THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

HOPE IS THE ANCHOR OF OUR SOUL THAT PREVENTS AIMLESSLY DRIFTING

The Scripture describes HOPE as the ANCHOR of our soul. It wouldn’t say “ANCHOR” unless there was a possibility of DRIFTING. This is what happens in LIFE. If we don’t keep our ANCHOR down and stay full of HOPE, then little by little we start DRIFTING, getting negative and DISCOURAGED. “I don’t think I’ll ever get out of DEBT.” “I’ll never get WELL. It’s been so LONG.” “I’ll never meet the right PERSON.” Pretty soon we feel down and overwhelmed and have DRIFTED to a dark PLACE. The PROBLEMS is that you don’t have your anchor of HOPE down.

When you find yourself being consumed by worry, full of doubt, thinking it’s never going to work out, RECOGNIZE what’s happened and put your ANCHOR back down. Quit DWELLING on the negative thoughts. You may have HAD some bad breaks, but that doesn’t mean you’re not going to fulfill your DESTINY. Shake OFF the self-pity, shake off the DISAPPOINTMENT. What God PROMISED you, He’s STILL going to bring to PASS.

Today’s Scripture:

Hebrews 2:1, NIV

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

WHEN YOU KISS THE PAST GOODBYE, IT RELEASES YOU INTO YOUR FUTURE…….

We get EXCITED about new BEGINNINGS. We talk a LOT about God being the ALPHA and doing NEW things, but we don’t hear much about how He, the OMEGA, brings things to an END. It COULD be a relationship, a broken DREAM, a BUSINESS that didn’t MAKE it, or a loved one who passes away. This is HARD for us because an ending can feel like a SETBACK, and often it FEELS like a failure. But just as God OPENS a door, He closes doors and brings things to an END. The reason He CLOSES a door is because He has something BETTER. Instead of being sour and losing your JOY, the best thing you can do is to just say GOODBYE to the hurt, the QUESTIONS, the DISAPPOINTMENT, and the self-PITY. QUIT beating yourself up; quit bringing failures from yesterday into TODAY. Accept it as part of God’s PLAN, be at PEACE with what’s behind you, and move ON. When you kiss the past GOODBYE, it RELEASES you into your FUTURE.

Today’s Scripture:

Revelation 1:8, NLT

“I am the Alpha and the Omega–the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

SPEAK LIFE, FAITH, FAVOR AND HEATH AND YOU’LL SEE GREAT THINGS COMING TOGETHER…

God gave the prophet Ezekiel a vision of a valley filled with BONES, which represented the people of Israel who were in exile in other countries. Ezekiel could have said, “There’s no way POSSIBLE those bones can live.” Instead he looked AWAY from his CIRCUMSTANCES and looked toward his GOD. He said, “Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” He was saying, “God, You’re the giver of LIFE, the SOVEREIGN One. I may not see a way, but YOU have a way.” GOD said, “All right, Ezekiel, that’s what I’m LOOKING for–not somebody who’s going to tell me all the reasons why it’s NOT going to happen. PROPHESY to those dead bones and watch it all come together.”

Whatever looks dead in YOUR life, you need to prophesy VICTORY, prophesy WHOLENESS, prophesy ABUNDANCE. When you speak LIFE and FAITH and FAVOR and HEALTH, you’re going to see a great coming TOGETHER. Suddenly, you get the BREAK you need, your BUSINESS turns around, and your health IMPROVES.

Today’s Scripture:

Ezekiel 37:3, NIV

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T WRITE THEM OFF, COVER THEM WITH MERCY, AND LOVE THEM

We all have loved ones we’re hoping will CHANGE. We’re praying and BELIEVING, but it’s easy to get frustrated and think it’s not making any DIFFERENCE. But if they’re going to reach their DESTINY, they need someone who will stand in the GAP and cover them with MERCY–NOT judge them, not CONDEMN them, but will help LOVE them into WHOLENESS.

We write people OFF too easily. Don’t judge them by the PRESENT. Before the apostle Paul was a follower of Christ, he was the biggest PERSECUTER of the church. WE would have thought he didn’t have a CHANCE of changing. Yet God told Ananias to go PRAY for Saul. Some of the people WE’RE tempted to write off are chosen VESSELS to do GREAT things. They need someone to BE there for them, to send them a text and tell them that they’re PRAYING for them, to invite them to LUNCH and tell them that they LOVE them–NOT to condemn them or try to straighten them OUT.

Today’s Scripture:

Acts 9:15, NIV

But the Lord said to Ananias, Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

AS A BELIEVER, YOU CAN NOT BE DEFEATED BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE FAVOR OF GOD

The king of Aram was so angry with the prophet Elisha that he sent an army to CAPTURE him. Elisha was only one MAN against an ARMY, but he knew how to pray BOLD prayers. He had seen God OPEN blind eyes, and now he prayed for the REVERSE. Not only were the soldiers struck BLIND, but Elisha led them into Samaria where the king of Israel captured THEM before their eyes were reopened.

When you know that God is WITH you, you’ll see God do AMAZING things. He can PROTECT you, GUIDE you, and make things happen that you could NEVER make happen. Don’t go around feeling weak, intimidated, and afraid of what you’re UP against. Just as with Elisha, you are so POWERFUL and full of FAVOR that even when the enemy does his best to defeat YOU, his best will NEVER be enough. You cannot be defeated because you have the FAVOR of God.

Today’s Scripture:

2 Kings 6:18, NIV

As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

OVER TIME, YOU’LL SEE HOW GOD CONNECTS THE DOTS…..

God doesn’t always take us in a straight LINE. We make our plans going from A to B to C. But SOMETIMES He’ll take you from A to B, then to R, then back to D, then to S. Sometimes it’s going to LOOK like you’re going BACKWARD. You have to TRUST Him when you don’t understand. You have to know that GOD makes the final DETERMINATION about your steps. If He ALLOWS a sickness or a loss, it’s because it’s NECESSARY to move you into your PURPOSE. The TEST is for you to stay in FAITH, BELIEVING that God IS still in control, that He’s working behind the SCENES, that what He started He will FINISH.

Some of the challenges you’re facing NOW don’t even have anything to DO with today; THEY’RE positioning you for something in your FUTURE. If you stay in faith when things don’t make SENSE over time you’re going to see how God connects the DOTS, how it was ALL a part of His plan, strategically orchestrated.

Today’s Scripture:

Proverbs 16:9, NLT

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

GOD IS NOT LIMITED BY WHAT’S LIMITING US….

In John 20, Jesus had just risen from the dead. One evening the disciples were huddled together in a room behind locked doors for FEAR of being arrested. They did everything they COULD to keep people out, but Jesus suddenly walked THROUGH the door. He didn’t UNLOCK it, OPEN it, or try to beat it DOWN. He just came THROUGH it. God was showing us that closed DOORS can’t keep us from what HE has for us.

A loved one may have shut the door in your RELATIONSHIP. How you were RAISED may have closed the door, seemingly putting you at a DISADVANTAGE. Forces of darkness may have LOCKED the door, trying to keep you ADDICTED. It’s been that way a LONG time. The door is locked with a DEADBOLT. The GOOD news is that God comes THROUGH doors. He’s NOT limited by what’s limiting US. We’re NATURAL; He is SUPERNATURAL. Closed doors can’t STOP you. God is going to walk RIGHT through it. He’s not going to let you miss your DESTINY.

Today’s Scripture:

John 20:19, NIV

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DON’T LET THE CIRCUMSTANCES FOOL YOU, WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SITE

In the Scripture, the life of a BELIEVER is compared to an EAGLE. It’s interesting that day after day, PARENT eagles sit on their eggs to keep them warm, UNMOVED by what’s not CHANGING. They never feel the baby eaglets KICK, and the eggs never grow any BIGGER. There’s NO sign of life. But on day thirty-five, SUDDENLY the eaglet starts pecking on the shell and is HATCHED.

While you’re waiting for a promise from GOD to happen, SOME things have to develop in the DARK in SECRET. God is bringing it all together in SECRET. You have to BELIEVE when there’s no sign on the outside that what’s INSIDE is really ALIVE. That promise God gave you, that EGG so to speak, is NOT going to move or GROW. You may not SEE any sign of life until SUDDENLY the egg cracks OPEN. God is saying, “Go SIT ON IT. It’s still ALIVE. Don’t let the circumstances FOOL you. Walk by FAITH and NOT by sight. Day thirty-five is COMING!”

Today’s Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

STOP BEING DISCOURAGED BY WHAT DIDN’T WORK OUT…..GOD HAS BIGGER THINGS IN STORE FOR YOUR FUTURE…

In Matthew 3, when Jesus came up out of the water after His baptism, God spoke from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved SON.” It was a GLORIOUS moment, signaling the beginning of His MINISTRY. You would think Jesus would immediately start TEACHING and HEALING, but instead He was led by the Spirit into the desert. If you had seen Jesus there, you could have THOUGHT it didn’t make sense. Why the SILENCE? Why ALONE in the desert?

There will be times when God takes you into a silent season, into things that you don’t understand–a door CLOSES, a person walks AWAY, a CONTRACT is lost. You could be down on yourself thinking, “What did I do WRONG, God? I was HONORING You.” How do you know that isn’t the Spirit LEADING you there? Quit being discouraged over what didn’t work out. Stay in FAITH. You’re in a time of TESTING. There’s something BIGGER that God has in your FUTURE. He’s LEADING you to the FULLNESS of what He has in store.

Today’s Scripture:

Matthew 4:1, NLT

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

DARE TO CALL IN WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU

In Numbers 13, all twelve of the spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land came back declaring that it was MORE amazing than they ever IMAGINED. God had ALREADY miraculously DELIVERED them out of SLAVERY, parted the Red SEA, and PROMISED them He was going to DEFEAT the enemies and give them the LAND. But ten spies invited FEAR into the Israelite camp, also DECLARING that they felt like GRASSHOPPERS compared to giants in the land. Before long that defeatist mentality spread and that generation of Israelites NEVER went into the Promised Land.

You may be facing big obstacles. You COULD shrink back and be INTIMIDATED. NO, you’re a child of the Most High GOD. Dare to call in what HE says about you. “Father, thank You that I am a VISTOR and not a victim. Thank You that You ALWAYS cause me to TRIUMPH. These obstacles are BIG, but I know YOU are in control. YOU are fighting my battles. Thank You that I’m coming into MY Promised Land.”

Today’s Scripture:

2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.