Category: Daily Bread

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Let Him Dig Deeper

9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. ~ 2 Kings 5:9-14

Sometimes worship doesn’t heal the wounds; sometimes worship does the opposite. It deepens them. When we pray, when we worship, we expect an immediate healing every single time. A quick fix so we can get back to life as usual, but not every wound is fixed by one prayer and worship session. Sometimes that one session opens the wound deeper, not because God is cruel or the wound is too great for Him, but because God is getting to the root of your wound. Sometimes, there’s something bigger, something deeper going on that we don’t even see or realize. Something buried so deep it’s become hidden from our conscious mind. So, it takes God digging deeper in us to reveal all that’s holding us back. All that’s keeping us from moving forward in life.

So, what are we to do? We keep peeling back the layers. One prayer. One worship session at a time. We dig and dig until we get to the root of the wound. The root of the hurt. The root of the pain. And once we get to the root of all of these things, that’s where we’ll find peace. That’s where we’ll find our solace. That’s where we’ll find our healing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Him Dig Deeper.

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Identify Then Guard

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 139:23-24

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same LORD; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

David was the prophesied king who was a man after God’s own heart. A man who was to lead Israel in the ways of righteousness, but he fell over and over again. He looked out at Israel and sinned by numbering them. He didn’t go to war with his men, as their king and leader, and ended up not only impregnating one of his men’s wives, but having that same man carry his own death note. David had a gift of leadership. A gift of worship. A gift of knowing how to come in and how to go out, but the enemy tried to corrupt that. He tried to take that away from him.

See, each of us is given a gift from God. A gift that will propel you into your God-given call. Because of that, your gift can often be the inspiration for Satan’s attacks. Here’s what I mean. I know someone who has a gift of encouragement, but every now and then, words just fall out of their mouth that tear others down. I know another who can see the spiritual battle we’re in with their own eyes but struggled so badly with fear that they didn’t sleep at night well into adulthood. See, if the enemy can keep you from using your gift, then He can keep you from fulfilling your God-given call.

So, what do we do? Identify, then guard. First, identify your gift, then guard it with all your heart. See, your enemy knows you better than you even know yourself. He will try to corrupt, distort, and stop all of the good the LORD has in store for you to do by attacking who you are. Your gifts help make up who you are. Who you are in Christ and who you are to the world. Your testimony is precious; it’s a weapon to fight darkness. Don’t ever allow the enemy to take it away from you.

11 And they have conquered [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Revelation 12:11

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Identify Then Guard.

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Learn The Full Truth

11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. ~ 2 Corinthians 2:11

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8

Every good legend or even every good lie has some kind of truth to it, but just because there is a little truth in something doesn’t make it truth or reliable. See, when Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t fully lie to her. He told her truth mixed with deception. He said, ‘You won’t die but become like God knowing Good and Evil.’ That wasn’t a lie with no truth in it.

Satan was telling the truth; Eve wasn’t going to die in the natural sense, but in the spiritual sense. She didn’t understand that she was being deceived. That she only knew part of the truth. This is how the enemy still works today. He’ll give you some truth. Partial truth. Half truth, but not the full truth. Not all that it entails. Jesus loves you. God loves you. True statements. But there’s more to it. It’s not just a full-stop. It’s not just a do-whatever-you-want free pass. We must remain in His love. But Satan doesn’t push that part of the truth.

When He tempted Jesus in the wilderness, used Judas, used Peter, etc. all the same MO. The same pattern of behavior. Paul told the Corinthians that we are not unaware of Satan’s schemes. Peter says we have to be watchful because Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. We have to know the Word in order to combat half the Word being spoken to us. If we don’t pay attention to the past and implement it into our present, it’ll become our future.

One of my favorite verses that I think really sums this up well is God’s judgment in Hosea.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

Hosea 4:6

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Learn The Full Truth.

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Keep Swimming In Circles

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. ~ Proverbs 13:12

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

One of the greatest painters of all time is Vincent Van Gogh, yet while he was alive, he sold only a single painting. One single painting. He was depressed. Down on himself. He lost hope. One day, he had a manic episode of sorts that caused him to cut off part of his ear. It was so bad that he had no memory of doing it. He died less than two years later at the age of 37. He struggled with the fact that he had sold only one painting in his 37 years, and he couldn’t find the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Van Gogh, however, wasn’t alone in this. His brother, Theo, supported him and encouraged him. He believed in him, but it just wasn’t enough for him. Theo died just six months after Vincent Van Gogh. Many believe it was from the heartbreak of losing his brother, who died from a gunshot wound. Theo’s last words were, supposedly, “the sadness will last forever.” Two brothers who died way too young, I believe, suffered from the same pain: hopelessness.

