In preparing for today's message, I asked the Lord to direct me to a subject that would bring encouragement to our hearts. In reading Psalm 80 He brought me to the following verses: Psalm 80: 8-11 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. 9 You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land. 10 The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs. 11 She sent out her boughs to t

I was in a bible study this past week and the subject of creation came up and I posed the question: "Is all of creation that God created, completely and absolutely surrendered to Him?" Some said yes, others said no. Think about it...God created the sun, moon, stars, flowers, trees, and everything the earth has to offer us. All of creation is surrendered to God because He created them. Do they (creation) not allow God to work in them just as He pleases? Of course, they do, He

In a previous issue of Our Daily Bread entitled, "Goodbyes and Hello," we are reminded of our fragile time here on earth. Many times, we must be saying "goodbye" to a dear loved one close to us, or even harder, a family member. Those times when they do happen, can be difficult to say the least. But as we get past the initial loss and turn our eyes to our Creator, we are reminded that our life here on earth, though short, we can now focus on our future, our eternity in heaven

In today's reading of "Our Daily Bread", in the book of 2 Corinthians, we are reminded that as Christians, believers in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, we now have the opportunity and privilege to go before God and commune with Him on a personal level. Just as Moses did in the book of Exodus, he asked God if he (Moses) could see His glory. By the power given to us through the Holy Spirit living in us, we can go with confidence before God and talk with Him. Read the follow

As I read today in the Book of Daniel, I am reminded of the story of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, as God used him to bring about the punishment and exile of Judah and Israel. God gave King Nebuchadnezzar the power and might to eventually become the most powerful king to rule the world. His great pride became his great downfall. Daniel: 4: 28-32 28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.

The test of this question will always become evident in our lives. Every time we are put to the test of worrying about things in our life such as money, job, security, family, etc., we are putting that object or circumstance first before God. Our God is a very jealous God. He wants our full and absolute dedication to Him. He deserves it! God was willing to give up His position as God for us in heaven, become a mortal man, live a holy life for us for thirty-three years and th

I am sure there have been many times in our early lives as Christians that our cries out to God went unheard. It seemed at times that our prayers were bouncing off a brick wall, only to bring us to deeper despair. Through coming to understanding God's word and promises better, we can come to the point in our lives of saying that those feelings of "unheard prayers" are long gone. We can come to know in our hearts that every time we pray and speak to God, He is listening. Even

As I have read throughout the scriptures the stories of the many people who have commune with God and were used by Him, all have a common thread that runs through them. All of them eventually had to come before God with a "clean heart", you might say a broken and contrite heart. To be able to have a "clean heart" before God, to be able to truly speak with Him and know that He is truly listening to us and to know that He speaks with us through His Holy Spirit, and His word, i

Today's world has changed so drastically within the last six months. Almost every person is fighting for their own survival. People are losing their jobs, their financial wealth, their families and even their lives. It seems like we are in the middle of the ocean without a boat or life jacket, fighting to stay afloat. There is so much fear among us that we don't know what to do or where to turn to. Our hope is continually diminishing as our days continue. So where do we tur

I am dedicating today's post to the service men and women who are and have served at their post in Afghanistan. This week we have lost 13 brave individuals, who we know very little about at this time. The one thing we do know, they gave their lives to help serve the people of Afghanistan. Through these past 20 years, we have lost over 2400 men and women during our involvement in this country. As we pull out completely of this country, in the next few days, we do not know if m

Darkness is continually around us and the world is getting darker every day. As we see the horrific news from around the world come before us via our computers, cell phones, and television, we must wonder at times why God is allowing this to happen. The thing is, God is not allowing this to happen. It is "man's self-will" and our "sinful nature" that chooses these awful things to happen. You see, God has given us, human beings, to have a free will. That "free will" can choos

We can experience a deep sense of anxiety and worry to the point of crippling our every move when it comes to our needs in life...Things like food, shelter, health, and finances, to name a few. As I read in today's "Our Daily Bread" for August 19th, the story of Elijah and the widow who had very little flour and olive oil left to feed herself and her son, she too had great worry where her next meal would come from until Elijah assured her that her flour or oil would not run

Many of us as Christians know where our "final destination" will be. But the question is this: Are we truly prepared before we get there? What I mean by this is; "Are we too complacent in our walk with our Lord? Do we take for granted the blessings God has given us?" I have. I was shown this very lesson this past weekend. I hurt someone close to me that almost destroyed our relationship we have had for years. I took for granted their trust, their love and most important thei

In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul addressing these very issues of worrying and being anxious over the struggles of this world. Every day, there is going to be something we need...money, food, clothing, a better job. All these things can become overwhelming if these are the only things we are seeking for in our lives. Philippians 4: 6-7 (NKJV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests t

All of us as Christians go through trials in our lives, that's why the book of James say to "consider it joy". We are going to go through trial, but it is how we respond to these trials that makes a big difference in our lives. Do we go through the trial holding on for dear life, waiting for the trial to be over, or do we allow God to show us what He is trying teach us in our life to make us a better person? James 1: 2-4 (NKJV) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into

In today's world and time, our generation is becoming increasingly frightening and unbelievable of things that are going on. Murders, police killings, rapes, shootings on the freeway, just because someone cut in front of them. The darkness is constantly getting closer and closer to our immediate surroundings. What can we do to feel safe? I heard a story told by a pastor who had two children that loved to take walks with their father. One evening while walking closely to their

In the book, Salvation to Surrender, A 35 Year Journey in Finding True Rest, I tell the story of my life as a young Christian coming to know Jesus as my Savior in my early twenties. For over 35 Years as a Christian, I constantly struggled with sexual sin in my life...as a young boy, as a teen, as an adult, and into my first and second marriages. I constantly went before God after becoming a Christian and asking Him for the power to stop this controlling sin in my life. What I

Over the years as I have been growing as a Christian, I have come to learn a very important lesson in my life: I cannot fight God for "His will" for my life. I can choose to be miserable and constantly try and make my own decisions for my life, or come to complete and "absolute surrender" to Him and live in harmony with Him. Once we have chosen to place our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord of our lives, we have become children of God, and have given Him the permission

In reading the Book of Matthew in Chapter 5, Jesus began to teach a multitude of people, along with His disciples, the meaning of life. His teaching is famously known as, "The Beatitudes". It is in His teaching that we can find the true meaning of life in this forever changing dark world we live in. Matthew 5: 1-5 (NKJV) And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3

In Chapter 15 of the Book of John, Jesus explains to his disciples and followers the role we must play if we want "to stand with", (abide), and follow Jesus. As I came to fully understand the role I must play as the "branch" in my relationship to Him, I finally realized that it is not "I" who must produce the fruit in my life, but it is the "Holy Spirit" who produces the fruit in me by "abiding in" and/or "standing firm" with Jesus. John 15: 1-4 “I am the true vine, and My F