Soul care ‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’ 3 John v. 2 NKJV Your body is like an ‘earth suit’ that will eventually die and be replaced with a new, celestial, Christlike body. Paul writes, ‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV). The treasure, the thing that matters most, the thing that will live for eternity, is your soul. John writes, ‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’ Someone has estimated that the average body contains enough phosphorous to make 800,000 match heads, enough sugar to make 60 cubes, enough salt to cover 20 spoons, and enough iron to make a three-inch nail. The rest is just dust and water. The story is told of a little boy who was taught in Sunday school, ‘For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return’ (Genesis 3:19 KJV). One day, when he was looking under the bed, his mother asked him, ‘What are you looking at?’ He replied, ‘My Sunday school teacher said that we come from dust and go back to dust. There’s somebody under my bed, and I can’t tell whether they’re coming or going!’ Seriously, since your body is temporal and your soul is eternal, you must take the long view and practice soul care. Nurture your soul daily with God’s Word. Fortify and enrich it by spending time each day with God in prayer. Discover the talents and treasures He has placed within you and invest them into the kingdom of God. Next time someone says to you, ‘Take care of yourself,’ think not only about your body but about your soul. Genesis 18-19, Matthew 6:1-15 #wordfortoday

Open doors ‘A door was opened to me by the Lord.’ 2 Corinthians 2:12 NKJV A noted author states: ‘People who study entrepreneurs say they excel in something called “opportunity alertness.” They look at the same circumstances as everyone else, but they “notice, without search, opportunities that have hitherto been overlooked.” They are “alert, waiting, continually receptive to something that may turn up.”’ Paul was such a person. ‘I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord’ (v. 12 NKJV). He practised ‘divine opportunity alertness’. And you can too. For Paul, walking through the doors God opened often led to hardship. But they also led to great achievement. Open doors don’t come with a meticulous set of instructions about precisely what you should do and exactly what will occur as a result. To discover what’s on the other side of the open door, you have to go through it. Will you experience fear? Any time you attempt the untried, unknown, and undone, you will experience fear. That’s when you need to remind yourself that whatever awaits you on the other side of that door, God will be there. Here are two things you need to keep in mind. First, sometimes an open door doesn’t signify going to someplace new; it means recognising a new and previously undetected opportunity in an old place. Second, open doors never exist solely for the advantage of the people offered them. They are an opportunity to bless others (see Genesis 12:1-3). An open door never exists for your benefit alone. Has God opened a door for you? If He has, don’t hesitate or vacillate; walk through it. Read: Isaiah 17-19, Galatians 5 #WordForToday

Choose the right attitude ‘Think on these things…and the God of peace shall be with you.’ Philippians 4:8-9 KJV One author writes: ‘Columbia researcher Sheena Iyengar has found that the average person makes about seventy conscious decisions every day. That’s 25,550 decisions a year. Over seventy years, that’s 1,788,500 decisions. Albert Camus said, “Life is a sum of all your choices.” You put all those 1,788,500 choices together, that’s who you are. Victor Frankl was a brilliant doctor whom the Nazis imprisoned in a concentration camp. They took away his livelihood, confiscated his possessions, mocked his dignity, and killed his family. They locked him in a cell with no way out…But he found a door that his guards did not know about: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 'He found that when his circumstances had closed every outer door to him, they revealed to him the doors that matter far more – the doors through which a soul can leave fear and enter into courage, leave hatred and enter into forgiveness, leave ignorance and enter into learning. He discovered that his guards were actually far more imprisoned – by cruelty and ignorance and foolish obedience to barbarism – than he was imprisoned by walls and barbed wire. Some people learn this and become free; some never see it and live their lives as prisoners.’ The difference is in the door you choose or the attitude you choose. That’s why Paul writes: ‘Whatsoever things are true…honest…just…pure…lovely…of good report…think on these things’ (v. 8). Today, choose the right attitude! Read: Isaiah 14-16, Galatians 4 #WordForToday

