Everyone goes through times in life that seem dark or heavy. You may be going through something right now, and you don’t see how it could ever work out. You don’t have the funds. The problems look insurmountable. But if you will stay breakthrough–minded and focused on what God can do, His Word promises that the light will come bursting in. Notice, it’s not going to trickle in. It’s not going to barely get there. No, like a flood, like the breaking forth of waters, it will come bursting in. That means, suddenly, things will change in your favor.
When things seem dark, don’t start complaining. Don’t get negative and sour. Remember, God likes to do things suddenly. Keep reminding yourself that the light is about to come bursting in! It may be today, may be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. But know this: your breakthrough is on the way!
“In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty” (Psalm 37:19, NIV).
We serve the God of more than enough! It doesn’t matter what’s happening around you, it doesn’t matter what’s happening in the economy, it doesn’t matter what’s happening in the stock market, God is able to provide for you. Notice today’s verse doesn’t just say He’ll help you barely get by; no, it says that in days of famine His people will enjoy plenty.The key is we have to get our minds off of this natural, earthly realm and start setting our minds on things above. Remember, there is no recession in heaven, but if you aren’t investing in God’s economy, you won’t see the reward He has for you. Take a step of faith today and sow a seed. Ask God how you can be a blessing to others. Remember, you are a steward over His resources. When you choose to be obedient to Him, you will eat the good of the land. And when you tap into God’s economy by obeying His Word, you will have His results—more than enough!
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
Aren’t you glad that God is a healer! It doesn’t matter what is “broken” in your life today, God’s nature is to bring you complete healing. Do you need healing in your body? Your mind? Heart? Finances? Relationships? God is your healer.
Notice what the Psalmist says in this verse: He binds up their wounds. In the natural, if you have a broken arm, it doesn’t just heal over night. The doctor makes a cast to hold it in place and protect it. He binds up your wound. In the spiritual realm, God does the same thing. He wraps Himself around your brokenness and protects the wounded area until it is strong enough to function properly again. The Bible also says that He is a restorer. That means that when He does a work of healing in our lives, He makes us better than we were before. If you’re going through the healing process today, know this: it may take longer than you planned, but God is binding up your wound. He is protecting you and healing you. He will bring you out better and stronger than you were before. He will take you to a place of complete healing so that you can live the life of victory He has in store for you.
“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:15, NIV)
Sometimes in the natural, we don’t see how God’s promises are going to come to pass in our lives. It seems like there are so many obstacles to overcome. But we have to see God’s Word like a seed. When it’s planted in our hearts, and we water it by thinking the right thoughts and expecting good things, that little seed begins to grow into something much, much greater.
Jesus told a parable in Mark, chapter four. He said, “God’s Word is like a tiny mustard seed. When it is sown, it is less than all the other seeds, one of the smallest. But when it grows up, it becomes greater than all.” Notice it goes from being less than all to being greater than all.
Are you in an overwhelming situation today, maybe in your health, finances or relationships? Does God’s promise seem small compared to what you’re facing?
Don’t sit back and think, “Man, it’s never going to get any better. It’s never going to change.” Instead, sow the Word by speaking it every single day. Water that seed by staying in faith because the seed of the Word has supernatural power in it. It will grow and flourish, and you will see God’s promises come to pass all the days of your life!
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28, NLT).
Every person goes through disappointments and things that don’t seem to make sense. It’s easy to get discouraged and think, “Why did this happen to me?” “Why did my loved one not make it?” “Why did this person treat me wrong?” “Why did I get laid off?”
Friend, we have to understand that even though life is not always fair, God is fair. He promises that He will work all things together for our good. I believe the key word in today’s verse is “together.” In other words, don’t just isolate one part of your life and say, “Well, this is not good.” “It’s not good that I got laid off.” “It’s not good that my child got sick.” “It’s not good that my relationship didn’t work out.” Yes, that’s true, but that’s just one part of your life. God can see the big picture. That disappointment is not the end. Your life doesn’t stop because of one setback. That is simply one piece of your puzzle. There is another piece coming to connect it all because God promises to work all things together for your good!
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NLT).
God has ordained seasons and cycles in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. But we have to be careful not to allow our attitude to keep us from moving forward.
Understand that in God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are plowing seasons, planting seasons and watering seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase; but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. It’s during the plowing seasons when God’s bringing issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for promotion. If you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is not to lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep plowing by speaking the Word daily. As you do, you’ll pass the test, and God promises your due season is coming!
I read that back in the 1800’s some explorers were going across a huge desert and didn’t bring enough water. They started digging at different spots underneath the surface about a foot or two trying to find water. They ended up losing their lives in the desert because of a lack of water. Many years later, it was discovered that there was water right there where they had lost their lives about three feet underground. If they would have just dug down a little bit further, they would have found the water and saved their lives.
The same principle is true when you’re in a dry season and not getting any good breaks, business is slow, or you’re struggling in a relationship. It’s easy to think, “This is never going to change. I’m never going to see my dreams come to pass.” No, just like those early explorers, water is there. Provision is there. You just have to dig down a little bit deeper. If you will shake off the self-pity, shake off what didn’t work out, shake off the complacency and turn up your praise, you’ll soon tap in to the blessing and provision He has prepared for you!
I really like how Mumford does not present this twisted meaning of love that keeps being conveyed through music these days.
(Source: musicislife411)
Proverbs 29:22 says, “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.”
Wow! If we are not careful, we can get into lots of trouble when we are angry.
The fact is that we all get angry with people, but the Bible says that we can be angry and sin not. It’s what we do when we are angry that makes all the difference. When you are angry with a person, it’s better to keep your mouth closed and cool down before you do or say something you regret-or before you spark a full–fledged fight. How many times have we said something or done something in anger–and later, regretted it?
Proverbs 29:11 says, “A foolish person gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”A foolish person vents all of his anger. You are not going to have many friends if you do that. But a wise person holds back and thinks about his response. A wise person thinks about the feelings of the other person before they lash out.
Conflicts can be resolved without a fight and without yelling and screaming at each other. Proverbs 15:1 says that a soft answer turns away wrath. You can have a healthy debate about something without being angry. It may be a heated debate, but at least you are talking it out! The next time you are angry with your wife, co–worker or child–be wise, stay calm, and think before you speak.
