Glorified in You

“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2 Thessalonians 1:12, NIV)

God wants to be glorified in you! How is He glorified in you? Most people think of glorifying God through praise and worship. Yes, that’s one way, but you can glorify Him in many other ways, too. For example, when you are living at your best, you are glorifying God. When you are successful, filled with peace and joy, and moving forward, you are a testimony to His goodness. When you choose to do the right thing, even when the wrong thing is happening around you, that brings honor to your Father in heaven. When you put God first in everything you do, He will be glorified in you. Notice what else this verse tells us: God wants you to be glorified in Him, too. In other words, when you honor God, He will honor you. He will lift you up and bless you in ways you never imagined. Today, remember you were created for a higher purpose. You were created for His glory. You are a reflection of Him. Let your life, words, thoughts and actions honor Him so that He may be glorified in you!

The Same Spirit

“And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.”
(Romans 8:11, AMPC)

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit of God makes His home inside of you. That’s the same Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That resurrection power can bring back health, strength and life to your physical body, and it can bring back life to your hopes and dreams. In fact, it can bring life to any area that may seem dormant on the inside of you. The next time you feel overwhelmed by sickness, challenges or despair, remember, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. You may have been burdened by an addiction, fear or worry, but there’s nothing that can stand against the power of God. Rise up and declare by faith, “He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. I am restored and healed in the name of Jesus! No weapon formed against me can prosper!” As you rise up in faith and declare the Word of God, you are activating His power within you, and you are moving forward in the victory He has for you!

Activate Favor

“...the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
(Psalm 84:11, NIV)


Favor is a part of your inheritance! You don’t have to beg God for it. As a believer in Jesus, you are in covenant with Him. That means that everything He has is yours!

The way you tap into that favor, or activate it, is by thanking Him for it. Say, “Father, thank You for Your favor today. Thank You that Your favor is causing me to be at the right place at the right time. Thank You that Your favor is causing people to want to be good to me.” See, you don’t have to pray about something that you already have, just receive it by thanking Him.

Before I speak each week, I never say, “God, please give me Your favor. Please give me Your anointing.” No, I simply say, “God, thank You for Your anointing. Thank You for Your favor on my life. Thank You for equipping and empowering me.” See, I know that it’s all part of my inheritance. So I just act like it’s true.


Today, activate His promises by faith. Praise and thank Him for His goodness and for blessing your life. Receive His Word as truth and hold it in your heart because He has already given His favor and blessing to you!

Activate Favor

“...the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (Psalm 84:11, NIV) 



Favor is a part of your inheritance! You don’t have to beg God for it. As a believer in Jesus, you are in covenant with Him. That means that everything He has is yours! The way you tap into that favor, or activate it, is by thanking Him for it. Say, “Father, thank You for Your favor today. Thank You that Your favor is causing me to be at the right place at the right time. Thank You that Your favor is causing people to want to be good to me.” See, you don’t have to pray about something that you already have, just receive it by thanking Him. Before I speak each week, I never say, “God, please give me Your favor. Please give me Your anointing.” No, I simply say, “God, thank You for Your anointing. Thank You for Your favor on my life. Thank You for equipping and empowering me.” See, I know that it’s all part of my inheritance. So I just act like it’s true. Today, activate His promises by faith. Praise and thank Him for His goodness and for blessing your life. Receive His Word as truth and hold it in your heart because He has already given His favor and blessing to you!

Let God Arise

“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered...”
(Psalm 68:1, NKJV)

Let me ask you today, what are you letting arise in your life? In other words, what are you focusing your words, energy and thoughts on? You might say, “Oh, Joel, it’s just so hard right now. I’ve lost some money.” “My health doesn’t look good.” “Somebody walked out on me.” No, you’re focusing on the wrong things. You’re letting defeat, discouragement and self-pity rise up. Why don’t you turn that around and say, “God is still in control. Somebody may have walked out on me, but I know God is going to bring me somebody better.” “I may be hurting right now, but I know God is the restorer of my soul.” “I may have lost money in the stock market, but I’m not worried. I know God is my provider. He is supplying all of my needs. He is fighting my battles.” When you start giving God glory and letting Him arise in your life, you can’t stay defeated. Your enemies will be scattered! They’ll tremble at your words of faith. Begin right now by declaring God’s goodness in your life and let Him arise so that you can move forward in the victory He has for you.

Already Blessed!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
(Ephesians 1:3, NIV)

God has blessed you! Past tense—He’s already done it! Now, you may not feel blessed, you may not look blessed; in fact, all the circumstances may tell you that you’re not blessed. But you’ve got to be bold enough to say, “No, I see it right here in God’s Word—I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ!” What does it mean to be blessed? It means that you are supernaturally empowered to do whatever God has called you to do; to be whomever God has called you to be; and to have whatever God has called you to have. God’s blessing is His empowerment! The key is this: you have to believe it in order to receive it. You can’t walk around in guilt and condemnation from the past thinking you can’t do anything right and expect to keep moving forward. You have to shake off those old mindsets by declaring God’s truth over your life. Truth sets you free. When you speak God’s truth that you are blessed, you will be free to believe it and receive it! Today, take hold of what belongs to you. Approach the day with an attitude of faith and victory knowing that you are already blessed!

Seeing Potential in Others

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
(Ephesians 6:18, NIV)


It’s easy to be someone’s friend when they’ve got it all together, when they’re walking in blessing and prosperity. Anybody can believe in people after they’re successful, after they graduate, after they’re promoted, after they get their big break. But, people need our prayer and support the most before they get their breakthrough. They need us to look past their faults and failures and see their potential.

Most times, people just need a little bit of encouragement to keep them moving forward. You may have some good advice that could save someone a lot of heartache and pain. Don’t keep it to yourself. Pick up the phone. Help them win. They may need to just hear, “I’m praying for you.”


Remember, you are the hands and feet of Jesus. When you help others rise higher, you are fulfilling His mission. Today, share your love, support and encouragement. Invest life in others, see their potential, pray for them, and together, you’ll rise higher into the blessing God has for you!

Every Day is a Gift

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12, NIV)

Sometimes our days can be so full and busy that we forget how fragile life really is. It’s easy to allow little things to creep in and steal our peace and joy. Maybe something doesn’t go our way or someone says something upsetting. Even traffic can cause us to lose focus if we let it. We have to remember that each day is a gift. If we choose to focus on what’s wrong, we’ll miss the beauty that each day has to offer. Today, don’t let the precious moments of life pass you by. Don’t wait for holidays and birthdays to show people that you care. Remember, each day is unique and irreplaceable. You have been given time that can be invested or wasted; hours that can be used or misused. That’s why the psalmist prayed to God, “Teach us to number our days.” He was saying, “Teach us to value every moment we’ve been given.” As you daily keep a proper perspective, you’ll gain a heart of wisdom. You’ll draw closer to God and experience the full blessing that He has for you each and every day!

Give Thanks!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 15:57, NIV)

Today, take time to reflect on and give thanks to God for all of His blessings in your life. Whether you are eating turkey, playing games with your family, watching football or visiting a friend, remember to take time to focus on God’s goodness. Count your blessings and notice all the grace, favor and love that God has given you. Psalm 95:2 says to “come before His presence with thanksgiving...shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” No matter the circumstances in your life, give thanks and praise to God for all that He has done. Remember how good He is and that His love will endure forever. The Bible says that you show your love for God through your actions toward other people. Reach out to those around you this holiday season and share His love and forgiveness with them. You are blessed to be a blessing to others!

Sufficient Grace

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness...”
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

Everyone has days when they feel weak or times when they feel overwhelmed. But God has given us His grace to carry us through these difficult times and empower us to move forward in victory. Scripture says God’s grace is sufficient. The word sufficient simply means competent, enough or qualified. That means you always have whatever you need by His grace. You will never face anything that God’s grace cannot empower you to move through. We serve a God who is more than enough, and His grace is more than enough, too! Anytime you feel weak, remember, when you rely on His grace, that is when you are at your strongest. When you feel like you can’t go on, that’s when He will carry you by His grace. Today, remember, no matter what you may be facing, you’re not facing it alone. You are not without hope, you are not without resources, and you are not without answers because His grace is sufficient! His grace is all you need to be equipped to move forward into His victory

Just Agree with God!

