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| Today |  | August 23 - August 29 2026 |  |
Aug23
Pigs & Pearls
1 Cor 16:22 | |
| 22 | If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! NKJV In Kent Washington I started my second year of middle school at a brand new school. It was wonderful; new building, new teachers, new band instruments, new sports equipment. Everything was new. Praise God for smart parents who moved nearby so we could go to this new facility. I started to study German as my first language and in one year I was able to do pretty well with the tough native German teacher instructing our class. The classmates in that class had been with me in elementary school as well as for the first year in the older middle school across town. Even as a kid, I was talking about Jesus. They knew were I stood, but I was a bit naive. Talking to one girl in the class, she made some negative comments about God and my Jesus. Silly me, I told her, “Well, we’re not to cast our pearls before the swine” foolishly quoting Matthew 7:6. I just couldn’t believe some kid could even say something like that about my heavenly Father so I said exactly what I thought. Even as a 14 year-old girl she got flaming mad at me. It was a bit harsh of a statement from me, and not something I recommend you quote to people about them. But as we get older, we have to realize time is limited. Did Jesus chase people around telling them to repent? Nope. He sowed the seeds of truth in people by what He said and let those words grow in them. If they responded he would act in kind. However, if not He was led by the spirit regarding how much further time He spent with them. You and I also need to be led because frankly you can waste time with people who are completely not open to the Way if you aren’t sensitive to the Spirit. First Cor 16:22 is pretty harsh sounding as well. It says that these folks are accursed. If you think about it, they really are. If you hear the powerful Word of God, the pearl of great price, and deny it you are condemning yourself to be eternally separated from God. That is as clear as crystal. Matthew 25:41 says it plainly. |
| 41 | "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: NKJV Hell and separation from God was not made for humans but it was made for satan and those other fallen angels with him. We’ve got to remember that. The Good News of the Way to God is going out to all people. They must chose. |
2 Thess 1:8 | |
| 8 | in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV Time is running short. We must tell people about Jesus. You can’t talk about His coming too much. What can we do? I like how Matthew 25 continues on. |
Matt 25:42-43 | |
| 42 | for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' NKJV Do you want to do something for Jesus and the Kingdom today? Do something for someone else. Today’s Reading- Revelation 14-16 |
Proverbs 27 | |
Aug24
Busting The False Gospel
Gal 1:6 | |
| 6 | I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, NKJV Church of Jesus Christ, Christian... You see these names thrown around as if they are some brand or club of the month with some people. Jesus has come. We know that Jesus is the Way. There is no other truth. It is said every good lie has got to have a bit of truth in it. The Word is truth (John 17:17). Therefore people try to copy the basics on the Messiah His Word, then run in a different direction. Just because someone says they are a Christian or calls their church something with “Jesus Christ” in the name, does not necessarily mean they are followers of Jesus and the Way. So how can you tell a cult with a counterfeit Jesus from the real Jesus our Messiah? Here are a few things to keep in mind- -Central figure- A cult usually has some central figure that is the foundation of that group. He or she claims glorify from the people following them. The use the Bible to a limited extent to prove their points. -Everyone else is wrong- A cult will undoubtedly say that everyone else is wrong. We are the true way. You are not allowed to attend any other churches. All other people who profess to be Christians are not going to make it is their usual teaching. -Questions are discouraged- You must not ask questions, you must believe things the way they are even if they might seem unbelievable in reality, history, or experience. -Contrary to the Word- Actions are taught, and encouraged, that go against what is written in the Word of God. Doctrines are built on single scriptures that are unrelated. -Resource Thief- Giving is not a free-will action, it becomes a duty. You must give to any other places. Just to the leader. All these things are wrong. There are many other false things to watch for, but you must choose to follow Jesus not some human leader. Don’t fall for a different gospel. People who preach something other than the Word of God are cursed. Galatians 1:8 says, |
| 8 | But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. NKJV So what is the problem with these people? These preaches of a false Jesus, a false gospel. Romans 10:3 |
| 3 | For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. NKJV Whatever church you go to, your pastor and leadership team must be submitted to King Jesus first and foremost. If they love Jesus, they are going to be submitted to you and all the members of that church family. They are not going to do things to take advantage of their church family. Jesus gave preference to His friends and all of us should be doing the same as well. Don’t fall for a false Gospel. Seek Jesus more than anything. If your church leaders preach something that sounds strange, check it to the Word and make sure it is accurate. If it isn’t then that church may be in the danger zone. If you have friends going to a questionable church, pray for them. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth about that church to the people there. With your prayer, watch the situation change at the mighty Name of Jesus! Today’s Reading- Revelation 17-18 |
