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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 25th

📖 Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose]. —Luke 9:51 AMP

Just like Jesus, there comes times in our lives where we must be determined to fulfill whatever God has set before us. Jesus would not let anything distract him from fulfilling his purpose down here on earth. There are so many distractions in our day that would take our focus away from our mission. We must be like Jesus in our attitude and mindset when it comes to the high calling God has for us. We must fight to stay locked into that which God has placed before us. Let us continue to pursue the divine destiny God has for us. 

#Divinedestiny #devotional #Inpursuit #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 24th

📖 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 | February 23rd

📖 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. 
—Hebrews 11:1-2 The Message 

Our faith in God is the foundation under everything that makes life worth living. God has given us the measure of faith, that when developed, will overcome everything that is negative in this world. Faith in God is simply faith in His Word. Our confidence in God’s Word and His integrity will cause us to be set above the crowd. It will cause us to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. Faith will cause you to experience what others do not. Learning to trust God causes our lives to be worth living. Confidence in God’s Word will cause us to live a life that would not be possible in the natural. It is our faith in God that will always cause us to triumph. It is that type of confidence that allows God to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. Now that is a life that is truly worth living. 

#faithinGodv#vccharlotte #foundation #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 21st

📖 However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. 

But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. 

He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. 
—John 16:7, 13-14 AMPC 

We are not alone. We have been given a Helper. Jesus stated that He had to go so that He could send a Helper. He sent someone to be in close fellowship with us. That someone is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not an emotion or a feeling. It is a person. Jesus said, “I will send Him to you”. The Holy Spirit will receive of Jesus and will share it with us. He will share things with us about the future. He will share things with us that are necessary. The Holy Spirit is our Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby. We are not in this by ourselves. We must utilize and take advantage of the help that God has sent us, and He has sent us the Holy Spirit. 

#HolySpirit #vcccharlotte #OurHelper #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 20th

📖 Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God] —2 Corinthians 8:5 AMPC 

Do you have the same attitude that these believers had? They gave themselves to the Lord, totally disregarding their personal interests. You know that can be difficult for a lot of believers. Many find it hard to disregard their personal interests. These believers were totally sold out to the Lord and His plan for their lives. The people gave of themselves and their resources. When you are totally sold out to the Lord, it becomes easy to give Him what you have. It is easy because you understand that everything belongs to Him anyway, and you are just a steward over what you have. It all belongs to Him. Even our bodies belong to God. The Bible tells us that we have been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20). Let’s examine our hearts today. Can you give it all away? Can you give more than what you have been giving? Can you do more for the Church? Are you willing to do more? The answer should be yes to all those questions. If you aren’t there yet, don’t worry. As you walk with God, you will eventually be able to say yes. God has been too good to us not to give it all. Didn’t He give it all for us? 

#Godisgood #vcccharlotte #soldout #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 19th

📖 But he who did not know and did things worthy of a beating shall be beaten with few [lashes]. For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more. —Luke 12:48 AMPC 

To whom much is given, much is required. Many want to walk in a greater anointing. Many want promotion and more responsibility. But to whom much is given, much is required. Are you prepared for all that comes with the greater anointing, promotion, or responsibility? Are you able to handle the scrutiny that comes with the greater? There is a maturity that must take place to handle all that God wants us to walk in. You don’t send a ten-year-old to college. They wouldn’t be able to handle the course load, free time, or overall experience. College life would be overwhelming because of the lack of maturity to handle college life. You could send an eighteen or nineteen-year-old who has graduated from high school. They would be better prepared. The same could be said about the finer things in this life. We must be able to handle the expanded role in the job. We must walk in spiritual maturity to handle a greater anointing. Jesus began preparing for ministry at the age of twelve, but did not begin his public ministry until the age of thirty. Eighteen years of preparation for a three-and-a-half-year ministry that turned the world upside down and rocked Satan’s domain. Are you ready for more? Are you ready for greater responsibility? To whom much is given, much is required. 

#preparation #vcccharlotte #required #devotional #maturity 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 18th

📖 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! —Psalm 103:20 ESV

Are you putting your angels to work? Are you giving them something to do? The angels of God act on the Word of God. When they hear a person speaking or confessing the Word of God, they go to work. They stand at attention, ready to defend and protect. When a person confesses that “God will supply their needs” (Philippians 4:19), they work to make that a reality in the person's life. The angels work to cause the manifestation of the Word of God in the life of the individual who will confess it. In Daniel 10:12, the angel said to Daniel, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.” Notice the angel came because of Daniel’s words. The angels will do the same for us when we speak in line with God’s Word. 

#angels #speaktheWord #devotional #GodsWord #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 17th

📖 John replied, “God in heaven appoints each man’s work.” 
—John 3:27 The Living Bible 

What type of business are you in? Isn’t this a common question? Upon meeting a stranger, one of the first things we want to know is what they do for a living. Instead of asking what they do for a living, maybe the question should be asked, “Are you doing the work that God has appointed you?” A person may be successful in their field of endeavor, but are they in the field that God has selected for them? Are they doing the work appointed by God or are they doing the work they appointed for themselves? People select their occupation for many different reasons. Some are in their field because of the income it pays. Some are in their field because of the benefits. We want to be where God wants us to be because God knows what is best for lives. True success is in being in the will of God. We should constantly examine our lives and make sure we are in line with God. We want to be doing the work appointed by the God in heaven. 

#truesuccess #vcccharlotte #theLord’swork #devotional #God’sbest

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 16th

📖 So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for His purposes. 
—Ephesians 5:15-16 The Passion Translation 

Despite living in evil times, we can still live a life in which we fulfill our God given purpose. Evil times are no excuse to fall short in accomplishing all that God desires for us to accomplish. We are to take full advantage of every day that we have. Every day that we are given is a day to get better. It is a day to get wiser. It is a day closer to the fulfillment of the will of God. We must be aware of every distraction and avoid them. We must avoid everything that will draw us away from fulfilling our purpose. Every believer should desire to hear, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant”. Examining how we live our lives and taking advantage of the days that we are given will bring us closer to hearing those wonderful words. 

#WillofGod #vcccharlotte #fulfillment #devotionals  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 14th

📖 When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.” —Mark 10:41-45 The Message 

Two of Jesus’ disciples requested to sit on the right and left side of Jesus when He established His kingdom here on the earth. They wanted a position of greatness. Jesus eventually gave them a key to greatness. He told them that if they wanted to be great, they must first be willing to serve. Jesus even gave Himself as an example when He told the disciples that he did not come to be served, He came to serve. God has a purpose and a plan for all our lives. Regardless of how big the plan is, the plan is not self-serving. The plan is not to elevate you. You may be elevated in the eyes of the people, but the plan is ultimately to help people.  

God loved us so much that He gave us Jesus. Jesus was treated like a king (and rightfully so, He is the king of kings) and yet He came to serve the people. God sent His best, and His best came to serve. We should follow His example. We have been sent into this world, equipped with gifts and talents that will be a blessing to humanity. Don’t keep them to yourself. Don’t be selfish. The world is waiting on the manifestation of the sons of God. The world is waiting on you! 

#greatness #vcccharlotte #followHisexample #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 13th

📖 They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” 

Jesus stopped in his tracks. “Call him over.” They called him. “It’s your lucky day! Get up! He’s calling you to come!” Throwing off his coat, he was on his feet at once and came to Jesus. Jesus said, “What can I do for you?” The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.” In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road. 
—Mark 10:46-52 MSG 

What’s stopping you? Blind Bartimaeus would not allow anything to stop him from receiving from Jesus. He would not allow the people to shut him up. When they told him to shut up, he cried even louder. This could have been the only time He would have been in the presence of Jesus. He would not allow anything to stop him. Because of his persistence, Jesus stopped and asked for him. He had gotten Jesus’ attention. Bartimaeus received his sight that day. His faith had made him whole, but his faith also caught the attention of Jesus. Faith will always get the attention of God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. God is always pleased when we stand on His Word. He is pleased when we act on the Word. Bartimaeus believed that Jesus could heal him, and his actions showed that. If we want to receive from God, we must do the same thing. Our actions must demonstrate what we believe. 

#walkbyfaith #vcccharlotte #standontheWord #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 12th

📖 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable and noble [use] and some for menial and ignoble [use]. 

