God-given Dreams

By Joel Osteen – Posted June 2, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], but the Lord directs his steps and establishes them."
Proverbs 16:9, AMP

TODAY'S WORD:

Oftentimes, children have dreams for the future—dreams of being ball players, actresses, super heroes and firemen. But most of the time, those dreams end up just being wishful thinking. As we get older, we grow out of them. 

It’s good to play and have dreams as children, but when we grow up, we have to know the difference between a God-given dream and a wish. I remember when I was a little boy, I dreamed of playing basketball for the Houston Rockets. That was definitely a fantasy! Beyond our wishes though, we all have dreams placed inside of us by the Creator of the universe. In fact, the Latin word for “desire” means “from the Father.” One way to tell if a dream is really from God is that the desire won’t go away. You may have had it for years, but you still can’t let it go. In fact, you may have tried to let it go, but it won’t let go of you. 

Today, search your heart and allow those God-given dreams to surface. Remember, He placed those desires inside of you for a purpose. Ask Him to order your steps as you embrace the destiny He has in store for you!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve placed within me. I submit them to You and ask that You direct my steps. Search my heart and cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your Word and to the plan You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen."

The Highest Position of All

By Joyce Meyer - posted June 02, 2017

He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself [with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be raised to honor.
—Matthew 23:11-12 AMPC

Jesus was able to wash His disciples' feet because He was free. Only a person who is truly free, one who is not insecure, can do menial tasks and not feel insignificant as a result.

So much of our worth and value is connected to what we do that it makes it very difficult for us to enjoy serving. Serving others is not viewed as a high position, and yet Jesus said it is the highest of all. Serving others also sets them free to love. It disarms even the most hateful individual. It is actually fun to watch that person's amazement when he realizes he is being served through love. 

If someone knows full well he has done us wrong, and we return his evil with good, it begins to tear down the walls he has built around himself. Sooner or later he will begin to trust us and start learning from us what real love is. That is the whole purpose behind being a servant, to show others the love of God that He has shown us so that they too can share in it—and then pass it on.

  Welcome Home

By DR. David Jeremiah - Posted June 2, 2017

My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD.
Psalm 84:2

Recommended Reading: Psalm 84

Joe Beam described what he thought his first moments in heaven might be like. “I’ll see angels of all kinds, godly people singing, and the Loving Light streaming from the throne. Somewhere, sometime, in that introduction to the home of God, I expect to hear an angel call my name. He’ll know me, though I won’t yet know him. ‘Joe. Good to see you here. Welcome home.’”¹

When we study the biblical descriptions of heaven, we realize such a scene isn’t far-fetched, and Joe’s eagerness for heaven is healthy. Heaven is a precious place, and we should anticipate it to the utmost. On weary days, it can energize us. Amid anxiety, it can console us. In sickness, it provides an anchor of hope. In poverty, it reminds us of our coming wealth.

The Bible tells us to look forward to His coming (2 Peter 3:14) and to long for His courts (Psalm 84:2). One day, we’ll hear an angel call our name and say—“Good to see you here. Welcome home!”

I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.
Martin Luther

SEE THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED

By Joseph Prince – Posted June 2, 2017

John 19:30

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,” It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

What do you see when it comes to healing for your sick body, restoration for your failing marriage or breakthroughs for your financial woes? Do you see a finished work or a work that is yet to be completed?

God wants you to know that what you desperately need Him to do for you has already been done! Jesus’ finished work at the cross so satisfied the Father’s heart that from heaven’s throne came the pronouncement, “It is done!” (Revelation 16:17) in response to Jesus’ cry, “It is finished!” on earth. So God wants you to have this revelation that whatever you need Him to do for you has already been done because Jesus has accomplished it all for you.

If you need healing, know that your healing has been accomplished. If you need restoration for your marriage, know that your restoration has been accomplished. You are not going to die from any lack—you have been abundantly supplied. All these things have been accomplished, not by you, but by Christ alone!

My friend, if you are bothered by a pain in your body, God wants you to see your healing finished or accomplished for you by His Son’s death on the cross. If it is a loss or debt you face, or a certain sin that you are struggling with, believe that your provision, restoration and deliverance have been accomplished for you.

Don’t worry about what you see or feel, or the presence of contradicting reports. These are lying symptoms and though they may seem very real, they are temporal and not the truth. God’s Word is the truth and it will remain because it is eternal. And when you believe that only what God’s Word says about your situation is the truth, all the lying symptoms will eventually have to line up with His Word.

God the Son says, “It is finished!”

God the Father says, “It is done!”

What do you say?

Thought For The Day

Whatever you need God to do for you has been done because Jesus has accomplished it all for you at the cross.

GOD IS NOT PUNISHING YOU FOR SOME SIN

By Joseph Prince – Posted June 01, 2017

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to riches of His grace

Some Christians believe that although you have forgiveness of sins, you are not free from the penalties of your sins. In other words, you can still expect punishment from God. For example, some married Christian couples have been told that they are childless because God is punishing them for having had pre-marital sex. So although God has forgiven them of that sin, He still has to punish them for it.

