Walk Through

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NIV)

       Sometimes in life, you’ve got to play in pain. In other words, you’ve got to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. You have to keep pressing forward even when it’s not easy. Every voice will tell you, “You’re done. There’s nothing good in your future.” No, don’t believe those lies. God sees your effort. It’s one thing to do the right thing and make good decisions when everything is going your way. That’s great. God honors that. But when times are tough and nothing is going your way, when you’re hurting, when you should be on the sidelines nursing your wound but instead you’re still in the game; you’re still getting to work on time; you’re still being good to someone, you’re still expecting God to turn it around, that gets God’s attention in a new way.

I believe God has a greater reward for people who are faithful in the tough times. If that’s you today, know that God has His hand on you. He’s walking with you through the valley. He’s preparing streams in the dessert. He’s leading and guiding you in paths of righteousness for His name sake. Keep praising. Keep believing. Keep moving forward knowing that God is with you, and His comfort will guide you to the place of blessing.




A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for being my Good Shepherd. Thank You for walking with me in the valley, in the tough places. Thank You for restoring my soul and leading me to a place of victory and blessing in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Credits: Joel and Victoria Osteen

He Remembers You

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.”

(Genesis 30:22, NIV)

Our God is so loving, so merciful, so faithful. Even when we become too discouraged to believe, God does not forget what He promised. Maybe you feel discouraged today. Maybe your life hasn’t turned out the way you had hoped. Maybe you prayed, believed and worked hard, and it didn’t work out. Now you’re thinking, “Hey, I’m never going to be happy again. I’ll never be married. I’ll never accomplish my dreams.”

Remember today, not only does God remember you, He remembers the promise He placed within you. He knows what He’s destined you to do. You may have already said, “Forget it; it’s never going to happen.” The good news is that you don’t have the final say. God has the final say, and He says, “What I started in your life, I’m going to finish.” That dream you gave up on, God didn’t give up on. He remembers you, and He is with you, leading you and guiding you to the place of victory.


A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness even when I am unfaithful. Thank You for drawing me close to You when I feel discouraged. Today, I choose to lift up my eyes to You for You are my source of strength and help. You are the Author and Finisher of my faith in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Credits: Joel Osteen Ministries

Desiring God More Than His Blessings

        How many of us can actually say, 'I am not jealous of anyone else or envious of what others have. If God gave it to them, then I want them to enjoy it"?

The Word says, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have" (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). I believe God tests us to see if we will live by this verse.

There are times when He will put somebody in front of us who has exactly what we want, just to see how we will respond. Until we can pass His "I am happy for you because you are blessed" test, we are never going to have any more than what we have right now.

If you have asked God for something and He hasn't given it to you yet, rest assured that He is not holding out on you. He simply wants to make sure that you rid yourself of jealousy and make Him your top priority.

God wants us to prosper in every way. He wants people to see His goodness and how well He takes care of us. But we must desire God more than we desire His blessings.

PRAYER STARTER

God, I want You to show me the areas of my life where I've given in to jealousy and covetousness, and help me rearrange my priorities.

I want to desire You more than Your blessings.


Credits: Joyce Meyer Ministries

Develop Your Talent

“That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].”

(Colossians 1:10, AMP)

       Too many people suffer from “destination disease.” In other words, they've reached a certain level or obtained a goal, now they’re coasting in life off of what they've already learned. Studies tell us that 50% of people, after they graduate from high school, will never read an entire book the rest of their life. 

One reason is that people see learning as a period of life instead of a way of life. They think, “I’m out of school. I’m done with my training. I've got my job.” But, God never created us to reach one level and stop. Whether you’re 90 years old or 9 years old, you should be constantly learning, improving your skills, and getting better at what you do.

The key is that you have to take responsibility for your growth. Growth is not automatic. What steps are you taking to get better? Are you reading books? Listening to teaching CD’s? Are you taking any courses on the internet? Going to any seminars? Do you have any mentors? Don’t just coast through life relying on what you've already learned. You have treasure on the inside. Develop your talent and become all that God created you to be.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, help me to develop the talents You have given me. Show me to how to continue growing, stretching and increasing. Help me to maximize what You've placed in my hand as I daily give You glory for Your faithfulness in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Credits: Joel Osteen Ministries

It’s Never too Late

“The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

(Romans 11:29, KJV)

      What could be worse than to come to the end of life filled with regrets? “If only I had pursued that dream. If only I had been more disciplined. If only I had taken that step of faith. If only I had forgiven.” Don’t let that be you. You may have put things off a lot longer than you should have, but the good news is that it’s not too late to get started. You can still become everything God has created you to be.

Today, make the decision to stop making excuses. If you always make excuses, you’ll always have one. Don’t wait for a more convenient time. It says in Ecclesiastes, “If we wait for all the conditions to be just right, we’ll never move off of dead center.” Make a decision to just do it! Be a now person. Your destiny is calling out, and it’s never too late to be all that God has created you to be.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for making all things new. Thank You for renewing me, restoring me and setting me on the road to victory. Show me Your ways and give me the strength to embrace every opportunity that comes from You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Credits: Joel Osteen Ministries

Who Do You Agree With?

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

(Matthew 18:19, NIV)

The Scripture talks about how when any two of us agree, it shall be done. That’s a promise that when we stand in faith with another believer, God will do what He said. Well, I believe that principle is true even in the negative. When the enemy puts a thought in your mind, if you agree, then your agreement is what gives it the power to come to pass. But if you don’t agree, you turn it around.

The thought says, “Your children are going to get into trouble.” “No, I don’t agree. My children will be mighty in the land. My children will fulfill their destiny.” You've just stopped that fear from coming to pass. The thought says, “You’d better not go out today. You’re going to have an accident.” “No, I don’t agree. God has a hedge of protection around me; a bloodline that the enemy cannot cross.”

Here’s the key: don’t come into agreement with the fear. If you don’t agree, the only way it can come to pass is if God gives it permission. And if God does, you can rest assured it’s not going to work against you. It’s going to work for you. Today, pay attention to what you’re coming into agreement with and don’t agree with fear. Agree with His Word and embrace the good things He has in store for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I come into agreement with You. I choose to align my words, my thoughts and my actions with Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and light to my path. I will hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Credits: Joel Osteen Ministries

Overcome the “What If’s”

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

(2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)

   God’s desire is that we continually progress, that we reach higher heights and go to new levels in Him. Oftentimes, as soon as we make the decision to step out in faith and obey God, the enemy brings in fear to try to stop us. He’ll bring thoughts like, “What if you fail? What are other people going to think? You don’t have what it takes.” He’ll do his best to use fear to try to convince us to shrink back and stay where we are.

The Bible says that fear is a spirit. It plays on our emotions and holds us back. But the good news is that we have power over the spirit of fear! The Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. When we receive God’s perfect love, we will have confidence about the future because we know His plans are for our good. I’ve heard it said that fear is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Understand that fear is a lie. Don’t buy the lie. Instead, choose to believe God’s Word and receive His love so that you can overcome fear and move forward into the blessings He has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for giving me power, love and a sound mind. I open my heart to You and receive Your perfect love. Fill me with Your confidence and assurance to embrace everything You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.


Credits: Joel Osteen Ministries