cannyben

Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin vineyard… Songs of Solomon 2:15 God wants us to be people of integrity. A person of honor is open and honest and true to her word. He says what he means and means what he says. She doesn’t have any hidden agendas or ulterior motives. He doesn’t need a legal contract to force him to fulfill his word. People of integrity are the same in private as they are in public. They do what’s right whether anybody is watching or not. If you don’t have integrity, you will never reach your best. Integrity is the foundation on which truly successful relationships are built. Every time you compromise, every time you are less than honest, you are causing a slight crack in the foundation. If you continue compromising, that foundation will never be able to hold what God wants to build. On the other hand, God’s blessings will overtake you if you settle for nothing less than living with integrity. There’s no limit to what God will do in you...

John 12:43 …for they loved human praise more than praise from God. Jesus talks about those who love the praise of people more than the praise of God. One of the tests we all have to pass is when someone whom we respect or like wants us to go one direction, yet we know in our hearts we should take another path. We want their approval, but if we are to fulfill our destiny, we have to stay true to what He’s put in our heart. If you please God, His favor, His anointing, and His blessing will cause you to excel. If you quit worrying about what others think, you’ll see new opportunities and relationships. God’s favor will increase you. People will tell you how to run your life. If you try to please everyone, you’ll be confused, frustrated, and miserable. Don’t let people control you and go around feeling guilty because you don’t fit into their boxes. They may not understand why you don’t take their advice, but look straight ahead, and as says, “Run with purpose in every step.”

…That your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10 For many people, mediocrity is the norm; they do as little as they possibly can to just get by. But God has called us to be His representatives, to be people of excellence and integrity. How you live, how you conduct your business and do your work, is all a reflection on our God. Any hint of compromise or mediocrity will taint our greatest victories or our grandest achievements as well as keep us from God’s best. When you have an excellent spirit, it shows up in the quality of everything you do and the attitude with which you do it. The Scripture says that whatever you do, you should give your best effort and do it as if you are doing it for God. You go the extra mile to do what’s right, and anything less will cause you to be unhappy. You keep your word even when it’s difficult. You give your empl...

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10 Jesus said that people will know true believers by our love for others, not by how many Scriptures we quote or the Christian bumper stickers on our car. This world does not need to hear another sermon nearly as much as it needs to see us being good to people—helping others, meeting needs, and blessing them with our words and actions. We were created to make a difference in the lives of others through our love for them. True love is seen in our actions—giving our time, our money, an encouraging word. When you show love, you are showing God to the world. You’re never more like God than when you take time to do something for someone else. People are watching you, and one of the best witnesses you can have is simply by being good to people. The Scripture says to be on the lookout for those you can bless. Don’t miss the miracle of the moment to do good w...

Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 1 Samuel 16:19 After David was anointed to be the next king of Israel, he didn’t go to the palace. He went back to caring for his father’s sheep. He was anointed before he was appointed. Doing what seemed like a menial job, he kept being his best and proved to God his faithfulness. When King Saul needed someone to play soothing music for his bouts of depression, someone recommended David as an excellent musician. For David, who had been discounted, overlooked, and forgotten, promotion came calling his name. He was suddenly working in the palace for the king. He didn’t make it happen; the king sent for him. As with David, you have the anointing, the promise, the calling, but you won’t go straight to the throne. How you respond when you’re anointed but not appointed will determine whether you make it to the palace. You have to be your best right where you are. When you pass the test of b...

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth… Psalm 149:6 David showed us that sometimes all you need to defeat the enemy is a small stone. The same is true of praise; sometimes all you need is your praise. Praise is a weapon. All through Scripture, you see how praise breaks chains, praise confuses the enemy, and praise makes you powerful. When you have praise coming out of your mouth, you are unstoppable. The enemy cannot keep a praiser down. Just think of Paul and Silas in Acts 16. As they sang praises at midnight, prison doors flung open and shackles fell off. Your praise may not seem like much, but when you praise, angels go to work. When you praise, the Creator of the universe begins to change things in your favor. Most of the battles we fight are not physical; they’re spiritual. Praise is a powerful weapon. When you praise in the time of trouble, it’s even more effective, because the enemy expects you to be negative and complaining. Praise will cause you to defeat giants in you...

