THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY TRUE TO WHO GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE AND YOU’LL HAVE NO REGRETS…

I read a report from a nurse who takes care of people who are close to death. She asked hundreds of patients in the last twelve weeks of their life what their biggest REGRET was. The number one regret reported was, “I wish I had been true to who I was and not just lived to meet the expectations of others.”

How many people today are not being TRUE to who GOD created them to be simply because they are afraid they’re going to disappoint somebody? They’re afraid they may fall out of someone else’s good grace. They worry about not being accepted into a certain group. I say this respectfully, but you cannot live trying to be who your parents want you to be, or who your boss wants you to be, or who your friends want you to be. You’ve got to stay TRUE to who GOD has called you to be.

Today, make the DECISION to live life with NO regrets. Surrender yourself WHOLEHEARTEDLY to who God CREATED you to be. Let Him MOLD and SHAPE your character. Let HIM order your steps. As you submit your ways to HIM, He will SHINE DOWN on you, and you will live the FULFILLED, ABUNDANT life He has prepared for you!

Today’s Scripture:

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LET GOD REFRESH AND RESTORE YOUR SOUL TODAY, AND EVERY DAY

Is there something that you’ve done in your past that you’re not particularly happy about? A choice that you regret? The good news today is that you can be FREE of guilt and condemnation. You don’t have to live with that burden any longer.

Today’s verse tells us that God’s MERCIES are new EVERY morning. He’s not ever going to run out of COMPASSION. He’s not ever going to run out of FORGIVENESS. He’s not ever going to say, “Well, this is the last time I’m going to give you MERCY.” No, you can have a new beginning EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Let that truth sink down deep into your heart RIGHT NOW. If there is anything from the past that you may still be carrying, take a moment and call on His FAITHFULNESS. Call on His MERCY. Ask for His FORGIVENESS. Let Him REFRESH and RESTORE your soul right NOW. PRAISE Him and THANK Him for the work He is doing in your life and enjoy a fresh new beginning TODAY!

Today’s Scripture:

“…His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23, NAS

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU GET YOUR MIND OFF OF YOURSELF AND ONTO OTHERS, YOU’RE SOWING A SEED

All throughout scripture, we see that God’s system is based on the principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow BLESSING and MERCY into the lives of OTHERS, that’s what you’ll reap in YOUR life in return. The same thing happens when you PRAY for one another. There’s a spiritual DYNAMIC at play when you get your mind off of yourself and onto others. You’re sowing a seed so that God can do something in your OWN life.

Is there someone in your life YOU can pray for? Maybe it’s a friend or a family member in need. They don’t have to be present. You can pray for them as you go about your day or even driving in your car on the way to work. It’s the connection of FAITH that opens the door for God to move MIGHTILY on your behalf. Pray for one another and WATCH what God will do!

Today’s Scripture:

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…”

James 5:16, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, DARE TO PUT ACTION BEHIND YOUR FAITH AND DO WHAT GOD HAS PLACED IN YOUR HEART

One time in the Scripture, there were ten lepers who saw Jesus. They hollered out, “Jesus! Have mercy on us and make us whole!” Jesus COULD have healed them right then, but instead, He asked them to DO SOMETHING to express their FAITH. He said, “Go show yourself to the Priest, and you will be made whole.”

It’s interesting that those lepers were not supposed to be around other people. They had to live in colonies because they were contagious and considered unclean. I’m sure they debated among themselves, “Do you really think we should go? I don’t LOOK any better. It’s just going to be a waste of our time.” But they DARED to put ACTION behind their FAITH. They DECIDED, “Jesus said if we go, we will be well. Let’s go. Let’s take a step of faith.” The Scripture says, “As they went, they were made whole.”

Friend, what is God telling YOU to do in YOUR heart today? Take a step of FAITH. Put ACTION behind faith.

Today’s Scripture:

…And as they went, they were cured and made clean.

Luke 17:14, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN GOD MADE YOU, HE THREW AWAY THE MOLD

David said in Psalm 139, “God, I praise You because You have made me in an AMAZING way. What You have done is WONDERFUL.” Notice what followed David’s “I am.” He was not in pride but in praise to GOD.

Now, that goes against human nature. Most of us think, “There’s nothing amazing about me. Nothing wonderful. I’m just average. I’m just ordinary.” NO, the fact is there is nothing at ALL ordinary about you! You have a fingerprint that nobody else has. There will never be another you. Even if you have a twin, they don’t have your same PERSONALITY, your same GOALS, or your same FINGERPRINTS. You are an ORIGINAL. When God made you, He threw away the mold. When you say, “I am WONDERFUL, I am ATTRACTIVE, I am VIBRANT,” not only does vitality, youth and freshness start coming your way, but on the INSIDE, your SPIRIT rises UP. Your SELF-IMAGE begins to improve, and you start carrying yourself like you’re someone SPECIAL. You no longer drag through the day feeling inferior. You have that SPRING in your step, that “GO AFTER IT” attitude.

Today, get in agreement with God. Declare what HE declares about you. Declare, “I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made.” See yourself the way GOD sees you and experience ALL He has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”

(Psalm 139:14, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU HAVE AN UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF GOOD THINGS INSIDE YOU

When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, God puts within you an ETERNAL WELL that will NEVER run dry. You have an unlimited supply of GOOD THINGS inside you which should be continually bubbling OUT of you. But Satan doesn’t want your joy, happiness, or laughter to flow freely. So he comes along and throws a stone of, let’s say, worry into your well. You may think, “That’s just one little stone. It’s not hurting anything. The water is still flowing pretty good.” But Satan will be back soon with ANOTHER stone, whether it’s fear, self-pity, or hopelessness. If you haven’t dealt individually with EACH of these stones and gotten rid of them, your nice, free-flowing well of GOOD THINGS will become clogged. Take the time today and EVERY day to EVALUATE your well. Ask God to give you REVELATION and to help you keep your well CLEAN!

Today’s Scripture:

“Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst – not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

John 4:14, MSG

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KEEP THE RIGHT ATTITUDE AND STAY FOCUSED ON THE GOODNESS OF GOD

Jesus is telling a parable in Matthew 13 about a man who went out to his field and planted wheat in the ground. He sowed GOOD seed. This represents that he was doing the right thing, HONORING God with his life, and being GOOD to others. But while he slept, an enemy came in and planted weeds. The man didn’t know what had happened. He was expecting to have a GREAT harvest; after all, he did ALL the right things. But the weeds sprang up among his wheat.

Sometimes, things happen in life. Weeds spring up that we didn’t have anything to do with. The key is to keep the right ATTITUDE and stay focused on the GOODNESS of God. When these unexpected challenges happen, we can say, “It’s just another weed. I didn’t sow it. I don’t have to reap it.” Then we can keep the door open for God to MOVE on our behalf.

Today, don’t let the weeds take root. Don’t let discouragement creep in. Instead, lift up your eyes of FAITH to what your Father GOD can do for you. Keep BELIEVING, keep PRAYING and keep HOPING because your harvest IS on the way!

Today’s Scripture:

“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.'”

Matthew 13:24-25, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S FAVOR LASTS A LIFETIME

God wants to release FAVOR and BLESSING into your life. He longs to be GOOD to you. Some blessings are STORED UP for you because someone in your family line HONORED Him. It may have been a parent or grandparent, or maybe someone WAY back in your history that you don’t even know; but because they lived a life of FAITH, now you are going to reap the REWARDS. It may have been a hundred years ago, but God wants to increase you a thousand times OVER your ancestors. When you have those moments where you feel like you’ve received “favor out of nowhere,” that’s the time to thank God for His GRACE and MERCY. Thank Him for His promise to pass down BLESSINGS from generation to generation.

We serve a gracious and MIGHTY God, and His favor lasts a LIFETIME! Open your heart with an attitude of EXPECTANCY because blessings ARE coming your way!

Today’s Scripture:

“May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!”

Deuteronomy 1:11, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S GOODNESS AND MERCY ARE CHASING AFTER YOU

In the Bible, David was known as a man after God’s own heart. What kind of attitude did he have? Here in Psalm 23, he says, “Goodness and mercy are following me.” David lived with an attitude of EXPECTANCY. One translation says, “God’s kindness chases me everywhere that I go.” David’s ATTITUDE was “something GOOD is going to happen to me. Everywhere I go, I know God’s BLESSINGS are CHASING me. FAVOR is following me around.” No WONDER he saw God’s goodness! No wonder he OVERCAME his obstacles and accomplished great DREAMS. He knew good things were CHASING after him.

Do you know what’s chasing YOU right now? Not debt. Not failure. Not mediocrity. Not defeat. Not lack. NOT AT ALL! You are a child of the Most High God. You have been crowned with FAVOR. You have been REDEEMED from every curse. God has set you apart as His own special TREASURE. When you look back in your rearview mirror, you’d better get ready because YOU have a tailgater! There’s something coming toward you at a high rate of speed. You know what it is? BLESSINGS, FAVOR, supernatural OPPORTUNITIES, RESTORATION, divine CONNECTIONS—God’s GOODNESS and MERCY following you ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OPEN YOUR HEART AND RECEIVE GOD’S MERCY

Isn’t it good to know that no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what you said, no matter what you did, God’s MERCY is new for you TODAY? Mercy is EMPOWERING. It gives us the chance to let go of the our mistakes and move forward in Him. We have to always remember that God is not condemning us. Romans tells us that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ. God wants to LOVE us and EQUIP us to OVERCOME in this life.

Do you need NEW MERCY today? Receive it by FAITH. You don’t have to beg God to forgive you. He forgives you the FIRST time you ask, but it’s up to YOU to RECIEVE that forgiveness. Open your heart today and RECEIVE His mercy. Let Him wash over you with His PEACE and JOY. Then choose to extend that mercy to OTHERS. Remember, you are God’s REPRESENTATIVE in the earth. As you show His love and character to OTHERS, He’ll pour out His blessing on YOU and use you in ways you never DREAMED!

Today’s Scripture:

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT