THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE GOD’S WORD AND EMBRACE THE GREAT PEACE HE HAS IN STORE FOR YOU

God not only wants to give you PEACE, He wants to give you GREAT peace! When you love the LAW of the Lord, nothing can make you stumble, and nothing can steal your PEACE!

GREAT peace gives you JOY when it doesn’t make SENSE for you to be happy. It’s peace that passes UNDERSTANDING. GREAT peace keeps you STABLE and STRONG no matter WHAT you face.

Today, make the decision to focus your attention on God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 says that His Word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path. His Word DIRECTS us and PROTECTS us. Choose His Word today and embrace the GREAT PEACE God has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”

Psalm 119:165, ESV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

RECOGNIZE GOD’S GOODNESS, IT’S ALL AROUND YOU

When something GOOD happens, do you RECOGNIZE that it’s GOD at work? Right away, that’s when you need to THANK Him for it. Make sure you give HIM the credit.

Some people don’t think that God is doing ANYTHING in their lives. But I’m convinced that God is CONSTANTLY showing us His goodness. My question is: Are you RECOGNIZING it? Are you THANKING Him for His goodness?

This week, LOOK around. Be more aware of His goodness. Scripture says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” If you’re going to TASTE God’s goodness, you have to realize that every GOOD BREAK, every time you were PROTECTED, every DOOR that opened, every ADVANTAGE that you’ve had is GOD working in your life. Don’t take it for granted. RECOGNIZE Him and THANK Him for His goodness and faithfulness ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD CARES ABOUT THE THINGS THAT CONCERN YOU

Do you know how IMPORTANT you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your THOUGHTS, FEELINGS and EMOTIONS. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects the tears you’ve shed.

WHY would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because EVERYTHING that affects you MATTERS to Him. He is your VINDICATOR. He’s keeping an account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to RESTORE to you EVERYTHING that has ever been stolen. He wants to HEAL every hurt and pain.

Today, know that God CARES about the things that concern you. He cares about the THINGS that hurt you. He is CLOSE to the brokenhearted, and He wants to bring you PEACE and COMFORT. Turn to Him and receive His LOVE. Let Him bring HEALING to your heart and RESTORATION to your soul.

Today’s Scripture:

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

(Psalm 56:8, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU WOULDN’T STILL BE ALIVE IF GOD DIDN’T HAVE SOMETHING AMAZING PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE

One thing I’ve noticed is that so many people are walking around who aren’t really living to the FULL the way God INTENDS. Have you ever noticed that many people just quit living around the age of fifty, but yet they are going to stay on the planet until after they’re EIGHTY? Maybe they went through a disappointment or had a failure. Someone hurt them, and now they’ve lost their JOY and settled where they are. NO, God has another VICTORY in store! You wouldn’t be breathing unless God had something amazing in your FUTURE. It’s time to get your PASSION back and be DETERMINED to REALLY live out ALL of your God-given days!

The scripture says that God wants to bring you to a FLOURISHING finish, not a fizzled-OUT finish. Don’t let disappointment or SELF-PITY hold you back. God has PROMISED that what was meant for your HARM He will turn around and use for your GOOD. Not only will He bring you OUT, but He will bring you out BETTER OFF than you were before. Receive it by FAITH today and press forward into the ABUNDANT, FULFILLED life He has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil.

Proverbs 19:23, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DAILY “PUT ON” THE WORD OF GOD, AND YOU’LL STAND STRONG

Is there something in your life that you would like to put a STOP to today? Maybe it’s a certain behavior, addiction or bad attitude that isn’t PLEASING to God? Just as Adam and Eve were EXPOSED in their sin and needed to be CLOTHED in the Garden, we need to CLOTHE ourselves to protect us from SIN. When you “clothe yourself” with the Lord Jesus Christ, He STRENGTHENS you against TEMPTATION.

How do you clothe yourself with Jesus Christ? In the same way you cover yourself in the natural with clothing—by putting something ON. You have to daily “put on” the Word of GOD. You have to COVER your ears by listening to the WORD. You COVER your eyes by watching only what is PLEASING to the Lord. You COVER your mouth by speaking the Word and ENCOURAGING those around you. As you COVER yourself with Christ, you will be STRONG against temptation, and you will walk in the victory the Lord has PLANNED for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature…”

(Romans 13:14, AMPC)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

EACH DAY IS A GIFT FROM GOD, UNIQUE AND IRREPLACEABLE

Have you stopped to consider that TODAY is a special gift from God? Sometimes, our days can be so full and busy that we forget how fragile life really IS. It can be easy to allow little things to creep in and STEAL our peace and joy. Maybe something doesn’t go our way, or someone says something upsetting. Even traffic can cause us to lose focus if we let it. We have to remember that each day is a GIFT. If we choose to focus on what’s wrong, we’ll miss the BLESSING that each day has to offer.

I encourage YOU today; don’t let the precious MOMENTS of life pass you by. Don’t wait for holidays and birthdays to show people that you care. Remember, each day is UNIQUE and IRREPLACEABLE. You have been given time that can be INVESTED or WASTED; hours that can be USED or MISUSED. That’s why the psalmist prayed to God, “Teach us to number our days.” He was saying, “Teach us to VALUE every moment we’ve been given.” As you DAILY keep a proper perspective, you’ll gain a heart of WISDOM. You’ll draw CLOSER to God and experience the FULL blessing that He has for you each and EVERY day!

Today’s Scripture:

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STIR UP YOUR INNER STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT

It’s good to have friends and family around to cheer you up when you’re down, but in order to TRULY live in victory, that encouragement has to come from the INSIDE. When your mind is telling you it’s not worth it, when your circumstances seem difficult, deep down inside, your spirit has to have the resolve that says, “I REFUSE to settle where I am.” That’s what David had to do. He was facing a major setback. His family was killed, his city was destroyed, and his own people were now against him, but he still managed to encourage HIMSELF in the Lord. How did he do that? He replayed in his mind the VICTORIES from the past. He recounted God’s FAITHFULNESS. As he rehearsed over and over the GOODNESS of God, STRENGTH began to rise in his heart.

There are so many places you can see the hand of God at work. Thank Him for SAVING you today. Thank Him for the miracle of LIFE. Thank Him for His FAITHFULNESS. FOCUS on the fact that God did NOT bring you THIS far to leave you now. Stir up that inner STRENGTH and ENCOURAGEMENT. As you do, you’ll rise higher and higher and live the life of victory the Lord PREPARED for you.

Today’s Scripture:

“David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him…But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

1 Samuel 30:6, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

FORGIVENESS IS A CHOICE AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PERSON THAT HURT YOU

God never promised that life would always be fair. In fact, He warns us of just the opposite! People are NOT perfect; we all make mistakes and bad decisions. You may have been hurt by others in the past, but what’s most important is how you CHOOSE to deal with that hurt.

When you harbor hurts and offenses, it keeps you stuck in the past. It only causes harm in your life. If you want to move forward in JOY and PEACE, you have to choose FORGIVENESS.

Yes, forgiveness is a CHOICE, and it has nothing to do with the person who hurt you. FORGIVENESS is the choice to hand your hurts over to God and let HIM make up the difference. When we choose to extend forgiveness, that’s when we choose to receive HIS forgiveness! Today, choose God’s way, choose forgiveness, and choose to move forward in the BLESSING and VICTORY He has prepared for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

Mark 11:26, NASB

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY IS THE DAY TO TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK

Do you ever feel like things in your life are out of control? Usually that happens when we allow our CIRCUMSTANCES to DICTATE our THOUGHTS and ATTITUDES. You might say, “Well, the economy is wreaking havoc on my business.” Or, “This relationship is just too far gone.” But today is the day to take your life BACK! We LIVE in this natural realm, but as BELIEVERS, we are not LIMITED by this natural realm. We can tap into God’s SUPERNATURAL power, but it starts by making every THOUGHT line up with the Word of GOD.

Take your life back by taking your THOUGHTS back. Don’t allow the enemy to have access ANY longer. Instead, meditate on the Word of God DAILY and allow His TRUTH to sink down DEEP into your spirit. Let His truth make you FREE.

Today, as you take captive every thought and boldly declare His PROMISES over your life, you are setting yourself up for VICTORY. You are POSITIONING yourself to receive EVERY spiritual blessing, and you are taking your life BACK!

Today’s Scripture:

“…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

(2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU DRAW NEAR TO GOD, HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU

In scripture, Jesus was called by many names according to His ATTRIBUTES. In today’s verse, He is called EMMANUEL, which means God with us. He’s not far away; He’s looking down on us; He is closer than the air we breathe. That means you never have to be alone or feel afraid. You never have to wonder where God is! But, we have to do OUR part. In the natural, you can have someone sitting right next to you and never really KNOW them. It’s the same way with God. We have to take time to ACKNOWLEDGE Him as Lord and talk to Him throughout the day. When you draw NEAR to God, HE will draw near to YOU!

Today, take some time to meditate on this verse. Be aware of His PRESENCE around you. PRAISE Him and THANK Him for being Emmanuel—God WITH us!

Today’s Scripture:

“Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel—which, when translated, means, God with us.”

Matthew 1:23, AMP