Daily Bread Archives

June 8, 2023June 5, 2023

He’ll Still Hear

³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. ³⁷And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” ~ Mark 4:36-40

Even though Jesus intended and expected the disciples to have enough faith to calm the seas, when they called for Him, He still came to their rescue. Why? Because they ran to Jesus when they felt they couldn’t hang on and do anything themselves. Jesus scolds them for their lack of faith and their succumbing to fear, but He doesn’t leave them. He only corrects them. He disciplines them because He loves them.

Today, many of us are in the middle of a storm. The wind and the seas are blowing. The boat is threatening to flip with us in it, yet Jesus is asleep. He’s at peace in the stern, but we are wide awake and being tossed about on deck, watching in horror as the wind and the seas get more violent. Jesus isn’t awake; He’s asleep. Why? Because He has given us authority through His name to calm the wind and the seas. This is our test. Jesus is still with us, asking if we have the faith. We’re not alone in our test; the Teacher may be silent, but He is with us. He is asleep because He is expecting us to take His powerful name and calm the storm that is threatening to sink us. So, be not afraid. Even the faith of a tiny mustard seed can move the largest mountain. Nevertheless, if your faith fails you, run to the master. Scream out His name. Call on Him. Seek Him, and He will awake. He will calm the winds and the seas, and you will be saved. This promise from God you can stand on.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Calm The Raging Seas.

Back to Faith?

Back to Daily Bread?

Always Move Forward

²⁰Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 5:20-21

God is a Holy and righteous God. He demands perfection from His children, but because He knows that we in this mortal body could never be perfect gives us grace. What does that mean? Not every person is on the same level of restoration. In other words, we are all His clay pots because we are all His creation. Some of us are more broken with more dents and scratches than the others.

God is the Potter. He molds, rewords, and restores the clay pots with love and great attention. Some of us, God has been working on for a while, so our sins are (or should) no longer holding us in bondage the way they once were. Therefore, we should require (and He does give) less grace. Why? Because we should be overcoming more often and falling into pitfalls and traps set by the enemy less.

Whereas the clay that is only now getting remolded and reworked is going to struggle more. They’re going to trip up more. Why? Because they’ve only now begun to change. They’re babies in the faith still on milk. Those of us who have known the Truth for so many years should no longer be on milk but meat. We should be teachers and mentors to those young in the faith. We should no longer be on the same level as when we first started.

To those who have only just begun, be encouraged, be hopeful, and be strengthened in the Joy of the LORD. Always strive for perfection because even if you miss, you’ll land among excellence. To those who have been faithfully running the race set before you for a while, don’t grow weary of doing good. Continue to progress with confidence and endurance. Focus on the race set before you, but don’t forget the new believer. Always be seeking to mentor, teach, and guide the new believer through their journey. Always search for new fields to harvest, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Regardless of where you are in your faith, always press forward and never look back.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Move Forward.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Don’t Trample The Blood

²⁶For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ~ Hebrews 10:26-29

God didn’t just choose a righteous man to die for all of the unrighteous people of the world. God chose His Son. He chose the one who bore His very Image from before the very beginning. God chose someone who bore His very own Divine Nature. So, 2,000 years ago, God the Son set off His God-Divine nature and took on our nature. Our weak, easily tempted, ignorant, finite flesh. Why? One word, love.

He loved the creation He had created, for nothing was created without Him, and all things were created through Him and for Him. This is who died for us. The very Word of God became flesh to die for a wicked, ungrateful, evil, slothful, and treacherous world. The love of God is shown through this single act of love because even as they mocked Him and laughed at His pain, Jesus prayed for them.

He prayed for the forgiveness of the Father on their behalf. He prayed that they might be shown mercy instead of the righteous wrath of God that they deserved. Every time we sin and give into temptation, we trample on the blood of Jesus, yet just as He prayed for those mocking Him that day on the cross, He prays for us now. Not just for mercy but that the Spirit of Grace might convict and lead us back to Him. What can we do to repay such a great love? Nothing we have of value but this life He has given us. Therefore, the only way to pay Him back is to give ourselves to Him. This is all He requires in return. Love for love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Trample The Blood.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

To Do Nothing, Is To Do Something

⁴³When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. ~ Matthew 12:43-45

I once saw a vlog of a man who had been in the music industry. He was a producer and songwriter. He used to be into witchcraft and demonic trances of sorts, which is how he wrote his songs. One day, he got saved and put all of that behind him. While his soul may have been saved, his career was now at a loss. Why? Because he could no longer write any songs without the demonic influence guiding him.

