DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 8th

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📖 But you [Jeremiah], gird up your loins! Arise and tell them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed and break down at the sight of their faces, lest I confound you before them and permit you to be overcome. 

For I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land—against the [successive] kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome]. 

And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. 
—Jeremiah 1:17-19 AMPC

Sometimes when we are walking out the will of God, we have to deal with fear. God was telling Jeremiah to say what He was commanding him to say and not to be moved by the people’s faces. God even told Jeremiah that even if they fight against Him, they couldn’t win because God was with Him. God is consistent. All throughout the Word of God, He tells His people not to be afraid of a man because He was with them. There is no one stronger than God. No one has ever defeated God, and no one ever will. God will make you a fortified city. God will give you divine strength. God will cause you to overcome every wile and strategy of the wicked one. We win every time. 

#Jeremiah #devotional #faithoverfear #overcomer #vcccharlotte

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 7th

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📖 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. —Matthew 6:31-33 ESV 

Worry is such a major issue in many people’s lives today. They are worried about their finances, their jobs, providing for their family, etc. We have a God who has promised to take good care of us. There are no benefits to being anxious and worrying about tomorrow. We as Christians must put our trust in God by seeking His kingdom first. As we are pursuing the things of God, He will take care of our every need. We don’t have to fret like the world does. We have the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Let us seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness and watch God show himself to us as Jehovah Jireh (the Lord our Provider). 

#Godcares #donotworry #devotional #vcccharlotte #trustGod

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 5th

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📖 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 
—I John 5:4 CEV 

Every child of God can overcome the world. Every born-again person has been given the measure of faith. That faith, when developed and exercised, will cause the believer to overcome all the enemy may throw his way. As your faith increases, your limitations decrease. As you grow in your faith walk, you learn to believe God for increase in your finances, healing in your body, and anything else that is out of sync. Faith will work on anything. When Jesus was on the earth, He spoke to fig trees, storms, fevers, and even the dead. They all obeyed Him because faith will work on anything. Jesus even said that if you spoke to a mountain, it would have to obey you (Mark 11:23). We must make the development of our faith a priority if we are going to continue to overcome in this life. Faith is what will cause us to win. Faith is what gives us this victory! 

#faith #victory #childofGod #vcccharlotte #verseoftheday

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 4th

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📖 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 
—I Corinthians 3:18-19 KJV

The Word of God tells us to come out from among them (the world) and be separate. We are to be separate from the world because Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). We do not want to embrace the values or wisdom of this world. That is one reason the Bible tells us to renew our minds. God wants our thinking to be in line with His Word. God’s Word is His Wisdom. The Wisdom of God is foolishness to the world because God’s way of doing things goes against the ideals of the world. The wisdom of this world is “earthly, sensual, and devilish” (James 3:15). We should seek the wisdom that is from above because it is pure, peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:17). God’s ways are higher than our ways, but so is His Wisdom. Let’s stay away from the wisdom of this world, and let's embrace the wisdom that comes from God. We always come out on top when
we do. 

#wisdom #vcccharlotte #kingdomlife #devotional #trustGod

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 3rd

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📖 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 
    you formed me in my mother’s womb. 
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! 
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 
    I worship in adoration—what a creation! 
You know me inside and out, 
    you know every bone in my body; 
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, 
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something. 
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; 
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you, 
The days of my life all prepared 
    before I’d even lived one day. 
—Psalm 139:13-16 The Message 

You are something else. We are marvelously made. God put a lot of thought into us. He knows us inside and out. We were not made by accident. We are not products of evolution. We were sculpted from nothing into something. God watched us as we were being formed in our mother’s womb. The stages of our lives have already been prepared by him. All of us. None of us are exempt. God took the time not only to create our physical bodies, but also our lives. He knows the path before we take our first step. We must stay in sync with our Creator. He knows what is best for us. He always has our best interest in mind. God wants the best for us. We must want the same. We cannot walk in His best without Him. He is our sufficiency and our ability. Without Him we are nothing. 

#creation #vcccharlotte #Creator #devotional 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 2nd

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📖 He (Jesus) said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a little while”—for there were many [people who were continually] coming and going, and they could not even find time to eat. —Mark 6:31 AMP 

Have you found yourself in the same position? Have you been so busy that you forgot to eat? The disciples were out doing the Lord’s work. They went out and preached that men should repent. They were casting out many demons, anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them. They were doing what Jesus had sent them out to do. Even though they were doing those wonderful things, they still needed to get away and rest for a little while. They were still human. We have to realize and understand the same thing. We are human and we need rest. We need to take breaks periodically. Rest is good for the body, and it is good for the mind. We must endeavor to take the time to rest. If it was important for the disciples, it is no less important for us.  

