You have a relationship with yourself

**Joyce Meyer

Did it ever occur to you that you have a relationship with yourself? You may have never given it much thought, but you spend more time with yourself than anyone else, and it is vital that you get along well with you because you are the one person you never get away from.

We should love ourselves, not in a selfish, self-centered way that produces a lifestyle of self-indulgence, but in a balanced, godly way that affirms God's creation as essentially good and right. We may be flawed by unfortunate experiences we have gone through, but that does not mean we are worthless and good-for -nothing.

We must have the kind of love for ourselves that says, "I know God loves me, so I can love what God chooses to love. I do not love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me." We must develop the kind of mature love that says, "I believe God is changing me daily, but during this process, I will not reject what God accepts. I will accept myself as I am right now, knowing that I will not always remain this way."

Prayer starter: God, like Isaiah 43:25 says, You blot out my sins and accept me, which means that I do not have to reject myself. I am free to love myself in a healthy way because You love me!

Isaiah 43:25

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my won sake, and remembers your sins no more.

A need for brokenness

**Joyce Meyer

The word brokenness may strike fear in some people, but it is really not a bad word. God does not desire to break our spirits, but He wants to break that outer shell, the flesh that prevents Him from being all He wants to be in and through us. He wants to break off things like pride, rebellion, selfishness and independence. God wants us to be totally dependent on Him, and suffering seems to bring us to that point.

Sometimes people seem surprised that they must go through a time of trial or suffering. Perhaps they have been faithful to learn and obey the Word, and the trials still come. Sometimes trials come simply to test and purify our faith.

When these trials come your way, embrace them, because they lead to real, true brokenness. God wants us to live by the Spirit, not the flesh, and this is so much easier when we allow Him to break off our lives any sinful or selfish habit or trait that would keep us from Him.

Do you want to be close to God today? Then embrace brokenness, knowing that it will lead to greater things in your future.

Prayer starter: Holy Spirit, I realize that sometimes I need brokenness. It may be not comfortable, but I invite You to break off and get rid of anything that is keeping me form You.

1 Peter 1:6-7

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perished even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Perseverance pays

**Joyce Meyer

In the early years when we were building our ministry, Dave and I went through a lot of difficult tests. I needed to work on my attitude. We needed to work on our marriage and how we handled money.

For six years I bought my socks and underwear at garage sales. We were totally broke, and I was teaching prosperity!

Not only that, it just was not popular for women to preach back then. We lost friends and had family members who did not want anything to do with us.

It was just hard and sometimes I wanted to quit. But today I am so glad that I stuck with God because there are people all over the world who have been helped because of our ministry.

Scripture tells us in Matthew 19 that we will have to leave 'important' things behind for the sake of following Him. We did not have everything we thought we needed back then, but the trade-off ended up being more than worth it.

Persevere in your walk with God, even it is hard. Stay focused on Him, and it will all pay off when you enter the victory He has for you.

Prayer starter: God, sometimes it is hard to persevere in the Christian life, but I know that the perseverance will pay off. I will follow You alone, because You are all that matters.

Matthew 19:29

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Does God prefer polyester or denim?

**Joyce Meyer

I used to be so judgmental about the way some people dresses. Not long ago, I thought that I could not wear jeans while I was teaching at a conference, but my son said to me, "Do you really think that God anoints polyester more than denim?

It took some things like that to shock me into the realization that I was just holding on to a religious attitude when God wanted me to freshen up my look in order to reach more people.

Sure, it is good to dress nicely when we go to church. But the bottom line is, we should not be so focused on our outward appearance that we lose sight of our main goal: developing a close, personal relationship with God. 

God simply wants us to fellowship with Him, which means communicating with Him throughout our day just like we do with someone who is our close friend or family member. He does not care about the outward appearance, only real relationship.

Spend time with Him, being grateful for what He has done and is doing in your life. Have a real relationship with Him.

Prayer starter: God, help me to have You attitude about outward appearance. Help me not to judge others who do not dress the way I think they should, and help me to develop a strong inner relationship with You.

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Does Your inside match you outside?

**Joyce Meyer

Sometimes we wish for things to change but are unwilling to do what it takes to make things better.