See, without hope, we are consumed by pain. We are consumed by the darkness that surrounds us. Theo believed in his brother. He was his biggest supporter. His biggest cheerleader, but it wasn’t enough for Vincent Van Gogh. This kind of pain is one of the most dangerous holes to fall into because this kind of pain, specifically, feeds off of hopelessness, so it fills you with hopelessness. The immense danger? The only way to overcome it is hope.

If it can remove hope from you, there’s no way out. It’s won. It’s completely consumed you. They did a study on rats on this very thing. They put each rat into a body of water without a way out. They all drowned very quickly. They then did the same study with another group of rats, but this time they saved them before they drowned and put them back in the bucket. This time, they had hope of being saved. So, what happened? They swam. They kept swimming in circles for hours. They refused to give up because they had hope that they would be rescued.

Our lives are filled with moments that feel helpless. That feel like there is no way out. But we have to keep swimming, even if we don’t see a safe haven. Even if all we see is open water surrounding us, we have to keep swimming. We can’t give in to despair.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Swimming In Circles.

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Prepare For The Hour of Trial

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. ~ Luke 21:28NKJV

I believe that we are living in the last days. The days leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. I know people who disagree, not because they don’t see the signs or times, but because every generation has thought they’d be the generation that sees Christ. This isn’t an argument. This is an ostrich. This is someone who puts their head in the sand and ignores all that’s going on around them in hopes that it’ll somehow make it go away.

Jesus said we would know when to look up. He said we would know when our redemption was at hand. Never before have we been able to video call someone across the world from a tiny device that fits in our pockets. Never before have we had artificial intelligence that not only can think and learn, but is self-preserving. Let that sink in. AI is now doing whatever it takes in order to not be shut down, every time they (their creators and owners) run simulations that threaten that very thing. They are acting with what can only be perceived as emotions.

There has never been a time like this. No other generation of the Church has lived with these signs. With these situations and scenarios. These aren’t just little things. These are signs. Signs that the end is coming and it’s close at hand. Now is the time to seek the LORD and build your spirit man. Now, while there is still relative peace. While there is still relative freedom. Don’t wait for the end to come upon you. Don’t wait for the end show up like a food to seek the LORD. Seek Him now. Seek His face. Seek His presence. Seek His strength.

There is a time of great tribulation that is coming on the earth, a time that will proceed the Second Coming of Christ. A time that the days must be cut short for the sake of His elect. A time that is unlike anything experienced, nor will ever be experienced again. How will we stand if we can’t stand now, in freedom? In peace? Jesus is coming back soon, but the Great Tribulation will be even sooner.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For The Hour of Trial.

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Pay Attention To The Words

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ~ Proverbs 18:21

The 1611 King James Bible is often believed to be the one true English translation. I’ve even seen pastors who preach that you can use the King James to correct the Greek and the Hebrew. That no other English Bible translation is as pure or uncorrupted as the King James is, especially the 1611 version. That it’s the one true English translation kept and preserved by God Himself.

What I’ve also noticed is that it’s often the Bible choice of those who have tainted belief systems, such as Oneness, no women teachers or preachers Baptists, Black Hebrew Israelites, Hebrew Israelites, etc. Could it be that the King James Version is corrupted itself?

Here’s what I mean: they translated ‘You’ when referring to God as ‘thou.’ No big deal, right? Who cares? The people of the time did. Why? ‘Thou’ is the word used for someone beneath you. It was used for servants, children, never for God. The people of the time period actually protested against it because of this. After the King James publication and push, you can actually see the decline of the Church in power, influence, etc. It gave way to the Age of Enlightenment, which led the hearts of men away from the heart of God.

Words have meaning, even if we don’t realize the weight of said words. Our understanding of the word has no impact on the word itself. It doesn’t change the actual meaning of the word. God created the earth and all that’s in it with just His Word. Words are powerful, and they are important. Jesus said that we’d be judged for every careless word we speak. Therefore, be careful with the words you allow into your life, soul, mind, and the words you allow out of your mouth.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention To The Words.

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Remain Faithful In Silence

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ~ John 14:18-19

During the 400 years of silence, a new scroll with new beliefs and teachings came into being. A revelation during the years of no revelation. This new teaching was the Book of Enoch (Enoch I). Teachings of deeper understanding of the secrets of Genesis. Teachings filling in information that was not given to us. Teachings that have continued throughout the generations and even found itself in the teachings of the Church today.

How can we receive revelation from God if God has been silent? The silence was so intense that the coming of John the Baptist shook the entire nation. There was no prophet, revelation, or spirit coming down and resting on anyone after Malachi until John the Baptist, yet we have this appearing of the Book of Enoch. And because of it, the entire salvation plan has been corrupted. When we ignore Scripture and seek out Truth in anything else, we corrupt the Scripture just as the Pharisees did with their traditions.

As Christians, we can’t afford to have our faith tainted by false revelations. Sometimes, God is silent, but if we try to force revelation, we will only turn ourselves and others away from Him and His Truth. Away from True revelation. So, what do we do in times of silence? We seek God in the Scriptures we have. In the Scriptures we know are from Him.

As we study, seek, and wait, God will show up. See, God promised us that we have not and will not ever be abandoned as orphans. Never forsaken because we are His children. He is with us always, even though sometimes He is silent for a period of time, waiting for the perfect time to reveal Himself to those seeking Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remain Faithful In Silence.

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Be The Body

13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ~ Matthew 5:13-16

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:27

In the 1890s, Mahatma Gandhi moved to South Africa to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit. It was there that he heard about Christ and wanted to learn more. So, he sought out a local church but was denied entry because of the color of his skin. This encounter apparently led to his attributed famous words, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Now, let’s say this is true. That these are the true words and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi. Imagine if they had actually acted as Christ to him. The entire country of India could have been converted to Christianity. Gandhi could have been a great evangelist of the faith, but the prejudice of one man blocking his entry into the church turned him away from the faith and straight into the arms of a false religion.

We have no idea who the people put into our lives may become or what they may one day do. This story should encourage and set a fire in each of us to be Christ to the world at all times. We are His body. His hands and feet. His light in the darkness. It’s time we start acting like it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be The Body.

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Do More Than The Matam

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ~ James 2:14-24

There are a lot of videos currently circulating of Muslims publicly performing Matam. It’s a ritual done mainly by Shia Muslims during Muharram. This one ritual is part of a larger mourning process that should put every Christian to shame. See, these Shia Muslims get together and chant as they beat their chests because they believe that mourning should be felt physically in the body. This is meant to express solidarity and grief that words can’t carry or express. It’s intended to be a physical vow of loyalty to what Husayn stood for.

See, all of this is to show loyalty to the grandson of their prophet Muhammad, Husayn Ibn Ali. He was killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, standing against tyranny. They beat their chests in loyalty to him and in commemoration of his death. The intensity can range from light beating to intense pounding, causing bruising. The devotion they have to their religion and the faith they have to physically beat themselves should shame any Christian.

See, as Christians, we don’t even sacrifice our time to go to church on Sunday mornings. Or our TV time to pray. We don’t make time to enter the presence of our God, the Creator of the entire Universe, yet we claim to have the one true religion. Either we don’t have the one true religion, or we don’t truly believe that we do. We don’t have a god who will throw us away simply because he doesn’t want us. No, we serve a God who seals us Himself until He Himself comes to get us to be with Him forever. He assures us of His love for us. A God who is faithful even when we are not. We cling so hard to grace and love that we abuse it. We don’t want to contribute anything to the relationship. So, what are we to do? Live our lives as if our religion is the only true one and that our God is the only true God, because it is, and He is as well.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than The Matam.

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Be Authentic

34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ~ Matthew 10:34-39

I recently heard someone say that a well-known celebrity had explained how she continuously puts her son’s faith to the test. The comment section said how much they supported her and were proud of her for doing that because it’s not really his faith, but his father’s faith. If he believes in his father’s religion, then it’s his father’s faith, not his. Now, if he then renounces his faith and turns to his mother’s faithlessness, is that now his beliefs or his mother’s beliefs? My other question would be, if the beliefs were reversed, and it was a Christian mother putting her son’s faithlessness to the test, would they still be supportive and proud of her? Probably not. That’d most likely be seen as a mother trying to bully her son into following her religion.

The world loves to put our faith to the test. They love to try to quiet us and break down our faith. You’re not really a Christian because your parents or a parent is a believer. They will try to take away any realness or authenticity you have in your walk with God and in your faith. The only thing you can do is walk the walk, not just talk the talk. In other words, we have to live our lives as a light to others and let God shine through us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Authentic.

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