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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 9th

📖 The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn’t ask God about it. 

So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it. 

And then, three days after making this covenant, they learned that they were next-door neighbors who had been living there all along! The People of Israel broke camp and set out; three days later they reached their towns—Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. But the People of Israel didn’t attack them; the leaders of the congregation had given their word before the God of Israel. But the congregation was up in arms over their leaders. 
—Joshua 9:14-18 The Message

Have you ever made a major life-changing decision without consulting God, then regretted moving forward without His wisdom? That is what Joshua did. Joshua made a decision based on what was presented to him. He made a covenant with men that he was supposed to conquer. The men presented themselves as a people who came from a faraway place, when they were from up the street. They deceived Joshua and then because of their agreement, they could not be conquered. They were now considered Joshua’s subjects. This was not the will of God, but because Joshua had made the decision to make the covenant, there was no going back. We must all learn from Joshua. When it comes to the major decisions of our lives, we must seek the Lord. When someone comes to us with a business proposition, we must seek the Lord. Everything that sounds good, isn’t always good. When you seek the Lord, He will always endeavor to lead and guide you in the way you should go. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

#spiritled #devotional #consultGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 7th

📖 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 

This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 

And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 
—I Samuel 17: 45-47 KJV

When David faced Goliath, He did not brag about his skills with a slingshot. He did not talk about his experience with the shepherd’s staff. He did not refer to any earthly weapons. David leaned on God’s ability and not his own. David was coming in the Name of the Lord of hosts, not his own. He was not fighting to make a name for himself, he was fighting so that the earth would know that there is a God in Israel. David knew that the battle was not his but the Lord’s. We could learn a thing or two from David. When the devil attacks, we cannot rely on our intellect or our resources. We must fight with the resources of Heaven. We must fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons. We fight with the Word of God, the Name of Jesus, and with the whole armor of God. We fight from a place of victory. We fight knowing that the battle is the Lord’s. When we fight the way David fought, we can expect to win the way that he won. The battle is not ours; the battle is the Lord’s. 

#spiritualwarfare #devotional #vcccharlotte #davidandgoliath

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 6th

📖 Adonai, God, said, “It isn’t good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him.” —Genesis 2:18 CJB

It isn’t good for us to be alone. We were created to have fellowship with others. We were created to have relationships and friendships and to interact with each other. The Bible tells us that “iron sharpens iron; so, a man sharpens the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17).” God uses our relationships to make other people better. It is our interactions that allow us to become better individuals. Our interactions with others can open doors. It can cause us to become wiser and better in our respective fields. Having relationships can cause us to have experiences that we would otherwise not have if we were by ourselves. Of course, we understand we can’t be friends with everyone, but we can engage in friendships that will contribute to our overall well-being. As God said, it is not good that a person should be alone. 

#ironsharpensiron #devotional #vcccharlotte #relationships

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 5th

📖 And when He heard of Jesus..... —Luke 7:3 KJV 

Have you heard of Jesus? Are you aware of Who He is? The Word of God is his resume. It lets you know His qualifications and His characteristics. The Word of God tells us all about Him. He is our Healer. He is our Redeemer. He is the Messiah. He is the king of kings and the lord of lords. When people heard who Jesus was, it caused them to act. When the woman with the issue of blood heard of Jesus, she sought Him out. She knew that He could do what the doctors could not do. She knew He could make her well. We must hear about Jesus accurately. We must know that He has not changed. He is still a Healer. He is still performing miracles. He is still delivering and setting people free. Jesus will do for you what He did for people in the Gospels. He wants to turn your life around. Have you heard of Jesus? 

#ourhealer #reedemed #vcccharlotte #devotional #deliverer

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 4th

📖 One of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they put out to sea. 

But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. And a whirlwind revolving from below upwards swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in great danger. 

And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! And He, being thoroughly awakened, censured and blamed and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased, and there came a calm. 

And He said to them, [Why are you so fearful?] Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me—in My veracity and My integrity)? And they were seized with alarm and profound and reverent dread, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even wind and sea, and they obey Him? 
—Luke 8: 22-25 AMPC

Jesus had said for them to go to the other side. Once he had spoken, He went to sleep. He fully intended for them to get to the other side. He was so sure they would get there that he went to sleep. He rested in what He said. When the storm hit, the disciples spoke words that were contrary to what Jesus said. All they had to do was agree with Jesus. All they had to do was agree with the Word that was spoken. Their words located them. Their words proved that they had more confidence in the circumstances than they did in what Jesus said. Jesus was obviously displeased with the disciples. He asked them why they didn’t trust him. We can’t look down on the disciples. We have done the same thing. We have believed more in our circumstances than what God has said. God’s Word will change our circumstances when we agree with Him. God expects us to say what He says. He expects us to trust in His Word. Circumstances will never change the Word of God. God’s Word will always come to pass. We can trust in His integrity and His veracity. 

#words #believeinGod #trustinGod #vcccharlotte #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 3rd

📖 Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm and confident and undismayed] and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for those Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again.
—Exodus 14:13 AMP

Fear is a tool that the devil uses to get the people of God to forget his power and promises. God is simply too big for us to be acting fearful of anything the world may throw at us. As the Egyptians were approaching the children of Israel, Moses reminded the people that they needed to be confident in God’s protection. God has all power and authority, so we have no need to be fearful of anything the Devil sends. We must keep our eyes on God and remind ourselves of his infinite ability to take care of his children. Reading and studying the Word daily will help us in this area because when circumstances come our way the Word should pour out of us. Let us keep our eyes off the situation and keep our eyes on our all-powerful Father. 

#allpowerful #protection #vcccharlotte #devotional #Hispromises

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 2nd

📖 Now in the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the foul spirit of a demon; and he cried out with a loud (deep, terrible) cry, 

Ah, let us alone! What have You to do with us [What have we in common], Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are—the Holy One of God! 

But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent (muzzled, gagged), and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown the man down in their midst, he came out of him without injuring him in any possible way.

And they were all amazed and said to one another, What kind of talk is this? For with authority and power He commands the foul spirits and they come out! 
—Luke 4:33-36 AMPC

Jesus is our example. He never feared the devil. He never feared any demon. Jesus knew who He was and what belonged to Him. He walked in authority and spoke with authority. He knew that the devil was subject to Him. We have been delegated the same authority, and God expects us to walk in it. He does not expect us to run from the devil; the devil is supposed to run from us. He expects us to experience the same results that Jesus did when He was on the earth. We are in the same family as Jesus. We have the same Father. We have the same authority. We should expect the same victory, every time.  

#iamvictory #JesusChrist #devotional #familyofGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 31st

📖 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. —Proverbs 28:20 KJV

There is a Scripture that asks, “a faithful man, who can find?” It’s hard to find faithful people, especially in today’s world. God says the faithful shall abound with blessings. The faithful ones are the committed ones, the ones you can always count on. The faithful are consistent. They are consistent in their attendance, their giving, and their effort. How can those types of people not be blessed? One should expect to flourish when they have a history of faithfulness to any organization. If man will take care of faithful, committed people, how much more would our Heavenly Father? 

#dedication #faithfulness #GoodGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 30th

📖 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. 
—Isaiah 46:9-11 KJV

There are times in our lives when we question whether or not God can get us out of the situation we are in. We might sometimes question His ability because of how complex the situation appears, and we know that it is too much for us to handle. That is the time to remember our past experiences with God. It's the time to rehearse the victories that we have experienced in the past. There is a time to remember the former things, and there is a time to forget them. It is always a good time to remember how God has brought us through. As we are standing on His Word, we must not forget that if He spoke it, He will bring it to pass. If He has purposed it, we know that He will do it. Nothing is too difficult for our God.  

#GreatGod #vcccharlotte #devotional #trustHim

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 29th

📖 And in the morning, long before daylight, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed. —Mark 1:35 AMPC

Are you spending time with the Lord? Is it high on your priority list? Jesus, while on the earth, was a busy man. He was traveling, teaching the Word, casting out devils, healing the sick, and meeting the needs of the people. Despite all the demands of the ministry, He made it a priority to fellowship with the Father. Prayer played a major role in the ministry of Jesus. He would pray late at night after a long day of ministry, and sometimes, He would even pray all night. Jesus knew the importance of prayer, and we must make sure that we understand it as well. We receive guidance and direction in prayer. We learn to hear the Voice of God in prayer. We must never lose sight of the significance of prayer. God wants to fellowship with us. When we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. Prayer is one way we can draw closer to Him. Let us never forget that. 

#ministry #devotional #vcccharlotte #pray #VoiceofGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 28th

📖 This is what the Lord says: Prisoners will be freed from mighty men. Loot will be taken away from tyrants. I will fight your enemies, and I will save your children.
—Isaiah 49:25 God’s Word

God will deal with those who come against us. He will fight for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is our Helper and the strength of our lives. He wants to be a part of every area of our lives, even our children. Sometimes children that were raised in Christian homes can get off track. Sometimes they may backslide. The good news is that the Spirit of God can get a hold of them. The Spirit of God will save our children when we cast our cares about them over to the Lord. When the children are in the home, we have more control of what they can do for the most part. Once they are living on their own, we must trust God and commit them to Him. Things seem to work out better when they are in His hands than when they are in ours. God knows what to do even when we don’t. 

#trustGod #motivation #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 27th

📖 I answered them, The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem. 
—Nehemiah 2:20 AMPC

When you know that God has told you to do something, and you are obedient to whatever it is He has asked you to do, you can expect the God of Heaven to prosper you. When we are obedient to the Word of God and living a life that is pleasing unto Him, God promises to bless the works of our hands (Deut. 28:8). The Lord takes pleasure in our prosperity (Psalm 35:27), and it makes Him look good when we are excelling. It makes Him look good when we are the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. III John 2 even tells us that God wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers. As we walk with God, we can expect our lives to get better and better. He will take us from glory to glory. 

#glorytoglory #inspiration #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 26th

📖 The sky and the earth (the universe, the world) will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 

But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; 

For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth. 

Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. 
—Luke 21: 33-36 AMPC

Jesus is giving us a warning that should cause every believer to be sober about the times we are living in. All of us have the potential to allow our hearts to be overburdened with the cares of this life. If we aren’t careful, we can lose sight of the things that are important and find ourselves in a backslidden condition. We must stay prayed up, alert and attentive. We cannot allow the things of this world to weigh us down to the point that we miss Heaven. Prayer is fellowshipping with our Heavenly Father. As we are consistent in our fellowship with Him, it helps us to stay focused and keep the proper perspective on things. It allows us to continue to set our eyes on things that are above. We must continue to seek first the kingdom of God and be about our Father’s business. As we do those things, it will help to keep things in perspective. Let’s keep our eyes on God. 

#theireyeswerewatchingGod #trustGod #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 24th

📖 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. —Psalm 6:9 KJV

God answers prayer. Isn’t that comforting to know? When we find ourselves in a tough situation, we can pray and get His Wisdom. When we have a need, we can pray and know that He will meet that need. If we just need someone to talk to, we can go to God knowing that He hears us when we talk with Him. He is a very present help in the time of trouble. He is our shield and buckler. Whatever need we have in this life, we are only a prayer away from receiving from Him. We simply must go to Him in faith, knowing that we have the petitions that we requested of Him. God is always there for us, we simply must go to Him in prayer, knowing He wants to move on our behalf. 

#prayerworks #Godcares #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 23rd

📖 Don’t let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Depend only on God’s grace for spiritual strength, not on rules about foods. Obeying those rules doesn’t help anyone. —Hebrews 13:9 ERV

We are to hold fast to sound teachings. We are living in the last days, and Paul warned Timothy that people would give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (I Timothy 4:1). The Word of God should be the stabilizing factor in our lives. It is the anchor for our souls. The Word of God is to be the foundation of our lives. It will keep us when we encounter the storms of life. It will cause us to overcome in every area of our lives. We must stick to the basics of the Word of God and not allow ourselves to be carried away with every doctrine that is popular yet contradicts the Word of God. Paul told Timothy to hold fast to the sound doctrine that he had received since a child. God’s Word never changes. We must stick to what we know. We must hold fast to sound doctrine. 

