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Get to Know God This Year Thursday, 01 January 2015
00:08
'Let him...boast...that he
understands and knows Me.'
Jeremiah 9:24 NIV
God says: ‘Let not the wise man
boast of his wisdom or the strong
man boast of his strength or the
rich man boast of his riches, but
let him who boasts boast about
this: that he understands and knows Me.’ (Jeremiah
9:23–24
NIV)
The truth is, if you don’t know God it doesn’t matter how
much money you have in your bank account, or what
diplomas hang on your wall, or what position you hold in
the
company. Until you have a
relationship with God, you
haven’t really begun to live! And
part of getting to know Him is
learning the truth about yourself.
After witnessing the miracle–
working power of Christ, Peter
acknowledged, ‘I am a sinful
man!’ (Luke 5:8 NIV)
When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lordsitting upon His
throne, he cried, ‘Woe is me!’ (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV) But God
doesn’t tell you the truth
about yourself and then leave
you that way. No, like a good
doctor, He tells you you’re sick so
that you can get the proper treatment. And the proper
treatment for sin is salvation
through the blood of Jesus. You
will never know God until you
are related to Him through Jesus
Christ. So if you’ve never accepted Him as your Saviour,
start this New Year by praying:
‘Lord, I repent and turn from my
sin. I place my life in Your hands,
trusting You as my Lord and
Saviour. By faith I receive the gift of eternal life.
Starting today, I ask You to lead and guide me and fulfil
Your will through me. In Jesus’ name I pray: Amen.’
Happy New Year!
SoulFood New Year's Day: Rom
13:12-14:19, 2 Cor 5

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You're Named in God's Will
Friday, 02 January 2015
'The word...which can...give you
an inheritance.' Acts 20:32 NIV
Linda Knox was in her eighties
when she died of malnutrition in
her Chicago apartment.
Apparently she’d lost her sight,
and her mind had failed. Among
her belongings they found the equivalent of $186,000 in
uncashed cheques, $206,000 in
works of art, $440,000 in jewels,
and $56,000 in antiques. In all,
she had an estate worth over
$900,000—yet she died alone in poverty. And what’s
worse, she’d
drawn up a will leaving these
things to friends and family
members. But she never filed it
with the courts and it was never
executed, so her beneficiaries were unaware of their
inheritance. There’s a lesson here for you. When Christ
died and went back to Heaven, He left a will. And you are
named in it! You say, ‘Where can I find a copy?’ In His
Word! You’re an ‘[heir] of God and a [co–heir] with
Christ.’ (Romans 8:17 NKJV)
Once that truth gets down into your
soul, your attitude toward
reading the Bible will be revolutionised. Instead of
spending mindless hours watching TV or surfing the
internet, you’ll start meditating ‘day and night’ in the
Scriptures.
As a result, you’ll start to ‘prosper in all that you
do’ (Joshua 1:8;
Psalm 1:2–3).
Now you can understand why David said, ‘I will delight
myself in Your
commandments, which I love…
The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of
coins of
gold and silver.’ (Psalm 119:47;
72 NKJV)
Peter wrote: ‘His divine power has given us everything we
need for life…He has given us His very great and precious
promises, so that through them you may participate in the
divine nature.’ (2 Peter 1:3–4 NIV) What more could you
ask for?
SoulFood: 2 Th 1-3, Luke 1:1-10,
Ps 90, Prov 1:1-7

