S.O.A.P.

Daily S.O.A.P Blog

Clear Communication

  • March 7, 2022

Scripture
Deuteronomy 5:22
“These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain, from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; He added nothing more. Then He wrote them out on two stone tablets, and gave them to me.” 
Observation
God values clear communication. He spoke on the mountain “in a loud voice”, then said “nothing more”…but then he went ahead and gave them not just one written copy of his expectations, but two copies–written on stone, unchangeable, and permanent.
God wanted to leave no room for anyone to miss what He had said. If it was important enough to say, then it was important enough to say clearly. 
Application
Communication is important! I know the thoughts running through my head…but no one around me does, unless I clearly communicate it to them.
I need to be deliberate and intentional with my words, instead of spouting poorly-communicated and half-formed ideas. If it is important enough for me to say it, it is important enough for me to say it clearly.
Clear communication and expectations pave the way for positive outcomes.
This week, I need to listen carefully to the things that God has taken such care to speak to me…and then I need to speak with that same intentionality as I interact with others. 
Prayer
God, thank you for taking such deliberate care to speak clearly to me! Help me to hear and understand your voice. Teach me to communicate well with others, so that your plans would be fulfilled through my life. 

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Goldilocks Blessings

  • March 4, 2022

Scripture
Numbers 34:1-2
“The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries:” 
Observation
God’s power and resource are limitless…and yet He put boundaries and limits on the inheritance for His people. Why? God knew exactly what His people needed, to supply their needs. The inheritance He gave them was large enough to provide the resources they needed.
The inheritance was not just a gift and a resource for God’s people though, it was also a responsibility. They were to take care of the land, farm the land, and protect the land for future generations.
God put boundaries on the inheritance, so that they would not be overwhelmed with the weight of their responsibility and the blessing become a curse in their life. 
Application
God has blessed me immensely! He’s given me a wife and sons, a home, a job that I love, resources to manage, and dreams to pursue. I have exactly what God has determined that I need, and that I can handle.
I must not allow discontent to make me crave and covet what God has not given me, because He knows exactly what I need.
I also need to trust Him when I begin to feel overwhelmed, because He also knows the limits of my capacity. 
Prayer
God, thank you for giving me all that I need. Help me to live life with gratefulness, and not discontent. Help me to remember that your blessings are accompanied by responsibilities, and trust you to give me strength and guidance on the days when I feel overwhelmed. 

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Completely Different

  • March 3, 2022

Scripture
Mark 10:13-14
“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 
Observation
Jesus was a confusing guy! His disciples knew what it meant to be the follower of a rabbi…you listen to their speeches, you follow them around, you stroke their ego, you guard their public image, and you prevent unimportant people from tying up their valuable time.
Unfortunately for the disciples, Jesus broke the mold. He had a different mindset, a higher standard, a larger mission, and a greater love than anyone they had ever known. 
Application
God’s ways are different than mine. If I try to serve God based on my own opinions and perspectives, I will soon find myself at cross purposes with my savior. I cannot merely do things for God, I must take the time to learn his heart and let him teach me his ways.
My way is shallow, temporary, and limited.
God’s way is deeper, unending, and limitless. 
Prayer
God, teach me your heart! Teach me to see like you see, and love like you love. Thank you for loving me, and please make me daily more like you. 

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The Bare Necessities

  • March 2, 2022

Scripture
Mark 9:30-31a
“They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples.” 
Observation
Jesus had important work to do. Not healing the sick, not raising the dead, not cleansing lepers, not driving out demons. The thing at the top of his priority list this day…was teaching his disciples. All of those other tasks were urgent, but this one was necessary. Jesus had a limited amount of time walking this earth, but the mission was important enough that it had to continue after he was gone. He could not spend all of His time driven by the urgent tasks, if he was going to set his disciples up for success when He was gone. 
Application
There will always be something critically urgent that needs to be done. There will always be someone whose legitimate issue is the top thing on their mind. If I allow my life to be controlled by what is urgent, I will let the necessary things slip by. To fulfill the mission God has given me, I must take the time to identify that which is necessary, and make sure that those things are accomplished…even if some of the urgent things must wait.
This week, I need to identify which things fall in which category. 
Prayer
God, thank you for the practical wisdom which I find in your word! Help me to not allow my life to be consumed and ruled by that which is urgent, at the expense of that which is necessary.
Give me wisdom and understanding, to know the difference between the two. 

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Imperfection, Perfectly Loved

  • March 1, 2022

Scripture
Mark 8:14-15
“The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful”, Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” 
Observation
Someone on the planning committee screwed up. The disciples and Jesus were in a boat headed across the sea, and someone had forgotten the picnic basket at home!
Instead of getting upset and chewing them out, Jesus used it as a teaching opportunity.
He was less concerned about the logistics than he was about the influences affecting their hearts. 
Application
Sometimes the ball gets dropped. Plans go awry, and strategies fail. The same God who multiplied the loaves and fishes in the Bible, can still make a way today. The bigger question is, what is the condition of my heart? Am I relying on God to sustain me and make a way, or am I trying to live life with a carnal works-based mentality, trying to earn my way through life based on my own efforts?
God is not afraid of my shortcomings, but He desires me to course-correct back to Him instead of trying to forge ahead on my own. 
Prayer
God, thank you for seeing my shortcomings and yet loving me anyway. Help me to daily rely on you, and not slip into a works-based mindset like the Pharisees. Thank you for supplying all that I need, even when my best efforts fall short. 

