THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR RELIGION, HE’S LOOKING FOR BELIEVERS

When a Roman officer came to Jesus and said, “One of my employees is very sick, but you DON’T have to come to my HOUSE. Just SPEAK the word, and I KNOW he’ll be healed,” Jesus marveled at his FAITH. In Mark 6, it says that Jesus also MARVELED at the UN-belief He was met with in HIS hometown. What’s interesting is that the people who DOUBTED were the RELIGIOUS people. They were in the synagogue every WEEK. The Roman officer was NOT a religious person. He hadn’t been indoctrinated to think that it COULDN’T happen. He simply BELIEVED that Jesus WAS the Son of God.

When God looks at YOU, what does He MARVEL at? Why don’t you come over into FAITH? You may think that you’re not RELIGIOUS enough, that God would NEVER help you, but God is not looking for RELIGION. He’s looking for people who simply BELIEVE in Him, for people who know that He CAN do the impossible.

Today’s Scripture

Matthew 8:10, NIV

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD LIKES TO DO THINGS THAT WE CAN’T EXPLAIN…

There was a crippled man who had been lying by the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years. The people knew when it was the season for the angel to come. This man knew that was his window of OPPORTUNITY to get well. One day Jesus came and said to him, “Do you want to get well?” I can imagine the man was confused. It wasn’t the right SEASON for the angel to come. But Jesus said to the man, “Get up, pick up your bed, and WALK.” INSTANTLY the man was healed.

Don’t be SURPRISED when God shows up and you aren’t EXPECTING it. God likes to break the RULES, so to speak, to do things that we can’t EXPLAIN. You don’t see any WAY, the odds are AGAINST you. God doesn’t have to wait for the TRAINING, for the BOSS to like you, for the LOAN to go through, for the ECONOMY to improve. HE controls the UNIVERSE. He’s NOT limited by seasons.

Today’s Scripture

John 5:4, KJV

For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WILL MAKE THINGS HAPPEN THAT YOU COULD NEVER MAKE HAPPEN

The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a valley filled with BONES. It was like a huge GRAVEYARD of bones from PEOPLE who had died. Bones represent THINGS in our life that LOOK dead, situations that SEEM impossible and PERMANENTLY unchanging. God said, “PROPHESY to these dead bones.” Ezekiel started SPEAKING to the bones, TELLING them to come ALIVE. As he was SPEAKING, the bones started rattling and coming TOGETHER, morphing back into PEOPLE. Finally, BREATH came into those bodies, and they stood up like “a vast ARMY.”

You may have THINGS in YOUR life that SEEM dead—a RELATIONSHIP, a BUSINESS, your HEALTH. All you can see is a valley of dry bones, so to speak. It’s not enough to just PRAY about it; you need to SPEAK to it. PROPHESY to those dead bones. Call in HEALTH. Call in ABUNDANCE. Call in RESTORATION. God will RESURRECT what LOOKS dead. He’ll make things happen that you could NEVER make happen.

Today’s Scripture

Ezekiel 37:4–5, ESV

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THAT PRESSURE IS NOT GOING TO STOP YOU, IT’S GOING TO INCREASE YOU…..

After the death of Joseph, the people of Israel living in Egypt were BLESSED and increased GREATLY in numbers to the point that many years later, Pharaoh FEARED them and put them under slave masters to OPPRESS them with forced labor. But today’s Scripture says the more Pharaoh AFFLICTED them, the more the Israelites MULTIPLIED. Pharaoh thought he was STOPPING them, but in FACT, he was INCREASING them.

Sometimes when God wants to PROMOTE you, He doesn’t send you a GOOD break; He sends you an ENEMY. He’ll cause a SUPERVISOR, perhaps, to turn up the HEAT and put you in an UNFAIR situation. Don’t get discouraged—the more OPPOSITION, the more you’re going to INCREASE. We may not like it, but we GROW under PRESSURE, our CHARACTER is developed, and we discover TALENT that we didn’t know we HAD. Get ready for NEW levels. Get ready for PROMOTION. That PRESSURE is not going to STOP you; it’s going to INCREASE you.

Today’s Scripture

Exodus 1:12, NKJV

The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD ALWAYS HAS AN “AFTER THIS” IN YOUR FUTURE…..

Nearly OVERNIGHT, Job’s life was shattered by great personal losses and covered in a season of darkness. He could have given up on his faith. Even his wife told him to “curse God and DIE.” In the midst of the difficulty, Job looked UP and said, “I know that my Redeemer LIVES.” He was saying, “I know God is STILL on the throne. Though He slay me, yet will I trust HIM.”

When you can give God praise when life DOESN’T make sense, God will RELEASE you into a new level of your DESTINY. Notice that “after this” difficulty, Job came out with TWICE what he’d had before and lived for another 140 BLESSED years. Just because you experience a setback doesn’t mean your life is OVER. God has an “AFTER THIS” coming. When you go through TOUGH times, He’s not only going to bring you OUT, He’s going to bring you out INCREASED, PROMOTED, and BETTER than you were BEFORE.

Today’s Scripture

Job 42:16, NIV

After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE MORE YOU FEED FEELINGS, THE STRONGER THEY GROW

Today’s Scripture describes a lot of people. If they feel like telling somebody off, feel like buying something they can’t afford, or feel like watching something they know is not good, they do it anyway. Desires and feelings will always be there. The problem is that when we give in to them, we come under their control. The more you feed those feelings—anger, self-pity, a bad attitude, a critical spirit—the stronger they grow. The way you break free is to quit feeding them.

The next time you feel like being upset, stay in peace. Put on some good praise music; think about how much you have to be grateful for. That’s feeding your spirit man instead of feeding your flesh. As your spirit person gets stronger, the flesh is getting weaker. Starve the negative emotions, and over time, they won’t control you. The sign of maturity is that you can feel the negative emotions, but you don’t act on them.

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 3:3, TLB

For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IT MAY NOT BE GOOD NOW, BUT GOD KNOWS HOW TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

We celebrate GOOD Friday each year, but on the day when Jesus was crucified, the disciples thought it was the WORST day of their lives. “TRAGIC Friday” would have been THEIR description. The One whom they had devoted their LIVES to was dead and buried in a tomb. But a few days later, when Jesus ROSE from the dead, they realized that He was who He’d SAID He was. He had DEFEATED the enemy and brought SALVATION to mankind. What they’d thought was the worst day of their lives became the BEST.

We ALL face times when a dream dies, a relationship ends, we come down with an illness—NOTHING about the situation seems good. It may not be good right NOW, but God knows how to bring it all TOGETHER. You may think it is going to STOP you, set you BACK, and cause you HEARTACHE. If you’ll stay in FAITH, one day you’ll look back and say it was GOOD.

Today’s Scripture

John 20:19, NIV

…with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among [the disciples] and said, “Peace be with you!”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THINGS ARE ABOUT TO CHANGE IN YOUR FAVOR…..

After the Israelites had been in slavery for 430 years, God said, “I have seen the affliction of My people. I’ve heard their cries. I am coming down to DELIVER them.” God was saying, “Enough is ENOUGH. It’s PAYBACK time.” It was a great miracle for the Israelites to be set free, but God was keeping the records and said they wouldn’t leave empty-HANDED. On their way out, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for their gold, silver, and jewelry. God gave them FAVOR, and the Egyptians willingly GAVE it to the Israelites.

You may be in an unfair situation for a long time, but God is saying, “I’m coming down to DO something about it.” Things are about to change in your FAVOR. PAYBACK is coming, HEALING is coming, PROMOTION is coming, VINDICATION is coming, new RELATIONSHIPS are coming. You’re NOT going to come out empty-HANDED. YOU’re going to come out LOADED, BETTER than you were, PROMOTED, STRONGER, HEALTHIER, and at a new LEVEL.

Today’s Scripture

Exodus 3:21, NIV

“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU’LL BE GRATEFUL FOR THE GOOD, GOD WILL GET YOU TO VERY GOOD

When God created the heavens and the earth on the first day, He said, “Let there be light,” and light came. There were no skies, no animals, and the earth was formless and empty, but God said it was “good.” An observer would have said, “God, it’s not good; it’s a mess. Nothing is in order.” And He would have responded, “Don’t worry. You’re only seeing day one. Wait till you see what it looks like when it’s ‘very good’ at the end of day six.” Sometimes we’re so focused on our flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings, and how we should be further along that it holds us back. You need to focus on what you’re doing right. Find the good along the way; thank Him for the partial. If you don’t celebrate the good in day one, in the season that you’re in, you won’t see day two. If you’ll be grateful for the good, God will get you to very good.

Today’s Scripture

Genesis 1:3–4, NIV

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T PUT YOUR IDENTITY, YOUR VALUE IN SOMEONE ELSES HANDS

One day a large crowd of people CELEBRATED Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, shouting, “HOSANNA! BLESSED is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” A few days later, those same people were shouting, “CRUCIFY Him!” When Jesus went to trial and needed His closest friends to SUPPORT Him, MOST of His disciples had fled, one had betrayed Him, and Peter denied Him. If you don’t know who you are without OTHER people, then if they leave, you’ll be lost. They’ll take you WITH them because your IDENTITY was caught up in who THEY made you to be. Then you’ll have to try to find somebody ELSE to tell you who you are. Don’t put your IDENTITY, your VALUE into somebody else’s HANDS. You don’t need THEIR approval or for THEM to tell you who you ARE. Your VALUE came from your CREATOR. Let HIM tell you who you are. Get your VALUE, your self-WORTH, your APPROVAL from HIM.

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 29:25, MSG

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in GOD protects you from that.