2022-02-08
Proverbs 25:28 NLT
Trials, disagreeable people, and frustrating circumstances are potentially upsetting – and the bad news is, they’re not going away anytime soon. However, the good news is, they’re not your problem! The fact is, it’s not what happens to you that determines your mood; it’s what happens in you! We imagine life would immediately change for the better if we could alter people and circumstances, but there would be new people and circumstances to deal with, right?
Solomon had it right; it’s not about controlling the world on the outside – it’s controlling the world on the inside. Proverbs tells us, “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls”; in other words, a city that’s open to attack. The only way to guarantee your security is to forget about controlling people and things, and to focus on maintaining your protective walls.
“But people and circumstances can make me feel inadequate and vulnerable,” you say. The Bible tells us that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5 NRS). In fact, recognizing your own inadequacies is step one on the journey to wholeness. Step two is accepting that only God can empower you with self-control (see Philippians 2:13 NIV). Step three lies in understanding that self-control doesn’t come from teeth-gritting determination; it’s a product of the Holy Spirit – a fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). When you submit to the Spirit who lives in you, He will strengthen your walls and empower you to stand strong against the Enemy.
Soul food: Isa 12-16; Luke 8:40-56; Ps 125; Pro 4:3-4
2022-02-02
Matthew 4:19 NLT
Even when other people don’t see your potential, Jesus does. He told Simon Peter and Andrew, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ Where everyone else just saw ordinary fishermen, Jesus saw the capacity to change the world. There are two sides to following Him: you believe in Jesus, and He believes in you.
But we can have doubts. When Nathaniel was invited to meet Jesus, he was doubtful: ‘Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathaniel said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see”‘ (John 1:45-46 NCV).
Even after witnessing Jesus’ miracles for three years, His disciples still had doubts and moments of uncertainty. Several times He said to them, ‘You of little faith.’ He knew they were anxious about what would happen when He left them and went back to heaven, so He said, ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever (John 14:16 NCV). The Greek word for helper (or comforter) is parakletos, which means ‘one who comes alongside to help you’. And the helper God sent was the Holy Spirit.
There’ll never be a day when we don’t need God’s help, and there’ll never be a day when it isn’t available to us. The truth is, even when we doubt, don’t believe, or find it difficult to trust, Jesus never gives up on us. He loves us at all times and wants to help us. Today, know that Jesus believes in you!
Rom 12-14; Luke 7:24-35; Ps 107:33-43; Pro 3:27-28
2021-12-29
Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV
Hebrew baby boys went through the rite of circumcision. It signified that they were in a covenant relationship with God in which He promised to protect, guide, and bless them. And in the New Testament, Paul “spiritualizes” this rite. “True circumcision…is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit” (Romans 2:29 NLT). Spiritually understood, circumcision means “cutting off” anything that promotes and produces in us wrong impulses and actions.
Jesus said, “Those whose hearts are pure…will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NLT). When your heart is pure, you will be able to see God where others can’t and hear Him when others don’t. The word pure could be translated “without contamination.” It’s the difference between a clear stream and a polluted one. It means your self-centered thinking is abandoned and your carnal nature is crucified.
The difference between forgiveness and cleansing is like the difference between cutting off a weed at the ground and pulling it up by its roots. Forgiveness deals with the “result” of sin – that’s easy to identify. But cleansing deals with the “cause” of sin – that’s not so easy to identify because it deals with your natural traits and character flaws. Forgiveness comes by confession, but cleansing comes by walking in the light: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NIV).
Do you keep asking God to forgive the same sins over and over? That’s because you need to experience true cleansing. Your heart needs to be circumcised. And that’s a job for the Holy Spirit.
Soul food: 1 Cor 12-14; Matt 2:16-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28-29
Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV
Hebrew baby boys went through the rite of circumcision. It signified that they were in a covenant relationship with God in which He promised to protect, guide, and bless them. And in the New Testament, Paul ‘spiritualises’ this rite. ‘True circumcision…is a change of heart produced by [God’s] Spirit’ (Romans 2:29 NLT). That change of heart calls for cutting off anything that encourages and produces in us wrong impulses and actions.
Jesus said, ‘Those whose hearts are pure…will see God’ (Matthew 5:8 NLT). When our hearts are pure, we’ll be able to see God where others can’t and hear Him when others don’t. The word pure could be translated ‘without contamination’. It’s the difference between a clear stream and a polluted one. It means our self-centred thinking is abandoned and our earthly nature is crucified.
The difference between forgiveness and cleansing is like the difference between cutting off a weed at the ground and pulling it up by its roots. Forgiveness deals with the ‘result’ of sin – that’s easy to identify. But cleansing deals with the ’cause’ of sin – that’s not so easy to identify because it deals with our natural traits and character flaws. Forgiveness comes by confession, but cleansing comes by walking in the light: ‘If we walk in the light, as he is in the light…the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7 NIV).
Do you keep asking God to forgive the same sins over and over? That’s because you need to experience true cleansing. Your heart needs to be changed. And that’s a job for the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 12-14; Matt 2:16-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28-29
2021-12-26
Nehemiah 8:9 KJV
The word holiday comes from the Old English word haligdæg, which means ‘holy day’. So, when Nehemiah announced, ‘This day is holy,’ he was declaring a celebration; a time to ‘eat and drink before the LORD’ (1 Chronicles 29:22 KJV). Today, overindulgence and overspending have become associated with Christmas, making many Christians hesitant to celebrate.
Jack Hayford writes: ‘Often it is from those newly associated with our fellowship who have allowed themselves – perhaps for the first time – to enter into the wonder and fullness of Christmas joy and celebration…Christmas is more than merely “merry”. Christmas is mighty. Celebration – unfettered enjoyment, love…laughter…gifts and giving, trees and tinsel,…carols and bells…all of it – has an inherent potential for mightiness.
The qualifying factor is the presence of the Holy Spirit. When He is present, the accoutrements of Christmas…can bless, strengthen, heal, [and] restore…When He is absent, carols ring hollow. Greetings, wishes and smiles lie on the surface, like glitter glued on a flat card. Lights and decorations…can leave the heart more desolate than ever. But where the Holy Spirit is there is power…to change entrenched habits…transform cold hearts…grudges and expectations…lift lives out of the shadow…This Christmas, let Him come upon you. Welcome the…Holy Spirit…to move upon your life, and then make your own move…into the season’s best opportunities to bask in the wonder of it all…Reach out to those around: encourage, bless, bake, give, visit, invite, share, and lift hearts wherever you can. By…New Year…you’ll find Christmas to…have been marvellously, and even miraculously, mighty.’
However we choose to celebrate Christmas, let’s invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of it, and watch expectantly for God to move in mighty ways.
Isa 11:1-10; Luke 2:21-38
