Daily Bread

Mat. 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mt 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

Intro: If you have attended church at all, you have heard it preached that every Christian needs some Time with the Lord every day. I know that physically we consider daily bread to be daily food for our bodies; but we surely also realize that Spiritually we need "daily bread."

I. Reasons for Daily Devotions

      - For Spiritual Nutrition
Jesus likened the literal bread one needs for his body to the spiritual bread that one needs for his soul.

Man cannot live by Physical, Literal Bread Alone- Man must have the Word that has Proceeded out of the mouth of God. God’s Word is to the spirit and soul what Food is to the body. (We all understand That!)

Just as Israel was to out and gather the Manna that God provided Every morning; so we are to go out and gather the Manna of the Word that God has provided every Day.

Jesus also described himself as the Bread from Heaven.

Not only is the Word of God likened to Bread but also to MILK; we are told by Peter that we are to desire the sincere Milk of the Word just like a newborn baby desires literal milk.

Not only is the Word of God likened to Bread and Milk but also to MEAT. The book of Hebrews makes it very clear that Christians are to grow in the Lord; to mature in their Christian Experience; that they are to not only drink the Milk of the Word but to dig in and eat the MEAT of the Word. Heb. 5 goes so far as to Rebuke those who had been Christians for a length of time and were still not digging into the Word of God for meat but were still like Babies who could only have milk.You need Daily Devotions for Spiritual Nutrition.

      - For Spiritual Correction

2 Tim. 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Just as there has never been a child born that did not need correction as he or she grew up; So there has never been Christian that did not need correction as he or she grew up in the Lord.

Ps. 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Our hearts need Cleansing; Our minds need Clearing; Our lives need Correction

Ps 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

The Psalmist implies that he was disciplined and corrected because he had disobeyed the Word and gone astray from God’s commands. NOW he says, I am keeping your Word, I am obeying your Word; I’m not going Astray anymore.

You need to have any wrong BELIEFS Corrected; You need to have any wrong BEHAVIOR Corrected.

      - For Spiritual Instruction

2 Tim 3:16 (above) stated the Scriptures were not only for doctrine, they were for reproof and correction, AND for instruction.

Reproof and Correction will tell me what is WRONG; Instruction will Tell me what is RIGHT.

There are Numerous verses in the Bible about the necessity of receiving God’s Word for our Instruction. There are 26 verses about God’s Word being needed for our instruction just in Psalms and Proverbs.

      - For Spiritual Ammunition

Yes, we are in a Battle; we are in a Fight; we are in a War; we are fighting against Satan himself; we are fighting against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places.

           We Need Armor to Protect Us. [Helmet of salvation; Breast plate of righteousness; Belt of Truth; Shoes of the Gospel; Shield of Faith]

           We also Need Ammunition to Prevail. We need the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. When Jesus was attacked by the devil in the wilderness of temptation; he fought back with the Word of God. How can you and I fight the devil with the Word IF WE DON"T KNOW IT?

II. Requirements for Daily Devotions.
- A Specific Time

- A Quiet Place

- A Good Bible- you need to read and study the King James Bible; it is still the most accurate Bible available today; it is Time Tested and has Proven Power.
      It is good to have a Bible that has some references; that will lead you to other places in the Bible where a Phrase is used or a topic is discussed. If you want more than just basic references, The Thompson Chain Reference Bible is a Great one. The Life in the Spirit reference Bible is another good one with some really great Pentecostal material in the notes.
      To find where certain words are used in the Bible you will need a Concordance- Cruden’s or Strong’s.
      If you want to go into deeper study you would be wise to get a Vine’s Dictionary; it gives great information on the Greek words used in the NT and their meaning.
      There are amazing computer programs that include all of these reference materials plus much more.
      You don’t have to get so bogged down in a Theological study that you lose your way; but it doesn’t hurt to dig a little and get some Meat to go with the bread and milk.

- It’s also good to have a Prayer List.
      I know we are sometimes so afraid of formality that we lose all structure. It’s better to pray from a list and pray some specific prayers than to insist on spontaneous prayer and never really pray for anything specific at all or pray only for the same three or four things every time while neglecting much that needs to prayed about. How about an idea for a Weekly Prayer List?

       Monday- Missionaries

       Tuesday- Thanksgiving

       Wed- Workers for the Lord

       Thurs- Tasks I’m facing

       Fri- Family

       Sat- Saints

       Sun- Sinners

Just an idea to correlate the first letter of every day to a special topic of prayer; not exclusive for each day but a direction for each day.

 III. Rules for Daily Devotions

- There obviously should be Reading of the Word. Some systematic schedule is best; certain amount of chapters each day; or certain amount of time; going thru the Bible from Gen to Rev; following a chart with some reading from the OT and the NT; etc.

- There should be some Meditation; time to ponder what you have read; think about it; consider it; ask yourself questions about it;

- There might should be some Recording of thoughts or ideas you had in regard to what you read; maybe correction you received; maybe instruction; maybe something the Lord spoke to you personally; maybe something you need to study further.

- There should be a time of Prayer. We really need to pray Before we Read and After we Read; we need the Spirit of God to Open Up the Scriptures to us and illuminate our minds and hearts; then we need the Spirit of God to take God’s Word from Off the Page and into our Heart. Pray it in.

- There should be a time of Praising.

- There should be a time of Waiting.

We need to concentrate on Receiving the Word of God; then on Obeying the Word of God; then on Sharing it with someone the Lord might put on our hearts.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread!