Coffee Break

Coffee Break
"Are You A Follower?"
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
So many people have their opinion and interpretation of what it means to be a "Christian". Most think that if they repeat some sort of "sinner's prayer", or join a church membership roll, or do some other religious work that it automatically makes them a Christian and now they are "saved" Many talk about being saved, but what Jesus talked about was- following. If we are truly saved, if we are His sheep, if we have salvation and eternal life, if we have been born again, then we are to "follow" Him.
I often wonder how people- I am talking about those who say they are "saved"- have such a hard time understanding what the word "follow" means. It seems pretty plain and elementary. But should you be having a hard time defining what it means, I thought I would help you out this morning.
It means: if you are living the "party life"- going to the bars and getting drunk- you are not following Jesus. If you are having sex with someone who you are not married to, you are not following Jesus. If you never go to church, you are not following Jesus (He always went to His Father's house). If you are sitting at your computer looking at pornography, you are not following Jesus. If you are abusive to your spouse or children, then you are not following Jesus. If you are quick tempered and continually curse people out, you are not following Jesus. If you are selfish, self-centered, covetous, greedy, love your money, cheat and lie, and are full of hate... then you are not following Jesus.
When you are following someone, it means two things: you are in that person's presence and you are doing the same things they are doing. That's what it means when we say we are saved... or at least it should. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "Follow Me".
Have a great day. Can you really be saved and not follow Jesus?
For further reading:
Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 16:24;19:21
John 12:26
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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

"God Given Ability"

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6

The Lord has truly blessed mankind with the ability to do so much. Look at the world around us. We have the ability to plant and harvest our food sources. We have invented devices that have made life easier. We know how to drill oil from out of the ground to produce energy. We know how to build enormous boats that can stay afloat on water and not sink. We have learned how to fly, and even stepped foot on the moon. When you think about all that we have accomplished, it is truly amazing. Yet, in all our accomplishments, we must never forget that we did not do it on our own.

We can never take full credit for anything that we accomplish. It wasn't our own might that has created anything, it was the blessing and goodness of the Lord that allowed it. He is the One who gave us the wisdom, the skill, the ability, the understanding, the strength and creativity. If we accomplish anything the credit and glory must go to God.

I am reminded of the tabernacle in the wilderness. I am sure it was a sight to behold. The vessels were ornamental gold and silver, the tapestries were of fine linen, there was carved woodwork, and so forth. The part that I am reminded of was the fact that the Lord had given the men who built it wisdom and understanding in how to do the work.

We have been blessed with the ability to do so much. Whatever you have the ability to do- whether it is the ability to paint, to write, to invent gadgets, to sing, to carve wood, computer programming, teaching, etc.- that ability comes from the Lord. And we must always remember to use it for His purposes and never forget to give Him the glory through it.

Have a great day. Any ability we have has been graciously given to us by the Lord and we should always use it in a way that will honor and glorify Him.

For further reading:
Exodus 36:1,2
1 Corinthians 10:31
Colossians 3:23

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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
"Run To Him"
"When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God..." Deuteronomy 4:30a
What do you do when you are facing difficulties? Do you stand and fight with the weapons the Lord has made available to you? Do you sit down and feel sorry for yourself? Do you try to hide from the situation? Do you look for some form of escape? Do you pretend that it isn't happening? Do you run? Perhaps you try to run from it? Or perhaps you run to some sort of pill, or other substance, to ease the way you are feeling in the situation?
When facing trials, problems and difficulties, you actually should run. You should run straight into the arms of Jesus. You should run to that place of prayer where you will meet with Him. Often that is the last place that we run to. Usually we wait to run to Him after we have exhausted everywhere else. He should be the first place.
If, and when, you are going through these times, your answer lies in the Lord. He should be the first place you turn. Why? Because He loves you, He cares about you, He has the answer and solution, and He alone can give you everything you need to make it through what you are facing. So don't run here and there and everywhere else... run straight into His loving arms.
Have a great day. Where will you run when you are facing difficulties?
For further reading:
James 4:8
Psalm 120:1
2 Samuel 22:7
1 Peter 5:7
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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
"Brand New"
"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8
I had a dream last night that I am unable to get away from, so after praying about it I feel I must share it with you. It is a little different than some of the other dreams I have shared in the past.
There were several characters in the dream but one main one- an infant boy named Jackson who was very ill. He had some sort of disease that he was born with- I don't know what it was. There was a young girl who was with me. In the dream she and I were driving in town and the Lord showed me that Jackson was going to die. When He showed me this, I started crying and crying, and so did the girl with me. Then I began to talk to her about what was going on and by then I knew Jackson was gone. I started telling her about him being in heaven with the Lord, and that he wasn't ill any more but he was whole and healthy, just then we came upon a young man who was standing in the road- he appeared to be "preaching". As I was telling her about Jackson being in heaven, I realized that the young man who we saw was Jackson. He was grown up, very handsome, standing in his own strength and had a sound mind and a healthy body. (This was what he would have grown up to look like had he lived and not had a diseased body.)
The point of the dream is not to cause a theological debate about what we look like in heaven, etc. I am sharing it to bring hope and comfort to those who read it. For those who die in Christ, death is not the end. And neither are we left throughout eternity to suffer with the same conditions that we suffered with while on earth. In heaven, all things are made new- this corruptible flesh puts on incorruption and this mortality puts on immortality. There is no more pain or disease there that plagues us here. We are made whole once and for all. When I saw the young man, I knew that was Jackson- there was no doubt in my mind. His old body was left behind and the Lord gave him a new one. The Lord took away the effects of living in a sin cursed world off of him.
Be encouraged this morning. This is not all there is. There is an eternity that awaits us. When we die, we will spend that eternity in one of two places- either heaven or hell- and which one it will be is determined by what we do with Jesus. But for those of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus as Savior and are continuing on to follow Him as Lord, we have a blessed hope. We will spend eternity with Him in His Father's house and all the trials, cares, pain, sickness, disease, heartaches will all be gone. They will be past and be a thing of the past, because in His presence He will make all things new-- just like He did for Jackson.
Have a great day. In heaven all things are made new-- including us.
For further reading:
1 Corinthians 15:53-55
Revelation 21:5
Luke 16:25
John 14:1-3
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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