#sounddoctrine #WordofGod #devotional #PaulandTimothy

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 22nd

📖 I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. 

I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. 

They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world. 

Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. 

Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 
—John 17:14-18 AMPC

We are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. God never intended for us to blend in with the world. He doesn’t expect the world to love us. In fact, Jesus is telling us to expect the world not to like us because we do not belong to the world, just as He did not belong to the world. We are ambassadors of Heaven. God has sent us into the world, and we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We are to tell the world how much God loves them. We are to tell people about Jesus, and our lifestyle should demonstrate a difference. How we talk should show that there is a difference. We have been separated through the Word. We cannot let God down; we are all He has in the earth. 

#lightoftheworld #saltoftheearth #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 21st

📖 Then the [Holy] Spirit said to Philip, Go forward and join yourself to this chariot. Accordingly Philip, running up to him, heard [the man] reading the prophet Isaiah and asked, Do you really understand what you are reading? —Acts 8:29-30 AMPC

We must never forget that we are co-laborers with God. We are God’s hands and feet in the earth. When God instructs us to do something, it is imperative that we listen and obey. Someone’s salvation could depend on our obedience. The Spirit of God spoke to Philip, and he ran. He did not try to process the instruction. He did not try to reason with God. When the Spirit of God told Philip to join himself to the chariot. He did exactly what God asked him to do. His obedience caused a man to get born again and to be baptized in water. This had to be a life changing experience for the Ethiopian. You can only imagine what this did for Philip and his relationship with God. Philip not only led the man to Christ, but he was translated to another city, supernaturally. His life had become an adventure in God. Our lives will become an adventure as well, when we are obedient to His instructions. All of us should have an adventure in God.

#vcccharlotte #devotional #listening #obedience

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 20th

📖 Where are the ones who honor the Lord? God will teach them which path to take. They will live a good life, and their descendants will possess the land. The Lord counsels those who honor him; he makes his covenant known to them. —Psalm 25:12-14 CEB

It pays to honor the Lord. The psalmist tells us that when we honor God, He will show us which path to take. God will lead us and guide us. When we honor God, we can count on living a good life. Our lives are to get better and better and go from glory to glory. God will not only counsel us, but He will give us insight into His covenant. He will give us revelations that others don’t have. God doesn’t share His secrets with everyone, but He will for those who honor Him with their lives. When we honor God, He honors us.  

#honorGod #devotional #vcccharlotte #goodGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 19th

📖 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. —Romans 1:16 KJV

When we believe and act upon the Word of God, that promise of God is transformed into the power of God. The Word of God itself contains the power of God necessary to produce what it promises. Proverbs 4 tells us that God’s Word is life to those that find them and health to all their flesh. Psalms 107:20 tells us that, “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions”. The Word healed and delivered. Never forget that God and His Word are one. His Word can do whatever He can do. We must prioritize the Word of God and give it first place in our lives. As we do, we will see more manifestations of its power. Remember, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). 

#Gospel #powerofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 17th

📖 [But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God. 

By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ). 
—I John 3:8-10 AMPC

Has anyone ever said, “You look just like your mother.”? Or maybe: “Your father used to act the same way” or “He used to do something like that in his younger days”? We all tend to have character traits that are like our parents, from a natural perspective. We can have the same tendencies as our Father from a spiritual perspective. If we are born again, we have God's nature. We can have a love nature. We can be extraordinarily patient, or kind, or peaceful. Those are just some of the fruits of the spirit that are in us because of the new birth. If one isn’t born again, he/she has the devil's nature. It's easy to lie, steal, or cheat. As believers, we must allow our Father God's nature to cause us to be the world's light or the earth's salt. The world should be able to tell that we are different because of our Father. We can all miss the mark, but we should strive to be more like Jesus, the ultimate example. He said that if you have seen me, you have seen the Father. That should be our goal. 

#likefatherliveson #GodsChildren #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte

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