“No one can take your joy from you.” John 16:22 Don’t Give Away Your Power Jesus says that no person can take your joy from you. You have to give it away. The next time someone is rude or leaves you out, just smile and stay in peace. When you let someone else determine whether or not you’re going to stay in peace, you’re giving them your power. Make up your mind that you’re not going to let them take your joy. When someone tries to make you feel small, ignore it and move on. You’re not who they say you are; you are who God says you are—H ..read more

       Renew Your Mind “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) If we expect to see God operating in our lives, we must decide which audience—God or self—we are trying to please. The world seeks to gain our attention and allegiance by directing our steps away from God. In order to please God, we need to separate from the world through the transformation of our ideas and thoughts. To be transformed by th ..read more

  Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” Judges 6:14 The Problem with Running Away Gideon was hiding from the enemy when an angel told him he was to lead the Israelites in battle, that he was a mighty man of fearless courage. Down deep, Gideon knew the call of God was on his life, that greatness was in him, but he was at a decision point. Was he going to let fear, insecurity, and an “I’m not qualified” mind-set keep him from his destiny? Wa ..read more

Discover God’s Purpose for You “For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) As we spend time in the Word of God, we begin to learn that we have been made for a specific purpose. Each of us is a work of God! The Bible tells us that God is the potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8), that we are engraved on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16), and that he has fashioned us individually (Psalm 33:15) A hammer is made for pounding nails, a saw for cutting wood, and a screwdriver for tightening screws. It ..read more

oday's Scripture “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5, NIV Before You Were Born You didn’t show up because your mother and father decided to have a baby. It wasn’t a random coincidence that they got together. Sometimes when a pregnancy is not planned, we say this baby was a surprise. You may have been a surprise to your parents, but you are not a surprise to our God. As was true for Jeremiah, He’s been thinking about you from eternity ..read more

                                                                        Focus on Jesus “He must become greater, I must become less” (John 3:30) God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to pay the debt for our sin and reconcile us to him. Because of our relationship with God through Jesus, it is a new day when we fully embrace the fact that this life is not all about us, but about Jesus Christ! Once we make this dis ..read more

  If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:23–24 The Right Mirror James says that God’s Word is like a mirror. It reflects who you really are. What God says about you is the true image that you need to keep in front of you. You are not defined by people, by your past, by how you were raised, or by what didn’t work out. You are defined by your Creator. When you look in t ..read more

  Know God and His Ways “Teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” (Exodus 33:13) Make knowing God a top priority in life! Moses yearned to know God and to know his ways. In turn, God revealed himself to Moses. Moses found that through this process, he experienced God’s presence and his favor. Later, Moses was called to lead God’s people out of Egypt. He knew that the Israelites would die in the wilderness without God’s favor, so Moses made it a priority to teach the people God’s ways. As they lived for God, they too experienced his presence and ..read more

  Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8–9 Where Are You? Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, they were happy, confident, and secure. They knew God loved them. They walked with God, talked with God, and enjoyed being in His presence. But when they disobeyed, the condemnation came, the accusing voice that b ..read more

Seek God Digligently “For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) This verse tells us that God responds to those who seek him. In fact, it says that God rewards those who “diligently seek him.” We show an attitude of diligence by avidly spending time in his Word. It is virtually impossible to know God’s will, his mind, his worldview, and his plan for our lives without studying his Word and spending time with him in prayer. When we really study the Bible, we find that it is alive and powerful, and that ..read more