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Does It Really Matter?

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  It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. 1 Corinthians 4:3–4, MSG Does It Really Matter? It’s good to have a spouse who speaks faith into your life, a neighbor who cheers you on, a friend who encourages you. It’s healthy when you have people who make you feel valued and appreciated. But it becomes unhealthy if you start depending on them to make you feel good about who you are, if you lose your passion because someone’s not there to encourage you or someone doesn’t approve you and instead puts you down. We can become so dependent upon others’ approval that we base our value, our worth, on what they are telling us. That’s a codependent relationship. God didn’t create you to be dependent on someone else to keep you fixed. He uses people to bless and encourage you, but at some point they’ll let you down and can’t be there for you every time you have a difficulty or think you need them. As a child of God, you have His approval of w...
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Where’s Your Permanent Home?

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  Where’s Your Permanent Home? Scripture: Hebrews 11:16, NIV “ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. ” (Hebrews 11:16, NIV) Being heavenly minded, but earthly sensitive, is a core principle in practicing  Kingdom  of God What does that mean? It means that we know we’re passing through this temporary world on the way to our permanent home in heaven. With that in mind, we make choices in light of investing the three Ts –  time, talent, and treasure  – for the advancement of God’s kingdom. Those who came before us did the same thing. Hebrews 11 lists people of faith who, from the beginning of time, chose to listen to God and guided their lives accordingly. The list included Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abram, and Moses. They willingly exchanged many of the temporary pleasures of this world so they could inherit the promises made to them by God. In faith, they l...
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You Lack Nothing!

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  ...those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. Psalm 34:10, NLT You Lack Nothing Sometimes we see ourselves at a disadvantage. We think that if we just had more talent, more funds, more connections, or a better personality, we could accomplish greater things. As long as you see yourself as lacking, you’ll make excuses to settle where you are and be less than your best. But the psalmist says God has given you everything you need for your destiny—the wisdom, the confidence, the strength. He’s already lined up the right people, the good breaks, the resources. It’s already there. The question is, Are you discounting what He’s given you because it seems ordinary and you feel common? Here’s the key: You have to have faith in what God has given you. You don’t have to have great talent, a great education, or great resources to do something great. If you use what you have, God will breathe on it, and you’ll accomplish more than you thought possible. You can have an extraordinary ...
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Be Sure to Pray!

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  Be Sure to Pray! Scripture: Isaiah 37:14–15, NIV “ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. ” (Isaiah 37:14-15, NIV) I heard someone say that it takes three things to accomplish the purposes of God in this world: prayer, leadership, and money. Often, in our haste to do things or to “do” ministry, we forget to pray for God’s blessing and direction. This is a big mistake. Hezekiah , after receiving a threat to his kingdom from the King of Assyria, took the letter defining the threat, went to the temple, spread it out before the Lord, and prayed about the problem. In response, God moved in a miraculous way and destroyed the enemy. The power to change, the power to overcome obstacles, the power to overcome sin, and the power to defeat the evil one is sourced in Almighty God. We are told to boldly come to the throne of Grace to receive mercy, and to find h...
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Declare His Greatness!

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  Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde…do not let mere men prevail against you!” 2 Chronicles 14:11, NLT Declare His Greatness When King Asa and the people of Judah came under attack by an army of one million Ethiopians, their army was outnumbered two to one. But Asa’s battle cry was to come against the enemy in God’s name, declaring the greatness of our God to prevail. “So,” the Scripture says, “the Lord defeated the Ethiopians,” and the people of Judah carried off vast amounts of spoil. They came out better after the battle than they were before. A great battle cry in times of trouble is to remind yourself of who God is. Who can stand against our God? No bad break, no sickness, no addiction, and no negative environment can stop His purpose for your life. You may be outnumbered today, in the natural t...
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Feel Insignificant?

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  Feel Insignificant? Scripture: Judges 6:15, NIV “’ Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’”  (Judges 6:15, NIV) It’s easy to feel insignificant or lost in this large, dynamic world. But sometimes, that very insignificance plays a key role in building God’s kingdom. Gideon  was the least in his family, and his clan was the weakest. God had a purpose for this. He wanted the people to realize that  God  was going to be the deliverer, and not the power and strength of the people themselves. Paul  said that he would boast of his weaknesses so the power of Christ could rest on him. Paul also said that God chose the weak things of the world to shame the wise. Jesus  used the two fish and five loaves of a young boy to feed 5,000 people. These examples could indicate that being “weak” makes us the kind of vessel God can use to facilitate the marvelous works he is do...
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Job 42:1-17!

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  Introduction Job 42:1–17: Today’s reading concludes the book of Job. The LORD accuses Job’s friends of not telling the whole truth and instructs them to make a special offering to avoid punishment. Job prays for his friends and receives the LORD’s blessings. He has many more children, regains his wealth, and is prosperous again. Today’s Key Verse: Job 42:12a GNT The LORD blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than he had blessed the first. Read 42 Then Job answered the Lord. Job 2  I know, Lord, that you are all-powerful; that you can do everything you want. 3  You ask how I dare question your wisdom when I am so very ignorant. I talked about things I did not understand, about marvels too great for me to know. 4  You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer your questions. 5  In the past I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6  So I am ashamed of all I have said and repent in dust and ashe...
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