Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 16

Dead But Alive

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:1-11)

Today’s Morsel: For one to become a Christian, they must die to self, and the world and become alive unto Christ and his ways. Repentance is death. Baptism is buried with Christ. And the infilling of the Holy Ghost is Resurrection power. Yes, we are still alive in this flesh and living in the world, but we must be dead to it. What do we mean when we say the world? John tells us that it is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Think about those things for a moment. Lust is what draws us. Lust is oftentimes associated with a desire, craving, or longing for what is forbidden. The lust of one’s flesh: The desire for physical pleasure and self-gratification. The lust of one’s eyes: Greed, boasting, the temptation for covetousness and materialism, being enticed by the things that you see. The pride of life: Trusting in oneself, their status, and successes. John says that these things are of the world. But Christians should not struggle with these things because they are dead to them. These things should not have power over you any longer, these things should not draw you or pull you into them. We are dead to sin but alive to God. And sin should not have dominion over you.

Sing: The world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels are beckoning me, from heavens open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore. 

Thought For Today: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 15

Light Afflictions

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-18)

Today’s Morsel: What are afflictions? Afflictions can be physical, emotional, or spiritual trials, hardships, or persecutions, that we as believers may face. Scriptures tells us, “Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.” (Exodus 1:11-12) We see that Pharaoh afflicted them, and yet even through those afflictions they multiplied and grew. David states: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalms 34:19) David showed us that God will deliver the righteous out of their afflictions. Paul calls them light afflictions. Light afflictions have a purpose. And what is that purpose? He said, they worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. He said that God’s presence is waiting on us. So don’t lose heart when they come. Jesus said: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12) Jesus is with you in all situations in your life, you trust Him to see you through.  

Sing: He gives strength to me, as I worship Him, as my heart if filled with praise. Jesus breaks the bands as I raise my hands, He gives glorious victory. 

Thought For Today: Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” (1 Peter 4: 16)

 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 14

Dealing With The Noise

“For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.” (Isaiah 9:5)

Today’s Morsel: Sometimes while sitting in our home, my wife will say to me, “What is that noise?” Sometimes you can hear noises from miles away. In Vietnam, the artillery guys would tell us infantry guys that as long as you can hear the sound of the artillery shell overhead, you are alright. But if you hear it and it’s not overhead, then you may be in some serious trouble. Jesus said that the angels in heaven rejoiceth over one sinner that repents. So, if the noise is overhead, you should be rejoicing also. Isaiah states that every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood. I am of the belief that the reason so many are depressed, stressed, filled with anxiety, and perplexed, may be due in part to noise. Workplaces have become noisy. Travel has become noisy. Medical appointments have become noisy. Dining out has become noisy. Sad to say that church has even become noisy. Folks are losing their hearing due in part to noise. No matter where we go or what we do, there’s noise. No wonder Calgon cried, “Take me away!” Is there a solution? Yes, Isaiah said: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)Don’t let the enemy get into your head. Keep your mind on Jesus and the noise won’t impact your life.  Take time to have those moments of “Selah” with Jesus where you have stillness with Him.  

Sing: Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above; sweep over my spirit, forever I pray, in fathomless billows of love.

Thought For Today: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 13

Having A Love For The Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

Today’s Morsel:  Paul said that the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthains 15:1-4). He told the church at Rome, “… as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15). Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. He was not ashamed to talk about Jesus Christ and the reason for His coming to the earth; the messages of salvation, holiness, grace, mercy, compassion, love, and spiritual death from sin. Paul understood by his revelation of truth from Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), that there was something about the gospel that changed people. He knew that once we encounter Jesus and have an understanding and personal relationship with Christ, as he did, there was going to be a true change. We must not be ashamed of the gospel, or people will remain lost. The Great Commission requires us to share the gospel of Christ. You know who you were and what you did before you understood the gospel. But now that you have come to know it and understand it, it’s time to take it into the whole world.

