Category: Daily Bread

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Walk In Wisdom

[5]  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. [6] Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. ~ Colossians 4:5-6

The Church is the light of the world because Christ dwells in us and through us. We are to be Christ to the world. That means that we are not to isolate ourselves from the outside world. How can we reach them if we do not even communicate with them? How can we reach the world if we do not spend time with the world?

Yes, each and every Christian should have an inner circle of believers to depend on. An inner circle of friends that pick us up when we’re down and encourage us when we’re feeling low. Someone we can depend on to help us through the rough times. We should also have a Church family that we can pray with. That can pray for us and vice versa. That you can grow with and worship with. But we should also befriend the world.

I want to be clear. We aren’t to befriend the sin of the world, but the people. We aren’t to justify sin and give it our blessing, but instead we are to love the sinner and show them the True love of God. Never spreading hatred or violence but the True love of God.

The only way we can do that is if we know our Bible better than the skeptic we are speaking with and if we actually live our lives for Christ and not for ourselves. Our words matter. How we are as people matters. How we treat unbelievers matters. Live life purposely reflecting Jesus in all we do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk In Wisdom.

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Crucify The Flesh

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:24–26).

Paul writes, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The word Paul uses for crucified literally means “they crucified”—an aorist active indicative verb. The aorist tense points to a decisive action completed in the past. Paul is not issuing a command here, but stating a fact: those who belong to Christ Jesus have already broken decisively with their old way of life.

If something has been put to death, it no longer has a rightful place among the living. So when any of the acts of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19–21—or anything like them—try to rise up within you, you resist them as you would resist a clearly destructive impulse. When someone cuts you off in traffic, you do not give in to anger. When thoughts of sexual immorality attempt to enter your mind, you refuse them. They are not your thoughts, and you give them no room to grow. As you deny them nourishment, they weaken over time. Instead of feeding the impulses of the flesh, you feed the fruit of the Spirit—because whatever you feed becomes the stronger influence in your life.

But notice that Paul does not simply say we “put the flesh to death”; he says we have crucified it. Crucifixion is not instantaneous. It is slow, painful, and drawn out. Paul’s imagery reminds us that although the decisive break with the flesh has already occurred, the struggle between flesh and Spirit continues. Therefore, we do not take the flesh off the cross. We leave it there, giving it no leeway, no voice, and no authority. Anything that rises up against the Spirit is to be nailed back to the cross. Its influence diminishes over time, but we must remain watchful and Spirit-led.

So understand that Paul’s statement is both reassuring and sobering. It reassures us that the decisive work has already been done—we belong to Christ, and our old way of life has been nailed to the cross. And it soberly calls us to keep in step with the Spirit, refusing the works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and anything like them. As we walk by the Spirit, the life of Christ grows stronger within us.

Our Heavenly Father, we pray for strength to resist the devil so that he might flee, and for the will to do Your will and be obedient to Your commands. Grant us favor and prosperity in our Christian walk, in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

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Live Your Unique Life

[20] And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. [21] For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, [22] coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. [23] All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” ~ Mark 7:20-23

I recently had a conversation with someone who uses Revelation 2 & 3 to defend his belief that the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews are not the true Jews/Israelites. After going back and forth for a bit, I asked him why he had no problem with the Mizrahi Jews but only with the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. His response? The Ashkenazi Jews go around claiming to be Jews wearing their yamakas and believe they are God’s chosen people. It finally made sense to me.

It wasn’t about race or who the true Jews are or anything like that. It was about the fact that they know who they are and are proud of it. Proud of their heritage, culture, religion, and history, whereas he is not.

So often, our hatred, skepticism, criticism, and accusations are rooted in one thing. Envy. Envy, unlike jealousy (in my opinion), is rooted in wanting what you don’t have and what does not belong to you. Jealousy, on the other hand, is seeing what is yours and what belongs to you being taken away by someone or something else. It’s the desire to keep what is yours yours. One is rooted in self-doubt and often times, self-hatred. The other is rooted in the love you have for another.

