Category: Daily Bread

Know Your God

⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ~ Genesis 3:5-6

Satan had successfully separated the woman from the covenant relationship of God, caused doubt to rise in her mind, then boldly called God a liar by perverting the Word of God. And he does that same thing even today.

Did God really say that? Did God really say that? Satan successfully separates us from God by getting us to question if what God said is true. And he does this by using sin, specifically three root sins.

1. Lust of the Eyes
2. Lust of the Flesh
3. Pride of Life

The only way we can know what God says and if what He says is true is if we build a strong foundation with the LORD. We have to spend time in prayer, worship, and reading our Bible. This is the only way we will build our faith, and therefore the only way we will overcome the enemy’s attacks.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know God.

Tap Into The Power

¹⁷And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; ¹⁸even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. ²¹And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ~ Acts 2:17-18, 21

At Pentecost, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter stood up and quoting the prophet Joel; he told the people that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh and all who call on the name of the LORD shall be saved.

So, it is the belief in that name, the Name of Jesus, that we are now able to call upon the LORD, and He hears us. If we look and consider, it’s the name that was preached, it’s the name that was feared, it’s the name that has the power and authority, it was the name that healed, it was the name that raised the dead, and it’s the name that saves.

- It was the name that was preached and taught – Acts 4:17-18; 5,28
- It was the name that was feared – Acts 5:11
- It’s the name that has the power and authority – Acts 4:7
- It was the name that healed – Acts 3:6; 4:30
- It was the name that raised the dead – Hebrews 11:35a
- It’s the name that saves – Acts 4:12

So, what are we talking about here? We’re talking about the most powerful name of Jesus and the authority it carries. There is no other name like it.

At the name of Jesus:

- Demons flee
- Darkness runs away
- Diseases are healed
- Marriages are put back together
- Breeches are repaired
- Relationships are mended
- Souls are saved

So, why are Christians so fearful and filled with disease? We, the Church, can no longer be distinguished from the world because we look and act just like them. Why? Has the name of Jesus lost its power and authority? Of course not. Christians have become lukewarm because we refuse to draw a line in the sand and stand for and live by Truth. We want to be comfortable, so we trade in the power of God and the authority that comes in the very name of Jesus for a few more years of living in our comfort zone.

God has not changed; the Church has. We’ve become lukewarm, lazy Christians. The power of God is still in His name; it’s still in His Spirit; it’s still in His people; we just have to take the time to unlock that power as the first Church did. We have spent time in prayer and worship. We have to remove the constant filth and distractions from our lives. We have to press in and draw near to God so that He will draw near to us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Tap Into The Power.

Shine in the Darkness

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ~ John 1:5

I have never seen a struggle between light and darkness. As you walk into a dark room and flick the switch, quicker than the eye can see, the darkness changes to light because it no longer lacks light. We are the light in this present darkness. And as the light, we have to overcome the darkness in our communities, workplaces, schools, etc., by acting as light.

How we treat others and how we live our lives is the only way to be the light. Our actions are what lead others to the light.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:16

We can’t be miserable, difficult to work with, easily angered, sexually immoral, and still have a testimony for Christ. We have to live as the light, not as the darkness. And when we do, we will begin to see the change in the world around us because the darkness cannot overcome the light.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Shine in the Darkness.

Feed the Flame

¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ~ Psalms 119:105

When we preach and teach God’s Word, it lights our path, and it lights the path of our hearers. Light does not struggle with darkness. Darkness never overcomes light. And in a world filled with much darkness, it is crucial to understand where our light comes from. Our light comes from the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

This light can only grow and strengthen if it is fed. It’s like a fire. A fire will die out if it isn’t tended to and given more fuel to consume. The Holy Spirit within us is the same way; that is why the Psalmist wrote that the Word of God is like a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We are in a dark world, and if we don’t have the Holy Spirit like a roaring fire within us feeding on the Word of God that we are pumping into our mind and spirit, then we will be overcome by darkness. The light will not be overcome by darkness, but we will be overcome by darkness because without feeding the light, the light will die within us.

So, spend time in the Word. Spend time in worship. Spend time in prayer. You have to feed the Holy Spirit within you, or you will run cold and dark.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Feed the Flame.

The Trumpet’s Warning

⁴ then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. ⁵He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ~ Ezekiel 33:4–5

There are many voices shouting “Warning! Warning! The time of the end is near. The time of Jesus’ return is at hand.” Just like in the days of Noah, the warning went out, “The rain is coming. The flood is upon us; save yourselves.” But no one heeded the warning, and they all drowned. The clarion call has gone out. The sound of the trumpet is going out throughout the land. “Prepare! Jesus is coming back soon.”

But the scoffers continue to scoff, and the unbelievers continue to disbelieve. The procrastinators continue to procrastinate. I’ll get right tomorrow. I’ll do it soon; I’m just having too much fun right now. There are things I really need to do. When I’m older, I will get saved.

