“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God.”
(Deuteronomy 28:1–2, NIV)
God rewards the people who seek after Him. Every time you obey His Word, His blessing will follow. If you’ll learn to obey Him in the small things, if you learn to pass the small tests, there’s no limit to how high God will take you. The scripture says, “When we fully obey God, blessings will chase us down and overtake us.” You can’t outrun the good things of God.
Always remember, when you obey God in the small, He will release big blessings. He has big opportunities, new levels of favor, healing, restoration, vindication, promotion, planned in your future. As you stay faithful to Him, you’re going to step into the fullness of your destiny and be all that God has created you to be!
When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor—you have the advantage for success! Even if someone has wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator, and it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”
God loves and uses imperfect people. We all make mistakes. But because Jesus died and rose from the grave, every mistake we will make or ever make has been paid in full. Don’t let shame and guilt keep you from receiving God’s love any longer. Psalm 103:12 (NIV) says, “As far as the east is from the west, our sins are removed from God’s memory.”
Since God has removed them from His memory, it’s time we do the same and move forward with God and receive His love and mercy. You may have made mistakes, but God still believes in you, loves you and has an amazing future in store. Keep your heart toward God, and He will show Himself strong on your behalf!
“…Love is kind…” (1 Corinthians 13:4, NIV)
You may have heard this verse many times before, but one translation says that “love looks for a way to be constructive.” In other words, kindness isn’t just about being nice; it’s looking for ways to improve someone else’s life. It’s bringing out the best in others.
When you start your day, don’t just spend time thinking about yourself or how you can make your own life better. Think about ways you can make someone else’s life better, too! Ask yourself, “Who can I encourage today? Who can I build up?” You have something to offer those around you that no one else can give. Someone in your life needs your encouragement. Someone in your life needs to know that you believe in them. We are responsible for how we treat the people He’s placed in our lives. He’s counting on us to bring out the best in our family and friends.
Today, ask the Lord to give you creative ways to encourage those around you. As you sow seeds of encouragement and bring out the best in others, God will send people along your path that will build you up, too. Keep showing kindness so you can move forward into the blessing and freedom He has for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for loving me. Thank You for believing in me and always building me up. I ask that You show me creative ways to encourage and build up the people around me. Help me be an example of Your love today and always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9, NKJV.
Oftentimes, God will use our experiences in life as stepping stones to prepare us for what He has in store next. Scripture tells us that He’ll even take the things the enemy tries to bring against us and turn them around and use them for our good. He is always leading us on a journey of preparation.
That’s why it’s so important to keep our eyes focused on Him. We have to trust that when we are submitted to Him—even if we don’t understand—He is ordering our steps. If something is not happening on your timetable, remind yourself, “God knows what He is doing. He has my best interest at heart. God is preparing me.” While you’re waiting, don’t make the mistake of trying to figure everything out. If you’re constantly trying to figure things out, that will only frustrate you. Turn it over to God. Declare, “God, my times are in Your hands. I’m not going to worry because I trust that You are leading me on a journey of preparation for all the wonderful blessings You have in store for me.”
