2021-10-09
Philippians 3:10 MSG
It’s one thing to know about God, but it’s entirely another thing to know Him intimately. Take a moment and examine your life today. Has your walk with God slowed to a crawl? Are you running on empty? A full tank is only possible by making regular visits to the pump; that means paying attention to your fuel gauge. And a full tank doesn’t just happen; it requires vigilance, commitment and action. Your flesh will work against you every day, and adverse circumstances will come to discourage you. Even those close to you may misunderstand your new spiritual priorities. If it was easy, anyone could do it.
The prize goes to those who can say like Paul: “I gave up all that inferior stuff so that I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him” (vv. 10-11 MSG).
The Bible tells us, “The man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame” (Genesis 2:25 NLT). That’s physical intimacy! But the ultimate intimacy is not between a man and woman; it’s with God! And Paul didn’t just pray for it; he pursued it with all his heart. Nothing was more important to him.
How about you? Do you sing God’s praises in church with a mind that’s elsewhere? Have you become so critical around others that you sound like an unbeliever? Have you allowed sinful habits to rob you of your confidence toward God? (See 1 John 3:21-22). If you are, you must do something about it! Starting today, strive to become intimately acquainted with God.
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; John 1:43-51; Ps 23; Prov 23:4-5
2021-10-08
Proverbs 22:7 NLT
To get free from debt: (1) Write down your financial goals. Decide what’s truly important – how much you’ll save, how much you’ll spend, and how much debt you can handle without jeopardizing your future. One reason we never reach our goals is because we don’t set any. You must know where you’re going and how to get there.
(2) Start small. Tackle one bill at a time. It’s amazing what you accomplish when you’re serious and stick with it. The Bible says, “At the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9 NIV).
(3) Stop charging what you can’t pay for. You’re incurring higher interest rates and adding to your burden. Use credit cards only if you’re disciplined enough not to go overboard. Your intentions may be good, but unforeseen circumstances can force you to carry a balance from month to month. And if your spending is totally out of control, do plastic surgery – cut up your credit cards!
(4) Give more. This may sound foolish and counter-intuitive when you’re in debt. But Jesus said: “Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38 NLT).
(5) Expect disapproval. When you begin to practice financial discipline, some people may not be too happy, especially if it affects them personally. But if you only do things in life that nobody can find fault with, you’ll never accomplish much. Starting today, God wants you to be free from debt – and stay free (See John 8:36).
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; John 1:29-42; Ps 131; Prov 23:1-3
2021-10-07
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
Stubborn habits assume a life of their own; that’s why they keep growing. They have a mind that thinks for you, a voice that speaks to you, and a power that keeps conquering you. So…what should you do? Pray and proclaim God’s Word over your habit! God said, “I am watching over My word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12 NAS).
Pray: “Lord, Your Word says that if I call on You, You’ll answer me…that You’ll be with me in trouble, You’ll honor…and…deliver me” (See Psalm 91:15). You promised that through the power of Your indwelling Spirit, I can be free from this vicious cycle of temptation, sin and failure (See Romans 8:2). You said if I fully committed my life to You, I’d have the strength to resist the Devil, and that he would flee from me (See James 4:7). Your Word says You’ve given me the power to pull down my old mental strongholds and take control of every wayward thought, imagination, and impulse (See 2 Corinthians 10:5). You promised that by reading and meditating on Your Word each day, I’d become a partaker in Your divine nature and overcome the tendencies of my flesh (See 2 Peter 1:4). You promised to strengthen me in my mind, my emotions and my will; that my self-worth would be based solely on Your love for me; that You’d do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think – because You’re at work in me (See Ephesians 3:14-21). Today, I claim victory over this habit, in Jesus name, Amen.”
The word for you today is: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Soul food: Eph 4:17-6:24; John 1:14-28; Ps 29; Prov 22:26-29
2021-10-06
Exodus 24:2 NIV
It’s essential to be alone with God in order to hear clearly from Him. For a texting/Twittering generation hooked on cell phones and bombarded by round-the-clock media, this can be a tough concept to grasp. But until you do, you’ll get nowhere spiritually.
