Category: Daily Bread

Posted on

Avoid The Thyatira Stumbling Block

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. ~ Revelation 2:20-24

From the very beginning of time, mankind has sought to know things that do not belong to them. Things that they have no right to know, and it has gotten us in trouble each and every time. From the Garden of Eden, we have been tempted with the secret things by Satan. We desire to know things that we feel have been hidden from us that we think we should be able to know. Eve desired to be wise like God in order to obtain forbidden knowledge, and we all judge her for it. We point out all of the other fruit she could have eaten. The Tree of Life was right there next to it in the middle of the Garden, yet she chose the forbidden tree. We want what we feel we deserve to know/have.

Today’s Church is no different. Today, instead of a forbidden tree promising forbidden knowledge, we seek ‘forbidden’ books with ‘forbidden’ knowledge. Books that people claim were taken out of the Bible, such as the Book of Enoch and the Gnostic Gospels, including The Gospel of Thomas, Mary, and Philip. Like the Apocrypha: Tobit, Sirach, Judith, Baruch, etc. We seek what we believe has been kept hidden from us. We seek secret knowledge. Each time I see someone pushing these books, maybe not all of them, but some of them, it’s always someone who has read these and studied these, but not the Bible. They focused on these books instead of the books given to us by the LORD God Himself. Why? Secret Knowledge.

The Church in Thyatira was chastised by the LORD Jesus Himself because they tolerated that woman Jezebel who claimed to hear from God, allowing/pushing eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Teachings that they began to call the deep things of Satan. They held to teachings that were forbidden because they sought what they felt was being kept from them, just like we do today with these ‘forbidden’ books. Why do we do this? Paul said:

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me.

Romans 7:7-11

The enemy doesn’t have to force us to do anything. All he has to do is present lies to us as something that has been kept secret from us. Not everything is good for us. There is a reason these books were not included in the Canon of Scripture: not because of secret knowledge or to keep us ignorant, but because of outright lies and contradictions to Scripture, the Word of God. These things would be easily seen by those who read them, if they were first grounded in Truth and desired it. God has given us 66 books that explain the Truth and give life to mankind. What could those books that contradict God’s Word give us other than death? Therefore, don’t be seduced by the promise of forbidden knowledge, a higher understanding, or some deep teaching promising hidden secrets to be revealed. The LORD has already revealed to man an entire Garden of good fruit; why would you sacrifice all of that for one forbidden tree that only causes death?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Avoid The Thyatira Stumbling Block.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

These Are Hard Things

14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. ~ 2 Peter 3:14-18

Paul’s writings are hard. They’re difficult to understand, which adds an even higher chance of misinterpretation to all of his letters. Romans 9 is a chapter that is amongst the hardest to understand. Paul writes what sounds like God creates some specifically for Hell and others specifically for Heaven, and there’s nothing we can do to change that. But is this true? If we read just this chapter alone and nothing else, it sure sounds like that, but in the context of Scripture, it can’t be.

Peter assures us that:

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

If God desires all to reach repentance, then He cannot withhold the ability to repent from some or create some specifically for Hell. As Paul is explaining these things, he quotes the book of Exodus.

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Romans 9:14-16

Paul is quoting Exodus 33:19. The very chapter before the people of Israel had created a golden calf. What was the LORD’s response? He told Moses He was going to consume all of the people of Israel and start over with Moses. So, Moses interceded on their behalf. Then he came down, condemned the people, and then returned to the LORD the next day in hopes of making atonement for their grievous sin. It is during Moses’ intercession that God makes this statement. God says to Moses:

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

Exodus 33:17

The most interesting part of this is that God tells Moses He will show mercy to whom He will show mercy as a response to Moses hearing that the people will be spared and then asking to see the Glory of God. God then places Moses in the cleft of a rock, covers him with His hand, and then removes His hand so that Moses can see the LORD’s back. See, God tells Moses I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy because not everyone receives mercy. The people didn’t receive mercy because they sought the LORD. It was too late. The LORD was ready to bring judgment on them, but because Moses had sought the LORD while He could be found, He could seek and plead on their behalf.

Sometimes, it’s too late because the LORD has given us chance after chance, and we refused to take it. The LORD gave Pharaoh chance after chance, but Pharaoh continuously hardened his own heart. So, the LORD then gave Pharaoh over to his own desires and refused to have mercy on him. Paul warns us that today is the day of salvation. Not just because tomorrow is promised to no one, but also because tomorrow may be one day too late. He may not be able to be found. You may have hardened your heart so much that the LORD gives you over to that hardness and you have no more hope.

