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

Ultimate Victory

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer...for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, AMP)

When trials and challenges come, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or discouraged. You may feel lost or uncertain about the future. That’s when we need to turn our hearts and minds to God because He has promised that no matter what we face, we can have His perfect peace. We can feel His perfect love. We can have confidence because He has already overcome the world.

The key is that we have to keep an eternal perspective. We have to know that the trials that come our way are only temporary. We may experience tragedy or loss in this life, but with God on our side, we have the ultimate victory in eternity. We may have seasons of grief or sadness here on earth, but He is our comforter, and in the end, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Remember, when difficulties arise, focus on the fact that you have the ultimate victory. Don’t let fear paralyze you; instead, put your faith and hope in God. Those things that the enemy meant for evil, God will turn around for your good. He’ll lead you out stronger, wiser and more alive than ever before.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect peace. Even when things don’t make sense, I choose to trust You. Even when I don’t feel victorious, I know that with You, I am always an overcomer. I choose to put my faith and hope in You today knowing that I will never be disappointed in Jesus’ name. Amen.

File It Away

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me.” (Psalm 131:1, NKJV)

When things happen in your life that you don’t plan, do you find yourself trying to reason it all out or look for a “file” so to speak in your mind to put it in? What happens when you can’t reason it out or make sense of it all?

Here’s the answer: Every one of us needs to create a file in our thinking called the “I Don’t Understand It” file. When things come up that don’t make sense, things that you can’t figure out, instead of getting frustrated or confused, put it in your “I Don’t Understand It” file and leave it alone. If you go through life trying to figure out why something bad happened or why things didn’t work out, it will cause you to become bitter and stuck in life. Part of trusting God means trusting Him when things don’t make sense because we know that His plan is always for good. We have to know that He will reveal all things in His time — even if that means in eternity.

Is there something that didn’t make sense in 2012 that you know you need to file away? Choose to trust God. Choose to keep moving forward. Know that He loves you, He is for you, and He has a great plan for your future!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I surrender my past. I surrender my need to have all the answers, and I choose to trust You. Fill me with Your peace. Fill me with Your grace and compassion as I press forward into the victory You have prepared for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Listen to Your Heart

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.” (Proverbs 16:23, NKJV)

The scripture tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. God Himself spoke the worlds into existence by the creative power of words. Think about that for a moment — you can bless your future with your words, or you can curse it.

There are many influences over our words. In the heat of the moment, we can let our emotions tell us what to say. We can listen to what others say and allow their opinions and ideas to influence our words. We can even be influenced by what we watch on TV, the internet or read in the news. But notice what today’s verse tells us that a wise person does — a wise person listens to their heart and lets their heart teach them what to say. As a believer, when you listen to your heart, you are allowing the Spirit of God to influence your words. When you speak from your heart, you are speaking from the heart of God.

Today, listen to your heart. Take time to be still and quiet before the Lord. Allow Him to teach you what to say. As you submit your words and ways to Him, He will direct your path and lead you into victory in every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for giving me power in the words of my mouth. Help me to stay tuned in to You by listening to my heart. Teach me to use my words to always speak life and blessing over myself and others 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, NKJV)

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 and send forth the Word of God, the Bible says that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass in your life.

Every word you speak is a seed. Don’t dig up your seed by speaking against your faith! Don’t allow words of defeat or negativity come out of your mouth. 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 live the life of victory God has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I humbly come before You giving You my thoughts, my actions, and my words. Help me to give my faith a voice by speaking Your Word daily. May my words and my thoughts be pleasing to You always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Strong Against Difficulty

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.” (Isaiah 41:10, AMP)

It’s easy to look around at what’s happening in the earth today and be tempted to feel afraid or dismayed. Circumstances may seem overwhelming. Maybe your business is struggling, maybe you lost your job, maybe you’re struggling in a relationship or concerned about the economy. During times like these, it’s important to remember that God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. In fact, not only is He with us, He has promised to strengthen us and harden us to difficulties. That means, when tough times come, they just bounce right off of you. You don’t allow your circumstances to steal your peace and joy. You have the attitude that says, “This may be a big problem, but my God is bigger!”

Keep in mind that the enemy isn’t after your checkbook; he’s ultimately after your peace and joy. He knows that if he can get your joy, then he can get your strength. But when you stay connected to the Father through prayer, studying the Word and declaring His promises over your life, you’ll be hardened to difficulties and stay safe in the palm of God’s hand!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your favor, strength and mercy. Today I renounce fear and choose to trust in Your plan of victory. Thank You for filling me with Your peace and joy and for keeping me close to You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Say “I Can” to the Mountain

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done.” (Matthew 21:21, AMP)

We’ve all had seasons when the challenges of life feel overwhelming. During those times, it’s easy to be tempted to talk about how bad things are. Maybe you received a bad medical report, or maybe you’re facing a financial obstacle. The more you talk about something, the bigger it becomes in your mind. Instead, you’ve got to dig your heels in and say, “No, I am not going to give life to that defeat. I am not going to speak sickness over myself. I’m not going to speak lack. I’m not going to speak fear. I’m choosing a different report. I believe the report of the Lord which says, ‘I can do all things through Christ. I can defeat this sickness. I can break this addiction. I can have peace in my home. I can see restoration in my relationships.’ ”

Remember, even if you don’t see how things could ever work out, God does. You’ve got to speak His Word over those mountains in your life and declare favor over those situations. Instead of talking to God about how big your problems are, talk to your problems about how big your God is! As you speak to your mountains, they will be moved, and you will walk forward into the victory God has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, I declare that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I speak to the mountains in my life and say, “Be moved!” I declare blessings, favor and victory over my future in Jesus’ name. Amen!

He Wants to Surprise You

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you...all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you...” (Deuteronomy 28:1–2, AMP)

A surprise is simply something good that you weren’t really expecting. It’s something that makes you feel special and lets you know that someone is thinking about you. Surprises bring us joy and lift our hearts. Your heavenly Father wants to surprise you and overtake you with His goodness. He wants to do things that make your life easier and lets you know how much He loves you.

The word “overtake” can also be translated “to catch by surprise.” Your heavenly Father longs to be good to you — He wants to catch you by surprise! He wants to help you accomplish your dreams and overcome your obstacles. He wants to amaze you with His goodness and mercy. We should wake up every morning with the attitude, “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do today!”

Make room in your heart and mind for what God wants to do in your life today. Keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. As you do, you’ll see His surprises. You’ll see His hand of blessing overtake you and bring you to new levels in every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I open my heart and mind to You right now. Fill me with Your goodness and overtake me with Your blessings. I honor You today and invite You to use me to be a blessing to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do This for Your Health!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” (Proverbs 14:30, NIV)

It’s so easy to let the pressures and distractions of life pull our thoughts away from the Father. It doesn’t take long before we are so focused on earthly things that we feel overwhelmed and all stressed out. But, we weren’t meant to live anxious about life; we were meant to live in peace.

Did you know the best thing you can do for health is to set your heart at peace with God? Peace isn’t just a feeling, it’s a powerful position. Peace literally means “to set at one again.” In other words, we can be settled in our minds and hearts when we are in alignment with the Word of God. It is a position of life, strength and confidence!

Today, choose to keep your heart at peace by staying focused on God the Father. Give life to your body by staying in agreement with Him. Let His peace guard your heart so that you can be equipped to live the abundant life He has promised to you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word which is life to my soul. I praise You because You are the Prince of Peace, and You give peace to my heart and mind. I choose to stay focused on You today. Thank You for guiding my every step in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Before You Were Born

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you...” (Jeremiah 1:5, AMP)

Did you know that God was thinking about you before you were ever born? He knew everything about you before you were in your mother’s womb. He created you on purpose, for a purpose. He carefully planned who you would be, the color of your hair, the color of your eyes and skin. He gave you gifts, talents and abilities to be used for His glory. He took one look at you and said, “Approved.”

No matter how you may be feeling right now, no matter who’s approval you didn’t get on this earth, know that Almighty God loves you and approves of you today. There’s nothing you can do now or ever to change that. You may be thinking, “I’ve made so many mistakes, how can God approve of me?” Understand that when God sees you, He separates you from your behavior. He may not approve of your actions all the time, but He desires to help you grow and make better choices.

Today, receive His love and acceptance. Allow Him to work in your life. Allow His love to empower and strengthen you because you are approved and equipped to live in victory all the days of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for approving me and empowering me by Your love. I open my heart and mind to Your truth and invite You to have Your way in my life. Remove anything that would hold me back from all You have in store in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Accept His Timing

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9, NKJV)

I’d love to tell you that if you stay in faith, if you believe, then God will always answer your prayer within 24 hours, or at least within the first week. But we know that’s not reality. God promises He will be true to His word, but He never puts a timeframe on it. In fact, He tells us that we need patience to see the promises come to pass. Sure, it would be a lot easier if God told us when we were going to get well, when we would meet the right person, or when our child would straighten up. But the truth is, that wouldn’t take any faith. It takes faith to say, “God, I don’t know when You are going to do it, but I trust You enough to believe that You will do it, that the answer is already in my future.”

Today and every day let this be your prayer: “God, give me the grace to accept Your timing.” That means you’re asking for God’s strength, His supernatural empowerment to stand strong while you are waiting. Choose to keep believing, choose to praise Him, and choose to accept His timing knowing that He is faithful and has untold blessings in store for your future!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your hand of favor, blessing and mercy on my life. You are good and faithful. Because of that I trust You. I trust Your love, and I trust Your timing in Jesus’ name. Amen.