Tag: Devotionals

Posted on

Don’t Leave The Way You Came

9 When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead. ~ Ezekiel 46:9

In the days of Ezekiel, the people were required to leave the Temple through a different gate than they came. In fact, they were to leave in the exact opposite direction they came. The Scriptures tell us that the Law and the Prophets are just a foreshadowing of good things to come. Then wouldn’t it stand to reason that this is also a foreshadowing of things to come? So often in the Church today, we leave the presence of God the way we entered. We don’t leave changed.

See, today isn’t like the days of Ezekiel when they had to go to the Temple to worship and commune with God. Today, the LORD Himself dwells in us. Jesus lives through us. His Spirit dwells, guides, and transforms us into the image that was lost so many years ago. Therefore, we should never leave the presence of God, worship, the same way we entered. We should always be leaving the presence of God changed for the better. We should always be leaving His presence transformed.

We have the LORD God dwelling in us like never before; take advantage of that. Don’t allow the cares of this world to pull you away from all that God has in store for you. They can’t compete with His plans for your life. Cling to Him. Grow in Him. Be transformed in Him so that one day He’ll come back to take you home to Him.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Leave The Way You Came.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Tear Your Hearts

12 That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. ~ Joel 2:12-13 NLT

Joel prophesied to the people of Israel that the LORD was coming, so repent because that day will be a horrifying and dark day. It will be a day of great sorrow and fear, for the LORD’s wrath was coming. Today, it’s no different. The LORD is coming. He is on His way. He is preparing to come for His people to bring them to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but for the wicked, those who refuse to bow their knee to the Almighty, He is treading the great wine press of the Wrath of the LORD.

Many of us believe that we will escape this great wrath because we’re Christians, but that word no longer means what it did so long ago. There’re Christians that don’t stand for righteousness and believe they’re okay because God loves them, but they’re not the only ones deceived. There are Christians who lack love. Paul said if you can speak in the tongues of man and of angels but don’t have love, you are like a noisy gong. You can even move mountains, prophesy, and understand all the secrets of God, but still be nothing if we lack love. There is nothing greater than love.

So many Christians lack love today. We feel no sympathy or empathy for those who we believe deserve what they get, not realizing that we ourselves deserve to burn in the Lake of Fire for all eternity because of our sin. It’s only because of grace that we are saved by faith, not because we are better than anyone. We don’t deserve this gift of God. We don’t deserve life, but God graciously gives it to us because of His great love for us. So, love others with the same love God has loved us so that when Christ returns, we might escape that wrath and be welcomed into the rest of the LORD.

Don’t just treat your outer garments so that people think that you care or that you’re a good person. Don’t just retweet or repost a post. Don’t just comment praying hands. Get down on your knees and pray. Don’t just make it an outward appearance, but an inward appearance. Let it tear your hearts enough that you cry out to the LORD for mercy and grace over the lost, hurting, angry, and deceived. Let the love of God perfect you in every way possible. Let Him turn your heart of stone to a heart of flesh so that you might not be lost with others.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Tear Your Hearts.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Choose Life More Abundantly

2 For He says, “In a favorable time I listened to you,  and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ~ 2 Corinthians 6:2

As a child, I remember one of my friends explaining to me that his grandmother didn’t want him to get saved yet and become a Christian because he was too young. She said his whole life was still ahead of him, and she wanted him to be able to enjoy it, and that came with it. So, she told him to wait until he was older, after he’s already lived and enjoyed his life. How can the author of life and life more abundantly remove any enjoyment from our life? This is the problem with Christians today.

Christians don’t know the Word of God. Therefore, they don’t know the God whom they claim they serve. My childhood friend’s grandma, like many Christians today, didn’t take into consideration that to refuse to serve God is to willingly serve the Devil. It’s to willingly serve the author of sin and death. Jesus describes the Devil as the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. This was whom this grandmother encouraged her 10-year-old grandson to follow because she didn’t want her grandson to be a slave to righteousness so early in life. Little did she realize, like many others, that she was encouraging him to be a slave to sin, which leads to death. We all serve a master. None of us are completely and entirely free.

