Tag Archives: TESTIMONY

DO SOMETHING!

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SELAH Daily Devotions!

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 2 KINGS 7:3-5

Once again, God’s people find themselves in quite a predicament. NO! It was NOT THE DEVIL; BUT GOD, Who allowed the enemy to cage in the stiff-necked rebellious people of God! Nothing came in and nothing went out! The entire city was on lock-down!

Just wondering, has your life ever been so jacked up that you felt like you were physically, emotionally and spiritually constipated? I’m pretty sure that right about now, the wind-chill factor of the atmospheric condition in the building has shifted, huh? So I apologize for getting too real for some of you! But has your mind ever been so overwhelmed with so much stuff that your perspective became distorted by issues far beyond your control? Even if you could, you didn’t know how to get out? Have you ever been just stuck; can’t take in nothing and can’t move nothing out? Basically, your whole life seems to be shut down? Sometimes, we all need a good ol’ dose of HOLY GHOST castor oil to jump-start our lives!

God sent The Prophet Elisha to warn the people that calamity was heading their way. We tend to forget that while God is longsuffering and graciously gives us time to get it right, He is also The Righteous Judge!  Like some folk today, the people were looking to government leadership to get them out of their mess. But King Jehoram couldn’t help himself! So he rent his royal garments and clothed himself in mourning garments, attempting to convince the people that even if he didn’t know how to help, at least he was concerned for them! Uuumm sound uncomfortably familiar?

YET, when Elisha brought him a WORD from God, like some of us, when we don’t like the message, Jehoram decided to kill the messenger! But if you’re really walking with God, even in midst of a miserable situation, God will put limitations on what the enemy is able to do. It really doesn’t matter what your enemy desires to do to you, God Is Still in Control!

Ofttimes, in scripture, leprosy is symbolic of sin. Some sins can be secret, or at least we like to think so, but some is like leprosy, shows up where everybody can see it. You can’t dress it up or cover it up. It’s just out there, in plain view so everybody knows you messed up!  Have you ever felt rejected to the point that some folk avoided you like a plague, forcing you into exile? Aren’t you glad that Jesus ain’t afraid to touch you right where you’re hurting the most! No matter what you done, God still keeps calling out to you, ‘Come unto me, draw near to me, and I’ll draw near to you”!

According to today’s text, one of the lepers spoke up, “Why are we sitting here until we die? We all in the same jacked up situation! But since we got is each other, why don’t we at least come into some sort of agreement with each other? They began evaluating the situation and looking at their options. Option No. 1, “If we go into the city, there’s people but ain’t no food. We won’t die by ourselves, but we still gonna die!” Option No. 2, if we just stay here in this place we’re accustomed to, it’s familiar, but it’s still the place of no hope and no change! If we just keep doing what we’ve always done, then we gonna keep getting what we’ve always got! That’s insanity!

Option No. 3, “Surrender to the Syrian army”. Now, personally, I don’t think this would’ve been my choice, at least not right off the cuff! I mean, turning yourself over to the very ones that God was using to punish His people? Yet, sometimes, we miss the answer because it don’t look like what we’ve been expecting! But Baby, “jus cause it looks like you’re down to nothing; doesn’t mean that God is not up to something”! We still got options!

Not knowing what they were about to encounter, the lepers made a decision to do something! When they made a decision to step out on faith, they found out that God had already gone before them. Hence, while you trying to figure it out, God has already worked it out”! God had made the Syrian Army to hear “the noise’; supposing it was a great army coming after them, they got scarred and broke camp to escape The Armies of The Lord. They didn’t see nobody, but the Bible says, they heard something. #Didjaheardat?

Even when  you can’t hear God’s Voice, God can still speak to your enemies! And, suddenly, when God gets through speaking to them, they’ll drop everything they have and all you have to do is to show up in the right place, at the right time to pick up the spoil! Our God is still able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than you can ask or think.

And when you don’t know what to do, find yourself a promise in The Word to stand on while you’re waiting for God to show out! The ol’ saints used to say it like this, ‘if you take one step, he’ll take two!’ Sounds like they knew that the Lawd will make a way somehow!’ You may not be able to understand why you’re going thru, but  trust 2 know that God has already gone before you to open up a way out of no way!

