DEAL WITH IT!

Sunday 31 August, 08
“BUT THE THING THAT DAVID HAD DONE DISPLEASED THE LORD.” 2 SAMUEL 11:27 NKJV

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant, he tried to cover his tracks by having her husband Uriah killed and then marrying her before the baby was born. It looked like David was home free, except for one important detail. ‘The thing that David had done displeased the Lord.’ And you can’t silence the voice of an angry God! Now, while David was ‘a man after [God’s] own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14 NLT), the Bible says, ‘Be sure your sin will find you out’ (Numbers 32:23). God told David, ‘I made you king…freed you from the fist of Saul…gave you…Israel and Judah. And…I’d have gladly thrown in much more. So why have you treated the word of God with…contempt?’ (2 Samuel 12:7-9 TM). Then He passed sentence: ‘Because you despised me…I am going to bring calamity upon you…before all Israel’ (2 Samuel 12:10-12 NIV). And from then on tragedy and turmoil plagued David’s family. ‘The way of transgressors is hard’ (Proverbs 13:15) on many levels, not least of which is that God takes away our peace in order to take away our sin. It took an unplanned pregnancy, the murder of an innocent man, the death of a child, the persuasion of a prophet and the conviction of the Holy Spirit before David’s heart finally softened and he admitted, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ (2 Samuel 12:13 NKJV). And when he did, God treated David’s sin the same way He treats ours: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive…and…cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). Is there a ‘sin’ in your life you need to deal with today? Deal with it!

DO IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

Saturday 30 August, 08 ‘YOU WILL BE MISSED, BECAUSE YOUR SEAT WILL BE EMPTY.’ 1 SAMUEL 20:18 NIV

When you lose a loved one, you realise that relationships are much more important than possessions, but we forget that in our scramble to the top of the heap. Being told you’ve only a short time to live puts you into shock, then re-orders your priorities. It makes you want to fill each precious moment with the words you’ve left unsaid and the things you’ve neglected to do. Don’t allow self-centredness, masquerading as ambition (or religious zeal!), to keep you from showing love to those who need it. Make that call. Send that email. Buy those flowers. Say, ‘I love you.’ In other words, ‘be there.’ Most of the time people don’t need our wise analysis or brilliant answers, they just need our love and support and they’ll find their own answers. If you are a leader, you’re particularly at risk. Don’t sacrifice your family on the altar of your career or you’ll end up with regrets you can’t resolve. The son of a well-known missionary stood at his dad’s grave without shedding a tear. He told someone, ‘You never miss what you never had. My dad loved people on the other side of the world, but I’m not sure he loved me.’ Wake up! The clock’s ticking and the days are flying by. Yes, you must fulfil your God-given assignment in life but not at the cost of the people who matter. Take a moment and think about these words: ‘And Jonathan had David reaffirm his…love for him…Then Jonathan said to David…You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.’

WHAT'S CHOKING YOU?

Friday 29 August, 08 ‘DESIRES FOR…THINGS…CHOKE THE WORD.’ MARK 4:19 NIV In the parable of the sower Jesus said, ‘Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful’ (Mark 4:18-19 NIV). Notice, the problem is not the sower or the seed, it’s the soil. Jesus said they ‘hear the word,’ so we’re talking about church folks with a pre-existing mindset that chokes every Scripture they hear, read or try to apply. Jesus describes these thorns as: ‘The worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things.’ Do you remember the time when you thought the house you now live in, the career you now enjoy and the investments you now have, would make all your worries go away? But no, the more you have, the more you have to lose, to protect, to maintain, and to worry about. That’s ‘the deceitfulness of wealth.’ If your significance as a person or your sense of security is tied to anything other than your relationship with God, worry will choke the life right out of you. True happiness lies in trusting God for what you need, knowing if it’s right He’ll provide it, and if not He’ll give you something better. Chuck Swindoll writes, ‘We live among thorns because we’ve a quiet, respectable, secret love for them. I know. I’ve got the ugly scars to prove it. Each one a mute reminder of years trapped in the thicket; periodically I still have to yank a few.’ How about you; do you have some thorns you need to pull?

FORGIVENESS...SHOW TRUE LOVE.

Thursday 28 August, 08 ‘FORGIVE AS QUICKLY AND COMPLETELY AS THE MASTER FORGAVE YOU.’ COLOSSIANS 3:13 TM Jimmy drank too much at the party and embarrassed his wife Lisa. Next morning he felt bad and asked her to forgive him. She said she would, yet she kept bringing it up. One day in discouragement he said, ‘I thought you were going to forgive and forget.’ She said, ‘I have, I just don’t want you to forget that I have forgiven and forgotten.’ Do you forgive like that? Keeping score only works in competitive sports; it’s disastrous in relationships. There’s so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us, that we’ll spend much of our lives learning to forgive and forget. And forgetting is harder when the offence is great. Small offences can be forgiven quickly; big ones require a healing process. But until you make the decision to forgive, the process can’t even begin. How can you ‘Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you’? Paul answers, ‘Clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others’ (Colossians 3:12-13 NLT). To practice this kind of forgiveness you must focus on a person’s worth, not their weaknesses. You must turn your heart away from what was, to what can be. You say, ‘Why should I forgive and forget?’ a) because God’s Word tells you to b) because you yourself will continue to need forgiveness c) because you weren’t built to carry the stress that goes with resentment.

