2022-09-25
Psalm 119:164 TLB
A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you won’t get anywhere until you change it. Few things in life are more important than your attitude, and here are four ways you can keep a good one:
(1) Realise your attitude needs to be constantly adjusted. Anything you don’t maintain eventually deteriorates. The stronger your natural inclination is toward doubt and negativity, the more you will have to work at it. So begin each day with an attitude check, and throughout the day, look for red flags signaling that you’re not doing so well.
(2) Pray because you will need God’s help to maintain a good attitude. The Bible says: “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper… delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord… and he will help you” (Psalm 37:3-5 NLT).
(3) Look for what’s good, and you will find it. Mother Teresa required two things from those who worked with her in the Calcutta slums: a desire to work, and a joyful attitude. Think: If she could be joyful amongst the dying and destitute, surely you can too!
(4) Look for people with faith and spend time with them. Where are they? You will find them soaring above the doubters like eagles. If you’re having a bad day, get close and “draft” behind them the way racers do. If they’re having difficulty, you be the one to get out in front and make things easier. Seven times a day David paused to praise God. Can you imagine what that would do for your attitude?
Soul food: Eph 5:21-33; Song of Sol 2:1-7; Ps 45; Prov 5:15-19
2022-08-05
Genesis 18:14 NKJV
Much of our stress is brought on by our need to know everything ahead of time – to be in control. Even after we pray and supposedly turn the problem over to God, we live by the philosophy “hope for the best and plan for the worst”! You don’t put your money into the bank and then stay awake all night worrying about it, right? Well, have at least that much confidence in God!
When you find yourself in the downward spiral of “How? What? When? Where?” stop and give it to God. Not the limited God of your understanding, but the unlimited God whose track record speaks for itself, whose faithfulness never fails, and who has earned the right to ask, “Is anything too hard for [me]?”
Jesus never suffered from the fear of failure like we do. Why? Because He never entertained the thought that He couldn’t do something that His Father had assured Him He could do. And He didn’t suffer from the fear of lack, either. Even though He lived a simple life, He was responsible for supporting Himself and a team of others. How did He do it? The Bible says He prayed morning, noon, and night, staying in constant touch with His heavenly Father. Consequently, He knew how to catch fish when they weren’t biting, and even find tax money in a fish’s mouth when He needed it.
Now, God may not provide for you in exactly that way, but He has promised to take care of you. Here is a promise you should live by today: “God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him” (1 Peter 5:7 CEV).
Soul food: Deut 8-10; Mark 2:13-22; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 16:33
2022-07-31
Romans 8:26 NLT
The twin pillars of a believer’s daily life should be prayer and Scripture. But, while praying may be simple, it’s not always easy. We lack motivation, we’re easily distracted, and we are not always sure what we should be praying for. So, recognising our human inadequacies, God provides help for us in the form of the Holy Spirit.
Paul writes: “The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father… knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us… in harmony with God’s own will” (vv. 26-27 NLT). That means, no matter how you feel when you pray, the Holy Spirit is in prayer with you and for you, transforming your feeblest prayers into powerful appeals to the Father.
And when it comes to the second pillar, namely the Word of God, the Holy Spirit’s role is equally dynamic. Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth… whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13 KJV). Note, the Holy Spirit does three things.
(1) He guides us as we study the Word of God and seek to understand it.
(2) He takes what Jesus wants us to know and reveals it to us.
(3) He opens our understanding about things that are still to come.
No question, good reference books, Scripture-based resources, and skilled Bible teachers are necessary and helpful, but they’re no substitute when it comes to hearing from the Holy Spirit for yourself and listening carefully to what He wants to tell you.
Soul food: Josh 1; Ps 27:11-14; 2 Tim 2:1-15
2022-06-08
Hebrews 4:16 NLT
Boldness. Boldness isn’t arrogance, presumption, or a sense of entitlement. It’s confidence based on who you are in Christ. Paul writes, “Let us come boldly to the throne of… God. There we will receive his mercy, and… grace to help us when we need it most” (v. 16 NLT). As God’s redeemed child, you have a right to approach Him at any time. And understanding that enables you to overcome Satan’s attempts to make you feel unworthy. It removes your natural inclination to say, “I know God can do it, but it’s hard to believe He will do it for me.” You think like that when you feel unworthy. But the glorious truth is – Jesus has made you worthy! (See Colossians 1:12).
Note also, “We… find grace… when we need it most,” and grace is simply undeserved favour. In other words, God will give you what you don’t deserve when you’re confident enough to ask Him. Plus, you’re asking in Jesus’ name, not your own. You’re presenting to the Father all that Jesus is, not all that you are.
And here is another thought: When you have hidden sin in your heart, you can’t pray with confidence. Unconfessed sin locks you in and shuts God out (See Psalm 66:18). But the good news is, when you ask God to reveal your sin, He will. And when He does, you must deal with it if you want to keep the lines of communication open. If God reminds you of a situation in which you didn’t do the right thing, don’t try to sweep it under the rug. Acknowledge it, receive His forgiveness, and then you can pray with confidence.
Soul food: Rev 1-4; Matt 15:15-28; Ps 129; Pro 12:27-28
2022-04-23
Isaiah 43:19 NCV
There are so many times in life when we need to let go of something we care about. We might have to leave a job we love. We could have been working on a project and now need to hand it over for someone else to take to the next level. Maybe we’ve been a mentor or advisor, but the person has reached the point where they don’t need us anymore. We might be teaching someone, but our knowledge has reached its limit and now they need to move on and learn from someone with greater skill. God might even tell us to let something go without us understanding why.
Letting go isn’t easy. It can make us feel unwanted or rejected, our pride can take a hit, or we might think we’re not good enough. Even if we’ve given up something we hate, it can leave a void in that makes us feel strangely empty. But there are things we can do to regain our joy and find reasons to celebrate.
We can: 1) Rejoice that we played a part in the development and growth of the person or project.
2) Be proud that we’ve made a difference.
3) Pray for the person, the project, those who were working with us, and those who are going to take things even further.
4) Trust God to place the person or project in the right hands.
5) Look forward to the next thing God has in mind for us. It can be helpful to remember these words: ‘Do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it?’ (Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV). When we let go of one thing, God already has the next thing lined up.
1 Cor 15-16; Matt 1:1-17; Ps 103:13-22; Pro 10:14
