Proverbs 10:4

⁴ Lazy hands make a man poor,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 21:5

:

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The Price Tag Of Success: Diligence!

Dr. Robb Thompson

"He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."Proverbs 10:4 (NKJV) "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV)

The Price Tag Of Success Is Stamped With The Price Of "Diligence." Diligence requires discipline, hard work, and time. In other words, it requires effort. In order for us to delight in the promises of God, we must continually apply diligence to our efforts. God's system is not set up in such a way that a one-time action produces lasting results. God's way of progress requires diligence, faithfulness, and patience.

The same principle applies to any endeavor. We cannot expect to be physically fit by exercising one week out of the year. To see positive results we must continue for several months, and for lasting results, we must make exercise a part of our daily lifestyle! All of us want to achieve more and do great things, but we will only experience true greatness by diligently applying God's principles to our lives.

Diligence bridges the gap between discipline and reward. Anyone can discipline himself for a day, but only discipline coupled with diligence causes us to lay hold of Heaven's reward.

Father, I thank You for the wisdom of Your Word. I refuse to have a slack hand knowing it leads to poverty. I walk in plenty and not in lack because I diligently apply Your principles to my life.

Author of more than eighteen compelling books and countless audio and video resources, Dr. Robb Thompson is a skilled relational and leadership strategist. With over twenty years of experience in the arena of human resource management, Dr. Thompson travels the globe, training business executives and mentoring government leaders, including heads of State, cabinet ministers, and royalty. His television program, Winning in Life, is viewed by millions in the United States and around the world. Dr. Thompson is the senior pastor of Family Harvest Church, one of America's most influential and productive churches. He has been happily married to Linda for over thirty years. They live in the Chicagoland area in the United States.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Viva la Difference

Kenneth Copeland

"If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

There's power in unity. The devil knows that. That's why he's continually fighting it. He takes the differences between us, differences God put there to make us stronger, and tries to use them as a wedge to drive us apart.

Take men and women, for example. He's deceived us into fighting about which one is superior over the other. But I can settle that argument right now. Women are superior to men. If you don't believe that, you boys try having a baby. But then, men are superior to women. If you don't believe that, you women try having one without us.

It's the differences combined that make us strong!

People have even argued about whether God is male or female. But the Bible itself tells us that. He's both! That's right. In the Hebrew language, all words have gender. They're either male or female. But the Hebrew word "Jehovah" is both masculine and feminine. He's as much female as He is male and as much male as He is female.

Originally, mankind was that way too. When God first made "man," he was as much female as he was male. Then God separated the female part out and made "woman" or, "the man with the womb." After that, man and woman had to come together to be perfectly whole.

That's still true today. For example, when He puts together husband and wife teams, He often puts people together who have major personality differences. Where one is weak, the other is strong, and vice versa. So, when they become one, they're more powerful than they ever were apart.

There was a time when I didn't understand that. I got aggravated with God for calling me a wife who didn't care for so many things that I liked. But I finally realized God knew what He was doing. If He'd given me a woman who was as nuts about flying as I am, we would have spent the rest of our lives in the clouds. We wouldn't be preaching the Word. We'd be in some silly airshow flying upside down. "The Copeland Team!" or something.

Do you have people in your life who are irritatingly different from you? Don't let the devil use those differences to drive you apart. Thank God for them! Let Him teach you how to appreciate them. Let Him show you just how powerful you can be... together!

Scripture Study: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Acts 2:17

¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.

Visions and Dreams

Acts 2:17 - In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

"I need to meet with you," said the man from England during a break at a conference overseas. We walked outside to have a coffee break and sat down. "God wants you to know that He removed your finances in order to reserve His reward for you in Heaven. He has done you a great service."

I was shocked. I'd never met this gentleman before. How would he have known I had lost a half million dollars in the previous few years, virtually all of my financial net worth, to some unusual calamities? We shared for the next several minutes.

That week, during our lunch and dinner times, I had been enjoying wonderful, juicy oranges from this island in the Mediterranean Sea. It came time for the gentleman and I to conclude our coffee break. We bowed in prayer. As we prayed, the man began to describe a picture he was seeing in his mind.

"I see a picture of a large orange tree. The tree is full of large, ripened oranges. They are beginning to fall to the ground. You are the tree!"

Again, I looked at the man with shock and amazement, and now tears in my eyes.

"You are the third person in three years that has had a similar vision during a prayer time like this. The first two people were also strangers to me."

I went back into the meeting rejoicing that God could be so personal in my life. He used a servant who had gone through similar trials to supernaturally speak a word of encouragement in a way that I would know it was God who was speaking.

