Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 8th

📖 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. —I John 1:9 AMPC

We have all missed the mark at some point. We all have said something we shouldn't have said and done things that we knew we should not have done. In short: we have all made mistakes and acted in ways in which we knew better. The good news is that God is a LOVING God. When we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all wrongdoing. God promises to forget our sins and to act like the sin has never taken place when there is true repentance. God looks at the heart, and He knows our flaws. He is faithful to us! God is true to His compassionate nature. He will never condemn us for our past. As we walk with Him, we know that our latter end will be greater than our former. 

#lovingGod #compassion #devotional #vcccharlotte

Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 6th

📖 Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. —James 1:19 AMPC 

The Bible tells us to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). One way we can walk that out is by being a ready listener; and one that is slow to speak and slow to get angry. We should endeavor to hear everyone out and then take the time to think about what has been said to us. Once we have thought things through, we should be willing to speak on the matter and not take offense and get angry. Many times, disagreements take place when we speak too hastily, not taking the time to think it through. We must also work on being too quick to take offense. Sometimes the person who offended us did not mean to intentionally upset us. Sometimes we misinterpreted what was said and instead of thinking things through, we were quick to take offense. We must be people who walk in love and think the best of everyone. If we were quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to take offense and get angry, we could be people who can walk that out. 

#vcccharlotte #peace #devotional #love

1 Comment

2 Comments

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 5th

📖 And so it was that he [Abraham], having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained [in the birth of Isaac as a pledge of what was to come] what God had promised him. —Hebrews 6:15 AMPC

God made a promise to Abraham when he was seventy-five years old. The “promised child” was born when Abraham was a hundred years old. Abraham waited twenty-five years until the promised child was born. Abraham could have been moved by time, but he wasn’t. Abraham believed God. Abraham believed that God was faithful to bring everything to pass. Abraham had experienced the Blessing of the Lord, and He knew that God would not lie to Him. Abraham reached the point where He believed that God would do what He said He would do. Many times, we are unwilling to wait on God. We may not know why things have taken a long time to manifest, but we know that God is faithful. We must endure patiently, knowing that God will come through. We must rest in the integrity of God. It is a divine truth that He cannot lie (John 3:33 Amplified Classic).   

#Godcannotlie #covenantGod #vcccharlotte #devotional

2 Comments

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 4th

📖 Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, but he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] is rewarded. —Proverbs 13:13 AMPC 

It is always in our best interest to develop a love and a respect for the Word of God. The Word of God has the solution to every potential problem that we may face. The Word of God is how we overcome. The Word of God is the Source of faith and faith is how we overcome the world. Jesus used the Word of God to overcome the wicked one. When he encountered the Satan in the wilderness, He said repeatedly, “It is written "and quoted from the Word of God. The devil wants you to despise the very weapon that will defeat him. He wants you to ignore the Word. He’s okay with you reading it every now and then, but he wants to keep you from being consistent. God’s Word is our weapon. We must embrace it and learn to delight in God’s Word. We cannot afford to neglect the Word of God. We cannot despise it. Doing those things will not only bring defeat, but it will also bring destruction to our lives. We cannot let that happen. God is depending on us. 

#WordofGod #vcccharlotte #Sourceoffaith #devotional 

1 Comment

2 Comments

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 3rd

📖 If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself. —2 Timothy 2:13 AMPC 

Thank God for His faithfulness. He is faithful to us when we aren’t. He stays faithful to His Word and His righteous character regardless of our actions. Now, that is not a license to sin (you’ll sin without a license). The Word of God tells us that wages of sin is death. If we miss the mark, He is still faithful to I John 1:9. When we confess our sins, He is still faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. His mercies are still new every morning. God is not ruled by His emotions. He has them, but He isn’t ruled by them. God will always have a righteous character because that is who He is. He is a righteous God. He is so faithful to His Word that He has exalted His Word above His Name. We should be grateful for His grace, but we should not abuse His grace. Let’s honor God with our lives by honoring His Word. He remains faithful to His Word and His righteous character because He cannot deny Himself. God is forever committed to us. 

