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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 2nd

📖 “A knowledgeable person controls his tongue; a discerning person controls his temper.” -Proverbs 17:27 Complete Jewish Bible

When you understand the power of the tongue, you become very meticulous about which words come out of your mouth. You understand the importance of your words, and you become selective about what you are going to say because you know that whatever is about to come out could change the situation or it could cause it to become worse. Knowledge should cause you to make better decisions. When you get knowledge of the importance of keeping your temper, it causes you to become slow to anger and slow to wrath. It causes you to think before you act. You will become more conscious of the fruit of the Spirit, and you will allow them to operate in your life. You will become more patient and kinder. There will be more joy. There will be more peace. You will be less likely to lose your temper and find yourself instead in control of your emotions. Knowledge not only brings us power, but it also brings us success.

#knowledgeispower #wisdom #devotional #vcccharlotte #temper

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 1st

📖 “The Pastor, to my good friend Gaius: How truly I love you! We’re the best of friends, and I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health—that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul! I was most happy when some friends arrived and brought the news that you persist in following the way of Truth. Nothing could make me happier than getting reports that my children continue diligently in the way of Truth!" -3 John 1:1-4

God desires for His people to thrive. He wants us to prosper in every area of our lives, including our everyday affairs. One way that we get to that place is by diligently continuing in truth. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and that is one way we diligently seek Him, through His Word. We are to walk in and obey the laws of God.  When we delight in the Word of God, we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, and everything we do shall prosper (Psalm 1: 2-3). We not only walk in Truth, but we persist in Truth. No matter what may come our way, we must continue to be doers of the Word of God. When we find out the will of God, we have a right to receive all that He desires for us. He desires for us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. 

#prosper #devotional #truth #Godisgood #bible #inspiration 

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 30th

📖 “The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer” -Proverbs 30:25 Amplified Bible

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. If they wait until winter to prepare, it's too late; and more than likely they will starve. 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 #thinkwinterallsummer #beprepared #wisdom #verseoftheday #message

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 29th

📖 “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." -Proverbs 28:20 King James Version

A faithful man is one who realizes that it comes over time. A faithful man is a consistent man. It is a person who is consistent in serving. That person is consistent in their giving. They are consistent in their church attendance. They are marked by their consistency. God is a faithful God. He is consistent in His love for us. He is consistent in His mercy and His kindness towards us. He is our example of faithfulness, and we should follow His example. He wouldn’t ask us to do something that He would not do. Many believers want to be blessed, but their lifestyle will not allow it. If we are going to experience the Blessings of God, we must be faithful. Faithful in obeying His Word. Faithful to what He has called us to do. Faithful in every area of life, just like our Father.

#faithful #proverbs #Wednesdaywisdom #consistency #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 28th

📖 “Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began his fifty-two-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. He did right in the Lord’s sight, to the extent of all that his father Amaziah had done. He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the things of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper." -II Chronicles 26:3-5 Amplified Classic

God is no respecter of persons. He is no respecter of age either. What He did for the sixteen-year-old, He will do for the forty-year-old. When we do what is right in His sight, seek the Lord and obey His Word, we can expect God to prosper us. God has not changed. He tells us in His Word that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). He promised the Israelites that He would bless them if they kept His commandments (Deuteronomy 28: 1-13). We are under a better covenant with better promises, but the concept is still the same. When we seek the Lord with all our hearts and are doers of His Word, we can expect God to prosper us, He is no respecter of persons. If He did it for Uzziah and the Israelites, He will do it for us. 

#godislove #devotional #justGod #vcccharlotte #seekGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 27th

📖 “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” -John 20:19 NKJV

In this passage of scripture, we see the disciples are hiding from the Jews because they were afraid of them. If the disciples had not gotten out of fear, they would not be able to impact the world for the kingdom of God. Fear would have kept them from launching out into the ministry that God had for them. The same is true in our own lives, if we don’t get out of fear, we will not fulfill the destiny that God has for us. Fear can cripple us. Fear can hinder us, and fear can keep us from obeying the Lord when he prompts us to do something.

When it comes to fear, Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Tim 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. “Paul knew that fear would keep his son Timothy from fulfilling the assignment given by God. God wants us to be strong in his power and in his great love for us. Romans 8:31 says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us who can be against us?” Psalm 118:6 also says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” These are scriptures that we should remind ourselves of whenever fear comes knocking at our door. In Joshua 1:9 God says to Joshua “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” God is commanding not just Joshua to be strong and courageous, but us as well. We are called to be soldiers in the army of the Lord, and we cannot afford to be fearful of anything. We are called to destroy the works of darkness and touch and change lives by the power of God. To accomplish this, we must get out of fear. We want to encourage you to wage war on fear by being strong and courageous.

#courageous #vcccharlotte #nofear #bravery #motivation #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 26th

📖 “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels." - Ephesians 6:10-12 Message Bible

It takes strength to make it in this world. The devil will challenge you in every area of your life. The Bible even tells us that if we faint in the day of adversity, our strength is small (Proverbs 24:10). God told Joshua to be strong and of good courage (Joshua 1:6). Strength is vital to the Christian walk. It took strength for Jesus to take on the sins of the world. It took strength to hang on the cross for three hours. It took strength to take a beating the way he did. He was punched in the face, whipped, and mocked. He never gave in to the temptation to call on the angels to rescue Him. He fulfilled His mission. It took strength to complete His mission, and it will take strength to complete yours. No matter what the devil throws your way, God’s grace and His strength is enough to put you over every time.

#Godsgraceissufficient #devotional #keeppushing #strength

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 25th

📖 “Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need." -Ephesians 4:28 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Paul is giving insight into the purpose of our paychecks. Our paychecks are not primarily for paying bills (you should pay your bills). Our paychecks are not primarily for purchasing items for ourselves and our families (it's okay if you do). The Word of God tells us that we work so that we can have money to give. This is how the Kingdom of God operates. It functions through the principle of seedtime and harvest. When we give, it shall be given to us again, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto our bosom (Luke 6:38). It is after we give that we can claim that God will meet our needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). It is always better to give than to receive because giving puts us in a place of receiving. As we grow in faith, we should also grow in our giving. As we increase our giving, we can increase our receiving. It’s time for a shift in our thinking in the area of giving! When we change our standard of giving, we change our standard of living.

#seedtimeandharvest #devotional #giving #vcccharlotte #compassion

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 24th

📖 “The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever. They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." -Psalm 37:18-19 Amplified Classic

As believers we can always rest assured that we will be taken care of. It does not matter what is going on in the world, God knows how to take care of us. The state of the economy will not affect the blessing of the Lord. Food prices have no effect on the blessing of the Lord. When we place our faith in God and His Word, we can know that we will have more than enough while the rest of the world is in famine. We will prosper regardless of the interest rates and the state of the economy. Joseph and his family enjoyed plenty in the midst of famine. Elijah, the widow woman, and her son were sustained during the famine. Many all throughout the word of God were sustained during hard times because they put their faith and dependency on God. If we are going to experience His provision for our lives, we must be willing to do the same.

#prosperity #devotional #elijah #GoodFather #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 23rd

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

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

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

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 22nd

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

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

#iamvictory #whoami #Jesus #devotional #verseofthemonth

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | 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 eyes of the Lord run back and forth throughout the earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him (I Chronicles 16:9). He takes care of His people. He takes care of us when times are good and when times appear to be bad. God is always consistent. God told David that He was with him the whole time he was running from Saul. When it looked like David was not going to survive the ordeal, God made a way of escape for him.

If we are faith people, we are to walk by faith and not by sight. We must stand on God’s Word knowing that God is coming through, even when it appears like He isn’t. The things that are seen are temporary; they are subject to change. Our God is the same, and He does not change. There is ‘no shadow of turning’ with Him. He comes through every time, even in times of famine or lack. Trust Him.

#Provider #GodIsGood #devotional #vcccharlotte #GoodFather

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 20th

📖 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” ⎼Acts 26:19 NKJV

In this verse, Paul is telling the story of his life to King Agrippa and the calling that God had for him. He ends his story by stating that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. In Proverbs 29:18a AMPC says, “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.” Without vision or direction when it comes to our lives, we are at risk of perishing. Paul was saying to King Agrippa, ‘I did not deviate from the vision that God had for me.’ Just like God had a vision for Paul, he also has a vision for our lives. When we receive God’s vision for our lives, it helps us to focus on what it is we need to focus on. If you knew that you were called to be a doctor, then you would have no need to go to Law School. Another benefit of having God’s vision for our lives is when adversity and circumstances come our way, we can fall back on that vision because we know it came from God. We know that God has our back and all the blessings and promises of God will be with us and for us. You may be asking the question now, “How can I get God’s vision for my life?” As we spend time communing with God through the Word, prayer and worship, God will reveal to us what His vision for our life is. So, let us seek the Lord and run with the vision He gives us!

#vision #dreams #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 19th

📖 “Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].” -Proverbs 16:3 Amplified Bible

Some of the most common questions asked by Christians have been, “What am I supposed to do”? or “Why am I here”? When we submit our lives to God and place our lives in His Hands, we can trust that He will lead us and guide us in the way that we should go. God will direct our steps, and He will speak to us. God will tell us everything we need to know in reference to our future. Once we understand the will of God for our lives, we must submit to it. We must submit to His guidance. It is pointless to seek the face of God concerning our future if we are not going to do what He instructs us to do. God’s plan for our lives is a beautiful plan. If we trust and submit our lives to Him, we will experience the good life that He has preordained for us to live.

#purposedriven #trustGod #vcccharlotte #Godsplan #devotional

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 18th

📖 “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased." ⎻Luke 8:43-44 English Standard Version

This woman was in a desperate situation. She had a medical condition that no one could treat.  She went from doctor to doctor, and they could not stop her flow of blood. She dealt with that condition for twelve years. When she heard of Jesus, she went and found where He was and touched the hem of His garments. She believed that if she could just get to Jesus, her situation would change. She got a revelation that Jesus could do what the doctors had been unable to do. Her believing got her just what she believed. She was made whole of her ailment. The blood stopped immediately! When we go to God in faith and on the basis on His Word, we can expect a change in our circumstances. We can expect God to turn it around. We can expect to hear, “Your faith has made you whole”. Our God is faithful.   

#faithwalk #trustGod #healing #vcccharlotte #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 17th

📖 “Have nothing to do with godless and silly myths. Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." -I Timothy 4:7-8 Revised Standard Version

Training is a good thing. We train our bodies so that we can be healthy and look good. Physical exercise is profitable, and it has some value, but it isn’t as profitable as spiritual training. You won’t be able to take your physical body with you into eternity, but you will take your spirit man. Training yourself in godliness is profitable both for this life and the next. Your spirit man will live forever. As matter of fact, the outward man is perishing, but the spirit man is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). Our desire should be to continue to grow spiritually. Our faith should be growing. Our love walk should be growing. Our ability to hear the voice of God should be improving. The fruit of the Spirit should become more visible as we continue to walk with and fellowship with God. Physical training is important, but spiritual training is vital.

#spiritual #exercise #growth #devotional #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 16th

📖 “So ever since we first heard about you we have kept on praying and asking God to help you understand what he wants you to do; asking him to make you wise about spiritual things; and asking that the way you live will always please the Lord and honor him, so that you will always be doing good, kind things for others, while all the time you are learning to know God better and better.” -Colossians 1:9-10 The Living Bible

A key to our success is understanding what the Lord wants us to do. There are general things that He wants to do, and there are specific things that He wants us to accomplish. As we seek the Lord, He gives us insight and instructs us in the way that we should go. The Bible tells us that we are to be led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). Spending time in the Word and prayer will cause us to become more sensitive to His leadership. As we are led by Him, that will enable us to know Him better and better. It will strengthen our walk with Him and our overall trust in Him. As we obey the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it will cause us to live a life that pleases and honors God. It will cause our lives to get better and better, and we will go from glory to glory.

#glorytoglory #devotional #understanding #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 15th

📖 “A righteous person eats until his appetite is satisfied, but the stomach of the wicked is always empty." -Proverbs 13:25 Evangelical Heritage Version

The quality of food that we eat from day to day does not have to be associated with the type of job that we have. Eating well is a benefit of being a child of God. Jesus told us in Matthew 6 to NOT worry about what we are going to eat or what we are going to drink. He told us to seek first the kingdom of God, and these things will be added unto us. On several occasions when Jesus was teaching, He multiplied bread and fish to meet the needs of thousands of people. On another occasion, God rained down manna and caused water to come out of a rock in order to feed His people in the wilderness. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see that God took care of people. As we walk with God, we can be assured that He will also take care of us and will see to it that we are taken care of. It's not based primarily on what we do, it is based on how good our God is.

#faithfulGod #Provider #devotional #GodIsGood #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 14th

📖 “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. Don’t take the law into your own hands. Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be “heaping coals of fire on his head.” In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. Don’t let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good." -Romans 12:19-21 The Living Bible

We have all been mistreated at some point in our lives. Someone may have lied on you. Someone may have started a rumor about you. Maybe someone was gossiping about you, and they were giving out incorrect information. In times like those, you might want to lash out. You might want to “get them told”. You may want to simply defend yourself against slander. The best thing for us to do is to leave that into God’s hands. The Bible instructs us to never avenge ourselves. Many times, we want to do the opposite. We not only want to avenge ourselves, but we want others to know how we have been mistreated. We cannot allow evil to get the upper hand. We must conquer evil by doing good. We must forgive, and we must walk in love. If our enemy is hungry, we can feed them. If they are thirsty, we can give them something to drink. We don’t have to mistreat others because we have been mistreated. That is not a demonstration of the love of God. We must allow the love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts. We must be like our Father in heaven. We must love the unlovable. We must be kind to the unkind. We must overcome evil with good.

#loveofGod #devotional #forgiveness #vengenceisminesaysthelord

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 13th

📖 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly]; Yes, if you cry out for insight, and lift up your voice for understanding; If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silver and search for her as you would hidden treasures; then you will understand the [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives [skillful and godly] wisdom; From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” -Proverbs 2:1-6 AMP

Wisdom is a game changer. It can help us not to make bad decisions, and it can help us to excel in every area of our life. Our Scripture tells us that we must seek out wisdom conscientiously and strive for it eagerly. We are to chase after it as we would for hidden treasures. The Bible says in Proverbs 8:11 AMP, “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” Wisdom is the principal thing, and we should be searching for it fervently. In the sixth verse, the Bible talks about how the Lord gives skillful and Godly wisdom. The Bible says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” God is the source of skillful and Godly wisdom. So let us ask, seek and knock as the Bible talks about in Matthew 7:7-8. We are so willing sometimes to chase after entertainment, pleasure and other carnal, corruptible things but not the wisdom of GOD which can change our lives significantly. Let us open the Word of God and ponder the words of wisdom that are coming out of His mouth. As we continue to do this, the wisdom of God will begin to manifest itself in our lives. God wants you to have his wisdom in your everyday affairs, so we want to encourage you to chase after his wisdom wholeheartedly.

#wisdom #message #devotional #proverbs #vcccharlotte

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