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

Believe and Declare

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13, NIV)

I know a man who was believing to pay his house off. It was a standard 30-year mortgage, and he had 23 years left. In the natural, there was no way he could do it. But he was bold enough to say, “Father, I want to thank You that You are Jehovah Jireh; the Lord my provider. I know my job is not my source. You are my source. It may look impossible, but I know You can do the impossible.”

Several years ago, he received an inheritance from a family member that he had never met before. He didn’t even know they were related. He was able to not only pay his house off, but he paid a friend's house off as well. What was that? Explosive blessings!

Friend, when you believe God, you position yourself for a miracle. When you obey His commands, you set yourself under the open windows of heaven. When you declare His Word, you activate His power. Keep standing, keep believing, keep speaking and see the victory and blessing He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your Word which is alive and powerful! I set my mind on Your promises and choose to declare what You say about me. Thank You for Your faithfulness as I move forward in the good plan You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Say Continually

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

"Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, ‘Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’ ” (Psalm 35:27, NKJV)

Notice in today’s verse, God’s people were commanded to go around saying continually, “Let God be magnified. He takes pleasure in prospering me.” I believe one reason they were supposed to say it all the time is so it would get down on the inside of their hearts.

See, when we hear something long enough, we start to believe it. It starts to affect the way we see things. I wonder what would happen if, all through the day, we decided to stop dwelling on negative, defeated thoughts like, “I’ll never get out of debt. My business will never expand. How can I send my children to college? It’s so expensive.” And, what if you started dwelling on thoughts like, “God takes pleasure in prospering me. Good breaks are in my future. Explosive blessings are coming my way?”

Today, let the truth of God’s Word sink down into your heart. All throughout the day, declare His goodness. Declare His faithfulness. Declare His blessings because He delights in seeing you prosper!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for finding joy in seeing me succeed. Help me to see my life the way you see it. Help me to see and declare the blessing and victory You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Please keep the COFA volunteer staff in prayer this week and part of next. We will be away from the desk this week for one of our National events. COFA Tips will resume Thursday October 25th. Be blessed everyone!

Forgiveness is for You

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37, NKJV)

Did you know that the ability to forgive others is a gift from God? The Bible tells us that if we don’t forgive others, we cannot be forgiven. If we don’t forgive, we are blocking the ability for God to work in our lives. But when we choose to forgive, we are choosing God’s way and opening the door for Him to heal our hurts and restore our souls.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that what that person did was right or that you even have to get back into a relationship with that person. Forgiveness simply releases the debt they owe you so that God can release the debt you owe Him. Ask the Lord to search your heart and show you if there is any unforgiveness blocking His blessing in your life. Ask Him to show you more about this gift of forgiveness so that you can walk in the freedom and victory He has for you today.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

God, I know that You have called me to forgive others. Today I choose to release those who have hurt me and trust that You will be my Vindicator. I choose to forgive knowing it opens the door to Your healing in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Brand New Thing

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun!” (Isaiah 43:19, NLT)

Can you see the “brand new thing” God is doing in your life? Sometimes it’s easy to see the hand of God moving, and sometimes the storms of life can cloud our vision. But no matter where you are in life today, meditate on this truth that God is working even when you can’t see Him. Like a seed buried deep in the ground, it may seem dark and lonely and there may be dirt all around, but that is place where life springs forth. Trust that God is doing a new thing! You can trust Him because He is faithful!

His plan for you today is blessing. His plan is to give you a future and a hope. His plan is to do a new thing in your life. Let go of the thoughts of the past and open your heart to what God is doing today. Ask Him to show you what He’s doing. Ask Him to reveal it to your heart. Seek Him and you will find Him and see the brand new think He’s doing in you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for doing a work in me, even when I don’t see it. Thank You for the brand new thing You have. I open my heart and put my faith and trust in You in Jesus’ name! Amen.

The Time of Favor

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

“That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life...” (Joshua 4:14, NIV)

I love the promise that God gave to Joshua. He said, “Joshua, today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all the Israelites.” He was saying, “Today, I’m going to start releasing more of My favor, My blessings, My increase.” But notice, there was a specific time in his life that God began to release favor in a new way.

Friend, I believe God wants to do the same thing for you. He wants to release His blessing and favor in such a way that it makes you great — a great parent, a great spouse, a great leader, a great employee, a great friend, a great business person. He is saying to us what He said to Joshua, “This day I’m going to begin to make your name great. This day I’m going to begin to release My favor in a new way. I’m going to open doors that no man can shut.” It is a set time of God’s favor. Get ready! Make room in your thinking. Stay open to Him and keep an attitude of faith and expectancy because the time of God’s favor is here!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I bless You today. Thank You for pouring out Your favor and blessing upon me. I open my heart and mind to receive every good thing You have in store for me today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Different Spirit

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.” (Numbers 14:24, NASB)

One time in Scripture, Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land. The people of Israel were camped right next door and excited about possessing the land. But after 40 days, ten of the men came back with a negative report. They said, “Moses, there are giants in the land, and we’ll never defeat them.” That negative report spread throughout the rest of the camp, and the people began to murmur and complain.