"Where He Leads"

"And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." Luke 9:57

I was thinking about a song that one of the precious saints in the nursing home sang for us yesterday. It is an old familiar hymn- "Where He leads me I will follow... I'll go with Him, with Him all the way". The plan of Jesus for all Christians is that they "follow Him". When we come to Jesus for salvation it means we not only acknowledge our sins and need for a Savior, and that He alone is that Savior, but that we will follow Him the rest of our lives. We all talk about the "call of God" on our lives and wonder what He has called us to do. It is simple, the call of God is, "follow Me". This was the grounds on which He called, and still calls, His disciples.

When He calls us to follow Him, we don't always know what that looks like. We have our own ideas and opinions of what we think "following" means. We often think that it means blessings, blessings and more blessings. We think it means no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering or trials. We tend to think that following Jesus is an "escape" from the cares and problems of this life. On the contrary!

Jesus never promised those who followed Him that they would have a life of ease and be problem-free. He said that following Him involved taking up a "cross" (and we all know what the cross represents- a place of death; death to self and self-will). He said we would have tribulation, be hated by all men for His sake and be counted like sheep headed to the slaughter.

Jesus' call to follow Him is two-fold. It is an invitation to put your trust and faith in Him as Savior, and after you do it then becomes a command. The twelve disciples accepted His invitation and it placed them in a boat in the middle of a storm, in the desert, on a mountaintop, among demons, in the midst of angry religious leaders and beside the seashore. When we accept His invitation to follow Him, it may place us in many of the same places as well. But if we follow Him on earth, even if it is through places of pain and suffering, we will have a reward in heaven that far out weighs the difficulties of following Him here. And we will get to "follow" Him in heaven throughout all eternity.

Have a great day. Following Jesus will often lead you into some difficult places, but it will also lead you to heaven where you will enjoy eternal life.

For further reading:
Mark 8:34
Matthew 5:10,11
Romans 8:36
Luke 9:57-65
2 Timothy 3:12
John 16:33

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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

"Not Ashamed - Part 2"

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

Yesterday we talked about how our conversations contain a wide variety of subjects but for many Christians sharing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not one of them. Many believe they don't have to be public or open with it because, like we said yesterday, the Lord knows their hearts. That is true He knows your heart, but that is not why we share our faith. We share it so that others will know about Him.

The Bible says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14) In other words, how are the lost going to hear the good news that Jesus saves if no one tells them? Someone told you, and someone told me.

When something good happens to us, we can't help telling others about it. If you were to win ten million dollars today, I have no doubt that you would be on the telephone today telling everyone you knew. You couldn't wait to tell someone. So why aren't you telling others about this as well? Receiving the gift of eternal life is better than winning money, or anything else. The security of your eternal soul is priceless. It is the greatest treasure and it is the most valuable thing you have.

People need the salvation that only Jesus Christ can give. They need to have peace with God. They need to have their sins forgiven and washed away from their lives. They need to have a heart transformation. They need to be born again. But if someone doesn't tell them how will they know? You can't depend on the church to tell them- they may never enter a church. You can't depend of the television preachers to tell them- they may never watch them. You can't depend on anything else. As a matter of fact, God is depending on us to reach them with the good news of salvation. This is why Jesus' last instructions before leaving earth were to, "Go and tell".

Have a great day. Are you going and telling others about the good news that Jesus saves?

For further reading:
Mark 16:15
Matthew 28:19; 10:7
Romans 10:15
1 Corinthians 4:3
Isaiah 52:7

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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

"Not Ashamed - Part 1"

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

It is amazing the variety of conversations that people (Christian people) will carry on. They will talk about everything from the weather to politics, from sports to what they saw on television. They will talk about what others are doing, the latest trends, what is going on at their jobs, how their children are doing, and so on. Yet when it comes to talking about their faith in Jesus Christ, they seem to get silent.

Oh, you will have many that say something like, "The Lord has been good to me", but that is pretty much the extent of it. Very seldom do they share their faith in Jesus, very seldom do they witness of His saving grace and what He has done in their lives by saving their soul. Some believe that they don't have to be public and open with it because the Lord knows their hearts.

Sure He knows your heart, you aren't being open with it just for the sake of being open with it. There is a reason why we testify and witness. First, when it is in your heart- truly in your heart- sometimes you can't help it "coming out". The Bible tells us that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". Whatever is going on in your life and has filled your heart, automatically comes out of your mouth. I know people who are expecting a child, or have just had a baby, or just got married, or going through a job change, or involved in some sort of activity and that is what the topic of their conversation revolves around. It just comes out of their mouth before they know it.