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YOU’RE NAMED IN GOD’S WILL (2)
‘The word…which can…give you an inheritance.’ Acts
20:32 NIV
Someone’s last will and testament lets you know what
you have inherited. In the Old Testament the benefits were
rich, but the conditions proved too restrictive. So God
gave us a New Testament. But instead of laws that are
virtually impossible to keep, this ‘testament’ is based on
grace: favour you don’t deserve, can’t earn and don’t have
to work for because it’s given freely. And when you
discover you are personally named in this ‘testament’,
reading the Bible becomes a real source of joy. You start
asking, ‘What’s in God’s will for me? What’s my rightful
inheritance?’ You realise your salvation, as glorious as it
is, is just the starting point. Suddenly the idea of
searching the Scriptures, standing on the Scriptures and
speaking the Scriptures in every situation no longer feels
like a duty, but a delight. When you pray according to
Scripture, it’s like going to the bank of heaven and saying,
‘This cheque is made out to me. It’s issued and endorsed
by Christ, and I’d like to cash it.’ You have two options:
You can live a Christian life and die without ever having
accessed your account because you never discovered
your inheritance and the benefits of God’s will for you. Or
you can pray: ‘Father, Christ’s last will and testament
names me personally. It says that all my needs will be
met, my steps will be directed, my sicknesses will be
healed, and that I don’t have to fear satan because You
gave me power over him’ (Luke 10:19). Now can you see
why satan doesn’t want you reading your Bible?
2 Thessalonica 1-3, Matthew 4: 1-11, Psalm 90: 7-17,
Proverb. 1: 5-9.

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YOU MUST EXERCISE FAITH
‘He couldn’t do any miracles among them…And He was
amazed at their unbelief.’ Mark 6:5-6 NLT
God answers prayer in a manner directly related to our
level of faith. ‘According to your faith be it unto
you’ (Matthew 9:29 KJV). Yet sometimes in spite of our
doubts and human reasoning, He comes through for us
anyway. The believers praying for Peter’s release from
prison were amazed when he suddenly appeared on their
doorstep (Acts 12). When Jesus returned to His home
town and began to teach in the local synagogue, the
people were amazed by His wisdom. Because He lacked
formal education and credentials they wrote Him off as
‘just a carpenter’ (Mark 6:3 NLT). And the result?
‘Because of their unbelief, He couldn’t do any miracles
among them except to place His hands on a few sick
people and heal them.’ Question: How often does your
unbelief tie God’s hands? The truth is: a) sometimes our
faith is so weak that we don’t expect Him to answer at
all; b) we fail to pray with confidence;
c) we don’t prepare ourselves for what He wants to do for
us. You can’t ask God for forgiveness, then continue to
live under condemnation over sins He has put under the
blood. Or pray about your financial situation, then worry
yourself sick about how He’s going to meet your needs.
You can choose to live by your feelings, or in a way that
reflects total trust in God. The Bible says, ‘Without faith it
is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He…is a rewarder’ (Hebrews 11:6
NKJV). So you must exercise faith.
Leviticus 1-4, Matthew 4: 12-25, Psalm 10: 1-11, Prov 1:
10-16

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It's Time to Move On

'You will forget your trouble...as
water gone by.' Job 11:16 NCV
No matter how bad things look,
always remember the words, ‘it
came to pass’, not ‘to stay’. Life
doesn’t stand still; there will
always be challenges. Don’t let
them destroy your confidence; instead, use them as
opportunities to grow.
Once you’ve grown in the areas where God thinks you
need additional maturity, the season you’re in will pass.
Nothing lasts forever. Although it’s hard to believe at the
time, ‘You will forget your
trouble and remember it…as
water gone by.’ Forgetting
doesn’t mean losing a block of
memory. It means reaching the point where the memory is
free
of pain, just as poison is pulled
from a snake bite. As healing
begins, the mind’s continual
replay of the event reduces and
the memory becomes like ‘water gone by’.
Kristin Armstrong says:
‘When someone died in Old
Testament times, those who were
in mourning marked their faces
with ashes. They allotted a
specified season, after which they scrubbed up and moved
on. How
much healthier is that than our
society? We put on make–up, or a
happy or stoic face, and prohibit
people from having compassion
and respecting the limits of where we are. We’re so busy
hiding, we’re buried under ashes on the inside. God will
call us to arise and shine when our light has come (Isaiah
60:1).
Ask Him to set your time limit, and be ready to wash your
face.’ Then
move on.
SoulFood: Lev 5-7, Luke 1:26-38,
Ps 10:12-18, Prov 1:17-19

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When Fatigue Threatens You
(3)

