Category: Daily Bread

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Stay Regardless Of Words

24 And the LORD’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. ~ 2 Timothy 2:24-26ESV

I was recently speaking to someone who said to me, “Yo, sometimes I need a break from you cause you’re intense.” What made me intense? I correct him when he misquotes, misuses, or conflates Scriptures. I don’t let it slide. I correct it. He’ll send four to six voice messages at one time, each lasting between 30 seconds to 1 ½ minutes. Some can last up to 2 ½ minutes. In each message, he takes a random Scripture either out of context, misquoted, or poorly translated. So, I’ll go through each claim he’s made and correct it. The message I sent is one message that is about 4 minutes long (3 minutes and 55 seconds). This is what he claims is intense. But what is he really saying?

It’s too much Truth right now, and I can’t defend my belief, so I can’t handle much more. He once told me he could never leave his wife alone with me for a long period of time, lest I convert her to Christianity. His words were derogatory. You’re too intense to be around all the time, man. But his meaning was, you know too much Bible and can correct me, expose the flaws of the beliefs I refuse to let go of, so I need a break lest you convert me to Christianity and I am forced to change. He meant it as derogatory and a way to get me to back down a bit, but I took it as a victory. A sign that my words have been digging into him. That they’ve been working on him. That his conscience has been thinking about all that we’ve been discussing. Most importantly, he’s feeling conviction that he isn’t living his life the way God has called him to live.

The enemy will try to use the tongue of others in order to deflate you, make you feel some type of way, downcast, self-conscious, but that is a last resort for him. That means he’s losing his grip on that person. He’s losing his hold on them, and the blinders he’s placed on them are beginning to fall off. So, what’s left? What now? We pray. We go to spiritual war on their behalf. We bring them before the LORD night and day until that stronghold is broken. Until that light can break through and they can see the Truth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay Regardless Of Words.

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Don’t Do Nothing

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.” ~ Leviticus 23:26-32

24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not His own, 26 for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. ~ Hebrews 9:24-28

I was reading a Christian blog explaining the Jewish feasts, and they explained the Day of Atonement as a ‘Do-Nothing Day’ for Christians because Jesus did it all for us when it comes to atonement. Jesus did it all with regard to our salvation being purchased for us and establishing a new covenant, but there is much for us to do on this day. The Day of Atonement was the most Holiest of feasts the LORD God established. It was the one day a year the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies where the Presence of the LORD would come down on the Mercy Seat. Jesus, our High Priest, went behind the curtain in Heaven and made the final sacrifice for our sin. He gave His own blood.

Here’s what I’m getting at: this feast should be just as holy, if not holier, to us than to the Jews. Why? Our God sacrificed His own blood to purchase our salvation. To give us freedom in Him, yet we still give in to temptation. Yet we still continue our lives as if He didn’t. We make claims like ‘we have nothing to do with our salvation.’ We choose the world over Him. TV instead of prayer. Games instead of worship. Social Media instead of reading our Bibles. We should be spending this day on our knees begging for His forgiveness. Begging for His mercy. Begging for His grace. We should spend the day humbling ourselves before our God, our Savior.

This isn’t the biggest ‘Do-Nothing Day’ for Christians. This is the biggest cry-out-to-Jesus day for Christians. The biggest day of reflection. The biggest day of repentance. Don’t waste this day.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Do Nothing.

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Renew Yourself

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! ~ Psalms 139:23-24ESV

Tomorrow is the Day of Atonement. It is the most holiest of days for the Jewish people. Why? Because it was the one day a year that the High Priest could go behind the curtain into the Holy of Holies, where the LORD would come down in the cloud to meet him. The High Priest would then make Atonement for the sins of Israel. Today, the curtain is torn. Our High Priest has made a final Atonement for us, and no longer do we bring the blood of bulls and goats; instead, we bring ourselves.

We say, here I am, LORD, use me. Search me, O God; is there any wickedness in me? Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Fill my heart with an abundance of good so that my mouth might speak life and not death. Am I living in Your call, Your will for my life, so that when You come back for me, I’m doing what it is that You have called me to do? Am I a Light to the World, or has my Light dimmed, and darkness can no longer see it?

