Defy The Difficulty

We all face difficult situations. It’s easy to get frustrated and anxious on the inside. You don’t understand why it’s taking so long or why things haven’t changed. But here’s the thing: just because it’s an uncomfortable place doesn’t mean it’s not where you’re supposed to be.

God uses difficulties to do a work in us. We grow in the tough times. That’s when our character is being developed. God will not allow a difficulty unless He has a divine purpose for it. If we’re going to reach our highest potential, we have to make up our mind, “I’m not going to live frustrated because I am uncomfortable. I’m not going to be upset because things are not happening on my timetable. I’m not going to fight against everything that I don’t like.”

Instead, bring your questions, frustrations, concerns and doubts to God and let Him take control. Let Him have His way in you and trust that He’s at work in every difficult situation in your life. Believe in God’s promises, that He has the best for you. Commit to seeing yourself the way God does and you’ll find yourself moving forward into the victory He has prepared for you.

It’s Coming!

If you will keep God first in everything you do He promises that He is going to crown your efforts with success. Because you diligently seek Him a reward is coming. Favor is coming. Good breaks are coming. Promotion is coming. A shift is coming. Healing is coming. Restoration is coming. It may seem like it’s taking a long time; you may feel like you’ve been holding on forever but keep holding on. The promise will be fulfilled through faith and patience.

The bible says, “Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come.” Waiting doesn’t mean do nothing; it means get prepared. Now is the time to get ready. God doesn’t want you to live an average, ordinary life. Because you depend on Him, He is going to increase you. You are going to bear much fruit. He is going to make you more productive. You’re going to get more done in less time. He is going to make your life easier and take you where you could not go on your own. It’s going to be greater than you ever even dreamed of.

Seek God in every area of your life. Surrender your worries to Him and cast your care because He has promised to work everything for your good. He knows your needs and desires and your day is coming — every promise you’ve stood in faith for, every dream He’s placed in your heart that you’ve struggled for is coming and quicker than you thought!

Beauty For Ashes

It’s easy to have a good attitude and pursue our dreams as long as everything is going our way. That doesn’t take a lot of faith. But what about the difficult times? It’s easy to lose your passion when you’re hurt. Too many people are sitting on the sidelines of life because they’re injured. Now they’re nursing their wounds, not moving forward because of what they’ve been through.

The bible says, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” God promised He will give you beauty for those ashes. He said He would pay you back double for the wrongs but you have to do your part. If you’re going to see the beauty, you have to shake off the ashes of self-pity. You’ve got to shake off the discouragement and get back in the game.

Every person has injuries. We all have wounds but you can’t let that be an excuse to sit on the sidelines. Today, I want to encourage you to get back in the game. Know that your best days are still ahead. Trust that God sees the big picture and He’s still working things together for your good. Now is not the time to shrink back! Keep your focus on God’s plan because He has a come back lined up for you beyond anything you’ve ever seen in the past!

Fear what? Fear who??

With God on your side there is nothing to be afraid of. Our attitude should always be, “The Lord is protecting me so why should I be afraid?” Maybe you feel attacked, maybe you feel trapped. But just because you may not see a way out, because the bank statement looks like you’re not going to make it, because someone isn’t appreciating you the way they should, remember that God is still on the throne. Nothing you’re facing is a surprise to Him.

The bible says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” God is going before you fighting your battles for you. He is the Creator of the universe and nothing can change His plan for your life as long as you follow His direction.

No matter what’s going on with you today, remember the enemy doesn’t have the final say. When you put your faith and trust in God, He said He will always cause you to triumph. Be strong and be of good courage. Keep God first place in your life and move forward in confidence trusting His promise that He is working ALL things for your good!

False Evidence Appearing Real

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? What will you do if this happens? How are you going to make that happen?” He’ll do his best to use fear to try to convince us to shrink back and stay where we are.

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

Me And You Time

Are you facing challenges today or feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances? Perhaps what you see on the outside doesn’t match what God has placed on the inside of you. The key is: don’t sit around in self-pity, depressed or discouraged. Go out and find someplace you can dream and connect with your Creator.

Go to the park and watch the sunset. Look up at the stars and think about His goodness. Take a break from the environment that seems to be holding you back. Find a place that inspires you, a place where you can focus. Choose to separate from your circumstances and environment and meditate on your relationship with God – let your faith be elevated.

