Category: Strength for Today

Ezra 6:14
“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”

There was a key element that stirred Ezra to rebuild the temple and finish it. Among all the attacks, setbacks and demanding work, there was something that stirred him to continue until he finished. Preaching was the key element that made this happen. The verse above says that “they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” The prophet’s preaching is what stirred these people to rebuild and finish the great work. In this verse, you find five benefits that preaching will have in your life.

First, preaching always stirs to build and not to maintain. They could have kept the status quo and simply cleaned the temple, but preaching stirred them to build. One of the great motivators in anyone’s life will be preaching. You will always know if you are listening to good preaching by how much it stirs you to build something. You will never leave good preaching without being stirred to do something. Good preaching will blast you out of a mediocrity mindset to a building mindset.

Second, preaching turns a dead and broken work into a thriving and prospering work. It was preaching that caused Ezra and the people to remove the rubble and build. The only hope for a dead church or a broken life is preaching. Programs and seminars never build a thriving work. Only preaching will light the fire in the hearts of a dead church or broken life and cause them to prosper. If you are going to turn a dead church or broken life around, you will only do it through real preaching.

Third, preaching keeps you going when facing the obstacles between the start and the finish. I love the phrase in the verse above, “And they builded…” There will come a point in any work when it becomes mundane, but preaching is what turns the mundane work into an exciting work. It is preaching that will keep you going through the monotonous. You will never make it through the humdrum period of any work without good preaching.

Fourth, preaching causes you to stay close to God’s commandments. They rebuilt the temple “according to the commandment of the God.” Everyone needs to be reminded of what we should and should not do, and good preaching will be that reminder. The good preacher will not be concerned if his preaching offends someone, but he will be concerned with pleasing God and keeping the people living according to the Word of God. You will never stay close to God’s commandments without staying under preaching.

Fifth, preaching causes you to finish what you start. Ezra didn’t just start the job, but he finished it. Good preaching will stress the importance of finishing what you start. One big reason you need to hear preaching regularly is because it will remind you to keep going until you finish.

Never undervalue the power of preaching. Don’t miss one preaching service. One of these five elements will occur every time you hear preaching. If you want to live a prosperous life, it will only happen with the help of preaching.

2 Chronicles 35:2
“And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,”

Being a spiritual leader can at times be one of the most thankless jobs. We have all heard the stories of those spiritual leaders who abused their position, but for every one who abused their position, there are hundreds of others who invested their lives and helped those whom they’ve led. I’m afraid that we are often guilty of focusing on those negative leaders instead of focusing on those who are helping.

When Ezra set the office of the priests in order, he made sure that he encouraged them as they fulfilled their duties. I think Ezra understood that if they were going to help him, he needed to be sure to encourage them. Whether it is your pastor, those who assist him, Sunday school teacher, or an evangelist or missionary, you should regularly take time to be an encouragement to spiritual leaders. Let me give you several suggestions on how you can be an encouragement to your spiritual leaders.

First, pray for them. I don’t know of a greater way to encourage those who spiritually lead you than to pray for them. The Devil is after them, and your prayers for protection, wisdom and blessings on their life can be the difference between them quitting or going forward in their calling. You should make it a point every day to remember your spiritual leaders in prayer.

Second, write them notes of encouragement. You don’t have to write them a note every week, but you should make it a point to give them a short note of encouragement and let them know the blessing they have been to you. Let me encourage you not to just write your pastor a note of encouragement, but write notes of encouragement to all of your spiritual leaders. We all think of our pastor when writing these notes, but there are many others who are spiritually influencing our lives who could use a note of encouragement.

Third, get involved! One of the biggest areas of discouragement I hear from spiritual leaders is the lack of involvement from their people. Don’t have the mindset that you are going to watch them do the work. Jump in and help them by getting involved. This can often be the great source of encouragement to them, and it will help lift the burden they carry.

Fourth, change your life for the better. It greatly encourages spiritual leaders when they see those they preach and teach to adhere to what they are giving. They don’t feel like they are speaking to the wind when they see their followers changing areas of their lives because of what is being preached or taught.

