What can we do to put ourselves in a position to hear God’s voice? We have to make time in our daily lives to get quiet. David said of the Lord in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside quiet waters.” Today I want to encourage you to find those quiet waters where you can get alone with the Lord. It may be a room in your house, outside under the trees, or some other place where you can shut out the noise and distractions of the world for just a few precious minutes. The key to renewing your mind, body and spirit is to develop the habit and discipline of meditating on the Word of God every day — even if it is for just a moment.
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34, AMP.
What you dwell on is what you will draw into your life. We can either focus on our problems, or we can focus on our blessings. The question is: do you want more problems, or do you want more blessings?
One thing I’ve noticed is that when you live with an attitude of constant gratitude, not only do you thank God for what He’s done in your life, you start thanking Him for what He will do in your life. You thank Him for opening doors for you in the future. You thank Him for increasing you. You thank Him for bringing the right people into your life. When we say “Thank You” to God for the things that are coming, it’s really a declaration of our faith in Him. It’s like saying in essence, “God, I’m so sure of Your goodness, I’m so sure that You’re working in my life that I’m going to thank You right now for what You are going to do tomorrow!”
Friend, that’s the kind of faith that pleases God. He wants us to trust in His goodness and believe that He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He delights in seeing our faith. He delights in an attitude of gratitude. Today, let your faith say thank you. Praise Him throughout the day with a humble heart and watch what He will do on your behalf!
When God created you, He deposited in you everything that you need in order to fulfill your calling. He gave you the desire and the ability. He equipped you with gifts and talents. No dream is too big. No challenge is too great.
What happens a lot of times is that people don’t recognize what’s been placed within them because at first it seems subtle. The gift may not be evident in the beginning. It starts out in seed form. But just like planting a seed and tending to it will help it grow and develop fruit, when you tend to the seeds inside of you, they will begin to produce. How do you tend to the seeds? By reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God. By following His commands and keeping Him first place in your life.
Always remember, even if you aren’t clear about God’s direction for your life, when You put Him first place, He promises to lead and guide you. As you draw close to Him, as you gain knowledge of Him, His power gives you everything that you need!
“…the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4, NKJV)
In the natural, when we’ve wronged someone, sometimes it’s easier to avoid them than to face the discomfort or potential rejection. It isn’t surprising that people sometimes have this same approach to God. Have you ever heard someone say, “If I walk into a church, the roof will cave in?” They think they should keep their distance because of what they’ve done. But nothing could be further from the truth! God’s not mad at you; He’s madly in love with you! He’s waiting for you with open arms. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done; know that His goodness is what’s drawing you to Him.
Today, don’t let condemnation keep you from turning to God. Trust His kindness. Trust that He wants you to experience His goodness. He wants to show you His faithfulness. He’s promised He’ll never leave you nor forsake you. Turn to Him today and let Him pour His loving kindness on you and empower you to walk in victory all the days of your life!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for Your kindness that draws me. I come to You today giving You all that I am. Make me new in Jesus’ name. Amen.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Aren’t you glad that God is a healer! It doesn’t matter what is “broken” in your life today, God’s nature is to bring you complete healing. Do you need healing in your body? Your mind? Heart? Finances? Relationships? God is your healer.
Notice what the Psalmist says in this verse: He binds up their wounds. In the natural, if you have a broken arm, it doesn’t just heal over night. The doctor makes a cast to hold it in place and protect it. He binds up your wound. In the spiritual realm, God does the same thing. He wraps Himself around your brokenness and protects the wounded area until it is strong enough to function properly again. The Bible also says that He is a restorer. That means that when He does a work of healing in our lives, He makes us better than we were before.
If you’re going through the healing process today, know this: it may take longer than you planned, but God is binding up your wound. He is protecting you and healing you. He will bring you out better and stronger than you were before. He will take you to a place of complete healing so that you can live the life of victory He has in store for you.
“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23 AMP).
When something is toxic, it’s poisonous; it can destroy you. When we go around dwelling on the wrong thoughts, thinking about what we can’t do or how we’ll never get ahead, those thoughts are toxic thoughts. Toxic thoughts left alone become like toxic waste that sinks into your heart. It will eventually contaminate your whole life. It affects your self-image. It affects your attitude, your level of confidence, and ultimately, your success. That’s why the scripture says to guard your heart because the condition of your heart and mind determine the condition of your whole life.
Make the decision today to detox any negative, self-defeating thoughts by meditating on God’s promises instead. Make the decision to detox bitterness, detox low self-esteem, detox negative words that may have been spoken over you, detox condemnation. Make the decision to dwell on what God says about you. God says, “You are forgiven.” God says, “Your best days are in front of you.” God says, “I’ll restore the years that the enemy has stolen.” As you detox your mind and fill your thoughts with His promises, you’ll see His hand of blessing on your life. You’ll rise up higher, and you’ll live the abundant life He has for you!