Also, I want to encourage you to invite God to remove wrong people from your life and bring you right ones. To make room for people who are going to build you up and not tear you down; positive people who are going to challenge you to rise higher and become all that God has created you to be.

If you’re going to enlarge your vision you’ve got to break away from any person or thing that’s limiting you. Seek an atmosphere of victory and success and you will see yourself move forward into the good things God has prepared for you!

Don't Let Anyone Stop You

The bible says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

How many people today are not being true to who God created them to be simply because they’re afraid they’re going to disappoint somebody? They’re afraid they may fall out of someone else’s good grace. They worry about not being accepted into a certain group.

You can’t live your life trying to be who your parents want you to be or who your co-workers want you to be or who your friends want you to be. More important than any of that is staying true to who God has anointed you to be. Don’t allow any person, even your own thoughts to stand in the way of you becoming and having all that God created you to be and have.

Today, make the decision to live life to please God even if that doesn’t please some people. If you stay open and obedient to Him you can rest assured that He will protect your way. Surrender yourself wholeheartedly to who God created you to be. Let Him mold and shape your character. Let Him order your steps. When you submit your life to Him, He will shine down on you and you’ll live the fulfilled, abundant life He has prepared for you!

Now Is The Time To Get Ready

So often we miss out on God’s best because we give up too soon. We don’t realize how close we are to our victory. Just another few days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, or another few months of staying in faith is all you may need to see His promises come to pass.

Today, I want to speak by faith over you. Your breakthrough is right around the corner! You might say, “I don’t know how I’m going to make it. Things seem to be getting worse instead of better.” But the truth is that the promise your heavenly Father gave you is closer than you think to coming to pass.

I have found that the intensity gets turned up when victory is near. The enemy wouldn’t be fighting so hard if he didn’t already know he was about to lose his grip on you. When those negative thoughts come to discourage you, just remind yourself that you are loved and treasured and protected by the Creator of the universe. Let your words be what He says about you, “You are an overcomer. You are a victor and not a victim.”

The bible is full of people who were closer than they thought...

•David faced impossible odds against Goliath but he was moments away from victory (1 Samuel 17).

•Elijah was surrounded by 400 false prophets but the power of God was about to be revealed for everyone to see (1 Kings 18).

•Joseph was forgotten and left in prison but he was just a dream away from his royal position (Genesis 39–40).

Can you imagine if David dropped his slingshot and ran? What if Elijah had backed down? What if Joseph had stopped dreaming? They didn’t give up and God gave them victory! These stories reveal that it is often the darkest right before the dawn.

Perhaps today you’re facing impossible odds. Maybe you feel surrounded, maybe you feel forgotten. The good news for you is that our God can act suddenly in your situation. In a moment’s notice everything can change for the better!

I believe and declare over you that God is going to open doors on your behalf in the very near future. Your faith will be rewarded. Your dawn is almost here! He will put you in the right position and He will do the impossible in your life. Now is the time to get ready!

God Is For You!

Joshua chapter 6 tells the story about how the odds were stacked against Joshua and the people of Israel. They were standing at the massive walls of Jericho that many thought were impenetrable.

I’m sure as Joshua was standing before the well-fortified walls and gates of the city, many around him didn’t think his future was too bright. But you see, Joshua had something others overlooked; he had a promise from God.

Joshua had faith because He knew God was on His side and that God had already determined the victory. Sure enough, just as God promised, the people marched around the city for six days and on the seventh day they shouted the victory and the walls came tumbling down.

Friend, don’t look at the walls in your life; look at the promises of God. The bible says, “What then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” This is the promise I want you to meditate on today – because God is for you, nothing can stand against you!

Get a vision of victory for your life and don’t let it go. There is no wall too high, no situation too difficult, no person powerful enough to stand in the way of God accomplishing His great plan for you. So keep moving forward in faith and obedience knowing that when you do, the Creator of the universe is on your side!

What Are You Believing For?

Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:19 that we would understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power for those who believe. But notice that the power is only activated when we believe. That means right now the Creator of the universe is just waiting on standby to release healing, restoration, favor, promotion, abundance. The only catch is that we have to believe.

I think about Mary, the mother of Christ. When she was a teenager, the angel came to her and said, “You’re going to have a child without knowing a man.” Her first thought was, “That’s impossible. That’s never happened before. That defies the laws of nature.” She said to the angel, “How can this be?” He answered back, “The Spirit of the Lord will come on you and cause it to happen.” I love the way Mary responded. She didn’t argue with him. She didn’t try to talk herself out of it. She simply said, “Be it unto me even as you have said.”

I’m very quick to surrender my questions and doubts to God now. There was a time I would wrestle with an issue and try to figure it out in my own understanding. But usually I just ended up frustrated and confused and no closer to an actual answer. After years of this fruitless practice I finally wised up and started believing God for Who He said He was and for what He said He would do in my life if I would only believe Him for it. I can say now that I’ve never experienced so much peace and security. There’s immense relief, freedom and comfort that comes from truly surrendering to God and trusting His will, His purpose, His timing, His goodness. 

Has God placed a dream in your heart that seems impossible? Friend, let me assure you, if you will choose to believe then His strength will rise up in you. His ability will supersede your ability and the greatness of His power will bring to pass every dream and every desire He has placed within you!

Mastering Over Yourself

The sermon at church yesterday was based around what Paul had to say to the Roman Christians of his day. I’m not going to quote it because the way it’s worded just might confuse more than anything, lol, but you can find it in Romans 7:15-20. Basically he’s saying that even though we’re new creatures, born again in Christ we still keep sinning. He was questioning himself, saying he WANTS to do good but often times he does what he knows is wrong, then feels guilty about it. Can you relate? Me, too!

I’ve heard preaching on this many times but this time the pastor put it in a way that some of us rebels may find quite useful. He said it’s like sin is asking your permission to take over control of you and you allow it to have its way. For example, before you curse someone out, it would be like sin asking permission to use your mouth and you say, sure. Or, you know you shouldn’t dwell on those negative thoughts but sin asks to borrow your mind and you bow down and let it be your boss. And you do it even though you know you’re going to feel bad afterward, guilty, condemned.

The good news is that you do have the power to overcome this (with God’s help, of course). You can grant permission to the wrong choice… or not. I’m not suggesting that it’s going to be easy but I am saying that you do have the physical ability to deny this voluntary enslavement. You can say, NO. You can choose to think on positive thoughts, switch to water before you become drunk, grilled chicken instead of fried, truth instead of lying.

Here’s a light at the end of the tunnel fact, even though it might be difficult at first – the more you choose wisely the more it becomes your norm. Anyone who’s ever quit smoking or gotten over an ex or started an exercise regimen knows that repetition is the key. The more you do it (or don’t do it), the easier it becomes. When you start a new job there’s brand new information that can seem daunting, but once you do it over and over enough times it becomes second-nature to you.

Today, I want to encourage you to start looking at your wrong desires/habits/weaknesses as unwelcomed intruders that only mean you harm. You wouldn’t invite robbers into your home to steal and destroy it so why invite the bad choices to steal your joy and destroy your peace?

What are you really clinging to anyway? Allowing yourself to get drunk and cost you a DUI or a relationship or at the very least, feeling sick the next day. Allowing yourself to have sex with someone you barely know and now you may have a disease you can’t get rid of or feel disgusted with yourself. Allowing yourself to yell at someone so you feel vindicated, until you realize it only made you look immature and childish. Allowing yourself to eat or drink something you know is only going to make you feel fat and guilty. Allowing yourself to curse all the time so you appear uneducated and ignorant, like you’re not capable of contributing more than that to a conversation.

Don’t keep giving the wrong desires of your flesh permission to control you. Turn your areas of weakness over to God and ask for His help in replacing the wrong choices with better judgment. If you will commit to this I believe and declare that you will triumph over these temptations and be able to become all that God created you to be and take hold of all that He’s lined up for you to have!

Your Appointed Time

God has an appointed time to fulfill the vision for your life and desires in your heart. Just because it may be taking longer than you want or because you’ve tried and failed doesn’t mean it’s not still going to happen. Don’t give up on them! Don’t allow yourself to become complacent about pursuing what God has placed in your heart. Our God is a faithful God. No matter how long it’s been, no matter how impossible things look, your appointed time is coming.

