2017-12-10
Zechariah 4:6 NLT
Zerubbabel was called to rebuild the temple. It was a huge undertaking, so God told him, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord…’Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way” (vv. 6-7 NLT). When God calls you, you need to know: (1) You may have to walk alone. When God uses you, people often assume you’re strong and don’t need anything. They don’t realize you’re just a regular person who’s half scared to death at times, and who’s more amazed by your success than they are. And when nobody stands with you or ministers to you, you become vulnerable to discouragement. (2) You need God’s help or you’re in trouble. Samson discovered this: “He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him” (Judges 16:20-21 NIV). God stepped back and let Samson see that it was the Lord doing it, and not himself. So you must live with a sense of dependence on God. (3) It’s God’s power, not yours, that makes the difference. If you’re waiting for God to give you exceptional equipment before you decide to get into the fight, you’re not going to experience victory. God’s “strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The way you know you’re truly anointed is when God takes substandard equipment and performs supernatural feats. And that only happens when you say, “Lord, I don’t see how You could do this through me, but I’m trusting You to.” That’s when He gets involved!
Soul food: 1 Kings 17:17-24; Mark 5:21-43; John 11:1-45
2017-12-09
Matthew 23:5 NKJV
Here’s a working definition of the word hypocrisy: “to be seen by men.” Jesus had a no-tolerance policy when it came to hypocrisy. Why? Because He knew it turns people against God. Instead, He taught: (1) Expect no credit for your good deeds. None. If no one notices, you aren’t disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. Stop and ask yourself this question: “If no one knew of the good I do, would I still do it?” If not, you’re doing it “to be seen” by people. (2) Give your financial gifts in secret. Money stirs the phony within us. We like to be seen earning it. And we like to be seen giving it. So Jesus said, “When you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3 NLT). (3) Don’t fake your spirituality. When you go to church, don’t select a seat just to be seen, or sing just to be heard. If you raise your hands in worship, raise holy ones, not showy ones. When you talk, don’t doctor your vocabulary with trendy religious terms. Nothing nauseates more than a fake “Praise the Lord,” or a shallow “Hallelujah,” or an insincere “Glory be to God.” Ever watch children in a playground shouting, “Watch me!” That’s acceptable because they’re still immature, but it’s not acceptable in God’s kingdom. Silence the trumpets. Cancel the parade. Enough with the name-dropping. If accolades come, politely deflect them before you believe them. Slay the desire to be noticed. Stir the desire to serve God. In other words, don’t be a hypocrite!
Soul food: Gen 42-43; John 17:1-26; Ps 95; Ecc 5:10-12
2017-12-08
Proverbs 14:23 NIV
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon uses the word sluggard no less than seventeen times. A sluggard isn’t a person who would work but can’t find a job; a sluggard is a person who could work but won’t. The story is told of a fellow who applied for assistance at the welfare office. The official asked, “Why do you need financial aid?” He replied, “Because I’m having trouble with my eyes.” The official asked, “What’s the nature of your eye trouble?” The man replied, “I just can’t see myself going to work every day.” And every sluggard has eye trouble. Or it doesn’t bother him as long as somebody else is doing the work. President Theodore Roosevelt was right when he said: “Extend pity to no man because he has to work. If he’s worth his salt, he’ll work. I envy the man who has work worth doing, and does it well…far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Somehow we’ve lost the spirit, if not the letter of President Roosevelt’s thinking. Ask any employer and they will tell you that someone who’ll work, work hard, do the job right, and finish the task, is getting harder to find. God’s not against leisure. A worker who’s rested and refreshed will be a better worker. Solomon’s contrast in the book of Proverbs is between labour and laziness. Parent, one of the best things you can do for your children is to pass on to them a strong work ethic, and set them up to succeed in life.
Soul food: Gen 40-41; John 16:16-33; Ps 148:7-14; Ecc 5:4-6
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
