THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WE SERVE A GOD THAT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND OUR EXPECTATIONS

In the Old Testament, God’s people were going through a very difficult time. They were being held captive against their will and mistreated by other nations. God sent this word to ENCOURAGE them and give them HOPE for their future. When the time came, God was FAITHFUL to His Word!

Are YOU going through a difficult time today? Let this word bring you encouragement TOO. We serve a God who goes above and BEYOND our expectations. He wants to give YOU double for your trouble. He wants to bring you RESTORATION and make things even BETTER than before.

If you are facing challenges today or going through a time of adversity, REMEMBER, it’s ALWAYS darkest just before the dawn appears. Your days are DESTINED to shine BRIGHTER because God is FAITHFUL. As you stay in faith and are obedient to His Word, you’ll receive DOUBLE for your trouble and see God go above and beyond in EVERY area of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”

(Isaiah 61:7, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

LET GO OF THINGS THAT WOULD HOLD YOU BACK

Oftentimes when people face challenges, their natural tendency is to seek COMFORT in things that are FAMILIAR. It may be work, an activity or relationships; and of course, we all know about “comfort food.” But, those things only bring TEMPORARY comfort. TRUE comfort is only found in a relationship with JESUS.

According to Webster’s dictionary, COMFORT means to give STRENGTH and HOPE; to ease grief or trouble. No matter what difficulty YOU may be facing today, God wants to bring you COMFORT. Like a mother cares for her child, He longs to give you STRENGTH, HOPE and CONFIDENCE. Turn to HIM. Receive His LOVE. Let go of things that would hold you back. Let Him HEAL your heart and give you STRENGTH for the FUTURE. Let Him EMPOWER you to rise up and overcome EVERY obstacle in Jesus’ name!

Today’s Scripture:

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…”

(Isaiah 66:13, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU CAN’T REEP A HARVEST WITHOUT FIRST PLANTING SOME SEEDS

In the book of Genesis, we see that God established a system of SOWING and REAPING in the earth. When we are FAITHFUL with what God HAS placed in our hands, we position ourselves for INCREASE. Many people pray, “God bless me!” But God is saying, “Are YOU being faithful with what I have ALREADY given you?” Scripture tells us that when we are faithful with the LITTLE, God will make us ruler over MUCH.

Remember, you can’t reap a harvest without first PLANTING some SEEDS. God has given each of us SEEDS to sow, so don’t hold on to them! Be faithful to GIVE, be faithful to PRAY, be faithful to SPEAK LIFE over your FUTURE. Develop faithfulness in the SMALL things. Develop faithfulness in your CHARACTER. Be on TIME. Keep your WORD. Be DEPENDABLE. As you develop FAITHFULNESS, God WILL see your good works, and He’ll make you RULER over MUCH!

Today’s Scripture:

“…Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

(Matthew 25:23, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

CHOOSE TODAY TO LIVE WITH AN ATTITUDE OF EXPECTANCY

So many people today are depressed and discouraged simply because they only focus on their PRESENT circumstances. They’re constantly DWELLING on their PROBLEMS, what they DON’T have, and what’s WRONG with them. They don’t realize it, but they’re allowing the enemy to steal their HOPE. This negative frame of mind is what keeps people from moving FORWARD in life.

Understand today that FAITH is CONFIDENCE and ASSURANCE about the things we HOPE for according to the PROMISES of God. Like an arrow, your faith points to the TARGET of HOPE. If you don’t have hope, that arrow of faith will just drop to the ground. It won’t ACCOMPLISH anything. But when you keep your hopes UP, when you keep EXPECTING and BELIEVING, it’s as if that target gets larger and LARGER–EASIER to hit!

Choose today to live with an attitude of EXPECTANCY. Get your HOPES up! Start by taking captive ANY negative thoughts you may have one at a time. As you FOCUS on God’s GOODNESS and FAITHFULNESS, you’ll feel that hope inside you GROWING. You’ll give your faith a TARGET, and you’ll move CONFIDENTLY into the BLESSINGS and PEACE the Lord has in store for YOU!

Today’s Scripture:

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”

(Hebrews 11:1, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

IT GIVES GOD GREAT PLEASURE TO BLESS AND PROSPER YOU

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have access to EVERYTHING He IS: PEACE, PROVISION, PROTECTION and MORE. That means no matter what is happening in the WORLD today, as you obey God’s WORD, your NEEDS will be met. No matter what is going on with the economy, gas prices or housing market, God is STILL your Source; and if your SOURCE is okay, then YOU are okay, TOO. Rest assured, there is no LACK in heaven!

Not only is God ABLE to meet your needs, He WANTS to meet your needs. It gives Him great PLEASURE to BLESS and PROSPER you. EXPECT that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Look for His hand of PROVISION in your life and PRAISE Him for His FAITHFULNESS. Do WHATEVER He says to do and watch Him open the windows of heaven!

Today’s Scripture:

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:19, NASB)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD HAS PLANS TO BRING YOU TO A FLOURISHING FINISH

Everyone goes through seasons of disappointment or difficulty. We all have unexpected setbacks. Maybe you’re going through something right now that you don’t understand. Here’s the good news: that disappointment is NOT the final chapter. God NEVER ends in a negative. If you will keep moving forward with your life, God promises that He will bring you to a FLOURISHING finish. Not a defeated finish, a bankrupt finish, a betrayed finish, or a barely-get-by finish. No, in YOUR future, God has a VICTORIOUS finish.

That setback, disappointment or betrayal that seems like it’s working AGAINST you, God knows how to turn it around and cause it to work FOR you. The key is that when you’re in difficult times, do NOT settle where you are. Don’t put your roots down and think that things are never going to CHANGE. No, for EVERY setback, God has already lined up a COMEBACK. For every injustice, He has VINDICATION. For every disappointment, He has RESTORATION. Right now, just begin to THANK Him for what He’s GOING to do. PRAISE Him for His FAITHFULNESS. REJOICE today because He has a plan to bring YOU into a FLOURISHING finish!

Today’s Scripture:

“Being confident of this, that 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:

CELEBRATE WHAT GOD IS ‘GOING’ TO DO

God promises to ALWAYS lead us into victory! That means no matter what you are facing, no matter what’s going on in the world AROUND you, no matter what ANYBODY says, you should always be thanking God because victory IS on the way!

You don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to CELEBRATE what God is going to do in your life. Put some ACTION behind your faith. In the middle of that adversity or tough time, start making a list of who you’re going to invite to your VICTORY celebration. That means if you’re in the hospital, start planning what you’re going to do when you get out. If you lost some money when the stock market went down, start planning your COMING-OUT-OF-DEBT party. When things don’t look good in the natural, remember, we serve a SUPERNATURAL God. With God leading you into VICTORY, you can ALWAYS plan for increase. You can plan for RESTORATION. You can plan for a COMEBACK that will make you STRONGER and BETTER than you EVER were before!

Today’s Scripture:

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…”

(2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU CAN HAVE GOD’S SUPERNATURAL JOY NO MATTER WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND YOU

Did you know that it is God’s will for you to be joyful ALWAYS? It’s TRUE! He wants you to be HAPPY and CAREFREE. He wants you to love your life no matter WHAT your circumstances LOOK like. In fact, when you have JOY in the midst of DIFFICULT circumstances, that is EVIDENCE that you have FAITH and trust that God will bring you through.

Joy is STRENGTH. When you have His supernatural JOY, you can stand strong no matter WHAT’S going on around you. You might say, “Mark, I’m just not a real JOVIAL person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” And of course, God made us all differently, but you CAN train yourself to laugh more. One article said that the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What’s happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and more responsibilities, little by little, to STEAL our joy.

Make the decision TODAY to get your joy BACK! DECIDE that you ARE going to look beyond your problems and look at what God WILL do on your behalf. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural PEACE and JOY so that you can live in His STRENGTH and VICTORY, ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY!

This morning when you woke up, what was the first thing that went through your mind? Maybe you have a deadline to meet or a big appointment at work. Maybe you are facing a challenge or going through a difficulty in a relationship that seems to consume your thoughts. Today, I want to ENCOURAGE you; instead of focusing on what your CIRCUMSTANCES have to offer, focus on what GOD has to offer you. His MERCIES are new every morning, and His COMPASSION never fails. He has VICTORY in store for you today; He has PROVISION in store for you today; He has JOY in store for you today, and He has PEACE in store for you today. He daily loads you with BLESSING!

The key to ACCESSING these daily benefits is setting your FOCUS in the right direction. You can’t WAIT to see how you feel, what kind of mood your spouse is in, what the traffic is like, or what the stock market is doing. No, you have to CHOOSE to set your focus by saying, “This is going to be a GREAT day. I am BLESSED and cannot be cursed! I know GOD is directing my steps; something GOOD IS going to happen to me today!

Today’s Scripture:

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits…”

(Psalm 68:19, NKJV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU WEAR THE GARMENT OF PRAISE, YOU’LL STAND STRONG AND DISPLAY GOD’S SPLENDOR

What are YOU wearing today? Not on your physical body, but what’s covering your MIND and EMOTIONS? Are you clothed with despair and disappointment? Are you wearing “heaviness?”

If you’ve recently gone through a hurtful or disappointing situation, the Bible says there IS a TIME to grieve. It’s important to go through that process and release the hurt to God. But the Bible also says that God wants to give you a garment of PRAISE instead of a spirit of heaviness or despair. He wants to exchange your hurt for His HEALING. He wants to fill you with His PEACE and JOY.

Are the garments of yesterday holding you back and weighing you down? Maybe it’s time to exchange that heaviness for His garment of PRAISE. Maybe it’s time to release those heavy burdens. It’s time to FORGIVE those who have hurt you and begin to praise your way to VICTORY! Just start right now by thanking Him for the LIFE you have today. Thank Him for the OPPORTUNITIES today has to offer. Thank Him for the beautiful SUNRISE. When you wear that garment of praise, you’ll stand STRONG and display His splendor ALL the days of your life!

Today’s Scripture:

“And provide for those who grieve…a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

(Isaiah 61:3, NIV)