Thursday, September 30, 2010

Help, Mate!

GENESIS 2:18 LB
18 And the Lord God said, "It isn't good for man to be alone; I
will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs."

An important part of God's purpose for marriage is to have
someone to help you in life.

(God did not intend for this to be one-sided. A husband also
should help his wife. Otherwise, a husband would not love his
wife as Christ loves the church. See Ephesians 5:25.)

We all need help and encouragement. Sadly, for most people,
that is often not at all what they receive from their spouse.

Your spouse, whether you know it or not, desperately wants and
needs your help, your encouragement, and your support.

Are all spouses perfect and deserving of encouragement and
support? None are! No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. But
especially in those times, it is important that we have someone
to encourage us and help us to believe we can go on and do
better. God meant for you to be that someone to help your
spouse.

Don't fall into the trap of waiting until your spouse starts
being nice to you. God's law works in this area, too: whatever
you give, you will receive. So the best way to get your spouse
to treat you better is to treat them better.

God does not expect you to love and help your spouse solely
with your own love, but to allow God to pour His love through
you. God loves your spouse -- enough to die for them -- and
desires to express that love through you.

If your spouse would not describe you as their encourager,
friend, and a great help to them -- you are missing God's plan.
You need to be your mate's biggest booster.

Yes, this can be hard. Yes, you have no doubt suffered because
of them. Yes, they have hurt you and you probably don't feel
like being a blessing to them after what they have done to you.
But none of this changes the Word of God and His plan.

Whenever you find direction in God's Word that seems difficult
or impossible, your approach should always be to ask God to
help you. "Lord, I see in your Word that you want me to do
this, but I need your help. Help me to love them. Cause your
love for them to flow through me."

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will encourage and help those
around me, especially and always, my spouse.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Delay Is Not Denial

LUKE 18:1 NKJ
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to
pray and not lose heart,

Many people give up too easily in prayer. When they don't see
the answer almost immediately, they quit.

God is not pleased with this approach.

You may say, "God knows my need. Why doesn't He just give it to
me, instead of playing games?"

Whether you agree with God's ways, or not: God is still in
charge and makes the rules -- not you. So, it does you no good
to argue or complain. Better to just line up with God instead
of fighting against His plan. Besides, in reality God's ways
are perfect, it is just that we are often too immature and
ignorant to understand all God is doing.

Scripture has many examples of people pressing in and receiving
answers to prayer. We should never be quitters when it comes to
prayer.

It is God's will to answer your prayers. He is the One who told
you to pray. God actually delights in answering your prayers.

(Never forget that God loves you more than you can imagine. God
loves you more than He loves Himself, and proved it by dying in
your place, so you could go free.)

"Then why are there so many delays?"

There is an enemy, the devil, who hates you and is against you
receiving your answer from God.

Second, some prayers involve other people, and God does not
force people to do His will, but works with them patiently so
they can see and do the right thing willingly. This takes time.

Third, there are things that God is working in you while you
are persevering in prayer. God's plan is for you to grow up
spiritually. God wants to enlarge your faith and encourage you
to develop a closer relationship with Him. If every answer
always came immediately, would you really press in and spend
time drawing closer to God and studying His Word?

Don't despair in prayer. Keep on praying in faith as long as
you are praying according to God's Word. A delay, even a very
long one, does not mean that God is saying no to your request.

SAY THIS: I will not give up in prayer.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

If You Don't Know What To Believe

JOHN 17:17 NKJ
17 ". . . Your word is truth.

According to Jesus, the Word of God is truth. Yet many people
proclaim quite different messages -- all using the Bible as
their text. How can you know who to believe?

Jesus also told us that continuing to abide in the Word of God
would produce freedom -- not bondage.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."

So, look at the fruit produced by the message proclaimed. Is it
freedom? If not, then it must not be the ACCURATE message of
Jesus Christ.

The true message of Jesus Christ will set people free -- not
put them in bondage. It truly is good news, and makes people
happy when they correctly understand it.

JOHN 10:10 NKJ
10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they
may have it more abundantly.

If it produces death, stealing, or destruction, it is not God's
plan for you. Jesus came so you could have life in all the
fullness God intended.

