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Why Unleavened Bread?

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I pray this opens up some understanding for you and blesses your life in some way!

Exodus 12:8-21

[8] And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
[9] Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
[10] And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
[11] And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover.
[12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
[13] And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
[14] And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
[15] Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
[16] And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
[17] And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
[18] In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
[19] Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
[20] Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
[21] Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

To answer this question, consider the leavening in bread as the way that sin affects our lives. It was and is observed to eat to remember the 430 years of captivity to Pharaoh (and sin).

What does leaving do? It puffs up bread! A little leavening added to a mixture of bread goes a long way when it comes to how much it will expand the substance of it. When we compare that to temptations it becomes very clear that it does not take very much of a temptation to something before it becomes something that causes a decline (puffs up) our spiritual lives. To say that you are consuming unleavened bread not only says you are observing the salvation and deliverance that you have but is also a token to the commitment that we take as Christians to live holy (or separate) lives before God.

There is also another significance to the unleavened philosophy! When you consider Jesus in the moments of the passover, He referred to the bread He broke as His body (or the sacrifice with the flesh being broken). This should be a very implicit picture of the integrity that goes behind that bread. It should remind us whether we are observing passover or just living everyday life that living a Holy life is done by living a separate life from sin. In that commitment is able to be made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!

Winning The Battle Over Evil

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Matthew 12:39-45

[39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
[40] For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
[41] The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
[42] The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
[43] When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
[44] Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
[45] Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

This speaks to those who have heard God’s word and have outward reformation of self but on the inside have not converted to being a true follower of Christ. An evil (or unclean) spirit will allow for windows and seasons of time between its residence; however without the power and dominion to conquer and put to flight the behavior changes that come from it kill us spiritually.

The heart is swept by attempting to be reformed and holding trust in the outward self. If we could only begin to realize that this form of trust in self and not in God shows pride and still allows a person to be subject to many evils. This alone and more often than not makes us a direct enemy of the truth in God’s word.

Unless you are a temple of the Holy Ghost by faith in Christ evil spirits will still have an ability to take residence in your life (temptation, provoked to wrath, irrational decisions, violence, blasphemy, the list goes on and on).

Colossians 4:2-6

[2] Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
[3] Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
[4] That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
[5] Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
[6] Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Ephesians 2:8-14

[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
[10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
[11] Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
[12] That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
[13] But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
[14] For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

I am glad that we were crafted out of God’s workmanship, tried and proven with the authority of the power of the comforter (Holy Ghost) that provides an authority over every circumstance and vulnerable place evil attempts to dwell. Allow God to promote this power within you and truly unlock the phrase that “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”!

Spiritual Quickening

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John 5:18-25

[18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
[19] Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
[20] For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
[21] For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
[22] For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
[23] That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

The Jews were coming to slay Christ because he had moved to heal the lame man of 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. It was simply because the work was performed on the day of the Sabbath!

There will come a time in your life when you will be quickened by God to do something as bold as this, even in the midst of those who would reject it. The question we have to ask ourselves is: are we willing to be quickened?

If you read verse 43 (John 5:43), you’ll see that we’ll try to come our own way, which won’t work!

[43] I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Romans 8:8-17

[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
[11] But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
[12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
[13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We always begin in the flesh, for that is where we allow the enemy to win in our lives, our hearts, our homes, our services, etc.! We never get off the ground because we never get past our feelings that pull us down.

But how are we quickened? The spirit of Him that rose up Jesus from the dead dwells in you!

Therefore! We do not live to the flesh or to our will. We will never be stirred any other way lest we live in the deeds in the body of the spirit!

Isaiah 40:28-31

[28] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
[29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
[30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
[31] But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

God faints not, nor is weary, but so often our faith and consistency is. We wait through our endurance and obedience to God in the midst of our trials!

I wait by believing and trusting the Lord and being who that God has called me to be!

How can a ministry perform outreach if we work upon stopping or waiting? We must be fluent and continual, always seeking God for those that stand in need beyond what we could comprehend.

God will renew your strength so that you can run! Fly! God will not let you be weary when you are working and waiting on Him!

Romans 12:1-2

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are quickened not for ourselves, but by the spirit for the service of the lost!

If you read verses 3-12 (Romans 12:3-12), you might find yourself somewhere as I do every time I read over it.

[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
[4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
[5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
[7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
[8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
[9] Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
[10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
[11] Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
[12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Ephesians 2:1-8

[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
[2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
[3] Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
[6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
[7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Even when we were dead in sin, he loved us! He raised us up to sit in Heavenly places!

By God’s grace we have the ability to be saved through faith and that not of ourselves. That is the gift of God towards us!

The Evidence Of Things Not Seen

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Hebrews 11:1  – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

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I would like to talk about the other half of the phrase of faith, which is said in the bible to be “the evidence of things not seen”. Carrying from the same theme from the last page, I would like to define evidence: The available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid; Information given personally, drawn from a document, or in the form of material objects, tending or used to establish facts in a legal investigation or admissible as testimony in court; Signs; indications

Most of what persuades about evidence is usually defined by things that we can be persuaded with by sight. And yet, when we read the word of God, we base our faith upon evidence of things we cannot see. For those who do not believe God, this is ludicrous. It is often referred to as being “absurd” at the ideal of people believing in faith to a higher power. When you think about it, it would be easy to understand this point of view if you did not know the experience of having an everyday relationship with God. That is why it is so important to have one! I am proud to say that in big and small ways that I practice faith every day! I pray, believe and trust God for things that I could only reach by hope in God and not my own power. That is how that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us! By faith! Remember that we cannot always base our hopes on what we can see, but we build our faith in the hope through Christ the way will be made for you!

– – – –

Put Into Practice:

At some point in each of our lives we have had to either experience or know someone who has went through a time where they were losing a loved one. When someone is slowly dying and deteriorating, there are two different ways that people can really handle speaking over it: with or without hope. I know in my own personal experiences that throughout some of my loved ones that I saw slowly leaving this life that in my heart I was hoping continually. My mind was not going to be persuaded that they were getting worse, even when I began to hear reports that tried to persuade me otherwise.

The point that I am trying to get across is that we have to begin to face some of our worst situations with speaking hope and things that are not as though they are. Give this a shot: find one thing that you know that you have been working on to a change for a while and truly speak (or write down) a sincere statement of faith. If you are bold enough, speak it faithfully to someone else. If you are even bolder, speak it to someone else and ask them to help you pray. Seek God and begin to allow your faith to build. That is how it begins! It builds by the great things that God has done in the experiences of your past and the hope that you build for the future victories that are ahead of you! And as you make it through another mountain, it is yet another step up closer to a faith that you will not leave!

Picking, Poking, and Prodding

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THE WORD

Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

II Corinthians 10:4 – For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Life delivers many scenarios where your emotions will be tested often. Whether it is a direct verbal attack or some kind of vague comment you will find that it is easy to get caught off guard. Things can come at home, at the workplace, or even at church; we can never truly predict the where or when of other people’s outbursts. I remind you today to always be prepared and be centered on the love of God to have that preparation.

The love of God brings peace, which surpasses all understanding. This keeps me in a peace where my anger will not rise even when I am picked on. It will surpass even our defense system and protect us from harm. Christ recognized the naysayers that were in the crowd, yet he did not launch back at them. He definitely led by example rather than by retaliation! Keep focused on having love for friends and foes alike! If you present a Godly response to irrational actions it leads by example and not by emotions! This is the true love and witness of God!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

The next time that you are affected by someone taking action or speaking against you, I urge you to take a leap of faith and pray specifically for that person. Some of the first times I began to do this I found myself wanting to justify my reasons for being upset. The more, however, that I continued in prayer, realizing how much God’s love is for everyone, I found that there is a love that I can acquire from God to overcome all persecution! Try it!

Pick And Choose Your Battles

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THE WORD

2 Chronicles 20:15  – And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Exodus 14:14 – The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

When we deal with everyday problems and the trials of life it can be hard to be calm in the midst of the storm. As our emotions begin to influence our judgment we may begin to spiritually decline. And as we decrease spiritually the lack of love is reflected in our irrational actions with little regard to try and improve the situation.

So the question is: What will you reap from that which you sow? If you sow something in anger or revenge then chances are that you will reap the by-product of these poor decisions. If you sow things with love (especially when the situation is provoking you emotionally) you will find that your feelings will be lessened in their ability to lead to bad decisions. God wants us to have peace and patience in everything that we do. Always remember to pick and choose your battles each day, and try to find the true worth of what you are fighting for. Sometimes it is best to walk away and let God give you peace first. The spirit of God will guide and fight for you in your every endeavor! Remember that!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

If you observe someone letting their emotions get the best of them you may just learn something. It may be by the change of tone of their voice or body language but it is easy to pick out when someone may not be thinking clearly. Put yourself into check the moment this attempts to happen to you. What was done that provoked you? What was said that bothered you? What happened that caused you harm? As you find the answer, pray and examine the right choice that you can make instead of the one you immediately feel.