2023-10-28
2 Timothy 1:7 CEV
In order to be happy in life, you must start doing the right things and stop doing the wrong things. And one of the first things you must do is stop saying, “I just don’t have any self-control.” Self-control is a choice, and the more you choose it, the stronger it becomes. And here is the best part: The power of self-control comes from God, not you. “The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.”
It happens automatically as you spend time with God in prayer and His Word. “Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT). God will give you the power to do this, but you must exercise that power each day. There is no quick fix form of self-control.
Remember how many times in school you repeated your arithmetic tables before they became part of your thinking? Now you just do it automatically. Similarly, when you become educated to think as God wants you to think, you will be able to defeat the Devil and walk in victory. And the first step is to stop saying, “I just don’t have any self-control.” You will never rise above what you say! As long as you believe you’re not a disciplined person, you won’t be. So today, come into agreement with God’s Word and start saying, “I am disciplined and self-controlled.”
Soul food: 1 Tim 1-3; John 6:52-59; Ps 114; Prov 24:23-25
2023-10-27
Revelation 22:20 NKJV
The last promise in the Bible is, “Surely I am coming quickly” (v. 20 NKJV). The last prayer in the Bible is, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (v. 20 NKJV). And the last major prophecy concerning Christ’s return was fulfilled in 1948 when the nation of Israel was reborn (See Amos 9:14). Since then, the clock of Bible prophecy has been ticking and the countdown is on.
Cynics and critics sometimes say, “Christians have been telling us for hundreds of years that Jesus will return, but it hasn’t happened.” That is additional proof of Christ’s return. “In the last days scoffers… will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same’… But you must not forget… A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise… No, he is being patient… He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along… But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness” (2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-13 NLT).
Jesus is coming back again – be sure you’re ready.
Soul food: Hab 1-3; John 6:35-51; Ps 127; Prov 24:19-22
2023-10-26
Philippians 3:13 NLT
Forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply is one of the most difficult things you will ever be asked to do. You know you must forgive, for nursing a grudge is like nursing a baby; anything you feed and nurture will continue to grow. But that doesn’t make forgiving easy.
Try to understand this: Forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you risk remaining trapped in the torture of resentment. When Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive someone who had offended him, Jesus replied, “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22 KJV). In other words, forgive, and keep on forgiving until you get beyond it. But note four things:
(1) Forgiveness doesn’t mean you must resume a relationship with the offender, especially if they are unrepentant and refuse to change their behavior.
(2) It doesn’t mean condoning what they did or agreeing with them.
(3) It doesn’t let them off the hook; it lets you off the hook and enables you to get on with your life.
(4) It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to remember it, but that you will have the power to think about it differently; graciously rather than resentfully.
And one more thought: Don’t let Satan convince you that you haven’t forgiven just because you still remember. The ability to forgive is a learned behavior. The more you practice it, the better you get at it. It happens when you look for ways to extend understanding to your offender and find something to be compassionate about.
Soul food: Nahum 1-3; John 6:25-34; Ps 98; Prov 24:15-18
2023-10-25
Isaiah 41:10 AMPC
The first lady to win a Nobel Prize was French physicist Madame Marie Curie. She said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, only understood.” So:
(1) Get the facts about what you fear to take away the mystery and misinformation from it.
(2) Instead of focusing on your phobia, focus on God’s promises: “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice” (v. 10 AMPC). Note the words “I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties.” As your faith in God grows stronger, the threat of your fears will grow weaker.
(3) Relax. Imagine yourself peaceful and free of the bondage of fear. Envision the positive effect on your life when you are delivered.
(4) Confront each one of your fear-triggering circumstances with baby steps. Every single hurdle you conquer strengthens you.
So, commit yourself to overcoming the fears that have wreaked havoc on your peace of mind. Jesus said, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27 NKJV). Note the words “let not.” Don’t let fear rule you! Become proactive and arm yourself with the promises of God. Run toward your fears as David ran toward Goliath, knowing that in the name of the Lord you will win.
Soul food: 2 Pet 1-3; John 6:16-24; Ps 85; Prov 24:11-14
2023-10-24
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
Read this: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (v. 3 NKJV). Who said that? The God of the universe! What do you think your chances are of getting through on the phone to a president or prime minister? Zero! Yet regardless of your education, sophistication, ethnic background, or financial status, you can talk to God and He will talk back to you. And He doesn’t just promise to answer your prayers but to “show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Sometimes we say, “It’s the not knowing that scares me.” Companies close and workers get laid off. Routine medical checkups reveal life-threatening challenges. Terrorists threaten our safety, and politicians betray our trust. The little boy prayed, “Lord, bless Mommy, Daddy, baby, and me. And Lord, take care of yourself, because if anything happens to you, we’re all sunk!”
You say, “But I’m not sure God has ever spoken to me.” If you’re a Christian, He has spoken to you at least once. And if He will speak to you once, He will speak to you twice. But you have to talk to Him and let Him talk to you through His Word and His indwelling Spirit.
Sometimes God waits before He answers you because He is working on both ends of the line. He is working on the thing you prayed about, and He is working to get you ready for it. And sometimes the second thing takes longer than the first. “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”
Soul food: 2 Sam 22:31-24:25; John 6:1-15; Ps 126; Prov 24:10
2023-10-23
Galatians 5:25 NLT
Do you have an out-of-control appetite when it comes to money, food, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, sex, or… (you fill in the blank). Have your repeated efforts to gain control left you with a sense of shame, failure, and hopelessness? Have all your attempts at self-control failed?
Try Spirit control! “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions… But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25 NLT).
The secret of walking in victory is in realizing these two things: (1) Self-control is not something you do for God, it’s something God does for you. (2) Self-control is not a one time work but a daily walk. Each time you say no to self and yes to God, His Spirit comes to your aid and empowers you. By choosing to obey God instead of your impulses, you activate the power that brings victory.
Soul food: 2 Sam 20:1-22:30; John 5:31-47; Ps 5; Prov 24:8-9
