Coffee Break

Coffee Break

"Are You Going To Complain?"

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

How did you wake up today? Did you wake up complaining that it is Monday? Did you wake up complaining because you have to go to work? Did you wake up dreading the day? Or did you wake up thanking God that you saw another day or that you have a job to go to?

Things may not be perfect for you today. You may have some "reason" to complain- we can all easily find something to complain about. There may be something about today that you dread. But what we have to be thankful for far outweighs what there is to complain about. Our lives should be one of thanksgiving and praise. When we live in such a way, the dread, the fear, the anxiety and the complaining will stop because we will realize that we have so much more to be thankful for than we have to complain about.

Check yourself today and take note and see what do you spend more of your time doing? Praising God and giving Him thanks? Or complaining about the things you should be thankful for?

Have a great day. Are you spending your day complaining or giving God thanks?

For further reading:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Psalm 113:1; 135:1; 92:1

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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.

Coffee Break

"Grace In Tribulation"

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

"God's Divine Grace is in the midst of tribulation". 

When we go through tribulations, of any sort, God's grace will be right there in the middle of it. Grace is many things. It is His unmerited favor. His grace will be there, not because we are so deserving of it, but because of who He is-- a loving, compassionate Heavenly Father who cares deeply for us. 

Grace is God's holy influence. His very nature-- holy, divine, righteous, loving-- will influence us (with peace, joy and comfort) to keep us from stumbling and falling and giving into the demands of the tribulation to give up, to recant, to turn away from the Lord, to throw up our hands, to run the other way, and to fall short. 

Grace is also God Himself. He is the Origin of grace. All grace comes from Him. He is in the midst of our tribulations, leading, strengthening, keeping and loving us through it so that it will not overcome us and destroy us. He, through His grace, will be with us, not leaving or abandoning us during our time of need. 

Whatever you are facing today, whatever trial, whatever affliction, whatever tribulation, you have a promise from the Heavenly Father Himself. His divine grace will be in the middle of it because He is with you in the middle of it.

Have a great day. God's divine grace is in the midst of tribulation.

For further reading:
Hebrews 13:5

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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.

Coffee Break

"Bow At His Name"

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Philippians 2:9,10

Are you feeling defeated this morning? Are you plagued by a besetting sin? Do you feel like you can't get victory over a certain area in your life? Well, whatever it is, it is not greater than Jesus. He has been given a name that is above whatever name it has. And at His name it has to bow-- it has to surrender and submit. 

At the name of Jesus fear has to bow. At the name of Jesus anxiety has to bow. At the name of Jesus worry, depression, bitterness, anger, confusion, sorrow, unbelief, immorality, addiction, sickness, unforgiveness, weakness, greed, pride, it all has to bow at the name of Jesus. And any other thing that has a name has to bow. (If it has a name, it has to bow.) 

His name is full of power and authority. His power is greater and He has all authority. Realize that what you are wrestling with is not greater than He is. Call upon the name of Jesus. Bring it to Him. Place it under His feet. Give it to Him. Trust Him. Don't wrestle with it on your own. It doesn't bow at your name, but it does at His. He has already conquered it at the cross. He already has authority over it. Walk in freedom and victory because it is yours through Jesus.

Have a great day. Through Jesus you don't have to bow to that sin or bondage, it has to bow to Him. 

For further reading: Romans 14:11; Matthew 28:18; 2 Corinthians 2:14

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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.

Coffee Break

"The Spiritually Poor"

"If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail." Job 31:16

In this verse Job is making his case for his innocence concerning the "punishment" that he perceives he is going through. He declares that he has helped the poor and the widows and not withheld from them what they desired or needed. Can we say the same? Can we say that we have helped the poor and needy? The Bible says that true religion is to help the widows and orphans in their affliction. But there is another way also that we help them that is not physical, that is not material and that is not monetary.

Without Christ as Savior we are spiritually poor. Our souls are not enjoying spiritual prosperity. While we should help the poor when it is in our ability to do so, just meeting a person's physical need is not enough. You can meet it today and that same person can be in need tomorrow. Jesus said, "You have the poor with you always."

But when you meet a person's spiritual need, you have given him something that is eternal and that will satisfy his soul more than bread that will satisfy his stomach. So, how do we do that? How do we meet a person's spiritual need? How do we help them in their spiritual poverty? We don't "withhold" the gospel from them.

Job declares that he didn't withhold any physical need from the poor. Can we say the same thing about the "spiritual poor"? Are we giving them "bread" to feed their spiritual hunger? Are we telling them about Jesus- the Bread of Life? Are we giving them sustenance for their souls? Jesus told the woman at the well that whoever drinks the water from that well would thirst again. But whoever drinks the water that He has-- which is salvation and eternal life-- will never thirst again. 

When the spiritual need of a person is met, they will never be thirsty again, hungry again, needy, or poor. The only way it can be met is through Jesus Christ. And the only way they will know Jesus is if someone tells them-- if someone who already knows Him will not withhold the good news from them. Is that person you? Are you giving the poor-- the lost-- what they really need?

Have a great day. Are you withholding the gospel from those who are spiritually poor so that they can become spiritually rich?

For further reading:
James 1:27
3 John 1:2
Matthew 26:11
John 4:13,14; 6:35,41
Romans 10:14

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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.

Coffee Break 

"Waiting For Right Conditions"

"He that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." Ecclesiastes 11:4

Many people are waiting for all the "right conditions" before they will do anything. This is true when it comes to surrendering their lives to the Lord in salvation. I was one of those people. I was going to wait until I got old, until I had lived my life, until I was finished doing all the things I wanted to do, until my "death bed". These were the "right conditions" I placed on when I would receive salvation.

If I had waited for all these right conditions, I probably never would have been saved. I never had the assurance of living to be "old". At what point in life would I have done all the things that I wanted to do? (There is always more that keeps getting added to the list.) How did I know I would make it to a "death bed"? There was no guarantee that my life might not be snuffed out suddenly and unexpectedly. I was playing around with my soul and deceiving myself with unrealistic conditions that I had placed on when I would do something about my eternity. 

Is that you this morning? Are you waiting for some "right condition" before you will do something about securing your eternity? Are you waiting until you have made your first million dollars? Are you waiting until you get married? Are you waiting until you have finished your education? Are you waiting until you are old and grey? Are you waiting for your children to surrender first to the Lord then you will? Are you waiting until your children, or grandchildren, are grown? Are you waiting for someone else to get their lives right with the Lord? Are you waiting until you have done all the "partying" you want to do? If you are, you will never do it. You will wait too long and leave this earth in death and then it will be too late. 

There is only one right condition as to when we give our lives to the Lord and receive Jesus as Savior, and that is when He is knocking on our heart's door. When the Lord is convicting you, when He is offering you an invitation to come, when He is drawing you to come to Him, that is the condition in which you come. You can't come to Him otherwise. You can't go when you finally decide you will do it. You come when He draws you and calls you to come.

Have a great day. If you wait on all the right conditions in your life before you will get saved, you will never do it. The only right condition is when the Lord is speaking to your heart to come. 

For further reading:
John 14:6; 6:44 

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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.

Coffee Break

"He Is The Only"

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18

The world and those who don't believe that Jesus is who He is uses the word "many" to describe who He is. They say He is one of many ways that lead to God. He is one of many gods. They say He is one of many prophets. And so on. But when it comes to Jesus, the word is not "many", the word is "only". Jesus is not one of many, but the only one. 

Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. Jesus is the only way to the Father. Jesus is the only way that leads to eternal life. Jesus is the only true and living God. Jesus is the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins. Jesus is the only life giver. Jesus is the only redeemer of mankind. Jesus is the only healer. Jesus is the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved. Jesus was the only sinless one. Jesus is the only one to whom all power in heaven and earth is given. Jesus is the only one who can establish true and lasting peace. 

When Jesus asked His disciples, who do men say that I am. There were many answers. All the answers minimized Him to just another one of many prophets. Their answers were wrong. But when He asked them who do you say I am, Peter proclaimed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter's answer was correct. His answer was the truth-- Jesus is the only Son of God, God Himself. Who do you say that He is? If your answer equates Him with many others-- others ways to God, other gods, other sacrifices-- then your answer is wrong. There is only one right answer concerning Jesus, and it will always contain the word "only".

Have a great day. Jesus is the "only", not one of "many".

For further reading:
Acts 4:12
John 14:6; 3:16

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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.

Coffee Break

"Abundant Life"

"... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10b

When you want something, you have to go to the source to get it. If I want a drink of water, I go to the water faucet. If you want abundant life, if you want to "really" live, have a productive life and an unordinary life, you have to go to the source. Jesus is the source of life- "I am the way, the truth, and the life". He is the source of real life. 

But in order to get that abundant life you have to do more than just believe in Him. You have to do more than just acknowledge His reality. You have to do more than just call on Him when you are in trouble. You have to do more than just make an occasional appearance in His house. You have to do more than have communication with Him when you want it. You have to have a personal relationship with Him. You have to follow Him. You have to surrender to Him. You have to give your whole undivided heart to Him. You have to receive Him as Savior and follow Him as your Lord. 

This abundant life that He makes available, provides and invites you to partake of only comes as you follow Him with your whole heart and life. If you give up your life to Him and place it in His hands, He then in return gives you abundant life. Is that what you want? Abundant life? Then follow Him and He gives it to you.

Have a great day. Jesus offers you abundant life and it can be yours if you will follow Him. 

For further reading:
John 1:4; 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.

Coffee Break

"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.

Coffee Break

"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

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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

Coffee Break 

"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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.


Coffee Break

"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.

Coffee Break
"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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break 

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break 

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

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. 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

"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

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.

Coffee Break

"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.

Coffee Break 

"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

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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.

Coffee Break

"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

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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.

Coffee Break

"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.

Coffee Break 

"Created Equal"

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Genesis 1:26

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Independence Day here in the United States. In our Declaration of Independence our forefathers wrote these words. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

"All men are created equal". How true that is. Although when we look at people, we don't always see that. We categorize people. We put them in classes. We look at them through our own standards. We label them. We make judgments that this one is better than that one based on some human accomplishment. We act as if the affluent are better than the uneducated. We think that the rich are more nobler than the poor. Then there are those we place on pedestals and others that we look down our noses at. We tend to think that we are better than some other people. But the truth is, "we are all created equal".

We are all created in the image of God, after His likeness. Every person born on planet earth, past, present and future, has been created by God and in His image. Every person originally started from dirt. We all enter this life through the womb. So we are all equal in terms of how we are created. 

We are all created with feelings and emotions. We all hurt. We all feel pain. When we bleed, we all bleed the same color- red.

We are all the same/equal in the fact that we are all born into this life as sinners. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12) We are the same in the fact that we are all lost, separated from God, under the death sentence, and in need a Savior because we can't save ourselves. We are the same in the fact that if we are going to be saved and have eternal life, we all have to come the exact same way to salvation. One group may try to work their way to salvation, another may put their hope in some ancient prophet to save them, or another may think that their goodness will save them. While many others believe there are many ways to be saved, to have eternal life, and to get to God, there is but One Way. We are all the same in the fact that Jesus is the Only One who can save us. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) There is no other way besides Him.

As we celebrate the freedom of our nation this week, will you declare your independence from sin and death by turning to Jesus the Only One who can save you and set your free? 

Have a great day. All men are created equal... we are all born into sin and we all need a Savior. There is only one Savior for all of us-- Jesus. 

For further reading:
Romans 3:23
Acts 10:34
James 2:1-4
Luke 18:11
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.

Coffee Break

"Singing Words"

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5

I woke up this morning with a chorus repeating over and over in my thoughts. The words that kept going over and over are, "I'm a lover of Your presence." There are a multitude of Christian songs out there. They are classified under numerous categories-- Southern gospel, contemporary, hymns, choruses, rap, etc. We all have our favorites. And we all have songs that we love more than others. The point I want to make this morning is not pertaining to which "style" of Christian music you enjoy more, but more to the content. And more specifically, what are you doing with the content? What are you doing with what you are singing?

As this line of the song was playing in my thoughts, I questioned, "Is that true? Am I a lover of God's presence? Do I love His presence more than anything else?" How many times do we sit in a church worship service and sing the songs without giving any thought to the words? Do we sing them out of habit? Are we just reciting some words that we have memorized? Are do they really mean something to us? Do we really mean what we are singing? Are we practicing what we sing? Is our heart in it, or is it "lip worship"? 

Do I truly believe "There is Power in the Blood"? Am I like "A deer panting for the water"- longing for Him more than anything else? Am I living like there is "Nothing but the blood that can wash away my sins" or am I trying to clean up myself? Am I convinced that "He is Mighty To Save"? Do I daily, "Surrender All- All to Jesus", or do I reserve the right to hold on to certain things in my life?

The next time you sing a song, the next time you are in a worship service, the next time a chorus or hymn comes to mind and you find yourself singing it, take note as to whether you are singing it because you have memorized the words or because the words have meaning and you are living by them.

Have a great day. I wonder if the songs we sing are just words that we have memorized, or are we living what we are singing? 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.

Coffee Break

"Cornerstone"

"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Ephesians 2:20

When a building was to be constructed, the first thing that was put into place was a cornerstone. The rest of the building was then built according to the placement of it. One of the purposes of the cornerstone was to keep the building in alignment. Without it the building would be crooked and unstable.

The Apostle wrote that Jesus Himself was the chief cornerstone. It is upon Him that the church is built. It is also upon Him that our lives must be built. He is the cornerstone in our lives that holds all things together. He is what keeps our lives organized and in order. Without Him we are like a house that is "unsafe" and "unstable" because the foundation is faulty. 

Does your life seem to be out of alignment? Does it seem to be chaotic? Do you feel like you are off track? Check the foundation? Are you moving yourself away from the true foundation and trying to relocate to another one. Another one such as self-centeredness, greed, jealousy, pride, etc.?

If we try to build our lives on another foundation, or try to get away from being built on Him, we are like a house built on sand. There is nothing solid to hold our lives up. Sand continually shifts and gets us out of alignment and takes us into a life of disorder. Christ is the only sure foundation. He is the only One who can keep our lives in order. 

Have a great day. If your life is out of order and chaos, check to make sure you are still firmly built upon Christ the sure and solid foundation.

For further reading:
1 Peter 2:6
Isaiah 28:16
1 Corinthians 3:11

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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.