2022-10-17
Psalm 143:10 NKJV
In order for you to understand God’s will, for the next few days let’s use the word S.H.A.P.E. as an acrostic. S represents your spirit. Your regenerated spirit is the part of you that’s capable of connecting with God and responding to Him. The Bible says: “People who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).
You can know something in your spirit without understanding it in your brain. Does that sound strange? It’s not: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Sometimes a Scripture leaps off the page you’re reading in the Bible and you “know” it’s God speaking to you and giving you direction. At the time it may not seem to make sense to you, but it resonates in your spirit as being right. We use different words to describe this experience, such as “a leading” or “a prompting.”
Will you sometimes get it wrong and make a mistake? Yes. The most mature Christians among us do. In his youth, God spoke to Samuel the prophet four different times before he finally recognized His voice. Just as you exercise your body to make it stronger, you must exercise your spirit to make it sharper and more sensitive to God: “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong” (Hebrews 5:14 NLT).
Soul food: Ezra 1-2; John 7:14-24; Ps 9; Prov 24:30-34
Job 12:12 NLT
An elderly lady says, “One benefit of living so long is sharing what I’ve learned. So make my day by letting me share three secrets that can make your life better.” Then she offers us some great counsel:
(1) “Time is precious; don’t waste it. After my husband died, I was staying with friends. One evening they started arguing and eventually stopped speaking to one another. Now, I know arguments happen; my husband and I had several doozies. But at that moment, I understood as never before that the time we have together is precious. Don’t waste it bickering about things that won’t matter when your loved one is gone. Do everything you can to live in harmony and show your love. Why? Because no matter how long you have together, it’s never enough.
(2) You’re making memories; make them good ones. Looking back, I thank God for so many unforgettable moments. The day my husband died we kissed (as we always did when we parted), at noon. By five-thirty that evening, he was dead. I’ve always been glad about that final kiss. So create memories – not regrets!
(3) It’s not what happens, but how you respond that counts. Every day holds new challenges that will test your love and resolve. You have the power through Christ to make each test an occasion for growth. Life is full of seemingly unpleasant events. Try to handle them in such a way that when you’re old, you will be able to look back and say, ‘I thank you, God, for that experience; it helped me grow.'”
And that’s how to live wisely and well!
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; John 4:1-12; Ps 89:38-52; Prov 23:19-21
2022-10-16
2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV
Jesus said: “I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this… world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world” (John 16:33 MSG).
Life keeps handing us problems that test our faith. How do you know how much weight a bridge can handle? By testing it. Daniel’s success made him a target. Knowing he prayed regularly, his enemies persuaded King Darius that all prayers should be made to him as the king. Yet Daniel kept praying each day – in front of an open window, no less. When the king heard about it, he threw Daniel into a lions’ den. But God turned the tables. Next morning Daniel came out, his enemies went in, and the king announced, “Daniel’s God… is the living God” (Daniel 6:26 MSG).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the king’s idols. Even when they were warned to bow or burn, they said, “God… is able to deliver us… But if not… we will not serve thy gods” (Daniel 3:17-18 KJV). And because they walked by faith, God delivered and promoted them.
Facing Goliath, David refused to wear the king’s armor. He said, “I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them” (1 Samuel 17:39 KJV). So what did he go with? “The name of the Lord” (1 Samuel 17:45 KJV), and the rest is history.
Now, chances are you will never find yourself in lions’ den, a fiery furnace, or facing a giant, although some days it will feel like it. But when you’re under attack, (1) pray and claim God’s power, (2) walk by faith, and (3) go “in the name of the Lord.”
Soul food: Isa 61:1-9; Luke 4:16-30
2022-10-15
Psalm 18:29 NKJV
Author, John Maxwell writes: “When you come face-to-face with a problem, how do you react? Do you ignore it and hope it will go away? Do you feel powerless to solve it? Have you had such bad experiences trying to solve problems in the past that you’ve just given up? Or do you tackle them willingly? The ability to solve problems effectively comes from experience facing and overcoming obstacles. Each time you solve another problem, you get a little better at the process. But if you never try, fail, and try again, you’ll never be good at it.”
Author George Matthew Adams stated: “What you think means more than anything else in your life. More than what you earn, more than where you live, more than your social position, and more than what anyone else may think about you.” Most of King David’s problems were enemies who wanted to defeat him. But he had confidence in God: “For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall” (v. 29 NKJV).
To improve your problem-solving abilities, do the following: (1) Find the right strategy. Sometimes we have a hard time solving the problem because we don’t know how to tackle it. Try using the acronym T.E.A.C.H.: Time – take the time required to discover the real issue. Exposure – find out how others have solved similar problems. Assistance – don’t try to do it all alone, let others help you. Creativity – brainstorm numerous solutions. Hit it – execute the best solution.
(2) Surround yourself with problem solvers. “He who walks with wise men will be wise” (Proverbs 13:20 NKJV).
Soul food: Eph 4:17-6:24; John 3:22-36; Ps 89:15-37; Prov 23:15-18
2022-10-14
2 Corinthians 4:9 CEV
Every problem you face in life introduces you to yourself. It shows you how you think and what you’re made of. People basically respond to problems in three ways: (1) they refuse to accept them, (2) they accept them and then endure them, or (3) they accept them and try to improve things. Which of the three people are you?
Paul was a problem solver. He knew that with God on his side, he would prevail. “We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us. We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again” (vv. 7-9 CEV). So when it comes to having problems, what should you do?
(1) Anticipate them. Since problems are unavoidable, prepare for them spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. If you pray for God’s best and anticipate Satan’s worst, you will find yourself in a good position to solve the problems that come your way.
(2) See the big picture. You can’t afford to be overcome by emotion. Nor can you permit yourself to get bogged down in the minutiae and lose sight of what’s important.
(3) Handle one thing at a time. Richard Sloma said, “Never try to solve all the problems at once – make them line up for you one-by-one.” And if you’re facing lots of problems, make sure you actually solve the one you’re working on before moving on to the next one.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; John 3:9-21; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 23:10-14
2022-10-13
1 Corinthians 13:5 MSG
When you focus on what you have to offer instead of the needs of others, they discern it and quickly lose interest. Even in an endeavor as noble as sharing your faith, you can become so engrossed in your presentation and in “getting results” that you leave the other person cold.
In his book Presenting to Win, Jerry Weissman points out that when people communicate, they focus too much on the features of their product or service instead of answering the question, “Can you help me?” The key, says Weissman, is to focus on the benefits, not the features.
He writes: “A feature is a fact or quality about you or your company, the products you sell, or the idea you’re advocating. By contrast, a benefit is how that fact or quality will help your audience. When you seek to persuade, it’s never enough to present the features of what you’re selling; every feature must be translated into a benefit. Whereas a feature may be irrelevant to the needs or interests of your audience, a benefit, by definition, is always relevant.”
Caring about the other person must always be your motive and starting point. Paul writes: “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate… If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake… as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love” (vv. 1, 3 MSG).
Bottom line: First, you must care about others.
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; John 3:1-8; Ps 110; Prov 23:6-9
