THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS A WONDERFUL PLAN IN STORE FOR YOU

A few years ago, I was watching the news when Captain Sullenberger successfully landed a jet airplane in the Hudson River. All 155 passengers survived. It’s known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” A reporter asked one passenger what he thought about it all. He was soaking wet, freezing cold, a little bit frazzled, but he had this incredible GLOW about him, an EXCITEMENT in his voice. I’ll never forget what he told the reporter, “I was alive before, but now I’m REALLY alive.”

My question today is, “Are YOU really alive?” Are you PASSIONATE about the life God has given you? Do you get up every morning with ENTHUSIASM, pursuing your DREAMS? God doesn’t want you to just “be alive” or just exist or endure. He wants you to be REALLY alive! You have seeds of GREATNESS on the inside. There is something MORE for you to accomplish. Get EXCITED about what God is doing! Lift up your eyes of FAITH to Him. Keep HOPING, keep BELIEVING, keep TRUSTING and keep LIVING because God has a WONDERFUL plan in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“The thief comes only to steal and Kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

(John 10:10, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE OPEN TO THE ‘NEW’ THINGS GOD HAS IN STORE FOR YOU

CHANGE is one of the most difficult things for people to face; however, change is INEVITABLE. In fact, Mark Twain once said, “The only person who LIKES change is a wet baby.” One reason people don’t like CHANGE is because they get comfortable with where they ARE in life. They get used to their friends, job or the place they live. And even if it’s not perfect, they accept it simply because it’s FAMILIAR. However, when we are not willing to change, we get STUCK in life holding on to what God did in the past instead of GROWING and moving FORWARD into what God wants to do in the FUTURE.

Today, I encourage YOU to be open to the NEW things God has in store for you. Always remember that just because God has blessed you where you ARE doesn’t mean you can just sit back and SETTLE there. God wants to do something new IN you and THROUGH you. He wants to see you GROW, PROSPER and FLOURISH. Get ready and keep your heart focused on HIM. EMBRACE change and see the BLESSING God has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

(Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOU WILL BE SPRITUALLY SATISFIED

In the NATURAL, what do you do when you’re hungry and just not sure what will SATISFY you? You may try to think of what to eat, but maybe you’re not sure what will hit the spot. SPIRITUAL hunger works the same way. You may feel a restlessness or unsettledness, but you can’t quite figure out what will SATISFY it. You may try to fill that need with other things—food, addictions, people—but ONLY God can fill that hunger.

Today’s verse tells us what will FILL that hunger in our soul—RIGHTEOUSNESS. When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, which is God’s way of doing things, you will be SPIRITUALLY satisfied. But just like you have to take time to eat in the natural, you have to take time to “eat” or partake of God’s righteousness. Every day, He has a table of BLESSING set for you. When you spend time in PRAYER, WORSHIP and reading His WORD, you are PARTAKING of His righteousness. You are filling your SOUL. The more time you spend with HIM, the more He will FILL you and SATISFY your hunger all the days of YOUR life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

(Matthew 5:6, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS

Jesus came to BREAK the curse of sin, shame and CONDEMNATION in our lives. He came so that we could see things the way GOD sees them. Do you know how God sees YOU? He sees you as VALUABLE. He sees you as STRONG. He sees you as CAPABLE, TALENTED and TRUSTWORTHY. The VOICE of condemnation says exactly the opposite. Condemnation is a loss of VALUE. It’s the accusing voice of the enemy that says, “You’re not good enough…you’ll never be good enough…you’re a failure.”

Condemnation is NEVER from God. The Bible tells us there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When you embrace and declare God’s TRUTH in your life, you activate His power to OVERCOME the voice of condemnation. No matter how you may be FEELING, wake up every morning and DECLARE that the GREATER One lives in you. Declare that you are STRONG in the Lord and in the power of His MIGHT. Declare that He LOVES you and has called you according to His PURPOSE. Choose to see yourself as VALUABLE, the way GOD sees you. Embrace His TRUTH so that you can OVERCOME condemnation and live in VICTORY all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

(Romans 8:1, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S WORD IS LIKE A SHIELD, IT PROTECTS YOU

Did you know that the Word of God has the power to PROTECT you and keep you from doing the things you KNOW you shouldn’t DO? Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE; it’s POWERFUL in our lives. God communicates to us through His written Word, the Bible, and He COMMUNICATES with us through His SPOKEN Word, which can come in MANY ways. In Scripture, God spoke to people through a burning bush, a still small voice, and even a donkey. Today, He may speak to your heart through a FRIEND, a worship SONG, or something in CREATION. One thing is for sure, when He DOES speak, your spirit KNOWS it. There is CONFIRMATION in your inner man. God ALWAYS speaks truth, and TRUTH always sets you free!

God’s Word also PROTECTS you. When you hold His Word close to your heart, it acts like a SHIELD around your heart. You hold His Word close to you by MEDITATING on it, FOCUSING on it, THINKING about it and DECLARING it. As you allow His truth to sink into your SPIRIT, it will EMPOWER you and CHANGE you. It will EQUIP you to live the GOOD life He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

(Psalm 119:11, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BLESS OTHERS AND GOD WILL CERTAINLY BLESS YOU IN RETURN

The Scripture encourages us to use our words to BLESS people. “To bless” means to SPEAK WELL of, to pronounce FAVOR, and to declare GOOD things. People in your life need to receive YOUR blessing, especially your spouse and children. Are you giving your children the blessings of LOVE, AFFECTION and ENCOURAGEMENT? Are you speaking words that build them UP and bless their FUTURE?