So, when you are filled with the love of Jesus, and the love for Jesus, when you are filled with His word and He is your life, it just can't stay "bottled up" within you. If it does, perhaps you need to "check" your heart and see what is filling it. Yes, I know there are times to speak and not to speak, but when you do speak, if He is never your topic of conversation, then something is not right. And it is not right in your heart because that is where your conversation originates.

Have a great day. Whatever fills your heart comes out of your mouth- does Jesus' wonderful love and saving grace ever come out of your mouth?

For further reading:
Matthew 12:34
Jeremiah 20:9
Psalm 34:1; 69:1; 109:30

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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
"Stay With You"
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1
Occasionally, when I am around my little granddaughter and it is time for her to leave, she will decide she doesn't want to leave. She will come to me and say, "I want to stay with you". She doesn't want to go home with her mother or daddy, but she wants to stay with me instead. As a grandmother that blesses my heart so much, makes me feel good and brings me lots of joy because at that moment she is saying that there is no place she would rather be than with me. I wonder how much the heart of our Heavenly Father is blessed when we have that same attitude-- "I want to stay with You".
When was the last time that you felt like my granddaughter- -- toward the Lord? Are there other places you would rather be than in His presence? Are you content to just sit at His feet, like Mary? Or are you more concerned about being other places and doing other things, like Martha? One of my favorite hymns is "In The Garden". One line of the song says, "I'd stay in the garden with Him, though the night around me be falling". Is that how you feel? You long to stay with Him regardless of what may be going on around you? Does your heart yearn for His presence- to stay with Him? Or are you in a hurry to get finished with your time of communion with Him so you can rush off to do something else- something that you would rather do?
It gives me so much joy to be with my granddaughter. Do you know where I get that attitude from? My Heavenly Father- He is the same way. We are what brings Him joy. And He has great joy when we willing desire to be, and stay, with Him in His presence.
Have a great day. Where would you rather be? Staying in His presence or somewhere else?
For further reading:
James 4:8
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19
Zephaniah 3:17
Psalm 65:4; 84:10
Luke 10:41,42
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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

"Thirst Quencher"

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1

When you are hot and thirsty, you want something to drink. There is an assortment of drinks to choose from- coffee, soda, tea, lemonade, juice, sports drinks, etc. But none of these quench your thirst, they still leave you thirsty and needing something else. When you are really hot and thirsty, the only true thirst quencher is water.

Our souls are thirsty too and we look for something to quench that thirst. We will take a "drink" of a variety of things- drugs, alcohol, relationships, entertainment, etc.- to try to find something that will satisfy that thirst that is within us. Like in the natural, all the things that look promising, that look like they will quench the thirst don't. Like in the natural again, there is only one thing that can truly quench the deep thirst that is within our souls.... water!

There is "water" that only the Lord can give and it will quench the thirsty soul once and for all. Jesus offered it to a woman one day that He met at a well. She had a deep thirst. She was trying to satisfy it through relationships but to no avail. He told her that if she would drink of the water that He has to give she would never thirst again. Nothing else and no one else can make that claim. Everything else leaves us unsatisfied and continuing our search for something else that will.

Are you thirsty this morning? Are you trying to find something that will quench that longing in your soul? Are you drinking from sources that are not satisfying? Then come and drink of the water that the Lord has to give. It will quench your thirst and you will never thirst again.

Have a great day. Only the water of life that Jesus has to give can quench your thirst once and for all.

For further reading:
John 4:1-29

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@ bellsouth. net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise.
Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break
"The Invitation"
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
What a wonderful invitation given to us by our Lord. He invites us to come to Him. He wants us to be in His presence. He isn't a God that is afar off. He opens the door of access to us. He makes Himself available to us. He doesn't have to. There is no reason why He should. He could keep us at a distance, but His desire is that we come to Him.
Not only does He invite us to come to Him, but we can come with our burdens and the load that we are carrying. It would have been more than we could hope for just to be able to come to Him but He invites us to come when we are "not at our best", when we are feeling down, weak and discouraged. When you approach an earthly king, you are not suppose to come before him with a sad countenance. You are to approach his presence with gladness of heart. Thankfully, that is not the case with our wonderful Lord. As a matter of fact, He wants us to come before His presence when we are burdened and heavy in heart. That is the whole point of His invitation to come to Him. He wants us to come so that He can do something about our burden. He wants us to come to Him so He can give us rest; so He can wipe our tears away; so He can give us His peace.
I wonder why it is that when we are under a heavy burden, going through a difficult time or feeling the pressure of trying situations, instead of going to Him we stay away or even draw back from Him. Why don't we take advantage of His invitation? Why don't we make our way into His presence? Why do we let the tears, the pain, the confusion cloud the path that leads directly to Him?
This morning, you have an invitation to come to Him- the One who bears your burdens, who gives peace and rest. Are you going to reject the invitation by staying away, or will you take advantage and not only enter into His presence, but find the rest you so desperately need?
Have a great day. The invitation to come into His presence is given. Are you going to come?
For further reading:
Psalm 34:18
Matthew 11:29,30
James 4:8
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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 Rescues"

"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth." Psalm 145:18

This morning I woke up with one line of a song that we sing in church repeating over and over in my thoughts. "I called, You answered, and You came to my rescue." There is so much truth, hope and comfort in those few words.

