THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AFTER THE PAIN, THERE IS STILL A FULL LIFE

Your life is not OVER because you had a setback. God has an “AFTER THIS” in your future. He has another VICTORY planned. He wants to take you further than you ever dreamed POSSIBLE! When you go through tough times, don’t be surprised if the enemy whispers in your ear, “You’ll never be as happy as you used to be. You’ve seen your best days. This setback is the end of you.” NO, let that go in one ear and out the other. God is saying to you, “After the bad break, after the disappointment, after the pain, there is STILL a FULL life.” Know today that you have NOT danced your best dance. You have not laughed your best LAUGH. You have not dreamed your best DREAM. If you will stay in FAITH and not get bitter, God has an “AFTER THIS” in your FUTURE. He’s not only going to bring you OUT, He is going to bring you out BETTER than you were BEFORE!

Today’s Scripture:

“And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them…”

2 Samuel 8:1, KJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

KEEP YOUR EYES ON WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE

In life, many of the challenges we face are simply DISTRACTIONS from the enemy to keep us from pursuing our DESTINY. Maybe someone in the office isn’t as friendly to you as you’d like. Maybe you have a neighbor who always parks in front of your house and blocks your mailbox. Those things may be frustrating, but they have little SIGNIFICANCE when you look at the big picture of ETERNITY. You can’t allow the little things to cause strife in your life.

In scripture, just before David fought the giant Goliath, his brother Iliab tried to confront him. But David knew that arguing with Iliab wasn’t even worth his TIME and STRENGTH. He knew his real battle was with Goliath, and he didn’t want to be DISTRACTED. He simply “TURNED AWAY” from Iliab and kept his FOCUS on what he was CALLED to do.

Let’s follow the example of David and keep our eyes on what’s most IMPORTANT in life. Instead of being led away by frustrations, let’s FOCUS on the BIG picture. Know when to TURN AWAY from strife and receive the mark of HONOR the Lord has for you!

Today’s Scripture:

“It is an honor for a man to cease from strife…”

(Proverbs 20:3, KJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN WE WALK IN LOVE, WE ARE PROCTEDED FROM THE ENEMY

All throughout scripture, God commands us to LOVE. First Corinthians tells us that love is the GREATEST thing. Love is ALL that matters on this earth, and it’s all that will last in ETERNITY. But did you realize that we are PROTECTED when we WALK in love? When we are selfish or self-seeking, the scripture tells us that it opens the door to confusion and every evil work. But when we walk in LOVE, when we choose to put OTHERS first, when we choose to be PATIENT and KIND and walk in UNITY, we are PROTECTED by love. We close the door to the plans of the enemy in our lives.

Today, CHECK your love walk. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and see if you emulate the CHARACTERISTICS of love. Remember, love is NOT a feeling; it’s a CHOICE. Receive HIS love, WALK in it, and find His supernatural GRACE and PROTECTION.

Today’s Scripture:

“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

James 3:16, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET UP EACH DAY ANTICIPATING THE GOOD THINGS GOD HAS IN STORE FOR YOU

We ALL have days when we don’t feel very ENTHUSIASTIC. If you don’t feel like you have any reason to be EXCITED about your life, TODAY is the day to change your FOCUS! It’s time to set your mind on things ABOVE.

Too often, we settle for what we see in this EARTHLY realm, but God has so much MORE for us in the SUPERNATURAL realm. Whatever we choose to FOCUS on is what we will see MANIFESTED in our lives. We need to daily set our focus on the GOODNESS of God and keep hope ALIVE.

Today is NOT the day to give up on your DREAMS; it’s the day to FEED your dreams. That means instead of dragging around finding every reason you can to be unhappy, your ATTITUDE should be: “I am NOT going to live my life defeated and depressed. I may have some obstacles in my path, but I know I have VICTORY in my FUTURE. I know God has GREAT things in store for me, so I’m going to get up each day ANTICIPATING the GOOD things He has in STORE for me!”

Today’s Scripture:

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:2, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TO HONOR THE LORD RIGHT NOW BY CHOOSING TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE

It’s easy to come up with excuses to delay our happiness. All the time I hear things like, “As soon as I get out of this problem, I’ll be happy.” Or, “As soon as I lose ten pounds…as soon as my business grows…as soon as my child straightens up…” No, if you don’t put your foot down and decide to be happy right NOW, there will ALWAYS be something to keep you from being happy. Let’s get rid of the excuses and make the decision to enjoy life right now, TODAY. God NEVER intended for us to put off our happiness. That’s why David said, “THIS is the day the Lord has made! I will REJOICE and be GLAD in it.” He was saying, “This is the day to be happy; not tomorrow, not when the weather clears up. Not next week, when I don’t have to work so hard. Not next month, when I make it through this difficult time.” No, choose to HONOR the Lord right NOW by choosing to enjoy your LIFE. THIS is the day that the LORD has made!

Today’s Scripture:

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24, NKJV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS BELIEVERS, OUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO LOVE PEOPLE

One of the BEST things I’ve learned is that God does not bring people into our lives so that we can make them just like us. God loves variety and He wants us to be DIFFERENT from each other. He’s given us different PERSONALITIES, different STRENGTHS, different INTERESTS and different LOOKS. He’s made us all UNIQUELY so that we can SHARPEN one another and cause each other to rise up HIGHER in life.

If you’re going to be happy and enjoy your relationships, you’ve got to learn how to APPRECIATE the differences and LEARN from the people in your life. If you don’t focus on the right things, you’ll end up allowing the little irritations to cause you to become resentful. Remember, NOBODY is perfect. If you’re going to GROW, you’ve got to be willing to overlook some things. Our ASSIGNMENT is not to fix people. Our assignment is to LOVE people. Our assignment is to SHARPEN one another so we can move forward in the good PLAN God has prepared!

Today’s Scripture:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU’RE CONTENT, YOU SEE EACH DAY AS A GIFT

God has ordained SEASONS and CYCLES in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on OUR timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. But we have to be careful not to allow our ATTITUDE to keep us from moving FORWARD.

Understand that in God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. Every season is not springtime, with beautiful flowers, gorgeous sunshine and cool breezes. There are PLOWING seasons, PLANTING seasons and WATERING seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase, but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared for PROMOTION. You have to CHOOSE to rejoice TODAY.

God has given you not only the GRACE to endure THIS season but to ENJOY the season. When you’re CONTENT, you see each day as a GIFT, appreciate the PEOPLE in your life, and are grateful for what God has GIVEN you. That is not only developing your CHARACTER, but you’re passing the TEST. You will come out of winter and into your SPRINGTIME.

Today’s Scripture:

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, NLT

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE IT A HABIT TO SEEK GOD FIRST

In the Bible, David was called a man after God’s own heart. He knew God and saw AMAZING miracles throughout his life. But notice in this verse what David DID. He set the tone for his WHOLE day by spending time with the Lord in the MORNING. It didn’t matter what was going on in his life, David had his PRIORITIES set. Even though he was mistreated by his family, manipulated, made fun of, hunted down by King Saul, and even made some major mistakes on his own, David realized that each morning held the promise of NEW HOPE.

Just like David, if YOU’LL make spending time with God a PRIORITY in your life, you will see Him move mightily on YOUR behalf. Make it a HABIT to seek Him first EVERY SINGLE DAY no matter WHAT is happening. Set the tone for your DAY and set your course for VICTORY!

Today’s Scripture:

“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

Psalm 5:3, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, DECLARE THAT YOU ARE FREE, AND CELEBRATE YOUR FREEDOM

Today in America, we CELEBRATE Independence Day. July 4, 1776 was the day America declared their independence, but the battle for freedom went on until 1783—seven years later. Even though the people DECLARED their FREEDOM in 1776, they had to stand and fight for many years before the British would accept and recognize the United States of America.

Do you know what the early colonists did once they signed the Declaration of Independence? They read it OUT LOUD in public. They published it in the newspaper. They SPREAD THE WORD. They continued to DECLARE and CELEBRATE even though they were in the midst of the battle.

In the same way, we have to DECLARE our FREEDOM and be determined to stand against the opposing forces of darkness in our lives TODAY. We have to DECLARE our freedom from addiction, poverty, sickness and lack. We have to stand and fight until we fully experience His FREEDOM and the PEACE that He has promised.

Today, no matter what battle YOU may be facing, DECLARE that you are free and CELEBRATE your FREEDOM because VICTORY is on the way!

Today’s Scripture:

“You have been set free from sin…”

Romans 6:18, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE SERVE AN EXTRAORDINARY GOD, AND WE ARE CALLED TO BE A REFLECTION OF HIM

ZEAL is simply another word for PASSION. Sadly, too many people today have LOST their passion and enthusiasm for LIFE. At one time, they were EXCITED about their dreams and woke up every day with PURPOSE and PASSION. But now, because time has passed and they’ve experienced disappointments, they’re not as EXCITED about those dreams anymore. They’ve lost their FIRE.

Today know that God wants YOU to live with PASSION! You weren’t MEANT to live a stagnant, ordinary life. You serve an EXTRAORDINARY God, and you are called to be a REFLECTION of HIM.

The truth is, most of life can be VERY routine. We have to WORK to keep things fresh. We have to put forth EFFORT to stay passionate about our jobs, relationships and our walk with the Lord. Every day we need to stir ourselves UP. Just like the apostle Paul told Timothy, we have to FAN THE FLAME! In other words, don’t let the fire go out. Stay PASSIONATE about your life and the DREAMS God has placed on the inside of YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the LORD.”

Romans 12:11 NIV