Praise Precedes Victory

Joshua commanded the people,

"Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!...

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted,

and at the sound of the trumpet,

when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed;

Joshua 6:16 & 20

One of the classic Biblical accounts is

when Joshua and the Israelites took over

the city of Jericho.

Jericho was protected by a massive wall

that surrounded the city.

No army could penetrate it.

But that wall did not stop God from giving

them the victory.

God simply commanded the Israelites to march

around the city in silence for six days,

and on the seventh day they were to give

a shout of praise.

We need to remind ourselves that

they had to shout BEFORE the walls came down.

The natural thing to do would have been to

shout and be happy after the victory.

But that does not require faith.

Anyone can sing and praise God

when life is good and they are on

the mountaintop.

But God wants us to give Him praise

even when we are in the valley.

What difficulty are you facing today?

The walls standing in your way may seem

massive and impenetrable.

Remember, praise precedes the victory.

Let me encourage you to be like the Israelites

and give a shout of praise anyway.

Stand and believe that God is at work

even if you don't see it.

You will see those walls come down,

and you'll move forward into the victory

He has prepared for you!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of victory.

I choose to stand in faith, giving You the praise

until I see my breakthrough.

Thank You for strengthening me

and directing my every step.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I think it right, as long as I am

in this tabernacle (tent, body),

to stir you up by way of remembrance...

2 Peter 1:13 (AMP)

Our moods are affected by what we dwell on.

When we dwell on the wrong things our moods will be negative.

We'll find ourselves down, discouraged and losing hope.

Some people do not have the joy and enthusiasm

God wants them to have because they are

constantly dwelling on negative thoughts.

In order to take hold of all that God has in store for us,

we need to stir ourselves up by changing our thinking.

Instead of dwelling on and remembering all the bad things

that have happened in life, we need to remember the good things

God has done for us.

Every time you give God praise, every time you sing a song of victory,

you are acknowledging and remembering His goodness.

You are causing your mind to focus on what He has done for you.

One of the reasons the Scriptures tell us to bless the Lord at all times

is because it is impossible to praise and complain at the same time!

Stay proactive.

Don't become passive in your thought life.

Don't let your guard down.

Keep stirring yourself up by remembering

His faithfulness and watch what He will do

on your behalf!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, today I choose to keep my mind focused on Your goodness.

Thank You for Your goodness.

Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and loving-kindness.

Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, so that I can live in victory.

I bless and praise You today.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

...despite all these things,

overwhelming victory is ours

through Christ, who loved us.

Romans 8:37 (NLT)

The past can be paralyzing.

If we are not careful, we can allow

post struggles, hurts, and failures

become the focus of our present day lives.

When we get caught up in how

unfair our situation is,

our present possibilities lie

dormant and unfulfilled.

We must realize

that in order for a new door to open,

we must allow the old ones to close behind us.

Perhaps you got off to a rough start in life.

You may have had more than your share

of setbacks and let downs.

Be encouraged today:

it's not how you start

but how you finish that counts.

Your future is not determined by your past.

But holding on to the past will keep you

from moving into your future.

God has already given you victory through Christ.

His desire is for you to take hold of the dreams

He has given you.

As we release the past to Him,

and move ahead by faith,

He will see to it that His dream

that He has placed within us

comes to pass.

Every one of us can go beyond

where we are today.

None of us have yet to realize

our full potential in Christ.

Our best days are not behind us,

they are in front of us.

Let's shake off past discouragements

and take a step toward our future.

Choose today to stop looking back

and fix your eyes forward

on the new beginning God has for you.

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, today I choose to let go of the things in my past.

I realize that despite of my past, I have the victory through Christ.

I ask you to show me any dreams that are lying dormant,

and bring them back to life in new ways.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Focus

If God is for us,

who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:31 (NLT)

Our focus will determine our future.

Did this ever happen to you as a child?

You were riding your bike, saw a pot-hole

in the road, and began saying to yourself,

"Don't hit that pot-hole, don't hit that pot-hole."

The next thing you knew, you had hit that pot-hole!

The biggest mistake coaches make in sports

is telling their players what not to do:

"Whatever you do, don't throw him a fast ball

down the middle" or

"Whatever you do, don't foul number 23."

What happens?

You guessed it.

Fast ball down the middle with a resulting

home run.

Number 23 gets fouled and sinks the

game winning shot from the foul line.

Zig Ziglar puts it this way"

"Your mind doesn't know the difference

between reality and fantasy.

Your mind acts on what you feed it.

Feed it bad thoughts and you will fail...

Feed your mind good thoughts

and you will succeed."

What are you focusing on today?

Is your mind preoccupied with your

difficult situation, or on God's promises?

Maybe you are dealing with discouragement

as new problems and challenges have popped

up in your life.

It's easy to focus totally on the adverse situation.

Instead, focus on God and His promises to you.

It is vital that you keep your heart in an attitude of faith.

Remind yourself that God is for you.

Believe His plans for you have not changed

despite new problems or troubling circumstances.

The more you focus on what God is doing,

the more your faith will grow stronger.

If it feels like you're facing impossible challenges,

don't be afraid.

God is on your side and nothing is impossible for Him.

Focus on what God can do in your life.

Remember, He is always in control.

God knows the end from the beginning

and He allows challenges in your life to cause

you to trust Him more.

