[ebankole]

Walk by Faith (2)



:)


'...We walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV




When you decide to fly to a certain destination, these things all have to work together:
(1) You must identify the right airline and flight schedule that will get you to your intended destination.
(2) The plane must operate on a timetable that tells you when it’s leaving and when it’s arriving, and that the pilot has the route worked out in advance.
(3) The airline has to set a price you can afford to pay. Then they put your name in a computer, and everything is ready to go.

However, here’s what’s not going to happen when you arrive at the airport. You’re not going to ask them to explain how the plane works; what buttons the pilot plans to push and what the equipment will do when he or she pushes them. You’re not going to check on the route they plan to take, or ask how fast they plan to fly, or how high, or whether the pilot plans to fly by manual control or autopilot. You’re not going to argue about the price after you’ve already made your reservation and paid your fare. Why? Because you’re confident that the equipment is sound and the pilot is experienced; you know you’ll safely reach your destination. You say, ‘What if the plane goes down?’ If you’re a redeemed child of God, you go up! ‘…to depart, and to be with Christ …is far better.’ (Philippians 1:23 NKJV) Either way, you win. Basically, you put your trust in the plane, the pilot, and the airline. Today God is asking you to do the same with Him—no more and no less!



SoulFood: 1 Sam 27-31, Matt 25:14-30, Ps 137, Prov 17:22-23




This is The Word For Today

[ebankole]

THE WORD FOR TODAY



Concerned About Your Weight?



'...Glorify God in your body...' 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV


Here are seven principles for dealing with a weight problem:
(1) Realise that your body is not your own. ‘…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…therefore glorify God in your body.’ ( 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NKJV) Remind yourself that you’re the manager of a body God has entrusted you with, to do His will each day.


(2) Keep a food journal to determine how much you’re eating, or not eating. Focus on eating foods that help your body, and avoid or minimise foods that hurt it.


(3) Listen to the concerns of your loved ones.


(4) Check your weight against the standard weight charts to see if you’re at a significant variation. It’s easier to lose five kilograms than twenty.


(5) Instead of going on repeated diets, write down the kinds of food you will and won’t eat, and the portions. Yes, it will take time for your new discipline to take root and your will to strengthen. However, each day you do it, your self–control will increase until you start feeling so good about yourself that your old appetite begins to lose its grip on you.


(6) Avoid fat–phobic people with a judgmental attitude toward those who are overweight. Often they’re just masking their own insecurities and reinforcing your distorted self–image.



(7) Stay the course. You may have several ups and downs, but with determination and God’s help you’ll get on the road to freedom. ‘You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.’


( Hebrews 10:36 NIV)





SoulFood: Eph 1:1-4:16 , Matt 25:31-46 , Ps 79 , Prov 17:24-26

[ebankole]

Learning to Overlook the Flaws






'...Love covers a multitude of sins.' 1 Peter 4:8 NLT



A person’s sense of self–worth is often based on the reactions, positive or negative, of those around them. So your words and attitudes can literally build them up or tear them down. Dr Paul Brand was a flight surgeon during World War II. He tells in one of his books of a man named Peter Foster, a Royal Air Force pilot. Foster flew a Hurricane, a fighter plane with a design flaw: the single–propeller engine was mounted in the front, and the fuel lines ran past the cockpit. In a direct hit, the pilot would instantly be engulfed in flames before he could eject. The consequences were often tragic. Some RAF pilots caught in that inferno would undergo ten or twenty surgeries to reconstruct their faces. Peter Foster was one of those downed pilots whose face was burned beyond recognition. But Foster had the support of his family and the love of his fiancée. She assured him that nothing had changed except a few millimetres of skin.

Two years later they were married. Foster said of his wife, ‘She became my mirror. She gave me a new image of myself. When I look at her, she gives me a warm, loving smile that tells me I’m ok.’ Your marriage, and other valued relationships in your life, ought to work that same way too—even when disfigurement has not occurred. It should be like a mutual admiration society that builds each other’s self–esteem, and overlooks flaws that could otherwise be destructive. There’s a Biblical word for this kind of commitment: it’s called love.



SoulFood: Eph 4:17-6:24, Matt 26:1-13, Ps 109:1-15, Prov 17:27-28





This is The Word For Today!

[ebankole]

You Have A Sound Mind! (1)






'...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV



No matter what others say about you, God says you have ‘a sound mind’! Many people live their lives believing that they’re intellectually inferior—born that way, and will always be that way. The problem with believing this is that you begin to live accordingly. Not because it’s true—but because you be-lieve it’s true! God created us so that whatever we really believe, we act on. So our self–concept becomes a self–fulfilling prophecy. For example, we may act stupidly because we believe we’re silly, or we may act wisely because we believe we’re wise. So we must choose to believe God’s opinion of what we are, and by faith adapt our actions accordingly, until His opinion becomes our opinion! The Bible calls this ‘…the renewing of your mind…’ (Romans 12:2 NKJV).

This calls for an attitude transformation, and it can begin with a few small steps.
Step 1: Choose to believe what God says about you. Every outcome begins with a choice—an act of your will. No matter what your emotions say, choose to ‘…let God be true, but every man [and every contrary emotion] a liar…’ (Romans 3:4 NKJV) Whatever you’ve said about yourself previously, or whatever others have said, God says He has not given you an attitude of fear, ‘…but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ He has ‘given’ it to you, but you must choose to believe and receive His gift of ‘…power, love and a sound mind.’ Memorise it, and meditate on it until it takes root in you.

:)


SoulFood: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21, Matt 26:14-25, Ps 109:16-31, Prov 18:1-3




This is The Word For Today