S.O.A.P.

I want to know my need of God, so that I could experience his cleansing and transformational power.

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Scripture

Isaiah 6:1,5

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple”

“And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips…”

Observation

Isaiah saw God on his throne–and as he glimpsed the majesty of God, it also brought revelation for him to see and understand himself more clearly. This revelation of his sinfulness was then met by the burning coal of God’s grace, to change what Isaiah had been into something new.

Application

I want to see God clearly, and understand his glory. I want to glimpse his holiness, knowing that it will reveal those uncomfortable truths about the sinful condition of my heart. I want to know my need of him, so that I could experience his cleansing and transformational power.

Prayer

God, reveal your nature and your heart to me. I want to see you! As I gaze on you more clearly, reveal those places in my heart which are not compatible with your presence so that your power could continue to transform and cleanse me day by day.

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My social media metrics, my finely-tuned Call of Duty reflexes, and my secret recipe for smoked beef brisket are tools to be used in connecting people with God–but alone, they hold no eternal value. Today I choose to pursue success in eternal things, rather than things that can’t last and hold no Kingdom value.

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Scripture

Isaiah 5:22

“Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink…”

Observation

This entire passage is a confrontation of those on whom God’s judgement was about to fall, because of their wicked ways. …and there in the middle of the list, are the ‘heroes at drinking wine’! They had a claim to fame, and a reputation for being the life of the party…but they were famous for foolishness, and highly skilled at meaningless things.

Application

This passage makes me ponder: what are the skills I’ve highly developed, which are worthless in God’s eyes? What are the things in which I’ve invested countless hours–and perhaps even worn as a badge of honor and acclaim, which matter not one bit in eternity?

Jesus himself used wine–but he was a hero of grace and righteousness, not a hero of drinking wine.

My social media metrics, my finely-tuned Call of Duty reflexes, and my secret recipe for smoked beef brisket are tools to be used in connecting people with God–but alone, they hold no eternal value.

Today I choose to pursue success in eternal things, rather than things that can’t last and hold no Kingdom value.

Prayer

God, I don’t want to waste my life trying to be a hero of meaningless things! Help me to invest my time in that which has eternal value, so that I would be useful to my Master!

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It’s God’s job to bring people to repentance–but it’s my responsibility not to allow my own heart to become infected with corrosiveness around me.

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Scripture

Titus 3:10

“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.”

Observation

Conflict and disagreements happen-but some people seem to thrive on disagreements and strife. The child of God is instructed to “warn” such a person and confront them about their behavior–then after another warning…have nothing more to do with them.

Application

Divisive and argumentative behavior must be confronted. A person who naturally and effortlessly stirs up tension and discord in the family must be confronted, for the health of the family. But at some point, I must draw a boundary to keep divisive people from dragging me into the vortex with them. God’s grace is still available to them, but I can’t try to play God’s role in changing their heart. It’s his job to bring them to repentance–but it’s my responsibility not to allow my own heart to become infected with their corrosiveness.

This week, I choose to draw healthy boundaries so that the family can grow in unity.

Prayer

God, help me to care enough about people to confront things that must be confronted. But help me also to draw healthy boundaries, to protect the unity of the family. Even through disagreement, may we grow closer to you and grow stronger together.

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I don’t want to live my life my own sinful way, begging periodically for God’s mercy. I want to live a life of true repentance, and align my heart with the Father. I want to experience the full measure of His blessing, and walk in His favor.

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Scripture

2 Kings 13:2,4,6

2 – “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord…”

4 – “Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the Lord…”

6 – “Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam…”

Observation

Jehoahaz wanted to have his cake and eat it too. He wanted God’s favor, but he wasn’t willing to repent from his sin. God showed him mercy, but Jehoahaz never experienced the full blessing that could have been his…and the final chapter of his reign simply fades quietly away.

Application

God’s mercy is available to all…but his favor is for those who follow him.

I don’t want to live my life my own sinful way, begging periodically for God’s mercy. I want to live a life of true repentance, and align my heart with the Father. I want to experience the full measure of His blessing, and walk in His favor.

Today I choose to give up temporary satisfaction, in exchange for eternal favor.

Prayer

God, thank you for your mercy!

