Category: Daily Bread

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Don’t Ignore His Nudge

“17 But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. 18 For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal.” ~ Job 5:17-18 NLT

When God disciplines us, it isn’t to destroy us. God corrects His children with love. He may take away, but He also gives. God doesn’t just leave us in our sin; He corrects us. Then when we are corrected, He brings us back into His presence. He takes the shattered, broken pot that most others would just throw away and molds us into a new and beautiful creation.

God doesn’t just leave us in our filth; instead, He guides us through His Holy Spirit into the life He has planned for us. God’s correction isn’t out of hatred; otherwise, we would have no second chance. We wouldn’t get chance after chance to make it right with God. His laws aren’t restraints; they are freedom. His discipline isn’t wrath; it’s love. Only a father who doesn’t love his child would allow them to blindly walk off the edge of a cliff to their death.

His laws aren’t a list of do’s and don’ts; they’re a guide to life. They keep us safe from harm. If God doesn’t discipline us, then He cannot be love. Don’t be discouraged or angry or even ashamed when you feel convicted; that is the Holy Spirit nudging you back onto the path to life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Ignore His Nudge.

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Breathing Fruit

31 And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. ~ Isaiah 37:31

Every Christian’s goal is to bear fruit. Good fruit, fruit that will last. If we don’t bear fruit, we won’t receive rewards. Fruits are what separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Jesus said we would recognize false prophets by their fruits. A bad tree cannot bear good fruit, and a good tree cannot bear bad fruit.

So, what does it mean to produce fruit? Proverbs 20:11 says, “11 Even a young man is known by his actions–whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Therefore, fruits are your actions, good or bad. It’s what you do and not necessarily what you say. People make beautiful promises that they never intend to keep. They can’t because a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. They describe the devil as having a silver tongue. Meaning, he is skilled in persuasion. He makes it sound beautiful and appealing, even desirable. But the intent is vastly different, and the end is death. So, good fruit is so very important, but how do we produce it. We cannot produce good fruit above without taking roots below.

Now, what does that mean? Jesus told a parable about the sower who went out to sow his seed. He said, “but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.” Our roots, therefore, are our belief and faith in the good soil, which is the Word of God, that we are planted in. If the soil is good or fruits are good. The more nutritious the soil, the more abundant the fruit. The sweeter and better the fruit. The greater our faith, the greater the miracles. Jesus told the two blind men in Matthew 9:29, “29 According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Get into a Bible-believing Church, who doesn’t restrain the power of the Holy Spirit but teaches that the same Spirit that raised Christ freedom the dead still dwells in us. And if He still dwells in us, His power had not diminished in the slightest. Grow those roots and bear those fruits in Jesus’ name.

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Seek The Desires of God’s Heart

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalms 37:3-4

Often times, we only quote the last part of this verse, ‘He will give you the desires of your heart,’ and in doing so, we completely miss the how. Here’s what I’m saying, when we only quote the last part of this verse, we miss our obligation to God. Our part of the deal. God doesn’t just give us everything we want. He doesn’t just give us all of our desires. Why?

Because our hearts are filthy and lead us to sin. Look at what Jesus says about our hearts,

18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 15:18-19

Jesus was convinced that the heart was deceitful above all things, just as Jeremiah 17:9 states. But don’t be discouraged; look at what David prays to God in

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalms 51:10

Our hearts are deceitful above all else; this is why David prays that God would create in him a NEW heart. This is why David, in the verse above, tells us to first, ‘Delight yourself in the LORD,’

See, when we delight ourselves in the LORD, we are no longer seeking our own happiness. We are no longer seeking our own desires, but instead, we are seeking the desires the LORD has for us. We are now seeking His plan instead of our own because we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. He is cleansing us from the inside out. The Holy Spirit is transforming us until we are made perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Don’t give up hope. Don’t stop fighting to do good. The LORD is faithful to His children. Seek Him first, and you will receive the desires of your heart.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The Desires of God’s Heart.

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Remember His Promises

43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. ~ Joshua 21:43-45

The LORD does NOT change. If He fulfilled the promises He made to Israel, He will fulfill the promises He made to you. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of time it’s taking for your promises to be fulfilled. It took generations for the promises to Abraham to come to pass.

I know that in our generation, it can be difficult to have patience because God’s timing isn’t like ours. It won’t always happen overnight. It won’t always happen as soon as we ask. It took Daniel 21 days of constant prayer to see His prayer fulfilled. We’ve been promised that when we ask, we shall receive when we ask in faith. So, don’t give up on the promises you have yet to see. Don’t give up on the prayers you have prayed. Don’t lose your faith.

faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Hold to your promises. Remind the LORD daily in prayer and have faith because our God will fulfill every promise. Not one of His promises fail. EVERY ONE IS FULFILLED.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember His Promises.

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Go To God

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. ~ James 5:13

When we’re in pain and going through hard times, who is the first one that we go to? Often times, God is the last person we go to. A lot of times, we go to others before we go to God. Sometimes we don’t even go to God. Why?

My whole life, I was taught that no matter how small or how the problem, I can always take it to God. My parents made sure that I understood that God wasn’t just this impersonal God in Heaven who didn’t care about us. They made sure that I knew that God is more than just an all-powerful God to be feared but a friend, a comforter, a helper, and a father.