#faithfulness #vcccharlotte #God’scharacter #devotional 

2 Comments

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 2nd

📖 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. —Proverbs 28:20 KJV

There is a Scripture that asks, “a faithful man, who can find?” It’s hard to find faithful people, especially in today’s world. God says the faithful shall abound with blessings. The faithful ones are the committed ones, the ones you can always count on. The faithful are consistent. They are consistent in their attendance, their giving, and their effort. How can those types of people not be blessed? One should expect to flourish when they have a history of faithfulness to any organization. If man will take care of faithful, committed people, how much more would our Heavenly Father? 

#dedication #faithfulness #GoodGod #vcccharlotte

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 1st

📖 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], 

That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, 
—Philippians 2:14-15 AMPC

As believers, one of our desires should be to represent the Kingdom more accurately. We should want to look more like an ambassador of heaven. One way that we can accomplish this is by refraining from complaining. As believers, we should have praise and thanksgiving on our lips at all times. We are positive and optimistic because we are people of faith. We walk by the Word and not by our feelings. Circumstances do not control us, the Word does. We don’t complain because the Word gives us control of our circumstances. Our faith in God gives us control. We should always have a smile on our faces because we know that we always triumph, regardless of the obstacle or the hindrance. The world will think that we are strange and peculiar, but that is fine. They will think that we are weird but let them think what they want. We are of a different kingdom. We are children of God. We are the light of the world, and we are the salt of the earth. Let us look like it and act like it. No complaining! 

#ambassadors #vcccharlotte #faith #devotional #childrenofGod

1 Comment

2 Comments

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 29th

📖 A fool vents all his emotions, but a wise person calmly restrains them. 
—Proverbs 29:11 EHV

Sometimes we can allow our emotions to get the best of us. At times, we want to tell everyone what we have been through and how we feel about it. We want people to feel how we feel, but that is not always a good thing. In the book of James, we are told to be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19). We must be disciplined with our tongue. We cannot allow ourselves to get angry to the point where we fly off the handle and say things that we will later regret. We must be willing to stay quiet until we are ready to speak from a place that is not from anger. We must not allow our emotions to rule us. We must allow our spirit man to dominate us. He is to be in control, especially if our spirit man has been born again. Jesus was always in control of His emotions, and as we continue to mature spiritually, we can do the same thing. 

#spiritualgrowth #quicktohearslowtospeak #wisdom #vcccharlotte

2 Comments

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 28th

📖 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

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 27th

📖 The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer; 
—Proverbs 30:25 AMP

The strength of the ant is in their ability to prepare. They don’t have an overseer. They don’t have anyone standing over them telling them that winter is coming. They are diligently preparing in the summer. The ants know that it's too late to prepare when winter comes. We must learn from the ant. We must prepare for opportunities that don’t yet exist. We have to be like Noah. Noah prepared an ark out of obedience when there was no evidence that a flood was coming. It’s hard to build a ship in the rain. If Noah had waited until it started raining, he would have perished with everyone else. It has been said that success is when preparation meets opportunity. Failure takes place when opportunity presents itself to the unprepared. Let’s not allow ourselves to be caught off guard when opportunity does arrive. Let’s be like the ant and STAY ready. 

#theant #beprepared #wisdom #verseoftheday #message

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 26th

📖 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

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 25th

📖 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

1 Comment

Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 24th

📖 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  

Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 22nd

📖 When Jesus came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him. 

And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me by curing me. 

And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed. 
—Matthew 8:1-3 AMPC  

God wants you well. He desires for you to be strong and healthy. Unfortunately, many people still aren't sure whether it is the will of God for them to be healed. They think the sickness is supposed to bring them closer to God. Some think the sickness will keep them humble. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us that sickness will humble you. The Bible tells us that we are to humble ourselves and that God will exalt us in due time (I Peter 5:6). We accurately represent the kingdom when we are healthy and strong. We can pursue the will of God when we are totally strong and healthy. The leper was unsure about the will of God concerning his healing. Jesus made the will of God plain. God wanted the leper healed. God has not changed. He has always desired His people to be well. He demonstrated His desire by sending Jesus to the cross to redeem us from sickness and disease. The issue has been settled: God wants us well. 

