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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 16th

📖 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ⎯1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

Paul is saying here that he is making sure his body does not rule his spirit. We are spirit beings, and God created us to live out of our spirits. Sometimes our flesh is not in subjection to our spirits, and that can lead to us making bad decisions that, as Paul mentioned, can disqualify us. Some people have trouble sticking to their diet because they give in to their flesh every time it craves something that is not in said diet. The flesh is not mindful of spiritual things. All it cares about is pleasure and the things of this world. We must subdue the flesh and always keep our spirit man on top. Our spirit man is to run the show, and we can strengthen him by communing with God through the word and prayer. Looking upon the people who fell short of the destiny God had for them, Samson stands out because he did not control his flesh. Samson could have been used a lot more had he controlled his lust for women. Let’s continue to subdue our flesh and strengthen our spirits.

#liveinthespirit #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 15th

📖 And the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah), saying, Go from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he did according to the word of the Lord; he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook. ⎯I Kings 17:2-6 Amplified Bible Classic Edition 

Elijah was in a place where he had to trust God. He had obeyed God, and it was now time for God to come through. As we can see from the passage above, He came through. We can always count on God to confirm His Word. The Bible tells us that He is watching over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). We can put our trust in God. We can trust that He will meet every need because He promised to (Philippians 4:19). He said He was our Healer so we can trust Him to heal us of every sickness and every disease (Exodus 15:26; 23:25). Regardless of what God tells us to do, we must be obedient and understand that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. Elijah obeyed God, and God came through. When we are obedient to the Word of God, we can expect the same.

#elijah #trustGod #verseoftheday #devotional #healer #bible

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 14th

📖 And when neither sun nor stars were visible for many days and no small tempest kept raging about us, all hope of our being saved was finally abandoned. Then as they had eaten nothing for a long time, Paul came forward into their midst and said, Men, you should have listened to me, and should not have put to sea from Crete and brought on this disaster and harm and misery and loss. But [even] now I beg you to be in good spirits and take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you but only of the ship. For this [very] night there stood by my side an angel of the God to Whom I belong and Whom I serve and worship, And he said, Do not be frightened, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you all those who are sailing with you. So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith (complete confidence) in God that it will be exactly as it was told me; ⎯Acts 27:20-25 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Paul’s situation looked very bleak. It looked as if he and the other prisoners were going to perish at sea. Paul had every right to give up, but he received a word from heaven. An angel told him that he along with everyone on the ship would be saved. When Paul heard from the angel, he had a decision to make. He could have thought he was hallucinating and disregarded the message that he received. Instead, he chose to believe God. He chose to believe what the angel said, regardless of what it looked like. That is how we must respond when our circumstances contradict the Word of God. If God said it, then we believe. We believe that it will be exactly as it was told to us. If God said He would meet the need, the need is met. If God tells us that we are healed, we believe that we are healed. We are faith people of a faith God. We trust our Father. Our faith is in His integrity. 

 #integrity #faithgod #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 13th

📖 Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?” When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.” ⎯Matthew 26:38-42 The Message

This is Jesus speaking in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knows it is time for Him to go to the cross and to suffer for humanity. He knows the price that He will have to pay to redeem mankind. He also knew what it would take to take mankind out of the domain of darkness, into the kingdom of God.  Although He was aware of what is about to take place, He was still willing to go through with it. It is the most selfless act that any individual will ever do in the history of mankind. The human or fleshly side of Jesus would rather have done it another way, but regardless of how He felt, He was willing to do it God’s way. God will never ask us to endure what Jesus did, but we should learn the lesson in His sacrifice. If Jesus was willing to do whatever the will of the Father was, we must do the same. We must have the same attitude that Paul had. Paul was told that bonds and afflictions awaited him, wherever he went, and his response was, “None of these things move me”. We cannot be moved by our emotions when it comes to walking out the will of God. We cannot allow our flesh to have a say so. We must be willing and obedient. We must be just as sold out to the will of God for our lives as Jesus was. We must embrace the same mindset that He had. God’s plans for us are good and never evil. We must trust His wisdom and embrace His goodness. God knows what is best for us, and that is His will for our lives. 

