Written by TWFYT
Friday August 21

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8 NKJV

There's an old African folktale about a king and his friend. IN every circumstance, the king's friend had a saying: "This is good." One day they were out hunting. The friend loaded the firearm for the king, and he fired it. But it exploded, blowing off the king's thumb. As was his habit, the friend said, "This is good," to which the king replied, "This is not good," and has his friend thrown in prison. A year later, the king was out hunting without his friend when he was captured by cannibals. The king was taken back to their village and tied at the stake. He thought  to himself, "This is not good." But just before lighting the fire, one of the cannibals noticed that the king's thumb was missing. According to tribal tradition, they could never eat anyone who wasn't whole, so they untied the king and let him go. When the king realized that his missing thumb spared his life, he immediately thought of his friend whom he'd sent to prison. He said to his friend, "You were right. It is good that my thumb was blown off. I' sorry for sending you to jail. This is not good." To which his friend said, "No, this is good." The king still didn't understand. "What do you mean, this is good? I sent my best friend to jail for a year!" The friend insisted, "This is good. If I hadn't been in jail, I would have been out hunting with you and my thumb's not missing!" So the word for you today is: God is good—all the time.

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Thursday August 20

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!" Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

After falling twice in the 1988 Olympic speed-skating races, Dan Jansen sought out sports psychologist Dr. Jim Loher, who helped  him find a new balance between sport and the rest of his life and to pay more attention to the mental aspects of skating. Peter Mueller became his coach, putting him through workouts that he described as "the toughest I've ever known." By the time the 1994 Olympics arrived, Jansen had more confidence than ever. He had set a 500-meter world record just two months previously so that race seemed to be all his! Then the unimaginable happened, and he fell during the 500-meter race. Dr Loher advised him, "Start preparing for the 1000-meter race. Put the 500-meter race behind you immediately. Stop reliving it. Think 1000!" For years Jansen didn't believe he could win that distance, as he had always considered it his weaker event. Now it was his last chance at an Olympic medal. As the race began, Jansen said, "I just seemed to be sailing along," and then he slipped and came within an inch of stepping on a lane marker. Still, he didn't panic; he raced on and recorded a world-record time that won him the gold medal. There's an important lesson here for you. Put the past behind and believe that God has greater days in store for you—because He does. So the word for you today  is this: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!"

Written by TWFYT
Wednesday August 19

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 NKJV

Joe was a carpenter who worked for a building contractor. One day, the contractor said to him, "Joe, I'm putting you in charge of the next house we build. I want you to order the materials and oversee the job." Joe accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm. He studied the blueprints and checked every measurement and specification. Then he had a thought: "If I'm really in charge, why couldn't I cut a few corners, use less expense materials, and put the extra money in my pocket? Who will know? Once the house is painted, it will look great." So Joe ordered second-grade lumber and inexpensive concrete, put in cheap wiring and cut every corner he could. When the home was finished, the contractor came to see it. "What a fine job you have done!" he said. "You have been faithful to me all these years, and I have decided to show you my gratitude by giving you this house that you just built as a gift." Night after night as Joe lay in bed listening to the roof leaking and the floor creaking, the message came through loud and clear: The house you built is the house you will live in! Are you short-changing your spouse and your family in love, time, example, and instruction? Count on it: There will come a time when you will regret what you have done and have left undone. And depending on time and opportunity, you may or may not have a change to undo it. So make this your prayer: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

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Tuesday August 18

"Why should the work stop while I leave and go down to you?" Nehemiah 6:3 NIV

Like David's older brother Eliab, there will always be people who try to discourage you from killing the giant  in your life or taking on any other God-given assignment (see 1Sa 17:28). Their resistance could be due to the fact that "misery loves company." Or that they're projecting their fear and lack of faith onto you. Or it could be envy; they resent your attempt to do what they are afraid to do. And this is even more so when you succeed where they have failed. Whatever their motivation and intention may be, you may have to stand alone in your quest. Nehemiah's enemies tried every trick in the book to deter him from rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. They were relentless. Notice how he handled their opposition: "Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: 'Come, let us meet together.' But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent...this reply: 'I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?' Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the answer" (New 6:2-4 NIV). Nehemiah remained steadfast in what he knew God had called him to do, and you must too. You must be willing to take the put-downs, the envy, the distractions, the discouraging words, and all other opposition and stand on God's Word: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Ro 8:31 NIV). So the word for you today is—be careful to who you listen. 

