Tag Archives: WORD

WATCH, PRAY BUT DON’T COME DOWN!

1 Reply

 

WATCH & PRAY BUT DON'T COME DOWN

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” …Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.” Nehemiah 4:14, 20

 

In the midst of  the current chaos and drama of this ungodly world, some might be tempted to question God’s Presence and even more crucial, might be confused about His Concern! However, rest assured, nothing happens in the earth that will ever take God by surprise! Remember, it ain’t always what it looks like! God is ALWAYS UP 2 something! When it seems as if the world is falling apart, Holy Spirit reminds us that EVERYTHING IS FALLING RIGHT IN PLACE! GOD DOES HIS BEST WORK IN THE DARK! WOW!

Saints of The Living God, Holy Spirit is calling Zion to Higher ground! The spirit of intrepidation and intimidation emanating from the rulers of darkness in high places, is rampantly pursuing to annihilate the people of God’s Confidence, Peace and Joy in The Faithfulness of our Heavenly Father! But we, who have placed our personal faith, trust and hope in The Eternal Lord Jesus Christ, must remain vigilant, united in Spirit, discerning the times, armed and ready to fight rather than come down!

While there is a time for reconciliation, there is also a time for WAR! And God did not leave us empty-handed!  “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Beloved, we recognize that the struggle is real, howevrrr, IS ANYTHING 2 HARD 4 GOD? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

As the Scriptures admonishes, let us not be weary in well-doing as if we don’t have a GOD on OUR side! Instead, as we see the darkness encroaching, we must draw closer to The Light! “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Didjaheardat?

Children, let us keep our hearts tuned, listening for The Trumpet’s sound, calling us to rally at the Altar of Prayer and covering one another! Don’t allow the delusory maneuvers of the enemy to distract you from fulfilling your God-Ordained Purpose for being! STAY FOCUSED & FAITHUL!!! Hence, Be about OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS!

TRUST2KNO, OUR GOD WILL FIGHT 4 US! SO…WATCH & PRAY BUT DON’T COME DOWN! #TRUMPDAT?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

THURSDAYS’ PRAYERS!

Leave a reply

prayn-and-fasting-pic

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

 

Good morning Family! GOTTA MOMENT? Ooh Glorraa!

Welcome to a new day! Today, we’re excited that you have joined us in our Thursdays’ Day of Corporate Fasting & Prayer! Once again, we appreciate the opportunity and privilege to entreat The Presence of our Great High Priest, pouring out our hearts desires, petitions and supplications with Thanksgiving. What an awesome blessing He has afforded those who delight in embracing Him in earnest expectation and confident  trust that He Rules Forever by His Power is able to save and deliver us from any of life’s maladies! Shall we pray?

O, how I love Jesus! O, how I love JESUS! O, HOW I LOVE JESUS! BCUZ HE 1st LOVED ME!OOOOHHHH Sweet Wonder! Oh Sweet Wonder! Jesus, The Son of God! Ooohh Sweet Wonder! Oh! Sweet Wonder! Jesus! The Son of God! Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that you’re my God,You’re altogether lovely, Altogether worthy, Altogether wonderful to me!

 

Our Father and God of Heaven and Earth, we come before You humbled by Your Loving-Kindness, Grace and Mercy! We’re eternally grateful for one more opportunity to behold The Glory of Your Presence! We know that it’s Your Wisdom and Strength that has allowed us to live today! We thank You for revealing to us such wondrous treasures that were hidden from our understanding, when we walked surrounded by darkness, as dead men in the earth without a God on our side!
Abba Father, it’s only because of You,  we now live, move and have our being! We come with our our hearts rejoicing, hands lifted up and our lips forever praizing You! Oh, how awesome are Your deeds! For You have preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping!

Daddy, we thank You for being  LORD of our Salvation, our Deliverance, Breakthrough and Provision, Protection and PEACE. We’re thankful that because You know our frame, Your Faithfulness and Compassion continuously allows You to look beyond the frailties, faults and iniquities of our human frames to see and still minister to all of our real need!

We’re so blessed because You are a Forgiving Gracious God and Understanding Father! Not only have You have done so much for each and every one of us, You keep right on blessing us over and over again! Abba Father, forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to Your Heart. Your Holy Word assures us that as we confess our sin, You are Faithful and Just to forgive, pardon and restore us back into rightful fellowship with You, we ask now for Your forgiveness, in The Precious Name of Jesus!
Sweet Jesus, while we  YET struggle to understand WHY You were willing to suffer so to redeem such a worm as I, help us to see sin through Your eyes and to acknowledge it as evil wickedness and rebellion against the Creator and Lover of our souls, The Giver and Sustainer of All Life! And when we sin, quicken our spirit to repent immediately, and to confess with our mouth our wrongdoing, that we might receive the Gracious forgiveness of our Heavenly Father! For this cause, we gladly present our spirit, soul and body as a living holy sacrifice to be used for Your Greatest Glory!
Precious Lord, because no man can come to the Father except you draw them, we intercede on behalf of every unsaved soul, believing that You will quicken The Spirit of Godly-repentance in their heart and in their mind that they will come to You today confessing a “Sincere Yes” to your Amazing Gift of Grace and receive You as their personal Lord and Savior! We’re believing that You will Divinely orchestrate their footsteps, settleling them into a local church home today, where they will be greeted in Loving-Kindness, nurtured and strengthened to live out the rest of their lives exemplifying The Wonder of Your Glory!

