Daily Bread - Oct 6 2006
1 Peter 1:14 - “As obedient children not conforming to the former desires in your ignorance.”
The former desires are those desires that ruled the passions before the new birth. The former desires are inspired by the god of this world, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. Satan attacks the child of God and attempts to impose his desires upon them. The satanic desire is expressed by all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. However, the Holy Calling has not only called us to be totally separate from all these things but has empowered us with the desires of the Father.
As we yield to the Holy Spirit the joy and wellsprings of holiness flow out of us as rivers of living water. We find ourselves having only one desire and that is to please the Father. His ways become our ways and His desires our desires. In this realm of Holy Spirit inspiration we are called to resist the devil steadfast in the faith and not allow those former desires to have any place in our lives.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Daily Bread - Oct 5 2006
1 Peter 4:18 - “And if the righteous are barely saved where will the ungodly and sinners appear?”
Certainly, the idea of the righteous being barely saved must be understood in the light of God’s absolute Holiness and Purity. It also should result in a sobriety in the believer to realize the urgency of our need for God’s mercy and protection in the midst of a wicked and perverse world. Upon hearing that the “righteous are barley saved” we should be left with a certainty that there is no room to justify any sort of compromise with sin and ungodliness.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
1 Peter 4:18 - “And if the righteous are barely saved where will the ungodly and sinners appear?”
Certainly, the idea of the righteous being barely saved must be understood in the light of God’s absolute Holiness and Purity. It also should result in a sobriety in the believer to realize the urgency of our need for God’s mercy and protection in the midst of a wicked and perverse world. Upon hearing that the “righteous are barley saved” we should be left with a certainty that there is no room to justify any sort of compromise with sin and ungodliness.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Daily Bread - Oct 4 2006
Acts 20:28 - "Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseer to shepherd the church of God which He purchased though His own blood."
Paul issues a command and a warning to the Pastors, they must be on guard against the violent predators that are ready to destroy what God has purchased with His own blood. In this one verse the Pastor of a church is called shepherd and overseer and carries the unique responsibility of being the one given charge to protect that which God owns. If the Pastors should fail to be vigilant then violent wolves would creep in and destroy the flock.
When we recognize the role of the church not only as the light of the world but as The Cooperate body of Christ and fullness of God we may then come to realize the priority that the demonic realm has given to its destruction. Although a boundary has been set so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, the craft of Satan can render it ineffective unless there are vigilant shepherds. The direction in which the shepherds are to lead the flock of God is not a subjective one but one clearly revealed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Anything that would disrupt or challenge that direction must be regarded as a predator of God's sheep and dealt with accordingly.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Acts 20:28 - "Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseer to shepherd the church of God which He purchased though His own blood."
Paul issues a command and a warning to the Pastors, they must be on guard against the violent predators that are ready to destroy what God has purchased with His own blood. In this one verse the Pastor of a church is called shepherd and overseer and carries the unique responsibility of being the one given charge to protect that which God owns. If the Pastors should fail to be vigilant then violent wolves would creep in and destroy the flock.
When we recognize the role of the church not only as the light of the world but as The Cooperate body of Christ and fullness of God we may then come to realize the priority that the demonic realm has given to its destruction. Although a boundary has been set so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, the craft of Satan can render it ineffective unless there are vigilant shepherds. The direction in which the shepherds are to lead the flock of God is not a subjective one but one clearly revealed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Anything that would disrupt or challenge that direction must be regarded as a predator of God's sheep and dealt with accordingly.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Daily Bread - Oct 3 2006
1 Peter 5:2 - "Shepherd the flock of God among you taking the oversight not of necessity but voluntarily according to God and not eager for base gain but freely."
The Shepherd of any flock has four basic responsibilities: to provide food and water for the flock, to protect the flock against predators, to keep the flock from injuring itself, and to treat wounds and diseases that may threaten the flock. The most important of these four is the supply of food and water. God leads His sheep into green pastures that are beside still waters. It is our responsibility as the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the people of God are led into the glory and presence of God. If we take seriously the call of God on our lives we will always be watchful against anything that would attempt to prevent God's flock from walking into ever-increasing realms of His glory to which we are called.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
1 Peter 5:2 - "Shepherd the flock of God among you taking the oversight not of necessity but voluntarily according to God and not eager for base gain but freely."
The Shepherd of any flock has four basic responsibilities: to provide food and water for the flock, to protect the flock against predators, to keep the flock from injuring itself, and to treat wounds and diseases that may threaten the flock. The most important of these four is the supply of food and water. God leads His sheep into green pastures that are beside still waters. It is our responsibility as the minister of the Lord Jesus Christ to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the people of God are led into the glory and presence of God. If we take seriously the call of God on our lives we will always be watchful against anything that would attempt to prevent God's flock from walking into ever-increasing realms of His glory to which we are called.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Monday, October 02, 2006
Daily Bread - Oct 2 2006
1 Corinthians 14:40 - "And let all things be done decently and in order."
The Church is the place where we assemble ourselves to hear God speak. The only way that we are going to hear God speak in our assemblies is if those who are gather know how to yield to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The church is not a place for everyone to share their ideas and opinions, it is a sacred place where an ever-increasing manifestation of the power and glory of God should be revealed. Anything that disrupts the sacred activity of the Holy Spirit or creates confusion is out of order. If an individual is not speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit then what they are saying should have little to no place in the context of the church.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
1 Corinthians 14:40 - "And let all things be done decently and in order."
The Church is the place where we assemble ourselves to hear God speak. The only way that we are going to hear God speak in our assemblies is if those who are gather know how to yield to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The church is not a place for everyone to share their ideas and opinions, it is a sacred place where an ever-increasing manifestation of the power and glory of God should be revealed. Anything that disrupts the sacred activity of the Holy Spirit or creates confusion is out of order. If an individual is not speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit then what they are saying should have little to no place in the context of the church.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Sept. 30
Daily Bread
Hebrews 4:2 - "For the gospel was also preached to us as well as unto them, but the word did not benefit them that heard not being mixed together with faith in them that heard."
Everyone runs the risk of hearing the word of God but not hearing faith. There were those around Jesus who heard Him preach by the Spirit but refused to believe. Because of their traditions or the hardness of their heart the things that He spoke never rang true. Even though there was a crowd of people around Jesus, only one woman had confidence that if she touched Jesus she would be made whole (Matthew 9:20). At the very heart of faith is trust, a trust that is inspired by the expression of God’s love and care for His people. Israel saw the demonstration of God’s love but they never came to a place where they would fully trust Him.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Daily Bread
Hebrews 4:2 - "For the gospel was also preached to us as well as unto them, but the word did not benefit them that heard not being mixed together with faith in them that heard."
Everyone runs the risk of hearing the word of God but not hearing faith. There were those around Jesus who heard Him preach by the Spirit but refused to believe. Because of their traditions or the hardness of their heart the things that He spoke never rang true. Even though there was a crowd of people around Jesus, only one woman had confidence that if she touched Jesus she would be made whole (Matthew 9:20). At the very heart of faith is trust, a trust that is inspired by the expression of God’s love and care for His people. Israel saw the demonstration of God’s love but they never came to a place where they would fully trust Him.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
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