THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN WE PRAY, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW IT UP WITH EXPECTANCY

Notice that in today’s Scripture David didn’t just pray and say, “Okay, God, I did MY part.” He prayed and then WAITED with EXPECTATION. He had his HOPES up. He went through the day looking for God’s GOODNESS, talking like it was going to HAPPEN. He EXPECTED God’s favor. He said, “Surely GOODNESS and MERCY will follow me EVERYWHERE I go.”

When you pray, you have to follow it up with EXPECTANCY, with a knowing that the Creator of the universe has gone to work because He is a FAITHFUL God. What He PROMISED you, He WILL bring to PASS. You may have been waiting for a long time, but down in your spirit you have to have a RESOLVE, a CONFIDENCE: “I KNOW the answer is on the way. I KNOW the miracle is in motion. I’ve asked according to God’s WILL. I KNOW He’s heard me. It’s just a matter of TIME before it shows UP.”

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 5:3, NIV

“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOUR OBEDIENCE WILL BRING A BLESSING…. JUST DO IT!

Did you know that even Jesus had to HUMBLE Himself. It takes HUMILITY to walk in obedience. Without humility, Jesus could have thought, I’m the Son of God. I don’t have to put up with the way people TREAT Me. I’m not GOING to the cross. It was humility that caused Him to NOT retaliate against those who did Him wrong. Because of His humility, He could spend His life serving OTHERS when He had every right to be SERVED. Because of His humility, He could hang on the cross and say, “Father, FORGIVE them. They don’t know what they’re DOING.”

When you humble yourself and do HARD things that you know God is asking you to do—FORGIVE the person who did you wrong, HONOR your spouse’s request, take ADVICE from somebody who doesn’t have your experience—your OBEDIENCE will bring a BLESSING. As Jesus did, do what God is ASKING you to do. Don’t reason it out; just DO it.

Today’s Scripture

Philippians 2:8, NIV

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU CAN BECOME SOMEONE ELSES MIRACLE…..

Many people are praying for a MIRACLE. “God, please send me a FRIEND. God, I need help with my CHILDREN. I need TRAINING. God, I need a good BREAK.” We have to realize that WE can become the miracle they need. God uses our lives to touch and encourage and bless OTHERS. God will bring people across our path so that WE can be the answer to THEIR prayers.

Take time to BECOME the miracle. You can’t help EVERYONE, but you CAN help SOMEONE. Be aware of who is in your life. Listen to what they’re saying. Is there any way that you can HELP? Those are OPPORTUNITIES to become their MIRACLE. God put them there on purpose. It’s because you are FULL of miracles. There is HEALING in you. There is RESTORATION, there’s FRIENDSHIP, there are new BEGINNINGS. You can LIFT the fallen. You can restore the BROKEN. YOU can be kind to a stranger. You can become someone’s MIRACLE.

Today’s Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2:8, NIV

“…Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

GOD IS LONGING TO BE GOOD TO YOU…

Many people are trying to EARN God’s goodness, trying to be GOOD enough, trying to work HARD enough, thinking that then maybe they’ll DESERVE God’s blessings. That’s a slave mentality. You don’t have to EARN God’s love. You don’t have to work for His APPROVAL. You don’t have to pay God back for your MISTAKES. The Scripture tells us to come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, not as a servant saying, “God, I know I don’t deserve it.” If you want to put a SMILE on God’s face, go to Him with BOLDNESS, go to Him like you KNOW He’s pleased with you, like you know you have a RIGHT to be there as a SON, like you know He WANTS to be good to you. Ask Him for your DREAMS. Pray BOLD prayers. You’re not inconveniencing Him. Jesus says, “It is the Father’s good PLEASURE to give you the KINGDOM.” God is LONGING to be good to you.

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.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T STAY A GRATEFUL PATIENT, BECOME A PHYSICIAN

In today’s Scripture the apostle Paul is saying, “You were comforted in the loss of your loved one; help somebody else through their loss. You’ve been healed; now go help somebody else get healed.” God didn’t heal you just so you could be well, but so you could become a healer. He favored you so you could show people favor. He gave you a new beginning so you could help others make it through their loss. You’re no longer a patient needing help; you’ve become a physician.

Every one of us has had experiences that make us a physician. If you’ve been through cancer treatment, a divorce, a loss, or a rough childhood, you are uniquely qualified to help others in that situation. You’ve been in their shoes. You know the pain, the discouragement, the battles they fight in their mind. You can help them in a way that others who’ve not experienced it can. Don’t stay a grateful patient, become a physician.

