Category: Daily Bread

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Begin To Harvest

John 4:34-38

[34] Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. [35] Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. [36] Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. [37] For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ [38] I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Luke 10:2-3

[2] And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. [3] Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

I was listening to a Christian novel the other night and the main character was having a flashback. The main character, who is an atheist, was talking with his girlfriend (later wife) about what they believe in. She, being a devout Christian, tells him when you see all of this how can you not believe in someone or something greater than yourself. They say a few more lines and then he asks “That’s it? No more questions? Aren’t you supposed to try to save me?” How does the Christian respond? “That isn’t in my job description. God handles that part.” This is the lukewarm, apathetic, leave it all up to God Church we have become. God said He is the head and we are His body. Therefore, we are to go make disciples of all nations. Not Him. He did His part. He died on Golgotha. He rose on the third day. He ascended on high. Now, it’s up to us to witness. To plant seeds. To make disciples.

Yes, God draws them in, but how can He draw those whom have never heard? There’s little revival and expansion of the Church in the West because we put every single thing on God and take no responsibility ourselves. We don’t witness because God will draw them in. We don’t pray and seek because God will do it if He wants to and in His own time. We don’t spiritually fight for anything because of God has it for me, He’ll give it to me when He’s ready. We have become a passive, apathetic, weak, lazy body. Meanwhile those who will die if they spread the Word or Evangelize or witness to anyone about Christ willingly risk their lives in order to tell others about Jesus.

There’s a hunger there. A desire. An urgency. They yearn to grow the Kingdom of God for Christ because they understand the necessity of it. They understand the need for Jesus.

Today, take some time and reflect. Have you become lazy? Apathetic? Passive? Have you put everything on God instead of giving yourself some form of responsibility? Have you made a difference in the lives of those around you?

Scripture says the fields are ripe on to harvest, but the laborers are few. So, pray for more laborers. Jesus didn’t say pray for more people to get saved. He said pray that those who are already saved will begin to reap the harvest of the world because they are ready to bear. They are ready to receive Christ and God forgiveness, they just need someone to tell them. Someone to reap them.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Begin To Harvest.

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Shake Off The Past

10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” ~ Joshua 14:10-12

Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad had received their inheritance, and now Judah was ready to receive theirs. Caleb, as their spokesman, came to Joshua and reminded him that he didn’t lose faith the first time they scouted the land. And because of this Moses promised him and his people this inheritance.

See, Caleb never forgot his promise. He kept it in his heart for 45 years, waiting for the time to see it come to pass, and surely, it had come. And Joshua blessed him.

So, Caleb, at 85 years old, goes out to into the land God promised him and drives out the Anakim. The three sons of Anak from the land of Hebron. He saw his promise fulfilled because he had enough faith to hold on to it.

He didn’t allow the failure of the past keep him from claiming what God had promised him, because if he had not stood strong and kept his faith in God, God would have raised up another person to take the land of Hebron for the people of Judah, just as he raised up Aaron to fulfill Moses’ call that he refused to do.

Don’t let your past failures keep you from the future God has for you. We all have a past, but that past doesn’t have to dictate who we are or what we can accomplish. Our present, right now, is what matters.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Shake Off The Past.

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Replace The Blinds

Matthew 7:21-23

[21]  Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

For the first time in my life, I had to sleep in a room without full blinds. And weirdly enough, I struggled. I struggled to sleep. I struggled to stay asleep. I felt uneasy. My peace was shaken. It was a rough night all because there was a decent sized hole in my blind. Then something hit me, this is a physical example of spiritual matters.

See, I felt unsafe because I could see out and anybody could see in. Even though the window was still there and the blinds only block what can be seen, I was unsettled. I had a trust in something false. Something not firm. Whether the blinds were there or not anyone or anything could break through that window. But because I could see that physical barrier (though flimsy and helpless to save me) it gave me a false sense of security. This is like us today.

Today, in the Church, we have a false sense of security. We think that because we go to church on Sundays, pray before we eat and before bed that we are safe. All we’re doing is putting our trust in flimsy blinds. We have an appearance of godliness. An appearance of salvation, but the substance isn’t there. The full armor is lacking. We have to put our flesh into subjection. We have to build up our spirit man so that we might be able to worship God in spirit and in Truth. So that we might not put our hope, faith, trust into weak armor but we can stand firm on the Rock. On Christ Jesus, and our relationship with Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and  Replace The Blinds.

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Watch What You Consume

Genesis 30:37-43

[37] Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks. [38] He set the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in the troughs, that is, the watering places, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, [39] the flocks bred in front of the sticks and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. [40] And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock. [41] Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the sticks, [42] but for the feebler of the flock he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban’s, and the stronger Jacob’s. [43] Thus the man increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

I’ve read the story of Jacob and Laban many many times before, but it wasn’t until tonight when reading that I saw something more. I never realized the sticks were physically in the water the animals were drinking from. I always just thought it was placed in front of them, but it was actually IN their drinking supply.

So, when Jacob was carving those sticks, he was carving the image or type of animal he wanted into the sticks and then placed them into their water supply because they drank when they mated. So, they were literally drinking stripes into their bodies and filling their system with stripes so that they could give birth to stripes. I never noticed that before that they were literally drinking stripes to produce striped.

So, really what you put into yourself will be what you become. If you water yourself and feed yourself with movies, music, people filled with strong language and crudity, you will find your mind, your thoughts, your mouth thinking, pondering, and saying those things. You’ll find yourself being filled with what you put into you and what you are filled with, will be what comes from you as well.

Dear LORD, thank You that You never stop teaching us. That Your Word never becomes stagnant but is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. LORD, please continue to show me Your Truth. Show me things in Your Word that I missed before. Things that I overlooked. Teach me, LORD, I want to learn. I want to grow in You. I want to know You and Your heart. I want to grow in understanding and wisdom. Thank You, LORD for giving wisdom and understanding freely to anyone who asks. Thank You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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A Disruptive Enemy

[10] Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, [11] in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:10-11NIV

Oftentimes, when you’re close to a breakthrough or you’re right by the entrance to the next level or season God has for you, the Devil will come in to try to disrupt your life. He’ll attack anything and everything he can. Your job. Your church attendance. Your worship time. Your family. Your finances. Anything he can get his hands on. Anything he can use to keep you from growing, from moving forward, he will use.

So, we have to be on our guard. We have to encourage ourselves in the LORD. We have to be sure that we don’t allow the enemy to take away what the LORD has for us.

Dear LORD, thank You for giving me another day. Thank You that You work on me night and day. That You never just throw me aside and say You give up, but You keep working on me. You keep molding and remolding. LORD, please open my eyes to the works of the enemy. Help me to see the Devil’s schemes trying to destroy my life. Give me discernment that I might not be destroyed by the attacks, but that I might recognize them and know how to defeat them and defend myself. Teach me to watch and pray that I might not fall into temptation, but that I might overcome all the temptation sent my way. Help me to overcome and walk into the promises You have for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray,

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Pray With Intent

[11] And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. ~ Genesis 1:11

When God spoke to create, He was specific and intentional with His speech. He made it clear so that nothing could be taken out of context or misunderstood. He over-explained “fruit trees bringing forth fruit that is from its seed and kind.” When we speak, we have to be intentional with our words. We have to speak intentionally and pray intentionally. God created almost every single thing just by speaking. Therefore, words are powerful.

When we pray, are we praying specifics or generalities? When we ask God for something, are we specific in our prayers or are we more general? LORD bless me. What do you mean by that? What do you want the LORD to do for you? How do you want Him to bless you? When we pray, we often times don’t see results because our prayers are too vague. Too general. If we want to see our prayers being answered and God moving in our lives, we have to be more specific and intentional with our prayers. We have to put more effort and thought into our prayers.

Dear LORD, thank You that You are a loving and patient God. That You don’t just write me off when I mess up, but that You show me and guide me to the Truth. LORD, please help me to become specific in my prayers. Teach me  how to pray prayers that will move You on my behalf, oh LORD God. Give me the words that I might get Your attention. Help me to not just be general in my prayers but to pray bold, specific, intentional prayers that moves You, oh LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Bel’s Destruction

2 “Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a banner and proclaim, conceal it not, and say: ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.’” ~ Jeremiah 50:2

God wasn’t just saying that He was destroying Babylon, but the source of its power, its god. Not just its main god but the title of their god, so that none might take it up again and raise Babylon to its heights, it once was. See, the name Bel was a title. A title that wasn’t unique to Marduk or Merodach. It was originally used by the Sumerians as a title for their chief god, Enki, but when Babylon displaced Sumer and became the most powerful kingdom of its time under King Nebuchadnezzar, his god became Bel. His god took over the title and became the chief god.

God, when He crushes Babylon, will crush the chief god of Babylon and its title. He will destroy it so that none can rise in its place. So that none could rise up and restore Babylon.

Yes, there are other gods. Yes, there are other powers. Yes, they do indeed have power, but they cannot compare to our God. For our God is the God of gods. He is the King of kings. And LORD of lords. He is the Great I Am who puts all into submission under Him. It’s at His feet that all in Heaven, on Earth, and under the earth will bow. He is the LORD God from everlasting to everlasting. He is the Almighty.

Thank You, LORD, that You are a good, good God. For if You were malevolent, who could stand against You? If you were unjust, who could right Your wrongs? But You, oh LORD, are a good God. You are just. You are loving. You are kind. You, oh LORD, keep order in the heavens. You, oh LORD, sit on Your throne prepared to judge the gods for their unjust judgment on the earth, coming against Your people. Attacking Your children. You, oh LORD, rule with justice. Thank You, LORD, for always coming to our aid. Always defending us when we call on Your name. Thank You, LORD. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Let The Potter Reshape His Clay

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” ~ Jeremiah 18:1-6

I was just sitting here trying to fix a console I had bought a few months ago that wasn’t working. I had taken it apart. Cleaned it up. Bought a replacement part for it. Still nothing. And so I decided to give it another go tonight, and when I tested it, it flashed on the screen and then the screen went black, and I got really excited. It wasn’t fixed, but it was closer than it was before.

And as that excitement became more and more noticeable to me, it hit me, this is how God feels about us. See, I didn’t make that system. It’s not even one I had as a child. It’s not even a system I had growing up, but I can’t help but try to fix it. We aren’t just some random system God bought from someone who didn’t want us anymore, and now He’s trying to see if He can fix us up and sell us to make a profit.

No, God created us. He formed us in our mother’s womb. He knitted us together. He knows the number of each hair on our head. And when we fail. When we run from Him and make ourselves dirty, it seems unfixable. It seems like we’re too far gone, but God is still chasing us down. He leaves the 99 for the 1. He looks for His sheep, and when He finds us, He rejoices. I felt such excitement and joy when I saw that screen flash because I knew I was on the right track. I knew it was getting close. I can only imagine how much joy the LORD feels when we come home to Him. When we fall at His feet and say, here I am, LORD, have me. Use me. I am Yours.

Yes, we make mistakes. Yes, we are just dust. But to God, we are clay worth saving. To God, we are His people, and He loves us. Just as a father will always love his wayward child, so does our Heavenly Father always love us. He wants us to come home to Him, and when we do, He reshapes us. He renews us. He forgets our sin, our transgressions, for His own sake. He remembers not our past, but instead, He focuses on now and tomorrow. So, let us do the same.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let The Potter Reshape His Clay.

