Say
What?
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
Since we have the same
spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I
spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak
2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV.
TODAY’S
WORD
Scripture says, “The spirit
of faith is in our words.” My question today is, “What’s coming out of your
mouth?” Are you talking about how big your problems are, or are you talking
about how big your God is?
As believers, our attitude
should always be an attitude of praise—“Father, business may be slow, but I
want to thank You that You’re supplying all of my needs.” “My circumstance may
seem impossible, but thank You, God, that all things are possible with You!” We
should always find a reason to give thanks!
This is what Jonah did.
After complaining for eight verses, he had a change of heart in verse nine. He
said, “God, in spite of my difficulties, I’m going to offer unto You the
sacrifice of praise with a voice of thanksgiving.” While sitting in the belly
of the whale, instead of complaining, he began to worship.” The next verse says
that the whale spit him out onto dry ground, and he went on to fulfill his
destiny.
If you feel like you’re in
the belly of a whale, if you feel trapped, if things seem dark, remember,
praise always precedes the victory! Open your mouth and declare His praises!
Say what the Word says and watch the breakthrough come to pass!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father God, I humbly come
to You in the precious name of Jesus Christ. I commit my words and thoughts to
You. I choose to say what the Word says. I choose to speak the truth and trust
that You are working for my good in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 NIV)
To have an effective quiet time, you must pick a specific time to meet with the Lord each day and decide how long it should be. The general rule is this: The best time is when you are at your best! Give God the best part of your day, when you are the freshest and most alert. Don’t try to serve God with yourleftover time. Remember, too, that your best time may be different from someone else’s.
For most of us, however, early in the morning seems to be the best time. It was Jesus’ own practice to rise early to pray and meet with the Father: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).
In the Bible, many godly men and women rose early to meet with God. Some of these were:
(See also Psalm 143:8; Isaiah 26:9; Ezekiel 12:8)
You might even consider having two quiet times (morning and night). Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, used to have code letters for his nightly quiet time: HWLW. Whenever he was with a group of people at night or home with his wife and the conversation seemed to be ending, he would say, “All right, HWLW.” HWLW stood for “His Word the Last Word.” He practiced that through the years as a way of ending a day with one’s thoughts fixed on the Lord (Betty Lee Skinner, Daws, Zondervan, 1974, p. 103).
Whatever time you set, be consistent in it. Schedule it on your calendar; make an appointment with God as you would with anyone else. Make a date with Jesus!
Then look forward to it, and don’t stand him up. A stood-up date is not a pleasant experience for us, and Jesus does not like to be stood up either. So make a date with him, and keep it at all costs.
The question is often asked, “How much time should I spend with the Lord?” If you’ve never had a consistent quiet time before, you may want to start with seven minutes (Robert D. Foster, Seven Minutes with God, NavPress, 1997) and let it grow naturally. You should aim to eventually spend not less than 15 minutes a day with the Lord.
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