Every dream that’s in your heart, every promise that’s taken root, God is the One put it in there. And not only that, He has every intention of bringing it to pass. Hold on to that vision because your time is coming! God is working behind the scenes on my behalf! The bible says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time...though it tarry, wait for it...”

As you continue to hold on to this promise and speak positively and without question over your dreams, you’ll see them begin to take shape. God is saying to you today, if you’ll just stay in faith you will see your hope strengthen and you will see yourself step into the destiny He has prepared for you!

Take Hold

If I stopped by your house with a beautifully wrapped gift for you and set it in your living room, that gift would be yours. It’s in your home, I gave it to you. There’s nothing you could do to make it “more” yours or “less” yours.

Now, you could see that present and be so excited. You could call your friends and tell them about it. But you really can’t enjoy the gift until you open it. It wouldn’t do you any good until you take hold of it and put it to use.

It’s the same way with spiritual gifts. God has packages of grace, favor, mercy, forgiveness, blessing, joy, peace and so much more available to you. But you have to receive it by faith in order for it to affect your life. You can’t earn it. You can’t pay for it. You simply have to receive it by faith.

Today, you can take hold of these promises because God made them to YOU. Choose to finally let go of your plan, let go of what didn’t work out, let go of whatever negative thing or person that’s been holding you captive and take hold of these gifts that your heavenly Father is calling you to receive.

In An Instant

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of how God suddenly showed Himself strong on behalf of His people. But sometimes when we’ve struggled in an area for a long time it’s easy to just give up and accept things the way they are.

One of the enemy’s favorite lies is to tell you that nothing is ever going to get better for you. He’ll tell you that you’re never going to get ahead financially, that you’ll never find the right mate, that you’re never going to break your bad habits.

Friend, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in your tough situation because God can change things and He can do it in an instant! The bible says, “...In an instant, suddenly, you shall be visited and delivered by the Lord...” In a split second of time, He can turn it all around. One touch of His favor can promote you. One touch of His goodness can bring that special someone into your life. One touch from your loving, heavenly Father can change your life… in an “instant!’

I want to encourage you today to keep believing, keep standing, and keep hoping. Don’t let the enemy drag your thoughts down because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Your time is coming and I declare that your breakthrough is going to happen suddenly — in an instant!

What defines you?

Most people’s thoughts were programmed by the people who raised them or by what somebody is speaking over them now. Maybe they even think they’re doing the best they can by you but their words are still limiting you today. As long as you believe what they said/say about you, their words are defining you.

The key to breaking those limitations is to start meditating on what God says about you. Transformation will take place when you seek God’s help to renew your mind. Reprogram your thinking with what God says about you instead of the things that flawed, human beings say. Most of the time it’s people who have been hurt themselves and don’t know how to process it correctly so they just lash out at others, maybe even subconsciously.

But friend, regardless of why, you don’t have to let what they say about you define you. God says, “The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter.” All through the day you need to say to yourself, “I’m rising higher. My future is limitless. I have yet to see my best days. Something good is going to happen to me.”

As you meditate on these truths from God instead of the lies from people you will begin to move beyond the limitations set by others. People may have spoken negative things over you but the good news is that people don’t determine your destiny. You are not who people say you are. You are who GOD says you are! Don’t be defined by the limits of others. Believe God’s word and let Him reconnect you to the amazing plan He has waiting for you!

Focus

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” I don’t mind telling you, the place I’ve learned to treasure more than anything in this world is the place of PEACE. And I find it when I seek God. When I talk to Him, when I remind myself how amazing He’s been and is, when I focus on how He’s the Creator of the universe and all-powerful and in complete control… and He’s my Daddy! How could I feel anything but peace??

If you’ll acknowledge God in all you do, He promises to go before you and make the crooked places in your path straight. That means He will cause the right people to show up. He will open doors that you could not open. He will crown your efforts with success. And He will give you rest in the midst of whatever turmoil you’re going through.

Acknowledging God isn’t something we should just do every once in a while. He should always be on your mind. Think about two people when they’re first dating. They’re so enchanted with one another that no matter what they’re doing, they’re usually thinking about the other person. Well, that’s how we should be with God.

First thing in the morning when you wake up, you should acknowledge Him while you’re getting ready for your day and all throughout the day. I talk to Him all the time; what some might call their “self-talk” I call conversation with my Dad. Don’t let the distractions and frustrations of this world steal your focus. Be determined to make the relationship with your Creator your highest priority. Keep your mind stayed on Him, and He will direct your steps!

