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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 5th

📖 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] life [in the kingdom of God]?” -Matthew 16:24-27 Amplified Bible Classic Edition 

Jesus makes it very plain. If we are going to follow Him, we will have to disregard ourselves and our own interests. We will have to be willing to die to selfish ambition and to any dreams and desires that are outside of the will of God. Walking this Christian walk will not always be easy. Jesus told us that if they persecuted Him, they would persecute us. The student is not above his teacher. We must not be in love with this world. We are strangers, pilgrims just passing through. It is okay for us to enjoy ourselves, but our comfort and security cannot be in this natural world. The Bible tells us that we are citizens of Heaven and once we have lived our lives out here on this earth, that is where we will live for eternity. We cannot jeopardize our salvation for the things of this world. What would it profit us if we were to gain the entire world and lose our own soul? If we must choose between the world and Jesus, let’s choose Jesus. We don’t have to chase after the things of this world. Jesus told us that if we would seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all those things will be added unto us. 

#Pilgrims #devotional #heavenbound #Jesus #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 4th

📖 "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. 
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” -Psalm 100:1-5 NKJV 

We serve a good God! He is so good to us that there is only one way to serve Him: with gladness. We should come before His presence with singing because He has redeemed us. He has sent Jesus so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. He is our protector. He is our Healer. He is our Strength. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from Him. His mercies are new every morning, and when He forgives us of our sins, He forgets them. He is not holding them against us, He has cleansed us from them.  There should be joy in our hearts every day because of what God has done for us and for what He is doing in our lives. Even when things aren’t going our way, we know that God will turn it around. He is on our side, and we are the sheep of His pasture. God loves us, and He said that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We have so much to be grateful for! The Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever. 

#newmercies #devotional #GodisGood #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 3rd

📖 "Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).” -Psalm 55:22 Amplified Bible Classic Edition  

We all have issues in life, things that may trouble us. However, when we face these situations, we must cast our burdens on the Lord. We were not created to carry burdens and cares. When things seem like they are too much for us, it is not on us to try to figure out a solution. We are to give our problems to God and allow Him to take care of it. God is smarter than us. He is wiser than us. He has the solution to every problem. God wants us to live our lives care-free. It’s His desire to sustain us. When we release the weight of our problems to Him, we can expect Him to sustain us. We can never be moved when we look to God. When we release our issues to God, we know that He will not fail us. He told us that He would never leave us nor forsake us. That is good news. That means we can expect victory every time. He will not let us fall. 

#iamvictory #dailydevotional #castyourburdens #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 2nd

📖 "The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” -Psalm 92:12-15 Amplified Bible Classic Edition  

As Christians, we are to flourish and to prosper. There should be growth in our lives. There should be an increase in our lives.  We are supposed to flourish as we get older: our lives are to get better and better. If it appears that you aren’t flourishing or that things appear to not be getting better, don’t be moved by what you see. You can expect God to transform your life as you continue to walk with God. If you look throughout the Word of God, you’re sure to see one example after the next, instances where God never left people the same when they encountered Him. Their lives improved, and they became people of significance. Prosperity comes out of a relationship with God. It comes from constant fellowship through the reading of the Bible and prayer. As we walk with God, we see that God is faithful to His promises, and we become living memorials of His goodness. God is our Rock, and He can be depended on. When we build our lives on the Rock (the Word), our house (our lives) will stand regardless of the storm. We will flourish because the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises.  

#faithful #devotional #vcccharlotte #flourish 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 1st

📖 "Thus says the Lord, “Let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance;  but let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me [and acknowledges Me and honors Me as God and recognizes without any doubt], that I am the Lord who practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” says the Lord.” -Jeremiah 9:23-24 Amplified Bible 

All that we have that is good, came from God. The Bible tells us that “every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (James 1:17)”. Our talents and our abilities come from God. God is our sufficiency, and He is our ability (2 Corinthians 3:5). Because of this, we cannot boast in our wisdom. We cannot boast about our strength. Our wisdom and our strength apart from God is insufficient. We cannot boast in riches because they are temporary, and the Bible teaches that we are not to put our trust in money. We are to put our trust in God. If we are going to boast about anything, we should always boast about the goodness of our God. We should brag about His faithfulness and His integrity. We should boast in our God because He is the only One worthy of boasting. God is to be our everything. God will always honor us when we honor Him (I Samuel 2:30). 
 
