"Empowered And Infused"

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

 

The emphasis in this verse is not on "I can do all things", but on "through Christ which strengthens me." I love the way this verse reads in the Amplified Bible. "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]."

 

Without Christ's strength we could do nothing, no matter how strong we are, how well educated we are, have prosperous we are, we can do nothing except through Him and by His strength. It is Christ who empowers us and infuses us with inner strength. 

 

We are empowered with the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. It is the same power that spoke in the beginning of creation the words, "Let there be" and it came into existence. It is the same power that causes demons to flee, blind eyes to be open, seas to part, shuts the mouths of lions and causes mountains to be removed. It is the power of the Almighty, Omnipotent God residing in us through His Son.

 

We are infused with inner strength. Christ infuses us, pours into us in such a fashion where we are soaked and completely saturated with His strength on the inside. His strength is "united" with our weakness and we are then made strong in Him and the power of His might. So then the life that we now live in the flesh, we live by the faith of the Son of God. It is not I that liveth but Christ that lives in me. He lives in me manifesting His great power and strength inside of me so that I truly now can do all things. I can go through the fire and not be burned. I can speak to mountains and they have to move. I can lay hands of the sick and they shall recover. I can live a holy life. I can hold my tongue when I need to keep quiet. I can give a cup of cold water to my enemy when he is thirsty. I can have peace even in the middle of the storm. I can run and not be weary and walk and not faint. I can stand before the giant and not be afraid. All because Christ's strength is made perfect in my weakness. 

 

He gives me inner strength. Jesus working on the inside of me, gives me a strength that keeps me going long after I have grown weary, long after my body is tired, long after I am ready to give up, long after I feel I can't make it and long after I am unable to go on. 

 

I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Christ. I now have power over whatever comes my way because Christ has power over it. Nothing can have power over me because it has no power over Christ. 

 

Have a great day. Because we are empowered by Christ so we can do all things through Him. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:11

Ephesians 6:10

Galatians 2:20

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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.

"More Than Information"

"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me." Psalm 40:7

 

The Bible is not just a book of information. It is a book of revelation. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ. From cover to cover- from Genesis to Revelation- Jesus is its grand subject. 

 

Every account, every story, every chapter and practically every verse we read points to Jesus.

He is seen before the foundation of the world was ever laid. 

 

We see Him in the creation of all things-- for by Him all things we made and without Him nothing was made that is made. 

 

We see Him at the fall in the Garden of Eden. He is the Promised One who would come and crush the head of the serpent. 

 

We see Him in the ram that was caught in the thicket for Abraham. We see Him in the blood that was applied to the doorpost for the Israelites as protection their last night in Egypt, and the Passover Lamb. He was the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. He was the fourth man in the fiery furnace. He is revealed through the stone in David's sling shot that brought down the giant. He was the rock that followed Israel in the wilderness from which water flowed, and the manna that came from heaven to provide their need. He was revealed in Ruth as the Kinsman redeemer. 

 

We see Him as God's great redemption plan of man. He was the suffering Savior. He was the One in Whom the Godhead resided bodily. He is the One who was dead but is now alive.

He was the One who revealed the Father and showed us His Father's great love by dying on the cross for the sins of the world. 

 

He is the One who is coming back again, only this time He is not coming wrapped in sinful flesh. He will not come as the dying Christ. He will not come as a man. The Bible reveals that He will be coming the second time in great power and glory. He will have a vesture that reads The Word of God, and upon His thigh is written King of kings and Lord of lords. He will put down His foes once and for all. He will establish His Kingdom on earth, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end. 

 

As you read His Word, don't just gain more "Bible" knowledge. Don't just memorize another scripture so you can add it to your list. Read the person of Jesus in its words. Learn of Him. Discover who He is in its pages. Read it to discover the "Living Word".

 

Have a great day. The Bible is not just a book of information. It is a revelation of Jesus Christ. 

