"It Is Completed"

"It Is Completed"

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Revelation 22:13

When the Lord is doing a work, He doesn't do it "half way". He takes care of every detail and when it is finished it is completely finished. At creation He did not rest until He had finished creating everything. He worked for six days and then rested when there was nothing else that could be added to what He had done. Everything that mankind would need to live was provided-- everything. At the cross, Jesus declared, "It is finished". Everything that was needed to bring redemption to mankind was provided, nothing was left lacking. Jesus lost so much blood on the way to the cross that it is amazing He even made it to the cross. He should have died before He made it up Calvary's hill, but He didn't. Then He hung on the cross for hours before He died. Why? Because there was still more in the cup for Him to drink. The full price had not been paid. But once it was He declared, "It is finished" and bowed His head and died. When He did, the price for our sins had been paid in full. There was nothing left to be done. He didn't stop short and provide only 99% of our salvation. He provided all that it would take.

In the situation that you are going through, He won't stop short of completing it. He won't meet only a portion of the need. He won't give you part of the answer. He won't leave it unfinished. He will take care of it all. And when He does, it will all be taken care of- all of it. He is the Beginning and the End, the Author and the Finisher, the First and the Last, and everything in between. He completes what He starts and it is not finished until He completes it. When my daughter was a little girl, we bought her some presents that needed to be assembled. We never gave her the gifts unless the assembly was completed. We didn't give her a bicycle that had the frame put together but no wheels. We didn't give her a trampoline that had no mat. I didn't cook her meals and leave half of what was put on her plate raw. The Lord is the same, He doesn't give it to us until it is completed.

Don't get discouraged it you are in the middle of a trial and you think it will never end. It will end when God has completely finished it by taking care of everything that needs to be done. We need to learn how to wait because the delay may be because He is putting the finishing touches on it.

Have a great day. The Lord doesn't stop short of completion. When He says it is finished, it is completely finished.... there is nothing left to do, it has all been taken care of.

For further reading:

Genesis 2:1-3

John 19:30

Hebrews 12:2

Matthew 5:18

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

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.

Do You Know Why You're Living?

Do You Know Why You're Living?

Jesus knew exactly why He lived. He said in John 18:37, "For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth." That's what He thought about, prayed about, planned for, worked towards, sacrificed for, died and rose again for, and finally accomplished. By fulfilling His destiny He changed the world forever.

So, do you know your destiny? What are you doing to achieve it? "We are... created... to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) Does that sound like a life of aimless wandering with no known destination? The Bible says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) Plan well, but always stay open to God's direction. "...All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16) God's plan for your life was set before you were a twinkle in your parents' eyes! If you fail to follow His path you'll miss His best for your life.

The Bible is full of examples of people who crashed and burned at some point. King Saul is a great example. Recalling it, David his successor prayed first, "I desire to do Your will..." (Psalm 40:8) Your desires are the driving force in life, so make sure they're in harmony with God. Secondly he prayed, "Teach me to do Your will..." (Psalm 143:10) When it comes to doing God's will, the Psalmist acknowledged he needed God's help. You do too.

from firstIMPRESSIONS Vol. 11.31

The Search Is On

The Search Is On

by Alan Smith

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers. He dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child whispering, "Hello?"

Feeling put out at the inconvenience of having to talk to a youngster, the boss asked, "Is your Daddy home?" "Yes", whispered the small voice.

"May I talk with him?" the man asked. To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, "No."

Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes", came the answer. "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No."

Knowing that it was not likely that a young child would be left home alone, the boss decided he would just leave a message with the person who should be there watching over the child.

"Is there anyone there besides you?" the boss asked the child. "Yes", whispered the child, "A policeman."

Wondering what an officer would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" asked the boss. "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the fireman", came the whispered answer.

Growing concerned and even worried as he heard a loud noise through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"

"A hello-copper", answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed.

In an awed voice the child answered, "The search team just landed the hello-copper!"

Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated the boss asked, "Why are they there?"

Still whispering, the young voice replied along with a muffled giggle, "They're looking for me!"