This is where his grandmother made her fatal mistake. Your childhood dictates your adulthood. This isn’t even just a biblical belief; this is a scientific fact. What happens I’m your early years of development determines the way you will think the way you will act; it will even impact your sexual indulgences. It’s much easier to get saved the younger you are than it is the older you get. Proverbs even warns us to raise up a child in the ways of righteousness so that when he or she is older, he or she will not stray from it. I haven’t seen my childhood friend in over 6 years, but a mutual friend showed me some photos. And to my sadness, he seemingly has no desire to know the LORD. He looks like he’s fallen into the generational curse of drug addiction. He looks like he has become another statistic of growing up without God and continuing without Him in adulthood.

Procrastination is a virus that kills ambition, success, and even life. Don’t allow procrastination to keep you from anything, especially salvation. When it comes to procrastination, tomorrow never comes. Make the decision today whom you and your household will serve. Make the decision today to follow Christ Jesus, the author of life and life more abundantly.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Life More Abundantly.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Do More Than Right

1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. 4 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. 5 And the Lord touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king’s son was over the household, governing the people of the land. ~ 2 Kings 15:1-5

Doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD only matters if you refuse to allow sin to abound around you. King Azariah had done a lot of good things. He followed God. He read his Bible. He prayed. But it wasn’t enough. Why? Because he supported sin. Now, you may be wondering where in those verses it says that King Azariah supported sin. You support it with your silence if you don’t speak out against something. When We no longer try to correct others and instead only focus on ourselves, we are now endorsing sin.

Maybe King Azariah was like many in the Church today and didn’t feel it was his place to judge anyone. Maybe he believed in tolerance and acceptance above all else, so he allowed the people in the land to live in sin without any form of correction. But God tells us that, at the very least, we must warn those who are openly living in sin. That we must warn those that are supporting sin. And if we don’t, and they die in their sin, then their blood will be on our hands. We, as Christians, are the only ones on earth that know the Truth of God and His Word. We are the only ones that have the light in us to break the darkness of this world. So, how can we live our lives for God and expect to be blessed by Him when we watch our friends, neighbors, and nation plummet deeper and deeper into darkness without saying a single word?

King Azariah was struck with leprosy because of his lack of stance on right and wrong. Even though he remained king, he remained king separated. At the end of days, at the final Judgment, many will stand before Jesus asking how Jesus could reject them after all the good they had done in His name. Jesus tells them that because they didn’t minister to others, they were wicked and would be thrown into Hell to be separated from God for all eternity. What good is it to have a crown and all people think you’re so nice and wonderful if you are separated from God in the process?

LORD God, please help us not only to worry about whether or not we are saved but whether or not those around us are saved. Give us the courage to stand up for righteousness. Please give us the wisdom, patience, and gentleness to correct others in love—help us to be brave like all who have walked before us, who stood for righteousness and truth. Guide and lead us in all we do. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Shift the Spirit Realm

40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And He said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ~ Matthew 26:40-41

I heard a man once say that Jesus was the busiest man on earth because He only had 3 ½ years to complete all that God had for Him, yet He always took time out to pray. Jesus understood the importance of prayer. He understood the importance of alone time with His Heavenly Father. Today, we lack the understanding and full importance of prayer. We can’t fully grasp what prayer does because we don’t see what our prayers are doing in the spirit realm.

