THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

YOU CAN’T BE PROMOTED WITHOUT PREPARATION

There are some things you can only LEARN in the TRIAL of affliction, the TESTING of your faith. You can’t learn them by reading a book or listening to a message. You have to EXPERIENCE them. That place of testing is where your spiritual MUSCLES are developed. You can’t get stronger without EXCERSCISING those muscles during times of intense PRESSURE. That’s NOT easy. But if we stay WITH it, it WILL work FOR us, not AGAINST us. We will get STRONGER.

Your gifts may take you to a certain LEVEL, but if you don’t have the character to MATCH them, you won’t STAY there. Character is developed in the TOUGH times, when you’re NOT getting your WAY but you keep doing the RIGHT thing. You can’t be promoted without PREPARATION. God won’t give you a hundred-pound BLESSING when He knows you can LIFT only FIFTY pounds. If He gave you the HUNDRED pounds, it wouldn’t BE a blessing; it would be a BURDEN. He has to get you PREPARED for new LEVELS.

Today’s Scripture:

Isaiah 48:10, NKJV

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

MAKE SURE YOU’RE ‘FLOCKING’ TO THE RIGHT GROUP

Scripture talks about how Daniel had an excellent SPIRIT. If you study his life, you find that he had excellent FRIENDS–Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–who wouldn’t bow down to the King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol even if it meant losing their LIVES. No WONDER Daniel was a person of EXCELLENCE. His FRIENDS were people of INTEGRITY, people of great COURAGE, people who wouldn’t COMPROMISE, people who had big DREAMS for their lives just as HE did.

Psychologists talk about the law of the GROUP–that we ASSOCIATE with people the way we see OURSELVES. Have you noticed how gossips find other people who like to GOSSIP? Negative people GRAVITATE toward OTHER negative people. Complainers find other COMPLAINERS. Because birds of a feather flock TOGETHER, make sure you’re FLOCKING to the right GROUP. VICTORIOUS people associate with OTHER victorious people. SUCCESSFUL people find OTHER people who are successful. HAPPY people hang around OTHER happy people. EAGELS soar with OTHER EAGLES. If you let go of the WRONG people, God will bring the RIGHT people.

Today’s Scripture:

Daniel 6:3, NKJV

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF IT’S NOT FOR YOUR GOOD, GOD WON’T ALLOW IT

PERSECUTION forced Philip out of Jerusalem. He was pushed out of his COMFORT zone. What’s interesting is that PREVIOUSLY God had poured out His SPIRIT upon the believers in Jerusalem. The same God who showed them that powerful sign COULD have STOPPED the persecution, but it was for a PURPOSE–a plan to push them into their DESTINY. It was in SAMARIA that Philip saw the greatest days of his MINISTRY. If he had STAYED in Jerusalem, he would never have reached his full POTENTIAL.

God knows how to get you OUT of your comfort zone. He OPENED the door; He can CLOSE the door. That closed DOOR is God PUSHING you. Maybe YOU’VE been pushed out of Jerusalem, so to speak, through a bad BREAK, a DISAPPOINTMENT, or a BETRAYAL. Don’t be discouraged. If it weren’t going to work for your GOOD, God wouldn’t have ALLOWED it. Jerusalem may have CLOSED, but Samaria is about to OPEN. God wouldn’t be PUSHING you if He didn’t already have a door OPEN.

Today’s Scripture:

Acts 8:1, 5, NKJV

At that time a great persecution arose against the church…Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO PUSH YOU DOWN, DON’T WORRY, GOD SEES AND HEARS…..

In the Scripture, four men carried a paralyzed man to see Jesus. When Jesus saw them, He said to the man, “Your sins have been FORGIVEN.” Some of the RELIGEOUS leaders were OFFENDED and began to MURMER, “Who does He think HE is? Only GOD can forgive sins.” CHALLENGED by His critics, Jesus said to them, “Which is easier to SAY, ‘Your SINS are forgiven,’ or ‘ARISE, take up your bed and WALK'” To PROVE to them that He was the Son of God, He turned to the paralyzed man and told him to rise UP. The man stood up, PERFECTLY well, and I’m sure the religious leaders nearly passed OUT.

Jesus COULD have just forgiven the man’s SINS and moved ON, but when His enemies MURMERED about it, Jesus HEALED him. When people are talking about YOU, trying to push you DOWN and keep you in a dark PLACE, don’t WORRY–God SEES and HEARS them. They’re putting you in position for PROMOTION, to be BLESSED in a GREATER way.

Today’s Scripture:

Mark 2:10–11, NKJV

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”–He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE, YOU ARE APPROVED

Perhaps you KNOW God has forgiven you from past mistakes and failures, but you still have a sense of UNWORTHINESS as though you don’t DESERVE it. That SHAME has held you back LONG enough. Today the strongholds have been BROKEN. Burdens have been LIFTE. GOD is saying, “Shame OFF you!” Now you have to get in AGREEMENT with Him. Quit listening to the accusing VOICES. Quit believing the LIES that you have to settle for second BEST. God’s MERCY was there for you before you made the MISTAKE. It’s time for you to shake OFF the shame, to shake off the GUILT. This is a NEW day.

Don’t let negative events–a failure, an addiction, a divorce, a bankruptcy–become your IDENTITY. That’s what you DID; that’s NOT who you ARE. That’s what happened TO you; that is not your IDENTITY. REMIND yourself, “I am who GOD says I am. I am APPROVED, I am ACCEPTED, I am VALUABLE, and I am a MASTERPIECE.” You are a CHILD of the Most High GOD.

Today’s Scripture:

2 Corinthians 10:4, NIV

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES AND EMBRACE THEM

Gideon was HIDDEN from his enemies, threshing wheat on the floor of the winepress, when God said he was to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites. But Gideon was INSECURE and didn’t feel qualified to do ANYTHING great. The threshing floor was where the wheat was separated from the chaff, and symbolically it became the place where God separated Gideon from what was LIMITING him. When God called him a “mighty HERO,” it SEPERATED him from his LOW expectations and little DREAMS and EMPOWERED him to great VALOR.

We ALL go through the threshing floor of DIFFICULTIES because God is PREPARING us. He’s separating what’s holding you BACK, and you’re about to see new GROWTH, new OPPORTUNITIES, new FRIENDSHIPS. You’re coming out REFINED, POLISHED, STRONGER, MATURED. On the threshing floor, God will stir up your GIFTS and CONFIDENCE. Now quit COMPLAINING about how big the OBSTACLES are. If you EMBRACE the threshing floor, you’ll be promoted to a LEVEL that otherwise you would NEVER have.

Today’s Scripture:

Judges 6:11–12, NLT

Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

CHECK UP ON WHAT YOU’RE SAYING TO OTHERS…..

Jesus says that we will give account for every “IDLE word” we speak, which MEANS negative, discouraging, condescending, hurtful WORDS. You’ve heard the saying to make your words SWEET, for one day you’re going to have to EAT them. When we come to the END of life, God is going to ask, “Did you LOVE the spouse and children whom I gave you? Did you help them GROW, to become more CONFIDENT? Are they HAPPIER, STRONGER, more SUCCESSFUL?” If they are not BETTER from being with you, you need to step it UP a notch. Check up on what you’re SAYING. Every time you say, “I LOVE you. I’m PROUD of you. I’m SO glad your mine,” not only will they get STRONGER, but you are moving them toward their PURPOSE. Use your WORDS to BLESS them and to put people on their FEET, to make them feel BETTER about themselves. It’s amazing how a few SENTENCES can breathe LIFE into others’ spirits, lifting them UP, giving them STRENGTH and JOY.

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 12:36, NLT

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

IF YOU’LL HAVE FAITH IN THE MIDDLE, GOD WILL OPEN DOORS THAT NO MAN CAN SHUT

You may be in deep WATERS today. The BUSINESS suffered a setback, the medical report WASN’T good, or the ADDICTION SEEMS permanent. But GOD is saying, “You’re NOT staying there. You’re going THROUGH it.” When YOU’RE in deep waters, you need to REMIND yourself that it’s TEMPORARY. Now quit wasting TIME by WORRYING about that SITUATION that you can’t CONTROL. The trouble is NOT permanent. The sickness, the loneliness, or the difficulty is just a stop along the WAY. But if you give IN to it and let it OVERWHELM you with discouragement, you’ll SETTLE there and let what SHOULD have been temporary become PERMANENT.

The GOOD news is that your heavenly FATHER, the Most High GOD, is WITH you in the deep waters. There may be obstacles that LOOK insurmountable, but HE has the final say. If you have FAITH in the MIDDLE, He’ll open up doors that NO man can shut. He’ll turn situations around that look IMPOSSIBLE. He’ll take you further than you’ve EVER imagined.

Today’s Scripture:

Isaiah 43:2, NLT

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THOSE WHO DON’T ACCEPT YOU, LIKE YOU OR UNDERSTAND YOU…….IT’S A DISTRACTION

It’s it interesting that the people who were most AGAINST Jesus were the RELIGIOUS people. He didn’t TRY to convince them to change their mind. He didn’t spend hours arguing over DOCTRINE. He IGNORED the critics and just ran HIS race, even when His LIFE was on the line before Pilate. You have to accept the FACT that not EVERYONE is going to ACCEPT you, LIKE you, or UNDERSTAND you. If you’re going to reach your highest POTENTIAL, you have to be OKAY with that. Jesus had more critics than ANYONE, but He didn’t waste His TIME trying to convince people who HE was.

How much time are YOU spending thinking about what that person said about you at the OFFICE or on social MEDIA, trying to straighten out that friend who made you LOOK bad? You don’t have time to WASTE on all that PETTINESS. It’s NOT between you and your DESTINY. It’s a DISTRACTION. God said HE will protect your reputation. Use that ENERGY to move toward your God-given DREAMS.

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 27:13–14, NKJV

Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

THE JOY OF THE LORD WILL GIVE YOU STRENGTH TO MAKE IT THROUGH

God promises that JOY is found in His PRESENCE. When you don’t have JOY, you’re in SOME way being DISCONNECTED from God’s presence. If you go through the day stressed out, worried, offended, and on edge, you’re SEPARATING yourself from the BLESSING, the FAVOR, and the STRENGTH you need. In the tough times, you need to be FULL of joy, because the joy of the LORD is what gives you STRENGTH to make it THROUGH.

We ALL are dealing with difficult SITUATIONS. But no matter WHAT’S going on AROUND you, God wants you to experience His supernatural joy at ALL times. JOY manifests when you focus your HEART on the heavenly Father and PRAISE Him for who He IS and what He’s DONE in your life. The SCRIPTURE says that He inhabits the PRAISES of His PEOPLE. Anytime you feel depleted or overwhelmed, just begin to PRAISE and THANK God, draw NEAR to Him and He’ll draw near to YOU. In His PRESENCE you’ll be REFRESHED and RESTORED to His full JOY.

Today’s Scripture:

Psalm 16:11, NKJV

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.