Daily Bread Archives

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023

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?

Always Remain Grateful

¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Today, as we enjoy our barbecue and family time, let’s not forget what we’re commemorating. We enjoy constitutional freedoms that no other country has the liberty of enjoying. We have the freedom to evil burn our flag and run down our nation without fear of being arrested or executed. This freedom that we have isn’t free. It wasn’t just thrown onto our laps one day out of nowhere. Our freedoms were bought and paid for at the highest price, the lives of many young and old male and female Americans. They paid for our physical freedom with their lives so that we didn’t have to. Let’s not forget their sacrifice. Their ultimate act of love, laying down their lives for us.

They bought and paid for our physical freedom here in America with their spilled blood, just as Jesus bought and paid for our spiritual freedom with His spilled blood. There is no such thing as free freedom, so don’t waste it. Don’t let it slip away. Don’t let their sacrifice be for nothing. Always remember and never forget all who came before us, paving the way for us to have the lives that we do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Remain Grateful.

Back to Thankful?

Back to Daily Bread?

Come Receive The Power of The Spirit

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. ~ 1 John 5:14-15

If you need something from Jesus, find it in Scripture, petition it before God, and believe that He will give it to you. The faith the size of a mustard seed, even though it is the smallest of seeds, is enough to move a mighty mountain because of Pentecost. Because the Spirit of the LORD has been poured down on us. Not just the Jews, not just the Gentiles, but all believers. All who are willingly to believe and follow Jesus have the Holy Spirit within them. And if they have the Holy Spirit within them, then they have the power of the Holy Spirit within them just waiting to be fanned. Just waiting to be stirred up.

We have all been given a Spiritual Gift. Not just the early Church. No. These Spiritual Gifts are for all generations. Why? How do we know? Because the Spirit of the LORD Himself has been poured out on all of mankind. Because Jesus has overcome the grave, and there is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the Church, but only if we fan the flame instead of quenching it. And this is Pentecost Sunday, a time for signs, wonders, miracles, and many acts of healing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Come Receive The Power of The Spirit.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Don’t Settle For Being A Chicken

¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. ~ Mark 16:17-18

I heard a story about an eagle who lived his life as a chicken. It goes like this:

A pair of eagles made their nest on a large mountainside. They had 2 large eggs inside the nest. One day, an earthquake rocked the mountain, causing one of the eggs to roll down to a chicken farm located in the valley below. The farmer found the eagle egg and placed it under one of his setting hens. Eventually, the eagle egg hatched along with all the other chicks, and a beautiful eagle was born. Being chickens, the chickens raised the eagle to be a chicken. The eagle loved his home and his family, but it seemed his spirit always cried out for more.

One day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a mighty and majestic bird soaring high above. “Oh,” the eagle cried, “I wish I could soar like that bird.” The chickens roared with laughter, “You cannot soar like those. You are a chicken, and chickens do not soar.” The eagle continued staring at his real family soaring high up above, dreaming that one day he could be just like them. Every time the eagle talked about his dreams of soaring high above the clouds, he was told it is impossible, it will never happen, you are nothing more than a chicken, and chickens cannot soar.

Eventually, the eagle accepted what he was taught and learned to believe it. After a while, the desire of the eagle to soar was quenched, and he stopped dreaming and just continued to live his life as a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away, never living up to his full God-given potential.

We, Christians, are full of God-given potential. We are called to make disciples of Christ. That means that we are called to heal the sick, raise the dead, and to drive out demons. But the chickens say signs and wonders ceased when the last Apostle died. They try their best to discourage eagles from expanding their wings of faith. Keep your wingspan short, they say.

Some chickens even believe in healing but refuse to drive out demons. They have nothing to do with the casting out of demons, and just to talk about it makes them sick to their stomachs. They expect us, with so much potential. With so much authority. With such a wide wingspan. With so much mountain-moving faith to live our life as chickens. We are not called to scratch the ground, pecking for our food, eating whatever we find. We are called to soar high above the clouds seeing for miles and miles and miles. We are eagles. Our potential is for greater things than even Jesus did (John 14:12).

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Settle For Being A Chicken.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Ask For More

¹⁷Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ¹⁸and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. ~ Daniel 2:17-19^NLT

Daniel’s gift was the interpretation of visions and dreams, not the telling of visions and dreams. Nevertheless, he prayed for that gift. He sought higher and greater gifts than he was given. And the LORD not only heard his prayer, He answered it.

Daniel didn’t look at the times he was in and say to himself, “This is impossible.” No. Daniel looked only to his God and said, “All things are possible for those who believe.” His faith was strong. He knew in whom he believed. Daniel sought what no one else was given. He didn’t think it was prideful. He didn’t think it to be selfish to seek what no one else had. No, Daniel understood that God desires to give us good gifts from above. Gifts that will help us and make us grow closer to Him.

God promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. So, begin to seek God with all that’s in you. Seek out His wisdom, His fruit, His gifts, and His understanding. Begin to seek Him. When you earnestly seek God and His kingdom, your life begins to change. You begin to change. And God begins to use you in ways you didn’t think possible. Don’t settle for what you have. Always seek more from God; that’s why He came, to give life and life more abundantly.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ask For More.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Fan The Flame

³⁸And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” ~ Acts 2:38-39

The promise of Salvation and the promise of the Holy Spirit were for those in the time of Peter and for those of us who were a far off as well. God did not exclude anyone, not even us Gentiles (Acts 10:45). Because God poured out His Spirit on the day of Pentecost with signs and wonders and miracles, and the promise of prophecy and visions, and healing, we too can have signs and wonders and miracles and the promise of prophecy and visions and healing in our ministries as well. We are not inferior, for God is a respecter of no person. Meaning He does not differentiate between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:11-13).

God bestows His riches on ALL who call on Him. The word translated as ‘riches’ does not necessarily mean financial wealth, though, in some cases, God does pour out an abundance of financial wealth on His servants according to His own will. This, however, is actually referring to His true riches, His signs, His wonders, His miracles, and His healing. God is a God of the miraculous. He’s a God of the impossible. A God that does not change. Therefore, if He did the miraculous in the past when His Spirit wasn’t poured out on all of mankind, how much more will He move in the miraculous now that His Spirit has been poured out on all of mankind and dwells in those who believe and follow? The Spirit of God still has power. The name of Jesus still has power and authority. He will reveal His Spiritual gifts to you if you fan the Spirit within you instead of quenching it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fan The Flame.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Be Not Satisfied

²⁷Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

Paul says not to quench the Spirit and then tells us not to despise prophecies. There are currently entire denominations that not only despise the prophets and their prophecies of our day and age, but they build an entire platform and following by only making videos bashing and degrading them. Yet, Paul tells us not to despise prophecies and not to quench the Spirit. The only way to not quench the Spirit is to embrace the Spirit by stirring up your God-given Spiritual gifts.

The Gifts of the Spirit are built on our fruit. That doesn’t mean that they’re optional. They are mandatory. We have all been given a Spiritual Gift from God, and if we refuse to use it, we will be thrown out into outer darkness as well. This is because we are quenching the Spirit. We’re stifling and putting out the flame within us when we are called to stir it up and flame it. We’re called for more than just to exist. These gifts are to build us up, as well as to build up the Church. Therefore, when we refuse to use these Spiritual Gifts, then we quench the Spirit and therefore weaken ourselves as well as others around us.

Once we stir up the Spiritual Gifts already given to us, then we keep going. We keep seeking more. Why? Because there will never be a time when the LORD will run out of levels to elevate us to. The LORD gives out of His abundance. He is eternal. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Therefore, God can never run out of new things to show us, teach us, and give us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Never Be Satisfied.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Seek Your Gift

¹ But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:31

God didn’t pour His Spirit on all flesh so that He could take it away again. God didn’t fill us with His Holy Spirit so that He could remove the gifts of the Spirit. No, God poured out His Spirit so that we might be filled with Him, including His power. Why? So that we wouldn’t be left alone. So that we wouldn’t be without defense or offense. So that the people of God might be able to fight back against the enemy.

The gifts of the Spirit didn’t end with the early Church. They didn’t magically disappear because they were no longer needed. They’re still here today, but we have to pray for them. We have to desire them. We have to seek them out. Paul urged us to pray for the greater gifts so that we might build each other up.

Don’t let doctrine created by man keep you from what God has in store for you. His purpose is for you to go from one degree of glory to the next. It’s not for you to be a sitting duck in this spiritual war. Pick up your spiritual gifts. Take hold of them. And seek for wisdom and understanding that you might be used mightly in the Kingdom of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Your Gift.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Category: Daily Bread

Not Given A Spirit of Fear

Similar Content

Pray Dangerous Prayers

Similar Content

Carry Your Mantle

Similar Content

Always Remain Grateful

Similar Content

Come Receive The Power of The Spirit

Similar Content

Don’t Settle For Being A Chicken

Similar Content

Ask For More

Similar Content

Fan The Flame

Similar Content

Be Not Satisfied

Similar Content

Seek Your Gift

Similar Content