"Sense Driven Or Word Driven?"

"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 2 Corinthians 5:7

 

I woke up with another song repeating over and over in my thoughts again this morning. "I'm not moved by what I feel, I'm only moved by the Word that real." If we aren't careful it is so easy for us to walk/live by our feelings and emotions. We are "sense" driven people-- motivated by our own senses. (Seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and touching.) If I can't see it then it isn't real. If I don't like what I hear then I ignore it. If it doesn't feel good then I don't want to do it. If it doesn't taste to my liking then I won't eat it. If I am not allowed to touch it then I get angry. 

 

If you walk by your feelings you will go astray. Feelings are fickle. They are constantly changing. What made me happy yesterday doesn't today-- if you don't believe it, look at marriage and divorce. What made me cry in the past may not any more because I have hardened to that situation. What once appalled me, may be acceptable to me now. Our feelings change daily. You can wake up feeling great and on top of the world and within minutes be so distressed that you just want to die. 

 

As Christians we can't allow our feelings to govern, dictate and influence our lives. Are "feelings" a bad thing? No, God gave us our feelings. But our feelings have to be kept in check, sanctified and brought into submission to the Lord. They have to be ruled by His Word-- not allowed to rule us. Our feelings don't "call the shots". They don't tell us what to do and what not to do. They don't tell us what is and isn't acceptable. They don't make decisions for us. We can't allow them the "headship" in our lives because they are often "false". The Word of God is the determining, ruling factor in our lives. 

 

Every situation we face should be governed by and viewed in light of the Word of God-- not our feelings. The Word of God is Truth-- it is the only truth. It isn't fickle. It isn't up today and down tomorrow. It doesn't change with every wind. It isn't affected by circumstances. It stays the same day in and day out. It has always held steady- the same. It is the same in adversity and in victory-- it does not change. It is the same yesterday, today and forever. It isn't moved by feelings, by the economy, by trials, by tribulation, or by temptation. It is the same in the good times as it is in the bad times. Therefore, we have to be "moved" by the Word of God and let it hold us steady in all circumstances of life-- and not our feelings.

 

Have a great day. We can't be moved by what we feel-- feelings can be false. We have to be moved by the Word of God-- it's the truth. 

 

For further reading:

Psalm 119:89; 160

John 17:17

Romans 1:17

Matthew 24:35

 

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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

"Defeating The Enemy"

"And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it." Nehemiah 4:8

 

In context this verse is talking about when Nehemiah had gone to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city, and while they were working Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, came against them to stop the work.

There is still an enemy who will try to conspire against us in the work of the Lord.

 

That enemy is not Sanballat, or the Ammonites, or any of the ones that were named in this scripture. But it is the same enemy. It is the same enemy that conspired against Nehemiah, against David, against Daniel, Paul and against the Israelites. The real enemy who is behind the one who appears to be the enemy is the devil/adversary. He is the one who tries to stop the work of the Lord. He is the one who goes about seeking whom he may devour. He may come in many "forms"-- a wolf in sheep's clothing, an angel of light, a wicked king, a seductive woman, etc.-- but it is still him. 

 

How do we withstand and fight against this enemy? How do we keep him from stopping us in the work of the Lord? How do we keep him from side-tracking us and causing us to stop doing what we are called to do? The answer is in the next verse. "Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them."

 

The first thing we do is pray to God. We call upon the Lord to defend, protect, advise, give us strength and wisdom. We bring God into our situation-- not think that we can handle it by ourselves. (The battle belongs to the Lord.) 

 

The next thing we do is keep an eye out for the enemy. How do we do that? Through God's Word. Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the schemes and devises of the devil. That armor is Christ Himself-- it is the Word. When we are clothed with God's Word, our spiritual eyes are enlightened and we see clearly the tactics and plans of the enemy.

 

How do we fight against the enemy who conspires against us in our work of the Lord. The answer is clear, Jesus summed it up for us-- "Watch and pray". 

 

Have a great day. The devil still comes to stop us from doing God's work, but he is defeated when we watch and pray. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 26:41

Ephesians 6:11,12

John 10:10

1 Samuel 17:47

 

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

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

"I Am - Not I Was"

"And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." Exodus 3:14

 

We live in a world where literally everything around us changes. People change, weather changes, the economy changes, seasons change, there is nothing that does not change in this physical realm. In a world that is constantly changing we must remind ourselves often that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

 

Whatever God was yesterday, whatever He was in the past, He still is in the present. He told Moses to tell the children of Israel that He is I Am. He didn't say to tell them that He Was. When He says He was and is and is to come, He is referring to His existence. He has always been and He always will be. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but He never will. 

