THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN JESUS CAME, HE MADE A WAY…..

When Jesus came to earth, He brought with Him EVERYTHING you need to be empowered to live a life of VICTORY. He came as a little baby, but He represented all authority in heaven and earth. When you choose to serve Him, you have access to ALL of His resources. You have access to His PEACE, POWER, AUTHORITY, PROVISION, JOY and STRENGTH. He brought ALL of this to us when He came to earth. Unto us a child is born…unto us VICTORY is given. Unto us, PEACE is given. Unto us, PROVISION is given. Unto us HOPE and HEALING are given. Unto us ETERNAL LIFE is given!

Whatever you NEED today, remember, when Jesus came into the world, He made a way for EVERY one of your needs to be met SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY and PHYSICALLY. Surrender your life to HIM and receive all the spiritual BLESSINGS He has in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder…”

(Isaiah 9:6, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, TAKE TIME TO REJOICE WITH THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN

On the night Jesus was born, there were some shepherds out in the field. An angel appeared to them to tell them about Christ’s birth. Then suddenly, a host of angels appeared who were PRAISING God.

In the Bible it says that there are angels in heaven singing God’s praises day and night. Think about this: When you praise God, you are joining in with the angels in heaven! What a cool thought that we can be one with the ANGELS when we WORSHIP.

As you celebrate Christmas Eve, take time to REJOICE with the angels. Turn your thoughts toward Him because He is good and worthy of all our praise!

Today’s Scripture:

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ “

Luke 2:13-14, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THIS CHRISTMAS, TAKE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL, ETERNAL LIFE

Have you ever thought about how LOVE affects your GIVING? I’ve heard it said that you can give without loving, but you can’t love without GIVING. LOVE, God’s love IN us, prompts us to give of OURSELVES—our TIME, ABILITIES and RESOURCES. In fact, God IS love, and the scripture tells us that the world IDENTIFIES Christians by their LOVE. That means the world will identify us as Christians by our generous, giving HEARTS.

During this Christmas holiday, the season of GIVING, remember to take time to focus on the greatest gift of ALL, the gift of eternal LIFE through JESUS. If you’ve never RECEIVED this gift, I invite you to open your heart and pray this simple prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today, giving You all that I am. I repent of my sins, and confess that I need You. I believe You died and rose for me. Be my Lord and Savior and make me new today. I receive Your love and Your gift of eternal life, in Jesus’ name I pray…Amen!”

My friend, If you prayed that simple prayer and MEANT it, I believe you got born again! Now, enjoy your NEW life and go out and tell EVERYONE who will listen, about the GOODNESS of God and all He’s done for YOU this Christmas Season!

Today’s Scripture:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SHOW HONOR TO OTHERS JUST LIKE THE WISE MEN DID TO BABY JESUS

Can you imagine how the wise men felt as they first looked upon our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! As part of their WORSHIP, they wanted to give Him gifts. They gave valuable PRESENTS to symbolize the LOVE, HONOR and APPRECIATION in their hearts. In the same way, you show your love and appreciation to God with gifts of WORSHIP, and you can show your love and appreciate to OTHERS by the gifts you bring.

As you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during this holiday season, don’t just focus on the gifts you bring in the NATURAL; focus on gifts of LOVE, KINDNESS and ENCOURAGEMENT. Go out of your way to show HONOR to others just like the wise men went out of their way to show honor to JESUS. When you walk in LOVE and PEACE, that is the place of BLESSING.

Today’s Scripture:

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him gifts…”

Matthew 2:11, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KNOW YOUR GOD GIVEN DESTINY AND PICK YOUR BATTLES ACCORDINGLY……

In order to live the life of VICTORY God has promised, you have to be very selective about what you give your TIME and ATTENTION to. You have to recognize which THOUGHTS to ignore, which COMMENTS to ignore, and sometimes, which PEOPLE to ignore. Every “BATTLE” that comes across your path is not a battle that you’re supposed to fight. Many battles are simply DISTRACTIONS to try to lure you off course. If that battle is not between you and your God-given DESTINY, it’s a battle you should IGNORE.

Many people get thrown off course because they are always trying to straighten everyone else out or win their approval. But if that’s your FOCUS, you are wasting valuable time and energy that you should be using to pursue your DREAMS. Turn away from that DISTRACTION! You don’t need the approval of everyone around you; you only need God’s approval!

Friend, it’s very freeing when you realize you don’t have to fight EVERY battle. You don’t have to straighten people out. You don’t have to pay somebody back. Instead, FOCUS on what matters, FOCUS on God and His Word so you can live in PEACE and HAPPINESS every day of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”

(Psalm 119:37, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD KNEW EVERY WRONG TURN WE WOULD MAKE IN LIFE, AND HE ALREADY HAS A DETOUR FIGURED OUT

Oftentimes, I hear people say, “Mark, I’ve just blown it so many times. I had this major setback. I just don’t see how I could ever get to where I’m supposed to be.”

But we have to realize—our mistakes are NOT that POWERFUL. Our mistakes are NOT too big for God. He’s not up in the heavens shaking His head saying, “I never dreamed they would do that. They’ve ruined My plan.” No, God knew EVERY mistake we would ever make. He knew every wrong turn, and He’s already prepared a new route. He already has your detour figured out.

Scripture says that God knows the end from the beginning. If you’ve made some mistakes, the good news is that He has ALREADY planned a way to get you back on track! Just come to Him with an open and humble heart. Let Him wash you clean and make you new. Your mistakes are NOT bigger than God. He loves you and has a good plan in store for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

(Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD IS STILL WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES ON YOUR HIDDEN DREAMS

God knows the SECRET PETITIONS of your heart. He knows every hidden DREAM He’s placed within you. He knows the things that you haven’t told anyone about. Maybe you thought they would never come to pass, or maybe you buried them because they didn’t happen on YOUR timetable. Maybe, in the natural, you have EVERY reason to give up on those dreams.

Be ENCOURAGED today — God is still working behind the scenes! He still has a plan to bring those dreams to pass. Do what today’s verse says and DELIGHT yourself in Him. The word “delight” actually means “to make yourself soft and pliable.” It paints the picture of God as the Potter and you as the clay. Allow God to mold and shape your character today. Allow Him to direct your PLANS and IDEAS. Keep an attitude of FAITH and EXPECTANCY, and as you submit your ways to the Lord and follow His leading, He WILL fulfill those secret petitions of your heart!

Today’s Scripture:

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU ARE PART OF THE FAMILY OF GOD, YOU ARE NEVER, ALONE

Most EVERYONE goes through times in life when they feel a little lonely or wonder where they belong. God designed FAMILY to always be a place of LOVE and ACCEPTANCE. Maybe you didn’t come from an environment like that, or maybe you’ve been AWAY from your family. Maybe they are no longer around. God STILL desires to meet that need for family. The Bible says that HE is the Father to the fatherless, and He places the SOLITARY in families. God wants to give you a circle of people you can TRUST who will EMBRACE and ACCEPT you.

If you need family today, ask God to meet that need and show you where you belong. Or, maybe YOU are the one who can open YOUR home and heart to someone who is alone. The point is that God LOVES family. He designed family for a PURPOSE. Jesus said in Matthew 12 that those who do God’s will are his FAMILY. When you are part of the family of GOD, you are NEVER alone! He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. He promises to fill you with His PEACE and JOY so that you can live as an overcomer ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

God places the solitary in families…

Psalm 68:6, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU’RE IN TROUBLE TODAY, GOD IS YOUR RESCUER

Most people won’t ever literally come face to face with a hungry lion, but we’ve all been in situations where we FELT as though we are about to be “eaten up” or destroyed. Daniel lived a life of EXCELLENCE and found favor with the king. The king kept promoting him and giving him more authority, which made the other administrators jealous and angry. They manipulated the king into signing a law that Daniel could not follow. Daniel prayed and STILL found himself in the lions’ den. How would YOU respond in that situation? I’m sure Daniel believed that God would DELIVER him. I’m sure he hoped it would be BEFORE he was thrown into that den.

Have you ever prayed and prayed for something, and things just kept getting WORSE? Daniel trusted that God was working HIS plan for His glory. In the end, Daniel was PROTECTED and his enemies were destroyed.

When it looks as though your friends have turned on you and you are headed for the lions’ den, don’t be discouraged because GOD has the final say. Keep BELIEVING Him; keep TRUSTING Him. He’s PROMISED to NEVER leave you nor forsake you. He’ll shut the mouth of the lion; He’ll silence your accusers; He’ll stand with you in the fire, and He will lead you into VICTORY in EVERY area of your life.

Today’s Scripture

“Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel 6:20, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS YOU HELP OTHERS SUCCEED, YOU’LL FIND ABUNDANT SUCCESS OF YOUR OWN IN RETURN

God has a SYSTEM that is based on the principle of sowing and reaping. In other words, what you pour out to OTHERS will come back to YOU in increased measure. When you GIVE generously, a generous harvest will return to YOU. When you help OTHERS succeed, you will find abundant success on YOUR path, too.

Are YOU helping others SUCCEED? Are you helping others get ahead? There are SOME people in your life who hold the keys for YOU to reach your full POTENTIAL. These are people that God has PLACED in your life for you to help along. The higher THEY rise up, the higher YOU will rise up, too. When you give generously of your TIME, TALENTS and RESEOURCES, you are setting yourself up for greater SUCCESS. People will come across your path that will help you GROW and reach your full POTENTIAL.

Do YOUR part to step out and sow the seed. Be on the lookout for ways you can help OTHERS. As you give of yourself to help OTHERS grow, YOU’LL see increase in return. You’ll see SUCCESS and live the abundant life He has prepared for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”

(Ecclesiastes 11:1, NLT)