2020-08-05
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NIV
Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “the helper.” And as you submit to Him, He’ll help you handle the difficult people in your life the right way. Paul writes, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30 NIV). Don’t offend, or inhibit, or block the Holy Spirit from working in your life. You say, “How would I do that?” Paul answers, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (v. 31 NIV). That’s a list of pretty nasty stuff! And Paul’s point is this: Either you allow your responses to be ruled by that nasty list, or to be ruled by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The choice is yours. The Bible says, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (vv. 26-27 NIV). When you retaliate in anger, you give the Devil a foothold in your life – a beachhead from which he can attack you in other areas. When that happens, not only are you dealing with the hurt caused by the difficult person in your life, you’re dealing with the added hurt that comes from giving the Devil a foothold. So what should you do? The Bible says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (v. 32 NIV). In other words, remember the love, patience, and grace God has shown to you, and extend it to others. That’s a strategy that never fails!
Soul food: Deut 11-13; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 119:1-8; Prov 17:3
2020-08-03
Matthew 7:7 AMP
Observe three things: (1) Jesus never said that following Him would be easy. “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33 NKJV). So when you attempt great things for God, expect difficulties – and delays. When construction crews work on a road, they often put up a sign: “EXPECT DELAYS.” The walk of faith is littered with these signs. Abraham and Sarah waited twenty-five years for Isaac to be born, so why do you think your answers should be instant? (2) You must persevere to receive. Waiting is an uncomfortable concept for us. We’re used to having everything “on demand.” If someone tells us to wait, we find an app on our iPhone and speed up the process. But there’s no shortcut when it comes to perseverance. Sometimes faith is painful because God is stretching your capacity to receive. So press through the pain – there’s gain on the other side! “Keep on asking and it will be given you.” (3) The end result of faith is larger territory. Twice after Isaac dug a well, the Philistines laid claim to the water. But when he dug a third time, the conflict stopped, and he named the new well Rehoboth, which means “a broad place” (See Genesis 26:18-22). Isaac kept on digging, and when the breakthrough came, he declared, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land” (v. 22 NAS). And the lesson Isaac learned is still part of our faith curriculum. We must stretch our faith when there’s no stretch left, and we must pray beyond delay.
Soul food: Deut 5-7; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 16:33
2020-08-02
1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV
During his lifetime, nineteenth-century British evangelist George Muller “prayed in” more than $7.5 million to feed the orphans in his care – more than $113 million in today’s terms. He didn’t believe in broadcasting his financial needs, yet he always had enough to pay his grocery bill – because God supernaturally provided. However, Muller’s faith was stretched in other ways. For example, he prayed regularly over a list of five men he earnestly desired to see won to Christ. The first man gave his life to Christ after five years, the second and third after ten years, and the fourth after twenty-five years. But here’s the clincher: Muller prayed for the fifth man’s conversion for a whopping fifty-two years! In fact, the man made a profession of faith in Christ a few months after Muller’s funeral. Would you pray about something for fifty-two years without some visible sign of an answer? You should, and you must! In Muller’s own words: “God delights to increase the faith of His children. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hands as a means. Trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.” If you’re praying and asking God, “Will You?” His answer is, “I will!” Psalm 91:15 tells us, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him” (NKJV). And in Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NKJV). So the word for you today is – keep praying and believing.
Soul food: 1 Sam 16; 1 Sam 17:32-51; Acts 13:21-22
2020-08-01
1 Samuel 30:8 NKJV
Are you battling a stubborn habit like drugs and alcohol? Gambling? Overeating? Pornography? Here’s good news. Jesus said He came “that captives will be released” (Luke 4:18 NLT). You can recover. You can get back what you’ve lost, or something better. How? By doing two things David did when the Amalekites destroyed his home and took his family captive: (1) He turned to God for strength. “David strengthened himself in the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:6 NKJV). Face it; if you could solve the problem yourself you’d have done it. Acknowledging your powerlessness is the first step to victory. But acknowledging it is not the same as giving in to defeat and despair. It means that you can’t, but God can, and He will when you surrender to Him. (2) He turned to God for a strategy. “David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all'” (v. 8 NKJV). Note the word “pursue.” David was relentless; he didn’t stop until he recovered everything the enemy had stolen from him. And that must be your attitude too. You say, “But I’ve failed so often.” The Bible says, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again” (Proverbs 24:16 NIV). You say, “How can I be righteous in God’s eyes and keep falling?” Because your righteousness is not earned by your performance, it’s transferred to you through Christ’s performance on the cross (See 2 Corinthians 5:21). Knowing that will give you the faith and courage to “pursue…overtake…and recover all” – and bounce back.
Soul food: Deut 3-4; Luke 10:38-42; Ps 78:40-55; Prov 16:32
2020-07-31
1 Samuel 18:1 KJV
It hurts when you discover that not everyone has your best interests at heart. So you must learn to be more discerning, and know on what level to interact with people. Usually only a few people belong in your inner circle. That’s why you must be wise when it comes to who you allow into that circle. We see this illustrated in the lives of David and Jonathan. David was at odds with King Saul, the father of his best friend, Jonathan. Jonathan kept David’s secrets and protected him with his very life, even when faced with displeasing his own family. Jonathan wasn’t seeking to elevate himself, inflate his own self-importance, or orchestrate his own advancement through his relationship with David. Simply stated, they had a “soul connection.” The strength of a confidant lies in their silence. If someone’s a gossiper, they automatically disqualify themselves. We must be able to rest in the security of these relationships, in order to express ourselves, gather information, and glean wise counsel. Otherwise, we reap the consequences of having the wrong people know too much about us. Confidants not only maintain our secrets, they refuse to exploit that privileged information for their own gain. They really care about us, and don’t throw our past mistakes in our face. They refuse to utter the words “I told you so.” Such people are in your life for the long haul, and you must recognize and cherish them.
Soul food: Deut 1-2; Luke 10:25-37; Ps 78:32-39; Prov 16:31
2020-07-30
2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV
Christian counselor Dr. Ann Shorb writes, “Each morning I reach for an assortment of nutritional supplements. Each has something I need, but not one by itself is enough to provide everything.” Here are the “spiritual supplements” she says she takes: (1) His death on the cross is sufficient for my salvation: “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him…He…lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV). (2) His strength is sufficient for my weakness: “He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak” (Isaiah 40:29 NCV). (3) His authority is sufficient for my struggles: Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and…earth. Go therefore” (Matthew 28:18 NKJV). (4) His power is sufficient to restore me: “The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises…all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14 NKJV). (5) His wisdom and knowledge are sufficient to direct me: “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 NKJV). (6) His grace is sufficient for all my needs: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV). Sometimes you’ll hear Psalm 51:12 quoted as “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation,” instead of “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” There’s a big difference! My salvation means me working to be saved and never knowing if I’ve done enough. Thy salvation depends totally on Christ’s finished work on Calvary. It acknowledges that while we’ll never be “sufficient of ourselves…our sufficiency is from God.”
Soul food: Acts 27-28; Luke 10:13-24; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 16:26-30
