2019-02-11
Numbers 14:24 NIV
If Caleb was alive today there’s a good chance he’d qualify for “Person of the Year,” someone who has done the most to influence circumstances for the better. Here’s his story in his own words: “I was forty years old when Moses…sent me…to explore the land… I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed…God wholeheartedly…that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance’…So here I am today, eighty-five years old…as strong…as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me…Then Joshua blessed Caleb…and gave him Hebron as his inheritance…because he followed the Lord…wholeheartedly” (Joshua 14:7-14 NIV). You can learn valuable lessons from a man like Caleb. His life can be summed up in four sentences: (1) He had “a different spirit” from those around him. He was positive, a glass-half-full kind of person. (2) He believed that with God’s help every giant that stands in your way can be conquered, even when others say they can’t. (3) He had a vision that neither age nor circumstances could diminish. And he was willing to wait and work for it even though it took forty-five years to fulfill. (4) In old age he remained young at heart and totally committed to God. So ask God to give you the spirit of Caleb.
Soul food: Gen 30:25-31:55; Luke 9:37-45; Ps 145:1-13; Prov 4:20-22
2019-02-10
Psalm 75:7 NLT
If you don’t find your significance and self-worth in your relationship with God, you’ll be tempted to spend your life trying to promote yourself. And that will make you insecure – and dangerous. Why? Because when others get promoted ahead of you, you’ll become resentful; you may even try to tear them down. In God’s kingdom you don’t achieve success on your own, you receive it from God. “God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (KJV). While David’s brothers were striving to be Israel’s next king and “get the nod” from the prophet Samuel, David just kept tending his sheep and doing the job God gave him. Let others compete and compare! Just stay faithful in what God has given you to do – and when the time is right He’ll come and get you! Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Note the word “easy.” When you try to promote yourself, you have to sweat, strain, and struggle, but when you trust God and do things His way, it comes “easy.” That doesn’t mean you won’t have to work hard or sacrifice in order to succeed. It just means you won’t have to strive to get it, or keep it. Why? Because when God sets “before you an open door” (Revelation 3:8 NIV), He’s the only one who can shut it. And He won’t do that unless, like King Saul, you’re rebellious, resentful, or refuse to repent. Knowing God is in control takes the strain out of serving Him. When you think about it – it’s the only way to live.
Soul food: Gen 28:1-30:24; Luke 9:28-36; Ps 141; Prov 4:18-19
2019-02-09
Acts 8:35 CEV
In Acts chapter eight we read the story of a high-profile leader who was won to Christ. This man held a position similar to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain and the Secretary of the Treasury in the United States. And he was led to Christ by a low-profile person called Philip, a church deacon (See vv. 26-40). Let’s look at how it happened and see what we can learn: (1) Philip was ready. When this man needed someone to explain the gospel to him, Philip was ready to do it. Could you have done that? When God has a job that needs to be done, could He call on you? Would you be prepared? And willing? “If anybody asks you why you believe as you do…tell him” (1 Peter 3:15 TLB). (2) Philip was wise. He didn’t barge in and start preaching, or put this man on the spot by asking “gotcha” questions. Note two things about Philip: (a) He was led by God’s spirit (See Acts 8:29 CEV). (b) He recognized the right moment (See v. 35 CEV). Good soul-winners are sensitive and strategic. (3) Philip was clear. Instead of a vague dialogue about religion, he spoke directly about Jesus. That’s what people need – a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! They need to know He’s alive, and that He loves them. That He’s powerful enough to run the universe, yet personal enough to forgive their sins, break their habits, and resolve their doubts. Your job is to extend the invitation, and let Jesus do the rest. Do you need a soul-winning strategy? Try this one – it works!
Soul food: Isa 53:1-12; Acts 8:26-40
2019-02-08
Romans 8:6 NIV
Once you give in to “stinking thinking,” your mood dips, you lose energy, God seems distant, prayer seems pointless, sin looks tempting, and your outlook in life becomes bleak. When that happens you become so focused on how you feel, you don’t realize it’s your thinking that’s causing you to feel that way. It happens to the best of us. Look at Elijah the prophet. The high point in his career was when he called down fire from heaven and defeated the prophets of Baal. It was a Super Bowl-sized victory! Then word came from Queen Jezebel: “You killed my prophets. Well, guess what? Now I’m going to kill you” (See 1 Kings 19). As a result Elijah plunged headlong into fear. He felt worthless: “I am no better than my ancestors” (v. 4 NIV). Hopeless: “[He] ran for his life” (v. 3 NIV). Isolated: “I am the only one left” (v. 10 NIV). Unable to cope: “I have had enough” (v. 4 NIV). He wanted to die: “Take my life” (v. 4 NIV). So how did God respond to Elijah? In four simple ways: (1) He helped him to start eating right and get proper rest. (2) He spoke to him in “a still small voice” (v. 12 NKJV), reassuring him and giving him courage. (3) He assured Elijah that he was not alone: “I have…seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (v. 18 NKJV). (4) He gave him another mission to fulfill. There will always be a “Jezebel” threatening to undo your best efforts and bring you down. The key is learning to control your thinking!
Soul food: Gen 25:19-27:46; Luke 9:18-27;Ps 138; Prov 4:14-17
2019-02-07
Romans 12:2 NLT
If a skunk gets into the crawl space under your house, opening the windows and using air freshener won’t solve your problem! There are people who actually specialize in dealing with skunks. They’re called “skunk whisperers,” and it’s not cheap to have them come to your home. But it’s worth it to get rid of the problem. How does all this relate to your thinking? Simply this: Your feelings are the odors and your thoughts are the skunk! To change your feelings, you must go to the source and deal with the thing that produced them – how you think. Thoughts produce feelings, not the other way around. Worried people tend to think anxious thoughts, and eventually those thoughts become so automatic that, like a lingering skunk odor, you stop noticing and learn to live with it. You get used to “stinking thinking!” Your thought patterns become as habitual as brushing your teeth. You get so accustomed to thinking bitter, anxious, selfish thoughts that you stop paying attention. If you want to change the quality of your life, you must change the way you think. The psalmist prayed, “Test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23 NIV). God will help you become aware of what’s going on in your mind from one moment to the next. He’ll direct you to the place where the skunk lives and help you deal with it. Not only will He show you how to remove wrong thoughts, but how to replace them with the right ones by setting your mind on “what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5 NIV).
Soul food: Gen 20-23; Luke 8:40-56; Ps 125; Prov 4:3-4
2019-02-06
Romans 8:5 NIV
To become the person God wants you to be, you must “set your mind” on the right things. You say, “If only my circumstances were different.” Your circumstances don’t determine the quality of your life; how you think about them does. Poet Frederick Langbridge wrote, “Two men looked out through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw the stars.” Both men were in identical circumstances, but their perspectives were entirely different. One looked for beauty and found it; the other focused on ugliness and found it. It works like this: Your circumstances in life produce certain emotions. So how do you change your emotional response when you feel powerless over people and circumstances? By changing how you think about them! True change always begins in your mind. The Bible says, “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). The way you think inevitably reflects the way you live. So to become the best version of yourself, the person God wants you to be – think great thoughts! People who live great lives are people who habitually think great thoughts. You say, “But I can’t help thinking the way I do.” Then “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2 NLT). God’s Word will help you to think with faith instead of fear, assurance instead of anxiety, and joy instead of negativity. Once you “set your mind on what the Spirit desires,” your life will begin to change for the better.
Soul food: Gen 17-19; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 67; Prov 4:1-2
