Daily Bread Archives

June 1, 2019June 11, 2020

Become Paul

¹⁰Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ~ Acts 9:10-15

Saul, better known to us as Paul, was one of the greatest enemies of the early Church. Ananias was called to go to him but was afraid. He had heard stories of the evil Saul had done. He couldn’t see passed who Saul was in that moment. He couldn’t see why God would choose him. A lot of the times we’re a mixture of Saul and Ananias. We’ve done so much evil that we can’t see how God can use us. We’ve lied. We’ve murdered. We’ve lived in sexual sin. We’ve stolen. We’ve done evil in the sight of the LORD, and the Ananias in us can’t see the Saul in us becoming the Paul.

We’ve heard the stories and we’ve heard the sermons, but we still wonder, ‘Does God want me?’ Simply put, yes. No matter what you’ve done. No matter how far you’ve strayed, God still wants you. God can still use you. God used a man who murdered the Christians to be, arguably, the greatest apostle who ever lived. If God could take Saul and make him Paul, why can’t He use you? God can use anyone, there’s no one too dirty for God to use. It’s up to you to let Him in and use you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Become Paul.

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Mother

“²⁰The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” ~ Genesis 3:20

This one simple verse shows us just how important mothers are. Without mothers, there would be no us. There would be no one. We would be extinct. Mothers give birth to us, feed us, clothe us, hold us, love us, they’re our safe place. Mothers stay up with us when we’re sick and do everything in their power to make us better again. Mothers aren’t going out of style. Mothers can’t be replaced.

Today I urge you to love your mothers. Show them as much love as you can, while you still can. If your mother has passed on, honor her today. If you are a mother, thank you for all that you do! May God Bless you, keep you, make His face to shine down upon you, may He clothe you in wisdom and splendor, may His favor go with you in all your endeavors, and may His Holy Spirit never leave you. May God Bless you and your loved ones this Mother’s Day!

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Mother.

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Choose Wisely

“²³And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:23

Music influences our souls. When our soul is in distress, pain, suffering, agony, the only thing that will bring us peace is worship. Worship isn’t for God; worship is for us. Worship is our way of connecting to God and revitalizing our souls. God doesn’t depend on our worship. God won’t grow weak if we stop worshiping Him. We were meant for relationship. We were meant to walk and talk with God, but when sin entered, it created a separation between us and God.

So now, we worship in order to reconnect to God. We worship so that we can revitalize our souls so that we can strengthen our Spirit Man in order to get back to where we were originally. But when we stop worshiping and something else replaces that worship, our Spirit Man is weakened, and another spirit begins to take over, a spirit of greed, sexuality, lust, anger, pride, rebellion, etc.

When we switch our music from mostly worship to rarely or never worship, we separate ourselves from God. We invite evil in, and we don’t even realize it. When we get rid of worship and we change our music, whatever spirit is attached to that music will attach itself to us. Music isn’t just a bunch of words connected with a nice beat. Music speaks to your soul. It affects your emotions and, by doing so, influences your actions.

Once you can influence actions, you can have control over someone’s soul. The state of a person’s soul is determined by that person’s actions. All-day long we can say we are a Christian, but if we have no action behind it, it is a pointless statement. It’s the same as someone saying they’ll help you, they’ll be there for you, but they never do. It’s all just empty talk.

Don’t be fooled into damning your soul for a nice beat and some rhyming words. Make a stand and choose where you want your soul to go. It’s not necessarily the journey that matters, but it’s the destination. You can have the time of your life on Earth, but what’s the point if you spend eternity in pain and suffering? Choose wisely how you spend your free time. Choose wisely what you feed your soul. Choose wisely how you worship. Choose wisely what you worship.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Wisely.

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Peace. Be Still.

^“39And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” ~ Mark 4:39

So if we are supposed to do greater things than even Jesus did, then we could stop more than just storms. We could stop entire hurricanes. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Hail. We would stop anything. I guess the only probably is that when it comes to faith, we aren’t Jesus in this scenario, we’re the disciples. We’re the doubters full of fear and uncertainty.

I wonder what would happen if we had just a grain of the type of faith Jesus had. I wonder how many people would be healed. How many more prayers answered. How many more diseases we could heal. How many victims of cancer could have hope.

I wonder what would happen if we got rid of false humility. Many people don’t like to think the church could do greater things than Jesus because He is God and that’s not being humble. But humility has nothing to do with that. Humility is saying, “I can do greater things because after Jesus returned to Heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to us. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus did great things. Through the Holy Spirit, I shall do greater things according to Jesus.” Humility is about giving God the glory, not making yourself spiritually weak. Renounce false humility. Renounce fear. And together let’s build a stronger church.

When fear tells you that you can’t do something, stand strong. When doubters tell you that it isn’t possible, show them with God anything is possible. When the doctor gives you a hopeless report, lift up your eyes to Heaven and believe in the miraculous. When that family member runs farther and farther away from God, don’t lose hope, claim them in the name of Jesus. Throughout the scriptures we see that life and death is in the power of the tongue, so declare life over that family. Declare life with confidence, full of faith and in the Spirit. We were never meant to be weak targets, but strong champions. Don’t let the world’s present view dictate your faith, be encouraged today for we are destined for greatness. We are destined to do great things. We are destined to watch the darkness flee. We are destined to overcome unbelief. We are destined to stand strong and courageous. We were never destined for pain, suffering, doubt, lacking, or anything less than a Prince or Princess. Be encouraged, for you are destined for more than you see in this moment in time.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Greater Things.

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Live!

“And he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.'” ~ Mark 16:6

He has risen! He is no longer in the grave! He is no longer dead! He has risen! He is alive! He is alive! Jesus rose 2000 years ago and we shall rise with Him when it’s all over.

The grave has no victory. Death has no sting. Jesus has overcome them both and took their keys. Jesus is alive and we are as well! For we have crucified our flesh and our spirit has been awakened. Be encouraged this morning, for our King was dead, but now He is alive! We do not serve a dead God, but the Living God!

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live!

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Be The Overcomer

“¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’” ~ Revelation 1:17-18

Jesus was dead in the grave for three days and three nights, but the grave could not hold Him. Death could not stop Him. Jesus went down to the grave dead but came back alive and with the keys to Death and Hades. What does that mean? He bought us back. He redeemed us. When Jesus was dead in the grave for three days, and three nights, He wasn’t sleeping. He wasn’t resting. He wasn’t relaxing. He was getting back the freedom for all.

He was taking back the right sin had over us. The right to take our lives and keep us trapped in Hades dead, never receiving rest. But when Jesus died and went to Hades, He took back the rights to all of mankind, giving us the chance to receive Eternal Life. Jesus not only died for our sins to be forgiven but also so that sin wouldn’t have any kind of hold on us. Jesus died so that we could overcome sin. Jesus promised us that we would be able to overcome the world, through Him, because He overcame the world.

Jesus’ death wasn’t a failure as some may try to persuade us. Jesus’ death on the cross was our victory over the world, sin, the grave, Hell, and the enemy. So never feel like you can’t overcome something, Jesus already overcame it for you, you just have to ask for help and do it His way. Your way hasn’t seemed to work, has it? What’s the harm in trying it Jesus’ way, who has already overcome?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be The Overcomer.

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The Wilderness of Sin

“All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” ~ Exodus 17:1

Notice how the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin in stages? Why didn’t God just take them all out at one time, no stages? Because He had to undo all that sin had done. He had to fix their thoughts, their ideas, their faith, their belief, their customs, etc. There was no easy, one-step program back then, and there isn’t one today.

Why? Because renewing your mind doesn’t happen overnight, just like falling into sin doesn’t happen overnight. Sin doesn’t just sneak up on us, we blink, and we’re overcome. Sin sneaks up, plants an idea, turns into a thought, turns to a fantasy, turns to a want, turns to a desire, turns to an action, turns to a habit, turns to who we are. Just as sin comes in in stages so must it leave us in stages.

We have to undo everything we’ve done, in order to be made new. So, after we’re taken out of slavery, we have to walk through the wilderness of sin so God can make us new by the time we get out of the wilderness. And depending on how willing we are to break old habits, break old thoughts, and make new habits and new thoughts, we will either die in the wilderness or make it to paradise. So, don’t allow what you have become used to, what you have deemed as normal, separate you from what God has in store for you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk Through The Wilderness of Sin.

