Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
May 07, 2026: SOAP #5999: 2Samuel 13, 14; Matthew 24

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no-one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. …  11  and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. …
24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

OBSERVATION: To be deceived is to believe a lie.  Jesus said of Satan: “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)  It seems obvious that deception is Satan’s main game. 

In verse 4 above, Jesus warns us.  Yet in verse 5 and 11 we find that many people will be deceived.  And in verse 24 we see that Satan tries to deceive even the “elect.”

APPLICATION: Since Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) I need to keep close to Him and ask the Holy Spirit Who has been given to guide me into all truth (John 16:13) check everything that comes into my mind.   

The Holy Spirit dwells in me.  As I am walking with the Lord through each day, the Holy Spirit communicates with me in my heart, in my spirit.  Our relationship is growing.  Of course, I should not knowingly do something that I know is contrary to God or His Word.  But in areas that I do not know the will of God:  when I feel or sense trouble in my heart, I know I need to change directions, or slow down, or do something different.  If I have peace in my heart, I believe I can move ahead correctly.

I learn by trial and error, but the sooner I learn to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, life will go smoother for me.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit will place a thought in my heart/mind that I cannot ignore.  I must pay attention!

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, cause a question to arise in my heart every time I am about to be deceived into believing a lie.  Teach me how you speak to me.  Keep me free from deception.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
May 06, 2026: SOAP #5998: 2Samuel 11, 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.

OBSERVATION: A life that is acceptable to God starts on the inside.  The inside is always more important than the outside!  The inside sets the standard for the outside.  If the inside is good, the outside will not be allowed to remain bad.  If the inside is bad, the outside can be made to look good to hide the inside.  So, cleaning up the outside is not a guarantee that the inside will follow.       

APPLICATION: I must remember that God lives inside me and is the first to become aware of my thoughts and attitudes.   By the time they get to the outside where others see them, they are often made more acceptable, but God sees them from the beginning.  If I want God to enjoy living in me, I will need His help in rearranging my thoughts and attitudes.  If I set myself to know His Word and to keep myself aware of His presence, I will be able to count on His help in setting both the inside and the outside of my life in proper order. 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, how I need your help to clean up the inside, to keep it clean, and to express Your life on the outside.  May others see evidence of your presence in me.  But most of all, I want you to feel at home in me. May you enjoy living in me. You bring me great joy; may I also bring you joy.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
May 03, 2026: SOAP #5995: 2Samuel 7; 1Chronicles 17; Psalm 2; Matthew 20

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

OBSERVATION: Leadership issues in the Bible are much different than those found in the world, especially in political leaders today.  In some countries, key leaders may have the title “Public Servant” and they use the term “ministry” to describe their office, but it seems they have forgotten what those words mean.  They use their authority to rule and control, instead as a tool to serve others. 

APPLICATION: “How does this work,” I may ask.  Jesus says, “…just as the Son of Man…”  He is saying, “Here’s the way, just follow my example.”  Even in this He is serving me by giving himself as my example.  The emphasis in the gospels is not so much what we can do for Jesus, but what Jesus does for us!!!  And as I grow in my spiritual life, my focus will not be on what others can do for me, but what I can do for others.

I should not be surprised that the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in me inspires me to serves others.  I should not be surprised when I suddenly become aware of a need—the Spirit is showing me an opportunity to serve.  It is usually a need far beyond my ability to meet but when I step out in faith God either multiplies my little or fills in what is missing. 

PRAYER:  Lord, I am your servant.  Use me for your glory today.  Use me to serve others.  I find joy in bringing you pleasure—in making you smile.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 29, 2026:  SOAP #5991: 2Samuel 4,5; Psalm 139; Matthew 16

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

OBSERVATION: The disciples has found in Jesus a man who was worth following.  He spoke truth with wisdom.  He was a healer.  He was kind and compassionate.  He could quiet the critics with a simple answer.  But He was so much more!  

What they knew of Jesus they had reasoned from their own understanding of what they had observed, but there was more.  The real truth of the nature and being of Jesus needed divine revelation, and in the verse above, Peter had received that revelation from our Heavenly Father. 

Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Messiah, the promised One, the Holy One sent by the Father to reveal the Father and by the sacrifice of Himself to pay for the sins of the world!

APPLICATION: Jesus is definitely worth following; He is my Savior and worthy of being my LORD! 

PRAYER:  Jesus, you were sent by Father God to the earth to pay for and forgive my sins.  I have received your forgiveness and made you the LORD of my life.  I live each day to honor you.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 28, 2026:  SOAP #5990: 2Samuel 3; 1Chronicles 12; Matthew 15

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 15:17 [Jesus speaking] “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean’.”

OBSERVATION: Uncleanness is a heart matter.  Unclean thoughts may enter through the eye gate or the ear gate, but it is in the heart that they are accepted and reviewed, and reviewed again, and reviewed again until a plan of action is worked out in the mind.  Maybe the plan never gets put into action, but the issue can remain in the heart. 

Forgiveness is the detergent for cleaning the heart of past sins: asking God to forgive me and me forgiving others.   The presence of the Holy Spirit gives us strength to resist present temptations. 

APPLICATION: I must rule my private life if I am ever to rule my public life.  From time to time, those around me may get a glimpse of what is inside my heart, but God always sees my heart.  Living in an immoral world, I must continually guard my heart.  I may not be able to keep evil from entering my eye or ear gates, but with the presence of the Lord in my life and His help, and by thinking on the good things God has brought to me, I can stop evil from getting settled in my heart. 

