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SHINE!

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  So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Genesis 39:6 Shine Joseph’s brothers so despised him that they sold him to Midianite merchants who took him to Egypt and sold him as a slave to a man named Potiphar. Joseph’s whole world was turned upside down. He went from being his father’s favorite son with dreams of leadership to being a slave in a foreign country. He didn’t speak the language, and his freedom was gone. You would think he would be bitter, but you never read that Joseph complained. He kept being his best even though everything was going wrong. So much so that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of all his household. Joseph wasn’t just goingthrough it, he was growing through it. His attitude was: “God, this is where You have me, so I’m going to shine. It’s unfair, but I know You’re here with me.” When you do the right thing when the wrong thing is h...
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Don’t Park Here!

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  Don’t Park Here! Scripture: Philippians 3:13–14 “.. . But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ” (Philippians 3:13-14) I entered a parking lot and spotted a sign in front of a couple of parking spaces that said, “DON’T PARK HERE! I got the message. I moved on. This is what God wants us to do in our everyday life. We are to learn from the past, move on, and strain to meet the goals and objectives he has for us. Many people make the mistake of parking in front of their failures and/or disappointments. To do so is crippling. Instead of parking in front of our failures, we must accept the fact that our circumstances and relationships are always in a state of flux, and we must respond to the changes and challenges that come our way. To overcome challenges, we need the power of the cross to operate in our life. The best antidote for depression and...
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Why the Closed Door?

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  My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from your textbook. Psalm 119:71 Why the Closed Door? One of the hardest things for us is to let things go. We fight closed doors, get discouraged over who walked away, bitter over the dream that didn’t work out. You have to realize that God stopped it, not to make your life miserable, but to take you into something bigger, better, more fulfilling. The trouble, the disappointment, the loss, or the rejection may not make sense right now, but later on you’ll see what God was up to. If He hadn’t closed that door, you wouldn’t have stepped into the new level. If He hadn’t caused that person to move on, you wouldn’t have met that divine connection. If that opportunity didn’t dry up, you wouldn’t have discovered the potential in you. Trust Him when you don’t understand. It’s not random. It’s a necessary ending. God is your doorkeeper. He opens and closes doors to push us in our purpose and to learn lessons we wouldn’t lear...
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God Working in Your Life?

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  God Working in Your Life? Scripture: Philippians 2:12–13 “… —continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ” (Philippians 2:12-13) Have you ever tried to push a car by yourself when the engine was not working? For most of us it is not possible to do so in our own strength. The key to living the Christian life is trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to live through us, and not trusting in ourselves to do so. The flesh in itself does not have the power to live the Christian life. The Holy Spirit is like the engine in a car. The car will not move without the engine working. The Holy Spirit is like the battery in a flashlight. Unless the battery is working, there is no light. For the car to move and serve its purpose, the engine must be turned on. For the flashlight to shine a light beam, the battery must be engaged. For us to live the Christian life, we must be filled with the ...
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RISE TO THE LEVEL OF FAITH!

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  RISE TO THE LEVEL OF FAITH I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. —2 Timothy 4:7 The “good fight” Paul speaks of is the war of faith. Every day, we can either respond to life’s challenges in faith, or in fear and doubt. The choice is ours. We must warfare to rise to the level of faith by reminding ourselves of God’s goodness and the integrity of His Word. We must not yield to the powerful forces of darkness, disregarding the promises of the Scriptures. If we do, we will find ourselves in a state of doubt and confusion, leading to depression and destruction. So our challenge is to approach every day waging the good fight of faith. You see, every time I’m faced with a problem, I can either panic, complain, and speak words of bitterness, or I can say, “Thank You, Father God, for using everything in my life to bring me to the next level in You. Thank You for this difficulty.” James and Peter taught us that we should rejoice when we encounter ...
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The WOW Factor of God’s Word!

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  The WOW Factor of God’s Word Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10 “ For thus says the Lord: … I will visit you and perform My good word toward you…. ” (Jeremiah 29:10) If we could only grasp these truths, truly trusting in the promises that God performs for those who cultivate a close relationship with him, we surely would have a greater impact on our world! God’s Word is living and powerful. It works in those who receive it and trust in it. Jesus promised he would not leave us as orphans. He also promised that He and the Father would make their home with us if we love him by obeying his commandments. These verses and others indicate that he will visit us, and perform his good word toward us as we cultivate our relationship with him. These are great passages for our Spiritual M & Ms (Memorize & Meditate). We can  soak  our heart in them,  sow them to the Spirit in our prayer life, and  flow with the Spiri t as he imparts his life to our mortal body. I wonder what...
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The Mighty God!

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  Then he built an altar there and named it El-Elohe-Israel (Mighty Is the God of Israel). Genesis 33:20 The Mighty God After Jacob spent twenty years estranged from his brother, Esau, he decided to return home with his family. Jacob had deceived his father into giving him the family blessing that belonged to Esau, and Esau had threatened to kill him. Jacob didn’t know how Esau would react to his return, but when he saw Esau coming with four hundred men, I’m sure Jacob thought he was a dead man. But Esau hugged and kissed him. Both men had tears running down their cheeks, and Esau welcomed Jacob’s wives and children. This was something greater than Jacob ever imagined, and his response was to build an altar and name it El-Elohe-Israel, “the mighty God of Israel.” You have had times when you knew that what happened was the mighty God at work. It might have been freeing you from an addiction or a broken relationship. Build your altars of thankfulness for what He’s done, and be encour...
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