It reminds me of how we act toward God at times. When we have done something that we know is wrong, we sometimes, like Adam and Eve in the garden, try to hide from God. Not physically, of course. But we try to distance ourselves from God by neglecting worship with God's people, Bible study, and prayer. We try to avoid God, hoping He won't notice.

But like the little boy in the story, we know that God is searching for us, doing everything in His power to bring us back. And even at times when I've done something I'm ashamed of, I appreciate that so much.

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?... Or what woman, having ten coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?" (Luke 15:4,8)

Is Somebody looking for you today?

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

A thought from the Pentecostal Evangel

A thought from the Pentecostal Evangel:
------------------------------------------------------------
"A dying world waits for the gospel. Four billion people have never had an
adequate witness of salvation in Jesus Christ. How will you respond? If
Jesus is calling you to be a part of His mission .. and you are willing to
pay the price ... there is room for you."

"Room for You," Randy Hurst
Pentecostal Evangel, August 7, 2011
http://www.pe.ag.org
-----------------------------------------------------------

"Seek After God"

Coffee Break

"Seek After God"

"There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." Romans 3:11

What a sad verse. "There is none that seeks after God". Why do I think it is sad? Because it is the truth. Who really seeks after God? We seek His provisions, His blessings, His benefits. We seek Him for what He can do for us. We seek Him in time of need or trouble. We seek Him when we need answers. We seek Him when we want something that His hand can provide. But do we ever really seek after "HIM"? There is a difference.

Shouldn't we seek Him when we need help? Yes, of course we should. But seeking after God doesn't always mean you are seeking Him for some "thing". It means you are seeking Him Himself. You are seeking to know Him in a more intimate way. You are seeking to know what His desires, like and dislikes are. You are seeking to find out what is in His heart and not only what He can give you.

When was the last time you went to the Lord that you didn't have a need to talk to Him about? When was the last time you went into your place of pray and told Him that you didn't want anything- you had no request, no questions, no pressing need to talk to Him about, but you just wanted to gaze upon Him, you just wanted Him, you just wanted to sit in His presence and love on Him for a while? Has it been a while? Do you feel as though you are wasting your time by doing that and not making some sort of request? Are you too busy to do that? Do you only go to Him when you are in need? Then it sounds like you are among the "none that seek after God".

Have a great. Are you seeking after HIM- to know Him, to discover His heart, to love on Him- or what He has?

For further reading:

Isaiah 29:13

Matthew 15:8

Psalm 27:8

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

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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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

"Learn From Mistakes"

Coffee Break

"Learn From Mistakes"

"Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Corinthians 10:11

We all make mistakes but hopefully we will learn from them so that we will not continue to repeat them. We can also learn from the mistakes of others. The verse above admonishes us to learn from the examples of the Israelites when they were in the wilderness so that we don't make the same mistakes they did- mistakes that have great spiritual consequences.

What were some of the mistakes that they made that we can learn from? The main "mistake" was their lack of faith. God did such a miraculous thing for them by delivering them from Egyptian bondage. Not only did He deliver them, but in a mighty way by demonstrating His great power over Pharaoh. They saw the plagues that He brought upon Egypt. They saw the supernatural protection of God the night that death went throughout the land killing the first born in every household. They had been slaves but they left Egypt with treasures. They saw one miracle after another. Yet, when they came to the place where they were about to inherit the promise of their own land, they did not enter because of their unbelief.

After seeing all that they had seen, after hearing the voice of God from heaven, after being led by His presence (the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night), after seeing the sea open up and make a way of escape from Egypt, after seeing their enemy drowned in the sea, you would think that they would have never doubted God ever again about anything-- yet they did. These things were written for our example because we are no different. The Lord has done some miraculous things for all of us. He has provided our needs, answered our prayers and come through for us at just the right time time and time again. He has been with us and we have seen Him working on our behalf, yet, we tend to still "disbelieve" Him when we come to certain situations in our lives. We tend to do the same thing they did.

