Coffee Break

Coffee Break

"'If' Is Not The Question"

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

"If God is for us". At first glance one might think that the word "if" implies that there is a chance that God may not be for us. It may come across that this is a question that ask if God is for us. That is not the case here. The question here is actually-- "who can be against us?" Who can be against us "if" God is for us. It is more of a condition. If/when God is for us, who can be against us.

Take the "if" out of your vocabulary this morning in the sense that you are wondering "if" He is for you. Are you His child? Have you been bought with the blood of His Son Jesus? Have you accepted Him as Savior and surrendered to Him as Lord? Are you following Him? Are you living your life for Him? Then there is no question about it. He is for you. He is on your side. He is with you. He is fighting your battles. He is interceding for you. He is working all things together for your good.

Don't let the "things" of this life make you question or doubt that He is for you. Don't let fear make you doubt. Don't let pain make you doubt. Don't let the sickness you are suffering cause you to doubt. Don't let the trial you are going through make you doubt. Don't listen to the accuser of the brethren and allow his words to make you doubt. Don't let the persecution that you are facing make you doubt. Don't let the hard times, the difficulties, the problems or the storm make you doubt. Don't let anything make you doubt that He is for you.

Have a great day. When you are facing difficulties it is easy to doubt that God is for you, but don't doubt it. "If" He is for you is the wrong question... He is for you.

For further reading:
Psalm 118:6

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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

Dear All,
I am touched and overwhelmed (in a good way) by the emails, cards, gifts, visits and response that I have received from you sending your condolences, thoughts and prayers. They have truly ministered to me and given me strength and encouragement. I would love to sit down and write each one of you personally. Please accept my apology for not doing so and accept my thank you now. Also thank you for letting me be offline for a while and closing the shop. I am still blessed to have my daddy and have needed to be with him and my family.

It has been a trying time. Just getting past the shock of her sudden passing has been the biggest hurdler. It still doesn't seem real. It is a time of mixed emotions. My heart is sad, my spirit is rejoicing. I am thankful she went peacefully like she did, but I still miss her.

There are two things I want to share with you out of this experience.

1. Don't take another breath without making sure that it is well with your soul. We aren't guaranteed we will have the chance to give our lives to the Lord at a later date. We could just go to sleep one night, like my mother did, and not wake up. We all have an appointment with death-- we just don't have the luxury of knowing when that appointment time is. Don't put it off. One millisecond after you die it will be too late. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Life is short-- eternity is forever. Prepare for it while you still have the chance.

2. Love those the Lord has given you while you still have them. Don't take the people God has placed in your life for granted. They may not always be there. I am thankful to have been able to spend time with my mother the last two evenings of her life. You may not get that chance. I had a wonderful mother. I couldn't have picked out a better one than God picked out for me. I don't care if your mother is the "wicked witch of the west", try to reconcile the relationship and enjoy her now. Don't procrastinate loving on the people in your life--whoever they are. None of us are going to live forever on this earth. Don't let things come before people. People are the priority-- at least that is what Jesus taught us. Make them yours if they are not.

Again, thank you, all. I am so thankful for the family, friends and body of Christ that has stood with me through this time. I feel your love and God's love through you.

Love and blessings, Lorraine

A personal note about the Coffee Break
Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:45 am (PDT) . Posted by: "Lorraine" abouthisbusiness
Dear All,
When I sent out the last Coffee Break devotional, "Borrowed Time", I had no idea that I would experience it in a way that touches me personally. On March 29 (Saturday), the Lord decided to "call in" my mother's "loan" . Her loan on time was up. During the early hours of the morning, while the rest of us were sound asleep, the Lord was awake and stepped through the portals of glory and ushered my mother home, and has taken her to that place He has prepared for those who love Him.

It was a shock to us all. She had not been ill. The Lord in His grace orchestrated it so that I could see her one last time the evening before. She looked great. She was very upbeat. She did not complain of feeling bad. She even cooked dinner for me so that I would not have to do it after a long day at the shop. None of us had a clue that this would be the last time anyone had an opportunity to see her and talk with her. But the Lord did. The Bible says that it is appointed unto man once to die. We all have an appointment time that awaits us-- only we don't have the luxury of knowing when that time will be. Therefore, we must always be ready. Making peace with God and securing our eternal soul through faith in the finished work that Jesus did for us at the cross, should be our life's number one priority. My mother had no idea that she would see her last sunset on this side of eternity when she went to sleep. She went to bed with thoughts of her next day's appointments. She had already made physical preparation for the events of the following day. But that day, those appointments, the plans that she would fulfill never came.

My mother passed from this life peacefully. She simply went to sleep here on earth and woke up in heaven. Though it was a shock and though we already miss her dearly, and even though our hearts are breaking, we are so thankful that she did not suffer and she was not in pain. We know that she is with Jesus, and that when she left this earth she did not leave it alone, He was her guide unto death, He was walking with her through the valley of the shadow of death, she was not fearing what she was going through, the sting of death and victory of the grave could not touch her. We rejoice in the blessed hope and promise that we have to be reunited again with her in Christ's eternal kingdom.

We always say that life is short and no one is promised tomorrow. We don't know when our time one earth is up so we must be ready. My mother's home going gives testimony to this fact. Therefore, I want to take advantage of this opportunity and urge you to make sure that it is well with your soul. Don't put off securing your eternal soul while you have time. Today is the day of salvation, now is the acceptable time, because you may not have another time to do it.

Having said all this, there will be no CB devotionals the rest of the week so that I can be with my family and tend to business that has to be done. Our pain is real, it does hurt but our sorrow is not as those who have no hope. The Lord has truly been the "glory and the lifter of our heads", and has been faithful to His promise to be near to those who are of a broken heart. Your prayers will be deeply appreciated.

Love and blessings,
Lorraine Ezell

Coffee Break

"Jephthah's Daughter"

"And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." Judges 11:30,31

We have heard many sermons preached about Jephthah mostly because of the vow he made to the Lord. In my opinion, it was a very "stupid" vow. What did he expect to come out of his house to meet him after the battle? Did he keep cows, goats, sheep or horses in his house? Naturally, it would have been either his wife or daughter. This story has been preached on numerous occasions because there is so much that we can learn from the foolishness of Jephthah. But this morning I don't want to focus on him. I want to focus on his less familiar daughter. 

We don't know much about her-- just a couple of verses. She isn't even named in the scriptures. She is simply "Jephthah's daughter". In my opinion, again, she- not her father- is the main character of the story. We have this young girl who was placed in a situation because of someone else. Her father made a vow that would effect her entire life. She would never marry because of it. She would spend the rest of her life childless. She would miss out on the opportunity of perhaps being the one chosen to bear the Messiah, all because of her father's foolish vow. 

The most remarkable thing we see from her story is the fact that she could have become bitter and angry. She could have rebelled. She could have chosen not to honor her father's vow and do what her own heart desired. She could have turned on her father and hated him. But she didn't. Yes, she cried over what was happening to her but she did not get in self-pity. In those couple of verses we see her gratitude and praise to the Lord for His delivering power. We see her love for her nation. We see her honor for her father. We see her surrender to the Lord. We see her humility. We see her dedicated relationship with the Lord. 

Do any of us see ourselves in her life? How would we react had it been us instead of her? What would our reaction say about our relationship with the Lord? Are we as willing as she was to honor God even when something is done against us? Even when someone else's actions change our lives? How many of us even keep the vows we make to the Lord personally, much less one that we have been unwillingly brought into by someone else? There is a lot we can learn from this unnamed young girl about humility, Christ-like attitude and surrender to the service of the Lord. Will we learn it?

Have a great day. How do you react when something that someone else does effects your entire life? What does that reaction say about your relationship with the Lord? 

For further reading:
Judges 11

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness .org 
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. 
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break

"Recognizing His Voice"

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

Have you ever been somewhere and heard a voice and immediately knew who it was even without seeing their face because you recognized the voice? I have. When my phone rings and the name of the person calling doesn't show up on the ID, once they say something I know who it is. There are people that I have become acquainted with because they come into our ministry store, and though we were once strangers I will recognize their voice when I hear it in another store. 

