2023-08-29
Psalm 37:3 AMPC
Sometimes when we have problems, we withdraw from normal life and spend all our time obsessing and trying to solve them. We talk about them to anyone who will listen. All this is unproductive activity which prevents us from doing what we should be doing, which is “doing good.” If you want to experience the benefits of God’s faithfulness, you must do two things: (1) “Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord.” (2) “And do good.”
When we have problems, it feels counterintuitive to focus on blessing others. But it’s not; it’s actually a very powerful thing to do. It takes your mind off you and your problem. Plus, you’re sowing good seed that ultimately brings your good harvest. Falling into self-pity, fretting, and talking negatively prevent God from helping you. But trusting Him and persisting in doing good for others release Him to work on your behalf.
We may know it’s wrong to worry and yet continue worrying. We must realize that none of God’s promises work for us until we actually obey His Word. Knowledge alone won’t solve your problems; you must take action and be obedient no matter how you feel. You might not feel like keeping a commitment or doing something to help someone else, but when you do it, God goes to work on your behalf. So, one of the keys to overcoming fear and worry is doing what God has told you to do regardless of how you feel.
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Mark 9:1-13; Ps 119:161-168; Prov 19:3-8
2023-08-28
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
When we have been hurt, our first instinct is to retaliate. We know it’s wrong because the Bible says we must forgive in order to be forgiven (See Mark 11:25). We also know that bitterness can hurt us physically and emotionally. But sometimes we can’t bring ourselves to forgive, so we keep wrestling with it in our mind. Stop and think what happens in a wrestling match. You focus on your opponent, clinging to them and trying to control them. Your aim is to put them on the mat and bring them into submission, and it requires all your energy. Plus, you risk getting hurt in the process.
The only real power you have over someone who hurts you is the power of forgiveness. So for your own sake, forgive them and move on! Even though you don’t feel like forgiving, pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.” In other words, “Lord, make me willing to forgive.” The old saying, “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” is the truth.
Now, small offenses can be forgiven quickly, but big ones require divine assistance. And you can have it: “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT). Yes, you may want your offender to suffer, but when your greatest desire is to please the Lord, He will give you the grace to forgive. When you realize the blessings God has in store for you in the future, you will refuse to spend another moment stuck in the past.
Soul food: Gal 1-3; Mark 8:27-38; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 19:1-2
2023-08-27
1 John 3:21 NLT
When you knowingly sin, it puts your body under stress. There is actually no such thing as a “lie detector test.” The fact is, the test cannot determine if someone is lying. It simply measures how a person’s response to certain questions impacts their nervous system. God designed our system to glorify Him (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So when you sin, it negatively impacts your body. Even if you have never taken a polygraph exam, you can agree that when you have lied, you probably experienced an increase in your heart rate. So when God tells you not to sin, He is not trying to steal your joy but preserve it. Sin robs you of three things:
(1) Comfort. “‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 48:22 NLT). When you knowingly violate your values, you become uneasy in your own skin.
(2) Character. Your reputation is how others see you, but your character is what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror each day. Your thoughts determine your deeds, your deeds determine your habits, your habits determine your character, and your character determines your destiny.
(3) Confidence. Nothing in life is more important than to be able to approach God with confidence. “If we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him” (1 John 3:21-22 NLT).
So the next time Satan tempts you to sin, stop and do the math. By looking at the bottom-line result, you will be able to make the right choice every time.
Soul food: 1 Sam 25:2-42; 1 Peter 3:1-7
2023-08-26
1 John 3:18 NKJV
When a multimillionaire was asked how much money it takes to be happy, he replied, “Just a little more.” Now let’s assume you’re not like that, and you care about others. Why are you not more involved in meeting their needs? “Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? …let us not love in word… but in deed” (vv. 17-18 NKJV). That Scripture could be reduced to two words: Do something!
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, two different ministers walked past a dying man on the Jericho road without stopping to help. Why? Wasn’t this a great opportunity to “practice what you preach?” How did they become so insensitive and uncaring? Did they think, “The problem is too big, there is nothing I can do about it?” Were they so focused on their church’s agenda that they didn’t want to commit the time or the resources necessary to get this man back on his feet?
Jesus said: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34 NKJV). Note the word “compassion.” The Good Samaritan was willing to get emotionally involved. You must too.
Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision, once prayed, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.” The word for you today is – do something!
Soul food: Judg 19:16-21:25; Mark 8:14-26; Ps 119:137-144; Prov 18:22-24
2023-08-25
Matthew 18:21 NKJV
The Bible says, “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him… ‘up to seventy times seven'” (vv. 21-22 NKJV). Seventy times seven equals 490 times. And it’s your “brother,” someone you have to live or work with, whom you’re called to forgive. In essence Jesus was saying, “Forgive, and keep on forgiving if you want to have a relationship with this person.”
Let’s face it, we all make mistakes because we’re flawed in different ways. Perfection only exists in God. Recall Jesus’ words: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 KJV). Truer words have never been spoken, and very few concepts are more significant to remember in a relationship.
While it’s perfectly normal to feel anger, and a natural human reaction to feel mistreated, there is a big difference between healthy anger and the corrosive emotion of bitterness. Bitterness is relational cancer. As Dr. Maya Angelou said, “[Bitterness] feeds upon the host. It does nothing to the object of the displeasure.” In this case, the “host” is your relationship, and forgiveness is the medication and the cure.
Jesus said, “As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:31 KJV). Offering the degree of forgiveness you wish to receive ensures that your relationship stays healthy and free from the disease of bitterness. Is it sometimes hard to do? Yes, but if you pray, God will give you the grace to do it!
Soul food: Judg 16:1-19:15; Mark 8:1-13; Ps 119:129-136; Prov 18:21
2023-08-24
Exodus 12:7 NLT
On the night of the Passover, God told Moses that the angel of death would come and eliminate all the firstborn males in Egypt. Then He gave a specific plan of protection to the children of Israel. He said each household must take a lamb and spread its blood “on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses.” Try to imagine that! On the night of judgment when the angel of death looked at their houses, because they were “under” the blood, “surrounded” by the blood, and “seen” through the blood, they were saved.
Sometimes when we pray, we say, “Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and on the merits of His shed blood, and I ask you to…” Why do we pray that way? Because the Bible tells us that God responds to (a) the name of Jesus, whose sacrifice on our behalf He has fully accepted, and (b) the blood of Jesus, which satisfies all His claims against us – past, present, and future.
Among the many things that you may be able to do for your family, none is more important or significant than praying for them every day. When you say, “Father, by an act of faith, I cover this member of my family with the precious blood of Jesus,” you protect them from spiritually destructive influences that if left to their own devices can tear your family apart. You say, “I don’t quite understand all of that!” You don’t have to. Just do it – and God will honour you and bless your family!
Soul food: Judg 12-15; Mark 7:24-37; Ps 119:121-128; Prov 18:13-20