 

For further reading:

Revelation 13:8; 19:12-16

John 1:3; 3:16

Colossians 1:16,17; 2:9

Genesis 3:15

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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.

"It Comes With Consequences"

"Only rebel not ye against the Lord..." Numbers 14:9a

 

When the children of Israel would not go into the promised land because of the giants that were in the land, they then had to wander around in the wilderness for forty years. It was their unbelief that caused them to rebel against God and not do what He had told them to do. 

 

This may be an Old Testament story but it is no different today. Rebellion against God brought consequences then and it still does now. They let fear from what they saw and heard cause them to not believe what God had said. God told them they were going to enter, their own senses told them it was impossible and they would be killed. Therefore, they rebelled and would not let God take them in. 

 

If you are rebelling against what God has told you to do-- whether it is through unbelief, whether it is because you are letting someone else talk you out of it, even if it is because of your own feelings of inadequacy, or because of fear, or any number of other reasons-- the fact remains, there will be consequences for you to face. The Israelites faced them- they stayed in the wilderness for forty years. Jonah faced them- he got thrown overboard and swallowed up by a fish. You will face them too.

 

Is this you this morning? Are you rebelling against God and His Word? They rebelled by not going when God told them to go. Sometimes rebellion is in other areas. We rebel against God when we break the commandments by living in adultery or when we dishonor our parents. We rebel against God when we hold on to the tithes instead of giving them to Him. There are many ways and many reasons for our rebellion/disobedience to God. But regardless of what we are doing or not doing, and regardless of what our reason is we will still face some consequences because of it.

 

Have a great day. You can't rebel against God and His Word and not expect to face the consequences.

 

For further reading:

1 Corinthians 10:6,11

Hebrews 4:11

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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.

"Consider The Lilies"

"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." Matthew 6:28

 

I woke up with another song on my heart this morning. I know it is a word specifically for someone this morning. Believe it and receive it. 

 

We have a heavenly father above with eyes full of mercy and a heart full of love. He really cares when your head is bowed low.  Consider the lilies and then you will know.

 

We have a heavenly Father who sits high, but looks low and sees where we are. He loves us with an everlasting- not fleeting- love. He loves us unconditionally, not with limitations and conditions. His love is so great that the depth and breathe and length and height of it can't be measured. 

 

He loves you this morning. Just because you are going through trials and difficulties does not mean He doesn't love you, knows where you are or care about you. Go outside and look at the flowers. He created them. Do they work? Do they struggle for what they have? Are they beautiful or ugly? Who created them? This wonderful heavenly Father. He created them, He dressed them, He watches over them, He takes care of them, and He knows when one dies. 

 

Go out side and watch the birds. Listen to them chirp. Watch them gracefully fly through the air. Watch them build their nests. They don't work for their meal-- they simple pick up what the heavenly Father has provided for them. They don't struggle to make ends meet. Look at how beautiful they are. Who created them? This wonderful heavenly Father. He created them, He gives them wings, He teaches them how to fly, He watches over them, He takes care of them, and He knows when one of them falls to the earth and dies.

 

Who created you? This wonderful heavenly Father. He created you, He dresses you, He watches over you, He provides for you, He takes care of you, He knows when you are in trouble and He knows when you die. He knows your beginning, He knows your end and He knows everything in between. 

 

You are of much more value to the heavenly Father than the flowers of the field. And if He takes such good care of a flower that only blooms once- it is here today and gone tomorrow- can't He and won't He take care of you also?

 

Have a great day. If you ever have any doubt that God cares about you, consider the lilies and you will know that He does.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 6:25-34

 

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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.

"Feeling At Home"

"And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house." Luke 19:5

 

"I must abide at thy house." Is Jesus abiding at your house? Does He have residence in your "heart" house? Have you invited Him in to live in your life? While others hated Zacchaeus, despised him, were bitter toward him, looked down upon him, viewed him as nothing, unworthy and worthless, Jesus desired to abide with him. 

