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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As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

2 Corinthians 6:1 (NIV 1984)

One of the spiritual laws of the kingdom of God is, “Use it or lose it.” God expects us to use what He gives us. When we use the grace offered to us, then more and more grace is available.

In Galatians 2:21 Paul stated, I do not frustrate the grace of God… (KJV). What did he mean by that? To find out, let’s look at what he said in the preceding verse in The Amplified Bible: …It is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Then he followed with his statement about not frustrating the grace of God. You see, it would have frustrated the grace of God if Paul had tried to live his life on his own, but he had learned to live by the power of Christ residing in him, which we know is the Holy Spirit.

I am sure most of us know how frustrating it is to try to help someone who keeps pushing us away. Imagine a drowning person who frantically fights and resists the lifeguard who is trying to save him. The best thing that person can possibly do is totally relax and allow the lifeguard to bring him to safety; otherwise, he may drown. You and I are often like the drowning swimmer. The Holy Spirit is in us. As the Spirit of Grace, He tries to aid us in living our lives with much greater ease, but we frantically fight to save ourselves and keep our independence.

Let us be wise enough to take full advantage of all that is offered to us. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives daily. By doing so, we will be letting Him know that we need Him and that we are very, very glad He has chosen us as His home.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me stop striving in my own strength. I welcome Your Holy Spirit to guide and empower me daily. Thank You for Your grace that never runs out, amen.

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For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38–39 (AMPC)

To fully understand all the different facets of love, we must understand there are two kinds of love: the God-kind of love and man’s love.

• Man’s love fails; it gives up, but God’s love never fails.
• Man’s love is finite; it comes to an end, but God’s love is infinite and eternal.
• Man’s love depends on favorable behavior and circumstances; God’s love is not based on our performance.
• People place conditions on their love, but God’s love is unconditional.

This unfailing, infinite, unconditional love is the love God has for you every day! Be grateful for His love; celebrate His love; and be secure in life because you know you have the unconditional love and acceptance of your heavenly Father.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to celebrate Your perfect, unconditional love for me today. I thank You that Your love is a higher love than man’s love, and I am grateful that You extend that love to me every single day.

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I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.

Psalm 142:1–2 (NIV)

In today’s scriptures, David cries out for mercy as he tells God his complaints and troubles. Let’s consider Hebrews 4:15–16, which tells us how we can obtain God’s great mercy: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The prophet Jeremiah also writes of God’s mercy, reminding us that without God’s mercy, we would have been consumed (Lamentations 3:22 NKJV). His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), and I, for one, am glad.

God wants us to ask for mercy, receive it for ourselves, and then extend it to others. This simply means that even though someone may deserve punishment, we can graciously show them mercy instead, just as God shows us.

Take time to breathe in God’s mercy. Believe that He is giving mercy to you, as you have asked Him to do. He is a merciful God. Receive God’s mercy today and do not waste your time feeling guilty about a past sin. Let God’s mercy flow into you and then let it flow out to others.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You so much for Your mercy. Help me be gracious to others and extend mercy to them as You have extended it to me.

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The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid…

Hebrews 13:6 (NIV)

Dread is a close relative of fear. It anticipates the future with fear and apprehension. We are tempted to dread many things. We may dread simple daily chores such as getting up in the morning, driving to work in traffic, going to the grocery store, or doing the laundry. But we can just as easily believe we can fulfill these responsibilities with a good attitude, trusting God to give us the grace we need for each one.

Dread not only steals joy; it also steals much-needed energy. We hear people say often, “I dread doing this or that,” but this is useless. They must do the task anyway, so why dread it? If we consistently verbalize our dread, our words will defeat us. We will do what we must, but we will be miserable while doing it. If you have given in to the temptation to dread things in the past, now is an opportune time to decide that you will have a happy attitude instead.

We can and should all be thankful that we have something to do, that food is available for us to purchase, and that God gives us the ability and strength to take care of our possessions. Turn the table on the enemy (the devil) by finding the good in everything. Be positive, and think of what you do have, not what you don’t have. Make today a happy day by refusing to dread anything.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me not to dread the tasks I have to do. Thank You that I am able to do them and that I can ask for Your help, knowing that You are with me in everything I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Make no friendships with a man given to anger, and with a wrathful man do not associate.

Proverbs 22:24 (AMPC)

There are no good benefits to anger, so we should avoid it as much as possible. When we do get angry, we should pray that God helps us quickly get over it. Anger does not promote God’s right way of living. Apparently the power of anger is so devastating that we are instructed not even to associate with angry people, let alone be one.

