2021-10-27
Psalm 32:8 NLT
Vincent’s passion for ministry led him to the Belgian coalfields where he preached to miners, fed the hungry, and earned a place in the people’s hearts. His church was filled to capacity with those eager to learn about Jesus. But his superiors weren’t happy because Vincent wore cast-offs, lived in a shack, and gave his salary to the people. “You look worse than the people you teach,” they said. “Wouldn’t Jesus have done the same?” Vincent asked. His bosses disagreed, and he was dismissed from the ministry.
He was hurt and angry. His only desire had been to build a church that glorified God, so why hadn’t God let it happen? Then one day he watched an old miner struggling under a load of coal. Moved by the sight, he began to sketch the bowed figure. And although he didn’t realize it at the time, he’d discovered his real calling. The young preacher who was rejected by his denomination eventually became an artist the world will long remember – Vincent van Gogh.
David said: “It was my desire to build a temple…but God said to me…’Your son Solomon will build my Temple'” (1 Chronicles 28:2-3, 6 NLT). When God gives you a red light, be sensitive to it. And when He overrules your plans to implement His own, say, “Amen!”
F.B. Meyer wrote: “Are you in difficulty about your way? Go to God…get direction from the light of His smile or the cloud of His refusal…Wait there silent and expectant, though all around you insist on immediate decision or action – and the will of God will be made clear.”
Soul food: Ezra 6-8; John 6:52-71; Ps 114; Prov 24:23-25
2021-10-26
Acts 16:7 CEV
When God gives you a green light, you must go. And when He gives you a red light, you must stop. “Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. So they went on through Mysia until they came to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us!’ After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia…sure that God had called us to preach the good news there” (vv. 6-10 CEV).
After a series of green lights, God gave Paul a red light. Why? (1) Because the timing wasn’t right. Apollos had to go there first and lay the groundwork. (2) Because God needed Paul and Barnabas elsewhere. (3) Because God wanted them to be more seasoned before embarking on such a major mission.
Note the words, “They tried to go…but the Spirit…would not let them.” How reassuring! God loves you so much that He will save you from your own misguided plans. The Canadian preacher A.B. Simpson said: “Often there’s nothing as godly as inactivity on our part, or nothing as harmful as restless working, for God has promised to work His sovereign will.” Today God may be saying to you, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted [in this situation]” (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). Please pay attention!
Soul food: Ezra 3-5; John 6:35-51; Ps 127; Prov 24:19-22
2021-10-25
Exodus 33:14 CEV
Answer the following ten questions honestly. (1) Are you sometimes grumpy without knowing why? (2) Do you work hard but feel unappreciated? (3) Do you feel guilty and unproductive when you’re caught relaxing? (4) Do you increasingly find yourself shouting to make your point instead of talking calmly? (5) Can you remember the last time you laughed till you cried? (6) Are you exhausted after a day off because of all the chores you had to do? (7) Do you tend to eat more when you’re tense or overwhelmed? (8) Are you constantly on the defensive? (9) Do you suffer from unexplained headaches and stomach aches? (10) Does your to-do list have footnotes?
So, how did you do on the test? Are you surprised? If you’re tuned in to yourself, you shouldn’t be. The symptoms of stress overload don’t appear overnight. When your computer starts freezing up, you know it’s time to turn it off and reboot. When a warning light flashes on the dashboard of your car, you wouldn’t dream of ignoring it. When the bathroom-scale pointer starts to spin like a fan, you know it’s time to ditch the brownies!
The bottom line is: if you continue to ignore the warning signs, stress will eventually take its toll on your health. Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated…disturbed… and unsettled” (John 14:27 AMPC). In other words, work on controlling your reactions. Stop losing your peace over every little thing that goes wrong in your life. When there’s nothing you can do about the situation, learn to trust God, let it go, and keep your joy.
Soul food: Ezra 1-2; John 6:25-34; Ps 98; Prov 24:15-18
2021-10-24
2 Timothy 3:5 NIV
Here are three more important lessons from the seven sons of Sceva: (1) Those around you aren’t necessarily with you. Just because somebody hangs out with you, admires you, and tries to emulate you, doesn’t mean they’re with you. These men followed Paul, studying his every move and trying to do what he did. But they had the wrong motives. They were never “with” him at all! Are you concerned about losing certain people? Are you always trying to keep them happy? Do you wonder if you can make it in life without them? John writes, “They went out from us, but they were not of us” (1 John 2:19 NKJV). When God removes a person who doesn’t belong in your life, trust Him; He knows what’s best.
(2) Greater numbers don’t always mean greater effectiveness. These seven men together couldn’t do what one spirit-empowered apostle did. And remember, their father was a chief priest, so they knew how to “do church.” They fulfilled the Scripture: “Having a form of godliness, but denying its power.”
(3) Success isn’t as easy as it looks. Sceva’s sons showed up toward the end of Paul’s career. They weren’t there in the beginning when he was humbled on the Damascus Road, or trained for three-and-a-half years in the Arabian Desert. These guys were looking for shortcuts. Just because someone writes a book about success, doesn’t mean you can achieve overnight what took years of life experience on the part of the author. It’s not that God can’t give you instant success; it’s that you need time, training, and in some cases a major overhaul to prepare you for it.
Soul food: Exo 34:29-35; Mark 9:2-27; 2 Cor 3:7-18
2021-10-23
1 John 4:4 KJV
From the seven sons of Sceva we learn two very important things: (1) Satan knows who you are. The demons in this man spoke to the sons of Sceva, saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15 NKJV). Question: Do you have the kind of relationship with God that causes Satan to know your name, and acknowledge that you’re a force to be reckoned with? When God asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant, Job?” he replied, “Yes, and every time I come up against him I hit a force field I can’t penetrate” (Job 1:8-12 paraphrased). Maybe you’re preoccupied with your own inadequacy, thinking you’re not up to the job, or you’re not good enough. Understand this: it’s not you the enemy’s afraid of – it’s God’s Spirit within you!
(2) When “the evil day” comes, you discover if you have what it takes. Paul said, “Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV). The demons in the man recognized the weaknesses in the seven sons of Sceva and stripped them of their pretense. You will only survive if your faith is genuine, because one day you’ll have to walk with God when you can’t understand or explain where He’s taking you. Your techniques and talents won’t get you through. You’re going to have to stand on His Word when it doesn’t look like it’s working for you. That’s when you discover it’s “‘not by might nor…power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV).
Soul food: Zeph 1-3; John 6:1-24; Ps 85; Prov 24:11-14
2021-10-22
Acts 19:17 NKJV
The Bible says: “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’
Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and…they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known…and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified” (vv. 11-17 NKJV).
This story should act as a warning to those who think, “If they can do something, I can do it!” Not so. Unless God calls and equips you to do it, the chances are that you’ll fall flat on your face! God doesn’t empower you to do your own thing; He empowers you to do His thing!
The truth is, you can only use the name of Jesus effectively: (a) When you acknowledge Him as your Saviour and Lord. (b) When you have an intimate relationship with Him. (c) When you stand on His word and practice its principles in your everyday life. When you do that, every time you use the name of Jesus, you’re protected and indemnified by the authority that’s in His name.
Soul food: 1 Tim 4-6; John 5:31-47; Ps 126; Prov 24:10
