THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

HUMBLE YOURSELF AND GET REAL, THEN GOD WILL HELP YOU TO GROW

We live in a society that stresses IMAGE. It’s easy to go through life trying to impress people, to show them that we’re STRONG, that we have it all together. It’s good to carry ourselves with CONFIDENCE, but sometimes we have such a need to keep up our image that we put on a mask and start pretending. We can’t let someone see that we have weaknesses, that we’re struggling in areas, and we don’t have all the answers. But the Scripture says that if we go around wearing MASKS, God’s POWER is not going to show up. God won’t bless the IDEAL you, the PRETEND you, the FUTURE you; He’s looking for the REAL you.

Remember that there’s power in VULNERABILITY. When you empty yourself out, God can FILL you. But if you’re full of YOURSELF—acting, pretending, keeping up your image—there’s no ROOM for God. If you’ll HUMBLE yourself and get REAL, God will help you to GROW.

Today’s Scripture:

Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LIVE OUT OF A PLACE OF PEACE AND TRUST, GOD’S GOT THIS…

In Daniel 6 is the story of how the enemies of Daniel conspired to get him arrested and thrown into the lions’ den for refusing to stop worshipping God. Daniel’s attitude was, “God has me in the palms of His hands. He CONTROLS the lions.” He stayed in PEACE. Everyone else expected the hungry lions to tear Daniel apart, but God SUPERNATURALLY closed the mouths of the lions. He made Daniel unappetizing!

God never promised that we wouldn’t have difficulties, but He DID promise that He would give us STRENGTH for every challenge and take what was meant for harm and use it for our ADVANTAGE. You may have a good reason to worry about something, but there’s a simple phrase you have to get down in your spirit: GOD’S GOT THIS. He ALREADY has a solution. Live out of a place of PEACE and TRUST. It’s just a matter of TIME before you see things turn around in your FAVOR.

Today’s Scripture

…Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

Daniel 6:23, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES, DON’T FILL YOUR MIND AND SPIRIT WITH TRASH

Our eyes and ears are the GATEWAY to our soul. What we watch and listen to and who we associate with are constantly FEEDING us. If you watch things that are unwholesome, listen to things that drag you down, and associate with people who are negative and gossips, you are feeding your inner man TRASH. You can’t be strong in the Lord and become all God created you to be with a diet like that. You ARE what you EAT.

Today more than ever, we have the opportunity to feed on wrong things. There are hundreds of channels on television, countless websites on the Internet and smartphones, music, movies, and video games trying to INFLUENCE us. Take inventory of what YOU are watching and listening to. What kind of VALUES is it portraying? Is it WHOLESOME, INSPIRING you to be better, and building you UP? If not, make the necessary changes. Don’t fill your mind and spirit with TRASH.

Today’s Scripture

A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.

Proverbs 15:14, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU HOPE IN GOD, YOU’LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED

What keeps your soul in the right PLACE and causes you to overcome challenges and reach your dreams is being anchored to HOPE. When you’re anchored to hope, NOTHING you face can move you because you KNOW God is still on the throne. The winds, the waves, and the dark storms of life may come, but you’re NOT worried. You have your anchor down.

TODAY there will be something that tries to get you to pull up your anchor—a bad break, a delay, a disappointment. If you pull it UP, you’ll drift over into doubt, discouragement, and self-pity. Don’t put your hope in your CIRCUMSTANCES; they may not work out the way you want. Don’t put your hope in PEOPLE; they may let you down. Don’t put your hope in your CAREER; things may change. Put your hope in the GOD who spoke WORLDS into existence. When you hope in Him, the Scripture says you’ll NEVER be disappointed.

Today’s Scripture

Hebrews 6:19, NIV

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TRUST HIM

In John 11, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was very sick. They thought He would come right away and HEAL Lazarus. But days passed, and Lazarus died. When Jesus showed up, Mary and Martha were so upset. They said, “Jesus, if You had been here, our brother would still be alive.” Against all apparent odds, Jesus went to the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead.

Sometimes God will WAIT on purpose till the odds look way against you. You’re ready to BURY that dream or promise. You don’t see ANY way it could work out. But God’s ways are not OUR ways. Mary and Martha prayed for a healing, but God had a resurrection in mind. Maybe God’s not going to answer your prayers the way YOU thought. Maybe He has something better than you EVER dreamed. Trust HIM. Odds don’t DETERMINE what He can and cannot do.

Today’s Scripture

Then Jesus said, Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

John 11:40, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU DILIGENTLY SEEK GOD, HE PROMISES THAT A REWARD IS COMING..

