WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT II

 WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT II

THE GREATEST THING :

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” - (1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV)

Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by how long you’ve been a Christian, how much you know, or how often you go to church. Spiritual maturity is measured by the way you treat other people. It’s measured by the love you allow to operate in and through you.

1 Corinthians 13 gives us a picture of what love looks like. When we are walking in love, we treat other people with courtesy and respect. In other words, are you kind to the person at the checkout counter that may be moving too slowly? Are you gentle when you are driving down the highway and someone cuts you off? Are you patient with your family and coworkers? These are all characteristics of love. The Bible tells us that love is patient. It is kind. It does not envy; it is not proud. It is not rude. Love is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrong. Love never fails.

Notice that these characteristics don’t have anything to do with feelings. Love is a choice. You can choose to walk in love toward people even when you don’t feel like it! Today, look for ways to cultivate the greatest thing in your life — love! Let love grow in you because it is the sign of spiritual maturity and opens the door for God to operate in and through you.

ZECH 4:6      So he answered and said to me:" This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ' Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. 7 ' Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' "

THE LAND OF HOPE :

“...I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope...” - (Acts 2:26, Message)

Where have you pitched your tent today? In other words, what are you expecting to happen in your life this year? What kind of attitude do you have? If your thoughts are stuck and you’re focusing on what’s wrong or what’s not working, then it’s time to dig up your tent stakes! It’s time to pack up your belongings and move out of the land of discouragement. It’s time to move out of the “Not-going-to-happen” subdivision and move out of “Can’t-do-it-ville.” It’s time to pack your bags and move into the land of hope, faith and expectation!

Every time you catch a negative thought and choose to dwell on God’s promises, it’s like you are packing your bags. Every time you declare God’s faithfulness, you are taking a step in the right direction. The Bible says that those who hope in the Lord will never be put to shame. As you turn your focus toward Him, you are pitching your tent in the Land of Hope — a land where His peace, blessing and victory reign forever more.

THE WIND IS BLOWING :

“...‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” - (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

Are you struggling or striving to make something happen? Maybe you need a breakthrough in your finances or in a relationship. It’s good to do everything we know to do in the natural, but we have to always remember that victory doesn’t come by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the living God.

One translation says, “It’s by the breath of Almighty God.” When you know God is breathing in your direction and dare to take a leap of faith and say, “Yes, this is my time; I’m going to accomplish my dreams,” that’s when you will feel a wind beneath your wings. That’s when you’ll feel a supernatural lift, an anointing that will help you accomplish what you could not accomplish on your own.

Today, know that the wind of God is blowing. This is your season. This is your time to believe again. Believe that God can open doors that no man can shut. Believe that He is working behind the scenes in your favor. Believe that it’s your season, it’s your time and get ready to embrace every blessing He has in store for you!

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. —Genesis 12:2

Do you know why God wants to bless you today? God wants you blessed so that you can be a blessing! He wants you healthy and strong, as a testimony to those around you. He wants you to have more than enough so that you can be generous with those who are in need. Beloved, you are called to be a blessing! Amen!

NEED A CHANGE?

“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; and light will shine on your ways” - (Job 22:28, NASB)

We all have areas in our lives where we desire to see change; areas we know we need to come up higher or addictions and strongholds we need to break. The good news is that God has given us the power to change! Scripture says that we overcome by the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony. When we make our words line up with God’s Word, then what we declare will be established in our lives.

So often, we complicate life more than we need to. Our minds get busy trying to “figure” everything out. So many people spend more time analyzing their situation instead of applying God’s Word to their situation! But today, you can activate change in your life by taking five minutes to declare His Word. Don’t live in mediocrity any longer. Let God’s Word shine on your ways

BUT GOD...

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

Here are a few examples of verses that encourage me with the reminder of God’s righteous intervention in human affairs:

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to . . . save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20).

“Their beauty shall be consumed in the grave . . . . But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave” (Ps. 49:14-15).

“My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26).

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard . . . the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

Whenever you feel discouraged, look up some “but God” verses and be reassured of God’s involvement in the lives of those who love Him

Creator of the universe

Who reigns in awesome majesty:

How can it be that You’re involved

With such a one as me?

God’s involvement in our lives should reassure us of His love.

Don't look at the Storm:

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:30-31) 

"If there's any way the devil can get your eyes away from the Word, he'll do it. He'll cause trouble. He'll make the circumstances around you pitch and roll like a rowboat in a hurricane. He'll do anything he can to get you to concentrate on the realm of the physical senses and the situation around you instead of on the promise of God--because he knows that if he doesn't, you'll take that promise and beat his brains out with it. 

That's what he did to Peter. When Peter first jumped out of the boat that day in response to Jesus' word, what happened? He walked right across that water without a problem. His whole being was fastened on that word Jesus had spoken to him, "Come!" 

But when he took his eyes off that word, he started looking at the storm. He started looking at the impossible thing he was doing. After all, he was a fisherman. All his training and experience told him when the waves were that high, you were going under. He started to focus on what he knew in the natural instead of what Jesus said. When he did that, his faith slipped out of gear and he started to sink. 

Don't let that happen to you. Once you get a revelation from the Word of God, hang onto it. Don't focus on anything else. 

The devil will do everything he can to get you to turn loose of it. He'll stir up things around you. He'll try to get you into fear. He'll push every button he can from the past to get you back into your old way of thinking. 

But don't let go. Keep your eyes on the Word of God until it's more real inside you than anything else. If you do, you'll be able to walk your way across the water just fine. 

Scripture Study: Matthew 14:22-33

YOU HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING YET!

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” - (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV)

Today’s verse is really an encouragement for all of us to raise our level of expectancy! It’s like God is saying to us, “You think you’re blessed? You haven’t seen anything yet!” And I’m sure God has been good to you, but He also has things for your future that, if He told you right now, would boggle your mind. You wouldn’t even believe it.

If you would have told me twelve years ago while I was working behind the scenes at my parent’s church that one day I would be a minister in front of many people and have our services in the former Compaq Center where I used to watch the Rockets play basketball, I would have said, “You’ve totally lost your mind!” At the time, I could not even fathom that! Friend, that is how God wants to bless you in your future. He wants to overwhelm you with His goodness and with things so wonderful you can’t even fathom it!

Today, get ready for increase. Get prepared for promotion. This year is the year to step into blessings you can’t even imagine. Keep believing, keep obeying His Word and keep your heart and mind open to what He has for you because you haven’t seen anything yet!

God Is For You, Not Against You

    What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?    Romans 8:31

Are you faced with challenges in your life right now? Are you having marital problems and financial woes? Maybe your child is going astray or an old illness has returned. What then will you say to all these things?

Do you know what God wants you to say? He wants you to say, “If God is for me, who can be against me?”

If you knew that the President or the Prime Minister was for you, you might believe that everything will be okay. But you have an even better backing! The Bible tells us that God, the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is for you! What problem can fasten its grip on you when the Almighty God is for you? Can the devil come successfully against you with God on your side?

If God is for you today, if God is for you right now, you don’t have to moan, “If only I had this… If only I didn’t say that…” And you don’t have to worry about the future: “What if this happens… What if we don’t have enough…” My friend, regretting the past and worrying about the future won’t change anything. Look to your heavenly Father, instead. Because He is for you at this present moment, you can be confident that He will help you and provide for you.

Beloved, God sent His Son to die for you. And Jesus gave you a blood-bought right to an abundant life full of meaning and purpose! He gave you a blood-bought right to walk in divine health all the days of your life! He gave you a blood-bought right to prosperity even when the economy goes down!

You have all these things not because you deserve them, but because Jesus shed His blood and gave you the right to have them. All these blessings are yours today because God is for you! And if God is for you, who can be against you!

Thought For The Day

All blessings are yours today because God is for you!

HE GIVES YOU POWER :

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth...” - (Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJ)

God wants to do something great in and through you! He has promises and blessings in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet. The Scripture tells us that He gives us power to gain wealth. Wealth is simply having abundance. God wants you to live in abundance so that He can use you to be a blessing to others. When we are willing and obedient, we open the door to His promises. In other words, when we live in excellence and integrity, when we follow the Word of God, we will walk in His blessing. Like a tree planted by the water, your leaf will not wither because you are connected to an unlimited supply line.

Notice one more thing about this verse: it says that “He gives us the power to get wealth.” See, God gives us the ability. He gives us creative ideas and inventions, but we have to be diligent and do our part and step out and use what He’s given us. We have to sow seed in order to see the harvest that He has promised. Receive His power today and choose a life of integrity so that you can move forward into the abundant life He has prepared for you.

Beloved, financial success alone doesn’t equate to good success. One might have earned more money than he ever needs, but at the expense of his relationship with his spouse, and not being able to see his children grow up. Today, Jesus wants to give you good success where you not only have more than enough, but you’re also a blessing to those around you. Look to the blessing of Jesus that makes you rich and adds no sorrow!     

Take Charge Of Your Life

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). 

Words are powerful; they actually constitute the building blocks of our lives. Whether you know it or not, you built whatever life you’re living right now with your words. If for any reason, you’re dissatisfied with your present circumstances, you can take charge of your life and steer it away from where it is now to where you want it to be. The Bible tells us that the worlds were framed by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3). God gave form, beauty and order to the world through His spoken Word; He spoke creation into existence. Genesis 1:2 says, "…and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep….” This was the chaotic picture of the earth before God took charge and turned things around by His Spirit, through the spoken Word. He said, "let there be light: and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). He spoke forth light, to replace darkness. Likewise, as a child of God, you can take charge of the circumstances of your life and turn things around for your good. It doesn’t matter what condition you may be in right now; give the word and there’ll be a change. 

God gave us His Word as a tool with which to build our lives, and frame our world. You can create for yourself a victorious life of success, peace and prosperity through the Word of God in your mouth. The Psalmist describes the glorious life of the one who constantly talks or meditates on the Word: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3). 

Take charge of your life today and make it what you want it to be! Meditate and talk God’s Word concerning your health, success, victory and prosperity.

Anything is Possible!

“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you… nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:19-20).

When it comes to dealing with God, nothing is ever too late. This is something you must let soak deep into your mentality. Jesus said, “Nothing shall be impossible unto you.” That’s a profound sovereign declaration of Deity; an absolute statement of truth! So, if you’re there wondering, “Why couldn’t I get the money? Why couldn’t I get the job? Why couldn’t I get that promotion for which I prayed and fasted?” Jesus gives you the answer: it’s because of your unbelief! 

Someone may say, “We prayed that my uncle wouldn’t die; we even got a prophecy from God that he wouldn’t die but he still died. Oh God, why?” Stop asking why! The man died because of your unbelief, period! Check out the Lord Jesus: they sent a message to Him saying, “Master, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3) and He simply replied, “I’ll be there.” But He waited too long and the man died! He died so much that they buried him! Imagine what the situation would have been that day for Mary and Martha. They must have been confused because Jesus had never lied to anybody. He had said their brother’s sickness wasn’t unto death (John 11:3), but he died. “How could He have said He was coming and He didn’t show up? Now He said the man would not die and he died”, they must have questioned. But guess what? Four days after the man had been dead and buried, there came Jesus, and He did something most remarkable. He stood outside the entrance of that cave and called Lazarus like He would call any living person. He didn’t say anything about death. He didn’t say, “Arise from the dead!” He didn’t rebuke death; He just said, “Lazarus, come out!” And the guy that had been dead four days hopped out of the grave, still bound with grave-clothes. There you are, you’ve been praying about something you didn’t want to happen and it happened, and then you’re wondering, “Dear God, why?” It’s not too late! You can still do something about it; anything is possible. You’ve got to come to that point in your life where you believe the Words of Jesus that anything is possible.

SEE HIS GOODNESS :

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” - (Psalm 27:13, NIV)

David was going through a tough time when he made the declaration in today’s verse. Things weren’t going his way. But he said in effect, “I’m not worried. I’m not upset. I am confident I will see God’s goodness.” In other words, “This situation I’m in may be rough, but that’s not going to steal my vision. That’s not going to cause me to give up on my dreams. I am confident that this year, I will see God’s favor in a new way.”

That’s what our attitude needs to be today because what you focus on is what you will see. No matter what the medical report says, no matter what your finances look like, no matter how bad that relationship may seem, be confident that you will see His goodness! He is the all-powerful, omniscient, Creator of the universe, and He holds you in the palm of His hand. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Take hold of this truth by faith and focus on His goodness today. Allow His peace to settle in your heart and mind as you move forward in His blessing all the days of your life!

RECEIVE GRACE :

“It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations” - (Romans 1:5, AMP)

When you receive God’s grace in your life, you are receiving His favor. Not only is grace God’s favor, but it’s also His supernatural empowerment. God’s grace enables you to accomplish more and be more effective both in your own life and in building the kingdom of God. With grace and favor, you can make a difference in the lives of the people around you. You can “promote faith” by living a life of love.

Remember, God wants to empower you with His grace so that you can show love and encourage the people in your life — your coworkers, your family, your friends. How do you receive grace? By simply opening your heart and thanking Him for it. Thank Him for giving you His grace that empowers you. Then, begin to sow grace and favor into the lives of others. Those seeds will come back to you in a mighty harvest of grace in your future!

GET GOD’S WORD FOR IT:

Matthew 4:4 - …He [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

When the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus turned the Word of God on him, saying, “It is written… It is written… It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

Likewise, should the devil remind you of the pain in your body, say what God’s Word says: “It is written, ‘By His stripes I am healed!’” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24) And tell Daddy God, “I have Your Word for it and I am standing on Your Word. I am not trying to be healed. My healing has already happened. I don’t care what this body says. It has to line up with Your Word because by Jesus’ stripes I am healed!”

And if the devil says to you, “Look at the meager balance in your bank account. How are you going to pay your bills?” just say, “I am not trying to be rich. I am already rich and I have God’s Word for it. It is written, ‘My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:19) It doesn’t matter how much I have in the bank. God’s Word tells me that as the need arises, the supply will be there!”

When fear grips you, don’t say to yourself, “This fear is stupid. Come on, what are the chances of it happening to me?” Don’t try to rationalize or reason your fear away. Instead, speak God’s Word into the situation. Say, “It is written, ‘For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’” (2 Timothy 1:7) What if the fear returns? Speak God’s Word again. Say, “It is written, ‘For God has not given me a spirit of fear…’”

When the devil tries to deceive you, give him the Word of God. There is something about the Word of God that causes him not to want to hang around those who use it. It reminds him of Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), who rendered him powerless and of no effect when He said, “It is written

KEEP PADDLING UPSTREAM :

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. - Psalm 141:3

Do you really believe that you need to watch over your mouth? Most believers don't. You can tell that just by listening to their conversations. They profess, for example, to be trusting God concerning their health. But you're likely to hear them say something like this: "I'm just sure I'm going to get the flu. I get it every year. I'll be sicker than a dog too, you'll see...."

Do people like that have what they say?

Oh yes! Check with them a few weeks later and they'll be quick to tell you that they got just as sick as they said they'd be. But, odds are, if you try to tell them there's any connection between the words they spoke and the illness they suffered, they'll look at you as if you were out of your mind.

Of course, if they'd dig into the Word of God and find out what it has to say about the subject, they'd realize that the words they speak have a tremendous impact on their lives. They'd see that it quite literally determines their future. If you're a born-again believer, you've already experienced the most powerful example of that. You believed with your heart and confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you changed the eternal course of your life. You know firsthand just how powerful your words can be.

Yet, even so, if you're like me, you still find that speaking faith-filled words consistently is tough to do. I've been at it myself for many years now and, despite all the time I've spent on it and all the experiences I've had, it's still something I have to watch all the time.

You see, the world around you is in negative flow. Like a rushing river, it's always pulling at you, trying to get you to flow with it. Living by faith and speaking words of faith is like trying to paddle upstream. You can do it--but it's a great deal of work. And there's never a time you can afford to take a vacation from it. If you relax a little bit you'll just start drifting right back down the river.

Make the decision right now to set a watch over your lips. Determine to consistently fill your mouth with the Word of God. "Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings" (Prov. 4:20). Let God's Word be your watch and everything you say will take you a little further upstream!

BY JESUS’ STRIPES YOU ARE HEALED :

…The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5

You know, one of the biggest outcries against Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion Of The Christ, was that it was too violent, especially the part where Jesus was scourged.

Let me tell you this: It was not violent enough! The Bible says that at the cross, Jesus’ visage was marred beyond that of any man. (Isaiah 52:14) In the movie, even after all the beatings, the actor James Caviezel, who played Jesus, still looked quite handsome.

But the reality is that when Jesus hung on the cross, He had “no form or comeliness… there is no beauty that we should desire Him”. (Isaiah 53:2) He was beaten to a pulp until His face looked like jelly hanging out!

In the movie, when they scourged Him, only a small portion of His bones was exposed, so it was still quite tidy. But the messianic psalms say, “The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long” (Psalm 129:3), and “I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me”. (Psalm 22:17) All His bones were exposed!

My friend, He was thinking of you when the soldiers tied Him to the scourging post. As they raised their whips, He said, “Let it all come on Me!”

But what came on Him was not just the whip stripping the flesh off His bare back, but your sicknesses and diseases. Each time He was whipped, every form of sickness and disease, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, bird flu and dengue fever, came upon Him. “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Today, healing is your right because Jesus has paid the price for your healing. So if the devil says, “You cannot be healed,” just declare, “Jesus has paid for my healing. Disease has no right to be in my body. I am healed in Jesus’ name!”

Every curse of sickness that was supposed to fall on you fell on Jesus instead. He bore every one of those stripes, so that you can walk in divine health all the days of your life. The price has been paid so that you can rise up and get out of your bed of affliction!

Thought For The Day:

Healing is your right because Jesus has paid the price for your healing

THE GOD OF COMFORT :

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you...” (Isaiah 66:13, NIV)

Oftentimes, when people face challenges, they seek comfort by surrounding themselves with things that are familiar. It may be work, a sport or hobby; it may be relationships; or of course, we all know about comfort food. But those things are only temporary, and they can only bring temporary comfort. True, lasting comfort is available, and it’s only found in a personal relationship with God, the Father through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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. Make the decision to put Him first in every area of your life. Let go of those things you know are holding you back. Let Him be Lord over all! As you surrender to His grace, you will be filled with His peace and joy. You’ll be empowered to overcome every obstacle, and you will live in victory all the days of your life.

How to Walk in God’s Ways, not Peers’ Ways

Here is a simple process recommended by God Himself for walking in His ways and enjoying “high victory”, which is a blessed state of child like trust that our heavenly Father is really in full control of our lives and affairs, assuring success in these things while being free of struggles, stresses, strains and disasters brought about as by foolish advice from our peers.

Wrap everything we encounter in praise and turn it over to Jesus as joint heirs with Him of all that results. God lives in the praises of His people (Psalm 22: 3) and He becomes the focus in what we encounter instead of something else. 

Refuse to be impressed by appearances. We must keep our laser like focus on God instead of how stressful something seems to our natural senses. 

Trust Jesus next for guiding out paths (Proverbs 3: 5 – 6) 

Form the habit of thanking and praising God in everything, in spite of, or on account of whatever is going on (1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18, Ephesians 5: 20, Hebrews 13: 15). 

Learn to listen to God. Make it a habit of saying, “Speak, Lord. I’m listening for further instructions.” But first be sure you’ve carried out the last instructions He gave you. 

Don’t ask anyone else’s opinion about the guidance God gives you. Wait for confirmation from another source if you are in doubt. 

Stop doubting that God really did speak to you. 

When God’s guidance comes, act immediately, praising Him for results (even before they come). 

When doubt enters, tell Him, “I’m going into action, Lord. If I’m on a second – best course of action, it’s up to you to block me. But if I’m on the right road, open all doors and benefit everyone concerned.” 

Use this good prayer when you can: “Lord, make me as holy as You can make a sinner saved by grace.”

Following these steps will result in high victory for us!

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that has overcome the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? – 1 John 5: 4 – 5

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Galatians 2: 20

SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING :

“The earth was formless and empty...and God said, ‘Let there be light’ ” - (Genesis 1:2–3, NIV)

Are you believing God for something today that seems impossible? We serve a great and mighty God, and He can create something out of nothing! He can make a way where there seems to be no way! He can create whatever is needed in your life.

Genesis tells us that in the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. But before He spoke the world into existence, it was formless and empty. If God can make the world out of nothing, He can take the empty places in your life and create something beautiful, too! He can speak light into your darkest hour. He can take your formless dreams and give them shape. He can resurrect your dormant gifts and talents! He can make your crooked places straight!

Remember, you are created in the image of Almighty God. There’s power in your words and power when you’re in agreement with Him. Only say what God says about your situation. Speak life to your broken dreams today. Stay in an attitude of faith and expectancy, and as you do, God will take you places that you’ve never dreamed. He’ll make something beautiful out of every broken place in your life!

IN A MOMENT'S NOTICE EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!

So often we miss out on God’s best because we give up too soon.

We don’t realize how close we are to our victory. Just another few days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, or another few months of staying in faith is all you may need to see His promises come to pass.

Today, I want to speak by faith over you. Your breakthrough is right around the corner!

You might say, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it. Things seem to be getting worse instead of better.” You might be tempted to think, I’m never going to find my spouse, or I’m never going to get that promotion, or I’m never going to break this addiction.

But you can, because the truth is your Heavenly Father is closer than you think.

I have found that the intensity gets turned up when victory is near. The enemy would not be fighting so hard if he didn’t already know he was about to lose his grip on you.

When those negative thoughts come that would discourage you, just remind yourself that you are a child of the Most High God. Let your words be, “I am an overcomer. I am the head and not the tail. I am a victor and not a victim.”

Scripture is full of people who were closer than they thought...

· David faced impossible odds against Goliath, but he was moments away from victory (1 Samuel 17).

· Elijah was surrounded by 400 false prophets, but the power of God was about to be revealed for everyone to see (1 Kings 18).

· Joseph was forgotten and left in prison, but he was just a dream away from his royal position (Genesis 39–40).

Can you imagine if David dropped his slingshot and ran? What if Elijah had backed down? What if Joseph had stopped dreaming?

They didn’t give up, and God gave them victory!

These stories reveal that it is often the darkest right before the dawn.

Perhaps today you are facing impossible odds. Maybe you feel surrounded, maybe you feel forgotten. The good news for you is that our God can act suddenly in your situation. In a moment’s notice, everything can change for the better!

I believe and declare that God is going to open doors on your behalf. Your faith will be rewarded. Your dawn is almost here. He will put you in the right position to win. He is going to give you inside information. He will do the impossible in your life. Get ready!

FREE FOR ALL :

“...God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34–35, NIV)

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom — and God’s freedom is free for everyone! It doesn’t matter what your nationality or heritage is, or who your family is. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have; God wants you free from everything that would hold you back from your relationship with Him!

God wants to pour out His abundant blessing on all who honor Him and choose His ways. In fact, it says in Galatians that in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek or even male or female. That means God’s not judging you based on physical conditions. He’s looking at your heart. He’s looking at the gifts He’s placed inside of you.

Don’t let the enemy lie to you and tell you that God is blessing everyone else but you. Look for the ways He is pouring out blessing in your life. Thank Him for His acceptance, love and freedom. Focus on honoring Him and doing what is right. Receive His favor and blessing because it is a gift that is free for all!

MAKE THE LORD YOUR TRUST :

“Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust...” (Psalm 40:4, NKJV)

Did you know that trusting in the Lord is a decision we make just like we choose anything else in life? You chose what you are wearing today, you probably chose what you would have for breakfast, and you can choose to trust God every day, too! When you choose to trust God, there is peace that settles in your heart. There is joy because you know the outcome, and there is blessing in store for you because your hope is sure.

No matter what you are facing in life today, trust that Almighty God will come through for you. Trust that His Word is always true. In Psalm 32, David calls God his “hiding place.” In other words, when you place your trust in God, you can find refuge in Him. You are actually hidden from the enemy when you choose to trust.

Always remember, when circumstances seem overwhelming, don’t look at what’s happening around you; look to God. He is the author and finisher of your faith. Choose to trust that He is the one who is ordering your steps. Find security in knowing that He is making your crooked places straight and your rough places smooth. Trust in Him and live in the blessing and everlasting life He has prepared for you!

FREE FROM SHAME :

“Let my heart be sound (sincere and wholehearted and blameless) in Your statutes, that I may not be put to shame” (Psalm 119:80 AMP)

Did you know the Word of God will protect you from shame and embarrassment? God’s laws, or statutes, were established for your good. God sent His Word to guide and protect you. When you follow His commands, you can be sure that you are making clear, sound choices. You can have confidence knowing that you are making the very best decisions.

When negative, accusing thoughts come, you have to know that those are not from God. They are from the enemy. In fact, the Bible calls him the “accuser of the brethren.” That means he’s trying to make you feel guilty, shameful and condemned. He’s trying to make you second guess yourself. But remember, the enemy is already defeated! Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you are free from shame! The enemy has no legal power over you unless you open a spiritual door to him. Keep the doors closed by submitting yourself to God and His Word. Ask the Lord to give you a whole and blameless heart to follow His commands. As you do, you will walk in His protection and guidance and live free from shame today and all the days of your life!

BOLD AS A LION :

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1, NKJV)

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are called to live a bold, confident and overcoming life. You don’t have to live under a burden of fear. You don’t have to live with anxiety. Because of Jesus, fear, worry and uncertainty are beneath you. When you rise up in faith knowing that God is with you and for you, all doubt and fear has to leave your life.

Notice that today’s scripture says that the righteous are as bold as a lion. Righteousness is God’s way of doing things. When you do things His way, when you are submitted to His plan for your life, He promises success. It may not always be the way we had in mind, but ultimately, His plan is to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future!

Today, if you’ve been feeling anxious or fearful, begin to declare God’s truth over your life which will set you free! Declare that you are righteous in Christ Jesus! Declare that you are more than a conqueror! Declare that you are as bold as a lion because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Many marriages, homes, and churches have been divided because of offense. Sadly, this cycle continues because the offended person rarely realizes that they are the problem. 

Jesus said in Matthew 18:7 that offenses will come. The issue is not whether or not offenses will come, but how we handle them. To hold on to an offense brings unforgiveness, pain, division, and destruction. Releasing the offense and "letting it go" will bring peace and unity. God's plan for the believer is to live offense-free. 

God Is Your Help

“Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20). 

One of the greatest discoveries you can ever make in your life is to recognize that God is your help. When this truth dawns on you, you’ll never be frustrated, irrespective of how terrible the situation around you is. Man’s help may be inadequate or short-lived, but God is able to do exceeding abundantly above what you ask or desire (Ephesians 3:20). And His help will surely stand the test of time. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” In other words, no matter what your efforts are, they are in vain without the Lord. There is nothing you or anyone can do without the Lord. In fact, Jesus said, “...without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The reason many don’t experience God’s help in their lives as they should is that they are overwhelmed easily by their challenges. Moreover, their focus is on the help they seek from men. “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus asked the paralytic by the pool of Bethesda. Instead of saying, “Yes! I want to be healed,” he began to complain about his condition and how there was no one to help him into the pool every time the angel stirred the water. He almost missed his miracle right there because he had become overwhelmed by his situation and his focus was on man’s help (John 5:1-9). Don’t let the problem you’re facing becloud your vision of a better, prosperous, healthier and fulfilling life. Let God touch your life with His power and glory. There’s nothing you cannot do through the power of God that is working in your life. The Holy Spirit has been sent by God the Father to help you. He is your Helper, Strengthener, Counsellor, Guide, Instructor, and Teacher. He alone has lifting power, healing power, helping power or any other power you require in your life today. That power is going to work on your behalf today.

F U RT H E R S T U DY : 2 C H R O N I C L E S 32:7-8; P S A L M 124:8

Jesus Took Your Place So That You Can Take His

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46

Do you know that it was at the cross that Jesus addressed His Father as “God” for the first time? He had always addressed His Father as “Father”. But at Calvary’s tree, He addressed His Father as “God”.

Jesus lost that Father-Son relationship when He was representing you and carrying your sins at the cross so that today, you can call God “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15) and have a loving father-son relationship with God forever. Jesus was forsaken by God and His world became very dark on that lonely hill so that in your darkest hour, God will always say to you, “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” (Hebrews 13:5)

At the time when Jesus needed God most, God turned His back on Him. God had to turn His back on His Son because His eyes are too holy to behold all the sin that was in His Son’s body. And because God turned His back on Jesus, He will never turn His back on you. Instead, you will see God’s face of favor shining on you all the time!

Jesus also took your place of no protection at the cross. For the first time, He gave up divine protection so that you can have it every day of your life! And because He became sin, He took your curse at the cross so that today, as you take His gift of righteousness, you receive only blessings from God.

Jesus received the full brunt of God’s wrath in His body once and for all when He carried your sins. All of God’s anger and condemnation fell on Him, consuming all your sins until God’s wrath was exhausted.

Today, God is not angry with you. The body of Jesus absorbed everything — your sins, curses, and God’s anger and condemnation. So live life expecting to see not the judgment, but the goodness and blessings of God!

Thought For The Day

Today, live life expecting to see not the judgment, but the goodness and blessings of God.

Dearly beloved, our Heavenly Father is gracious. He will bless us beyond our expectations.

The Bible states, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

When we cling on to God who is a strong tower, He will protect us from all afflictions, troubles and sorrows. He will also supply all our needs and bless us. Nothing will harm us in this world. God will also help us to lead prosperous lives. When we trust in His name, He will shower His blessings upon us.

Lord Jesus Himself has promised, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:14). He is such a loving God.

The Bible says, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15). According to the above mentioned promise, God has given us the authority to ask Him for anything. Hence, we can boldly go to His presence and ask Him all that we need.

God has given us the authority to call Him, “Abba, Father.” When we cry out to Him everyday saying, “Father God, if You really love me, please help me. Grant me the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit. I have lost the love of my dear ones. Please shower Your love upon me,” He will richly provide everything for our enjoyment (I Timothy 6:17).

Dear friends, we need not worry over our needs. It is God’s desire that we must receive His richest blessings in life. He wants to grant us the joy of His Holy Spirit and fill us with heavenly joy. Therefore, let us trust in His precious name and receive His abundant blessings.

DIVINE HEALING

There is not ONE story in the NT, where a Christian was sick or diseased and never received their healing! Jesus said to go out and cast out demons, heal the sick, etc. (Matthew 10:8), so when Peter and John came up to a man whom was lame, they said "raise and walk in Jesus' name!" (Acts 3:6). Why would they do such a thing unless they KNEW it was God's will to heal that person? That would be embarrassing to walk up to him, and try to heal him and nothing happens! Did they say, "Lord, if it is thy will, heal this man."? No! They spoke out the word, and the man was healed! Just like Jesus instructed them to do! Jesus hasn't changed either! Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

Luke 13:24-25

24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

Don’t Look To Your Faith, Look To Jesus

    looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…    Hebrews 12:2

If you are sick, you must know that you are already healed because of the finished work of Christ. Don’t ask, “Do I have enough faith to be healed? Do I have the right kind of faith to be healed? What if I am lacking in faith?” You are focusing on yourself and your faith, instead of Christ and His finished work.

You should be asking, “Did Jesus take away this sickness? If He did, then He must have done a perfect work.” In other words, fix your eyes on Jesus and His perfect work.

AB Simpson, who lived in the 19th century, wrote an article entitled Himself. In it, he mentioned his exhausted nervous system, and broken-down heart which could have proved fatal any time. So he sought the Lord for healing. God showed him Matthew 8:17, which says that Jesus “Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”.

AB Simpson said that though he believed that Jesus had borne away his sicknesses, he saw many hindrances which stood between him and his healing. And they all boiled down to one thing — his preoccupation with his faith! He had believed that if only he had the “right” kind of faith, he would receive his healing instantly.

He eventually came to the realization that he had to remove that last hindrance — his focus on his faith — and just rest in the finished work of Christ. That revelation marked his complete recovery from his sicknesses.

When you ask yourself, “Do I have enough faith?” you have already put faith as a hindrance between you and Jesus’ finished work. The more you focus on your faith, the more faith slips away. But if you focus on the finished work of Christ and see God’s grace toward you, God sees that as faith! Without realizing it, faith is there in your heart to believe that you will not die of what Christ Himself has already borne away completely for you, and you will see your miracle manifest!

Thought For The Day

Fix your eyes on Jesus and His perfect work.

