2021-06-13
Galatians 5:17 CEV
The Bible says: “If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies…always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should” (vv. 16-17 CEV). Sound familiar? Here are four keys to winning the daily battle between your old and new natures.
(1) Be honest. Acknowledge that your flesh will always crave satisfaction in the wrong things – and it never takes a day off.
(2) Be humble. Acknowledge that you’re powerless to win the battle without God’s help. By committing yourself to God, you draw on His strength in those first crucial moments of each test. And your ability to do that will grow as you practice this spiritual discipline. The closer you draw to God, the stronger you become when faced with temptation and trouble.
(3) Be disciplined. This is a personal matter; no one else can do it for you. Paul writes, “You must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives” (Romans 6:12 MSG). If someone else has to restrain you, it doesn’t work!
(4) Be alert. As a soldier David should have known better, but Satan caught him off guard with his defenses down. As a result he ended up committing adultery with Bathsheba, then having her husband put to death in an attempt to cover it up. Maybe you think it couldn’t happen to you. Paul, the greatest of the apostles, wrote, “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NIV).
Soul food: Gen 11:1-9; Phil 2:1-11
2021-06-12
Philippians 3:8 CEV
The secret to surviving hard times doesn’t lie in what you know, but who you know. You say, “Right now I’ve got more troubles than Job.” Well, when the bottom dropped out of Job’s world, he said: “He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:10-12 NIV).
And Paul’s life wasn’t a picnic either: “I have been in danger from rivers…from bandits…from my fellow Jews…from Gentiles; in danger in the city…in the country…at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and…often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and…often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:26-28 NIV).
Reading that list makes us ask the question, “How did he do it?” Paul knew the secret to surviving hard times. What was it? He allowed his troubles to drive him closer to the Lord: “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV). Do you want what Job and Paul had? Then draw closer to the Lord – that’s the secret!
Soul food: 2 Ki 16:1-18:16; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 80:1-11; Prov 13:11-12
2021-06-11
Proverbs 14:29 CEV
It’s never okay to explode at those God has entrusted to your care. The Bible says, “Don’t get so angry that you sin. Don’t go to bed angry and don’t give the devil a chance” (Ephesians 4:26-27 CEV). Satan would like nothing better than to gain entry to your home and turn it into a living hell, and every time you fly into a rage, you lose ground to him. That’s why the Scriptures say, “It’s smart to be patient, but it’s stupid to lose your temper.”
The key to managing your anger lies in finding healthy ways to express it so that it doesn’t end up hurting more than helping. It’s important to share your feelings, but you must always do it in the right way. Ultimately it’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, or who can yell the loudest. It’s about finding the solution that’s best for everyone.
Understand this: Nobody can be everything you want them to be all the time. It’s impossible to have a long-term, loving relationship without learning to accept human weakness. So instead of dwelling on one another’s shortcomings, focus on your collective strengths as a family. Clinical neuropsychologist Paul Pearsall says, “Most of us would give our own life for…a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.”
Learn to control your temper; your family is worth it. After all, who else loves you regardless of what you do? And where else can you go to find the comfort and strength that comes from that kind of support system?
Soul food: 2 Ki 13-15; Mark 15:21-32; Ps 143; Prov 13:9-10
2021-06-10
Luke 11:17 NIV
They say, “The apple never falls far from the tree,” and Jacob certainly proved that. Nearing the end of his life when he should have been preparing to bless his sons Simeon and Levi, he told them, “I…curse…you because of your…anger” (Genesis 49:7 CEV). But their behavior should have come as no surprise. The fact is, Jacob had already shaped them by his own example when he deceived his father (See Genesis 27) and his father-in-law (See Genesis 30). And his mother facilitated the deception.
Behavioral patterns are passed from generation to generation. Your attitudes and actions will either blight your children or bless them. The Word of God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV). Your children inherit more than just your looks. They end up with the values you taught and the emotional disposition you displayed.
Don’t involve them in your marital disputes. The Bible says, “Anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 NKJV), and kids are easy targets for misdirected rage. Even when your outbursts aren’t aimed at them, they still suffer the effects. For example, your boss reprimands you at work, and because you can’t retaliate, you come home like a bear with a headache and make everybody around you walk on eggshells. Lower the decibel level! Don’t let your anger run amok. King David shone on the battlefront but struggled on the home front. Perhaps that’s why one of the last Psalms reads like this: “Help me to guard my words whenever I say something” (Psalm 141:3 CEV).
Soul food: 2 Ki 10-12; Mark 15:1-20; Ps 132:11-18; Prov 13:7-8
2021-06-09
Ephesians 4:2 CEV
Without harmony on the home front, all your career successes can feel empty. Anytime you find it easier to talk to outsiders than to your own family, something’s broken – and urgently needs fixing. God designed your family to be a support system, and a safety net to catch you when you fall. And His Word gives us the prescription for creating harmony at home: “Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace” (vv. 2-3 CEV).
Note four important words in this Scripture: “humble,” “gentle,” “patiently,” and “united.” Without those essential ingredients, it won’t work! So start praying for your kids instead of just laying down rules that create distance when you don’t see eye to eye. You won’t always agree, but you can learn to value, love, and respect each other.
Every family has its ups and downs – and every family tree has a few nuts! But if you bail out when things get tough, you’ll miss the harvest you could have reaped by hanging on. For example, sometimes the child that ends up blessing you the most is the one who didn’t necessarily agree with your ideas, or embrace your values, or marry the person you thought they should have. Yes, it’s upsetting, but in the long run none of that matters because family is a life-long investment.
Many of those who opt for divorce end up wishing they had hung in a little longer, and had loved a little bit more. Make sure you’re not one of them!
Soul food: 2 Ki 7-9; Mark 14:66-72; Ps 132:1-10; Prov 13:4-6
2021-06-08
Revelation 12:10 NIV
A guy who worked in an office loved to play a particular trick on new employees. He would approach them and whisper, “They know what you did,” then walk away smiling. First, the person would look bewildered. Then they would get anxious and wonder, “What have I done?” Then they would think, “Who are they?” “What do they know?” and “What are they saying about me?” And since even the most innocent have a knee-jerk tendency to conceal and protect, the new employee would walk around all day anxiety ridden.
That’s exactly how Satan works! He casts aspersions! But there’s good news: “The accuser of our brothers…who accuses them before…God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (vv. 10-11 NIV).
There’s an unfailing strategy for silencing the voice of the accuser. What is it? Remind him that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed you from all sin. Just as Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, you can defeat him every time by standing on the truth of God’s Word. It’s not God who makes you feel condemned. He wants you to know you’re loved, forgiven, and fully accepted. Paul writes, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?…Christ…is at the right hand of God…pleading…for us” (Romans 8:33-34 AMPC).
So stop beating yourself up. Jesus came to save you and let you know that the penalty for your sin has been removed and its power over your life has been broken. God sees you today as righteous – and that’s how you need to start seeing yourself (See 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Soul food: 2 Ki 4:18-6:33; Mark 14:53-65; Ps 48; Prov 13:2-3
