Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”(Romans 12:10, NIV)
Being devoted to something means you are loyal to it by giving of your time, affection and resources. What are you devoted to? Many people today are devoted to certain restaurants, television programs and even their cell phones. And there’s nothing wrong with any of that, but we have to examine our own hearts and see if we are being devoted to what God has called us to. Are you being devoted to the people God has placed in your life? Are you honoring others above yourself? The world’s system says to “look out for number one — yourself,” but God’s system says “look out for others, and I will look out for you.” Today, as you examine your own heart and life, ask the Lord to show you ways that you can honor others. One way is by being faithful to your word. Be a person of integrity and honor. As you live your life devoted to one another, you are honoring God. And He will repay you for your kindness and reward you in this life and in eternity! Father, teach me to be a person of honor. Teach me to be devoted to others in a way that honors You. Fill me with Your love which lasts throughout eternity in Jesus’ name. Amen.
0 Comments
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”(Ephesians 5:1–2, NIV)
Have you ever spent time with a small child or baby and had them mimic your every sound or action? To them it’s a fun game, but internally, they are learning by watching and copying everything you do. They just watch and do the same thing. That’s because we are all prewired to be imitators. Just like little children, we are all still imitators. So many people today end up imitating what they see in the world, on TV, in the news and magazines. But scripture tells us that we are to be imitators of God and follow His example of love. If you need to change your actions today, change what you are imitating by simply changing your focus. The more you focus on the Word, the more you will imitate God. And when you do things God’s way, you will get God’s results — peace, joy and blessing all the days of your life! Father, I choose to put You first place in my life and imitate You. I set aside the things of the world and invite You to search my heart and mind. Give me Your heart of love and teach me to be an example of Your goodness in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ”(Matthew 19:26, NIV)
Too many times we limit God with our thinking. God puts big dreams in our hearts, but in our eyes they look impossible and too big to accomplish. Although we want to see our dreams come to pass, we end up focusing on the mountain of obstacles before us. Maybe you dream of starting a business but you don’t know where to begin. Perhaps years of physical challenges have left you feeling like you’ll never be healthy. You look at your situation and begin to wonder how, and if, God will ever bring your dreams to pass. Be encouraged today that God can do the impossible. He can supernaturally make all of the dreams He’s planted inside of you come to pass. What are you focusing on today? Your situation may seem impossible, but God sees it differently. See your dreams through eyes of faith the way God sees them fulfilled. Make room in your thinking today for the dreams God has for you. If things look hopeless in the natural, put your confidence in the promises God gave you. Trust in Him to make all things possible for you. As you do, you’ll begin to see your dreams come to pass in ways you never imagined. Lord, I give my situation over to You today knowing with You all things are possible. All of my hopes and dreams are in Your hands, and I will no longer limit You in my thinking. I choose to see my dreams through eyes of faith and believe they will come to pass. Thank You for working supernaturally on my behalf. In Jesus’ Name. Amen “Write the vision [dream] and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.”(Habakkuk 2:2, NKJV)
Have you ever known someone who had an exciting dream to do something great but did nothing to make it happen? It’s so important to act on the dreams that God has given you. You can take ownership of your dreams by planning and preparing for them. Remember, success is not accidental. Where do you see yourself in your career, finances or relationships? Put some action behind what you’re believing for. Maybe you don’t see how it can happen in the natural. The good news is you don’t have to have it all figured out. With your faith and obedience, God will work supernaturally in your situation to turn things around for good. Believe in your dreams today. I encourage you to write down your short and long-range goals. Keep them in front of you so you will stay focused. When you make a move, God will direct your steps. He’ll make sure you come across the right people, at the right time. God will give you wisdom, insight and favor as you take steps to bring your dreams to pass. Heavenly Father, thank You for the dreams You have given me. Today I will take steps toward seeing them come to pass. Help me to set goals and map out steps for victory so that I know where I’m going and how to accomplish my dreams. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses”(1 Timothy 6:12, NIV)
One of the keys to seeing your dreams come to pass is to see them come to pass in your mind’s eye first. One of the greatest baseball players of our time told me that all through the day he sees himself hitting the ball. Before he gets up to the plate, he visualizes getting on base. He has this picture of himself succeeding. It’s gotten deep down on the inside, and now he’s moving toward it. Of course, it takes more than just visualization to see our dreams come to pass. It takes obedience; it takes prayer, and it has to be a part of God’s plan for our lives. But what I’m saying is that if you’ll keep the right pictures in your imagination, seeing yourself rising higher, seeing yourself healthy and whole, that’s going to get deep down on the inside and set the course for your life. When your mind is in agreement with God’s Word, it will help guide you toward your destiny. You will have a supernatural strength and power to see those dreams and desires come to pass in your life! Heavenly Father, today I submit my dreams, desires and thoughts to You. Use my imagination for Your purposes. Help me to see the dreams You’ve placed within me coming to pass. Help me to see myself rising higher in every area and bring You glory in everything I do in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1, NKJV)
Are you expecting your dreams to come true? It’s important to look beyond present circumstances and believe for God’s best. Someone battling sickness may say, “I could never be healthy.” Or, “This report from the doctor says too many things are wrong with me.” What they don’t realize is their lack of faith is holding them back from receiving God’s best. They allow adversities to keep them from moving forward. And that’s just what the enemy wants, to keep your dreams from taking root and being fulfilled. Our God-given dreams are like seeds planted deep within our hearts. For those dreams to grow, they must take root. Having faith for your dream means you believe it on the inside before it takes place on the outside. In other words, you’ve got to see those dreams coming to pass no matter what’s going on around you. Get a vision on the inside of what God wants for you. He wants you to accomplish the plans He’s put in your heart. Look out through eyes of faith and see your dreams coming to pass. See yourself walking in abundance in every area of life! Heavenly Father, I know what you’ve put on the inside of me. By faith I see the dreams you’ve given me coming to pass, no matter what my circumstances are. I am full of Your power and I’m ready to become everything you created me to be. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”(Hebrews 6:12 NIV)
If God made everything happen right away, or whenever we wanted it to happen, it wouldn’t require anything of us. We would miss the opportunity to grow because we grow in the difficult times. We grow when our faith is being stretched, when we have to believe when we don’t see any reason to believe, when we stay in faith when our mind is telling us we’re wasting our time, when we give God praise but we really feel like complaining. That’s passing the test. When you do that every day, your faith is not only increasing, your character is not only being developed, but you are one day closer to seeing the promise come to pass. Today, don’t give up on a promise just because you’ve been waiting a long time. Dig your heels in. Put on a new attitude. God is saying, “Every promise I’ve spoken over you, every dream I’ve placed in your spirit, even the secret petitions of your heart, the dreams you haven’t told anyone about, I still have every intention of bringing them to pass.” Stay close to Him. Obey His Word and move forward in the blessing and victory He has prepared for you! Father, today I bless and praise You for Your faithfulness. I choose to trust even when things aren’t happening on my timetable. Thank You for working in me as I stand in faith to see every promise fulfilled in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”(Matthew 7:24, NIV)
When we have rock-solid faith, we won’t be moved by what’s happening around us. We have peace in our hearts and minds because our hope is in God. We have an attitude that says: “I’m not moved by this medical report. I respect and honor people that are trying to help me, but I know God can do what medical science cannot do. God made my body.” “I’m not moved by the economy, the stock market, my job situation. I know God supplies all of my needs. He promised He would prosper me even in a recession.” “I’m not moved by how my children are acting. I’m not stressed out because they’re off course, making poor choices. I know it’s only a matter of time. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Friend, that’s unshakeable faith. That’s building your house on a rock-solid foundation. When the storms of life come, you won’t be moved. How do you stay rock solid? By meditating on the Word of God and following His commands. It’s that simple. Instead of making your circumstances the focus, you make God the focus and stand strong and secure in Him! Today, make spending time with God your number one priority and learn to stay rock solid in Him! Father, thank You for Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I choose to hide Your Word in my heart. I choose to meditate on Your promises. I know that You are faithful to Your Word and thank You for rock-solid faith as I keep my heart and mind focused on “But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “ ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well’ ”
(Luke 8:50, NKJV) In Scripture a man came to Jesus and said, “My little daughter is very sick. She is close to death. Will You come to my home and pray for her?” Jesus agreed. But along the way He kept getting stopped, one interruption after another. Finally, word came back to Him saying, “No need to come. You’ve waited too late. The little girl has died.” The people were upset and very distraught. But Jesus said to them in Luke 8:50 “Don’t be afraid. If you will only believe, the little girl will be well.” Notice the phrase, “Only believe.” Jesus went to the home, laid hands on the little girl, and she came back to life. Are you facing a situation that seems impossible? In the natural, you don’t see how you can get well, or how you can overcome the addiction, or how your family can ever be restored? God is saying to you what He said to them, “If you will only believe, I will turn the situation around. If you only believe, breakthroughs are headed your way!” Father, thank You for Your hand of victory upon my life. Thank You for making a way even when there seems to be no way. I choose to stand in faith. I choose to believe, knowing that You are ready, willing and able to cause me to overcome in this life in Jesus’ name. Amen. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”(Deuteronomy 30:19, NKJV)
Your words have creative power. With your words, you can either bless your future or curse your future. If you want to know what your life is going to be like five years from now, just listen to what you’re saying about yourself today. Too many people go around saying, “I’ll never get well. I’ll never get out of debt.” “It’s flu season. I’ll probably get it.” “This marriage is never going to last.” Then they wonder why they don’t see things turn around. It’s because they’re calling defeat into their future. They’re calling in mediocrity. Don’t let that be you! When you wake up in the morning, no matter how you feel or what things look like, instead of using your words to describe your situation, use your words to change your situation. Make a declaration of faith by saying, “This is going to be a great day. I have God’s favor. He’s directing my steps.” When you do that, you are choosing to bless your future. You are calling in favor, increase and opportunities. You are opening the door for God to move on your behalf so you can live the abundant life He has for you! Father, thank You for the blessings You have prepared for my future. I submit my ways and my words to You. Help me to speak what You speak and keep me close to You. I give You the glory in all things in Jesus’ name. Amen. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
All
Archives
June 2015
|