2022-06-27
John 10:10 NKJV
Have the experiences you have been through made you a different person from the one God intended you to be? Have the people, pursuits, and pleasures you chose resulted in a feeling of hopelessness about your future? When you lose your sense of worth, it’s hard to believe God could love you – but He does. He knows that hidden inside you is a person who can do great things for Him. That’s why He is stirring your heart and letting you know He is moving in your life. So respond to Him in faith. Dare to believe that He can make you “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
Shift your confidence from your own weakness to His power. Trust in Him rather than in yourself. Whether your wounds were self-inflicted or caused by others, Jesus will heal you and raise you up again. You say, “But you don’t know the things I have done, and the people I have hurt.” Jesus does. And He wants to straighten out the crooked places in your heart and make you whole. But you must allow Him access to every area of your life. When He comes into your heart, you will never be the same broken person again.
David’s sins became a national scandal. But when God forgave and restored him, he wrote: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things” (Psalm 103:2-5 NKJV). Notice the potential benefits of committing your life to Christ: forgiveness, healing, freedom from destructive habits, mercy, and satisfaction.
Soul food: Hosea 11-14; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 17; Pro 14:13-16
2022-06-26
Luke 22:32 NKJV
“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (vv. 31-32 NKJV).
Are you involved in things you never thought yourself capable of doing? You never thought you would have an affair. You never thought you would cheat, steal, and lie to get ahead. You never thought you would become jealous and resentful of someone else’s success. You never thought you would neglect or mistreat your family. You never thought you would get hooked on pornography. You never thought you would become addicted to drugs and alcohol. You’re not alone!
Peter swore that he would never deny Jesus, but he did. And not just once but repeatedly. Did Peter love the Lord? Absolutely. But because he was weak, he turned his back on Him. What a load of guilt to carry. No wonder he “went out and wept bitterly” (v. 62 NKJV). But Jesus knew in advance it would happen and told Peter that He would be praying for him.
Here is an amazing thought: When you sin, Jesus prays for you! “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV). Picture this: You’re struggling with a sinful habit, while at the same time, Jesus presents His cleansing blood to the Father and petitions Him for help and mercy on your behalf. Will Jesus’ prayers on your behalf be answered? Of course. And like Peter, however long it takes, He will work with you until you’re restored.
Soul food: Exo 34:29-35; Mark 9:2-27; 2 Cor 3:7-18
2022-06-25
Psalm 112:7 KJV
There is a big difference between thinking about God from time to time and having your mind “fixed” on Him. Echoing psychologist William James, researcher Jeffrey Schwartz writes: “The essential achievement of the will is to attend to one object and hold it clear and strong before the mind, letting all others – its rivals for attention and subsequent action – fade away like starlight swamped by the radiance of the Sun.”
Have you ever dropped a contact lens on the carpet? Your intense focus causes the brain to suppress anything that distracts you from finding the lost lens – lint, carpet color and pattern, cookie crumbs. Your mind is “fixed.” It responds with the laser-like focus of a bloodhound given a shirt with the scent of a fugitive. It’s amazing how often people see themselves as victims of whatever thoughts happen to run through their head. It’s like they’re passive spectators with no control, watching unbidden thoughts scroll across the screen of their mind.
Understand this: There is a battle being waged by Satan to control the kinds of thoughts that run through your mind. And it’s a battle you can’t win without God’s help. The ultimate freedom – one nobody can take away from you – is the freedom to decide what your mind will dwell on. In describing the truly blessed person, the psalmist wrote, “His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” When your mind is “fixed” on God, you will see evidences of His presence everywhere you look. You will be able to say with certainty, “Surely [not maybe] goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6 KJV). So, keep your mind fixed on God.
Soul food: Hosea 6-10; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 8; Pro 14:9-12
2022-06-24
1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV
There is a natural mindset, and there is a spiritual mindset. To live victoriously, you must develop a spiritual mindset. The Bible says: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God… and cannot understand them because they are [spiritually] discerned… But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:14, 16 NIV).
As you program your life in accordance with God’s Word and consciously submit yourself to do His will every day, He will plant His thoughts in your mind. What an advantage! For example, someone criticizes you and your feelings get hurt. In that moment the Lord speaks to you and says, “Yes, your feelings are hurt, but part of it is just wounded vanity and we can deal with that. I love you despite all your junk. Your standing with me isn’t at risk. The person who criticized you may see a flaw. But nobody thinks you’re perfect anyway, and it’s better not to have to pretend. Here is a chance to grow. Use it!”
Even though there are elements of pain in these kinds of thoughts, instead of paralyzing you, they energize you. They’re true, they give you ground to stand on, and you realize that if you can keep your mind centered on them, the right feelings and actions are more likely to flow from them. Now you’re starting to live out the promise, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV).
Instead of focusing on your critics, focus on God, on your spiritual growth, and on what you can learn from the experience.
Soul food: Hosea 1-5; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 144:9-15; Pro 14:5-8
2022-06-23
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
If a thief came to your door, would you invite him in? No, you would call the police and have him arrested. And that’s what you need to do when wrong thoughts come to your mind! Take them captive – before they take you captive. And you must do it the moment the first one tries to enter your mind. When you entertain a thought, you empower it, and it will overcome you.
The Bible says, “Submit yourselves… to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NIV). On your own you don’t have the power to resist Satan, so don’t try it! But the moment you call on God and submit your will to Him, you’re more than a match for Satan. You get to decide who will control your mind: “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NIV).
When a thought keeps turning over and over in your mind, ask yourself, “What direction is this thought leading me in? Is it toward spiritual death, or toward ‘life and peace'”? Think about it: You don’t buy insurance after a storm has flattened your house. If you’re wise, you do it before the storm comes. So instead of failing and saying, “I’ll never be any different,” look back and ask yourself, “What was I thinking that led to my failure? Was I in the wrong company, or the wrong place, or the wrong mindset? Have I been reading God’s Word and praying regularly? Have I built my life around people who strengthen me?”
In the long run, monitoring your mind pays great dividends!
Soul food: 2 Kings 24-25; Matt 20:29-34; Ps 144:1-8; Pro 14:1-4
2022-06-22
2 Samuel 23:5 NLT
Whether in church or in the workplace, if you’re “the person in charge,” here is a question you need to seriously address: If you don’t love and take care of your own family, why should the people who look to you for direction think you will love and take care of them? Does that question make you uncomfortable? Does it cause you to react by saying, “My personal life is nobody else’s business?” Well, that’s where you’re wrong! You lead by example. And while the people around you may not feel free to tell you what they think of you, that doesn’t keep them from thinking it or voicing it to others.
In your quest for success, are you taking your family with you or are you leaving them behind? Are you giving them the time and attention they deserve, or are they routinely subjected to your frustrations at the end of a trying day? Are they more important to you than your career, your success, or your personal happiness? They should be. If you win every accolade and award available in the workplace and fail on the home front, what have you gained? Who will celebrate with you?
Psychologist William James said, “In every person… there is a deep craving to be appreciated.” And the shallow comments of fellow workers who praise your talent and accomplishments won’t meet that need. It can only be met in a home where acceptance, love, and encouragement bonds each family member together. Your home should be your haven – the place where you find shelter from the storms of life. What are you doing to make it like that?
Soul food: 2 Kings 21-23; Matt 20:17-28; Ps 139:13-24; Pro 13:25
