2024-12-01
Luke 17:14 NKJV
Luke records: “There met Him ten… lepers, who… lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’… He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And… as they went, they were cleansed” (vv. 12-14 NKJV).
In those days, when someone was cured of leprosy, a priest had to pronounce them clean before they could re-enter society. The Bible doesn’t tell us how far away the priest was, how long the journey was, or whether their healing took place at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
There is an important lesson here for those who struggle with addictions. It’s wonderful when God delivers us instantly. But lots of people have the same experience as these ten lepers: “As they went, they were cleansed.” Sometimes you have to walk out your deliverance step by step, trusting God until it’s complete. And this is when we as followers of Christ have to be compassionate, show patience, and stay with them until they are made whole. For example, those who are addicted to pornography deal with a problem that is mental and moral. The same emotional bonding hormones released after sex are released viewing porn. That makes it a powerful addiction.
One man who was finally set free from it said this: “It was a matter of renewing my mind with the Word, as well as having real discipline and accountability to someone who understood my problem. I had to find people I could trust; people who wouldn’t humiliate me or gossip about me, people who would offer firm and loving friendship.” Bottom line: God doesn’t give up on hurting people, and neither should we.
Soul food: Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:1-3
Luke 17:14 NKJV
Luke records: “There met Him ten… lepers, who… lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’… He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And… as they went, they were cleansed” (vv. 12-14 NKJV).
In those days, when someone was cured of leprosy, a priest had to pronounce them clean before they could re-enter society. The Bible doesn’t tell us how far away the priest was, how long the journey was, or whether their healing took place at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
There is an important lesson here for those who struggle with addictions. It’s wonderful when God delivers us instantly. But lots of people have the same experience as these ten lepers: “As they went, they were cleansed.” Sometimes you have to walk out your deliverance step by step, trusting God until it’s complete. And this is when we as followers of Christ have to be compassionate, show patience, and stay with them until they are made whole. For example, those who are addicted to pornography deal with a problem that is mental and moral. The same emotional bonding hormones released after sex are released viewing porn. That makes it a powerful addiction.
One man who was finally set free from it said this: “It was a matter of renewing my mind with the Word, as well as having real discipline and accountability to someone who understood my problem. I had to find people I could trust; people who wouldn’t humiliate me or gossip about me, people who would offer firm and loving friendship.” Bottom line: God doesn’t give up on hurting people, and neither should we.
Soul food: Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:1-3
2024-11-30
Galatians 5:17 NIV
If you’re serious about fulfilling God’s will, you must have determination. One definition of determination is “to settle a dispute by an authoritative decision or a pronouncement.” Let’s apply it to one of our biggest problems – the daily battle between our flesh and our spirit. “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” (v. 17 NIV). Remember, the definition of determination carries the idea of settling a dispute. This is important because if you’re going to commit to doing what God wants you to do, you will have to settle the never-ending dispute between your flesh and your spirit. So, how do you do that? By an authoritative decision or a pronouncement. Your flesh will always cause you to “go with the flow” or “settle for the status quo” unless your regenerate spirit says no.
Joshua is a great example of this. Fearing that God’s people were getting caught up in the lifestyle of the surrounding nations, he told them: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV). Because Joshua made an authoritative decision and a pronouncement, the Bible says, “The people said to Joshua, ‘The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!'” (v. 24 NKJV). Question: In what area of your life today do you need to make an authoritative decision or a pronouncement?
Soul food: Gen 24:1-25:18; John 14:15-25; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 31:14-17
2024-11-29
Proverbs 16:23 AMPC
The Bible says, “The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body” (vv. 23-24 AMPC). Your thoughts and your words are intimately connected. Because of this, it’s important that you think pleasant thoughts so that you can speak pleasant words. Your thoughts are silent words that not only you and the Lord hear, but when verbalized, affect your emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. Solomon says, “Pleasant words are… healing.”
Your thoughts are silent words that affect your inner man, your health, your joy, and your attitude. The things we think about often come out of our mouths and sometimes make us look foolish. But if we live God’s way, our thoughts and words can make our lives and the lives of others more enjoyable. The New International Version of the Bible says, “The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction” (v. 23). Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can let your thought life run in any worldly direction it wants and then fake it by speaking godly words. Either both are pleasing, or both are negative and sinful. There is no middle ground.
Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NKJV). Scripture is your doorway into a new realm of living. As you spend time letting Jesus adjust your thinking, you won’t have to think about speaking pleasant words, wise words, instructive words, or healing words. It will just happen naturally.
Soul food: Gen 20-23; John 14:1-14; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 31:10-13
2024-11-28
1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
The story of Jabez takes up only two Scriptures, but they contain life-changing truth: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested” (vv. 9-10 NKJV). That prayer could be reduced to these words: “I want to grow; I want to know; I want to go!”
The biggest danger you face is the idea that you will make personal growth a priority later. Don’t fall into that rut. Someone said, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is the length!” If you want to reach your God-given potential, you need to do more than simply experience life and hope you learn what you need to know as you travel along. You must capture growth opportunities as if your future requires it – because it does. Growth doesn’t just occur; you have to pursue it.
You say, “But I’m afraid of failing.” All of us have fears. But there is good news: All of us have faith. “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3 NKJV). The question you must ask yourself is, “Which one will I allow to be stronger, my fears or my faith?” God has great things in store for you, so rise up in faith and begin to seize them.
Soul food: Gen 17-19; John 13:31-38; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 31:6-9
2024-11-27
Philippians 3:13 NKJV
Sam Parker writes: “When you decide to cross the line that separates failure from success, you’ll discover that not everyone will applaud your choice. Nor will everything go your way. There are those who have decided they would rather not cross the line and would prefer you didn’t either. And unfortunately, sometimes those people might be your friends. Maybe they will sprinkle a little doubt or withhold a little encouragement at just the right time (or even encourage you to do the wrong thing). Maybe they will be a little less subtle about it and just step directly in your way.
And then, every once in a while, there will be you – that inner voice that’s trying to tell you you’re not that special and that making something exceptional happen is for other people. Then there will be the work – hard work.
Good things are rarely easy, or cheap. Real effort and attention are the fundamentals behind everything. There are no quick fixes. There are no silver bullets. You have to earn your results and push yourself more often than not. You must also focus. That means eliminate distractions, and minimize your exposure to negative people, thoughts, and things that don’t serve the intent you have to succeed. Time moves quickly, and you can’t get it back. So, take good care of it. And learn to bounce back. Built into every mistake is increased knowledge and understanding.”
Paul put it this way: “One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal” (vv. 13-14 NKJV).
Soul food: Gen 13-16; John 13:18-30; Ps 114; Prov 31:1-5