Let tomorrow, the Day of Atonement, be a day of reflection. Let it be a day that you search yourself. Let it be a day that you renew your faith in Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Renew Yourself.

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Uproot The Bitter Root

15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ~ Hebrews 12:15ESV

It wasn’t until recently that I realized, or truly understood, what a Root of Bitterness was that the author of Hebrews was warning us about. I thought that it was a root of bitterness in regard to feeling bitter towards someone or something. Unforgiveness that had turned to dislike or disdain for someone. But the Root of Bitterness isn’t that at all; it’s unchecked grief.

It’s Job losing everything and cursing the day he was born. It’s Naomi losing her husband and two sons, and renaming herself Mara. It’s a root of hopelessness that says this is it. There is no more hope. There is no way out. There is nothing more for you here. It is a destructive root that speaks death instead of life. The Root of Bitterness corrupts faith because it takes away hope. Without hope, you cannot have faith.

This is the reason Paul emphatically said, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Not for all circumstances, but in all circumstances. In everything, we give thanks to God. We give thanks for the life we still have, the sun that is still shining, the hope that we still cling to. We give thanks in every circumstance, regardless of how hard or difficult they are. We give thanks to our God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Uproot The Bitter Root.

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Empty Your Cup

Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ~ II Corinthians 3:12-16 NKJV

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ~ Colossians 2:8 NKJV

I remember watching “Forbidden Kingdom” as a child, and one of the scenes Jackie Chan is trying to get the nation character to empty his spiritual Kung Fu cup. Why? Because he had watched so many Kung Fu movies that he thought he knew so much and therefore became a difficult student to teach. The Church today is much like that main character.

We have a lot of Church tradition knowledge, not necessarily Bible knowledge. Because of that, it’s difficult to actually learn what the Bible says and understand its true teachings. Paul said those under the Law have a blinder over their eyes until they come to Christ and the blinder is removed. Christians today have a doctrinal blinder over their eyes keeping them from understanding the Bible when they read it. Not because it’s too deep, too complex, too difficult to understand, but simply because they have a preconceived notion, idea, thought, belief in their mind that keeps them blinded. It keeps them from seeing the Truth of Scripture.

So, what are we to do? We have to empty our cup of doctrine and tradition, so that when we read our Bible, we comprehend, understand, and see what the Truth of God is. So that we aren’t blinded by the veil of doctrine or tradition. Here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter what a pastor, teacher, “prophet” or anyone of the sort says, it matters what the Bible says. We don’t need our beliefs grounded in what the early Church fathers taught, we need our beliefs grounded in the Bible. Can their teachings be helpful? Absolutely. But unless their teachings can be found in Scripture, then their teachings are no longer helpful, but harmful. Our faith and our beliefs should be grounded in Scripture, and nothing else, otherwise we are now putting our faith in man. It is now a man-made religion. It is no longer God-ordained.

Therefore, ground yourself in the Word of God. Read it. Learn it. You don’t need to chew on every single verse or you can’t read your Bible. That’s an excuse not to read. That’s an excuse to remain ignorant of Scripture. Yes, we need to study it to understand it. To understand the Deeper things, but we also need to read it to know what it says. Otherwise, anyone who has a little more knowledge than us can lead us astray. Any teaching can sound good and right, unless we read the Scriptures from cover to cover for ourselves.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Empty Your Cup.

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Throw Away The Frivolous

23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the LORD’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. ~ 2 Timothy 2:23-26

I recently met a couple who wouldn’t come to church because they didn’t like something the pastor said online a few years ago. To my surprise, it wasn’t false doctrine that upset them, or sinful speech, or anything of the sort. It was one video he did on aliens and the Bible. The pastor said online that there isn’t evidence for aliens in the Bible. He didn’t say there is no such thing as aliens. Or you’ll go to hell if you believe in aliens. Or anything of that nature. He said you can’t prove aliens exist using the Bible, which is a true statement. There are no planets in the Bible. There is no other intelligent design in the Bible. In the Bible, according to Genesis 1, everything was created around Earth. Heaven directly above. The sun, the moon, and the stars in between. There is no room for other planets, intelligent life forms, etc. in the Bible. None.

