THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE ENEMY CAN NOT KEEP YOU DOWN, CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY

Did you make up your mind to be happy this morning? It’s important to be on the offensive when it comes to your HAPPINESS. If you don’t set the tone EARLY in the day, the enemy will start reminding you of all your problems and everything that’s wrong in your life. Before long, you’ll be negative and discouraged. Notice that the Scripture doesn’t say, “I might be glad today if everything goes well, if I don’t get stuck in traffic, if my boss doesn’t yell at me, or if it doesn’t rain on my new hairdo.” No, the psalmist says, “I WILL rejoice and be glad.” No matter what kind of difficulties I face today—no matter who tries to make me upset—I CHOOSE to be happy.

Happiness is a DECISION you make, not an emotion you feel. Never forget that although you might not be able to choose your CIRCUMSTANCES, you can ALWAYS choose how you RESPOND to them. If you’ll make the decision to stay full of JOY, if you’ll choose to be happy in SPITE of your circumstances, the enemy can NOT keep you down and defeated. God will give you supernatural strength to overcome EVERY obstacle you face, and you’ll live that life of overcoming VICTORY He has in store for you.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 118:24, ESV
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

START GIVING GOD THE GLORY AND LET HIM ARISE IN YOUR LIFE

Let me ask you today, what are you letting ARISE in your life? In other words, what are you focusing your WORDS, ENERGY and THOUGHTS on? You might say, “Oh, Mark, it’s just so hard right now. I’ve lost some money.” “My health doesn’t look good.” “Somebody walked out on me.” No, you’re focusing on the wrong things. You’re letting defeat, discouragement and self-pity rise up. Why don’t you turn that around and say, “God is STILL in control. Somebody may have walked out on me, but I know God is going to bring me somebody better.” “I may be hurting right now, but I know God is the restorer of my soul.” “I may have lost money in the stock market, but I’m not worried. I know God is my PROVIDER. He is supplying ALL of my needs. HE is fighting my battles.”

When you start giving God GLORY and letting HIM arise in your life, you CAN’T stay defeated. Your enemies WILL be scattered! They’ll tremble at your words of FAITH. Begin right NOW by declaring God’s GOODNESS in your life and let Him ARISE so that you can move forward in the VICTORY He has for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered…”

(Psalm 68:1, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD GAVE YOU TODAY FOR A SPECIFIC REASON. ENJOY IT!

If the CIRCUMSTANCES of life have taken away your JOY, today is the day to get it BACK. You weren’t meant to live this life feeling drained, depressed and down. God wants you to be EXCITED about your future and learn to ENJOY each and EVERY day. Start each morning with a declaration of FAITH. Quote Psalm 118:24 aloud to yourself: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will REJOICE and be GLAD in it.” The Lord GAVE you today for a specific REASON, so enjoy it and live it in His STRENGTH! You have to be DETERMINED to enjoy your life even in the DIFFICULT seasons. Every day you can CHOOSE to enjoy the things that God has GIVEN you. Keep giving God PRAISE despite your circumstances, and you will ENJOY your life to the FULLEST today.

Today’s Scripture:

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy

1 Peter 1:8, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OUR GOD IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY OBSTACLE WE’LL EVER FACE

God has a place of VICTORY in store for you today! You may be facing challenges. You may look around you and see impossible circumstances. In the natural, it may look like things won’t ever change. But God is saying today, “Quit looking at your circumstances and LOOK UP! Lift up your eyes of FAITH and look BEYOND where you are because there is victory as far as the eye can see!

Remember, those things you are facing today are only TEMPORARY, but God Almighty is ETERNAL. He’s the God who spoke the WORLD into existence, and He’s the God who set the stars in space. He is more POWERFUL than every obstacle, BIGGER than any setback, and able to do EXCEEDLINGLY, ABUNDANTLY above and BEYOND what you could ever imagine. Today, look BEYOND your circumstances and set your focus in the right DIRECTION. LIFT UP your eyes and look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your FAITH!

Today’s Scripture:

“…Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward.”

Genesis 13:14, AMPC

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE AND NOTHING IS EVER WASTED

The Bible tells of a time when Jesus fed a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves. That day, everyone had more than enough to eat and there were still twelve baskets full of bread. That’s because we serve a God of ABUNDANCE! I love that Jesus told the disciples to collect all the leftovers “so that nothing is wasted.” With God, nothing is EVER wasted. He’ll never waste an EXPERIENCE; He’ll never waste a HURT; He’ll never waste a DREAM; He’ll never waste even a single piece of BREAD.

