Renewing Your Mind

Power of Words

The Bible has much to say about words. A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. (Prov. 18:20-21) Listen to your words; are they producing life or death? What are you speaking about yourself, your family, your job? Renew you mind, fill your heart with the powerful, transforming Word of God, and you will eat the fruit of life; healing, health, well-being, prosperity and good relationships. God’s words will not return unto him void. They will produce a crop of blessings!

PRAYER:

O LORD, set a guard over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth. Your words are spirit and life, and I pray that the Word of God may dwell rich ly in me with all wisdom. Then my words will be seasoned with grace, and my tongue will keep me from calamity, in the name of Jesus. Amen

Scripture Reference
Psalm 141:3
Matthew 15:11
Ephesians 4:29
Proverbs 21:23

©2013 Word Ministries, Inc.

MEDITATING ON HIS WORD "Becoming Whole"

Meditation
Getting close to God is my desire and at the same is His will for my Life! So I meditate on his Word & through prayer not just when circumstances arise but just because he is God!
I love the Lord our God with all my heart & seek His understanding and not my own. BLESS His Name People of God! PRAISE Him today & Forevermore. He is Alpha & Omega, the truth & light of this world. So if you have breath you better give him some praise.
Hallelujah!!!

It has been proven that meditation is very beneficial, spiritually, mentally and physically. This form of discipline has helped me stay focused on eternal things, given me insight into the Scriptures, my energy is increased, and my youth is renewed according to Psalm 103. Here in these quiet moments, I hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and creativity is released. I purpose in my heart and mind that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart will be acceptable to my Lord. Meditation is deep contemplation or reflection that will bring the Word of God from your head to your heart.

PRAYER:

In the name of Jesus, I am blessed. My Lord, I delight in your law, and on your law I meditate day and night. I am like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever I do prospers. Jesus, you have been made unto me wisdom, righteousness and sanctification, and I enjoy livin g in the Way of Truth. Thank you, Lord, for watching over the way of the righteous. Amen

Scripture Reading
Psalm 1:1-6 (NIV)

©2013 Word Ministries, Inc.

Understanding Salvation!

Salvation

For many years after I was born-again at the age of 12, I was a perishing child of God because I was ignorant of the plan of salvation. I thought it was all about avoiding hell, and didn’t realize that it was an ongoing process here on earth. I thought that I had to get through this life the best way that I could, held a lot of disbeliefs about who I was, and was very afraid of disobeying God. I just knew that He was waiting to beat me up if I stepped out of line. After years of struggling to live by the rules and regulations of my denomination I cried out for understanding. Praise God, for the day that I began to read the Bible, and acknowledged my Teacher, the Holy Spirit who taught me about Jesus. To know Jesus is to know the Father. I discovered that salvation includes salvation of the soul, emotional and physical healing and health, prosperity and well-being. God is concerned with your every-day, going-to-word lifestyle, and He has a plan for your life; your destiny is in him. Not only will your lifestyle change, but you will become the source of salvation for others leading them to the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, understanding the present time, I have awakened from my slumber, because my salvation is nearer now than when I first believed. So I put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let me behave decently, as in the daytime. I clothe myself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. I bind compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience to myself--writing them on the tablets of my heart in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Scripture Reading:
Romans 13:11-14 (NIV)
Col. 3:12 (NIV)

©2013 Word Ministries, Inc.

Living Responsible

Taking Responsibility

When life or people disappoint us, we have a responsibility to remain stable and continue with God's purpose for our lives.
Consider Psalm 94:12-13. Notice that it does not say that God keeps us calm. It says He gives us power to keep ourselves calm. We are partners with God. His part is to give us ability and our part is to be responsible.

Responsibility means 'to respond to the ability we have.' An irresponsible person wants God to do everything while he does nothing except follow his feelings. But don't let your feelings run the show. Declare out loud right now, "I have attended my last pity party." I can promise you: in the end you will feel much better about yourself if you take responsibility than if you avoid it.

God cares for you, but He won't do your part. He enables you to do it, but let me emphasize that He won't do it for you! I dare you to stand firm, take responsibility and begin working with God to have the blessed life He's planned for you.

Prayer Starter: God, Your Word says that You've given me the ability to remain calm. I receive that today. I won't let my feelings run my life, and I will be responsible and respond the way You want me to.

PEACE & Joy

Filled with All Peace and Joy

I went through a particularly difficult time several years ago when there was absolutely no joy or peace in my life. Every time I made a mistake, I was quick to condemn myself, angry that I couldn't be the "perfect Christian."

Then one day, I came across Romans 15:13: May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing... That was it. I got it!

I realized that I had plunged into doubt and unbelief, allowing the devil to torment me with negativity, anger, and impatience. In the process, I had forgotten that believing in God and trusting His Word brings peace and hope and overcomes my weakness.

God's Word gave me the answer. Jesus loved me so much that He not only forgave all my sins from the past but also looked ahead and forgave me for those moments of weakness when I'd fail in the future. I don't have to allow Satan to sneak in with questions or unbelief, and you don't either.

