Everyone has opportunities to get upset and be frustrated every single day. Sometimes it’s the little things — we can’t find the car keys, traffic is backed up, somebody was rude, or what should have taken an hour ends up taking four hours.
Something happened and now you are frustrated and all bent out of shape. There will always be something that can sour your day, but if you are going to live in victory, you have to maintain the right approach. You can’t let the little foxes spoil the vine. In other words, don’t let the little things in life spoil the harvest God has for your future.
I’ve heard it said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond.” Make sure you respond to life with an attitude of faith and expectancy. Sure, things may irritate you, but don’t let that irritation last into the next moment. Let it go. Don’t try to control everything around you. Instead, release it to God knowing that His plans are for your good, and He is leading and guiding you in the path of blessing.
Psalm 57
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
My heart , O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
Awake my soul ! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
" Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see" Hebrews 11:1
Pastor Joel said ...
So many people today are depressed and discouraged simply because they only focus on their present circumstances. They’re constantly dwelling on their problems, what they don’t have, and what’s wrong with them. They don’t realize it, but they’re allowing the enemy to steal their hope. This negative frame of mind is what keeps people from moving forward in life.
Understand today that faith is confidence and assurance about the things we hope for according to the promises of God. Like an arrow, your faith points to the target of hope. If you don’t have hope, that arrow of faith will just drop to the ground. It won’t accomplish anything. But when you keep your hopes up, when you keep expecting and believing, it’s as if that target gets larger and larger — easier to hit!
Start by taking captive any negative thoughts you may have one at a time. As you focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness, you’ll feel that hope inside you growing. You’ll give your faith a target, and you’ll move confidently into the blessings and peace the Lord has in store for you!
Pastor Joel said ...
It’s interesting that our mind will naturally gravitate toward the negative. A negative memory takes up more space. There’s more to process. Because of this, we will remember the negative more than the positive. For example, a person will remember losing $50 more than they will remember gaining $50.
Knowing this, we have to be proactive with our thoughts. When the negative memories come back to the movie screen of our mind, many people pull up a chair, get some popcorn and watch them all over again.
Instead of staying on that negative channel, you’ve got to switch over to your victory channel.
You’re not going to move forward into the new things God has in store if you’re always replaying the negative things that have happened to you.
Instead, learn to change the channel. Meditate on victory and move forward in the victory and blessing God has in store for you!
凡 是 真 實 的 、 可 敬 的 、 公 義 的 、 清 潔 的 、 可 愛 的 、 有 美 名 的 ． 若 有 甚 麼 德 行 、 若 有 甚 麼 稱 讚 、 這 些 事 你 們 都 要 思 念 。
whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”
耶和華如此說：倚靠人血肉的膀臂，心中離棄耶和華的，那人有禍了！
因他必像沙漠的杜松，不見福樂來到，卻要住曠野乾旱之處，無人居住的鹼地。
倚靠耶和華、以耶和華為可靠的，那人有福了！
他必像樹栽於水旁，在河邊扎根，炎熱來到，並不懼怕，葉子仍必青翠，在乾旱之年毫無掛慮，而且結果不止。
人心比萬物都詭詐，壞到極處，誰能識透呢？
我─耶和華是鑒察人心、試驗人肺腑的，要照各人所行的和他做事的結果報應他。
17：5-10
Pastor Joel said ...
In John Chapter 4, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well. He asked her for something to drink. She was a little surprised because in those days the Jews didn’t have anything to do with the Samaritans. She said, “How can you ask me for something to drink?” Jesus said, “If you knew who I am, you would ask of Me, and I would give you Living Water.
She immediately began to look in the natural. She said, “But, sir, you don’t have anything to draw water with. You don’t have any kind of bucket or pail. How can you give me living water?”
How many times do people do the same thing today? God tells us He is going to do something great in our lives, and we start looking at things in the natural, and before long, we talk ourselves out of it!
But we have to remember, God can take something that is ordinary, breathe on it and turn it into something that’s extraordinary.
