Category: Daily Bread

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The Physical Stirs The Spiritual

17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” ~ Genesis 48:17-19

Jacob or Israel, as he was also called, was about to die, and Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by Jacob, his father. So, Joseph put Manasseh, his firstborn, on his left, facing his father’s right hand, and Ephraim on his right, facing his father’s left hand. But upon blessing them, Jacob crossed his hands and placed his right on Ephraim’s head and his left on Manasseh’s head, but Joseph was not pleased when he saw that. So, Joseph tried to switch Jacob’s hands by force so that his right was on Manasseh’s head and his left on Ephraim’s head. But Jacob told him no, because although Manasseh would be great, Ephraim would be greater. By doing so, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

It might seem like a small thing to us, but what happens in the physical world stirs or affects what happens in the spiritual world. That is why prayer can affect our circumstances. Scripture can change the atmosphere and tear down strongholds. Just having occult objects in your house can open spiritual doors that can cause supernatural activity in your home.

Even when the Israelites brought their offerings, they were required to say certain things and to do specific actions, such as waving the offering before the LORD as a wave offering. It may seem as if it was a useless action, but we don’t know what it stirred in the spiritual world.

The same would be true of other occult practices, such as yoga, and the different positions that accompany it. Many Christians practice yoga, not realizing that the positions are irrevocably linked to Hindu worship. These physical actions open spiritual doors. So, we must be conscious of what we do in the physical, because both worlds are inseparably intertwined.

Father please close spiritual doors that we have unknowingly opened. Help us to understand that what we do here in the physical will affect the spiritual and protect us from inadvertently inviting unwanted spiritual activity in our lives, in Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

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Let God Undo

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. ~ Exodus 1:8-11

The Israelites had to build two store cities: Raamses and Pithom. What do these two cities have in common other than being built by the Israelite slaves under their Egyptian slave masters? They are both named after an Egyptian god. Raamses means “Ra has begotten him,” and Pithom means “House of Atum.”

These two gods weren’t just two random gods; they were two of the most important gods in ancient Egypt. In fact, they even merged into Ra-Atum in later Egyptian beliefs. These two cities weren’t just regular cities; they were cities named for two of the most important gods of Egypt. This is how the oppression of the Israelites began: by building store cities for Pharaoh so that his power would continue to grow, and the cities were named after the gods of Egypt. Pharaoh started oppressing the people of Israel by enslaving them and forcing them to help build two cities to strengthen Egypt and, in a sense, strengthen Egypt’s gods and the Israelites’ connection to them.

How can we be sure? Raamses, located in the Nile Delta, became a major royal capital and center of Egyptian power. Pithom, in eastern Egypt, was a storage city for grain and supplies for the army and the treasury. Some believe Pithom became Heliopolis, a major center of worship that God later pronounced judgment on in Jeremiah 43. These cities were not just ordinary settlements—they were built to strengthen Egypt’s power, influence, and connection to its gods.

Now, fast-forward four hundred years: God has Aaron tell Pharaoh to let His people go so they might hold a feast and make a sacrifice to Him (Exodus 5:1). Their slavery started out with Pharaoh forcing a connection of the Israelites to the gods of Egypt, so when the LORD took them out of the land (and out of slavery), it was to break the connection they had formed with those gods and reconnect them with the God of their fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

I think that’s kind of mind-blowing. God was undoing what the enemy had done. He wasn’t just physically freeing His people but spiritually freeing them as well. He brought punishment on those gods that had led his people astray and spiritually put a yoke around their necks (Exodus 12:12). Our God doesn’t play when it comes to us. He doesn’t just ignore our bondage. He doesn’t just ignore our pain and suffering. Nor does He ignore our oppressors, but vengeance is His. He will repay. He will right the wrong and deliver His people out of the hand of the enemy; we need only call on His name.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Undo.

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Strike The Dust

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. ~ Exodus 8:16-19

In ancient Egypt, they believed humans were created from either the tears of the Eye of Ra or Khepri. Humanity was born from the pain of the gods, leading to a tendency of suffering in humanity. How sad. A completely different creation story of man than ours. One leaving man without purpose. Intent. Hope. Just useless.

