THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY I DECLARE THAT YOUR DAYS OF STRUGGLE, SICKNESS AND LONLINESS HAVE COME TO AN END! GOD IS ABOUT TO DO A NEW THING!!

YOU may have struggled in an area for a LONG time, but don’t have a limited mindset. You have to give God PERMISSION to increase you. It starts in your THINKING. If you grew up in lack, not having enough, surrounded by mediocrity, don’t let that poverty SPIRIT get in or STAY in you. That is NOT who you are. You’re the one to BREAK the curse and set a NEW standard. God is about to loose resources, promotion, ideas, and OPPORTUNITIES for you. You have seeds of GREATNESS. You are NOT limited by how you were raised, by your family, by what you didn’t GET. You’re not a slave to LACK, depression, or FEAR. The oppressor has been DEFEATED. Your days of struggle, your days of sickness, your days of loneliness are coming to an END. God is about to do a NEW thing. He’s going to BREAK bondages that have held you BACK. Have a vision for INCREASE. See yourself as a child of GOD rising HIGHER.

Today’s Scripture:

Habakkuk 2:3, TLB

Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TAKE OFF THE MASK AND LIVE HONESTLY BEFORE GOD AND HE’LL TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU’VE EVER DREAMED

In John 4, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well and told her He could give her “LIVING water,” meaning eternal LIFE. When she ASKED Him for that water, He said she should first go and get her HUSBAND. In THAT moment, I imagine that time STOPPED for this woman. She’d had FIVE husbands, and now she was living with a man to whom she wasn’t MARRIED. She had made many MISTAKES, was loaded with GUILT and SHAME, and had been MISTREATED. Everything IN her said, “HIDE your failures and hurts. Pretend you’re OKAY.” But after years of wearing MASKS, she said, “NO more covering it up. I’m going to be HONEST.” She DID, and her life was TRANSFORMED. Jesus REVEALED Himself to her as the MESSIAH.

God KNOWS your past mistakes, weaknesses, fears, and guilt. Why don’t YOU take off the mask and live HONESTLY before God, asking Him for His GRACE and STRENGTH? That’s when He’ll break bondages that are holding you BACK and take you further than you’ve ever DREAMED!

Today’s Scripture:

John 4:16–17, MSG

He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.” “I have no husband,” she said.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S POWER IS ALWAYS GOIING TO BE GREATER THAT WHAT’S TRYING TO STOP YOU

God has made us a NEW creation in CHRIST, but He DOESN’T take away every negative DESIRE, where you’re never tempted to be impatient, critical, rude, angry, jealous, or to COMPROMISE again. Some people let the same personal enemies, the sour ATTITUDE, the ADDICTION, the un-FORGIVNESS hold them back for YEARS. EVERYBODY struggles with some wrong desires, but don’t EXCUSE them and allow them to STAY. That’s why the apostle PAUL says, “I die DAILY.” He was SAYING, “When that temptation rises up inside AGAIN, I put it STRAIGHT back in the grave.”

This is where the abounding grace of GOD shows up. You have the grace to OVERCOME. The temptation may not ever totally go AWAY, the DESIRE may be there, but God’s GRACE, His enabling POWER, will ALWAYS be greater than what’s trying to STOP you. His grace is GREATER than a critical attitude OR an addiction. If you deal with the things that are holding you BACK, God will release the BIG things that BELONG to you.

Today’s Scripture

Romans 5:20, NKJV

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more…

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WITH EVERY EXPERIENCE COMES SOMETHING YOU’RE GOING TO USE DOWN THE ROAD

God never SAID we wouldn’t have difficulties. Being a person of faith doesn’t exempt us from challenges and unfair SITUATIONS. That’s a part of LIFE. The promise in today’s SCRIPTURE is not that you won’t have difficulties, but that God will bring you OUT of “them ALL.” When you’re in the adversity, your report should be, “I’m coming OUT. This sickness is TEMPORARY. This trouble is NOT the end. This addiction is not PERMANENT. This SLOWDOWN in my business is just for a SEASON.” Right NOW, you may not be able to SEE it, but God is in the adversity WITH you and is in the process of bringing you OUT. You’re NOT going to come out the same. You’re going to come out STRONGER, free from things that were holding you BACK, with a greater trust in GOD, a greater CONFIDENCE, a greater FAITH. That’s getting you PREPARED for the next level of your DESTINY. With every EXPERIENCE, something is DEPOSITED in you that you’re going to use down the ROAD.

Today’s Scripture:

Psalm 34:19, AMP

Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, but the LORD rescues him from them all.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO AGREE WITH WHAT YOU’RE BELIEVING FOR

In today’s Scripture, Jesus went to pray for a little girl who had DIED. When he arrived at the house, everyone was crying and UPSET. He told them that she WASN’T dead, that she was just ASLEEP, and they began to laugh and SCOFF. It’s not SURPRISING that He only allowed Peter, James, John, and the girl’s PARENTS to be with Him in the room and witness the child’s RESURRECTION.

Jesus COULD have done this miracle in front of EVERYONE. But He kept the others out to show US the IMPORTANCCE of surrounding ourselves with people who speak LIFE and HOPE, people who AGREE with what WE’RE believing for. When you face difficulties, you need to keep your mind filled with thoughts of FAITH. You can’t AFFORD to have negative, discouraging people telling you how it can never HAPPEN. Get OUT of a negative environment, get AWAY from people who enable your dysfunction, get away from people who tell you that where you ARE is where you’ll always BE. You have to set some BOUNDARIES.

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 8:51, NLT

When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THAT OBSTACLE MAY BE TOO BIG FOR YOU, BUT IT’S NOT TOO BIG FOR OUR GOD

In Exodus 33, Moses was in a difficult situation. God said that he should lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land, and that an angel would go before them and drive out their enemies, but that He would NOT go with them because the people were a REBELLIOUS people. For Moses, with so many ADVERSITIES ahead of them, to move forward WITHOUT God’s presence was too OVERWHELMING. Moses’ prayer was graciously ANSWERED in today’s Scripture.

Maybe YOU’RE up against some challenges and setbacks. You’re wondering how you’re going to beat that SICKNESS, how your FAMILY is ever going to be restored, or how you’ll get the FINANCES you need. GOD is saying to YOU what He said to Moses, “You don’t HAVE to do this in your OWN strength. I’m going WITH you all the WAY. Be at REST.” That obstacle may be too big for YOU, but it’s NOT too big for our GOD. He’s your PROTECTOR, your DELIVERER, your WAY maker, your PROVIDER, your HEALER. EVERYTHING will be FINE.

Today’s Scripture:

Exodus 33:14, NLT

The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD MADE YOU UNCOMMON, SO LIVE UNCOMMON

In Daniel 6 is the story of how the ENEMIES of Daniel conspired to get him ARRESTED and thrown into the lions’ den for refusing to PRAY to King DARIUS. Daniel was one of the top three administrators of the Persian government, and his enemies were jealous of Daniel’s FAVOR. But despite Daniel’s secure POSITION, rather than compromise his FAITH, he refused to OBEY the law and kept praying to God as he ALWAYS had. He REFUSED to take the easy way out, and God rescued him from the lions MIRACULOUSLY.

When God blesses YOU, opens doors, and gets you where you wanted to BE, don’t forget what GOT you there. Once some people reach their goal, they FORGET the fact that it was because they were UNCOMMON, and they become COMMON. Be like DANIEL, and don’t let that happen. When others shrink BACK, have UNCOMMON faith. When others take the EASY way out, have uncommon COMMITMENT. When others slack OFF, have uncommon EXCELLENCE. God MADE you UNCOMMON, so LIVE uncommon.

Today’s Scripture:

Daniel 6:10, NKJV

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY IN PEACE. GOD HAS ALREADY DESIGNED THE PLAN

You don’t have to live WORRIED when negative things happen, try to pay people back, or be frustrated because of a DISAPPOINTMENT. Stay in PEACE. God designed the plan for your life knowing EVERY plot of the enemy against you. He knows every bad BREAK that will happen, every DISAPPOINTMENT, and every closed DOOR.

The GOOD news is that God’s strategic plan will OVERRIDE every plan that was meant to stop you. The prophet Isaiah did not say that no weapon would be formed AGAINST you, but that any weapon FORMED against you will not PROSPER. Judas WILL show up, people will BETRAY you, INJUSTICE will come, but it will NOT prosper. WHY? Because God is about to turn things to your ADVANTAGE. What looks like a SETBACK is setting you UP for BREAKTHROUGHS, for PROMOTION, for VINDICATION, for HEALING, for the FULLNESS of your destiny. So quit being upset because somebody is AGAINST you. What was meant to HARM you, God has already designed the PLAN to turn it for your GOOD.

Today’s Scripture:

Isaiah 54:17, NKJV

No weapon formed against you shall prosper…

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T LOOK BACK AND DWELL ON WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH….

In the Scripture, Job’s life was suddenly shattered by great personal LOSSES as well as a devastating ILLNESS. Although Job honored God with all of his LIFE, he experienced a difficult test of his FAITH that he didn’t UNDERSTAND. Maybe like Job, YOU feel like a shadow of what you used to be. At one time you were healthy and STRONG, but now you’re WEAK and TIRED from fighting an ILLNESS. At one time you were BLESSED in your business, but now you’re barely MAKING it. Or at one time you had a great MARRIAGE, but now you’re just trying to keep it TOGETHER.

Fortunately, Job’s story did not END there, and neither will YOURS. God eventually turned it around and brought Job out with TWICE what he had before. After the heartache, after the loss, after the sickness, after the divorce, you’re going to see YEARS of HEALTH, HAPPINESS, and FAVOR to where you don’t look BACK and dwell on what you’ve BEEN through. Bad breaks are NOT your destiny; DOUBLE is coming.

Today’s Scripture:

Job 17:7, NLT

My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IT’S NOT JUST WILLPOWER; IT’S THE BLESSING OF GOD HELPING YOU

The difference between a dream and a WISH is that a wish is something you HOPE will happen, but a DREAM is something you put ACTIONS behind. Today’s Scripture says that faith without works is DEAD. You can WISH you could go to college, wish for a JOB, or wish for a better CAR, but wishing is not going to GET you there. You have to put the WORK in to make it HAPPEN. The people who SUCCEED, don’t always have the most TALENT, education, or OPPORTUNITIES. MANY times, they simply WANT it more than others.

I want to light a FIRE in you today. You have to go AFTER what God has for you. Being passive and INDIFFERENT will keep you from your DESTINY. When you make up your mind that you’re going to DO something, God will BREATHE on your efforts and give you strength that goes BEYOND your natural ability. It’s not just WILLPOWER; it’s the BLESSING of God HELPING you. But it kicks IN when God sees you making the EFFORT.

Today’s Scripture:

James 2:20, NKJV

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?