Tag Archives: lord

A LIVING TESTIMONY?

A LIVING TESTIMONY

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:11-12

Have you heard that old cliché, “ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS”? Well guess what, according to today’s scripture text, The Bible said it first! Seriously! That kinda sheds a whole new light on parenting, huh? Perhaps, this might even explain the outbreak of blatant rebelliousness so prevalent amongst of our youth.

Studies have concluded that children whose parents eat nutritious foods and exercise daily also grow up to become adults who eat right and exercise daily. Uuummm! Unfortunately, this trending does not necessarily carry over into our spiritual lives. Hence, often times there’s a discerning disconnect between our religious persuasions and our real-life saunter.

While the scriptures enumerates the importance and the responsibility that we, who have confessed our faith in the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ and accepted the Gift of His Righteousness, have to represent Our Master to a lost and dying world! However, sometimes we relegate this obligation to mean only ‘card-holding’ church delegates. Now who do you think started that lie?

The Bible says in Acts 1:8, Jesus himself testifies, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Didjaheardat? Who shall be witnesses? Sounded like it says it’s the believers! Oh Yeah! Those who have God living in them will be called to the witness stand to testify to the Living Truth of The Gospel!

Have you heard that other one, (most often attributed to St. Francis Assisi) “Preach the Gospel Always, and if necessary use words”?

Apparently, we’ve been charged to spread The Good News everywhere we go. No, that doesn’t mean that the saints are to act like an elite force of bible-tote’n secret service agents, armed and ready to attack unsuspecting unbelievers, beating them over the head with your scripture quoting. But rather, it tells us that our very lifestyle should exemplify Christ-likeness. In other words, we’re commanded to walk circumspectly! (Ref. Ephesians 5:15-16) Our demeanor, our character, integrity, our love, kindness and our patience should blasts “This is a Child of The Most High God”!

Beloved, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Didjahear the one, “God is Real! The Gospel is True and Salvation is Still Available!”? If not, don’t doubt the veracity of The Message because of its erroneous misrepresentation! A LIVING TESTIMONY!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee
 

U TOOK MY SIDE…

U TOOK MY SIDE...

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:55-58

I must confess, I have a lot in common with The Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah! I guess you call it kindred spirits! I am, personally, persuaded that if you have The Love of Christ in you at all, I suspect you can identify with God’s Prophet also. The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?

Jeremiah’s pure love of God and his devotion to the people of God, often landed him swamped smack-dab-n-the-middle of backstabbing plots, the main attraction of malicious gossip, abuse, victimization and isolation! Basically, all because he dared to live godly in an ungodly environment! There goes that glitz. glam and prestigious mirage of the lifestyle of the true servants of God, huh?
Often times, in the midst of the excitement, honor, and humbling of being called, we underestimate the burden that comes along with the privilege of being used by God.

I would imagine Jeremiah was no different. Little did the he know that the weight of The Prophetic calling on his life meant being exposed to unimaginable, unparalleled suffering, grief, sorrow and yes even fear! Somebody called it—the  cost of the anointing!

Much like any faithful intercessor today, much of his ministry encompassed weeping and mourning, not just for his own life, but because he knew the certainty of ultimate destruction awaiting the nation of Israel if they persisted in flaunting their outrageous rebellion again their God!

While the Bible does make it clear, that because we represent another Kingdom and King, we should expected to be tagged alien intolerant troublers, BUT spit on, chased down and beaten, treated like last weeks garbage, thrown into an empty cistern, left to die in the muck and the mire? I know it’s not always easy to help hurting people! Oh, come on now!

Nevertheless, when the saints suffer persecution because of the ungodliness of others, there is great recompense of reward! According to today’s scripture text, when Jeremiah called out to God, God rescued him. Just as He does for us! Have I got a witness?

When we come to the end of ourselves and our lamenting heart cries out, “LORD HELP ME!” our Loving Father, looking down from on high, seeing the tears streaming from our eyes, comes near, saying “Don’t be afraid! It’s gonna be all right! I gotcha!”

Has God ever restored you with A WORD? Seriously! It only takes One Rhema Word from God to jump-start the most wearied heart and re-igniting the faintest hope, with His Peace. Thereby, allowing that you to rest assured in quiet expectation of imminent rescue and deliverance trusting solely in The Loving Caring Heart of The Faithful Friend!

THANKYA JESUS FOR TAKING MY SIDE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

DO U KNOW?

do-u-know2

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. Deuteronomy 8:2

 

Someone once said, “God allows tests, trials and trouble to hyjack a Believer’s life in order to build up your faith”! Well, I’m not trying to dispute the validity of that train of thought, but simply contemplating, with all of the Hell the Saints have been going through lately, seems to me we ought to have a whole lot of ‘buff’ specimens prancing around our neighborhoods, huh? Justhinking, yall!

According to our scripture text, God delayed the Israelites entering and taking possession of The Promised Land for 40 years, right? Strangely enough, only two of the original slaves who were miraculously delivered out of Egyptian bondange actually crossed over into Caanaan. Joshua and Caleb. It was God’s testimony that they had a different spirit! (Ref. Number 14:24)

Evidently, God recognized that unlike all the others who had personally experienced the Awesome Powerful Providential care of God, these two trusted God, were relying wholeheartedly upon His Word, regardless of what contradictory circumstancial evidence suggested.

As I always say, ‘don’t be so hard on the Israelites’! After all, how often have you (so-called name-it-and-claim it-blabb-it-and-grab-it-disciples) latched hold to The Promises of God without taking into consideraton the process of transformation that must take place to prepare you for the manifestation? And remember how frustrated and anxious you got when God didn’t do things the way you expected Him to? We won’t even mention the complaints and accusations! Seriously?

Trust to know, God’s never the problem! Whatever God says IS!

When God says you’re delivered, you’re delivered. Obviously there’s something innately inscribed in our DNA that causes us to adapt to a worldly psychology ‘just open up the door and I can get it myself’. By the way, how’s that working for you? I know, right? Just when you thought you had it all together, here comes something you never expected! And try as you might, you can’t seem to work your way out of this wilderness mess, huh?

But hold up! God never intended you to live independently of Godself! That’s why He sent Jesus! He wants to take you farther, bless you more and keep you longer than you could ever go alone!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

Sometimes, you become so fixated on what you want, what you think and how you feel that you’re blinded to The Pillar of Fire and The Cloud that’s right before your eyes. So get over yourself!

Come to think of it, God was with them all the time, yet those who failed to Glorify Him as The Most High God, missed their opportunity to inhabit the Promised Land! #OMG!!!

WHATZ IN YOUR SPIRIT? GOD ALREADY KNOWS! DO U KNO?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

DON’T SELL YOURSELF CHEAP!

DON'T SELL URSELF CHEAP!

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 marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

 

Granted, given the peer pressure of this 21st Century society that we live in, it ain’t no easy task, howeverrr, sometimes, we just gotta learn how to appreciate ourselves for the fearfully, wondrously and gloriously made creations of God that we are! (Ref. Psalm 139:14) #ijs!!!

 For some of us, by the time you get to Jesus, you’ve already suffered years of psychological damage, mis-use and abuse. As the psalmist said, we’ve been ‘ buked and scorned, lied on, cheated, talked about sure as we’re born; slammed and crushed by life that you’ve subconsciously de-valued yourselves so much so that when you hear some preacher say ‘God loves you’, your initial response is an overwhelmingly cynical—REALLY? But the Good News is that God is not intimidated by  your fragile-self-incriminating state. He specializes in restoring broken things!

As you continue to feed on The Word of God, through the enabling Power of The Holy Spirit, your eyes are opened to Truth and astonishingly, you will begin to see yourself through the “blood stained” Savior’s eyes. As God’s relentless Loving-kindness and Amazing Grace begins to penetrate the callousness of your heart, you get a revelation of the Magnificent Compassion that your Heavenly Father has toward you. Honestly, It’s almost unbelievable!

Come to think of it, no one BUT The Creator can determine the true worth of His creation! Remember, God Himself  deliberately and intentionally chose you in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world! Once you have accepted God’s Love, there’s no need to crave validation from anybody else. REALLY! 

NOW AIN’T THAT AWEMAAZING? 

ITZ DA TRUTH!  BELOVED, ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT ‘THEY’ SAY,  IN GOD’S EYES YOU’RE INDELIBLY PRICELESS! DON’T SELL YOURSELF CHEAP!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

THE FAITHFUL DELIVERER!

THE FAITHFUL DELIVERER!

SELAH Daily Devtions!

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delliverth him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

 

The Bible doesn’t lie to us! Neither does it sugarcoat the challenges facing our spirit to overcome a myriad of human experiences! The Scriptures reveal numerous accounts where God’s people found themselves in dire straits and having no other recourse, but to cry out to The Lord their God!

It’s been suggested that David penned today’s scripture text, reminiscing back to a time where, once again, he found himself  having to flee from King Saul’s armies, being surrounded by his enemies, and narrowly escaping with his life. And here again, David testifies of God’s miraculous deliverance. (Ref. 1 Samuel 21:10-15)

We see The Apostle Paul declaring in 2 Timothy 3:12…’Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution,’ echoing David’s sentiment as he encourages his young protégée, Timothy, to expect afflictions and persecution as you walk with Jesus Christ.

The Bible never tells us that after we make the decision to live holy as unto The Lord, that we can just relax on a flowery bed of ease. Quite the opposite! Your very life becomes a reproof to those who do not live a Godly lifestyle and testifies against the Godlessness in others.