The LORD is an awesome God that should be feared, but He is also our Heavenly Father that loves us more than silver or gold. Just like no problem is too small or too insignificant to bring to your earthly father or your best friend, nothing is too small or insignificant for your Heavenly Father. He wants to help you. He wants to be there for you, to be the shoulder that you lean on.

So, when hardships and trials come your way, go to God first. You aren’t bothering Him. You aren’t annoying Him. God wants you to come to Him with your problems. He wants to take the load off of your back.

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go To God.

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My Stronghold

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” ~ Psalm 27:1ESV

There will be situations that arise that will invite the spirit of fear into your life, but fear not for the LORD Himself is a shield round about you. Though the world might seem dark and gloomy, He is the light of your salvation. Though the wicked threaten and rage against you, the LORD God Almighty is the stronghold in your life.

The word stronghold means a place or a means of safety; in other words, He is your safety and your protection. Now understand that God thinks in terms of eternity because He is eternal, He is infinite, and He dwells outside of time. We live bound to time, so it’s hard for us to understand the concept with our finite minds.

But know this, though the people rage, though the enemy Buffet you, though the situation seems hopeless, God is your strength, and your protection, He will deliver you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being a wall and a shield around me. Teach me to lean and depend on You. No matter the circumstances, or even the outcome, let my love for You never diminish. But rather, let me keep my eyes, thoughts, and hope turned towards eternity and the things of God. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Resist and Worship

8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him. ~ Matthew 4:8-11

The Bible states, resist the devil, and he will flee. But how does one resist? By not giving in, but it doesn’t just end there; otherwise, the tempter will wear you down. When Jesus was being tempted, He resisted, and the devil kept chipping away. It wasn’t until He began to worship God that the devil left Him for a more opportune time, and then angels came and attended Him.

So, the moral of the story is, the devil will flee when you worship. Make it a point today to have a good time of worship with your family and see the difference it will make, the peace it will bring. Remember that angels are ministering spirits that bring comfort from God in times of turmoil.

Our Heavenly Father, please give us Your spirit of worship so that we can worship You in spirit and in truth. Direct our thoughts and our prayers, and when we know not what to pray, let Your Holy Spirit make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Praise Him With Your Talents

“1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! 2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” ~ Psalms 150

The Psalmist says to praise the LORD, but he doesn’t give just one way to praise the LORD. He says to praise the LORD with trumpets, cymbals, harps, lutes, tambourines, dance, etc., because there is no one way to praise the LORD. As long as we are lifting up the LORD, there is no “right” way to praise Him. Painting, singing, dancing, writing, drumming are all ways of praising God. So praise the LORD with the talents He has bestowed upon you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Praise Him With Your Talents!

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Let The LORD Build

“Unless the Lord builds the house,those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” ~ Psalms 127:1

Sometimes we depend on our own might instead of the might of God. We try to build our career, ministry, relationships, etc., according to our own strength, so we labor in vain. For what home is strong unless it is built with bricks upon a sturdy foundation?

Don’t live your life according to your own strength because you will wear yourself out. You were never meant to do this alone. Let the LORD establish you. Let the LORD lead you. Don’t try to do it according to your strength, but according to the strength of God. Spend time in prayer and worship because that’s when the Spirit of God moves in your life and builds you and your house up.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The LORD Build.

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Thrive

“23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” ~ Proverbs 14:23

We have become a people of complaints. We complain about everything. As a church, we have forgotten what it means to be thankful. We tend to look at the glass half empty instead of half full. We’re so busy complaining about what we don’t have instead of what we do have. We don’t see how blessed we are. We have become a selfish, self-serving people.

When we look back at the Bible and see what those who have gone before us went through so that we can have all that we do, we really need to be thankful. When I look back at what my grandparents and great-grandparents did and what they went through so that their children and their children’s children could have better lives, it’s very humbling. They were innovative. They found ways to stretch very little.

My grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generations were generations that took the bad, the ugly, and made good out of it. They didn’t make excuses that things were too hard; they didn’t make excuses that they didn’t have the education to be successful. They took what little they had, and they made so much out of it. Little to no education, no help, but they fought, they strove, and succeeded. They believed they could, so they did. They were a generation that had the fear of God in them and believed they could do anything.

Where is that in today’s world? Would they be disappointed if they saw what we did with their hard work? What we did with their sweat and tears? We complain so much that we envy and hate those who have more than we do instead of fighting for a better life. We give up and accept the plate that has been set before us. Why don’t we fight for a better future?

Those of us who grew up with it all, are we at a disadvantage? We shouldn’t be, but it seems like we’ve done the complete opposite than past generations. We’ve taken the good and beautiful, and we’ve turned it to the bad and the ugly. With all of the education we have at our fingertips, the opportunities, and the technological advances, we should be the generation making a difference. Making things better. Correcting past mistakes. But instead, we’ve become complacent and entitled. We no longer believe in working hard; instead, we want hand-outs.

What does that get us? Just enough to survive. Do you want to survive or thrive? I implore you to take advantage of what you have because I guarantee it is more than the generations before us could have ever dreamed of having. Be better than what you have come from. Never forget where you come from. Be thankful for what you have, but always strive for better.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Thrive.

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