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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 24th

📖 I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.] —John 14:3 AMPC    

When we make Jesus Christ the lord of our lives, Satan no longer has any claim on us. He is the god (ruler) of this world, but he is no longer the ruler over our lives. There is nothing in us that belongs to him, and he has no power over us. When Satan continues to wreak havoc in our lives, many times it is because we are ignorant of God’s Word. We don’t realize that we are now his masters. He is subject to us because we have been given dominion over him. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We have just as much dominion over the devil as Jesus. Let’s walk in a greater revelation of who we are and what belongs to us. We have been given the power to trample on serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt us. (Luke 10:19). 

#poweroverthedevil #vcccharlotte #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 23rd

📖 But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]. 

For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; 

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like. 

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience). 
—James 1:22-25 AMPC   

The Word of God is the key to our success. Success comes as we are doers of the Word and not hearers only. Many believers hear the Word of God. They hear it preached as they attend church services on Sundays and even during the week. There are benefits to hearing the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But hearing is not enough. We must be doers of the Word. We must put into practice what we hear week after week. In verse twenty-five, the Bible tells us that the active doer shall be blessed in his doing. That verse also tells us to be faithful and to persevere into looking at the Word of God. We must focus on the Word instead of our circumstances. The Word of God will change every negative circumstance in our lives. Circumstances may change, but the Word of God will always be the same. It is like Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.  

#success #vcccharlotte #hearersanddoers #devotional #WordofGod  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 22nd

📖 Be careful what you think [ Above all that you guard, protect your heart], because ·your thoughts run your life [life flows from it]. —Proverbs 4:23 The Expanded Bible  

Guard your mind and guard your heart. It has been said that “your life goes in the direction of your most dominate thoughts”. This is one reason why we must be careful what we think about. We don’t want negative thoughts to infiltrate our hearts. If we allow those negative thoughts to get into our hearts eventually, we will start to speak those thoughts and we will have what we say. (Mark 11:23) The mouth will speak whatever the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). As believers, we walk by faith and not by sight or appearance (II Corinthians 5:7). We keep our eyes on the Word and not on what we see in this natural world. God’s Word will change what we see. We must get His Word on our minds and in our hearts. Guard your mind and your heart. If it doesn’t line up with the Word don’t think about it. We should do what Philippians 4:8 says: For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. 

#protectyourmind #vcccharlotte #protectyourheart #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 21st

📖 Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life. 
—James 3:1-2 The Message

One area of our lives that we must constantly stay on top of are the words of our mouths. According to James, if you want to be a perfect person, you must have perfect speech. None of us have arrived in this area, but it is something that we can improve on at all times. We can improve our reactions when we receive a bad report. We can be like Jairus when he received a bad report in reference to his daughter. He said nothing. He had already said what he desired when he approached Jesus, and he said nothing else. His discipline with his words allowed him to see the miraculous. He saw Jesus raise his daughter from the dead. If you want to stay in control of your life, you must stay in control of your words. You show me a person whose life is out of control, and there is a strong possibility that their words helped them to get to that place. When the devil attacks, watch your mouth. When life gets tough, watch your words. God has given us a means in which we can maintain control of our lives, even through difficult times. If you can stay in control of your words, you can stay in control of your life. 

#control #vcccharlotte #watchyourwords #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 19th

📖 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. 

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. 

—Genesis 3:6-8 The Message  

If you sin, don’t run from God, run to God. If you miss the mark, don’t hide from God, talk to God. God doesn’t want to beat you over the head because you messed up. He wants to restore you. He wants to re-establish you and place you in right standing with Him. The Bible tells us that when we sin, we should confess our sin. When we do, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10). He is the condemner. He wants to remind you of your sin. He wants you to develop a sin consciousness. That’s not God. God is a God of mercy and grace. He wants to cleanse you of that sin. He doesn’t even remember it once you have confessed it. Sin doesn’t have to separate you from God. Don’t make sin a lifestyle. Confess it and get rid of it. You are the righteousness of God. Don’t allow sin to have dominion over you. You overcome it. You overcome it by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony.   

#runtoGod #vcccharlotte #talktoHim #devotional #overcomer 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 18th

📖 Long ago when the Israelis escaped from Egypt, from that land of foreign tongue, then the lands of Judah and of Israel became God’s new home and kingdom.

The Red Sea saw them coming and quickly broke apart before them. The Jordan River opened up a path for them to cross. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs! What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you cut yourself in two? What happened, Jordan River, to your waters? Why were they held back? Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, little hills, like lambs?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Jacob. For he caused gushing streams to burst from flinty rock. —Psalm 114 The Living Bible

No obstacle can stand in the way of an individual who walks with God. The Red Sea, the mountains, and the Jordan River all fled from the Lord. We know that this Psalm is more figurative than literal, (except the Red Sea and the Jordan River), but the point remains the same. God will remove kings for our sakes. He will bring down the mighty, if needed. He will go before us and make the crooked places straight. There is nothing that can hinder us or stop us with almighty God beside us. A man of God once said that if “Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra were walking down the street with us, we would have no fear because of who was walking with us”. Well, we have one mightier than a few Hollywood monsters walking with us. We have the Creator of the universe with us. Fear needs to be a thing of the past. If God be for us, who can be against us? 

