July 11

I Chronicles 11:1-12:18, Acts 28:1-31, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 19:1-3

Pray: The taunts of men sometimes work their way under my skin Lord. When men say “You can’t” then please help me to hear from heaven and believe You when You say “You can.”

Read: In I Chronicles 11:5 the Jebusites, safely behind the walls in Jerusalem, taunted King David by saying, “You will never get in here!” But David didn’t believe the Jebusites. And he refused to let the walls be an issue. He soon captured the fortress which is now called “the City of David”. Never be intimidated by those who look down upon you and shout “You can’t.” Rather, ask God if you can and then listen. Take Him at His word.

Edify: We have all heard that expression, “He just seems to be snake bit.” It refers to someone who seems to go from one bad circumstance to another. Paul had just been shipwrecked and lived through it. Now, while gathering firewood to build a fire on the beach to stay warm he was bit by a snake. Those around him said that surely he must be a murderer who God would not permit to live. But when Paul suffered no ill effects he went from being considered a murderer to being considered a god. On Palm Sunday the crowds called Jesus forth to be their king. One week later they crucified Him. Walking with God is not a popularity contest. There will be those who call you every name in the book. And there will be those who think you hung the moon. By the way, you didn’t (see Genesis). The scripture says we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Paul leveraged admiration by taking the time to share Christ. As we gain favor and influence because God is with us, we need to leverage the same to win people to Jesus.

Practice: Proverbs 19:3 says that people ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at God. There are many people that are mad at God. I hope you are not one of them? Don’t play the blame game. There is no way to move forward in life when everything wrong is someone else’s fault. Practice saying this, “It was my fault and I was wrong.” Acknowledging our foolishness is the first step in healing. Don’t shut out God at the very place you should be asking Him to come in.