Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 22, 2025: SOAP #5710: Isaiah 36-37; Psalm 76; 1Peter 1

SCRIPTURE:  1Peter (NIV) 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

OBSERVATION:   It is generally accepted that Peter wrote his first letter to believers around 62-64AD, likely from Rome.  He was writing to believers in Asia Minor.  The persecution of Christians in Jerusalem caused them to scatter throughout the Roman world. 

Wherever they were living, Peter wanted them to know that God knew where they were and that the Holy Spirit had set them apart with the blood of the crucified Jesus applied to their lives.  Now they were to walk in obedience to Jesus. 

APPLICATION:   What was true of the believers to whom Peter was writing, is true of SOAP readers today in America, Asia, Africa, etc.  What was true in 63AD is also true in 2025AD.  We too have been set apart with our sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit has set us apart to live in obedience and for the glory of Jesus. 

Today we live in the grace of Jesus—grace sufficient to cover all our sins!  And we enjoy peace from the Prince of Peace!    We are greatly blessed!!

PRAYER:   Heavenly Father, thank you for your abundant provision for me.  You sent your Son, Jesus, to provide forgiveness for my sins.  And you sent your Holy Spirit to guide me through each day.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 21, 2025: SOAP #5709: 2Kings 18-19; 2Chronicles 32; James 5

SCRIPTURE:  James 4: ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
2Kings 18: ⁵ Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. ⁶ He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. ⁷ And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

OBSERVATION:   In 2Kings we see how the success of Hezekiah was preceded by his trusting and “holding fast” to the Lord.  Then in the book of James we see the same progression.  Resisting the devil should be preceded by submitting myself to God.  Desiring God to come near to me should be preceded by my coming near to God.  Being lifted up by God is preceded by humbling myself. 

APPLICATION:  So many of the victories God brings are preceded by having the proper attitude of heart.  As I work with the Holy Spirit in winning the battle on the inside, God works in my circumstances to win the battles around me. 

PRAYER:   Lord, I draw near to you by keeping you in my thoughts; I submit myself to you by obeying you; and I humble myself before you by seeing myself as Your servant.   Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 20, 2025: SOAP #5708: 2Chronicles 29-31; James 4

SCRIPTURE:  2Chronicles 31:21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

OBSERVATION:   Hezekiah was not living a compartmentalized life.  He sought the Lord for everything he did, not just the hard things and not just the religious things. 

Three things:  He sought God, he worked wholeheartedly, and he prospered.  He did the first two and God did the third!  The first two set him in a manner in which God would want to bless him.  It was God’s joy to prosper him!

Sometimes we try to force God to bless us; we use God’s Word for the purpose of getting a blessing.  “Lord, You said ‘If I do this, you have to do that.’”  Serving God is not manipulating Him to get Him to do something for me.  When I seek the Lord and work wholeheartedly because I just want to please Him rather than for what I can get, then God can choose to bless me because I bring Him joy; in turn He brings me joy. 

The blessings that start in God’s heart because He loves me are much greater than the blessings that start in my mind because I want something. 

APPLICATION:  I want God to enjoy making me prosper as much as I enjoy prospering.    May God enjoy blessing me as much as I enjoy His blessing. 

PRAYER:   Lord, give me the wisdom to understand how much You have already done for me.  The joy in my heart from knowing You, gives me the strength to serve you wholeheartedly.  May my love for you, bring you joy.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 17, 2025: SOAP #5705: Isaiah 29-31; James 1

SCRIPTURE:  James (NIV) 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

OBSERVATION:   Our mouth and our words are a very important part of our religion.  We enter our relationship with God by our words. Romans 10:10 says “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  1John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Although not the only expression of our faith, words are commonly the first expression.  James tells us that our words are important as we continue in our relationship with God.   

APPLICATION:  My words are a window through which others can see into my soul.    My words reveal my attitudes and my priorities.   My words bring the thoughts of my heart out into the open.   (Matthew 12:34)

But it is not just the words that come from my mouth, but also the words that I write in letters, even those I put on Facebook, the internet, and other “social media.”  Some people must think that since no one is listening to their speech it is ok to write their thoughts and feelings on the internet. 

We should take our words to God before we blurt them out of our mouth or write them on the internet!  

PRAYER:   Holy Spirit, help the words I speak from my mouth, and the words I write on the internet, not to be a quick response to what is happening around me, but a sure expression of Your Presence within me.    Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 15, 2025: SOAP #5703: Isaiah 25-28; Hebrews 13

SCRIPTURE:  Isaiah (MSSG) 28:24 Do farmers plow and plow and do nothing but plow? Or harrow and harrow and do nothing but harrow? 25 After they’ve prepared the ground, don’t they plant? Don’t they scatter dill and spread cumin, Plant wheat and barley in the fields and raspberries along the borders? 26 They know exactly what to do and when to do it. Their God is their teacher. 27 And at the harvest, the delicate herbs and spices, the dill and cumin, are treated delicately. 28 On the other hand, wheat is threshed and milled, but still not endlessly. The farmer knows how to treat each kind of grain. 29 He’s learned it all from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, who knows everything about when and how and where.

