“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word” (Psalm 119:37, NIV)

You have to be very selective about what you give your time and attention to in order to live the life of victory God has promised. You have to recognize which thoughts to ignore, which comments to ignore, and sometimes, which people to ignore. Every “battle” that comes across your path is not a battle that you’re supposed to fight. Many battles are simply distractions to try to lure you off course. If that battle is not between you and your God-given destiny, it’s a battle you should ignore.

Many people get thrown off course because they are always trying to straighten everyone else out or win their approval. If that’s your focus, you are wasting valuable time and energy that you should be using to pursue your dreams. Turn away from that distraction! You don’t need the approval of everyone around you; you only need God’s approval!

Friend, it’s very freeing when you realize you don’t have to fight every battle. You don’t have to straighten people out. You don’t have to pay somebody back. Instead, focus on what matters; focus on God and His Word so you will live in peace and happiness every day of your life!

The Bible says that fear is a spirit. It plays on our emotions and holds us back. But the good news is that we have power over fear! The Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. When we receive God’s perfect love, we will have confidence about the future because we know His plans are for our good. I’ve heard it said that fear is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Understand that fear is a lie. Today, choose to believe God’s Word and receive His love so that you can overcome fear and move forward into the good life He has prepared for you!

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NLT).

God has ordained seasons and cycles in our lives. Sometimes, when our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable, we can be tempted to get frustrated. But we have to be careful not to allow our attitude to keep us from moving forward.

Understand that in God’s kingdom, every season is not harvest. There are plowing seasons, planting seasons and watering seasons. Sure, we would love for every season to be a time of increase; but without the other seasons, we wouldn’t be prepared. It’s during the plowing seasons when God’s bringing issues to light that we need to deal with. He’s getting us prepared for promotion. If you’re not making as much progress as you would like, the key is not to lose any ground. Don’t go backwards. Hold your position by keeping an attitude of faith and expectancy, even when it’s hard. Keep plowing by speaking the Word daily. As you do, you’ll pass the test, and God promises your due season is coming!

Know this Today: not only will God rescue you; He will set your feet on a rock and lead you to your final destination in life. Remember, the promise He placed on the inside of you didn’t go away because you had some personal failures. No, that failure is only temporary but His Word remains forever! Keep hoping, keep believing because He will move you into the blessing and victory He has prepared for you!

“You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, AMP)

One thing I’ve learned is that just because God puts a dream in our hearts doesn’t mean it’s going to come to pass without any opposition. See, God is going to grow us up. He’s going to mature us. He’s going to prepare us to handle the promotion He has in store.

I think about Joseph in the Bible. Starting out, he didn’t have a whole lot of wisdom. He was young and immature, and God had to do a work in his life. Joseph probably shouldn’t have told his brothers about his dream that they would one day serve him! As you can imagine, his brothers were not nearly as excited about that as he was. Long story short, Joseph had to go through some things to grow up and be ready for the promotion God had in store.

Friend, it’s the same way with us today. You may have a dream in your heart that seems a million miles away, but just like Joseph, God can take you from the prison to the palace in one step. During the growing process, keep yourself focused on Him and allow Him to do His work in your life. Keep a humble attitude of faith before Him, and He will lead you and guide you into the destiny He has prepared for you!

COGWC Valentine's Day 2012

One definition of the word “peace” is “to set at one again.” When you are a peacemaker, you are bringing unity into your relationships. And this is so important because we have an enemy who is after this generation. He wants to target our families and relationships and bring division. Notice that when you look at the word “division”, you see “di” which means two and “vision.” Two visions. When two people disagree, it’s because they have two different visions over something. And I know that you aren’t going to agree with everyone all the time, but if you stay focused on your differences, eventually there is going to be division. However, if you change your focus and look for the common ground of peace, you can bring harmony into your relationships again.

Remember, the Bible tells us that blessed are the peacemakers. When we dwell together in unity, we honor God and open the door for His hand of blessing in every area of our lives!

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, 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, and instead, meditate on God’s promises. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and word of our testimony! Let His truth sink down into your heart. Declare it out of your mouth. Let Him set you free and lead you into victory as you close the door on fear!

“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight…” (Isaiah 45:2, NKJ)

Are you going through a season where you feel like every time you try to move forward, you hit a roadblock? Something happens that throws you off course. Be encouraged today because when you submit your life to the Lord, He promises to go before you. He is preparing a way for you. He is making your crooked places straight and your rough places smooth. You may be going through a difficult time right now, but it’s not the end. It’s only the beginning, and God has equipped you for this journey.

Today, if you feel like you’re in a dry season, don’t look at your circumstances. Look at the promise of God! If you’ll keep speaking words of faith, God promises that He’ll anoint your head with oil and your cup will run over. That means you’ll be refreshed and anointed to do what He’s called you to do. God is preparing your path and equipping you for the journey.

What do you need in order to keep moving forward? Start by checking your attitude. Don’t go around complaining or focused on the negative side of things. Put on an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Thank Him for making your crooked places straight! Keep your eyes on Him and follow Him forward into the path of victory!

” Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).

Scripture tells us that every person has been given a measure of faith. That faith can grow and increase; or it can be diminished. Notice today’s scripture doesn’t say, “Faith comes by having heard the Word of God one time.” It’s by hearing—present tense. Sure, God’s Word can transform us in an instant, but most of the time, we need to hear God’s truth over and over again in order for it to become active in our lives. The more we hear the Word, the more His truth chisels away at the doubt and unbelief that’s been built up over the years. His truth sets us free and causes our faith to grow!

Just as a seed needs water daily to grow, your spirit needs the Word of God daily. Your faith needs to be watered by His Word. It can be as simple as selecting a few scriptures to meditate on daily. Write them down and carry them in your purse or wallet. Read them out loud over and over. Let His truth sink down into your heart and move you forward into the freedom and victory He has prepared for you!