Daily Bread Archives

April 20, 2019June 11, 2020

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.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

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.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

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.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

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.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

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.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Rise

“¹But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ²and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.’ ⁵When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

⁷After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.’ And she said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ ⁹But Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ ¹⁰Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” ~ Acts 5:1-11

I think that this is a sorrowful story, but very real in today’s world. I wonder how many people lie to the Holy Spirit and test God, unknowingly spiritually killing themselves. I wonder how many people are spiritually dead but don’t even know it because their deed was done in secret and their lie was perfect. I suppose the only question left would be, can you come back from spiritual death?

There may not have been hope for Ananias and Sapphira, but I believe that as long as your heart is beating, there is hope. For Jesus came to give life and life more abundantly. When you repent and turn away from your sin, I believe that Jesus will raise up your spirit. I believe you will not stay spiritually dead, but instead, you shall live. You shall resurrect, for Jesus is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.

But if you do not repent, if you do not turn from your ways, you shall die. Spiritually. Physically. Forever. So I beseech you, repent. For nothing that is on Earth or in the Heavens is worth Eternal Death.

Peace. Love. Go forth and RISE.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

The LORD Is Our Deliverer

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” ~ Psalms 34:19_KJV

We will have difficulties, trials, and even some failures. But we don’t stay down, we pick our self up, dust our self off and keep on going because the LORD is our help, He will deliver us out of all troubles. Once there was a young man testifying in church, he stood up and said, “Please pray for me I’ve only been saved a few weeks but I’ve fallen down so many times already that I’ve lost count.”

An elderly gentleman got up next and said, “Unlike this young man I’ve been saved for 70 years and have never been down.” Then he sat down.

After the meeting, the young man found the elderly gentleman and said, “Sir, I find it incredibly hard to believe you’ve been serving the LORD for 70 years and have never been down!”

“Oh,” replied the elderly gentleman, “I’ve never been down because I’m either up or getting up!”

The moral of the story is, if you get knocked down, don’t stay down, God is for you, He will deliver you out of the many afflictions and trials that life will toss your way.

Heavenly Father, please deliver those today who are hurting. Provide a job for the one who is job hunting, finances to the one who is in need. Give your peace to the troubled and wisdom to the distraught. LORD to the one who is hooked on drugs or alcohol rebuke that spirits of addiction and destruction that want to destroy them. Give sight to the spiritually blind and show them the way of righteousness. Let all things work together for Your glory and for their good, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Like and Share This:

March 6, 2019June 11, 2020

The LORD Is Our Strength

“…O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” ~ Isaiah 33:2

Do you need strength? Are you in distress? Cry out to Jesus. Isaiah cried out to the LORD to be gracious and to be his strength. The LORD longs to do the same thing for you that He wanted to do and did do for Isaiah. Do not think you are alone, cry out to the LORD He will hear, He will answer and He will bring you comfort.

Our Father and our God, this is our humble prayer, the cry of our heart. For we are nothing without you, you O LORD is our everything. Would you meet our needs today? Would you let us know we are not alone in our struggle, but that you’re right there beside us every step of the way even when it doesn’t feel like you are there. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Oh Mighty Warrior

“The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior’” ~ Judges 6: 11-12

Unbelievably, Gideon was hiding from the enemy, scared that they would find him and take away his lunch (the wheat he threshing), but God called him a mighty warrior anyway. Why? Because a warrior was who God saw and not a scared little man hiding from the enemy. What are you facing today? Bullying at school? Maybe an overbearing boss or fellow-employee? Maybe it’s physical or mental abuse at home. Maybe it’s a medical report you just received.

Whatever the trial know this, God sees you as He has equipped you. You are a mighty warrior as the result, armed, ready and able to achieve mighty feats for God. Don’t let circumstances or people make you hide from who God has created you to be. Instead, speak to your circumstances and call those things that are not as if they are, in faith. Go on, take on the world, you are destined to achieve great things you mighty warrior.

Heavenly Father, please help us to see our self as You see us. Help us to connect with who You have called us to be. Please remind us of whom we are in Christ Jesus: we are mighty warriors in an army that has never known defeat. Provide the resources, whatever they are, according to Your riches in heaven. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Let Go

““¹Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ²And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ ⁴So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” ~ Genesis 12:1-4

God promised Abraham descendants, that he would be made into a great nation… but he was in his old age, and Sarah, his wife, was barren. Abraham could have easily given up on this promise, but he didn’t. Now sure he made some mistakes along the way, but he never gave up on that promise. He may not have gotten 100 on the test, but he definitely passed. And that’s the key, he didn’t give up, though he did succumb to the temptation his wife put in before him. Don’t get the wrong idea this isn’t just Sarah’s fault, Abraham is the head of his household he should have corrected Sarah like Adam should have corrected Eve.

There’s a pattern in the bible… Sometimes men are weak. Men, you’re supposed to be the head if you fall, we fall… And woman sometimes we need to just sit back and let God do as He has promised… Sometimes as women, we try to control things because we don’t want to wait… The decisions we make today will affect the generations to come.

Exodus 34:7 says, “[God keeps] steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” And Abraham’s sin has caused his descendants to suffer both the Arabs and the Jews. But the good thing is even though we, both men and women, are impatient, and think we know best, God still says, ‘these are my children. Sure they’ve got a couple cuts and bruises here and there from disobedience, and sure they go left when I tell them right. But they’re my children, and I will never give up on them. I won’t forget them, but instead, I will slowly pull them back to Me. I would do anything for them because I love them. Though they do not deserve my love or my forgiveness, I will send them my Son, my one and only Son. He will be their deliverer. He will be the final sacrifice because He is the perfect sacrifice. And they will be spared if they only accept My Son.’

We have to learn to trust God. We have to learn to follow God. We have to learn to seek God, if not for ourselves, for our children. What we do today, affects what happens to not only us but everyone around us, tomorrow. We aren’t the only ones that our decisions affect. We have to learn how to trust God and understand that His plans for our lives are the best. We have to understand that God’s path is the best path, though it may not seem plausible, it may not make sense, it may not be the easiest, but it is the best way. It is the right way. We have to learn as both men and women, to stand firm in the promise God has given to each of us. We have to learn how to trust God and His plans. We have to learn how to have faith in God when it seems difficult. We have to learn how to let go and let God. We have to learn how to give up control so that God can lead us into our promise.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Go.

Back to Faith?

Back to Daily Bread?