2020-01-28
Proverbs 1:5 NIV
As you examine your mistakes, you realize it was your thinking at the time that caused them, and that’s why you need to keep challenging your own thinking. “Let the wise listen and add to their learning.” How do you do that? By learning to appreciate how others think and by continually exposing yourself to people who are different from you. You will think like the people you spend the most time with. When you spend time with people who think outside the box, you’re more likely to break new ground. Let’s face it, any time we find a way of thinking that works, our greatest temptation is to rely on it repeatedly – even if it doesn’t work in new situations. When your goal is to protect the success you already enjoy, you put the brakes on the process that can lead you to even greater success. Holding on to a good tradition is a good thing. But you need to remember that every tradition was originally a good idea, perhaps even a revolutionary idea, but every tradition may not be a good idea for the future. When you cling to what’s already in place, you resist change – even change for the better. That’s why it’s important to challenge your own thinking. If you’re too attached to how things are done now, nothing will change for the better. Dr. John Maxwell writes: “In your early years you won’t be as wrong as people think you are. In your later years you won’t be as right as people think you are. And all through the years you will be better than you thought you could be.”
Soul food: Isa 12-16; Matt 10:21-31; Ps 104:24-35; Prov 3:11-12
2020-01-27
Genesis 16:9 NIV
The Bible says: “Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found Hagar…in the desert…And he said, ‘Hagar…where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered. Then the angel…told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count'” (vv. 6-10 NIV). Hagar obeyed, and when her son Ishmael was born, God said, “I have heard you: I will surely bless him…make him fruitful and…greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 17:20 NIV). Most of us don’t relish the idea of submitting [acquiescing, deferring to, surrendering], and God sent Hagar back to a hard place that day. But when she obeyed, He blessed her. Note the question the angel asked her, because it may be one God’s asking you as well: “Where have you come from, and where are you going?” If He is, stop and consider your answer. God, who knows the end from the beginning and who brings good things out of bad, has your best interests at heart. Even though it’s hard to do, if you’ll obey Him, He will bless you. He’ll give you grace to endure and strength for the struggle, and do things in your life that can’t be accomplished any other way. By trying to escape your present situation, you may be running from the lesson God wants to teach you and the rewards that lie beyond it. So the word for you today is: “Go back, and submit.”
Soul food: Isa 8-11; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 104:1-23; Prov 3:9-10
2020-01-26
Philippians 1:23 NIV
When death takes someone you love. Satan will try to torment you with remorseful thoughts of what you did and didn’t do for your loved one while they were still here. Don’t listen to him! The Bible calls him “the accuser” (See Revelation 12:10). Instead, rejoice that your loved one was in right standing with you and with the Lord, and that you’ll be reunited in heaven for all eternity. Give yourself permission to grieve, and when the grieving period ends, stand on God’s Word: “Brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NLT). “Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43 NLT). “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And… I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3 NKJV). Paul writes, “To depart and…be with Christ…is better by far.” Lean on these words of Scripture today and find comfort.
Soul food: Luke 10:25-37; Eph 4:31-32; Gen 50:15-21
2020-01-25
Psalm 34:18 NLT
When someone has broken your heart. When somebody you love breaks your heart and betrays your trust, you’re in a vulnerable place. And the Enemy will use the experience to get you to do four things that will hurt you even more, derail you spiritually, and rob you of God’s blessing: (1) Isolate yourself, alienate and avoid others. (2) Lose your sense of trust, and suspect the motives of everyone you meet. (3) Cause a root of bitterness to spring up that will impact your relationship with your family and those in your circle of influence (See Hebrews 12:15). (4) Make you strike back and get even, rendering evil for evil (See 1 Thessalonians 5:15). Don’t do it! Instead, stand on God’s Word: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” “I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing” (Jeremiah 31:13 NLT). “The Spirit of the Lord…has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor…heal the brokenhearted…proclaim liberty to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NLT). Has someone done you wrong? Forgive them – and keep on forgiving them until you’re free in your mind. It’s a daily walk that sometimes feels like three steps forward and two back. But if you keep your eyes on Jesus – you’ll get there.
Soul food: Isa 4-7; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 100; Prov 3:7-8
2020-01-24
1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT
When you violate your marriage vows. You violate God’s Word, break your spouse’s heart, embarrass the cause of Christ, live with the fear of exposure, and trade short-term pleasure for long-term pain. So before you get involved, seek God’s help, and stand on His Word. “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another…God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery” (Hebrews 13:4 NLT). “Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires” (Colossians 3:5 NLT). “Don’t participate in…promiscuity and immoral living…Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires” (Romans 13:13-14 NLT). “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does…Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NLT). “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT). If you’re toying with the idea of having an affair, or you’re already in one, or you’re trying to get out of one, stand on the Word of God today and believe Him for victory.
Soul food: Isa 1-3; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 96; Prov 3:5-6
2020-01-23
1 Corinthians 9:25 NRS
When you are trying to lose weight. Studies confirm that today over half the population of the western world is overweight. If you are one of the many people battling a weight problem, and the repeated cycles of failure that often accompany it, here’s the good news: God can help you win the battle! Often it’s not about what you are eating, it’s about what’s eating you. We overeat to find comfort and relief from stress and anxiety, but it’s a short-term fix and it doesn’t work. The psalmist went directly to the root of his problem: “Search me…and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). God can relieve the “anxious thoughts” within you. The Holy Spirit is the greatest therapist in the world. When you surrender and ask Him to take up residence within you, you discover that “the fruit of the spirit is…self control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). He can give you the power to control your appetite, and start living by the Scripture: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT). So make this your prayer today: “O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone” (Jeremiah 17:14 NLT). The word for you today is – with God’s help you can lose weight, and keep it off for good.
Soul food: Exo 39-40; Matt 9:14-26; Ps 91; Prov 3:3-4
