Christian Community Fellowship Northside Daily Word

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41 KJV A cup of water is such a small sacrifice and yet it seen and rewarded by God. So many of us Christians believe we have little or nothing to offer. Yet the gospel of Mark encourages us that there is no gift too small to be effective in the kingdom of God. Whether it's an encouraging letter, a quick text, an invite to lunch or even just opening a door for someone. These are not small acts of service in God's eyes. Knowing this should encourage us to do two things. First, we should look for ways to "give a cup of water" to those around us. We should identify the needs of those around us so that we can meet them. What might be a small gesture for you, could make a life changing difference for someone else. Secondly, we should be on the lookout for those who serve us in small ways and extend our appreciation to the

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 NIV When we think of iron we think of something being very strong and sturdy. In order for that piece of iron to be sharpened, something else has to be very strong, sturdy, dependable and reliable. We have to ask God to send someone into our lives that can help us be strong in our faith. Ask God to help you find someone who is strong in their belief and knows the Lord. There are many things and people that can sharpen us. We can be sharpened through our teachers, spouses, pastors, mentors and friends. When we sharpen one another, we have to talk and listen to each other. We also should humble ourselves to follow and be led by others that have been divinely assigned to help develop and sharpen us. That sharpening will allow us to be able to help develop/sharpen others. Let's ask God to send people into our lives who will walk with us and help us sharpen each other. Today's Devotional written by Sister Takiela

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34 NIV Like most people, through the years I have experienced being hurt and mistreated. As a follower of Christ, more than one ugly text has been sent to my phone. Struggling to forgive at times, I find it helpful to visualize myself kneeling at the foot of Jesus on the cross. I see myself there unable to stop the scene and aware that my sin put Christ on the cross. Then I imagine my offender kneeling next to me and instantly I become aware of what it cost Jesus to forgive me. This gained perspective has allowed me to offer forgiveness to my fellow human. While on the cross, the Lord identified Himself with sinners, criminals and pagans. As two thieves received justice and soldiers ignorantly gambled for His clothes, Jesus observed the scene. His overwhelming response was to ask His Father to forgive them.  Though He was beaten, crucified and mocked, J

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. ”  Luke 22:32 NASB Jesus knew Peter would need to hold fast to the Word of God, rather than what his eyes could see, because the trials Peter would be facing would surely be a time of severe testing. Jesus wanted Peter to strengthen his faith and determination. Peter needed to hold fast and be solid in faith. So Jesus, the Son of God, prayed specifically that Peter's faith would not fail. When we show that our faith does not waver, it encourages others to believe what they know, rather than what they see. This was the case with Peter. Peter was converted and his way of seeing tribulation fell in line with God's purpose. He would be able to lead others to that same conversion from fear to faith. We must understand that we are children of God and servants of the Lord Jesus. This is the faith to which we are called. Jesus intercedes for us that we may be able to

All by itself the soil produces grain. First the stalk comes up. Then the head appears. Finally, the full grain appears in the head. Mark 4:28 NIRV The 'root' gets it down on the inside of you. When it comes to the roots, that is where a thing begins to grow. It has life, gets stronger and gives nutrients. Things start to take place. Victory, healing and relief come when we get connected to the root. We need a root system in place in our daily plans. What are you holding onto or feeding everyday? You cannot take the Word of God and turn it into your circumstance. You have to take your circumstance to the Word of God. God is the 'root' to help solve the problems that our daily walk may bring. God is our strong tower. Let us allow God to handle the soil in our lives and watch our lives flourish. The root is where it all begins. Today's Devotional is written by Takiela Harris.