With God, all things are possible! Don’t just look at things in the natural, look at the greatness of God. Stay focused on what He can do and embrace all He has for you!
| 義 人 的 腳 步 、 被 耶 和 華 立 定 ． 他 的 道 路 、 耶 和 華 也 喜 愛 。 |
| 他 雖 失 腳 、 也 不 至 全 身 仆 倒 ． 因 為 耶 和 華 用 手 攙 扶 他 。 〔 或 作 攙 扶 他 的 手 〕Psalm 37:23-24 |
No matter what weakness you think you may have, no matter what inadequacies or setbacks you’ve encountered, God wants to give you His divine strength. He wants to make up the difference and put you further ahead than you ever thought possible.
One time in the Old Testament, God simply multiplied the sound of four men’s footsteps and caused them to sound like a mighty army. When their enemies heard them, they took off running. There were thousands of enemy troops running for their lives, scared to death, thinking they were being attacked by a massive army when in fact, it was just four people! What happened? God made up the difference.
You don’t have to figure it all out; all you have to do is put your trust in Him. If you will trust Him and wake up every day expecting His far and beyond favor, then you’re going to see Him make up the difference in every area of your life!
Pastor Joel said ...
The word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek word “entheos.” “Theos” is God.
When you’re enthusiastic, it simply means you are full of God. When you get up in the morning excited about your future, recognizing that day is a gift and go out with a spring in your step, pursuing your goals, passionate about life, then God will breathe in your direction.
Studies tell us that people who are enthusiastic get better breaks. They’re promoted more often. That’s not a coincidence. When you’re full of passion, you have the favor of God.
Remember, God didn’t breathe His life into us to drag through the day. He didn’t create us in His image, crown us with His favor, equip us with His power to just go through the motions of life.
You may have had some setbacks, the wind may have been taken out of your sail, but this is a new day !
你們必歡歡喜喜而出來，平平安安蒙引導（賽55：12）
| When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in." |
| (Psalm 112:4, NIV) |
Pastor Joel said ...
Anytime you are going through difficult, dark times, know that God already has a plan to bring you through to victory.
When you call on His name, when you surrender your circumstances to Him, that’s when His light will come forth through the darkness.
Notice, it’s not going to trickle in, it’s not going to just barely get there. No, like a flood, like the breaking forth of waters, it’s going to come bursting in!
I believe it means that suddenly, you’re going to get well. Suddenly, you will meet the right person. Suddenly, you’re able to pay your house off. Our attitude should be, “My child may be off course, making poor decisions, but I’m expecting a flood of God’s mercy to bring him back.” Or, “My house has been on the market for a year and still hasn’t sold, but I’m expecting a flood of favor to cause it to stand out and sell.”
In the midst of that difficulty, don’t get discouraged. You’re in a prime position to see a flood of God’s goodness.
Keep praising Him. Keep thanking Him and stay in faith because His light will break through the darkness!
Pastor Joel said ...
Some of the things you may be praying about, if God were to remove them right now, you wouldn’t be prepared for where He is taking you. You’ve got to let God do the work in you.
In other words, be kind to the people who are not treating you right. Keep being your best even though you’re not getting the credit. Have a good attitude even though you’re in an apartment and all your friends are in a nice house. Pass those tests.
Paul prayed in Colossians 3 that the people would have the strength to endure whatever came their way.
He didn’t pray that God would deliver them instantly or remove the difficulty. He prayed that they would have the strength to go through it with a good attitude. Paul understood this principle that God uses the tough times to get us prepared for the next level.
| 因 為 你 們 立 志 行 事 、 都 是 神 在 你 們 心 裡 運 行 、 為 要 成 就 他 的 美 意 。腓立比書2：13 |
Pastor Joel said ...
Scripture tells us that God is love. He is perfect, and His love is perfect.
There is nothing you can do to make God love you more and nothing you can do to make Him love you any less.
His love toward you is steadfast; it’s unchanging. His arms are always stretched out toward you, and He is always ready for you to come to Him.
God’s not mad at you; He’s madly in love with you! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve come from, God’s arms are open to you. He’s longing to show you His goodness and grace. It’s His kindness that leads us to repent and change our ways.