Today’s Scripture

2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

A SLINGSHOT WITH “THE BLESSING” IS MORE POWERFUL THAN A TANK WITHOUT IT

When you honor God with your life, He puts a blessing on you that gives you an advantage. Today’s Scripture doesn’t say “blessings,” plural; it says “blessing,” singular. When you have “the blessing,” all kinds of blessings will come. It causes you to rise up when circumstances are pushing you down and to prosper when others are struggling. It’s not just because of your skill, talent, and determination. There is a force behind you that is fighting your battles, bringing the right people into your life, opening doors you can’t open.

Don’t discount yourself. David went out with a slingshot and a few stones and defeated Goliath. What you have may seem small compared to what you’re up against, but a slingshot with the blessing is more powerful than a tank without it. Your talent may seem small compared to the dream God put in your heart, but that talent with the blessing will take you further than you can imagine.

Today’s Scripture

Malachi 3:10, NKJV

“Bring all the tithe into the storehouse… and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TAKE A STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN AND THAT’S WHEN THE WATERS WILL PART

When Joshua and the Israelites came to the Jordan River, there was no way for them to get across. God told Joshua to have the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant step into the river; then the waters of the Jordan would part. I can imagine the priests saying, “Joshua, what if it doesn’t.” But instead, they dared to step into the unknown, and in that moment, the water upstream began piling up.

We say, “God, when You part the river, I’ll go.” God says, “Go, and I’ll part the river.” God purposefully puts us in situations where it looks impossible. When you don’t see how it can work out or where the funds are coming from, when every thought tells you to play it safe, if you’ll step into the unknown, along the way you’ll see miracles, doors will open that you couldn’t open, and the right people will show up. That’s when Jordan Rivers will part.

Today’s Scripture

Joshua 3:13, NIV

“As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE THE HEAD AND NEVER THE TAIL, IT’S GOD’S PLEASURE TO PROSPER YOU

God’s people were supposed to go around constantly saying, “God takes pleasure in prospering me.” It was to help them develop an abundant mentality. Your life is moving toward what you’re constantly thinking about. If you’re always thinking thoughts of lack, not enough, and struggle, you’re moving toward the wrong things. All through the day, meditate on these thoughts: overflow, abundance, God takes pleasure in prospering me.

God can make things happen that you could never make happen. He’s already placed abundance in your future. Don’t you dare settle there with lack and not enough. That is where you are; it is not who you are. That is your location; it’s not your identity. You are a child of the Most High God. No matter what it looks like, have this abundant mentality. Keep reminding yourself, “God takes pleasure in prospering me. I am the head and never the tail.”

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 35:27, NKJV

…Let them say continually, “Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

IN GOD’S PERFECT TIMING WHEN EVERYTHING IS READY, YOU’LL FINALLY GIVE BIRTH TO YOUR DREAM

Psalm 7 says the ungodly “are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies.” The GOOD news is, that’s not YOU. You are the RIGHTEOUS. You’re not pregnant with trouble, with bad breaks, sickness, lack, or depression. You are pregnant with FAVOR, with TALENT, with VICTORY. All through the day, keep saying, “Lord, thank You that I’m pregnant with Your PROMISES. I believe conception has occurred.” Perhaps your DREAM LOOKS impossible. It’s been a long time, you gave it your best effort, and it didn’t work out; but deep DOWN, you can’t HELP it—something keeps kicking, telling you that it’s still on the WAY. In God’s PERFECT timing, when everything is READY, you’re going to give BIRTH.

Quit telling yourself that you can never get ahead, that you don’t have enough of this, enough of that. You are pregnant with SUCCESS, pregnant with IDEAS, pregnant with your DESTINY. You’re going to give BIRTH to the DREAM that God PLACED in you.

Today’s Scripture

Luke 18:27, NKJV

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE ONLY POWER A LABEL HAS OVER YOU, IS THE POWER YOU GIVE IT

People constantly put LABELS on us, telling us what we can and cannot BECOME, what we do or don’t HAVE. People will label you “not good enough, too slow, addict, average.” Many times, these labels are not in agreement with what GOD says about us; but if we don’t KNOW any better, we’ll wear them like they’re the TRUTH. If we keep them on long enough, they’ll become so ingrained in our thinking that we’ll become what PEOPLE have said rather than what GOD has said—“you are STRONG, TALENTED, VALUABLE, MORE than a conqueror.”

Are there labels holding YOU back today? The only POWER a label has over you, is the power YOU give it. If you REMOVE it, quit THINKING about it, quit acting like it’s the TRUTH, that label will have NO effect on you. If you’re going to rise to the next level, you have to put on GOD labels. To LIVE better, you need to THINK better.

Today’s Scripture

Deuteronomy 28:13, NIV

The LORD will make you the head, not the tail…