2021-09-03
Job 9:27 NLT
Let’s begin by acknowledging that sometimes life is hard. And some of us have it harder than others. That’s why the Bible says there is “a time to cry and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NLT). But what if you just keep “crying” about life? How can you reduce the strain and drain produced by negative self-talk?
Here are three ways: (1) Cut and paste. Train yourself to recognize negative inner chatter the minute it starts and delete it immediately. If you have to, take a chain saw to it. If it helps, make a “time out” signal with your hands as a physical reminder to yourself. But don’t stop there. Replace those negative thoughts with Scriptural self-talk. “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NKJV).
(2) Tweak your tone. You know how the doctor says, “This may pinch a little,” as he jabs a needle into your arm? Borrow his technique and reduce big ugly blackhead wordage to smaller, unintimidating blemish terms. “Impossible” is a brick wall compared to “this may take some work.” Wouldn’t you rather tackle a project that’s “challenging” rather than “unmanageable?”
(3) Be your own BFF (Blessed Friend Forever). Using your BFF voice, intentionally over-dub that negative droning voice inside you. Speak to yourself like you would to your very best friend. The Bible says, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). Reboot your mind. Reprogram your thoughts. There’s power in God’s Word. So, whatever He says about you, start saying the same thing and watch your life change for the better.
Soul food: Eze 22-23; Luke 19:41-48; Ps 142; Prov 19:21-23
2021-09-02
Philippians 4:13 NLT
When you can’t choose or control your circumstances, you can still decide how you’ll respond to them. Paul was in prison when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (v. 4 NKJV). We’re addressing those who have a perpetually pessimistic outlook on life and talk negatively most of the time. This is serious stuff! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV). That means you can talk yourself to death or talk yourself to life. This is Scriptural truth!
The trouble is we don’t always recognize when we’re engaging in negative self-talk, because it’s habit forming. We unconsciously develop a compromised view of ourselves when we constantly think and say things like, “I’m such a loser,” or “This is too hard; why even try?” We settle for defeat when with a few minor attitude adjustments, we could open the door to amazing possibilities.
The worst part of negative self-talk is that we don’t just limit ourselves; we limit God (See Psalm 78:41). As His redeemed child, there resides within you the power to think better, talk better, and do better. “Does the Bible say that?” you ask. Yes, Paul says, “To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…be glory…forever (Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV). It’s time to draw a line in the sand and declare, “Whatever God says about me, I will say too!” And here’s a great verse to get you started: “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Soul food: Eze 20-21; Luke 19:28-40; Ps 111; Prov 19:18-20
2021-09-01
Acts 15:37-39 MSG
Paul and Barnabas had traveled and ministered together, encouraged one other, endured persecution side-by-side, and won many to Christ. But even the best of relationships can go awry, and they were no exception. “Tempers flared, and they ended up going…separate ways.”
Paul and Barnabas never intended to hurt each other. They were both good men, and God’s Kingdom was their top priority. God chose Paul to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the Bible calls Barnabas “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24 NIV). Both agreed on the major issue: namely, re-visiting those churches where they’d ministered earlier. They just differed on how to go about it. Barnabas wanted to take John. Paul didn’t; he wanted to take Silas. And it often happens that we agree on what needs to be done but differ on how to accomplish it.
Natasha Robinson says it’s important to: (a) Recognize when God brings a relationship to a close and not to try to turn “seasonal” people into life-long friendships. When He sends certain people into your life, He doesn’t intend them to become permanent partners. Yet because you love them and get attached it’s hard to let go, even when it’s time.
(b) When you part company, make a clean break and don’t let anger make you sin. We’re emotional creatures. It’s easy to get bitter and want to tell your side of the story, and consequently end up causing division. Speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15 KJV). Refuse to bad-mouth the other person and God will honour you. Even if they speak out against you, God knows, and He’ll handle it.
