Delmar answers, “come on in boys, the waters fine!"

Consider Your God !

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“...with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26, NIV)

I had a gentleman tell me not long ago that his business was very, very slow. It looked like he would go under. He owned a small manufacturing company with one main competitor in town, a national company that was bigger with more resources. With the economy down, it made it harder and harder for him to stay open. This man was flexible about what he should do next, but he really believed he was in the business God wanted him to be in. So, he kept praying, believing and hoping; and instead of considering his circumstances, he considered his God. And just when he thought he was going to have to close down, his main competitor had a change in leadership and direction and decided to pull out of this market. Now he’s breaking all kinds of records.
Friend, today I want to encourage you. If there’s something coming against you, consider your God. He has a way to meet every one of your needs. You may not be able to beat the competition in the natural, but God can simply remove the competition. He wants to give you His favor. He wants to give you the advantage for success. Trust Him and believe because with God, all things are possible.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, today I put my trust in You. I know that You are faithful and have good things in store for my future. Thank You for giving me patience to stand and see Your promises come to pass in every area of my life! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

You Have the Advantage

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“...His favor is for a lifetime...” (Psalm 30:5, AMP)

One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone may have wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator. And it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”
I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way. God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace, mercy and everlasting favor. I open my heart and mind to You and receive everything You have for me. Thank You for restoring and healing every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Activate His Power

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might...” (Micah 3:8, NIV)

In today’s scripture, Micah knew how to encourage himself in the Lord. He understood how to draw in courage and strength and align himself with God’s purpose for his life. He knew there was power in his words and power in agreeing with God.

It works the same way with us today. Romans 10:9–10 tells us that salvation comes when we believe in Jesus and then declare what we believe. In the same way, we activate the power of God by believing and declaring it. (Job 22:28)

Today, know that God loves you and desires to empower you for every task you face. Receive His strength and activate it by declaring that He is at work in your life by the Holy Spirit! Declare that you are filled with power, strength, justice and wisdom as you face the challenges before you. Believe it, receive it and declare it because He has equipped you to overcome in every area of your life.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I invite You to flood every area of my being. Fill me with Your strength, peace, joy and power. I declare today that I am strong and equipped in You. I praise You for Your faithfulness and go forth in Your favor. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Believe and Receive

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, NIV)

Has God spoken things to your heart that haven’t come to pass yet? Sometimes when we are believing for things, it’s easy to let circumstances and the pressures of life drag us down. But when you make the choice to receive your promise and start to picture it in your mind’s eye and declare it by faith, then you start to become stronger. You begin to feel more confident. You begin to feel more settled on the inside. You begin to have joy and peace because you know God is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

What are you believing for God to do in your life today? Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself paying off that last debt? Can you see yourself at your ideal weight? Can you see yourself sharing the gospel with a family member or coworker? Ask the Lord to give you a picture of what He sees when He looks at you. As you open your heart and allow God’s thoughts to become your thoughts and receive His promises by faith, just like it says in the above verse — whatever you ask for in prayer will be yours!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. Thank You for the gift of faith. Help me to hold fast to Your promises today. I choose to set my focus on You. Give me strength to stand knowing that You will complete what You started in my life! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What Are You Hungry For ?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NIV)

In the natural, what do you do when you’re hungry for something? Maybe you think of something to eat, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot. So you find something else until you are satisfied.

Spiritual hunger works the same way. You may feel a restlessness or unsettledness, but you can’t quite figure out what will satisfy it. You may try to fill that need with other things — food, addictions, people — but only God can fill that hunger. Today’s verse tells us that righteousness is what satisfies us. When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, God’s way of doing things, you will be spiritually satisfied.

Just like you have to stop what you are doing to take time to eat in the natural, you have to take time to “eat” or partake of the right things spiritually. We have to take time every day and devote it to the Lord in prayer, worship and reading His Word. We have to go the extra mile to stay in fellowship with other believers at church. But remember, when you seek God’s ways, you get God’s results — life, joy, peace and satisfaction in Him all the days of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise to fill my hunger. I open my heart to You and ask that You draw me by Your Spirit. Teach me to walk in Your ways of righteousness that I may honor and serve You all the days of my life. I bless Your name today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Power of Obedience

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land” (Isaiah 1:19, NIV)

Is there something in your life that you know God is asking you to do, but you just haven’t done it yet? Maybe He’s asking you to reach out to someone or let go of an addiction in your life. Maybe He’s asking you to make a commitment that you just haven’t gotten around to yet or sow a special seed. You may not fully understand why He’s asking you to do it, but know this: God is for your good. He wants to give you the best of the land. He longs to pour out His blessing and favor upon you, but you have to do your part. You have to open your heart and choose to be willing and obedient because obedience opens the door for Him to move in your life.
Today, ask the Lord to give you an obedient heart. Ask Him to show you what adjustments you need to make in your life. As you submit your ways to Him and choose obedience, you will walk in His will. You will experience God's best and live the good life that He has prearranged for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your good and precious promises to me. Today, I submit my heart to You in a fresh, new way. Help me to be obedient, and let the words of my mouth and the mediations of my heart be pleasing to You. I honor You and give You glory in all I do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Follow the Leader

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“God is with us; He is our leader” (2 Chronicles 13:12, TLB)

Is God your leader today? Do you allow Him to lead you in every area of life? A lot of times, people set out in a direction of life, or they make decisions and then “look around” to see where God is. They try to fit Him into their schedule, but really, He should be in charge of our schedules. Or, they ask God to bless their decisions when, instead, we should follow His ways because His ways are already blessed!

Today, instead of incorporating God into your day, ask Him to lead your day. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and mind and see if there are any areas you need to submit to Him. Remember, He is with you and He is for you. When we allow Him to order our steps, when we seek Him first and follow Him as our leader, than nothing can stand in our way! Go out in victory today knowing that He is ordering your steps.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for going with me and leading me into victory day by day. I choose to trust and rely on You, knowing that You have a good plan for me. I know that Your ways are higher, and so I submit myself to You in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Give Your Faith a Voice

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJ)

Every believer has been given a measure of faith. In order to see the promises of God come to pass in your life, you have to give your faith a voice. You must declare what God says about you in His Word. Those seeds of faith inside you are activated when you speak them out into the atmosphere. That’s why the scripture tells us, “Let the weak say I am strong. Let the poor say I am rich.” When you give your faith a voice, you send forth the Word of God, and the Bible says that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass in your life.

The key is not to allow words of defeat or negativity to come out of your mouth. Don’t dig up your seed by speaking against His Word. Instead, water your seed by continuing to declare the Word of God. When you wake up every morning, thank Him that His promises are coming to pass in your life. As you do, you will see those things come to pass, and you will live the life of victory God has prepared for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I humbly come before You giving You my thoughts, my actions and my words. Help me to activate my faith by speaking Your Word daily. May my words and thoughts be pleasing to You always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

What if They Don’t Believe ?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” (Romans 3:3, KJV)

To often, people allow the opinions of others to hold them back and water down their dreams. We have to realize, there will always be critics and naysayers in life. One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t have to believe in you in order for your dreams to come to pass. Other people don’t set the limits for your life — you do. It’s not what others say about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself. In today’s verse, the apostle Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you! You don’t need everyone to validate you. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps.

Today, know that God sees the hidden treasures inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality. As you get rid of the old, defeated thoughts and replace them with what God says about you, you will remove the limits so you can live the abundant life God has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to see Your goodness in my life. Help me to see myself the way You see me. Help me to see the plans You have for me so that I can be empowered by You to fulfill my destiny. I love You and bless Your name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

Receiving the Overflow

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“...we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” (Psalm 66:12, NIV)

Friend, no matter what your circumstances may look like today, God’s plan is to bring you through to a place of abundance. He wants you to have an abundance of peace, an abundance of joy, an abundance of resources — He wants you to overflow with His blessings so that you can be a blessing to the people around you.

One thing I’ve learned is that if you want to live in the overflow of God’s blessings, you have to have an attitude to receive the overflow. Remember, as a believer in Jesus, you are a child of the Most High God. Royal blood is flowing through your veins. You were not created to be average. You were not created to barely get by and drag through life. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. You are well able to do whatever God has called you to do!

Today, I encourage you to put your shoulders back, hold your head up high and start thinking like a victor. And when you’re a victor, you know that any adversity in your life is not permanent, it’s temporary. Have the attitude to receive the overflow of God’s abundance. Keep believing and keep expecting because it’s just a matter of time until He turns things around in your favor!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, today I open my mind and heart to You. I choose to believe that You have a good plan for me. By faith today, I receive the blessings You have for me so that I can be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.