Thoughts For Today

At the marriage feast of Cana, Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Him saying, “‘They have no wine.’  Jesus’ response was, ‘My hour has not yet come’” (John 2).  However, Mary’s faith put into action the first miracle in Jesus’ ministry.  This sequence of events is important to us as believers because we see that God’s timing in our lives is just as important as it was in Jesus’ life.  Timing makes all of the difference in fulfilling our destiny in Him.  First, we have to realize what season we are in.  God is continually preparing us for His promises to be fulfilled.  Mary’s instructions to the servants filling the wine pots were, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”  Secondly, we have to be obedient to the will of God and walk in His way.  Jesus told the servants “Fill the water pots with water.”  This speaks to us of being filled with the Word and with the Holy Spirit.  As we study God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we will recognize the season of training and preparation we are in.  When we know His voice and follow His instructions, we will know when to step out in faith to see our destiny fulfilled.  Galatians 6:8-9 tells us how to develop in our faith, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”  Just as this was the beginning of miracles in Jesus’ ministry, as He stepped out, by faith, as we are obedient and activate our faith, our destinies are being fulfilled and God’s due season for our lives as believers is coming to pass.  Activate your faith and just like the servants at the wedding feast, “whatever He says to you, do it.”

Thoughts For Today

Have you ever found yourself to be overwhelmed by your commitments?  All the while your heart was right and you “felt led” to volunteer for just one more worthwhile activity, but you did not take the time to seek what the Lord had for you.  After several late nights and juggling your schedule to accommodate the carpool, the workload, the children’s schedule and your husband or wife’s needs, you were literally crying out to God and begging Him to remove some of the load from your shoulders?  As you pour out all of your grievances, our Lord listens patiently.  Then, from within your spirit, you are reminded that His burden is light and His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30).  While you are discussing the reasons for taking on more than you can handle, simply stop and ask the Lord His will and His plan.

Thoughts For Today

As Jesus prepared to go to the cross He spoke aloud to His heavenly Father, but also in front of His disciples, and said, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name’” (John 12:27-28).  As Jesus prophesied His own death, He questioned His disciples by asking, “What shall I say?  Save me, when My death is the very purpose that I came to accomplish?”  “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).  We know that Jesus accomplished this purpose by His finished work on the cross.  The question that many Christians seem to struggle with is not what Jesus died for, but rather what is their purpose.  Ephesians 3:8-12 gives us the answer to this mystery.  “This grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”  We are the church and our purpose is to receive the manifold wisdom of God so we can walk in authority, no matter what principalities and powers with which we have to deal.  Jesus’ completed work on the cross gave us boldness and access so we, by faith, can confidently fulfill our purpose and destiny.  We know that it is “Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20-21).  It is up to us to receive what He has already done.  To realize our purpose we must:
· Be intimate with Him.
· Seek Him through His Word.
· Pray diligently.
· Trust Him to accomplish His will in us.

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  “For as a man thinks (purposes) in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

Thoughts For Today

Prayer is putting our faith into action and completely trusting in Him for the results.  We are here on earth, counting on God in heaven, to move on our behalf.  Throughout the Word, prayer has moved God.  God works through the prayers of His people, and when there is prayerlessness, the enemy attacks from all sides.  When we daily seek the hand of God, we recognize Him as Lord and express our need for Him to be our supply.  Prayer shapes our character, integrity, hearts, and our lives.  Our hearts should constantly be shaped and molded by prayer.  If we experience a time when there seems to be no answer, and the changing world around us is moving too quickly, we need to do a spiritual check and evaluate our prayer life.  Unfortunately, what happens most often is we fill in the time with more and more activities until we are literally running from place to place trying to fill the void that prayerlessness creates.  If we leave God out of even the most church based activities, the work itself becomes of no value.  We allow the busyness of church activities to replace our time with the Lord.

Thoughts For Today

Proverbs 29:18 declares, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  This passage of scripture could just as easily read, “Where there is no prophetic revelation of destiny, the people perish.”  The word “vision” literally means exactly that, revelation of prophetic destiny.  As we continue to read, we see that without revelation of our destiny, we perish.  By translating the word “perish” from the Hebrew language, we discover that it means, “to be uncovered.”  It is easy to become caught in the trap of being so focused on our present circumstances that we lose sight of where we are going.  We then begin to think that we will never move beyond our day-to-day trials.  Through the Word of God and prayer, we must continually encourage ourselves that God does indeed have a destiny for us and that we are moving past where we are.  Genesis 15:1-6 is a perfect example of being stuck in your present circumstance with no vision for the future.  Even though God had already promised Abram that he would be the Father of many nations, all Abram could see was that he still went childless.  “Seeing” is the same issue that we fall victim to.  If we cannot see it, how can it be?  When God took Abram outside of his tent, He told him to look up at the multitude of stars.  This speaks to us of going outside of our circumstances and looking up to God.  Verse 6 tells us that when Abram looked up, he believed.  From that moment on, his focus was redirected and he believed that God had a destiny for him.  When we lose the focus of our destiny, we become uncovered and become victims of the enemy.  Israel was destined for the Promised Land, but instead of focusing on where they were going they could only see where they were.  It is time as overcoming, victorious Christians that we take our eyes off of our present circumstances and look ahead to our future.  We have a destiny in God. It is time to forget where we are and focus on where we are going.  Psalm 121:1-2 shows us the way to start: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?  My help cometh from the Lord…”  Look up and believe. As we take the step of faith to press on to our destiny, we must start, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  Jesus fulfilled His destiny so we could fulfill ours.

Thoughts For Today

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.  And the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and not lie: Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry…the just shall live by his faith’” (Habakkuk 2:1-4).  As believers, we must trust God to direct our lives according to His purposes.  Even though it may seem that the vision will not be fulfilled, God is still at work, shaping our character and preparing us for His promises.  Second Corinthians 3:3 declares, “Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone, but in tablets of flesh that is the heart.”  When we write God’s vision in our hearts, and communicate our faith by trusting in Him, we are allowing spiritual growth to take place in our lives.  Since we can learn so much from observing things in the natural, let’s take an everyday situation and examine it with spiritual eyes.  Going to the doctor’s office for a physical check-up is for many of us, a normal and regular occurrence.  If you think about it, what are the first things that a doctor will check to make sure they are functioning properly?  He checks all of our basic senses.  In the same way, we can check our progress by doing a spiritual check-up:
· Check your tongue - What have you been talking about?
· Check your ears - What have you been listening to?
· Check your eyes - Is your vision still in focus?
· Check your heart - Are you bitter and angry?

· Check your reflexes - Do you respond in anger or are you full of love and mercy?  Finally, check your blood - Are you cleansed and covered by the blood of Jesus?  Today, let David’s prayer to the Lord in Psalms 139:23-24 be yours.  Allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart and perfect you into the individual He desires.  Be encouraged that the vision God has given you will not tarry.  He is preparing you to fulfill His call and His promises in your life.

Thoughts For Today

“Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.  Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments and that He will set you high above all nations, which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God just as He has spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:17-19).  The word special means possession, personal property, and special treasure.  This word occurs eight times in the Old Testament.  Five of those times refer to His people, Israel, as God’s special treasure.  In two references it speaks of the prized possession of kings or royal treasures.  Malachi 3:17 calls us God’s jewels.  It is so very comforting to know that not only have we chosen Him to be our King, but He has also chosen us to be His special people.  We are precious to Him and even though the material wealth of this world may be what men consider important, God’s treasures are found in His people.