Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 18, 2022: SOAP #4488:  Joshua 1-2; Psalm 37; 1Corinthians 3

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm (NIV) 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  …  23 If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

OBSERVATION: What does it mean to “delight” myself in the LORD?  To delight is something that happens in my mind and my heart.  It usually includes my feelings.  My countenance carries a look of pleasure.  In my voice can be heard some emotion.  My words and actions express appreciation. 

APPLICATION: As a new husband delights in his wife and as a new wife delights in her husband so I should delight in the LORD!   My delight cannot be hidden from others.  People around me know what delights me.  Not only do I delight in God; God delights in me! 

AND God’s delight in me also shows.  When others are swamped by troubles, they see me walking tall.  When I stumble God holds me steady and re-establishes my feet on the path. People can see how God delights in me.  They see evidence of His Presence. 

PRAYER:  Lord, my heart is filled with joy and peace in knowing that you delight in me.  May your heart also be filled with joy in knowing that I delight in you!  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 17, 2022: SOAP #4487:  Deuteronomy 32-34; 1Corinthians 2

SCRIPTURE: [This is a portion of God’s Word.]  1Corinthians (NIV) 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

OBSERVATION: [This is what I see in the above scripture put into my own words.]  God created man for fellowship.  God wanted a living being to love and to love Him in return.  Sin spoiled God’s plan, but sin provided the opportunity for God to reveal how much He can love!  He gave His own Son to pay the needed death penalty for man.  But the fellowship that God desired was still less than what God wanted.  Man was still too man-centered and world-centered.  God sent the Holy Spirit, not to die for us, nor to walk with us, but to LIVE IN US!  The Spirit teaches us spiritual truth.  He helps us remember what Jesus has said.  He gives us direction. 

APPLICATION: [This is how Leon is to apply the truth to my daily life.]  The Holy Spirit works to direct my thoughts, He gives me understanding from the scriptures, He helps me make good decisions.  When I hear truth from the Bible, or from a teacher, or see God at work around me, the Holy Spirit stirs my heart.  I understand that God is speaking to Leon!  He is saying something I need to remember and apply to my life. I have found that the Holy Spirit helps keep my joy level on full! 

PRAYER: [This is a short prayer regarding the above.]  Holy Spirit, I need your fellowship.  I need to learn from you.  Help me understand the things God speaks to me. Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 16, 2022: SOAP #4486:  Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalm 40; 1Corinthians 1

SCRIPTURE:  Deuteronomy (NIV) 31:3 The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said….
6  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”…
8  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

OBSERVATION: In Moses farewell message to the children of Israel he gives them two promises from the LORD God.  In verse three above Moses tells the people that “God himself” will go ahead of them.  In verse six, Moses tells the people that “the LORD your God goes with you.” 

So, Moses, which is it?  How can both be true?  Is God going ahead or with?  In verse eight, Moses tells Joshua that BOTH are correct!  “The LORD himself goes before you AND will be with you!!!”

APPLICATION: It is a promise that only God can keep.  God is with me AND He goes before me.  As I walk with God and step out in faith, not knowing how things will work out, I find that God has already arrived at my destination and has things well under control!  He arrived long before I got there.  He has been there a long time!  

When I become aware of His Presence, paralyzing fear melts away.  Through meditating on God’s Word, through worship, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers I can increase my awareness of His Presence! 

PRAYER:  Lord, as you were with the Israelites in the wilderness, you were also at work inside the Promised Land.  As you are working in me to increase my faith, you are also at work in the circumstances into which you are leading me.  You are preparing for a victory celebration!  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 15, 2022: SOAP #4485:  Deuteronomy 28-29; Galatians 6

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIV) 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

OBSERVATION:  Here we are given a universal law that affects every aspect of life. 
Verse 6 and 10 show that it applies financially and materially.
Verses 8 and shows that it applies spiritually,
Verse 9 is the application of this truth.  We should always be sowing.  Reaping is assured if we remain faithful. 

God cannot be mocked.  To think that one can sow one kind of crop and reap another is foolish.  When I understand the seriousness of this law, I can greatly appreciate that Jesus took my place to reap the harvest of the sin I had sown.   And by so doing, He set me free to reap the blessings of the seed he sowed in dying on the cross.

APPLICATION:  Sometimes my greatest financial need is to understand the truth in these verses.   I need to give with faith that God will bring the reward.  As I sow, God brings the harvest. 

I must remember that there is both a negative and positive application to this law.  I can sow to reap destruction OR I can sow to reap eternal life.  Today I want to sow good things into people’s lives.  In that way I will be preparing for a future harvest of blessing. 

It is too late for us to do more about our present harvest, but we can do something about our future harvest.

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for giving laws to set order in this world.     Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 14, 2022: SOAP #4484:  Deuteronomy 25-27; Galatians 5

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIV) 5:16 This I say then, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”  …
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law….
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

OBSERVATION: Removing sexual immorality, hatred, jealousy, fits of rage and other works of the flesh mentioned later in this chapter—removing these from our life cannot be accomplished by focusing on stopping them.  Trying to convince myself that I really do not want to do something just does not work.  Talking myself into being strong and resisting temptation is useless too.  The only way to overcome the tendency of the flesh to succumb to temptation is to focus on what the Spirit is saying and doing.

APPLICATION: I must give up trying to win victory over the temptations in my own strength.  It is when I walk in the Spirit that I do not gratify the desires of the flesh!  It is when I set my thoughts on the presence of the Holy Spirit and what He is doing in my life that I do not yield to sinful temptations. 

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit who lives in me and walks with me and talks to me.  You knew what I would need!   I need help in overcoming the temptations around me.  In your wisdom, you gave me your Spirit!   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 13, 2022: SOAP #4483:  Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4

SCRIPTURE:  Deuteronomy (NIV) 24:17 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. 19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

OBSERVATION: If the Israelites remembered how it was to be an alien in a foreign country, they know how the alien and fatherless felt.  They would better understand these foreign people. 
–If the Israelites remembered how it was to be aliens in Egypt, they would better understand what they could do to help these people.
–If the Israelites remembered how it was to be in Egypt, they would better understand that God cared for these people. 

APPLICATION: If I remember how I came out of bondage to sin, I will better understand how to help others. 
–If I remember how God has delivered me, and helped me, and healed me, and provided for me…then I will be better able to help others understand how to have faith for the same thing. 

(Personal note:  Both my mother’s and father’s ancestors came to the USA in the 1870’s.  I need to remember that the USA is a nation built by immigration.  The aliens/foreigners now living and working among us need to be introduced to “the power/GOD that hath made and preserved us a nation!” Our national motto is “In God we trust!”  Both quotes from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem. They need to know!) 

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, your loving care reaches out to all people.  I pray that it will flow through me.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 12, 2022: SOAP #4482:  Deuteronomy 19-21; Galatians 3

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIV) 3:12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

OBSERVATION: It is abundantly clear that we cannot meet the righteous demands of holy living required by the law.  We are hopelessly under the curse of the law because we have sinned.  (We are hopeless in saving ourselves, or in depending on another son of Adam to do it for us because they have all sinned too!)

But the good news is that Someone, not a son of Adam, but the Son of Man, conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin has redeemed us! That redemption was purchased for us by the only One who was not under the curse.  He became a curse for us enabling us to receive the blessings of Abraham, God desiring that we all share in those blessings.

And without the redemption of Jesus, we could never share in the blessed ministry of the Holy Spirit!   What a loss that would be to us!

APPLICATION: I am amazed that God would love me enough to redeem me from the curse of my breaking the law.  He took the penalty and let me go free just as if I had never sinned!  I am amazed!

This life, which was started by faith, cannot be lived out in my own strength or wisdom.  When I try to live in my own strength, I soon find myself needing to repent, confess, and receive forgiveness.  Victory is mine when I continue to live by faith in relationship with the Holy Spirit. 

PRAYER:  Lord, may my appreciation of your amazing grace be easily seen by those around me.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 11, 2022: SOAP #4481:  Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalm 38; Galatians 2

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIV) 2:7 [Paul writing] …they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. 8 For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

OBSERVATION: In the early church, there were two groups of believers.  There were those who had been born and raised in the Jewish religion.  They followed the religious pathway into which Jesus was born.  The second group had no Jewish background and did not even understand all the feasts, sacrifices, and temple requirements.  God loves both, so He sent James, Peter, and John to the Jews.  And He sent Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles. 

APPLICATION: The same is true with this SOAP ministry.  I listen carefully to what God would have me write.  Every day I send it out by email, and blog, and Facebook.  God has given different people different assignments.  Some translate and post them on the internet.  Some print them and distribute them in the marketplace.  Some print and distribute them to churches and Bible studies.  Some forward email to their family and friends.  There are different assignments in different countries and in different languages.  But in whatever language and in whatever country, the message is from the Lord. 

The God who was “…at work in the ministry of Peter…was also at work in my {Paul’s} ministry…” And the same God is “at work” in these SOAPs.  To me the proof is how God has provided/assigned His servants to spread them. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, anoint me each day with thoughts that are easy to understand, easy to translate, and easy to apply to each reader’s life. As each of us fulfill our assignment, help us to bring joy to the Father’s heart.  May Jesus be glorified! Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 10, 2022: SOAP #4480:  Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1

SCRIPTURE:  Galatians (NIC) 1:22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.

OBSERVATION: Paul was writing to the church in Galatia and giving some of his own testimony.  What a change Jesus had brought in Paul’s life.  It was a dramatic change, one that could be easily seen by people around him.  Once they feared Paul as he set about persecuting the church; now they praised God because of him.

APPLICATION: There are two worthy goals for my life.  First: I want God to receive praise from me. There is much around me for which I can give God praise. 

And second: I want God to receive praise from others because of me.  May it be easy to see Jesus in my life, words, and deeds. 

PRAYER:  Lord, what a special joy it is to know that something I do causes others to praise you!  It makes my heart smile.   Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 9, 2022: SOAP #4479:  Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 16

SCRIPTURE:  Mark (NIV) 16:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.  20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

OBSERVATION: The ministry of Jesus was a teaching ministry that was confirmed by the signs and wonders he performed.  People might deny the truth of His teaching, but they could not deny the miraculous healings. 

Here at the end of the book, Mark speaks of His (Jesus) leaving AND His continued ministry through the disciples.  The confirmation that the disciples were doing God’s work was “the signs that accompanied it.”  It was the same confirmation that accompanied Jesus’ ministry. 

APPLICATION: The same Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus at His water baptism was the same Holy Spirit that descended on the disciples un the upper room on the day of Pentecost.  The Spirit-anointed ministry of Jesus continued in the disciples.

That same Holy Spirit came to live within me when I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  It was the same Holy Spirit that overflowed my life when I was baptized in the Spirit.  At salvation, the Spirit comes to live within me.  I contain the Spirit.  He goes where I go, He is my ever-present Comforter.  When I was baptized, I entered the life of the Spirit.  He contained me!  I go where He leads, say what He gives me, and do what He directs. 

(Salvation is like a jar being filled with water.  The jar contains the water.  Baptism is like the jar being thrown into the ocean.  The water contains the jar!  The jar now moves at the influence of the currents in the water.)

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, thank you for revealing Jesus to me. I want you to flow through me as you did through Jesus on this earth.  As Jesus did, I want to live in the ever-flowing current of the ocean of your presence.  Amen.

Pastor Leon
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