When God is first place in your life, and you make pleasing Him your highest PRIORITY, then you can fully expect to live a BLESSED, FULFILLED life! In today’s verse, notice who God rewards. It’s not people who half-heartedly seek Him. It doesn’t say “people who only think about Him when they’re having a problem;” or “people who will only come to church when something special is going on.” No, God rewards people who EARNESTLY seek after Him. That means we are DETERMINED. We get up EVERY morning and thank Him for His goodness. We go through the day MEDITATING on His promises. We give Him PRAISE in the good times AND the tough times. We are constantly STRETCHING, GROWING, LEARNING and STRIVING to KNOW Him better.

Today, remember, when you DILIGENTLY seek God, He PROMISES that a reward is coming. He promises He will give you STRENGTH, WISDOM, FAVOR, good BREAKS, PROMOTION, HEALING and RESTORATION. When you seek Him with your WHOLE heart, you will FIND Him, and you won’t be able to OUTRUN His goodness and blessing!

Today’s Scripture:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

(Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE AN ORIGINAL MASTERPIECE, LET YOUR GIFTS SHINE TODAY, AND EVERY DAY

When God created you, He put IN you EVERYTHING you need to fulfill your DESTINY. God is PRECISE. He’s intentional down to the SMALLEST detail, and when He laid out the plan for your life, He studied it CAREFULLY. He thought about what you would need, and what it would take to get you there, then He matched you with your world. He gave you the TALENT you need, the CREATIVITY, the STRENGTH. You’re the right SIZE, and you have the right LOOKS, the right PERSONALITY, and the right FAMILY.

Now don’t go around feeling shortchanged, as though somehow you’re LACKING, you didn’t get enough, or you can’t do what OTHERS can do. You are fully loaded and completely EQUIPPED for the race that’s been DESIGNED for you. Be who GOD created you to be. You have something to offer the world that NOBODY else has. Let your gifts SHINE. YOU are an original MASTERPIECE.

Today’s Scripture

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PUT GOD FIRST, AND GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN

Sometimes we get up in the morning and think, I don’t FEEL like reading my Bible today. I’m too tired to pray. But once you develop the HABIT and see the BENEFIT of how you feel REFRESHED and RESTORED, make better decisions, and have God’s FAVOR, you’ll think, I can’t afford NOT to do this. Spending time with GOD is that VITAL to living a victorious LIFE.

The Scripture says that in God’s presence there is fullness of JOY, fullness of PEACE, fullness of VICTORY. That’s where you’re REFRESHED and RESTORED. Take time to invest in your SPIRITUAL well-being by sitting quietly in God’s presence, praying and reading your Bible. When you get alone with God, the rest of your day will go much BETTER. All through the day, meditate on God’s PROMISES. Put on some good PRAISE music. Put GOD first and you won’t be able to CONTAIN all the good things He will bring across your path.

Today’s Scripture

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD LOVES YOU RIGHT NOW, WITH A GREAT LOVE.

A lot of people live with an “I THINK God loves me” mentality because they base it on their PERFORMANCE. They think things like: “I went to church last weekend. I was kind to my neighbor. I think He loves me.” Sometimes we’re trying to clean ourselves up, trying hard to be GOOD enough, and THEN we’ll believe that God really loves us. The problem with this approach is that when we make mistakes, when we get off course, when we don’t PERFORM perfectly, we think God changes His mind about us.

Take the pressure OFF. God loves you right NOW with a GREAT love. It isn’t an “I think” love or a conditional love. The apostle Paul says that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Nothing you’ve DONE has changed God’s love. There’s nothing you can DO to make God love you any MORE or any LESS. It’s a GIFT. Just RECEIVE it by FAITH.

Today’s Scripture

God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU’RE NOT AVERAGE, YOUR FATHER CREATED WORLDS…

A while ago there was an advertisement for DNA testing that asked the question, “Who’s the father?” They can take your DNA, and out of the billions of people on earth, the chances of your DNA matching someone who’s not your family are so small that it’s inconceivable. In a similar way, when you gave your life to Christ, the Scripture talks about how you became a new CREATION. You were born into a NEW family. Imagine that somehow they could take a sample DNA from your heavenly Father, then a sample DNA from you, and run all the tests. The GOOD news is that it would come back a PERFECT match. PROVEN beyond all doubt, you are God’s child. You have His SPIRITUAL DNA.

Don’t you dare go around thinking that you’re average. Your Father created WORLDS . You come from a ROYAL bloodline. There’s NOTHING too much for you. You can ACCOMPLISH your dreams.

Today’s Scripture

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV