Daily word and prayer

  Today's Word: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." — Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Thoughts on Today's Word: Forgiveness can be one of the hardest acts to practice, especially when we've been deeply hurt. However, the Bible calls us to a life of compassion and forgiveness, reminding us that we have been forgiven by God through Christ. Holding onto anger, bitterness, or resentment can weigh down our hearts and hinder our spiritual growth.True forgiveness doesn’t mean that what was done to us is okay or forgotten, but it does release us from the burden of carrying the hurt. It is a process, one that requires God’s grace and strength. When we forgive, we reflect the heart of Christ, who forgave us while we were still sinners. Let us be reminded today that forgiveness is a path to healing—for ourselves and for others—and a key to living in freedom. Prayer of the Day: Lord, I thank You for Your mercy and grace th...

  Today's Scripture For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (Ephesians 6:15, NLT) Today's Word Ephesians 6 talks about how we should put on the whole armor of God for our daily spiritual battles. One part of that armor is the shoes of peace. It’s interesting that God chose our feet for peace. It implies that everywhere we go, we’re going to have to choose to stay in peace. You can have on your helmet of salvation, your belt of truth, and your shield of faith, but if you don’t put on your shoes of peace, if you don’t make the decision that you’re not going to let other people bait you into conflict, then even though you have on all the other armor, without peace it’s not going to be effective. Every morning make the decision that nothing that comes against you is going to get you upset—that’s putting on your shoes of peace. You’re saying, “God, my life is in Your hands. Everything may not go perfectly today, but I trust You. ...

  Today's Scripture Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare. (Proverbs 22:24–25, ESV) Today's Word The number one thing that gets people off course is when they start to run with the wrong crowd. You have to set boundaries around your life. When you hear somebody who’s always negative, critical, and finding fault, that’s a red flag. Someone who is given to anger and always gets upset is not for you. Don’t spend a lot of time with people who are never happy, who don’t have integrity, who compromise, who always have problems. You don’t want those qualities. You have a responsibility to protect what God has entrusted you with—your gifts, your assignment, your integrity and character. If you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to surround yourself with eagles, with people who inspire you to bring out your wings, with people who motivate you to soar, people who make you better. ...

  Today’s Scripture Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. (Ezra 5:2, NIV) Today’s Word  God put a dream in Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The whole city had been destroyed, and he came back from exile and laid the foundation for the temple. But some people were against him and got a decree from the Persian king that forced him to stop. Month after month, even year after year, imagine him seeing the empty foundation and thinking it would never happen. But years later, the prophet Zechariah showed up and said in effect, "Begin again." He was saying, "It may look dead, and people are against you, but if you begin again, if you start believing again, if you start working again, it's still coming to pass." Zerubbabel came to a destiny moment where God was saying it was his time, and he said yes and made it happen. This is...

  Today's Scripture With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. (James 3:9, NIV) Today's Word Many people don’t realize that with their words they’re cursing their future. Every time you say, “I never get any good breaks,” you just cursed your life. “I’ll never be able to afford that nice house.” “I’ll never be able to break this addiction.” “I’ll never get the promotion.” No, stop cursing your future. Sometimes the enemy doesn’t have to defeat us; we defeat ourselves. Pay attention to what you’re saying. Are you blessing your life, or are you cursing it? Why don’t you stop criticizing yourself? Stop talking about all the things you don’t like—how you’re getting too old, too wrinkled, too this, too that. Don’t invite that into your life. When you speak them out, you give them life. Stop cursing your life and start blessing your life. Don’t speak words of defeat; speak words of victory. Start calling you...

   Today’s Scripture:  "You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach..." (Isaiah 54:4, NIV) Today’s Word:  In the Scripture, Isaac named his son Jacob, which means "trickster, deceiver, swindler," and he became exactly that. Later in life, Jacob decided to confront his shameful past and change his life. One night the angel of the Lord told Jacob, "God is giving you a new name. You will be called Israel," which means "a prince with God." Instead of saying, "Jacob, shame on you," He said, "Jacob, shame off you. I've called you to be a prince and reign in life." As with Jacob, you may be wearing negative labels that say addicted, washed up, undisciplined, not valuable, made too many mistakes, poor spouse, or bad parent. No, this is what grace is all about. None of us deserve it, but God says, "I'm removing the shame. I know who you are. I'm changing your name to redeemed, to forgiven,...

  Today's Scripture: “The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’” (Mark 12:31, CEV) Today's Word: The most important relationship you have is the relationship with yourself. Too many people don’t like who they are. They focus on their faults, weaknesses, mistakes, and failures. They wish they were taller, had a better personality, and looked like their cousin instead of accepting themselves as a masterpiece, made in the image of God. Then they wonder why they’re not happy, and why they don’t have good relationships. It’s because they don’t like themselves. If you don’t get along with you, you’re not going to get along with other people. You can’t love others if you don’t first love yourself. The best thing you can do for your family and friends is to be good to you, be kind to you, be merciful to you, be forgiving to you, be loving to you. You’re good to others, so why aren’t you good to you? You don’t criticize your friend, so why a...

  Today's Scripture: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:22, NIV) Today's Word: It’s easy to get stuck in life and think that we’ve gone as far as we can. We can’t break an addiction, we can’t get well, or we’ll never accomplish a dream. What’s holding us back many times is our own thinking. Jesus says that no one puts new wine into old wineskins. When a wineskin gets old, the leather becomes hard and rigid. If you put new wine in it, the wine expands and bursts the wineskin. Jesus is saying, “You can’t have a new life with old thinking.” If you think you’ve reached your limits, then you have. If you think the problem is too big, then it is. If you think you’ll never meet the right person, you probably won’t.  It’s not that God doesn’t have blessings, favor, and increase. It’s that your wineskin is old. You have to get a n...

  Today's Scripture:  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20, NLT) Today's Word:  Joseph went through thirteen years of betrayal, slavery, false accusations, and imprisonment. He had many reasons to become bitter, but you never read that Joseph had a bad attitude. He understood the principle that everything he was experiencing was serving God’s plan, including the bad breaks and unfair things. After Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was made prime minister of Egypt, he even declared that the very harm his brothers meant for him was instrumental and necessary to getting him to the throne and his destiny of saving their lives. Are you upset about something that’s actually serving His plan? God will use people who are against you to move you into your purpose. God uses the bad breaks, the delays, the setbacks, and the injustices to move you into your destiny. Th...

  Today's Scripture: In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:11, NIV) Today's Word: Dear one, it’s easy to think that our lives are based on what we’re choosing. We all have our own free will to make decisions to do what we want. To a point, it’s true that we determine the course of our lives, but that’s not the only factor. God has a conditional will—things He does based on whether or not we make good choices, how we perform, how disciplined we are. But He also has a sovereign will—things He does regardless of our decisions. God has already planned ahead of time a purpose for you to fulfill. Just ask the prophet Jonah. He did exactly the opposite of what God told him to do and was thrown overboard into the sea. God didn’t say, “Too bad. You’re on your own. You’re out of My will.” God had a big fish waiting to swallow him and take him to the shore, as thou...

  Today's Scripture:  For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.  (1 Corinthians 16:9, ESV) Today's Word:  God is always giving us opportunities to move forward in life. God wants you to grow and reach your full potential. Anytime you take a step forward, the enemy will try to bring opposition and adversity against you. But God promises that through Him, you can overcome any opposition the enemy brings your way.  When you step out in faith and the opposition comes, just keep standing strong and doing what you know to do. Keep praying, keep believing, keep reading and speaking the Word. Keep fighting the good fight of faith and going to church. Keep walking in love and forgiveness, and keep your heart tender. When the enemy sees that you are more determined than he is, he'll back down, and you will move forward to new levels of victory! Stay focused and full of joy no matter what comes against you. As you do, you will o...

