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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | August 1st

📖 So then, dear family, stand firm with a masterful grip of the teachings we have you, either by word of mouth or by our letter. —2 Thessalonians 2:15 The Passion Translation  

When life gets hard, keep a masterful grip on the Word of God. When obstacles come our way, we must hold on to the Word of God. The Word of God is the source of our success. The devil wants to steal the Word from our hearts. He knows that the Word is what will overcome him. The Word is what will cause us to be victorious every time he comes against us. Many times, the enemy will try to cause havoc in our lives so that we will let go of the promises of God. The enemy will stir up so much trouble that if we aren’t careful; we may give up on the Word and mistakenly say “this stuff doesn’t work”. We cannot give up on the Word. We cannot get weary in well doing because we will reap if we don’t faint. No matter what you’re going through, stand firm on the Word. Hold on to the Word. God will always honor His Word in our lives. He is alert and active and watching over His Word to perform it. No matter what it looks like, keep a grip on the Word. If we will keep the Word in our hearts and not let it go, the Word will grow, and it will prevail. (Acts 19:20)  

#TheWord #vcccharlotte #OurSource #devotional  

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 31st

📖 Grace and spiritual blessing be to you and [soul] peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), Who gave (yielded) Himself up [to atone] for our sins [and to save and sanctify us], in order to rescue and deliver us from this present wicked age and world order, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father. —Galatians 1:3-4 AMPC

Jesus came to deliver and set us free from this wicked present age. Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4) and the whole world is under his influence (Eph.2: 3-4). The world is subject to the effects of the curse that is in the earth. The curse is the direct cause of sickness, disease, poverty, and death. The curse is the direct result of all the calamities that mankind faces. Jesus came into the earth and went to the cross so that we can be delivered from the curse. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). God expects us to walk in victory. He expects us to take His Word and overcome the effects of the curse. We can overcome all the obstacles and challenges in our lives because Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. What a mighty God we serve! 

#vcccharlotte #devotional #MightyGod #freefromthecurse

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 30th

📖 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. —Hebrews 6:11-12 NKJV

God desires for us to experience the manifestation of His promises in our lives. Which manifest through faith and patience. Faith gives substance to the things we are hoping for. Patience keeps the door open while faith does its work. One minister referred to them (faith and patience) as the power twins. Faith must be developed over time. This is where patience kicks in. The Bible tells us that “as long as the earth remains, there will be seed, time, and harvest” (Genesis 8:22). You don’t plant a seed today and reap the harvest tomorrow. It's the same with the promises of God. You sow the seed of the Word of God, protect it, and eventually you will see the reality (or harvest) of the promise. We can experience the fulfillment of the promise of God, we simply cannot be sluggish. Attaining the promises requires diligence and imitation. We are to imitate those who through faith and patience, inherited the promises. 

#vcccharlotte #manifestation #devotional #Hispromises #imitation

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 29th

📖 So they said to him, “Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?” So John said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” 
—John 1:22-23 Jerusalem Bible 

Initially the people thought that John the Baptist was the chosen one, the Messiah. He plainly told them that he was not the one. He knew who he was and without having to think about it, he quoted the prophecy from Isaiah. He did not let anyone put a label on him that did not belong to him. When people ask us, “What do you have to say about yourself,” we should automatically know who we are. We should know that we are more than conquerors. We should know that the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. We should know that we are overcomers, and the Greater One lives on the inside of us. John the Baptist knew what the Word said about Him, and it should be no different with us. We must know what the Word says about us if we are going to continue to walk in victory.  

#iamvictory #whoami #Jesus #devotional #verseofthemonth

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 28th

📖 “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 | July 27th

📖 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. —II Corinthians 9:7 AMPC  

God is a big-time giver. Have you thought about everything He has given us? He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (II Peter 1:4). He gave His only Son (John 3:16). Jesus said, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”. Jesus also said that the Father would give good gifts to those that ask Him (Matthew 7:11). God is a giver, and He expects His children to be givers as well. Ephesians 5 tells us that we are to be “imitators of God as dear children”. In the above Scripture, it tells us that God takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without a cheerful, joyous, prompt to do it giver. A person whose heart is in his giving. God delights in that type of giver because that is the type of giver He is. Jesus even said that “whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” God wants us to bless people the way He blesses. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are blessed so that we can better imitate our Father. 

