2019-01-06
Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
The story’s told about a little boy who was afraid of the dark. One night his mother asked him to go out on the back porch and get the mop, but he didn’t want to go because he was afraid. She said, “Haven’t I always told you there’s nothing to be afraid of in the darkness?” He said, “Yes, Mom, but please don’t make me go out and get that mop.” She replied, “Son, don’t you know that Jesus is always with you? Don’t you know that you are never alone? Don’t you know that you have nothing to be afraid of?” He replied, “Yes, Mom.” So she said, “All right, go out and get the mop.” He opened the back door about two inches, stuck his hand out, and whimpered, “Jesus, would You please hand me that mop?” When you attempt something you’ve never done before, it’s normal to feel afraid. When you’re asked to do a job for which you feel unqualified, it’s normal to feel afraid. When you attempt something you’ve failed at previously, it’s normal to feel afraid. But it’s in doing the thing you fear to do that you grow, and your confidence in God grows. Today God is saying to you: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” God stays with you wherever you go. That should motivate you to go anywhere He tells you to go. The truth is that when God says go, He’s not sending you somewhere, He’s taking you somewhere.
Soul food: 2 Chr 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luke 18:1-8
2019-01-05
Psalm 119:2 NIV
The Bible says, “Love the Lord…with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). “You will…find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). Do you love the Lord with all your heart? Are you trusting Him with all your heart? Are you seeking Him with all your heart? Only the burning effect of a vision will keep you from losing your way, or getting swallowed up by temporal things that make no difference in the light of eternity. Consider the birthing table; it’s designed to hold the mother in position in spite of pain and discomfort. The question is: Can you maintain a position of faith even when it means being exposed to pain and pressure? That’s what consistent prayer and Bible reading do; they hold you in place when you’d otherwise be tempted to give up, or step out of the will of God. Maybe you’re thinking if you don’t risk again you can’t be hurt again. But that also means you can’t be fruitful again! God told Eve, “In pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband” (Genesis 3:16 NKJV). Notice, at the end of the labor and pain God said He would renew the relationship between the woman and the man by restoring her desire. The point is this: There’s no cure for past pain like present desire. So whether you’re exhausted by your victories or discouraged by your defeats, allow God to draw you back to Himself. Let Him rekindle within you a desire to be all He wants you to be.
Soul food: Isa 12-16; Luke 1:39-56; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
2019-01-04
Genesis 45:11 NKJV
The dream God gave Joseph was not about feeling good because he was now the number two guy in Egypt, but about positioning him to feed his family and the world in time of famine. Don’t miss the point here. When God gives you a dream, it will bless you – and others. The Bible says, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). God’s plan is not to make you an icon, but an instrument to fulfill His will. From Joseph’s family would come the Redeemer of the world, but his family was being threatened with extinction. So God put a plan in place which involved Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dream and being elevated to the throne so that His plan could be accomplished. And here’s another thought. Joseph’s story proves that a God-given dream will change your attitude toward others, including those who mistreat you. It will make you more gracious, loving, and forgiving. Remembering how they betrayed him, Joseph’s brothers trembled as they stood before him realizing he held their fate in his hands. But he refused to retaliate, or even utter a word about what they’d done. Listen to what he told them: “I will provide for you.” Instead of revenge, he wanted the relationship restored. He looked beyond their actions and saw God at work in all He’d been through. “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day” (Genesis 50:20 NKJV). How you treat others, especially when you’re in a position of strength, determines how God will treat you.
Soul food: Isa 8-11; Luke 1:26-38; Ps 10:1-11; Prov 1:10-16
2019-01-03
Genesis 37:5 NKJV
The story of Joseph teaches that success can cause others to mistreat you. Not everyone will celebrate your success, including some of those closest to you. When Jesus’ fame began to spread, the first people to reject Him were from the town He grew up in. It caused Him to say, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country” (Matthew 13:57 NKJV). The Bible says of Joseph, “His brothers envied him” (Genesis 37:11 NKJV). There it is – envy! When God blesses you, those who feel left out may target you. Some may feel more worthy and deserving, and that your blessing came at their expense. That’s how Cain felt when he murdered his brother Abel. That’s how King Saul felt when David killed Goliath and the people sang, “Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 29:5 GNT). Shortly afterwards Saul started throwing spears at David. And the spear never left his hand until it plunged into his own heart. That’s because envy is like a boomerang; it comes back to hurt the one who throws it. When their father threw a party to celebrate the homecoming of his prodigal son, the older brother said, “These many years I have served you…yet you never gave me a…feast” (See Luke 15:29 AMPC). He made three mistakes we often make: (a) He compared himself to his brother. (b) He exposed his brother’s sins and shortcomings. (c) He failed to appreciate the extent of his father’s love for him and the blessings he had bestowed on him. So learn from his mistakes.
Soul food: Isa 4-7; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 90:7-17; Prov 1:5-9
2019-01-02
Genesis 37:9 NKJV
If you’ve already fulfilled the dream God gave you, ask Him for another one. A bigger one. The Bible says, “Joseph dreamed another dream.” And the second was bigger than the first. In the first dream he saw sheaves of wheat on the ground bowing down to him, but in the second dream he saw stars in the heavens bowing down to him. Ask God to lift your sights and cause you to aim higher. But a note of caution: Before God will give you another dream, He will watch to see what you do with the one He gave you. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). Great endings usually start with humble beginnings. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6 NKJV). If your dream is to prosper financially, it’s in harmony with God’s promises (See Deuteronomy 8:18; Isaiah 48:17; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 3 John v. 2). But there are three scriptural conditions you must meet in order for your dream to be fulfilled: (1) You must be willing to honor God with your present income (See Malachi 3:8-10). (2) You must be willing to share what you have and meet the needs of others (See Proverbs 11:25). (3) You must practice fiscal discipline rather than squandering what God gives you on reckless spending and impulse buying (See Proverbs 21:20). When you meet His conditions, God promises to bless you and fulfill the dream He has given you for your life.
Soul food: Isa 1-3; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 90:1-6; Prov 1:1-4
2019-01-01
Genesis 42:9 NKJV
The dream God gave Joseph sustained him through experiences that would crush many of us. He was resented by his family, repeatedly tempted by his boss’s wife, then thrown into prison for thirteen years for a crime he never committed. Yet at his lowest points God was with him, arranging each step he took and positioning him to fulfill his calling as the deliverer of his people. The psalmist talks about the strange way in which God led Joseph: “Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them – Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (Psalm 105:17-19 NLT). Your gender does not limit God, and your age is no problem to Him. Society may glamorize youth and marginalize old age, but your season of life doesn’t limit God. But in order to have confidence that God will fulfill your dream, you must know that it was born of His Spirit: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8 NKJV). Your dream cannot be born out of your unmet ego needs, or a selfish desire to have the same level of success as someone else, or your need to “prove” something to someone like your ex, or your family, or your boss, or your peers, etc. Check the source of your dream, because when God is the source, He will provide all the resources necessary to fulfill it. Do you have a dream? No? Ask God to give you one!
Soul food: Rom 13:12-14:19; John 1:1-14