Soul food: Eze 16:53-19:14; Luke 19:11-27; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 19:17
2021-08-31
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT
Author Betty Mahalik says in this day and age we’re surrounded by messages that scream, “My life would be perfect if only I’d a different job…house…car…nose…spouse…bank account (you fill in the blank). Or if I could be like some celebrity whose life appears well ordered and perfect. Well this week I stopped playing ‘my life would be perfect if,’ and started playing ‘my perfect life.’ What’s the difference?
Three things: (1) Being in the present; (2) An attitude of gratitude; (3) Taking action with what’s available now…When we’re caught up in the ‘my life would be perfect if’ trap, we lose touch with the present and can no longer practice gratitude. Think about it: it’s difficult to be grateful for what you don’t have…and what you don’t have is always somewhere in ‘future-ville.’
Look around you…do you have a roof over your head and food to eat? A few good friends or close relationships? Then appreciate them…You’re probably sitting there thinking ‘Yes, but I want more money, a better relationship, more time to travel, to be thinner, happier, or whatever’…stop focusing on what you lack and start focusing on what you’ve already got.”
The Bible says, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.” If you demand perfection-or-nothing, you’ll keep ending up with nothing. The fact that “God…made us what we are” (Ephesians 2:10 TLB), means while our best is always commendable, none of us will attain perfection this side of heaven. And that’s okay, because Christ has clothed us in His righteousness and made us “complete in him” (Colossians 2:10 KJV).
Soul food: Eze 14:1-16:52; Luke 19:1-10; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 19:12-16
2021-08-30
Job 29:24 NLT
A pastor tells of being in a church for twelve years. He had a custom during Sunday morning service of calling the children forward just before his sermon so that they could go to a “children’s church” especially for them. The children would march past the pulpit and he would make it a point to smile at each of them. In return he received smiles.
“It was one of the high points of the service for me,” he recalled. But one day he apparently missed smiling at a child. A curly-headed four-year-old ran out of the processional and threw herself into the arms of her mother, sobbing as if her heart was broken. After the service he went to find out what happened. The mother explained to him that her child had said, “I smiled at God, but he didn’t smile back at me!” The pastor reflected, “To that child I stood for God. I had failed with my smile, and the world went dark.”
As you go through this day, commit yourself to using the smile strategy. You say, “I’ve got more troubles than Job, so I’ve got nothing to smile about.” Job experienced more troubles in a year than most of us will experience in a lifetime. But though he was down, he lifted others. Though he was in despair, he encouraged others. How did he do it? “They longed for me to speak as people long for rain…When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them” (vv. 23-24 NLT).
Soul food: Eze 10-13; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 84; Prov 19:11
2021-08-29
1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT
David said, “I’d rather scrub floors in the house of…God than be honoured as a guest in the palace of sin” (Psalm 84:10 MSG).
Along those lines Joni Eareckson Tada writes: “Elsie runs a Christian home for young girls who’ve left lives of prostitution and drug dealing on the streets of Hollywood. She walks the streets, shares the gospel, and leads these girls to Christ. If these new converts truly desire to change their lives and commit to new responsibilities, they’ve a place in Elsie’s home. Pam is one such convert…A Christian with a sweet spirit, she bears scars from knife fights and heroin needles. Her arms are marred with tattoos. I sensed her joy and deep appreciation when she explained her role…’I scrub the toilets and bathrooms…That’s my job and I love it!’ This young woman was so grateful to have structure in her life, safety in her surroundings, and an honest-to-goodness job of service in Christ’s kingdom…that a day of ministry in Elsie’s home was far better than a thousand days lived in the sordid pursuit of self-destructive pleasures…Her humble spirit towards her job…her delight in cleaning toilets sprang from a keen awareness of her role in the body of Christ. Few believers have a background like Pam’s, but every day each of us rolls our sleeves up to accomplish menial, basic tasks – changing oil at Jiffy Lube, changing ink cartridges in printers, or changing diapers (perhaps on an elderly parent).”
So, how’s your attitude toward menial work? When you “serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2) you find joy in everyday chores because you remember who you’re working for.
Soul food: Gen 6:9-8:4; Matt 24:37-51
