Displaying items by tag: daily devotional

Joel Osteen (March-17-2020) Daily Devotion: Don’t Be Snared by Your Words.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth. Proverbs 6:2, NKJV

TODAY'S WORD: To be snaredmeans “to be trapped.” Your words can trap you. What you say can cause you to stumble and keep you from your potential. You’re not snared by what you think. Negative thoughts come to us all. But when you speak them out, you give them life. If you say, “I’ll never get back in shape,” it becomes more difficult. If you say, “I’m not that talented. I don’t have a good personality,” that is calling in mediocrity. It’s setting the limits for your life. When negative thoughts come, the key is to never verbalize them. That thought will die stillborn if you don’t speak it.

In the tough times, it’s very tempting to vent your frustrations. When you continually talk about the problem, you’re making it bigger. Turn it around and talk about the promise. Let your report be: “God is supplying all my needs. It may look impossible on paper, but with God, all things are possible.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY: “Father, thank You that I do not have to keep being snared by the words of my mouth. I choose to not focus on or talk about negative circumstances and problems but on Your faithful promises. Help me to keep speaking the right things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Joel Osteen (March-15-2020) Daily Devotion: What are You Believing For?

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: “You’re my son, and today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a prize?” Psalm 2:7–8, MSG

TODAY'S WORD: Did you notice in today’s Scripture how big God thinks? Sometimes we’re praying for a dollar-an-hour raise; God’s talking about giving you nations. We’re praying to pay our bills; God’s planning on blessing you so you can also pay other people’s bills. We’re looking at the five loaves and two fish; God’s thinking about the twelve basketfuls of leftovers.

What does that mean, “Today is your birthday”? On your birthday, more than at any other time, you feel entitled to ask for something special. When you were a child, you knew that was your special day. You had the boldness to ask for what you really wanted. God is saying, “When you pray, act as though it’s your birthday and I am your heavenly Father. Come to Me with boldness. Ask Me for what you really want. Don’t hold back. Tell Me what you’re believing for. Ask for the secret things I placed in your heart.” Dare to ask big.

PRAYER FOR TODAY: “Father, thank You for declaring that this day is my birthday and for inviting me to come to You with boldness and to ask for what I want. Help me to think big like You think. I believe that You will move heaven and earth to bring about Your destiny in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

 Charles Stanley (March-12-2020) Daily Devotional: Responding to Others’ Failures.

The apostle Paul sacrificed much. He faced hunger, shipwreck, beatings, and imprisonment to carry God’s Word to others. Consequently, he had every reason to expect the men and women he mentored to be faithful when he experienced a crisis. But Paul was virtually alone when he endured his Roman prison and trial before a government tribunal—only Luke continued to lend support.

Paul’s friends probably had reason to stay away—namely, fear that the tribunal would investigate them next, or confidence that the apostle’s faith would sustain him. Regardless of the reason, Paul had only these words for his deserters: “May it not be counted against them” (2 Timothy 4:16).

Paul’s words echo Stephen’s story. As Stephen was stoned for preaching the Word, Paul—at the time a Pharisee called Saul—looked on approvingly. When the apostle later repented after his experience on the road to Damascus, the memory of Stephen’s final words must have provided great comfort: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).

While resentment and anger seem justified when others fail us, we don’t have the right to withhold forgiveness. Regard- less of the pain someone inflicted or the loneliness his or her absence caused, God’s expectation doesn’t change: We should forgive because Jesus forgave us.

Joyce Meyer (March-10-2020) Daily Devotion: An Ideal Me.

A great and practical way to improve your life is to create a vision of the ideal you. Carry this vision around in your thoughts as you might carry a photo in your wallet. Begin to see yourself the way you want to be—the way God says you can be—instead of how you’ve always been.

With God’s help, intentionally say and do the things the “ideal you” would do, instead of what the old you would have done. If you’ve never been a very disciplined person, but you’d like to become one, start saying, “I am disciplined. I feel great, I take care of myself, and I stay on task.” Believe that God has given you discipline and self-control, and begin acting on it.

Finally, make your goals concrete by writing them down. God told Habakkuk to write his vision down so that the people would be able to run with it (see Habakkuk 2:2), and we can follow his example.

Prayer Starter: Father, please give me a clear vision of the person I want to be (and who You want me to be). Thank You for giving me the strength I need to take the steps I need to take to become that person. In Jesus’s Name, amen.

Charles Stanley (March-07-2020) Daily Devotional: The Moments That Sustain Us.

When life falls apart, what do you do? All of us face hard circumstances—and some of these are very painful situations that last a long time. Unless we have a purposeful focus, joy can fade and hope may seem unattainable.

King David experienced extreme hardships, including the grief of losing both a child and a best friend. He also endured Saul’s attempts to kill him and, later on, a rebellion led by his own son. But even in hard times, David found hope and peace in God.

Why was David able to trust in the Lord? Because he knew how to meditate. That is, he focused his mind and spirit on God’s character, ways, and will in order to know the Lord better and obey Him.

What do you think about during the day? Do you set aside time to dwell solely on Jesus? Remind yourself periodically to bring your attention back to the Creator—one way to do this is to read several psalms and notice how the author refocuses on almighty God.

By continually focusing on God, David found peace in the midst of turmoil. We would be wise to follow his example. During times of difficulty, set your eyes on the Father and meditate on His Word.

Charles Stanley (March-06-2020) Daily Devotional: Sanctification Isn’t Passive.

Did you know that the purpose of God’s salvation isn’t just to save you from hell and get you into heaven? His priority is to shape you into the image of Jesus (Rom. 8:29). But God doesn’t do everything for us—we have to participate in the process with Him. Sadly, however, a lot of Christians have a passive attitude that tolerates sin and makes excuses.

When you got saved, you began your walk with Jesus, but you also stepped into spiritual warfare with Satan. The last thing our enemy wants is someone who loves the Lord and tells others about Him.

Yet many believers don’t live a holy life. In fact, some of them look and act just like the unbelieving world. In today’s passage, sexual immorality is one area of compromise that the apostle Paul addressed specifically. But in truth, we should abstain from anything that interferes with godly living.

Have you allowed something in your life that shouldn’t be there? If so, distance yourself from it now. You don’t want a thread of sin to become a rope, then a chain, and finally a cable that traps you in a stronghold. Turn back to the Lord, and let your sanctification continue.

Joel Osteen (March-06-2020) Daily Devotion: Listen Closely and Follow.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8, NIV

TODAY'S WORD: Many times we don’t realize that God is speaking to us. We feel an impression on the inside, a prompting to be good to someone. That’s not random. That’s God talking to us. Or, maybe you’re in a situation where you feel an uneasiness. Something says, “It’s not right. Stay away.” That’s not just your nerves. It’s God protecting you. Don’t ignore it, don’t talk yourself out of it; just obey. If you’ll follow that still, small voice, God says He will guide you along the best path for your life. If we’re listening to His still, small voice—the promptings, the suggestions, the alarms—He will save us from heartache and pain. He’ll lead us into promotion and favor. Too often we feel these impressions on the inside, but we dismiss them as not making sense, or override or overanalyze them. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Just obey. Anytime you obey, a blessing will always follow.

PRAYER FOR TODAY: “Father, thank You for loving me and for speaking to my heart. Thank You for giving me an inner ear to know right from wrong. Help me to be sensitive to Your still, small voice and hear it with clarity, to hear any alarms, promptings, and suggestions, and to be quick to obey. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Charles Stanley (March-05-2020) Daily Devotionals: God’s Grand Plan

Charles Stanley (March-03-2020) Daily Devotionals: A Living Hope.

Hope is a belief or expectation that something will happen. If it doesn’t, we may experience discouragement, depression, or even despair.

So how can we remain hopeful? First, remember the reason for our confidence: our relationship with Jesus. At salvation, we’re born into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3)—God made us a new creation, and we are no longer slaves to sin (2 Corinthians 5:17). His Spirit lives in us. We’ve been made co-heirs with Christ, and our true home is in heaven with Him.

Second, spend time in the Word. Romans 15:4 says that the Bible was written to give us encouragement and hope. The Psalms can be especially helpful in difficult times because they express the writers’ real feelings and provide comfort.

Third, rely on the Lord’s faithfulness. Trusting Him will always turn out for our good.

Believers shouldn’t react to trials the way the world does. Instead, we are to live by faith— “confidence in what we hope for” (Heb. 11:1 NIV). When circumstances overwhelm you, focus on Jesus. Look for encouragement in His Word and be reminded of what is yours in Christ (Eph. 1:3-8).

Joel Osteen (February-19-2020) Daily Devotion: Start Some Good Fires.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. And the tongue is a flame of fire… James 3:5–6, TLB

TODAY'S WORD: We need to realize that God hears what we say every day. He hears us when we bless people, when we compliment and encourage them, and when we push them forward. He hears when we criticize and stir up trouble. The prophet Isaiah said that we will eat the fruit of our words. If you sow disrespect, sarcasm, discord, and judgment, you’re going to reap those things. But when you sow kindness, encouragement, and mercy, that’s what you’re going to reap.

James said that our tongue is like a fire, and one spark can set a whole forest on fire. One word can start a major problem or a major blessing. You can start some good fires. Ignite dreams, ignite hope, ignite passion. Your words can put people on their feet, breathe new life into their dreams. Don’t be a part of the problem, be a part of the solution. Be a lifter, be an encourager, be a healer.

PRAYER FOR TODAY: “Father, thank You for the people You have placed in my life. I want to love them like You do. Help me to use my words to start some good fires. I believe that You are making me into a lifter, an encourager, a healer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”