2020-02-23
1 Samuel 1:27 NKJV
Hannah wanted to be a mother so badly that “she…prayed to the Lord and wept” (v. 10 NKJV). In fact, she made a vow to God, pledging that if He gave her a son, she would “give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (v. 11 NKJV). And it happened. The Bible says, “It came to pass in the process of time that Hannah…bore a son” (v. 20 NKJV). The same thing happened to Ruth: “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth” (Matthew 1:5 NKJV). Ruth was a penniless widow when God introduced her to Boaz, the owner of the field in which she was gleaning. She was a Gentile and he was a Jew, and by law they were forbidden to marry. But God removed the barrier that stood in their way, and from their union came a little boy called Obed. He was a progenitor to King David, and eventually to our blessed Lord Jesus. God said, “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV). And in case you’re not sure of the answer, here it is: “Lord…You…made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You” (v. 17 NKJV). Today if you’re asking God for a child, stand on these Scriptures and believe Him: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass…Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:4-5, 7 NKJV).
Soul food: Titus 2:1-14; Gen 39:6-12; Prov 25:28
2020-02-22
2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV
Sixth, thank God in advance. Imagine standing on a mountaintop looking across a valley toward a mountain on the other side. A big battle is about to take place down below. On one mountain, three enemy nations are poised and waiting to devastate Israel. The Israelites are on your mountain, and their leader Jehoshaphat tells them, “Here’s God’s battle plan. All of those who sing in the choir, I want you out front.” So the army goes marching into battle with the choir on the front line singing praises to God. Did the plan work? Yes. The opposing armies got confused and ended up killing each other – and all God’s people had to do was divide up the plunder! Why did God do it this way? As a visual object lesson to teach us to praise Him in faith even before the victory takes place. When you pray, “Lord, I know I have problems, but I thank You in advance because there’s no situation You can’t take care of,” three things happen: (1) Your atmosphere changes. You no longer feel afraid because you have the assurance of God’s presence. (2) Your attitude changes. You begin to say, “Lord, this may be too big for me, but it’s not too big for You.” (3) Your approach changes. Instead of speaking words of doubt, you start speaking words of faith. And because your faith honors God, He honors your faith and the battle begins to turn in your favour. And here’s another important key to victory: Don’t just praise God for a while and then quit; keep praising Him until your breakthrough comes.
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2020-02-21
2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
Fifth, stand firm. Notice what God told Jehoshaphat: “Stand firm.” What does it mean to “stand firm” when you’re in a crisis? It’s a mental attitude of quiet confidence that says, “I’m going to trust God.” One pastor writes: “This is something I’m slowly learning; it’s never God’s will for me to run from a difficult situation. If I do, the situation will only follow and catch up with me a little further down the line. It may not look the same, but it will be the same. Why? Because God wants to teach me that He is sufficient for any problem. If we don’t learn this today, we may learn it next week. If we don’t learn it next week, we may learn it next year. But eventually we’ll learn it – and the sooner the better. We can save ourselves problems by standing firm and waiting on God in quiet confidence.” So what do we stand firm on? “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful” (v. 20 NIV). First, we need to stand firm on the character of God. God is faithful, and we can depend on Him. Second, we need to stand firm on the writings that He has given us through His prophets – in other words, the truth of the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word, and we need only rely in quiet confidence on His written promises. So the word for you today is: Stand firm on the unchanging character of God and the unchanging promises of His Word.
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
2020-02-20
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
Fourth, learn to relax in faith. Notice how God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer: “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Many of us wear ourselves out trying to fight God’s battles in our own strength. In the initial flush of becoming Christians, we’re eager to win the world to Jesus, and want to go out and singlehandedly bring about His kingdom. That’s because we don’t realize what’s involved. Then after we’ve worked hard under our own steam, reality sets in. We end up crawling back on our hands and knees, disappointed, because we think we’ve let God down. But He reassures us, “You didn’t let Me down, because you weren’t holding Me up.” The truth is, we don’t hold God up – He holds us up! We don’t have Him in our hands, He has us in His hands! And He’s telling us to relax in faith and let Him do the work through us. Paul wrote, “As you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6 NIV). In other words, remember how you first became a believer – by simple faith in the finished work of Christ – and continue to live by simple faith. You didn’t become a Christian by striving for perfection and doing good works. Good works have nothing to do with it! Salvation is a free gift. God doesn’t need us to micromanage things; He has everything under control, and He wants us to relax and let Him live through us. Bottom line: Victory in life is a gift from God! “Thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14 GWT).
Soul food: Ecc 1-4; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 33:1-12; Prov 5:7-14
2020-02-19
2 Chronicles 20:3 NKJV
Third, take your problems to the Lord. In the midst of his crisis, Jehoshaphat “set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast.” Prayer is often the last thing we think of. Why? Because we want to work our problems out on our own. A deacon approached the pastor one day and said, “Pastor, we’ve got a problem we can’t solve. We’ve tried everything and nothing works.” The pastor said, “Well, I guess all we can do is pray about it.” The deacon replied, “Pastor, has it really come to that?” When you’re facing life’s battles, prayer should be your first resort, not your last! And sometimes when the problem doesn’t yield to prayer alone, God leads you to add a second element: fasting. Ever tried it? Fasting isn’t something mystical and mysterious; it’s about focus! It’s saying: “Lord, I can do without food and other things, but I can’t solve this problem without You. So instead of eating, I’m going to spend time seeking Your face until I have an answer.” Cornelius, a Gentile, fasted and prayed for four days, asking God for direction. As a result, God sent Peter to his house to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and in the process changed the course of history (See Acts 10). In order to know whom to appoint to leadership positions, the New Testament church fasted, prayed, and asked God for guidance. And as a result, one of the most dynamic evangelistic teams of all time, Paul and Barnabas, was born (See Acts 13:2-3). When you get serious enough to fast and pray about your problem, God will show you the solution.
Soul food: Rom 15-16; Matt 15:15-28; Ps 28; Prov 5:3-6
2020-02-18
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV
Second, admit your own inadequacy. The only people God can’t help are those who don’t think they need His help. King Jehoshaphat said, “We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” Often our eyes are on everything and everyone – except God – the One who can solve our problems. Your circumstances are like a mattress: If you’re on top you can rest easy, but if you’re underneath you can suffocate. Keep your eyes on the Lord and you’ll win out over your circumstances. Remember, it’s “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV). You can’t live the Christian life in your own strength because you have a power shortage. You need the power that comes from letting God’s Spirit live through you. Try to imagine a glove. On its own, it is limp and powerless. But once a hand fills that glove it becomes useful and effective. Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8 NKJV). Jesus often spoke of the Holy Spirit as “the Helper,” so when you don’t know what to do, stand on His promise: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name…will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26 NKJV). If you fight in your own strength, you’ll lose. But when you draw on the power of God’s Spirit that’s within you, you’ll win.
Soul food: Rom 12-14; Matt 15:1-14; Ps 5; Prov 5:1-2
