It’s February 29th … Are You Staying In Faith and Trusting God To Cause You To Leap Into His Best For Your Life?

Today is February 29th.  It’s a day on man’s calendar that only comes once every 4 years.   It’s what man calls “leap year”.   It’s an extra day in this year that God has given you.   Many people set yearly goals.   What are you going to do with this extra day this year that God has blessed you with?    

Take a moment o think about what all you can do in a day with God on your side.   Take a moment to think about what it means to leap.   To leap means to jump from one point or position to another.   It also means to move quickly or suddenly.   UNDERSTAND today and every day, God is not limited on how quickly or suddenly He can move you or how quickly He can take you from one point to another that is far beyond anyones expectation. 

Yes, it’s February 29th.   It’s one extra day in the year 2020.   It’s another day that God has filled with His love, grace, and mercy just for you.   Make it a day where you walk in faith and cast down fear.   Make it day where you seek God and walk in obedience to His Word and His will for your life.   Make it a day of rejoicing.   Make it a day where you share the love of God with all those whom God has placed in your circle of influence.   Make today a great day in God. 

Remember today that God loves you.   Remember He is on your side.   Remember that you have been chosen by Him to live out loud for Him.   Remember who you are in Him.   Don’t allow another persons words to override the Word of God in and for your life.   Remember this day … this extra day in 2020 … has been given to you by God.   Make the most of it for Him.     

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Acts 3:8

King James Version

“And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” 

What are You Doing With The Words You Are Being Told? Are You Taking Them To Heart or Are You Casting Down Every Word That Is Trying To Counteract God's Word In Your Life?

Everyday we are surrounded by words.   Words are being spoken to us by our family and our friends.   Words are being spoken over us by our pastors and those praying for us.   Words are all around us.   Even strangers speak words to us and over us.   The question is, what are you doing with those words?

Are you taking the words of others that are being spoken into, onto, and over your life to heart?   Are you allowing them to become rooted and grounded in your life?   What if the words are negative, are you still taking those words to heart?  Are you allowing words into your life that tell you who you are and what you can and cannot do?   Are they words that are limiting your faith and producing fear or are they words that are producing faith and strengthening your walk with God?    What words are you allowing to take root that never should have been planted into the ground of your heart?   

You have to know how to uproot and counteract words spoken that are not in alignment with the Word of God.   You have to immediately uproot words that produces fear with the Word of God that produces faith.   You have to speak life into your life and into thee lives of those around you.  You have to know how to not accept words being spoken into and onto your life that are not in line with the Word of God.

So today I want to speak to your life and I want you to fear not because God is with you.   I want you to know that you can and will make it.  I want you to remember today that you are chosen and greater is He that is in you than anything coming against you in life.   I want you remember, you are redeemed, you are whole, and you are victorious.   I want you to know today that no weapon formed against you shall prosper.   I want you to know that God will reward you faith and faithfulness.  

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Proverbs 18:21

King James Version

Death and life are in the power of the tongue:

and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Are You Settling Your Thoughts and Undergirding Your Faith By Counteracting Fear With Faith Filled Words?

Today is a new day.  Yesterday is gone.   God saw fit to bring you into this new day with you.   Yesterday didn’t take you out.   The things you went through and the pressures you were under, did not have the power to overtake you.   God was with you yesterday and He is with you today.   He is watching over you, shielding you, protecting you, and making a way for you.    So have faith.   Walk in the wisdom of God’s Word.   Know that God is keeping you.   Know that He goes before you and know that He has your back. 

So often in life we live in a place of worry.   A place where we are worrying about what’s going to happen next.   We worry so much about what we are going through that we fail to have faith and confidence in the fact that God is with us.   We know that He said that He will never leave us nor forsake us but yet we tend to not trust what He has said because our thoughts are filled with the fear of things possibly not working out.    Our emotions get overtaken by our fear of what could possibly happen instead of our faith in what God said would happen if we put our hope and trust in Him.    

We have to begin to cast down ALL fear.    We have to refuse to walk in worry.   In other words, when thoughts that lead us into worrying come up, we have to begin to cast those thoughts down and counteract them with the Word.   When a thought comes up about you not having enough to meet the need, you need to cast the thought down and speak the word over it and say, “my God said that He knoweth the things I have need of and HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO SUPPLY MY NEEDS”.    Counteracting fear with the Word works.   It settles your thoughts and undergirds your faith and that is what God wants.   He wants us to be settled and strengthened by Him and His Word.      

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION

2 Corinthians 10:5

King James Version

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

Are You Being The Living Testimony That God Created You To Be? How Are You Handling The Tests That Come From God?

Did you know that some trials are really tests from God?  We tell God that we are ready.   We are ready to go to the next level with Him and we believe with our whole hearts that we are ready, we are willing, and we are able but are we ready, willing, and able to endure the tests that come along with going to that next level? 

We have to understand what a test is.   A test can be looked at as an experiment.  An experiment that will establish the quality, performance, and reliability of something.    The quality of something is the degree of excellence of it.   It is the degree to which something or someone meets and exceeds expectations.  When we are being tested by God, it’s not because God is looking to see what we will will do because He already knows what we will do.   Our tests in essence are revealing to our own selves how reliable we really are and how we perform under the pressures that come with life.    

Every now and then we have to self-check our hearts.   What is coming up out of us.  How we do in the midst of trials and tests, reveals to us what is in us. Our test can show us if we are walking in love or if we are allowing frustration and aggravation to consume us?  When you are frustrated you are distressed and annoyed and it inhibits your ability to do what you are called to do.   It causes roadblocks to come up in your life that will block God’s anointing from flowing freely through your life.     When you are annoyed, you are irritated, vexed, and in some cases a little angry.    Those are not God traits that we need to be harboring in our hearts.   

What we have to start doing is recognizing the test.   We have to understand that everything will not always go the way we want or even expect them to go.   We have to be ready, willing, and able to do things God’s way.   We have to live a life of self-sacrifice, where we are constantly sacrificing our wants and our desires for what God wants and desires to do through our lives JUST AS JESUS DID WHEN HE SACRIFICED HIS LIFE ON THE CROSS FOR US.  

Most tests are about sacrifice.   They are about dying to self so that you can live for God!    

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION

Romans 12:1-2

King James Version 

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Are You Secure In What You Know? Are You Letting Your Past Experiences Of What God Has Done and Your Knowledge Of Who God Is Help You To Be Secure In Him?

After reading the Word this morning and thinking about what to write for today’s blog, the question I heard God tell me to ask you was “are you secure in what you know”?    

The word secure means to be fixed or fastened so as not to give way, become loose, or be lost.    That in itself says a lot.   Ask yourself today are you fixed on the Word of God?   Are you fastened securely to the point that when the winds of life come, you won’t loose your grip on God and you won’t become detached or lost?   

We have to be secure in God.   We have to know what God says and believe that it is true.   We have to trust God and we have to let our trust in God fuel our faith.   

In other words, we have to know that we know that God is real.    

Knowledge is powerful.   When you have knowledge of something, you begin to believe with conviction in the truth of what you know.   Knowledge can come from experience or it can come from intellect where we learn something and reason it out in our minds.    However we gain knowledge, it is that knowledge that helps us to know, understand, and be secure in who God is and what we trust and believe that He can and will do.   

So it’s time to gird up.   It’s time to put on the whole armor of God.   It’s time to be prepared because there will always be something or even someone that the devil will use to try to counteract your faith.   GOD WANTS YOU TO BE SECURE IN WHAT YOU KNOW.   Let your experiences of what God has done and your knowledge of who God is help you to steadfast and immovable.   Let it help you to be fixed and fastened securely to the will, purpose, and plan of God for your life.  

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Job 11:18 

King James Version

And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig [about thee, and] thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

Are You Believing, Trusting, and Resting In What God Has Said? Reminding Yourself That Your Trust Is In God!

What is it that you are wanting God to do?   Are you wanting Him to heal you?   Have you taken the time to speak His Word of healing over your life?   The Bible says that God is our Healer.   It says that healing is the children’s bread.   Take hold of God’s Word and speak it forth with faith.    

Are you wanting God to meet a need in your life?   The Bible says that God knows the things we have need of and He is faithful and just to provide us with those things.   It tells us to be anxious for nothing and it says that those who seek the Lord shall lack no good thing.    

It’s one thing to “want” God to do something and it is another thing to “ask” Him to do it.   Make up your mind that you are not going to walk in fear when you know that God is watching over you, leading you, guiding you, and He has promised to take care of you.   Know what it means to rest in Him.   When you are resting in God, you rest in knowing that He is God and He is well able to take care of you.   As you rest in God, make it a point to cast down all fear.   Make it a point to remind yourself that your trust is in God and He is well able to take care of you.   Make it a point to speak His Word over your life and make it a point to believe, trust, and to rest in that word.    

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Mark 11:22-24 

King James Version (KJV)

22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

ARE YOU COUNTERACTING FEAR BY SPEAKING WORDS OF FAITH? UNDERSTANDING THE SPOKEN WORD CARRIES WITHIN IT THE POWER TO CREATE AND BRING ABOUT CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.

What are you saying today?   Are you saying what you will do or what God will do through you?   Do you see yourself as God sees you?   Are you speaking words of faith that will counteract whatever fear you have in your heart?     Understand, it matters what you say.   Your words spoken carry within them the ability to create and bring about whatever change is needed in your life.   What are you creating by the power of your spoken words?    

God has given each of us the ability to speak.   He wants us to speak life and He wants us to speak life not only to our lives but to the lives around us.   When we speak, we give voice to our thoughts.    This is why it is so important to cast down every thought and imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.   We don’t want to give voice to the wrong thing.    We don’t want to create anything around us that is not conducive to God’s will, Word, and plan for our lives.    

As you take time to pray today, take a moment to gather your thoughts.   Make sure what you are thinking is in line with what God has said and make sure what you are saying also lines up with what God has said.   Our thoughts and our words need to always reflect the Word and the will of God.   Our words are powerful and it is through faith filled words that change takes place.    

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Matthew 21:22 

King James Version

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

What Are You Meditating On and Allowing To Bear Fruit In Your Heart, Mind, and Mouth Today?

What are you allowing to feed your thoughts today?   Have you put the Word of God in so that the Word can bear fruit in your thoughts or are you concentrating on the world and what is going on around you?   Don’t get me wrong, God wants us to be informed about what is happening.   If we are not informed, we won’t know what to pray for as we ought.   BUT UNDERSTAND, we can’t let what is going on in the world override the Word we need to share with the world.    

God is a good God and He has told us in HIs Word to cast down every thought that is exalting itself against the knowledge of who He is.   What we tend to do is we tend to hold thoughts captive.   We hold on to thoughts and we lock them up in our mind and we bring them back to our remembrance over and over again when we should be casting them down and releasing them.   We should not be speaking forth and magnifying any through that is not in line with the Word and will of God.   

So today, make it a point to speak life to your life and the lives of those around you.   Make it a point to pray and speak forth words of healing and deliverance.   Make it a point to call forth increase from the North, South, East, and West.   Make it a point  to say peace be still to the storms that are trying to prevail in your life.   Make it a point to fill your heart and mind with the promises of God so that the promises of God that you know will override the fear and doubt that you may be feeling about the unknown.    

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Joshua 1:8 

King James Version (KJV)

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

What Is It That You Feel Is Too Hard For You? Have You Given Your Thoughts and Your Actions Over To God and Are You Trusting In His Power and Not Your Own Strength?

What is it that you feel is too hard for you?   Have you given it over to God?   Are you trusting in His power and His strength or are you trying to move forward in your own strength?   We have to get to a point where our hope, trust, and belief is in God’s ability and not our own.     

How many times in life have you been in a place of worry and tried to figure out a solution on your own instead of asking for help.   The Bible says that God is  very present help in our times of trouble.   God is always ready and willing to help in our times of need but we have to be ready and willing to ask Him for help.   Not only that, we have to have faith and trust and believe that He will work out every situation in our lives for our good and His glory.

We have to understand the attributes of God.   An attribute is a quality or characteristic that someone has.    When we think about the characteristics of God, one of the first things we should think about is the fact that He is faithful.   Not only is He faithful, He loves us and because He loves us, He will do what needs to be done in our lives.   As we walk this journey called life, it is knowing the characteristics of God that will help fuel our faith and it should be our desire to be more like God so that HIs characteristics will be reflective in our lives. 

Life can be hard but understand it’s not too hard.    It’s not too hard for us to make it.   We can make it through life because God is with us.   He has promised to never leave us or nor forsake us.   He is ready and willing to help us.   We are not alone and we can accomplish all things through Christ.   

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Psalm 46:1 

King James Version (KJV)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE GIFT OF TIME GOD HAS GIVEN YOU? ARE YOU WALKING IN FAITH OR FEAR? ARE YOU ENCOURAGING YOURSELF AND OTHERS?

What are you planning on doing today?   What did you do yesterday?   Did you make a mark for God?   Did you say something or do something that encouraged someone else to want to know and want to live for God?   What are you doing with the time that God has given you?   

Today is another day in time.   What we have to understand is the fact that time is a gift that has been given to us by God.   We have to understand that He has been merciful to us.   He has decided to allow us to live out this new day in Him and He has given us this opportunity to make an impact in the world for Him. 

Reflect back over the last 24 hours and see what you did with the gift of time that God gave you.    Did you walk in faith or fear?   Did you speak words of faith?   Did you encourage yourself and others?   Did you take time to read God’s Word?   Did you do your best to walk according to the word or did you cave in to the ways of the world?   

Now take a moment to think about what you will do with the gift of time God has given you today.   Let me encourage you to WALK IN FATIH AND CAST DOWN FEAR.   SPEAK GOD’S WORD ONLY.   ENCOURAGE YOURSELF AND SPEAK LIFE TO SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE.   TAKE TIME TO READ GOD’S WORD AND EXPECT HIS WORD TO BE AT WORK IN YOUR LIFE.   DO YOUR BEST TO WALK OUT THE WORD YOU KNOW.    

Time is a gift that has been given to us by God.   Let’s use it wisely.   

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION 

Psalms 118:24

King James Version (KJV)

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” 

Are You Enduring Until You See The Breaking Forth Of God’s Blessings On Your Life?

What is keeping you from trusting and believing God?   What is causing you to give up, quit, and retreat in life before you see the full manifestation of God’s promises to you?    What is it that is causing your faith to fail?   What ever it is, it’s time to bind it up, cast it out, and push past it.   Anything that is exalting itself against the knowledge and the promises of God in your life, needs to go now.  It is God’s desire for your life to shine for Him so that others can see the manifestations that He is doing in your life so that they can believe Him too.     

Believing is not always easy.   Sometimes it takes effort to believe.   With effort comes determination.   You have to be determined to trust God no matter what.    That means when things happen or when things come up, God’s Word and His promises still stand.    In other words, you have to take a stand on His Word and His promises for your life.   You can’t let trials and tribulations keep you from trusting and believing that God will do what He said He would do.   

Take a moment and just think about life.   Think about the things you have in life and the things that have changed your life.    Think about when a woman has a baby.   Before the baby is released into the earth, there is a level of pain that the woman must endure.   It doesn’t stop the baby from coming forth but it does require faith, patience, and endurance before you see the actual blessing of the child.     (Keeping in mind that the sin of Adam and Eve is what caused women to have to go through the pain of childbirth.)  

Today I want to stand in agreement with what you are believing God for.   God is good and He is faithful and just.   He  wants us to trust Him.   He doesn’t want our attitude or our actions to be based on what is going on arounds us.   He wants us to stay focused on His promises.   He wants us to be steadfast and unmovable.   He wants us to endure until we see the breakthrough or should I say the breaking forth of His blessings on our lives.   He wants us to know that we are safe and secure in Him.   

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION

Psalms 9:10

King James Version

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.