Imagine being an ancient Egyptian believing they were created unintentionally from the tears, the sadness, of the gods doomed to lead a life of suffering. A tear struck the ground and man came up. Then two Hebrew men send plagues on the land. The plagues are a bit annoying, but your magicians can imitate them so far. But then the third plague hits a bit different.

See, God had Aaron strike the dust with his staff and gnats invested the land. They saw the power of God in this one act. They saw the hour the finger of God moved through Moses and Aaron. They knew the creation story of their people. A random tear didn’t fall from one of the eyes of the gods. There was no sneeze or cough from the gods. A man took his staff, struck the dust of the earth and gnats were created. They didn’t call the gnats. They didn’t summon the gnats. They turned all of the dust in Egypt into gnats.

They witnessed something they could not replicate. Something that seemed just as powerful, if not more powerful, than what the gods had done, for this was God using man to create gnats out of all of the dust in the land. The gods were nowhere in sight. No spell. No enchantment. Just Aaron striking the dust with his staff.

Our God is a powerful God. Those in darkness can even see His power. Even other gods dare not stand up to Him. Our God is all-powerful. King of kings and LORD of lords. He is the GOD of gods. God Most High. That is the God we serve.

So, when darkness stands against you. When you’re walking through the Valley of the Shadow, do not fear. Do not be afraid. Stand firm on Your God and in His strength, for darkness knows who we serve, do you?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strike The Dust.

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Be In Awe With Abraham

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. ~ Genesis 22:6-8

Genesis 1 & 2 tell us that God created man in His own Image. Colossians 3 tells us we are being renewed after the Image of God, lost in the Garden of Eden. God created us with love. Then, it says He came down to earth and walked and talked with mankind. Let that sink in. The Creator of the Universe came and walked in the Garden so that He could commune with mankind. There was a relationship. One of love and care. Like a Father and His children.

How different the God of the Bible is from the gods of the oldest civilization (we have archaeological evidence of today). The Sumerian gods created mankind, not for a relationship. Not to commune with. Not out of love, but because the younger gods were tired of the hard labor of working the earth. Mining. Farming. Digging canals. So, they created mankind as slaves to do the work they didn’t want to do.

This belief is recorded in texts like the Eridu Genesis and other Sumerian religious tales, where humanity is described as the “sheep of the gods”, created to “bear the yoke” and “carry the load” of divine service. This is so very different than our God, who created us for relationship. Who says, “Come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest.” Who says, “Take my yoke for it is easy, and my burden is light.” He offers rest. He carries the heavy weight we cannot.

This was the hopeless atmosphere Abram was born into in Ur, an ancient city in Sumer. A society where the gods have no love for their creation, but created them solely for slave labor. How hopeless that was, but the LORD took him out of that. He gave him a hope. A future. He showed him love. It is because of Abraham’s relationship with God that we have the title for God “Yahweh Yireh (Jehovah Jireh),” which means the LORD will provide.

He went from being nothing more than a slave for the gods to the LORD God being his provider. What a change. What a revelation to come to. It changes the story of Abraham and Isaac going up to Mount Moriah and the LORD delivering Isaac with the Ram caught in the bushel. He went from unseen. Unimportant. Disposable to seen. Important. Irreplaceable. What an amazing revelation to have. What an amazing relationship to gain.

Peace. Love. Forth and Be In Awe With Abraham.

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Ponder His Love

1  The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3  Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah ~ Psalms 24:1-6

The Psalmist asks, “Who will ascend the hill of the LORD?” Then he answers himself and doesn’t leave us hanging, helpless, and without hope. He says, “Those with clean hands, pure hearts. Those who don’t desire what is destructive to themselves. Those who don’t put their hand to the plow and then turn back.”

The Psalmist doesn’t leave us hopeless. No. He gives us a standard that we have to reach in order to enter the presence of God. A standard that we need the Holy Spirit to change us. To guide us in order to achieve. Something only achievable in the LORD, lest any man could boast.

