THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE TIME TODAY, AND EVERY DAY TO GET ALONE, AND GET IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS…..

Sometimes, it’s easy to get wrapped up in taking care of the people AROUND us. You may find that you’re always GIVING, taking care of the children, working overtime at the office, or helping that friend who is struggling. And that’s ALL good. But if you’re not careful, you can end up feeling rundown. That’s why you have to take time EVERY DAY to get filled back UP. Your FIRST priority should be taking care of yourself and making time to get into the presence of JESUS. Throughout Scripture, we see that in God’s presence there is fullness of JOY, fullness of PEACE and fullness of VICTORY. In His presence, you’re REFRESHED and RESTORED. That’s why it’s so important to take time every day to read your BIBLE and meditate on His PROMISES. We have to be DILIGENT to have that QUIET TIME with Him. Today, take time to get ALONE with God and just say, “God, I love You today. Thank You for my LIFE, for my FAMILY, for the OPPORTUNITIES You’ve given me. Lord, I know every GOOD thing comes from YOU.” When you live like THAT, with your mind filled with His Word and His THOUGHTS toward you, you’ll be REFRESHED, RESTORED, re-RE-ENERGIZED and filled UP for the JOURNEY of life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Matthew 5:6, TLV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RECEIVE GOD’S PROMISES BY FAITH, AND WHATEVER YOU ASK FOR IN PRAYER WILL BE YOURS

Has God spoken things to your heart that haven’t come to pass yet? Sometimes when we are BELIEVING for things, it’s easy to become discouraged when it doesn’t happen according to OUR timetable. But when you make the CHOICE to receive your promise by PICTURING it in your mind’s eye and DECLARING it with the words of your mouth, your FAITH becomes STRONGER. You begin to have JOY and PEACE because you know God IS working behind the scenes on your behalf. What are YOU believing for God to do in YOUR life? See it in your mind’s eye. See yourself HEALED. See yourself paying off that last DEBT. As you allow God’s thoughts to become YOUR thoughts and receive His promises by FAITH, just like it says in today’s verse, whatever you ask for in prayer WILL be yours!

Today’s Scripture:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD LOVES TO SHOW HIMSELF STRONG YOU YOUR BEHALF

Do you need God’s strength to CONQUER something in your life today? Maybe you need strength to FORGIVE or to OVERCOME an addiction. Maybe you need strength to deal with a difficult PERSON in the office. No matter what you may be facing, God desires to give you His SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH in EVERY situation. It’s interesting that one translation of this verse says, “because God SMILED upon them and FAVORED them.” Did you know that simply calling on God causes Him to SMILE on you? Because you are His child, you have His FAVOR! God LOVES to show Himself strong on your behalf. Be STRONG in the Lord knowing that He IS with you, SMILING upon you, and showering you with His FAVOR. As you meditate on this promise, you will be strengthened to overcome EVERY obstacle, and you will live a life of VICTORY!

Today’s Scripture:

For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.

Psalm 44:3, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE TODAY, GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU A NEW, BETTER FUTURE

Prisoner of hope means that you can’t get away from it. You’re HELD by hope. A prisoner of hope is someone who has an attitude of FAITH and EXPECTANCY even when things are bad because God has promised to RESTORE what was lost . . . and far MORE. That’s a great word of HOPE you can hold ON to! It means your HEALTH, your JOB situation, and your FINANCES may not be what you WANT them to be today, but they are all subject to CHANGE! God wants to RESTORE these things to you—not just the way they were BEFORE—but with MORE so that you are better off than when you began. No matter where you are TODAY or what happened to you YESTERDAY, God wants to give you a NEW future filled with JOY, FULFILLMENT and ABUNDANCE.

Today’s Scripture:

“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

Zechariah 9:12, ESV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU HAVE STRENGTH FOR ALL THINGS THROUGH THE POWER OF CHRIST IN YOUR HEART

The great heroes of the Bible impress us with their STRENGTH, their CONFIDENCE and the depth of their FAITH. And as God’s Word tells us, YOU can do the same great things THEY did because you have the same God in YOU! King David was SUPREMELY confident in God—firm in the knowledge that God would give him the strength to OVERCOME his obstacles. God can cause you to go OVER them, AROUND them, or even THROUGH them, but God WILL get you to where you’re supposed to BE. Philippians 4:13 says you can have strength “for ALL things” through the power of Christ in your HEART. We hope this will encourage you to take a stand for God. Don’t ever think that God did great things ONLY for people in the days of the Bible. He is the same yesterday, today and FOREVER. Call on HIM, and you’ll see Him come through and do what ONLY He can do!