Lord, we lift up every backsider, asking You to put a fresh “Committed YES” in their heart and mind! Let today be the day that they come back to You and come back to YOUR church where they will submit their lives to the sound teachings of Your Word, and learn to love and live their lives denying self and walking to please You First!

Father, we pray that You will touch our brother, touch our sister whose body has been afflicted by sickness and disease, especially the spirit of cancer, kidney disease, heart/lung disease and rebuke and cast it out at the root, for Your Name Sake. Heavenly Father, You are Alpha and Omega, the same yesterday, today and forever! Therefore, even as You walked this earth healing all who were sick, feeble and lame we know that You’re Well Able to do the same right now! Your Word declares that Your stripes have redeemed and healed us and we’re yet standing on Your promises that the prayer of faith shall save the sick and raise them up, In Jesus Name! Amen 3x!

Lord, while we try to please You by trusting in Your Word, sometimes, it’s difficult to over-rule the noise of the pestilence, the chaos of uncertainty and the pain of condemnation, guilt, and shame that seems to lure us into the valleys shadowed with danger, fear, anger, bitterness, anxiety, hopelessness and self-doubt! That’s why we gladly run to You, daily, to find the refuge, peace, restoration that You have prepared for any who would come to You in hope-filled assurance that even when our hearts condemn us,You will never deny Your Word!

Dear Lord, we trust that You will preserve each and everyone of us thru the tests that we must go thru and keep us constantly aware of YOUR PRESENCE and fully-confident that at the appointed time,You, will bring them out wholly restored, renewed, refreshed and with the reward as You have promised them in Your Word.

Heavenly Father, we take comfort from knowing that nothing takes You by surprise and in Your Omniscience, Your eyes are going to and from, and You are fully aware of what’s going on in our world today! Therefore, hear us as we pray according to Your Will, for the leaders of our nation, corporate, judicial, education, financial institutions, public servants and health care workers! We’re asking that You touch the minds and hearts, that You speak to them in dreams and visions letting them know that You Who Sit Enthroned Above the Heavens are keeping record of the deeds of every man’s heart and will reward accordingly!

Abba, we ask that You encourage and comfort the souls of Your Elect who are overwhelmed with fear, doubt and worry because of the things that are going on in our personal lives and in this ungodly world systems! We ask that You send an outpouring of Your Divine Favor upon each who needs encouragement and empowerment to stand steadfast, immovable in the midst of these wicked and evil days! Let us know that we are never alone and never without Your Very Present Help! YOU ARE Jehovah Jareh, Who shall supply all of our need according to Your Riches in Glory!

Even when we don’t know what to do, we shall continue to look to You, praying that You will expose and rebuke the murdering Spirit, rebuke fear, doubt, unbelief, hesitation and release us to move forward away from the shores of comfort to embrace the thoughts and plans that You have for us,! We’re believing that You shall birth in us new things, releasing an anointing to destroy yokes, and giving us hope in Your Eternal Words that You are watering the dry places, and causing the dead bones to live again, in Jesus Name!

Help us to remain faithful and keep a KINGDOM mindset, relying on Holy Spirit to comfort and make our way prosperous. We thankya for overwhelming Favor, Prosperity and Peace! We bind every wicked scheme that the enemy desires to assail against us, knowing that because You are with us, we are well able to take possession of the promises that You’ve made to us! And when You’ve blessed us to walk in the manifestations of these things, help us to walk in a Spirit of Humility giving Your Name ALL THE GLORY, HONOR AND PRAIZ!

Father, as we lift up our children, our children’s children by faith, we abort and overrule every curse that’s been ordered against their lives, canceling every scheme that Satan desires to inflict upon them! As we commit them into Your Providential care, we realize that You have a plan and purpose for their lives too and we have the blessed assurance that their steps are being ordered by Your eyes! Therefore we speak The Peace of God over their spirits, minds and bodies releasing a spirit of Love, Holiness and Excellence to fulfill their God ordained destiny!

We pray for total deliverance from every cord that would bind Your people and come against our God ordained destiny! We rebuke the enemies of our minds, we thank You that nothing can stop the blessings or us from performing the GREATER WORKS You have assigned to Your Covenant Saints! Strengthen and renew the Covenant of Faith! We Thankya for the courage and patience to stand, steadfast, consistent, always abounding in the work of our LORD, in Jesus Name! AMEN 3X!!!

We pray for strength for all who have lost loved ones, touch bodies, rebuke sickness and disease, touch hearts, minds, and emotions, rebuke grief and disappointment, restore the POWER and sound minds, hope and joy of our salvation. Help us to understand that failure is not final because we are Royal Priests and a Holy Nation unto You, we provoke envy of other nations who have not submitted to The True and Living GOD but who yet serve false gods! We decree and declare that You have raised us up and called us ‘MINE’! We rebuke venomous, hateful, words of racism, the Spirit of ungodly self-righteous elite, because all flesh is of one blood!

