And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

— Genesis 1:31 (ESV)

When God had completed His six days of creation, He took time to look over everything, and according to the Amplified Bible, He saw that …it was very good and He validated it completely… (Genesis 1:31 AMP). By this time in the creation story, God had already created man and woman (see Genesis 1:27). So, when He pronounced that everything was “very good,” it included Adam and Eve, who represent all of humanity. Everyone God made is good, including you and me.

Many people feel worthless, insecure, and unacceptable, which does not agree with God’s opinion of us. He validates us completely. God knows everything about each of us, and He loves us unconditionally. God approves of us; He may not approve of everything we do, but He does approve of who we are as His beloved children. He does not want us to go through life discouraged, disappointed, wounded, or feeling bad about ourselves. He wants us to think about ourselves like He thinks of us.

Throughout His Word, God lets us know what He thinks about us. It says we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14 ESV). It says He rejoices over us with gladness and quiets us with His love (see Zephaniah 3:17). It promises that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He will complete the good work He has begun in us (see Philippians 1:6). It calls us the apple of His eye (see Psalm 17:8). And it says that He loves us with an everlasting love (see Jeremiah 31:3). Hopefully you can see that God approves of and enjoys you.

I encourage you to approve of and enjoy yourself as well. This may take some time for you, especially if you have been deeply wounded or if you have experienced things that have made you feel unlovable, unacceptable, or inferior to others. Never base what is true on your feelings because they don’t always agree with God’s Word.

I had to reach a point in my life where I had to decide to agree with what God’s Word says about me, even though I could have viewed myself as “damaged goods” because of sexual abuse by my father. Choosing to enjoy and accept myself is one of the best decisions I have ever made. God does not create anything worthless. He is good, and everything He does is good. We cannot believe that God created us and also believe we are worthless. Begin to accept and enjoy yourself where you are, and God will help you get to where you need to be.

Prayer of the Day: Father, show me Your will for me and help me be courageous enough to believe I am good, and to make choices that agree with Your Word. I want the life that You want for me, amen.

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You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You.

— Isaiah 26:3 (AMPC)

If you want to live a peaceful, joy-filled, abundant life, you need to understand it all begins with the thoughts you choose to think. Your mind is connected to every feeling you have and every action you take.

A worried, anxious life begins with thoughts like this: How am I going to do everything I have to do? My life is impossible! This is more than I can handle!

But a contented, happy life begins with thoughts like this: God loves me, and He will take care of everything in my future. He will give me the strength and ability to do each thing I need to do as it comes up.

You can choose the thoughts you want to dwell on. Your mind is connected to every part of your life, so choose to focus on godly thoughts today in order to experience the life Jesus came to give you.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, for helping me think positive, godly thoughts. I am grateful that I am not a prisoner to negative thinking and that I can choose to be happy, and joy filled.

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We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

— 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT)

Nobody is successful in any venture just by wishing they would be. Successful people make a plan and talk to themselves about that plan constantly. You can think things on purpose, and if you make what you think about match what you actually want to do, your feelings may not like it, but they will go along.

I slept great last night, and when I woke up at 5:00 a.m., I didn’t feel like getting up. It was so cozy under the fluffy cover, and I felt like staying right there. But I had a plan. I had decided how many hours I would write today, and in order to do that I had to get up. I thought, I am going to get up now, and I got up!

Do you make an effort to choose your thoughts, or do you just meditate on whatever falls into your head, even if it is in total disagreement with what you have said you want out of life? When your thoughts are going in a wrong direction, do you capture them and submit them to Christ as the Bible instructs (see 2 Cor. 10:5)?

I want to encourage you today—the good news is you can change. As I have said for years, we are in a war and the mind is the battlefield. We either win or lose our battles based on winning or losing the war in our minds. Learn to think according to the Word of God, and your emotions will start lining up with your thoughts.

