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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 10th

📖 Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, 

But made known openly first of all to those at Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout the whole land of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works and live lives consistent with and worthy of their repentance. 

Because of these things the Jews seized me in the temple [enclosure] and tried to do away with me. 

[But] to this day I have had the help which comes from God [as my ally], and so I stand here testifying to small and great alike, asserting nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses declared would come to pass—
—Acts 26:19-22 AMPC 

Isn’t it nice to have God as an ally? Many foreign leaders find security in who their allies are. They know that wherever they fall short, they can depend on their allies to make up the difference. If they find themselves in conflict with another nation, they can count on their allies for assistance. We have an ally in God. He knows how to make up for the difference when things fall short. He is there for us when we need assistance. When we are obedient to the heavenly vision, the vision that God has for our lives, we can trust that God will give us the help we need when we need it. When we are submissive to the will of God and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we can depend on God and His resources. As we are pursuing the heavenly vision, we must come to realization that we cannot fulfill it without God. His assistance is non-negotiable. We need Him.  

#vision #vcccharlotte #ally #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 8th

📖 When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it all the way, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. —Hebrews 6:13-18 The Message  

God wants us blessed! Isn’t that exciting? He desires that we prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. (III John 2) Many times we miss out on the Blessing because it seems like it is taking too long. Sometimes the devil may try to jump on our shoulders and whisper, “God won’t keep His Word this time”? The devil is a liar. God always keeps His Word. It is impossible for Him to lie. When you feel like giving up, think about Abraham. He stuck it out. He stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. We must be like Abraham. If we stick it out, we will get everything that we have been promised. Remember, God cannot break His Word.  

#blessings #vcccharlotte #Godspromises #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 7th

📖 Be careful what you think [ Above all that you guard, protect your heart], because ·your thoughts run your life [life flows from it]. —Proverbs 4:23 The Expanded Bible  

Guard your mind and guard your heart. It has been said that “your life goes in the direction of your most dominate thoughts”. This is one reason why we must be careful what we think about. We don’t want negative thoughts to infiltrate our hearts. If we allow those negative thoughts to get into our hearts eventually, we will start to speak those thoughts and we will have what we say. (Mark 11:23) The mouth will speak whatever the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). As believers, we walk by faith and not by sight or appearance (II Corinthians 5:7). We keep our eyes on the Word and not on what we see in this natural world. God’s Word will change what we see. We must get His Word on our minds and in our hearts. Guard your mind and your heart. If it doesn’t line up with the Word don’t think about it. We should do what Philippians 4:8 AMPC says: “For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” 

#protectyourmind #vcccharlotte #protectyourheart #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 6th

📖 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. —John 1:1-3 NKJV

God and His Word are one. You cannot separate the two. God's Word can do whatever God can do. God is a Healer and so is His Word. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions (Psalm 107:20). His Word not only heals, but it delivers and sets us free. The word of a person is what a person is. God is all-powerful, and so is His Word. Luke 1:37 AMPC tells us, “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment”. God's Word is never void of power. God tells us in Isaiah 55:11 AMPC, “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”. We can believe God’s Word. We can trust His Word. God’s Word will always produce when we believe and act on it. The problem is not with the Word; the problem is with our believing. Do you believe God today? If so, be it unto you, according to your faith. 

#believeinGod #vcccharlotte #God’sWord #devotional #faith 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 5th

📖 Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it. —Galatians 3:13-14 The Message 

Christ has redeemed us from a self-defeating, cursed life. Isn't that good news. Jesus took on the curse so that we can experience the same Blessing that Abraham experienced. God also gave us the tools to assist us as we endeavor to walk in the good life that He has preordained for us. The blessed life is accompanied by God's life and His Spirit. God's Spirit will lead, guide, and enlighten us. He (the Holy Spirit) will enable us to get to a place where we experience the manifestation of the Blessing. The curse was the result of the fall. God's thoughts toward us are only good. God wants us blessed. God only desires the best for His children. When our thoughts get in line with His thoughts and as we get acquainted with His ways, our lives change. We start to reflect the life that God had in mind for us all along, a blessed life, nothing missing and nothing broken. 

