THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN THINGS HAPPEN THAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, FILE IT AWAY

When things happen in your life that you don’t plan, do you find yourself trying to reason it all out or look for a “file,” so to speak, in your mind to put it in? What happens when you can’t reason it out or make sense of it all?

Here’s the answer: Every one of us needs to create a file in our thinking called the “I Don’t Understand It” file. When things come up that don’t make sense, things that you can’t figure out, instead of getting frustrated or confused, put it in your “I Don’t Understand It” file and leave it alone. If you go through life trying to figure out why something bad happened or why things didn’t work out, it will cause you to become bitter and stuck in life. Part of trusting God means trusting Him when things don’t make sense because we know that His plan is always for good. We have to know that He will reveal all things in HIS time—even if that means in eternity.

Is there something that didn’t make sense in 2018 that you know you need to file away? Choose to TRUST God. Choose to keep moving FORWARD. Know that He LOVES you, He is FOR you, and He has a GREAT PLAN for your future!

Today’s Scripture:

“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me.”
(Psalm 131:1, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TRUE COMFORT IS ONLY FOUND IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

Oftentimes when people face challenges, their natural tendency is to seek COMFORT in things that are familiar. It may be WORK, an activity or RELATIONSHIPS; and of course, we all know about “comfort FOOD.” But, those things only bring TEMPORARY comfort. TRUE comfort is only found in a relationship with JESUS.

According to Webster’s dictionary, COMFORT means to give STRENGTH and HOPE; to EASE grief or trouble. No matter what difficulty you may be facing today, God wants to bring you COMFORT. Like a mother cares for her child, He longs to give you STRENGTH, HOPE and CONFIDENCE. Turn to Him. Receive His LOVE. Let go of things that would hold you back. Let Him HEAL your heart and give you STRENGTH for the future. Let Him EMPOWER you to rise up and overcome EVERY obstacle in Jesus’ name!

Today’s Scripture:

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…”
(Isaiah 66:13, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD ALWAYS KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED

God is ALWAYS with you. That means He is present at all times, CONTINUALLY, PERPETUALLY, throughout ALL time. In your day of trouble, He PROMISES to be a help to you. How is He your help? “HELP” means something different to each person. That’s because “help” is specific to your need. If you need money to pay your bills, a chocolate cake isn’t going to be much help! But we serve a God who is very specific. And because He is always WITH you, He always knows exactly what you NEED and is always ready to provide it!

Today, are you facing trouble or adversity? Know that God is with you. Look to Him for HELP. Trust that He has the answer, and that He is working things out in your favor. As you continue to BELIEVE Him and FOLLOW His direction, He will lead you in the way that you SHOULD go. He will COMFORT you, REVIVE you, RESTORE you and BLESS you! He will be your ever-present HELP because He is forever FAITHFUL to His Word!

Today’s Scripture:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
(Psalm 46:1, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IT’S TIME TO GET IN AGREEMENT WITH GOD

“I’m God’s MASTERPIECE. I’m WONDERFULLY made. I’m TALENTED. I’m ORIGINAL. God has given me EVERYTHING that I need.” That’s what David was saying in Psalm 139. He praised God for making him in an amazing way and declared that what God had done was WONDERFUL. Is that how you started YOUR day?

Most people think they are being humble by putting themselves down. They say, “Oh, I’m not that talented. It was no big deal.” But really, we should be bold like David and say, “I’m AMAZING. I’m a MASTERPIECE. God made me and He does NOT make junk! I am EQUIPPED, I am EMPOWERED, and I am AMAZING!”

Today, make the decision to STOP putting yourself down; STOP focusing on your flaws and comparing yourself to others. Your Creator says “you ARE a masterpiece.” It’s time to get in agreement with God and realize how much He LOVES you. It’s time to realize how SPECIAL you are. Make the shift by changing your WORDS and start by saying what David said!

Today’s Scripture:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
(Psalm 139:14, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD PROMISES TO OVERWHELM US WITH HIS BLESSINGS

God wants to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings on you today and EVERY day of the year. But notice that today’s verse tells us that there is something we have to do first—we have to step out in FAITH and bring our tithes to Him. In other words, we have to be OBEDIENT to God with our finances.

We have to remember that we are STEWARDS over the RESOURCES God has given us. When we are good and faithful STEWARDS, the Lord entrusts us with MORE. He opens the windows of heaven. Have you ever thought about what kind of BLESSING would be so GREAT that there would not be room enough to receive it? It may be hard to comprehend, but that’s what God’s Word promises—to OVERWHELM us with His BLESSINGS!
I encourage you today, be a GIVER. Be a TITHER. Put yourself in a position to receive His BLESSING. Begin to thank Him for His FAITHFULNESS. Lift up your eyes to Him. As the scripture says, PROVE Him and see Him move MIGHTILY on your behalf!