What you need to do now is simple:

1) Stop listening to lies.

Anything that makes you think God does not love you, or that
you are hopeless or helpless -- is a lie. God is not against
you or mad at you. All your troubles have been caused by the
devil, and your ignorance, not by God.

2) Listen to the truth.

God's truth is good news. It will build you up -- and give you
an inheritance. It will give you good things, not take anything
good away from you.

ACTS 20:32 NKJ
32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of
His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an
inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Primarily, you need to read the New Testament for yourself.
Don't just depend on others to tell you what God said. And
before you read, ask the Lord to teach you and reveal Himself
to you.

Secondarily, listen to teachers and preachers who feed you the
Word of God which builds your faith and makes you love and
appreciate God more. Otherwise, quit listening to them.

Remember, the accurate message of Jesus makes you free. (Not
free to sin without consequences, but free from the bondage and
the effects of sin and its curse.)

SAY THIS: I will stop listening to and believing lies, and I
will listen to and believe the truth. God loves me and will
help me.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Prayer Strengthens You

ISAIAH 40:31 NKJ
31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength...

Too many people think of prayer only as asking God for what
they want. But prayer is much more than that. Prayer is
communication and communion with Almighty God. Somehow, in the
act of prayer we receive a transfusion of God's strength.

LUKE 22:46 NKJ
46 ..."pray, lest you enter into temptation."

Being strong enables you to not enter into temptation. Time
spent in prayer strengthens you spiritually. (Temptation
strikes us all. But we decide whether to yield to the
temptation, or not.)

JUDE 1:20 NKJ
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

According to Jude, praying builds you up, or edifies you.
Prayer is a spiritual exercise; the more you do it the stronger
you get spiritually.

Some may protest that they don't know how to pray. Just begin
to talk to God. And listen for His response, not through a
voice, but through His Word, or thoughts in line with His Word.
God is not so particular about how His children visit with Him.
Just do it!

SAY THIS: I choose to spend time with God each day in prayer
and receive God's strength and help.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Fight The Good Fight Of Faith

1 TIMOTHY 6:12 NKJ
12 Fight the good fight of faith . . . .

Christians are supposed to fight -- just not with each other.

Our struggle is about our faith. The devil wants our faith in
God to wither and die. God wants our faith to grow stronger.

The battlefield is your mind. The devil tries to keep his
evidence foremost in your thoughts: negative circumstances and
what your senses tell you. God's evidence is contained in His
unchanging Word: the Bible.

We must choose to feed the truths of the Bible into our
thinking to keep our faith strong.

The devil still tells mankind his old lie, "Has God said?"
which we could modernize as, "Did God really mean that?"

Yes, God meant what He said and said what He meant.

"Then why doesn't it seem that way when I look around at my
circumstances?"

Because you are supposed to fight the good fight of faith and
actively receive the promised blessings. God will bring His
Word to pass in your life when you actively believe it. God's
program is set up to reward those who trust Him.

You should resist and even rebuke thoughts of doubt, knowing
they originate with the evil one. You can say, "Doubt, I resist
you. Leave me alone. God is faithful and His Word is true."

You have authority over what you think. The Bible tells you
what to think about in Philippians 4:8. But you must exercise
your authority through words spoken. Otherwise, authority
doesn't benefit you.

HEBREWS 11:1 NKJ
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen.

Faith involves things not seen, or not discerned by
your physical senses. If you can see it or feel it you don't
need to have faith for it. Faith is your evidence until it
manifests to your physical senses.

God does not lie. His written Word is your faith evidence until
the blessing is evident even to your physical senses. Resist
the devil by continuing to believe God's Word.

A good fight is a fight you can win.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will fight the good fight of faith
and win.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

God's Protection

God doesn't want us to live our lives in fear. Over and over
the Bible tells us to fear not.

Yet with all the terrible things happening in the world, how
can we not be afraid? How can we overcome the temptation to
fear?

We must know and remember that God loves us and has a good plan
for us: including a home in Heaven and going to be with Jesus
when we die.

