Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 19

Life Is A Ballgame

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Today’s Morsel: One of the greatest weapons that Satan has is that of temptation. Temptation is not a sin until you give into it. And Satan knows that. And so he goes about to position it in your way so that it will lure and entice you to take the bait. As a kid, I always listened to this song that said, “Life is like a ballgame, being played each day, life is like a ballgame and each and every one must play; You know Jesus is standing at the Homeplate and He’s waiting for you there; You know life is a ballgame and you must play it fair.  First base is temptation, second base is sin, third base is tribulation, and if you pass you can make it on in. Because life is a ballgame and you must play it first.”  So, true. As Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) In this world you will have trouble. Jesus acknowledges that life will be hard, filled with persecutions, sorrows, and suffering. In some way He’s telling us to prepare for the struggles and pain that are going to come. Jesus said that when these tribulations, adversities, hardships, and distresses come, take heart and follow His example because He has already shown you how to be an overcomer. So, rejoice!

Sing: Life is like a ballgame, being played each day; you know life is like a ballgame, and each and every one must play; You know Jesus is standing at the Homeplate, and He’s waiting for you there; You know life is a ballgame and you must play it fair.  

Thought For Today: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 18

 The Prayers That Shut The Lions’ Mouths

“Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.” (Daniel 6:16-23)

Today’s Morsel: By all accounts, Darius knew that the decree that he had decreed was wrong. I believe that it was his fasting and prayers throughout the night that caused God to send the angel to shut the lions’ mouths, that they didn’t hurt Daniel. We never know what our prayers will do when we intercede on the behalf of others. I believe that it is the prayers of the church, and those who have a relationship with God, where we see those who were wrongfully incarcerated, or falsely accused of crimes that they did not commit, that are released from jail and prison; like Jospeh, who was falsely accused of a crime that he did not commit. But after the word of God had tried him, he too was made free without hurt or harm and elevated to a position of honor, the same way that Daniel was. Don’t stop praying for those you know. God has a way of turning things around for good.

Sing: Whisper a prayer in the morning, whisper a prayer at noon, whisper a prayer in the evening, so keep your heart in tune.

Thought For Today: Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks.  

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 16

Believing Can Change Your Life

“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.” (Matthew 9:27-31)

Today’s Morsel: Throughout scripture, when folks would ask Jesus to heal or the help them, He would ask them if they believed that He was able to do it. You see, your faith must be a part of what you desire. Jesus said that all things are possible to him that can believe. As without faith it is impossible to please God, as he that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him. Faith in God, His word, and His ability, can change your life forever. The blind men said to Jesus that they believed that He could open their eyes. And Jesus touched their eyes and told them that according to their faith be it unto you. And immediately their eyes were opened. Your belief and faith in Christ must be united for you to see the results.  

Sing: Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. You don’t need a whole lot, just use what you’ve got. Faith, faith, just a little bit of faith.

Thought For Today:  Change of life starts with belief.  

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 15

The Report That Destroyed Faith

“And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:25-33)

Today’s Morsel: I have come to realize over the course of my ministry that the enemy of our souls knows how to use people who are fearful, uncommitted, and those lacking understanding, to discourage and destroy the faith of others. The ten spies who came back with an evil report to Moses of what they saw in the promised land, caused the faith of Israel to shake in their sandals. I often wonder at what point in their mission to espy the land, did they agree to give this report. And why did they not discuss their finding and report with Joshua and Caleb as these two seem to not allow what was reported to deter their belief in God’s ability to fight for them. I find that these leaders should have never presented this report to Moses in the front of others. They should have gotten alone with him and explained what they had seen and let Moses decide based on what God desired of him. But no, once the people’s faith was destroyed there was nothing that could be done to reverse their fear. If you have been chosen by God to lead, don’t allow any evil report to deter you from what God is sending you to do and accomplish.

Sing: You’re going to make it, He’s already said that we would, He goes before me, and heaven is in my view, oh, we’re going to make it through.  

Thought For Today: Faith is being able to see God at work in the dark. 

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 14

Stand For Righteousness

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Daniel 6:10)

Today’s Morsel: Throughout scripture we are told that righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Because God is a God of righteousness, then we must be righteous as He is righteous. Daniel, who had established a habit of prayer with his God, was not about to allow anything to deter him from maintaining his commitment to God. Daniel knew the value of prayer and maintaining his relationship with God. Like his coworkers and fellow Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were not about to compromise their righteousness because of fear or a decree. As Christian’s, we must stand for righteousness no matter what we face or what may come against us.

Sing: Stand up, standup, for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross. Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory, His army shall he lead; Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.

Thought For Today: “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.” (Psalms 4:5)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 13

The Last Five Warnings of God

“And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” (Genesis 19:17)

Today’s Morsel: The story of Lot is a sad story. Lot could have had a great life if he would have heeded the warnings and instructions from God. Lot found himself in the middle of a sinful city, Sodom and Gomorrah. All because he chose what seemed was the best land, and he pitched his tent toward Sodom. He pitched his tent toward a sinful city, and he found himself in that city with sin beyond measure.  Perversion, pride, greed, and people working that which was unseemly. The city of Sodom is a snapshoot of what Paul tells us that the world will be in the day of the coming of the Lord. Lot is given five last warnings before the fire fell upon Sodom. First, escape for thy life. Get out of here now because God is going to destroy this place. Second, look not behind you. Don’t let your past draw you back. This world is going to be destroyed. Third, don’t stay in the plain. Remember, it was the plains that Lot chose to start with and pitched his tent toward Sodom. Fourth, escape to the mountain. Get to the highest place in Christ you can. The mountain represents building your life on something solid and higher. Jesus is the Rock. And finally, lest you be consumed. If we stay in the world and never obey God’s warnings and instructions for our life, we will be consumed by the fire that Jesus said is going to be used to destroy this world in which we now live. Are you obeying the warnings of God? Lot’s wife serves as a monument for disobedience.

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: “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2026 May 12

The New-Birth

“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:22-23)

Today’s Morsel: Question: Was your salvation based on the Word of God or of man? Did someone tell you that you were saved because you came forward to the front of the church and you shook the ministers hand? Were you told that you were a Christian because your parents had you sprinkled with water by a minister when you were a baby? Just what is your understanding of the New Birth and true salvation experience? Why did Jesus tell Nicodemus that he must be born-again of the water and the Spirit to see and to enter the kingdom of God? Did Nicodemus think that because he was of the Pharisees that he was saved? Sometimes if we are not careful, we can think that what our parents did for us, was good; but babies and most young adults and even some adults, do not understand sin and what is required to be saved. Peter says that we must be born-again by the Word of God, not what others say. The Word of God is the standard. When he, Peter, had preached about Jesus Christ at the initiation of the first New Testament church, on the Day of Pentecost, scripture says: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:37-42). This is the standard. As the writer of Hebrews tells us: “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” (Hebrews 8:5) We must stay with the original pattern for our salvation. And that is the word of God!

Sing: Born-again, there has been a change in me. Born-again just like Jesus said. Born-again and all because of Calvary, I’m so glad that I’ve been born-again.

Thought For Today: “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.” (Acts 10:47-48)