Do not judge, or you too will be judged.

— Matthew 7:1 (NIV)

Sometimes when we feel insecure, rejected by others, or inferior to them, we struggle to simply admit we feel left out, ignored, or somehow less than the people around us. Instead, we become critical or judgmental toward them. But this is not the way God wants us to handle our emotions or to treat people.

We should choose to focus on God’s love for us and to remember that He accepts us unconditionally (Ephesians 1:4–6). He calls us “the apple of His eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10) and says we are inscribed on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16). The more secure we are in His love, the less we will feel critical or negative toward others. The greater our understanding of God’s love for us, which we could never deserve, the more we realize that God loves everyone the same. He doesn’t have favorites (Romans 2:11). If He loves people, we can choose to love them too and not judge them, with His help.

Notice in today’s scripture that Jesus not only tells us not to judge people but also explains why we should refrain from doing so. It’s for our own good. We aren’t to judge others, so we won’t be judged. We do reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7), and if we sow criticism and judgment, we’ll find people criticizing and judging us. But if we sow love and blessing into other people, we’ll experience love and blessing too.

Next time you are tempted to criticize or judge someone for any reason, resist. Instead, choose to love and bless them.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, when I feel rejected or inferior to others, help me not to judge or criticize. Help me to love and bless everyone around me.

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You shall walk after the Lord your God and [reverently] fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and cling to Him.

— Deuteronomy 13:4 (AMPC)

Once we begin listening to and hearing from God, it is important to obey whatever we hear Him say. Obedience increases our quality of fellowship with Him and strengthens our faith. We might say, “Practice makes perfect” when it comes to hearing and obeying Him. In other words, we become more and more confident as we gain experience. It takes a lot of practice to reach the point of complete submission to God’s leading. Even knowing that God’s ways are perfect and that His plans always work, we still feign ignorance sometimes when He asks us to do something that requires personal sacrifice, or we might even be afraid that we are not hearing clearly and therefore too cautious to take action.

Don’t be fearful of sacrifice or of making a mistake. There are many things in life that are worse than being wrong. Jesus said, “Follow Me.” I firmly believe that when we have done our best to hear from God, then we must “step out and find out,” if we truly are hearing His voice or not. Shrinking back in fear all of our lives will never allow us to make progress in our ability to hear from God.

He did not say, “You take the lead, and I will follow you.” I have learned that we may as well do quickly whatever God says, because if we don’t, I can guarantee that we will be miserable.

When our children are learning how to walk, we don’t get angry when they fall down. We realize they are learning, and we work with them. God is the same way, and He will teach you how to hear from Him if you walk in faith and not fear.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I come to You today in the name of Jesus, and I thank You for this day, I ask that You help me to always recognize and listen to Your leading guidance. I ask You to help me walk in faith, rather than fear, and to help me grow in confidence as I fellowship with You, amen.

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The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

— Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

It is wrong for anyone to try to control us, but it is equally wrong for us to allow it. We must stand up for ourselves and be determined to please God rather than other people. My mother allowed my father to control her out of fear, and everyone in the family paid the price for her refusal to stand up for herself and us. Fear is a real thing, but it has no power over us except what we give it. Author and psychologist Henry Cloud says that we get what we tolerate.

The best thing is never to start a relationship by letting yourself be controlled and manipulated. But if you are already in that situation, it is not too late to stand up for yourself. It will be more difficult to do than it would have been had you had boundaries from the beginning of the relationship, but it can still be done. Let the person who is controlling you know that you realize you have been allowing them to control you and that you will no longer let it continue. They may react in an angry and even a violent manner, but in the end, they will respect you for it.

It is God’s will for us to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in order to do that, we will find that we must often say no to the demands of people. People who will only stay in relationship with you if they are allowed to control you don’t really love you. They are simply using you to help them get what they want. You deserve better than that and are far too valuable to let anyone abuse or misuse you.

