DON’T BE DUST-CONSCIOUS

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 10, 2017

Luke 13:11

And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was ben over and could in no way raise herself up.

Imagine being bowed over for 18 years. All you would see is the dust on the ground. That was the predicament of the woman in Luke 13. Dust was all her eyes fell on, all the time, everywhere she went, until she became dust-conscious. Thank God she finally saw the beautiful feet of Jesus, who brought her good news and raised her up.

Now, dust is the devil’s food. The Bible tells us that God cursed the devil to eat dust all the days of his life. (Genesis 3:14) Dust represents death. (Genesis 3:19) The devil wants you to be like him—to fall flat on your belly, crawl and eat dust. To eat dust is to feed on your shortcomings and lack, until you constantly feel that there is so much in your life that you need to clean up. You may not be physically bowed over, but like the woman, you become dust-conscious and life every day is a struggle.

Having a dust-consciousness also affects the way you see others. You look at people’s faults all the time. You point out their shortcomings and rake up their past failures.

When you are dust-conscious, you find your relationships robbed of peace and joy.

And if you, like the woman, keep looking at the dust, before long, that inward position of dust-consciousness becomes so entrenched that you become the devil’s food because dust is what he eats. God’s Word describes him as being like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

If you don’t want to be devoured by him, then lift your eyes above the dust! Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat. See yourself the way God sees you—righteous and holy in Christ. (Colossians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21) You are not dust because you are not in and of the flesh—you are in and of the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

My friend, the more you realize who you are in Christ, the more you will straighten up and walk the way God sees you—a new creation with His authority, power and overcoming Spirit!

Thought For The Day

Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat.

Putting Smiles on Faces

By Joyce Meyer - Posted May 10, 2017

Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another…. 
—1 Thessalonians 5:11

God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them, then told them to be fruitful and multiply and use all the vast resources of the earth that He gave them in the service of God and man. 

Are you being fruitful? Is your life causing increase? When you get involved with people and things, do they increase and multiply? Some people only take in life, and they never add anything. I refuse to be that kind of person. I want to make people’s lives better. I want to put smiles on faces. 

We must all make sure that we are not like the rich man in the Bible who had so much that all of his barns were full with no room for more. Instead of giving any of it away, he decided that he would tear down the barns he had and just build bigger ones and collect more stuff for himself. He was a foolish man. He could have decided that he would use what he had to bless others, but he must have been a fearful, selfish man, who only had room in his life for himself (see Luke 12:16-20). 

God called the man a fool, and said, This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? The man was going to die that night, and all he would leave behind was “stuff.” He had an opportunity to make the world a better place. He could have added to many lives and put smiles on thousands of faces. Instead, he fearfully and selfishly only cared about himself. 

Forget about yourself and start doing all you can to help others. Encourage, edify, lift up, comfort, help, give hope, relieve pain, and lift burdens. If that is your goal, you will be one of those rare individuals who actually make the world a better place and put a smile on every face. 

Trust in Him: What are you going to do today to put smiles on faces? It won’t just happen—you have to be intentional about it. Listen for God to show you what to do and then trust that it will bless them…and you!

New Provision

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 10, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus
Philippians 4:19, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD:

When the people of Israel were in the desert on the way to the Promised Land, God gave them manna to eat. That was good. It sustained them for a while, but it wasn’t permanent provision. Eventually, the manna stopped coming. The people had to move forward, and then God gave them quail. They were so excited. That fed them for a while, but it was also temporary. 

See, God gave the Israelites temporary provision on the way to the Promised Land where they would have permanent provision. The fact that God had something much greater in store for their future is what kept them moving forward. God could have sustained them with manna or quail, but God is a god of increase. He works in seasons, and He always has something better in store. 

Don’t get stuck in a rut and think that one way is going to last forever. Instead, stay open and be willing to change, make adjustments, make corrections or try something new. If the “manna” stops coming, don’t get upset. Just keep moving forward and be on the lookout for the new provision God has in store for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father God, You alone are the just and faithful God! Thank You for always providing for me. Thank You for leading and guiding me. I trust that You have good things in store for my future and choose to keep my eyes on You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Kingdoms in Conflict

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted May 10, 2017

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:20

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 2:19

If you move to a foreign country you may have to drive on the opposite side of the road; you will use different currency; there will be different regulations regarding the purchase of property; healthcare will likely be different. You will be torn between two worlds. The longer you remain in the new country, the fainter will be the memory of the old.

That reality is found in Jesus’ prayer for God’s kingdom and God’s will to be manifest on earth (Matthew 6:10). Anyone who is born again and enters God’s kingdom (John 3:3) will find himself a resident of two worlds. Legally, we have been transferred from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). We have become citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom. But we will find the values and cultures of those two kingdoms in constant conflict. The tug of old customs will remain strong as we learn how to live in God’s kingdom. That’s why Jesus taught His disciples to continually pray that God’s kingdom and His will would become dominant in their life.

If this world is tugging at your heart, pray Jesus’ prayer—for God’s kingdom to rule in your heart.

The Bible … is the Statute-Book of God’s Kingdom.
Ezekiel Hopkins