Vision180 Magazine - Nov 2020 - Jan 2021 by visionchristianmedia

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How a Gideons Bible Changed Anna McGahanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Life

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INTERVIEW

Josh Taylor

ARTICLE

God of Always

FIRST TIME

IT’S AS EASY AS 1 2 3 4

READER? 01

PRAY

Ask God to work through your life today.

03 APPLY

Think about how you can apply what you’ve read to your life.

READ

Read the Bible passage, then read the devotional and reflect on it in light of the Bible passage. For a bigger reward SOUL read the FOOD

> now playing on vision180 radio SHELBY GRACE online or via the app

PRAY

Ask God to work through your life through the reading today.

We encourage you as did the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Berea to search the Scriptures everyday to see if what you are being told is the truth ACTS 17:11

Having released 2 songs previously, Shelby Grace at the age of 18 has just dropped her third single Can’t Imagine as heard on Vision180. Shelby is currently studying at uni, and hopes to encourage and inspire listeners with her music and bring others closer to the Lord.

LIVE DIFFERENT

RADIO

Hi there! We’re so happy you’re holding this magazine — because it’s all about you. Sure, it’s full of stories about other people, but those stories are here to show you different ways of looking at yourself, of feeling found in a world full of lost people. Quick question: What are you good at? Don’t say nothing. Even if we’ve never met you, we know that can’t be true. Ephesians 2:10 NIV says 'For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ You are God’s handiwork. You have a job He put you here to do. And he made sure you would be the perfect person for that job. That means there’s got to be something you’re totally awesome at. Finding that job is a big part of understanding God’s plan for you. You’re going to read about all sorts of people whose talents God has used in ways they didn’t expect. Hillary Jane started making YouTube videos in her bedroom, then realised it could be a ministry. Josh Taylor had no idea his Lego hobby could become a platform to talk about his faith. But to find that place, they each had to give their gifts to God. Coby James’ songs didn’t get great until he was writing about something real. Anna McGahan was at war with her body and unhappy in her acting career, until God’s love changed the way she saw herself. Your place may not be on stage or screen, but wherever God wants you to work, it’s equally important. 1 Corinthians 12:5-6 NIV says: ‘There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.’ So as you read over the next few weeks, think about what it is you’re good at, and pray that God will help you use it to build His Kingdom.

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Your Mates at 180! 1

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness 2 TIMOTHY 3:16

ESV

SOUL FOOD

read your bible in a year Daily words to help you LIVE DIFFERENT. Grab your Bible, notebook, pen and let’s get stuck into understanding God’s Word each day. Easy to use, bite-sized Bible reading. It works even if you miss a day.

Start today and be impacted by His Word! JUST FOLLOW THESE! TICK THEM OFF AS YOU GO!

WORD4TODAY is an adaptation

of The Word for Today by Bob & Debby Gass

Edited and Published in Australia by Vision Christian Media Made possible by the giving of our supporters.

SUN 1 NOV

MON 2 NOV

Thomas’ Twin

Strategy: 1

‘Thomas, called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.’ John 20:24 NKJV

‘So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.’ Ephesians 5:15–16 NLT

Thomas is the bloke famous for his doubts: ‘Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails… and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors we have being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace seen the to you!” Then He said to Lord Thomas,” Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”’ (John 20:24–28 NKJV)

Strategic thinking is about planning, working smarter not harder, maximising your strengths, and finding the simplest path towards achieving your Godgiven assignment in life. There are many benefits to strategic thinking. Here are just a few. Strategic thinking:

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”

Check out the words: ‘the Twin’. Do you know who that is? You! You might not think it but, spiritually speaking, we all fit the ‘twin’ description. How often have you doubted God’s love, goodness, grace, faithfulness, and promises? Heaps of times, right? So is there any solution? Sure there is! An up-close-and-personal encounter with Jesus just like Thomas! It happens when you read His Word and a verse leaps up, and makes you want to shout, ‘My Lord and my God!’ It happens in conversation with friends when they share such insight that you find yourself saying, ‘My Lord and my God!’ It happens when you pray like the psalmist: ‘Be good to Your servant, that I may live and obey Your word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.’ (Psalm 119:17–18 NLT) SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 17:1–20 o Heb 11:4–12:3

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begin (1) Simplifies the formulating a difficult. It takes strategic plan complex issues and long-term goals that for your future can be very difficult to achieve, and breaks them down into manageable steps. A plan provides you with a path! The Bible says, ‘The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.’ (Proverbs 21:5 NIV)

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(2) Helps you to ask the right questions. Check out the following questions developed by Bobb Biehl, author of Masterplanning. ‘Direction: What should we do next? Why? Organisation: Who is responsible for what? Who is responsible for whom? Do we have the right people in the right places? Cash: What is our projected income, expense, net? Can we afford it? How can we afford it? Tracking: Are we on target? Overall evaluation: Are we achieving the quality we expect and demand of ourselves? Refinement: How can we be more effective and more efficient?’ These may not be the only questions you need to ask in order to begin formulating a strategic plan for your future, but they’re a good first step. Until you take the first step, you’ll remain stuck. Until you get over your need to do it perfectly, you won’t do it at all. You might be thinking, ‘When should I start?’ Answer: SOUL FOOD

o Ezra 6–8 John 7:45–53

o o 3

WED 4 NOV

TUE 3 NOV

Strategy: 2

Strategy: 3

‘All who are prudent act with knowledge.’ Proverbs 13:16 NIV

‘I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel.’ Psalm 16:7 NKJV

Knowing gives us opportunities for growing. By taking the time to build up your knowledge, you’ll be ready for any opportunities that come your way. If you aren’t prepared, they’ll pass you by and others can scoop them up. God said, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.’ (Hosea 4:6 KJV) Strategic thinking:

When we’re faced with an overwhelming problem, we can be tempted to just collapse in a heap. But break it down into smaller, manageable parts and it’s possible to tackle the whole issue effectively.

(1) Prepares you for the future. None of us know what tomorrow will bring. ‘Don’t brag about your plans for tomorrow—wait and see what happens.’ (Proverbs 27:1 TLB) The only thing that’s worse than the uncertainty of tomorrow is having no plan and strategy for your life.

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strategic thinking lines up your actions with your goals

(2) Reduces the margin of error. Think of a golfer stepping up to a ball and hitting it before lining up the shot. Misaligning a shot by a few degrees can send the ball a hundred metres off target. Strategic thinking lines up your actions with your goals, just as lining up a shot in golf helps you to land the ball closer to the hole. The better you are aligned with your target, the better the odds that you will be going in the right direction.

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(3) Gives you influence with others. One boss said, ‘Our company has a short-range plan and a longrange plan. Our short-range plan is to stay afloat long enough to make it to our long-range plan.’ That’s hardly a strategy, yet it’s the way many of us run our lives. Having a plan puts power in your hands. Whatever activity you’re involved in, strategic thinking is essential to success. Talk to God about it.

SOUL FOOD

o Ezra 9–10 o John 8:1–20 o Ps

Don’t try to juggle the prayer whole thing in your gives you head; write it down so you can get a clearer access to His picture. One small part knowledge may be the key that opens the door. And if you still can’t find a solution, take it to God in prayer. The psalmist said, ‘The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.’ (Psalm 138:8 NKJV) If something is of concern to you, it’s of concern to the God who loves you. Pray: ‘Lord, I’m giving this problem to You and I’m going to sleep.’

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When you do that, it’s possible you may wake up in the morning with an amazingly simple solution to the crushing problem you had the night before. The psalmist said, ‘I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.’ God knows what you don’t know, and prayer gives you access to His knowledge. Five loaves and two fish in a boy’s hands won’t feed five thousand people. But when the boy put them into Christ’s hands, they multiplied and there were twelve full baskets left over. Strategic thinking works best when God is the foundation of your strategy, when you stand on His Word and claim His promise: ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV) God will work it through with you, as long as you remember you can’t do it without Him. SOUL FOOD

o 1 John 1:1– 3:10 o John

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FRI 6 NOV

THU 5 NOV

Trouble Sleeping? ‘You can go to bed without fear, you will lie down and sleep soundly.’ Proverbs 3:24 NLT

Pleasing God ‘Do what is right.’ Psalm 4:5 NCV

Insomnia is an inability to sleep. And you’re not alone! At any given time it affects roughly 40% of us. You toss and tumble all night, grab a restless hour or two of snooze-time, then sleep-walk around exhausted the next day. And when it continues for weeks or even months, it’s depressing and robs you of joy.

Day after day Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. But he said no. He gave her no time, no attention, no chitchat, and no reason for hope. In today’s terms: when she called, he didn’t answer the phone; when she texted, he didn’t text back; when she showed up, he ‘fled and ran outside.’ (Genesis 39:12 NKJV)

If you’ve got insomnia, let God help you. His Word says He ‘gives rest to His loved ones.’ (Psalm 127:2 NLT) His promise is, ‘You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly.’ And if you’re only getting by on sleeping pills, He can heal that too.

This wasn’t the only time Joseph chose to please God. His brothers had plotted to kill him and sold him into slavery. When do what they turned up begging pleases God for help, he chose to show mercy. He could have held a grudge and refused to help. But he chose to do what was right in God’s eyes.

Make this your prayer today: ‘Father, shine help me light on the cause of to be still and Your my insomnia. Whatever know You are anxieties are stopping me my God from sleeping, I cast them all on You, knowing You care for me (see 1 Peter 5:7). Calm my racing thoughts and restless mind. Help me to be still and know You are my God (see Psalm 46:10). I submit to Your command not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything instead. I bring my needs to You, and thank You for all You have already done. Your Word assures me that if I do this I’ll experience Your peace, which is more wonderful than the human mind can understand, and that it will guard my heart and my mind (see Philippians 4:6–7). By faith I will lie down tonight without fear or anxiety and enjoy pleasant dreams. I will lie down in peace and know that You will keep me safe (see Psalm 4:8). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.’

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SOUL FOOD

o 1 5:21

John 3:11– o John 8:31–

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First, he forgave them. Joseph said, ‘Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.’ (Genesis 45:5 NIV) Secondly, he chose to provide for them. He said: ‘You shall live… near me... I will provide for you.’ (Genesis 45:10–11 NIV) It’s important that we do what’s right in God’s eyes. He’ll give us the wisdom and strength we need to be able to do it. The lesson we learn from Joseph is surprisingly simple: do what pleases God. When a friend offers you a joint of marijuana: do what pleases God. When your mates show you a way to cheat: do what pleases God. When you’re tempted to watch pornography: do what pleases God. ‘How can I please God?’ you ask. ‘Do what is right o 1 Chr 1–2 o SOUL FOOD John 8:42–59 o Ps 7

SAT 7 NOV

SUN 8 NOV

Retrain Your Mind

In God’s Will

‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Romans 12:2 NIV

‘I delight to do Your will, O my God.’ Psalm 40:8 NKJV

The habits and the patterns of your thought life put you on autopilot. That means that, when specific situations arise, you’re pre-programmed to respond in a certain way. Sometimes that’s a good thing, like automatically distancing yourself from danger. Other times, you need to interrupt your autopilot function and stop your mind from rushing off in the wrong direction.

Happiness can dissolve as soon as something negative happens. But joy doesn’t fade. And there’s no joy in life as real as knowing you’re in the centre of God’s will. Not fame, not riches, not pleasure. Nothing compares to knowing you have the smile of His approval each day.

For example, maybe for years people have put we need to you down or treated renew our minds you like you’re invisible. … with God’s After a while you expect truth people to overlook you or say nasty things. You start believing that you’re not good enough for anyone (including God) and you start trying to earn love and acceptance from everyone (including God).

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”

The Bible says: ‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Rather than reacting to the programming, we need to renew our minds by replacing negative thought patterns with God’s truth. To do that we need to know what God’s Word tells us about who we are, and who He is. But if we don’t take time to read and learn the truth, we won’t easily recognise the thoughts that are lies. The Bible says: ‘Set your minds on things above.’ (Colossians 3:2 NIV) By doing that, we’ll be able to recognise when the enemy is trying to make us believe a lie. We need to uproot the wrong thought patterns in our lives, and instead cultivate healthy, godly ones. So, instead of reacting to the first thoughts that cross your mind, retrain your mind, one thought at a time, to think differently. It takes a little work, but when you think God’s thoughts, He becomes your SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 3–5 John 9:1–12

o o

Will doing God’s will always be easy? No! It’s enjoyable, but it can be challenging. The size of your God-given assignment in life determines the level of attack against you. But joy comes from knowing that God strengthens you to do—by the power of His Spirit—what you could never do on your own. So Satan’s attack is confirmation you’re truly in God’s will!

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God strengthens you to do… what you could never do on your own

Paul writes: ‘I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have… known hunger and thirst… been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?’ (2 Corinthians 11:23–29 NKJV)

”

So rejoice—you are in the will of God! SOUL FOOD

o Matt 6:16–18 o Isa 58:1–11 o

TUE 10 NOV

MON 9 NOV

Thrive

Dealing With Panic

‘The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.’ Genesis 41:37 NIV

‘Do not be afraid of sudden fear.’ Proverbs 3:25 NAS

God gave Joseph a dream that one day he’d be in a top job, just about ruling the world. So when he finally arrived at Pharaoh’s palace, did he walk in and announce, ‘God told me I was to be the boss round here’? No, he had to work for it! There was about to be a worldwide famine and Joseph gave Pharaoh a plan not only to survive it, but to thrive because of it.

The words ‘sudden fear’ describe a form of panic; you can’t breathe, your palms sweat, your chest gets tight and you feel weak. If you’ve ever dealt with panic and you recognise these symptoms, you’re not alone. Jesus said in the last days ‘people will faint from terror.’ (Luke 21:26 NIV) Every year one-third of us experience at least one panic attack. What’s the answer? The Bible says: ‘Be not afraid of sudden terror and panic… The Lord shall be your confidence.’ (Proverbs 3:25–26 AMP) Here are some practical tools you can use to help yourself:

Notice what Pharaoh said about Joseph: ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?’ (Genesis 41:38 NIV) So what’s your dream? And what’s your plan? Your dream and your talent are important, but longlongterm success won’t term success happen without a plan.

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won’t happen

The Bible says, ‘A gift opens the way and without a plan ushers the giver into the presence of the great.’ (Proverbs 18:16 KJV) Your talent may bring you to the attention of key people, but you have to be able to answer the question: ‘What’s your plan?’ A plan takes your dreams and talents and maximises them by bringing structure to the concept. It involves being committed to a budget; it means constantly working on specific goals and details.

”

Joseph gave Pharaoh a specific plan with a timeline: seven years. He told him, ‘This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine.’ (Genesis 41:36 NIV) So here’s what you need to do: write down your plan, which includes specific actions and deadlines to fulfil it. Will God bless your plan and cause it to thrive? Yes, but you must have the right plan in place before He can bless it.

SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 6:1–7:19 o John 9:13–23 o

(1) Breathe. Panic makes you inhale in short, shallow bursts, whereas breathing deeply helps to calm and relax you. Remember, ‘He Himself gives everyone life and breath.’ (Acts 17:25 NIV) So when you start to feel overwhelmed just breathe deeply and say the name of Jesus.

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the Lord shall be your confidence

(2) Don’t respond with more panic. If you do, you’ll end up in doubletrouble. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Now while allowing yourself to feel fear without reacting to it may sound difficult at first, it’s what helps break the cycle.

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(3) Do something calming. This is the last thing you’ll feel like doing because panic makes you instinctively think thoughts that feed and fatten your fear. So take a minute to whisper a prayer, quote a Scripture, listen to inspirational music, or talk to a friend. If your panic is an ongoing issue there’s no shame in getting professional help. After all, it’s God who gives doctors the skills and abilities to intervene. Either o 1 Chr 7:20–9:44 SOUL FOOD o John 9:24–41 o 9

Under Pressure Only a couple of years ago, at just 15, Coby James started writing songs every day.

e’d played guitar all his life, but this creative growth spurt was different. ‘I think a girl broke my heart or something,’ he said, ‘and I just wanted to find a way to express it.’ ‘They were just like pop songs,’ he said, ‘kind of dumb. They weren’t good by any means.’ But Coby’s dad knew they could be, if he had something bigger to write about. He suggested Coby try giving his songs to God. ‘From then on I started writing Christian music. And I never looked back.’ His dad was right. Influenced by John Mayer and Sean Mendez, Coby’s nimble guitar work offered something the Christian music industry had been missing, and he quickly

You can’t escape the pressure, but you don’t have to be alone either, if you’re playing on a team with God 10

drew attention from people in high places. ‘I was going to all these record labels, talking to all these people. I felt like a little fish in a big pond. I wasn’t ready for any of this.’ ‘I found myself being the youngest person in any room that I’d walk in, ever, especially now. One of my best friends is 40 years old, and has a wife and kids, and he’s my producer.’ On the last day of his first week writing songs in Nashville, Coby took inspiration from the weight of expectation on him. ‘Pressure’s a really universal feeling. Everybody’s felt pressure in their life. Everybody’s gone through that. And so I just wanted to vocalise that. And I think as an artist, you’re supposed to put emotions and feelings into words in ways that some people can’t.’

But more than the feeling itself, Coby wanted to remind us how we get through it. You can’t escape the pressure, but you don’t have to be alone either, if you’re playing on a team with God. ‘You give me all I need to prove who I am and what we can do,’ he sings, in a catchy single that showed that, young as he was, he was more than ready for the challenges of the music business. Coby had grown up performing in Church, but the pressure was on again when he found himself opening for Danny Gokey, playing for thousands of people. Armed with just his acoustic guitar, the first few nights he was shocked by how anxious he felt. ‘By the second week, you get out there, you do your thing, you feel the crowd out. I just love entertaining. I think it’s one of my favourite parts about this.’