When we call upon the Lord, He answers us. It doesn't matter if we call upon Him for help, for strength, for guidance, in a time of need, of trial, of adversity- He answers and comes to our aid. It doesn't matter how great the need is when we call, He does not lack in strength or ability to meet the need. How comforting to know that He will come to our rescue and not leave us on our own to try to deliver ourselves, solve our own problem or figure out a solution.

Are you in a place where you need to be "rescued" Rescued from grief, worry, fear, a financial burden, the pain of a broken relationship, confusion that continually clouds your thinking or from some besetting sin? Call upon the Lord. Trust Him to answer you. Believe that He will rescue you. Know that He loves you deeply and will not stay away from your cry. He will rescue you because when you call, the Bible says He draws near to you. When He draws near to you, then He is close enough to reach you and lift you out of whatever you are needing to be rescued from.

Have a great day. Call on the Lord, He will answer and He will rescue you.

For further reading:
Psalm 99:6; 44:6; 91:14,15
Isaiah 65:24
Jeremiah 33:3

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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
"Whose Plan?"
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Our life consists of plans- one plan after another. The question is, "Whose plans are we going to follow?" We have plans for our lives- plans that will take us to bigger and better things. Other people have plans for us- they want to tell us what we should do and how we should go about doing it. The devil has plans for our lives- plans to destroy us. Then the Lord also has plans for us. Out of all those that we have listed above, the Lord is the only one who is truly qualified to make plans for us. His plans are good plans- they give us a hope and a future.
I want to ask you a question this morning, "Whose plans are you following?" If you are following the plans of the devil, you will be destroyed. If you are following someone else's plans for your life, you will wind up missing the best plan for your life. If you are following your own plans, you will eventually make a mess of your life. But if you are following the Lord's plan, you can't go wrong. His plans lead to eternal life and an abundant life while on earth. His plans are the only ones that leave us feeling fulfilled, satisfied and productive.
We have been given the freedom to choose whose plans we will follow. We can follow the wrong plans or we can follow God's plans. Perhaps you are struggling this morning with surrendering to God's plan for your life. If so, you are struggling against the one who loves you, cares about you and whose plans can only do you good and bring you lasting peace in the end. So surrender to His plan and gain hope and a future.
Have a great day. Out of all the plans that are presented to us, only God's plan can give us hope and a future.
For further reading:
John 10:10
Proverbs 3:6; 16:25
Jeremiah 10:23
Genesis 12:1,2
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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.
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Coffee Break
"The Root"
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
When we have issues in our lives, most of us are guilty of dealing with just what we see on the surface, we never get to the root of the issue. When someone has an addiction problem, they work on the addiction. When someone has an anger problem, they work on anger management. When someone has a problem with relationships, they walk away from the relationship. They are only dealing with what is on the surface but never the real heart of the matter.
Anyone who has done any gardening- be it a vegetable garden or a flower garden- knows that when you have weeds in your garden, you don't just cut down the weed at the surface of the dirt, you have to dig up its root. If you don't, it will continue to come back and you will spend your time constantly cutting it down.
The root to these issues in our lives is "sin". So we must deal with the sin issue. We can't deal with sin on our own, we need Jesus. Jesus came to deal with sin. He took care of it at the cross. He won the victory over sin. He destroyed its work in our lives. He set us free from its captivity.
How to deal with the root? Go to God and confess your sin. Ask Him to forgive you and wash you clean from it with His blood. Once I pull up the weed that was in my garden, I am then able to work on making the plants that I want to grow healthier. Spiritually speaking, we do the same thing. We spend so much time dealing with the effects of the sin that we neglect our spiritual growth.
If you have a sin issue in your life, deal with it at the root level. Get it out of your life through the power of the blood of Jesus. Then you can work on making His fruit in your life "healthier".
Have a great day. Go straight to the root of the issue and deal with it there.
For further reading:
1 John 1:9
Matthew 1:21
Acts 5:31
Ephesians 1:7
Colossians 1:14
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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
"Uplifting Words"
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John 12:32
Would you mind this morning if I talk about how wonderful our glorious Savior Jesus is? He said in the verse above, if He was lifted up He would draw all men to Himself. I know that He was talking about the literal lifting up of His body, hanging above the earth on the cross for all to see. But I also think about "lifting Him up" through praise and adoration from our mouths.
Speaking of "lifting up". When you open your mouth, just what are you "lifting up" with your words? Are you lifting up Him or self? Are you lifting your problems up? Are you lifting your pain, your frustrations or bitterness? Are you lifting up words of criticism and condemnation? Are your words negative and unkind, or wholesome and edifying? We are never at a loss for words, and our words are always going to be either lifting something or someone up or tearing them down. Which will yours be?
So this morning, I want to lift Jesus up. He has been so good to me, why should I complain about anything. He saved my soul from hell, gave me a home in heaven, blotted out my sins, made me a new person, calls me His child, He supplies all my needs, He is with me always, He watches over me continually, He never leaves me and won't forsake me. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He loves me with an everlasting love and nothing can separate me from His love. As I lift Him up through my praises and thank Him for who He is and what He has done, not only does He draw others who hear my praise to Himself, He draws me near to Him also. When I get near Him, my words have to change because my heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving because of what He has done for me. And that leaves no room for the other words.
Have a great day. Keep your mouth filled with His praise.. continually lift Him up and you won't be lifting up the wrong things with your mouth.
For further reading:
Psalm 89:1; 34:1; 105:1
James 3:10,11
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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
"Used In Big Ways"
"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10
The cry of many Christian's hearts is that the Lord will "use them". They want to be "used" by the Lord to do great things. But each and everyday He opens up opportunities for them yet they "miss it" because they have their own idea of what that means and how they want Him to use them. Many are looking for Him to use them in some big, glamorous, open way where all can see.
Being used by God simply means "stepping up to the plate" to do whatever needs doing when it comes to your attention. One day a Samaritan was riding down a road and came upon a man who had been beaten by robbers and left for dead--- opportunity. A little servant girl discovered that her master Naaman had leprosy and told him about a prophet that could heal him-- opportunity. Giving a cup of cold water is not as small a thing as we think, it will receive a reward-- opportunity. Giving something to eat to a hungry person, or clothing to the destitute-- opportunity. Wiping the tears of the hurting, lifting up the hands of someone who is weak, a kind word when someone is feeling down, a gentle hug to someone who is feeling unloved-- opportunity.
The Lord gives us opportunities everyday to be used by Him to reach others with His love and reveal His glory. But we miss them because we are looking for some bigger, better work. Start taking time to notice what is going on around you. Look for "little" ways to touch someone's life, and do them. As you are faithful in the "little" opportunities that come your way, then the Lord can open up "bigger" opportunities.
Have a great day. Don't miss your opportunity to "be used" by the Lord because it isn't what you had in mind.
For further reading:
2 Kings 5:1-3
Matthew 10:42; 25:21
James 2:15,16
Luke 10:30-36
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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
"Laziness"
"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Psalm 128:1,2
We live in an age and a society where everyone wants something for nothing. Everybody wants a "hand out". They want to have everything they want and not have to make any effort to get it. This trend is growing even among Christians. We have developed a "welfare mentality" or "everybody owes me" (including God) way of thinking. This is not what the Bible teaches. It teaches us that if a man does not work, he does not eat. It also teaches us from the verses above that it is a blessing to eat the labor of our own hands. There are those who are physically unable to work because of age or health issues, some are unemployed and looking for work, then there are some who are care-givers and have to look after someone else (this is a blessed ministry). The scriptures aren't talking about these people. It is talking to those who can work but aren't and are waiting for someone else to "labor for them". This is contrary to the Word of God and even God calls it "laziness".
Not only has this way of thinking influenced us in the "natural" but worse than that, it has influenced us "spiritually" . When it comes to growing in the Lord, being discipled and following Jesus we want someone else to "labor" for us. We want to enjoy the fruit of their labor. Sadly, many Christians don't know the Word of God for themselves. They are "lazy" when it comes to opening the Bible for themselves and searching the scriptures. They depend on their pastors, the evangelists, the television preachers, their Sunday school teachers, etc. Did God give us these "gifts" to help us learn and grow? Yes, He did. But they were never intended to replace our personal relationship, devotional time, or study of God's Word. It would be foolish for me to think that someone else could live out my relationship for me with my husband. And it is foolish to think that someone else can live out my relationship with the Lord for me also.
God clearly says in His Word for us to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling", not let someone else work it out for us. Spiritual laziness is a dangerous thing. For one, if you are always letting someone else "feed" you, and never "feed" yourself, how do you know that person isn't putting "poison" in your bottle? If you depend on someone else to "labor" for you, you will never have your own relationship with the Lord. If you don't have a relationship with Him, that means He doesn't know you. (He may know those who are "feeding" you, but not you.) If He doesn't know you, one day He will tell you to "depart from Me, I don't know you." Laziness is always detrimental. You might think you are benefiting because you aren't doing anything but just receiving. But in the end, you will discover otherwise.
Have a great day. Spiritual laziness can only lead to spiritual poverty.
For further reading:
Philippians 2:12
Matthew 7:23
Acts 17:10,11
Proverbs 6:6-10
2 Thessalonians 3:10
1 Timothy 5:8
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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
"Vulnerable"
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." John 10:10a
There are three things that I have noticed that the devil tries to steal from us: our joy, our peace and our praise.
He tries to steal our joy because the joy of the Lord is where our strength lies. "The joy of the Lord is your strength". (Nehemiah 8:10) The literal meaning of this verse is, "The joy of the Lord is a well fortified place". If he can steal our joy then we are left exposed to whatever comes to attack us making us vulnerable and easy prey.
He tries to steal our peace. If he can steal our peace, again, we are left vulnerable because peace is like a garrison which guards our hearts and minds. Peace protects us mentally, emotionally and spiritually. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
He tries to steal our praise because God Himself- who is our strength and peace, and all that we need- inhabits the praises of His people. "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." (Psalm 22:3) Praise draws Him near to us and when He is near there is nothing that we lack. He is our peace, in His presence is joy, in short, He Himself is our fortified place. He is that safe place to us. In His presence we are not vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. In His presence we can see more clearly when the enemy comes to attack. In His presence we have no fear. In His presence we have the power that we need to overcome the enemy. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalm 91:1,2)
So when the enemy comes be on guard and know that his goal is to destroy and kill you. And he does this by trying to steal your joy, peace and praise because without them, you are left vulnerable to his attacks and easier to defeat.
Have a great day. Do all you can to guard your joy, peace and praise, it is your safe dwelling place.
For further reading:
Psalm 91; 16:11
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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
"Knowing Him"
"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:8
It is impossible for us to know all there is to know about the Lord while we are here on earth. The depth of who He is is beyond our ability to comprehend. Now we only see and know in part. There is so much more to Him and about Him than we have experienced. Peter, James and John walked with Jesus day in and day out- thinking they knew who He was- then one day Jesus showed them who He really was by taking them to the Mount of Transfiguration.
Although we will never know the fullness of who He is while we are here, we can know at least "in part" who He is. But that knowing who He is doesn't come all at once, it is a process. We learn who He is a little at a time. The disciples were with Him for a long time yet on more than one occasion we hear them asking, "Who is this?" Paul, the Apostle, after serving the Lord faithfully for years and walking in daily communion with Him, still prayed that he would "know Him". At Philip's request for Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus responded, "Have I been with you all this time and yet you still don't know who I am?". None of them had the full knowledge of who Jesus was, they were in the process of learning Him.
There is a knowledge that we gain about Him at salvation. We know Jesus as the One who saved us, placed His love on us and forgave us of our sins. But that is just the beginning of the process of "knowing" Him. In our verse above it points to how we can be "fruitful" in our knowledge of Him. It says that if certain things be in us, and abound in us, that we won't be "barren" in our knowledge of Him.
What are those things? Virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. (verse 7) We are to be diligent in adding these to our faith.
1) Virtue- seek to live a life of moral excellence and refrain from immorality.
2) Knowledge- seek to know, enquire into and investigate spiritual truths.
3) Temperance- self control.
4) Patience- steadfast endurance.
5) Godliness- reverence to God. Having an attitude to do what is pleasing to God.
6) Brotherly love- love one another
7) Charity- love
All these things come through the knowledge of the Truth- the truth of God's word. As we apply them, walk in them and practice them daily we are gaining a greater knowledge of who He is because these are the very character of Christ, and we are becoming more fruitful in our knowledge of Him because we are becoming more like Him.
Have a great day. Knowing Him comes through a process.
For further reading:
1 Corinthians 13:9-12
Mark 4:41
Philippians 3:10
John 14:9
Matthew 11:29
Psalm 40:7
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@ bellsouth. net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org
You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break

