2025-08-18
Exodus 4:12 NLT
You don’t have to be a great orator; you just have to deliver the message. You don’t have to emulate any other speaker; you just have to decide to be the best “you” possible. So:
(1) Forget about messing up. The chances are that you will know more about your topic than 90 percent of the audience. If you stumble, so what? It signals to the audience that you’re human – just as they are. People often connect better with your vulnerability than your strength. Besides, they’re rooting for you, and they want you to succeed.
(2) Focus on imparting value to the audience rather than trying to impress them. The only question that matters is, what did the audience take away from it? John Ford, an American film director, put it this way: “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.”
(3) Practice! Practice! Practice! By first sharing your message with the person in the mirror, you will get to see and hear what others do, and you can add enhancements and make corrections accordingly.
(4) When it comes to sharing God’s Word, prepare your message as though everything depends on you, and present it as though everything depends on God – because it does! Paul knew he was not a great orator, yet his words are still changing lives two thousand years later: “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NKJV).
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Matt 19:1-14; Ps 119:113-120; Pro 18:10-12
2025-08-17
John 16:24 KJV
Have you been praying, and God hasn’t yet answered? Let’s look at some keys.
(1) Maybe you’re expecting a lot from God but not much from yourself. Perhaps He is asking you to work harder by utilizing the ingenuity He has given you. Remember, God’s promises are never an excuse for laziness. Elijah was in a devastating drought when God said, “Go to the brook Cherith. I will send ravens to feed you” (See 1 Kings 17:1-4). Elijah could have replied, “Lord, I’m exhausted! Can’t you send them here?” Instead, “he… did according to the word of the Lord” (v. 5 NKJV). Ask God if there is something you should be doing, and when He tells you – do it.
(2) Perhaps your prayers are not explicit enough. Doesn’t God already know what we need? Yes, but He wants to hear it from you. “You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it” (James 4:2 NLT). God wants us to persist in prayer: “Ask and keep on asking… seek and keep on seeking… knock and keep on knocking” (Luke 11:9 AMPC).
(3) We fail to realize that God wants to meet our needs – in His time. “But what if my problem gets worse?” you ask. Don’t worry; it will never be too big for God to resolve! From time to time, He waits in order to do something even greater. Lazarus was sick unto death, but Jesus didn’t respond immediately. He waited so He could raise him from the dead (See John 11:1-6, 43-44). We’re inclined to think our request is God’s best answer to our need, even though His Word assures us, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11 KJV).
Soul food: Gen 6:9-8:4; Matt 24:37-51
2025-08-16
Psalm 23:1 NIV
Spurgeon’s contemporary, Dr. Joseph Parker, pastored the City Temple Church in London. One day he walked up to his pulpit and read this verse: “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” After a long pause, he closed his Bible, looked at the congregation, and said, “Friends, that is enough!”
And scripturally and practically speaking, he is right! When God is your shepherd, you “lack nothing.” Even in the grimmest circumstances, you need “fear no evil” because He is always with you (v.4 NIV). And you get to enjoy two things every human being craves – sufficiency and security – because with God, there is no lack of ability or resources to take care of us in any situation (See Philippians 4:19). It’s the reason Paul said that although he had nothing, he possessed everything (See 2 Corinthians 6:10).
From God’s perspective we need nothing but God Himself. The Bible tells us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV). And since He has already given us His greatest treasure, will He withhold from us any lesser resource? But there are some things we need to remember regarding God’s timing.
(1) Because of His superior wisdom, He calls the shots, and when the time is right, the answer will come.
(2) There are commandments He gives us, and until we obey them, the answer won’t come.
(3) Faith is crucial in receiving the answer.
Jesus Himself said, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NLT).
Soul food: Gal 1-3; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 119:105-112; Pro 18:9
2025-08-15
Romans 5:17 NKJV
The Bible says, “Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” The righteousness that God approves and accepts comes as a “gift.” And it’s based on “grace.” And grace means “unmerited, unearned, undeserved favour with God.”
Are you trying through your own efforts to earn right standing before God? Do you believe that by doing more good deeds, giving more, praying more, serving more, that God will love you more and bless you? These are all good things. Indeed, they are important things. But the righteousness God accepts is a “gift” which He Himself bestows and you yourself cannot earn. Indeed, if you had to earn it, it wouldn’t be a gift; it would be a reward for your efforts. Furthermore, how would you know when you had done enough to please God and be acceptable before Him? Satan will take every opportunity to condemn you for never doing enough. When that happens, you begin to fall into the trap of guilt, condemnation, and shame.
When you base your relationship with God on your own merits, you will always fall short. Note something else in this Scripture. When you see your righteousness as a gift bestowed upon you by God because you have placed your trust in Christ, you begin to “reign in life.” Link this Scripture together with Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you,” and you begin to get the picture. Instead of being ruled by the world, the flesh, and the devil, you “reign” over them.
Soul food: Judg 19:16-21:25; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 119:97-104; Pro 18:6-8
2025-08-14
1 Peter 3:7 AMP
To have a successful marriage, you must understand that your mate is not only physically different from you but mentally and emotionally different too. Let’s say a problem arises at breakfast. After work, he has forgotten it; he compartmentalized it to focus on work. For him, it’s over, but not necessarily for her. She may have rehearsed and processed it while multitasking during day. It hasn’t disappeared; it’s unfinished business. After work, he comes home, and there is tension. He thinks, “What’s the problem?” She thinks, “How could he possibly forget?” He is thinking, “Surely she’s not still thinking about that incident from this morning?”
This is a good moment to introduce the Bible verse, “Live… in an understanding way.” Understanding brings happiness. A man’s brain functions in a compartmentalized way. He moves from family, to work, to recreation, with each compartment separate from the other. But in a woman’s brain the compartments are connected. While he is working, she is thinking about the kids, the argument at breakfast, and planning dinner simultaneously. So this morning’s incident is still in her mind.
By understanding these differences, she can give him time to get back into the “family compartment” before raising the issue. And he can realize she is not being unreasonable, she just needs closure so she can feel good about the relationship again. In marriage, some things must be resolved while other things must be processed, forgiven, and forgotten. And if your goal is to live in harmony, you must understand this principle.
Soul food: Judg 16:1-19:15; Matt 18:1-9; Ps 119:89-96; Pro 18:1-5
2025-08-13
Mark 4:33 NIV
If you’re serious about reaching and teaching people, there are two things you must try to do:
(1) Talk to them, not above them. A preschooler was eating an apple in the back of the car. “Daddy,” he said, “why is my apple turning brown?” His father explained: “Because after you assimilated the skin on the exterior, the core structure of the apple came into contact with the atmosphere, which caused it to oxidize, thus changing its molecular structure and transforming it into a different color.” After a long silence, the little boy replied, “Daddy, are you talking to me?” Can the listener understand and apply what you’re saying?
Paul told the church at Corinth, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready… Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Corinthians 3:2 NIV). Jesus made a point of tailoring His remarks so the people listening could grasp the message. The Bible says, “With… parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.” Think about it: Jesus was God, and He could easily have awed us with His knowledge. But because His desire was to change our lives for the better, He stayed on our level and spoke in a language we understand. And you must learn to do the same.
(2) Say it over and over again. The fundamental law of learning is repetition. It’s been said that people have to hear something sixteen times before they believe it and really “get it.” The question that should concern you isn’t, “What will I say?” but, “What will people take away from it?”
Soul food: Judg 12-15; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 119:81-88; Pro 17:27-28
