Remember Your Victories

But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (GWT)

Memory is an awesome gift that God has given us.

Interestingly, most people tend to spend more time remembering

their failures and hurts than their victories.

In the Old Testament, it was common for people to lay out 'memorial stones.'

These stones were used to remind the people about the good things God did in their lives.

We need to remind ourselves today to focus on our victories.

We have all suffered our share of setbacks,

but when we meditate on our disappointments and failures,

all this does is sap us of valuable energy.

Dwelling on the negative robs us of confidence and joy.

When we focus on our victories,

we build our strength and confidence.

Remembering past victories fuels our faith.

It gives us a reason to praise God

and praise catches God's attention!

He inhabits the praises of His people,

and when God shows up, all of His enemies must flee!

When you think about your past,

what events do you remember?

What memories do you allow to play over and over in your mind?

Make it your practice to remember your victories.

Meditate on the good things God has done for you.

As you do this, you'll see Him opening up

supernatural doors for you to move forward

in the abundant life He has for you!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in my life.

Today, I am letting go of every hurt from the past

and am choosing to focus on my victories.

I bless and praise You today for showing Your goodness to me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Overcoming Difficulties

Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God!

Psalm 42:5 (NLT)

During the tough times of life--and all of us experience them--

it is normal to feel a heaviness attempting to overwhelm you.

During these times, don't be surprised if you hear negative thoughts telling you,

"It's never going to work out."

"Things are never going to get better."

"It's over."

"It's done."

"You're finished."

"Loser!"

When these kinds of thoughts bombard you,

you have a choice!

You don't have to buy the lies!

You don't have to get on board with your negative emotions.

The Bible points out that David encountered many difficult situations.

That spirit of heaviness tried to steal his destiny.

At times he battled depression and discouragement.

BUT...

instead of wallowing in those negative emotions,

he would begin talking to himself.

At one point, he stated,

"Why are you cast down, oh my soul?

Put your hope in the Lord!"

In other words, he was saying,

"Come on David, snap out of it!

Why are you discouraged?

Why have you lost your joy?

God is still on the throne,

and He still has good things in store!"

When the spirit of heaviness targets you,

do what David did.

As you put your trust in the Lord and praise Him,

He'll provide you with His strength.

He will empower you to overcome every obstacle you may face!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the strength to overcome the difficult times.

I choose to shake off the spirit of heaviness by praising and worshiping You.

I bless you today and always.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Count It All Joy

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way,

consider it an opportunity for great joy.

³ For you know that when your faith is tested,

your endurance has a chance to grow.

⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed,

you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4 (NLT)

I've yet to meet a person who naturally gets excited about troublesome times in their life.

Most people don't respond to problems by saying,

"Thank you, Lord, for this overwhelming challenge!"

I doubt you've ever gone to your mailbox and joyfully exclaimed,

"Oh thank God--an unexpected bill!"

However, when we remain joyful during the difficult times,

it sets us on a course toward maturity and opens the door

for us to receive everything God has for us.

Anybody can be happy and joyful during the good times.

The key to growing in your faith is how you handle adversity.

If you complain, you will remain.

If you get negative and sour on life,

you won't pass the test you are going through.

God's blessing and favor are available,

but if you don't count it all joy, you'll miss out.

The good news is that God will give you another opportunity.

He can still get you to where you need to be.

When somebody offends you, you need to decide

that you aren't going to be all bent out of shape over it.

When things aren't going your way, instead of complaining,

thank the Lord for an opportunity to grow.

Count it all joy so that you can be all God has called you to be!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the work You are doing in my life.

Even when I don't understand what's going on,

I choose to trust you.

I choose to count it all joy,

knowing You have a good plan for me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Be Joyful!

Always be joyful.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NLT)

Joy is not a matter of circumstance.

Instead, it is a matter of determination.

How determined are you to enjoy each and every day?

The Amplified Bible reminds us:

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always).

How long are we supposed to be glad-hearted?

As long as people treat us right?

As long as we feel that life is going our way?

As long as the economy is up?

No!

The Scriptures tell us,

"Be glad-hearted continually and always."

We are to be glad in the good times and the tough times,

when it's sunny and when it's raining.

When the dark clouds of life are over your head

and you feel the darkness of depression

or the glum of gloom

always remind yourself that right above those dark clouds

the sun is shining!

You may not be able to see the sun in your life right now,

but that doesn't mean it's not up there.

The good news is that those clouds are just temporary.

The sun is going to shine in your life once again.

In the meantime, keep your joy.

Determine to be glad-hearted continually!

When you make the decision to always be joyful,

you'll quickly find yourself moving forward in the victory

God has in store for you!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, today I choose to make the most of every day.

No matter what is happening around me,

I choose to focus on your goodness so that I can move forward

in the blessing you have for me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Set Your Mind

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

Have you ever found sitting at the breakfast table

and out of nowhere you are bombarded with thoughts

of all the mistakes you made the day before

and all the problems you have in your future?

That's the enemy attempting to set your mind for a

negative, defeated, lousy day.

You don't have to fall into that trap!

In the Amplified Bible, we are told, "Set your mind and keep it set on the higher things."

In other words, we are told to be proactive.

We must stay on the offensive.

When you arise each morning,

have the attitude that David had in the Psalms and say,

"This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Psalm 118:24

This attitude boldly proclaims,

"No matter how I feel,

no matter what the economy looks like,

no matter what the medical report says,

I am choosing to rejoice!

I am choosing to be happy this day!"

When you set your mind and keep it set on the higher things

you are saying,

"I'm not going to let other people steal my joy today.

I'm not going to let disappointments and setbacks discourage men.

I'm not going to focus on my problems and my mistakes.

I've made up my mind to embrace everything

the Lord has in store for me!"

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, I choose to set my day by setting my mind on things above.

I choose to shake off the cares of yesterday and focus on everything

You have in store for me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Preparing for Victory

Now seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

1 Chronicles 19:22 (NLT)

Every day presents its own set of obstacles that can cause us to lose our joy.

When this happens we find ourselves discouraged and just enduring life.

But God never intended for us to simply endure life.

You were created to enjoy life.

Every day you prepare yourself for either victory or defeat.

When you wake up each morning, you must choose to set your mind in the right direction.

You may arise one morning feeling discouraged.

You may be saying to yourself,

"I don't want to go to work today."

"I don't want to deal with these children."

"I've got so many problems."

If you dwell on these kinds of negative thoughts,

you are preparing yourself for a lousy day.

Instead...

you must turn your thought patterns around and say,

"This is going to be a great day!"

"Something good is coming my way today!"

"God has favor in my future and I'm expecting new opportunities!"

When you take on this attitude, you are preparing yourself for victory.

An attitude of faith paves the way for God to show up and show out in unique ways!

Your attitude opens the door for Him to work in your life and pour out His supernatural blessings on you!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I choose to set my whole heart and mind on You today. I seek You with all that I am.

I know You have good things planned for me.

Use me to be a blessing to others.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Finding Strength and Joy

Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and joy in his dwelling place.

1 Chronicles 16:27

Are you feeling weak and washed out?

The Bible teaches us that in God's presence there is strength and joy.

When you are filled with the strength and joy of the Lord,

nothing can overtake you!

Did you notice in the above verse where this strength and joy are found?

They are found "in his dwelling place."

In the historical context of this verse,

the ark of the covenant has been brought back to Jerusalem.

The ark was placed in a tent, and it was there that the priests ministered

and it was there that God's Spirit dwelt.

This verse is part of a song that David wrote commemorating this event.

Today, the Holy Spirit no longer dwells in a tent or temple.

The Bible teaches us that every believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this strength and joy is already in you.

God's word also promises that He inhabits--or shows Himself--in the praises of His people.

In other words, when you begin to praise and worship God,

either corporately in a church setting or privately in your personal quiet time,

God is there.

You are already in His dwelling place!

Anytime you feel depleted or overwhelmed,

as you begin to sing a song of praise to Him,

and declare His goodness and faithfulness,

you will begin to sense His strength and His joy!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father,

I bless You today.

I thank You for Your goodness in my life.

Thank You for filling me with Your strength and joy!

I praise and worship You today.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.