I was always upset about my circumstances. I wanted God to change them for me, and I wanted Him to change the people around me too. But then He showed me that I needed to work on changing my inner life before I could expect real change in my outer life.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

So what is God's kingdom? The Bible says the kingdom of God is in us. If you have accepted Christ, that means He is living in you, and He wants to live in a good spiritual home. That is why your inner life is so important to God.

We must seek first His kingdom, letting His Holy Spirit take hold of us on the inside. When we allow Him to work in us, eventually we would not be able to contain it, and it will spill out and change the world around us!

Prayer starter: Holy Spirit, help me not to get caught up in trying to change external things when You are asking me to focus on developing Your kingdom in my heart. I invite You to work in my inner life.

Luke 17:21

nor will people say, 'He re it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Prudence

**Joyce Meyer

A word we do not hear much about today is prudence. It means "careful management: economy."

In the Bible, prudence, or prudent, means "being good stewards or managers of the gifts God has given us to use." Those gifts include time, energy, strength and health, even material possessions. They include our bodies, as well as our minds and spirits.

Just as each one of us has been given a different set of gifts, each of us has been given different levels of ability to manage those gifts.

Too many people burn themselves out, constantly using their gifts and abilities in ways that God did not intend them to. Instead of pushing ourselves too hard to please others or reach our own personal goals, we need to listen to God and do what He is telling us is wise. 

Trying to impress people and live up to their standards is not prudence. Prudence means asking God how He wants you to use your gifts and then obeying. Learn God's prudence today and put it into practice so you can enjoy your life the way He intended.

Prayer starter: God, I desire to be a good steward of all that You have given me. I decide now to only use my gifts and abilities for You. Show me how to use them with Your prudence and wisdom.

Proverbs 16:21

The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.

A great trade

**Joyce Meyer

Did you know that God wants to make a trade with you? He has a standing offer every minute of every day, and it is amazing how few of us actually take Him up on it. He wants you to give Him all you cares, problems and failures. In return He will give you His peace and joy.

God really does want to take care of us, but in order to let Him, we have got to stop trying to take care of ourselves and worrying about every little thing we cannot control. Many people would like for God to take care of them, but they insist on worrying or trying to figure out an answer on their own, instead of waiting for God's direction.

God will give us peace, but we must first give Him our worries. What a great trade! We give God our worry, and He gives us His peace. We give Him all our cares and concerns, and He gives us His protection, stability and joy. That is the amazing blessing and privilege of being cared for by Him.

Prayer starter: Lord, You have offered me an amazing trade. You are so much more capable than I am, so I give You all of my cares and receive all of the peace and joy that You offer me!

Psalms 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

Sharing in His suffering

**Joyce Meyer

As Christians, we like the thought of sharing in Christ's glory, but what about sharing in His suffering? Jesus took care of the death penalty once and for all so we do not ever have to worry about that again. But the Bible teaches that we must suffer times of trial if we are to share in the glory. Is it worth it? According to Romans 8:18, it certainly is!

We tend to believe that we suffer because of our circumstances and if they would only change, we would be able to act right. But God wants us to become so mature and stable that we act right even when none of our circumstances are good. There are different levels of faith, and most of the time we want to use our faith to get rid of all suffering. But sometimes God's plan is for us to exercise a higher level of faith that will carry is through life's challenges.

Too often we marvel at the delivering power of God and overlook His keeping, strengthening and enabling power. Jesus promised in John 16:33 that He will give us His peace during the trials of life and the power we need to overcome them. I encourage you today, if you are going through a time of suffering, take heart because in Christ, you will come through it and share in His glory which shall be revealed!

Prayer starter: Lord, Paul said that present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that comes from walking with You. I want to have the same attitude. I receive Your enabling power to walk through any suffering that comes my way.

Romans 8:18

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Wait with patience

**Joyce Meyer

Many people want change, but they do not want to go through the waiting process. But the truth is, waiting is a given, we are going to wait. The question is, are we going to wait the wrong or right way? If we wait the wrong way, we will be miserable; but if we decide to wait God's way, we can become patient and actually enjoy the wait.

It takes practice, but as we let God help us in each situation, we develop patience, which is one of the most important Christian virtues. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. It is developed only under trial, so we must not run from difficult situations.

As we develop patience, the Bible says we finally feel completely satisfied, lacking nothing. Even our relationship with God involves progressive changes. We learn to trust Him in a deeper way by going through many experiences that require us to wait longer than we would like.

