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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 26th

📖 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly, 

And said, I cried out of my distress to the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of Sheol cried I, and You heard my voice.

And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. 
—Jonah 2:1-2, 10 AMPC 

Jonah was in a bad place. He'd disobeyed God, and his disobedience caused him to be swallowed by a big fish. Even though he was underwater in the belly of a fish, God still heard him when he prayed to Him. God not only heard him, but He was merciful to Jonah. He spoke to the fish, and the fish spit Jonah out onto the shore. God delivered Jonah even though it was his own fault that he was in that situation. God is always looking to deliver us. His eyes run throughout the earth looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards him (II Chronicles 16:9). If God can hear a man in the middle of the sea in the belly of a fish, surely, He hears us. If we know that He hears us, then we know that we have what we have prayed for, when we pray according to His will (I John 5:14-15).  

#prayer #Jonah #dailydevotional #bigfish #obedience #goodGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 25th

📖 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime, and he will answer with lightning and showers. Every field will become a lush pasture. How foolish to ask the idols for anything like that!

Fortune-tellers’ predictions are all a bunch of silly lies; what comfort is there in promises that don’t come true? Judah and Israel have been led astray and wander like lost sheep; everyone attacks them, for they have no shepherd to protect them. 
—Zechariah 10:1-2 The Living Bible

What are your expectations like? Are you expecting big things from God? Whatever it is that you have need of, God can supply it. Are you in need of healing? He can supply. Are you in need of finances? He can supply it. God can do whatever you need Him to do. The issue is not His ability, the issue is your believing. Do you have the capacity to believe in Him for a miracle? Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe that I can make you see?” (Matthew 9:28 LB) Believing always proceeds receiving. You must believe before you can see. Believing is the prerequisite for receiving. There is nothing wrong with God’s ability. If you can believe, you will see the glory of God! (John 11:40) 

#believe #expectations #vcccharlotte #Godsupplies #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 24th

📖 Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. 

And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. 

And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods. 

And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. 

But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? 

So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares]. 
—Luke 12:16-21 AMPC

There is a lot that we can learn from this rich man. One thing we see is that his dependency was on the wrong thing. He took comfort in the quantity of his possessions. His trust was in what He had. He was rich in goods, but not rich in God. God wants us to pursue Him and to keep our eyes on Him. Later in the chapter, Jesus told the people to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (or His way of doing things) and the things that the Gentiles seek would be added to them. The rich man’s focus was on his possessions. God wants our focus to be on Him, and the goods will follow. There is nothing wrong with having plenty of goods; we must only make sure that what we have does not control us. 

#richinGod #vcccharlotte #devotional #eyesonGod #focus

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 23rd

📖 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
—2 Timothy 4:7 NIV

Our goal in life should be to finish the race that God has set before us. Some Christians start off running well, and for various reasons, get off course. God wants us to finish the race he has already set up. There are lives God wants to touch through us no matter what stage of the race we may be in. We must keep our pace and not allow ourselves to get off course. Push through adversity as the Apostle Paul did in his life. Let’s endeavor to run the race that God has set before us, not what He set before someone else. In Acts 26:19 Paul said to King Agrippa “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” We all have our parts to play so, like Apostle Paul, let’s be obedient and content with the vision God has blessed us with.

#vision #devotional #runtherace #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 22nd

📖 The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble (high cost, destitution, and desperation). 

And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and the right of their necessity]. 
—Psalm 9:9-10 AMPC

When things get tough in our lives, we should go to God. When it feels that we are dealing with all types of obstacles and attacks, from every side and in every area, we are to run to God. God will give us wisdom. He will give us insight that we might not have thought about. He will give us the plan to get us out of the situation. What we can count on is that God will not forsake us when we put our trust in Him and stand on His Word. God is obligated to His Word, and He is watching over His Word to perform it. It is impossible for God to lie, so we know that if He promised to deliver us, we can count on Him to come through. Not just every now and then, but every time.  

#reliable #trustGod #dailydevotional #OurHelper #Bible

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 20th

📖 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 

With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. 
—2 Chronicles 32:7-8 KJV

Hezekiah was admonishing the people of Israel. Sennacherib was threatening to attack the nation of Israel, and he had been experiencing victory after victory. Hezekiah was not afraid. He knew that God would fight for them. He told the people not to be afraid because of who was for them. He knew that God would fight for them. The people rested on those promises.  

When we hear from God or when we are standing on a promise that is found in the Word of God, we must rest on what God has said. Faith without rest is unbelief. Fatih and fear cannot stay in the same house. When you're in fear, you can sometimes find yourself immersed in worry. When you're in faith, you rest. You know that God is going to take care of it, so there is no use in worrying about it. Rest and praise are indicators that you are in faith and that you are taking God at His Word. They are statements to the devil and to your circumstances that a change is on the horizon. 

#rest #noworries #vcccharlotte #GodAlmighty

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 19th

📖 Thus says the Lord God: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities I will [also] cause [Israel’s] cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 

And the desolate land shall be tilled, that which had lain desolate in the sight of all who passed by. 

