"The Lord Is Faithful Always"

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1

 

As I was praying about what to say to you this morning, I reflected back on the faithfulness of God. I am not sure how long I have been writing the devotional each morning. It has been at least fourteen years or longer. In all that time I can truthfully say the Lord has never once let me down by not giving me what to say. He has also given me the word He has for us. He truly is faithful as promised. The Bible says, "Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

 

Over thirty-four years ago I accepted Jesus as my Savior and surrendered my life to Him to follow Him as my Lord. I can also say that in all that time He has been faithful as well. In all these years I have been through some storms of great magnitude. I have been through some hard places and trying times. I have been through times of pain, heartache, suffering and hurt. I have faced trials that I never dreamed I would face. I have crossed rivers, walked through the fire, encountered roaring lions, been in the pit, faced a sea of uncertainty, wandered in the wilderness and been to the cross. But in every place I have encountered, He has faithfully been walking with me, guiding me, encouraging me, strengthening me, consoling me, counseling me, watching over me, protecting me, reassuring me, imparting faith to me, giving me power, carrying me and loving me. He has never once failed me or let me down. How many of us have the same "track record" that He has? 

 

I am sure you have the same testimony, for what He does for one He does for all. We all face "life" but when we place our trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord, we don't face it alone. We face it with a faithful Lord who will never abandon or withhold His goodness from us. He certainly hasn't withheld it from me... that is why you are reading this now. Each and every time you read one of the Coffee Break devotionals let it be a reminder to you that the Lord is faithful.

 

Have a great day. The Lord has never once stop being faithful. 

 

For further reading:

Psalm 89:8; 119:90

Isaiah 25:1

 

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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.

"Do You Really Lose?"

"And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

 

It is when you lose everything that you realize you already had the most important thing when you have the Lord.

 

Job was a man who "had it all". He had material wealth. He had family. He had friends. He had all the things one could hope to have in this life. Yet when calamity came, he lost it all. He lost his wealth, his resources, his children, the respect of his friends and his health. He was left with nothing-- naked I came into the world and naked I will leave. 

 

Was Job really left with nothing? According to our standards he was. He no longer had the things that were really important or mattered. Or did he? Through all his loss he still had the Lord. The Lord was still with him. He still had his relationship with the Heavenly Father. He may have had nothing else but he had God in his life. Therefore, he had the one "thing" that truly was the most important and most valuable thing to have. 

 

You can lose your possessions. You can lose your relationships. You can lose your health. You can lose every material thing on earth, these things are all temporary. But it is the eternal things that you have that is of the greatest value and most importance. That being your relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have that, though you may have nothing else, you have everything. Paul counted all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. He knew his relationship with Christ was the most "excellent" thing. He had had all the things that we think are important and had suffered the loss of them all. But what he had in Christ out weighed it all anyway. It was the greatest treasure he possessed.

 

The most important thing you "posses" is not your wealth, it is not your riches, it is not your job title, it is not your educational degrees, it is not your talents, it is not your relationships, they are all like the grass that withers in the field-- here today and gone tomorrow. Your most important asset is your relationship with the Lord. It will still remain when all else is gone.

 

Have a great day. It is when you lose everything that you realize you already had the most important thing. 

 

For further reading:

Philippians 3:8

 

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

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.

"Is It A Duck?"

"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." Matthew 7:17

 

You have heard the idiom before that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, swims like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck. This is a test by which we confirm the truth about something. If it meets all the criteria than it is true. 

 

It is the same with Christianity. In order for someone to be "judged" as a Christian they have to meet the same criteria-- every part has to line up. For example, I meet people daily who profess to be Christians but you have to wonder. 

 

Jesus said you would know them by the fruit they bare. He said there would come wolves that were dressed like sheep. He also said that not everyone who says, Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven. So what is the confirmation test? The first criteria is whether or not they are "born again". A duck can only be classified as a duck if it is "born" a duck. Jesus said that we must be born again. 

 

Do they look like a Christian? What does a Christian look like? They look like love. 

 

Does it sound like a Christian? What does a Christian sound like? They speak the truth, they don't tell lies, they don't gossip, they speak blessings and not cursing, they have praise in their mouths instead of criticism and bitterness. 

 

They act like a Christian. What does a Christian act like? They act like Jesus. They are kind, not easily provoked, have the peace of God residing in their lives, their lights are shining, they love their neighbor as themselves, they are hiding the word of God in their hearts so they won't sin, they are living sacrifices, they are not covetous, they are living righteous and holy lives, they are children of God so they are imitating Him, and so on. 

