Today expect God's favor.

"For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield." Ps 5:12 NKJV

The Bible says that God will surround the righteous with favor. If you are trusting in the finished work of Christ, God sees you as "righteous" (See Ro 3:22).

So, you qualify; you can pray, "Lord, I need your favor in this job interview," or "in selling this house," or "in making this deal," or "in going on this date," etc. Be prepared for your old programming to kick in, where you think about the word "righteous"; you begin to wonder if your thoughts, words, and deeds are good enough to deserve God's favor. Here is a truth you need to keep in mind: The only righteousness that God responds to is the righteousness of Christ. And since He has placed you "in Christ," you are always qualified to ask God for favor and believe He will grant it. You are saved by grace. And the word grace means

• "unearned,
• unmerited,
• undeserved favor."

The world's concept of favor is misleading: "She owes me a favor," or "I don't owe you any favors!" In other words, the world's concept of favor is totally performance based.

But the only performance God looks at when it comes to granting you His favor is Christ's performance on your behalf and the fact that you are trusting totally in Him. His life covers all your sins of omission, and His death covers all your sins of commission. And since God always sees you "in Christ," in His eyes you are always qualified for favor.

"Righteousness...shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus" (Ro 4:22,24 NKJV).

So, today expect God's favor. Today expect God's favor Unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor

Share This Devotional

Send us a text

Support the show

Changing Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Growth is about enlargement.

"You enlarged my path." Ps 18:36 NKJV

Read these enlargement Scriptures: "You enlarged my path." "Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would...enlarge my territory'" (1Ch 4:10 NKJV). "Enlarge the place of your tent...lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes" (Isa 54:2 NKJV).

God wants to enlarge you

• spiritually,
• emotionally,
• relationally,
• and in every area of your life.

But to experience enlargement, you must learn from people larger than you.

Dr. John Maxwell writes: "The first ten years that I was intentionally pursuing personal growth, I was always behind trying to catch up. I had to get over the comparison gap. I recognized I needed to be exposed to bigger and better leaders outside of my own small circle, but when I stepped out of my comfort zone, I was intimidated. It was clear that I was not in their league. Their organizations were six times the size of mine, and they had many more and much better ideas than I did. I felt like I was in over my head and trying to swim. Despite that, I was encouraged. Why? Because I discovered that great men were willing to share their ideas. And I was learning so much. You can only learn if others are ahead of you. It was a difficult transition, but it was well worth it. So if you are aware that others are better than you, don't be discouraged. Be glad others are there to help show you the way. Growth is not a rocking chair you sit in, it's a mountain you climb each day. But there is good news. As Jim Rohn said, 'You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight!'"

Growth is about enlargement Be glad others are there to help show you the way.

Share This Devotional

Send us a text

Support the show

Changing Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Governed by Christ's love for us.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us." 2Co 5:14

The most powerful incentive to overcoming sin is not our love for Christ, but His love for us. Even with the best of intentions, our love for Him is subject to fluctuations. Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, "You have left your first love" (Rev 2:4 NKJV). He said to the church in Laodicea that their love had become

"lukewarm" (Rev 3:16). Many of us grew up in churches where we were told that the reason we yield to certain carnal traits is because we don't love the Lord enough. So, we try harder, without success, and get discouraged. That's like putting the cart before the horse. It should be the other way around. The secret of victorious Christian living is not found in trying to love Jesus more, but in having a revelation of His love for you. That's why Paul wrote, "The love of Christ constraineth us." Paul's actions were governed by the knowledge of Christ's incredible love for him. If you're struggling with sinful habits today, pray for a revelation of God's love for you. It makes all the difference! Paul writes: "I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts...as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to... understand... how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never...fully... understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself" (Eph 3:17-19 TLB).

Governed by Christ's love for us A revelation of His love for you

Share This Devotional

Send us a text

Support the show

Changing Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!