Stand Strong and Persevere!

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
(Hebrews 10:36, NIV)

Persevere Until You See the Promise

What are you believing God for today?

Provision?

Healing?

Restoration?

Deliverance?

Peace?

God has promised all of these things to you in His Word because it's His desire for you to live in blessing and wholeness.

When you follow the will of God by obeying His Word and precepts, it opens the door for His promises to be fulfilled in your life.

You may be doing all of the right things today—don't give up!

Perseverance will carry you to the promise.

Perseverance means that you are focused, that you are believing what God says about your situation.

It's looking away from distractions and any negative, defeating thoughts.

Perseverance looks away from discouragement and looks to the Word of God.

Perseverance has a voice, and it says things like, "No weapon formed against me shall prosper!

If God is for me, who can be against me?

I am more than a conqueror through Jesus!"

Whatever you are believing for today, keep believing!

Stand strong and fight the good fight of faith.

Ask God to give you endurance, perseverance and patience so that you can see His promises fulfilled in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today
"Father, thank You for Your good promises to me. I ask that You give me a heart that is steadfast and fixed on You. Fill me with Your peace and perseverance so I can live in victory all the days of my life in Jesus' name. Amen."

- From "Today's Word" by Joel O

Stay Strong!

A Promised Way Out

"The point is that no matter what kind of suffering we have to endure, God always gives us a way out.

Not a way out of the suffering itself—but from the utter, black hopelessness that suffering can lead us into.

And that's what this prayer is—a way out of hopeless despair.

In a famous passage from his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul says that God "will not let you be tested beyond your strength. With your trial, he will also provide you with a means of escape, so that you will be able to endure it."

Spiritual writers often use that passage to illustrate that God will never allow us to be tempted to sin beyond the point that we can resist.

But it applies just as much to suffering.

God always gives us an "escape hatch."

No matter how great our inner turmoil, he always gives us an exit through which we can go to avoid being trapped.

When Christ prayed that he be spared the agony of the Crucifixion, God may have denied his request, but he promptly dispatched an angel to the Garden of Gethsemane to comfort him.

The angel stayed with the Lord and consoled him, strengthened his resolve, and essentially helped him to get through the deep emotional turmoil and dread he was experiencing.

That's the same model of assistance God employs with us.

Our appointed sufferings may or may not be prevented through prayer—depending on the situation and on God's will—but we, ourselves, can ALWAYS count on being helped, consoled, and fortified by God -  if we ask for help."

  - From "Experiencing God Day by Day " by Richard Blackaby

Stay Strong!

Forgotten?

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."
MARK 11: 22 – 23

Do you think God's silence in your life means He's forgotten you?

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Bible says God has engraved your name on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49: 16).

You're in God's heart and on His mind every moment.

He's fully informed of your circumstances and will deliver you when He knows the time is right.

Just as He was faithful to preserve Joseph through thirteen years of slavery in Pharaoh's prison … just as He was faithful to preserve Daniel in the lion's den … just as He was faithful to preserve the baby Moses floating on the Nile —

God will be faithful to you!

Why?

Because God is faithful!

It's who He is!

So don't be afraid.

He cannot be less than Himself.

Have faith in God!

Stay Strong!

The Right Perspective

Happy Monday!!

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."
(Psalm 34:1, NKJV)

Power in Perspective

It's easy to get focused on what's wrong in life, what we don't have, and how big our obstacles are.

If we're not careful, we'll lose sight of all the good things God has done.

We'll take for granted our family, friends, health and the opportunities God has blessed us with.

We'll get so busy and stressed out that we won't appreciate the gift of today. What's happened?

Our perspective has gotten off.

Perspective is all about how we see a situation.

There's power in your perspective because you will draw into your life what you constantly meditate on.

Business may be slow.

The economy may be down.

The wrong perspective is, "I'll never make it. It's just too much."

The right perspective is, "God is supplying all of my needs.

He said He would prosper me even in a desert."

Today, I encourage you to evaluate your perspective.

Choose to lift your eyes to God no matter what is happening in your circumstances.

Remember, as you set your perspective in the right direction, your life will follow.

When you keep an attitude of faith and expectancy, you open the door for His blessing in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today
"Father, I choose to bless You at all times. I declare that You are faithful! I lift my eyes to You because You are the source of my help, strength and joy forevermore. Thank You for leading and guiding me for Your glory in Jesus' name.
Amen."

From "Today's Word by Joel O

Stay Strong!

The Fix is In

"He Who sits in the heavens laughs..."
(Psalm 2:4, AMP)

Have you ever imagined God laughing in the heavens?

Think about that for a moment.

Right now, God is on the throne.

He's not mad.

He's not worried about the economy.

He's not upset with you and me.

God is full of joy and laughing on the throne.

It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He's laughing because "He can see the destruction of the enemy coming."

In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story.

He knows the final outcome.

The good news is that you and I win!

God always causes us to triumph!

Imagine watching the Super Bowl when you already know the outcome.

You already know who is going to win.

No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you wouldn't get upset.

You wouldn't be worried.

Why?

You've got inside information.

You know the final outcome.

That's what God is saying to us today.

When it gets tough and things don't look like they're going to work out, we know that with God we are on the winning team!

Today, you can laugh with Him knowing that He has favor, strength and victory in store for your future!

A Prayer for Today
"Father, I choose to rest and trust in You. Thank You for bringing victory in every area of my life. Give me opportunities today to share Your joy and love with the people around me in Jesus' name. Amen."

From "Today's Word by Joel O

Have a Terrific Weekend - Stay Strong!

Strength in the Midst of a Storm

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
(Isaiah 40:29, NIV)

He Gives Strength

Oftentimes, when we are facing a difficulty, it's easy to become weary in our minds and emotions.

Trying to figure it all out in our own strength can be exhausting.

But we weren't meant to try to figure everything out, we were meant to trust.

We were meant to call on Him and let Him be the hero of our story!

The Bible says in Isaiah that when you cry to God for help, as soon as He hears, He will answer you!

He will give you strength when you are weary and increase your power when you feel weak.

No matter what is going on in your life today, God is greater than any obstacle or difficulty you may be facing.

Do you need strength to overcome a challenge in your life?

Do you need power to stand strong in the midst of a storm?

Call on Him and He will hear you.

Open your heart, and by faith, receive His strength and might.

Let Him empower you to live in victory and overcome all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today
"Father, thank You for hearing and answering my prayers. Fill me with Your strength and power today. I trust that You are working things out for my good as I surrender every area of my life to You in Jesus' name.
Amen.

From "Today's Word by Joel O

PC Kristin O! :) Thank you!

Stay Strong!

Stay Open and Trust...the rest will follow

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives."
(John 12:24, NLT)

Trust Him with Your Dreams

It's good to be passionate about your dreams, but did you know a dream can actually become an idol?

If it's all you think about, and you're not going to be happy unless it happens your way, that's out of balance.

The fact is, sometimes you have to release that dream back to the Father.

Sometimes we can get frustrated because we are trying to force things to happen on our timetable.

Sometimes we hold on to things so tightly, but when we are finally willing to let them go, that's when God can bring them to pass.

If you'll choose to release that frustration and not let it become the center of your attention, but instead, thank God that He's directing your steps, that will open the door for God to give you the desires of your heart.

We have to remember, God already knows what we want and what we need.

He's the One who put those desires in us.

We shouldn't be consumed with trying to make things happen.

Instead, a greater act of faith is to be happy right where you are; to stay open and trust God because He has good plans in store for your future!

A Prayer for Today
"Father, today I release my dreams, my desires and my 'wants' like a seed falling to the ground. I know that You have a good plan for my future, and I trust You to bring it to pass in my life in Jesus' name.
Amen."

From Today's Word by Joel O

Stay Strong!