As we pray for the church to be the CHURCH, strip us from every demonic influence! You have called us to impact and to be influencers in the midst of this lost and ungodly world. By Your Grace, we’re able to pray for our enemies, those who despitefully use us! You help us to bless those who are bitter and speak evil of us that our faith may be a sign that we belong to You! Empowered by Holy Spirit, we pronounce blessing, joy, peace, favor upon all who trust you, as You prepare a table before our enemies!

Lord send confirmation to those who are wavering as they’re waiting in faith for your hand to move on their behalf. Thank You for allowing our pain to birth greatness in us, transition us into new levels of Your anointing, opportunities, relationships and restoring that which is broken! We ask that you help us to move by faith, remembering not the former things but confidently reaching forward fully persuaded and anticipating that EVERYTHING YOU HAVE PROMISED ALREADY IS!

Sweet Heavenly Father, as we pray the Prayer of Faith, we speak life today, we ask that You cover our children in schools, our families, on their jobs, as they go and come in, we pray that nothing shall cut our lives short, but we shall live and not die! Thank You Jesus for all the great things You have prepared for the People of GOD!

Holy Redeemer, as we close our prayer, we bring so many before Your Majestic Throne! Those who are broken hearted, feeble in body and spirit, the ones at a crossroad of life, the ones addicted to harmful substances, our armed forces, policemen, fire and rescue personnel, nurses, doctors, pastors and leaders, missionaries far and near; the leaders of the world. We’re trusting You to send peace where there is confusion, send love where there is hate, send unity where there is division. Bless the fatherless and motherless. Keep us ALL in your care. These favors we ask in Jesus mighty name!!

Father we wait in confidence and quietness, rejoicing in hope and trusting wholly that all workers of iniquity are trembling and suddenly departing in shameful defeat, because You have heard the voice of our weeping, our supplications and received our prayer as a sweet savor coming up before Your Sovereign Throne of Grace and Mercy!

Abba Father, we stand in agreement with You Who hears ours prayers and forgives our transgressions! Holy Father, because You have chosen to live in Your House, we shout with exceeding Joy unto The Hope of all the earth, believing that as Your face shines upon us, You are making Your ways and salvation known among all nations for You Guide and Rule justly!

Father, we thank You NOW, for WE believe that it is done! In The Exalted Name of Jesus. Amen 3X and It Is So!
Now every child of God who is standing in agreement with this prayer, GO TELL SOMEBODY THAT JESUS STILL SAVES, HEALS AND DELIVERS!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

 

FRONT-LINE WARFARE!

Leave a reply

FRONTLINE WARFARE

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  2 Timothy 3:12
Thou therefore endure hardness, a a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangled himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:3-4

 

OMG! Do we ever love to sing those ol’ songs that tend to stir up our emotions and at the same time, placate the reality that each and any day of this life we might find ourselves on the front line of a battlefield!  Most of us recognize, at least on some cognitive level, that when we enlisted into The Lord’s Army, that Ol’ Ship of Zion is a battleship and not some luxurious ocean front cruise liner! Yet, there’s an innately human propensity to glamorize our voyage to the ultimate conquest, Eternal Life with our Heavenly Commander-in-Chief.

Sometimes,  season-saints can forget that Christianity has always attracted danger,  persecution and even death! Hence, our decision and commitment to become disciples of Jesus Christ must not be taken lightly, but emanating from a heart fully persuaded, entrusting wholly our spirit, soul, mind and body, that… come what may, He Who called you is well able and willing to keep us from  failing  and falling prey to the wicked devices of our common Adversary! (Ref. Jude 24-25)

Didjakno that your enrollment into God’s Kingdom demanded rebellion against your former slavemaster, Satan, Ruler of The Kingdom of Darkness and his host of enthusiastically organized agents of disastrously diabolical deeds? Remember how hard you had to fight to get out from under the clutches of his domineering cruelty? BUT for The Grace of God, you never could’ve, would’ve, should’ve made it, huh?

Nevertheless, sometimes—even, Born-Again-Blood-Washed Believers wearied and overburdened by the cares of this world, can become slouthful, letting down our guard, leaving a inch-sized crack in your armor, thereby exposing your vulnerability to Satanic strategies. How? Any good soldier knows the crucial sine qua nons of assuring that your weapons are kept  readily accessible and armed for optimal peformance in case of sneak attacks of your arch enemy. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon God’s footmen to engage in diligent daily exercises to ensure confident courageous valor!

According to the Scripture, The Apostle Paul, instructed his young protegee, “Timothy, your entire life’s experiences have been training ground for this assigment. And now, I admonish you to advance forward, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on the faith that was delivered down to you from your Mother and Grand-Mother. Son, this is a fight for your life! If you hope to succed in this mission, you must stay prayed-up! Pray every day and every way you know; pray about everything and every one!” “And above all, keep your faith energized and ablazed by The Power of The Holy Ghost, because this walk means you’re guaranteed to experience your share of suffering, simply for sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ. BUT! If you will stay your life, focused, firmly faithful and rooted in the Love of Christ, regardless of what comes against you—your victory is imminent!”