This is where intercession is so important. If Moses would not have interceded, then all of those people in the wilderness would have perished. But because Moses had found favor with the LORD and prayed and sought Him on their behalf, they were given another chance. The LORD looks for only one person to stand in the gap. One person to intercede. Therefore, if you see that family member, friend, co-worker, neighbor who is consistently pushing off the tugging of the LORD, pray for them. Seek His face on their behalf, lest the LORD stop tugging and they lose their opportunity.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for all of the times I have hardened my heart. For all of the times I ran from Your call and refused to humble myself before You. I’m sorry for all of the times that I gave in to my flesh and sinned knowingly. Please forgive me. Please give me another opportunity to be saved. Another opportunity to seek Your face. Draw me close to You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Dear LORD, please don’t give up on [insert name here]. Please soften their heart and do not give them over to their own flesh. Please tug at their heartstrings. Keep them up at night with thoughts of You. Distracted throughout the day with You on their mind. Call out to them, LORD, that they might hear Your voice and come to You. Remember Your Will that none should perish, but all come to acceptance. Remember Your plan that You have for their lives. Please LORD, intervene in their lives, even now as I pray. Let their hearts be not content with this world but uneasy in all of its false splendor. Draw them close to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

The Final Warning

15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. ~ 2 Chronicles 36:15-16

The LORD God sent warnings to the people of Israel over and over and over again by His messengers. Why? Because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place, which is the Temple. The people had abandoned God and were serving false gods. Still, God kept warning them to turn back to Him, because they were His people and His inheritance and He was jealous for them. And if they did not turn from idolatry and back to serving the One True God, then judgment would fall on them. But here’s the thing: God does not take pleasure in the death of the sinner, nor is it His delight to render just judgment. He would rather forgive than punish. But His people refused to turn back to Him. In fact, they mocked the messengers that He sent, and by doing so they despised His words of warning. They scoffed at the messengers and jeered at them as they poked fun and laughed them to scorn. This did not sit well with God. It actually awakened the wrath of the LORD against them until there was no remedy left for them.

The same pattern operates in the individual life, the family, the Church, and our modern society. Make no mistake, our God has patience with us, but there comes a time when His patience will run out, and there will be no remedy left. It’s not that He is cruel or unjust. He keeps saying, “Stop! Don’t do that! Quit it! Return to Me!” But when His warnings go unheeded, and His messengers are mocked, God takes that personally. If He has to continue sending warnings every single day with no change, then there will come a final warning, and God will act in judgment. There will eventually come a time when He will say, “Enough is enough.” Then there will remain no remedy but only the dreadful expectation of judgment. So may the LORD keep our hearts soft, our ears open, and our wills ready to turn while the day of mercy is still called “today.”

Heavenly Father, please guide my heart that I might hear Your voice, and when I hear, that I might obey Your commands. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Obedience

22 …be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. ~ James 1:22-25

James is clear: you can listen to the Word of God and read it all you want, but if you do not put into action what you have heard and learned, you are only deceiving yourself. Samuel told King Saul that it is better to obey than to sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” In other words, it is all about obedience.

When Samuel said ‘to obey is better than sacrifice,’ the Hebrew word translated ‘better’ is tov—good, pleasant, excellent, beneficial. Obedience is not just preferable; it is the higher-quality, more excellent response God desires.

So we must ask ourselves: Am I being obedient to the commands of Jesus? Each one of us must evaluate our lives, our actions, and our intentions. We must examine the reasons why we do what we do, ensuring that we are not acting from selfish motives that bring only a momentary and temporal reward. Obedience, by contrast, carries an eternal reward.

The bottom line is this: hearing the Word of God alone profits nothing. But hearing coupled with action—true obedience—brings eternal benefits. No one who hears the good he ought to do yet continues in opposition should expect a good reward. Only those who hear and immediately put the Word into practice will receive both an eternal reward and a blessing here and will be prosperous in whatever they do, according to Psalm 1. Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the Word that cleanses me. Help me to be a doer of Your Word and commandments. Let me not stray away from Your Word, but hold fast to the good things You require of me. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

This Is The Bottom Line

20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Acts 20:20-21

Paul has come down to the end of his ministry. His race is almost run, and the work the LORD had given him was almost complete. He is making his final pilgrimage to Jerusalem, hopefully in time for Pentecost. On his way, he meets with the elders of the church in Ephesus and tells them to remember the kind of life he had lived among them, and also to remember how he taught boldly and without holding anything back from them. Then he basically tells them: This is the bottom line of the Gospel: repentance toward God and faith toward our LORD Jesus Christ; that is the whole foundation that our faith and religion is built on.

