confident trust and quiet patience we discover God’s Faithfulness!

Today, you may find yourself plagued by all manner of maladies. Many of God’s people being wounded and worn out by the insidious attacks of the enemies of God are losing hope for life getting any better. But remember, anything is possible with God! Troubles have a predesignated date of expiration; yet our prayers are eternal.

As people of Hope, instead of surrendering to the pressures of circumstantial evidence, we pray; committing ourselves and our circumstances to our Omnipotent, Omniscient Omnipresent Savior and Lord! Relying wholeheartedly upon His Love and the sufficiency of His Grace to sustain and deliver us! As we pray, God intervenes in His designated timing, turning everything the devil meant for evil—for our greatest good and His Highest Glory! (Ref. 1 Chronicles 7:14)

Don’t allow the darkness to deceive you. Could God be using the clouds to shield you from your enemies view, aligning you up for an unexpected miracle? (Ref. Exodus 13:21) I know it’s been a long night, but don’t give up! They tell me, the darkest hour is just before the break of a new day.

Go take another look! See that? AFTER THIS, LOOK FOR THE GLORY!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

THE BIGGEST LOSER!

2 Replies

the-biggest-loser3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them from the wicked and save them, because they trust in him.” Psalm 37:39-40

 

You know how Ol Slu Foot (dat devil) is constantly bombarding your mind with negative thoughts designed specifically to sabotage your peace? Yeah, but do we really know why?

Most of what he does is just him acting out his frustration. You see, knowing what’s in store for him compared to what we have awaiting us, and having absolutely no power to stop what God has planned for our future frustrates hell out of him!

Oh don’t get it twisted; Satan is not GOD! He has no creative power! Therefore, whatever he’s doing is restricted to what he’s allowed to do by the Authority of GOD ALMIGHTY! The Bible says that he comes as a Destroyer! Unfortunately, down thru time, he’s become quite proficient in his endeavors by using the only resource available to him to accomplish his three-fold mission. (Ref. John 10:10) What’s his resource, you ask? Memories!

Ever notice how the devil keeps bringing up your past mistakes and past failures? He specializes in accusing you of what you did or should’ve done and didn’t! Well, this morning I was reminded of a message I heard years ago. The Man of Gawd told the saints, that “When the devil starts messing with your mind about your past, just remind him of his future!“ WOW! Deep huh?

Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! As a born-again, Blood washed, Holy Ghost-filled, Child of The Most High God, we have been appointed, anointed and authorized to call those things that be not as though they are. (Romans 4:17) The problem is, most of the time we fail to exercise our power and continue to call those things that are as though they’ll always be. #4REAL!!!

Beloved, you don’t have to be intimidated by the devil. Jesus is the perfect example of walking in the overcoming life! Remember how Jesus dealt with Satan in the wilderness? (Ref. Matthew 4:1-11) And guess what, you can do the same thing that Jesus did!

Don’t be skuarred–take a stand! When believers say what God says by faith, it blows the devil’s scheme right out the water. When the devil starts dredging up your past, you better recognize that it’s time to go ol’ skool R&B on that bugga and, “Say it Loud…I’m Saved and I’m Proud!

Saints, you have to let the devil know that we know, What we know and in Whom we believe! Our God has an amazingly glorious future planned for our lives and it’s ALL good and not evil! (Ref. Jermiah 29:11)

The next time the devil tries to destroy your peace, put him in his rightful place, under your feet. Let him know in no uncertain terms, ‘Hey devil, all that stuff you keep bringing up, it’s ALL covered—under The Blood! Oh, and by the way devil, I peeped the end of the story and it ain’t looking all that good for you.

In the end, I win and you’re still a loser! It looks like you got Hell to pay!”  LOSER!!!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

DEMAND & SUPPLY

1 Reply

demand-supply-2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (Matthew 7:7)

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. (Acts 3:6)

