Daily Bread - February 24, 2020 (The Second Day - Genesis 1:6-8)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Monday, 24 February 2020 09:20

James 3:11 - Does a spring bring forth from the same opening both sweet and bitter water? Part 1 ~ Keep Your Tongue From Evil It seems that few people understand how terrible it is to speak ill of others. There are so many reasons used to give justification to why someone should be spoken of in an negative way; but it is always nothing less than evil. A large majority of saints have been defiled by their tongues, and having never realized the evil they participated in, did not repent; and, therefore, they remain unclean until this day. Just as a fire destroys things, the tongue commits acts of murder and destruction -even when the supposed most "honest and caring news" has been told about another person; and even worse, when there is outright slander. But the person attempting to justify themselves will say, "I know they did this or that; I heard it with my own ears." Has it been proved in the court of justice? Has God weighed in, passed judgment, and condemned them? (Romans 8:33; 1 Corinthians 4:5). If not, you are guilty of high treason against the Almighty, Who hates the one who sows discord among the brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19). James describes the unredeemed tongue that is not submitted to God as a world of unrighteousness. He makes it the sum total of all unrighteousness; as though it were the root cause of everything wicked. This kind of description by itself should cause us to realize how important this issue is, so that not a single saint should ever give their tongue to speaking evil and their lips to speaking guile (Psalms 34:11-16; 1 Peter 2:1, 3:8-12). All backbiting, slander, evil speaking, and whispering should be treated for what they really are: a destructive power of iniquity which consumes all who are touched by it in a flame that burns forever (James 3:5-6). Such words will never come from a person who is led by the Spirit and who is walking in righteousness (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:16, 25; 1 John 2:6; 3:4-10). Rather, the ungodly concocts evil; and in his lips is a burning fire (Proverbs 16:27). When a person speaks such things, they are under the influence of hell (or of demon spirits), and it is these unclean spirits that defile both the speaker and those who listen (Hebrews 12:15).

 

Daily Bread - February 22, 2020 (The Seventh Day - Genesis 2:1-3)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Saturday, 22 February 2020 10:28

1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have towards Him: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, and then if we ask, we know that we possess whatever we requested when we asked it of Him. Part 2 ~ Great Confidence in Father's Promises Moving out of the stronghold of living a life based upon a temporal existence that relies only on the five senses brings us into a new revelation of life. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation will cause us to see the unseen and know with perfect confidence that we stand before the Father, and that He hears our prayers. The Lord is determined to show forth His life and power through us, but we must be willing to behold Him and stand together in those things that He has commanded (John 14:11-12, 23, 17:21-23; Ephesians 1:17-18). There is nothing more simple and clear concerning Father's will: ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7-8). God has made Himself known as the One Who is faithful, Who keeps His promises. He has revealed Himself as the God Who hears. The notion that somehow God has given us a hope of the mere possibility of answered prayer is foreign to His message. Rather, He has given us a great confidence that whatever we ask, He will do. Doubt and unbelief, which arise out of fear and lack of confidence toward God, will not receive what God has promised. God demands we come to know Him in such a way that we are not double minded, but certain (James 1:5-8). We must believe that we have received what we have asked of Him (Mark 11:22-24). When condemnation exists in our lives, we cannot have confidence toward God (1 John 3:20-22). Any sharing of our affections and desires with worldly and earthly interest will compromise our certainty (Mark 4:19; John 15:16). The Lord will bless us and provide for us even beyond all that we can think or ask -therefore, how much more shall He supply all that we have need of according to His riches in glory (Ephesians 3:20; Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8)? We live in a far more perfect economy in God than those under the first covenant -one that is far more glorious, with even greater promises. To believe less than what God has promised is to limit God and restrain all the blessings our exceedingly great Reward has supplied (Genesis 15:1). As Elijah opened and closed the windows of Heaven, even so our response to God and the faith He has given will do the same. Let us all demand what God has commanded (Luke 11:5-13).

 

Daily Bread - February 21, 2020 (The Sixth Day - Genesis 1:24-31)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Friday, 21 February 2020 06:12

1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have towards Him: if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, and then if we ask, we know that we possess whatever we requested when we asked it of Him. Part 1 ~ Confidence When Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, John reports that He lifted His eyes toward Heaven and said, "I thank You Father that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me" (John 11:40-43). Our Heavenly Father wants us to have this same confidence in the relationship He has freely invited us into because He made us His partners when we became part of His family, and we must stop wondering. Christ Jesus, the only begotten Son, has brought us into sonship so that we might function, not as children, but as heirs (Galatians 4:1-7). The confidence and faith that Christ Jesus expressed in the Father should also be developed in us if we will hearken to the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14-17). We must recognize that we are called to live the life of Jesus and to walk in His ministry. The joy and wonder of this kind of relationship with the Father will result in us receiving a supernatural confidence to know that He hears us -and if we know that He hears us, then what we have asked, He will do! We will not wonder if Father will answer. Rather, we will know that He has already supplied; and what we have asked, is already ours.

 

Daily Bread - February 20, 2020 (The Fifth Day - Genesis 1:20-23)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Thursday, 20 February 2020 06:44

John 11:40-43 - Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Therefore, they took away the stone where the dead one was laid. And Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me; but for the sake of the multitude standing here, I have said this so that they might believe that You have sent Me. And then He cried out with a strong voice, "Lazarus, come out here!" This is an example of the faith of Jesus Christ in operation. He is not hoping that the Father will hear Him, He knows He has already been heard. Note that when Jesus prayed, He raised His head towards Heaven to talk confidently to the Father, as He did again when He addressed Him in John 17:1, instead of bowing His head like the tax collector did in Luke 18:13.

 

Daily Bread - February 19, 2020 (The Fourth Day - Genesis 1:14-19)

Written by Pastor Mark Spitsbergen

Wednesday, 19 February 2020 06:57

Acts 9:31 - Then all of the churches had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria; being built up and moving in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, multiplied. Part 2 ~ Moving in the Fear of the Lord The Old Testament teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). The Psalmist taught that through the fear of the Lord, we would learn to keep our tongue form evil and our lips from speaking guile. The fear of the Lord causes a person to depart from evil and pursue peace (Psalms 34:11-14). The fear of the Lord is the hating of evil, arrogance, and pride (Proverbs 8:13). The expression, "the fear of the Lord" is only found this one time in the New Testament, but an equivalent expression, "the fear of God", is found three times: 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:17. Peter also quotes Psalms 34:12-14 in the context of inheriting a blessing. The most common characteristic of the fear of the Lord is the hating of evil and the loving of righteousness. Jesus, above all others, models this consecration to the life and ways of the Father and was given this testimony: "You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of extreme joy above Your fellows." (Hebrews 1:9; Psalms 45:6-7).