And they shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. 

Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. 
—Ezekiel 36:33-36 AMPC 

God is a God of restoration. He knows how to turn our lives around, regardless of how bad of shape that it may currently be in. God turned the captivity of Job and gave him twice as much. In the text, God was saying that He would rebuild Israel’s cities. He would also make the desolate land look like the Garden of Eden. Your life may be in shambles, but God can turn it around. God can turn your wilderness into the Garden of Eden. God can restore your health, your finances, your family, whatever might need to be restored, God can do it! Let’s not limit God in our believing. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think. 

#trustGod #restoration #devotional #encouragement #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 18th

📖 And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” —Revelation 22:12-13 NKJV 

This is a simple reminder: Jesus is coming soon. Sometimes we can forget that.  There is so much going on in our world. Food prices are up. Gas prices are up. There is so much chaos in our world that we can sometimes get caught up in all of it. If you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, Heaven is your eternal home. We are looking forward to a better place: a place with no sickness, no disease, crime or chaos. We have hope! If this world was all we had to look forward to, we would be in trouble. Jesus is coming, and we cannot lose sight of this. We must keep our eyes on heavenly things. Our time on this earth is minute compared to eternity. We must always keep the right perspective. Our Savior is coming to get us! 

#Jesus #Savior #eternity #devotional #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 17th

📖 Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the governor of the island. He welcomed us courteously and fed us for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, healed him! Then all the other sick people in the island came and were cured. As a result, we were showered with gifts, and when the time came to sail, people put on board all sorts of things we would need for the trip. —Acts 28:7-10 The Living Bible 

What an example of a true ambassador of Heaven. Even though Paul was a shipwrecked prisoner, he was still ministry-minded enough that he prayed and laid his hands on Publius’ father and all who were sick on the island. Paul could have been so caught up in what he was dealing with, that he could have shown little to no concern about the needs of others. It's easy to fall into that trap. It's easy to be so consumed with what is going on in our lives that we ignore the plight of others. We must always be mindful of our citizenship. We must always remember that we are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His hands and feet. We are all that He has. 

#paul #shipwrecked #verseoftheday #motivation #vcccharlotte #ambassadors

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 16th

📖 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. —Matthew 6:31-33 ESV 

Worry is such a major issue in many people’s lives today. They are worried about their finances, their jobs, providing for their family, etc. We have a God who has promised to take good care of us. There are no benefits to being anxious and worrying about tomorrow. We as Christians must put our trust in God by seeking His kingdom first. As we are pursuing the things of God, He will take care of our every need. We don’t have to fret like the world does. We have the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Let us seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness and watch God show himself to us as Jehovah Jireh (the Lord our Provider). 

#Godcares #donotworry #devotional #vcccharlotte #trustGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 15th

📖 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15 AMPC 

Joshua is letting the people know that it doesn’t really matter who they choose to serve. He had already made up his mind that he and his household would serve the Lord. As believers, we must make that same commitment. God desires for our families to serve Him. The angel told Cornelius to ask for a man named Peter, who would explain how he and his household could be saved (Acts 11:13-15). We must have the same attitude. Not only will we serve God, but our children and their children should too. God is a generational God. He desires to walk with each generation. He was called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God put marriage in place so that He would have godly seed. God is always concerned about having a generation that will serve Him; we should be the same. Whatever concerns God should concern us. 

#Jehovah #Bible #devotional #family #vcccharlotte #familyfirst #Godfirst

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 13th

📖 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. —Genesis 1:31 AMPC 

After God finished his six days of creation, He looked at everything that He had made, and He approved it completely. One version says that He looked at “everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (KJV)”. There was no sickness or disease in the earth when God originally created it. There was no sin, and there was no curse. Everything He made was good and He approved of it.  
 
God has not changed. The Bible even tells us that God “takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant (Psalm 35:27).” God delights in our prosperity. He wishes above all things that we prosper and be in good health, even as our soul prospers (III John 2). Jesus even said that He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If there are things in your life that aren’t “good,” God has given you the ability to change it. He has given you authority, His Word, and faith to overcome. Don’t continue to settle for anything but God’s best for your life. God’s will is for you to flourish and to thrive. It always has been, and it always will be. 

#prosperity #creation #dailydevotional #Bible #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 12th

📖 The merciful, kind, and generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel and callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution. 
—Proverbs 11:17 AMPC 

The Bible tells us that “as you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). It is to our benefit to be merciful, kind, and generous to as many people as we can. We must not be cruel and callous to the wants of others, unless we want people to be callous and cruel to our needs. We must understand the importance of the law of sowing and reaping. We reap what we sow. If we sow love, we reap love. If we sow kind words, we reap kind words. If we sow finances, we reap finances. It is to our benefit to live a life of generosity. When we do, our deeds return to bless us, giving us an opportunity to be a greater blessing to humanity. 

