The Father’s Blessing is Yours! This new leather-bound resource will encourage you to pray bigger prayers and dream bigger dreams than you ever have before!
Today's Word: May 19, 2022
In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar looked out over his magnificent city and said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" His attitude was, "Look at me. It is my power, my might, my majesty." The problem is that we aren't created to take the glory; we're created to give God the glory. God will show you His favor as long as you're letting His glory flow through you up to Him. But the moment you start keeping the glory, it will leave, which is exactly what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.
Be careful to give God the glory for your accomplishments. God opposes the proud. Always be humble and say, "God, it was Your goodness that got me to where I am, that delivered me from the mistakes I made, that kept the opposition from defeating me, and that opened the doors of opportunity. Thank You." When you give God the credit, He'll take you further than you ever dreamed.
When someone says something that upsets us, it's easy to think it's okay to let off a little steam with some angry words. After all, we think they deserve it, and it';s just a small thing, just payback. But those words can become the big things that destroy your relationship. We have to beware of what we think are small things. The Bible calls them "the little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Songs 2:15). When someone keeps showing up late for work and thinks, "It's no big deal. I get there before the boss," the next thing they know is that they're looking for a new job. One woman told me, "My husband and I were so happy early in our marriage, but we started arguing over what seemed like small things. Eventually, we were fighting over everything, and we separated." These are the results of not being on guard every day.
In Judges 13, an angel declared the coming birth of Samson, who was to become a man of great destiny. God gifted him with supernatural strength to deliver his people from the hands of the Philistines, but Samson didn't take responsibility for what he had been given. He let his guard down, set his eyes on the wrong thing, began to rebel against what he knew was right, and was weakened in his morals. He began to hang around the wrong people and got into the wrong living situation. Just as the Bible states, "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33), so it was with Samson. He did not guard what he was doing or saying, and he ended up tragically in the hands of his enemies, blind and chained.
Just think of how great Samson could have become if he would have checked his heart at the very beginning and said, "God, help me to say no to these temptations and distractions that are taking me from what You want me to be and do," if he would have just asked for forgiveness and repented of his sins. He had the power to say, "Okay, I'm done with that lifestyle, and I'm breaking away from the friends I've been hanging on to. God, help me be strong."
The apostle Paul says, "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2). That means to set your mind on the important things in life--the things that bring you closer to your destiny, that cause you to have a strong marriage, good relationships, and a great job. Set your mind to walk in integrity and a clear conscience. Set your mind to honor God in all you do--big and small!
August 06, 2022 - Yankee Stadium
This August, COME HOME TO HOPE with Joel & Victoria at Yankee Stadium.
You will not want to miss this night filled with an inspiring message of God's promises and uplifting testimonies to give you new hope.
There will be these times when you dig down deep and do the right thing when it’s hard, that you will come into your tenth day. Something will suddenly break: that addiction won’t have power over you, that bad attitude, that temper. It may not totally go away, but it doesn’t control you anymore. I wonder how much higher we would go, how much more of God’s favor we would see, if we would start putting off our old self. If we would start saying no to the things that are holding us back.