Trust me, the waiting may be hard, but it will make you stronger. The benefits that patience brings are certainly worth any uncomfortable wait!

Prayer starter: God, I want to change and grow deeper in my relationship with You. I understand that this means developing patience, but I know that I will grow stronger as You develop patience in me.

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Take your doubts captive

**Joyce Meyer

When we start the process of renewing our minds, it is ok when we mess up. God knows we are not perfect and He is always there to help us to get back on track.

Unfortunately, the devil also knows we are not perfect, and he does his best to remind us every step of the way.

We can be going along, serving God, doing good, stepping out in faith and then all of a sudden, without there being any justification for it, we will have a day or week when we have an attack on our mind. Satan will tell us that we are failures, that we are not good enough, that God does not love us, the list goes on and on.

Thankfully, God's Word tells us just what to do in a situation like this. Second Corinthians 10:5 tells us to take every thought captive and into obedience to God. So when the devil tries to lie to you, go to the Word and find the truth that refutes that lie.

When those doubts come your way, do not get discouraged. Bring them in line with God's Word. It works every time!

Prayer starter: God, I would not let the lies and doubts that the enemy sends my way get me off track. Instead, I will believe what Your Word says and take those thoughts captive!

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Praise God in your prison

**Joyce Meyer

Sometimes we find ourselves in such horrible messes that it is hard to imagine waiting one more second. But we need to keep waiting on God and trusting Him with a sweet and simple faith. Then, in a way we never could have figured out, God moves suddenly!

Paul and Silas knew about waiting, and they waited well. Acts 16 tells the story of how they were attacked by a crowd, beaten and thrown in jail. Verse 24 says the jailer put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. 

Paul and Silas did not seem to mind, they just decided to start singing and began to worship the Lord. They began to wait on God. Suddenly, God sent an earthquake that opened the prison doors and loosed their chains. He set them free!

When people patiently and expectantly wait on God in the midst of horrible circumstances, suddenly God breaks through. So do not give up! Do not stop believing! Stay full of hope and expectation. God's power is limitless, and He will break through for you.

Prayer starter: God, no matter how bad my messes get, I choose to praise You in my prison. I know that You will suddenly free me and come through in Your perfect timing.

Acts 16:25-26

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violet earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.

Keep the river flowing

**Joyce Meyer

Deep inside each of us, there is a river of life. This river is a wonderful gift given to each of us by God. It flows with good health, a positive outlook on life, and a generous and forgiving attitude.

Many people, however, have allowed their river to become stopped-up. They are always discouraged, and no matter what they do, they cannot seem to snap out of it. Years of neglect have turned a once-power-flowing river into a small stream. Do you know people like this? Does this sound like your life?

Until you are able to get your river cleared out and unclogged, everything will be difficult, disappointing and unfulfilling. You will be unable to taste the water that satisfies like nothing else.

Get in the river by clearing what blocks its flow. Make a choice today to stop spending your life fighting, struggling and trudging through the mud with every step. Ask God to help you clear out the debris. He will show you what is blocking the flow and how to get rid of it. Then, enjoy the satisfying flow of the river of life!

Prayer starter: God, I want to keep Your river of living water flowing in me. Show me what the debris is that is blocking the way and then show me how to clear it out.

John 7:38

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.

When progress is slow

**Joyce Meyer

It is important to renew our minds, but it is also important to realize that this process of reprogramming or renewing our minds will take place little by little. Do not be discouraged if progress seems slow. Do not get down when you have setbacks or bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off and start again.

When a baby is learning to walk, he falls many, many times before he develops the ability to walk without falling; however, the baby is persistent. He may cry for a while after he falls down. but he always gets right back up ad tries again.

Learning to change our thinking works the same way. We struggle and fall down, but God is always there to pick us up. Rather than get frustrated, you should, as the Bible says, "triumph" in your hardship, because the very fact that you are struggling means that you are fighting the good fight.

There will be days when we do not do everything right, days when our thinking is negative. But never stop trying. God is gradually bringing us around to His way of thinking. Just do not give up!

Prayer starter: Lord, thank You for picking me up when I fall down. I know that my struggles mean that You are helping me overcome my negative mindsets and bringing me more and more in line with Your way of thinking.