Repentance toward God simply means that we must turn away from the things that displease our God, and make a 180° turn toward Him. Then we must continue to follow faith in our LORD Jesus. Now what does that mean? It means that we follow the teaching and preaching of Jesus of Nazareth—the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Repentance is not an option; it is a requirement. Here is what C.S. Lewis said about repentance:

Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms… realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor—that is the only way out of our ‘hole.’ This process of surrender—this movement full speed astern—is what Christians call repentance.

Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing a part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death…

Remember, this repentance… is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could let you off if He chose: it is simply a description of what going back to Him is like. If you ask God to take you back without it, you are really asking Him to let you go back without going back. It cannot happen.

We were God’s enemies before the death and resurrection of our LORD Jesus; now we are sons and daughters if we come to Him in repentance. We must lay down our arms in total surrender to Him, turn around, and go in the opposite direction. Not back to what we used to do, or where we came from, but on a new path, for the old is passed away and the new has come. We must follow the new path that leads us back to God.

I encourage you today, whatever you’re holding back, release it and let Jesus’ words clean up your life, and let God’s Holy Spirit come and fill your life.

Heavenly Father, with a humble heart I come to You, reaching out in faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, asking You to renew a right spirit within me. Give me a wise heart to serve You and clean hands to lift up to You in worship. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

A Divided Heart

32 So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. ~ 2 Kings 17:32-33

The people maintained a form of godliness, but their hearts remained divided. They feared the LORD yet continued to serve their own gods according to the rituals of the nations. Jesus stated it plainly: “No one can serve two masters. Either you will love the one and hate the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

In his book, “The Great Divorce,” C.S. Lewis describes a Ghost—a visiting soul from the gray town of Hell—who carried a red lizard on his shoulder. The lizard symbolized lust (or any persistent sinful desire) that he could not control. It would twitch its tail and would whisper temptations in his ear, keeping him from fully embracing Heaven. Unable to quiet it, no matter how hard he tried, he planned to leave Heaven and return to Hell, knowing such behavior would not be tolerated there.

A bright, burning angel approached and repeatedly asked, “May I kill it?” The Ghost hesitated, making excuses and feeling sorry for the whimpering lizard; he refused. The creature even promised dramatically to behave if spared. Eventually, in desperation, the Ghost consented. The angel seized the lizard and killed it, causing the Ghost intense agony. But then a transformation occurred: the Ghost became a solid, magnificent, joyful man, and the dead lizard was resurrected as a beautiful, powerful white stallion with a golden mane, on which the man joyfully rode deeper into the mountains of Heaven.

Like those ancient Israelites, we often want Heaven and God—yet we refuse to kill the lizard on their shoulders. We have our little pet sins that purr and coo on our shoulders as we stroke them and pet their heads. They whisper temptations in our ears and slowly lead us off the path of righteousness. But our pet lizards must die if we intend to ride deeper in the mountain of Heaven.

In John 15, Jesus says that our Heavenly Father is the Vinedresser who cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit and prunes the fruitful ones so they bear even more fruit. Pruning is often traumatic and painful, yet it is very necessary if we want to spend eternity with Jesus. As the old song says, “Let the LORD have His way…” We must let Him prune and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Heavenly Father, search me and know my heart. Try me and see if there is any wicked way in me. Purge me, cleanse me, and make me whole so I may follow You with an undivided heart. Prepare me to hear, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

The Scoffers And The Wise

8 Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath ~ Proverbs 29:8

Solomon said that a city is set aflame by scoffers, but wise men turn away wrath. In other words, scoffers—those who mock God’s wisdom and stir up strife—agitate a city until neighbors become enemies and communities begin to tear themselves apart. Because where scoffers dominate, communities eventually suffer. Businesses close, families move away, and neighborhoods deteriorate because strife always destroys what wisdom seeks to build.

We have all watched tragic events become occasions for anger, destruction, looting, and violence. Instead of seeking justice through wisdom, many choose revenge, and entire communities suffer. Solomon’s words are just as true today as when he first wrote them: scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

In Proverbs 11:11, Solomon went on to say:

11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

A city is exalted by the blessing of the upright, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. So, who is the scoffer but the wicked person? The one who does not know, nor do they acknowledge God in their hearts. Yes, they may honor Him with their lips, but their hearts, the part that counts the most, is far from Him. Businesses have had to relocate and close doors in some places because of the wickedness of scoffers, and move to a city that is blessed by the righteous. There is too much destruction in that city. They want total anarchy. They want the police defunded. They want what is not theirs, and to do as they please because they are entitled to it.

On the other hand, the wise do not answer evil with evil. Rather than responding with violence and vengeance, they seek peace, forgiveness, and justice God’s way. There is no taking to the streets in a blind rage to burn and loot and destroy. But instead, spontaneous worship breaks out. People begin to ask questions about God and His kingdom. People begin to return to church and seek God once again. That’s the difference between a scoffer and the wise. One turns to hate and violence, while the other turns the other cheek and seeks love and forgiveness.

