Tag: Spiritual

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Be Careful Who Your Shepherd Is

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the LORD and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the LORD and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the LORD to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? ~ 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Paul, out of great concern for the Corinthian Church, was trying to get the Saints there to understand that it is impossible to partake from two tables: the table of the LORD and the table of demons. He called it idolatry, and then he warned his readers to flee idolatry. God warned the Old Testament believers to flee idolatry as well.

Paul said, “Look, you are sensible people. You can understand what I am saying, so judge for yourselves. Do not just blindly take what I am saying but weigh it against Scripture and with reason. The problem with today’s Christians is that they get too caught up in the worldview of popular culture, by which they judge everything and all standards.

You were born that way. God does not make mistakes. God wants you happy. It’s your body, it’s your choice. They use society’s morals to judge instead of God’s standards. Look, culture changes with whoever is in charge or whoever has the loudest and most pronounced voice.

Over and often, we see the trend in the Old Testament where the Israelites followed the LORD and obeyed His Law as long as the leader, or the judge, or the king, or whoever it was that was in charge was still alive, but then as soon as he died, they went right back to doing wrong. This is the importance of keeping Christ as your Shepherd and not the world as your shepherd. Therefore, cling to the Word of God and stand firm on the Scriptures.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Careful Who Your Shepherd Is.

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Empty To Fill

11 I have been a fool; you forced it on me. You ought to have commended me, since I am not in any way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 The signs of an apostle were performed with unfailing endurance among you, including signs and wonders and miracles. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:11-12CSB

Paul was writing to the Corinthian Church, warning them about the deceitful teachings of the “super-apostles” that had weaseled their way into the Church and disguised themselves as servants of Christ when they were, in fact, simply servants of Satan. Now, here’s what I find interesting, these servants of Satan are called “super-apostles”, but look at how Paul addresses that. He tells the people, “The signs of an apostle were performed with unfailing endurance among you, including signs and wonders and miracles.” Paul did signs and wonders, but he also performed the signs of an apostle with great endurance. So many, not every single one, but many today call themselves apostles but cannot perform a single sign or wonder. They have people referring to them as only apostle so and so, without performing a single miracle. No one goes to them and returns healed. Matter-a-fact much of these teachings that they bring forth aren’t sound doctrine. So why do they call themselves apostles?

I believe Satan has successfully infiltrated the Church through confusion and lack of understanding, coupling all these things with pride. Now, I want to be clear, I’m not saying each and every person who calls themselves apostle is evil, demonic, Satanic, possessed, or anything like, but I believe they are beguiled because they don’t walk in power. They have no signs, wonders, or miracles that they can perform. And so often, their doctrine doesn’t line up with Scripture.

Now, I believe that there are still apostles and prophets just like I believe there are still teachers and preachers, but I believe we lost the understanding of what those offices truly are and what they truly mean. To me, it seems as if each person calling themselves apostle so and so are doing so only out of pride. I have never read Paul referring to himself as Apostle Paul. Did Paul start his letter explaining who he was and what his position was in the Church? Absolutely, but he didn’t use it as a title per se. How can I be sure? When Peter mentions Paul, he refers to him as Brother Paul. When Paul mentions Peter, he refers to him as Cephas. They didn’t turn this office into a title for themselves and others to refer to them by. Paul started out his letters with his position so that his readers understood with what authority he said those things; that was it.

I personally believe we’ve lost so much knowledge and understanding that the early Church had. We’re more divided, confused, and weaker than any other generation of the Church. This isn’t by accident but by design. The Devil isn’t a toothless, defeated foe. The Devil is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He’s planning and scheming. And what has he done? Removed sound teaching and doctrine by introducing false humility and pride into the Church. False humility says, “There are no more apostles, prophets, miracles, signs, wonders, power, etc. because all we need and should want is a relationship with Jesus.” Pride says, “I am an apostle or prophet because I am influential, I have a following, people respect me and my opinion, my teachings go viral, therefore, I am an apostle.” Then, to top it all off, he introduced distractions that keep us from actually reading our Bible, studying it, and understanding it. If I can keep my enemy from reading, studying, and understanding, then I have conquered them before the battle has even begun. How can we overcome our enemy if we don’t know anything about our own salvation?

Salvation isn’t just about getting eternal life. It’s about building the body of Christ. How can we do that if we don’t know, understand, or care what part of the body we are? It can’t work. We have to throw off false humility, pride, distractions, slothfulness, and apathy and instead cling diligently to the Word of God, searching it daily, seeking Truth and understanding, emptying our cup so that God may fill it up, all in pursuit of only His Truth and Righteousness. Imagine if the Church just followed in the footsteps of the early Church… imagine the souls that would be saved… we need to get back to the basics and throw off prideful titles and false humility so that we might build on a strong, firm foundation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Empty To Fill.

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Stay and Move In Obedience

39 When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief. 40 They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Let’s go to the place the Lord promised, for we were wrong.” 41 But Moses responded, “Why are you going against the Lord’s command? It won’t succeed. 42 Don’t go, because the Lord is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies. 43 The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The Lord won’t be with you, since you have turned from following him.” 44 But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the Lord’s covenant and Moses did not leave the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah. ~ Numbers 14:39-45CSB

The people of Israel were told to invade the land of Canaan and take it over because it was their inheritance as promised to their father Abraham. The LORD promised to go with them and even go before them, but the people refused to enter. Why? Because they sent in spies from each tribe and when those twelve spies returned, 10 of them gave a bad report of the land and incited the people to not enter the land.

What was their report? There were Nephilim in the land. Giants as tall as cedar trees that wreaked havoc on the people of the land. They were filled with fear at the sight of them, and when they returned, they filled the camp with fear as well. So, the people refused to enter. Only two of the twelve spies tried to remind the people that the LORD had promised to be with them and go before them. They tried to remind the people of God’s promise, but their words fell on deaf ears. The people would not listen.

So, what does God do? He rejects the people since they rejected Him with their unbelief and refusal to go into the land. When they’re told that God has now rejected them, they try to force His hand by refusing to stay in the camp and instead going to war. They probably think that the LORD will show up; He’ll have to. But God doesn’t show up, and they are destroyed at battle and have to flee.

So many of us are told to go forward go forward. Time after time, we reject God until He finally tells us “fine,” and He doesn’t move us forward. By the time we’re finally ready to move forward, it’s too late, and God has moved on to a willing heart. So, we try to force His hand by moving forward without Him. And what happens? We fail. The difference between us and the people of Israel is that we blame God for our failure when He told us to stay and not go.

When you miss the opportunity, you must remain where God has left you and seek Him until He returns. You don’t try to move on without Him; you always stay where He left you, lest you be overcome on your own.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay and Move In Obedience.

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World Under Attack Pt. 10: Partaking From Two Tables

Once a year, many Christians celebrate the holiday, Halloween. Many churches have Trunk or Treats as an outreach program aiming to usher in new members. Even though the Church is the Bride of Christ, so many still participate in a day that seems to be nothing but darkness. Their claim for why it’s not a big deal? Because the Devil doesn’t own any days and the Holy Spirit doesn’t take days off. Therefore, allowing your child to dress up in harmless costumes and go from door to door collecting candy from friends and neighbors is nothing but a tradition passed down from generation to generation. But what if there’s something more sinister happening in the spiritual realm that we can’t see with our naked eye? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the spiritual tactics of the enemies in his message, World Under Attack Pt. 10: Partaking From Two Tables.

World Under Attack Pt. 10

Partaking From Two Tables

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the LORD and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the LORD and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the LORD to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven
Part Eight
Part Nine

Part Eleven
Part Twelve

More Messages?

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Imitate The True God

22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! ~ Matthew 6:22-23CSB

A phrase I’m hearing more and more as a defense for “Christians” to live as the world without getting too much backlash from the Church is “Going to the party isn’t the problem. Even Jesus partied with sinners. You just gotta leave before the Devil shows up.” Is there any truth to this statement? I would say, no, not really. Jesus never partied with anyone. Jesus ate and drank with sinners, and that’s about it. The key, though, is actually paying attention to what Jesus did when He was around sinners. Jesus always found the opportunity to correct their way of living.

Jesus wasn’t out there getting drunk, dancing inappropriately, smoking weed, seeing others talking harder drugs, and having orgies in the back, all while listening to filthy, nasty music filled with cusswords, debauchery, and sexual immortality. No. Jesus sat and had dinner with people, and if He didn’t outright correct their behavior verbally, His presence alone convicted them enough that they repented directly to Him. Jesus never enabled darkness to continue; why?  Because while He was in the world, He was the Light of the World. Now, we have taken that same position that He left when He ascended on High. What does that mean for us?

We don’t justify our actions by twisting the Word of God in order to party and cater to our flesh. No. We stand firm on our faith and be the light of the world. Paul put it best when he said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Therefore, we must emulate Christ and what He did. Where, when, how can we witness to anyone at a party? Who are we saving there? Let’s be honest; we’re there for our own fleshly desires and nothing more.

How can we leave a party before the Devil shows up if we don’t know what the Devil looks like? If we struggle with who Jesus is, how can we feel confident that we notice our enemy when he blatantly lies, deceives, and even transforms himself into an angel of light? It’s impossible. How can we reach the lost of we’re right next to them doing the same thing? We can’t. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. It will just lead to more darkness. We are called out of the world so that we might call others out of the world as well. I’ll leave you with this question, “If the light in you is truly darkness, how great is that darkness?” In other words, if you think you’re living a good life, but in reality, you are living a sinful life, how great is that sin within you?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Imitate The True God.

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Never Just Take Their Word For It

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ~ Acts 17:10-11CSB

When we think of Jesus or describe Him today, our thoughts and descriptions don’t truly line up with the Jesus of the Bible. Why is that? The majority of the times this because we don’t read our Bibles, so we don’t truly know who Jesus is, we only know what others tell us about Him. So, from the very beginning we have a false depiction of Christ and we don’t even know it.

Why don’t we study our Bibles for ourselves to find the Truth? Because a lot of the time, we’re too spiritually lazy to read our Bibles. We don’t want to deny our flesh pleasure and put it into subjection, so we just take people’s word for it. But think about this: how many of us would blindly take someone’s word when it comes to our finances, kids, health, home, or anything we deem important? Very few of us would blindly follow their advice. So, why do it with something as precious as your eternal soul?

When we blindly follow others, we’re never truly growing. We’re never truly learning because how can we grow or learn without the Scriptures? Never take someone’s word for it, no matter who they are or how you support or respect them. Always go back to the Word of God and check it for yourselves to see if what is being said is Truth or false teaching. In that way, you will be able to make sure you are following the one true God and His one true path.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Never Just Take Their Word For It.

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The LORD, My Refuge

2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. ~ Psalms 91:2-4

The Psalmist starts out with, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” We, Christians, do not wait until disaster is upon us before we start praying; no, we are in prayer continuously. Therefore, we abide permanently in the shelter of the Almighty. That means that we are always under His great protection.

Think about it this way. You are on the school playground, and bullies are coming toward you, and you know exactly what their intentions are. They are there to bully you and make your life a living nightmare. But as they come into range, your big brother, who is two or three times bigger than they are, turns around and looks. He is so close to you that you are standing in his shadow. What do you think those bullies will do? They will turn around and leave without saying one word or making one move. They are out of there.

That is how it is with Jesus. He said that He will never leave us nor forsake us but will abide with us forever. It’s like the poem Footprints. A man was looking over his life and saw two sets of prints in the sand, and he knew that it was Jesus who was with him. But then he realized that in the hardest times of his life, there was only one set of prints. When he asked Jesus why this was, why He had left him in his most troubled times, Jesus replied, those were the times that I cared for you. That is a very comforting thought. Even when it seems like the whole world is against us, remember, God is with us. It is in those times that Jesus will carry us.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are with us in the day and in the night. In the highs and in the lows. In the good times and in the bad. Thank You for carrying me in my most troubled times. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Encouragement?

Back to Daily Bread?

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Pay Attention To The War

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ~ Ephesians 6:11-13

We are facing a war for independence right now. A spiritual war of independence, but a war, nonetheless. Every one of us are all flawed with what theologians call, “original sin.” This was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth and being born of a virgin, so that He could die for the sins of the world.

Jesus died to wash us clean of that original sin, and He offers eternal life to whomsoever will. He is offering liberty right now. Your rights as a citizen may be taken from you. Your freedom can be eliminated. Your property can be confiscated. But do you know what they can never take from you? Your freedom in Christ. Jesus died on the cross over 2,000 years ago because we were all sinners and needed saving, and His shed blood was the only way for us to receive salvation.

So, Jesus had to die that we might live. Therefore, cling to your salvation. Cling to what they can never take from you. Jesus promised that if we seek first the Kingdom of God all other things will be given to us. Therefore, seek the LORD first and His righteousness, and He will take care of all your needs.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention To The War.

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Be Vigilant

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~ Matthew 25:31-46

There is coming a day of Judgment when Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep He will place on His right, and the goats He will place on His left. To those on His right He will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And they will enter eternal life.

But those on His left, he will say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Then those on His left will go away into eternal punishment (Matthew 25:31-46). What a sad and frightening day for those on His left.

Therefore, we must be vigilant and not fall asleep spiritually, because we do not know when our LORD and Savior will return. And it’s imperative that He finds us awake and doing what He has called us to do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Vigilant.

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Only Battle With Christ

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. ~ Joshua 7:6

When the men went up to fight AI, they were deceived into thinking they had it covered, not realizing they had a breach in their armor. AI represents Adultery and Idolatry. The other important point to make is this. When Joshua sent the men up to fight, it never said he also sent the Ark of the Covenant.

What’s so important about the Ark? It represented the person, the presence, and the promises of God. It pointed to the fact that as the people of Israel set out to cross the Jordan, to invade, and possess the land, they must do so not in their own strength, but in God’s strength, for it was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory. But in the case of AI, they wanted to fight that battle in their own strength. I tell you, it’s a losing battle.

So, what was the battle tactic that defeated AI? The first thing Joshua did was to seek the LORD. Therefore, that is the first thing we must do. When we run up against AI, we must immediately flee, then find a place of prayer and rebuke the enemy in the Name of Jesus.

They submitted themselves to God. If indeed you have fallen at AI, there is forgiveness in Jesus, yes, even at AI. The tearing of the clothes was associated with mourning, grief, and loss. It is a sign of true repentance. The only thing is, now it is no longer rending our garments, but rather, we rend our hearts, not our garments (Joel 2:13).

Therefore, let us put on the full armor of God so that in the day of adversity, we will be able to stand. Why? Because AI isn’t a battle, we can ever win on our own. It’s a battle that we can only overcome through the LORD Jesus Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Only Battle With Christ.

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