THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAN LOOKS AT YOU ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT TO GOD, IT’S THE HEART THAT MATTERS

When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He didn’t choose people who had it all together. He didn’t choose the Pharisees, who kept all the religious rules, prayed at the right time, and gave what was required but whose hearts were not right. He chose people who had lots of FLAWS, who came out of DYSFUNCTION and weren’t raised in a religious ENVIRONMENT. Man looks on the OUTSIDE, at the PERFORMANCE, the CREDENTIALS, the BACKGROUND, but God looks BEYOND all that. He knows it’s the HEART that matters. He chose those whose HEARTS were COMMITTED to Him.

God is not looking for people who have a perfect PERFORMANCE. He’s looking for people who desire to PLEASE Him. Your behavior, attitude, and character may need some IMPROVEMENT, but just as with the disciples, God is saying, “I know your HEART is sincere; your heart is set to do the RIGHT thing. So I’m going to show Myself STRONG in your life.”

Today’s Scripture

2 Chronicles 16:9, NLT

“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PUT GOD FIRST, AND HE’LL CROWN YOUR EFFORTS WITH SUCCESS

A lot of people are good at taking care of the physical and emotional parts of their lives, but they don’t take care of the SPIRITUAL. There’s no, or minimal, connection to God. Your life will be MUCH more fulfilling when you’re in relationship with your CREATOR. He breathed LIFE into you. He knows what your PURPOSE is. He wants to give you the advantage for SUCCESS. When you make HIM a part of your life, His FAVOR will take you where your talents and abilities can NOT take you.

Make your spiritual life a PRIORITY. When you get up in the morning, take time to THANK God for the day. Don’t run out of the house stressed out, in a hurry. Start the day off with a GRATEFUL attitude. Read the Scripture, meditate on His promises, and fill your mind with thoughts of FAITH, HOPE, and VICTORY. Put God FIRST and He will crown YOUR efforts with SUCCESS.

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 3:6, TLB

In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE TODAY, GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU A NEW, BETTER FUTURE

Isn’t it interesting that the Bible says we should be PRISONERS of HOPE? Prisoner of hope means that you can’t get away from it. You’re HELD by hope. A prisoner of hope is someone who has an attitude of FAITH and EXPECTANCY even when things are bad because God has promised to RESTORE what was lost . . . and far MORE. That’s a great word of HOPE you can hold ON to! It means your HEALTH, your JOB situation, and your FINANCES may not be what you WANT them to be today, but they are all subject to CHANGE! God wants to RESTORE these things to you—not just the way they were BEFORE—but with MORE so that you are better off than when you began. No matter where you are TODAY or what happened to you YESTERDAY, God wants to give you a NEW future filled with JOY, FULFILLMENT and ABUNDANCE.

Today’s Scripture:

“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

Zechariah 9:12, ESV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU HAVE TO TURN YOUR CARES OVER TO GOD

Worry is a THIEF that steals your JOY, your ENERGY, and your SLEEP at night. You don’t make good DECISIONS when you’re worried. You weren’t created to be constantly worried about your HEALTH, upset about your JOB, or STRESSED out over a friend who had been rude. Your mind needs a break. You weren’t DESIGNED to carry all that load. You have to turn your cares over to GOD.

David had all KINDS of opposition and enemies coming against HIM. He could have lived upset and worried, but he understood this principle: “The LORD is my shepherd. He leads me to RESTFUL waters.” David was saying, “The way I keep my SANITY and protect my PEACE on a regular basis is to go down to the still waters. I EMPTY OUT all the worry and anxiety.” He let his mind REST. It can be chaotic ALL AROUND you—traffic, people, problems, drama—but on the INSIDE, in your SPIRIT, you’re at REST.

Today’s Scripture

1 Peter 5:7, TLB

Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS A BELIEVER, YOU WON’T BE THE VICTIM, YOU WILL BE THE VICTOR

The Scripture says, “Your Father sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Being a person of faith doesn’t exempt you from difficulties. Jesus told a parable about a wise man who built his house on a rock. This man honored God. Another man foolishly built his house on the sand. He didn’t honor God. Then the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on the houses of both the just and the unjust. But after the storm was over, the house built on the rock was still standing. The house built on the sand was completely ruined.

You may get knocked down and go through some dark, stormy times, but that’s just a part of life. It rains on everybody. The difference is that when you honor God, when you stay in faith, you have God’s promise that when the storm clears, you won’t be the victim; you’ll be the victor. You’ll still be standing.

Today’s Scripture

Matthew 7:24, NIV
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

A SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD DOESN’T LIVE FEELING GUILTY AND CONDEMNED

It’s easy to have the wrong image of ourselves. The Scripture says, “Now we are the children of God,” but too many times, we live as though we don’t deserve to be blessed because we’ve made too many mistakes and had too many negative things come against us. We live with a slave mentality to mediocrity, to guilt, to lack, to addictions. Stop thinking as a slave and start thinking as a son.

Stop thinking about what you’ve been through and the mistakes you’ve made, and start thinking about who you are. A son of the Most High God doesn’t live feeling guilty and condemned about past mistakes; he receives mercy and moves forward. A son or daughter has a boldness, a confidence. You’ll expect God’s favor. You’ll believe for doors to open for you that you don’t deserve. Why? Because you’re not a slave, or a hired worker, or a friend of the family. You’re a free child of Almighty God!

Today’s Scripture

1 John 3:2, NIV

“Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS GIVEN EVERYONE OF US A SPECIFIC GIFT AND PURPOSE

In today’s Scripture, a little boy had a sack lunch—five loaves of bread and two fish. Nothing much. Yet when thousands of people were hungry, Jesus took his lunch, multiplied it, and fed the whole crowd. Think about the boy’s mother who made the lunch. She was a homemaker raising a child without a title or acclaim. But titles don’t bring fulfillment. Keeping up with your neighbors doesn’t bring happiness. Trying to impress your friends will make your life miserable, but understanding your assignment and being comfortable with who God made you to be are what bring true fulfillment.

Don’t discount the gift God has given you. Are you secure enough to play the role that God has given you? Are you comfortable enough to not have to be number one, to have the title, to keep up with others? The beauty of our God is that He has given every one of us a specific gift and purpose.

Today’s Scripture

John 6:9, NIV

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOUR FAITH WILL ACTIVATE GOD’S POWER IN A NEW WAY

If God be FOR you, who DARE be against you? Quit telling yourself, “I’ll always struggle in this area. I’ll never lose this WEIGHT. I’ll never get out of DEBT.” Change your PERSPECTIVE. You are not weak, defeated, or inferior. You are full of “CAN DO” power. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside YOU. Tap INTO that power. Greater is He that’s in YOU than he that comes GAINST you. You are MORE than a conqueror.

Now start putting things under your feet. Think of that word TREAD in today’s Scripture. One translation says “to TRAMPLE.” God has not only put it under your FEET, but He has armed you with AUTHORITY and STRENGTH to be VICTORIOUS. He has ALREADY equipped you. If you will see these obstacles as being under your FEET, as being ALREADY defeated, a new BOLDNESS will rise up. Your FAITH will activate God’s POWER in a NEW way.

Today’s Scripture

Luke 10:19, ESV

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE CUTTING MAY BE UNFOMFORTABLE, BUT IT’S MAKING YOU BETTER

God is the master GARDENER. He knows when and how MUCH our lives need to be PRUNED in order to grow fuller and HEALTHIER. This means all of us at times are going to experience being cut BACK. But He’s NOT going to cut anything back unless it’s the perfect time. Sometimes we think, God, why did You take this PERSON away, why did You cut back our BUSINESS, why did we go through that DISAPPOINTMENT? God knows what He’s doing. He cut you back for ONE reason—so you can bear much FRUIT. If He hadn’t cut you back, you would have been satisfied to stay where you WERE. But God doesn’t WANT you to get stuck. Remind yourself that you’re being pruned so you can see new GROWTH, new OPPORTUNITIES, new LEVELS. That cutting may be UNCOMFORTABLE, but it’s making you BETTER. God’s getting you PREPARED. You may have LOST something, but you need to get ready to gain something BETTER.

Today’s Scripture

John 15:2, MSG

Every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SEE THE GOOD AND BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE

Don’t miss a great season in your life wishing you had more, complaining about what you don’t have. The real joy in life is in the simple things—making memories with your family, riding your bikes together, watching the sunset with your spouse, or staring up at the stars at night. You don’t have to have big vacations or lots of money to have fun. Learn to enjoy the simple things in life.

Could it be that you’re at the right place for the season that you’re in, but you’re not enjoying it? Maybe if you would step back and see it from a new perspective, you would realize that God has you in the palms of His hands. He knows where you are, what you like, and what you don’t like. Instead of living discontented, frustrated, always wishing you were somewhere else, embrace the place where you are. See the good. Be grateful for what you have.

Today’s Scripture

1 Timothy 6:17, NIV

…to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.