Day 21: "It's hopeless.”

Your thought life is the gateway to your destiny!

God's purpose and will for your life doesn't start with a great dream or great effort on your part. It simply starts with right thinking; It begins with mindsets that line up with God's way of thinking.

Today, we are FASTING from the thought that says, "It's hopeless.”

When problems mount; society seems to be getting worse; or you continue to struggle in your home, finances or health, its easy to feel hopeless!

LET'S CHANGE IT TODAY

1.See Hope as a GIFT. Jeremiah 29:11 says: God GIVES you hope. It’s a gift. It is not earned or deserved. When hope seems lost, just ASK for this precious gift.

2. God has a plan! No matter how it looks, He has a master plan that includes getting you through whatever you're facing! Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know what I'm doing. I have it all PLANNED out…" (Message Bible)

3. Your great future is a gift too! Accept a great future, as a gift, no matter what the present looks like now. God said His plan is: "…to GIVE you a future & a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11b)

4. Believe in the POWER of the Holy Spirit today. Romans 15:13 says, "The God of Hope fills you with all joy & peace, through believing—that you may overflow with hope by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.” Expect His power. And hope will come!

5. Get some substance. Faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). Stand on ONE promise from God's Word today. That's what gives you substance—causing your hope to be substantial.

THINK IT AND SAY IT

My God is the God of hope. He never runs out, therefore I never run out. Hope is a gift, and I ask for it and receive it right now. I trust God's plan will overtake my situation. My future is great because God has it all planned out. The power of the Holy Spirit is working in me, to flood me with overflowing hope, in Jesus' Name.

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email

Day 20: "Happiness is so hard to find."

Today we're fasting from the thought that says, "Happiness is so hard to find."

People have been looking for happiness—trying to buy it, trade for it or discover it, since time began. But it's not as hard to find, as we have thought.

LET'S CHANGE THIS THINKING TODAY

1. You don't have to find happiness. It will find you! Matthew 6:33 says, "... all these things will be ADDED to you." Expect happiness to be added to you, as you seek God’s kingdom & talk to Him.

2. Happy is the man who does not condemn himself (Romans 14:22). REFUSE to tolerate condemnation another second of your life. Romans 8:1 says there is NO condemnation, for those in Christ.

3. Treat unhappiness as a signal to TRUST God. Jeremiah 17:7 says blessed (HAPPY, fortunate & to be envied) is the man that trusts in the Lord. Shift your trust to God, not others; and happiness will flow.

4. The supreme happiness in life is the ASSURANCE that you are loved. (John 15:13.) You can be sure God loves you—no matter what. Nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:39.) Think on that.  Happiness will come.

5. God will help you be happy today. Psalm 146:5 says, "Happy is he whose help & hope are in the Lord." Ask for His help today. Ask Him for hope today. Believe you have received it, and joy will come.

6. In His presence is FULLNESS of joy. (Psalm 16:11.) Be mindful that you are in His presence NOW, by the blood of Jesus. (Hebrews 10:19.) And the Holy Spirit lives in you! (Romans 8:11.) It will change your view of life.

THINK IT AND SAY IT

I have the fullness of joy & happiness in life, because I am in God's presence and the Holy Spirit lives in me. I walk in the supreme happiness of life, knowing that I am loved by God. I refuse to condemn myself, since there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. God will always help me, and my hope is in Him, therefore I am happy, in Jesus' Name!

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email

"I just can't forgive myself."

Today we are fasting from the thought that says: "I just can't forgive myself."

Who hasn't thought that at one time or another? The devil would love to keep us in self-condemnation for the things we have done or failed to do. He knows it paralyzes us and prevents us from making the impact that God intended for us.

LET'S CHANGE IT TODAY

1. Realize that we only deserve forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus. Its not because our mistakes "never happened," or "it wasn't that bad". Give up rationalizations and excuses. Receive God’s mercy.

2. It WAS THAT bad, but God is even MORE good! James 2:13 says mercy triumphs over judgment. His mercy toward you TRUMPS your judgment over yourself.  In Luke 22:34, Peter denied the Lord three times, and Jesus forgave him. Later, Peter preached the first sermon after Jesus rose from the dead, and 3000 people were saved in a day! Peter was able to forgive himself when he knew Jesus had accepted him. In the same way, realize that you have been accepted by God, no matter what you have done—simply by believing in His finished work on the cross.

3. Give up your right to hold against yourself ANYTHING that God Himself does not hold against you. If God can forgive you, you can forgive yourself. His standard is absolute perfection, and He forgives you. Psalm 103:12 says, "As far as east is from west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."

4. Stop rehearsing what you did. It's done. It's over. Now accept the second chance (or third or fourth…) that God offers. Philippians 3:10 says "forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward... " Reaching forward starts in your thought life.

5. Believe that guilt doesn't come from God. He doesn't impose guilt on you to try to get you to stop doing something. Romans 2:4 says it is His lovingkindness that draws us to repentance. Since this guilt and shame doesn't come from God, there can be only one other source—the devil. James 4:7 says, "Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

6. Give up the SELF-PUNISHMENT. Some people think subconsciously:  "I'll make myself feel bad to pay for what has been done." Why should we pay the price that has ALREADY been paid for what we've done wrong? Stop beating yourself up. Whatever we have done that we can't seem to forgive ourselves for, is already forgiven. By trying to "pay for what we have done," we are doubting & insulting the very blood of Jesus that HAS PAID the price in full. Accept His free gift.(Ephesians 1:7).

THINK IT & SAY IT

I receive mercy today, because of the blood of Jesus. Though I didn't deserve it, God proclaims over me, that I am "not guilty." Where I have failed, God's mercy triumphs over judgment.

I give up my right today to hold ANYTHING against myself. I deserve to be punished, but Jesus took THAT punishment for me. I forget what lies behind and press on, moving forward in my life with God, even though I feel like I have blown it beyond repair.

I reject this guilt and self-condemnation that the devil is trying to put on me. God is the God of second chances. I will no longer try to make myself feel bad to pay for what I've done. The price for what I did or failed at has been paid in full by Jesus’ blood!

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email

"It's too hard to find God's will."

Today we're fasting from the thought that says: "It's too hard to find God's will."

Many people struggle so hard to do the will of God, only to be frustrated, and often confused. Can we ever be SURE of the will of God? We can. And I believe this will help.

LET'S CHANGE IT TODAY

1. Change the way you look at the Bible. Its not a book of rules. Lets look at the Bible as a love letter, a description of who we are in Christ, and a collection of divine seeds for the harvests of life.

2. Today, you must see the Bible as a "Will". It is God's LAST WILL & TESTAMENT (Hebrews 9:15-17). Enclosed in the Bible is EVERYTHING Jesus, after dying, has left to His loved ones—that's you and me!

3. Remember, a will goes into effect when someone dies. Hebrews 9:17 says, "because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ”Since Jesus died, He has left us with all of His possessions!

4. See yourself in God's will NOW. Through Jesus' blood and His death, God has placed us IN His will.

5. The gospel includes: forgiveness AND an inheritance that now belongs to us (Acts 26:18). Read the Scriptures to discover your inheritance, and know what belongs to you NOW, in Christ.

6. Now, take the pressure off yourself in trying to discover what to DO, and focus on discovering what is YOURS. This will change how you look at yourself and how you live!

7. Don't try to find the will of God. It will find you. Just meditate on God's Word. Flood your mind with His promises. Bask in His love & grace and the will of God will find you. It will overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:2).

THINK IT & SAY IT

God has placed me in His will. I don't have to strive to find it. God's will is His covenant toward me—His promised inheritance is mine through the blood of Jesus. I will see the Bible as God's will TOWARD me. I will read it to discover what belongs to me and who I truly am in Him, and the will of God will track me down. It will come upon me and overtake me, in Jesus’ Name!

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email

"How could something so bad ever turn into something good?"

Today, we FASTING from the THOUGHT that says: "How could something so bad ever turn into something good?"

We've all thought that at one time or another...

LET'S CHANGE IT TODAY

1. God is in the business of turning bad into good! (Romans 8:28) He doesn't cause everything; but He can cause everything to turn into something good. He turns the curse into a blessing because He loves you! (Deuteronomy 23:5).

2. That's the favor of God! A turnaround is an act of God’s favor. He turns things to your advantage, because of His grace—not because we deserved it. Psalms 5:12 says favor surrounds the righteous (in Christ), like a shield. Expect your turnaround today!

3. Think: resurrection! If Jesus rose from the dead, your bad situation can turn around too. Listen to this: "We felt like…it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since He’s the God who raises the dead!" (2 Corinthians 1:9 MSG)

4. Expect this BAD thing to become the BEST thing that ever happened—(look at verse above!)

5. Accept the fact that you don't deserve this supernatural FAVOR. That's what makes it FAVOR: we don't deserve it. (Ephesians 2:8). But God keeps giving it freely. Expect!

THINK IT AND SAY IT

I expect my turnaround beginning today! No matter how bad it is, God is in the business of turning it into good. This kind of favor surrounds me like a shield—not because I deserve it, but because of what Jesus did for me—that's the favor of God! He's the God who raises the dead, so He can turn this around as I trust Him today, in Jesus' Name!

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email

"Something bad is going to happen to me or my family."

The fallen world we live in is full of tragedy and suffering. News concerning violence, shootings and unexplainable disasters occur much too often. When things like this happen, it is easy for fear to creep in and make us think we are sitting ducks for Satan or twisted people to strike at any time.

But DO NOT open the door to the expectation of evil!

Today we are fasting from the thought that says: Something bad is going to happen to me or my family.

Of course, we must have compassion, prayer and support for those who have suffered; but we cannot allow what has happened to others to create our expectations and, consequently, live a life full of fear. 

LET'S CHANGE IT TODAY

1. Believe God’s promise:  Psalm 91:10 – The Message translation really brings this scripture to light: “Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door.” Then, in verse eleven, it goes on to say, “He ordered His angels to guard you wherever you go.” Believe it.

2. Embrace this thought: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17 clearly tells us that weapons will be formed against us; but they SHALL NOT prosper. We will always have adversity, because we have an enemy.  BUT, when we are attacked with the enemy’s weapons, they are harmless and we are secure in God’s divine protection.

3. Begin to speak the Word. There is nothing stronger to combat the spirit of fear than you speaking the Word of God out of your mouth. Fill your heart with God’s promises of provision and protection.

4. Know that God brings His Word to pass. God has promised to bring His words to pass.  Jeremiah 1:12 says, “I am watching over My Word to perform it.” Everything God has spoken concerning you is being carefully attended to by God Himself.  He will keep His promises and bring His Word to pass.

5. EXPECT something good to happen to you and your family. Whether you realize this or not, it takes as much energy to believe bad things are going to happen as it does to believe good things are coming your way. Start today and focus your thoughts and energy to believe God’s goodness is yours, and will follow you all the days of your life.

THINK IT & SAY IT

I believe the promises of God. Evil cannot come close to me. God guards me everywhere I go. I fill my heart and mouth with the good things God says about me. He is watching over His Word to perform it in my life; therefore, I expect something good to happen. My energy is spent on thinking and expecting good things to happen rather than bad, in Jesus’ Name!

-Courtesy of Gregory Dickow Ministries

Subscribe to WOBaltimore Fast Blog by Email