Category: Daily Bread

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Rejoice For Your Sake

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18CSB

Paul said rejoice, but it’s hard to rejoice if your heart is ungrateful. Therefore, he said to pray constantly or continually. Now, that is not to say that we are continually on our knees. That would be absurd to think that because, after all, there is life. Need I say more, job, family, spouse, children, etc. But we are always in an attitude of prayer, continually.

Then he ends it with, in everything give thanks. Research has proven that being thankful or grateful has many health benefits, such as an improved immune system, being more positive, and a brighter overall outlook on life. If for no other reason, be thankful for your own well-being. Be thankful for your own good.

Father, give me a thankful and grateful heart so that in all things, I can give thanks with a grateful heart and be able to praise You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Choose Narrow

13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. ~ Matthew 7:13-14NIV

Jesus said there are only two roads you can travel through this life on: the narrow road and the broad road.  So, what is the difference between these two roads, and how do we get on one or the other? I’m glad you asked.

Jesus said wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. It seems to me that the broad road is the default road. In other words, it is where everyone starts from. You don’t have to do anything special, or different, it’s the default road. It is the most beautiful road. It is the easiest road. It is the biggest road. And contrary to what Texas might believe, bigger is not always better. Yes, it might be easier, you don’t even have to look for it, cause it’s just there, but it’s definitely not better.

There are huge lanes you can drive on, making it feel good. But Jesus said at the end of it is destruction. The world will promise you many things in this life that will feel good for the moment, everyone else may be enjoying it, but the end is death. So many people enjoy quoting Mark Twain saying, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company” not fully realizing what they’re saying. Though many travel the road to Hell, there’s no parties in Hell. There’s no company. It’s loneliness, fear, pain, suffering, and agony. That’s all Hell is. It’s the complete and total separation from God and all that He has for us.

Yes, the road is broad, looks fun, and many travel it, but in the end, it’s just destruction, pain, and suffering. Therefore, choose the road less traveled. Choose the road that may be difficult, few find, but that leads to Eternal Life, joy, peace, and company with the LORD God who created you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Narrow.

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Finding God

13  And the LORD said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men, 14therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”  ~ Isaiah 29:13-14

Some people read this as a rebuke from God. But if you think about it, it is not a rebuke at all. God is acknowledging their desire for fellowship with Him, though it is a bit skewed or distorted. Listen to what He said, “The people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips …” That is speaking of praise and worship. That is speaking of them seeking Him. They even have a seemingly healthy fear of Him. The problem is, their hearts are far from Him, and their fear is a commandment taught to them by their teachers, or at least their leaders, those who guide them spiritually. They do not know God personally for themselves, nor do they know His commands or even how to truly worship Him.

I heard a testimony from a Muslim who was actually in prison because of his involvement with Jihad. He was so intent on finding truth and making a connection with God to serve Him that he was praying more than 5 times a day and reading the whole Koran 10 times in a week. He was extremely devoted and actually had powers where he knew the conversations in other prison cells without him being there. To make a long story short, Jesus appeared to him in his cell and revealed Himself to this violent and murderous man. This man was not seeking Jesus personally, but he was seeking truth. He wanted to be close to God and had a desire to do His will. That is how it was with those people. They were not on the right track per se, but they had a desire to draw close to Him, and they desired to fear Him. They just did not have the right people in their lives to direct them to the right path.

Jesus told a parable about the Good Shepherd and the one lost sheep. In the parable, the Good Shepherd realized that one of His sheep was missing. He left the 99 other sheep and went in search of the one missing sheep. When He found it, He was happy and placed it on His shoulders and took Him back to the sheep pen to be reunited with the other sheep. That is exactly what is happening here.

Look at what God says, and I will paraphrase, “Because they have done these things, with a desire to know Me, but have no one to teach them, I Myself will show them My wonder upon wonders. And I will take away the false teaching that they have been taught.”

The bottom line is this, if you have a strong desire to know Him, even if you are off course, He will reveal Himself to you. Therefore, let me encourage you today that if you truly want to know God in a personal way, you can. Just start with reading the Bible. Not skimming over the Bible or reading it recreationally. I mean, if you have a true desire to know Him, to know Jesus, He will let Himself be found by you, but you must put in the effort.

Heavenly Father, I love You and desire to know You intimately. Please strengthen my desire and help me to learn to sincerely seek Your face. Hear me when I call, and answer me when I pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Don’t Play With The Viper

22 He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap 23 until an arrow pierces its liver, like a bird darting into a snare  — he doesn’t know it will cost him his life. ~ Proverbs 7:22-23CSB

Early one morning, I had a dream that I was cooking, and the food was smelling good, but then when I moved on of the plates, something started to move on the plate as well. It was a tiny viper. I immediately went to kill it but slithered right onto the floor. I felt so unalarmed that I even made a joke about cooking it up and eating it too, but then when I somehow cut it in half, all of these worms started slithering out of its body and going in all directions, really freaking me out. The head of the snake just kind of slithered away, and I never actually killed it. The fright from the was woke me right up. A lot of us are like me in this dream.