There are times when God supernaturally speaks into our lives. He does this to demonstrate His power, His love, and His intimacy with us. Do not be surprised if God sends one of His messengers to speak into your life when you need it most. Be open to how God might want to speak into your life today.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers (Psalm 1:3).

Isaiah 43:2

² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze

Guard Against Bitterness

Joel Osteen

Today's Scripture

“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown” Isaiah 43:2 (TLB).

Have you ever experienced something that truly tested your faith, your joy and your convictions? We're not talking about just having a bad day or having to deal with difficult people - but enduring an intense situation that rocks you to your very core. When many people face such soul-searching they let their happiness and joy turn into bitterness and anger. Make sure this doesn't happen to you. Don't give the evil one the victory by becoming an ineffective Christian due to lingering bitterness. Even if you're being tested, God has promised to remain faithful. He is all-powerful, and He can pull you out of your troubles at any moment. Choose to remain faithful and joyous despite your present circumstances.

A Prayer for Today: God, please help me to trust You and not give in to bitterness or anger, even in the middle of my trials. Thank You for the promise of Your never-failing love. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Proverbs 4:22

²² for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

John 6:63

⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

God's Medicine

Gloria Copeland

"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63)

We've seen some tremendous medical breakthroughs in our generation. We've seen "miracle drugs" developed that can conquer many kinds of sickness and disease.

But, you know, in the 20-plus years I've been a believer, I've discovered another, much more effective kind of medicine: the Word of God. There's never been a miracle drug that could equal it. God's medicine is the answer to every need. It is life. It is health. It is the power of God. And if you put it in your heart and act on it, you will be healed.

Sometimes people ask, "If God's medicine works every time, why are there so many believers who are still sick?" There are two reasons. Number one, because they don't take the time to plant the Word concerning healing deeply into their heart. And number two, because they don't do what that Word tells them to do.

Think of it like this: If a doctor prescribes medicine for you to swallow daily and you decide to rub it on your chest instead, that medicine isn't going to work for you. You have to follow the instructions and use it properly if you expect to get well, don't you? In the same way, if you read God's prescription for health and don't act on it, you won't reap any of its benefits.

Proverbs 4:22 says God's Words are life and health to you. So don't wait until you get sick to start using them. Start now. Begin to put God's Word in your heart in abundance and it will be hard for you to get sick. That Word within you will constantly be keeping God's healing power at work in you.

And don't worry. There's no limit to the amount of God's medicine you can take. You can't get an overdose. The more you take, the stronger you get.

Start growing strong today.

Scripture Study: Proverbs 4:20-27

Deuteronomy 8:11,19

¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

¹⁹ If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.

The Danger of Amnesia

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins

"Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord." Deuteronomy 8:11 NLT

A spider dropped a single strand down from the rafter of an old barn and began to weave his web. Months went by and the web grew. Its elaborate maze caught flies, mosquitoes and other small insects, providing the spider with a rich diet. Eventually it became the envy of all the other spiders. Then one day the spider noticed a single strand stretching up into the rafters. "I wonder why it's there? It doesn't catch me any dinner." Concluding it was unnecessary, he climbed as high as he could and severed it. In that moment the entire web began to fall in upon itself, tumbling to the floor, taking the spider with it.

Could we as a people make that same mistake? Can a country spin a great web, then sever it? Can we grow so successful, so smug, so self-sufficient that we forget the strong strand that supports us? Could we look at our prosperity and respond not with gratitude, but with arrogance?

Recent actions make us wonder. A movement to remove God from all public life is gaining momentum. An emboldened portion of our population stares at the strand of faith upon which our country hangs and asks: "Why is that there?"

Are we forgetting the hand that holds us? We're not the first nation to suffer from amnesia. Israel did it too, and Moses warned them:

"Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands... I assure you of this: if you ever forget the Lord your God...you will certainly be destroyed" (Dt 8:11 & 19 NLT).

Bishop Edward Earl Jenkins is the senior pastor and founder of the True Servant Worship & Praise Church located in Trenton, New Jersey. Bishop Jenkins earned his Bachelor of Theology degree from Eastern Bible College and has been preaching the unadulterated gospel for over twenty years. His unique method of preaching and teaching has opened many doors to allow him to touch the hearts of many lives near and far. Bishop Jenkins is the proud husband of Lady Sheila Jenkins and father of Travis, Jamal, Clarrisa and Dionna.