Afflictions, denotes suffering, pain and trouble that lasts for a loooong time. And many of us can raise both our hands and kick up our heels to attest to that fact ; YES!  We have been enduring afflictions, persecution, pain and trouble for what seems a long time. Nevertheless, I come to remind the saints of God that we do have a remedy for every single one of life’s maladies.

Psalm 34:17 says …“The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

As believers, we’ve been instructed to walk by faith, not feelings or fear! It’s during these night seasons when you can’t see God’s Hand,  when you truly learn to trust His Heart and His Plan! No matter what you may be experiencing now, whether its physical, mental, financial or spiritual affliction, my precious sista, brother we can all rest assured because our God is always just one prayer away!

Your Adversary, Satan, feeds on your fear and works over-time to convince you that what’s now will be forever. BUT! As usual,  the devil is a liar and he ain’t running nuffin!  In factGod knows exactly where you are and  before He allowed you to enter into this season of testings and trails, HE HAS PREDETERMINED THE EXACT MOMENT OF YOUR DELIVERANCE!  #didjaheardat? Oh Yeah! AIN’T NOBODY GOD BUT GOD! 

You must never allow intimidating circumstances to lure you away from Abba’s Love!  Commit yourself to The Sovereignty of The Lord Almighty. Afterall,  He’s The One Who says when enough is enough!

PRECIOUS ONE, BECAUSE GOD HAS COMMITTED HIMSELF TO FAITHFULLY DELIVER HIS CHILDREN, WHO CAN PREVENT HIM? #juskeepinit100–flatout! 

 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

4 GOD’S SAKE!

FOR GOD'S SAKE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” Ezekiel 36:22-23

‘FOR GOD’S SAKE!’ How many times have you heard that? Most often it’s an expression used in an effort to persuade someone of your sincerity or swearing to a certain commitment! Backndaday (as my grandchildren say), there was an old saying, ‘A man’s word, is his bond’. In other words, yea was yea and nay was nay! Wonder why you don’t hear that much anymore? Today, instead of shaking hands, you’d better have a legal contract documenting the terms of agreement! And even then, you might need some deep pockets to carry you through your opponent’s legal appeals! Right?

Can you imagine how God felt, having hand-picked a people, wholly committing GODSELF and swearing by HIS NAME to love and care for them, unlike no other nation in the earth in the history of mankind, promising to give them their own land eternally, only to have His Chosen, reject and abandon Him; giving themselves over to polluted ‘no-god’ worship? Well that’s exactly what The Israelites did!

The ungrateful obstinacy of God’s Elect, provoked God’s Holy Anger to the point that He uprooted the entire nation scattering them to alien countries. Yet, not even their despicable unfaithful adulterous actions could separate them from The Faithfulness of God’s Love!

Having been exiled to foreign nations, the Israelites suffered unbelievable humiliation from people, whom by God’s own definition, were ‘worst than my people’! Wherever they were forced to go, God’s people were sentenced to shameful ridicule! But even more devastating, God’s Name and Holy Reputation was being defiled throughout every country they landed. God’s desire to raise up a holy nation, a royal priesthood showcasing His Wondrous Glory and Amazing Grace causing those other nations, yet under the bondage of sin, to forsake their evil ways and run to God for Salvation, was being thwarted due to the ungodliness of His Own People!

The Master decreed, ‘enough is enough’ and determined by His Own counsel to deliver His People!  Despite their proven unworthiness,  God pulled them out of their self-made stinky situation once again bringing them back to the land promised to their ancestors, blessed them to the extent that the surrounding nations stood gasping, amazed at the sight of such bountiful outpouring of God’s Favor! WOW! That’s what you call MERCY, huh?

However, God made it explicitly clear that He wasn’t doing this to make a name for the people, or even because the people deserved it, but rather, because HIS NAME was on the line! GOD’S NAME, represents GOD’S WORD!

That’s the core of our personal salvation, my precious saints! When we dare to step out by faith, not allowing our own unworthiness to reject God’s Mercy, but gratefully accepting God’s Loving Kindness towards us, trusting solely upon the sacredness of God’s reputation and God’s Word, whosoever can have whatsoever God decrees! FOR GOD’S SAKE!
SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

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

FILL ME UP LORD!

 

FILL ME UP LORD3

SELAH DAILY Devotions!

 

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalm 23:5

 

In Ancient Near East, according to The Bedouin Law of Hospitality, it was the custom and duty to be hospitable to foreigners, strangers and travelers. The host was required by custom to provide food, water and shelter to the wayfaring traveler. In doing so the host was accepting the responsibility of protecting the traveler as long as he remains in his territory.

