9 March 2010 - Morning Manna

Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalms 118:19-24).

Today’s Morsel: When a mason is laying brick or stone, often times they will come across a brick or stone that is chipped or broken or that may have a defect, and they cannot use it at that time in the wall or construction they are building. But after a while, they may get to a place where they may need a certain piece of a brick or stone, and so they look for the piece that they have discarded. And once they find it, they rejoice that it fits in the place just the way that they need it to. The psalmist said that the stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. Many people reject Jesus at the onset in their goals and plans for life. They begin by trying to build their lives without Him, but after a certain period of time, when things aren’t going well or right, they begin to look for Him to fill that gap. The psalmist said that this is the Lord's doing. God will allow you to reject Him if you so choose. But He’s also excited when you realize that you can do nothing without Him (John 15:5), and that you need Him in your life. Solomon said, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalms 127:1). Let me encourage you today, if you are going to build, why not start by making Jesus the chief corner stone so that your foundation will be solid, steadfast, and firm. Anything that will be shaken will be shaken, and if your foundation isn’t solid, your building will crumble.

Sing: My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

8 March 2010 - Morning Manna

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Today’s Morsel: Power projection (or force projection) is a term used in military and political science to refer to the capacity of a state to conduct expeditionary warfare, i.e. to intimidate other nations and implement policy by means of force, or the threat thereof, in an area distant from its own territory. The church is a force to be reckoned with. Any church that is able to direct its forces outside the limited bounds of its territory might be said to have some level of power projection capability, but the term itself is used most frequently in reference to militaries with a worldwide reach (or at least significantly broader than one's own immediate area). Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:15-18); “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20). The church must always be looked at as a military force to be reckoned with, because we are in a spiritual warfare. Every member in the church has to be involved if that church is going to be seen as a power projecting force. Churches who do not support missions, by either supporting other missionaries monetarily or sending forth missionaries from its rank, are not a power projecting church, because it is unable to reach beyond its own boundaries. The enemy isn’t afraid of these churches, because they are exposing their weakness. We are the church. Jesus said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Are you in full support of the great commission? Does Satan see you as a force to be reckoned with? I say that it’s time that we project our power against his forces and set the captives free.

Sing: I’m going to the enemy’s camp, I’m gonna, take back what he stole from me. I’m going to the enemy’s camp, I’m gonna, take back what he stole from me. He’s under my feet, under my feet, under my feet, he’s under my feet, Satan is under my feet.

6 March 2010 - Morning Manna

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:10-12).

Today’s Morsel: Tensile Strength is an item's ability to endure pressure before it breaks. If you were to look at the small cords on a parachute, you would probably say that there is no way those small cords couldn hold a 250-300 pound person in the air. But we all know that it does. The reason is it has been tested and proven to withhold a certain amount of weight and pressure. Therefore, it has been given a rating of how many pounds per square inch of pressure and weight it can withstand. Some of the ways you can test your tensile strength is to observe how much pressures of life, trials, and circumstances you can endure before you break. Solomon said, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10). If you give up under hardships, difficulties, danger, misfortunes, hard times, or under harsh conditions, you are not able to withstand much because your strength is small. You need allow God to stretch you a little bit more to increase your strength. He sees that you are able to endure. And, then you yourself will be able to see just how steadfast and rooted you really are. The difference between a tree being able to withstand the storm and the tree that doesn't is the depth of the roots. If the roots are shallow, then most likely the tree will be uprooted when the storm comes. Peter said, “We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5). Notice, we are kept by the power of God. It’s faith that keeps us strong. He goes on to say that it is the testing of our faith that is more precious than gold tried in the fire, that it may be still intact when Jesus returns. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”(1 Peter 1:6-9). Paul said that we must be strong in the Lord so that we can withstand in the evil day. Let me encourage you today, get yourself rooted and ground in the Word and things of God, so that you may be able to endure in these last days.

Sing: 1.Glory hallelujah, I shall not be moved, I’m anchored in Jehovah, and I shall not be moved, just like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved.

2. Though all hell assails me, I shall not be moved, because Jesus will not fail me, and I shall not be moved, just like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved.

3. Though the tempest rages, I shall not be moved, I am on the rock of ages and I shall not be moved, just like a tree planted by the waters, I shall not be moved.

5 March 2010 - Morning Manna

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth (Psalms 57:7-11).

Today’s Morsel: The Psalmist said that his heart is fixed. That means that he is firm, steadfast, unmovable, and solid as a rock in God, doctrine, understanding, and faith. When your mind is fixed, you aren’t easily shaken. When our hearts are stayed on Jesus, we remain unshakable when trials, tests, and unexpected circumstances come. When our roots go deep in Jesus, Jeremiah said, “We shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8). When your heart is fixed, things aren’t going to faze you because your trust and hope is always in the Lord. The psalmist also says, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (Psalms 92:12-15). I know that you have your heart fixed today, so sing with all your heart to the Lord, because nothing shall be able to separate you from His Love.

Sing: I’ve got my foot on the rock and my mind's made up, though I walk through the lowly valley, though I drink from the bitter cup, when the devil comes a knocking trying to show me an easier way; I stand right flat on my feet, I throw my, head in the air, I look him, straight in the eye, I say my foot's on the rock and my mind's made up.

4 March 2010 - Morning Manna

For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit (Jeremiah 2:10-11).

Today’s Morsel: May I ask you a question today, how’s your glory? How’s your splendor and illustrious beauty? The Lord said, "My people have changed their glory." Is He speaking of you today? Why would a person want to change what God has given them? We are created in His image and not the image of this world. I’ve noticed that we humans are the only one of God's creation that tries to change how God has made them. The animal kingdom has allowed how the Lord made them to continue as they were. The Lord asked Jeremiah, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil” (Jeremiah 13:23). The Bible says “And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her” (1 Kings 10:4-5). Notice that she fainted after what she saw. Do the people of this world who do not yet know Jesus take notice of you when you walk by or do they see you as just one of them? The Temple of God was beautiful. Paul said that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Our beauty is accomplished not by adding worldly things to us, but the things that God gives us, His Spirit. Our beauty begins with an internal change of heart and by allowing the fruit of the Spirit to manifest itself within us and work its way to our outward actions and appearance. Paul says that a woman''s long hair is her glory (1 Corinthians 11:15), and that if a woman cuts off her hair what did it profit her; it is a loss of her glory. Are you trying to change how God has made you? Let me encourage you, if you are going to change, change your heart and not your glory!

Sing: Change my heart Oh God, make it ever true, change my heart Oh God, may I be like you.

3 March 2010 - Morning Manna

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal
(1 Corinthians 13:1).

Today’s Morsel: The driving force behind every person should be that of love. Love for God first and foremost, and then love for his neighbor. If someone were to ask you to define love other than it being God, just how would you describe it? When John wrote that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (John 3:16), he was calling our attention to how God operates. God always operates in love, even if it’s through chastisement. The writer of Hebrews informs of this when he said, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth”(Hebrews 12:5-6). We may sometimes see God’s love as harsh, but it all works together for our good if we love God and are called according to His purpose. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul wanted them to know that even though they had the Spirit of God and spoke in tongues, it did them no good unless they had love along with it. You see, speaking in another tongue as the Spirit gives you the utterance (speaking in another language other than your own native tongue) is a sign that you have been filled with God’s Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 19:1-6). And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. So Paul wanted this church to know that with the fruit and the gifts of God’s Spirit, it served them no purpose as far as being spiritual or having spirituality without the love of God being the driving force behind it. Some people have tried to denounce speaking in tongues in the church because they fail to have an understanding of what Paul is speaking to. Paul said, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (1 Corinthians 14:18). He also said, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe” (1 Corinthians 14:22). No matter what fruit or gift of the Spirit you may possess, if you do not have the love of God operating in your life it profits you nothing.

Sing: I want to live the way He wants me to live, I want to give until there’s just no more to give, I want to love, love till there's just no more love, I could never, never out love the Lord.

2 March 2010 - Morning Manna

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22-26).

Today’s Morsel: The three bears returned to their house and noticed that someone had been eating their porridge. Mama bear must have been a very good cook for Goldilocks to eat all of Baby Bear's porridge. What are people eating from you? Is your tree full of spiritual fruit, or have you allowed temptations to dry up your roots so that you aren’t producing any fruit? Have you allowed the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world to choke the Word from you? Paul says that there is no law against the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit of the flesh has a law against it. And that law is that they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). How well do you understand the fruit of the Spirit? Do you know what Love is? Love is time. Time with God and time with those you care the most about. Do you know what Joy is? It’s self-esteem. It’s keeping yourself motivated. Do you know what Peace is? Peace is when all hell breaks loose in your life and anything that can go wrong has and is going wrong, but yet you can still see God working on your behalf and for your good and you can say as Job, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). Do you know what Meekness is? It’s unselfishness. It’s placing others and the mission ahead of yourself. It’s keeping yourself humble and in check, when you really just want to reach out and touch somebody. Do you know what Long-suffering is? It’s maintaining your patience when someone rains on your parade. Do you know what Faith is? Faith is that shove you receive to push you onward to your hope. Do you know what Goodness is? Goodness is possessing an abundance of good things within yourself that you can share with others. It’s that fruit that’s driven by being kind one toward another, tenderheartedness, and forgiving others. Do you know what Gentleness is? Gentleness is being able to rub over one's sores, bruises, and hurts, and not cause the other person to feel you’re rubbing them. Do you know what Temperance is? Temperance is maintaining your self-control when there’s a sale on and everyone is rushing and pushing trying to get through the door all at the same time.

When we look at the fruit of the Spirit, it’s Christ operating in your life affecting others. How's your spiritual tree today?

Sing: To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, on earth I long to be like Him, all through life’s journey, from earth to glory, I only ask to be like Him.