Far and Beyond

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.” (Ephesians 3:20–21, NASB)

God wants to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all you can imagine! He wants to pour out His favor on you and open up opportunities that are beyond your expectations! Notice this verse says that He will do it “according to the power that works in us.” How does His power work in us? When we yield ourselves to Him, when we obey His Word and do what pleases Him, more of His power is available in our lives. When we put Him first in everything that we do, when we choose love, we are allowing more of Him to work in and through us. When we choose God’s way, we get God’s results: peace, favor, blessing and increase. Today, no matter what you are facing, know that when you invite God into your circumstances, He will transform them! He will do more than you could ever imagine. Line yourself up with His Word in your thoughts, words and actions, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly far and beyond what you could ever imagine!

Finish Strong!

“...Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
(1 Corinthians 9:24, NIV)

Oftentimes, when we have a dream in our heart, we start off strong. We head down the path toward our goal, and we’re so excited! But along the way, we hit some roadblocks and encounter some adversity. Many times, people will just give up and take the easy way out. But we have to remember, it’s not how we start that counts; it’s how we finish. Anybody can be fired up at the beginning, but I’m encouraging you to stick with it until the end! Have the determination to go all the way through. Don’t stop at the halfway mark just because times are tough. Don’t quit because you don’t see anything happening. The scripture tells us not to walk by sight, but walk by faith. Today, if there’s a dream in your heart, something you’re believing for—a relationship to turn around, a business opportunity or to overcome an addiction—keep pursuing it! Run your race to win the prize! Don’t settle until you see the fullness of what God has placed in your heart. As you stand strong in your faith, I believe God will pour out His favor and blessing upon you, and you will see the victory He has in store for you!

For God So Loved That He Gave

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16, NIV)

Have you ever thought about how love affects your giving? I’ve heard it said that you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving. Love, God’s love in us, prompts us to give of ourselves—our time, abilities and resources. In fact, God is love, and the scripture tells us that the world identifies Christians by their love. That means the world will identify us as Christians by our generous, giving hearts. During this Christmas holiday, the season of giving, remember to take time to focus on the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life through Jesus. If you’ve never received this gift, I invite you to open your heart and pray this simple prayer: “Lord Jesus, I come to You today, giving You all that I am. I repent of my sins and confess that I need You. I believe You died and rose for me. Be my Lord and Savior and make me new today. I receive Your love and Your gift of eternal life.”

The Wonderful Counselo

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor...”
(Isaiah 9:6, NIV)

Do you need wisdom or direction in your life today? The scripture tells us that Jesus is our counselor. And He’s not just any kind of counselor, He’s a Wonderful Counselor. When something is wonderful, it means it is unusually good, marvelous or astonishing. Think about that for a moment. God is a marvelous, astonishing, unusually good counselor—the very best you could ever have! Today, no matter what you may be facing, no matter what kinds of decisions you have to make, consider God. Ask Him to direct your steps and confirm His perfect will for your life. Remember, He is the best counselor there is. Let Him direct and guide your path. Seek Him with your whole heart, put Him first, and let Him lead you in blessing and victory in every area of your life.

Unwrap the Gift

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
(Romans 8:32, NIV)

Imagine waking up on Christmas morning and seeing a pile of presents under the tree but never opening them. Imagine that your friends and family spent a lot of money on you, buying you things you need and desire but could never afford. Imagine that you even know what was inside those packages, but just decided to let them sit under the tree day in and day out, year after year. After all, now you have what you’ve always dreamed of. You own whatever is in those boxes. If anyone asked, you’d say, “Yes, I have that.” But it wouldn’t do you any good because you would never be able to use those gifts unless you took the time to unwrap those packages. Friend, it’s the same way with God. He wants you to have an abundant life. His gifts are all right there for you wrapped up in the Word of God. You “open” His gift by meditating on His Word, obeying His commands and declaring it out of your mouth.

Holding Fast

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).”
(Hebrews 10:23, KJV)




“Hold fast” is not a phrase we often use in this culture. But in the original Greek, hold fast means not only to embrace, but to embrace with force as if someone is trying to take something from you. In other words, you’ve got to have a firm grip or you’re going to lose out! And notice what we are supposed to hold fast to—our profession, our declaration of faith.

I like to think of it sort of like a tug of war. You’re on one end and the enemy is on the other. He’s trying to pull that rope out of your hand. He’s trying to steal your hope and get you to speak negative words of doubt and unbelief. But you’ve got to be determined and stand strong. You’ve got to persevere and hold fast. Don’t let the enemy pull the seed of faith out of your heart! You might need to dig your heels in and get a new grip, but don’t you dare let go! Keep speaking words of faith. Keep speaking words of hope. Keep declaring God’s Word and keep holding fast to the profession of your faith!

Abundant Life Today

“...came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
(John 10:10, ESV)

Jesus came to give you abundant life! I’m not talking about living in the fanciest house or driving the newest car. No, His promise of abundant life goes way beyond material things that this world offers. Abundant life means “life to the full.” That means no matter what is going on around you, you can partake of the full blessings of God. You can have peace in the midst of a storm. You can have joy when things are uncertain. You can have hope when circumstances seem hopeless. A lot of times it’s easy, as believers, to look at that verse and think, “God is going to give me abundant life someday.” But the truth is that God wants you to have abundant life TODAY! Don’t waste another second living in mediocrity or settling for less than God’s best. Receive all He has for you by faith today. Receive His hope, joy, strength and favor. Choose to live the abundant life today and every day!