2020-04-19
Proverbs 11:14 MSG
The best wisdom in life comes from God. We can go to Him with every problem we have, and every mountain we need Him to move. But He can also speak to us through other people. He designed us to live in community and to support each other. But we need to make sure that we’re surrounding ourselves with people who will lead us closer to Jesus, rather than encouraging us to go down the wrong paths. We need people we can rely on to give us good advice. The Message says: ‘Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.’ We need people to direct us the right way, and hold us accountable. If we follow the directions of unwise people, we can end up being led the wrong way. Jesus said: ‘If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit’ (Matthew 15:14 NIV). We need people who can see that God’s got a plan for us, and who encourage us to step out of our comfort zones into our calling. We need people who want us to be the best we can possibly be. Sometimes we might feel uncomfortable around people who are pushing us closer to God. We might be frustrated if they gently show us where we’ve been going wrong. But the Bible says: ‘The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice’ (Proverbs 12:15 NIV). We need to humble ourselves, and be open to the advice they have. However, we also have to make sure that we’re talking to God about the advice we’re being given. Some people may think they’re helping us, but actually the advice isn’t godly. We need to ask God to help us discern which advice to follow, and which people to surround ourselves with.
Matt 5:7; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 103:8-18; Lam 3:22-24
2020-04-18
Romans 10:17 NCV
When we’re feeling afraid, facing disappointment, or going through a tough time, it can be tempting to start speaking negatively about our situation. We can let our doubts overtake us, and we wonder whether what God’s promised is really true. But even in times of doubt, we need to speak God’s Word over our situation. When we declare the truth out loud, our faith increases. We need to come into agreement with God’s Word and learn to say what He says, no matter how bad things look at the time. The Bible says: ‘Faith comes from hearing the Good News.’ When we say and hear the truth, our faith grows and we rebuild our trust in God. His Word is like a sword and we can use it to fight against the lies of the enemy, and our own thoughts. In Ephesians we’re told: ‘Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’ (6:17 NLT). We might not always be able to change our situations on our own, but when we speak out God’s truth we renew our minds (have a read of Romans 12:2) and our attitudes are changed. Once our minds are fixed on God and His power, we’ll expectantly believe that we’ll see change in our situations too. But Jesus also taught us that we can speak to our problems and see them move. He said: ‘You can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen’ (Mark 11:23 NLT). God has the power to move every mountain in our lives, even the ones that seem impossible to be moved. We just need to speak the promises and power of God over our situations, and then watch Him move our mountains.
Lev 23:26-25:55; Mark 2:1-12; Ps 130; Prov 10:12
2020-04-17
Psalm 139:7 NIV
We only have to look at the beauty and vastness of creation to see how beautiful and vast God is. He created it all with the words: ‘Let there be’ (have a read of Genesis 1). Even though God’s all-powerful and bigger than we can ever imagine, He still knows us all individually. The One who created it all loves us and cares about every detail of our lives. The psalmist wrote: ‘Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast’ (vv.7-10). He’s always with us. When we’re weak, He’s strong. When we mess up, He forgives us. The Bible says: ‘If anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins’ (1 John 2:1 NLT). God’s grace is truly amazing, and we don’t have to do anything to deserve it. Because God’s our Father, we’re always welcome in His presence, and we can always call on Him. We’re connected to the One who ‘understands our weaknesses…So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most’ (Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT). We’re connected to unending mercy and grace – how incredible is that?
Lev 21:1-23:25; Mark 1:35-45; Ps 127; Prov 10:11
2020-04-16
Proverbs 15:14 NCV
Do you like learning? Or do you try and avoid studying? It’s important for us to keep learning about God. We’ll never learn everything there is to know about Him; there will always be more we can discover. The Bible says: ‘People with understanding want more knowledge, but fools just want more foolishness.’ If we want to be people with understanding, we need to long to learn more about God. We need to spend time studying the Bible. It contains so much wisdom about life and God, and no matter how many times we read it, God can always teach us something new. We’re told: ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right’ (2 Timothy 3:16 NCV). We have to be disciplined in making the time to spend studying His Word. We might not always feel like opening our Bibles, but it’s important that we keep going with it. It can also be useful to read commentaries and books about the passage we’re studying, or to listen to a pastor talk about it. Learning is part of our worship. It’s a way of loving God. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength’ (Mark 12:30 NCV). Part of loving God is through using our mind. If we never take the time to study His Word, or learn more about Him, then we’re neglecting part of our worship. However we feel about studying, let’s make sure we’re always prepared to learn so that we can grow in our faith and love for God.
Lev 18-20; Mark 1:21-34; Ps 43; Prov 10:10
2020-04-15
Proverbs 21:5 NLT
Some of us are ‘planners’, we love to-do lists, schedules, and goals. Others of us like to go with the flow rather than plan things. To live in a godly way, a balance between the two is needed. We need to be able to plan things so that we use our time wisely, set goals for the future, and keep on top of all our responsibilities. As the Bible says: ‘Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity.’ If we don’t create some sort of plan for our lives, we can end up not doing the things that are necessary, and being overwhelmed by everything piling up. Planning also means that we’re prepared for the future, and have a vision for where we want to go. However, it’s important to remember that God’s plan for our lives is far better than the plans we make. We need to be prepared to surrender our plans and let Him take control. Proverbs 19:21 says: ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails’ (Proverbs 19:21 NIV). We should be taking our plans to God and asking Him to guide us. He will show us which way to take (have a read of Proverbs 3:5-6). It’s also important that we don’t allow our plans to cause us to miss out on opportunities from God. We need to leave space for the Spirit to move. If we’re flexible with our plans, we can follow God’s promptings throughout the day. He might have something He wants us to do, someone He wants us to talk to, or something He wants to teach us. If we ignore these promptings because they don’t fit into our schedule then we’re missing out on kingdom opportunities.
Lev 15-17; Mark 1:9-20; Ps 56; Prov 10:8-9
2020-04-14
Zechariah 3:1 NIV
Sometimes Satan’s attacks are obvious. In the Old Testament the prophet Zechariah writes, ‘He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.’ Satan’s attack was clear – He was ready to accuse Joshua. But often he prefers to work in disguise, so he’ll frequently attack us through other people – especially those closest to us. The Bible tells us, ‘The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas…to betray Jesus’ (John 13:2 NIV). Judas was one of Jesus’ close followers, but the enemy encouraged him to turn against his friend and betray Him. So how can we defend ourselves against his attacks? We need to use the living Word of God. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus quoted God’s Word to Satan three different times and defeated him. When Satan attacks our minds with temptation, condemnation, doubts, insecurity, and feelings of inadequacy, God’s Word is a shield he cannot break through. So we need to make sure we’re reading the Bible, and learning verses which we can use to deflect his attacks. Also, when Jesus finished battling the enemy, the Bible tells us that ‘the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus’ (Matthew 4:11 NLT). It’s important to remember that we’re not alone. God surrounds us, sustains us, and protects us. We shouldn’t forget that God’s already overcome the enemy. And He tells us that we’re ‘more than conquerors’ (Romans 8:37 NIV). We’re conquerors, not victims. Satan might be trying to accuse us, frighten us, and stop us, but ultimately we have a mighty, loving, and good God ready to help us fight back.
Lev 13:38-14:57; Mark 1:1-8; Ps 50:16-23; Prov 10:4-7