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Monday August 17

"This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 NKJV

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis demonstrated that God wants humankind to attend chiefly to two things: "To eternity itself, and to that point of time, which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which tie touches eternity." In light of that truth, Screwtape, the veteran demon, advised a novice name Wormwood with these words: Our business is to get them away from the eternal, and from the Present. With this in view, we sometimes tempt a human...to live in the Past." Screwtape then advised Wormwood about another demonic tactic—getting people to live in the future. "We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow's end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap on the altar of the future every real gift which is offered to them in the Present." Whether we are overcoming lifelong addictions or going after life goals, one key to accomplishing things is breaking the down into manageable and measurable steps. A goal is a dream with a deadline. And without deadline, the dream is dead in the water. Successful programs that help alcoholics and addicts find sobriety and strength use the slogan: "One Day at a time!" If you want to break a habit, break it down into day-tight compartments. Just like boxing, you'll win some rounds and lose some rounds. But you've got to fight one day and one round at a time. Before you know it, your winning streaks will get longer, and your losing streaks will get shorter.

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Sunday August 16

"Live one day at a time." Matthew 6:34 TLB

Sir William Osler was the most famous physician of his generation. He organized the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and served as a professor of medicine at Oxford University. Considered the father of psychosomatic medicine, his textbook, The Principles and Practice of Medicine, was the principal reference book for medical students for three decades. But Osler's medical career almost ended as soon as it started because of a nervous breakdown. He was trying to finish his academic requirements, start a medical practice, and make ends meet—all at the same time. It nearly killed him. Then he came across something that Thomas Carlyle wrote: "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly as a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." Those words revolutionized Odler's life. In a commencement address at Yale University, Osler told the students he owed hid success to a simple principle: living in day-tight compartments. He told them that they needed to let go of dead yesterdays and unborn tomorrows. "The load of tomorrow," he said, "added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest falter." David said: "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps 118:24 TLB). Jesus said: "Don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing...your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to. So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time" (Mt 6:31-34 TLB).

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Saturday August 15

"I am compelled to preach." 1 Corinthians 9:16 NIV

Before the thirteen colonies in America became a country, four-fifths of Americans had heard George Whitefield preach in person. Without amplification, he spoke to crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. He didn't [reach in a church; he preached in fields and fairgrounds. And when he did, entire towns shut down and went to hear him. He mad thirteen trips to America, tallying 782 days at sea, crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean. In total he preached 18,000 sermons during his thirty-four-year preaching career, proclaiming the gospel to more than ten million people. He often wept during his sermons, urgently pleading with people to come to Jesus. His last sermon was delivered in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 29, 1770. Barely able to stand, Whitefiled preached for two hours, until 2 a.m. Later that morning, he literally ran out of breath, dying of an asthmatic fit. His friend and colleague John Wesley eulogized him with these words: "Oh what has the church suffered in the setting of that bright star which shone so gloriously in our hemisphere. We have none left to succeed him; none of his gifts; none anything like him in his usefulness." How did Whitefield have that effect? What drove him? The same thing that drove Paul: "I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" A poet once posed the question: "Can all of life represent one motive?" If he didn't succeed at it, George Whitefield came close. His secret was he believed what he preached, and he lived what he believed. And God expects no less from each of us.

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Friday August 14

"The Lord said to Joshua: 'Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned.'" Joshua 7:10-11 NKJV

The walls of Jericho had fallen, and Joshua was flushed with victory. Their next challenge was the town of Ai, with a population of only 20,000 people. So Joshua decided that 3,000 of his soldiers could do the job. He was wrong. "The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating...The Israelites were paralyzed  with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away" (vv. 4-5 NLT). What caused this? Achan, one of Joshua's soldiers, had disobeyed God's command and taken the spoils of Jericho and hidden them in his tent. As a result, Israel went down in a humiliating defeat, and Achan and his family were stoned to death in the valley of Achor. Joshua had a meltdown. He tore his clothing and fell on his face and prayed, "Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!" (v. 7 NKJV). Note what God said to him: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned." There's an important lesson here: there's a time to pray and a time to "get up" and deal with the issues God's talking about! Sometimes we pray hoping that God will overlook our disobedience or change His mind. But God's goal is to change us! Why did Achan take the spoils of Jericho? Because he didn't trust in God's ability and willingness to provide for him. Is God dealing with you about the same thing?

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Thursday August 13

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Isaiah 48:17 NLT

You'll probably travel several different paths on your way to destiny. When Luciano Pavarotti was a boy, his grandmother often put him on her lap and said, "You're going to be great—you'll see." But his grandmother had dreams of him becoming a banker! Instead, he became a schoolteacher. He taught elementary school for a while, occasionally singing at special events. His father was the one who challenged him to develop his voice, telling him he was settling far short of his potential. Finally, at age twenty-two, Pavarotti stopped teaching to sell insurance. He continued to look for something stable on which he could rely financially in case he could not make it in the. music world. The insurance business allowed him time to take voice lessons, and as they say, "The rest is history." In an interview, the opera star said, "Studying voice was the turning point of my life." Then he added, "It's a mistake to settle for the safe path in life." It takes courage to lead a position you consider safe and launch out in a new direction, but without risk, you can never realize your potential or know all God created you to be. The greatest risk of all is to take no risk because the person who risks nothing accomplishes nothing, has nothing, feels nothing, and, in the end, becomes nothing. God may lead you along several different paths on your way to your destiny, but if you submit to His will and follow His guidance, you will surely succeed.

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Wednesday August 12

"The fruit of that righteousness will b peace." Isaiah 32:17 NIV

We are the sum total of everything we have experienced—both good and bad. We can engage in wishful thinking and imagine that our past negative behavior had never occurred, or we can decide to accept the reality of it. How we choose to respond to the past will determine our destiny. We have all sinned, and we either responded by asking for God's forgiveness and going forward, or we are still stuck in guilt. Indeed, we may actually develop anxiety about possible consequences. Many people are plagued with jealousy because of their own infidelity or prior indiscretions. They live in fear that one day they will reap what they have sown. Some have even resorted to verbal and physical abuse of their partners in order to ward off what they feel will be inevitable. When we repent, we must believe God's Word: "Their sins...I will remember no more" (Heb 10:17 NIV). God doesn't remember confessed sin, so we need to stop rehearsing it. God doesn't want to hear about it ever again: "When sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer ant more sacrifices" (Heb 10:18 NLT). Once is enough. There is no need to repent continually. To do so is to offer another "sacrifice." Too many people sacrifice the rest of their lives on the altar of remorse over past transgressions. Yes, you should make every effort to line up your life with requirements of God's Word. And when you've done that, then stand on this Scripture: "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever."

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Tuesday August 11

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give." 2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

God can be sitting on the sidelines watching you struggle financially or actively involved as your financial partner. It all depends on what kind of steward you are. Your finances are yet another area of life where you can begin to experience an interactive relationship with your Heavenly Father. Bit if you want God involved in your finances, you need to put your finances to work for God's interests. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mt 6:33 NIV). That means you need to give. And you can start with what He's already given you. That might mean a percentage of your next paycheck or a part of your net worth. Wherever the voice of generosity leads you, you need to follow it. Again, this isn't about giving to get. It's about neutralizing the fears that have been hindering the spirit of generosity inside you. It's about discovering the thrill of taking part in God's plan and experiencing that security that comes from knowing that your provider is the One who owns all provisions. When you saw, God shows up in amazing ways. "God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous" (2Co 9:10-11 NLT). Once you experience the perfect provision of a loving heavenly Father, your fears will begin to evaporate 

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Monday August 10

"If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin." James 2:9 NLT

James wrote to the church: "Suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention  and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, 'You can stand over there, or else sir on the floor'—well, doesn't discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin'" (vv. 2-4, 9 NLT) The early church grew rapidly because prejudice had no place there. Although the Jews and Samaritans despised each other, Jesus made a place for Nicodemus, a Jewish leaders, and the Gentile woman at the well who'd been married five time. The early church made room for Onesimus, the former slave, at the same table as Philemon, his wealth former master. The gospel gives everyone, everywhere, a place of dignity at Christ's table. The sin of discrimination stands on two legs: prejudice and presumption. And they should have no place in your life. The ancient prophet Habakkuk climbed dup in his watchtower in order to "watch to see what [God] will say unto me" (Has 2:1 KJV). Too much of our Christian experience is taken up with us saying something God, and spending too little time listening to what God is saying to us. He definitely has something to say to us  about discrimination. So ask Him to help you to view people through His loving eyes. You just might see a few folks differently  than you have in the past.

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Sunday August 9

"God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you." Deuteronomy 23:5 NKJV

Paul told the Corinthians, "Therefore we do not lose heart...for our light affliction is working for us" (2Co 4:16-17 NKJV). Jim Stovall proved this to be true. At age seventeen, his doctor told him that he was losing his sight, and nothing could be done to reverse it. Rather than drop out of life, he pursued a college degree and also studied privately with a very successful entrepreneur. His goal was to be in business for himself, even if blind, so that he might manage his own career and life. Even though he had prepared himself for blindness, when the day cane that he could no longer see, he felt devastated. In his book, You Don't Have to Be Blind to See, he said, "All I wanted to do was sit in my living room and listen to music."But then Jim dug deep down in his faith and, as he said, "God opened my inner eyes to a new idea." He entered a highly unusual field for a blind person—television! He founded the Narrative Television Network to aid visually impaired people. NTN adds more "descriptive narration" to soundtracks so that listeners might visualize a program or movie and enjoy it more fully. NTN broadcast to over 20 million households, and amazingly, some 60 percent of the audience can see. For his work, Jim received television's highest honor, the Emmy Award, after only one season on the air! So the word for you today is this: God can make your problem "work for you" and "turn a curse into a blessing."

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Saturday August 8

"Though our outward manis perishing, yet the inward man is being rewarded day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV

In 1928, a happy, ambitious young nursing student was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Back then, such a diagnosis often meant a death sentence. Her family sent her to a nursing home for several months, hoping she would be cured. She was destined to remain in bed for the next twenty-one years! Many people would have given up, but not Isobel Smith. She approached the threshold of death on several occasions, but her faith remained strong, and she never ceased to pursue the art of living. She read voraciously, wrote letters, studied geography, and taught other patients to read and write. From her bed she studied atomic energy with a fellow patient, a young physicist, and organized a town hall on the topic. While ill, she met a kind, gentle man, also a patient at the sanatorium. She dreamed of marrying him and having a little house "under the mountains." At her lowest ebb, her dream kept her going. And in 1948, she got married. Shen then authored a book called Wish  as I Might, which was published in 1955. The book was "about all the good things life has brought me," and it earned her enough royalties to buy her the mountain retreat she dreamed of. A tragic life? Hardly! Isobel Smith achieved everything she set out to achieve, though the odds against her were overwhelming. Even when flat on her back in bed, she never quit growing, learning, dreaming, and giving. "Though  our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." Victory is an "inside job."

