Promises for Your Everyday Life

[Aeliana]

God Isn't Glorified Through Our Suffering

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

Many Christians live under the false idea that God wants them to suffer. This creates a nonstop victim mentality.

Suffering is inevitable, but God is not glorified through our suffering. He is glorified when we have a good attitude during our suffering - and He wants us to be victorious!

So why would we choose to remain bitter, angry and wounded or depressed?

There's one surefire way to overcome suffering with the right attitude: Set your mind, and keep it set, on things above, not on things of the earth. You must be armed with right thinking, or you will give up during hard times.

Set your mind and be fully aware that moving from being a victim to being a victor will not be a quick process. It will take time, but your experience will make you stronger and enable you to help others who are facing similar battles.

Get excited about your future and realize that going through something with God means that you will come out on the other side with a victory that cannot be taken away from you.

Prayer Starter: God, I need Your help to overcome a victim mentality. I choose to set my mind on things above so that I can have the right attitude. With Your thoughts and truth inside me, I know I can overcome.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Understand Grace, Walk in Faith

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—Ephesians 2:8

Most of us are aware that it is by grace that we are saved, but I wonder how many people truly understand the power of God's grace.

Everything we receive from God must come by grace through faith. But all knowledge of faith must be built on a clear understanding of grace, because even faith comes to us by grace, as a gift.

When you understand grace, you can walk in faith and receive God's blessings.

God's grace isn't complicated or confusing. It is simple, and that's why many people miss it. There is nothing more powerful than grace. Everything in the Bible, salvation, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with God and all victory in our daily lives, is based on it. Without grace, we are nothing, we have nothing, we can do nothing.

Today, don't just hear about grace, but understand that everything in our lives depends not on our merits or abilities or works, but on God's willingness to use His infinite power to meet our needs. This is grace.

Focus on that truth today, and watch your faith grow.

Prayer Starter: God, I don't just want to hear about Your grace without grasping its real power. Help me to understand how wonderful Your grace is so that my faith in You can grow.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Getting What You Don't Deserve

For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Psalms 40:12

The vast majority of people allow God to help them only when they think they deserve it. At one time in my life I was that way. For years I allowed God to help me only when I thought I had earned it, when I thought I had done enough good deeds to deserve His help.

That kind of thinking doesn't produce an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving. If we think we deserve what we receive, then it is no longer a gift but a reward or "payment for services rendered." The difference between receiving what we do not deserve and receiving what we do deserve is the difference between grace and works.

I encourage you to open your heart and allow God's grace to come into your life to help you in your everyday walk. Always remember that when you feel frustrated, it is because you are living by your own effort and need to get back into God's grace by allowing Him to work through you.

Learn to let God do you a favor. Give up trying to deserve God's help, and let Him supply your every need.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I realize the foolishness of only accepting Your help when I feel like I deserve it. I give up on my own works and receive Your grace. Thank You for helping me in every situation, even when I don't deserve it.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Learn to Wait

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

People often ask me, 'How can I know for sure whether I'm hearing from God or just making things up?'

I believe the answer is to learn to wait. With big decisions, we often feel the need to hurry. We must do something and do it right now! But godly wisdom tells us to wait until we have a clear picture of what we are to do and when we are to do it.

We all need to develop the capacity to take a step back and view every situation from God's perspective. Only then can we make decisions the way He wants us to.

Strength is found in waiting. When you wait upon the Lord, you can sense in your spirit what the Lord actually wants you to do, not what you think He wants you to do.

When you are faced with any difficult decision, it is wise to wait until you have a clear answer before taking a step you may regret. It might feel uncomfortable and you may want to hurry, but don't allow that pressure to take precedence over the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don't want to get so caught up in the heat of the moment that I make a decision I regret. Remind me to daily wait on You. It might be difficult, but receiving Your wisdom and knowledge is worth it.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Our Spiritual Heritage

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

Jesus came to earth to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for us because we do not have the ability to be perfect in the natural realm. Because of His sacrifice, we can become more like Jesus every day. And we receive our spiritual heritage when we walk like Jesus walked.

Now, living righteously like Jesus doesn't happen overnight, and we will all stumble. After all, if we were perfect, we wouldn't need a Savior! Still, we must desire in our hearts to fulfill and enjoy our spiritual heritage. We also must learn to trust God, knowing that He will develop us into the likeness of His own Son, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:11-12 says, "In Him we 'obtained an inheritance.'" So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!"

You have an inheritance that God wants you to walk in with a sense of peace and security that comes from knowing who you are and Whose you are.

Will you trust God and let Him change you daily, making you more and more like His Son?

