2022-01-31
Isaiah 6:9 NKJV
When you’re involved in God’s work, it’s easy to get out of balance and end up enjoying the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work. First, Jesus called His disciples to Him; then, He sent them out from Him. The power you need to succeed in your God-given assignment comes from the time you spend with the Lord, not people.
One day Jesus took three of His disciples to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration. “His face shone like the sun…there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus” (Matthew 17:2-3 NIV). Peter was elated by the experience: “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters” (v. 4 NIV). Peter wanted to stay, but God spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son….Listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5). Afterward, Jesus took His disciples back down the mountain and they began to minister to needy people.
It’s good to have periodic “mountaintop experiences” with God, but you can’t stay there. There is work to be done at the foot of the mountain, and we have been called to do it. There must be a balance between taking in and giving out. One day a year, the high priest entered the holiest of holies and had the privilege of seeing God’s glory. What an honor! But the rest of the year was spent outside, ministering to the people. After an encounter with God during which the building shook, Isaiah cried, “I am undone” (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV). Then God touched his mouth and said, “Go, and tell this people” (v. 9 NKJV). Are you getting the idea?
Soul food: Rom 7:1-9:16; Luke 7:1-10; Ps 107:17-22; Pro 3:21-24
2022-01-30
Genesis 28:16 NKJV
We have all heard people say, “The Lord told me,” and it turned out not to be so. As a result, we have become doubting and cynical. What a loss! God speaks through people, and your fear of someone “getting it wrong” can rob you of vital input – in some cases, the very input you need.
One night, God appeared to Jacob in a dream, saying: “‘I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and…bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.’ Then Jacob awoke…and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven'” (vv.15-17 NKJV).
In order to hear from God, you must (1) desire it above all else, (2) eliminate mental clutter, slow down, and take time to understand what He is saying to you, and (3) believe that God will actually speak to you. If you don’t believe, you will be left to the mercy of your own best thinking – or be influenced by others who think just like you.
Seven times in chapters two and three of The Book of Revelation, God said, “He that hath an ear [a spiritually developed one], let him hear what the Spirit says.” The question is this: How can you know what you’re hearing is actually from God? Because it will always agree with His Word, and your spirit will say, “Amen!”
Soul food: Exo 16:1-35; John 6:30-40
2022-01-29
2 Corinthians 5:16 NKJV
Paul writes, “From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh…anyone…in Christ…is a new creation; old things have passed away…all things have become new” (vv. 16-17 NKJV). Here is an important spiritual principle. When you’re trying to help a believer who is battling adversity, addiction, or physical affliction, speak life to their regenerated spirit. Speak to the part of them that’s capable of rising up in faith and responding to God’s Word: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 KJV). How does faith come? By hearing what God thinks, says, and can do. Until God has been heard, the last word hasn’t been spoken.
God instructed Ezekiel to stand in a valley full of dead bones and say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life” (Ezekiel 37:5 NIV). And guess what? It happened! Ezekiel said, “As I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together” (v. 7 NIV).
Now let’s be clear; you can’t hold on to a loved one when God in His sovereign wisdom decides it’s time to take them home to heaven, which Paul describes as “far better” (Philippians 1:23). But until that happens, speak God’s Word to their regenerated spirit. Faith doesn’t deny the reality of the circumstances, but it refuses to be intimidated, limited, or ruled by them. “Spirit can be known only by spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14 MSG), so when someone is a redeemed child of God, don’t speak to their human intellect – speak life to their spirit.
Soul food: Rom 3:21-6:23; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 107:10-16; Pro 3:19-20
2022-01-28
Job 16:5 NKJV
Even when a surgery is successful, the patient can carry within them scar tissue that causes lingering pain and discomfort. And it’s the same in life. Some people around you wear a mask of success, but within, they carry wounds they’re unable to talk about.
Comedian Jonathan Winters said in an interview that his life was scarred by cruel things his parents said to him as a child. “I’m no crybaby, but I remember things with almost total recall – there’s a lot of pain there.” His father said to him, “You’re the dumbest kid I know.” And when he joined the marines and traveled to the South Pacific during World War II, he received no support from his mother. When he returned home, he discovered she had given away his special, personal things he had stored in the attic. He was distressed, but her reaction was, “How did we know you were going to live?” Winters went on to become one of the world’s most popular entertainers and comedians, but the emotional scar tissue remained.
Understand this – your words can wound or heal. They can inspire someone or reinforce their sense of failure and worthlessness. Job, who suffered greater loss than most of us will ever know, said, “But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief” (v. 5 NKJV). How can you help someone who is hurting? By giving them your opinion? No, by giving them the only opinion that matters – God’s! And here is what God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV).
Soul food: Rom 1:32-3:20; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 107:1-9; Pro 3:13-18
2022-01-27
1 Corinthians 9:22 MSG
It’s easy to develop “spiritual amnesia.” You forget what you used to be like. And that attitude affects the people you deal with each day. One author writes: “I’ve a workplace acquaintance who embodies all the negative stereotypes of evangelical Christians. She’s judgmental…her behavior borders on bizarre…she’s completely (and purposefully) out of touch with culture. She considers any attempt to tone down her evangelism as persecution…None of us wants to be like that so we hop on the pendulum as it swings in the other direction and our efforts become so subtle, they’re imperceptible.” How can we share our faith, while maintaining a high level of integrity?
(1) Ask sincere questions and listen with a caring spirit.
(2) When appropriate, tell others you’re praying for them – then do it!
(3) Pray driving to work and ask God to help you see your workplace as a mission field.
(4) Don’t downplay the importance of your faith. When it naturally fits a conversation, talk about church, prayer, Scripture, and Christian community. Let others see joy and purpose in your life.
(5) Demonstrate God’s love for all people by initiating a company food drive…or organizing a blood drive.
(6) Strive for excellence. Be the person that your manager and co-workers rely on to do a solid job.
(7) Invite coworkers to events with your Christian friends. Nonchurchgoers are often open to going on holidays like Christmas or Easter.
(8) When you’re not sure about when to speak, check in with God and “when the time comes…the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you” (Mark 13:11 MSG).
(9) Above all – maintain a humble attitude!
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 104:24-35; Pro 3:11-12
2022-01-26
Isaiah 51:1 NKJV
If you want to win people to Christ, you won’t do it with a holier-than-thou attitude. Sadly, this is how society sees many Christians; their hearts are in the right place, but their ability to relate with compassion to those outside their immediate circle does God no favours. If you want people to respond to the gospel, take a leaf from Paul’s book. He “voluntarily [became] a servant to…all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious…moralists…immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized – whoever” (1 Corinthians 9:19-21 MSG).
Now before you get bent out of shape about Paul being soft on sin, he adds: “I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become…every sort of servant…in my attempts to lead those I meet into a…saved life…I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” (vv. 22-23 MSG). Paul could relate to unbelievers without endorsing their lifestyle because he remembered what he himself was like before God transformed him on the Damascus road.
It’s the kind of humility that only comes from looking back and remembering “the pit from which you were dug” (Isaiah 51:1 NKJV). Being the recipient of God’s grace enabled Paul to write: “Here’s a word you can take to heart…Jesus…came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One – of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy” (1 Timothy 1:15-18 MSG). Today, remember what you used to be like.
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 104:1-23; Pro 3:9-10
