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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 17th

📖 Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ 

 “He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black-and-blue by her pounding.’” 

Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?” 
—Luke 18:1-8 The Message Bible

Will God find persistent faith on the earth when He returns? Will He find faith that refuses to quit? Will He find a faith that won’t give up? There are too many believers that are throwing in the towel. They don’t persevere through tough times. If things aren’t going well, they complain. That is not what Jesus is coming back for. This is not faith at all. We are to stand on the promises of God until they become a reality in our lives. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. We don’t serve an unjust judge; we serve a great God. He is merciful, kind, and He honors His Word. We don’t have to beg and plead like servants, we can come boldly before His throne and obtain whatever it is that we need. If we are the generation that will usher in the return of Christ, we must see to it that He sees persistent faith when He comes. 

#faith #mercy #devotional #vcccharlotte #believe

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 16th

📖 Some, of course, are preaching the Good News because they are jealous of the way God has used me. They want reputations as fearless preachers! But others have purer motives, preaching because they love me, for they know that the Lord has brought me here to use me to defend the Truth. And some preach to make me jealous, thinking that their success will add to my sorrows here in jail! But whatever their motive for doing it, the fact remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am glad. 
—Philippians 1:15-18 The Living Bible 

Isn't it amazing how people could take such a high calling and use it for so many different reasons. The Gospel is preached to train, teach, equip, and edify the Body of Christ. Paul heard that men were preaching with the wrong motives. Some of their motives were good and some were questionable. Let us examine our motives today. Why do you do what you do? Why are you on that job? Why do you attend the church that you attend? God looks at the heart. God looks at and examines our motives. Let’s keep our motives pure. Let's aim to be what God wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. We want to serve God with a pure heart. Everything we do for God; we want Him to be proud because we did it with the right motive. We want to stand before Him and hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”. 

#pureheart #devotional #motives #vcccharlotte #calling

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 15th

📖 The spirit of a man sustains him in sickness, But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it? —Proverbs 18:14 AMP 

In the world many people are consistent when it comes to feeding themselves. As Christians we are exhorted from the Word to feed our spirit man but many times we neglect to do so. The verse here says a man’s spirit will keep and sustain him in sickness. If we are not consistently feeding our spirit, it will not be able to sustain us during that time. Just like we constantly feed our natural body, we must give attention our spirit man. We can do this by reading and meditating the Word of God daily so that the word can come up in our spirits in our time of need. We also can commune with God in our heavenly language in prayer and worship. These practices will keep our spirits strong, and in turn, keep our bodies well. 

#prayer #devotional #feedyourspirit #vcccharlotte #worship

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 14th

📖 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 

Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world. 
—I Peter 5:8-9 AMPC

The devil is doing what he does best. He is going about as a roaring lion looking to steal, kill, and destroy. The good news is that as believers, we have authority over the devil, and he cannot destroy us. Satan is the god of this world; the whole world is under his influence (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2). We have been separated and consecrated unto our God. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. Satan is not our Lord, and we can say what Jesus said: “He has nothing in me” (John 14:30). The devil is going to do what he does. So as believers, let's do what we do as well. Let’s resist him and having done all to stand, let’s stand, knowing we have the victory. 

#victory #devotional #vcccharlotte #goodnews #letsstand

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 12th

📖 For not from the east nor from the west nor from the south come promotion and lifting up. But God is the Judge! He puts down one and lifts up another. —Psalm 75:6-7 AMPC

God is the source of our promotion. We do not look to man to promote us; we look to the Lord. The Bible even tells us that we are to work unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). God promoted Joseph while he was a slave and a prisoner. Daniel was promoted while he and his people were taken into captivity. Nebuchadnezzar even commented that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Daniel 4:25). Our job is to work unto the Lord and to walk in a spirit of excellence. As we do those things, we can rest assured that promotion is on the way. Promotion does not come from men; promotion comes from the Lord. Be encouraged. 

#promotioncomesfromtheLord #trustGod #humility #vcccharlotte #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 11th

📖 The Scripture passage came true. It says, “Abraham believed God, and that faith was regarded as the basis of Abraham’s approval by God.” So Abraham was called God’s friend. —James 2:23 GW

What a compliment it is to be called a “friend of God”. This should be the goal of every believer. The good news is that we have the characteristics of what made Abraham a friend of God. He simply believed God, which is commonly easier said than done. God’s Word says that we are healed, yet many are saying that they are sick. God’s Word tells us that we are righteous, and yet many Christians call themselves sinners ‘saved by grace’. You cannot be a sinner and a Christian at the same time. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer sinners. The Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, and sin has no more dominion over us. God is not a man that He should lie. Because of that, we can believe His Word and act on it. As we do that on a consistent basis, we’ll see change in our lives and in our status with God. You won’t just be a child of God; you will be considered a “friend of God”. 

