2021-06-26
Acts 4:13 NIV
To be “under the influence” means to be controlled by something or someone other than yourself. Who you are, what you are, and where you are today is because you were under the influence of certain people. The company you keep influences your thinking, your thinking influences your actions, your actions influence your character, and your character determines your destiny.
Influence is impossible to escape. It’s like the weather – always there to be reckoned with. That’s why it’s essential to monitor your children’s use of the internet, what they watch on television, and the company they keep because these things can influence them for good or evil. And if you’re really wise, you’ll spend time under the influence of Jesus. You’ll read His Word and spend time with Him in prayer. Indeed, the more time you spend with Him, the more you’ll become like Him.
When the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they were transformed to the extent that some folks thought they were drunk. But Peter said: “These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people'” (Acts 2:15-17 NIV). Two chapters later, we read this: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (v. 13 NIV). And today the Holy Spirit, who is simply the influence of Christ, can transform your life too.
Soul food: Jer 18-21; Luke 2:41-52; Ps 59:1-8; Prov 14:21-22
2021-06-25
Joshua 22:23 NLT
In the Bible an altar represented different things. It represented sacrificing to God by giving Him the best of the sheep in your flock. It represented worshiping God and putting Him above all else in life. It represented humility, acknowledging your need of God and your total dependence on Him.
But it’s also possible to build an altar “for ourselves.” By doing so, we rob God of His rightful place in our lives and begin to put ourselves first. In other words, we build an altar to self-interest, self-promotion, self-preservation, self-aggrandizement, and self-exaltation.
That’s why Jesus sets the following standard for discipleship, and it’s a high standard: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24 NKJV). Your “cross” has only one purpose, and that’s for “self” to die on.
Paul writes: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13 NKJV). Note the words “put to death.” Your flesh, or your ego and carnal nature, will not willingly roll over and die; it must be crucified each day. And the power to do this can only be accessed by spending time in prayer with God and renewing your mind constantly with the Word of God.
So today the choice is yours; to build an altar to the Lord, you must first put “self” on the altar. Are you ready to do that?
Soul food: Jer 14-17; Luke 2:34-40; Ps 21; Prov 14:17-20
2021-06-14
1 Timothy 2:1 NIV
Prayer is simply communicating with God. And communication can be spoken or silent. It can even be expressed in song. Many of the Psalms are just prayers set to music. Prayer is connecting with God. Whether it’s confessing a sin, praising His name, pursuing His will, interceding for a friend, or petitioning for your own needs, your prayer must be God-centered, never self-centered. Sincere prayer comes from a heart that longs for God to reveal what He desires. So you must allow adequate time for listening and waiting intently before your heavenly Father. And prayer must be your first priority.
Paul instructs Timothy: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made” (v. 1 NIV). Note the words, “First of all.” Before you slide out of bed, before you take a shower, before you make your way to work, and before your first appointment, pray, pray, pray! Every afternoon at three o’clock, Peter and John went to the temple to pray. In the middle of the day, they interrupted their schedule to gather for one purpose: prayer.
So when your day is rolling along at its own pace and in its own direction, interrupt it with prayer. As your day builds toward a crisis, deliberately stop to pray. When your morning begins to go south, pull away for a few moments of solitude to seek God’s mind and ask for His instruction. When your attitude starts to sour, pause for an attitude adjustment prompted by prayer. Don’t wait – pray immediately.
Make prayer your first priority in all things and at all times. If you do, you’ll find that prayer changes your life for the better.
Soul food: 2 Ki 18:17-20:21; Mark 16:1-20; Ps 80:12-19; Prov 13:13-16
2021-06-12
Philippians 3:8 CEV
When we’re facing a difficult time and can’t see how we’re going to get through it, there’s one thing we must try and do: turn to God. When Job lost everything and his whole world was turned upside down, he said: ‘He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread’ (Job 23:10-12 NIV).
Paul’s life wasn’t trouble-free either: ‘I have been in danger from rivers…from bandits…from my fellow Jews…from Gentiles; in danger in the city…in the country…at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have laboured and toiled and…often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and…often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches’ (2 Corinthians 11:26-28 NIVUK).
Reading that list can make us wonder how he managed to get through it. Paul knew the secret to making it through tough times – He allowed his troubles to drive him closer to God: ‘I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV). Let’s try to remember Job’s and Paul’s attitudes, and be inspired by them when we’re facing our own troubles.
2 Ki 16:1-18:16; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 80:1-11; Prov 13:11-12
2021-06-05
Isaiah 55:12 NCV
God reveals His will to us in several ways. One of them is by giving us a sense of ‘peace’ that we are doing the right thing. Paul wrote, ‘Let the peace of God rule in your hearts’ (Colossians 3:15 NKJV), and ‘God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds In Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7 NCV).
Having peace means that we’re trusting God’s guidance. We don’t need all the answers to have peace about something, and having peace doesn’t mean things are going to be easy and comfortable. When Mary was visited by an angel who told her that she was going to have a baby, she must have had some worries, as being unmarried and pregnant put her in a very difficult situation in her culture. But she simply said: ‘I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!’ (Luke 1:38 NCV). She trusted God, accepted His plan, and had peace about it.
When we need peace, we should cry out to God. Before Jesus was crucified, even though He knew His part in God’s plan and why He had to die, He said, ‘If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me’ (Matthew 26:39 NLT). But then He continued, ‘Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’ His peace came from trusting God and doing His will. Whenever we’re faced with a difficult situation or an important decision that could have lasting effects, we need to pray, trust God for guidance, ask Him for peace, act, and trust Him for the right result.
Rev 19-22; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 129; Prov 12:27-28