 

Jesus desires to abide with you no matter how unworthy you feel that you are, or others make you feel. Your opinion of yourself, and other's opinion of you, doesn't stop His love for you and His desire to live in your life. 

 

Now that we have talked about your "spiritual house"- your life- lets talk about your "physical house"- where you dwell. Is your house a place where Jesus feels comfortable? Does He have free course and liberty to every room in your house? Or are there conditions and limitations as to where He can go? Is He kept out of certain rooms because you watch pornography on your computer there? Does He feel comfortable sitting in your family room with you while you watch television? Or are the shows something that He doesn't approve of because they are filled with violence, cursing, adultery and immorality? Does He feel lonely in your "prayer closet" because He goes there by Himself because you are too busy doing other things to take time to enjoy that place with Him? Would He "blush" at the conversations you have with your family at the dinner table, or would He be able to join in freely? 

 

They say that "home is where the heart is". Is Jesus at home in your heart? Is He at home in your house because His heart is there in every room?

 

Have a great day. Is your heart a home for Jesus? And does He feel right at home in your house?

 

For further reading:

Luke 19:5-7

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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.

"Perfectly Timed Answer"

"And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24

 

God always answers our prayers, even though there are times when we feel as if He doesn't. When He answers them, He answers them on His own time table-- not ours.

There are three timings that the Lord answers in: before, during and at the end. 

 

He answers before. A few days ago I shared about my husband's illness and how the Lord spoke a word to me earlier that day that turned out to be my word of peace and encouragement for what would happen later in the day. I received my answer before the situation even happened. 

 

He answers during. When the three Hebrews were faced with threats of being thrown into the fiery furnace, they didn't receive their answer before they were thrown in. They were thrown into the furnace and while they were in there the king looked in and saw four men instead three. He declared that the fourth man looked like the Son of God. They received their answer during the situation.

 

He answers at the end. When Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to sacrifice him to the Lord, Isaac asked his father where was the lamb for the offering. God didn't answer with a lamb at the base of the mountain, or during the climb up the mountain. He didn't answer while Abraham was building the altar. Nor did He answer when Abraham was binding his son to the altar. He answered when Abraham had the knife drawn and was about to slay him. His answer came at the end of his trial. 

 

God answers according to His time based on His Sovereignty. Whether He gives us a word before the trial comes, during it or at the end His timing is perfect. He doesn't always give it to us when we want it. Our timing is not perfect. Our timing is not based on all-knowledge. But God's timing is perfect and has passed through the all-knowing counsel of His own will. 

 

God always answers us, though not always when we want Him to. But His answer will come at the perfect time.

 

Have a great day. God doesn't always answer according to our timing but when He answers, it is perfectly timed. 

 

For further reading:

Genesis 22:7-12

Daniel 3:20-25

Ephesians 1:11

 

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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.

"Whose Peace?"

"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

 

"My (Jesus) peace I give you, not the peace the world gives you." Evidently there is a "peace" that the world can give us or Jesus wouldn't have said it. So what is the world's peace?

The world's peace is the kind that comes from perfect conditions. It comes when there are no problems or hardships. It comes when all is going well-- when there is plenty of money in the bank to pay the bills, when the boss is favorable to you, when your children are not rebelling, when the neighbors aren't disturbing you, when the doctors give you a good report, when you still have a roof over your head, when there is food on your table, etc. All of these are what we consider having peace in the world. 

 

But this isn't real peace at all. It is temporary peace. You can see how temporary it is when you lose your job, when you are diagnosed with an illness, when your children start being rebellious and so on. It will quickly flee away.

 

The peace that Jesus gives us is the kind that comes not from perfect conditions, but in spite of the conditions. It comes in disturbing times. It is there in the bad times, the hard times, the difficult times, the painful times, the times of lack as well as plenty, the times of sickness as well as health, and the times when your world is falling apart. His peace thrives in times of trouble. It doesn't leave when the problems come. It is not temporary, it is permanent. 