Children, even if you’re scarred, be not dismayed, come on; bust a move anyhow, trusting that God will take care of you! If you can’t get up, then crawl, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t raise your hand, then move your finger, DO SOMETHING!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

LOST & FOUND

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lost-and-found

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. Luke 15:20-24
The Gospels record 35 times that Jesus uses parables as a teaching aid. Literally, a parable is a story “cast alongside” a truth in order to illustrate that truth. In today’s vernacular a parable is as an inspired comparisons, or simply put an earthly story with a heavenly meaning!

Unlike like so many 21st Century preachers,  Jesus wasn’t just trying to spice up the message to keep the crowds entertained. His parables had a two-fold purpose. First, to reveal the truth to those who wanted to know it and to conceal the truth from those who were indifferent! You see, Jesus already knew that everybody who followed Him didn’t do so for the same reason. People are still people, huh?

You do know that everybody who comes into the church building doesn’t come looking to know Jesus, right? Some come just for a ‘kidz-size happy meal and a prize’! While others, like the Pharisee and the scribes, only come to pick up a few stones to throw at Jesus. Notice how they accused Jesus, “Look at Him, This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Spiritually blinded by their preconceived biases, Jesus already knew that they would dismiss His parables as irrelevant nonsense.  Yet, there were also a few sincere seekers of Truth who would eventually receive insight and reap the benefit and comfort of His Words!

Anything that you respect and honor you will pursue! Perhaps, that’s why the Pharisees could not understand why Jesus cared about ‘tax collectors and sinners’. Yall know how you go off when you can’t find your keys or the remote control. You put out an all-points-bulletin and nobody in the house can get any relief until it’s found! When you really desire something with all of your heart, mind, spirit and soul, whatever it takes to get it, is worth it all!

The text says that The Shepherd is so excited that He’s found the sheep that He throws a party to celebrate the safe return and everyone around Him is rejoicing with Him! (Ref. Luke 15:6-7)  Imagine that! I know we don’t get excited when folk get saved anymore, huh? But that’s exactly what happened back-n-da-day!

The next story is about a woman who loses a coin and refusing to give up, she searches until nightfall. Desperately she’s turning every piece of furniture upside-down, looking between the cushions on the sofa, behind the refrigerator, until she found it. You can imagine the joy and the relief she experience when she found it! (Ref. Luke 15:8-9)

This chapter ends with a the more familiar parable of the Prodigal Son! Sometimes we can get so caught up in the drama of the son’s partaayin so hard until he ended up in the pigs pen, that we miss the intensity of The Father’s Love and Compassion for his lost child. This is a picture of The Heavenly Father’s response to those who have yet to accept the glorious gift of Salvation purchased by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ! This is why God pursues sinners and why everyone of us should rejoice when a repented sinner returns to the sheepfold.

Recovering a lost sinner requires effort and patience! However, often times we develop an acute case of selective spiritual amnesia and forget what it took for us to get our testimony, huh? Do you know that most sinners have no idea that God is looking for them and even fewer believe that He loves them?  When you look at what Jesus gave up to save us, how should those of us, who call ourselves His disciples, be any less engaged in searching for the poor souls who have yet to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord! #ijs! No, it’s not always easy but  gratefully JESUS believed the reward  well worth the effort!

Shamefully, too many Believers still think that soul winning is the Pastors and Evangelist job! But that’s not what The Bible says! ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation’ 2 Cor. 5:18

Jus wondering, what are you doing to bring the lost to Jesus? Are you content to enjoy the privileges of being saved? Is your heart burdened for those who are still lost? Are you willing to get up off the padded pew of do nothing and go into the field and hunt for those who are still outside of the house? (Ref. Matthew 9:37) If Jesus still associates with sinners, why don’t you? WOW! LOST & FOUND!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

COME BACK 2 THE TABLE

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COME BACK 2 THE TABLE

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:24-25

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 1 Corinthians 11:29

 

At our church, it’s every 1st Sunday! The table has been prepared by Deac, anticipating the moment when the scripture will be read and Pastor will extend the invitation to the congregation to come to the table and partake of the bread (wafer) and the wine (grape juice). The charge is given, to let every man examine his/her self and let them eat of that bread and drink of that cup, lest you bring a curse upon yourself by mocking the Body and The Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! #heartpounding, huh?

