God works through people

One morning I was having my quiet time alone with God, and I said to the Lord, "God, how can You stand being seeing all the pain, starving children, human trafficking, genocide, injustice, degradation, poverty, in the world and not do something?"


I did not say it as a complaint or because I was questioning His integrity, and I do not even know that I was really expecting to get an answer, but I just asked Him. Immediately His answer came back: "I work through people. I am waiting for My people to arise and do something."


You and I are part of an army, the body of Christ, and it is going to take everyone doing their part to change this world. God wants to work through us, and He is calling us to put on love and get to work.


In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul talked about how the churches in Macedonia gave, saying, "But first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God]."


That just amazes me, because they did not just give their money, they gave themselves. God is calling us to live the same way. And one person working for the Lord has the ability to make a profound difference! So how will you give yourself to the Lord and be His agent today?


Prayer starter: God, I invite You to work through me. I choose to lay down selfishness and pick up love so that I can be used by You to change the world.

**Joyce Meyer

2 Corinthians 8:5

And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord and then by the will of God also to us.

Complaining is a SIN!

In Ephesians 4:29, the apostle Paul instructs us not to use any foul or polluting language. At one time, I did not realize that this included complaining, but I have since learned that murmuring and complaining pollute our lives.


Plain and simple, complaining is a sin! It causes many people a great deal of problems in their lives and destroys the joy of anyone listening.


We need to ask ourselves, how quick are we to become impatient and begin to complain when stuck in traffic or while waiting in checkout lanes in grocery stores or department stores? How quick are we to spot and point out all the faults of our friends or family members? Do we complain about our job when we should be thanking God that we have one? 


The best antidote for complaining is thanksgiving. Truly thankful people do not complain. They are too busy being grateful for all the good things they have that they have no time to notice the things they could complain about. 


The Bible says that we are to enter God's courts with praise and thanksgiving. You and I need to make it a daily goal to live a life of thanksgiving. Let us be as positive and grateful as possible.


Try going to bed at night pondering everything you have to be thankful for. Let it be the first thing you do in the morning. Thank God for "little" things or things you might normally take for granted: a parking place, waking up in time for work, a meal, your family... Do not get discouraged when you fail, but do not throw in the towel and quit either. Keep at it until you have developed new habits and you are living with an attitude of gratitude.


Be generous with your gratitude. It will sweeten your relationship with the Lord.


Prayer starter: God, I want to live with an attitude of gratitude, starting right now! I thank You so much for loving me and for blessing me. Help me see the positive things in life and to thank You for them.

**Joyce Meyer

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Pray persistently

About twenty years ago,  this next sentence changed my life: "You do not have because you do not ask God." This short verse opened a door for me to discover the life-changing power of persistent prayer.


At that time in m life, I was stressed out about a lot of different things. I was trying to make my ministry grow, trying to make my husband do this or that, trying to male my kids act a certain way, trying to make other people do the things I wanted, trying to basically do absolutely everything on my own. As you can probably guess, it was not working!


As a burned-out, frustrated young Christian, I realized one day that living in my own strength was useless. I needed to take my problems to God. In other words, I needed to pray more!


When we understand God's love for us and His plan for us, then we can begin to realize the doors that He wants to open for us. But we will only realize these things when we are constantly talking with Him, listening to his voice, and growing deeper in our relationship with Him.


In Matthew 7:7 (AMP), Jesus tells us, "Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you."


So many times, when we reach the end of our rope, we turn to prayer, but when our prayer are not instantly answered, we give up. Today, I want to encourage you to not only pray, but to pray persistently. Do not stress out trying to make things happen on your own. Give it all to God as you pray.


Remember, He promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him. Let us pray and seek Him with all our hearts.


Prayer starter: God, remind me to bring my problems to You. I am tired of living in my own strength. I need Your guidance and Your direction. As I seek You daily, I will put my trust in You.

**Joyce Meyer

James 4:2

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Letting God's love overcome past hurt

Early in our marriage, Dave and I had some rough years, and a lot of it was because I needed God to heal me from my past of being abused sexually, emotionally and verbally by my dad. Through a lot of tears and difficult moments of choosing to forgive instead of getting revenge, God brought me through, and He has also used my testimony to bring healing to the lives of others. When God heals you of past hurt, He not only wants to help you, but He also wants your experience to be a gateway through which others can experience the same healing.


Eventually, I came to point where God led me and Dave to move my parents to St. Louis and even buy them a home, which was very difficult for me. But my dad ended up apologizing to me for all he had done and even received Christ into his life. I experienced a whole new level of emotional health because I let God heal me through the power of forgiveness, and allowed Him to use my restoration to help heal my dad.


You know, we can all hurt in a lot of different ways. Loneliness, disappointment, rejection, fear and insecurity all have the ability to hurt us deeply. I could not move beyond the hurt from my past until I received and experienced the love of God and allowed Him to turn it all around.


Before you can move beyond your pain and learn to love and forgive others, you have to experience God's love.


When dealing with your past, remember that God loves you deeply. The Bible says that we are only complete when we experience the love of Christ, which is so great you could  never fully understand it. As you receive His love, healing will begin in your heart and you will be made complete with the fullness of His life.


Prayer starter: Lord, I believe You can help me overcome the hurt and pain of my past and use my healing to help others. Help me to experience the love of Christ and make me complete with all the fullness of Your life and power.

**Joyce Meyer

Ephesians 3:19

and to know this love that surpasses knowledges - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Change the way you think

Have you ever heard the saying "a mind is a terrible thing to waste"? Our minds have so much capacity for good, to learn, create, think and grow, and it is a tragedy when we do not use them to their highest potential.


There was a time in my life when I allowed too many damaging thoughts to enter my mind, negative, tormenting, guilty, unforgiving , shameful and accusing thoughts. The problem was that I had no idea I could control my thoughts or choose which thoughts I focused on and believed in.


I did not realize that if I was thinking something that was not true, I had the power to stop. No one ever told me I could win in my mind. Has anyone ever told you? If not, then I am here today to tell you that you do not have to let your thoughts control you. You can choose to think and focus on God-thoughts!


Romans 12:2 says to "let God transform you, by changing the way you think." God wants to help you win the battle in your mind. But what does that look like on a practical level?


Here is what has worked countless times for me and what I know will work for you too: The next time you are wrestling in your mind, I want you to stop and find something specific that you can thank God for. Tell him how grateful you are for His goodness and all the rich ways He has blessed your life. As you are diligent to do this, you will see your life begin to change and things will get better and better.


It is my hope and prayer that you will know the power God has given you and that every day in your thoughts, you will walk in the fullness of His love for you!


Prayer starter: God, I want to experience Your power in my thought life. I choose to focus on Your goodness and Your love for me. No matter what negative thought comes my way, I know that You are so much bigger and better.

**Joyce Meyer

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed  by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.