Afterwards

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8

Abraham was "called" to go out not knowing where he was going. Yes, God will "call" us, "lead" us, "direct" us to do something and we will not always understand the why or what. He will not always show us the whole picture or explain the reason behind it. He will not always give us all the details either. He didn't to Abraham.

It was "afterwards"- after his obedience, after he made a step of faith, after he left his father's house, after he trusted the voice of God- that he received the place he was called out to as an inheritance. It was not before. Our problem is that we always want the "afterwards" before we will do the "before". We want to receive the end result first. We want to receive the blessing before we meet the condition. It doesn't work that way. We have to do what the Lord tells us to do then "afterwards" we will receive.

The bottom line is this: God will direct us but not always tell us why or what His plan is. We just have to step out in faith and obey like Abraham did. And after we do, then we will receive.
Have a great day. Just obey the voice of the Lord whether you understand why He told you to do it or not. If you obey then afterwards you will receive.

For further reading:
Proverbs 3:4,5
Matthew 7:7
Matthew 6:33
Isaiah 1:19

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

Study For The Test

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

I woke up with this scripture on my heart this morning, and a thought accompanied it. The thought was this-- too many Christians depend on someone else to do their studying of the scriptures for them. They depend on the television preachers, their pastor, some sermon series, etc. We should be thankful for these and there is nothing wrong with learning from them. But God never intended that they take the place of personal study and responsibility.

Would you let someone else do your studying for you when it comes to taking a test? What they know does not do you much good if you don't know it. The Bible says that God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Is there a lack of knowledge, or a lack of studying to gain the knowledge?

There is a danger in taking everyone else's word for it especially when it deals with life and death issues, as do the scriptures. We will all take one big final test one day- the one where we stand before God and give a personal account of our lives. If you haven't studied to find out for yourself what answers are acceptable and which aren't, you might fail.

Have a great day. When we stand before the Lord one day, we will take a test- an "open book" test. Will we know the answers?

For further reading:
Hosea 4:6
John 5:39
Psalm 119:11
Revelation 20:12


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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

Recovering From Loss

"'...Pour out your heart before Him...' "Psalm 62:8 NKJV

Here are five keys to recovering from loss: (1) Process your grief. Emotions like fear, anger, worry, depression, resentment, helplessness and grief are normal. It's no good to suppress them or deny they exist. God created us to feel; He doesn't expect us to act happy when we're grieving. 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.' (Matthew 5:4 NIV) Be honest with God. 'Pour out your hearts to Him,' (Psalm 62:8 NIV) and He will comfort you. (2) Accept help. It's a mistake to isolate yourself in the aftermath of a tragedy. We all need the encouragement and the support of others. We're called to carry one another's burdens 'Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' (Galatians 6:2 NKJV) (3) Choose the right response. When you choose bitterness, you hurt yourself and shut the door on happiness because you can't be happy and bitter at the same time. During some recent bushfires there were victims who said, 'We've lost everything and we're sad, but we'll work together as a family and rebuild.' Others said, 'My life's over! I can't go on...I'll never recover.' You can choose to believe you're on your own, or that God's with you and bounce back. (4) Know your joy comes from God. There's no correlation between your circumstances and your joy. Joy comes from within; it's based on whom you trust, not what you see and feel. (5) Concentrate on what you have left, not on what you've lost. Make a list of the good things in your life, and thank God for what you still have. It's impossible to be grateful and hopeless at the same time.

Soulfood Bible Readings 2 Chron 35-36, 2 John, John 15:5-17, Ps 14, Pr 28:13-16

Black Friday

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

A friend was sharing with me about her "Black Friday" experience. (Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving when the stores have big sales in order to bring in lots of buyers. The sales usually start around 4:00 am and last until around noon.)

I quit going to the Black Friday sales years ago because the crowds are so large, you have to park blocks away from the stores, you have to stand in long lines and you have to get up very early in order to get there before the sale items are gone. My friend was telling me that this is exactly what she went through. She said she got up at 2:30 a.m. that morning to go and shopped until 7:00 p.m. that evening.

As I was listening to her, my mind immediately wondered, "Would we be willing to go through all this for Jesus?" When was the last time we woke up so early just to spend time with Him? When was the last time we went through any sort of inconvenience to get into His presence? Isn't it amazing that we will make room for and make sacrifices for the things we really want to do, but when it comes to Him it is more than we are willing to do. Most aren't willing to make even the slightest effort to study their Bible, pray or commune with Him. (What is wrong with this picture?)