Unfortunately, since we don’t know what’s residing in the hearts of our brothers and sistas, how many folk refrain because their own hearts have condemned them or not just because they don’t want others to think that they’re not in right-standing with Christ? Anyway, it’s not my business, right? #juswondering

Chances are even some God-fearing-sanctified-baptised-holy-walking-tongue-talking believers don’t really understand the significance of The Communion Table and wrongfully approach this feast as a religious traditon ritual. Hence, this is just something we do 1st Sunday! Oh, Precious Ones, there’s so much more taking place that meets the eye! Journey with me as the Holy Spirit lluminates the spiritual reality, intimacy and implications of this sacred fellowship with The Risen Savior!

The Communion Table is Divinely instituted to take us back to The Cross of Calvary and The Blood that was shed for the remission of our sin. When we come to The Table, we’re revisiting remembering the whipping posts where The Lamb of God was beaten with 39 stripes + 1  before He was nailed to an ol’ rugged Cross atop Calvary! While many who watched self-righteously believing that they were doing God a favor,  there were a remnant of others who knew that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities and the stripes that He bore in His flesh were for our healing!

When we come to the Communion Table, remembering the Cross, you gotta come correct! Not in pride nor condemnation; but in joy-filled anticipation, humbled by Jesus’ humiliation! Come, humbled by Jesus’ Holiness, His Faithful submission to death, hell, the grave and to His Father’s Will–in order that we could have a right to eat the fruit of Eternal Life!

Come to the table, remembering the falability of your humanity and the infallability of His Divinity, acknowledging that not only do I need The Atoning Blood to get saved, but to stay saved!

The Word of God reminds us that there’s a devil who’s constantly plotting against us, determined to stop us from living holy and righteous before God. He’s always lurking about us, awaiting the opportunity to sneak up, entrapping you with that sin that so easily besets you, drapping your heart with burdens of guilt, shame and condemnation destroying your peace! He’s strategically scheming to flood your mind with fear,worry and doubt, drainining your spirit of the Jesus’ joy, strength and hope! But the Communion Table, reminds you that just One Drop of The sanctifying Blood applied to the door post of your heart and mind is enough to shake off temptation, depression, gloom and doom and lift you up out of the pit of hopelessness and dispair!

When you drink of The cup of Redemption, your strength is refreshed, renewed and your holy boldness is restored, empowering you to repel the firey darts of Satan. When you eat The Body, remember you now stand clad in The Full Armor of God, declaring to the kingdom of darkness, ‘I refuse to deny the Testimony of Jesus on The Cross – I gotcha covered, IT IS FINISHED!

Beloved, the next time you partake of the Communion Table, let the Blood cleanse your heart of the guilt by acknowledging that it was your sin that betrayed Jesus, even since you’ve been saved. The devil will choke on that, because you know He certainly was planning to throw that back in your face, k?

But be of good courage, that’s why Jesus suffered The Cross, once and for all who will receive Him as the propitiation of their sin. As you eat His Body and drink His Blood, remember, Jesus prayed, knowing you’d fail Him again before you leave this world. That’s why He asked The Father to send you The Helper to live on the inside of you to empower you to live faithfully and obedient to His commandments!

As you fellowship with The Savior, hear His plea, ‘All I want you to do, when you are converted is go strengthen your brother! Go tell them how much I still LOVE them! Go tell them about My Blood that frees them from sin! Go tell somebody how I saved, healed and delivered you! Go tell one somebody that if Jesus was able to saved me, a wretch undone, He can saved anybody! WOW! #didjaheardat?

Maybe you need to come back to the table? C’mon, THE BLOOD STILL WORKS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

BURN BABY, BURN!

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BURN BABY, BURN!