If you have had years of experiencing wrong thinking and letting your emotions lead you as I did, making the change may not be easy, and it will definitely require a commitment of study, time, and effort. But the results will be worth it. Don’t say, “I am just an emotional person, and I can’t help the way I feel.” Take control. You can do it!

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me think thoughts that You approve of and quickly cast down the ones that You don’t approve of. Help me think things that are pleasing to You and that will release Your power into my life.

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And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins in which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].

— Ephesians 2:1-2 (AMPC)

I find a great deal of comfort in thinking about who I used to be and who I have become. It helps me not to be discouraged when I make mistakes or find that I still struggle over some issues. I’m greatly encouraged when I consider where I started and where I am now.

In Ephesians 2, Paul described those outside of Christ. He wrote that unbelievers follow the prince of the power of the air, who is Satan, and they follow the way their master leads. In verse 1, he pointed out that all were once dead through their sins, but believers are now alive in Jesus Christ. He tells us we’re not governed or led by our lower nature—the impulses of the flesh.

Many Christians have trouble in this area because they haven’t learned to control their thoughts. A lady once told me, “It simply didn’t occur to me that I needed to direct my mind and keep it healthy and positive. If ministers preached or taught about the control of our thoughts, I never heard it. One day, however, I read an article about the power of thoughts, and God convicted me. That’s when I knew I needed to change my thinking.”

This lady said she drove down the street of a busy city and she spotted a sign, a cartoon of a car with big eyes for the front lights and tears flowing, and the words, “Please help me! I need an oil change.”

As she passed by, she thought, I need a mind change. I don’t like being the way I am, letting my mind go wherever it wants. Part of my responsibility as a child of God is to keep my thoughts healthy and strong.

“I want to make it clear that I went to church,” she said, “and I had been active for years. I knew a lot of Scripture, and I even did some volunteer work at the church. But I didn’t control my thoughts. Even when I sang in church, my mind jumped from subject to subject. We’d be singing about joy and grace, and I’d think about the dishes still in the sink, the unfinished laundry, or what I wanted to eat for lunch.

“I attended church, and I was faithful, but I was not faithful in attending to the Word. I listened when the preachers quoted Scripture. I usually followed along with my own Bible, but I didn’t really think about what I was hearing or what my eyes were reading. I was doing the right things outwardly, but I wasn’t thinking the right things. My mind was a mess, and I didn’t know what to do about it.”

“I need a mind change,” she suddenly said aloud to herself. Just then, she actually pondered the words she had spoken. She was like the car on the sign—she needed a change—a mind change. She needed to let the Holy Spirit direct her thoughts instead of the devil. As she prayed, she felt confident there would be a positive change.

She thought to herself, Is there anything I am supposed to do? She realized that if she didn’t make lifestyle changes, the devil would soon make the new thinking as muddy and gunky as the old thinking was.

For the next several days, she looked up all the scriptures she could find that used the word study or meditate. She also looked up scriptures that talked about the mind or thoughts. She read those verses, wrote them on slips of paper, and pondered them.

Here are three of them:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he… (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude] Ephesians 4:23 AMPC).

My hands also will I lift up [in fervent supplication]to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes (Psalm 119:48 AMPC).

The more she meditated on the right things, the less trouble she had with Satan trying to control her thoughts. That’s how it works with all of us: The more we focus on God, the less often the devil can defeat us.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father God, for giving me a mind change. Help me always to be free to serve You with my heart, my soul, and my mind. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.

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Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

— Psalm 37:5 (NKJV)

I see more clearly than ever before how simple and beautiful faith is and how self-effort complicates life and steals peace and joy. Man’s mind plans his own way (see Proverbs 16:9), but God’s ways are much higher than ours and they always work better (see Isaiah 55:9). I have finally learned that whenever I feel frustrated, it almost always indicates that I have trusted myself to do what only God can do. It is my signal to return to full faith in God and once again enjoy His peace.

