THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S GOODNESS AND MERCY ARE CHASING AFTER YOU

In the Bible, David was known as a man after God’s own heart. What kind of attitude did he have? Here in Psalm 23, he says, “Goodness and mercy are following me.” David lived with an attitude of EXPECTANCY. One translation says, “God’s kindness chases me everywhere that I go.” David’s ATTITUDE was “something GOOD is going to happen to me. Everywhere I go, I know God’s BLESSINGS are CHASING me. FAVOR is following me around.” No WONDER he saw God’s goodness! No wonder he OVERCAME his obstacles and accomplished great DREAMS. He knew good things were CHASING after him.

Do you know what’s chasing YOU right now? Not debt. Not failure. Not mediocrity. Not defeat. Not lack. NOT AT ALL! You are a child of the Most High God. You have been crowned with FAVOR. You have been REDEEMED from every curse. God has set you apart as His own special TREASURE. When you look back in your rearview mirror, you’d better get ready because YOU have a tailgater! There’s something coming toward you at a high rate of speed. You know what it is? BLESSINGS, FAVOR, supernatural OPPORTUNITIES, RESTORATION, divine CONNECTIONS—God’s GOODNESS and MERCY following you ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OPEN YOUR HEART AND RECEIVE GOD’S MERCY

Isn’t it good to know that no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what you said, no matter what you did, God’s MERCY is new for you TODAY? Mercy is EMPOWERING. It gives us the chance to let go of the our mistakes and move forward in Him. We have to always remember that God is not condemning us. Romans tells us that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ. God wants to LOVE us and EQUIP us to OVERCOME in this life.

Do you need NEW MERCY today? Receive it by FAITH. You don’t have to beg God to forgive you. He forgives you the FIRST time you ask, but it’s up to YOU to RECIEVE that forgiveness. Open your heart today and RECEIVE His mercy. Let Him wash over you with His PEACE and JOY. Then choose to extend that mercy to OTHERS. Remember, you are God’s REPRESENTATIVE in the earth. As you show His love and character to OTHERS, He’ll pour out His blessing on YOU and use you in ways you never DREAMED!

Today’s Scripture:

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LOOK FOR WAYS TO SOW SEEDS AND GIVE FREELY

Every command God gives us in His Word is for our GOOD. He is a good God, and He works ALL things together for our good because He LOVES us. He wants to BLESS us, MULTIPLY us and fill us with His exceeding JOY and PEACE, but we have to do OUR part. We have to obey His commands in order to set the blessing into MOTION.

One of the best ways to see the blessing of God operating in YOUR life is by sowing a seed of your TIME, ABILITIES or RESOURCES. Proverbs says that those who scatter seed GENEROUSLY reap even MORE. That’s because when you give, God promises that it will come back to you in ABUNDANCE- pressed down, shaken together and running over. But, you have to freely RECEIVE in order to have something to GIVE.

Remember, giving is tied to RECEIVING. I have found that the more I freely RECEIVE from God, the more I desire to freely give to OTHERS. Today, I encourage YOU to keep your heart and mind open to what God has for YOU. Look for ways to SOW seeds. Freely GIVE and set the blessing in motion in YOUR life today!

Today’s Scripture:

“…Freely you have received, freely give.”

Matthew 10:8 NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY IS A NEW DAY, AND YOU ARE A NEW PERSON

When God puts a DREAM or a PROMISE on the inside of you, He deposits within you EVERYTHING you need to ACCOMPLISH it. He wouldn’t give you the desire to do something without giving you the ABILITY to fulfill it. In fact, the scripture tells us that God gives us the DESIRES of our heart. In other words, He puts the desire inside of us and THEN works with us to bring it to pass.

Oftentimes, people set out to accomplish their DREAMS, but they face a setback or disappointment, and then they feel like their time has passed. But know this: no matter WHERE you’ve come from, no matter what’s happened in your PAST, God wants to make you NEW. He wants to give you a FRESH START. If you feel like you’ve missed opportunities in your life, if you feel like your time has passed, remember, today is a NEW day. You are a new PERSON, and God has new OPPORTUNITIES in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Psalm 103:4, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S GRACE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE TO HELP YOU DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU NEED TO DO

In this day and age, many people are filled with worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering, “What’s going to happen if I get laid off?” “How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn’t make it?” Or, “My parents are getting older. How can I take care of them AND my own family at the same time?” Here is the answer: GOD’S GRACE is going to be there at every stage of your life to help you do WHATEVER you need to do. God’s grace is what SAVES us, but that’s not all. His grace is His ENABLING power. His grace will give you the STRENGTH, WISDOM and FAVOR to accomplish what you could not NORMALLY accomplish on your own. His grace is sufficient for WHATEVER you need in your future.

If you’re in a DIFFICULT marriage, if you’re raising a child that’s hard, if you’re facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is that the grace of God WILL be there. Receive it today by FAITH, and let Him EMPOWER you to walk through the difficulty into a place of VICTORY in Jesus’ name!

Today’s Scripture:

“But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.”

1 Corinthians 15:10, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LOOK FOR WAYS TO GIVE, AND GIVE GENEROUSLY

Did you know that when you give to others in need, the Bible says it’s like giving directly to God Himself? When you step out and BLESS other people, you are HONORING and BLESSING the LORD. The scripture tells us to give our BEST, to give GENEROUSLY. In other words, STRETCH yourself. Go out of your way. It may be uncomfortable to walk over and pay for someone’s gas, but that’s being GENEROUS.

I encourage you today, LOOK for ways to give generously and meet the needs of others. Remember, people have many different TYPES of needs. There may be someone who needs some ENCOURAGEMENT. Give GENEROUSLY when you give that encouragement. There may be someone in your life that just needs a FRIEND; they need some quality TIME. Give GENEROUSLY of your time and POUR into that person. As you give GENEROUSLY to others, God will multiply those seeds in YOUR own life in return!

Today’s Scripture:

” …The righteous give generously”

(Psalm 37:21, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Mother’s day is a SPECIAL day we set aside to let our moms know how much they mean to us. On this special day, be sure to tell YOUR mom how much you love HER and how much you APPRECIATE all she has done for you. PRAISE her for her dedication to her family and for her tireless efforts on YOUR behalf.

If you are not sure what to say, let GOD’s Word inspire you: “Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” (Proverbs 31:28-29)

Today’s Scripture:

“So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.”

Proverbs 23:25 , NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHAT YOU FOCUS ON, IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE. FOCUS ON THE GOODNESS

David was going through a tough time when he made the DECLARATION in today’s verse. Things weren’t going his way. But he said in effect, “I’m not worried. I’m not upset. I am CONFIDENT I will see God’s goodness.” In other words, “This situation I’m in may be rough, but that’s NOT going to steal my VISION. That’s not going to cause me to give up on my DREAMS. I am confident that this year, I will see God’s favor in a NEW way.”

That’s what OUR attitude needs to be TODAY because what you FOCUS on is what you will SEE. No matter what the medical report says, no matter what your finances look like, no matter how bad that relationship may seem, be CONFIDENT that you WILL see His GOODNESS! He is the ALL-powerful, OMNISCIENT, Creator of the UNIVERSE, and He holds YOU in the palm of His hand. NOTHING is too difficult for Him. Take hold of this truth by FAITH and FOCUS on His GOODNESS today. Allow His PEACE to settle in your heart and mind as you move forward in His blessing ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”

(Psalm 27:13, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LOVE SHOULD BE THE FOUNDATION FOR EVERYTHING WE DO IN LIFE

So often, it’s easy to get caught up in our to-do lists of life. You might even have a SPIRITUAL checklist, so to speak, of all the things you THINK you need to do in order to please God. And we should have the DESIRE to please Him and follow His commands, but pleasing Him starts with our HEART condition.

Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians that only FAITH, HOPE and LOVE will last into eternity. The point is that we have to adjust our FOCUS and make sure that we aren’t just going through the motions in our spiritual walk. We can do a lot of “good” things, but if we don’t have LOVE, they won’t matter in eternity. We can have a lot of knowledge, but if we don’t have love, it won’t do us ANY good. When love is the FOUNDATION for everything we do, it’s a different STORY. Love HONORS God and opens the door for the life of VICTORY and BLESSING He has in store!

Today’s Scripture:

“…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

Galatians 5:6, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD GIVES US THE ABILITY. BUT WE HAVE TO BE DILIGENT AND DO OUR PART AND USE WHAT HE’S GIVEN US

God wants to do something great in AND THROUGH you! He has PROMISES and BLESSINGS in store for you that you haven’t even THOUGHT of yet. The Scripture tells us that He gives us power to gain WEALTH. Wealth is simply having ABUNDANCE. God wants you to live in abundance so that He can use you to be a blessing to OTHERS. When we are willing and OBEDIENT, we open the door to His PROMISES. In other words, when we live in EXCELLENCE and INTEGRITY, when we follow the Word of God, we will walk in His BLESSING. Like a tree planted by the water, your leaf will NOT wither because you are connected to an UNLIMITED supply line.

Notice one MORE thing about this verse: it says that “He gives us the POWER to get wealth.” See, God gives us the ABILITY. He gives us creative IDEAS and INVENTIONS, but WE have to be DILIGENT and do OUR part and step out and USE what He’s given us. We have to sow seed in order to see the HARVEST that He has promised. Receive His power today and choose a life of INTEGRITY so that you can move forward into the ABUNDANT life He has prepared for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”

(Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJ)