Receive 40 powerful promises from God with this new spirit-filled devotional from Joel! You’ll experience a fresh start and joy every day as you speak God’s Word over your life. This new resource will help you receive favor, healing, freedom, and blessing in your relationships. You were created to flourish in every area of your life!
Today's Word: Jan 22, 2021
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, to prince, to princess, to highly favored. I'm going to make your life so rewarding, so fulfilling, so blessed, that you won't even think about the shame."
Friend, no matter how big the obstacle, no matter what limitations have slowed you down in the past—know that your tomorrow is good and in God’s hands! No matter what your story has been, God is writing for your future.
The decisions we make every day don't just affect our lives, they affect generations to come. When you make decisions that honor God, when you're generous and faithful, it is being credited to your children's account, to your grandchildren, to future generations. Just as there is a generational curse of negatives that can be passed down, there is a generational blessing. God is keeping an account of every good thing you do, the times you forgive when you could stay bitter, the times you're being your best when nobody is giving you credit. That's not being overlooked. It's accruing mercy, favor, and blessing in your family's account. You can be the one to set your family on a new course of blessing. You can start freedom, wholeness, and victory.
Twenty-three years after David died, his son King Solomon had married foreign wives and started worshipping their idols. He knew better, but he let his heart turn away from the Lord. This could have been the end, but God said, "Solomon, you've not kept My covenant, and I would normally take this kingdom from you. However, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it" (1 Kings 11:12). David started a blessing, and even after he died, his children walked in the blessing. They received mercy because of how he lived.
Over three hundred years after David died, eight generations later, his descendant King Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem were surrounded by a huge Assyrian army. It looked as though Hezekiah was done, but God sent an angel who destroyed 185,000 of the enemy troops. In a split second the army was defeated and the nation was saved. I can imagine Hezekiah asking, "God, what did I do to deserve this favor?" God said, "Hezekiah, it wasn't anything you did. It was for the sake of my servant David. He stored up mercy for you three hundred years ago. You're walking in the favor, the protection, the blessing that he deposited into your account" 2 Kings 19:34).
How this should challenge us to be our very best--to not to be mediocre, to not get sidetracked by offenses, to not try to pay people back, to not compromise and give in to temptations. Make your life count. Start a blessing. You're affecting generations to come. You can pass down blessings, favor, generosity, and faithfulness. Or you can pass down dysfunction, bitterness, and mediocrity. Start the blessing, start the favor, start the freedom. God is counting on you to take your family to a new level. Because of your faithfulness, they're going to go further, accomplish more, and become all they were created to be.
You don’t have to spend another minute being infected by wrong thinking. I have the exact prescription, and it doesn’t cost anything. If you start renewing your mind with what God says about you, it will clear up all the places that are infected, and it will heal all the places that are hurting.
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