“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts.—Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

Willpower can be a powerful tool in the hands of a determined, disciplined individual. It can help you confront any problem you have and adjust your lifestyle. However, willpower only takes us so far and then we always run out of our own strength.

Now, what happens if, instead of turning first to willpower in your time of need, you turn to God? God releases His power into you and enables you to go all the way through to victory. Now you’re energized for positive change, but willpower does not get the credit for our success, God does.

Jesus said in John 15:5 (NASB), Apart from Me you can do nothing. This is one of the most important and most difficult lessons we must learn if we want to enjoy the life Jesus died to give us. When we turn to anything or anyone before God, He is insulted and is obligated to let us fail so we will realize that except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1 AMPC).

We must learn to let God do the heavy lifting. Let Him supply the ability to energize our choices. We can choose to exercise or stop overeating, but our choice alone is not enough for complete victory. Willpower and determination will get us started, but they’ve been known to quit in the middle and leave us stranded. God never quits in the middle.

There are some people in the world who claim to be a self-made success, but if we follow their lives all the way through, they usually end up falling apart. God has not created us to function well without Him, and the sooner we learn that the better off we will be.

Start by asking God to get involved, to do the heavy lifting. Continue on with God and finish with God. What should we do when the burdens in life seem too heavy? Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28 NIV).

Trust in Him: Who/what is the first thing you turn to when you need to overcome a problem? Whatever “that” is, that’s where you’re placing your trust. Choose to put your trust in God in all things and at all times.

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. —Isaiah 41:10 NLT

No matter what your fear is, God’s Word says you are not to fear because He is with you. It is just that simple. I am sure the question comes to mind: If God is with me, why do bad things happen? God never promises us trouble-free lives, but He does promise us His presence and the strength (mental, physical, and emotional) we need to get through our troubles.

Whatever the problem is, you can be assured it will pass, God will be with you all the way through it, and you will be stronger and know God better when it is over than before it began.

Power Thought: God is with me at all times, so there is no need to be afraid.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

He who rebukes a scorner heaps upon himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man gets for himself bruises. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser….—Proverbs 9:7-9 AMPC

It has been statistically proven that 10 percent of people will never like you, so stop trying to have a perfect record with everyone and start celebrating who you are. A person who knows how to live independently does not allow the moods of other people to alter hers.

A story is told of a Quaker man who knew how to live independently as the valued person God had created Him to be. One night as he was walking down the street with a friend, he stopped at a newsstand to purchase an evening paper. The storekeeper was very sour, rude, and unfriendly. The Quaker man treated him with respect and was quite kind in his dealing with him. He paid for his paper, and he and his friend continued to walk down the street. The friend said to the Quaker, “How could you be so cordial to him with the terrible way he was treating you?” The Quaker man replied, “Oh, he is always that way. Why should I let him determine how I am going to act?”

Lord, help me to not allow others to steal my joy and peace by the things they say and do. I want to be kind and cordial, but I won’t let my mood to be controlled. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Key Scripture: Proverbs 16:9

“A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.”

We think and plan in temporal terms, and God thinks and plans in eternal terms. What this means is that we are very interested in right now, and God is much more interested in eternity. We want what “feels good” right now, what produces immediate results, but God is willing to invest time. In fact, God is an investor; He will invest a lot of time in us because He has an eternal purpose planned for our lives.

God sees and understands what we don’t see and understand. He asks us to trust Him, not to live in constant reasoning and be frustrated because things don’t always go according to our plan.

Without abundant trust in God, we will never experience joy and enjoyment. We have ideas about how and when things should happen. Not only does God have a clearly defined plan for our lives, He also has the perfect timing for each phase. Psalm 31:15 assures us that our times are in His hands. Fighting and resisting the timing of God is equivalent to fighting His will.

Often, we fail to realize that being out of God’s timing is the same thing as being out of His will. We may know what God wants us to do, but not when He wants us to do it.

Final Thoughts and Action Items

Once God speaks to us or shows us something, we are filled up with it. It’s as though we are “pregnant” with what God has said. It is very much like the birth of a child. First, the seed is planted in the womb, then come the nine months of waiting, and finally, a baby is born. During those nine months, there is a great deal happening—but everything on the inside is hidden from view.

And just like parents are “expectant”, they aren’t just standing still—a lot of preparation is happening—they are very active! Clothes are being bought, nurseries are being painted, even routes to the hospital are being carefully planned. Essentially, this time of “waiting” is filled with joy because of what’s to come. I think this is what God is looking for out of His kids. That although the promises haven’t quite been born yet, we are in the active state of preparation, eagerly anticipating what’s to come. That we rely on His timing to fulfill the thing He’s promised for our lives.

Action Items

What are some of the things God has promised to you and how are you in the active state of waiting?

Are you not just waiting on those things, waiting on God’s timing, but are choosing to live in a state of joy?

What other ways can you decide to enjoy the life Christ died to give you? Look up scriptures regarding what it means to live in God’s will and how you can be a successful Christian.

For more on this topic, check out Joyce’s book Enjoy Your Journey.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Key Scripture: Luke 10: 41,42

“And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed…”

I had to come to a place in my life where God had me focus on the idea of simplicity, and I suspect it may be the same for you. During this time, I was very complicated in most everything I did. I could not even entertain friends without complicating it.

Not only were my actions complicated but also my thought processes. I complicated my relationship with God because I had a legalistic approach to righteousness. To me, life itself was complicated. I felt that I had a lot of complex problems, and I didn’t realize they were that way only because my approach to life was complicated. And when we are complicated inside, then everything else in life seems that way.

James 1:6 says, “The double-minded (complicated, bewildered) man is unstable in all his ways…”

For years, I sought for many things—answers to my situations, healing, success in my ministry, changes in my family, etc. Finally, I learned about the “one thing” I was supposed to be seeking. And what was that one thing?

Psalm 27:4 gives us the answer. “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple.”

We make it overly complex, but it really is simple. The “one thing” is spending time with God and to look to Him for everything we need. It is the “seek first the kingdom of God” strategy that leads to the rest of fulfillment in our lives.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Loving the Life of Simplicity →

Key Scripture: Philippians 3: 13,14

“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling me upward.”

When making decisions in your life, it’s easy to start asking yourself the question, “Did I make the right decision?” And although some of that can be healthy, it can also quickly get out of balance and lead your heart to place of regret and dread. When this happens, it’s also easy to start regretting the past and dreading the future, and in fact, both are “thieves of joy.”

Many people stay trapped in the past. There is only one thing that can be done about the past, and that is to forget it. When we make mistakes or bad decision (which we all do from time to time), the only thing we can do is ask God’s forgiveness and go on. Like Paul, we are all pressing toward the mark of perfection, but none of us have arrived.

I believe Paul enjoyed his life and ministry and this “one aspiration” of his was part of the reason why. Like us, he was pressing toward the mark of perfection, admitting that he had not arrived, but having insight on how to enjoy his life while he was making the trip.

And if regret has us constantly looking backwards in the past, dread has us always fearing forwards concerning the future. I spend a lot of years with regret pulling one arm and dread pulling on the other. The result was that I felt like I was being pulled apart, and I didn’t even know what the problem was.

Dreading things can become a bad habit, an attitude that develops out of lethargy or laziness, or perhaps because of multiple bad decisions. Procrastination and dread often work together. An upcoming task is dreaded, so procrastination says, “Put it off until later.” That sounds good for a few minutes, but the thing is still there to be dreaded until it is finished. It would be far better to do it and be free to go on to other things.

Final Thoughts and Action Items

I have learned from experience that living life one day at a time is something that can be done. God gives me the grace for today, but He does not give me grace for yesterday or tomorrow. When I am trying to live yesterday today, I can easily start to second guess the decisions made and I find myself full of unanswerable questions and regret. When I live tomorrow today, I allow fear of the unknown to creep in and I can easily start walking through life with endless amounts of dread. Ultimately, living in either regret or dread is pressure. And what I’ve discovered over time is to take the pressure off by believing God and trusting His Word.

Action Items

Are you relying on the grace that’s been given to you today? Have you asked God to help you rely on that grace?

Make a mental list of how many times you either think or say things like, “I just regret that decision,” or “I’m really concerned about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Decide that today is the only day God has given you and commit to do the very best that you can. At the end of your day, ask God to help you change the habit of regret and dread.

For more on this topic, check out Joyce’s book Enjoy Your Journey.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings the curses; therefor choose life, that you and your descendants may live.— Deuteronomy 30:19 (AMPC)

I’m going to start with a question that may seem tough to ask at the beginning of a study, but I believe it goes to the core of how you are living your life: Are you living your life with quantity in mind or with quality in mind?

No matter who you are, whether you are a CEO of a business or a committed stay-at-home mom, we all have the same amount of time available to us—the quantity is the very same. 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, 365-days a year. So why do some appear to enjoy it more? Over my life, I’ve come to realize that it’s all about making the choice to enjoy it, the “choosing life” as Deuteronomy says. And that life is choosing to walk in the life and promises Christ died to give us.

As believers, you and I have available to us the quality of that life through Christ. His life is not filled with fear, stress, worry, anxiety or depression. God is not impatient, and He is in no hurry. He takes time to enjoy His creation, the words of His hands. And because Christ lives inside of us, we have access to approach life in the same way.

However, does that sound like your life today? Do you find yourself rushing through the quantity of your life while sacrificing the quality of it? We must all come to the place where we make the decision to not only enjoy our work and accomplishments, but also enjoy the road in getting there.

Final Thoughts and Action Items

We will never enjoy life unless we make a quality decision to do so. Satan is an expert at stealing, and our joy is one of his favorite targets. Nehemiah 8:10 tell us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. In John 10:10 we are told that “the thief” comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have and enjoy life.

Satan is the thief, and one of the things he seeks to steal is our joy. If he can steal our joy from us, we will be weak, and when we are weak, the enemy takes advantage of us. Weak believers are no threat to him and his works of destruction.

To live as God intends for us to live, the first thing we must do is truly believe that it is God’s will for us to experience continual joy. That doesn’t mean we’ll never face opposition or hardship, but instead, that we will face it with Christ on our side and ultimately, be able to rely on his joy as our strength to go through it. But again, we must make the decision enter and rely upon that joy.

Action Items

What decisions are you making today? Are you making those decisions with quality in mind or quantity?

Are you actively relying on the joy of the Lord to be your strength? Or are you trying to do it in your own strength?

Decide to rest in God’s joy. Make the decision today to look for quality over quantity, knowing that when you rely on Christ, you’ll accomplish everything you need to and in God’s timing.

For more on this topic, check out Joyce’s book Enjoy Your Journey.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? —Hebrews 13:6 AMPC

A confident person feels safe. He believes he is loved, valuable, cared for, and protected by God’s will for him. When we feel safe and secure, it’s easy to step out and try new things.

During the initial construction on the Golden Gate Bridge, no safety devices were used, and twenty-three men fell to their deaths. For the final part of the project, however, a large net was used as a safety precaution. Twenty-five percent more work was accomplished after the net was installed. Why? Because the men had the assurance of their safety, so they were free to wholeheartedly serve the project.

When people feel safe, they are free to take a chance on failing in order to try to succeed. As children of God, we are safe and secure, knowing God loves us and has a good plan for our lives. Therefore, we can live with thanksgiving and confidence as we step out boldly each and every day.

Prayer of Thanks: I thank You, God, that You are always there to catch me when I fall. Today, I choose to live with confidence because I know I am safe and secure in Your love. I know nothing will happen to me that I can’t handle because You are with me.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:13 KJV

In the days when Peter wrote these words, men wore long, flowing robes that hindered fast progress or strenuous action. They wore broad belts (or girdles) about their waists, and when they wanted to move into action, they “girded up their loins”—that is, they shortened their robes by pulling them up inside their belts. That term is similar to what we mean when we say, “Roll up your sleeves.” Peter’s words here are a serious call to action—a reminder that when we lose our focus, it is time for us to do some serious thinking.

I’ve already talked about how staying too busy can result in an abnormal mind as opposed to a normal mind. Now I want to point out that another way the devil attacks your normal mind is by causing your thoughts to wander. It’s a mental attack. If you do not discipline your mind to remain focused on what is important, the devil will cause it to wander aimlessly to other things.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – A Wandering, Wondering Mind →

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. —Psalm 149:4 AMPC

If you never face trials, you will never have to exercise your faith. But even when facing hard times, you shouldn’t dread life. Isaiah 8:13 (AMPC) says, The Lord of hosts—regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].

If you dread life and fear people, you are not trusting the Lord to save you. Keep your reverential fear and awe of God; dread displeasing Him, but don’t fear anything else. If God is for you, who can be against you? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37 NIV).

From the book Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself [with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be raised to honor.—Matthew 23:11-12 AMPC

Jesus was able to wash His disciples’ feet because He was free. Only a person who is truly free, one who is not insecure, can do menial tasks and not feel insignificant as a result.

So much of our worth and value is connected to what we do that it makes it very difficult for us to enjoy serving. Serving others is not viewed as a high position, and yet Jesus said it is the highest of all. Serving others also sets them free to love. It disarms even the most hateful individual. It is actually fun to watch that person’s amazement when he realizes he is being served through love.

If someone knows full well he has done us wrong, and we return his evil with good, it begins to tear down the walls he has built around himself. Sooner or later he will begin to trust us and start learning from us what real love is. That is the whole purpose behind being a servant, to show others the love of God that He has shown us so that they too can share in it—and then pass it on.

From the book New Day, New You by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.—Psalm 8:4-5 AMPC

Pride is a terrible sin, and we are instructed in God’s Word not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to (see Romans 12:3). That doesn’t mean that we need to have a bad opinion of or look down on ourselves. It does mean that we are to remember that we are no better than anyone else and that whatever God has enabled us to do is a gift from Him. We have no more right to claim credit for a special ability we have than we do for blue eyes or brown hair. Paul wrote to the Corinthians and asked them what they had that did not come as a gift from God (see 1 Corinthians 4:7).

When we are warned not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, it means we are to realize that we are nothing apart from Jesus and without Him we can do nothing. The value we have is found in Him, and we can celebrate who we are only because of Him. Actually, when we celebrate who we are in Jesus, it is a way of celebrating Jesus Himself.

We make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. It is simple—we are everything in Jesus and nothing in ourselves. I like to say, “I am an everything/nothing!” We celebrate because of the amazing work God does in us, and not because of any worth we have in ourselves. As long as we continue giving God the glory for anything good that we manifest, we are on a safe and right track.

For some reason religion has taught people that to be godly they must have a low, or even bad, opinion of themselves, and I believe this kind of thinking has done incalculable damage to the plan of God. As long as we know we are lower than God and He is always our Chief and Head, then we are safe.

Trust in Him: Say out loud daily, “I am nothing without Jesus, but in and through Him I am valuable and I can do great things.”

From the book Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye. —Matthew 7:5

Loving people unconditionally is the greatest gift we can give them (and ourselves). I have learned that one of the secrets to my own personal peace is to let people be who God made them to be, rather than try to make people be who I would like them to be. I do my best to enjoy their strengths and be merciful toward their weaknesses because I have plenty of my own. I don’t need to try to take the speck out of someone else’s eye while I have a telephone pole in my own.

Make a decision not to look at—or for—flaws. We all have them! But you don’t have to focus on them.

Power Thought: God is merciful to me with my weaknesses, and I am merciful toward the weaknesses of others.

From the book the book Power Thoughts Devotional by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Sing to God, sing praises to His name, cast up a highway for Him Who rides through the deserts—His name is the Lord—be in high spirits and glory before Him! A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows is God in His holy habitation. God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell… —Psalm 68:4-6

The world is filled with single mothers whose husbands walked out on them and refuse to support their children financially. Men who merely walk away need to remember that strength does not walk away, but it works through situations and takes responsibility.

More than ten million single mothers today are raising children under the age of eighteen. That number is up drastically from the three million reported in 1970, and it’s estimated that 34 percent of families headed by single mothers fall under the poverty line. Their biggest concerns are much more basic than many two-parent homes—they worry about quality child care for their children, keeping a car running, and living in a safe house or apartment, all within a restricted budget. They work hard and try to be both mom and dad to their children. They sacrifice time, personal pleasures, and everything else imaginable because they love their children fiercely. They are certainly not weak.

These moms are giants in my eyes.

Lord, I pray for the single moms whom I know. Give them the strength and protection and fullness of Your blessings. Champion their cause and provide for them in abundance. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

And He called a little child to Himself and put himself in the midst of them, and said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven…—Matthew 18:2-3

One thing children are not is complicated. Children have no trouble letting you know what they want, running into your arms when they are afraid, or giving you a big generous kiss, sometimes for no apparent reason. They are not sophisticated enough to hide their hearts or feelings very well, and as a result, communicating with them can be easy and refreshing.

That’s the way God wants us to be when we talk to Him. We need to approach God with childlike simplicity and faith. Just as children are naturally inclined to trust their parents completely, we also need to be guileless, pure, and free from doubt as we trust God. Then we can experience God’s miracle-working power and see things change.

We do not want to be childish in our relationships with God; we want to be childlike. The Lord is not looking for complicated relationships. He is looking for sincere hearts and childlike faith. He wants us to approach Him as little children approach people they love. He wants us to let Him know what we want (see Philippians 4:6) and to run to Him when we feel threatened or afraid (Psalm 91:1-7). He wants us to show our affection for Him, sometimes for no apparent reason (see Psalm 34:1) and to share our hearts openly with Him (see Psalm 62:8).

Love God Today: “Lord, help me to have a pure, simple, childlike faith and love for You.”

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!—Isaiah 41:13

No matter how well we may think we run our lives, the truth is that we need help with everything. We need all kinds of help in our everyday lives. Often, realizing how much help we need takes a long time. We like to believe we can do whatever needs to be done independently and without assistance.

However, the Lord sent us a Divine Helper; therefore, we must need help. Jesus Himself continually intercedes for us as He sits at the right hand of God (see Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34), and that tells us that we continually need God’s intervention in our lives. We are actually very needy and totally unable to handle life properly on our own.

Although we may seem to manage ourselves and our lives well for awhile, sooner or later something happens and things begin to fall apart if we are living in our own strength instead of receiving divine help.

Many times, we do fine until trouble comes. It may come in the form of a broken marriage, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or something else that is important to us. But eventually, we all reach a point where we have to recognize our neediness.

If we want to live life the way God intended—filled with righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17), we have to admit that we need help and we have to receive it from the Holy Spirit, the One God sent to help us.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.—Philippians 2:13

Most of us desire the good life God has planned for us, but we recognize areas in our lives that need to be changed. Many times you set out to make those changes, yet in spite of your best efforts, you seem powerless to make it happen.

Trying to bring about change through your own strength and plans will always result in frustration. God is waiting for you to stop trying to change and start trusting Him to change you.

If you need to make changes in your thoughts, attitudes, and behavior, understand that you can’t do it by yourself. Spend time with God and ask for His help—after all, if He can’t do it, it can’t be done. But He can . . . and He will!

From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their provocation and embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness. —Hebrews 3:7-8

In Hebrews 3 we see two wrong conditions of the heart—a hard heart and an unbelieving heart. In the wilderness, a hard heart caused the Israelites to rebel. A person with a hard heart cannot believe God easily, which is a major problem because everything we receive from God comes through believing. To receive from Him, all we have to do is come to Him in simple, childlike faith and just believe.

We call ourselves believers, but the truth is, there are a lot of “unbelieving believers.” For a long time, I was one of them. I had been hurt so much during my childhood, I developed a hardness of heart that God had to break through in my life.

Even Moses got to the place in the wilderness where he was slow of heart to believe God. That’s why it’s important for us to stay sharp spiritually so we can be quick to believe and to walk in faith day by day. We can choose to be careful to go from faith to faith and not begin to mix in any doubt and unbelief. A believing heart is essential if we want to live in close relationship with God.

Jesus wants to restore your soul, including your emotions. Let Jesus into those areas of your life that no one else could ever reach. Ask Him to change you into a person who has the same kind of heart that He has.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?—Luke 14:28

Goals are important in life. Paul said that he pressed toward the goal (see Philippians 3:14). As believers, we can be thankful that God helps us set and reach healthy goals in our lives. Many people never accomplish their goals because they do not know how to set them. A popular and easy-to-remember acronym that has been successful in helping countless people reach their goals is the word smart:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Specific: Make sure your goal is as specific as possible. Measurable: Goals that are hard to measure are goals that are hard to meet. Attainable: Make sure the goal itself is reachable. Realistic: It is important to dream big dreams and aim high, but don’t set yourself up for disappointment by trying to reach an unrealistic goal. Timely: People who set goals without target completion dates rarely accomplish their objectives.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, I am thankful that I can meet the goals I set with Your help. I pray that You give me wisdom to set healthy goals for my life and the perseverance to reach every goal that I set.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also. — 1 Corinthians 14:15

Earlier I referred to “the mind aiding the spirit.” For many people, this is a difficult concept to grasp. I understand what Paul meant because it’s something I’ve learned to use in my own spiritual growth.

For example, one morning I set aside my usual time for prayer. I began to pray, but my prayers felt flat—nothing energized them—and there was no help from my spirit. As I struggled, I reminded myself that I had made myself available to God, and I wanted the Spirit to use me to change lives.

I continued to pray but nothing changed. This had happened before, so I wasn’t discouraged. I kept on praying and telling God the things about which I was concerned. After several minutes, a powerful energy took hold of me. I knew I had touched the area where the Holy Spirit wanted me to pray. This became more than my concern—this was God’s concern.

Continue reading Joyce Meyer – Spiritual Praying →