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Friday August 7

"Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper." Proverbs 13:4 NLT

In the fall of 1894, Guglielmo retreated to his room on the third floor. All summer while on vacation, he read books and filled notebooks with squiggly diagrams. now the time had come for him to work. Every day, he rose early. He worked all day and long into the night, to the point that his mother became alarmed. He had never been a robust person, but now he had become appallingly thin. His face was drawn, and his eyes were often glazed over with fatigue. Finally, the day came when he announced that his instruments were ready. He invited the family to his room and, pushing a button, he succeeded in ringing a bell on the first floor! While his mother was amazed, his father was not. He saw no use in being able to send a signal so short a distance. So Guglielmo labored on. Little by little, he made changes in his sending circuits so he could send a signal from one hill to the next and then beyond the hill. Eventually his invention was perfected—partly due to vision and inspiration, but mostly due to perseverance. Guglielmo Marconi was eventually hailed as the inventor of wireless telegraphy, radio's forerunner. He not only received a Nobel Prize in physics but also acquired a seat in the Italian senate. if you want what successful people have, you must be willing to do what successful people do—and 99 percent of their success is due to vision and hard work. "Lazy people want much but get little but those who work hard will prosper."

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Thursday August 6

"He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction." Psalm 107:20

Here's a prayer for healing and continued good health: "Father, the power of Your Word is the source of my healing and continued good health. It declares that You have delivered me from all destruction. I may have made decisions on the past that caused ill health in my life, but You have forgiven me in Christ, and You deliver me continuously from all sickness, pain, weakness, and disease. Your Word says: 'Because  you have made theLord...your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall ant plague  come near your dwelling' (Ps 91:9-10 NNKJV). You are my refuge and my dwelling place. There is no sickness in Your presence, and since I abide in you, sickness cannot remain in my life. I am protected because I am in Christ. Your Word says, 'Let the weak say, "I am strong'" (Joel 3:10 NKJV). So I call myself strong even when I feel weak. Lord, your Word says You will satisfy my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed (see Ps 103:5). You are my source of complete satisfaction, and I believe my youth and strength are being renewed. As a result, I age gracefully in Christ. Lord, Your Word says that I can call upon You, and You will answer me. You will be with me in Your salvation (see Ps 91:15-16). Therefore, I stand on Your Word and declare by faith: 'I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord' (Ps 118:17 NKJV).

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Wednesday August 5

"He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit." Matthew 13:23 NKJV

Just because you haven't seen results yet doesn't mean your prayer is not being answered. The Word of God is a seed; it needs time to produce fruit. Ask God for the grace to hold on to what you believe from His Word while it takes root and grows. No matter what the situation, it's always a good time to be thankful. Satan wants you to focus on your circumstances and what appears unchanged instead of thanking God for the part of your life that has gotten better. As you are standing in faith and allowing the Word to work inside you, continue to meditate on the promises of God about healing. God's Word works when you plant it in your heart. Keep watering that seed by continuing to speak God's promises over your life. God said: "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry It is the same with my word. I sent it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it" (Isa 55:10-11 NLT). What did God say about His Word? "It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." Keep your faith strong and stand on God's Word; "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps 27:13 NIV). 

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Tuesday August 4

"At the proper time we will reap...if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 NIV

Healing can happen in different ways. Sometimes God performs a miracle and instantly heals someone. Other times He heals a person progressively. When looking at Scripture and the many miracles Jesus performed, it's east to think He always healed people in the same fashion. But on closer examination, we see that in many cases He didn't do the same thing twice. For instance, here's how He healed those who were blind: (1) In Matthew 9:29, Jesus healed two blind men by simply touching their eyes. (2) In Mark 10:52, He healed blind Bartimaeus by speaking to him rather than touching him. (3) In Mark 8:22-25, He put saliva on a blind man's eyes and laid hands on him twice before he was completely healed. Jesus wasn't bound by one method, the receivers consistently showed belief in His ability to heal and willingness to release His power on their behalf. And the same is true today! If you've prayed for healing and nothing happened immediately, that doesn't mean your faith faltered. It also doesn't mean that God is angry at you or that He wants you to suffer. It just means it's time to thank God that you are taking Him at His Word and believing you are getting progressively better day by day: "By whose stripes you were healed" (1 Pe 2:24 NKJV). That means believing that what is already accomplished in the Spirit realm will eventually manifest itself in the physical realm. From God's perspective, your healing has been bought and paid for.

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Monday August 3

"He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases." Psalm 103:3 NLT

The psalmist wrote: "Let all that I am praise the Lord, may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies" (vv. 2-4 NLT). David reminded himself of these four things, and you should too. God had forgiven all his sins God had healed all his diseases. God had redeemed his life from death to destruction. God had crowned him with love, kindness, mercy, and favor. The Bible records: "A vast crowd brought him to people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all" (Mt 15:30 NLT). Were these born-again Christians that Jesus healed? No, this took place before the cross. Think about it: if Jesus was willing to heal all of them, then as a redeemed child of God who has put your trust in Christ for salvation, He can heal you too. Are you a believer? Yes? Then read this Scripture and stand on it: "These signs will follow those who believe...they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mk 16:17-18 NKJV). James wrote: "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (Jas 5:14-15 NKJV). If you are sick, stand on God's Word and believe Him to heal you. 

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Sunday August 2

"I am willing.' he said. 'Be healed!'" Matthew 8:3 NLT

The Bible says: "A man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord,' the man said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me.'...Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!'" And instantly the leprosy disappeared" (vv. 2-3 NLT). God does not want us to go through life wondering if it's His will to heal us. That's why He graciously gave us His Word. David said: "O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave" (Ps 30:2-3 NLT). God is so serious about our healing that He connected it to the death of Jesus on the cross. "Who Himself bore our sins in HIs own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1Pe 2:24 NKJV). We don't doubt Christ's triumph over death at the cross or our salvation because of it. Neither should we count the Father's will to heal us. Note the words, "By whose stripes you were healed." That's past tense. From God's perspective, all that's required for your healing was accomplished at the cross. This leper knew that Jesus could heal him; he just didn't know if He would. Jesus clears up his doubt with three powerful words: "I am willing." And then He said, "Be healed!" (Mt 8:3 NLT). The Bible records that the men's leprosy disappeared instantly. It also says: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13:8 NKJV). That means you can go to Him with confidence and believe for your healing.

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Saturday August 1

"Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength." Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

Feeling tired tells you: (1) that your body needs to rest. (2) to take life at a more normal human pace, and (3) to take time to just abide in the presence of God. Did "rested" on the seventh day" (Ge 2:2 ESV). Think about that. God—the One who transcends all things, knows all things, and has all power—rested! What makes you think you don't have to? Now if you're wired to work, not working will be a difficult habit to get into, even for a few hours. But rest is a secret weapon God gave you to help you defeat the enemy. When you're exhausted, you're of little use to God or anyone else. This is one of the main reasons Satan has you running here and there, doing, doing, doing. If he can't tempt you with addictive substances, wrong relationships, and bad habits, he will tempt you with overdoing good deeds. He wants you to exhaust yourself so that when the real battle—the one you were meant to fight—comes along, you'll be too tired. John wrote: "I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 Jn 2 NKJV). But your should is not prospering when it is exhausted and stretched to the max, with little time for rest or restoration. What to do? Lay your schedule at the feet of Jesus including any new projects. Wait for His direction. If it seems slow in coming, stand on this Scripture: "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength."

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Friday July 31

"Confess your faults one to another." James 5:16 KJV

It seems that everywhere you turn today, somebody is making an excuse for his or her poor choices, performance, or behavior, or failing to admit  a weakness or shortcoming. Yet we all make mistakes. One of the best examples of admitting a mistake is found in the account of David being unjustly pursued by King Saul. David became a fugitive, and in the process unknowingly jeopardized the lives of certain priests when he asked for their help. Ahimelech the priest gave him food and a sword and inquired of God on his behalf. Doeg, King Saul's chief herdsmen, witnessed the whole thing and squealed on the priest. Saul confronted Ahimelech, accused him on conspiring with David, and ordered Doeg to kill him and eighty-five of their other priests and their entire families. "Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, David exclaimed, 'I knew it! When I saw Doeg...there that day, I knew he was sure to tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all your father's family'" (1Se 22:20-22 NLT). What an admission! No excuses, just and acknowledgement that he had made a mistake and to making amends whenever possible: "Stay here with me...I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both" (1Sa 22:23 NLT). Humans make mistakes. They have blind spots. God is present to support our every weakness. Peace comes when we admit our shortcomings to one another.

Written by TWFYT
Thursday July 30

"He then turned away to someone else." 1 Samuel 17:30 NIV

The first person who tried to discourage David from fighting Goliath was his own brother. "Eliab...burned with anger at him ask asked, 'Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are...You came down only to watch the battle.' 'Now what have I done?' said David. 'Can't I even speak?' He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter" (1Sa 17:28-30 NIV). Don't fall into the trap of giving too much thought and consideration to a discourager. Spend your time with those who add to you, not detract from you. Even King Saul told David, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth" (v. 33 NIV). But David wasn't concerned about how much experience Goliath had, because he knew that his God was all-powerful. How tragic it is when we limit our faith only to what we can see. To think we are inadequate for a task is to engage in self-centeredness and focus on our own capabilities apart from God. This independent mindset shuts God out of the equation and ignores the fact that He has declared that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (see 2Co 12:9-10 NIV). The name "Eliab," David's older brother, means "God is my father." How ironic, because he had no confidence in God at all. So in order to experience victory, you may first have to overcome the doubts and unbelief of those closest to you.

Written by TWFYT
Wednesday July 29

"We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him." Romans 8:28 NCV

The Bible begins with these words: "In the beginning God created the sky and the earth. The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God's Spirit was moving over the water. Then God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good" (Ge 1:1-4 NCV). Even when your life seems like a jumbled mess, you can trust the God who brought order out of chaos and light out of darkness to help your life make sense. When you believe that "All things work together for good" (Ro 8:28 NKJV). It redefines the bad things that happen. The worst day of your life can turn into the best day. There's a silver lining to every cloud, and every downside has a potential upside. When you interpret life through this prism, it gives you confidence that everything is going to be alright. It reassures you that the best is yet to come because God said, "For I know the plans I have for you...they are plans for good" (See Jer 29:11 NLT). But sometimes you have a part to play. God is setting up divine appointments, but you must keep them. God is ordering your footsteps, but you must keep in step with the Spirit. If you faithfully do your part, you can count on God to do His part—which is to work on your behalf.

Written by TWFYT
Tuesday July 28

"Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings." Proverbs 22:29 NKJV

Helping the deaf to communicate was what truly motivated Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone. Perhaps that's because his mother and his wife were both deaf. "If I can make a deaf-mute talk," Bell said, "I can make metal talk." For five frustrating and impoverished years, he experimented with a variety of materials to make a metal disc that would vibrate in response to sound, reproduce those sounds, and send them over an electrified wire. During a visit to Washington, D.C,  he called Joseph Henry, a scientist who was a pioneer in research related to electricity. He presented his ideas to him and asked his advice—should he let someone else perfect the telephone or should he do it himself? Henry encourages Bell to do it himself, to which he complained that he lacked the necessary knowledge of electricity. Henry's brief answer was, "Then get it." And so Bell studied electricity. A year later, when he obtained a patent for the telephone, the patent officials credited him with knowing more about electricity than all the other inventors combined. Study, work, hope, and perseverance are "common things," but they are they kets to uncommon success in life. And as Bell discovered, perseverance is often the most challenging. Longfellow wrote: "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept, were tolling upward in the night." Solomon wrote: "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before the unknown men."