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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 14th

📖 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ⎯1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

Paul is saying here that he is making sure his body does not rule his spirit. We are spirit beings, and God created us to live out of our spirits. Sometimes our flesh is not in subjection to our spirits, and that can lead to us making bad decisions that, as Paul mentioned, can disqualify us. Some people have trouble sticking to their diet because they give in to their flesh every time it craves something that is not in said diet. The flesh is not mindful of spiritual things. All it cares about is pleasure and the things of this world. We must subdue the flesh and always keep our spirit man on top. Our spirit man is to run the show, and we can strengthen him by communing with God through the word and prayer. Looking upon the people who fell short of the destiny God had for them, Samson stands out because he did not control his flesh. Samson could have been used a lot more had he controlled his lust for women. Let’s continue to subdue our flesh and strengthen our spirits.

#liveinthespirit #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 13th

📖 Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 
⎯I Timothy 4:12 AMPC

As believers, we are to be examples to the world. We are to be the moral compass for the world. Unfortunately, many believers haven’t sold out to God, and there are things in their lives that are displeasing to Him. As believers, we must be willing to be examples to other believers. We must demonstrate how a believer is supposed to talk and act when it comes to walking in love, faith, and purity. Christians can be at various stages in their lives, but it is up to us to be examples of what holiness and consecration look like. Holiness isn’t a long skirt and no makeup; it is a life that is sold out to God. Let’s be aware of our actions. You never know how your lifestyle is having an impact on other people. 

#moralcompass #devotional #vcccharlotte #Christianwalk

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 12th

📖 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 

For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand. 
—Matthew 13:11-13 AMPC 

God has given us the secrets and the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Those secrets and mysteries are found in His Word. God has given us spiritual knowledge so that we would have an advantage in the earth. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). It takes spiritual knowledge to access spiritual blessings. God does not want us ignorant. People are destroyed because they have no knowledge (Hosea 4:6). God wants us to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Acting on spiritual knowledge causes us to overcome. It causes us to overcome any and everything the devil would try to throw our way. Don't be ignorant my brothers and sisters. A man who increases his knowledge increases his strength (Proverbs 24:5). Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! 

#knowledge #vcccharlotte #strengthinGod #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 11th

📖 You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house.

In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. 

⎯Matthew 5:14-16 God’s Word Translation

We are the light of the world. We are God’s representatives in the earth. Our behavior and deeds give people an example of the kingdom that we represent. Jesus told the people that when they saw Him, they saw the Father. He was a representation of what the Father was like. We are to do the same. People should watch our behavior and see that there is a difference between us and the world. Jesus even instructed us to do things differently. He told us to love our enemies. He told us to pray for those who despitefully use us. He told us that if someone hits us, we are to turn the other cheek. Doing those things will show people that you are peculiar. They will see that you are not of this world. They will see that you are a citizen of Heaven, a citizen of the kingdom of God. 

#KingdomofGod #devotional #lightoftheworld #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 10th

📖 He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord—happy, blessed, and fortunate is he. ⎯Proverbs 16:20 AMPC

If one wants to be considered wise, one must heed God’s Word and counsel. The Word of God tells us that it is the doer of the Word that is blessed, not just the hearer (James 1:25). Obedience demonstrates confidence in God and His integrity. It is always wise to obey God. The fool ignores the Word of God. The Bible tells us that “there is a way that seems right, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). We don’t want to take a path that seems right, we want to take the right path. God always has our best interest at heart. We should know and understand that it's in our best interest to heed, obey, and trust in the Word of God. 

#trustGod #devotional #wisdom #obedience

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 9th

📖 Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually]. ⎯III John 2 AMPC

God desires that His children do well in life. Every parent wants their children to be healthy and successful in every area of their lives. We know that God sent Jesus into the world to redeem mankind. Jesus also said that He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. God desires for us to live the good life. A life of abundance and surplus. A life that is free from sickness and disease. A life that is free from the curse of the law. If God wanted us sick and broke, He would have left things the way they were. God desired better, so He sent Jesus so that we could have better. Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #neversettle #bible #freedom

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 7th

📖 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 

David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring me the ephod. And Abiathar brought him the ephod. 

