2020-10-04
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
Here are two more things you need to know:
(1) The wrong people will hurt you. There are two groups of people you should never be influenced by. The first is composed of VNP people: Very Needy People, Very Negative People, and Very Needling People. The second contains VDP people: Very Draining People, Very Doubting People, and Very Distracting People. Love them and help them any way you can, but never be influenced or led by them. Encourage them, but when they start to pull you down instead of lifting you up, disconnect graciously and turn them over to God.
(2) The right people will help you. When God has a job to be done, He calls a man or woman to do it. But He seldom calls them alone. He calls others to stand with them and support them. That means your willingness to reach for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength. Paul spent an entire chapter in the New Testament acknowledging the people who helped him fulfill his vision. Here’s what he said to the Philippians: “Every time I think of you, I give thanks…Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now” (Philippians 1:3-5 NLT).
If you’re wise, you’ll acknowledge the things God hasn’t gifted you to do, delegate them to qualified people, and work from your core strengths. That takes humility on your part, but in the long run it pays great dividends!
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2020-10-03
Galatians 5:7 NKJV
You must take responsibility for your life instead of blaming others. In the Garden of Eden when God asked Adam why he had eaten from the tree, he blamed his wife: “‘The woman whom You gave…me…gave me of the tree, and I ate'” (Genesis 3:12 NKJV). Then we read, “The Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me'” (v. 13 NKJV). Eve blamed the Devil.
So did God accept their excuses? No. He said to Adam: “‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and…eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it:” Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you'” (vv. 17-18 NKJV).
Then God told Eve, “‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you'” (v. 16 NKJV).
When those words were spoken, Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise.
“Since God is all-knowing,” you ask, “how come He got angry with Adam and Eve?” Because neither one would take responsibility for their actions! When you sin, God will readily forgive you (See Nehemiah 9:17). What He won’t accept, however, is obfuscating, rationalizing, justifying, excusing, and blaming. His Word says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV).
So if you want to move forward, you must take responsibility for your life!
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Luke 24:36-44; Ps 51; Prov 22:12-16
2020-10-02
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
Not everyone who starts the race finishes it. Paul writes: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things…they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run…not with uncertainty…I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself…become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV).
Paul isn’t talking about his salvation here; that was a settled issue. He’s talking about his heavenly reward, and these particular words should make you stop and think: “Lest…I myself…become disqualified.”
Here are some things that will cause you to stumble on your journey:
(1) Failure to read God’s Word and pray every day.
(2) Saying no to God when He deals with you about a specific area in your life.
(3) Moral failure stemming from wrong habits and relationships.
(4) Allowing doubt and fear to cripple you.
(5) Wasting time on frivolous pursuits instead of focusing on the “one thing” God has called you to do.
(6) Succeeding in your career and failing at home.
(7) Not sowing your treasure, talent, and time into God’s kingdom, resulting in a lack of resources to fulfill His will for your life.
The list could go on ad infinitum. Make this your prayer today: “Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV). That’s the kind of prayer God loves to answer!
Soul food: Lev 23:33-44; Zech 14:16-21; John 7:1-40
2020-10-01
Hebrews 11:8 NKJV
The Bible tells us, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” For the next few days let’s look at some things you should expect on your life’s journey.
(1) Opportunities and opposition. Paul wrote, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV). Indeed, if you don’t encounter obstacles and opposition, you should pray and ask God if you’re on the right track. The size of your God-given assignment usually determines the magnitude of the attack. But here’s the good news: Attack is a sign of respect. It means the Enemy considers you a high-value target and a threat to his plans.
(2) Setbacks meant to derail you. “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16 NKJV). Who is Solomon describing? “A righteous man.” How often does he fall and get back up? “Seven times.” Failing doesn’t make you a failure; giving up does, not learning from it does, refusing to change your methods does, refusing to take advice does, refusing to try again does! If sin caused you to stumble, repent and renounce it, then get back on track. If you fell because you’re trying something new and unfamiliar, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, draw on God’s grace, resolve to do better, and keep moving forward. To quote Dr. John Maxwell: “Fail early, fail often – and always fail forward!”
Soul food: 1 Sam 11-13; Luke 24:25-35; Ps 60; Prov 22:7-11
2020-09-30
2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV
In a survey, pollster George Barna reported that two out of three Americans refer to themselves as “casual Christians.” It’s an interesting term, but what does it mean? In essence it means uncommitted…hit-and-miss…when I feel like it. But here’s how Paul describes the Christian life: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” (v. 7 NKJV). Note the word “treasure.” Paul treasured what God had put within him; he protected it, rejoiced over it, and maximized it. Does that mean the Christian life will be easy or trouble free? No, Paul continues: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing…the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (vv. 16-18 NKJV). Notice that “our…affliction…is working for us.” God uses life’s experiences – good and bad – to enrich, sharpen, deepen, and stabilize you. And here’s another important truth: What you believe and speak during difficult times determines the quality of your spiritual life and your future. “Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (v. 13 NKJV). So instead of seeing your situation as working against you, stand up in faith today and declare: “This is working for me!”
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Luke 24:13-24; Ps 68:24-35; Prov 22:5-6
2020-09-29
Hebrews 5:13 NKJV
Paul writes, “Everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness…he is a babe.” Righteousness isn’t a condition you achieve through human effort, it’s a position God places you in when you trust in Christ. From then on, God wants you to see yourself as “righteous,” which is how He sees you. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed…to all and on all who believe” (Romans 3:20-22 NKJV). If you’re struggling to be righteous to get into heaven, read this: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). In the same sense that God made Jesus “to be sin,” the moment you believe in Jesus, He makes you “to be righteous.” Will you still sin because you live in an unregenerate body? Yes. And until you get your new body, that will always be so. Ever hear of phantom pain – a sensation stemming from a body part that’s no longer there? As believers, we have phantom pains we need to get rid of. How? By understanding the difference between our position and our condition. Our position “in Christ” is what gives us confidence toward God. Here’s an important Scripture: “The kingdom of God is…righteousness…peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17 NKJV). Note the order. Because we know we’re deemed righteous in God’s eyes, we have peace, and because we have peace – we have joy.
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Luke 24:1-12; Ps 68:12-23; Prov 22:3-4
