Tag: Daily Bread

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What Are You Obsessed With?

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20NKJV

Paul was completely obsessed with the things of God. His every purpose, his every move, his every decision was based on…: “What would Jesus have me do?” We have to understand that obsession shapes our thoughts, dreams, hopes, and vision. Obsession consumes us in every way; in fact, it’s what gives life to our ambitions in life! They are what define us.

What are you obsessed with? What drives you? If Scripture puts you to sleep every time you read it, you’re not obsessed. If Church bores you, you’re not obsessed. What we are obsessed with will tell us our spiritual temperature. It’ll let us know whether we are hot, cold, or lukewarm. Christ was obsessed with us. It’s what kept Him on the cross when He could have gotten off. When He could have saved Himself. When He could have called twelve legions of angels to His rescue. Christ was obsessed with His creation. What are you obsessed with?

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Risk For Faith

Hebrews 11:31 NKJV

31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

I always find it interesting that Rahab’s one action of faith got her a seat in the Hall of Faith in the book of Hebrews. It wasn’t really even an act of faith in God, per se, but in the people of God. Faith that they would keep their word and leave her family and house alone. Not only did she make it into the Hall of faith, but she became an ancestor of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. God Himself came through her line. She trusted the spies, and they gave her refuge.

Hebrews tells us that we should show hospitality to strangers because in doing so some have hosted angels. Rahab didn’t know hosting those men would not only save her life, but her soul as well. She risked it all and the LORD honored her. What have we missed out on from the lack of hospitality? From the lack of faith? Rahab risked it all because she believed they would spare her life and the lives of her family members.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Risk For Faith.

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Pray For An Uproot

Proverbs 14:6 NKJV

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, But knowledge is easy to him who understands.

Solomon describes a scoffer as the name of someone who is arrogant, haughty and who acts with arrogant pride (Proverbs 21:24). The dictionary describes scoffer as someone who jeers or mocks or treats something with contempt or calls out in derision. In other words, someone who thinks they are wise in their own eyes and mocks whatever disagrees with them. They can’t be corrected or shown Truth because they hate Truth. They hate anything that doesn’t agree with them.

This is why those who mock and jeer the Bible, read it and do not understand it. They take verse after verse out of context and never come to the understanding of Scripture. Why? Because they hate Truth because they are arrogant and prideful thinking they know better than God. So, they refuse to believe. They cherry pick in order to prove their point ignoring all of the evidence.

Pride is the root of a scoffer’s scoffing. It is pride that has built up a stronghold in their hearts. Pride is a difficult root to uproot. But thanks be to God, there is hope. There is how because of Jesus. So, when you come across a scoffer, don’t argue, debate, correct. Instead, remember their name and face, so that when you pray, you can pray for them. Only prayer can change the heart of a scoffer and only Christ can uproot that stronghold.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For An Uproot.

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Admit

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. ~ Revelation 21:8

King Solomon lists seven things that are an abomination to the LORD and six of which He hates. Out of the seven, he lists two different types of lying. In the book of Revelation, Jesus confirms the hatred God has for lying. One of the reasons I believe God hates lying so much, is because someone who lies will never take responsibility for their actions.

When you refuse to take responsibility for your actions, you will never seek forgiveness. You will never confess your sins. A lying tongue will only drive you further and further away from God. Without forgiveness, there is no salvation.

Taking responsibility and owning your mistake isn’t easy. It’s difficult to put your flesh into submission to obey Christ. It’s difficult to be corrected and admit you’re wrong, but without it, there is no forgiveness of sin.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Admit.

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Check It

Ephesians 4:26-27

[26] Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, [27] and give no opportunity to the devil.

Two teenage boys and their families’ lives are destroyed recently. One teenager stabbing and taking the life of the other teenager only for him to be found guilty and sentenced to years in prison. What a heartbreaking story. Two young lives that had potential for greatness have both been destroyed because of anger.

Anger in itself isn’t evil or even a sin, but unchecked rage is. When you fly of the handles easily, you are a loose cannon. You have the potential to be deadly. This is a dangerous way to live. Why? Because every life matters. Each soul is precious to the LORD God above.

We are the only creation that He created in His own Image. He cares for the Sparrow, therefore, He cares even more for us. When we allow unchecked rage to lead us in life, we will destroy those around us as we destroy ourselves in the process.

We reach only get one life in this world. What we do with that life is what matters. It’s very short, therefore don’t let others dictate your feelings or emotions. Don’t let others get the best of you. You are meant for greatness. Each of us. But we’ll never reach our full potential flying off the handles.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Check It.

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Make The World Better

Matthew 5:14-16

[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.

I recently started video taping myself packing orders, testing games, etc. and posting them online to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube in hopes that maybe that could help sales and build up some traction that I could make a few extra dollars a month. But of course, it’s the internet and people are just out here being negative for no reason. I was told my music is annoying (I used an old song I had made as background music so the video wasn’t in silence), so I told the man who made the comment that being rude to total strangers wasn’t really necessary. He then got upset and attacked me some more and insulted the video telling me it was stupid and no one cared, so I pointed out it was too late to insult the video as he already liked it and took the time to comment asking what it was I was packing up. We went back and forth for a bit, but ultimately he stopped responding after I explained his comments though hateful and intended to hurt me only helped my video get more views (because regardless of the content of the comments, Facebook sees interactions as a good thing and boosts your videos to more people) and only making himself look bad.

I could have easily gotten angry and attacked him back. Insulted him. Made him feel small, but I chose restraint. I chose not to allow myself to become angry or offended by what a stranger said about me online. Since social media, we, as a society, have grown callus towards one another. We try to tear others down for no reason other than because we can. Suicide in this younger generation is very high. They grew up on social media, where anyone can harass, hate, torment, and bully you relentlessly. Being behind a screen, hiding behind a fake name, feeling powerful for bringing down others only shows how weak and pathetic you truly are.

Social media doesn’t have to be a toxic place. I’ve never watched someone’s video and felt the need to comment to let them know how much I hate them or what they’re doing. I’ve never needed to tear someone else down to build myself up. How we act towards each other matters. Whether online or in person. As Christians, we are the light of the world because Christ shines through us. We have to take the high road, even when we feel like we have a right not to. Our life is no longer our own. It now belongs to Christ. Therefore, we need to be Christ to the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Make The World Better.

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Stir Up The Irrevocable Gift

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

Paul urged Timothy to fan his gift into flame. Timothy’s hesitation likely stemmed from intimidation because of his youth, yet Paul reminded him that the gift was still there. Why? Our spiritual gifts often remain dormant for various reasons, but we must do the same—stir them up. Just as natural talents and skills are honed through training, practice, and repetition, spiritual gifts are activated the same way: by putting our faith into action. We will never see the sick healed if we never pray for the sick. We will never exercise authority over demons if we never act in faith in the Name of Jesus when those situations arise.

An interesting story is found in Mark 9:14–28. A desperate father brought his demon-tormented son to Jesus’ disciples while the LORD was on the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples could not cast out the demon despite their best efforts. When Jesus returned, He cast the demon out and later told His disciples, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29).

Notice two important truths. First, the disciples refused to accept failure as final. They went directly to Jesus to ask why they could not cast it out. Second, Jesus did not need to go away to pray and fast—He already lived a lifestyle of prayer and fasting, staying continually connected to the Father.

Jesus declared, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20). That same power and authority Jesus gave the first-century Church remains available today through the Holy Spirit. God has not changed His mind. He does not revoke what He has given.

Far too often, doubters claim signs, wonders, and miracles ceased with the last Apostle. Yet those voices frequently come from those who have never truly fasted, never spent nights in prayer, or never pressed in to see the hand of God move. We cannot expect dramatic results from mediocre, hurried prayers. The heroes of faith—James with his calloused knees from prayer, Stephen full of power even as he was being stoned, Polycarp and Ignatius facing martyrdom with bold prayers—all lived lives of deep devotion.

The same gifts, the same power, and the same authority are still ours today. We simply need to reach out and lay hold of them through prayer and fasting. Our God does not change His mind, and He cannot lie. Therefore, His gifts and calling are irrevocable. Let us continually press in with effectual, fervent prayers, for “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts that You have given us. Help me to stir up the gifts that You have bestowed on me. Encourage my heart so that I might not be intimidated or afraid to use my God-given gifts. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Build Honest Wealth

Luke 16:10-13 NKJV

[10] He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. [11] Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? [12] And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?[13] “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

I recently got a request for a Switch 2 console. This is a little harder to find, as it just came out. But I started hunting one down and came across some by another seller I know, I’ve spent a couple hundred well buying stuff from him, so I figured maybe he’d cut me some slack or something. But I wasn’t gonna ask for special treatment, so I simply asked what kinda trade were you looking for in return for the Switch 2. His response shook me. He said that this kinda trade wouldn’t really be for me as he expects $700-$800 worth of consoles and games. Let me put it into perspective for you. The Switch 2 can be bought brand new from Nintendo themselves for $499.99 right now with a free game. This genuinely upset me. I’m all for making a profit but not like this.

This to me is Mammon. No longer caring about your fellow man and only about profit. He explained he liked to keep same and then sell the rest to get his money back. With $700-$800 worth of stuff, you’re more than getting your money back, you’re now taking advantage of people who don’t know any better. I decided in that moment I’d never buy from him or work with him again. This Isn’t the kinda seller I wanna be like or learn from. This is the kind of seller that gives other sellers a bad name. We all need to make money but not by taking advantage of others. We should never keep someone else down to push ourselves up. That’s how the wicked prospers and their end is destruction and death. Therefore, don’t be like them. You can’t take that money with you, so don’t let it take your eternity.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Build Honest Wealth.

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Stir To More

Romans 11:29 NKJV

29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Use it, or lose it.” But when it comes to God’s gifts and calling, that saying does not apply. What God has given you cannot be lost or revoked. Paul encourages his young protégé, Timothy, to “stir up the gift of God which is in you.” (2 Timothy 1:6).

We need to do the same thing—we must stir up the gifts given to us. Just as natural talents and skills are sharpened through training, practice, and repetition, spiritual gifts are activated the same way—by putting our faith into action.

We will never see the sick healed if we never pray for the sick. We will never exercise authority over demons if we never act in faith in the Name of Jesus when those situations arise.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stir To More.

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Work Out Your Own Salvation

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ~ Philippians 2:12-13

I heard a well-known preacher say that another preacher was a heretic. Why? Because the one preacher did not subscribe to the belief that we have absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. See, he didn’t believe that if God wanted you saved, you’d be saved. He believed that you had to choose God. That you had to make the decision to follow Him, while the other preacher believed that if God wanted you saved, you’d be saved and unable to resist His pull. So, what’s wrong with believing that? Isn’t salvation a gift from God so that no one can boast?

It absolutely is. The issue, though, is that believing God will save you if He wants to means that He doesn’t want to save everyone. This line of thinking doesn’t line up with the Word of God. See, Salvation was purchased entirely by Christ for us. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves; that is why there is no boasting. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have to choose Him. We do. He tells us to seek Him while He can still be found. To come to Him and He will give you rest. These aren’t the words of a God that only wants to save some while creating others specifically to burn in Hell for all eternity.

No, Paul tells us, “How will they believe, unless they hear? And how will they hear unless someone tells them?” This is Paul’s call to evangelism. To the spreading of the Word of God to all the nations. If we have absolutely no choice but to give in to God’s call, there would be no need to evangelize. No need to preach. Why? Because they’d have the call of God that they wouldn’t be able to resist, and they’d automatically follow regardless.

God promised that He would pour His Spirit out on all flesh, not some flesh, but all flesh. Therefore, He gave every single soul on earth the opportunity to be saved. He called, tugged on the heart of each and every single soul. Then He gives the final nail in the coffin, “anyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” These aren’t the words of someone who doesn’t desire all flesh to be saved. No. These are the words of a loving Creator that desires none to perish, but all come to acceptance.

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

2 Peter 3:9

Therefore, don’t just expect the LORD to change you without putting any work or effort into it. We are to work out our salvation with much fear and trembling. In other words, we are to humble ourselves before the Throne of Grace and crucify our flesh daily so that we might remain saved. So that we don’t lose this race set before us.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Work Out Your Salvation.

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