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Learn To Defend

2 Timothy 3:16-17

[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is composed of 66 books, written by about 40 writers, over a time period of about 1500 years, yet there is no contradiction. Let that sink in for a second. 66 different books written by approximately 40 different writers over a time period of about 1500 years, and there are no contradictions. That is evidence that it is God-breathed alone. Think about it. A TV show written by a handful of writers in a room together will contradict themselves on the show in later seasons. Movie sequels will contradict the prequels. Yet, the Bible has no contradictions and has been preserved for over 3500 years.

People will deny these facts saying the Bible is full of contradictions, but when you read the context of those so-called contradictions, you will find that there actually is none. They believed their hypothesis was true before they sought out to prove it true, this tainting their search and clouding their judgment.

Peter tells us that we need to be prepared to give a reason we believe the things we do. In other words, we need to know our Bible and be able to defend our beliefs when they are attacked or questioned by the unbeliever. We need to know the reason one says Judas hung himself and another says his insides spilled out. We need to know why one says Mary went to the tomb and another says Mary and others went to tomb. Why one says one genealogy and the other says another. We need to know our Bible and we need to always seek the LORD for understanding of His Word, so that we might be prepared for any questions to our faith.

The Bible is without flaw or contradiction, as it is the Word of God. Why? Because it has but one author, the LORD God Himself who gave man the words to write. If the LORD God gave us His Word, the least we can do is learn it and defend it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Learn To Defend.

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Ovid’s Hate

Matthew 23:13, 15

[13]  But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. [15] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

Luke 11:52

[52] Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

Myths, religions, beliefs, etc., all interest me. What people believe and why they believe it always piques my interest. One ancient story that I find interesting is the ancient Greek story of Medusa. Medusa was one of three monstrous sisters with wings, scaly bodies, fangs, and brass or bronze hands. Hideous and frightening to look at, whose gaze turned its victims to stone. And most notably, snakes for hair. In the original Greek myth, they were always monstrous beasts. Hideous. Ferocious. Terrifying. But 700-800 years later, a Roman author changed Medusa’s story.

Ovid, an ancient Roman poet, wrote in his Narrative Poem “Metamorphoses” that Medusa was once a beautiful woman desired even by the gods. One day, Poseidon (Neptune), the god of the sea, raped Medusa in the temple of Athena (Minerva). Instead of finding comfort, peace, or empathy from the goddess, being that it took place in her temple, Medusa was cursed by Athena (Minerva). She turned the locks of her hair into snakes and turned her gaze into a petrifying gaze that turned those who looked upon her into stone. So, why the change?

Ovid was exiled by Emperor Augustus around 8 AD. Because of this, he took gods who were originally just, wise, and trying to do good by the people, and turned them into the villains of the story. His anger and chip on his shoulder, stemming from his exile by the emperor, led him to distort the gods’ very depiction, character, and desires. His story is the one portrayed today, not the original. It’s the one used by women in the feminist movement. It’s the one society knows, yet it’s not the original. To this day, it is used to show why gods are all evil at their root and/or even the idea of a loving god is folly.

One man changed the legacy of the gods for millennias. Today, in the church, this happens as well. People who have been hurt push their ideologies into the Word of God. They distort characters, peoples, the gods of old, and the LORD God Himself. They allow their own thoughts, opinions, and feelings to influence their judgment. To influence their understanding. So, they lean not on God or His intention of His Word. They lean solely on their own understanding, desires, hurts, and hearts.

When we do this, we corrupt the Truth. We distort God’s Word for ourselves and others. We become a hindrance to those seeking the Truth and a pitfall to those who hate the same way.

Dear LORD, thank You that You are a forgiving and merciful God. A God that loves and gives Himself for His people. One of patience, mercy, and grace. Please forgive me for distorting Your Word. For allowing my feelings, pain, hurt, heart’s desires, and hate to confuse and distort my understanding of Your Word. Please forgive me. If I have led others away with any false belief, please forgive me and show them the Truth of Your Word. Teach me Your Truth and not my own. Hear my plea for understanding and wisdom, for You give to anyone who will ask and seek diligently. Teach me, oh LORD. Hear me from Heaven. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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