As I started to enter the building, a young couple walked out and stopped me. They told me they had a son who was in the hospital. It turns out they had been reading my book, and the wife began to weep and weep as she told me how it was a source of hope and encouragement to them. She said, “Joel, I know that just seeing you here today is God letting us know that everything is going to be okay.” After we talked a moment and prayed together, I thought to myself, “I didn’t get the parking spot that I wanted, but I got the spot that God wanted me to have.”

I knew God was directing my steps that day. He had me in the right place at the right time. I can’t help but think if I had gotten upset with that other guy, and argued and tried to set him straight, I probably wouldn’t have been where I was supposed to be. I would have lost my joy and lost the opportunity to be a blessing to somebody else.

Friend, remember, when your plans don’t work out and things don’t go the way you plan, it doesn’t mean that you’re not in the right spot. If somebody is rude to you, if you’re tempted to get upset, just take the high road and stay in peace. God is a God of justice. He sees every wrong that’s ever been done. If you’ll keep your peace, He’ll make your wrongs right. He’ll take what you thought was a setback, what you thought was a disadvantage, and He’ll turn it around and use it to your advantage. Let’s learn to pass the tests and learn to hold on to joy because it is the strength you need to live in victory in every area of your life.

What a disappointment. What a letdown. I´m sure those men were tired by this time. They could have easily gotten discouraged and thought, “Too bad. It´s not going to happen.” But not the paralyzed man, he was determined! He wasn´t going to let anything stop him from getting to Jesus. I can just imagine his four friends turning around to take him back home when he says, “No, no. We´re not going home just yet. There has to be a way! I´m not leaving until I get my miracle!” This man understood that you are closest to your victory when you face the greatest opposition. He wasn´t about to give up. He said to his friends, “I´ve got an idea—take me up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and lower me down so I can have a front row seat right in front of Jesus.” Those four men hoisted him up on the roof and did exactly that. And do you know how Jesus responded? He wasn´t upset because they made a mess. He wasn´t frustrated because they interrupted His message. No, it says that He saw their faith and instantly healed the man!

You know, a lot of people give up when they face opposition. They see the “crowds” and turn around and go home. “Oh, I tried but they told me no.” “I tried to get my degree, but the college was full.” “I tried to get that new home, but they wouldn´t give me a loan.” “I tried to quit this addiction, but it´s just too hard.” No, you´ve got to be more determined than that. You have to have a “never say die” attitude. Don´t stop trying. Keep pressing through because just like this paralyzed man, you are close to your miracle!

Friend, no matter what you may be going through today, no matter how you may be feeling or what you may be facing, remember there is victory in store for you. Maybe the door has been closed, maybe it seems like there are crowds of people in the way, but if you can´t get through the door, why don´t you try the window? Better yet, why don´t you be bold like this man, and just go through the roof? Keep trying, keep believing, keep hoping, keep pressing into Jesus because you are closer than you think to the miracles He has in store for you!

God often makes statements in the Bible that go against what we
feel like, or what it looks like to us at the time.

God is trying to move us to a higher plane of faith where we
depend on Him and not on what we feel like.

Others try to evade the issue by saying that a verse only
applies to someone else — like the Apostle Paul — not to
them.

Well, if you don’t believe, you won’t receive help. But help is
available. And that help and strength is just as available to
you as it was to the Apostle Paul, because the Lord does not
play favorites.

Paul didn’t say, “I can do all things because I am an apostle.”
No, it is “through Christ” that he was enabled to do what he
needed to do. And you, as a believer, are in Christ just as
much as the Apostle Paul was.

You choose. Either step out in faith in God and say you can do
it with His help, and watch God raise you up to that level. Or,
cower back in fear, and say you cannot do it.

SAY THIS: I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens
me.

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Many people today are not experiencing God’s favor like they should simply because they’re not passing what I call, the small test. We have to be faithful with the little things in our lives before God will entrust us with bigger things. For example, being excellent in the workplace for you may not mean some huge adjustment. It may just mean leaving ten minutes earlier so you can get to work on time. It may mean not complaining when your supervisor asks you to do something. It may mean not making personal phone calls on company time. You might think, “It’s just a small thing. Nobody knows. It’s not hurting anything.” But the Scripture says, “It’s the little foxes that spoil the vines.” Don’t let the seemingly small things keep you from the big things God has in store. No, it’s time to come up higher. It’s time to be faithful, even when nobody’s looking
I encourage you today to make the decision to come up higher. Choose to be faithful with the little things so that God can bless you and make you ruler over much!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, I choose to be faithful in all things. I repent right now for anything that I’ve done that has been displeasing to You. Help me by Your Holy Spirit to rise up higher so that I can be ready to embrace all You have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

There seems to be no lack of evil. That gives us an opportunity
to overcome.

We will be tempted to respond in kind — to strike back at
those who hurt us. But that is a bad choice. All it leads to is
more pain and misery for more people — including ourselves.

The answer is divine love.

With God’s love inside us, and God helping us, we can return
good for evil done to us. That breaks the vicious downward
cycle and also breaks the power of evil to affect us.

Don’t tell me this won’t work in your case. I have personally
heard the victorious testimony of a believer who was tortured
by his communist captors yet walked in love and overcame the
evil situation. It will work!

Love is stronger than hate. Good is more powerful than evil.
You can walk in victory no matter what anyone does to you.

ROMANS 5:5 NIV
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out
his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given
us.

HEBREWS 13:6 NIV
6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not
be afraid. What can man do to me?”

SAY THIS: With God’s love, I will overcome evil with good.

Are you struggling? Do you feel like you are barely keeping
your head above water?

If you feel like you are struggling and striving just to make
it — you need to turn to Jesus. He will give you rest.

If you say that you have turned to Jesus and you think His yoke
is hard and His burden is heavy — you are deceived.

You need to cast your care on the Lord and learn of Him. So
many people are striving and struggling to get God to love them
when He already loves them and accepts them.

Living a successful Christian life is not done by our own
strength or willpower. It is the result of depending on the
Lord. Only He can do it.

Quit trusting in your plans and abilities and efforts, and
trust in Jesus instead. Turn things over to Him. Let Him be
Lord in your life.

SAY THIS: I will learn of Jesus and trust in Him. Jesus my Lord
gives me rest.

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
In today’s society, many people have accepted mediocrity as the norm. They do as little as they can to get by, always looking for the easy way out. If the boss isn’t watching, they’re playing on the computer. They simply go to work to pick up a paycheck, and then wonder why they’re not promoted and don’t see increase. It’s because God doesn’t bless mediocrity, He blesses excellence.
Whatever we do, we should do it to the best of our ability. We should set the standard. Remember, we are ultimately working for the Lord. He’s the one who put those talents and abilities in us. We are stewards of the gifts He’s given. Other people may show up late. They may complain. They may cut corners. But don’t sink down to their level—you are working for Almighty God. You are called to excellence.
I encourage you today, stay determined. Stay focused. Whether you’re a waitress, a truck driver, an architect, a police officer, or a CEO, do it to the best of your ability. God is the one who brings promotion. When you set the standard, He’ll raise you up and pour out His blessing in every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, today I choose to set the standard. I recognize that the work I do is for You. Keep me close to You by the power of the Holy Spirit and help me to rise up higher in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

No one can successfully argue against the statement, “You are
strong in the Lord.” It is a given that if you are in the Lord,
you are strong. Nothing that is “in the Lord” could be weak.

So the only real question is whether you are “in the Lord.”

I JOHN 5:20 NASB
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and
we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the
true God and eternal life.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 NIV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!

The choice is yours. You choose whether to accept Christ and
thus be identified as “in Him.” God does not force this, you
must choose.

EPHESIANS 2:8-10 NASB
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them.

From Ephesians 2:8-10 we can see that when we are saved through
faith, we are created anew IN Christ Jesus. That is our
position. So, anyone and everyone who has received Jesus Christ
can be said to be legally “in Him” according to the Scripture.

Always remember that your strength is not in your own ability
or resources, but your strength is in the Lord. Depend on Him.
He will never fail you. (He probably will test your patience
and maybe even let the situation look hopeless, but He will not
ever fail you.)

PSALM 27:1 NKJ
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The
Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

HEBREWS 13:5-6 NKJ
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with
such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never
leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear. What can man do to me?”

PSALM 28:8 NIV
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of
salvation for his anointed one.

SAY THIS: I AM strong in the Lord. In the Lord, I am strong,
for the Lord is my strength.

Many people are afraid of the devil. As believers we have no
need to be afraid of the devil, although we should be aware and
on guard against his schemes.

The only true power the devil holds over a believer now is the
power of deception. If you do not know the truth the devil will
take advantage of you. The only way to know the truth is to
read, understand, and act on the Scriptures.

To illustrate, imagine entering the hospital room of a patient
paralyzed from their neck down. All they can do is talk. They
pose no threat to you, unless they convince you to take the gun
from beside the bed and shoot yourself with it.

(How could they do that? One way would be to convince you that
the gun was not real or not loaded, so it wouldn’t harm you.)

You may think this is ridiculous, but it happens constantly
with people who do not realize that the words they speak are
powerful, and that the ideas they speak originate with the
devil. Every day the devil convinces millions of people to take
a spiritual “weapon” — their words — and use it against
themselves.

The devil operates against you through fear and ignorance.
God’s Word gives you the information that will set you free
from both fear and ignorance.

HEBREWS 2:14-15 NASB
14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself
likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might
render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil;
15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were
subject to slavery all their lives.

MARK 16:17 NKJ
17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name
they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

For believers to cast out demons, it means they must have
authority over the devil and his forces. However, unused
authority conveys no benefit.

SAY THIS: Jesus is my lord, and the devil has no power over me.
I have been delivered from the devil’s authority. I am free, so
leave me alone, devil!

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
I’ve learned when things are difficult and don’t look like they are going our way, that’s when it’s the easiest to lose our joy, vision, and enthusiasm; to believe that things will never get any better. But during those challenging seasons in life, we have to learn to do just the opposite. Right in the midst of the adversity, that’s the time–more than ever–to expect a flood of His favor; a flood of healing, a flood of vindication, a flood of protection. Our attitude should be, “It may be dark, but I know the God of the breakthrough is about to turn things around!” “My child may be off course, but I know the God of the breakthrough is about to bring him back.” “Business may be slow, but I’m expecting the God of the breakthrough to release a flood of His favor, a flood of new clients, a flood of new sales, a flood of promotion.”
Remember, you are in prime position to see the light come bursting in. You’re in prime position for God to give you something to talk about. Keep living breakthrough–minded because He has victory in store for you today!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You for the victory that You have in store for me. I put my trust in You and choose to live breakthrough–minded. Help me to guard my words and guard my heart so I can stay positioned for everything You have in store for me. Amen.