#generosity #reap #devotional #sow #vcccharlotte #blessing

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 11th

📖 For a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool’s voice with many words. —Ecclesiastes 5:3 AMPC 

Dreams don’t just happen. Dreams take hard work. Dreams take dedication. Dreams take persistence. Your dreams will not manifest because you want them to. A dream comes with much business and painful effort. It takes going to bed late and getting up early. It takes working long hours. Dreams require sacrifice. Dreams take time and many times they take longer than expected. With God all things are possible. It may seem like nothing is working but keep going. It may seem like nothing is happening but keep pushing. Stay consistent. Stay diligent. Don’t be moved by what you see in this natural realm. If you keep working, eventually something good is going to happen. It is all worth it in the end. Work towards the dream until it becomes reality. Continue to exert painful effort. Continue to move forward. You will get there eventually if you don't quit. Always remember, the path to the prize is greater than the prize itself. 

#dreams #workhard #vcccharlotte #devotional #success

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 10th

📖 As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, the one who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist. —Romans 4:17 CSB 

God can do many things. He gives life to the dead, and He speaks into existence the things that do not exist. We are made in His likeness and in His image, and God expects us to operate the way He operates. We are to be imitators of God as dear children. We are to call into existence the things we desire to have in our lives. We are to speak prosperity, healing, peace, etc. into existence. Those things belong to us because Jesus paid the price for us to have them. Our words cause spiritual blessings to materialize and become a reality in our lives. Our words go into the future before we do. If there is something in your life that needs to change, your words will change them. Your words can create, or your words can destroy. The choice is yours. 

#wordshavepower #verseoftheday #motivation #Godisgood

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 9th

📖 Now when the time was approaching for Him to be taken up [to heaven], He was determined to go to Jerusalem [to fulfill His purpose]. —Luke 9:51 AMP

Just like Jesus, there comes times in our lives where we must be determined to fulfill whatever God has set before us. Jesus would not let anything distract him from fulfilling his purpose down here on earth. There are so many distractions in our day that would take our focus away from our mission. We must be like Jesus in our attitude and mindset when it comes to the high calling God has for us. We must fight to stay locked into that which God has placed before us. Let us continue to pursue the divine destiny God has for us. 

#Divinedestiny #devotional #Inpursuit #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 8th

📖 Jesus knew what the Pharisees were planning. So he left that place, and many people followed him. He healed all who were sick, —Matthew 12:15 ERV

Jesus was aware that the Pharisees were meeting to figure out how to destroy Him. He didn’t complain. He didn’t cry. He didn’t ask “Why me God”? He simply left that place and continued to do what He was sent to do. He didn’t allow the plot and schemes of the enemy to deter Him from His mission. He continued on his journey to heal all who were sick. Jesus was a man of focus. He was a man of discipline. It didn’t matter what went on in His life, He never deviated from His purpose. We must do the same. We must not deviate from our purpose. No matter what happens in our lives, we must stay focused! 

#Ourmission #devotional #Donotdeviate #vcccharlotte #Ourpurpose

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 6th

📖 By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man—not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil. —Proverbs 16:6 AMPC 

God wants any iniquity and sin to be removed from our lives. That’s the reason He sent Jesus into the world. However, in order to keep iniquity out of our heart, we must walk in mercy, love, truth and fidelity towards God. To put that in simpler terms: we must grow in our relationship with God and in our knowledge of the things of God. Growing in the knowledge of God comes about through spending time in the Word. Keeping His Word in our hearts causes a reverent fear of the Lord, which keeps us from living a lifestyle of sin. God is merciful, and God is love. We must not abuse the mercy God extends to us, and we must not take His love for granted. We must always grow closer and closer to Him. 

#graceofGod #devotional #Jesus #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 5th

📖 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. —Psalm 68:19 KJV

Have you received your benefits today? Every day, God wants to unleash His goodness on us. He desires us to be beneficiaries of His kindness. Every good gift and every perfect gift come from Him. As believers, every day is a good day. As children of God, we expect something good to happen to us. We should expect His favor. We should expect Him to supply our daily bread. The world expects gifts on certain days. They expect gifts on birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. We should expect something good to happen to us every day because He loads us daily with benefits. God is good. 

#benefitspackage #Godisgood #devotional #dailybread

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 4th

📖 Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God. 
—Romans 8:6-8 AMP

What’s your thinking like? Is it in line with the Word of God? Are you spiritually-minded or is your thinking in line with the world? Notice that thinking in line with the Spirit of God comes from walking with God (verse 6). Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” As we strengthen our walk with God through a lifestyle of prayer and reading the Word of God, we can’t help but change in our thinking. We won’t want to think like the world because we are aware that it is displeasing to our Heavenly Father. We don’t want to have a mind that is hostile towards God, so we should submit our minds and lives to Him. We choose to walk by faith and not by sight because we know that the faith life is a life that is pleasing to God. The goal should be to live a life that is controlled by the Holy Spirit, not the flesh. Romans 12 admonishes us to present our bodies to God and allow our lives to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. God wants us to experience a changed life, and that change begins with our minds. It’s simple. When we are spiritually minded, we experience life and peace. When we are carnally minded we won’t.

#devotional #mindset #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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