S.O.A.P.

Daily S.O.A.P Blog

My God

  • September 8, 2021

Scripture
Jeremiah 42:3,6
“Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go, and what we should do.”
“Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God.” 
Observation
The children of Israel wanted “Jeremiah’s God’ to speak to them and give them direction. They didn’t identify him as ‘our God’ until a decision point of obedience was reached. Unfortunately for the Israelites, they ultimately did not obey God, and they were judged for it. 
Application
It’s one thing for me to acknowledge who God is, and identify what He can do for me. It’s an entirely different thing to make Him ‘MY God’, and choose to follow Him. This is the point at which He goes from being “someone’s God”, to being ‘MY God’. He is still God, regardless! The thing that changes is my relation to Him.
This week, I choose to make Him ‘MY God’. I choose to accept His direction in my life, and submit my desires to His–and not just call on Him to see what I can get out of Him.
Prayer
God, thank you that you are the one true God! Thank you for your presence in my life. I choose to submit my life to you, and I choose to make you ‘MY God’. 

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Armed and Ready

  • September 7, 2021

Scripture
Revelation 12:11
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony; They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” 
Observation
Michael and his angels waged war in heaven against satan, and were victorious. The next verse says “they triumphed over him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Way in the heavenly realm is not waged with earthly weapons, but with heavenly ones. 
Application
The same weapons which defeated satan and his army, are available to me today. The blood of the Lamb has been shed for me, and I have been instructed to glorify God with my testimony. When I submit to God and apply the blood of the Lamb to my life, and when I give testimony of the greatness of God, I join in heavenly battle against satan alongside Michael and the angelic armies. This week, I choose to walk in God’s victory. This week, I choose to live my life fully surrendered to God, and covered by the blood of Christ. This week, I choose to share my testimony of the great things that God has done in my life-not to lift up myself, but to lift up Jesus. This week, I choose to die to self, so that I may live in Him.
Prayer
Thank you God that you are victorious over all that opposes you! Thank you for redeeming me, and giving me the opportunity to join the battle on your side. Thank you for your strength against every attack, as I live my life surrendered to you.

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Transformation, Not Talent

  • September 6, 2021
Scripture
Ezekiel 29:19-20
“Therefor this is what the sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts, because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.” 
Observation
Nebuchadnezzar was an evil, wicked king…and yet God accomplished his purposes through him. Not as a stamp of God’s approval on him, but because God will accomplish that which he has purposed. The almighty God uses righteous men and wicked alike. The question of whether God is using someone, cannot be used as a gauge of God’s approval on their life. 
Application
I want to be used by God. But more than that, I want God to be glorified in me. I don’t want to merely receive earthly rewards for my unwitting service to God–I want to receive eternal rewards for a life fully surrendered to God. This must come from a place of prioritizing the relationship I have with God, not just focusing on the things I am doing “for” God. This week, I need to be intentional to surrender my heart to God, and daily spend time in His presence. I need to daily allow him to shape me and transform me.
Prayer
God, thank you that you are the sovereign Lord, and you will accomplish the things that you purpose to do. I surrender my life to you, and desire for you to be glorified in me. May you be glorified in the transformation you are accomplishing in my heart, and not merely in the tasks that I accomplish with my hands. 
 
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The Covenant

  • September 3, 2021

Scripture
Psalm 111:4-5
“He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; He remembers his covenant forever.” 
Observation
Amidst all the judgement and destruction we’ve been reading in Ezekiel and Revelation, this psalm stands in contrast as a reminder of the compassion of the Lord, and of his grace. He takes his covenant with us seriously! …and he expects us to do the same. 
Application
This passage gives me so much hope and confidence. God went to extreme lengths to establish his covenant with me, and he will go to extreme lengths to uphold it. When he pours out his blessings on me, he remembers his covenant. When he disciplines me, he remembers his covenant. Though my attention span is short and my heart is imperfect, his covenant lasts forever and his heart toward me is full of grace and compassion. How could I ever reject that?! How could I ever want to do anything but the things that will please him? I choose to remember my covenant with God. Not merely to avoid his anger, but to express my love for the God who chose to love me.
Prayer
God, thank you for your covenant with me, and thank you that you are unchanging. Thank you for being gracious and compassionate to me! I choose today, and commit every day, to also take my covenant with you seriously. Not merely out of fear…but because you love me, and I love you. 

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New

  • September 2, 2021

Scripture
Ezekiel 18:31-32
“Rid yourselves of the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! 
Observation
Even in their sin, the Israelites maintained a self-righteous attitude which caused them to question God’s justice. God patiently explained his justice to them, and then concludes with this plea for repentance. His hope and his desire is not to destroy. If God wanted to, he could snap his fingers and his infinite power would be unleashed in infinite judgement. Instead, God patiently endures our self-righteous arrogance and keeps trying to turn our hearts back to him. 
Application
“Why will you die, Israel?!” It must genuinely bewilder and sadden God to see people reject his love. Even so, he is patient. I don’t want to sadden God! I want to welcome his love with gratefulness instead of arrogance. I want to live life confidently in the new spirit and new heart he has given me. I want to stand firm in a lifestyle of repentance, secure in his righteousness and not my own.
This week, I choose to live in Christ.
This week, I choose to walk with Him.
This week, I choose His ways and not my own.
Prayer
God, thank you for your patience with me! Thank you that you choose to love me. Help me this week, to walk in humility and repentance. May my life bring you joy and not sadness, as I walk daily in you with the new heart and new spirit that you have given me! 

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Just Wait

  • September 1, 2021

Scripture
Revelation 6:11
“Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” 
Observation
I don’t like waiting patiently-particularly when something terrible is happening. These martyrs of Christ were told to wait until others met the same fate as them. There’s not even any detail given of exactly ‘why’ they had to wait, just a statement that it was necessary. 
Application
God has a bigger strategy than I can glimpse from my limited perspective. All I can truly see are my experiences, my hurts, my wounds, and my surroundings. I want God to step in and give me justice now. Sometimes God’s response is “Wait! Just wait a little longer!”  I have to trust that he is still accomplishing the things that he desires, and that in the end he will be glorified. I have to submit my limited understanding to his limitless perspective. 
Prayer
God, may you be glorified in my life. Even when I have suffered and endured injustice, may I trust your sovereignty and your timeline, and wait patiently with full confidence that you love me and are accomplishing your purposes through my life. 

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Serious Business

  • August 31, 2021

Scripture
Ezekiel 14:21
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments – sword and famine and wild beasts and plague – to kill its men and their animals!” 
Observation
We rarely talk about God’s judgement, without also talking about his mercy. These chapters are heavy on judgement, and light on mercy. Even the limited mercy that we do see, seems to exist solely for the purpose of vindicating God’s judgement! 
The wages of sin is death. Always has been, always will be. God hates sin. Always has, always will.
Application
These chapters are a sobering reminder to me, to take sin seriously. We walk in God’s grace, covered by the blood of the lamb – but that doesn’t mean that we should treat sin casually, or lightly. I can only understand the scale of God’s mercy, when I glimpse the true force of his judgement.
This week, I need to see things from God’s perspective. I need to hate sin. I need to detest ungodliness. I need to get serious about submitting myself to his lordship. Only by seeing things from his perspective, can I truly appreciate all that he has done for me.
Prayer
God, thank you for your holiness! Thank you that there is not even the smallest measure or hint of corruption or impurity in you. Help me to treat sin as seriously as you do. Help me to take seriously your judgement and your grace. Help me to understand the unfathomable blessing of your patience and your mercy toward me! Help me to love you enough in return to make decisions that honor you- and never take Calvary for granted. 

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Fully Known

  • August 30, 2021

Scripture
Ezekiel 8:6, 11:19
“And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing–the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” 
Observation
God knows all, and sees all. He sees those that he loves, and he sees that which is repulsive to him. His patience is immense, but willful, wanton, continual, unrepentant sin will drive his presence from his sanctuary. 
Application
God knows my heart inside and out. There is nothing that I can hide from him. He no longer lives in a temple, but instead his spirit is within me. If my inmost heart is divided and acting in opposition to God, then I cannot expect his presence to remain. I must choose to allow him to strip away the division within me, and anything that would pull me away from him. I must be his, and I must allow him to truly be my God.
Prayer
God, create a clean heart in me! You see straight through me, and there is nothing hidden from you. Thank you for your patience with me! May I never drive your spirit from my heart, but rather submit to your perfect will, as you remake me into your image. 

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Seeing God

  • August 28, 2021

Today’s SOAP journal is brought to you by James Begley.

Scripture
Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Observation
I love it when God reminds us of who He is. It’s so easy for me to just live my life and my own actions have their own consequences and that’s that. There is so much more that is going on all around us and if we don’t have the proper perspective, we will miss it. How wild could my life be if I’m super connected to the One who is, was and who is to come? If I’m bored at this point, it’s because I’m not looking at the right things or plugging into the right source. What am I doing with my life if I’m not making the most of this HUGE advantage? 
Application
Make God a priority. See what He can do with me, where He can take me and how He can use me. 
Prayer
Lord, help me to see You for who you really are in my everyday life. Transform me into someone that can do your will to the fullest of my capabilities! 

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

Thirst

  • August 27, 2021

Scripture
Psalm 143:3-6
“The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.” 
Observation
David was in a dark place. He was discouraged, defeated, weak, and overcome. But instead of focusing on his current circumstances, he instead chose to meditate on the things of God. Instead of focusing on his discomfort, he focused on what God had done. He could not see what God was currently doing, so he meditated on what God had already done in the past. Instead of focusing on solving his current problem, he fully surrendered to God and invited God into the middle of the mess. 
Application
Challenges hit, and discouragement happens. Sometimes there is no clear solution for the present circumstance. When I feel overwhelmed and defeated, it’s time to stop struggling to find my own solution and invite God into the mess with me instead. I may not even be able to understand what God is doing-but I can choose to meditate and focus on what God has already done–and trust that the God who did those things back then is the same Father who is willing to step down into the pit of mud with me and make His power known again.
This week, I need to invite God into every situation and every conversation.
Prayer
God, thank you for being present through every season of life. Help me to focus on you, instead of looking for my own solutions. I invite you into every challenge, every battle, and every struggle in my life- and I choose to fully surrender my heart to you. 

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

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