2021-02-20
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
God hasn’t made prayer difficult or complicated, but really simple. The truth is, many of us pray more often than we know. And we have a more effective and successful prayer life than we realize. The trouble is, we don’t always recognize when we’re praying. That’s because we’ve gotten the wrong idea about it. We’ve been taught that prayer requires a specific environment like church, or a prescribed posture like kneeling, or a particular form of words like “Thee” and “Thou,” and that we must strictly adhere to certain religious rituals.
No, prayer is simply talking to God, then being still and allowing Him to talk to you. You can pray any time, anywhere, about anything, by just directing your thoughts, spoken and unspoken, toward God.
Paul writes, “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Imagine that all of God’s blessings and benefits are stored in a giant warehouse in the invisible realm; things like forgiveness, strength, wisdom, guidance, favour, and resources. Through prayer you enter God’s warehouse of blessings, and by faith you receive them and bring them back into your life.
The Bible says you have not because you ask not (See James 4:2). So whatever you need today, pray and ask God for it – believing that He will give it to you. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted” (John 15:7 NLT). So, have you prayed about it?
Soul food: Gen 10-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2021-02-19
Ephesians 2:8 AMPC
To understand how God sees you, try to think of these two things:
(1) A dollar bill. What makes it more valuable than any other piece of paper of equal size? The wealth and stability of the government whose signature is on it. You can crumple that dollar bill up, step on it, even tear it in two and tape it back together again, and its worth is still the same.
(2) A diamond. If you rub a diamond in the dirt, it’s still a diamond, albeit a dirty one. But it has not lost its value. Now, we must point out that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of the diamond, you would have to get the dirt off it and then restore it back to its original luster.
What’s the point of these two illustrations? That your value in God’s eyes as His redeemed child doesn’t change or diminish when you get dirty, or stepped on, or torn apart by life and circumstances.
That’s because your true worth is determined not by your own efforts but by the price Jesus paid for you on the cross. There, the great exchange took place. All your sins from the cradle to the grave were laid on Him. And when you accept Him as your Saviour, all His righteousness is transferred to you. You don’t have to strive for it; it’s a “gift.” “This [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God.”
Soul food: Gen 7-9; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
2021-02-18
Proverbs 25:28 NKJV
A Christian leader writes: “The Great Wall of China was erected in the third century BC as a defense against raids by nomadic peoples from the north. Throughout succeeding centuries, especially during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was repaired and extended in length, finally stretching for forty-five-hundred miles.”
Centuries before it began, biblical cultures used walls to protect themselves, and to draw boundaries around themselves for the purposes of identifying the land which was theirs. To be effective, however, those walls had to be regularly maintained. The slightest breach could give the enemy a fateful advantage. There is a valuable lesson here.
As a Christian, there is one wall in your defense system that has to be maintained and protected at all times – the wall of self-control. The Bible says, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” Your failure to maintain self-control is like opening the city gates and issuing an invitation to the Devil to attack you.
J. Wilbur Chapman, one of history’s great preachers, formulated what he called “my rule for Christian living.” And it’s a rule you should endeavor to live by. He said, “The rule that governs my life is this: Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.”
Question: Have your boundary walls been breached or fallen into disrepair? If so, do something about it today.
Soul food: Gen 4-6; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 33:1-12; Prov 5:7-14
2021-02-17
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
Mickey Mantle is one of the true legends of baseball history. He played two thousand four hundred and one games for the New York Yankees from 1951 until 1968, hit a record eighteen homers in twelve World Series, and was placed in baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1974. The crowd loved him. He was famous. He was rich. But he still felt empty inside, so he turned to alcohol. In a Sports Illustrated interview, he once described his long battle with liquor and his heartbreaking problems with his family. The interviewer then asked, “So how are things going with you today, Mickey?” He replied, “I haven’t had a drink in eight months. I’m starting to get my life back together, but I just feel like there’s something missing.”
Do you feel that way today? Have all the things you’ve achieved or acquired failed to satisfy you? Mickey Mantle finally discovered how to fill the hole in his soul. Near the end of his life he found what he had always been looking for – Jesus Christ.
Another famous former baseball player, Bobby Richardson, led him to Christ. At Mantle’s funeral, Richardson told of helping Mantle receive the Lord Jesus as his personal Saviour. On his deathbed Mickey Mantle said, “I am trusting in Christ’s death for me to take me to heaven.” Home run!
And what Jesus did for Mickey Mantle, He wants to do for you too. “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
Soul food: Gen 1-3; Matt 15:15-28; Ps 28; Prov 5:3-6
2021-02-16
Genesis 1:24 NKJV
The theory of evolution is incompatible with the Bible. God said in creation, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind.” And “when God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God…. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness” (Genesis 5:1,3 NIV). In other words, man isn’t just another animal in the evolutionary chain. “Microevolution” teaches variations within species. For example, there are different types of dogs, etc. But there is no scientific evidence to support “macroevolution” – one species evolving into another species.
In reference to creation, Dr. Derek Prince wrote: “I am simple-minded enough to believe that it happened the way the Bible described it. I have been a professor at Britain’s largest university [Cambridge] for nine years. I hold various degrees and academic distinctions, and I feel in many ways I am quite sophisticated intellectually, but I don’t feel in any way intellectually inferior when I say that I believe the Bible record of creation. Prior to believing the Bible I have studied many other attempts to explain man’s origin and found them all unsatisfying and in many cases self-contradictory. I turned to study the Bible as a professional philosopher – not as a believer – and I commented to myself, ‘At least it can’t be any sillier than some of the other things I’ve heard,’ and to my astonishment, I discovered it had the answer.”
Are you looking for answers to your life’s problems? Or direction for your future? Read your Bible and live by its precepts!
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Matt 15:1-14; Ps 5; Prov 5:1-2
2021-02-15
1 Corinthians 15:39 NKJV
The Bible says, “All flesh is not the same…there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.”
One author writes: “The Bible tells us that animals are created ‘without understanding’ (Psalm 49:20 ESV). We are made in God’s ‘image.’ We aren’t merely a higher form of species on the evolutionary scale. As human beings, we are aware of our ‘being.’ God is ‘I AM,’ and we know that ‘we are.’ We have understanding that we exist. Among other unique characteristics, we have an innate ability to appreciate God’s creation. What animal gazes with awe at…the magnificence of the Grand Canyon? What animal obtains joy from the sounds of music or takes the time to form itself into an orchestra to create and harmonize music? What animal among the beasts sets up court systems and apportions justice to its fellow creatures? We are moral beings. While birds and other creatures have instincts to create (nests, etc.), we have the ability to uncover the hidden laws of electricity. We can utilize the law of aerodynamics to transport ourselves around the globe. We also have the God-given ability to appreciate the value of creation. We unearth the hidden treasures of gold, silver, diamonds and oil to make use of them for our own benefit. Only humans have the unique capability to appreciate God for this incredible creation and to respond to His love.”
Yes, God created us, redeemed us, has a special purpose for us, and loves us so much that when we die, He wants to take us to heaven to live with Him forever.
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Matt 14:22-36; Ps 149; Prov 4:25-27