1 John 3:1

¹How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18

¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Be as Little Children

1 John 3:1 - How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

"I have an important business meeting in the morning. Would you please set the alarm for 5:30 a.m.?" I said to my wife.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. Just tell the Lord what time you want to wake up. He does it for me all the time," my wife said.

I rolled my eyes in disbelief. "Well, I'd feel more comfortable if we set the alarm."

"Okay, ye of little faith. But just to prove my point I am going to ask the Lord to wake us up just before 5:30."

The next morning I awoke before the alarm went off. I looked at the clock. It read 5:15. I looked at my wife, who had just awakened at the same time with an I-told-you-so smile.

Sometimes we wrongfully view God as someone we go to for only the "big things." The idea of "bothering God" for such a trivial matter seems foolish and presumptuous. However, when you were a child and had to get up in the morning for school, didn't your mom or dad come wake you up? They were your parents, and you could come to them with the most trivial concerns or requests. Why would our heavenly Father be any less approachable? Perhaps our problem is that we simply have not developed a level of intimacy with God so that we feel the freedom to approach Him at these daily, routine levels. We often operate with an unwritten code that says our needs must have a certain degree of importance or crisis before we come to God with them. This is not God's character towards us.

Does the Lord desire this level of intimacy with you and me? The apostle Paul exhorted us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17 KJV). There is never a caution to pray only about matters of greater importance.

Today, go to God with matters that you might view as trivial and would normally avoid bringing to God. Ask God to increase your level of intimacy with Him. You may even be able to get rid of your alarm clock.

Proverbs 17:14

14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Take a Stand Against Strife

Gloria Copeland

"The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out." (Proverbs 17:14)

Throughout the Scriptures, God warns us about the danger of strife. Yet, it's still one of the most common problems among believers. We let it get into our homes, our work places, our churches...everywhere!

Of course, we don't purposely let it in. We don't wake up in the morning and say, "I think I'm going to stir up some major strife today." We just inadvertently let it slip up on us one minor irritation at a time.

So, I urge you today to take a big stand against those little opportunities for strife. If you have a tendency to let things irritate you, decide to overcome that tendency. Arm yourself against them with the knowledge that this world isn't perfect, that there are people in it that aren't going to be nice to you. There are people who are going to stir you up and annoy you on purpose or by accident.

Make up your mind that, by the power of God, you're not going to let them get your peace. That peace is so important to your well-being. It will keep your body healthy. It will keep your relationships healthy. It will put you in a place where God can guide your steps and save you from some very grave mistakes.

If you've spent a lifetime getting your feathers ruffled over every little thing, it may take a while for you to break that habit. You may have to work at it a moment at a time. But you can do it.

I know. I had to do that where worrying is concerned. I'd worried for so many years and had come from such a family of worriers that I did it almost without thinking. When I learned worrying went contrary to the Word of God, I had to give it up one minute at a time. With the help of the Holy Spirit, every time a worried thought would come to me, I would overcome it with the Word of God. And I did that until I broke that worrying habit for good.

You can do the same thing with strife. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you start to notice and overcome it one moment at a time. Then, every time you start to get upset about something, rebuke that strife in the Name of Jesus and resist it. Say right out loud, "I am walking in the peace of God today."

You'll be surprised how much more wonderful living can be.

Scripture Study: Matthew 5:21-26,43-48

Don't Get in a Hurry

Kenneth Copeland

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt...talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. ...and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)

One of the reasons Gloria and I have seen the results we have in our lives and in our ministry is because when we realized what the Word of God would do, we literally immersed ourselves in it. We turned off the radio and television, we put down the newspaper, and spent nearly every waking moment of the time available either reading the Word, listening to tapes on the Word, or thinking about the Word.

All that time in the Word eventually had a powerful effect on us. It began to revolutionize everything about us. It began to turn failure into success.

All that didn't happen overnight, however. It took time. A great many believers don't realize that. They start out devoting themselves to the Word, but they make the mistake of expecting instant, miraculous results, and when they don't see them, they get disappointed and fall away.

Don't do that. Be patient. Give the Word time to do its work.

Jesus once said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). The Word of God feeds the spirit man just as bread feeds the body. Food has to be built into your body. The vitamins and minerals it contains have a cumulative effect on it, don't they? In fact, almost anything that affects your body instantaneously is considered dangerous.

Much the same thing is true with the Word of God. It has a cumulative effect. Yes, at times God will act instantly and perform a miracle, but only to get things back on track. What He really intends is for you to feed on His Word to grow in strength and in faith and to bear fruit in due season.

So don't get in such an all-fired hurry. Stay in the Word. Be patient. The results will come!

Scripture Study: Deuteronomy 7:11-23