So, as time went on, he began regressing in the faith. In other words, he simply stopped praying. It didn’t happen instantaneously, but over time as he slowly stopped seeking God, his writing skills returned to him. He didn’t have to open up a door. He didn’t have to do a demonic or Satanic ritual in order to get the demonic power back. All he had to do was end his communication with God. His house was clean, but it wasn’t filled.

I realize and fully understand that demonic oppression is a touchy subject in the Church. Nevertheless, it’s an important subject in the Church. We are all under spiritual attack. This is the importance of spiritual armor. Some of us have opened doors to demons, evil spirits, and unclean spirits in our lives as well as in us.

Anger, quick-temperedness, lust, greed, gluttony, sexuality, sensuality, certain infirmities/illnesses/sicknesses, etc., plague the Church, yet we don’t want to acknowledge them. The more we turn a blind eye, the more we give it root to dig into us and bring friends. Sometimes the open door is just refusing to fill yourself with the Spirit of God. To fill yourself with God. Humans weren’t created to remain empty. What we fill ourselves with is based on our own actions or the lack thereof.

Dear LORD, please help me to fill my house that it may not leave any room for demonic or satanic interference. Open my eyes that I might see any spiritual doors that I have opened, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Help me to close those doors indefinitely that I might not give a foothold for the enemy to come into my life. Build up a hedge of protection around me that I might not be under constant attack. Please give me the Spirit of Discernment that I might accurately discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Truth and error. Please guide me in all that I do. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

¹³When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” ¹⁴So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 16:13-20^NKJV

Jesus was passing through Caesarea Philippi with His disciples. Now, Caesarea Philippi was like the center of Baal worship. It lay at the foothills of Mount Hermon, a place of long history. From the very beginning, this area was known as the gateway to the spiritual world, and it seems like false-god worship and sexual immorality struggled with goodness and blessings there. In the time of Moses and Joshua, this area was known for Baal worship. At the time of the Greeks, this area was known for Pan worship. Apparently, the people did detestable things in their worship of Pan, like religious prostitution and even having sex with goats in Pan’s honor.

This is where Jesus and His disciples were passing through when Jesus asked His disciples who they say that He is. Today, we live in a world where any religion is more acceptable than Christianity. Sexual immorality is rampant, and the deep state is trying its best to legalize and normalize pedophilia. The signs of the time indicate that Jesus’ return is close at hand. Jesus is still asking, “Who do you say that I am?” You have to make a choice. You have to declare who Jesus is and make a stand in these last and final days before His coming. Because it’s at His coming that free choice is removed and judgment is poured out.

Dear LORD, please give me the strength, confidence, and desire to serve you with all that I am. Please give me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me. Help me to make a stand for You, even if no one else will. Help me to declare who You are with the same confidence Peter did. Give me the strength to stand for righteousness and give me a Spirit of Discernment that I might rightly discern Truth and error. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Do You Have Ears To Hear?

¹ Again He began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ²And He was teaching them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them: ³“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.” ~ Mark 4:1-3

So, when this huge crowd had gathered, Jesus opened up His mouth and began teaching the crowd about faith, but He didn’t just say it plainly, because it was not for everyone. How do I know? Well, just look at what Jesus says after He finishes telling the parable:

^8b …As He said these things, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 8:8b

This is a strange thing to say because I would assume that everyone there that day had ears that could hear. If not, they would come and receive healing. So, what this tells me is that it is not for everyone, but only for The Diligent Seekers. The casual bystander won’t profit from those words. Why do I say that? Just take a listen to what Jesus said when they came to Him after the crowd had left and asked Him about the parable:

¹⁰And when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parables. ¹¹And He said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, ¹²so that ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

Mark 4:10-12

Did you notice what Mark adds in there? Those around Him with the twelve. Mark makes a distinction between Jesus’ Apostles and Jesus’ other disciples. He wanted to make sure we understood that it was not just the twelve but also those around Jesus. Those who followed Him and hung on His every word. Those who were hungry for the Word of God. Those who desired to be fed. Those who study to show themselves approved. In other words, those who have ears to hear; The Diligent Seekers.

