Daily Bread Archives

November 13, 2022November 13, 2022

Flee Sin

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Paul said the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God. Then he made a list of offenses that were separated by the word “neither.” Did you notice that? I believe by inserting the word “neither,” he was making a distinction between the wicked and someone else. So why did he make a distinction? What exactly did he mean by that?

I believe when he referred to the wicked, it was those who openly and outrightly rejected Jesus, so to be sure, he said not only those who will not enter in but those who may believe, who may call them Christians, who break down the church door every Sunday. In other words, those who disguise themselves as sheep yet still indulge in then he listed a string of offenses, including Sexual immorality, Idolaters, Adulterers, Male prostitutes, Homosexual offenders, Thieves, Greedy, Drunkards, Slanderers, and Swindlers.

And then there are those who claim holiness and love for God yet throw their lot in with those who support, celebrate, and encourage this kind of wickedness against God. Let me suggest something to you, if you support it, vote for it, or deny it when you know it is going on, you are a part of it, and you are just as guilty. According to Scripture, Christians are not even to eat with those who say they are Christians, yet willfully do all these disgraces against God. They even support the shedding of innocent blood, something that God hates totally and will swiftly bring His judgment.

Everything you do in this life will have a consequence in the next. Whether the consequence is good or bad will be determined by your actions. Don’t let something that seems important now keep you from an eternity of peace and joy with your Creator because, in eternity, it won’t matter.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Flee Sin.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Choose Freedom Over Slavery

³⁸Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in Him.” ~ John 18:38

Pilate was confused about the meaning of Truth, at least knowing how to recognize it. He lived in a time when the pagan gods were worshipped as truth. Their world was centered around religion, but they were still bound up in their sins. Today, we are in the same dilemma as Pilate. We’re living in a society where we’re constantly trying to get to the bottom of Pilate’s question, what is Truth?

Today’s society is hard-pressed against answering this question. We no longer seek Truth, but instead, we now only want our own truth. Jesus said He is the Truth. Jesus said that the Truth will set us free. Right now, we no longer seek the Truth because we no longer want to be free. In our society, we’ve normalized slavery. Slavery to darkness. Slavery to lies. Slavery to sin. Why? Because in the darkness, we don’t have to change. We don’t have to accept that we are flawed and we need a Savior.

This is how the enemy keeps us bound up in chains. This is how the enemy keeps us from the freedom of Jesus. The enemy convinces us that our chains are actually freedom, and our freedom is actually chains. The only way to overcome these lies is to step out of the darkness into the light that is Christ Jesus. The only way to do this is to accept the one and only Truth. And that Truth is the LORD Jesus Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Freedom Over Slavery.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Join The Good Fight

¹The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ~ Psalms 110:1

The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. He has never lost one battle, and He has never been defeated in war. Jesus gave His life in battle, yes, but it was in order to save us, His brothers and sisters. He hung on the cross of Calvary on that dark and dreadful day when He became the sacrifice for our sins. It was the only way.

But, by giving His life, He actually won the war. Now He is seated at the right hand of power. Having won the war for our souls, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, and now He is recruiting soldiers to fight this great spiritual war. He’s looking for men and women like you and like me, who will stand and fight, and after doing all to stand, that we therefore stand. When we conquer, we will be veterans as Christ is a veteran, and as a reward, we will live with God in eternity forever and ever. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and pain will be no more.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Join The Good Fight.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Hope in God’s Plan

²¹But we had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ~ Luke 24:21

The disciples’ great hope had died with Jesus. They were living in a hopeless world now. Their focus was on what their eyes could see: The mock trial. The sentencing. The crucifixion. The death. The burial. What went wrong? God, why did You not answer? LORD, You know we’ve been waiting for so long.

This is what went wrong. This is the problem. They only heard what they wanted to hear. They only saw the Jesus that they had conjured up in their own minds. He had told them plainly that He would have to suffer and even die, but no one took that seriously. Because that was not what they wanted or expected. That was not a part of their plan, their agenda, or their vision.

They had shut their ears to the teaching and the promises of Jesus. And instead, they had their own expectation of who the Messiah was, and what He would do, and even how He would do it. But God is not bound by our limited imaginations. God said that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). In other words, God doesn’t work how we expect Him to work. God works according to His perfect and just plans.

If we want to remain encouraged and filled with hope, we have to set aside our plans and cling to the plans of God. His plans are for our good, so we don’t have to worry. We can put our trust in Him. Our hope will never die if our hope is in the LORD God Almighty.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Hope in God’s Plan.

Back to Hope?

Back to Daily Bread?

Be a Witness to the Light

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ~ John 3:16-18

Jesus’ one purpose was to save mankind through His shed blood on Calvary. Through this one righteous act, Jesus would save the whole world if we would only believe in Him. If we would only come to Him and accept His free gift of life. It’s not for no reason that people should serve God. Jesus has promised great and mighty promises for His people. And to receive it, all you have to do is to believe, and you will inherit the promises of God.

So, what exactly do you have to believe? That Jesus is the only Son of God. That He gave His life so that you might live. Then you have to do two actions; repent and accept Him as LORD and Savior. That’s how you are saved. That is the essence of salvation. It’s so simple. All of the heavy lifting has already been done for us. Why? Because it’s not God’s will for any to perish, but that all come to acceptance.

God wants everyone saved, yet many will not be saved because they refuse to believe that Jesus is LORD. Jesus just doesn’t fit their own preconceived ideas of who God is or what God stands for. It’s also because they refuse to give up their own wants and desires. Self-love has consumed so many lives. Another reason is because they refuse to repent of their sins. Some refuse to repent because of shame, others because they don’t believe they have done anything wrong. But the root cause of the rejection of Christ is because men love the darkness more than they love the light. Why? Because darkness has become like home. It’s where we’re comfortable and oddly feel safe. It’s where we can dwell in our sin without feeling shame or regret. It’s where our flesh can thrive. But this darkness only leads to more darkness. It only leads to death.

God’s desire is that we come out of this darkness and into the light which is life. This is why Jesus came to earth as a baby. This is why He set off His Godliness and became a man. He understood what was at stake. He understood that He was the only one that could save mankind. Therefore, we, who are Christians, should follow Christ’s example. If we have loved ones who are not serving Jesus or have not accepted Him as LORD and Savior, then we should be down on our knees day and night with tears and pleas of mercy for them. Today is the day of salvation; tomorrow is promised to no man. Don’t wait for fate or for them to make the decision on their own. Take it before the Father. Take your prayers and pleas for their soul before the Throne of Grace. As you pray, quote Scripture over them, declaring freedom from whatever is holding them back from repenting. Stand in the gap for your loved ones.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be a Witness to the Light.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Deny Your Offense

¹²And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ~ Matthew 24:12

One of the last signs of the coming of Jesus is that lawlessness will increase. The word “lawlessness” implies a sense of judgment since it implies that there is a law, but the law is ignored and so gives a sense of wrongdoing. So, what law is ignored? The law of God.

There will be no regard for the law of God in the last days. And I’m pretty sure we are living in those days now. Look around with an unbiased eye at what’s really going on. And if you’re not convinced, I don’t know what else to say. The law of God is no longer acceptable in even the Church, where it should dwell powerfully and without fear of offense, but it’s the Church that’s offended more than anyone else by the law of God. Why? Because the love of many is growing cold. We are more focused on our own feelings than the Truth of who God is. We create new laws that go against the laws of God. Why? Our own flesh.

We are living in the last days. The LORD Jesus will soon return. The LORD Jesus will soon come back to get His people. Are you ready? Are your loved ones ready? Don’t allow your flesh or your own personal offenses to keep you out of Heaven. Don’t let them to keep your loved ones out of Heaven. Lay all things at the altar of the LORD God Almighty. Let Him carry your load. Don’t be offended by what’s right and what’s wrong. Let the only Truth set you and your loved ones free.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Deny Your Offense.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Withstand the Test

⁷And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. ⁸They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” ¹¹But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?” ~ Exodus 32:7-11

When the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they turned from God to idols, even though they had just witnessed the very power of the LORD their God. So, His anger burned against them, and He threatened to destroy them and start over with Moses. It wasn’t because God just overlooked their sin that the people of Israel were spared. It was because Moses stood in the gap, begging the LORD to have mercy on them. Moses brought a case to God as if he was in a courtroom. This is what God is looking for.