"The God of Communication"

"And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father...." 1 Kings 8:15a

While there is no way we can ever fully understand who God is because He is GOD-- the Omni-One who is so much higher and greater than we are-- the Bible does give us a clear description of Him to help us understand who He is to some degree. It tells us about God's nature and His character; what He likes and dislikes; and what He "looks" like. The Bible describes God as having eyes, hands, feet, ears and a mouth.

I am glad to know that God has eyes and He uses them to watch over me. I am glad He has hands to pick me up when I fall, and feet to walk with me so I am never walking by myself. But I am more glad, and grateful, to know that God has ears and a mouth. The ears and mouth are the two "organs" that are used in communication. We communicate with others by both listening (with the ears) and speaking (with the mouth). The fact that the Lord has ears and a mouth means that He is a God of communication. He desires to communicate with us. And the fact that He has both- ears and a mouth- means He desires to have a "dialogue" with us and not a "monologue" only. He wants to talk to us and also listen to what we want to say to Him.

Back at the beginning of creation, the very first dealing that God had with the man He had created came through His mouth. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them.' (Genesis 1:28a) God started communicating with man at the very beginning... and He hasn't stop yet.

Are you living a life of communication with God? Does He talk to you? Do you talk to Him? Are you listening to what He wants to say to you? Those who worship idols and false gods don't have assurance that they are heard when they speak to them- because they aren't being heard. Their false gods don't have ears that hear and a mouth that speaks. They have to put their own words in their mouths. But we have the wonderful assurance that our God- the Only True and Living God- hears us when we call and then He answers.

Have a great day. The Lord God is a God of communication. Are you living in daily communication with Him?

For further reading:
Psalm 115:1-8; 66:19
Job 37:2
Habakkuk 2:18,19
Genesis 3:8,9

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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

"Deceptive Influence"

"Be not deceived..." Galatians 6:7a

I had a dream early this morning that I need to talk about. The dream was lengthy so I will tell you the summarized version of it and what it meant. The dream is about the church- not one particular church but those who make up the church. I saw missionaries, church leaders and the laity. In the dream there was a man who had devised a way to control people. I went to the place where he was to free someone I knew from his control. When I got there, as I was confronting him, a whole group of people came into the place where we were. These people were under his control too. Yet they seemed so carefree, they were talking to each other, and acting like they were just going about their routine day. But they were there to get more material "blessings". What I thought was just one person under his influence was now a room full. I began to warn them who he was and the more I did, the more the man gloated over his power over them. I knew they were "bewitched". So I began to bind, loose and rebuke in the Name of Jesus what was going on and had them to do the same. These people left, no longer under his influence but with eyes wide open. But as soon as they left another group came in, then more and more and more and more. I was so deeply concerned that they did not know that this was not a good place. I got overwhelmed from trying to help them get free that at one point I caught myself passing out refreshments to those who were there while we were waiting- for what I am not sure, but for something to happen. I finally came to myself and went to the man- he was there the whole time- and told him he would not prevail, he was defeated. I knew there was power in the Name of Jesus- it had set the first group free. In order to reach all the people that were there and see them delivered I started singing as loudly as I could-- Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know. They began to sing with me and got free of this man's power. Each time I would speak the Name of Jesus, this man and his influence was weakened more and more. The dream ended with the original person I had gone to try to help see set free getting free.

