2021-11-28
Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV
Second, take action. There is an old saying “you can if you will.” Initiators don’t wait for others to motivate them. They know it’s their responsibility to move themselves forward beyond their comfort zone, and they make it a practice. President Theodore Roosevelt said, “There is nothing brilliant or outstanding in my record, except perhaps this one thing. I do the things I believe ought to be done. And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act.” The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good [take action]; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3 NKJV).
Third, learn from your failures and keep moving forward. The good news for initiators is, they make things happen. The bad news is, they make lots of mistakes along the way. The greater your potential, the greater your chance for failure. Senator Robert Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
Are you constantly on the lookout for opportunity, or do you wait for it to come to you? Are you willing to pray and take a step of faith, or do you endlessly analyze everything? As former chairman of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca said, “Even the correct decision is wrong when it was taken too late.” When was the last time you initiated something substantial in your life? If you haven’t moved yourself forward out of your comfort zone lately, you might have to jump-start your initiative. The Bible says, “He is [your] help and…shield” (Psalm 115:11 NKJV). That means God will help you to succeed. And when you fail, He will protect and redirect you.
Soul food: Gen 14:18; Ps 110; Heb 5:5-11
2021-11-27
Deuteronomy 31:7 NKJV
When God gives you an unconditional promise, all you need to do is wait for it. But when He makes a conditional promise, you have a part to play in its fulfillment. Sometimes that calls for taking the initiative. For Israel, it meant being willing to face opposition and drive the occupying nations from the promised land so it could be theirs. “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed'” (vv. 7-8 NKJV). In essence, God was saying, “When you take the initiative, I will act on your behalf.” And He’s saying the same thing to you today.
Here is what it means to take the initiative: (1) Knowing what you want. Humorist and pianist Oscar Levant once quipped, “Once I make up my mind, I’m full of indecision.” We smile, but sadly that’s the way many of us operate. The fact is, you can’t be indecisive and be effective at the same time.
(2) Being willing to take risks. The difference between a believer and a nonbeliever is this: as a believer, God has promised to go before you and arrange the circumstances in your Favour. “But I’m afraid!” you say. Faith in God doesn’t eliminate fear – it overcomes it. So take the initiative.
Soul food: Jos 1-4; John 14:1-14; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 28:1-4
2021-11-26
1 Timothy 5:22 NLT
Before David became the king of Israel, he spent years tending a flock of sheep in the wilderness. That’s not an impressive start. But that’s where he built his relationship with God and honed his skills as a strategist and warrior. If you want to succeed, here is an immutable principle you must understand: God will let you practice in a place where your weaknesses can be worked on, your gifts developed, and where your mistakes won’t affect too many others.
One Bible teacher tells of a pilot friend who received word from the control tower saying, “You’re cleared for five thousand feet.” When he got there, he was told to hold for further instructions. Then came the words, “You’re cleared for ten thousand feet.” Gradually the controller took him level by level to thirty-five thousand feet where he was cleared to fly to his destination. That day, God spoke to him saying, “I wish you would trust me like that. Instead, you want to go straight to thirty-five thousand feet in one thrust!”
Try to understand this: God sees the end from the beginning, and He has already mapped out your journey. He knows that if you rise too quickly, there are dangers. You may be in the cockpit – but God is in the control tower! And today He is saying to you, “Trust me and I’ll get you safely to your destination.” God’s plan for your life can’t be rushed. When you try to rise too quickly, (1) you make costly and painful mistakes, (2) you adversely affect the lives of those who depend on you, and (3) you end up in a tug-of-war with God, which you lose!
Soul food: 3 John; Jude; John 13:31-38; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 27:23-27
2021-11-25
Exodus 33:21 NKJV
God told Moses, “I will make all My goodness pass before you” (v. 19 NKJV). But in order to see that promise fulfilled, Moses had to be properly positioned, so God said, “Here is a place by Me.” When you function in the place where God has assigned you, you can claim His promise: “I will make all My goodness pass before you.”
Why would the Prodigal Son leave his father’s house when everything he needed was there? Because: (1) He wanted his father’s blessing, but not his authority. Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord’…and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV). Why indeed! Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the US Senate, once prayed: “Lord, help us to apply what we applaud.”
(2) He took his father’s blessings for granted. God warned the Israelites: “Be careful…you do not forget the Lord, who brought you…out of…slavery” (Deuteronomy 6:12 NIV). When they crossed the river Jordan, He told them to take twelve stones, one for each tribe, and build a memorial. Why? To remind them of who they were, who He was, and His covenant with them.
(3) He didn’t know the danger waiting for him out there. And as a result, he ended up in a pigpen. Understand this: The path that takes you away from God may begin with pleasure, but it always ends with pain. Ask those who have walked it, and they will tell you, “Don’t go there!” Live by this Scripture: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1 NKJV). Stay positioned for God’s blessing.
Soul food: 2 Chr 35-36; John 13:18-30; Ps 114; Prov 27:20-22
2021-11-24
Psalm 37:34 TLB
When God gives you a promise or a vision for your life, it’s like a seed; it needs time to take root before it can bear fruit. It’s like the birth of a baby. First the seed, then the pregnancy, then the development within the womb, and finally the day of delivery. And what does the mother do during this time? Prepare! She gets ready for the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood.
You may think you’re ready, but God knows when you’re ready. Though he had already been anointed king, David had to wait seven years until God removed Saul from the throne. And during those years he learned valuable lessons. Here is one of them: “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing” (v. 34 TLB).
You must learn the difference between what you can do and what God can do. Fools rush in! If you don’t want to risk delaying the fulfilment of God’s plan for your life, don’t get ahead of Him. “The vision is…for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come” (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV).
Everything God does is by appointment. And an appointment is simply an event that has already been set. God has scheduled a time for bringing to pass two things in your life: His promises and your vision. And there is great peace in knowing that nothing the enemy does can pre-empt these two things. So, when you grow impatient, remind yourself, “My life can’t end without this happening. God said it, and He will do it!
Soul food: 2 Chr 32-34; John 13:1-17; Ps 95; Prov 27:17-19
2021-11-23
Matthew 13:28 NLT
“Here is another story Jesus told: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!’…’An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds'” (vv. 24-30 NLT). There are two important lessons here.
(1) You must know God’s Word so well that error, regardless of how convincingly it’s presented, can’t mislead you. Paul warned the leaders of the church at Ephesus: “Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!” (Acts 20:30-31 NIV).
(2) You must stay spiritually awake and alert. Notice, the seeds that were sown that night didn’t produce a harvest of weeds until later. And at that point they could not be uprooted. Perhaps you think this is no big deal. Think again! One degree off course may seem harmless enough. But if you stay on that trajectory long enough, spiritually speaking, you will end up far from where God wants you to be and realize “an enemy has done this!” So what is the answer? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…to fellowship…the breaking of bread and…prayer” (Acts 2:42 NIV).
Soul food: 2 Chr 29-31; John 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 27:13-16
