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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 26th

📖 And they kept bringing young children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples were reproving them [for it]. 

But when Jesus saw [it], He was indignant and pained and said to them, Allow the children to come to Me—do not forbid or prevent or hinder them—for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] positively shall not enter it at all. 

And He took them [the children up one by one] in His arms and [fervently invoked a] blessing, placing His hands upon them. 
—Mark 10: 13-16 AMPC 

God cares about children. Children represent the next generation. God instructed His people to diligently teach the children His laws. God is a generational God. He knows and understands the importance of children. Judges 2:10 tells us, “And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even the work which He had done for Israel.” Israel had failed to teach the children the precepts and the laws of God. That generation did not know God. We must not allow that to be said about the next generation in our lifetime. We must love our children the way God does. Let’s do what we can to give God another generation. Taking them to church, teaching them the Bible, taking them to Sunday School and getting them involved in ministry is a great way to expose our children to the anointing. We must do our part. Let’s continue to give God another generation. 

#generations #vcccharlotte #children #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 25th

📖 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t quit! For I am with you and no one can harm you. Many people here in this city belong to me.” —Acts 18:9-10 The Living Bible

When God sends you, He equips you. He not only equips you, but He assists you. He makes available His vast resources and His protection. It doesn’t matter where He sends you, He will take care of you. Like Paul, if God is with you, no one can harm you. If God is with you, no one can stop you. If God is with you, no obstacle can stand in your way. God has people everywhere. He has people that are ready to heed His every command. There are people ready to give their time, resources, and finances. God knows where they are, and He knows how to bring them across your path. No matter how rough it gets, don’t quit. God’s got you. 

#vcccharlotte #Godsgotus #devotional #motivation

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 24th

📖 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 
—John 3:16 AMPC

As we celebrate what many call the “Christmas Holiday”, let us remember why Jesus came into the world. God sending His Son into the world was one of the greatest acts of love in the history of humanity. God could have left man in his sinful state. He did not have to redeem mankind, he chose to. Out of His intense love for us, He refused to allow us to stay in a position in which we would be dominated by Satan. God redeemed us into a place of royalty. He redeemed us into a place of sonship. He placed the results of the fall on Jesus, so that we could be free from poverty, lack, sickness, disease, and spiritual death. God sent His best. God so greatly loved and prized the world that He gave up something, He gave up His only begotten Son. Let us never take our salvation for granted. Let us always be grateful for Jesus. We must always be grateful that He came into the earth to set us free. We are no longer slaves, we are kings. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. The sin nature is gone, and now we are righteous. Jesus came so that we would not remain the same. 

#vcccharlotte #WeAreKings #devotional #Godslove

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 23rd

📖 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 | June 21st

📖 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 | June 20th

📖 And Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent or a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and have a heavy and awkward tongue. ⎯Exodus 4:10 AMPC

Have you ever felt insignificant? Have you ever felt as if you did not have enough talent or ability to walk out the vision that God has placed on the inside of you? Moses gave God one excuse after another on why He could not be Israels' deliverer. We must understand that God knows us inside and out. He knows our shortcomings, and He knows our faults. God knows our strengths and our weaknesses. If God has called us, then that means that He has equipped us. The things we may not know, God knows how to get that information to us. God even told Moses that He would teach Him what to say (v. 12). God knows what He is doing. When He selected you, He did not make a mistake. God believes in you and if He believes in you, then you should believe in you. You have the goods. Just walk with God every day and see what He does with your life. You can be all that God desires for you to be. You can have all that God wants you to have. 

#GodKnowsUs #devotional #vcccharlotte #listentoGod #verseoftheday

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 19th

📖 A [self-confident] fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself. 
—Proverbs 18:7 AMPC  

A fool will destroy his own life with his own words. Think about that for a second. We can choose our words, but we must choose our words carefully. Proverbs 13:2, tells us that, “A good man eats good from the fruit of his mouth”. We determine how we eat based on our words. We determine the quality of life we live by the words we speak. If you don’t like the life you’re living, change the words that you are speaking. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). It is in our best interest to speak words of life. Speak life over your children. Speak life over your health. Speak life over your finances. Don’t allow your lips to be a snare to yourself. Your words can bring ruin, or they can bring success; the choice is yours. 

#wordsoflife #vcccharlotte #speaklife #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 18th

📖 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. 

Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. 
⎯Ephesians 4:17-18 AMPC 

God doesn’t want us walking around acting like the heathen. He doesn’t want us to talk or think like them either. God wants our minds renewed to His Word so that we will think and talk like Him. We are to embrace the life of God that is on the inside of us. We cannot be ignorant of it or alienate ourselves from it. God wants us to access the life that is on the inside of us. We must acknowledge this force on the inside and activate it by faith. Our hearts cannot become callous and hard towards the things of God. As we continue to give the Word first place in our lives, we will walk in the revelation of who we are and what belongs to us. That illumination will grant us more access to the life of God, allowing us to go to another level of victory. That is what our Heavenly Father desires for us. He desires that we live from one victory to another. A life where we go from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. 

