2019-02-23
Romans 12:6 NIV
Insecure people often say yes, when in reality they’d like to say no. But people who succeed at being themselves don’t let others control them. They see themselves as God sees them; therefore they’re led by His Word instead of the fear of rejection. You can invest so much effort into trying to keep everybody happy that you end up losing yourself. Question: Do you feel like you can’t be everything everybody wants you to be? Do you want to say no, but the fear of displeasing others makes you keep acquiescing? And in the meantime the pressure is building inside you and you’re thinking, “I can’t do this anymore”? Don’t get angry with those who keep making more and more demands on you. You are responsible for ordering your own life. The buck stops with you! That requires a clear sense of your own worth, your calling, your direction, your goals, and your priorities. One Christian author writes: “For years I lived under the pressure of everybody’s expectations. I thought, ‘What if I let them down?’ I thought they were pressuring me, when in reality it was my own fears and insecurities weighing me down. ‘But,’ you say, ‘don’t you care what others think?’ What others think isn’t my problem, unless I make it my problem. Pleasing God and being what He wants is my first concern. If I try to be anybody else I’ll forfeit His blessing, because God can’t bless an imitation.” The solution is to work on becoming secure in who you are in Christ, and everything else will begin to fall into place.
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 53; Prov 6:9-11
2019-02-22
Proverbs 10:12 NKJV
When you hold on to resentment it feels like there’s a war going on inside you. You’re in a battle with yourself, as well as others. And the more you fight, the more ground you lose. Arguing just drains you of energy and leaves you more hurt and angry. You’re in a no-win situation. You struggle with who’s right and who’s wrong. You spend so much time trying to out-do, out-shout, and out-maneuver others that you lose your peace and joy. End the conflict now! Refuse to live this way another day. Don’t allow someone’s actions to determine your reactions. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV). Don’t become Satan’s next meal. Let the love and peace of God fill your mind so much that it overflows to others – including those who have upset you. Stop and think: Do you really want to be like the person who hurt you? What would Jesus do? You know! He’d turn the other cheek (See Matthew 5:39). “But,” you ask, “what about the wrong done to me?” What about it? It’s not for you to impose judgment. There’s only one qualified judge; let Him handle it (See James 4:12). Ask God to help you to release your anger, turn the other cheek, and forgive the one who has done you wrong. Pray this simple prayer: “Lord, I’m angry. Help me to let it go. I choose to be merciful. Thank You for giving me the grace to forgive the person who hurt me and to follow You. In Jesus’ name: Amen.”
Soul food: Exo 1-3; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 40:9-17; Prov 6:6-8
2019-02-21
Acts 3:6 NIV
The Bible says, “Peter said, ‘Look at us…Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong” (vv. 4-7 NIV). Peter did three things you must do if you want to help people: (1) Get their attention. Peter told this incapacitated man, “Look at us” (v. 4 NIV). Hurting people are often so distracted by their pain, their past experiences, and their future fears, that in order to get through to them you must first get their attention. Why? Because faith must be focused if it’s to be effective. (2) Introduce them to the name that’s greater than their problem. That name is “Jesus,” and it’s greater than every sickness and situation. Rehab centers confirm that a relatively small percentage of people stay free from their addiction. That’s the bad news. Now here’s the good news: The name of Jesus is stronger than every addiction! “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10). So introduce those who are hurting to Jesus! (3) Give them a hand up. As Peter pulled the man up, “immediately [his] feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7). Because he’d been in the same condition for thirty-eight years, he needed help to get up. And there are people around you who need help to get up too. They need someone to pull them out of their despair and get them to Jesus, and God can use you to be that someone.
Soul food: Gen 50; Hag 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Prov 6:1-5
2019-02-20
Numbers 13:33 NLT
Ten of Israel’s twelve spies returned from the Promised Land saying, “We…saw giants …we felt like grasshoppers.” The other two, Joshua and Caleb, saw the same giants but believed that with God’s help they could be conquered: “Let us go up at once and possess it…for we are well able” (v. 30 TLB). That’s the language of a winner! Understand this: God has a plan for your life, but you’ll never fulfill it until you come into agreement with His Word. “But I have so many problems. How could God use someone like me?” you ask. Paul said, “I don’t mean to say that I have already…reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me” (Philippians 3:12 NLT). When God uses imperfect people, it makes us realize that He alone is our source, our strength, our strategy, and the secret to our success. The Bible says, “The foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25 AMPC). You have a God-ordained destiny, and no excuse for not fulfilling it. You can’t use weakness as a defense, for God says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). You can’t use your past as an excuse, for God says, “Old things are passed away…all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). How God sees you isn’t the problem; it’s how you see yourself that keeps you from succeeding! So ask God to give you a new understanding of how He sees you – loved, righteous, blessed, and favored!
Soul food: Gen 47-49; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2019-02-19
Luke 17:17 NKJV
Let’s read how Jesus healed these ten lepers, and see what we can learn: (1) They seized the moment. “They lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'” (v. 13 NKJV). Desperate people pray desperate prayers. Who cares about propriety and outward appearances when you’re dying? These men realized that Jesus was “passing through” (See v. 11), and the worst thing that could happen was for Him to pass them by. So they seized the moment and cried out to Him. And you can do that too, because nobody can hear you like God (See Psalm 118:5). (2) They had to walk it out. Their healing wasn’t immediate; it was a step-by-step process. “And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14 NKJV). Often that’s the way it works. And it’s not just one step, but a commitment to plow through the obstacles and fears until you get to your miracle. But it’s worth the effort, and you appreciate your deliverance more when you have to walk it out day by day depending on God. (3) Only one out of the ten returned to give thanks. That’s why Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?” Were they too busy? Or too self-absorbed? Or just forgetful? Notice what Jesus said to the one who came back: “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (v. 19). Physical healing is often accomplished through medicine, but you become “whole” in body, mind, and soul by spending time worshiping the Lord and getting to know Him.
Soul food: Gen 47-49; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2019-02-18
Hebrews 13:2 NLT
One day Debby Gass was driving through Nevada when her sports car ran out of gas. A young woman, alone in a small car, on a desert highway with no one around – it had all the elements that cause us to be afraid. Soon a big tractor-trailer pulled up and a six-foot-tall driver got out and asked, “Can I help you, lady?” When she explained her predicament, he told her to lock her car and come with him to a service station a few miles up the interstate. What to do! The voice of God within Debby, a voice she’d learned to trust, whispered, “It’s okay. Go with him.” As they drove together the man told her he’d been in prison, met Christ, and his life had been radically changed. He showed her pictures of his wife and family. When they returned to her car he poured a can of gas into her tank, said goodbye, and left. Then it happened! Just as Debby turned her car around to leave – on a highway with a clear view for miles in either direction – the truck was nowhere to be seen. Just like that, a forty-ton tractor-trailer and its driver disappeared! The Bible says, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Debby is convinced God sent an angel to help her that day. What do you think? Many of us have similar stories, yet we don’t share them. Maybe it’s fear of criticism. Or maybe it’s not until later that we realize we had, in fact, been visited by an angel!
Soul food: Gen 44-46; Luke 10:38-42; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
