THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE AT PEACE WITH YOUR SCARS, THEY’RE PROOF THAT GOD HEALED YOU

While life brings its share of PHYSICAL scars from injuries, there are also INNER scars that come from what somebody said, from a breakup, from a failure we made, or from the loss of a loved one. So often we try to HIDE our scars from those wounds. They remind us of the HURT. But you need to see your scars in a NEW light. God ALLOWED that scar to REMIND you of what He brought you THROUGH. Don’t think of the PAIN, think of the grace of GOD. The scar means the wound has HEALED, the pain is OVER, and you’re moving FORWARD.

YOU can be at PEACE with your scars. Those scars tell your STORY. No one in the Scripture fulfilled their destiny WITHOUT battle scars. We ALL get wounded. The scar is proof that God HEALED you. The SCAR reminds you of the GREATNESS of God. Sure, you have a SCAR, but you’ve come through HEALED, RESTORED, VINDICATED, BLESSED, and fulfilling your PURPOSE.

Today’s Scripture:

Galatians 6:17, NLT

For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WON’T STOP UNTIL HE’S GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING HE’S PROMISED

When Jacob was a young man, he was a DECEIVER. You would think that God wouldn’t have anything to DO with him. But God keeps WORKING with us and showing us His MERCY. One night while Jacob was on a long journey through the desert and in a hard place, I’m sure he thought that God had FORGOTTEN about him. While he was sleeping, he had a dream in which he saw the Lord standing at the top of a HUGE staircase and saying, “Jacob, I will protect you WHEREVER you go. I will be WITH you CONTINUALLY until I give you everything that I have PROMISED.” When Jacob woke up, he was in AWE.

God was showing us that He’s the God of DESERT places, of lonely TIMES, of difficult SEASONS. He’s right there with you when you feel ALONE, FORGOTTEN, and DISCOURAGED. Suddenly, the HEAVENS will open up, and God will make things happen that you couldn’t MAKE happen. He’s NOT going to stop until He’s given you everything that He’s PROMISED.

Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 28:16, NIV

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

SOMETIMES DISSAPOINTMENTS ARE SIMPLY A TEST

Abraham was seventy-five years old when God promised him “to become a great nation,” then he believed and stood in faith for twenty-five YEARS before the birth of his son, Isaac. You can imagine how he must have felt many years later when God told him to take Isaac to the top of a mountain and SACRAFICE him on an ALTER. Isaac was the fulfillment of Abraham’s DREAM. He didn’t UNDERSTAND it, but he was OBEDIENT. He passed the TRUST test. And just as Abraham was about to follow THROUGH, God spoke today’s Scripture.

There will be TIMES when God asks US to put OUR dream on the altar. Sometimes the closed doors and the disappointments are simply a TEST. God wants to see if we’ll TRUST Him when life doesn’t make SENSE. Will YOU do the right thing when it’s HARD? When you do as ABRAHAM did and pass the TRUST test, God will not only give you the desires of your HEART, He’ll do MORE than you ask or THINK.

Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 22:12, NKJV

And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God…”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU WANT TO MAKE GOD’S DAY, APPROACH HIM LIKE YOU KNOW HE LOVES YOU…..

In the Bible, the book of John was written by the disciple John. What’s INTERESTING is that within this book he never refers to himself as JOHN. When he talks about HIMSELF, he says, “The disciple whom Jesus LOVED.” When he refers to OTHERS, such as Peter, he uses their name and makes no MENTION of Jesus’ love for them. You could take this as being arrogant and self-centered, but John was showing us the CONFIDENCE he had in how much he knew God LOVED him.

What if WE felt the same WAY about our heavenly Father? If you want to make God’s day, start approaching Him like you KNOW He loves you, like you know He’s FOR you, like you know He’s longing to be GOOD to you. When you can do as John did, you can wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, Lord. It’s ME, the one whom You LOVE.” All through the day you can say, “Lord, I LOVE You, and I know I’m the one whom YOU love.”

Today’s Scripture:

John 13:23, NIV

One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

TAKE TIME EVERY DAY TO HELP PRAY OTHERS INTO THEIR DESTINY

Today’s Scripture describes a time AFTER God had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, then MIRACULOUSLY parted the Red Sea and gave them food and water in the DESERT. Despite ALL He had DONE for them, they started worshipping a golden calf along with partying and being IMMORAL. God was SO angry that He would have DESTROYED them had not Moses fasted and prayed, asking God to have MERCY on the Israelites. Because one man stood in the BREACH for them, God changed His MIND and spared their LIVES.

Why don’t you do as Moses did and stand in the GAP for FAMILY, FRIENDS, and COWORKERS who are off course and making poor CHOICES. They KNOW better, but they’re doing wrong ANYWAY. It’s easy to stand in judgment against them and write them off. But you can be the one who makes a DIFFERENCE. Live your life as a GAP stander. Be a people LIFTER. Make it your MISSION to take time every day to help PRAY people into their DESTINY.

Today’s Scripture:

Psalm 106:23, NIV

So he said he would destroy them–had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU’LL HELP SOMEONE ELSE SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM, GOD WILL SOLVE YOURS….