Fifth, help others to grow. When you start helping others to grow in the LORD, you will find that it will not only encourage you, but it will encourage those who spiritually lead you. You can be a source of great encouragement by investing your life to help others grow in the LORD.

Friend, let this devotional cause you to ponder what you can do to encourage your leaders. Don’t be the follower who discourages with constant criticism. Be the follower who is a constant source of encouragement to those who invest their lives to spiritually help others.

2 Chronicles 31:21
“And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”

Several years ago, I was talking to my pastor about another man of God. My pastor made an interesting statement about this fellow pastor when he said, “Everything he touches turns to gold.” My pastor was simply commenting on what God was doing through this man. At the time, it was evident that God was greatly using this fellow pastor.

The verse above is a glowing report made by God about Hezekiah. God said that Hezekiah prospered in every work he began. If a person could have the same said about them that God said about Hezekiah, they could name their job because everyone would want to have them on their staff or team. There are several reasons found in this verse which show how you can prosper like Hezekiah.

First, you have to be a starter. It says about Hezekiah, “And in every work that he began…” Hezekiah didn’t just talk about doing things; he started them. You can never be prosperous in anything unless you start something. You need to get beyond the talking stage and start something if you want God to use you.

Second, you must serve your base. Hezekiah started “in the service of the house of God.” He didn’t try to get people to follow him; instead, he served those he led. You will never prosper when you make everything about you. People may serve someone for a short time who makes the work about themselves, but eventually they will become frustrated because their needs are not being met. You must serve those you lead if you want God to bless what you are doing.

Third, you must have rules, boundaries and limitations to guide you. Everything Hezekiah did was inside the commandments of God. You cannot prosper if you don’t set up rules which tell you what you can and cannot do. Rules, boundaries and limitations will tell you not to do something when your emotions blind your ability to look at a situation clearly. There will be times when your emotions will urge you to do something that will ultimately hurt you. This is why you must have principles and limitations which keep you from making those damaging decisions.

Fourth, you must never forget God in any endeavor. Hezekiah sought God in every work. Ultimately, God must be your sole focus in all that you do. You must do things to bring Him glory. Don’t get so busy in life’s endeavors that you leave God behind. You will ultimately lose in those areas dearest to you when you leave Him behind.

Fifth, you must put your whole heart into what you are doing. Everything Hezekiah did, he did it with all his heart. You will never prosper if you don’t put your whole being into what you are doing. It can’t just be a job; it has to be your passion. If what you are doing is only done because you have to do it, you will find yourself missing out on the greater blessings God has for you if you would put your whole heart into it. If you can’t put your heart into what you are doing, you need to reconsider if you should be doing it. If you should be doing what you are not putting your heart into, you need to reorganize your priorities and remove the hindrances that keep you from giving your all. You will only prosper when you have put your whole heart into all that you do.

2 Chronicles 24:25
“And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.”

Anyone who has ever played sports understands the importance of following through. In golf, you are always taught to follow through with your swing. Not following through correctly with your swing will affect the direction of the ball. When throwing a ball, whether it is a baseball or football, your follow-through dictates the accuracy of the throw. In every sport, the player’s follow-through determines the quality of that player.

Likewise, just like follow-through is important to the athlete, follow-through in the Christian life is also important. Joash had an excellent beginning, but he didn’t follow through, which resulted in a bad ending. He started out right by following the priest, destroying the wicked Athaliah, repairing the temple, and rededicating the temple instruments. Sadly, he didn’t follow through, for when Jehoiada the priest died, Joash turned from following the LORD to living a wicked life. His follow-through revealed the major spiritual cracks in his life. There are three valuable lessons that every Christian should learn from the life of Joash about following through.

First, just because you started well doesn’t mean you will end well. Throughout my life, I have watched many people who started out looking like they would do something great for God only to see them change course and end the spiritual life on the wrong foot. It is important to start right in the Christian life, but just because you started right doesn’t guarantee you will always do right. The effectiveness of the Christian life is determined by how you live every day. Just because you did well yesterday doesn’t mean you will do well today. You have to commit daily to do right.

Second, starting right doesn’t justify ending wrong. Joash made the mistake that many Christians make in that he thought he could do whatever he wanted because of his beginning. God never excuses your wrong because you started right. Your history of how you started is irrelevant to how you perform today. You must follow through by living right today if you want yesterday’s actions to continue to make an impact in your life today. It is important to start out right, but you must follow through by ending right.

Third, your follow-through reveals the accuracy of your heart. The end of Joash’s life revealed his true heart. He didn’t do right because it was in his heart; he did right because of Jehoiada the priest. Your follow-through at the end of life reveals why you did what you did in the beginning. If you don’t follow through with doing right at the end of your life, it will often desecrate the works you did at the beginning of your life. Your follow-through, whether good or bad, will validate your beginning works to those whom you’ve influenced.

Friend, let me encourage you never to stop doing right. Don’t let your end invalidate the good works you did at the beginning. A bad ending does not change what you did at the beginning, but it will destroy your intentions in the minds of those who followed you. Don’t just start right, but follow-through by ending right.

2 Chronicles 11:5
“And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.”

It is always amusing listening to those who do so little talk about how busy they are and how much they are doing. Whether or not they are doing as much as they say is anyone’s guess, but one thing that is very evident about these people is that they are all talk with little to show for it. On the other hand, those who are very busy and seem to have several accomplishments never talk about their workload, they just get things done. I would much rather be the last type of person than the first.

Rehoboam seemed to be more like the last person. He was able to multitask, but he never spread himself so thin that he didn’t get anything accomplished. When you look at his resumé, you see that he built several cities, organized the armies, set leaders in the temple and cities, plus he still had time to care for the daily duties of the kingdom and to care for his family. He was a busy man, but he was busy enough to finish. There are several things about Rehoboam’s life that will help you to multitask more efficiently and successfully.

First, you will always accomplish more by serving the LORD than you will through disobedience. In verse 4, you see that he “obeyed the words of the LORD.” Sin has a way of stealing time and your attention. You will always be more efficient by obeying the LORD than you will through disobedience.

Second, you must have a mindset to accomplish. Rehoboam saw several cities that needed to be built, and he set out to build them. Your mindset must be one that you want to accomplish things. You will never be a person of accomplishment without having a mindset to achieve.

Third, you must have a purpose for each task. Rehoboam’s motivation in building these cities was Judah’s defense. A clear mindset of why you are doing what you are doing will help to you better fulfill each task. You will learn that you will waste much time if you don’t have a purpose for each task. Don’t just stay busy throughout your day, but have a purpose for each task into which you are putting your energies.

Fourth, you can’t spread yourself too thin. Rehoboam had a lot going on, but he accomplished his tasks by building one city at a time. One reason many people never accomplish much is because they are doing too many things all at one time. It is better to accomplish one thing than it is to do many things and never complete anything. You will find that if you give your focus to one thing at a time, you will accomplish more than if you spread yourself too thin doing many assignments.

Fifth, you must have the character to finish if you are going to be effective at multitasking. Rehoboam didn’t just start building the cities, but he had the character to finish building them. Don’t be the type of person who starts many things and never finishes anything. Finish what you start! At the end of life, it won’t matter how many things you got involved with, the only thing that will matter is what you have finished.

If you died today, what have you finished? Multitasking is an art, and those who multitask are busy, but they perfect the skill to do it and improve their effectiveness in life. You will only be busy enough to finish if you learn to multitask efficiently.

2 Chronicles 6:19
“Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee:”

It is often said that every failure in the Christian life is a prayer failure. One thing that is evident in the lives of those whom God has used is the prayer life they had, and the effect it had on their ministry and life. When Solomon prayed his dedicatory prayer after building the temple, you find the power that prayer can have on an individual’s life. Let me show seven things about prayer that reveals its power.

First, there is no wrong time to pray. Solomon asked God to answer the prayers of His people day or night. Just because you have a set time to pray doesn’t mean that you have to wait for that time to pray again. A prayer should always be on the tip of your tongue at any time of the day. It should not be an uncommon thing to stop and pray at any moment of the day. Don’t limit the power of prayer to a specific time every day. Unleash the power of prayer by praying day and night.

Second, no bad request can be made in prayer. Solomon didn’t ask God only to answer a certain type of request; he asked God to answer all “supplications.” Don’t ever think that God is not interested in your request. He is interested in every concern, no matter how trivial it may seem to you.