STICK TO PLAN---4---

Wednesday 27 August, 08

‘PETER REPLIED, “TELL ME TO COME TO YOU ON THE WATER.”’ MATTHEW 14:28 NIV

Peter didn’t walk on the water all by himself, he did it with Jesus. Today Christ invites you to walk with Him and experience His miracles. Why don’t we see more of them in our lives? Because: 1) We don’t pray and believe God for them. Jesus said, ‘If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you’ (John 15:7 NKJV). Your prayers give God an invitation, an entry point and a channel through which His miraculous power can flow to change your circumstances. But you have to pray and believe Him to do it! 2) We think the day of miracles is past. The Scriptures declare, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). In reality there never has been ‘a day of miracles,’ there’s only a God of miracles, and He never changes. So don’t limit Him! 3) We allow sin to sabotage our confidence. John writes, ‘If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him’ (1 John 3:21-22 NIV). 4) We look at the situation instead of the Saviour and our faith falters. When Jesus told Peter, ‘Why do you doubt?’ He was saying, ‘Don’t allow this storm to overwhelm you. I’m right here with you. Your problem is under My feet, therefore it’s under your feet too. Just keep your eyes on Me, keep walking by faith and stick to the plan!’

STICK TO PLAN---3--

		Tuesday 26 August, 08 ‘THEN PETER GOT…OUT OF THE BOAT, WALKED ON THE WATER… TOWARD JESUS.’ MATTHEW 14:29 NIV Peter proved that as long as you keep your eyes on Jesus and stick to the plan, you won’t go under. Notice: 1) Before you get into something, make sure it’s God’s will for you! Peter said, ‘Lord, if it’s you, bid me to come to you on the water’ and Jesus said, ‘Come.’ Before you take on something like water-walking, pray and be sure God’s in it. In other words, get God’s plan and stick to it. 2) Don’t expect everybody in the boat to go with you. Water-walking is a lonely calling; it sets you apart from those who are timid and security-minded. It also tends to bring criticism from those who think you’re making them look bad by contrast. 3) If you wait for good weather you’ll miss your moment. When Jesus said, ‘Come,’ they were in the middle of a storm. Face it; we’d all like the stars to line up, or some big donor to underwrite the whole project before we make a move. But how often does that happen? Peter wasn’t walking on the water; he was walking on the Word! What has God told you to do? Stop waiting for ideal conditions and start doing it! 4) Don’t expect a mistake-free performance. Nobody walks without fluctuation. The Bible describes its heroes in one sentence: ‘Whose weakness was turned to strength’ (Hebrews 11:34 NIV). All the great men and women of God you admire, go through sinking spells when they cry out, ‘Lord, save me.’ And do you know what? He does! And He’ll do the same for you.

STICK TO PLAN ---PART 2---

Monday 25 August, 08 ‘MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?’ MATTHEW 27:46 NIV Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, yet He didn’t stop him. He could have summoned twelve legions of angels to help Him, yet He didn’t call on them. Under the weight of our sins He cried from the cross, ‘My God, why have you forsaken me?’ That’s because He understood it was all part of God’s plan for Him. His words, ‘God, where are you?’ teach us that: a) you can be in God’s plan, yet at times feel overwhelmed and alone b) when God doesn’t answer, you must stand on the Word He has given you c) the pain of this season will eventually give way to the joy God has awaiting you on the other side of it. So stick to the plan; that’s what disciples do. The word ‘disciple’ means to be disciplined. It means sticking to the plan when you’re under attack. It teaches you how to function when you don’t feel like it. The enemy will come against the plan of God in your life, because that plan is like a hedge of protection around you. As long as you stay in God’s plan, nothing that the enemy does can destroy you. So, when you feel like you’ve reached the end of your tether and you can’t go another step, do what Jesus did; pray, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ (Luke 23:46 NIV). Give it to God! Look up and say, ‘Lord, I’m trusting You to do what I cannot do. Bring me through this. Here it is; I’m turning it over to You. My life, my future, and my all are in Your hands!’

PEACE

PEACE TO YOU ALL

STICK TO PLAN???

Sunday 24 August, 08 ‘I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU.’ JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV Today God is saying to you, ‘While in process, stick to the plan!’ Nothing takes God by surprise. He’s a master planner. Joseph discovered that when your family turns against you, your friends let you down and you finish up in trouble, God still has a plan. Looking back Joseph could say, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good’ (Genesis 50:20 NIV). When your situation seems too hard to handle and downright impossible to explain, remind yourself that God said, ‘I know the plans I have for you.’ Some of us are not sure God has made up His mind about us, so we keep trying to earn His favour. Give it up! Receive the truth that God, for Christ’s sake, has decided to bless you. And when God decides, temporary situations or the actions of others don’t change His decision. There’s nothing the enemy devises against you that God hasn’t already made ‘a way of escape’ for. Paul writes, ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). Observe that: a) in times of testing you discover how faithful God is b) He knows what you can handle c) He will ‘make a way’ so you can exit this season stronger, and ready for what He has next. So stick to the plan. The fact that you have a problem is a sign that you have a promise. It’s only a matter of time before God reveals the solution.