“As it is written: ‘I have made you a father of many nations.’ He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” (Romans 4:17, NIV)

  

Twenty years before Abraham ever had a child, God said to him, “Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations.” Notice God spoke to him like it had already happened, in the past tense. I’m sure Abraham thought, “God, You must have made a mistake. I’m not a father. I don’t even have one child.” Abraham could have talked himself out of it; but instead, he chose to believe. Today, you may be thinking, “I’m not blessed. I’m not confident. I’m not healthy. I’m not favored.” But when God says you’re blessed, don’t try to figure it out. Just agree with God and say, “I am blessed.” When God calls you prosperous, don’t go check your bank account. Don’t go look at the stock report. Just agree with God and say, “I am prosperous.” Things may look impossible. That’s all right. That’s the way things looked for Abraham. But sure enough, God’s promises came to pass, and he became the father of many nations. Remember, when you agree with God, you are positioning yourself for a miracle. You are activating His truth in your life. When things look difficult, don’t agree with your circumstances, agree with His promises because He is faithful, and He will complete what He’s started in your life!

New Mercy

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
(Lamentations 3:22–23, NLT)

Isn’t it good to know that no matter what happened yesterday, no matter what you said, no matter what you did, God’s mercy is new for you today? Mercy is empowering. It gives us the chance to let go of the our mistakes and move forward in Him. We have to always remember that God is not condemning us. Romans tells us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. God wants to love us and equip us to overcome in this life. Do you need new mercy today? Receive it by faith. You don’t have to beg God to forgive you. He forgives you the first time you ask, but it’s up to you to receive that forgiveness. Open your heart today and receive His mercy. Let Him wash over you with His peace and joy. Then choose to extend that mercy to others. Remember, you are God’s representative in the earth. As you show His love and character to others, He’ll pour out His blessing on you and use you in ways you never dreamed!

The Only Thing That Counts

“...The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
(Galatians 5:6, NIV)

So often, it’s easy to get caught up in our to-do lists of life. You might even have a spiritual checklist, so to speak, of all the things you think you need to do in order to please God. And we should have the desire to please Him and follow His commands, but pleasing Him starts with our heart condition. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians that only faith, hope and love will last into eternity. The point is that we have to adjust our focus and make sure that we aren’t just going through the motions in our spiritual walk. We can do a lot of “good” things, but if we don’t have love, they won’t matter in eternity. We can have a lot of knowledge, but if we don’t have love, it won’t do us any good. When love is the foundation for everything we do, it’s a different story. Love honors God and opens the door for the life of victory and blessing He has in store!

Accelerate

“My times are in Your hand...”
(Psalm 31:15, NASB)

One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always work on our timetable. In fact, He rarely does. But in a single moment, God can change your life! All throughout scripture, we see examples of how God was working behind the scenes and instantly turned things around for His people. Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever which means He can instantly turn things around for you, too! You may be going through some difficulty today, but be encouraged because your times are in God’s hands. He wants to accelerate things in your favor. He wants to take you further than you dreamed possible and work in your life in ways beyond what you have ever imagined. Let this truth sink down into your heart today. Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He’s going to accelerate your times and lead you into the life of victory He has for you!

Accept God’s Plan

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)



                                 


No matter what may be happening today, God has good things in store for your future! It may not be easy to see now, but God has already lined up a new beginning, new friendships and new opportunities for you.



Maybe you’ve experienced some setbacks, but don’t make the mistake of expecting the same for your future. Instead, accept God’s good plan for your life by declaring His truth. As believers, our attitude should be, “Even though the economy is down, I’m not worried. I know God is going before me, and He has promised He will make rivers in the desert.” Or, “The medical report may not look good, but I have another report that says God is restoring health unto me. I believe God has already released healing, health and victory in my future.” Or, you may have a child who is not on the right course. In the natural, it seems impossible. But our report should be, “I know God can do the impossible!”



Today, be encouraged and don’t give up on your tomorrows. Accept the good plan God has for you—a plan filled with hope, purpose, blessing and increase in every area of your life!