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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 4th

📖 Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the city’s gate; and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die? 

If we say, We will enter the city—then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the army of the Syrians. If they spare us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 

So they arose in the twilight and went to the Syrian camp. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no man was there. 

And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them [in the darkness]. Then they entered another tent and carried from there also and went and hid it. 
—II Kings 7: 3-5; 8 AMPC

A parked car never goes anywhere. God wants us in motion. God wants us in pursuit of Him and His will for our lives. Even if God goes before us and makes crooked places straight, it is all in vain if we never walk the path that God created. There may be a time where we must be quiet, so the Lord can help us make the right moves. God had to tell Joshua to get up and take the land because he had mourned for Moses too long (Joshua 1:2). It is okay to pause sometimes, but then we must keep moving. God moved when the lepers moved. He caused the Syrians to think they were hearing chariots and horses when the lepers came their way. God knows how to direct us if we get on the wrong path. God may prod us. He may tell us to move, but He cannot make us move. Obedience is on us. When we are obedient and get in motion, good things are bound to happen.  

#keepmoving #devotional #motion #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 3rd

📖 For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? —I Corinthians 3:3 NKJV 

Jesus did not die on the cross for us to act like mere men. Jesus came so that we could live a supernatural life. He came so that we could live above the beggarly elements of this life. We don’t have to act like mere men. We can love the unlovable. We can show kindness to our enemies. We can overlook the shortcomings of people. We don’t have to respond the way the world responds. We can react in a different manner. When we respond in love, that is what will set us apart. Anyone can get into strife and division; anyone can be a mere man. God is calling us to a higher level. He is calling us to be the light of the world. He is calling us to be the salt of the earth. He is calling us to be a city that is set on a hill. 

#supernaturallife #vcccharlotte #light #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 2nd

📖 But you [Jeremiah], gird up your loins! Arise and tell them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed and break down at the sight of their faces, lest I confound you before them and permit you to be overcome. 

For I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land—against the [successive] kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome]. 

And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. 
—Jeremiah 1:17-19 AMPC

Sometimes when we are walking out the will of God, we have to deal with fear. God was telling Jeremiah to say what He was commanding him to say and not to be moved by the people’s faces. God even told Jeremiah that even if they fight against Him, they couldn’t win because God was with Him. God is consistent. All throughout the Word of God, He tells His people not to be afraid of a man because He was with them. There is no one stronger than God. No one has ever defeated God, and no one ever will. God will make you a fortified city. God will give you divine strength. God will cause you to overcome every wile and strategy of the wicked one. We win every time. 

#Jeremiah #devotional #faithoverfear #overcomer #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 1st

📖 Now Samuel grew; and the Lord was with him and He let none of his words fail [to be fulfilled]. —I Samuel 3:19 AMP

When God is with you, success is inevitable. As we walk with God and follow His orders, we can ensure that we will stay on a path of success and prosperity. Isaiah 1:19 tells us that if we will be willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. One way we can stay on a successful path is to speak the Word of God. When we speak the Word, God will see to it that none of your words will fail to be fulfilled. Jesus is the high priest of our confession. He is watching and listening to what we are saying. He told Moses that He was going to give the people exactly what they were saying in His ear. God is watching over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). If God is going to fulfill our words, we must make sure our words line up with His. If we will think like God, talk like God, and act like God, it’s just a matter of time before we live like God. He lives a life of victory!

#SpeaktheWord #victory #devotional #success #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 30th

📖 Not that we are sufficiently qualified in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency and qualifications come from God. —2 Corinthians 3:5 AMPC 

Let us always keep in mind that the ability to succeed in life does not come from ourselves, but from God and God alone. We are to glorify Him with our gifts and talents. That is the reason why we were given them in the first place. With this scripture in mind, we must be dependent upon God when it comes to operating in the ability He has given us. We must remember that it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. So let us honor Him by remembering that our sufficiency comes from him. 

#praiseGod #sufficiency #devotional #honorGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 29th

📖 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether he might change his plans. 

He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them. 

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, 
—Hebrews 6:17-19 The Living Bible 

God has not changed His plans concerning us. It is still His will for us to prosper. It is still His will that we walk in divine health. It is His will that we experience His goodness in every area of life. God not only gave us a promise, He gave us His oath. He wanted us to rest in His integrity. He wanted to assure us that He would keep His Word to us. Because of the promise and the oath that believers have with their Heavenly Father, we can have hope. We can know that no matter how impossible it looks, God will come through. How we feel has nothing to do with it. God will do what He said He will do. He is not a man that He should lie. If He said it, He will do it. If He spoke it, He will bring it to pass. We can put our trust in God, He will never let us down. 

#hope #giver #trustGod #verseoftheday #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 27th

📖 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men and gives them eternal rewards.  He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. —Psalm 37:18-19 The Living Bible 

It doesn’t matter what is going on in the world, God’s got us. He cares for us. When there is chaos in the world, we can have peace because we know that God has our backs. Even in famine, God will see to it that we have enough. When you read the Word of God, you see God doing that repeatedly for His people. God doesn’t depend on the resources of this world, but He uses the resources of the world to bless His people. His coming through for us is not dependent on the state of our economy. God knows where all the money is. He knows where all of the food is. He knows how to get it to us when we need it. David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread”. If God did it for David, He will do it for you. He is no respecter of persons. 