You have to make the choice to keep your heart and mind focused on Him. Replace the negative thoughts and the defeated talk with petitions to your loving, faithful Father in heaven. Ask Him for help with this thing you’re going through. God wants you to turn to Him in and for all things. If you ask Him, He will help you to stand strong against all the negative circustances. Seek Him and He will not only guide you but He promised to bring you out of this difficulty and restore you beyond any level you could think to ask for!

Who Does God Reward?

Do you see God as a rewarder today? Are you expecting His favor? Do you have faith that He is true to His promises? The bible says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.”

Notice this verse doesn’t say that God rewards those who deserve it or those who have earned it. It doesn’t say that God rewards those who act perfectly and never make mistakes. No, God’s blessing is based on our faith. In fact, one verse says that He longs to be good to those who are LOOKING FOR His goodness.

Are you speaking your faith? Are you declaring those things that aren’t, as though they were? I encourage you today to spend some time meditating on His faithfulness. Seek His guidance and EXPECT Him to act in your situation. Spend some time just talking to Him. Thank Him for all He is doing. Even if you don’t see things changing it doesn’t mean God isn’t working on your behalf. The fact that YOU don’t see a way through doesn’t affect one bit God’s ability to create a way.

Open your eyes of faith and see all of the wonderful things He has prepared for you. Let His promises shape your thoughts. Let His word fill your heart with faith and remember, He is a rewarder! He wants to bless you today because you diligently seek after Him!

“All These Things Will Be Added To You”

Are you feeling anxious about something today? Maybe you aren’t making enough money to pay your bills. Or you’re lonely and wondering how to go about finding your special someone. It could be a situation in your health or family stress. The bible says that whatever we need: financial blessing, the right mate, peace of mind, we should, “Seek first the kingdom of God and live righteously and all these things will be added to you.”

Which needs will be met? ALL! I know you may be wanting to remind God that you have heartache or that rent is due and you’re not sure where you'll find the money. I know we get close to the edge and get tempted to feel like God forgot about our situation. No friend, as long as you are seeking Him and doing your best to honor Him, “all these things will be added to you.”

Before you ever had the problem God already lined up the solution. Whatever you’re facing right now is no surprise to God. And He said that He’s so dialed into you that He knows the number of hairs on your head! He said He bottles each of your tears. He’s promised you provision, blessing and restoration. Jesus offered you His perfect peace. The bible says He came that we might have AND ENJOY our lives.

Now, stop worrying. Cast your care and turn it over to God. Whatever you think He’s forgotten about, whatever is tormenting your mind right now, seek Him and let Him handle it for you! He says all you have to do is seek Him and try to live a life that’s pleasing to Him. He doesn’t expect you to be perfect, just willing. Begin today, invite God into every area of your life so He can expose that which needs changing and/or healing. Don’t allow anything to continue to stand between you and the awesome plan God has in store for you!

God’s Healing

I want to encourage you today with a truth from the bible, “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the Lord. Your heavenly Parent desires and even promises that you can live in health and be fully restored. This applies to your emotional, spiritual, relational and financial health as well as your physical health. Complete and total health for every area of your life is available to you as a believer in Christ.

In the bible we see Jesus healing those who were sick. It gave Him joy to see His people restored to health. It still gives God joy to see His people restored today. This isn’t just about physical health. Whatever you’re going through, God wants to bring healing to your life today. He has promised that if you will stay in faith, He will restore everything that was stolen from you – and in a way that’s even better than what you could imagine for yourself.

We serve the God Who heals and restores and you need to trust Him and let Him take care of you the way He promised. You have to release your worries and allow God to take over. He wants to get you back on track and living out the beautiful plan He’s prepared for you. But if you’re going to see God restore, you need to get this restoration mentality in your spirit. God longs to restore all areas of your health to you! Expect things to change in your favor!

Self-Imposed Prison Cell

Everyone has been hurt, offended, betrayed and mistreated at some point. Sometimes those wounds are small and easy to move past. But other times, they’re deep and take time to heal. The important thing is that we choose to forgive so that we can open the door to God’s healing in our lives. You see, we don’t forgive in order to let the other person off the hook. No sweetheart, it’s to let YOU off the hook.

Forgiveness is such a powerful tool. Forgiveness sets you free! The poison of unforgiveness is very self-destructive. It places a wedge between you and your divine destiny. It keeps you tied up in knots while most times, the person you’re upset at couldn’t care less. The angrier you are, the more that person and/or incident stays on your mind, which only creates a vicious cycle of frustration and hurt. Unforgiveness becomes your prison cell and only you have the key to get out.

This doesn’t mean you have to embrace the person who hurt you back in your life. You may never even tell the person you’ve forgiven them. This is something you do for YOU. Buddha said, "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Release yourself so you can move past that bad spot and open yourself to be able to accept God’s new and amazing level of healing and peace and joy. If you allow God to handle it He promises that you will receive double of everything stolen from you and it will be BETTER than whatever you once had.

Maybe you feel today like your prayers aren’t getting through. The bible says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive them and let it drop, leave it, let it go...” When you pray, invite the Lord to search your heart. Choose to forgive anyone that has hurt you. As you commit to walking in forgiveness, you’ll experience more of His favor in ways you never thought possible. When you allow Him to help heal and restore you, you’ll begin to move forward into the amazingly blessed and abundant life He has in store for you.

Pruning Process

I posted this on Facebook a couple of days ago so for those of you who saw it there, bear with me because there’s quite a few people who read my blog that either don’t have Facebook or aren’t on my page. I just feel called to post it here, now. And if you are reading it for a second time, maybe you need to.

Some of you are asking God for more blessing, promotion, peace, joy. Like one has to prune a tree to make it more fruitful we have to allow God to do some pruning in our lives.

This may not feel great in the moment but know that it’s necessary in order to promote you. This may mean ditching a bad habit or practice and it may mean turning away from certain people.

There’s a saying, “you’ll never find the right one if you’re clinging to the wrong one.” You won’t have room or time to meet new positive, healthy friends if your time is eaten up by trifling, negative ones.

Today, be open to the pruning required in order to take you to that next higher level you’re asking for. Where God is calling you, some people can’t go with you because they would only hold you back. And some habits are going to have to go so you don’t misrepresent God.

What’s Your Vision?

So many people today are stuck in a rut. It’s not because they aren’t talented; it’s not because they don’t have God’s favor, but it’s because their vision is limited. They can’t see beyond their circumstances. They don’t see themselves accomplishing their dreams, being promoted or living healthier. They just see more of the same because it’s what they’re focused on. What you see is what you’re going to move toward.

The truth is, we all have vision. Every one of us has a picture in our mind of our self, our family and our future. The question is: what does your picture look like? Do you see yourself rising higher, overcoming obstacles, living an abundant life? Do you dare to dream beyond your circumstances?

Today, why don’t you change your focus? Lift your eyes beyond your circumstances. Get a higher dream, a greater vision for your life. See yourself the way God sees you and move forward toward the abundant life He has prepared for you!

Fan The Flame

I believe that God has planted seeds of greatness on the inside of every one of us. We all have dreams and desires, things we want to accomplish; things we want to see changed. But so many times, life has a way of stealing our dreams. We go through disappointments, face adversity, things don’t turn out as we would like. But God said He wouldn’t stop until He finished what He started in you.

Too often, people just end up settling for less than God’s best. But He doesn’t want us to settle for mediocrity. He wants us to be determined, press on, and pursue the greatness that’s on the inside. We should never let “good enough” be good enough!

The bible says, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you...” so I want to encourage you today to stir yourself up and get your fire back. Start speaking God’s promise of victory over your future. If one dream has died, dream another dream!

You also have to put yourself in a positive, faith-filled environment. As much as possible, get around people of excellence. I’ve had to walk away and love some people from a distance because they just weren’t a good influence on my life. It may be awkward at first but you have to learn to protect your God-given destiny against anyone or thing that distracts you from it. Fan the flame that is in you so you can move forward into all God has in store for you!

“I Have Heard A Report From The Lord...”

Every day we get “reports” from the news, our experiences, our friends, family and many other sources. We also get reports from the word of God, which oftentimes, contradicts what others are saying. That’s when we have a choice: do we believe what we hear in the natural or do we believe the report of our Creator?