#give #vcccharlotte #blessothers #devotional #Hischildren 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 25th

📖 It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. —II Corinthians 10: 3-4 The Living Bible

In the natural world, we may appear to be human beings, but we have access to something that is greater than our mortality. We have the Greater One on the inside of us. Not only is He living on the inside of us, but He has also given us access to His armory. Because we have a supernatural enemy, a natural, carnal weapon won’t do. A natural weapon will not subdue a supernatural outlaw. God has given us His mighty weapons to bring down the devil’s strongholds. The devil doesn’t have to cause havoc in our lives. God has given us His armor and He has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God has given us His Spirit. He has given us a measure of faith to overcome the world. God has invested so much into our winning that we cannot let Him down. If we desire to please the Father, we must use what He has given us. If we want to win in life, God has given us the means to do so. We are without excuse. 

#win #vcccharlotte #GreaterOne #devotional #Heisalive

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 24th

📖 Oh, thank God—he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. —Psalm 107:1-3 The Message Bible 

God is so good. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning and that He is faithful (Lamentations 3:22-23). When God sets us free, He expects us to stay free. He also expects us to share about our deliverance with others. Remember, we have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). God is so good to us that we should always be testifying about His goodness. Our testimony is advertisement for the Kingdom of God. It reveals to the world how good God is, and it causes them to want to know more about the God we serve. Spread the good Word! 

#greatGod #devotional #deliverance #faithfulGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 23rd

📖 It was because of his faith that Enoch was promoted to the eternal world without experiencing death. He disappeared from this world because God promoted him, and before that happened his reputation was that “he pleased God”. And without faith it is impossible to please him. The man who approaches God must have faith in two things, first that God exists and secondly that it is worth a man’s while to try to find God. 
—Hebrews 11: 5-6 JB Phillips New Testament

It should be the desire of every believer to please our Heavenly Father. God is pleased when we walk by faith and according to His Word. God is pleased when we believe His Word above any circumstance. He is pleased when we speak what the Word of God says instead of our circumstances. God was displeased with the Israelites in the wilderness because of their constant complaining. They would not trust in God and put their faith in His integrity. This would cause the original generation to lose their lives and the next generation to receive their “promised land”. When we walk by faith, it not only pleases God, but it also brings Him on the scene. When this happens, things change, and circumstances begin to get in line with His Word. When we approach God, we must remember two things: first, that God exists, and secondly, it is always worth our while to seek Him out. He is a rewarder of those who do. 

#trustGod #faith #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 22nd

📖 But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. —Psalm 71:14 AMPC

Hope is important. The Bible tells us that “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:2 AMPC). We should never deprive people of hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for... (Hebrews 11:1). You could look at it like this: hope is the blueprint, and faith is the materials to make the blueprint a reality. We must not belittle hope. The Bible tells us that Abraham “against hope believed in hope” (Romans 4:18). Abraham had to hope when the circumstances told him that what he was believing for was impossible. He had to find hope in what God had told him. That is how we maintain our hope. We keep our faith in what God has told us, and we believe it because it is impossible for God to lie. Hope is to be the anchor to our soul. We must hope continually and continue to praise Him more. We must praise Him because He is the God of hope. He can turn every negative situation around.

#Hope #trustGod #dailydevotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 21st

📖 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 20th

📖 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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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 18th

📖 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 

Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. 

—I Kings 18:20-21 AMPC  

At some point we must make a decision. We must decide whose side we are on. We must determine who we are going to follow. There are many who are still on the fence. These people are what the Bible calls double minded. They haven’t completely sold out on one side. They haven’t completely settled on doing things one way. The Bible calls this type of individual is a person of two minds. James 1:8 AMPC, “For being as he is a man of two minds (hesitating dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decide].” We don’t want God to ask us the same question Elijah asked the people. We should know that the Lord God is God. He is the almighty God and the Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the one true God. We must get to a place where we are single-minded. There is only one way, and that is God’s way. There is only one way to think,and those thoughts should come out of God’s Word. We are not of this world. We have not been given the spirit of the world, so we should not think like the world. The ways of this world are not our way. If you haven’t done so already, make up your mind today.  I will leave you with these words from Joshua 24:15:  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. 

#AlmightyGod #vccharlotte #theCreator #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 18th

📖 Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. 

And Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong, courageous, and firm, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to possess it. 