It’s a new day for you ‘Behold, I will do a new thing.’ Isaiah 43:19 NKJV Don’t allow the pain of your past to blur your vision and steal the blessing God has in store for you in the future. God says, ‘Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing’ (vv. 18-19 NKJV). If you have been wounded by old relationships, God has new ones waiting for you. ‘The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons”’ (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV). Grieving your losses is healthy. But when you get stuck in the past, it’s always at the expense of the future. There comes a time when you must stop talking about what cannot be changed. Plus, if you keep treating your friends to a history lesson, you will lose them, because your words are creating a climate that’s uncomfortable for them to be in. God’s solution to pain is purpose. God’s solution to old wounds is a commitment to walk in love. C.M. Parkes said, ‘Grief is…the price we pay for love.’ Those we love most can hurt us most. ‘Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him…“seventy times seven”’ (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV). To recover your peace and joy, you must forgive and keep on forgiving until the past loses its hold on you. When that happens, it’s a new day for you! Read: Proverbs 27-29, 2 Corinthians 2 #WordForToday

Jesus wants to spend time with you! ‘Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.’ Luke 10:40 NIV Mary and Martha were similar in that they both loved Jesus. But the difference showed up when He visited their home. ‘Martha opened her home to him…Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed…Mary has chosen what is better”’ (vv. 38-42 NIV). Jesus didn’t say that what Martha was doing was not good. He said that what Mary was doing was better. What was Mary doing? Sitting at His feet, listening to His words, loving and adoring Him. There is a lesson here, particularly for those involved in church work and ministry. Don’t get so involved in the work of the Lord that you fail to get involved with the Lord of the work. E.M. Bounds said, ‘To be much alone with God is the secret of knowing Him and of influence with Him.’ Question: if you are not being influenced by God, who or what is influencing you? People? Pressures? Circumstances? If Jesus had come for dinner, He may well have commended Martha and told Mary to get busy in the kitchen. But His priority, before going to the cross, was to spend time with those He loved. Here is a thought that will change your attitude towards prayer: Jesus wants to spend time with you! Read: Proverbs 30-31, 2 Corinthians 3 #WordForToday

Be aware of Satan’s schemes ‘In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.’ 2 Corinthians 2:11 NIV Walking in spiritual victory calls for understanding Satan’s ‘schemes’. Here are some points at which you’re particularly vulnerable: when you feel up, when you feel down, when you’re alone, when you’re exhausted, and when you have experienced loss. There is no such thing as fair play with the devil. If you give him an inch, he will take a mile. If you give him an entry point into your life, he will use it against you. Notice the two occasions on which Satan attacked Jesus. First, at His birth. Herod put out an order to kill every Jewish boy under the age of two. That’s why as a new believer, you must develop the daily habits of prayer, Bible reading, and fellowshipping with those who can strengthen you in your walk with God. Second, on the threshold of His ministry. For forty days, Jesus did battle with Satan in the wilderness. Why did the struggle last so long? It was over His future. ‘Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him…Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region’ (Luke 4:13-14 NKJV). Attack is a sign of respect; it means Satan has discerned your potential. And the level of his attack is an indication of the level of blessing God has in store for you on the other side of it. So instead of being discouraged about the battle, see it as a sign from God that your best days are ahead of you. Read: Proverbs 22-24, 1 Corinthians 16 #wordfortoday

When choosing a mentor (2) ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.’ Proverbs 4:7 NKJV A pastor shares this: ‘The process of growing with the help of a mentor usually follows this pattern: it begins with awareness. You realise that you need help and that following yourself is not a viable option for effective personal growth. When a person comes to such a realisation, one of two things can happen. The first is that the person’s pride swells up, and he cannot bring himself to ask another person for advice…The other reaction to awareness is to humble yourself and say, “I need your help.” That decision not only leads to greater knowledge, but it also often develops maturity in you. 'It also reinforces that people need one another – not just when they’re young and starting out, but their entire lives…The mentors you take advice from help to shape you. If you spend your time with people who subtract from you, who belittle you or undervalue you, then every step forward that you attempt to take will be difficult. But if you find wise leaders, good role models, and positive friends, you will find that they speed you on your journey. 'No matter who you are, what you have accomplished, how low or how high your life has taken you, you can benefit from having a mentor. If you’ve never had one, you have no idea how much it can improve your life. If you have had mentors, then you already know – and you should start passing it on by becoming a mentor to others. Because you know that it’s hard to improve when you have no one but yourself to follow.’ So, ‘get wisdom’, and share it with those who need it. Read: Proverbs 19-21, 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 #wordfortoday

When choosing a mentor (1) ‘Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still.’ Proverbs 9:9 NIV The further you go in the pursuit of your potential, the more ground you will have to break. This is where you can benefit from the experience of others. As the Chinese proverb says, ‘To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.’ In picking a mentor, look for two things: 1) Someone who possesses wisdom. The understanding, experience, and wisdom of mentors help us to solve problems we would have a hard time handling on our own. Wise people often use just a few words to help us learn and develop. They open our eyes to worlds we might not otherwise see. They help us navigate difficult situations. They enable us to see opportunities we would otherwise miss. They make us wiser than our years and experience. 2) Someone who provides friendship and support. Jesus told those He mentored, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). The first question most followers want to know of a mentor is, ‘Do you care for me?’ The reason for this question is obvious. Who wants to be guided by a person who isn’t interested in them? Selfish people will assist you only insofar as it advances their own agenda. Good mentors provide friendship and support, unselfishly working to help you reach your potential. Knowledge without support is sterile. Advice without friendship feels cold. Candour without care is harsh. But when you are being helped by a person who cares for you, it is emotionally fulfilling. Development comes from both the head and the heart. And only caring people are glad to share both with you. Read: Proverbs 16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 #wordfortoday

Live in the light (3) ‘You are the light of the world.’ Matthew 5:14 NKJV Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven’ (vv. 14, 16 NKJV). The pastor continues to explain: ‘If you are a follower of Christ, you should also be light amidst the darkness. Your job is to let Jesus shine in and through you so that those living in the dark will find the light as well. That’s why it’s not enough just to shine. Light is only useful when it encounters the darkness. The place to shine your light and show your light and share your light, is not inside the church, but outside the church. Jesus tells us to do what He did: go find dark places and start shining…You don’t have to ask people to look at you when you turn on a light in a dark room. Their heads will turn instinctively. 1) You play sports, and you begin playing for and with your teammates. You are a light in the darkness. 2) You live in a neighbourhood filled with unbelievers and begin performing acts of service for others in Jesus’ name. You are a light in the darkness. 3) You are the conspicuous Christian in your office, displaying virtue in an atmosphere of selfishness. You are a light in the darkness. Jesus called us to find people in dark places and to move towards those who need Him. As it turns out, escaping from darkness is as easy as turning on the light.’ Remember the children’s song: ‘This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.’ That’s what God has called you to do. Read: Proverbs 13-15, 1 Corinthians 14:20-40 #wordfortoday

Believe in your vision ‘Write the vision and make it plain.’ - Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV God has a plan for your life. In Scripture, it’s sometimes referred to as a ‘vision’. It works like a compass that will always point you in the right direction and an anchor that will hold you steady in life’s storms. Why did God say, ‘Write the vision and make it plain’? Because sometimes, we bury our vision deep in our hearts to protect ourselves from the criticism of others. Fear causes us to set our vision out of sight so that we don’t have to think about it. Sometimes we give up on our vision because it hurts too much and costs too much to hold on to it. What should you do? First, you must have a vision that’s clear and compelling. Second, you must keep your vision before you at all times. After experiencing painful rejection by his family and false accusation by his boss’s wife resulting in thirteen years of wrongful imprisonment, the Bible says, ‘Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed’ (Genesis 42:9 KJV). Third, you must remember that God has scheduled a time for your dream to be fulfilled: ‘The vision is yet for an appointed time…though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come’ (Habakkuk 2:3 KJV). You must find a balance between contentment and ambition. Paul writes, ‘I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content’ (Philippians 4:11 NKJV). Paul never allowed himself to be upset with where he was at the moment; he knew that God was with him at all times, and he was always looking forward to where God would take him. So enjoy this day, knowing that God has your future securely planned. Read: Job 38-40, 1 Corinthians 10:1-17 #wordfortoday