2026-01-02
Joshua 1:8 NKJV
God gave Joshua a big job: conquer the Promised Land and divide it up among the twelve tribes of Israel. He also gave him the key to success: ‘This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.’ God didn’t command Joshua to seek a spiritual experience or a personal revelation. He told him to meditate on the Scriptures.
Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson wrote a book called Move. They wanted to find the key factors for spiritual growth, so they surveyed the congregations of one thousand churches. Here’s what they found: ‘Nothing has a greater impact on spiritual growth than reflection on Scripture. If churches could only do one thing to help people at all levels of spiritual maturity grow in their relationship with Christ, their choice is clear. They would inspire, encourage, and equip their people to read the Bible.’
You don’t grow in Christ simply because you’re busy in church; it happens automatically when you read and trust God’s Word. So engage with your Bible. Meditate on it day and night. Think and rethink on it. Let it be your guide. Make it your go-to book for questions. Let it be the ultimate authority in your life.
Peter puts it this way: ‘As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby’ (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV).
Soul food: Titus 1-3; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 90; Prov 1:1-7
2026-01-01
John 16:24 NKJV
Prayer should be your highest priority. Why? Because when you fail to pray, you set yourself up to fail. You’re saying in essence, ‘I don’t need God’s help or input.’ God comes by invitation. Prayer opens the door and welcomes Him into your situation. Jesus said, ‘Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.’
An unknown poet wrote: ‘I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn’t have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. “Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered. He answered, “You didn’t ask.” I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, grey and bleak. I wondered why God didn’t show me. He said, “But you didn’t seek.” I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.” I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day. I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray!’
The psalmist said, ‘O God… early will I seek thee’ (Psalm 63:1 KJV). The first voice he wanted to hear in the morning was God’s. The first conversation he wanted to have – was with the Lord. Before others made demands on his time and energy, he wanted to know God’s will. Has your prayer life been hit-and-miss? Rearrange things and make it your first priority each day. If you do, you’ll begin to thrive spiritually.
Soul food: Rom 13:12-142; 1 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:22-24
2025-12-31
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
Studies suggest that just 3 percent of life events are highly memorable. So, over the course of an average year, approximately seventeen experiences will make it into your long-term memory. The other 97 percent fades into the black hole called the subconscious. But that remaining 3 percent can hurt us every day if we cannot or will not forget. That 3 percent can make us prisoners of our past.
Even if we’ve confessed our sin, we often still feel condemned. And that feeling of condemnation undermines the fact that God is for us (see Psalm 56:9). We keep beating ourselves up. We keep sabotaging ourselves. We keep believing the self-defeating lies that come from Satan “the accuser” (see Revelation 12:10). And how can you overcome the accuser and silence him? Revelation 12:11 says: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (NKJV).
Push back! Testify to Satan the accuser. Tell him what the blood of Jesus Christ has done on your behalf. Remind him that “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 KJV). None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Not a trace. Not a whiff. Not a hint. Instead of defining yourself by what you’ve done wrong, define yourself by what Christ has done right on your behalf.
Soul food: Rom 13:12-14:19; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Ps 77:11-20; Prov 9:10-12
2025-12-30
Psalm 144:12 NLT
Constantly tell your child that they’re loved, valuable, and capable. Otherwise, their self-evaluation will be based on their worst qualities and perceptions rather than their best ones. Psychologists say that some of the world’s most successful people suffer from “the imposter phenomenon.” When interviewed, these people often express deep self-doubt, saying they don’t feel worthy of the position they hold, or the high opinion others have of them. Where did that begin? At home!
Often this self-concept is formed before puberty when a child has no clear sense of their identity and feels unattractive, dumb, and useless. That’s when you, as a parent, need to say that this is a short-term experience, like traveling through a tunnel from which they will certainly emerge. Discuss the sexual awakening that’s about to occur as childhood ends and how to handle it responsibly and morally. Not to do so is to leave your child alone to cope with questions they don’t always have the right answers to.
Yes, you must instruct and correct them. But if they constantly feel like you’re “on their back” instead of “on their team,” they can lack the confidence and initiative needed to trust themselves and develop a healthy self-concept. And if your parents didn’t do this for you, you will have to be extra sensitive and make sure you do it for your children. The psalmist David gives us a prayer God will answer: “May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.”
Soul food: 1 Thes 4-5; Matt 3:11-17; Ps 23; Prov 31:31
2025-12-29
Romans 8:37 NKJV
In some of the world’s greatest success stories, you will find chapters of failure and discouragement. Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was turned down by twenty-seven different publishers. The twenty-eighth publisher sold six hundred million copies, and Dr. Seuss’s perseverance resulted in helping millions of children learn to read. In their first year of business, the Coca-Cola company usually sold only nine servings of its drink a day. But they persevered, and today they are the leading soft-drink seller in the world.
Henry Ford went bankrupt twice in his initial three years in the car industry. But he persevered, and today Ford is the second-largest American-based automobile company and the fifth biggest worldwide. In 1905 the University of Bern in Switzerland rejected a PhD dissertation by a student named Albert Einstein, describing it as “irrelevant and fanciful.” Was he disappointed? Sure – wouldn’t you be? Did he give up? No, he kept on writing.
And consider this: As a redeemed child of God, you have a plus factor; God is on your side. “God is for me” (Psalm 56:9 NKJV). That changes the equation and tilts the odds in your favour. Paul writes: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37 NKJV).
With God, despite whatever you’re facing, it’s always too early to quit. Hold on because His grace and strength are always on their way.
Soul food: 1 Thes 1-3; Matt 3:7-10; Ps 75; Prov 31:30
2025-12-28
1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMPC
When it comes to your life’s calling, here are two more myths that can sabotage you: (1) Making the wrong choice can somehow thwart God’s will. You don’t have to worry on this score because the Bible tells us that the God “Who is calling you… will… [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].” It’s always commendable to want to make the best choice you can. But the fact remains that at some point you have to go ahead and make a choice, and no choice you make is outside of God’s control. Even if you don’t know where the path you have chosen will eventually lead, you can rest assured in the knowledge that “all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to… those who… are called according to [His] design and purpose” (Romans 8:28 AMPC).
(2) Your calling is settled. Finding your calling isn’t necessarily what you do once or twice in a lifetime. It’s not something you check off a list and move on. The life of a Christian is a continual process of discovering your calling. And because God has called you to a specific purpose at a specific time doesn’t mean His plans for you won’t change. Who knows what the next stage of your life will bring? Everyone’s calling is going to look distinct, and every chapter of your life will bring a fresh process of discernment. The important thing to remember is that God is in control, He loves you, and His will is always to draw you closer to Him.
Soul food: Heb 11:1-6; Matt 21:18-22; Matt 8:5-13; Mark 6:1-6
