2026-09-10
Proverbs 18:21 NIV
Something powerful happens when we vocalize God’s Word. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Sometimes you have to say it like you believe it! Jesus literally spoke to the wind and the waves, right? He rebuked storms. He rebuked demons. He rebuked fevers. He even told us to tell mountains to move! (See Mark 11:23.)
When you verbalize faith, you give it power. There are some things you should not say. When Jeremiah used his age as an excuse to say no to God’s call, the Lord rebuked him: “Say not, I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:7 KJV). In other words, don’t disqualify yourself if God has called you! Instead, speak life-giving, faith-filled, grace-laced words.
Mark Batterson says: “There are some things I refuse to say because it gives them power. I call it my ‘Say Not’ list. What words need to go on your ‘Say Not’ list? I’m not just talking about four-letter words. Jesus said we’d give account for every idle word. The word idle means unemployed. An idle word is a useless, worthless word – a word that doesn’t accomplish anything.”
Jesus also said in Matthew 12:34 (TLV), “For from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks,” so our words are x-rays of what’s on the inside. That’s where the battle is won or lost. If we want our words to reflect His Word, that’s where we’ve got to drop anchor. And when we do, the mind of Christ becomes our mindset too.”
Soul food: Neh 11-13; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 78:17-31; Pro 23:26-28
2026-09-09
Joshua 6:16 NKJV
Jericho represented the greatest stronghold in Canaan, and it had to be conquered before Israel could move in and possess the land. So God told them to march around its walls once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day. On the seventh day, “Joshua said to the people: ‘Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!'”
Is there a stronghold in your life? Are you discouraged, thinking you’ve been battling for a long time with no sign of victory? It may have seemed that way to the Hebrews too. Notice that God told Joshua the walls would fall down on the seventh day, but Joshua didn’t tell the people. They just had to keep walking. And the Lord doesn’t tell us everything either! Through the pen of Paul, He urges us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV).
So keep walking, keep praying, and keep believing. For all you know, this may be the day when the walls of your Jericho come down. You may be only steps away from a moment like this: “And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then… they took the city” (Joshua 6:20 NKJV).
The very walls that kept them out became stepping stones to victory. So keep marching and believing. Defeat your strongholds with the spiritual weapons of worship: Scripture and prayer. It’s just a matter of time before your Jericho comes down.
Soul food: Neh 8-10; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 78:9-16; Pro 23:22-25
2026-09-08
Matthew 10:42 NLT
Les Goldberg’s friends thought he was crazy when he cashed in his personal investments to buy a home to lease for the homeless. A retired engineer, Les felt it was the only decision he could make. He spends a minimum of one hour each day with his homeless friends and has helped renovate several properties on their behalf. In all his efforts, Goldberg never regarded the homeless as irresponsible or unreliable; he only saw them as people. Hurting people! He figured the house he purchased could be used as both a temporary shelter and a drop-in center – a place where homeless people might pick up mail, make phone calls, follow up job leads, and receive donated commodities.
Four homeless men live at the house, paying minimal rent to offset expenses. House rules are strict: no alcohol, no drugs, no loitering. Goldberg has never been rich. For twenty years he ran his own business, making about $25,000 a year designing and installing fire sprinklers. He simply was a man who saw an unmet need and found a way to help meet it.
Mother Teresa said: “We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” Jesus put it this way: “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
As you go through this day, keep your heart open and ask God to make you a solution to someone else’s problem. When you do, “You will surely be rewarded.”
Soul food: Neh 5-7; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 78:1-8; Pro 23:19-21
2026-09-07
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Nothing is more gratifying than knowing one’s purpose – even when opposition seems unbearable and other distractions threaten to overshadow it. Often when people say they don’t have a passion for anything, they mean they don’t have faith to believe they could actually do what they really desire in their hearts.
Jesus refused to let anyone pull Him away from His purpose. “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ Jesus replied, ‘Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?'” (Luke 12:13-14 NIV). In essence, Jesus was saying, “I’m not about to get distracted by conducting an arbitration hearing between you two. That’s not part of My purpose for being here on earth.”
Even up to the day that Jesus gave His life on the cross, there were many sick people needing healing and a myriad of other impossible situations that needed His attention. He knew that through the power of His death and resurrection, all could be addressed. So, despite unresolved problems, He confidently gave His heavenly Father this report on His ministry: “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 NLT).
Jesus refused to let His disciples, Satan, well-meaning family members, needy people, or anyone else distract Him from His purpose. And you must learn to do that too. This raises the question: Can you state your God-given purpose in a single sentence? Are you pursuing it?
Soul food: Neh 1-4; Mark 11:27-33; Ps 27; Pro 23:16-18
2026-09-06
2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
The Bible clearly teaches that those who give generously to God’s kingdom purposes will receive something back in return for participating. Furthermore, there’s a correlation between how much you give and how much you get back. “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” This is good news for reluctant givers. When you give away something valuable, it can feel like a loss. You had something; now you don’t. And that can be a tremendous disincentive to give more. But Paul put this concept in a completely different light. He said that giving to God’s work is not giving something away. It’s an investment, not a loss.
The farmer who sows doesn’t lose seed; he gains a crop. No rational farmer would say, “I’m afraid to sow my seed because then I won’t have the seed anymore. What will happen if I need this seed?” Any farmer knows that if he wants a crop, he must sow his seed. This is powerful news for anyone who’s afraid to give because of financial insecurity. It suggests that the wisest move we could make financially is to begin sowing our financial seed.
When we do, God gets involved in our finances. And that’s the most financially secure place we could be. Why? Because when we give, it enables God to return to us more than we’ve given, to entrust more to us in this life. This in turn enables us to give more. “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (v. 11 NIV). That means if you give like you’re supposed to, God will give you more.
Soul food: Ps 23:1; Isa 40:11; John 10:11
2026-09-05
James 3:17 NLT
The Bible says that the wisdom that comes from this world is “earthly, sensual, demonic,” because it comes from “envy and self-seeking” and “confusion and every evil thing” (vv. 15-16 NKJV). The wisdom you need comes from a different source: “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere” (v. 17 NLT).
People today have access to more knowledge than at any time in history. Yet wisdom seems practically non-existent. Paul’s words to the Corinthian church could well be addressed to us: “Is there not a wise man among you?” (see 1 Corinthians 6:5 NKJV).
There’s a stark difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information. Anyone can accumulate facts. Our problem is our lack of wisdom; we aren’t able to take the facts we’ve learned and put them into practice in real-life situations and at points of need. If we’re to put our faith into action, we’ll need “the wisdom from above.” As couples, we need it to build strong marriages (see 1 Peter 3:7). As parents, we need it for leading our children in the way they should go (see Proverbs 22:6). As Christian businesspeople, we need it to succeed in the marketplace (see Isaiah 48:17).
If you’re wise, you’ll pray: “Lord, I invite You to work with me, to work in me, to work through me, and to work for me.” That’s a prayer He will answer.
Soul food: Col 3-4; Philemon; Mark 11:12-26; Ps 112; Pro 23:13-15