God is still in the MIRACLE-working business. He is still our CREATOR, and He is a RESTORER. If you’ve felt like you’ve wasted years of your life in the wrong JOB, hanging around the wrong PEOPLE, doing the wrong THINGS, God will gather those years and RESTORE them BACK to you. He’ll take those EXPERIENCES that the enemy meant for your harm and turn them around for your GOOD. He’ll make you STRONGER, WISER and BETTER OFF than you were before. He can launch you further into your DESTINY than before. Be ENCOURAGED today because with God, ALL things are possible and NOTHING is ever wasted!

Today’s Scripture:

“After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”‘

John 6:12, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE EQUIPPED YOU FOR SUCCESS AND EMPOWERED TO OVERCOME

When Jesus sent His disciples out to heal the sick, meet their needs, and share the Gospel, He told them, “GIVE as freely as you have received” (Matthew 10:8). In other’s words, God has given you EVERYTHING you need to do what He’s called you to do in this life. He has equipped you to be SUCCESSFUL and has EMPOWERED you to OVERCOME in this life. He’s given you seed to sow in order to have an ABUNDANT harvest in your future. You HAVE what it takes!

God has placed SEED in your hand today, but in order for that seed to produce, it has to be planted. It has to be watered. It has to be fertilized. Today, ask God to show you where to plant YOUR seed. Make sure you are sowing in the right ground and tending to the seed He has given you. Remember, God has a GOOD plan for your future. He has plans to BLESS you and INCREASE you. Today, YOU have what it takes to move forward and receive the BLESSING He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

2 Corinthians 9:10, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE ENCOURAGED BECAUSE YOUR TIMES ARE IN GOD’S HANDS

One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always work on OUR timetable. In fact, He RARELY does. But in a single MOMENT, God can change your LIFE! All throughout scripture, we see examples of how God was working behind the scenes and INSTANTLY turned things around for His people. Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today and FOREVER which means He can INSTANTLY turn things around for you, TOO!

You may be going through some difficulty today, but be ENCOURAGED because your times are in GOD’s hands. He wants to ACCELERATE things in your FAVOR. He wants to take you FURTHER than you dreamed possible and work in your life in ways BEYOND what you have ever imagined.

Let this TRUTH sink down into your heart today. Resist discouragement by speaking His WORD over your future. Keep STANDING. Keep HOPING; keep BELIEVING because He IS working behind the scenes. He’s going to ACCELERATE your times and lead you into the life of VICTORY He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“My times are in Your hand…”

Psalm 31:15, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, GET INTO AGREEMENT WITH GOD AND SAY “I AM BLESSED”

Twenty years before Abraham ever had a child, God said to him, “Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations.” Notice God spoke to him like it had ALREADY happened, in the PAST tense. I’m sure Abraham thought, “God, You must have made a mistake. I’m not a father. I don’t even have one child. Abraham could have talked himself out of it; but instead, HE CHOSE TO BELIEVE.

Today, you may be thinking, “I’m not BLESSED. I’m not CONFIDENT. I’m not HEALTHY. I’m not FAVORED.” But when God says you’re BLESSED, don’t TRY to figure it out. Just AGREE with God and say, “I AM blessed.” When God calls you prosperous, don’t go check your bank account. Don’t go look at the stock report. Just AGREE with God and say, “I AM prosperous.” Things may LOOK impossible. That’s all right. That’s the way things looked for Abraham. But sure enough, God’s PROMISES came to pass, and he became the father of many nations.

Remember, when you AGREE with God, you are positioning yourself for a MIRACLE. You are ACTIVATING His TRUTH in your life. When things look difficult, don’t agree with your circumstances, agree with His PROMISES because He is FAITHFUL, and He WILL complete what He’s STARTED in your life!
Today’s Scripture:

“As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.”

Romans 4:17, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, THE POSSIBILITIES BECOME ENDLESS….

We serve a SUPERNATURAL God! He is NOT limited by anything or anyone. He’s ready to do the impossible IN you, FOR you and THROUGH you!

Think about this for a moment: when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God actually makes His home IN you—the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead! That means that you have UNLIMITED POWER, unlimited WISDOM, unlimited ABILITY, unlimited JOY and unlimited PEACE living INSIDE of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. As a BELIEVER, you have the unlimited, SUPERNATURAL, living God INSIDE of you!

Let that sink down deep into your heart. Let it restore CONFIDENCE and STRENGTH to your BEING. Let it ENERGIZE your THOUGHTS and ATTITUDE today. As you meditate on Him and the VASTNESS of His power inside of you, you will tap INTO that power more and more. Every day, you’ll experience His supernatural INCREASE as you put HIM first—the Supernatural ONE living in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Romans 8:11, NIV