Also, we must know and remember the promises of God given in
the Bible concerning protection from evil, accident, and harm
in this life. For example:

PSALM 91:9-11 NKJ
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the
Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near
your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in
all your ways.

This is not to say that victims of tragic events are sinners,
or are not loved by God. Only that if we walk with God and heed
His direction, God promises to protect us.

We know many good people have died unexpectedly and tragically.
Yet the promise of God stands true and should not be doubted.
There is a place of protection as you live close to God and
walk in faith.

SAY THIS: God gives His angels charge over me, to keep me safe
in all my ways.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Pray For Our Leaders

1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 NASB
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may
lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Praying for our leaders is not a useless ritual. God would not
tell us to do something in His Word, unless it would make a
difference.

Sometimes, when bad things happen, people ask why God allowed
them to happen. But we should be asking ourselves why we
allowed them to happen: by not obeying God and praying.

If believers are praying as we ought, we can expect many bad
things and difficult times to be avoided.

Since God told us to pray for our leaders, it is our
responsibility.

Of course, we shouldn't limit ourselves to praying only for our
leaders. We should pray for all people. But we must not forget
to pray for our leaders. And not just when we face difficult
times, either.

SAY THIS: Father, I pray that you would give our leaders
wisdom, understanding, and insight into all the situations that
we face, and the courage to do what is right.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

God Is A Good God

Luke 6:35-36 NKJ
35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for
nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will
be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and
evil.
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is
merciful.

Unfortunately, not many people understand that God is truly
good -- but He is. The world has been deceived into accepting
an image of God that's mean and vindictive, harsh and strict.

But the Bible, especially the fuller revelation given in the
New Testament, paints a different picture of God. He is a
Father -- a good Father.

It would be good news if we had a God who was kind to the
average person. But God doesn't stop there. According to Jesus,
who knows, God is kind to unthankful and evil people, too!

That may not be what you often hear preached, but that's what
Jesus said. The Most High God is kind to evil people.

Jesus also said that not only is God kind to evil people, but
He is merciful. In fact, one passage even says that God
delights in mercy! (Micah 7:18)

Too often people think God is mad at them, so there is little
chance He would help them. The opposite is true. Jesus told us
that God so loved the world . . . .

And He hasn't changed His mind.

SAY THIS: My Father God is a good God. He loves the people of
this world, including me.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Member Of The Body

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12 NKJ
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is
Christ.

Each individual believer IS also part of the Body of Christ,
which is composed of all believers.

(This is the work of God. Not something we "join.")

Think how insane it would be for you to allow your hand to
attack some other member of your body. It's just as crazy for
us, as members of the Body of Christ, to attack other members.

ROMANS 12:4-5 NKJ
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members
do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members of one another.

Other members have different callings -- different functions.
But your job is not to oppose them -- even though you may not
understand them, or why they do what they do. Just leave that
to the Head of the Body -- and do what He tells YOU to do.

You are not the Head of the Body of Christ -- Jesus is. He is
responsible for, and capable of, coordinating all we do so our
actions will accomplish His plan. Members of a body have
different functions, but all are necessary for the body to
function properly.

When you don't obey Jesus, the Head of the Body, you are a drag
on the rest of the members.

Think what a difficult time you would have accomplishing
anything if each member of your body did whatever it felt like
-- instead of obeying orders from your brain.

SAY THIS: I am a member of the Body of Christ.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Jesus Is A Savior

MATTHEW 1:21 NIV
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

The name "Jesus" actually means "the Lord saves" or "the Lord
is a Savior."

So, when we say "Jesus" we are actually saying "Savior." The
two words are synonyms.

The angel told Joseph what to name the son born to his wife
Mary -- and the reason for that particular name. Jesus: because
He will save. We could say, "Savior -- because He will save."

Being a savior is integral to Jesus' nature. That's what He is.
Not just something that He does. He IS, by His very nature, a
Savior.

But we are so used to hearing the word "Savior" in relation to
Jesus that it has lost its meaning for us. It no longer affects
our thinking the way it should. So we need to hear another word
-- Deliverer.

The word savior means deliverer. To save something means to
deliver it. To deliver something means to set it free from what
held it down and kept it from being whole.