Out of all the voices that we recognize is the Lord's one of them? If we are His "sheep"- if we are His followers- we should have no trouble recognizing His voice. Being able to recognize a person's voice comes as a result of spending time not only talking to them, but listening to them. It is the same way with being able tor recognize the voice of our Good Shepherd. We are only able to recognize His voice if we are spending time with Him. 

We learn His voice through talking with Him in prayer-- or should I say, by listening to Him when we pray. Most of our prayers consist of us doing all the talking. We give God our "to do" list; we tell Him what we want; we give Him our "wish" list; we spend the whole time talking and rarely do any listening. You learn another person's voice by hearing it. When your voice is the only one you hear, that is the only voice you become acquainted with. 

We also learn His voice through His Word. The Bible isn't just a book of facts and figures about God, it is God speaking to us through its pages. The Bible is the Living Word- Jesus- written down on paper. Through it we know what He likes, dislikes, what He requires, what His will is, what His is like, how gracious, kind, loving and how just He is. 

How familiar are you with His voice? It should be the most important voice for us to know. It should be the voice that we desire to know above all other voices. We should be more acquainted with His than we are with anyone else's. We should recognize it more readily than any other voice. And we will if we will spend time with Him learning it.

Have a great day. How acquainted are you with the voice of God?

For further reading:
John 1:1
Genesis 3:8
Song of Solomon 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

"Almost Missed It"

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." John 4:35

One day Jesus told His disciples that He needed to go to Samaria. When they got there, the disciples went into the city to buy meat. While they were gone Jesus sat at a well and had a conversation with a woman of Samaria. As a result of their conversation this woman accepted Jesus as the Messiah who was to come. She then left her water pots and went to the city to tell others. The disciples came back with the food. Upon encouraging Him to eat, He replied that He had meat to eat that they knew not of. They began to question and wonder if someone had brought Him something to eat already. He corrected them and told them that His meat was to do the will of the Father and finish His work. Then Jesus said to them, "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." 

What was this meat? To do the will of the Father and finish His work. What was the will and work? To seek and to save that which was lost. His meat was spiritual in nature and He was fulfilling it. The disciples were taking care of natural things-- buying food. Jesus said to them to lift up their eyes because the harvest is already white and needs picking. When they physically looked around them, they saw a whole city coming to Jesus. The harvest was right there in front of them but they didn't see it. They almost missed it because they were focused on natural things- food. They were focused on trying to figure out where Jesus had already gotten food. They were in the middle of the harvest field and didn't even realize it. They were blinded spiritually by the physical.

I wonder if we aren't like those disciples? There is a harvest field around us, there are souls that are "ripe" waiting to be "picked", God is moving in our midst and we are focused on natural things. Are we more concerned with trying to figure out natural events that are occurring around us than we are with seeing what is happening spiritually? Are we missing what is spiritually taking place because we are more concerned with physical things? Has the physical blinded us to the spiritual? 

The disciples almost missed one of the greatest works of God-- the salvation of a whole city-- because they were concerned about natural things. Are we missing what the Lord is doing in our midst because we are more concerned as well with natural things?

Have a great day. Are natural things blinding us from seeing what is happening spiritually right in front of our eyes?

For further reading:
John 4 

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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 Simple Answer"

"And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Matthew 11:3-5

John the Baptist was in prison and he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was the one to come or should they look for another. The verses above are Jesus' reply to John's question. Have you ever noticed that Jesus rarely answered enquiring questions with a simple "yes" or "no"? All He had to do was tell John, "Yes, I am."

Why does He do that? God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, and how He wants to do it including the way He answers our questions. When He does though, it is always in the best way-- whether we think so or not. In John's case, he already knew the answer. The Father had already spoken to him from heaven at the River Jordan. Jesus' answer was one that would reinforce and reaffirm what John already knew. 

There have been times when I have asked the Lord something, wanting simply a "yes" or "no" but that is not how He answered me either. Like John, it is easy for us to question what we already know when things get tough, when they aren't going according to plan, or when they aren't happening the way we thought they would or in the time frame in which we thought they would. By giving us His answer in such a way, it is meant to reaffirm, reinforce, encourage, help fortify our faith and give clarity to the situation. I can remember as a child traveling in the car and asking my parents, "Are we there yet?". When they answered, "no", I felt like we would never get there. But when they answered with an explanation, it gave me a reference point to look for and would let me know that the journey was almost over. When the Lord answers us in this fashion, it too gives us a reference point and helps bring us back in focus-- focus on what He has already said instead of the situation-- and reinforces our faith. 

Don't get discouraged or angry if the Lord doesn't give you a simple "yes" or "no" answer. He is answering you in a way that is for your best and it will give you an anchor of faith to hold on to in the midst of your situation.

Have a great day. God doesn't always answer us with a simple "yes" or "no", but His answer is far better for us. 

For further reading:
Matthew 3:16,17
Hebrews 10:23

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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 Still The Same"

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

As I sought the Lord for the word this morning, I knew He laid this verse on my heart. My first thought was... but I have already written numerous devotions on this verse. He replied back ... it is still the day that I have made. 

No matter how many times we may write about it, no matter how many times we may preach from the verse, today is still the day that He has made. That being said, He is still the maker of the day. He is still watching over the day. He is still meeting each need we have today. He is still with us today. He is still fulfilling His promises to us today. He is still providing us with strength, grace, peace, assurance, wisdom, instruction, healing, deliverance-- whatever we need to make it through the day. He is still loving us today. He still desires to walk and talk with us today. 

With the passing of each day, comes a brand new day. And in each new day the Lord still remains the same. Each day when it arrives is "this" day. It is this present day, not a past day, nor a future day. Therefore, He is a present God today. He is still faithful this day as He has been every day. So look to Him this day. Walk with Him this day. Lean upon Him this day. Trust Him this day. Because He remains the same, and is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Have a great day. This is still the day that the Lord has made, and He is still the same today as He has always been.

For further reading:
Hebrews 13:8
Malachi 3:6
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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 

"Trust The Leading"

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9

Yesterday I saw a plaque that read-- "Be led by your heart". It's a sweet thought and popular one, but a wrong one. It is dangerous, in most cases, to be led by your heart. The Bible says that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. They will often lead us astray, because they lead us toward their own wants and desires. 

There is only one sure way to be led-- by the Spirit of God. The Spirit will never lead us in the wrong direction. He will never lead us in a way that is destructive or hurtful. He will always lead us on the path of life. Whereas our own hearts see something they want and will pursue it often without regard to whether it is best for us, and will actually convince us that it is the best. How many people have pursued "pipe-dreams" because their hearts wanted to do it. How many have been in relationships with the wrong person because their heart wanted it. Even Christian people- they convinced themselves that it was the right thing to do because it "felt" right in their hearts. 

The only time we can trust our hearts in leading us in the right direction is when our hearts are totally surrendered to the Lord and have been sanctified to His will. It is only when He creates in us a clean heart-- removing the deceit and wicked desires-- that we can trust that the motives of our hearts are pure. It is only when we love the Lord with all our heart that there is no room for any of our own desires to lead us.

No, we can't be led by our hearts. But God Himself promises to lead us as we seek Him. We can't trust our hearts, but we can trust that as we surrender them more and more to the Lord He will put His desires within them. When He does, we can trust that though we can't be led by them, they will not be able to lead us astray as they once did.

Have a great day. We can't be led by our hearts, but we can be led by the Spirit of God. 

For further reading:
Romans 8:14
Mark 12:30; 7:21,22
Psalm 51:10
Jeremiah 24:7 

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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 

"Praise-Worthy"

"Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord." Psalm 113:1

We are all quick to call upon the Lord for help when we are in trouble, but when was the last time you spent some time just praising Him. Time not asking Him for anything but instead thanking Him for all that He has done for you. There are numerous verses that admonish us to praise Him, and for various reasons.