  Today's Scripture: When the sailors heard this, they were frightened, because Jonah had already told them he was running from the LORD. (Jonah 1:10, CEV) Today's Word: It’s easy to avoid things in life that we should be dealing with. Instead of forgiving people who have done us wrong and moving on, we push the hurt down. Or maybe we need to apologize to someone, but that’s uncomfortable, so we keep putting it off. Perhaps a new door opens, and we know it’s a God-given opportunity, but we’re afraid and feel unqualified. Instead of confronting our fear or what’s uncomfortable, we run from it, even from God’s call. As long as you’re running away, you’re going to miss the greatness God put in you. You can’t conquer what you don’t confront. Too often we’re comforting what we should be confronting. We’re making lists of excuses. But you can’t run from everything that’s uncomfortable. You can’t ignore issues, sweep them under the rug, and think they’ll go away. When you get honest w...

  Today's Scripture: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12, NLT) Today's Word: We all face situations where things aren’t going our way, someone’s not treating us right. It’s easy to get upset, live frustrated, wonder why it’s not changing. But much of what we face in life is a test. You don’t really know what’s in you until you’re put under pressure. It’s easy to have a good attitude when people are being good to you and doors are opening. But how about when it’s just the opposite? On the night before Jesus was crucified, Peter told Him, “I will lay down my life for You.” Peter’s heart was right, and that statement was easy to make in the atmosphere of faith at the Passover meal. But when the heat was turned up and he was confronted about being Jesus’ disciple during His trial, Peter denied he knew Jesus three times. The pressure brings to light wea...

  Today’s Scripture:  For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid has come upon me. (Job 3:25, AMP) Today’s Word:  Faith and fear have something in common. They both ask us to believe something that we can't see. Whichever one you get in agreement with is the one that's going to come to pass. "I'm afraid I'm not going to get well." You're using your faith in the wrong direction. Turn it around. "Father, thank You that You're restoring health to me. I believe the number of my days You will fulfill." A lot of times we don't realize it, but we're using our faith for the negative. We're expecting defeat, sickness, or trouble. Don't go through life expecting the worst, anticipating bad breaks. "This virus is spreading everywhere. I'll probably get it too." Zip that up. Don't dwell on the negative, on the what-ifs, and let that turn into fear and doubt. You belong to the Most Hig...

  Today's Scripture: …looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV) Today's Word: We all have a story of how we see ourselves and our future. It comes from how we were raised, what people have said, our successes and failures. Perhaps your story is negative. “I’ve been hurt too much. I’m at a disadvantage. I don’t have the talent or the experience.” Do you know what’s stopping you? Your story. You’re being limited by what you believe about yourself, by how you see your circumstances. The story that you’ve written will override what anyone else says. It’s even more powerful than the facts. You can be incredibly gifted and have a great personality, but if you tell yourself that you’re average, your gifts won’t come out as they should. Is the story you’re telling yourself keeping you from rising higher? Why don’t you tell yourself a new story? God has already written your story. God says His plans for you are for good, to give you a future and a ho...

  Today's Scripture: …whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things. (Philippians 4:8, AMP) Today's Word: In today’s Scripture, it’s significant that the apostle Paul used the word “if.” “If there is any excellence.” He was saying you have to look for the good in your spouse, your children, your workplace, and in that difficulty you’re facing. It’s so easy to focus on all the flaws in our loved ones and on the discouraging things we face. How many times on our daily journey are we not recognizing what God is doing and what He has given us. We’re so caught up in the stress of the day that we don’t see how God is sustaining us, favoring us, guiding us. You have to look past all the wrongs and see the good things in your life and be grateful. Don’t take for granted the people God has given you to love. They may not be...

  Today's Scripture: But Jesus said, “Don’t resist anymore.” (Luke 22:51, TLB) Today's Word: When Jesus was about to be arrested and crucified, the temple guards approached Him. Peter said, “This is wrong,” and struck one of them with his sword. The betrayal, the false accusations and trial, and the crucifixion were all wrong. But just as the other disciples were about to draw their swords, Jesus said, “Quit fighting these wrongs! They’re a part of My destiny.” The disciples couldn’t see that these wrongs against Jesus were necessary to get Him to the cross. It wasn’t the enemy leading Him into the wrongs; it was the hand of God leading to a right. Too often we get stuck in the wrongs—the setbacks, the position you didn’t get, the hurtful things you don’t understand. As Peter did, you’ll be tempted to fight, get upset, live frustrated, and say, “God, where are You?” No, God is saying, “I am in control. Those wrongs are leading you to a right. Quit fighting everything you don’t ...