When you hate someone and speak all manner of evil about them, take a moment and ask yourself why. Why do you have such a strong distain for them? Is it because they are deserving of this distain (in man’s eyes) or is it because you envy the life they have? The life you desire for yourself?

Often times, our own hatred is a projection of how we feel about ourselves. God made each and every one of us unique with a special purpose. If we focus all of our energy on others, we’ll end up missing our own call. Our own path. Our own destiny. God is no respecter of persons. In other words, He has no favorites. He is only looking for one thing. A willing heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live Your Unique Life.

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Do Not Sleep

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ~ John 3:19

Darkness is not merely ignorance—it is willful rebellion against the light of Christ. Darkness is the domain from which the enemy operates.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul tells us that the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. But the darker the night, the brighter we Christians must shine.

See what Jesus said, “but while men slept…” (Matthew 13:25a KJV). The men mentioned in the parable are the workers in the field, who represent us, the Church. Therefore, that verse could read like this:

But as the Church slept, the devil came in and sowed weeds amongst the good seed.

The Church has fallen asleep so the enemy wreaks havoc wherever he pleases. We have a duty as Christians. That duty is to let our light shine. To spread the good news of Christ. We have to put the enemy in check by standing up for the Truth of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Sleep.

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Build A Spirit of Defense

Luke 6:45 ESV

[45] The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Have you ever noticed yourself sometimes waking up with a song stuck in your head almost like you’re waking up singing it? Now what about a worship song? Sometimes it’s songs you haven’t even listened to in years but it’s just playing through your head as you wake up as if you had been listening to it nonstop. I believe these moments are your spirit at work when your body is asleep.

See, we are told to build up our spirit man and crucify our flesh. In fact, Jesus says that it is out of the abundance of our hearts that the mouth speaks. Our subconscious would have the same source. Our spirit would have the same source. So, when our heart is full of Christ and we have our eyes set on Him, our spirit man works in our defense even when our mind doesn’t know what’s happening because it is asleep.

It becomes like the watchmen of old. Sounding the alarm. Fighting off the enemy as we sleep. Defending our mind and keeping it safe from evil thoughts and dreams meant to tempt, correct, anger, and/or terrorize us. So, build up your spirit man. Build up your Spiritual defense.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build A Spirit of Defense.

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Let Your Light Abound

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…

Our LORD Jesus explained this parable to His disciples. He said that the Sower who sowed the good seed in His field is Himself, Jesus, the Son of Man, and the field is the world.

The good seed is us Christians, the Church, which He called the sons of the kingdom. And the weeds are the sons of the evil one. The atheist. The haters. The one who has despised and rejected Christ. And the enemy is that old devil himself, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Dark is the night when the moon is in its new stage, and the clouds blot out the light of the stars. But the darker the night, the brighter the flame of a candle will glow. It can be seen for miles.

Jesus said that we, His followers, are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are to light the darkness around us with the saving knowledge of the light of our LORD Jesus Christ. Yes, many will be offended. Many will refuse to hear. Many will say, “We don’t need to hear that right now!” or, “We don’t need to be reminded of repentance!” or “Leave us alone!”

Indeed, the night is getting darker. But where darkness abounds, the light will much more abound if we Christians will only let it so shine.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Light Abound.

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Depend On The Goodness of God

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything under the sun, there is a season. And it’s okay to be going through a rough season. A season of pain, sorrow, and heartache. One of confusion, anger, and rage. A season where God seemingly is a miss. That’s how you could characterize this season. Right now. A season where you cry out, “Where is God?” And “why is He not near?” It’s during these seasons of mourning and weeping that we have to do a little more to see the light shining in the darkness. Because no matter how dark the darkness may get or how hopeless the nights seem, one thing does not change, and that is the goodness of our God.

Today, we buried my last grandparent. Emotions were high. Tears were shed. Feelings were felt. There was even chaos at one point, but nevertheless, one thing was constant. One thing remained the same. One thing kept our peace—the goodness of God.

