Help!

By Joyce Meyer - Posted May 28, 2017

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!
—Isaiah 41:13

No matter how well we may think we run our lives, the truth is that we need help with everything. We need all kinds of help in our everyday lives. Often, realizing how much help we need takes a long time. We like to believe we can do whatever needs to be done independently and without assistance. 

However, the Lord sent us a Divine Helper; therefore, we must need help. Jesus Himself continually intercedes for us as He sits at the right hand of God (see Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34), and that tells us that we continually need God's intervention in our lives. We are actually very needy and totally unable to handle life properly on our own.

Although we may seem to manage ourselves and our lives well for awhile, sooner or later something happens and things begin to fall apart if we are living in our own strength instead of receiving divine help.

Many times, we do fine until trouble comes. It may come in the form of a broken marriage, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or something else that is important to us. But eventually, we all reach a point where we have to recognize our neediness.

If we want to live life the way God intended—filled with righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17), we have to admit that we need help and we have to receive it from the Holy Spirit, the One God sent to help us.

Let This Be Your Prayer

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 28, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

…Nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done
Luke 22:42, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD:

Like many people today, I have big dreams and goals. I have desires in my heart. But my prayer now is, “God, not my will, but let Your will be done.” If a door closes, it’s no big deal; I let it go. If my plans don’t work out, no big deal; I know God has something better. I’ve learned to not get so consumed by a dream that if it doesn’t happen my way, I get all bent out of shape. 

Maybe you’ve gone through a disappointment. You don’t understand it. You could easily be bitter, live with a chip on your shoulder, and give up on your dreams. Realize today that God is at work in your life. He is directing your steps. What you thought was a setback is going to turn out to be a setup for a comeback! When you surrender your will to Him, when you humble yourself before Him, that’s when God can take you to another level. 

Today, shake off the self-pity. Shake off the disappointment and realize that God has you in the palm of His hand. Know that He has good plans in store for your future, better than you could ever imagine! Trust Him with your whole heart today and every day!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Precious heavenly Father, today I surrender every area of my heart, mind and life to You. Have Your way in me. Do Your will in my life. Let everything I am bring glory to You in all things! I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

GOD REMEMBERS WHAT YOU SAY IN FAITH   

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 27, 2017

Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Some years back, I had a skin condition which refused to heal. I told God about it and began to take the Holy Communion believing and confessing that by Jesus’ stripes I was healed. Nothing happened, or so it seemed.

But the Lord did not forget about my skin condition. One day, He prompted me to check my body to see if it was still there. I did so and realized that it had disappeared! God had not forgotten the Word which I had confessed in faith.

A couple in the United States who has been hearing me preach on God’s grace began to catch a revelation of God’s love for them. They started confessing their righteousness in Christ, and meditating on provision scriptures and declaring that they were debt free through Jesus’ finished work. 

Not long after, the wife phoned their mortgage company to make two mortgage payments on their home. They had a total of about US$80,000 left to pay. To her utter surprise and delight, she was told that both accounts were at a zero balance. The company had forgiven both mortgage loans! Indeed, God did not forget the Word that this couple had spoken in faith.

Maybe you shared God’s Word with a troubled friend a few years ago. You bump into him one day and he tells you, “Remember that day? You said something which transformed my life!” Your mind draws a blank because you have forgotten what you said. But God did not forget. He remembered what you said that day in faith.

You see, if the words you confess in faith for yourself or over your loved ones are God’s own words, He says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Because what is promised to you is God’s Word, you will see the manifestation of His promise. He will certainly watch over His Word to perform it! (Numbers 23:19)

Thought For The Day

God will certainly watch over His Word to perform it!

Stop Trying and Start Trusting

by Joyce Meyer - posted May 27, 2017

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
—Philippians 2:13 

Most of us desire the good life God has planned for us, but we recognize areas in our lives that need to be changed. Many times you set out to make those changes, yet in spite of your best efforts, you seem powerless to make it happen.

Trying to bring about change through your own strength and plans will always result in frustration. God is waiting for you to stop trying to change and start trusting Him to change you. 

If you need to make changes in your thoughts, attitudes, and behavior, understand that you can't do it by yourself. Spend time with God and ask for His help—after all, if He can't do it, it can't be done. But He can . . . and He will!

 Nameless Mothers in the Bible: Elisha and the Widow

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted May 27, 2017

Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.
2 Kings 4:2

The Bible tells us much about her, but not her name. She was the widow of a student in Elisha’s School of the Prophets, and her husband’s death left her with two boys and no money. Her finances became so desperate she confided in Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves” (2 Kings 4:1).

Recommended Reading: 2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha asked if she had anything left in the pantry, and she came up with a little bottle of olive oil. Under his instructions, she began pouring from that bottle, and the oil flowed and flowed, filling every pot, pan, jar, and vessel she could find. Selling the oil, she repaid her creditor and had money left over to raise her sons.

Sometimes as mothers or fathers, we cannot solve all the problems, meet the needs, or find the way. Sometimes as workers and leaders, our resources are easily depleted. Sometimes as Christians, we feel empty.

God knows how to fill empty vessels. When our hearts cry out to Him, He pours out the oil of joy without measure. If you’re empty, let Him fill you today with His Holy Spirit!

We have within us all that we need in the person of the Holy Spirit, represented by the little pot of oil.
Jill Briscoe

JESUS ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR YOU

By Joseph Prince – Posted May 27, 2017

Revelations 1:8

“I am …the beginning and the End.” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Ever been too busy to get something done, and then find out that it’s too late when you finally get down to it? As human beings, we live our lives constrained by time. But Jesus, the one who created time, is not time-bound. He always has time for each one of us!

Even in His earthly ministry, in His limited form as Man, He always had time to minister to people. Consider a typical day in His ministry: When a severely demon-possessed man cried out from the tombs of a distant region, He had time to sail all the way from Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes to save that lonely, tormented man. On the way there, He had time to respond to the cries of His disciples when a fierce storm arose. He awoke from a much-deserved sleep and calmed the storm for them.

After He saved the demonized man and returned to Galilee, another man, Jairus, came to him for help. Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter was dying and he begged Jesus to come to his house to heal her. Jesus agreed—He had time. But on His way there, a woman with a 12-year bleeding condition secretly touched the hem of His garment and received her healing. Though Jairus’ daughter was in the throes of death, Jesus had time to find out who had touched Him, just so that He could minister to that person.

While Jesus was ministering to the woman, He received a death report concerning Jairus’ daughter. Now, in the natural, Jesus was “too late”. Yet, He did not consider it a waste of time to encourage Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” (Luke 8:49–50) He wasn’t troubled or harried. He took time to go to Jairus’ house and He raised the little damsel from the dead.

My friend, this same loving Jesus always has time for you, His beloved. He hears your cries, cares about the little and big things that bother you, and will come and save you. Even when He is “busy”, He has time to stop and minister to you. Even when it seems “too late”, He will still see to it that you get your miracle!

Thought For The Day

Jesus, who is not bound by time, always has time for each one of us!

A Gift from God

By Joel Osteen – Posted May 27, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD:

We serve such a loving, gracious and generous God. He loves you so much that

there isn’t anything He wouldn’t do in order to have a relationship with you. The Bible tells us that sin separates man from God. But God doesn’t want to be separated from us. That’s why He sent His Son into the world—to pay the penalty for sin so that you and I could live in eternity with Him. 

So many people today think they have to earn their way to heaven. They think they have to be “good enough” or “do the right thing” in order to be accepted by God. They want to “clean up” before they come to Him. But notice what today’s verse says—salvation is a gift from God. You can’t earn a gift. You don’t pay for it. You can only receive it by faith. If you’ve never made Jesus the Lord of your life, I encourage you to receive this free gift. Let Him fill you with His eternal peace and joy so that you can live the abundant life He has for you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Father in heaven, I come to You today giving You all that I am. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus. I believe He died and rose for me, and I invite You to be the Lord of every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.