Category: Daily Bread

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Guide Your Children With Love and Patience

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe.” ~ John 20:24-25

Jesus not only represents the relationship between a husband and a wife but also between a parent and a child. Isaiah 9:6 and John 14:18 confirm that Christ is also our Everlasting Father. Now, Thomas looked like Jesus, followed Jesus, but had very little faith. He knew Jesus said He would be raised again, but Thomas didn’t have the faith to believe that it was true or even possible. Jesus didn’t get angry at Thomas; He didn’t get frustrated and condemn Thomas. When Thomas didn’t have the faith, Jesus showed Him the Truth so that He could have the faith. Jesus helped Him believe.

26 Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ~ John 20:26-29

This is the patience and love we have to show our children, especially as parents. We can’t become angry or frustrated when our children lack faith; we have to look at them with love and empathy that we may be able to help them in their unbelief. We have to follow Jesus’ footsteps by spending time in prayer and studying the Word of God so that we might be able to guide our children through Scripture into a deeper and stronger faith.

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ~ Romans 10:17

You only have a short time to influence your children’s lives before they start to become influenced by the world. Don’t let the world negatively influence your children, take the time to lovingly guide them. Show them that they can come to you about anything. Show them that they can trust you with anything. Show them that no matter how they come to you, you will be there for them to guide them back into the Light. Start this from a young age so that when they are grown, and they need someone to lean on, they can lean on you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Guide Your Children With Love and Patience.

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Supplement Your Faith

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11for if you practice these qualities, [or in other words, if you do these things], you will never fall. For in this way, there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Peter 1:10-11

Peter admonishes us to be diligent in making sure our names are on the guestlist, but the question that begs to be answered is, how? Well, in the first couple of verses, Peter says that through Jesus’ divine power, He has given us everything we need for Godly living. Nothing is lacking. We can’t say, well, we didn’t know, or we didn’t have the right tools. Everything we need has been made available to us so that we are without excuse.

Not only are we given everything we need from Jesus to live a Godly life, but Peter also instructs us about the supplements or the additions to our faith that we should all do. He said, “for this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith.” What are the supplements?

    • This word faith means a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith
    • To faith, we add virtue. Virtue simply means moral excellence, mastery over immorality. We are no longer to be led astray by sin and temptation, immorality, and debauchery. We are to live a wholesome and holy life
    • And to virtue, we add knowledge. This means to have a strong grasp or an intelligent comprehension of the knowledge of who Jesus is

The LORD God wants us to know Him, and He wants us to be just like Him, practicing the same things He practices:

    • Steadfast love
    • Justice
    • Righteousness

He is the only one who is good. We are filled with sin that defiles us, but through Jesus Christ, we are able to be cleansed from all unrighteousness because He took our punishment for us. If we repent and turn to Christ, He will make us a new creation in Him.

Dear LORD, soften our hearts towards You. Fill us with a fire that can never be put out, that we may never be lukewarm. Give us a desire for the things that please You. Give us a desire to seek You and love You with all of our heart. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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We Have Been Redeemed

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 blood couldn’t be just any blood, though. It had to be the blood of an innocent sacrifice. Therefore, no ordinary human sacrifice would do. Because everyone, even a newborn baby, is born with the sin nature, having the knowledge of good and evil. So, God had to find two innocent animals to sacrifice. Now, one would think that that would be good enough, and no more sacrifice would be needed, but that is not the case. The problem with that is the blood of an innocent animal could only roll the sins ahead, or in other words, it could only temporarily put off judgment.

Only the blood of our Kinsman Redeemer could purify us from all unrighteousness and cleanse us from our sins. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. He is our only Savior. He paid our debt for us on the cross. He didn’t come to earth as an angel, a Beast of the Field, or an animal. Jesus came as a baby. He came in the image of man. Jesus took on our form so that He could save us through Him. So that He could take our place, forgive our sin, and blot out our sins.

There is nothing that you could ever do to earn forgiveness. Your debt was already paid. All you have to do is accept His free gift of Salvation through confessing Jesus as LORD and repenting.

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Our Sacrificial Lamb

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ~ John 12:12-13

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also known as The Triumphant Entry. This is when we remember the day Christ Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. We are going to learn what the significance of this day is. We celebrate it, but we don’t really know the real significance.

