2022-06-21
Ecclesiastes 5:2 NLT
When it comes to making commitments and keeping them, Solomon doesn’t mince any of his words: “Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think… When you tell God you’ll do something, do it – now. God takes no pleasure in foolish gabble. Vow it, then do it. Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up. Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you. When called to account, you won’t get by with ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it'” (vv. 2, 4-6 MSG). That means don’t be impulsive, listen as much as you speak, get as much information as you can, then consult God in prayer before you make a commitment.
People often say what they think others want to hear, but that can get them into a lot of trouble. Don’t promise something you can’t deliver. And don’t make excuses. Nothing diminishes your influence like trying to reverse a mistake with a lame excuse. When you make a commitment based on emotion, you will only follow through if you feel a certain way. True commitment doesn’t work like that. It’s not a feeling; it’s a character quality. Human emotions constantly fluctuate, but commitment has to be rock solid.
Real dedication shines through in times of trouble and adversity. It doesn’t depend on gifts or abilities, but on integrity. It’s a result of choice, not conditions. And it only lasts when it’s based on values. Bottom line: “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God” (v. 2 NKJV). So look before you leap, and think before you commit.
Soul food: 2 Kings 18:17-20:21; Matt 20:1-16; Ps 139:7-12; Pro 13:24
2022-06-20
Numbers 1:1 NIV
A good leader is like a ship’s good captain; they plan the whole trip in their mind before they leave the dock. They have a clear vision of their destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who needs to be on board for the trip to be successful, and they recognize obstacles long before they appear on the horizon. And because they prepare well, good leaders can take their people just about anywhere.
Moses was such a leader. He spent forty days praying and fasting on a mountain, refusing to leave until he understood what God wanted him to do. Then he came back and communicated it to the people so they could participate in the vision.
In Leadership Promises For Your Week, Dr. John Maxwell writes: “As a good leader, Moses methodically arranged the tribal camps in the wilderness (See Numbers 2:34). We would do well to… organize as he did.
(1) Give time for planning and organizing. Determine your primary purpose.
(2) Understand where you are before trying to develop a strategy.
(3) Prioritize the needs and goals of the team by asking the right questions.
(4) Write goals that are realistic, measurable, and convicting.
(5) Clarify goals and communicate with your team.
(6) Identify possible obstacles. Have an open system approach to your planning.
(7) Budget your cost and time by scheduling everything you can and setting deadlines.
(8) Study the results. Evaluation prevents stagnation and exaggeration.”
If you want God to bless your plan, you must have a plan He can bless. And it must come from God Himself. So, talk to God today about His plan for your life.
Soul food: 2 Kings 16:1-18:16; Matt 19:15-30; Ps 139:1-6; Pro 13:21-23
2022-06-19
Joshua 24:15 NKJV
The beloved radio commentator, Paul Harvey, wrote: “At a time when being a buddy to one’s son is popular, I am going to stay a Father… If a gap exists between my sons and daughters and myself, I am going to work hard to understand, but I am also going to work hard to be understood… when they tell it like it is, I will listen, even if I like it better the way it was. If old fashioned things such as prayer, Bible study, worship and faith in God ever seem to my children to be out of date, square, or whatever – I trust God’s help to have faith enough to yet pray for them, and I pledge with the patriarch Job to offer additional sacrifices for them.
With love in our home, I will answer their questions about the facts of life, but at nudeness and lewdness I refuse to wink… If experimentation with drugs or Marijuana is ever a problem, it will be in violation of my every prayer and request… I want my children to know that I make mistakes, that I am foolish, proud and often inconsistent. But I will not tolerate that as an excuse for my hypocrisy. I will ask them to help me change… and to expect me to help them change…
Others may look to the under-thirty crowd for the wisdom to throw away the past, and to say what will remain for future generations; others may let the offspring in the house determine the foods, the music, and the spending of the household, but I am going to stay a Father.”
