Quote Of The Day - One Of The Things

Love, love, love this.
Now to put this into practice and watch the blood do a new thing in my life, my family's, and all those people I come in contact with.
God Bless.

Quote of the Day -Joyce Meyer
“One of the things you can do as a confident woman is apply the blood of Jesus Christ by faith to your household. I do this regularly. I apply it to my own life, my mind, emotions, will, body, conscience, spirit, finances, relationships, my walk with God, my husband, children and their families, co-workers and all the partners of Joyce Meyer Ministries. I do this by praying and releasing my faith that there is indeed power in the blood of Jesus to cleanse and protect.”
-Joyce Meyer, The Confident Woman: Start Today Living Boldly and Without Fear

A Force For Good

A word for today from Joyce! 

What the world needs now is love, sweet love and for us, who call themselves Christian's to come together and become the a force so fierce, the earth will shake and have no choice to get in line.

May it be so.

God Bless.

A Force for Good

Adapted from the resource Starting Your Day Right Devotional - by Joyce Meyer

We can improve our relationships with others by leaps and bounds if we become encouragers instead of critics.

It is the greater person who does the right thing; Christ’s righteousness dwells in you to help you do what is right. You are great in God’s eyes when you choose to do right and bless others.

No matter how rough your day is today, speak words that uplift and encourage those around you. Encourage others if you notice them doing a good job—not just those who work with you, but people wherever you go, such as store clerks, auto mechanics, and waiters.

Say something like, “I appreciate the extra effort you are making to do your job well.” You can change your life and someone else’s by choosing to speak positive words.

Prayer Starter: Father, please show me when I am being critical and negative toward others. Help me today to speak encouraging words of life to all those around me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Quote Of The Day - What Is Confidence

This is so good. Confidence is something I think that is lacking in the church big time because people are always judging others because they don't have confidence in who they are so they have to tear everyone they are around down.

Imagine what the world would be like if we start to raise people up instead of tearing down. 

So yeah, confidence the hidden gem in a Christian walk that could cultivate and bring a much needed change.

God Bless.

Quote of the Day -Joyce Meyer

“What is confidence? I believe confidence is all about being positive concerning what you can do and not worrying over what you can’t do. Confident people do not concentrate on their weaknesses; they develop and maximize their strengths.” 

-Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions

Let Your Light Shine

This is such a powerful little devotional. Imagine what the world could look like if we adapted just a little bit of kindness no matter who we come in contact with.

So, maybe it is time we let our light shine into the darkness.

God Bless.

Let Your Light Shine

Adapted from the resource Love Out Loud Devotional - by Joyce Meyer

Here's an idea: Get yourself a big box and start going through your possessions, asking God to show you what you have that you can use to bless others. Fill it up with things that are nice but that you no longer need.

Look in cabinets, drawers, closets, the basement, and the garage. You will fill up your box quickly! Don't keep something for years in case you ever need it—if you're anything like me, by the time you need it, you will have forgotten that you have it and go buy another one anyway.

Take the clutter that is frustrating you and turn it into blessings. Keep the box in a handy place and start asking God to show you who needs to be blessed.

One woman I know, who is a radical giver, got all the things together she wanted to use to bless people and displayed them on her kitchen table. She invited several friends over and told them to take anything they wanted from the table. She urged them to keep on taking until everything was gone.

I encourage you to be a giver and look for ways in which you can use what you have to be a blessing to others.

Prayer Starter: Lord, thank You so much for Your goodness and blessings in my life. Help me to always be mindful of other people’s needs and look for creative ways to share Your blessing with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Working For God

Love this. Love the  concept the author is trying to convey in this little devotional.

Right now, my family and I are living some sort of this. We are doing the right thing in a matter while others are getting away somethings and seem to prospering while we are left wondering what is happening Lord? Did you forget about us?

So when I came across this little devotional, I grabbed hold of the hope written. 

And surely I am not the only one where it looks like your getting screwed and is hanging by a thread and your left wondering where God is.

Be encouraged, God will not let us down.

God Bless.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," - (Colossians 3:23)

This section of Colossians is titled:

Character of the Christian life. It is a rule for holy living. No matter how they laugh at you, scorn or scoff at you, call you an idiot, you still keep doing the right thing. You show up for work on time after you've being up all night with a sick child, you prepare your husband's meals even though he's having an affair and you clock in your normal volunteer hours although you are not recognized for what you do. It hurts sometimes, but keep working for God regardless of what men say or do, He is your rewarder.

-Author Unknown 

Quote Of The Day - Depression

Warning: Truth bomb below.

God Bless and may depression become a thing of your past.


Quote of the Day -Joyce Meyer
Depression begins with disappointment. When disappointment festers in our soul, it leads to discouragement.
– Joyce Meyer

Lie Awake

The next time you can't sleep may you recall the words of this little devotional and it brings you comfort and closer to the one who created you.

God Bless.

Lie Awake

I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. (NLT) -Psalm 63:6

Do you ever have a hard time going to sleep or worse, wake up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep? Thinking of God in these quiet times can be precious moments when little else can distract you. It can even lead to better rest because of the peace you receive from meditating on God.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Quote Of The Day - It's All In Your Mind

This is a great, thought provoking little devotional.
The mind is such a powerful thing. And we need all the help we can get to help tame it and may this little devotional be the start of it.
God Bless.

Quote of the Day -Joyce Meyer
“It’s All in Your Mind Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind. —Anonymous INTRODUCTION One of my favorite sayings is, “Where the mind goes, the man follows.”
-Joyce Meyer, Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind

Show Kindness

Kindness, the new cool, in thing to do, and everyone should throw it around like glitter to a world that is so in need of it.

So in a world where you can be anything, be kind.

God Bless.

Show Kindness

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him. (NLT) -Proverbs 14:31

God cares about the poor, oppressed and needy.  He is a God of justice.  We please our Maker when we show kindness to those in need.  Find one practical way to show compassion towards someone in your life today.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Lord Create In Me

May this be my prayer for not only this month, but for the year, and if the Lord tarries, for the years tarried,

And if it is good enough for me, I know it will be life changing for you.

God Bless.

Psalm 84:1-2

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Lord God, please create in me a heart that longs for You always.  Help us to seek You every day in the details and circumstances of our everyday lives!  Reveal Yourself God, and draw us close to You.  Bring about repentance and restoration; heal our hearts and minds from the damage that constantly barrages us.  May we always remember Your unfailing love and return to You: the only One worthy to be our first love.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.

http://www.verse-a-day.com/Apps

Our Goal

This is a good reminder of what one of our goal as Christian's should be as this year gears up.

God Bless.

Ephesians 6:13-17

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Remember, our goal in spiritual warfare is to stand firm in our faith in Christ Jesus. The enemy would have you doubt the truth of God, just like He did to Adam and Eve in Eden. (Genesis 3) Because of Christ we are able to "put on" salvation, faith, truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace as armor; these are very real and protect us. Along with the word of God (our offensive weapon), each of these things is a gift from God through belief in and fellowship with Christ. Ask God to help you suit up for what is in store. You have help and protection, and are never alone in Christ.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.

http://www.verse-a-day.com/Apps

Did You Know You Are

A good reminder in the words written below as we go throughout this year and may we have the confidence in who we are no matter what comes our way.

God Bless.

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. (NLT) -Mark 16:15

Did you know that you are the church? You are commissioned by Jesus to preach the Good News to everyone. It’s not just the job of your pastor or the staff of your church to grow the family of God. Every Christian is empowered through the Holy Spirit to tell others about the love of God. 

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Does Prayer Even Work

Does prayer actually work is a question air have asked a lot over my lifetime. For me, it doesn't seem to. For everytime I pray, something goes wrong or gets worse.

However, I strive to overcome my doubts about prayer and I am always thankful when I run across something that helps keeps me on the prayer path.

And I don't want to be greedy but I want to share the wealth in hopes it will make a difference in others who have asked if prayer actually works and doesn't get the results they are looking for.

God Bless.