You may not have received this approval from your own parents. Perhaps there wasn’t a lot of LOVE in your home. Perhaps your mom or dad always talked down to you. Let us challenge you to be the one to BREAK the stronghold over your family. Decide today that you are going to stop talking down to others. Choose instead to ENCOURAGE others. Stop focusing on what OTHERS are doing wrong and start THANKING them for what they are doing RIGHT.

Begin right now to BLESS others’ FUTURES. Your decision to be a POSITIVE influence will have a greater IMPACT on your family than you could EVER imagine. It will affect generations to come. Speak these BLESSINGS over your family, your children, and those whom you love and care for. If you will BLESS others, God will CERTAINLY bless your own life beyond what you EVER hoped or dreamed.

Today’s Scripture:

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

James 3:10, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET READY BECAUSE GOD HAS SOME “WOWS” IN YOUR FUTURE

You’ve heard the phrase “the night shift.” It refers to people who work during the NIGHT. Today’s Scripture says that God NEVER sleeps. He doesn’t just WORK the night shift, He SHIFTS things in the night. YOU may be in a night season, and you may not see how the difficulties you face can work OUT. Don’t WORRY. God SPRCIALIZES in shifting things in the dark. The God who works the NIGHT shift is going to shift things in your FAVOR. There’s going to be a shift in your HEALTH, a shift in your FINANCES, a shift with that ADDICTION. You THINK you’re going to have it for years. It LOOKS permanent. NO, get ready for a NIGHT shift.

Right NOW, God is working the night shift for YOU. When you wake up and see what He’s been UP to, the first thing you’re going to SAY is, “WOW, God, I never DREAMED You’d take me here!” “I never dreamed I’d be this HEALTHY again!” Get ready because God has some “WOWS” in YOUR future.

Today’s Scripture:

Psalm 121:4, NIV

Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SEE HOW, JUST AGREE AND SAY, “LORD, I BELIEVE”…..

When GOD gives you a promise, He gives the “YES”, saying He’s going to DO it, but that is not ENOUGH. You have to add the “AMEN” to it, which means you’re saying, “I BELIEVE it. God, I’m in AGREEMENT with You.” When He says, “I will bring you to a FLOURISHING finish,” your response should just be three simple words: “Lord, I BELIEVE.” When He promises, “I will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that you cannot CONTAIN,” don’t say, “I can’t see how that is POSSIBLE.” You don’t HAVE to see how. Just AGREE and say, “Lord, I BELIEVE.” When He says, “I will RESTORE the years that were stolen,” don’t go by what you see at the MOMENT. Just add your AMEN: “Lord, I BELIEVE.”

You may think of a THOUSAND reasons why a promise from God is not going to happen. I can give you one GREAT reason why it WILL happen: The Creator of the universe has DECLARED it. He doesn”t go BACK on His word.

Today’s Scripture:

2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO END UP WITH LESS WHEN YOU GIVE TO OTHERS WHO ARE IN NEED

Today’s Scripture COULD read like a CONTRADICTION, but God’s ways are not OUR ways. Everything IN you may say, “If I’m going to fix my FINANCES and overcome my PROBLEMS, I don’t have the money or the TIME to help anyone else. When I get MY problems solved, I’ll help OTHERS.” NO, giving your time, energy, and resources to helping OTHERS in THEIR time of need is what’s going to open the windows of HEAVEN and cause your problems to turn AROUND. You’re NEVER going to end up with LESS.

Here’s the BEAUTY: When you help OTHERS, what you GIVE is going to come BACK to you not in the SAME proportion, but pressed down, shaken together, and running OVER. It’s a SEED you’re sowing that’s going to keep coming BACK to you and MULTIPLYING. When you live a life of GENEROSITY, when you make sacrifices to help OTHER people rise HIGHER, it’s not just going to affect YOU, it’s to going to affect your CHILDREN. It’s going to be MORE than you imagined.

Today’s Scripture:

Proverbs 11:24, TLB

It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD KNOWS HOW TO MAKE GREATNESS, FROM A GREAT MESS

At the age of sixteen, Ishmael found himself abandoned in the desert confused, rejected, out of water and food. He was born and raised in the dysfunctional relationship between his mother and Abraham and Sarah. HE was paying the price for the strife and division in the family that he was not RESPONSIBLE for and could not CONTROL, dealing with the consequences of THEIR poor choices. Sent away from his home and about to DIE, this young man’s cry was heard by GOD, who not only SAVED him AND his mother but promised to make a great NATION out of Ishmael.

God was showing us that HE knows how to bring GREATNESS out of a great MESS. YOU may have had a rough start, the odds have been AGAINST you, but GOD is watching over you. He knows what you didn’t GET. He knows who wasn’t in your LIFE. He knows the pain, the betrayal, and the HURT. Call OUT to Him. He has a plan to make more out of your life than you EVER imagined.

Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 21:17, NIV

God heard the boy crying…