 

When we talk about the characteristics that define and prove that we are truly Christians, we have to say that Christians are not perfect-- we are striving to be-- but we do make mistakes. Do our mistakes mean that we aren't what we profess? Not necessarily. We all have moments of weakness where we may give into temptations. But the proof is in the lifestyle. A duck has a lifestyle that distinguishes them from the rest of the wildlife community and classifies them as a duck. That distinction for Christians is the fact that we walk in love at all times-- good times, bad times, even when accusations come, etc. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) And that we do not sin. What is meant by that is that sin is no longer our lifestyle. It is no longer something we do because it is our nature to do so. We have been changed. We are being transformed by the power of God. So if we are continuing to practice sin and it comes natural for us, then we may "sound" like a Christian-- know how to talk the talk; we may "act" like a Christian-- read the Bible, pray; we may "walk" like a Christian-- sing in the choir and go to church. But if the fruit is not there, we are nothing more than impostures. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." (1 John 3:9)

 

Have a great day. Are you meeting the criteria that proves you are who you say you are and what you profess to be?

 

For further reading:

Matthew 7:7,15-21

John 7:24; 3:3,7

 

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

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 Trouble Free Heart"

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:1

 

"Let not your heart be troubled." That is no easy task. Our hearts are desperately wicked. They are out to deceive us. They want to go in the wrong direction. They are easily led astray. They get fearful, anxious, worried, distressed and depressed. Out of them proceeds evil thoughts. While it is not always easy to keep them from being troubled, it is not impossible. 

 

When a heart is totally yielded to the Lord, it becomes much easier than we think. When it is given to Him, He is able to keep it. When it is surrendered to Him, He has the power to change it. It then becomes a vessel in His hands. He can mold it and make it and turn it into a place of peace, joy and rest. He can place His peace that passes understanding into it and establish it where it is no longer "wishy-washy", up and down, afraid or easily shaken by what it sees or hears. 

 

We are living in a time where there are wars and rumors of war. And a time of uncertainty and calamity. We are living in days of trouble and trials. It seems as if there is nothing "stable" in this life. But even if the whole world around us is falling apart, even if the mountains are shaking and the waters are being removed, we have nothing to fear because our hearts belong to the Lord and are established in Him. When they are established in Him, they are safe--- we are save. So there is no need to fear or be troubled.

Have a great day. If your heart is surrendered to Jesus, He will keep it from being troubled when troubling times come. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 15:19

Psalm 46:1-5

Jeremiah 17:9

Philippians 4:7

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

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 Revelation Of Prayer"

"And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves." Mark 11:17

 

The temple was originally a place where God was worshipped, the people brought their sacrifices to Him, and the priest interceded to God on behalf of the sins of the people. But when Jesus went into the temple it had become a place of robbery, false worship, religious idolatry and compromise. He ran the moneychangers out and proclaimed-- "My house shall be called a house of prayer."

 

When Jesus did this, He brought back the revelation-- true meaning and purpose-- of the temple. He also reestablished its mission. Not only was what He did for back then, but it is for us today. The church/temple has gotten away from where it originated. It is no longer a "house of prayer". Most churches don't even have prayer meetings any more. Very little time is given to prayer in the churches-- if any. Most churches have become places of "robbery"-- the people are being robbed of the truth. The word of God has been replaced with philosophy, humanistic wisdom, political correctness and enticing words of man's wisdom. They have become places of false worship and idolatry-- worshipping their programs and leaders. They have become a place of compromise-- holiness and righteousness is no longer the standard, instead "anything goes". 

 

How did this happen? How did we get away from God's plan for His church? By neglecting prayer. That is the answer. When you neglect prayer, the door is opened for every other thing to come in. So, how can we change this? By praying. That is the answer. The lack of prayer caused it, and prayer will heal it. 

 

The building where we gather together we call the church. But the church is each and every believer. When we neglect prayer in our individual lives, it opens the door for the "moneychangers" and every other false thing to come in. But when we pray, it will drive them out and set up the purpose of God once again in our lives. Oh, that the Lord would give us as the corporate body and as individuals who make up the body a revelation of becoming once again a "house of prayer" and allow the Holy Spirit to reestablish prayer within our walls and within our hearts.

 

Have a great day. When Jesus drove the moneychangers out of the temple, He gave them the revelation of what His house should be-- a house of prayer. Lord, give us that same revelation today. 

 

For further reading:

Isaiah 56:7

Matthew 21:13

Luke 19:46

 

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

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.