#renewedmind #vcccharlotte #devotional #glorytoglory 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 17th

📖 If your right eye makes you stumble and leads you to sin, tear it out and throw it away[that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  

If your right hand makes you stumble and leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away [that is, remove yourself from the source of temptation]; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

⎯Matthew 5:29-30 AMPC

There is nothing in this world worth going to hell for. Nothing. Money isn’t worth it. Another person isn’t worth it. A better job. A better vehicle—none of these things are worth missing Heaven over. Jesus said in our text that if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. If your hand is causing you to sin, cut it off. Now Jesus isn’t telling us to literally cut out our eyes or cut off our hands. He is simply making a point not to let anything cause you to miss Heaven. The things of this earth are temporary. Eternity is forever. Don’t miss Heaven! 

#Heavenbound #devotional #vcccharlotte #message

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 16th

📖 And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, [it was all] like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. 

Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and [he] traveled east. So they separated. 

Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the [Jordan] Valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom and dwelt there. 

But the men of Sodom were wicked and exceedingly great sinners against the Lord. 
⎯Genesis 13: 10-13 AMPC

We have to make sure that we always consult the Lord before making major decisions in our lives. A separation needed to take place between Lot and Abram because their substance had become great, and they could no longer co-exist. Lot looked at Sodom and Gomorrah and chose that place because it looked like the garden of the Lord. He based his decision on what He saw. As believers, we are to be led by the Spirit of God when it comes to major decisions in our lives. God knows what we don’t know. He sees what we don’t see. We must always endeavor to be in tune with Spirit of God so that we can always be in sync with Him. He always knows what’s best for us. Every good Father will do what is best for their children. We can expect no less from God. 

 #consulttheLord #devotional #SpiritofGod #vcccharlotte 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 14th

📖 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. ⎯1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

Paul is saying here that he is making sure his body does not rule his spirit. We are spirit beings, and God created us to live out of our spirits. Sometimes our flesh is not in subjection to our spirits, and that can lead to us making bad decisions that, as Paul mentioned, can disqualify us. Some people have trouble sticking to their diet because they give in to their flesh every time it craves something that is not in said diet. The flesh is not mindful of spiritual things. All it cares about is pleasure and the things of this world. We must subdue the flesh and always keep our spirit man on top. Our spirit man is to run the show, and we can strengthen him by communing with God through the word and prayer. Looking upon the people who fell short of the destiny God had for them, Samson stands out because he did not control his flesh. Samson could have been used a lot more had he controlled his lust for women. Let’s continue to subdue our flesh and strengthen our spirits.

#liveinthespirit #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 13th

📖 Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 
⎯I Timothy 4:12 AMPC

As believers, we are to be examples to the world. We are to be the moral compass for the world. Unfortunately, many believers haven’t sold out to God, and there are things in their lives that are displeasing to Him. As believers, we must be willing to be examples to other believers. We must demonstrate how a believer is supposed to talk and act when it comes to walking in love, faith, and purity. Christians can be at various stages in their lives, but it is up to us to be examples of what holiness and consecration look like. Holiness isn’t a long skirt and no makeup; it is a life that is sold out to God. Let’s be aware of our actions. You never know how your lifestyle is having an impact on other people. 

#moralcompass #devotional #vcccharlotte #Christianwalk

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 12th

📖 And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 

For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 

This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand. 
—Matthew 13:11-13 AMPC 

God has given us the secrets and the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Those secrets and mysteries are found in His Word. God has given us spiritual knowledge so that we would have an advantage in the earth. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). It takes spiritual knowledge to access spiritual blessings. God does not want us ignorant. People are destroyed because they have no knowledge (Hosea 4:6). God wants us to be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Acting on spiritual knowledge causes us to overcome. It causes us to overcome any and everything the devil would try to throw our way. Don't be ignorant my brothers and sisters. A man who increases his knowledge increases his strength (Proverbs 24:5). Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! 

#knowledge #vcccharlotte #strengthinGod #devotional 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 11th

📖 You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill.

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house.

In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven. 

⎯Matthew 5:14-16 God’s Word Translation

We are the light of the world. We are God’s representatives in the earth. Our behavior and deeds give people an example of the kingdom that we represent. Jesus told the people that when they saw Him, they saw the Father. He was a representation of what the Father was like. We are to do the same. People should watch our behavior and see that there is a difference between us and the world. Jesus even instructed us to do things differently. He told us to love our enemies. He told us to pray for those who despitefully use us. He told us that if someone hits us, we are to turn the other cheek. Doing those things will show people that you are peculiar. They will see that you are not of this world. They will see that you are a citizen of Heaven, a citizen of the kingdom of God. 

#KingdomofGod #devotional #lightoftheworld #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 10th

📖 He who deals wisely and heeds [God’s] word and counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, and is confident in the Lord—happy, blessed, and fortunate is he. ⎯Proverbs 16:20 AMPC

If one wants to be considered wise, one must heed God’s Word and counsel. The Word of God tells us that it is the doer of the Word that is blessed, not just the hearer (James 1:25). Obedience demonstrates confidence in God and His integrity. It is always wise to obey God. The fool ignores the Word of God. The Bible tells us that “there is a way that seems right, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). We don’t want to take a path that seems right, we want to take the right path. God always has our best interest at heart. We should know and understand that it's in our best interest to heed, obey, and trust in the Word of God. 

#trustGod #devotional #wisdom #obedience

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 9th

📖 Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually]. ⎯III John 2 AMPC

God desires that His children do well in life. Every parent wants their children to be healthy and successful in every area of their lives. We know that God sent Jesus into the world to redeem mankind. Jesus also said that He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. God desires for us to live the good life. A life of abundance and surplus. A life that is free from sickness and disease. A life that is free from the curse of the law. If God wanted us sick and broke, He would have left things the way they were. God desired better, so He sent Jesus so that we could have better. Don’t settle for anything less than God’s best.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #neversettle #bible #freedom

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 7th

📖 David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 

David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring me the ephod. And Abiathar brought him the ephod. 

And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? The Lord answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.
⎯1 Samuel 30:6-8 AMPC 

David was having a rough day. When he and his men returned to Ziglag, they found the city burning, and their families had been taken. David’s men had even talked of stoning him. David knew what to do. He encouraged himself in the Lord. Then he sought the Lord. When life gets tough and the devil is coming at you in every direction, we can learn from David. We can encourage ourselves in the Lord. We can seek the Lord and find out how to overcome every attack of the wicked one. God will lead us. He will show us how to recover all. God will always cause us to triumph over every situation. He is on our side! 

#David #devotional #vcccharlotte #Godisonourside

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 6th

📖 Then Jehu said, “Now come with me, and see how devoted I am to the LORD.” So Jehonadab rode along with him. ⎯2 Kings 10:16 NLT 

How devoted are you to the Lord? Some people are very devoted to their favorite sports teams and favorite TV shows but not devoted to the Word, prayer, or church. In 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul talks about how in the last days many will abandon the faith. We must stay devoted and keep our zeal for the Lord. We must esteem God more than the desires and the pleasures of this world. If we are not careful, those things can draw our hearts away from God. 1 Timothy 5:6 says “Whereas she who lives for pleasure and self-indulgence is spiritually dead even while she still lives.” As we can see from the scripture, when we live for pleasure, we become spiritually dead. As we continue our daily devotion to the Lord, our spiritual life will continue to flourish. Let us continue to devote ourselves to the Lord as He is so worthy of our devotion.

#devotional #vcccharlotte #zeal #bible

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 5th

📖 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 
—Ecclesiastes 5:19 The New Living Translation   

Did you notice in this Scripture what a gift from God looks like? It doesn’t say that poverty and lack is a gift from God. It doesn’t say that sickness is a gift from God. Wealth and health are the examples given of what a gift from God looks like. This Scripture sounds like James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights”. God is a good God. All throughout the Word of God we see the Word of God portray God as a good Father who wants to bless His children with good things. He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Psalms 35:27). He gives us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Jesus even told us that it was His Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Jesus also told us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (clothes, food, provision, etc.) will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Let us never lose sight of this fact: God is a good God, and the devil is a bad devil.  

#giftfromGod #vcccharlotte #prosperity #devotional  

 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | June 4th

📖 As time went on, it happened that the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt crossed their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the head cupbearer and the head baker, and put them in custody under the captain of the guard; it was the same jail where Joseph was held. The captain of the guard assigned Joseph to see to their needs. 

After they had been in custody for a while, the king’s cupbearer and baker, while being held in the jail, both had a dream on the same night, each dream having its own meaning. When Joseph arrived in the morning, he noticed that they were feeling low. So he asked them, the two officials of Pharaoh who had been thrown into jail with him, “What’s wrong? Why the long faces?” 

They said, “We dreamed dreams and there’s no one to interpret them.” 

Joseph said, “Don’t interpretations come from God? Tell me the dreams.” 
—Genesis 40:1-8 The Message  

Joseph was a man who was falsely imprisoned. He could have been bitter. He could have had an angry countenance. Instead of allowing his circumstances to get him down, he continued to serve as unto the Lord. He served Potiphar with a spirit of excellence even though his brothers had sold him to slavery. Now he was serving the prisoners in prison. Joseph allowed his actions to demonstrate his trust in God and God’s plan for his life. He saw the Hand of God as a slave, and he was seeing the Hand of God in the prison. Joseph did not allow his circumstances to make him unhappy. He chose to make the best of where he was. There was a knowing that things would eventually turn around. When you are walking with God, regardless of where you are, eventually, things will turn around. Things will not remain the same, if it doesn’t line up with the Word of God. Don’t allow your circumstances to steal your joy. If you can see it, it is temporary. It is subject to change. It will not always be this way. It will eventually get better. It did for Joseph, and it will for you. We walk by faith and not by sight. 

#HandofGod #vcccharlotte #walkwithGod #devotionals #faith 

 

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