The Apostle continues encouraging the young servant, “Timothy, run for your life, keep this commitment to the letter, don’t slack off and don’t ever give up. Arm yourself with the same mind as your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Epitome of a True Warrior of Faith!”

Beloved, perhaps today life has launched you smack-dab-indamiddle of a spiritual war zone,  but GOD has already equipped you to win! Jus remember what them ol’ skool Mothers said? “GOD DON’T NEED NO COWARD SOLDIERS’! 

WELL? WHACHAGONNADO?  Hold fast to His Eternal Promises! Be strong and courageous. “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” 2 Corinthians 10:4

As an experienced 30+ veteran of the Faithulness of God, may I audaciously suggest your best option? “Stand your ground and guard your treasure with your life! Be faithful and with holy boldness, pass on His Word and The Grace of God will always keep you safe, secure and saved!”

B READY 2 RUMBLE…AFTER ALL, THIS IS FRONT-LINE SPIRITUAL WARFARE!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

 

LET’S GO DEEPER!

1 Reply

LETZ GO DEEPER

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an everlasting spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.” John 4:13-14

It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration. John 4:23-24

 

A closer investigation into GOD’S ETERNAL WORD will reveal that throughout Jesus’ public ministry,  most of his criticism came not from the heathens, but from religious folk!  I’m not being sacrilegious BUT…Can I tell ya something, Jesus hates RELIGION!

Now that might shock some of you, because all your life, you’ve been lead to believe that that’s what church is all about. But Jesus never came to start a new religion! In fact there’s too much of that going on now and it makes God puke! #ijs!

According to the scriptures, religious folk claim to be close to God, but their lifestyle of habitual rebellious disobedience proves otherwise. They’re simply going thru the motions and their religion boils down to simply checking off the boxes in an effort to comply with shallow practices of routine rituals. Howeverrr, MAN LOOKS ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT GOD READS HEARTS! #SERIOUSLY!!!

Just imagine The Omniscient, Creator God, looking deep into their hearts, seeing that there’s is nothing real about their worship, no real love for Him and no sincere thankfulness to HIM for all of  HIS Lovingkindness towards them!

Hence, TRUST2KNO…No matter how high they jump or how loud they shout, GOD’S NOT IMPRESSED! In the Sovereignty of God’s Mind, HE KNOWS that there’s absolutely nothing personal about their relationship, they’re simply empty pots making a whole lot of noise—but ain’t saying nothing to touch His Heart!

The Prophet Isaiah says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men –who turn my words upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Can the pot say of the potter, HE KNOWS NOTHING!” (Isaiah 29:13-14)

In other words, God’s not affected by our performance, remember God is SPIRIT! So those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth!

Beloved, God longs to have an intimate fellowship/communion that goes beyond our flesh and makes its home within our spirits! He wants us to meet Him Spirit-to-spirit. That’s what the scriptures means when it says, Deep calls unto deep! Jesus died for us in order that we could draw nigh to Him humbly, transparently, honestly, withholding nothing but recognizing WHO HE IS and accepting who WE ARE IN HIS PRESENCE! Y’all jus missed a shoutin’ moment!

Saints, what separates Christianity, not just apart, but above every other religion, is when we invite Christ into our hearts, immediately we shift from one Kingdom to another Kingdom! We transition from DEATH N2 ETERNAL LIFE! That’s what Salvation thru Jesus Christ is all about! YES LAWD! NOW AIN’T DAT GOOD NEWS?

The Heavenly Father welcomes all to come as you are, but once you come into The Body of Christ, you don’t just stay where you are! It’s a rite of passage, kindred to taking a quantum leap from religious rituals to personal relationship! Once you taste of The Goodness of Jesus, you can’t resist the Holy Spirit’s promptings and urgency to change.! BCUZ YOUR WELL GETS DEEPER! #4REAL!

Could this be why carnal folk don’t understand why you go to church on a Tuesday nite, tithe the whole 10% , and give a LOVE offering every time you come to church? #interesting, huh? However, you can’t get mad at them, because spiritual things cannot be carnally discerned. (Ref. 1 Corinthians 2:14) They’re just speaking out of the shallowness of their well! Believe it or not…some folk are just content to be CME …CHRISTMAS, MOTHER’S DAY AND EASTER WORSHIPERS! Don’t shout me down nah!

Nonetheless, there yet remains a remnant of witnesses in the Earth who unashamedly dare 2 testify,

“ I can’t take no credit for none of it …BUT HE CHOSE ME anyhow and SINCE I met JESUS… my well is continuously getting deeper. I no longer need my environment to consent that I need to praise God. I don’t have to have my circumstances to be perfect to determine whether or not MY GOD IS WORTHY 2 B PRAISED! BUT WHEN I FOUND  A LOVE THAT’S STRONGER AND FLOWS DEEPER THAN DEATH…

I MADE UP IN MY OWN MIND…COME WHAT MAY… I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES! GOOD, BAD, UGLY AND INDIFFERENT…MOUNTAIN TOP OR VALLEY LOW…I WILL LIFT UP MY VOICE AND MAGNIFY HIS NAME…FOR IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE LORD ON MY SIDE, I COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA BEEN YET AMONG THE WALKING DEAD, WITHOUT A GOD ON MY SIDE! SHUCKS, CHANCES ARE I’D PROBABLY NOT EVEN BE HERE TODAY!” BUT GOD, huh? #BOUT2LOSE1/2MYCHURCH

C’mon nah! HOW DEEP IS UR WELL? WOW! #LET’S GO DEEPER…

SELAH!
Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!
Ann Caffee

 

SMALL BEGINNINGS!

Leave a reply

SMALL BEGINNINGS

SELAH Daily Devotions!

And said to his servent, 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

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.  Zechariah 4:10
Anybody can say I trust God, huh? However, it’s how we endure the proving time that determines the genuineness of our trust!

Life inevitably includes dark times when there’s no evidence to substantiate that God is with you and even less that He’s sees you or is even listening to your prayers. It’s during these times, when the pressure is on us to faint and to give up, that we learn how to dig in our heels and encourage ourselves, intentionally, by regurgitating what God has promised! It ain’t cheap! But it is possible! This kind of holy-boldness, that stares suffering in the face, determining that in spite of what it looks like, my heart shall remain fixed on God’s Eternal Word requires time-tested commitment, patience and endurance!

In this 21st Mellinium Age of high-tech instant gratification, waiting has become an endangered phenomenon! Can you imagine  Elijah’s servant’s frustration, running back and forth six times before he was able to see what His Master saw? I know I can. (Hint! Hint!) Thank God for Elijah’s faith, not to mention God’s compassionate patience to wait on the servant’s eyes to be opened, huh?

Like the Prophet Zerubbabel, I know,  all too well, the struggle involved to overcome the external and internal challenges of any Pastor, assigned to build a new ministry from the ground up! Especially, when it means persuading. encouraging and emboldening a small group of believers, firstly, that this is The Lord’s Doing and not ours! Secondly, we must be prepared to endure the ‘mean time’ armed with the realization that God’s vision for the church is always greater than natural eyes can conceive.

As leaders, we must also accept that everybody’s not going to be eager to jump onboard! Nevertheless,  God has assigned His number to lay the foundation and rejoices in the faithfulness of those who are willing to grab hold to His Word and move forward, convinced that despite of the opposition, under Jehovah’s watchful Eye and empowered by Holy Spirit, the vision shall come to pass!

Beloved, as Blood-washed-born-again-Children of The Most High God, we must understand that Satan’s never gong to High-5 us and say, ‘Uncle’! But from the cradle to the grave he’s going to work overtime to cause us to give up on our Lord! Hence, we must expect our faith to be stretched beyond our comfort zone!

Watching my son’s life ravished by sickness, unemployment, discouragement, depression, hope dispelled by hopelessness grieved my heart unlike anything I’d ever experience. Little did I know that in the midst of everything that the devil meant for evil, God was there waiting behind the cloud, leading and drawing him closer to Himself. I remember how my soul rejoiced hearing that he had given his life to The Lord during a bible study class the evening before! God used the storm to woo my son to seek Him for himself thereby positioning him for the showers of blessings that would follow!

Always remember, the prayers of the righteous don’t have an expiration date, but your troubles do! We must remain confident that God will do just what He needs to bring our loved ones into The Kingdom. While weeping may endure for a night, however, with every breaking of a new day, God reminds us of His Faithfulness to those who trust in Him.

Precious ones, when we can’t see our way, God guides us with his eyes! His vision is far greater than 20/20; it’s from eternity past, thru present, into eternity future!

Beloved,  if you find yourself smack-dab-in-the-middle of what  seems like the sun ain’t never gonna shine again, keep looking up! You’re not alone! TRUTHBTOLD, many of the saints are under satanic attack and afflicted by all manner of maladies. Tragically, some have lost their hope for life getting any better. But instead of surrendering to what you’re going through, can I offer you a ray of Son Light? Rest assured, absolutely nothings ever happens that takes your Heavenly Father by surprise!

Saints, your Heavenly Father works the night shift! Like Elijah and Zerubbabel, gird up the loins of your mind and remember WHO you’re trusting! He who promised is failthful!  Don’t allow the darkness to scare you! God is using the clouds to position to receive His Abundant Blessings! Look up, your Redeemer’s Hands are in the midst of the clouds!

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Eccl. 7:8  #SMALLBEGINNINGS!!!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

THIS WAY OUT!

Leave a reply

 

THIS WAY OUT

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1

I know we don’t like to talk about it much, huh? HOWEVRRR, sometimes, even the most seasoned of saints, find ourselves oscillating by the turbulent waves of adversity and drowning in the depths of desperation and despair. While we all know that trouble doesn’t discriminate, harassing the just as much as the unjust, somehow knowing doesn’t make suffering any less traumatic, especially to those of us who live intentionally striving to walk circumspect fully according to teaching of The Bible.

Perhaps this explains why so many believers prefer to deny rather than acknowledge that occasionally they encounter episodes of depression, shrouded by the wrath of terror, isolation and false humility that causes you to shrink back into a self-imposed exile! But today, allow the WORD OF GOD to emancipate you from the burden of secrecy and shame! Seriously, quiet as it’s kept, U R NOT ALONE!

