Daily Bread Archives

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

Be Thankful For Our God

⁵Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:5-6

In response to Thomas’ question about knowing the way, Jesus leaves no doubt in the minds of His hearers. He made it plain and simple by saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” But Jesus doesn’t leave it there; He takes it a step further and adds a very bold claim; some may even consider it a narrow-minded statement. “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

So, there is no doubt what Jesus’ claim is here. There is no other way to salvation except through Him. It is through faith in Jesus Christ, the faith that He has paid the penalty for our sins and that it is only He who can forgive sins, and because of our repentance and belief in Him we receive salvation.

Our entire salvation has been purchased by Jesus. Knowing that we don’t have any way of achieving salvation through our own merit or works, Jesus set aside His Godliness and took on flesh so that He could take our place on the cross. We have so much to be thankful for. There’s no other religion where the Almighty God comes down to save all of the wicked mankind.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Thankful For Our God.

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Grow Your Mustard Seed of Faith

²⁴And He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” ~ Mark 4:24-25

Jesus told us to pay attention to what we hear, but what does that mean? Jesus is simply saying, use your faith, and you will receive a reward. The more you use, the more you will receive, and the more will be added.

Jesus said that all you need is a Mustard Seed of faith. Understand that a mustard seed starts out small but grows into a mountain-moving faith, and it doesn’t have to take very long. Because the measure you use will be measured back to you, and still more will be added.

That is why Peter and John were so confident when they said, “Silver and gold I have not, but what I do have, give I unto you,” and then proceeded to say, “In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk,” in full confidence that it would be so.

That is why people could bring handkerchiefs and aprons and place them on Paul’s body, and demons would come out, and diseases would be healed. That is why they would place sick people in Peter’s path just so that his shadow would fall on them as he passed by, and just his shadow would heal them. They didn’t just have faith; they put that faith into action.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grow Your Mustard Seed of Faith.

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Hear The Living Word of God

¹⁵He who has ears to hear, let him hear. ~ Matthew 11:15

The Word of God is living and active; therefore, it cannot lie dormant or inactive; it must be stirred up within us. How do we receive the Word of God? Through hearing. Once we receive the Word, then we must mix it with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith and put it into action. We put it into action through word and deed.

In other words, we live what we preach, and we preach what we live. No one hides a lamp under a bowl but puts it on a stand so that the whole room can be lit and those in the room can benefit from it. It’s the same principle in the Parable of the Mustard Seed. When it’s fully grown, it grows into the largest of all the garden plants, and the birds of the air come and nest in the branches. It benefits all.

Jesus declared that there is a right way and a wrong way to hear; that is why He solemnly warned us to be careful how we hear. When we study the original Greek, we find that there are two types of hearing. One where we let sound or words pass through our ear canal and right out the other ear canal. Those words are meaningless to the hearer because they did not meet or did not mix it with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith. It’s as the saying goes, “My words fell on deaf ears.” Therefore, it was of no benefit to those who heard.

Then there is a right way to hear. It is the hearing that is both present and active, as well as past and active. When a word is spoken to us, we immediately receive the Word, like the fourth hearer in the Parable of the Sower, and it is immediately mixed with [(ho) Pistis] The Faith, and it produces a harvest of a hundredfold.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hear The Living Word of God.

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Accept The Mercies of God

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; ²³ His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

Many say that God won’t punish us for our sins because He loves us. But here’s the thing, love doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing; it can’t accept wrongdoing. Love can only abide in the Truth. So, God’s steadfast love never ceases, but at some point in time, the Last Judgment will happen. It’s not because God hates you but because you chose to live your life as if He doesn’t even exist. We’re each given a certain amount of time on this earth, and what we do with that time is up to us. So, use your time wisely. Don’t waste it. You only have this one life to accept salvation. Every morning we’re given another chance because of the mercy of God. Accept the mercy that is given to us each morning through the grace of God by faith in Jesus.

Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Mercy is only shown to those who have humbled themselves to repentance, and their debt is paid by someone else. And God is our sun because His mercies are renewed every morning that He rises and overcomes the darkness of night, which is why in Eternity, there will be no more night.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Accept The Mercies of God.

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Be Aware of Temptations By The Enemy

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. ¹ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ~ 1 John 1:9-2:1

I believe Repentance is an ongoing thing. We are instructed not to sin, but if we do sin, and I am not talking about deliberate sinning, the kind where we are now taking advantage of God’s grace but honest mistakes, we have Jesus as our Advocate. We confess, repent, and endeavor not to commit the same sin again and again. Otherwise, we will be crucifying the Son of God over and over again. No one who has repented, or changed their worldview, continues to willfully sin just because they feel they can repent for it later because of grace.

Grace isn’t a license to sin. It’s not an indulgence. When you get saved, a temptation will come. It will be a really good opportunity, one that you feel you cannot pass up, because it’s a chance of a lifetime, at least you feel it’s a chance of a lifetime. A chance like Joseph had to sleep with the master’s wife, but it’s a lie, DO NOT FALL FOR IT. Look out for temptations by the enemy. Be on guard.

John told us that Jesus is faithful and just to forgive anyone who asks Him to, and we can rest assured in that promise. So, we endeavor not to continue living in the flesh, or in other words, we stop willfully sinning. Why? Because you change in pursuit of dwelling forever in the presence of the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Aware of Temptations By The Enemy.

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Pay Attention To What You Hear

Jesus told us to pay attention to what we hear, but why? Shouldn’t we hear all arguments and points of view before we come to our decision? Here’s what Jesus is saying. Pay attention to what you hear because the measure you use it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. It’s not about the general hearing but the hearing and believing that Jesus is talking about.

It’s hard to put everything into a word that you are not sure you can trust. In other words, not every word is for you. Maybe it’s not you that the LORD is prompting to sow that $1,000 seed. Maybe it’s your neighbor sitting next to you or in the opposite row from you. But if it’s you that God is speaking to, you had better obey. It is better to obey than to sacrifice.

Again, we can connect this to the servant with the five talents who turned it into ten talents. It is the fourth hearer who received a hundredfold. The flip side is this. If you receive a Rhema Word, and do not mix it with [(ho) Pistis], The Faith! And if you do not act on it, it will be taken away from you and given to him, who already has.

How long before that happens? I don’t know. Because God is a merciful and patient God, but nevertheless, from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Whether it is in the here and now or in the Judgment, it will come to pass. For to the one who uses [(ho) Pistis], The Faith, with the measure that he is given, it will be measured back to him, and still, more will be added.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention To What You Hear.

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Mimic Christ

²¹And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise Him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” ²²And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. ²³For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another. ~ 2 Chronicles 20:21-23

The king did not send out spies, nor did he set up his battle lines, nor did he arrange the artillery of longbows to volley arrows. He doesn’t even set a plan B, just in case. Just in case Brother Jahaziel had gotten it wrong. What he did was; after taking counsel with the people, he appointed singers. Praise and worship leaders in holy attire to go before the army.

These were not men who were all tatted up and looking like the world with their pants hanging off. They weren’t dressed in torn-up jeans and worn-out T-shirts, nor were they dressed in Bermuda shorts and shoeless. Their toes weren’t grabbing the grass. They weren’t flipping dirt with their big toes. No, they were dressed in their Sunday best, not in their Saturday worst. It was in holy attire singing:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

I want you to understand something. The word Judah means “Praise” or “Praise Yahweh.” Now, Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are always associated with occult and idol worship, and they were always hostile to Judah. Judah was the tribe of singers, worshippers, and praisers. That was who they were. That’s what the LORD intended our worship leaders to be today. He didn’t intend for us to look like the world; instead, He intended for us to come out of the world. For the world to know who we are, which is why the world doesn’t accept us but hates us.

Yes, God can use all people, regardless of their outward appearance or their past. Yes, we are to come as we are, but we aren’t to stay as we are, nor are we to try to imitate the world in order to intrigue the world. We are to be a light in this dark world because we are to guide those in the darkness to the light. To God. To Jesus. We are to mimic Christ, not mimic the world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Mimic Christ.

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Serve The LORD With Gladness of Heart

¹ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! ² Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ~ Psalms 100:1-2

The LORD God wants us to be celebratory in worship. He does not want long sad faces but happy, joyful faces, and elated spirits. He wants us to clap our hands enthusiastically and sing with triumphant voices, for He is good, and His love endures forever.

The LORD gives us joy and peace because He has reconciled our souls to Him. God does not take pleasure in us losing or in our sorrows but in joy and in celebrations.

So, make an effort today to say that this is the day that the LORD has made and given to me. Therefore, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I will take pleasure in serving the LORD as He takes pleasure in me serving Him.

It is a joy for the LORD to bless us in everything we do. Therefore, we will bless the LORD with our mouth, with our hands, with our feet, and with all of our strength, and with everything that is within us. Will serve Him with gladness of heart.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us joy. Help me to forget about today’s hurts and tomorrow’s pain. Help me to focus on you as you deliver me from the hand of the enemy so that I can rejoice and be glad. Thank you, Father, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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Put Your Rhema Word Into Action

¹⁴And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. ¹⁵And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. ¹⁷You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” ¹⁸Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. ¹⁹And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. ²⁰And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.” ~ 2 Chronicles 20:14-20

Please understand that a great multitude of Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites were coming up to do battle against Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was terrified. So, he set his face to seek the LORD by proclaiming a fast throughout Judah. And the whole of Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD. Then Jahaziel received a Rhema word from the LORD. He said, “This is what the LORD says,” and he proceeded to say what he had just heard from the LORD.

The Rhema Word that they heard was immediately received and acted upon. They did not debate it. They did not form a committee to determine the accuracy of the Rhema. They heard it. They recognized who it came from. Because it resonated with them. They accepted it. They immediately put it into action. They began to worship. They began to praise. They began to give thanks for His deliverance.

But I want to point something out to you. Jahaziel was not a Johnny-come-lately. He was not a wishy-washy man. He was not a stranger among friends. They knew him and his daddy and daddy’s daddy and his daddy. They knew him to be a creditable man.

Therefore, the Rhema Word was received, accepted, and mixed with [(ho) Pistis], The Faith! And they celebrated it. Why? Because Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” If Jahaziel was in the habit of saying, “Thus sayeth the LORD…” When the LORD had not spoken, do you think the congregation would trust his words now, in such a dire time as this? Probably not.

How did they react to the Rhema Word? Did they let the word lie dormant after receiving it? Or did they immediately put it into action? They immediately put it into action. King Jehoshaphat and all of Judah recognized what they had heard. They recognized that it came from the LORD. So, they mixed their Rhema Word with faith and put that faith into action.

Far too often, people are led astray by their own desires because they confuse them with a word from God. We have to learn to hear the Spirit of the LORD and the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. When we’ve done this, we then have to believe the Rhema Word given to us and put it into action faith. Believing a Word from God is for us isn’t enough; we have to then put that faith into action, lest we make it void.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Rhema Word Into Action.

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Chase The Presence of The Almighty

¹As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. ²My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God? ~ Psalms 42:1-2^KJV

The problem is that we don’t hunger nor thirst for the presence of God. We barely make it out to church, much less chase His presence. We’re too spiritually lazy to chase after the presence of Jesus, and we don’t want anyone leaving us behind, so that is why some discourage others from chasing the presence of God. They don’t want to, so they don’t want you to either.

The face or the countenance of God is the sign of His blessing and His favor. The countenance, or the presence of God, affects those with whom it comes into contact with. So then, if they are the same word, then it would stand to reason that if you are chasing the presence of God, you would have to be actively seeking the face of God, the very thing He instructed us to do.

We are instructed to seek the face of God. This is beyond dispute. No way can you argue against it. No how can you deny it. You just can’t. We are to chase the presence of Almighty God. If we remain stagnant, then we’ll never grow. If we never grow, then we’ll never produce fruit. If we never produce fruit, then the LORD will have to cut us off. We have to chase the presence of God in order to remain in His presence.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Chase The Presence of The Almighty.

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