#havenofear #LetGod #devotional #vcccharlotte #walkwithGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 17th

📖 I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. —Philippians 3:13-14 AMPC

God doesn't want us stuck in the past. He wants us moving forward towards the things that he has preordained for us. Lets look at two words that Paul used. One word was straining. He was exerting as much energy as he could to accomplish the will of God. The second word is press. Once again, he used a word meaning to use a lot of energy. God doesn't want us using our energies to re-live the past. Take those energies to make progress. Let's strain and press into what God has for us. It pleases Him when we do.

#GodsWord #devotional #trustGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 16th

📖 God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says he will do, he does [will he not do it?]. What he promises, he makes come true [ will he not fulfill it/make it come true?]. —Numbers 23:19 Expanded Bible

We cannot look at God the way that we look at other human beings. God is not a man, and He does not lie. God will not change His mind concerning His children. He promises to meet every need in our lives (Philippians 4:19). If He promised to do it, then we can definitely count on Him to do it. The Word of God says that we are redeemed, so that means we are. It tells us that we are healed, so that means that we are. Whatever the Word says we are, that is what we are. When we believe in His Word and stand on His promises, we experience the reality of those promises. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). God always comes through. He can be depended upon. 

#GodsWord #devotional #trustGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 15th

📖 The ants are not a strong people, Yet they prepare their food in the summer; 
—Proverbs 30:25 AMP

The strength of the ant is in their ability to prepare. They don’t have an overseer. They don’t have anyone standing over them telling them that winter is coming. They are diligently preparing in the summer. The ants know that it's too late to prepare when winter comes. We must learn from the ant. We must prepare for opportunities that don’t yet exist. We have to be like Noah. Noah prepared an ark out of obedience when there was no evidence that a flood was coming. It’s hard to build a ship in the rain. If Noah had waited until it started raining, he would have perished with everyone else. It has been said that success is when preparation meets opportunity. Failure takes place when opportunity presents itself to the unprepared. Let’s not allow ourselves to be caught off guard when opportunity does arrive. Let’s be like the ant and STAY ready. 

#theant #beprepared #wisdom #verseoftheday #message

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 14th

📖 Joshua, the man of God, died at the age of 110 and was buried at the edge of his property in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. The people had remained true to the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime, and as long afterward as the old men of his generation were still living—those who had seen the mighty miracles the Lord had done for Israel. 

But finally all that generation died; and the next generation did not worship Jehovah as their God and did not care about the mighty miracles he had done for Israel. 
—Judges 2:9-10 The Living Bible

What a sad story about a generation that did not know God or care about His mighty miracles. We can never allow this to happen. We must take the time to talk to our children about the things of God. It may not be your immediate family. It could be a niece or nephew. It may be a grandchild, but we all must do our part to sow our God into our children. We must take our children to church. We must take them to Bible class and create an environment where God is heard of everyday. We must be willing to lay hands on them when they aren’t feeling well. We must do our part and show them that there is a God in Heaven, and He is worthy of our service and our lives. We cannot allow what took place then to happen again. We must show passion to reach the next generation. 

#neverbeashamed #devotional #vcccharlotte #doyourpart

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 12th

📖 So then [God’s gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy. [It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God’s having mercy on him.] —Romans 9:16 AMP

We are who we are by God’s grace. Every good gift and every perfect gift come from Him. He is the One who has blessed us with our individual talents and abilities. We cannot brag on ourselves; it is the mercy of God. We cannot boast of our abilities because they came from Him. God is the Source of everything good in our lives and we must walk with a spirit of meekness and humility. Where would we be without the grace of God? It is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We can be thankful of all the giftings bestowed on us by God, but we must also be certain to be grateful for His mercy. Where would we be without it? 

#mercy #graceofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 11th

📖 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people restored? [Because Zion no longer enjoyed the presence of the Great Physician!] —Jeremiah 8:11 AMPC

God is our Great Physician. He tells us in Exodus 15:26, I am the Lord that healeth thee.” He was Israel’s Healer then, and He is our Healer today. Jesus shed His Blood so that we can be free from sickness and disease (Isaiah 53:5, I Peter 2:24). When Jesus was on the earth, He went about teaching, preaching, and healing. Everywhere Jesus went, He went about healing the sick. He never turned anyone away who requested healing. He was simply doing what He saw His Father doing. Sickness came when sin entered the earth. God has broken the power of sin from over our lives and because of that, He has set us free from sickness (I Peter 2:24). God wants us well. Our health can be restored when we enjoy and receive from the presence of the Great Physician! 

#HeisourHealer #dailydevotional #GreatPhysician #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 10th

📖 When Jesus came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him. 

And behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me by curing me. 