Today’s Scripture says that when you KNOW you can be a blessing, when you have the RESOURCES to help a person in NEED, or when you can TEACH them the skills YOU’VE learned, don’t put it OFF. You may think, “I can’t help THEM. I have to focus on fixing my OWN problems.” But when you make SACRIFICES to help OTHER people’s dreams come to pass, God will ALWAYS help make YOUR dream come to pass. As you bless OTHERS and show them FAVOR, God is going to bless and favor YOU.

Don’t live FOCUSED only on yourself–YOUR problems, YOUR sickness, YOUR trouble at work. Go and be a BLESSING to someone in NEED. Sow a seed with your FINANCES or a word of ENCOURAGEMENT. Go visit your coworker who’s in the hospital and PRAY for them. Call your friend and speak FAITH into their dreams. Take your elderly neighbor an evening MEAL. When you help solve THEIR problems, you’re setting a MIRACLE in motion for YOURSELF, and GOD is going to solve YOUR problems.

Today’s Scripture:

Proverbs 3:27, NIV

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU’LL NEVER GO WRONG TAKING THE HIGH ROAD…..

You don’t overcome evil that has been done TO you by repaying the person with the same evil they did to YOU–they hurt YOU, so you hurt THEM; they betray YOU, so you betray THEM. Not only will you make the problem WORSE and multiply the CONFLICT, but YOU’LL get STUCK where you ARE. It will keep YOU from rising HIGHER.

When unfair things happen to you, the apostle Paul says to NOT take revenge, but to leave it in GOD’S hands to repay. That takes a BIG person, that takes great CHARACTER, and it’s really a TEST. When you prove to God that you’re NOT bitter, you’re not VINDICTIVE, you’re not holding a GRUDGE, you’re BIG enough to swallow your PRIDE and do GOOD to them, then HE knows you’re ready to be PROMOTED. He’s NOT going to PROMOTE you to pay somebody BACK. When you’re the BIGGER person, when you are loving even though someone else doesn’t DESERVE it, that’s FREEING you to go to the next LEVEL.

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 12:21, NIV

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND END THE DEBATE

The Israelites had been in slavery in Egypt for four hundred years. God sent plagues on Pharaoh until he finally let them go. When the Israelites headed toward the Promised Land, they were excited that their dream of freedom had come true–until Pharaoh came chasing after them with his chariots. Pharaoh was saying, in effect, “You’re my slaves. I’m taking you back.” God was saying, “You’re my children. I’ve redeemed you. I’m taking you into freedom.” I can imagine that this debate was playing back and forth in the minds of the Israelites: “Are you a son? Are you a slave?”

That same debate is taking place about you. One voice is saying, “You’re a slave. You’ll never get well. You’ll always struggle in your finances.” You need to rise up and say, “I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son. I’m not a slave to my past, to the people who hurt me, to addiction, to lack, or to depression. I’m a child of the Most High God.”

Today’s Scripture:

1 John 3:2, NLT

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU’RE VULNERABLE, GOD CAN MAKE YOU AND MOLD YOU

If you read the stories of the heroes of FAITH, whether it’s Abraham, David, John the Baptist, or the apostle Paul, they were not PRETENDERS. They had doubts, they had fears, they had questions, and they didn’t pretend like they had it all TOGETHER. They REFUSED to wear religious masks. They KNEW the power of vulnerability and honesty. They knew that in our WEAKNESSES, God’s strength shows up the GREATEST.

Are YOU down on yourself because you have doubts and fears, weaknesses you don’t understand? Are you trying to hide what you’re STRUGGLING with, thinking God or someone else would not be PLEASED with you? Are you trying to PERFORM just right, to keep up your IMAGE, to impress your friends and FAMILY? Why don’t you take the PRESSURE off and be at peace with not being PERFECT? There’s amazing STRENGTH when you go to God and others with TRANSPARENCY. When you’re VULNERABLE, God can MAKE you and MOLD you into a vessel used for His highest PURPOSES.

Today’s Scripture:

Psalm 26:4, AMPC

I do not sit with false persons, nor fellowship with pretenders…

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHAT GOD IS ABOUT TO DO IS GOING TO SUPERSEDE ANYTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN

When Job and his wife went through a series of very painful LOSSES, and then Job suffered a CRUSHING illness, instead of ENCOURAGING Job, she said, “Job, you’ve always done the right thing, and see what you get. Just curse God and give UP.” FORTUNATELY, even though he didn’t understand why it had HAPPENED, Job knew BETTER than to make judgments based on one SEASON of his life. He declared that God’s FAVOR had been on his life, and that this storm was NOT permanent. By FAITH, Job weathered the great storm and eventually came out of it with DOUBLE and lived a long, BLESSED life.

Every person has unfair, painful SEASONS. But you have to remind yourself that it’s JUST a season. It’s NOT the rest of your LIFE. Don’t make a judgment based on a betrayal or a setback that’s TEMPORARY. Don’t give up on your dreams, lose your passion, or live BITTER. The storm may be DIFFICULT, but what God is about to DO is going to supersede anything you’ve EVER seen.

Today’s Scripture:

Job 2:9, MSG

His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it!”