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Continue Walking

²⁸And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ~ Matthew 14:28-31

A lot of us are like Peter. We have the faith to ask God. We even have the faith to step out and start it. But we don’t have the faith to continue. We don’t have the faith to finish it. We lack faith. Why? Why do we lack faith? Why do we allow the storms surrounding us to overwhelm us? Why do we allow the storms surrounding us to frighten us? To freeze us? To cause us to sink? Why do we allow this to happen? We know who we serve. We know we serve The God who commands the winds and waves to cease. We serve The God that spoke, and light was. The God who spoke the Earth and the Heavens into existence. We serve The God who raises the dead. Who heals the sick. The mute. The blind. The lame. Why do we doubt?

It’s because we know God, but we know Him through knowledge. We know Him with our head. We know He’s done these things. We know He can do these things. But we don’t believe He will do these things. We don’t know Him spiritually. We don’t have that faith. We have such small faith that it isn’t as big as a mustard seed. For if we had faith as big as a mustard seed, we could speak to the mountains and they would move. Nothing would stop us. But our faith is weak. We know God on a knowledge level, but what does it take to know God on a spiritual level? I guess it takes more than just stepping out of the boat, but we must continue walking. We must continue walking until we reach Him. But how? That’s easier said than done.

Since faith is an action word, it requires action. You can’t say you have faith and not act in faith. So, imagine every step forward towards Jesus, as doing as the LORD leads us. Whether it’s quitting your job. Starting a business. Starting a company. Joining a new company. If we step out in faith and continue to do so, our faith will grow. We will continue to walk closer to Jesus. So, continue to walk. Don’t look to the right or to the left, but continue to keep your eyes on Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Continue Walking.

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Grip Harder

²⁴And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. ²⁶Then He said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ²⁷And He said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

²⁸Then He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there He blessed him. ³⁰So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” ³¹The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. ~ Genesis 32:24-31

How many of us can God say, “you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed?” Very few, right? We don’t wrestle with men to the end and we don’t wrestle with God to the end. We don’t hold on to God and refuse to let go until He blesses us. Until He heals us. Until He answers us.

We usually let go right before because we start to doubt. We start to get tired of praying the same old prayer. The prayer gets weaker and weaker each time we pray it. We don’t realize that if we just hold on a little longer our blessing is right around the corner, our healing is right around the corner, our unsaved loved one’s salvation is right around the corner. But we have to hold on.

God doesn’t just bless us in that moment and all we have to do is ask once, but instead, we have to hold on, we have to grip onto Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul. To the point that no matter what storm we have to go through we still can hold on to God. Jacob didn’t just hold on when he was strong, he held on when he was weak when his socket went out, he still held on. He didn’t let go because of pain. He didn’t let go because he couldn’t hold on any longer. He probably gripped tighter, saying I will not let go until you bless me.

Imagine if we lived our lives like that. Our prayer lives would be so much more powerful. I mean imagine if we didn’t just pray for a specific amount of time and then call it a day. Imagine if we prayed and worshiped until what we prayed for was answered. Imagine how many healings we would get, the countless blessings, the salvation prayers that would be answered.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grip Harder.

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Continue Digging

²⁶When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, ²⁷Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” ²⁸They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, ²⁹that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” ³⁰So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. ³¹In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. ³²That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” ³³He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. ³⁴When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, ³⁵and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. ~ Genesis 26:26-35

Isaac began to prosper in the land to the point that Abimelech sent him away from him and his people. Then every well that he dug the people claimed as theirs. But he never let any of that get to him, he kept going. He pushed on. He never allowed them to steal his blessing. When Abimelech saw how blessed Isaac truly was, he became intimidated. He became fearful, so he went to him and asked to make a treaty between them.

Imagine if the church was like Isaac, never allowing people to hold us down. Never allowing people to take our joy. Never allowing our cheap, unfair, thieving boss to steal our blessing. Instead, we continue to work hard, we continue to do our best, to the point that our boss sees that we are blessed and give you that promotion you’ve been praying for. They give you that raise you’ve been praying for.

We can pray for these things all we want, but unless we refuse to let our surroundings dictate our lives and our attitudes, our prayers are just sitting there motionless under Heaven. They are just sitting there waiting for us to do our part.

Sometimes our part is more than just praying, it’s living out our prayers and not getting discouraged, not getting disgruntled and angry because we’re being treated unfairly. Isaac dug and dug and dug, and every well he dug they took from him, but he didn’t let that stop him. He didn’t let that discourage him, and neither should you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Continue Digging.

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Category: Daily Bread

Become Paul

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