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the Knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His Divine power has given to us all things that pertain To life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue by which Have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be Partakers of the divine nature, having escaped The corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:1-4

 

Didjakno?  Today’s scripture text is penned by The Apostle Simon Peter! You know Peter, right? He’s the same cussin’ Peter who rejected Jesus three times, cut off the soldier’s ear, stepped out of the boat on the stormy sea and walked on the water to Jesus. Well,  now Peter is a self-proclaimed bond-servant, Divinely ordained and authorized to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ! Now this really excites me! Why? Because it assures me of the unfathomable Mercies of our Loving Savior and that nothing in your past has the power to keep you from fulfilling your Destiny! Now to me that’s a good place to praise God, huh?  Hold my mule…Halleleujahhhh!

We, having no right to such loving kindness, yet have been graciously endowed with His Divine Power and given everything that we need to escape the corruption of this world and to live a holy and godly life, not in heaven, but in this present world! Didjaheardat? Unbelievable, I know; but it’s True!

God has equipped true Believers with indwelling Power of The Holy Spirit, transforming us into His Chariots of Fire in this earth!

We  love to sing Donnie McKlurkin’s song, “We fall down, but we get up, we fall down, but we get up…because a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up”! Don’t get me wrong, I like that song too. However, we can get a little twisted in our mindset, because of the craftiness of the devil, and without knowing it, we can actually be masking a spirit of rebellion behind the cloak of faith!

“Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound…GOD FORBID!” Romans 6:1-2

As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, every one of us has been commissioned by God to reflect His Glory to this lost, dark and dying world. Yet, if we keep falling to the same old temptations over and over, flippantly counting on the favor of God to show up in our pit to rescue you out of the same old mess, how’s God’s Glory being manifested? #ijs

According to The Holy Ghost, True Glory is manifested when a believer demonstrates righteousness thru faithful obedience. When you make a genuine commitment to deny the ungodly appetites of your flesh, rather than to bring reproach to the Name of His Lord and Savior, not only are you relying upon God’s Power to deliver you, you’re also proving your love and gratitude for all that Jesus did to redeem you back to your Heavenly Father.

Our journey to Heaven is plagued with unexpected, trouble, chaos and tragedy, however knowing that The Promise Keeper is able to open up pathways that you know not of, make ways out of no way, open doors that have been shut and carries us triumphantly  thru every valley to the mountaintops, we’re fortified with Hope! As we experience His miraculous deliverances, it develops our confidence so much so that when our faith is challenged by difficulties, we don’t give up, we look up!

A true carrier of God’s Glory plants his faith in the Word of God’s Grace! Having done all to stand, stands therefore, steadfast, unmovable, always abounding, continuously expanding, exceeding all natural expectations, daring to taunt and frustrate the evil plans of the wicked, with holy boldness, testifying ‘Satan, I might have to Bend, but I refuse to Bow”!

NOW, YOU’RE JUS WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR! GO AHEAD…LIGHT UP THE WORLD PROCLAIMING, ‘TO GOD BE THE GLORY! KEEP THE FIYA BURNING!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

WAYFARING WIT

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WAYFARING WIT2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

How much better to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! Proverbs 16:16

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Proverbs 8:10-11

 

WOW! We’ve come a long way, Baby!

As far as the ingathering of information and the major technological accomplishments attained by this 21st Century New Millennium Age is concerned, undoubtedly, we’ve taken quantum leaps exceedingly well beyond the realm of possibility to even the most esteemed intellectuals and astute scientific calculus of days gone by.

In other words, (sigh)! It’s safe to say that knowledge abounds!

Unfortunately, the scarcity of wit, wisdom and truth is decisively profound! Generally the appeal for this degree of understanding is left to those few famished, disillusioned, disinfranchised, exhausted, wayfaring scavengers who wander off rush-hour-grid-locked-getting-byways and highways to worldly success and traditional religious rituals. For reasons, yet unknown, somehow some of us are being distinctly drawn to the under-passes, service roads, and trenches; seeking the hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places of The Kingdom of His Presence! (Ref. Isaiah 45:3)

Who knew that we’d be called to the Kingdom for such a time as this? Who knew that before we lived one day that our Master already had a plan, purpose,  and a hope-filled destination for our lives?

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2

Wisdom is calling!

“But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me. O Israel” Isaiah 43:22

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” 1Timothy 6:6-8

“Congratulations! You finally got what you wanted, BUT… lost what you had”!

