Tag: Spiritual

Posted on

The Soldiers

3 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ~ 2 Timothy 2:3-4

On the day known as D-Day, June 6, 1944, allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. It is estimated that 10,000 total allied casualties occurred that day, including 2,000 U.S. soldiers, 2,000 British soldiers, and 914 Canadian soldiers killed, wounded, or went missing, and another estimate of between four thousand and nine thousand German casualties on that day.

Apparently, there were so many dead bodies in the water and on the beaches from the first two waves that the third wave had to wait before they could be given orders to land and join the invasion.

These men, just young boys on both sides, were given orders to rush into the face of certain death, to try to kill each other. It was kill or be killed. They had no animosity toward each other. There was no hate between the fighting men, but their respective countries had drafted them and ordered them to go and fight. Kill or be killed.

These are the men who died defending the freedoms we still enjoy today. But how quickly we have forgotten the price that was paid and is still being paid. Places like Columbus, Ohio, are canceling their Veterans Day Parade this year, 2023, due to a major decrease in corporate financial support and a lack of attendance at the events.

It seems like people are just not interested in honoring our veterans. The ones who gave up so much for our freedom. While other parades are flourishing, vile as they might be, they are growing in popularity.

We are called to be soldiers in an unseen spiritual war, with hundreds of thousands of casualties daily all over the world. It is estimated that there are over 360 million Christians facing persecution and discrimination for their faith on a daily basis.

Places like North Korea produce videos to train state security agents on how to identify and silence those who promote religion in their country.

Christians like Mary in Nigeria, who was brutally murdered when Fulani Islamic militants attacked her village. Her husband was in town donating blood when the attack came. Their 6-year-old daughter was struck in the head, knocking her unconscious. Their 2-year-old daughter was shot in the stomach as the bullet passed through her little body and lodged in her mother’s chest, killing her instantly. The two little girls lay near their dead mother’s body through the afternoon until evening, when someone found them and rescued them.

This is only one of the millions of stories of the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Stories that the Western Church either does not hear or, sadly, does not take notice of. So, this Veterans Day, let us, with appreciative hearts, honor those who serve us by serving our country militarily. But also, let us remember the Christian soldiers who are serving in the unseen spiritual war. Some are even dying for their faith.

Heavenly Father, please remember the soldiers who are today in harm’s way. Let your hand of protection shield them. Please watch over them and encourage them and their families, their loved ones. LORD, I pray for the salvation of every soldier who does not know You as LORD and Savior. Save them, LORD. Reveal Yourself to them.

I also pray for the persecuted Christian soldiers. May Your Great Name be ever upon their lips as their faith continues to be strong. Give them boldness, and let their hearts not be troubled, even in the face of imminent danger. I speak Shalom peace over their lives. I ask You to please provide for their needs, according to Your riches in glory, for I ask it in Jesus’ precious Name, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

All That He Counsels

16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. ~ Revelation 3:16-19

It’s the weakness of the Church that brings on the Great Tribulation, so do you suppose that we will be kept from what we ourselves have caused:

  • By our Pride.
  • By our prayerlessness.
  • By our lack of holiness.
  • By our alliance with darkness.
  • We have become lovers of self rather than lovers of God.
  • A proud and stiff-necked people.
  • Who love to tickle ears and have our own ears tickled.

We fool ourselves when we think we are so holy because we have hundreds of thousands of adoring fans, sitting in beautiful expensive buildings sitting on soft pews, and sipping our lattes, but Jesus said that we are:

  • Wretched
  • Pitiable
  • Poor
  • Blind
  • And naked

And He counsels us to buy from Him:

  • Gold refined by fire so that we may be rich.
  • And white garments so that we may clothe ourselves and the shame of our nakedness may not be seen.
  • And salve to anoint our eyes, so that we may see.

This last day Church is not all that we are cracked up to be. We are like the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus’ day, for we honor God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him (Matthew 15:8).

Dear LORD, thank You for Your grace and forgiveness. Forgive me for not making You the center of my life. Forgive me for putting other things above You and for not giving You the love, respect, and reverence You deserve. Teach me to buy from You all that You have counseled me to. Please guide me in my journey to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

A Heart For God

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. ~ Matthew 21:28-32

I recently heard the testimony of an ex-gang member who found Jesus while in solitary confinement during his rather long prison sentence. He went from a life of gang violence from the age of 11 to finding Jesus in solitary at 18. When he found Jesus, he didn’t take it for granted. He put everything on the line to follow Christ. Everything, including his life. I read how he talked about not only reading his Bible and praying daily in prison but also fasting. He would stay in his cell and pray and read his Bible as the other inmates went to the cafeteria for lunch.

He was what one would describe as an undesirable. A murderer. A thief. Nothing short of a terrorist. But when he found Jesus, everything changed. So many of us who grew up in the church have never even fasted a single day. This young man grew up in violence and never even went to church as a kid, but as he got saved, he studied to show himself approved. This isn’t a new phenomenon either. There’s a real sadness in this truth that we who grew up in the church experiencing the love of Christ oftentimes take it for granted, while those who would be categorized as the undesirables of society seem to rarely, if ever, walk away from grace when they find it.

We who grew up with Christ should be paving the way for them. We should be teaching them how to eat meat, but we ourselves can barely even handle milk. Imagine if we stopped looking at ourselves the way society sees us and started looking at ourselves the way God sees us. We’re all saved the same way, by the redeeming blood of Jesus. We all have to say the same prayer of repentance regardless of how many sins we’ve committed. Our past doesn’t matter. How good we think we are doesn’t matter because we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. If we could just grasp the weight of our sin and how much Christ really has done for us, we would all be seeking God the way this young man did from inside the walls of his prison cell.

Dear LORD, please soften my heart towards You and Your Word and Your Kingdom. Help me to seek Your face above all else. Renew in me a right spirit and crucify the flesh that tries to hold me back. Give me a heart for You, oh God. Mold me into a vessel that can be used by You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Knowing Which Battle

6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~ Romans 8:6-8

The flesh is a rough enemy to fight because your flesh is a part of you. You can’t get rid of it. It’ll always be there nagging at you, trying to pull you down. Oftentimes, we confuse the flesh with spiritual oppression. We blame the Devil for everything, even when it’s not him but ourselves.

Derek Prince once said:

You can’t crucify a spirit, and you can’t cast out the flesh.

That means that there’s a difference between the flesh and spiritual oppression. And as Christians, we have to know the differences in order to overcome. Otherwise, we’re just blindly fighting a losing battle. We have to have discernment to know the difference between our own flesh and spiritual oppression so that we might be able to know how to fight our enemy because not all enemies fall the same way.

Dear LORD, please help me to be aware of the difference between my flesh and spiritual oppression. Teach me when to crucify and teach me when to cast out. Please give me a spirit of discernment so that I might be better equipped to serve you. Help me to focus on the matters of the Spirit and not on matters of the flesh. Teach me to love Your Word and Your Law so that I might not sin against You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Peace Peace

11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. ~ Jeremiah 8:11NIV

The understanding of prophecies that have been locked up for 1000s of years is now being released in our generation. Prophecies are being fulfilled, and the stage for the end is being set right before our eyes, yet many will still say there is peace. Why? Because things have been bad before. Each generation has thought they were the last. And if it is the end, we’ll meet Christ before things get bad anyway.

These are the people who are usually in places of authority, from pastors of large churches to family patriarchs and matriarchs. People we’re supposed to trust without hesitation or reserve are the same ones steering us in the wrong direction because of Church Tradition and self-denial. Israel had the same problem. Their leaders and men of authority were preaching peace when destruction was banging at the door. They were preaching all will be well, when death was unlocking the lock.

Too often, we don’t get the preparation needed in order to withstand the coming trial and tribulation because we’re too busy not questioning those in authority around us. The greatest apostle who ever lived, Paul, was checked every day by the Bereans to make sure what he was saying was true. This didn’t offend Paul; it impressed him.

This world is coming to an end. The signs are all around us, but in order to see them, you have to read your Bible and seek the Truth of God and not somebody else’s truth. If you seek someone else’s truth or even your own truth, you will miss the Truth of God, and you’ll be swallowed up by the coming destruction that is banging at the door.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for not seeking Your Truth the way I should. Open my eyes that I might see and give me ears that I might hear so that I might not be unaware of the times. Teach me to pray, worship, and study Your Word that I might strengthen my body and prepare for the time of trial coming. Please let me not be caught unprepared and asleep when that day comes. Use me, LORD God. Mold me into whatever vessel will best serve and further Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Slumber?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Who Was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden?

In the Garden of Eden, a mysterious being tempts Eve with fruit from the forbidden tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There’s a bit of a debate surrounding the identity of this being who is simply called the serpent. So, who was the serpent? Was the serpent paid by Satan, or was it actually Satan? Or was the serpent some kind of lesser human? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the Truth behind the identity of the serpent in her video, Who Was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden?

Genesis 3:1-7
Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-15
Genesis 3:8-15
Revelation 12:1-6
Revelation 19:15
Revelation 12:7-9
Revelation 12:13-17
Genesis 3:15
Genesis 3:13
John 8:39-47
Galatians 3:7-9
Galatians 3:28-29
Luke 1:26-38

Who Was the Serpent in the Garden of Eden?

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

Genesis 3:1-15

Back to Too Deep?

Back to Bible Studies?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

The Weight of Humility

4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation. ~ Psalms 149:4

Humility is a difficult thing for most of us to grasp. It’s much more than just humbling ourselves before God and admitting that we’ve sinned and can’t save ourselves. It’s more than just saying we need God’s help in our everyday lives. Humility is also about how we interact with those around us. That’s why pride is probably one of the strongest strongholds gripping the Church today.

Rarely does the Church today try to crucify our flesh. Here’s what I mean: we’re quick to be offended but not quick to apologize. We want to get even. We want to be petty. And believe you me, I’m not excluded from this. I’m right there in that group of the Church that struggle with this. The other night, a simple conversation got heated between me and a friend for literally no reason. I said something truthful, and she was more than offended and then proceeded to say something hurtful. But I bit my tongue. I even apologized for the thing I said, even though I wasn’t the one in the wrong. But let me tell you, that humble pie kept me up all night.

I didn’t sleep that entire night because I was so upset that I had to apologize (conviction of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 5:23-24). In fact, I can’t even lie; I was kinda happy that she called me the next day at a time when I couldn’t answer the phone. Why? Because my flesh wasn’t happy with what my spirit did.

It’s extremely hard to be a Christian. I don’t understand the idea of telling people that serving God makes things easier. Because it doesn’t. Serving God means that you now have to pick up your cross and follow Him. You have to crucify your flesh daily. That’s not an easy task. It’s in our human nature to want to get even. It’s in our human nature to want to be petty, but we have to remember that we aren’t our own. We’ve been bought by a price. We belong to Christ. And if we belong to Christ, then vengeance, getting even, and putting people in check is no longer our right. It now belongs to Him.

Dear LORD, please help me to continue to crucify my flesh. Help me to grow my spirit man, so that when I force my flesh into submission, it will be obedient. Please continue to humble me and remove the spirit of pride from gripping me. Teach me to not return reviling with reviling, or anger with anger, or hurt with hurt, but help me to overcome all of these things with love. Teach me to turn the other cheek so that I might be a light in this dark world and point others back to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Strongholds?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

A Wise Man

22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust. ~ Proverbs 21:22

Wisdom is from God. And God gives wisdom to any of His people who ask for wisdom. Oftentimes, we think of wisdom as just knowledge, but wisdom is a little deeper than knowledge. I believe wisdom also entails being able to put that knowledge into action. See, if we know a lot of verses and can defend our faith in any argument, then we have a lot of knowledge, but unless we actually put those verses and faith into use, then we aren’t being wise.

That’s why a wise man can scale the city of the mighty and bring down that false stronghold that they’re putting their trust in. A wise person doesn’t just know Scripture but uses it. They put it into practice, and they take back what the enemy has stolen from them.

Spiritual warfare isn’t just prayer full of words that sound really good and powerful. It’s backing up those words with scripture and faith so that they have something firm to stand on.

Dear LORD, help me not to just be knowledgeable of Your Word, but help me to be wise and put that word into practice. Help me to see the power of Your Word, that it is living and breathing. That it’s not dead words for a time long ago but living words that have power for a time such as this. Help me to be wise in all things that I say and do. Guide me in my spiritual and physical journey. Show me the way You have planned out for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

A Prayer For Saul

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ~ Acts 9:1-4NIV

We all know the story of Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. We know how a light flashed around him, a voice called to him, and he went blind. We know the story of Saul, but do we know why he was going to Damascus in the first place? Saul was a Pharisee. A man against the Church. A man seeking to destroy the teachings of Jesus and all who followed them.

Saul was on his way to Damascus to try to imprison and take back to Jerusalem all the followers of Christ that he could. His heart was bent on evil when Christ brought him to a halt on the road to Damascus. See, God’s desire isn’t that any should perish, but all come to acceptance. God doesn’t pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. No. God says that He sent His Son into the world to save the world. Not some of the r world, not half of the world, but all of the world. That was God’s desire.

So when He saw an opportunity to save a soul that thought he was doing the will of God by persecuting and silencing the Church, God took the opportunity. Today, God is still looking for the opportunity to save souls, regardless of their past. God’s desire is to redeem us. That’s why we who are saved must pray earnestly for those who persecute us. We must pray earnestly for those who curse us. We must pray earnestly for our unsaved loved ones as well. Who is to say if Steven crying out to forgive those men stoning him wasn’t heard by God and answered when He called to Saul that day?

Communism was rampant in Russia. The Christians were locked in prison and mercilessly tortured for their faith. Their children were killed in front of them. Their wives were beaten and raped. But even then, they prayed earnestly for those same men who tortured them. And when communism turned on those men, and they were locked up in prison, those same men they had persecuted treated them with love and kindness. They gave them their bread to eat as a tithe to the LORD. Communism no longer plagues Russia. Who is to say that Russia’s freedom today isn’t the fruit of the labor of those praying Christians?

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all of the hatred, anger, and unforgiveness I’ve stored up in my heart over the years. Help me to not hold grudges even when I have a good reason to, according to earthly standards. Please help me to forgive people and love people the way You forgive and love. Please forgive those who persecute me, curse me, and say all manner of evil against me. Please save their soul and have mercy on them. Please redeem them from darkness into Your everlasting Light. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Stay Strapped

16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah 17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. 19 Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. ~ Nehemiah 4:16-23NIV

Nehemiah was in charge of the rebuilding of the Temple, and the enemy was against them. I want you to notice that they didn’t stop building the Temple. They didn’t get distracted by the threats of the enemy. They kept working. They stayed focused on their work. This is the wild part, though; they kept their swords on them. They even worked with one hand because they had a weapon in their other hand. Let that sink in for a moment.

They didn’t let the threat of the enemy take away from their focus on rebuilding the Temple, but they didn’t take the threat of the enemy lightly and kept their weapon in their hand as they worked. Then, on top of all of that, if the enemy attacked, the trumpet would be sounded, and all people who heard the sound of the trumpet were to run to that area. They didn’t believe in taking the enemy on on their own. No. They were to come to each other’s aid. They were to be there for their fellow worker. This is how the Church should be.

Each of us should be strapped with our Sword of the Spirit and Shield of Faith at all times, prepared to defend ourselves against the enemy but never taking our focus off the call God has on our lives. And when one of us is under attack, we should sound the alarm and come to that person’s aid. The underground Church is currently sounding the alarm. Begging the free Church to pray for them, and we pretend like we don’t even hear the alarm. Our fellow brothers and sisters are under physical and spiritual attack like we can’t even imagine, and we can’t even spare 10 minutes to pray for them. Even in our own freedom, we don’t take up our sword to defend ourselves. We don’t pray for our nations, leaders, those in power. We say there is no hope, and we just give up. It’s time for the Church to stand up for the faith and fight the spiritual battle before us on our knees before it’s too late.

Dear LORD, please help me to strap on the Sword of the Spirit at all times. Help me to put on the full armor that You have given to me. Help me not to ignore the sound of the alarm but to get down on my hands and knees and pray and seek You on behalf of Your Church. Help me to come to my brother and sister’s aid when they call out for help. Help me not to lay down my weapons but to stand strong and prepared for whatever may come. Show me how to focus on the will You have for my life. Teach me to be the kind of Christian that will hear You say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, with whom I am well pleased,” when I stand before Your throne. In Jesus’ name, pray, amen.

Back to Spiritual Warfare?

Back to Daily Bread?

Similar Content

Like and Share This:
Proudly powered by WordPress