THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

UNWRAP YOUR GIFTS! JESUS PAID A PRECIOUS PRICE FOR THEM

Imagine waking up on Christmas morning and seeing a pile of presents under the tree but never OPENING them. Imagine that your friends and family spent a lot of MONEY on you, buying you things you NEED and DESIRE but could never AFFORD. Imagine that you even know what was INSIDE those packages, but just DECIDED to let them sit under the tree day in and day out, year after year. After all, now you have what you’ve always dreamed of. You OWN whatever is in those boxes. If anyone asked, you’d say, “Yes, I HAVE that.” But it wouldn’t do you any GOOD because you would never be able to USE those gifts unless you took the time to UNWRAP those packages.

Friend, it’s the same way with God. He wants you to have an ABUNDANT life. HIS gifts are all right there for YOU wrapped up in the Word of God. You “OPEN” His gift by MEDITATING on His Word, OBEYING His commands and DECLARING it out of your mouth.

Today, I ENCOURAGE you to UNWRAP your GIFTS! Don’t let a single present sit “under the tree” ANY LONGER. Jesus paid a PRECIOUS PRICE so you could have both ETERNAL life and ABUNDANT life. UNWRAP your gifts and live in His FULLNESS today!

Today’s Scripture:

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:32, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

JESUS IS THE REMEDY FOR ALL YOUR FEARS

In this day and age, it seems that there are so many things that people are AFRAID of. I’m not just talking about phobias. Many people are afraid of the FUTURE, afraid they won’t get MARRIED, afraid they won’t find a better JOB, afraid of getting SICK. But the scripture gives us a simple REMEDY for all our fears, and that is to SEEK THE LORD. How do you seek the Lord? With a HUMBLE and OPEN heart. By setting aside time each day to COMMUNE with Him. By FOCUSING your thoughts on HIM and His GOODNESS.

Friend, no matter what fears may be plaguing YOUR mind today, God wants to DELIVER you. He PROMISES to keep us in PERFECT PEACE when we keep our minds stayed on HIM. Today, MEDITATE on His GOODNESS. Meditate on His perfect LOVE which casts out ALL fear. As you SEEK the Lord, He WILL ANSWER you. He will DELIVER you and lead you in the path of PEACE and VICTORY all the days of your LIFE!

Today’s Scripture:

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AFTER AN ENCOUNTER WITH ALMIGHTY GOD, EVERYTHING CHANGES……

One of the most amazing TRANSFORMATIONS in the Bible happened when Saul—former persecutor of Christians—ENCOUNTERED God on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9). After his ENCOUNTER, he was SO radically changed from the inside out that even his NAME was changed to Paul. He began preaching the gospel, and eventually, went on to write much of the New Testament.

When you have a supernatural encounter with Almighty God, SOMETHING is going to happen. Something is going to be transformed INSIDE of you and radiate OUT into EVERY part of your being, affecting every part of your LIFE!

Today, I want to encourage you to PREPARE your heart to expect God’s supernatural touch in your life. Open the eyes of your HEART to Him. I pray that you experience God in SUCH a way that EVERY bondage is broken off of your life, and you are forever CHANGED by a supernatural ENCOUNTER with Him!

Today’s Scripture:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD KNOWS HOW TO GET YOU TO WHERE YOU NEED TO BE

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or even AFRAID of what God has called you to do? Maybe you were pursuing a dream or goal and things didn’t turn out the way you planned. Joseph had planned to take Mary as his wife, but when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to THINK. He was AFRAID that he might be making a mistake because things didn’t turn out the way HE planned. But, God sent a messenger in a dream to REASSURE Joseph that he WAS on the right path.

Today let me reassure YOU that God knows right where you ARE, and He knows how to get you to where you NEED to BE. Even when things don’t go the way YOU planned, His hand is on you. Do NOT be afraid, trust that God IS working behind the scenes on your behalf and that He WILL lead you into the life of BLESSING that He has prepared for YOU.

Today’s Scripture:

“…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.’”

(Matthew 1:20, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AND YOUR HEART WILL OVERFLOW WITH THANKFULNESS…….

When the wise men first saw Jesus, they were completely OVERWHELMED. They fell to their knees and wanted to worship Him with EVERYTHING they had. GIVING was an automatic response. They wanted to lavish Him with their LOVE and GIFTS. They were giving because they were THANKFUL and wanted to HONOR Him.

When you give to GOD, He doesn’t want you to do it just because it’s offering time or because you feel like you HAVE to. In fact, the Bible says, “Do NOT give grudgingly or under compulsion.” God wants you to give because your heart is overflowing with THANKFULNESS. He wants you to be HAPPY and CHEERFUL when you give. He LOVES a cheerful giver!