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Next

  • February 28, 2022

Scripture
Numbers 27:15-16,18,20
“Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things appoint someone over this community…”
“So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him”
“Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.” 
Observation
Moses recognized the need for a leader to be raised up to replace him and lead Israel forward into their next season. When he brought this need to God, he discovered that God had already supplied Joshua as that “next” leader. Joshua already had the “spirit of leadership” in him, and had demonstrated the heart of a Godly leader in the situation with the spies. God had prepared him, now it was up to Moses to empower Joshua, mentor him, give him an appropriate measure of authority, and publicly affirm the calling on his life. 
Application
God has prepared leaders to guide His people forward through each changing season. This continuing succession of service and leadership is rooted in God himself. It must begin with a humble heart before God, and a “spirit of leadership” from God himself.
In this church, God has put leaders in place for this season, and He is already preparing leaders for the next season. My job is to fulfill my calling in this season to the best of my ability with the help of God, while also pouring into the leaders of the “next” season.
As God gives opportunity, I must be ready to affirm the “next” leaders, and give them a measure of authority in this current season–so that the Gospel may be shared without hindrance or interruption, and so the kingdom would grow and the Body be strengthened. 
Prayer
God, thank you for the privilege of serving in your kingdom! Help me to fulfill what you have called me to do with excellence, and give me wisdom to pour into leaders who will lead the Body forward into things even greater than my own capacity or ability. 

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Fighting Who?

  • February 25, 2022

Scripture
Numbers 14:2,4,26
“All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness!”
“And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “How long will this wicked community grumble against me?” 
Observation
Moses was not a popular guy. God had called him as a leader, but the nation was rejecting him. They didn’t like what was happening, so they began grumbling against Moses and Aaron. God heard the grumbling, but He didn’t see it as a rejection of Moses–He saw it as a rejection of Himself.  And He judged the nation accordingly. 
Application
Following God does not automatically mean popularity, or absence of conflict. Following God means that He will fight the battle on my behalf, when I stay aligned with Him and submitted to His ways.
This passage is also a reminder to me, to fervently seek God’s heart even when I disagree with a leader over me. I don’t want to allow rebellion in my heart to put me at odds with God himself through fleshly conflict in His kingdom. 
Prayer
God, thank you for leading and guiding me. Thank you for the certainty that you are fighting on my behalf as I submit to you, and that the battle is yours. Help me to keep my heart right before you, and not allow seeds of rebellion to grow within me. 

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Heart Disease

  • February 23, 2022

Scripture
Numbers 12:1-2,4
“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t He also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.”

“At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out.” 
Observation
The issue was not the issue. Aaron and Miriam had begun to undermine and discredit the leadership of Moses for very spiritual-sounding reasons, but the truth of the matter was that they were harboring racism within their hearts. God saw the heart of the issue, and He confronted it head-on. 
Application
Disagreements will happen. When disagreements degrade into gossip, backstabbing, and rebellion, it reveals a deeper heart-issue happening beneath the surface of the situation. When people gossip or stab me in the back, I must respond like Moses and trust God to reveal the truth…then be bold enough to confront the issue head-on as God leads the way.
On the other hand, I must watch for gossip or backstabbing behavior in myself toward others. I may have very spiritual-sounding excuses, but this kind of ungodly behavior is a warning sign of deeper, unresolved ‘heart disease’ within me.
When I see symptoms of heart disease, I must allow God to deal with that issue in my life–painful though it may be. 
Prayer
God, thank you for revealing truth and being the God of truth! Help me to seek you with humility when others hurt me, and give me wisdom to confront these situations boldly as you lead.
Help me to never allow heart disease to fester within me, and show me the warning signs in my life so that I would continue to become more like you. 

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Confidence

  • February 22, 2022

Scripture
Psalm 27:13
“I will remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” 
Observation
David was confident–not only that God was good, but that he would see the goodness of God. He was confident not only that he would someday see the goodness of God in heaven, but also that he would see the goodness of God “…in the land of the living”. 
Application
I am confident that God is good, and I am confident that I will see His goodness–indeed, I do see His goodness each day! On tough days though, I can slip into a mindset of thinking of God’s goodness in a more general or ethereal way: “Someday I’ll see God’s goodness–maybe in heaven…”  I need to maintain my confidence in the goodness of my heavenly Father. He is good, and He loves me…and I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living–in this life. His goodness may not always appear in the way I hope it will, but I will see the goodness of God. 
Prayer
God, thank you for your goodness and your love for me. Not just a vague or general goodness, but specific and present goodness which affects my life and changes my present season. 

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Light in Darkness

  • February 17, 2022

Scripture
Acts 24:25-26
“As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come, Felix was afraid and said “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.” 
Observation
Paul had to have known that Felix’ motives were not right. But instead of giving in and offering an illegal bribe for his freedom, or refusing to continue speaking with him, Paul instead seized the opportunity to continue sharing the gospel with this man. The correct response to corrupt situations, is to walk in the gospel of the incorruptible savior. 
Application
Not all situations will be ‘right’. People will try to manipulate and spin things for their own purposes– It’s just human nature! Through it all, I must just keep walking with Christ, and sharing His good news. My job is not to decide if they ‘deserve’ the gospel or not: I’ve simply been called to carry light to dark places. 
Prayer
God, thank you for this reminder that it is your gospel, not mine. Help me to carry your light to each situation I face, regardless of the motives or heart of those I encounter. Thank you for loving me, though I don’t deserve it. 

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You can also read past devotions on our website, by visiting https://www.newhopelegacy.com/soap/

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