Devotional Archives

January 28, 2022January 30, 2022

Work Off The Fat

²Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. ~ Psalms 119:2^NLT

Freedom starts with calling on the Name of Jesus, but it doesn’t stop there. Now, the real work for us begins. We have to now fight our flesh. How do we do that? We start with our mind. There is no sin that we commit that we have never thought about beforehand. We have to entertain sin in order to give into it.

Just changing our thoughts sounds easy enough, but that’s not the case. See, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Imagine you’re extremely overweight and out-of-shape, but you now have to start training to complete an Ironman. That’s essentially what happens when we get saved. Sure, some of us start out more out of shape than others, but we’re all working towards that one goal, completing the Ironman.

So, now instead of sleeping in, we have to get up early to pray. Instead of binging another episode, we have to turn off the TV and read our Bible. And instead of spending another 3 hours listening to secular music, we have to worship. It goes against our very nature and will be extremely difficult, but don’t be discouraged; God is working on you from the inside out. You’re not changing yourself; He’s changing you.

When we set our desires on God, and we start fighting to have a true relationship with Him, the weight will begin to fall off. Our minds will begin to be transformed. Our heart will begin to melt from its state of stone. So, don’t give up or lose hope. Strongholds are broken, and the weight of sin will melt off; you just have to fight for it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Work Off The Fat.

Back to Growth?

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Plant Generously

⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:6^NLT

The culture has vastly shifted over the decades. The 2000s brought a new outlook on life, specifically, the idea that everyone’s a winner and everyone gets an equal prize because we don’t want to hurt our children’s feelings. When we first look at this, it really doesn’t sound so bad, but what have been the effects? Entitlement. Microwave TV Dinner Syndrome.

When we remove the necessity of competition and hard work, we lower ambition and determination. We no longer have to fight for what we want; it’s handed to us. So, what happens? Entitled children become entitled adults, and nothing changes.

We can’t function, grow, learn, or contribute to anything with an entitlement mentality and/or microwave mentality. Nothing in life is free. You have to work for everything. I’d imagine a lot of us are agreeing right about now, but a lot of us don’t realize we’ve become Entitled Christians. We’ve been given salvation so freely that we forget that that’s just the beginning. Once we are saved, we have to work. We have to run the race set before us. We have to fight the good fight.

We can’t just say a simple prayer and then move on, expecting God to just do everything. What good are your prayers without any action? How many of us can say that we push deeper into praying and seeking God when we don’t get an answer the first time or even 5^th time. Elijah had to pray seven times for the rain to come, Jacob had to wrestle with God all night to be blessed, Daniel had to pray 21 days straight in order to get an answer from God.

Sometimes you have to dig deeper. Sometimes you have to wrestle with God, men, and the spirit realm all around us. We can’t afford to be entitled, lest we miss out on a large harvest because we only planted one seed.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Plant Generously.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

The Kingdom of God Has Come

¹ O Lord, who shall sojourn in Your tent? Who shall dwell on Your holy hill? ² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; ³ who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; ~ Psalms 15:1-3

The Psalmist is asking God a very pertinent question.

LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

In other words, who can live in Your anointing? When Jesus came, He introduced us to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is where the power is. For He said that if He drove out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God had come upon them.

This is the question the Psalmist is asking. This is the question we all want to know the answer to.

How can I get that power?

God answers the Psalmist immediately. Why? Because He wants His people to have access to the power of His kingdom. Because without it, what are we? Think about it. We obey an officer of the law not because of them but because they have the power of the state backing them. So, it is with us. On our own, we are nothing. We are powerless. But when we have the kingdom of God behind us, we have all the power of the Holy Spirit behind us.

So, we must:

Walk blamelessly
Do what’s right
Speak Truth in our heart
Refrain from slander
Do not plot evil against our neighbor
Do not think bad/evil thoughts against your friend
No backbiting
Rather we are to love our neighbor as ourselves

If you do these things, you will walk in the anointing and the power. It’s all about the relationship. We can say whatever we like, but when it comes down to it, if we have no relationship with God Almighty, we have nothing.

LORD God, help me to seek out a relationship with You. Search me, oh God, and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Remove all malice, hurt, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander, sexual immorality, depression, fear, or anything that can hinder my relationship with You. Teach me Your ways and Your statutes. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might walk in the paths of righteousness and work in Your Holy Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

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Beware of Complacency

⁹How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? ¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, ¹¹and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. ~ Proverbs 6:9-11

When we stop desiring the things of God, and we stop seeking Him, we become complacent in our walk with God. When we become complacent with God, we stop moving forward. If we aren’t running the race set before us, then we’ll never reach the finish line. We’ll never find our Promised Land. We’ll fall asleep right where we stand and eventually die of hunger and thirst.

This is where a lot of us are. We’ve slowly stopped reading our Bible. We’ve slowly stopped praying. We’ve slowly become distant from God without even realizing it. We don’t have forever to get it right. We only have today; tomorrow is promised to no one. We have to constantly check our spiritual temperature lest we fall asleep, allowing poverty and want to sneak up on us like an armed robber.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Beware of Complacency.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Bring To Memory

¹ On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ²And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ~ Esther 6:1-3

Sometimes restlessness comes upon us out of nowhere. In those moments, it’s easy for God to seem far off and distant. It’s easy for our minds to be deceived during this time. When Eve was tempted by the Serpent, he didn’t call her away from the other side of the garden; she was right next to the Forbidden Tree, possibly eyeing it. When David was tempted by Bathsheba bathing in her tub, he wasn’t at war with his army; he was walking on the top of his roof.

