2024-04-14
Mark 4:27 NKJV
Have you sown a “seed” of faith, and now you’re wondering when you will reap the “harvest” God promised in His Word? If so, read on: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (vv. 26-29 NKJV).
Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages. First there is the “not knowing” stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen. Next comes the “blade” stage. It’s just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it’s enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way. Next comes the “head” stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God’s Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief. Finally you enter the “full grain” stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.
Whatever stage you’re in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way.
Soul food: Gal 5:22; Luke 2:8-20; Prov 3:13-18; Ps 119:161-168
2023-11-08
Amos 3:3 NKJV
If you want to know how the person you’re marrying will look twenty-five years from now, look at their parents and you will get a clue. Regular exercise and good diet will only take you so far, then Mother Nature and Father Time begin to take their toll. The truth is that looks may bring you together, but only commitment and a shared faith will keep you together!
The Bible says, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 NLT).
That doesn’t mean the two of you must hold identical views on every issue and practice your faith in similar ways. But you need the same values and views regarding the fundamentals of your faith – how you view God, the role of the church, and personal practices. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
Faith is that indescribable strength, that secret weapon of the soul that allows us to persevere even when the facts seem damning and the truth unbearable. It’s what keeps us going when we’re not sure we can continue. It’s the light that leads us out of the darkness, and the map that guides our way. Without faith we would probably pull over to the side of the road, give up, and watch everyone else pass us by. But when we trust in the Lord and believe that He will guide us, there is almost nothing we cannot withstand and walk through together.
Soul food: 1 John 1:1-3:10; John 8:1-11; Ps 123; Prov 25:18-20
2023-10-02
2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV
Trust what God tells you. “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord… Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you” (v. 17 NKJV).
God’s way of resolving our problems can frequently go against our logic. Maybe that is why we are hesitant to approach Him in certain matters. Why would God instruct Jehoshaphat’s army, which was clearly no match for three armies, to show up prepared for a battle they were not intended to fight? That didn’t make any sense! God will many times tell us to “position” ourselves to deal with a demanding task or problem we feel completely inadequate to tackle. Our challenge is to obey Him and position ourselves to win. How do you do that?
(1) You “position” yourself when you choose to enter college, even though you may not have achieved well in high school.
(2) You “position” yourself when you resign from a job at God’s urging and start a new business, even though a long list of customers or clients isn’t waiting in the wings.
(3) You “position” yourself when you sit down at your computer each day to write a book you have always desired to write – without a head full of knowledge but with a heart full of faith that God will join you there with His words.
God’s instruction is to position ourselves for victory. He wants us to show up, so He can show Himself strong on our behalf (See 2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 68:1-18; Prov 22:1-5
2023-09-28
Psalm 39:7 NKJV
Life seldom works out exactly the way we hope or think it will. When Job lost everything, he said, “I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for… I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success” (Job 6:11, 13 NLT). Yet in the end, Job got back twice as much as he had lost. But the experiences and adversities he had gone through changed his attitude toward God profoundly. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted… My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:2, 5 NIV).
What had Job discovered? That God is sovereign! He is not our servant, we are His servants. We must obey His Word in order to walk in His blessing – but the final outcome of all things rests in His hands and not ours.
Many of us struggle with control. We want control not only over our circumstances, but our goals, plans, relationships, and all that concerns us. Such fear is often an indication of an unconscious desire to be independent of God; to be the master of our own destiny. Sometimes it’s the result of growing up in a chaotic environment and resolving never to repeat the experiences of your earlier life.
Perhaps you think you’re in control of your life due to your educational, financial, or other achievements. It isn’t true. God enabled you to do everything that you have done. Paul writes, “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favour on me” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT). Today God is in control – trust Him!
Soul food: S of S 1-4; Mark 15:12-20; Ps 13; Prov 21:22-27
2023-09-13
Deuteronomy 31:7-8 NKJV
When God tells you to “go,” remind yourself that every detail of your future is already known to Him. Centuries ago when a mapmaker ran out of the known world before he ran out of parchment, he would frequently draw a dragon at the edge of the scroll. This was intended as a sign to explorers that they were entering unknown territory at their own risk. Many, however, didn’t regard the dragon as a mapmaker’s warning sign but instead as a prophecy. They foresaw disaster beyond the known worlds they traversed, and their fear kept them from pushing on to discover new lands and peoples. Other more adventuresome travelers, however, saw the dragon as a sign of opportunity and a doorway to new worlds worth exploring.
Each of us has a mental map that contains the information we use for guidance as we begin each day. And like the maps of long ago, our mental maps have edges to them, and sometimes those edges seem to be marked by dragons or fears. We fear failing, or being rejected, or ridiculed, or that we won’t have enough, or that we will lose what we have.
If that’s how you feel today, read these words spoken by God to His people when they stood on the threshold of the promised land without knowing what awaited them when they went into it. “The Lord, He is the One who goes before you.” So, write down your goal, map out a strategy, and set a deadline. Then commit it to God, believing that He has gone before you to prepare the way.
Soul food: Eze 27:25-30:26; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 78:32-39; Prov 20:20-21