The concerning part of the dream is that these people (Christian people) were in the presence of evil and did not even know it. They were being influenced by evil forces and weren't even aware or discerning. They were going about enjoying life unconcerned about where they were and what was going on around them. They were only interested in the material things that they could have. It is scary too that these people- myself included, after a while- got comfortable with where we were. Being unaware and comfortable in the presence of evil- is called deception. Jesus warned us that deception and deceivers would come- especially in the days prior to His return.

The best part about the dream was that this evil person- who I believe represents the devil- was not "all powerful". All he had was an influence over them, but Jesus had the power to set them free from the deception. There is power in the Name of Jesus and it breaks the hold of the enemy- his influence, his strongholds, his deception. In the end- just as in the dream- Jesus wins and the evil one was defeated.

From this dream let me give you some points to remember and to use to check yourself.
1) Be discerning; do not be deceived.
2) Do not be materially minded; be spiritually minded. Keep your heart and mind fixed and stayed upon the Lord.
3) You can't help someone who is in bondage and deception if you yourself are in the same.
4) Don't grow weary in well doing; don't get comfortable in this world, it is not our home. Don't give up in the waiting times.
5) Warn people, care about them and help bring them to freedom from the bondage of sin.
6) Don't fear the evil one. Don't be afraid to go into his "camp" and see the captive set free. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
7) There is power in the Name of Jesus; all power is given to Him; the devil cannot stand against the power of the Name and Blood of Jesus; even his knee shall bow before Jesus one day.
8) Even if you have to stand against the evil one by yourself- stand. The Lord is with you and He will back you up.

Have a great day. Don't be the captive, be the one who is helping the captive get free.

For further reading:
Luke 8:12
1 John 4:4
Matthew 7:3-5; 6:19; 28:18; 24:24
Romans 8:6; 14:11
1 Peter 5:8

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

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

"Work Within The Law"

"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3

We all have goals and desires in life. Because of my Christianity mine are to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, touch people for Jesus so they may know how real He is and how much He loves them. I am sure that these are some of your goals and desires as well.

While these are admirable and in accordance with God's will as lined out by Him in His word, there is no profit in doing all these good works if there is no love behind them up. Instead we are just "sounding brass and tinkling cymbals".

There are Kingdom principles that we live by. Our physical works (giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name, etc.) and our spiritual worship (presenting ourselves as living sacrifices) all has to be backed by, motivated from and accomplished through love. Love is the primarily principle of God's Kingdom- because He is love. It is also the primary Law of the Kingdom- God does all things by and in accordance with His love. When asked about which commandment was the greatest, Jesus said that it was to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He revealed to us what the "Law" of the Kingdom was- it is love. Love is a law, as well as a Person, as well as the nature and character of God, and not just a warm fuzzy feeling, or a word that we use loosely. The New Covenant that God has made with us through His Son Jesus was established through love- John 3:16.

As citizens of any nation, state or city, anything we do, any business we conduct, has to be done in accordance with the law of that nation, state or city. Each time I purchase a new building to help house the ministry, I have to get a permit to do so because it is the law of this city. I can't operate "outside of the law"- I have to follow its requirements or be in violation. As citizens of God's Kingdom we cannot operate and do His business "outside of the Law" either- the Law of Love- or we will be in violation as well.

Have a great day. Do the work of the Kingdom, but do it within the "Law of the Kingdom"- the Law of Love- and don't be in violation.

For further reading:
Galatians 5:5
1 John 4:7,8
Matthew 22:36-40
1 Corinthians 13

