2024-08-10
Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV
God has a plan for your life. In Scripture, it’s sometimes referred to as a “vision.” It works like a compass that will always point you in the right direction and an anchor that will hold you steady in life’s storms. Why did God say, “Write the vision and make it plain”? Because sometimes, we bury our vision deep in our hearts to protect ourselves from the criticism of others. Fear causes us to set our vision out of sight so that we don’t have to think about it. Sometimes we give up on our vision because it hurts too much and costs too much to hold on to it. What should you do?
First, you must have a vision that’s clear and compelling. Second, you must keep your vision before you at all times. After experiencing painful rejection by his family and false accusation by his boss’s wife resulting in thirteen years of wrongful imprisonment, the Bible says, “Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed” (Genesis 42:9 KJV). Third, you must remember that God has scheduled a time for your dream to be fulfilled: “The vision is yet for an appointed time… though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). You must find a balance between contentment and ambition.
Paul writes, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11 NKJV). Paul never allowed himself to be upset with where he was at the moment; he knew that God was with him at all times, and he was always looking forward to where God would take him. So enjoy this day, knowing that God has your future securely planned.
Soul food: 1 Chr 7:20-9:44; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 119:17-24; Prov 20:22-24
2024-08-09
Luke 2:44 NIV
The Bible says: “Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival… After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers” (vv. 41-47 NIV). Note the words “Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company…”
It was a full day’s journey before they realized He wasn’t with them! Then it took them three days to find Him! There is a lesson here for you. It’s easier to lose that special sense of God’s presence than to get it back once you have lost it. It’s easy to wander off and do your own thing, unaware that you haven’t included the Lord in your day or taken time to consult Him about your plans.
The way to maintain a sense of God’s presence is to intentionally involve Him in all that you do. Jesus promised, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23 NIV).
Soul food: 1 Chr 6:1-7:19; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 119:9-16; Prov 20:19-21
2024-08-08
Psalm 18:6 TLB
Have you suffered a series of defeats and setbacks? Are you discouraged because the attacks have been long and tiring? Read these words from the psalmist David and stand on them: “Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me… In my distress I screamed to the Lord for his help. And he heard me from heaven; my cry reached his ears… He reached down… and drew me out of my great trials… On the day when I was weakest, they attacked. But the Lord held me steady. He led me to a place of safety, for he delights in me. The Lord rewarded me for doing right… What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him. For who is God except our Lord? Who but he is as a rock? He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go” (vv. 1, 6, 16, 18-20, 30-32 TLB).
You have heard it before, and you know what to do – spend more time with God in prayer and reading His Word! Instead of striving in your own strength, plug into God and start flowing in His strength. Check and see who is on the throne of your life. If it’s anyone other than the Lord, including yourself, it’s an idol that must be dethroned. How long will this battle last? God knows, and He will never permit the attack you face to be greater than the great grace He provides. Today He is saying to you, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV).
Soul food: 1 Chr 4:24-5:26; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 119:1-8; Prov 20:15-18
2024-08-07
Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
Like a proud parent, our heavenly Father loves it when we carry out impossible things by His power and for His glory. And when you live in raw reliance upon His power, you will do things that otherwise cannot be done. When you think about it, in and of ourselves, we are incapable of loving God. We cannot fabricate love for Him. We can just respond to His love for us. Knowing this sets us free.
Religion focuses on doing things for God. But true Christianity is all about receiving what Christ has done for us on the cross. What we do for God is a reflection and a response to what He has done for us. We all love miracles; we just dislike being in a circumstance where we need one. But that is a precondition. You will never experience the power of God until you’re in a situation that requires it.
If you want to be filled with His Spirit, step into a situation that requires His power. Pursue a God-ordained dream you cannot achieve in your own strength and wisdom. That’s why Paul writes: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (vv.18-20 NIV). Today, God wants you to experience “his incomparably great power” in your life.
Soul food: 1 Chr 3:1-4:23; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 20:11-14
2024-08-06
Mark 16:17-18 NKJV
Here is an often overlooked part of the Great Commission Jesus gave us: “In My name they will… lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Research has revealed that touch has the power to fight viruses, reduce stress, enhance sleep, and assist us in recovering more quickly from injury. One study found that a thirty-minute massage three times a week lowers stress by 34 percent.
The power of touch, even on a human level, is an astonishing thing. But when you add the power of God, it opens the way for something supernatural. “And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him” (Acts 28:8 NKJV). Laying hands on the sick or on those called to ministry was a regular practice in the New Testament church.
And you don’t have to be an ordained minister to do it. Jesus said, “These signs will follow those who believe” (Mark 16:17 NKJV). If you are a believer who has placed your trust in Christ, you’re qualified. Could God do it without us? Of course. But He has given us the privilege of being conduits for His power. By laying hands on someone, you do two things: You identify, and you impart. Who knows how many miraculous moments we have sacrificed because we haven’t acted in a bold biblical way by praying for someone who is sick, commissioning someone who is called, or encouraging someone who simply needs a hand on their shoulder?
Soul food: 1 Chr 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:7-10
2024-08-05
Romans 2:4 NKJV
Do you remember the woman who took an alabaster box of fragrant oil and anointed Jesus with it? The Bible says: “Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ‘This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner'” (Luke 7:39 NKJV). Man-made religion condemned this woman because of her past, but Jesus cleansed her and made her whole. “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (v. 47 NKJV). Jesus knew what this woman had done, but He also knew what she could become when His grace touched her life.
The more you realize that you have been forgiven much, actually, of all your sins, the more you will love the Lord. God’s forgiveness does not lead to a sinful lifestyle; it leads to a life of glorifying the Lord Jesus. “The goodness of God leads you to repentance.” The word “repentance” means to turn around and do the opposite. Condemnation does not produce righteous living, but the knowledge of God’s grace and goodness toward us does.
Simon the Pharisee thought that his acceptance by God was based on his performance; hence he became self-righteous. But Jesus set him straight: “To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” When you realize how much and how often God has forgiven you, you fall in love with Him and desire to please Him in all you do.
Soul food: 1 John 3:11-5:21; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 78:40-55; Prov 20:4-6