 

If "He Was", instead of "I Am", then He Was the miracle working God. Then He Was the Healer. He Was the Savior and Deliverer. He Was Love, Peace and Joy. But He is not the "I Was". He is the "I Am". I Am the Healer. I Am your Fortress. I Am your Strength. I Am Love. For us past is past. Past will always be the past-- never the present. But for God when He says He is I Am, I Am is present tense. God is a present God, even the past becomes the present. For us the future is future, and it will always be the future. But for God, the future becomes the present. Past and future become present in God-- I Am. 

 

The point is that the past doesn't hold God back or confine Him. The future doesn't restrict Him. He is the ever-present God who is as He has always been. This is comforting to us. Knowing this should give us peace and confidence. It should bring us security in knowing that whoever and whatever He was and did for us in the past, He hasn't changed and will be the same for us today, in the future, and always. 

 

Have a great day. Everything in this life changes, except God. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 24:35

Malachi 3:6

Hebrews 13:8

Revelation 4:8

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

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.

"Just One Person's Prayer"

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:6

 

The other night my pastor was preaching about prayer and he said something that I knew but I haven't really thought about. When the men schemed against Daniel by tricking the king into signing a decree that no one could pray to any god but him for thirty days, the whole plot was to keep one man from praying.

 

When he said that, it rang loud and clear in my spirit. One the surface it appeared to be an act of jealousy on these men's part. But in reality it was a plot of hell to stop Daniel from praying. Hell/the adversary/the devil doesn't fear when all we do is "talk" about prayer. He fears when we actually put prayer into practice. We can talk about it, preach it, say we need to do it, but until we pray we are not a threat to his work or plans at all. Daniel did more than think about praying, he prayed. Three times a day he prayed. He didn't let anything stop him. He didn't let his busy schedule stop him. He didn't let his responsibilities stop him. He didn't even let the decree of the king stop him. 

 

The adversary wants to stop you from praying. He wants to keep you from petitioning God for your needs, for direction, for wisdom, etc. Prayer is powerful, because it is the avenue that the All-Powerful God uses to administer His will in the earth. Scriptures are very plain about the power of prayer. It is our communion with God. It is our weapon to thwart the plans of the enemy. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Where do we take it by force? On our knees. Where is the battleground upon which we fight? On our knees. Where is the enemy defeated? On our knees. 

 

Why would the adversary go to such lengths to try to stop just one man from praying? What threat was one man? He knows that when men and women pray, he is defeated. He was afraid of just one man's prayer. Imagine what would happen to his plans if all of us who profess to be Christians would take prayer seriously and actually pray.

 

Have a great day. Hell trembles at the prayer of even one person because it knows how powerful prayer is. 

 

For further reading:

James 4:2

Matthew 18:19

John 16:24

Psalm 34:4

Daniel 6

 

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

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 Prepared Place"

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:17 

 

There is a blessed day that is coming when the Lord will return in the clouds and take His people home. Do we know when that day is? No. Do we know if we will be alive when it happens? No. There is much we don't know concerning the future-- even our own future. We don't know if we will go up with the Lord when He returns or if we will already be "in the grave". But there is one thing that we can know for sure-- regardless of how and when we leave this world-- "we will forever be with the Lord".

 

We will all leave this world one day. It is appointed unto man once to die. We all have an appointment with death. We just don't have the luxury of knowing when and how we will meet that appointment. That is not the important issue. The important issue is what will happen to you after you leave. When we leave this earth, we leave this earth. We don't come back in another form. We don't get a second chance to do it all over again. 

 

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (verse 18) Have you made preparation for that day? If you have and Jesus is your Savior and Lord, then you will forever be with the Lord. What a comforting thought. This life is not all there is. There is a better one that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him. It is a place of unimagined beauty. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) It is a place where there is joy, peace and pleasure. It is a place of light, no darkness. It's a place of love, no hate. It is a place where the Lord rules and reigns. It is indescribable-- and it is a place where we will never have to worry about being away from His presence any more. We will forever be "with the Lord". That is what makes that place so wonderful. His presence. Are you going to go there when that day comes?

 

Have a great day. There is a wonderful place prepared for those who love the Lord, and have surrendered their lives to Him, when they leave this earth. That place is the eternal presence of God. 

 

For further reading:

John 14:1-3

2 Corinthians 5:8

Revelation 21:22,23,27

Hebrews 9:27

 

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

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.