THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PERSEVERE AND HOLD FAST, NEVER GIVE UP

“HOLD FAST” is not a phrase we often use in this culture. But in the original Greek, hold fast means not only to embrace, but to embrace with FORCE as if someone is trying to take something from you. In other words, you’ve got to have a firm grip or you’re going to lose out! And notice what we are supposed to hold fast to—our PROFESSION, our DECLARATION of FAITH.

I like to think of it sort of like a tug of war. You’re on one end and the enemy is on the other. He’s trying to pull that rope out of your hand. He’s trying to steal your HOPE and get you to speak negative words of doubt and unbelief. But you’ve got to be determined and stand STRONG. You’ve got to PERSEVERE and HOLD FAST. Don’t let the enemy pull the seed of FAITH out of your heart! You might need to dig your heels in and get a new GRIP, but don’t you DARE let go! Keep speaking words of FAITH. Keep speaking words of HOPE. Keep DECLARING God’s Word and keep holding fast to the profession of your FAITH!

Today’s Scripture:

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).”
Hebrews 10:23, KJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LET GOD ARISE IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU’LL NEVER BE DEFEATED

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:

HAVE CONFIDENCE KNOWING THAT GOD IS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES….

Are you facing trouble in ANY area of your life today? God is standing ready to DELIVER you. He promises in His Word that He is near to ALL those who call upon His name. No matter what you may be going through, have CONFIDENCE knowing that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. He PROMISES to deliver you!

Notice that today’s verse tells us that our part is to HONOR and GLORIFY Him. In other words, you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to give Him PRAISE. You can give Him honor and glory right NOW. You can THANK Him for all He’s done in your life SO FAR and what He WILL do in your future.

Call on Him today and focus on having an attitude of FAITH and EXPECTANCY. SPEAK His Word and DECLARE His promises over your life. TRUST in Him because He WILL take you places you’ve never dreamed. As you praise Him, He’ll DELIVER you and take you HIGHER AND HIGHER into the good life He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
Psalm 50:15, AMPC

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN WE PRAISE GOD, IT OPENS THE DOOR FOR HIM TO MOVE ON OUR BEHALF

Everyone has times in life when they feel like they are going through the fire, or perhaps, feel overwhelmed with everyday life. If that’s you today, understand that God is going to bring you through those challenges; He’s going to bring you through the fire and the flood into a place of ABUNDANCE. We serve a God of MORE than enough, and His heart is to ALWAYS make sure you have whatever you need to be SUCCESSFUL in EVERY area of your life. The Bible says that Jesus came so that we can have life—ABUNDANT life! He wants you to have an abundance of RESOURCES, an abundance of WISDOM, an abundance of PEACE—EVERYTHING you need. Open your heart and THANK Him for His goodness. Begin to receive His promises by FAITH. Remember, your PRAISE opens the door for Him to move on your behalf, and He wants to take you to a place of ABUNDANCE in EVERY area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“…we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”
Psalm 66:12, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHAT YOU’RE FACING TODAY IS ONLY TEMPORARY, BUT GOD ALMIGHTY IS ETERNAL

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:

OUR GOD IS A RESTORER. HE’LL MAKE YOU STRONGER, WISER AND BETTER OFF THAN YOU WERE BEFORE

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 ALREADY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO FULFILL YOUR DESTINY

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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WANTS TO TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU EVER DREAMED POSSIBLE

One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always work on OUR timetable. In fact, He RARELY does. But in a single moment, God can change your LIFE! All throughout scripture, we see examples of how God was working behind the scenes and INSTANTLY turned things around for His people. Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever which means He can INSTANTLY turn things around for you, TOO!

You may be going through some difficulty today, but be ENCOURAGED because your times are in GOD’S hands. He wants to ACCELERATE things in your FAVOR. He wants to take you FURTHER than you dreamed possible and work in your life in ways BEYOND what you have ever IMAGINED.

Let this TRUTH sink down into your heart today. RESIST discouragement by speaking His WORD over your future. Keep STANDING. Keep HOPING; keep BELIEVING because He is working BEHIND the scenes. He’s going to ACCELERATE your times and lead you into the life of VICTORY He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“My times are in Your hand…”
Psalm 31:15, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, GET INTO AGREEMENT WITH GOD AND GET READY FOR A MIRACLE

Twenty years before Abraham ever had a child, God said to him, “Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations.” Notice God spoke to him like it had ALREADY happened, in the PAST tense. I’m sure Abraham thought, “God, You must have made a mistake. I’m not a father. I don’t even have one child. Abraham could have talked himself out of it; but instead, HE CHOSE TO BELIEVE.

Today, you may be thinking, “I’m not BLESSED. I’m not CONFIDENT. I’m not HEALTHY. I’m not FAVORED.” But when God says you’re BLESSED, don’t TRY to figure it out. Just AGREE with God and say, “I AM blessed.” When God calls you prosperous, don’t go check your bank account. Don’t go look at the stock report. Just AGREE with God and say, “I AM prosperous.” Things may LOOK impossible. That’s all right. That’s the way things looked for Abraham. But sure enough, God’s PROMISES came to pass, and he became the father of many nations.

Remember, when you AGREE with God, you are positioning yourself for a MIRACLE. You are ACTIVATING His TRUTH in your life. When things look difficult, don’t agree with your circumstances, agree with His PROMISES because He is FAITHFUL, and He WILL complete what He’s STARTED in your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”
Romans 4:17, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS A BELIEVER, YOU HAVE THE UNLIMITED SUPERNATURAL LIVING GOD INSIDE OF YOU

We serve a SUPERNATURAL God! He is NOT limited by anything or anyone. He’s ready to do the impossible IN you, FOR you and THROUGH you!

Think about this for a moment: when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God actually makes His home IN you—the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead! That means that you have UNLIMITED POWER, unlimited WISDOM, unlimited ABILITY, unlimited JOY and unlimited PEACE living INSIDE of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a BELIEVER, you have the unlimited, SUPERNATURAL, living God INSIDE of you!

Let that sink down deep into your heart. Let it restore CONFIDENCE and STRENGTH to your BEING. Let it ENERGIZE your THOUGHTS and ATTITUDE today. As you meditate on Him and the VASTNESS of His power inside of you, you will tap INTO that power more and more. Every day, you’ll experience His supernatural INCREASE as you put HIM first—the Supernatural ONE living in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11, NIV