Are you serious about following Jesus? He “often withdrew…and prayed” (Luke 5:16 NIV). He “went up on a mountainside by himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23 NIV). How did Jacob the deceiver become “Israel, a prince with God”? (See Genesis 32:28). The Bible says he “was left alone, and a man (the Angel of the Lord) wrestled with him till daybreak” (Genesis 32:24 NIV).
The greatest spiritual victories come from the battles God calls you to fight when you’re alone with Him. He outlines and clarifies His plans for your life when there’s nobody else around. That’s because He wants you to be more influenced by Him than them. When God is grooming you for a special assignment, you’ll be required to spend time outside the company of others.
In Exodus God said, “Moses alone is to approach…the people may not come up with him.” After Elijah spent the night alone in a cave, God told him, “Go out and stand on the mountain…for the Lord is about to pass by” (1 Kings 19:11 NIV). Daniel, “was left alone, gazing at this great vision” (Daniel 10:8 NIV). Jeremiah wrote, “I sat alone because your hand was on me” (Jeremiah 15:17 NIV).
Learn the difference between loneliness and solitude. When God sidelines you, glean all you can from the experience and move to the next level.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; John 1:1-13; Ps 92; Prov 22:24-25
2021-10-05
John 14:27 NIV
God rarely sends us into situations where our comfort level is high. Instead He promises to be with us in spite of our fear. It’s God’s presence, not comfortable circumstances that strengthens our faith and brings out the best in us.
God told Abraham to leave a wealthy, well-known family, and go to a land he didn’t know. He explained that Abraham would give birth to a new nation that would bless the world. Abraham went, and a nation was born. God told Moses to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth, and that God Himself would use Moses to deliver His people. Moses confronted, and God delivered. God told Joshua that if he’d be strong and courageous when everybody wanted to return to slavery, God would go with them and give them the land. Joshua was strong and courageous, and God Himself went with them and gave them the land.
Over and over we see this pattern repeated in Scripture. David faced the giant Goliath, Elijah faced the prophets of Baal, Daniel faced a den of lions – and always there was God in the midst of their fear. And lest you think these stories of courage are all in the past, historian Everett Ferguson calculates that more Christians have been killed for their faith in the past fifty years, than in the first three hundred years of the church’s existence. So here’s Jesus’ Word to you when somebody doesn’t like you, or you get a bad review at work, or you face illness, or the economy dips and your retirement takes a 50 percent hit: “My peace I give you.”
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; Luke 24:45-53; Ps 63; Prov 22:17-23
2021-10-04
Luke 15:20 NKJV
Good parents try to love all their children equally. But it’s the child who needs us most, that becomes the special object of our love.
Author and humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote: “Every mother has a Favourite child. She cannot help it. She is only human. I have mine – the child for whom I feel a special closeness, with whom I share a love that no one else could possibly understand. My Favourite child was the one who was too sick to eat ice cream at his birthday party, who had measles at Christmas, who wore leg braces to bed because he toed in, who had a fever in the middle of the night, the asthma attack, the child in my arms at the emergency ward. My Favourite child is the one who messed up the piano recital, misspelled committee in a spelling bee, ran the wrong way with the football, and had his bike stolen because he was careless. My Favourite child was selfish, immature, bad tempered and self-centered. He was vulnerable, lonely, unsure of what he was doing in this world – and quite wonderful. All others have their Favourite child. It is always the same one: the one who needs you at the moment. Who needs you for whatever reason – to cling to, to shout at, to hurt, to hug, to flatter, to reverse telephone charges to, to unload on – but mostly just to be there.”
Or as Jesus said about the Prodigal Son: “When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion.”
Soul food: 1 Sam 24-26; Luke 24:36-44; Ps 51; Prov 22:12-16
