2020-07-11
Psalm 27:13 NKJV
When you choose to see things from God’s perspective, it changes how you feel. The only thing keeping your old negative feelings in place is your thinking. “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV). When you start thinking the right way, your life starts going the right way. But remember, you didn’t become negative overnight and you won’t become positive overnight. So how do you start? (1) Replace your negative thinking with thoughts that are “praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8 NIV). Deal with destructive thoughts the way you’d deal with flies at a picnic – shoo them away. With practice and persistence you can do it. You have that choice! (2) Remember: Before you take on the future, recall God’s goodness to you in the past. Shakespeare said, “Let never day nor night unhallow’d pass, but still remember what the Lord hath done.” David said: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV). We don’t have more problems than other people, we just think about them more often. Stop and reread that last sentence! What you think produces how you feel. If you don’t believe that, try feeling angry without first having angry thoughts, or feeling sad without first having sad thoughts. To experience a feeling, you must first entertain the thought that produces it. That’s life-changing information – and it will change your life as you act on it!
Soul food: Jer 45-48; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 15:23-26
2020-07-10
Mark 10:48 NKJV
Try to imagine being blind all your life, then one day miraculously receiving your sight. And the first face you see – is the face of Jesus! That’s what happened to Bartimaeus. Jesus was passing by the spot where he sat begging every day. Recognizing this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he cried out for help at the top of his lungs. Sometimes dignified prayer won’t get the job done. Desperate situations call for desperate measures. Sometimes you’ve got to cry out to God from the depths of your soul! When Bartimaeus shouted, “Jesus stood still” (v. 49 NRS). Your cry will get God’s attention. David said, “I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me” (Psalm 30:2 KJV). Don’t be reluctant, be confident. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and…grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV). The Bible says, “Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:50 NIV). He did that for two reasons: First, a long robe could have tripped him up. Second, his clothes identified him as a beggar. To get to Jesus, you must be willing to throw aside everything that stands in your way. The shame and failure of your past, your lack and your limitations, the labels other people have put on you. When Jesus restores and makes you whole, you won’t have to wear those old garments anymore. And here’s another thought: When Bartimaeus regained his sight, he decided to follow Jesus (See v. 52), and you must do that too.
Soul food: Jer 41-44; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 15:22
2020-07-09
Psalm 27:14 KJV
God gave His people an interesting command: “Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord” (Exodus 34:23-24 NIV). Imagine that! Three times a year they were to stop working and spend time with the Lord worshiping Him, seeking His guidance, and getting direction for the future. Can you imagine what would happen if you did that? Note the words “I will enlarge your territory.” Instead of losing – you’ll gain, and instead of going backward – you’ll go forward. Note also the words “I will drive out the nations before you.” While you worship God and wait on Him, He will fight your battles. And the difference between you and God is that you risk losing, but He’s never lost a battle. Note also the words “No one will covet your land.” You don’t have to worry about the competition getting ahead of you. God used this three-times-a-year pilgrimage to teach His people this principle: “If you wait on Me in worship, I will work on your behalf.” His Word says, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV). So here are your choices: Keep stressing out, or draw the strength and strategy you need from God by spending time with Him.
Soul food: Jer 36:27-40:16; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 79; Prov 15:18-21
2020-07-08
Psalm 37:7 NKJV
When you’re in a doctor’s waiting room there are things you shouldn’t do – like try to treat other patients, or have them treat you. Or ask the receptionist for a stethoscope or a blood pressure cuff. And it wouldn’t be wise to ask the person sitting next to you, “What prescriptions are you taking? Perhaps I could try them.” It’s called a waiting room because you’re supposed to wait. But we don’t like to wait. We weave through traffic looking for a faster lane. We drum our fingers on the countertop while the microwave heats our coffee: “Come on, come on.” We don’t like to wait for anything, including God. Over and over in Scripture when it speaks about our relationship with God, the word “wait” keeps showing up. And here’s what we fail to understand: While we are waiting, God is working. Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work” (John 5:17 NIV). The sign on God’s waiting room reads “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). You can be still because He is active, and you can rest because He is busy. To wait, biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, or worry, or fret, or make demands, or take control. Waiting is not inactivity. Waiting is sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and faith. To wait is to “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…not fret.” God is the Great Physician. You are in His waiting room. He knows what ails you better than you do, and He has a prescription to fix it. So trust Him, and wait.
Soul food: Jer 33:1-36:26; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 137; Prov 15:15-17
2020-07-07
Joel 2:28 NLT
World champion boxer George Foreman was raised in a Christian home, and eventually he came back to his roots – but not before he tried the world of gangs, drugs, and violence. Recognizing not only his physical prowess, but also his potential, a friend suggested he join a local gym to work out his aggression in a more constructive way. That led to his becoming a world heavyweight champion boxer, and making millions of dollars. But the career of a world champion boxer is relatively short, and eventually Foreman, aging and overweight, reached the place where the only fights he could get paid just a few thousand dollars. He desperately needed to lose weight and get back in shape. A friend introduced him to a healthy diet, and part of his new eating regimen involved using a little grill. One day Foreman’s wife suggested that instead of simply using the grill for himself, he should put his name on it and others would buy it. And they did! Over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold, and people are still buying them. Think about it. George Foreman made more money with his little grill than he made as a prizefighter. The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit empowers them, “your old men will dream dreams.” So regardless of your age, it’s not too late for you. Just get down on your knees today and pray, “Lord, all that I have and all that I am, I give fully to You. Use me as You see fit.” And when He answers, be prepared for Him to take you in a whole new direction.
Soul food: Jer 31-32; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 122; Prov 15:10-14
2020-07-06
Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT
The famous inventor Samuel Morse dreamed of one day becoming a great painter. He even traveled to Paris in the pursuit of his dream. Years before, his preacher father, Jedediah Morse, had counseled him, using the words of the Earl of Chesterfield: “Attend to one thing at a time. The steady, undissipated attention to one object is the sure mark of a superior genius.” As a result, Morse threw himself into painting. But after a series of setbacks, he finally abandoned it. The crushing moment came when he lost the appointment to paint a historic mural at the capital in Washington, D.C., and he gave up painting entirely. Writing about Samuel Morse in his book The Greater Journey, historian David McCullough says: “He must attend to one thing at a time, his father had preached. The ‘one thing’ henceforth would be his telegraph…Had he not stopped painting when he did, no successful electromagnetic telegraph would have happened when it did, or at least not a Morse electromagnetic telegraph.” Relatively late in his career, Samuel Morse gave up painting to focus on inventing the telegraph, and, eventually, a language called Morse code that transformed how the world communicates. The Bible says, “The Lord your God… is the one who gives you power to be successful.” And here’s the good news – there’s no age limit with God! He can give you success at the beginning, in the middle, or at the very end of your life. But in order to grasp the thing at which you will succeed, you must be willing to let go of the thing at which you have failed.
Soul food: Jer 28-30; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
