THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO DO THROUGH YOU

Great Bible characters didn’t live a life of great exploits EVERY day. They lived MOST of their lives the same way you do, taking care of the day-to-day things. Take the life of Noah, for instance. It must have been a great day for Noah when the rain finally started falling and his family raced onto the ark. And it was probably the high point of Noah’s life when God brought him and his family safely to dry ground after months on the ark. But compared to the 120 long years it took Noah to BUILD the ark, these brief chapters in his life were almost nothing. Noah had to keep his faith STRONG through all of those ordinary days while building the ark so that when God was ready to do something GREAT through him, Noah was ready TOO. What does God want to do through YOU? Being faithful TODAY is another step toward discovering His BEST.

Today’s Scripture:

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Matthew 17:20, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STAY CONNECTED, AND YOU’LL BE READY FOR ANYTHING

Do you need more POWER and STRENGTH in your life today? When you are CONNECTED to the Father through Jesus, you are connected to your LIFE source. Just as a branch is sustained by the vine it’s ATTACHED to, we are sustained by being attached to HIM.

If you think about how fruit grows, it doesn’t just happen over night; it takes time and the right CONDITIONS. In the same way, the SPIRITUAL fruit in your own life develops over time, too. You might be tempted to get discouraged if you aren’t seeing “fruit” as quickly as you’d like, but be ENCOURGED today! If you’ll keep your heart HUMBLE before the Lord and stay connected to Him through PRAYER and STUDYING His Word, you’ll see that fruit begin to FORM in your life just as He PROMISED! You’ll see the fruit of JOY, which is STRENGTH. You’ll see the fruit of LOVE and PEACE, which will sustain you in the midst of difficulty. As you stay CONNECTED to Him, you’ll be EMPOWERED and EQUIPPED for EVERY circumstance, and you’ll live as an OVERCOMER in every area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE THE DECISION TODAY TO LET GOD’S LOVE SHOW

When OTHERS look at your life, do they KNOW that God loves you? Can they see the CHANGE in you? Do they know you are a FOLLOWER of His? Remember, the EVIDENCE is in your WORDS and ACTIONS. The most important thing you could ever know and SHOW is that God loves you. His love CHANGES us. His love EMPOWERS us. His love takes us to NEW levels. His love gives us eternal LIFE. Open your heart fully and RECEIVE His love today. Then turn around and love Him in RETURN by following His commands. Make the decision TODAY to let His love SHOW all over you!

Today’s Scripture:

“We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:4, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU CAN DRAW NEAR TO GOD JUST AS YOU ARE, RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE…..

God promises that He will draw close to YOU when you draw closer to HIM. How do we draw closer to Him? Here are a couple of ways:

First of all, this verse goes on to say that we must turn AWAY from sin because sin separates us from God. Simply turning TO God is the FIRST way to draw CLOSER to Him. Then, the Bible tells us to come into His presence with THANKSGIVING in our hearts and give Him PRAISE. When you have a THANKFUL heart, you are drawing CLOSER to Him. The scripture tells us that God OPPOSES the proud, but gives grace to the HUMBLE. When you have a humble heart before Him, you are drawing CLOSER to Him. When you SEEK Him with your whole heart, you will FIND Him. He will draw CLOSE to you.

Seek God today by READING your Bible, PRAYING, MEDITATING on His promises and WORSHIPING Him. With an open heart, you can draw near to God just AS you are, right WHERE you are, and He WILL fill You with His PEACE and GOODNESS all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you…”
(James 4:8, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN THINGS LOOK HOPELESS, PRAISE GOD BECAUSE HE WILL BRING HOPE

The prophet Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. When he wrote this verse, his world was literally falling apart. He had NOTHING. Things seemed destitute. So what did Habakkuk do? He REJOICED and PRAISED the Lord in SPITE of everything. He knew that God was BIGGER than His problems, and He already had a way to get Him out of those circumstances. Habakkuk was looking BEYOND His problems to what God could do in His life!

Let’s follow Habakkuk’s example. When something bad happens to you, THANK God — not because you’re suffering, but because you KNOW He has the answer. When things look hopeless, PRAISE Him because He WILL bring HOPE to your circumstances!

Today’s Scripture:

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
(Habakkuk 3:17-18, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU WILL LOOK TO GOD, HE WILL RENEW YOUR STRENGTH

Christ doesn’t want you to settle for mediocrity in ANY area of your life! His plan is for you to be VICTORIOUS and filled with JOY each day. No matter what has happened to you in the past, God wants you to pick yourself up and KEEP GOING on the path that leads to VICTORY. The Bible says that if you will look to God, He will renew your STRENGTH and help you SOAR like an eagle. That’s an amazing PROMISE from an amazing GOD! Keep pushing ahead even through the tough times, and you’ll be BLESSED.

Today’s Scripture:

“But they that wait upon 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.”
(Isaiah 40:31, KJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SHARE GOD’S MERCY AND KINDNESS, BE GOOD TO ALL PEOPLE

Are you KIND and CONSIDERATE to people? Do you walk in love and prefer others ABOVE yourself? This passage tells us to be PROACTIVE! You must be on the lookout to share God’s MERCY and KINDNESS, and be good to ALL people. The way you treat OTHERS has a great impact on how much of the blessings and favor of God YOU’RE going to experience. Aim for KINDNESS and seek to do GOOD. As you do, God WILL reward your efforts and pour out His abundant blessing on YOU. As you extend God’s mercy to ALL those around you, you will discover the CHAMPION in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:15, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

NO MATTER WHAT IT IS YOU NEED, YOU CAN BE SURE YOU’LL FIND IT IN JESUS

Are your eyes FIXED on Jesus today? It’s so easy to let the distractions of the world and the cares of everyday life change your FOCUS. And whatever you fix your EYES on, you open your SPIRIT to. You can CHOOSE to fix your eyes on Jesus no matter WHAT distractions of life are going on around you. You see, when you fix your eyes on JESUS, you are OPENING yourself to the HEALER. You are opening yourself to the DELIVERER. You are opening yourself to the Prince of PEACE, the Mighty GOD, the Everlasting FATHER, the PROVIDER, the REDEEMER, the Strong Tower of REFUGE.

What do you need in YOUR life today? PEACE? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Do you need HEALING? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Do you need a safe RETREAT? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Now, you may have to turn OFF other things that you’ve been WATCHING so that you can fix your eyes on Him. But remember, HE, is your source of life and the Author and Perfecter of your faith. Fix your eyes on Him and allow HIM to work in your life so that you can experience the VICTORY He has in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…”
(Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHATEVER YOU FOCUS ON, YOU WILL MOVE TOWARD

What are you LOOKING at today? I don’t mean in the natural, but in the SPIRITUAL. What is in the forefront of your MIND and HEART? Are you constantly dwelling on your problems or things that have happened in your past? In the natural, you will move in the direction that your eyes are looking. In the spiritual, it works the SAME way. Whatever you FOCUS your mind and heart on, you will move TOWARD.

That’s why this verse tells us to look straight AHEAD. If you are constantly dwelling on your problems or things in your past, wondering “what if”, then you will stay RIGHT where you are. But if you choose to FORGIVE and RELEASE the past, then you can focus on what is AHEAD of you, and you’ll begin to move FORWARD. God does NOT want you to live in the past. He wants you to meditate on His GOODNESS and BELIEVE His promises so that you can keep GROWING. God is a CREATIVE God, and He has designed a wonderful FUTURE for you. Look straight AHEAD so you can see it and move FORWARD into the life of VICTORY God has promised!

Today’s Scripture:

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.”
(Proverbs 4:25, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LOOK FOR NEW WAYS TO PUT YOUR LOVE INTO ACTION

YOU are the hands and feet of Jesus in the earth. The Lord wants to bless you today so that you can be a blessing to OTHERS. He wants to work THROUGH you to show His LOVE and COMPASSION. Notice this verse tells us that love is NOT just about our words or thoughts, it’s about our ACTIONS. Love is about reaching out and meeting the needs of OTHERS. Sometimes meeting someone’s needs is as simple as a SMILE or sharing a word of ENCOURAGEMENT. There are MANY ways to show the love of God. Can you pay for someone’s GAS or GROCERIES? Do you see a need in someone’s life that YOU can meet? Look for ways to put your LOVE into ACTION.

The Bible says that it’s His KINDNESS that leads people to repentance, and the Lord wants to show His kindness in the earth through YOU. Step out and sow good seeds of LOVE by meeting the needs of OTHERS. God PROMISES that those seeds WILL produce an abundant harvest in YOUR life in return!

Today’s Scripture:

“If anyone has this world’s resources and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Let us not love merely in theory or in speech, but in deed and in truth.”
(1 John 3:17-18, AMP)