According to the historical Eastern culture tradition, when a host wanted to let his guest know that he was truly welcomed and that in his house there was plenty to accommodate the comfort and happiness to his guest, he’d ask the guest to lift up his cup and the host would pure the wine into it, and keep on pouring wine until it overflowed and spilled out onto the carpeted banquet floor. The guest would then know that he was doubly and abundantly welcomed!

As part of this hospitality, guests would also be anointed with oil, so that their robes emanated a delightful fragrance, indicating that the host would anoint his honored guest, not sparingly but to the extent that their heads would glisten in the candle-lights! Failure to do this was recognized as a deliberate rebuff and insult! WOW!

Now I get that this might be difficult for most of us westerners to comprehend, given the fact that for the most part, hospitality has become a lost art. However, thankfully, with God, it’s a tradition that never goes out of style. God’s Benevolence is exuberantly extravagant! He lavishes His gifts upon all who will embrace His gracious loving-kindness with up-stretched hands and open hearts, anxiously awaiting His unending ever-flowing river of compassionate providential care!

In the Scriptures, oil is a figure of God The Holy Spirit. While it’s the mission of our common arch-enemy, Satan to suppress the Children of God, enslaving you in small places, confined to poverty, lack and diminished hope, joy and peace, The Holy Spirit intercedes on your behalf, ushering you into large lands flooded with showers of blessings! (Ref. John 10:10)

Needless to say, faith in Christ does not exempt believers from trying times of tearful sorrow, wearied by disappointment, the dishonor and rejection of shameful lies! Nevertheless, we’re yet able to rejoice as The Spirit of God infuses our soul with joy and gladness, grace upon grace, love without measure and peace beyond understanding!

Beloved, God is not content with your being satisfied with just enough! He’s The King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Therefore as His Heritage, He’s chosen to give us more than we could ask or think! (Ref. Ephesians 3:20) Amazing, huh?

Our Great Shepherd invites you to be seated at the table He has prepared today, making a public announcement to your enemies—‘don’t even try it,’ lifting His cup over your head, signifying that as His guest, you’re not just getting leftovers, but you’ve got the keys to the whole house to enjoy the finest of provisions! 

Hence, God delights in running your cup over so that you can’t contain the blessings, and will be able to share with others so that His Grace is reaching more and more people, multiplying thanksgiving to overflow to the Glory of God. (Ref. 2 Corinthians 4:15)

Didjaheardat? Well, whatcha say?

“HERE’S MY CUP LORD, I LIFT IT UP, COME AND QUENCH THE THIRSTING OF MY SOUL!” …DRINK UP!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 Ann Caffee

RELEASE AND RELAX!

RELEASE AND RELAX!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus For good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should Walk in them” Ephesians 2:10

Okay, let me begin by saying, it’s not my intention to offend the sanctity of The Holy Writ, however it’s been my personal internal experience that often the process of life application is ‘easier said than done’! Needless to say, this mindset tends to carry  along its own measure of guilt. After all, we’re people of faith, right?

Fortunately, when we understand The Truth, that God Himself, fully aware of who and what we are capable (aka incapable of), has saved us, not because—but—in spite—of, we get a snapshot of God’s Impregnable Loving Kindness towards us, laced with a whopping dollop of reality!

Hence, GET OVER U! News Flash! You are not the ‘good news’! Jesus Is!

None of us is saved by trusting in ourselves, but anyone can be saved by trusting in God’s Mercy! None of us can keep our selves saved through our own volition, however by trusting in God’s Grace we are sustained through His Sufficiency!

Ultimately, its placing your personal confidence in The Almighty God, realizing (as the Ol’ Skool Church Mothers’ sanng) “JESUS PAID IT ALL, ALL TO HIM I OWE, SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN, AND HE WASHED ME WHITE AS SNOW”, and accepting as Truth, that everything required to satisfy The Righteousness of God, Jesus already did it, releases us from the daily burden of ‘being good enough to deserve God’s goodness! Didjaheardat?

WOW! JESUS, Perfection Personified, got it all right for you!

Now that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook! Don’t be foolish; be grateful! Because of His Once-and-for-all Sacrificial Death, we no longer have to be judged according to our filthy righteousness but now are free to live hope-filled, holy, God-Honoring, God-Witnessing lives, reflecting the Light of God’s Glory to a dark, lost, and dying world! (Ref. John 10:10)

As we continue to walk with Jesus, entrusting our very lives to Him, our faith increases, our knowledge expands, and our experiences will teach us that trusting God is about releasing yourself from the futility of struggling to meet the unrealistic expectations of others, and most importantly, releasing yourself from devastating side effect of self-imposed exile, self -rejection!

WHEWWWW! So, RELEASE AND RELAX! REST YOURSELF! You’re in The Hands of The Almighty God who is always with you; working everything out in your life for your highest good and His GREATER GLORY!

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