Didjaheardat? Missed it, huh? WAYFARING WIT!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

WHAT DID HE DO?

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WHAT DID HE DO

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south,” Psalm 107:1-3

 

Do you know how many times we, who claim The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, are admonished by the Sacred Scriptures to exalt Him in exuberant praise and heart-felt adorning worship? Suffice it to say numerous times in each of Its 66 Books, huh? And for the most part, we’re all faithfully obedient to comply, particularly when we’re all assembled together in the Sanctuary, with the choir singing, the high-sounding instruments blasting in our ears, ushering us into The Presence!

Yet, inspite of His Absolute Worthiness, there are still times when even the most seasoned-elect, find it difficult to mutter even a whisper of ‘Glorrraaa’ out of a heart overwhelmed by the cares of this world, through the muted lips frozen by the temptation of mumuring complaints!

Let it be known, that mine is the first hand lifted in affirmation, Amen!

It matters not how long you’ve been walking with the Lord, life has a way of placing you smack dab in the middle of crisis and suddenly you find yourself coming down with an acute case of spiritual amnesia! It’s during these moments that we need to attack the demonic spirits with a direct hit drawn from the arsenal of weaponry that God has given to every believer. A personal testimony! (Ref. 2 Corinthians 10:4 and Revelations 12:11)

Backndaday, The Ol’ Mothers used to open up Tuesday Nite Bible Study with a Testimony Service. One of my favorite songs they saang was, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus and alllll He’s done for me, myyyyyyyy soul cries out Hallaleujah, I thank God for saving me!” Remember? And when you took the time to reflect back over your life and began to count how many times God stepped in, right in the nick of time, and delivered you from all manner of maladies, you can’t help but the give Him praiz!

Come to think of it, the Bible is filled with countless mind-refreshing BUT by The Grace of God testimonies of triumphant conquerers who acknowledge that they never would’ve made it over into the Land of Promises if the Lord had not been with them all the way!

There’s another ol’ song, that comes to mind; ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, count your blessings, see what The Lord has done”! WOW! Didjaheardat?

Truthfully, one of those most difficult times for a believer to praise GOD is in the meantime! I’m talking about while you’re waiting for God to move on your behalf and every demon assigned to your region is blasting threatening what-if’s soundtracs in your mind! That’s when you need to deliberately take authority over your thoughts. Instead of focusing on what it is you need Him to do, make a faith-conscious-decison to set your affections on those things JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE!

Okay? There you were wandering around in the desert, lost in the wilderness of sin, stumbling through life, homeless, hopless, confused yet desperate for change, starving for love, parched for peace and joy and you cried out for help, knowing perfectly well there was nobody to hear, much less care! BUT GOD heard you and sent Jesus to lead you out of that barreness, placing your feet on a Straight Path to The Good Life, filling your belly with The Living Bread and Living Water of Holy Spirit to the point of unimaginable satisfaction and sustaining strength!

And you gotta remember, it wasn’t that long ago that you were locked in a self-induced cell of darkness, imprisoned by an evil consciousness of guilt and shame, condemned and sentenced to a lifetime of isolation and hard labor, eternally separated from God! But you cried out to God and He came for you, breaking through the prison bars as if they were match sticks, opened up the Gates that had you trapped and led you out into the Light of Freedom!

What about that storm? Despite of how hard you tried to navigate your way, there you were lost on the Sea of Life, desperately struggling to keep your head above water, being tossed by contrary winds, finding yourself swept away by towering turbulent waves, until the bottom dropped out and finally, not knowing what else to do, you called out to God who faithfully showed up just in the nick of time, commanded the wind and the waves to quietly surrender to Peace and so graciously drew you out and carried you safely to His Harbor!

NOW! Beloved, rest assured, confidently trusting that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. IF HE DID IT BEFORE…HE’LL DO IT AGAILN! SO, THINKABOUT IT…WHAT DID HE DO! O Give Thanks unto The Lord, my Beloved! 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

UNNECESSARY PRAIZ!

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UNNECESSARY PRAIZ

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“While he was in Bethany,reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.” (Mark 14:3-5)

Ever noticed the devil’s plant in just about every church service? I call them the praise paparazzi! No? That’s understandable! You can’t always tell from they way they look.They’ve been trained to blend in just like the woodwork!

But here are just a few clues to help recognize them. First, they never smile in church, because being holy means looking ‘deep’. They appear to be a bit too sophisticated and far more educated then anyone else in the congregation and act as if coming to church is just another form of social networking! 

They come expecting a progressively philosophically indoctrinated and adulterated, diluted gospel-lite that’s more condusively-conformable to the world at large, as they consider themselves to  be more spiritually enlightened then most of us common folk.
 
Usually,you find them highly critical of the ol-skool traditional preachers who fail to embrace and/or adapt to new methodologies to better relate to the 21st Century urban-contemporary culture and stay away from tredding out that old corn—it’s too confrontational and no longer culturally acceptable!

They definitely don’t like the ol’ skool hymns… “why ‘you all’ sing those ol’ congregational songs that none of us know; most of them are biblically incorrect, anyhow!”

Oh, can’t forget this one.They’re stingy! They’ll act like they’re so concerned about helping the poor, but the truth is they’re fearful and confused; because with all that they have, they still don’t have the joy, peace and hope that you have just dwelling in the Presence of Jesus Alone! 

Check for this, when you see them squirming and looking back and forth from their watch to their program…that’s your clue preacha… ‘It’s time for the benediction!’
 
Finally, they’re the first ones to critique your praise. After all, ‘it don’t take all that!’ You see them giving you that look that says, ‘PLEASE…why don’t you just sit down; it ain’t that serious.’

Oh well! Gotta love ’em! If they only had a clue that praise is the magnet that draws God’s Favor to us, they’d be praising HIM too!
 
IF THEY ONLY KNEW THE STORY BEHIND YOUR PRAISE,THEY’D KNOW…IT’S OH SO NECESSARY!

SELAH!
 
“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”
 
Ann Caffee

A LIVING TESTIMONY?

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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
 

GOD SENSE!

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GOD SENSE

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.” Isaiah 45:8
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:22-25 KJV

Oh, c’mon, jus think about it? This is not your first trip to the ‘it jus don’t make no sense” place! Check out your own personal testimony. You know that it could not have been nobody but GOD who blocked ‘that’ or even carried you through ‘it’! After all, who else was there with you? In the midst of the chaos, when you almost lost your mind, God stepped in to sustain you, delivering you, empowering you to triumph over tragedy!

Yet, the instant that life takes an expected shift, you tend to develop that acute case of spiritual amnesia, huh? Don’t get it twisted! Believe me, I ain’t even pointing a finger atcha! Let’s just say, “Been there! Done that AND might be RIGHT THERE NOW!”

Nevertheless, one must conclude that apparently, these Divinely-Orchestrated spontaneous-Hic-Ups are essential to develop your personal trust in The Faithfulness of The Invisible Savior! Every single detour has been designed to prove His Eternal Love and Providential Grace towards you not only in this world but in the Ages to come! Unfortunately, just when you need it the most, these great theological revelations are often entrapped by cloud-covered bouts of dismal desperation, anxiety, foreboding fear, dread and hopelessness!

Hence, what can you do when life comes crashing down all around you, and all of the circumstantial evidence points to your imminent destruction and certain demise? How can you persevere when life as you’ve known rapidly decays into a murky mire of ‘non-sense’?

Do what every other Blood-Washed-Born-Again, Baptized-Believer must do—turn to The ONLY One Constant, Creator and Sustainer of everything, your True Source of Blessings, Power, Wisdom, Strength, Honor and Glory—GOD—YOUR GOD! The GREAT I AM!

Logically, to put your eternal destiny in the testimony of a man, born of a virgin claiming that she’d been with no man, who walked the banks of The Jordon River, healing the sick, feeding  well over 5 thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread, opening up blind eyes, casting out demons and devils, resurrecting dead people, muting the wind and the waves, voluntarily executed on Calvary’s Cross, being buried in a borrowed tomb for the weekend until He was raised from the dead early Sunday morning; and now has returned to His Thone in Glory to pray for you and me, huh? #nowdatdontmakenosense! 

YET! REMEMBER HIS-STORY! GOD-SENSE!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee