2026-06-01
Acts 6:4 NKJV
In her book 30 Days to a Stronger, More Confident You, author Deborah Smith Pegues uses the word “pray” as an acronym: “Pause. I stop all activity and focus completely on God. Worship is total preoccupation… The greatest honour and respect we can give to anyone is our undivided attention…
Reverence. I express my admiration for all His attributes… At this point, distractions start to pop up like dandelions… I will suddenly remember a task I need to put on my to-do list. I have learned to jot down the task in my journal and ignore the other issues for what they are – mere distractions that can be dealt with later. I have also learned that praying audibly helps to minimize wandering thoughts…
Ask. I ask for forgiveness for my sins, making every effort to be specific. I pray for the power to live a Christian life and ask God to give me a passion for His Word and for prayer. I ask for His will to be done in every aspect of my life: spiritually, physically, financially, relationally, vocationally, and emotionally…
Yield. I must subordinate my requests to God’s sovereign will, trusting that He knows what is best. I strive to maintain a ‘nevertheless’ attitude. Therefore, I am careful to conclude my prayer by saying, ‘Nevertheless, not my will, Lord, but Yours be done’ [see Luke 22-42]… The old adage that it is not what you know but whom you know that gives you the advantage in a situation is true – especially from a spiritual perspective. When we have a relationship with God, we understand that He is sufficient to handle any demand placed upon us.”
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Matt 14:13-21; Ps 117; Prov 14:9-12
2026-01-16
Genesis 2:22 NKJV
“Father, when Adam was lonely, you made Eve and brought her to him. And just as you knew what Adam needed, I’m struggling with loneliness, and you know what I need too. You said in your Word, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). There is a part of me that can never be satisfied or fulfilled by any relationship other than you. But you also created me to be sociable and need interaction with other people.
Help me to admit and stop any negative behaviour on my part that may cause people not to enjoy and to accept me, such as being critical, envious, hot-tempered, judgmental, or unforgiving. Please give me the tongue of the learned so that I will know how to speak appropriate words in season to others. Please open my ears to listen to them with real understanding (See Isaiah 50:4). Help me to overcome shyness and the fear of rejection and to reach out to others believing that you can speak to their heart and cause them to be open and accepting.
Teach me how to accept their love, help, and generosity. Help me to understand the importance of caring for my relationships and not just paying attention to friends when it’s convenient for me. Help me to be a reliable friend (See Proverbs 18:24 NIV). You know what I need in a relationship. You put David and Jonathan together, and Ruth and Naomi together. So, I ask you to put me together with the right person or persons. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Soul food: Dan 1-2; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 81; Prov 2:11-15
2024-12-08
2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
You can have 20/20 vision in the natural world yet be blind in the spiritual world and fall prey to Satan’s schemes. But when you turn to God in prayer, He can open your eyes and give you a strategy for victory.
Notice what happened when Elisha and his servant woke up in the city of Dothan to discover that they were surrounded by hostile armies. “When the servant of the man of God… went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. ‘Oh, sir, what will we do now?’ the young man cried to Elisha. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ Elisha told him. ‘For there are more on our side than on theirs!’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!’ The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord, please make them blind.’ So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked” (2 Kings 6:15-18 NLT).
Are you fearing defeat? Are you confused and don’t know what to do? Do you feel like the odds are stacked against you, and you won’t succeed? The Bible says, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4 KJV). Get alone with God and pray, “Lord, open my eyes.” And stay there until He does it. When it happens, you will discover that the forces of heaven are on your side, and the resources of heaven are available to you. How do you access them? By faith!
Soul food: Matt 4:21-22; Matt 17:1-9; John 19:25-27; John 21:20-24
2024-02-25
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
Your spiritual armor must be put on correctly so that all the pieces fit; otherwise, you’re vulnerable to defeat at Satan’s hands. So, how do you do that? Paul tells us how: “Pray in the Spirit at all times.” Your clothes closet is where you find what you need to wear in the natural realm, and your prayer closet is where you find what you need to wear in the spiritual realm. Only through prayer do you become clothed for spiritual warfare, so don’t go into battle undressed.
Paul writes, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14 NIV). That’s one of the most effective verses in Scripture when it comes to winning over temptation.
Professionals who train dogs to listen and obey their commands no matter what, start by throwing a piece of red meat in front of the dog. The untrained dog immediately goes for it, but eventually the trainer teaches the animal to give him its undivided attention regardless of what’s put in front of it. When the training process is complete, the dog will not take its eyes off its master even when temptation is right under its nose.
There is an important lesson here for you. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, it won’t matter what kind of lie or temptation Satan throws your way. Every now and then you may want to “go for it,” but if you stay focused on Jesus and listen to His voice alone, you will be victorious in the fight.
Soul food: Exo 20:15; Josh 7:1-26; Tit 2:6-10; Eph 4:28
2024-01-19
Colossians 4:2 NIV
The word “watchful” is a throwback to the Old Testament-era practice of sitting on a city wall and keeping watch. Watchmen were the first to see attacking armed forces or traveling merchants. They had the optimal vantage point. They saw what nobody else saw. They saw them sooner than others saw them. That is exactly what happens when we pray. We see what nobody else sees, and we see them sooner than others see them. Why? Because prayer provides us with a God’s-eye view; it enhances our awareness and gives us a sixth sense that allows us to perceive spiritual realities.
In their classic book Geeks and Geezers, business gurus Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas make an interesting observation about a common denominator among successful leaders in every field. Bennis and Thomas call them first-class noticers. “Being a first-class noticer allows you to recognize talent, identify opportunities, and avoid pitfalls. Leaders who succeed again and again are geniuses at grasping context. This is one of those characteristics, like taste, that is difficult to break down into its component parts. But the ability to weigh a welter of factors, some as subtle as how very different groups of people will interpret a gesture, is one of the hallmarks of a true leader.”
Prayer turns us into first-class noticers. It helps us to see what God wants us to notice. The more you pray, the more you notice. The less you pray, the less you notice. It’s as simple as that. Here is a Bible formula for success in any area of life: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Soul food: Dan 3-4; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 84; Prov 2:16-19
