2020-07-11
Psalm 27:13 NKJV
When we choose to see things from God’s perspective, it changes how we feel. The thing that fuels our old negative feelings is our thinking. What we think produces how we feel. In Romans, we’re told not to ‘conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12:2 NIV). When we start thinking the right way, our life starts going the right way. But changing our thoughts is a process. Some of our thoughts, and our reactions to the thoughts, are so engrained in us that they’ve become automatic. So how do we start transforming our minds? Firstly, we need to replace our negative thinking with thoughts that are ‘praiseworthy’ (Philippians 4:8 NIV). It’s empowering to remember that we can choose our thoughts. And if some of our thoughts have become overwhelming, we can ask for help in replacing them with good things. The more we read the Bible and spend time with God, the more we’ll be able to see which of our thoughts are godly and which aren’t. The Bible encourages us to take our thoughts captive and see if they line up with God’s truth (take a look at 2 Corinthians 10:5). Secondly, we need to remember God’s goodness to us in the past. David said: ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart’ (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV). We can choose to worry about the problems we have now, or remember the times God’s come through for us before. The more we remember how good and faithful God is, the more we’re able to see things from God’s perspective.
Jer 45-48; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 15:23-26
2020-07-10
Mark 10:48 NCV
Imagine being blind all your life, then one day miraculously receiving your sight. And the first face you see is the face of Jesus. That’s what happened to Bartimaeus. Jesus was passing by the spot where he sat begging every day. Recognising this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he cried out for help. This would probably have caused quite a scene. In fact, ‘many people warned the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted even more.’ ‘Jesus stopped’ (v.49 NCV) when Bartimaeus shouted. We don’t have to shout to get God’s attention; He’s always ready to listen to us. But sometimes we need to cry out to God with everything we have. We can confidently approach God with our troubles. The Bible says: ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NCV). We’re told that Bartimaeus ‘jumped up, left his coat there, and went to Jesus’ (Mark 10:50 NCV). Why did he leave his coat? One reason could be that a long robe could have tripped him up. But another reason is that his clothes showed that he was a beggar. To get to Jesus, we must be willing to throw aside everything that stands in our way. Things like the shame and failure of our past, our lack and our limitations, and the labels other people have put on us. When Jesus restores us and makes us whole, we won’t have to wear those things anymore. We’re set free to live for Him and His kingdom. There’s no problem too big or too small to cry out to God about. So let’s cry out to Him and be prepared for our chains to break.
Jer 41-44; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 15:22
2020-07-09
Psalm 27:14 NIV
God gave His people an interesting command: ‘Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord’ (Exodus 34:23-24 NIV). Three times a year they were to stop working and spend time with God, worshipping Him, seeking His guidance, and getting direction for the future. Imagine what our lives would be like if we took the time to do that. In today’s society, we can think that success and value comes from being busy and constantly working. But God wants us to take time out to wait on Him. This might seem costly to us, but in that verse, God says ‘I will enlarge your territory.’ Instead of losing, we’ll gain. God told the people that no one would take their land while they were away seeking Him. When we seek God, we don’t lose out. When we retreat, we actually advance. God also told His people that He would ‘drive out the nations’ that lay before them. While we worship God and wait on Him, He’ll fight our battles. And God’s never lost a battle. In the Psalms, we’re instructed to ‘Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart.’ And in Exodus it says: ‘The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still’ (14:14 NIV). When we’re facing a battle and we’re feeling overwhelmed, we need to be still before God and trust Him to fight for us. We need to stop striving and trying to fix everything on our own, and instead spend time seeking God and His wisdom.
Jer 36:27-40:16; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 79; Prov 15:18-21
2020-07-08
Psalm 37:7 NCV
We don’t like waiting. Whether we’re waiting for a meal in a restaurant, we’re stuck in standstill traffic, or we’re waiting for our bus to come, we can find ourselves becoming impatient and frustrated. We don’t like to wait for anything, including God. But the word ‘wait’ shows up many times throughout the Bible. God doesn’t always answer our prayers or bring change in our lives immediately. Sometimes we have to wait. So what can we do in the waiting? Firstly, we need to remember that God’s working in our waiting. Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at his work’ (John 5:17 NIV). It might not look like anything’s happening, but God’s working things out for our good (have a read of Romans 8:28). God says: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Sometimes we just have to hand everything over to Him and remember that He works in His own ways and in His own timing. Secondly, we need to trust God. The Bible says: ‘Wait and trust the LORD.’ Trusting can be easier said than done. We like to be in control and work everything out ourselves. Waiting and trusting can feel really uncomfortable. But the Bible teaches us to ‘trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). While we’re waiting we shouldn’t assume the worst, worry, make demands, or take control. Instead we should keep our eyes fixed on God and expectantly wait for Him to come through for us. The psalmist wrote: ‘We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield’ (Psalm 33:20 NIV). Let’s declare those words today too.
Jer 33:1-36:26; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 137; Prov 15:15-17
2020-07-07
Joel 2:28 NLT
Have you invited the Holy Spirit into your life? Some people can be afraid of the Spirit, but the Spirit provides us with comfort, guidance, and power. The Spirit helps us to grow and become more like Jesus (take a look at Galatians 5:22-23). Paul describes the Holy Spirit as a gift for Christians (you can find this in Acts 2:38). It’s not something to fear, but an amazing gift from God to help us every moment of every day. Jesus told His disciples: ‘the Holy Spirit…will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you’ (John 14:26 NLT). Not only does the Spirit teach us, but the Spirit also helps us when we feel weak. The Bible says: ‘the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words’ (Romans 8:26 NLT). In many different ways, the Spirit empowers us to live our lives for God. We can see God’s promise of His Spirit to His people in the Old Testament. He said: ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.’ This links with the spiritual gifts that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12. The Spirit empowers us to play our part in God’s kingdom. When we have the Spirit inside of us, we have some of God’s power within us. In 1 Thessalonians 5, we’re told to ‘not stifle the Holy Spirit’ (v.19 NLT), so let’s allow the Spirit to be at work in us today.
Jer 31-32; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 122; Prov 15:10-14
2020-07-06
Psalm 71:21 NIVUK
When we’ve experienced failure, it can be challenging to let it go and believe that one day we’ll experience success. We know we should pick ourselves up and try again, but that can be easier said than done. Our failures can weigh heavy on our minds and can cause us to doubt our abilities. We might even start to doubt our calling from God. But in order for us to move into success, we need to be willing to let go of the times we’ve failed. In Psalm 71, we find David in a bad situation. Things in his life haven’t gone well and he’s crying out to God. When we’re feeling like this, we have a choice to make. We can either dwell on our failures and fears, or we can look to God. David chose to fix his eyes on God rather than stay stuck in his circumstances. He said: ‘As for me, I shall always have hope; I will praise you more and more’ (Psalm 71:14 NIV). He chose to have hope and to worship despite his circumstances. David went on to say, ‘You will increase my honour and comfort me once more.’ David knew that, with God, there’s always a promise of better times to come. He knew that God hadn’t abandoned him, and that He was going to bring honour back into his life. When we’ve experienced trials and failures, we need to choose to look to God and have hope. Other people, and the enemy, can try and convince us that we’ve messed up too many times and that there’s no future for us in God’s kingdom, but that’s not true. God can redeem every mistake and failure. We just need to turn our eyes to Him.
Jer 28-30; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