With COVID-19 putting tours on hold, Coby has been missing those crowds. But he’s been using time at home to write dozens of new tunes. ‘I’ve written so many songs, I’ll probably never get to release all of them in my lifetime. But I’m really, really excited about a handful of them.’ We’ve been playing a few of those tracks on 180, and of course we’re just as excited to hear what Coby James brings next. The pressure’s moving in, but we think he’ll be all right.

Listen to Coby's new tracks now vision180.org.au/cobyjames 11

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THU 12 NOV

WED 11 NOV

Strongholds

Attitude Adjust: 1

‘The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.’ 2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV

‘Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.’ Philippians 4:8 CEV

A stronghold is a fortified place where people can be protected from attack. It’s usually a place of safety because it’s so well defended. However, we can end up with unhealthy strongholds in our lives. This happens when the things we defend most vigorously are bad for us. We might believe negative things about ourselves. We might turn to unhelpful one who is wise can … things to get us through the tough times.

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pull down the stronghold

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These types of strongholds have flipped from safe to dangerous. We’re trapped in them, and they’re so well-fortified the truth can’t get in and we can’t get out. They control us. Fortunately, with God, this doesn’t have to be the case. With His help, our strongholds can be demolished so we can live in freedom. The Bible says: ‘One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.’ (Proverbs 21:22 NIV) With the help of God’s wisdom, we can identify the strongholds in our lives where we have been placing our trust, and where we have been trapped. So how can we destroy the negative strongholds that we’ve identified? Paul wrote: ‘The weapons we fight with… have divine power to demolish strongholds.’ One of the main weapons we have is the Bible (see Ephesians 6:17). It’s full of truth, and when we discover the truth we can declare it out loud and begin to break down the towering walls of our strongholds. It’s not easy to destroy a stronghold, but gradually, with God’s help, we can take it down brick by brick. Then we can experience the freedom He wants to gift to us. SOUL FOOD

We all need ‘an attitude adjustment’ from time to time. It’s vital to maintain a right attitude when the going gets rough. No matter what happens in your life, make up your mind to go through it with the right attitude. In fact, decide beforehand to keep a positive mindset no matter what negative situation arises. If you make this a conscious choice and meditate on it during the good times, when difficulties arise you’ll already be prepared. Paul writes: ‘Keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise… And God, who gives peace, will be with you.’ (Philippians 4:8–9 CEV) When we start to let negative thoughts in, we then act from those thoughts, and we can make the atmosphere around us negative too. It can be challenging to change things when maintaining we get to this stage … is always because we’re not much easier only acting negatively, people are reacting to than regaining us negatively. a right attitude

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Maintaining a right attitude is always much easier than regaining a right attitude. So as soon as you sense yourself becoming negative, make an immediate attitude adjustment. The Bible says, ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:7 KJV) The moment the enemy sends negative thoughts into your mind, stop them midstream. Discipline yourself to stand strong with a positive attitude in every circumstance. When you do, ‘God, who gives peace, will be with you.’

o 1 Chr 10:1–12:22 o 1 Chr 12:23– SOUL o John 10:1–10 o FOOD 15:29 o John 13

FRI 13 NOV

SAT 14 NOV

Attitude Adjust: 2

Attitude Adjust: 3

‘He changes times and seasons; He deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom.’ Daniel 2:21 NIV

‘Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.’ Proverbs 3:6 NLT

Realise that rough times won’t last forever. As surely as God created spring to follow winter, ‘He changes times and seasons… He gives wisdom.’ The season of hardship you’re in will end. And when it does, you’ll be able to take from it wisdom for the future. Sometimes your greatest blessings come the season from your most negative of hardship circumstances.

When it comes to having the right attitude—stay in touch with the control tower. Air traffic controllers ‘see the big picture’ when it comes to what’s going on in the sky. They have the knowledge and authority to tell pilots to slow down or speed up, fly higher or lower, avoid or navigate through storms, or take alternative routes. Amazingly, air traffic controllers in Australia usually handle over 3.2 million flights each year—an average of around 8,900 every day in normal non-COVID times. In fact, they manage more than the busiest day on record in Britain (5 July 2019) which clocked 8,863 flights! They direct commercial flights, private aviation, military, and cargo air traffic, as well as air taxis and airport vehicles.

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you’re in will

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Paul writes, ‘Our present end troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!’ (2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT) Tough times don’t last, but tough people do! Out of your greatest tests come your greatest testimonies. Don’t make major decisions during a storm. Feelings often run wild in the midst of a crisis; those are times when you need to be careful about making decisions. Remain calm, discipline yourself to focus on what you can do, and trust God for what you can’t. Just as pilot error can cause a plane to be diverted from its intended destination, or have to make a dangerous emergency landing, a bad decision can divert or delay you from reaching your destiny. Let your emotions subside—before you decide. You may not always have that option, Still, as much as possible, put significant decisions on hold until trouble passes. Just as the wind blows about wildly during a storm, your thoughts can become wild and frantic, and that’s not the best time to make important choices. What should you do? Paul answers, ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and… His peace will guard your hearts and minds.’ SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 16–18 o John 10:22–42 o

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With so many flights taking off and landing every minute, pilots have to stay in touch with the control tower. Similarly, you must stay in touch with God— the One who sees the big picture for your life and orchestrates everything that involves you. He makes sure everything that needs to happen actually does happen at the right time, and also moves at the appropriate speed to make sure you arrive safely at the destination He’s planned for you.

stay in touch with God—the One who sees the big picture

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That’s why staying in touch with God should be at the top of your daily to-do list. He will help you navigate the ups and downs of life, and find your way through cloudy days when you can’t see the next step you need to take. In short, when you ‘seek His will in all you do… He will show you which path to take.’

SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 19:1– 23:20 o John

MON 16 NOV

SUN 15 NOV

Repentance

Rest and Renew

‘Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted.’ 2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV

‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.’ Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

There’s a difference between confessing your sin and repenting of it. In Scripture, the word ‘repentance’ means ‘to turn away from sin’. By confessing your sin you admit what you have done; by repenting you turn away from it. And the good news is that there’s no limit to God’s forgiveness. The moment you ask for it, you receive it.

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sin …

But God doesn’t intend violates the you to keep repeating your very core of sinful patterns over and over again. That’s where who you are ‘godly sorrow’ comes in. Paul writes, ‘You sorrowed in a godly manner: what diligence it produced in you.’ (2 Corinthians 7:11 NKJV) The purpose of godly sorrow is to make you more committed to changing your behaviour. When you allow sin into your life, you violate your core of righteousness.

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‘For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) At the point of salvation God literally made you ‘the righteousness of God in Christ’. You’re a regenerated spirit living in an unregenerated body, and when you permit sin into your life, it violates the very core of who you are! And that will cause you godly sorrow, leading to repentance and turning away from sin. Don’t settle for saying, ‘This is a habit I can’t break. But it’s ok because God will forgive me.’ Yes, He will forgive you, but He doesn’t want you to settle for a cycle of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and then repeating the same sin. He wants you to be strong and effective in His service. That’s why He’s calling you to a higher level. SOUL FOOD

o Matt 6:1–4 o Mark 12:41–44 o

When you’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained, you become vulnerable. Jesus called for 100 percent commitment, but He also knew the importance of staying in balance; of work and rest; of giving out and taking in. ‘Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.’ (Mark 6:31–32 NLT) A good general will never commit all his soldiers to the battlefield at the same time. He keeps a reserve force to relieve the exhausted ones when they stagger back from the front lines. Yes, you may have the greatest assignment in the world from God and be truly succeeding at it, but set aside unless you ‘keep a reserve’, time each day you’re opening yourself up to potential danger. to be alone

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That’s why setting aside time each day to be alone with God in prayer and Bible reading is so important. If Satan can’t defeat you outright, he will settle for an exhausted, ineffective version of the person God wants you to be. If you’re a type A, high-energy person, you’re particularly at risk. So what’s the answer? ‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.’ (Isaiah 40:30–31 NKJV)

SOUL FOOD

o 1 Chr 23:21– 26:19 o John 15

TUE 17 NOV

Strength and Strategy

WED 18 NOV

‘He gives power to the weak.’ Isaiah 40:29 NKJV

‘No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.’ Psalm 84:11 NKJV

When the battle continues to rage on with no end in sight, you grow weary. Is that where you are today? Are things that once ran smoothly no longer working? Have you done all you can but it hasn’t helped?

What you believe about God and your money will determine how you pray and what you believe Him for. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘But money is the root of all evil.’ No, the Bible says, ‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ (1 Timothy 6:10 KJV)

What should you do? Spend more time with God in prayer, and listen to Him as He speaks to you through His Word. As long as you don’t give up within, victory is assured without. It’s a matter of refreshing your own strength by drawing on God’s strength, refocusing your faith towards victory, and calling God’s promises ‘to remembrance.’ (Psalm 77:6 NKJV)

It’s not the accumulation of money that’s the problem, it’s the love we have for it. During the ‘Sermon on the Mount’, Jesus taught: ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’ (Matthew 6:24 NIV)

When you feel overwhelmed by trouble in your relationships, your health, your work, or your finances, stand on these two Bible promises: ‘He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless… But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.’ (Isaiah 40:29–31 NLT)

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refresh your own strength by drawing on God’s strength

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‘We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and… thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God… And He did rescue us… We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.’ (2 Corinthians 1:8–10 NLT) Instead of trying to escape the situation, seek God and He will give you strength and a strategy to come out of it stronger. SOUL FOOD

Money: 1

o 1 Chr 26:20–29:30 o John 11:28–37 o

He was basically saying we can’t love God and worldly God things at the same time. wants our God wants our whole heart. whole heart He doesn’t want to have a part of our love, while we give love to other things too. Jesus went on to teach that the greatest commandment is: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37 NIV)

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If we’re being honest, many of us don’t love God with undivided hearts. Other things take pieces of our hearts. Maybe it’s our relationships, our career, our hobbies, or our finances. While they are all important parts of our lives, loving God wholeheartedly means we don’t allow ourselves to be distracted and preoccupied by those things; instead we’re fully devoted to God. If love for Him is filling our hearts, everything else will fall into place. We’ll use our money well, we’ll have great relationships, and we’ll move forwards in life. SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 1–4 o John 11:38–57

Money: 2

THU 19 NOV

‘In all things at all times, having all that you need.’ 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

Let’s begin by saying it again: what you believe about God and your money will determine what you believe Him for. How many times do you find yourself asking for more? We might want more friends, higher pay at work, more blessings from God. In the world of technology, we want the new device, even if what we already have still works.

God’s blessings are to encourage us to be generous. God loves blessing us just because He loves us. But we’re called to be generous, share our resources and help those who have less than us. The Bible also encourages us to be content with what we have already. Paul wrote: ‘I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.’ (Philippians 4:11 NLT)

God wants us to go to Him with our requests, but we need to examine our attitude. What are our motives in asking for more? Are we asking out of greed or out of generosity? Do we just want to keep up with everyone else? The Bible says: ‘You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.’ (2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV)

Are we content when we don’t have everything we think we need? Or do we panic and pray desperately for more? Paul also said: ‘If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.’ (1 Timothy 6:8–9 NIV) Don’t allow greed or selfishness to take the place of generosity and kindness in your life.

SOUL FOOD

Chr

5–7

John

12:1–

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FRI 20 NOV

SAT 21 NOV

Money: 3

Money: 4

‘Help in time of need.’ Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

‘Money is the answer for everything.’ Ecclesiastes 10:19 NIV

When we have a spiritual, physical, relational, or financial need, God says He will meet it. But some of us have a hard time believing this. After all, Jesus condemned the rich man for overlooking the poor man sitting on his doorstep. And God hasn’t changed His position on that issue.

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your Jesus told the story of a man so busy making heavenly Father money he had no time already knows for God. ‘But God said all your needs to him, “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.’ (Luke 12:20–21 NLT) And He hasn’t changed positions on that issue either.

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Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the temple because they were ripping people off. He went so far as to call them ‘a den of thieves.’ (Mark 11:17 NKJV)

Notice that word ‘everything’. When you’re in right standing with God, you can pray with confidence and ask Him to bless you in all things for all your needs! o 2 Chr 8–11 o SOUL FOOD John 12:12–19 o 18

(1) Provide for your needs and those of your family. ‘But if anyone does not provide for… those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.’ (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV) (2) Finance His work. ‘Honour the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce.’ (Proverbs 3:9 NASB) (3) Pay your taxes and your obligations. In answer to the question, ‘Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.’ (Matthew 22:17; 22 NLT) (4) Send His Word to the four corners of the world. ‘How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? honour And how shall they hear the Lord from without a preacher? And how your wealth shall they preach unless they are sent?’ (Romans 10:14–15 NKJV)

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(5) Help the poor and needy. ‘Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments… Wealth and riches will be in his house… he has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ (Psalm 112:1,3,9 NKJV) When your reason for wanting money is to fulfil God’s will and bless others, God will honour you.

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 12–15 o John 12:20–36 o

Does that mean God is interested in meeting our spiritual needs but not our material ones? Let’s be clear; spiritual needs should always be our highest priority, but let’s allow the Scriptures to speak for themselves. When it comes to God and your money, Jesus said: ‘Don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.’ (Matthew 6:31–33 NLT)

The Bible teaches that God wants you to have enough money to:

bible findawordSmile Find the following words in bold. They may go in a straight line in any direction, including backto-front. The leftover letters spell out the name of the Biblical person who said to God, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and You will be ruler over them.’ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight. On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route. MATT 2:1–12 BSB

SEARCH E

H P E

Smile 19

ANSWER: THE LEFTOVER LETTERS SPELL DAVID! HE IS REPORTED AS SAYING THIS IN 2 SAMUEL 5:2

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SUN 22 NOV

MON 23 NOV

Money: 5

Money: 6

‘He will give you everything you need.’ Matthew 6:33 NLT

‘Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.’ Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV

When it comes to money, the Bible teaches that:

When it comes to God and your money:

(1) God wants you to have enough to meet any size of need you may face. Think about it: employees are mainly concerned with one thing—getting their salary. Employers, on the other hand, have a bigger need. They must have enough money to cover everybody’s salary. And here’s the good news for both boss and subordinate: ‘Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!’ (Matthew 6:8 NLT)

(1) When you do what pleases Him, He will bless you. Why? Because your actions prove that doing His will is more important to you than doing your own thing. ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.’ (Matthew 25:23 NIV)

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He will

(2) Many times God will never permit send you to a particular you to depend place or person in order on anybody or to meet your need. anything other During a time of severe than Him famine when people in Israel were dying of starvation, God said to the prophet Elijah, ‘Turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan... I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.’ (1 Kings 17:3–4 NIV) And that worked well for a time—until ‘the brook dried up, because there had been no rain.’ (1 Kings 17:7 NIV) God arranged it that way, because He will never permit you to depend on anybody or anything other than Him. He will dry up your ‘brook’ in order to send you back to your true source—Himself.

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Here’s what God told Elijah next: ‘Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.’ (1 Kings 17:9 NIV) God used unlikely things like ravens, a brook, and a poor widow to meet Elijah’s needs. So stop trying to figure God out! Trust the One who ‘hangs the earth on nothing’ (Job 26:7 NLT) to use whomever, whatever, wherever, and whenever to meet your needs. SOUL FOOD

Gen

24:1–51

On the other hand, when you knowingly don’t do what pleases God, He will stop blessing you. ‘Take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.’ (Matthew 25:28–29 NKJV) (2) God will show you how to make more money. He taught Joseph how to prosper in the midst of a worldwide famine, and bless the needy nations around him. And when they could not catch fish, Jesus showed the disciples where to find a boatload of them. He wants On one occasion, you to depend they actually caught on Him as a fish with enough money in its mouth to the source for everything you pay their taxes! (See Matthew 17:27.) God need works through unlikely channels, and He wants you to depend on Him as the source for everything you need.

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The Bible says, ‘Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.’ The word ‘power’ encompasses ideas, strategies, plans, relationships, and investments. Yes, God might prompt someone to pay your bills for you and solve your problem temporarily, but you should believe Him for a plan that’ll solve your problem long-term. SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 16–18 o John 12:37–50 o Ps 21

TUE 24 NOV

WED 25 NOV

Money: 7

Money: 8

‘He could make you rich.’ 2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT

‘The Word became flesh.’ John 1:14 NIV

The Bible assures us that God isn’t poor. ‘“The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the Lord Almighty.’ (Haggai 2:8 NIV) ‘Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.’ (Psalm 50:10 KJV) Now ask yourself: if you had a billion dollars, would you want to see your kids starving and in rags? No? Well, neither does God! Paul writes, ‘You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.’ (2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV) Maybe you’ve read this Scripture before and thought Paul was talking about being spiritually rich but not financially rich. Let’s read the verse with that in mind and see if it makes sense: ‘He who was spiritually rich, for our sakes became spiritually poor, that through His spiritual poverty, we might become spiritually rich.’ Say, what?! When was Jesus ever spiritually poor? No, the verse says what it means and means what it says: ‘That you… might become rich.’ But let’s be careful. The word ‘rich’ means different things to different people. In some countries you’re considered rich if you have a roof over your head, three meals a day, and a bicycle to ride to work. In fact, right now would be a good time to discuss the much abused and widely misunderstood Bible word ‘prosperity’. Prosperity simply means ‘having enough to do the will of God for your life.’ Does God have a will for your life? Yes. Does He want you to have enough money to fulfil His will for your life? Yes. That’s God’s plan!

