2018-12-31
2 Chronicles 29:5 NKJV
In Scotland they have a New Year’s tradition that involves cleaning out your house, dumping the old ashes from your fireplace, and paying off your outstanding debts. It’s about clearing out the old to make room for the new. And from time to time you must clean your spiritual house too. The Bible says, “Carry out the rubbish.” Why? Because over time wrong attitudes, shoddy workmanship, and bad habits creep in and blind us to what’s important. Sheila Coleman says: “Ten years ago I cleaned house from top to bottom. I dusted every nook and cranny…scrubbed the bath and every sink until they shone. I even took a toothbrush to the grout in the kitchen. That house had never been so clean. And today – ten years later…it’s still clean. I’ve never had to pick up another duster…vacuum…or wash the kitchen counter…and my house looks as clean as it did that day, right? WRONG! We continually need spiritual housecleaning because we live in a dirty world. Just as our homes…cars and clothes have to be maintained…our hearts – our spiritual homes – need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Not once a week or once a month, and certainly not once every ten years, or once in a lifetime. We need to let God have His way in us every day, to clean us up and renew us…Is there a room in your ‘house’ you haven’t allowed Him to clean? If it’s been a while since God did a thorough heart-cleaning, make this your prayer: Lord, clean my heart so You can live and shine through me.”
Soul food: Job 39-42; Luke 2:51-52; Ps 139:13-24; Ecc 11:7-10
2018-12-30
Judges 6:25 NLT
When the angel of the Lord called Gideon, he was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress, trying to hide the grain from the Midianites (See v. 11). That’s interesting, because God was about to use him to destroy the forces of Midian and liberate Israel. But before he could do so, there were a few family dynamics to be dealt with – like the altar his father built to a false god called Baal. It had been in the family for years. So God said, “Pull down your father’s altar to Baal…Then build an altar to the Lord your God” (vv. 25-26 NLT). Understand this: Things like anger, addiction, abuse, and affairs may be part of your family history, but they don’t have to be part of your future. Not only will God heal your heart and hurts, He will use you to heal the hearts and hurts of your children. The generational garbage can stop here and now. You don’t have to give your kids what your ancestors gave you. Bring it out into the open and lay it before the Lord. Revealing leads to healing. And if having a mature Christian counselor helps, get one! “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2 NLT). No, it won’t happen overnight. Damage done to you in the formative years of your life will take time to heal, and God will work with you day by day until He has made you whole. But let the healing begin. Rise up in faith, take control of your life, and declare: “It ends with me, and it ends here and now.”
Soul food: Matt 6:5-15; Dan 6:1-16; James 5:13-18; 1 Thes 5:16-18
2018-12-28
Proverbs 29:1 NIV
Years ago civil engineers examined a dam in Pennsylvania that controlled the waters of several rivers which flowed down toward a valley where there was a town. Concerned by what they saw, they told the town officials, “The dam is unsafe and you are in great danger. You need to relocate.” The officials said, “We’ve heard it all before. The dam is all right.” A year later the engineers visited the dam and again came back saying, “We are warning you; you are in danger every hour.” By this time the engineers’ report had spread to the townsfolk, and they laughed it off, saying, “They’re just trying to scare us.” A few months later the engineers issued the same warning, and again it was dismissed. Fifteen days later a boy on a horse rode through the valley shouting, “Run for your lives! The dam has broken and the water is coming.” But the people laughed at him, certain he was trying to scare them. Suddenly a wall of dirty water struck, and in less than thirty minutes Johnstown was in ruins. More than 3,700 people died that day. Question: Has God been warning you about certain things in your life: relationships, habits, attitudes? If so, here are two Scriptures you’d do well to consider carefully: “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15 NIV). “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed – without remedy.” The word for you today is: Listen, and be willing to take advice.
Soul food: Job 32-35; Luke 2:21-33; Ps 97; Ecc 10:15-11:3
2018-12-27
2 Chronicles 26:5 NIV
Someone has said, “Before you try to climb the ladder of success, make sure it’s leaning against the right wall.” Now let’s be clear. When your intention is to do God’s will and honor Him, He promises success. It’s a mistake to associate all wealth with carnality and brand it as “worldly.” Prosperous, committed Christians in every generation have been instrumental in taking the gospel to the world and establishing God’s kingdom. Read these two promises. The first seems male-oriented: “Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 112:3 NKJV). The second seems female-oriented: “Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:16 NKJV). Some of us have a false concept of success. The story’s told of three men talking about what success would be for them. One said, “Being invited to the White House for a personal meeting with the president would be success.” The second said, “To me success would be meeting with the president in the Oval Office, having the hot line ring during our talk, and watching the president ignore it.” The third guy said, “To me success would be meeting with the president in the Oval Office, the hot line rings and he picks it up and says, ‘It’s for you.'” If you go to Amazon.com, you’ll find over twenty-five hundred books on how to be successful. But you only need one book: God’s Word. Here’s what it says: “As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” Want to be successful? Consult the Lord.
Soul food: Job 29-31; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 117; Ecc 10:15-19
2018-12-26
Luke 1:41 NLT
Here’s an interesting chapter in the Christmas story – one that teaches us about “spirit friends.” The Bible says: “A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea… She entered into the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth… exclaimed to Mary, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed…Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home” (vv. 39-42, 56 NLT). Besides being cousins, Mary and Elizabeth were “spirit friends.” They didn’t just connect socially, they connected spiritually at a deeper level. That’s why Mary “hurried” to see Elizabeth, and why she spent three months with her. It’s also why Elizabeth confirmed the miraculous purposes of God that were being fulfilled in Mary’s life, and commended her for her obedience. When God introduces you to someone who has been touched by His Spirit and carries within them a vision that’s conceived by the Holy Spirit, reach out to them, treasure them, and build a relationship with them. The connection between these two women didn’t take place because they were part of the same family. The truth is, sometimes our families are the first to criticize us and the last to understand us. Notice, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn child within her leaped in her womb. How do you recognize a “spirit friend”? When they speak, something within you will resonate. That’s because you are both filled with the same Holy Spirit and empowered to do God’s will.
Soul food: Job 24-28; John 1:6-18; Ps 113; Ecc 10:10-14
2018-12-25
Luke 1:34 NLT
The Bible says, “Mary asked the angel, ‘But how can this happen? I am a virgin.’ The angel replied, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you'” (vv. 34-35 NLT). Has God been telling you things He wants to do through you, but you’re looking at yourself and thinking, “How can this happen?” You’re saying, “I don’t have the training, the resources, the skill, or the connections. And I certainly don’t have the strength to accomplish it alone.” If you’re wondering how God will bring it all to pass, remember that He will accomplish it! No one else will get the credit. How will it happen? “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (v. 35 NLT). The Holy Spirit can impregnate you with a vision, inspire you with creative ideas, introduce you to the right people, and empower you to do the job. God had a unique plan for Mary, and He has one for you too. You aren’t privileged to see the future and you don’t know all that God has in store for you. But He has a plan. After the angel spoke to Mary, notice what she said: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (v. 38). Not according to your social status, or your job résumé, or your finances, or what you deserve. No, “Be it unto me according to thy word!” Was that easy to say or believe? No, she was taking an extreme risk. To be pregnant and unmarried brought dire consequences in those days. Yet she gave herself willingly to God – and the results were miraculous. And God can do the same for you.
Soul food: Isa 7:14; Luke 2:1-7; Mic 5:2-5a; Isa 9:6-7
