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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 19th

📖 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established, 

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? 

Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor. 
—Psalm 8:3-5 AMPC

Do you know how valuable you are to God? The psalmist, after considering the universe, asks, “What is man that you are mindful of him”? The God that created the universe. The same God that created the moon, and the stars, and the galaxy, takes the time to care for and to be mindful of us, His children. Not only is He mindful of us, but He has also crowned us with glory and honor. God has given us authority. God has given us His armor. God has promised to meet every need. He must think highly of us. He thinks so highly of us, He sent His only son to die on a cross so that we can be redeemed back into the family of God. He has made us heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. If God has a healthy image of His children, then we, His children, should have a healthy image of ourselves. Oh, how He loves you and me. 

#valuable #vcccharlotte #mindfulness #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 18th

📖 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] 

Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? 

Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. 

Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me. 
—John 14:21-24 AMPC

Would you like to experience more manifestations of the Father in your life? Jesus said that the person who has His commands and keeps them, that person will be loved by the Father and Jesus will make Himself real to that individual. God loves all His children, but Jesus says that the person who keeps His Word, He and the Father will make their home in that person. When Jesus and the Father make their home in you, your life will not remain the same. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. One way we seek the Lord is by meditating and reading His Word. As we are meditating and reading, it brings God on the scene. When God comes on the scene, everything gets better. James 1:25 tells us that “he who looks into the perfect law of liberty (the Word of God) and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does”. If one wants to experience more of God, one must be a doer of His Word. 

#devotional #manifestation #vcccharlotte #doeroftheWord

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 17th

📖 “Be strong and courageous. Be not afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there is Another with us greater than [all those] 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 relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” -II Chronicles 32:7-8 Amplified Classic

As believers we always have an advantage. The world always leans to the ‘arm of flesh’. They make decisions based on what they can see and based on their own understanding. We are not limited to what we can see. We are not limited to our own reasonings and deductions. We can tap into the Wisdom of God! We can hear the Voice of God. God can and will lead us and guide us in the way that we should go. God will fight for us AND help us. We don’t have to figure things out on our own. We don’t have to fight our own battles.  We don’t have to be afraid of a man. He who is with us is greater than he who is against us. At the end of the day, we must rely on His words if we are going to see Him fight our battles.  

#leannotonyourownunderstanding #trustGod #vcccharlotte #devotional #verseoftheday 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 16th

📖 “I have gained perfect freedom by following your teachings, and I trust them so much that I tell them to kings." -Psalms 119:45 Contemporary English Version

The Word of God was given to us to set us free from every wile and scheme of the wicked one. It was given to us so that we can know who we are and what belongs to us in Christ. The Word of God will set us free, and it will cause victory to manifest in every area of our lives. God told Joshua that if he meditated the Word of God both day and night, that he would become prosperous and have good success. The Word of God says something similar in Psalms 1. Our success comes from desiring and obeying the Word of God. In the book of Acts, it tells us that the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed. When the Word grows in our lives, it will do the same thing. It will prevail over everything the devil can throw our way. 

#success #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte #bible #verseoftheday #freedom 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 14th

📖 My desire is to have you free from all anxiety and distressing care. 
—I Corinthians 7:32 AMPC

Paul, speaking to the Corinthian church, expressed that his desire was for them to be free from all anxiety and distressing care. His desire is what God desires. God desires to handle every worry and every care. He doesn’t want you distracted with the issues of life. Jesus said in Luke 12:29, not to have a mind that is, “anxious, troubled, unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense”. God knows what's up the road. He tells us not to worry about tomorrow. God can handle every situation when we give it over to Him. The key is we must hand it over to Him. Cast your cares on the Lord and don’t allow the enemy to overwhelm you. God can handle anything, including your problems. 

#castyourcaresonHim #trustGod #noworries #dailydevotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 13th

📖 But now bring me a minstrel. And while the minstrel played, the hand and power of the Lord came upon [Elisha]. 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.” -II Kings 3:15-18 Amplified Classic

It doesn’t matter what you are facing in your life right now, it is a light thing for God. Your getting out of debt is a light thing for God. Getting your children out of the world is a light thing for God. Whatever it is in your life that is negative, it is a light thing for God to turn it around. Many times, we look at God through the wrong lenses. We think that if it is difficult for us, it will be difficult for God. Life is so much easier when we give our challenges to God. Life is easier when we give Him our burdens and our cares. God is smarter than all of us put together, and He knows how to handle the challenges and the difficulties of our lives. Let’s have the right perspective. Let’s have GOD’S perspective: regardless of what you are facing, it is a light thing for God.  