Look straight ahead and fix your eyes in what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT The devil is constantly busy, always working on distracting us from focusing on Jesus and the path He has set before us. There are a lot of distractions today, such as your career, social media, friends, politics, the economy, and family matters, amongst others. While these distractions are genuine and valid, the devil can still use them to shift our attention, so that we barely have time to focus on the Lord. The enemy keeps our attention on our problems and everything else happening around us. In this way we lose focus on Jesus, the maker of all things and the only one that can turn every bad situation around. As the book Proverbs advises, look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you, as what lies ahead can be your dreams and aspirations, gifts, talent, or the mi

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.  John 17:9 ESV How would it change our perspective on life if we knew the One who created all things, the One who holds all things together, the One who controls it all continually has us on His mind and heart? Jesus has never and will never forget us. Jesus is one with God and cares so much for us that He speaks on our behalf to His Father. Jesus prays for us. Jesus is God, the Son, and He prays for us! That's the truth. Not one day, not one moment of our life has passed without Jesus lifting our name before the Father. It is impossible that Jesus would have unanswered prayers. Therefore, whatever He asks of the Father on our behalf will be done. His prayers for us will bring forth His answers in our life. This is as sure and as certain as the fact that our God is God. What an amazing reality we live, knowing that God, the Son, prays for us. Jesus is interceding for us

Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.  Revelation 22:12   When Jesus was ascending into heaven, He told his disciples that He would return the same way they saw Him leave. As born-again Christians, our hope is seeing Jesus’s return in His power and majesty to rapture us home and to live with Him forever. While we eagerly await the second  coming of the Lord, are we doing the work He has assigned us to do? Jesus said in the book of Revelations that He is, not only coming soon but, coming with rewards to give to everyone according to their works. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. We have to live our everyday lives unto the Lord, whether we like it or not, God will judge every work that is done in the body, all righteous and unrighteous deeds.  The good

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour,  it is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:13 KJV Solomon had already written in Ecclesiastes that there's no real meaning to be found in the things people chase after in this life. He found these things to be futile, a pursuit of The wind, vanity and foolishness. In Ecclesiastes 1:14, he says, " I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."  Instead of being in the rat race, he wisely wrote that we should be content with the simple things in which God blesses us. Often, the most cherished pleasures in life are those that are the most simple and the fruits from our labor are the results that make life worth living. Like a home cooked meal with your loved ones, cooking on the grill, or just sitting on the porch enjoying a nice spring day are all examples of simple, yet wonderful, gifts from God who is the giver of every good gif

And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  Luke 10:34 KJV We've all  often  heard the parable of the good Samaritan and every time the priest and the Levite are shamed due to their actions. However, their actions have some cultural context that will help us to understand the reason why they left a man to die. Jesus set the scene on the road that went from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jericho was a vacation spot for the wealthy in Jerusalem. Therefore, many robbers and thieves would have been waiting on this road to see who they might attack. This road was also most commonly known as the valley of the shadow of death, so seeing a man beaten and left for dead was probably a common occurrence. Also, if the priest and the Levite would have stopped to help and potentially touched a dead man, that would have required a week-long purification process and greatly inconvenienced them and their f

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 KJV Guess what y'all? I have studied the Bible in my life, not as much as I should have, but I just keep going back to remembering hearing about the second coming of Christ and the events unfolding since I was a child. The mark of the beast Microchips No cash Just plastic The Marshall law Total dependency & control by government.  When we are raising a family, working long hours (some with two jobs), lots of things going on, going unnoticed or just being ignored, no one can quite comprehend how you may be feeling right now. We never know how bad it will be or get until it happens. Before COVID, we had never been told to stay home, quit working and rely on the government. We are seeing a lot of "firsts" since this pandemic has happened. Can our minds and bodies handle what is to come? No, not without God. You see, while the devil is preparing people for the antichrist, God is preparing His pe

2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, - 1 Corinthians 3:2 ESV In this scripture Paul was saying to the Corinthian Christians that they have not grown yet in their teaching of learning about Christ. God was giving them the basics and compared it to baby's milk meaning that baby's milk was all that a baby's stomach could handle. He was comparing them to newborns. The older and more mature they get is when you can start introducing them to more solid and more advanced foods that their stomachs can handle. Paul was telling the Corinthians that they should be beyond the milk stage and that, by this time, they should be ready for some solid food or meat. Stop acting so immature and  undeveloped! See, when we follow God, we mature faster and grow on a different level. Paul said that the Corinthians were living in the flesh; meaning that they were falling for any and everything. We must nurture ourselves spirituall

