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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 24th

📖 If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away[that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  

If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

⎯Matthew 5:29-30 AMPC

There is nothing in this world worth going to hell for. Nothing. Money isn’t worth it. Another person isn’t worth it. A better job. A better vehicle—none of these things are worth missing Heaven over. Jesus said in our text that if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. If your hand is causing you to sin, cut it off. Now Jesus isn’t telling us to literally cut out our eyes or cut off our hands. He is simply making a point not to let anything cause you to miss Heaven. The things of this earth are temporary. Eternity is forever. Don’t miss Heaven! 

#Heavenbound #devotional #vcccharlotte #message

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 23rd

📖 You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house.

In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. 

⎯Matthew 5:14-16 God’s Word Translation

We are the light of the world. We are God’s representatives in the earth. Our behavior and deeds give people an example of the kingdom that we represent. Jesus told the people that when they saw Him, they saw the Father. He was a representation of what the Father was like. We are to do the same. People should watch our behavior and see that there is a difference between us and the world. Jesus even instructed us to do things differently. He told us to love our enemies. He told us to pray for those who despitefully use us. He told us that if someone hits us, we are to turn the other cheek. Doing those things will show people that you are peculiar. They will see that you are not of this world. They will see that you are a citizen of Heaven, a citizen of the kingdom of God. 

#KingdomofGod #devotional #lightoftheworld #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 22nd

📖 And if you hearken to these precepts and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love which He swore to your fathers.

And He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land, your grain, your new wine, and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock in the land which He swore to your fathers to give you.

You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt which you knew will He put upon you, but will lay them upon all who hate you. ⎯Deuteronomy 7:12-15 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Notice the blessings that accompany obedience. God promised His people that if they would obey His commandments and His precepts, He would love, bless, and multiply them. God promised to bless them above all the people of the earth. He also said that He would take sickness and disease from the midst of them, including barrenness. God has not changed. This was a promise under the old covenant; so, how much more should we expect under a better covenant with better promises? It always pays to serve God. It does not cost to serve Him, it pays. It is always to our benefit to obey the Word of God. We do it out of love and respect, and we do it because it is the right thing to do. We obey God knowing that blessings always follow obedience. If we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).

#obedienceisbetterthansacrifice #devotional #verseoftheday #wordofGod #vcccharlotte #covenant

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 21st

📖 When the brothers started emptying their sacks of grain, they found their moneybags in them. They were frightened, and so was their father Jacob, who said, “You have already taken my sons Joseph and Simeon from me. And now you want to take away Benjamin! Everything is against me.” ⎯Genesis 42:35-36 Contemporary English Version

Have you ever had that type of feeling? Like the whole world was against you? If we don’t stay on top of ourselves, we can allow ourselves to get to a point where we feel like everyone is against us: our family, our boss, the government, even the dog. The Bible tells us that God is for us, and if He is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). We must remind ourselves that we are children of God, and that He will intervene in our affairs when we ask Him to in faith. God can turn every negative situation around. There is nothing too hard or difficult for Him. We must stay in the Word of God, and we must stay in the presence of God through prayer, praise and worship. As we do those things, our perspective will change. Instead of seeing ourselves as losing, we will see ourselves properly. We will see ourselves as being more than conquerors.

#conquerors #devotional #motivation #Bible #trustGod #dontgiveup

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 20th

📖 That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. ⎯2 Timothy 1:6 AMPC

In this verse, Paul was telling Timothy to stir up the gift of God that had been placed on the inside of him. There was a need for Timothy to stir the gift up so that he could begin to see those impartations in his ministry. We have gifts that God has placed on the inside of us as well so we in turn must stir up the gift. In 1 Cor 14:2 Paul talks about praying in the Holy Spirit and that is one of the ways we can stir up the gift. As we are communicating directly to God through tongues, we are fanning that inner flame. As we continue to fan the flame, we will start to see manifestations of those gifts that God has placed on the inside of us. If we don’t stir up these gifts, then they will lie dormant. The world needs our gifts. So let us please God by stirring up the gift!

#giftofGod #devotional #verseoftheday #paulandtimothy #vcccharlotte #holyspirit

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 19th

📖 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” 

And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” 

They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 
⎯Matthew 9:28-29 NKJV

Can you believe that God can do whatever you need Him to do? Do you believe that He can pay your bills? Do you believe that He can heal your body? Do you believe that He can get your loved ones out of the world and back into church? Our believing will determine what God can do in our lives. The blind men received their sight because they believed that Jesus could heal them. Their believing caused them to follow Him and to cry after Him. Your believing will always cause you to act. Thank God for faith. Thank God that our faith can make us whole. It doesn’t matter what area of our lives it may be; faith can make us whole.

 #faith #devotional #believe #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | February 17th

📖 And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [it was all] like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. 

Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and [he] traveled east. So they separated. 

Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the [Jordan] Valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom and dwelt there. 

But the men of Sodom were wicked and exceedingly great sinners against the Lord. 
⎯Genesis 13: 10-13 AMPC

We have to make sure that we always consult the Lord before making major decisions in our lives. A separation needed to take place between Lot and Abram because their substance had become great, and they could no longer co-exist. Lot looked at Sodom and Gomorrah and chose that place because it looked like the garden of the Lord. He based his decision on what He saw. As believers, we are to be led by the Spirit of God when it comes to major decisions in our lives. God knows what we don’t know. He sees what we don’t see. We must always endeavor to be in tune with Spirit of God so that we can always be in sync with Him. He always knows what’s best for us. Every good Father will do what is best for their children. We can expect no less from God. 

 #consulttheLord #devotional #SpiritofGod #vcccharlotte 

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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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