THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TO LIVE DOWN DEEP

When you throw a rock out into a lake that is calm as glass on the surface, it sends ripples across the whole lake. It LOOKS like it causes a big DISTURBANCE. But the TRUTH is, one foot BENEATH the surface was CALM and PEACEFUL. No fish exclaimed, “Call 911! Something’s wrong!” Nothing on the surface affects the water down DEEP. It stays CALM.

How easily do YOU get upset? If the pebbles that get thrown into your LIFE are getting you frustrated and stealing your JOY, you need to go down DEEPER in FAITH. “But the promotion at work fell through!” That’s a PEBBLE. “She offended me!” ANOTHER pebble. “The loan was denied!” Just a pebble disturbing the SURFACE. That’s not making LIGHT of those things, but when you get BENEATH the surface, you know GOD is still on the throne. Down deep where you choose to LIVE, you’ll feel a PEACE, you’ll be at REST.

Today’s Scripture:

Isaiah 32:18, NIV

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU CAN’T BECOME ALL YOU WERE CREATED TO BE WITHOUT ‘MESSY TIMES’

House building sites are often BIG messes of mud, discarded lumber, and trash piled high. What’s interesting is that we don’t say, “Stop building! It’s never going to be a beautiful house.” We know the MESS is a part of the building PROCESS.

In the same way, you have to see the things that are messy in your LIFE, things you struggle with, things that seem to be delays, as simply under CONSTRUCTION. You may not LIKE the mud–The disappointment, the setback, the betrayal–but it’s part of the PROCESS. You can’t become all you were CREATED to be without messy TIMES. Your architect and BUILDER, the Most High GOD, isn’t CONCERNED about the mess because He designed a specific PLAN for your life. He’s already taken into ACCOUNT all the delays, the things you don’t understand, and even the MISTAKES you’ve made. God is saying, “You’re not a finished PRODUCT. What I STARTED, I’m going to bring to COMPLETION.”

Today’s Scripture:

Hebrews 3:4, NIV

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOUR VALUE AND SELF-WORTH COMES FROM YOUR CREATOR

It’s great when PEOPLE cheer us on and make us feel VALUABLE. We LOVE when a friend COMPLIMENTS us or a coworker HELPS us on a project. God uses PEOPLE to help move us toward our DESTINY. But you can’t become SO dependent on people that you’re trying to get your worth and value from THEM. It’s easy to rely on THEM to keep you feeling GOOD about yourself and make you feel APPROVED. But if they don’t give you their APPROVAL and meet your EXPECTATIONS, you’ll feel discouraged and inferior, and you’ll work OVERTIME to try to win their APPROVAL. The PROBLEM is, YOU’RE trying to get from PEOPLE what only GOD can give. Your VALUE, your SELF-WORTH doesn’t COME from another person–it comes from your CREATOR.

Jesus KNEW better than to rely on people. What they do or don’t do doesn’t DETERMINE your worth and cannot stop your PURPOSE. Quit depending on OTHERS’ approval and start approving YOURSELF.

Today’s Scripture:

John 5:41, NLT

“Your approval means nothing to me.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD AND BE THE FIRST TO WALK AWAY…..

When David was a teenager, his oldest brother, Eliab, spoke to him in the most condescending, disrespectful, and accusatory way in front of others (see 1 Samuel 17:28). Rest assured that David FELT like telling his brother OFF, but he kept his mouth CLOSED, turned and walked AWAY. Seeing such self-DISCIPLINE, it’s no wonder God ENTRUSTED David to do great THINGS.

You know, if you argue LONG enough with someone, you’re going to SAY things you regret LATER. A ten-MINUTE argument can set the relationship back ten YEARS. You have to learn to walk away. You’re not going to accomplish ANYTHING positive in a heated, disrespectful, contentious situation. Let THEM have the last word, and YOU keep your PEACE. The Scripture says that you “overcome evil with GOOD.” You don’t overcome disrespect with more disrespect, or overcome insult with insult, or overcome shouting with more SHOUTING. You do it by staying RESPECTFUL. YOU be the first to walk away.

Today’s Scripture

Romans 12:21, NIV

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

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RECONDITION YOUR MIND AND BREAK OUT OF THE MOLD

Hezekiah’s father was King Ahaz of Judah, who set up idols for the people to worship and closed the doors of the temple. He didn’t HONOR God, and the nation went downhill and became very poor. Hezekiah was raised in an environment of compromise, defeat, and mediocrity. He could have turned out like his dad and adapted to that environment, but when he became KING, the first thing Hezekiah did was to reopen the temple. He turned the nation back toward GOD.