Does prayer even work?  Prayer—though it is often draining, even an agony—is in the long term the greatest source of power that is possible. - Timothy Keller People often say, “God didn’t answer my prayer.”

Actually, God does indeed answer every prayer we pray. Sometimes He says, “Yes,” sometimes He says, “No” and other times He says, “Wait.” But, when we don’t get our prayers answered according to our desires, we assume that “He didn’t answer our prayer.”  This thought pattern tends to be very selfish and yet, if we are all honest, we have probably entertained this thought at some point in our lives. We asked God to do this good thing for us. When it didn’t happen, we found ourselves left with a bruised heart because we trusted God. 

And that’s just plain difficult to accept. But we can’t allow our discouragement with our unfulfilled plans cause us to doubt the God who created the world. When we come to a place where we truly believe God has our best interests at heart, there is a peace that follows. Oftentimes, His “no” answers are to protect us.  When we don’t get the answer we desire from God, instead of the first response being “Why did you let this happen?” let’s begin asking, “How are you going to use this?” Let’s change our “why” to “how.” Adjusting our view of God that shows Him as mean and withholding, to a God who wants the best for us will indeed change us from the inside out. So, does prayer even work?  Well, if our definition of prayer is that we say a prayer and ask for God to grant us something that we are asking for and He doesn’t, then no, prayer doesn’t work. But, if we see prayer as having an ongoing, two-way conversation with God where we grow in our intimacy with Him, then yes, prayer does work. It all depends on our definition.

As we close out this reading plan, may we be closer to God than before. Someone once said, “When life is rough, pray. When life is great, pray.” And let’s remember that the objective of praying is not about sounding extra spiritual in a prayer meeting or acquiring every material possession we want. The objective is an intimate relationship with God.  So, let’s just keep praying—on the pretty days, on the ugly days, on the glorious days, and on the melancholy days. Because He’s always there; nearer to us than our breath.  Reflect Have you ever asked, “God didn’t answer my prayer?”

Share about that experience. Spend some time asking God to reveal His truth to you regarding that experience. Write down any revelation that God speaks to you through today’s Bible reading or devotional.

-Author Unknown

Be Difficult To Offend

Yeah, okay. Sometimes your blindsided and offence is just a natural course of action but thank God for little devotional's like this one and the ability to look back upon to help keep us on track.

We can be overcomers and offense will no longer have the same effect on us as it once did.

God Bless.

Be Difficult to Offend

by Joyce Meyer 

Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble - Psalm 119:165 

People who want to live powerful lives must become experts at forgiving those who offend and hurt them. When someone hurts my feelings or is rude and insensitive to me, I find it helpful to quickly say, “I will not be offended.” I have to say those words quietly in my heart if the person is still in my presence, but later when the memory of what he or she did returns to haunt me, I repeat them aloud. When I say, “I will not be offended,” I always pray for God to help me, realizing that I can do nothing without Him. My husband, Dave, has always been difficult to offend. When he is around people who could hurt him or in situations where he could be offended, he says, “I am not going to let negative people control my mood. They have problems and they are not going to give their problems to me.” On the other hand, I spent many years getting my feelings hurt regularly and living in the agony of offense, but I am not willing to live that way any longer. I am busy getting a new mind-set. Are you willing to join me in becoming a person who is hard to offend? If so, you will open the door to more peace and joy than you have ever known before. People are everywhere, and you never know what they might say or do. Why give the control of your day to other people? Being hurt and offended does not change the people, it only changes us. It makes us miserable and steals our peace and joy, so why not prepare ourselves mentally not to fall into Satan’s trap? 

Developing the mind-set that you are a person who is difficult to offend will make your life much more pleasant. Trust in Him: Do you get your feelings hurt easily? Trust God to help you become a person who is difficult to offend. 

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2012 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Receiving When We Ask

I have been told this is my problem, I don't receive what I ask for and thus my prayers are left in limbo.

I don't know if this is true or not but when I came across this little devotional, it spoke to me. And if it speaks to me, well then, maybe it will speak to others.

God Bless.

Receiving When We Ask 

My Father knows what I need, even before I ask Him.
One of the great secrets of getting things from God is
receiving. There are many people who ask but never
receive. There is a Scripture verse that is very emphatic
about this principle of receiving. Jesus was speaking about
petitioning God, and He said,
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask
when you pray, believe that you receive them, and
you will have them. (Mark 11:24)
The New International Version says, “Believe that you
have received it,” which is a more literal translation. We
receive the things we ask for when we pray. If you pray in
that way—believing that when you pray, you receive—you
will have what you ask for.
Notice that receiving is not the same as having.
Receiving is settling it; having is the experience that
follows. Let’s say you have a financial need. You pray. You
are in touch with God. You say, “God, we need fifteen
hundred dollars by Thursday.” Then, you say, “Thank You,
God.” You have received it. Nothing has changed in your
circumstances, but you have received it nevertheless. You
will have it.
Thank You, Father, that You know me completely. I
proclaim that I receive what I request when I pray,
because receiving is settling it. My Father knows what
I need, even before I ask Him. Amen.

-Author Unknown 

What Is Prayer

And now you know the rest of the story. Or at least have a good knowledge base as to what prayer is.

God Bless.

What is prayer? 

 According to Dictionary.com, prayer is: A devout petition to God or an object of worship. A spiritual communion with God or an object of worship. The act or practice of praying to God or an object of worship. 

 When the word prayer comes to our minds, we probably have a picture of what that looks like. Maybe it’s a pastor of a church dressed in a white robe, standing up high behind a pulpit with his arms stretched out over his congregation. It could be a grandmother kneeling next to her bed, hands crossed, silenting talking to God. Perhaps it’s a group of women holding hands in a circle in the fellowship hall of a church. Regardless of your background, you probably have some prior experience with the concept of prayer.  If we are honest, though, most of us almost cringe when we hear someone say anything about prayer. We might even feel like the writers of the Psalms who beg God to hear their cries and prayers, but wonder if He really will. The reasoning behind that negative thought process is probably because we don’t think we are doing it enough. So, when someone asks, “have you prayed about that?” or “how’s your prayer life?” we typically feel bombarded with discouragement.  Billy Graham said, “prayer is simply a two-way conversation between you and God.” Pretty simple, isn’t it? And yet we seem to make it such a complex act. So, let’s consider prayer as communication with God. Plain and simple. God, our Creator, meets us right where we are. We don’t have to fix ourselves or put on a happy face before we come to Him. We can come to Him when we need His peace, His guidance, and His hope when we feel no peace, are completely lost, and have little to no hope.

No part of our messy life scares Him. Isn’t that a relief? Prayer is simply: getting to know God. communicating our desires to God.  listening to God speak truths to our spirit. voicing our need for God to help us.  observing God in creation and praising Him. sitting with God in our pain, and asking Him to comfort us. expressing our gratitude by thanking God.  an ongoing conversation with God.

Our prayer lives should be less about a short segment in the morning to “start our day off right” and more about an ongoing, vibrant, open-ended conversation that we have throughout our day with our God—our Heavenly Father.

-Author Unknown 

Get Dirty

Love this. And it couldn't be closer to the truth. As Christians, it is time to get dirty and dig deeper into what God is saying in this day.

People are dying and we need to speak life to those in need for those are the ones God is going after and it's time to jump on His bandwagon.

God Bless.

Get dirty.

 Prayer is never a last line of defense. It’s our first line of offense. - Craig Groeschel 

The Bible tells us to pray for others. One thing our prayers do is encourage people. When we get a text message, a note, or a phone call from someone saying they prayed for us, that encourages us.  In praying for others, we are on the front lines of their lives. We get to pray on their behalf. As we grow in our closeness with God, praying for others will become easier, more natural, and even exciting. So, as we go about our day, let’s get our knees dirty and pray. Here are three groups to pray for: Our inner circle.  The smallest circle are the people in our lives we are closest to, including ourselves. This group needs us in their lives. It consists of family members and our closest friends. Praying for this group will be easier because we know them better. A majority of our prayers will go towards people in this group because they are at the forefront of our minds. Our middle circle.  This middle circle will be larger than our inner circle. This group consists of good friends, acquaintances and extended family members. We won’t always know what to pray for the people in this group but nonetheless, we pray for them anyway. A simple, “God, please give your wisdom to John” or “God, I pray she comes to know You” will suffice. Our outer circle.  This group will be the largest group in our life. It consists of people we don’t know or have a one-time interaction with. It could be the leader of our country, a celebrity, or a server at a restaurant.

The prayers for these people might be far more general simply because we are not aware of what needs they have. Sometimes these prayers will not be specific so more general prayers are appropriate. Here are some ideas to get us started:  Make a daily list and pray through it. Sit quietly and allow God to bring people to mind. Put a reminder on your phone to prompt you to pray.  Turn the music off while driving and pray instead.

Pray in the moment when the need arises.  To impact others, we must halt our own agendas. Our prayers don’t have to be long, and we don’t have to worry about the outcome. We did our part. We can stand on the truth that every prayer we ever pray will be heard by a loving, good God. Our prayers can be both spontaneous and planned. When God says we can come to Him for anything and everything, He really does mean it. Let’s take Him up on His offer. Reflect Spend time organizing your different circles and make a plan to go to God on their behalf regularly. 

Write down any revelation that God speaks to you through today’s Bible reading or devotional.

-Author Unknown 

Persistent Prayers

We are in a need of some people to rise up and become so persistent in praying that mountains will be moved.

The world is watching, what we do next will have lasting effects.

God Bless.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." (NLT) -Luke 11:9

The power of persistent prayer is incredible. Strength rises up in your voice as you continuously seek God's answer to your prayers. Rest assured that He will always answer: through fulfillment of your prayer, a firm "no," or by guiding your heart in a different direction, causing you to no longer seek the answer to that prayer. Go ahead and pray a specific prayer daily.

Download this app to get your daily devotions: http://www.jctrois.com/dailybibledevotion/

Determined People

May we become a determined people who will stop at nothing to change the world for the glory of God.

God Bless.

Determined People Succeed

by Joyce Meyer

[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go.
—Hebrews 11:8
I enjoy watching or reading biographies of various people who have succeeded in ministry, entertainment, or business. Without fail, almost every one of them has "paid their dues," so to speak. What I mean is that in the early days of their quest they had to be very determined not to give up or quit. They endured many failures before having any success.
Occasionally, we see what I call "shooting stars," people who quickly rise to the top of their profession without going through all the difficult early days, but they normally don't last too long. They come out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. Character is developed during difficult times. Our call and desires are tested when we are told no time after time and still remain determined.
I am told that Abraham Lincoln ran for several public offices and was defeated several times before he was elected to the office of president of the United States. Many people would have given up, but not him. Thomas Edison, who invented the electric light, had about a thousand experiments fail before he succeeded.
Only determined people succeed. Just because we take a step of faith does not mean that we will avoid the rest of the process. God usually builds slow and solid, not fast and fragile.

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From the book New Day, New Youby Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2006 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Light Up The Darkness

Amen! Let's do this thing.

God Bless.

Light Up the Darkness

by Joyce Meyer

Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God.
—Isaiah 41:10
God’s Word is clear on this point: We are not to fear. Notice that He doesn’t say that we are never to feel fear, but He does say we shouldn’t allow fear to control us and steal our destiny.
It’s important to remember that what we hide in the darkness has to be brought into the light if we’re going to get rid of it. Go into a completely dark room and switch on the light. What happens? The darkness is swallowed up. That is the way God and His Word work in our lives. When we do what God’s Word tells us to do, those fears that try to torment us are swallowed up. They’re gone, and they have no power over you.
How I wish I had a magic wand I could wave or a prayer I could say that would end fear in your life once and for all. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. Prayer does give us the strength to stand against fear, but for us to overcome and be conquerors as God intends us to be, we must realize that we can “feel the fear and do it anyway,” and then we’ll be free.
Lord, may the power of Your Word be effective in dealing with the fears I bring to You now. Show me the truths that set my soul free. Amen.

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From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.