I choose today to turn my heart in repentance to you, instead of asking you to bless me in my unrepentance. You are the Lord, and I surrender to You.

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It’s easy to focus my attention on what I think I lack– but what has God already placed in my hands? What resources has He already entrusted to me, that I have disregarded as ‘too small’, or ‘too insignificant’? It could be that I already hold a miracle, which simply hasn’t yet been released.

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Scripture

2 Kings 4:2

“And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you in the house?”

Observation

This widow urgently needed help! It would have been easy for Elisha to look for other resources to bless her with. He could have started a Gofundme, or a meal train…instead he asked “what do you have in your house?” In other words, “What has God already put in your hands?”. Elisha understood that his role was not to provide new or different resources, or a different solution to her problem–but rather to reveal and unleash the miracle that God had already provided.

Application

There are places where I see lack, and places where I need resources. It’s easy to focus my attention on what I think I lack– but what has God already placed in my hands? What resources has He already entrusted to me, that I have disregarded as ‘too small’, or ‘too insignificant’? It could be that I already hold a miracle, which simply hasn’t yet been released.

Today I choose to pay closer attention to the miracles that God has entrusted to me.

Prayer

God, thank you for providing all that I need! Help me to see, recognize, understand, and rightly steward what you have placed in my hands. Help me to see the full potential of an unreleased miracle!

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Just as a silversmith cannot craft a masterpiece simply by amassing more and more impure silver, so I cannot accomplish what God has called me to do if I never take the time to filter out the things which cannot ultimately be part of that final masterpiece.

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Scripture

Proverbs 25:4-5

4 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; 5 take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Observation

A silversmith doesn’t craft a beautiful masterpiece by merely stockpiling more and more impure silver: He can only complete his work by instead removing the impurities and contamination from the silver that he has. In the same way, a leader doesn’t build something lasting and of worth by merely increasing the size and scale of that which is corrupt and impure at it’s core. The “king’s throne” is only established in righteousness, by removing any trace of wickedness.

Application

It’s easy to let the busyness of life trap me in the cycle of ‘more’. More projects. More meetings. More commitments. More work. More long hours. More exhaustion. More…more…more…more…and it never stops. This passage challenges me to spend a little ‘more’ time, doing ‘less’.

What are the things that I need to remove from my life? What are the events on my calendar which really should be canceled? What are the paradigms and assumptions by which I live, which are based on contaminated and wrong thinking? What are the projects taking up my time and mental bandwidth, which aren’t truly moving the needle in my life? Just as a silversmith cannot craft a masterpiece by amassing more and more low-grade impure silver, so I cannot accomplish what God has called me to do if I never take the time to filter out the things which cannot ultimately be part of that final masterpiece.

This week, I choose to invest some time in removing the dross.

Prayer

God, help me to remove the dross from my life. Give me wisdom to know what is the pure silver worth keeping, and what are the contamination and impurities that have no place in the masterpiece that you are crafting in my life. Whether it be time commitments, projects, thought patterns, habits, boxes in my garage, or even relationships–help me to understand what is worth hanging on to, and what I must choose to let go of. I want my life to be a reflection of your glory, not a monument to the dross that I’ve accumulated along the way!

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Although I prefer the seasons when everything is going according to plan, those aren’t the moments when my faith is built. Rather–my faith has an opportunity to grow in the moments when my situation is the most precarious, and the future seems the most uncertain.

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Scripture

Romans 4:20

“No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.”

Observation

Abraham’s faith wasn’t static and fixed–it was growing and increasing, even though he had plenty of opportunities for unbelief. How did his faith increase? By looking at the moments when he could have chosen unbelief, and instead choosing to give glory to God.

Application

Although I prefer the seasons when everything is going according to plan, those aren’t the moments when my faith is built. Rather–my faith has an opportunity to grow in the moments when my situation is the most precarious, and the future seems the most uncertain. Those are the moments when I must make the decision to give glory to God.

As I make the decision to direct the attention to God, he will prove himself faithful again just as he always has–and my faith in him will be increased.

Today, I choose to give God the glory that He is due!

Prayer

God, thank you for proving yourself faithful over and and over in my life! You deserve the glory, and I want to glorify you today with my words, my actions, and my heart. Increase my faith I pray, and teach me to trust you instead of turning to unbelief when the pressure is on.

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The change that Christ has brought to my heart must be communicated in the way that I speak, the way that I live, and the way that I interact–because I’ve experienced the power of God, and He has saved me!

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Scripture

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Observation

Paul’s statement is intriguing. Why would someone be ashamed of the gospel? Why be ashamed of the most incredible news that has ever been shared? It seems that the only reason to be ashamed of the gospel, would be if the gospel is not true. If there is doubt in one’s mind whether the gospel truly is ‘the power of God for salvation’…then shame would quickly follow.

Paul had no doubt in his mind of the power of the gospel. He had experienced God’s power and salvation, and now there was no viewpoint, philosophy, argument, or debate which could shake his confidence in this amazing message which had radically transformed his life.

Application

I’ve experienced the power of God. I’ve experienced his grace and mercy, and I’ve received his blessing and his forgiveness. There is nothing on earth that could cause me to doubt the truth and authenticity of what I’ve experienced. So when I share the gospel, it must always be from a place of confidence and certainty, not from hesitancy and shame! The change that Christ has brought to my heart, must be communicated in the way that I speak, the way that I live, and the way that I interact–because I’ve experienced the power of God, and he has saved me!

Prayer

God, thank you for saving my soul! Thank you for paying the price for my sin, and for showing me mercy. Help me this week to seize each opportunity to point people to you, with the full confidence that your gospel deserves. May I never be ashamed of the best news that has ever been shared!

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At some point people will forget the projects I’ve worked on, the hobbies I’ve pursued, and the tasks I’ve completed. But I want to live and lead in such a way that my sons and those to whom I pass the baton in God’s kingdom will remember to ‘know God’ above all else.

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Scripture

1 Chronicles 28:9-11

9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 10 Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.” 11 Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;”

Observation

David was approaching the end of his life, and the end of his kingly reign had now arrived. It was time to pass the baton to Solomon, and release him into his God-given destiny as the next king of Israel.

David was entrusting some huge responsibilities to Solomon’s hands–not only the management of the kingdom, but also David’s dream of building a temple for the Lord. His words to Solomon are particularly striking in that context. He doesn’t begin his words to Solomon by reminding him of his professional duties, or how important the construction of the temple was. Instead, he reminded Solomon to “know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and a willing mind”.

The rest of the duties were important–no question. But if Solomon missed the ‘main thing’, none of the rest of it would matter.

Application

It can be easy to get so busy serving God, that I forget to know Him. I can become so wrapped up in the tasks, the duties, the responsibilities, and the projects of God’s kingdom…that I push God himself to the back burner of my life. This not only impacts my own life and walk with God, but also those that I lead.

I love to see David’s heart in the way that he passed the baton of leadership to his son. There were so many things he could have said, and so many instructions he could have given…and indeed, he went on to give many of those instructions later. But the first and foremost thing that he wanted his son to build his life and kingdom on, was the pursuit of knowing God.

I want to leave that kind of legacy! At some point people will forget the projects I’ve worked on, the hobbies I’ve pursued, and the tasks I’ve completed. But I want to live and lead in such a way that my sons and those to whom I pass the baton in God’s kingdom will remember to ‘know God’ above all else.

Prayer

God, help me to always make the pursuit of knowing you my highest priority. May that be the life that I lead, and the example that I set for those who come after me.

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It’s never fun to be the one to speak up in opposition to an idea, especially an idea from someone in authority. Yet that willingness to be the lone, unpopular voice of caution is the mark of a truly godly man.

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Scripture

1 Chronicles 21:3

“But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of the my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord the king require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?”

Observation

Joab knew his place–and his place was to follow orders. Yet he cared too much about David and the kingdom to silently go along with a plan that he knew would bring destruction. David persisted in his terrible plan, but Joab’s conscience was clean.

Application

It’s never fun to be the one to speak up in opposition to an idea, especially an idea from someone in authority. Yet that willingness to be the lone, unpopular voice of caution is the mark of a truly godly man.

This week, I choose to stand for what is right instead of what is popular and advantageous. I would rather be a Joab and trust God with the outcome, than a David and arrogantly push ahead with my own plan.

Prayer

God, give me courage and wisdom to stand for what is right, and to know which battles are worth fighting. I choose to trust you with the outcome!

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