HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just do it!

VERSE: "Be strong and courageous, and do it. Fear not; be not dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail or forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord." (I Chronicles 28:20)

THOUGHTS: Fear not. That is the message David had for his son, Solomon. For many years, David wanted to build a temple for the Lord. But God told Him that specific job belonged to his son, Solomon. Solomon was young and inexperienced, and even though he knew he had a mandate from God, he was intimidated by the prospect of building a great house of worship, one that would be a dwelling place for the Most High. Your can probably understand his apprehension.

But his father David had some good advice for him. He told his son, "Forget your fear. God is bigger than your problems. He is bigger than the temple you are going to build. He is bigger than any adversity that you might face. So just get busy and do your part and God will do the rest."

Perhaps this New Year you have some changes that need to be made. Maybe you need a renovation in your marriage, finances, health, or emotions. Whatever your individual needs may be, notice the words of David, "Be strong and courageous, and do it. Fear not, be not dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you."

PRAYER: God, I'm excited to see what You have planned for me this year. Whatever I face, I will not be intimidated. I will begin this year by seeing myself as You do – happy, healthy, and prosperous

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Encourage Yourself
VERSE: “David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him…But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (I Samuel 30:6)

THOUGHTS: It’s good to have friends and family around to cheer you up when you’re down, but in order to truly live in victory, that encouragement has to come from the inside. When your mind is telling you it’s not worth it, when your circumstances seem difficult, deep down inside, your spirit has to have the resolve that says, “I refuse to settle where I am.
”

That’s what David had to do. He was facing a major setback. His city was destroyed, and his own people were now against him, but he still managed to encourage himself in the Lord. How did he do that? He replayed in his mind the victories from the past. He recounted God’s faithfulness. As he rehearsed over and over the goodness of God, strength began to rise in his heart.


There are so many places you can see the hand of God at work. Thank Him for saving you today. Thank Him for the miracle of life. Thank Him for His faithfulness. Focus on the fact that God didn’t bring you this far to leave you now. Stir up that inner strength and encouragement. As you do, you’ll rise higher and higher and live the life of victory the Lord has prepared for you.


PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for Your faithfulness today. I choose to focus on You and the good things You have prepared for my future. I thank You for making a way out of no way, and I will bless You always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

One More Time

VERSE: “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish” (Luke 5:4).


THOUGHTS: Several times in Peter’s life, Jesus asked him to go the extra mile, to toss his fishing net over the other side of the boat—one more time. And these fishing nets weren’t small. They weren’t easy to move from side to side. They were very heavy. Peter was reluctant, but he did it anyway because Jesus asked him to, and the results were amazing.


It’s easy to get tired and discouraged when you’ve tried and tried and aren’t seeing the results you had hoped. But, when you hear the voice of the Master deep down inside saying, “Try it again,” know that things are about to change. It may be hard. It may not make sense. You may be tired, but that “one more time” can be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for! When everything and everyone else says it’s time to give up, that’s when it’s time to go with God. When you obey Him, He’ll take the impossible and turn it into a miracle. You can trust that God is ordering your steps. He’s taking you down a path of victory and increase. Just like Peter, you’ll be amazed at what will happen when you follow His commands, just one more time!

PRAYER: Father in heaven, I choose today to follow Your commands, even when things seem difficult. I know that Your words bring strength, life, and blessing, and I will serve and honor You all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Power of What You Say
VERSE: "If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies. " (1 Peter 3:10)

THOUGHTS: The Bible teaches to choose your words wisely. In fact, God's Word says life and death are in the power of the tongue. That's why you need to be very careful about what you say each day. Your words can either be a positive and encouraging influence, or a discouraging one. It may be easier to grumble and become negative when things aren't going your way, but God calls you to speak words that strengthen and lift others up. When you do that, you will be blessed as well. Today, experience a new sense of joy by speaking positive words of faith and victory over your life and those around you.


PRAYER: God, thank You for the encouraging words You speak to me. Give me the daily strength to speak with encouraging words and never let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

You're Not an Accident!
VERSE: "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.
" (1 Corinthians 9:26)

THOUGHTS: When you're living according to your purpose, there's nothing in this world that can stop you. You can develop a vision of victory in your life knowing that God can handle anything that comes your way. The Bible says that "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." Simply shake off anything that the enemy throws at you and don't let it hinder or bother you. Lift your eyes to God - when you magnify him, the obstacles in your life will become so much smaller.


PRAYER: God, thank you for my purpose and my placement. I know that You intended me to live right where I am today. May I live boldly and step out to grasp those things that You have called me to do. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!
It is never too late to become what you might have been.



Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it.
Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.


Friends are like balloons; once you let them go, you might not get them back.
Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away. Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and wrong.

Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late.
I don't want to let that happen so I'm gonna tie you to my heart so I never lose you.

What Are Your Goals?
VERSE: "I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
" (Philippians 3:13-14)

THOUGHTS: The reason it is so important for you to set and achieve goals is that you have a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. It's kind of like building your own house-something you had better not attempt without a clear vision of your goals and a good set of blueprints, or you may wind up with some extra doors or windows and no place to put them! God is the architect of your life. His Word is a blueprint of His hopes and plans for your life. Trust Him to help you set your goals. If you have a problem being focused and setting goals for your life, one of the best things you can do is to start writing them down, both short-term and long-term ones. It's amazing how your life can begin to take shape when you can see on paper where you want to go.


PRAYER: God, thank You that You are the architect of my life. Give me the wisdom to follow Your blueprint and set goals that reflect Your desires for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Pray God’s Promises
VERSE: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (I John 5:14 NIV).


THOUGHTS: Are you believing for God to do something specific in your life today? Do you need a miracle in your health, finances, or relationships? When you pray God’s promises found in His Word, you can be confident that He hears your prayers. The scripture tells us that there is power when two are in agreement, and no matter what you may be facing, you and God are a majority. Find the specific scriptures that address what you are believing for and write them on note cards. Study those scriptures and make those promises your prayers. If you need healing, you can pray, “Father, You said in Isaiah 53 that by Your stripes I am healed.” If you need provision for something, you can pray, “Father, thank You for Your promise to provide all my needs according to Your riches in glory.” Whatever you may need today, the most powerful thing you can do is to pray and declare God’s promises. As you do, you will see Him move on your behalf, and you’ll live the life of victory He has in store for you.


PRAYER: Father in heaven, thank You for Your promises. I know You are faithful to Your Word, and I choose to come into agreement with Your promises. Fill me with Your confidence as I declare Your Word. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

In His Presence is Fullness
VERSE: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11).

THOUGHTS: Do you need something from the Lord today? The scripture tells us that Jesus came so that you could have life, and have it abundantly, or to the full. Everything you need, spiritually, physically, and emotionally is found in the presence of Almighty God. He wants to show you the path of life and pour out His abundance and favor on you.

The scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. One translation says, “He is enthroned on the praises of His people.” In other words, when you give God the praise, you invite Him to be Lord over every area of your life. You open the door for Him to exercise the fullness of His authority. You are opening the door to His fullness of peace, joy, love, and everything He has for you!

You can praise God at anytime, anywhere. Just simply open your heart and begin to declare how wonderful and awesome He is! As your praise goes up, His blessing comes down. Remember, praise precedes the victory. As you worship, you’ll experience His fullness and live as an overcomer all the days of your life!

PRAYER: Father in heaven, I come before You giving You all that I am. I bless and praise You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for filling me with Your peace, joy, and victory as I worship You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Peace During Trials
VERSE: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1 Peter 1:6-8

THOUGHTS: When trials and challenges come, it’s easy to feel frustrated or discouraged that things aren’t going the way you planned. You might even feel overwhelmed by what’s happening around you. But no matter what you may be facing, you can have God’s perfect peace in your heart and mind. When life seems uncertain, you can have confidence because He has already overcome the world! One translation says, “I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.”

God has already fought your battle and conquered your enemies! He’s already paved the way to victory. When you maintain an attitude of faith and expectancy, you are moving forward on that path. Remember, when difficulties arise, focus on the fact that the Greater One lives inside of you.


As the scripture says, “Be of good cheer!” because what you are going through will eventually be over, and you’ll come through stronger, wiser, more alive, and better off than you were before!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect peace. I choose to have an attitude of faith and expectancy, knowing that You have victory in store for me because I walk uprightly before You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FAITH LIKE MUSTARD SEED
VERSE: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Proverbs 3:5

THOUGHTS: These words sound simple enough to follow. However, it is up to us to place our trust in God with all things and with everyone in our lives. We tend to trust God when decisions go the way we want them to. We trust God when the "stakes" are small. However, trusting God in the hard trials and the larger decisions seem to be more cumbersome for us to do. We want to trust Him, but it seems our plans are on hold or stopped dead in the tracks and then we question, where God is. Is God working? Is God listening? Does God care? We begin to wonder and question God.
Is this what the scripture above says?

Are you trusting God today in all your decisions? Are you truly laying your burdens down at His feet and allowing Him to work? Are you giving Him your whole heart and trusting in Him for ALL things or just the pieces you want to give Him? Dear friends, I have watch a family member struggle these past few months with depression and trying to pass an exam for a license he must have in order to work. My prayer was for God to heal his depression and allow him to pass this exam so he could move forward. However, I had to learn to give God this family member and to allow Him to work in this situation. This scripture has been a constant support to me during this time. My prayer changed from questions to trusting God. I give this family member over to God's good and perfect will each and every day. It's been difficult for me at times, but God's Word always tests me and gives me strength. Do you trust with all your heart? Or just small pieces? Are you questioning why, when or how? Are you laying your burdens down and giving God praise and allowing Him to work? God bless.

IT'S OKAY TO STUMBLE
VERSE: Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 1 John 2:10

THOUGHTS: I don't like it when I stumble. When I do, I usually pray for forgiveness and then try really hard to not stumble again. God is so awesome; His light helps my stumbles to be far and few between. I can remember a time when I stumbled so many times during one day; I couldn't keep track of them. Isn't it interesting that the scripture above links our attitudes to stumbling? If you have anger in your heart, you don't reveal light and can stumble. If you have nasty negative thoughts about others, you lose the light and can stumble. If you live in any kind of darkness (sin), you don't show light and stumble. Without the light of God's love in our hearts, we stumble. No wonder we become so weary and tired, we are always stumbling.


It may sound simple to love and receive light. However, we are weak and allow the light to deplete from us many times during the day due to our thoughts of others. If we focus on God, ask Him to change us, begin to accept those changes, pray for those that drain us and see them through the eyes of Jesus, our light will shine. Then we will have less and less stumbling. If you can find a way to pray and begin to love your brothers and sisters, God will do the rest. He is calling us to repent of anger, judgment, frustration and all other thoughts of darkness. Won't you receive His light today? Open your eyes and your heart to see others as God sees you. I want less stumbling, how about you? God bless.

MY ROCK AND SALVATION
VERSE: My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 62:5-6

THOUGHTS: Abraham Lincoln said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.". However, this morning as I read this scripture and thought about the quote above, I thought I should be driven to my knees in awe of God each and every day and not just when I am in dire need. God understands when we cry out in despair and agony. He will be there waiting to hear your pleas. He offers His listening ear, answer to your prayer, comfort as we wait on His timing and He promised to be your rock, your salvation and your stronghold. I find that encouraging this morning.


My prayer for all of us is that we will be driven to our knees. We will be in such awe of our relationship with God. We will make Him our best friend and go to Him immediately when we have needs. That we will develop faith, love and hope as we turn to Him in our prayer time. Friends, Jesus is waiting and wanting you to love Him the same way He loves you. Won't you allow yourself the honor and privilege of worshipping Him on your knees? God bless.

Hang in There!
VERSE: "Our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!" (2 Corinthians 4:17)

THOUGHTS: Does there seem to be a problem waiting for you no matter where you turn? Do you sometimes wonder if your dreams are ever going to come to pass? Maybe you've asked why God would allow you to struggle in your job, your relationships, your health, or some other area of life. God allows you to go through challenges because He knows it's the struggle of life that builds strength in you. If God simply delivered you from every struggle every time, then you may not continue to grow and learn to trust Him. When you persevere through difficult times, you'll begin to realize a greater level of joy, peace, victory, and abundance than you ever dreamed possible. Remember, God loves you too much to leave you where you are. He's preparing you for something better!

PRAYER: God, thank You for giving me what You know I need. Help me to learn and grow through my struggles as I trust You to bring me out stronger than ever. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Go Ahead and Grow

“God iVERSE: s working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” Philippians 2:13 (NLT).


THOUGHTS: Nothing can change God's love for you. He wants the best for you and desires for you to grow spiritually. God says in the Bible that His plans and purposes for your life are wonderful - and nothing can stop the almighty God from accomplishing great things through you! God orders certain circumstances in your life He knows will be a challenge and cause you to grow in your faith. God loves you far too much to leave you where you are.
So why settle for a middle-of-the-road life when you can cross the finish line victoriously! God continually works in you to give you the power for abundant living -so believe it, receive it and use it mightily for Him!

PRAYER: God, I'm so glad that You love me too much to leave me where I am. Help me to live in the obedience and victory that I know are Your desire for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Enjoy Life!


VERSE: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen." (Hebrews 11:1)


THOUGHTS: You may be facing a situation in your family, your health or your marriage that just looks impossible. It would be easy to allow circumstances like this to steal your joy and cause you to go through life with a defeated attitude. But the Bible says that as long as you have faith, your situation is subject to change! So try this beginning tomorrow morning. The first thing you get up, quote Psalm 118:24 to yourself: "This is the day that the Lord has made." The Lord gave you this day for a specific reason, so enjoy it and live it in His strength! You have to be determined to enjoy your life; it has to be a daily decision because only you can choose to enjoy the things that God has given you. Look at your life through eyes of faith, and thank God for each day.


PRAYER: God, thank You for this wonderful day that You have given me. I ask today for the eyes of faith to see myself and my life the way You see me. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

"For I know the plans I have for you,"
VERSE: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back...to the place from which I carried you into exile. " Jeremiah 29:11-14

tHOUGHTS: The above scriptures were written by Jeremiah to the surviving elders among the exiles. The powerful words spoken then still pertain to us today. I love the word, declares! That means it must have very important for God to get His message across. Do you declare the power of God by receiving it as a precious gift? Do you declare His presence by seeking Him with all your heart or with just the little bit you are willing to share? Do you declare He has brought your through many trials? Do you declare the testimony of your salvation to others?

I feel strongly this morning that we need to declare more often what God has done is our lives. We tend to keep things to ourselves. I encourage you to share your burdens, your triumphs, and your love for God to someone today. Don't try to prepare the "right" words, just tell them what God has done or is doing. Sharing your trials is powerful. It allows believers to pray for you and your situation. It allows others to see God working in your life. It allows others to understand that you are struggling, but have faith that God knows the plan. Open your heart to seek God and allow Him to use you today. God bless.

What You See is What You Get

VERSE: "I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.
" (Philippians 4:13)

THOUGHTS: The things that you believe about yourself will probably come to pass. If you see yourself happy, then you will probably be happy. If you see yourself well, you may have good health. The Bible says that you can do all things through the strength of Christ. All you have to do is believe it. God is going before you, making your paths straight and surrounding you with His favor. The Bible also says that His blessings will chase you and overtake you! The key is to make God the center of your focus. Problems shrink when you put your focus on the Him!

PRAYER: God, thank you for the strength and victory that comes only from You. May I have the boldness and strength to see things the way You do and to have a victorious vision. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Set your minds on things above
VERSE: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:2

THOUGHTS: Focusing on the future and spending time with God in eternity helps me forget my earthly troubles. It doesn t take them away, but it certainly reminds me they will pass one glorious day. God didn t say our walk with Him on earth would be easy, but He promised to get us through those hard times. He promised that one day we will live with Him in a place of total contentment. Oh how I long for that day, when I will see Jesus face to face.


Meanwhile, our purpose on earth is to rely on His power to strengthen, teach, direct and challenge us as we live and breathe to tell others about Him. We must not allow our problems to get in the way of our earthly purpose of witnessing to others. Just try to imagine as hard as things can be for those of us that know Christ, how much harder life is for those that don t know Him and have no hope. If you are struggling today, focus on Christ and things above. Put your earthly attitudes, issues, heartache and pain into God s loving arms. Allow Him to carry them for you. Setting your mind on things above can take effort, and some days it may feel draining, but the gift you receive from Christ is peace. Where do you want to place your focus today? God bless.