  Today’s Scripture :  Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5, NKJV) Today’s Word:  The Scripture talks about how God has written every day of our life in His book. When we go through things we don't understand, things that aren't fair, things that are painful, it's easy to get stuck on that page and think it's never going to change. Can I encourage you that it's just one chapter, not your whole book? You have to turn the page.  If you keep moving forward, being your best in spite of what didn't work out, in spite of who did you wrong, you'll come into another chapter that has a sudden increase of God's favor. You'll come into a chapter where the light comes bursting in, where the God who is a very present help in times of trouble doesn't just show up, but He shows out. He does more than you can imagine.  One day you'll look back and say, "God, I didn't like it, but without that difficulty I wouldn...

Today’s Scripture:  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) Today’s Word:  It's easy to let difficulties and disappointments and opposition wear us down to where we lose our fight and passion. But you can't be passive and just take whatever comes your way. You're in a fight against forces that are trying to keep you from your destiny, and your weapon is God's Word. When you have His promises coming out of your mouth, you are swinging your sword. When you swing, God will fight for you. When you declare His promises, angels go to work, forces of darkness are pushed back, and negative situations will turn around. But as long as you're passive and saying, "I never get any good breaks. I'll probably never get well," your sword is in its sheath. You have to get your sword out and say, "Father, thank You that no weapon formed against me will prosper. Thank You that Your being for me is mor...

  Today's Scripture: David asked the men standing near him, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26, NIV) Today's Word: When David went out to face Goliath, his brothers made fun of him, his father didn’t think he had what it takes, and King Saul said he was too young and inexperienced. No one believed in him, but he didn’t go out to prove to them who he was. It wasn’t about proving; it was about fulfilling his purpose. He saw a giant defying the armies of the living God.  If David had gone out just to prove himself to people, to show them he was a giant killer, to feed his ego, he wouldn’t have seen God’s favor. His motives were to advance the kingdom. He wasn’t doing it for people’s applause, for fame, for influence, for a position. It was about honoring God.  When you have the right motives in life, God will take your slingshot and cause you to defeat a giant. He’ll open doors you couldn’t open. He’ll cau...

   Today's Scripture: I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” (Nehemiah 4:14, NIV) Today's Word: Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king of Persia before he took up the cause of rebuilding the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. He didn’t have wealth, experience, or resources, and when he got to Jerusalem, he faced all kinds of opposition. It was one thing after another. But when you’re cause-driven, when you have a mission, and you stay focused on it, the greatness God put on you is going to come out as it did in Nehemiah. Rather than take years to finish rebuilding the walls, he inspired the people to do it in just fifty-two days. You can’t make sacrifices to help those around you without God helping you. You’re going to see a favor that you’ve never seen. You’re going to come out of the...

  Today's Scripture: Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him. (Ephesians 3:12, TLB) Todays Word: Hey friend, how you see God today will have a great impact on this coming year. If you have the right image of God, knowing that He gladly welcomes you, that His face lights up when He sees you, that He loves spending time with you, hearing your concerns, and knowing what you’re dreaming about, you’ll go fearlessly to Him. All through the day, you’ll talk with Him as a son or daughter. But not many of us have the audacity to think that God would be happy to see us. So many people see Him as a harsh and condemning judge who holds our mistakes against us and expects us to be perfect. Too often we have the wrong image of God and shrink back in fear and intimidation, feeling that we can never measure up and will always be unworthy. Start your new year knowing that God is not basing His “glad welcome” on...

  Today's Scripture: “Everything they do is for show.” (Matthew 23:5, NLT) Today's Word: It’s easy to go through life making decisions based on what other people will think. Jesus said that the problem with the Pharisees was that everything they did was for show—what they wore, the money they gave, the seats of honor they took. They were doing it all to impress people, to build their own egos. The problem with living image-driven is that we can’t be authentic. We have to hide our weaknesses or others may think less of us. We have to play up to others to stay in their favor. We have to drive this, wear this, and be seen with these people. It’s great to look good, be successful, and carry yourself with confidence. But it crosses the line when you become driven by your image and run everything through the filter of how it’s going to make you look. Don’t live under the pressure of trying to impress others, hiding how you feel, and acting as though everything’s okay. Get off that tr...