God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29). He says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). As mentioned in the above promise of God, God Himself will help you.

The Bible says, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). According to the above mentioned Scripture verse, those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. So cling to Him firmly.

When you face problems in your life, just like Esther seek the face of God. Get into your private room, fast and pray for God to perform a miracle for you. Just like Hannah, the mother of Prophet Samuel, pour your heart at the feet of God (I Samuel 1:15). Tell the Lord, “Lord, You are my only way. Please deliver me from this difficult situation.”

Isaiah 40:31 states, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Accordingly, through prayer you must cling on to God. Pray continuously, receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit and get filled with the strength given by God. Then you will not have any fear.

When you wait at the feet of God with great belief, the Lord will certainly grant you His wisdom and guide you just as He did for Esther. The Scripture says, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). Prayer is the only way to gain victory over all your problems, however big they may be. As we read in Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord will answer your prayer and show you great and unsearchable things which you do not know.

HE GIVES STRENGTH :

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” – (Isaiah 40:29, NIV)

Oftentimes, when we are facing a difficulty, it’s easy to become weary in our minds and emotions. Trying to figure it all out in our own strength can be exhausting. But we weren’t meant to try to figure everything out, we were meant to trust. We were meant to call on Him and let Him be the hero of our story!

The Bible says in Isaiah that when you cry to God for help, as soon as He hears, He will answer you! He will give you strength when you are weary and increase your power when you feel weak. No matter what is going on in your life today, God is greater than any obstacle or difficulty you may be facing. Do you need strength to overcome a challenge in your life? Do you need power to stand strong in the midst of a storm? Call on Him and He will hear you. Open your heart, and by faith, receive His strength and might. Let Him empower you to live in victory and overcome all the days of your life!

YOU HAVE THE ADVANTAGE :

“...His favor is for a lifetime...” - (Psalm 30:5, AMP)

One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone has wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator, and it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”

I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way! God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you.

TROUBLED TIMES :

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33

If you’ve never heard of Murphy’s Law, you’ve probably experienced it: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”

Murphy’s maxim reminds me of the principle Jesus shared with His disciples when He told them, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). In other words, we can count on it—sooner or later we will hit troubled times. It’s not the way God originally intended life to be, but when the human race first succumbed to Satan’s seduction in the garden, everything on this planet fell into the grip of sin. And the result has been disorder and dysfunction ever since.

The reality of trouble in life is obvious. It’s the reality of peace that often eludes us. Interestingly, when Jesus warned His followers about trouble, in the same breath He also promised peace. He even told them to “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (v.33). The word overcome indicates a past event that has a continuing effect. Not only did Jesus conquer the fallen world through His death and resurrection, but He continues to provide victory, no matter how much trouble we may face.

So, although we can expect some trouble in this fallen world, the good news is that we can count on Jesus for peace in troubled times.

Dear Lord, thank You for always being with us. We ask that when troubles invariably come, You would renew in us once again the blessed peace of Your presence. Amen.

In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.

LET IT FLOW :

Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. - John 4:14

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance. Powerful forces the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. They're the character traits of God Himself and when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you, He brought them with Him, so they could become your character traits too.

They're designed to bubble up inside you, to gush forth like a powerful stream constantly protecting and cleansing you from the inside out.

Have you ever noticed that you can't put any trash in the mouth of a flowing fountain? When it's shooting that water up, the force of its own outflow protects it and keeps it clear of any impurities from the outside. Well, the spiritual fountain within you works the same way. When you're allowing the forces of love and joy and peace and gentleness and all the others to flow out, the devil can't get any of his junk in.

How do you keep the Spirit flowing? You pump your heart so full of the Word of God that the forces of eternal life start bubbling out. Just a little at first...and then stronger and higher.

Choose to keep those forces streaming out of the fountain of your heart. Refuse to let selfishness and sin stop the flow. You have a fountain filled with unbeatable LIFE forces inside you and it's ready to come forth. Let it flow!

GOD WANTS YOU FREE FROM WORRIES :

    Matthew 6:25 - “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

    Is your heart full of worries about your health, finances, family or future? Even when all is well, some people still worry because they have heard others say, “You should worry when everything is peaceful because something is wrong when the devil leaves you alone.” So they worry even when there is nothing to worry about!

    But Jesus does not want you to worry about what you will eat or drink, or about your body and what you will put on your back. He tells you not to worry about your daily provisions because God, who is your heavenly Father, knows that you need all these things and He wants to add these things to you. (Matthew 6:32–33)

    God is the same God who took care of the children of Israel in the wilderness, feeding them with manna every day for 40 years! (Exodus 16) Under His care, His people had no lack. When the people wanted meat for dinner, He simply rained quails on them. (Numbers 11:31–32) The children of Israel only had to pick them up. If they had gone to look for meat themselves, they probably would not have found any in the desert.

    The problem with us today is that we think that we must do something to help ourselves. Some of us may even think that it is easy for Jesus to say, “Don’t worry. Take no thought for your life,” because He does not understand the problems we face in life.

    But the truth is that Jesus understands the problems we face in life. In fact, He faced what I would call the “final problem” — death. Death is the “final problem” because it puts an end to all our other problems. Jesus faced death at the cross, conquered it and rose from the dead. And because He conquered the problem of problems, we can trust Him when He tells us not to worry!

PRAYING BOLD PRAYERS :

Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you’ ” (Matthew 9:29, NIV)

A recent study showed that 90% of people believe in the power of prayer. People typically pray over their food, their kids, or they ask God for wisdom, strength and health. But oftentimes, people pray what I call “get by” prayers. They pray, “God, help me get by this year. God, help me endure this sickness. God, keep my child out of trouble.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t limit what God can do. If you ask small, you’re going to receive small. But when you learn the Word, your faith grows, your confidence grows, and you’ll learn to pray bold prayers that honor God!

Instead of praying, “God, help me pay my bills,” pray, “God, help me pay my bills and have plenty left over so I can be a blessing to someone else.” Instead of praying, “God, keep my child out of trouble,” pray, “God, let my child become a leader and fulfill his destiny.” Instead of praying, “God, help me endure this sickness,” pray a bold prayer, “Father, I want to thank You that I’m coming through this sickness better off than I was before!” As you continue studying His Word, your faith will grow. You will know Him more, and you’ll be empowered by your union with Him to pray bold prayers and see those prayers come to pass!

LET YOUR HEART BE ESTABLISHED BY GRACE :

…it is good that the heart be established by grace… - Hebrews 13:9

God does not want your heart full of worries and fears, tossed and turned by every challenge that comes your way. He wants your heart at rest and established by His grace toward you.

But when you think that the breakthroughs to your challenges depend on your ability to obey God, then your heart will not be at rest. It will be full of worries and anxieties. Why? Because you can never obey God perfectly.

But when you depend on God’s grace, that is, His undeserved, unmerited favor, the opposite happens — your heart becomes established. When you know that the only thing that qualifies you to receive God’s blessings is faith in the finished work of Christ, your heart becomes established. Then, you will walk without the fear of your troubles swallowing you up. You will walk with full assurance that His blessings will be manifested in your life.

My friend, God wants your heart established, knowing that His righteousness, healing, protection and prosperity are yours — all paid for by Jesus’ finished work at the cross. God’s blessings are sure in your life because they are not dependent on your ability to keep His laws, but Jesus’ perfect obedience.

You see, under the old covenant, you receive God’s blessings only if you keep all His laws. (Deuteronomy 28:1–2) If you sin and fail to keep even one law, you will be disqualified from receiving His blessings. But today, under the new cov¬enant, your sins no longer disqualify you because God Himself has said, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

So let your heart be established by God’s grace. Because of His grace, you have full access to His blessings. You no longer have to worry about whether you are good enough. You can stand firm on the promises made in His Word and enjoy His blessings today because Jesus has paid the price. Your part is only to believe and receive!

Thought For The Day:

The Battle Is The Lord’s

    …Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.    2 Chronicles 20:15

When faced with a problem or challenge, we tend to ask ourselves, “What am I going to do?” And well-meaning family members and friends will come along and ask, “What are you going to do?”

Jehoshaphat faced a multitude of enemies. But instead of focusing on what he would do, he prayed, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

When we turn our eyes to God, we will hear Him say, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord…” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17)

But standing still is the last thing we want to do when the enemy is coming against us. It is also the most difficult thing to do because we feel that we cannot just stand around and do nothing — we must try to save the situation. But God wants us to stand still and see Jesus our salvation fight for us.

So what do you do the next time you are faced with a battle and don’t know what to do? Jehoshaphat sent his singers to the front of the army to proclaim, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21) Some people will wonder, “Does that mean that I just sing and don’t do anything else when I have a problem?” No, that is not what I am saying.

Do what the situation requires, but don’t worry and don’t trust in what you do. Like Jehoshaphat, rest and trust in His mercy that endures forever. When you do that, God will turn your battlefield into the Valley of Berachah. Berachah means “blessings”. The children of Israel gave the battlefield this name because it took them three days to gather all the spoils of war! God turned their situation into a great blessing! (2 Chronicles 20:25–26)

Do you have a battle to fight? Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!

Thought For The Day

God wants us to stand still and see Jesus our salvation fight for us.

A PLACE OF ABUNDANCE :

"…We went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance" - (Psalm 66:12 NIV).

Everyone has times in life when they feel like they are going through the fire, so to speak, or they feel overwhelmed with everyday life. If that's you today, understand that God is going to bring you through those challenges. He's going to bring you through the fire and the flood into a place of abundance and victory! We serve a God of more than enough, and His desire is to always make sure you have whatever you need to be successful and victorious in every area of your life.

Remember, John 10 says that Jesus came so that we can have life—abundant life! He wants you to have an abundance of resources, an abundance of wisdom, an abundance of peace—everything you need. Open your heart and thank Him for His goodness. Begin to receive His promises by faith. Let your praise open the door for Him to move on your behalf so He can take you to a place of abundance in every area of your life!

HE WILL DELIVER YOU :

"Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me" - (Psalm 50:15, AMP).

Are you facing trouble in any area of your life today? God is standing ready to deliver you. He promises in His Word that He is near to all those who call upon His name. No matter what you may be going through, have confidence knowing that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. He promises to deliver you!

Notice that today's verse tells us that our part is to honor and glorify Him. In other words, you don't have to wait until everything is perfect to give Him praise. You can give Him honor and glory right now. You can thank Him for all He's done in your life so far and what He will do in your future.

Call on Him today and focus on having an attitude of faith and expectancy. Speak His Word and declare His promises over your life. Trust in Him because He will take you places you've never dreamed. As you praise Him, He'll deliver you and take you higher and higher into the good life He has prepared for you!

NOTHING WASTED :

"After everyone was full, Jesus told His disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted" - (John 6:12, NLT).

The Bible tells of a time when Jesus fed a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves and two fish. That day, everyone had more than enough to eat, and there were still twelve baskets full of bread and fish leftover—more than what they started with! We serve a God of abundance! I love that Jesus told the disciples to collect all the leftovers "so that nothing is wasted." With God, nothing is ever wasted. He'll never waste an experience, He'll never waste a hurt, He'll never waste a dream, He'll never waste even a single piece of bread.

If you've felt like you've wasted years of your life in the wrong job, hanging around the wrong people, doing the wrong things, God will gather those years and restore them back to you. He'll take those experiences that the enemy meant for your harm and turn them around for your good. He'll make you stronger, wiser and better off than you were before. He can launch you further into your destiny than before. Be encouraged today because with God all things are possible and nothing is ever wasted!

SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING :

“The earth was formless and empty...and God said, Let there be light” - (Genesis 1:2–3, NIV)

Do you need a miracle in your life for something that seems impossible? With man it may be, but we serve the all-powerful God, and He can create something out of nothing! He can make a way when there seems to be no way and open doors that seemed closed forever!

Genesis tells us that in the beginning, God created the heavens and earth, but before He spoke the world into existence, it was formless and void. If God can make the world out of nothing, He can take the empty places in your life and create something beautiful, too! He can speak light into your darkest hour. He can take your formless dreams and give them shape. He can resurrect your dormant gifts and talents! He can make your crooked places straight!

Remember, you are created in the image of almighty God. There’s power in your words, and there’s power when you’re in agreement with Him. Start saying what God says about your situation. Speak life to your broken dreams today. Speak hope into the hopeless places. Keep an attitude of faith and expectancy because He will turn things around for you and create something out of nothing!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :

Lord, release Your fire and burn up the works of darkness. We demand healing from Your anointing to flow in this place...all be healed, saved, delivered, and manifest in our lives more than ever. We are more than conquerers and overcomers thru Your Spirit. Invade and transform us. Be glorified Lord. Praising and giving thanks for blessings on our lives and anointing to overtake us in all we do. As children of Light we imitate our heavenly Father. Jesus name Amen.

COURAGE COMES FROM FAITH :

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. - Joshua 1:9

Courage comes from trusting God. It can't be mentally drummed up. It comes from believing what God says regardless of what the circumstances look like. Courage comes from faith!

Where does discouragement come from? From fear and unbelief. It comes when you listen to the devil's lies about what God is not going to do for you.

As the people of God, you and I must shake off discouragement and rise up with courage! We must quit looking at our own abilities and failures and limitations and start looking to God. We must rise up in the Name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit and establish the kingdom of heaven upon earth.

If you've been discouraged lately, stop listening to Satan's lies. Stop receiving evil reports. Whenever someone tells you God is not going to deliver you, just tell them, "He's already delivered me in the Name of Jesus."

Once you begin to realize who you are and what you've been given by the power of God, you'll quit letting the devil run all over you. God didn't suggest that you be strong and courageous. That is His command!

NO DENIAL OF DEITY :

John 10:34 "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"

    Some people have tried to interpret this scripture to say that Jesus was disclaiming deity by associating Himself with the gods spoken of in Psalm 82:6. However, Jesus is not saying that He is a god only in the sense that the scriptures, spoke of men with divine authority as gods (Ex. 4:16; 7:1; 22:28; Ps. 82:1). In the verses before this, Jesus proclaimed His oneness with the Father and in His statements after this, He says that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father, making clear His claim to deity. Also, the Jews were not pacified by His answer, but they tried again to stone Him. If they would have understood His statements to mean that He was not proclaiming His deity, they would have left Him alone.

    The comparison that Jesus is making is between the scriptures clearly stating that the Christ was God (Isa. 9:6) and the scriptures saying that rulers were gods (this refers to having divine authority - not deity). Jesus accepted their position and authority, because of the infallibility of the scriptures, and they should have done the same with Him. The scriptures prophesied His coming and the works that He would accomplish; and He fulfilled these prophecies as no one else could. His works proved He was the Messiah prophesied through scripture.

    Jesus had already manifested supernatural power by His ability to walk through the midst of those who were trying to kill him and He eventually does the same thing here. But first, He refers back to Psalm 82:6. In this passage, God was speaking to the rulers of His covenant people, the Jews, and He called them gods. Jesus was saying, "If those in authority were called gods, how can you fault me for claiming to be the Son of God when I have fulfilled so many scriptures?"

HE ANSWERS YOU :

    “I will answer them before they even call to Me...” - (Isaiah 65:24, NLT)

    Have you ever thought about something you wanted or needed, and suddenly that need was supplied even before you had time to stop and pray? God knows your needs before you even speak them. He wants to provide for you and answer the very desires of your heart. Don’t ever think God is too busy to answer you. Don’t ever think your needs are too small or that you don’t matter. The truth is that He cares about everything that concerns you, and He loves to hear you call upon His name! When you put Him first in everything you do, when you faithfully follow His commands, He’ll pour out an extra portion of His goodness and favor upon you!

    Remember, you are very special to God, and He hears you and answers you. It may not be in your timing or in the way you expected, but know that He always has your best interest at heart. He is working things out for your good, and He will always answer — sometimes before you even call!

    HE IS STRONG IN YOU :

    “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness...” - (Romans 8:26, NLT)

    Sometimes, people get distracted by what they consider to be a disadvantage or weakness in their lives. It may be something about their personality or looks that they don’t like. Or maybe they’ve been through an unfair situation: a divorce, a bad business deal or a bad break. We all have things that can feel like disadvantages; things that make it harder on us. It may even be a physical handicap, and you can’t get around like you used to. But just because you have a “disadvantage,” just because you’ve been through a tough time doesn’t mean you’re supposed to sit back and settle where you are. God still has something great for you to do! He wants to show Himself strong in and through you, and He’s given you His Holy Spirit to equip you in this life.