He is praised for His avenging power. (Judges 5:2) Have you praised Him for avenging you before someone who was working against you? 

He is praised for His goodness. (Psalm 106:1) Has He been good to you? 

He is praised for His merciful kindness and truth. (Psalm 117:2) Has He showed you kindness? Has He been merciful to you when He should not have been, because you deserved punishment? He has given you truth through His word to guide and direct you through life. Should you praise Him for that? 

He is praised for His delivering power. (Jeremiah 20:13) Has He delivered you-- from sin, for a bondage, from a near fatal accident, from those who were trying to destroy you, from an illness? 

Just what has He done for you that is praise-worthy? The greatest thing He did for me was to send His Son Jesus to die on the cross and pay the price for my sins and take my punishment so that I could have eternal life. Personally, if He never did anything else for me that would be plenty of reason for me to never stop praising Him. How about you? 

He is worthy to be praised, and if He has done anything for you, you should give Him praise every day. 

Have a great day. What has the Lord done for you? Isn't that cause to praise Him?

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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
"Hope In The Word"

"I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." Psalm 130:5

Did you ever place your hope in what someone else said? As a child your parent may have told you they would take you somewhere but they didn't. A spouse made a vow to love you always but later filed for divorce later. The government makes promises of providing us with wonderful benefits but it is false. A boss promised you job security but then the business failed and you were without a job. A lot of people make lots of promises but don't always keep them. They say one thing, but do another. We have all done that ourselves. I have made promises that later I was unable to keep. I have said something but circumstances beyond my control prevented me from fulfilling my word.

I am here to remind you this morning that God is not like that. We can put our hope in His words. He doesn't make promises He can't keep. He doesn't go back on His word. He doesn't let circumstances control the validity of what He says. He doesn't say one thing then act in another manner. His words are not only true, but they are truth. His words are eternal. They will never pass away. They are powerful. They were what God used to create the universe. His words are what continues to hold it all together. And while we may not always be able to put our hope in the words of another, we can always put our hope in what God says.

Have a great day. You can't always place your hope in the words of another, but you can always put your hope in God's word.

For further reading:
Psalm 119:81,114
Matthew 24:35
Hebrews 11:3
John 17:17

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

"Lion And Lamb"

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:36

I have noticed over the last few days that the wind has been picking up. All my life I have heard March winds compared to a "lamb" and a "lion". I have heard that if the month starts out windy it is like a lion, and if it starts off calm it is like a lamb. I have also heard that if it starts off one way, it will end the other. The month started out calm but is now becoming windy. My husband and I were talking about the wind yesterday. I told him, it came in like a lamb but is going out like a lion. When I said this, I saw a spiritual analogy in it.

When Jesus came to earth, He came as a baby in a manger. He didn't come in showy fashion. He came quietly, revealing Himself to only a hand full of people. He was to be the sacrificial Lamb that would take away our sins by His death on the cross. When Jesus came, He entered as a "Lamb". But, oh, when He left, He went out like a "Lion". The Bible calls Him the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In His death and resurrection He was a Mighty Conqueror. He left this earth in victory and triumph. He left having conquered sin and death. He left a trail of glory behind. He left having defeated His prey, the enemies of mankind-- the devil, sin, sickness, death, hell and the grave. 

Each year when March rolls around, it will be the same-- calm or windy, windy or calm, a lion or a lamb. Just as the month of March returns each year, their will be a return of Jesus one day. Only this time He will not come again like a Lamb-- that Lamb has been slain. That Lamb rose in victory, once and for all, and has become eternally the Conquering "Lion". When He returns, He will return as the Lion. He will put an end to sin, sickness, the devil, etc., once and for all. When He returns the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and He shall reign forever and ever. 

Have you received Him as the Lamb who died on the cross to take away your sins? Are you looking for His return as the victorious Lion? He is coming a second time are you ready to face Him?

Have a great day. Jesus came to earth the first time as a "lamb" to take away our sins. He will return again as a "lion" to rule and reign eternally. 

For further reading:
Revelation 5:5; 1:18
Colossians 2:10-15
1 John 3:8
John 17:1-5; 14:1-3
Hebrews 9:26-28

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

"Present Suffering, Eternal Glory"

"He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn." Matthew 9:24

"And they laughed Him to scorn." Not much has changed. People laughed at Jesus when He was following the Father's will. They laughed at His faith. They laughed at Him when He went against earthly thinking. They are still laughing at Him and laughing at His people.

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." (John 15:20) We shouldn't think that it is strange when we are laughed at because of our faith in Jesus. We shouldn't think it is strange when we are mocked for our faith. We shouldn't think it is strange when we are persecuted for our stand for Christ. Neither should we think it strange when we are mocked and labeled as being fanatics, intolerable, ignorant, etc. We should think it is normal because they did the same thing to Jesus-- if they did it to Him, they will do it to His followers. He was despised, rejected, mocked and ridiculed. They called Him names-- prince of the devils, glutton, drunkard, blasphemer. They lied about Him. They tried to kill Him. They finally crucified Him.

I guess I haven't painted a very lovely picture. Seems pretty gloomy and hopeless. Why would we want to follow Jesus if this is what we have to look forward to? This is just one side of it. We need to know that this is part of being a Christian so that we won't be disillusioned when the times come that we are ridiculed for our faith. So what do we have to look forward to then? Things that the eye hasn't seen, the hear hasn't heard and things that haven't even entered into our hearts-- blessings here and now and in the eternal future. In the now, we have a relationship with God the Father. We are daily being loaded with benefits. We have abundant life, wisdom, grace, joy unspeakable and peace that passes understanding. In the world to come life everlasting. The privilege of hearing the Father say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord". We have a home prepared for us in heaven. We will forever be with the Lord where there is no more suffering, no more pain, no more sickness, no more rejection, no more ridicule.

"The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Suffering for your faith is a part of this world. They did it to Jesus so they will do it to us. But what we go through here is not even worthy to be compared to what we will receive in eternity if we hold fast to our profession of faith and endure to the end.

Have a great day. We will suffer for the cause of Christ while on earth, but the glory that we will experience in eternity will make it all worth it.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 2:9
Matthew 25:21,23
John 14:1-3
1 Thessalonians 4:17
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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

"Dressed Or Naked?"

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" Colossians 3:12

I would never dream of leaving my house naked. I always put on clothes before I go anywhere. Sometimes it takes me longer to get dressed than it does at other times. If I know I have to go somewhere the next day, I will pick out what I am going to wear the evening before. If I want to wear a particular outfit I make sure it has been washed and ready to wear ahead of time. If I have to attend a special event I will spend hours, even days, looking for the right outfit.

More often then not we are too focused on dressing our bodies than we are dressing our spirit. The Bible tells us to "take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:25) That doesn't mean that we are not to care about our appearance and make sure we look presentable. It means that we shouldn't be anxious about it and make that the most important thing.

Do you get dressed "spiritually" each day? Are you more concerned about what you wear on your body than having your spirit dressed? The words "put on" means "to be clothed". God's word tells us how we are to be clothed/dressed spiritually. Each day we are to make sure we don't face the world "naked". God has provided "clothing" for us. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God provided them with clothes of animal skins to cover their nakedness. He has provided us the same clothing of salvation through His Son Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Adam and Eve's bodies were dressed with the skins to cover their physical nakedness. We "wear" Christ, the Lamb, to cover our spiritual nakedness.

The Lord has also provided us with additional clothing to wear everyday. We are to be clothed with mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and longsuffering. We are to be clothed with the armor of light. (Romans 13:12) Also we are to be clothed with the full armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11) And we are to be clothed with charity. (Colossians 3:14) He has provided us with not only clothes, but the right clothing for the right occasions that come our way each day, but we have to make sure we have put them on.

Have a great day. Have you put on your "spiritual clothes" today? Or are you walking around "spiritually naked"?

