THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DO NOT BE AFRAID, TRUST THAT GOD IS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES ON YOUR BEHALF….

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or even AFRAID of what God has called you to do? Maybe you were pursuing a dream or goal and things didn’t turn out the way you planned. Joseph had planned to take Mary as his wife, but when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to THINK. He was AFRAID that he might be making a mistake because things didn’t turn out the way HE planned. But God sent a messenger in a dream to REASSURE Joseph that he WAS on the right path.

Today, let me reassure YOU that God knows right where you ARE, and He knows how to get you to where you NEED to BE. Even when things don’t go the way YOU planned, His hand is on you. Do NOT be afraid, trust that God IS working behind the scenes on your behalf and that He WILL lead you into the life of BLESSING that He has prepared for YOU.

Today’s Scripture:

“…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.’”

(Matthew 1:20, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE HAPPY AND CHEERFUL WHEN YOU GIVE

When the wise men first saw Jesus, they were completely OVERWHELMED. They fell to their knees and wanted to worship Him with EVERYTHING they HAD. GIVING was an AUTOMATIC response. They WANTED to lavish Him with their LOVE and GIFTS. They were GIVING because they were THANKFUL and wanted to HONOR Him.

When YOU give to GOD, He doesn’t want you to do it just because it’s offering time or because you feel like you HAVE to. In fact, the Bible says, “Do NOT give grudgingly or under compulsion.” God wants you to give because your heart is overflowing with THANKFULNESS. He wants you to be HAPPY and CHEERFUL when you give. He LOVES a cheerful giver!

Meditate on the FAITHFULNESS of God today. Think about what He’s done for YOU—that He’s SAVED and REDEEMED You. Dwell on the fact that He is your PROVIDER. As you meditate on His GOODNESS, your heart will OVERFLOW with THANKFULNESS, and just like the wise men, GIVING will be an AUTOMATIC response!

Today’s Scripture:

“And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts…”

Matthew 2:11, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

 

WHEN YOU LOVE THE LAW OF THE LORD, NOTHING CAN STEAL YOUR PEACE….

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:

EVERY GOOD THING AND EVERY ADVANTAGE YOU’VE EVER HAD IS GOD WORKING IN YOUR LIFE

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 WILL BRING HEALING TO YOUR HEART AND RESTORATION TO YOUR SOUL

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:

 

GOD WANTS TO BRING YOU TO A FLOURISHING FINISH

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:

“PUT ON” THE WORD OF GOD, DAILY…..

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:

DON’T LET THE PRECIOUS MOMENTS OF LIFE PASS YOU BY….

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:

REMEMBER, GOD DIDN’T BRING YOU THIS FAR, TO LEAVE YOU AND HAVE YOU FAIL NOW

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 didn’t 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 THE CHOICE TO HAND YOUR HURTS OVER TO GOD AND LET HIM MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE….

God never promised that life would always be FAIR. In fact, He WARNS us of just the OPPOSITE! People aren’t 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 GOS’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