Tag: Daily Bread

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Seek God’s Understanding

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ~ Exodus 1:8

After Joseph saved Egypt, with the help of the wisdom of the LORD, a new king arose over Egypt that didn’t know Joseph. Because of this, he began the oppression of the Israelites in the land. The Hebrew word for know in this verse is oida. Oida often connotes not only having knowledge but also being able to understand that knowledge. What does this mean?

The new king didn’t know Joseph because he didn’t understand the power that rested upon Joseph. He didn’t understand that in having no regard for Joseph meant having no regard for the God of Joseph.

Many of us know of great men and women of God. We know their works and their wisdom, but we don’t understand their works or their teachings because we can’t comprehend how it fits the ideology we’ve created or accepted in our own mind. So, we mock them and call them false teachers and blasphemous because their actions didn’t make sense to our own biased beliefs. And in doing so, we don’t realize we are mocking the one who sent them. When we bring persecution upon a man or woman of God, we are persecuting Jesus, just as Saul did (Acts 22:7-8).

Jesus lives in and through His Church. This is why we are called the body of Christ because Christ (the head) dictates where the body must go and what the body must do. Therefore, don’t just make a blind judgment call on someone because they are different or believe differently than you. Seek the LORD for discernment as you test every spirit so that you might not persecute Christ because of the lack of understanding.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek God’s Understanding.

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Forbid Forbidden Fruit

13 You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, 14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. ~ Hosea 10:13-14

The forbidden fruit can seem more important than anything else. It looks good to the eyes, touch, and smell. It even promises to give you something, but what it’ll take from you is so much more. The iniquity that we cling to won’t allow us to live in peace. Why? Because unrighteousness can’t dwell with God.

See, our souls, deep down, yearn for God. It knows we need God. That we’re empty without Him because we’re empty without Him. So, our soul is being destroyed by the sin that we allow in our lives. Sin doesn’t want what’s best for you. Sin wants to destroy you. It wants to drain you of all you have until there is nothing left to give. Sin destroys, but God saves. Sin condemns, but God redeems. If we want the peace of God with all of the other many blessings and benefits that come with dwelling in the presence of God and abiding in His love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forbid Forbidden Fruit.

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If You Can Use Anything

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple He found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And He told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” ~ John 2:13-16

Money is important; without it, none can survive, but money shouldn’t be the main focus of the Church. Jesus flipped tables, poured out money, and even made a whip of chords to chase out the money changers. Why? Because they were focused on making money instead of ushering in the presence of God. Today’s churches are filled with coffee stands and even cafeterias where you can get all the drink and food you want, but the Church is still dying of dehydration and starvation. We go to church every Sunday, but we’re not getting fed. Our churches are filled with all the Starbucks you could ever want, but the well of Living Water has gone dry.

There’s nothing wrong with serving drinks and food at church. Jesus fed people as well, but Jesus made sure to Spiritually take care of their needs before He physically did. We have to make sure that we’re spiritually taking care of the people that come through those doors. Every song should usher in the presence of God. Every word spoken should be filled with power and authority from God. The Church should be full.

LORD, I may not be a leader in my church, but help me to be the change I want to see. If You can use anything and anyone, please use me. Awaken the sleeping spirit within me. Let revival start with me. Let the outpouring of Your Spirit start with me. Please mold me and make me so that I can be whatever vessel You need me to be. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Blow A Trumpet

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. ~ Joel 2:1-2

Throughout the Old Testament, prophets constantly heard and, therefore, prophesied that the day of the LORD was a frightening day. A day of darkness and gloom, yet Paul says it’s our blessed hope (Titus 2:11-14). John is told in his revelation that the Spirit and the bride say come, as well as the one who hears (Revelation 22:17). Why? Because we have been perfected in His perfect love that casts out all fear. Fear has to do with punishment, and we, His people, shall not be punished for we have been redeemed (1 John 4:18).

God Himself paid our debt. He took our punishment upon Himself. Why? So that when that last trumpet blasts and Jesus returns, we’ll rejoice because He will take us to be with Him forever and ever (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). So, blow a trumpet of warning within your heart. Awaken your sleeping spirit. The day of the LORD is at hand. It’s closer now than ever has been before. There are more and more signs of the times every day. Don’t miss them. Don’t ignore them. They are here, and more will come regardless of whether we like it or not. So, prepare for His return. Be ready so that that day may be a day of rejoicing, not a day of fear and dread.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Blow A Trumpet.

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Don’t Hinder Your Faith

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ~ Matthew 24:9-13

A time is coming and is now here when good will be called evil and evil will be called good. Sin and debauchery will be celebrated. Vileness and shameful things will be lifted up and proclaimed as wholesome and good. Christians will be arrested and thrown in prison, all for the sake of the Gospel. They will be beaten and their property confiscated. They will be seen as the enemy of the state, and their freedom will be revoked, but don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will be with us.

It’s more important now than it ever has been before to spread the Truth of the LORD. To share the Gospel of Christ with others. To shine a Light in the darkness. Jesus warned us ahead of time of the coming tribulation and great deception. They’re both knocking at our door. Fear is going before them, telling us that it won’t come to pass, especially not in our time. God won’t let anything bad happen to His faithful believers. These lies won’t help your endurance; they will only hinder your race. They’ll only hinder your faith. These days are coming whether we like it or not. So, strengthen your faith. Prepare for the coming times. If it doesn’t come in our time, then you would have only strengthened your faith and therefore built more treasures in heaven. But if it comes in our lifetime, and we are unprepared, how will we be able to stand?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For The Coming Times.

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Leave The Box

12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ ~ Amos 2:12

Many of us live our lives in a box, and because we live in the box, we drag God into the same box as well. God is all-powerful, but His power is restrained or limited by our faith. Jesus, God in the flesh, marveled at the unbelief of Nazareth, His hometown (Mark 6:1-6) because He could only do a few miracles and heal a few sick. If we refuse to believe God is more than Salvation and try to convince others of the same thing, then it’s not the beliefs we’re trying to stop; it’s God.

God wants to do more than save us from our sin. He wants to give us life more abundantly, but we have to believe it’s possible. We have to leave the box in order to see all that God has in store for us. We have to remove our biases and truly seek the Truth of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Leave The Box.

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Grieve The Ruin of Joseph

4 Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, 5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, 6 who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! ~ Amos 6:4-6

Many of us sing the popular worship songs but never change. Does that mean there’s something wrong with the worship songs we’re singing? I don’t believe so. I believe it’s a problem with us. Our hearts aren’t in it. Worship is meaningless unless the heart of the worshipper is aligned with the heart of God. If we seek God and follow Him, then our hearts will match the heart of God. And our heart will weep for what the heart of God weeps for.

Sin should grieve our hearts. The pain of others should grieve our hearts. The darkening of this world should grieve our hearts. If our hearts don’t match the heart of God, then no amount of worship will save you. You have to change by letting God melt your heart. Worship is important; it can be a gateway to the presence of the LORD, but worship only works when you leave changed. If you don’t change, if your heart doesn’t match the heart of God, your worship is meaningless and just empty words.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Grieve The Ruin of Joseph.

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Appreciate Grace

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. ~ Psalms 50:13-15

Paul said that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Romans 5:20-21). When we hear that, we get excited. We think it means that we can just sin and then ask for forgiveness later. This isn’t the purpose of grace. This isn’t the heart of God. The heart of God is love, but not the way that we see and define love. Love doesn’t take advantage of another, especially not another that we love. Love doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing; love rejoices in Truth.

The desire of God isn’t for constant sacrifice so that our constant sins will be forgiven. His desire is that we worship Him. That we don’t fall into sin but boldly walk into the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise. God desires that we abide in His love so that we may remain in His presence. Grace isn’t a free pass to sin. Grace is the redeeming blood of Jesus that washes our sins away and gives us another chance to do what is good and right. Because we have received grace, we should be giving the LORD a sacrifice of thanksgiving. This is how we enter His presence through His redeeming blood. Faith in Him and a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Appreciate Grace.

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Let Your Faith Be Multiplied

31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. ~ Mark 4:31-32

There is great importance in developing our faith and putting it into action. Because without faith, it’s impossible to please God. I also believe that if we don’t put our faith into action and grow that mustard seed, we’ll have to give an account for it on the day of judgment, and the results may not be so pleasant.

God doesn’t just give us faith to hide away within ourselves and never use. Jesus, Himself said that certain signs would follow believers. The only way to have those signs follow you is to have faith. We’ve all been given a certain amount of faith, some more than others, but we’ve all been given the capability to increase our faith.

If you want to see prayers answered, the sick healed, the prodigal returned, and the addict freed, then you have to grow your faith. It can’t remain stagnant. It needs to be planted and watered. It needs to be strengthened and multiple.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let Your Faith Be Multiplied.

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Can It Withstand Fire?

13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ~ 1 Corinthians 3:13

All things we do, whether good or bad, will be manifested before God at the Final Judgment. There’s nothing we can hide from God. He is the Light in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome Him. Our lives here on this earth aren’t pointless. We were each created for a great purpose. What we do on the way to fulfilling that purpose will be placed before the LORD. God knows that we aren’t perfect. He knows that we make mistakes, so He gives grace to those who follow Him and are striving for righteousness.

On that day, when the LORD will test the works of all of mankind, He will take into account grace. The grace that comes with salvation. We should never live stagnant in fear of making mistakes; neither should we live without regard for the laws of God. We have to hold the Word of God within our hearts. We have to live with the fear of the LORD. Not fear that causes us to live stagnantly, but the righteous fear of the LORD that shows us the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness. Good and evil. The fear of the LORD that guards our hearts against evil thoughts and intentions.

LORD God, please fill me with a healthy fear of You. Help me to not count You as common or without regard to the Holiness of who You are. Help me to strive for righteousness and goodness all the days of my life. Teach me right from wrong that I might not sin against You. Please give me a Spirit of Discernment that I might discern all that comes before me. So, that on that great day of Judgment, my works might withstand the test of Your righteous fire. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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