13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. - Isaiah 41:13 NIV What do you do when life has got you crying? Sit down. breathe. Then, breathe again. When situations have gotten the best of you, when you feel like circumstances have overwhelmed you or when relationships have been broken, what do you do? You cry. You roll around on the floor. You scream out loud. You might fix your wig. Then, you get up, dust yourself off and move forward. Let God handle it all. Give your anxieties, your fears, your worries over to God. A gospel group named Mary Mary wrote a song that said it best, "I cried my last tear yesterday." Yesterday is gone. Live for today. Take it one minute at a time, then one hour at a time. Even in the midst of my storm I see God working it out for me. The word says weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. When do you want your morning to come? You have to make a decision. Put it

7 then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.” - Joshua 4:7 Amplified Bible When the Israelites entered the promised Land, God instructed Joshua to have them place twelve stones as a forever reminder that He had stopped the waters of the Jordan so they could cross over safely. This was not the only time people honored God by building a memorial with stones in remembrance of what God did. I n Genesis 35:14 , it says, " Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it."  Also, in 1 Samuel  7:12, it  tells us, " Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,[a] saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”"  Likewise, we need stones of remembrance in o

  “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. - Matthew 10:16 NLT When I first read this verse, I said to myself, "That doesn't sound like God to send sheep out into the midst of the wolves. God wouldn't do that. God wouldn't send them into danger." God keeps us from harm and he protects. He didn't send the twelve disciples out to tell how great, mighty, awesome, loving, truthful, trustworthy and real God is without protection. It is brave to go into danger knowing that that comes with the territory and not everyone wants to hear about God. Nevertheless, He sent them out to be bold and confident; not cunning and deceiving like a snake. He sent them out to be bold enough to share the gospel and when doing so they were to stay as gentle as a dove. See, we have to be hard and serious and to the point when we go out to share the gospel.  We have to have meaning and purpose   when we speak and tell of the good

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.  Ezekiel 18:4 KJV Have you heard the saying, "Like father, like son" or "That's just the way things are?" If a young person chooses a wrong path or makes poor choices in life, we may look at the home that they grew up in and make judgment on their parents and environment. Ezekiel 18:2 reveals a familiar proverb of that day. It says,  What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? " The exiles blamed their forefathers for their situation based on Israel's relationship with Yahweh (including its law, priesthood, culture, temple, and prophet individuals). However sin is sin in spite of all these cultural advantages, not because of it. Ezekiel's reply was that their trouble was due to their own sin and that neither

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgement. Hebrews 9:27 This phrase is often used when people die, which simply means they are free from life’s worry, lack, failure, sickness, and all things that comes with living here on earth, the good, the bad and the ugly. But the bible tells us that what we do here on earth determines where we will spend eternity, for there is another life after death. It is appointed for a man to die once and after that there is judgement, for there is no do over after death but judgement. Therefore, it is important to think about how we are living here on earth, are we living our lives to please God? Or are we living for the devil? Life outside of Jesus is not a fulfilled life, we can do everything to fill the void in us, however that void can only be filled with Jesus. Many people are filling that void with wealth, education, fame, meditation and all kinds of new age beliefs.  Jesus is the only path to eternal life and he gi

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 KJV                                            After you've done everything, you can stand be strong in the Lord. There was a time in my life that I threw in the towel but God threw it back at me and said, "Wipe your face girl. We are almost there." See, we have to know who God is. The devil wants us to stray away from God. How do we survive an attack of the enemy? We first have to be able to identify the enemy. How are we going to fight if we don't know how the enemy works? The enemy will deceive you. He destroys and he divides. We have to stand firm and put on a full armor of God. We have to resist the devil and stand firm on God's Word. You have to be prepared before the battle starts. How do we stand? We stand by not giving up, not walking away and not giving in to the d

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— Romans 6:6  NIV I can take you all to the exact spot where I told my father that football tryouts were not going well. I was so nervous to have this conversation with my father because he wanted me to make it onto the team. When I finally did muster the courage to tell him, instead of adding more pressure, he assured me that as long as I was doing my best, he would be satisfied regardless of the outcome. With the assurance of what my dad thought of me, I was now free to give it my all and not worry about the results. The funny thing is that I made the team.  Thinking back on that time, I have learned that we can apply the same principle to our daily lives, especially to those high-stake decisions. God's grace frees us from our sins. The message in Romans is that, instead of making excuses for our sins, grace motivates us to pursue ho