2025-01-14
1 John 4:18 AMPC
When you were young and said a bad word, your parents may have threatened to wash your mouth out with soap. Well, if fear is a dirty word, then faith in God’s unconditional love for you is like soap! Too many put the cart before the horse. We believe that God accepts us based on the degree of our love for Him rather than on the degree of His love for us. The Bible says, “We love Him because He first loved us” (v. 19 NKJV). God’s love for you is not based upon your performance but Christ’s performance on your behalf. When you put your trust in Christ, God sees you “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) from that moment forward.
Do you want to know how God sees you at this moment and every other moment? “As He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17 NKJV). Does that mean you can disobey God and get away with it? Not a chance! “For whom the Lord loves He chastens…Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:6, 11 NKJV).
But God’s correction is not rejection! It’s proof of His unconditional, unlimited, unwavering, undeserved, and unearned love for you. God doesn’t love you more on those days when you’re victorious and less on those days when you’re defeated. His love for you doesn’t vary or vacillate. Knowing that truth will boost your faith and take your fear down a notch!
Soul food: Isa 45-48; Luke 3:1-10; Ps 79; Prov 2:9-10
2024-05-30
Judges 6:14 NIV
The Bible says: “When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’ ‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?’… The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’ ‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive” (vv. 12-16 NIV).
Do you feel fearful and inadequate? Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress (v. 11), afraid of the Midianites. Yet God called him a “mighty warrior.” God sees things in you that others don’t, that even you yourself don’t! Read these words carefully: “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV).
God sees things in their completed state – including your ultimate victory. And today He is saying to you, “Go in the strength you have… Am I not sending you?” When God sends you, your success is guaranteed in spite of all the obstacles, the enemies, and all the limitations you are so aware of. If you’re unwilling to move until things “look better,” you won’t win. Start where you are and use what you have, then God will give you more.
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 101; Prov 13:20-23
2023-03-28
Revelation 21:4 NIV
Sometimes we describe dying as “crossing the Jordan.” That’s because the Jordan River runs into the Dead Sea.
The story is told of an elderly Christian lady who was dying. For most of her life, illness had confined her to bed or a wheelchair. The family gathered to say farewell. Holding her hand, one of her grandchildren asked, “Are you afraid to die?” With tears of joy, she replied, “No, I’m not afraid of death because my Father owns the land on both sides of the river.”
What an answer! In heaven there will be no sickness, or depression, or pain, or loneliness, or fear, or grief, or any of the things that make life on earth so difficult. God’s Word says, “For you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2 NRS). Isaiah writes: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10 NKJV).
When we lose a loved one in death, the question arises, “Will I see them in heaven; will I know them?” Yes! You wouldn’t know less in heaven than you knew on earth. Paul answers, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NKJV). Heaven will be the greatest family reunion of all time. And here is the best part of all: We will never be separated again.
Soul food: Job 32-34; Luke 21:25-38; Ps 69:1-18; Prov 8:27-29
2023-03-11
Psalm 23:5 NKJV
David said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (vv. 4-5 NKJV). Notice, God didn’t promise that you wouldn’t have to deal with death, or fear, or evil, or enemies. He simply said that in spite of them, and sometimes in the midst of them, your cup will still overflow with His blessing. Next time you pour a cup of tea or coffee and it overflows onto the saucer, you have an “overflowing” or a “surplus.” Your God is a God of surplus.
Paul writes, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT). He saturates you with joy and peace “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV). He bestows a surplus of joy – He causes you to “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8 NKJV). He also provides a surplus of peace – He gives “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).
So when you’re struggling to make ends meet, or you fear the future, look in the mirror and say, “God is my source; I have more than enough, my cup overflows.” And don’t just do that in times of need or crisis; make it a habit you practice every day.
Soul food: Exo 36-38; Luke 15:11-32; Ps 27; Prov 7:10-20
2023-03-06
1 Samuel 10:22 NLT
When Samuel went to present Israel’s first king to the people, Saul was discovered “hiding among the baggage.” The Hebrew word for baggage symbolizes the self-imposed limitations that hinder you from tackling the job God appointed you to do.
Things like these: (1) Feelings of inadequacy. Saul’s first response when he learned he had been chosen as king was, “Am I not… from the smallest tribe of Israel,… the least of all?” (1 Samuel 9:21 NIV). When you fail to figure God into the equation, you will always feel “less than.” Instead of focusing on your own weaknesses and inabilities, concentrate on “the incredible greatness of God’s power” (Ephesians 1:19 NLT).
(2) Fear of what others might think. The writer of Proverbs tells us “fearing people is a dangerous trap” (Proverbs 29:25 NLT). And Saul fell into it headfirst! When Samuel confronted him for failing to obliterate the Amalekites, he replied, “I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded” (1 Samuel 15:24 NLT). God’s Word assures us, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So… we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper,… I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:5-6 KJV). Once you take hold of that truth and act on it, you will find there is nothing to be afraid of.
(3) Being overly pragmatic. The Bible says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8 KJV). And Saul fit the bill to a tee! When he didn’t hear from God, he took matters into his own hands and consulted a psychic. And after promising not to harm David, he repeatedly hunted him down. Adaptability is commendable, but God requires consistency and commitment.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 136:1-12; Prov 6:30-31