#thegoodlife #vcccharlotte #blessed #devotional #blessedlife

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 4th

📖 Later war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. That was the time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai of the clan of giants. The Philistines had to eat crow. In another war with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite whose spear was like a ship’s boom. And then there was the war at Gath that featured a hulking giant who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and foot—yet another from the clan of giants. When he mocked Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. These came from the clan of giants and were killed by David and his men. 
—I Chronicles 20:4-8 The Message 

When the Israelites first saw the Philistine giant, Goliath, they fled from him. They were afraid of him because of his size and the size of his arsenal. He had men just to carry his weapons. When David killed Goliath, a shift took place. The fear of giants left. Instead of running from giants, the Israelites started killing more giants. It appears that the intimidation left, along with the fear. The more giants you kill, the less intimidating they are. That is how life is. When you face an overwhelmingly challenging situation, it can appear to be impossible. Once you experience victory and see God come through for you, you are not as intimidated the next time you face a “giant”. The more giants you conquer, the easier it gets. There may be some struggle, but it doesn’t take as long to get over it. There is nothing too difficult for God, and because you are His child, there is nothing too difficult for you. We can slay all the giants that come across our path. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

#victory #vcccharlotte #conqueror #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 3rd

📖 I don’t mean to say I am perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be. —Philippians 3:12 The Living Bible 

One thing that Paul was working towards was that he would eventually become what God had preordained for him to be. He talked about forgetting things from the past and moving towards the things that were before him. Paul had made some pretty big mistakes in his past. He had persecuted the church and had people put in prison for their beliefs. None of that mattered once he became born again. His goal was now to be all that God had called him to be. He worked tirelessly toward that goal, and nothing prevented him from accomplishing it. In fact, several of the epistles that he wrote were written from a prison cell. He experienced shipwrecks, beatings, snake bites, and other things, yet he did not quit. We must do the same thing. Regardless of what the enemy throws our way, we must not stop until we have become all that God wants us to be. 

#dontquit #paul #motivation #destiny #verseoftheday #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 1st

📖 So then, dear family, stand firm with a masterful grip of the teachings we have you, either by word of mouth or by our letter. —2 Thessalonians 2:15 The Passion Translation  

When life gets hard, keep a masterful grip on the Word of God. When obstacles come our way, we must hold on to the Word of God. The Word of God is the source of our success. The devil wants to steal the Word from our hearts. He knows that the Word is what will overcome him. The Word is what will cause us to be victorious every time he comes against us. Many times, the enemy will try to cause havoc in our lives so that we will let go of the promises of God. The enemy will stir up so much trouble that if we aren’t careful; we may give up on the Word and mistakenly say “this stuff doesn’t work”. We cannot give up on the Word. We cannot get weary in well doing because we will reap if we don’t faint. No matter what you’re going through, stand firm on the Word. Hold on to the Word. God will always honor His Word in our lives. He is alert and active and watching over His Word to perform it. No matter what it looks like, keep a grip on the Word. If we will keep the Word in our hearts and not let it go, the Word will grow, and it will prevail. (Acts 19:20)  

#TheWord #vcccharlotte #OurSource #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 31st

📖 Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father. —Galatians 1:3-4 AMPC

Jesus came to deliver and set us free from this wicked present age. Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4) and the whole world is under his influence (Eph.2: 3-4). The world is subject to the effects of the curse that is in the earth. The curse is the direct cause of sickness, disease, poverty, and death. The curse is the direct result of all the calamities that mankind faces. Jesus came into the earth and went to the cross so that we can be delivered from the curse. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). God expects us to walk in victory. He expects us to take His Word and overcome the effects of the curse. We can overcome all the obstacles and challenges in our lives because Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. What a mighty God we serve! 