Today’s Scripture:

“For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.”

Psalm 18:29, ESV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHATEVER IT IS, IT’S NO SURPRISE TO GOD, AND HE’S ALREADY PREPARED A WAY OF ESCAPE FOR YOU

We all go through difficult times in life. Maybe a LOVED ONE let you down. Maybe you didn’t get the job or PROMOTION you wanted. Maybe you’re having a challenge in your HEALTH. Sometimes it can feel like a raging river of EMOTION inside, but God PROMISES that He is with you. He will NOT let you down. He STILL calms the storms that rage around you!

What did the disciples do when they were in a great storm in Mark 4? They called on JESUS! They turned to HIM when they didn’t know what to do, and He brought PEACE to their CIRCUMSTANCES. Today, if YOU are going through circumstances you don’t understand, know that it’s no SURPRISE to God. He’s already prepared a way of ESCAPE for you. Call on Jesus, TODAY! He’s CLOSER than the air you breath! He loves you with an EVERLASTING love, and He PROMISES that He is ALWAYS with you!

Today’s Scripture:

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown!”

Isaiah 43:2, TLB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE CAN’T EVEN SCRATCH THE SURFACE OF GOD’S GREATNESS

Have you ever had an experience where you were just overwhelmed and amazed by God’s GRACE and BLESSING? It is our prayer that if you haven’t already, you SOON will have the remarkable blessing of seeing His transforming POWER in ACTION. Paul described in his letters just how ASTONISHED he was by God’s grace. If there is ever a time when something just doesn’t quite seem to make LOGICAL sense, it may very well be GOD’S work in your life. He is such a BIG God who is so full of GOODNESS, GRACE, BLESSING, FORGIVENESS and MERCY—we cannot even scratch the SURFACE of His greatness. All you can do sometimes is stand back and be OVERWHELMED by His deep, abiding LOVE. Begin to RECOGNIZE and THANK Him for His abundant GOODNESS in your life.

Today’s Scripture:

The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:14, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE STILL, KNOWING THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL

We ALL have to make numerous decisions throughout the day. When you face a DIFFICULT decision, did you know you can ask GOD to lead you in the right direction? You’ll be AMAZED at the insight you get from relying on God instead of striving to find the answers on your OWN. If you’re constantly trying to figure things out and make things happen instead of waiting for GOD’S timing, you’ll wear yourself OUT. Instead, why don’t you come back to a place of REST, knowing God IS in control. His ways are HIGHER than ours. If you’ll TRUST Him to do things HIS way, you’ll see His BEST plan for your life unfold. When you feel worried or uptight, that’s the time to say, “God, give me Your WISDOM to make GOOD decisions. I REFUSE to worry. I’m staying in PEACE, knowing that YOU are in control.”

Today’s Scripture:

“Cease striving and know that I am God…”

Psalm 46:10, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE TIME TODAY AND EVERY DAY, TO SPEND WITH JUST YOU AND THE LORD….

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “I don’t even have time to think,” then you know how hard it is to CONCENTRATE when you’re being bombarded with noise from all sides. It can be even harder to hold on to PEACE when we don’t make time to read His Word. God doesn’t often shout to get our ATTENTION. Instead, the Bible says that He speaks in “a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), which means we need to listen CLOSELY. What can you do to put yourself in a position to hear GOD’S voice? The key is to MAKE TIME every day away from the busyness and distractions. Find a room in your house, outside under the trees, or some other place where you can be STILL for a few minutes each day to spend time with HIM. As you spend TIME with Him, He will renew your SPIRIT and restore your PEACE.

Today’s Scripture:

…he leads me beside quiet waters.

Psalm 23:2, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD LOVES YOU TOO MUCH TO LEAVE YOU WHERE YOU ARE

Does there seem to be a problem waiting for you no matter where you turn? Do you sometimes wonder if your dreams are EVER going to come to pass? Maybe you’ve asked why God would allow you to struggle in your JOB, your RELATIONSHIPS, your HEALTH or some OTHER area of life. Sometimes God allows us to go through CHALLENGES because He knows it’s the STRUGGLE of life that builds STRENGTH in us. If God simply delivered us from EVERY struggle, then we might not continue to grow and learn to TRUST Him. When you stretch your FAITH, ENDURE, OVERCOME and PERSEVERE through the DIFFICULT times, you’ll begin to realize a greater level of JOY, PEACE, VICTORY and ABUNDANCE than you ever dreamed possible. Remember, God loves you TOO MUCH to leave you where you are. He’s PREPARING you for something BETTER!

Today’s Scripture:

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2 Corinthians 4:17, NKJV