OBSERVATION:   When God takes me through tough times, it can be because He is disciplining me or because He sees something that I can do better.  So He uses the plough to uproot the weeds.  His goal is not to interrupt my life, but to prepare me for something better.  After ploughing, he will plant seeds for a harvest.  He is an excellent farmer or gardener!   I am His field!

APPLICATION:  Farming and gardening work in seasons.  It takes time.  God is the expert on knowing the seasons for planting, watering, and growing.  God knows the nature of each crop and how long is needed in each season.  God has taken me through several seasons in preparing me to write these SOAPs. 

And God has carefully prepared and placed them to reach into several Muslim communities.  God loves the Muslims so much and desires that they be a part of His Kingdom!  He has carefully been scattering some SOAP seeds in the Muslim areas and many have received Jesus as Savior and Lord!  

PRAYER:  Lord, we pray for the new members of your kingdom.  They have received your forgiveness and are living for your glory.  May your word become strong in their lives.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 15, 2025: SOAP #5703: Isaiah 22-24; Hebrews 12

OBSERVATION:   Here we are invited to join the author in setting our focus on Jesus.  If we have received Him as our Lord and Savior, this is a very logical invitation.  Knowing that he is the greatest source of wisdom, means that my mind is always open to His input.  Knowing that He can see into the future and knows the thoughts and purposes of those around me…it is foolish for me to push Him out of my thoughts! 

In this verse and its context, the author of Hebrews does not hide the fact that living for Jesus can be difficult.  Everything does not go our way.  We may be persecuted by those who do not understand.    Jesus too was persecuted, and I am not called to endure more than he did.     

APPLICATION:  So what am I to do?  I am to focus—to fix my eyes upon Jesus.  Presently, it is the eyes of faith.  Soon it will be face to face.  I need to keep singing the chorus I learned years ago. 
                       Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

                                 Look full in His wonderful face.

                                 And the things of earth will grow strangely dim  

                                 In the light of His glory and grace.

PRAYER:   Lord, looking at you always lifts my day.    Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 14, 2025: SOAP #5702: Isaiah 19-21; Hebrews 11

SCRIPTURE:  Hebrews (NIV) 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews (NIV) 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

OBSERVATION:   God could have set any criteria as a basis for His favor.  He could have chosen to favor those with great abilities.  He could have chosen to favor those with physical beauty …or with great knowledge …or those who make great accomplishments.   In these areas, we may excel in comparison to others, but in comparison to God, we all fall short.   But God chooses a measure for His blessings in which we all start at the same level.  God chose FAITH!   Our faith pleases God!               

APPLICATION:  Faith in God is very reasonable.  It is just as reasonable as believing something weighing thousands of pounds can move through the air without touching the ground.  To me it is so reasonable to believe that airplanes fly that I pay money to ride.  And it is even more reasonable to believe that the God of the universe created me for His glory.  He is pleased when I become convinced that He is and that He loves me.  I am learning to love Him and trust His word!   

PRAYER:   Lord, you are believable!  Believing in you gives meaning to my life.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
July 13, 2025: SOAP #5701: Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10

SCRIPTURE:  [This was the way it was under the Old Testament Law.]
Hebrews (NIV) 10:11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again, and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
[This is how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law!]
Hebrews 10:14  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy.
[Now, this is the way it is: Old Testament laws written on stone tablets now replaced by New Testament laws written on hearts by the Holy Spirit]
Hebrews 10:16 …I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.

OBSERVATION:   What a difference Jesus made!  He put an end to the daily sacrifices made in the tabernacle, then in the temple.  And the way He did it is amazing.  He did not just make a statement that animal sacrifices were not really covering the cost of sin; He personally made the true sacrifice to which the animal sacrifices pointed.  Once and for all time, He made the perfect sacrifice to cover the penalty for sin!  It never needs to be repeated!  AND WHAT”S MORE: He sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts! 

APPLICATION:  My first response is to accept His offer of forgiveness; He is my Savior!  My next response is to thank Him.  Then I make my Savior to be my Lord (a title that He rightly deserves).  Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I set my heart to live a life that brings Him honor and great joy. 

PRAYER:   Jesus, after all You have done for me, my response must be more than just “Thank you!”  My life is yours. My future is yours. Today is yours!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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