Maybe the next time something doesn’t go your way, or you feel you have been wronged, you should evaluate your response and ask, “Am I responding like a scoffer, or am I responding like the wise?” Seek wisdom. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, so seek first the LORD God Almighty and His kingdom. Allow His Holy Spirit to order your steps and so direct your paths, and everything else will fall into place.

Father, help me to make the right decisions. Help me to act wisely and not like a scoffer. Give me strength and endurance to seek You and Your kingdom first, that I might stick to the course that You have planned for me, and that I will be a blessing to the city and community in which I live, and not set my city aflame, in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Don’t Accept A New Name

14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ~ 2 Corinthians 11:14

I saw a video the other day of a guy explaining that the names given to the Sith lords in the Star Wars movies are just mockeries of who they once were. It made me think. That’s exactly how the enemy works. He takes what you were called to be and manipulates it until it is a complete mockery of who God designed you to be, all while convincing you he is for you and not against you. That he is the one who can help you and no one else can.

Darth Vader, once Anakin Skywalker, means Dark Father. He was supposed to be the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force, but instead he turns to the dark side and loses his wife and children. He becomes a Dark Father. A childless father. Everything the Dark Side had promised him failed, and everything he feared came to pass.

The enemy will tell us everything we want to hear. He’ll dig into our emotions and use our own fears against us. He’ll take us even deeper into fear where we have no hope of ever being free, all while he continues to convince us that he is for us. This world is full of empty promises. Don’t fall for them. Always remember Peter’s words:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Accept A New Name Except If It’s From God.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Come Together As One

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. ~ John 13:34-35

Yesterday, July 6th, was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup game. He had led his national team, Portugal, to win three titles. Because of him, they were a household favorite for the World Cup and Euro Cup. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the sport, but I watched, with tears in my eyes, as he went home with no World Cup win. Why? His age? Wasn’t his day? No. Sadly, every pass his teammates made to him was as if they’d rather lose the game than for him to score. Each and every pass was either way too far ahead or way too far behind. I watched them pass good balls to each other, but poor balls to Ronaldo. It was heartbreaking, and I did cry as that final whistle blew.

It reminded me a lot of the Church today. Today, we look at those of us who are succeeding. Who have either financial success, a large platform, or a spiritual gift that we want, and we tear them down. We go out of our way to make them the villain. We, here in the West, are our own worst enemy. We’d rather tear each other down and have the entire world hate the Church, than to build each other up and support one another. We build platforms on badmouthing people and ‘exposing’ people, when it just comes across as hatred and jealousy, not as exposing darkness to let in the Light.

Jesus warned the Pharisees:

25 Knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.”

Matthew 12:25

We can’t have revival in the land until we unite as one body under Christ. One bride to Christ. One heir in Christ. We have to learn to love each other as Christ loved us. As He continues to love us. Paul encourages us that Christ is interceding for us in Romans 8:34. How often do we pray for our fellow Christians? Especially those in the spotlight that represent us to all who are watching and looking, instead of hoping and waiting for their downfall with excitement. We, just like the Portuguese National Football Team, cannot do anything great unless we come together as one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Come Together As One.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Pray For His Kingdom

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” ~ Matthew 6:9-13

If you grew up in church, you grew up saying the LORD’s prayer. If you’ve been in church for even a few months, you know the LORD’s prayer by heart. The LORD’s prayer is one of the first scriptures we learn as Christians, but I feel like maybe we just say it without thinking about what the words actually mean. For instance, the part of the prayer ‘Your Kingdom Come…’ never really clicked in my head until randomly one night. We’re not just praying for God’s will to be done on earth or for earth to be like Heaven. We’re praying for power.

Jesus said:

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Matthew 12:28

Jesus compared the power of the Holy Spirit, specifically the power to cast out demons, to the sign that the kingdom of God has come upon the people. So, it’s not just ‘Your will be done,’ it’s ‘let your power fall on us and flow through us. It’s signs, wonders, healings, miracles, and yes, casting out demons. Things that people say were just for a time. Things that people say aren’t for us in the Church today. If that’s so, then the LORD’s prayer isn’t for us.

We can’t cherry-pick things that we like and then ignore the meaning of them. We can’t exclude things that we deem to be too hard or controversial. It’s either all or nothing. Therefore, when you pray, pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill you, just as Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Just as Paul told the Corinthian Church:

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

1 Corinthians 14:1-5

20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

1 Corinthians 4:20

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For His Kingdom.

Like and Share This:
Proudly powered by WordPress