If you have a history of not speaking up or just “going along to get along,” taking the first step toward freedom will be the most difficult. Satan is delighted to rob you of your God-ordained destiny, and he can easily do it through the fear of other people. The apostle Paul said that had he been trying to be popular with people, he would not have become an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:10). Think seriously about that for a moment, and then take a look at your own life and make sure you are not missing God’s will by being overly concerned about keeping people happy. We should want to please and make people happy, but not if the price of doing so is disobeying God. The Word of God tells us to follow peace and I want to strongly recommend that you begin doing that. Anyone who truly cares about you will want you to follow God even if it means you can’t give them what they want. God is always with you to help you do what you need to do.

Prayer of the Day: Father, give me the courage to stand up for myself to those who try to control me. Help me to always follow Your will and value my worth the way You value me. In the name of Jesus, I choose to follow Your guidance rather than the approval of other people, amen.

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The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

— Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

It is wrong for anyone to try to control us, but it is equally wrong for us to allow it. We must stand up for ourselves and be determined to please God rather than other people. My mother allowed my father to control her out of fear, and everyone in the family paid the price for her refusal to stand up for herself and us. Fear is a real thing, but it has no power over us except what we give it. Author and psychologist Henry Cloud says that we get what we tolerate.

The best thing is never to start a relationship by letting yourself be controlled and manipulated. But if you are already in that situation, it is not too late to stand up for yourself. It will be more difficult to do than it would have been had you had boundaries from the beginning of the relationship, but it can still be done. Let the person who is controlling you know that you realize you have been allowing them to control you and that you will no longer let it continue. They may react in an angry and even a violent manner, but in the end, they will respect you for it.

It is God’s will for us to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in order to do that, we will find that we must often say no to the demands of people. People who will only stay in relationship with you if they are allowed to control you don’t really love you. They are simply using you to help them get what they want. You deserve better than that and are far too valuable to let anyone abuse or misuse you.

If you have a history of not speaking up or just “going along to get along,” taking the first step toward freedom will be the most difficult. Satan is delighted to rob you of your God-ordained destiny, and he can easily do it through the fear of other people. The apostle Paul said that had he been trying to be popular with people, he would not have become an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:10). Think seriously about that for a moment, and then take a look at your own life and make sure you are not missing God’s will by being overly concerned about keeping people happy. We should want to please and make people happy, but not if the price of doing so is disobeying God. The Word of God tells us to follow peace and I want to strongly recommend that you begin doing that. Anyone who truly cares about you will want you to follow God even if it means you can’t give them what they want. God is always with you to help you do what you need to do.

Prayer of the Day: Father, give me the courage to stand up for myself to those who try to control me. Help me to always follow Your will and value my worth the way You value me. In the name of Jesus, I choose to follow Your guidance rather than the approval of other people, amen.

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God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness….

— Genesis 1:26 (AMPC)

Second Samuel 9 tells the story of Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul and the son of Jonathan. Crippled as a youth, Mephibosheth had a poor self-image. Instead of seeing himself as the rightful heir to his father’s and grandfather’s legacy, he saw himself as someone who would be rejected.

When David sent for Mephibosheth, he fell down before the king and displayed fear. David told him not to fear, that he intended to show Mephibosheth kindness because of David’s covenant with Jonathan. Mephibosheth’s initial response is an important example of the kind of poor self-image we all need to overcome.

A poor self-image causes us to operate in fear instead of faith. We look at what is wrong with us instead of what is right with Jesus. He has taken our wrongs and given us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can joyfully walk in the reality of that truth.

I love the end of the story. David blessed Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake. He gave him servants and land and provided for all of his needs. God will bless us for Jesus’ sake!

We can all relate Mephibosheth’s lameness to our own weaknesses. We may also fellowship and eat with our King Jesus—despite our faults and weaknesses.

Prayer of the Day: Father, You know my struggles. Help me overcome any issue I have with self-image and only see myself as You see me. Help me to walk in faith and righteousness and embrace Your many blessings as Your beloved child, amen.

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Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God.

— Ephesians 6:14 (AMPC)

Integrity is vitally important to our walk with God. People with integrity take responsibility for their actions. They keep their commitments instead of making excuses for not keeping them. They do what they tell people they are going to do, and, if for some reason they absolutely cannot, then they contact the person, give an explanation (not an excuse), and ask to be released from the commitment. We expect God to keep His promises, and He expects us to keep ours.

If people truly understood what the word integrity means, we would hopefully have more people in the world with good character, trying to keep their integrity. Since God has given us the “breastplate of integrity,” we know we are to do battle against the enemy of deceit. Let us all choose to do right and trust God to honor our decisions.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to be a person of integrity, but I need Your help. Please give me the strength to honor my commitments, battle deceit, and reflect Your character in all my actions and decisions, amen.

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 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

— Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)

We would all like to know what the future holds for us. God does have a good plan for each of us, but we must be willing to follow His plan, rather than going our own way in order to experience it.

God wants us to live the good life that He has prearranged and made ready for us to live. To press on, we must forget what lies behind us. Your future has no room in it for bad feelings from your past. Take the good things from the past and the lessons you’ve learned along with you but let go of anything that is holding you back or keeping you stuck in fear or insecurity of any kind.

You can have hope instead of hopelessness. Start believing today that your future is filled with good things and refuse to settle for less than God’s best for you.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please guide me to embrace Your great plan. Help me let go of the past and fill my future with hope. I trust You, Lord, to lead me toward the good life you have prepared for me!

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Strive to enter by the narrow door [force yourselves through it], for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.

— Luke 13:24 (AMPC)

Like most of us, you are probably tempted to take all the easy paths, but God’s path is rarely easy. The Bible describes those other paths—the ones that lead to destruction—as “broad” because not a lot of effort is required to remain on them. We are encouraged by God to take the narrow path, the more difficult one, which is also the one that leads to life.

We have to make a strong effort to push through the negativity in the world, but if we will do our part, God will always do His. Not everyone is willing to make the effort. They are addicted to ease and simply flow with their feelings. Jesus died for us so we could have a wonderful, abundant life that is filled with peace, joy, power, success, and every good thing. He was willing to go to the cross and pay for our sins even though physically, mentally, and emotionally it was very difficult. We, too, must be willing to do what is right, and our reward will surely come. God’s grace will always enable us to do the right thing if we are willing to do so.

Study the Word of God regularly, and then when trouble comes, you will already have your spiritual tank full of fuel that will enable you to make right choices. Don’t be the kind of person who prays or has time for God only when you feel like it or have a disaster. Seek God because you know you cannot navigate safely in this world without Him.

You and I can let our minds drift aimlessly day after day, and we can be controlled by our emotions, or we can strive to gird up our minds, choose our thoughts carefully, and manage our emotions. God has set before us life and death, good and evil, and has given us the responsibility of making the choice (see Deut. 30:19). Choose life!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I trust You to give me the strength I need to make the right choices. Help me to understand the right decision is not always the easiest route to get to the end. Thank You for guiding me. I love You, amen.

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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

— Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

One of the most important truths you can be grateful for is that God has promised to never leave you—He is always by your side!

That’s why it is important to remember this: No matter how difficult the circumstances may seem around you, don’t give up! God is for you, and He is bigger than any trouble you may be facing.

You can regain the territory the devil has stolen from you. If necessary, regain it one inch at a time, being thankful for and always leaning on God’s grace and not on your own ability to get the desired results. In Galatians 6:9, the apostle Paul simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! Don’t be a quitter! Have an “I can do all things through Christ” attitude. God is looking for people who will go all the way through to the other side with Him.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, that You give me the strength to never quit. I am grateful that You are always with me and that You fight my battles.

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If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.

— Romans 14:8 (AMPC)

My aunt died recently at the age of 90. Situations such as this always remind me of how transitory life is and of the profound reality that each of us has only one life to live. My aunt lived a long life, but the length of our lives is not nearly as important as how well we live. Each day that goes by is one we can never get back, so we should live it with purpose, making sure that whatever we spend our time on is worth it.

