THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WITH GOD, IT’S NOT HOW YOU START, BUT HOW YOU FINISH THAT COUNTS

So often, when people make mistakes, they get down on themselves and think, “If only…” “I should have…” “What if…?” It’s easy to feel like you’ve missed the best plan for your life. That’s when people get discouraged and stop pursuing their God-given dreams. But understand today, just because you’ve made a mistake or failed in some way, that doesn’t cancel God’s plan. God never disqualifies you. He never says, “Go sit on the sidelines. You’ve blown it too many times. You’ve got too many weaknesses.” No, God ALWAYS gives you ANOTHER chance!

Some of the great people in the Bible made very poor choices. The apostle Paul started off as a murderer, yet his destiny was bigger than his mistakes. He ended up becoming a great leader and writing over half of the New Testament.

What am I saying? Our mistakes, our failures, our poor choices do NOT have to keep us from our God-given DESTINY. With God, it’s not about the way you START in life, it’s about the way you FINISH. Receive His grace today and embrace the BRIGHT FUTURE He has in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith

2 Timothy 4:7, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CEASE FROM STRIFE, AND TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

In life, we’re always going to have critics. We’ll always have difficult people who try to upset us and steal OUR peace and joy. But, you don’t have to respond to every critic. YOU can decide to take the high road and let GOD fight your battles for you.

Sometimes, no matter what you say or do, there are people who aren’t going to accept you. They just don’t WANT to be at peace with you. In fact, when Jesus sent out His disciples to certain homes, He told them to always SPEAK PEACE over those homes. And then He said in effect, “If they don’t receive the peace that you’re offering, then it will come BACK to you.” That tells me that if you will do your best to be at peace with people, even if they won’t TAKE your peace, the GOOD NEWS is THAT peace will just come back to YOU. You’ll not only get YOUR peace, but you’ll get THEIR share as WELL! That’s double for your trouble! When you do the RIGHT thing no matter what is happening, God sees it and REWARDS it. Today, STAY IN PEACE, CEASE from strife, and take the high road. Sow good seeds into others and watch the harvest of blessing come to your OWN life in return.

Today’s Scripture:

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.”

(Exodus 14:14, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T GO BY WHAT YOU SEE, GO BY WHAT YOU KNOW

It says here in Romans 5:17, “We are to reign in life as KINGS.” When God looks at us, He doesn’t see us in weak, defeated, leftover positions. Not at all. God sees you and me as RULERS, as ROYALTY. We have HIS royal blood flowing through our veins.

You and I are supposed to REIGN. Do you know what that word “reign” means? It means “your time in POWER.” God said we’re to reign “IN LIFE.” That means as long as you’re alive, that is your time in POWER. You don’t have a two-year term like the Mayor or a four-year term like the President. Your term is to rule and reign EVERY SINGLE DAY, to be VICTORIOUS, to rise to NEW levels, to accomplish GREAT things.

Everyone has days when they don’t FEEL like royalty, they don’t FEEL powerful. On those days, if you can just remember to reach down and CHECK YOUR PULSE, and as long as you feel something beating, you can say, “it’s still my time to REIGN!” Let that be a reminder to put on a new ATTITUDE. Sometimes you have to do this by FAITH. By faith you need to WALK like a king, TALK like a king, THINK like a king, DRESS like a king, SMILE like a king. Don’t go by what you SEE. Go by what you KNOW. There is ROYALTY in your DNA. You have the blood of a CHAMPION, and you were created to REIGN in life!

Today’s Scripture:

“For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”

Romans 5:17, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US

It’s easy to look around at what’s happening in the earth today and be tempted to feel afraid or dismayed. Circumstances may seem overwhelming. Maybe your business is struggling, maybe you lost your job, maybe you’re struggling in a relationship or concerned about the economy. During times like these, it’s important to remember that God has promised that He will NEVER leave us nor FORSAKE us. In fact, not only is He WITH us, He has promised to STRENGTHEN us and HARDEN us to difficulties. That means, when tough times come, they just bounce right off of you. You don’t allow your circumstances to steal your PEACE and JOY. You have the attitude that says, “This may be a big problem, but my God is BIGGER!”

Keep in mind that the enemy isn’t after your checkbook; he’s ultimately after your PEACE and JOY. He knows that if he can get your JOY then he can get your STRENGTH. But when you stay connected to the Father through PRAYER and studying the WORD and declare His PROMISES over your life, you’ll be HARDENED to difficulties and STAY SAFE in the palm of God’s hand!

Today’s Scripture:

Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].

Isaiah 41:10, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OUR FAITH ACTIVATES GOD’S POWER, PRESS THROUGH

In Mark chapter five, there was a woman who had been sick for twelve years. The doctors gave her NO hope. But, she heard that Jesus was passing through her town. Something deep down on the inside was saying, “This is YOUR season. This is your TIME to get well.” In the natural, when she saw all the people around Jesus, she might have thought, “I’ll NEVER get to Him. It’s so crowded and I’m weak.” She could have missed her season. But instead of dwelling on those negative thoughts, instead of looking at her situation, she started reminding herself, “If I can JUST get to Jesus, I WILL be whole.” SHE made the choice to turn her thoughts in the RIGHT direction and was EMPOWERED to take a leap of FAITH. She pressed through the crowd until she got JUST close enough to touch the EDGE of Jesus’ robe. INSTANTLY, she was made whole.

Jesus said in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Notice it’s our FAITH that activates God’s POWER. We MUST press through our thoughts, PRESS THROUGH our circumstances, and press through the crowd and obstacles until we touch HIM.

Today’s Scripture:

“Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.”

Matthew 7:7, AMPC

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE INTEGRITY, EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING

INTEGRITY is a powerful ATTRIBUTE in the life of the believer. Integrity means that you are DEPENDABLE. You are a person of your word. You’re CONSISTENT and HONEST.

You might say, “Oh, I’m a pretty good person. I do the right thing most of the time.” But understand, it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. You can veer off course just a little bit, and before you know it, you’re MILES away from your destination. Don’t allow the little things to keep you from your DESTINY; choose INTEGRITY—even when no one is looking. For instance, you might need some paper at home, but you shouldn’t take supplies from the office. Or, you might be running into a store for just a minute, but don’t park in the handicap parking spot unless you’re supposed to. If the checkout clerk makes a mistake and gives you too much money back, that’s NOT God’s provision, that’s a TEST of integrity!

Remember, if you’ll be FAITHFUL and choose INTEGRITY in the little things, God will make you ruler over MUCH. Be a person of INTEGRITY and open the door for God’s BLESSING and HONOR, ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“The Lord judges the people; judge me, O Lord, and do me justice according to my righteousness [my rightness, justice, and right standing with You] and according to the integrity that is in me.”
Psalm 7:8, AMPC

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD’S WORD LIGHTS OUR PATH AND HELPS US SEE CLEARLY

If you’re outside walking and you see something that could cause you to trip and fall, maybe a rock or a stick, you probably don’t make a big deal about it and just go around it. However, if you are distracted and not looking where you’re going, or if it’s too dark to see, that same object can become a stumbling block.

Friend, in our SPIRITUAL journey, the enemy has strategically placed ALL KINDS of stumbling blocks in our paths. When we make the Word of God our number one PRIORITY, it helps us to move forward with our eyes wide OPEN. His Word LIGHTS our path and helps us see CLEARLY where to step. When we love His Word, we keep our peace and AVOID stumbling. Remember that the most important thing you can do is take time to READ and MEDITATE on His Word. His Word is LIFE and STRENGTH to your body, and it will PROTECT and DIRECT your every step today!

Today’s Scripture:

“Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.”
Psalm 119:165, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WITH JESUS, YOU HAVE STRENGTH, CONFIDENCE AND PEACE GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE

What a wonderful PROMISE found in today’s scripture that when you SEEK God, when you SERVE Him with your WHOLE heart, He will hide you in His shelter. You can be so connected to Father God that you are UNTOUCHABLE and INVISIBLE to the enemy! You are HIDDEN in Him! That means no matter what is happening AROUND you, you will have STRENGTH, CONFIDENCE and REST greater than EVER before, knowing that you are SAFE in Him. Challenges may come your way, but YOU won’t be worried about them. You know that, ULTIMATELY, things ARE going to work out for your good. You know that NO weapon formed against you shall prosper. People may be talking, trying to make you look bad, but you don’t even give it a second thought. You know that YOUR future is TOO bright to be distracted. You know THEY don’t control your destiny. YOU just keep on being your BEST, walking in INTEGRITY, meditating on the WORD, WORSHIPING throughout the day, and stay HIDDEN in Him!

Today’s Scripture:

“For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.”
(Psalm 27:5, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

BE DELIBERATE ABOUT PLANTING GOOD SEEDS FOR YOUR FUTURE

Whether you realize it or not, EVERYTHING you are experiencing in your life today is a direct RESULT of the seeds you’ve sown in your past. Today, you are planting seeds for the harvest in your FUTURE. Just as the farmer expects a crop from the seeds he sows, we can expect a harvest from the seeds WE’VE sown, good OR bad. That’s why we have to be DELIBERATE about the seeds we are sowing. We have to wake up every day and set our minds on God’s Word and choose to speak His TRUTH over our lives. We have to constantly evaluate our ACTIONS to make sure we are depositing GOOD seeds so we can reap a good HARVEST in the future.

Why don’t you take some time right NOW to ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and mind? See if there are any negative seeds that you’ve sown in the past that need to be UPROOTED. Be DELIBERATE about planting the Word of GOD in the soil of your heart. Sow GOOD seeds into your future so you can reap the harvest of BLESSING God has designed for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:7-8, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THERE IS NO GREATER LEGACY THAN TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE WIN

In scripture, the apostle Paul would have never had the impact he did without a man named Barnabas. Barnabas was one of the disciples. He was in Jesus’ inner circle. But Paul, at the time, hated believers and was having them thrown in jail. God touched his life, and he wanted to go to Jerusalem and join the other disciples, but they were afraid of him because of his reputation. Barnabas stood up for Paul and used his INFLUENCE to open a door with the other disciples. Paul went on to write over half of the New Testament.

We don’t hear a lot about Barnabas. Paul greatly overshadowed him. But if you were to ask Paul, he would say, “I WON because Barnabas helped me win. I SUCCEEDED because Barnabas took a RISK and opened a door that I could not open on my own. Barnabas BELIEVED in me when nobody else did.”

Friend, there is no greater LEGACY than to help someone else win. Today, look for ways to use your INFLUENCE. Help others rise up HIGHER. Sow GOOD seeds because they will come back to you. When you help OTHERS win, God will make sure you are surrounded by people who will help YOU win in return.

Today’s Scripture:

“…he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him…But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him…”
Acts 9:26-27, NIV