Proverbs 28 | |
Aug25
The Trinity In You
1 John 5:7-8 | |
| 7 | For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. NKJV If you know your Bible, then you know that Jesus is God. He said, “I and My Father are One”. We also know that the Holy Spirit is God. |
Deut 6:4 | |
| "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! NKJV From the very beginning of the Bible, we see the Trinity in action. Even at the creation of our ancestors, what did God say? | |
Genesis 1:26 | |
| 26 | Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; NKJV Let ‘us’ make man in ‘our’ image? Who is us? This is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You see, God is three (the ‘tri’ in trinity) but yet He is one. Matthew 3:16-17 |
| 16 | When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." NKJV As we prepared and studied for this writing, we read people talking about the trinity and how difficult it is to understand. Actually, the trinity is very simple to understand. Why? We are made in God’s image, we are made in His likeness. We know from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that we are created as a smaller ‘trinity’ ourselves. That’s right. We are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. Sound familiar? God is the Holy Spirit, He came in the flesh as Jesus, and He is the Father. Three but yet one. We are three but yet one. If you look at water it can also be in three forms but it is still water based; liquid, ice, and steam. There is this theme of trinity in the Bible. Some debate it as the Word trinity is not used. We must remember first of all the Bible was not written originally in English. If you study the original languages you will discover more depth in your Bible studies. The Strong’s Concordance is a great what to do that. Now with computers, it is even easier to study the original words from the original Bible languages. Here in 1 John 5 we see a similar thing; the spirit, the water, and the blood. The trinity is the unity of God. Obviously, they have separate roles just as our spirits, souls, and bodies have separate roles. My Bible school teacher taught that the differences in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can be summed up as this way. The Father plans The Holy Spirit reveals the plan The Son executes the plan As you pray today, pray for unity in your church. Pray for people that you see that are spiritually sick or physically sick. Pray for God to draw people by the Holy Spirit to a saving grace. Today’s Reading- |
Revelation 19 | |
Proverbs 29 | |
Aug26
Finding Good Leaders
1 Timothy 3:2-4 | |
| 2 | A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence NKJV Are you looking for good leaders? There is certainly a shortage of good leaders in the world. People who can lead businesses, departments in companies, schools, special organizations, or even armies. Every country is looking for leaders but there is a shortage. Why is this so? Continue reading in 1 Timothy 3 and you see. |
1 Timothy 3:5 | |
| (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); NKJV It seems people want to make a million suddenly and retire on some tropical island. What most folks don’t realize is that people who win millions of dollars lose it in a matter of years or even months. That’s right, these winners you see winning contests for huge amounts of money usually end of spending it all and going back to where they started. If you can’t take care of what you have now, how are you going to be able to take care of anything more? You looking to change jobs? Then what are you doing now to improve yourself? Are you studying at night when you get home to learn a new professional skill? Are you taking that extra course so that you can get promoted into a higher level job at your company? Don’t just be sitting around waiting for your ship to come in when you are doing nothing. First Timothy talks about leaders in the church. It says bishop. If you are a pastor, you are actually a bishop. Black churches in America call their pastors bishops all the time. In general, these days we use bishop to refer a pastor who is leading other pastors. These points are for us to judge leaders, pastors, bishops are quite important. The Bible makes it very clear what these people are going to be like. When I first came to Japan we would go out to these family restaurants for lunch after church. The food may be one step above fast food, but it was at least a nice environment to sit and enjoy fellowship with other believers after being in God’s House that Sunday. As you walk into those restaurants humming those songs you sang in church that day, you can’t help but discuss that anointed message your pastor shared with your family and friends as you enjoy the meal. In Japan and some parts of Asia one thing really surprised me. It was how some parents (‘many’ is probably more accurate) would let their young children run around the restaurant wild making noise and distracting other customers. Many of us think, “People, manage your children”. It is a very valid point and good for peace in the community to keep your family in line. Well, there is a direct connection between how you manage your children, your household finances, and yourself. If you are a manager of a business, and you put a gluten or a mean person in charge of your business then best wishes to you. It is going to hurt because You are going to start losing your employees, customers and who knows what else. As you think about your business, the leaders in your church, and other areas for life leaders, let’s all think about how we be better leaders in our own family. You want to good employee hire a good father or mother. You want a good pastor or church leadership team, then take a look at the manners and temperament of the those people. Look at the church leader, their spouse, their kids, their home life... it is detrimental. All of us must be good leaders in various capacities and in our varying roles. If you think you have not done a good job at home, now is a great time to start. Get a book on raising a family and decide with your spouse that you will have the best, most well-behaved family in the neighborhood. Pray This Prayer Father according to James 1:5 I pray for wisdom in my life. I pray that you would help me to be the best parent to my children, the most loving spouse, the best employee and leader at my workplace. Show me where I am weak in my family life and I thank you right now for your wisdom. I thank you that I am more than a conqueror in the Name of Jesus! Amen. Today’s Reading- Revelation 20, 21 | |
Proverbs 1 | |
Aug27
Faith In The Family
1 Tim 3:8 | |
| 8 | Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, NKJV We know pastors are to be good stewards with their homes. The church is a group, a family of believers where everyone plays a different role. We must submit to each other. We are not to Lord over each other and become some type of guru controlling people. People need to be encouraged to have that Berean spirit of making sure what is preached in church and taught in the Bible studies, power groups, and Sunday classes is not contradictory to the Word of God. But more importantly get that revelation for themselves from the Word. The important traits of the pastor also need to be in practice with the deacons or leaders of the church. The church is not a building, but a gathering of the followers of Jesus and the Way. During my Bible schooling I served in a denominational church in Japan. It was a lot of work as my wife and I were relied on for teaching Sunday school, leading worship, praying for the sick, planning events, attending long monthly deacons meetings, translating the messages of foreign preaches... all this as we watched over our young children in the church. We worked very hard every weekend and gave not only a lot of time, but also a lot of money and other resources to the church. He has truly blessed us for our giving. As I look back at it, I can see that God was preparing us for the future by using our faith “now”. If you are a blessing, you will be blessed. That pastor would ask me to receive the offerings and it always seemed like it was never enough. Later, we discovered that the pastor was not disclosing the full finances of the church. In humility we went to the pastor of the church and asked him about it. We went with open minds and were willing to understand what he would explain. He knew that what he was doing was immoral, but yet he was unwilling to admit it or change. That was our last day at that church. We decided if the pastor could not be honest with the church, how could the members be honest with each other or their family. Our trust of that man was broken. |
Phil 4:8 | |
| 8 | Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. NKJV Philippians 4:8 is a good verse to remind yourself of constantly . Don’t just think about the things being done here, do them. Spiritually, we can only go as high as the people around us. That is why if you want to be a champion , you run with champions. If you have a good pastor, it is really important that he surround himself with good people. I like to pull an “o” from good and say “Surround yourself with God people”. Wherever you go to church, make sure it is a solid Bible-believing, baptized in the Holy Spirit gathering of believers... then help the pastor and the leadership to do more for Jesus. As you build up your church, the stronger it will become. A good pastor is always praying for his church family nearly daily, but how many church family members are praying for their pastor daily. Have you prayed for your pastor recently? Pray for wisdom and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Pray for him to be open to the move of God. Pray for finances to meet the needs of him and his family above and beyond what he can ask or think. Pray for ideas for him and his leadership team to bring more people into the Way of Jesus. Pray for a solid leadership team around him that are also passionate followers of Jesus. Pray for his Bible studies and preparations this week as he gets ready for Sunday worship celebrations, that the anointing of God will be on Him powerfully. Pray for your pastor today. A praying church is a growing church. Today’s Reading- Revelation 22 - Congratulations today you will finish reading the New Testament! |
Proverbs 1 | |
Aug28
The Kingdom Of Words & Power
1 Cor 4:20 | |
| 20 | For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. NKJV One week in my business I met two members from a very old religious group. They were complete opposites. One was very zealous for his group and the other was completely cold. The spiritually cold guy described how his father had played the organ at his church for the last 30 years, his mother was a volunteer at their church in the area for just as long. He stressed that the only thing that he liked about church was the music. He was a choirboy and even sang on national television. That guy had decided that God did not exist because everyone he thought of as “Christian” had had troubled lives. His conclusion was that if God appeared to him in person, then there was a reason to believe that God exists. He was unwilling to understand that you cannot see God with your physical eyes. You must believe by faith. When you can see with your spiritual eyes, you can emphatically say, “I see now!” If you are trying to do anything just by your physical sight, you are in trouble. The other guy was more versed in the traditions of his group. He knew the old history and even knew a bit of the Bible. He explained how there was so much tradition and teaching that he didn’t understand. Before we began talking about Jesus, his language was quite different. It was foul and if you heard him speaking, you would have guessed he was an unbeliever. He understood how the Bible is not just one book but it is 66 books, he knew how it came together by the believers of the time, but he was trying to stress how tradition is just as important as the Bible. I did not argue with him but let him speak. As He spoke the Holy Spirit reminded me of |