That I find interesting, mind-blowing almost when I think about it. God made it so that we could ascend to His holy hill, but only through Him. Only with His help could we ever make it into His presence. That’s just so mind boggling to me. God, the Creator of the Universe, really loves us. Like He really makes a way where there is no way. The God of the Universe helps us to enter His presence because He loves us. That is so crazy, it is only found in one religion. Ours.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ponder His Love.

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Leave The House

13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” ~ Proverbs 22:13

The Proverbs often describes a sluggard. A lazy person. He writes that a sluggard will give reasons why he cannot do something.

I looked at the different translations of this verse and the Amplified says that the sluggard or lazy person makes excuses why he cannot go to work. But the more I read it the more my brain began to wonder. What if it’s that a sluggard is not willing to fight for his food, his promise, his life? What if it’s actually saying that when trouble comes upon a sluggard, they stay inside and refuse to fight back… They refuse to give it their all… They refuse to do what they need to do in order to see that promise fulfilled…?

So many of us never see a fulfillment of our promises from God because we don’t fight for them. We look at the giant in our way and stay away from the battle. We look at the valley or mountain before us and refuse to make the trek. We see the lion outside and refuse to leave our home.

God promises us victory, but not without a fight. He promises us that He will fight for us, but we have to draw our sword and follow Him into battle. We can’t avoid the enemy. It’s impossible. But we can defeat him with the blood of the Lamb covering us and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We just have to be willing to fight.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Leave The House.

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Let’s Rethink

11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept aloud. ~ Genesis 29:11

In today’s world, we have an idea of what masculinity is. An idea that strong men should never cry, they should never show emotion, but when you read the Bible (both New and Old Testament), you see something different. Throughout Scripture, you see the men of the Bible weeping. They wept privately and publicly. In front of their wives, families, parents, friends, crowds. They wept.

They didn’t hold in the pain, the suffering. They didn’t bottle it up and try to just ignore it, pretending it didn’t exist. Look at the statistics of the suicide of men in the US.

Male suicide in the United States is at a significantly higher rate than those for women. For instance, in 2023, the suicide rate among men was approximately 23 per 100,000, nearly four times higher than the rate for women (about 6 per 100,000).  This disparity has persisted for decades, with men accounting for 79% to 80% of all suicide deaths in the U.S., despite making up only about half the population.

Suicide rates are highest among men aged 75 and over, with a rate of 42.2 per 100,000 in 2021.  Rates have also risen sharply among younger men, particularly those aged 25-34, increasing by 30% since 2010. Men in certain occupations face elevated risk. Construction and extraction workers have the highest suicide rate (69 per 100,000), followed by those in installation, maintenance, and repair, protective services (e.g., policing), and farming, fishing, and forestry.

The older men get, the higher at risk they are for suicide. The more “masculine” job they have, the higher at risk they are for suicide. Could it be that all of those years of bottling up their emotions, pain, struggles just becomes too much? Could it be that the feeling of never being “manly” enough or never reaching some pedestal we’ve set for them makes them feel less than?

Ancient Israel didn’t struggle with suicide, but the US does. Ancient Israel mourned, wept, and openly expressed themselves, but the US does not. If we can change the way we see “masculinity” and how we treat our men in the US, maybe, just maybe we can stop this pandemic of suicide that is ravaging through our men.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let’s Rethink It Together.

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Test Your Soul

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. ~ Proverbs 21:10

Solomon said that the soul of the wicked desires evil. Its very being desires evil. What does that mean? Well, when you go back to the original Hebrew you find that you could actually translate this as “the soul of the guilty desires punishment, his neighbor (or friend or companion) finds no mercy in his eyes.”

In other words, the guilty do not forgive. They lack the love of God that softens the hearts of His people. They lack the capability to forgive and show mercy like the unforgiving servant in the parable Jesus told.

We forgive because He forgave us. We love because He first loved us. But the guilty aren’t saved. They aren’t forgiven because their hearts are hardened and ice cold. They do not love because they are not forgiven and the love of God has not changed them and restored them. Therefore, this is a good test to see if you have been saved, if you are dwelling in the love of God, ask yourself “Do I show mercy and forgive?”

