2025-03-18
John 20:21 NIV
In order to identify God’s will for your life, you must be clear about two things:
(1) Your purpose. Facing the cross, Jesus said, “For this cause came I into the world” (John 18:37 KJV). Your passion is that area of your life that fires you up. It might be world hunger, or neglected veterans, or education. You see little kids growing up in under resourced school districts, and they’re never going to have a chance to learn, and it just kills you. Or unwed moms, or the gospel being proclaimed unclearly. Instead of finding your passion in the area of your opportunities and your skills, sometimes you will find it in the area of your hurts and scars. From people who struggle with addictions, to those who have spent time in prison, to those who contend with emotional disorders – there are so many areas. God won’t waste a hurt.
(2) Your partners. Jesus called twelve disciples, then He dispatched them on a brief mission two at a time so they could go together. So along with your passions and strengths and scars, you need people in your life who will encourage you, applaud you, and take part in what you are doing. Paul spells out his passion: “The longing of my heart… is for the people of Israel to be saved” (Romans 10:1 NLT). Paul also knew his partners: “Every time I think of you, I give thanks…for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ” (Philippians 1:3, 5 NLT).
So, the word for you today is – know your purpose, know your partners.
Soul food: Job 24-28; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 13; Prov 8:14-16
2025-03-17
Exodus 33:11 NKJV
Moses had a special place where he met with God. It was called “the tabernacle of meeting” (v. 7 NKJV). What did they talk about? “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, You say to me, “Bring up this people.” But You have not let me know whom You will send with me… Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight…’ And He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest'” (vv. 12-14 NKJV). Note the three things Moses asked God about:
(1) “Let me know whom You will send with me.” That was wise, because people either add to you or take from you, build you up or tear you down. You need to know who belongs in your life and who doesn’t, and God is the only one who can tell you that.
(2) “Show me now Your way.” God’s will, done God’s way, according to God’s timetable, always brings success. But your will, done your way, according to your timetable, can bring you trouble and heartache.
(3) “That I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.” Here the word “grace” means “divine enablement.” By yourself you are not equal to the challenge, but through the power of God’s indwelling Spirit, you can accomplish great things. What God promised to Moses, He also promises to you: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Soul food: Job 21-23; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
2025-03-16
Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV
A leading Christian psychologist says there is a direct correlation between the stress we experience and disobeying God’s Word. Could that be true? Could there be a link between the stress you are feeling and the level of your obedience to God? Yes. Think about it. As a redeemed child of God, when you knowingly disobey Him, your conscience bothers you and you feel conflicted and condemned.
By knowingly violating His Word, you get uncomfortable in your own skin. Plus, when you need to pray and ask God for something, it can feel like you’re addressing a creditor with your unpaid bills. “If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:21-22 NKJV).
Sometimes we cannot pinpoint the exact source of the stress we’re feeling; it just feels like all is not well. What should you do? Stop and take inventory! The twelve-step program of recovery refers to this as “a searching and fearless moral inventory.” It must be taken in order for a suffering alcoholic or addict to break free of what keeps driving them back to their habit. Would you like to de-stress?
Read this Scripture prayerfully and carefully: “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you'” (Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV).
Soul food: Est 4:13-5:3; Matt 6:16-18; Mark 2:18-22
2025-03-15
2 Chronicles 34:30 NKJV
When Josiah became king in Jerusalem, he assigned workers to repair the temple. There they discovered a copy of God’s law in the ruins. No one had seen it in years! Josiah quickly reasoned that Judah’s idolatry was directly tied to the absence of the reading of God’s Word. So, he gathered all the people of Judah together, personally read to them the law of God, and led them in a rededication to live according to the principles of God’s Word.
Don’t miss the connection here! Failure to read God’s Word and live by it led God’s people into idolatry. In the Bible you discover God’s priorities for your life. When you fail to read it, study it, and meditate on its precepts, you end up focusing on your own interests and neglecting God’s priorities.
And anything you put ahead of God is an “idol.” Sometimes an idol is a sinful practice you know to be wrong. But an idol can also be a legitimate thing like a job, or a relationship, or a particular interest that consumes so much of your time and energy that your relationship with God gets shortchanged or totally neglected. The hymn writer William Cowper wrote, “The dearest idol I have known, whate’er that idol be, help me to tear it from thy throne, and worship only thee.”
If you’re serious about getting to know God better, drawing closer to Him, and putting Him in first place in your life, make a decision to spend time each day in His Word.
Soul food: Job 18-20; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 116:1-11; Prov 8:8-9
2025-03-14
Nehemiah 2:18 NIV
There is a time to pray, and there is a time to take action. Sometimes that means filling out the job application, or writing the check, or setting up the appointment, or having the conversation, or making the move.
Peter Marshall said: “I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again? There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand. But our problems are not centered around the things we don’t understand, but rather the things we do understand… Our problem is not so much that we don’t know what we should do. We know perfectly well, but we don’t want to do it.”
One of the big mistakes we make is requesting God to do for us what God wants us to do for Him. Before God parted the waters of the Jordan River to allow the Israelites to enter Canaan, He told the priests to take a few steps into the river. Why did God do it that way? Maybe it was because He wanted to know if they had enough faith to get their feet wet. As long as your feet are planted on dry ground, God won’t part the river for you. You say, “I’m waiting for God to move.” Perhaps God is waiting for you to step out in faith and make the first move. If so, the word for you today is – take action.
Soul food: Job 15-17; Luke 17:20-37; Ps 19; Prov 8:6-7
2025-03-13
Isaiah 43:4 NLT
If you want to be a 10 but your self-esteem is a 5, you will never achieve at the level of a 10. You will achieve a 5 or lower. Why? Because you cannot surpass the image you have of yourself. Low self-esteem puts a cap on your potential. So where does our low self-esteem come from? Other people. When the most important people in your life repeatedly tell you that they expect you to go nowhere and achieve nothing of worth, that’s what you eventually start believing about yourself. And it’s like downloading a virus into your computer; it destroys your God-given potential.
What’s the answer? Instead of believing what others say about you, find out what God says about you. After all, who knows the value and potential of a product better than the manufacturer who made it? When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nation of Israel, Jeremiah said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” (Jeremiah 1:6 NLT). Perhaps you can identify with Jeremiah: “I’m too young, or too old, or not the right nationality, or not educated enough, or not rich enough.” Note what God said to Jeremiah next: “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you” (vv. 7-8 NLT).
Changing your self-image begins with changing your self-talk. In order to see yourself as valuable, begin to see yourself as God sees you.
Soul food: Job 11-14; Luke 17:11-19; Ps 11; Prov 8:4-5
