2023-07-02
1 John 5:4 KJV
Adversity is often the Enemy’s attempt to rob you of the next season of God’s blessing in your life. If you’re under attack today, you need to do these three things:
(1) Rise up and fight back. You will be tempted to withdraw or become timid and passive, especially if you have been hurt. Don’t do it. A wounded animal just invites attack. Satan loves shy, fearful types, but real fighters intimidate him. So, be bold and claim the promise, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 KJV).
(2) Use all your weapons. The Bible says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world… they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV). Prayer is a weapon – use it daily. And join in prayer with others. One person alone can’t multiply faith; increase begins when two people get together (See Matthew 18:19). Make sure you know the intercessors in your life, because they have influence with God. Scripture is also a weapon, so use it. “Take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17 KJV). Find out what God’s Word says about your situation, and then use it like a sword to cut the Enemy’s head off.
(3) Try to see the big picture. Few things are ever as they first appear, so look beyond the moment and see if something good is being birthed in you. After adversity comes blessing and favour, so get your eyes back on the big picture. Paul, who suffered relentless attack, said, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outlasts them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). Bottom line: Today you can win.
Soul food: Josh 6:1-25; Luke 7:36-50
2023-07-01
Isaiah 59:19 KJV
Your biggest mistakes often occur in the early stage of a trial because it catches you off guard. Surprise is one of the Devil’s favourite weapons, so here are four winning strategies you can use when you’re under attack:
(1) Don’t panic. Live by the Scripture, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 KJV). That means God is present, fully aware of your situation, and has a solution. Just be sensitive and responsive to the voice of His Spirit within you (See John 16:13). Remember, time is on your side. Patience is a weapon that forces truth and motives to the surface.
(2) Analyze it. Solomon said, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider” (Ecclesiastes 7:14 KJV). Sometimes what looks like a crisis is just concentrated information. And when you take time to analyze it, you benefit from it.
(3) Seek advice. “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances'” (Proverbs 11:14 MSG). Ignorance is your enemy and instruction is your friend. Somebody somewhere knows something you need to know; something that can help you survive and even succeed during this painful chapter in your life. Reach for them.
(4) Expect God to move. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Adversity is often the Enemy’s reaction to your progress. Rejoice; your heavenly Father’s eyes are on you today. He is pleased with you, and He is going to bring you through this victoriously.
Soul food: Jer 14-17; Matt 23:1-12; Ps 95; Prov 14:29-33
2023-06-30
1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT
The problem isn’t just that we sin; it’s that we can’t talk about it. We’re comfortable with tales of people who used to sin, because they have happy endings. Imagine going to a counselor and saying, “I only want to discuss problems I used to have. Please don’t ask me to confess any current ones. I would be embarrassed. I’m afraid you would reject me.” Why would you go to a counselor and try to convince them that you don’t need counsel? People are okay telling a doctor about their physical problem or a mechanic about a problem with their car. Shouldn’t we be okay telling each other when we have a problem?
If you want God (or anyone else) to love the real you, you have to work at “getting real.” David was Israel’s best king, but he was a polygamist. He was also a horrible father. He coveted another man’s wife, committing adultery with her, attempting to deceive her husband, ultimately having him murdered, and covering up his crime for a year; so, he was a coveter, an adulterer, a liar, and a murderer. As somebody quipped, “Nobody in those days was walking around wearing a ‘What Would David Do?’ bracelet.” Yet the Bible calls David “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 NIV).
Is it possible for someone to be struggling so intensely with sin and yearning for God at the same time? Yes. And it’s also why the Bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16 NLT).
Soul food: Jer 10-13; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 64; Prov 14:25-28
2023-06-29
Philippians 2:22 NIV
God will be faithful to you, come what may. Humanly speaking, who else can you count on? Paul writes: “Everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel” (vv. 21-22 NIV). Paul knew he could count on Timothy. Who can you count on? Before you answer, consider the following four questions:
(1) When something goes wrong, do you have at least one friend you can easily talk to about it? “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for… adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 NIV). There is no way to put a price on such a relationship, is there?
(2) Who in your life could accurately name your greatest fears and temptations? “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12 NLT).
(3) Do you have one or more friends with whom you meet regularly? “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him” (Malachi 3:16 KJV).
(4) Do you have a friend you know well enough to trust their confidentiality? “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13 NIV).
Soul food: Jer 7-9; Matt 22:23-33; Ps 59:9-17; Prov 14:23-24
2023-06-28
Psalm 90:14 NIV
It doesn’t help the cause of Christ when His followers go around looking miserable. You say, “But I have problems.” Everybody does. When the apostle Paul was in prison, he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4 NIV). Expressing joy is something you do in spite of your circumstances, not because of them. The Bible says, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3 NIV). God has put a well of joy within you, but you have to draw it out and share it with others.
Joy is contagious. Happiness travels through relational networks like ripples on a pond. It’s so robust, in fact, that it can permeate three degrees of separation. That means your happiness quotient is more likely to increase when a friend of a friend of a friend becomes happy. We hunger for joy. “Satisfy us in the morning,” writes the psalmist – but not with more money or power or applause. No, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14 NIV).
Joyful people make us come alive. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV). We love joy, but often we forget how powerful it is. Joy gives us the strength to resist temptation. It gives us the ability to persevere. It’s the Velcro that makes relationships stick. It gives us the energy to love. We don’t just need air, food, and water; we need joy. And the person who brings it is like an oasis in a desert land. So today, be joyful.
Soul food: Jer 4-6; Matt 22:15-22; Ps 59:1-8; Prov 14:21-22
2023-06-27
Hebrews 10:24 NIV
Robert Putman made a staggering statement: “As a rough rule of thumb, if you belong to no groups but you decide to join one, you cut your risk of dying over the next year in half.” It’s hard to imagine anyone disinterested in reducing their risk of dying by 50 percent. That’s why some churches have adopted this motto: “Join a group or die.”
One of the characteristics of the early church was their faithfulness to connectedness, because they knew connectedness doesn’t merely happen. They met together daily. They ate together. Over time, however, that happened less. So the writer of Hebrews said: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (vv. 24-25 NIV).
One author puts it this way: “In sports, the more an athlete needs encouragement from the fans, the less likely he or she is to get it. Rarely do fans of a losing team think when a slumping player comes up to bat, ‘Let’s consider how we can spur him on.’ Too often, people who need cheers the most get them the least. Every day, everyone you know faces life with eternity on the line, and life has a way of beating people down. Every life needs a cheering section. Every life needs a shoulder to lean on once in a while. Every life needs a prayer to lift them up before God. Every life needs a hugger to wrap some arms around them sometimes. Every life needs to hear a voice saying, ‘Don’t give up.'”
Soul food: Jer 1-3; Matt 22:1-14; Ps 21; Prov 14:17-20
