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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 9th

📖 For we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]. —II Corinthians 5:7 AMP

The Christian Walk is a walk of faith. We believe in a God that we cannot see with the physical eye. We believe that we are going to a Heaven we have never seen. We believe our names are written in the Book of Life even though we have not seen the book. We walk by faith and not by sight; it’s a faith life. We also believe and act on the Word of God, independent of what we see. We follow God’s commandments and endeavor to live a life that is pleasing unto Him. We stand on His promises, regardless of what we feel in our physical bodies, regardless of what is going on in our finances, or in any other situation in our lives. We believe God’s Word because His Word has the power to change whatever is going on in our bodies, finances, and any other area of our lives. God’s Word is truth, and He can be depended upon. We walk by faith, and not by sight.   

#faithwalk #dailydevotional #christianity #walkbyfaithnotbysight

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 8th

📖 But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me. —I Corinthians 15:10 AMPC

When there is an appreciation for where God brought you from, it should cause you to go all out for Him. Paul was saying that he did not want God’s grace to be in vain. He did not want what God did for him to be for nothing. God’s grace caused him to work even harder. It caused him to maximize every day. It caused him to press through every challenge and every difficulty. It didn’t really matter what happened in Paul’s life, he refused to frustrate the grace of God. Many of the epistles that are in the Bible were written while Paul was in prison. Prison could not stop Paul. Shipwrecks, stonings, beatings--nothing hindered Paul from finishing his course. If the grace of God could push Paul, how more should it push us? It should push us to finish our course, to stand before God and hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”  

#faithfulservant #Godsgrace #bible #push #apostlepaul #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 7th

📖 And there was a famine in the land, other than the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 

And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. 

Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 
—Genesis 26:1-3 AMPC

Obeying God doesn’t cost, it pays. It is always in our best interest to obey God. When we get to a place where we die to ourselves and our desires, and choose to live for Him, that is when we will see things happen in our lives. Good things. Things that will blow your socks off. Isaiah 1:19 tells us that if we are willing and obedient, we will eat the good of the land. God desires for us to live good and to eat good. Obedience is the vehicle that will take us to the land of abundance, a land of overflow. God wants us to ride upon the high places of the earth. He wants us to experience His best. We must be like Isaac. We must be where He wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do. Living a life for God is living a life of obedience. Any other life would be displeasing to Him. 

#devotional #obedience #vcccharlotte #abundance #overflow

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 6th

📖 Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. —Proverbs 29:18 AMPC

Do you have a redemptive revelation of God? God moves in our lives based on what we know and believe about Him. Jesus asked some blind men, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28) We all know that Jesus could have healed the men, but it was their believing that would determine what Jesus could do for them. Things have not changed. Our believing God gets Him in motion. Faith will always get God in motion. We must continue to study the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to give us revelation of who God is and what He can do in our lives. Faith begins where the will of God is known. The will of God is found in the Word of God. As we get the revelation of God, it will cause us to want to keep His laws. Keeping His commandments allows us to walk in the fullness of the Blessing. God wants us blessed, but it begins with seeing Him properly. We must have the proper perspective of God. He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think. There is nothing too difficult for Him. 

#revelation #vcccharlotte #faith #devotional #motion

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 5th

📖 After Jesus had finished all that He had to say in the hearing of the people [on the mountain], He entered Capernaum.

Now a centurion had a bond servant who was held in honor and highly valued by him, who was sick and at the point of death. 

And when the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, requesting Him to come and make his bond servant well. 
—Luke 7:1-3 AMPC

The centurion was in a desperate situation. One of his servants, who was very dear to him, was about to die. The situation looked hopeless. It reminds you of the story of the woman with the issue of blood. She had been to several doctors and instead of getting better, she got worse. Just like the woman with the issue of blood, the centurion heard of Jesus. Something happens when you hear of Jesus. When you hear of Jesus properly, it is supposed to give you hope. When you hear the Word of God, it should give you hope as well. The centurion had so much confidence in who Jesus was (and is), he told Him that he didn’t have to come to his house. He only needed Jesus to speak the word only. He understood the authority that Jesus walked in. He understood the spoken word. We also must hear of Jesus properly. We must hear about God properly. Things change when we do. They will turn around for the better. 

#gamechanger #devotional #faithfulGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 4th

📖 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 
—Psalm 118:24 KJV

Today is a special day. It is a day that you have never seen before. You have the opportunity to make the best of it. You can curate this day and make it what you want it to be. Every day that you wake up, you have the opportunity to make your life better. You have the chance to make your day count. You can receive benefits you haven’t received in the past because the Lord loads us with daily benefits. Today someone didn’t wake up, but you did! You have a chance to make an impact for the kingdom of God. Let’s not take life for granted. Let’s not take the day for granted. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! 

#thisisthedaythattheLordhasmade #Godisgood #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 2nd

📖 It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 
—Psalm 118:8 AMPC

Our confidence should always be in God and what His Word says. God has no limits. He is faithful. God will never let you down when you put your complete trust in Him. He loves us and wants to handle every difficulty and problem that we may encounter. A man may break his word, but God won’t. A man may change his mind, but God won’t. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven. His thoughts towards us will forever be good. His plan for our lives will always be good. Man may have ulterior motives. He may say one thing and mean something else, but God is always the same. There is no shadow of turning in Him. We can put our confidence in Him. 

#Godisfaithful #devotional #encouragement #dependable #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | November 1st

📖 The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights]. 
—Proverbs 14:14 AMPC

It always pays to serve God. It is always in our best interest to live a consecrated, sanctified life before God. One minister said, “Serving God doesn’t cost, it pays.” As we serve God and obey His commandments, we can expect to be satisfied with the fruit of our ways. We don’t obey God out of obligation, we obey God out of respect. We obey God out of our reverence and appreciation for who He is and what He has done for us. We don’t want to be like the backslider. They will be filled with the fruit of their ways as well. Their outcome will be different from ours. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The payment for a lifestyle of sin is death. We don’t want the consequences of death in any area of our lives. We must serve the Lord and walk with Him. It's important that we delight ourselves in the Lord. When we do, we can expect to receive the desires of our hearts. (Psalms 37:4) We can expect it, because God promised it, and God cannot lie. 

#Godcantlie #backslider #devotional #Godlovesus #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 31st

📖 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. 
—John 14: 21-23 AMPC

One of the best experiences that we can have is for God to manifest Himself to us. For Him to make known to us His ability and His power. God wants to show Himself strong on our behalf, but it starts with our acting on the Word of God. God is watching over His Word to perform it, and He is looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect towards Him. (Jeremiah 1:12; II Chronicles 16:9) Our believing and acting on God’s Word brings God on the scene. To love God is to obey God. Obedience to God’s Word shows that we respect God and one way we demonstrate love is by showing respect. When we love our parents, we respect them. We do what they ask us to do. It is the same way with God. We cannot say that we love God, and we don’t do what He asks us to do. Our desire should be for God to make His home in us. Wherever God stays, He takes over. And when He takes over and He upgrades. God wants to upgrade our lives. We can allow Him to by being a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. It is the doer of the Word that is blessed. (James 1:25) 

#obedience #devotional #love #vcccharlotte #respect

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 30th

📖 But some Jews arrived there from Antioch and Iconium; and having persuaded the people and won them over, they stoned Paul and [afterward] dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead. 

But the disciples formed a circle about him, and he got up and went back into the town; and on the morrow he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 

When they had preached the good news (Gospel) to that town and made disciples of many of the people, they went back to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, 

Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 
—Acts 14:19-22 AMPC

Paul was an excellent example of commitment. He was so committed to his calling that even after being stoned and left for dead, he got up and eventually went back to the same place where he was stoned. You would have thought that Paul was the one who needed encouragement. He was stoned for no reason. He was simply walking out his calling. He was fulfilling the call of God that was on his life. Paul didn’t complain. Paul didn’t walk away from the ministry. He kept on going. He kept on preaching. Paul did not allow anything to stop him from walking out the plan of God. We must have the same tenacity. We must continue to persevere. We should want to be like Paul. We should be able to say that we fought the good fight, and that we finished our course. This should be the desire of every believer. 

#commitment #vcccharlotte #perseverance #devotional #calling

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 29th

📖 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed. 
—Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

It has been said that “your future is in your associations.” It is important who our friends are. We must be mindful of who we are walking with. If we want to be wise, we must walk with wise people. If we want to be successful, we must be around people who succeeded the right way. We must endeavor to be around what we want to become. If you don’t want to be a fool, don’t hang around fools. If you don’t want to be poor, don’t hang around the poor. This is not to insinuate that we should be “snobby” or act like we are better than someone. It’s just imperative to keep in mind that if you hang around someone long enough, they will rub off on you. We want to make sure the right stuff is rubbing off us.  

#ironsharpensiron #wednesdaywisdom #friendshipgoals #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 28th

📖 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

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 26th

📖 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 
—I Peter 3:8-9 NKJV

God is love. Since we are His children, we should be ‘love children’. God desires for us to demonstrate His love towards others. When we are reviled, God wants us to bless. When we are mistreated, God wants us to love those who are mistreating us. God wants us to have His mind. He loves us no matter what we do. It does not matter how we may fall short; God still loves us. No matter what is done to us, we must be like God. We are to be tenderhearted and courteous. We are to treat people the way we want to be treated. No one said it would be easy—especially easy on our flesh, but we must be doers of the Word. We must be imitators of our Heavenly Father. 

#childrenofGod #Bible #loveofGod #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 25th

📖 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
—Philippians 3:8-10 NKJV

Our citizenship is in heaven. When we understand and hold on to that, it helps us to keep things in the proper perspective. When we set our minds on things above, it keeps us free from the love of the world. We don’t want to be like those who are ‘enemies of the cross’. Those people have their mind on earthly things. They are consumed with the things of this earth and rarely discuss heavenly things. We are to seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all the other things will be added to us. We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. When that is on our minds, there will be no destruction in our lives. Our god won’t be our bellies, and we won’t be so earthly minded that we are no heavenly good. We are ambassadors of Heaven, eagerly waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! 

#kingdomofGod #devotional #verseoftheday #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 24th

📖 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men, and gives them eternal rewards. He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. —Psalm 37:18-19 The Living Bible

The Lord knows how to take care of His people. He knows how to feed and clothe us. He is our shepherd, and we shall not lack (Psalm 23:1). We won't lack when we are obedient to the Word of God, and we make God our Source. The Scriptures tell us that “even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing”. (Psalm 34:10) We are not of the animal kingdom. We are citizens of heaven. We have a God. He is not only our God, but He is our Father. God knows how to feed us. He tells us to open our mouths wide and He will fill it (Psalm 81:10). If God can rain down manna from heaven in the wilderness, then He can feed us. God can do anything. Famine cannot stop the goodness of God. Inflation can’t stop it. A bad economy can’t stop it. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

#goodnessofGod #dailydevotional #loveofGod #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 23rd

📖 For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things— 

That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. 
—Colossians 1:9-10 AMPC

God expects our lives to increase. Our lives are to go from one level of glory to another. We should be getting better and better, and that improvement of lifestyle should stem from an increase in the knowledge of God. As we walk with God, we will experience things we’ve never had before. As we stay consistent in our reading of the Word, we will get more insight about God and who He is. Sometimes, it is new, and sometimes, it is a reminder of what we've read in the past. Our growth in life runs parallel with our growth in the knowledge of God. If we want to become more, we must learn more. If our knowledge stays the same, so do our lives. Let’s please God with our lives. Let us never stay the same, in Jesus’ Name.  

#life #devotional #knowledge #vcccharlotte #growth

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 22nd

📖 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. —Philippians 4:11-13 NKJV

It does not matter where we find ourselves in life, we are to be content. You may not be in the ideal house. You may not be driving your dream car on the way to your dream job, but God expects you to be content. Don’t confuse contentment with satisfaction. Wherever you may find yourself, realize that it is only for a season. God will take you from glory to glory. Paul learned the power of contentment. He knew how to be full and how to deal with hunger. He knew that through Christ, he can overcome every situation that was contrary to the Word of God. If he was in prison, he knew it was temporary. If he was shipwrecked, he knew it was temporary. He wrote to the Corinthian church that the things seen are temporary. (II Corinthians 4:18) No matter what we face in life, we face it knowing that we will win. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. 

#wewin #glorytoglory #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 21st

📖 This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’

“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
—Acts 7:37-40 NKJV

We must protect our hearts. We must guard our minds. Despite seeing the miracles of God, the Israelites allowed their hearts to be turned back to Egypt. They did not remember the bondage. They did not remember the turmoil or the mistreatment. Instead of waiting on God’s plan to develop, they went back to what was familiar, even when the familiar wasn’t good for them. When we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, we must turn our backs on the world. Satan will attempt to lure us back. Satan will try to bring up all the fun you had, and he will do everything he can to get a foothold back into your life. We cannot allow that. We must stay the course and continue to walk with God. We cannot allow ourselves to be contaminated by the world. If we will stay in the Word and fellowship with God, that won’t happen. We must remember that we are pilgrims that are just passing through. Our citizenship is in heaven.

#Heavenbound #protectyourheart #devotional #vcccharlotte

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 19th

📖 And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 
—Acts 7:9-10 NKJV

When God is with you, no one can stop you. Joseph had all types of hardships come his way, and yet he did not quit. He did not lose his joy. He did not allow his circumstances to control him. He had a God that could change his circumstances. We must always keep the right perspective. It doesn’t matter what happens to us, it matters Who is with us. As long as God is with us, things are subject to change. God can turn any and every negative situation around. He gave Joseph wisdom and favor when he was going through his ordeal, and God is still giving wisdom to His people. He is STILL giving favor. God is no respecter of persons. He will bring you out if you stay with Him. 

#favorofGod #promotion #vcccharlotte #devotional

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL | October 18th

📖 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33 NKJV

With so much going on in our world, it can be hard to maintain peace. Rising food and gas prices could cause the average person to worry and have anxiety about the necessities of life. But we have a God! We don’t operate through the world’s economy; we operate through Heaven’s economy. The Bible tells us that God will meet our needs according to His riches and glory (Philippians 4:19). Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things will be added unto us. Tribulation will come. Trials will come, but we must remember that Jesus has overcome the world. His victory is our victory. We can have peace in this world because we have a covenant with the Almighty God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We can have peace in this world if we will keep our mind stayed on Him. 

#peaceofGod #vcccharlotte #stressfree #devotional

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