Category: Daily Bread

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Prepare To Look Up

18 In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, He went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. ~ Matthew 21:18-19

Jesus came to Earth 2,000 years ago as a man, but the majority of those He came to missed Him. They didn’t see Him as the Messiah. They couldn’t see Him as He was, only as they wanted to. Today we are in a similar place.

The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah so long that when He came, they couldn’t recognize Him. Jesus has come and gone, but He promised He’d return. We’ve been waiting so long for the Messiah’s return that we’re missing the signs that are around us. He promised that we would know when to look up, yet we’ve become blinded by the world around us.

Here’s the thing, Jesus is coming back really soon, and time is running out for us to prepare ourselves and our loved ones for His return. We have to wake up from our spiritual slumber lest the Messiah return and His people are found asleep once again. When He walks by, will we have fruit on our branches, or will we be unprepared as Israel was and miss our Messiah’s glorious return?

Wake up. Read your Bible. Seek the face of God. We’re in the last leg of the race, don’t slow down now. Keep running so that you might receive your imperishable reward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare To Look Up.

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Share The Good News

5 Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ~ Matthew 21:5

Our Savior came in the most humble way possible. Jesus could’ve easily come riding on His white horse, breaking the Eastern sky filled with glory. Instead, He set off His own glory and took the form of a servant. He did that for us. He didn’t have to. He was (is and always will be) already God, but when He looked on His creation and how far we had fallen, He saw His child filthy and alone. So, He took the form of a servant to save us. He understood what was ahead of us. He didn’t allow pride to keep us from Eternal Salvation because of His love for us.

That’s what the Church is missing today, love. We don’t witness to people because we’re afraid to offend them or others. We don’t help others who have offended or hurt our pride in some way. The Church has lost our love. And without love, how can we be anything like Christ? Love is what differentiates us from the world. Love is what holds us together as the body of Christ.

It’s time the body of Christ sets aside the strongholds of pride and fear and take up love as we ride our donkey into the city to preach the good news. We are all called to tell others of the gospel! We don’t have to be theologians; we just need our testimony. That’s it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Share The Good News.

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Seek His Love

18 Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ~ Isaiah 1:18 ESV

As the Jews waited for their Messiah to come, they went from oppression under Egypt to oppression under Assyria to oppression under Babylon to oppression under the Medes and the Persians to oppression under the Greeks to oppression under the Romans. Throughout each oppressed generation, the love of the people of Israel grew colder and colder. They forgot the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when they mourned after hearing the Law for the first time in many years. They forgot how they mourned because they had fallen so far astray that it felt as if they could never receive the forgiveness of God. They forgot the 400 years of silence when they heard no Word from God. They forgot love.

So, by the time Jesus came, they were no longer looking for a Messiah to forgive sins, heal the sick, and comfort the widow and the orphan. No, instead, they were now looking for a Messiah who would wipe out their oppressors before them. They weren’t looking for miracles of love; they were looking for the vengeance and judgment of God. They sought judgment so much that they missed the salvation and forgiveness of God for themselves and instead brought judgment upon their own heads.

This is how we are today. We get so caught up in what has been done wrong to us that we forget that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save the world through His redeeming blood. When we desire the judgment of our enemies over their salvation, we become like the Pharisees and miss salvation for ourselves. From the days of Ezekiel, God asked, “Do I take pleasure in the death of the wicked?” God doesn’t hate the wicked as we believe He does; He loves them, but they refuse to abide in His love; therefore, they fall into His hands as He brings forth righteous judgment. The Potter loves His clay, and when His clay is chipped, He remolds it into a new creation that it might be used.

God desires that none of His creation be destroyed, but all come to repentance and receive eternal life. That’s why Jesus came; to restore the broken and chipped clay. Never forget the heart of God, that you may never miss who He is and how He is working in your life. It’s been 2000 years since our Messiah set foot on this earth and walked among us; how will you live the rest of your life waiting for His return? Will you seek His judgment and wrath or His forgiveness and mercy?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek His Love.

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Clean The Temple First

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ~ Matthew 21:12-14

Notice what Jesus did before He healed anybody? He cleaned out all the filth. He got rid of all that was polluting the temple before He could heal the people around the temple. Jesus had to get to the root of the problem first.

So many of us have a root problem that we’re not addressing in our lives that is keeping us from getting our healing. Maybe it’s a childhood wound that we’ve put a Band-Aid on and never thought about again. Maybe it’s a relationship that hurt you or caused you to change for the worst. Maybe it’s something you did that you can’t forgive yourself for. Whatever it may be, we have to take it to God first so that He can clean it.

