2023-03-13
Acts 26:19 KJV
When God gives you a vision of what He wants you to do, you will have to go against the flow of the world. Society wants to keep you in a box. Most people are married mentally to the status quo. They want what was, not what can be. They seek safety and simple answers. So, you need to give yourself permission to go a different way, to break new ground.
Paul said, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.” It was his consuming passion and the central focus of his life. He got up every morning thinking about it and went to bed every night thinking about it. And at the end of his life, he could say, “I have finished the race… Finally, there is laid up for me the crown” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV).
No one achieves greatness by becoming a generalist. Whether your vision is to build a great family, or a great church, or a great business, or a great “anything,” you must focus. Author Harry A. Overstreet observed: “The immature mind hops from one thing to another; the mature mind seeks to follow through.”
Does every area of your life deserve focused thinking time? No. Be selective, not exhaustive in your thinking. What has God called you to do? What’s your role in it? What skill sets do you need to sharpen? What knowledge do you need to acquire? What relationships do you need to build? The first question Paul asked when God gave him his vision was, “What do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6 NKJV). And today that’s the question you need to ask God, too.
Soul food: Exo 39-40; Luke 16:1-18; Ps 135; Prov 7:21-23
2023-01-17
Luke 4:2 NIV
Here are some practical pointers from Jesus for handling temptation: (1) Your temptations are like the ones He faced. “Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are” (Hebrews 4:15 CEV). You say, “But you don’t understand how bad my temptations are.” No, but Jesus does. The fact that “He was tempted in every way” means He has been there, felt the urge, and understands your vulnerability firsthand. You can turn to Him when temptation hits, confident He has walked the same path and He will help you.
(2) Temptation often comes after spiritual victory. Jesus had just been baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him, and God declared His pleasure in His Son – then Satan struck full force (See Matthew 3:16-17; 4:1-11). High spiritual moments can leave you with your guard down, susceptible to attack. Paul says, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV). People often crash and burn after big accomplishments. Ministers, for example, can be prone to temptation after delivering a great sermon.
(3) Temptation comes when you’re exhausted. Forty days without eating had left Jesus physically depleted. When your resources are drained, you’re a target for attack. Lack of sleep, unhealthy diet, stretching yourself too thin, no exercise, anxiety, and discouragement can open the door to temptation. When you feel down, your focus blurs, your awareness is dulled, your spiritual edge diminishes, and you’re not on guard against the Enemy’s approaches and schemes.
The Bible says, “Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up” (1 Peter 5:8 MSG).
Soul food: Isa 49-52; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 81; Prov 2:11-15
2022-06-25
Psalm 112:7 KJV
There is a big difference between thinking about God from time to time and having your mind “fixed” on Him. Echoing psychologist William James, researcher Jeffrey Schwartz writes: “The essential achievement of the will is to attend to one object and hold it clear and strong before the mind, letting all others – its rivals for attention and subsequent action – fade away like starlight swamped by the radiance of the Sun.”
Have you ever dropped a contact lens on the carpet? Your intense focus causes the brain to suppress anything that distracts you from finding the lost lens – lint, carpet color and pattern, cookie crumbs. Your mind is “fixed.” It responds with the laser-like focus of a bloodhound given a shirt with the scent of a fugitive. It’s amazing how often people see themselves as victims of whatever thoughts happen to run through their head. It’s like they’re passive spectators with no control, watching unbidden thoughts scroll across the screen of their mind.
Understand this: There is a battle being waged by Satan to control the kinds of thoughts that run through your mind. And it’s a battle you can’t win without God’s help. The ultimate freedom – one nobody can take away from you – is the freedom to decide what your mind will dwell on. In describing the truly blessed person, the psalmist wrote, “His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” When your mind is “fixed” on God, you will see evidences of His presence everywhere you look. You will be able to say with certainty, “Surely [not maybe] goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6 KJV). So, keep your mind fixed on God.
Soul food: Hosea 6-10; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 8; Pro 14:9-12
2022-06-14
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NIV
Writer Jim Killam offers some more tips for a successful marriage:
“(1) Praying together may be the most intimate thing you can do, even more than sex. Pray together before making big decisions and most small ones. Ultimately, the decision you make is less important than the fact you prayed about it together.
(2) Hold your career with a light touch. It’s not who you are, it’s just what you do.
(3) Moving every few years is a good way to take stock of how much unnecessary stuff you have.
(4) Observe a no-TV week once in a while. It’ll be there when you get back… and there will still be [very little] worth watching.
(5) Find regular times of quietness alone and together. (Guys, watching a ball game doesn’t count!)
(6) Never attempt exploratory surgery on a broken dishwasher. You can call the repairman now or later. Save yourself years of humiliation. Call now!
(7) Instead of entertaining yourselves, focus outward. Together, you can impact your community and your world.
(8) Find a good church and get involved. Don’t be spectators; churches have enough of those.
(9) ‘Honor your father and mother’ applies at all ages – and not just for their sakes.
(10) Talk often about your hopes and dreams, and don’t laugh at hers.
(11) Fight fair and clean. No yelling, escalating, or pouting.
(12) Remember, ‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ (1 Timothy 6:6 KJV). Approach each day with a thankful heart; it’s freeing to realize nobody owes you anything.
(13) Your wife is an amazing gift from God; treat her that way.
(14) No marriage is bulletproof. Guard it with your life.”
Soul food: 2 Kings 1:1-4:17; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 143; Pro 13:9-10
2022-04-07
John 4:34 CEV
Instead of confining Jesus to church on Sunday, let’s study His work philosophy (attitude, values, and beliefs) on how to get things done. The principles He lived by call for these: (1) Being clear about your assignment. He said, “I must finish the work… he gave me to do.” Jesus understood that focus maximizes skill and opportunity. So if you’re talented, energetic, and active and you’re still not seeing concrete results, your problem may be lack of focus. When Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, his enemies said, “Come, let us meet together” (Nehemiah 6:2 NKJV). That’s when Nehemiah sent back this message: “I am doing a great work, so… I cannot come down” (v. 3 NKJV).
(2) Prioritizing tasks in the order of their importance. When you don’t do what has to be done according to its importance, jobs start to arrange themselves according to their urgency. And when that happens, you miss great opportunities. The Bible says Jesus “needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:4 NKJV). To the disciples, this probably looked like a diversion because it wasn’t the shortest route to where they wanted to go. But there was a woman in Samaria Jesus wanted to redeem; a vessel through which he reached the entire city with the gospel. Bottom line: Jesus was clear about his priorities. Are you?
(3) Creating a definitive timetable. In other words, set deadlines and stick with them. Jesus knew He had only three-and-a-half years to get the job done, and He made every day count. One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is, “I’ll get to it later.” To succeed in life, let Jesus’ work philosophy become your master plan.
Soul food: Lev 11:1-13:37; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 50:16-23; Pro 9:12