So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work. 

—2 Timothy 2:20-21 AMPC 

What type of vessel would you like to be? A vessel of gold? What about silver? The good news is that it is not up to God to determine what type of vessels we will become. That responsibility is on us. We must cleanse ourselves from contaminating and corrupting influences. We must examine our lives and see what we need to remove to live a life that is pleasing unto God.  As we walk with God and fellowship with Him, He will show us the things that we need to get rid of. Sometimes being in His presence will burn up the things that need to be removed from our lives. God’s Word is another tool God uses to shape and mold us. His Word reveals what is displeasing to Him and shows us how we are supposed to live. God’s Word is like fire (Jeremiah 5:14). It will burn things out of us and purge us. If we hearken to His Word and spend time in His presence, we can become consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work. 

#Godlyinfluences #vcccharlotte #cleanse #devotional #fellowshipwithGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 11th

📖 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you]; 

Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion; 

Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah [pause, and think of that]! 

May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans. 

We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation and victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 

Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 

Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God. 

They are bowed down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. 

O Lord, give victory; let the King answer us when we call.  
—Psalm 20 AMPC

Do you can see the benefit of serving God? God will answer you in the day of trouble. The Lord will defend you. The Lord will send you help, angelic help. God will grant your heart’s desire and fulfill your plans (when your plans line up with His will and plan). This is the testimony of David, but keep in mind David wasn’t a child of God. He was a man after God’s heart, but He did not have the standing of “son” the way that we do today. David functioned out of his relationship with God, and it worked in His favor. It will always work in our favor when we serve God, when we love Him with all our heart. Like David, we trust in Almighty God. We don’t put in our trust in horses and chariots. We don’t put our trust in the things of this world. Our trust is in God. Trusting God is the starting point to victory. We can expect to walk in victory when we seek trust in the Lord. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) 

#serveGod #vcccharlotte #trustingGod #devotional #walkinvictory 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 10th

📖 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit; —Jude 20 AMPC

God wants us to go higher and higher. He wants there to be progress in our lives. God not only desires for us to make progress, but He has provided the means by which we can go to another level in life. When we pray in the Holy Spirit, and when we pray using our prayer language, we are making progress in the Spirit. We are praying out mysteries (I Corinthians 14:2) and we know that all things are working together for our good because the Spirit of God is praying through us the perfect will of God (Romans 8:26-28). Praying with our intellect can be beneficial, but it is limited. When we pray in our heavenly language, the Spirit of God comes to our aid and assists us in our prayers, especially when we don’t know what to pray with our intellect. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit of God into the earth to be our Helper. When we allow Him to help, we can expect our lives to improve and get better. We can expect to make progress and rise like an edifice. We should be going higher and higher.

#HolySpirit #devotional #pray #prayerlanguage #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 9th

📖 The king said to me, For what do you ask? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to [him], If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you will send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ sepulchers, that I may rebuild it. 
—Nehemiah 2:4-5 AMPC

Despite the king asking Nehemiah what he wanted, Nehemiah went to God first. Nehemiah was going to the Source of his life. Even though he would later make known to the king what he needed, he was looking to God to make it happen. Nehemiah went to God first. Let this be a lesson to every believer. We are to seek God first when problems or obstacles arise in our lives. If there is an issue in our finances, we go to God first. If our bodies are attacked, we seek God first before we seek anyone else.  Regardless of what comes up in our lives, we go to God first because He is our Source. He is the Source of our wisdom and everything we need. God may use a man, but man is simply the resource. God is the Source. Nehemiah had access to the king, but access to God was more important. Nehemiah kept his eyes on God and God came through. We must do the same. We know we can count on God when we keep our eyes on him, and not on the position of a man. God owns it all and knows how to get it to us. 

#OurSource #vcccharlotte #seekGodfirst #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 7th

📖 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]. —Romans 8:6 AMPC

What type of mind do you have? Do you have a spiritual mind, or do you have a mind of the flesh? Do you make decisions only out of your intellect? Do you base your decision making on sense and reason without the Holy Spirit? That type of decision-making leads to death. God wants to be a part of every major decision that we make in our lives. He wants to lead and guide us. We can have peace when we know we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We can have peace when we know we have heard the voice of God. When we have renewed our minds with the Word of God, and we act on the Word, we can have peace because we know that God is watching over His Word to perform it. We must continue to work on our minds. We must examine our way of thinking. We must make sure that our thinking is in line with the Word of God. 