#rest #vcccharlotte #God’sWord #devotional  

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | April 1st

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📖 “Whoever has knowledge controls his words, and a person who has understanding is even-tempered" -Proverbs 17:27 God’s Word Translation

A person who has knowledge and understanding will control both their tongue and their temper. Sometimes when people get upset, they lose their temper and say whatever is on their mind. When they do, they have a tendency to regret what was said in a moment of anger. We cannot allow our emotions to get the best of us. The Word of God tells us to be slow to wrath (James 1:19). We must control our words, because our words have power. We don’t want to curse people or say things that we really don’t want to come to pass. We must walk in the fruit of the spirit. We must maintain our joy. We must stay in control of our words and our temper. 

#wordshavepower #devotional #understanding #vcccharlotte 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 31st

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📖 “But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving." -2 Corinthians 8:7 New International Version

God desires for us to excel in every area of our lives. The church in Corinth was excelling in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness (or diligence), and in love. That is impressive. Despite their excelling in these areas, Paul admonished them to excel in giving. Giving not only bestows blessings to others, but it also causes blessings to come our way. When we give, it is given back to us again, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over (Luke 6:38). Our giving causes others to give thanks to God because we were the channel that God used to be a blessing. God delights in our excelling in everything we do. If we haven’t started to excel in our giving, it's definitely time that we do. It is more blessed to give, than to receive (Acts 20:35). When we start to excel in that area, we will understand why.

#giver #generosity #Goodgod #verseoftheday #devotional

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 29th

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📖 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision”
⎼Acts 26:19 NKJV

In this verse, Paul is telling the story of his life to King Agrippa and the calling that God had for him. He ends his story by stating that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. In Proverbs 29:18a AMPC says, “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.” Without vision or direction when it comes to our lives, we are at risk of perishing. Paul was saying to King Agrippa, ‘I did not deviate from the vision that God had for me.’ Just like God had a vision for Paul, he also has a vision for our lives. When we receive God’s vision for our lives, it helps us to focus on what it is we need to focus on. If you knew that you were called to be a doctor, then you would have no need to go to Law School. Another benefit of having God’s vision for our lives is when adversity and circumstances come our way, we can fall back on that vision because we know it came from God. We know that God has our back and all the blessings and promises of God will be with us and for us. You may be asking the question now, “How can I get God’s vision for my life?” As we spend time communing with God through the Word, prayer and worship, God will reveal to us what His vision for our life is. So, let us seek the Lord and run with the vision He gives us!

#vision #dreams #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 28th

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📖 It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. —II Corinthians 10:3-5 GNT 

As believers, it is important for us to see things from a spiritual perspective. When we encounter situations and circumstances that are contrary, we must remind ourselves that our weapons are not carnal, but they are spiritual. We have the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the whole armor of God. These weapons are sufficient to combat the devil when he comes against us. We must fight the battle in the spiritual realm and in the mental realm. We must cast down imaginations and take every thought captive that goes against the Word of God. We do not want to give the enemy any place in our lives. Many times, he is granted access through our thoughts. Let's commit to KEEPING the devil out of our lives. We win in the spirit and the mental realm, and when we win in those areas, we win in the natural realm too.

#spiritualwarfare #devotional #resistthedevil #motivation #vcccharlotte 

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 27th

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📖 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who practices good [exhibiting godly character, moral courage and personal integrity] is of God; the one who practices [or permits or tolerates] evil has not seen God [he has no personal experience with Him and does not know Him at all]. 
—3 John 11 Amplified Bible 

As believers, we ought to demonstrate the characteristics of our Father. Our Father walks in integrity, we should walk in integrity. We should be known as people who keep our word. As Christians we should be people of godly character. We are not people who practice evil. One cannot help but assume that the person who practices evil has not had an experience with God. It is possible that they may not even know God. It is hard to be in His Presence and remain the same. When you are fellowshipping with God through prayer, on a regular basis, it changes you. When you are reading and studying His Word, that Word should be changing your mind and your conduct. We cannot imitate evil continually when we know Him. If we want to be changed, we must have the attitude that Paul had. We must want to know Him and the power of His resurrection. 

#godlycharacter #vcccharlotte #integrity #devotional

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 26th

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📖 The families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men trained for war—physically fit and skilled in handling shield, sword, and bow. They fought against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. God helped them as they fought. God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. God answered their prayers because they trusted him. They plundered the Hagrite herds and flocks: 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also captured 100,000 people. Many were killed, because the battle was God’s. They lived in that country until the exile. 
—I Chronicles 5:18-22 The Message

The families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were physically fit and skilled in handling shields, swords, and bows. Despite possessing all of this, they still put their trust and dependency in God. Their trust and dependency were not in their skill. Their trust was not in their physical strength. There may be people who are stronger than us. There may be people that are more skilled than we are. That is why we cannot look to ourselves. We must always look to God because God is the One that causes us to triumph. God knows how to give us the victory. It is important for us to do our part. We must develop our skills. We must become knowledgeable. We must endeavor to get better every day. But at the end of the day, we are nothing without God. We may have to fight a battle; but we are not in it alone. When we know who is with us, we already know the outcome. The battle is not ours; the battle is the Lord’s. 