As you put your faith in Him,

you'll grow closer to God and you'll see

His mighty hand at work in your life!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You for being with me.

I choose today to focus on You and not on my situation.

I refuse to allow the enemy's attacks to come against

Your promises to me.

I will continue to walk by faith, not by sight

knowing You are with me every step of the way.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Impossible?

Jesus looked at them and said,

"With man this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

Are you facing an impossible situation?

Maybe your marriage looks bleak,

and as you think about this relationship

the idea of it getting any better seems

impossible.

It could be your health.

You've been sick for so long that

your illness has become part of your personality

and the notion of healing sounds impossible.

Or how about your career?

You've had a desire to start your own business

but in the current economic uncertainty

that sounds like a sure recipe for

financial suicide.

Too many times we limit God with our thinking.

God puts a big dream in our hearts...

a dream of a better marriage...

a dream of better health...

a dream of that business venture...

but in our eyes these dreams seem

impossible and too big to accomplish.

God's dreams and His plans are always God-sized.

What He wants to accomplish will seem impossible.

God's desire is to show Himself strong on your behalf.

He wants to supernaturally turn your impossible

situation around.

The important thing for us to do

is to turn our focus from the situation

and turn it to God.

We need to view life through the lens of faith.

Make room in your thinking today for the dreams

God has placed upon your heart.

If life looks hopeless in the natural,

put your confidence in the promises God gave you.

Trust in Him to make all things possible for you.

As you do, you'll begin to see your dreams

come to pass in ways you never imagined.

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I give my situation to You today

knowing with You all things are possible.

All of my hopes and dreams are in Your hands,

and I will not longer limit You in my thinking.

I choose to see my dreams through your eyes of faith

and to believe they will come to pass.

Thank You for working supernaturally on my behalf.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Be Your Best!

Do you see a man skilled in his work?

He will serve before kings;

he will not serve before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29

With the unemployment rate higher,

and the economy teetering,

many people have given up

on providing a better life for their families.

God's promises are recession-proof.

He is not limited to what's happening

in Congress or on Wall Street.

In Proverbs, we are told that as

we increase in our sill-level,

the right people will take notice.

This is especially true today.

Have you ever noticed how

too many people take no pride

in their work?

They seem to be stuck in a rut,

going through the motions,

doing the same thing over and over.

God's desire is that His people

live at their absolute best in every area of life.

This means that we should constantly be growing

and sharpening our skills.

We should strive to learn and grow

every single day.

When we stop learning, we stop growing.

When we stop growing, we stop living

and are just merely existing.

How can you stretch yourself today?

What can you do to improve your skills?

"Good enough" is never good enough.

Average can be described as

"the best of the worst" or

"the worst of the best."

Neither of those categories

is where God wants you to be.

Take a step today to grow in your skills.

Take a class,

research online,

or find a mentor.

As you do,

you'll rise higher and higher.

You will stand before leaders and rulers,

and you'll live a life of excellence.

Why is this important?

Let me give you two reasons.

First, as God's people, we should

be our absolute best at everything we do.

The Holy Spirit within us produces excellence

in all areas of life.

Second, as we grow in our skills

and are promoted as this verse implies,

we increase our earning potential.

It's a simple truth: the more we have,

the more we can give.

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Heavenly Father, today I choose to rise out of mediocrity.

I choose to give my very best to everything I do.

Teach me to live skillfully so that my life

is a continual praise to you.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Power of Praise

No unbelief or distrust

made him waver (doubtingly question)

concerning the promise of God,

but he grew strong

and was empowered by faith

as he gave praise and glory to God,

Romans 4:20 (AMP)

Sometimes we are tempted to believe

that praise and worship during a church service

is just the "warm up" for the sermon.

I know people who habitually come in late

so they can skip this part of a worship service.

Others will, for some strange reason,

stand out in a church lobby and chat

even after a worship encounter has begun.

If this is your attitude,

let me challenge your to consider the

power of praise.

Praise is the most powerful force at our disposal.

Praise is putting faith into action.

Just as putting your physical body into action

makes it grow stronger,

putting your faith into action

through prayer and praise

will cause you to grow strong as well!

Today's verse tells us

No unbelief made him waver

regarding the promise of God.

Abraham was able to remain

steadfast because he activated

his faith through praise.

To waver means to go back and forth,

like a tree blowing in the wind,

or like a politician who makes decisions

based on polling data rather than

his/her convictions.

Spiritual wavering is when we go

back and forth in believing the

promises of God.

Spiritual wavering shows itself

in our words and actions.

When you speak contrary to God's promises,

you are wavering and unsteady.

This verse does not say

that Abraham never had unbelief

or doubting thoughts.

It says that he didn't waver--

he did not allow his

words or actions

to go against God

no matter what he was thinking.

He took captive every thought

and stood strong through His

praise and worship!

Praise stabilizes us!

It makes us strong.

It's hard to be negative

when you are singing a song

of praise to Him.

Determine today to stand strong in worship.

Put your faith into action with your words

and watch what God will do no your behalf!

Have a blessed & powerful day!

Kendall

A PRAYER FOR TODAY!

Heavenly Father, today I choose to bless Your name.

I thank You for life. I thank You for breath.

I thank You for provision, healing, strength, and joy.

I praise You for abundantly supplying all my needs

so that I can be a blessing to others.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.