  Today's Scripture: After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12, NIV) Today's Word: In today’s Scripture, the prophet Elijah was in a difficult place, discouraged and defeated. He needed direction. God told him to go stand on the mountain, that He was about to pass. There was a great wind that tore the mountain apart, then a great earthquake, then a great fire, but God was not in any of those. After the fire, “There came a gentle whisper.” God was showing us how He speaks. When your circumstances are loud, thoughts are telling you what’s not going to work out, and people are coming against you, it’s easy to get stressed and confused. You have to come back to that quiet place. The reason God whispers is because He’s close to you. You don’t whisper to strangers or people you barely know. You whisper to your spouse, to your child, to someone you know and love. That’s why God whispers to you. You’re H...

  Today's Scripture: “O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (Nehemiah 1:11, NLT) Today's Word: Nehemiah did not have resources, did not have a prominent position, did not have experience as a builder, but he had a heart to see the walls and gates of Jerusalem restored, and he dared to believe. He dared to go to the king of Persia and ask his help. He dared to pray bold prayers, and he saw one amazing answer to prayer after another. Don’t be intimidated by the size of your dream. God doesn’t give big dreams to small people. There is greatness in you. There are new levels in you. There is a world changer in you. There is a history maker in you. That’s why God put something big in you. He knows what you’re capable of. As with Nehemiah, He has people who will fund your dreams, people who will use their influence to ope...

  Today's Scripture: Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21, NIV) Today's Word: Doubt comes to us all. You have to guard your mind. You control the doorway to your thoughts. When negative thoughts come, have a “No Vacancy” sign. “Sorry, but there’s no room for you. My mind is filled with faith. I am healthy. I am blessed. I am anointed. I am victorious.” Don’t give any energy to the negative. When you dwell on those thoughts, and you start going down the road that things are not going to work out, you’re giving them life, you’re allowing them to grow. Start starving your doubts and feeding your faith. As today’s Scripture says, maybe you’ve been wavering between two opinions, going back and forth. One day you’re saying, “I believe it’s going to happen.” The next day you say, “It’s never going to work out.” You’ve been unsettled. That’s okay. Today can be a new day. You can set your mind. You can make the decision: ...

  Today's Scripture: And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” (Genesis 21:6, NKJV) Today's Word: In Genesis 18, when Sarah heard God promise that she would have a son at the age of ninety, she had laughed in disbelief. In today’s Scripture, she laughed again as she held her baby in her arms. Abraham even named him Isaac, which means “laughter.” This time, having seen the fulfillment of the promise, Sarah laughed in pure amazement, thinking, “Wow, God! I never dreamed this could happen. I can’t believe how merciful You are to bring me a miracle baby in spite of my lack of faith.” You may have laughed in unbelief, thinking you could never get well, never get out of debt, or never break an addiction, but I believe your second laugh is coming. Things that have held you back in the past and limited you are being broken. You’re going to see influence, resources, talent coming out in ways you never dreamed. Problems that look permanent are about to...

  Today's Scripture: A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22, NKJV) Today's Word: Hello, not all sickness is from a lack of emotional well-being, but anytime you are weighed down with stress, burdens, disappointments, hurts, and worry, those negative emotions get into your soul and spill over to the physical. If you go around discouraged, defeated, and saying, “Look at this medical report. I’m never going to get well,” you’re helping that sickness. You’re giving it life, and you’re making yourself sicker. Today’s Scripture says that when you’re cheerful because you know God is in control, you get free from the bitterness, the guilt, the stress, the worry, and the anger that tries to dominate your soul. When you’re thanking Him when you could be complaining, when you’re laughing when you could be crying, that’s sending healing to your body. That’s when healing is released. How many diseases will go headaches, high blood press...

  Today's Scripture:  You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11, NIV) Today's Word:  God promises that joy is found in His presence. If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then His presence lives inside of you. That means you can have joy 24/7!  Joy manifests when you focus your heart on the heavenly Father and praise Him for who He is and what He’s done in your life. The Scripture says that He inhabits the praises of His people. When you begin to praise and thank Him, you are in His presence. You have access to His full joy.  Today, know that no matter what’s going on around you, God wants you to experience His supernatural joy and peace at all times. That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world so He could live inside you. Don’t waste another minute feeling burdened or condemned. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and move forward in the vict...

Today's Scripture:  They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt in the region of Zoan. (Psalm 78:11–12, NIV) Today's Word:  God supernaturally brought the Israelites out of slavery. He sent plagues upon their enemies, parted the Red Sea, gave them manna to eat and water out of a rock in the desert, and led them by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But in spite of seeing God’s goodness in amazing ways, they forgot His miracles, became discouraged, and started complaining and never made it into the Promised Land. It kept them from their destiny.  You may be discouraged today and be thinking, “I don’t see how I’ll ever get out of this problem.” Are you forgetting what God has done for you? Have you let what once was a miracle become ordinary? It doesn’t excite you anymore. You don’t thank God for it. Look back over your life and remember that God brought you to where you are...

  Today's Scripture: But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn. (Genesis 48:14, NIV) Today's Word: When Israel blessed the sons of Joseph, he purposefully crossed his hands and gave Ephraim the firstborn blessing. The tradition was that the right hand always gave the greatest blessing to the firstborn son. Israel was saying, “Ephraim may have been in the back and is not next in line, but I’m shifting him to a new position. I’m taking him from the back to the front. I will give him what he doesn’t deserve.” That’s the way our God is. He has shifts in your future that will put you in positions you didn’t earn and didn’t qualify for. You may not have the seniority, but God will cross His hands and say, “I’m moving you from the back to the front, from not being qualified to suddenly being qualified, from being looked down on or ...

  Today's Scripture: “Now bring me someone who can play the harp.” While the harp was being played, the power of the LORD came upon Elisha. (2 Kings 3:15, NLT) Today's Word: In 2 Kings 3, the armies of Judah, Israel, and Edom travelled through the desert for seven days to attack the Moabites when they completely ran out of water. They didn’t know what to do and were desperate, so they went to ask the prophet Elisha what God wanted them to do. However, Elisha didn’t want to have anything to do with the evil king of Israel. He was annoyed and angered, but because of his friend King Jehoshaphat, he agreed to do it. Elisha knew that being irritated and upset, he couldn’t hear from God in that setting, so he asked for a harpist to play. He had to change the atmosphere, and when the harp was played, God’s power came on Elisha, and he began to prophesy the answer. It’s amazing what God will do if you create the right atmosphere. When there’s worry, doubt, and frustration, that keeps u...

Today's Scripture: “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NLT) Today's Word: Esther was a Jewish orphan girl who was raised in poverty while living in exile in a foreign country. She had so many bad breaks and disadvantages. It didn’t look like she would ever do anything great. But bad circumstances cannot stop your destiny. God gave Esther favor and raised her out of obscurity to become the queen of Persia. Esther was able to use her position to save the people of Israel from a plot to destroy all of them. Her time to shine had come, and she became a national hero. You don’t know the amazing things God has in store for you. Why don’t you start seeing yourself the right way? Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, how big the obstacles are, or the mistakes you’ve made, start focusing on the fact that you’re a person of destiny. The greatness the Creator of the universe put in you is about to come out. He handpicked you for thi...

  Today's Scripture: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12, NLT) Today's Word: One definition of hope is “the happy anticipation of something good.” If you’re anticipating something good, for a dream to be fulfilled, it brings you joy and gives you passion. When you believe that God is arranging blessings in your favor, you’re going to be excited about life. It will affect your attitudes, your relationships, and your productivity. But if you’re not anticipating anything good, if you think you’re stuck, that a problem is permanent, that you’ve reached your limits, that mind-set will drain your energy, stifle your creativity, and take your joy. You’ll just drag through the day as you endure life. God created you to have something to look forward to. Faith is all about believing that God has good plans for you, that He’s taking you where you’ve never gone, and that the best days of your health, finances, and relationships are ...