And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? The Lord answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.
⎯1 Samuel 30:6-8 AMPC 

David was having a rough day. When he and his men returned to Ziglag, they found the city burning, and their families had been taken. David’s men had even talked of stoning him. David knew what to do. He encouraged himself in the Lord. Then he sought the Lord. When life gets tough and the devil is coming at you in every direction, we can learn from David. We can encourage ourselves in the Lord. We can seek the Lord and find out how to overcome every attack of the wicked one. God will lead us. He will show us how to recover all. God will always cause us to triumph over every situation. He is on our side! 

#David #devotional #vcccharlotte #Godisonourside

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 6th

📖 Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the LORD.” So Jehonadab rode along with him. ⎯2 Kings 10:16 NLT 

How devoted are you to the Lord? Some people are very devoted to their favorite sports teams and favorite TV shows but not devoted to the Word, prayer, or church. In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul talks about how in the last days many will abandon the faith. We must stay devoted and keep our zeal for the Lord. We must esteem God more than the desires and the pleasures of this world. If we are not careful, those things can draw our hearts away from God. 1 Timothy 5:6 says “Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives.” As we can see from the scripture, when we live for pleasure, we become spiritually dead. As we continue our daily devotion to the Lord, our spiritual life will continue to flourish. Let us continue to devote ourselves to the Lord as He is so worthy of our devotion.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #zeal #bible

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 5th

📖 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 
—Ecclesiastes 5:19 The New Living Translation   

Did you notice in this Scripture what a gift from God looks like? It doesn’t say that poverty and lack is a gift from God. It doesn’t say that sickness is a gift from God. Wealth and health are the examples given of what a gift from God looks like. This Scripture sounds like James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights”. God is a good God. All throughout the Word of God we see the Word of God portray God as a good Father who wants to bless His children with good things. He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Psalms 35:27). He gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Jesus even told us that it was His Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Jesus also told us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (clothes, food, provision, etc.) will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Let us never lose sight of this fact: God is a good God, and the devil is a bad devil.  

#giftfromGod #vcccharlotte #prosperity #devotional  

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 4th

📖 As time went on, it happened that the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt crossed their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the head cupbearer and the head baker, and put them in custody under the captain of the guard; it was the same jail where Joseph was held. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to see to their needs. 

After they had been in custody for a while, the king’s cupbearer and baker, while being held in the jail, both had a dream on the same night, each dream having its own meaning. When Joseph arrived in the morning, he noticed that they were feeling low. So he asked them, the two officials of Pharaoh who had been thrown into jail with him, “What’s wrong? Why the long faces?” 

They said, “We dreamed dreams and there’s no one to interpret them.” 

Joseph said, “Don’t interpretations come from God? Tell me the dreams.” 
—Genesis 40:1-8 The Message  

Joseph was a man who was falsely imprisoned. He could have been bitter. He could have had an angry countenance. Instead of allowing his circumstances to get him down, he continued to serve as unto the Lord. He served Potiphar with a spirit of excellence even though his brothers had sold him to slavery. Now he was serving the prisoners in prison. Joseph allowed his actions to demonstrate his trust in God and God’s plan for his life. He saw the Hand of God as a slave, and he was seeing the Hand of God in the prison. Joseph did not allow his circumstances to make him unhappy. He chose to make the best of where he was. There was a knowing that things would eventually turn around. When you are walking with God, regardless of where you are, eventually, things will turn around. Things will not remain the same, if it doesn’t line up with the Word of God. Don’t allow your circumstances to steal your joy. If you can see it, it is temporary. It is subject to change. It will not always be this way. It will eventually get better. It did for Joseph, and it will for you. We walk by faith and not by sight. 

#HandofGod #vcccharlotte #walkwithGod #devotionals #faith 

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 3rd

📖 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. 
—I Chronicles 16:34 KJV

Do you live a life of gratitude. Are you grateful for the little things in life? Are you grateful to be alive? Are you grateful that your name is written in Heaven? As believers, we understand that everything in our lives that is good came from God. Every good gift and every perfect gift come from Him. We ought not be like the Israelites when they were in the desert. They complained every time they faced an obstacle or experienced a hard time. They would constantly complain and tell Moses that they should have stayed slaves in Egypt. These were the same people that experienced freedom at the Hand of God. They saw His mighty works in Egypt, and yet they still questioned whether He would take care of them. They were ungrateful people. We must make sure that we do not behave like them. We must give thanks unto the Lord, because He is so good. 

#goodGod #gratitude #thankfulthursday #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 2nd

📖 However, the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me before all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah he chose the house of my father; and among the sons of my father He was pleased to make me king over all Israel; 

And of all my sons, for the Lord has given me many sons, He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 

And He said to me, Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father. 
—I Chronicles 28:4-6 AMPC

God has a destiny for all of us. He wrote the story of our lives while we were being formed in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:16 AMP). God chose David to be king over Israel. Then He chose Solomon, out of all his sons, to take over the throne from David. It is important that we walk out what God has chosen for us to do and not what we have chosen for ourselves. God is smarter than us, and He loves us more than we love ourselves. He has equipped us for what He has chosen us for. The gifts and talents that God has blessed us with are irrevocable. Many times, we want to carve out our own paths, but we must travel the path that God has preordained for us. When we do, we know that He will go before us and make the crooked places straight. God’s ways are always higher than ours. 

#destiny #purposedriven #Godswaysarehigher #vcccharlotte #giftsandtalents

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 31st

📖 And behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed, and they tried to carry him in and lay him before [Jesus]. 

But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus. 
—Luke 5:18-19 AMPC

The paralyzed man had some good friends. They refused to allow him to stay in that condition. They carried him to the house where Jesus was preaching, but they could not get in because of the crowd. They could have just given up. They could have walked away with a moral victory, but that wasn’t enough. They persisted. They got creative. They took their friend up on the roof and lowered him down where Jesus was. This took great faith. They had to remove a roof tile to let their friend down. Then there was no guarantee that Jesus would heal the man. They acted anyway and Jesus honored their faith. The paralyzed man was healed that day and walked home with his four friends. We all need friends like that. Friends that won’t let you stay the same. Friends that will make you better.

#friendshipgoals #bible #jesuschrist #healer #devotional #vccharlotte #message

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 30th

📖 I will satisfy fully the life of the priests with abundance [of offerings shared with them], and My people will be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord. —Jeremiah 31:14 AMPC

God desires for us to experience His goodness. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above. God is a good God, and He wants us to experience His goodness all the time. The Bible tells us that He daily loads us with benefits (Psalm 68:19). God is constantly trying to bestow His blessings upon us. The Bible tells us that the blessing of Abraham will come upon us and overtake us as we diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord our God and obey His commandments (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). God has done His part. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). He has given us the ability to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:4). It’s on us now. Let’s pursue all that God has given us, and let’s not give up until we have obtained the promises. 

#theblessingofabraham #Godisgood #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 29th

📖 But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure. —Romans 8:25 AMPC  

Are you playing the waiting game? Have you been believing God for something and it feels like it is taking forever? Well, if you are hoping for something that is still unseen, wait for it with patience and composure. Don’t allow the waiting phase to ruffle your feathers. Abraham had to wait twenty-five years for the promised child. God prophesied Jesus coming into the earth in the Garden of Eden. David was anointed king as a teenager but did not sit on the throne until he was thirty. Sometimes things in life take time. Our dreams and our goals aren’t accomplished overnight. Don’t allow yourself to get frustrated during this time. God will not let you down. He is always on time. Just take it one day at a time. Keep your eyes on God. God will always come through. He’s an on-time God, yes, He is! 

#patience #vcccharlotte #eyesonJesus #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 28th

📖 And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed (framed, constituted). 

And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired—good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life also in the center of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of [the difference between] good and evil and blessing and calamity. 