If it was important for Jesus to cleanse the physical temple before He healed anyone, how much more important is it for Him to cleanse the spiritual temple before He heals anyone? Think about it like this, when we were kids, if we got hurt, we ran to our parents because we knew they could make it better. We are now the children of God, and we have to run to our Heavenly Father so that He can fix it. There’s no wound too deep or shame too strong for God to heal.

LORD Jesus, I know that You have taken all my pain, suffering, sin, shame, and regret upon Yourself. I know that You can heal any wound, but help me to believe it with everything inside of me. Help me to not just know the Scripture but to believe them and put them into action. Clean out the root pain in me that has kept me in bondage for too long. Prepare me, Oh LORD, to be healed and set free. Help me to accept Your love, grace, forgiveness, and healing. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Redeem Your Harvest

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. ~ John 14:13–14

God has given you the most effective weapon. Intercessory prayer. God will be in the wrestling match with us if we pray. So, begin to pray and call those things that are not as if they were in the Name of your LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Begin to intercede for that lost loved one. Begin to prophesy to your situation that doesn’t seem to change. Prophesy to the dry bones to live. Begin to proclaim the word of God over every aspect of your life. Shout the promises you were given by God Himself. And look with faith at the investment that seemed to have died a natural death, for it’s beginning to breathe again.

Remember the seed you sowed so long ago? It has sprouted and has grown. You know that relationship at home that you’ve been praying about? Well, it’s about to be restored. Speak it and believe it, for the enemy knows it’s YOUR harvest time, but don’t let him steal it. Don’t give up, just because the enemy has come down with great wrath wanting to steal and destroy your harvest. You are a mighty warrior. Believe it even if no one else does. Live it even if you don’t feel like it. God believes in you, so believe in yourself and in the light of God’s grace.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Redeem Your Harvest.

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Fight For Your Harvest

36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” 37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” ~ Genesis 42:36–38

Jacob felt like everything was against him, but in fact, God was for him and was working it all out in his favor. His harvest was near. It was so close that he could almost reach out and touch it. Still, Jacob felt like everything was against him. He felt like he couldn’t win for losing. But the truth of the matter was that God was working it all out, even if he couldn’t see it then. He would see his favorite son Joseph again. The same son he had presumed dead for all of those years.

And that is how it is with us sometimes. Maybe you might feel like that.

Maybe you might feel like every time your ship is on the horizon, the fog swoops in, and you lose sight of it? If that is indeed you, don’t turn and walk away. Or maybe your ship is in the harbor, but a storm is brewing and won’t allow your ship to dock? Let me encourage you, don’t give up. Maybe you are under a spiritual attack? Don’t stop praying. Maybe the enemy is attacking you because it is YOUR harvest time. This is the time for you to put on your armor and go to spiritual war and take that which belongs to you.

Those dreams you’ve dreamed for so long are finally here, and it’s time for you to fight. Don’t give up; Pray up. Seek and cry out to Almighty God. He is your refuge. He will never let you sink. Ask, and you will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.

Prepare for the Spiritual Warfare that is ahead of you. Remember that every time harvest time was near for the people of Israel, the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the East would come up against them and steal their harvest. And as a reminder, you are no different. God doesn’t love you any more or any less than they. He is a God of love and will deliver you out of every situation.

Keep praying. Keep fighting. If you hold on to God, He will hold on to you and bring you through this time of spiritual attack. He will take you to the other side, and you will reap your harvest.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fight For Your Harvest.

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Refocus

36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ~ John 8:36ESV

As Christians, we often declare this statement, ‘Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.’ We put it in our songs, use it when we’re witnessing, we even put it on our t-shirts and on the back of our cars, but do we really believe it? Jesus asked the question, ‘when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’ (Luke 18:8) When Jesus was in Nazareth, He could do few miracles because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58). The Church today looks just like the World. We have the same divorce rate as the World. We have just as much sin as the World. Whole denominations are splitting over sins that were settled as sin from the days of Moses. So then, how can we say we are free?

Faith is a concept that is ever-fleeting in the Church. We don’t believe in miracles anymore. We don’t believe in the supernatural anymore. We no longer even believe that the Bible is without flaw. Our faith is under attack. Daniel, a man that was not the Temple of God with the very Spirit of God dwelling in him, was so righteous that those who wanted him dead knew they couldn’t bring an accusation of evil about him because no one would believe them. We have the Spirit of God dwelling inside of us, yet every little thing trips us up. We no longer have the character of a Saint. Saying that you’re a Christian no longer has any weight to it. Why? The lack of faith.

We can say we believe as much as we want, but how can we believe in someone we know nothing about? We no longer read our Bibles or spend time with God. We no longer seek Him hold heartedly. We know more about Hollywood or deemed conspiracy theories than we do about our own God. Our focus is no longer on God; therefore, our faith has strayed from Him as well.