It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit—depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]. 
—Deuteronomy 31:6-8 AMPC 

We must always remember who is with us. There are times when fear will try to attack us. It will try to invade our thoughts. It will cause us to doubt the ability of God and even forget how God has come through for us time after time. We must always keep in mind that the Almighty God is for us and with us. He is on our side, and He will cause us to triumph every time. When we are convinced that God will not fail us or forsake us, we will always be in control of our emotions. We will not allow fear to have the upper hand in our lives because we know that God is coming through for us. Faith in God will keep us from getting to a place where we are depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm. We must be firm, strong, and courageous. If we are going to continue to walk in victory, we must not forget these things. We must lift our eyes unto the hills where our help comes from; our help comes from the Lord that made heaven and earth. 

#AlmightyGod #vcccharlotte #OurHelper #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 17th

📖 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed, their clothes were not scorched or damaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them. 

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
—Daniel 3:27-28 AMPC 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had all gone in for God. They refused to bow to the statue of the king, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than to disobey God. Because of their commitment to God, God came through for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Not only did God protect the three young men from the fire, but He also sent His angel to deliver them. Not only were those young men rescued, but they were promoted as well. We must realize that when we take a stand for God, He will take a stand for us. He will do the miraculous. He will send an angelic host. He will do whatever it takes to put His stamp of approval on us. God showed the king that those three Hebrew boys belonged to him, and when we stand for righteousness, God will do the same for us. God will always look out for His own. It pays to be in the household of faith. 

#ambassadors #represent #Godisgood #dailydevotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 16th

📖 He who keeps the commandment [of the Lord] keeps his own life, but he who despises His ways shall die. —Proverbs 19:16 AMPC 

God’s ways are higher than ours. He gave us His Word so that we can go up higher in Him and in life. God desires for our lives to get better. The Word of God tells us that “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18 AMPC). Our path (lives) is to get brighter and brighter (better and better). It starts with keeping God’s commandments. Now we aren’t just talking about the ten commandments (that is a great place to start though), we are talking about being a doer of the Word of God. Whatever God tells us to do in His Word, we do it. When He tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, we love our neighbors. When He tells us to come out from among them (the world) and be separate, that is what we do. It is always to our advantage to obey God. This is how we keep our lives.  

#obedience #vcccharlotte #doersoftheWord #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 15th

📖 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 AMPC 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 14th

📖 We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life. —Romans 6:4 AMPC

When we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, we become a new creation. Our past is buried; we have been raised and now have a new life with Christ. We can be like the apostle Paul and act as if we don’t have a past. Paul said that he had “wronged no man”, but he had. Before his encounter with Jesus, he was throwing Christians into prison and mistreating them. After his encounter with Jesus, all of that was buried with Christ. When he was raised in the newness of life, his past remained buried. We have had the same experience. We can now walk as if we have never sinned a day in our lives. 

#devotional #newcreation #liveforGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 13th

📖 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. —John 3:3 AMPC

If one wants to be a bonafide child of God, that person must be born again. They simply must ask Jesus Christ to come into their heart and confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10). It is quite simple. Works will not get you born-again. You can never work your way to Heaven. You can never earn your salvation; but you can simply receive what has already been done. Jesus has already paid the price for sin. Our works do not produce righteousness. Righteousness produces good works. If you haven’t done so already, receive Jesus Christ today! Don’t you want to spend eternity with God? 

#salvation #devotional #vcccharlotte #childofGod

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | July 11th

📖 The good life begins in the fear of God-
Do that and you’ll know the blessing of God. 
—Psalms 111:10 The Message  

We all desire the good life (or at least we should). The good life is a life designed by God. The depth of our relationship with God will determine what we walk in. Jesus came so that we can experience the good life. That life is a life of abundance. It is a life of divine health. A life where we experience good in every area of life. The good life starts with the fear of God. We fear God by reverencing both Him and His Word. When we honor God’s Word in our life, we are honoring Him. When we are willing and obedient, we eat the good of the land. Deuteronomy 29: 11 says: Therefore, keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may deal wisely and prosper in all that you do. 

Did you see the correlation between the Word and Prosperity? God was saying to the people that if you keep the covenant (His Word), then you will prosper in all that you do. When we honor God, God will honor us. If we want to know the blessing, we must know God. Jesus put it this way in John 14:21 (Amplified Classic): 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.]  

When Jesus and Father God manifest themselves in your life, your life won’t be the same. The results will only be good because God is good. There is only one life in God: the good life. 

#thegoodlife #devotional #honoringGod #vcccharlotte 

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