Daily Bread Archives

April 18, 2023April 18, 2023

Mimic Christ

²¹And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” ²²And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. ²³For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. ~ 2 Chronicles 20:21-23

The king did not send out spies, nor did he set up his battle lines, nor did he arrange the artillery of longbows to volley arrows. He doesn’t even set a plan B, just in case. Just in case Brother Jahaziel had gotten it wrong. What he did was; after taking counsel with the people, he appointed singers. Praise and worship leaders in holy attire to go before the army.

These were not men who were all tatted up and looking like the world with their pants hanging off. They weren’t dressed in torn-up jeans and worn-out T-shirts, nor were they dressed in Bermuda shorts and shoeless. Their toes weren’t grabbing the grass. They weren’t flipping dirt with their big toes. No, they were dressed in their Sunday best, not in their Saturday worst. It was in holy attire singing:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

I want you to understand something. The word Judah means “Praise” or “Praise Yahweh.” Now, Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are always associated with occult and idol worship, and they were always hostile to Judah. Judah was the tribe of singers, worshippers, and praisers. That was who they were. That’s what the LORD intended our worship leaders to be today. He didn’t intend for us to look like the world; instead, He intended for us to come out of the world. For the world to know who we are, which is why the world doesn’t accept us but hates us.

Yes, God can use all people, regardless of their outward appearance or their past. Yes, we are to come as we are, but we aren’t to stay as we are, nor are we to try to imitate the world in order to intrigue the world. We are to be a light in this dark world because we are to guide those in the darkness to the light. To God. To Jesus. We are to mimic Christ, not mimic the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Mimic Christ.

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Serve The LORD With Gladness of Heart

¹ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! ² Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ~ Psalms 100:1-2

The LORD God wants us to be celebratory in worship. He does not want long sad faces but happy, joyful faces, and elated spirits. He wants us to clap our hands enthusiastically and sing with triumphant voices, for He is good, and His love endures forever.

The LORD gives us joy and peace because He has reconciled our souls to Him. God does not take pleasure in us losing or in our sorrows but in joy and in celebrations.

So, make an effort today to say that this is the day that the LORD has made and given to me. Therefore, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I will take pleasure in serving the LORD as He takes pleasure in me serving Him.

It is a joy for the LORD to bless us in everything we do. Therefore, we will bless the LORD with our mouth, with our hands, with our feet, and with all of our strength, and with everything that is within us. Will serve Him with gladness of heart.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us joy. Help me to forget about today’s hurts and tomorrow’s pain. Help me to focus on you as you deliver me from the hand of the enemy so that I can rejoice and be glad. Thank you, Father, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Put Your Rhema Word Into Action

¹⁴And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” ¹⁸Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. ²⁰And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” ~ 2 Chronicles 20:14-20

Please understand that a great multitude of Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites were coming up to do battle against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was terrified. So, he set his face to seek the LORD by proclaiming a fast throughout Judah. And the whole of Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD. Then Jahaziel received a Rhema word from the LORD. He said, “This is what the LORD says,” and he proceeded to say what he had just heard from the LORD.

The Rhema Word that they heard was immediately received and acted upon. They did not debate it. They did not form a committee to determine the accuracy of the Rhema. They heard it. They recognized who it came from. Because it resonated with them. They accepted it. They immediately put it into action. They began to worship. They began to praise. They began to give thanks for His deliverance.

But I want to point something out to you. Jahaziel was not a Johnny-come-lately. He was not a wishy-washy man. He was not a stranger among friends. They knew him and his daddy and daddy’s daddy and his daddy. They knew him to be a creditable man.

Therefore, the Rhema Word was received, accepted, and mixed with [(ho) Pistis], The Faith! And they celebrated it. Why? Because Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” If Jahaziel was in the habit of saying, “Thus sayeth the LORD…” When the LORD had not spoken, do you think the congregation would trust his words now, in such a dire time as this? Probably not.

How did they react to the Rhema Word? Did they let the word lie dormant after receiving it? Or did they immediately put it into action? They immediately put it into action. King Jehoshaphat and all of Judah recognized what they had heard. They recognized that it came from the LORD. So, they mixed their Rhema Word with faith and put that faith into action.

Far too often, people are led astray by their own desires because they confuse them with a word from God. We have to learn to hear the Spirit of the LORD and the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. When we’ve done this, we then have to believe the Rhema Word given to us and put it into action faith. Believing a Word from God is for us isn’t enough; we have to then put that faith into action, lest we make it void.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Rhema Word Into Action.

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Chase The Presence of The Almighty

¹As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. ²My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? ~ Psalms 42:1-2^KJV

The problem is that we don’t hunger nor thirst for the presence of God. We barely make it out to church, much less chase His presence. We’re too spiritually lazy to chase after the presence of Jesus, and we don’t want anyone leaving us behind, so that is why some discourage others from chasing the presence of God. They don’t want to, so they don’t want you to either.

