2021-01-13
Matthew 5:37 NLT
Good negotiators understand that talking too much is a sign of insecurity and weakness. Sometimes the most potent word in any language is a simple yes or no, without further explanation or elaboration. Most decisions eventually come to that point. In order to do that, you must be able to answer these three questions:
(1) Is this decision mine alone to make? If you are the sole decision maker or the final decision maker, don’t hesitate and don’t vacillate, make the decision. And before you do, stand on this Scripture: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James1:5 NKJV).
(2) What will happen if I put off making this decision? In most cases, things will either get better or worse for one or more party. So weigh your decision carefully, realizing that it is likely to lean in favour of the heavier weight of the argument, then decide. At this point, stand on the Scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).
(3) Does every decision have a moral and spiritual dimension? When you compromise your convictions or character for popularity or profit, you end up morally and spiritually bankrupt. So hold to your values, base your decisions on them, and stand on this Scripture: “A good man [and woman] obtains favour from the Lord” (Proverbs12:2 NKJV).
Soul food: Exo 28-29; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 74:1-11; Prov 2:6
2021-01-12
Acts 20:24 NLT
To live your best life you need two things – purpose and persistence. And if you ask Him, God will help you develop them.
(1) Let’s look at purpose. On the historic monument commemorating the life of author Jack London, who wrote the classic White Fang, are these words: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” To make a difference in this world you must discover your God-given assignment, and commit yourself to it 100 percent. Paul did that. “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
(2) Let’s look at persistence. It took Sir Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. Yet his speeches during World War II inspired and galvanized Britain to fight and win in the face of overwhelming odds. When he was asked to give the commencement address at Oxford University, he delivered the shortest speech on record – just six words. “Never give up! Never give up!! And those words are the essence of purpose and persistence.
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2021-01-11
Romans 1:12 NCV
Next time you take a walk in the woods stop and think about what is taking place right under your feet. As the roots of the trees connect with each other they form a support system. One has access to water, another to nutrients, and another to sunlight. No single tree has it all, but together they can grow, thrive, and withstand the storms of life. “Then we will grow in every way to be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV). Some of us independent types have difficulty with this concept. We want to fly solo until we crash, and then we realize our need for:
(1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on: “Everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes. I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn’t ashamed of me when I was put in jail. Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me” (2 Timothy1:15-17 CEV).
(2) Sympathy. “Be sympathetic” (Colossians 3:12 GWT). We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated. But sometimes we are in such a hurry to “fix” people we don’t have time to sympathize with them.
(3) Grace. “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (v. 13 NLT). What motivates us to extend grace to others? God’s grace to us! Remember, you will never be asked to extend more grace to someone than God has already extended to you.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
2021-01-10
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
Before leaving our study on obstacles to answered prayer, let’s be clear about one thing: some of our unanswered prayers have been answered. The answer is “wait.” But because we don’t like the answer, we keep hoping God will have a change of heart. The truth is God won’t change His mind to accommodate us. So we have two options: (1) Keep complaining to Him. (2) Start cooperating with Him.
When the prophet Habakkuk needed an answer to his prayers in order to give direction to Israel, what did God tell him? Wait! “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it…Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (vv. 2-3 NIV).
God works according to His own plan and schedule, and He won’t be rushed. When you try to get ahead of Him you always end up in trouble. Abraham did that, and the end result was Ishmael. That’s when Abraham’s troubles began in earnest!
Other times God answers our prayers and says, “No.” He knows what you can handle and when you’ll be ready to handle it, and He won’t give it to you before then. Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord…But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians12:8-9 NIV). Instead of delivering Paul from his problem, God used it to develop him. Without his thorn in the flesh to counterbalance his great talent and potential pride, Paul wouldn’t have been nearly so effective in the service of God. Think about it!
Soul food: 1 Sam 17:4-51; Eph 6:10-18
2021-01-09
Matthew 5:24 NIV
The fifth obstacle to answered prayer is an unforgiving spirit. Your anger may feel justified, but it can produce long term results that hurt you. Regardless of “who did what to whom,” resentment is hazardous to your health and spiritual well-being.
Jesus said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (vv. 23-24 NIV). Satan will keep hurting you every day of your life – until you decide to forgive. God says, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25). Forget it, for God’s sake; when you keep bringing it up you bother Him!
Is God really serious about this? Yes. He “struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord” (1 Samuel 6:19 NIV). What was in the ark? The Ten Commandments which we’ve all broken; the record of our guilt and failure. Think twice before you decide to “lift the lid” on someone else’s sins; you’re in a dangerous place with God! You say, “But they don’t deserve to be forgiven.” None of us do, but God keeps forgiving us anyway. And His Word says, “Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). So if you want God to answer your prayers – forgive, and let it go!
Soul food: Exo 19-21; Matt 5:38-48; Ps 46; Prov 1:32-33
2021-01-08
John 15:7 NIV
The fourth obstacle to prayer is unscriptural prayers. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Those who live by the principles of God’s Word don’t pray to win the lottery, or for their horse to finish first in the Kentucky Derby. They know that those are unscriptural prayers God won’t honor. When you pray, your request must line up with His will.
After leading the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness Moses naturally longed to enter the Promised Land and celebrate victory with them; to “go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon” (Deuteronomy 3:25 NIV). But in spite of his prayers it didn’t happen. Why? “Because…the Lord was angry…and would not listen…’That is enough,’ the Lord said. ‘Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan'” (vv. 26-27 NIV).
Prayer isn’t some kind of talisman, or lucky charm, or religious formula you repeat to get the results you want. When your prayers line up with the Scriptures and are in harmony with God’s will, then will He answer them. This truth may not be palatable or popular in today’s “feel good” generation where everybody wants all the benefits of God’s kingdom on their own terms. If you’re serious about getting your prayers answered – read the fine print!
Soul food: Exo 16-18; Matt 5:27-37; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 1:28-31
