Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

We all go through hard times, but the good news is that when we do, God is always present to comfort and encourage us. When times are tough, remember that they won’t last forever. God will not allow more to come on you than you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

You don’t have to be afraid, no matter what you may face today, because God is with you, and He loves you deeply and unconditionally. You may not know how to turn your situation around, but God does. He always has a good plan for you, and temporary problems don’t have the ability to cancel those plans.

What you are dealing with is temporary, but God is eternal, and He will never leave you or forsake you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You that You’re always with me. When I face hard times, remind me that Your love is eternal, Your plan is good, and Your strength sustains me, amen.

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Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Isaiah 42:9 (AMPC)

Would you like to be in a good mood every day? Of course you would—who wouldn’t? I spent many years being controlled by a variety of moods and believing I had no choice in how I felt. But I do have a choice—and so do you! We all make choices about our thoughts and attitudes toward life.

Your mind, mouth, moods, and attitudes are all intricately connected. It starts with your thoughts, which then turn into the words you speak, shaping your emotional state and attitudes toward life. If you truly want to be in a good mood on a regular basis, it begins with deliberately focusing on good thoughts. You can start by choosing to think about things that will generate good emotions instead of bad ones.

If you desire greater emotional stability and the ability to maintain a consistently good attitude—no matter what your circumstances are—then make it a goal and don’t give up until you’ve reached it. No matter how old you are or how long negativity has controlled your life, it’s never too late for a fresh start. As you walk with God, you can always begin again. Your history does not have to be your destiny!

Prayer of the Day: God, help me begin again. No more sour, negative thoughts for me! Help me choose differently. I want to think and speak things that will keep me in a good mood, amen.

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May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love].

Ephesians 3:16–18 (AMP)

One of the great truths of our faith as Christians is that Jesus Himself lives in our hearts and we can be secure in His love. Believing that Jesus lives in our hearts is not necessarily something we can explain or understand with our minds, but it is something we receive by faith. No matter what happens in our lives, Jesus is with us because He lives in us. When you feel happy, He is there. When you feel lonely, afraid, weary, or hopeless, He is there. You can talk to Him and hear from Him at any time, in any place, under any circumstance.

Just think about a large, old, sturdy tree with its vast root system underground. Most of the time, we would look at such a tree and not even think about its roots. But if a big storm comes and that tree stands firm when other things have been uprooted and tossed about, we realize that its strength is in its roots. The deeper the roots are, the more difficult it will be for the forces of nature to destroy the tree. This helps us understand why Paul would pray for us to be deeply rooted in God’s love. He knows the storms of life will come, but they will not damage or destroy us if our roots are deep in God’s love.

Paul also prays that we will be securely grounded in God’s love. The word grounded has several definitions, one of which refers to electrical systems. I learned on the internet that a grounded electrical system makes it easier for the proper amount of power to be distributed to all the right places. God certainly wants His power to flow through us. Paul encourages us in Ephesians 3:16 to be spiritually energized with power through His Spirit, and when we are grounded in His love, His power flows properly and in ways that help and encourage us and the people around us.

I encourage you to take time today to meditate on Ephesians 3:16–18. When Christ lives in your heart through faith, nothing—no storm of life, no pain from the past, no wound in your soul today—can uproot you from His love for you. Thank God for that and pray that He will give you more and more understanding of what it means to have Christ living in your heart, rooting you and grounding you in His love.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for living in my heart. Keep me deeply rooted in Your love so nothing can shake my faith or steal my peace. Strengthen me daily, amen.

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…But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (AMPC)

I reached the curb in front of the airport, where my friend would pick me up. I was calm and relaxed and thought of the great conversation we would have. To my surprise, she wasn’t there yet. That was odd because she’s the kind of person who is never late for anything. I remained calm and peaceful. I spotted what I thought was her car and took a step forward, but the car went past me, and there was a stranger in it.

Not more than three minutes had passed, but I realized I was anxious and worried. What had happened to her? Had she been in an accident? Did she forget me? From calmness to anxiety in less than three minutes, and nothing had changed—nothing except my mind. Worried thoughts struggled inside me.

I pulled out my cell phone and started to dial, when I heard a car honking, as she pulled up to the curb. My mind shifted once again to calmness, even joyfulness. How quickly my emotions had shifted in that short period of time.

My mind had quickly changed when my circumstances did. Sometimes I find it easy to hear God speak, and to believe without any difficulty. Yet at other times, worry and anxiety push their way into my mind. The Bible says we are to walk by faith and not by sight, but that day at the airport, I was definitely being led by what I saw. When we worry, we are not walking in faith and trusting God.

For a long period of my life, I had a critical, suspicious, and judgmental mind. That may seem normal for many nonbelievers, but I was a Christian. I was going along with the same thinking and mindset that I had known for years. It was normal to me—it was just the way I was. For years, I had no awareness that my wrong thinking was causing any problems.

Because no one had taught me, I didn’t know I could do anything to change my thought life. It simply had not occurred to me. No one had taught me about the proper condition for the believer’s mind. God offers us a new way to think and a new way to live.

God has called us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). For most of us, it is an ongoing process. We don’t control our thinking all at one time.

One day I read 1 Corinthians 2:16, where Paul says we have the mind of Christ. What could he have meant? I pondered that verse for days. I concluded that for us to have the mind of Christ doesn’t mean we’re sinless or perfect. It does mean we begin to think the way Christ thinks. If we have His mind, we think on those things that are good and honorable and loving.

I confessed to God how many times my mind had focused on the ugly, the mean, and the harsh.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14 (AMPC), Paul wrote, But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him;…because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. Yes, I thought, that’s exactly how it works. The natural mind—even that of the Christians whose minds are tampered with by Satan—doesn’t grasp what God is doing. Those things seem foolish.

We must remind ourselves that we have Christ’s mind—we have the ability to think loving and caring thoughts. We can defeat Satan’s attacks.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to live with the mind of Christ. I ask You to enable me to think positive, loving, caring thoughts about myself and about others. Help me to see and think on the good things in life and not the bad. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

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The righteous man walks in his integrity….

Proverbs 20:7 (AMPC)

Great power was manifested in the lives of the early believers. Acts 2:46 (AMPC) tells us why: And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose…. They had the same vision, the same goal, and they were all pressing toward the same mark. They prayed in agreement (Acts 4:24), lived in harmony (Acts 2:44), cared for one another (Acts 2:46), met each other’s needs (Acts 4:34), and lived a life of faith (see Acts 4:31). The early church lived in unity—and operated in great power.

Now the church is divided into countless factions with different opinions about everything. Even individual congregations are split by the most trivial differences. When we finally see Jesus face-to-face, we will surely discover that not one of us was 100 percent right. Only love holds people together. Make a strong commitment to do whatever is necessary to live in unity—you will discover how good it is!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, teach me to walk in love and unity with others. Help me lay aside pride and division so Your power can flow freely through my relationships, amen.

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And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown].”

Mark 4:20 (AMP)

It is important that we receive the Word of God. Some hear the Word but don’t actually receive it, and it does them no good. In Mark Chapter 4, Jesus told a parable of a sower who sowed seed (the Word of God) into different kinds of ground, but only one type of soil bore fruit. The different kinds of ground represent the different types of hearers of the Word of God.

We are taught in this parable that even those who are willing to hear don’t always hear fully or in the right way. They don’t hear with the serious intent of truly receiving the Word they hear. They are emotional hearers who initially get excited, but when their faith is tested, they give up.

When the Word of God is genuinely and sincerely received, it has the power to do an amazing work in our souls. It renews our mind and changes us into the image of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t had a genuine change of character, ask yourself if you are truly receiving the Word of God.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me receive Your Word deeply in my heart. Let it take root, renew my mind, and produce lasting fruit that reflects Your character and glory, amen.

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…For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:34 (AMPC)

The person who is close to God thinks positive, uplifting, edifying thoughts about other people as well as about himself and his own circumstances.

You exhort others with your words only after you have first had kind thoughts about that individual. Remember that whatever is in your heart will come out of your mouth (Matthew 12:34). Thoughts and words are containers or weapons for carrying creative or destructive power (Proverbs 18:21). This is why it is so important to do some “love thinking” on purpose.

I encourage you to send thoughts of love toward other people. Speak words of encouragement. Come alongside others and urge them to press forward in their spiritual life. Speak words that make others feel better and that encourage and strengthen them.

Everyone has enough problems already. We don’t need to add to their troubles by tearing them down. We can build up one another in love (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Love always believes the best of everyone (1 Corinthians 13:7).

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me think loving, encouraging thoughts about others. Let my words reflect Your kindness and build people up, bringing light, peace, and joy into every situation I face, amen.

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For the rest, my brethren, delight yourselves in the Lord and continue to rejoice that you are in Him. To keep writing to you [over and over] of the same things is not irksome to me, and it is [a precaution] for your safety.

Philippians 3:1 (AMPC)

We must consistently choose right thinking, right words, and right action. It’s not what you choose to do right one time that’s going to change your life. It’s doing it over and over and over. I frequently tell people, “When you get so tired of doing it you think you can’t stand it, you do it again and again and again and again.” Persistence always pays off, and the Bible says that the diligent person will be successful. Don’t ever give up!

If you’re the kind of person who refuses to give up, I can assure you that you will get your breakthrough and enjoy a lot of victory in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, give me strength to stay persistent in doing what’s right, even when I feel tired. Help me trust that my diligence will bring Your blessing and victory, amen.

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The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man…runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong.

Proverbs 18:10 (AMPC)

God has equipped and anointed us to do hard things. He allows us to go through difficulty and to bring glory to Him. He shows Himself strong through us. He told Paul that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We may think we can’t make it through difficulty, but those thoughts are inaccurate according to God’s Word. He has promised to never allow more to come on us than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

During life’s difficulties, one of the thoughts that is usually persistent is, I can’t do this; it is just too much; it is too hard. Watch out for that type of thinking, and when you recognize it, remember that it is a lie. Then replace it with God-inspired thoughts that are something like this: I can do what I need to do because God is strong in my life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, when life feels too hard, help me remember that You are my strength. Replace my doubts with faith and fill me with courage to keep going, amen.

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External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.

James 1:27 (AMPC)

I went to church for 30 years without ever hearing one sermon on my biblical responsibility to care for orphans, widows, the poor, and the oppressed. I was shocked when I finally realized how much of the Bible is about helping other people. I spent most of my Christian life thinking the Bible was about how God could help me. It’s no wonder I was unhappy.

The key to happiness isn’t only in being loved; it is also in having someone to love. If you really want to be happy, find somebody to love. If you want to put a smile on God’s face, then find a person who is hurting and help them.

Be determined to help someone. Be creative! Lead a revolt against living in a religious rut where you go to church and go home and go back to church, but you’re not really helping anybody.

Don’t just sit in church pews and sing hymns. Get involved in helping people who are hurting. Remember the words of Jesus:

“I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” (Matthew 25:42–45 NKJV)

Prayer of the Day: Lord, open my eyes to those in need around me. Teach me to love like You do and to find joy in helping, serving, and blessing others daily, amen.

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God is with you in everything you do.

Genesis 21:22 (AMPC)

How awesome is it to think that God is with you in everything you do? Thinking about what this really means is amazing. We are never alone, never without help, never without someone to talk to, and never without guidance.

Loneliness is a widespread problem in our society. We can even be with people and still feel lonely if we feel misunderstood or unaccepted, but God understands us and accepts us because we are in Christ. Thinking about this makes me feel safe and cared for. Hopefully it makes you feel that way too.

Immanuel is one of Christ’s names, and it means “God with us.” We are God’s home, and He is our home. If we abide in Him, we can ask what we will and He will do it, and when we abide in Him, we will bear much good fruit (John 15:7–8). As you go about your day today, think and whisper to yourself, “God is with me.”

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am amazed to know that You are with me in whatever I do. Help me keep this wonderful truth in mind and enjoy good fellowship with You all throughout this day and night. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony…

Revelation 12:11 (AMPC)

We will never have a testimony without having a test. Our faith must be tested to see if it is truly genuine or merely talk. God never tempts us to sin, but He will test our faith by allowing us to go through difficulty. We can actually become stronger in our faith during these times if we maintain an attitude of trusting God all the way through the challenge.

Trials are not fun for anyone, but we all have our share of them. Let’s pass our tests so we can have an amazing testimony that will glorify God. Stay strong, and remember, “This too will pass.”

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me trust You through every trial. Strengthen my faith and remind me that every challenge has purpose and will one day become a testimony of Your goodness, amen.

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Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5:12 (NIV)

There are days when we feel great about ourselves and everything around us, confident that we could conquer the world. Then there are days when we feel defeated before we even get out of bed. We must remember that feelings are fickle, but God’s truth is unchanging. One of the truths that will help us find stability when our emotions are up and down is the fact that God has given us favor. This means He blesses us in ways we may not expect, He gives us opportunities we may think we don’t deserve or haven’t earned, and He makes things that should have been difficult for us, easy by His grace.

We know we have God’s favor because today’s scripture says He surrounds the righteous with favor “as with a shield.” You may not always feel righteous, but as a believer in Jesus, you are. He has made you righteous through His death on the cross, where He took your sins (past, present, and future) and provided cleansing and forgiveness.

Even though the Bible says we have God’s favor, often we do not act as though we do. One reason we don’t tap into God’s blessings is that we don’t believe we deserve them. Another reason is that we haven’t been taught that God’s blessings can be ours. Consequently, we haven’t activated our faith in this area. So, we wander through life, taking whatever the devil throws at us without ever resisting him and claiming what is rightfully ours.

Let’s receive by faith the favor with which God has blessed us, expecting it everywhere we go, with everyone we meet.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Jesus, for making me righteous and for the favor of God that rests on my life. Help me believe it and receive it.

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He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the priests, the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver…

Malachi 3:3 (AMPC)

Looking back over the years, I can see that I have been on a fascinating journey with God. He has definitely changed me and is still changing me daily. I had many problems in my soul (my mind, will, and emotions) and in my circumstances at the time I received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Little did I realize what was about to take place in my life. I was asking God for change, but I was totally unaware that what needed to be changed in my life was me!

God began a process in me—slowly, steadily, and always at a pace I could endure. As a Refiner, He sits over the fires that burn in our lives to make sure they never get too hot and that they never die out. Only when He can look at us and see His own reflection is it safe to turn the fire off, and even then we continue to need a few alterations at times.

When God was dealing with me about patience, I faced many circumstances in which I could either be patient or behave badly. Quite often, I behaved badly, but the Holy Spirit kept convincing me, teaching me, and giving me a desire to live for God’s glory. Gradually, little by little, I changed in one area, then in another. I usually got to rest a bit in between battles and often thought that perhaps I had finally graduated, only to discover something else I needed to learn. This is the way it works as the Holy Spirit changes us. Keep your heart open to His leadership; keep your ears open to His voice; obey what He speaks to you—and soon, you’ll find yourself changing more and more into the person He created you to be.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for patiently refining me. Help me trust the process, knowing every challenge brings me closer to Your image and strengthens my faith. Keep changing me for Your glory, amen.

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Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:18-19 (NIV)

No one has to tell us to complain. It is a natural fruit of the flesh, but we frequently need to be reminded to give thanks. God answers prayers, but He doesn’t answer complaints. I believe that all complaining does is quench the Spirit, and to quench means to stop or to extinguish.

We are to do everything without grumbling or arguing, according to Philippians 2:14 (NIV). The next verse, Philippians 2:15, states that if we will eliminate these bad habits from our lives, we will be seen like stars shining out brightly in a warped and crooked generation (NIV). Everywhere I go, I hear people complaining, but when I meet someone who is thankful, I think, That person is probably a Christian.

Can you be inconvenienced without complaining? If any of us could make it through one entire day without complaining about anything at all, it might fall into the category of a miracle. Complaining seems to be our default setting for anything that is even mildly inconvenient.

I strongly believe that gratitude is a form of spiritual warfare. We can defeat Satan if we are thankful to God and say so, but we cannot defeat him with complaining and grumbling.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me replace every complaint with gratitude. Teach me to stay joyful and thankful in all things, knowing You’re working for my good even in inconvenience, amen.

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And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6 (AMPC)

There are many places in the Bible where Jesus, after the Resurrection, is described as being seated. We might think standing would be more powerful. But being seated has special significance.

Under the Law, when a priest entered the Holy of Holies to make sacrifices for the people’s sins, he could not sit. He had to keep moving and working the entire time. If the bells on his robe stopped ringing, that meant that he had done something wrong and had fallen over dead.

That is why it is so awesome that Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down as our high priest. He entered the rest of God. As joint heirs with Christ, we can sit too. We no longer have to work and strive to atone for our sins. Choose to rest in His presence tonight.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You that Jesus finished the work on my behalf. Help me rest in Your grace, trusting that I don’t have to strive to earn Your love, amen.

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[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good. Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:9-11 (AMPC)

If all of us started having a godly attitude, it would catch hold and spread like a virus. Wouldn’t it be great if we could spread a good virus?

Imagine the whispers, “Have you heard? There’s something wonderful going around. Have you caught it? It is running rampant all over the place. Everywhere you look, people have a new attitude!”

Let’s start something today! Let’s decide to think like Christ. Let’s decide to love everyone we meet today and pass the word so that everybody catches on to it.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me carry a Christlike attitude that spreads love and joy to everyone I meet. Let my thoughts, words, and actions reflect Your heart in every moment, amen.

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give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

John 13:34–35 (AMPC)

You can defeat Satan with a good, strong, healthy love walk. Not enough Christians concentrate on walking in love. We concentrate on prosperity, healing, success, our breakthrough, how to change our family, how to get a loved one saved. But Jesus said we need to concentrate on walking in love.

I am talking about treating people with excellence. I am talking about meeting needs. I am talking about how we talk about one another and how we talk to one another. I am talking about not being rude. Walking in love means being a blessing to somebody else.

It is impossible to keep Satan under our feet while leading a selfish lifestyle that always reverts back to “What about me—me, me, me, me?” One of the first things the Bible says about love is that it is not selfish or self-seeking. Love does not do the right thing to get something; love simply does the right thing because it is the right thing to do. It not only blesses others; it blesses the one doing the loving.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I pray that Your love would be so concentrated in my heart that I might love others as You love me. Make me a source of blessing to others and a victor over the enemy, amen.

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For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 (AMP)

Many New Covenant believers still live under the Old Covenant, or they mix the old with the new. They have some grace and some law, but in reality they have neither one. Grace and law can’t be mixed.

The law demands that we work to keep it. It requires sacrifice on our part when we fail. The apostle Paul taught that works of the flesh and grace could not be mixed, or both become useless. Grace is Jesus Christ working, and law is man working. God does not need our help to save us. We can live by faith, through which we receive God’s grace, instead of living by trying to keep the law in order to soothe God’s anger.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You that I am saved by Your grace, not my works. Help me rest in faith, trusting You completely instead of striving to earn Your approval, amen.

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Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.

Proverbs 16:24 (AMPC)

An important part of learning to really love other people is learning to love them with our words. The strength and encouragement we share with our words make a difference! People everywhere need someone to believe in them. They have been wounded by wrong words, but right words can bring healing in their lives.

It’s easy to point out the flaws, weaknesses, and failures in those around us. This is a natural reaction, one that comes from our flesh. But these words don’t bring life—they magnify all that is wrong with people and situations. But the Bible says in Romans 12:21 that we are to overcome evil with good.

The closer we are to God, the more we will learn to speak positive, encouraging words of life. God is positive, and as we walk with Him, we will learn to be in agreement with Him (Amos 3:3).

It is easy to find something wrong with everyone but love overlooks the faults of others. First Peter 4:8 (AMPC) says it this way: Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others].

Prayer of the Day: Lord, teach me to speak words that heal and encourage. Help me build others up with kindness, forgiveness, and love so my words always reflect Your heart, amen.

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