THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOUR DAILY LIFE SHOULD WIN THE RESPECT OF OTHERS….

When others look at YOUR life, what do they see? Does your daily life win the RESPECT of others? As believers, we are Christ’s REPRESENTATIVES in the earth. We are called to a HIGHER standard. The way we LIVE our lives should bring glory to God the FATHER.

Notice this verse doesn’t say, “Go out of your way to do something major so that everyone will notice and respect YOU.” It doesn’t say, “Win a gold medal or Pulitzer prize so that people will glorify your Father in heaven.” No, it says that your daily life should win the respect of OTHERS. That simply means always taking the HIGH road and living a life of EXCELLENCE. It means doing the right thing even when NO one is looking. It means finding common ground in order to be a PEACEMAKER. It means living with an attitude of FAITH and THANKSGIVING.

Remember, you WILL BECOME like those you spend the most TIME with. If you are committed to spending time with God the Father every day, you’ll develop HIS character. You’ll win the RESPECT of outsiders and bring glory to HIM all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders…”

(1 Thessalonians 4:12, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN WE’RE THANKFUL, WE MAGNIFY GOD INSTEAD OF OUR PROBLEMS….

No matter what may be happening in the world AROUND you, you can always find SOMETHING to thank God for. GRATITUDE is a powerful force that opens the door to God’s blessing. Having constant gratitude proves your FAITH in God because not only do you thank Him for what He HAS done in the PAST, you thank Him for what He WILL do in the FUTURE. It’s that kind of faith that PLEASES God. Constant gratitude also shows HUMILITY because when we are thankful, we magnify GOD instead of magnifying our PROBLEMS. It gives us proper PERSPECTIVE and opens the door for God’s GRACE, FAVOR and supernatural EMPOWERMENT.

So what are YOU grateful for today? Are you grateful for the SUN that shines and brings a new DAY? Are you thankful for the gift of eternal LIFE? As you choose an attitude of constant GRATITUDE, you’ll experience His mercy and loving-kindness in GREATER ways. You’ll be filled with His PEACE and JOY and pave the way to move forward into the ABUNDANT life He has prepared for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!”

(1 Chronicles 16:34, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RESIST DISCOURAGEMENT BY SPEAKING GODS WORD OVER YOUR FUTURE

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:

ACCEPT THE ‘GOOD PLAN’ GOD HAS FOR YOU…..

No matter what may be happening TODAY, God has GOOD things in store for your FUTURE! It may not be easy to see now, but God has already lined up a new BEGINNING, new FRIENDSHIPS and new OPPORTUNITIES for you.

Maybe you’ve experienced some setbacks, but don’t make the mistake of expecting the same for your future. Instead, accept God’s good plan for your life by declaring His TRUTH. As believers, our attitude should be, “Even though the economy is down, I’m not worried. I know God is going before me, and He has promised He will make rivers in the desert.” Or, “The medical report may not look good, but I have another report that says God is restoring health unto me. I believe God has already released HEALING, HEALTH and VICTORY in my FUTURE.” Or, you may have a child who is not on the right course. In the natural, it seems impossible. But our report should be, “I know God CAN DO the impossible!”

Today, be ENCOURAGED and don’t give up on your tomorrows. Accept the GOOD plan God has for you—a plan filled with HOPE, PURPOSE, BLESSING and INCREASE in EVERY area of your life!

Today’s Scripture

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE SUPERNATURALLY EMPOWERED TO DO WHATEVER GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO

God has BLESSED you! PAST tense—He’s already DONE it! Now, you may not FEEL blessed, you may not LOOK blessed; in fact, all the circumstances may tell you that you’re NOT blessed. But you’ve got to be bold enough to say, “No, I SEE it right here in God’s WORD—I AM blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ!”

What does it mean to be BLESSED? It means that you are supernaturally EMPOWERED to do whatever God has called you to do; to be WHOMEVER God has called you to BE; and to HAVE whatever God has called you to have. God’s blessing is His EMPOWERMENT! The key is this: you have to BELIEVE it in order to RECEIVE it. You can’t walk around in guilt and condemnation from the past thinking you can’t do anything right and expect to keep moving forward. You have to SHAKE OFF those old mindsets by declaring God’s TRUTH over your life. Truth sets you FREE. When you speak God’s truth that you ARE blessed, you will be free to BELIEVE it and RECEIVE it! Today, take hold of what BELONGS to you. Approach the day with an attitude of FAITH and VICTORY knowing that you are ALREADY blessed!

Today’s Scripture:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

(Ephesians 1:3, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL, THE GIFT OF ETERNAL, ABUNDANT LIFE

Have you ever thought about how love affects GIVING? I’ve heard it said that you can give without loving, but you can’t LOVE without GIVING. Love prompts us to give of OURSELVES, our TIME, ABILITIES and RESOURCES. The Bible tells us that God IS love, and the world will know that we are His followers by the LOVE WE show—and GIVING is what shows our LOVE! We are entering into a time in the year that the world knows as the SEASON of giving, but let’s remember to take time to focus on the greatest gift of ALL, the gift of eternal, abundant LIFE through JESUS. If you’ve never RECEIVED this gift, I invite you NOW to open your heart and pray this simple prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I come to You today, giving You all that I am. I repent of my sins and confess that I need You. I believe You died and rose for me. Be my Lord and Savior and make me new today. I receive Your love and Your gift of eternal life.”

Then, go out and SHARE the gift of love with someone ELSE because it’s the ONLY gift that will last in ETERNITY!

Today’s Scripture:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

(John 3:16, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, I DECLARE THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS ALL OVER YOU!

If it had not been for the goodness of GOD, where would YOU be? Some of you, like ME, wouldn’t be ALIVE today. Some would still be ADDICTED. If it had not been for God’s favor some would still be STRUGGLING, barely making it. You may say, “Well Mark, I’ve got a LONG way to go.” And that may be TRUE, but I want you to take a moment and look back over your life and realize how FAR you’ve come today. The same God that brought you THIS far, the same God that has kept you ALIVE, is going to carry you through ANY difficulty you may be facing. The key is to just start PRAISING and THANKING Him for His GOODNESS. Thank Him for His FAVOR and BLESSING upon you. Praise PRECEDES the victory. PRAISE brings the walls of opposition DOWN. PRAISE is the invitation for God to intervene on your BEHALF!

Today I know that this is meant for YOU! Because it’s NO accident that you’re reading this right NOW, and I believe and declare that the goodness of God is ALL OVER YOU! HE is directing YOUR steps today, and you ARE following His LEADING. I declare that YOUR best days ARE AHEAD, and as you PRAISE Him and THANK Him, you WILL move forward into the VICTORY and BLESSING He has prepared for YOU!

And if YOU believe it, can you say Amen TODAY!?! AMEN and God bless YOU!!

Today’s Scripture:

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

(Psalm 119:92, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PRAISE OPENS THE DOOR TO VICTORY AND BLESSING

Have you ever thought about what it means to continually offer up a SACRIFICE of praise? That word “SACRIFICE” means that it cost you something. It means doing something when you don’t feel like it. It’s when you say, “God, I’m hurting, but I give You PRAISE.” “God, I’m lonely, but I give You PRAISE.” “God, it wasn’t fair. They did me wrong, but I give You PRAISE.”

When you praise God BEYOND your feelings, that’s when praise becomes your FAITH at work. That’s when praise becomes a WEAPON. Nothing gets God’s attention any more than when you CALL on Him in your time of TROUBLE. When most people would become negative and bitter, you have a song of PRAISE. You’re THANKING God for who He is and what He WILL do in your life. You’re not talking about how big your PROBLEMS are; you’re talking about how big your GOD is!

Today, understand that praise activates God’s POWER. He commands us to praise because it opens the door to His VICTORY and BLESSING. No matter what is happening AROUND you, WORSHIP Him! Declare His GOODNESS and see His RESTORATION in every area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

(Hebrews 13:15, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHANGE, THE KEY IS TO BLOOM RIGHT WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED

Sometimes when God is doing a work in our lives, it can begin to feel a little UNCOMFORTABLE. We may encounter people who are hard to get along with or have CIRCUMSTANCES that seem beyond our control. When this happens, instead of complaining, getting sour or trying to change everything AROUND you, why don’t you look deep inside and say, “Lord, thank You for doing a WORK in me.” See, I’ve learned that God is more interested in changing ME than He is in changing my CIRCUMSTANCES. If I choose to stay sour because I’m not getting MY way or discouraged because things aren’t happening on MY timetable, that’s going to keep me right where I AM.

If you want to see CHANGE, if you want to see God open up new doors, the key is to BLOOM right where you’re planted. You can’t wait until everything gets better before you decide to have a good ATTITUDE. You have to be the BEST that you can be right where you ARE. When you BLOOM where you’re PLANTED, you’re allowing God to WORK in you, and He will be FAITHFUL to complete what He’s STARTED in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 1:6, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD SAYS THAT WE WERE CREATED TO BE THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL

PROSPERITY is SO much more than having FINANCES. It’s having your HEALTH. It’s having peace in your MIND. It’s being able to SLEEP at night. It’s having good RELATIONSHIPS. There are so many things that money CANNOT buy. But I also can’t find a single verse in the Scripture that suggests we are supposed to drag around in the land of Not ENOUGH, not able to afford what we WANT, living off the LEFTOVERS.

God is called El Shaddai, the God of MORE Than Enough. He takes PLEASURE in prospering His people. He says we were created to be the head and NOT the tail. He says He will lavish us with GOOD things. Jesus came that we might live an ABUNDANT life. God’s DREAM for your life is that you would be blessed in SUCH a way that you can be a blessing to OTHERS-SO prosperous, so GENEROUS, and so full of JOY that other people want what you HAVE. He wants to use ALL that you have to advance His KINGDOM.

Today’s Scripture

3 John 1:2, NKJV

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.