#mindset #intellect #vcccharlotte #devotional #thinking

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 6th

📖 Now in the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the foul spirit of a demon; and he cried out with a loud (deep, terrible) cry, 

Ah, let us alone! What have You to do with us [What have we in common], Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are—the Holy One of God! 

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent (muzzled, gagged), and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown the man down in their midst, he came out of him without injuring him in any possible way.

And they were all amazed and said to one another, What kind of talk is this? For with authority and power He commands the foul spirits and they come out! 
—Luke 4:33-36 AMPC

Jesus is our example. He never feared the devil. He never feared any demon. Jesus knew who He was and what belonged to Him. He walked in authority and spoke with authority. He knew that the devil was subject to Him. We have been delegated the same authority, and God expects us to walk in it. He does not expect us to run from the devil; the devil is supposed to run from us. He expects us to experience the same results that Jesus did when He was on the earth. We are in the same family as Jesus. We have the same Father. We have the same authority. We should expect the same victory, every time.  

#iamvictory #JesusChrist #devotional #familyofGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 5th

📖 So keep the words of this covenant and obey them, so that you may prosper and be successful in everything that you do. —Deuteronomy 29:9 AMP

The world has its ideas about what it takes to be successful. They have their ideologies, and they have their formulas. Some of their ideas have caused success, but it has not guaranteed success. When we operate by the Word of God, we can know that success is imminent. We can know that God is watching over His Word to perform it. We can know that God is not a man that He should lie. We follow the commandments of the Word of God out of our love and respect for God; and as we follow them, we know that God will honor our obedience. The Bible tells us that it is the doer of the Word that is blessed and not the hearer only (James 1:22). As we are doers of the Word, we can expect the Blessing of the Lord to come upon us and overtake us. It may take patience. It may take diligence, but eventually, we will walk in it if we don’t quit and give up. God’s Word works. 

#success #Godsword #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 4th

📖 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham [My friend and servant] what I am going to do, 

Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through him and shall bless themselves by him? 

For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and the sons of his house after him to keep the way of the Lord and to do what is just and righteous, so that the Lord may bring Abraham what He has promised him. 
—Genesis 18:17-19 AMPC 

What an honor for Abraham. He was referred to as a servant and a friend of God. Imagine being called a friend of God. I believe that is what God would like to call all of us, both servant and friend. God wants us to have the attitude of a servant, but He also wants us to develop a friendship with Him. God wants obedience. God wants us to heed His commandments and to get into a rhythm of obedience. At the same time, He wants to fellowship with us. He desires to let us in on what He is doing on the earth. He wants to give us insight into His plans for our lives. Isaiah 1:19 tells us that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. Willingness shows trust. I am willing to do something because of who asked me. When God the Father asks us to do something, we should do it with joy and enthusiasm, because we know that He would not ask us to do something that is harmful. We are obedient because of reverence and respect. You put the two together and you can see why God would want to bestow His blessings upon us. God wants friendship and He wants obedience. Both are keys to experiencing His goodness and all the things that He has promised us. 

#friendship #vcccharlotte #servant #devotional #goodnessofGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 3rd

📖 And when He heard of Jesus..... —Luke 7:3 KJV 

Have you heard of Jesus? Are you aware of Who He is? The Word of God is his resume. It lets you know His qualifications and His characteristics. The Word of God tells us all about Him. He is our Healer. He is our Redeemer. He is the Messiah. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. When people heard who Jesus was, it caused them to act. When the woman with the issue of blood heard of Jesus, she sought Him out. She knew that He could do what the doctors could not do. She knew He could make her well. We must hear about Jesus accurately. We must know that He has not changed. He is still a Healer. He is still performing miracles. He is still delivering and setting people free. Jesus will do for you what He did for people in the Gospels. He wants to turn your life around. Have you heard of Jesus? 

#ourhealer #reedemed #vcccharlotte #devotional #deliverer

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