2025-07-20
John 15:5 NKJV
Because God’s Spirit lives within you doesn’t guarantee His power is at work in your life. God’s power is available, but you must plug into it. Jesus associates our spiritual life with a vine and its branches: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (v. 5 NKJV). In this comparison, the branch is completely dependent on the main vine; it cannot yield fruit on its own. Growing fruit is an internal job.
If someone tied apples onto the branches of a dead tree and said, “Look at this fruit tree,” what would you say? You would probably say, “You tied those things on.” That’s similar to when a Christian says, “I’m going to tie on a bunch of fruit in my life – a little patience now, a little goodness later, a little self-control at another time. I will do it by myself.” Impossible! It’s the fruit of the Spirit, not the efforts of the flesh.
Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” How can you tell you’re abiding (or residing) in Christ? Consider your prayer life. Your prayers reveal your dependence on God. What do you pray about? Whatever you pray about is what you’re relying on God for. The Bible says, “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT). Pray about your decisions, needs, temptations, interests, plans, schedule, problems, purchases; specifically, pray about everything! Doing this is what it means to “abide” – being aware that God is always with you, practicing His presence.
Soul food: 1 Sam 5:1-6:16; Rev 11:15-19
2025-07-19
Ecclesiastes 5:4 NIV
When the pressures in your life begin to mount, the first thing you will be tempted to drop is your time alone with God, praying and reading His Word. And what’s more, Satan knows if he can keep you from it, he has won the battle, and he will get no opposition from you. So, how can you overcome this problem?
(1) By making a covenant with God. Think about it: Why do we make marriage vows? So we will think twice about breaking them! It’s the same in your devotional life: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.”
(2) By scheduling it. Block out time to meet with God each day, just like you would for a doctor’s appointment or a business lunch. Can you think of a more important appointment? Surely not!
(3) By being prepared for the devil’s excuses. Adopt the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared! Dr. Robert G. Lee used to say, “If you wake up in the morning and don’t meet the devil face on, it means you’re headed in the same direction!”
(4) By leaving your Bible open the night before to the verses you intend to read the next morning. When you wake up, it will remind you that the most important thing you have to do today is meet with God.
What if you miss a day? Don’t worry – and don’t go on a guilt trip. If you miss a meal, you don’t give up eating, right? It just means you eat a little more at the next one and move on from there.
Soul food: Acts 24-26; Matt 11:1-9; Ps 1; Pro 16:10-15
2025-07-18
Psalm 63:1 NIV
Dr. Stephen Olford said, “I want to hear the voice of God before I hear anyone else’s in the morning, and his is the last voice I want to hear at night.” Whatever time you set, morning or evening, be consistent. Make an appointment with God like you would with anyone else. And keep it. Don’t stand Him up! “How much time should I spend?” you ask.
(1) Begin with a few minutes and let it grow. Don’t start with a two-hour quiet time, or you will get discouraged. You will create memories of failure rather than memories of success. You must grow in this relationship like you do in any other one.
(2) Don’t take your watch with you. That can ruin your quiet time faster than anything else. Decide what amount of time you can give to God’s Word and prayer – then do it! Sometimes you will spend longer than you have set aside, and other times it will be shorter. Remember, you’re talking to the God of eternity; don’t insult Him by continually looking at your watch. With God, quality is more important than quantity. It’s what you do while you’re with Him that’s important, regardless if it’s ten minutes or one hour.
(3) Have a special place. “The next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord” (Genesis 19:27 NIV). Your special place should be somewhere you can pray aloud without embarrassment, somewhere you’re comfortable. Just don’t do it in bed – that’s too comfortable! As time goes by, your special place will come to mean everything to you because of all the wonderful times you have there with the Lord.