Remember David, God’s ordained, ‘man after God’s own heart? Well, a closer investigation of many of his most infamous writings reveal several occasions when The Worshiper Psalmist is heard lamenting from the hub of his soul to his True Source of Salvation and Restoration, The Living God!

As we follow God’s Anointed King in The Scriptures, we see David relentlessly bellowing out his distress before his Friend, The LORD Adonai, uninhibited by reputation, shame nor guilt, but fully persuaded that what pleases God the most is genuine Trusting Honesty. David’s intimacy with his Faithful God, was the foundation of his every prayer!

Beloved, instead of running away from God, during those spasmodic seasons (that seem to contradict the prophetic promises to those who’ve placed their personal faith in the redemptive grace of their Heavenly Father), David learned to embrace the value and privilege afforded to him by fastening his hope to God’s Compassionate Heart with the same  ferverent tenacity that he’d so revently clenched during moments of ease!

Hence, like The Psalmist, when we truly understand that earnest-sincere-honest-heart prayer, stirs-up the atmosphere of Heaven, releases favor, guarantees Divine Intervention and opens the door to a way out of no way, prayer will become our first response rather than our last resort. Didjaheardat?

Now, don’t get it twisted by insulting GOD’S OMNISCIENCE with phony, fake emotional repetitions, as if He doesn’t already know your heart. Just follow David’s example, expose the nakedness of your heart, own your emotions and confess “But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?” Psalm 88:13

Whom have I in heaven but You? My flesh and my heart faileth; but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! Psalm 73:25-26

Don’t waste another moment of precious time, wallowing in the quick-sand of evil foreboding, fear, threatening desolation and impending dread! Instead of murmuring and complaining, take full advantage of the situation, flip the satanic script! After all, remember The Living Word, “Greater is He Who is abiding on the inside of you than any plot that the enemy can come up with!” (Ref. 1 John 4:4)

TRUTHBTOLD, The Good Shepherd can hardly wait to reconnect with you! When you recommit your life afresh, He causes you to lie down in green pastures, leads you beside the still waters and restores your soul, your focus and strength! (Ref. Psalm 23) Beloved, when we rely upon the Foundation of God’s Inseparable Love by entrusting our whole heart to The Faithful Eternal Lord of Glory, GOD so graciously reaffirms HIS PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES! GO ‘HEAD NAH, TERRORIZE HELL! #IJS #PRAY4REAL!!

HONESTLY, God only orchestrates those momentary afflictions to build your faith, setting you up for Triumphant Victory. WHAA? DIDJAHEARDAT? AAAAWWW! SO WALK THIS WAY OUT!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM?

Leave a reply

HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Philippians 3:10

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

 

One of the most intriguing topical discussions amongst expectant mothers and women who have become mothers (besides swapping labor stories) is the abnormally-intensified cravings that we experience during pregnancy awaiting the birth of their beautiful bouncing bundle of joy!

While, much to my amazement, my eldest is presently encroaching 50 years of age, yet, I can still summon up that daily occurrence of overwhelming ferociousness, provoking me to walk my big-belly-self five city blocks up to MLK Avenue to get my hands around a 6 in., lettuce and tomatoes, fried onions, mayo, ketchup and mustard, salt and pepper, heavily-loaded with pickles steak and cheese sandwich. This became such a ritual that the moment I wobbled through the threshold of the deli, the cashier would holla to the cook “Steak and Cheese Special for the big lady”. And off I’d be to our little one-bedroom apartment on Oakwood Street, five blocks back, just as happy as if I’d discovered a treasure chest filled with diamonds, rubies and gold.

Somehow, the journey back never seemed as difficult or as long, perhaps because I’d be that much closer to relishing the second I’d take my first bite of my bounty! Oh my, what we won’t do for love, huh?

Well guess what? That’s exactly how believers ought to be in our quest for Jesus Christ!

We see this truth evidenced in the life of The Apostle Paul. We can almost feel the earnest urgency with which The Apostle sought after his intentional personal, intimate- knowing and understanding of “The True One” Who had apprehended him on the Damascus Road. (Ref. Acts 9) It was as if Paul was driven by an uncommonly unique passionate desire that set him on a course that remains unchartered territory to even the most astutely-religious 21st Century church-goers today.

Yet, there is that remnant of us whose yearning for more JESUS consumes most of our waking moments and often invading our nights with dreams and images of His Awesomeness. Imagine my surprise at the realization that not everyone in the church shares this delight-filled insatiable lusting for The Living Water and The Bread of Life! #4REAL!

This might very well explain why some who profess Christ, are content with following Him a far off while others are compelled to dig-out the secret treasures hidden in The Word of God, diligently, intentionally searching the Scriptures daily that they might know HIM in ways that may never be actualized by the second-handed-casually-acquainted follower—experientially! (Ref. Acts 17:11)

The Word of God is Alive and gives LIFE to any who have a desire for The God Who Speaks revealing GOD-SELF through His Auto-Biography, inscribed through Genesis into Revelation, that all who seek Him with all of their hearts, minds, spirit, soul and body may know HIM (TRUTH) intimately. Sadly, not everyone who calls Him Savior seek Him as Lord, huh? #ijs Yall!