When it feels like the entire world is crashing in, remember, it is the goodness of God that holds us together. It keeps us from falling apart because it is His love that is the goodness of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Depend On The Goodness of God.

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You Are Being Saved

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Paul said that he wanted to remind his readers, the Corinthian brothers, about the gospel that he had preached to them. He said that they had received the good news, that they were standing in that faith, and by grace they were being saved, if they would hold fast to that good news that he had preached to them.

In other words, they had not arrived; they were still being saved. It was not all said and done; they had an obligation to hold fast to the word that Paul had preached to them.

Imagine a man caught in a storm at sea, clinging to a lifebuoy thrown to him from a rescue ship. He is being pulled from the water, but he is not yet on the ship. The waves are still crashing, the wind is still howling, and the danger is not yet behind him. His only hope is to keep holding on to that lifebuoy until he is brought safely aboard.

That’s the picture Paul paints in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. The gospel is the lifebuoy. We have received it, we are standing in it, and we are being saved by it—but only if we hold fast. Not because our grip earns our salvation, but because letting go would reveal that we never truly trusted the One who saves.

This is not about living in fear or uncertainty. It’s about perseverance in faith. Hebrews 3:14 echoes this truth: “For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” And Jesus Himself said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

So today, let us examine our hearts. Are we holding fast to the gospel in word and in deeds? Are we trusting in Christ alone—not just once, but daily? Salvation is not a one-time transaction; it is a lifelong transformation. And the good news is, the One who began a good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6)—if we do not let go.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus. Help me to live daily for You, and when I fall short, correct me and bring me back in alignment with Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Grow As Wheat

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul tells us that the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But the darker the night, the brighter we Christians must shine.

See what Jesus said, “but while men slept…” (Matthew 13:25a KJV).

The men mentioned in the parable are the workers in the field, who represent us, the Church. Therefore, that verse could read like this:

But as the Church slept, the devil came in and sowed weeds amongst the good seed.

The Church has fallen asleep, and the enemy wreaks havoc wherever he pleases.

You see, the weeds are the children of the devil, who masquerade as wheat, and the wheat is the Church.

But we will know them by their fruits. They will say things like:

“Oh, Jesus would be right there holding her hand as she gets an abortion.”

“Or Jesus would be a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.”

Or they express their discomfort…, to say the least…, with some of the things that Jesus said, especially His exclusive claims about salvation.

The first female priest in the Church of England said, “I sometimes wish Jesus hadn’t said some of the things He said.” And it was not said in a positive light.

These people are weeds that the enemy has slipped in and sown amongst the wheat that drain the light and fuel the darkness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow As Wheat.

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Live By Your Belief

17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. ~ 2 Chronicles 30:17

This word consecrated means to be dedicated to service and loyalty to God, and so involves proper conduct (as prescribed) of any person or object so dedicated. That means, there is no hidden sin in them. For David said that if he had cherished iniquity in [his] heart, the LORD would not have listened (Psalms 66:18).

But when we repent and turn from our sins and forsake our iniquities, God hears, and when He hears, He will answer. But if we don’t and we come to the LORD’s table— unrepentant, Paul said we can get sick and even die. Therefore, if just taking communion while living in sin can lead to death, how can we believe our actions have no eternal consequence.

Regardless of what you believe, how you live your life on this earth matters. It will directly impact your eternity. It will directly impact whether or not you spend eternity with Christ Jesus. See, if you are living a life of sin that isn’t pleasing to God, then regardless of whether or not you believe, your soul is indeed in jeopardy.

Therefore, don’t just believe and leave it there. Walk by faith. Live your belief. Don’t just give the LORD lip service. Believe and live by that belief. In other words, if you believe that Jesus died and has been raised again, then live that way. If you believe He is coming back, then live like He will be here tomorrow. Don’t just believe it, live like you believe it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live By Your Belief.

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