God is looking for a Moses to stand in the gap and plead a case for our loved ones and/or ourselves. Sometimes, God tests our faith and our commitment to ourselves and our loved ones by condemning them or us because of our or their own actions. When God threatened to destroy Israel because of their idolatry in the wilderness, only the plea of Moses brought the mercy of God. This is what God is looking for. The firm, unwavering love of someone. God isn’t looking to destroy His people. God doesn’t even take pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. God takes pleasure in the redemption of His people and the salvation of the wicked. Therefore, when it seems like the LORD has turned against you or your loved ones, plead your case. This isn’t God’s desire that any perish; it’s His desire that we each withstand the test. Therefore, plead your case so that you might save your life and life of your loved ones.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Withstand the Test.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Go In Confidence

³¹When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. ³²And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” ³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. ~ 1 Samuel 17:31-35

They say there are five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. My love language is words of affirmation. I’m a big words person. In fact, my room is covered I my favorite quotes all over my walls. Words will either make or break me. But David didn’t care about other people’s words. He only cared about God’s words. See, David had just been given a promise by God. He had just been anointed king of Israel. This promise is probably a big part of David’s confidence and assurance because God Himself had called him by name, and that was all that mattered to David.

So, many of us today, myself included, depend on others to fulfill and satisfy our love language so that we can have a good uplifting day. The problem is that the only person we should seek to fulfill and satisfy this need in us is God. He will never disregard or disappoint you. He is the very essence of love. He is love itself. So, when someone rejects you, tears you down, overlooks you, or makes you feel invisible, insignificant, or small, remind yourself that God has chosen you by name to be His child, and no one can remove you from His hand nor His love.

Don’t count on others to satisfy and fulfill your love language. Count on God and God alone who made you. No one will ever truly be able to satisfy your love language except for God because no one else is perfect like God. Therefore, seek Him. Spend time with Him. Worship Him. And follow Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go In Confidence.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

Get Ears to Hear

⁹And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ~ Mark 4:9

Jesus makes a rather odd statement after teaching. He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” This seems pretty odd because everybody has ears. He didn’t say all who have the ability to hear, let them hear. He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Keep in mind that even the deaf came to Jesus. Therefore, Jesus must’ve been spiritually speaking. He was talking about our spiritual ears, not our physical ears. See, some of us are spiritually deaf. We hear the Gospel, but it doesn’t cut us to the heart. We hear the good news of God, but it doesn’t change us. We’re physically hearing these things but not spiritually; it’s like our spiritual ears have been cut off.

This is because the fire in us has grown cold. Our spirit has chased other spirits instead of the Spirit of God. We have to do more than go to church and hear the word of God preached on Sunday mornings. Those who taught the Scriptures in the time of Jesus led the persecution and murder of Jesus and His followers. We have to seek a relationship with Jesus, and in doing so, He will give us ears to hear. And once we have ears to hear, He’ll begin to mold our hearts to seek His Kingdom first above all else.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Get Ears to Hear.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Strike It From Your Heart

³⁰But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” ³¹Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ³²So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. ³³And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” ~ Numbers 13:30–33

In 2006, Mel Gibson released a movie entitled, Apocalypto, based on the Mayans and their culture. In the film, the chief of a tribe warns his son of allowing fear into his heart because of the refugees they had just encountered, fleeing their homes and seeking a new start. This is what he tells him,

Fear is a sickness. It will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages it. It has tainted your peace already. I did not raise you to see you live with fear. Strike it from your heart. Do not bring it into our village.
Flint Sky,
Apocalypto

God told the people of Israel to go in and take the land because He was giving it to them as their inheritance. But the spies who went in to spy out the land, except for Caleb and Joshua, returned with fear in their hearts because of the Nephilim, and they spread fear through the whole camp and made the people too afraid to take what was theirs.

Fear leads to defeat, even before you start. Not one arrow flew, not one sword was drawn, not one rock flew out of a sling, but they were already defeated. What is happening now in our world is the unleashing of fear as a weapon, not only as a weapon but as a tool to keep people compliant. It silences Christians as we watch our world fall deeper and deeper into darkness. It stops us from even trying and spreads to those around us like a disease. Striking down each victim starting in their heart.

There’re many giants that we have to face in this world. Some will be scarier than others, but we have to strike fear from our hearts lest it consumes us and we fall subject to it. The only way to overcome our fear is to have faith in the love that God has for us. If He’s called you to do something, then you stand in faith, knowing that the LORD is and will fight for you. All you have to do is keep moving forward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strike It From Your Heart.

Back to Fear?

Back to Daily Bread?