THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BLESS OTHERS AND GOD WILL CERTAINLY BLESS YOU IN RETURN

The Scripture encourages us to use our words to BLESS people. “To bless” means to SPEAK WELL of, to pronounce FAVOR, and to declare GOOD things. People in your life need to receive YOUR blessing, especially your spouse and children. Are you giving your children the blessings of LOVE, AFFECTION and ENCOURAGEMENT? Are you speaking words that build them UP and bless their FUTURE?

You may not have received this approval from your own parents. Perhaps there wasn’t a lot of LOVE in your home. Perhaps your mom or dad always talked down to you. Let us challenge you to be the one to BREAK the stronghold over your family. Decide today that you are going to stop talking down to others. Choose instead to ENCOURAGE others. Stop focusing on what OTHERS are doing wrong and start THANKING them for what they are doing RIGHT. Begin right now to BLESS others’ FUTURES. Your decision to be a POSITIVE influence will have a greater IMPACT on your family than you could EVER imagine. It will affect generations to come. Speak these BLESSINGS over your family, your children, and those whom you love and care for. If you will BLESS others, God will CERTAINLY bless your own life beyond what you EVER hoped or dreamed.

Today’s Scripture

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
James 3:10, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET ON GOD’S PAYROLL AND HE’LL NEVER MISS A PAYMENT

Are you dealing with an “unsolved case” from your past that needs RESOLUTION? You might have been through some bad breaks. People may have said things about you and done things to you that hurt and offended. Are you waiting for your day of justice or repayment? God promises in His Word that HE is our VINDICATOR. He is our DEFENDER. He will settle your case and repay EVERYTHING the enemy has stolen.

But in order to allow Christ to settle your debts, you have to release your concerns to HIM and FORGIVE those who have wronged you. It’s very freeing to say, “They can’t pay me back. I’m on GOD’S payroll, and He NEVER misses a payment.” God WILL settle your cases. You have to ALLOW Jesus to take on the debt they owe you in the same way that He took on YOUR debt for sin. That’s TRUE forgiveness—freeing others so that YOU can be free. As you walk and live in FORGIVENESS, you show that you trust in GOD to repay you, and He WILL HONOR your faith in Him!

Today’s Scripture

…The Lord will judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and the cases of His people.
Hebrews 10:30, AMPC

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:

ENLARGE YOUR VISION AND BREAK FREE OF LIMITED MINDSETS

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be sailing on the Mayflower into an unknown and uncharted world? How did Neil Armstrong feel as he became the first person to ever step onto the surface of the moon? Those were risky and certainly life-changing times in history, but life-changing doesn’t just belong in the past. God STILL wants you to step out and do something great for HIS glory and for your BLESSING and FULFILLMENT.

It all begins in your THINKING. Don’t be contained in your mind. Let me tell you what I know about YOU. Some of you will write BOOKS that will touch millions of people. Some of you will develop MEDICINES that will impact our world. Some of you will have a MINISTRY that will shake NATIONS. Some of you will develop SOFTWARE that will revolutionize businesses. If YOU will break free from your limited MINDSET and enlarge your VISION, you will see God take you places that you’ve never even DREAMED of.

Today’s Scripture

Philippians 3:11, NLT
So that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TO BE STABLE-MINDED BY FOCUSING YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE WORD……

One thing that can lead you away from your POTENTIAL and seeing the AWESOME PLAN God has for your life is your emotions. Emotions are God-given, but too often, people allow their circumstances to dictate their emotions and thoughts instead of the Word of God. When we allow our circumstances to dictate our emotions, when we are moved by what we see and experience, it opens the door for doubt and fear to come in. When we allow doubt and fear in, we become unstable. Understand this key: the way you FEEL today has little to do with what God is actually DOING in your life. He’s working behind the scenes whether you realize it or not! Don’t allow yourself to be tossed around by your emotions any longer. Instead, CHOOSE to be STABLE-MINDED by FOCUSING your THOUGHTS on the Word of God. Stand STRONG in Him so you can CONFIDENTLY EMBRACE the good plan He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
James 1:6, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THOSE WHO ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD ARE THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD

Many times, we feel an inner prompting to be GOOD to someone. That’s not random. That’s GOD talking to us. Or maybe you’re in a situation that SEEMS fine, but you feel an uneasiness. Something says, “It’s not right. Stay away.” That’s not just your nerves. It’s God PROTECTING you. Don’t ignore it. Don’t talk yourself out of it, just OBEY. The Holy Spirit is in each one of us to GUIDE us. The Scripture talks about being SENSITIVE to our inner ear, LISTENING to His still small voice, the PROMPTINGS, the SUGGESTIONS, the ALARMS.

When you follow the Spirit’s leading by FAITH—even when it doesn’t make sense—you are making a DECLARATION with your ACTIONS that you are a child of the Most High GOD. Those who are led by the SPIRIT of God are the SONS and DAUGHTERS of God. The more you yield yourself to His leading, the easier it becomes to FOLLOW Him. You’ll hear His voice in the midnight hour giving you DIRECTION about which STEPS to take. You’ll hear His voice AFFIRMING you and GUIDING you into everlasting PEACE. Remember, God leads us by PEACE and JOY. He’s NEVER condemning, but He always leads you into TRUTH. Take time today to TUNE OUT the other voices so that you can be led by HIS Spirit into the life of VICTORY the Lord has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture

Romans 8:14, NIV
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE GENEROUS AND REFRESH OTHERS

Do you need refreshing today? So many people go around overwhelmed, tired, worn down, barely getting by. But that’s not God’s best. He wants us to prosper. He wants us to be refreshed. Here’s the key: be generous and refresh others. Is there someone at the office you can be a blessing to? Can you lighten someone’s load? Maybe a family member is going through a hard time. Can you help them out? Can you cook them a meal? Refreshing someone can be as simple as a smile or an encouraging word. Don’t wait until you feel like doing it, that day may never come! Do it because the Scripture tells us to. Do it because it blesses the Lord.

Today, look for someone to be a blessing to. Step out and refresh others; live a life of generosity. As you do, you will be refreshed in return, and experience His blessing in every area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
Proverbs 11:25, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF JESUS, YOU ARE EMPOWERED!

When Jesus walked the earth, He was on a MISSION. Not only did He come to die on the cross and save us from our sins, He had a mission to set people free from every kind of brokenness and oppression. He was ANOINTED, or EMPOWERED by God, to fulfill His mission. Notice it doesn’t say that He went around doing good to some people or healing some people. No, it says that He went around doing good and healing ALL. That was His mission, and He is still fulfilling that mission in the earth TODAY. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says that YOU become an ambassador of His. That means you are His REPRESENTATIVE. As His representative, you have access to the same power and authority that HE has. YOU are empowered to fulfill His mission in the earth. You are anointed to do good and heal those who are oppressed by the enemy.

Is there someone in YOUR life who needs a touch from God today? YOU are His hands and feet. YOU are anointed to do good. YOU are anointed to pray for the sick. As you reach out to others and allow God to use you, you will see His power flow THROUGH you, and you will be empowered as you empower OTHERS. Remember, YOU ARE ANOINTED!

Today’s Scripture:

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Acts 10:38, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TO PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD, NO MATER HOW YOU ARE FEELING

FEAR is one of the enemy’s favorite tools to keep us from going forward. As soon as we make a DECISION to step out in FAITH, immediately, the enemy will bring fear to stop us. He’ll put thoughts in your mind like, “What if I fail? What will others think? Maybe I don’t have what it takes.” He’ll do his best to use fear to try to convince you to shrink back and just stay right where you are.

The BIBLE tells us that fear is a SPIRIT. It affects your emotions. But when you choose to put your TRUST in the Lord, no matter HOW you are feeling, you are COMBATING fear.

Today, don’t allow fear to trap you and hold you back. Instead, take a step of FAITH knowing that God IS on your side. He is FOR you and WITH you, LEADING and GUIDING you in the path of VICTORY all the days of your life.

Today’s Scripture:

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29:25, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS A BELIEVER, NOTHING CAN KEEP YOU FROM YOUR GOD-GIVEN DESTINY

Life is full of things that try to push us down. We all face disappointments and setbacks. Maybe you got some bad news concerning your health or maybe a relationship didn’t work out. That was a setback. It’s easy to get discouraged or lose your enthusiasm or even be tempted to just settle where you are. But if we’re going to see God’s BEST, we have to have a “BOUNCE BACK” mentality. That means when you get knocked down, you do NOT stay down. You get back UP again. You have to know that every time adversity comes against you, it’s a setup for a COMEBACK!

Remember, as a believer, the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives on the INSIDE of you. There is NO challenge too difficult, no obstacle too HIGH, no sickness, no disappointment, no person, NOTHING that can keep you from your God-given DESTINY. If you stay in FAITH, then God will turn what was meant to be a stumbling block into a STEPPING STONE, and you’ll move forward as a CHAMPION full of FAITH and VICTORY!

Today’s Scripture:

“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…”
(Proverbs 24:16, NIV)