Third, there is no sinful condition so bad that the prayer of forgiveness will not be accepted. Prayer is that avenue the Christian uses to ask God to forgive. Solomon made it clear that He wanted God to forgive His people when they prayed. It doesn’t matter how “bad” your sin may be; God will hear your plea for forgiveness if you will ask Him in prayer.

Fourth, there is no physical condition that prayer cannot help. Solomon made it clear that Israel’s physical condition could never be so bad that God couldn’t do something to help it. Always remember that God is interested in your prayer for help to better your condition or to ask strength to make it through your circumstances. Prayer is the only tool the Christian can use to set God’s help in motion.

Fifth, there is no person that prayer cannot benefit. Solomon asked God to hear even the prayer of the “stranger.” Friend, prayer is not just for the preacher, but prayer is for the Christian. Prayer is the leveling ground that makes every person equal. God doesn’t hear a prayer because of someone’s title or position, but He hears their prayer because they prayed.

Sixth, there is no turmoil that prayer cannot settle down. Solomon asked God to hear the prayer of those in war who prayed toward the temple. You will only find victory through life’s wars by getting God’s help in prayer. When your day become so tumultuous, stop and pray. It is prayer that can give you peace amongst the turbulence of the daily grind.

Seventh, there is no place where a prayer cannot be heard. Solomon asked God to hear the prayer of His children even when they were in captivity. Always remember that God can hear your prayer no matter where you may be. There is no bad place to pray. Prayer is a powerful tool for the Christian to use, be sure to use it in every place you go so that you can realize its power.

1 Chronicles 22:3
“And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;”

David’s great desire that he would not be able to accomplish was to build a temple for the LORD. God honored David for this desire, but because he had been a man of war he could not build it. Instead of sulking and wasting his life on himself, he decided to do one of the best things that he could do: prepare for the next generation. David’s thought process was that though he couldn’t do it, he could live the rest of his life preparing so the next generation could do it. He wanted everything to be ready so that when they took over, they could immediately start the project because all the materials were ready.

David’s mindset of preparing for the next generation is a mindset every Christian should have. In essence, everyone is preparing for the next generation; you are either preparing them to live a life of sin, or you are preparing them to live a life of victory through serving the LORD. There are several mindsets you need to have if you are going to prepare properly for the next generation.

First, prepare for the next generation with your works. David lived the rest of his life setting aside for the next generation. It is not sufficient for you to tell the next generation what the LORD has done, but you must have a mindset to show them God’s works through your life. God is still a God of miracles, and the next generation must see that His miracles are for the present. They need to see God’s miracles in your life to create an appetite to have them in their lives.

Second, prepare for the next generation with your decisions. David made decisions based on how they would affect the next generation. Don’t make the tragic mistake of making decisions based on how it affects today, but make every decision based off where the next generation will take that decision. Many things skirt the line of wrong, but they are not wrong. You would be best to make decisions that stay as far away from the line of wrong so that the next generation won’t take your decision into the wrong.

Third, prepare for the next generation with encouragement and vision. David made it clear to Solomon that he was to build the temple. David didn’t discourage Solomon by constantly berating everything he did, but he encouraged his son to take his vision and complete it. You must be careful that you don’t become jealous that the next generation is actually doing something you could never do. Don’t constantly compare the beginning works of the next generation to the whole works of your generation or the past generation. Instead of being a thorn in their side, be an encourager who cheers them as they pursue the great vision God has for their lives.

Friend, you will never be able to fulfill your whole vision, so live your life imparting a vision to the next generation to complete. Great people will serve their generation and the next one. If you live encouraging the next generation and giving them a vision, you will have a great part in them finishing the work of your vision.

1 Chronicles 9:26-27
“For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them.”

Whether it is a church, business, or a home, part of their success is determined by how they protect their finances. When God set the order for the house of God, He set the Levites “over the chambers and treasuries.” God felt the finances of His house were so important that those in charge of them were to live around the house of God so that they would always be protected. God didn’t want anything to slip through that would steal away the treasuries of His house.