Our prayers aren’t just empty words. When we pray, we are spiritually seated in Heavenly places with the LORD. The prayers of a righteous person availeth much. It overcomes the darkness, brings forth the breath of life, heals the sick, and redeems the prodigal. Your prayers aren’t useless; they move the very hand of God. So pray. Pray with all that is within you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Shift the Spirit Realm.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Prepare Your Hearts

37 And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ~ Mark 14:37-38

To see revelation, we must remain awake when others are asleep. Jesus went out of the presence of others and spent time in prayer and worship with His Father in Heaven. Never was Jesus without an answer for His accusers. It wasn’t because Jesus was, is, and always will be God because, on earth, He set aside His Godliness and became man. This was because He was awake in prayer when others slept. In fact, if we go to the last day before the crucifixion, we find that Jesus didn’t sleep. He spends the evening and night preparing His disciples and then spends the rest of the night not just praying for His own strength but for the strength of His disciples. Peter, James, and John were called by Jesus to come and pray with Him, but each one of them fell asleep. None were able to stay awake and pray with Him. Because of this, all of their earlier statements fell short, and each one of them fled. One, presumably John, ran away naked. Peter denied even knowing Him. Judas, who left after the Last Supper, only returned to betray Him.

They couldn’t stay awake in prayer, and so their spirit was weak. I’m not saying that we must never sleep; what I’m saying is that if you want to be able to withstand the coming persecution of the Church (Matthew 24 & 2 Thessalonians 2), then you have to seek God early in the morning and late at night when all others are asleep, especially in times of distress or when seeking a specific request from God or in times of need. All of us will give up sleep for something, whether it’s TV, spending time with family or friends, food, concerts, books, games, etc., but very few of us will stay awake for prayer to see a breakthrough in our lives, or to receive peace or strength. If you can stake awake for the world but not for God, your love has already begun to grow cold. Now is the time to build up your faith and love for God. Store up your food in the summer, don’t wait for the winter when the harvest is over. Prepare yourselves now. Seek God while He can still be found.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare Your Hearts.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Don’t Do The Good Thing

4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ~ Revelation 2:4

Jesus prophesied that the days are coming when the love of many will grow cold. What love? The love God gave us. The love for Him. The love for people. The love for life. The love for good. Those days are drawing nearer and nearer every day. Why is this love growing cold? Because Christ is no longer our chosen Savior. He’s no longer our betrothed because another has caught our attention. The world has caught our eyes and all its shiny toys. We’ve become like the Church in Ephesus, we do much good, but while doing good, we lose our first love. I once heard a pastor say that the Devil gets us by doing a good thing instead of the right thing. Not every good thing is for us to do because not every good thing is for us to do.

For instance, King David could’ve gotten caught up in building God a temple for Him to dwell in, but when God told Him it wasn’t for him, David didn’t lose sight of his first love. He kept his eyes on God and all that God had in store for him. Jesus only had 3 ½ years to complete all He had to do, yet He always made time to pray and seek His Father in Heaven. Jesus didn’t get caught up in all that He had to do; He made sure His love never grew cold. He made sure He was on fire for God, regardless of the amount of work ahead of Him. As Christians, it’s easy to get caught up in doing good things, but we must never let that keep us from doing the right thing, which is seeking God first and His Kingdom.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Do The Good Thing.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Pray For The Constitution

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. ~ Romans 13:1

There is currently no other nation on this earth that was built on the foundations of Christianity. Our forefathers signed the Constitution by which all other laws must abide. Our Constitution is like no other, for within it, there are declarations of freedom for all of us. The way our nation is turning is towards a direction not supported by the Constitution. Our forefathers fought for our freedoms by committing treason and going against the tyrannical reign of King George of England. They made sure our new land would be a land of freedom and justice for all people. Slaves even argued for their freedom in a court of law and won their freedom because of the Constitution. This is the importance of our Constitution.

Therefore, pray that our leaders may follow and protect that Constitution that was written to protect the light that shines in the darkness. Pray that light will once again reign. Pray that Truth will once again be the dominating force in our society. These are the days that will determine the destination of our nation. Don’t miss the only opportunity we have to return to Christ and the original state of this nation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For The Constitution.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Choose Which Word Wisely

5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. 7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” 8 The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 Now the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, “He has set out to fight against you.” And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’” ~ Isaiah 37:5-13

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was a warlord like no other. Each nation he set out to destroy, he destroyed. War was his game, and he was undefeated. In fact, he was so confident in himself that he mocked the gods of any nation that the people of that nation put their trust in, for what god could save them from his hand? So, when he came against Israel and threatened them and mocked their God, they trembled in fear, but Isaiah came forward with a word from God.