'They exclaimed: "Everyone is
looking for you!"' Mark 1:37 NIV
Brenda Jank identifies guilt as the
driving force behind much of our
weariness: ‘Every guilt–driven
“Yes” means a “No” to something
important. Every day holds
twenty–four hours, and as gifted as we are at multi–
tasking, there
are concrete limits to what we
can get done in any given day…
We routinely neglect the top
priorities of our lives. We’re
irritable and impatient with those we love. We forfeit our
need for
sleep. We pass through many
days oblivious to the presence of
God.’ Can you recognise these
things in yourself? When word
got out that Jesus had healed Peter’s mother–in–law, a
crowd
gathered and He ministered to
them late into the night. Early the
next morning when He slipped
away to a quiet place to pray, the
disciples went looking for Him. ‘When they found Him,
they
exclaimed: “Everyone is looking
for you!”’ But note Jesus’
response: ‘Let us go somewhere
else.’ He chose to be Spirit–led,
not guilt–driven. Before assuming you’ve been called to
meet every need that arises, it’s
ok to say, ‘Let me pray about it
and get back to you.’ Then pray,
listen carefully and make your
decision based on how you answer this question: Will
saying
‘yes’ to this request mean having
to say ‘no’ to something else
that’s important? It’s essential to
recognise what you’ve been
called to do for the season of life you’re in; it takes
honesty,
humility and courage to take a
consistent line. When you face a
situation you know will put you
on overload, even if you’re
willing to pay the price, are you willing to commit your
family to
pay the price with you? Think
about it.
SoulFood: Lev 13:38-14:57, Luke 1:67-80, Ps 3, Prov
1:29-31

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When Fatigue Threatens You (1)

'God...told His people..."Let the weary rest."' Isaiah 28:12
NLT
Ruth Barton coined the phrase ‘dangerous tiredness’. Its
symptoms include:
(1) Irritability/hypersensitivity. Things that wouldn’t
normally bother you, like a motorist cutting you off or a
friend’s annoying habits, put you on edge.
(2) Restlessness. A vague sense something isn’t right…
you feel like running away…you’re exhausted but can’t
sleep.
(3) Compulsive overworking. Checking emails late into the
night…the inability to unplug completely and go on
holiday…struggling to enjoy uninterrupted family time.
(4) Emotional numbness. You don’t ‘feel’ anything, good
or bad, and you’re afraid if you did you’d be
overwhelmed.
(5) Escapist Behaviour. Compulsive eating, drinking,
overspending, watching TV, pornography, surfing the
internet. You lack the will to exercise, connect with
friends, pursue a hobby, or read a good book. Feeling
disconnected from your calling. You go through the
motions, missing a sense of who you are and what God
called you to do. You’re at the mercy of people’s
expectations and your own inner compulsions. You’ve no
internal plumbline against which to measure these
demands. Neglecting yourself physically. You’ve no time
to eat right, take a walk, get enough sleep and do
everyday things like washing the car or picking up the
laundry.
(6) Hoarding your energy. You fear people will drain the
last of your resources, so you withdraw to conserve what
you have left. Letting your spiritual habits slip. Things
that normally energise you and are good for you, like
praying, reading, keeping a diary and self–examination,
feel like burdens. If any of this sounds familiar, chances
are you’ve hit a wall. It’s time to pay attention, pray, and
reorder your priorities.
Soulfood: Lev 8-10, Luke 1:39-56, Ps 42:1-5, Prov
1:20-23
This is The Word For Tuesday

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When Fatigue Threatens You (2)

'Be still, and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10 NIV
When you’re running on fumes, instead of berating
yourself for failed attempts at ‘spirituality’, Kristin
Armstrong says it’s time to ‘tie a tourniquet on the wound
of busyness…[or] we’ll bleed a spiritual death. Doing
more, and doing it faster, isn’t taking us to a place of
peace. The distraction is nothing more than a momentary
escape. Sooner or later we have to stop… Psalm 46:10
says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” When we’re
forced to be still the magnitude of the weight we carry
becomes enormous, the loneliness unbearable. We think
momentum keeps us from thinking…from feeling…from
knowing sooner or later we have to stop.’
When you need to be spiritually restored, go to the
throne,not the phone! No matter how good your friends
are, they can’t meet your need like God can. Jesus said,
‘Come to Me…and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28
NIV) Consider it His personal RSVP to talk to Him and tell
Him how you feel, like a child talks to a loving parent who
can help them. Designate a special place to be alone with
God, and discipline yourself to go there often. And don’t
just tell Him what you need; listen for what He’s trying to
tell you. Don’t be in a hurry to get back into the rat race;
stay in God’s presence until you understand that the
burdens you’re carrying were never meant to be
shouldered alone.
The most important thing: we find time for what we
consider important, so get your priorities straight and
‘seek first His Kingdom.’ (Matthew 6:33 NIV) When you
‘come near to God…He will come near to you.’ (James
4:8 NIV)
SoulFood: Lev 11:1-13:37, Luke 1:57-66, Ps 42:6-11,
Prov 1:24-28
This is The Word For Wednesday

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Tap into God's Creativity


'He...reveals His thoughts to man.' Amos 4:13 NIV
I read a story: ‘A while back I bought an interesting torch.
Before I decided to buy it I asked the sales lady how long
the battery would last. “As long as you do,” she replied.
“What do you mean?” I queried. “You are the battery,” she
explained. “There’s no battery inside. You have to pump
the handle at the bottom of the flashlight to make it light
up.” I tried it, and sure enough I generated the power
needed to make it light up! As soon as I stopped pumping
the light went out…
If you make the right commitment to an idea but it seems
impossible…pray…and keep pumping. Bright ideas will
come your way—ideas that come from God’ (Isaiah
48:17). Albert Einstein said it’s important that we never
stop asking questions, or lose our holy curiosity. God’s
Word says He ‘forms the mountains…creates the wind,
and reveals His thoughts to man.’ Imagine tapping into
the resources of a God Who knows you and can fill your
mind with imaginative, inspired, innovative ‘thoughts’.
Jesus knows the mind of God, the plans of God, the will of
God and the purposes of God because He is God. And
Paul says, ‘We understand these things, for we have the
mind of Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT)
As Ted Engstrom observes, ‘Creativity has been built into
every one of us. Each of us lives less of the life God
intended when we choose not to release the creative
powers we possess.’ When you tap into God’s creativity,
He helps you see things not as they are, but as they
canbe. And that can change your life!
SoulFood: Lev 15-17, Luke 2:1-7, Ps 46, Prov 1:32-33
This is The Word For Today

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LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU
‘Be transformed by…renewing…your mind.’ Romans 12:2
NKJV
Our self-image is formed early on, based on feedback
from parents, teachers and other authority figures—and
changing it isn’t easy. It doesn’t come from inspiration
(or perspiration), but from letting the Holy Spirit transform
you. How? ‘By…renewing…your mind.’ Recalling when his
boys were young, one preacher says they were playing
with a toy lorry, complete with the sounds of grinding
gears and roaring engines. ‘I didn’t pay much attention as
I unwound from the day’s stresses. Distractedly, I
glanced down and noticed the boys were now running an
aeroplane down an imaginary runway. ‘What happened to
the lorry?’ I asked. ‘Daddy, this is a transformer. It can be
transformed into whatever we want!’ they explained. God
made the first transformer. He created man in such a way
that He could pull a woman out of him. From one creative
act God transformed the man into a marriage, the
marriage into a family, and the family into a society. He
never reached back into the ground again because the
power to transform was intrinsically placed in man. All
kinds of potential are locked into your spirit. And for the
Christian, transformation at its optimum is the outworking
of the internal. God placed certain things in you that must
come out…and when you’re tired of trying to unlock your
own resources, allow Him to release in you the power to
become whatever you need to be.’ ‘But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God’ (John 1:12 NKJV). Christ empowers us to
slip out of who we were forced to be, and transforms us
into who He created us to be.
Lev 15-17, Matthew 6: 1-8, Psalm 46, Prov 1: 32-33.