Those were the ones who would receive the secret of the kingdom of God. It’s all about [ὁ (ho) Pistis], The Faith! It is not those who hear only, because you can hear, but not actively listen and make the Word of God of no effect, but it is those who hear and put it into action who will prosper from this teaching.

Dear LORD, please give me ears to hear your Word that I might understand it and put it into action. That I might be a diligent seeker seeking You and Your kingdom. Help me to understand Your Words, for as Peter said, You alone hold Eternal Life. You alone can save my soul. You alone can redeem me from my suffering and bondage. Help me to receive Your Word in good soil within my soul so that it might take root and grow within me. So that it might sprout the fruit that brings me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Weigh Yourself

¹ What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so. ² When you want a piece of land, you find a way to seize it. When you want someone’s house, you take it by fraud and violence. You cheat a man of his property, stealing his family’s inheritance. ~ Micah 2:1-2^NLT

It’s very easy to feel angry and want revenge on people who have power and use that power for evil. We feel so helpless and oppressed. But the LORD said that vengeance is His. This is a difficult concept to understand because we’re a very microwave mentality society. We want what we want, and we want it now. But the LORD is slow to anger and patient so that all have the opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness. Why? Because the LORD created and loves each and every one of us. He doesn’t just take revenge; the LORD takes vengeance. I heard a quote once that said, “Revenge is seeking one’s owns passions, while vengeance is seeking justice.” The LORD seeks justice, not passion getting even.

This is why no one can say that the LORD doesn’t judge. The LORD has to judge, or He won’t be able to fulfill His vengeance, which is bringing justice to the World. This is why we should cling to two very important phrases.

To whom much is given, much is required.

Jesus, Luke 12:48

With great power comes great responsibility.

Uncle Ben, Spiderman

We get angry at those who take advantage of those under them, but do we ever stop to think about whether or not we are taking advantage of somebody under us? Do we treat our waiters and waitresses with respect, patience, and common decency? What about people we’ve hired that work under us? Or maybe our family members that are younger than us? How do we treat others? We, the Church, have been given more than anyone else because we have salvation. Since we have been given so much, do we give enough back in return? On Judgment Day, when we are weighed and measured, will we be found wanting?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Weigh Yourself.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Not Given A Spirit of Fear

⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Anxiety is a crippling disease. It claims you from the inside out. It demands full and complete control over you, your life, and all of your actions. They say the average teenage/young adult has the anxiety levels of a psychiatric patient in the 1950s. Why? What happened in our society that has brought this amount of anxiety upon our young people? I believe it can be summed up in a single word, fear.

The Spirit of Fear has been unleashed upon our generation. Fear of failure, inferiority, rejection, imperfection. Fear is running rampant. Why? Because the love has dwindled. James tells us that the only thing that overcomes fear isn’t faith, it isn’t pride, it isn’t courage, it’s love. Perfect love casts out all fear. The love of God has left our societies.

I don’t mean that God has stopped loving us. This issue isn’t a problem on His end. It’s a problem on our end. Our love for Him has grown cold. Our hearts seek after and desire anything and everything except for Him. We refuse to remain in Him. Why? Because of distractions. Laziness. Rebellion. And apathy. We don’t care because it doesn’t seem that important. Anything and everything is more important than spending time with the LORD. Now is the time to live; tomorrow, we’ll get saved. No. Today is the day of Salvation; tomorrow is promised to no one.

If anxiety is crippling you, you lack the love of God. Your love for Him is being overrun and overpowered by fear. The only way to overcome fear is to face it. Face it with the Word of God. Speak verses that remind you of God’s love for you. Verses that remind you of His goodness. Spend time daily in prayer about your fear. Place it on the altar at His feet and ask Him to intervene. Speak boldly and with all confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit within you to the Spirit of Fear and cast him out. Fear is NOT a feeling. Fear is a person. A person that is no longer welcome in our lives, homes, societies, and nations.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Adhere To The Spirit of Fear.