For further reading:
Galatians 3:27
Ephesians 4:24
Colossians 3:10
John 1:29,36

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

"Committed Or Surrendered?"

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also]. Matthew 16:24 - (Amplified Bible)

Years ago I was listening to a radio program and the host was interviewing a missionary who had been overseas for many years. The host asked the missionary a question-- what is the biggest difference that you see in the church after having been gone for so long? I will never forget his answer-- commitment. He went on to say that the church has become committed to God but not surrendered to Him. Then he proceeded to elaborate on what he meant. He said commitment places "I" in charge. Surrender places "God" in charge.

Let me further clarify what he meant. The dictionary defines the word commit as: to give in trust or charge to someone; to pledge oneself to; to entrust especially for safe keeping. It defines the word surrender as: to yield to the possession or power of another; to give oneself up to another; submit or yield.

There is a big difference between the two. Commitment reserves its rights. If I entrust myself to the Lord and I feel He has not been faithful, then I have reserved the right to walk away from Him. If I pledge myself to Him, it is conditional. Therefore, if I feel He has let me down I no longer feel obligated to Him. This is why we see so many people turning from God. They have committed themselves to Him instead of surrending themselves to Him. So when things don't go the way they wanted, or God doesn't do what they thought He should do, they are no longer committed.

When you surrender to something or someone, you lose your rights. Just ask those who have been prisoners of war or because of committing a crime. (A prisoner can't just walk away-- he has to escape.) When we come to Christ, we surrender to Him. We surrender to His will, His plan, His ways, His desires for our lives. We lose our lives- they no longer belong to us. They belong to Him. We are bought with a price- the blood of Jesus. He is now the "owner" of our lives because He bought and paid for them. When I own something, I decide what I am going to do with it. When He owns us, He decides what to do with us... and we surrender, yield, submit to it.

Are you simply committed to Him today? Are you following Him but keeping one hand on the "wheel" just in case He wants to go a different direction than you had planned? Or are you surrendered to Him, letting go of the wheel and becoming the passenger who goes wherever He drives you?

Have a great day. Are you surrendered to Christ or just committed to Him? There is a difference.

For further reading:
Philemon 1:1
1 Corinthians 6:20
1 Peter 1:18

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

"Present Suffering, Eternal Glory"

"He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn." Matthew 9:24

"And they laughed Him to scorn." Not much has changed. People laughed at Jesus when He was following the Father's will. They laughed at His faith. They laughed at Him when He went against earthly thinking. They are still laughing at Him and laughing at His people. 

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." (John 15:20) We shouldn't think that it is strange when we are laughed at because of our faith in Jesus. We shouldn't think it is strange when we are mocked for our faith. We shouldn't think it is strange when we are persecuted for our stand for Christ. Neither should we think it strange when we are mocked and labeled as being fanatics, intolerable, ignorant, etc. We should think it is normal because they did the same thing to Jesus-- if they did it to Him, they will do it to His followers. He was despised, rejected, mocked and ridiculed. They called Him names-- prince of the devils, glutton, drunkard, blasphemer. They lied about Him. They tried to kill Him. They finally crucified Him. 

I guess I haven't painted a very lovely picture. Seems pretty gloomy and hopeless. Why would we want to follow Jesus if this is what we have to look forward to? This is just one side of it. We need to know that this is part of being a Christian so that we won't be disillusioned when the times come that we are ridiculed for our faith. So what do we have to look forward to then? Things that the eye hasn't seen, the hear hasn't heard and things that haven't even entered into our hearts-- blessings here and now and in the eternal future. In the now, we have a relationship with God the Father. We are daily being loaded with benefits. We have abundant life, wisdom, grace, joy unspeakable and peace that passes understanding. In the world to come life everlasting. The privilege of hearing the Father say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord". We have a home prepared for us in heaven. We will forever be with the Lord where there is no more suffering, no more pain, no more sickness, no more rejection, no more ridicule. 

"The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Suffering for your faith is a part of this world. They did it to Jesus so they will do it to us. But what we go through here is not even worthy to be compared to what we will receive in eternity if we hold fast to our profession of faith and endure to the end.

Have a great day. We will suffer for the cause of Christ while on earth, but the glory that we will experience in eternity will make it all worth it.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 2:9
Matthew 25:21,23
John 14:1-3
1 Thessalonians 4:17
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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

"Dressed Or Naked?"

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" Colossians 3:12

I would never dream of leaving my house naked. I always put on clothes before I go anywhere. Sometimes it takes me longer to get dressed than it does at other times. If I know I have to go somewhere the next day, I will pick out what I am going to wear the evening before. If I want to wear a particular outfit I make sure it has been washed and ready to wear ahead of time. If I have to attend a special event I will spend hours, even days, looking for the right outfit. 

More often then not we are too focused on dressing our bodies than we are dressing our spirit. The Bible tells us to "take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:25) That doesn't mean that we are not to care about our appearance and make sure we look presentable. It means that we shouldn't be anxious about it and make that the most important thing. 

Do you get dressed "spiritually" each day? Are you more concerned about what you wear on your body than having your spirit dressed? The words "put on" means "to be clothed". God's word tells us how we are to be clothed/dressed spiritually. Each day we are to make sure we don't face the world "naked". God has provided "clothing" for us. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God provided them with clothes of animal skins to cover their nakedness. He has provided us the same clothing of salvation through His Son Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Adam and Eve's bodies were dressed with the skins to cover their physical nakedness. We "wear" Christ, the Lamb, to cover our spiritual nakedness. 

The Lord has also provided us with additional clothing to wear everyday. We are to be clothed with mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and longsuffering. We are to be clothed with the armor of light. (Romans 13:12) Also we are to be clothed with the full armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11) And we are to be clothed with charity. (Colossians 3:14) He has provided us with not only clothes, but the right clothing for the right occasions that come our way each day, but we have to make sure we have put them on.

Have a great day. Have you put on your "spiritual clothes" today? Or are you walking around "spiritually naked"?

For further reading:
Galatians 3:27
Ephesians 4:24
Colossians 3:10
John 1:29,36

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

"Endure To The End"

"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Genesis 2:12

I always find it sad that when something goes wrong in our lives, we start blaming God as if it was His fault. Adam blamed God (the woman YOU gave me) when he was the one who disobeyed. How was it God's fault? But there is something else that people do that I just cannot understand. When someone has let them down, when someone in their life has proven untrustworthy, when they have been wronged, many people turn their backs on God and walk away from Him. How did what another person do to you make you turn away from God? What did God have to do with that? Why was it His fault? Why is He the one to blame?

We see this all the time. Those who once served the Lord have now turned away from following Him. Why did they do that? I submit to you that if a person's relationship with the Lord can be so easily broken, then they more than likely never had a relationship with Him to begin with-- they were just religious.

Life is one big series of events-- some are good, some are bad. People hurt us, people betray us, friends come and go, jobs can be lost, situations can change at the drop of a hat, family will even let us down. But we must have a true relationship with the Lord that keeps us "rooted and grounded" in the ever changing, ever trying events of life.

"... he that endureth to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 10:22b) The meaning of the word endure here means: to remain, abide, not recede or flee; to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ; to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments. This doesn't sound like those who give up on God and turn from following Him. It won't be the one who started the race that gets the prize, but the one who finishes it- those who continue going all the way to the end. It will be those who endure persecution, hardship, unkind treatment, betrayal, ridicule, difficulties, accusations, etc. It will be those who endure in their relationship with the Lord and resist the temptation to turn from following Him when times get bad or hard.

Are you grounded in your relationship with the Lord? Do you actually have a relationship with Him? Are you going to let what others do to you cause you to turn from Him? Are you going to let trying times cause you to stop following Him? Or are you determined to endure to the end?

Have a great day. Why would you turn your back on God because of what someone else did?

For further reading:
1 John 2:19
Philippians 3:18
1 Corinthians 9:24

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

"Jesus Stood Up"

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Acts 7:55,56

The Bible tells us that after Jesus ascended into heaven He sat down at the Father's right hand. It also tells us that He is seated there until the appointed time when He will make His enemies His "footstool". Yet at the stoning of Stephen, Stephen clearly saw Him standing at the right hand of God.