While there are undoubtedly many attributes that can rightly be ascribed to our Lord and Savior, may I submit to you that there’s one that is often neglected—Jesus The Master Economist! Jesus specializes in managing the world to ensure that nothing’s wasted, missing or lacking. Every Word that He speaks never returns to Him void but completes the very intent to which it is sent! (Ref. Isaiah 55:11)
Jesus is intentional! Jesus was commissioned to come into this earth by His Heavenly Father for a specific purpose; the expansion of The Kingdom of God in the earth. Strangely, though He chose to accomplish this seemingly impossible task by releasing the Seed of Potential into the hearts of His elect, thereby expanding the faith of humanity! “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels–a plentiful harvest of new lives.” John 12:24 NLT
The Master Carpenter has a habit of setting you up in custom-designed circumstances to stretch your faith. I believe that anyone of Jesus’ disciples would readily testify how Jesus was constantly pulling them outside of their comfort zone. Remember that day when Jesus was preaching out in the desert to about 20 thousand folk, and suddenly turned to them nonchalantly saying, ‘Ok, it’s getting late so let’s feed the people”. (Ref. Luke 9:16) Can you imagine them looking at one another shocked, confused and wondering which one of them had pre-ordered a banquet lunch before they left town?
And what about that widow of Zarepheth, finding herself hopelessly trapped in a desperate situation, resolved to fix this last meal for herself and her son—and die when suddenly interrupted by Elijah The Prophet, who insisted that she make him a pancake first! Yet, the scriptures tell us that her faithful obedience released an unexpected miracle that not only sustained her and her household but outlasted the famine! (Ref. 1 Kings 17:7-16)
Guess what, He’s still doing it today!
I know, we’ve all heard preachers preach (and it’s biblically correct) that God doesn’t put more on you than you can bear; however, we can’t deny that sometimesssss, Jesus will ask us to do things that are way beyond our personal realm of possibility, comprehension and ability! Amen??? What we must come to realize is that we’re beckoned to these challenging predicaments, not to diminish us but to grow us! While uncomfortable to our flesh, they are God-ordained opportunities to experience the Supernatural Encompassing Sufficiency of God’s Presence, Power and Providential Care!
Beloved, Jesus invites you into these holy moments to prove that His Strength is made perfect in our weaknesses! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 12:9)
It behooves us to stop focusing on what you don’t have (deficiency) and set your attention towards WHO you do have, huh? If you will give God your trust, even if it’s no greater than a mustard seed, He will always exceed your expectations! #ijs
Sooooo, what’s going on in your life now, that’s too hard for you and Jesus to handle?
REMEMBER, ANY PROBLEM + JESUS = VICTORY! DEMAND & SUPPLY!
SELAH!
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
Ann Caffee

DESERT GRACE

1 Reply

desert-grace-2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 31:2-6

What a Life, huh? Sometimes, you just gotta take a deep breath and make a moment of reflection and introspection in order to put things in proper perspective. Granted, this is no easy feat, given that we’re all so busy now with so much to do and never enough time to do it, right? However, these day it’s no longer optional, but rather essential! Didjaheardat?

Considering the very fact that God communicates with such lowly creatures at all yet continues to baffle the regenerated soul. BUT HE’S JUS THAT KINDA GOD! What a blessing God has reserved for those who seek His Presence and guidance in the pages of His Holy Word.

Today’s scripture text allows us to mine the surface of our Creator’s loving devotion towards us as God unravels the historical context of a somewhat capricious (on our part) relationship with His Beloved Israel. Notice how tactfully The Holy Spirit enumerates the way that God’s endless loyal love is reciprocated with our disloyalty, rejection and unfaithfulness!  Even so, God’s desperation, despair and disappointment seeps out of His Yearning Heart onto the pages of these sacred writings, piercing the hearts and minds of generations who earnestly await, longing for His appearance. Don’t you just Love The Lord? Who else would go to such lengths to draw such a people, steeped in rebellion and prone to wandering back into His Providential Care?

The Holy Spirit labors to impress upon us the attentiveness by which The Heavenly Father consistently demonstrates His commitment to gently lead, guide and train us thru courses of harsh terrains, plagued with extreme hot and cold, poisonous thorns, sand storms and drought of desert life!

Lest we forget that it’s God’s Faithfulness that gives us the faith and hope to live through the dearth, every now and then we come upon random respite oasis of joy-filled celebrations to convince us not to focus on present temporal circumstances but entrust our hearts to His Hands that He might carry us to the places He wants us to go.

For some of us, the journey may start out as a dance through the tulips filled with wonder and hope-filled ease until the tide shifts and we’re encompassed about with confusion, heartache and void of all reason to hope. It’s at this point, that we come face to face with J The Good Shepherd and Savior. Christ JESUS! Much to our amazement, we soon discover that it is HE who has choreographed our steps and stops all along. More astonishing, we realize that while we have been slipping and sliding all over the place, searching for the promised land of contentment and solace, God has been right with us, waiting for us to acknowledge our intimate need for something (SOMEONE) greater than self!

Fortunately for many of us, that’s when we discover personally JESUS CHRIST! DESERT GRACE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 Ann Caffee