Know today that peace, hope and joy are right in front of you. Go to His Word and let it stir up your faith.

Prayer Starter: Lord, every time I start to believe the enemy's lies, remind me of the truth in Your Word. By believing in You, I receive peace and joy today.

You're no Surprise to our Creator

You're No Surprise to God

Do you ever feel like God is disappointed with you? I used to feel this way until one day He said, "You know, Joyce, you're no surprise to Me. I knew what I was getting when I got you."

Think about it! God knows the end from the beginning, and all the days of our life are written in His book. Every decision we're ever going to make, good or bad, God already knew them before we ever showed up on planet earth. He already knows today every word in our mouth that is still unuttered, even what we're going to say a year from now.

Sometimes we go around thinking that God is so disappointed with us all the time. It's true that we make mistakes. And we're not supposed to be lighthearted about them, we need to take them seriously. But in spite of our mistakes, God has hope for us and knows that He can change us if we'll stay close to Him.

God's not disappointed. He's full of hope where we're concerned! He believes in us more than we do ourselves.

Prayer Starter: Lord, Your hope for me is so encouraging and inspiring. Even when I don't believe in myself, I know that You do, and that gives me the strength to overcome my mistakes and follow You.

Living in the Perspective of the Father

Pursue a Life of Holiness

I think we need to be a little more careful than we are with how we live. Not that we have to be so careful that we live in fear, but careful in a godly way, not a legalistic way.

Because if we're not careful about who our friends are, what television programs and movies we watch, what kind of books we read, what kind of music we listen to, how we spend our money, and what we do with our time, we could end up living wasted lives.

As Christians, we must pursue holiness and realize that we are sanctified, which means we are set apart for God's use. In fact, the minute we accept Christ as our Savior, we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and set apart for a God-given purpose. And if we're not fulfilling our purpose or if we're not pursuing our purpose, we're going to feel empty and frustrated.

I urge you today to pursue your purpose of holiness. When faced with tricky decisions, ask God what to do and choose the path of holiness that He has laid out for you.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, alert me before I do something that would pull me away from a life of holiness. With Your guidance, I want to live carefully, following the path of holiness You have for me.

Growing under Trial

You Must Develop Patience

When you and I say to God, "Change me," we better know what we're saying because we are not just going to wake up different the next morning. Instead, what God is going to do is give us an opportunity, through opposition, to grow as we change.

James 1 tells us how important it is to have patience when we're changing and facing opposition. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that only develops and grows under trial, and it's something we need. Scripture tells us that when we have it, we're perfect and entire, lacking nothing. However, there's just no way to get it without going through something to receive it.

If we really want to be victorious Christians who serve God and make a difference in the world, then we are going to have to go through some challenging things. The devil will try to scare you off, but God can see you through any challenge.

So today, choose to let God work through you, even in the face of opposition. As your patience grows and develops, you will step into a life of great victory.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I want You to change me, and I know that means I'll have to go through challenges. Give me Your strength to endure and be steadfast when I'm going through trials so I can have patience and be fully developed in Christ.

The ♡ of the Worshipper

Be a True Worshiper

Worship is so much more than just singing songs. It is a condition of the heart and a state of mind. We can even worship God passionately without singing a single note. Our worship for God is born in our hearts, it fills our thoughts, and it is expressed through our mouths and through our bodies.

The world often thinks of worship as "religion," which could not be further from the biblical concept of worship. It's about a personal relationship, spiritual intimacy and passionate expressions of devotion from people who love God with all their hearts. This is true worship.

The Bible says that God is seeking those who worship Him 'in spirit and in truth."

I find it interesting that He does not want just anybody to worship Him. He wants true and genuine people. He does not want to be worshiped out of fear, obligation or religion.

True worship is a result of intimacy with God. Worship God today with your whole heart, and be a worshiper in spirit and in truth!

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don't just want to offer You lip service. Instead, I give my life to You as a true worshiper, intimately connected with You. You are so good to me and I want to worship You 'in spirit and in truth."

Do you Love like God?

The True Test of Spiritual Maturity

We are to have genuine, pure, fervent love for others above everything else we do. If we can manage only one thing in our lives, it should be to love other people.

Many people think great faith is the number one sign of spiritual maturity. But I believe that walking in love is the true test of spiritual maturity, and I know that it energizes our faith walk.

The Bible teaches that faith works through love. Galatians 5:6 says that what really counts is "faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love." Love is not talk or theory; it's action.

Trying to walk in faith without love is like having a flashlight with no battery. We must keep our love battery charged at all times, otherwise our faith will not work! I believe Christians can run into problems when we do not diligently pursue walking in love as a vital part of our faith and relationship with God.

So pursue a life of love, and watch your faith strengthen and grow. When God's love comes first, everything else follows.

Prayer Starter: God, I know my faith is useless without love. Help me live a life overflowing with Your love. Guide me as I receive Your love and give Your love to others.