#vcccharlotte #devotional #MightyGod #freefromthecurse

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 30th

📖 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. —Hebrews 6:11-12 NKJV

God desires for us to experience the manifestation of His promises in our lives. Which manifest through faith and patience. Faith gives substance to the things we are hoping for. Patience keeps the door open while faith does its work. One minister referred to them (faith and patience) as the power twins. Faith must be developed over time. This is where patience kicks in. The Bible tells us that “as long as the earth remains, there will be seed, time, and harvest” (Genesis 8:22). You don’t plant a seed today and reap the harvest tomorrow. It's the same with the promises of God. You sow the seed of the Word of God, protect it, and eventually you will see the reality (or harvest) of the promise. We can experience the fulfillment of the promise of God, we simply cannot be sluggish. Attaining the promises requires diligence and imitation. We are to imitate those who through faith and patience, inherited the promises. 

#vcccharlotte #manifestation #devotional #Hispromises #imitation

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 29th

📖 So they said to him, “Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?” So John said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” 
—John 1:22-23 Jerusalem Bible 

Initially the people thought that John the Baptist was the chosen one, the Messiah. He plainly told them that he was not the one. He knew who he was and without having to think about it, he quoted the prophecy from Isaiah. He did not let anyone put a label on him that did not belong to him. When people ask us, “What do you have to say about yourself,” we should automatically know who we are. We should know that we are more than conquerors. We should know that the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. We should know that we are overcomers, and the Greater One lives on the inside of us. John the Baptist knew what the Word said about Him, and it should be no different with us. We must know what the Word says about us if we are going to continue to walk in victory.  

#iamvictory #whoami #Jesus #devotional #verseofthemonth

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 28th

📖 “I have gained perfect freedom by following your teachings, and I trust them so much that I tell them to kings." -Psalms 119:45 Contemporary English Version

The Word of God was given to us to set us free from every wile and scheme of the wicked one. It was given to us so that we can know who we are and what belongs to us in Christ. The Word of God will set us free, and it will cause victory to manifest in every area of our lives. God told Joshua that if he meditated the Word of God both day and night, that he would become prosperous and have good success. The Word of God says something similar in Psalms 1. Our success comes from desiring and obeying the Word of God. In the book of Acts, it tells us that the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed. When the Word grows in our lives, it will do the same thing. It will prevail over everything the devil can throw our way. 

#success #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte #bible #verseoftheday #freedom 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 27th

📖 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. —II Corinthians 9:7 AMPC  

God is a big-time giver. Have you thought about everything He has given us? He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:4). He gave His only Son (John 3:16). Jesus said, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”. Jesus also said that the Father would give good gifts to those that ask Him (Matthew 7:11). God is a giver, and He expects His children to be givers as well. Ephesians 5 tells us that we are to be “imitators of God as dear children”. In the above Scripture, it tells us that God takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without a cheerful, joyous, prompt to do it giver. A person whose heart is in his giving. God delights in that type of giver because that is the type of giver He is. Jesus even said that “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” God wants us to bless people the way He blesses. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are blessed so that we can better imitate our Father. 

#give #vcccharlotte #blessothers #devotional #Hischildren 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 25th

📖 It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. —II Corinthians 10: 3-4 The Living Bible

In the natural world, we may appear to be human beings, but we have access to something that is greater than our mortality. We have the Greater One on the inside of us. Not only is He living on the inside of us, but He has also given us access to His armory. Because we have a supernatural enemy, a natural, carnal weapon won’t do. A natural weapon will not subdue a supernatural outlaw. God has given us His mighty weapons to bring down the devil’s strongholds. The devil doesn’t have to cause havoc in our lives. God has given us His armor and He has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God has given us His Spirit. He has given us a measure of faith to overcome the world. God has invested so much into our winning that we cannot let Him down. If we desire to please the Father, we must use what He has given us. If we want to win in life, God has given us the means to do so. We are without excuse. 

#win #vcccharlotte #GreaterOne #devotional #Heisalive

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 24th

📖 Oh, thank God—he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. —Psalm 107:1-3 The Message Bible 

God is so good. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning and that He is faithful (Lamentations 3:22-23). When God sets us free, He expects us to stay free. He also expects us to share about our deliverance with others. Remember, we have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). God is so good to us that we should always be testifying about His goodness. Our testimony is advertisement for the Kingdom of God. It reveals to the world how good God is, and it causes them to want to know more about the God we serve. Spread the good Word! 

#greatGod #devotional #deliverance #faithfulGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 23rd

📖 It was because of his faith that Enoch was promoted to the eternal world without experiencing death. He disappeared from this world because God promoted him, and before that happened his reputation was that “he pleased God”. And without faith it is impossible to please him. The man who approaches God must have faith in two things, first that God exists and secondly that it is worth a man’s while to try to find God. 
—Hebrews 11: 5-6 JB Phillips New Testament

It should be the desire of every believer to please our Heavenly Father. God is pleased when we walk by faith and according to His Word. God is pleased when we believe His Word above any circumstance. He is pleased when we speak what the Word of God says instead of our circumstances. God was displeased with the Israelites in the wilderness because of their constant complaining. They would not trust in God and put their faith in His integrity. This would cause the original generation to lose their lives and the next generation to receive their “promised land”. When we walk by faith, it not only pleases God, but it also brings Him on the scene. When this happens, things change, and circumstances begin to get in line with His Word. When we approach God, we must remember two things: first, that God exists, and secondly, it is always worth our while to seek Him out. He is a rewarder of those who do. 

#trustGod #faith #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 22nd

📖 But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. —Psalm 71:14 AMPC

Hope is important. The Bible tells us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:2 AMPC). We should never deprive people of hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for... (Hebrews 11:1). You could look at it like this: hope is the blueprint, and faith is the materials to make the blueprint a reality. We must not belittle hope. The Bible tells us that Abraham “against hope believed in hope” (Romans 4:18). Abraham had to hope when the circumstances told him that what he was believing for was impossible. He had to find hope in what God had told him. That is how we maintain our hope. We keep our faith in what God has told us, and we believe it because it is impossible for God to lie. Hope is to be the anchor to our soul. We must hope continually and continue to praise Him more. We must praise Him because He is the God of hope. He can turn every negative situation around.

#Hope #trustGod #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 21st

📖 Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know that I will triumph. —Isaiah 50:7 The Living Bible

Our confidence should always be in God. When we know who is on our side and who has our back, it should be difficult for us to live in a state of worry or dismay. We can be like Jesus. We can set our faces like a flint, knowing that we will triumph. Paul even said, “now thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14). We can “set our faces”, regardless of the circumstances. We can gain confidence in the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When God helps you, you can’t help but win. We are not only winners, but we are also more than conquerors through Him that loves us (Romans 8:37).

#winners #conquerors #devotional #Godfidence 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 20th

📖 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 

And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 

And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. 
—Ephesians 4:22-24 AMPC 

When God sets us free; He expects us to stay free. We are to strip ourselves of our former nature and walk in the new nature that is on the inside of us. Our mindset should change. We should no longer think like the world. Our thinking should be in line with the Word of God. We should walk in holiness and consecrate our lives to God because He paid the ultimate price for us through the Blood of His Son. The very least we can do is to live for Him. We owe Him our lives. We should endeavor to increase our knowledge of God so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We increase our knowledge of Him, so that we can be transformed into His image. With all that God has done for us, why shouldn’t we live for Him. 

#liveforGod #renewyourmind #victory #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 18th

📖 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 

Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. 

—I Kings 18:20-21 AMPC  

At some point we must make a decision. We must decide whose side we are on. We must determine who we are going to follow. There are many who are still on the fence. These people are what the Bible calls double minded. They haven’t completely sold out on one side. They haven’t completely settled on doing things one way. The Bible calls this type of individual is a person of two minds. James 1:8 AMPC, “For being as he is a man of two minds (hesitating dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decide].” We don’t want God to ask us the same question Elijah asked the people. We should know that the Lord God is God. He is the almighty God and the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the one true God. We must get to a place where we are single-minded. There is only one way, and that is God’s way. There is only one way to think,and those thoughts should come out of God’s Word. We are not of this world. We have not been given the spirit of the world, so we should not think like the world. The ways of this world are not our way. If you haven’t done so already, make up your mind today.  I will leave you with these words from Joshua 24:15:  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. 

#AlmightyGod #vccharlotte #theCreator #devotional 

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