THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE SUPERNATURALLY EMPOWERED TO DO WHATEVER GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO

God has BLESSED you! PAST tense—He’s already DONE it! Now, you may not FEEL blessed, you may not LOOK blessed; in fact, all the circumstances may tell you that you’re NOT blessed. But you’ve got to be bold enough to say, “No, I SEE it right here in God’s WORD—I AM blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ!”

What does it mean to be BLESSED? It means that you are supernaturally EMPOWERED to do whatever God has called you to do; to be WHOMEVER God has called you to BE; and to HAVE whatever God has called you to have. God’s blessing is His EMPOWERMENT! The key is this: you have to BELIEVE it in order to RECEIVE it. You can’t walk around in guilt and condemnation from the past thinking you can’t do anything right and expect to keep moving forward. You have to SHAKE OFF those old mindsets by declaring God’s TRUTH over your life. Truth sets you FREE. When you speak God’s truth that you ARE blessed, you will be free to BELIEVE it and RECEIVE it! Today, take hold of what BELONGS to you. Approach the day with an attitude of FAITH and VICTORY knowing that you are ALREADY blessed!

Today’s Scripture:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

(Ephesians 1:3, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL, THE GIFT OF ETERNAL, ABUNDANT LIFE

Have you ever thought about how love affects GIVING? I’ve heard it said that you can give without loving, but you can’t LOVE without GIVING. Love prompts us to give of OURSELVES, our TIME, ABILITIES and RESOURCES. The Bible tells us that God IS love, and the world will know that we are His followers by the LOVE WE show—and GIVING is what shows our LOVE! We are entering into a time in the year that the world knows as the SEASON of giving, but let’s remember to take time to focus on the greatest gift of ALL, the gift of eternal, abundant LIFE through JESUS. If you’ve never RECEIVED this gift, I invite you NOW 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.”

Then, go out and SHARE the gift of love with someone ELSE because it’s the ONLY gift that will last in ETERNITY!

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:

TODAY, I DECLARE THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS ALL OVER YOU!

If it had not been for the goodness of GOD, where would YOU be? Some of you, like ME, wouldn’t be ALIVE today. Some would still be ADDICTED. If it had not been for God’s favor some would still be STRUGGLING, barely making it. You may say, “Well Mark, I’ve got a LONG way to go.” And that may be TRUE, but I want you to take a moment and look back over your life and realize how FAR you’ve come today. The same God that brought you THIS far, the same God that has kept you ALIVE, is going to carry you through ANY difficulty you may be facing. The key is to just start PRAISING and THANKING Him for His GOODNESS. Thank Him for His FAVOR and BLESSING upon you. Praise PRECEDES the victory. PRAISE brings the walls of opposition DOWN. PRAISE is the invitation for God to intervene on your BEHALF!

Today I know that this is meant for YOU! Because it’s NO accident that you’re reading this right NOW, and I believe and declare that the goodness of God is ALL OVER YOU! HE is directing YOUR steps today, and you ARE following His LEADING. I declare that YOUR best days ARE AHEAD, and as you PRAISE Him and THANK Him, you WILL move forward into the VICTORY and BLESSING He has prepared for YOU!

And if YOU believe it, can you say Amen TODAY!?! AMEN and God bless YOU!!

Today’s Scripture:

“If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

(Psalm 119:92, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PRAISE OPENS THE DOOR TO VICTORY AND BLESSING

Have you ever thought about what it means to continually offer up a SACRIFICE of praise? That word “SACRIFICE” means that it cost you something. It means doing something when you don’t feel like it. It’s when you say, “God, I’m hurting, but I give You PRAISE.” “God, I’m lonely, but I give You PRAISE.” “God, it wasn’t fair. They did me wrong, but I give You PRAISE.”

When you praise God BEYOND your feelings, that’s when praise becomes your FAITH at work. That’s when praise becomes a WEAPON. Nothing gets God’s attention any more than when you CALL on Him in your time of TROUBLE. When most people would become negative and bitter, you have a song of PRAISE. You’re THANKING God for who He is and what He WILL do in your life. You’re not talking about how big your PROBLEMS are; you’re talking about how big your GOD is!

Today, understand that praise activates God’s POWER. He commands us to praise because it opens the door to His VICTORY and BLESSING. No matter what is happening AROUND you, WORSHIP Him! Declare His GOODNESS and see His RESTORATION in every area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

(Hebrews 13:15, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHANGE, THE KEY IS TO BLOOM RIGHT WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED

Sometimes when God is doing a work in our lives, it can begin to feel a little UNCOMFORTABLE. We may encounter people who are hard to get along with or have CIRCUMSTANCES that seem beyond our control. When this happens, instead of complaining, getting sour or trying to change everything AROUND you, why don’t you look deep inside and say, “Lord, thank You for doing a WORK in me.” See, I’ve learned that God is more interested in changing ME than He is in changing my CIRCUMSTANCES. If I choose to stay sour because I’m not getting MY way or discouraged because things aren’t happening on MY timetable, that’s going to keep me right where I AM.

If you want to see CHANGE, if you want to see God open up new doors, the key is to BLOOM right where you’re planted. You can’t wait until everything gets better before you decide to have a good ATTITUDE. You have to be the BEST that you can be right where you ARE. When you BLOOM where you’re PLANTED, you’re allowing God to WORK in you, and He will be FAITHFUL to complete what He’s STARTED in you!

Today’s Scripture:

“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 1:6, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD SAYS THAT WE WERE CREATED TO BE THE HEAD AND NOT THE TAIL

PROSPERITY is SO much more than having FINANCES. It’s having your HEALTH. It’s having peace in your MIND. It’s being able to SLEEP at night. It’s having good RELATIONSHIPS. There are so many things that money CANNOT buy. But I also can’t find a single verse in the Scripture that suggests we are supposed to drag around in the land of Not ENOUGH, not able to afford what we WANT, living off the LEFTOVERS.

God is called El Shaddai, the God of MORE Than Enough. He takes PLEASURE in prospering His people. He says we were created to be the head and NOT the tail. He says He will lavish us with GOOD things. Jesus came that we might live an ABUNDANT life. God’s DREAM for your life is that you would be blessed in SUCH a way that you can be a blessing to OTHERS-SO prosperous, so GENEROUS, and so full of JOY that other people want what you HAVE. He wants to use ALL that you have to advance His KINGDOM.

Today’s Scripture

3 John 1:2, NKJV

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD PROMISED HE’LL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU

In the natural, when WE’VE wronged someone, sometimes it’s easier to avoid them than to face the discomfort or potential rejection. It isn’t surprising that people sometimes have this same approach to GOD. Have you ever heard someone say, “If I walk into a church, the roof will cave in”? They think they should keep their distance because of what they’ve done. But nothing could be further from the TRUTH! God’s not mad at you; He’s madly in LOVE with you! He’s waiting for you with OPEN ARMS. It doesn’t matter WHO you are or what you’ve DONE; know that His GOODNESS is what’s drawing you to Him.

Today, don’t let condemnation keep you from turning to God. Trust His KINDNESS. Trust that He wants you to experience His GOODNESS. He wants to show you His FAITHFULNESS. He’s promised He’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Turn to Him TODAY and let Him pour His loving KINDNESS on you and EMPOWER you to walk in VICTORY all the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“…the goodness of God leads you to repentance”
(Romans 2:4, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU SPEND TIME WITH JESUS, PEOPLE WILL NOTICE

God wants to EMPOWER and STRENGTHEN you to OVERCOME every obstacle in this life. He wants to give you CONFIDENCE, WISDOM and BOLDNESS to pursue the DREAMS and DESIRES in your heart. He wants to give you supernatural INSIGHT so that you can be a witness of His goodness. In scripture, Peter and John were supernaturally EQUIPPED. Everyone around them marveled at their BOLDNESS, at their ABILITY. They knew Peter and John didn’t have any formal training. They knew there wasn’t anything special about them. This POWER and WISDOM could have only come from one place—the PRESENCE of Jesus.

Friend, when you spend time with Jesus, people will SEE it. You’ll be ENERGIZED by His anointing and EQUIPPED by His GRACE. That’s why it’s so important to take time every day to be in His PRESENCE. No matter where you are on this earth, His PRESENCE is only a prayer away. Scripture says He is near to ALL who call upon His name. It says that He INHABITS the PRAISES of His people. Make your relationship with Him your number one PRIORITY and be EMPOWERED by His PRESENCE each and every day!

Today’s Scripture:

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

(Acts 4:13, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

PRAISE GOD AND GLORIFY HIM BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY

Sometimes I think about my life, “How in the world did I get to where I am?” I’m not the most TALENTED or the most QUALIFIED. I’ve done my best to be FAITHFUL, to make the most of what God has given me. The fact is that you can only go SO high in your own strength. You can reach a certain level with your education, your talent and your ability, but it’s the goodness of GOD that will open doors you could NOT open on your OWN. The goodness of God will cause the right PEOPLE to notice you. The goodness of God will take you places you NEVER dreamed of.

I know many people can say that God has given them FAVOR, PROMOTION and INCREASE. He has made things happen that you could not make happen by yourself. It’s important to ACKNOWLEDGE Him and PRAISE Him for His GOODNESS. Why don’t you take some time today and tell someone about what God has done for YOU. PRAISE Him and GLORIFY Him because He IS worthy. Tell of His GOODNESS and watch what He will do in YOUR future.

Today’s Scripture:

“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.”

(Psalm 119:93, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS DESTINY MOMENTS IN STORE FOR YOU….REACH OUT TO HIM!

In Scripture, there was a lady who had been sick with a bleeding disorder for twelve years. She went to the best doctors, received the finest treatment, but her health continued to decline. One day, she got word that Jesus was coming through her town. When she heard that, something came ALIVE on the inside. She had so much coming AGAINST her, but she didn’t FOCUS on that; she knew it was HER TIME for healing. Instead of giving up, she fought her way through the crowds and touched the edge of Jesus’ robe. When she did, IMMEDIATELY she was made WHOLE.

I wonder how many other people were there like her in that same type of situation. They were sick. They were discouraged. They had trouble. But they just watched Jesus pass by. They let EXCUSES keep them from their miracle. Friend, do NOT let that be YOU. Don’t let your CIRCUMSTANCES keep you from reaching out to Jesus. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your past, just keep moving FORWARD. God has destiny MOMENTS in store for you. Keep pressing IN, keep BELIEVING, keep PRAYING and, like THIS woman, reach OUT to Him. KNOW that He is FAITHFUL, and He will meet YOUR FAITH with HIS POWER.

Today’s Scripture:

“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”

(Matthew 9:22, NIV)