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 19–21 John 13:1–17

Jesus came into the world for two reasons. First, to give you the greatest gift of all—eternal life. Second, to let you know He cares about every detail of your life. ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (John 1:14 NKJV) JB Phillips put it this way: ‘The Word of God became a human being and lived among us. We saw His splendour (…as of a father’s only son), full of grace and truth.’ Roughly 20 per cent of everything Jesus taught had to do with your finances, your job, or your earthly needs. He cares! And when you can’t make ends meet, the Bible says, God shall ‘God shall supply all supply all your your need according need according to His riches in glory.’ to His riches in (Philippians 4:19 NKJV) When you can’t keep a glory budget, His promise is: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit.’ (Isaiah 48:17 NKJV)

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God cares about the financial burden you’re carrying, so if your needs aren’t being met, re-evaluate your understanding of your heavenly Father. Have you even discussed money with Him? How about the purchase of your car? Did you feel the inner confirmation of the Holy Spirit that the timing was right? Have you been investing in God’s Kingdom as He’s shown you, praying over that investment of time and effort and finance and expecting Him to give the increase? Seed ‘sown’—invested—in good ground always produces a harvest, and faith is the magnet that pulls the harvest into your life. Remember: God loves you and wants to bless every area of your life. SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 22–24 John 13:18–30

o o

FRI 27 NOV

THU 26 NOV

Most Worthy

In a Vision

‘Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus.’ Philippians 2:10 NCV

‘You spoke in a vision.’ Psalm 89:19 NIV

Max Lucado tells the story of Philippe Auguste, the thirteenth century king of France, who assembled all his noble knights and encouraged them to be strong in battle. On the table he placed his royal crown, bearing the inscription, ‘To the most worthy’, everyone and pledged it as a will confess that prize to be given to Jesus Christ is the bravest fighter. Lord After the army went to battle and returned victorious, they once again circled the table where the crown sat. One of the nobles stepped forward, lifted the crown, and placed it on the king’s head, saying, ‘Thou, O king, art the most worthy.’

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This will one day be the cry of all Heaven and earth. The Bible says, ‘Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus—everyone in Heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.’ (Philippians 2:10–11 NCV) The population reference bureau has estimated that nearly 109 billion people have been born since the dawn of the human race. Guess what? Every single one of them will bow to the name of Jesus. Try to imagine all those people—nearly 14 times the world’s current population—kneeling before Christ and saying, ‘Thou, O King, art most worthy.’ And in that moment Christ will assume His position ‘far above all rule and authority and power and dominion… not only in this age but also in the one to come.’ (Ephesians 1:21 NASB) Then He, the Author and Finisher of it all, will close the book on this life and open the book on the next. That’s the beginning of the unending story that we, the redeemed of the Lord, wait for and long for. SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 25–28 John 13:31–38

o o

The psalmist says: ‘You spoke in a vision, to Your faithful people You said… “I have found David My servant; with My sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely My arm will strengthen him.”’ (Psalm 89:19–21 NIV) Great vision always precedes great achievement. And God is the giver of great visions—so ask Him for one. Vision gives birth to the goal; it sparks and fuels the fire within you, and moves you forward in spite of the odds and obstacles. To get a handle on the word ‘vision’, you should understand: (1) Vision comes from God. He knows what you’re capable of and what He has gifted you to do. Are you looking beyond yourself, even beyond your own lifetime, as you seek your vision? If not, you may be missing your God-given potential and His best for you. If, after seeking God for a vision, you still don’t have one, consider partnering with someone whose vision resonates within you. (2) Vision draws on your history. Vision doesn’t come out of a vacuum. It grows out of your past experiences, and the history of those around you. (3) Vision meets other people’s needs. A Godgiven vision goes far beyond what one person can accomplish. It includes and blesses others. If your vision doesn’t do that, it’s probably too small. (4) Vision attracts resources. Like a magnet, it draws, challenges, and unites people. It also rallies finances and other resources. The greater your vision, the more faith-filled people it will attract. And the more challenging the vision, the harder the participants will fight to achieve it.

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 29–31 John 14:1–14

o o 23

Building the Kingdom, Brick by Brick When Alex’s brother got Lego sets for Christmas, he’d always end up asking his big sister for help. ‘It would take me like months to build a little truck!’ she admitted. But on Nine’s Lego Masters, you had less than twelve hours to build some of the most elaborate creations ever assembled.

ou might think that pressure could get a bit stressful, but not for Josh Taylor. Talking to Alex on 180, he told her his biggest regret about his time on the show was not always seeming to enjoy himself. ‘I just probably would tell my past self to smile a little more,’ he said. ‘On camera I was so serious all the time.’ He and teammate Trent made it all the way to third place, so you might be surprised to know they only met four days before filming started. ‘The first time we ever built together was episode 1. So we were kind of on the back foot in that sense,’ Josh said. ‘We didn’t really know what we were good at, what our strengths and weaknesses were as a team, how we could work together. It took us a few episodes to find our rhythm, and once we did, we started winning quite a

few, and we were like: “Wow, we’re actually contenders for this thing.”’ Between episodes, they hung out at the hotel, practicing new techniques and ideas. But Josh says they all supported one another and would often share tips and tricks. ‘We just help each other out so much, because we all wanted everyone’s models to be the best, and we all want to be competing with the best.’ Josh and the other contestants also got time to share their faith journeys, and you might be surprised by how many Lego Masters are also Christians. One of the competitors was the daughter of Andrew McDonough, creator of the popular Lost Sheep children’s books. When he’s not building incredible creations, Josh works as a school Chaplain. He says

his time on Lego Masters has been a great conversation starter. A lot of people get inspired by what you build, and they want to build more and stuff. Other people just want to chat to you, and that gives you the opportunity to have conversations with people that you probably wouldn’t have before.’ And of course his time on the show also gave him a chance to share his story on places like Eternity News, and on 180. ‘I’d just say that God really uses every opportunity for His glory. I kind of went into this going this looks like a really fun experience, and I just thank God so often for allowing me to go on this journey.’

god really uses every opportunity for his glory

SAT 28 NOV

SUN 29 NOV

Forgiven and Restored

Don’t Despair

‘A bruised reed He will not break.’ Isaiah 42:3 NKJV

‘When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.’ James 1:2 NLT

Ever heard of the Great Boston Molasses Flood? On 15 January 1919, a steel vat containing 8.7 million litres of molten molasses burst. A 10-metre-high tsunami of hot syrup drowned people and horses, destroyed buildings, and crushed freight trains, wagons, and cars. The enormous tank, 15 metres tall and 73 metres around, had been badly designed. Company officials had reacted to the constantly leaking cracks by repainting the tank to match the colour of the molasses; their philosophy was ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, as they inevitably will, it’s easy to succumb to the ‘dominoes of despair’. First, we become disappointed with an event or relationship. Then as the trial lingers, we topple into discouragement and surrender our expectations that things will change. Finally, as we feel the impossibility of moving the object we’re struggling to shift, we succumb to the last domino of despair.

These officials knew the vat was dangerous but they did nothing. The disaster, described by one author as the ‘Dark Tide’, killed 21 people and injured 150 others. There are two important lessons in this story. First, pay attention to the cracks in your character; what you ignore today, you may drown in tomorrow. Second, no matter how badly broken you may be, if you turn to God, He’ll restore you. Isaiah said, ‘A bruised reed He will not break.’ These words portray the gentleness and grace of God as He stoops to restore and make us whole. Maybe you think your sin is too great and you’re too far gone. No. God said, ‘I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.’ (Exodus 34:6 NLT) ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away.’ (Hosea 14:4 NKJV) ‘He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us and will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea.’ (Micah 7:18–19 NKJV) Today God will forgive and restore you.

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 32–34 John 14:15–25

o o

We feel powerless and hopeless, and don’t know how to see our way clear. Instead of running our life’s race, it feels like we’re swimming below the surface in an ocean of jelly. Often when we can’t understand life’s circumstances, we limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do. And we think there’s only one good outcome—the one we want! Instead, we need to trust our heavenly Father because He may have bigger and better things in mind. We must try to see Him at work in whatever trials come our way. Remember, God’s expectations are bigger than our own, and only our heavenly Father and His purposes, no matter how painful they seem at the moment, truly satisfy our souls.

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James writes: ‘Dear when troubles brothers and sisters, … come your way, when troubles of consider it an any kind come your opportunity for way, consider it an great joy opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.’ (James 1:2–4 NLT)

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Keep that truth uppermost in your mind today, and you won’t give in to despair. o Josh 1 o Ps SOUL FOOD 27:11–14 o 2

TUE 1 DEC

MON 30 NOV

Let Them Go!

‘Good Taste’

‘They went out from us, but they were not of us.’ 1 John 2:19 NKJV

‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.’ Colossians 4:6 NKJV

Every relationship in your life is for a reason and a season. Your commitment to your family should be for a lifetime; other relationships may have term limits. So when someone who seemed to be a close friend walks away, don’t try to talk them into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, or staying attached to you. Your destiny isn’t tied to those who leave.

John Grisham is the author of blockbuster books that become blockbuster movies. He wrote The Client about an innocent young kid who hires an attorney to protect him after witnessing the death of a mafia lawyer. And he wrote The Testament about a billionaire with a squabbling family who rewrites his will to leave everything to a missionary in the jungle.

John writes: ‘They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.’ People know who leave because they’re belongs in your not joined to you. And life and who if they’re not joined to you, you shouldn’t try to doesn’t make them stay. That doesn’t mean they’re bad people; it just means their part in your story is done.

Grisham has been called ‘a straight arrow making his way along a very crooked path’. He said he’d rather be a nice guy than resort to filling his books with sex and gore. He refuses to write anything that would embarrass either his mother or his children. Contrary to what many in the publishing world predicted, his approach has paid off. His books have sold over 225 million copies worldwide. So far, the oldest fan to write to him is ninety-six let your years old, the youngest ten years old. Most of speech always his readers commend be with grace him for leaving out graphic violence and obscenities.

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You’ve got to know when a relationship is over, and graciously say goodbye knowing that whatever relationships God means you to have, He will provide. Stop begging them to stay—let them go! Clinging to a relationship whose season has ended will only lead to heartbreak. After Lot left him, Abraham entered a new level of God’s blessing. Orpah left Naomi and went back home to Moab, but Ruth stayed with Naomi, and they were both blessed by God. You’ve got to know who belongs in your life and who doesn’t. If you’re holding on to someone who doesn’t belong, and who is not intended to be in your life, stop—just let them go!

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Chr 35–36 o 2 John o John 14:26–15:4 o Ps

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The Bible says, ‘Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.’ Note the words ‘seasoned with salt’ or in good taste. Jesus said: ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things… every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’ (Matthew 12:34–37 NKJV) So, speak ‘in good taste’. o 3 John o Jude SOUL FOOD o John 15:5–17 27

WED 2 DEC

Donkeys and Destiny: 1

THU 3 DEC

Donkeys and Destiny: 2

‘Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head.’ 1 Samuel 10:1 NKJV

‘So they despised him.’ 1 Samuel 10:27 NKJV

One minute Saul was out looking for some lost donkeys, the next he’d been appointed king! It all happened when he met up with the prophet Samuel. ‘Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” And he went on. “But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.” Then Samuel took… oil and poured it on his head, and… said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?”’ (1 Samuel 9:27–10:1 NKJV)

When God calls you to a special destiny, not everyone will be happy about it. After Saul was anointed king, some people looked down on him. ‘“How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.’

Think about it: Saul was minding his own business, looking for donkeys—and discovered his destiny! And it can happen to you too! God has a habit of calling people who are busy doing other things. when God James and John were has a destiny mending their fishing for you… He will nets, Matthew was collecting taxes, Elisha come and get was farming, and Saul you. was out scouting for his father’s lost donkeys. It was just another day on the job, working to make a living. But when God has a destiny for you, and a date on His calendar with your name on it, He will come and get you.

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You might think, ‘But I’m nobody special!’ That’s exactly what Saul thought: ‘Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?’ (1 Samuel 9:21 NKJV) Your social status doesn’t limit God. When He has a plan in mind for you, He will reach into the background and bring you into the foreground. So stay faithful, keep serving Him, and your time will come! SOUL FOOD

o Jos 1–4 15:18–27

John Ps 65

Note Saul’s reaction to his critics: ‘He held his peace.’ Bottom line: it’s not your responsibility to convince others of your calling; it’s their responsibility to discern it. The Bible says, ‘A man’s gift makes room for him.’ (Proverbs 18:16 NASB) It’s your gifts— and the results they produce—that validate your calling. ‘Samuel said to Saul… “stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.”’ (1 Samuel 9:27 NKJV) When you know you’ve heard from God, the criticism of others will affect you less. His presence reassures you, His words direct your steps, and His peace settles the storm within you. After you hear the voice of God, the flattering words of others can’t puff you up, because both your feet are on the ground and your instructions are clear. You will not require the praise of others, for His confidence in you satisfies completely. After you hear the voice of God, your attitude changes instantly; you won’t face the future with anger, torment, or fear. God has spoken, His words have settled every issue, and time will prove Him correct. And here’s an important Scripture to keep in mind: ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.’ (Zechariah 4:10 NLT) Instead of comparing yourself with others and putting yourself down, celebrate each small step of faith you take on the way to your God-given destiny.

SOUL FOOD

o Jos 5:1–8:29 John 16:1–11

o o

Top Ten Tips

on the Gospel of Mark Ok, so you’ve just turned to Jesus and become His follower. Or you have a friend who has. You look at that big brick of a Bible and you think, ‘Where do I start?’ Of course, there are plenty of places but some are more tough-going than others. So here are the Top 10 reasons you should think about turning first to the Gospel of Mark as you begin studying the Bible.

It’s the shortest Gospel, so it gives you a quick overview to get you started.

It’s action-packed. It tells you about what Jesus did, rather than who He is. And it’s got a cracking pace. Lots of things happen ‘immediately’ or ‘suddenly’. It immerses you in the action straight away. Like a modern novel, it starts at a critical moment, not like a biography that begins at birth or even before. It’s meant for an audience like you and me. Mark expected his readers to be non-Jewish, so he explained strange words like ‘Ephphatha!’ (‘Open up!’) It’s easier to understand. There are not too many difficult instructions or inscrutable sayings from Jesus.

It’s less technical than other Gospels. There’s no genealogical list or deep symbolism, like Jesus as the ‘Gate of the Sheep’. It’s got some details not found elsewhere. Like the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida.

It’s about healings and miracles. In other words, it’s not just about the teachings of Jesus but the evidence He gave to show that He came from God. It’s about discipleship. It challenges you to follow Jesus more closely.

It’s about Jesus. Might seem obvious but, after all, this is the most important thing: it really focuses on Jesus and His relationship with God and us.

FRI 4 DEC

SAT 5 DEC

Serving

Development: 1

‘Through love serve one another.’ Galatians 5:13 NKJV

‘You need someone to teach you again the first principles.’ Hebrews 5:12 NKJV

Before Jesus went to the cross, ‘He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.’ (John 13:3–5 NIV) Then He said, ‘I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you… Now that you know these things, you will be love isn’t love blessed if you do them.’ (John 13:15–17 NIV) ’til you give it

Addressing the early church, Paul said: ‘There is a great deal that we should like to say… but it is not easy to explain to you since you seem so slow to grasp spiritual truth. At a time when you should be teaching others, you need you need teachers yourselves... You have the ‘strong become people who meat’ of God’s need a milk diet and Word cannot face solid food! For anyone who continues to live on “milk” is obviously immature— he simply has not grown up. “Solid food” is only for the adult.’ (Hebrews 5:11–14 PHPS)

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Love requires action. Love encourages relationship. Imagine two people who had “feelings” of love for one another, but never said anything or did anything to indicate their attachment. They may as well be indifferent to each other! Love can’t be manifested in isolation. It can’t be done sitting alone: ‘Love isn’t love ’til you give it away.’ Note: Jesus ‘showed them the full extent of His love.’ (John 13:1 NIV) How? By donning a servant’s towel. Where can you do that? Anywhere! How about tomorrow at work or college? Your workplace can become a sacred place where God’s presence blesses your day-to-day routine, because the love of God within you wears a servant’s towel. ‘Let me help you carry that… I’ll tidy up if you let me know where you want things put… you look like you’re going through a rough time, and I’m a pretty good listener. I may not have all the answers, but I know Someone who does.’ Paul bottom-lines it: ‘Through love serve one another.’ So go out of your way to serve someone today.

SOUL FOOD

o Jos 8:30–10:43 o John 16:12–18

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Anyone can face ‘arrested development’, either physically, emotionally or spiritually. One sign a baby is healthy and growing is that they no longer need to be fed from a bottle, or have their food cut up and put into their mouth. They may still prefer chocolate to carrots, but hopefully they’re closer to understanding why they need carrots. If the only time you’re fed spiritually is in church on Sunday morning, why would you be surprised that you don’t have the faith to believe God for answered prayer, the strength to overcome temptation, or a sense of God’s guidance in your life? How fast do you think you’d grow if you only ate once a week? Or even last? Job said, ‘I… treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.’ (Job 23:12 NKJV) David said, ‘How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ (Psalm 119:103 NKJV) Jeremiah wrote, ‘Your words were found, and I ate them… Your Word was… the joy and rejoicing of my heart.’ (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV) To grow spiritually, you need the ‘strong meat’ of God’s Word (see Hebrews 5:14). SOUL FOOD

o Jos 11–13 John 16:19–33

SUN 6 DEC

MON 7 DEC

Development: 2

Development: 3

‘You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.’ Job 11:16 NLT

‘Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser.’ Proverbs 9:9 NKJV

We don’t just experience arrested development physically or spiritually. We also experience it emotionally. When you don’t get help for your past emotional hurts, you’ll find yourself ‘acting out’, treating others like you were treated, and repeating your past in your present. Indeed, you may end up hurting the most important people in your life, maybe even destroying those relationships without knowing why.

