2021-03-03
Mark 3:35 MSG
The Bible says: ‘[Jesus] was surrounded by the crowd when he was given the message, “Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside looking for you.” Jesus responded, “Who do you think are my mother and brothers?” Looking around, taking in everyone seated around him, he said, “Right here, right in front of you – my mother and my brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”‘ (vv. 31-35 MSG).
One of the greatest tests of faith we’ll face is friends or family members who don’t understand us or share our values and vision. Facing them calls for wisdom and grace. Even though some of His family didn’t understand Him, Jesus continued to care for them and respect them. However, He refused to let them dictate to Him or alter the assignment He believed God had given Him. His priority was the people who had gathered to hear what He had to say.
Are you feeling misunderstood by your friends or family because of your faith? Then pray this prayer: ‘Father, help me to live like Jesus lived – facing those who misunderstand me, hearing their words and feeling the sting of their accusations, but learning to live above them, knowing that You love me. Help me to be gracious towards anyone who is being consumed by resentment and fear. Open their hearts so that they can also come to accept Your love. Give me Your peace, so that even when my loved ones misunderstand me, I’m able to keep my eyes fixed on You and carry on following Your path. Thank You for letting me lean on You and draw on Your strength every day. Amen.’
Gen 35-36; Matt 20:17-28; Ps 77; Prov 6:29
2021-02-23
Romans 9:1 AMPC
Paul writes: “My conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me.” Note that when the Holy Spirit speaks to your conscience, two things happen. First, He illuminates your heart with the truth. Second, He prompts you about what to do. Some things may be “right” for others and be “wrong” for you. Why? Because God has a particular plan for your life and He doesn’t want you to be negatively influenced, or even derailed.
Read the following Scriptures and consider them prayerfully: “Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men” (Acts 24:16 AMPC). “Holding fast to faith (that leaning of the entire human personality on God in absolute trust and confidence) and having a good (clear) conscience. By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Timothy 1:19 AMPC). “They must possess the mystic secret of the faith [Christian truth as hidden from ungodly men] with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:9 AMPC). “For we are convinced that we have a good (clear) conscience, that we want to walk uprightly and live a noble life, acting honorably and in complete honesty in all things” (Hebrews 13:18 AMPC).
As a redeemed child of God, when you sin willfully and don’t repent, you lose your sense of peace and joy and become uncomfortable in your own skin. So the word for you today is – keep your conscience clear.
Soul food: Gen 17-19; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 40:9-17; Prov 6:6-8
2021-02-22
Psalm 30:5 NKJV
Pain is an inevitable part of life and growth; a beneficial part! Stop and consider some of its benefits:
(1) It lets you know when there’s something wrong in your body that needs to be made right.
(2) It forces you to acknowledge a condition you didn’t know about; one that could potentially claim your life.
(3) It makes you rearrange your priorities and your schedule and seek help.
(4) It makes you willing to submit to treatment you may not enjoy, believing that it will make you whole.
Are you getting the idea? Strange as it may seem, the more you dread and resist the pain, the more you increase the effect it has on you. What we resist persists, and the more pain is resisted, the stronger it becomes.
When a pregnant woman goes into labor, the advice she generally gets from her medical team is to “relax.” They know the more she fights the pain, the stronger it will become and the longer the delivery process will take. So when you are experiencing pain, don’t fight it. Walk through it and allow it to accomplish its purpose.
The Bible says: “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know…when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4 NLT).
So the word for you today is – learn to endure this season of pain, knowing that God has promised you joy on the other side of it!
Soul food: Gen 13-16; Matt 17:1-13; Ps 40:1-8; Prov 6:1-5
2021-02-20
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
God hasn’t made prayer difficult or complicated, but really simple. The truth is, many of us pray more often than we know. And we have a more effective and successful prayer life than we realize. The trouble is, we don’t always recognize when we’re praying. That’s because we’ve gotten the wrong idea about it. We’ve been taught that prayer requires a specific environment like church, or a prescribed posture like kneeling, or a particular form of words like “Thee” and “Thou,” and that we must strictly adhere to certain religious rituals.
No, prayer is simply talking to God, then being still and allowing Him to talk to you. You can pray any time, anywhere, about anything, by just directing your thoughts, spoken and unspoken, toward God.
Paul writes, “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Imagine that all of God’s blessings and benefits are stored in a giant warehouse in the invisible realm; things like forgiveness, strength, wisdom, guidance, favour, and resources. Through prayer you enter God’s warehouse of blessings, and by faith you receive them and bring them back into your life.
The Bible says you have not because you ask not (See James 4:2). So whatever you need today, pray and ask God for it – believing that He will give it to you. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted” (John 15:7 NLT). So, have you prayed about it?
Soul food: Gen 10-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2021-02-10
Proverbs 14:30 NLT
In the last half century, doctors have come to understand and emphasize the correlation between mental and physical health. Yet the Bible talked about it over three thousand years ago when King Solomon gave us these four proverbs: (1) “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.” (2) “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health” (Proverbs 15:30 NLT). (3) “Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body” (Proverbs 16:24 NLT). (4) “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).
These Scriptures could be summed up like this: a faith-filled attitude (focusing on what’s good instead of what’s bad), laughter (the ability to rejoice), and spoken words of encouragement have a profound effect on your health (and the health of those around you). What’s the antidote for stress? Serenity! What’s the remedy for fear? Faith! And where do serenity and faith come from? God!
David was in bad shape when he wrote, “I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, ‘What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave?'” (Psalm 30:8-9 NLT). We don’t know whether he was stressed-out mentally, or if he was physically ill. But God intervened, and later in the same psalm David wrote, “You have turned my mourning into…dancing. You have…clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent” (vv. 11-12 NLT).
There’s no doubt about it – your thinking has a profound effect on your health!
Soul food: Rom 9:17-11:36; Matt 13:36-46; Ps 138; Prov 4:14-17