#wisdom #vcccharlotte #goodgift #honorGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 31st

📖 "Son of man, I will punish any nation that leaves me and sins against me. I will stop their food supply. I might cause a famine and remove the people and animals from that country. I would punish that country even if Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there. They could save their own lives by their goodness, but they could not save the whole country.” This is what the Lord God said." -Ezekiel 14:13-14 Easy-to-Read Version

What did Noah, Daniel, and Job have in common? They walked with God. The Bible tells us that Noah was a just man, and he walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Daniel had purposed not to defile himself with the king’s provision early on in his life, and God promoted him (Daniel 1: 8, 18-21). Daniel walked with God, even when the king gave a decree that would have prevented him from praying to God. Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den for violating the decree, but God protected and promoted him. Job walked with God even though he was attacked in every area of his life. He continued to serve God, and God restored him and gave him twice as much. God desires a relationship with us, and when we walk with him, we will see His goodness and His faithfulness the way these three men did. Regardless of what is going on, God will preserve us, because we belong to Him.  

#preserve #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte #just

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 30th

📖 "But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to make interpretations and solve complex problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and reveal its interpretation to me, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold put around your neck, and you shall have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the writing to the king and reveal the interpretation to him.” -Daniel 5:16-17 Amplified Bible 

There were words that had been written, and no one could interpret the message. The queen had recommended Daniel because of the things that he had done in the past.  The king (Belshazzar) offered to give gifts and promotion in exchange for Daniel interpreting the message. Daniel refused the offer of the king, and still gave the interpretation. Daniel was showing the king that he did not need to be enticed, to operate in the gift that God had given him. Daniel operated with a pure heart and pure motives. These are characteristics that pleased God, and some of the reasons why God was able to use Daniel the way that He did. God had come through for Daniel and promoted him in the past. Daniel didn’t need to be coerced into operating in the gifts that God had given him, he simply did them as God allowed him to. After the interpretation, the king gave Daniel the gold chain and the promotion. God honored Daniel because of the motives of his heart and because Daniel looked to God for what he needed not to the king or any other man. Daniel sought the Lord, and Daniel knew his God. When we seek the Lord, we can expect God to move on our behalf. His eyes run throughout the earth, looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those who have a perfect heart towards Him.  

#daniel #dailydevotional #vccccharlotte #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 29th

📖 "The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly]—” Proverbs 1:5 Amplifed Bible Classic Edition  

Would you like to be considered wise? Then you must do what the wise do. The text tells us that the wise will hear and increase learning. God does not expect us to stay the same. He wants us to grow and become more than what we currently are. Every day, every month, every year, we should be getting better and better. We should be learning more. A wealthy businessperson once stated that if you want to be successful, you should read 500 pages a day. We know that this blanket statement is not for everyone, but what we can learn from that statement is that we should take the time to read and study every day. We should be growing and improving in our intelligence. We should be growing spiritually; and our health should be improving as well. We want to also acquire skill and heed sound, godly counsel. If we do these things, we can be certain that our lives will improve, and we will go from glory to glory. 

#wisdom #glorytoglory #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 28th

📖 "And such as deal wickedly against the covenant shall deceitfully dissemble: but the people that know their God shall prevail and succeed.” Daniel 11:32 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition 

God’s will is for us to succeed in every aspect of life. He desires for us to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers” (III John 2). Our victories will come out our relationship with God. As we walk with God, He will give us insight into our situations. He will give us instructions. He will lead us and guide us in the way that we should go. God will fight for us. He will defend us against our critics. God defended Moses when Miriam criticized him. God even let her know that He did not speak to Moses the way He spoke with other people. God was implying that there was a closeness there: a relationship. Every Father desires to have a relationship with their children. As we fellowship with Him through the Word and through prayer, we have a better understanding of who He is and a better understanding of His ability. Knowledge of the Word as well as application of the Word will cause us to prevail and succeed over situation the enemy brings our way. He always causes us to triumph. That victory comes through knowing Him. 

