S.O.A.P. 30 Day Challenge – Day #22, September 22, 2023 “Keep Fishing”

S. Luke 5:4-6 (NIV) “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”

O. Jesus instructs them to get into deep water and let their nets down. They had worked hard and had not caught anything – yet because Jesus said to do this, they did, and their catch was amazing.

There are times when we come to appoint in which we’ve done all we can. We may feel exhausted. But if we will ask Jesus to lead us – and then follow what He says, we can experience a great blessing.  Sometimes we simply need to persevere or to try a different approach, but we must not quit. We must listen to Jesus and do what He says.

A. I love this word. We should never give up at what God calls us to do. We are to persevere, maybe gain some new insights into what we are doing and how we can be better and then follow and obey Jesus. He wants us to be productive and fruitful. 

P. Thank you Lord for your word today. Lord I will not stop fishing for you. I will continue to listen to you and do as you say. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me with wisdom and faith to be an effective fisherman for Jesus. In Jesus’ name!

S.O.A.P. 30 Day Challenge – Day #21, September 21, 2023 “Stay Faithful to Your Calling.”

S. Luke 4:25-26 (NIV) “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elijah the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian.”

O. People were telling Jesus to do in his hometown as He had done in other areas. Yet Jesus knew Hs mission and that it wasn’t doing what others thought He should be doing.

Other people always seem to have ideas and opinions about how those in ministry should carry out their calling. Yet, those called by God must go and do what God has called them to do, not what others think regardless of perceived unmet needs.

A. I will continue to focus my ministry on the specific call of God. I know there are areas of service He has not called me to and that as I trust Him, He will raise up others to minister to those other areas of need. 

P. Thank you Lord for your call to my life. Holy Spirit, give me focus, faith and boldness to continue in serving according to your call and gifting. In Jesus’ name.

S.O.A.P. 30 Day Challenge – Day #20, September 20, 2023 “Living with Integrity.”

S. Daniel 6:4 (NIV) “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find ground for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”

O. Daniel lived with a high degree of integrity. He was trustworthy, not corrupt. He took care of matters. He was not negligent. Because of this, people who wanted to harm him could not find any ground for charges against him. He did the right thing. His integrity was known by many.

A. I desire to live my life with such a high degree of integrity. I want to have those qualities in my life, that first, I might be pleasing to God and that He will entrust greater opportunities to me. Secondly, I do not want there to be any way that others can find fault in me. That I am a person who is trusted and relied upon. 

P. Thank you Lord for Daniel’s example of integrity. Holy Spirit, fill me and guide me to live with such integrity that I’m found to be completely trustworthy and not negligent. I pray that your light will shine through me – in Jesus’ name.