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.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

YOU MAY BE A PRODUCT OF YOUR PAST, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A PRISONER OF IT

If you’re always thinking about something negative that happened yesterday, last month, last year, there’s no FREEDOM there. That’s where the Spirit of the Lord WAS. This is a NEW day. Quit living in what WAS and come over into what IS. Right now there is freedom, joy, peace, and restoration for you. Right now there are new beginnings. Remaining upset and offended about what happened yesterday doesn’t bring FREEDOM. Living in regret of what you should have done or what could have been doesn’t do anything PRODUCTIVE. It’s time to drop it and move FORWARD. You may be a PRODUCT of your past, but you don’t have to be a PRISONER OF your past. God already knew every hurt, every loss, and every mistake you would go through. The GOOD news is that for every setback, He’s already arranged a COMEBACK; for every disappointment, a NEW beginning; for every failure, RESTORATION; for all the ashes, He has BEAUTY. Live in FREEDOM.

Today’s Scripture

2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T GIVE UP, STAY COMMITTED AND GOD WILL OPEN DOORS THAT NO MAN CAN SHUT

At any point in His ministry, and especially as He approached the cross, Jesus could have said, “I’ve loved these people, healed them, and served them, but they treat me badly. I’ve had enough. I’m done.” But Jesus stayed committed when it was hard, when it wasn’t fair, when He had every right to quit. He was unyielding when it came to fulfilling His destiny, even at the cost of His own life.

Is there something you’ve been tempted to give up on, to take the easy way out, to slack off—a dream, a relationship, a job? You may have a good reason to walk away, to back off, to not be your best, but God is saying, “Stay committed, stay determined, keep doing the right thing.” If you’ll stay committed to your dreams, to your marriage, to your friends, to your job, God is going to open doors no man can shut and take you to the fullness of your destiny.

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 3:3–4, MSG

Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHATEVER GOD HAS PLACED IN YOUR HEART, IT NEEDS TO GET INTO YOUR CONVERSATION

Notice the connection in today’s Scripture between I will say and He will do. It doesn’t say, “I BELIEVE He is my refuge.” The psalmist went around declaring it, speaking it out: “The Lord IS my refuge.” Notice what happened. God became his refuge and STRENGTH. God was saying in effect, “If you’re bold enough to SPEAK it, I’m bold enough to DO it.”

Have you ever declared that your dreams ARE coming to pass? Have you ever said, “I WILL pay off my house?” “I will start my own BUSINESS.” “I will get my DEGREE.” “I WILL lose this weight.” Whatever God has put in your heart, it needs to get in your CONVERSATION. TALK like it’s going to happen. Talk like it’s ALREADY on the way: “WHEN I get married…, when I graduate from COLLEGE…, when I see my FAMILY restored.” Not IF it’s going to happen, but WHEN it’s going to happen. That’s your FAITH being RELEASED.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 91:2–3, ESV

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND STOP LOOKING BACK

It’s easy to live discouraged because of disappointments and things we don’t UNDERSTAND. We worked hard, but we didn’t get the PROMOTION. We prayed, but our loved one didn’t make it. We did our best, but the relationship didn’t work out. Life is not always fair, but God says He will take what was meant for your harm and use it to your ADVANTAGE. He says He will pay you back DOUBLE for the unfair things that happened. He says He will give you BEAUTY for the ashes, but you have to LET GO of the ashes before you receive the BEAUTY. You can’t hold on to the old and expect to receive the NEW. The past is over and DONE. That’s why it’s called the PAST. Quit DWELLING on it, quit RELIVING it. You are NOT going to understand EVERYTHING that happens, but God has a PURPOSE for it. He knows how to bring GOOD out of it. So keep moving FORWARD and stop looking BACK!

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 61:3, NKJV

…to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE ENCOURAGED AND DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR TOMORROWS…

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:

WHAT WE SEE AS A SETBACK, IS A SETUP FOR GOD TO DO SOMETHING GREAT

Late on the night before Jesus was crucified, He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was under so much PRESSURE from what He was about to do that His sweat was like BLOOD dropping to the ground. We CELEBRATE what Christ did on the cross, which is the foundation of our FAITH, but the real BATTLE took place in the Garden. That’s where He made the DECISION to drink the bitter cup of the cross, knowing that out of this INJUSTICE would come His RESURRECTION and OUR REDEMPTION from our sins. There are times when life is not FAIR and we don’t understand it. That’s when you have to do what JESUS did and say, Father, even though this isn’t FAIR and doesn’t make SENSE, I TRUST You. I know that YOU’RE in control, and You will take this thing and work through it for my GOOD. Don’t get discouraged. What we think is a setback is really a SETUP for God to do something GREAT.

Today’s Scripture

Luke 22:42, NIV

Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IT GOD ALLOWED IT, HE KNOWS HOW TO USE IF FOR YOUR GOOD

When Judas BETRAYED and tried to stop Jesus, it seemed like a bad BREAK. But Jesus had known that Judas was going to betray Him, and He hadn’t tried to stop him. Jesus understood that BETRAYAL was a part of His DESTINY. Had Judas not betrayed Him, there wouldn’t have been a crucifixion, and without the cross there wouldn’t have been a RESURRECTION, and without a resurrection we wouldn’t have REDEMPTION. The man who sold Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver was CRITICAL to His DESTINY. What am I saying? Don’t COMPLAIN about that person who betrayed YOU. If they walked away, they didn’t set you back; they set you UP. If that had not happened, you wouldn’t get to where you’re supposed to be. If they tried to push you DOWN and LIED about you, it may not have been fair, but NOTHING happens by ACCIDENT. If God allowed it, He knows how to use it for your GOOD.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 34:10, NLT

Those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE MOMENT YOU ASKED GOD TO FORGIVE YOU, HE FORGAVE YOU

When you need God’s MERCY, go BOLDLY to His throne. Don’t go weakly, telling Him how you don’t measure up. Go with CONFIDENCE, knowing you’re FORGIVEN, knowing He’s FOR you. Yes, you may have blown it, but He doesn’t LISTEN when you keep telling Him everything you’ve done WRONG. The moment you asked God to FORGIVE you, He FORGAVE you. God listens to the language of FAITH.

The enemy would LOVE for you to live feeling CONDEMNED. He’ll remind you of all the times you haven’t measured UP, even for SMALL things. There’s ALWAYS some reason to feel BAD about what you’ve done. If you give IN to those lies, you’ll go through life trying to pay God back for your MISTAKES. God’s mercy has covered EVERYTHING you’ve done wrong. All your sins–PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE–have been taken CARE of by Jesus on the CROSS. REST in the fact that the spotless, sinless blood of the Lamb of God has paid the price in FULL. RECEIVE God’s MERCY.

Today’s Scripture:

Hebrews 4:16, NLT

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.