"God Speaks"

"And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." 1 Samuel 3:10

 

Yesterday I told my little five year old granddaughter that the Lord had spoken something to me one day while I was praying. Her reply was, "You heard Him?" The other day a friend was telling me that her husband thinks it's "spooky" that she knows things that she has no "natural" way of knowing. She just tells him that she believes the Lord speaks them to her. I have heard many people question that God actually speaks to someone. The idea is so foreign to so many-- including professing Christians. 

 

I don't understand why we would think that God wouldn't, or couldn't, speak to us. He is God, therefore, He can speak if He wants to. He has always spoken to His people. He would walk and talk with Adam in the cool of the day. He spoke to Noah to build an ark. He spoke to Abraham and told him He would make him a great nation. He spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments. He spoke to the kings. He spoke to the prophets. He spoke to the disciples. 

 

How does He speak to us? He can speak to us audibly if He desires to. (That is what my granddaughter thought I meant.) But He mostly speaks to us by His Holy Spirit. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith". (Revelation 2:7) He speaks to us through a small still voice. "And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:12) He speaks to us through others. "Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me." (Matthew 28:10) He speaks to us through the Bible. "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8)   He speaks to us through His Son Jesus. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." (Hebrews 1:1,2)

 

He hasn't changed. If He ever did speak to mankind, He still does. He can speak to us in any fashion that He desires. He even spoke through a donkey once. So the question isn't, "Does God speak to us or not?". The question should be, "Are we listening when He does?"

 

Have a great day. God always has and always will speak to His people. Is He speaking to you? Are you listening?

 

For further reading:

Genesis 3:8

Numbers 22:28

Psalm 50:1

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"No Lack In God"

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

 

The word for want in this verse is translated lack. Let's talk about "lack" this morning. We do not have to lack in any area of our lives. The Lord provides for all our needs and will give us what we lack. "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." Psalm 34:10

 

What are you lacking today? Are you lacking strength? The Lord will give you strength. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." Isaiah 40:20

 

Are you lacking wisdom? The Lord is the giver of wisdom, understanding, insight and guidance. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5 

 

Are you lacking peace? He is the giver of peace. He gives a peace that passes our understanding because it is so great. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

 

Are you lacking some material thing necessary to life? "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

 

When God created the world, He didn't leave anything out. He provided everything that would be needed-- there was no lack. When God sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins through His death on the cross, there was nothing lacking. It was all bought and paid for there was nothing left to do, it was finished-- there was no lack. There is no lack in God's love for you. There is no lack in His compassion. There is no lack of His mercy and grace. There is no lack in His provisions. There is no lack in God period. Therefore, we can trust Him to provide those things that we lack and have need of. 

 

Have a great day. What are you lacking? There is no lack in God, therefore, He will give you what you need.

 

For further reading:

John 19:30

2 Peter 1:3

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"He Is The Lifter"

"The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." 1 Samuel 2:7

 

The word lift means to: rise up, to lift up. There are times when we are "down"-- down and out; down on the bottom; down as low as we can get; cast down. Actually, we were born "down" because of sin. But there is good news for us in those times when we are feeling down--- the Lord is the Lifter.

 

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." Psalm 40:2 The Lord reached down into the pit of sin and death and lifted us up through His loving-kindness, tender mercy and all sufficient grace. He did this through His Son Jesus who paid the ransom for our sins at the cross. 

 

"But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head." Psalm 3:3 When your head is hung down in shame, laden with guilt, when you are under condemnation because of a besetting sin, then He is the Lifter of your head. He can cause you to "hold your head up" again through His forgiveness, grace and peace.

 

"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;" Psalm 113:7 When you are down and feel you can't go on. When your need is so great that it looks hopeless. The Lord is the Lifter that brings you up over the situation by meeting and supplying all your need.

 

"Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:" Psalm 9:13 Troubles come to all of us. They come in various forms-- through circumstances, through physical problems, through material lack, through other people. But when they do, the Lord is there and takes note of what you are going through. He will lift you out and put you in a place of life-- abundant life.

 

"He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man." Psalm 18:48 He lifts us up and places us in His own loving care when enemies rise up against us. He lifts us up by fighting the battle for us.

 

Are you "down and out" today? Is your head hanging in shame? Are your hands hanging down in weakness? Are you down in a pit of despair, grief, confusion or turmoil? I have good news. There is a Lifter. There is One who can lift you up. It doesn't matter how deep down you are, there is no pit too deep, no problem too big, no enemy too fierce and no situation that is impossible for the Lord, the Lifter, to handle.

 

Have a great day. The Lord is the Lifter. 

 

For further reading:

Psalm 42:5

Philippians 4:19

Deuteronomy 3:22

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Bone To Bone"

"So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." Ezekiel 37:7

 

"...the bones came together, bone to his bone." In the vision that Ezekiel saw of the valley that was full of dry disconnected bones, God had him prophesy over them and the bones began to come together. Each bone, though disconnected and scattered came together perfectly. Each bone reconnected into its original and proper place. The thigh bone reconnected to the hip bone-- it didn't connect to the arm bone The collar bone reconnected to the arm bone- it did not connect to the toe bone. The rib bones reconnected to one another- they did not connect to the ankle bones. 

 

When God does something, He does it perfectly. "Bone to his bone". He puts everything in place exactly as it should be. He makes no mistakes. He doesn't leave anything to chance. He does it and He does it right. Therefore, we can trust Him.

 

Does your life feel like everything is "scattered"? Does it feel "disconnected"? Does it seem as though it is all out of place? Ezekiel spoke to the bones what God told him to speak. You need to speak to God and hear what He is saying about your "valley of bones". Then do what He tells you to do, just like the prophet did. 

 

Earlier the Lord asked Ezekiel a question, "And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." (v.3,4) Can your "dry bones" live? Can things "come together" in your life? Through God they can. He proved it to Ezekiel, and the situation he saw was as bad as it could get. 

 

Trust the Lord. Speak His word of life into your situation (verse 4). Watch Him move and work on your life. What He does, He does perfectly. He never makes a mistake. He knows how to put things together in their proper place.

 

Have a great day. The Lord knows how to put things together and in their proper place, no matter how impossible it may seem.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 19:26

Ephesians 4:20

Ezekiel 37:1-10

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Sexual Immorality"

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication." 1 Thessalonians 4:3

 

Yesterday when we talked about the falling away,one of the most prominent areas we see this in is the area of sexual immorality-- homosexuality, adultery, fornication. It has become common place and accepted by and within the church. It seems like there is more of it inside the church (among those who profess to be Christians) than there is out in the world. We see it in the pastors, worship leaders, youth pastors and among the congregation. 

 

Who would have ever believed that whole congregations would be organized around homosexuality. Who would have ever dared to think that a pastor would have an affair with someone in the church. Who would have thought that deacons and church leaders would be living with someone they weren't married to. And countless others sit week after week in church, even holding offices, that are living in adultery.

 

When I grew up, it wasn't heard of. I also grew up knowing that it was wrong to have sex with someone you weren't married to. I knew it was wrong to be intimately involved with someone of the same sex. But now days it doesn't seem to be a big deal. The belief that I grew up with was not just and old-fashioned belief, it was based on the Word of God. God said in His Word this was wrong. He even went so far as to call it sin and an abomination to Him. He said that those who do such would not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 

You may think it is an old-fashioned belief. You may think that it is time Christians come into the Twenty-first century. You may think that things have changed and it is acceptable, but you would be wrong. God has not changed His mind about the subject. He has not recanted on what He once said. He doesn't condone it. He doesn't accept it. And neither will He excuse it. He will judge it along with all sin. And those who practice it will be judged.

 

God is clear about what His will is-- your sanctification and that you abstain from all sexual immorality. If you are involved in sexual immorality then see this as God sees it--- sin. Confess it to Him. Repent and turn from it. Then begin to walk in His will-- abstaining from sexual immorality.

 

Have a great day. Sexual immorality is still sin in God's eyes. 

 

For further reading:

Malachi 3:6

Galatians 5:19-21

1 Corinthians 6:9

Revelation 21:8

John 8:11

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Narrow Way Or Wide Way?"

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." 2 Thessalonians 2:3

"... a falling away..." Sadly, we are seeing this very thing happen in our churches. There is a falling away of those who profess to be Christians. They are falling away from the truth of God's Word. They are falling away from the foundations of the gospel and following with itching ears those who tell them what they want to hear and what appeals to their flesh.

 

Many are going the way of Balaam following the lust of their flesh, materialism, riches and fame. Many have moved from the foundation of righteousness and holiness and are living in adultery and homosexuality. They are following after the gods of entertainment. They live by a code-- tickle my ears, tell me what makes me feel good, make everything appealing to me. Entire "churches" are going in this direction. More people are embracing it than those who aren't. 

 

But didn't the Bible also say that strait was the gate and narrow was the way that leads to life and few will find it. It also says that wide is gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many will find it. Leaving the foundations that God has established through His Word will put you on a broad way. Following your own fleshly desires will put you on a broad way. Embracing carnality as opposed to God's way of righteousness will put you on a broad way. The only narrow way- which is the only safe way- is Jesus. (He is THE Way-- the way that leads to eternal life.) Following Him keeps you on the strait and narrow way-- following Him in holiness, righteousness, purity of heart, morality and obedience. Loving what He loves, hating what He hates, seeking Him and His way keeps you from falling away and on the narrow path of life.

 

Which group are you in this morning? Are you one the many on the broad way that leads to destruction? Are you falling away from the foundation in which God has laid by following after that which appeases your flesh? Or are you one of the few on the narrow way who are wholeheartedly following Jesus and His Way?

 

Have a great day. Are you among the few that are following Jesus on the narrow way? Or among the many that are following their flesh on the broad way?

 

For further reading:

Matthew 7:13,14,15

2 Timothy 4:3

2 Peter 2:15

John 14:6

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Greater Glory Than At First"

"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9

 

I have a prophetic word that the Lord has given me to share with you.

 

Many of you have lost your zeal, your first love, your Holy Ghost boldness, your hunger and thirst for righteousness, the joy of your salvation and your desire for the things of God. You are trying to get back to where you once were. You are trying to regain the "glory of the former house" -- that which you once had with the Lord. 

 

The Lord says that as you turn from your wicked ways, as you confess your sins, as you repent of your wrong doings, as you draw near to Him, as you begin to seek His face, He will restore to you everything the locust, cankerworm, palmerworm and caterpillar has stolen. He will restore the "glory of the former house".

 

But He also says that He is doing a "new thing". The new thing that He is doing is two-fold: it is a "renewed" thing-- He will renew the glory of the former house, but He will also give the addition of a "double portion" glory. And the "glory of the latter house" will be greater than the "glory of the former house". Your end will be better than your beginning. Not only will you "get back" all that was lost (a renewing), but you will also get another measure. A greater measure of boldness, of joy in the Lord, of love, of wisdom, of power to witness, of insight, of spiritual gifts. The latter "glory" that was on Elisha was greater than the former glory that was on Elijah. When Elisha received the "glory" from God, he received the single portion of Elijah and an extra measure-- the "glory of the latter is greater than the former".

 

If this word fits you this morning, receive it. Turn from your ways, stop seeking your own will, stop turning from God, turn in repentance, stop your rebellion, expect Him to finish now the work that He begun in you in the past. Expect Him to bring restoration but also expect Him to do even greater with you and in you now. It is your Father's good pleasure to give to you the Kingdom. And He will give it to those who humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways. 

 

Have a great day. You are desiring the former glory, but God wants to give you the latter glory.

 

For further reading:

Joel 2:25,26

2 Kings 2:9-13

Isaiah 43:19

2 Chronicles 7:14

Luke 12:32

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"The Cause And The Result"

"His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies." Psalm 112:8

 

The Bible is full of promises but each of those promises have a condition. It is full of results and each result has a cause. For example-- you reap what you sow; you believe in Jesus and you receive eternal life. The scripture above is no different. When we have an established heart (cause), we do not have to be in fear (effect/result). While having an established heart will remove fear there is a condition again to that-- having your heart established in the right place.

 

The word for "established" means to lean upon; rest on; to uphold; sustain. They key then is in "what" you are resting in and leaning upon. A building that is resting upon a cotton foundation instead of cement will not stand-so the structure will fall. If I stop during an activity and lean upon a curtain I will fall over. What I am trying to lean on and have hold me up will not because of what it is made of. It is not strong enough, substantial enough, firm enough and it was not designed to hold my weight up. 

 

Often we look to something that cannot hold us up. Earthly things don't have the ability to uphold us. Many are trying to find peace (which is the opposite of fear) in numerous sources that cannot establish (hold them up). They try to find it in education, position, relationships, fortune, etc. These will never establish your heart because they are not designed to do so. They are temporal, they are faulty, they are flawed and they are subject to change.

 

There is only one place in which our hearts can be established if we want freedom from fear and live in inner peace. That place is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is strong enough to uphold us. He is the place of rest. We can lean upon Him and trust that He will not waver or fall. He is well able to uphold us and keep us securely established. 

 

When our hearts are established in Him, we do not have to fear. We do not have to fear man. We do not have to fear the enemy of our soul. We do not have to fear an evil report. We do not have to fear the threats of others. We do not have to fear problems and trying circumstances. We do not have to fear sickness or disease or even death itself. 

 

The result of a fear-free life is found in having our hearts established. But it is important that you have it established in the right place-- in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Have a great day. When our hearts are established in Jesus, the end result will be peace.

 

For further reading:

John 14:27

Ephesians 3:17

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"God's Help"

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

 

In this verse is a word of encouragement when fear begins to come your way and you feel disheartened. God Himself gives you four words of reissuance and comfort as well as wonderful promises.

 

1) "I am thy God." He is "your" God- personally involved in your life. That means He cares about YOU!

2) "I will strengthen thee." He promises to give you the strength that you need to make it through the trying times. Strength of heart, strength of spirit, strength of body and strength of mind. He will give you His strength-- perfect strength.

3) "I will help thee." He will help you- come to your aid; fight for you and not abandon you to fight for or fend for yourself.

4) "I will uphold thee with my right hand of righteousness." God is the One who will hold you up. You don't, and can't, uphold yourself. He is the One who keeps you from falling. He is the One who gives you grace to keep standing and to get up when you do stumble and fall.

 

So take heart this morning. You have nothing to fear, you have nothing to be anxious about, you have nothing to be disheartened about. The God who made the universe, the God who calls the stars by name, the God who knows the number of hairs on your head, the God before whom nothing is hid, loves you and promises to always be with you meeting your every need!

 

Have a great day. Do not be afraid, the Lord is with you.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 10:30

Psalm 147:4

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"A Tub Of Water"

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Ephesians 5:26

The Word of God is like water that washes our souls and minds. Therefore, we must be washed by it constantly. Being washed by the Word is not the same thing as merely reading it. Just because you are reading through the Bible doesn't mean that you are being washed by it. Reading it only is like a person who runs a tub of water but never gets in it and takes a bath. But being washed by it means you then get in the tub and take a "bath". 

Taking a bath in the Word boils down to one thing-- being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. Is it washing you? Are you letting God's Word cleanse you from anything that is unlike Christ? Are you letting it change any unrighteous attitude you may have? Are you letting it wash away the grime of daily contact with this world? Are you letting it wash away false, negative, humanistic thinking? Are you letting it wash away conformity to this world? Or are you reading it and being a forgetful hearer of what it is saying? Are you applying it to your life and letting it change and transform you into the image of its Author? Only reading it (just running the tub of water) is like a person who looks into a mirror and then when you get away from the mirror you forget what you look like. While being washed by it causes you to continually remember what it shows you and let it do something about what needs to be changed.

Have a great day. Are you merely running a tub full of God's Word, or are you taking a bath in it and letting it cleanse you from all unrighteousness?

For further reading:

James 1:23-25

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Compared To Who?"

 

"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." John 21:21,22
 

If we are not careful we tend to judge our Christianity by others. We often use another person as an indication of where we are spiritually. You have heard it, "I am just as good as they are. At least I don't do this or that." 

 

Jesus had just prophesied to Peter about his future and the first thing Peter wanted to know was, "What about John?" He seemed to be more concerned with what Jesus' plan was for someone else than it was for his own life. He judged God's plan for his life by God's plan for someone else.

 

God's plan for us is a corporate plan where we all work together as a "body" to fulfill His plan in the earth. But that plan is accomplished through individuals who make up the whole body. So God has a plan for each of us. Therefore we can't compare God's individual plan for us with His plan for someone else. 

 

God desires spiritual growth for each of us. He wants all His children to grow and mature until we all come unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. But we don't accomplish this by comparing ourselves with one another. We have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We must work at it whether anyone else does or not. We must keep pressing on to maturity no matter who else is or isn't. We must not quit even though we may think we have "arrived" because we are better than someone else or more spiritually mature than another brother or sister in Christ. 

 

The only comparison we can do, the only one that counts, the only One that we are measuring our lives by is Jesus. He is the measuring stick by which we are to judge ourselves. He is the measurement by which we measure our spiritual growth. Are we looking more like Him? Is He the One being seen in us? Can you say that when you have seen me, you have seen Him? Do others see His reflection in you?

 

Have a great day. We cannot compare ourselves with each other and get a true indication of where we are spiritually. Jesus is the only One we can compare our lives to and get a true evaluation.

 

For further reading:

Ephesians 4:13

Romans 12:4

1 Corinthians 12:12,20

Philippians 2:12

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Complete In Jesus"

"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 2:10

 

People search for something to make them feel "complete". Many women don't feel complete/fulfilled in life unless they have had a child. Some feel like they have to have a spouse in order to be complete. Others seek to obtain a certain title, status in life, education, fame or fortune. Without these, they feel their life is not complete.

 

While these are not bad things to desire, they are not what gives us true completeness. Outside of Christ our lives are incomplete. When Adam sinned, we lost a part of ourselves. The glory of God that was upon man departed-- we were left naked and separated from God. Since that time man has been trying to get it back-- he has been trying to be complete and feel fulfilled. He has tried to get it back on his own. He has tried to get it through all the areas we just talked about and a few more.

 

There is only one thing that completes us. There is only one source that fulfills us. That is the Lord Jesus Himself. Outside of Him we will always be incomplete. We will always be lacking. We will always be striving to fill ourselves up by ourselves. 

 

If you are feeling incomplete, check your relationship with Jesus. Do you have one? Is a relationship with Him non-existent? Is it well? He is the One that fulfills us and gives us peace and contentment.

 

Have a great day. Jesus Christ is the only One who can truly make us complete and fulfilled. 

 

For further reading:

Genesis 3:7

Isaiah 59:2

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Eternal Place"

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3

 

In these words of Jesus we find great comfort. He is preparing a place for us. He is coming again for us. He will take us to where He is. Therefore, don't lose heart; don't lose faith; don't lose focus.

 

Don't lose heart. When trying times come, when problems arise, when it seems as if life is more than you can handle, don't lose heart Don't let it cause you to despair, be discouraged and give in to the pressures. Remember, this life is not all there is. Jesus will return for you and take you to be where He is.

 

Don't lose faith. When the going gets rough, and when it feels as if you aren't going to make it hold on to the words of Jesus who promised that He will come again and take you to be with Him. He is faithful as promised. 

 

Don't lose focus. When the circumstances of life are weighing you down, when it seems as if you will never see the light of day again, stay focused... not on this temporary life, but on the one that is eternal where we will live with Jesus forever in His Father's house. This world and this life is not all there is.

 

Have a great day. Don't lose heart, don't lose your faith, don't lose your focus, this life is not all there is, there is an eternity that awaits us. If we don't give up we will spend it with Jesus in the place He is preparing for us.

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 11:11

1 Thessalonians 4:17

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Eat Your Bread"

"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

 

What physical bread/food is to our bodies, the Word of God is to our souls. It is sustenance to our spirits. It gives us life, strength and "nutrition". Therefore, we live and stay alive spiritually by consuming the Word of God. We don't find life and spiritual sustenance in words of philosophy, intellect, psychology, human wisdom or even good ole common sense. While these may all sound good and have an element of knowledge we might follow, there is only one source that gives us true life-- the Word of God.

 

What do you spend your time "eating"? Where are you getting the food from that should be feeding your soul? Are you getting it from man's words of wisdom? Some great philosopher from the past? Book knowledge? Old wives tales? Humanistic reasoning?

 

While there may be something we can glean from these sources. They can never replace the Word of God. Jesus likened His Word to bread. He didn't liken it to such things as cake and ice cream. He called it bread because bread is the basic food that sustains our bodies. Cake and ice cream have little to no nutritional value where bread does. If you are feeding your spirit on these other sources we have talked about instead of the Word of God, you are only getting a diet of "junk food". Junk food won't make you healthy-- physically or spiritually.

 

Have a great day. The Word of God is the only source of true spiritual nutritional value. 

 

For further reading:

John 17:17

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"The Provision Of The Word"

"And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat." Exodus16:15

 

When it comes to Christian disciplines, such as Bible reading, many look at this as a "work". They think that it is a work that Christians must do along with prayer and church attendance if they are going to be right with God. It is not something we do so that we can get a "brownie point" or part of a religious "check list" so that we will feel spiritual. Bible reading is not a religious work, it is a provision. It is not something the Lord "makes" us do, it is something He provides for us to have. 

 

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God provided them with manna (bread) every day. Collecting the manna could not be looked at as a religious obligation that they had to fulfill-- it was their provision. Had they not collected it they would have starved. 

 

God's Word is your provision. It is your spiritual bread. Collecting (reading) it each day is not the fulfillment of a religious duty-- it has been provided so you won't starve spiritually. When you see it in this way, (something you have to have, not something you have to do) then you will see the great necessity in taking time to read it every day and more often. 

 

Have a great day. Reading God's Word is not a work that we do, it is spiritual bread that the Lord has provided for us. Are you "collecting" it each day? 

 

For further reading:

Exodus 16

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.