2018-02-10
Philippians 3:13 NIV
Developing your faith is like taking swimming lessons. Observe: (1) Fear is like water; if you let it, it will take you under. (2) You can only tread water for so long before you drown. (3) When you reach a certain point, there’s no turning back. (4) Faith is like the air in your lungs; it will sustain you and keep you afloat if you just relax. Have you ever watched a seasoned swimmer? Stroke after stroke, he takes what’s in front of him and pushes it behind him, letting it propel him toward his goal. He literally takes what stands between him and his goal, and uses it to get there. Sometimes we despair and say, “I’m just keeping my head above water,” and that’s okay as long as you keep “stroking” and pressing on. It’s when you feel backed into a corner with nowhere to turn, that you’ve got to take hold of the faith God has placed within you and keep moving forward. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12 KJV). The word “violence” suggests ferocity, passion, and intensity. You must be relentless and fight your way through, confident that God is on your side – because He is (Psalm 56:9 NIV). The waters you’re in don’t determine your destiny; they either carry you over or take you under. It takes faith to keep going. When you quit, God can do nothing more for you! So today whether you’re doing the breaststroke, the backstroke, or some other kind of stroke that nobody’s ever heard of – keep pressing on.
Soul food: Num 32:25-33:56; Matt 13:36-46; Ps 134; Prov 4:5-13
2018-02-07
1 Samuel 14:6 NIV
During the early days of Saul’s kingship, the Philistines controlled the western border of Israel, and battle lines were drawn at the pass called Michmash. Saul seemed content to sit on the sidelines, but Jonathan wanted to be on the front line. “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side” (v. 1 NIV). There was only Jonathan and his armor bearer, so the odds didn’t look good. But when you make a move that is motivated by God’s glory, it moves the heart and hand of God. What it requires is a step of faith. And often it’s the longest, hardest, and scariest step you’ve ever taken. Usually when Israel’s kings went into battle it was because they had received a word from the Lord assuring their victory. Jonathan had received no such word. He simply said, “Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf.” Most people operate out of the opposite mentality: “Perhaps the Lord won’t act in our behalf.” They let fear dictate their decisions instead of faith. So they end up with Saul, sitting on the sidelines. And how did the battle turn out for Jonathan and his armor bearer? “So the Lord rescued Israel that day” (v. 23 NIV). All it took was one daring decision! That’s all it ever takes. When you move, God will move on your behalf. And if you don’t move, you’ll always wonder “what if?” Our longest regrets are our inaction regrets – the things we would have, could have, or should have done but did not do. So the word for you today is: Trust God, and act!
Soul food: Num 25-26; Matt 13:1-9; Ps 120; Prov 3:33-35
2017-12-03
Psalm 119:105 NIV
When you pray, “Lord, what should I do?” He can respond to you in several ways. Let’s look at some over the next few days. He will answer you through His written Word. Instead of turning to “Tom, Dick, and Harry” for guidance, go to God. Make His Word your first option rather than your last resort. The Psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Without a regular daily intake of God’s Word, you’ll be “in the dark” as to what’s best for you and the direction your life should go. “I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled” (Ezekiel 12:25 NIV). If God says it in His Word, you can count on it. There are precepts in Scripture, but mainly God has given us principles to follow. These principles require wisdom and discernment. The Psalmist said, “I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge” (Psalm 119:66 NLT). This doesn’t mean you must have a particular verse for every decision or move you make. That’s not how it works. Most times when you ask God for guidance, He will give you “good judgment and knowledge,” and that’s enough to get you moving in the right direction. Will you sometimes experience fear? Yes, but that’s when you must use your faith! Your greatest clarity as to God’s will often comes from hindsight, not foresight. It’s in looking back on how God has led you that you say, “Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave” (1 Kings 8:56 NIV).
Soul food: 1 Kings 17:1-7; 1 Kings 18:41-46; Mark 4:35-41
2017-10-18
1 John 5:14 NIV
The story is told of three men marooned on a desert island with little hope of being rescued. One day they were walking around the island when one of them picked up an old, tarnished lamp. When he rubbed it, a genie appeared and offered to grant each man one wish. The first man said, “I wish I was back in my office in Boston.” Puff! He was there. The second said, “I wish I was home with my family in London.” Puff! He was there. The third man looked around and said, “It’s so lonely here, I wish my friends were back with me.” The problem with wishing is that genies and magic lamps don’t exist. But God does! And since He is in control of your life and He’s more powerful than any genie, when your wishes become prayers that line up with His will, they can become a reality. “Does the Bible teach that?” you ask. Yes; it says: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God…if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (vv.14-15 NIV). But even when your wish is in line with God’s will, you need one more thing – faith. Faith does two things: (a) It opens your eyes to see that God’s promises are for you personally. (b) It acts like a magnet, drawing the fulfillment of His promise into your life. So what are you wishing for? If it’s God’s will – you can have it.
Soul food: Exo 36-38; John 4:13-26; Ps 41; Prov 27:7-9
2017-10-04
1 Peter 5:7 TLB
Author John Mason writes: “I couldn’t feel at peace. Unless I had everything figured out, I became anxious, restless, nervous, worried, and grouchy…similar to a drug addict who needs a fix. The severity wasn’t the same but the symptoms were. I was a Christian and supposedly walked by faith. I trusted Jesus for salvation, but in other areas I trusted myself.” Are you living that way? Inspirational author William Ward wrote: “Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, and belief in defeat. It’s a magnet that attracts negative conditions. Faith is a more powerful force that creates positive circumstances. Worry is wasting today’s time, and cluttering up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles.” When an old man was asked what had robbed him of joy in his life, he replied, “Things that never happened.” Do you remember the things you worried about a year ago? Didn’t you expend a lot of energy on them? And didn’t most of them turn out to be fine after all? Almost 99 percent of the things we worry about don’t happen. Did you know that a dense fog covering seven city blocks one hundred feet deep, is composed of less than one glass of water? Just one glass! But it can blot out practically all vision. And a cupful of worry can do the same thing. The Bible says, “Mere mortals can’t run their own lives…men and women don’t have what it takes” (Jeremiah 10:23 TM). Stop trying to control every possible outcome. Life goes better when you decide to stand on God’s Word and trust Him to take care of you.
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Mark 16:9-20; Ps 92; Prov 26:1-3