 

The world's peace is a "feeling", but His peace is a "Person". It is a person who will never leave you. Who will make a way in every situation. Who will supply all you need. Who you can completely and totally trust in. This person is Jesus Himself. "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6b)

 

Are you walking in the world's peace? It won't last. It will be gone when the next trial comes. Are you walking in the peace that only Jesus can give you? It will last and carry you through even your greatest difficulty. 

 

Have a great day. There is a peace that the world gives and a peace that God gives. Which one are you walking in?

 

For further reading:

Colossians 3:15

Philippians 4:6,7

 

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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.

"Life Is Not A Video Game"

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27

 

Living in an age of technology we see so much that is far from reality. The more attention we give to these things the more desensitized to what is real and what is false we become. For example, we watch shows on television where the main character is killed but in a couple of days we watch another program with the same actor on it alive and well. Video games are the same way. Each game contains a certain amount of "lives". If you get destroyed or killed on this level, you can start over again as long as you have lives left. 

 

Do we subconsciously think that is reality? Are our children and teens who play these games, and watch television or movies, developing an unrealistic mindset? Are we living our lives as if they will go on forever? Do we live in such a way where we think we are "invincible" like the heroes on television or in the video game? Well, live is not a video game or a movie. It is not something you play on a machine. It is not something that you can restart and try again when you want to. It is real, it is serious and you only get one life. 

 

We only get one life to live. After it is over, we can't restart it and "play" it over again. Once we leave this life we don't come back in another form to repeat it and try to do better-- as some would have you believe. We live this one life and then we die-- we don't hit restart and do it again. That is reality. So what are you doing with the one life you have? Maybe the question should be instead, what are you doing to prepare for when this life ends? It will end, this life here on earth doesn't go on forever. It does, however, go on forever after we die. We will spend an eternity somewhere. That somewhere will either be heaven or hell. You may not believe that but it doesn't change the reality of it. Just because you may not believe it doesn't change the fact that it is true. 

 

Where will you go? Do you ever give thought to that? Have you made arrangements for when that time comes or are you still waiting? If you wait and it comes- your life ends- it will be too late. You won't be able to hit a "restart" button and try again. All the chances to make it to the next "level" are over. If you do nothing about it now while you have the chance, you will automatically lose-- you will wind up in hell. But if you do something with the opportunity while you have it, which is receive Jesus Christ as Savior and follow Him as Lord, you will go to heaven when this life ends. 

 

When death comes to you, your "game" of life will be over, it will not restart again. What you have done with it will decide whether you win-- by going to heaven-- or whether you lose-- by spending an eternity in hell-- that is reality.

 

Have a great day. Life is not a video game, you can't keep restarting it over and over again.

 

For further reading:

Romans 6:23

Acts 16:31

2 Peter 3:9

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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.

An Update

I wanted to let you know why there has not been a Coffee Break devotional for the past several days. Last Monday afternoon I had just arrived at prayer group when my phone rang and it was my husband. He didn't sound good at all. When I asked him about it, he said he thought he was having a stroke. I immediately went home and was able to get him into our vehicle and take him to the ER. There they determined, thankfully, that he had not had a stroke but a TIA. Upon doing further tests they discovered an aneurysm. He was taken to a larger hospital that was more equipped to treat him. 

 

They ran more tests and discovered another aneurysm. Thursday they did surgery to take care of it. He had to spend the night in ICU and was then released the next day. We are at home. He is doing well and trying to get his strength back. They couldn't find the source of the TIA, but it is like many of us have said-- God was the reason He had it. Not that God caused it, or created it, but He used it to get Calvin to the hospital because He knew there was a bigger problem in the making. Had that TIA not happened, we never would have found the aneurysm until it was possibly too late. 

