2026-06-17
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
Fanny Crosby, the noted hymn writer, said she never attempted to write a hymn without first kneeling in prayer. Given that she wrote about 8,000 songs, she was obviously a woman of prayer! Beloved hymns such as “Blessed Assurance,” “To God be The Glory,” and “I am Thine, O Lord” were born from times of prayer. But like many creative people, she was often under pressure to meet deadlines. One time she tried to write lyrics for a tune composed by W. H. Doane. She couldn’t seem to find the words, but then she remembered she had forgotten to pray. As she rose from her knees, she dictated – as fast as her assistant could write – the words for the famous hymn, “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.”
Another time she had run short of money and needed exactly five dollars for a particular purpose. There was no time to call upon her publishers, so she simply prayed for the money. As she ended her prayer, she began to pace back and forth in her room, trying to get into the mood to write. Just at that time, an admirer called upon her. The two chatted briefly, and in parting, the woman pressed something into her hand. It was a five-dollar bill! Fanny fell to her knees in a prayer of thanksgiving, and upon rising, she wrote one of her most famous hymns, “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me.”
The secret of Fanny Crosby’s success is not a “secret.” Before she attempted anything for God, she first sought God’s help. So, the word for you today is – pray about it!
Soul food: Eze 40:10-42:20; Matt 20:1-16; Ps 139:1-6; Prov 15:25-27
2026-06-16
Acts 20:24 NKJV
Before leaving the leaders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, Paul told them: “The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy” (vv. 23-24 NKJV).
There are two ways to deal with a problem: (1) Pray and believe God to remove it, like He did with the walls of Jericho. (2) Outgrow the problem.
In the 1920s, an English adventurer named Mallory led an expedition to try to conquer Mount Everest. His first two attempts failed. On his third attempt, he and most of his team were wiped out in an avalanche. Upon their return to England, the few who had survived held a banquet to honour Mallory and those who had perished. As the leader of the survivors stood to speak, he looked around the hall at the framed pictures of Mallory and the others who had died.
Then he turned his back to the crowd and faced a large picture of Mount Everest, which stood looming behind the banquet table like a silent, unbeatable giant. With tears streaming down his face, he spoke to the mountain on behalf of his deceased friends: “I speak to you, Mount Everest, in the name of all brave men and women living and those yet unborn. Mount Everest, you defeated us once; you defeated us twice; you defeated us three times. But we shall someday defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger – but we can.”
Soul food: Eze 37:1-40:9; Matt 19:15-30; Ps 73:17-28; Prov 15:22-24
2026-06-15
Hosea 6:3 NKJV
The Lord charged the church at Ephesus with having “left your first love” (see Revelation 2:4) and the church of Laodicea with being “neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm” (see Revelation 3:15-16). R. T. Kendall said, “The greatest opposition to what God wants to do next comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God did last.” Read the following Scriptures carefully and prayerfully: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV). “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18 NKJV). “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord… He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hosea 6:3 NKJV). “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14 NKJV).
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV). “May [you] be able to comprehend… the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19 NKJV).
The word for you today is – God has more in store for you.
Soul food: Eze 34-36; Matt 19:1-14; Ps 73:1-16; Prov 15:18-21
2026-06-14
Romans 8:35 NIV
Paul asked: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” And the answer is – nothing! Then he came up with a laundry list of worst-case scenarios, from trouble to danger and anything in between: “Trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword” (NIV). When Paul wrote “hardship,” he was back in the Mediterranean Sea during a terrible typhoon. “Persecution” pinged his memory of being stoned at Lystra and left for dead. “Trials”: Paul stood trial before Nero himself.
He also went without food, was bitten by a poisonous snake, and had the clothes stripped off his back so he could be flogged. This did not happen only once or twice. Five times he received the maximum sentence – forty lashes minus one. Paul’s back was whiplashed and crisscrossed with 195 scars.
Hardship has one of two effects: it either hardens or softens our hearts. And it’s that hardening or softening that makes us or breaks us. According to one poll of Londoners, 60 percent of those who survived Germany’s blitzkrieg during World War II remembered it as the happiest time of their lives. It’s the tough times that test our love. But that’s also how it’s proved.
The love of Christ wasn’t proved by His miracles – it was proved on a Roman cross. And it has proven to be fail proof. So no matter what trouble, hardship, or persecution you face, this too shall pass. More importantly, Jesus is with you and Jesus is for you. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from His love!
Soul food: Matt 5:5; Ps 37:1-11; Zeph 2:3
2026-06-13
Ephesians 3:17-18 NIV
Thomas Aquinas was one of the most prolific writers and thinkers of the Middle Ages. His Summa Theologica is one of history’s most exhausting and enduring theologies. But Aquinas never finished it because of something that happened on December 6, 1273, that caused him to quit writing. “All that I have written seems to be like straw,” Aquinas said, “compared to what has now been revealed to me.” Exactly what was revealed remains a mystery, but that one revelation surpassed all the knowledge he’d acquired.
No matter your IQ, that’s what you need. You are not smart enough to reason your way to God. You need “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Ephesians 1:17 NIV). Nothing will change your outlook, or even alter your personality, like a revelation of God’s love. But it’s so diametrically different from the way we give and receive love on a human level. First of all, His love is unconditional. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more or less because He already loves you perfectly, eternally. Even when you don’t reciprocate His love, it doesn’t deter, deflect, or diminish His love. It accentuates it.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NIV). It’s easy to love others when they are at their best. But when they are at their worst? Not so much. But that’s the test of true love. Our love tends to be reactive, but God’s love is proactive. He loves us when we least expect it and least deserve it.
Soul food: Eze 31-33; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 80:12-19; Prov 15:15-17
2026-06-12
Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV
In the realm of general relativity, an event horizon is the point of no return. It’s the point at which gravitational pull becomes so great that it’s impossible to escape. The most obvious example is the black hole – a celestial object so massive that light can only enter but never exit its gravitational field. The escape velocity of a black hole is greater than the speed of light, which is impossible to exceed. So, once you cross its horizon, there is no turning back. God’s love is like that.
The Bible says, “God is love.” The implications of that one statement will take all of eternity to unpack. Nothing pulls stronger or longer than God’s love. Love is an event horizon, and once you cross over, you can’t get back. And who would want to? Logic won’t get you to God’s love. His love is beyond logical – it’s theological. The only way to receive the love of God is via revelation.
Paul wrote: “I pray that you… may… grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ… that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” The love of God is measureless. It doesn’t fit in a box, not even a box the size of the universe. And if the universe isn’t big enough, God’s love certainly won’t fit within the confines of our human logic. So how do we get it in our hearts and minds? Through a personal revelation! So, the word for you today is: pray for a revelation of God’s love.
Soul food: Eze 27:25-30:26; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 80:1-11; Prov 15:11-14