There’s another kind of arrested development as well. Arrested intellectual development. Sometimes we use verses like ‘God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put shame to the wise’ (1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV) as excuses for not working to develop our minds and growing intellectually. God said, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.’ (Hosea 4:6 KJV)

You’ll blame the failure of a friendship on the other person’s habits, looks, attitudes, and way of going about things. And in so doing, you will remain stuck, trapped by the unhealed, unrecognised sources of your dysfunction. What you’re dealing lift up your with here is ‘emotional hands to Him in baggage’: regrets over past mistakes, grudges prayer over being wronged, and all the other hurts you hide under clouds of anger, cynicism, and isolation. You will never know what you have, or what you truly need, until you get rid of your emotional baggage. How do you do that?

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The answer can be found in God’s Word and God’s presence: ‘Prepare your heart and lift up your hands to Him in prayer! Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you. Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety… and many will look to you for help.’ (Job 11:13–19 NLT)

SOUL FOOD

o Ecc 12:1

11:7– o Ps 39:4–

A sense of fulfilment accompanies intellectual growth—one that doesn’t come any other way. When you know you’re growing in knowledge and understanding, you become less vulnerable to criticism or to be overlooked. Your sense of worth is no longer tied to other people’s approval because you measure yourself by a different standard— personal growth! The writer of Proverbs says, ‘The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.’ (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV) ‘The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.’ (Proverbs 20:12 NKJV) Notice, you learn by listening and observing! And we’re not talking about hours spent watching television that dulls your brain and stunts your powers of conversation. The Bible says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.’ (Proverbs 27:17 NLT) To grow and become sharp, you need people in your life who sharpen you. Three key activities in determining your future are (a) the time you spend with God; (b) the relationships you form; and (o) the books you read. And the book you should spend the most time reading is your Bible. So any time you’re reading and get a good thought, or experience an ‘aha’ moment, write it down—or otherwise you might lose it. o Jos 14–15 o SOUL FOOD John 17:1–12 o 31

TUE 8 DEC

WED 9 DEC

Development: 4

Speak Up

‘He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.’ Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

‘Do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.’ 2 Thessalonians 3:15 NIV

There’s still another kind of arrested development. Arrested relational development. God’s plan for your life requires connecting with the right people—and disconnecting from the wrong ones. Sitting beside Jesus at the Last Supper were John, who loved Him, and Judas, who betrayed Him.

What should we do when a friend or family member seems to go the opposite way from what God says is right? Here are a few tips for when we find ourselves in that situation:

It’s imperative to know who is sitting at your table! So to that end pray: ‘Lord, I pray for the people You’ve brought into my life and placed on my heart. Bless the healthy relationships, and give me wisdom to handle the difficult ones in a way that pleases You. If there are friendships I need to walk away from, ones that will be harmful no matter what I do, show me what to do and give me the grace and courage to do it. If there are relationships that are draining and distracting me from Your plan and purpose, I trust You to bring them to an end or change them for the better. And when I’m the one who needs to change, show me, and work in my life by Your amazing power. I need Your wisdom to recognise the friends and acquaintances I be Lord should choose. Help of all my me to steer clear of relationships relationships that lead me away from the path You’ve laid out for me. Send people into my life who are godly and wise, and help us to bless, encourage and contribute to the quality of each other’s lives. Show me the friendships that are worth fighting for, and I’ll gladly do it. Be Lord of all my relationships so that they will be what You want them to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.’

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SOUL FOOD

o Jos 16:1–19:23 o John 17:13–26 o

(1) Speak up with love. It’s important that we do speak up rather than just ignore what’s happening. However, we should always be ‘speaking the truth in love.’ (Ephesians 4:15 NIV) If we condemn people, we can push them away. We need when we to remind them God obey Him, we’ll loves them and that His experience the commands are given to us from a place of love. best things When we obey Him, we’ll experience the best things in our lives.

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(2) Don’t abandon them. Sometimes it’s right for us to walk away from a friendship, especially if it’s harming us to stay in it, but in other circumstances we need to stick with people and help them come back to God. The Bible says: ‘Do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.’ We shouldn’t turn against them, but continue to love them as God does. (3) Pray for them. It can be easy for us to fall into the trap of trying to fix people and their situations. But that can cause us to feel stressed and overwhelmed. The best thing we can do is to pray for the person. This hands the situation over to God and reduces the burden we place on ourselves. We can’t control other people, or fix their problems, but we can invite God to come and do the things we can’t. He can turn people’s lives around and bring them back to Him.

SOUL FOOD

o Jos 21:45

19:24– o John

THU 10 DEC

FRI 11 DEC

Soak In His Word

Don’t Look Back

‘I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.’ Psalm 119:11 NLT

‘His wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt.’ Genesis 19:26 NKJV

Are you discouraged because you keep committing the same sins over and over again? Here’s your answer: soak your mind in God’s Word! Just like you soak a sponge in water and it comes out dripping and filled to capacity, soak your mind in Scripture until it’s filled to the brim with God’s Word. That way, when you’re tempted to do wrong, the Word your first recourse will be a response empowered by of God is the ‘Spirit and Word’. living and

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If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got. So if you’re sick and tired of defeat, here’s a time-tested prescription from God’s Word for healing and wholeness: ‘How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your Word.’ (Psalm 119:9 NLT) ‘You are already clean because of the Word… I have spoken to you.’ (John 15:3 NKJV) ‘That He might sanctify and cleanse [you] with the washing of water by the Word.’ (Ephesians 5:26 NKJV) ‘The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit… joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’ (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV) ‘Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name.’ (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV) These Scriptures all lead to one conclusion: if you’re serious about wanting to walk in victory, you must get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into you. There way. 22–24 oother Jos o SOUL is no FOOD John 18:12–24

Before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, two angels rescued Lot and his family from the city. Then they said: ‘Run for your lives! Don’t look behind you, and don’t stop on the plain. Run for the hills, or you’ll be swept away.’ (Genesis 19:17 GWT) But then: ‘His wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt.’ There’s an important lesson here for each of us: resist the temptation to look over your shoulder at past mistakes—either your own or other people’s. It can be hard to see ahead when horrendous things have happened to you God delights in the past. But when in transforming you get bogged down in the trauma of the our weakness past, you miss what into strength God has for you in the present, and fail to see its connection to your future. The good news is that it’s not too late to allow God to use you and move you forward on your journey. He can heal the wounds others have inflicted on you. And He can make you wiser as a result of the poor decisions you made in the past.

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It’s not too late to become who you might have been. God delights in transforming our weakness into strength. He can create treasure from what you’ve thrown out as trash. Even if you’ve turned away and detoured from the path you know He wants you to follow, now is the time to return to His road. ‘“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) So move forward—and don’t look back.

SOUL FOOD

o Col 1–2 o John 18:25–40

o 33

SUN 13 DEC

SAT 12 DEC

Lovingkindness

Look To God

‘Your lovingkindness is before my eyes.’ Psalm 26:3 NKJV

‘Our eyes look to the Lord our God.’ Psalm 123:2 NKJV

A little boy was once asked, ‘Do you say your prayers every night?’

It’s always nice to be appreciated for the work you do. When you’re overlooked and that doesn’t happen, it can affect your sense of self-worth. That’s why the Bible says, ‘As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters… our eyes look to the Lord our God.’

He replied, ‘No, some nights I don’t need anything!’ Yep. We can be like that at times. If the only occasions your mates ever talked to you was when they were in trouble or needed something, how long do you think you’d stay friends with them? So if you only ever pray when you’re asking for stuff, it’s not like you’re interested in a relationship with God. You’re treating Him like a vending machine. You might think, ‘If the Lord is big enough to create and run the universe, I doubt He’s bothered when somebody as insignificant as me fails to say thanks.’ Not so! When Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to give thanks, He asked, ‘Where are the other nine?’ (Luke 17:17 NIV) If God dealt with you solely on the basis of His righteousness and your tendency towards unrighteousness, you’d be sunk! But He doesn’t.

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Your true worth comes your true from God, not your worth comes teacher, not your boss. from God And when you forget that, you set yourself up for frustration. Taken to the extreme, you become less effective because you’re not willing to make decisions and take risks in case it negatively affects what others think about you.

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In essence, you become a ‘yes’ man or woman. You nod and agree with everyone just to please them and have them like you. Consequently, your value to the group around you plummets because you’re not utilising your God-given gifts to the fullest.

Realising this, the psalmist wrote, ‘Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.’ (Psalm 63:3 NKJV)

Whatever your position, it’s only a small part of who you are. Your position is like a spoke on a wheel radiating from the centre of your identity as a child of the King of kings. You’re not the hub turning the wheel. Knowing who you are, apart from what you do, is as essential to your success as your qualifications and your skills.

Again he writes: ‘I will… praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.’ (Psalm 138:2–3 NKJV)

When others know that you constantly need approval, it encourages them to manipulate you, define you, and influence your self-worth. That’s too much power to give anybody! It doesn’t matter what your work entails, remember: ‘Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ (1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT)

He says, ‘I have loved you… with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself.’ (Jeremiah 31:3 NLT)

Someone quipped, ‘God doesn’t mind getting invoiced as long as He gets thanked!’ So, take a moment, recall God’s lovingkindness to you and thank Him! o Col 3–4 o SOUL FOOD Philemon o John 34

SOUL FOOD

o Eze 37:1–14 Matt 27:50–53 o

o 1

make it a storehouse Let us let you get Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word into your heart simply by committing it to memory. Sign up to receive a weekly txt or email, phone screen backgrounds and more to help you learn one new Scripture each week.

GOD OF ALWAYS C

an you think of one word to accurately describe this year so far? ‘Crazy’ doesn’t come close! As much as there have been some dark moments, we’ve also been touched by some awesome messages from people all around Australia, listening to the radio, connected and united by awesome tunes. This is the story of one of them. When HillaryJane wrote God of Always, she was actually thinking about the devastating forest fires in her home state of California. It was inspired by some of the doubts that

come up whenever big and unexpected things happen, and though she he recorded it before 2020, we feel like it’s exactly what we needed to get through this year. ‘Around that time,’ Hillary told Alex, ‘I was just seeing online that a lot of people seemed to be confused, like: “Why would God let this happen?” Almost as if whenever hard things in life happen, God is surprised by it. But that’s not the case at all. God is bigger than everything. God is all-knowing. He’s sovereign. He’s allpowerful.’

Hilary grew up in Texas, part of what’s called the Bible Belt in the South of the United States. God and Bible stories were a big part of her culture, and Hillary grew up believing she was saved. But as a teenager, she realised that there was more to the Gospel than a story about how Jesus loves you. What she found was her deep, personal need to know Christ. ‘When I was 17,’ she said, ‘I really just surrendered my heart and my life to the Lord. And ever since then, I just want to do as much as I can for other people to recognise that too.’ Hillary wrote the song to remind believers that God is not the ‘God of sometimes’, a God who only listens to people who behave perfectly. God is right beside us, even—and especially—when we’re facing hardship. ‘I know You’re here with me always,’ she sings. ‘I know You’re hearing me when I pray. Forever my remedy and my strength, every day.’ Along with her music career, Hillary also preaches regularly on YouTube. She spent a lot of time alone as a child, so making videos in her room came naturally to her. When YouTube emerged, it was just a platform for her to post the stuff she’d be doing anyway for fun. When she realised that her videos were encouraging people, she understood how she could make this part of her ministry. ‘I love the impact that Christians can have on the world through the internet,’ she said. ‘That’s such an amazing tool that the Lord’s given us.”

‘It’s what I use my YouTube for. It’s so much more than just a story, or part of a Sunday morning. It’s a relationship that you get to live out with the Lord, and grow in his image, step by step, every day.’ One of the reasons we love Hilary so much is because she’s honest, and she isn’t afraid to be vulnerable. She promised to get even more real in her upcoming new music. ‘I really feel like that raw, emotional music is something we need more of in the Christian industry, for people to connect with and see “Oh, God’s done that for you. He can do that for me too.”’ By showing us how much she needs God, Hilary reminds us how much we need Him too. But more importantly, in songs like God of Always, she reassures us that even when we’re feeling the most alone, He’s there, right beside us, listening to our prayers.

to Hilary's single > Listen God of Always now

vision180.org.au/hilaryjane 37

TUE 15 DEC

MON 14 DEC

All We Need

Healthy

‘Everything we need.’ 2 Peter 1:3 NIV

‘For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things.’ 1 Timothy 4:8 NIV

Peter writes, ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.’ (2 Peter 1:3 NIV) Living life to the fullest requires three things: (1) A little extra. This is the extra-mile principle Jesus taught (see Matthew 5:41), and it calls for two things: (a) Extra effort. Life coach Art Williams said, ‘You beat 50% of the people by working hard… 40% by being a person of honesty and integrity and standing for something… the last 10% is a dogfight.’ If you want to win, make up your mind to always do ‘a little extra’. (b) Extra time. ‘The vision awaits its appointed time… If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come.’ give of (Habakkuk 2:3 NIV) Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor your best who carved the side of a mountain to create the Mount Rushmore memorial to four of America’s presidents, was asked if he considered his work to be perfect. He replied, ‘Not today. The nose of President Washington is an inch too long. It’s better that way, though. It will erode and be exactly right in ten thousand years.’

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(2) Your best effort. If you’re not willing to give of your best, you’re choosing to waste the gifts God has given you. (3) The right mentor. Paul writes, ‘Pattern your lives after mine.’ (Philippians 3:17 NLT) Good mentors lead by example; they know that to be followed, they must first be respected. They know whether you learn visually or verbally. They know whether you need a pat on the back or a kick in your rear. If you have such a mentor, you’re blessed. If not, ask God to send one into your life today. SOUL FOOD

o Neh 1–4 o John 19:17–30

The Bible says, ‘physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’ But that doesn’t mean that taking care of our bodies isn’t important. It means we must stay in balance. If we neglect our physical health, we can find ourselves in a position where we struggle to do the things God’s called us to do. God can heal us, but He also wants us to take responsibility for looking after our health.

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our bodies God created each of us, and we need to look after are temples of the things He’s created. the Holy Spirit But we also need to ensure our physical health doesn’t become an obsession. Physical exercise is not the most important thing. We need to be focused on our spiritual health. That means building a relationship with God, fulfilling our purposes, and becoming more like Jesus. In the same way that we can train and strengthen our physical bodies, we can train to become godly. We can work to produce the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23).

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The Bible tells us that our bodies are ‘temples of the Holy Spirit.’ (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV) We need to make sure that our bodies are physically a good home for the Spirit, but also that our hearts are a good home too. If our hearts are full of ungodly things, we’re not providing a good home for the Spirit. So let’s regularly assess whether we’re healthy and then make any necessary lifestyle changes.

SOUL FOOD

o Neh 5–7 o John 19:31–42

01 NOV You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ACTS 1:8

08 NOV The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. PSALM 23:1–2

15 NOV He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. PSALM 23:3

22 NOV Even though I walk through the valley of

20 DEC “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into Heaven. ACTS 1:11

27 DEC Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth, for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. REVELATION 21:1

03 JAN For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ROMANS 10:10

10 JAN Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. MATTHEW 28:18

Original artwork by Stacey

the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. PSALM 23:4

29 NOV You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. PSALM 23:5–6

06 DEC For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ISAIAH 9:6

13 DEC Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. LUKE 2:11–12

17 JAN Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. JOSHUA 1:8

24 JAN Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. EPHESIANS 5:20

31 JAN These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. DEUTERONOMY 6:6

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TREASURYPROJECT.ORG.AU

THU 17 DEC

WED 16 DEC

Competition

Help the Needy

‘Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.”’ Genesis 27:19 NIV

‘Then He will answer them, saying, “Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”’ Matthew 25:45 NKJV

Ever found yourself in competition with a friend or family member? In the Bible, we read about the twin brothers Esau and Jacob. Their parents had favourites. Dad preferred the older son while Mum preferred the younger. Now in those days, the eldest son received a special blessing and had rights that any younger children didn’t get. Jacob, along with his mother Rebekah, decided to trick Esau’s father Isaac. They wanted be confident the special blessing for Jacob. So, ‘Jacob said in your identity to his father, “I am Esau as a child of God your firstborn.”’

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The competition in this family didn’t stop there. Jacob later married two sisters: Leah and Rachel. He loved Rachel more and Leah resented her for that. Leah could have children while Rachel couldn’t, which caused Rachel to resent Leah. Both competed against each other. Leah competed to win Jacob’s love while Rachel competed to have children to keep up with Leah. When competition and comparison take root, we lose focus of who God has created us to be and things He’s planned for us to do. It can lead to messy situations and a breakdown in relationships. Maybe you don’t have a particular someone you’re directly competing with, but maybe too you look at posts on social media that make you feel inadequate. So you try to change your behaviour to keep up with others. Or maybe you’re the kind of person who only feels good about yourself when you’re achieving more than other people. Instead of competing and comparing, you need to be confident in your identity as a child of God, and focus on doing the things He’s called you to do. SOUL FOOD

o Neh 8–10 John 20:1–9

o o

It’s important for us to pray for those in need, but it’s also important for us to provide for them practically. James said: ‘Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?’ (James 2:15–16 NIV) By providing for people in a practical way, we can show God’s love to them. ‘If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?’ (1 John 3:17 NIV) If we can do something practical to help others in need, then we should. Thomas Barnardo believed that, and he became one of the great Christian heroes of the 1800s. During his work among the poor and homeless in London’s East End, he built a home for destitute children that housed four hundred boys and girls. He turned the Edinburgh Castle Gin Palace and Music Hall into the Coffee Palace, a centre for evangelistic and Christian activities. He built a village for girls that served more than nine thousand of them during his lifetime. In all, more than sixty thousand children benefited from the vocational training centres and homes he built.

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how do you change the world? …one life at a time

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Barnado’s successful ‘graduates’ included lawyers, doctors, musicians, naval commanders, businessmen, and ministers of state, all of whom had once been destitute and were rescued. How do you change the world? You can help do it—one life at a time.

SOUL FOOD

o Neh 11–13 o John 20:10–18 o 43

SAT 19 DEC

FRI 18 DEC

The Hard Way: 1

The Hard Way: 2

‘For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson.’ Hebrews 11:32 ESV

‘If sinners entice you, do not consent.’ Proverbs 1:10 NKJV

Samson had incredible potential, but he threw it all away. Why? For several reasons.

You’re asking for trouble when you choose the wrong friends. Remember the saying, ‘If you want to soar with eagles, you can’t run around with turkeys’? Well, its point is that eventually we become like the people we spend the most time with. This is why it’s so important to choose friends wisely.

He failed to control his impulses. He was physically strong, but morally weak. He deliberately ignored God’s principles, and his life became a pathetic He gives cycle of failures. He power to the never learned; he weak kept making the same mistakes over and over. For him it was a kind of game: ‘How close can I get to the fire without getting burned?’

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Delilah, a Philistine woman, kept nagging him about the source of his strength, and each time she got a little closer to the truth. Samson was playing with temptation by toying with her, and eventually he fell into the trap. And we do the same thing when we say things like: ‘It can’t hurt… just this one time.’ The truth is no one plans to fail. Failure comes naturally—and gradually. It’s a step-by-step process, as little by little we become weakened. Our whole lives don’t fall apart in one day. Problems build up over a period of time, because we refuse to learn from our mistakes. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘But this is an area of my life I have no control over. It’s just the way I am.’ That’s the wrong answer. Here’s the right one: ‘He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.’ (Isaiah 40:29 NKJV) When Samson finally faced the truth, God broke his cycle of failure, gave him the power to do what he should do, and made him victorious. And God will do the same for you when you turn to Him! SOUL FOOD

o Micah 1–4 o John 20:19–31

The psalmist said, ‘Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take.’ (Psalm 1:1 NIV) Samson developed unhealthy relationships and they led him astray. So here’s the question: are your friends keeping you from living 100% for God? Do they tear you down or build you up? When you’re with them, do you find yourself going along with things that violate your convictions and your conscience—things you don’t feel good about doing? The book of Proverbs warns us repeatedly about negative associations: ‘If sinners entice you, do not consent.’ Constant exposure to wrong attitudes and values will eventually take us down. It’s always easier to pull someone down than it is to lift them up. So, what kind of friends should you keep? The kind who bring out the best in you, who lift you up, who encourage you, and make you a better person. ‘But aren’t we supposed to love everybody?’ you ask. Yes, but you’re not supposed to lean on them, listen to them, learn their wrong ways, and become like them. When it comes to choosing your friends, here’s the Scriptural rule you should live by: Lord, ‘I am a friend to anyone who fears [respects] You—anyone who obeys Your commandments.’ (Psalm 119:63 NLT)

SOUL FOOD

o Micah 5–7 o John 21:1–14 o

The Hard Way: 3

SUN 20 DEC

‘The child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ Judges 13:7 NKJV

You’re asking for trouble when you refuse to take God seriously. The angel who announced Samson’s birth said he was to ‘be a Nazirite.’ That meant he was to be dedicated to doing God’s will. But Samson was careless about his spiritual life. He prayed only when he was in trouble. He was impulsive; he did whatever he felt like doing. We’d save ourselves so many problems and spare ourselves so much pain if we’d just stop and ask God for direction. Samson turned to God only when he got into a jam. It’s called ‘foxhole Christianity’—like when a gun battle starts up and people dive for the nearest hole in the ground. We pray, ‘Lord, if You get me out of this dilemma, I promise I’ll live for You from now on.’ But here’s the question: is God just an afterthought, SOUL FOOD

Jonah

a convenience? When things get tough and you’re in a tight spot, do you turn to Him in desperation, but when everything’s alright, do you ignore Him instead? Only when Samson was captured by the Philistines, and he was chained up, grinding grain at a mill like an ox, do we read that he genuinely turned to God in prayer. What kind of history might Samson have had if he’d prayed right from the beginning? Why did he wait until everything fell apart before turning to God? It doesn’t have to be that way in your life! The psalmist said, ‘Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him. You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours.’ (Psalm 128:1–2 NIV)

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MON 21 DEC

TUE 22 DEC

The Hard Way: 4

Pray Confidently

‘The hair of his head began to grow again.’ Judges 16:22 NKJV

‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God.’ 1 John 5:14 NIV

With regard to Samson, the Bible tells us, ‘The hair of his head began to grow again.’ The process of renewal was starting. Samson repented, God gave him back his strength, and he ended his life with an act of heroism.

Sometimes we pray ‘Just’ prayers. We say, ‘Lord, we just ask you to protect us, or provide for us… If you’d just help us in this situation, we’d be so thankful.’

Maybe you feel like you’ve messed up so badly that God will never love you and use you again—but remember Samson! God never gave up on him, and He hasn’t given up on you. And He won’t! He sees your potential and remembers why He made you: you were created for great things. It’s only as you move into the centre of God’s will that you discover why you were made. When you do, things will begin to fall back into place.

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There is something you were very encouraging created for great about Samson. He’s things included in God’s hall of fame—the panorama of people of great faith detailed in Hebrews 11. Why? Because God can take a person who seems like a total failure and use them to accomplish great things. If He only used people who were perfect, nothing would ever get done. Instead, He uses ordinary people with weaknesses, who sometimes fail in big ways.

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So what should you do if you’re a Samson? Turn your life over to the Lord. Give Him all the pieces and let Him put them together. He can give you the power to break loose from the things that are tying you down and preventing Him from working in your life. Only God knows your potential, and you will never bring it out on your own. He must do it in His strength— so let Him start today!

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Tim 1–4 John 21:15–25

o o

It’s as if we are saying, ‘Lord, I hate to bother You with this, but…’ It sounds humble, but in reality it demonstrates a lack of faith and confidence in approaching God. Plus approach your it’s not Scriptural.

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loving heavenly Father with confidence

The Bible says, ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

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‘If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him.’ (1 John 3:21–22 NIV) ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us— whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.’ (1 John 5:14–15 NIV) ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory… forever and ever.’ (Ephesians 3:20–21 NKJV) ‘If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!’ (Matthew 7:11 NIV) As a redeemed child of God, you can approach your loving heavenly Father with confidence, knowing that SOUL FOOD

o Zech 1–4 Matt 1:1–6a

o o

WED 23 DEC

Turn to God

THU 24 DEC

Are You Alone This Christmas?

‘I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me.’ Psalm 118:5 NKJV

‘The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.’ Psalm 34:18 NIV

At age 26, Thomas started a publishing company and founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in America. He worked with some of the greatest singers in the history of Gospel music.

You can find yourself alone at Christmas—sometimes even in the middle of a crowd of people. The sights and sounds that should bring joy can reinforce your sense of sadness and loss. There’s no magic, getmerry-quick formula; processing your grief takes time and God’s sustaining grace. But here are some insights to help you:

But one night after singing to a Saint Louis audience, he was handed a message that said, ‘Your wife just died.’ She had passed away in childbirth. Thomas hurried back lead me on to home to Chicago, the light where his newborn son died the following day. He plunged into depression, avoided people, and grew angry with God. ‘I felt God had done me an injustice. I didn’t want to serve Him anymore or write Gospel songs.’

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Then a friend took him to a neighbourhood music school. That evening Thomas sat down at a piano and began to play… and pray. He poured out his heart to God in a hymn that was to become a favourite of Martin Luther King Jr: ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light: take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.’ Thomas A. Dorsey testified that the Lord healed him that night as he sat at the piano. He went on to compose more than a thousand songs and become one of the most influential Christian songwriters of all time. All because he reached out to God for help. The psalmist did that too: ‘I called on the Lord in distress, and the Lord answered me.’ So turn to God; He will not disappoint you.

SOUL FOOD

o Zech 5–8 o Matt 1:6b–11

(1) Don’t assume. Don’t buy into the myth that everybody else is having a perfect Christmas while you struggle. The truth is, we all experience the unrealistic demands and pressures of shopping, entertaining and gift-giving. And it’s worse in times of heartache. That’s why we’re so relieved when it’s over. (2) It’s just one day out of 365. You can handle it for twenty-four hours because God has promised to give you ‘strength [that] will equal your days.’ (Deuteronomy 33:25 NIV) (3) Take the focus off yourself. Reach out. See if there’s a needy family or a hurting friend who’d enjoy spending an hour with you. It’ll probably be the last thing you feel like doing, but it is therapeutic, restores your perspective and brings a sense of well-being and gratitude. (4) Start some new traditions, especially when old ones just make you feel worse. ‘Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.’ (Philippians 3:13 NKJV) If you’re feeling lonely, here’s a prayer for you. ‘Lord, You know my heart aches today. Your Word says You are close to the broken-hearted. Let me feel Your nearness. Become more real to me than the activity without and the emptiness within. Help me draw close to You, and in so doing make this Christmas o Zech 9–11 o SOUL FOOD Matt 1:12–17 o 47 47

FRI 25 DEC CHRISTMAS

Christmas is about—Christ

‘They saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.’ Matthew 2:11 KJV

He was born in the humblest of settings, yet Heaven above was filled with the songs of angels. His birthplace was a cattle shed, yet a star brought the rich and noble from thousands of kilometres away to worship Him. His birth was contrary to the laws of life and His death was contrary to the laws of death, yet no miracle is greater than His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection and His teachings. He had no wheatfields or fisheries, yet He spread a table for 5000 and had bread and fish to spare. He never stood on expensive carpeting, yet He walked on the waters and they supported Him. His crucifixion was the crime of crimes, yet from God’s perspective no less a price could have made possible our redemption. When He died, few mourned His passing, yet God hung a black cloak over the sun. Those who crucified Him did not tremble at what they’d done, yet the earth shook SOUL FOOD

Isa

9:1–7

under them. Sin never touched Him. Corruption could not get hold of His body. The soil that was reddened with His blood could not claim His dust. For over three years He preached the Gospel. He wrote He’s the no book, He had no central figure of headquarters and He human history built no organisation. Yet two thousand years later He’s the central figure of human history, the perpetual theme of all preaching, the pivot around which the ages revolve, and the only Redeemer of the human race. At this season of celebration and gift-giving, let’s join the wise men who ‘fell down and worshipped Him.’

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Let’s remember, Christmas is about—Christ!

Matt

The Bi r of Jes th us

Test Your Bible Knowledge

1. The ‘wise men’ who came to visit 6. Who prophesied about baby Jesus when Mary and Joseph went Jesus were: to Jerusalem? a) Kings a) Simeon and Anna b) Prophets b) James and John c) Astrologers c) the wise men d) Teachers d) Zachary and Elizabeth 2. What did the hosts of angels say 7. Who prophesied the birthplace of to the shepherds? the Messiah? a) Joy to the world a) Micah b) Glory to God in the Highest Heaven b) Isaiah c) Come, all you faithful c) Jeremiah d) Mary, did you know? d) King David 3. Who ordered a census?

8. Where did Herod’s advisors tell him

a) b) c) d)

Emperor Augustus King Herod Julius Caesar Governor of Syria

the ‘King of the Jews’ would be born?

a) Jerusalem b) Nazareth c) Bethlehem d) Jericho

4. Where were the shepherds when they 9. heard from the angels? a) at the inn b) lining up for the census c) in nearby fields d) at the town well 5. Why did Mary and Joseph go to

When he realised the wise men would not return, Herod gave orders to kill boys up to what age? a) b) c) d)

6 months old 12 months old 18 months old 24 months old

Jerusalem eight days after Jesus 10. Who told Joseph to name Mary’s was born? son ‘Jesus’?

a) b) c) d)

to present Him to the Lord to pay a census tax to find better accommodation to meet with relatives

a) Mary b) his grandfather c) one of the wise men d) an angel

ANSWERS 1 (c) — they were magi (Matthew 2:1) which means a philosopher and astrologer || 2 (b) Luke 2:14 || 3 (a) Luke 2:1 || 4 (c) Luke 2:8 || 5 (a) Luke 2:22 || 6 (a) Luke 2:25–38 || 7 (a) Micah 5:2–4 || 8 (c) Matthew 2:5 || 9 (d) Matthew 2:16 || 10 (d) Matthew 1:21

SAT 26 DEC

SUN 27 DEC

Bible Study: 1

Bible Study: 2

‘Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word.’ 1 Peter 2:2 NASB

‘You have become dull of hearing.’ Hebrews 5:11 NASB

Daily Bible study is essential to your spiritual growth.

Paul writes: ‘You have become dull of hearing… by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles… you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk… is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.’ (Hebrews 5:11–14 NASB)

Did you ever have a growth chart when you were a kid? Maybe one with a long-necked giraffe and a measuring stick on it? Or maybe you just had a pencil mark on the side of a doorframe with the date next to it, showing studying how tall you were at a particular time. Remember the Scriptures is … a means how exciting it was to realise that you’d gone of spiritual up another tiny notch or growth two? It should be just as exciting to realise you’ve grown spiritually. That your faith has matured, even if only a little bit. That your relationship with God has deepened. That there have been doubts you’ve worked through and temptations you’ve overcome.

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How long have you been a Christian? Nine days? Nine months? Nine years? The real issue is how much have you grown up? Step up to God’s growth chart and measure your progress. That’s what the apostle Peter meant when he wrote, “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” Just as a baby grabs for the bottle, you should grab for the Bible. The baby has to have milk to sustain its life physically; and you have to have the Scriptures to sustain your life spiritually. So the first reason for studying the Scriptures is that it’s a means of spiritual growth. It is God’s primary tool to develop you as an individual.

SOUL FOOD

o Zech 12–14 o Matt 2:1–8 o

The key word in this passage is time. The people to whom these words were written had a learning disability: ‘You have become dull of hearing,’ meaning you are slow to learn. By the time you ought to be entering uni, you’ve got to go back to kindy and learn your alphabet all over again. By the time you should be teaching the truth to others, you still need to have someone teaching the truth to you.

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in the spiritual realm the opposite of ignorance isn’t knowledge, but obedience

Note the phrase ‘solid food is for the mature’. Who are the mature? You’re mature if you’ve trained yourself through constant use of Scripture. The mark of spiritual maturity isn’t how much you learn, it’s how much you put into practice. In the spiritual realm the opposite of ignorance isn’t knowledge, but obedience. Obeying the Scriptures is the key to spiritual maturity. In the long term, you retain about 10 per cent of what you hear, 50 per cent of what you see, and 90 per cent of what you do. So: ‘Don’t just listen to God’s Word… do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves… if you do what it says… God will bless you for doing it.’ (James 1:22–25 NLT)

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SOUL FOOD

o Ps 103:8–18 o John 3:16–18

TUE 29 DEC

MON 28 DEC

Bible Study: 3

Godly Training

‘That servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ 2 Timothy 3:17 NIV

‘If He doesn’t correct you, then you don’t really belong to Him.’ Hebrews 12:8 CEV

Daily Bible study equips you for your God-given assignment in life. Paul writes: ‘All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching… reproof… correction… for training in righteousness; so that the man [and woman] of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.’ (2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB)

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if you’re not thinking correctly, you’re not living (1) For teaching. To correctly structure your thinking, According to Paul, all Scripture is profitable— but profitable for what?

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and that’s crucial, because if you’re not thinking correctly, you’re not living correctly. What you believe ultimately determines how you behave. (2) For reproof. It will tell you where you’re out of bounds. Like an umpire who cries, ‘Out!’ or ‘Safe!’ the Bible lets you know what’s sinful, and what God wants for your life. (3) For correction. Do you have a cupboard in your house where you store all the stuff you can’t find room for anywhere else? You cram it all in, then one day you forget, open the door, and— whoosh!—it all comes out! You say, ‘Whoops! I’d better sort this out!’ The Bible is like that; it opens the cupboard doors in your life and helps you sort things out. (4) For training in righteousness. Having corrected us on the negatives, Paul gives us positive guidelines to follow as we go through life. For what reason? ‘That the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.’ Have you ever wanted your life to be more effective for Jesus Christ? And if so, what have you done to prepare yourself? Bible study is a primary means SOUL FOOD

o Mal 1–2 Matt 2:9–15

Ok, don’t freak out. We’re going to mention one of the scariest of all words: test. Now one of the Hebrew words for test is ‘bachan’ and it’s related to the word for watchtower. It is about keenly looking and scrutinising. Get rid of any idea that God doesn’t see your struggle. He sees what you’ll need tomorrow and so He uses your circumstances to create the test of today. He is the Potter; we are the clay. He is the Shepherd; we are the sheep. He is the Gardener; we are the branches. He is the Teacher; we are the students. Trust His training. You’ll get through this. And remember, all tests are temporary. They are limited in duration. The Bible says, ‘In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.’ (1 Peter 1:6 NIV) And here’s something He is the else to keep in mind: Teacher; we are you can’t shorten the students. your testing period, but you can definitely Trust His lengthen it! You do so training. by being proud and stubborn, resisting God’s teaching. God won’t deny you your choices, but neither will He protect you from the consequences of those choices. You wouldn’t be the first student who had to repeat a year of training, and you won’t be the last. You can go to church on Sunday and pay lip service to God’s Word; you can reject the principles of truth and seek the easy way out. But it doesn’t work.

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‘Good understanding gains favour, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.’ (Proverbs 13:15 NKJV) Do it God’s way, for that’s the best way. Always! SOUL FOOD

o Mal 3–4 o Matt 2:16–23 o

Ps 51

WED 30 DEC

THU 31 DEC

Never Too Late

Out of the Boat

‘I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway!’ Isaiah 57:18 NLT

‘Peter got down out of the boat.’ Matthew 14:29 NIV

Do you sometimes think to yourself, ‘Maybe it’s too late for God to do something with me’? It’s never too late for God! In Scripture we read about broken people God raised up in marvellous ways.

Matthew records, ‘Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus.’ Today—this last day of the year—ask yourself these three questions:

He used Moses, a murderer, to deliver the Hebrew slaves.

(1) What’s my boat? It’s in order to whatever gives you grow, you must your greatest sense go into new of security. It’s what territory you’re tempted to put your trust in when life gets stormy. To know what your boat is, ask yourself, ‘What is it that produces the most fear in me, especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?’

He used Jacob, a liar and a trickster, to fulfil His promise to Abraham. He even included Rahab, a prostitute, in the Messianic family line.

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brokenness And if God redeemed them, He can redeem should never keep you bound you too. Brokenness

should never keep you bound. Rather, it should release you into a life of freedom. A truly broken person understands the reality of Jesus’ words: ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing.’ (John 15:5 NLT) A broken person who has learned to depend on God is a force to be reckoned with. When you’re looking at a past strewn with failures, it’s difficult to see a bright future, just as it’s difficult to drive when you’re looking in the rear-view mirror. You need to glance in your rear-view mirror occasionally, but if you keep focusing on it you’ll end up hurting yourself and others. That’s why the windscreen is so much bigger than the rearview mirror—it shows you where you’re heading instead of where you’ve been! When you turn to God He will forgive you, restore you, and use you for His purposes. He said, ‘I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips.’ (Isaiah SOUL FOOD

o 2 Cor 6:14– 7:1 o Matt

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(2) What’s keeping me from getting out of my boat? Fear. Fear of people, fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of lack. In order to grow, you must go into new territory, and you’ll experience fear. It never goes away. But each time you get out of your boat, it becomes a little easier next time, and you begin to realise that fear doesn’t have the power to destroy you. So when Jesus says to you, ‘Come,’ start walking. He won’t let you drown. (3) What will I lose by staying in my boat? Your destiny. To achieve what you have not yet achieved, you must attempt what you have not yet attempted. Will there be risks? Yes. Baseball’s greatest hitters fail two times out of every three. But they know that if they don’t step up to the plate, they’ll never hit a home run. So: if you stay in your boat, you’ll eventually die there, and end up wondering what your life might have been if only you’d been willing to step out. This coming year, resolve—with God’s help—to get out of your boat.

SOUL FOOD

o 2 Cor 5:14–21 o Phil 3:8–14 o

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SAT 2 JAN

FRI 1 JAN

Give Him Glory

Convictions

‘That no flesh should glory in His presence.’ 1 Corinthians 1:29 KJV

‘A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it.’ Numbers 30:2 NLT

So there was this woodpecker who was peck-peckpecking away at a pine tree when, boom! It was hit by lightning. It split from top to bottom. The woodpecker blinked, uncertain and hardly able to believe his eyes. He backed off, looked at the tree for a moment, then flew away. He came back later, leading nine other woodpeckers. With a great deal of swagger and pride, he pointed to the tree and said, ‘There it is, gentlemen, just like I told you!’

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Sometimes it’s a real temptation to take credit for things we didn’t do. As long as we remember to give God the credit for our success, He will keep using and blessing us. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.’ (James 1:17 NKJV) That means every good thing we enjoy today, and every good thing we’ll need tomorrow, is a ‘gift’ from God.

every good thing we enjoy … is a gift from God

”

Paul writes, ‘That no flesh should glory in His presence.’ There’s no bragging in Heaven, just praise. Why? Because you can’t brag about how you got to Heaven; it is all by God’s grace. And you can’t brag about what you did for God before you got to Heaven, because it was all God’s calling. He says, ‘I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another.’ (Isaiah 42:8 NKJV) Again He says, ‘Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.’ (Isaiah 43:7 NKJV) The Lord’s Prayer ends with the words ‘Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory.’ (Matthew 6:13 KJV) For how long? ‘For ever and ever, Amen.’ SOUL FOOD

Rom

13:12–

For months Eric Liddell trained with his heart set on winning the 100-metre race in the 1924 Olympics. Most sportswriters predicted he would win. At the games, however, Liddell learned that the 100-metre race was scheduled to be run on a Sunday. This posed a major problem for him, because he didn’t believe he could honour God by running on the Lord’s Day. He bowed out of the race. His fans were stunned. Some who had praised him in the past now called him a fool. He came under intense pressure to change his mind, but he stood firm. Then a runner dropped out of the 400-metre race, which was scheduled on a weekday, and Liddell was offered the opportunity to fill the slot. This was not really ‘his race’. The distance was four times as long as the one he’d diligently trained for. stand by Even so, he crossed the your convictions finish line as victor and set a new record of 47.6 seconds in the process. He earned an Olympic gold medal and made an uncompromising stand for his faith. His story was told in the Academy Award-winning movie Chariots of Fire.

“

”

But Eric Liddell has an even greater claim to fame. He went on to become a missionary in China, where he died in a prisoner-of-war camp in 1945. He’s like the man of integrity who ‘makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath [and] never breaks it.’ The lesson that comes through loud and clear from this man’s life is—stand by your convictions, and God will honour you.

SOUL FOOD

o Ex 1–3 o Matt 3:11–17

o 55

SUN 3 JAN

MON 4 JAN

Too Young?

Half Time

‘Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all.’ 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT

‘For though I fall, I will rise again.’ Micah 7:8 NLT

Timothy was probably the first person actually raised as a Christian. And at a very young age, he became an apostle. However it seems some people in the early church thought his promotion to leadership when he was so young wasn’t a good thing. But Paul did. He told Timothy: ‘Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity… focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received… Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.’ (1 Timothy 4:11–15 NLT) Who says you’re too young to make an impact? Not God. And not history, either. Victor Hugo wrote his first tragedy, Irtamène, at age 14. Raphael painted his masterpieces before he died at 37. Tennyson published his first volume of poetry, Poems by Two Brothers, at 18. Paschal wrote his great works between 16 and 37. Joan of Arc led an army before being burned at the stake at 19. Romulus is said to have founded Rome at 20. Calvin joined the Reformation at age 21 and wrote his famous Institutes at 27. Alexander the Great had conquered all the lands between Egypt and India by the time he was 30. Isaac Newton was reputedly 24 when he discovered the law of gravity. Believe in your calling, for God does. Develop your gifts, and ask God to bless them. Maximise every opportunity to the fullest, and you will make the world a better place.

SOUL FOOD

Half-time in the game is for refreshment and assessment. It’s a time to regroup—to evaluate how things have been going and decide what needs adjusting in the rest of the game. Often a team may look like they’re losing at half-time, but by the time the game ends they’ve turned things around and won. Until the final whistle sounds, the winner is still in doubt.

“

The same is true in life. God will When we start thinking never define we’re sure to lose, it’s you by your time for refreshment and past assessment. The game isn’t over. The clock’s still ticking. The game so far doesn’t have to determine the outcome. Maybe you’ve made mistakes and fumbled the ball. Maybe you’ve experienced disappointments and failures when you missed a kick. Maybe life has dealt you a harsh blow when another player blind-sided you. But the whistle hasn’t blown yet and it’s not too late for God to take you straight to the plan He has for you.

”

You see, God looks at your future while the enemy tries to keep you focused on your past. God says, ‘You can, in spite of what’s been done!’ But the enemy says, ‘You can’t, because of what you’ve done.’ God will never define you by your past, whereas the enemy will try to control and confine you by using it against you. Whether the good, the bad, or the ugly dominated your first half, Satan’s goal is to keep you chained to the bench because of it. God, on the other hand, wants you to learn from your past—not live in it.

SOUL FOOD

o Ex 4–6 o Matt 4:1–11 o Ps

TUE 5 JAN

Learn and Grow ‘Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with Him.’ Deuteronomy 11:2 GNT

When we find ourselves facing challenges and tough times, we can end up asking God, ‘Why?’ We can wonder what we’ve done to bring about these difficulties, and we can wonder why God isn’t taking the struggles away. But the truth is, we don’t go through tough times because we’re being punished, we go through them because suffering is in the world. Until Jesus comes again, we’re all going to have to go through times of trouble. The Bible says we shouldn’t be surprised that we’re facing struggles. So instead of asking, ‘Why, Lord?’ ask Him this: ‘What do You want me to learn from this experience?’ It’s not that we are slow learners, we’re just quick forgetters. That’s why God told His people, ‘Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with Him.’ So instead of asking God to SOUL FOOD

7–9

Matt

improve your circumstances, ask Him to use your circumstances to improve you. Life is a required course, so you might as well do your best to pass it. God is at work in your life, whether you know it or not. ‘He does not willingly bring suffering or grief to anyone.’ (Lamentations 3:33 GWT) God does not delight in your sufferings, but He delights in your development. ‘God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished.’ (Philippians 1:6 NCV) He will not fail. Why? Because He cannot fail! He’ll ‘work in us what is pleasing to Him.’ (Hebrews 13:21 NIV) Every challenge, large or small, is equipping you for the future God has in mind for you. 4:12–

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Daniel 57

Jots and Tittles A closer look at a little bit of Hebrew

‫חטא‬ Chata W

ay back a thousand years ago, people thought that if someone hurt or killed a member of your family, you were dutybound to take revenge. Feuds could go on for generations, like a deadly tennis match, one person murdering your cousin, your uncle avenging that, someone on the opposing side getting rid of him, your big brother retaliating… which means when someone gets around to knocking him off, it’d be up to you to right the balance. Otherwise you’d be a rotten creep who didn’t value the lives of your family or their reputation—or your own honour!

Sin

But the Hebrew idea of sin is quite different. It focuses on the disrupted relationship between ourselves and God. The Hebrew word for sin is ‘chata’ and it means to miss the mark. It’s to fall short of perfection, it’s to fail to do right, it’s to choose to do wrong, it’s to mar the image of God in us. It goes much further than not valuing the lives of our family or their This whole idea of reciprocating revenge honour; it is about not valuing God and His was called ‘hefna sinum’—and it’s the origin honour. of our word sin. In our culture, sin goes back to the idea of unforgiveness and Sometimes we try to excuse a ‘little’ sin in our personal vengeance. It focuses on disrupted lives by telling ourselves that what we’re doing is not hurting others. And besides, we’ve tried relationships between people.

praying but it didn’t work. The temptation was too strong. If you’ve done that, then you need to repent. No matter how many times it takes before you’re free. An artist I know had a terrible problem with violent anger. He knew it was wrong and he kept going to God and asking for forgiveness and telling God he repented. And every time he did that, he’d paint a picture of a leaf. He and His cross, to empower my repentance. I thought he’d have to paint, at most, seventy can’t stop being angry or violent without His times seven pictures, but he had over a help.’ thousand. And nothing was changing! And, suddenly, things started to change! He was getting pretty desperate and starting Because we can’t change our sin nature, only to slide into unbelief. But then he discovered Jesus can. it’s not about willpower, it’s about Jesus. So, he started to pray a bit like this: ‘Lord, I repent of When you’ve missed the mark, dishonoured my anger and I ask Jesus, through His blood God, fallen into temptation and done a relationship crash-and-burn with Him and with others, then ask Jesus to empower your words of repentance or forgiveness. Jesus not only forgives us but empowers us to overcome sin. When you’re in trouble, go to Him.

BIBLE DONE DIFFERENTLY

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THU 7 JAN

WED 6 JAN

Disappointment: 1

Disappointment: 2

‘Remember the Lord your God. He is the One who gives you power to be successful.’ Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

‘As for me, I shall always have hope.’ Psalm 71:14 NIV

The famous inventor Samuel Morse dreamed of one day becoming a great painter. He even went to Paris in the pursuit of his dream. His father, Jedidiah Morse, was a preacher and he had advised Samuel to keep a single focus: ‘Attend to one thing at a time. The steady and undissipated attention to one object is the sure mark of a superior genius.’

“

As a result, he threw God … himself into painting. can turn your But after a series of setbacks, he finally disappointments abandoned it. The around crushing moment came when he lost the appointment to paint a historic mural at the capital in Washington, D.C. At that point, he gave up painting entirely.

”

Sometimes disappointment is the first step on the ladder of true success. Had Morse not stopped painting when he did, he would not have invented the electromagnetic telegraph. He created a language called Morse Code that transformed the way the world connected and paved the way for our modern systems of communication. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Lord your God. He is the One who gives you power to be successful.’ And here’s the good news—God isn’t limited by your failures! He can turn your disappointments around and give you success in your calling. But in order to find the thing at which you will succeed, sometimes you have to let go of the thing at which you have failed and let go of the disappointment that accompanied it.

SOUL FOOD

o Ex 10–12 Matt 5:1–12

o o Ps

World champion boxer George Foreman was raised in a Christian home. But he turned his back on his upbringing—and dived deep into the world of gangs, drugs and violence. A friend recognised his physical power, and also his potential. So he suggested he join a local gym to work out his aggression in a more constructive way. That led to Foreman becoming a world heavyweight champion boxer, and making millions of dollars. But the career of a world champion boxer is relatively short. Soon he was overweight and past his best and could only get fights that didn’t pay well. He desperately needed to lose weight and get back in shape. Another friend introduced him to a healthy diet. Part of his new eating regimen involved using a little grill. One day Foreman’s wife suggested that instead of simply using the grill for himself, he should put his name on it and others regardless would buy it. And they did! Over 100 million George of your circumstances, Foreman grills have been it’s not too late sold, and people are still buying them. Think about it. George Foreman made more money with his little grill than he made as a prize-fighter. The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit empowers us, we will ‘always have hope.’

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So regardless of your circumstances, it’s not too late. Just get down on your knees today and pray, ‘Lord, all that I have and all that I am, I give fully to You. Use me as You see fit.’ And when He answers, be prepared for Him to take you in a whole new direction.

SOUL FOOD

o Ex 13–15 5:13–26 o Ps

o Matt 42:1–5 61

SAT 9 JAN

FRI 8 JAN

Waiting Room: 1

Waiting Room: 2

‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.’ Psalm 37:7 NKJV

‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’ Psalm 27:14 NIV

When you’re in a doctor’s waiting room there are things you just shouldn’t do—like try to treat other patients, or have them give you medical advice. Don’t ask the receptionist for a stethoscope or a blood pressure cuff. And it just isn’t wise to say to the person next to you, ‘What prescriptions are you taking? Perhaps I could try them.’

God gave His people an interesting command: ‘Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord.’ (Exodus 34:23–24 NIV)

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It’s called a waiting stay focused room because you’re on God through supposed to wait. But we don’t like to wait. prayer and faith We weave through traffic looking for a faster lane. We drum our fingers on the workbench while the microwave re-heats our coffee: ‘Come on, come on.’

”

Imagine that! Three times a year they were to stop working and spend time with the Lord worshipping Him, seeking His guidance, and getting direction for the future. Can you imagine what would happen if you did that? Note the words ‘I will enlarge your territory.’ Instead of losing—you’ll gain, and instead of going backward—you’ll go forward.

We don’t like to wait for anything, including God. Over and over in Scripture when it speaks about our relationship with God, the word ‘wait’ keeps showing up. And here’s what we fail to understand: while we are waiting, God is working.

Check this out too: ‘I will drive out the nations before you.’ While you worship God and wait on Him, He will fight your battles. And the difference between you and God while you is that you risk losing, worship God but He’s never lost a battle! and wait on

Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at His work.’ (John 5:17 NIV) The sign on God’s waiting room reads, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ (Psalm 46:10 KJV) You can be still because He is active, and you can rest because He is busy. To wait, Biblically speaking, is not to assume the worst, or worry, or fret, or make demands, or take control. Waiting is not inactivity. Waiting is sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and faith. To wait is to ‘rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him… not fret.’ God is the Great Physician. You are in His waiting room. He knows what ails you better than you do, and He has a prescription to fix it. So trust Him, and wait. SOUL FOOD

o Ex 16–18 Matt 5:27–37

o o

“

Him, He will fight your battles

Plus here’s an extra promise: ‘No one will covet your land.’ You don’t have to worry about others wanting what you’ve got. God used this three-times-a-year pilgrimage to teach His people this principle: ‘If you wait on Me in worship, I will work on your behalf.’

”

His Word says, ‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.’ (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV) So here are your choices: stress out, or draw the strength and strategy you need from God by SOUL FOOD

o Ex 19–21 Matt 5:38–48

o o Ps

SUN 10 JAN

Call To Jesus ‘Many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more.’ Mark 10:48 NKJV

Try to imagine being blind all your life, then one day miraculously receiving your sight. And the first face you see—is the face of Jesus! That’s what happened to Bartimaeus. Jesus was passing by the spot where he sat begging every day. Recognising this opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, he cried out for help at the top of his lungs. Sometimes cool, calm, dignified prayer doesn’t cut it. Desperate situations call for desperate measures. Sometimes you’ve got to cry out to God from the depths of your soul! ‘Jesus stood still’ (Mark 10:49 NRS) when Bartimaeus shouted. Your cry will get God’s attention. David said, ‘O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.’ (Psalm 30:2 NKJV) Don’t be reluctant, be confident. ‘Let us therefore come boldly to the SOUL FOOD

Sam

17:4–51

throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV) The Bible says about Bartimaeus, ‘Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.’ (Mark 10:50 NIV) A long robe could have tripped him up; and besides, his clothes identified him as a beggar. But his example is for us. To get to Jesus, we must be willing to throw aside everything that’s in the way. The shame and failure of our past, our lack and limitations, the labels other people have put on us. When Jesus restores and makes us whole, we won’t have to wear those old garments anymore. And another thing: when Bartimaeus regained his sight, he decided to follow Jesus (see Mark 10:52), and we must do that too. See vision180.org.au/you-need-jesus o

Eph

6:10–

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MON 11 JAN

Perspective ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ Psalm 27:13 NKJV

When you choose to see things from God’s perspective, it changes how you feel. The only thing keeping your old negative feelings in place is your thinking. ‘As he thinks within himself, so he is.’ (Proverbs 23:7 AMP) When you start thinking the right way, your life starts going the right way. But remember, you didn’t become negative overnight and you won’t become positive overnight. So how do you start?

