2023-10-04
Psalm 92:1 NKJV
Journalist Fulton Oursler tells the story of an elderly nurse called Anna. Born a slave on the eastern shore of the state of Maryland, she had attended Fulton’s birth, plus that of his mother. He honours her for teaching him the best lesson he ever learned about giving thanks and finding contentment: “I remember her as she sat at the kitchen table in our house; the hard, old, brown hands folded across her starched apron, the glistening eyes, and the husky old whispering voice, saying, ‘Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles.’ I asked, ‘Anna, what’s a vittle?’ ‘It’s what I’ve got to eat and drink – that’s vittles,’ the old nurse replied. ‘But you’d get your vittles whether you thanked the Lord or not,’ I said. ‘Sure,’ said Anna, ‘but it makes everything taste better to be thankful!'”
The excitement that comes from getting something new, or even something you have worked hard for, is often short lived and quickly replaced by your desire for the next thing. Solomon put it this way: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:8 KJV).
So, what’s the solution? Having an attitude of gratitude! Stopping regularly to remember the goodness of God that makes it possible for you to enjoy every blessing you have, and remembering to say, “Thank you, Lord.” The psalmist had a heart of gratitude. He wrote, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night” (Psalm 92:1-2 NKJV). So, always be thankful to God.
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Mark 16:9-20; Ps 60; Prov 22:7-11
2023-10-03
Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV
Remember past victories. Notice how King Jehoshaphat prayed: “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” (2 Chronicles 20:7 NKJV). If God has ever performed a miracle for you or for anybody else, He can do it again. So, read His Word and strengthen your faith by recalling His great deeds.
E – Exalt God above the problem. “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” (v. 6 NKJV). In his anguish, Jehoshaphat asked rhetorical questions that exposed how big his God was compared to the problem. Sometimes it’s difficult to look past the problem when the reality of it is so close. If you close one eye and put a coin over your other eye, you can blind yourself to something as big as the sun. Getting the idea?
S – Solicit the prayers and support of others. “Jehoshaphat… proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah… they came to seek the Lord” (vv. 3-4 NKJV). Jehoshaphat didn’t ask the people for their opinions but for their prayers, because that’s what moves the heart of God.
S – Stand on the promises of God. When you do, you can say like the psalmist, “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands” (Psalm 119:143 NLT). That’s God’s formula for stress – now use it.
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Mark 16:1-8; Ps 68:19-35; Prov 22:6
2023-10-02
2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV
Trust what God tells you. “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord… Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you” (v. 17 NKJV).
God’s way of resolving our problems can frequently go against our logic. Maybe that is why we are hesitant to approach Him in certain matters. Why would God instruct Jehoshaphat’s army, which was clearly no match for three armies, to show up prepared for a battle they were not intended to fight? That didn’t make any sense! God will many times tell us to “position” ourselves to deal with a demanding task or problem we feel completely inadequate to tackle. Our challenge is to obey Him and position ourselves to win. How do you do that?
(1) You “position” yourself when you choose to enter college, even though you may not have achieved well in high school.
(2) You “position” yourself when you resign from a job at God’s urging and start a new business, even though a long list of customers or clients isn’t waiting in the wings.
(3) You “position” yourself when you sit down at your computer each day to write a book you have always desired to write – without a head full of knowledge but with a heart full of faith that God will join you there with His words.
God’s instruction is to position ourselves for victory. He wants us to show up, so He can show Himself strong on our behalf (See 2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 68:1-18; Prov 22:1-5
2023-10-01
Luke 12:25 NLT
King Jehoshaphat heard that he was about to be attacked by three different armies. Talk about stress! His response is the example you need to follow when life gets overwhelming. His story is told in 2 Chronicles 20. Using the word S.T.R.E.S.S., we learn the following lessons:
S – Seek God’s guidance. “Jehoshaphat… set himself to seek the Lord” (v. 3). Years prior when his father, King Asa, faced a similar threat, he responded by collecting the silver and gold from the temple and his palace and using it to bribe one of the raiding kings to defect to his side. That solved the immediate problem – but not without negative consequences. Although the invasion endeavor was abandoned, God became angry at his reliance on another king to help him conquer his enemies (See 2 Chronicles 16:1-9). So, He pronounced Asa’s punishment for the rest of his reign: “In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars” (v. 9 NKJV). He would live with the stress of constantly being at war, because he had not sought after God’s counsel first.
So, Jehoshaphat, his son, decided that he wasn’t going to take that route. How about you? Do you stress out, attempting to figure out a solution instead of finding out how God wants you to deal with it? Think of the last problem you faced. Did you rely on the opinions of others or on your own ideas, or was your first idea to seek God? God promises this: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV). So, talk to God about it!
Soul food: Gen 2:7-25; 1 Cor 15:39-55
2023-09-30
Ephesians 6:16 NLT
Pay attention to what Satan is shooting at you: “fiery arrows!” He knows that if he can light the fires of worry and anxiety within you, he can immobilize and defeat you. And notice what God has given you to protect yourself: “the shield of faith.” But you have a part to play: “Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” A shield won’t help a soldier while it’s on the ground, or even at his side. He must lift it up to cover himself from attack. The same goes for you.
When the Devil attacks you with unpleasant circumstances and thoughts that cause you to worry and be afraid, you must immediately lift up the shield of faith. Faith in what? Yourself? No, faith in the faithfulness of God! At times your faith in God may falter, but His love and care for you will never falter. “Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMPC).
How do you lift up the shield of faith? By saying, “Lord, I trust you in this situation!” Jesus talked back to Satan in the wilderness by saying, “It is written,” and you must learn to talk back to Satan too. God’s Word is a protective shield that the Devil’s arrows cannot penetrate. When you hold it up like a shield, it’s effective against anything he tries to do in your life. Satan’s fiery arrows can come from any direction, from both your friends and foes. So, you must lift up the shield of faith.
Soul food: Lev 23:33-44; John 7:1-40; Zech 14:16-21; Heb 11:8-16
2023-09-29
Proverbs 18:24 NKJV
There are no shortcuts to overcoming shyness; you’re going to have to work at becoming comfortable being with people. But you can do it. Here are some surefire strategies that will help you make friends:
(1) You can’t deny the fact that you’re shy, but the more you keep talking about it, the more you reinforce its control over you. “Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (vv. 20-21 NLT). Why “own” something so damaging to your goals and relationships? “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Fear is a spirit, and you must learn to reject it! The fact that you have named yourself “shy” is no reason to shy away from chances to overcome it. Avoidance just reinforces your fear.
(2) Engage in an activity you really enjoy so that you’ll have something to chat about with passion and enthusiasm.
(3) Overlook your thumping heart, wobbly voice, sweat, aching stomach, or other signs of anxiety; they are not lethal. Grin. It’s contagious, and it’s vital to appearing approachable.
(4) Ask people to talk about their favourite subject – themselves. Then really listen and reply to their answers instead of worrying about what you will ask next.
Remember, you may be able to sway what people think about you, but you cannot control it – so stop thinking about their assessment or endorsement of you. Meditate on Philippians 4:6-9, and “the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NKJV).
Soul food: S of S 5-8; Mark 15:21-32; Ps 91; Prov 21:28-31