Back to Fear?

Back to Daily Bread?

Pray Dangerous Prayers

^16b…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ~ James 2:16b

I remember reading a book once that was about dangerous prayers. As I was reading it, I thought to myself, these don’t really seem like dangerous prayers. They seem very generic basic prayers. So, being me, I thought of prayers that were more dangerous and moved on with my life. Now, like 10+ years later, those same thoughts came to mind again, after not thinking about it for so long, but this time it came with a follow-up thought. What makes a prayer dangerous isn’t what you pray; it’s how you pray it.

See, we can pray things like, “Jesus, change me.” “If there’s anything inside me that isn’t of you, remove it.” “Mold me into whatever you want me to be.” “Send me wherever I need to go.” “Use me in whatever you see fit.” These are all dangerous-sounding prayers, but if you don’t pray them with a pure heart and an intent to obey the answer, then your prayers are just words. It’s like the seven sons of Sceva. They knew the name of Jesus was powerful. They saw it used by the early Church. They even, most likely being exorcists, successfully used it themselves. They didn’t realize that that name alone can only do so much because you need the authority to use it.

Our prayers, unless prayed with authority and power, are just empty words. The Word of God is living and active, stronger than any double-edged sword, but if you don’t believe it and follow it, then it becomes null and void for you. Our intent matters. Our prayers matter. And what we do after we finish praying matters.

Don’t let your prayers be like empty words, holding no weight. Imagine the Spiritual battles that your prayers have to break through in order to get to God. Do you think half-hearted prayers such as “Use me. Change me. Mold me.” will break through the spiritual blockades in the Heavenly places? No. Only strong, powerful, heartfelt prayers of the righteous will break through. Don’t let your prayers only sound dangerous. Let them be dangerous.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray Dangerous Prayers.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Carry Your Mantle

²Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! Let the earth and everything in it hear. The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you; the Lord speaks from His holy Temple. ³Look! The Lord is coming! He leaves His throne in heaven and tramples the heights of the earth. ⁴The mountains melt beneath His feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill. ⁵And why is this happening? Because of the rebellion of Israel—yes, the sins of the whole nation. Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion? Samaria, its capital city! Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital! ~ Micah 1:2-5 NLT

The whole world was judged because of one nation, divided into two. The nations of Israel and Judah brought condemnation upon the entire world. Their actions caused the wrath of God to come. In fact, it brought the accusations of God against the entire world. Why? Because Israel and Judah, being God’s chosen people, were His spiritual, moral thermometer in a sense. Because God dwelled with His chosen people, and no other nation did He make Himself known to in the same way, they became the soul of the whole world.

Today, that is the Church. We are the moral compass of the whole world. We are the soul of the whole world. Why? Because we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Therefore, if the light that is within the Church is actually darkness, how great is that darkness (Matthew 6:23)? The Church today has become so lukewarm and powerless that we have become the Church at Laodicea, that Jesus said He would spit out of His mouth.

The actions of the righteous have always either moved the hand of God towards wrath or rewards. Curses or blessings. Why? Because the righteous are the light, and if the light becomes darkness, then darkness takes over. Darkness reigns. Darkness overruns the Church and enslaves them, both physically and spiritually. This is why we, the Church, have to get down on our knees and repent for all of the sin we have allowed to enter into our homes, communities, towns, cities, states, and nations. We have to beg for forgiveness for being lukewarm, refusing to call sin sin, not praying or supplicating, not reading our Bibles or worshipping, for having hardened hearts, for being unfruitful, and for quenching the Spirit. We have to get our house in order so that we might be able to move the hand of God away from wrath as Moses, King David, King Rehoboam, and King Hezekiah did.

This is the mantle we have been passed. It’s on us to carry it and fulfill our duties as prayer warriors, the body of Christ, and the light in this dark and dying world. So, pick up your mantle and raise it high. Carry it with pride and high esteem that the LORD God would choose you to represent Him on this earth and to be a light in the darkness. Don’t be discouraged by the weight because when we are weak, that’s when He is strong. That’s when He carries us. That’s when He shoulders our burden. So, stand tall and don’t be discouraged or intimated. You have been chosen by God for such a time as this.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Carry Your Mantle.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?