Tag Archives: world

WHATCHA SAY?

whaacha-say-2

 

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Ever wonder why it seems like The Word of God isn’t working for you? Hopefully, we do know that the fault can’t be with God, right? Well that leaves, you know who; and I ain’t talking about the devil. Although he doesn’t mind a bit lapping up the free publicity! So what are we doing, or perhaps more appropriately, what are we not doing?

Normally, in our western culture, we tend to use the words, declare and decree interchangeably when in fact they are quite different. Judicially, before a policy or a law can be enforced or carried out there must be a decree or a mandate  authorized by a source who is empowered to rule or to govern. In other words a decree must be handed down from a sovereign or higher authority!

One of the many fringe benefits of our Covenant Relationship through our Lord Jesus Christ is as bona fide heirs we have The Keys to the Kingdom! Keys represent authority! However, we must first understand not what but Who our Key is—it is the Name of JESUS! (Ref. Romans 4:11) Hence, The Creator of the universe has entrusted us to speak (decree) things that be not and expect them to come to pass. (Ref. Romans 4:17) Didjaheardat?

As authorized agents of the Kingdom, we’re charged to enforce the plan of God—which is the WILL of GOD revealed in the WORD of GOD! This means any demonic attempt to block us from receiving the blessings of our Heavenly Father is thereby bound and forced to bow to The Name of Jesus!

The problem is, ofttimes, His children never reach a level of maturity in the things of God to freely operate in the power that God has ordained. Hence, instead of calling those things that be not as though they were, we continue to call things that are as if they will always be! And guess what, since we are created in His Image, we get just what we say! And then blame GOD because we don’t get the results we expect! We got some nerve, huh?

Considering Amos 3:3 asks “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” , today, is your walk in alignment with Kingdom Authority? Are you calling those things which be not as though they are? Or, are you calling those things as they are? #IJS

ARE YOU SAYING WHAT GOD SAYS OR SAYING WHAT YOU SEE? INTERESTING, huh? WHATCHA SAY?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

 

WAYFARING WIT

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

NOW AIN’T DAT PECULIAR?

 

AIN'T DAT PECULIAR 3

SELAH Daily Devotions!

 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 1 Peter 2:9

 

If you’re a card-holding member of the baby-boomers community, you probably remember R&B recording Artist, Marvin Gayes’ 1965 hit song, “Ain’t That Peculiar!”. This song went on to become one of his best known signature solo-hits.

Now, of course I realize that the object of this writer’s (Smokey Robinson) affection is a two-timing-unfaithful-serial-cheating-significant-other-who-would-never-return-his-misguided- affections, but as we read the last verse, perhaps we might express this same peculiar sentiment when we consider Our Savior’s heart towards His Beloved Creation –Man-kind. “I know love can last through years…But how can love last through tears”.

While the world looks at Christians as being peculiar, stupid, unintelligent, weak-minded, poverty-stricken individuals, who are desperately looking to escape reality with fantasy, but GOD’s interpretation of peculiar differs drastically. According to the bible, peculiar not only means strange, but also connotes the exclusively chosen, uniquely selected, belonging to and set-apart for HIS Divine Purpose. God has the uncanny abiity to hand-pick the foolish for Christ to confound the world’s wise and astute, bringing Praise and Glory to God!

WHO NU? Believers are God’s Very Own Special People!  #didjaheardat? WOW!

One of the most strangely amazing things about God’s People is the reality that God ordained before the foundation of the world, that He would have HIMSELF a people, who would be different from the world around them. Different because they’d be born-again, by The Spirit of God, adopted and transformed by the Indwelling Holy Spirit! #didjaheardat?  Hence, you can’t even take credit for your own ELECT- Royal-Position!

It’s ALL GOD!!! GOD gave us The Faith to trust in Him and it’s only by GOD’s GRACE that we are empowered to live holy, separated and sanctified thru HIS SPIRIT!

None of us could ever live righteously enough to deserve this GRACE! But! While we were yet weak and powerless, at the right time, a LOVING FATHER, sent and sacrificed HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS, not to save us IN our sin, but to save us FROM our sin, reconciling us back into HIS FAMILY! (Romans 5:8) OH YEAH! WE ARE GOD’S INHERITANCE! #CANUBELIEVEIT?

WHOOAAAA! GOD’S LOVE LASTS THROUGH TEARS!  NOW DATZ PECULIAR, HUH?

SELAH!

Pause, Ponder, Pray & Praiz!

Ann Caffee

FEELIN SOME KINDA WAY…

FEELIN SOME KINDA WAY

 

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)

 

I know I’m too old to be using this new slang! In fact, you probably have to be over 50 to even know what ‘slang’ is, right!

But from where I’m sitting, I believe that it’s an attempt to describe those unidentifiable unrefined emotions birthed out of the womb of unsettling situations. And there’s certainly been a lot of those going around lately, huh? The jandra “You never know” pretty much typifies the attitude of this 21st Century.

Despite all the technological advancements of our New Millennium Age and our fixation with pursuing our destiny, it doesn’t seem that we’re any closer to attaining that level of peace, comfort and contentment that every soul longs for.

I truly believe that The Creator deliberately left a GOD-size hole in the center of our hearts that can never be sufficiently filled through human efforts!

Surveying the state of humanity, there’s seems to be no end to the onslaught of strategically-designed-distractions launched by the gods of this world, to draw our focus away from The Eternal Word of God, leaving a lot of God’s Elect gasping, trembling and wavering hopelessly between faith and fear! Hence, ‘feeling some kinda way’!

There’s no denying that from an earthly-perspective, this world is spinning out of control causing the bottom of life (as we’d known) to fall out!

There’s a prevalent sense of entitlement which allows every man to do what seems right in his own eyes and that once endeared standard of morality apparently has plummeting to incomparable depths of new low.

But Truth remains! “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. (2 Timothy 2:19)!

Granted, issues have a way of knocking at the door of our lives, unexpected and uninvited, leaving us off balance! But by GOD’s GRACE! We stand firm, our hearts fixed on this comforting assurance that absolutely nothing happens in your life that ever catches God by surprise! And while we may not know what challenges we’ll face during the course of any given day, God promised that He will never abandon nor leave us defenseless! (Ref. Isaiah 54:17)

It’s during these temporary moments of affliction that we, The Saints, evoke our privilege to cry out to our High Priest for Divine Help! (Hebrews 4:15)

The ol’ Mothers of Zion used to sang, “For He is a Battle Axe in the time of the struggle and a Shelter in the time of the Storm.”

THE NEXT TIME LIFE ASSAULTS YOU, LEAVING YOU ‘FEELING SOME KINDA WAY’, JUST CALL JESUS!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

 

DON’T SWALLOW THE BAIT

DON'T SWALLOW THE BAIT

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” Psalm 27:4-6 KJV

 

One thing for sure, nobody who knows me would ever accuse me of being remotely ‘out-door-sy”, huh? Yessssirreeeyyy! I’m totally domesticated!

So when it comes to taking part in those adventures that so many of yall find such immense pleasure in, such as camping, hiking, fishing, skiing, anything I say about them are solely vicarious! However, I am married to an avid fisherman who would rather be on a boat in the middle of a lake for hours at a time than just about any other place; save Heaven!

I understand that in order to catch a fish you must have certain equipment. A fishing line, a hook and a bait! I have experienced opening up my freezer door and being greeted by neatly packaged baggies filled with all kinds of strange looking objects to which I’ve been inclined to immediately dump in the garbage; that is until he informs me of their intrinsic value.

Unfortunately, too many of you are just as ignorant of Satan’s wicked devices as I am when it comes to fishing!

While we  may acknowledge this Truth, mentally assenting to its veracity, that as Born-Again, Blood-Washed, Children of The King, Satan no longer has authority to lord over our lives far too often,  yet the revelation fails to transcend into our ‘real life’, huh? Apparently there’s a innately human flaw of fickleness that tends to overcome even the most sainted believer the moment The Designated Accuser fires his darts, interrupting your blissful state of abiding in God’s Presence! Hence, you develop an acute case of selective amnesia; forgetting the Fundamental of Christianity 101!

When you placed your personal trust in The Lord Jesus, accepting Him as your Redeemer, you were immediately rescued from The Kingdom of Darkness and transferred into The Kingdom of God’s Son! (Ref. Colossians 1:12-14) Didjaheardat?

Ooooh Glorrraaaa! That means that the devil has no right or power to control any area of your life! He’s a defeated foe! Now, of course being the Master of Deceit, he’s unable to resist his diabolical urges to persistently threaten any unsuspecting Child of God who will swallow the bait, hook line and sink to a level far beneath his God-Ordained position of Righteousness in Christ Jesus!

But you don’t have to! Today’s scripture text tells you where you are, from God’s Perspective! Hidden in God’s Pavillion, seated safe and secure in The Rock of Ages, far beyond the reach of all of your enemies!

So, before you start acting like Satan is a true prophet, re-evaluate the Reality of your situation!

Pause, take a deep breath, ponder and relish His Presence! Got it?

AAAAAWWWWWW!!!! NOT TODAY DEVIL! AND FROM WHERE I’M SITTING…IT AIN’T LOOKING DAT GOOD FOR YOU TOMORROW EITHER! BBBBAAAAMMMMM!!! DON’T SWALLOW THE BAIT!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee

WHAT’S THE POINT?

whatz the point

SELAH Daily Devotions!

“ I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:8-11

According to Biblical Historians, today’s scripture text was penned by the highly-acclaimed, wisest and wealthiest man in all of the known world, King Solomon! WOW! Here he is, King of the most powerful nation in the world during that time, Israel! The off-spring of Israel’s King, David, Solomon, having been hand-picked by GOD to carry on the lineage to The Seed promised to Abraham; privileged and honored to build The Temple where God promised to dwell in the midst of His people forever! I’d say King Solomon pretty much qualified as top-dog—back in dat day, huh?

The Bible tells of Solomon’s humble, earnest, passionate prayer of dedication of The Temple, that so touched the heart of God. He did not ask for wealth and fame, but for wisdom to lead God’s people in such a way that they would honor God before the other nations of the world. And because this prayer pleased God so much, God responded “I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour; so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou will walk in my ways, to keep my statues and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy day(1 King 3:5-15)

SO, WHAT HAPPENED to cause the smartest, richest man in the world, to get to where we find him in Ecclesiastes?”

Apparently, Solomon came to a point in his life where he began to realize that none of the glitz and glamour of this world’s luxurious creature comforts that one might accumulate, could ever fill that God-size void in each of us. Unfortunately Solomon spent a life-time of pursuing and getting; yet not recognizing and understanding that the true value, wealth and treasure of what was right before his eyes. GOD!

WHAT’S THE POINT?

In all thy getting, get understanding! WITHOUT CHRIST—LIFE IS NOTHING!

SELAH!

“Have a WONDER-FILLED day!”

Ann Caffee