When we find restlessness overcoming us, we have to combat it with the Truth of who our God is. We have to remind ourselves that our God is the God of Peace. We do this by bringing to remembrance His promises over our lives so that we might not be distracted by the things of this world.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Bring The LORD To Your Memory.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Be Aware of His Presence

¹⁰Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹²And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! ¹³And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. ¹⁴Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” ¹⁷And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” ~ Genesis 28:10-17

The LORD was with Jacob, but Jacob had no idea God was with him that He was. The LORD had to give Jacob a dream so that he understood that he was in the presence of God Almighty. This is how we are. We understand God is within us, but we don’t know His presence the way we should. We can walk into a room and never realize the presence of Almighty God is in that place, just waiting for His people to enter into His presence and see miracles.

It’s in His presence that miracles take place, that salvation and forgiveness are given, and freedom dwells. Yet even seasoned Christians miss the presence of God Almighty. And in doing so, we miss blessings and miracles. Therefore, wake up and take notice. Take notice of the presence of the LORD. Take notice of what He is doing in your life and those around you. Take notice of all His promises and all of His characteristics.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Aware of His Presence.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

The Separation From God

⁴⁵And when he came, he went up to Him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed Him. ⁴⁶And they laid hands on Him and seized Him. ⁴⁷But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰And they all left Him and fled. ~ Mark 14:45-50

The disciples walked and talked with God made flesh. They witnessed miracle after miracle. They even laid against His chest and listened to His heartbeat. They were His closest friends, but fear jumped on each of them, and when Jesus needed them most, they abandoned Him.

Each of us will one day face our fears for being a Christian. We only have today to prepare for it. So don’t waste the time you are given to train in Christ Jesus. Don’t waste the time you are given to strengthen your faith so that when fear comes at you with great force, you will stand firm in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stand With Christ.

Back to Fear?

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Don’t Break Faith

²⁸Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ ²⁹Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. ³⁰The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, ³¹and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ ³²Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, ³³who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. ~ Deuteronomy 1:28-33

Within each territory, there are Territorial Spirits; there are strongholds that keep its victims in generational curses. The people of Israel were no different. They were a chosen people that God Himself spoke to and led, yet the strongholds of the land still called to them. It’s easy to follow God when He’s present and active, but the moment we feel God is taking too long or that He’s too quiet, we revert to our old selves. We return to the strongholds of our ancestors. We turn to the gods of the land that seem to be present and mighty. That seem to be giving their worshippers their hearts desires. But when we turn from God to another, we miss out on the blessings God has for us.

The Israelites missed out on blessing after blessing because they gave into the strongholds of the land. They never overcame the places above each and every stronghold because of Christ Jesus. And because the Holy Spirit dwells in us and the blood of Jesus covers us, we can tear down any stronghold in the name of Jesus. Nothing can stop the people of God unless we allow it to.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Break Faith.

Back to Strongholds?

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Seek Good

¹⁴Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. ¹⁵Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. ~ Amos 5:14-15^NIV

The desires of our heart are what leads us in our actions. They are what define our character. Therefore, we must seek good that we might live and not die. That in our weaknesses, God might have mercy on us. Because when we dwell in God seeking good and we become weak in our sin, God lifts us up on His shoulders that we might be strong through Him.

Don’t fall into the traps of the enemy that tell you your past struggles define you. Your past doesn’t define you, but your present does. Your current actions are what define who you are, and in turn, the destination you will reach. When we only focus and desire evil, we choose the same death that Christ Jesus saved us from.

We willingly choose Eternal Death by giving into the strongholds in our life that have replaced God and, in turn, have become false gods. We have become enslaved to them. But if we set our hearts on good and our desires are to please God, then our actions will change, and chains will begin to break because of the reddening blood of Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Good.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Guard Your Heart

¹ From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. ²And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. ³But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” ⁴Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? ⁵Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” ⁶Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. ⁷Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” ~ Genesis 20:1-7

Abimelech wasn’t a Jew. He wasn’t a Hebrew. He wasn’t one of God’s chosen people, yet God kept him from sinning. God doesn’t show partiality. He doesn’t give a chance to one and take a chance away from another. God gives each and every one of us the chance to do what is right. And when our heart is pure, and desires aren’t bent on evil, God honors that and nudges us in the direction of holiness so that we don’t corrupt ourselves.

If our desires are for evil, then evil will follow us. If our desires are for good, then good will follow us. The desires of our heart are what lead us to our final destination, for every action we commit comes from our the desires of our heart. So, guard your heart that God might find you seeking Him and not the world. So, that when trials and tribulations come your way, your heart might not be easily swayed towards vengeance or any other kind of evil.

God promised that He would write His word on our hearts that we might not sin against Him. The only way we can do that is if we actually know what His word says. We have to spend time in His word. We have to spend time in His presence, seeking wisdom and understanding.

Don’t be fooled by the lie that you don’t need the Bible to know who God is because if the Bible wasn’t written, you wouldn’t know of Him at all. The only reason we know God is because of our Bible. So, spend time in His word and learn who He is. Memorize passages for times of trial and tribulation. Prepare your heart for war.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Guard Your Heart.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Tag: Devotional

Work Off The Fat

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