 

All Monday morning the Lord keep speaking something to me over and over again. I finally posted it on my Face Book. This is what I posted- "When a fact, no matter how true it is, is compared with truth (the Word of God) and it doesn't match or line up. Then the fact becomes false. (Whose report will you believe?)". Hardly two hours after I posted that, I found myself in this situation with my husband. The Lord saw ahead what was going to happen, and gave me a word in season even before the season happened. I held on to that word throughout the whole ordeal. I kept believing the Lord's report and He did not let me down-- never has, never will.

 

I wish I had enough time to tell you about all the things the Lord did through this on our behalf. He certainly was in the midst of our trial. We saw His hand, His favor, His goodness, His peace, His love, His faithfulness and His power. 

 

If you are facing something today. The Lord is with you too. He is working even ahead of time on your behalf. He is going before you. He is with you. What He spoke to me ahead of time was the report that I was to believe. What has He spoken to you personally? That is the report that you are to hold on to and believe. 

 

Have a great day. Praise God that He sees everything even before it happens and will be with you through it. 

 

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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 Wasted Life?"

"But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?" Matthew 26:8

 

Waste?! The disciples thought it was a "waste" to pour this oil out on Jesus. Evidently, they still didn't know "what manner of man this was" if they thought it was a waste.

 

There is nothing that we "pour out"-- give-- to the Lord that is a waste. When you give your talents, time, money, praise, etc. to the Lord, you are not wasting them. When you give your life to the Lord, you are not wasting it. It is only when you hold back yourself from Him, that you waste your life. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:25) When you pour out your life, and all that encompasses, on Jesus, you are not wasting it. On the contrary, you are actually gaining real life and eternal life in return.

 

When the woman poured the oil on Jesus, the last thing she was doing was wasting it-- although she was accused of doing so. Like those disciples in the room, there will be those who will accuse you of wasting your life when you surrender it to Jesus. Even other Christians will accuse you of the same. They will say that it doesn't take all that. They will accuse you of being "fanatical". They will say you are crazy. They will say all kinds of things about you. But let them. The accusations, the jeers, the whispers, didn't stop the woman from pouring it out on Jesus. And it didn't stop Jesus from letting her. He even came to her defense- "And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me." (Mark 14:6) He received it and that was all that mattered to her. Jesus will receive your life, your worship, etc., and in the end that will be all that matters because you won't stand before your accusers one day and give an account of what you did with your life. You will stand before Jesus, and what He says will be the only thing that will matter.

 

Have a great day. When we give our lives to Jesus, they are never wasted. 

 

For further reading:

John 12:25

Matthew 10:39; 26:6-10; 5:11-12

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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.

"Are You Burying It?"

"And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine." Matthew 25:25

 

I know that this verse and parable deals with the subject of "talents" -- those things that the Lord has placed in our lives and made us stewards over. But as I read it I thought about the Word of God as a "talent", and remembered the words of James. "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." (James 1:22)

 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." (James 1:17) The talents in the parable were given by the master of the house- symbolic of the Father above. The Word is a good gift that has been given to us from the Father above. Not meaning to take these two scriptural accounts out of context but the comparison that I thought about was this: what are we doing with the Word of God that has been given to us? 

 

What are you doing with God's Word? Are you being a hearer only? Are you forgetting about it once you close your Bible after reading it? Are you investing it and seeing it bring forth a harvest-- like the two other servants who were wise? Are you hiding it in your heart so that you won't sin against God? Or are you hiding it so that others don't see its benefits active in your life? Is it influencing, governing, forming and transforming your actions, words and attitudes? Or are you only reading it out of "Christian duty"? 

 

In the parable of the talents the servant that hid the talent was called wicked. I wonder if we are being "wicked" if we forget about God's Word and do not apply it in our lives? (I know we are definitely being "unwise" if we don't.) One thing is for sure, if we are doers instead of only hearers it will keep us from being "wicked"- it will make us holy and more like Jesus. 

 

Have a great day. Do you want to be wise and profitable, or foolish and wicked? Then that will depend on what you do with God's Word-- hide it and forget about it, or do it.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 25:18

James 1:17-25

 

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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.

"Breathe Thanksgiving"

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Most mornings I either wake up with a song on my heart or one comes to me as soon as I get up. Well, today was no different. When my feet hit the floor, the words of an old song started playing over and over in my heart. I won't "sing" the whole song for you but one line simply says, "Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me."

 

What are you thankful for this morning? We don't offer praise and thanksgiving to the Lord only when all is well in our lives. We don't offer thanksgiving to Him only when the "big" blessings come. We don't offer thanksgiving just when we see the answer to our prayers. We offer praise and thanksgiving to Him at all times for all things. 

 

When was the last time you thanked the Lord for the oxygen/air you are breathing? It isn't something you can see, it isn't something you think about. It is something that you receive into your body enumerable times a day. It is a natural occurrence in your life. But you don't supply it to yourself. You don't created it. You don't manufacture it. It is unseen yet one of your most important blessing you receive. Without it you would die. Where does it come from? It comes from the Lord. When the scripture says to let everything that has breath praise the Lord, then if you are breathing you should be doing just that. You should thank Him with the same oxygen that He has provided for you to be able to live.

 

Are you wasting your breath on things that have no eternal value? Are you wasting it on fussing and fighting with a family member? Are you wasting it on words of hate, bitterness and gossip? Are you wasting it by speaking doubt, fear and unbelief? Are you wasting it by tearing down someone's reputation? Are you wasting it on unkind words? 

 

The air that we breathe is a blessings from God. Don't waste it. Use it to offer praise and thanksgiving to God. There are two ways that we thank Him for this marvelous blessing. One is by saying, "Thank You". The other is by using it for His glory. We do that by using it to tell others about Him, by speaking kind words, by verbally edifying others, by speaking His Word, by speaking words of life and healing, etc.

 

Have a great day. Are you thankful for even the breath that God gives you? Then use it to glorify Him.

 

For further reading:

Psalm 150:6; 104:29

 

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

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.

"What Is He After?"

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:.." John 10:10a

 

When the devil comes against you, although he wants to make you unproductive for Christ and keep you focused on yourself because of what you are going through, he is after only one thing. When he attacks your body, he isn't after your health. When he attacks your finances, he isn't after your money. When he attacks your relationships, he isn't just wanting to separate you from others. When he attacks you in your emotions, he isn't only after your mind. He has a bigger goal and plan. There is a "bulls-eye" that he is aiming to hit. That bulls-eye, that goal, is to cause you to turn away from Christ.

 

He is out to steal your eternal life. He is out to kill your faith and confidence in the Lord. He is out to destroy your relationship with the Father. He hates God and he hates you because God loves you. The greatest thing we possess is not our health, it is not our wealth, it is not our relationships with one another. It is our relationship with God the Father. Jesus came to save us from our sins and to reconcile our relationship with the Lord. God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His One and Only Son in order for us to have this relationship with Him. 

 

The devil only uses the trials, tests and temptations that cause pain and suffering, heartache and discouragement as tools to pull us away from our relationship with the Lord. He hopes that through the things he throws at us we will accuse God, get bitter towards Him, be angry with Him, and lose hope in Him because of what we are suffering. And because God "allowed" it and did not stop it or come to our rescue. 

 

Why should we get angry and bitter toward God? Why should we give up on Him? Why should we turn our backs on our relationship with Him? He loved us enough to warn us that trials would come, that in this world we would have tribulation and many would be our afflictions. He told us "up front" so that when these things happened to us we would not be taken unaware. He never once promised us a life filled with no problems, no trials, no heartache, no pain or no suffering. So He hasn't deceived us. 

 

Are you at the point of "throwing in the towel" on your relationship with the Lord? Are you embittered against Him and ready to give up? Are you at the place where you are about to throw your relationship with the Lord away? Then the devil has "hit the bulls-eye" in your life. He has accomplished what he set out to do. Let me encourage you this morning.... DON'T DO IT! Don't throw away the eternal for the temporary. Don't forget about the outcome for those who endure to the end. "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Life is short-- it is like a vapor that is here today and gone tomorrow. But eternity never ends. One day you will leave this life of pain, suffering and heartache behind. If you don't give up and turn from your relationship with the Lord, you will enter into the place of rest and joy where you will behold that lovely face that saved you forever. Like the old song says-- "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race, 'till we see Christ."

 

Have a great day. The devil is after one thing-- your relationship with the Lord. Don't let him have it. If you endure to the end, you will receive a great and eternal recompense and reward.

For further reading:

Hebrews 10:35

John 3:16; 6:33

Psalm 34:19

Matthew 10:22

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

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.

"Pleasing Who?"

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

 

The devil has a plan for our lives (to destroy them). Other people may have a plan for our lives. We have our own plans, what we want to do with them. Then there is the plan of God for our lives. He has one for each of us. We have all been created with His specific plan for us in mind.

 

Often the plan of man for our lives and our own plans will conflict with God's plan. So what are we to do? Whose plan do we follow? We should always follow God's plan, and we will if we seek to please Him rather than to please people or self. 

 

Are you a "man-pleaser" or a "God-pleaser". Do you follow someone else's plan for your life because you want to please them? Do you hold back from speaking when you know that it is God prompting you to do so because you want to please someone else? If so, then you should settle this fact once and for all-- you can't please everybody. Jesus couldn't-- someone was always unhappy with Him. Someone was always offended with Him. Someone was always trying to make Him please them and submit to their plan. But He didn't. Jesus stayed focus on one thing-- pleasing the Father. He did that by fulfilling the Father's plan for His life-- not His own, not the Pharisee's, not the disciples, not the religious leaders, not His mother's and not the people's. 

 

If you are going to fulfill God's plan for your life, you are going to have to stop trying to be a people pleaser. You are going to have to make your one goal and one heart's desire that of pleasing the Heavenly Father. 

 

Have a great day. You will never fulfill God's plan for your life as long as you are trying to please other people. 

 

For further reading:

Jeremiah 29:11

John 4:34; 10:10

 

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

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.

"Walking Among Them"

"And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side." Luke 10:31

 

The religious leaders that Jesus talked about would not go among the people for fear of "contaminating" themselves. They would not touch the sick, the bruised, the beaten, the down cast, the unclean least they become "unclean" themselves. Little did they realize that they were themselves sick, bruised, beaten, contaminated, dead already in trespasses and sin. 

 

There was quiet a contrast between the priest, Levites, Pharisees and religious leaders of that day and Jesus. Jesus walked among the people. He touched the lepers. He embraced the hurting. He held the children. He ate with publicans and sinners. He wasn't afraid of being "contaminated" by them. He was out there daily not only touching and changing their lives, but giving them life. 

 

As Christians, while we are to be "separated" from the world, we are to go into the world. We are to go and reach hurting, broken humanity with help, healing and the message of hope. We are to walk among them and compel the lost to come to Christ. We are in the world but not of the world. But we act like we are not in the world because we separate ourselves from reaching out to them. Are we afraid that we will get "contaminated"? Are we afraid that it will "dirty" our righteousness? 

 

We have been delivered out of the world- the sins, the thoughts, the actions, the deeds, the mindsets, etc.- so we are not to go back into what we have been delivered out of, but we are to walk among the world like Jesus did and help them find their way out. Jesus wasn't afraid of getting "dirty" by the world. He readhed out and touched their lives. We should follow Him and do the same. 

 

Have a great day. Are we keeping our distance from the world for fear of being "contaminated" by it, or walking in it like Jesus did reaching out to the lost?

 

For further reading:

Ephesians 2:1

Luke 14:23

 

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

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.