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:7 On the night before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples that His hour had come, and He was going to be betrayed and crucified. In today’s Scripture, He told them, in effect, “You’re going to walk through some difficult things in the days to come that you don’t understand. You will feel lonely, confused, and afraid. You won’t understand it, but you will later.” The resurrection would connect all the dots. As with these disciples, there will be difficulties you don’t understand. A friend walks out of your relationship, the company downsizes and lets you go, or the sickness hits. But Jesus never said, “You’re going to understand everything. Let Me show you My exact plan for you. It all makes sense.” He does say He’s ordering all your steps. He promises that all things work together for your good. Stay in faith when it doesn’t make sense. You’re on the verge of seeing Him connect some ...

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tender hearted, be courteous. 1 Peter 3:8 Everywhere you go these days, people are hurting and discouraged, and many have broken dreams. They’ve made mistakes; their lives are in a mess. They need to feel God’s compassion and unconditional love. They don’t need somebody to judge and criticize them. They need somebody to bring hope, to bring healing, to show God’s mercy, to be there to encourage them, to take the time to listen and genuinely care. Our world is crying out for people with compassion, people who love unconditionally. The apostle Paul says that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. If you want to live your best life, you must keep your heart of compassion open to be kind, caring, gentle, and loving. You need to be on the lookout for people you can bless. You can make a difference in other peoples’ lives. When God puts love and compassion in your heart t...

And by him we cry, ”Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16 When we pray, something supernatural occurs. Prayer is the most powerful posture we can take in this earthly realm. When we pray, we connect the strongest part of ourselves with the strongest force in the universe—the Spirit of God. When we open ourselves to Him, God’s Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are His children. Prayer, then, is simply talking to our Father. When you come to God with a childlike heart, there’s no right or wrong way to pray. The important part is that you do it. Rather than think you need to commit to an hour of prayer a day, start with, “Every day I’m going to pray five minutes,” then add on to it. Remember, prayer is a privilege. Without Jesus, we wouldn’t be able to come directly to God. We wouldn’t be able to make our requests known to Him. We wouldn’t be able to know peace that passes understanding. Make prayer a priority. Put Hi...

You Are Valuable To God “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” Matthew 6:26 (NLT) You are extremely valuable to God. He even said in Isaiah 43:4, “You are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you” (ESV). Why are you so valuable to him? One, you are valuable because God is your Father, and you are his child. The Bible says, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:26 NLT). Two, you are valuable because Jesus gave his life for you. The Bible says, “You have been bought and paid for by Christ, so you belong to him” (1 Corinthians 7:23 TLB). The fact that you belong to God adds incredible value to your life. When you go to an auction, things that once belonged to famous people often cost much more. It could ...

But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink, “Save me, Lord.” He shouted. Matthew 14:30 In the darkness of night, Jesus came walking to His disciples across the stormy sea. Based on His word to “come,” Peter had the courage to walk on the water to Jesus. Imagine how amazed Peter was as he took step after step, looking at Jesus, doing the impossible. As long as Peter focused on what Jesus said, he was fine. But when he started focusing on what he saw, he began to doubt and sink. It’s the same principle in life. If you stay focused on what you see, you can get talked out of your dreams. You have to stay focused on what God says. When you focus on what He promises, you’ll walk on water. You’ll go places you couldn’t go on your own. You’ll overcome obstacles that are much bigger. The winds and waves are a test.

I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. Hosea 2:15 We all face setbacks in our finances, health challenges, struggles in relationships, and unfair situations. It’s easy to get discouraged and think it’s never going to improve. You may feel stuck in a valley of trouble, a valley of loneliness, a valley of debt, a valley of sickness. But don’t let the valley fool you. Today’s Scripture says that God is about to transform that valley into a gateway of hope, increase, favor, and health. The valley is leading you to new levels, to better relationships, to greater influence. That valley is about to be transformed into a gateway of freedom and victory. God has a breakthrough coming your way. The addiction, the loneliness, or the anxiety is not going to hold you back. You were created to be free, to be happy, to live an abundant, fulfilled life.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” Proverbs 3:27 Move fast when you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness. Be quick to keep your promises to God. And when you’re faced with temptation, run! Today we’re going to look at why should we move fast. We move fast when you have the opportunity to do good. The Bible says it over and over: When you see a chance to do something good for someone else, do it immediately. God puts people with needs in your life over and over again—you just have to be on the lookout for them. Their needs might be physical. Some needs could be emotional, like a need for kindness or encouragement. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them”. The Bible also says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done”. There’s never a “perfect” time to do anything. Plus, you’re not even guaranteed tomorrow. In John 9:4 ...

Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. Hebrews 10:35 When things happen that aren’t fair, when doors close that don’t make sense, when you’re doing the right thing but the wrong thing keeps happening, you have to trust that God is still in control and that He knows what’s best for you. He doesn’t always take us down the path that we thought. Be patiently confident. He’s already lined up the breaks you need, the open doors, the right people, the healings. It’s already on your schedule. If you don’t cast away your confidence, God will richly reward you. You may have gone through some disappointments, but He’ll make things happen that exceed any of your expectations. The reason He closed those doors is because He has something better. Don’t be discouraged by what didn’t work out. Stay in faith. The right opportunity is on the way. You haven’t seen your best days. God is going to do something you’ve never seen, something that will catapult you to a ...

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 When you have God’s promises coming out of your mouth, you can’t be defeated. Even when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He said, “It is written.” With each temptation, He went back to the Scripture and quoted what God said. When you’re in difficult times, don’t just say what you feel, what you think, or what you want. Say what God says about your situation. Today, you can say with His authority, “I’m blessed. I’m prosperous. I’m redeemed. I’m healthy. I have the mind of Christ. I have peace that passes understanding. I’m more than a conqueror through Christ. My latter days will be better than my former days.” When you go around with His thoughts playing in your mind all day, you activate the power that will overcome obstacles that look insurmountable. When you agree with wh...

If your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 The reason many people have no joy or enthusiasm is because they go to bed each night with forgiveness in their heart. Here’s the problem: If the sun goes down with bitterness, it will come back up with bitterness. If it goes down with resentment, it comes back up with resentment. That’s blocking God’s blessings. That’s giving the enemy a foothold. Before you go to bed each night, you need to say, “God, I’m releasing every negative thing that’s happened to me today—every hurt, every worry, and every disappointment. I’m forgiving the people who did me wrong. God, I’m going to bed in peace.” When you do that, the sun will go down with nothing blocking God’s blessings. Don’t go to bed at night with any kind of defeat still in your mind. Let it go and trust God to make your wrongs right.

As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Daniel 9:23 In life we’re always waiting for something—waiting for a dream to come to pass, waiting for a problem to turn around. Maybe you have been praying about a situation for a long time and don’t see anything happening. You could easily be discouraged. But you have to realize that the moment you prayed, God established a set time to bring the promise to pass for your healing, your promotion, and your breakthrough. It may be tomorrow, or next week, or five years from now. God promises that there are set times in our future, but He doesn’t tell us when they will be. When you understand that the time has already been set, it takes all the pressure off. You won’t live worried, wondering when this is ever going to happen. You’ll relax and enjoy your life, knowing that the promise has already been scheduled by the Creator of the universe.

The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7- 8 Our Guardian God is right by your side to protect you today. He guards you when you go out, and He guards you when you return. He guards you now, and He will guard you always. You can’t go anywhere without your Guardian God. That’s why you can live from a place of peace, a place of faith, even though there’s turmoil all around you. Stay in peace. God didn’t say you wouldn’t have to face these things. But He did promise He will rescue you from the trouble. He has a hedge of protection around you, a blood line that the enemy cannot cross. God has been guarding you since you were born. If you knew all the things God has already kept you from, you wouldn’t worry about what you’re facing now. You would stay in peace, knowing that God has you covered. You’re not at the mercy of fate, bad breaks, or a dreaded disease. Stay at r...

By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. Hebrews 11:7 Most of us wouldn’t have any problem with taking a step of faith—starting a business, going back to school, moving to a new location—if we knew where the money was coming from, how long it was going to take, and that the right people were going to be there for us. But here’s the key: God doesn’t give the details. He’s not going to give you a blueprint for your whole life. If you had all the facts on how it’s going to happen, you wouldn’t need any faith. He’s going to send you out not knowing everything. He leads you one step at a time. If you have the courage to step into the unknown and do what you know He’s asking you to do, He’ll show you another step as He did to Noah. Doors will open that you could never have opened, the right people will show up, you’ll have the funds and any other resources you need. Step by step, He’ll lead yo...

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16 I’ve learned that if you fill your mind with the right thoughts, there won’t be any room for the wrong thoughts. When you go around constantly thinking, “I’m strong. I’m healthy. I’m blessed. I have the favor of God,” then when the negative thoughts come knocking, there will be a “No Vacancy” sign. They won’t be able to get in. You need to take inventory of what is occupying the rooms of your life. If you give fear a room, faith gets left outside. There’s not room for both. Quit renting out space in your mind to your problems and self-pity. Tell those negative thoughts, “You’ve occupied my rooms long enough. I’ve got a new resident coming in. My new resident is faith, joy, peace, healing, and victory.” Let what God says about you have a permanent home.