The face or the countenance of God is the sign of His blessing and His favor. The countenance, or the presence of God, affects those with whom it comes into contact with. So then, if they are the same word, then it would stand to reason that if you are chasing the presence of God, you would have to be actively seeking the face of God, the very thing He instructed us to do.

We are instructed to seek the face of God. This is beyond dispute. No way can you argue against it. No how can you deny it. You just can’t. We are to chase the presence of Almighty God. If we remain stagnant, then we’ll never grow. If we never grow, then we’ll never produce fruit. If we never produce fruit, then the LORD will have to cut us off. We have to chase the presence of God in order to remain in His presence.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Chase The Presence of The Almighty.

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Pour Into The Next Generation

⁴⁷And all the royal officials have gone to King David and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed, ⁴⁸and he said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to see it.’ ~ 1 Kings 1:47-48 NLT

We aren’t meant to stay in the same position forever. God raises us up and brings us into high places for a season. We aren’t immortal yet. One day every one of us will die, so God raises up another to replace us. Sometimes He raises them up before we have died so that we can pass the mantle on to them while we are still alive to so them succeed and guide them. And sometimes this is difficult to see take place.

It can be discouraging and make you feel like you’re no longer good enough or that you’re now used up. But that’s not the reason God does this. He wants you to raise up the next generation so that they might be prepared to take over when you’re gone. So that they have all of the lessons and words of wisdom that you passed down while you were in your place of authority over them. Don’t look at it as being replaced; look at it as being succeeded. Guide them, and you’ll live on through them.

One of my favorite shows ever made was Boy Meets World, and Eric, the oldest son in the show, said this to his dad:

You said to me that there would come a time when you weren’t around, and that’s not so… I remember everything you taught me, and I’m gonna turn around and teach that to my children. So you see, Dad, you’re always gonna be around.

See, when you pour out yourself and your knowledge and wisdom into someone else, you leave part of yourself with them even after you’re gone. King David understood that. He praised God that he was able to see his son succeed the throne. It’s a blessing to be able to influence and guide the next generation, so when you get the opportunity to raise up another and pass on your mantle, don’t be discouraged or disappointed. Most good things must come to an end but praise God that you got to see the beginning of the next good thing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pour Into The Next Generation.

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Glorify The Father

⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ~ John 15:7-8

Jesus is making a covenant promise to us. He said all you have to do is to abide in Him and let His words abide in you, then you can ask whatever you wish, or whatever you desire, and guess what? He will do it for you just because you have asked Him. Why? Because we have a covenant relationship, and I am a covenant-keeping God.

Now I want you to notice that the granting of our prayers and petition is directly connected to bearing fruit. It is directly connected to the harvest and to the increase. Why? Because the Father is glorified every time we have answered prayer because every time we have an answered prayer, we increase and bear fruit, and it leads to the Father being glorified.

I want to challenge you to take Jesus up on His offer of you abiding in Him and His word abiding in you. Then ask whatever you desire and see the Father glorified.

LORD Jesus, please show us what it means to abide in You and Your word to abide in us. Then give us the faith to receive what we ask for in prayer, that we might glorify the Father, for it is in Your name that we pray, amen.

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Cling To The New and Better Covenant

²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ~ Hebrews 12:24

Everything has a set time, and all things happen in that set time. There was a time before the Law, during the Law, and after the Law. Before the Law was a time when lawlessness ruled, during the Law was a time when sin ruled, but now, the Law has been removed, and we are under a new and better covenant. A covenant that brings liberty to the follower and grace to the believer. A covenant built on the hope of our LORD and Savior to redeem us from our sins and this mortal body.

We have so much to be thankful for because of this new and better covenant, but because we now have a grace like never before, we take this covenant for granted. We live day to day as if we won’t be judged for the way that we live. We speak as if our words won’t be judged one day. We lie to ourselves and to others so that we can ignore the conviction that we feel deep down. This new covenant allows us to enter into the very presence of God Almighty and for Him to dwell inside of us, so why do we take it for granted? We forget all that Christ did for us so easily because we’re not as thankful and grateful as we should be.

When we’re filled with thankfulness and gratefulness, we never forget what someone has done for us. We remember it year after year after year. It stays with us. Maybe we need to learn how to be more thankful and grateful when it comes to our salvation. Our entire salvation is in our hands. Jesus already paid the price; it’s now on us whether we accept it and follow Him or turn away and say no, thank you, I’m better off alone. There’s an old song that says:

There is a man
His name- His name is Jesus
He use to live in this world we’re going through
He died and He’s gone to prepare a place for you
What more do you want Him to do?
What more do you want Him to do
To prove that He loves you-
He do
He died on the cross to save – save us all
What more do you want Him to do?

