THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY IN PEACE AND STOP LETTING THINGS RUIN YOUR DAY…

The apostle Paul went through all kinds of UNFAIR situations. He was falsely ACCUSED of crimes, beaten with RODS, LIED about, put in PRISON, and SHOPWRECKED. In Acts 20, he gives us the secret of living a VICTORIOUS life: “NONE of these things MOVE me.” He was saying, “YES, there were setbacks and disappointments, but I did NOT lose my joy. GOD is still on the throne. Even being put in prison gave me the OPPORTUNITY to write about half of the books of the New Testament.” There’s ALWAYS something trying to move us, to pull us out of PEACE, to pull us OUT of rest. Are YOU allowing these things to move YOU? You can’t PRAY them AWAY. These are tests we ALL have to pass. Jesus said, “Do NOT let your hearts be TROUBLED.” He said troubles will BE there, but you don’t have to be MOVED by them. Stay in PEACE. Quit letting these THINGS ruin your DAY.

Today’s Scripture

Acts 20:24, NKJV

“None of these things move me.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T CONFUSE WHERE YOU ARE, WITH WHO YOU ARE

The Scripture speaks of how we are in the world, but we are not of the world. You may be in a LIMITED environment, but you don’t have to be OF it. Don’t let that environment get in YOU. If you see struggle, lack, and poverty LONG enough, your mind can become conditioned to thinking, THIS is who I am. I’ll NEVER have enough. NO, that’s WHERE you are, that’s not WHO you are. That may be what’s BEEN normal. The good news is, you’re a BARRIER BREAKER. SOME people try to put you in a box. They’ll tell you such things as, “You’ll never afford a nice house, never get well, never meet the right person.” Because THEIR thinking is LIMITED, they’ll try to put THIER limitations on YOU. You have to put your foot down and say, “I REFUSE to be mediocre because people AROUND me are mediocre. I AM a barrier breaker. I’m going to set a NEW standard.”

Today’s Scripture

John 17:14, NIV

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS A PROMISED LAND FOR YOU

The Israelites had been in slavery for HUNDREDS of years. That was the land of barely ENOUGH. They were just SURVIVING, barely making it through. One day God brought them OUT of slavery and took them into the desert, the land of JUST enough. Their NEEDS were supplied, but nothing EXTRA. God EVENTUALLY took them into the PROMISED Land, the land of MORE than enough. The food and supplies were PLENTEOUS. It’s called “the land FLOWING with milk and honey.” FLOWING means it didn’t STOP. Its ABUNDANCE NEVER ran out. That’s where God is taking YOU. You may be in the land of barely enough or just enough right NOW. Don’t WORRY. God has NOT forgotten about you. He is saying, “Those are SEASONS. Don’t put your stakes down. You’re passing through.” God has a Promised Land for YOU. He has a place of ABUNDANCE, of MORE than enough, where it’s FLOWING with PROVISION, not just ONE time, but you’ll CONTINUE to have PLENTY.

Today’s Scripture

Leviticus 20:24, NIV

“You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TAKE THAT STEP, KNOWING THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING

God told Abraham to pack up his household, leave his extended family behind, and head out to a land that God was going to give him. The only problem was that God didn’t give him any details of where to go. But Abraham understood that just because you don’t have all the answers and you’re uncomfortable doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to do it. God doesn’t give you a blueprint for your whole life. If you had all the details of what He wants you to do and how it will work out, you wouldn’t need any faith. He’s going to send you out, not knowing everything. It’s not always going to make sense. Other people may try to talk you out of it. Your own thoughts will tell you, What if it doesn’t work out? But if you take that step, trusting that God knows what He’s doing, then each step of the way there will be provision, favor, and protection.

Today’s Scripture

Hebrews 11:8, NIV

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE ALL HAVE POTENTIAL, ONCE WE GET RID OF THE CHAFF

Throughout the Scripture, there are many references to “the threshing floor.” This was where the wheat was separated from the chaff. They would lay the sheaves of wheat on the floor and have oxen and cattle walk over them repeatedly, which separated the valuable grain from the worthless chaff. Without that process, the grain wouldn’t do them any good. For us to reach our highest potential, God will take us through some threshing floors. We start off like a stalk of wheat. The potential is there; we have seeds of greatness, but we have some chaff—some pride, insecurity, impatience—along with the valuable grain. Unless God takes us through the threshing floor—being stuck in traffic, an irritating coworker, a friend who walks away—we will never become what we were created to be. Even though it’s uncomfortable, if you have the right attitude, you’re going to come out refined, more valuable, and separated from the things that are holding you back.

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 28:28, NIV

Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go on threshing it forever.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY CLOSE TO PEOPLE WHO WILL CALL YOU BLESSED AND VICTORIOUS

Naomi lost her husband in death, and then both her sons died as well. She was so discouraged that she didn’t think she could go on. She had been full of joy and sweetness, but now she was bitter. She even changed her name from Naomi, which means “my joy,” to Mara, which means “bitter.” She was saying, “Call me bitter.” But her friends refused and kept calling her Naomi. She was trying to stay in defeat, but they said, “No, you’re coming into victory,” and eventually she did. If you have been through disappointments and loss, you need people around you who will remind you about who you are—not people who will get bitter with you and agree with the defeat. Stay close to people who will call you blessed and victorious. You want people in your life who will remind you that your best days are yet to come, that what was meant for your harm, God will use to your advantage.

Today’s Scripture

Ruth 4:14–15, NIV

The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THERE IS A SET TIME FOR FAVOR IN YOUR FUTURE…..

In the first eleven verses of Psalm 102, the psalmist goes into great detail listing all his troubles, telling how miserable he is. Just when you think he’s ready to give up, he wrote today’s Scripture. In the midst of his sad song, he recognized that God was still on the throne, and he knew there was a set time for favor in his future. God was saying to His people, “Don’t worry, things are about to change. You’ve come into your set time of favor. I will arise and have compassion.” In your set time of favor, God will step in against your enemies and scatter them. When He arises, sickness will be defeated, addictions will be broken, and lack, poverty, and struggle will come to an end. He’s going before you clearing the path where you couldn’t go before, pushing back the forces of darkness. The enemies you’ve seen in the past you will see no more. It’s your set time for freedom, for wholeness.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 102:12–13, NIV

But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN GOD TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, JUST DO IT

When ten lepers saw Jesus walking through their village, they called out for Him to have mercy and HEAL them. Leprosy was a dreaded infectious skin disease that caused disfigurement of the skin and bones, twisting of the limbs, and curling of the fingers. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, which they would NOMALLY do after they were HEALED. They COULD have thought, Once I SEE my healing, THEN I’ll go. But as they OBEYED Jesus’ word, parts of their bodies that had been dismembered and deformed were RESTORED to NORMAL. By the time they got to the priests, they were PERFECTLY well. When God tells YOU to do something, don’t DEBATE it, don’t try to figure it OUT, just DO it. When you OBEY, a blessing will ALWAYS follow. God has some of these UNUSUAL miracles for YOU—unusual FAVOR, unusual HEALING, unusual PROMOTION, unusual RESTORATION. NOTHING is too difficult for our GOD.

Today’s Scripture

Luke 17:14, NLT

He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

KEEP BEING YOUR BEST WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

Sometimes when we’re being tested by discouragement, it seems God is SILENT. We pray and don’t HEAR anything. We read the Scripture and STILL come away feeling as though God is a MILLION miles away. It’s easy to think something must be wrong. But remember, this is a TEST. You have to pass the test of being FAITHFUL where you ARE. Keep STRETCHING, PRAYING, and BELIEVING. The next step IS coming—an INCREASE step, a FAVOR step, a HEALING step, a BREAKTHROUGH step. When God is SILENT, don’t assume He’s LEFT you or is MAD at you. He is right there WITH you during the test. His silence is a sign that He has great CONFIDENCE in you and He has PREPARED you, and now He is watching to see if you have LEARNED. He knows you will come through the test VICTORIOUSLY or He would not have PERMITTED you to be TESTED. Keep being your BEST with what you HAVE.

Today’s Scripture

James 1:3, NLT

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S GOING TO CAUSE YOU TO SHINE

In today’s Scripture Leah and her sister, Rachel, were both married to Jacob. Rachel was more BEAUTIFUL, so Jacob didn’t give Leah much time and ATTENTION. I’m sure she felt like she was INFERIOR, at a disadvantage, not GOOD enough. That doesn’t go unnoticed. God sees EVERY injustice, every WRONG, every TEAR. Leah went on to have four sons before Rachel had ONE. Having a son in those days was a big DEAL. God was saying, “Leah, I’m giving you sons who’ll cause Jacob to NOTICE you.” You may feel like someone else got all the good BREAKS, good CHILDHOOD, good LOOKS, good PERSONALITY. Don’t worry, your time is COMING. God has some ADVANTAGES for you that will cause YOU to stand out. You’re not going to ALWAYS live in the shadow of somebody more TALENTED, more BEAUTIFUL, more SUCCESSFUL. God’s going to cause you to SHINE. You’re going to EXCEL, you’re going to be KNOWN, you’re going to leave your MARK.

Today’s Scripture

Genesis 29:31, NIV

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.