#faithfulGod #provider #psalms #faith #Jesus

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 26th

📖 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly, 

And said, I cried out of my distress to the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of Sheol cried I, and You heard my voice.

And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. 
—Jonah 2:1-2, 10 AMPC 

Jonah was in a bad place. He'd disobeyed God, and his disobedience caused him to be swallowed by a big fish. Even though he was underwater in the belly of a fish, God still heard him when he prayed to Him. God not only heard him, but He was merciful to Jonah. He spoke to the fish, and the fish spit Jonah out onto the shore. God delivered Jonah even though it was his own fault that he was in that situation. God is always looking to deliver us. His eyes run throughout the earth looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards him (II Chronicles 16:9). If God can hear a man in the middle of the sea in the belly of a fish, surely, He hears us. If we know that He hears us, then we know that we have what we have prayed for, when we pray according to His will (I John 5:14-15).  

#prayer #Jonah #dailydevotional #bigfish #obedience #goodGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 25th

📖 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, and he will answer with lightning and showers. Every field will become a lush pasture. How foolish to ask the idols for anything like that!

Fortune-tellers’ predictions are all a bunch of silly lies; what comfort is there in promises that don’t come true? Judah and Israel have been led astray and wander like lost sheep; everyone attacks them, for they have no shepherd to protect them. 
—Zechariah 10:1-2 The Living Bible

What are your expectations like? Are you expecting big things from God? Whatever it is that you have need of, God can supply it. Are you in need of healing? He can supply. Are you in need of finances? He can supply it. God can do whatever you need Him to do. The issue is not His ability, the issue is your believing. Do you have the capacity to believe in Him for a miracle? Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe that I can make you see?” (Matthew 9:28 LB) Believing always proceeds receiving. You must believe before you can see. Believing is the prerequisite for receiving. There is nothing wrong with God’s ability. If you can believe, you will see the glory of God! (John 11:40) 

#believe #expectations #vcccharlotte #Godsupplies #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 24th

📖 Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. 

And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. 

And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods. 

And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. 

But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? 

So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares]. 
—Luke 12:16-21 AMPC

There is a lot that we can learn from this rich man. One thing we see is that his dependency was on the wrong thing. He took comfort in the quantity of his possessions. His trust was in what He had. He was rich in goods, but not rich in God. God wants us to pursue Him and to keep our eyes on Him. Later in the chapter, Jesus told the people to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (or His way of doing things) and the things that the Gentiles seek would be added to them. The rich man’s focus was on his possessions. God wants our focus to be on Him, and the goods will follow. There is nothing wrong with having plenty of goods; we must only make sure that what we have does not control us. 

#richinGod #vcccharlotte #devotional #eyesonGod #focus

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 23rd

📖 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
—2 Timothy 4:7 NIV

Our goal in life should be to finish the race that God has set before us. Some Christians start off running well, and for various reasons, get off course. God wants us to finish the race he has already set up. There are lives God wants to touch through us no matter what stage of the race we may be in. We must keep our pace and not allow ourselves to get off course. Push through adversity as the Apostle Paul did in his life. Let’s endeavor to run the race that God has set before us, not what He set before someone else. In Acts 26:19 Paul said to King Agrippa “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” We all have our parts to play so, like Apostle Paul, let’s be obedient and content with the vision God has blessed us with.

#vision #devotional #runtherace #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 22nd

📖 The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation). 

And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity]. 
—Psalm 9:9-10 AMPC

When things get tough in our lives, we should go to God. When it feels that we are dealing with all types of obstacles and attacks, from every side and in every area, we are to run to God. God will give us wisdom. He will give us insight that we might not have thought about. He will give us the plan to get us out of the situation. What we can count on is that God will not forsake us when we put our trust in Him and stand on His Word. God is obligated to His Word, and He is watching over His Word to perform it. It is impossible for God to lie, so we know that if He promised to deliver us, we can count on Him to come through. Not just every now and then, but every time.  

#reliable #trustGod #dailydevotional #OurHelper #Bible

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 20th

📖 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 

With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 
—2 Chronicles 32:7-8 KJV

Hezekiah was admonishing the people of Israel. Sennacherib was threatening to attack the nation of Israel, and he had been experiencing victory after victory. Hezekiah was not afraid. He knew that God would fight for them. He told the people not to be afraid because of who was for them. He knew that God would fight for them. The people rested on those promises.  

When we hear from God or when we are standing on a promise that is found in the Word of God, we must rest on what God has said. Faith without rest is unbelief. Fatih and fear cannot stay in the same house. When you're in fear, you can sometimes find yourself immersed in worry. When you're in faith, you rest. You know that God is going to take care of it, so there is no use in worrying about it. Rest and praise are indicators that you are in faith and that you are taking God at His Word. They are statements to the devil and to your circumstances that a change is on the horizon. 

#rest #noworries #vcccharlotte #GodAlmighty

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 19th

📖 Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities I will [also] cause [Israel’s] cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 

And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by. 

And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. 

Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. 
—Ezekiel 36:33-36 AMPC 

God is a God of restoration. He knows how to turn our lives around, regardless of how bad of shape that it may currently be in. God turned the captivity of Job and gave him twice as much. In the text, God was saying that He would rebuild Israel’s cities. He would also make the desolate land look like the Garden of Eden. Your life may be in shambles, but God can turn it around. God can turn your wilderness into the Garden of Eden. God can restore your health, your finances, your family, whatever might need to be restored, God can do it! Let’s not limit God in our believing. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. 

#trustGod #restoration #devotional #encouragement #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 18th

📖 And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” —Revelation 22:12-13 NKJV 

This is a simple reminder: Jesus is coming soon. Sometimes we can forget that.  There is so much going on in our world. Food prices are up. Gas prices are up. There is so much chaos in our world that we can sometimes get caught up in all of it. If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, Heaven is your eternal home. We are looking forward to a better place: a place with no sickness, no disease, crime or chaos. We have hope! If this world was all we had to look forward to, we would be in trouble. Jesus is coming, and we cannot lose sight of this. We must keep our eyes on heavenly things. Our time on this earth is minute compared to eternity. We must always keep the right perspective. Our Savior is coming to get us! 

#Jesus #Savior #eternity #devotional #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 17th

📖 Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the governor of the island. He welcomed us courteously and fed us for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, healed him! Then all the other sick people in the island came and were cured. As a result, we were showered with gifts, and when the time came to sail, people put on board all sorts of things we would need for the trip. —Acts 28:7-10 The Living Bible 

What an example of a true ambassador of Heaven. Even though Paul was a shipwrecked prisoner, he was still ministry-minded enough that he prayed and laid his hands on Publius’ father and all who were sick on the island. Paul could have been so caught up in what he was dealing with, that he could have shown little to no concern about the needs of others. It's easy to fall into that trap. It's easy to be so consumed with what is going on in our lives that we ignore the plight of others. We must always be mindful of our citizenship. We must always remember that we are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His hands and feet. We are all that He has. 

#paul #shipwrecked #verseoftheday #motivation #vcccharlotte #ambassadors

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 16th

📖 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. —Matthew 6:31-33 ESV 

Worry is such a major issue in many people’s lives today. They are worried about their finances, their jobs, providing for their family, etc. We have a God who has promised to take good care of us. There are no benefits to being anxious and worrying about tomorrow. We as Christians must put our trust in God by seeking His kingdom first. As we are pursuing the things of God, He will take care of our every need. We don’t have to fret like the world does. We have the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Let us seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness and watch God show himself to us as Jehovah Jireh (the Lord our Provider). 

#Godcares #donotworry #devotional #vcccharlotte #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 15th

📖 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15 AMPC 

Joshua is letting the people know that it doesn’t really matter who they choose to serve. He had already made up his mind that he and his household would serve the Lord. As believers, we must make that same commitment. God desires for our families to serve Him. The angel told Cornelius to ask for a man named Peter, who would explain how he and his household could be saved (Acts 11:13-15). We must have the same attitude. Not only will we serve God, but our children and their children should too. God is a generational God. He desires to walk with each generation. He was called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God put marriage in place so that He would have godly seed. God is always concerned about having a generation that will serve Him; we should be the same. Whatever concerns God should concern us. 

#Jehovah #Bible #devotional #family #vcccharlotte #familyfirst #Godfirst

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 13th

📖 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. —Genesis 1:31 AMPC 

After God finished his six days of creation, He looked at everything that He had made, and He approved it completely. One version says that He looked at “everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (KJV)”. There was no sickness or disease in the earth when God originally created it. There was no sin, and there was no curse. Everything He made was good and He approved of it.  
 
God has not changed. The Bible even tells us that God “takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant (Psalm 35:27).” God delights in our prosperity. He wishes above all things that we prosper and be in good health, even as our soul prospers (III John 2). Jesus even said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If there are things in your life that aren’t “good,” God has given you the ability to change it. He has given you authority, His Word, and faith to overcome. Don’t continue to settle for anything but God’s best for your life. God’s will is for you to flourish and to thrive. It always has been, and it always will be. 

#prosperity #creation #dailydevotional #Bible #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 12th

📖 The merciful, kind, and generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel and callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution. 
—Proverbs 11:17 AMPC 

The Bible tells us that “as you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). It is to our benefit to be merciful, kind, and generous to as many people as we can. We must not be cruel and callous to the wants of others, unless we want people to be callous and cruel to our needs. We must understand the importance of the law of sowing and reaping. We reap what we sow. If we sow love, we reap love. If we sow kind words, we reap kind words. If we sow finances, we reap finances. It is to our benefit to live a life of generosity. When we do, our deeds return to bless us, giving us an opportunity to be a greater blessing to humanity. 

#generosity #reap #devotional #sow #vcccharlotte #blessing

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