Soul food: Acts 22-23; Matt 10:32-42; Ps 65; Pro 16:8-9
2025-07-17
Mark 1:35 TLB
To grow spiritually, you must get alone with God. When you come into His presence, you should have these attitudes:
(1) Anticipation. Expect to give and get from your time together. Make it a time of intimacy. It’s impossible to have a love affair in a public place; intimacy calls for being alone with the one you love. The Bible speaks about Christ as the groom and us as His bride (See 2 Corinthians 11:2). Think of the anticipation and excitement shared in such moments.
(2) Reverence. Don’t rush into God’s presence. Prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Remind yourself who you’re meeting with – God! The One who is “worthy… to receive glory and honour” (Revelation 4:11 NIV).
(3) Alertness. Go to bed early so you will be in good shape to meet with God in the morning. He deserves your full attention. Give Him the best part of your day – when you’re the freshest. Follow Christ’s example: “The next morning [Jesus] was up long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.” Hudson Taylor astutely observed that you don’t tune up the instruments after the concert is over, you tune them before you start.
(4) Willingness. It’s crucial that you don’t come to your quiet time to decide what you will or won’t do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything God wants you to do. John says, “We will receive… whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him” (1 John 3:22 NLT). When you get alone with God, make up your mind to do whatever He says.
Soul food: Acts 20-21; Matt 10:21-31; Ps 14; Pro 16:6-7
2025-07-16
John 2:17 NLT
Try to imagine the fire in the eyes of Jesus and the flex of His muscles as He turns over the tables of the money changers in the temple. And He does it while wielding a whip He made Himself. “Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume me.'” Jesus was the wisest and kindest person who ever lived. Additionally, He was the most passionate. And those who follow Him ought to be the most passionate people on earth.
The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: en and theos, meaning “in God.” And the more you get into God, the more passion you develop about the things of God. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NKJV). Yes, you’re supposed to crucify your carnal desires daily. But God doesn’t do away with your capacity for desire; He sanctifies and redirects it. When you “delight yourself also in the Lord,” you get a “desire transplant.”
C. S. Lewis said, “We are half-hearted creatures fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.” A pastor adds: “Sin is a waste of energy… And it’s a double waste. After you waste your energy on things like lust and pride and anger, then you must waste even more energy on things like guilt and shame and regret. Nothing is more de-energizing than sin, but by the same token, nothing is more reenergizing than obedience. It’s pure energy.”
Soul food: Acts 18-19; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 146; Pro 16:4-5
2025-07-15
James 3:14 CEV
The Bible says, “People are slaves to whatever has mastered them” (2 Peter 2:19 NIV). And that’s especially true of jealousy. Chuck Swindoll writes: “Jealousy and envy are often used interchangeably, but there’s a difference. Envy begins with empty hands; it mourns what it doesn’t have… Jealousy begins with full hands; it’s threatened by the pain of losing what you have to someone else despite your efforts to hold on to it… This was Cain’s sin. He was jealous of Abel. He resented God’s acceptance of his brother, and not until Abel’s blood poured over Cain’s cruel hands did jealousy subside. Solomon might well have written the epitaph for Abel’s tombstone: ‘Jealousy is [cruel] as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire’ (Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV).
Anyone who has experienced deliverance from this hellish giant knows too well how jealousy can decimate a friendship, dissolve a romance, destroy a marriage, shoot tension through the ranks of professionals, nullify unity on a team, ruin a church, separate preachers, foster competition among the choir, bring bitterness and finger-pointing among talented instrumentalists and capable singers. Jealousy questions motives and deplores another’s success.”
The Bible says, “If your heart is full of… jealousy… don’t… cover up the truth.” Instead, determine that by the grace of God, you’re going to break free from its control. Swindoll adds: “I lived many years obeying its commands. It was gross agony. Finally, I realized I didn’t have to live in darkness. I slew the giant and crawled out… and the releasing sunlight of freedom captured my heart. The air was so fresh and clean. Oh, the difference it has made! It’s utter delight. Ask my wife.”
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 140; Pro 16:3