Which describes you? One who makes room, makes sacrifices, goes the second mile, puts forth the effort and gets out of your comfort zone for Jesus or for everything else but Him? If you are one who will do it for the latter and not for Jesus, then there is something terribly out of order in your life and it needs to be corrected.

Have a great day. Is Jesus on your list of priorities? Is He on your list of things that you are willing to make adjustments and sacrifices for? Is He at the top of that list?

For Further Reading:
Psalm 96:4
Isaiah 29:13
Psalm 73:28
Amos 5:4

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

Unlimited Access

"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" Ephesians 2:18

In today's competitive market, most providers of phones, cell phones and internet service offer "unlimited access". Having this privilege is wonderful especially when the alternative means you are limited in using them and have to pay additional fees. Some take advantage and talk on their cell phones almost endlessly. People like me are on the internet for hours each day. But then you have those who have the ability to use these forms of communication any time they wanted to, but don't. They don't use of the resources that are available to them. For example, I know people who only use ten or twenty minutes of their cell phone minutes in a whole month.

Did you know that we have been given "unlimited access" to come before the presence of God? It's all right if you decide to limit your use of your internet or phone access, but what are you doing with the unlimited access you have into God's presence? Are you taking advantage of it? Is it something that you just do on occasion- perhaps only when you have a need or are in an uncomfortable situation or face something that you don't think you can handle? Are your "minutes" with Him hardly noticeable? Do you frequent it often or rarely?

Jesus died on the cross to give us access to the Father. It is a wonderful privilege that should never be taken lightly or for granted. We can come before Him at any time- day or night. There is always an open line to reach Him. We never face "down times" when we are ready to talk with Him. He is always there and always available. He doesn't sleep, He is always awake. And He is always accessible.

Have a great day. Are you taking advantage of the "unlimited access" you have into God's presence?

For further reading:
Ephesians 3:12
John 10:9
Hebrews 4:16
Psalm 121:4
James 4:8

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

Tell The Truth, Shame The Devil!

It’s a wonderful day to be a child of God. What do you do when someone you trust has been dishonest with you? How does it make you feel? Do you end the friendship? Do you give them another chance? Do you act as if nothing is wrong? What do you do? How do you respond? So often in our lives we find ourselves on the receiving end of dishonesty. A person you trusted held back the truth from you. When you confronted them, more lies were given. It appeared as if it was lie, upon lie, upon lie. Have you been there? Are you there now?

Today, I have been commissioned to come and minister to you. My friend, Tell The Truth, Shame the devil! When we are dishonest with our brothers and sisters, we give glory to the enemy. God hates lies and he expects us to hate it as well. The Bible declares in John 8:44 - Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Sometimes you find yourself in positions where telling the truth seems so difficult. Being dishonest is your first reaction. Be that as it may, Tell The Truth, Shame the devil!

My brother, my sister, you must understand who your Father is. He expects more out of you. The Bible declares in Proverbs 17:4 - A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. Dishonesty never betters anyone. When a person tells a lie, he/she must continue to lie to cover the first one. The Bible declares in John 8:32 - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. When you find yourself wavering between the two options, always Tell The Truth and bring Shame to the devil! Thought to Remember: If you hate being lied to, make sure you are not doing what you hate!

Scripture Reading for the Day: Revelation 21:8

May God Bless you at Your point of need!

Overcoming Your Fear Of People

"'Be not afraid of their faces...'"Jeremiah 1:8 KJV

Do you avoid certain activities and social occasions because of insecurity? If so, you might have 'social phobia', the fear of being inadequate, embarrassed or negatively evaluated. Some of us even experience panic attacks that leave us immobilised to the point of dysfunction. Yet it's avoiding such situations, rather than facing them, that allows our fears to control us. How great our fear becomes depends on what we say to ourselves when it hits. And what we say to ourselves is largely a function of what psychologists call our 'sub-personality type'. Here are some common sub-personality types, and ways we can handle them: 'The Worrier.' Worriers anticipate the worst, create grandiose images of potential tragedy, and are always hyper-vigilant for any small signs of trouble. Their favourite self-talk expression is, 'But what if...?' Learn to replace your worrier self-talk with, 'So, what if...? By God's grace I can learn to handle this. I can feel anxious and still do it. I don't like it, but I can stand it until it passes. I'll get used to it with practice and God's help.' When Jeremiah's fears kicked in and he wanted to run from a public speaking assignment, God said to him: '...you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you...' (Jeremiah 1:7-8 NLT) Instead of running from it, choose to face it in faith; and watch how God will get you through it!

Soulfood Bible Readings Jos 11-13, John 17:1-12, Ps 147:12-20, Pr 29:6-10