THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SET YOUR MIND AND HEART ON SEEKING THE LORD

What things do you consider a vital NECESSITY in your life? In other words, what CAN’T you live WITHOUT? Most people would immediately think of food, water and shelter; but in reality, we can’t really live unless our MINDS and HEARTS are set on seeking the LORD. Sure, you can EXIST without seeking Him, but you are called to MORE than just mere existence. You are called to LIVE…to THRIVE…to enjoy your life ABUNDANTLY! The GOOD news is that you have complete CONTROL over what you set your MIND and HEART on. YOU decide what you THINK about.

I encourage you today; set your mind and heart on seeking the LORD! Write down your favorite Scriptures and commit them to MEMORY. Whenever you can, THINK about those verses. MEDITATE on God and His infinite LOVE. Make a habit of SEEKING Him and ask Him to REVEAL Himself to you. When you require the Lord as a vital NECESSITY, you will truly ENJOY living the ABUNDANT life He has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“Now set your mind and heart to seek (inquire of and require as your vital necessity) the Lord your God…”

(1 Chronicles 22:19 AMP)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO FORGIVE, YOU OPEN THE DOOR FOR GOD’S HEALING POWER

When you’ve been hurt or offended, sometimes it’s tempting to hold on to unforgiveness. But we have to remember, when people wrong us, our battle is NOT against flesh and blood. In other words, that person who hurt you is not the REAL enemy. The Bible says that your adversary is the DEVIL, and HE knows that if you DON’T forgive, your prayers won’t be effective. Unforgiveness puts up a BARRIER in your life to the power of God. In fact, if we don’t forgive OTHERS, WE can’t be forgiven by GOD. However, when you choose FORGIVENESS, you OPEN the door for God’s healing POWER to flow through you!

DISARM the enemy in your life today by choosing FORGIVENESS. BLESS those who curse you and PRAY for those who wrong you. Look at what JESUS did—when He was betrayed, beaten, mocked and disrespected, He chose to FORGIVE. Follow HIS example, and open the door for victory in EVERY area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…”

(Luke 23:34, KJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OPEN YOUR HEART TO THE WILL OF GOD

God LONGS to give you a glimpse of heaven while you are here on earth. He wants to show you His wonderful PLAN and bring it to pass in your life. Have you ever thought about how God’s will is accomplished in heaven? In heaven, God’s will is AUTOMATIC. There are no opposing forces or anything that would come against His will. On earth, we must CHOOSE His will on a daily basis in our THOUGHTS, WORDS and ACTIONS. On earth, we have to stand AGAINST the forces of darkness and REFUSE those negative, self-defeating thoughts that come against us.

Today, open your heart to the will of God which is His WORD. Stand strong in FAITH and see His will in YOUR LIFE just as it is in heaven!

Today’s Scripture:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Matthew 6:10, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHRIST MAKES EVERYTHING NEW AGAIN

Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. The old has passed away; behold, the NEW has come.”

If you need a new beginning in ANY area of your life, allow Christ to make YOU a NEW creation, and the old will pass away. He will put a new and right SPIRIT within you when you call on His name. Make your relationship with Him your number one PRIORITY. As you develop an INTIMACY with Him through daily prayer and the study of His Word, you WILL experience the JOY of NEWNESS of LIFE!

Today’s Scripture:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

(Psalms 51:10, ESV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU

People may come and go from your life, but God is ALWAYS with you. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. His love goes way BEYOND any human love you have ever experienced. Human love may be conditional, but God’s love is SUPERNATURAL; it’s UNCONDITIONAL and knows NO limits. There’s nothing you can do to EARN His love and nothing you can do to STOP His love.

The Scripture tells us that His love is PATIENT and KIND. His love believes the BEST. His love REDEEMS and RESTORES you. No matter what you’ve been told or what you may think about yourself today, YOU are His most PRIZED possession. There’s NOTHING that can separate you from HIS love! Remember, faith is ACTIVATED by love. As you allow Him to flood you with His LOVE, your FAITH will be ignited, and you’ll be EMPOWERED to live the abundant LIFE He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD.”

(Romans 8:38-39, KJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD ALWAYS REWARDS THE DILIGENT…..

God longs to pour out His FAVOR and BLESSING on you. He longs to show you His GOODNESS and PROVISION. He PROMISES to do His part, but you have to do YOUR part, too. You have to be DILIGENT. First of all, be DILIGENT in seeking HIS ways and following HIS commands. Then, be DILIGENT with what you have in your hand, with your TIME and RESOURCES.

In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about three men whose employer entrusted them with some money called talents. Two of the men were DILIGENT and INVESTED the talents and received a great return. The third man was afraid and buried what he was given. The first two men were REWARDED and PRAISES for their DILIGENCE while the third man was rebuked.

