Whose Report Will You Believe?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
I have heard
a report from the Lord…
Jeremiah
49:14, AMP.
TODAY’S WORD
Every day we
get “reports” from the news, our experiences, our friends and family, and many
other sources. We also get reports from the Word of God, which oftentimes,
contradicts what others are saying. That’s when we have a choice: do we believe
what we hear in the natural, or do we believe the report of the Lord?
Friend, we
serve a supernatural God! Just because we don’t see a way doesn’t mean that He
doesn’t have a way. God can bring one opportunity across your path that will
thrust you to a new level. He has explosive blessings that can blast you out of
debt and into abundance. “Well, I don’t think I’ll ever get well. You should
see what the medical report says about me.” No, that may be true according to
medical science, but we have another report and it says, “You will live and not
die. God is restoring health unto you.” With men it may be impossible, but with
God all things are possible.
Choose today
to believe the report of the Lord. Stand strong no matter what is going on
around you knowing that He is leading you into victory in every area of your
life!
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in
heaven, I choose to believe Your Word above all else. I know that You are
working behind the scenes on my behalf, and You will cause me to triumph. Help
me to tune out the negative voices of the world so that I can focus on Your
goodness all the days of my life in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” (1 John 3:21 NIV)
You’ve probably noticed that your confidence ebbs and flows. It varies greatly from day to day: One day you're up, and one day you're down. What causes that?
In part, it’s about what is going on inside of you. The Bible teaches, “If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:21 NIV). When we face life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups, it’s important that we walk out of self-condemnation and into the faithful confidence that God forgives us.
What causes self-condemnation?
Unresolved guilt: King David wrote, “There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration” (Psalm 32:3 LB).
This reminds me of a sign I saw the other day: “A clean engine produces more power.” That's true in humans, too. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who wrote “Sherlock Holmes,” once pulled a prank on 12 prominent Englishmen. He sent them an anonymous note that said, "All is found out. Flee at once." Within 24 hours, eight of those men had left the country! Guilt destroys your confidence.
Unrealistic expectations: This is also known as perfectionism — the feeling that I must be flawless, that I must please everybody, that I always have to do more, that I’m not allowed to relax.
If you're a perfectionist, your favorite phrase is, “I should … I must … I ought … I have to …” You’re always doing more.
If you're an average person, you have three things on your daily “to do” list. You get one of them done, you leave one of them unfinished, and the third one you just forget about. You go home and put your feet up at night and feel good about yourself.
If you're a perfectionist, you have 29 things on your daily “to do” list. You finish 28 of them, then you go home and feel like a failure! The Bible says, “Even perfection has its limits, but [God’s] commands have no limit” (Psalm 119:96 NLT).
Both guilt and perfectionism cause a lack of confidence in our lives.
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