#iamvictory #triumph #Hedefendsus #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 27th

📖 "For the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His habitation: This is My resting-place forever [says the Lord]; here will I dwell, for I have desired it. I will surely and abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. Her priests also will I clothe with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. There will I make a horn spring forth and bud for David; I have ordained and prepared a lamp for My anointed [fulfilling the promises of old]. His enemies will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish." -Psalm 132:13-18 Amplified Classic

God desires to manifest His goodness in our lives. In the text, we see that when He decided to dwell with the people, changes had to take place. He would bless their provision and satisfy the poor with bread. There would be joy throughout the land, and their would-be fulfillment of the promises of God. Their enemies would be clothed with shame. There would be prosperity in the land. God’s will is for us to prosper in every area of our lives. When we make Him number one in our lives, His Word becomes a priority in our lives, and we are doers of His Word, we can expect God to manifest His goodness in greater ways. God will do so as we allow our lives to be a dwelling place for Him. 

#Zion #HisGoodness #vcccharlotte #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 26th

📖 ""Those who trust in the Lord are steady as Mount Zion, unmoved by any circumstance." -Psalm 125:1 The Living Bible

Believers are peculiar people. We are not to be moved by natural circumstances. We are to keep our eyes on the Word of God. The things that we see are temporary, and the things that we see are subject to change. Every challenge, every obstacle, every attack of the enemy is subject to change. The Bible tells us that weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Psalm 126:5-6 tells us that, “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him”. There may be tears today, but joy will eventually replace it. You may bring your seed in tears, but you will be rejoicing with the harvest. No matter what the circumstance may be in the natural, we know that it is subject to the Word of God. We are steady and immovable because we know that God is watching over His Word to perform it. We know it is impossible for Him to lie. 

#harvest #joyinthemorning #devotional #vcccharlotte 

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 25th

📖 "But now, says the Lord—the one who created you, Jacob, the one who formed you, Israel: Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you." -Isaiah 43:1-2 Common English Bible

When we made Jesus the Lord over our lives, we became children of God. We now belong to Him, and we are in covenant with Him. It is our responsibility to learn what has been promised in God’s Word. God is obligated to His word, and He is watching over His Word to perform it. God has promised to protect and defend His children (Psalm 91; Psalm 34). Regardless of what trouble or danger we may face, God will honor His Word in our lives when we stand on it. David defeated the giant when He stood on the covenant. Daniel was preserved in the lion’s den. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were preserved when they were thrown in the furnace by the king. Over and over, we see where God protected His people. He has not changed. It doesn’t matter what the enemy may try to do, God is still able to deliver us from all danger. If He did it before, He can do it again. 

#deliverer #Israel #goodfather #vcccharlotte #dailydevotional

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 24th

📖 "Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions. Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness. For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].” -Romans 6:12-14 Amplified Bible Classic Edition  

Sin can be a destructive force. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin came into the world because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, and it has wreaked havoc on the earth ever since. God warned Cain that “if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it (Genesis 4:7 AMP)”. We must all master sin and not let it have dominion over us. Through the Greater One that is on the inside of us, we can live above sin and refuse to allow it to have a place in our lives. We can yield our members as instruments of righteousness, and we can be vessels fit for the Master’s use. As we walk with God and spend time with Him through prayer and the Word, we can get to a place where sin is no longer an influence in our lives. We can represent the kingdom of God and be His ambassadors as He desires for us to be. We can be living epistles of His goodness and His grace and walk as subjects of God’s favor and mercy. 
 
#amen #sin #inspiration #devotional #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 23rd

📖 "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].” -James 1:17 Amplified Bible  

God is a good God. He is only capable of doing good. Jesus tells us that the thief (the devil) comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If something has been stolen from you or destruction has taken place in your life, you can trust and believe that it did not come from God. ONLY good things come from God. The late Oral Roberts once stated that, “There is nothing good in the devil, and there is nothing bad in God”. Everything that is good in our lives came from God, and He wants our lives to reflect His goodness towards us. When He approached Abram, He told him that He would bless Him. That was one of the first things He said to Abram and God honored His Word to him. The devil even commented to God that Job served Him because He had blessed the works of his hands (Job 1:10). As we walk with God, we should expect our lives to get better. We should expect nothing but good, because that is all that is in God. He is perfect and never changes. 