It is true that there are many unjust things in the world that we can become angry about, but it is also true that anger doesn’t solve them. Trust God to be your Vindicator and get about the business of enjoying your life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me release anger quickly and trust You to make things right. Fill me with peace and strength so I can reflect Your love instead of frustration, amen.

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For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (AMPC)

A stronghold is an area in which we are held in bondage—any part of our lives in which Satan imprisons us. He does this by causing us to think a certain way—a way that is based on lies we have been told. As long as we believe things that are not true, we will remain imprisoned by those strongholds. To enjoy freedom, we must learn to use God’s mighty weapons.

In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I referred to Mary, who had been mistreated and brainwashed by her father, and by the time she was a teen, she didn’t trust men. It’s no wonder that she and her husband faced many conflicts in their marriage. For years, Satan had lied to her, and she believed the lies.

Mary isn’t one isolated case. I know a man named Daniel, who is quite intelligent. In fact, his family used to tell him he was the smartest man in town. God had given him a good mind, but Satan used that fact to imprison him. Until he met Jesus Christ, Daniel believed he was smarter than and superior to everyone else. Because of his pride, it was easy for him to be deceived and think more highly of himself than he should. He became critical and judgmental of others who he felt were not as brilliant as he believed he was.

Patricia was somewhat like Mary, except that her father constantly told her she was no good, that she was worthless and should marry the first man who would have her. That’s exactly what she did, and she lived a miserable life. She felt she was never good enough for anyone.

Mary, Daniel, and Patricia had been trapped in different prisons, but Satan was the jail keeper. All three lived miserable lives until they learned what Paul meant by “the weapons of our warfare.” The Word of God is the weapon that set them free. That weapon became effective through preaching, teaching, books, tapes, seminars, small Bible study groups, and their own private studies. They also learned to turn to other spiritual weapons such as praise and prayer. They learned that when we genuinely praise God from our hearts, we defeat the devil quicker than by using any other battle plan.

They didn’t overcome every problem the first day—it was a slow process, but it was worth the wait. Patricia later said, “It took a lot of years for me to become imprisoned through the lies of Satan, so why not give God plenty of time to work His good plan into my life?” Our victory is not a one-time, big event—it is a process.

“The more I realized how badly Satan played with my mind,” Daniel said, “the more I could stand against him. The truth of God’s Word made me free.”

Praise and prayer are great weapons that God’s people should use in overcoming the power of the evil one. Praise helps us keep our minds on God, His power, and the good things that are taking place in our lives. It is proof that we believe He can and will help us.

True prayer reflects a relationship with God and shows that we depend on Him. We are His children, and He is our Father. When we pray, we open the door for God’s help. We ask Him to free our minds and give us victory over Satan’s strongholds.

God answers those prayers. In fact, God is more eager to answer our prayers for help than we are to ask. Think of prayer this way: when we pray in faith, tremendous power is made available to us.

As we truly understand that we are God’s children, we will gain confidence to use the weapons of our warfare. The weapons are there. We just need instruction on how to use them and encouragement not to give up. Jesus has promised to be with us always (Matthew 28:20). We can win with our weapons because they are spiritual weapons. The devil fights a carnal, fleshly warfare, but we can win because we have the power of God on our side.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, teach me to understand that the weapons of our warfare are spiritual and that we can win against every attack of the devil. In Christ’s name, I pray, amen.

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The righteous man walks in his integrity….

Proverbs 20:7 (AMPC)

Integrity is defined as “a firm adherence to a code or standard of values; soundness.” As a Christian, your standards should be much higher than those of the world. What would an integrity check reveal about you? It’s something to think about.

People of integrity are committed to a life of excellence—seeking to be better or to go beyond what is normally expected of them. Having integrity means you do the right thing even when nobody is looking… and you keep your word even if it costs you something.

I encourage you to make excellence a habit, by following the example of Jesus, our standard of integrity. As God’s representative, you are called to show the world what He is like—and you may be the only Bible some people read.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me walk in integrity and live with excellence. Let my actions honor You and reflect Jesus, even when no one else is watching.

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[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (AMPC)

There may be times when it seems that you cannot go forward, but at least you do not have to go backward. You may not know how to forge ahead, but you can stand firmly on what you know of God.

Instead of passively yielding to the enemy, you can say, “This is the ground I have gained, and I am not giving it up, devil. You are not driving me back into the hole that God pulled me out of. I am going to stand strong in the power of God until He delivers me.”

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me stand strong in Your power. I will not surrender ground to the enemy but trust You to keep me moving forward in victory, amen.

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Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!

Matthew 5:7 (AMPC)

Being merciful can be defined as giving goodness that is undeserved. Anyone can give people what they deserve. It takes someone who desires to be close to God to give goodness to people when they do not deserve it.

Revenge says, “You mistreated me, so I’m going to mistreat you.” Mercy says, “You mistreated me, but I’m going to forgive you, restore you, and treat you as if you never hurt me.” What a blessing to be able to give and receive mercy.

Mercy is an attribute of God’s character that is seen in how He deals with His people. Mercy is good to us when we deserve punishment. Mercy accepts and blesses us when we deserve to be totally rejected. Mercy understands our weaknesses and infirmities and does not judge and criticize us.

Do you ever need God or man to show you mercy? Of course, we all do on a regular basis. The best way to get mercy is to be busy giving it away. If you give judgment, you will receive judgment. If you give mercy, you will receive mercy. Remember, the Word of God teaches us that we reap what we sow. Be merciful! Be blessed!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for showing me mercy when I don’t deserve it. Help me forgive others, give mercy freely, and reflect Your character in all I do.

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But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].

Hebrews 11:6 (AMPC)

Seeking God is central to our walk with Him; it is vital for spiritual progress. But what exactly does it mean to seek God?

One way we seek God is to think about Him—thinking about His Word, His ways, what He has done for us, how good He is, and how much we love Him. Thinking about His goodness will cause us to desire a better relationship with Him simply because of Who He is, not because of what He can do for us. As you seek Him regularly, you will come to know Him more intimately and realize that He is your loving Father, Who cares about every aspect of your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me seek You daily—not just for what You can do, but because of Who You are. Deepen my love for You and my trust in Your care.

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Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice….

1 Samuel 15:22 (AMPC)

Whenever Christians are faced with God’s Word, and it calls them to action, but they refuse to obey, their own human reasoning is often the cause. They have deceived themselves into believing something other than the truth.

It is amazing how quickly we can talk ourselves out of doing something when deep down inside we really don’t want to do it. James 1:22 (AMPC) is very clear when it says: But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

When the Bible speaks about obeying the Lord, it is not a suggestion. God commands us to take action by being a doer of His Word, and when we are obedient, He promises we will be blessed.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me think ahead with wisdom and live each day with calmness and purpose. Teach me to respond thoughtfully and gratefully, remembering that every day is Your gift, amen.

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You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (AMPC)

We have a command (or perhaps it is a promise) in Matthew 5:48: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (NIV). Because God is perfect and is working in us, we can also look forward to sharing in His perfection.

The apostle Paul said although he had not already been made perfect, he pressed on toward the goal. He then said those of us who are imperfect should be thus minded, to let go of what was behind us (mistakes) and press on. In essence, he was saying that in God’s eyes, by faith in Jesus Christ, he was perfect, yet he was not totally perfected (Phil. 3:12–15).

We must learn to see ourselves in Christ, not in ourselves. Corrie ten Boom taught that if you look at the world, you will be oppressed; if you look at yourself, you will be depressed; but if you look at Jesus, you will be at rest. How true it is that if we look at ourselves—at what we are in our own abilities—we cannot be anything except depressed and totally discouraged. But when we look to Christ, the Author and Finisher (perfecter) of our faith, we can enter His rest and believe He is continually working in us (Heb. 12:2 NIV).

We always say, “Nobody is perfect.” What we mean is that nobody manifests perfect behavior, and that is a correct statement. Our behavior, however, is quite different from our identities.

The Bible says that faith in Jesus makes us righteous, but in our actions, we don’t always do the right thing. I have said for years, Our who is different than our do. We don’t do everything right, but God always loves us. He always sees us “in Christ,” through our faith in Him, and He views us as perfect in Christ while we are still being changed by His power.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that in Christ I am made righteous. Help me press forward in faith, trusting You to transform me day by day.

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his is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.

John 15:12 (AMPC)

One of the first things we ask when we are invited to a party is, “How should I dress?” Most of us like it best when we feel that we can come as we are. We like it when we can relax and be ourselves. I love this scripture because of the message of acceptance it brings.

God accepts us as we are, and He works with us throughout our lives to help us become all that He wants us to be. Grace meets us where we are but, thankfully, it never leaves us where it found us.

God will work in you by His Holy Spirit, and you will be changed! But you don’t have to wait to come to Him. Thankfully, you can come right now just as you are. You don’t have to stand off in the distance and only hear the music of the party; you are invited to attend.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am so thankful, not just for the countless blessings You have given me, but for the chance to share those blessings with others. I pray that You will show me new and creative ways to be friendly and encouraging to someone today.

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