Think about how silly it is to keep your children from church, from learning about God, because the pastor said there aren’t aliens in the Bible. Paul warned against frivolous arguments causing division such as this. The moment we put science above Scripture and demand others do the same is the moment we replace God with Science. God is our source of Truth. His Word is how we know Him and His Truth. If we demand the Bible fit science, it’s no longer about God and His Truth. It’s now about man and what man has decided is truth.

Something as simple as whether or not the pastor believes in aliens should never keep us away from church. Ever. Is he teaching Truth? Is he using Scripture? Is it sound doctrine? Are you growing from his teachings? These are things that matter. These are the things that make going to church worth it. If the shepherd of the flock is blind, deaf, or mute, then the entire flock is in danger. The pastor is the shepherd of the flock in his church. His congregation. He is responsible for feeding them the Word of God, leading them into the presence of God, and teaching them sound doctrine. We use any and every little excuse to not come to church, when there are those in the underground Church willing to risk their lives just to hear someone talk about God. Talk about Jesus.

We let the simplest things separate us from God. Who cares whether aliens exist or not? What does that matter in the grand scheme of things? Nothing. It matters not. What matters is “Do you know the LORD?” “Do your children know the LORD?” Imagine standing before the LORD on Judgment Day and having to explain to Him that you refused to go to church because of your strong belief in aliens. Where is your strong belief in the LORD? Where is your strong desire to learn about the LORD and all that He has done for you?

Our time left on this earth is very short. We don’t have much time left here to sacrifice our time of worship and gathering together as one body to learn about our God. We don’t have that much time left. So, what are you doing with that time? Are you making time for God? Are you making time to go to church and learn of Him? Are you making time to fast and pray? Are you making time to grow spiritually in Him and with Him? Don’t waste what little time you have left dividing yourselves with frivolous arguments and beliefs. The Church should never be divided unless one teaches another Gospel than Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Throw Away The Frivolous.

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Feed Their Curiosity

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ~ Deuteronomy 6:6-7

5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 8 and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God. ~ Psalms 78:5-8

As a child, I always thought it was strange and quite funny that our God was the only God referred to as God in the Bible. I thought it was strange that everyone else referred to their god by a name, whether Baal, Molech, Asherah, Dagon, etc., but when referring to our God, it was simply God. As I got older, I realized it’s not that our God has no name, or isn’t called by a name, or even that His Name is God, but that the name of God wasn’t emphasized or clearly translated in the Bibles we read. That my teachers at school, when I brought it up, were either ignorant of why or simply didn’t see it as important for me or my classmates to know or understand. We’re forced to take Bible class, learn random Bible verses, the kings of Israel and Judah in order, random Bible stories they deemed important, but we’re not actually pushed to understand the Bible. Not actually taught to study the Bible. Not actually raised to love the Bible.

Proverbs warns us that we have to raise up a child in the way they should go. How can we do that when we don’t take the time to even learn the Bible ourselves? We want our children to learn, study, and love the Bible, when we, adults in the Church, don’t do any of those things. How can we want and expect our children to do something that we ourselves don’t do? We lead our children by example. If we tell them the Bible is important. It’s holy. It’s key to our lives, but if we won’t take time to learn it or, at the very least, search for answers to their questions, then our children will see that we say it’s important, but our actions say otherwise. They’ll see we say one thing but do another.

This life is filled with so many distractions and temptations; the world doesn’t need any help with that. We only have a short time to influence our children. We only have a few short years where we can teach them and raise them in the ways of righteousness, so don’t waste them. Don’t waste those years; take advantage of each moment. Encourage them in their walk with the LORD, lead by example, and answer questions. Don’t just brush off their curiosity; fuel it. Stir it up within. There is nothing on this earth better for them to be curious about than the LORD and His Word. And if they ask a question you don’t know the answer to, research it. Pray about it. And be honest; it’s okay to not know every single thing, but it’s not okay to just give up and shut them down. God doesn’t ever demand blind faith. He always makes Himself known first. He sends prophets, teachers, apostles, etc., for the building of the Church so that we might know, understand, and grow in His Word. So, how can we do any less?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Feed Their Curiosity.

15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD (YHWH, Yahweh, Jehovah), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

Exodus 3:15

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Be Proud Of Your God

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:18

The oldest known depiction of Jesus on the cross isn’t in a Cathedral or sanctuary. It’s not a memorial place or Church. It’s graffiti on Rome’s Palatine Hill dating back to around 200 AD, mocking both a Christian and our LORD Jesus. The depiction is known as the Alexamenos Graffito with an ancient Greek inscription translating to “Alexamenos worships [his] God.’ It depicts a man worshipping one on the cross. The person on the cross? A man with a donkey’s head.

The artist attempted mockery. The goal to mock a Christian for worshipping a God who was crucified. Something they couldn’t fathom, something they saw as foolishness. So, they mocked him and his God. See, to the world, a God being crucified by His creation was absolute foolishness. How great could a God truly be if He allowed His own creation to crucify Him, the most gruesome, disparaging, humiliating, and shameful way to die? Today is no different. They can’t understand because it’s not of the World. It’s of the Spirit. God humbled Himself to save mankind. To save the creation He loves.

He took away the sting of death, the hold of the grave, and the power of Sin. Then He rose on the third day so that one day we will rise with Him. See, on that cross, the LORD cancelled every debt we had along with their legal demands. He did what no one else could. No human. No angel. No spiritual being in Heaven, on the Earth, or under the Earth. No one could accomplish what Christ did on the cross.

So, when you are mocked for your faith in Christ and your love for that old rugged cross, that is so shameful and despised, don’t feel any type of way because not only are you not alone, but the only feeling that you should be feeling is sadness for the one whose heart is hardened to God. Because regardless of what they believe, one day every knee will bow and every tongue will profess that Jesus Christ is LORD. Therefore, we don’t feel embarrassment, shame, or even anger or offense towards those who mock the cross; instead, we should feel sorry for them. We should pray that they won’t wait til’ that day comes to bow their knee and confess with their lips. Because that day there will be no more hope for them.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Proud Of Your God.

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Sacrifice The Flesh Through Christ

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. ~ Colossians 2:20-23

Paul writes to the people of Colossae not to fall into the trap of self-made religion that has an appearance of wisdom, but they don’t actually build the spirit-man in order to stop the indulgence of the flesh. Just because you are able to stop eating a certain food doesn’t mean you can overcome the flesh in your own power. I’ve seen many different people convince themselves that if they give up a certain food, especially pork, they’ll be good with God at the end of the day. They’ll somehow be better off than others.

I know someone personally who hasn’t eaten pork in a decade and thinks that will help him when he stands before God. He’s able to restrict himself in this one way but in nothing else. He gives in to his alcoholism, gambling, rage, and allows any and everything to fly out of his mouth, especially when he is angry. He’ll use the name of the LORD as profanity and His essence to curse, and not even bat an eye; but because he doesn’t eat pork, he thinks he is somehow more justified with God than a Christian who does eat pork.

Here’s the problem: he has no relationship with the LORD. It sounds good because he’ll point out that he’s keeping the Law, yet there is no other Law that he keeps. Not the Sabbath, the feasts, or even the other dietary laws. Nothing. Here’s the thing: we can’t redeem, fix, or change ourselves based solely on not doing something in the physical without Christ. Not eating pork isn’t going to get you brownie points with God. Afflicting your flesh without Christ is useless. There is nothing you can do to achieve Salvation. Nothing you can give or change to earn it. Salvation is a free gift from God given to those who have faith. That is the only way to the Father: faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Sacrifice The Flesh Through Christ.

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Rejoice For His Return

1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12 And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them. ~ Nehemiah 8:1-3, 9-12

On the first day of Tishrei, the Feast of Trumpets, the people of Judah returned home to their Promised Land of Judea. After over 100 years in captivity, they were able to openly read, teach, and discuss the Torah in the streets. And when they heard it, they wept. They mourned. They hadn’t been keeping their Law as they should have in captivity. And when they did, the Levites calmed all the people, encouraging them to rejoice because it was a Holy Day. And the people did as the Levites encouraged them to.

They didn’t know what they were rejoicing for, but they did it anyway because they believed and trusted the Levites. They rejoiced in something they didn’t know, nor fully understand. Today, we know what they were rejoicing for. We now know the mystery. This is the day set to foreshadow our Savior returning for His Church. What a great day to rejoice and look forward to. They rejoiced in what they didn’t know or understand; let us now rejoice even more in what we do know and understand.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rejoice For His Return.

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