Tag: Food For Growth

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16

Love is an action word, even for God. God so loved… that He gave… In order to fully express one’s love, one must accompany the expression “I love you” with an action. It’s not good enough to simply tell someone you love them; you must show them that you do. As faith is incomplete without a corresponding action, so is love. Love is not something we measly say, but something we live and do.

Heavenly Father, please help us to show our love not only in word but also in deed. I pray that today Your love will shine in the hearts of Your people, and those that feel unloved will be shown a love that will bring a smile to their faces and an everlasting warmth to their hearts. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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“²⁰ Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” ~ Ecclesiastes 7:20

Let this be words of encouragement, as well as words of humility. No person on Earth does only good things and never sins, so you’re not alone. You’re not the only one who has struggled or still struggles. But that doesn’t mean that you will always struggle. It’s like an even playing field that we enter into when we are born. Your sin is never too taboo or too wrong for God because I guarantee you, you’re not the first to come before Him with that sin.

As these are words of encouragement, these are also words of humility. We are all born with a sin-nature in need of God’s eternal salvation. We all struggle with sin, and no sin (that leads to death) can be justified by being “better or less taboo” than another sin. ALL sins should be taboo because the body wasn’t created for sin, nor sin for the body. Since we all have a body, all sin should be labeled as taboo to us because none of us can justify our sins as being okay because they’re “not as bad” as someone else’s sin. We all need to be justified by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ and made new through the Holy Spirit.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Justified Through The Blood.

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“In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people.” ~ 2 Chronicles 17:7, 9

Jehoshaphat sent his officials to all the towns of Judah to teach the word of God to all his subjects. Why do you suppose he did that? I believe it was for two reasons:

1.) He loved the LORD
2.) He loved his people

You cannot have a close relationship with the Almighty and not love what He loves. And what He loves most is people. More specifically, He loves their souls that will spend eternity in one of two places. Either in paradise with God or in the lake of fire without Him. But most Christians go through their Christian walk, and no one even knows they are Christian. They never witness; therefore, they never win souls. But if you continue to read the passage, it says that “the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought 7,700 rams and 7,700 male goats” (vv10-11).

Not only did Jehoshaphat receive spiritual and physical blessings, but he received a financial blessing as well. Jehoshaphat reaped the benefits of obedience. You can too, it all begins with your testimony. Tell them how much God has done for you.

Father give us the boldness and confidence we need to witness to the lost, that they may hear the Good News and believe. Soften their hearts as we witness. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

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“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~ Matthew 6:33-34

As we go through our everyday lives, let us make that a priority – to seek God’s kingdom first. Prayer and worship. Spending time in the Presence of God. Secondly, let us not worry and get stressed out about things that are in God’s hands. Worry is the opposite of faith. Even though we may not see it this way, we are saying that we don’t trust God to do the right thing for us. In what do you put your trust in? What you worry about will tell you.

Heavenly Father, please give us the peace we need to stay calm and stress-free. LORD help us not to worry, but to learn to leave everything in Your hands and to depend on Your best judgment for us. Bless us in our day to day lives. Remind us that our life is in the hands of our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:11

Some people will try to hold on to the past, and they will try to use it to define you. But that was who you were, not who you are now! You are not that person anymore. You are a new creation. So hold your head high, rejoice in the LORD for He is good. No weapon formed against you will prosper. And those words of condemnation…you will be able to refute every one, no one will be able to stand against you if the LORD is your shield.

My Heavenly Father, please restore a sense of pride in Your people who have been trampled down. Confirm Your grace to those who are constantly reminded of their past, and to those who are told lies that they are worthless, let them feel Your love and fill them with self-worth because of Your grace. Bless Your people today, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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“‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” ~ Luke 1:38

Mary knew fully well what the consequences could and would be. She knew that it would not be an easy task to tell Joseph that she was six weeks pregnant but look, Joseph, “I’m still a virgin, it wasn’t me, it was the Holy Spirit!” She knew she could be stoned to death for adultery. She knew she would be an outcast at the very least. She knew that there would be finger-pointing and whispering behind her back. She knew it was a huge responsibility that could, in fact, cost her her life.

But she didn’t consider all the hardships or consequences. She focused on one thing: “I am the LORD’s servant…” and that is all that counts, no matter what the consequences. Come storm or calm, rain or sunshine, I am the LORD’s servant, and I will take my responsibility. God has called each one for a specific task, to travel a specific road, to complete a specific work. The question is: are we willing to count the cost and say, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as You have said.”?

Heavenly Father, remember that we are but dust. Give us the strength and determination to do the job that You have called us to do. Help us to take our responsibility and to remember, “I am the LORD’s servant…” Nothing more or nothing less, we are Your servants, called to a specific task, and You will take care of us and see it through. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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“Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.” ~ Job 4:4

The saying, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,’ has been around for a long time and has been the response of countless kids. But oh wait, words do hurt, and words do encourage. You may never know the joy or the encouragement your words can bring to someone’s life; someone who just needs to hear a kind word.

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Look for someone you can encourage today, even if you think they are your encourager. And together, we can begin to make the world a brighter place. Remember, we are the light because Jesus shines through us.

Thank You, Father, for all the Barnabas’ out there. Help us to encourage each other, and look for opportunities to say and do nice things for someone else. No man is an island, and no woman stands alone, but You have created us as social creatures, living together, and strengthening each other. Now LORD, lay your hand of mercy on the downtrodden and lift up those that are beaten down, liberate the ones who are being unjustly oppressed.

I thank You in Jesus’ name, amen.

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¹²And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace, you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

¹⁵Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” ~ Esther 4:12-16

Esther had to have been terrified to hear that the Jews would be destroyed, but even more so that Mordecai wanted her to go before the king without being called. I mean, Esther’s call was scary. She was basically playing with death. No matter which choice she chose, the outcome could have resulted in death, but she knew that if she brought it before God, that’s what would make the difference. If she had God on her side, how could she fail?

I learned three main things from reading these verses: 1st, no matter how high up you are in your field, no matter how important you are in your community, if you are a threat to the enemy, then you are at risk. 2nd, if you are called to do something, and you do not do it, God will rise up another because God’s overall will will be fulfilled. 3rd, there is power in fasting, no matter how short the fast is because there is strength in numbers. Esther called for every one of the Jews to fast alongside her. They didn’t fast 40 days, they didn’t fast 21 days, they only fasted 3 days, and that was enough.

I wonder how many more prayers would be answered if entire families came together in fasting and prayer for specific things, instead of one person fasting by themselves and keeping it to themselves. May we learn to fast as Esther and Mordecai did.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fast Like Esther and Mordecai.

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“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31

When trouble comes, and problems arise, the hardest thing to do is to just sit still and wait. But if we rush off to do our own thing without first seeking God on the matter, then, in reality, we are taking God out of the equation, and we are now taking His place. Besides, by doing that, we normally make things worse.

Because whose wisdom can compare with the wisdom of God? And who can deliver like God can? Just take the time to earnestly seek Him and wait for Him. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It may not happen when you think it should, but it won’t happen a second too late, either.

Heavenly Father, help us to wait upon You for an answer. Help us not to run off to do our own thing. Guide our steps and our thoughts so that we may know Your good and perfect will. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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