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

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 Battle For Peace"
"Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." 1 Peter 3:11
I know we talked about this verse earlier in the week but as I was seeking the Lord this morning about what He wanted to say to us through the devotional, He gave me this scripture again. I would like to read it from the Amplified Bible. "Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]"
Each day new situations are arising in the world that can easily make a person fearful. Flood waters destroying homes and property; threats of terror attacks; the end of the world prediction; wars; talk of food shortage; a bad economy; nations coming against Israel; the reports of great earthquakes; etc. The world is in chaos. There is no peace to be found in it. The leaders of governments can't give it- on the contrary, they seem to make it harder on a person to have peace. The financial institutions can't give it to us either- many of them are closing their doors. Your employer can't give you peace-- there is no such thing as job security any more.
So where do you find peace in a chaotic world? Where do you find peace when everything around you looks like it is falling apart? Is it even possible to have peace when there is "no peace on earth"? Having peace is possible, but you have to go to the real source of peace. There are many false sources- we have named some of them already. But Jesus is the true source of peace. He is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He alone can give you the peace that you need to stand in adversity, when there seems to be no peace and when chaos and confusion reign.
I truly believe that the Lord is telling us to discipline ourselves to stay in peace. The other day we said that we have to fight to maintain the peace that God gives us. This morning I am reminding you that if you want peace you have to do more than just desire it, you have to "pursue" it. The translation of the word "ensue" here means: to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire it.
In order to have peace, you have to "fight for it". By this I mean you have to fight your own flesh, you have to fight fear, you have to do battle in spiritual warfare against the devil who tries to keep you from having peace. And in order to maintain your peace you also have to fight these same enemies- flesh, fear and the devil- so that they not steal your peace.
Have a great day. In order to have peace and maintain peace you have to do more than just desire it, you have to pursue it, seek after it, fight for it spiritually.
For further reading:
Psalm 56:3; 119:165
Philippians 4:6-8
Isaiah 9:6; 26:3
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
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
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Coffee Break
"And Again"
"And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." Hebrews 2:13
"And again". When we put our trust and faith in the Lord, it is not a "one time" thing. Yes, when we surrender our lives to Him there is an initial faith that we have in Him as Savior, but then we have to put our trust in Him over and over again as we follow Him as Lord of our lives. I may have trusted Him yesterday in my time of need, but again to day I have to trust Him to supply all my need. I may have trusted Him in the past to see me through a devastating situation, but today if I find myself in dire need, I have to trust Him to be as faithful to me again today as He was then. Yesterday I looked to Him for wisdom and guidance, again today I must do the same thing. Yesterday when all was well in my life, I sang His praises, and again today when things in my life have fallen apart I will still sing His praise. This walk and relationship with the Lord is done daily, over and over again, continually, constantly. My faith, my trust, my hope, my confidence in Him is a repetitious things... I must repeat it over and over again, not just once.
When David faced the bear, he had to trust God to deliver him and give him the courage, strength and ability he needed to kill it. When he faced the lion, he had to trust the Lord again for the same. When he faced the giant he again had to trust the Lord. He had to trust God over and over again-- again and again, time and time again.
You may have trusted Him yesterday but you have to trust Him again today. You may have called up Him yesterday but you have to call on Him again today. You may have seen His miracle working power yesterday but you can see it again today. He may have brought you through a storm in the past, and He can still bring you through any other storms that rage against you again today. You trusted Him then, trust Him again now. You trusted Him when things were well, trust Him again when things aren't. You trusted Him when all hope seemed lost, trust Him again in every hopeless situation. You will find that each time you put your trust in Him that He is faithful again.
Have a great day. We have to put our trust in the Lord over and over again, each and every day.
For further reading:
Lamentations 3:22,23
1 Samuel 17:37
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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 given otherwise.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break
"Be Content- Part 2"
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5
Yesterday we discussed the need to be content because we are generally discontented people. We always want more than we have. We said there are blessings attached to contentment and ruin attached to discontentment. Knowing we need to be content is one thing, but how do we achieve it? How do we reach that place of contentment? Like we said yesterday, the Apostle Paul testified that he had learned how to be content regardless of his situation. So it is possible. This morning let's discuss how we can reach the place of contentment.
Contentment doesn't come naturally. It is part of a daily process. When we look at our verse above, it seems as if the end of the verse has nothing to do with the rest of the verse and is a misplaced attachment. It seems to me that after he said, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have", there should be a period. What does, "for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee", have to do with contentment?
As Christians, our delight is in the Lord. He fills that empty place in our lives. He fills our longings. He is the object of our desire so in Him our desires are fulfilled. If He is the fulfillment of our desires and He said He would never leave us, then our desires are fulfilled as long as He is there-- which is always because there is never a time when He leaves us. Therefore, that leaves no room for discontentment, because what we desire is fulfilled and with us always.
Discontentment comes when we get discontent with the Lord. It comes when He is no longer the longing and desire of our heart. It comes when we stop putting Him first in our lives. It comes when we start placing "things" above Him. If He is always our first and greatest desire, then these other things that we "desire" to have will find their proper place in our lives. Some we will obtain, some we won't, some we will decided aren't really that important.
So the key to being and staying content is found in putting and keeping Him first-- the first longing and first desire of your heart. Then, like I said, everything else that we desire will fall into its proper place. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)
Have a great day. Contentment is found in the Lord. Discontentment comes when we are no longer content with Him.
For further reading:
Psalm 37:4; 63:1; 84:2; 103:5; 107:9
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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 given otherwise.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry

Coffee Break
"Be Content"
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5
Lately, I have been hearing the word "be content" from many different sources. (Therefore, the Lord must be trying to say something.) By nature we tend to be anything but content. We never seem to have enough or what we have isn't good enough. We are always wanting more, more, more, bigger and better. Relationships are broken because one spouse becomes discontent in the marriage. Their spouse no longer satisfies them so they go looking for someone "new"- younger, prettier, more understanding, etc.- to fulfill their discontentment. People have lost their homes from outrageous debt because they weren't content to have a home that would meet their need, they wanted a "castle" that was bigger than they could afford; or they went in debt to buy things that were unnecessary just because they wanted them or thought they would "fulfill" their lives. (Just because we want it, doesn't mean we have to have it.)
We aren't content to have just what we need, we want everything, including what we can't have. You've heard the saying, "The grass always looks greener on the other side". Maybe we should rewrite it to say, "The grass always 'seems' to be greener on the other side". Just because it looks greener doesn't mean it is a good thing. I heard one person say that it was greener because it was on top of the sewage line- it was being fertilized by the sewage.
The Apostle Paul said he had learned how to be content. We need to learn the same thing. Contentment has a high value- "Godliness with contentment is great gain". (1 Timothy 6:6) But there is ruin that comes from being discontented. It will rob you of your peace, take away your joy, lead you down a path to destruction, and so on. It also shows a lack of thankfulness to the Lord for what He has blessed you with.
Is there anything wrong with wanting something nicer or better? No, as long as contentment is still there if you can't get the "nicer/better" . I said that Paul learned how to be content, let me read what he said about it (I love how it reads in the Amplified Bible)- "Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency] ." (Philippians 4:11-13)
Have a great day. We need to learn how to be content.
For further reading:
Matthew 6:20
1 Timothy 6:8
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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 given otherwise.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry