2020-03-24
Romans 4:5 NIV
There are only two ways you can become “righteous.” The first is through trying, and the second is through trusting. When you try to earn God’s approval by your performance, you can never rest because you can never really be sure you’ve done enough to please Him. But when you place your trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, the Bible says you enter into God’s “rest” (See Hebrews 4:3). Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation (something that didn’t exist before) has come. The old (appetites and actions) has gone, the new (appetites and actions) are here” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). You don’t have to struggle to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes. The moment you placed your trust in Jesus, God made you “the righteousness of God [in Christ]” (v. 21 NIV). Why did He do it that way? Because any righteousness you could achieve through good works and keeping rules falls so far short of what He requires that He sees it as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). So God credited His righteousness to you (See 2 Corinthians 5:18). Paul writes: “David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight…whose record the Lord has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:6-8 NLT). Hymnist Edward Mote wrote these words: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Rejoice! That’s how God sees you – made righteous by faith!
Soul food: Job 18-20; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:12-23; Prov 8:19-21
2020-01-21
Psalm 91:2 NLT
When we’re facing danger. David said: ‘This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety…my God and I trust him.’ When we’re afraid and facing an overwhelming situation, we can run to God for safety. Trusting in God doesn’t mean we’ll never face difficult or scary circumstances. Life throws all sorts of things our way. But we can still be at peace because of God’s promises, such as this one: ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them’ (Psalm 91:14-15 NLTUK). He will never leave us to face anything on our own. We’ll always have Him with us, and we can always rely on Him. He’s bigger than our situations and more powerful than any storm that we’re facing. When we speak God’s Word over our lives, we release the power contained in it. So we need to be speaking out verses which show us how big God is compared to our situation. Here are some examples: ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT); ‘The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm’ (Exodus 14:14 NLT); ‘Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock’ (Isaiah 26:4 NLT); ‘I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?’ (Jeremiah 32:27 NLT). So let’s stand firm today, and expect God to keep His promises to us.
Exo 33-35; Matt 8:28-34; Ps 89:15-37; Prov 2:21-22
2020-01-15
Philippians 1:6 NIV
When we don’t see God working in our situations, we can be tempted to take matters into our hands and manipulate the situation. But if we want God’s will to be done in our lives, we shouldn’t try to rush things. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, tried to rush God’s plan. Sarah was old and childless, but God said to Abraham ‘I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her’ (Genesis 17:16 NIV). But Sarah tried to take things into her own hands, and gave her servant to Abraham so that he could have a son. As a result Ishmael was born, and that brought all sorts of trouble and family complications. But God said, ‘my covenant I will establish with Isaac’ (Genesis 17:21 NIV). Isaac was born as a result of God’s will, done God’s way, in God’s time. It might seem like nothing is happening, but God is always working. The Bible tells us that ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.’ If God’s started something in our lives, He will certainly finish it. We don’t need to try to force things ourselves. We need to trust His timing. Waiting can feel uncomfortable, but it’s far better for us to wait for God to work things out in our lives than try to make things work ourselves. We might not understand why He’s not moving quickly, but He can see the bigger picture. The Bible says: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). And that’s exactly what we need to do while we’re waiting.
Exo 19-21; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
2019-12-19
1 Corinthians 16:9 NIV
Nothing becomes truly great until it overcomes something that looks insurmountable. Paul writes, “I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (vv. 8-9 NIV). Great doors of opportunity always come with great challenges, and each challenge calls for greater faith and tenacity. Think about it: If outstanding success came easily, everyone would have it. And if everyone had it, it wouldn’t be outstanding success. How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? By overcoming the cocoon. And the cocoon is so essential to the process that the caterpillar actually creates it. Wouldn’t it be easier just to stay in the warmth and comfort of the cocoon? On days when the caterpillar struggles to get out of it, he probably thinks so! But deep down, he knows the price of freedom. Flight and discovery require struggle, development, and breakthrough. There is no other way! Why did Jesus send His disciples into a life-threatening storm? To teach them to trust Him in all of life’s situations. Soon He’d be leaving them, and He was using every experience to prepare them for their future. So what are you struggling to overcome right now? Instead of complaining and asking God to take it away, see it for what it is – preparation. Remember, your level of preparation indicates the level of blessing that awaits you on the other side of it. So if God is opening doors of opportunity for you, be prepared for challenges, because you can’t have one without the other.
Soul food: Zech 12-14; John 21:15-25; Ps 47; Prov 31:6-9
2019-12-11
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
The Bible tells us that fear is a “spirit.” This spirit has a mind that thinks and a voice that speaks, and if you allow it to – it will control you. Today if you’re battling a “spirit of fear,” make this your prayer: “Lord, Your Word says when I seek Your face, You’ll hear me and deliver me from all my fears (See Psalm 34:4). So I cast down every anxious thought that rises up against what I know about You and Your power (See 2 Corinthians 10:5). I stand on the promise that You’ll never leave nor forsake me (See Hebrews 13:5). I rest in the truth that nothing is too hard for You (See Jeremiah 32:17). I rejoice in the assurance that You’ve already given Your angels responsibility for keeping and protecting me in all my ways (See Psalm 91:11). I resist the spirit of fear, and command it to flee in Jesus’ name (See James 4:7). By faith I decree that Your peace, which passes human understanding, will guard my heart and mind (See Philippians 4:7). Therefore, I will not let my heart be troubled or afraid (See John 14:27). In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.” Now instead of focusing on the problem, focus on the Problem-Solver – God! That may not immediately resolve your difficulty, but it’ll keep you in a peaceful state of mind while you wait for God to work. Isaiah said, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT). Note the word “fixed.” As you go through this day with your mind “fixed” on God, you’ll have “perfect and constant peace” (AMPC).
Soul food: Neh 11-13; John 19:1-16; Ps 105:8-15; Prov 30:5-9
