Tag: Food For Growth

⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

Peter said that some people don’t understand the LORD because they judge Him by their own understanding and by their own deeds. God is not slow in keeping, or fulfilling any of His promises, especially the promise of His return. He is patiently waiting for the last soul who will be saved to get saved. Believe me, at least believe the Scriptures, there is a time set for the return of Jesus, but all things must be fulfilled.

Remember that in the fullness of time, Jesus came as a baby to suffer and to die for the salvation of mankind. His return is no different. He is not slow to fulfill His promise of returning to get us. Just think about it, it may be one of your loved ones that He is waiting on. Or maybe it is you that He is holding up His turn, because He knows that you will accept salvation and He wants to give you the chance at all costs.

Have you felt a slight tug on your heart in terms of the things of God recently? Have you felt a drawing toward the Bible or toward Jesus? Maybe a dream or a series of dreams? If you feel the LORD leading in any part of your life, listen closely, it just may be your chance to get right with the LORD and receive His full pardon. Accept it and He will make you shine as bright as the noonday sun in all of its glory.

The LORD loves you and cares for you and wants you to come to repentance and receive eternal life from Him. He died to pay for it, and He will give it to you.

Heavenly Father, I come to You today in full repentance. I am sorry for straying from Your side and for refusing to listen. I am listening now, speak to me Jesus so that I can hear Your voice. Teach me to live for You so that I can be ready for Your great return. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁷ During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. ⁸ Although He was the Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. ⁹ After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, ¹⁰ and He was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. ~ Hebrews 5:7-10^CSB

Though Aaron was given the role of High Priest and then it was passed on to his descendants, because of Aaron’s sin, his descendants wouldn’t remain as high priests forever. The priesthood was given to the descendant of Judah, who didn’t fall under the order of the Levites but under the order of Melchizedek because of his faithfulness to the LORD.

The hand we are dealt doesn’t always seem fair; nevertheless, the same is true for our descendants. Our faithfulness to God will directly impact our descendants for either good or evil. Moses’ descendants aren’t remembered or even of high standing. Aaron’s descendants are the ones who had Christ crucified and the priesthood taken from them.

Our decisions on this earth matter, not just for our eternity but for the generations to come.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Recognize The Weight.

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¹³ Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ~ Matthew 22:13^CSB

Jesus describes Hell as a place of outer darkness. Paul explains that darkness has no light in it. And light has no darkness in it. He then explains that the fruit of light is doing what is good, right, and true (Ephesians 5:8-11). Therefore, the outer darkness that Jesus is speaking of has absolutely no light in it. This is now beginning to make a little more sense.

God is light (John 1:4), Hell is outer darkness. Therefore, Hell is outside the realm of darkness that has no light in it because to die in your sin would be to die without God.

If you die without God, then you will be without God forever. You will continue in darkness, the kind of darkness that has no light whatsoever. There isn’t even the hope of Jesus being somewhere in that darkness and you being able to find Him. This darkness is outside the world; it’s outer darkness. So, the Light of the World isn’t in this darkness. There is no hope there. None whatsoever.

Dear LORD, thank You for delivering me and saving me from this eternal punishment away from You. Thank You for making a way for me and shining Your Light into this present darkness so that we might find our way to You. Please open the eyes of all of my unsaved loved ones so that they might escape this coming destruction. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. ~ 2 John 9-11

I saw a man speaking into his megaphone across the street from a concert by a popular Gospel singer he didn’t agree with. Into the megaphone, he condemned the Gospel singer for not condemning the award show he attended in his thank you speech. The Gospel singer proceeded to walk over and then say they could sit down and discuss it at the end of his show. The man agreed to speak with him but refused to shake his hand because of these verses.

I’m neither a fan or supporter of either man, so I had no dog in this fight, nevertheless I found myself feeling annoyed with the man who refused to shake the other’s hand. We want judgment and condemnation so bad that we push away those whom we could correct and help return to the sheepfold.

