"Always be willing to listen and slow to speak."  James 1:19 NCV

What comes out of your mouth, and what you might text or tweet, is of such im-
portance that James devotes almost an entire chapter to it (see James 3:1-12 NKJV).
Why? Because your words have power. They can bless or break, help or hurt. People who have been the target of harsh words can carry wounds for a lifetime. Too many children have heard a frustrated parent saying, "You're worthless, and you'll never amount to anything." And they have believed it, allowing those words to shape their self-image and determine their self-worth. Other children have had parents who affirmed and nurtured them with encouraging words such as, "You're important, and God has something for you to do that no one else can do quite like you can." These children believed that message and ultimately grew up to act on it. James made three statements about the use of our tongues, and he gave two illustrations to substantiate each point. First, he reminded us that speech can be controlled and directed, and he illustrated his point with a horse's bridle and a ship's rudder. Second, he said that contentious speech can be destructive like fire and poison. Finally, he pointed out that conflicting speech can be deceptive, and he illustrated this with images of a spring of water and a fig tree. The truth is that our words reveal what is in our hearts. And whether we speak them or type them, they have the power to heal or hurt, help or hinder. Knowing that you never have to take back what you don't say, David prayed, "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord" (Psalm 141:3 NIV).

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."  Romans 12:21 NKJV

When we started our relationship with Christ, we began a lifelong journey of becoming the people God created us to be. In the process, we learn how to overcome our weaknesses and draw on God's strength. That often means learning to break bad habits. Some of these habits are obvious, such as alcohol and drugs. Some are not so obvious, such as gossip, jealousy, and being judgmental. God does not want us to be controlled by our emotions and impulses--He wants us to have victory. Breaking a bad habit requires making a series of good choices, one after another. Most of us try to do that on our own without the help of the Holy Spirit, but eventually, we figure out that we can't do that without God helping us. Jesus said: "The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26 NKJV). But the Holy Spirit won't just show up uninvited; you must ask for His help. The Bible says that we overcome evil with good. That's one of the biggest secrets in the Word of God. It's a lot easier to make the right choice when you're focused on God and your victory instead of your fear of failure. Jesus told His disciples: "Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" (Matthew 26:41 NLT). That means if you pray and keep watch, you can break that bad habit.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"You...made me bold with strength in my soul."   Psalm 138:3 NKJV

A little boy was overheard talking to himself as he strutted out of his house and into the backyard carrying a baseball bat and a ball. He tipped his baseball cap in a salute to his eager puppy. Then he picked up the bat and ball and announced with a loud voice,
"I'm the greatest hitter in the world." He then proceeded to toss the ball in the air, swing at it, and miss. "Strike one!" he cried, as if he were also playing the role of the umpire. He picked up the ball, threw it into the air, and said again, "I'm the greatest baseball hitter ever!" And again he swung at the ball and missed. "Strike two!" he announced to his dog who was watching. Undaunted, he picked up the ball, examined his bat, and then just before tossing the ball into the air, announced once again, "I'm the greatest hitter who ever lived." He swung the bat hard but missed for the third time. "Strike three!" he cried. And then he added, "Wow, what a pitcher! I'm the greatest pitcher in the world!"  Today that is what we would call a P.M.A.: Positive Mental Attitude. And when you know that God has redeemed you, equipped you, and called you to serve Him, it's the attitude you should have too. Because God loves you, accepts you, and believes in you, you should believe in yourself. David said, "In the day when I cried out, You answered me and made me bold with strength in my soul" (NKJV). So the word for you today is this: Believe in yourself; God does.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions."  Psalm 107:20 KJV

The Old Testament is full of healing promises as well as examples of God healing people. Here are some healing promises: "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span" (Exodus 23:25-26 NIV).
"I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 30:17 NIV).
"O Lord my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me" (Psalm 30:2 NKJV). And here are a few examples of healing in the Old Testament: (1) God healing Naaman of leprosy (see 2Kings 5:14-15); (2) Elijah raising the widow's son from the dead (see 1 Kings 17:17-24);
(3) God healing Hannah's infertility (see 1 Samuel 1:19-20); (4) The children of Israel being healed when bitten by poisonous snakes in the wilderness (see Numbers 21:4-9). Even beyond the healing of sickness, the Old Testament provides evidence that God cared about the sustained health of His people. Psalm 105:37 says when God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, "He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" (KJV). If God would do that for His children under the old covenant, think how much more He will for us who are "in Christ living under a better covenant. "[Jesus] is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6 NKJV). So the word for you today is--believe God for your healing.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed."   2Timothy 2:15 KJV

Wallace E. Johnson, president of Holiday Inns and one of America's most successful builders, said, "I keep on a card in my billfold the following Scriptures, and refer to them frequently: 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened' (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV). These Scriptures are among God's greatest promises." Then Johnson said something interesting: "These verses can seem a little one-sided, and indicate a philosophy of receiving but not of giving. One day as my wife, Alma, and I were seeking God's guidance for a personal problem, I came across the following verse which has since been a daily reminder to me of what my responsibility as a businessman is to God: 'Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.' Since then I have measured my actions against the phrase: 'A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.' Without knowing that you have God's approval, your successes, however great, will leave you feeling empty. But when you know you have God's approval, you are totally fulfilled." Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth and said, "Our goal is to please [God]" (2 Corinthians 5:9 NLT).  To the Thessalonians he said, 'We urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you" (1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT). So this is the word for you today: What matters most is pleasing God.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Work out your salvation."    Philippians 2:12 NIV

Paul writes: "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose" (V. 12-13 NIV). Salvation is a gift from God, so you can't work for It—but you can work on it. How do you do that? The same way you work out your muscles. If you want to get into good shape, you've got to exercise! And the more you do it, the stronger you become. You've got to take your faith to the gym and bench press it. It will involve some trembling--that's what muscles do when they are pushed to their limit. But that's how they grow stronger. And as you keep doing it, today's faith celling will become tomorrow's faith floor. Paul writes: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29 NIV). The "predestined" part is God's part, and the "conformed" part Is our part. A good example of this is the oft-repeated maxim: "Pray like it depends on God, and work like It depends on you." If you only do one or the other, it will result in half-baked spirituality. Our destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ. And God will use any circumstance, good or bad, to accomplish that objective. Hence, Paul writes: "Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, 'children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation'. Then you will shine...like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16 NIV).

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable."   2 Corinthians 8:21 NLT

In an extensive opinion survey called The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim reported these startling findings. Only 13 percent of those interviewed believed that all Ten Commandments are still binding and relevant today. Ninety-one percent admitted that they lied regularly, both at home and at work. Most workers admitted to goofing off an average of seven hours a week. About half of the workforce admitted they regularly called in sick, even when they felt well. When they were asked what they would be willing to do for ten million dollars, 25 percent said they would abandon their families, 23 percent said they'd be willing to work as a prostitute for a week, and 7 percent said they'd be willing to murder a stranger! And should you conclude that those surveyed are the unsaved and the unchurched, Doug Sherman and William Hendricks surveyed Christians and found that they were almost as likely as unbelievers to do these things too. They admitted to stealing in the workplace, falsifying their tax returns, and selectively obeying the laws. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable." Then he wrote to the Christians in Rome: "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you" (Romans 12:2 NLT).  So always do the honorable thing.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"When you came to Christ, you were 'circumcised.'"   Colossians 2:11 NLT

Before allowing His people to conquer and inhabit the Promised Land, God commanded all the males to be circumcised (see Joshua 5:2). Circumcision was first introduced by God to Abraham as "a sign of the covenant between Me and you" (Genesis 17:11 NKJV). The act of circumcision meant they were set apart from the surrounding nations who didn't know God and that they belonged to Him. During the wilderness wanderings, the Hebrews let this practice lapse. But before they began their new life in Canaan, God introduced it to them again as a condition for enjoying a covenant relationship with Him. What's the secret of survival in enemy territory? First, remember what God has done for you.  Second, remember whose you are. The Hebrews did what God commanded--and God protected them and gave them spectacular victories over their enemies. "So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan... their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel" (Joshua 5:1 NKJV). Their devotion to God brought protection from God.
And it still works that way. "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:7-8 NKJ/). These Scriptures teach that when you are surrendered to God, He gives you the power to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Joshua 5:9 NKJV

