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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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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 22nd

📖 What is man that You should magnify him and think him important? And that You should set Your mind upon him? —Job 7:17 AMPC  

Did you know that you are important to God? The Bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) The Bible also tells us that our very hairs are numbered. (Matthew 10:30) God sent His Son to the cross to die for our sins. He sent Jesus into the earth to redeem us from the curse of the law. God has given us His Name, His armor, and His Word. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:4). He sent the Holy Ghost into the world to lead us, guide us, indwell us, and empower us. God gave His Son so that we could be called the children of God. God has equipped us with everything that it takes to win in life. All we need to do now is walk in what belongs to us. God has demonstrated His love for us in so many ways; we cannot let Him down. God expects us to win, and based on what He has given us, we are without excuse. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. (Romans 8:37) 

#magnifyHim #vcccharlotte #looktoGod #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 21st

📖 Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. 
—Philippians 2:14-16 The Message 

As believers, we should stand out. There should be a difference between the way we act and the way the world acts. Our responses to trials and tribulations should be different. Christians should be a breath of fresh air. We don’t complain like the world. We walk with a different spirit. As believers, there is a difference in our countenance. Our job is to provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. As Christians, we are God’s ambassadors. We carry the light giving Message wherever we go. Not only do we carry the Message, but we must also live the Message. We are living proof that Jesus is alive and His Word is true.  

#standout #vcccharlotte #different #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 20th

📖 The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns. My enemies flee! This one thing I know: God is for me!  I am trusting God—oh, praise his promises! I am not afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises.  I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and thank you for your help. For you have saved me from death and my feet from slipping, so that I can walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 
—Psalm 56:9-13 The Living Bible

When God steps in on the scene, your enemies are in trouble. The battle has turned. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, victory is inevitable. We serve a God who is undefeated. Your battle will not be His first loss! The devil will talk but let him talk. He may tell you that you are going under, remember he’s a liar. He will huff and puff, but he can’t blow your house down. You will have what God has promised, if you don’t get weary. God is not a man that He should lie. The Lord will help you so that you can walk before Him in the land of the living. Don’t give up, your breakthrough is on the way! 

#God’spromises #vcccharlotte #trustintheLord #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 19th

📖 Besides, to which of the angels has He ever said, Sit at My right hand [associated with Me in My royal dignity] till I make your enemies a stool for your feet? 

Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation? 
⎯Hebrews 1:13-14 AMPC

Don’t forget about your angels. They are ministering spirits who are sent to assist those who have inherited (received) salvation. When we speak the Word of God, the angels do His commandments (His Word) and hearken unto the voice of His Word (Psalm 103:20). Speaking the Word of God activates the angels and causes them to move on our behalf. When we speak the Word of God, we give the angels an assignment to carry out. Many angels are sitting idle because many believers never quote or speak the Word of God. Don’t allow the angels to sit dormant in your life. They are our servants, and they are ready to move. 

#SpeaktheWord #devotional #angels #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 17th

📖 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? 

What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 

What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor, 

And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 
—2 Corinthians 6:14-18 AMPC

God wants there to be a separation between the world and His people. We are to be the light of the world. We are the salt of the earth. The Blessing of God manifesting in our lives is the calling card to the world. It should draw the world to us because we are experiencing the goodness of God, despite all the ills that are taking place in the world. God wants to pour out His goodness on His sons and daughters. One way to make that happen is to separate ourselves from the world. We can be in this world, but we don’t have to be of the world. We don’t have to talk like the world, and we don’t have to have the world’s mentality. When Jesus was on the earth, He did not associate with the devil or His works. He set the people free from the oppression of the enemy. We must be like Jesus. The devil had nothing in Him, and the enemy must not have anything in us. We are the temple of the living God. He is living in us and walking in us. We are His ambassadors, and we should look and act like it every day of our lives. 

#ambassadorsofChrist #devotional #separation #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 16th

📖 After Jesus had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people [on the mountain], He entered Capernaum.

Now a centurion had a bond servant who was held in honor and highly valued by him, who was sick and at the point of death. 

And when the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and make his bond servant well. 
—Luke 7:1-3 AMPC

The centurion was in a desperate situation. One of his servants, who was very dear to him, was about to die. The situation looked hopeless. It reminds you of the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She had been to several doctors and instead of getting better, she got worse. Just like the woman with the issue of blood, the centurion heard of Jesus. Something happens when you hear of Jesus. When you hear of Jesus properly, it is supposed to give you hope. When you hear the Word of God, it should give you hope as well. The centurion had so much confidence in who Jesus was (and is), he told Him that he didn’t have to come to his house. He only needed Jesus to speak the word only. He understood the authority that Jesus walked in. He understood the spoken word. We also must hear of Jesus properly. We must hear about God properly. Things change when we do. They will turn around for the better. 

#gamechanger #devotional #faithfulGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 15th

📖 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. 

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. 

—Genesis 3:6-8 The Message  

If you sin, don’t run from God, run to God. If you miss the mark, don’t hide from God, talk to God. God doesn’t want to beat you over the head because you messed up. He wants to restore you. He wants to re-establish you and place you in right standing with Him. The Bible tells us that when we sin, we should confess our sin. When we do, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He is the condemner. He wants to remind you of your sin. He wants you to develop a sin consciousness. That’s not God. God is a God of mercy and grace. He wants to cleanse you of that sin. He doesn’t even remember it once you have confessed it. Sin doesn’t have to separate you from God. Don’t make sin a lifestyle. Confess it and get rid of it. You are the righteousness of God. Don’t allow sin to have dominion over you. You overcome it. You overcome it by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony.   

#runtoGod #vcccharlotte #talktoHim #devotional #overcomer 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 14th

📖 So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like myself. How differently I feel now! When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!  —2 Corinthians 5:16-17 The Living Bible 

As Christians, we are not merely human beings. We became new on the inside when we made Jesus the lord of our lives. We have the Greater One on the inside of us. As believers, we are partakers of God’s Divine Nature (II Peter 1:4). This new nature on the inside of us allows us the privilege of being called the children of God (I John 3:10). God gave us a new nature so that we can have a new life! We must allow the new nature to dominate us. We must renew our minds to the Word of God so that the new life will dominate our thinking and our actions. When we understand who we are and walk it out, it allows us to walk the way Jesus walked when He was here on the earth. Jesus walked in victory while He was here on the earth, and we can to. We have been predestined to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). Jesus is a picture of victory. When we walk out what is inside of us, so are we. The Word of God tells us that “as He is, so are we in this world” (I John 4:17). 

#newcreations #vcccharlotte #newlife #devotional #victory 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 13th

📖 At last the wall was completed to half its original height around the entire city—for the workers worked hard. —Nehemiah 4:6 The Living Bible

There is no substitute for hard work. The Bible tells in Ecclesiastes 5:3, “For a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool’s voice with many words.” It takes diligence to accomplish a goal. It takes diligence to see the fulfillment of a dream. There is a time to pray, but then there is a time to work. It's been said that we should pray like it’s on God, but we should work like it's on us. Prayer has its place, but so does work. It may take late nights and early mornings, but it is all worth it in the end. The path to the prize is greater than the prize itself. The substance of the diligent is precious because the diligent know what it took to get it. Laziness will get you nowhere. Diligence is the vehicle that will take you to success. Selah. 

#diligence #hardwork #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte #dream

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 12th

📖 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and purpose and for every work. —Ecclesiastes 3:17 AMPC

God has a timing for every season of our lives. The key is to stay in tune with him and to not get ahead of God. It is so easy to do sometimes. We can get excited about the prospect of starting a business, buying a home, purchasing a car, going back to school, or even getting married. There is nothing wrong with those things, we just have to make sure that we are in God’s timing. Many times, we can have the right idea at the wrong time or in the wrong season. When pondering a major move in our lives we must check in with God to make sure we are on the same page with Him. He might want you to start the business, but maybe next year. He may want you to go back to school, but in the spring semester instead of the fall semester. When seeking the Lord about His plan, it is important to not only get the “what” of the plan, but the “when” also. You will always be “in the know” as you continue to walk closely with Him. 

#vcccharlotte #God’stiming #devotional #listen #intune

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 10th

📖 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. —Matthew 25:15-21 NKJV

What are you doing with the talents that God has given you? Are you working to unleash your full potential? Are you working to become a valuable member of the Body of Christ? We must be about our Father’s business. Jesus, as a little boy, was in the temple learning and asking questions. He was diligent about His purpose at a young age. We must do the same. We must continue to be diligent and faithful. Once we have proven ourselves in doing this, God will reward us with greater responsibilities, which always come with even greater rewards. Many times, we want more without passing the faithfulness test. We must be like Paul—forgetting the things that are behind, we must press toward the mark. We can be all that God wants us to be if we are willing to pay the price. The faithfulness fee is what will grant us access to greater things. Are you willing to pay the price? 

#vcccharlotte #responsibilities #devotional #diligence #purpose

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 9th

📖 See what [an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him. —I John 3:1 AMPC

What a privilege it is to be called the children of God. We aren’t servants, even though we should serve God. We are His children. He loves us so much that He would call us His children. Despite our shortcomings, despite our struggles, despite our imperfections, God deemed it appropriate to call us His children. He doesn’t see us the way we often see ourselves; He sees us through the Blood of Jesus. God sees us as righteous. He sees us as kings and priests. When we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, it puts us in a different class. Because of this, the world does not know or recognize us. They did not know or recognize Jesus, so we should expect no different. We are not of this world; we are of God! We should embrace this and meditate on this truth until it becomes a reality to us. We are the children of the almighty God—the Creator of the universe. When you finally get a revelation of this, it will change your life. It will change your perspective and take you to another level. 

#childrenofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte #righteous

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | May 8th

📖 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 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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