THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, BE ENCOURAGED BECAUSE WHAT YOU’RE FACING IS ONLY TEMPORARY

Are you facing a difficulty or trial that seems like it’s been lasting a long time? Today’s verse tells us that our trials are really only MOMENTARY. Compared with eternity, our troubles don’t last long at all! As you stand strong in FAITH during times of adversity, you are building faith and achieving eternal GLORY.

If you are in the middle of tough times today, LOOK to God. The Bible says that He is the Author and FINISHER of your faith. He is the One who writes faith on your heart and then develops it to COMPLETION on the inside of you. He is building STRENGTH in you; He is depositing JOY in you, and He is EMPOWERING you to make it through.

Today, be ENCOURAGED because what you are facing is only TEMPORARY. VICTORY is on the way, and it’s CLOSER than you think! Keep STANDING, keep BELIEVING, keep HOPING and keep CONFESSING His WORD because He is FAITHFUL, and He WILL complete what He’s started in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RELEASE YOUR BURDONS AND FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS

Sometimes the daily pressures of life can cause UNNECESSARY stress. In fact, many people lose sleep worrying about THINGS or PEOPLE in their lives. But God doesn’t WANT us to live stressed out and overwhelmed. He wants us to live a life of REST and PEACE.

When Jesus walked on this earth, He took time for HIMSELF. He got away from the crowds. He spent time with the Father. That’s how HE found rest. He was GENTLE and HUMBLE in heart.

Do you ever notice that when you are stressed out or worrying about something, you’re less TOLERANT of others? You’re more likely to say something you don’t really mean. Today, God wants you to cast your cares on HIM and live with a GENTLE and HUMBLE attitude. When you release your burdens and follow the example of Jesus, you will find rest for your SOUL. You will be REJUVENATED and REFRESHED! You will find peace in your HEART, so you can move forward in the ABUNDANT life God has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“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.”

Matthew 11:29, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WANTS TO SEE YOU HAPPY, WHOLE, STRONG AND ENJOYING HIS BLESSING

It PLEASES God to give you the desires of your heart! He wants to see you HAPPY, WHOLE, STRONG and ENJOYING His blessing. When you make the Word of God your number one PRIORITY, when you stay connected to Him through PRAYER and WORSHIP, God PROMISES that He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 tells us again that if we DELIGHT ourselves in HIM, He will give us the DESIRES of our hearts. One of the root definitions of the word “delight” means “SOFT.” This gives the picture of us being soft and MOLD-ABLE, like clay, in the Potter’s hands. As we allow Him to shape and mold our CHARACTER, as we YEILD ourselves to Him, our thoughts become HIS thoughts, our WORDS become HIS Words, and our desires become His DESIRES.

Today, don’t allow the distractions of everyday life keep you from spending TIME with Him. ABIDE in Him and let His Words abide in YOU because HE will give you the desires of your HEART!

Today’s Scripture:

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

John 15:7, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE YOU’LL HAVE… YOU CAN’T OUT-GIVE GOD

In the natural, it doesn’t make sense that you will HAVE more if you GIVE more. But God’s kingdom operates on the principle of SOWING and REAPING. This is one of the first things He established with Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. He said, “As long as the earth remains, there will be seedtime and harvest.”

We have to realize that everything we need in this life has been given to us in seed form. We set the blessing of God into motion in our lives when we plant those seeds and give what we have. Galatians tells us that WHATEVER we sow, we will reap. Seeds produce after their own kind. If you sow apple seeds, you reap apple trees. If you sow KINDNESS and BLESSING, you reap kindness and blessing in the FUTURE. If you sow FINANCIAL seeds, you’ll reap a financial HARVEST.

Today, no matter WHAT you need, you HAVE it in seed form. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to PLANT and WATER that seed. Trust Him because He is FAITHFUL to His Word. Know that when you GIVE, it will come back to you in GREATER measure. When you give MORE, you HAVE more. So SOW A SEED and watch what God will do!

Today’s Scripture

“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty”.
Proverbs 11:24, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE ENEMY CAN NOT KEEP YOU DOWN, CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

Did you make up your mind to be happy this morning? It’s important to be on the offensive when it comes to your HAPPINESS. If you don’t set the tone EARLY in the day, the enemy will start reminding you of all your problems and everything that’s wrong in your life. Before long, you’ll be negative and discouraged. Notice that the Scripture doesn’t say, “I might be glad today if everything goes well, if I don’t get stuck in traffic, if my boss doesn’t yell at me, or if it doesn’t rain on my new hairdo.” No, the psalmist says, “I WILL rejoice and be glad.” No matter what kind of difficulties I face today—no matter who tries to make me upset—I CHOOSE to be happy.

Happiness is a DECISION you make, not an emotion you feel. Never forget that although you might not be able to choose your CIRCUMSTANCES, you can ALWAYS choose how you RESPOND to them. If you’ll make the decision to stay full of JOY, if you’ll choose to be happy in SPITE of your circumstances, the enemy can NOT keep you down and defeated. God will give you supernatural strength to overcome EVERY obstacle you face, and you’ll live that life of overcoming VICTORY He has in store for you.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 118:24, ESV
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

START GIVING GOD THE GLORY AND LET HIM ARISE IN YOUR LIFE

Let me ask you today, what are you letting ARISE in your life? In other words, what are you focusing your WORDS, ENERGY and THOUGHTS on? You might say, “Oh, Mark, it’s just so hard right now. I’ve lost some money.” “My health doesn’t look good.” “Somebody walked out on me.” No, you’re focusing on the wrong things. You’re letting defeat, discouragement and self-pity rise up. Why don’t you turn that around and say, “God is STILL in control. Somebody may have walked out on me, but I know God is going to bring me somebody better.” “I may be hurting right now, but I know God is the restorer of my soul.” “I may have lost money in the stock market, but I’m not worried. I know God is my PROVIDER. He is supplying ALL of my needs. HE is fighting my battles.”

When you start giving God GLORY and letting HIM arise in your life, you CAN’T stay defeated. Your enemies WILL be scattered! They’ll tremble at your words of FAITH. Begin right NOW by declaring God’s GOODNESS in your life and let Him ARISE so that you can move forward in the VICTORY He has for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered…”

(Psalm 68:1, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD GAVE YOU TODAY FOR A SPECIFIC REASON. ENJOY IT!

If the CIRCUMSTANCES of life have taken away your JOY, today is the day to get it BACK. You weren’t meant to live this life feeling drained, depressed and down. God wants you to be EXCITED about your future and learn to ENJOY each and EVERY day. Start each morning with a declaration of FAITH. Quote Psalm 118:24 aloud to yourself: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will REJOICE and be GLAD in it.” The Lord GAVE you today for a specific REASON, so enjoy it and live it in His STRENGTH! You have to be DETERMINED to enjoy your life even in the DIFFICULT seasons. Every day you can CHOOSE to enjoy the things that God has GIVEN you. Keep giving God PRAISE despite your circumstances, and you will ENJOY your life to the FULLEST today.

Today’s Scripture:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy

1 Peter 1:8, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OUR GOD IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY OBSTACLE WE’LL EVER FACE

God has a place of VICTORY in store for you today! You may be facing challenges. You may look around you and see impossible circumstances. In the natural, it may look like things won’t ever change. But God is saying today, “Quit looking at your circumstances and LOOK UP! Lift up your eyes of FAITH and look BEYOND where you are because there is victory as far as the eye can see!

Remember, those things you are facing today are only TEMPORARY, but God Almighty is ETERNAL. He’s the God who spoke the WORLD into existence, and He’s the God who set the stars in space. He is more POWERFUL than every obstacle, BIGGER than any setback, and able to do EXCEEDLINGLY, ABUNDANTLY above and BEYOND what you could ever imagine. Today, look BEYOND your circumstances and set your focus in the right DIRECTION. LIFT UP your eyes and look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your FAITH!

Today’s Scripture:

“…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.”

Genesis 13:14, AMPC

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE AND NOTHING IS EVER WASTED

The Bible tells of a time when Jesus fed a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves. That day, everyone had more than enough to eat and there were still twelve baskets full of bread. That’s because we serve a God of ABUNDANCE! I love that Jesus told the disciples to collect all the leftovers “so that nothing is wasted.” With God, nothing is EVER wasted. He’ll never waste an EXPERIENCE; He’ll never waste a HURT; He’ll never waste a DREAM; He’ll never waste even a single piece of BREAD.

God is still in the MIRACLE-working business. He is still our CREATOR, and He is a RESTORER. If you’ve felt like you’ve wasted years of your life in the wrong JOB, hanging around the wrong PEOPLE, doing the wrong THINGS, God will gather those years and RESTORE them BACK to you. He’ll take those EXPERIENCES that the enemy meant for your harm and turn them around for your GOOD. He’ll make you STRONGER, WISER and BETTER OFF than you were before. He can launch you further into your DESTINY than before. Be ENCOURAGED today because with God, ALL things are possible and NOTHING is ever wasted!

Today’s Scripture:

“After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”‘

John 6:12, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE EQUIPPED YOU FOR SUCCESS AND EMPOWERED TO OVERCOME

When Jesus sent His disciples out to heal the sick, meet their needs, and share the Gospel, He told them, “GIVE as freely as you have received” (Matthew 10:8). In other’s words, God has given you EVERYTHING you need to do what He’s called you to do in this life. He has equipped you to be SUCCESSFUL and has EMPOWERED you to OVERCOME in this life. He’s given you seed to sow in order to have an ABUNDANT harvest in your future. You HAVE what it takes!

God has placed SEED in your hand today, but in order for that seed to produce, it has to be planted. It has to be watered. It has to be fertilized. Today, ask God to show you where to plant YOUR seed. Make sure you are sowing in the right ground and tending to the seed He has given you. Remember, God has a GOOD plan for your future. He has plans to BLESS you and INCREASE you. Today, YOU have what it takes to move forward and receive the BLESSING He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

2 Corinthians 9:10, NLT