Therefore, much to their own sorrow, they miss out on the true wealth and reward of a personal, dynamic, GOD-involved relationship that awaits us who lend our hearts and attention to discovering The Father in the face of His First-Begotten Son, Jesus! (Ref. Colossians 1:15-16)

My precious one, seeking God, although often challenging, should never become be a chore! However, may I submit for your momentary consideration, that our response to His drawing is vindictive of the level of love, faith and commitment towards Him!

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

HENCE, WHATEVER POSITION GOD OCCUPIES IN YOUR HEART DETERMINES HIS PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE! #IJS HOW BAD DO U WANT HIM?  

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

Leave a reply

THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, “I am, and there is no one else besides me.’ Isaiah 47:10

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved; it is the power of God…for after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God; it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 20

 

Granted, in this new Millennium Church Age,  some challenge the relevancy and even the validity of ‘The preaching of the Cross’!  After all, we have so much going on, so much information available to us right at the tips of our fingers! And of course there’s always so much to accomplish and so little time, huh? 

Well, guess what? Contrary to Millennial pop culture, God knew before we knew how long and how far mankind would go to avoid accountability!

According to 2 Timothy 4:3, ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts.’

In other words, the focus would no longer be how to live a holy and sanctified life, in this present world, but folk would religiously come to church to scratch an itch, you know, to satisfy their hunger for more and some more of the WORLD’S creature comforts.  Of course they’d use a more palatable vernacular, such as, “Give me a ‘word’ that will tell me how I can supersize my life!” Or perhaps, “I’ll give you a part of my ‘free day’ if you can make it worth my while; you know, cheer me up, make me feel good (bring on the hype)! “A’int nobody got time for foolishness!” And we’d certainly be remiss to ignore this one—“You can’t judge me, God knows My Heart!” 

TRUST2KNO, you’re absolutely right! But the fact that that alone doesn’t terrify you is in itself “self-incrimidating’! Think about it, GOD is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent! Thus, He’s everywhere at the same time, knows everything about everything and is able to do anything at anytime! Hence, wherever you go, whatever you think and whatever you do, never takes GOD BY SURPRISE! #WOW! #ijs! 
I know we shouldn’t be shocked—but C’mon! This prevailing attitude of  ‘entitlement’  amongst the household of faith? Yeah, I mean, we’re not talking about ‘worldly sinners’ we’re talking–Church Folks! Don’t shout me down, nah!

But to those of us who yet believe in the Testimony of Jesus Christ and the Gospel message of that ol’ rugged cross, the preaching of the cross is not foolishness, but it is the Power of God to save the sinner man who will dare to believe that The Word of God is True!

Frankly, it’s easy to understand exactly why the Deceitful Destroyer works so diligently to keep humanity blinded from The Truth.  If we were in his position, we wouldn’t want this Good News on blast in mainstream media, either!  Obviously!!  The Bible says, if they only knew ‘They never would’ve crucified Christ’ in the first place. (1 Corinthians 2:8) Well guess what, devil, You’re over 2000 years too late!
 
To the weary wanderer, The Cross is the Place of Refuge! To the lost, The Cross is the Center of the Universe, where Eternity collided with Time and Mercy and Grace unashamedly kissed each other! To the unlovable faint of heart, The Cross is The Power and Love of God openly revealed and freely offered in exchange for our rebellion against God! To the spiritually bankrupt, The Cross the Place of Welcomed Surrender– where, you give Him your all, He Gives You His All!

To those who’re trapped in darkness, The Cross is where the Light of GOD’S Amazing Grace is still shining—beckoning us before the day of gross darkness overtakes you—COME!

DIDJAHEARDAT? THE WISDOM OF GOD HELPS US 2 SAFELY NAVIGATE  LIFE, AVOIDING SATANIC SNARES AND TRAPS DESIGNED TO DEPOSE OUR ETERNAL DESTINY! BUT, THANK GOD 4 THE  FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING! So who’s the real fool?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann CaffeeI

 

PROMISE KEEPER!

Leave a reply

PROMISE KEEPER

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

So He said, “I will certainly be with you….” Exodus 3:12a
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever! Psalm 30:11-12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

 

As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we vow to live our lives according to the testimony God reveals in The Holy Bible. As our knowledge of God’s Word increases, we discover how God has ordained certain rights, privileges and promises to us and for us. Yet, even as confessing Believers, sometimes we fall short when it comes to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises. Don’t shout me down now, yall!

Consequently, our churches are filled with frustrated, anxious, angry and unsatisfied folk who’re secretly disappointed with God. AMEN Anyhow! For the record, let’s concede this, GOD IS NOT THE PROBLEM! Therefore, His Faithfulness is not on trial! God’s Word is Eternally Immutable, Faithful and True.

So what’s up? We go to church and hear the gospel—well most of the time—anyway, preached with power and conviction. We enjoy the sermon, buy the CD’s and the DVD’s. We’ll leave the sanctuary talking about “Man, we had CHUURCH today”. But, the question is, where’s the evidence that what we’ve heard has profited our lives? For real, where’s the change in our personal situations?