When God the Father finished His work of creation, He rested-- He sat down. Jesus having finished His work of redemption, rested-- He sat down. But just because He sat down and entered into His rest doesn't mean that He is unaware or uncaring of what is going on in our lives. He is not asleep in His rest. He takes note of us. This is evident from the fact that He "stood" up to see what was happening to Stephen.

The fact that Jesus stood up represents several things to me. On earth when an important person- a dignitary, a king or a bride- enters the room the audience stands. To Jesus those He died for are important to Him. Stephen had an audience with Him, so Jesus stood because Stephen was getting ready to "enter the room" (heaven).

Also on earth, at a football game when the team we are rooting for makes a touchdown, the audience stands. They stand because of joy, excitement and the victory of the touchdown. Jesus stood out of joy over Stephen's victory and faithfulness to Him even in the midst of adversity.

When someone comes into a room, it is customary to stand and give them a welcome. This is another reason, why I believe Jesus stood-- to welcome Stephen home.

Lastly, as I have already mentioned, we stand when we want to get a closer look at what is going on. Jesus stood at the stoning of Stephen. He didn't stay seated. He didn't turn His head. He didn't walk away. He stood acknowledging that He was watching and had His eye on Stephen.

This morning, be encouraged through this story of Stephen. You are an important person to Jesus. He is rooting you on in your daily walk. He rejoices over you. He is awaiting your arrival and will be there to greet you. But also be encouraged to know that whatever you are going through, whatever adversity you are facing, whatever the trial that is surrounding you, even if you feel like you are "being stoned", Jesus notices and is watching over your life.

Have a great day. Though Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, He is completely aware of where you are and what you are going through.

For further reading:
Romans 8:34
Hebrews 12:2; 4:10
Psalm 110:1
Genesis 2:2,3

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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 Fragments"

"And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments..." Mark 6:43

Does your life feel like it has been broken in pieces? Are you living with a broken heart? Have you gone through a broken relationship? You are broken in body because of an illness. Perhaps you are broken emotionally because of overwhelming problems? Maybe your life has been fragmented (torn into pieces) because of your upbringing, bad choices, things that were done to you, life controlling addictions or because you were violated or betrayed by someone you trusted. 

If your life has been "broken in pieces" (fragmented) I have good news for you. God knows how to take those "fragments" and use them to bring about something wonderful. Jesus had His disciples pick up the fragments of bread and fish-- the leftover pieces that would have been thrown away-- and put them in baskets to be used at a another time. He wanted nothing wasted. Jesus can use your broken life to "feed" others. He can make what looks like "discard" and use it as sustenance to give to others who are "hungry". As we surrender our lives to Him, He knows how to make sure that nothing in our lives-- good or bad-- is wasted either. He can take those bad experiences, He can take those broken places, He can take those mistakes and failures, He can even take the consequences of wrong choices and use them for good in your life and the lives of others. 

Don't look at the fragments of your life and think that nothing good can come from it. God can, and will, take them and use them in such a way where they won't be just wasted times in your life. 

Have a great day. Your broken life, your broken experiences can be used by the Lord to minister to others who have broken lives. 

For further reading:
Romans 8:28
Mark 6:35-44

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

"Troubled Hearts - Part 2"

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3

Yesterday we talked about having a "troubled heart". The scripture says to not let your heart be troubled. But how do we keep from it in a world full of trouble? There are several keys.

1) Like we said yesterday- don't defend your flesh/humanity. Don't make excuses for it to be troubled.

2) "Ye believe in God." Lean upon your belief in who God is. He is the loving Heavenly Father who cares about you, so much so that He sent His Only Begotten Son to pay the ransom for you sins. If He spared not His Only Son, but delivered Him up for you, will He not also freely give you all things? All things- peace, strength, joy, safety, wisdom, provisions, soundness of mind, etc. He is also the Creator of the Universe-- He spoke it into existence and holds it together by the power of His word. If He can create all that we see, and don't see, He can certainly take care of you and all your needs.

3) "Believe also in me." Believe in Jesus as your Advocate with the Father, as your Intercessor. Believe He is standing in the gap for you. Believe that He is for you. Believe that He is with you. He would not have laid down His life for you then leave you on your own. He still walks and talks with you just like He did with the disciples while on earth. Believe that He is your friend that sticks closer than a brother. Believe that He is the Prince of Peace who has imparted His peace that passes understanding into your heart and mind. Then rest in His peace.

4) "In my Father's house." Where is the Father's house? It is not on earth. Therefore, set your affections on things above. Keep looking up. Don't be so worldly minded. This life is not all there is. We are children of another kingdom. We are to be looking for a city whose builder and maker is the Lord. We are only passing through this life. So don't allow yourself to be conformed to this world. But be transformed by keeping your mind renewed with God's word. 

5) "I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again." There is hope in these words of Jesus, and a wonderful promise. Hold on to your hope. Hold on to your faith. Hold on to the words that Jesus has spoken to you. Guard your heart. Guard your thoughts. Don't let your hope be stolen during the troubling times. Hold on to His promises. Hold fast until the end. Fight the good fight of faith. There is a reward, and there is a prize laid up for those who endure to the end-- don't forget about it. 

Have a great day. Our belief in God, in Jesus, in His promises, and in the prize that is laid up for us will hold us steady in the times when our hearts are tempted to be troubled. 

For further reading:
Romans 8;32
1 Timothy 6:12
Philippians 3:14
1 John 2:1

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

"Troubled Hearts"

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

Don't let your heart be troubled-- disquieted, anxious, disturbed, fearful, restless, distressed, agitated. Does this sound like you? Are you anxious? Are you fearful? Are you restless? In the world in which we live it is easy to find ourselves in this state. Daily responsibilities, bad reports, the cares of this life, the state of affairs, tribulation, our job situation, the words and actions of others, can become an instrument to make our hearts troubled. But for the disciple of the Lord Jesus we ought not have a troubled heart.

We tend to excuse our "troubled hearts" with the defense that "I am only human". Yes, we are human, but we are humans who believe in and put our hope and trust in God. We are humans who are in a transformation process of becoming more like Him in this world. We are humans who have been called to take up our cross, deny ourselves, put to death the works of the flesh and reckon ourselves dead to this world and alive to Christ. We are humans who must decrease so that Christ can increase in our lives.

I don't want to sound cruel, hard-hearted or judgmental. We do face very real, very hurtful, very trying, very distressful situations. But we can't constantly give into them. During those times we have to let God arise and be seen in our lives. We have to follow the example of our beloved Savior- who for the joy that was set before Him became obedient unto the death of the cross. We have to follow the examples of the early church who counted it all joy when their faith was tried- even through persecution and tribulation. We have to follow the example of those in Revelations who loved not their lives unto death.

"You believe in God, believe also in Me." Do we "believe" in God? If we do, then we should act like it even in trying times. We should have faith that He will make all things work together for our good. We should be fully persuaded that He is able to keep what we commit to Him. We should be confident that He will supply all our need, He will make a way, He will fight our battles, open prison doors, give us streams in the desert, guide us with His eyes and never leave us nor forsake us. Then we should know that He is watching over us and walking with us. Then we should know that we are still more than conquerors through Jesus no matter what we face.

Yes, we face difficulties, (I am not denying that) and we always will as long as we are in this world. (John 16:33) But the more we give in to the feelings of our humanity and use it as an excuse to have troubled hearts we will never walk in the victory that Christ has given us. We will never experience the abundant life that He desires for us to have. We won't have joy or peace. And we will never walk in a level of faith that is worthy of those who say they "believe in God"-- but we will be defeated instead.

Have a great day. Stop defending your humanity and allowing it to be an excuse for a troubled heart.