You don't have to convince Jesus to deliver you -- He IS a
deliverer! That's what He does. It's as natural for Him to set
you free and make you whole as it is for you to breathe.

All you have to do is allow Jesus jurisdiction in your life.
Invite Him in. He will bring deliverance.

Too many people have been deceived into thinking that allowing
Jesus into their life would put them in bondage and hold them
back. No! Jesus brings freedom. He delivers you from bondage.

SAY THIS: Jesus is my Deliverer! He delivers me from everything
that would hold me down and keep me from wholeness.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Have A Happy Life

1 PETER 3:10-11 NLT
10 For the Scriptures say, "If you want a happy life and good
days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips
from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good. Work hard at living in
peace with others.

Why just tolerate life when you can have a happy life?

Obviously, you have some choice in the matter, according to
these verses. So, make the obvious choice, and ask God to help
you.

Notice that the first instructions given in these verses
concern the words you speak.

What you say is enormously important, according to the Bible.
Yet, most believers are unaware of the importance Scripture
places on the words they speak.

Why not ask God right now to help you understand and apply this
instruction, so you can reap the benefits?

SAY THIS: Thank you Lord for giving me a happy life and good
days. Thank you for helping me not to speak evil or tell lies.
Thank you for helping me to avoid evil, do good, and live in
peace.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Every Good Gift Is From Above

JAMES 1:13,16,17 WEYMOUTH
13 Let no one say when passing through trial, "My temptation is
from God;" for God is incapable of being tempted to do evil,
and He Himself tempts no one.
16 Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
17 Every gift which is good, and every perfect boon, is from
above, and comes down from the Father, who is the source of all
Light. In Him there is no variation nor the slightest
suggestion of change.

God is not doing evil that good may come from it.

"Do not be deceived," the Bible tells us in verse 16 above.
Obviously then, brethren CAN be deceived -- and many ARE.

God is NOT the one behind the bad things happening. Storms,
earthquakes, and tornados are not acts of my God. Only good
comes down from my Father God -- and He does not change or vary
from day to day.

John 10:10 LB
10 The thief's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My
purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

John 10:10 is the dividing line in the Bible. The purpose of
the devil is made clear: to harm you. The purpose of the Lord
is also clear: life in all its fullness -- life as God intended.

Jesus is for you. The devil is against you. It's as simple as
that.

SAY THIS: The devil is against me, so I am against the devil.
God is for me, so I submit to God.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

God Is A Healer

EXODUS 15:26 NRSV
26 ...for I am the LORD who heals you."

When God first revealed Himself to the people of Israel after
their deliverance from Egypt, He called Himself "the Lord Who
Heals."

He didn't just describe Himself as a healer -- He actually gave
Himself that name. One of God's names is "The One Who Heals" or
we could just say "Healer."

Certainly God heals physically. Yet we should not limit our
thinking on this. God heals, or makes whole and sound,
everything that He touches. (So, if we need healing, our plan
should be to get closer to God.)

The idea of making whole and sound is what we should focus on.

God, by His nature, makes things whole. He IS a healer. A
healer of bodies, of minds, of relationships, of nations --
whatever needs making whole and sound.

The important point is to realize that we need not convince God
to heal, because that is His very nature.

No wonder that when Jesus of Nazareth, who was God in the
flesh, came along that:

MATTHEW 4:23 NRSV
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues
and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every
disease and every sickness among the people.

SAY THIS: I serve the God who heals. My God is a healer.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Lord Is Good

PSALM 145:8-9 NKJ
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger
and great in mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all
His works.

The greatest deception is making people think God is bad. God
is not guilty -- of anything bad!

The devil wants us to believe God is bad: that He is uncaring,
that He does bad things to us, and that He is holding out on us
-- keeping us from enjoying good. But it isn't true. God loves
you more than you can imagine.

The devil is a liar -- he works by deception. The devil tries
to make us believe God is like him, and he is like God, which
is, of course, not true.

Because of satan's efforts to distort the truth, many people's
idea of God is actually what the devil is like.

PSALM 34:8 NKJ
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man
who trusts in Him!

We must, as Scripture admonishes, taste and see that the Lord
is good. Unless you have a relationship with God, you won't
know how good He is.

1 JOHN 4:8 NKJ
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is a God of love. He puts the interests of others first. He
is not selfish. He desires the best for everyone.

SAY THIS: God is good to me. Thank You Lord for being good to
me. I refuse to believe the devil's lie that You are bad.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Don't Wait For Tomorrow

PROVERBS 27:1 NIV
1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day
may bring forth.

Do what you need to do today.

Don't wait to receive Jesus. Don't put off doing the will of
God. Don't wait to tell someone you love them.

JAMES 4:13-15 NIV
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to
this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and
make money."
14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is
your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and
then vanishes.
15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we
will live and do this or that."

You don't know what tomorrow holds -- or even if you will be
here tomorrow.

Keep your focus on God. Trust in Him, and do His will today.

SAY THIS: I will do what God leads me to do today.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

God Is Your Father

2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 NKJ
18 "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and
daughters, Says the Lord Almighty."

I am truly sorry if your earthly father was not a good father.
But there are good fathers -- and certainly God is one.

Have you really thought about what it means to have God as your
Father?

Think of His power, His wisdom, His wealth. Then remember that
God loves you more than anyone else has ever loved you -- even
more than you love yourself.

No earthly father ever loved his children more than God loves
you.

Are you living your life in the light of this knowledge? Or,
are you acting like an orphan and worrying like you have no one
to take care of you?

JOHN 14:18 NIV
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

SAY THIS: God is MY Father. He loves me and takes good care of
me. I am not facing life all alone.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Is Money Your God?

Whatever controls you, or determines your decisions, is your
god.

What is god in your life? Do you have a price? Can you be
bought?

Will enough money get you to do something you know is wrong?
Then you are serving money -- you will do what it tells you.

No one can serve two masters, according to Jesus.

MATTHEW 6:24 NKJ
24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

You must choose who your god will be. If you choose Jesus
Christ -- you cannot make every decision based on the financial
bottom line, and still claim He is your Lord.

If you claim to be a Christian but do not worship God by giving
from your income to Him -- it is clear that money is your god.

If you say you do not give to God so that you can feed your
children -- maybe your children are your god.

If your reason for not worshiping God with your money is so you
can pay your house or car note -- you obviously have put them
ahead of God.

Most Christians think it's awful that someone would commit
adultery, or fornication, if someone paid them. But, a
Christian who moves simply to get a higher-paying job, without
regard to God's guidance, is guilty of the same sin: serving
money.

Will you only do God's will if it benefits you? Are you like a
prostitute -- only willing to perform if you get paid enough?

Are you a hired lover -- or a genuine lover of God?

SAY THIS: I will serve God. I refuse to serve money. Instead,
money will serve me.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Jesus Will Not Reject You

JOHN 6:37 LB
37 But some will come to me--those the Father has given me--
and I will never, never reject them.

People may reject you. But Jesus won't.

Jesus died for sinners. He loves them and will help them -- if
only they will come to Him.

Jesus didn't come to condemn us, but to help us. Think of the
Bible account of the woman caught in adultery.

JOHN 8:11 NIV
11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you,"
Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Religious people will reject you for any number of reasons. The
length of your hair, the food you eat, or the clothes you wear
are only examples of reasons they may reject you.

But Jesus is different. He will accept you just as you are.

Many people think they need to clean up their life and get
their act together before coming to Jesus. But they have it
backwards. They should come to Jesus now, and let Him "clean
them up."

If we could make ourselves perfect -- we wouldn't need a
Savior.

SAY THIS: Jesus is my Savior.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

You Are Righteous In Christ

ROMANS 5:1 NLT
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by
faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our
Lord has done for us.

God offers righteousness as a free gift to everyone who
receives the Lord Jesus Christ.

Righteousness means right-wise-ness, or being right. So
righteousness is right standing, or good standing with God. It
does not mean human "perfection."

Righteousness is a gift from God -- not something you can earn
or achieve. God simply declares that you are innocent, as far
as He is concerned, because you believe in Jesus, and that
makes you righteous.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 NKJ
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom
from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption

You ARE righteous if Jesus is your Lord. In fact, Jesus IS your
righteousness. As a believer in Jesus, you will never be more
righteous -- no matter what you do.

Romans 3:10 is a well known verse on this subject that is often
misunderstood. It is a quote from the Old Testament, and is
part of a passage that continues on to say that NOW we can be
righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.

ROMANS 3:10 NKJ
10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;

ROMANS 3:21-22 NKJ
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is
revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God which is through faith in
Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference;

Romans 10 gives instructions on how to become righteous.

ROMANS 10:9-10 NKJ
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made to salvation.

SAY THIS: Jesus is my righteousness. I am in right standing
with God through what my Lord Jesus did for me.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Message Of Reconciliation

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 NIV
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation.

The Good News is about reconciliation between God and man.
Jesus Christ accomplished it.

Mankind was estranged from God. We had gone our own way, were
lost, and couldn't find our way back to fellowship with God.
Fortunately, God loved us and did something to help us.

Two extremely important ideas are presented in the above verse.

First, God is not holding people's sins against them! As far as
God is concerned, Christ's sacrifice paid the penalty for all
sin -- and God considers the world reconciled back to Him.

Second, this wonderful good news of what God has done has been
committed to us. Human beings must tell it. If we don't -- it
won't be told.

People can live and die and never know the glorious truth that
God is not holding any sins against them -- if no one tells
them. They need to know they are forgiven, loved by God, and
welcome to come back into fellowship with Him through Christ.

Think about this: God is interested in reconciliation. Not in
shutting you, or others, out. He is inviting humanity in,
saying all is forgiven.

SAY THIS: Thank You Father God for reconciling me and not
holding my sins against me. Please help me to share this
message with the right people in the right way.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Faith Is Released Through Words

MATTHEW 17:20 NKJ
20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for
assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed,
you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and
it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

If you have faith -- you will do something -- according to
Jesus. You will speak!

Faith and authority are exercised through words. You must open
your mouth and speak in line with what God says.

All we receive from God must be received by faith. (See Romans
5:2 & Galatians 3:14.) So, you will only receive God's blessing
in line with the words you speak.

What you say is what you believe. Or, we could say, you believe
what you say.

If you want to know what someone truly believes, just listen to
what they say -- especially when they're under pressure. Then
the truth will come out.

MATTHEW 12:34-35 NKJ
34 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good
things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings
forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure
brings forth evil things.

Your mouth speaks forth what is in your heart. So to bring
forth good things in your life, you need to speak good words.
To speak good words, they must first be put into your heart in
abundance. You know what that means. Get into the Bible and get
it into you.

SAY THIS: With faith, nothing is impossible. My faith is put
into action by the words I speak. The words I speak are
determined by what I put into my inner being.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

God Has A Plan

JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
11 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.

Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by
his brothers. At that time, I'm sure it didn't look to Joseph
like God had a plan -- at least not one that was good for him.

Joseph surely thought what many of us have, "Why did you let
this happen to me, God?"

No doubt things looked clearer to Joseph later on when he was
ruling Egypt and was able to save his entire family from
starvation. (Genesis 45-50)

Often life may seem confusing and out-of-control. But don't
despair. God has a plan for you which He is working out. If you
could only see the end He has in mind for you -- you would
begin to rejoice and thank God right now. (Hint, hint.)

SAY THIS: God has a plan for me, and I will trust Him to work
everything out in my life.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

In Everything Give Thanks

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 NKJ
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.

Are you giving thanks to God today? You should. If you want to
be happy, you must. For, without being thankful, you will never
be happy.

Just because things are not going the way you would like is no
excuse. The Bible clearly says that God's will for you is to be
thankful -- always.

The Bible does NOT teach that we're to thank God for evil,
because God is not responsible for evil. No, God is not guilty
of any wrongdoing.

What the Bible does teach, is that we should always be thankful
-- even when evil happens. Being thankful is part of an
attitude of faith, and faith will overcome evil.

Although the Bible does say we should give thanks to God FOR
all things, that only means the things for which God is
responsible. For example, if a guest at your home said, "Thank
you for everything," you wouldn't think they were thanking you
for what someone else did.

God doesn't do bad things to people. He's not the one who comes
to steal, kill, and destroy. That's the devil, and people
motivated by selfishness and demonic influence. So you have the
devil "to thank" for the bad things in life.

Yet, during the bad things in life, we are to continue thanking
God, no matter how we feel. This helps us keep our eyes on God
and keep things in perspective.

No matter how dark and hopeless the situation may look -- give
thanks. This is God's will for you.

Thank God for the opportunity to see His deliverance. Thank Him
for His mercy and grace. Thank Him for His faithfulness. Thank
Him for defeating the devil and setting you free in Christ.
Thank Him that Jesus is Lord. Thank Him that your name is
written in Heaven. Thank Him for loving you and taking good
care of you. Thank Him!

SAY THIS: In everything I will give thanks to God for what He
is doing. All God does is for my good.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Don't Worry

1 PETER 5:7 NLT
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about
what happens to you.

Probably the biggest temptation most believers face is the
temptation to worry.

What is worry? Worry is thinking that leaves God out. Worry is
the opposite of faith. Instead of expecting God's help -- you
expect the worst.

1 PETER 5:7 CEV
7 God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.

The Bible has much to say about not worrying. Worry is not
appropriate for a child of God.

MATTHEW 6:32 CEV
32 Only people who don't know God are always worrying about
such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of
these.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6 ICB
6 Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for
everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks.

SAY THIS: I will not worry. I will trust in God. He will take
care of me and everything that concerns me.

Monday, September 06, 2010

Instructions For Success

JOSHUA 1:8 NIV
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth;
meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful.

If you desire to succeed, here are the instructions.

You may follow other plans that promise success, but you have
no guarantee they will work long-term. People may give you
advice that works for awhile -- but can you be sure it will not
fail you someday?

With God you have an eternal guarantee: His Word will never
fail. Heaven and earth will disappear before even the smallest
detail of God's Word will fail.

Look at God's success instructions again. Study them in detail.
Surely if anything is worth your time, this promise of God is.

First, speak in line with God's Word. Isn't it interesting that
the first instruction from God for success has to do with what
you say? Some people proclaim that what you say doesn't matter,
but God puts it at the top of the list.

Second, meditate on what God said. This is the opposite of
worry. This is more than just reading the Bible. (Although if
you never read it, how could you meditate on it?) This is
thinking about what God says and how it affects everything.

When are we to think about God and His Word? When it is day, or
when it is night. Any other time, you can safely shut God out
of your thoughts.

Look at what God promises will be yours if you follow these
instructions: prosperity and success. What everyone wants, but
few are willing to do what it takes to achieve.

Of course you can ignore these instructions. But why would you?

SAY THIS: I will speak God's Word, meditate on it, and act on
it. Then God promises I will be prosperous and successful.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Your Words Are Important

MATTHEW 12:36-37 NIV
36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day
of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words
you will be condemned."

Few people realize the importance of the words they speak.

There is almost no way to overemphasize the importance of what
we say. Yet most people give it almost no thought -- usually
speaking without even thinking.

Jesus came from Heaven and revealed to us that words are
important. Very important. The Bible has much to say on this
subject. We ignore it at our own peril.

You may not be familiar with what the Bible says about the
importance of words, but if you knew only the verse above,
Matthew 12:36-37, that should be enough to convince you. Your
judgment will be determined by the words you have spoken.

Certainly, this is not a negative message. When we understand
the importance and power of words, we can use them for good.
The Bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue
(Proverbs 18:21). Just as fire can cause great destruction,
tamed and controlled it can be a great blessing to us. So it is
with words. Life is in the power of the tongue. That means life
is controlled by words.

I repeat: life is controlled by words. Words release authority.
Words determine the course of events. Words matter.

What should you do about this?

First, you need to study what the Bible says about words. Jesus
said if you continue in His Word you would know the truth and
the truth would make you free (John 8:31-32).

Also, you need to ask the Lord to teach you and help you to
speak correctly -- because we must have God's help to tame our
tongue.

SAY THIS: Lord, please teach me and help me to speak the right
words.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

You Are Not An Orphan

JOHN 14:18 NIV
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

You are not facing life all alone -- no matter how you feel.

Jesus is with you. He promised to never forsake you.

Our enemy loves to make us think we have no help, that God does
not care, and we have no hope. But the devil is a liar.

"But why does God allow things to look so bleak? Why doesn't He
help me sooner?"

God desires faith and trust from us. Without testing times we
would have no opportunity to show our faith. Without obstacles
we would have nothing to overcome.

We must always remember that God is raising a family, preparing
us for eternity with Him. It can be a great error to judge
everything by "the bottom line" today.

We must trust our Father God, because only He really knows what
the "true bottom line" is. And we can trust Him, because He is
good and trustworthy.

SAY THIS: Thank you Father God that I am not facing life all
alone -- as an orphan. You are my Father and are taking good
care of me. I trust You -- for time and eternity.

Friday, September 03, 2010

Does God Test Us?

Yes. But it's always an open-Book test. With the help of God's
instruction Book -- the Bible -- you can always pass the test.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 . . . even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who
tests our hearts.

God doesn't test you to hurt you, but so you can experience
victory. He walks in faith and believes you will win every
test. He is like a confident parent who tells their child to
"Go out there and show them what you can do," expecting them to
win.

In all schooling there is testing to determine whether the
material taught has been mastered.

Testing is necessary and even beneficial for the one being
tested. You may think you're ready to graduate -- but testing
confronts you with reality.

Testing lets you know how you're doing. If you're not doing so
well, turn to God, asking for His help. Spend more time in
God's Word and in prayer.

Remember that God's tests are different than the temptations of
the devil. God's test is whether you will act on His Word.

God never tempts you to do wrong! He never uses evil to test
you (James 1:13). God just allows you to overcome evil by
acting on His Word -- which is more than enough to put you
over.

PSALM 105:19 NKJ
19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the
Lord tested him.

You should always stand in faith, resisting the devil. God's
Word always works -- but not always instantly. From when you
take your stand on God's Word to when the answer manifests,
constitutes the test.

Remember, God is for you -- He's on your side. He sent His
Word, His Holy Spirit, His angels, and His ministers to help
you.

SAY THIS: I can pass God's tests by acting on His Word.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

God Loves Sinners

JOHN 3:16 KJV
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.

Many people quote John 3:16 -- but how many believe it?

God never changes. If He loved the people of the world in the
past -- He still loves them today. Yet many people think God is
mad at sinners -- and hates them.

ROMANS 5:8 NIV
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God is NOT mad at sinners. He loves them enough to die for them
-- even today! We should not be mad at sinners either. They are
deceived and enslaved by sin. They need to be delivered, and no
one can do it except Jesus.

Of course, God doesn't want people to remain sinners. He loves
them too much for that. Sin destroys. It brings death. But the
gift of God is life -- and that gift is found in a Person: the
Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the best friend a sinner will ever have. They need to
know that. Someone has to tell them the truth. They think Jesus
hates them because they're a sinner and not perfect. (The devil
already fed them that lie.)

Let's tell them the truth!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 NIV
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not
counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation.

God is not holding people's sins against them. People need to
know that. When they do -- they will love Jesus.

SAY THIS: Jesus loves sinners -- so I love them, too. I love
them enough to tell them Jesus will help them.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Words Control Your Life

PROVERBS 18:20-21 NKJ
20 A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his
mouth, and from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who
love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:20 says what your lips produce will fill your life.
Your lips produce -- words.

Words determine the course and the outcome of your life. You
now have, and will continue to have, the fruit your tongue
produces.

To change your life you need to change your words.

JAMES 3:2,8 NIV
2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in
what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body
in check.
8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full
of deadly poison.

To change the words you speak you need God's help.

As Jesus said, out of the abundance of your heart your mouth
will speak. So, you need a new heart and you need it filled
with God's Word. Only in that way can your tongue be brought
under complete control.

SAY THIS: Lord, because your Word teaches that words control my
life, please help me to control my words.