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Test Your Soul.

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The Genocide of A Generation

Deuteronomy 32:16-17

[16]  They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. [17]  They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.

Jeremiah 19:3-5

[3] You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. [4] Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, [5] and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind—’

I heard some disturbing statistics the other day. It said that  approximately 28% (nearly one third) of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) have already died. How? Abortion. An estimated 26 million babies were murdered in their own mother’s womb in just one generation. This has been the generation that experienced the highest loss due to abortion among all generations in the US. This rate exceeds that of earlier and later generations, including Millennials and Generation Alpha.

Approximately 18% to 20% of Generation Alpha (2012 to 2024) have been lost to abortion in the United States, according to analyses using Guttmacher Institute and live birth data. This equates to an estimated 14.4 million abortions out of roughly 71.75 million total conceptions in that period, meaning nearly one in five Gen Alpha babies were aborted.

There is a spiritual war over our children. Over their lives. Their souls. Them. From the days of old, the demons posing as gods in the land of Canaan demanded child sacrifice in return of favor from them. Today, is no different. See, spirits never die. They simply change the way they work. They adapt to their surroundings. No more do we throw our children our babies into the fire of an altar to a demon, now we disassemble them in the womb before they even take their first breath.

We sacrifice our babies for our jobs, vanity, or simply because we don’t want our lives to change. We don’t want to take or accept the responsibility of our own actions or decisions.

Thankfully, abortion is no longer at the federal level, but has been brought back to the state level. Back into the hands of the people. And heartbeat bills have been passed. Much innocent blood has been spilled on our land. It’s time we stop the shedding of innocent blood and remove all the altars from our land.

Dear LORD, forgive us for allowing such abominations and atrocities in our country. Please forgive us for not praying, fasting, and tearing down the spiritual altars and strongholds we allowed to be set up. Forgive us for being docile, passive, and apathetic to the slaughter of our children. Forgive us for the innocent blood shed on Your land. For the earth is Yours and the fullness thereof. Forgive us LORD for the genocide we have committed. Forgive us. Heal our land. Touch our generations. Let not our sins be held against us. Let not the past dictate our future. Forgive us. Move in our culture. Shift the atmosphere that we might be on fire for You. That our hearts would melt and be made of flesh instead of stone. Forgive us, oh LORD. Forgive us. Let Your precious presence fill the United States of America and heal our land. Heal our people. Heal our country. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

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A Clever Enemy

1 Peter 5:8-11

[8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

When we read this verse, often times we expect the Devil to come in a way that we’d automatically recognize. In a way that we would expect, but that isn’t always the way he attacks. See, the enemy knows you better than you know yourself. He knows you better than you think he does. He watches you. Studies you. Takes notice of every little thing about you. Your actions. Desires. Thoughts. And he’s taking notes. He’s preparing attack after attack for you.

Sometimes, he doesn’t come full force knocking down the front door. Sometimes, it’s just little things. Keeping your prayers held back, so that you think God no longer hears you. Making sure that for everything you get done right, multiple things go wrong. Chipping and chipping away at your self-esteem, drive, faith, hope until you have nothing left. Beating you in a battle that you didn’t even realize was with him.

Paul says we’re not unaware of the Devil’s schemes. This is true, but if we aren’t watchful and on guard as Peter tells us to be, then we will miss his attacks. We’ll fall prey to his teeth and claws. So, what are we to do? Pray. Seek. Read. Worship. We have to be in tune with the Spirit of God in order to have the discernment needed to see his clever schemes. In order to be encouraged to keep going. To not give up or give in. To keep fighting for another day.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for all the times I’ve neglected You. I’m sorry for not putting You first in my life and allowing the enemy to sneak right past me. Please forgive me. Please remove him from within my life. Please seal up every open door and window in my life that has allowed him in. Help me to never open them again. Strengthen my heart, mind, and faith. Help me to fight and not give up. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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