Category: Daily Bread

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Always Seek His Face

8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! ~ Psalms 27:8

It’s so easy to get into a rut after your initial repentance. It’s easy to stop searching the Scriptures, hungry to learn something new, or to stop praying diligently because you already saw the answered prayer you wanted, but we are instructed to continuously seek the face of God. This is beyond dispute. No way you can argue against it. No, how can you deny it? You just can’t. We are to chase the presence of Almighty God. The Psalmist is crying out to the LORD not to hide His face from Him. Not to remove His presence from him. He knew that if God removed His presence from him, it would take away his help, and the anger of God would be against him. He knew that he would become like one that has been cast off.

Cain said that God was driving him away from the land where the presence of God dwelt, so then he will be hidden from the face of God. Resulting in him losing his way and becoming a wanderer upon the earth. And if it weren’t for God placing a mark on Cain’s head, Cain would have become a victim of anyone or anything that wanted to kill Cain. This was the fear of the Psalmist. This should be the fear of all of us. We should all continuously be striving for the presence of God so that we might never take it for granted and be removed from His Holy presence.

LORD God, help me to always seek your face. Help me to never get tired of Your presence or Your Word. Clean my heart so that I might delight myself in the things of You. Help me to always dwell in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Press On

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. ~ Philippians 3:12-15

When Paul says that he presses on, he is saying that he is working hard to pursue at least three things: the things of God, the purposes of God (his calling from God), and the presence of God. You cannot pursue those things without pursuing the Giver of those things. It’s impossible. Besides, Paul said to let the mature think this way.

To me, it’s one of two reasons why a pastor would preach against men and women of God pursuing His presence. An excuse for spiritual laziness and because of a lack of understanding. I know that it’s a lot of work to maintain and grow a strong, vibrant relationship with Jesus, but anything good is not easy to achieve.

So, I suppose that is the reason why those same pastors who preach against chasing the presence aren’t seeing miracles in their services because they don’t chase after the presence. And without the Presence, there are no miracles. Healings. Signs. Wonders. Or Salvation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Press On.

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Be Hot

15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 3:15–22

Jesus is counseling us to repent and be zealous for Him because He will soon be back for us. Oftentimes, when we think we’re doing so much and doing so good, we are literally wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked just going through the motions.

So, Jesus is warning us. He’s giving us time to repent. He’s trying to get us to return to the basics of life. To go back to the foundation and rebuild. Tear down strongholds that have woven in between the Rock. We have to get back to putting Jesus first because nothing else matters in the whole world. No profit, no success, and no amount of money will be able to purchase eternal life apart from Jesus and His salvation because none of that can save you. You can’t even take it with you into eternity.

The days are getting harder, and the world is getting more and more evil, but even though there seems to be no hope, even though all the sky is grey, and life seems hopeless, there is still always hope as long as we have breath. Hope is lost when we put our hope in the wrong thing or the wrong person, and that’s usually when we take our eyes off of true hope. Jesus! So, remove all false hope from among you, and strive to hope only in Christ Jesus, our LORD and Savior.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Hot.

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Return To Your First Love

2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. ~ Revelation 2:2-7

In this life, we have two choices. We can choose to spend eternity in any one of the two. It’s our choice where we spend eternity, and we choose through our daily decisions. When we choose God and the things of God, we are spiritually saying that we want to spend eternity with Him in a place of peace, joy, and blissfulness.

The city, the New Jerusalem, is so beautiful that the foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every kind of jewel, while the wall itself is built out of jasper, and the city is pure gold, like clear glass. The streets also are made of pure gold, so pure that it looks transparent. The twelve gates each are fashioned out of one single pearl. In eternity with God, there will be no more tears because God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. No more dying there. Neither shall there be any more mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things, have passed away.

The other choice is quite the opposite. The Bible describes it as a place of eternal destruction away from the presents of God (2 Thessalonians 1:9). A place where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:47-48). A fiery lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 21:8). Eternal fire (Matthew 25:41). A place of outer darkness; where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). A furnace of fire where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:41-42). A lake of fire and brimstone, where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). These things all await those who become discouraged and give up.

So, what is the solution? The solution is simple. We need to get back to the basics. We need to practice self-denial. We need to get excited about the things of God again. We need to believe the promises of God again. The Scripture says we must return to our first love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Return To Your First Love.

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Celebrate The Goodness of The LORD

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! ~ Psalms 32:11

Equilibrium is the state of balance or the adjustment of conflicting desires. In other words, when your inside does not match your outside, you have an imbalance in your equilibrium. Your body will then work to adjust the one with the other, and usually, the one with the strongest emotion, or the one you push the hardest, will be the dominant one.

For example. Suppose you are feeling good inside, but you pretend to be upset, and your face shows it; your words tell of it, and you act like you are upset. Soon your inside will begin to match your outside since it’s your dominant emotion, the one you are pushing the hardest, and you will begin to feel angry or upset, and you won’t even know why.

That is your equilibrium adjusting to balance the two; your inward and your outward. That is why God commanded them to be glad, or in other words, to begin celebrating with song and with clapping of hands. With shouts of elation and with whatever other outward expression of celebratory joy there maybe. Even before they begin to feel it inwardly.

Express it outwardly, and in due time, the inward will match the outward, and you will begin feeling the joy of the LORD, and the heart will rejoice and be thankful and grateful for all the LORD has done because His goodness is forever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Celebrate The Goodness of The LORD.

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Seek and Desire God

18 Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.” 19 And He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” He said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” ~ Exodus 33:18–23

Moses had just seen miracles upon miracles, yet he still pleaded with God to see His glory. God was already sitting down with Moses and talking with him like a man talking with his friend, face to face. Moses wasn’t satisfied. He had a strong desire for the LORD, as David described in the Psalms. Moses was like a deer panting for streams of water.

This is how God wants all of us to be. He wants us to know more. He wants to show us who He is. And just as God granted Moses his request and placed him in the cleft of the rock and then caused all of His goodness to pass by Moses, so will God grant our requests to see His glory and know Him better.

We don’t serve a distant, far-off God. Our God is close and personal. He dwells with us, in us, and through us. God desires us to seek Him with all that’s within us. Jesus describes seeking out mankind like a shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep. This is the same kind of love that God desires us to have for Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek and Desire God.

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Watch For Coming The Night

11 The oracle concerning Dumah. One is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, what time of the night? Watchman, what time of the night?” ~ Isaiah 21:11

Today we are living in a time of trepidation—a time of perplexity. Fear is weaponized, and the people cower from it. Panic is on every side. One word, whether it’s real or not real, sends the population into a frenzy, causing lines upon lines. For them, the modus operandi is “create a crisis. Bring the solution. Enjoy your desired outcome.” It’s like enjoying the spoils of war.

Fear is like a liquid toxin that saturates the people and causes them to think irrationally. It is like Stockholm Syndrome sets in. The victims are forced to compromise their lives and the lives of their loved ones, yet they sincerely believe the perpetrators are looking out for their best interests. It’s their coping mechanism for survival.

If anyone tries to explain the flaws in their way of thinking, they will fly into a rage and defend the perpetrators even though it is plain they mean them great harm. They never actually get around to asking the right questions or hearing the right answers.

Watchman, what time of the night?
Watchman, what time of the night?

There is a question we all need to ask at this hour in our history of time, for there is an appointed time—a time appointed by God Himself when He will judge all the earth. There is a time of night that is coming. Do you see the sun setting? Do you notice the times? Are you preparing for those times? Now isn’t the time to allow fear to control you and cause you to come to a halt or to hide your head in the sand. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to store up food in your storehouses. Strengthen your foundation and build on the sturdy, unshakeable Rock. We are each called to be watchmen. We are each expected to know the season and recognize the signs. Don’t let the panic and hysteria of the world grab hold of you. You aren’t a part of this world. You don’t belong to this world, so don’t be bound by the strongholds of this world. Stand on the Rock.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch For Coming The Night.

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The Many Reasons To Rejoice

23 Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given the early rain for your vindication; He has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. ~ Joel 2:23

Countenance is the outward showing of God’s love that is in you and in me, which is expressed on our faces through rejoicing. It is our way of expressing thankfulness to God our Father for His numerous blessings on us. It’s our offering to Him.

Rejoicing is directly related to the harvest. Every feast and every offering. Every harvest time and every sheep shearing time was to be accompanied with gladness and rejoicing. Rejoice! Because the Lord, your God, has made you glad and has blessed you with good things to enjoy. Rejoice and be glad because the LORD your God has dealt wondrously with you. Meaning, He has given you a bountiful blessing to enjoy; now show thanks. So, remove that frown. Get rid of that downcast face. Look up and rejoice because the LORD our God reigns.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rejoice.

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Experience The Joy of The LORD

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,  faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ~ Galatians 5:22-23

God doesn’t say be happy because happiness is based on your circumstances, whereas joy is what God gives, in good times and in bad. The problem with happiness is it can be fleeting or even misleading. What I mean is this. Sometimes people smile on the outside and even laugh, while all the while, they are troubled on the inside. They have thoughts of suicide, worries, concerns, and day-to-day fears and doubts.

While joy gives us God’s peace, even in the midst of the storm, joy will take us through tribulation. Joy surrounds us even in the face of death. Joy changes our attitude even when gloom is hanging over us. Joy gives us hope.

If you want to experience the Joy of the LORD, you must begin with celebrating even when there is nothing to celebrate or nothing to celebrate about. If you celebrate God, a spirit of thankfulness will overshadow you, and joy will enter your heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Experience The Joy of The LORD.

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Rejoice More

23 Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given the early rain for your vindication; He has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. ~ Joel 2:23

Why did God tell the Children of Zion to rejoice? Because He has poured down abundant rain. He gave them the early and the latter rain, as before. They hadn’t seen as yet, but it was already done for them, and God wanted them to act like it so as to usher it into being. All of that is already done whether they have seen it or not. Seeing is not believing because the just shall live by faith.

What does rain represent in Scripture? Here, rain represents God’s blessings and favor and provision and the ability to provide a great harvest. Now, notice that there are three different kinds of rain. The abundant rain. The early rain. And the latter rain. And all three of these rains are different.

The abundant rain speaks of the blessings of the LORD, which leads to overflow and abundance. It’s the present blessings of the LORD. The autumn rains represent the past blessings that you should have had but you missed because you were either in the wrong place, had the wrong attitude, or were acting in the wrong behavior. It’s the missed blessings that God sent you that you should have had if it was not for disobedience. The latter rains are the future blessings that God has in store for you that will come in season and out of season. The more you rejoice and be glad, the more the blessings will flow.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rejoice More.

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