But one of the spies named Caleb said, “Moses, we are well able to defeat these people. Let us go up at once and take the land!”

It’s interesting that they all saw the same land, the same circumstances; yet, they had totally different views. How could their reports be so opposite? Here’s how: Caleb had a different spirit. He saw things with a different perspective. Others were focused on the giants, but Caleb was focused on his God. The people who complained never actually made it into the Promised Land, but Caleb did. He accompanied a new generation that chose the blessing of God.

Today, you can choose to have a different spirit. Don’t listen to what everyone else says; listen to what God says. Choose to believe His Word, choose to obey Him, and He will lead you into your promised land!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, today I choose to tune out the negative voices of the world. I choose to trust in You even when no one else around me will. I thank You for the good things You are doing in my life and trust that You will fulfill every promise You’ve made to me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Close the Door on Fear

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Do not give the devil an opportunity to work.” (Ephesians 4:27, ISV)

So many people today are living with less than God’s best because they’ve allowed fear to creep in and take root in their lives. Fear is the greatest weapon the enemy uses to try to hold us back. Fear is not from God. Scripture tells us that fear brings torment. It’s designed to paralyze us and keep us from God’s blessings.

The good news is that God is greater than fear. His power in you is greater than any power that comes against you. But, in order to walk in His power, you have to close the door on the enemy. See, the enemy can’t have access to your life unless you open a door and give him access. That’s why we have to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we read, the people we hang around and what we say. When we open ourselves to fear, we give the enemy opportunity.

If you’ve allowed fear to steal from you in any area of life, today you can be free — you can be finished with fear. Conquering the enemy starts by making the choice to close the door on fear by receiving God’s love and meditating on His promises. Receive His truth and speak His truth. Let Him set you free and lead you into victory as you close the door on fear.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I come to You in faith declaring that I am finished with fear. Thank You for giving me a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Fill me with Your peace and joy today as I worship You and move forward in Your victory in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Raise the Standard

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Remind people to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared and willing to do any upright and honorable work.” (Titus 3:1, AMP)

What do you do to honor God? A lot of times people think, “Oh, I go to church to honor God. I read my Bible to honor God. I sing and clap my hands in worship to honor God.” And yes, those are ways to honor God, but did you know that you also honor God when you get to work on time? You honor God when you are productive each day and respect the people who are in authority over you. You honor God when you excel in your career.

Actions speak louder than words. When you give your very best in the workplace, your whole life is giving praise to God. Showing up with a good attitude, friendly, organized, being your best — people will notice there’s something different about you. They’ll want what you have.

As believers, we should set the standard in all areas of life. People should see the depth of your character and your spirit of excellence and know that you are a child of the Most High God. Today, make the decision to honor Him in all that you do because you are His representative, His hands and feet in the earth.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I choose to honor You in all that I do. I choose to set the standard and do my very best. Thank You for the privilege of being Your representative. Help me to show Your love and excellence in everything I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Push People Up

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Two are better than one...if either of them falls down, one can help the other up...(Ecclesiastes 4:9–10, NIV)

We all need somebody to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. We all need people who will push us up, so to speak. After all, there are enough people trying to push us down in life. There are enough people telling us what we can’t become and how we don’t have what it takes.

I believe we all have the responsibility to do this for others. Let’s push people up. Let’s look with our eyes of faith and see their potential and tell them what they can become. If you will be that person for somebody else, God will make sure somebody will be that person for you.

Friend, every person has seeds of greatness inside. You can cause your children to rise to a new level. You can be the catalyst for your family to do things they never thought possible. Your words have creative power. When you speak vision, that can be the seed God uses to thrust them to a new level.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I commit to push people up. I choose to speak life and call forth the seeds of greatness within. Thank You for using me to help others fulfill their destiny in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Trust His Timing

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“My times are in Your hand...” (Psalm 31:15, NASB)

One thing I’ve learned is that God doesn’t always work on our time table. In fact, He rarely does. But, in a single moment, God can change your life! All throughout scripture, we see great examples of how God was working behind the scenes and instantly turned things around for His people. Scripture tells us He is the same yesterday, today and forever which means if He did it for them, He can instantly turn things around for you, too!

You may be going through some difficulty today, but be encouraged because your times are in God’s hands. Trust that He has your best interest at heart. He wants to pour out His favor. He wants to take you further than you dreamed possible and work in your life in ways beyond what you have ever imagined.

Let this truth sink down into your heart today. Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing, keep hoping and keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. Have faith because your times are in His hands, and He will lead you in the life of victory He has for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I humbly come before You giving You all that I am. I trust that my times are in Your hands. I trust that You are working things out in my favor. I set my focus on You knowing that You are working things out for my good in Jesus’ name. Amen.