THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WILL GIVE YOU THE GRACE TO OVERCOME WHAT YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FROM

In Genesis 39, when Joseph was tempted to sin with Potiphar’s wife, this was a defining MOMENT in his life. As a slave, he could have said, “What’s it going to matter?” But INSTEAD he “ran from the house,” which led to the FALSE accusations that landed him in prison, from which he eventually was PROMOTED to being in charge of all the affairs of EGYPT. What he did in that DEFINING moment opened the way to the throne.

The Scripture tells us to RUN from temptation. Your DESTINY is at stake. Whether it’s a person who’s making ADVANCES, being over FRIENDLY toward you, a situation where you want to tell someone OFF, watching a MOVIE that you know you shouldn’t, or getting out of compromising SITUATIONS as fast as you can, God will give you the grace to OVERCOME what you can’t get away from. But He won’t give you the grace to overcome things you CAN get away from.

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV

God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE FRIEND WHO WALKS IN WHEN OTHERS WALK OUT

You can tell who your real friends are when you fail, when you get off course. Friends stay loyal to the people God puts in their lives. Good people make mistakes and blow it. People who love you can let you down. When your loved ones and friends make mistakes, they don’t need another judge to condemn them or add to their guilt and shame. You can help love them back into wholeness. To be loyal doesn’t mean you condone or approve their actions. You’re simply showing them the mercy you would want shown to you. You’re being a healer, a restorer. You lift people up.

Don’t be a fair-weather friend. Be the friend who walks in when others are walking out. Our attitude should be, “You can count on me. I’m committed to loving you for the long haul, through thick and thin.” They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can count on you.

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 17:17, NIV

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

WHEN YOU KNOW THE LORD IS ON YOUR SIDE, IT GIVES YOU BOLDNESS

In today’s Scripture when David looked at where he was as the king and thought about all he had gone through to get there—King Saul trying to kill him, people betraying him, armies attacking him—he recognized that God was behind the scenes the whole time, not letting those enemies defeat him. It gave him a boldness for he knew the Lord was on his side.

All of us have some of these “by this I know” experiences. When you look back at how you survived that sickness, how you put yourself through college, how you broke that addiction, you realize it was only by the grace of God, and here you are. When you know the Lord is on your side, it gives you a boldness. You don’t fall apart when opposition comes. Your attitude is, “You’re messing with the wrong person. I may look ordinary, but I have a secret: the Most High God is on my side.”

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 41:11, ESV

By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IN A WORLD FULL OF CROWS, BE AN EAGLE…..

In today’s Scripture, it compares a believer to an eagle. It’s interesting how an eagle handles challenges such as a crow. When the eagle is out flying, the crow will come up right behind it and pester it, doing things to annoy it. Although the eagle is much bigger, it can’t maneuver as fast. Instead of getting upset and trying to fight with the crow, it simply spreads out its seven-foot wingspan, catches the winds and rises higher and higher. The eagle can fly at heights the crow cannot.

We all have some crows in life—people who try to pester you into conflict, situations that tempt you to lose your peace and get upset. The good news is, you’re an eagle. You can go up higher. You can fly where crows can’t fly. But if you stay down at their level, get upset with every crow, get involved in battles that don’t matter, those are distractions. They’ll keep you from your destiny.

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, NKJV
But those who wait on 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.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

GOD WILL ADD UP YOUR LOSSES, AND BALANCE YOUR BOOKS

In accounting, the term balancing the books means making up for a loss. If an account has a deficit, when you balance the books, you have to first take all the losses, all the deficits, and total them up. Then you know how much you need to add to balance it. When the books are balanced, nobody can tell there’s ever been a loss.

In the same way, God has promised that He will balance the books of our lives. We all go through things that put us at a deficit—a rough childhood, the loss of a loved one, something that doesn’t make sense. If nothing changed, we would be out of balance. Life is not always fair, but God is fair. You may go through seasons when you’re out of balance, but God is going to settle your case. He will add up all the losses, the disappointments, and the heartaches, and He will pay you back.

Today’s Scripture

Jeremiah 33:26, MSG

“I will give them back everything they’ve lost. The last word is, I will have mercy on them.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

WHEN YOUR FAITH CAN BE SEEN IN YOUR ATTITUDE, THATS WHAT GETS GODS ATTENTION

We all have difficulties and reasons to be sour, but we can’t let those things talk us out of what God wants to do. In today’s Scripture, Paul could see an expectancy on this man’s expression that he had the faith to be healed. Paul stopped his message and said, “Stand up!” The man jumped up and began to walk for the first time.

The question is, can your faith be seen like this mans was? Can anybody notice that you’re expecting to go to a new level? Are you talking like it’s going to happen, thinking like it’s going to happen, acting like it’s going to happen? There should be an expectancy that you’re ready to be healed, ready to be free, ready to go to a new level. “What I’ve believed God will do for me could happen today!” When your faith can be seen in your attitude, in your expressions, in how you talk, that’s what gets God’s attention.

Today’s Scripture

Acts 14:8–9, NIV

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF IT HASN’T HAPPENED, YOU HAVEN’T NEEDED IT

In the book of 2 Samuel, the prophet Nathan reminded David of the ways he had experienced God’s goodness, favor, protection, and provision down through the years. Then God added this powerful statement: “If it had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.” In other words, “David, looking back over your life, if you ever needed more wisdom, more favor, more protection, or more finance, I would have given it to you.”

That tells me that the moment something begins to stop God’s plan for your life is the moment God will intervene. The moment you need a new friend, the moment you need a good break, the moment you need an idea, it will show up. So if it hasn’t happened yet, don’t be discouraged, thinking that it’s never going to work out. If it hasn’t happened, you haven’t needed it. When you need it, it won’t be one second late.

Today’s Scripture

2 Samuel 12:8, NLT

“And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE ONLY WAY TO RELEASE YOUR BUTTERFLY, IS TO GET YOUR THINKING IN LINE WITH GOD’S WORD

Inside each of us is a BLESSED, PROSEROUS, VICTORIOUS person. This person is FREE from addictions and bad habits. This person is CONFIDENT and SECURE, TALENTED and CREATIVE, DISCIPLINED and FOCUSED. But just because this person is IN you doesn’t mean he or she is automatically going to come OUT. This person has to be RELEASED.

The apostle Paul gives us the secret: “Be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your MIND.” In the original language, the word transformed is metamorphoo. It’s where we get our word metamorphose. We know how caterpillars metamorphose into butterflies. Paul is saying that if you’ll get your thoughts going in the RIGHT direction and NOT dwell on “not able to” thoughts and program your mind with what GOD says about you, then a TRANSFORMATION will take place. Here’s the key: it’s not up to God; it’s up to US. The only way to release your butterfly is to get your THINKING in line with God’s WORD.

Today’s Scripture

Romans 12:2, NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU CHOOSE GOD’S PLAN, YOUR FINAL CHAPTER CONCLUDES WITH YOU FULFILLING YOUR DESTINY

Did you know that God has ALREADY recorded every part of your life from the beginning to the end? He knows every disappointment, every loss, every challenge; and the good news is that with Christ, your story ends in VICTORY! God has written out a plan to BLESS and PROSPER you. When you choose HIS plan, your final chapter concludes with you fulfilling your God-given DESTINY.

Here’s the key: when you go through a disappointment, when you go through a loss, don’t stop on THAT page in your life. You’ve got to DECIDE to keep moving FORWARD. There’s another chapter in front of you, but you’ve got to be willing to take the next step.

Sometimes, we get so focused on what DIDN’T work out that we stay stuck, RELIVING the disappointment. If that’s you, recognize that you’ve been on that page long enough. It’s time to LET IT GO and turn the page to the NEW chapter God has in store. You may not UNDERSTAND, it may not have been FAIR, but REMEMBER, the NEXT chapter is full of BLESSING, full of FAVOR, and full of VICTORY! Make the decision to LET GO of the old so you can move forward into the ABUNDANT life God has in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

(Psalm 139:16, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

USE YOUR FAITH TO CONTROL YOURSELF, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

To “be steadfast and immovable” is a powerful CHOICE we need to make. “I am not going to be moved by my CIRCUMSTANCES. I’m not going to let what others say about me steal my JOY. I’m not going to live worried about my FINANCES. I’m going to do my BEST and trust God to do what I CAN’T do. I have the grace from God to handle ANYTHING that comes my way.”

As long as you’re allowing CIRCUMSTANCES to determine your peace and joy, your life is going to be like a rollercoaster ride that’s based on what goes your way. That’s SURFACE living. God is saying, “You have to go down DEEPER in your FAITH.” Rather than try to use your faith to control your CIRCUMSTANCESS, use your faith to control YOURSELF in the MIDST of those circumstances. When you stay in PEACE, that’s a place of POWER. You know that NO weapon formed against you will prosper.

Today’s Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV

Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.