The importance of protecting your finances can never over-emphasized. Many churches have limited their ability to reach the lost because the finances were so poorly run that they never had the money to facilitate extra programs to reach the lost. Finances are the cause of many marital problems. Many businesses have closed their doors because someone didn’t protect the spending. There are some important principles you must learn to keep yourself from financial ruin.

First, treat your finances as a treasure. It is interesting that God uses the word “treasuries” to describe the finances of His house. God was setting the mindset for His people of the importance of taking care of the monies given. I’m always amazed how people will put precious jewels or a treasured asset in a safe or a safety deposit box, but they won’t protect where they spend their money every day. The money you spend every day will eventually be more valuable than your treasured valuables. You should treat every dollar you acquire as a treasure that needs to be protected.

Second, it is important to know the condition of your finances. The Levites were to lodge about the house of God so that they would always know what was in the treasury. Always know the balance in your bank accounts. Guard that balance with your life. Just because you have money doesn’t mean you should spend it. You will always be safer to be tight with your finances than to spend them loosely. Be protective of the bank balances, and save rather than spend them.

Third, protect your finances from anything that would destroy them. One of the purposes of the Levites living around the treasuries was to protect them from outside thieves. Thieves are not always humans. The little things you spend money on are stealing your financial future. I’m not against you enjoying some pleasures in life, but you must be careful about those things that steal your finances a little at a time. For instance, eating out regularly, buying candy bars and sodas, and spending a small amount of money on trinkets will eventually steal your finances. Be careful to guard what you spend your money on and be sure it is something you truly need.

Finally, always keep in mind tomorrow’s needs. Be careful about spending tomorrow’s money on today’s whims. Before you spend any money, always be sure that it doesn’t take away from something you will have to pay tomorrow. Don’t spend with the mindset that you will figure out a way to get the money tomorrow. Tomorrow comes faster than money can be earned. Protect what you have now and you won’t be destitute when tomorrow’s needs arise.

1 Chronicles 4:9
“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.”

Jabez learned something early in life that everyone has to learn if they want to excel. He learned that life is not fair. As much as society tries to make life fair for everyone, it just isn’t going to happen. The sooner a person comes to this realization, the sooner they can do something with their life. If a person lives their life waiting for others to make life fair for them, they will live their life blaming others for their condition in life. On the other hand, when you come to the realization that life is not fair, you will begin the journey to do what you can with life in spite of the unfairness that it brings. The verse above insinuates three things about Jabez that everyone needs to come to grips with if they want to do something with their life.

First, in spite of what others around you do, you must determine to be more honourable. The verse above insinuates that those around Jabez were less honourable. You must decide that no matter what your surroundings of life may be that you are going to be more honourable. You cannot allow your surroundings to dictate what you are going to do. Just because others may live a less than honourable life doesn’t mean that you should go ahead and live the same way. You need to come to a point in your life when you determine that in spite of what others around you do, you are going to do right and be more honourable.

Second, in spite of what your circumstances are, you are going to be more honourable. The verse above also insinuates that others did things to him, but he was not going to act in the same like manner. You are going to have to determine that in spite of what others do to you, you are going to respond in a more honourable manner. When others talk bad about you behind your back, you must determine to talk good about others. When others mistreat you, and they will, you must determine that you will not allow their mistreatment to determine how you treat others. You have to be more honourable than others. What they do should never determine what you do. Your actions must be dictated by what is right.

Third, in spite of who you are, you must determine to be more honourable. In other words, no matter what shortcomings life has given you, you must determine to overcome them. Though Jabez was born in sorrow, he still asked God to bless him and “enlarge” his coast. In spite of his weaknesses, he understood that he needed God’s hand on his life to overcome them. In spite of whatever shortcomings or weaknesses you perceive you have, don’t let them keep you back from dreaming big. There must be something inside of you that determines no matter what physical weaknesses you may have, you are going to overcome them and do something great for God.

Friend, in spite of whatever may try to hold you back, determine with God’s help that you are going to be more honourable. Don’t let life dictate what you are going to do or become, but yield to God and get His presence to help you to “enlarge” your coast in spite of what is against you. You can let life’s circumstances be your crutch to underachieve, or you can get the mindset that in spite of them you are going to do something for God. My question to you is this, what are you going to do?