#friendofGod #devotional #inspiration #vcccharlotte #abraham

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 10th

📖 When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep and stretched out the firmament over it, 

When He made firm the skies above, when He established the fountains of the deep, 

When He gave to the sea its limit and His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth— 

When I [Wisdom] was beside Him as a master and director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, 
—Proverbs 8:27-30 AMPC

There are so many benefits that are available to us through Christ Jesus. One benefit is the Wisdom of God. The Bible tells us that “Jesus is made unto us wisdom” (I Corinthians 1:30). Not only does Jesus live on the inside of us, but so does His Wisdom. I Corinthians 2:7 tells us that “we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory”. When you couple that with I Corinthians 14:2, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries”. We now have an idea how to access that wisdom. When you are spirit-filled, you can pray out the Wisdom of God by praying in the Spirit. This will help you remember what to do in any situation. The Wisdom of God established this world, and His wisdom will establish ours, when we pursue it and seek it out. 

#wisdom #vcccharlotte #devotional #spiritfilled

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 9th

📖 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. —Matthew 16:24 AMPC

If we are going to be followers of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to follow him and his program for our lives. God expects us to disregard, lose sight of, and forget ourselves and our own interests. We have to be willing to be what He wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. We must renew our minds just like the Word of God tells us too. God has a place and a plan for us. Many times, it is difficult to see and to experience what God has in store for us because we are holding on to the plans that we have set for lives. There is no need for that. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than thoughts. Our lives will go to another level when we embrace this truth. We must take up our cross and follow Him.  

#followersofChrist #vcccharlotte #Godsplan #truth #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 8th

📖 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;”
—Luke 4:18 NKJV

Just like Jesus had a specific calling on His life. We as ambassadors of Christ have one as well. God has anointed us to minister salvation, deliverance, and healing to this broken world. There are people in the world that are hurting and yearning for a touch from God and we all have a calling to deliver that touch. God wants to show people how much he loves and cares for them and He wants to use us! In these last days we must lock down our calling and start to get into the positions and places where He wants us to be in so we can minister to whoever He brings our way. Let us continue to chase after the high calling God has for us like our Lord and Savior, ministering to those who need our God.

#ourcalling #minister #vcccharlotte #devotional #MostHigh

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 7th

📖 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. —Psalm 16:11 NKJV

Because of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, He will show us the right path. If you choose to walk on that path, the Lord’s presence will go with you. As you rely on Him and put the total weight of your trust, honor, and love in Him, you will find yourself in His right hand. Did you note the progression? First: Relationship - God will show you. Second: Fellowship - If you move in His direction, His presence will go with you. Third: Friendship - If you value His presence, He will position you at His right hand. Relationship to fellowship and fellowship to friendship is what our Heavenly Father offers. Why? Because He wants you to experience abundant life, fullness of joy, and pleasures that are eternal! If the path you are on is not producing the abundant life Jesus paid for you to have, get in pursuit of the Lord. If you are not experiencing the presence of God with the fullness of joy, regardless of what is happening on the journey, pursue Him for direction. Get back on the path of life! If you find yourself with more pain than pleasure, pursue God’s presence until you are at His right hand. He has provided all that you need. Will you accept it?  

#iamvictory #pathoflife #inHispresence #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 5th

📖 The Lord is with me, so I will not be afraid. No one on earth can do anything to harm me. The Lord is my helper. I will see my enemies defeated. —Psalm 118:6-7 ERV 

We have no reason to fear anything in this life. God is on our side and because of that we don’t need to fear man or anything about man. We shouldn’t allow the position of a man to intimidate us. God is greater than any human being. He can humble whoever He needs to, and He can remove whoever needs to be removed. The Bible tells us that the heart of the king is the hand of God, and He turns it whichever way He desires (Proverbs 21:1). God will fight for us. He will make our enemies our footstools if necessary. We are to live peaceably with all men. We are to respect all men, but we are never to fear any man. If God be for us, who can be against us. 

#faithoverfear #devotional #iamvictory #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 4th

📖 Fools make a mock of sin and sin mocks the fools [who are its victims; a sin offering made by them only mocks them, bringing them disappointment and disfavor], but among the upright there is the favor of God. —Proverbs 14:9 AMPC

Only fools make a mockery of sin. As believers, we are to be sober-minded about the wages of sin. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. Adam and Eve underestimated the cost of sin. It cost them everything. Sin will mock us if we don’t stay free from it. We must stay away from sin and embrace righteousness and the dividends it pays. The text tells us that among the upright, there is favor with God. We only tend to gain when we do things God’s way. Obedience doesn’t cost, it pays. It always pays to serve God.  

#obedience #honorGod #devotional #Wednesdaywisdom #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 3rd

📖 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” ⎯Job 1:8 NKJV

In this scripture, we see that the Lord is bragging on Job for his excellence in godliness and his stand for righteousness. Can the same be said of us? Are we living and standing up for God? Christians have started to compromise on the things they once stood firm on. We are a peculiar people, and we are always to stand out from the world. When we compromise on the standards of God, we lose what makes us different. God told us to come out from among them and be separate. Job was separated from the world and its way of life. God is so pleased when we decide to live the same way. In Genesis 6, it talks about how the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and God was sorry that he made man, but God said Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Why did Noah find favor in the eyes of the Lord? The answer is in Genesis 6:9. It says “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God.” Noah took a stand for God in an ungodly society, and we can do the same thing. Let us make the firm decision like Noah and Job to live for God so that He will be able to brag on us. 

#favor #devotional #vcccharlotte #liveforGod 

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 2nd

📖 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 

There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. 

For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 

They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 

You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. 
—Psalm 91:9-13 AMPC

We are living in perilous times. We are living in very dangerous times. We cannot forget about our angels. When we make the Most High our dwelling place and our refuge, we can depend on Him to protect us. We can expect no evil to befall us or any plague or calamity to come near our dwelling. We know that God will give His angels charge over us and that they will defend and preserve us. We are in this world, but we are not of it. Since we are not of it, we don’t have to have the same experiences that the rest of the world has. We are of a different kingdom; therefore, we should have a different mindset. We should walk free of fear because of the One we serve. God is our refuge and our fortress. The Lord is our strong tower, we run into it, and we are safe. 

#refuge #wearesafe #vcccharlotte #devotional #MostHigh

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 1st

📖 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. —Isaiah 59:1 NKJV

God is not new to saving His people, and matter of fact, He alone specializes in it. There has not been a situation or problem brought by His people that has given Him any ounce of trouble or difficulty. He is the Almighty and All-powerful God, and we, as His children, must start recognizing that. The Lord’s power has not been diminished, and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is still active and available to change whatever is wrong in our lives. As His representatives on earth let us remember that God hears our prayers, and He is still all powerful. 

#representGod #AlmightyGod #vcccharlotte #power #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 30th

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

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

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

#wordshavepower #devotional #vcccharlotte #Jesus

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 28th

📖 Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. —Acts 4:13 AMPC

Peter and John had no formal education. They were unlearned and ignorant men. None of that mattered because of the informal training that they received from Jesus. The mentorship that they received propelled them for the ministry that they were entering. They had learned from the best. The training they received was more valuable and more extensive than anything they could have learned in any school. Education is very important. Training from God is even more important; it will prepare you for what He has for you. Formal education may require you to take classes you will never use in your life, but God’s training is never wasted time. He will take you to a place that will have people marveling. They will know that you have been with Jesus. 

#beenwithJesus #devotional #mentorship #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 27th

📖 Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean. 

Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and stood before him. He said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. So now accept a gift from your servant. 

Elisha said, As the Lord lives, before Whom I stand, I will accept none. He urged him to take it, but Elisha refused. 
—2 Kings 5:14-16 AMPC

Naaman almost missed out on his miracle. The man of God told him to dip seven times in the Jordan, but Naaman initially would not do it. He expected the prophet to give him a different set of instructions. Finally, one of his servants talked him into obeying the man of God, and he received a miracle. He was cleansed from leprosy, and his flesh was restored. When we obey whatever God has instructed us to do, there is always a blessing attached to it. God will never tell us to do something that would be harmful to us. The Bible tells us that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). God wants us to eat good, and He wants us to live good as well, but it all starts with obedience to His Word. 

#obedienceisbetterthansacrifice #trustGod #dailydevotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 26th

📖 Boys (lads), let no one deceive and lead you astray. He who practices righteousness [who is upright, conforming to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action, living a consistently conscientious life] is righteous, even as He is righteous. 

[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]. 

No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God. 
—I John 3: 7-9 AMPC

There is a saying that says, “You can tell a tree by its fruit”. When you are connected with righteousness, it produces righteous living. When you are connected to sin, it produces a life of sin. Jesus came to sever the connection with Satan, the author of sin and death. The whole world is under the power of the evil one (I John 5:19). Jesus came to destroy, loosen, and dissolve the works of the devil. We don’t have to be under the control of the evil one. Jesus has set us free! Sin no longer has dominion over us and we can walk free from a sin consciousness. We are new creatures in Christ. We are one Spirit with the Lord. We can live a righteous life because we are connected to the righteous One. We can live the way He lives because as He is, so are we in this world. (I John 4:17). 

#righteousness #devotional #freedom #vcccharlotte #newcreations

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | September 25th

📖 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! —Psalm 103:20 ESV

Are you putting your angels to work? Are you giving them something to do? The angels of God act on the Word of God. When they hear a person speaking or confessing the Word of God, they go to work. They stand at attention, ready to defend and protect. When a person confesses that “God will supply their needs” (Philippians 4:19), they work to make that a reality in the person's life. The angels work to cause the manifestation of the Word of God in the life of the individual who will confess it. In Daniel 10:12, the angel said to Daniel, “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.” Notice the angel came because of Daniel’s words. The angels will do the same for us when we speak in line with God’s Word. 

#angels #speaktheWord #devotional #GodsWord #vcccharlotte

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