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2022-06-18
Isaiah 43:18 NKJV
We all have emotional attics and basements where we store our “junk.” And it’s the same in our relationships. It’s hard for a relationship to thrive when either party hasn’t processed their mental and emotional junk. We are talking about (1) regrets we have over past mistakes, (2) grudges we hold on to when we feel we have been wronged, and (3) hurts we hide under clouds of anger, scepticism, and isolation. If you’re the type to hold grudges and hang on to past mistakes, even your own, you know the feeling of being weighed down by your mental and emotional junk.
Clinging to hurts and nourishing grudges will eat your soul, consume your happiness, and rob you of all progress. Like blame, this junk keeps you trapped in the past. If an old beau has hurt you and you have never let it go, every time your mate does something like it, you will react with unjustified fervor, as if they were the original person who hurt you. As a result, your mate is left upset and baffled at your excessive reaction to a slight infraction that on its own was insignificant.
You won’t know what you have in your life, let alone what you need, until you clear out the junk of the past so that you can experience the blessings of the “here and now.” It all comes down to obeying these two Scriptures: (1) “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12 NKJV) and (2) “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV). Today, deal with the junk.
Soul food: 2 Kings 13-15; Matt 19:1-14; Ps 73:17-28; Pro 13:20
2022-06-17
Hebrews 11:17 NKJV
In Genesis 12, God told Abraham to leave his country, his family, and his security. When he said yes to God, he traveled an unfamiliar path to an unknown destiny based on the strength of a promise. Without hesitating, the seventy-five-year-old patriarch “went, as the Lord had told him” (Genesis 12:4 NIV). Now fast-forward twenty-five years and Isaac is born; the miracle son who would fulfill God’s promise that through Abraham’s descendants “all the nations of… earth [will] be blessed because Abraham obeyed my voice” (Genesis 26:4-5 KJV).
Then God makes a heart-wrenching demand: “Take your son… whom you love – Isaac – and go to… Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2 NIV). And in obedience to God’s Word, “the next morning Abraham got up and… took with him… his son Isaac” (v. 3 NIV). God’s promised blessing was contingent upon Abraham’s willingness to let go of what he loved most. Holding on to Isaac would have been natural and understandable, but it would have short-circuited the promised blessing.
So, what are you clinging to that’s blocking God’s blessing in your life? Is it your children, friendships, reputation, power, possessions, comfort, habits? Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac was the supreme act of faith. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.” How could he do it? “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life” (Hebrews 11:19 NLT). Abraham believed that, with God, letting go never means losing but getting back something better. And you will too!
Soul food: 2 Kings 10-12; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 73:1-16; Pro 13:17-19
2022-06-16
Proverbs 6:2 NIV
Stormie Omartian says: “Early in my walk with the Lord I spoke many negatives… ‘I’m a failure,’ ‘I’m ugly,’ ‘Nothing ever goes right,’ ‘Nobody cares about me,’… [Then] the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart… ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV).
I had been speaking words of death, not life. One clear example had to do with my speech problems. I’d had them since childhood and was teased about them all through school… [When] I was old enough to afford professional help, I worked with a speech therapist… I practiced day after day, year after year, to gain… little improvement… I still lost my voice… halfway through each [speaking] engagement… ‘I’ll never be able to speak right,’ I cried… But as I spoke those words… the Lord [said]: ‘You’re bringing death to your situation because you’re not speaking the truth… Do not speak what you think… or what seems to be truth… speak what you know to be the truth of my Word… ‘The stammering tongue will be fluent and clear’ (Isaiah 32:4 NIV)… ‘I have put My words in your mouth’ (Isaiah 51:16 NKJV)…
Soon after, when I was asked to speak at a… women’s meeting, I took my fears… to [God]… and… spoke [His] truth instead of voicing my own negative opinions…. My talk went so well… an entire speaking ministry opened up… The Bible says, ‘You are snared by the words of your mouth’ (Proverbs 6:2 NKJV). That includes [your self-talk]… Wipe [out] words of hopelessness, doubt, and negativity from your vocabulary. [They] may seem harmless… but [they] affect your body and soul… Speak words that reflect the wholeness you desire.”
Soul food: 2 Kings 7-9; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 80:12-19; Pro 13:13-16