#trustGod #lifeisgood #devotional #vcccharlotte #inspiration #giveGodyourburdens 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 12th

📖 Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. —James 1:19 AMPC 

The Bible tells us to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). One way we can walk that out is by being a ready listener; and one that is slow to speak and slow to get angry. We should endeavor to hear everyone out and then take the time to think about what has been said to us. Once we have thought things through, we should be willing to speak on the matter and not take offense and get angry. Many times, disagreements take place when we speak too hastily, not taking the time to think it through. We must also work on being too quick to take offense. Sometimes the person who offended us did not mean to intentionally upset us. Sometimes we misinterpreted what was said and instead of thinking things through, we were quick to take offense. We must be people who walk in love and think the best of everyone. If we were quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to take offense and get angry, we could be people who can walk that out. 

#vcccharlotte #peace #devotional #love

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 11th

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

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

#spiritual #exercise #growth #devotional #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 10th

📖 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking like slaves on the earth. 
—Ecclesiastes 10:7 AMPC

As kings, we are to take our rightful place on the earth. Many believers are living below the standards that God has established for them. God expects us to be the head and not the tail. We are to be above only and not beneath. God sees us as His ambassadors and as kings and priests. Many are walking like slaves when they should be riding on the high places of the earth. We are no longer in the kingdom of darkness. We have been delivered into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. We are to walk like it and to talk like it. The Bible even tells us that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just (Proverbs 13:22). We are seated together with Christ in heavenly places. We have been given authority. So, let's not allow ourselves to be out of place. Let us seize what belongs to us. No matter how long it takes, we must be like Caleb and demand what has been promised to us. All things are ours! (I Corinthians 3:22). 

#kings #devotional #wisdom #iamvictory

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 9th

📖 And so it was that he [Abraham], having waited long and endured patiently, realized and obtained [in the birth of Isaac as a pledge of what was to come] what God had promised him. —Hebrews 6:15 AMPC

God made a promise to Abraham when he was seventy-five years old. The “promised child” was born when Abraham was a hundred years old. Abraham waited twenty-five years until the promised child was born. Abraham could have been moved by time, but he wasn’t. Abraham believed God. Abraham believed that God was faithful to bring everything to pass. Abraham had experienced the Blessing of the Lord, and He knew that God would not lie to Him. Abraham reached the point where He believed that God would do what He said He would do. Many times, we are unwilling to wait on God. We may not know why things have taken a long time to manifest, but we know that God is faithful. We must endure patiently, knowing that God will come through. We must rest in the integrity of God. It is a divine truth that He cannot lie (John 3:33 Amplified Classic).   

#Godcannotlie #covenantGod #vcccharlotte #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 7th

📖 “The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!" -Exodus 14:14 Living Bible

Many of us are still learning to allow God to fight for us. When we are mistreated or misunderstood, we want to defend ourselves. We want to defend our reputation. We want people to know what really happened and to know our side of the story. We don’t want to be painted in a negative light. We don’t have to defend ourselves. God will fight for us. We won’t have to lift a finger. We won’t have to say a word. The angels will fight for us. Heaven will fight for us. Our job is to love our enemies. Our job is to keep our hearts clean: clean of animosity, clean of bitterness. We must act like ‘love children’ of a ‘love God’. We are to imitate God as dear children. We are to allow His love to flow from us to the world. We are to be His ambassadors. We are to be His representatives.

#letgodwork #motivation #verseoftheday #wednesdaywisdom #forgiveness

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 6th

📖 And I said, Who are You, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. 

But arise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, that I might appoint you to serve as [My] minister and to bear witness both to what you have seen of Me and to that in which I will appear to you, 

Choosing you out [selecting you for Myself] and delivering you from among this [Jewish] people and the Gentiles to whom I am sending you— 

To open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from their sins and a place and portion among those who are consecrated and purified by faith in Me. 
—Acts 26:15-18 AMPC

As we walk with God, we don’t have to guess what His plan is for our lives. We don’t have to wonder what His plan is. God will reveal everything that He has preordained for us to walk in. When Paul had his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus shared with Him His plan and His assignment for Paul’s life. Paul knew whom he was sent to. He knew what he was called to do, and he found out in his initial encounter with Jesus. God is no respecter of persons. We don’t have to be in the dark. We don’t have to be clueless concerning the will of God. If we seek, we shall find. If we ask, it will be given to us. We can be “in the know” concerning the will of God. 

