Dream It, Believe It, Live It!

By Joel Osteen – Posted April 20, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
Philippians 1:6, NIV

TODAY'S WORD:

Learning to walk in the destiny God has for you is a process. The first step is to get a vision, a clear picture from God that you can see. The next step is to trust Him – to believe in faith that it will happen. And then finally, you take a step of faith and live out what God has promised no matter what your circumstances or people around you have to say .First you dream it, than you believe it, and then you live it. Every dream I’ve ever received from God has followed this same pattern. 

We see in scripture that even the great men and women of the Bible walked through this process. They had to overcome doubts, they struggled on their journey, but they held fast to what God said knowing that He is faithful to complete what He started in us! Today, if you are having a hard time believing what God has promised will come to pass, understand that you are in a process. Don’t empower doubt with your words. Instead, keep declaring that He who promised is faithful! Keep the vision in front of you knowing that it is for an appointed time. Dream it and believe it because it won’t be long until you are living the blessed life God has prepared for you! 

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for choosing and equipping me to fulfill my destiny. I receive Your promises by faith knowing that You who began a good work will be faithful to complete it in my life. Thank You for Your peace and guidance every step of the way in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Go with the Flow

By Joyce Meyer - Posted April 20, 2017

But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
—Psalm 37:11

We can learn to get along with people. It is especially important to learn to get along with our immediate family members and coworkers. There are many informative books about personality differences to help us understand why people feel and act the way they do. Understanding helps to smooth over strained relationships. 

People make decisions differently. Some give an immediate answer, while others want time to think about things first. Try to understand the people you will see today. Ask God to show you ways to get along with them. He will give you favor as you trust in Him.

ALL THAT JESUS IS BEFORE GOD, YOU ARE

By Joseph Prince – Posted April 20, 2017

2 Corinthians 5:21

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

When an Israelite brings an animal as his sin offering, he lays his hand on it before killing it. (Leviticus 4:1–4) By laying his hand on the sin offering, his sins are transferred to the innocent animal. The animal dies for his sins and he goes free.

In contrast, during the burnt offering, when the Israelite lays his hand on the animal (Leviticus 1:3–4), the beauty, worthiness and acceptance of the unblemished animal are transferred to him. God accepts the perfection of the animal sacrifice on his behalf to make atonement for him. Because God accepts the unblemished burnt offering, the offerer now has right standing before God.

Do you know that the two offerings speak of Jesus’ one offering of Himself when He hung on the cross? He is both our sin offering and burnt offering—“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us [as our sin offering], that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [as our burnt offering]”. The moment you put your faith in Him, just by His one sacrifice, your sins were transferred to Him, and His righteousness was transferred to you. That is the grace of God toward you!

As our sin offering, He offered Himself once and for all. (Romans 6:10) The sin offering was never a daily offering because God does not want His people to be sin-conscious. However, the burnt offering was both a morning and evening sacrifice (2 Chronicles 13:11) because God wants His people to be righteousness-conscious.

Beloved, God wants you to lay claim daily to Jesus as your burnt offering and say, “Father, I thank You that Jesus is my burnt offering. All that Jesus is before You—His righteousness, excellence, beauty and perfection—has been transferred to me. Jesus has Your unclouded favor, so I enjoy Your unclouded favor in my life. Jesus is the righteousness of God, so I am the righteousness of God in Christ. As He is before You, so am I.”

Because Jesus became your burnt offering, what He is to the Father today, you are! That is what it means to be in Christ.

Thought For The Day

All that Jesus is before the Father—His righteousness, beauty and perfection—has been transferred to you.

Let Me Leave You With a Verse

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted April 20, 2017

Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 28:20

Recommended Reading: 1 Chronicles 28:20-21

After a lifetime of faithful service, Cliff Barrows recently passed away at age 93, having served alongside Billy Graham as the music and program director since 1949. Cliff was known for his encouraging words, his constant smile, and the uplifting lilt of his voice. He was an avid memorizer of Bible verses, and one of them was especially precious to him—1 Chronicles 28:20. He often ended conversations by saying, “Let me leave you with a verse of Scripture,” and then he would quote his own version of 1 Chronicles 28:20, which he had adapted from the New Living Translation: “Be strong and courageous, do the work. Don’t be fearful or discouraged by the size of the task, for Yahweh God, my God, is with you; … He will see to it that all the work is finished correctly.”

If you’re discouraged today—especially in matters relating to the work God has given you to do—take this verse to heart. Learn it. Claim it as your own. Our God will not leave or forsake you until all the work is finished for His glory.

I have never known a despondent day… It’s because the joy of the Lord is the strength of my life.
Cliff Barrows