For further reading:
Matthew 16:24
John 3:30
Hebrews 12:2
James 1:2
Revelation 12:11

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

"The Gift's Wrapping"

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

Sometimes we don't recognize the gifts that God is giving us because of the "package" they come wrapped in. I have received gifts that were wrapped in beautiful paper and bows. I have received gifts that were placed in a gift bag with pretty colored tissue stuffed in the top. But I have also received gifts that were wrapped in the plastic bag that they came from the store in. But each one-- even the one in the plain plastic bag-- was a gift. The wrapping just covered the gift. It didn't change the gift from being a gift. It didn't change the value of the gift.

God sent mankind the gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus His Son. When the gift of God came into the world, it came wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. What an odd "wrapping". When the gift was presented, it came "wrapped" in blood, nails and a cross. The outside "wrapping" didn't make it appear to be a beautiful gift, but it was the most wonderful, beautiful gift that could have been given to man.

Some people miss the gift of salvation because of the way it came "wrapped". They miss it because they see the suffering, the blood, the crown of thorns, the beatings, and the crucifixion and reject the gift of eternal life. There are other gifts that the Lord is trying to give to us that we miss as well because of the "wrapping". For example, we miss the gift of patience because it is wrapped in tribulation. "Tribulation worketh patience". (Romans 5:3b)

God is wanting to get some gifts to us but we won't receive them because of the way they are "wrapped"-- we reject them because of the packaging. "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter 5:9) He wants to perfect us, establish us, strengthen us and settle us, but it comes wrapped in suffering, so we reject it. The gift of a greater revelation of who Jesus was came to the disciples wrapped up in a storm. Joseph received the gift of destiny wrapped up in a pit, slavery and imprisonment. God gives good and perfect gifts to us, but the way they come wrapped may not look so good and perfect.

Have a great day. Don't reject the gift because you don't like the packaging.

For further reading:
Matthew 8:27

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break

"Get Out And Go"

"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord." Psalm 118:26

This may be "stretching&qu ot; the verse a little, but "get out of the house of the Lord and start blessing people" . It is so easy for us as Christians to want to shut ourselves up behind the four walls of the church. We want to stay in our little comfort zone and do our own little religious things. We want to stay around other Christians in our own safe little world. But the Lord commissioned us to go, not stay. 

Church and church attendance play a vital role in our Christianity. We are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It has a place. It is where we are helped to grow and be encouraged so that we can "go" out into the world and do the work we were called to do-- reach the lost for Christ. 

"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord". This was a prophesy about the Messiah who would come. The key word is "come" . Jesus didn't stay in heaven behind gates of pearl, enjoying the splendor of heaven, surrounded by adoring angels, strolling down streets of gold. He came to earth. He walked among us. He went to the temple, but He didn't "live" there. He went at the appointed time-- it was His custom to do so. But the rest of the time He got out where humanity was-- the highways, byways, market place, the seashore, etc. He went to where the lost, the hurting, the afflicted, the rejected, the scorned, the condemned, and the guilty were. We are to not only follow His example, but continue the work He started by reaching people with the good news of the gospel. We do this by being those who "come in the name of the Lord" to those who are lost and in the darkness of sin. 

Are you fulfilling the commission to go? Are you staying in the house of God and neglecting the call to go into your world? Are you blessing others by giving them the good news that God loves them and Jesus saves-- outside of the house of the Lord, as well as inside it? 

Have a great day. We have a commission to fulfill, and we won't fulfill it inside the four walls of the church. We have to get out of the house and start blessing others in the name of the Lord.

For further reading:
Mark 16:15
Acts 1:1
Luke 4:16
Isaiah 52:7
Romans 10:15
Hebrews 10:25

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

"Don' t Leave It Behind"

"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Psalm 111:4

Recently we talked about forgetting/leaving some things behind-- past failures and victories-- and not camping out in yesterday. God has called us to go forward and not allow the "past" to hinder us from doing so. But there is one thing we have to mention on this subject. There is something that we can't leave behind and we must remember-- God's wonderful works, His grace, goodness, and compassion to us.

We can't leave our testimony of what God has done for us in the past-- His wonderful works are to be remembered. In saying that I need to also say that we don't "camp out" in what He "did" for us and stay in that. He wants to do new works and miracles in our lives today. But at the same time we should never forget what He has already done. Don't forget where He brought you from. Don't forget the time He delivered you out of the pit. Don't forget the time He calmed the raging storm that threatened to destroy you. Don't forget the many times He has healed your body, given you wisdom in a situation, given you strength when you were weak, lifted up your head when it hang down, came through at the last minute, and made a way when there was no way in sight. These wonderful works should never be forgotten. 

In the Old Testament the Lord told the children of Israel to set up memorials-- through feasts, by the placing of stones, through writings, etc. These were to be reminders to them and the generations to come of God's wonder working power in their lives. By remembering the wonderful works that the Lord has done for us, we are making a memorial to constantly remind us of how good He has been to us. When you are going through a trial, you can look back at what He did for you in the past and be encouraged by it. When you are going through the fire, remembering the last time He delivered you from the fire will give you faith to know that He will do it again. When you remember how He came through for you in the past, it will remind you of His power to do what seems impossible and you will know that He can do the same again this time.

Again, in leaving those things that are behind, we must never leave in the past our confidence in the Lord, our faith in Him, the knowledge of His mighty power, the memory of the times He did great and wonderful things for us, or our praise of His faithfulness. 

Have a great day. When we forget those things that are behind, we can't forget the wonderful works that the Lord has done. The memory of them will encourage us in the trials we face today.

For further reading:
Exodus 12:14
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Psalm 42:6; 77:11

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

"Appreciate The Gift"

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

A gift is something that is given willingly to a person without payment in return. There is nothing that the recipient of the gift does to earn it. God gives us gifts everyday, and many of them we take for granted-- like air to breath. The greatest gift He has given is the gift of eternal life. This gift was provided for us by Jesus at the cross. 

There are many things that a person can do with a gift. They can refuse it, they can receive it, they can neglect it after they have received it or they can enjoy the gift and use it. It is the same with the gift of salvation/eternal life that God has provided. 

Many have and still are refusing the gift of salvation. They don't want it or anything to do with it. Therefore, they will not receive it. When they stand before the Lord one day, they will want it then but it will be too late. When that time comes, they can't blame God, it will not be His fault. It is not up to the giver whether a gift is accepted or not, it is up to the receiver. It will be their fault that they did not receive it-- not God's.

On the other hand, many have received this free gift that God has so graciously provided. But what are they doing with it? If you have received it, what are you doing with it? Are you enjoying it and using it? Are you neglecting it? If you appreciate a gift you will use it and not neglect it. I bought my husband a turkey hunting vest for Christmas. It is evident that he appreciates that gift because every time he went turkey hunting he wore it. Had he not liked or appreciated it he would have left it hanging in the closet.

If we "appreciate&qu ot; the gift of God's salvation there will be evidence. The main evidence is our lives will show it. They will show it through our communion and fellowship with the Lord. They will show it through praise, worship and adoration of the Lord. They will show it by our lifestyle. They will show it through the love of God radiating from our lives. They will show it through our witnessing and testifying of God's love and goodness to others. If we don't appreciate it there will be evidence also-- neglect. 

Have a great day. If you appreciate the gift of salvation that you have received, you won't neglect it and your life will show it.

For further reading:
John 3:16; 4:10
Ephesians 2:8
James 1:17

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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 Place Of Rest"

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19

This has been an extremely busy time for me. If I let it, it could be overwhelming. After the next couple of weeks it will slow down a little. I have been thinking-- I need a break. I need to get away and go somewhere where I can just rest for a couple of days. 

We all need times to get away where we can be refreshed and regroup. We need times of solitude and quiet where we can rest our bodies and clear our minds. But taking a trip or vacation is not always the answer. Have you heard anyone say, "I need a vacation to rest up from my vacation." ? Leaving the familiar and routine and getting a change of scenery is fine if you can do it (I might do it yet), but it isn't our answer. It does help and there is nothing wrong with doing it. But there is only one place where we find true rest and refreshing. It is in the presence of the Lord. "To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear." (Isaiah 28:12)

Jesus showed us by example where this place was. If anyone needed a rest, and a break, it was Jesus. He was constantly surrounded by people wanting something from Him. He couldn't eat or sleep without someone right there all the time. Yet, He was always "refreshed&quo t;, it never got "the best of Him". That place was in the presence of the Father. Often, He would get away, go up to a mountain, the other side of the sea, or stay up all night to commune with His Father. This is where we find the rest that we need. Like the old hymn says-- "There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God." 

"For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul." (Jeremiah 31:25) We may not be able to go somewhere away from the place of demands upon us, but we can go straight into the presence of the Lord and find rest and refreshing for our weariness. The rest that He gives is complete-- not a little rest. It refreshes our whole spirit, soul and body. He satiates us and replenishes us when we ask. He causes us to no longer be weary but instead we receive the strength to "mount up with wings like eagles. So that we can run and not be weary, walk and not faint." 

There is no better place on earth to receive the rest that we need and are looking for, than in the presence of the Lord. The best thing about it is that you don't have to make reservations- - there is always a place available for you. You don't have to travel far to get there-- just the distance to your knees. It doesn't cost one cent-- it has been paid for through the blood of Jesus. And you can always go there at any time.

Have a great day. Do you need a break? Do you need a rest? Do you need to be refreshed? There is a place where you can find perfect rest. It's in the Presence of God. 

For further reading:
Isaiah 40:31

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

"Don' t Camp Out In Yesterday"

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." Philippians 3:13

Yesterday is gone, today is a new day. We have to leave yesterday' s failures and victories behind and face what lies ahead of us this day. With each new day comes new challenges, new mountains to climb, new valleys to pass through, and new seas to cross. 

When Jesus walked the earth, He and His disciples were constantly going from one place to another. They were either crossing a sea, climbing a mountain, walking the shores or going from one town to another. They didn't stay in one "place" too long. On the mountain of transfiguration the disciples wanted to build a temple to the Lord and stay there. But Jesus took them back down into the valley instead. 

Life is not a place of standing still. It is a place of going forth and forward. We can't camp out on the mountain top. We can't camp out in the valley beside still waters. We can't camp out in yesterday' s failures and give up and stop going to our next appointed destination. We can't camp out in yesterday' s victories and not press on to new ones today. 

Are you "stuck" in yesterday? Are you wanting to camp out there? Camp out in self-pity, in the mistakes, in the condemnation, in the guilt? Are you wanting to camp out in the triumphs, in the victory, in the glorious experience? Get up and move on. It is time to "get into the boat". It is time to go to "Samaria" . It is time to go to the "mountain of transfiguration&quo t;. It is time to go to the "shore" . It is time to go into the "highways and byways" . It is time to leave yesterday and go forward into the new places of today.

Have a great day. You can't camp out in yesterday. Today is a new day with new battles to fight, new places to see, new challenges to meet and a destiny to fulfill.

For further reading:
Matthew 17:1-5
Luke 14:23
John 4:4

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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 Word Perspective"

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

Yesterday morning because I overslept I really had to hurry to do all I needed to do before I left for the shop. I told my husband that I woke up late so it put a "squeeze" on my time and I had to hurry. As I said that the thought came to me-- if we are people who live by the Word of God, then we need to renew our minds with the Word and look at things from its perspective. At that point I stopped feeling "squeezed" ; and "rushed" and decided that my steps are ordered by the Lord, therefore, I didn't oversleep I was in the perfect timing of the Lord-- He was ordering my steps. Including when I got up.

Because we are so fleshly minded, we tend to look at everything from a fleshly/physical perspective. We respond, react, and live our lives by worldly principles. But if we are truly people of the Word, it should be the governing factor of our lives-- how we think, how we respond, how we react, and how we live. We should see and judge the circumstances of life, not from a worldly perspective but from a heavenly one. Some might say that is being too spiritually minded. I wonder if there is such a thing. Jesus was not earthly minded at all. We are told to have the same mind as Him. 

Our thoughts govern our actions. What we think is what we do. And what we think is what we become. This is why the Bible tells us repeatedly to watch what we think. We are to guard our thoughts. Think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and that have a good report. We are to set our thoughts on things above and renew our minds. By doing so we know what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. His word is His will. If we are going to live by His will, then we need to start living by His Word. And living by His Word means looking at life through its perspective.

Have a great day. We are to be people of the Word, therefore, we should look at the things of our lives from its perspective. 

For further reading:
Philippians 4:8; 2:5
1 Corinthians 2:16
Psalm 37:23

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

"Praise Him On Both Sides"

"For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:6

Anyone can praise God when things are going well. But can you praise Him in the storm? Can you praise Him in the darkest night of your life? Can you praise Him in trouble? Can you praise Him in the valley? Can you praise Him in the fire? When the children of Israel left Egypt, they soon found themselves hemmed in between Pharaoh' s army and the Red Sea. God delivered them by parting the sea, making a path through it and drowning Pharaoh' s army. When they came across on the other side, they sang a song of triumph, deliverance and victory. What a wonderful, glorious time! It was a time of rejoicing, celebration and giving praise to God. They sang the right song-- praise and glory to God-- they just sang it on the wrong side. They should have sang it on both sides of the sea.

You may ask, "How can you sing praise when you are in the middle of a trial, tribulation or problem?" . That is the wrong question to ask. The right question is, "Why can't I?". After all, God is no different on this side of the sea then He was on the other side. He is the same on both sides of the trial. He is the same in the storm as He is after He calms it. He is still God. He is the Deliverer while you are facing the enemy as much as He is when the conflict has passed. He is as much the Healer when the bad report comes that you have an illness as He is at the end of it and the reports come back negative. He doesn't change after the problem has passed and then become the Victor. He already is the Victor-- before the battle, during the battle and after the battle. 

Job praised God when he got the bad reports that he had lost everything including his children. Paul and Silas praised God while sitting in chains in the prison. They didn't wait to praise Him after He delivered them. They praised Him before. They could do this because they knew who He was. They knew that He was just as powerful, just as mighty, just as able to deliver, and was with them while the storm was raging as He was after He had calmed it. Don't wait to give Him praise until after the problem has passed. Give Him praise and worship when it first comes, during the middle of it and after it is over because He is the same before, during and after the trial.

Have a great day. Praise God on both sides of your trial-- when it first starts and when it ends. Because He doesn't become your deliverer only when it ends. He is the deliverer even before it begins. 

For further reading:
Acts 16:25
Exodus 15:1-3

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

"It Will Reclaim Itself"

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24

Our home is located on a couple of acres with lots of trees. When you come to my house, it is obvious that we haven't done any yard work this winter. There is a thick blanket of leaves and limbs on the ground. The contrast between the way it looks now and the way it looks during warmer weather is quiet different. There is one thing about nature, if left unattended it will always reclaim itself. You can take a piece of land and clear it but if you don't maintain it, it will go back to its original state. This happens with my garden each year. During the off season the grass and weeds take over.

This isn't just confined to nature, our souls will do the same. Once we receive salvation we then have to "work out our salvation" . It isn't about a one time trip to the altar. Daily we have to guard our hearts from the pull of the old man to "reclaim" itself. If we leave our lives "un-kept" it will be noticeable- just like my yard. Signs of the flesh will be seen. There will be no joy. Peace will not be evident. Love will give way to selfishness. And so on. If left un-kept temptations will overtake us and we will find ourselves doing those things that we do not want to do. 

How do we do that? In order to keep my yard looking like a yard instead of a wilderness I have to work at it- constantly. I have to rake, pick up the limbs, mow it, pull up weeds, etc. It is the same with our lives. We have to "work" at it daily-- not just on Sundays at church. We have to read and study God's Word, and apply it to our lives. We have to hide it in our hearts. We have to keep our minds renewed with God's Word. We have to pray without ceasing; seek first the kingdom of God; take up our cross; deny ourselves; put on the full armor of God. If we neglect those things that bring spiritual growth and change in our lives, it won't be long before it is evident. 