Romans 5:3

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

Do not let yourself snap

**Joyce Meyer

Let's say you are working around the house and break a rubber band while trying to stretch it around something. You can't find another rubber band, so you try to fix the broken one by tying the ends together.

Sometimes in our daily lives, we stretch ourselves beyond our capacity, and we snap like the rubber band. We think we have fixed the problem by simply tying the ends back together. But soon we fall into the same behavior that caused us to break down in the first place.

Over time with repeated exposure to stress, our lives begin to resemble that worn-out rubber band. It can completely deplete us. 

Ignoring God's law and His ordained limits for our lives will ultimately cause burnout. You simply can't continue to overwork your mind, emotions and body without eventually paying the price. But that's not how God wants you to live.

Adjust your perspective to match God's. Seek His peace and His pace for your life. Respect your body. Treat good health as a priceless gift. Do not waste the energy God has given you on stress. Save it for living and enjoying life!

Prayer starter: God, I want to find my rest in You. Instead of constantly going and snapping under stress, show me how to follow Your pace for my life.

Psalm 62:12

and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

When good things happen to people who have hurt you

**Joyce Meyer

Have you ever seen someone receive a blessing from God and felt like they did not deserve it? Have you seen good things happen to someone who has hurt you?

When a person who offended you gets a blessing, it can grate on you, at least it did for me until I learned how to forgive.

The Bible says that good and bad things happen to both the righteous and the unrighteous. When someone who has hurt you receives a blessing, it makes it even harder to forgive them, but you are still called to pray for them.

I want to encourage you today to bless the people who have hurt you by praying for them, even though you may feel hurt and irritated by them. When you pray for people who have hurt you, it is a choice you make. And forgiveness is based on your decision - not a feeling. But there is healing in that for you.

A forgiving lifestyle helps you become more like Christ. As you learn the importance of forgiveness and begin to pray for blessings for those who have hurt you, your heart will heal from bitterness, and your personal growth will lead you to the blessings God has planned for you.

Prayer starter: God, it might be hard, but I know I need to pray for and bless those who have hurt me. I realize that forgiveness is a choice, so I ask you to help me as I choose to forgive.

Matthew 5:45

That you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

You are not built for guilt

**Joyce Meyer

When I ask large audiences how many people spend their lives feeling guilty, my guess is that at least 80 percent of the people raise their hands. I was part of that 80 percent until I decided that I was not built for guilt, and I was not going to continue to allow a renegade feeling to rule my life.

I studied God's Word about guilt and studied His character and nature until I was totally convinced that God is not the source of guilt.

I see guilt as an illegal alien that attacks our mind and conscience, attempting to prevent is from enjoying anything God has provided for us. Guilt has no legal right in our lives because Jesus has paid for our sins and misdeeds. If it is in us illegally, then we need to send it back where it came from, which is hell!

Refuse to let guilt steal your joy any longer. You must remember that you are not built for guilt, Deal with it aggressively anytime you experience it by receiving God's love and grace.

Prayer starter: Holy Spirit, I know I am not built for guilt! Every time guilt tries to rise up in me, bring it to my attention and remind me that I am forgiven and made whole by the sacrifice of Jesus.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The best way to deal with money

**Joyce Meyer

I have discovered the best way to deal with money is to give it away. And we need to keep on giving, especially during challenging financial times. This is a key factor in helping us to maintain a biblical focus on our finances.

It is always possible to live by God's financial principles, even in difficult times. You might find yourself in what seems like an impossible financial situation and feel like you are in no position to give, but do not let that stop you. God will help you when you simply work with what you have.

Luke 19:17 tells us that God is pleased when we are faithful and trustworthy in very little things. When we are, it says He will give us authority over bigger things.

Proverbs 28:27 says, "He who gives to the poor will not want.," If we obey God with our finances, even when we do not have much, and give to help other people, the more God will have other people do for us. It is just that simple. Choose to be a giver today, and you will not lack anything.

Prayer starter: God, I choose today to give my finances to You. Even in hard times, I know that Your financial principles still apply and that You will take care of me. You are my source!

Proverbs 28:27

He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Every day is a new day

**Joyce Meyer

God wants us to have joy in the midst of our ordinary, everyday life, even on the worst days of our life.