#trust #vcccharlotte #nothingwithoutGod #devotional

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 25th

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📖 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

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 24th

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📖 “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 #verseoftheday

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 22nd

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📖 “Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need." -Ephesians 4:28 Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Paul is giving insight into the purpose of our paychecks. Our paychecks are not primarily for paying bills (you should pay your bills). Our paychecks are not primarily for purchasing items for ourselves and our families (it's okay if you do). The Word of God tells us that we work so that we can have money to give. This is how the Kingdom of God operates. It functions through the principle of seedtime and harvest. When we give, it shall be given to us again, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto our bosom (Luke 6:38). It is after we give that we can claim that God will meet our needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). It is always better to give than to receive because giving puts us in a place of receiving. As we grow in faith, we should also grow in our giving. As we increase our giving, we can increase our receiving. It’s time for a shift in our thinking in the area of giving! When we change our standard of giving, we change our standard of living.

#seedtimeandharvest #devotional #giving #vcccharlotte #compassion

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 21st

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📖 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.” —Daniel 6:21-22 NKJV

God will fight for you. When you stand up for Him, He will stand up for you. The king made a decree that violated Daniel’s beliefs. Daniel was a man of prayer, and prayer was a lifestyle for him. He would not allow the king’s decree to alter his lifestyle. He would not allow anything or anyone to come between his relationship with God. Not only was Daniel protected in the lion’s den, he was also promoted. The men who were behind the king’s decree were devoured by those same lions along with their families. We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel. We cannot be ashamed of who we are. When we stand up for God, He will stand up for us. When we honor Him, He will honor us.  

#standup #116 #Gospel #devotional

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 20th

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📖 Just after that, Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said, “Because you went for help to the king of Aram and didn’t ask God for help, you’ve lost a victory over the army of the king of Aram. Didn’t the Ethiopians and Libyans come against you with superior forces, completely outclassing you with their chariots and cavalry? But you asked God for help and he gave you the victory. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God’s help. Now you’re in trouble—one round of war after another.” 
—II Chronicles 16:7-9 The Message 

When you find yourself in trouble, who do you run to? Do you go to man, or do you go to God? When you need help, do you seek God, or do you seek help from man? God’s help is the best help. His assistance is the best assistance. Man is limited but God is not. Man is limited in his thinking but not God. There is nothing too difficult for God. There is no problem that He cannot solve. We should always go to God when we need assistance. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for those who are committed to Him. God had come through for Him and yet he sought help from someone else. Asa made the mistake that many of us have made in the past. Instead of looking to God, we looked to man, and we paid the price for it. When we go to God, He will always come through. If He did it before, He can do it again. 

#seekGod #vcccharlotte #ourHelper #devotional #gotoGod

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 19th

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📖 Don’t panic. I’m with you. 
    There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. 
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. 
    I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. 
—Isaiah 41:10 The Message

With so many negative things going on in the world, if we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves in fear.  There can be a fear of the unknown. One may be afraid to fly on an airplane. One could be afraid that they will run out of food. They may even be afraid that they will run out of money and won’t have enough to meet their basic needs. God is telling us not to panic. God is telling us not to be afraid. God will keep us steady, and He will take care of us. He promised to do so in His Word. His Word even tells us that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). The things that everyone else is working hard to accumulate, God will give us. The Bible tells us that if He did not spare His Son, will He not with Him, freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32). God will take care of us. We must take our eyes off the circumstances and keep our eyes on God and His Word. His Word says that He will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him. (Isaiah 26: 3) You can either walk in fear or you can walk in peace, the decision is up to you. 

#peace #vcccharlotte #care #devotional

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 18th

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📖 God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether he might change his plans. 

He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them. 

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, 
—Hebrews 6:17-19 The Living Bible 

God has not changed His plans concerning us. It is still His will for us to prosper. It is still His will that we walk in divine health. It is His will that we experience His goodness in every area of life. God not only gave us a promise, He gave us His oath. He wanted us to rest in His integrity. He wanted to assure us that He would keep His Word to us. Because of the promise and the oath that believers have with their Heavenly Father, we can have hope. We can know that no matter how impossible it looks, God will come through. How we feel has nothing to do with it. God will do what He said He will do. He is not a man that He should lie. If He said it, He will do it. If He spoke it, He will bring it to pass. We can put our trust in God, He will never let us down. 

#hope #giver #trustGod #verseoftheday #devotional #vcccharlotte

DAILY DEVOTIONAL | March 17th

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📖 “I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.” —Revelation 1:9 NLT

From the above text, we see that the Apostle John was exiled to Patmos for preaching the Word of God and for his testimony about Jesus. 

The Bible says in II Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 

Have you ever found yourself on an island for doing & standing up for what was right? You stood up for Godly principles and were rejected & ostracized. Don’t be dismayed. I’d like to encourage you to take a look at how John handled his island predicament. The scriptures say he was worshiping in the Spirit. He took his focus off what seemed to be an unfavorable situation and took heed to the 34th Psalm where David wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” John turned his island of worry and weariness into an island of worship. When we do like John, God will turn our island of rejection into an island of reward & strength. So, always remember that it’s okay to be on an island, because it is part of our Christian journey & process. 

#dailydevotional #island #worship #vcccharlotte #favor