We have an advantage when we read about what happened to them, we can go to the end of the chapter and see the outcome- the outcome and consequences when they trusted God and when they didn't. We know how the story ended. We can see that God was always faithful and did what He said He would do regardless of how the situation looked. From that we can learn that He will do the same thing for us so we have no reason to doubt or allow unbelief to enter in and keep us from inheriting our promises.

Have a great day. We can learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others.

For further reading:

Hebrews 3:12,19; 4:6,11

Acts 7:36

Deuteronomy 6:21; 26:8

Mark 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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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

"There's A Famine"

Coffee Break

"There's A Famine"

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." Amos 8:11

I believe that we are seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy in our day- at least in this nation. There is a famine of the word of the Lord. You may ask how can that be when we are inundated with preaching. We have churches on every corner in our cities. We have twenty-four hour Christian television. We have more ministers and ministries than ever before in the history of our nation. This is true, but in the vast majority of them we are lacking the "word of God".

In many churches socials, fellowships, gimmicks and programs have replaced the preaching of the word. Some have stopped preaching the word of God altogether because it isn't "popular" so they are preaching what they think the people want to hear in order to grow a big church. There are some others that are still preaching the "word" but they have watered it down, compromised its meaning, not rightly divided it, or brought in a "another" gospel- one that is a mixture of scripture, tradition and philosophy (thus making it something other than the "truth"). The preaching of the word of God has been taken lightly as if it is the least important part of the ministries. I would like to clarify this morning that it is the MOST important part.

I remember when I first got saved sitting in church and there would be times when the Lord's presence showed up in such a powerful way during praise and worship. After the worship was over, we would dismiss and go home. I can remember hearing others, and thinking the same myself, say that it was a great service because the preacher didn't even get to preach. As I am growing in the Lord, I can see that even though it was a great time in worship and the presence of the Lord was there, this was wrong thinking. The Lord wanted to do both- receive our worship and bless us in the process, but He also wanted to speak to us and edify us through His word. This mentality seems to be the norm now. We want the "experiences" more than the word. We want to "feel" something more than we want to "hear" something. We want God to "do" something more than we want Him to "say" something.

As I said earlier, the word is the MOST important part- in the church, in our ministries and in our individual lives. Jesus touched the lives of people through miracles, healings and deliverance while He was on earth. But He never neglected to give them God's word. He gave the people His Father's words everywhere He went- in every city, in the temple, in His encounters with individuals, when He was invited into homes. As Christians, the word of God is our life, and it gives us life. The word has to begin to have priority in our churches, ministries, homes and lives again. Without it, we will not only suffer a "spiritual famine" but we will also be destroyed. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." -Hosea 4:6

Have a great day. Are you experiencing a famine?

For further reading:

2 Timothy 4:2

Luke 8:1; 5:1

Acts 6:7

Romans 10:17

Ephesians 6:17

Hebrews 4:12

John 5:39; 6:63

Proverbs 4:20-23

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

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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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

"Growth Is Obvious"

Coffee Break

"Growth Is Obvious"

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11

Growth is a natural part of life. Everything that is living grows- people, animals and plants all grow. Just as growth is a natural part of this physical life, it is also a part of our "spiritual life".

When we come to Christ and receive Him as Savior and Lord, it is called the "new birth"- we are born again. The Bible calls us "new born babes". From that moment on growth should be taking place in our "spirit man".

Physical growth is easy to see because it takes place primarily in our appearance. I can go for weeks without seeing my little granddaughter and the next time I see her I can immediately tell she has grown- she looks bigger and her features have slightly changed. Our spiritual growth is not always that obvious because it doesn't take place on the "outside", it takes place on the "inside" of us. The growth of our spiritual man is recognized by our actions, attitudes, responses, speech, treatment of others and by our love.

But just like there are noticeable changes that take place in our physical growth, there should be noticeable changes that take place in our spiritual growth. When we are growing spiritually we begin to notice a change. Those noticeable growth changes are such things as being forgiving toward those who have done you wrong, love for your enemies, change in your speech, kindness, not being easily offended, joy, peace, patience, less selfish an self-center and the greatest change is that we are looking more and more like Jesus.