Apart from faith we cannot please God (see Hebrews 11:6), and apart from Him, we can do nothing (see John 15:5). If you are worried or feel burdened by anything, I urge you to let it go and return to simple faith in God without delay. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5 NKJV). God already has a perfect plan for your situation, and as you rest in Him, He will work!

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that You are working in my life while I rest in You. I trust You to do the right thing at the right time. Help me walk in faith at all times.

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Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

— Psalm 119:116 (AMPC)

We all experience disappointment, such as when we want and expect something to happen, and it doesn’t. We feel as the psalmist must have felt when he wrote the words of today’s scripture—as though our hopes have been dashed. The answer to disappointment is to trust God to always do the best thing for us. Just because you and I want something doesn’t mean it is right for us.

We are individuals, and God has a personalized plan for each of us. What is right for someone else may not be best for you. I encourage you not to fight against life. Learn to relax in God, and when you do feel disappointed, shake it off and keep going.

You can be comforted when you experience disappointment by knowing that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your future. If He doesn’t give you what you ask for, you can be confident that the reason is that He has something better in mind. His plan will unfold little by little, and you will soon realize how much He loves you as He works in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, when I am disappointed, help me remember that I can receive comfort from You and that You will always do the best thing for me as I trust You, amen.

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Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

— Psalm 119:116 (AMPC)

We all experience disappointment, such as when we want and expect something to happen, and it doesn’t. We feel as the psalmist must have felt when he wrote the words of today’s scripture—as though our hopes have been dashed. The answer to disappointment is to trust God to always do the best thing for us. Just because you and I want something doesn’t mean it is right for us.

We are individuals, and God has a personalized plan for each of us. What is right for someone else may not be best for you. I encourage you not to fight against life. Learn to relax in God, and when you do feel disappointed, shake it off and keep going.

You can be comforted when you experience disappointment by knowing that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your future. If He doesn’t give you what you ask for, you can be confident that the reason is that He has something better in mind. His plan will unfold little by little, and you will soon realize how much He loves you as He works in your life.

Prayer of the Day: Father, when I am disappointed, help me remember that I can receive comfort from You and that You will always do the best thing for me as I trust You, amen.

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And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

— Philippians 4:7 (AMPC)

Years ago, I went to a doctor because I was constantly sick. He told me the symptoms were the result of being under stress. I wasn’t getting enough sleep, and I was eating improperly, and pushing myself too hard.

Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life. God has created us to withstand a certain amount of pressure and tension. The problem comes when we push beyond our limitations and ignore the warnings our body gives us when it hurts or is exhausted.

I urge you to take good care of yourself, because if you wear out the body you have, you cannot go to a store and buy a new one. Many of the things we do that give us stress overload are things we could change if we would. Be honest with yourself about why you are doing some of the things you do and let God help you prune off the ones that are wearing you out and bearing no good fruit.

Peace is meant to be the normal condition for every believer in Jesus Christ. He is the Prince of Peace, and in Jesus we find our own inheritance of peace. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit, which He gives as we live in obedience to His Word.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, thank You for the peace You give—peace that operates in the midst of a storm. And because of Your peace, I can manage my stress today and every day, amen.

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Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit) . . . Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

— Philippians 4:4-6 (AMPC)

You need to develop an “attitude of gratitude.” This doesn’t mean you should live with your heads in the clouds and pretend nothing negative exists. It simply means you make it your goal in life to be as positive as possible.

Go to bed tonight pondering everything you have to be thankful for. Do the same first thing tomorrow morning. Thank God for everything—a convenient parking place; the fact you can walk, see, or hear; your children. Don’t become discouraged with yourself when you fall short, and don’t quit. Keep at it until you have developed new habits.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I have so much to thank You for, but mostly, I thank You for saving me and for being with me all the time. I love You, 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)

God’s Word teaches us not to worry, but to come to Him, in every circumstance, with thanksgiving (see Philippians 4:6). Psalm 100:4 says we cannot even come into the presence of God unless we come with thanksgiving.

If we want assurance of answered prayer, we should pray with thanksgiving, not with complaining. People who complain are showing, by their attitude and words, that they do not trust God and are not thankful or appreciative. You may be a person who genuinely loves God, but you may also have a habit of complaining and have not, until now, realized how disrespectful it is to God. If you are convicted of sin in this area, there is no condemnation, but you should ask God to forgive you and begin to fill your prayers with praise and thanksgiving.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You so much for everything You do in my life. I know I take so much for granted, and for that, I ask forgiveness. I love You so much and am truly so grateful for Your place in my life, amen.

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Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMPC)

Do you ever stop what you’re doing and just thank God for the good things in your life?

If you’ve ever wondered, What is God’s will for my life? the apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that the first answer to that question is to be thankful.

One of the best ways to enjoy your life is to stop and thank God for the good things He has given you, no matter how big or small. Sometimes we are so anxious to get something new from God, we aren’t enjoying the things He has already blessed us with.

When you aren’t sure what step to take, I encourage you to take the “thanksgiving step”: Actively thank God for His kindness, His goodness, and His faithfulness in your life. You’ll be amazed at how this action will change your perspective and affect your day.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am thankful for all You do for me daily. Without Your help, and without Your hand guiding my life, things would be a mess. But because of Your presence in my life, I can be ever so grateful and just thank You for all the little things I know I take for granted, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMPC)

Do you ever stop what you’re doing and just thank God for the good things in your life?

If you’ve ever wondered, What is God’s will for my life? the apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that the first answer to that question is to be thankful.

One of the best ways to enjoy your life is to stop and thank God for the good things He has given you, no matter how big or small. Sometimes we are so anxious to get something new from God, we aren’t enjoying the things He has already blessed us with.

When you aren’t sure what step to take, I encourage you to take the “thanksgiving step”: Actively thank God for His kindness, His goodness, and His faithfulness in your life. You’ll be amazed at how this action will change your perspective and affect your day.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I am thankful for all You do for me daily. Without Your help, and without Your hand guiding my life, things would be a mess. But because of Your presence in my life, I can be ever so grateful and just thank You for all the little things I know I take for granted, amen.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Lord my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe— then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.

— Psalm 7:3-5 (NIV)

In today’s scriptures, David is being pursued by his enemies, and he boldly prays that if he has mistreated anyone, he would be justly punished and that his enemies would indeed overtake him. David is not afraid to face truth, for it is only truth that makes us free (see John 8:32). David had not mistreated his allies, but I love the fact that he was willing to face it if he had.

In this same psalm, David also asks God to arise in His anger and rise up against the rage of his enemies and decree justice for him (see v. 6). Then he boldly says, Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High (v. 8). Some people could consider his reminding the Lord that he is righteous and a man of integrity to be prideful, but I believe David speaks this way because of his great confidence in God.

He was willing to be corrected if he had done wrong, and this gave him faith to claim God’s promises of deliverance from his enemies.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that I can depend on You to correct me when I need it, but also to help me when I am in trouble.

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My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

— Psalm 73:26 (NKJV)

Having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is our greatest reward in life. Serving Him is a privilege, not an obligation. Take a moment to ponder how great it is to have Jesus as the center of your life. He is with you all the time.

God promises us rewards, but we should never serve Him in order to get something. We should serve Him because we love and appreciate Him. God hears and answers our prayers and helps us in our difficulties. He forgives our sins and grants us strength when we are weak. He guides us and does many other wonderful things for us. And …He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV).

We can expect rewards when we get to heaven. Although we don’t comprehend what they will be, we know that anything the Lord does for us will be wonderful. He says that when He returns for His people, He will bring His rewards with Him to …give to every one according to his work (Revelation 22:12 NKJV).

Be excited and look for these rewards, but always remember that God is our greatest reward. He is our portion in life and our inheritance. Live for Him and enjoy Him each day.

Prayer of the Day: Father, You are my greatest reward in life. Thank You for being my friend and Savior. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man (one upright and in right standing with God) he will increase in learning.

— Proverbs 9:9 (AMPC)

Even though God wants us to live joyful, contended lives, He sometimes causes a discontent or a feeling that something is not right because He does not want us to continue doing the same old things anymore. He wants to prod us to seek Him so He can take us to new levels.

God always wants us to grow stronger, to go deeper, and to increase in intimacy with Him. Most of the time, He leads us into that process of maturity by leading us out of places where we have been comfortable in the past. Too much comfort for too long can mean that we are not growing. If you feel something stirring in your heart that you don’t quite understand, just ask God what is happening and take time to wait on Him to answer.

Our time with God is vitally important to our growth and maturity, but we cannot do the same things all the time and experience all that God for us. I have had times when reading the Bible became laborious and God simply led me to read a different translation for a few months. Just that little change brought new growth because I saw things in a different way. Satan tried to condemn me because I did not want to read the Bible, but God was just trying to get me to make a change in the translation I was reading. One day I felt a bit bored as I tried to read and pray so I moved to another chair in my office and suddenly I saw things that had been in my office for years, but I had not noticed them. A little adjustment caused me to see things from a whole new perspective and God taught me a spiritual lesson just because I sat in a different chair.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I want to go deeper in my walk with You. Please help me act on my faith, draw even closer to You, and take action so that my faith is ever increasing, amen.

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Let a woman learn in quietness, in entire submissiveness. I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to remain in quietness and keep silence [in religious assemblies].

— 1 Timothy 2:11-12 (AMPC)

In this controversial passage, it is evident that Paul was dealing with a specific situation for a specific time frame in history. As noted before, Priscilla, along with her husband, Aquila, had been a founding leader in this same church. I am not enough of a theologian to debate this problem fully. All I know is that God has always used—and still does use—women as leaders and teachers, preachers, ministers, missionaries, authors, evangelists, prophets, and so on.

Just remember that God loves you and wants to use you in powerful ways to help other people. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that God cannot or will not use you, just because you are a woman. As a woman, you are creative, comforting, sensitive, and you’re able to be a tremendous blessing. You can bear a lot of good fruit in your life. You don’t have to merely pass through life unnoticed, always in the background. If God has called you to leadership, you should lead. If He has called you into ministry, you should minister. If He has called you to be a missionary, then you should do missions. If He has called you to business or as a homemaker, you should boldly be all that He has called you to be.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I want to be used by You in whatever you have called me and gifted me to do. Show me where You want me to be, who I can help, and lead me wherever You want me to go, amen.

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If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

— James 1:5 (AMPC)

If things seem so complicated that you’re no longer able to enjoy life as God intended, it’s time to seek God’s wisdom. In all things, God wants you to acknowledge and seek Him, use wisdom, and make the best decisions you know how to make.

Through a simple prayer from wherever you are, you can ask God for wisdom about any situation you face. Before you commit to participating in certain activities, buying things, or being involved with other people, check with God. If you have peace about it, then proceed. But if you don’t feel right about it, wait.

Prayer of the Day: Father, guide me with Your wisdom and by Your spirit. Please help me move forward, as I rely on You to direct all of my decisions, amen.

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…[He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.

— 2 Timothy 1:7 (AMPC)

Many people struggle with indecision (the inability to make a decision) and double mindedness (constantly changing their minds) because of fear or a lack of confidence. However, you can make a decision and stick with it because you have discipline and a calm, well-balanced mind.

You can easily feel overwhelmed by all the decisions you need to make daily unless you have confidence in your ability to make right ones. Don’t ever say again, “I have a hard time making decisions,” because when you think and speak like that you are setting yourself up for confusion. Instead, you can believe the next time you need to make a decision that you will hear from God, be led by the Holy Spirit, and know what to do. Even if you have had difficulty doing so in the past, this is a new day for you, and you are in charge of your thinking—it is no longer in charge of you!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me have a calm mind. Help me take control of my thinking, so that it becomes easier and easier to make right decisions, amen.

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