Remember, today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man. It’s time to heed the warning of the trumpet. It is time to pay close attention to what is going on around you. The days are evil, the times are hard, and getting harder.

Do not be swept away with the crowd. Do not be caught by surprise. But be ready. Listen to the warnings and flee sexual immorality. Flee idolatry. And come to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He alone has the words of life.

Pray this prayer and make it right with God.

Father forgive me, for I have sinned. Cleanse me from my uncleanness and set me free from my chains. Help me to live for you by heeding the trumpet’s warning. Thank you for your sacrifice; I accept it now. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Follow the Righteous Judge

¹⁹You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. ~ Deuteronomy 16:19

Is God a righteous judge? How can we be sure? Let’s quickly take a moment to define a righteous judge. A righteous judge keeps His laws. And according to the law, not the law of Moses, but the law of a life for a life, the command to Noah, all who destroy the body will be liable to death.

⁵And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
Genesis 9:5

So, if the penalty of sin is death, according to Romans 6:23, and every person has willingly sinned according to Romans 3:23, then every person has willingly spiritually killed themselves. I know that got a little deep, but basically, because we kill ourselves through sin, we deserve death, specifically the second death, which is the Lake of Fire. Now, because Jesus took our punishment on the cross, then God can now show us mercy, which according to James, triumphs over judgment.

Because Jesus took our punishment upon Himself and cleansed us from all unrighteousness, then we are no longer liable to judgment. God didn’t show partiality. He didn’t just overlook sin. He sacrificed Himself and took our punishment upon Himself because He loves us. But don’t be fooled by the lies of this world; God will not overlook sin because He loves us. If He did, He would break His own law. We must live our lives as Christ lived His. We can’t continue in our sins but put off our old man and become a new creation in Christ Jesus that we might have Everlasting Life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow The Righteous Judge.

Be Active Salt

³⁴Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? ³⁵It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ~ Luke 14:34-35

So, what does all of that mean to us as Christians, the salt of the earth?

Well, like Potash-salt fertilizes the land and causes good things to grow, we as the salt of the earth should fertilize our small plot of the world, like our workplaces, our communities, our neighborhoods, our government, and cause good things to grow.

But instead of disinfecting the swamp, saltless salts facilitate the swamp and cause nasty infectious filth to permeate the whole world.

Pastor David Pawson said that statics show that in any community with 5% salt, the social trends reverse for the better, and it’s not by anything that the 5% is saying or doing, but just by being.

Now, if that is accurate, how much more could be achieved if the 5% salt influenced by doing and saying? Remember what Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Therefore, it is my strong belief that salt has to be an active influence. Jesus didn’t call us to separate us from the world; He called us to go out into the world. We have to be active in our communities, workplaces, government, schools. We have to be the change we want to see in the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Active Salt.

Deny Yourself To Love

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

Love is setting aside your own desires, your own preservation for the preservation of the one that you love. Love also does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. So, we can then understand that Jesus wasn’t just saying the greatest love is just a physical death or sacrifice for your friend, but a spiritual death or sacrifice for your friend.

²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:24

According to Paul, when you love someone, you will do whatever you have to do so that you can have a relationship with them. Love is when you sacrifice your own desire, your own wants, your own feelings for the desires, wants, and feelings of the one you love. Jesus prayed that He wouldn’t have to go to the cross; nevertheless, the Father’s will would be done. Jesus wasn’t just a little nervous about the cup that He was about to drink; according to Luke’s account, He sweated drops of blood.

Jesus denied His will, His desire to live because He understood that there was only one way to save us. He was and is our only perfect sacrifice. The price he paid on the cross was the epitome of love. This is why we now crucify our flesh and present ourselves as a living sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God according to Romans 12:1 and 1 Peter 2:4-6 because the way we live our lives is the only we can truly love Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Deny Yourself To Love.

Love Your Enemies

³⁴But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” ~ Matthew 22:34-40

Jesus died for His enemies. He didn’t have to, but because He saw that there was no other way for us to be with Him other than Him dying on the cross for our sins and taking our punishment upon Himself. He didn’t have to take our sin. He didn’t have to take our punishment, but He did. Jesus set aside His own feelings, desires, and wants so that He could focus on saving us. He followed the will of His Father and gave Himself as the perfect and final sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus stated that the greatest commandment given is to love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. He then says the second greatest is to love your neighbor as yourself. The reason love is the greatest commandment is because love is a sign of unity with God. If God is love, and we are transforming into the image of God, then we would have to bear fruit that is of God.

As Jesus said,

¹⁷So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mathew 7:17

And the greatest fruit, as we explained in our video The Power of The Holy Spirit under our Nuggets of Truth category, is love. Therefore, we must love everyone, even our enemies.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Your Enemies.