“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says…the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”- (James 1:22, 25 NIV)

Approach every day as though it were the only day you have to achieve your goals and be a winner.  In reality, that is true.  Yesterday is gone forever, and tomorrow isn’t here yet.  Nevertheless, yesterday is the foundation you’re building today on, and today is the foundation for tomorrow.  Too soon, today will be gone and you will be faced with tomorrow.  What you do right now sets the stage for your future, for achievement or failure.  Choose to be a winner.

We hear a great deal today about stress and how to handle it.  Our society seems to be plagued with stress, which manifests in confusion, frustration, anxiety, fear, etc.  Let me give you valuable keys to stress management.  Put God first, plan each day wisely, schedule your time, write things down, stick to your goals, and avoid delay.  This will enable you to eliminate a great amount of stress.

God wants His saints to reflect joy and walk in victory.  He doesn’t want them stressed out under their circumstances.  Remember, others are watching you.  The world needs to see a different kind of person—an optimist instead of a pessimist, a winner not a loser, an overcomer rather than an underachiever.  That kind of person just might have the opportunity to lead others to Christ.  Will you be that person?

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”– (James 3:17 NKJV)

James 3 shows the difference between godly wisdom and natural, earthly wisdom.  I have used this distinction to determine whether I am hearing from the Lord or from my own personal soul.  Is it a decision full of mercy?  Will it bring forth good fruit, or will it bring confusion to the body?  If it will bring confusion or if it’s not merciful, then it must not be God’s wisdom.  If it’s not gentle or open to reason, it must not be God’s wisdom.

My number-one daily prayer is that I would be saturated with the wisdom of God because of the man decisions our ministry faces.  Years ago, God dealt with me about doing a Bible reading plan.  At that time the ministry was very small, and we didn’t have the money for startup costs.  Yet I felt a gentle “tugging” of the Holy Spirit.  Getting people involved in the Word was certainly God’s mercy.  Certainly, it would bring forth good fruit.  I made the decision, and God paid the bills.  Cry out for wisdom.  He will give it to you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We ask to be full of Your wisdom for this day.  Let us recognize that which is pure, peaceable, and gentle—that which is full of mercy and good fruits.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness .-(1 John 1:9 NKJV)

Sin brings death, and sickness is death attaching itself to us.

Many years ago, I became very angry over a situation.  A certain person had pulled some bad business deals on people in our church congregation.  Although the matter had been handled, I began to meditate on it, and the more I meditated, the angrier I became.

Shortly after I came down with severe flu symptoms—sore throat, temperature, etc.  Of course, I rebuked the devil and rebuked the devil, but without results.  Imagine how shocked I was when the Lord said, “The devil isn’t the problem; you are.”  The Lord showed me how I had opened the door to sickness by allowing bitterness to lodge in my heart.  What the person had done was wrong, but I needed to leave the matter with God.

Needless to say, I repented of my sin, slammed the door on sickness, and received my healing!

What healing do you need in your life?

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”– (Romans 6:14 NKJV)

The devil will do his best to convince you that sin has dominion over you.  But the Bible says that grace has dominion over you.

A dear pastor friend had been an alcoholic in his past.  Two years after he was born again, he was tempted by Satan to take a drink.  When he did, he became hopelessly drunk and fell into terrible despair.  He felt so condemned that he said, “There is no hope for me.  Sin has totally taken over.”  He decided to take his life because the devil told him that there was no hope.  The devil told him that the sin of alcoholism would always have dominion over him.  But, thank God, another pastor cursed this work of the devil and strengthened our dear friend’s heart in the Word of God.  Our friend was set free.

This happened many years ago.  But even today, when you talk to this man, he will tell you again and again about the power of grace.  We need to know Who Jesus is in us-that He Who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that sin does not have dominion over us.  We choose, instead, for Your grace to have dominion over us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.- (Mark 11:23 NKJV)

 

Sometimes when things are going great, Christians get lazy about the Word and sloppy in their living.  Others give up on the Word when things go particularly bad.  These people are heading for some nasty bumps along the way.

Please don’t think I’m saying that if you live by the Word you’ll never encounter difficulty, but I am saying that you will overcome the difficulty when you confidently and consistently make the Word your rule.

