Leviticus 19:1-20:21, Mark 8:11-38, Psalms 42:1-11, Proverbs 10:17

What God said to me – Have you ever been so busy that you didn’t have time to eat or drink?  When you are thirsty or hungry you typically don’t perform well or respond well even under ordinary pressures or stresses.  It’s like the commercial where someone gets “hangry” and turns into a whole different person.  You can get that way spiritually also.  Whether you realize it or not, My children thirst and hunger for Me.  “I AM” the Living Water and the Bread of Life.  You need this time with Me and in My word to strengthen you spiritually and so you can face the day-to-day challenges that come up in your life.  When you neglect this time you will find yourself being impatient or unkind or short in your responses to others.  This time with Me in not just for devotion and fellowship – it is meant to transform you and to prepare you for day-to-day life.  Don’t neglect it.

Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:10, Psalms 41:1-18, Proverbs 10:15-16

What God said to me – In education, learning is progressive.  You are taught basic facts and rules and truths and once you learn them, the teachers use those foundations to teach you more.  You would never start a kindergartner with trigonometry – they have to learn their numbers first and then progress to basic math.  There are times when students get to college and they should be taking advanced mathematic classes, but because they never truly grasped the basics, they have to take remedial classes to prepare them for what is to come.  The same can be true spiritually.  As you study My word and I take you through various life experiences, I teach you to walk in faith and to trust Me as you grow into a mature believer.  However, very often My children see the things they go through as isolated, one-off occurrences and so they are frightened and flounder spiritually.  What you need to do is to look at them as building on your past experiences – remember the times I have been faithful and brought you through.  Ask Me what “I AM” doing – ask Me what “I AM” teaching you – ask Me to show you how to get through.  Let Me use each thing to teach you and to grow you spiritually into a strong and mature believer.

Leviticus 15 :1-16 :28, Mark 7 :1-3, Psalms 40:11-17, Proverbs 10:13-14

What God said to me – I want you to think about how much time you spend each day on food – planning your meals, buying your food, eating, snacking, talking about food, preparing your food, figuring out what’s good for you or bad for you, what you like or don’t like, when you’re going to eat, and on and on.  Now what about your spiritual life – how much time do you spend each day on it?  Do you think about the things you should be doing to be “heart healthy” spiritually?  Your spiritual health is much more important than your physical health and your “spiritual heart” has a greater impact when it comes to walking in a manner worthy of your calling and pleasing Me than your physical heart.  Just as you try to maintain your physical health by watching what you eat, you need to guard your spiritual health by watching what you consume – whether it is television or movies or books or things on the internet.  You need to plan for and set aside time for spiritual things – times with Me, Bible study, prayer time, ministry.  What you put into your heart is what comes out in your life – is it love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control or is it covetousness, deceit, envy, sensuality, slander, pride, foolishness, evil thoughts?