THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD IS ASKING YOU TO FORGET ABOUT THE PAST, AND START FRESH WITH HIM TODAY

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it! He could have lived anywhere in the universe, but He CHOSE to live in your HEART. You are His most PRIZED possession, and He has an AMAZING future planned for you. God wants you to be FREE today. He is asking you to FORGET the past and start fresh with HIM today. Stop beating yourself up over your past mistakes. Quit thinking that you don’t deserve anything GOOD. YOU are a child of the Most High God. Begin seeing yourself the way GOD sees you. How does God see you? He sees you as His MASTERPIECE, the apple of His EYE, His precious CHILD. Throughout the day, declare what His WORD says about you, “I am a VICTOR. I am a MASTERPIECE. I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made.” See yourself as the CHAMPION He created you to be!

Today’s Scripture:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

NO MATTER WHAT YOU MAY HAVE LOST, GOD WILL MAKE THINGS RIGHT AND GIVE YOU DOUBLE

Little kids LOVE ice cream. A man told me the story about his daughter who had an ice cream cone, and she was bumped by a little boy who was playing rough with the other kids; down went her cone and out came the tears when the boy laughed at her. The Father said that they usually only buy her a single scoop, but something made them say, “this time we’re going to get you a TRIPLE scoop.”

Do you know that when God RESTORES what YOU have lost, He doesn’t just give you a single scoop. . . . He promises to give you MORE than you have lost! No matter WHAT has been taken away from you, no matter what you’ve lost or EXPERIENCED in the PAST, if you stay in PEACE, He WILL return to you MORE than you could ask or imagine. He’ll make things right and give you MORE than what was lost or stolen. He’ll restore DOUBLE to you!

Today’s Scripture:

“Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; this very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.”

(Zechariah 9:12, NASB)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD PROMISES IN HIS WORD TO SUSTAIN YOU AND GIVE YOU TRUE PEACE

Jesus said in John 14:27, “I’m leaving you My PEACE. I’m GIVING it unto you.” The Amplified version says, “Now stop ALLOWING yourself to be agitated and disturbed. And do not PERMIT yourselves to become UNSETTLED.” God has done His part to give you His PEACE. As a child of God, His peace is on the INSIDE of you right NOW. You have to do YOUR part and make the DECISION to live in PEACE. When negative CIRCUMSTANCES arise and you make the CHOICE to stay in PEACE, you are showing that you TRUST God. You are saying, “God, I KNOW that You are in control. I know that NO weapon formed against me is going to prosper.” Choose to keep PEACE in your life. When you cast your burdens on HIM, He PROMISES to sustain you—that’s a place of true PEACE , a place of lasting POWER!

Today’s Scripture:

Cast your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).

(Psalm 55:22, AMP)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS BELIEVERS, WE ARE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS

A pastor’s life has been described as “LIFE IN A FISHBOWL.” Everyone is watching to see how you will react in any given situation. But really, that’s true of ALL of us. Whether you realize it or not, people are WATCHING you. They watch how you DRESS, how you take care of your HOME, how you WORK, and how you TREAT other PEOPLE. The Scripture talks about believers REPRESENTING God here on the earth. We are Christ’s AMBASSADORS. If we’re to represent God PROPERLY, we should do it with JOY, with ENTHUSIASM, with a SMILE. People of FAITH are supposed to be the LIGHTS of the world. Some who LACK faith may not want to listen to what we believe, but they CERTAINLY watch how we live. We are living EPISTLES read by ALL men. Some may not read the BIBLE, but they’re reading our LIVES. As the saying goes, “Preach at ALL times; use WORDS only when necessary.”

Today’s Scripture:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

(Colossians 3:23, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU WANT GOD TO SATISFY YOU WITH ‘EVERY GOOD THING’, GO OUT AND HELP SOMEBODY IN NEED TODAY…..

NOTHING moves the heart of God quite like taking the TIME and EFFORT to meet the needs of hurting and desperate people. When you focus on meeting the needs of OTHERS, you won’t have TIME to worry about your OWN needs – which is actually FINE since GOD has promised to take care of YOUR needs when you spend yourself in behalf of OTHERS. The Bible says that God wants to bless you and give you an ABUNDANCE of what you need, so why WOULDN’T you give? Give ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you can, whether it’s TIME, MONEY, PRAYER, or just a kind WORD. So if you want God to satisfy YOU with every good thing, go out and help somebody in NEED. GIVE your life away!

Today’s Scripture:

“God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.”

(2 Corinthians 9:8, MSG)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

FOLLOW THE FLOW OF LOVE THAT GOD PUTS IN YOUR HEART

Is LOVE your greatest aim? How can you tell? EASY. Are you concerned about OTHER people, or are you concerned about only YOURSELF? Do you take time to make a DIFFERENCE, to ENCOURAGE others, to lift their SPIRITS, to make people feel BETTER about themselves? Do you follow the FLOW of love that God puts in your heart toward somebody in NEED? Or, are you too busy with your OWN plans? When God puts LOVE and COMPASSION in your heart toward someone, He’s offering you an OPPORTUNITY to walk in LOVE and make a DIFFERENCE in that person’s life. You must learn to FOLLOW that love as your greatest AIM. Do NOT ignore it. ACT on it. Be on the LOOKOUT for people you can BLESS. Be willing to be interrupted and inconvenienced if it means you can help meet somebody else’s NEED. YOU have what somebody needs.

Today’s Scripture:

Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:13, NLT)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

TODAY, THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE’S DOING AND, FOR WHAT HE’S ‘ABOUT’ TO DO…..

Before the foundation of the world, God laid out a PLAN for your life. He created you with a PURPOSE, FOR a purpose, and He created you to be SUCCESSFUL! He has MARKED MOMENTS already laid out that are going to come across your path. These MOMENTS are NOT ordinary. They are destiny-ALTERING moments. They are designed to thrust you YEARS ahead.

Ecclesiastes tells us that time and chance come together for EVERY person. That means you will have OPPORTUNITIES to meet the right PEOPLE, opportunities to advance in your CAREER, and opportunities to fulfill your DREAMS. God has already prearranged for you times of INCREASE, PROMOTION and BLESSING.

Today, open your eyes of FAITH and see the GOOD things God has in store for YOUR future. Thank Him for what He’s DOING and what He’s ABOUT to do. Thank Him for divine CONNECTIONS and marked MOMENTS because He is ready and willing to fulfill EVERY dream and DESIRE He’s placed within your heart!

Today’s Scripture:

…time and chance happen to them all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11, AMP

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU TRY TO HOLD ON TO WHAT GOD “USED” TO DO FOR TOO LONG, IT SPOILS…..

When the Israelites were in the desert headed toward the Promised Land, God gave them a fresh supply of MANNA every morning. It only LASTED for one day, but some didn’t LISTEN and tried to hold ON to the OLD manna, and it SPOILED.

When YOU hold on to old manna–what God USED to do, FRIENDS who were right for a SEASON, a JOB that you’re AFRAID to step AWAY from–it SPOILS. It won’t FEED you. You won’t GROW. Maybe you’ve enjoyed a friendship for a TIME, but at SOME point, you REALIZE you’ve OUTGROWN the RELATIONSHIP. Or what USED to challenge you about your CAREER doesn’t challenge you ANYMORE. You feel God telling you to STRETCH, to get out of your COMFORT zone, but you’re AFRAID. You wonder why you’re not PASSIONATE, why you’re not GROWING. It’s because that MANNA is OLD; it’s not FEEDING you. God has NEW beginnings. He’s a God of FRESHNESS. The manna was TEMPORARY provision. God has NEW provision coming. Don’t hang on to the OLD.

Today’s Scripture:

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of [the manna] until morning.” However, some of them…kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.

Exodus 16:19–20, NIV

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD REWARDS THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK AFTER HIM….

When God is first place in your life, and you make pleasing Him your highest PRIORITY, then you can fully expect to live a BLESSED, FULFILLED life! In today’s verse, notice who God rewards. It’s not people who half-heartedly seek Him. It doesn’t say “people who only think about Him when they’re having a problem;” or “people who will only come to church when something special is going on.” No, God rewards people who EARNESTLY seek after Him. That means we are DETERMINED. We get up EVERY morning and thank Him for His goodness. We go through the day MEDITATING on His promises. We give Him PRAISE in the good times AND the tough times. We are constantly STRETCHING, GROWING, LEARNING and STRIVING to KNOW Him better. Today, remember, when you DILIGENTLY seek God, He PROMISES that a reward is coming. He promises He will give you STRENGTH, WISDOM, FAVOR, good BREAKS, PROMOTION, HEALING and RESTORATION. When you seek Him with your WHOLE heart, you will FIND Him, and you won’t be ABLE to OUTRUN His GOODNESS and BLESSING!

Today’s Scripture:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”

(Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T WASTE ANOTHER SECOND, LIVE THE ABUNDANT LIFE JESUS CAME TO GIVE, TODAY AND EVERY DAY!

Are you living the ABUNDANT life Jesus came to give? I’m not talking about living in the fanciest house or driving the newest car. No, His promise of abundant LIFE goes WAY beyond material things that this world offers. ABUNDANT life means “life to the FULL.” That means no matter what is going on AROUND you, you can partake of the full BLESSINGS of God. You can have PEACE in the midst of a storm. You can have JOY when things are uncertain. You can have HOPE when circumstances seem hopeless. As BELIEVERS, a lot of times it’s easy to look at that verse and think, “God is going to give me abundant life SOME day.” But the truth is that God wants you to have abundant life TODAY! Don’t waste another second living in mediocrity or settling for less than God’s BEST. Receive His blessings by faith TODAY. Receive His HOPE, JOY, STRENGTH and FAVOR. Declare that you ARE living the abundant life TODAY and EVERY day!

Today’s Scripture:

“…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

(John 10:10, NKJV)