You stand in the blessings zone...

STANDING ON NO-CURSE GROUND

By Joseph Prince – Posted July 25, 2017

Genesis 8:4

Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the  mountains of Ararat.

For 40 days and nights, it rained so hard that the whole world perished, except for Noah and those who were with him in the ark. At the end of 150 days, on the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.

In Hebrew, the word “Ararat” means “the curse is reversed”. The waters of judgment receded, causing the ark to rest on the mountains of Ararat, on new ground where the curse is reversed. And it happened on the 17th day of the seventh month on the Feast of Firstfruits—the exact date that Jesus rose from the dead 4,000 years later!

When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised together with Him. (Colossians 2:12). We who are in Christ our true ark stand on resurrection ground where the curse has been reversed (Galatians 3:13), where diseases, poverty and failures have no right to operate!

A church member shared how God delivered him from cervical spondylosis, a medical condition which causes the neck section of the spinal cord to deteriorate. An X-ray taken four to five years back showed that that area of his spinal cord was deteriorating fast. He was in pain and had to take medicine to manage the condition. And whenever he had a relapse, he would get depressed.

During his last relapse, he went to the doctor, trusting God that he was already healed, had another X-ray taken and was given some medication. He took the medication, still believing God that he was healed. The following morning, the pain in his neck was gone and he was able to turn his head. When he finally collected his X-ray results a week later, his doctor actually told him that his spinal cord looked better than the doctor’s own! The doctor was very surprised because patients with this condition usually don’t get better. God had reversed the curse of cervical spondylosis for him!

My friend, as a believer, you are on no-curse ground. You stand in the blessings zone where it is very easy for God’s blessings to rain all over you!

Thought For The Day

We stand on no-curse ground where diseases, poverty and failures have no right to operate!

Confusion Is Not from God

By Joyce Meyer - Posted July 25, 2017

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 
—1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV

There is nothing wrong with pondering some things in our hearts, as Mary did when the angel of the Lord told her she would give birth to the promised Messiah (see Luke 2:19). Many times it is while we are pondering or meditating on something that God gives us revelation or understanding. It is one thing to ponder, but another thing to worry. 

When we are pondering, in a sense we are praying, “Lord, I don’t know what this means. I don’t really understand it. I need some direction.” However, when we are worrying, we are trying to figure things out on our own, and we often end up confused about what to do. As soon as you become confused, you have stopped pondering and started worrying and reasoning. Seek after peace, not confusion, because God is not the author of confusion. 

Power Thought: It is God’s will for me to have peace and not confusion.

If Only

By Joel Osteen – Posted July 25, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit…"
(Proverbs 27:18, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD:

It’s easy to get stuck in the trap of thinking that if only your circumstances would just change, then life would be better. You might think, “If I got a new job, or a new house or had better friends, then I would really be happy.” But I’ve learned that often times, God changes us before He changes our circumstances. We are thinking, “If only my circumstances would change,” when God may be thinking, “If only your attitude would change!” 

Today, if you’ve been thinking, “If only,” it’s time to turn your thoughts around. Don’t allow negative thinking to direct your attitude or affect how you treat others. Instead, begin to thank God for what He has planned for you. Bloom where you are planted. Tend to what God has placed in your hand. If you will focus on what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t have, then God can bless you and multiply you and lead you forward into the destiny He has in store for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father in heaven, thank You for Your goodness and grace upon my life. Today I choose to turn my thoughts around and focus on what You have placed in my hands. I will be faithful knowing that You are faithful, and that You have a good plan in store for me in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Once Enemies, Now Friends

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted July 25, 2017

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you….
Matthew 5:44

Recommended Reading: Matthew 5:43-48

On April 25, 1866, a group of Confederate widows in Columbus, Mississippi, traveled to the Odd Fellows Cemetery where many of their husbands were buried. The Civil War was over, but nerves were raw. These women bore flowers for the graves of their dead. But as they decorated the Confederate graves, they were struck by the barrenness of those of Union soldiers who had perished in nearby battles and been buried there, far from home. The women spontaneously adorned those graves too. A reporter said, “No distinction was made between our own Confederate dead and the Federal soldiers who slept their last sleep by them … Confederate and Federals, once enemies, now friends receiving their tribute of respect.”

Many people hail that moment as the beginning of national healing; and inspired by the story, Francis Finch later wrote “The Blue and the Gray,” which was sung at civic observances for years.¹

Nothing is gained by holding a grudge. Jesus told us to love our enemies. When wronged, we should not seek retribution, but reconciliation. Is there someone you can forgive today?

I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light.
Helen Keller