THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND DECLARE, YOU ARE PROPHESYING YOUR FUTURE

Notice that today’s scripture doesn’t say, “Let the redeemed of the Lord THINK so.” Or, “Let the redeemed BELIEVE so.” Of course, it’s important to think right and believe right, but something supernatural happens when we open our mouths and DECLARE a thing. You don’t even have to say it to anyone else, you can just say it to yourself—driving to work or in the shower—you can say, “The economy may be low, but I am BLESSED. I am PROSPEROUS. I will lend and NOT borrow.” “I may have had some setbacks, but I know those setbacks are a setup for a COMEBACK! This is still going to be my BEST year so far. The favor of God is turning things around.” You are PROPHESYING your FUTURE.

Remember, when you say what the Lord HAS done for you, when you declare that you are REDEEMED, you are opening the door for God to move on your behalf. The scripture tells us that He watches over His Word to PERFORM it. When you DECLARE His Word, when you speak His PROMISES, He is faithful to FULFILL them and lead you into VICTORY all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary.”

(Psalm 107:2, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU GIVE PRAISE TO GOD, HE WILL GIVE COURAGE TO YOU

PRAISE and STRENGTH go hand in hand. When you give God PRAISE, He gives you STRENGTH. When you thank God in advance for the answer, that’s what keeps you ENCOURAGED.

Remember, you’re not going to stay strong in FAITH by complaining. Complaining DRAINS you of strength and energy. You’re not going to stay DETERMINED if you’re talking about how bad it is. No, switch over into PRAISE. “Business may be slow, but Lord, I want to thank You that You PROSPER me even in a desert.” “The people coming against me may be powerful, but Lord, I want to thank You that You are ALL-POWERFUL.” PRAISE will keep you moving FORWARD!

So often we think, “I’ll give God praise after the problem turns around.” But if you don’t learn this principle to thank God in ADVANCE, you won’t have the strength you need to WAIT for the promise. Every morning when you wake up, start the day by saying, “Father, THANK YOU that my dreams ARE coming to pass. THANK YOU that this problem IS turning around. THANK YOU that You are BIGGER than this obstacle.” Keep PRAISING Him and keep receiving His STRENGTH so you can boldly EMBRACE the victory He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

(Psalm 28:7, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

FIND CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S LOVE, KNOWING YOU ARE A PERSON OF DESTINY

What an amazing thought: God knew you BEFORE you were even born! He saw your unformed substance and said, “I have a PURPOSE for this life. I have good PLANS for them!” You have been HANDPICKED by Almighty God to be here at this time in history! Sometimes we hear parents say, “We weren’t EXPECTING this child. They were a surprise. They were an accident.” No, that child may have been a surprise to YOU, but they weren’t a surprise to Almighty God. You may think, “Well, Mark, I was unwanted. I was an unplanned pregnancy.” No, you wouldn’t be here if God didn’t give LIFE to your seed. In God’s eyes, there is no such thing as being illegitimate. Remember, He knew you BEFORE you were ever born! Find confidence in His love knowing that you are a person of DESTINY, and you are part of HIS mighty plan!

Today’s Scripture:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”

(Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BEING FAITHFUL TODAY, IS ANOTHER STEP TOWARD YOUR DESTINY

Great Bible characters didn’t live a life of great exploits EVERY day. They lived MOST of their lives the same way you do, taking care of the day-to-day things. Take the life of Noah, for instance. It must have been a great day for Noah when the rain finally started falling and his family raced onto the ark. And it was probably the high point of Noah’s life when God brought him and his family safely to dry ground after months on the ark. But compared to the 120 long years it took Noah to BUILD the ark, these brief chapters in his life were almost nothing. Noah had to keep his faith STRONG through all of those ordinary days while building the ark so that when God was ready to do something GREAT through him, Noah was ready TOO. What does God want to do through YOU? Being faithful TODAY is another step toward discovering His BEST.

Today’s Scripture:

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

(Matthew 17:20, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KEEP YOUR HEART HUMBLE AND STAY CONNECTED TO JESUS

Do you need more POWER and STRENGTH in your life today? When you are CONNECTED to the Father through Jesus, you are connected to your LIFE source. Just as a branch is sustained by the vine it’s ATTACHED to, we are sustained by being attached to HIM.

If you think about how fruit grows, it doesn’t just happen overnight; it takes time and the right CONDITIONS. In the same way, the SPIRITUAL fruit in your own life develops over time, too. You might be tempted to get discouraged if you aren’t seeing “fruit” as quickly as you’d like, but be ENCOURGED today! If you’ll keep your heart HUMBLE before the Lord and stay connected to Him through PRAYER and STUDYING His Word, you’ll see that fruit begin to FORM in your life just as He PROMISED! You’ll see the fruit of JOY, which is STRENGTH. You’ll see the fruit of LOVE and PEACE, which will sustain you in the midst of difficulty. As you stay CONNECTED to Him, you’ll be EMPOWERED and EQUIPPED for EVERY circumstance, and you’ll live as an OVERCOMER in every area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

(John 15:5, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW, IS THAT GOD LOVES YOU

When OTHERS look at your life, do they KNOW that God loves you? Can they see the CHANGE in you? Do they know you are a FOLLOWER of His? Remember, the EVIDENCE is in your WORDS and ACTIONS. The most important thing you could ever know and SHOW is that God loves you. His love CHANGES us. His love EMPOWERS us. His love takes us to NEW levels. His love gives us eternal LIFE. Open your heart fully and RECEIVE His love today. Then turn around and love Him in RETURN by following His commands. Make the decision TODAY to let His love SHOW all over you!

Today’s Scripture:

“We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.”

(1 Thessalonians 1:4, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU HAVE A HUMBLE HEART BEFORE GOD, YOU ARE DRAWING CLOSER TO HIM…..

God promises that He will draw close to YOU when you draw closer to HIM. How do we draw closer to Him? Here are a couple of ways:

First of all, this verse goes on to say that we must turn AWAY from sin because sin separates us from God. Simply turning TO God is the FIRST way to draw CLOSER to Him. Then, the Bible tells us to come into His presence with THANKSGIVING in our hearts and give Him PRAISE. When you have a THANKFUL heart, you are drawing CLOSER to Him. The scripture tells us that God OPPOSES the proud but gives grace to the HUMBLE. When you have a humble heart before Him, you are drawing CLOSER to Him. When you SEEK Him with your whole heart, you will FIND Him. He will draw CLOSE to you.

Seek God today by READING your Bible, PRAYING, MEDITATING on His promises and WORSHIPING Him. With an open heart, you can draw near to God just AS you are, right WHERE you are, and He WILL fill You with His PEACE and GOODNESS all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you…”

(James 4:8, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, THANK GOD, BECUASE YOU KOW HE HAS THE ANSWER

The prophet Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. When he wrote this verse, his world was literally falling apart. He had NOTHING. Things seemed destitute. So what did Habakkuk do? He REJOICED and PRAISED the Lord in SPITE of everything. He knew that God was BIGGER than His problems, and He already had a way to get Him out of those circumstances. Habakkuk was looking BEYOND His problems to what GOD could do in His life!

Let’s follow Habakkuk’s example. When something bad happens to you, THANK God — not because you’re suffering, but because you KNOW He has the answer. When things look hopeless, PRAISE Him because He WILL bring HOPE to your circumstances!

Today’s Scripture:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

(Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KEEP PUSHING AHEAD AND YOU’LL BE BLESSED

Christ doesn’t want you to settle for mediocrity in ANY area of your life! His plan is for you to be VICTORIOUS and filled with JOY each day. No matter what has happened to you in the past, God wants you to pick yourself up and KEEP GOING on the path that leads to VICTORY. The Bible says that if you will look to God, He will renew your STRENGTH and help you SOAR like an eagle. That’s an amazing PROMISE from an amazing GOD! Keep pushing ahead even through the tough times, and you’ll be BLESSED.

Today’s Scripture:

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

(Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

EXTEND GOD’S MERCY TO ALL THOSE AROUND YOU

Are you KIND and CONSIDERATE to people? Do you walk in LOVE and prefer others ABOVE yourself? This passage tells us to be PROACTIVE! Notice the word “aim” and “seek.” You must be on the LOOKOUT to share God’s MERCY and KINDNESS and be good to ALL people. Moreover, we need to be kind to people even when they DON’T deserve it. We need to walk in LOVE and be COURTEOUS even when somebody is unkind to us.

The way you treat OTHERS has a great impact on how much of the blessings and favor of God YOU’RE going to experience. AIM for kindness and SEEK to do good. As you do, God will reward your efforts and pour out His abundant blessing on YOU. As you extend God’s mercy to ALL those around you, you will discover the CHAMPION in YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.

1 Thessalonians 5:15, AMPC