#trustGod #jesuschrist #gethsemane #jesussacrifice #godisgood 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 12th

📖 Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 
⎯I Timothy 4:12 AMPC

As believers, we are to be examples to the world. We are to be the moral compass for the world. Unfortunately, many believers haven’t sold out to God, and there are things in their lives that are displeasing to Him. As believers, we must be willing to be examples to other believers. We must demonstrate how a believer is supposed to talk and act when it comes to walking in love, faith, and purity. Christians can be at various stages in their lives, but it is up to us to be examples of what holiness and consecration look like. Holiness isn’t a long skirt and no makeup; it is a life that is sold out to God. Let’s be aware of our actions. You never know how your lifestyle is having an impact on other people. 

#moralcompass #devotional #vcccharlotte #Christianwalk

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 10th

📖 He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord—happy, blessed, and fortunate is he. ⎯Proverbs 16:20 AMPC

If one wants to be considered wise, one must heed God’s Word and counsel. The Word of God tells us that it is the doer of the Word that is blessed, not just the hearer (James 1:25). Obedience demonstrates confidence in God and His integrity. It is always wise to obey God. The fool ignores the Word of God. The Bible tells us that “there is a way that seems right, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). We don’t want to take a path that seems right, we want to take the right path. God always has our best interest at heart. We should know and understand that it's in our best interest to heed, obey, and trust in the Word of God. 

#trustGod #devotional #wisdom #obedience

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 9th

📖 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of seven days’ journey, but there was no water for the army or for the animals following them. 

And he said, Thus says the Lord: Make this [dry] brook bed full of trenches. 

For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind or rain, yet that ravine shall be filled with water, so you, your cattle, and your beasts [of burden] may drink. 

This is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will deliver the Moabites also into your hands. 
⎯2 Kings 3:9; 16-18 AMPC

There is nothing too hard for God. Everything is easy for Him. It was “a light thing” to provide water for the Israelite army and their animals. It was “a light thing” to deliver the Moabites into the hands of the Israelites. There is no challenge too difficult for our Heavenly Father. We don’t need to know how He is going to pay the bill. We don’t need to know how He is going to meet the need. We don’t need to know how God is going to do it. He didn’t tell the Israelites how He was going to put water in the trenches, He just did it. God knows how to pay the bills and how to meet our needs. We just need to trust Him and know that it's easy. Nothing is too difficult for God. 

#iamvictory #devotional #Godisincontrol

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 8th

📖 I can guarantee this truth: Those who believe in me will do the things that I am doing. They will do even greater things because I am going to the Father.  ⎯John 14:12 God’s Word Translation 

The idea that we could do and believe the same things that Jesus did when He was here on the earth could sound too good to be true to the average religious person. However, if Jesus said it, then it must be so. If He said it, we can do the same thing that He did while He was on the earth. That means that we can do it. We can lay hands on the sick. We can cast out devils. We can open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. We can raise the dead! Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He told His disciples that in His Name, they were to cast out devils. They were to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. He wasn’t just talking to those who werethat day, He was referring to every believer. God is no respecter of persons. On one occasion when Jesus was on the earth, the disciples told Him that there was a man casting out devils in His Name. They wanted to stop Him, but Jesus forbade them. Jesus told them not to forbid the man because He wasn’tagainst them (Mark 9:38-40). We must get a revelation of this if we are to walk in it. If Jesus said that we can do the same things that He can and greater, then we can.  

#Jesuschrist #devotional #motivation #vcccharlotte #deliverance #godlovesyou 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 7th

📖 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life. —Psalms 139:23-24 Message Bible

This should be the desire of every Christian. Our desire should be to please God in every area of our lives. Not only should we examine ourselves, but we should ask God to examine our lives as well. When we do, if there is anything in our lives that needs to be changed, we should be open to doing whatever He tells us to do. He is the Potter, and we are the clay. We need to allow Him to mold us and shape us into what He desires us to be. We are to be vessels for our Master’s use. Our lives are not our own. We are the sheep of His pasture, and it's in Him that we live and move and have our being. We have been bought with a price. So, we should never forget that our lives belong to Him.

#heisthepotter #devotional #searchmyheart #vcccharlotte #trustgod #wednesdaywisdom

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 6th

📖 But when they failed to find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⎯Acts 17:6 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Paul and Silas were accused of ‘turning the world upside down’. They were preaching Christ to the world, and God was confirming the Word preached with miracles, signs, and wonders. These men were influencing the world. God expects no less of us. He expects us to cast out devils. He expects us to lay hands on the sick. He expects us to tell the unsaved about Jesus Christ. God expects us to be impactful. He expects us to make a difference. We are to set the captives free. God wants us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are ambassadors of the kingdom of God, so we don’t talk like the world. We aren't supposed to think like the world or carry ourselves the way the world carries themselves. We are to make a change. We too are to turn the world upside down.  

#acts #bible #devotional #jesuschrist #motivation #paulandsilas #worldchangers 

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 5th

📖 Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually]. ⎯III John 2 AMPC

God desires that His children do well in life. Every parent wants their children to be healthy and successful in every area of their lives. We know that God sent Jesus into the world to redeem mankind. Jesus also said that He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. God desires for us to live the good life. A life of abundance and surplus. A life that is free from sickness and disease. A life that is free from the curse of the law. If God wanted us sick and broke, He would have left things the way they were. God desired better, so He sent Jesus so that we could have better. Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #neversettle #bible #freedom

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 3rd

📖 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 
David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring me the ephod. And Abiathar brought him the ephod. 
And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? The Lord answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all. ⎯1 Samuel 30:6-8 AMPC 

David was having a rough day. When he and his men returned to Ziglag, they found the city burning, and their families had been taken. David’s men had even talked of stoning him. David knew what to do. He encouraged himself in the Lord. Then he sought the Lord. When life gets tough and the devil is coming at you in every direction, we can learn from David. We can encourage ourselves in the Lord. We can seek the Lord and find out how to overcome every attack of the wicked one. God will lead us. He will show us how to recover all. God will always cause us to triumph over every situation. He is on our side! 

#David #devotional #vcccharlotte #Godisonourside

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 2nd

📖 Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the LORD.” So Jehonadab rode along with him. ⎯2 Kings 10:16 NLT 

How devoted are you to the Lord? Some people are very devoted to their favorite sports teams and favorite TV shows but not devoted to the Word, prayer, or church. In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul talks about how in the last days many will abandon the faith. We must stay devoted and keep our zeal for the Lord. We must esteem God more than the desires and the pleasures of this world. If we are not careful, those things can draw our hearts away from God. 1 Timothy 5:6 says “Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives.” As we can see from the scripture, when we live for pleasure, we become spiritually dead. As we continue our daily devotion to the Lord, our spiritual life will continue to flourish. Let us continue to devote ourselves to the Lord as He is so worthy of our devotion.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #zeal #bible

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 1st

📖 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was still good, and his body was strong. ⎯Deuteronomy 3:7 Contemporary English Bible 

As we get older, we can still be healthy and strong. The world has sold us on the idea that as we get older, our bodies are supposed to deteriorate, and our health is supposed to decline. The world has given us the idea that we must be sick to die. They will even tell you that “everyone has to die of something.” Moses’ body was still strong at the age of 120, and his eyesight was still good. Caleb was 85 when he told Joshua that he was just as strong as he was forty years earlier. The Bible tells us that “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” We must renew our minds to the Word of God. We can live long, and we can live strong. With long life God will satisfy us and show us His salvation. (Psalm 91:16). 

#thegoodlife #devotional #vcccharlotte #moses #bible #healthyandwhole #Moses #Joshua #Caleb

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 31st

📖 Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it. ⎯Numbers 13:30 AMPC 

And they said to all the company of Israelites, The land through which we passed as scouts is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⎯Numbers 14:7-8 AMPC 

Joshua and Caleb were of a different spirit. They spied out the land with the other ten, yet they did not say the same thing. They saw the same thing the other men saw, and yet they said something else. They believed that the Israelites could take the land. They believed that God was for them. They believed contrary to what the others saw. If we are going to experience the promises of God, we have to be like Joshua and Caleb. We must say what they said. We must believe the way they believed. They had confidence in God's ability. They knew God could bring them into their promised land, and we must do the same. When we do, we will eventually see the fulfillment of His promises.

