Devotion

Scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). But one thing people do all the time is that they start speaking the right things; they speak words of faith and life, but then they turn around and speak the exact opposite of what they just said! They’ll declare a promise and then start talking about how bad everything is. They’ll say, “God is my provider!” Then they’ll say, “Look how bad the economy is. I don’t think I’ll ever get out of debt.” That’s just like planting a seed in the ground and then digging it right back up again before it ever has a chance to take bethelicnycdbadm and blossom.

If you and I are going to see the harvest of blessing God has for our futures, we can’t “dig up” our seeds of faith by allowing words of defeat or negativity to come out of our mouths. Instead, we have to water the seeds of faith by continuing to declare His Word. When you wake up every morning, start thanking Him that His promises are coming to pass in your life. All throughout the day, focus on keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy.

This is what Joshua and Caleb did in the Old Testament. They declared what God was able to do even when everyone else around them shrunk back in fear. Because of their faith, they were able to possess their Promised Land.

At the time, Moses had led the children of Israel out of captivity, and they were on the verge of possessing the land that God had promised. This Promised Land was already inhabited, so Moses sent twelve men—including Joshua and Caleb—to spy it out and report back to him. The inhabitants of the land were huge people—giants—strong and powerful. Certainly, when the twelve Hebrew spies saw the giants, they were awestruck. I can imagine that over the many days they observed these giants, they saw things that invoked fear in their hearts. They may have seen the giants practicing their fighting skills or workers carrying huge boulders larger than what most humans could carry. Scripture doesn’t really tell us what they saw, but apparently, whatever it was terrified almost all the spies.

I would imagine that Joshua and Caleb were also impressed by what they saw. No doubt they, too, were tempted to fear the giants. But Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit than their companions. They knew what God had promised, and they chose to trust God over what they saw with their eyes in the natural realm. The other spies spoke out of their fear, saying to Moses, “We are but grasshoppers compared to the giants” while Joshua and Caleb chose to speak faith and declared, “We are well able to overcome! Let us go at once and possess the land!

Because Joshua and Caleb stood strong in their position of faith, out of that entire generation, they were the only two who ever made it into the Promised Land.

We all have giants or obstacles that try to keep us from possessing what God has promised. We have two choices: we can quit and live in mediocrity, or we can fight and take hold of the victory. Today, don’t let your circumstances dictate what’s coming out of your mouth; instead, let what comes out of your mouth dictate your circumstances. And most importantly—don’t dig up your seed! Give your faith a voice and let God will bless you and promote you. Before long, you will be entering your promised land!

“Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV)

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Colossians 3:12-17

Webster defines gift as “something given to show friendship, affection, support, etc.” Using this definition, it seems logical to give gifts only to people we love, not to those who hurt or abuse us. Yet Scripture clearly tells us to offer one of the greatest possible gifts—forgiveness—to those who mistreat us.

To forgive means “to give up all claims to punish or exact a penalty for an offense.” No strings or conditions can be attached, or else it ceases to be a pardon. Ephesians 2:8-9 expands on this by contrasting the gift of salvation with works. Neither salvation nor forgiveness can be earned; both must be freely given. God granted us forgiveness, which we did not deserve and could not earn. And in much the same way, we are to release every offender from any form of penalty.

Unforgiveness is emotional bondage that consumes minds with memories of offenses, distorts emotions with revenge, and fills hearts with churning unrest. Its tentacles reach deep into the soul, affecting both spiritual and physical health. But the one who chooses to put on love and offer forgiveness is ready to receive the peace of Christ. Let God’s Word help you release hurt and anger into His caring hands—then watch as vengeful thoughts are transformed into praise and gratitude to the Lord.

Thankfully, the gift of pardon is not something we have to manufacture in ourselves. This present is wrapped in the love of God and tied with the red ribbon of Christ’s sacrifice. It is freely given to us by the Savior, and our job is simply to pass it on to others.

Copyright 2013 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.

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And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
—Deuteronomy 12:7

I used to hate waiting in the airport, but Dave always wanted to arrive early. I finally changed my mind. It is amazing what happens when you decide to enjoy God every day. It is easy to get so caught up in all your responsibilities that you forget to enjoy what you are doing.

You can get so busy raising your children that you forget to enjoy them. You can get so caught up in cleaning your house, trying to pay for it, and remodeling it, that you forget to enjoy it. But you can learn to enjoy God so much that no matter what you do today, you can truly say, “I enjoyed it.”

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A woman shopping in Houston happily hummed a tune as she collected the items she wished to purchase and approached the cashier. The clerk just stared at her for a long moment, as though wondering what was wrong with her, offering an obligatory, “How are you doing today?”

