2020-04-07
Genesis 19:27 NKJV
Abraham had a special place where he met with God. So did Daniel, when his life was threatened: “In his upper room…he knelt…three times that day…and prayed and gave thanks before…God, as was his custom” (Daniel 6:10 NKJV). Jesus, too, had a special place: “Before daylight, He…departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35 NKJV). Here’s an idea: Establish a “God place” in your life. When problems and pressures threaten to overwhelm you, go to your God place. When you need guidance, go to your God place. Hymnist William Walford penned these time-honored words: “Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father’s throne make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief; and oft escaped the tempter’s snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!” In the words of Henry Ward Beecher: “Wherever you have seen God pass, mark that spot, and go sit in that window again.” Your God place can be anywhere, but it should be somewhere. After you’ve been there a while, a kind of aura will surround it. You’ll create memories of intimate times with God. It will become your sanctuary, which simply means “a place of refuge and safety.” David wrote, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Call it your God place, your secret place, your sanctuary, or whatever, but establish such a place in your life.
Soul food: Lev 5-7; Matt 27:27-32; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 9:18
2020-04-06
Psalm 113:9 NLT
Imagine the agony a single parent goes through when they are required by a court order to put their children on an airplane, alone, for an extended visitation with the other parent. Yes, it’s necessary and it’s fair, but it can be painful. One single mom described her feelings this way: “I stand in the terminal, and I watch the kids’ airplane disappear into the clouds. I feel an incredible sense of loss. The loneliness immediately starts to set in, I worry constantly about their safety, but I resist the urge to call every hour to see how they’re doing. And when they do call me to tell me how much fun they’re having, I grieve over the fact that they’re having a life completely separate from my own. My only consolation is knowing that they’re coming home soon. But I’m haunted by the fear that they won’t want to come home to me.” For the single parent who identifies with this hurting mother, there’s a way to get through the painful days of waiting. Instead of seeing this time alone as a period of isolation and deprivation, view it as an opportunity to recharge your batteries and reinvigorate your spirit. Spend time with friends. Read your Bible and pray. Return to a hobby you’ve set aside. Fill your day with things that are impossible amid the responsibility of child care, recognizing that your children will benefit when you do. They’ll return to a re-energized you, instead of one coming off weeks of depression. God says, “My grace is all you need.” Today draw on His grace.
Soul food: Lev 1-4; Matt 27:11-26; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17
2020-04-05
Mark 10:27 NKJV
When you label something as being “impossible,” three things happen: (1) By giving in to the fear of failure you kill your own faith and motivation. (2) You risk settling for less than God wants you to have. (3) By excluding God from the equation you cut yourself off from the greatest power in the universe. When oil prices went through the roof in the 1970’s, automobile makers were ordered to build more fuel-efficient cars. One manufacturer asked a group of senior engineers to drastically reduce the weight of cars they were designing. They worked on the problem and searched for solutions, but they finally concluded that making lighter cars couldn’t be done, would be too expensive, and would present too many safety concerns. What was the automakers’ solution? They gave the problem to a group of less experienced engineers, and the new group found ways to reduce the weight of the companies’ automobiles by hundreds of pounds. Why? Because they believed solving the problem was possible – and it was. Every time you remove the label of impossible from a task, and include God in it, you raise your potential from “average” to “off-the-charts.” George Bernard Shaw said, “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not?'” Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” In the natural world, you may not be able to accomplish it. But when you step into the realm of the supernatural, God adds His “super” to your “natural,” and what seems impossible becomes possible.
Soul food: Matt 21:1-16; Ps 118:19-29
2020-04-04
Psalm 31:12 NIV
When your mate breaks your marriage vows, it can break your heart. And after the initial shock wears off, your driving desire can be to hurt them in return. So what should you do instead? (1) Take time to process your emotions. A quick, “I forgive you,” or just sweeping things under the rug, will sabotage any hope of rebuilding a strong relationship. (2) If your mate is a habitual betrayer who wants to live as he or she pleases, God’s Word gives you the right to be set free from them. But don’t move too quickly. Ask yourself if work and family pressures may have caused you to neglect each other. Did you inadvertently open a door for the Enemy? These are hard questions – but they must be answered, because the decision you make is one you will live with for the rest of your life. You may not believe it right now, but God can make a good marriage out of a bad mess. Yes, it will take time – trust can only be rebuilt slowly. And that means: (a) Learning to be sensitive to one another. (b) Acknowledging that your mate may need detailed accountability, and you may have to go the extra mile to rebuild the trust that was lost. But it can happen. “The righteous cry out…the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18 NKJV). God can turn your situation around. If you’ll work with Him – He’ll work with you.
Soul food: 2 Thes 1-3; Matt 27:1-10; Ps 32; Prov 9:10-16
2020-04-03
Amos 3:3 NKJV
When it comes to forming relationships, read the fine print. Somewhere in the fine print of meeting, dating, and interacting with someone, it warned you, albeit ever-so-slightly, that they were going to be a certain way. The red flags were always there, even though they started out as a lovely shade of pink. You saw how quickly he got angry. You knew she was always late when you picked her up. He invariably went into a panic checking every line item on the restaurant bill. She never failed to flirt with the waiter – and anyone else who looked her way. You noticed, but you didn’t listen to the little voice inside of you. Poet Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time!” Before you order something, read the fine print to make sure you can afford the payments. Maybe the fine print became obvious when you saw how he interacted with his family – or didn’t! Maybe it was in the way his eyes lingered on every woman who walked by. Or in the phone calls she took out of earshot when you were around. Chances are you saw it, but you didn’t pay attention. You overlooked the temper tantrums, the possessiveness, the jealousy, and lack of integrity, thinking you could change them, or that they’d change for you. Now you know better. There’s a reason the Bible asks, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Yes, the God who gives “beauty for ashes” can change your partner’s heart (See Isaiah 61:3). But if you’re dating or considering a long-term relationship, pray about it and read the fine print.
Soul food: Est 5-10; Matt 26:65-75; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2020-04-02
1 Peter 1:6 NLT
In 1962, in a classic study called Cradles of Eminence, Victor and Mildred Goertzel investigated the family backgrounds of more than 400 highly successful people. They sought to identify the early experiences that may have contributed to their remarkable achievements in life. They included people like Einstein and many others who are famous and admired. Their backgrounds proved to be very interesting. Three-fourths of them came from troubled childhoods, enduring poverty, broken homes, or parental abuse. One-fourth of them had physical disabilities. Most of those who became well-known writers or playwrights watched their parents embroiled in one crisis after another. Here’s what the researches concluded: The need to compensate for disadvantages was a major factor in their drive toward personal achievement. These people had one thing in common – the overcoming attitude: “This is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1 John 5:4 NKJV). When you have faith in God and yourself, you can end up doing things that astound you. The problem that seems so formidable today, can become the very thing that launches you into greatness tomorrow. The Bible puts it this way: “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold…So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT).
Soulfood: Est 1-4; Matt 26:57-64; Ps 72:12-20; Prov 9:7-9