                                                                                                                    

I am certainly not for pre-marital sex, but I want you to know that God, who is the only one who can fully appreciate the full value of His Son’s blood and who is completely satisfied by His Son’s sacrifice, is at rest in His heart today concerning your sins! That is why He is not against you even when you fail. Neither is He out to punish you when you sin. No, He still loves you, is for you and wants to help you overcome that sin.

In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats could only “cover” sins and not take them away. (Hebrews 10:4) But the blood of Jesus is not like the blood of animals! For by one sacrifice, the eternal blood of the Son of God has forever removed your sins (Psalm 103:12) and cleansed you of all unrighteousness! (1 John 1:9) In fact, God is so satisfied with His Son’s perfect work that He says to you today, “Your sins and lawless deeds I will by no means remember!” (Hebrews 10:17) And if God does not remember them, why would He punish you for them?

Beloved, you have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. Because Jesus’ work is complete, all your sins have been completely forgiven. And complete forgiveness means that the penalties for your sins can no longer fall on you because they had already fallen on Jesus at the cross. (Isaiah 53:5)

So don’t think for one moment that God is punishing you for some sin just because something bad happened to you. Look to the cross and know that all your sins have already been punished fully in the body of Christ. Believe that God is for you and expect victory!

Thought For The Day

Because Jesus’ work is complete, all your sins have been completely forgiven.

You’re an Everything/Nothing…and So Am I!

By Joyce Meyer - Posted June 01, 2017

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
—Psalm 8:4-5 AMPC

Pride is a terrible sin, and we are instructed in God’s Word not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to (see Romans 12:3). That doesn’t mean that we need to have a bad opinion of or look down on ourselves. It does mean that we are to remember that we are no better than anyone else and that whatever God has enabled us to do is a gift from Him. We have no more right to claim credit for a special ability we have than we do for blue eyes or brown hair. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and asked them what they had that did not come as a gift from God (see 1 Corinthians 4:7). 

When we are warned not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, it means we are to realize that we are nothing apart from Jesus and without Him we can do nothing. The value we have is found in Him, and we can celebrate who we are only because of Him. Actually, when we celebrate who we are in Jesus, it is a way of celebrating Jesus Himself. 

We make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It is simple—we are everything in Jesus and nothing in ourselves. I like to say, “I am an everything/nothing!” We celebrate because of the amazing work God does in us, and not because of any worth we have in ourselves. As long as we continue giving God the glory for anything good that we manifest, we are on a safe and right track. 

For some reason religion has taught people that to be godly they must have a low, or even bad, opinion of themselves, and I believe this kind of thinking has done incalculable damage to the plan of God. As long as we know we are lower than God and He is always our Chief and Head, then we are safe. 

Trust in Him: Say out loud daily, “I am nothing without Jesus, but in and through Him I am valuable and I can do great things.”

Bountiful Feast

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted June 1, 2017

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8

Recommended Reading: Mark 6:30-44

The widow saw a handful of flour and a little oil. Peter saw the crashing waves. Moses and the Israelites saw the sea before them and the Egyptian army rushing toward them. The disciples saw five loaves and two fish. What challenges and circumstances do you see? When we only depend on our eyesight to show us reality, we forget the invisible. We forget God.

If we could see God, His angels, and His vast reach and power—we would never fear. If we could see His abundance, compassion, and kindness, we would never hoard and give in to thinking there was not enough. Not only has God promised to be with us each day on earth, He has prepared a place for us in heaven. Relaxing into this promise brings peace and contentment. God not only provides the minimum for us but delights in giving us more so that we can share with others. The man who welcomed the children, forgave Peter’s denial, and fed the five thousand gently beckons us to Himself. We too can have His abundance for every good work.

Christians have a dual citizenship—on earth and in heaven—and our citizenship in heaven ought to make us better people here on earth.
Warren W. Wiersbe

The Pruning Process

By Joel Osteen – Posted June 01, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:2, NIV

TODAY'S WORD:

In life, we all go through a pruning process. God will prune our lives so that we can bear much fruit. To “prune” means something is cut away, something is removed. In other words, maybe a good friend that you counted on moved to another city. Maybe a business shut down that you were connected to, or a relationship went a different direction. 

Friend, God knows what you need in your life in order to grow and flourish. Sometimes when things happen that we don’t understand, we have to just trust that He is working behind the scenes preparing you for increase, preparing you to go to another level. Don’t put a question mark where God has placed a period. 

When you’re going through transition, don’t get bitter. Don’t get down and think it’s the end. Don’t start thinking that you’re a failure. Have the attitude, “God, I let this go knowing that it was only temporary provision, and what You have in my future will be greater than what I’m letting go of.” If you will accept the change and stay in faith, God will open new doors. He will bring new opportunities, new friendships, and take you to another level of His glory!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father, thank You for loving me enough to work in my life. Today I release the things I don’t understand into Your hands. I believe that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf. I believe that You have good things in store for my future. I choose to wait on You and trust You now and forevermore in Jesus’ name. Amen.