#perfection #vccccharlotte #GoodGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 22nd

📖 "For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).” -Romans 5:17-19 Amplified Bible Classic Edition 

When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, all of mankind came under the curse. All of mankind had the sin nature on the inside of them and was destined for a life of failure and calamity.  Mankind had become united to Satan and was unable to attain a right standing with God. Jesus came to alter the destiny of mankind. He became a curse for us so that we could be free from the law of sin and death. Jesus became poor so that we might be made rich. Jesus took on sickness so that we could be well. Jesus became sin so that we could become righteous. Jesus came so that we could not only have life, but that we could also reign in this life as kings and priests. We are to be the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. We can stand before God as if we have not sinned one day in our lives. Adam caused misery for humanity, but Jesus redeemed us from that misery. He made us more than conquerors! 

#conquerors #redemption #Godissgood #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 21st

📖 "Samuel replied, “Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him.” -I Samuel 15:22 The Living Bible  

Obedience is important to God. It shows honor and respect. God even says that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. Children are encouraged to obey their parents so that it will be well with them. Obedience shows trust. It demonstrates that you trust the person that is giving the command and that they have your best interest at heart. You trust that they would never ask you to do something that would be harmful to you. God loves us, so when He asks us to do something, it is always for our good. God is always trying to bless us. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from Him. 
 
#gift #devotional #obedience #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 20th

📖 "We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day." -2 Corinthians 4:16 Contemporary English Version 

As believers, we should commit to the stance that we never give up. Never. We never give up on God. We never give up on the promises of God. We never give up on ourselves. Whenever you want to give up, your eyes are on the wrong thing. We keep our eyes on God’s Word. We keep our eyes on the unseen. We understand that the things that are seen are temporary. The things that are unseen are eternal. If you can see it with your eyes, it is subject to change. God is not a quitter, and He is on the inside of us. He will push forward. He will keep you going. He will cause you to overcome in every area of your life. Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. That alone should cause you to never give up. So, trust Him. He will never let you down. 

#nevergiveup #trustGod #vcccharlotte #motivation 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 19th

📖 "But on that day I will separate and set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are living, so that no swarms of insects will be there, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I, the Lord, am in the midst of the earth. I will put a division (distinction) between My people and your people. By tomorrow this sign shall be in evidence." -Exodus 8:22-23 Amplified Bible 

We have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness, and we have been translated into the kingdom of God. God will take care of those who are inside of His kingdom; He will take care of His own. God set a distinction between the Israelites and the Egyptians. The chaos and the damage that was taking place in Egypt was not taking place in Goshen. There may be chaos and destruction taking place in the world, but it doesn’t have to affect us. We are in the kingdom of God. Satan is the god(ruler) of this world, which is why the world is in the shape that it is in. God desires to shield us from what is going on in the world. We can have prosperity in a famine. We can walk in divine health in the middle of “flu season.” We can have peace while the rest of the world is nervous and troubled about tomorrow. We may be in this world, but we are not of it. We function in another realm. We are to function in the kingdom of God.  

#kingdomofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte #motivation

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 18th

📖 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” -Psalm 34:1 Amplified Bible Classic Edition 

We are to bless the Lord at all times. When things are going well, we bless the Lord. When things are going wrong, we bless the Lord. We are to praise God no matter what. Praise stills the avenger. The Word of God tells us that the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they sang praises to God and shook the prison. Praise brings God onto the scene. When Jehoshaphat went to war, God told Him to send the praisers out ahead of him. The battle was won after the praisers began to praise God. We will win more battles when we learn to praise Him more. You may not be able to fight the battle, but victory is imminent when God comes on the scene. He always causes us to triumph. 

#triumph #winnerscircle #vcccharlotte #encouragement

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 17th

📖 "Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me." -Psalm 139:7-11 Amplified Bible Classic Edition 

God is always everywhere. We cannot get away from His presence. If you are a believer, this is a good thing. This means that when we find ourselves in a tight spot, He is there. When life gets hard, He is there. When we need solutions to our problems, He is there. We can call upon the Lord at any time and know that He is already there. It does not matter if we are at sea, on an airplane, or underground on the subway, God is with us. God said in His Word that He would never leave us or forsake us. It should be comforting to us that our Almighty God will never leave our side. If our lives do not line up with the Word of God, this could be unwelcome news. That means that God sees the sin that mankind is involved in. It pays to obey God and to honor His Word, then to suffer shame and embarrassment because of the consequences of our negative actions. Thank God for His mercy. He said that once we ask forgiveness of our sins, He will remember our sins no more. Let us stay aware of God’s presence. His eyes are running throughout the earth looking to show Himself strong. He wants to move on your behalf too. 

#omnipresent #devotional #vcccharlotte #AlmightyGod 

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