S.O.A.P.

Daily S.O.A.P Blog

Always Enough

When Solomon turned to God, God supplied exactly what Solomon needed in order to fulfill his calling.
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Scripture
1 Kings 3:7-10
7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 
Observation
Solomon was now on the throne, and beginning to feel the weight of responsibility. Reality was sinking in: the kingdom needed a leader, and the people were looking to him! Solomon knew that he was not able to carry the load without help–and so he asked God to give him wisdom to do what God had called him to do. It wasn’t a surprise to God that Solomon needed help–God was perfectly aware of his limitations, and perfectly aware of the enormity of the responsibility. When Solomon turned to God, God supplied exactly what Solomon needed in order to fulfill his calling. 
Application
God seems to enjoy stretching me outside of my comfort zone! So often, following the voice of God takes me far outside the limits of my own ability. How amazing though, to serve a God who is able to supply what I lack–who doesn’t just set me up for failure and then sit back and laugh as I stumble. Instead, he gives me opportunities to grow–and then waits to see whether I will turn my heart to him…or try to figure it out on my own. When I turn to God, he gives me strength when mine runs out. When I turn to God, he gives me wisdom when mine is inadequate. When I turn to God, he supplies everything that I need in order to follow His voice.
This week, I choose to constantly point my heart back to God. I choose to ask for the things that I need, trusting that He knows my needs and is able to supply them. 
Prayer
God, thank you for supplying all that I need. Thank you for not setting me up for failure, even when you stretch me far outside of my comfort zone. Thank you that you are always present, always faithful, and always enough. 
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Becoming, Imperfectly

I need to be ‘ok’ with imperfection–but not ‘ok’ with ignoring it. I need to continually course-correct my own heart back to God, so that I can point others continually back to him as well.
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Scripture
1 Chronicles 29:1
“And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.” 
Observation
David knew his death was approaching, and was beginning to hand off the kingdom to his son Solomon, whom God had anointed to be king after David. Solomon was young, inexperienced, green, imperfect, and likely to make many mistakes–and yet he was exactly who God had called. David acknowledged all of the potential problems, but established Solomon on the throne with his blessing. David knew that God doesn’t require perfection, but a willingness to continually correct back to God. 
Application
What an amazing story! Solomon had such huge shoes to fill–not because David was perfect, but because in his imperfection he had chosen to allow God to use him as God saw fit. I can only imagine as David spoke, that he was remembering himself as the young and inexperienced ruler that God had anointed to lead 70 years prior. David candidly acknowledged the obstacles that Solomon would face as the new king, and then rallied the influential leaders in the kingdom to support Solomon in the task before him–building the temple of God.
I’m grateful to the leaders that God has put in my life who have loved, mentored, and supported me as I grow in my calling. I want to have that same outlook on those that I influence! Not to ignore challenges, obstacles, or shortcomings–nor yet to sit back with arms crossed and a critical spirit to merely point out flaws–but with a heart to invest all of my ability and influence in developing those that God has called and anointed. I want to be the kind of leader that acknowledges imperfection instead of ignoring it–so that the kingdom can pull together in unity to see great things accomplished with God.
This week, I need to be ‘ok’ with imperfection–but not ‘ok’ with ignoring it. I need to continually course-correct my own heart back to God, so that I can point others continually back to him as well. 
Prayer
God, thank you for loving me despite my own imperfection. Thank you for growing me, developing me, and putting leaders in my life who inspire me to reach higher and grow farther. Help me to cultivate that same growth in others–not a facade of perfection, but rather a deep and consistent change which daily brings each of us closer to you. 
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Merely Imitating

Because of Paul’s example of faith in the middle of suffering, the believers at Thessalonica learned to follow Christ and endure through their own trials.
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Scripture
1 Thessalonians 1:6
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” 
Observation
Paul knew what suffering was all about. He had endured plenty of suffering on his journey and had learned a depth of contentment in God, which transcended the present and temporary suffering. 

Because of his example, the believers at Thessalonica learned to follow Christ and endure through their own trials. 

Application
Some seasons are just hard. This is true for everyone-believers and non-believers alike. My walk with God cannot be a conditional negotiation of “if you make my life easy, then I’ll serve you.” This is not what service to the Lord looks like! Instead, my walk with God must be built on the simple foundation that He is sufficient, and His joy is all the strength I need.
I want my life to be this kind of example to the world, so that others would draw closer to God by imitating my example. 
Prayer
God, thank you for your joy which is my strength! Thank you for your joy which is present and sufficient, no matter my circumstance. Help me learn daily to follow you in such a way that those around me would be drawn closer to you and not farther away by following my example. 

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The Voice of Love

I must care enough for those around me to be the voice of truth- even when truth requires tension.
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Scripture
2 Samuel 19:5-7
“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.” 
Observation
David had paid a terrible price for doing what was necessary and right. Unfortunately, more was needed from him. The kingdom didn’t pause, and the world did not stop turning just because the king was grieving. In fact, David’s grief had now begun to immobilize him to the point that the men on whom he relied were beginning to unravel. This couldn’t have been what David wanted to hear, but it’s what he needed someone to tell him. Joab stepped up to the plate and called him out, because he cared enough to not let David destroy himself.
Application
God has blessed me with valuable relationships. He has blessed me with people to pour into and mentor, people to walk alongside on the journey, and people who are able to pour into me also. Some of the most valuable people he’s blessed me with, are those who care enough about me to speak difficult things, to warn me about the precipice edge that I haven’t yet noticed. These people are not the ones who always agree with me, but rather the ones who love me enough to disagree with a Christlike heart when necessary.
This week, I need to honor the role they play in my life, to keep me growing forward. This week I also need to care enough for those around me, to be the voice of truth even when truth requires tension. 
Prayer
God, thank you for your ‘honest love’ – love which loves me where I am, but loves me too much to leave me unchanged. Thank you for those special friends and mentors you’ve placed in my life, who love me enough to confront me when needed. Help me to always love others enough to disagree–with a Christlike heart. 

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The Price Tag

Sometimes there is a high price for doing what is right. David chose to pay the price so that God would be glorified–through the pain, through the sorrow, through the agony.

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Scripture
2 Samuel 18:32-33
“The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”
The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you O Absalom, my son, my son!” 
Observation
What a heartbreaking story, in every way! A rebellious son, a divided nation, a violent uprising, and a king who was forced to send elite special forces after his own child. David did what he knew he had to do and sent his army to quell the uprising–but his grief was real, raw, and agonizing–even though he knew what he had done was right. 
Application
Sometimes there is a high price for doing what is right. As a young man David had defended ‘the Lord’s anointed’ when Saul was on the throne–and now, David was forced to uphold this same responsibility now that he was the one sitting on the throne. The ‘right thing’ had not changed–but now the cost was much higher.
There are times in my life that the ‘right thing’ will cost me something. This may be a physical cost, or it may be an emotional and relational cost. David paid the cost, because he realized that the cost of NOT doing the right thing would be even higher–not only for him, but also for the nation and potentially even for Absalom. The cost of inaction was to give up and abdicate the anointing of God, and surrender the kingdom to evil men.
Instead, David chose to pay the price so that God would be glorified–through the pain, through the sorrow, through the agony. 
Prayer
God, thank you for guiding and leading through the hard moments as well as the easy ones. Thank you for being willing to pay an unfathomably high price to show you love for me! Give me courage and wisdom to make decisions that honor you, even when the price is high. May you be glorified not only in my joy, but also in my sorrow. 

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The Source of Victory

Resources are great, technology is helpful, and strategy is important–but my victory and success must be built on nothing else but God.
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Scripture
Psalm 20:6-7
“Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” 
Observation
“This I know.” David is not writing about something he heard a rumor about, or something he merely suspects to be true. He is writing about a deep truth that he knows and is certain of.
“The Lord gives victory to His anointed”. Who was God’s anointed? The king. The king is the one that the nation looks to for leadership, for guidance, for decisions, for stability, for strategy. And yet David knew that his success as a king was not determined by his own ability to lead the nation to victory, but rather in keeping his heart aligned with the God who had anointed him. His success as a leader would not come from technology, or military might–but rather from God himself. 
Application
Resources are great, technology is helpful, and strategy is important–but my victory and success must be built on nothing else but God. He is the one who calls me, equips me, empowers me, and leads me. I have a responsibility to walk faithfully and fulfill what He has entrusted to me, to the best of my ability–but my trust cannot be in my own abilities. I must daily choose to turn to God, to seek God, to listen to God, and to lean on God. 
Prayer
God, thank you for being a sure foundation. Thank you for leading me, and providing all that I need. Help me to daily choose to lean on you instead of on my own strength and abilities. 
 
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Called and Empowered

God will not instruct me to do that which He will not also empower me to accomplish.
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Scripture
Matthew 21:1-3
“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 
Observation
God does not lack the resources to accomplish his plans. Though we may not see the resource presently, He does. He sent His disciples ahead to prepare, with instructions to boldly step into the resources he had prepared. If challenged they were to respond “the Lord needs this!” Their confidence came not from a greedy or self-centered motivation, but from the certainty that the Lord was coming, He had prepared the way for them, and now they were simply fulfilling their role in preparing the way for Him. 
Application
The King is coming! One day Christ will return, and He has tasked me with preparing the way before Him-not only preparing for His return here on earth, but also preparing hearts for His arrival as the Savior. He has provided everything necessary for me to fulfill his instructions to me. I may not see every resource yet, but He has provided all that I need. He calls me to be bold in stepping forward–not for self-gain, but because “the Lord needs” all of the resources that He has instructed me to prepare for Him.
This week I choose to obey with confidence: not to timidly go donkey-shopping, but instead to boldly claim that which Christ has established and prepared in advance. 
Prayer
God, thank you for the certainty of knowing that you will not instruct me to do that which you will not also empower me to accomplish. Give me wisdom to obey you boldly, so that your name would be proclaimed, and your kingdom established. 

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Motives

David’s response reveals his heart: “Ok God. I don’t fully understand, but I choose to submit. May You be glorified, whether through me or through someone else!”
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Scripture
1 Chronicles 17:1-4,23-24
“After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord in under a tent.” Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.” But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying: “Go and tell my servant David, “This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.”
23 “…And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be stablished forever. Do as you have promised so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, “The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!” and the house of your servant David will be established before you.”
Observation
David didn’t seek the throne, or fame as a warrior, Nevertheless, here he was sitting on the throne and leading the nation. He had a dream and desire to build a house for God. This was a noble and God-honoring plan, and he even had a green light from the prophet Nathan to move forward…then suddenly the whole thing grinds to a halt and God says, “No.”
Not just “No for now,” but “No forever.”
David would absolutely NOT be the one to build a house for God. David could have become frustrated, angry, cynical, and bent out of shape. Instead, his response reveals his heart: “Ok God. I don’t fully understand, but I choose to submit. May You be glorified, whether through me or through someone else!”
Application
Motives are sneaky things. I can ‘do’ all the right things, and yet my heart can be far from right. There are times on the journey when God will test my heart, to see what is revealed. Am I serving Him for his glory, or for my own? Am I sharing the gospel so that people would know His name, or mine? Am I building His house so that His kingdom would be established, or mine?
I choose today, to point people to Him. Whether in publicity or obscurity, whether in fulfillmment or frustration. I choose to glorify God with my heart and not just with my hands–even when it means watching someone else get the credit for the thing that I poured my heart into. I choose to honor him when I hear “no”, not only when I hear “yes”.
Prayer
God, may you be glorified in my life. When my heart is tested, may the things revealed in me be pleasing to you. In each situation may you receive the glory, whether or not I get the credit. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for the privilege of serving you. 
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Complete Praise


He deserves for me to proclaim his greatness to those around me. He deserves for me to publicly declare how good He is. Anything less, is incomplete praise.
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Scripture
1 Chronicles 16:7-8
“That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; make known among the nations what He has done.” 
Observation
David appointed Asaph and the rest, for the purpose and calling of giving praise to the Lord. The praise they were to give was not just a quiet, internal, hidden and private acknowledgement of God’s greatness. David instructed them to give praise to the Lord and proclaim his name…and let all the other nations know what God has done. 
Application
God is great, loving, kind, just, merciful, generous, powerful, and so much more. I know this, because I have experienced his greatness and his presence in my own life. There is no doubt in my mind, how awesome my God is!
And yet, there are so many people on earth who do not know how great God is. They’ve not seen or experienced his blessing and his salvation. God deserves my praise and my worship in the quietness of my own heart-but he also deserves so much more than that! He deserves for me to proclaim his greatness to those around me. He deserves for me to publicly declare how good He is. Anything less, is incomplete praise.
This week, I choose to praise God and lift his name high. I choose to talk about what He’s done in my life, to those who do not yet know him. 
Prayer
God, thank you for your goodness and greatness. I choose to praise you with my life and my words, so that those who don’t yet know you would have a chance to catch a glimpse of your greatness.
 
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Search Me

David didn’t hide his heart, or excuse his heart. He bared his heart before God, and invited the discomfort of growth.
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Scripture
Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, oh God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” 
Observation
David was not perfect, but he desired to become the man that God desired him to be. He kept his heart transparent before God, and invited God to shape and mold him, and deal with anything impure within him. He didn’t hide his heart, or excuse his heart. He bared his heart before God, and invited the discomfort of growth.
Application
I am imperfect. On my own, I cannot measure up to what God desires. God sees all, so I cannot hide from Him. He knows all, so I cannot maintain a facade before Him. All I can do is accept the grace He offers me, and allow Him to continue to shape me into His image. 
Prayer
God, thank you for loving me! Thank you for seeing every part of my heart, and loving me anyway. I invite your transformation and growth in my life. Lead me in your ways, so that I would grow daily more like you. 
 
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