See, according to different sources such as Animal Planet and National Geographic, a viper at a baby stage is more dangerous than a fully grown viper. Why? Because when they bite, they release a lot more of their venom in that bite than an adult. And the person who is bitten will die. In my dream, the snake looked so tiny that the dangers of the snake didn’t even cross my mind, so I didn’t take it seriously. Then the event escalated and no longer was it just the baby viper I had to worry about, but now I had to worry about all of the worms seeking a new host as well.

Sometimes, sin looks extremely innocent and non-threatening. It looks silly and like a joke, causing us to put our guard down and even joke about it. Not at all being concerned with our safety or the safety of those around us. And if we keep joking and playing around with it, it will bite us, and we will spiritually die from the bite.

Therefore, as Paul told us, avoid every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), even if it seems innocent enough that you could get away with. Usually, sin that seems innocent is the most deadly. Why? Because we don’t realize it will cost us our lives.

Therefore, study the Scriptures daily and meditate on them. Pray and seek the LORD so that He might open your eyes to the dangers of the baby vipers around you. Fast and worship so that you might build up your spirit, man, and he might be able to help you overcome your flesh.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Play With The Viper.

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Seek The God of Hope

2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” ~ Mark 2:2-12

Let me start by setting the scene for you. Jesus had been gone for a while; you could say He was on a preaching tour throughout Galilee and had just gotten back home to Capernaum. No doubt, all the people in His hometown had heard about all the great things He had done on His tour. Lepers were cleansed. The sick were all healed. The demons were cast out. The oppressed were set free. All kinds of various diseases were all healed.

At the very least, their curiosity was piqued, so much so that there was no more room left in the house, not even at the door. The crowd pressed against the door and then stretched out into the yard. Everyone was straining to hear what Jesus was saying.

In other words, the yard was filled with eager listeners. They probably crowded around the windows, if for nothing else but to hear and hopefully get a quick glimpse of Jesus. Jesus was preaching the word to them. Explaining Scripture like no one else did or no one else could. For Jesus taught with authority, not like the Scribes and Pharisees, but like one having authority.

When suddenly, a group of people entered the scene, trying to barge their way in carrying a man lying on his bedroll, but to no avail. The crowd was just too many. Everyone was bunched up together, hanging on every word Jesus said. There was simply no way to get in. They could not even get close to the door.

Then, one of them had a harebrained idea. Let us climb up on the roof, remove all the tiles, and let him down in front of Jesus. What? Are you mad? Climb up on the roof, tear the tiles off, and dig a hole through the roof big enough to let him down through it on his stretcher? Yes, came the reply. Okay, sounds good to me. Let’s do it.

There was no back-and-forth discussion about who’s gonna fix the roof. Or whose expense it will be to fix the roof. Their only thought was to get their friend in front of the only one who gave them hope. That was Jesus.

See, these friends understood that even when everything seems completely hopeless, there’s always hope in Jesus. If you can just get to Jesus, hope can be found. Why? Because Jesus is the God of possible. What seems impossible, He makes possible. Where there is no way, He makes a way. Therefore, no matter what is going on in your life or your loved ones’ lives, if you can just get to Jesus, you will have hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The God of Hope.

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Crucify Til Awaken

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. ~ Proverbs 14:12

Spiritual slumber is the main cause of the state of the Church today. I heard a story of a lady who was living in sin and she explained that even though she read in the Bible that it was a sin, but because she felt no conviction about it, she felt like it was okay. Here’s the problem with this, if you have spiritually fallen asleep you will not recognize that you are on the wrong path. Because the thing that is presented to you might feel good. It might even seem good, but the end of that road is death.

See, spiritual slumber will numb your connection to the Holy Spirit. It will numb your connection to the Good Shepherd. You will no longer hear His voice or feel His gentle nudge that you’re being deceived. When our flesh has reigned without any restraint for a long time, our spirit man inside weakens to the point that he doesn’t respond to the gentle whisper of God.

Therefore, we can’t always go based on our feelings. Matter-a-fact, very few times, rarely, can we ever trust our feelings. Why? Because the heart is the most deceitful of all, and who can even understand it (Jeremiah 17:9)? Therefore, we must walk by faith and not feelings. We have to go by what the Scripture says and not what we feel. Otherwise, we will be led astray by those feelings.

We have to follow Scripture every day and deny our flesh. We have to build up our spirit man with worship, reading and meditating on the Scriptures, and prayer, along with fasting. We have to crucify our flesh daily so that it won’t overtake us and control us, but rather that we will control it and force it to obey Christ. This is the only way we can truly grow in Him and learn His voice, so that we can feel true conviction and see through the enemy’s deception.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Crucify Til Awaken.

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Believe Regardless of Others

3 So His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even His brothers believed in Him 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, He remained in Galilee. ~ John 7:3-9

Jesus’ brothers were on their way to the Feast of Booths, but before they left, they spoke with Jesus. They attempted to cast doubt into Jesus’ mind because they themselves doubted. That’s really hard. It’s actually discouraging when not even your family wants to be a part of your ministry.

See, the Devil will use those closest to us in order to try to cast doubt into our minds. Not everyone will see the LORD’s call for your life. Not everyone will believe it; they’ll even try to discourage you. Here’s the thing tho, even though other people may not believe, if you believe, God will be faithful to you. He will see you through. Jesus didn’t have the support of His brothers, but He had the support of His Father. God’s support is all that truly matters.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Believe Regardless of Others.

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Release Them From Their Debt

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~ Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus told us that if we don’t forgive, we will not be forgiven. What a difficult statement to fully grasp and follow. Especially when someone has done you wrong over and over again, yet you must continuously forgive them. This is by no means an easy thing to do, but it is a necessary one. Why? Our very eternity depends on it. That is a frightening thought in the light of eternity. So, let me break it down for you. If you refuse to forgive people, no matter what they have done to you, God will refuse to forgive you, no matter how much you ask.

And let me just add this also. Nothing that has been done against you is worth holding someone up for it and then spending eternity in Hell. Here is another truth, the person who you feel that you are just not able to forgive, well, they themselves may have repented and received forgiveness from God.

And you know what? They will spend eternity with Him while you hold on to your hurts, valid hurts indeed that they may be, but you will still spend eternity in the Lake of Fire because you refuse to honor and forgive them.

That is not me just saying that. That is the giver of life, the Master Who said that. So, for further clarification, or for more info, please see Matthew 6:15. So, the bottom line is this, if Jesus, who is Holy and Just and Righteous, can and did do that for us because He chose to do it, then we have no excuse.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Release Them From Their Debt.

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Look In The Mirror Then Look To God

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. ~ Romans 5:10

24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! ~ Romans 7:24-25

We were NOT all good people. We have all gone astray. We have all done some horrible and awful things against our God. We have betrayed Him. We have let Him down. We’ve forsaken Him. And we have committed spiritual adultery against Him.

But He chose to overlook all of our faults and all of our transgressions against Him, and He chose to honor us by dying for us, and now He expects us to do the same to others. He could have said, “It is too much, I refuse to pay the price for them, let them die for their own selves.”

Then what would we do? We would not have a leg to stand on, so to speak. There would be no hope for us at all. Absolutely none! Paul looked at who he was formally, and what he saw was not a pretty sight. Paul looked and saw an awful, wretched man with no hope of deliverance. Because it was the very same One that he had transgressed against, who was the only one who could deliver him from his body of death.

But then he got excited because that same One, the same God he had transgressed against, was his deliverer, and you know what? That is true for us as well. Jesus is the only One who can, and will, and has delivered us from our body of death. Jesus looked past our sins and transgressions and saw our needs and still loved us and still died so that we might live. Even though we were vile, disgusting sinners. And now, all we have to do is come to Him and accept His free gift of life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Look In The Mirror Then Look To God.

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Know What You’re Worth To Him

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~ John 1:1-5

John said that in the beginning was the Word. Who is the Word? Jesus is the Word who became flesh (John 1:14). So, the Word that became flesh was from the very beginning. But the beginning of what? The beginning of creation when time began.

Before creation, there was eternity, but nothing existed. The only existence was the existence of the Trinity who were before the eons of time. Things sprang into existence when God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. It was at this point that time actually started. Jesus existed before time, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus prayed to the Father to glorify Him in His own presence with the glory that He, Jesus, claimed He had before the world existed. From before the beginning. The teaching of the Holy Trinity is splashed throughout the Scriptures. So, Who or What makes up the Holy Trinity?

  1. God the Father
  2. God the Son, also known as Jesus Christ
  3. God the Holy Spirit

Why does this matter? Because it wasn’t just anybody who died on the cross for our sins. It wasn’t just anybody that took lashings on His back for our healing. It wasn’t just anybody who took our chastisement upon Himself for our peace. It was God Himself who did these things for us. Why? Because He loves us. He did it for all who would come and accept His free gift of salvation.

So, next time you feel alone, unloved, unseen, unheard, or unimportant, remember that the God of the universe. The God that created all things set off His Godliness, took the form of man, and died so that you would no longer be separated from Him. Then, on the third day, He rose again and gave us the free gift of eternal life. You are seen, heard, and loved by God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know What You’re Worth To Him.

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