Manna for Your Morning

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. — Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) In order to run our race with endurance, we have to strip off the things that weigh us down. Strip off resentment, bitterness and offense. Lay aside strife, fault-finding and verbal abuse. Make a clean break away from whining and complaining. Proverbs 4:25-27 (TPT) says: Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness. I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondro...

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. — Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) The New Living Translation says: “… I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ” (Ezekiel 36:26b) Is your heart tender and responsive to God? If you have a stony heart, let the gentle hands of our heavenly Father remove it and replace it with a heart of flesh. The heart of stone is cold and hard, nothing can get into it and nothing can get out. It is prideful and stubborn (wants its own way). It holds on to grudges and offense. A stony heart does not know God and turns away from Him. The heart of flesh has the blood of Jesus running through it, constantly giving it newness of life. It is set on fire by the embers of His love. The heart of flesh is humble and willing to forgive. It is wise and seeks understanding. The heart of flesh is a believing heart. It knows God and believe...

He must increase, but I must decrease. — John 3:30 (NKJV) Jesus is on the increase when we allow His love to flow into our hearts and wash away the root of bitterness and offense. Jesus increases when we say good-bye to discouragement, anxiety and worry and open the door to His joy and peace, while holding onto faith and hope. Jesus increases in us, when we let go of pride, and clothe ourselves in humility. As we exercise patience, compassion and kindness, we allow Jesus to increase in us. When our love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7), we make room for Jesus to work in our lives and in the lives of others. May we decrease, and let Jesus occupy!

“Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do.” — Acts 24:16 (MSG) Let us always strive to do our best. When we do what we know is the right thing to do, we can have a clear conscience and live without offense, toward God and people. As we draw near to our heavenly Father, He leads us and guides us along on the right path. And His way, leads to everlasting peace, joy and the abundant life. When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7 NKJV). Amen.

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. — Matthew 15:21-28 (NKJV) What was it about the gentile woman that caused Jesus to tell her she had great faith? 1) She had a need and sought Jesus. May we have the wisdom to know that Jesus is the answer to every problem. 2) She asked Him to have mercy on her, then she made her request. Let us humble ourselves, and ask the Lord for help. 3) She worshiped Jesus and made another plea for help, after He informed her, that He was only sent to the house of Israel. When circumstances don't appear to be going in your favor, persist in prayer and praise. 4) She did not take offense, when  He said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” She stayed focused on her daughter's healing, and received the desires of her heart. Keep the main thing, the main thing and don't take a detour on the roa...

Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble. — Psalm  119:165 (AMP) “When you love God more than anything else, you will have great peace and nothing will cause you to stumble” (Pastor Matthew Pollock @The Way School of Ministry). Living free from offense, keeps us in good health. When we give place and priority to God's Word, we live in a higher place, above offense. A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men (Acts 24:16 NKJV).

When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”  — Psalms 27:8 (NKJV) I believe we are looking at the face of God when we reach our hand out to help those in need. Or when we turn the other cheek at offense and go the extra mile with a friend. When we love and pray for our enemies, His face is shining upon us. May we continually seek His face!

Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. — 2 Chronicles 29:31 (NKJV) God’s people were told to come near after the priests brought out all the debris they found in the temple of the LORD (2 Chronicles 29:16). Let us remove from our hearts (His temple), anything that doesn’t belong. Any unforgiveness, any offense, rebellion or pride. Consider it rubbish. Be of a willing heart to let it go and come near to the living God. No matter where you're at today, the LORD is saying, “Come closer!”

“...drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.” — Numbers 33:52-53 (NIV) The children of Israel were to completely drive out the inhabitants of the land and destroy everything that belonged to them. Anyone they let remain would be irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides, and they would harass them in the land (Numbers 33:55 NKJV). God has given us a promise land to possess. If there are some harassing things going on, some thorns in our sides, then there remains some things that need to be destroyed, in order for us to occupy the land and settle in it. Is it pride? Offense? Self-pity? Rebellion? Whatever it is, drive it out and take possession of your promised land!

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.   — James 1:19-20 (NIV) Slow your roll on anger and taking offense. The Message Bible says to post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. May we be quick to listen to others with the intention of gaining understanding, not to build our defense. Let us also keep our ears open to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit within us, as He leads and guides us. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget.  — Proverbs 19:11 (The Message) If you find it hard to forgive, try this: Stop thinking about the offense and stop talking about it. That will allow forgiveness and healing to come easier. While you cannot erase the event from your brain, you can stop bringing the offense up to the forefront of your memory. Let it fade into the background. The more you rehearse it in your mind, the more heated and wounded your feelings become. Like a pot of boiling water, you have to remove the pan from the fire, if you want the water to cool down. Meditate on whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report (Philippians 4:8). The LORD is good and ready to forgive (Psalm 86:5). Let us be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1).

“Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. — 2 Chronicles 29:5 (NKJV) During King Hezekiah's restoration project, he instructed the Levitical priests to clean out the holy place. First Peter 2:9 says, we are a a royal priesthood. We are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). So, let us take a survey of all that we have accumulated throughout the year and carry out any rubbish. Get rid of all debris: offense, unforgiveness, pride, rebellion, etc. These are things which will cause a root of bitterness to grow and defile our temples. Amen!