#bible #joshua #devotional #standout #trustgod #vcccharlotte #isrealites #promises

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 30th

📖 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, marked off the heavens with a [nine-inch] span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? ⎯Isaiah 40:12-13 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

The Spirit of God played a crucial role in creation. He measured the waters and marked off the heavens with His hands. He weighed the mountains and measured the dust of the earth. The earth is still here and functioning the way it did when it was first created. The Spirit of God that not only played a role in creating his world—but the universe—has also planned our lives! The plan of God for our lives is better than anything that we could plan for ourselves. I Corinthians 2 tells us that the things that God has for us are revealed to us by His Spirit (verses 9-10). God’s thoughts towards us are good and not evil. He has an expected end for us, and we must walk with Him to experience the good life that He has for us. If the Spirit of God can successfully orchestrate the creation of this universe, you better believe: He can successfully plan our lives. Trust Him and His plan.

#purposedriven #GoodGod #devotional #creation #vcccharlotte #inspiration #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 29th

📖 For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you. ⎻Deuteronomy 23:14 NKJV

We should desire the presence of the Lord wherever we are. Our desire should be for Him to walk where we walk, and to go where we go. We don’t want anything in our lives that would hinder God from walking with us. We serve a holy God. We serve a righteous God. We don’t want God turning away from us because of the music we are listening to or the movies that we are watching. We don’t want to grieve the Spirit of God. We should always be cognizant of God’s presence. The question should be asked, “Would God want to be where I am going?” Would He want to listen to what I am listening to? If God is holy, we should be holy. We are to be sanctified unto our God. We must come out from among them and be separate. We must not touch the unclean thing. For then He will be a Father to us and will be His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 27th

📖 But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).
⎻James 1:26 AMPC 

It is very important that we hear the Word of God. The Bible even tells us that “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Even though it is important for us to hear the Word, we must also be doers of the Word. The Bible tells us that if we are faithful to it, and if we persevere into meditating on it, we will be blessed in our doing. Isaiah 1:19 tells us that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. If we desire to go from glory to glory, we must be an active doer. We must obey the Word on a consistent basis. As we are consistent in our acting, we will experience the blessings associated with doing. God honors a life of obedience. 

#obedience #dailydevotional #faithcomesbyhearing #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 26th

📖 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” ⎯Luke 2:49 AMPC

At twelve years of age, we see here that Jesus was about his Father's business. We should have the same mindset that He had when it comes to things of God. Sometimes we can become so consumed with the affairs of this life that we neglect God and the great things He wants to do through us if we would just be about His business. Great Men and Women of God in the Bible whom God used mightily lived a life of consecration. They dedicated their lives to the work that God ordained them to do. John 5:17 AMPC says, “But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now [He has never ceased working], and I too am working.” We must understand that our Father is looking to work through us in this earth realm, but we must have the same heart and attitude that Jesus had when it comes to this divine work. Our God is still working! The question is…will we join him?

#beaboutmyfathersbusiness #devotional #tgif #verseoftheday #jesuschrist #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | January 25th

📖 But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. ⎯Mark 3:27 English Standard Version 

If we are going to take possession of what belongs to us, we must be willing to go to the ‘strong man’s house’ and take it. We have the Greater One on the inside of us, and because He is greater, we can go into the enemy’s camp or into his house and take his goods. Those goods are our goods, and they do not belong to our enemy. Jesus came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. When the Israelites had to possess the promised land, they did not depend on themselves to defeat the giants. They depended on God, and when it was time to fight, they trusted that God would give them the victory. When we go to battle with the enemy, we go into the fight knowing that the fight is fixed. We have been given the power of attorney to use our big brother, Jesus’ name; and His Name is stronger than anything that the devil has to fight against us. We must get a revelation of our authority. That is the way we take care of the strong man (the devil). When we walk in our authority, we can walk in the blessings of God. We can go into the strong man’s house and take all that belongs to us. 

#jesuschrist #devotional #trustGod #thegreaterone #vcccharlotte #wewin

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