2026-08-30
1 Samuel 17:26 NKJV
Fourteen generations before David fought Goliath, God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3 NIV). Later, God extended this covenant to Abraham’s descendants and inserted a key provision: “You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you” (Genesis 17:11 NIV).
Apparently, no one in Saul’s army, including Saul himself, remembered they had a covenant with God, which led David to ask, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David was asking, “How could this man, who has no covenant with God, even think about conquering us?”
How strong is your faith in God’s covenant to bless, protect, and prosper those who are in right standing with Him? If you continue to run from the giants in your life, you will never see the power of God manifested. When you believe God’s promises, you won’t tolerate any giant in your life. Did you know that you’re an heir to the same covenant of blessing that God gave Abraham? “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29 NIV).
David rested on a covenant of protection that was fourteen generations old and is still good today. The story of David and Goliath is representative of the many battles we face on a regular basis: good over evil, God’s power over man’s strength, and faith over fear. Whatever the situation, we can rest on God’s Word: “We who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said” (Hebrews 4:3 NIV).
Soul food: Judg 6:24; John 14:27; 1 Pet 3:8
2026-07-15
Joshua 3:10 NKJV
As the Jordan River swelled to a mile in width, crossing it was no small task. Especially with millions of people! God said, “Go over this Jordan, you and all this people” (Joshua 1:2 NKVJ). Do you think they were scared? Would you have been? “The feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water” (Joshua 3:15 NKJV). It was the smallest of steps, but with God, the smallest step of faith can activate the mightiest of miracles.
As they touched the water, the flow stopped as if someone had shut off the water main. Next, we read: “All Israel crossed over on dry ground” (v. 17 NKJV). By performing this miracle, God wanted them to know: “By this you shall know that the living God is among you.” For Joshua’s people, assurance came as they stood on dry land looking back at the Jordan.
For us, assurance comes as we stand on the finished work of Christ and look back at the cross. Let the cross convince you. Be settled about God’s faithfulness. The psalmist describes a person of faith this way: “He is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him” (Psalm 112:7 TLB).
Life has many unanswered questions, but God’s promise to save you needn’t be one of them. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NKJV). Rest in your redemption. The past is past. Your future is bright.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; Matt 26:47-56; Ps 118:19-29; Pro 18:10-12
2026-06-09
1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT
Pride promotes self-reliance. It tells us we can indeed do things on our own. In our attempt to walk in self-confidence, we slam the door in God’s face and shut out the work of the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Paul was educated, sophisticated, and consecrated, yet he humbly declared, “I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favour on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace” (vv. 9-10 NLT).
No matter how much ability you possess, without God, it will only take you so far. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV). So the source of our confidence should be God and not ourselves.
When the plans of those walking in God-confidence go awry, they are wise enough to subordinate their desires to the sovereign will of God. They quickly remind themselves, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV). They are convinced that God has a higher purpose for their lives, and that no man can thwart it. So, practice God-confidence rather than self-confidence.
Soul food: Eze 20-21; Matt 17:1-13; Ps 132:1-10; Prov 15:1-4
2026-03-14
Exodus 14:14 NIV
During World War II, the British Department of Information designed three “home publicity” posters. The first said, “Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory.” The second said, “Freedom is in peril.” The third and most famous said, “Keep calm and carry on.” The department printed 2.45 million of the third posters, but they were never publicly displayed. That motto had all but vanished from Britain’s consciousness when a bookstore-owning couple in Alnwick – Stuart and Mary Manley – discovered an original copy of the poster at the bottom of a box of old books.
With Pharaoh’s chariots bearing down on Moses from behind, and the Red Sea in front of him, he was “between a rock and a hard place.” That’s when God gave Moses these instructions: “The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14 NIV). That sounds an awful lot like keep calm and carry on, doesn’t it? What would be the hardest thing to do if Egyptian chariots were charging straight at you at full speed? To be still!
When we find ourselves in this sort of situation, we want to do something – anything. We have a nervous energy that tries to solve problems as quickly as possible. But these are the tests that reveal trust. Sometimes God leads us to a place where we have nowhere to turn but to Him. Is that where you are today? Then trust God’s power, love, and faithfulness, and He will bring you safely through it.
Soul food: Rev 1-4; Luke 17:1-19; Ps 26; Prov 7:26-27
2026-02-27
Proverbs 29:25 NKJV
Sometimes we make the mistake of placing our trust in people when we should be placing our trust in the Lord. And since God cannot fail and people can, we end up getting hurt and disappointed. The Bible says that King Asa of Judah had a perfect heart toward God. Yet when an enemy nation came against him, he panicked and purchased a military alliance with another king. And he did it with funds he took from the house of God. Upon hearing the news of Asa’s coalition, his enemy retreated. Asa had figured out the solution. His plan had worked – or so it seemed. Then God sent the prophet Hanani to rebuke King Asa. Why? “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God” (2 Chronicles 16:7 NKJV).
This is often the plight of those who are highly logical and intelligent. Their confidence is in their own ability to figure out a solution to their dilemmas. Hanani continued to rebuke Asa: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV).
Later in life, when Asa faced a life-threatening disease, “he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12 NIV). They could not help him, so he died. So the word for you today is – never give people the trust that should be placed in the Lord alone.
Soul food: 1 Ki 14-15; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 61; Prov 6:16-19