Open your heart to Him today and receive His perfect love. Let it drive fear out of your life and make you new. Let His love wash over you and build confidence in you. Because of His great love, we can boldly come to Him and receive the mercy and blessings He has in store.
Pastor Joel said ...
God is constantly calling us to higher places in Him. He wants us to know Him more. He wants us to know His ways, walk in His ways, and experience His victory.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians that he was pressing on toward the goal of Christ’s calling.
How did he press forward? In verse 13 he says, “One thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”
See, in order to press forward, we have to let go of the weight of the past. We let go by forgiving and choosing not to dwell on things that can hold us back. We have to lighten our load, so to speak, so that we can rise higher in the things God has for us.
Sometimes, we need to let go of the good as well as the bad. “Good” can be the very thing that keeps you from “great.”
Let go of the past, forgive, and press forward and upward to the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ!
| 我 只 有 一 件 事 就 是 忘 記 背 後 努 力 面 前 |
| 向 著 標 竿 直 跑 要 得 神 在 基 督 耶 穌 裡 從 上 面 召 我 來 得 的 獎 賞 。 |
The word “transform” in the original Bible language is metamorpho. It’s where we get our word “metamorphosis.”
When a caterpillar changes from a lowly worm into a beautiful butterfly, it is called a metamorphosis.
The caterpillar starts out as possibly one of the most unattractive insects. It’s very plain, nothing special about it.
But God destined the caterpillar to go through a transformation. It goes from being one of the most ordinary creatures to one of the most beautiful. It no longer has to crawl on the ground — it is transformed into a beautiful butterfly.
today that as you meditate on the Word, as you pray and worship and surrender every area of your life to God, He is doing a work in you.
He is transforming you from the inside out. Trust Him and stay in the process knowing that He has great things in store for your future.
| “...Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come...” |
| (Habakkuk 2:3, NKJV) Pastor Joel said ... If you will keep God first in everything you do, He promises that He is going to crown your efforts with success. Because you diligently seek Him, a reward is coming. Favor is coming. Good breaks are coming. Promotion is coming. A shift is coming. Healing is coming. Restoration is coming. It may seem like it’s taking a long time; you may feel like you’ve been holding on forever, but keep holding on. The promise will be fulfilled through faith and patience. Waiting doesn’t mean do nothing; it means get prepared. Now is the time to get ready. God doesn’t want you to live an average, ordinary life. Because you depend on Him, He is going to increase you. You are going to bear much fruit. Get ready because it’s coming — every promise you’ve stood in faith for, every dream He’s placed in your heart that you’ve contended for is coming to fruition in Jesus’ name!  |
| But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” |
| (John 4:14, NKJV) Pastor Joel said ... In the natural, every day, we get thirsty. Water is what we need to sustain life. When we are out in the heat or exerting our bodies physically, even more water is required to keep us hydrated and functioning optimally. Spiritually, we need water every day, too. We need to refresh our hearts and minds as much as we need to refresh our bodies. Jesus said, “I am the Living Water. If you drink of Me, you will never thirst again.” During the day, we all have things that come against us spiritually. We all feel the heat, so to speak. It’s easy to get upset or stressed out, but that’s when you need to take a two-minute break and go drink of the Living Water. Get quiet and say, “God, I need You. Remember, Jesus is the only one who can truly satisfy your inner thirst. Turn to Him, receive from Him, and you will find rest and refreshing for your soul. |
| “...apart from me you can do nothing.” |
| (John 15:5, NIV) |
 |
| Joel said ... |
Jesus put it this way, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” In this passage, He talks about a vine and branches. Just like a vine will die if it is cut apart from the vine, we also won’t survive without being vitally connected to Him. How do we stay connected? First, by acknowledging Him. By talking to Him. By reading and following His Word. See, when you acknowledge God, that’s a sign of humility. You’re saying, “God, I know You created the whole universe. You flung the stars into space. You tell every raindrop where to fall. I’m not here by accident. You breathed Your life into me. You made me in Your image. You crowned me with Your favor. |