Prayer Starter: God, thank You for my spiritual heritage in Jesus. I trust You, knowing that You can mold me into the image of Your Son, one day at a time.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

The Tremendous Power in the Name of Jesus

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

Many people, including Christians, don't have a clue about the tremendous power in the name of Jesus.

Have you ever thought about the importance of a name? A person's name represents and personifies his character, setting him apart from everyone else. When we call someone by name, we are declaring something about that person.

In the same way, when we say the name of Jesus, we are not just speaking a name. We are declaring a name that embodies power, not human power, but all the power and authority of God (see Colossians 2:9-10 AMP).

When we speak that name, we are describing the Person. Jesus means "Savior," and we are calling Him according to what He does for us, He saves us from sin, from our failures and from circumstances that are not in His will (see Matthew 1:21).

Many people want to experience spiritual power but they don't understand that in order to release it, they must speak the name of Jesus in faith. That wonderful name has been given to those who believe. As a child of God, speak His name in faith today.

Prayer Starter: Father God, over every circumstance in my life, I declare the name of Jesus in faith. Thank You for the saving power of Your Son.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Where You Are Weak, He Is Strong

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Weak or strong? If you had to pick one of those words to describe yourself, which one would it be? I think most of us would probably say 'weak.' But did you know that we don't have to remain defeated by our weaknesses?

The only way to overcome your weakness is to rely on God's strength. To do that, you have to stop focusing on your weaknesses. You cannot look at everything you are not. You must look at everything God is. Focus on His strength and all He is willing to do for you.

The weaknesses of the world are not your inheritance. Jesus did not come to earth, die on the cross, and rise again on the third day for you to be weak and defeated. He went through all that to give you an inheritance, authority in this life and His strength to rule over your circumstances.

In any area where you stumble, God is ready and willing to provide you with His strength. So the next time you find yourself confronted by your weakness, remember and declare that where you are weak, He is strong!

Prayer Starter: God, I declare and confess that where I am weak, You are strong. So I will not worry about, or remain defeated by, my weakness. Instead, I put my faith in Your strength.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

God's Perfect Plan for You

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

"God has perfect a plan for your life!" We've all heard that phrase, but I don't think many of us really believe it. Maybe it's the word "perfect" that troubles us. For most of us, perfection isn't even remotely involved.

Perfection seems impossible. And guess what? It is!

God's plan isn't perfect because we're perfect. The plan is perfect because God is the One who designed it. The perfection comes from Him and Him alone. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He has designed and set into action a plan specifically engineered for our lives.

Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 that God saved us and started a good work in us, and His work in us will come to full completion.
As we think about God at work in us, we must remind ourselves that as imperfect as we are, God is perfection. Nothing we can ever do will be good enough to satisfy God's perfection. Only Jesus, the Perfect One, is good enough. And because we are in Christ, God's perfect plan is possible for us!

Prayer Starter: Dear Lord, I know that I am not perfect, but thankfully Your plan for me depends on Your perfection, not mine. Thank You so much for developing a good work within me. I trust You to complete it.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Practicing Thankfulness

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
Psalms 34:1

We all know that we should be grateful for our many blessings. God tells us in His Word to be thankful, and we know from our own experience that once we seriously start praising God, our burdens and troubles seem to weigh less heavily on our shoulders.

David said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:1,19 AMP).

That's the power of thankfulness. Not only does it help set us free, but as we pause to give thanks to God for the blessings we enjoy in our lives, we actually begin to find more blessings, even more to be thankful for!

I encourage you to take time to practice being thankful. There is so much for us to be grateful for, and we need to focus on it, every single day. Keep in mind the admonition of the psalmist, "Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!" (Psalm 100:4).

Prayer Starter: Dear God, the power of thankfulness is truly incredible. Thank You for blessing me daily and working in my life. I know that without You, I have nothing, so I thank You for the goodness that You have shown me.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Notice the Little Things

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

One day as I was going into an office building, a man standing nearby opened the door for me. I thanked him and smiled. "You're the fifth person I've held the door for," he said, "and you're the first one to smile and the second to thank me."

I thanked him a second time, with a smile on my face. Afterward, I thought how much we take others for granted, even in simple things, such as opening a door for a stranger.

We often commend people when they do big things for us, but how often do we appreciate the little things?

When a person does something nice for you and you thank them, it builds them up and encourages them. It means a lot to them, just like it did to the man at the office building.

Did your bus arrive on time today? If so, did you thank the driver? The last time you ate at a restaurant, did you thank the waiter for filling your coffee cup a second time without being asked? This is the point I want to make: Develop an attitude of gratitude toward the people in your life.

Prayer Starter: Lord, keep me aware so that I will notice the little, helpful things that people do for me. I don't want to be ungrateful. Instead, I want to thank them and build them up.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Appreciate Honesty from Other People

As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17

Everyone loves compliments, but very few know how to handle constructive criticism. No one likes to be wrong, which makes it hard when people are uncomfortably honest with us.

But we need to be thankful for honesty in other people. I once heard someone say, "Only two people will tell you the truth about yourself: someone who is angry with you and someone who loves you very much." God uses both types in our lives, but He especially uses the honesty of friends and loved ones.

When someone can, in love, honestly show you how you can improve, the results will be so much more valuable than empty, ego-stroking compliments. It's this kind of relationship that the Bible describes as 'iron sharpening iron.'

I urge you to be thankful for people who tell you the truth about yourself, even if it's not what you want to hear.

When you hear the truth, especially something you weren't aware of, you can change. Ultimately, their honesty will make you a better person.

Prayer Starter: Lord, thank You for placing truly honest people in my life. Their honesty may make me uncomfortable at times, but I know that when I listen to them, You can help me become a better person.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

God Can Raise the Lazaruses in Your Life

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Remember when Jesus visited Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus had been dead for four days? When He finally arrived, Martha said, "Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21 AMP).

Martha was clearly in a state of despair. Then, "Jesus said to her, 'Your brother shall rise again.' Martha replied, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day'" (vv. 23-24). I don't think she really understood what Jesus was saying. She was looking toward a future possibility, not a present reality. She didn't really expect things to change.

A lot of us are like Martha, stuck in our troubles, not realizing that God can turn things around. But Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and He can raise the 'Lazaruses' in your life.

Don't lose hope. You might be hurting now, but out of every disaster, God can bring a new beginning. Believe in God, and watch Him show His glory in your life.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I know that You will work every situation for Your glory. Instead of getting caught up in my problems, I believe that You can raise the 'Lazaruses' in my life.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Why We Ask 'Why?'

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 29:4

Do you ever find yourself in a tragic situation and asked God, 'Why? Why is this happening to me?'

For one moment, let's imagine that God actually answered that question. Would His explanation change anything? The effects of the tragedy would still be with you, and the pain would be just as severe as it was before. What would you have learned?

When we ask God that question, I think the real questions we're asking are: 'God, do You love me? Will You take care of me in my sorrow and pain? You won't leave me alone, will You?' Is it possible that, because we're afraid God doesn't truly care about us, we ask for explanations?

Instead, we must learn to say: 'Lord, I believe. I don't understand, and I'll probably never grasp all the reasons bad things happen, but I know for certain that You love me and are with me, always.'

I believe it often takes more faith to go through something victoriously than to be delivered from it. Put your faith in God and you'll come out stronger on the other side.

Prayer Starter: God, I believe in You, even when circumstances try to fill my mind with doubt. Help me to remember Your love for me and to put my faith in You, no matter what happens.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Learn to Take Life As It Comes

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Like most people, I resist things I don't like that I can't really do anything about. One day the Lord said to me, 'Joyce, learn to take life as it comes.'

I believe this is a lesson for all of us. What He was saying to me was that I needed to stop fighting the things I could do nothing about.

If we are traveling somewhere and suddenly find ourselves in heavy traffic due to an accident or bad weather, it doesn't do any good to resist it. Only time or God's supernatural intervention will change the situation. Why not relax and try to find some way to enjoy the time?

God has equipped us to handle life as it comes, which is why He tells us to only focus on today. He knows that if we spend time worrying about issues beyond our control, we will become tired and frustrated.

You don't need to waste time trying to change and control things outside your power. Set your mind to what God has placed in front of you and let Him take care of the rest.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I realize that I can't control everything, but I can trust You. Right now, I make a decision do my best with what You've given me and leave the rest to You.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Worry Is Selfishness in Disguise

But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Romans 14:23

Too often, people give in to worry without realizing how deadly it is. When you get to the root of it, worry is a sin. Worry certainly doesn't come out of faith, and Romans 14:23 (AMP) states that "whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin."

Most of the time, worry is based on one sin in particular: selfishness. Usually when we worry, we're concerned about how our selfish desires are not being fulfilled. The more selfish desires you have, the more you have to worry about, and the more complicated your life becomes.

God wants us to simply focus on serving Him.

It is God's will that we live our lives free from all anxiety and distressing care. He wants us to be free to serve Him without being 'drawn in diverging directions' (1 Corinthians 7:34 AMP). We must not allow the worries of this world to divert us from His purpose for our lives.

Seek to rid yourself of selfish desires. This will keep your life simple and give you less to worry about. Then you can wholeheartedly pursue God's great plan for your life.

Prayer Starter: Father God, thank You for showing me that worry is a sin. Help me to get rid of my selfish, ungodly desires so that I can simply pursue Your destiny for me.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Abide in His Love

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16

First John 4:16 emphasizes that we need to be conscious of the love God has for us. It's easy for us to say 'God loves me' without really understanding what we're saying. The knowledge of His love should not be some biblical fact to which we mentally assent but a living reality in our lives.

"God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him."
The word dwell in this verse means 'to abide, to live in.' It does not refer to visiting; it refers to staying or remaining.

God's love isn't just a fact to memorize or a fleeting feeling. His love is here to stay. God's love doesn't just stay in the good times and leave when things are bad. God's love always remains, so we should remain in His love.

Each of us can reap a greater harvest of Christian maturity when we press into God's love. You will grow in difficult times when you abide in the amazing love God has for you.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I purpose today to abide in the love You have for me. So many things change, but Your love never leaves, so I choose to stay rooted in Your amazing love.

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

How to Fight the Good Fight

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12

We are to "fight the good fight of faith" against the enemy - but what does that look like practically? Here are six key strategies:

1. Think aggressively. Plan and calculate, like a general preparing for battle, how to engage and defeat the enemy.

2. Pray fervently. Hebrews 4:16 instructs us to approach God's throne confidently. Step forward with confidence and tell Him what you need.

3. Speak fearlessly. First Peter 4:11 (AMP) says, "Whoever speaks, [let him do it as one who utters] oracles of God." You and I are to have a spiritually commanding voice against the forces of evil.

4. Give abundantly. The way we give is the way we receive (see Luke 6:38). Live a life of generosity.

5. Work intently. Whatever we put our hand to, we need to do it aggressively (see Eccl. 9:10). Stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit and get the job done.

6. Love unconditionally. As children of God, we must love others as God loves us, unconditionally and sacrificially.

Take these steps, and when the enemy comes, you'll be filled with God's power and unbeatable.

Prayer Starter: Lord, I don't want to sit back and miss the fight You've called me to. As I move forward, show me how to apply these six strategies in my fight against the enemy.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Talking Net'

Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.
Proverbs 10:19

We all need to learn how to establish and maintain boundaries with our words. Proverbs 10:19 states, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (NIV). In other words, people who talk a lot will often find themselves in trouble.

Because our words carry so much power, you and I need to learn to say only what needs to be said. I like to call it "talking net." When we get paid, most of us get a net paycheck, everything that needs to be taken out has already been removed from the gross.

You can apply this same principle to your speech.

You need to remove certain types of words from your speech before they ever come out of your mouth. These include negative statements, gossip, insincere flattery, sarcasm and coarse jesting, or being funny in a rude way.

Instead, you can choose to speak well of others, finding and focusing on good qualities in them. They will be appreciative and encouraged, and you won't find yourself in trouble!

Prayer Starter: Lord, I want to "talk net" and stay out of trouble. Strengthen and encourage me as I live by Your boundaries with my words.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

You Can't Impose on God

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4

Today, I want to remind you of something I consider to be important to your well-being: You are no surprise to God. He knew what He was getting when He chose you, just as He knew what He was getting when He chose me.

The Bible says God actually picked us out for Himself as His own! You didn't just randomly show up one day. And God hasn't decided to merely tolerate you.

You can't bother God because He picked you...you can't impose on Him! He's not rolling His eyes when you have a problem. Instead, He'll always remind you how far you have come, how well you are doing, how precious you are in His sight, and how much He loves you.

God already knew your weaknesses, every flaw you would have, every time you would fail, and He still said "I want you." Ephesians 1:5 declares He foreordained you to be adopted as His own. God is your daddy! With Him on your side, things are bound to work out all right in the end.

Prayer Starter: God, Your love amazes me. As my Father, You chose me before the world was ever created. No matter how flawed I may be, I know that You still want me. Thank You for Your goodness!

Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional

 

[Aeliana]

Praying in His Name

At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. 24You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16:23-24

When our youngest son was still in school, we had people who stayed with him when Dave and I traveled. In order for those who were caring for him in our absence to get medical treatment for him if it was needed, we had to sign a legal document stating that they had the right to use our name on our son's behalf, literally, to make decisions in our place.

That is what Jesus did for His disciples and, ultimately, for all who would believe in Him. He said that God would answer when we pray using His name. This is the authority you and I have been granted in His name.

His name takes His place, His name represents Him. When we pray in His name, it is the same as if He were praying. This privilege seems almost too wonderful to believe! But we can believe it because we have Scripture to back it up. So use the authority of Jesus' name and put that power to work to overcome evil and bring the blessings of God to this world.

Prayer Starter: God, I pray to You boldly in the name of Jesus, knowing that You are listening and ready to answer. Thank You for the wonderful privilege of praying in Your Son's name.


Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life - a Daily Devotional