2024-04-18
1 Corinthians 12:18 NCV
A respected Bible teacher says: “Because my family’s so large, we draw names to see who we’ll buy presents for. One Christmas when I opened my present, I was disappointed… then I looked at my twin brother who got two nice gifts. Sensing my disappointment, my wife came over to me and said, ‘Don’t worry. When we get home, we’ll exchange it for something you like better.’ The same thing happens in the Body of Christ. We open the gifts God has given us and immediately run to someone else to see what he or she received…When we look at our gift… we’re unhappy… and immediately think… ‘I know… I’ll swap it for something I like better.’ That’s why there are so many people running around claiming to be an apostle or a prophet or a teacher… They’re gift-swapping.”
You don’t get to decide what gift God gives you. God “put all the parts… in the body as he wanted them.” Sometimes it takes years for you to recognize your gift and start operating in it. Instead of coveting another person’s gift, be thankful for your own and ask God to use it to bless as many people as possible.
And if you have questions about it, search the Scriptures. Paul says, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29 NIV); “God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well” (Romans 12:6 TLB); “Each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that (1 Corinthians 7:7 NIV); “The Spirit decides what to give each person” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NCV). So, use the gift God gave you.
Soul food: Acts 3:11-5:42; Mark 3:13-19; Ps 127; Prov 10:19-21
2024-04-17
2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV
When the Bible speaks of a stronghold, it’s referring to an area in your life that’s controlled by wrong thinking. And that stronghold will attract people who think the same way and feed off it. But there is good news. Not only will God reveal to you the strongholds in your life, He will show you the experiences that caused them.
Some of us worry obsessively about money because we grew up in hard times. As a result, we’re inclined to depend more on ourselves than on God. When it comes to money, we hide it, hoard it, or withhold it. And because we’re afraid to sow it, we miss the very harvest that would solve our problem.
“So, how can I deal with my stronghold?” you ask. Attack it with the Word of God. You don’t have to accept whatever comes into your mind; you have a choice! If a thought lines up with the Word of God, accept it – if it doesn’t, reject it. When Satan comes against you, don’t just sit there and say, “I wish he would leave me alone. I don’t feel like fighting today.” If you do, he will “devour” you! (See 1 Peter 5:8).
Paul describes your Bible as “the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 AMPC). Did you get that? The Holy Spirit within you will wield the sword of Scripture for you – provided you have done your job, which is to get the Word of God inside you. Do you want to pull down the strongholds in your life? Reprogram your mind with the truths of God’s Word.
Soul food: Acts 1:1-3:10; Mark 3:7-12; Ps 43; Prov 10:17-18
2024-04-16
Deuteronomy 4:9 NKJV
Let’s read what God said to the parents who entered the promised land: “Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (v. 9 NKJV). Notice the progression here. First, “take heed to yourself.” Next, “teach them to your children.”
Your ability to influence and mold your children is based on your credibility with them. When the principles you live by produce joy, peace, strength, kindness, discipline, and success, your children will begin to take you seriously. And you have a limited window of opportunity. There are skills that can be learned during early childhood that become much more difficult later on.
Have you ever wondered why it’s so simple to teach preschoolers any language they hear? And they can learn it perfectly, without even a trace of their own accent. Fifteen or more years later, they will have a much harder time attempting to make those same sounds. This is explained by a process called “phoneme contraction.” The larynx of a young child assumes a shape needed to make any sounds he or she is learning to use. It then sets in those positions, making it impossible or challenging to make other sounds in later years.
A child’s attitude toward parental leadership is similar. That’s why it’s essential to “shape the will” during the preschool and early years by balancing unconditional love with consistent teaching and firmness at home. If you miss that opportunity, the adolescent years can be rougher than they need to be.
Soul food: Joel 1-3; Mark 3:1-6; Ps 56; Prov 10:14-16
2024-04-15
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV
Are you trying to keep your children under lock and key in order to keep them out of trouble? It won’t work. You’re not keeping them out of trouble, you’re simply postponing it. Things like curfews, dress codes, internet use, and checking up on their friends are part of good parenting.
But when you are not around to guide them, they need sound principles to live by. And those principles can be found in God’s Word: “Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes” (vv. 6-9 MSG).
Isn’t it interesting how each succeeding generation views the previous one as old fashioned and out of date? And that’s not all bad. Every generation believes there is a better way to do things, and that is the foundation for progress. That’s why getting from New York City to Los Angeles takes only six hours by plane instead of three weeks by steamship.
God’s Word can stand the test of scrutiny. So instead of shutting them down, invite your children to ask questions and challenge assumptions, then help them arrive at solid scriptural convictions to live by. As a parent there is no greater gift you can give them.
Soul food: Jer 51-52; Mark 2:23-28; Ps 50:16-23; Prov 10:11-13
2024-04-14
Mark 4:27 NKJV
Have you sown a “seed” of faith, and now you’re wondering when you will reap the “harvest” God promised in His Word? If so, read on: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (vv. 26-29 NKJV).
Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages. First there is the “not knowing” stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen. Next comes the “blade” stage. It’s just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it’s enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way. Next comes the “head” stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God’s Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief. Finally you enter the “full grain” stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.
Whatever stage you’re in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way.
Soul food: Gal 5:22; Luke 2:8-20; Prov 3:13-18; Ps 119:161-168
2024-04-13
Proverbs 14:12 NIV
You can be sincere in your intentions – but sincerely wrong. The Bible says the rain falls on “the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45 NLT). The law of cause and effect applies to everybody, and all your good intentions won’t bring you out at the right destination if you’re on the wrong road.
Think about it like this: Maybe you have considered investing in a particular company. You do the research, talk to the experts, and things look good. So, you proceed on the assumption that it’s a sound decision. Then the unexpected happens. A recession hits, and the market tanks. It’s not your fault; you were sincere in your decision to invest, but that doesn’t change the end result. You still lose. You can’t afford to put your trust in what “seems right to… man” (Proverbs 16:25 NKJV); you must pursue those things that are right in God’s eyes.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT). That means unless you have committed your life to Christ, you’re already on the wrong road. Turn around and ask Him to forgive your sins and put you on the road to eternal life. And if you’re a believer seeking direction, pray, read your Bible, and listen for what God has to say. The disciples on the Emmaus road said, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he… opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32 KJV). Ask God to open His Word, give you “spiritual heartburn,” and point you in the right direction. He will!
Soul food: Jer 49-50; Mark 2:18-22; Ps 50:1-15; Prov 10:8-10