When Israel entered the Promised land, there were thirty-one kings who had to be
conquered. That means they'd be living in enemy territory. God told Joshua to
"circumcise the sons of Israel" (Joshua 5:2 NKJV). When it was done, the Lord said, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." The "reproach of Egypt" was the humiliation of slavery they'd endured for 400 years; now it was time to reclaim their birthright as God's chosen people. Circumcision, then, was a symbolic separation from the past and a declaration of a new identity: no longer a slave, but free. What about your old temptations, lusts, and shortcomings? He detached you from their power!  It cannot be stated too often or too clearly--you are not the person you used to be!  When Christ died, you died. When Christ was buried, you were buried. When Christ rose from the dead, you rose with Him. "You put off... the old man" and "put on the new" (Ephesians 4:22, 24 NKJV). Satan is called "the tempter" and "the accuser." When he comes against you in either role, tell him: "I have been bought with a price. I belong to God" (see 1 Corinthians 6:20). "I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind" (see 2Timothy 1:7). "I cannot be separated from the love of God" (see Romans 8:35). "I can find grace and mercy in the time of need" (see Hebrews 4:16). "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts."     1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT

A young man Studied violin under a world-renowned violinist and master teacher. He worked hard for several years perfecting his talent. The day finally came when he was called upon to give his first major public recital in a large city where both he and his teacher lived. Following each selection, which he performed with great skill and passion, the performer seemed uneasy about how to handle all the applause he was receiving.
Even though he knew that those in the audience were musically astute and not likely to give such applause to a less than superior performance, the young man acted almost as if he couldn't hear the appreciation that was being showered upon him. At the close of the last number he performed, the applause was thunderous, and numerous "bravos" were shouted. The talented young violinist had his eyes glued, however, on only one spot. Finally, when an elderly man in the first row of the balcony smiled and nodded to him in approval, the young man relaxed and beamed with both relief and joy. His teacher had praised his work! The applause of thousands meant nothing to him until he had first won the approval of his master. That was Paul's aim too, and it should be yours. "For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts" (v. 4 NLT). So the word for you today is this: In all things, seek to please God!

This message taken from: Daily Devotional -  The Word For You Today 

"Taste and see that the Lord is good."   Psalm 34:8 NKJV

There's an old African folktale about a king and his friend. In every circumstance, the king's friend had a saying: "This is good." One day they were out hunting. The friend loaded the firearm for the king, and he fired it: But it exploded, blowing off the king's thumb. As was his habit, the friend said, "This is good," to which the king replied, "This is not good," and had his friend thrown in prison. A year later, the king was out hunting without his friend when he was captured by cannibals. The king was taken back to their village and tied at the stake. He thought to himself, "This is not good." But just before lighting the fire, one of the cannibals noticed that the king's thumb was missing. According to tribal tradition, they could never eat anyone who wasn't whole, so they untied the king and let him go. When the king realized that his missing thumb spared his life, he immediately thought of his friend whom he'd sent to prison. He said to his friend, "You were right. It is good that my thumb was blown off. I'm sorry for sending you to jail. This is not good." To which his friend said, "No, this is good." The king still didn't understand. "What do you mean, this is good? I sent my best friend to jail for a year!" The friend insisted, "This is good. If I hadn't been in jail, I would have been out hunting with you, and my thumb's not missing!" So the word for you today is: God is good—all the time.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!"
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

After falling twice in the 1988 Olympic speed-skating races, Dan Jansen sought out
sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loehr, who helped him find a new balance between sport and the rest of his life and to pay more attention to the mental aspects of skating.
Peter Mueller became his coach, putting him through workouts that he described as "the toughest I've ever known." By the time the 1994 Olympics arrived, Jansen had more confidence than ever. He had set a 500-meter world record just two months previously, so that race seemed to be all his! Then the unimaginable happened, and he fell during the 500-meter race. Dr. Loehr advised him, "Start preparing for the 1000-meter race. Put the 500-meter race behind you immediately. Stop reliving it. Think 1000!" For years Jansen didn't believe he could win that distance, as he had always considered it his weaker event. Now it was his last chance at an Olympic medal. As the race began, Jansen said, "I just seemed to be sailing along," and then he slipped and came within an inch of stepping on a lane marker. Still, he didn't panic; he raced on and recorded a world-record time that won him the gold medal. There's an important lesson here for you. Put the past behind and believe that God has greater days in store for you--because He does. So the word for you today is this: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, l am doing a new thing!"

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."        Joshua 24:15 NKJV

Joe was a carpenter who worked for a building contractor. One day, the contractor said to him, "Joe, I'm putting you in charge of the next house we build. I want you to order the materials and oversee the job." Joe accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm.
He studied the blueprints and checked every measurement and specification. Then he had a thought: "If I'm really in charge, why couldn't I cut a few corners, use less expensive materials, and put the extra money in my pocket? Who will know? Once the house is painted, it will look great." So Joe ordered second-grade lumber and inexpensive concrete, put in cheap wiring, and cut every corner he could. When the home was finished, the contractor came to see it. "What a fine job you have done!" he said. "You have been faithful to me all these years, and I have decided to show you my gratitude by giving you this house that you just built as a gift." Night after night, as Joe lay in bed listening to the roof leaking and the floor creaking, the message came through loud and clear: The house you built is the house you will live in! Are you short-changing your spouse and your family in love, time, example, and instruction? Count on it: There will come a time when you will regret what you have done and have left undone. And depending on time and opportunity, you may or may not have a chance to undo it. So make this your prayer: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?"  Nehemiah 6:3 NIV

Like David's older brother Eliab, there will always be people who try to discourage you from killing the giant in your life or taking on any other God-given assignment (see 1 Samuel 17:28). Their resistance could be due to the fact that "misery loves company." Or that they re projecting their fear and lack of faith onto you. Or it could be envy; they resent your attempt to do what they are afraid to do. And this is even more so when you succeed where they have failed. Whatever their motivation and intention may be, you may have to stand alone in your quest. Nehemiah's enemies tried every trick in the book to deter him from rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. They were relentless. Notice how he handled their opposition: "Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: 'Come, let us meet together.' But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent...this reply: 'I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?' Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer" (Nehemiah 6:2-4 NIV). Nehemiah remained steadfast in what he knew God had called him to do, and you must too. You must be willing to take the put-downs, the envy, the distractions, the discouraging words, and all other opposition and stand on God's Word: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 NIV). So the word for you today is--be careful to whom you listen.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."    Psalm 118:24 NKJV

In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis demonstrated that God wants humankind to attend chiefly to two things: "To eternity itself, and to that point of time, which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity." In light of that truth, Screwtape, the veteran demon, advised a novice named Wormwood with these words: "Our business is to get them away from the eternal, and from the Present. With this in view, we sometimes tempt a human...to live in the Past." Screwtape then advised Wormwood about another demonic tactic--getting people to live in the future. "We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap on the altar of the future every real git which is offered to them in the Present." Whether we are overcoming lifelong additions or going after life goals, one key to accomplishing things is breaking them down into manageable and measurable steps. A goal is a dream with a deadline. And without a deadline, the dream Is dead In the water. Successful programs that help alcoholics and addicts find sobriety and strength use the slogan: "One day at a time!" If you want to break a habit, break it down into day-tight compartments. Just like boxing, you'll win some rounds and lose some rounds. But you've got to fight one day and one round at a time. Before you know it, your winning streaks will get longer, and your losing streaks will get shorter.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Live one day at a time."       Matthew 6:34 TLB

Sir William Osler was the most famous physician of his generation. He organized the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and served as a professor of medicine at Oxford University. Considered the father of psychosomatic medicine, his textbook, The Principles and Practice of Medicine, was the principal reference book for medical students for three decades. But Osler's medical career almost ended as soon as it started because of a nervous breakdown. He was trying to finish his academic requirements, start a medical practice, and make ends meet--all at the same time. It nearly killed him. Then he came across something that Thomas Carlyle wrote: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. Those words revolutionized Osler's life. In a commencement address at Yale University, Osler told the students he owed his success to a simple principle: living in day-tight compartments. He told them that they needed to let go of dead yesterdays and unborn tomorrows. The load of tomorrow, he said, "added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest falter." David said:
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24 TLB). Jesus said: "Don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing...your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time" (Mathew 6:31-34 TLB).

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"I am compelled to preach."    1 Corinthians 9:16 NIV

Before the thirteen colonies in America became a country, four-fifths of Americans had heard George Whitefield preach in person. Without amplification, he spoke to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. He didn't preach in a church; he preached in fields and fairgrounds. And when he did, entire towns shut down and went to hear him. He made thirteen trips to America, tallying 782 days at sea, crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean. In total he preached 18,000 sermons during his thirty-four-year preaching career, proclaiming the gospel to more than ten million people. He often wept during his sermons, urgently pleading with people to come to Jesus. His last sermon was delivered in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 29, 1770. Barely able to stand, Whitefield preached for two hours, until 2 a.m. Later that morning, he literally ran out of breath, dying of an asthmatic fit. His friend and colleague John Wesley eulogized him with these words: "Oh, what has the church suffered in the setting of that bright star which shone so gloriously in our hemisphere. We have none left to succeed him; none of his gifts; none anything like him in his usefulness." How did Whitefield have that effect? What drove him? The same thing that drove Paul: "I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" A poet once posed the question: "Can all of life represent one motive?" If he didn't succeed at it, George Whitfield came close. His secret was he believed what he preached, and he lived what he believed. And God expects no less from each of us.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"The Lord sald to Joshua: 'Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned.'"
Joshua 7:10-11 NKJV