2 Peter 1:21 | |
| 21 | For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so — it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit. AMP For both men, as I thought about it later, they were both notably similar. What was challenge? They both did not know the Word of God and because they did not know the Word, they did not see the power of God in their lives. When they did not see the power of God, they had no way to explain how God was actively working in their lives. They had tradition; and although tradition can be good, it can also put you in bondage. You can talk about words, or stories of the past, but where is the power today? You can talk about what Dad did, but what have you done? The Word of God is not just words, it is the inspiration of God recorded by men and women, and brought together by other inspired men and women of God. Through the centuries dictators have tried to destroy it, others have tried to remove it from public places, and unbelieving academics have tried to disprove it. That is where the power comes in. What makes you different from the religious people? What makes your name come up when people need help? It is because of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power you have. Power to pray for the sick and see them recover. Power to see through a situation and give great insights. Power to see infertile couples get pregnant. Power to command incurable diseases to go away and watch it happen. Power to see pain and suffering flee at the MIghty Name of Jesus because you know Him. Some people call what we preach the ‘full gospel’. Check out Romans 15:19 |
| 19 | in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. NKJV Whatever it is, I want it all. I want the full deal. If you have preached the gospel fully, you are preaching the Word and watching the signs come by faith, when you set out by faith. Don’t just sit there. Step out on the Word and watch things happen. Our Lord Jesus summed it up beautifully when he was talking to other religious folks. |
Mark 12:24 | |
| 24 | Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? NKJV Today’s Reading- |
Proverbs 5 | |
Aug29
Contend For The Faith
Jude 3 | |
| Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. NKJV You’re going for an overnight trip. You will not be home and you have a nice home filled with all the fruit of your labor. Would you put put a note on your front dollar saying, “The key is in the mailbox, make yourself at home”? Then leave all your cash and credit cards piled on the kitchen table for someone to come in and steal while you are away? Absolutely not! That type of person would be considered more than passive. You need to aggressively protect what you’ve got because there are people in this world that would be happy to take what you have earned. Jude tells us to contend earnestly for the faith. We have believers out there that are passive. They take whatever comes along, some even receive the bumps of life as if everything comes from God and is His will, just because they repented and turned to Jesus. We must be filled with faith and power, and who is responsible for filling you? You! You are responsible for drawing near to God. If you draw near to Him, He will respond by drawing near to you. There are many examples of men and women of God who drew near to God in the Word. I like Stephen. I think he left the earth prematurely, but I like how Acts 6:8 says, | |
| 8 | And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. NKJV Stephen was full of faith and power, and what did he do? Spend hours surfing the net? Read a novel? Match a movie? No! Stephen did signs and wonders among the people because he drew near to God. As a spiritually-charged believer, when he was filled he went out and shared the joy, shared the love, shared the power of the Almighty God by doing signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus. He went out and talked about Jesus. He contended for the faith. God can change anyone. However, if we chose to go with darkness instead of light, then we are the ones who are losing. If we go with light, God can change even the worst in us to an amazing person serving the most high God. Saul, who later became Paul was like that. |
Acts 9:21-22 | |
| 21 | Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" |
| 22 | But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. NKJV Paul contended for the faith, and he became one of the most influential followers of Jesus and the Way that we have ever seen. He went from a persecutor of the Way to a follower of the Way. He talked about Jesus wherever He went. He told people about what Jesus did for him wherever he could. There are hundreds... thousands of examples of people who contended for the faith and did great things for God. In our era, we see Smith Wigglesworth as a powerful apostle of faith. Why? He contended for the faith. He wasn’t afraid to pray for the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, or preach the Gospel to anyone He encountered each day of His life. Although, I am still meditating on this verse I wonder about Matthew 11:12 which says, |
| 12 | And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. NKJV We are to step out and reach people. We are to fight the good fight of faith. Good things are coming to us who believe. Today’s Reading- |
Proverbs 8 | |
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