Sennacherib never set foot in the land of Israel. In fact, the Angel of the LORD, who had led them into the promised land so many years ago, came to their rescue once more and slaughtered 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their own camp. Hezekiah, King of Judah, though frightened and afraid, saved his people from destruction, for he took it to the LORD in prayer. He didn’t wallow in his fear; no, he overcame through believing the word spoken by Isaiah and through praying on his knees for the LORD’s divine intervention. This is what saved the people of Judah. This is what caused the Angel of the LORD to come to their rescue.

It wasn’t the word that came from God but the reaction to that word. See, if Hezekiah hadn’t prayed, Judah would’ve been slaughtered. Judah would’ve been another victim of the Assyrian army. But because Hezekiah trusted in the word from God enough to pray about the deliverance of Judah, God’s word was able to come to pass.

See, each one of us has been given a word from the LORD. How we react to this word will determine whether the word is fulfilled or not. God doesn’t force His promises upon us; we have to claim them for ourselves. If God says I will do this if you do this, and we don’t do it, then the word will not come to pass. It’s easy to be afraid and terrified when facing a great warlord like Sennacherib, who mocks you and the LORD. Who tries to cause doubt by bringing up all who have failed before you, but you have to remember that these words, just like the words God has spoken, cannot come to pass unless you let them. The LORD has great plans for your life. Don’t allow Sennacherib to take them from you. Claim them, hold to them, put your trust in God, and pray for His word to come to pass. And just as the Angel of the LORD came to the rescue of Judah, so will He come to your rescue as well.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Which Word Wisely.

Back to Cleansing?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Don’t Live At Ease

9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech. 10 In little more than a year you will shudder, you complacent women; for the grape harvest fails, the fruit harvest will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease, shudder, you complacent ones; strip, and make yourselves bare, and tie sackcloth around your waist. 12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine, 13 for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city. 14 For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks; 15 until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. ~ Isaiah 32:9-15

The LORD warned the women of Judah that their complacency would bring disaster upon the people. In fact, the grape harvest would fail, and they would no longer be able to gather in the harvest. To us today, that doesn’t mean much. What does it mean for the grape harvest to fail and the gathers unable to harvest their crop? Why would that be the punishment for complacency? I don’t believe that LORD is speaking physically. The grape harvest still came in Israel and Judah. The gathers still harvested their crop in Israel and Judah. God was warning them that if they remained complacent in their sin and at ease about it, then the grapes would be no more.

The grapes are what we make wine from. Jesus compared wine to the Old and New Covenant. On the Day of Pentecost, some who heard them speaking in tongues mocked them, saying they were drunk on the New Wine. I believe that the LORD was saying that He would remove the Spirit of God from them, and they would no longer see or hear a Word from the LORD. I believe God, through Isaiah, was prophesying and warning about the 400 years of silence that was to come to Israel. For He ends it with, “until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high,”

What day was the Spirit poured out on all of mankind? The Day of Pentecost. After the Day of Pentecost, there arose prophets, healings, signs and wonders, like never before. And even more so, it gave the chance of salvation for all of mankind. Never had there been a time in history when the Greek believer was equal to the Jewish believer. For in Christ, there is neither Greek nor Jew. God shows no partiality.

So what does this mean for us? If we are like the women Isaiah prophesied to and remain complacent in our sin and at ease unrepentant, then the LORD will remove the grapes from us. He will cause those grapes that we once had flourishing in the fields to fail each time. For God cannot dwell in a temple that willingly houses other gods. When we willingly live in sin, we are willingly bowing down to sin and making it our god. If we remain complacent, history will repeat itself in us, and not only will the Word of God be shut up from us, but the new wine that represents the new covenant and the blood of Christ that washes us clean and covers us will be removed from us as well. Complacency will bring domination upon us, for to be complacent is to be a friend of the world. And to be a friend of the world is to be at enmity with God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Live At Ease.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Proudly powered by WordPress