At All Times

By Joyce Meyer - Posted May 15, 2017

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
—Psalm 34:1

Faith and trust in God is meant to be exercised more than once in a while or from time to time; we can live in faith at all times. With God’s help we can learn to live from faith to faith, trusting the Lord when things are good, and when things are difficult. It is easy to trust God when things are good, but when things are challenging and we decide to trust God, then we really develop character. 

Psalm 34:1 encourages us to bless the Lord at all times. There are several other scriptures that tell us things to do at all times—resist the devil at all times, believe God at all times, love others at all times—not just when it’s convenient or it feels good. 

Temptation is a frequent visitor in our lives and as long as we are here on earth, we will have to discipline our emotions, our moods, and our mouths, so that we remain stable and calm, and peaceful—whatever our situation or circumstances. That enables us to be in close fellowship with God and walk in the joy of His Spirit. 

Since you can choose your own thoughts, when doubt comes, you can learn to recognize it for what it is, say, “No, thank you,” and keep on believing! 

 He Prepares Your Path

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 15, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

I will go before you and make the crooked places straight…
Isaiah 45:2, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD:

Are you going through a season where you feel like every time you try to move forward, you hit a roadblock? Something happens that throws you off course. Be encouraged today because when you submit your life to the Lord, He promises to go before you. He is preparing a way for you. He is making your crooked places straight and your rough places smooth. You may be going through a difficult time right now, but it’s not the end. It’s only the beginning, and God has equipped you for this journey. 

Today, if you feel like you’re in a dry season, don’t look at your circumstances. Look at the promise of God! If you’ll keep speaking words of faith, God promises that He’ll anoint your head with oil and your cup will run over. That means you’ll be refreshed and anointed to do what He’s called you to do. God is preparing your path and equipping you for the journey. 

What do you need in order to keep moving forward? Start by checking your attitude. Don’t go around complaining or focused on the negative side of things. Put on an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Thank Him for making your crooked places straight! Keep your eyes on Him and follow Him forward into the path of victory!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord in heaven, thank You for Your goodness in my life. Thank you for preparing the path for my life and making my crooked places straight. Thank You for restoring my soul and life and guiding me in everything I do. I submit every area of my life to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 BELIEVE FIRST AND YOU WILL SEE

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 15, 2017

Matthew 8:13

…as you have believed, so let it be done for you…

You may have heard some people say, “How can I believe it when I don’t see it? If I can only see it or feel it, I may just believe that something is happening!”

The woman with the issue of blood who came to Jesus could have felt the same way. For 12 long years, she had gone from one doctor to another, trying every conceivable cure they could offer. She not only grew worse, but ended up losing all her money to those doctors and their “cures”.

Then, something happened to her when “she heard about Jesus”. (Mark 5:27) She started believing that He could and would heal her to the extent that she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 5:28) Acting on her belief, she made her way to Jesus and touched His garment. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was healed of that affliction. Jesus, her true physician, also pronounced her healed.

Beloved, God wants you to know that when you believe Him, you will see your miracle. What you believe Him for, you will receive.

When a church member lost her wallet at a swimming pool, she prayed together with her husband, declaring their belief that God would restore the loss. One day later, not at the swimming pool but at her feet in the car, she found her wallet! She simply believed that God would restore her loss and she saw the restoration.

In another case, a lady who had skin cancer wore long sleeves all the time to conceal her condition from others. During one of our church camps, she went forward for prayer, believing God for her healing. After one of our pastors, Pastor Henry, prayed for her, she went back to her room, rolled up her sleeves and saw that all the cancerous scarring on her arms had disappeared! Her doctor later confirmed that she had been cured of skin cancer. She believed God for healing and saw it.

The world says, “Unless I can see it or feel it, I will not believe it.” But God says, “If you will believe it, you will feel it. Indeed, if you will believe it, you will see it!”

Thought For The Day

If you will believe it, you will feel it and see it.

The Cop Who Forgave His Killer

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted May 15, 2017

…forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 12:12-15

Earlier this year, thousands of people assembled for the funeral of a New York hero—NYPD Detective Steven McDonald. As a young cop, Steven had approached a fifteen-year-old suspect in Central Park. The teen drew a gun and shot him, paralyzing him from the neck down. As Steven began to realize the full extent of his injuries, he was overwhelmed with despair and anger. But then he prayed the famous prayer of Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon….” His attitude changed, and Steven became an advocate for forgiveness. When he passed away at age 59, his family encircled him and prayed the Lord’s Prayer: …as we forgive those who trespass against us.¹

We can’t survive life’s traumas if we don’t learn to forgive others. When we forgive someone, we are not excusing or condoning their actions. We are choosing to release the bitterness that can poison our own personalities. We are letting a ray of compassion break through the clouds so we can forgive as God has forgiven us.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
Francis of Assisi