The Daily Word: Tuesday, November 30^th, 2021
Daniel 7:1-28
1 John 1:1-10
Psalm 119:153-176
Proverbs 28:23-24
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. – 1 Jn. 1:6

It’s time to be honest. Are you really a Christian? Scripture does not mince words here: if you walk in darkness, you’re not a Christian. You can say you have fellowship with Jesus all you want; but if you’re more committed to sin than you are to your Savior, you “lie and do not practice the truth.” Ouch.

Once you truly experience the miraculous touch of Heaven, there will be no going back to your old ways. Scripture says that when we “have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, [but] are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse…than the beginning” (2 Pet. 2:20). The person who meets Jesus, and then goes back to his sin, is like a “dog [who] returns to his own vomit” (2 Pet. 2:22, Prov. 26:11). How could you genuinely see the face of Jesus and ever want anything or anyone else?

Not everyone who calls himself a Christian will enter the kingdom of heaven.[1] Only those who love Jesus will be welcomed in. And how do you know if you really love Jesus? You do what He says:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” – Jn. 14:15

Anything less than obedience is empty talk. But you can make a decision to change everything today. If there is anything coming between you and a real relationship with Jesus – one where you hear His voice and do what He says – it’s time to let it go now. Do not risk your salvation for temporary pleasure! Throw yourself at the feet of Jesus, and trust in His supernatural power to transform and to save.

Prayer:

Father, thank You that the blood of Jesus cleanses me and makes me whole! I will live my life for Jesus: really and truly, from this day forward. If anything ever tries to come between me and Him, I pray You would root it out in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

[1] “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” – Matt. 7:21-23

The Daily Word: Monday, November 29^th, 2021
Daniel 6:1-28
2 Peter 3:1-18
Psalm 119:129-152
Proverbs 28:21-22
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. – Dan. 6:4

The princes of Babylon wanted to kill Daniel. They looked and looked for some flaw in Daniel’s character so they could accuse him of immorality. But they found nothing. He hadn’t stolen. He hadn’t lied! He hadn’t cheated. They “could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful.”

God has big plans for you! But do yourself a favor. Knowing that the enemy will come for you when God promotes you (and he will!), resolve to make his job impossible! Do not allow sin to creep into your life (Eph. 4:27).[1] Love Jesus – really love Him! – with your whole heart. Make following Him your goal, and leave everything else for someone else to worry about.  

This is the Scriptural concept known as staying “above reproach” (Titus 1:6, ESV). Focus on holiness and live a life of such purity and purpose that when the enemy comes for you, he will have nothing he can use to distract you from your calling.

Prayer:

Father, keep me above reproach! I resolve to make the enemy’s job difficult. He will have a hard time accusing me of anything! I love You with all my heart, really and truly, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

[1] Eph. 4:26-27: 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

The Daily Word: Sunday, November 28^th, 2021
Daniel 5:1-31
2 Peter 2:1-22
Psalm 119:113-128
Proverbs 28:19-20
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” – Dan. 5:12

Daniel was unique in the kingdom of Babylon. He was a captive from Judah! But the Holy Spirit was “in” him (v 11). And because the Holy Spirit was in him, he had an “excellent spirit” (v 12). He had knowledge and understanding. He could interpret dreams and solve riddles. He could “explain enigmas,” which can also be translated as “untie knots.” There was not a problem Daniel could not solve, and not a situation where Daniel did not know what to do, because the Spirit of the living God was in him!

And the same Spirit lives in you:

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. – Rom. 8:11

You were not called to live a normal life. You are called to live a supernatural life! You have an excellent spirit in you. You are full of knowledge and understanding. You can interpret dreams because interpretation belongs to God (Gen. 40:8). You can solve riddles and untie knots! So the next time you an encounter a situation that feels too big to navigate, or a problem that seems too complicated to solve, do what Daniel did. Rely on the Holy Spirit, and watch Him resolve it for you.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the wisdom and the power of Your Holy Spirit! I am gifted: not because of my character or my tenacity, but because of Your Holy Spirit who lives in me. Help me to never rely on me, and to always rely on You, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Saturday, November 27^th, 2021
Daniel 4:1-37
2 Peter 1:1-21
Psalm 119:97-112
Proverbs 28:17-18
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. – Ps. 119:99-100

What does it take to be wise? Do you need an advanced degree? Is there a list of books you have to read? Is there a certain number of years you are required to be alive, or a specific number of countries and cultures you have to have visited and experienced?

The Psalmist said that because He knew the word of God – because God’s testimonies were his meditation – he 1) understood more than his teachers and 2) understood more than the ancients.

Do you know who the wisest person in history was up until Jesus? King Solomon. His “wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men” (1 Kings 4:30-31a). And do you know how he got so wise? Here was David’s advice to Solomon:

“And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn…” – 1 Kings 2:3

Solomon was wise because he prized the word of God. And here is all you need to know: the Word makes you wise. No degree, no book (save the Bible), no conversation and no training course can give you what the word of God can. His word makes you wise! And His word is – really and truly – all you ever need.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Your word! Thank You that I don’t have to worry about reading books left and right to the point of exhaustion. I choose to spend my days and nights reading Your word: because I know that Your testimonies and Your precepts make me wise, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, November 26^th, 2021
Daniel 2:24-3:30
1 Peter 4:7-5:14
Psalm 119:81-96
Proverbs 28:15-16
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.” – Dan. 2:24

The king of Babylon issued a decree that was bad news for Daniel and his friends. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream! And unless one of his wise men could tell him the specifics of the dream, plus what it meant, without any hints from the king, all the wise men would be put to death, including Daniel.

But did you know that God uses wicked decrees to exalt His servants? He allows wicked decrees so that His name can be glorified! Think about this. God used the enemy’s plan to exalt Daniel. The king decreed death! But God used it for life. He used the king’s wicked decree to gain glory in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar. He used the king’s wicked decree to make Daniel “ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon” (v 48).

So do not fear in the age of vaccine mandates and the violation of personal liberties! The next time an evil decree is issued, ask yourself what God is doing. He didn’t issue the decree! But He allowed it to be issued so that – some way, some how – you can be promoted and He can be glorified.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the way that You work! Thank You for the ways You move. When I see laws and rules coming out of government that don’t line up with Your word, I will not fear! I will trust that You are doing something greater than I can imagine! I will be promoted, and You will be glorified, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, November 25^th, 2021
Daniel 1:1-2:23
1 Peter 3:8-4:6
Psalm 119:65-80
Proverbs 28:14
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. – Dan. 1:3-4

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem. In an effort to cripple the kingdom and make sure Judah would never be a threat again, he went after the next generation. He took “some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles…young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking [and] gifted in all wisdom” (vv 3-4) and made them his servants. He took young men with talent, intelligence and potential, and indoctrinated them with the theology of Babylon so they would never serve God again.

This is the strategy of the enemy. He will take the young men and women who are full of potential – the next generation! – and indoctrinate them with wisdom that is not of Heaven. He will take the celebrities – the best and the brightest! – and distract them from the things of God so they distract an entire generation from His goodness. This is what is happening in our academic institutions and with our celebrities: the best and the brightest are being used as puppets to trumpet the works of darkness so the enemy can steal an entire generation.

But Daniel and his friends were not fooled. They were offered the best the enemy had to offer! But they refused to worship any king but God. Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies” (v 8). Will you be like Daniel? Will you reject what the enemy wants you to have and hold out for your heavenly inheritance? Will you stand your ground, insist on a life of holiness, and contend for this next generation to serve God with all their heart?

Prayer:

Father, I cancel the plans of the enemy in the name of Jesus! He cannot have this next generation. He must take his hands off the best and the brightest. They belong to You, Lord, and no one can snatch them out of Your hand in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, November 24^th, 2021
Ezekiel 47:1-48:35
1 Peter 2:11-3:7
Psalm 119:49-64
Proverbs 28:12-13
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. – Ezek. 1:1

As Ezekiel approached the temple, he noticed water “flowing from under the threshold.” This was not a leak! It was a flood. Water – symbolic of the powerful, life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit – was flooding out of the sanctuary: God’s place of worship!

I pray the Holy Spirit would overwhelm you right where you are as you read these words in Jesus’ name! Your life was not meant to have a leak of the Holy Spirit. You were not meant to get by on a trickle! Your life will be marked by an eruption of the overflowing presence of the Spirit of the Lord from this day forward, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, I receive Your presence! A deluge of Your Holy Spirit has started over my life and it will never stop. I receive it in the name of Jesus!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, November 23^rd, 2021
Ezekiel 45:13-46:24
1 Peter 1:13-2:10
Psalm 119:33-48
Proverbs 28:11
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
You shall daily make a burnt offering to the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning. And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord. – Ezek. 46:13-14

Under the Old Covenant sacrificial system, the priest had to make an offering to the Lord “every morning.” He would slaughter a “lamb of the first year” and then prepare it. The Grain offering was next: “a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the Lord” (v 14). The point is this: a new sacrifice was required every single day! The people of Israel never stopped sinning; so the sacrifices were required day after day after day. Doesn’t it sound exhausting?

But when Jesus came and died on the Cross, He died “once for all” (Heb. 10:10). We no longer need priests who stand before the Lord “ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb. 10:11). Jesus, our High Priest, offered His body on the Cross! “For by one offering He has perfected [us] forever” (Heb. 10:14).

The Cross is enough for all your sins: past, present and future. Go to God. He loves you! A place has already been made for you at the table of God’s goodness by the blood of Jesus Christ. Come. Eat, drink, and be full.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for receiving me! Thank You that my time doesn’t have to be filled up with sacrifices and offerings meant to appease Your wrath. I can simply enjoy Your presence. Your fiery wrath was poured out on Jesus at the Cross! And that means there is nothing left for me but love, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, November 22^nd, 2021
Ezekiel 44:1-45:12
1 Peter 1:1-12
Psalm 119:17-32
Proverbs 28:8-10
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“…to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…” – 1 Pet. 1:4

When you said yes to Jesus, you were “begotten” – born into – an inheritance “incorruptible and undefiled.” No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, your inheritance in heaven cannot be spoiled. It is incorruptible! Undefiled! Reserved! It does not fade away! No one can spoil it. No one can steal it. It never expires. It is reserved in heaven for you.

Your life on earth may be a mess (mine often is!). But know this: what God has waiting for you in heaven is not in question. Incorruptible. Undefiled. It does not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you. You don’t have to work for an inheritance. You simply have to receive it: to trust and believe that it will always be there.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for my divine inheritance. Thank You that because Jesus lived a sinless life and died the death I deserve, I get to receive the reward only He deserves! Thank You for the permanence of my inheritance. I receive it with open arms, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Sunday, November 21^st, 2021
Ezekiel 42:1-43:27
James 5:1-20
Psalm 119:1-16
Proverbs 28:6-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes,” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. – Jas. 5:12

Let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No”, “No.” James, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, is reiterating the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:

“But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” – Matt. 5:34-37

People in Jesus’ day were swearing by things that didn’t belong to them in an attempt to add credibility to their claims. Instead of saying yes or no, they would swear by heaven that something was true or false, as if heaven belonged to them. Jesus issued a rebuke: just say “yes” or “no,” and do what you say! Because anything more than this is “from the evil one” (v 37).

When you say “yes,” do you mean it? When you say “no,” do you mean it? I use this verse with our four small children all the time. When they say “yes” to doing something, they had better do it! And when they say “no” they didn’t do something else, they had better be telling the truth! And I invite them to call me on every instance where I don’t keep my word as well.

Say “yes” to the Lord. Whatever He is calling you to do, do it! And be aware of this: sometimes saying “yes” to the Lord means saying “no” to other people. It is impossible to please both God and man (Gal. 1:10). But at the end of your life, whether you said “yes” or “no” to other people will hold no weight next to whether or not you said “yes” to God. Keep your word as you pursue His word and do whatever He says, in Jesus’ name!

Prayer:

Father, help me to be a (wo)man of integrity and honesty. If You ask me to do something, I am going to do it. And if I promise You or someone else I am going to do something, help me to follow through. Tell me when to say “No” to other people so I have availability to say “Yes” to You, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.