So, what is the significance of Palm Sunday? It is simply this. That was the day the Israelites were to choose their Passover lambs. Now, think about this. If the Passover wasn’t until that weekend, why were so many people going to Jerusalem, and many were already in Jerusalem. Why?

Jesus is the crucified lamb of God. Sentenced to death, crucified as an offer for sin that you and I may live. Today is Palm Sunday. Today is selection day. Have you selected Jesus as your Passover lamb?

The Scriptures say, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).

Have you hardened your heart? Remember today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man. Look around at what’s going on. Countries are closing their borders. The globalists are pushing for a one-world government. Jesus is coming back, and He’s coming soon. Do you know Him as LORD and Savior? You can. All you have to do is accept Him and His sacrifice and believe in your heart that your sins are forgiven.

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Hunger For God

14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ~ Revelation 3:14-16

Jesus wants and even expects us to always be panting for more because it is those who hunger and thirst that are filled. In the Church today, we expect to live our lives however we want, and God will overlook it all. We don’t seek Him. We don’t spend time with Him. We place God at the bottom of our to-do list, all while we are professing our love for Him. When we do this, we are the church in Laodicea.

They were living as fools as they’re men and women who only confessed God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from them. In their heart, they said there was no God. God came to down to us, died for our sins, called us by name, and is now waiting for us to come home to Him. Yet, we only say we love Him; we don’t act like we do. We’re no longer hungry for God. We’re no longer thirsty for His Spirit. And because we no longer desire God, we no longer have the relationship the past churches had with Him.

The only miracle we hear about in our world today are the miracles read from the Bible. James wrote in the fourth chapter of his book that if we draw near to God, then God will draw near to us. That’s the kind of people God uses. Those who seek Him. Those who desire Him. Those who want more. If you want to see miracles, prayers answered, and God move in your life, then you have to desire Him. You have to seek Him. You have to draw near to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hunger For God.

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Take Authority

“16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” ~ Matthew 28:16-20

This is after the resurrection and just before the ascension. Jesus had instructed His disciples to go to a certain mountain at a certain time to meet Him there. These are the last recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” When Jesus said ALL authority, He actually meant ALL authority, meaning that He has authority to overrule any other and every other authority or power or word or law. No other power or authority has authority when the name of Jesus is invoked.

Call upon that name that is above all names, and nothing will be impossible for him who believes. We are not called His body for nothing. We must be His hands, His feet, His eyes, His ears, His mouth, and His heart. We must be His heart so that we can show love to the unlovable. Someone once said the only Jesus some people will see is the Jesus in you. You are God’s agent holding God’s power of attorney.

If you’re sick, take authority. Harassed by harassing spirits, take authority. Are you broke? Take authority. Need a job, take authority. Whatever your need, He will supply; just take authority.

Peace. Love Go Forth and Take Authority.

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Confess Who Jesus Is

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  15 “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” ~ Matthew 16:13-15

The world has many opinions of who they believe Jesus is, but that doesn’t matter to Christ. The only thing that matters who you say Jesus is. The world won’t stand for you on Judgment Day; we each have to answer for ourselves. Matthew 16:13-30 tells of Peter’s confession of Christ. Jesus asked His disciples first, who the world thought He was, but that did not get His attention.  He was looking for more, for someone to seek deeper, someone to acknowledge who He was.  So He asked directly – probed deeper.

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, … 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Matthew 16:16-19, 21

Upon Peter’s confession of who Jesus was, he received several things:

    1. A blessing
      • Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah
    2. Authority
      • I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven
    3. Power
      • Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
    4. Inside knowledge
      • From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples [what would happen to Him]

Peter received authority when Jesus handed over the keys to the Kingdom.  What does that mean?  The practice of bestowing a ceremonial “key to the city” dates back to medieval times. Feudal lords protected their cities with high walls and imposing gates. All manner of legal papers and customs taxes were required to enter and exit. A “key to the city” gave an important diplomat or merchant the authority to pass at will.

So, once we acknowledge and accept who Jesus is we have the privilege of:

    1. Being blessed by God
    2. Coming into His presents at will
    3. This binding and loosing is a misconception by the Pentecostals.  It says “Whatever you bind…” not whoever you bind.  It refers to things, rules, and regulations.  That is why it is so important that a pastor be a man of vision, foresight, and great Biblical knowledge, for it is he who has to give an account for the souls that are given him.

God reveals to His people an understanding of His Word as well as things to come. There is much privilege that comes with confessing who Jesus is.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Confess Who Jesus Is.

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Pray, Fast, and Give

12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:12NIV

The number three stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. The significance of 3 comes from the fact that it is the first of four perfect numbers: (3, 7, 10, 12)

    1. Three denotes divine perfection
    2. Seven denotes spiritual perfection
    3. Ten denotes ordinal perfection
    4. Twelve denotes governmental perfection

God is three separate persons, yet He is One. “Hear O Israel, the LORD thy God is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Now, since we are created in His image, we too are triune beings:

    1. Body
    2. Spirit
    3. Soul

As Christians, our main three-strand cord is:

    1. Prayer
    2. Fasting
    3. Giving

These are only three of our Christian Disciplines. But they are three of our most powerful weapons of warfare. What soldier goes into battle without first taking up his weapon and learning how to use it so that when he is in the heat of battle, he can fight successfully and overcome the enemy?

With these three disciplines, there is nothing that we cannot do. We can overcome anything with prayer, fasting, and giving. When we pray, God hears us. When we fast, we are strengthened. When we give, we are blessed. God has given us a strong three-strand cord to help us overcome any obstacle in our way; let us not take it for granted. Instead, let us put into practice these three disciplines that we may stand firm in our faith.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray, Fast, and Give.

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Don’t Let Anything Keep You From Your Call

“10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” ~ Exodus 3:10-12

The LORD came down to Moses to speak with him. God audibly called Moses. He spoke with him directly. He even promised to go with him, but Moses still could only ask, ‘Who am I?’ All he could see was a nobody. Sometimes we get so disillusioned with our good deeds, working in the nursery, the youth, ushering, or whatever ministry you are involved in. We get disillusioned with praying; God’s not answering my prayer anyway, so what is the use. I’m just little ole insignificant me. What can I really do?

Or we get so comfortable in our little comfort zones we become spiritually lazy. We are content with coming to church…almost every Sunday and warming a pew. Moses’ attitude was like, “LORD, I know that I’m in a dry and desolate land, I know that I’m on the far side of the desert, I know that I’m on Mt. Horeb…but I’m comfortable LORD.  I have these sheep to tend, they need me, and it’s my job to take care of them. Could you please send someone else?”

Maybe Moses was remembering the Egyptian he had killed and how the Israelites rejected him, and he did not intend to replay that scene again. Don’t let your past circumstances dictate your future. Don’t let your perceived lack of education stop you. Don’t let perceived lack of finances stop you. Don’t let intimidation be a stumbling block to you. Don’t let people talk you out of your blessings.

God can use anyone. He designed you for a specific purpose. He created you to fulfill a specific call. Moses was called by God Himself, yet he allowed his own fears to stop him from fulfilling all that God had in store for him. Don’t let your past control your future.

LORD God, please help us to overcome our fears of what we can’t do. Help us to overcome any obstacle that may come our way. Show us who we are in you, not who we were before you. Be with us and guide us so that we can fulfill everything that you have planned for us.

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Today is The Day of Salvation

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.” ~ Luke 16:19-23

First of all, we notice that both the rich man and Lazarus were descendants of Father Abraham, but that was not a qualification. So, don’t be fooled; no one can get in on ancestral credentials alone. It doesn’t matter if gra’ma was a prayer warrior or if papa was a good Christian man. As they say, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. Each will answer for themselves.

With that said, the next thing we notice is that neither the rich man nor Lazarus expected to die the day they did. In fact, I bet dying was the last thing on the rich man’s mind. That’s how a lot of us are today. We live our lives as if we will live forever as if we are our own judge and jury. We get so caught up in our day-to-day lives and all that we have that we forget that one day we each will stand before God and give an account of our lives.

Today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man. What have you done with the time given to you? We hate to think about death, but maybe that’s what we need. Maybe we need to think more about our eternal souls and less about our mortal life. If you were to die tonight and wake up in Eternity, where would you be? Would you be welcomed with peace and comfort? Or would you be welcomed with flames and torment?

Dear LORD, please help us to think eternal thoughts instead of carnal thoughts alone. May our minds be on You, oh LORD, instead of on ourselves and what we can gain. Help us to love You as we ought. Open our eyes so that we can see all that we need to change to be closer to You. Mold us into Your masterpiece. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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