And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed. 
—Matthew 8:1-3 AMPC  

God wants you well. He desires for you to be strong and healthy. Unfortunately, many people still aren't sure whether it is the will of God for them to be healed. They think the sickness is supposed to bring them closer to God. Some think the sickness will keep them humble. Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us that sickness will humble you. The Bible tells us that we are to humble ourselves and that God will exalt us in due time (I Peter 5:6). We accurately represent the kingdom when we are healthy and strong. We can pursue the will of God when we are totally strong and healthy. The leper was unsure about the will of God concerning his healing. Jesus made the will of God plain. God wanted the leper healed. God has not changed. He has always desired His people to be well. He demonstrated His desire by sending Jesus to the cross to redeem us from sickness and disease. The issue has been settled: God wants us well. 

#healing #vcccharlotte #willofGod #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 9th

📖 Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces. —Matthew 7:6 AMPC 

You cannot share your goals and dreams with everyone. Everyone doesn’t want to see you succeed. Everyone is not on your side. You can’t cast your pearls before hogs. They will not only trample on your dreams, but they will also trample on you. They may tell you that you aren’t smart enough. They may not think you are talented enough. It doesn't matter what they think. You have the greater One on the inside of you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Joseph made the mistake of casting his pearls before swine. He told his dreams to his family, and his brothers almost killed him and eventually sold him into slavery. Joseph had to overcome some hardships because he told the wrong people the vision that God shared with him. The dream eventually became a reality, but it is possible that he went through more than he should have. Be careful who you share your dreams with. Don’t cast your pearls before swine. 

#dreams #vcccharlotte #discernment #devotional #vision 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 8th

📖 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. —I John 1:9 AMPC

We have all missed the mark at some point. We all have said something we shouldn't have said and done things that we knew we should not have done. In short: we have all made mistakes and acted in ways in which we knew better. The good news is that God is a LOVING God. When we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all wrongdoing. God promises to forget our sins and to act like the sin has never taken place when there is true repentance. God looks at the heart, and He knows our flaws. He is faithful to us! God is true to His compassionate nature. He will never condemn us for our past. As we walk with Him, we know that our latter end will be greater than our former. 

#lovingGod #compassion #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 7th

📖 Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do his will, and I know that I will triumph. —Isaiah 50:7 The Living Bible

Our confidence should always be in God. When we know who is on our side and who has our back, it should be difficult for us to live in a state of worry or dismay. We can be like Jesus. We can set our faces like a flint, knowing that we will triumph. Paul even said, “now thanks be unto God who always causes us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14). We can “set our faces”, regardless of the circumstances. We can gain confidence in the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When God helps you, you can’t help but win. We are not only winners, but we are also more than conquerors through Him that loves us (Romans 8:37).

#winners #conquerors #devotional #Godfidence 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 5th

📖 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 | July 4th

📖 Unless Your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, [how can I?] for it is by them You have quickened me (granted me life). —Psalm 119:92-93 AMPC

We must never neglect the Word of God. When we feed on the Word, it strengthens, nourishes, and empowers us. It keeps our spirit strong so that we can overcome every weapon the enemy throws our way. The Word will bring life to a seemingly dead situation. Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63)”. Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly, and He was the Word Incarnate. Embrace the Word. Study the Word. Meditate the Word. An encounter with the Word is an encounter with life. His life will change yours.  

#strength #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte #theWord #life

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 3rd

📖 I wrote you in my [previous] letter not to associate [closely and habitually] with unchaste (impure) people—

Not [meaning of course that you must] altogether shun the immoral people of this world, or the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, since otherwise you would need to get out of the world and human society altogether! 

But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person. 
—I Corinthians 5:9-11 AMPC 

Your associations can determine your destiny. If you hang around losers, you might become one. If you hang around winners, you might become one as well. We don’t want to associate closely and habitually with immoral and impure people. Their ways may rub off on you. We know that no matter where we look, we will see the ungodly, but we don’t have to make them our best friends. Paul goes as far as to say don’t even eat with those types of people. Galatians 5:9 tells us that, “A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church]”. The Bible also tells us that “evil communication corrupts good manners”. Let’s stay free from the influence of the world. Let’s do what the Word tells us to do: So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor. (2 Corinthians 6:17) 

#Godlyinfluences #vcccharlotte #purity #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 2nd

📖 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 

And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 

And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. 
—Ephesians 4:22-24 AMPC 

When God sets us free; He expects us to stay free. We are to strip ourselves of our former nature and walk in the new nature that is on the inside of us. Our mindset should change. We should no longer think like the world. Our thinking should be in line with the Word of God. We should walk in holiness and consecrate our lives to God because He paid the ultimate price for us through the Blood of His Son. The very least we can do is to live for Him. We owe Him our lives. We should endeavor to increase our knowledge of God so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We increase our knowledge of Him, so that we can be transformed into His image. With all that God has done for us, why shouldn’t we live for Him. 

#liveforGod #renewyourmind #victory #devotional

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