#WillofGod #trustGod #God’splan #walkwithHim #revelation

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 5th

📖 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 | December 4th

📖 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves], 

That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, 
—Philippians 2:14-15 AMPC

As believers, one of our desires should be to represent the Kingdom more accurately. We should want to look more like an ambassador of heaven. One way that we can accomplish this is by refraining from complaining. As believers, we should have praise and thanksgiving on our lips at all times. We are positive and optimistic because we are people of faith. We walk by the Word and not by our feelings. Circumstances do not control us, the Word does. We don’t complain because the Word gives us control of our circumstances. Our faith in God gives us control. We should always have a smile on our faces because we know that we always triumph, regardless of the obstacle or the hindrance. The world will think that we are strange and peculiar, but that is fine. They will think that we are weird but let them think what they want. We are of a different kingdom. We are children of God. We are the light of the world, and we are the salt of the earth. Let us look like it and act like it. No complaining! 

#ambassadors #vcccharlotte #faith #devotional #childrenofGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | December 3rd

📖 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 | December 2nd

📖 [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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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 30th

📖 We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one. —I John 5:19 AMPC

People of God are different. We are not to act like the world. We are not to talk like the world. We are not to imitate this world because the world is under the influence of the wicked one. The world is being run by God’s enemy. God tells us that if we are a friend of the world, then we are His enemy as well (James 4:4). God does expect there to be a separation between us and the world. He tells us to come out from among them (the world) and to be separate (II Corinthians 6:17). Once we do, God said that He would be a Father to us, and we would be legitimate children of God (II Corinthians 6:18). We have been delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). We ARE different: God expects us to look like and act like it.  

#childrenofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte #notofthisworld

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 29th

📖 But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured. 

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick. 
—Matthew 8:8,16 AMPC 

The centurion recognized the authority of Jesus’ words, which drove out demons. Jesus would minister by the laying on of hands, but He would also minister healing through His words. There was power in Jesus’ words, and there is power in our words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Jesus spoke to a tree and the fig tree died. He calmed the storm with His words. He spoke to fevers, and they left. There was power in what He said then and there is power in what He says to us now. We were created in His image and in His likeness. If His words have power, then so do ours.  

#wordshavepower #devotional #vcccharlotte #Jesus

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 28th

📖 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

This scripture serves as a wonderful reminder to let the spirit of gratitude from today carry over into our everyday lives moving forward! Allow joyfulness, frequent prayer, and thanksgiving to become a part of your “new normal”, as it is God’s will for us to live quiet and peaceful lives (1 Timothy 2:2). As you feast and celebrate today, may your actions be a catalyst for a new way of life - free from complaining, strife, selfishness, arrogance, ungratefulness, and every other evil work.

Remember that you can choose to give thanks at ANY time! You can put on joy at ANY time! And you can cast your cares on the Lord as often as you need to! Let today be the start of something new for you and your walk with the Lord. Happy ThanksGIVING!

#HappyThanksgiving #vcccharlotte #devotional #givethanks #praiseGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 27th

📖 For God is not unrighteous to forget or overlook your labor and the love which you have shown for His name’s sake in ministering to the needs of the saints (His own consecrated people), as you still do. —Hebrews 6:10 AMPC

Have you ever felt unappreciated? Have you ever felt like you are giving everything and yet you feel overlooked? Well, here is some great news: God has not overlooked your labor. God sees everything that you do. God sees the love that you are walking in and expressing daily. God knows how to reward His people. God knows how to show His appreciation in tangible ways. As believers, we are to work as unto the Lord and no unto men (Colossians 3:23). Whatever we put our hands to we do it with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  When you live by these two principles (working as unto the Lord and with all your might) you won’t be concerned about being overlooked. You know that promotion comes from the Lord. You know that God honors faithfulness. The Bible tells us that a faithful man will abound with blessings (Proverbs 28:20). Stay faithful. Serving God doesn’t cost, it always pays. It always pays to serve God, and to serve Him faithfully! 

#promotion #devotional #rewards #vcccharlotte #faith

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