The gold of that land is of high quality; bdellium (pearl?) and onyx stone are there. 
—Genesis 2: 8-9:12 AMPC 

Notice the environment that Adam (and later Eve) was placed in. Adam wasn’t placed in a desert. He wasn't placed in the wilderness. Adam was placed in a place of abundance. God did not give him two trees to choose from. God gave man a variety to choose from. The Garden was a place of beauty. The Garden was a place of prosperity and blessing. God hasn’t changed His mind about the type of life He wants for His children. God still wants His children to live a life of abundance. When God told His people about the promised land that He had for them, He said that it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. They were to eat until they were full. It was a land where there would be no scarcity (Deuteronomy 8). III John 2 tells us that God wants us to prosper and to be in health even as our soul prospers. We must embrace the will of God. We must renew our minds and allow our thoughts to become God’s thoughts. He wants the best for us and as we walk with Him, we can expect His best in our lives. We can be the head and not the tail. We can be above only and not beneath. We can be all that God wants us to be. 

#abundance #vcccharlotte #prosperity #devotional #willofGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 27th

📖 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. —Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV

It does not matter where we find ourselves in life, we are to be content. You may not be in the ideal house. You may not be driving your dream car on the way to your dream job, but God expects you to be content. Don’t confuse contentment with satisfaction. Wherever you may find yourself, realize that it is only for a season. God will take you from glory to glory. Paul learned the power of contentment. He knew how to be full and how to deal with hunger. He knew that through Christ, he can overcome every situation that was contrary to the Word of God. If he was in prison, he knew it was temporary. If he was shipwrecked, he knew it was temporary. He wrote to the Corinthian church that the things seen are temporary. (II Corinthians 4:18) No matter what we face in life, we face it knowing that we will win. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

#wewin #glorytoglory #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 26th

📖 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

The Lord knows how to take care of His people. He knows how to feed and clothe us. He is our shepherd, and we shall not lack (Psalm 23:1). We won't lack when we are obedient to the Word of God, and we make God our Source. The Scriptures tell us that “even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing”. (Psalm 34:10) We are not of the animal kingdom. We are citizens of heaven. We have a God. He is not only our God, but He is our Father. God knows how to feed us. He tells us to open our mouths wide and He will fill it (Psalm 81:10). If God can rain down manna from heaven in the wilderness, then He can feed us. God can do anything. Famine cannot stop the goodness of God. Inflation can’t stop it. A bad economy can’t stop it. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

#goodnessofGod #dailydevotional #loveofGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 24th

📖 And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. 

But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? 

And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). 

He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? 

And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him? 
—Mark 4:37-41 AMPC

How do you respond when a storm hits your life? The Bible tells us that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). When the disciples encountered the storm, they spoke fear. They believed they were going to die. When Jesus was aware of the storm, He spoke faith. He spoke to the storm, and it obeyed Him. Everything became calm. The disciples could have done the same thing. If they couldn’t, Jesus would not have asked them where their faith was? The storm is a revealer. It reveals what you truly believe and what is really in your heart. Let’s continue to study the Word because that is what will give us victory over the storm. The Word is our answer to every problem of life. 

#WordofGod #calminthestorm #vcccharlotte #devotional #peacebestill #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 23rd

📖 Then I said to them, You see the bad situation we are in—how Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a disgrace. 

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was upon me for good, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build! So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed us to scorn and despised us and said, What is this thing you are doing? Will you rebel against the king? 

I answered them, The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem. 
—Nehemiah 2:17-20 AMPC 

No matter how things may look, you can rebuild your life. It doesn’t matter what storms you might face. It doesn’t matter what obstacles you must overcome; God can make it better. Nehemiah had taken up the task of rebuilding the wall. There were people who ridiculed and criticized the project. There was the threat of people coming to destroy their efforts. Nehemiah knew that the Hand of God was with them. He knew that the God of Heaven would prosper and protect them. They would eventually rebuild the wall, and the people would recommit themselves to God and His Word. As impossible as things look, the first step must be to rise and build. You must get started. The lepers asked each other a question in II Kings chapter seven- “Why are we sitting here until we die”? (v3) You don’t have to be great to start, but you cannot be great until you get started. With God involved, it will be better than it was before. 

#rebuild #HandofGod #vcccharlotte #devotional

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