A NEW THING

 

GET GOD'S OPINION! 

'Don't let anyone look down on you because...' 1 Timothy 4:12NIV

Try as you may, you will never fulfil a dream that is not your own. Stop and think about your personal history. How have your plans, goals and desires been influenced by others? Is it possible your dreams are the result of who your parents think you are? Who think you are? Who you wish you were? Or are they the result of who you really are and what God meant you to be? You will live the life for which God created you, only after you figure this out. When a dream is right for you and you are right for a dream, the two cannot be separated from each other. TS Eliot said, 'Whatever you think, be sure it is what you think; whatever you want, be sure it is what you want.' Paul told Timothy, 'Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young.' Evidently certain people in the early church thought Timothy was too young and inexperienced to be in leadership. But Paul thought differently; and so did God. Cecil G. Osborne writes, 'The young child has no clear picture of himself. He sees himself only in the mirror of his parents' evaluation of himself... A child who's told repeatedly that he is a bad boy, or is lazy, or no good, or stupid, or shy, or clumsy will tend to act out this picture which the parent or some other authority figure has given him.' Let God, and God alone, tell you who you are and what you should do. Get His opinion, for in the end it's the only one that counts!

PROVERBS 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… - Proverbs 18:21

CALL FORTH WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE

When God saw darkness covering the waters, He said, “Let there be light,” and light existed. When Jesus saw a man’s withered hand, He said, “Stretch out your hand.” The man stretched it out and found it made whole.
Beloved, speak the good that you want to see, and not the bad that you may see in your circumstances. Instead of seeing yourself jobless, see yourself with a great job and call it forth. Say, “Because I’m God’s beloved, He will provide me with a fantastic job.” Then, start sending out those résumés!

Perhaps you want to get married. Instead of seeing yourself single for the rest of your life, see yourself having a wonderful marriage and call it forth. Say, “Because God favors me, I can’t wait to meet my life partner!” Then, trust the Lord to lead and position you to meet the right person!

Speak good over yourself because you know that God is for you, and step into the good plans that He has for you!

GOD IS FOR YOU, NOT AGAINST YOU :
ROMANS 8:31- What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Are you faced with challenges in your life right now? Are you having marital problems and financial woes? Maybe your child is going astray or an old illness has returned. What then will you say to all these things?

Do you know what God wants you to say? He wants you to say, “If God is for me, who can be against me?”

If you knew that the President or the Prime Minister was for you, you might believe that everything will be okay. But you have an even better backing! The Bible tells us that God, the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is for you! What problem can fasten its grip on you when the Almighty God is for you? Can the devil come successfully against you with God on your side?

If God is for you today, if God is for you right now, you don’t have to moan, “If only I had this…If only I didn’t say that…” And you don’t have to worry about the future: “What if this happens…What if we don’t have enough…” My friend, regretting the past and worrying about the future won’t change anything. Look to your heavenly Father, instead. Because He is for you at this present moment, you can be confident that He will help you and provide for you.

Beloved, God sent His Son to die for you. And Jesus gave you a blood-bought right to an abundant life full of meaning and purpose! He gave you a blood-bought right to walk in divine health all the days of your life! He gave you a blood-bought right to His supply even when the economy goes down!

You have all these things not because you deserve them, but because Jesus shed His blood and gave you the right to have them. All these blessings are yours today because God is for you! And if God is for you, who can be against you!

OUR DAILY BREAD -- GREAT EXPECTATIONS
According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified. —Philippians 1:20

I once asked a counselor what the major issues were that brought people to him. Without hesitation he said, “The root of many problems is broken expectations; if not dealt with, they mature into anger and bitterness.”

In our best moments, it’s easy to expect that we will find ourselves in a good place surrounded by good people who like and affirm us. But life has a way of breaking those expectations. What then?

Stuck in jail and beset by fellow believers in Rome who didn’t like him (Phil. 1:15-16), Paul remained surprisingly upbeat. As he saw it, God had given him a new mission field. While under house arrest, he witnessed to the guards about Christ, which sent the gospel into Caesar’s house. And even though those opposing him were preaching the gospel from wrong motives, Christ was being preached, so Paul rejoiced (v.18).

Paul never expected to be in a great place or to be well liked. His only expectation was that “Christ will be magnified” through him (v.20). He wasn’t disappointed.

If our expectation is to make Christ visible to those around us regardless of where we are or who we are with, we will find those expectations met and even exceeded. Christ will be magnified.

Lord, forgive me for making my life all about what I expect and not about glorifying You regardless of my circumstances. May Your love, mercy, and justice be magnified through me today.

Make it your only expectation to magnify Christ wherever you are and whoever you are with.


HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR LOVE BREAK TODAY?
As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. - John 15:9

In your workplace, you probably take coffee breaks, lunch breaks, tea breaks and definitely toilet breaks. Why not do the same in your spiritual life — take time out for breaks, especially love breaks?
What is a love break? It is the time you take to enjoy and feed on the love of Jesus for you. At any time during the day, wherever you are, find a quiet spot and feed on the love of Jesus. Just sit down and talk to Him. Say to Him, “Thank You, Jesus, for loving me. Nothing is going to happen to me that You don’t already know about. Jesus, when I could not save myself, You died for me. You gave up Your life for me. What else will You not do for me!”
Such love breaks are typified in the Old Testament by Aaron the high priest and his sons eating the breast of the animal sacrificed. (Leviticus 7:31) The breast of the animal speaks of the love of Jesus. Today, you are a priest to God. (Revelation 1:6) So spend time feeding on the love of Jesus for you, and see yourself nourished, strengthened and sustained by His love. Jesus is our High Priest today. This means that His food is in loving us. He enjoys loving us and is also “nourished” by His love for us.
But do not forget that the breast was roasted by fire (Leviticus 7:35), which speaks of God’s judgment on Jesus as He hung on the cross because He was carrying our sins. So as you feed on Jesus’ love for you, see Him loving you at the cross. When things around you are not going well, do not allow the devil to say to you, “If God loves you, how come these things are happening to you?” My friend, interpret God’s love for you based on the cross, not on your present circumstances.
During the day, when you are hard at work, when busyness sets in, when problems pile up or when discouragement comes, just stop everything and take a love break with Jesus! Let Jesus love you. Let yourself enjoy being loved by Him. Lean on His bosom, abide in His love and be nourished by His love for you!

Thought For The Day :
Be nourished by God’s love for you today!

FORGET THE PAST, SEE JESUS DO A NEW THING!

…but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:13–14

Despite having repented and getting saved, Apostle Paul could have dwelled on his serious past mistake of persecuting the early church. He could have chosen to live a life of regret and thus fail to fulfill God’s call on his life. But he didn’t. Instead, he chose to forget the past, “reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

My friend, don’t live in the past. Whether it’s a failed marriage, a huge mistake you made, or a hurtful remark from someone, leave them all in the past and move forward. By all means, learn from your mistake. But look to Christ as your success, wisdom, comfort and strength, and see Him do anew thing in your life by His unmerited favor.

See Him giving you stronger and blessed relationships through His wisdom and grace. See Him giving you a better job with better benefits. See Him restoring your health sevenfold. Consider not “the things of old,” but consider or meditate on His better promises (Hebrews 8:6). That’s how you move forward into His good success!