Enter with This
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Psalm 100:4, NKJV.
TODAY’S WORD
As believers, we have the honor and
privilege to enter boldly into God’s presence. Scripture says that we can come
to His throne of grace and receive His mercy. Because He loves us, He has given
us unlimited access to Himself 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But notice that today’s verse tells us
that we shouldn’t just come any old way to God. We shouldn’t come empty-handed
to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. What can we bring? What do we have
that’s worthy of Almighty God? Our praise. Our thanksgiving. Our worship. We
are to enter His gates with an offering from our hearts of adoration because He
is worthy!
We have to understand, praise isn’t
just about singing songs on Sunday mornings. Praise is the expression of gratefulness
to Father God for Who He is and all that He has done. Praise gets God’s
attention. Praise is a powerful tool in the life of the believer because God
inhabits our praises! When we enter His presence the right way, He enters our
circumstances, and when God shows up, the enemy must flee! Today, enter into
His gates with thanksgiving and open the door for Him to move on your behalf!
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, I come to You today with
thanksgiving in my heart. I enter into Your courts with praise. Today I declare
that You are good, and Your mercy endures forever! Have Your way in me by the
power of Your Holy Spirit in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
5 hours ago
"Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren't you worth much more than birds?" (Matthew 6:26 TEV)
Is there such a thing as coincidence? The way you answer that question will affect the way you give thanks this week. If the blessing you receive is just an accident, you can be glad. But can you be grateful?
If you understand that any blessing comes from God, then you can be grateful to him as well as the people he sends to bless you. Our ability to see God’s hand in the blessings we receive deepens our faith because we not only see him active in our circumstances; we also see him providing for our needs.
Let me give you an example. Several years ago, I realized one morning that I didn’t have enough money to make my next mortgage payment. No doubt, in this economy, you can relate. I’d been laid off twice by companies forced into bankruptcy. I’d gone through my savings, drained my retirement accounts, and, along the way, I was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.
I’d applied for several jobs and had always been a highly productive worker, but my confidence was collapsing, and, because of the bipolar, I wasn’t sure if I could handle a standard 40-hour-a-week job.
That morning I talked to God about my circumstances. Oh, who am I kidding? I yelled at God about my circumstances (I’m so glad he allows that)! I was tired of the financial pressure. I reminded God I had two graduate degrees and 25 years experience; I deserved better than a minimum wage job.
After I vented my anger, I quieted down and said, “God, I don’t know what to do, but I’m looking to you. I haven’t got a clue. I’ll do whatever you want, God. You’re in charge.”
I sat down on the couch and in a conversation with my Heavenly Father, I said, “You know, I really liked ministering with Rick Warren at Saddleback. And that’s the kind of job I need right now, because they would allow me to work around my (bipolar) energy levels. Do you think you can find something like that for me to do?”
A few days later, the phone rang. It was one of the unsung heroes at Saddleback Church, David Chrzan, who serves as chief of staff.
He said, “Jon, we have a staff member leaving, and I wanted to see if you could help us with an online ministry.”
Was that a coincidence or was it God, the Great Engineer, at work?
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