It may behoove us to interrogate the Word more closely. The Scripture declares, ‘Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing By The Word’, right?  Obviously, the breakdown does not exist in the effectiveness of THE WORD! Hence, that leaves the higher probability that our inability to see the manifestation of the PROMISE lies in our personal cognition to believe and accept the Integrity of GOD’S WORD!

Moses was called by GOD to do a task that was so completely outside of his comfort zone causing him to offer up a plethora of excuses why successfully completing the assignment was impossible! GOD told Moses that He’d heard the desperate cry of the children of Israel, I’ve see how the Egyptians have oppressed; now I am sending you to Pharaoh that you may bring MY people out of Egypt! I will certainly be with you…When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve GOD on this mountain.” (Ref. Exodus 3:9-10; 12)

Now, stop looking at me with that tone of voice! U know there’s been plenty of times God presented a situation in your face, that even with the aid of 66 Books of Holy Writ, you were so overwhelmed with the challenge that you immediately started questioning God’s reasoning not to mention His decision that you were remotely qualified and equipped to go thru what you would have to go thru, not to mention come out! #ijs

However, GOD never asks us to do anything that He’s not willing to get personally involved! When GOD promised Moses, ‘I WILL CERTAINLY BE WITH YOU’ that was the game changer! The value of a promise solely depends upon the Authority, Ability and the Involvement of the One who’s making the promise! SINCE GOD ALONE IS THE SELF-PROCLAIMED I AM WHO I AM…THE ALPHA & THE OMEGA, WHO SPOKE TO NOTHING AND CREATED EVERYTHING…we might jus wanna put our trust and confidence in whatever HE SAYS, HE CAN AND WILL DO!

After all, WHO CAN STAY HIS HAND! Remember Pharaoh and his horses all drowned in the Red Sea! (Ref. Exodus 14:21-23)

Beloved, it matters not how high the mountain you must overcome, how wide valley you must go thru, nor how deep the river you must cross over, hold on the The Master’s Hand, lean not to your own understanding, but trust in His Promises with all of your heart, committing your whole being to His Keeping Power and you shall see The Saving Grace of our God! TRUST2KNO! Every Promise that God’s left on record is still as good as it was the day He Spoke it into Being! Hence, don’t wait ’til the battle is over, SHOUT NOW!

#BELIEVE 2 C THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING! HE IS THE PROMISE KEEPER!

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

THE GOD WHO NEVER FAILS!

Leave a reply

 

THE GOD WHO NEVER FAILS

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. Joshua 21:44-45

 

Anybody remember, ‘integrity’? Barely, huh?

Apparently, it’s relevancy has been cast aside as an ol’ antiquated byword resurrected only as necessary to mete out convenient manipulation! Just look at what’s happening in this world! Emanating from The Oval Office down, people are being embolden by a demonic-induced spirit of deception to qualify and quantify truth to suit their own evil intent! Henceforth, we’re living amidst a broken, untrustworthy system of disillusionment Those who we ought to be able to believe and trust have proven to be profound liars, totally devious and temperamental! Unfortunately, without the assistance of Truth Personified, there’s little hope for distinguishing reality from fake news!

According to our text, the promise God made to Abraham while he was in Ur, was fulfilled generations later when God intervened on their behalf, driving out all the inhabitants of the land and allowing Israel to go in and conquer the land under Joshua’s leadership! Not only did God give Abraham’s ancestors all the land He’d promised but He also gave them rest all around! #Didjaheardat!

God’s miraculous deliverance proved there’s yet One, you can count on to be Faithful, Dependable and Unfailing! Family and friends may try to be there for you, but as history has revealed, sometimes they’ll let you down. But TRUST2KNO, no matter what you may be going thru, with GOD a delay is not a denial! GOD WILL NEVER LET U DOWN! GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU! (Ref. Hebrew 13:5)

TRUTHBETOLD!  Even in those dark seasons when it seems as if GOD’S response was a direct contradiction to what you were believing for, yet while we’re indulging in our ‘internal WHY’, we must realize that GOD is not a man that He should lie and seeing beyond our circumstances, GOD always operates in HIS SOVEREIGN PURPOSE & HIS WILL!

I recognize that Millennials may not be able to personally attest to all the Great and Mighty works that The Lord has done for His Chosen African-Americans, but if I could pass the proverbial ‘mic’, undoubtedly, there would be cloud of witnesses extolling testimonies of God’s Divine Interruptions, preventing imminent disasters and devastation from dangers seen and unseen, giving way to ineluctable eruptions of glorious praiz and adoration, culminating in “If it had not been for the LORD on my side, I never would’ve made it!” Yeah Baby, The Lord has brought us a Mighty, Mighty long way! And Thanks Be 2 God’s Grace and Mercy, God’s not ‘nary thru blessing all who will genuinely repent and seek His face in Truth!

Beloved, there’s no denying it, the struggle is real! However, GOD IS GREATER! It’s through the tests, trials and disappointments of life that God cultivates our faith, trust and confidence in HIM! As we travel the often tumultuous terrains,  tightly clasping The Hand of The Eternal Promise Keeper, it’s in our suffering, we learn that IF GOD SAID IT, HE’S ABLE AND WILLING TO BRING IT TO PAST! JUS HOLD ON! 4 OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL & NEVER FAILS! 

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee