“In the same way, the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my distinction of preaching without charge… What then is my pay? It is the satisfaction I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights as a preacher.”
1 Corinthians 9:14-15, 18 (NLT)

JULY 21 - What an incredible man Paul was! The situation described here is a result of the shortcomings of the Corinthians. Though Paul was their spiritual father, the one who freely gave of himself so they could hear the Gospel, they did not treat him justly. Instead, they unwisely gave honor to people who did much less for them in comparison to Paul. And what was Paul’s response recorded in the Scriptures above?

• He never demanded his rights.
• He diligently worked to add to the Corinthians, not to use them for
  his opportunistic gain.

Do you go to work adding value, or are you like crawdads in a bucket? Every time one crawdad almost makes his way out of the bucket by walking all over the other guys, another crawdad reaches up, pinches
his leg, and pulls him right back to where he started. You can live that way if you choose, but you will have nothing to show for it. Instead, be the one to propel others to their promotion. Go to work to add value, not to use others.

Father, I thank You for enabling me to add value to my world. I pray that You would continue to give me opportunities to become the answer for others.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 11

Featured Resource

Repentance: God’s Key To Restoration - CD

One of the most shocking philosophies found in churches today is that one can live for Christ and partake of sin. In short, repentance is no longer considered necessary. God’s grace has been lifted higher than His command to “Repent.” Banished to the heap of dry doctrines along with sin, hell, fire, and brimstone, repentance is seldom taught and therefore greatly misunderstood. Yet according to God’s Word, repentance is vital not only for salvation, but also maturity in Christ to become the effective believer He wants you to be.

In this timely series, Dr. Robb Thompson clarifies the importance of repentance in salvation and daily life. This study offers you foundational instruction if you’re a new Christian and important reminders if you’re a veteran believer.

Posted under Giving

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14 (NLT)

JULY 20 - “For such a time as this…” Could that same phrase be said of you and me? I believe so. For such a time as this, we have been put on this earth to make a difference. We have been given all the tools we need to make a significant impact on the lives of those around us. The question is, are we?

Whether or not we like it, just as Jesus daily realized His destiny was approaching, so it is that our moment of destiny is coming closer all the time. Until then, we have only brief tastes of what our lives will represent. We must learn to take each of those little opportunities and use them to the fullest, and in time, we’ll arrive at bigger things. There is no turning back time, and no making up for lost opportunities.

We must pursue these four things:

• Character
• Excellence
• Understanding
• Relationships

These are the four requirements necessary for our grandest moment of destiny. God is working in us, but ultimately, the choice is ours!

Father, I thank You that You placed me here for such a time as this. Create in me the willingness and determination to accept Your transforming power in my life.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 10

Featured Resource

Repentance: God’s Key To Restoration - CD

One of the most shocking philosophies found in churches today is that one can live for Christ and partake of sin. In short, repentance is no longer considered necessary. God’s grace has been lifted higher than His command to “Repent.” Banished to the heap of dry doctrines along with sin, hell, fire, and brimstone, repentance is seldom taught and therefore greatly misunderstood. Yet according to God’s Word, repentance is vital not only for salvation, but also maturity in Christ to become the effective believer He wants you to be.

In this timely series, Dr. Robb Thompson clarifies the importance of repentance in salvation and daily life. This study offers you foundational instruction if you’re a new Christian and important reminders if you’re a veteran believer.

Posted under Winning

“But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
James 1:22 (KJV)

JULY 19 - The most intriguing section of the temple was also the most intimate location in the grand edifice. Just as a veil shielded females’ countenances for purity’s sake, a veil (or thick curtain) separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple. And although the Jewish priests were very knowledgeable in the  Scriptures, entering past the veil was only for the elect, established for one who truly knew how to  be intimate with the holy God. Intimacy with any person thrives on time spent together, disconnected from the pressures of life.

Our personal intimacy with God is very similar. Many contemporary believers know much about the  Word—they know what it says, but they don’t necessarily adhere to it. Sure they say they do, but their lives don’t reflect it. This is a dangerous trap, because it is very easy to equate knowledge with action, though the two are quite separate.

Consequently, many believers know that they should spend ample time in solitary prayer, yet they don’t do it. Instead, they turn on Christian television to hear about the awesome power of life-changing prayer or pick up the latest best-selling book on intimacy with God. They could even write books about the presence of God and how glorious it is, yet they don’t experience it for themselves. Students are taught theory in schools, but their complete training comes when they enter the workforce and face real-life problems and circumstances. In the same way, the presence of God can only be outlined by theory. Its fullness requires experience by real, consecrated, consistent, solitary prayer.

Father, I thank You for showing me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy, and at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Family Scripture Reading

Genesis 27

Featured Resource

You Are Healed - Book

From God’s perspective, health is not something that we lack and must try to attain. Rather, it is a possession that is already ours – but the thief is trying to steal it!

Jesus went to the cross to deliver us, once and for all, from the curse of sickness and disease. So, why does divine healing often seem to be so elusive? It’s because the only proof we have of our healing, until it is manifested, is the written Word of God.

Nevertheless, God’s Word is all the proof we need! Dr. Thompson shows you how to apply the principles of God’s Word to your life, until you experience the divine health in which God intends you to walk. This book equips you with the spiritual prescription needed to attain health, wholeness, and vitality in your body.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Man’s Opinion or God’s Word on Healing?
2 Healing Must Be Pursued
3 Different Ways Jesus Heals
4 Believing God For Yourself
5 Adjusting Your ‘Receiver’

Posted under Action

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Matthew 25:21 (KJV)

JULY 18 - Something was happening in early, nineteenth-century England— a drastic change for the better! Following various revivals, Englishmen began to depend less and less on superstitious charms and astrology to make their crops grow, instead, they put more and more faith into God’s principles. These men accepted responsibility by seeking ways to use their land in the most efficient manner possible, going far beyond their ancient traditions.

All growth requirements change. God expects change of us, just as a parent of his child. Like those English farmers, we must reach for more, pushing beyond what we have always done. The challenge we face, though, is maintaining our same level of excellence in our current responsibilities, as we boldly step into new ones. Even if we could do a great job at the next level of life, we will never have the freedom to enter that place if we neglect the duties of our present assignment.

This pitfall is very dangerous, and is often very well disguised. It is so tempting to imagine all the bliss of something new. And then, just as we are about ready to lay hold of that new thing, the ground beneath our feet falls out from under us like a jagged land fault, solely because we did not complete the very thing for which we were responsible. Let us, therefore, strive for growth while we flawlessly carry out the tasks we
were asked to complete.

Father, I thank You that You are faithful. I fulfill all my current responsibilities as if I were doing them for You, and I trust that You make my future dreams a reality!

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 10

Featured Resource

You Are Healed - Book

From God’s perspective, health is not something that we lack and must try to attain. Rather, it is a possession that is already ours – but the thief is trying to steal it!

Jesus went to the cross to deliver us, once and for all, from the curse of sickness and disease. So, why does divine healing often seem to be so elusive? It’s because the only proof we have of our healing, until it is manifested, is the written Word of God.

Nevertheless, God’s Word is all the proof we need! Dr. Thompson shows you how to apply the principles of God’s Word to your life, until you experience the divine health in which God intends you to walk. This book equips you with the spiritual prescription needed to attain health, wholeness, and vitality in your body.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Man’s Opinion or God’s Word on Healing?
2 Healing Must Be Pursued
3 Different Ways Jesus Heals
4 Believing God For Yourself
5 Adjusting Your ‘Receiver’

Posted under Responsibility

“…he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23 (NKJV)

JULY 17 - God engineered our bodies with chemical messengers so we can respond to the demands of our environment. Adrenaline is one such messenger; it prepares the body for intense action and dangerous situations. Suppose a person’s adrenal glands malfunctioned and didn’t supply adrenaline when it was needed. The muscles would never know they were supposed to go into action. Accurate messengers are vital to a person’s safety and well-being.

In the same way, our words function as spiritual messengers. They harness the power to create the outcome we desire in any situation. They have the power to change circumstances and create futures.

They even cause our dreams to materialize before our eyes. The first thing Jesus asked when a frantic Mary finally found her Son was, “How is it that you sought Me?” In other words Jesus calmly said, “Why are you so worried? Didn’t you realize that at age thirteen, the consecrated age of the Jews, I would create the future God planned all along?” We fashion our future with our words. We only achieve success after we use our mouths and declare with confidence the promises of God. Remember, words are messengers; they carry defeat and bring worry and death or transmit victory, peace, and life. This is stated very clearly in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” If we don’t like the situation we are in, we must change what we say. With our words, we determine the outcome of our lives. We frame our world for defeat or change what we say and frame our world for victory.

Father, I thank You that as You framed the world with Your Word, I frame my world with my words.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 8

Featured Resource

You Are Healed - Book

From God’s perspective, health is not something that we lack and must try to attain. Rather, it is a possession that is already ours – but the thief is trying to steal it!

Jesus went to the cross to deliver us, once and for all, from the curse of sickness and disease. So, why does divine healing often seem to be so elusive? It’s because the only proof we have of our healing, until it is manifested, is the written Word of God.

Nevertheless, God’s Word is all the proof we need! Dr. Thompson shows you how to apply the principles of God’s Word to your life, until you experience the divine health in which God intends you to walk. This book equips you with the spiritual prescription needed to attain health, wholeness, and vitality in your body.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Man’s Opinion or God’s Word on Healing?
2 Healing Must Be Pursued
3 Different Ways Jesus Heals
4 Believing God For Yourself
5 Adjusting Your ‘Receiver’

Posted under Words

“But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ…”
Ephesians 4:15 (NKJV)

JULY 16 - Before we ever begin to shine the light of correction upon another, we must first take the time to honestly evaluate whether or not we tell ourselves the truth. For instance, are we unapproachable about any area of our lives? Do we realize our own need for change? Jesus could not lie—it was utterly impossible! So when the Passover celebrations ended and the family traveled back to Nazareth, Jesus remained in the Temple, absorbed completely by the Word of God.

On the third day, when it was recognized that the boy was absent, His parents went back to search for Him. When asked about His actions, Jesus did not give excuses but simply questioned in return, “Didn’t you know I would be about My Father’s business?” God requires honesty with others. He may lead us to talk to someone who just doesn’t seem to understand the severity of his situation. If that person doesn’t recognize the potential consequences of his wrong behavior, we may come to the point where we cannot let the lie go on any longer—we must confront that person with the truth.

Proverbs 27:6 tells us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Many Christians want to spend all their time telling a person how great he is instead of loving him enough to tell him the truth he needs to hear, even if it hurts. Let us choose to be a true friend, speaking the truth in love, and working at building up one another in the things that matter to God. One last thing: Why not look to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 for the attitude we must possess so that we may begin to speak the truth in love?

Father, I thank You for revealing to me what I need to change about myself. As You do, I choose to be a faithful friend who speaks the truth in love.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 7

Featured Resource

You Are Healed - Book

From God’s perspective, health is not something that we lack and must try to attain. Rather, it is a possession that is already ours – but the thief is trying to steal it!

Jesus went to the cross to deliver us, once and for all, from the curse of sickness and disease. So, why does divine healing often seem to be so elusive? It’s because the only proof we have of our healing, until it is manifested, is the written Word of God.

Nevertheless, God’s Word is all the proof we need! Dr. Thompson shows you how to apply the principles of God’s Word to your life, until you experience the divine health in which God intends you to walk. This book equips you with the spiritual prescription needed to attain health, wholeness, and vitality in your body.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Man’s Opinion or God’s Word on Healing?
2 Healing Must Be Pursued
3 Different Ways Jesus Heals
4 Believing God For Yourself
5 Adjusting Your ‘Receiver’

Posted under Truth

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

JULY 15 - What is the difference between an over-achiever and an underachiever? The under-achiever never changes the picture that is painted onto the canvas of his mind.

If we want to escape from the habits and ideologies created by our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, we must renew our minds. What kind of life do we desire? God’s Word produces for us when we take His thoughts and saturate our minds with them on a daily basis. Let me add a note of caution here: many Christians meditate on the Word and confess it for countless hours yet never receive any benefit from it. Why is that? Because they never act on it! Although thousands flooded Herod’s Temple at the time of the Passover, giving sacrifices and listening to the Scriptures that were read, without the thought transformation that demonstrated that faith, their religious actions were as worthless as the ashes from their sacrifices!

We must pressurize the Word of God that dwells in our hearts. It has to work! God is absolutely faithful to His Word, and He is not a respecter of persons. We must stick with the Word as tenaciously as children stick to their parents in a huge crowd, encouraging God’s thoughts at all costs. As we meditate on the Scriptures and speak the Word of God with our mouths, our new actions lead to our breakthrough.

Father, I thank You that I am not conformed to this world but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. I am transformed by replacing my old thoughts with Your thoughts.

Family Scripture Reading

Proverbs 7

Featured Resource

You Are Healed - Book

From God’s perspective, health is not something that we lack and must try to attain. Rather, it is a possession that is already ours – but the thief is trying to steal it!

Jesus went to the cross to deliver us, once and for all, from the curse of sickness and disease. So, why does divine healing often seem to be so elusive? It’s because the only proof we have of our healing, until it is manifested, is the written Word of God.

Nevertheless, God’s Word is all the proof we need! Dr. Thompson shows you how to apply the principles of God’s Word to your life, until you experience the divine health in which God intends you to walk. This book equips you with the spiritual prescription needed to attain health, wholeness, and vitality in your body.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Man’s Opinion or God’s Word on Healing?
2 Healing Must Be Pursued
3 Different Ways Jesus Heals
4 Believing God For Yourself
5 Adjusting Your ‘Receiver’

Posted under Meditation, Mind, Mind Renewal

“…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)

JULY 14 - “What was he thinking?” A young mother glanced over at her husband, wondering how her son could possibly think he could get away with stealing the neighbor’s new soccer ball without anyone discovering it. “Maybe he thought about it since he saw it the other day,” her husband wisely replied. Whatever you allow to harbor in your mind and dwell upon in your thoughts are seeds that develop and produce after their own kind. All thoughts that suggest weakness, failure, unhappiness, or poverty are harmful and self-destructing.

• We must see those thoughts as enemies attempting to break out into manifestation.
• We must counterattack those thoughts whenever they try to gain ascendancy in our minds.
• We must avoid them as we would thieves…for they truly are…and of the highest degree.

Our minds must be kept free from devastating bitterness, resentment, hatred, suspicion, and everything that does not line up with God’s thoughts. The apostle Paul tells us, “I see another law in my members, warring against the laws of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” We are in a battle, and we must choose to get on the battleship called “Godly Thinking” if we are ever going to experience Heaven’s best. God gave us the weapons with which to fight. We are to pull down and bring every negative thought into the obedience of Christ. If He did not say it, then we should not
think it.

Father, I thank You that I watch over my thoughts and I make sure to think only what You think. I understand my thoughts are the compass that guides my life to its desired destination.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 6

Featured Resource

Excellence In Character - Book

Have you tested your foundation lately?

A house built on a faulty foundation soon becomes unfit to live in. Shifting soil causes cracks in the foundation. Gradually those cracks travel upward to the walls and ceilings of the house, causing more and more structural damage — not to mention more headaches to those who live inside. Think of the loss and trouble the homeowners could have avoided if they had only tested the foundation before they moved in!

In the same way, we will save ourselves a lifetime of grief if we will just take the time to test the foundation of our lives — our character — and deal with any cracks or flaws that could later lead to disaster. As author Robb Thompson stresses, “Without a strong, solid foundation of God’s principles undergirding our lives, everything else we attempt to build or accomplish will eventually crumble and fall. In fact, any breakdown in life can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in character.”

Let Dr. Thompson help you explore what God has to say about pursuing excellent character. Then start building a rock-solid, Godly character that will lead you to God’s highest for your life!

Posted under General

“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withhold“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 (NKJV)

JULY 13 - Erected in the shape of a trapezoid, the temple was bounded on the east by the Valley of Kidron, on the west by the valley of Tyropoeon. Entrance to the entire temple enclosure was gained by two gates on the southern end and four gates on the west. Built with abundance and beauty in mind, prior to Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection, the temple was the divine connection between the people and God. There is also a divine connection between Kingdom laws and the abundant life God promised. Sowing and reaping is a divine law God established in this universe. As a law, it works repeatedly. For us to live in abundance, however, we must accurately apply the laws of God’s Word.

God’s Kingdom functions according to principle, not desire. Regardless of what we want, we only receive in proportion to the principles we follow. Receiving God’s blessings requires us to comply with God’s manner of doing things. His principles produce for anyone willing to apply them. The secret to our harvest is contained within the law of sowing and reaping. What we faithfully plant, we faithfully harvest.

Fear is the underlying factor keeping many believers from taking the steps toward a life of sowing and expecting a harvest. When Satan uses fear to cause us to withhold our seed, He controls the outcome of our lives. We must face fear head on by sowing in faith, knowing God does not lie. The moment we sow is the moment abundance is scheduled for our future.

Father, I thank You that as I scatter, I increase. I refuse to withhold; I am a generous, cheerful, prompt to do it giver whose heart is in my giving.

Family Scripture Reading

Romans 5

Featured Resource

Excellence In Character - Book

Have you tested your foundation lately?

A house built on a faulty foundation soon becomes unfit to live in. Shifting soil causes cracks in the foundation. Gradually those cracks travel upward to the walls and ceilings of the house, causing more and more structural damage — not to mention more headaches to those who live inside. Think of the loss and trouble the homeowners could have avoided if they had only tested the foundation before they moved in!

In the same way, we will save ourselves a lifetime of grief if we will just take the time to test the foundation of our lives — our character — and deal with any cracks or flaws that could later lead to disaster. As author Robb Thompson stresses, “Without a strong, solid foundation of God’s principles undergirding our lives, everything else we attempt to build or accomplish will eventually crumble and fall. In fact, any breakdown in life can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in character.”

Let Dr. Thompson help you explore what God has to say about pursuing excellent character. Then start building a rock-solid, Godly character that will lead you to God’s highest for your life!

Posted under abundance

“An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.”
Proverbs 20:21 (NKJV)

JULY 12 - As one of the smaller wonders of the ancient world, Herod’s temple dazzled the Jews with its grandeur and magnificent architecture. At age thirteen, Jesus and His family joined much of the nation,
traveling to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festivities. Denying themselves comfort, the pilgrims from Nazareth slept on mats under the stars, traipsing over rocky hills and thorny scrub in order to maintain
this long-term tradition inside their family.

Today, people lose in life, not because they are destined to lose, but because they live with a short-term mindset. Happy and successful people sacrifice today in order to enjoy the benefits of tomorrow.

They use their present as an investment for their future. They live with the end in mind. They are strategic about their success rather than reliant on a lofty hope that life will turn out the way they want. If you haven’t already noticed, you don’t get out of life what you want; you only get what you put into it. You reap what you sow. What are you willing to do to ensure happiness and success at your final destination?

The majority of people want to enjoy short-term benefits while simultaneously hoping to partake of long-term pleasures. It is no different than the individual who eats unhealthy foods yet expects to enigmatically retain a slim figure and a strong body. If you desire to live a happy and successful life, accept short-term self-denial. It is a choice few are willing to make, but it guarantees you a bright and fulfilling future.

Father, I thank You that I wait patiently for my inheritance. I refuse to gain my inheritance too hastily, and therefore I expect You to bless me in the end.

Family Scripture Reading

Genesis 26

Featured Resource

Excellence In Character - Book

Have you tested your foundation lately?

A house built on a faulty foundation soon becomes unfit to live in. Shifting soil causes cracks in the foundation. Gradually those cracks travel upward to the walls and ceilings of the house, causing more and more structural damage — not to mention more headaches to those who live inside. Think of the loss and trouble the homeowners could have avoided if they had only tested the foundation before they moved in!

In the same way, we will save ourselves a lifetime of grief if we will just take the time to test the foundation of our lives — our character — and deal with any cracks or flaws that could later lead to disaster. As author Robb Thompson stresses, “Without a strong, solid foundation of God’s principles undergirding our lives, everything else we attempt to build or accomplish will eventually crumble and fall. In fact, any breakdown in life can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in character.”

Let Dr. Thompson help you explore what God has to say about pursuing excellent character. Then start building a rock-solid, Godly character that will lead you to God’s highest for your life!

Posted under Self-Image