The walls of Jericho had fallen, and Joshua was flushed with victory. Their next challenge was the town of Ai, with a population of only 20,000 people. So Joshua decided that 3,000 of his soldiers could do the job. He was wrong The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating... The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away" (vv. 4-5 NLT). What caused this? Achan, one of Joshua's soldiers, had disobeyed God's command and taken the spoils of Jericho and hidden them in his tent. As a result, Israel went down in a humiliating defeat, and Achan and his family were stoned to death in the valley of Achor. Joshua had a meltdown. He tore his clothing and fell on his face and prayed, "Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!" (v. 7 NKJV). Note what God said to him: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned." There's an important lesson here: there's a time to pray and a time to 'get up" and deal with the issues God's talking to you about! Sometimes we pray hoping that God will overlook our disobedience or change His mind. But God's goal is to change us! Why did Achan take the spoils of Jericho? Because he didn't trust in God's ability and willingness to provide for him. Is God dealing with you about the same thing?

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow."  Isaiah 48:17 NLT

You’ll probably travel several different paths on your way to your destiny. When Lucian Pavarotti was a boy, his grandmother often put him on her lap and said, You're going to be great--you'll see." But his grandmother had dreams of him becoming a banker! Instead, he became a schoolteacher. He taught elementary school for a while, occasionally singing at special events. His father was the one who challenged him to develop his voice, telling him he was settling far short of his potential. Finally, at age twenty-two, Pavarotti stopped teaching to sell insurance. He continued to look for something stable on which he could rely financially in case he could not make it in the music world. The Insurance business allowed him time to take voice lessons, and as they say, "The rest is history." In an interview, the opera star said, "Studying voice was the turning point of my life." Then he added,  "It's a mistake to settle for the safe path in life." It takes courage to leave a position you consider safe and launch out in a new direction, but without risk, you can never realize your potential or know all God created you to be. The greatest risk of all is to take no risk because the person who risks nothing accomplishes nothing, has nothing, feels nothing, and, in the end, becomes nothing. God may lead you along several different paths on your way to your destiny, but if you submit to His will and follow His guidance, you will surely succeed.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"The fruit of that righteousness will be peace."   Isaiah 32:17 NIV

We are the sum total of everything we have experienced both good and bad. We can engage in wishful thinking and imagine that our past negative behavior had never occurred, or we can decide to accept the reality of it. How we choose to respond to the past will determine our destiny. We have all sinned, and we either responded by asking for God's forgiveness and going forward, or we are still stuck in guilt. Indeed, we may actually develop anxiety about possible consequences. Many people are plagued with jealousy because of their own infidelity or prior indiscretion. They live in fear that one day they will reap what they have sown. Some have even resorted to verbal and physical abuse of their partners in order to ward off what they feel will be inevitable. When we repent, we must believe God's Word: "Their sins...I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17 NIV). God doesn't remember confessed sin, so we need to stop rehearsing it. God doesn't want to hear about it ever again: "When sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices (Hebrews 10:18 NLT). Once is enough. There is no need to repent continually. To do so is to offer another "sacrifice." Too many people sacrifice the rest of their lives on the altar of remorse over past transgressions. Yes, you should make every effort to line up your life with the requirements of God's Word. And when you've done that, then stand on this Scripture: "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give."  
2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

God can be sitting on the sidelines watching you struggle financially or actively involved as your financial partner. It all depends on what kind of steward you are. Your finances are yet another area of life where you can begin to experience an interactive relationship with your heavenly Father. But if you want God involved in your finances, you need to put your finances to work for God's interests. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33 NIV). That means you need to give. And you can start with what He's already given you. That might mean a percentage of your next paycheck or a part of your net worth. Wherever the voice of generosity leads you, you need to follow it. Again, this isn't about giving to get. It's about neutralizing the fears that have been hindering the spirit of generosity inside you. It's about discovering the thrill of taking part in God's plan and experiencing the security that comes from knowing that your provider is the One who owns all provisions. When you sow, God shows up in amazing ways. "God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous" (2Corinthians 9:10-11 NLT). Once you experience the perfect provision of a loving heavenly Father, your fears will begin to evaporate.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin."   James 2:9 NLT

James wrote to the church: "Suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, 'You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor'--well, doesn't this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin" (v. 2-4, 9 NLT). The early church grew rapidly because prejudice had no place there. Although the Jews and Samaritans despised each other, Jesus made a place for Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, and the Gentile woman at the well who'd been married five times. The early church made room for Onesimus, the former slave, at the same table as Philemon, his wealthy former master. The gospel gives everyone, everywhere, a place of dignity at Christ's table. The sin of discrimination stands on two legs: prejudice and presumption. And they should have no place in your life. The ancient prophet Habakkuk climbed up in his watchtower in order to watch to see what [God] will say unto me" (Habakkuk 2:1 KJV). Too much of our Christian experience is taken up with us saying something to God, and spending too little time listening to what God is saying to us. He definitely has something to say to us about discrimination. So ask Him to help you to view people through His loving eyes. You just might see a few folks differently than you have in the past.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you."
Deuteronomy 23:5 NKJV

Paul told the Corinthians, "Therefore, we do not lose heart...For our light affliction...is working for us" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NKJV). Jim Stovall proved this to be true. At age
seventeen, his doctor told him he was losing his sight, and nothing could be done to reverse it. Rather than drop out of life, he pursued a college degree and also studied privately with a very successful entrepreneur. His goal was to be in business for himself, even if blind, so that he might manage his own career and life. Even though he had prepared himself for blindness, when the day came that he could no longer see, he felt devastated. In his book, You Don't Have to Be Blind to See, he said, "All I wanted to do was sit in my living room and listen to music." But then Jim dug deep down in his faith and, as he said, "God opened my inner eyes to a new idea." He entered a highly unusual field for a blind person--television! He founded the Narrative Television Network to aid visually impaired people. NTN adds more "descriptive narration" to soundtracks so that listeners might visualize a program or movie and enjoy it more fully. NTN broadcasts to over 20 million households, and amazingly, some 60 percent of the audience can see.
For his work, Jim received television's highest honor, the Emmy Award, after only one season on the air! So the word for you today is this: God can make your problem "work for you" and "turn a curse into a blessing."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."       2Corinthians 4:16 NKJV

In 1928, a happy, ambitious young nursing student was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Back then, such a diagnosis often meant a death sentence. Her family sent her to a nursing home for several months, hoping she would be cured. She was destined to remain in bed for the next twenty-one years! Many people would have given up, but not Isobel Smith.
She approached the threshold of death on several occasions, but her faith remained strong, and she never ceased to pursue the art of living. She read voraciously, wrote letters, studied geography, and taught other patients to read and write. From her bed she studied atomic energy with a fellow patient, a young physicist, and organized a town hall on the topic. While ill, she met a kind, gentle man, also a patient at the sanatorium. She dreamed of marrying him and having a little house "under the mountains." At her lowest ebb, her dream kept her going. And in 1948, she got married. She then authored a book called Wish as I Might, which was published in 1955. The book was "about all the good things life has brought me," and it earned her enough royalties to buy her the mountain retreat she dreamed of. A tragic life? Hardly! Isobel Smith achieved everything she set out to achieve, though the odds against her were overwhelming. Even when flat on her back in bed, she never quit growing, learning, dreaming and giving. Though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." Victory is an "inside job."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper."
Proverbs 13:4 NLT

In the fall of 1894, Guglielmo retreated to his room on the third floor. All summer while on vacation, he read books and filled notebooks with squiggly diagrams. Now the time had come for him to work. Every day, he rose early. Не worked all day and long into the night, to the point that his mother became alarmed. He had never been a robust person, but now he had become appallingly thin. His face was drawn, and his eyes were often glazed over with fatigue. Finally, the day came when he announced that his instruments were ready. He invited the family to his room and, pushing a button, he succeeded in ringing a bell on the first floor! While his mother was amazed, his father was not. He saw no use in being able to send a signal so short a distance. So Guglielmo labored on. Little by little, he made changes in his sending circuits so he could send a signal from one hill to the next and then beyond the hill. Eventually his invention was perfected--partly due to vision and inspiration, but mostly due to perseverance. Guglielmo Marconi was eventually hailed as the inventor of wireless telegraphy, radio's forerunner. He not only received a Nobel Prize in physics but also acquired a seat in the Italian senate. If you want what successful people have, you must be willing to do what successful people do--and 99 percent of their success is due to vision and hard work. "Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today