Follow the example of the first two men and look for ways to be DILIGENT with what you have in your hand. Whatever you do, do it with EXCELLENCE. Be the BEST you can be and go the extra mile even when you THINK it goes unnoticed. Understand that when people do NOT notice, God DOES notice, and promises to REWARD the appetite of the DILIGENT.

Today’s Scripture:

“…the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.”

(Proverbs 13:4, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THREE THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY THAT WILL CHANGE THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE

Most times, it’s not the big events in life or the big breaks that get us where we need to be, it’s the LITTLE things, the daily DISCIPLINES that move us forward in the GOOD things God has for us. I believe there are THREE THINGS you can do every day that can change the course of your life. Number one, EXPECT God’s GOODNESS. Get up every day LOOKING for God’s FAVOR. Number two, RECOGNIZE God’s goodness. There are no coincidences, no lucky breaks. It’s all the goodness of GOD. And number three, always THANK God for His goodness. Anytime something good happens, big or little, give God the GLORY. “Lord, THANK YOU for that parking spot. Lord, THANK YOU for that idea. Lord, THANK YOU for sending me DEW in my desert.”

If you DO this, I BELIEVE and DECLARE that YOU are going to come into MORE of God’s goodness; that His blessings are going to come AFTER you. God is going to open up SUPERNATURAL doors. He’s going to turn negative situations AROUND. Get ready because something GOOD is coming YOUR way! You’re going to FULFILL your God-given DESTINY because He NEVER forsakes those who SEEK after Him!

Today’s Scripture:

“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

(Psalm 9:10, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY TRUE TO WHAT GOD HAS PUT IN YOUR HEART

So many people today spend valuable TIME and ENERGY trying to make everyone around them happy. They want to be APPROVED, ACCEPTED and AFFIRMED. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you can’t let the opinions of OTHERS become your FOCUS or DISTRACT you from what God has called you to.

In the natural, when a professional runner races, you don’t see them looking around at the other runners, wondering how they are doing. No, they have their mind FOCUSED on one thing: the FINISH LINE. They don’t waste valuable ENERGY comparing themselves or wondering what’s going on around them. Instead, they focus on WINNING the prize. This is how WE should be in life—FOCUSED on winning the prize of the victor’s crown in life.

My challenge to you today is: run YOUR race. Don’t let people squeeze you into THEIR mold. Remember, you don’t have to try to PLAY UP to people. You don’t have to worry about what everyone ELSE thinks. As long as you’re being true to what God has put in YOUR heart, don’t look to the left or to the right. Stay FOCUSED on your GOALS. Run YOUR race to WIN and honor GOD in everything that you do!

Today’s Scripture:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”

(1 Corinthians 9:24, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU’RE GRATEFUL, YOU FOCUS ON WHAT’S RIGHT….

Many people today don’t realize that the reason they’re not happy, the reason they’re not enjoying life is simply because they’ve trained their minds in the wrong direction. They’ve trained their minds to worry. They’ve trained their minds to complain. They’ve trained their minds to see the NEGATIVE. But just as you can form these negative MINDSETS, you can RETRAIN your mind according to the Word of God and form GODLY mindsets.

I believe one of the main keys to RETRAINING your mind and developing a POSITIVE attitude is by learning to stay GRATEFUL. When you stay grateful, you are focusing on what’s RIGHT rather than what’s wrong. The seed of the Word takes root in the GOOD ground of your heart. This doesn’t happen automatically, you have to DISCIPLINE yourself. You have to make a conscious EFFORT every single day until a good HABIT is formed.

Remember, when you live with an attitude of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING, you are SHIELDING yourself from the attacks of the enemy. The seeds of discouragement cannot take root in a GRATEFUL heart. Neither can bitterness, envy or strife. So today, RETRAIN your mind and be EMPOWERED with His STRENGTH to overcome in EVERY area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind…”

(Romans 12:2, AMP)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WANTS YOU TO LAUGH, AND LIVE WELL

God has given you a great prescription for living a long, healthy and happy life: LAUGH, and laugh a LOT! The “medicine” of laughter is within everyone, but you may need to start taking it. Recent studies have shown that laughter boosts the body’s immune system, reduces stress, reduces the risk of heart attack, and even acts as a natural tranquilizer. Those are health benefits EVERYONE needs. That’s why it’s tragic to go through life with a STONE FACE. The enemy has convinced too many into thinking that they need to be somber and serious in order to be a Christian. But don’t FALL for that trick. God wants you to LAUGH and live WELL!

Today’s Scripture:

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”

(Proverbs 17:22, NLT)