PRAYER:  Lord, when I received you as my Lord, you forgave my past sins.  Now, I want my heart to be always full of you.  May your will be done in my heart as it is in heaven.  Amen. 

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 27, 2026:  SOAP #5989: 2Samuel 2; 1Chronicles 11; Psalm 142; Matthew 14

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 14:15  As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. … 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

OBSERVATION: Jesus told them to feed the hungry crowd.  They responded, “We have only….” –they did not reckon on the presence of Jesus!!! 

They had enough to feed 5000 men plus the women and children.  Wow!  They even had more than enough!  They had twelve basketsful of leftovers!  WOW!!  The miracle could have been done with much less!   One loaf, and one fish, would have been more than sufficient! 

Their attention had been on what they had in their hands (which was clearly insufficient), rather than on who was among them (Who was completely sufficient)!

APPLICATION: To limit my potential to what I have in my possession is foolish.  His resources are far greater than what I have and far greater than what I need.  Through Him I can do whatever God tells me to do. 

I do not have enough education…  I do not have enough money…  We do not have enough SOAPs…  God can use what we have and multiply it to meet the need.  We have God; and we can always depend on Him!  He is sufficient! 

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, keep reminding us that we are enabled to do what we are told to do. Our obedience assures us of Your provision.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 26, 2026:  SOAP #5988: 2Samuel 1; Psalm 140; Matthew 13

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

OBSERVATION: Here we have the bottom line.  This is why people are in such a predicament.  Their hearts are hard!  Hearing comes through the ears, but the message is understood in the heart.  Seeing comes through the eyes, but the understanding of what is seen is in the heart.  Our five senses keep us in touch with the world around us, but our heart must be sensitive to the Lord in order to process that information and make application to life.

APPLICATION: Truth sometimes hits us like a big surprise.  We are forced to acknowledge something that we previously resisted.  We are forced to acknowledge that we were wrong.  The Holy Spirit often moves around our preconceived notions about Jesus and forces us to acknowledge that Jesus really is Who He says He is and can really do what He said He could do.  He really can forgive my sins. 

We did not want to acknowledge what we could see and hear, but the Holy Spirit works around our eyes and ears and speaks directly to our heart.  He often uses miracles to bypass our understanding and forces us to deal with truth.  Jesus is the TRUTH!   

PRAYER:  Holy Spirit, we surrender our prejudices and fears and preconceived ideas to you.  We ask you to work with us to make our hearts soft and able to hear and understand what you are saying to us.  May Jesus be exalted as Lord in our lives, for it is in His Name we pray, Amen

Pastor Leon
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 24, 2026:  SOAP #5986:   1Samuel 30,31; 1Chronicles 10; Matthew 12

SCRIPTURE:  1Samuel 30:3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

OBSERVATION: David and his warriors had returned to their homes to find they had been raided by an enemy and their families had been carried off.  Everything was going wrong for David, even his men were turning against him.  

BUT David had a source to Whom he could turn for solace, support and strength.  It is an eternal and never-failing source.  It avails today as it did then for all who seek its comfort.  God is our refuge, an ever-present help in time of trouble!  (Psalm 46:1)   

APPLICATION: Today I have the same source for strength as David did in his day.  God is my refuge and my ever-present help in time of trouble! 

Here is a report, in my words, from Guinea-Conakry from 5 days ago:  Pastor Elijah and his SOAP ministry team went into a anti-Christian area and started preaching the gospel.  They were surrounded and being rushed by about 200 people holding sticks and stones to harm them.  Then Pastor Elijah, as loud as he could, started shouting “Jesus” and the SOAP team members joined him.  About 1000 people joined the attackers, but the power of God settled on them and they all fell to the ground!  So, the team started ministering to them and it resulted in over 1500 giving their lives to Jesus!  

PRAYER:  Lord, even today, you prove yourself to be our strength and ever-present help.  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
April 24, 2026:  SOAP #5986:   1Samuel 28,29; Psalm 109; Matthew 11

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew (NIV) 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

OBSERVATION:   We may like to think of God being yoked to us.  To accomplish our goal, we want the benefit of His power and provision.  But that is not what these verses teach.  He is not taking MY yoke, but I am taking HIS yoke. 

In HIS yoke, I learn His ways and priorities.  In HIS yoke, I can rest; the pressure is on Him.  He is the Strong One in the yoke who pulls the load. 

APPLICATION:  Several years ago, as I was preparing to go to the hospital for some surgery on my heart, the Lord surprised me by telling me He would not be going with me to the hospital; after my initial shock, He told me I would be going with Him.  He was teaching me the truth of the above verses. 

When I am desperately trying to accomplish my goal, when I am passionately trying to get others to help me, I need to make sure I am in HIS yoke and I am working together to accomplish HIS goal. 

The Lord is reminding me that the SOAP ministry is HIS ministry!  We are in the yoke with HIM.  We do not want to get ahead of HIM or lag behind HIM.  It is then we start feeling like we are pulling the whole load.   Staying in step with HIM Is the best way to accomplish the task. 

PRAYER:  Lord, when yoked to you, the load is easy for me; the burden is light for me.  Instead of frantically trying to make things work, I can rest in your yoke.  It does not depend on me!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!   
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