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A CRY AT MIDNITE!

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A CRY AT MIDNIGHT

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. Acts 16:24-25

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4

 

Whether you’ve been walking with Jesus for a long time or just recently made your personal decision to follow Christ, Salvation doesn’t exclude any of us from experiencing faith’s stresses, test and trials! If you don’t have a clue about what I’m talking about, may I draw from dem ol’ skool Mothers’ terminology, “Baby, jus keep getting up in the mornin’ and going to bed at night, sooner or later you will encounter a season in your life when you’ll feel as though God has left you alone in the valley of the shadows of death to fend for yourself!”

While this kinda theology may seem a bit strange, even unbiblical, according to some Millennials, who’ve been spoon fed Gospel-Lite-Prosperity pablum prepared by the more sophisticated-socially-acceptable-all-ingratiating-all-inclusive preachers! But check The Book, it’s still in there! “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” 1 Peter 4:12

According to Acts 16:24-25, God’s Apostles, Paul and Silas,  having been found guility they were  bound and thrown in prison, awaiting execution on death row for preaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ! Now  that what’s you call suffering for the CAUSE, huh?

Howevrrrr, what the enemy failed to take into account  was that  despite of their current circumstancces, there was something down on the inside working on the outside that kept them in perfect peace! It was their unwavering commitment to God that would fuel their faith and sustain their Hope that come what may, they would be victorious! Instead of murmuring, complaining and accusing God of being untrustworthy, they fliped the script and began to pray, praise and magnify God! TRUST2KNO, Praise Provokes GOD’S PRESENCE and when GOD moves, EVERYTHING CHANGES!

My beloved brothers and sistas, in times like these,  it behooves us to glean from those who’ve walked before us!  As you’re forced to trample through the turbulent terrains of this life, rest assured that your Heavenly Father is no dead-beat-absentee Dad!  Hold fast to God’s Eternal Word, remember it has no shelf-‘life expiration date! It’s still Light to the 21st Century Saints and potent enough  to comfort, strengthen and encourage those who dare seek Him!

While you already know that Satan’s constantly plotting to launch a diaboloical attack against you under the cloak of darknesss, aimed to diminish your confidence and siphon your trust in God,   you have A Watchman, Who is Sovereignly watching over you 24/7! He never naps! Day and night are the same to Him! Every step and stop you take is Divinely-choreographed by The Maestro of Heaven! Hence, He’s already gone before you preparing designated rest areas along the road to revive and re-energize our spirit and soul! #Didjaheardat? OMG!

Precious ones, perhaps, at this reading, you find yourself smack-dab-in-the-middle of a loooonnnnggg night and all the circumstantial evidence is  threatening your soul with overwhelming fear, anxiety and doubt, yet remember FACTS change BUT TRUTH remains! Therefore, even when you’re unable to trace God’s Face or feel His Hand, trust His Heart!

Beloved, when it seems as if everything around you is falling apart, Holy Spirit says, ‘It’s falling right in place’! Abba Father is weaving each tattered piece of your life together for your greatest good and His Highest Glory! And at the appointed time, He will flip it over  displaying His Magnificent Masterpiece! (Ref. Romans 8:28)

 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

As we continue our pilgrimage through the gross immorality of this fallen world may out faith remain steadfast, abounding in the work of His Sustaining Power and Grace!

With uplifted hands, and mouths filled with praise and adoration, let us  CRY unto The Lord a MIDNITE SONG, proclaiming “THE GOD I SERVE WORKS THE NIGHT SHIFT AND HE SHALL LEAD ME SAFELY ALL MY LIFE LONG INTO THE CELESTIAL CITY,  WHERE I’LL CALL ETERNALLY HOME!! 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

UNSHAKEABLE PEACE

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UNSHAKEABLE PEACE!

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

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 

 

SOMETIMES! I wonder how much easier life would be, if in fact it was meant to be lived“Que sera, sera …Whatever will be, will be. The future’s not ours to see. Que sera, sera …What will be, will be“ ? However appealing this perspective might appear, at first glance, truthfully, God Who Sovereignly created us  in His Own Image,  never intended us to be merely robotic beings devoid of the ability to reason and make decisions based on our individual free will.  God deliberately fashioned and formed us to be fully capable active participants in working out His Plan for each of our individual lives.  In other words, life, according to God’s Purpose, is not a spectator’s sport!

How childish and immature it would be to think otherwise, huh? As my son once reminded me, reminiscing back to the days when the most critical decisions he had to make that day was, ‘is it gonna be Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch’? But now, finally, as all-grown-up adults,we no longer enjoy the privileges childhood innocence affords to casting off the burden of personal responsibility and accountability for our own actions unto unsuspecting parents, school teachers, coaches, counselors, professors, supervisors, pervasive racism, financially scrapped government institutions, corrupt politicians, over zealous police officers, the collapse of basic moral ethics and inevitable endangered decaying environmental resources. And we couldn’t wait for this?

God uses all of these, (and much much more) to train and transform us into the persons that He’s Divinely ordained us to be—a reflection of His Amazing Grace and Ominous Glory! The problem is, we’re hell-bent on thinking that God expects us to carry out this work, totally independent of His Sovereign Controlling Interest in the Process! And we all know how that eventually turns out, huh?

Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we having exhausted all our our own fire, are forced to acknowledge “This ain’t working, Lord. I need Your helllpppp! Lord, save me!” Thank God, Who steps right in, rolling up His spiritual sleeves, bears us up under The Power of Holy Spirit, places us back on The Potter’s Wheel, gracefully presses, pinches, prodding, pounding, purges and pushes us through the next phase in His process of Restoration.

When we pray and ask God to restore us, we must be willing to submit to the process. Here is where most of us miss it. We don’t want the pain, humility and the lack of control that’s often required in order to equip and empower us for the next level of spiritual growth and development. So often we, the unwilling participants, come kicking and screaming, murmuring and complaining, doubting and accusing God of miscalculating just how much we can bear.

Until finally, we surrender, committing our care to His Loving Hands, trusting His Purpose to be greater than our personal pain, embracing His Will rather than ours, finding more power than you ever imagined, are comforted by HIS UNSHAKEABLE PEACE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee