Manna Publications

Daily Manna for Mondays to Fridays

Editor's choice of Bible teaching

We invite you to use our free, mobile-friendly daily and weekly Bible teaching devotions written in worldwide easy English. These Manna devotionals are prepared daily (Mon to Sat) at 06:00 hours, then uploaded at approximately 07:30 hours GMT.

It was the last wish of Fred Morris, Manna Publications author, to his editorial team that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, "Old Testament teachings should be viewed in the light of their New Testament fulfilment and that New Testament teachings should be viewed in the context of God's purposes and promises expressed in the Old Testament and then applied to today". These daily devotionals are useful for Bible teaching topics and sermon ideas from random places in the Old and New Tetaments. They will help build up a broader picture of God's word at the time it was written and for today.

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26th March 2025

Daniel 11:35. Here Daniel is given understanding of what would happen to God’s people. “Those who are godly and wise will suffer. But they will be made pure in the fire. They will be made spotless.” Those who survive persecution will have a big impact on the rest of the world “at God’s appointed time”.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17. Paul writes to the early believers in Christ Jesus. “Brothers and sisters, we always thank God for you. The Lord loves you. God chose you from the beginning to be saved. Salvation comes through the work of the Holy Spirit. He makes people holy. It also comes through accepting and believing the truth. God chose you to be saved by accepting the Good News [of salvation in Christ] that we preach. You will share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Remain strong in the faith. Hold on to what we taught you through what we preached and wrote. Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loved us [from the beginning]. And by His grace God gave us comfort that will last forever. The hope He gave us is good. May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father comfort your hearts. May they make you strong in every good thing you do and say.”

Heavenly Father, make us strong in times of persecution. Open our eyes to see how You have upheld those who are faithful to Your truth in the past and will do so now and in the future. Refine us and prepare us to suffer as we uphold Your truth. May we show Your compassion to others and “have a big impact on the rest of the world”. Help us to prepare the way for the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ. We look forward to sharing “in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Thank You for loving us from the beginning. Help us to be “strong in every good thing we do or say”. Amen.

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Weekend Manna for Saturdays and Sundays

What Fred said in his Bible teaching

These are extracts from Manna Publications Bible teaching commentaries by the late Fred Morris, based on the easy English NIrV Bible.

Weekend of 22nd/23rd March 2025

Joshua Chapter 6: God’s plan for the destruction of Jericho

The writer of the book of Joshua describes the amazing miracles in the story of the battle of Jericho. He tells us God’s plan to destroy the huge walls of Jericho.

The enemies of Israel were afraid as they waited. But they knew that the God of Israel had taken them safely through the Red Sea and across the River Jordan. The gates of the city were shut tight. No-one went out or came in (6:1). But the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua was with His people:

• God promised, “I have delivered Jericho into your hands” (6:2).
• God told them, “March around the city once each day for six days” (6:3).
• God’s Presence went with His army and the priests went in front with the Ark of God (6:4).
• The priests blew their trumpets but the soldiers who followed them were quiet except for the noise of thousands of marching feet (6:4,13).
• On the seventh day, the priests and the people were told to march round the city seven times blowing their trumpets (6:4).
• The terrifying trumpet blasts were followed by loud shouts of victory (6:5).
• “The walls of the city will fall down and every man will go straight in” (6:5).

Joshua told the people this plan of God. They marched silently round the walls of Jericho and came back to their camp for six days. He reminded the people: “Do not give a war cry, do not shout, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” (6:8-11.) This silence helped to increase the fear in the enemy. It made the Israelites even more dependent on God and not on the excitement of hearing victory cries.

Joshua also told the two spies to save Rahab and her family (6:17, 22-23).

The watchmen on the walls of Jericho looked down. They watched the Israelites marching round the city. It made them very afraid.

Joshua told the people of Israel that they must not carry anything away from Jericho. God would punish them if they did take anything away. God’s plan to destroy all evil in the land began at Jericho. God planned to destroy the evil people and their false religion and their gods and their heathen jewellery (6:17-18). The silver, gold and metal objects were kept for the LORD’s house (6:19).

Our merciful God waited seven days before He closed the door of Noah’s Ark (Genesis 7:10). The same God of mercy told the people to march around Jericho for seven days before He destroyed the city. Like the city of Nineveh, God also gave Jericho time to repent (Jonah 3:4-5).

God has no pleasure in war or in people who make war. When people reject Him, they bring the punishment which they deserve upon themselves.

Extracted from “JOSHUA” Bible teaching commentary by Fred Morris, © 2005, 2014, 2021. [view here]

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Our Prayers of praise to God

Father God and Creator in Heaven, we thank and praise You for Your love and mercy in forgiving and saving us through the sacrifice of Your Son and Saviour, Jesus the Christ and Messiah. Thank You for His promised Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those who repent and believe and among fellowships of true believers. Keep us faithful as Bible-believing witnesses of Your purpose in Christ to establish Your Kingdom on Earth as in Heaven. Forgive our disobedience, fears and doubts. Provide our daily needs while awaiting His return, and bring help and forgiveness to others through Christ's resurrection power and through Christ's compassion at work in our lives. Grant us perseverance during famines, plagues, storms and persecution as we study and teach and distribute Your Bible teaching.

Thank You for the amazing worldwide growth of the Church over the past two thousand years and for the part that Manna Publications has played in this 21st Century. Accept our praise for the funding, printing and distribution of Manna Bible teaching commentaries written by the late Fred Morris currently in Armenia, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Tanzania, Zambia and worldwide through this website. Amen.

Also read the daily prayers for blessing God's people who are persecuted or traumatised by climate change, plagues, terrorists or wars. They are provided by Barnabas Aid for the worldwide, suffering church.