There were times in my life when I dreaded facing each day. All I could think about was my circumstances, wondering how Dave and I were going to pay the bills or get everything done that we needed to do. Sometimes I wanted to pull the covers over my head and just stay in bed.

I was so wrapped up in worry that I was missing the point: God had created a new day, and He created it so that I could enjoy it. 

Every single day is filled with all kinds of situations that could upset you, things like losing your car keys or getting caught in a traffic jam. But you can choose to be at peace and in control in the midst of them.

When you and I take our minds off of ourselves and our circumstances and put our focus on God and loving others, we are embracing an attitude that will bring honor to Him and enable us to view every day as an exciting, new gift from God.

Prayer starter: God, thank you for the gift of a new day. Instead of focusing on the frustrating things in life, I choose to be at peace in You and rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalms 118:24

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Dealing with emotions while grieving

**Joyce Meyer

People experiencing tragedy often go through stages of emotional expressions of sobbing and hysteria. These may come and go when least expected. Confusion, disorientation and fear are also common. Depression and waves of overwhelming feelings are experienced by many. In times like these, I believe it is wise to look at King David.

The Bible talks of how King David was feeling depressed but he resisted it. He did not sink into it or get into the pit of despair. He described how he felt, but he made a decision not to live by his feelings. He praised and trusted in God.

Most of us go through emotionally difficult times when tragic loss occurs. Those who are walking in faith come out of it, and they come out of it better than when they went in.

If you are hurting now due to a loss in your life, I want to tell you that a new beginning is in front of you. Trust and praise God like King David did. What Satan intends for you harm, God can turn around for your good!

Prayer starter: Lord, even when I am grieving and depressed, I will choose to praise and trust in You. I believe that You can and will make everything work out for my good.

Psalm 42:5

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior

Find the answers and power you need in the Word

**Joyce Meyer

When people ask me where to start reading the Bible, I tell them there is really no wrong place to start. You can study anything that is going to help you.

When I first started studying the Word, I did not have very good relationships because I did not really understand what love was. So that is what I studied.

As I studied the subject of love, I learned that it is more than a gooey feeling. It is a decision you make about how you are going to treat people.

By studying what the Bible says about love, I learned how to love. Then my life began to change.

Whatever you are dealing with, you can find scriptures about it by using a concordance. For example, if you are dealing with anger or fear, flip to the concordance in the back of your Bible and locate those words to see which scriptures talk about those issues.

If you cannot think of anything right away, thumb through the concordance and pick a subject that grabs your attention. Begin looking at all scriptures referenced with this word and read them. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and reveal truth to you. No matter where you start, remember that the Word is alive and has something for you today!

Prayer starter: Lord, I know that Your Word has something for me today. No matter what I am dealing with, I am going to find out what Your Word says about it.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

How forgiveness and patience can help your marriage

**Joyce Meyer

Marriages are not as good as they could be when someone holds on to offenses and hurts that their spouse has caused. I know it is difficult to completely open yourself up after being hurt, but nobody can promise that loving someone would not hurt. In fact, you cannot love without being willing to be hurt. It is not possible.

You cannot have real love unless you are willing to forgive. Love keeps giving the other person another chance. Love keeps trusting them over and over again, expecting them to do the right thing the next time, believing the best of them.

I realize there might be big hurts in your marriage, along with little things you deal with daily. Still, you need to decide to let go of its irritating hold on you.

If you are struggling with unforgiveness in your marriage, ask the Lord to reveal what has caused you to feel bitterness or resentment. You may be surprised at what he reveals to you, but when you see the truth, decide to let go of that grief. Decide to forgive your spouse and walk in patience as you treat them with God's amazing, unconditional love.

Prayer starter: God, I want my marriage to be the best it can be. Help me let go of any areas of unforgiveness and to patiently love my spouse the way You want me to.

1 Timothy 1:16

But fot that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who could believe on him and receive eternal life.

God is untying your knots one at a time

**Joyce Meyer

Picture your life as a jumble of shoestrings all tied up in knots, each shoestring a different color. Each knot represents a problem, and the process of untangling those knots and straightening out those problems is going to take a bit of time and effort. It took a long time to tie all those knots, and it will take some time to straighten them all out.

In our modern, instantaneous society, we tend to jump from one thing to another, but God never gets in a hurry. He never quits or runs out of patience. He will deal with us about one particular thing, and then He will let us rest for a while, but not too long. Soon He will come back and begin to work on something else. He will continue until, one by one, our knots are all untied.

