2025-02-25
Acts 10:4 NET
God told Cornelius, “Your prayers… have gone up as a memorial before [Me].” Memorials are usually built for people who are dead and gone. What a great promise this is. Even after you have gone to heaven, the prayers you pray on behalf of your loved ones become a memorial before God, getting His attention and moving Him to action. So, don’t stop praying.
Saint Augustine is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of Christianity, but he didn’t start out well. Young Aurelius Augustinus lived for three decades in utter immorality. And for each of those decades, his mother, Monica, prayed for him, following him to Carthage, to Rome, and on to Milan, weeping, pleading, and assaulting heaven in prayer on his behalf. Monica lived to see her son become a mighty man of God. You may or may not live to see your loved one turn to Christ, but know this: God says, “Your prayers… have gone up as a memorial before [Me].”
We’re talking about the posthumous power of prayer. John the Revelator caught a glimpse of it when he visited heaven and described what he saw in these words: “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand” (Revelation 8:3-4 NKJV). So, the word for you today is – keep praying, and God will answer your prayers.
Soul food: Exo 10-12; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 61; Prov 6:16-19
2025-02-24
Genesis 3:6 NKJV
Emotions have a tone that we call “feeling.” And the tone of feeling is very strong. Most of us realize how we feel. We make decisions driven by feeling. Relationships are established or damaged because of feeling. Seeing what felt good, enjoyable, and to be desired is what led Eve to disobedience. The Bible does not say she was hungry; otherwise, she would have eaten of every other tree in the garden of Eden. Emotional drama in the first woman, opened the door to emotional drama in all of us. So, it’s genetic.
And emotions require satisfaction: anger, hurt, and love want to be satisfied. If we do not rule ourselves, we live in the drama of emotions gone bad. To be a born-again Christian whose emotions have not been touched by God is an insufficient lifestyle. God must do a work in us called “transformation” (See Romans 12:1-2). Emotions must be renewed so that hate turns into love, cursing to blessing, resentment to forgiveness, anger to peace, and heaviness to praise.
Transformed by God’s Word and His Spirit, we’re released from the drama and chaos our emotions can produce. When we’re driven by our emotions, we want a “feel-good” mentality. But Eve teaches us that the feel-good mentality is a terrible motivator and leads us into trouble. Our lives must be motivated by the Holy Spirit, and His motivation is not just to create good feelings; His aim is to produce obedience. Obedience will always surpass emotion, and obedience will always satisfy in ways that emotions will never be able to.
Soul food: Exo 7-9; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Prov 6:12-15
2025-02-23
Galatians 6:9 NLT
In life, you’re going to have all kinds of problems. So, what should you do? Persevere! No matter what’s going on in your life, the victory is in refusing to quit. Keep in mind that in the heat of your struggles, the Holy Spirit is often doing His greatest work within you. Paul writes, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character” (Romans 5:3-4 NKJV). God is not moved by circumstances, and you must not be either.
He will lead you through anything if you will just hang in there and follow Him. This means being diligent in prayer, relentless in your resolve, unwavering in faith, and determined to stand firmly on God’s Word and His promises to you. Don’t be side-tracked by how slowly things seem to be going at the moment. When you’re in the “not much seems to be happening” phase, that’s often when God is laying a strong foundation in order to build something significant in you and through you. The Lord’s work in you is preparation for the work He wants to do through you.
When life seems hard, and progress seems too slow, ask God to help you remain steadfast. He will do it. Here are two Scriptures you can stand on today: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9 NLT). “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT).
Soul food: Exo 20:4; Isa 44:6-20; Rom 1:21-25
2025-02-22
Nehemiah 2:4 NIV
The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls began with two questions the king asked Nehemiah. The first question was “What is bothering you?” (See v. 2). The second question was “What is it you want?” (v. 4 NIV). Nehemiah replied, “Send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it” (v. 5 NIV). Nehemiah knew exactly what he wanted, because a passion for it had been conceived in his spirit. He had been thinking and praying about it for quite a few months when the king asked him what he wanted.
A pastor writes: “Few things are as miraculous as the moment of human conception. A sperm penetrates an egg, and all the genetic data that determine who you will become – everything from facial features to personality traits – is encoded within that single cell. And it begins a nine-month process of gestation. The mother’s body starts producing hormones before she even knows she is pregnant. The baby’s heart starts beating on day twenty-two. At four weeks, that single cell has grown ten thousand times larger. At around day forty-two, neurons start multiplying at the astounding rate of approximately ten thousand per second. Everything from the optic nerve to the auditory cortex to the respiratory system is being formed in the womb.”
And a God-given vision is conceived the same way. It begins small and keeps growing within you until the time of delivery. That’s why the Bible says, “The vision is yet for an appointed time… though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). So, the word for you today is – want what God wants.
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 53; Prov 6:9-11
2025-02-21
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
In ancient Greece, athletes practiced with weights strapped to their bodies. But on the day of the race, they took them off in order to win. What’s keeping you from running and winning?
(1) Comparing yourself to others? The only person you should compare yourself to – is you. Your objective is to become better today than you were yesterday. You do that by concentrating on what you can do today to improve and develop. If you do that often enough, and if you compare the way you were weeks, months, or years ago to how you are today, you should be considerably encouraged by your progress.
(2) Limiting beliefs? Because of how they were raised, or certain mistakes they may have made in life, a lot of people don’t believe they can accomplish great things. But the greatest limitations people experience are typically the ones they inflict on themselves. For example, what if you want to learn a foreign language but don’t think you can do it? Once you have uncovered that faulty belief system, understand how not learning that language is restricting you. Then imagine what it will be like when you learn that language. How will it make you feel? What will it enable you to do? Then write an inspiring statement that upholds your ability to learn the language! Remember, it isn’t what you are that hinders you; it’s what you think you’re not. Claim this promise: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). That means – by God’s help you can win.
Soul food: Exo 1-3; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 40:9-17; Prov 6:6-8
2025-02-20
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
In his best-selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey describes an experience he had on a subway in New York. A man and his children boarded the train, and the children were so loud and rambunctious, they disrupted the entire car. The man sat down beside Covey, seemingly oblivious to the situation. Covey finally said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?” The man looked startled. Then he said, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”
Covey’s attitude instantly changed. Looking back on it later, he admitted that he learned a valuable lesson: Seek to understand before seeking to be understood. Sometimes the people who irritate and hurt us do so because they themselves are in pain. They’re dealing with issues we don’t know about. And when they lash out, it’s just the burst dam of personal frustration. And it calls for looking beyond their words and actions and trying to see their hearts. And that’s hard to do when you’re self-absorbed.
The Bible addresses this: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (vv. 31-32 NKJV). If you have been grumpy toward those you live with and work with, the word for you today is – practice being tenderhearted.
Soul food: Gen 50; Hag 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8