Sing: I’m gonna lift-up the name of Jesus, I’m gonna sing of my joy since He came. I’m gonna tell of His power every day and every hour, I’m gonna lift-up that wonderful name.

Thought For Today: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 11

Stop Giving The Devil Credit

“There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” (Psalms 91:10-16)

Today’s Morsel: From the time that Satan deceived Eve in the garden, every wrong that some folks do, like Eve, they blame the devil. It’s amazing to me how so many born-again believers are always having a fight with the devil. I once knew this lady in the church that if you mention the word devil or demons, she’d jump-up out of her seat and yell as if she was doing a judo chop, (Hy Ya). I thought to myself, why are so many folks wasting their time fighting a defeated foe. Jesus defeated Satan for us at Calvary. We don’t have to worry about him overcoming us when we walk in the Spirit and stay close to Jesus. James said, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) Notice what he says, if we believe that Jesus Christ is God, then we have nothing to worry about. But if not, then the devils are going to torment you. “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” (Acts 19:13-17) Jesus told us, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) So, use your power that Jesus has given you,  and stop being as comedian Flip Wilson, who would always say, “the devil made me do it.”

Sing: I command you Satan in the name of the Lord to take up your weapons and flee; For God has given me the authority to walk all over thee.

Thought For Today: “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 10

The Power of Obedience

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

Today’s Morsel: If you have ever observed a person enlisting in the military, you will notice that they all recite the same oath of enlistment when they join. Part of that oath states: “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appoint over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, so help me God.” No matter what service they elect to serve in, everyone falls under the Department of War and are governed by the same rules. If you will notice, the creed speaks to obedience. In other words, if you fail to obey a lawful and legal order from the president or the officers over you, you are subject to punishment under the military judicial system. What many do not understand is the power that one has when they obey. Obedience show that you are well disciplined, submitted to authority, and that you can be trusted. Obedience will sooner or later kill and remove any disobedience that may be in your life, and a lack of obedience will kill you. Once, during my military service as a soldier, I showed up late for formation. My military supervisor asked me where I had been and why was I late? When I told him that I was late because my alarm clock did not go off, he looked me in the eyes as serious as he could be and asked me, “What is that on your collar?”   I said, “My rank, Sergeant.” He replied, “That’s your alarm clock, and if you want to keep it, I suggest that you ensure that it wakes you up on time so that you are never late again!” I got his message loud and clear and knew that I had better obey if I did not want to be punished and lose my rank, money, and time; as these three were linked together under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Paul states that we should be ready to revenge all disobedience when our obedience is fulfilled. When we are fully submitted to Christ, then we can make the proper corrections on other. But if we ourselves are not in obedience and we try to change others, we will be seen as hypocrites.  

Sing: I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way. I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey. When Your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I’ll agree, and my answer will be yes, Lord, yes.   

Thought For Today: “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 July 9

 Humility Draws Christ

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5) 

Today’s Morsel: Humility is a powerful trait of character. Like the other traits of character, this trait, too, is birthed out of a continual day to day spiritual lifestyle. Humility comes about remaining abase, not thinking more highly of yourself then you ought. It’s developed by taking the lower seat and not elevating yourself to any position of authority or role. It’s allowing God to do and place you in whatever positions he may have for you. Humility will draw God to you. David said that God is nigh them that are of a broken heart. He’s not talking about those who get caught with their hand in the cookie jar and start crying because they got caught and must now face the consequences. He’s talking about those who display a heart of compassion, those who consider the well-being of others and go about to alleviate their suffering. If you remain humble, God will exalt you in due time.

Sing: I thought that number one, would surely be me, I thought I could be, whatever I wanted to be. I thought I could build on life’s sinking sand, but I can’t even walk without You holding my hand. 

Lord, I can’t even walk without You holding my hand, the mountains to high and the valleys to wide. Down on my knees that’s where I learn to stand, and I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.

Thought For Today: “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18)