Paul didn’t say don’t shake someone’s hand if they go to an award show and don’t condemn the entire audience; Paul said if they teach a different Christ than we taught you, don’t invite them into your home (meaning don’t have them speaking into your life, don’t have them speaking in your churches, don’t have them in your inner circle, don’t have them in your life) and then don’t give them any greeting. This word greeting is the Greek word chairō (χαίρω), which means rejoice; be glad. In other words, Paul is saying don’t encourage them in their lies. Don’t rejoice with them in their accomplishments through lies, not refuse to shake their hand because you don’t agree with them accepting an award.

Even if his problem was that the man previously said something blasphemous in a video or has been caught cursing multiple times or went to the award show in the first place, you could see his frustration, but not for his acceptance speech. When Jesus corrected people, it wasn’t until they brought it up. It wasn’t until they initiated that conversation. Jesus didn’t go throughout the streets shouting that all of those people who were in sin were gonna burn in Hell. No. Jesus taught those who followed Him. When it came to the Pharisees, He told His disciples to leave them alone because they were blind guides leading the blind, and both would fall into the pit.

The Church today is one of extremes, lacking balance between true love and correction. Either we condemn and hate, or we fake love and justify sin. There’s very few that can find the true balance of true love and correction. We’re to be the salt of the world but not the condemners of the world. We’re not to make others feel less than us, as if a handshake will somehow pollute us.

The love of God didn’t go out into the world screaming they’re all going to burn in Hell. The love of God showed its good works, the world saw it, and ran to the Light.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Find Balance.

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¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” ¹⁸ He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ¹⁹ Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. ²⁰ However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” ~ Luke 10:17-20^CSB

When the seventy-two returned to Jesus, they were excited because even the demons were subject to them in His name. Jesus, however, brought them back to what was really important: that it is by His name that we are saved. See, Jesus understood that casting out demons didn’t automatically mean that you were saved because the name of Jesus is that powerful. The seven sons of Sceva, who didn’t know Jesus, were still able to cast out unclean spirits using His name until they got to one that was too strong for them.

Yes, there is power in the name of Jesus, and we should seek out that power, but even more so, we should seek out the love that covers us in the name of Jesus. Because it’s that perfect love that protects us and keeps us until He returns for us. Paul explained that if we have every gift of the Spirit but don’t have love, then we have nothing and are essentially worthless.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all the times I sought Your power before I sought for Your love. Please forgive me for all the times I took Your grace for granted and ignored Your call. Replace my heart of stone with a heart of flesh and renew a right spirit within me, that I might dwell in Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁴⁰ If a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹ Or if he loses the hair at his hairline, he is bald on his forehead, but he is clean. ⁴² But if there is a reddish-white condition on the bald head or forehead, it is a serious skin disease breaking out on his head or forehead. ⁴³ The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the condition on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like the appearance of a serious skin disease on his body, ⁴⁴ the man is afflicted with a serious skin disease; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; the infection is on his head. ⁴⁵ The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp. ~ Leviticus 13:40-46^CSB

The Levitical priests were given the task of not just being the moral authority of the people of Israel but also the doctors of Israel as well. Today, we, the Church, are to be like the Levitical Priests, but oftentimes, we fall short. How?

The majority of us aren’t a moral compass for anyone. The majority of us believe that we’re not called to judge, which is both wrong and right at the same time. See, we’re not called to pronounce a blasphemous judgment or condemn those in the world, but we are called to judge between right and wrong. We are called to judge the actions of all people in order to know whether or not they are of Christ or the Devil.

The few of us that still call sin sin and judge between right and wrong may save a soul, but we don’t disciple that soul. We move on to the next person to save. We leave these new Christians as infants, expecting them to feed and teach themselves, then are shocked and disappointed when they fall back into sin.

