2019-10-25
Psalm 103:13 TLB
To see God as your loving Father may not come easily if you carry the scars of an abusive childhood. So many needs that went unmet in your childhood – affection, security, trust, comfort, nurture, and material requirements – can make it hard to believe that God will provide for your needs now. So what to do? Recognize that your internalized father-image is flawed and in no way fits your heavenly Father. Even the best father is a blurred carbon copy of your heavenly Father. God wants you to see Him as a caring, sensitive, generous, dependable Father. That’s why Jesus taught us to call Him “Our Father,” not just “Almighty God and Lord.” It’s also why He called God “your father” and not just “My father.” Like a good father, God has anticipated your every need and provided for it (See Matthew 6:25-34). Just as good parents understand the individual characteristics of their children, your heavenly Father knows your unique needs, thoughts, and feelings. “As parents feel for their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out” (Psalm 103:13-14 MSG). His care for you is tailor-made to fit your specific requirements and limitations. And just as a good earthly father accepts and fulfills his responsibility to provide for his children, your heavenly Father holds Himself responsible for meeting your needs, and He wants you to act accordingly by trusting Him. In other words, your role is to act like the child of a trustworthy, generous, permanently loving Father.
Soul food: Ezra 9-10; John 7:1-13; Ps 104:1-18; Prov 24:26-27
2019-10-24
John 8:27 NKJV
Religious people in Jesus’ day found the concept of God’s fatherhood hard to grasp. Lord, king, judge, they understood – not Father. Their Old Testament scriptures barely spoke half a dozen times of God as Father, whereas the New Testament mentions it hundreds of times. Jesus Himself said, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27 NIV). The truth is, until Jesus revealed the Father, God remained a mystery to them. And many of us still don’t comprehend His fatherhood and the rich blessings we have in Him. Father, God’s all-inclusive name, incorporates everything you’ll ever need and discloses exactly how He feels about you. He exemplifies every trait of the best father imaginable. Whatever a loving father would do for his needy child, your heavenly Father will do for you – and then some. Once we recognize God as our Father, our fears dissolve as we start to realize that all our needs will be met. Jesus said, “It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NLT). It makes God happy to give you the resources of His kingdom. Why? Because He loves you as much as He loves Jesus! In John 17:23, Jesus prayed you’d know with confidence that your heavenly Father loves you “in the same way [he has] loved me” (MSG). So treat God as your Father, and start acting like His child and enjoying the benefits of family membership (See Ephesians 2:19).
Soul food: Ezra 6-8; John 6:52-71; Ps 114; Prov 24:23-25
2019-10-23
2 Chronicles 20:21 NKJV
Worship is a powerful weapon, one that can turn the battle in your favour. When King Jehoshaphat faced the combined might of three different armies, he knew he was no match for them. So he turned to God, saying, “We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (v. 12 NKJV). Here’s how God answered him: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (v. 15 NKJV). Then God gave him an amazing strategy for victory. He told him to put a choir in front of his army and go into battle singing the praises of God. Can you imagine trying to explain that at West Point or Sandhurst? They’d send you to a psychiatrist. But Jehoshaphat did it: “He appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army.” And if that blows your mind, read this: “When they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated” (v. 22 NKJV). Instead of attacking Judah, the three armies attacked one another. Israel never fired a shot, never took a casualty, and it took them three days to gather the spoils. So when you’re in a battle you can’t win, begin to praise God and the forces of heaven will come to your aid.
Soul food: Ezra 3-5; John 6:35-51; Ps 127; Prov 24:19-22
2019-10-22
Matthew 6:31-32 NLT
If God lives within you, shouldn’t it be obvious? How can you say you trust Him and then worry obsessively about your health, your kids, your job, and your finances? Concern is one thing, but worry is an affront to the God who has never let you down. Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Pray or worry – those are your options. Why did Jesus say, “Take no thought for tomorrow”? (See Matthew 6:34). Because when you take thought you try to take control. And when that happens peace goes out the window! Worry is like a snowball; it starts small, and as you keep rolling it forward it becomes big enough to bury you. All that’s necessary to keep a stationary train from moving forward are two six-inch blocks of wood, but once it builds up a head of steam it will crash through a six-foot-thick wall. So stop the worry train before it leaves the station! God says, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). God will give you only what you need for today; that way you have to keep trusting Him for tomorrow. The Bible tells us Jesus is the Good Shepherd who “calls his own sheep by name and…walks ahead of them” (John 10:3-4 NLT). How wonderful. He’s already gone ahead of you to arrange everything. Knowing that should help you face tomorrow, confident that God will take care of you.
Soul food: Ezra 1-2; John 6:25-34; Ps 98; Prov 24:15-18
2019-10-21
Genesis 15:14 NIV
When the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, God transferred the wealth from one nation of people to another. And He did it overnight. That’s because His people were called to fulfill His purposes in the earth. After 400 years (ten generations) of making bricks, polishing brass, and sweeping floors, God said in essence, “It’s payday! All that stuff you’ve been scrubbing and shining is going to be yours.” The greater the affliction, the greater the abundance! Let’s be clear, the Bible teaches that money isn’t offensive to God; the misuse of it is! One pastor says: “Money speaks. It says to land, ‘I can own you.’ It says to buildings, ‘I can build you.’ It says to vision, “I can fulfill you.’ It says to a missionary, ‘I can support you.’ It says to poverty, ‘I can feed you.’ And it says to opportunity, ‘I can accept you.'” Why did Pharaoh pursue the Israelites? To get back the wealth of Egypt. Stop and think about that! The Devil doesn’t care who gets the money, as long as it doesn’t go to God’s people or fulfill His purposes. Satan dreads the thought of a generation of prosperous believers committed to reaching the world with the gospel. And he will keep us enslaved to ignorance if he can. “But I’m not a slave,” you say. How about slavery to debt, or hopelessness, or fear, or old habits? God wants to set you free from anything that keeps you from fulfilling His will. Once you realize that, you’ll start to pray in earnest and believe God for the resources to do it!
Soul food: Zeph 1-3; John 6:1-24; Ps 85; Prov 24:11-14
2019-10-20
Proverbs 18:24 NIV
To fulfill God’s plan for your life, you need relationships with the right people, those who stick by you come what may. Remember Jonathan, who loved David even at the cost of his own life? And Ruth, who loved her mother-in-law Naomi and gave her a reason to live again? God can introduce you to such people and help you build a relationship with them. Think about it: He wouldn’t say, “It is not good that man should be alone,” then ask you to live in isolation (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). Sometimes when you’re by yourself, you’re in the worst possible company! But you may need to be healed within before you can build healthy relationships and make healthy choices. That means learning to differentiate between “using” relationships and “heart ties.” Blood ties don’t wear as well as heart ties. Allow God to work on you and when you’re ready, He will facilitate the necessary introductions. In the meantime get to know Him better because He’s the source of true self-esteem. If your last relationship stripped you of self-worth and drained you spiritually, use this time to get back on your feet. You may never have this opportunity again! Begin to love like God loves. He sees our imperfections, handles our rejection, and loves us regardless. Knowing that will help you not to discard a good person because they did a bad thing. Would you throw your car away because of a faulty part? If God forgave you the way you forgive others, could you stand? (See Psalm 130:3). Ask Him today to show you how to build healthy, fulfilling relationships. He will do it!
Soul food: Exo 20:1-17; Matt 5:1-12
