Daily Bread Archives

July 13, 2021July 13, 2021

Let the Blessings of the LORD Flow

²⁷But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” ~ Genesis 30:27

Laban, Jacob’s uncle, realized that God had blessed him abundantly because of his nephew Jacob, and he wanted him to stay so he could enjoy the blessings of the LORD. It goes both ways with God, not just bad, but good, blessings also. Even though Laban was an idol worshiper, he was blessed because of Jacob.

Potiphar also realized that he was being blessed because of Joseph. He was an Egyptian. He was not a part of the covenant. As a matter of fact, he owned Joseph as a slave. But when the blessings of the LORD begin to follow, it flows high, and it flows low, and all in its path are blessed.

In the account of the flood, it was Noah who found grace in the sight of the LORD, and not his family, yet it was 8 of them saved from the flood.

- Noah and his wife
- Shem and his wife
- Japheth and his wife
- Ham and his wife

They all entered the Ark on Noah’s ticket. What we do affects others, sometimes in a bad way but also in a good way. God will bless those who bless you. When you serve the LORD, He isn’t stingy with His blessings. When He blesses you, He will also bless those around you.

As the Syrophoenician woman said, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table. You can’t stop the flow of the blessings of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let the Blessings of the LORD Flow.

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Remember Your Family

²⁴And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. ²⁵And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. ~ Joshua 7:24–25

I want you to notice that Achan’s sin affected his whole family. Achan was the only one that committed the sin, but his whole family, along with all his animals, paid the price. They even took his tent and burned it along with his family.

When everything was over and done, there was not a trace or a remembrance of Achan and his family or his stuff. It was like he never existed. What you do affects those around you. Don’t let your whole family pay the price for your selfishness or your greed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember Your Family.

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Watch Your Faith Grow

¹⁹You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ~ James 2:19

James is saying that it’s not enough to just believe that there is one true God, but you have to be obedient to His commands as well. There’s so much more to Christianity and a relationship with God than just believing that God exists. Many believe that there is a God, but they have no relationship with Him.

It’s not just about sin either; it’s about your level of faith. You can’t say you have faith in God, but live your life in fear, constantly worrying. Sure, fear and doubt will come, but you must overcome them. You have to a stronger faith in God than you do in your fear because what you listen to and what you give into is what you have faith in. Fear is a liar, but God’s Word is true.

When He said He will save you, He will save you. When He said He will protect you, He will protect you. He watches over His Word to make sure it completes all that He sent it out to do. And He has written that Word on our hearts. We have no reason to fear, for our God is greater than any fear or any doubt. Build your relationship with Him and watch your faith grow.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch Your Faith Grow.

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Spend Time With God

¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1^KJV

It is through faith that everything has, does, and will take place.

1. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain.
2. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death.
3. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.
4. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.
5. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.
6. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.
7. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents.
8. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
9. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
10. By faith in Christ Jesus, we receive Salvation.

By faith…by faith…by faith… Everything that was and is done or is worth doing is all done by faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. And the only way to get faith is to spend time in the Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It’s through spending time in Scripture and with God that you strengthen your faith because the stronger your relationship with God is, the more you’ll trust Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Spend Time With God.

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Leave the Past in the Past

³Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob, and worthless fellows collected around Jephthah and went out with him. ~ Judges 11:3

The Scripture says that Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He could really make something of himself. He could be a general. He could even be head of the army, but…

You know there is always that, but… It has a way of coming around without you seeing it and nips you in the butt. The enemy will try to use your past or even your parents’ and grandparents’ past to dictate your future. To keep you from your call.

You will never amount to much, they said. You will always be just like your momma, a prostitute. You’re dirt, Jephthah. You’re nothing, and they drove him out. Chased him out of town.

But Jephthah didn’t let that hold him back. He didn’t let that stop him. Jephthah avoided the bullies. Then he pursued what he was good at. He didn’t let them take his self-worth away from him. Instead, he made a name for himself.

The same ones that ran Jephthah out of town were the same ones who brought him back into town and made him their head. Keep on doing what you do best, and do not let anyone tell you that you can’t or that you are stupid, or that you will never amount to much.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Leave the Past in the Past.

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The Storm Calmer

²³And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, ²⁴but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. ~ Matthew 14:23-25

Jesus had sent His disciples on ahead and then went and prayed. Then He came walking on the water. Why? What was the reason Jesus came walking on the water? Well, let me tell you. Jesus came walking on the water… get this now; He came walking on the water to show that all our problems, everything we might be going through, or will have to go through, the problems that are trying to sink us, are under His feet. PRAISE GOD!

- The financial struggle you’re going through
  - It’s under His feet
- The child who is away from God
  - It’s under His feet
- That strong-willed son who maybe strung out on drugs
  - It’s under His feet
- That wayward daughter who may have gone her own way
  - It’s under His feet
- The difficulties at work, a co-worker, the boss
  - It’s under His feet
- That legal matter you have to deal with
  - It’s under His feet
- Maybe someone is facing divorce
  - It’s under His feet

All these problems and difficulties are under His feet. The world cannot throw a problem at you that God cannot solve and has already made provisions for it. All things are under His feet; all we have to do is keep our eyes on Him.

