Archive for July, 2011

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.