If it sometimes seems that you are not making any progress, it is because the Lord is untying your knots one at a time. Let His patience develop in you, and sooner or later, you will see victory in your life and experience the freedom you have wanted for so long.

Prayer starter: God, I am so glad that You can work out all of my knots and get my life straightened out. Help me to develop steadfastness and patience as You work continually in my life.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.

Say what God says

**Joyce Meyer

God tells us that the more time we spend meditating on and speaking His Word, the more we will see the benefits in our everyday lives and even have a closer relationship with Him. He even promises we will be prosperous and successful! (See Joshua 1:8).

I can testify to this because I have made it through many trials and even devastating times by believing and confessing the Word of God over my life.

There is something powerful that happens when we speak His Word out loud. It is the way we learn to purposely think right thoughts, especially when we make the Scriptures personal confessions of faith.

It is great to read the Word and receive it in your heart, but when you confess it out loud, you actively interact with what God says and release its power into your life.

I encourage you to spend time reading and meditating on God's Word, lining your thoughts up with it. But I also urge you to speak the Word. You can make up your mind to work toward changing your life by saying what God says. Read His Word and speak it over your circumstances today.

Prayer starter: God, I want to release the full power of Your Word into my life. Along with reading and thinking about Your Word, I choose today to speak it over my life.

Joshua 1:8

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

The greatest gift you can give

**Joyce Meyer

It is the most outrageous thing. The more I think about it, the more amazed I am. It gives blessings that are undeserved and withholds punishment when it is deserved. It is absolutely the greatest gift you can give someone.

This gift is called mercy. See, Jesus came to earth and gave us mercy, so we need to learn to give mercy to others.

By Christ's example, we are taught to love and pray for our enemies. We are taught to be friendly to those who do not treat us as we would like to be treated. We are told to give to and care for the poor and helpless who will never be able to pay us back.

We can give to people who will give us gifts in return. But we are more blessed when we choose to give to those who cannot pay us back, that is giving mercy.

The greatest gift you can give is to become more like Jesus. You can do that by treating others the way He treated you. Give those around you the greatest gift they could ever receive from you: mercy.

Prayer starter: God, I thank You for the mercy that You selflessly give me every day. I choose now to give the mercy to others. Every chance I get, I will show them the mercy that You have shown me.

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as you Father is merciful.

Think about what you are thinking about

**Joyce Meyer

If you are a believer, you probably think some Scripture-based thoughts throughout  each day, but think about this: Are you mixing them with negative thoughts or just any random thoughts that come into your mind?

For most of my life, I simply thought whatever fell into my head. Much of what was in my head was either lies Satan was telling me or just plain nonsense.

Read Mark 4:24. It tells us the more time we spend thinking about the Word, the more power and ability we will have to walk in it. It also says the more we read and listen to the Word, the more revelation we will receive to understand it.

In the flesh we are lazy and want to receive from God without any effort on your own part, But that is not the way it works. You will only get out of the Word what you are willing to put into it.

I encourage you to make a decision to meditate on God's Word every day because every moment you spend absorbing it, the more virtue and knowledge you will receive from God.

Prayer starter: Lord, I make a decision to spend more time in Your Word every day. I know that when I do, I will get more out of it and receive more powerful revelation from You.

Mark 4:24

"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you and even more.

Stop keeping score

**Joyce Meyer

If someone has hurt you, do not spend the next ten years of your life hurting yourself by hanging on to that offense. Most likely, the other person is not even thinking about you, while you dwell on the incident for years. That only hurt one person, you.

When we walk in unforgiveness, we try to "keep score," viewing ourselves as better than the other person.

Back in the early days of our marriage, when Dave and I were fussing and fuming at each other, I would bring up stuff that happened years before and Dave would say, "Where do you keep all that stuff?" Well, I had a place, and it was all in there eating at me. And every new thing Dave did wrong would get added to this list, and it kept growing until it became a bitter giant in my heart.

When we walk in God's love, we find freedom by keeping "no account" of wrongs done to us. If you are hurting from the pain of unforgiveness today, ask God to help you stop keeping score. You can let go of your bitterness today.

Prayer starter: God, I do not want to keep score anymore and let my unforgiveness hurt me. I release it to You and ask You to help me walk in Your love, which keeps "no account of the evil done to it."

1 Corinthians 13:5

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

It is OK to enjoy your life

**Joyce Meyer

Enjoyment is the fuel we need to reach the finish line of an endeavor with a good attitude. We may drive ourselves to finish, but somewhere along the way we will probably become bitter and get a ship on our shoulder if we do not lighten up and take time to celebrate the journey.

Too many people work constantly and stress themselves out, feeling guilty about enjoying and celebrating life when God has clearly ordained and commanded both labor and enjoyment. Ecclesiastes 2:24 says that it is good for us to relax and and enjoy ourselves in the midst of hard work.

Our thinking has been warped in this area. Satan has managed to deceive us, and by doing so he succeeds in keeping people weary and worn-out, feeling resentful and taken advantage of because of excessive work and responsibility.

We need times of refreshment and recreation as well as work and accomplishment. You should be diligent in whatever task God has placed in front of you, but make sure that you find a balance by learning to reward yourself and enjoy life. God thinks you are worth of it!

Prayer starter: God, I realize now that You want me to enjoy my life and reward myself. Instead of feeling guilty and never stopping for a break, I choose today to experience the joy that You planned for me.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

Why you need to read the Bible?

**Joyce Meyer

The Bible is not ordinary book. The words within its pages are like medicine to your soul. It has the power to change your life because there is life in the Word!

When you discover the power and truth of God's Word, you will begin to see changes in your life that only this truth can bring. You will also learn how to recognize the lies that the enemy tries to bring against you.

If you are just starting to study the Bible or feel intimidated by it, do not think you have to read it all at once or understand everything right away. Be patient with yourself. The important thing is that you start somewhere and stay determined to stick with it. Because every time you study the Bible and pay attention to what you are reading, you are learning something.

Proverbs 4:20 says, "My son attend to my words.," This is important to understand because attending is more than just reading - it means to meditate on the Scripture or roll it around over and over in your mind.

As we spend time reading and meditating on the Word of God and learn to agree with it above all else, we will be filled with the life and healing power of God.

Prayer starter: God, thank You so much for the life-giving power of Your Word! As I read and study it, teach me what You want me to know and bring Your healing power into my life.

Proverbs 4:21-22

Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.

Why does a good God let bad things happen?

**Joyce Meyer

When we experience terrible tragedy, being angry with God is quite common. People frequently ask, "If god is good, all-powerful, and full of love for us, why didn't He stop the thing that caused the pain?"

This is where Satan seeks to build a wall between God and the hurting person. He seizes the opportunity to say, "God isn't good, and He can't be trusted." However, we know according to the Word of God, the truth is not in Satan, he is a liar and the father of lies.

Read James 1:17. Everything good comes from God. God is good, and He cannot be anything else. Furthermore, He is not one way one time and another way another time. He does not change. He is good, and that is the way He is.

It is obvious that God does not always stop tragedy, and we honestly do not always know why bad things happen. First Corinthians 13:12 says, "...Now I know in part (imperfectly)..." We have to remember that faith will always require us to accept unanswered questions, and we must come to the place where we are satisfied to know the One who knows and place our trust in Him.

Prayer starter: God, I may not always understand why bad things happen, but I know that You are good. When I do not understand why, I will find my comfort in You.

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gifts is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Sacrifice in marriage

**Joyce Meyer

Early in our marriage, God had to teach me that truly loving Dave meant that sometimes I would have to make sacrifices. Up until that point, I only wanted my way and was very much like the noisy gong mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is the greatest form of maturity. It often requires a sacrificial gift. If love does not require some sort of sacrifice on our part, we probably do not really love the other person at all. If there is no sacrifice in our actions, we are most likely reacting to something nice they did for us, or simply pretending to be kind to gain some control over them.

It is important to understand that true love gives of itself. So our decisions should always have our spouse's interests at heart. When you do, you are giving of yourself.

God's desire is for husbands and wives to love each other sacrificially and unconditionally. This means you do not get your way all of the time. But the good news is, when a husband and wife sacrifice their selfish desires, they will have a triumphant marriage!

Prayer starter: God, I want to walk in true love in my marriage. I make a decision today to not always push for my own way, but to be willing to sacrifice for my spouse.

1 Corinthians 13:1

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.