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And I am certain that god, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 God has His own timetable. While He’s changing you, you need to feel good about who you are, knowing that God will get you to where you’re supposed to be. Most people say, “I would feel good about myself if I were more patient, less jealous, and hadn’t blown that relationship.” There will always be some reason why you won’t feel good about who you are. The accuser will make sure to remind you of something you’re not doing right, some way that you failed. If you’re going to live in victory, you have to put your foot down and say, “That’s it. I’m done being against myself. I’m done focusing on my weaknesses. I know I’m a child of the Most High God. I am redeemed, restored, and forgiven. God is taking me from glory to glory, so I’m going to look away from all that distracts. I’m going to enjoy the glory I’m in righ...

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Get Plugged In The writer of Psalm 73 was struggling to understand why God was allowing the people who were coming against him to prosper. He was discouraged. Yet he tells how in the sanctuary, he got a new perspective. He heard people thanking God and telling of His goodness. When he got around people of faith, people who knew that God was in control, that spirit of defeat and depression couldn’t stay. A few verses later, he was making bold declarations of faith. There are some breakthroughs that are only going to happen when you are in the house of the Lord. Your faith alone may not be enough. That’s why God has ordained you to be in a community of faith. Together, we’re better. Together, we’re stronger. There’s power when your faith is connected to other believers’ faith.

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16 When Jacob was a young man, he was a deceiver. You would think that God wouldn’t have anything to do with him. But God keeps working with us and showing us His mercy. One night while Jacob was on a long journey through the desert and in a hard place, I’m sure he thought that God had forgotten about him. While he was sleeping, he had a dream in which he saw the Lord standing at the top of a huge staircase and saying, “Jacob, I will protect you wherever you go. I will be with you continually until I give you everything that I have promised.” God was showing us that He’s the God of desert places, of lonely times, of difficult seasons. He’s right there with you when you feel alone, forgotten, and discouraged. Suddenly, the heavens will open up, and God will make things happen that you couldn’t make happen. He’s not going to stop until He’s given you everything...

So he said he would destroy them – had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them. Psalm 106:23 Today’s Scripture describes a time after God had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, then miraculously parted the Red Sea and gave them food and water in the desert. Despite all He had done for them, they started worshipping a golden calf along with partying and being immoral. God was so angry that He would have destroyed them had not Moses fasted and prayed, asking God to have mercy on the Israelites. Because one man stood in the breach for them, God changed His mind and spared their lives You can also do as Moses did and stand in the gap for family, friends, and co-workers who are off course and making poor choices. They know better, but they’re doing wrong anyway. It’s easy to stand in judgment against them and write them off. But you can be the one who makes a difference. Live your life as a gap stander. Be a peopl...

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27 Today’s Scripture says that when you know you can be a blessing, when you have the resources to help a person in need, or when you can teach them the skills you’ve learned, don’t put it off. You may think, “I can’t help them. I have to focus on fixing my own problems.” But when you make sacrifices to help other people’s dreams come to pass, God will always help make your dream come to pass. As you bless others and show them favor, God is going to bless and favor you. Don’t live focused only on yourself—your problems, your sickness, your trouble at work. Go and be a blessing to someone in need. Sow a seed with your finances or a word of encouragement. When you help solve their problems, you’re setting a miracle in motion for yourself, and God is going to solve your problems.

His wife said, “Still holding on to your precious integrity, are you? Curse God and be done with it.” Job 2:9 When Job and his wife went through a series of very painful losses, and then Job suffered a crushing illness, instead of encouraging Job, she said, “Job, you’ve always done the right thing, and see what you get. Just curse God and give up.” Fortunately, even though he didn’t understand why it had happened, Job knew better than to make judgments based on one season of his life. He declared that God’s favor had been on his life, and that this storm was not permanent. By faith, Job weathered the great storm and eventually came out of it with double and lived a long, blessed life. Every person has unfair, painful seasons. But you have to remind yourself that it’s just a season. It’s not the rest of your life. Don’t make a judgment based on a betrayal or a setback that’s temporary. Don’t give up on your dreams, lose your passion, or live bitter. The storm may be difficult,...