Tag: Food For Growth

² And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³ And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ~ Exodus 3:2-4

It wasn’t until Moses sought out to know why the bush was not burned that God actually called out to him. If Moses had just kept walking, he would’ve missed out on his call. But because he drew near to God, even though he didn’t know it, God drew near to him. All it took was Moses seeking out the Truth for him to indirectly seek out and find God.

So, many of us miss out on our call because we don’t seek out the Truth; we seek out our truth. Whatever we seek, we will find. When we seek evil, we will find evil. When we seek good, we will find good. When we seek our version of the truth, we will find false truth. When we seek the Truth, we find the Truth. We find God.

LORD God, help us to seek the Truth. Your Truth and not our own. Help us to never seek out what is false simply because it’s easier or because it’s what our flesh desires. Guide us on the path You have laid out for us, that we might abide in Your perfect love. That we might receive every good and perfect gift, You have in store for us. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, ³⁹ and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. ~ 1 Samuel 17:38-40

Sometimes we lose sight of what we are meant to do. We get caught up in the glamour of things. And I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have nice things or that God doesn’t want us to have nice things. I’m saying that sometimes God wants to use something simple and easy to show how great and powerful He is.

King Saul, out of concern for David’s life, clothed David in his own armor, not realizing that God had something greater in store for David to use. David, because of his quiet time with God, had the Spirit of Discernment. He could discern that that armor wasn’t meant for him. He understood that God had something greater in store for him to use so that God could get all of the glory and praise.

Sometimes God uses large, elaborate things to get His point across, but sometimes He just uses something simple like a rock and a sling. This is the importance of quiet time. The more time you spend with God, the better you know Him and the clearer His subtle voice becomes. Because as you become closer with God, you will be able to discern when to use your sword and when to use your sling.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Ready Your Sling.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

^11b … for they loved not their lives even unto death. ~ Revelation 12:11b

There is a famous quote that is always popular around this time of the year. It says, “All gave some, but some gave all.” Today we remember those who gave all. The fallen, those who loved country more than self. Who loved family and freedom more than their own lives.

We remember and honor those soldiers who kissed their loved ones goodbye as they proudly donned their uniforms, knowing fully well they may never return. Yet through tears and heartache, they tore themselves away to fight a war and pay the price for others to have the right to kneel when the national anthem is played. To chant death to America while enjoying her freedom.

With their own blood, they bought and paid for the right and freedom for others to say how unfair and unequal America is and how they are being kept down while being paid millions of dollars a year and living in mansions.

These were just ordinary men and ordinary women, making an ordinary salary, with ordinary lives that were cut short way too soon. Not given the chance to live, to enjoy the freedom they so desperately fought so hard to preserve, we honor you.

We thank their families for their sacrifice, a sacrifice we do not take for granted. While it may just be a holiday to some, to us, it’s a day of remembrance. A day to call to memory the countless names, the faces, the friends, the fathers, the sons, the daughters. We will never forget their great sacrifice. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Father, thank You for freedom. Thank you for the brave soldiers who died to give us the right to live free and without fear of persecution. May we never forget their sacrifice, and may America always remember the blood that was shed for her, including the precious blood of Your Son Jesus. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ~ James 2:14-18

James made an earthly/physical comparison with the spiritual. He said that if it is not enough to wish someone well who is starving or freezing to death without doing something about it, then it is not enough just to believe. Therefore, you are saved for good works and not by good works.

Faith without action is dead. Because, once we are saved, that isn’t just the end of it, and we just have a free ticket to Heaven. Instead, we have to continue our spiritual growth. We have to fulfill the great commission. We have to put our faith into action. Unless we live our lives for Christ and become more like Christ, we are not changed. And if we are not changed, then we have no part in Eternal Life.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Change.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

¹ On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, ² and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ~ Luke 5:1–7

Please notice that Jesus, knowing that Peter had not caught anything all night fishing, wanted to pay him for the use of his boat. But Peter knowing good, said it was useless to go back out there because there were no fish out there. Jesus, knowing best, told Peter to go ahead and push on out into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. Peter was tired and weary from working all night, now he had the added burden of washing his nets and will have to wash them again after catching nothing again. Peter knew good, and well, there were no fish out there to catch.

But Jesus insisted, go on, Peter, just try it. Peter did not want to go and try it. He wanted to feel sorry for himself and go home. But in obedience, he did as Jesus had instructed. The result? They caught so many fish that they had to call for help from their partners, and both boats were filled that they both began to sink.

The moral of the story is: even if it doesn’t make sense, even if you know that it is probably a useless thing to do if Jesus says to do it, do it. Just trust Him because we know good, but God knows best.

Father, help me to be obedient to Your word, no matter how silly and useless it may seem to me. Help me to understand that I might know good, but You know best. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. ~ Hebrews 12:14^NIV

Holiness is a word we don’t hear very often in the Church anymore, and when we do hear it, it is taken a bit out of context. We are led to believe that holiness consists entirely of our outward appearances. I heard a sister commenting on another sister’s way of dress, because of the no sleeves, that she would rather sit in church with someone who did not have love than someone dressed like that.

I’m not saying dress is nothing because it is something, but not everything, and it definitely is not the sign of holiness. Look around at some of the folk who are covered from head to toe, is that holiness?

But we’ve strayed so far from what true holiness is that we’ve lost our way, and nobody is trying to point us back in the right direction. We watch any old filth on the TV with the most explicit language and nudity and sexual content, and we don’t even bat an eye. Our consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

Holiness isn’t necessarily the way you dress but the way you act. Holiness is what’s on the inside. So, if all you’re pumping inside of you is filth, then all that can come out of you is filth. Feed your spirit with Godly things, and deny your flesh that you may grow and become more holy like God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strive to be Holy.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

²³ Therefore He said He would destroy them— had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. ~ Psalm 106:23

Can you just imagine that God said that He would have destroyed them if it was not for one man standing in the gap? Now think about if it was your family and God was about to destroy them, but He’s waiting for a little while hoping for someone, anyone, for you, the Christian, His chosen one, to intercede for your family. But you’re busy doing this and caught up doing that. Maybe things that even seem important now, or maybe it’s just unimportant things, me time, that keep you from praying for the souls of your loved ones. I shudder at the thought. If I would have only prayed…

Father, help me not to grow weary of interceding for my family and loved ones. Help me to see the extreme emergency of praying for my lost loved ones. Help me to remember that every day is precious, and you never know when it will be someone’s last. Teach me to pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

²⁴ Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. ~ Proverbs 13:24

A mother corrects and disciplines her children. Mothers, you cannot see your children in blatant error and say nothing. You cannot accept something your child has done when you know it is against the law of God.

There is no such thing as God understands when it comes to breaking His laws. You must correct it, even if you yourself were guilty of the same error in your younger days. That is not who you are now, hopefully. We are talking about eternity here. Correct your children.

When you love someone, you correct them so that they are saved from trouble.

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. ¹⁴ If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.

Proverbs 23:13–14

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:9

God is not limited by our limitations. He’s the God that spoke life into being. He’s the God that created the Heavens, the Earth, and everything in between. Even though He is God of the entire Universe, He takes the time to make a plan for our lives. He knows the beginning and the end. He guides us through life so that we can avoid pain and suffering.

Oftentimes, we feel like we know what’s best for ourselves. We allow our fleshly desires and feelings to control us. We look inwardly for guidance instead of looking upwardly to God. Sometimes His plan doesn’t always look safe. It doesn’t always look easy. Sometimes it even looks impossible, but if we trust in God, He won’t let us down.

If we allow God to guide us, we wouldn’t have so much pain and suffering in our lives and in the world. He wants what’s best for us. He doesn’t change. He was love, and He still is love. Our God has done great things, and He is still doing great things. He is doing great things in us and through us. If we follow Him and listen to His instruction, God will guide us into our promised land. We have to set aside our fleshly desires and feelings in order to follow the plan of God.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow His Ways.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

⁵⁸ Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. ~ Acts 7:58–60

Over here in the West, there isn’t much persecution against Christians. We have so much freedom, yet we lack so much love. When someone wrongs us, we want revenge. When we see someone doing wrong, we want to send them to Hell ourselves, but is that how we are to live our lives? Look at the men of the Bible; they didn’t call for instant judgment; they pleaded for mercy on behalf of the men who were persecuting them.

The men whom Stephen was witnessing to dragged him outside the city and began to pelt him with rocks. I’m sure he was trying to dodge a few, but they hit him in the stomach and in the head, and in his face when his hand would try to protect one part of his body, ten more rocks would hit him in another part of his body, until he was full of blood. Bleeding from the hits he received from the stones.

And what did he cry out? LORD save me? Or LORD, where are you? NO! He cried out, “LORD, do not hold this sin against them.” In other words, please forgive them; they know not what they do. He learned and understood from his Savior, Jesus Christ. Were his eyes on the temporal? NO! His eyes were on the eternal. This world held nothing here for him. He understood that there was something bigger than him and all of them at work. He understood what was in store for them if they didn’t repent. Stephen looked at his murderers with only love.

When we look at the world, do we look at them with love or with hate? Do we want God to show them mercy and soften their hearts, or do we want the wrath of God?

LORD God, help us to look at the world with love. Help us to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse us. Fill our hearts, oh LORD, with compassion. Help us to be the light in this dark world. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Back to Growth?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content