2017-12-07
2 Chronicles 31:21 CEV
Here are seven scriptural steps to success in life: (1) Put God first. He wants you to succeed; what good parent wouldn’t? So work on your relationship with Him. “Acquaint now thyself with him…thereby good shall come unto thee” (Job 22:21). (2) Help others to become successful. “Whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8). Don’t just be interested in yourself, become interested in others too. (3) Create a climate of confidence around you. As long as you keep speaking words of doubt, you’ll never experience victory. Remind yourself that your “sufficiency is of God” (2 Corinthians 3:5 KJV). (4) Stay informed. “A wise man will hear and increase in learning” (Proverbs 1:5 NAS). Observe, read, and grow. If you’re willing to pay money for a good meal but not for a good book, perhaps you value your appetite more than your intellect. (5) Visualize yourself attaining your goal. Think and talk in success pictures. Moses did that: “He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going” (Hebrews 11:27 TM). (6) Write down your plan and establish deadlines. Make a detailed list of required activities, and set checkpoints. Guard your mind and prioritize your time. “Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get” (Ephesians 5:16 TM). (7) Set a realistic goal. And work toward it one priority at a time. Many things in life fail for one reason – broken focus. So avoid distractions: “A double minded man is unstable” (Jas 1:8). If you do these seven things, you’ll succeed in life.
Soul food: Gen 37-39; John 16:1-15; Ps 148:1-6; Ecc 5:1-3
2017-12-06
Isaiah 42:16 NIV
Another way God will lead you is: Through confronting your fear and taking a step of faith. Are you feeling uncertain or afraid as to God’s will in the situation? His promise to you is: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them” (v. 16 NIV). Pay particular attention to the words: “unfamiliar paths”…”darkness”…”rough places.” When you’ve sought God’s guidance through the Scriptures, when you’ve tried to listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, and when you’ve reached for the wisdom of trustworthy people, then you must step out in faith and do what you believe God is calling you to do. It’s one thing to ask, “Lord, what should I do?” It’s entirely another thing to ask, “Am I willing to do it once You make it clear?” Try to answer these two questions: (a) What makes risk so difficult for you? Be honest. For most of us risk and change are uncomfortable, challenging, and even threatening. That’s why the Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 KJV). If you’ve been in the habit of leaning on your own understanding, it’s a hard habit to break. Now, God doesn’t say, “Don’t use your understanding”; He says, “Don’t lean on it – lean on Me.” (b) Are you willing to make a major change in your life – assuming that it’s the Lord’s will? You must answer these two questions. And not until they are answered correctly are you ready to move ahead.
Soul food: Gen 35-36; John 15:1-27; Ps 147:12-20; Ecc 4:9-12
2017-12-05
Proverbs 12:15 NIV
Another way God will lead you is: Through godly advice. Moses experienced this. Instead of getting help, he tried to do it all himself. At that point his father-in-law, Jethro, said to him, “What you are doing is not good” (Exodus 18:17 NIV). Then he told Moses to delegate responsibility to capable leaders who could share the load with him. “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said” (Exodus 18:24 NIV). As a result, Moses’ problem was solved, and Israel made it successfully to the Promised Land. Some of the time God will speak to you directly and reveal what you should do, but much of the time He will speak to you through relationships. He will bring wise and seasoned people alongside you. At that point you need to be humble enough to heed their advice. You may be good; indeed, you may be better than most. But you’ll never be as good as you could be, without the help of others. But you must be careful who you listen to – trustworthy counsellors and persons who want only what God wants. Such persons will stay objective, listen carefully, and answer slowly. Often they won’t give you an answer at the time you ask for it. They want to sleep on it; they want to pray about it; they want to think about it. Such a person is like having an extra set of eyes and ears. Why would you want to live without them? So today be open to those God sends into your life to help guide you.
Soul food: Gen 32-34; John 14:1-31; Ps 147:1-11; Ecc 3:5-8
2017-12-04
Philippians 2:13 NLT
Another way in which God will lead you is: Through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. As a parent, you wouldn’t allow your children to get into trouble if you could stop them – and neither would God. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” God will give you a desire to do His will, plus the power to carry it out. You ask, “But how can I know God’s voice?” Through time, through testing, through experience, and most of all through intimacy with Him. When a loved one calls you on the phone, they don’t have to say, “Hello, this is your husband or your wife calling.” You know their voice! And learning to recognize the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit is crucial, because much of the time you won’t be able to figure it out. “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” (Proverbs 20:24 NLT). When all is said and done, you will say, “Honestly, I didn’t figure this thing out. It must have been God.” The longer you walk with God the less you’ll know about why He leads as He does, but you’ll know with assurance that He does lead you. Knowing that is what will draw you back to Him time and time again to seek His guidance. The apostle Jude said, “I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith” (Jude v.3 NIV). Those words – “I felt I had to” – are nothing less than the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Soul food: Gen 30:25-31:55; John 13:18-38; Ps 2; Ecc 3:1-4
2017-12-03
Psalm 119:105 NIV
When you pray, “Lord, what should I do?” He can respond to you in several ways. Let’s look at some over the next few days. He will answer you through His written Word. Instead of turning to “Tom, Dick, and Harry” for guidance, go to God. Make His Word your first option rather than your last resort. The Psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Without a regular daily intake of God’s Word, you’ll be “in the dark” as to what’s best for you and the direction your life should go. “I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled” (Ezekiel 12:25 NIV). If God says it in His Word, you can count on it. There are precepts in Scripture, but mainly God has given us principles to follow. These principles require wisdom and discernment. The Psalmist said, “I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge” (Psalm 119:66 NLT). This doesn’t mean you must have a particular verse for every decision or move you make. That’s not how it works. Most times when you ask God for guidance, He will give you “good judgment and knowledge,” and that’s enough to get you moving in the right direction. Will you sometimes experience fear? Yes, but that’s when you must use your faith! Your greatest clarity as to God’s will often comes from hindsight, not foresight. It’s in looking back on how God has led you that you say, “Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave” (1 Kings 8:56 NIV).
Soul food: 1 Kings 17:1-7; 1 Kings 18:41-46; Mark 4:35-41
2017-12-02
Matthew 7:12 TM
The Bible says, “As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed… self-promoting…dog-eat-dog…the kind…who smooth-talk…and take advantage” (2 Timothy 3:1-6 TM). If you don’t believe that, try sliding into a parking space another motorist wants. Or watch shoppers in a checkout line elbowing one another to save thirty seconds. And how about “your seat” in church; you know, the one you’ve been warming for thirty years? The Bible says, “Be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves” (Philippians 2:3-4 CEV). Jesus said, “Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.” In other words, practice putting others first. Nobel Prize-winning medical missionary Albert Schweitzer said, “The only ones among you who will really be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” If you need motivation, start looking for the good qualities in people instead of the bad ones. And remember, they have to do the same in your case. Do something to help them. If you really want to get ahead in life, love others a little bit more than they deserve, just like God loves you. Too often we expect everyone else to practice the Golden Rule. Hymnist Henry Burton wrote: “Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on. ‘T was not given for thee alone, pass it on. Let it travel down the years, let it wipe another’s tears, till in heaven the deed appears – pass it on.”
Soul food: Gen 28:1-30:24; John 13:1-17; Ps 130; Prov 31:28-31