Jesus did everything that we need in order to gain salvation, yet we’re not grateful. He gave His very life so that we might be saved, yet we’re not thankful. He gave us a new and better covenant through the pouring out of His own blood, yet we continue in our sin and expect Him to accept us, refusing to change. There’s so much for us to be thankful for, so why aren’t we? I challenge each of you to start each day thanking God for at least one thing and end each day thanking God for at least one thing. Then keep adding to that list until your heart softens and you’re filled with thankfulness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cling To The New and Better Covenant.

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Remain Faithful To The Faithful God

¹⁹Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²²My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” ²³Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. ~ Daniel 6:1-5

What had happened was Daniel, a Jewish exile, was promoted to be the chief of the king of Babylon’s wise men, or chief of the magicians, according to Daniel 4:6, 9. Not that Daniel was a magician in any sense, only that he was an interpreter of dreams. A very wise man. At the end of Babylon’s reign of power, Daniel was the only one able to interpret the writing. Now, the king, Belshazzar, was so pleased, or thankful, that he made Daniel the 3^rd highest ruler in the land. Which was short-lived because he was killed that very night and his kingdom was overtaken by the Medes and the Persians, and king Darius, the Mede, was made king (Daniel 5:31).

Daniel could have been discouraged. He could have been angry at God for taking away another king that he had earned great trust and favor with. Instead, Daniel remained faithful to God. He didn’t waiver in his faith, not even once. In fact, Daniel was so consistent in his faith that those who wanted to have him removed could only think to make his faith illegal. And even then, Daniel remained faithful to God. He knew the punishment. He understood the risk, but his faithfulness to God was more important than his life. Because of this, God was with him in the lions’ den.

This is the same kind of faithfulness God desires us to have. A faithfulness that no matter what may come our way, God will be there for us. That God will be with us on the mountain and in the valley. During seasons of tribulation and during seasons of prosperity. The LORD will remain faithful to those who remain faithful to Him. He is our great provider, but He is also our great deliverer.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remain Faithful To The Faithful God.

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Jesus’ Representatives on the Earth

²⁰that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, ²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. ~ Ephesians 1:20–23

When Jesus was raised from the dead, He was seated in the heavenly places at the right hand of God the Father. The right hand of power. He was given a name above all names and is exalted above all rule and authority and all power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only then, not only now, but throughout all eternity. Nothing in all of creation will ever overcome His rule. All things are forever put under His feet. All things are subject to Him. And the good news is, the Father has given Him, Jesus, His beloved Son, to the Church, which is us, His body. The Body of Christ.

Therefore, if Jesus is given to us, and we are His body, and not just His body, but the fullness of Him who fills all in all. In other words, there is no one greater, so then whom shall we fear? There is none who is more powerful. And there is none who loves us more. Everything He has, we have access to. When Jesus came as a man, putting aside His Godhood, and refused to use any of His own divine powers, He relied on the Holy Spirit. Why? To leave us an example that if He could do it as a man, we could do it as well.

Think about it. We are His very representatives here on earth now that He is gone. Is it His will that we look weak and pathetic? No! He has empowered us to do even greater miracles than He did, by His own words. Why do we not see them? Because we do not believe the way the early Church did. They had a real relationship with Jesus as both God and close friend. See, when Jesus was taken up into heaven, they did not preach a Gospel that said miracles and signs and wonders all ceased when Jesus was taken up. No! They carried on where He left off with healing the sick. Even their shadows healed, something that Jesus did not do.

They did not say, “Be healed if it is Jesus’ will.” No! They said, “Silver and gold I do not have but what I do have, give I unto you, in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk.” And many other miracles like these they did because they believed they were His representatives here on the earth.

Father, please help us to believe and understand that we are Your representative here on the earth and that You have given us authority to use Your great and mighty name. Help us to serve You wholeheartedly and without doubt or fear of what people say or how they ridicule us. But that we will be obedient only to You that we might bring you glory and honor. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, amen.

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Cling To The Promise of His Resurrection

⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ~ Philippians 3:8-11

Today is Resurrection Sunday. The day Jesus rose from the dead with healing in His wings and salvation in His hand. He will give that free gift of salvation to whomsoever will come. If you’re thirsty, come. If you’re lonely, come. If you need healing, come. If you need freedom from tormenting spirits, come.

Whatsoever you need, come, and you will find it in Jesus. Is your marriage broken? Give it to Jesus. Are your loved ones strung out on drugs? Give it to Jesus. Is your spouse an alcoholic and despises church? Give it to Jesus. His hand has not shortened that He cannot save. Whatever your need is, come, and Jesus will meet that need. Maybe you’ve been having dreams about Jesus and His salvation; here’s what you do. Repent of your sins and ask Jesus into your heart. If you are saved, thank Him for His salvation and follow Him with everything that’s within you. There’s nothing like dwelling in the presence of God. Give Him all of your pain and stress, and He will take it from you and give you peace in return.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Cling To The Promise of His Resurrection.

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