Never say the Word isn’t working!  Always judge your circumstances by God’s infallible Word; do not judge the Word by your circumstances.  There are those who reject God’s promises when they don’t see their situations change.  If your difficult situation looms bigger in your eyes than the Word, you will fail; but if you keep speaking the Word with faith and patience and act as though you believe it, that mountain standing in your path will eventually move.

Let’s praise God that His Word is true and lasting!

“They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel” (Psalm 106:13 NKJV)

Sometimes it takes time to receive the counsel we need.  When we make hasty decisions, we can miss God’s counsel for us.  Then we may do something very carnal that blows our opportunity for a God-given miracle.

I’m reminded of King Saul.  In the early part of his kingship, he had to fight the Philistines.  Saul became impatient as he waited for Samuel to arrive and pray for the battle.  The people began to pressure Saul, so he took the place of the priest and offered the sacrifice himself.  That sin led to other weaknesses in Saul.  Finally, he lost his entire kingdom.  If Saul had only waited a few more hours, Samuel would have arrived and the requirements of the Lord would have been met.  And Saul, instead of being a defeated man, could have been a victoriously king.

There are times of my life when I have run ahead of the Lord—often because people pressured me—and I did not wait for God’s counsel.  Sometimes we think that God is so slow; but really, He is always on time—His time!  Let’s time our timing with His and wait until we get a word from Him before we move.  Then we will have the results that we desire.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to know how to wait on Your counsel.  Give us hearing ears and seeing eyes today for what You have for us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

How long, O LORD?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me? (Psalm 13:1 NKJV)

Depression can sometimes sneak up on us over a long period of time.  The devil would like to wear us down through a prolonged sickness or an extended time of debt or unemployment.  After standing in faith for a particular situation month after month (or year after year), we may eventually feel like David and sigh, “How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?”

David started feeling that way in Psalm 13, but in two short verses (5 and 6), he had the perfect antidote for depression:  trust in God’s mercy, rejoice in your salvation, sing to the Lord, and remember all the things God has done for you in the past.

Try it the next time depression hits!

What can you sing about today?

“He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20 NKJV)

I think I have used this scripture more than anyone else in the world.  I have prayed it for literally thousands of people who did not live in my area or could not come to a meeting where I was speaking.  It is the fastest means of transportation and will do the best job.

Years ago, a staff member told me about her husband’s horrendous back problem.  I was unable to go lay hands on him, and he was unable to come to church.  So, I prayed Psalm 107:20 and sent the Word to his back.

Early the next morning I had to call his wife concerning another situation, and he answered the phone.  He said, “the most unusual thing happened to me yesterday.  Something clicked in my back while I was working.  It totally went into place; I was healed.  And I slept like a baby all night.”  I asked him at what time he was healed, and it was at the same time I had sent Psalm 107:20 to him.  God’s Word will go where you cannot.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We send Your Word into our circumstances and those of others.  We claim triumph in our lives today.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose-. (Philippians 2:12-13 NIV)

Fear in this verse refers to an awareness of God’s awesome presence.  Recognize that God is on your side.  He wants to help you.  The Lord is your shepherd.  He wants to guide you into those things that will fulfill His good plan and purpose in your life.

You’ve heard the Latin phrase carpe diem or seize the day—David’s motto might have been coram deo, which means living life in the presence of God.  It is one way of accounting for David’s rich outpouring of poetry and praise, graciously preserved by God in His Word.

An awareness of God’s presence in your life will lead you into praise and thanksgiving.

How do you see God at work in your life?

“He who loves his brother abides in the light” ~(1 John 2:10a NKJV)

Have you ever felt heavy, depressed, and “out of it” in your spirit—like everything was dark around you?  When I think of depression, I think of darkness.

When I am depressed, I ask the Holy Spirit to examine my heart to see what is really behind that depression.  I believe that in every circumstance, behind any depression, is some unconfessed sin.

If you have some unresolved sin in your life, it is as though you are walking inside a dark cloud.  When you look at life around you, you need to peer through the darkened mist—and everything looks gloomy and depressing.

But if, instead you walk in the light, you will not be depressed.  Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world and that we are to let our light so shine that men will follow our example and glorify our Father in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today help us to see that if we have sin in our lives, it is an area of darkness.  It keeps us from the light.  And when we are “out of it,” it’s usually related to some area of darkness.  Let the Holy Spirit shine His light in those areas and expose the sin so that we might confess it and be free.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

Faith is contagious.

The greatest lesson of faith you can pass on to your own children is the example of faith they see daily in your life.

Your children will see your faith, feel your faith, and hear your faith—in turn, they will repeat your words of faith and model your works of faith.

If you give thanks often for good things that come your way, your children, who overhear you, will learn to do the same.

If you give praise to God for His presence in your life, your children will overhear you praising God and will also praise Him.

How can your family praise God together?

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

Sometimes it is difficult to keep our minds “stayed” on the Lord.  When we look at our circumstances and the difficulties around us, it is easy to pick up those difficulties and really fall apart with them.   have sometimes found that I have had to discipline my mind severely.  When my soul wanted to worry and worry and worry, my mind would react with fear.

To combat this, I began to memorize certain chapters of the Bible.  One time I memorized the book of James.  Another time I memorized the book of Matthew.  Even another time I memorized the book of Proverbs.  Those are some of the sweetest, richest times in my life because I had my mind so filled with the Word.  I would go over the scriptures early in the morning, again at noon, and one more time before I went to sleep.  My mind became so saturated with the Word that I maintained tremendous peace.  Of course, having the Word of God in your heart gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to bring it to your mind at other times when you need peace.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to take the scriptures so seriously that we don’t PLAY with them; we USE them, literally, in our daily walk.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

When I was thirty-six years old, I found myself under tremendous pressure.  The devil whispered to me, “You are just like your father.  You look and act like him.  You are going to have a nervous breakdown just like he did.”

I began to agree, “Yes, I’m just like my father.  I’m probably going to have a nervous breakdown too.”  At that point, the Lord spoke to me and reminded me, “I am your Father.  You are just like Me, and I’ve never had a nervous breakdown.  Neither will you.”

The question is this: whose nature are you believing for?

Do you believe the die has been irrevocably cast, forcing you to be just like your earthly parents or grandparents?

Or do you believe you can choose to take after your heavenly Father?

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27 NKJV)

In this scripture PEACE means “the act of living life at its best.”  Jesus gave us peace, a way to live life at its best—something that the world can never give.  This peace passes natural understanding.

I’ll never forget the night when my father had a heart attack.  The doctors worked on my father for several hours, but he finally passed away.

My mother was simply overwhelmed with grief.  But I experienced a wonderful, wonderful peace that flooded my heart.  I remember thinking several times in the night, “my father isn’t really dead.  It was just a bad dream.”  But when I would finally remember, “He really IS dead,” the peace of Jesus would fill my heart.  I knew, that my father was in heaven.

Once I asked the Lord about this unusual experience on the night of father’s death.  He told me, “I let you enter into a small portion of the glory in which your father is now walking.”

What is that special peace that God leaves with us?  An extension of the peace that exists in heaven.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today that we have the peace of Jesus.  It passes our understanding of circumstances and of ourselves.  It’s a peace that knows You rule and reign in our lives and that we can trust You. 

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times (Psalm 119:20 NIV).

One of the best ways to find out what people are really like is to examine their deepest longings.  What do you want more than anything?  A new car?  A better job?  The psalmist of Psalm 119 wanted to feed upon God’s Word.

Once you have entered the world of God’s Law, you become filled with a longing to know more and more.  It is a bittersweet longing, because you become more aware of your own imperfections.  God’ forgiveness will become even more precious to you.  What a wonderful journey it is!

Spend more time in the Word, and the secrets of His covenant will be revealed, opening like the petals of a miraculous flower.  Let your soul be consumed with a longing for His truth.

What are you consumed with in this moment?

“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”

Many people think that it’s difficult to be saved.  They say, “You mean, all I have to do is to call upon God?  That’s too easy—too simple.”  It IS simple to be saved—for one reason:  Jesus has done what is necessary.  It is not what we have done.  It has already been done.  We must simply believe that He has done it for us.

Today’s scripture can transform any life—if it is mixed with faith.  If we call upon the name of the Lord, repent of our sins, invite Jesus into our hearts, and confess it boldly with our mouths, the Bible says that we will be saved.  Jesus did it all.  He paid it all so that we might have it all.

Today, ask the Lord to lead you to someone who needs Him.  Ask God to open that person’s heart and show him how he can call upon the name of Jesus and receive the cleansing of Christ’s blood for all sins.  Let Jesus be acknowledged as the Lord of that person’s life.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that every one of us is called to be a soul winner.  Each of us is called to be light wherever there is darkness.  Lead us to a hungry soul in Jesus’s Name.