Our time on this earth is coming to an end. Jesus’ return is soon at hand. The things that seem important now won’t in eternity. Paul referred to the persecution he faced as light affliction compared to what was in store for him. He had his focus on the eternal, so his faith was strong. If we want to start looking like the Church again, our faith needs to return to God. The only way to do that is to change our focus from earthly things to eternal things.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Refocus.

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Let Go of The Past

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ~ Hebrews 10:1-4ESV

In Christ, there should no longer be a reminder of sin. Not that you forget your past sins completely, for Jesus told Peter that when you fall, get back up and strengthen your brother. How could Peter strengthen his brother, who’s struggling, if he doesn’t even remember that he once sinned? No, instead, this verse is saying that in Christ, there is no more condemnation.

Our sins have been forgiven and have been thrown into the sea of forgetfulness. They’ve been blotted out of the books and removed from the mind of God. We’ve been forgiven. There’s no more need for shame and regret in Christ because that’s no longer who you are. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. You are a whole new person. You’re now being hand-molded by the creator Himself. You’re being transformed by the Spirit of God. You’ve been redeemed, so live as the redeemed. Think as the redeemed. Believe that you are redeemed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Go of The Past.

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How Do You See Him?

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. ~ Micah 7:18ESV

There are those who look at the Bible and say that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament can’t be the same God. They say the God of the Old Testament is a God of blood and war, while the God of the New Testament is a God of peace and love. But they look with veiled eyes. From before man ever sinned, God formed a plan for our redemption. Before the earth was formed and the heavens were stretched out, God was prepared to die for His creation.

There was a time before the Law when evil reigned freely; then, out of His mercy, God gave us the Law. The Law was a shadow of the good things to come, but He knew that the World wasn’t ready for those good things yet, so He only gave us a glimpse. Then 2000 years ago, at the perfect time, God got off of His Throne, set aside His Godliness, and took the form of a man to save the very people that were going to kill Him. God didn’t change; humanity did. We became more and more evil. We ran farther and farther away from Him. We dove deeper and deeper into darkness until our hearts grew so hard that God couldn’t even reach us.

God’s love for us is unlike anything we can ever understand or comprehend. When we look at God, we look at Him how we want to look at Him. Some see Him as an evil, malevolent dictator. Others as a white-bearded old man in the sky. Others see Him as a fairy tale for children. We’re blinded by our own perceptions and biases of who God is.

God is love. That doesn’t mean He won’t bring judgment or punishment. It means that He will do everything He can to redeem you from punishment, except take away your free will to accept it. If you want to know who God truly is, it all starts with seeking Him. Those who seek Him will find Him when they seek Him with all of their heart.

LORD God, please forgive me for looking at You through tainted eyes. Please erase the false narrative I have created for You and replace it with who You are. Show me Your love that I might in return love You, for we don’t love first, but we love because You first loved us. Help me to love You the way You deserve. Please guide me as I run the race You have set before me. Please help me to live my life for You so that others may see You in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Forgive Yourself

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~ Matthew 6:14-15ESV

Sometimes it’s easy to say that this only has one meaning, forgive all people who have done you wrong. But what if that’s not the only purpose of this verse? When we sin, we are hurting ourselves. In fact, Paul even said in his letter to the Corinthians that the sin of sexual immorality is a sin against one’s own body.

Here’s what I’m getting at, if you can’t forgive yourself, how can God forgive you? There’re things in our past that we feel are too horrible for God to forgive. Sometimes we completely run the other direction away from God because we don’t feel good enough to be forgiven. Sometimes we come to God, but we don’t give Him everything, and the past just eats us up inside. According to Jesus, both of these lead to the same place. When we can’t forgive ourselves, we are now, in a sense, rejecting God’s forgiveness because we are now saying we know better than God. We’re saying that His blood can’t wash us clean. We’re saying He’s not all-powerful. We’re saying He’s not enough for us. We don’t mean to say these things but refusing to forgive ourselves is just that. It’s putting your past regrets above God’s love.

No one’s too dirty to be cleaned. No one’s too wretched to receive grace. And no one’s too wicked to be forgiven. God Almighty formed you in your mother’s womb. He knows everything about you, including the number of hairs on your head. He has a great plan for your life. Don’t let your past regrets keep you from the future He has planned for you.

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for not forgiving myself. Please lift this heavy burden of shame and regret from my shoulders. Please show me who you see when you look at me. Show me who I am in You. Help me to not just know Scriptures of redemption and love but help me to believe them and put them into action. Help me to see and live in Your good and perfect will. In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

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