Don’t miss the lesson here; it’s very important. When Jesus was praying, He saw His disciples in the storm. He could have prayed for His Heavenly Father to calm the storm at that time, but then we would never know God puts all things under His feet. We would never know He is the Storm Calmer. Is He your Storm Calmer this morning? (You missed another chance to give God praise right there). Has He ever delivered you from a storm? He can do it again.

You see, the very thing that had them in despair, the thing that threatened to capsize their boat, to suck them under, was the very thing Jesus used to come walking on to show His dominance over their problems and trials. Don’t allow your fears, stress, or storms to overcome you; our God has it all under His feet.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Faith In The Storm Calmer.

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Proclaim His Promises

²⁴ He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. ~ 1 Peter 2:24

The other day Celia’s wrist began to hurt her for no good reason. She didn’t hit it. She didn’t twist it. We have no idea why it began hurting. She was just lying in bed, and it began to hurt. The next day it began to travel up her arm to her elbow and started making its way up to her shoulder. We prayed and believed.

There were no significant features, although we prayed twice. But Celia kept claiming and proclaiming her healing. She kept reminding herself that by Jesus’ stripes, she is healed. When she woke up in the night from pain, she flexed her hand and proclaimed, “By His stripes, I am healed.” And by God’s mercy, she received her healing.

Someone else had that same problem, where the pain started in the wrist and traveled up the arm, and they had to have surgery. Though there may not be any significant features, God is working in the Spiritual when we move in the physical. When we speak and believe. When we hold to His promises, we receive His promises.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Proclaim His Promises.

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He Paid the Price

⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:5

He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. What does this mean? Jesus purchased our salvation on the Cross, not only what is built up in the past, but He paid the price for every sin we would ever commit in the future. He took care of every generation, past, present, and future, so that all could have the chance to have freedom through His perfect blood.

²² Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22

The sacrifice had to be a pure, spotless, unblemished sacrifice. In other words, it had to be a sinless blood sacrifice so that all who were washed in the sinless blood would be cleansed. We could never clean ourselves, so God took our sins upon Himself. Because He took our sins, we can now be forgiven; we need only repent and accept His perfect sacrifice.

LORD Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross. Thank You for paying my debt that I could never pay. Help me to never turn away from Your unfailing love. Please guide me in everything I do. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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We Have His Peace

⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:5

The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. This is why Jesus could leave us His perfect peace.

²⁷Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

John 14:27^AMP

- Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
- People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.
- Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.
- It’s not uncommon for someone with an anxiety disorder to also suffer from depression or vice versa
- Nearly one-half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder

Some folks have it so bad that they cannot function in society and have to stay locked up at home. Some can’t even go to work or go to normal places, like the grocery store or any place with large crowds. But Jesus Christ paid the price to set you free from that.

And you can be free! My daughter, Arie, suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. When she was in college, some nights would have to drive to her college and pick her up. She couldn’t order food through a drive-thru. Her counselor told her she would be on medication the rest of her life, and she would have to live with it.

But the chastisement of our peace was placed upon Him, Jesus Christ. So, Arie did a 40-day fast in January of 2019 and hasn’t taken one pill, nor has she suffered from anxiety or one panic attack since.

There is freedom in the name of Jesus! God is good!

LORD God, please help us to accept Your perfect peace that You so graciously purchased for us. Help us to always remember who You are and how much You love us. Help us to remember that no one can snatch us out of Your hand, that You have never abandoned us. You are with us always. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Hold To Freedom

In 1775 our founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence, their plan for our physical freedom from the tyranny of the British crown. The following year, they made that plan a reality, and today we still benefit from that declaration that all men and women were created equal with the right to liberty and justice.

Before the foundation of the world, before man or woman was created, God drafted the plan of Salvation. 2000 years ago, He fulfilled His plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, so that anyone who wanted freedom could receive freedom. Today we still benefit from the freedom that Jesus bought for us that day on that old rugged Cross. We still have the same freedom the early Church had through the redeeming and cleansing blood of Jesus.

Freedom has been given to us physically, mentally, and spiritually, yet we still oftentimes choose the spiritual slavery of sin and the physical and mental slavery of ignorance. Why? Why do we return to slavery when we were created to be free? This is the lies of the enemy; he promises us cookies and cake if we give up just a little of our freedom and liberty. But as soon as we give up a little, he takes it all, and we are left with nothing. The dark side has no cookies, no cake, no security: only darkness, hunger, and slavery.

Don’t be fooled by the deceitful tongue of the enemy; his intentions are not for your good but for your destruction. He’ll show you how unfair and difficult it is to keep your freedom, but don’t let him beguile you. Don’t let him trick you with ‘the grass is greener on the other side.’ The grass is greener in freedom. Freedom of religion, speech, and assembly. Freedom from sin and ignorance. Freedom in the Truth. Hold to your freedoms, and don’t give them up. Don’t allow the enemy to deceive you; hold tightly to the Truth that is Christ Jesus. Hold tightly to your freedom, lest it be taken from you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hold To Freedom.

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