Fast

Negative Talk at Work

Life

Compliment at least 3 to 5 coworkers or friends.

Reading

New Living Translation (NLT)

Proverbs 10:4

4 Lazy people are soon poor;
    hard workers get rich.

Proverbs 12:14

14 Wise words bring many benefits,
    and hard work brings rewards.

proverbs 13:4, 11

4 Lazy people want much but get little,
    but those who work hard will prosper.

11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.

Proverbs 21:5

5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
    but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

Proverbs 28:19

19 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

Ecclesiastes 2:10

10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.

Colossians 3:23

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

1 Thessalonians 5:13

13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

BREAKING FREE DEVOTIONAL

© 5 Day Reading Plan by Beth Moore

ISAIAH 55:1-2

1 “Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!
2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.

JEREMIAH 31:23-25

23 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people of Judah and its towns will again say, ‘The Lord bless you, O righteous home, O holy mountain!’ 24 Townspeople and farmers and shepherds alike will live together in peace and happiness. 25 For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”

PSALMS 61:1-8

1 O God, listen to my cry!
    Hear my prayer!
2 From the ends of the earth,
    I cry to you for help
    when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3     for you are my safe refuge,
    a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
    safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude

5 For you have heard my vows, O God.
    You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
6 Add many years to the life of the king!
    May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God’s protection forever.
    May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever
    as I fulfill my vows each day.

"BENEFIT THREE: TO FIND SATISFACTION IN GOD"

The Bible uses the word soul in a number of ways. One way is to refer to the non-material part of us. When I speak of soul hunger, I mean our need of spiritual satisfaction. Few people find this subject comfortable, but it’s time to let the truth break the locks off the closets of our secret dissatisfaction. 

What do you think being satisfied with something means? Is your soul, your spirit, your own inmost place, the real you, entirely satisfied with Christ? 

In Jeremiah 31:25 the Hebrew word for satisfy is male, meaning “to fill, accomplish, the filling of something that was empty … the act of replenishment as well as the experience of satiation.” The word for faint is da’ab meaning “to pine” (Strong’s). We can easily be led into captivity by seeking other answers to needs and desires only God is equipped to meet. A crucial part of liberation in Christ means allowing Him to fill our empty places. 

The filling only Christ can give does not automatically accompany our salvation. I was in my early 30’s before I understood the huge difference between salvation from sin and satisfaction of the soul. Salvation secures our lives for all eternity. Soul satisfaction ensures abundant life on earth. God often teaches us spiritual truths by paralleling physical realities. 

When you’re hungry, you seek what will meet your need. If you ignore your physical needs long enough, not only will you be miserable but you will soon be ill. You can easily recognize the signals the body gives, but great wisdom lies in learning to discern your spirit’s signals.

The most obvious symptom of a soul in need of God’s satisfaction is a sense of inner emptiness. The awareness of a “hollow place” somewhere deep inside. The constant inability to be satisfied. 

We can positively assume that our soul is hungry and thirsty for God if we have not partaken of any spiritual food or drink in a long while. Return to the Bread of Life and the Living Water! “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8).

God can satisfy your yearning soul. Satisfying your innermost places with Jesus is a benefit of the glorious covenant relationship you have with God in Christ. 

Open the door, Beloved! He waits to satisfy your hungry soul.