This is because we didn’t take the time to disciple them. The Levitical priests had to not only check to see if they were clean or unclean, but they also had to do a follow-up examination. They had to make sure that person left clean, or they’d be unclean and remain outside the camp. When we disciple someone, we’re looking for fruit that lines up with the Spirit. If we don’t see that fruit beginning to sprout, then we know that we can’t send them on their own way and move on to another person.

We’re to disciple people until we can confidently send them out to create new disciples. We’re not to just save souls, we’re to plant seeds and water them. We’re not to just pronounce someone unclean and leave them be. We’re to pronounce them unclean and then help them become clean by the precious blood of Jesus and the renewing of the mind through the Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than Pronounce.

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¹⁰ You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean, ¹¹ and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses. ~ Leviticus 10:10-11^CSB

The LORD was speaking to the Levites. They were the moral authority of Israel because it was them who went before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites. It was the Levites that were the priests and high priests of God. This is why the LORD told them they had to be able to distinguish between the holy and the common. The clean and unclean. Today, the Church represents the Levites to the world.

We are supposed to be the light of the world because Christ now dwells in us and lives through us, yet we struggle with discerning good and evil. We call evil good, and good we call evil. We make sin normal, and we endorse it in our churches and on social media. We are to guide the world out of darkness to the Light of the LORD, but instead, we’ve become like the Pharisees. Like blind guides leading the blind straight into the pit.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for not being a light in this dark world. Please forgive me for all the times I’ve endorsed sin and blurred the lines between good and evil. Please soften my heart to the things of You and renew a right spirit within me. Teach me Your ways so that I might lead others to You. Let Your Light shine in me and through me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ~ Romans 12:9-13

Let love be genuine, not only during this week that we call ‘The Love Week,’ but let genuine love shine through your words and your actions. Genuine love can be spotted. It can be felt or sensed. It can be tasted. It beckons you, calls you from far distances. It has a specific smell, the smell of life, a fragrance of grace.

When you walk in genuine love and talk with love, evil will become abhorrent to you, and doing good will become second nature. One way of doing that is to be the first to show honor to your brother or to your sister. Not in a half-hearted way, but in genuineness of heart. Genuine love does not hold back its affections. It does not resist the need to pay a compliment when a compliment is due. Honor one another in genuine love.

Do not be fake; believe me, folks can spot an impostor because it carries all of the opposite attributes that genuine love portrays. Genuine love builds up and never divides. Therefore, we love people, for by doing so, we show that we love God.

If you love one another, you show love to God. If you are zealous for one another, you show zeal for the LORD. Love will Rejoice in hope; it will be patient in tribulation, and it will remain constant in prayer. For who ever stopped praying for someone they genuinely love? Or who will withhold the needs of someone that they genuinely love? The answer is no one. So, be obedient children of God, and love one another; thus, you will spread the fragrance of life eternal through Jesus Christ our LORD.

Heavenly Father, help me to be genuine in love and to honor those who, by their own love for the saints, demand honor. Help me to never let love become insincere or lackadaisical but to always show genuine love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ~ Ephesians 5:25-28

As Warren Barfield put it, love is not a fight, but it’s certainly worth fighting for. I saw this on some social media the other day. It said:

I messaged my father-in-law today, and said:
“You need to come get your daughter, she’s driving me nuts.”
Him: “Package is opened, seal is broken, item is used, warranty is expired. Sorry, that’s not a manufacturer’s problem.

And so, it isn’t. It’s your problem, husband. For you are the one that is instructed to love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for the Church.

You likewise must give yourself for your bride. You must meet her every need. The need to feel safe. The need to tell you all about her day and to hear about your day. The need for a protector.

And you wives, you aren’t without responsibility. You, too, must find your husband’s love language and speak it fluently and speak it often. Remember, you are your husband’s number-one cheerleader. Find one good thing he does and talk about it for a while.

It’s not stroking his ego; it’s stoking the flames of love that will burn bright in your marriage. A flame so huge it would take the rains of a category 5 hurricane and the winds of an EF5 tornado to put it out, and even then, it will still burn bright.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Is Not A Fight.

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