2022-09-06
Hebrews 10:36 NLT
Satan studies you. He understands your strengths and weaknesses and knows how to push you to your limits. But when you keep standing, keep believing, and keep fighting, the Bible says, “Blessed is the man who endures… when he has been approved, he will receive the crown” (James 1:12 NKJV). The word “approved” means victory qualifies you for greater things. The word “endures” means your character and tenacity are being tested. You say, “How long will this trial last?” Only God knows. Goliath defied the armies of Israel for forty days (See 1 Samuel 17:16). Satan hindered Daniel’s prayers for twenty-one days (See Daniel 10:13).
Satan is relentless, so you must be too. When it comes to prayer, your persistence overcomes his resistance. “Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord… Patient endurance is what you need now… Then you will receive all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT). David didn’t get into trouble with Bathsheba until he left the battlefield (See 2 Samuel 11:1). So keep fighting, and God will come to your aid.
He did it for Joshua. When Joshua needed extra time to defeat his enemies, God made the sun stand still and time stop (See Joshua 10:12). It seemed God was saying to him, “As long as the sun doesn’t go down, you won’t either, for the same power that’s holding it up is holding you up!” When Jesus healed ten lepers, the Bible says, “As they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14 KJV). They were probably wondering, “When will it happen, and how will it happen?” Faith doesn’t demand details and explanations; it just keeps moving forward, believing God for the right result.
Soul food: Ezek 5-9; Mark 10:23-34; Ps 142; Prov 19:21-23
2022-09-05
2 Chronicles 34:1-2 NLT
When Josiah became king, he cleansed Israel of idolatry and began rebuilding the temple. That’s when a priest discovered some long-lost scrolls containing God’s Word. As Josiah heard what they said, he was deeply moved upon realising his people had drifted far from God. So he sent word to the prophetess Huldah asking what would become of the people. She told him that since he had repented when he heard God’s Word, his nation would be spared while he lived (See vv. 14-27).
An entire generation received grace because of the integrity of one man. And that one man had a lot to overcome. Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, was like the Hitler of the Old Testament. He filled Jerusalem “from one end to the other with… blood” (2 Kings 21:16 NLT). And Josiah’s father died at the hands of his own officers. “He did what was wrong,” most likely reads his epitaph. Josiah was only eight when he ascended the throne. Immediately he chose righteousness and didn’t stop doing what was right all his life.
What’s the point? You can’t pick your parents, but you can pick your role models. You can’t change your past, but you can rise above it. Your parents may have given you your DNA, but Jesus will give you a new beginning. “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1 NIV). Your past doesn’t have to be your prison. You have a say in your life, you have a voice in your destiny, and you have a choice in the path you take. So choose well, and someday – generations from now – others will thank God for your legacy.
Soul food: Ezek 1-4; Mark 10:13-22; Ps 111; Prov 19:18-20
2022-09-04
Psalm 27:14 NKJV
David said: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (vv. 13-14 NKJV).
The word “wait” originates from a Hebrew word used in making rope. Every rope starts as a thread, and every added strand increases its strength. So each time you wait on the Lord, you add another thread to the rope; you become a little stronger and a little more able to cope. Are you hanging on by a thread? Spend more time with God and watch Him turn the thread into a rope.
Now, waiting is not always passive; sometimes it’s active, like waiting on a customer and seeing that their needs are met. In this case, waiting is not so much a position as it is a focus. The Bible says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV). Whether it’s sitting prayerfully in God’s presence or actively serving Him, you have the assurance that your strength will be renewed.
If you are at the end of your rope today, grab ahold of these promises: “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV). “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters… so our eyes look to the Lord our God” (Psalm 123:2 NKJV).
Soul food: Dan 6:1-24; Acts 12:1-19
2022-09-03
Leviticus 21:18-20 NLT
To help someone with their unresolved issues, you must first deal with your own. If the medicine you’re offering hasn’t made you whole, you will have no credibility when you try to apply it to the lives of others. Does that mean if you have unresolved issues, God won’t use you? No, it’s the broken who become masters at mending. But first you must take time to be healed.
It’s hard to talk about victory when you’re experiencing defeat. When you’re bleeding spiritually and emotionally, you can’t treat people’s problems with the same kind of aggressive faith you would have if you had already worked through the problem. Is it wrong to have a broken heart? No, for God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV). So let God make you whole so He can use you.
In Old Testament times, you could not serve as a priest if you had a scab, which is an unhealed wound. This is why: (1) You wouldn’t be up to par spiritually. (2) You couldn’t get close to others in case they bumped into you and knocked the protective cover off your scab. (3) You couldn’t be at your best because the pain was sapping your strength. (4) You would be afraid to talk about your scab in case people rejected you. So you would live on two levels, and become insecure, hypocritical, or controlling. (5) Worst of all, you would be so busy working for God and taking care of others, you wouldn’t have time to stop and take care of yourself.
So the word for you today is – deal with your unresolved issues.
Soul food: Amos 5:18-9:15; Mark 10:1-12; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 19:17
2022-09-02
Matthew 18:18 NIV
God told Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand” (Joshua 8:18 NKJV). It’s amazing how courageous you feel when God is backing you up. When you know He is on your side, you can say, “No weapon that is formed against me will prevail” (See Isaiah 54:17). But overconfidence is self-confidence that’s not based on God-confidence. Our problem is, we plan, say, and do things without first checking to find out if God is behind us.
Do you remember what the evil spirit said to those trying to mimic Paul’s ministry when they weren’t empowered by God’s Spirit? “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15 NKJV). When you’re under attack, you need to know that (1) you’re in right standing with God (See 2 Corinthians 5:19), (2) it’s God’s fight as well as yours (See 2 Chronicles 20:15 CEV), and (3) “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18 NIV). There must be agreement in both realms. If it’s not approved where God is, it shouldn’t be approved where you are.
Your confidence comes from knowing you’re operating in His will. The Bible calls us “labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV), so you can’t go off and do your own thing. Don’t try moving any mountain the Lord doesn’t want moved or raising anybody from the dead except the Lazarus He calls forth. We do on earth only what He has declared to be His will in heaven. And He backs us up!
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Mark 9:38-50; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 19:12-16
2022-09-01
Proverbs 13:10 NKJV
Why do we dismiss input that could help us? Sometimes it’s to protect our ego against a painful truth. When we have an entrenched opinion, we adopt a dismissive approach toward the thinking of others. And not only do we hurt them, we hurt ourselves. “Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more” (Ecclesiastes 4:13 NKJV). Yes, you have areas of expertise. But you also have areas where you need advice.
The day you decide to stop listening is the day you decide to stop growing. Thomas Carlyle said, “Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him.” Even if what you learn is negative or a lesson in what not to do, it’s still valuable information that can protect and enrich you.
Dr. John Maxwell says: “What is the one thing – more than any other – that will determine the growth of an organisation? The growth of the people in the organisation. And what determines the people’s growth? The growth of the leader! As long as people are following you, they will be able to go only as far as you go. If you’re not growing, they won’t be growing – either that, or they will go somewhere else where they can grow.”
The story is told of an old farmer who entered his mule in the Kentucky Derby. “Your mule has no chance of winning against all those thoroughbreds,” a race official told him. “I know,” he replied, “but I thought the associations would do him some good.” To grow, you need the right associations and the right input.
Soul food: Lam 3:40-5:22; Mark 9:30-37; Ps 84; Prov 19:11