Today’s Scripture:

“Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
(Malachi 3:10, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD PROMISES HE’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU

In the natural, when we’ve wronged someone, sometimes it’s easier to avoid them than to face the discomfort or potential rejection. Oftentimes, people have this same approach to God. Have you ever heard someone say, “If I walk into church, the roof will cave in?” They think they should keep their distance because of the wrong they’ve done. But nothing could be further from the TRUTH! God’s not mad at you; He’s madly in LOVE with you! He’s waiting for you with open arms. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done; know that His GOODNESS is what’s drawing you to Him.

Today, don’t let condemnation keep you from going to God. Trust His KINDNESS. He wants you to experience His GOODESS. He wants to show you His FAITHFULNESS. He’s promised He’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Turn to Him TODAY and let Him pour His loving KINDNESS out on you and EMPOWER you to live the GOOD life that He has planned for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“…the goodness of God leads you to repentance.”
(Romans 2:4, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TO FORGIVE AND RELEASE THE PAST SO YOU CAN GROW AND MOVE FORWARD

What are you looking at today? Not in the natural, but with your SPIRITUAL eyes. In other words, what is in the forefront of your MIND and in your HEART? Are you constantly dwelling on your problems or things that have happened in your past?

In the natural, you will move in the direction that your eyes are looking. In the SPIRITUAL, it works the same way. Whatever you FOCUS your MIND and HEART on, you will move toward. That’s why today’s verse tells us to look straight ahead. If you are constantly dwelling on your problems or things in your past, wondering “WHAT IF,” then you will stay right where you are. But if you choose to FORGIVE and RELEASE the past, then you can FOCUS on what is AHEAD of you, and you’ll begin to move FORWARD.

God does NOT want you to live in the past. He wants you to keep GROWING and moving FORWARD. Make the DECISION to meditate on His GOODNESS and FOCUS on His PROMISES. Look STRAIGHT AHEAD so you can see His BLESSING and move forward into the life of VICTORY He has promised you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
(Proverbs 4:25, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

FEELING BAD? LET GOD MAKE YOU NEW AGAIN

What do you need from the Lord today? Do you need PEACE, PROVISION or GUIDANCE? The Word of God PROMISES that no GOOD thing will He withhold from those who walk blamelessly before Him. Now you may be thinking, “Mark, I’m NOT perfect. How can I have a BLAMELESS walk?” The Good News is that when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you AUTOMATICALLY have a new, BLAMELESS walk. The past is ERASED in God’s eyes. And sure, you may make mistakes from time to time, but 1 John 1:9 says, “If we CONFESS our sins, He is FAITHFUL and just to FORGIVE us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”

Understand today that God wants to pour His FAVOR and HONOR on you. If you feel like there is anything in your life that you need to be cleansed from, go to the Father today and CONFESS it to Him. Let Him make you new so that you can receive the GOOD things He has in store for you!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
(Psalm 84:11, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US, CLOSER THAN THE AIR WE BREATHE

In the Bible, Jesus has many names that identify His character. One of those names is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Before Jesus came to earth, the Spirit of God resided in the temple. The people had to go through all kinds of rituals to become clean enough to go near to Him.

Today, as BELIEVERS, we ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is the one who CLEANSES us and makes His home in our hearts. He becomes ONE with us, CLOSER than the air we breathe.

Isn’t it good to know that God is ALWAYS with us? His PEACE is always with us. His JOY is always with us. His POWER is always with us, and His VICTORY is always with us. The next time you feel alone, think about this scripture. Know that He is NEAR because you serve Emmanuel—the God who is ALWAYS with you!

Today’s Scripture:

Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel–which, when translated, means, God with us.
(Matthew 1:23, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I MAY NOT SEE A WAY, BUT I KNOW GOD HAS A WAY

Today I declare that a SHIFT is coming. Whatever you need—a shift in your HEALTH, a shift in your FINANCES, or a shift in a RELATIONSHIP. It may not LOOK like anything is happening in the natural, but we serve a SUPERNATURAL God. He’s about to breathe in your direction in a NEW way! The enemies you have seen in the past, you will see NO more. The addictions or bad habits that have held you back are being BROKEN in Jesus’ name. God’s FAVOR is being released in a NEW way that will PROPEL you FORWARD. What should have taken you 40 years to accomplish, God is going to do in a split second!

The shift is ACCELERATION. The shift means going beyond where you could go on your own. The shift is seeing Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, do EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY above and BEYOND. Now our attitude should be, “God, I’m READY. I’m taking the limits off of You. I’m enlarging my VISION. I may not SEE a way, but I know You HAVE a way. I DECLARE, I’m coming into a SHIFT!”

Today’s Scripture:

“You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways.”
(Job 22:28, NKJV)