Let me ask you: Are you leaving a legacy that you can be proud of? I urge you to enjoy your life, to live for God’s honor and glory, and to make sure that, during your earthly journey, you live in such a way that you feel good about the way you have lived and that you will be missed when your life is complete.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for the life You have given me. I recognize that it is a precious gift and should not be wasted. Help me live well for Your glory. Each day that I live, let me be a benefit to others. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

— Romans 5:8 (NIV)

God reminded me today of His unconditional love!

It is very important to begin each day knowing that you are loved! God loves you unconditionally, and His love is more valuable and important than anyone else’s. He doesn’t love us because we deserve it, but simply because He wants to.

As you receive God’s love freely, it will give you confidence and enable you to live life without fear. God’s perfect love casts out all fear and dread (see 1 John 4:18).

Perhaps you have known the pain of not being chosen. You were not picked for class president or asked to attend the party that everyone was going to. When we are left out it hurts, but the good news for you today is that God has chosen you! You are special to Him and His love for you will never end.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, for loving me. I receive Your love by faith today and ask that it will strengthen me.

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This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

— Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

As I’ve mentioned before, learning to manage my emotions has been one of the most important lessons I have learned in my journey with God, because it has allowed me to consistently enjoy my life. When we wait to see how we feel before we know if we can enjoy each day, we give emotions control over our lives. But thankfully, we can make decisions that are not based on feelings. If we are willing to make good choices regardless of how we feel, God will be faithful to help us do so.

Living the good life that God offers us requires us to be obedient to His way of being and doing. He gives us the strength to follow His teachings, but we must choose to do it. God won’t choose for us. He helps us, but we must participate by choosing to obey His Word instead of simply doing whatever we feel like doing. We can’t consistently enjoy life until we are willing to do this. For example, I may feel like avoiding someone because they have hurt my feelings or treated me unfairly, but I can choose to pray for them and treat them as Jesus would while I wait for Him to do something in that situation. If I act according to my feelings, I will forfeit peace and joy. But if I choose to do what God has instructed me to do in His Word, I will have His reward and blessing in my life.

Prayer of the Day: Help me, God, to make good choices regarding my emotions and not to allow them to control my life. I want to obey Your Word and experience Your blessings in my life.

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The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming. He Who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when arrives, He will He tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us.

— John 4:25 (AMPC)

Learning to hear from God and be led by the Holy Spirit is an exciting adventure. God wants to speak to you and tell you what you need to know to enjoy your life, be blessed, be wise, and fulfill the good plans. He has for you. He always has something good and helpful to say, but sometimes people miss knowing these things because they fail to recognize that God is speaking to them. They need to learn how to hear and obey His voice.

Earthly parents talk to their children all the time, so why wouldn’t our heavenly Father speak to us? Human parents do not expect their children to know what to do if they don’t tell them, and God feels the same way toward His children. He wants to tell us everything we need to know in life.

We often want to go our own way so we can do what we want to do, when we want to do it. But, when we live this way, we end up losing our way and wasting our lives. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us through each day of our time on earth, and He is committed to doing so by speaking to us and telling us everything we need to know.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me to always hear Your voice and be guiding by the Holy Spirit. Help me to embrace Your plans for my life, Your wisdom, and live a life filled to overflowing with Your blessings! Thank You, amen.

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Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

— Psalm 133:1 (AMPC)

strong>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 (see Acts 4:24), lived in harmony (see Acts 2:44), cared for one another (see Acts 2:46), met each other’s needs (see 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: Father, I want power in my life like the early believers experienced. Help me to walk in love and show me Your power in every area of my life, amen.

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Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!

— Psalm 100:4 (AMPC)

A person flowing in the mind of Christ will find his thoughts filled with praise and thanksgiving. A powerful life cannot be lived without thanksgiving. The Bible instructs us over and over in the principle of thanksgiving. It is a life principle.

Many doors are opened to the enemy through complaining. Some people are physically ill and live weak, powerless lives due to this disease called complaining that attacks the thoughts and conversations of people.

We can offer thanksgiving at all times—in every situation, in all things—and by so doing, enter into the victorious life Jesus died to give us. It may require a sacrifice of praise or thanksgiving, but a person who consciously takes the time to be grateful is always happier than someone who does not.

You can choose to be filled with gratitude not only toward God but also toward people. Expressing appreciation blesses the people around you, but it is also good for you because it releases joy in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, when I really stop to think about it, my mind and heart are filled with gratitude for the many blessings I enjoy in my life. Help me to always be thankful and drive out all negativity and all complaining, amen.

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For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.

— Deuteronomy 30:11 (AMPC)

“This is too hard” is one of the excuses we hear most frequently. But we are equipped by God’s Spirit to handle hard things. We are anointed to press through and see victory. The next time you are tempted to say something is too hard, look at Deuteronomy 30:11, which says, “It is not too difficult!”

Anything God leads you to do, you can do. God never leads you to do something unless He gives you the power and the ability to do it. Prepare yourself for right action with power thoughts. Think, I don’t know how I’m going to do it, I don’t feel like I can do it, but God is leading me to do it. And I believe if He is leading me to do it, then I can. Because I believe I can do whatever I need to do through the power of God that resides in me.

Prayer of the Day: Father God, please guide me, direct me, and strengthen my faith. I know that through Your power, I can overcome any challenge I may face, amen.

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But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work….

— Galatians 6:4 (AMPC)

When offenses come and we are tempted to get into strife, it is wise for us to examine our thoughts and take ownership of our actions.

If you find that you are justifying having a bad attitude, I encourage you to realize that justifying any bad behavior that the Word of God condemns is a dangerous thing. It keeps us deceived and unable to take ownership of our faults.

Nobody enjoys saying, “I was wrong—please forgive me,” but it is one of the most powerful six-word sentences in the world. It brings peace to turmoil; joy replaces frustration, and this attitude puts a smile on God’s face. He is delighted when we follow His ways instead of our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me to see myself as You see me and to leave the past behind once and for all. Please help me to renew my mind and embrace my identity as Your child—made right in You, amen.

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Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.

— Psalm 146:5 (NIV)

Today is a day to be filled with hope. In fact, every day you walk with God can be filled with hope. All you have to do is choose hope over cynicism, hope over fear, and hope over all kinds of negativity. Hope will keep you positive, full of faith, and happy.

Most people who are unhappy in life are unhappy because they choose to focus on unhappy things. They see the worst in other people, they talk about what is wrong in their own lives, and they have a generally negative outlook. Hope does the opposite. Hope sees the best in others, it speaks about what is going well and declares good things, and it looks for the positive in the circumstances of life. Most of all, hope expects God to do something good in every situation. This is why hope makes us happy.

I urge you today to have a hopeful attitude. Like the psalmist, put your hope in the Lord your God—not in a job or a paycheck, not in a relationship, and not in another person. God is the giver of every good gift (James 1:17), and He wants to bless you. Expect Him to do something good in your life today.

Prayer of the Day: Today, Lord, I choose to hope in You. I’m expecting You to do something good!

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 …I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts].

— John 17:13 (AMPC)

We have joy, but we will not experience it fully unless we stop doing things that dilute or hinder it. The devil tries to make us joyless, but we do not have to let him succeed. Here are five simple ways to keep your joy today.

First, remember that your thoughts are very important. Don’t worry, fret, or be anxious about the future. Instead of reasoning, which leads to confusion, trust God.

Second, don’t become entangled or meddle in other people’s business. We all have enough to attend to, and we should not waste our time in situations that do not concern us. Learn to pick your battles, and don’t make a big deal out of little things.

Third, learn to forgive quickly for your own sake. And when you sin, be quick to repent and don’t waste time feeling guilty about something God has forgiven and forgotten. Fourth, be positive in your thoughts, words, and attitudes—and your joy will overflow.

Finally, live one day at a time. God gives us grace for each day, but not until that day comes, so go ahead and enjoy today fully.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I’m sorry for the joyless days I have spent because of wrong thoughts and attitudes. Forgive me and teach me how to experience full joy in You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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