Devotional Archives

November 23, 2020November 18, 2020

Rejoice In Tribulation

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” ~ Matthew 5:11-12

As Christians, we are attacked by the world simply because of the Name of Jesus. We often become discouraged, overwhelmed, stressed, depressed, etc. because we only see the pain in this moment. We can’t look forward to eternity and see how short the pain will last on this Earth compared to eternity.

Tribulations will come, it’s unavoidable. Persecution will come, it’s everywhere. But don’t be discouraged, be encouraged because if the world loved you, you would be of the world. Instead the world hates you because you are not a part of the world. You have been chosen by God and separated from the world. So rejoice and be glad when you are despised or persecuted, for your rewards will be great in Heaven.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Rejoice.

Back to Praise?

Back to Daily Bread?

Bold As A Lion

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” ~ Proverbs 28:1

As children of God Almighty, we are the righteous, so we have nothing to fear. We are to be bold as a lion. We’re not supposed to bow down and quiver in fear, but instead we’re supposed to stand firm and roar. Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from going after what you want. Don’t let the fear of looking stupid keep you from having fun. Don’t let fear take control of your life, you are one of the righteous, and you are as bold as a lion.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be As Bold As A Lion.

Back to Fear?

Back to Daily Bread?

Prevail With God

“¹⁹They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.” ~ Jeremiah 1:19

God never says that trouble won’t come. He never says that the enemy won’t strike, but instead God promises the enemy won’t prevail over us because God is with us, and He will deliver us from all attacks of the enemy. The enemy may not leave right away, but when we add the worship aspect, as Jesus did, He feels, for God is enthroned on the praises of His people.

Don’t give up when struggles and temptations show up because you will be able to overcome through the blood of the Lamb, the Holy Spirit, and your testimony. God never sends you out into battle alone, so don’t run out into combat without back up. No war and no battle is won with just one person, and spiritual battle is no different. Fight the good fight.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prevail With God.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

The God-Factor

“He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.’” ~ 2 Chronicles 32:6-7

Judah was being threatened by Assyria, and yes they were the leading world power. Yes they had a large, mighty, experienced, and well-funded army. But Hezekiah reminded them of the God-factor. And today, you may be facing your Assyria. Maybe you’re being bullied at work or at school. Maybe it is a health issue or a problem only God knows about, and it’s overwhelming.

Or maybe you just need to be reminded this morning of the greater power that dwells in you. For greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. Don’t be afraid you are an overcomer because you are a child of God. Be strong; you can do all things because Christ strengthens you. You are blessed and highly favored, because you are a creation and child of God.

Heavenly Father, pour out Your love today on Your people. Encourage hearts and strengthen minds. We are Your people and the sheep of Your pastures. Cover and provide for each household that reads and believes this message this morning. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Be Fueled By Faith

“¹⁸When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. ¹⁹And he said to his father, ‘Oh, my head, my head!’ The father said to his servant, ‘Carry him to his mother.’ ²⁰And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. ²¹And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.

²²Then she called to her husband and said, ‘Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.’ ²³And he said, ‘Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.’ She said, ‘All is well.’ ²⁴Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, ‘Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.’ ²⁵So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.” ~ 2 Kings 4:18-25

When the Shunammite woman’s son died, she went straight to Elisha. She didn’t go to her friends. She didn’t go to her family. She didn’t complain. She didn’t get upset. She went straight to the Man of God. When people asked her how she is doing and about her son, she just responded: “all is well.” She never allowed what her eyes saw to be the final say. She never allowed the physical to dictate the spiritual.

Her faith was never shaken because she remembered the miracles of her past. She remembered the answered prayers. Her faith was dictated what she saw, not the other way around. That’s how we need to be. Our faith should dictate what we see. When tragedy hits, we should see hope. When trials come, we should see miracles. We should live our lives fueled by our faith. Our Faith should guide our walk. Our talk. Our actions. And our thoughts. Our faith should be the lens that we see the world through.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Fueled By Faith.

Back to Faith?

Back to Daily Bread?

Put Your Trust In The LORD

“²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” ~ Matthew 6:27

Anxiety is the number one mental illness in the U.S. 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety on a day to day basis. Anxiety stems from Fear. It’s one of Fear’s biggest weapons because it paralyzes you. It keeps you frozen and takes years off your life. There are things in life that we can’t control, and that’s what we have to understand.

We can either continue to allow fear to overrun our lives or we can trust God because He cares for us. Being anxious or afraid won’t help what you’re anxious about or afraid of. The only thing you can do to help what you’re afraid of or anxious about is to pray about it and bring it before the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Put Your Trust In The LORD.

Back to Fear?

Back to Daily Bread?

Chase His Presence

“And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.” ~ 2 Chronicles 11:16

Sometimes in life, we have to uproot and move to fulfill the need for the Presence of God. We have to leave everything behind, all that we are comfortable and familiar with, but moving to the place of His presence is the most important thing to do. Sometimes we may have to change churches and even have to move to a new country, new city, new school, new job, new career, leave friends and family, but chasing God and abiding in His presence is worth it all.

Back to Growth

Back to Daily Bread?

Go Straight To God

“⁶do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7

How often do struggles come, and we feel trapped, do we go straight to God? Often times, we go straight to our friends, but not for help, but to complain. Instead of seeking peace, we bond with anxiety and fear by continuously speaking of the struggle, when we should be seeking God. We should be crying out to God for His help. For His mercy. For His goodness. We should lay our pain before the LORD, and He will remove your anxieties. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen if we give it all to God and lay it at His feet.

LORD God thank You for all that You’ve given us. Thank You for the peace that You have given me. Please, LORD God help me to accept Your peace. Help me to not overthink things, but to place everything before You. Be with me now, oh LORD, even now as I pray. Let me feel Your presence. Let me know Your ways. Lead me to Your perfect solution to my problem. Thank You LORD God for answering my prayer before I even see the result. So LORD God help me to be like Daniel and not give up until I have my answer. In the Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go Straight To God.

Back to Fear?

Back to Daily Bread?

Stand In The Gap

“¹⁹Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.” ~ Ezekiel 14:19-20

Often, we have this idea that we can save our loved ones if we’re good enough. If we can just do enough good and love God enough, our loved ones can enter in on our good name. But they can’t. We each have to give an account for our own lives, not the lives of someone else. Not even Noah, Daniel, or Job could deliver someone else from their own fate.

Just as we can’t win a race for someone else, we can’t receive Salvation for them either. All we can do is stand in the gap. Intercede on their behalf as Moses did. Teach them the ways of righteousness, as Abraham did. Be an example of righteousness and faith as Daniel was. Take the good and the bad as Job did. Preach the Truth, even if no one listens, just as Noah did. We may not be able to deliver someone else from their fate, but we can show them another way and pray that they follow it.

Stand in the gap for your loved ones. Be an example for them. And maybe they will be able to stand for themselves on the Day of Judgment without fear because they have been saved.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stand In The Gap.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Seek Him and Wait

“²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” ~ Lamentations 3:25

Sometimes we look to the LORD for a short while, and when nothing happens when we want them to or expect them to, we get upset. We give up. And we turn away. We expect God to do things immediately the very first time we speak to Him or ask something of Him. We treat God like a genie in a bottle meant to give us our wishes as we ask them. But God is so much more, and He desires so much more. He wants you to seek Him, not for what He can give you, but for Him.

He desires a relationship with you. From the garden, He desired a relationship with us. He would come down from His throne and walk and talk with Adam and Eve. He doesn’t come on our time, but He comes when the timing is perfect. If we would only wait for Him and seek a relationship with Him diligently, we would see things begin to happen. We would see doors opened that were once closed. Miracles take place. Prayers answered. When we seek God first, He will then give us the desires of our hearts.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Wait For Him.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?