Amen.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. –(James 1:16-17 NKJV)

When you take Jesus as your Savior, you get the whole salvation package.  In that package are deliverance, redemption, and healing.  The Greek word sozo, which is translated salvation in the New Testament, literally means “deliverance, redemption, and healing.”

Jesus takes your sin and gives you His righteousness.  He takes your sickness, and He gives you health.  He takes your death and gives you eternal life.  Do you think that is a good package?  Even though you lost it all in the first Adam, you regained it all in the last Adam, Jesus Christ.

All the weapons which were formed against you cannot prosper (see Isaiah 54:17) because Jesus came and dismantled those weapons.

Praise the Lord!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” -(Isaiah 43:2 NKJV)

This must have been the scripture that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego stood on when they were thrown in the burning, fiery furnace.  They certainly were not burned, nor did they even have the scent of smoke upon them when they came out.  Only the rope that held their hands was burned.

What will bring us through the deep waters?  What will bring us through the hottest fires of persecution?  It is the One Who brought Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego through the burning, fiery furnace.  It is the fourth Man in the furnace—the Son of God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ will go through the waters when we go through the waters.  He will go through the fire when we go through the fire.  We will emerge without being bitter, rejected, or damaged in our personalities—we can come out free.  Today, remember, whatever your crisis, the fourth One is with you too!

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank You today that whatever trial I go through, You are there to go through it with me and You are there to bring me through victoriously.  It is always Your will that I triumph in Christ.

Amen.

The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God (Galatians 3:7 NLT).

Faith lessons are passed down from generation to generation.

When we live by faith, we are the spiritual children of Abraham.

What is the point of receiving any type of lesson?

So, you can learn and apply that lesson to your own life.  So, you can have equal or even better results than those who received the lesson before you.  This especially true of faith lessons.

Be quick to share with your children how God has honored your acts of faith.

Be quick to tell them how you have lived by faith and what resulted from that faith.

Pass the faith lessons of your life on to your children.

What are some of these lessons?

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37 NKJV)

This special phrase appears more than one time in the Bible, and it almost always has to do with the birth of a child.  All our married life the doctors said that I could never have a child, that it was utterly impossible.  But with God all things are possible.  Thirteen years after we were married, we miraculously gave birth to a child of our own.

Can you imagine the excitement of Abraham and Sarah when they were told that Sarah would receive the strength to conceive Isaac!  When I looked up this word STRENGTH, I found out that in Hebrew the word was DUNAMIS, which means “miracle-working power.”

With God nothing is impossible, and even though Abraham and Sarah were “old and well stricken in age,” Sarah received her strength and Isaac was born.

The word for POSSIBLE is also DUNAMIS— “miracle-working power.”  With God there is miracle working power for every “impossible” situation.

Make a vow never again to think or say the word “impossible.”  Instead, flood your life with God’s positive and possible power!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we thank You, in the name of Jesus, that the impossible is possible when we put our trust and confidence in You.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.  And he went out, not knowing where he was going (Hebrew 11:8 NKJV).

Abraham was willing to go wherever God told him because he believed what God promised him about his own life and future.

He did not see in order to believe.

He believed that he might—even if he had only a glimpse of what was to come.

Abraham did not know—and then believe.  He believed that he might know.

Abraham did not possess—and then believe.  He believed that he might one day possess.

This is the very essence of faith.

What are you believing for?

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” (Job 5:17 NKJV)

This scripture is also found in the book of Hebrews.  Many times, we read it and think, “I don’t like chastening.”  But I believe that this scripture is a “Double-D” verse—we are neither to DESPISE the Lord’s correction nor DESPAIR in it.

How does God correct us?  He corrects us with His Word—His cleansing agent.  Notice that this passage talks about chastening, or correction, by the Almighty.  The word ALMIGHTY in the original Hebrew is EL SHADDAI.  EL SHADDAI means “The God of all sufficiency; the God Who is more than enough.”

As El Shaddai, God came to Abraham in the context of total impossibility.  God said to Abraham, “I’ll give you seed as the duct of the earth.”  Abraham was 99 years old; Sarah was 89.  However, God has the capability of superseding all-natural events—He caused Abraham and Sarah to have a child.

When God corrects you, He does it so that He can give you more than you ever expected.  Let’s receive His correction with love and be blessed by it.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You today for Your correction.  Search our hearts and reveal any wicked ways that are hidden within us.  We desire to walk in Your light.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

But for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

A life built on God’s truth becomes the foundation for generational blessing, because knowledge of the truth empowers us to make habitual choices that are in line with the Word of God and the character of Christ.

God honors righteousness.

God rewards those who diligently seek Him.

He blesses choices and decisions that honor Him.

A family can choose to follow God and be blessed by God—generation after generation.  A family can choose to obey God, receive forgiveness, and become the very embodiment of God’s blessing to the world.

A family who believes and lives the truth will be blessed.  Sadly, a family who fails to value truth or refuses to receive truth will eventually reap negative consequences.

Prize the truth…seek the truth…reap the truth’s glorious harvest.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11 NKJV)

The best way to love one another is to love God and experience His love in our hearts.  When we try to love people with our own supply of love, it runs out quickly.  Sometimes people are hard to love.  Sometimes we are hard to love.  But if we go back to His love, we find an endless supply.

I’ve learned that when we begin to act in love—just because God has asked it—our emotions will get in line, and soon we will feel it.

Sometimes it is very difficult to extend love to others—particularly when they have been offended or hurt us.  We know in our hearts that we should radiate that AGAPE kind of love.  But deep in our souls and bodies lies a strong resistance.  That’s when it’s so important to lean on God and borrow some of His love.

Say something good about a person who has said evil things about you.  Begin to speak God’s Word about that person, and your feelings and emotions will change into the love of God.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today we see that it’s very important to love our enemies.  We should do good to our enemies and pray for them.  In doing so, You can change our enemies and make them to be at peace with us.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen

Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you.  Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left.  Then you will be successful in everything you do.  Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.   (Joshua 1:7-8 NLT)

At a critical moment in your Joshua’s life, God spoke to him some of the most positive, inspiring, and courage-building words in the entire Bible.

Hearing God’s Word is a lifelong process.  We learn as we go, and we never fully arrive.  There are always enriching new insights to be gained and intimate moments with God yet to be experienced.  This is the “little by little” Isaiah talked about (Isaiah 28:9-10).

For true learning to take place, information must be encountered repeatedly.  The same is true of learning God’s way; we benefit from “soaking” in His Word, from “chewing” on it as we ask Him to reveal what a particular passage means and how it relates to our lives.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11 NKJV)

How can we stand against the wiles of the devil if we haven’t put on the whole armor of God?  In Ephesians 6 we read about seven pieces of armor.  We need each one of them.

Each piece of armor is offensive, not defensive.  There is nothing to cover our backs because we can never turn our backs on the devil.  We’re always to move forward in God!

Our orders are to “occupy” until Jesus comes (Luke 19:13b).  OCCUPY is not a passive verb, nor does it denote a defensive position.  Rather, it denotes action—an active stance—an offensive maneuver.

Then Ephesians 6:13 says, “having done all, to stand.”  When I looked up the word STAND, I found that it means “to stand as a conqueror.”  We stand as conquerors—soldiers who have already won the battle.

What are our orders from the Lord?  First, put on the whole armor of God—be prepared!  Second, take the offensive—move forward with God as your Captain!  Third, occupy the land—until Jesus comes!  Fourth, stand as a conqueror—the battle is won!

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that we are victorious and that we always triumph in Christ.  We are not defeated.  We are victorious through Your Word and the power of Your Holy Spirit.

In Jesus’s Name,

Amen.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

It is so important for us to live forgiving lifestyles. Forgiveness is not something we use now and then, or when we are in a difficult situation. Forgiveness is a way of life. It is a part of the new nature we receive when we are born again.

At times we may grow impatient with people, but we must remember that we sin daily, and we need forgiveness daily. Others sin daily, and they, too, need forgiveness daily. When we expect to receive God’s grace for OUR sins, we must also extend it to others.

What is living in grace? It is receiving God’s grace and giving it to others. I make it a habit, every morning, to forgive anyone who might offend me during the day. Before anyone can offend me, they are forgiven. Today let’s choose to be tenderhearted and to forgive in the name of Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We forgive anyone who may offend us today—even before they do it! In Jesus’s name, we extend the same grace to others that we have so freely received.

Amen.