God’s goodness to you in the past. David said: ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.’ (Psalm 27:13–14 NKJV) We don’t have more problems than other people, we just think about our problems more often. Stop and reread that last sentence! What you think produces how you feel. If you don’t believe that, try feeling angry without first having angry thoughts, or feeling sad without first having sad thoughts. To experience a feeling, you must first entertain the thought that produces it.

(1) Replace your negative thinking with thoughts that are ‘praiseworthy.’ (Philippians 4:8 NIV) Deal with destructive thoughts the way you’d deal with flies at a picnic—shoo them away. With practice and persistence you can do it. You have that choice!

That’s life-changing information—and it will change your life as you act on it!

(2) Remember: before you take on the future, recall SOUL FOOD

22–24

Matt

6:1–8

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WED 13 JAN

TUE 12 JAN

Peaceful Mind

Grieve Then Leave

‘His peace will guard your hearts and minds.’ Philippians 4:7 NLT

‘They walk through the Valley of Weeping.’ Psalm 84:6 NLT

The Greek word for worry basically means ‘to divide the mind’. Worry splits you right down the middle; instead of dwelling on God’s promises, you dwell on your problems. Worry is like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead of relieving you of tomorrow’s troubles, it robs you of today’s strength!

If you were brought up to believe any show of emotion is a sign of weakness, you’ve bought into error. Grieving your losses is a healthy process—and a Scriptural one. The Bible says, ‘When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs… They will continue to grow stronger.’ (Psalm 84:6–7 NLT)

So how can you stop worrying? The Bible has a two-part answer: God’s part, and our part. Our part includes prayer and gratitude: ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.’ (Philippians 4:6 NLT) In order to worry less you must pray more, and also remember to express your gratitude. You can go to God confidently for the next thing, when you’ve taken time to thank Him for the last thing.

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to worry less And what’s God’s you must pray part? ‘If you do this you will experience more God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:7 TLB)

”

Note the words: ‘You will experience God’s peace.’ Imagine having God’s peaceful state of mind! Do you think He battles anxiety? Or wrings His hands and asks the angels for antacids? Your problem is no more challenging to God than a twig is to an elephant. He enjoys perfect peace because He enjoys perfect power—and He offers His peace to you. When you do your part through prayer and thanksgiving, you’ll have a peaceful state of mind. SOUL FOOD

o Ex 25–27 o Matt 6:9–18 o

“ ”

When your strength

grieving comes from the your losses is a Lord, you can walk healthy process through ‘the Valley of

Weeping’ and come out stronger. The length of time each of us spends in that valley may differ, but there comes a point where we must accept God’s will and move forward.

So often we’re shocked by the death of a loved one, but God is not. David said, ‘You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.’ (Psalm 139:16 NLT) And try as you will, there’s nothing you can do to change that. The truth is, we don’t grieve ‘as… those who have no hope.’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13 GNT) One day we’ll be reunited with our redeemed loved ones in the presence of the Lord, never to be separated again. The farewell is just ‘till we meet again’. In the meantime, if you need help, then don’t be ashamed to reach for it. Remember: ‘A brother is born for adversity.’ (Proverbs 17:17 KJV) Ask God to lead you to a person, a counsellor, or a support group that can help you identify the unfinished business that’s keeping you stuck in the cycle of grief. Cherish the memory of your loved ones, but move forward and fulfil your divine destiny and SOUL FOOD

o Ex 28–29 o Matt 6:19–34 o 65

THU 14 JAN

FRI 15 JAN

Wrestling

Lies of Satan

‘[The angel of the Lord] wrestled with him till daybreak.’ Genesis 32:24 NIV

‘When he lies, he speaks his native language.’ John 8:44 NIV

Why would God let someone wrestle with Him? Because wrestling requires close contact. Jacob was a self-made man with an independent attitude that said, ‘I don’t need anybody but myself.’

Jesus said of Satan, ‘When he lies, he speaks his native language.’ And he lies to us in three ways:

How long will God wrestle with you? Only for a limited time. In Jacob’s case, ‘till daybreak’. God knew that if Jacob didn’t submit to Him that night, the rest of his life wouldn’t go right. There’s a lesson here God will for all of us. Don’t keep putting God off; you may wrestle with you be running out of time. until you stop Before you lose your making excuses integrity or your friends and your future, stop and realise that God knows things you don’t know. He knows when the enemy plans to launch his next attack, or when death will be allowed to claim you. When He wrestles with you, it’s to make you realise that you’re wasting your life, or neglecting people, or to show you that you’re not the centre of the universe. Or it’s to encourage you not to quit your job, or stay involved in this church, or invest in this friendship instead of bailing out.

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”

God will wrestle with you until you stop making excuses and face the truth. And He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He gives it to you straight. He won’t let you get away with the stuff you’ve pulled in the past! The very fact that God is willing to wrestle you into submission means He has great plans for you. What He has in mind is greater than anything you could ever conceive or imagine. That is why God wrestles with you.

SOUL FOOD

o Ex 30–32 o Matt 7:1–14 o

(1) Doubts. His strategy is to discourage you, to make you throw up your hands and say, ‘What’s the use? Nothing ever changes!’ When you say that, you’re signing for and accepting a package full of lies. Don’t do it! The Bible says, ‘You are snared with the words of your lips.’ (Proverbs 6:2 AMPC) What you say forms your perspective and creates the environment you live in. Never say anything that allows Satan to think he’s winning. (2) Shock. If you’re not expecting Satan’s attack, you’ll get alarmed and think, ‘I must not be making progress. Why else would I still be fighting the same old battles?’ Why? Because Satan doesn’t give up without a fight, and his attack is proof you haven’t been conquered. (3) Feelings. Satan will try to convince you that the truth you don’t deserve to will set you free be forgiven. He’ll tell you that, because you don’t feel forgiven, you’re not. But he’s a liar. Here’s where victory is decided. Stand your ground. The work has already been done in you. God’s Word says so; now you must begin to say so too. Time will strengthen and solidify your position. Satan will bring to your mind all the things God has delivered you from, and in dealing with them you’ll experience some of the emotions you had when you went through them. His strategy is to make you feel like nothing has changed. Don’t buy it! Jesus said, ‘If you hold to My teaching… you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8:31–32 NIV)

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SOUL FOOD

o Ex 33–35 o Matt 7:15–29

SUN 17 JAN

SAT 16 JAN

Singleness

Insight

‘God gives some the gift of a husband or wife, and others the gift of being able to stay happily unmarried.’ 1 Corinthians 7:7 TLB

‘The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.’ Proverbs 20:5 NIV

If you’re single, you might find people asking why you’re not in a relationship. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re struggling with singleness. But there’s nothing wrong with being single. It’s better to be single than to marry the wrong person. The Bible teaches that the single life is not only a good life, but a gifted life.

The people who knew Simon knew he was impulsive and tended to put his foot in his mouth. But Jesus saw something else in him; that’s why He renamed him Peter, implying he was a stone suitable for a foundation.

Paul wrote: ‘Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.’ (1 Corinthians 7:8 NIV) When we’re upset that we’re still single, we can struggle to see that it’s good for us to be unmarried. But what Paul’s saying is that, when we’re single, we can be totally focused on pleasing God and following His call. Being married means we need to take another person’s thoughts, opinions, and callings into consideration before we make decisions. Being single means we can just listen to God’s voice.

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This doesn’t mean being be totally single makes us more focused on spiritual than if we were pleasing God married. But some people have been chosen by God and following His call to remain single. Paul was one of them. Paul spent many years in prison, where he wrote his epistles. His God-given assignment in life was suited to singleness. None of us should ever be ashamed or embarrassed because we’re single. Maybe we’re called to be single for a season, because God has a job for us that needs our full attention. Whatever the reason, if we’re struggling with being single, or we’re tired of people wondering why we’re not married yet, let’s remember Paul’s words and hand those feelings over to God.

”

SOUL FOOD

“

Imagine the disbelieving looks on the other disciples’ faces when Jesus said, ‘You are Peter… upon this rock I will build My church, and… hell will not conquer it.’ (Matthew 16:18 NLT) Yet Peter did indeed become a founding pillar and respected leader of the early church. And all because of Christ’s ability and willingness to look beyond the surface and see what was on the inside.

look for the gold in others and treasure them

”

Being made in God’s likeness gives a person amazing potential, but sometimes it takes ‘a man of understanding’ to recognise it and draw it out. Too many of us see only what is on the surface. So we are quick to peg someone as arrogant, or quick-tempered, or weak or wobbly. But when you have spiritual insight, you see beyond all that, to the hopes and fears behind the person’s behaviour. We don’t need more self-appointed critics, we need people who look for the gold in others and treasure them until those precious nuggets become obvious to everyone around. So keep on praying for spiritual insight. Forgive the immature, stumbling fellow believers you know and work with them to develop their best qualities. Look at lost people through the eyes of Jesus and recognise what His transforming power can do.

And keep on praying that both yourself, and other people, will reach their highest potential. o Gen 5:22–24 o o Ex 36–38 o Matt FOOD SOUL Heb 11:5 o 2 8:1–9 o Ps 81 o 67

MON 18 JAN

TUE 19 JAN

Endurance

Thin-Skinned?

‘For the joy set before Him He endured the cross.’ Hebrews 12:2 NIV

‘God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right.’ Matthew 5:10 NLT

James writes, ‘Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown.’ (James 1:12 NIV) Are you thinking of quitting? Life is full of quitting points, but if you throw in the towel on your friendship, your uni course, or your dream, you may regret it for the rest of your life. Only by staying the course can God strengthen you and make you a winner.

Jesus said: ‘God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it!… For a great reward awaits you in Heaven.’ (Matthew 5:11–12 NLT) If you’re thin-skinned you’ll always be an easy target. Endurance, not popularity, is the secret to long-term success. Paul endured desertion by his friends, ugly letters from the Corinthians, disappointment with the Galatians, mistreatment in Philippi, mocking in Athens, and eventually execution in Rome.

FB Meyer says, ‘You never test the resources of God until you attempt the impossible.’ Quitting doesn’t build character, endurance does. It develops something in you that nothing else can; that’s why God calls it ‘blessed’. (James 5:11 NKJV) It sustains courage, gives staying power to discipline, and turns dreams into reality. Nobody knew more about endurance endurance than Jesus. He … sustains endured all the way courage, gives to Calvary: when they staying power to plucked the hair from His face, when the discipline, and whip tore at His flesh, turns dreams when they nailed Him into reality to a cross, when His friends abandoned Him, when bystanders mocked Him, and when God Himself turned His face away. The Bible says, ‘For the joy set before Him He endured the cross.’

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(1) Be on your guard. The devil is out to get you. What’s he after? Your value to God’s Kingdom. You can help produce a harvest for God in the earth, so protect yourself. (2) Stand firm in the faith. You can’t stand on your situation or other people’s opinions, because those things constantly change. You can stand only on the Word of God.

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God rewards those who diligently seek Him (see Hebrews 11:6). He promises that when you seek Him with all your heart, you’ll find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). And those promises apply to you.

stand only (3) Be courageous. Immaturity will hurt you on the Word of when the attack comes. God The Bible says you must leave ‘the elementary… press on to maturity.’ (Hebrews 6:1 NASB) If you make the same mistakes over and over, you’re not learning wisdom.

So tell God, ‘I plan to keep going, and I’m trusting You for the strength to break through.’ When you pray that way, you’ll find He’ll help you move on past your quitting point and into a breakthrough.

(4) Be strong. Weakness is an invitation to the enemy. It provides the opening for surrender. God told His people that the Promised Land was theirs, but they had to fight for it. And only those who

SOUL FOOD

He writes, ‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.’ (1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV) Let’s break this verse down:

o Ex 39–40 o Matt 8:10–17

SOUL FOOD

o Is 1–3 o Matt 8:18–27

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THU 21 JAN

WED 20 JAN

Lion And Lamb

Restore

‘With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.’ Ephesians 4:2 NKJV

‘The Lord restored his fortunes.’ Job 42:10 NLT

One day a lion met a tiger in the jungle. He grabbed the tiger’s tail and demanded, ‘Who is the king of the jungle?’ The tiger answered meekly, ‘You are, O mighty lion.’ Next the lion grabbed a monkey, asking, ‘Who do you say is the king of the jungle?’ The monkey humbly replied, ‘You, O mighty lion.’ Then the lion met an elephant and asked, ‘Who is the king of the jungle?’ The elephant grabbed him with his trunk, whirled him around and threw him up against a tree, leaving him bleeding and broken. The lion got up slowly and, licking his wounds, said to the elephant, ‘Just because you don’t know the answer is no reason for you to Jesus … get so rough.’

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shows us the essence of true strength and leadership

The lesson in this story is: the greater your authority, the more gracious your attitude towards others should be. In Scripture Jesus is referred to as a lion and a lamb; He’s the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the Lamb of God. And in this He shows us the essence of true strength and leadership. When it comes to standing for the truth, you should roar like a lion, and when it comes to dealing with people, you should be as gentle as a lamb.

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Paul spells it out clearly in this Scripture: ‘With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.’ Again he writes, ‘Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.’ (Colossians 3:13 NKJV) SOUL FOOD

o Is 4–7 o Matt 8:28–34 o Ps

The Kingdom of Judah faced huge destruction after the people had continually been disobedient to God. Joel wrote: ‘What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the put your great locusts have left trust in the the young locusts have eaten; what the young One who can locusts have left other restore you locusts have eaten.’ (Joel 1:4 NIV) Sometimes it can feel like things in our lives have been destroyed too. It can feel like locusts have devoured our hope, our success, our joy, and our relationships. But even when everything seems like a mess, and there doesn’t seem to be any way forward, there is hope.

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Later in the book of Joel, God says: ‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten… My great army that I sent among you.’ (Joel 2:25 NIV) God promised to restore what the kingdom had lost. He promised to give back all that had been wrecked and destroyed. He can bring restoration to our lives too. In the Bible, we read about a man called Job who faced immense loss. He lost his health, his wealth, and his family. But, in the last chapter of the book of Job it says, ‘The Lord restored his fortunes… The Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.’ (Job 42:10–12 NLT) Not only was Job’s life restored, but He was blessed even more. If you’re feeling like you’re broken and that your life is a total mess, put your trust in the One who can restore you. And ask Him also to restore the hope that you’ll see His blessing more than you ever have before. SOUL FOOD

o Is 8–11 o Matt 9:1–13 o

Ps 69

How a Gideons Bible Changed Anna McGahan’s Life

Through starring roles in Underbelly, House Husbands, the Doctor Blake Mysteries and Picnic at Hanging Rock, Anna McGahan became a familiar face on Australian TV. But with the rise of her fame, her self-esteem was crashing. he’d come into acting S pure-hearted and trusting, but by age 23, she’d

realised her industry treated her as a commodity. Despite her incredible talent as an actor, she was often offered roles because of her body. ‘I learnt everything the hard way,’ she said, ‘and it was brutal.’ Having left her home in Brisbane to pursue her career, Anna found herself in a dog-eat-dog world with very few people to support her. When she caught up with Mel on 180 recently,

she admitted that though she wasn’t a minor, she was young at heart. Having battled eating disorders as a teenager, she struggled to deal with the way the industry sexualised her. ‘When I’d never even considered myself beautiful, I was suddenly having to represent this idea of feminine sexuality in movies. And I was like I don’t know how to carry this at all.’ She often worried she was part of something that wasn’t quite right but, without a moral compass to guide

her, all she could do was justify her actions after the fact. ‘I was inventing my own morality as I went.’ Anna had always thought Christians were just brainwashed but, when she asked a Christian guy out, and he was reluctant to date her because of his religion, she was intrigued by his commitment to his beliefs. ‘I was repulsed and captivated simultaneously. I was like Christianity, yuck yuck yuck! But then, that was something I knew so little about.’

One night, Anna was complaining about her crush to a girl she’d met in a bar. ‘I’m a Christian,’ the girl said. ‘I don’t think you have a completely correct idea of what that means.’ The conversation that followed lasted hours and, at the end, the girl invited Anna to her Church. When she crossed the threshold of the Church, Anna immediately saw a vision of fire in her hands, and drops of light falling from the ceiling. ‘I was overwhelmed by this feeling of there’s something pure and good here. For the first time, I felt safe, and yet terrified.’ Soon afterward, Anna moved to Melbourne to film a new series. She found her new Christian friends much more welcoming than her fellow actors, but she didn’t feel pressured or that she was the target of evangelism. Still, she was worried she was being subtly indoctrinated. Knowing her hotel room would have a Gideons Bible, she decided to check it out, hoping to work through this phase. ‘Once I see those Scriptures myself, and I see all the messy and weird stuff, I’ll get over it, and I’ll move on, and this little quarter-life crisis can be done with.’

SHE WAS COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND REMADE BY THE LOVE SHE READ ABOUT, THE SENSE OF WORTH NO ONE HAD COMMUNICATED TO HER BEFORE Of course, things didn’t go as planned. From the first words of the New Testament, Anna immediately understood she was reading the truth. Over the next two weeks, she felt like she was talking to Jesus, realising that a space she thought excluded her was actually built for her. ‘I came for people like you,’ He told her. ‘I’m your ally. I’m your friend. The entire reason that I have come is to help piece you back together.’ She’d always been at war with her body, trying to lose weight, wishing she looked different. When she read that her body was a temple in 1 Corinthians 6:19, she looked in the mirror, and for the first time, she saw holy architecture. She was completely shattered and remade by the love she read about, the sense of worth no one had communicated to her before. ‘You don’t have to try and bargain for love this way anymore,’ God told her. ‘You don’t have to give yourself over. You can lock yourself and hide yourself in Me. And you can just heal.’

These days there are so many lost people like Anna, who need God, but are misguided by secular ideas about who He is. To reach them, Anna says we shouldn’t preach, but instead cultivate our own love for Him. That’s what captivated her about the Christians she knew. ‘God seemed to truly satisfy their souls. And for someone who didn’t have a satisfied soul, it’s so attractive.’ She says if we stay in a place of awe and gratitude towards Him, sceptics will see we’re not just in this because our parents were, or because we’ve been compelled or brainwashed. If we show His light, people will want to know where it comes from. ‘And I promise you the time will come where they ask the question.’ ‘So that’s the real gift we can give, loving without agenda, both that person who doesn’t know Christ, and God.’

FRI 22 JAN

SAT 23 JAN

Overcomer

Location

‘To him who overcomes.’ Revelation 2:7 NKJV

‘The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed.’ Genesis 2:8 NKJV

How does a caterpillar develop into a butterfly? By overcoming the cocoon. Would it be easier to stay in the comfort of the cocoon? Some days the struggle is so great that the caterpillar probably thinks so. But the price of freedom, flight, and discovery, is struggle, development and breakthrough. There’s no other way. Why did Jesus send His disciples into the storm on the Sea of Galilee? To teach them to trust Him in every situation of life. Soon He’d be leaving them, so He used different experiences to equip them for the future. Nothing becomes great until it overcomes something. Paul wrote, ‘For a great… door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’ (1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV) Great doors of opportunity come with great challenges, and those challenges will stretch your faith. If outstanding success came easy, everybody would have it. But if everybody had it, then it wouldn’t be outstanding success. What are you trying to overcome today? Instead of complaining about it, or asking God to take it away, try to see it as preparation for the thing He has called you to do. Read these Scriptures. ‘To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life.’ (Revelation 2:7 NKJV) ‘Blessed is the man who endures temptation.’ (James 1:12 NKJV) ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ (Matthew 5:10 NKJV) ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Romans 12:21 NKJV) ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’ (Ephesians 6:11 NKJV) SOUL FOOD

o Is 12–16 o Matt 9:14–26 o

God placed the first man and woman in a garden. It was the ideal place for them to succeed in the assignment He had lined up for them. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh. But Jonah didn’t like the people there, so he did a runner instead. And wound up having a whale of a bad time. Have you ever experienced the pain of a dislocated joint? It’s miserable. So is trying to ‘do your own thing’ instead of doing God’s will. You can go the easy way or the hard way; God gives you that option. But eventually you’ll go, or you’ll go under. Jonah is an example of this—the last thing he ever wanted to do was complete don’t the assignment God expect your had lined up for him. He ran into a storm, assignment to caused misery and be easy or think loss for everyone you’ll become on board the boat successful with him, and finally overnight hit bottom before he decided to go where God wanted him to go in the first place. Learn from Jonah. Don’t repeat his foolish, costly, and unnecessary mistake.

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God told Adam to ‘be fruitful and multiply.’ (Genesis 1:28 NKJV) Then He told him, ‘You have to work at it.’ When you get to the right place, don’t expect your assignment to be easy or think you’ll become successful overnight. When Paul prayed for relief, God told him, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV) When you’re in the right place, doing what God wants, you’ll thrive in conditions others crumble under because you’ll be ‘graced’ to handle it.

SOUL FOOD

o Is 17–21 Matt 9:27–38

SUN 24 JAN

MON 25 JAN

Breaking Point

Temptation

‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.’ Psalm 27:14 NKJV

‘Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’ Matthew 26:41 NKJV

David had reached his breaking point. ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’ (Psalm 27:13 NKJV) Know the feeling?

Why did Jesus tell His disciples, ‘Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak’? Because He knows that without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we’re not equal to the temptations that come our way.

Have you reached breaking point? If so, you have two options: break down or break through. It all depends on what you turn do. There’s an old saying, to Him for ‘The same sunshine that melts the butter hardens strength and the clay.’ understanding

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When trouble comes, you can turn against God because you served Him, think you deserve better and don’t understand why He’s allowing it. Or you can turn to Him for strength and understanding. That’s why what David says next is so important: ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.’ Sometimes God changes our circumstances; other times He uses them to strengthen us. Try to understand this. It’s not just about you, but those God wants to reach through you. ‘He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.’ (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT) Nothing catches God off guard, and nothing’s too hard for Him to handle. The situation you’re in right now can become a platform for Him to demonstrate His love and care for you. ‘The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on Him.’ (Lamentations 3:22–25 NLT) SOUL FOOD

Dan

6:1–24

Jesus didn’t doubt the disciples’ love for Him or their willingness to serve Him. However He knew they couldn’t do it in their own strength. And you can’t either. When you fight the flesh in the power of the flesh, you end up fighting yourself—and you lose every single time. You’ll never be free from temptation, but you don’t have to ‘enter into’ it. In fact, your regenerated spirit can’t ‘enter into’ it because sin has no appeal to it. But your unregenerated ‘flesh’ will always be attracted to sin. Becoming a Christian increases the frequency, variety, and intensity of the temptations you face. Why? Because Satan, ‘the tempter’, doesn’t give up control easily. He will fight you constantly, and on different fronts. The Bible speaks of ‘manifold temptations.’ (1 Peter 1:6 KJV) In other words, lots of, in many different kinds and many different ways. What’s the answer? ‘Manifold grace’! (1 Peter 4:10 KJV) Yep, lots of, in many different kinds and many different ways. As soon as temptation knocks on the door, go to God for His grace. How do you do that? Jesus said, ‘Watch and pray.’ The Living Bible says, ‘Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you.’ Sheep don’t have the strength or skill to overcome the wolf. But they have the strategy! They just draw close to the Shepherd and He deals with the wolf.

SOUL FOOD

o Is 22–25 Matt 10:

o 1–10 73

TUE 26 JAN

WED 27 JAN

He Knows

Integrity

‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10 KJV

‘The integrity of the upright will guide them.’ Proverbs 11:3 NKJV

Let’s take a closer look at this Scripture. (1) ‘Be still’. Keeping busy just so you sideline any feelings of anxiety actually prevents God from showing Himself strong on your behalf. That doesn’t mean you can be lazy; it means doing God’s will without running ahead of Him. It means slowing down and waiting for His timing. Why? To make sure you have a sense of peace to go along with the ideas you believe there’s no He’s giving you (see time lost in Colossians 3:15). Ask waiting if you’re Him to reveal His will; then ‘be still’, agree waiting on the that He’s in charge Lord and He knows what He’s doing.

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(2) ‘Know that I am God’. This means admitting you are not God! When you don’t obey God, consult Him, or recognise His timing, you remove Him from the throne of your life and end up trying to take His place. And you know how well that works, right? We hear a lot about goal-setting and vision. And it’s a Scriptural principle, for ‘where there is no vision, the people perish.’ (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) But the Bible also says, ‘The vision is yet for an appointed time… Though it tarries, wait for it.’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV) You’ll never fulfil your vision without the help of the One who gave it to you. Remember, there’s no time lost in waiting if you’re waiting on the Lord. So don’t let a motivational talk or an enthusiastic leader stampede you into getting ahead of God. And don’t attempt to forge ahead under your own steam. ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’

SOUL FOOD

o Is 26–29 10:11–20

o Matt o Ps

After leading the tribes of Israel for several decades, the prophet Samuel didn’t get a party and a present. He got something priceless! It was this commendation: ‘You have not cheated or oppressed us.’ (1 Samuel 12:4 NIV) What a rare thing for a leader to have said about them: not once did you take advantage of those under you. In today’s world of business and politics that’s almost unheard of. CS Lewis said, ‘Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man a more clever devil.’ So before ever you set your goals for life, determine your values. Values are like guard rails on the motorway; they keep you from tumbling over the edge. They determine how far you’ll stray from the road you’re meant to take. Knowing what matters and what you truly value is the key to living a life of meaning and purpose. knowing… For most of us the problem what you truly isn’t having values, the value is the problem is living them out.

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We all value honesty, key to living a integrity, and forgiveness, life of meaning but when we’re pressed, and purpose do we really live them out— especially when it costs us? Pursuing a life of values comes with a price. But what we get in exchange is the ability to hold our head high during the day and sleep well at night. And perhaps just as important—it allows us to relax and be ourselves. The mental toll of cheating, lying, and stealing is draining. Trying to remember the lie you told someone last week, so that today’s lie will match up, can literally wear you out. When you live a life of integrity, you don’t have to worry about such things!

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SOUL FOOD

o Is 30–33 10:21–31

o Matt o Ps

FRI 29 JAN

THU 28 JAN

Righteous

Blessings

‘In Him we might become the righteousness of God.’ 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

‘All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord.’ Deuteronomy 28:2 NKJV

Ever felt like you had to earn God’s love and approval? That you had to be good enough, or even perfect, to be called His child? Know what? However many mistakes we’ve made, or are going to make in the future, we’re seen as righteous by God. Jesus never but because the closer we sinned, He took all our sin and get to God, the shame when He died further we’ll want on the cross, we now to run from … sin have the opportunity to experience God and eternal life.

Many of God’s blessings come with conditions: ‘If you diligently obey the voice of the Lord… all these blessings shall come upon you.’ (Deuteronomy 28:1–2 NKJV) When you put God’s Word into action, you obtain His blessing.

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The Bible says: ‘God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) God sees us through the lens of Jesus, who is truly righteous. When He sees us, He sees righteousness. How amazing is that? That doesn’t mean that we should stop trying to become more like Jesus, or stop confessing our sin to Him. We still need to ask for His forgiveness and His help in becoming more like Him. The closer we get to God, the further we’ll want to run from a life of sin. It also doesn’t mean that we’ll never experience the feeling of guilt. Guilt helps us to realise that we’ve done something which we need to take to God. We can never be perfect. We’ll never escape sin while we’re here on earth. And God knew that we’d never be able to make ourselves righteous, that’s why He did it this way. The Bible says: ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24 NASB) God sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ, therefore we’re always loved and accepted by Him. SOUL FOOD

o Is 34–37 o Matt 10:32–42 o Ps

The word ‘if’ is really important here. It shows that the Israelites would only get the blessings if they obeyed God. It also shows that they had a choice. When we choose to obey God, we open ourselves up to receive more of His blessings. How much do we desire God’s blessings? How willing are we to obey His commands? Sometimes we can expect blessings regardless. We get the idea that obedience we should be showered means following with gifts without ever God wherever He’s putting any effort in, but God wants us to be His calling us partners. And to be that, it’s clear that obedience is necessary.

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So how do we know what God wants us to do? We need to be spending time reading the Bible. We need to be listening to what He’s saying to us, and then acting on it. When Jonah heard God’s call, He ran the opposite way. Obedience means following God wherever He’s calling us, even when it seems challenging or we doubt ourselves. But we need to remember that obedience comes gradually. As humans we often desire to do our own thing and we can struggle to surrender our whole lives over to God. When we ask God to help us humble ourselves and obey Him, He’ll gradually transform us to live godly, obedient, and blessing-filled lives.

SOUL FOOD

o Is 38–41 o Matt 11:1–9

o 75

SUN 31 JAN

SAT 30 JAN

Glory to God

Friends

‘Our competence comes from God.’ 2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV

‘The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.’ 1 Samuel 18:1 KJV

When we’ve succeeded at something or it goes especially well, our natural response is to feel proud of ourselves and maybe even to make sure we tell others about it. We might post about it on social media and wait for the likes to roll in. Or we might take on bigger and better things because we feel like nothing can stop us. It’s not bad to enjoy the feeling of success, but we need to avoid boasting to others and developing a prideful heart. Paul wrote: ‘Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.’ We need to acknowledge that we can only do what we’re doing because of God. We’re only strong because He’s strong. We’re only able to do things because He gives us gifts and equips us. We’re only wise because He offers us perfect wisdom. We need to stop looking to other people to appreciate and validate our success, and instead turn to God and give Him all the glory. turn to God When we do something and give Him all nice for others, or the glory achieve something great, we need to lead other people to glorify God too.

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We shouldn’t be encouraging people to glorify us, but to glorify the One who leads, loves, and strengthens us. In Matthew, we’re told: ‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.’ (Matthew 5:16 NIV) It’s not about receiving the glory for ourselves. The Bible actually tells us to glorify God in everything we do, even the mundane things. ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) So let’s glorify Him today. o Is 42–44 o Matt SOUL FOOD 11:10–19 o Ps 76

It hurts when you discover that not everyone wants the best for you. So you must learn to be more discerning, and know on what level to interact with people. Usually only a few people belong in true friends … your inner circle. That’s why you must be wise really care about us, and don’t throw our when it comes to who past mistakes in our you allow into that circle. face We see this illustrated in the lives of David and Jonathan. David was at odds with King Saul, the father of his best friend, Jonathan. Jonathan kept David’s secrets and protected him with his very life, even when faced with displeasing his own family. Jonathan wasn’t seeking to elevate himself, inflate his own self-importance, or orchestrate his own advancement through his relationship with David. Simply stated, they had a ‘soul connection’.

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The strength of a true friend lies in their silence. If someone’s a gossip, they automatically disqualify themselves. We must be able to rest in the security of these relationships, in order to express ourselves, gather information, and glean wise counsel. Otherwise, we reap the consequences of having the wrong people know too much about us. True friends not only maintain our secrets, they refuse to exploit that privileged information for their own gain. They really care about us, and don’t throw our past mistakes in our face. They refuse to utter the words ‘I told you so’. Such people are in your life for the long haul, so recognise and cherish them.

SOUL FOOD

Kings

6:8–20

LIVE DIFFERENT We have been reading the Vision180 magazine with some young Bible translators in a poor country in South Asia. It has been such a blessing to them. One of them saying: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is amazing, every day when I read it, it seems to speak exactly to my situation!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Praise the Lord! Vision Christian Media has definitely gone international.

Elsbeth

Have grown up with Vision playing in the house and after finishing school I tried to find a job for 15 months and finally have obtained employment for which I am so grateful to God. I am 19 and want to support Vision financially at this time. I also use Vision180 Devotional.

Sarah

I started lis tening to 180 earlier this year after subsc ribing to the magazin e for a few years. Thank s for being the best stati on ever!! thumbs-up

ryan

I love reading the WORD4TODAY each morning, it's very much an encouragement for me.

stacey

Let Jesus change your life God loves you.

He freely offers you salvation, purpose & eternal life—a living relationship with Him. The question however, is will you accept what He offers? Let’s look at the problem, & why you need Jesus.

YOU HAVE A PAST Scripture states clearly everyone in the world is guilty of sin—that includes you and me ‘...all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.’ Romans 3:23

CHRIST PAID FOR YOUR SIN Even though we’re sinners, Christ loves us so much He died in our place to pay for our sin. ‘But God demonstrated His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:8)

SIN HAS ITS PRICE The wages we earn from our work is money. But Romans 6:23 tells us: ‘...the wages of sin is death.’, Death means an eternity in Hell, separated from God forever. However there is good news.

YOU MUST BELIEVE To become a Christian and have assurance of eternal life you must repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus. This is a personal decision only you can make.

ROMANS 10:9 SAYS: If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ The word ‘believe’ here means to entrust your life completely over to Jesus Christ. That’s real faith! Entrusting and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, by which you will receive eternal life in Him.

To begin your personal relationship with Jesus today, please pray this prayer ‘Dear Lord Jesus, I believe You died for me and that Your blood paid for my sins. Please forgive me for my sin. I entrust my life over to you as Lord. Thank You for dying for me, forgiving my sin and giving me the gift of eternal life. I turn away from sin today and submit to You as my Lord and Saviour. Lead and guide me in Your way, Amen.’

You have just made an important and very wise decision. We encourage you to find a local Christian church for regular connection with other believers.

Can we pray for you? Txt: 0401 132 888 Call: 1800 777 180 vision.org.au/prayer

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS God’s Little Devotional Book For Men (Colorado Springs, CO: Honor Books, 1996) . Cooke, Phil, One Big Thing (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012) Dobson, Dr James, Dr Dobson’s Handbook of Family Advice (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1998). Evans, Tony, God’s Unlikely Path to Success (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2012). Hendricks, Howard G. and William W. Hendricks, Living by the Book (Chicago: Moody, 2007) . Lucado, Max, God’s Story, Your Story (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011). Lucado, Max, You’ll Get Through This (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2013). Maxwell, John C., How Successful People Think (New York: Center Street, 2009). Maxwell, John C., Leadership Promises for Your Week (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007). Merritt, James, God’s Prescription For a Healthy Christian (Colorado Springs, CO; Victor Books, 1990). Meyer, Joyce, Power Thoughts (Brentwood, TN: FaithWords, 2010). Murdock, Dr Mike, The Uncommon Minister (Fort Worth,

TX: Wisdom International, 1999). NATS (National Air Traffic Services), ‘Plane Talking’; ‘NATS Annual Report 2019’; ‘Air traffic numbers heat up as summer holidays get underway’; www.nats.aero; www.airservicesaustralia.com; accessed December 2019. Pegues, Deborah Smith, Emergency Prayers: God’s Help in Your Time of Need (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2008). Shorb, Ann, PhD, ‘Our all sufficient God’, accessed 3 November, 2009, www. webmaster@ccesonline.com. Swindoll, Charles R., Getting Through the Tough Stuff (Nashville, TN: W. Publishing Group, 2006). Swindoll, Charles R., Perfect Trust (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012). Wagner, John, Truth or Dare, Part 2, a sermon; Truth or Dare, Part 4, a sermon; Go, a sermon; Faith Fellowship Ministries, Sayreville, NJ. ‘Dare to Expect God’s Best’, accessed 27 January, 2011, www.cfaith.com; ‘Living in Peace and Unity’, accessed 6 March, 2011, www.cfaith.com.

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