So, how obvious is your spiritual growth? Are others seeing a change continuing to take place in you? Are you looking different in your attitude because of the presence and influence of Christ in your life? Or are you still the same as you have always been?

Have a great day. Spiritual growth may not be as obvious as physical growth, but it should be evident.

For further reading:

John 3:1-7

Ephesians 4:13,15

1 Peter 2:2

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

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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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

"Choose The Way of Escape - Part 2"

Coffee Break

"Choose The Way of Escape - Part 2"

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Yesterday we talked about God always making a way of escape when we are in a time of temptation, and that it is up to us to take that way. Often, we struggle with that "way" because it is not always obvious to us. It isn't like there will be a "physical door" standing in front of us with a bright red "Exit" sign over it. It would be easier to recognize it if it were.

So what does the "way of escape" look like? Let me list a few ways.

The word of God will be a way that He has made to escape the temptation. Have you ever been in a time of temptation or great trial and a scripture will come to mind? That scripture is your way of escape-- obey what it says.

Daniel's way of escape when the king's meat was set before him was the "purposing in his heart". Daniel had purposed in his heart long before he reached the temptation, that he would remain obedient to the commands of the Lord regardless of what faced him. That settled heart and mind kept him from "floundering" and being "double-minded" when the time of testing did come.

Joseph's way of escape when being tempted to sin by Potaphar's wife was found in his statement to her- "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9b) Joseph understood that when you yield to something that is contrary to God's word that it is "sin". The sin issue was settled in his mind and so he didn't allow the questions as to whether it was right or wrong tempt him to do the wrong thing.

Sometimes the way of escape comes through a still, small voice that you hear in the depth of your being and you know that it is your answer- so you follow it.

Another way is through prayer- prayer will bring God in the middle of your temptation and He will give you the strength to resist it. Also fasting. Some days the Lord will impress on me to fast. I have to be honest, I don't always yield as I should. But I have noticed that on the days when I don't, I eat more than I should. I have come to realize that often if I would fast when I feel impressed to, it was my way of escape from giving into my fleshly appetite.

These are a few ways that God opens a door for us to escape. We need to recognize what those ways are and give heed to them.

Have a great day. There are many different ways that the Lord can use to give us a way of escape.

For further reading:

Genesis 39:8-10

Daniel 1:8

James 1:8

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

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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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

"Choose The Way of Escape"

Coffee Break

"Choose The Way of Escape"

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

"But will with the temptation also make a way of escape." There is no doubt that temptations come- we are tempted daily to sin, to yield to our flesh, to stop following Jesus, and so on. But we have a wonderful promise that in the times of temptation the Lord will make a way of escape for us so that we will not be trapped by the temptation with no choice but to yield to it. So the problem when we do yield is not that we had no choice but to yield, the problem is that we did not take the way of escape that was provided for us.

You see, God makes a way of escape and provides a means of deliverance, but it is up to us to choose to take it. He opens a door of escape but we have to go through it. He doesn't do it for us. He provides it for us, but we must make use of the provision.

It works the same way in the area of obedience. God gives us a command but it is up to us to obey it. It works that way where the gift of salvation was concerned. It was provided through Jesus' shed blood at the cross but it is up to us to choose to receive the gift of salvation.

When we give into a temptation, we can't blame God as if it was His fault. We can't accuse Him of not loving us and "letting" it happen. We are to blame and we are at fault. He did what He said He would do "make a way to escape". He was faithful to provide it just as He promised, but we did not take the way of escape that He provided.

When you are facing a temptation, look for the way of escape, it is there and it will be up to you to take it. He will not take it for you or make you take it.

Have a great day. There is a way of escape made in every temptation, but you have to choose to take it.

For further reading:

Philippians 4:13

James 1:13

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

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

If you would like to subscribe to the Coffee Break mailing list, visit our website and on the Coffee Break page you will find a submision form.

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