Friend, we serve a supernatural God! Just because we don’t see a way doesn’t mean that He doesn’t have a way. God can bring one opportunity across your path that will thrust you to a new level. He has explosive blessings that can blast you out of debt and into abundance. The bible says, you will lend and not borrow; that you’ll have so much it will overflow and you’ll not only have enough for you but also enough leftover to be a blessing to others!

No matter what pain you feel in your body right now or what the medical report may say, you have another report from the bible and it says, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Your heart may be wounded and you wonder if you’ll ever find the right person but God said loneliness isn’t your permanent status. He made a mate for Adam because He said it wasn’t right for the animals to have a helper mate and not Adam. Trust that the reason it didn’t work out with others is because God has someone better lined up. The key is to LET HIM bring them to you – don’t get ahead of Him if you want to avoid another wrong relationship.

If you’re a believer you have an awesome Advocate on your side. Your heavenly Father is going before you, making your crooked places straight. He promises to deliver you from every snare the enemy sets against you. Choose today to tune out the negative voices and believe instead the report of your Deliverer. Stand strong no matter what is going on around you, knowing that He is leading you into victory in every area of your life!

Open Your Mouth

Are you expecting God to increase you beyond measure? Are you ready for Him to satisfy your needs and desires? Are you opening your mouth and speaking it forth? Jesus said, "If you SAY to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done." What are you declaring out loud?

Think about a baby bird. When they are ready to eat, they open their mouths. They trust that they will be fed. They expect it. They look for it. They are ready for it. It should be the same way with us. We need to keep our spiritual mouths open by expecting the goodness of God to deliver, restore, fulfill, and/or promote us.

Negative thinking is like closing your mouth. A closed mouth can’t be filled. Why don’t you take the limits off of God today? Why don’t you trust and believe for supernatural opportunities? That little bird waiting for food isn’t concerned about where the mother is going to get it from. It isn’t concerned about how she’s going to do the providing. No, that bird just opens its mouth, trusting and waiting.

Why don’t you do the same today? Trust that God is working behind the scenes. Open your mouth and speak it like you truly believe it. There are over 7,000 promises from God in the bible. When the enemy comes at you with deception and lies you need to TALK back to him with God’s truth. If you will commit to this you won’t be disappointed. God is faithful to His word and He will honor His promises when you put your trust in Him!

Your Season Is Coming

Are you believing God for something that’s taking longer than you expected? If you’re praying according to His promises, no matter how long you may have been standing in faith, don’t give up. Your season is coming! Your harvest of blessing is on its way. It might be today, it might be tomorrow, it might be next week, but I want to encourage you today that your “right time” is here and you are going to experience your breakthrough.

Remember that God is faithful and His promises are true. The bible says, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” So keep hoping, keep believing, keep doing good. Keep declaring the promises of God over your life.

You also need to choose to be around people who are going to encourage you and fill your heart and mind with positivity. As you continue to press on in faith and keep a attitude of victory, you will see your harvest of blessing and live as an overcomer in every area of your life!

Know Which Challenges To Turn Away From

Many of the challenges we face are simply distractions from the enemy to keep us from pursuing God’s calling on our life. Maybe someone at work isn’t as nice to you as you’d like. Maybe someone’s gossiping about you behind your back. Maybe there are days it seems like nothing falls into place as easily as you’d like. Those things may be frustrating but they have little significance when you look at the grand scheme of your destiny. You can’t allow the little things to cause strife in your life.

The bible says that just before David fought the giant Goliath, his brother Iliab tried to confront him. But David knew that arguing with Iliab wasn’t worth his time and energy. He knew his real battle was with Goliath and he didn’t want to be distracted. He simply “turned away” from Iliab and kept his focus on what he was called to do.

Let’s follow David’s example and keep our eyes on what’s most important in life. Instead of being led astray by little challenges that are really just trifling nuisances, let’s focus on the big picture. Know when to turn away from strife and press on toward your divine purpose. Pray for guidance so you can learn to recognize which challenges are meaningful and set up by God to strengthen your character, versus those that are just a pointless attempt of the enemy to take you off God’s course.

Your heavenly Father wants you to have victory in every area of your life. Seek Him when challenges come so that He can give you the wisdom and discipline to walk away from the unimportant irritations and focus instead on the awesome plan He has prepared for you. The bible says, “It’s an honor for a person to cease from strife...” If you will start practicing this I believe and declare that God will not only give you peace amongst the challenges but He will also lead you into that higher level of promotion and purpose you’ve been praying about.

You’re A Victor, Not A Victim

I believe you tuned into this blog today so that God could speak this specific word to you through me. You are turning a corner right now in your life! Even if things appear dark and you feel at the end of your rope, take heart. This day is a turning point for you!

You can’t just read the words though, you have to put your faith in action toward this end. If I held up a hundred dollar bill and promised it to you I doubt you could think of much else until I handed it to you. Well, I’m a human being and you would believe my words, even though I didn’t actually put the money in your hand yet. You’d have my word and you’d believe it and it’d excite you. This is how we need to be with God. He made amazing promises to us and He has the power to make good on every bit of it.

You know when you see a defeated person – there are signs in their body language; shoulders slumped, head down, quiet voice. You can’t be a victor if you’re walking around with a victim mentality. You have to speak God’s promises over your life! Walk and talk like you believe them and I assure you will see His power back them up!

Friends, when you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you became a new creature and you have endless potential in your DNA! There are no limits on your life, except the ones YOU place on yourself. Get rid of your barely-get-by mindset, get rid of the negative people holding you back, get rid of the self-deprecating words… YOU WERE MADE FOR AMAZING SO GO BE AMAZING!

God is doing a wonderful work in your life right now. You may not see it right this moment but if you will just hold your head up high and believe God, He will manifest this in front of your eyes sooner than you thought! Now, take the limits off of your heavenly Parent and start believing Him for God-sized blessings to come to pass in your life!

Be Confident!

Are you believing for something that seems like it’s taking longer than you hoped? This word is for YOU today – don’t give up! Let this take root in your spirit right now, God is going to finish what He started. He is a faithful God and He has unmatched favor, breakthroughs, and restoration lined up for you!

It says in Philippians we should be confident that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. If you keep standing in faith, I believe that very soon you’re going to come into days where you stand in utter amazement at the level of blessing God has brought you into. So put your shoulders back and chin up because you have every promise from God to count on.

Remember, the bible also says, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” Nope! We know that nothing is impossible when we put our faith and trust in Him. How can you be anything but confident when you know Who is fighting your battles for you? The same One Who cares about your sadness so much that He bottles your tears is lining up victory for you right now. I want to encourage you today to keep believing and keep hoping because God has something astounding in store for you!

GPS

Most of us have a GPS either in our vehicle or on our phone. All along the way the announcer gives you instructions, “Turn left in a quarter of a mile. Exit in one mile.” But sometimes I don’t follow the directions. I may miss a turn, stop to get gas or choose to go another way. The announcer doesn’t come on and start yelling at me, “What in the world are you doing?? I told you to turn left! You ruined my plan!” No, the moment I get off course the system immediately starts recalculating another way. Within a few seconds, it gives me new directions.

Even if you feel like you’ve gotten off track, made too many mistakes, turned away from God, He never gives up on you. If you will choose to seek and honor Him with your life He will direct your steps. He promised to cause all things to work for your good. He said when you walk uprightly in His name you would lack no good thing. He said He will fight your battles for you, that all you have to do is stand still and believe.

Today, understand that the way your GPS is never too busy to direct you, never ceases to come up with another way to get you where you need to be – it’s the same way with God. When you seek after His perfect plan for your life, you may miss an exit, you may make a wrong turn, but God has already recalculated another way. He’s still going to get you where you’re supposed to be. Your heavenly Father loves you with an everlasting love! Seek Him with your whole heart, no matter where you are in life right now, and He will get you back on track!

Are You Really Alive?

 was recently reminded of when Captain Sullenberger successfully landed a jet airplane in the Hudson River. Remember that? All 155 passengers survived. It’s known as, “The Miracle on the Hudson.” A reporter asked one passenger what he thought about it all. He was soaking wet and freezing cold but he had this incredible glow about him. I’ll never forget what he told the reporter… he said, “I was alive before, but now I’m really alive.”

So my question today is, “Are you really alive?” Are you passionate about the life God has given you? Jesus said, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows.”

Friends, God doesn’t want you to just exist and endure. He wants you to be, “really alive!” Get excited about what God is doing, even if you can’t see it all right now. Keep hoping and trusting AND LIVING because God has a wonderful plan for you!