YOU may be in some kind of limited environment. If Hezekiah were here today, he would tell you, “You can break OUT of the mold. You can be the DIFFERENCE maker. You can be the one who sets your family on a course to HONORING God, a course of BLESSING, FAVOR, and VICTORY.” Recondition your MIND, start THINKING better, BELIEVING that you’re a CAN-DO person, knowing that you have seeds of GREATNESS, and you TOO will break barriers that you THOUGHT were impossible.

Today’s Scripture:

2 Kings 18:5–7, NIV

Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not stop following him…And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

START TALKING TO YOUR MOUNTAINS ABOUT HOW BIG YOUR GOD IS…..

Words have CREATIVE power. They can be very HELPFUL like electricity. Used the RIGHT way, electricity powers all KINDS of good things. But electricity used the wrong way can harm or even kill you. It’s the same way with our WORDS. Whether we speak positive OR negative words, we WILL reap what we SOW. If you’re always speaking words of defeat and failure, you’re going to live in a pretty miserable WORLD. USE your words to CHANGE your negative situations and fill them with LIFE.

The Scripture CLEARLY tells us to speak to our MOUNTAINS. Maybe your mountain is a sickness, a college debt, or a floundering business. Whatever YOUR mountain is, SPEAK to that obstacle. The Scripture says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am STRONG!'”; Start calling yourself HEALED, HAPPY, WHOLE, BLESSED, and PROSPEROUS. God is a MIRACLE-working God. Stop talking to God about how big your MOUNTAINS are and start talking to your mountains about how big your GOD is!

Today’s Scripture:

Proverbs 18:21, NIV

The tongue has the power of life and death.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STOP LOOKING BACK. YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE OUT IN FRONT OF YOU

The prophet Samuel invested YEARS of his life pouring his heart and soul into mentoring Saul as the king only to face the great disappointment of seeing Saul be REJECTED by God for his disobedience. Perhaps you spent years investing in a RELATIONSHIP that didn’t last, years working toward a DREAM that suddenly ended, YEARS of doing the right THING only to have it fall apart. Samuel was heartbroken and rightfully grieved. YES, there’s a season of mourning. When you go through a loss or a disappointment, you don’t have to be super human and not feel ANYTHING. But you can’t let a SEASON of mourning turn into a LIFETIME of mourning. At some point, you have to QUIT looking backward and move FORWARD. God has a NEW dream, a new RELATIONSHIP, a new BEGINNING. God has a David already lined UP for you, the greatest king who ever LIVED. Your greatest JOYS, your greatest VICTORIES, your greatest ACCOMPLISHMENTS are still in your FUTURE.

Today’s Scripture:

1 Samuel 16:1, NIV

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GIVE GOD A GREAT RETURN ON WHAT HE’S GIVEN YOU….

God has given EACH of us a gift to do certain things WELL. Maybe YOU can just naturally figure things out TECHNICALLY or lead a class without thinking TWICE. It’s just part of who you ARE. Those are GIFTS that God has INESTED in you, and He expects a RETURN on His INVCESTMENT. Today’s Scripture shows the PRINCIPLE that if you don’t take the time to DEVELOP your gifts, to maximize your TALENTS, then what you have will be taken AWAY. But when you’re INTENTIONAL and PASSIONATE to study and HONE that skill, more will be GIVEN to you. Do you have gifts that are being underutilized? Stop making excuses, putting it off, and waiting till ONE day when you’ll take steps of faith out of your comfort zone. Your one day may never COME. TODAY is your day. Don’t live life PASSIVELY. Stir UP what God put in you. DEVELOPE those gifts. Give God a great RETURN on what He’s given YOU.

Today’s Scripture

Luke 19:26, NLT

‘”Yes’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.'”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET GOOD AT EMPTYING OUT THE NEGATIVE…..

No matter what AGE you are, you can be YOUNG at heart, full of FAITH, ENERGY, and CREATIVITY. Your spirit NEVER ages. It doesn’t have to get old and grouchy. You can stay young in SPIRIT. The way that happens is to give NO place to the negative. Get in a habit of emptying OUT any offenses, knowing that GOD is in control and will do what He PROMISED despite what comes against you. Empty out the worry and anxiety. If you made a mistake, EMPTY OUT the guilt. If you didn’t do your best, EMPTY OUT the regret. If you were upset because you didn’t get the credit you deserved, EMPTY OUT the self-pity. If you had a bad break, and you don’t understand why, EMPTY OUT the questions. Don’t try to figure it out. If you get good at emptying out the negative every DAY, you’ll be STRONG, VIBRANT, full of FAITH, and full of JOY.

Today’s Scripture

Proverbs 14:30, TLB

A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life; jealousy rots it away.