Meditate on the faithfulness of God today. Think about what He’s done for YOU—that He’s SAVED and REDEEMED You. Dwell on the fact that He is your PROVIDER. As you meditate on His GOODNESS, your heart will OVERFLOW with thankfulness, and just like the wise men, GIVING will be an AUTOMATIC response!

Today’s Scripture:

“And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts…”

Matthew 2:11, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE GOD’S WORD AND EMBRACE THE GREAT PEACE HE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU

God not only wants to give you PEACE, He wants to give you GREAT peace! When you love the LAW of the Lord, nothing can make you stumble, and nothing can steal your PEACE!

GREAT peace gives you JOY when it doesn’t make SENSE for you to be happy. It’s peace that passes UNDERSTANDING. GREAT peace keeps you STABLE and STRONG no matter WHAT you face.

Today, make the decision to focus your attention on God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 says that His Word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path. His Word DIRECTS us and PROTECTS us. Choose His Word today and embrace the GREAT PEACE God has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”

Psalm 119:165, ESV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RECOGNIZE GOD’S GOODNESS, IT’S ALL AROUND YOU

When something GOOD happens, do you RECOGNIZE that it’s GOD at work? Right away, that’s when you need to THANK Him for it. Make sure you give HIM the credit.

Some people don’t think that God is doing ANYTHING in their lives. But I’m convinced that God is CONSTANTLY showing us His goodness. My question is: Are you RECOGNIZING it? Are you THANKING Him for His goodness?

This week, LOOK around. Be more aware of His goodness. Scripture says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” If you’re going to TASTE God’s goodness, you have to realize that every GOOD BREAK, every time you were PROTECTED, every DOOR that opened, every ADVANTAGE that you’ve had is GOD working in your life. Don’t take it for granted. RECOGNIZE Him and THANK Him for His goodness and faithfulness ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD CARES ABOUT THE THINGS THAT CONCERN YOU

Do you know how IMPORTANT you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your THOUGHTS, FEELINGS and EMOTIONS. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects the tears you’ve shed.

WHY would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because EVERYTHING that affects you MATTERS to Him. He is your VINDICATOR. He’s keeping an account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to RESTORE to you EVERYTHING that has ever been stolen. He wants to HEAL every hurt and pain.

Today, know that God CARES about the things that concern you. He cares about the THINGS that hurt you. He is CLOSE to the brokenhearted, and He wants to bring you PEACE and COMFORT. Turn to Him and receive His LOVE. Let Him bring HEALING to your heart and RESTORATION to your soul.

Today’s Scripture:

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

(Psalm 56:8, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU WOULDN’T STILL BE ALIVE IF GOD DIDN’T HAVE SOMETHING AMAZING PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE

One thing I’ve noticed is that so many people are walking around who aren’t really living to the FULL the way God INTENDS. Have you ever noticed that many people just quit living around the age of fifty, but yet they are going to stay on the planet until after they’re EIGHTY? Maybe they went through a disappointment or had a failure. Someone hurt them, and now they’ve lost their JOY and settled where they are. NO, God has another VICTORY in store! You wouldn’t be breathing unless God had something amazing in your FUTURE. It’s time to get your PASSION back and be DETERMINED to REALLY live out ALL of your God-given days!

The scripture says that God wants to bring you to a FLOURISHING finish, not a fizzled-OUT finish. Don’t let disappointment or SELF-PITY hold you back. God has PROMISED that what was meant for your HARM He will turn around and use for your GOOD. Not only will He bring you OUT, but He will bring you out BETTER OFF than you were before. Receive it by FAITH today and press forward into the ABUNDANT, FULFILLED life He has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 19:23, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DAILY “PUT ON” THE WORD OF GOD, AND YOU’LL STAND STRONG

Is there something in your life that you would like to put a STOP to today? Maybe it’s a certain behavior, addiction or bad attitude that isn’t PLEASING to God? Just as Adam and Eve were EXPOSED in their sin and needed to be CLOTHED in the Garden, we need to CLOTHE ourselves to protect us from SIN. When you “clothe yourself” with the Lord Jesus Christ, He STRENGTHENS you against TEMPTATION.

How do you clothe yourself with Jesus Christ? In the same way you cover yourself in the natural with clothing—by putting something ON. You have to daily “put on” the Word of GOD. You have to COVER your ears by listening to the WORD. You COVER your eyes by watching only what is PLEASING to the Lord. You COVER your mouth by speaking the Word and ENCOURAGING those around you. As you COVER yourself with Christ, you will be STRONG against temptation, and you will walk in the victory the Lord has PLANNED for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature…”

(Romans 13:14, AMPC)