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)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

USE YOUR WORDS TO CHANGE YOUR SITUATION, NOT DESCRIBE IT

One thing I’ve learned is that God calls the things that are not as if they ALREADY ARE. He doesn’t call you what you are; He calls you the way HE sees you. That’s because He creates with His words, and you do, TOO.

The first time I stepped up to the podium in front of a large audience to make a speech, I was afraid. I felt unqualified, inexperienced, and intimidated. The whole time, on the inside, I could hear that still, small voice saying, ‘Mark, you are well ABLE. You can do ALL things. You HAVE what it takes. You are STRONG in the Lord.’ God was calling me something that I was NOT. I was not strong and bold and confident. I was weak, insecure, and intimidated. Somehow, I had the FAITH to believe what GOD said about me. And it didn’t happen overnight, but little by little, I BECAME what God called me and I actually discovered that I LIKED public speaking AND, I was GOOD at it!

Today, follow His example and call things that are not, as though they ARE. Look through your eyes of FAITH and call it like YOU see it. Don’t use your words to TALK about your situation; use your words to CHANGE your situation. Keep speaking words of FAITH, keep PRAYING, keep BELIEVING and keep moving FORWARD into the bright future He has for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did”

(Romans 4:17b, NKJ)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE CREATE ‘OUR’ WORLD, WITH OUR WORDS

Scripture tells us that there is creative POWER in the words we DECLARE. In the same way that God created the world with HIS words in Genesis 1, WE “create” our own world with OUR words. We can create an atmosphere of PEACE, JOY, POWER and LOVE with our words, or we can create an atmosphere of strife, confusion and defeat.

Today, I encourage YOU to use your words to open the door for God to MOVE by declaring His Word over YOUR life. Declare that His strength IS at work in you. Declare that NO weapon formed against you is going to prosper. As you declare God’s WORD over your life, you’ll see it come to pass. You’ll feel His STRENGTH, JOY and VICTORY rising up inside of you so that you can embrace the life of BLESSING He has prepared for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as You have declared”

(Numbers 14:17, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IT’S TIME TO TURN THE PAGE AND SEE THE BLESSING GOD HAS IN STORE FOR YOUR LIFE

Did you know that God has already written out the story of your life? He’s written out plans for your GOOD, plans to PROSPER you, plans for PEACE. That doesn’t mean that you won’t go through negative situations. It means that God will use everything you go through to move you forward TOWARD that good plan.

When things happen that we don’t understand, it’s easy to think, “Why did this happen? Why did this friend betray me? Why did this company lay me off? Why didn’t I get that promotion?” You can’t let the things you don’t understand keep you stuck on the same page in the story of your life. You have to DECIDE to TURN the page so that you can see the VICTORY waiting for you in the NEXT chapter.

If you are facing a difficulty today, know that God’s plan is to turn it around and use it for your GOOD. The story of your life is NOT over! Keep moving FORWARD, keep BELIEVING, keep HOPING, keep FORGIVING because your days are written out for GOOD, and it’s time to TURN THE PAGE and see the BLESSING HE has in store for your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“…all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Psalm 139:16, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE SET OUR FUTURE ACCORDING TO WHAT WE CHOOSE TO SAY

Are you ready to see something NEW in your life? The question is what have you been DECLARING? Are you declaring what you see in your CIRCUMSTANCES? Are you declaring your WORRIES and FRUSTRATIONS to others, or are you declaring God’s GOODNESS and PROMISES over your life?

Scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. That means we set our future according to what we choose to SAY. If you need to see change in your circumstances, then start by changing your WORDS. Don’t use your words to DESCRIBE your situation; use your words to CHANGE your situation. Start declaring NEW things in order to start SEEING new things! Declare BLESSING, declare PEACE, declare WHOLENESS—declare His WORD and watch Him shape YOUR FUTURE and lead you into the wonderful NEW THINGS He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you”

(Isaiah 42:9, NIV)