THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T JUST ‘GO’ THROUGH IT, ‘GROW’ THROUGH IT…..

After Joshua died, the Israelites were settled in the Promised Land, LIVING their dream. God COULD have had Joshua and the previous generation drive out ALL the opposing enemy nations, but He PURPOSEFULLY left SOME nations there to teach them WARFARE. WITHOUT this problem, the NEW generation of Israelites would have eventually faced armies and been DEFEATED. They didn’t have the EXPERIENCE, the STRENGTH, or the FORTITUDE to OVERCOME. God had to toughen them UP. He left obstacles on PURPOSE.

If God made everything EASY for us, we wouldn’t be ready for where we’re GOING. God has amazing THINGS in your future, things you’ve never IMAGINED, but to GET there you’re going to have to defeat some powerful GIANTS, overcome some big OBSTACLES, and outlast some formidable OPPOSITION. It’s not going to HAPPEN if you’re weak, disappointed, and bitter. Instead of complaining about what’s not turning AROUND, see it as an opportunity to develop your FAITH. Don’t just GO through it, GROW through it. God’s getting you PREPARED. It’s serving His PLAN.

Today’s Scripture:

Judges 3:1–2, NLT

These are the nations that the LORD left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU WILL BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE….

Sarai had been childless for NINETY years when God promised her that she and Abraham would have a SON. He ALSO changed her name to SARAH, which means “PRINCESS.” If anyone didn’t feel like a princess or SPECIAL, it would have been SARAH. She COULD have said, “I’ll NEVER have a baby. Just call me SARAI. I’M not a princess.” But when she ACCEPTED the name change, she was saying, “This SEEMS impossible, but if GOD says I’m a princess, I’m getting in AGREEMENT with Him.” She started BELIEVING, which is when something came alive INSIDE, and God brought the promise to PASS.

Have YOU let circumstances in your health, or your finances, or a relationship tell you who YOU are? Have you let NEGATIVE thoughts label YOU as a failure, not GOOD enough or SMART enough? God is CHANGING your name to BLESSED, PROSPEROUS, HEALTHY, FORGIVEN, CONFIDENT, ROYALTY, a child of the Most High GOD. Now do YOUR part and keep calling yourself what GOD calls you. You WILL become what you BELIEVE.

Today’s Scripture:

Genesis 17:15, NIV

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD ISN’T ASKING YOU TO OVERCOME THE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE, HE’S ASKING YOU TO OUTLAST THEM

In the book of Genesis, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into SLAVERY, falsely accused of a CRIME, and put in PRISON. It was THIRTEEN YEARS of injustice and disappointments. But he kept doing the RIGHT thing until ONE day he was suddenly called out of the prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and SUBSEQUENTLY made the prime minister of EQYPT.

God wasn’t asking Joseph to defeat his brothers, to escape his captors, to prove his innocence, OR to break out of PRISON. God was simply asking him to OUTLAST the OPPOSITION. All this HAD to happen for him to reach his DESTINY. God is NOT asking you to overcome some of the CHALLENGES you face that are unfair and seem to not be changing. He’s just asking you to OUTLAST them. When you’ve passed the TEST, the PROMOTION will come looking for YOU, the HEALING will come, the right PERSON will find you. It’s ALL a part of His PLAN. It’s NECESSARY to get you to your DESTINY.

Today’s Scripture:

Hebrews 10:36, NLT

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU HAVE TO CARRY A CROWN BEFORE YOU CAN WEAR ONE…

You MAY have a DREAM of one day having your own business or ministry, but right now you’re working for someone ELSE. You’re in a PROVING season. I’ve heard it said that you have to CARRY a crown before you can WEAR one. In OTHER words, you have to do all you can to serve someone else with EXCELLENCE, help build THEIR dream and be successful. Today’s SCRIPTURE says that if you’re not faithful to give your best where you ARE, the door won’t OPEN for you–“who will give you what is your OWN?” Every day when you go to work and give it your ALL, every time you sing in the CHOIR, every time you help your friend with THEIR project, you’re being faithful to ANOTHER person’s dream. You’re showing God that He can TRUST you with your OWN.

God has a CROWN for you. He wants to take you HIGHER, to give you OPPORTUNITIES and INFLUENCE like you’ve never SEEN. The QUESTION is, are YOU helping somebody ELSE succeed?

Today’s Scripture:

Luke 16:12, HCSB

And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET READY, EVERYTHING IS COMING BACK

While David and his men were away from home, the Amalekites had raided their city, burned down all their HOMES, kidnapped their wives and CHILDREN, and taken ALL their possessions. It was the worst DEFEAT he had ever suffered, but the SCRIPTURE says that in this very dark TIME, he STRENGTHENED himself in the Lord and found the resolve to inspire his MEN and go after what had been TAKEN. It was a great VICTORY that David got back everything, and BEYOND that, he took great SPOILS of the Amalekites’ flocks and HERDS.

YOU may be in a difficult time, you’ve LOST some things–perhaps your dream, your joy, or your health. The KEY is, to go THROUGH that suffering with a good ATTITUDE, knowing that GOD has promised you that GREATER is coming. GOD is saying, “If you get your FIRE back and start moving FORWARD, you will surely RECOVER everything you lost. Get ready. Everything is coming BACK–your health, your children, your finances, your dreams, your joy, your peace–and MORE.”

Today’s Scripture:

1 Samuel 30:18–19, NLT

David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN GOD FORGAVE YOU, HE DELETED YOUR FILES

Don’t go through life beating yourself up, thinking about everything you’ve done wrong, dwelling on your mistakes and FAILURES. When you make a MISTAKE, go to God and ask for FORGIVENESS, then move ON. Don’t keep bringing up the SAME failures. The first time you ASKED, God not only FORGAVE you, but He doesn’t REMEMBER it any more. When you ask Him to forgive you again for the same THING, God says, “What are you TALKING about? I have no RECORD of that.” When God FORGAVE you, He deleted your FILES. He doesn’t have a big server up in heaven where He’s keeping a backup COPY just in case He changes His MIND. Today’s SCRIPTURE says He has CLEARED your record.

How long are you going to let the accuser keep you feeling guilty and CONDEMNED? MY declaration is “NO MORE.” This is a NEW day. Enter into the joy of knowing that you are a child of the Most High GOD and your record is CLEAR–NO judgment, no CONDEMNATION.

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 4:8, NLT

Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU’RE GOING TO OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE QUICKER THAN YOU THINK

In Deuteronomy 9, the Israelites were facing enemy nations that were much STRONGER and more POWERFUL than them with fortified cities and descendants of the famous Anakite GIANTS. You can imagine how INTIMIDATED they must have felt, but armed with God’s PROMISE, they had the BOLDNESS to go into the Promised Land.

YOU may be facing a situation that SEEMS impossible–the sickness, the financial difficulty, the setback in your career. God is saying to YOU what He said to THEM, “You’re not FIGHTING the battle on your own. I’m going to take CARE of those enemies so you can quickly CONQUER them.” The Most High God is going BEFORE you. Behind the scenes RIGHT now, God is CHANGING things in your FAVOR. He’s crossing over AHEAD of you, taking care of the sickness, taking care of the trouble. God has these destiny MOMENTS where He’s going to QUICKLY change things, quickly PROMOTE you, quickly VINDICATE you, quickly HEAL you. You’re going to overcome that challenge QUICKER than you think.

Today’s Scripture:

Deuteronomy 9:3, NLT

But recognize today that the LORD your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the LORD has promised.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GET READY FOR SOME “MOMENTS” THAT WILL THRUST YOU AHEAD

In TODAY’S Scripture, the Greek word used for “time” is not “chronos,” which means ordinary time–minutes, hours, and days. The word used is “KAIROS,” which means an OPPORTUNE MOMENT, a passing INSTANT where an OPENING appears. It has to do with an appointed TIME, a season of FAVOR. God has already ORDAINED these kairos moments when you come into opportunities that seem over your HEAD. You’ll be TEMPTED to shrink BACK, but God wouldn’t have PUT you there if you couldn’t DO it. It’s a season of FAVOR. SUDDENLY, you KNOW you can overcome an addiction, you know you can beat that DEPRESSION, you KNOW lack and struggle are NOT your destiny. You feel FAITH rising. You’ve stepped into a KAIROS MOMENT–a SPECIAL time that God has strategically designed for you to come up HIGHER. That’s why His FAVOR is on you in a NEW way. If you step INTO it, doors are going to OPEN that you COULDN’T open. Get ready for some kairos MOMENTS that will thrust YOU ahead.

Today’s Scripture:

2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU’RE NEVER MORE LIKE GOD THAN WHEN YOU TAKE THE TIME TO DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE

Jesus said that people will know TRUE believers by our love for OTHERS, NOT by how many SCRIPTURES we quote or the Christian bumper stickers on our CAR. This world does NOT need to hear another sermon NEARLY as much as it needs to see us being GOOD to people–helping OTHERS, meeting NEEDS, and BLESSING them with our words and ACTIONS. We were CREATED to make a difference in the lives of OTHERS through our LOVE for them. TRUE love is seen in our ACTIONS–giving our TIME, our MONEY, an encouraging WORD. When you show LOVE, you are showing GOD to the world. You’re never more like GOD than when you take time to DO something for someone ELSE.

People are WATCHING you, and one of the BEST witnesses you can have is simply by being GOOD to people. The SCRIPTURE says to be on the lookout for those you can BLESS. Don’t miss the MIRACLE of the moment to do good whenever SITUATIONS cross your path to BLESS people.

Today’s Scripture:

Galatians 6:10, NIV

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR BEST RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE…..

After David was ANOINTED to be the next king of Israel, he DIDN’T go to the palace. He went back to caring for his father’s SHEEP. He was ANOINTED before he was APPOINTED. Doing what seemed like a MENIAL job, he kept being his BEST and PROVED to God his FAITHFULNESS. When King Saul needed someone to play soothing music for his bouts of depression, someone recommended DAVID as an excellent MUSICIAN. For DAVID, who had been DISCOUNTED, overlooked, and FORGOTTEN, promotion came calling HIS name. He was suddenly working in the palace for the KING. HE didn’t make it happen; the KING sent for HIM.

As with David, you have the ANOINTING, the PROMISE, the CALLING, but you WON’T go straight to the THRONE. How you respond when you’re anointed but not APPOINTED will determine whether you make it to the PALACE. You have to be your BEST right where you ARE. When you pass the test of being faithful in the SMALL, get ready for OPPORTUNITIES that come looking for YOU.

Today’s Scripture:

1 Samuel 16:19, NKJV

Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”