Day 1
Leave It Behind
PHILIPPIANS 3:13
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Say goodbye to the things you didn’t understand, any offense you’re hanging on to, anger and bitterness that lingers. Say goodbye to always having to be right and being argumentative, sarcastic, critical, and seeing the worst. Say goodbye to guilt and regrets and dysfunctions. Say goodbye to a wrong self-image, to feeling inferior, and not good enough. Say goodbye to any relationships that you know are wrong and causing you to compromise.
This is a new day that leads into a new year. Start embracing who God says you are. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are a masterpiece. You’re forgiven and redeemed. God has something better ahead. The favor on your life will take you where you couldn’t go on your own. New doors are going to open to new levels, new relationships, healings, freedom, and breakthroughs. It’s going to be a bountiful, abundant, flourishing year.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the new year that is right in front of me. Thank You that I can say goodbye to all the negative baggage that would try to keep me from moving ahead. I look forward to the new things You’re doing in my life this year. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Luke 9:62
Then Jesus declared, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Hebrews 6:1
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God
Luke 10:42
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Day 2 Tune Your Heart In
Psalm 125:4
Do good, O LORD,Unto those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
Notice in today’s Scripture that you can be in tune or out of tune with God. If you go around thinking, “I’ll never get well, I can’t get the promotion, things just go from bad to worse,” you’re not in tune with God. In the Scripture, He says, “I am all-powerful. I am healing. I am provision. I am abundance. I am protection. I am favor.” If you’re going to get in tune with Him, you can’t think weak, defeated, get-by, hope-this-works-out thoughts.
The way to get in tune with God is to think what He says about you—not what you feel, not what it looks like, not what the experts say, and not what the economy says. You have to say what the Most High God has spoken about you in His Word. The Scripture says, “Whose report will you believe?” The way you get in tune with God is by thinking victorious, overcoming, faith-filled thoughts. Think favor thoughts, abundance thoughts, healing thoughts, and the Creator of the universe goes to work.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I can tune myself into the way You see me as blessed, prosperous, healthy, strong, talented, and successful. Help me to tune out all the negative, limiting thoughts that hold me back. I declare that I believe Your report over what I feel and hear around me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Psalm 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Psalm 119:80
Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
Psalm 36:10
Extend Your loving devotion to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Day 3 Don’t Miss Your Moment
Jonah 3:4
And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
God told the prophet Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh that in forty days He was going to destroy their wicked city. God put a time period on it. He was saying, “You have forty days to get your lives right.” He didn’t say, “Whenever you feel like it is okay, just as long as you do it.” When Jonah told the people, they and their king immediately confessed their sorrow and declared a fast of repentance. They didn’t wait a week or twenty days, and God spared the city.
Is there something you could change in the next forty days, and you would see God’s favor in a new way? Maybe God is saying, “You have this much time to get your priorities in order, to forgive that person, or to get serious about your relationship with Me.” I don’t know what it is for you, but there’s a window of grace that doesn’t last forever. It comes with a time limitation. Don’t miss your moment. Be quick to obey.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for how You speak to my heart and for giving me windows of grace that help me change and see Your favor in new ways. Help me to be sensitive to Your still, small voice and hear any alarms, promptings, and suggestions, and to be quick to obey. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Jonah 3:10
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Deuteronomy 18:22
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
Day 4 Have an Uncommon Commitment
Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
In the Scripture, Naomi’s husband died unexpectedly, then ten years later both of her married sons died. When Naomi decided to move back to Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Orpah took the easy way out and stayed where she was. But her other daughter-in-law, Ruth, refused to leave her, even though it meant hard labor and poverty conditions. She was willing to live by a higher standard. That uncommon commitment to do the right thing brought uncommon favor. Not only did God bless Ruth with a husband and son, but their great-grandson was named David. Ruth went from barely surviving to ending up in the family line of Jesus Christ. It wouldn’t have happened if she was common.
Are there areas that you’re being common in, taking the easy way out, doing what everyone else is doing? The good news is that it’s not too late to change. You can be a Ruth. God has uncommon favor, uncommon opportunities, and uncommon relationships in your future, but you have to do your part and be uncommon.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are my God and that You’ve called me to follow You wherever You lead. Thank You that You know every unfair and difficult situation I have faced and will face. I declare that I will have an uncommon commitment to doing what is right. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
2 Kings 2:2-6
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel…
Luke 24:28,29
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further…
Acts 21:13
Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Day 5 Bigger Than
Psalm 68: 1
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: Let them also that hate him flee before him
In today’s Scripture, “let” means you have to allow God to arise in your thoughts. When you let God arise, you make Him bigger than your problems, bigger than any sickness, bigger than financial troubles. You focus on His greatness. You think about His power. You talk about how He’s brought you through in the past. You go around bragging on what He’s done and declaring His promises. The bigger you make God, the smaller your problems become, and the more faith will rise in your heart.
The enemy is always trying to get us to let the problem arise. That’s why it’s so important to keep a song of praise in your heart all through the day. Instead of worrying, thinking about all the things that are wrong and what might not work out, turn all that worry time into worship time. That’s not just being positive, that’s letting God arise. That’s what allows the most powerful force in the universe to go to work on your behalf.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that Your greatness, power, and glory are all beyond my imagining. Thank You that my greatest problem is dwarfed by Your greatness and Your promises meet all my needs. I declare that I will worship You and let You arise in my heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Psalm 92:9
For surely Your enemies, O LORD, surely Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
Psalm 132:8
Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.
Jeremiah 46:15
Why have your warriors been laid low? They cannot stand, for the LORD has thrust them down
Day 6 Because of the Blood
Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
It’s easy to live under guilt and condemnation, feeling we’ve made too many mistakes to be forgiven. Our enemy, the accuser of the brethren, will remind you of everything you’ve ever done wrong. Do you think your mistakes are too much for the blood shed by the sinless, spotless, all-powerful Son of God? The blood of the Lamb is the blood that defeated the enemy, it’s the blood that crushed Satan’s head, it’s the blood that took away the keys of death and hell, it’s the blood that makes demons tremble, it’s the blood that caused the earth to shake and the sun refuse to shine. It’s because of the blood of Jesus that the blind were healed, the lepers cured, the lady caught in adultery was restored, and the soldiers who crucified Him were forgiven.
No mistake you’ve made is too much for that blood. So shake off the guilt and condemnation and receive His forgiveness and mercy. Because of the blood of Jesus, our sins have been permanently taken away.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the incredible price that Jesus paid through the shedding of His blood for my sins. Thank You for redeeming me on the cross and for Your promise that my sins have been permanently taken away. I declare that I am forgiven and free from condemnation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!"
1 John 2:13
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
Revelation 2:10
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Day 7 In the Fullness of Time
Galatians 4:4-5
but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
God reminds us that in the fullness of time He gave us the most wonderful gift that has ever been given…this gift is Jesus. The apostle Paul was so overwhelmed at the thought of all that God has given us in His Son that instead of trying to put it all in words, he says, “Thank God for His Son—His Gift too wonderful for words.” Jesus is God’s perfect, indescribable gift. “God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, so that we can have eternal life.” Jesus, the babe in the manger. Jesus, the Savior of the world, who brought the promise of unconditional love, unending hope, and eternal life to every person who believes in Him.
And the amazing thing is that not only are we able to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, but we are able to share Him with others every day of the year!
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the perfect, indescribable gift of Your Son Jesus, who is too wonderful for words. Thank You for the gift of eternal life, the unending hope found in Him, and the unconditional love You have given me. I look forward to sharing this gift with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Day 8
Great Mercy
Matthew 1:20
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant and the baby was not his, he had so many reasons to back out of the wedding. Even after the angel intervened and spoke today’s Scripture to him, he could have said, “This is going to be way too hard. I’m done.” But he was a honorable man, committed and loyal. He walked back into the relationship when others would have walked out.
In your relationships, there may be times when you have good reasons to get out. Someone’s let you down and done things that hurt you deeply. It was wrong. Nobody would fault you if you walked away. But when you’re committed, you show great mercy when others don’t deserve it. A true friend is there to care for others when they fail. Sure, there are reasons at times for why a relationship must be ended, but don’t make bailing out a pattern when others let you down. God honors people who will be their best when someone else is at their worst.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for calling me to be someone who loves at all times and is committed to the people You put in my life. Thank You for the great mercy You’ve always shown me when I have failed and made mistakes. Help me to be someone who is there for others when they need mercy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Day 9 It’s Not Too Big
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
When the angel told Mary she would give birth to the Messiah, she asked how it was possible, since she was a virgin. She was talking about the physical, but I believe there’s a deeper meaning to her question. God was saying, “My promises are not dependent on man.” You don’t have to have a certain person to fulfill your destiny. You don’t need your boss or someone with power to help you catch a break. God’s promises are not dependent on who you know or who you don’t know. The main thing is for you to know Him. God controls it all.
If God can do it without a man, He can do it without a bank and without medicine. You may have spent long enough considering your circumstances. It’s time to start considering your God. He is the all-powerful Creator of the universe. What He has spoken over your life may seem impossible. It may look too big. Do as Mary did and simply believe. Believing is the key.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for Your promise to Mary that her giving birth to Your Son was possible because You controlled it. Thank You that Your promises to me are equally as possible because You control it. My eyes are on You alone to do what no man can do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Judges 13:8
Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born…
Acts 9:6
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Luke 1:33
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!"
Day 10 Be Patient
Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
When Moses was a young man, God put the dream in his heart to deliver the Israelites out of slavery. But he got in a hurry and stepped out of God’s timing, killing an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. He spent forty years on the back side of the desert in hiding. It looked as though that one mistake disqualified him from God’s calling. I’m sure he often thought, “You’re a failure. You missed out.” But at eighty years old, having learned to be patient and humble, God came to Moses and said, “Now you’re ready. Go deliver My people.”
God doesn’t judge you by one mistake or by five thousand mistakes. His calling on your life is irrevocable. Moses had given up, but God doesn’t give up. You may have counted yourself out, but God has already counted you in. That mistake doesn’t determine the rest of your life. Keep doing the right thing, keep passing the test. God is about to take you to the next level.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the calling You put in my heart and that my mistakes and failures cannot nullify it. Thank You for the steps and the refining process You are working to bring it to pass in my life. Help me to be patient and know You are always on schedule. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Ephesians 1:4
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
Colossians 1:11
being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience
Day 11 A Little Faith
Luke 17:6
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
When the odds are against you and what you’re up against seems impossible, don’t believe the lie that you don’t have enough faith. God says when you have faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds. A little faith is like a little match that can ignite a huge fire. A little faith can start a huge blessing. Little faith can open big doors. Little faith can heal you from a terminal illness. Little faith can defeat great giants.
You have the faith you need to get you to your destiny. Now do your part and start mixing in faith to ignite the promises of God in your life. How do you mix in your faith? You agree with what God promised. “Lord, thank You that I can do all things through Christ. Thank You that the enemies I see today I will see no more.” That’s not just being positive, that’s mixing in your faith. That’s what activates the promise.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You don’t expect me to have a great faith that never doubts. Thank You that You see my mustard seed faith and that it is enough to make anything impossible. I believe that as I mix my faith with Your promises that You will ignite great things. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Matthew 21:21
Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mark 9:23
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Luke 13:19
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
Day 12 Power to Endure
LUKE 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
The night before Jesus was crucified, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He knew the suffering He would face. He felt weary, lonely, and so overcome with emotion that His sweat was like drops of blood. Remember that even though Jesus is fully God, He is fully man. He felt everything we have felt. He felt overwhelmed. In that moment when it seemed as though He couldn’t go on, God sent an angel to strengthen Him.
God knows the weight of what you are carrying. He sees you being your best as you raise the children, fight an addiction, or face the illness. When you run out of strength, don’t worry, for angels are coming. Help is on the way. You’re going to feel strength that you didn’t have, joy when you could be discouraged, hope when you should be depressed. You’re going to have the power to endure, the favor to overcome, the determination to outlast. It’s not because of your own efforts; it’s the angels ministering to you.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You know all the things I am carrying, and You make provisions of special strength for me all along the way. Thank You that You even send angels in various forms to minister to my needs. I believe that I have the power to endure whatever I face. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Scriptures
Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Deuteronomy 3:28
But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.
Acts 14:22
strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. "We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said
