“For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you...to give you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11, AMP)
God desires to see you flourish in this life. He wants to see you come out of setbacks stronger, wiser, increased and promoted. He wants to give you hope in your final outcome and see you come to a flourishing finish. When my father died unexpectedly, all in our family was not well. We didn’t know how everything was going to turn out. We didn’t have all the answers, but we understood the principle that God never ends on a negative. Instead of getting stuck on that page, we just kept moving forward little by little, doing our best, being faithful, being good to people. When I look out today, I can see the faithfulness of God. I can say like David, “Look what the Lord has done!” Remember, when you encounter adversity, know that God isn’t finished yet. He never ends on a negative. He has more in store for you if you will keep pressing forward. Don’t let your thoughts get stuck on the circumstances. Instead, 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 lead you into a flourishing finish! Father, today I humbly come to You ready to receive Your favor, grace and mercy. I cast my cares on You. I cast my questions on You. I put my hope in You knowing that You will bring me to a flourishing finish in Jesus’ name! Amen. “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, NKJV)
God wants you to live in the fullness of His blessing. His blessing is His supernatural empowerment. It is His favor. We’ve all seen a measure of His blessing, but there is a whole new level He wants to take you to. 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. Remember, the God we serve is 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 blessing and live in the fullness He has in store for you! Father, I come before You today with an open and humble heart, ready to receive all You have for me. Teach me to live a life that is pleasing to You so that I can be an example of Your love in the world around me in Jesus’ name. Amen. “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! Father in heaven, today I choose to put my trust in You. I know You are a good and faithful God, and I trust that You have my best interest at heart. Help me stay focused on Your goodness today in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul” (Psalm 31:7, NLT) God sees and cares about everything that happens in your life. He’s seen every wrong that’s been done to you. He’s seen every unfair situation. He told the people of Israel, “I have seen your affliction. I have seen how badly you were treated those 430 years that you were in slavery.” Then He went on to say, “I have come down to deliver you.” When God brought them out, they didn’t come out empty-handed. God made their enemies hand over their gold and silver. God vindicated His people, and He will vindicate you! Maybe someone has wronged you today. You could easily become bitter and angry and spend your life trying to pay them back. However, if you will give it to God and let Him do it His way, scripture says He’ll pay you double for your trouble! Today, know that He sees where you are, He sees where you’ve been and He sees the struggles of your heart. Release the struggle to Him and let Him reward you with His everlasting promises. Father God, today I choose to release the struggles in my heart. I release the offenses and wrongs done to me. I choose forgiveness. I choose peace. I choose to let You be my vindicator knowing that You love me and care for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT)
God desires to take care of whatever may be concerning you today. He invites you to give your worries and cares to Him simply because He loves you! How do you give Him your cares? First of all, understand that cares show up in your mind. When negative, self-defeating thoughts of worry come, you have to recognize them as cares and replace them with the Word of God. For example, if you are concerned about a need today, say out loud, “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.” If you have fear about something, say out loud, “God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” If you have sickness in your body, declare, “By His stripes I am healed.” As you meditate on the truth and focus your heart and mind on the Father, those cares and concerns will disappear. Then, thank Him for giving you peace and joy. Thank Him for working in your life. As you keep an attitude of faith and expectancy, give Him your worries and cares and get ready for the blessing He has for your future! Father in heaven, I come to You today casting my cares on You. I choose to believe Your Word and trust that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf. I give You all the praise and glory in Jesus’ name. Amen. “Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope” (Acts 2:26, NKJV) So many people today live with stress, anxiety, pressure and worry, but that’s not God’s plan for your life. He wants you to live in peace, confidence and rest in hope. Think about that for a moment. How can you rest in hope? It’s sort of like when you’re watching the replay of your favorite ball game. You already know the outcome. You don’t have to worry about what’s happening, you just enjoy the plays. The same is true in life. When we know God’s Word, when we obey His commands, then we know the outcome for life. We know that He is always for our good. We know that He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us! Today’s scripture tells us what to do while we are waiting to see His promises come to pass — we should let our tongue be glad. In other words, we should be speaking the victory. We should be declaring His goodness. We should be filled with His joy. When your mouth is aligned with God’s Word, when your heart rejoices, then you can rest in hope knowing that victory is on the way! Father God, thank You for victory that overcomes the world. Thank You for giving me hope in my final outcome. I choose to cast my cares on You today, I choose to rejoice, I choose to speak Your Word as I celebrate the good things You have in store for me in Jesus’ name! Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen Speak to Your Mountains
“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done” (Matthew 21:21, AMP) Everyone has gone through seasons when the challenges of life feel overwhelming. During those times, it’s easy to be tempted to talk about how bad things are. Maybe you received a bad medical report, or maybe you’re facing a financial obstacle. But the more you talk about something, the bigger it becomes in your mind. Instead, you’ve got to dig your heels in and say, “No, I am not going to give life to that defeat. I am not going to speak sickness over myself. I’m not going to speak lack. I’m not going to speak fear. I’m choosing a different report. I believe the report of the Lord which says I am blessed. I am favoured. I am prosperous. I am healthy. I am whole. I’m a victor, not a victim.” Remember, even if you don’t see how things could ever work out, God does. Speak to those mountains in your life and declare God’s favour over those situations. Instead of talking to God about how big your problems are, talk to your problems about how big your God is! As you speak to your mountains, they will be moved, and you will move forward into the victory God has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which is life to my spirit. I receive Your strength today and choose to speak to the mountains so I can move forward in the victory You have in store for me in Jesus’ name. Amen. “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”(Proverbs 18:16, NASB) When people hear the story of David and Goliath, sometimes they think, “That was all God.” And yes, in a sense, I know it was God. But the truth is that God didn’t sling the stone. God didn’t cause it to hit at just the right spot. It was the skill God gave David that he had developed. Like David, God has put in you skill that can slay a giant. You have skill that can open new doors, skills that can lead to an abundant life, but the key is that your skill has to be developed. Every day that you spend growing, learning and improving, you’re getting prepared for that new level. Today, while you’re waiting for that new opportunity, start sharpening your skills. Study your boss. Study your manager. Learn that position. Be able to step into their shoes. When God sees that you are prepared, then He can open new doors. The scripture says, “Your gifts will make room for you.” Keep developing your skills because there is a giant slayer in you! A PRAYER FOR TODAYFather, thank You for depositing in me everything that I need for life and godliness. I choose to be faithful with what You have given me. I choose to sharpen my skills. Help me prepare for every opportunity You have for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen. “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.’ But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets”
(1 Corinthians 2:9–10, NLT) Who in your life do you share your deepest secrets with? Most people only share their inner thoughts with those who are closest to them; people they trust or people they’ve gone through experiences with. Do you know who God shares His secrets with? The people who are closest to Him. God wants to share His deepest secrets with you. He wants you to know what He thinks about you. He wants you to know about the plans He has for you. He wants to show you things you’ve never seen, heard about or even imagined. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, not only are you His child, but you are also His friend. You are His closest companion. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and share with you. This passage goes on to say, “Who can know a man’s thoughts except his own spirit?” As believers, God’s Spirit lives inside of us, revealing to us His very own heart. What a wonderful, amazing thought — we can know God’s thoughts because we are one with Him. Open your heart and allow Him to share His deep secrets with you today! PRAYER Father in heaven, I am so humbled that You call me friend. I am honored to be connected with You and invite You to share Your heart with me. I surrender all that I am to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many are called, but few chosen.”(Matthew 20:16, KJV)
Before we are promoted in life, before we can be moved ahead, we have to be prepared. Sometimes it’s a spiritual preparation. Sometimes it’s a physical preparation, but we all go through seasons of preparation. Too often, people miss their appointed time simply because they are not ready. They haven’t prepared. They look around at others and think, “Well, so-and-so is more qualified than I am.” No, if you’ll get ready, if you’ll outgrow where you are, then God will make room for something greater. Don’t worry about who’s in line in front of you. You just keep growing, learning and getting prepared, and the right doors will open. The fact is that God may not want you to have your supervisor’s position. That may be too low for you. God may be about to thrust you right past them into a whole new level. You just be faithful to develop what God has placed in you, and He will take you further than you can ever imagine! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, today I open my heart and mind to the great things You have in store for my future. I choose to be faithful. I choose to prepare. I won’t look to the left or to the right, but I will keep my eyes on You, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ name. Amen! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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