#healing #vcccharlotte #willofGod #devotional  

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 21st

📖 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

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 20th

📖 As I was in the [prime] ripeness of my days, when the friendship and counsel of God were over my tent, —Job 29:4 AMPC    

Friendship with God should be a desire in all our lives. Rubbing shoulders with the King of the universe. Being able to reach out to the One who created the heavens and the earth when we want to. That is a privilege that all of us should enjoy. (Those of us who have made Jesus the Lord of our lives.) Unfortunately, many Christians don’t make time to develop friendship with Almighty God. Many are caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. We all can get caught up in the day-to-day grind of life. We cannot make excuses. We must take the time to fellowship with God daily. God wants to commune with us. He wants to talk to us about His plan for our lives. God wants to develop a relationship with all His children. The Bible tells us that He “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. It is obvious that Job’s relationship with God influenced His life. He referred to this “as the prime of his days”. Job had become the greatest man in the East. He had wealth and influence. It was obvious that the friendship and counsel of God was over his tent. If we want to experience success in our lives, God’s friendship and counsel should be over our tent as well. 

#friendshipwithGod #vcccharlotte #God’scounsel #devotional

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 19th

📖 I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.] —John 14:3 AMPC    

When we make Jesus Christ the lord of our lives, Satan no longer has any claim on us. He is the god (ruler) of this world, but he is no longer the ruler over our lives. There is nothing in us that belongs to him, and he has no power over us. When Satan continues to wreak havoc in our lives, many times it is because we are ignorant of God’s Word. We don’t realize that we are now his masters. He is subject to us because we have been given dominion over him. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We have just as much dominion over the devil as Jesus. Let’s walk in a greater revelation of who we are and what belongs to us. We have been given the power to trample on serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us. (Luke 10:19). 

#poweroverthedevil #vcccharlotte #devotional

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 18th

📖 When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep and stretched out the firmament over it, 

When He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep, 

When He gave to the sea its limit and His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth— 

When I [Wisdom] was beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, 
—Proverbs 8:27-30 AMPC

There are so many benefits that are available to us through Christ Jesus. One benefit is the Wisdom of God. The Bible tells us that “Jesus is made unto us wisdom” (I Corinthians 1:30). Not only does Jesus live on the inside of us, but so does His Wisdom. I Corinthians 2:7 tells us that “we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory”. When you couple that with I Corinthians 14:2, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries”. We now have an idea how to access that wisdom. When you are spirit-filled, you can pray out the Wisdom of God by praying in the Spirit. This will help you remember what to do in any situation. The Wisdom of God established this world, and His wisdom will establish ours, when we pursue it and seek it out. 

#wisdom #vcccharlotte #devotional #spiritfilled

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 17th

📖 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 

1 Comment

1 Comment

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 15th

📖 One of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they put out to sea. 

But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. And a whirlwind revolving from below upwards swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in great danger. 

And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! And He, being thoroughly awakened, censured and blamed and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased, and there came a calm. 

And He said to them, [Why are you so fearful?] Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me—in My veracity and My integrity)? And they were seized with alarm and profound and reverent dread, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even wind and sea, and they obey Him? 
—Luke 8: 22-25 AMPC

Jesus had said for them to go to the other side. Once he had spoken, He went to sleep. He fully intended for them to get to the other side. He was so sure they would get there that he went to sleep. He rested in what He said. When the storm hit, the disciples spoke words that were contrary to what Jesus said. All they had to do was agree with Jesus. All they had to do was agree with the Word that was spoken. Their words located them. Their words proved that they had more confidence in the circumstances than they did in what Jesus said. Jesus was obviously displeased with the disciples. He asked them why they didn’t trust him. We can’t look down on the disciples. We have done the same thing. We have believed more in our circumstances than what God has said. God’s Word will change our circumstances when we agree with Him. God expects us to say what He says. He expects us to trust in His Word. Circumstances will never change the Word of God. God’s Word will always come to pass. We can trust in His integrity and His veracity. 

#words #believeinGod #trustinGod #vcccharlotte #devotional

1 Comment