That’s all it took. The woman nearly bubbled over. “How nice of you to ask! I’m doing great. I am so blessed!”

The clerk looked at the woman quizzically for a moment and then said, “Let me ask you a question. Do you go to Lakewood Church?”

“Why, yes I do. How did you guess?”

The clerk shook her head and smiled, “I should have known. Everybody that comes in here like you is from Lakewood.”

What a great compliment! That’s the way it should be. God’s people should be the happiest people on earth. So happy, in fact, that other people notice. Why? Because we not only have a fabulous future, we can enjoy life today!

Living your best life now means being excited about the life God has given you. It means believing for more good things in the days ahead, while living in the moment and enjoying it to the hilt.

Too often, we get comfortable with where we are in life and use that as an excuse to remain in mediocrity. “My parents were poor,” we say with a pout. “Before them, my grandparents were poor. Nobody in my family has ever amounted to much, so I guess I won’t either.”

Don’t believe that lie. My dad came from the poorest of families. His parents were cotton farmers, and they lost everything in the Great Depression. My grandmother worked 14 to 15 hours a day washing people’s clothes, earning 10 cents an hour.

They were good people, but nobody in our family line had ever amounted to much, living instead under a curse of poverty and defeat. Then one day, at age 17, my dad committed his life to Christ, and God put a dream in his heart to preach.

Certainly, the odds were against him. But God is not limited by our environment, family background or present circumstances. God is limited only by our lack of faith.

I’m so thankful that Daddy didn’t listen to all the naysayers. He believed that God had more in store for him than staying home and picking cotton. And because he stayed focused on his dream and was willing to step out in faith, he broke that curse of poverty. Now, my siblings and I, and our children, grandchildren, even our great-grandchildren, are all going to experience more of the goodness of God.

Let me challenge you to believe for more. Don’t travel the road for the next 50 years and be at the same place you’re at today.

Maybe you came from a family like my dad’s, where they didn’t have much. Perhaps you hail from a long line of divorce, failure, depression or mediocrity. You need to say, “Enough is enough. I’m going to start believing God for bigger and better things.”

That was the attitude of Phyllis, one of our members at Lakewood. When Phyllis was 16 years old, she got pregnant and had to leave high school. Her dreams were shattered. She rented a cramped, small apartment in which to live and raise her son, eventually going on welfare.

But finally Phyllis said, “I refuse to pass this lifestyle down to my children. I’m going to be the person God wants me to be.” She got rid of all thoughts of defeat and failure and started expecting the supernatural favor of God. She did her part, and God did His.

Phyllis got a job at a school cafeteria collecting kids’ meal tickets. The job paid minimum wage, and Phyllis was thankful for it. But she wasn’t satisfied, believing that God had better things in store. She went back to school for her high-school diploma. But still, she wasn’t satisfied.

So, after working all day, she began attending college at night. In four years, she graduated with honors, then returned for her master’s degree.

Today, Phyllis is reaping the rewards of that effort. She’s not on welfare anymore; she is a principal in that same school district where she used to collect the meal tickets. She, too, broke the curse of poverty in her family.

You can do something similar. Dream bigger dreams. God wants to do more than you can even ask or think. Start living your best life now!

“Yes, but Joel, it’s been a rough year. I’ve gone through so many disappointments. I’ve lost a lot of good things.”

Maybe so, but have you considered this: If it were not for the goodness of God, you might have lost it all. Why not be grateful for what you have? Quit looking at what’s wrong and start thanking God for what’s right. Get up each day expecting God’s favor.

This could be the day you get your miracle. The day you meet the person of your dreams. The day your child returns home. That’s how you stay enthusiastic, even in tough time: You stay filled with hope.

“What if I do all that and nothing happens?” I hear you saying. “I’ll go to bed all discouraged, another disappointment.”

No, you can go to bed saying, God, even though it didn’t happen today, I’m still believing for good things in my life, knowing that I’m one day closer to a breakthrough.

Friend, no matter what you’ve been through, no matter whose fault it was, no matter how impossible your situation may look, the good news is that God wants to turn it around and restore what has been stolen from you. Most of all, He wants to restore your relationship with Him.

God doesn’t want you simply to feel a little better for a few days. No, God is in the long-term restoration business. He doesn’t want you simply to survive that marriage. He wants to turn it around and restore to you a strong, healthy relationship. God doesn’t want your business to merely make it through the murky economic waters. He wants your business to excel!

Start expecting things to change in your favor. It’s your faith that activates the power of God. Remember, if you obey God and are willing to trust Him, you will have the best this life has to offer — and more. You can start living your best life now.

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