Have a great day. Nature will reclaim itself if left unattended. Our old nature will try to reclaim itself if we neglect our spiritual man. 

For further reading:
Romans 7:18-25
Philippians 2:12

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

"Open And Not Ashamed"

"The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen." Psalm 98:2

When the Lord made the provision for our salvation, He didn't do it in secret. He didn't do it behind closed doors. He did it openly before all to see. Jesus' death on the cross is our provision for salvation. He was crucified on a hill, not in a cave. He was crucified in the open, not inside the temple. He wasn't crucified on ground level but on a cross- lifted up so that even those who were in the distance could see it. 

He was crucified openly so that there would be no doubt as to what He did. He did it openly so that we would know that it was provided. He wasn't ashamed to be seen hanging on the cross for us. He did it openly as a reminder also. Should you ever doubt His love for you, should you ever wonder about the provision of salvation, just look at the cross. It is right there in the wide open for you to see. 

If everything He did for us was done openly, shouldn' t we live our lives openly for Him? Should we be "undercover- secret" Christians? I am not talking to my brothers and sisters who are in countries where you are being persecuted and martyred for the cause of Christ, and you have to be more "secretive&quo t; about your relationship with Jesus. I am talking to my brothers and sisters who live in countries where you have the freedom to live openly for Christ, but don't. We said earlier that He wasn't ashamed to hang on the cross for all to see because He loved you that much. Are you going to be ashamed to let others see that you love Him that much by living for Him openly? 

Have a great day. What Jesus did for you was done in the open, not in secret. He wasn't ashamed to love you and provide salvation for you so that all could see it. Are you ashamed to live openly for Him?

For further reading:
Mark 8:38
John 12:32

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

"They End When They Are Over"

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1

The weather here has been much colder this year than usual. We have had snow, ice and record breaking temperatures. I have heard so many people say that they will be glad when warmer weather comes, how tired they are of the cold, or how they wish it would hurry and get over. It may be an extreme winter, but it is winter. The winter season is suppose to be cold. 

There are seasons in our lives, not just in nature. Like the four seasons- spring, summer, fall and winter- each season brings its own characteristic. Spring brings new life. Summer is hot. Fall things begin to transition. Winter is cold. Each of the four seasons have to "run their course" before they give way to the next one. It is the same with the seasons of our lives. We want certain "seasons" to "hurry and change" , but they have to run their course as well. 

I much prefer the summer season. My least favorite is winter, and I look forward to it being over. But winter is needful to the earth. In life I don't enjoy the seasons of testing and trials, (I much prefer the seasons of peace and prosperity) but they are needful. The point I am trying to make is, although we don't enjoy some seasons and try to rush them up and get them over with, we need to learn to be content in them. They are set to "run their course" . They will be over when it is time for them to be over. They are not going to end until they have accomplished their full purpose. Joseph tried to hurry his season in the prison up by asking the butter to remember him to Pharaoh. It was two years later before the butler told Pharaoh about Joseph. His season wasn't over until it had "run its course" . It came to an end when it had accomplished what it needed to do. 

We might as well stop trying to rush winter so warmer, more pleasant weather will come. Winter will end when it is the appointed time for it to end. In the meantime, be content in it. The season you are in will end when it is the appointed time for it to end. So, stop trying to rush it up until it does. Be content and let it accomplish its purpose.

Have a great day. This season will end when it has "run its course" .

For further reading:
Philippians 4:11
Genesis 40

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

"Defeating The Enemy"

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

In context this verse is talking about when Nehemiah had gone to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city, and while they were working Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, came against them to stop the work. 
There is still an enemy who will try to conspire against us in the work of the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading:
Matthew 26:41
Ephesians 6:11,12
John 10:10
1 Samuel 17:47

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org 
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. 
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break

"Sense Driven Or Word Driven?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading:
Psalm 119:89; 160
John 17:17
Romans 1:17
Matthew 24:35

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
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@ ellsouth.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 Am - Not I Was"

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading:
Matthew 24:35
Malachi 3:6
Hebrews 13:8
Revelation 4:8

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org 
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. 
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

Coffee Break 

"Just One Person's Prayer"

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

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading:
James 4:2
Matthew 18:19
John 16:24
Psalm 34:4
Daniel 6
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@ bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org 
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. 
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

Coffee Break

"The Prepared Place"

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

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

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

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

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

For further reading:
John 14:1-3
2 Corinthians 5:8
Revelation 21:22,23,27
Hebrews 9:27

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< 
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email:mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org 
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge. 
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

Today's Daily Encounter

The Power of One  

"I [God] sought for a man [person] among them who would
make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf
of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found
no one."1

Have you ever felt helpless in light of the seemingly
overwhelming problems we face in today's world--either
at home or abroad? The truth of the matter, however, is
that one person can make a world of difference to at
least one other person and, more often than not, to a
host of other persons.

Some time ago a friend sent the following anonymous
poem to me. I'd like to share it with you today.

    One song can spark a moment,
    One flower can wake the dream.
    One tree can start a forest,
    One bird can herald spring.
    One smile begins a friendship,
    One handclasp lifts a soul.
    One star can guide a ship at sea,
    One word can frame the goal.
    One vote can change a nation,
    One sunbeam can light a room.
    One candle can wipe out darkness,
    One laugh will conquer gloom.
    One step must start each journey,
    One word must start each prayer.
    One hope will raise our spirits,
    One touch can show you care.
    One voice can speak with wisdom,
    One heart can know what's true.
    One life can make the difference,
    You see it's up to YOU!

As another has said, "All the darkness in the world
cannot extinguish the light of one small candle." And
as Edward Everett Hale so eloquently said, "I am only
one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but
still I can do something; and because I cannot do
everything, I will not refuse to do something that I
can do."Don't ever forget how very important you are in
your world and remember too, that "One person is very
important to God, too." Most of his work on earth has
been started by one person. God is always looking for
people who will do his work on earth. Will you be the
one he is looking for today?

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available. I want to
say yes to You today and be one You are looking for.
Please use me to be a part of Your plans in what You
are doing in the world in which I live. Please show me
where I can begin. Thank You for hearing and answering
my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV).

<)))><    
 
  
  Copyright (c) 2013 by ACTS International. 
  When copying or forwarding include the following: 
  "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2012
  ACTS International.

Coffee Break

"You Are More Than A Conqueror"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37

Before I got out of bed this morning the words to a song that I haven't heard in years began to repeat over and over in my thoughts. Let me share them with you. "We' ve been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

Daily I hear so many prayer requests. I can't get over how many needs there are among us. The list seems endless. The Bible says that the kingdom suffers violence, and that we have an adversary who comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that he is seeking whom he may devour. Jesus even told us that we would have tribulation in this world. But this morning I don't want to focus on the needs, the sickness, the problems, the trials. Instead I want to focus on the fact that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. That is why this song was on my heart. There is no doubt that we will face difficulties while in this world, but because of Jesus and His victory we can say with the Apostle Paul- "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8,9)

Let me share another verse of this song. "When trouble comes knocking at your door, don't be afraid it's not like before. Don't you give in, don't let it bring you down, you don't have to worry any more. Jesus said there would be tribulation, but He said, I have overcome. Brothers and sisters now is the time to stand. Don't you know the battles all are won."

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) If you are going through a battle/trial this morning, you need to look it squarely in the eyes and say, "I am more than a conqueror over you through Jesus Christ" . As you do, some of you who are reading this will receive your deliverance, and for some you may still walk through it but you will receive the supernatural grace and strength of the Lord that will cause you to "run through a troop and leap over a wall". Either way stand upon God's word and hold fast your profession of faith- which is "I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ!"

Have a great day. "We' ve been made more than conquerors, over comers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

For further reading:
Hebrews 10:23
1 John 4:4
John 10:10
1 Peter 5:8
Psalm 18:29

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