S.O.A.P. 28 Day Challenge Day #16, February 16, 2022 "Enjoying God's Life of Overflow"

S. Leviticus 26:3-5 (NIV)

3 “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

6 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

9 “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

O. God desires to bless His people. He wants so much for us to enjoy the life He has prepared for us. He promises not only spiritual blessing but often physical or material blessing as we follow His ways (laws, decrees, statutes, Word, etcl).

God’s ways are good ways because God is good, holy, just, righteous and love. It isn’t that God wants us to follow Him because He is selfish and wants our adoration for His own self actualization or that He is narcissistic, rather, because He good, holy, just, righteous, love (and much more), He knows that if we walk close to Him and follow His lead, we receive such blessing. He puts in place a life that produces more blessing. Thus, the voice of more.

A. God desires to be the “voice of more” to us. I desire to walk closely to Him, to be LIKE Him and to produce much fruit and in turn bless others and be the “voice of more” to others.

P. Thank you Father for your word today. Thank you Jesus for your love and the complete salvation that you have secured for us along with the hope of being with you for eternity. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me to have such a close walk with the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus that I enjoy such blessing that overflows to others. In Jesus’ name!

S.O.A.P. 28 Day Challenge - Day #15, February 15, 2022 "How To Share Your Faith."

S. Acts 22:4, 6, 15 and 21

4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished….6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked….“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. …... 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. ……21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

O. Whenever I read this passage, the Holy Spirit always shows me or reminds me of how Paul shared his faith with others and how this can be a model for all believers to share their faith, being a witness for Jesus.

First, Paul begins with his PAST. What was he like before he encounted Christ? He persecuted Christians. (v. 4-5).

Paul then shares (Dr. Luke is doing the writing of ACTS and remember that the Holy Spirit is the author) his PIVOTAL EVENT. What happened? What was his encounter with Jesus like? (v6-8).

However, Paul does not dwell on his past nor does he continue long on his pivotal event. He moves forward into his PRESENT. what is Jesus doing in his life today? (calling him to be a witness to all believers, particularly the Gentiles).

A. That’s a balanced testimony. Sometimes when others (myself included) share their story, we can skew the testimony by dwelling too much on one area. We need to seek that balance and make sure that Jesus is the pivotal person in our life story that we are witnesses of.

Sometimes there is a temptation to embellish our past or overload on what Jesus is doing now. Both of these are needed but in balanced perspective with JESUS clearly being described as the pivotal person in our life.

P. Thank you Father for capturing in scripture how Paul shared his faith in this passage. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me to use this passage to continue to practice and to teach others on how to share their faith in Jesus by acknowleding our past, remembering our pivotal moment and then praise to God for our present ministry. In Jesus’ name!

S.O.A.P. 28 Day Challenge - Day #14 February 14, 2022 "Knowing The Certainty of Your Call"

S. Acts 21:12-14 (NIV) 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

O. People tried to keep Paul from going to Jerusalem mainly because of a prophecy of Agabus that Paul would be bound up- taken as a prisoner. However, Paul would not give up. He knew his calling and he knew it would bring hardship and persecution. However, Paul would persist and continue to move forward.

A. The Christian life and call to ministry is not always a straight and up the right path. It is often full of twists and turns and difficulty that helps to form us as we move to be like Jesus. Like Paul, if we are sure of our calling we can and must forge ahead to allow the Lord to mold us and make us even more in His image.

P. Thank you Father for your word today. Thank you Jesus for teaching us that pathway to following you is not always a straight and clear path. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me one step at a time as I desire to be more like you. In Jesus’ name.