    Today let the Holy Spirit help you when you feel weak. Let Him empower you with truth that will set you free. Stay in faith and don’t get negative toward yourself or your future. Let God take what you think is a liability and turn it into an asset! Let Him take what you think is a disadvantage and turn it around to be an advantage! Remember, you are more than a conqueror today and every day because He is strong in you!

    THE LORD IS WITH YOU :

    “This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” - (Joshua 1:9, NLT)

    No matter what today has in store, as a believer in Jesus, you can approach the day with boldness and confidence. Why? Because the Lord is with you, and in Him is everything you need in this life. That means that if you need provision for something today, provision is with you. If you need wisdom today, wisdom is with you. If you need strength, joy or peace today, it’s with you. You can be confident today knowing that all of your needs are supplied spiritually, physically and emotionally because the Lord is with you. And best of all, He’s promised never to leave you! Isn’t it good to know that you will always have whatever you need any time you need it!

    Today, don’t let lies from the enemy or pressure from the world keep you from taking hold of everything the Lord has for you. Open your heart by faith and receive whatever it is that you need today. Just begin to thank Him for His provision in your life and move forward in confidence and strength knowing that the Lord is with you!

    GOD IS FOR YOU :

    “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” - Romans 8:31, NLT)

    There are many misconceptions about God in the world today. Some people think He’s mad at them, and other’s think He’s keeping a list of all their wrongs. But that isn’t what scripture tells us. Scripture tells us that God is gracious, patient and loving; that He is forgiving and doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve. Scripture tells us that God is for us, and if God is for us, who can be against us?

    Think about that for a moment. The same God who created the heavens and earth, the one who spoke the universe into existence and knows everything about you, He is on your side and wants the best for you. I love today’s verse because it is a great reminder that when God is for you, no one can win against you. Not the pain of your past. Not any mistake you’ve made. Not the forces of hell, your worst enemy, a bad economy, a difficult housing market or anything else on this earth.

    Today, instead of dwelling on what you’re not, dwell on what He is — He is faithful, He is loving, He is with you and He is for you! And with God on your side, you are headed for victory all the days of your life!

STAND & SEE :

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” -

(Exodus 14:13–14, NIV)

In the Bible, when the people of Israel came out of slavery and were headed toward the Promise Land, they were so happy to be finally free! But then Pharaoh changed his mind about letting them go and came chasing after them. They came to a dead end at the Red Sea and things looked impossible. Instead of staying in faith and focusing on the fact that God had delivered them before, the Israelites got upset, fearful and started complaining, “Moses, why did you bring us out here to die?” Moses replied, “Stand still and you will see the deliverance of the Lord.” He went on to say, “The Lord will fight for you if you hold your peace and remain at rest.” And the Lord was faithful to His Word and delivered them again.

Moses knew he had to get the people out of that negative mentality or they would be defeated, and the same is true for you. You may be in a storm of life, but don’t let that storm get in you. Instead, set your focus on God because He is faithful, and He will fight your battles. Stay calm and remain in peace today because God is going to deliver you and lead you into your promise land!

See Him Walking on the Water

    “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” - Psalm 55:22 Have you ever wondered why Jesus “constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side” (Matthew 14:22), knowing that a storm was going to brew shortly after they set sail? Why would He send them right into the teeth of a stormy gale? Because He wanted them to know that He was sufficient for them. He wanted them to worship Him. Your storm is nothing but a superhighway to bring Jesus to you. It is the vehicle that moves you from a head knowledge to an experiential understanding that God is Who He says He is. It was Andre Crouch who said, “For if I never had a problem, I would never know that God could solve them. And I would never know what faith in His Word could do.” When the storm comes your way—and it will—look up, and through the surrounding fog, see Jesus…walking toward you on the water.

    Talk vs. Action

    Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 In a decadent society the will to believe, to resist, to contend, to fight, to struggle, is gone. In place of this will to resist, there is the desire to conform, to drift, to follow, to yield, and to give up. This is what happened in Rome, but it also applies to us. The same conditions that prevailed in Rome prevail in our society. Before Rome fell, her standards were abandoned, the family disintegrated, divorce prevailed, immorality was rampant, and faith was at a low ebb. As Gibbon said, “There was much talk of religion, but few practiced it.”Prayer for the day May I be worthy to bear the name Christian, Lord Jesus.

    Pull in the Anchor

    Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.—Matthew 6:12 Have you done someone wrong? Have you been offensive? Have your actions caused hurt? To do nothing is not only in direct disobedience to Jesus' teaching, it also complicates your life. It adds heavier mental weights than you are capable of carrying. It is like dropping an anchor and then cranking up your boat's engine and putting it in gear. The anchor keeps catching and snagging on the bottom, making for a terribly uncomfortable ride across the water. How simple the solution! Just pull in the anchor.Let me give you a simple tip: We cannot be right with God until we are right with others.  

    God is Enough

    Let’s face it–anxiety or worry have no advantages! They ruin our health, rob us of joy, and change nothing! Our day stands no chance against the terrorists of the Land of Anxiety. But Christ offers a worry-bazooka. Remember how He taught us to pray? “Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11” This simple sentence unveils God’s provision plan: live one day at a time

    Worry gives small problems big shadows. Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” And Romans 8:28 affirms: “Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” Most anxiety stems, not from what we need, but from what we want. Philippians 4:4 says, “delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in Him at all times!” If God is enough, you’ll always have enough!

    A Clear Conscience

    '...Keep your conscience clear...' 1 Timothy 1:19 Speaking of conscience, Paul writes: '...I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people' (Acts 24:16 NLT). He lays it on the line to Timothy: 'Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.' Now a captain doesn't set out to wreck his ship. But if he falls asleep at the wheel or takes his eye off the compass, he will end up on the rocks anyway. The question is not, 'Can I get away with it?' No, the question is, 'Can I live with it afterwards? How will it affect my confidence before God? How does He feel about it? Will it prevent or promote His blessing in my life?' Someone has written: 'I have to live with myself and so, I want to be fit for myself to know; I want to be able as days go by, always to look myself in the eye. I don't want to stand with the setting sun, and hate myself for the things I've done. I want to go out with my head erect; I want to deserve all men's respect. Here in the struggle for fame and wealth, I want to be able to like myself. I don't want to look at myself and know, that I'm bluster and bluff and empty show. I can never hide myself from me, I see what others may never see; I know what others may never know; I can never fool myself and so, whatever happens I want to be, self-respecting and conscience free.'

    Somebody's Praying for You

    I am praying for them. —John 17:9 We know that Jesus prays for us. In Luke 22:32, He says to Peter, “I have prayed especially for you.” In the verse for today, He says concerning His disciples, “I am praying for them.” Also in John 17, He continues and says, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me,” and that means you and me (v. 20 What does an intercessor do? An intercessor prays for others, standing in the gap that exists between God and an individual. We all have a gap between God and ourselves. In other words, we are not as holy as He is, but Jesus is right there, standing in that gap, bringing God and me—or God and you—together so we can have fellowship with Him and He can answer our prayers. Isn’t it awesome to know that as long as our hearts are right and as long as we believe in Jesus, He will intercept, make right, and take care of every imperfect thing we do? I want you to imagine Jesus standing before the throne of God on your behalf praying for you. As you do, you will be able to trust that your imperfections are taken care of through His intercession for you. God’s word for you today: Jesus is praying for you.

    Overcoming Criticism

    Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you” and their sight was restored. - Matthew 9:29 When Samuel Morse was requesting Congressional support for a telegraph line from Baltimore to Washington, he endured the press’ sustained criticism for more than eleven years. In 1842, when Adam Thompson set up the first bathtub in America, the newspapers said his vision—now a staple of convenient cleanliness in every home—was “going to spoil the democratic simplicity of the republic.” And when Cyrus Field was attempting to lay the first cable across the Atlantic, he was denounced as “a mad freak of stubborn ignorance.” Sometimes a wise and well-placed word of caution is just what we need, but not always. Often the criticism people heap upon the new or the uncommon is motivated by fear. Having the discernment to know the difference is crucial to knowing when to rethink and when to press on. And as Samuel Morse, Adam Thompson, and Cyrus Field demonstrate; God honors people of vision who take steps of faith.

A SUPERNATURAL PERSPECTIVE :

“...I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” - (Isaiah 43:19, NIV)

So often, people limit themselves in their thinking. They don’t think they’ll ever accomplish their dreams. They start thinking they don’t have the talent, the connections or the funds. They don’t think a marriage could ever be restored or they’ll ever get out of debt. But that kind of thinking comes from looking at things in the natural. That’s a limited perspective. We have to realize that God is a supernatural God. And just because we don’t see a way doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a way. God can bring one opportunity across your path that will thrust you to a new level. He has explosive blessings that can blast you out of debt and into abundance! He can do what medical science can’t do!

Today, I encourage you to take the limits off your thinking. Lift up your eyes to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Trust that He is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and He will make a way out of no way. Remember, what you are facing may seem impossible with man, but when God puts His “super” on your “natural,” anything is possible!

Declare out of your mouth "Every promise of God belongs to me, and I receive it by faith."

The only reason you continue to struggle with your “old man” who is dead is because you foolishly believe a lie, that he is alive. THE OLD MAN IS DEAD! Behold, you are a new creation in Christ Jesus!

God’s grace says “You can’t lose!” You have been called to run this race and by the grace of God you will finish strong.

You are the light of the world. All you have to do is flip your switch.

The Word of God has unlimited power. Each word is like a little capsule filled with faith waiting for us to release it in our hearts & speak it with our mouths.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – Romans 10:10

Do you need a miracle? Then believe it, confess it and receive it!

When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you believed, confessed and received the greatest miracle in the universe, the miracle of a reborn spirit! Every other miracle you receive will come in exactly the same way.

You start by simply believing what God's Word says concerning your area of need, by letting that Word change your heart and mind.

A lot of people try to skip that step. They try to believe for a miracle without spending enough time in the Word to change their heart and mind. They just want to confess it with their mouths and have it instantly appear. But that won't happen. It's what we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that we receive.

If you don't have enough faith yet to believe for the miracle you need, then you can get it. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). So start filling the ears of your heart with the Word until faith for your miracle is born.

That's what the woman did who had the issue of blood. She believed in her heart that Jesus would heal her. Then she spoke her faith out loud. Then she acted on that faith--and she received her miracle.

It wasn't Jesus' decision. He didn't suddenly say, "You know, I think I'll work a miracle for that little lady today." No. She made it happen. She took her faith and drew on the power of God. That's why Jesus said, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole" (Matt. 9:22).

You have that same opportunity. God's power is always present everywhere. Your faith will bring it into your life, body or circumstances. So reach out to Jesus. Believe, confess and receive your miracle today.

The Lord, Our Shepherd

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." (2 Peter 1:2-3). God’s divine power has already given unto us all things that pertain for life and godliness.

Note that this scripture is in the past tense; therefore it’s not a promise. This means that God has already done it; His divine power has already given us all things that we need to live the good and prosperous life. Praise God, all my needs are met and I have no reason to lack anything in life! No wonder the Psalmist said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). You must imitate his mentality. You shouldn’t lack, for the Lord is now your shepherd. He makes you lie down in green pastures, He leads you beside the still waters, and He restores your soul (Psalm 23:3). 

Refuse to lack anything. Reject the lack mentality. How do you do this? By being supply-conscious! Don’t be afraid of your supply drying up. Rather, look to your ever- loving Shepherd who supplies your every need according to His riches in glory. 

Two men were asked the level of fuel in the tank. One answered, “It is half-empty.” The other looked and happily declared, “It is half-full.” Definitely, the first man was lack-conscious while the second was supply-conscious. Learn to be supply-conscious. Know this, you’re a child of God, therefore your life is in the Shepherd’s hands. This is why you can say like the Psalmist, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want for money, shelter or food; I shall not want for any good thing in this life.” Glory to God! 

F U RT H E R S T U DY : P S A L M 37:35; P S A L M 34:10

How To Make Power Available

"...The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]" (James 5:16 AMP). 

Christianity is a beautiful and exciting life where you win in everything you do. However, not many share this opinion, and that’s because they’re not exposed to the right information. If you’re a Christian, I want you to know there’s enough power in you to turn any situation around in your favour. You can change anything because the divine power necessary to cause that change is already inside you. It came to be in you the moment you received the Person of the Holy Spirit into your life: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you...” (Acts 1:8). That power can be defined as the dynamic ability to cause changes. 

The presence of this power alone however, doesn’t guarantee its availability. You can be present with me but not available to me. For example, a man may be in the house and not be available to his wife. He’s in the sitting-room reading a newspaper and his wife is talking to him, but he’s not listening; he’s present with her but not available to her. This means being present is not the same thing as being available. To be available to me means you’re here at my disposal and ready to attend to me. “So how do I make the power available?” you may ask. The answer is in James 5:16: “...The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available...” (AMP). He’s talking about the earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer. 

You can’t do this kind of prayer at your dinner table or in your car whilst driving. Jesus referred to this kind of prayer in Matthew 6:6. It’s done with so much passion and emotion, and for that reason you may have to separate yourself from everybody. Jesus prayed like this many times. No wonder the power of God was always available to Him throughout His earthly ministry. Make up your mind to set yourself to pray like you’ve never done before and watch yourself move from one level of glory to another, walking in the supernatural everyday of your life. 

F U RT H E R S T U DY : M AT T H E W 26:36; PHILIPPIANS 4:6

ASK WHAT YOU DESIRE :

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” - (John 15:7, NKJ)

It pleases God to give you the desires of your heart! He wants to see you happy, whole, strong and enjoying His blessing. When you make the Word of God your number one priority, when you stay connected to Him through prayer and worship, God promises that He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 tells us again that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts. One of the root definitions of the word “delight” means “soft.” This gives the picture of us being soft and moldable, like clay, in the Potter’s hands. As we allow Him to shape and mold our character, as we yield ourselves to Him, our thoughts become His thoughts, our words become His Words, and our desires become His desires! That’s how we can ask whatever we will because our will is in alignment with Him!

Today, don’t allow the distractions of everyday life keep you from spending time with Him. Abide in Him and let His Words abide in you because He will give you the desires of your heart!

THE FULNESS OF BLESSING :

“But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” - (Romans 15:29, NKJ)

Are you living in the fullness of His blessing? God’s blessing is His supernatural empowerment. It is His favor. And we’ve all seen a measure of His blessing, but I believe He wants to take you to a whole new level. God has promises and opportunities in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet! What you’ve seen in the past is only a fraction of what God wants to do in your future.

Understand that God likes to outdo Himself. He wants to open doors for you and bring out talents and abilities that you didn’t even know you had. We serve a God of abundance! He is the God of more than enough. Not only does He want to meet your needs, He wants to give you enough to bless other people. That’s living in the fullness of the blessing.

Today, don’t settle where you are. Your destiny is not determined by the economy, your past or what anyone else thinks or says. Your destiny is determined by Almighty God. He wants you to tap into a greater measure of His power so you can live the abundant life He has in store for you!

WE'RE WINNING :

Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. - Numbers 14:9

Thousands of years ago, God told the children of Israel to go up and occupy the land that He had given them. He told them to take it, by force and without fear, from the ungodly ones who were dwelling there.

He's still saying that today. God is still trying to get us, as His people, to take the good land He's given us. He's still trying to get us to use the power He's given us to run the wicked one out.

You see, this earth doesn't belong to the devil. It belongs to God (Ps. 24:1). The devil has just moved in and taken control of things because we believers haven't stopped him.

That is our job, you know. Jesus took Satan's legal rights away from him on Resurrection morning. Then Jesus put us in charge of enforcing Satan's defeat. The Scripture says that Jesus is going to sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13). Do you know what that means?

It means Jesus is waiting on us to kick the devil and his crew out of the affairs of this earth. He's waiting on us to carry out the victory He won at Calvary and occupy this land.

But just like Israel had to rise up physically to take the land of Canaan, you and I have to rise up in the Spirit if we're going to establish the dominion of God in the earth. We're going to have to get moving. We can't do it sitting down!

Listen, you may not know it, but we're at war. We're in a spiritual battle--and we're winning. In fact, if you realized what was already established in the spirit world, you'd laugh at the devil every time he showed his face.

So today if the devil has control of an area of your life or your church or your community, rise up in the Spirit through faith and prayer and the Word and start taking that territory back. Don't be afraid. His defense is departed from him. He has no weapon that can stand against you.

The Lord is with you. Rise up in the Name of Jesus and take back the land!

You Are Already Blessed

    I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’     Joshua 24:13

God is more eager to prosper you than you are willing to be prospered! In fact, He is so keen for you to enjoy His prosperity that in His mind, giving you a multiplication of wealth and assets is a settled matter.

God has already promised: “I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”

He did not say, “I may give,” which means that it may or may not happen, but He said, “I have given,” which means that it has already happened. It is only a matter of time before your revelation of what you have through the work of Christ brings forth the prosperity He has already blessed you with.

During a church service, a couple started believing God for a new home which they did not have the money for. After the service, they went shopping at a nearby supermarket. The purchases they made qualified them for a lucky draw. Weeks later, their lucky draw coupon was picked from among thousands of other entries. The couple won the top prize — a new condominium unit!

My friend, expect prosperity in your life because you are already rich in Christ. Jesus took your place of poverty at the cross — “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) In Him, you are poor no more.

So stop looking at the lack in your natural resources. Look to the cross and say, “Yes, Christ has made me rich. It is a matter of time before I will see His prosperity in my life!”

Thought For The Day

Look to the cross and say, “Yes, Christ has made me rich.”

HE KNOWS WHAT’S IN YOU :

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart” – (Psalm 37:4, AMP)

Are you believing God for something that seems like it’s taking a long time? In the natural, you may have every reason to give up on what God has placed in your heart. At times, you may be tempted to get discouraged, but remember, God knows exactly where you are. He knows the desires He’s placed within you. He knows even the hidden dreams — what the scripture calls the secret petitions of your heart. Those are the things that you haven’t told anyone about. Maybe you thought they would never work out, or you’ve buried them because they didn’t happen on your timetable. But God still has a way to bring them to pass.

Be encouraged today because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Delight yourself in Him — find joy in serving Him and make your heart moldable in His hands. Don’t settle for mediocrity because God knows what’s in you, and His plan is to finish the work He began in you!

FINISH STRONG :

“...Run in such a way as to get the prize” - (1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

Oftentimes, when we have a dream in our heart, we start off strong. We head down the path toward our goal, and we’re so excited! But along the way, we hit some roadblocks and encounter some adversity. Many times, people will just give up and take the easy way out. But we have to remember, it’s not how we start that counts; it’s how we finish. Anybody can be fired up at the beginning, but I’m encouraging you to stick with it until the end! Have the determination to go all the way through. Don’t stop at the halfway mark just because times are tough. Don’t quit because you don’t see anything happening. The scripture tells us not to walk by sight, but to walk by faith.

Today, if there’s a dream in your heart, something you’re believing for — a relationship to turn around, a business opportunity or to overcome an addiction — keep pursuing it! Run your race to win the prize! Don’t settle until you see the fullness of what God has placed in your heart. As you stand strong in your faith, I believe God will pour out His favor and blessing upon you, and you will see the victory He has in store for you!

COMPASSION WITH ACTION 

Luke 7:13 - When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

My friend, there is no trial, difficulty or challenge we face today that our Lord Jesus cannot identify with. The moment we experience a trial, right there and then, because He “was in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15), He feels it too and is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.

Jesus’ compassion for you is the same compassion He felt for the widow at Nain when He saw the dead body of her only son being carried out of the city gate to be buried. (Luke 7:11–15) It must have been terrible for her to experience the death of her only son after having already experienced the death of her husband. What a horrible thought to be left all alone in the world with no means of support! When Jesus saw her, He was moved with compassion and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Now, some religious leaders might also be moved to approach her, but only to say, “Look sister, something is terribly wrong. Your husband died. Now, your only son has died. You must find out what is wrong. You better ask God what sin you have committed and repent. Or perhaps there is a curse in your life that needs to be broken.”

Isn’t it beautiful that Jesus did not extend more confusion or condemnation toward her? He only extended His compassion to her, telling her, “Don’t weep.” This same Jesus will also come to you when you are most distraught and say, “Don’t cry.”

And Jesus’ sympathy does not stop at “Oh, you poor thing! I am so sorry about what has happened to you.” No, His sympathy will move Him to give you the miracle you need in your life. That is why He raised the widow’s son back to life!

Beloved, rest in the truth that He who is seated at the Father’s right hand today understands what you are going through and sympathizes with your weaknesses. The compassion of Jesus toward you causes Him to breathe life into your dead situation and turn it around for your good!

?"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

Is the devil giving you fits today? Is he causing trouble for you at every turn?

If so, turn the table on him. Start making him miserable for a change. You have the power to do it, you know. You have the power residing in you to destroy his works, to heal, to deliver, to set the captives free. You have so much power in you that every time your alarm clock goes off, the devil should wail, "Oh no! That troublemaker is up again!"

So line up with God's Word and will for your life. Let the anointing of Jesus go forth from within you. All of hell will tremble. And you will never be quite the same again.

WAIT WITH CONFIDENCE :

“...See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm...” (James 5:7–8 NIV)

In the book of James, the Bible tells us that we should wait for God’s promises like a farmer waits for his harvest. Now, I’ve never seen a farmer plant a crop and then worry night and day about whether or not it’s going to come up. He doesn’t lose sleep thinking, “Oh, I hope that my corn is going to take root. Please, God, let my corn bring a harvest.” No, he waits with confidence, knowing that the harvest will come. He does his part, and he knows that seed will produce a good crop.

In the same way, we should wait confidently for the promises of God. We have to stand firm on His Word. It’s not enough to just hope that your situation is going to turn around. Instead of the attitude, “I hope I get well,” have the attitude of confidence and say, “Thank You, Lord, that I am getting well.” Start waiting like the farmer. Wait with a knowing. Wait with confidence. Be sure that as you put God’s Word into practice, just like the farmer, you will see that harvest of blessing in your own life in return.

UNDERSTAND HIS WILL :

“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17, NKJV)

Faith begins where the will of God is known. If you don’t understand God’s will, how can you have faith in what He wants to do in your life? Scripture says that when we understand His will, we are wise. How do you know what God’s will is? By reading and studying His Word. He tells us in scripture that His plans are for our good. He tells us that He takes pleasure in prospering His children. He tells us that His desire is for us to live in health, peace and joy.

Today and every day, take time to develop your faith by reading His Word and connecting with the Father through prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct your Bible study time. He is your helper, and He desires to reveal the will of the Father to your heart. As you submit your life to Him, you will understand His will and walk in supernatural wisdom in every area of your life!

THE LORD IS WITH YOU :

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV)

No matter what today has in store, as a believer, you can approach the day with boldness and confidence. Why? Because the Lord is with you, and in Him is everything you need in this life! That means that if you need provision for something today, provision is with you. If you need wisdom today, wisdom is with you. If you need strength, joy or peace today, it’s with you. You can be confident today knowing that all of your needs are supplied spiritually, physically and emotionally because the Lord is with you. And best of all, He’s promised never to leave you.

Remember, don’t ever let the lies from the enemy or pressure from the world keep you from taking hold of everything the Lord has for you. Open your heart by faith and receive whatever you need today. Step out in boldness and strength because the Lord is with you!

HE COLLECTS YOUR TEARS :

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

Do you know how important you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your thoughts, feelings and emotions. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects every tear you’ve shed. Why would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because He loves you so much, and He is your Vindicator. He’s keeping account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to restore everything that has ever been stolen. He wants to heal every single hurt and pain. He sees the longings and desires of your heart, and you can rest knowing that He is working things out for your good!

So today, know that you are precious to Him. He has your best interest at heart. He is working to bring restoration and peace to you. Keep standing, keep believing, and keep doing the right thing because the One who collects your tears will restore every broken place in your life!

JESUS HAS BORNE YOUR DISEASES  

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… - Isaiah 53:4

Imagine the dreadful disease leprosy eating a man alive. The poor leper in Matthew 8:2 could stand his suffering no longer, so he came out into the open to look for Jesus. He needed to know if Jesus was willing to heal him. When he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2) The Son of God looked at the outcast with love in His eyes, reached out His hand, touched him and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Matthew 8:3)

Perhaps you are suffering from some disease and wondering if God is willing to heal you? You are not sure if He is willing because just as you have seen people get healed, you have also seen people not get healed. My friend, don’t look to people’s experiences. Look to the cross! As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

I want to give you a solid foundation today for believing this truth. In Isaiah 53, the chapter on our Lord’s crucifixion, it says in verse four: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”. Now, let’s learn a little Hebrew. The words “griefs” and “sorrows” here mean “sicknesses” and “pains” in the original Hebrew text. So Isaiah was referring to physical healing.

Once, I asked a Jewish friend to read this verse in his Hebrew Bible and tell me what it means. He told me that his Bible says clearly that Jesus has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains.

If that is not enough, look at Matthew 8:16–17: “… they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’” Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4, saying that Jesus took our “infirmities” and bore our “sicknesses”. The context here refers to physical healing.

My friend, if you will just believe this truth, your days of sickness will be over. You will walk in greater health because the One who has surely borne your sicknesses and carried your pains says to you, “I am willing, be cleansed!”

Thought For The Day:

As surely as Jesus bore away your sins, He also bore away your diseases!

CHRIST, THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD :

1 Corinthians 1:24 - .... to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

People today run after two things: miraculous signs and wonders, and knowledge. It was no different in Bible times. The apostle Paul acknowledged that “Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom”. (1 Corinthians 1:22)

So when Paul preached Christ crucified as God’s solution to them, the message was “to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. (1 Corinthians 1:23) They didn’t understand how getting a revelation of Jesus and His death could give them the miracles they needed or the wisdom they wanted.

Beloved, we don’t have to run after miracles or wisdom today. We just need to run after Jesus because He is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. The more we know Christ and Christ crucified, the more we will have the power and wisdom of God.

Several church members have shared how they have seen the power of God blast financial debts out of their lives. Not knowing what to do about their debts, they looked to the Lord to deliver them. And the Lord was able to do so mightily because He is indeed the power of God.

So if you are facing a financial debt, Christ has the power to remove the debt. And because He is also the wisdom of God, He will show you where you went wrong and teach you how to stay out of debt!

Let me give you another illustration. Let’s say a man, whose wife has left him, looks to Jesus to bring his wife back. Christ, the power of God, brings about a miraculous restoration of their marriage. But it is Christ, the wisdom of God, who will teach the husband how to keep his wife by showing him what he had done wrong and what to do to strengthen the marriage. If the husband does not have this wisdom, it will only be a matter of time before the same problems surface and his wife leaves him again.

My friend, Christ is both the power and wisdom of God to us. As the power of God, He removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY :

“Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about His mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains” - (Colossians 4:3, NLT)

When Paul wrote today’s verse, he was in chains in prison. He had been arrested for preaching the gospel. Everything in his surroundings shouted “limitations,” but instead of looking at his surroundings, Paul kept his eyes on the limitless God. He kept looking for the open door of opportunity that God would have for him next.

No matter what “chains” you may feel like you are in today, remember, we serve a God who’s in the business of setting people free. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He fills you with His power. He promises to walk with you all the days of your life.

When doors look closed all around you, when your surroundings look limited, when you feel like you’re in chains, remember, God is still at work in your life. Like Paul, keep your hopes up. Keep expecting. Keep believing. Pray for those opportunities to be opened to you. If you fall, get back up and press forward with even greater determination to accomplish the dream that God has planted in your heart. The prayer of the righteous avails much, so keep praying because He promises to break the chains and open doors of opportunity in your life!

ESTEEM ONE ANOTHER :

“And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us...” – (Ephesians 5:2, AMP)

In today’s culture, we don’t often hear the word esteem used very much, yet, scripture tells us to esteem and delight in one another. One definition of esteem is to hold in high regard. That means we are to honor and value one another. Even if we don’t always agree with one another, even if they don’t necessarily act honorably, we are to honor and esteem others because they are valuable in the eyes of God.

Think of it this way: if you had a costly and valuable piece of jewelry, you wouldn’t just wear it to the gym or leave it on the kitchen sink. No, you would treat it carefully. You would put it in a safe place and protect it. Well, when we see others as valuable the way God sees them, we will treat them carefully as well. We should be careful in the way we talk to others. We should look for the good in them and honor them for who God made them to be.

The Bible tells us that the way we treat others is like sowing seed, and it will come back to you. Choose to esteem and delight in one another. Sow good seeds, and you will see a harvest of blessing in your own life in return!

HYPOCRISY IS..... – ANDREW WOMMACK 

Luke 12:1 "In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." LUKE 12:1-3

This is the biblical definition of a hypocrite, "someone whose words and heart (actions) don't agree." A hypocrite may act the part of a Christian or talk like Christ, but he or she won't do both. Hypocrisy is defined by the dictionary as, "The feigning of beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; insincerity" (American Heritage Dictionary). In the Greek, the word is "hupokrisis" and means "the playing of a part on the stage."

Hypocrisy is often said to be doing something even though you don't want to or feel like doing it. It is true that God demands that our motive and reason for doing things be right, but this does not mean that we always want to, or delight in, doing something. To do what God wants you to do, or to do unto others what you would want them to do unto you, is not hypocrisy (Mt. 7:12)- even if you don't feel like doing it. It is hypocrisy only when your motive for doing it is wrong and you're not genuinely seeking the welfare and benefit of others. Remember, Jesus didn't feel like going to the cross, but He went anyway to seek the welfare and benefit of the world.

Agape love is described as the, "love (that) can be known only from the actions it prompts." This is not the love of complacency or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects (Rom. 5:8).

Christian love (agape), whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward others generally, is not an impulse from the feelings. It does not always run with the natural inclinations. It (Agape) seeks the welfare of all (Rom. 15:2) and works no ill to any (Rom. 13:8-10). "(Agape) seeks opportunity to do good to all men. . ." Let God's love flow through you today.

It Pays To See

"And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the King thereof, and the mighty men of valour" (Joshua 6:2).

What do you see when the Word of the Lord comes to you? What are the thoughts that fill your mind when you hear the Word? Some think the Word of

God is extravagant and unrealistic. When your heart is dominated by your senses, it’ll be very difficult to see the visions of God as the Word comes to you. This is why someone can come into church and leave the way he came, with all the weight he carried still on his shoulders. I mean, he’s not inspired or motivated in any way, just because he didn’t see anything. To him, the words he heard were too good to be true. How sad! It’s very important that you “see” as God’s Word comes to you. If you can see yourself in the words coming to you, they’ll surely work for you. God said to Joshua, “...See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the King thereof, and the mighty men of valour” (Joshua 6:2). He had to see it to possess it. Again, when Abraham separated from Lot, God told him to look around and said to him, “...all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it...” (Genesis 13:15). The extent of his vision was the boundary of his blessing. It’s the same thing today!

You’re a covenant child of God; you’re no longer ordinary. Your life is now controlled by the spiritual and not the physical. It’s no longer influenced by the world’s system but the realm of God’s Kingdom. Therefore, once you hear God’s Word that talks about your success, prosperity, victory, or divine health, personalize that Word and start seeing yourself in the reality of it. When you do this consistently, you’ll discover that defeat, failure, sickness and poverty are driven far from you. That’s how I live and you should too!

F U RT H E R S T U DY : G E N E S I S 13:14-15; P S A L M 63:1-2

“I Shall Not Want”

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). 

Taking a close look at the tenses in the above scripture, you’ll observe it’s not a promise. It says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us!” This means He’s already given us all things relevant to life and godliness. So you no longer should lack anything in your life. There’s absolutely nothing that you should be in want of; the Psalmist said, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.” It’s like saying, “How can I want when the Lord is my Shepherd, when He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside the still waters? It’s absolutely impossible for me to be in want of anything in life!” Your life is in God’s hands; as long as you’re His child, He holds your life in His hands. You can go on like the Psalmist and say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. I shall not want for money; I shall not want for shelter; I shall not want for food; I shall not want for deliverance; I shall not want for redemption!” Why? It is because the Lord is your Shepherd. You have everything you could ever need concerning this life and the life beyond. The Bible says that you are a partaker of His divine nature; He’s given you His life. He’s in you now, and you’ve got to declare that you’ve got it. You should announce it to the world, because it’s what you have. 

F U RT H E R S T U DY : J O H N 1:16; R O M A N S 5:1

JESUS, THE WISDOM OF GOD :

Luke 11:49 "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute."

LUKE 11:46-49

This phrase "Therefore also said the wisdom of God," is a part of Luke's narrative and not the words of Jesus. Luke is saying that Jesus is the wisdom of God, a truth well-established in scripture.

There is no way to access the wisdom of God except through Jesus. Until a person receives Christ, he is missing the only source of true wisdom. Men and women are incapable of receiving the wisdom of God, but those who submit themselves to God have access to the wisdom of God on their own, through the Holy Spirit. We must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to receive the wisdom of God in our lives.

A Christian who has not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can have some revelation knowledge, but it will be limited. One of the greatest evidences that an individual has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the tremendous amount of God's wisdom that becomes available to him.

The truths of the Gospel, and the power of God that these truths release, can only be imparted through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Human wisdom, regardless of how eloquent it is, cannot convey the life of God. Much of the preaching of the Gospel today is done in man's wisdom. It's impressive to the carnal mind, but it leaves the spirit starving for the touch of God. The greatest need among ministers today is not to have more of the world's education, but to receive the revelation knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Only words spoken by the Spirit of God can reach the spirit of man. Spiritual thoughts have to be spoken with spiritual words (1 Cor. 2:13).

SUPERNATURALLY MULTIPLIED BACK TO YOU :

Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

It pleases God when we believe that He is the giver, the blesser and that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Such was the faith of Ruth the Moabitess. When she decided to make the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob her God, she found Him to be her rewarder, who lovingly provided for her, divinely guided her, jealously protected her, gloriously redeemed her from her hopeless situation and richly restored her life.

Today, this same God says to you that He is your rewarder. And when He is involved in your life, you will be amply rewarded. Peter, the fisherman, would testify to that. His fishing boat, which represented his life, caught nothing the whole night. But in the morning, when the boat was returned to him after he had loaned it to Jesus, it was no longer the same boat. It was anointed, blessed and so magnetized that a great number of fish was attracted to it. In fact, he received a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish! (Luke 5:1–11)

Beloved, because God is your rewarder, if He borrows your “boat” even for a while, be assured that He will surely return it to you with a supernatural increase. Even if what you give Him is little, when placed in His hands, it will return to you blessed, anointed and multiplied.

This happened to the little boy who gave Jesus his lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. It must have thrilled the boy to see his small lunch supernaturally multiplied and satisfying not just him, but 5,000 men, not counting the women and children, and even leaving behind 12 baskets full of leftovers. (John 6:1–13)

Beloved, believe that God is a rewarder. When you give Him your finances, time, possessions and abilities, know for sure that He will return them to you blessed, anointed and multiplied!

Be Not Unbelieving!

"But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?" (Hebrews 3:16-18). 

Can God be resisted? Yes! But some people think it’s absurd to say God can be resisted. When you study God’s Word, however, you’ll observe that He can indeed be resisted. Stephen, describing the children of Israel in Acts 7:51, said: “Ye stiff-

necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”

God is sovereign but He doesn’t always act in His sovereignty! This is the only reason the children of Israel could have resisted Him. God actually wanted to bless and prosper them but He couldn’t, because they were unbelieving. The same thing happened to the Lord Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth. Though He really wanted to perform miracles there, He couldn’t because they were unbelieving:“’He is no better than we are,’ they said. ‘He’s just a carpenter, Mary’s boy, and a brother

of James and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.’ And they were offended!” (Mark 6:3 TLB). His not performing miracles in Nazareth wasn’t a question of His willingness but of ability, because the power of God was resisted by their sentiments and not because Jesus was upset with them! Even when He decided to pray for few sick folks, God’s healing power still couldn’t flow. Why? Because of their unbelief! Every one of God’s blessings works by faith, and faith can only come through the Word of God. This was a fact Paul was well acquainted with. In Galatians 2:21, he stated, “I do not frustrate the grace of God,” because he knew the grace of God could be resisted by unbelief. Your knowledge of the Word is very important and essential to victorious Christian living.

F U RT H E R S T U DY : 2 C H RO N ICLES 20:20; H E B R E W S 4:1-2

Reject Poverty

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). 

According to this Scripture, the Lord Jesus came to make us rich. But there are Christians who assume poverty is necessary to live a godly life. I’ve even heard a minister pledge to poverty. I think that’s absurd! Poverty might be the mark of religion but it’s definitely not the mark of Christianity.In 1980,  T. L. Osborn made a remarkable statement that stirred much controversy then. He said, “Poverty is a sin.”I’m sure this statement will stir up as much controversy today as it did then. 

It’s imperative that we correct the impression that poverty is a prerequisite for serving God. Otherwise, 2 Corinthians 8:9 will be false and meaningless. Poverty is contrary to the provisions of God in His Word; reject it in its entirety. No father would want his children to live in poverty. God is our Father and His wealth is beyond human imagination or comprehension. We are heirs to His vast estate; He has given us a blank cheque, so it’s up to us to fill everything we need in the blank spaces. This is how to take advantage of the grace in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). Don’t let the world put the mark of religion on you; reject poverty because prosperity is your right in Christ.

Life Without Limits

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

The Bible talks about the communion of the Holy Spirit. The word “communion” comes from the Greek word “Koinonia,” which also means “fellowship,” “partnership,” “union,” “unity” or “togetherness.” There’s one other synonym that many have never experienced in the lives and that is transportation. I believe in the transportation of the Holy Spirit. He’ll carry you beyond every limitation. For example, Philip was transported to another city after he had ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:39). You can experience the transportation of the Holy Spirit in the same manner. The Holy Spirit can literally transport you beyond any door that may have been shut against you. This is what I call “life without limits.” If you’re facing some problems that seem insurmountable right now and it’s as though you’re hemmed in on every side, I urge you not to give up! Remember that Moses was eighty years old and had almost given up when God called Him, and he ministered for another forty years afterwards. So, there’s no limitation with God! The Holy Spirit will transport you from Point A to Point B. He’ll take you to the next level of your life. Where you are now is not the end! When you relate with the Holy Spirit, things will change! He said, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth...”! (Isaiah 43:18- 19). You ought to shout ‘Amen!’ to that. Don’t give up your dreams of a successful, healthy and victorious life.

Walking In Victory

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). As a Christian, you’re born into a life of victory. The Bible says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world…” (1 John 5:4). Now that you have come into the kingdom, God expects you to experience that victory every day. As far as God is concerned, there is no challenge big enough and no demon powerful enough to stop you from walking in victory! Hallelujah! The only thing you need do is to walk in the light of that victory. What does it mean to walk in the light of your victory? It means to live with the consciousness that you are a victor in Christ Jesus. It means to have the mindset of a victor. The Bible lets us know that as Christians, we are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). In other words, you have God’s nature of success and victory; you’re indomitable in this life. Have this consciousness. Let it become your meditation, that you’re an overcomer and a victor in Christ Jesus! With such a mindset, the challenges you face will be bread for you. Understand that when God looks at you, He doesn’t see you as someone in need of deliverance or help. He sees you strong, full of the Holy Ghost and power; He sees one who is more than a conqueror! You have to agree with His picture of you and say, “Yes Lord, I will be! that man you’ve called me to be. Nothing can put me down, because I walk in the light of my victory over the world, over the devil and over the circumstances of life!”

Victory Is Your Birthright!

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ… (2 Corinthians 2:14). I am aware that many people think life is full of “ups and downs,” but the reason they think this way is because of their ignorance. You are supposed to live each and every day of your life in victory over every situation that you face. The day you were born again, you were born into the life of total and continuous victory. Jesus’ death on the cross was enough to make us one with God, and bring us into His life of victory. The Bible says that God “…raised him (Jesus) from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21). What about you? The Bible says God “…hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6). The story doesn’t end with Jesus alone; God raised you up together with Him and you are also seated with Him in glory! You are seated right in the place of His authority and power, and this is the reason you cannot be defeated. The Bible says, “…as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). You were born again with His life, nature and character. So you’re not going to start experiencing victory in the sweet by and by; it begins here now. I don’t know if this life of victory has been your experience or not, but this is the truth you ought to be living in. As far as God is concerned, there is nothing in this world that is capable of defeating you, because “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

In the early church, whenever the Word of God was preached, there were miracles of salvation, healings, and other signs and wonders. The demon-possessed were set free. The paralyzed jumped up and walked. People received their loved ones back from the dead.

I remember saying in one of our church services that there was an anointing for couples, who were told that they could not conceive in the natural, to receive the children they had been believing God for. As the word went forth, many couples received their miracle in that service.

One of the ladies who received was serving that day as an usher. She and her husband had been believing God for a child for a few years. A few months after that service, she realized that she was pregnant — with twins! God’s anointing is always greater than our asking.

I believe with all of my heart that we are truly coming to the place where as the Word of God goes forth, it produces the very effect that the Word promises. So if the Word on healing goes forth, know that healing is already exploding in your body. Your miracle has already happened.

Very often, as you are reading the Word on your own or listening to anointed preaching of the Word, you will feel God’s peace and joy, and feel faith springing up in your heart. As the Word goes forth and you find that you are strengthened to receive your miracle, that is the time to say, “Lord, I receive my healing right now.” That is the time to say, “I receive Your restoration for my marriage.” That is the time to say, “I receive Your breakthrough for my finances.”

You don’t have to wait until a church leader or friend prays for you. Every time your faith is strengthened as you hear the Word, release it through your mouth to receive your miracle, for God’s Word is out to prosper you!

Thought For The Day

As the Word of God goes forth, it produces the very effect that the Word promises.

HE COLLECTS YOUR TEARS :

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

Do you know how important you are to God? He cares so much about every detail of your life. He cares about your thoughts, feelings and emotions. In fact, what you are going through is so important to Him that He records every sorrow and collects every tear you’ve shed. Why would God record your sorrows and collect your tears? Because He loves you so much, and He is your Vindicator. He’s keeping account of every wrong that’s ever been done to you so that He can make up for every single one of them. He wants to restore everything that has ever been stolen. He wants to heal every single hurt and pain. He sees the longings and desires of your heart, and you can rest knowing that He is working things out for your good!

             

So today, know that you are precious to Him. He has your best interest at heart. He is working to bring restoration and peace to you. Keep standing, keep believing, and keep doing the right thing because the One who collects your tears will restore every broken place in your life!

THE POWER OF OBEDIENCE :

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land” - (Isaiah 1:19, NIV)

Is there something in your life that you know God is asking you to do, but you just haven’t done it yet? Maybe He’s asking you to reach out to someone or let go of an addiction in your life. Maybe He’s asking you to make a commitment that you just haven’t gotten around to yet or sow a special seed. You may not fully understand why He’s asking you to do it, but know this: God is for your good. He wants to give you the best of the land. He longs to pour out His blessing and favor upon you, but you have to do your part. You have to open your heart and choose to be willing and obedient because obedience opens the door for Him to move in your life.

Today, ask the Lord to give you an obedient heart. Ask Him to show you what adjustments you need to make in your life. As you submit your ways to Him and choose obedience, you will walk in His will. You will experience God's best and live the good life that He has prearranged for you!

YOU HAVE THE ADVANTAGE :

“...His favor is for a lifetime...” - (Psalm 30:5, AMP)

One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone may have wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator. And it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”

I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way. God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you

ACTIVATE HIS POWER :

“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might...” - (Micah 3:8, NIV)

In today’s scripture, Micah knew how to encourage himself in the Lord. He understood how to draw in courage and strength and align himself with God’s purpose for his life. He knew there was power in his words and power in agreeing with God.

It works the same way with us today. Romans 10:9–10 tells us that salvation comes when we believe in Jesus and then declare what we believe. In the same way, we activate the power of God by believing and declaring it. (Job 22:28)

Today, know that God loves you and desires to empower you for every task you face. Receive His strength and activate it by declaring that He is at work in your life by the Holy Spirit! Declare that you are filled with power, strength, justice and wisdom as you face the challenges before you. Believe it, receive it and declare it because He has equipped you to overcome in every area of your life.

FOLLOW THE LEADER :

“God is with us; He is our leader” - (2 Chronicles 13:12, TLB)

Is God your leader today? Do you allow Him to lead you in every area of life? A lot of times, people set out in a direction of life, or they make decisions and then “look around” to see where God is. They try to fit Him into their schedule, but really, He should be in charge of our schedules. Or, they ask God to bless their decisions when, instead, we should follow His ways because His ways are already blessed!

Today, instead of incorporating God into your day, ask Him to lead your day. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and mind and see if there are any areas you need to submit to Him. Remember, He is with you and He is for you. When we allow Him to order our steps, when we seek Him first and follow Him as our leader, than nothing can stand in our way! Go out in victory today knowing that He is ordering your steps.

CONSIDER YOUR GOD :

“...with God all things are possible” - (Matthew 19:26, NIV)

I had a gentleman tell me not long ago that his business was very, very slow. It looked like he would go under. He owned a small manufacturing company with one main competitor in town, a national company that was bigger with more resources. With the economy down, it made it harder and harder for him to stay open. This man was flexible about what he should do next, but he really believed he was in the business God wanted him to be in. So, he kept praying, believing and hoping; and instead of considering his circumstances, he considered his God. And just when he thought he was going to have to close down, his main competitor had a change in leadership and direction and decided to pull out of this market. Now he’s breaking all kinds of records.

Friend, today I want to encourage you. If there’s something coming against you, consider your God. He has a way to meet every one of your needs. You may not be able to beat the competition in the natural, but God can simply remove the competition. He wants to give you His favor. He wants to give you the advantage for success. Trust Him and believe because with God, all things are possible.

WHAT ARE YOU HUNGRY FOR ?

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” - (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

In the natural, what do you do when you’re hungry for something? Maybe you think of something to eat, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot. So you find something else until you are satisfied.

Spiritual hunger works the same way. You may feel a restlessness or unsettledness, but you can’t quite figure out what will satisfy it. You may try to fill that need with other things — food, addictions, people — but only God can fill that hunger. Today’s verse tells us that righteousness is what satisfies us. When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, God’s way of doing things, you will be spiritually satisfied.

Just like you have to stop what you are doing to take time to eat in the natural, you have to take time to “eat” or partake of the right things spiritually. We have to take time every day and devote it to the Lord in prayer, worship and reading His Word. We have to go the extra mile to stay in fellowship with other believers at church. But remember, when you seek God’s ways, you get God’s results — life, joy, peace and satisfaction in Him all the days of your life!

SPEAKING THE BLESSING :

“The tongue has the power of life and death...” - (Proverbs 18:21, NIV)

Have you thought about the people in your life who need your blessing? They need your approval. They need to hear you say, “I’m proud of you. You’re going to do great things.” That’s speaking the blessing. That’s releasing favor into their future. When you say to the people you love, “I’m so glad you’re in my life. You mean the world to me,” you just gave them the blessing. When you tell one of your employees, coworkers or a student, “You amaze me with your ability. You have such a bright future,” those are not just nice compliments. When you speak the blessing, you’re releasing God’s wisdom, protection, favor and abundance into their future. You can literally help shape their destiny. One word of encouragement, one word of approval can be what helps them to really step up to who God created them to be.

Today, choose to speak the blessing. Sow good seeds into the lives of the people you love. Remember, what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. As you sow the blessing, you’ll reap the blessing and experience His victory and favor all the days of your life!

WHAT IF THEY DON’T BELIEVE?

“What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” - (Romans 3:3, KJV)

So often, people allow the opinions of others to hold them back and water down their dreams. We have to realize, there will always be critics and naysayers in life. One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t have to believe in you in order for your dreams to come to pass. Other people don’t set the limits for your life — you do. It’s not what others say about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself. In today’s verse, the apostle Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you! You don’t need everyone to validate you. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps.

Today, know that God sees the hidden treasures inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality. As you get rid of the old, defeated thoughts and replace them with what God says about you, you will remove the limits so you can live the abundant life God has in store for you!

"Declaration of Confidence in God's Protection".

No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper and every tongue which rises against us in judgment we do condemn. This is our heritage as servants of the Lord and our righteousness is from You, O Lord of Hosts. If there are those who have been speaking or praying against us or seeking harm or evil to us or who have rejected us, we forgive them and, having forgiven them we bless them in the name of the Lord. (Matt. 5:43, Rom 12:14)

Now we declare, O Lord, that You and You alone are our God, and besides You there is no other - A just God and Savior, the Father, the Son and the Spirit - and we worship You!

We submit ourselves afresh to you in unreserved obedience. Having submitted to You, Lord, we do as Your Word directs. We resist the devil: all his pressures, his attacks, his deceptions, every instrument or agent he would seek to use against us. We do not submit! We resist him, drive him from us and exclude him from us in the Name of Jesus. Specifically, we reject and repel:

Infirmity, Pain, Infection, Inflammation, Malignancies, Allergies, Viruses, Every form of witchcraft.

Finally, Lord, we thank You that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we have passed out from under the curse and entered into the blessing of Abraham whom You blessed in all things. (Gal 3:13-14, Gen 24:1)

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Beloved, stop striving and struggling. Rest! The more you rest in the finished work of Jesus, the more you’ll find His favor operating in your life, prospering the work of your hands. When you rest in Him, you will surely see supernatural results!

Don’t demand perfection; leave room for people to be human.

Ask God for help. Don't think that you can handle this yourself.

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I PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS OVER ME:

I plead the Blood of Jesus all my sins are forgiven. I plead the Blood of Jesus to destory all devils' power in my life. I plead the Blood of Jesus to demolish all devils' plot which delays the blessings to me. I plead the Blood of Jesus all curses from my enemies and family are perished. I plead the Blood of Jesus all my enemies become my footstool. I plead the Blood of Jesus my life is changed from misery to happiness in this year. I plead the Blood of Jesus all debts are cleared. I plead the Blood of Jesus wash away all my sins. I plead the Blood of Jesus all my sad memories are gone. I plead the Blood of Jesus all my sickness are healed. I plead the Blood of Jesus cover me from danger and harm. I plead the Blood of Jesus all my wishes come true. I plead the Blood of Jesus purify me, sanctify me and make me holy. I plead the Blood of Jesus I am now a holy instrument for God uses. I plead the Blood of Jesus I can achieve all good things from today till eternity. I plead the Blood of Jesus I become a brilliant masterpiece in God's hand. I plead the Blood of Jesus I can pray in power. I plead the Blood of Jesus I grow strong and holy day by day. Let the Blood of Jesus mix with mine and flowing inside my body and soul lively. In Jesus' Triumphant Name I pray. Amen

YOUR TIME IS COMING :

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time...though it tarry, wait for it.” - (Habakkuk 2:3, KJV)

If you’ve been standing in faith for the promises of God, I want you to know today that your time is coming! The dreams and desires in your heart, the things you want to accomplish, the situations you want to see changed will happen. Don’t give up just because it has taken a long time, or just because you’ve tried and failed.

I encourage you today — get your fire back! Don’t be complacent about pursuing what God has placed in your heart. It may be taking a long time, but God is a faithful God. No matter how long it’s been, no matter how impossible it looks, if you’ll stay in faith, your time is coming. Every dream that’s in your heart, every promise that has taken root, God not only put it there, but He has every intention of bringing it to pass.

Declare today, “My time is coming...God is working behind the scenes on my behalf...I will fulfill my destiny...I will fulfill the plan God has for my life!” As you declare, expect, and wait for the appointed time, your faith will grow. Your hope will grow. And you’ll step into the destiny God has in store for you!

THE LORD IS WITH YOU :

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NKJV)

No matter what today has in store, as a believer, you can approach the day with boldness and confidence. Why? Because the Lord is with you, and in Him is everything you need in this life! That means that if you need provision for something today, provision is with you. If you need wisdom today, wisdom is with you. If you need strength, joy or peace today, it’s with you. You can be confident today knowing that all of your needs are supplied spiritually, physically and emotionally because the Lord is with you. And best of all, He’s promised never to leave you.

Remember, don’t ever let the lies from the enemy or pressure from the world keep you from taking hold of everything the Lord has for you. Open your heart by faith and receive whatever you need today. Step out in boldness and strength because the Lord is with you!

In order to be victorious over the attacks of the enemy, we must think, believe, and speak in line with God’s Word.

We must also release our faith and believe for results to show up in our life. That’s how kingdom people function!

THE BRIDGE TO YOUR BREAKTHROUGH :

“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” - (Habakkuk 3:17–18, NLT)

Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. His world was literally falling apart around Him. There was destruction everywhere he looked. But Habakkuk knew that God was bigger than his circumstances! So what did he do? He invited God into his circumstances by rejoicing and praising the Lord. He made the choice to be joyful knowing that it would connect him to the One who would deliver him!

Are you facing a situation that seems dark or hopeless? No matter how difficult things may seem, God has a plan to bring you out into a place of victory. Your praise is the bridge that will carry you into your land of promise. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people, and when the presence of God manifests, the enemy has to flee! The Bible also tells us that there is fullness of joy in His presence. His joy empowers us to walk through any difficulty we may be facing. No matter how things may seem in the natural, you can rejoice today because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. As you praise Him, He will fill you with His joy and pour out His abundant blessing in every area of your life.

8And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Genesis 15:8–9

Are you discouraged because a breakthrough that you have been praying for has yet to manifest? Maybe it has been days or even weeks and you are asking, “How will I know that I will get it?” Abraham faced the same situation and asked God the same question. And God answered, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” What a strange answer!

But if you read on (Genesis 15:10–21), you will realize that God took Abraham’s question very seriously, and went on to show him just how serious He was about being his provider, protector and prosperity-giver. God was so serious that He was willing to bind Himself to a covenant.

What is a covenant? It is like a contract. Yet, it is more than a contract. A contract is binding only for a period of time, like five years or seven years, or until certain terms are fulfilled. But a covenant is perpetual. It is permanent. The only way out is through death. That is why marriage is a covenant, not a contract. It is permanent — “Till death do us part”.

In Bible times, when you cut a covenant with someone, you bring an animal, usually a ram or goat, and kill it by cutting it in two. Next, you will face your covenant partner and walk toward each other between the two pieces of the animal, passing each other in the center.

What all this means is that both parties are obligated to protect and provide for each other. Whatever belongs to you is your partner’s and whatever belongs to your partner is yours. Of course, the one who benefits is the lesser or poorer party.

Today, God is in covenant with us. We are the lesser, poorer party. We have nothing to offer God. But God, the richest and most powerful being in the universe, has everything to offer us!

My friend, God has bound Himself to a covenant, an iron-clad guarantee of His blessings and provision in your life, and it is all for your benefit. The breakthrough you are waiting for is guaranteed by covenant! 

Thought For The Day

God has bound Himself to a covenant, an iron-clad guarantee of His blessings and provision in your life.

REFUSE TO WORRY :

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV)

Is there something that you are worrying about today? To worry means to allow something to revolve in your mind over and over again. God doesn’t want you to live worried or anxious about anything. He knows that worry steals your peace and joy. It affects every area of your life. Have you heard the saying, “Don’t worry yourself sick?” That’s because worrying affects your physical body. It affects your sleep. You won’t ever gain anything by worrying; in fact, you’ll lose precious moments that you can never get back again. The good news is that God has promised that you can have victory over worry. It starts by making the choice to trust in Him. When you cast your cares on Him, He will give you His peace.

Decide today to put an end to worry in your life. Choose to feed your faith and fill your mind with God's promises. As you focus on God’s Word, you’ll drive out worry and fill your heart with faith and expectancy; and you’ll be empowered to move forward into the life of blessing He has in store for you!

BE FULL OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOD 

1 Corinthians 2:12 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

You are probably familiar with the story of how David, with a sling and a stone, slew Goliath, a 10-feet-tall Philistine warrior. But have you ever wondered why David succeeded while the others in the army of Israel did not even dare to face Goliath?

David’s secret was that he was only conscious of victory and not defeat, because he knew a God who had rescued him time and again.

You can just imagine him saying, “One day, I was taking care of my sheep when a lion came and took one of them. I was not willing to settle for that! I went after the lion, caught it by its beard and smote it. The Lord delivered me from the lion’s mouth. On another occasion, a bear came and took one of my flock. I went after the bear and smote it. So the Lord delivered me from the bear too. This same God, who delivered me from the paws of the lion and bear, will also deliver me from this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:34–37)

David was conscious of what God had done for him. He knew that God was for him, loved him, favored him and would give him victory again. My friend, you can also remind yourself that the same God, who did tremendous things for you in the past, will do the same for you again.

Be like David, who was conscious only of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Don’t be like the army of Israel. The men were conscious of the negative words of Goliath. I believe that they must have talked about his threats, repeating his words to one another, and as a result, filled their hearts with fear. (1 Samuel 17:11, 24)

Beloved, don’t feed on the negative words of man or the devil. It will only cause you to be anxious and fearful. Feed on God’s Word by reading the Bible and listening to messages about who you are in Christ and what He has done for you. Pump yourself up with God’s Word until you are full of the Spirit and consciousness of God, so that you might know the things that have been freely given to you by God!

HE GIVES U ALL THINGS :

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” - (Romans 8:32, NIV)

God loves you so much today — more than you could ever imagine! Not only did He send His Son, Jesus to pay the price for your sins so that He could have relationship with you, He also wants to lavish you with everything He has and everything He is.

When you join in covenant with Him through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, He makes all things available to you.

What does “all” mean? It means exactly that — all. Do you need peace? He is your peace. Do you need joy? He has supernatural joy which gives you strength. Do you need restoration in your life? He is your restorer. Do you need rest? He has it. Provision? It’s yours. Protection? That too! He is the single source of everything that you will ever need, and He will freely give it to you!

Maybe at times you’ve struggled to receive all that He has for you. Maybe you think that you don’t want to bother God, or you somehow think you don’t deserve what He has for you. Friend, those mindsets are not the truth. The truth is that you can’t earn a gift. He gives it freely. Imagine His arms outstretched to you right now. Receive His love, receive His grace, and receive all that He has in store for you!

YOUR APPOINTED TIME :

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time...though it tarry, wait for it...” (Habakkuk 2:3, KJV)

God has an appointed time to fulfill the visions, dreams and desires in your heart. Just because it has taken a long time or because you’ve tried and failed doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Don’t give up on those dreams! Don’t be complacent about pursuing what God has placed in your heart. Our God is a faithful God. No matter how long it’s been, no matter how impossible things looks, if you’ll stay in faith, your appointed time is coming.

Remember, every dream that’s in your heart, every promise that has taken root, God put it in there. And not only that, but He has every intention of bringing it to pass. Hold on to that vision today by declaring, “My time is coming. God is working behind the scenes on my behalf. I will fulfill my destiny!” As you continue to hold on to that vision and speak life over your dreams, you’ll see them begin to take shape. You’ll see your faith grow, you’ll see your hope strengthen, and you’ll see yourself step into the destiny God has prepared for you

ALL THINGS POSSIBLE: God can do the impossible. We should do what we can and let God do the rest. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and don't lose sight of him. Christ knows our struggles and we need not fear .Christ will calm our fears. We can believe in his miracles and use his truth for our situation. Mark 6:37-52.

CLAIM VICTORY: Victory over sin and temptation comes through FAITH in CHRIST not by my own efforts. GOD gave me the gift of FAITH. Growing in FAITH is a daily process for me. In prayer I can rely on GOD to strengthen my FAITH and allow me to get stronger and more powerful in my attitude and actions, in Faith I will have victory.

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, gave us new birth and a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit to us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

IN A MOMENT'S NOTICE EVERYTHING CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER!

So often we miss out on God’s best because we give up too soon.

We don’t realize how close we are to our victory. Just another few days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, or another few months of staying in faith is all you may need to see His promises come to pass.

Today, I want to speak by faith over you. Your breakthrough is right around the corner!

You might say, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it. Things seem to be getting worse instead of better.” You might be tempted to think, I’m never going to find my spouse, or I’m never going to get that promotion, or I’m never going to break this addiction.

But you can, because the truth is your Heavenly Father is closer than you think.

I have found that the intensity gets turned up when victory is near. The enemy would not be fighting so hard if he didn’t already know he was about to lose his grip on you.

When those negative thoughts come that would discourage you, just remind yourself that you are a child of the Most High God. Let your words be, “I am an overcomer. I am the head and not the tail. I am a victor and not a victim.”

Scripture is full of people who were closer than they thought...

· David faced impossible odds against Goliath, but he was moments away from victory (1 Samuel 17).

· Elijah was surrounded by 400 false prophets, but the power of God was about to be revealed for everyone to see (1 Kings 18).

· Joseph was forgotten and left in prison, but he was just a dream away from his royal position (Genesis 39–40).

Can you imagine if David dropped his slingshot and ran? What if Elijah had backed down? What if Joseph had stopped dreaming?

They didn’t give up, and God gave them victory!

These stories reveal that it is often the darkest right before the dawn.

Perhaps today you are facing impossible odds. Maybe you feel surrounded, maybe you feel forgotten. The good news for you is that our God can act suddenly in your situation. In a moment’s notice, everything can change for the better!

I believe and declare that God is going to open doors on your behalf. Your faith will be rewarded. Your dawn is almost here. He will put you in the right position to win. He is going to give you inside information. He will do the impossible in your life. Get ready!

JESUS’ BLOOD KEEPS ON CLEANSING YOU :

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

During the day, the devil may whisper in your head, “You cannot go into God’s presence because you have not been reading your Bible and serving in church.” Or he will tell you that it is because of the sin which you have just committed.

The devil will always make you feel that you are not qualified or clean enough to go near God. But the truth is, regardless of how you feel and what you have done, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

In the original Greek text, the tense for the word “cleanses” denotes a present continuous action. This means that once you are a believer, the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing you from every sin!

So you can rest knowing that you are always forgiven in this continuous “wash cycle” of Jesus’ blood. Because you are continually cleansed, you are always in the light. Of course, you will fail here and there, but you are still in the light because the blood is continuously washing you!

The Bible says that we overcome the devil, the accuser of our brethren, by the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 12:11) If you have sinned, remind yourself that Jesus’ blood keeps on cleansing you from every sin — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — and move on with God! The devil cannot defeat you when your faith is in the blood that cleanses you continuously.

Some Christians are guilt-ridden because their consciousness of their sins condemns them. Although Jesus’ blood continuously cleanses them, they would rather hold on to their past mistakes and feel bad about them, thinking that they are being humble and holy when they do this. But this is nothing more than self-righteousness.

My friend, the eternal blood of Jesus Christ offers you eternal redemption and everlasting righteousness. Accept the payment of His blood as the final, perfect and only sacrifice you will ever need!

Thought For The Day:

You can rest knowing that you are always forgiven in the continuous wash cycle of Jesus’ blood.

ARE YOU FULFILLED? 

'In due season He will honour you with every blessing.' Psalm 37:34 TLB

There is usually a huge gap between the birth of a dream and the achievement of that dream. The question you have to ask yourself is whether it will be a fulfillment gap or a frustration gap. If it's a frustration gap you'll be miserable most of the days you're in it. And every day that you're frustrated instead of fulfilled, you lessen the odds that you'll be able to keep moving forward toward your dream. Author Seth Godin calls this gap between when you set out to do something and when you actually start to see significant results 'the dip'. The dip represents the adversity you must face, the learning curve you must go through and the hard work you must be willing to invest between conception and realization.

If the dip you are in seems to be a road without end, here are some Scriptures you need to stand on: 'Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honour you with every blessing.' (Psalm 37:34 TLB) 'Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.' (Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV) 'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.' (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV) God has promised you more than just the fulfillment of your dream; He has promised joy in each step you take toward it.

CALLING FORTH SEEDS OF GREATNESS :

"Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him" - (Jeremiah 17:7, NIV)

Today, I want to declare words of blessing over you. I want to call forth your seeds of greatness. Someone may have told you what you can't become, but I'm here to tell you what you can become. As a believer in Jesus, all of the blessings in His Word belong to you! Receive it by faith today!

You are a person of destiny. You are equipped. You are talented. You are creative. You were designed for a purpose. You are loved, chosen and accepted by Almighty God. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more and nothing you can do to make Him love you less. His grace is sufficient for you. His angels have charge over you. You are blessed coming in and blessed going out. You have uncommon wisdom. You have uncommon joy. You have uncommon peace. He is your vindicator, and He will fight for you! No weapon formed against you shall prosper as you serve Him all the days of your life!

Self-Deception Can Be Deadly

From the beginning, Satan has been a deceiver. In the Garden of Eden, he deceived Eve and he has been deceiving mankind ever since. (Gen. 3.)

Now don't take me wrong for what I am about to say. I am not defending Satan. He is a liar and a deceiver. But what I am saying is this - sometimes we are deceived and it is not Satan who deceives us. 

First Corinthians 3:18 says, "Let no one deceive himself." And in 1 John 1:8 it says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." We can see clearly from these two verses that it is possible to deceive ourselves.

How do we deceive ourselves anyway? Once again let's go to the Word. James 1:22-25 says, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

According to the Bible, then, a man who hears the Word and does not do it deceives himself. Because he hears the Word of God, he has convinced himself that everything is okay. The reality, however, is that everything is not okay. He just thinks it is. Therefore, he has deceived himself.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells the story of two men who built houses. One man, a wise man, built his house on the rock and when the storms came, his house withstood the storms. 

The other man, a foolish man, built his house on the sand. When the storms came, his house was destroyed. Jesus said the man who built his house on the rock was like someone who hears His sayings and does them. He compared the foolish man who built his house on the sand to a man who hears His sayings and does not do them.

Both men built houses and probably both houses looked good. Both men heard the sayings of Jesus and that's good. But when the storms came, only the house that was built on the rock, only the man who acted on what he heard, survived. Acting on the Word of God is what we call faith. 

We must not deceive ourselves. Hearing the Word of God without acting on the Word can be deadly. God didn't give us His Word just so we would be highly educated. Education is good. It's a good thing to read and study God's Word, but without action it profits us nothing. That's what the scribes and Pharisees did at the time of Jesus and Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy. (Matt. 23:13-15.)

 So, we have a choice to make. Do we hear the Word and sit back and say, "That sounds pretty good" and do nothing? Or, do we hear the Word and then act on what we hear?

A doer of the Word is someone who prays for the sick. A doer of the Word is someone who forgives. A doer of the Word is someone who loves those who don't love in return. A doer of the Word is someone who casts out demons. A doer of the Word is someone who is not self-deceived.

ALWAYS THANK HIM FOR VICTORY :

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ...” - (2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJ)

Isn’t it wonderful to know that God promises to always lead us into victory? That means no matter what you are facing today, 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 always 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. Praise is putting 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, and you can plan for victory because He is leading and guiding you in Jesus’ name!

What do you need from the Lord today? Do you need peace, provision, guidance? The Word of God promises that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk blameless before Him.

Now you may be thinking, “I’m not perfect. How can I be blameless?” The Good News is that when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you automatically have a new life! The past is erased in God’s eyes. And sure, we all make mistakes, but 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When you repent of your sins and receive God’s forgiveness, you are blameless in His sight!

Today, understand that God wants to pour His favor and honor on you. He doesn’t want to withhold any good thing from you. If there is anything in your life that isn’t pleasing to Him, go to the Father today and confess it to Him. His arms are open wide to you today. He’s ready to receive you and renew you with His love. Receive His forgiveness and let Him pour His favor and blessing on you all the days of your life!

BE SKILLFUL :

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. – Psalm 34:10

Did you know that, according to the Word of God, there is no lack in the Body of Christ? Everything we could ever need, every problem we could ever face has been covered by the blood of Jesus. His exceeding great and precious promises have supplied it all.

Why then do many of us keep on suffering lack? Because we haven't, as Hebrews 5:13 says, become skillful in the Word of righteousness.

It takes skill to apply the Word of God. Sometimes we just sling the Word around and try to use it any old way. We pray some ignorant prayer and then say, "Oh well, God knows what I mean" and expect it to be answered.

It's funny though. We'd never stand for that kind of carelessness in the natural realm. If our doctor came in and just threw a bottle of pills at us and said, "Here, take that," without even trying to find out what's wrong with us, we'd leave his office and never come back. Yet, we're shocked when that same careless attitude in the spiritual realm keeps our prayers from being effective.

We live in an "instant" society where everything is quick and easy. And too many of us are letting that instant mentality leak over into our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. When someone needs healing, we bust through the hospital door, dab a little oil between their eyes and say, "Glory to God!" and out the door we go.

Sometimes it doesn't take any longer than "In the Name of Jesus be healed!" But sometimes there is something else that must be done.

The time has come for us to shake off that "instant" mentality and realize that there are situations where we're going to have to take some time and pray in the Holy Ghost. Times when we're going to have to sit there and listen for God's instructions.

If you've come up short in any area of life--whether it be healing or finances or anything else--determine to develop your Word skills where that area is concerned. Get out your Bible. Read through all the healing scriptures. Read through all the miracle scriptures. Read through all the promises of God. Read through all the blessings of Abraham.

Meditate on them. Ask God to speak to you through them and to enlighten you about the situation you're facing. Don't just sling the Word around. Dig into it.

Fellowship with your Father over it. Let Him show you how to apply it skillfully, and eventually, you'll lack no good thing.

FREEDOM FROM TEMPTATION :

Luke 10:19 - "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Although these are examples of God's protection from harm caused by the physical creation, this scripture is also speaking of mastery over the spiritual realm of the enemy (i.e., Satan). This Scripture does not say that Satan cannot inflict any harm. The scriptures abound with examples, and warnings of the enemy's damage on the godly and the ungodly alike (2 Cor. 2:11, 2 Tim. 2:26, 1 Pet. 5:8-9). However, he cannot harm us when we are walking in faith in Christ's redemptive work.

There are no unique temptations. The devil likes to make us think there are. If he can convince us that no one understands, no one has ever had this problem before, then he can isolate us and take away our hope. But any temptation we face is just some variation of the same old thing. It may come in a different sized box, be wrapped in a different paper, and have a different bow, but the contents are the same. Understanding this diffuses much of the power of temptation.

Even though temptation is universal to mankind, we are not left on our own. God is faithful. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet He overcame every time (Heb. 4:15). Part of His ministry is to specifically aid us in overcoming temptation (Heb. 2:17-18). Most of us have experienced times when we thought we couldn't resist another minute. Either we were wrong, or we were on the verge of a breakthrough. The Lord promised that He would not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. So, at those times when you can't stand another minute, stand two and this promise will pull you through.

THE BENEFITS OF MAKING JESUS 'LORD' :

'...No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.' 1 Corinthians 12:3 NKJV

Making Jesus 'Lord' of your life means that He must have the first and last word in all things which concern you. It means you are called to walk with Him, to prove yourself valuable to Him, to please Him and do what He wants, when He wants it, and in the way He wants it done.

Here are three great benefits that come from putting Jesus behind the wheel and making Him 'Lord'.

(1) When you don't know what to say, He will tell you. 'The Sovereign Lord has given Me His words of wisdom, so that I may know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning He wakens Me and opens My understanding to His will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to Me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away.' (Isaiah 50:4-5 NLT)

(2) When you can't defend yourself, He will fight for you. '...The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me...they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.' (Psalm 27:1-3 NLT)

(3) When the burden feels too heavy, He will carry it for you. 'Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.' (Psalm 55:22 NLT)

And these three benefits are yours when you make Jesus 'Lord' over every area of your life.

“...God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34–35, NIV)

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom — and God’s freedom is free for everyone! It doesn’t matter what your nationality or heritage is, or who your family is. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have; God wants you free from everything that would hold you back from your relationship with Him!

God wants to pour out His abundant blessing on all who honor Him and choose His ways. In fact, it says in Galatians that in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek or even male or female. That means God’s not judging you based on physical conditions. He’s looking at your heart. He’s looking at the gifts He’s placed inside of you.

Don’t let the enemy lie to you and tell you that God is blessing everyone else but you. Look for the ways He is pouring out blessing in your life. Thank Him for His acceptance, love and freedom. Focus on honoring Him and doing what is right. Receive His favor and blessing because it is a gift that is free for all!

HE WILL FIGHT YOUR BATTLES :

“With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” - (2 Chronicles 32:8, NKJ)

In scripture, the enemy was coming against Hezekiah, causing him all kinds of trouble, trying to keep him from his destiny. But Hezekiah didn’t get all upset. He just kept abiding, being faithful and putting God first. In Second Kings 19, God said, “Hezekiah, I myself will come against this enemy. He will receive word that he is needed at home, and I will cause him to want to return and he will be defeated.”

Notice that when you abide in Him, the Creator of the universe says, “I myself will come against your enemies. I myself will come against that sickness. I myself will come against those who oppose you.” It says God is the one who caused Hezekiah’s enemy to turn around. That means God can cause that unfair boss to take an early retirement. God can cause that neighbor that’s giving you so much trouble to decide to pack up and move. God can cause that classmate to be transferred to another school.

Today, no matter what’s coming against you, keep pressing into God. Put His Word first place in your life. Honor Him in all that you do. Let Him fight your battles and bring you into the land of victory He has prepared for you!

IT’S ABOUT THE WAY YOU FINISH :

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” - (2 Timothy 4:7, NIV)

So often, when people make mistakes, they get down on themselves and think, “If only...” “I should have...” “What if...?” It’s easy to feel like you’ve missed the best plan for your life. That’s when people get discouraged and stop pursuing their God-given dreams. But understand today, just because you’ve made a mistake or failed in some way, that doesn’t cancel God’s plan. God never disqualifies you. He never says, “Go sit on the sidelines. You’ve blown it too many times. You’ve got too many weaknesses.” No, God always gives you another chance!

Some of the great people in the Bible made very poor choices. The apostle Paul started off as a murderer, yet his destiny was bigger than his mistakes. He ended up becoming a great leader and writing over half of the New Testament.

What am I saying? Our mistakes, our failures, our poor choices don’t have to keep us from our God-given destiny. With God, it’s not about the way you start in life, it’s about the way you finish. Receive 

TURN UP YOUR HOPE :

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing--through the experience of your faith--that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing(bubbling over) with hope. – Romans 15:13

You know, that's what I want to be...running over with hope! I want to dare to throw my whole life and everything I have into building a dream that comes from the heart of God. I want to get out there so far that without God's help, I can't get back.

Many people don't think that way though because they're afraid to fail. Fear of failure is dangerous. If you let it dominate you, it will cause you to do the one thing that inevitably guarantees failure and that's not attempting at all.

How do you counteract the fear of failure?

You turn up your hope. You get alone with God and listen to Him. You meditate on His promises until the picture is so clear on the inside of you that nothing can jar it out of you.

If you're lying on a sickbed and the doctor has told you you'll never walk again, instead of wallowing around in that bad report, you start dreaming. You start building a dream of climbing mountains and witnessing to people in the backwoods. Go to the Word that promises that those who wait upon the Lord shall run and walk and not faint or be weary. Look at it until you see nothing else. Picture yourself walking for miles and running from one place to the next, telling everyone that Jesus has raised you up and made you whole.

That's what hope is all about. It's a divine dream. It's an inner image that's bigger than you are because it's built on the promises of God.

If you're a Christian, you ought to be a dreamer. Take the Word of God and build some dreams today.

YOU MATTER TO GOD!

…he calls his own sheep by name… - John 10:3

Do you sometimes feel like you are just a face in a crowd or a number in a system? You are identified by your social security number. Even when you see the doctor, you are called by your queue number. If you feel depersonalized and dehumanized, that is exactly how the devil wants you to feel — that you do not matter much to anyone, especially to God.

But you do matter to God! He calls you by name. He knows exactly what you are going through and where you are hurting. He sees you and cares for you, just as He cared for the people when He first walked on earth.

My friend, He will do for you what He did for the woman in Samaria. There was a shorter route from Judea to Galilee, but the Bible says that “He needed to go through Samaria”. (John 4:4) In other words, Jesus deliberately took a longer route, so that He could stop by Samaria to speak to the woman who had been searching for something in her life to satisfy her.

This woman had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband. Clearly, things had not been going right in her life. She was probably looking for answers and fulfillment, and must have felt ashamed about her failed marriages and current lifestyle.

Yet, in spite of all this, she mattered to Jesus! He needed to go to her to minister to her. And indeed, after she met Jesus, the perfect Man, she was transformed. She was no longer ashamed, and went into the city to tell the people about Him. (John 4:28–29)

Beloved, Jesus came a long way from heaven for you. You certainly matter to Him. He came to give you life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10) You are not just a face in a crowd or a number. No, He knows you by name and has a personal love for you. And in spite of the mess which you might be in, He wants to meet your every need and make your life beautiful!

Thought For The Day:

You do matter to God! He knows what you are going through and wants to meet your every need.

FAVOR IS THE BIRTHRIGHT OF THE RIGHTEOUS CHILD OF GOD

Exodus 3

21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.

Exodus 11

3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

Exodus 12

36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Leviticus 26

9 ' For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.

Psalms 5

12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Psalms 30

5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

7 LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

Psalms 35

27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, " Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Proverbs 12

2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.

Luke 2

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Acts 2

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 7

10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

     The Bible is filled with promises that God will do for His children.  One Bible scholar said that there are over 30,000 of these promises.  There are many of them which are conditional.  If we do our part then God will do His part in bringing these promises to pass in our lives.  

“They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep” - Psalm 107:24, NIV

The scripture says is Psalm 107:23, “They that go down to the sea and do business in deep waters, they will see the wonders of God.” Friend, you and I were created to do business in deep waters. In other words, we’re not supposed to have little dreams or little plans. We are supposed to have big dreams. We are supposed to go out into the deep things God has for us.

But understand, when you’re out there in the deep waters, you can’t touch the ground. You can’t see the shoreline, and at times, it can get a little rocky. You may not always see how things are going to work out. But, the scripture tells us that deep calls to deep. In other words, God is the one who has called you to the deep waters. He is with you, and He knows there are deep things on the inside of you. Remember, in deep waters, you are not alone. God is with you, and He’s causing those deep things inside of you to come forth.

If you feel like you are out in the deep today, if you feel like you are overwhelmed, remember, you are in the right place and God is with you. You will see His wonderful deeds in the deep, and you will fulfill the plan He has in store for you.

“Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” - (2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV)

Scripture says, “The spirit of faith is in our words.” My question today is, “What’s coming out of your mouth?” Are you talking about how big your problems are, or are you talking about how big your God is?

As believers, our attitude should always be an attitude of praise — “Father, business may be slow, but I want to thank You that You’re supplying all of my needs.” “My circumstance may seem impossible, but thank You, God, that all things are possible with You!” We should always find a reason to give thanks!

This is what Jonah did. After complaining for eight verses, he had a change of heart in verse nine. He said, “God, in spite of my difficulties, I’m going to offer unto You the sacrifice of praise with a voice of thanksgiving.” While sitting in the belly of the whale, instead of complaining, he began to worship. The next verse says that the whale spit him out onto dry ground, and he went on to fulfill his destiny.

If you feel like you’re in the belly of a whale, if you feel trapped, if things seem dark, remember, praise always precedes the victory! Open your mouth and declare His praises! Say what the Word says and watch the breakthrough come to pass!

Great links

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-best-of-christian-faith-teaching.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/08/words-of-encouragement_500.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/08/words-of-encouragement-ii.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/02/jesus-christ-is-god.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-filled-with-all-fullness-of-god.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/power-of-blood.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-things-are-yours.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-not-ignorant.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/called-to-inherit-blessing.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/effective-fervent-prayer.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-is-like-god.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/let-god-arise.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/lord-will-hear.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/our-wonderful-redeemer.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/blessed-to-be-blessing.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/in-time-of-trouble.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/god-hears-and-answers-prayers.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/gods-will-is-healing.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/more-shall-be-given.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/greatest-is-love.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/lord-is-very-compassionate.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-believe-i-receive.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-sufficient-christ.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-sola-scriptura-true-and-from-god.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/tongues-is-not-for-believers.html
http://sacred/-truths.blogspot.com/2012/01/by-power-of-holy-spirit.htm

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/02/sacred-name-movement-and-is-total.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/god-can-speak-directly-to-you.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/money-and-ministry.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/facing-death-and-devil-too.html
http://sacred-truths.blogspot.com/2011/12/about-apostles.html
http://comeholyspirit.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/christian-or-not/

http://postedat.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/the-vanity-of-keeping-the-old-testament-commandments/

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/02/knowing-hebrew-or-greek-is-not.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/02/fall-of-jerusalem.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/02/personal-freedom.html

http://sacred-truths.blogspot.ca/2012/01/in-last-days.html