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Showing posts from September, 2011

Be Full of It

TO DAY’S SCRIPTURE “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11, KJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Jesus came to give you joy and joy to the full! When your joy is full, it can be seen by others. Joy is supposed to be displayed. As believers, we should have a smile on our face and a spring in our step. We should be kind and friendly. We should be fun to be around. We should be full of His supernatural joy! Have you allowed the pressures of life to push you down? Have you been more focused on your circumstances than on your God? If you’re not enjoying your life or relationships, it’s time to refocus and tap into the full joy within. It’s time to draw the line in the sand and say, “That’s it. I’m not going to live another day negative, discouraged, sour or grumpy. I’m going to put a smile on my face. I’m going to let my joy be seen so I can brighten somebody else’s day. I’m going to live my life happy and

Answer the Door

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NKJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria When you wake up each morning, God sends you a special delivery of joy. It’s like it comes knocking at the door of your heart every day. The problem is that some people never answer the door. It’s right there, month after month, year after year saying, “Come on! Let me in! You can be happy! You can cheer up! You can enjoy your life!” The way to answer the door is to get up and choose an attitude of faith and expectancy by declaring that “today is going to be a good day.” When you start the day like that, you are choosing to receive the gift of joy that God sent to you. Today, make up your mind to answer the door to joy! Get up every morning and say, “Father, thank You for another beautiful day. I’m going to be happy. I’m going to enjoy this day because You are faithful. I’m going to brighten someone else’s life. I am choosing to receive Your g

Do You Want to Live Happy?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (Psalm 19:8, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria I have a friend who is going through treatment for cancer. He’s a young man, very talented, very athletic. If he had not told me, I would have never known anything was wrong. I’ve never once heard him complain. He’s always friendly, upbeat and enjoys life. I asked him the other day how he could keep such a good attitude during such a difficult time. He said, “Joel, when I get up in the morning, I ask myself, ‘Do you want to be depressed today or do you want to live happy?’ I choose to live happy.” Understand that if you’re going to be happy, you have to be happy on purpose. Happiness is not going to fall on you. You have to choose it by choosing right thoughts and focusing on the Father. You have to set your day in the direction that you want to go. You have to choose to meditate on H

Be Joyful in Hope

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God has given you everything you need in order to enjoy your life. Think about that for a minute. What is keeping you from living life to the full? You may not be in the home you want. You may not have the exact job you would like. Maybe you’re single and really want to be married. If you focus on these temporary things, it opens the door to comparison and frustration. It’s good to have big dreams. It’s good to want to increase. But if you start comparing yourself to others, it opens the door for the enemy to steal your joy. If you don’t learn to be happy where you are, you’ll never get to where you want to be. But if you’ll choose to be happy, refuse self-pity and refuse to complain, then you are sowing good seeds for God to take you where you want to be in your future. Friend, realize today that God is directing your steps. You have a future

Pursue Loyalty

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life...” (Proverbs 21:21, NASB) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you ever noticed that righteousness and loyalty go together? In other words, if we’re not being loyal — to our family, friends, country, job — then we aren’t going to experience God’s best. Loyal people are honorable people. When you’re loyal, you stick with someone through thick and thin. When you’re loyal, you keep your word — even if you get a “better” offer. Loyal people are respectful of their leaders. They honor their parents and defend their family. When you’re loyal, you are a person of integrity. You build trust and security in others. Is this an area where you can rise higher? Can you be more loyal? Are you faithful in the things you’re committed to? Don’t let the distractions of everyday life keep you from pursuing loyalty. Look for ways to be faithful to those around you. Is there something you need to set aside for the sake of a l

Don’t Put it Off

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Many people are waiting for their circumstances to change in order to be happy and enjoy their lives. All the time I hear things like, “As soon as I get out of this problem, Joel, I’ll be happy.” “As soon as I lose ten pounds...as soon as my business grows...as soon as my child straightens up...” No, if you don’t put your foot down and decide to be happy right now, there will always be something to keep you from being happy. God never intended for us to put off our happiness. We have a choice to make each and every day. We have to set our minds in the right direction. That’s why David said, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” He was saying, “This is the day to be happy; not tomorrow, not when the weather clears up. Not next week, when I don’t have to work so hard. Not next month, when I make it through t

Why God Laughs

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “He Who sits in the heavens laughs...” (Psalm 2:4, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you ever imagined God laughing in the heavens? Think about it for a moment. Right now, God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with us. No, God is full of joy and laughing on the throne. It goes on to tell us in Psalm 37 that He’s laughing because “He can see the destruction of the enemy coming.” In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is that you and I win. God always causes us to triumph! Imagine watching the Super Bowl when you already know the outcome. You already know who is going to win. No matter how far behind the winning team falls, no matter how bad it looks for them, you wouldn’t get upset. You wouldn’t be worried. Why? Because you’ve got inside information. You know the final outcome. That’s what God is saying to us today. When

The Process of Growing up

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria One thing I’ve learned is that just because God puts a dream in our hearts doesn’t mean it’s going to come to pass without any opposition. See, God is going to grow us up. He’s going to mature us. He’s going to prepare us to handle the promotion He has in store. I think about Joseph in the Bible. Starting out, he didn’t have a whole lot of wisdom. He was young and immature, and God had to do a work in his life. Joseph probably shouldn’t have told his brothers about his dream that they would one day serve him! As you can imagine, his brothers were not nearly as excited about that as he was. Long story short, Joseph had to go through some things to grow up and be ready for the promotion God had in store. Friend, it’

Get Your Joy Back

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Have you experienced something that has taken your joy and enthusiasm for your future? Today is the day to get it back! God has you here on purpose, for a purpose. It’s time to get excited about your future and learn to enjoy each and every day. If you don’t make the conscious effort to keep your joy, not only will the enemy rob you of the joy that belongs to you, but he’ll rob your family and friends of the gift that you have to give them. When you have joy, you can use that joy to influence the people around you for good. Joy is strength, and when you have joy, you can offer strength to the people God has placed in your life. Today, draw the line in the sand and decide, “I’m not going to live another day negative, discouraged, sour and grumpy. I’m g

Your Time is Coming

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “For the vision is yet for an appointed time...though it tarry, wait for it.” (Habakkuk 2:3, KJV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria If you’ve been standing in faith for the promises of God, I want you to know today that your time is coming! The dreams and desires in your heart, the things you want to accomplish, the situations you want to see changed will happen. Don’t give up just because it has taken a long time, or just because you’ve tried and failed. I encourage you today — get your fire back! Don’t be complacent about pursuing what God has placed in your heart. It may be taking a long time, but God is a faithful God. No matter how long it’s been, no matter how impossible it looks, if you’ll stay in faith, your time is coming. Every dream that’s in your heart, every promise that has taken root, God not only put it there, but He has every intention of bringing it to pass. Declare today, “My time is coming...God is working behind the scenes on my behalf..

Suit Up!

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” (Ephesians 6:13, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God has fully equipped you today with everything you need to stand strong in the midst of any battle you may be facing. He’s provided His full armor to protect your heart and mind, and empower you for victory! Ephesians 6:14–17 tells us about God’s spiritual armor — He’s given us the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith which stops the fiery darts of the enemy, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. You put on the armor by receiving the truth of His righteousness, peace, and salvation through His Word. When you do this, you are fully protected to resist the enemy and stand firm. Remember, your battle is not against flesh and blood. People ar