Author: Jerry Savelle

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13 NKJV).

David penned these words at a time when he was trusting in the Lord, even though it appeared that nothing was happening. David believed God would come through, despite the fact that the external circumstances appeared as if he’d been forgotten.

Moses believed in the goodness of God when he asked the Lord, “‘Please, show me Your glory.’ Then [the Lord] said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion’” (Exodus 33:18-19 NKJV).

You cannot see the goodness of God unless you believe He is a good God. You will not see His gracious acts, His compassion, or His glory unless you believe that He is gracious and merciful. Jesus said, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40 NKJV).

If you doubt that God is good and that He is going to manifest His goodness in your life, you will lose heart and quit. If you lose heart and doubt that God is good and faithful to you, you will move into unbelief and close the door on what He wants to give you.

If you need to build your faith in the goodness of God, find scripture verses that you can meditate on such as “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11 NKJV) or “You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For you meet him with blessings and goodness” (Psalm 21:2-3 NKJV).

God is good and God is faithful. God is gracious and merciful. God is moved with compassion towards you. Believe it. Receive it by faith and you will see the glory and goodness of God in your life.

Confession: I believe God is a good God who is full of grace, compassion, and mercy. And I believe I will see His goodness poured out in my life—for all the days of my life.

Joseph Prince

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7–11

There was a man in the Bible by the name of Jabez. His name was rather unfortunate. It means “sorrow” because his mother “bore him in pain” (1 Chron. 4:9).

What a name to have! But Jabez cried out to God, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (1 Chron. 4:10).

Some preachers claim that believers should not pray “selfish” prayers for themselves to be blessed. Jabez’s prayer would probably fall under their definition of a “selfish prayer” as it was all about him asking God to bless him, enlarge his territory, be with him, and protect him.

But God didn’t reprimand Jabez for asking Him for these blessings. Without any fanfare, the Bible in the very same verse simply records that “God granted him what he requested.”

That was all. No drama, no long list of what Jabez had to do or not do. It’s really that simple. God heard his prayer and granted his request! No rebuke, no instructions, no “Jabez, if you want Me to bless you, you must first do this.”

No, God honored the man’s faith and turned his sorrow into joy and his pain into blessings—all because he had an unshakable confidence in how good God is and asked big!

My friend, have a good opinion of God. He is not out to get you. He loves you and desires to unleash His favor into every area of your life. He loves it when you call upon Him. And He promised that He would answer when you do. Just see Him declaring to you Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Could it be that we are not seeing many breakthroughs because we have made asking God for big things a taboo with our religious and legalistic rhetoric? Could it be that we are just not seeing many blessings because we have not been asking God and seeking Him with a confident expectation of good?

My friend, it gives your heavenly Father great joy when you ask Him. It’s His good pleasure to bless you as well as your family (Luke 12:32). Stop being held back by erroneous beliefs about God and start asking Him for whatever is on your heart today!

Author: Jerry Savelle

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:35-36 NKJV).

Did you know it is the way you respond to negative words and thoughts that will determine the outcome of your situation?

In the book of Mark we find the story of a man named Jairus, whose daughter was at the point of death. While Jesus was on His way to heal her, some people came from Jairus’ house to inform him that his daughter had already died.

The finality of those words would ordinarily have marked the end of Jairus’ faith for his daughter’s healing. However, as soon as Jesus heard what was spoken, He said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

As long as you are in this world you are going to hear voices saying things that are intended to cause you to fear. If the devil can get you to open the door to him through fear, he will use the opportunity to steal your peace. But if you continue to believe what God says in His Word, you will surely see Him move in your situation.

Jairus made the choice to reject the negative thoughts that were undoubtedly bombarding his mind. He chose instead to believe, and as a result of his belief he soon received his miracle. With his own eyes he watched as Jesus raised his daughter from the dead and then she got up and walked.

God has bound Himself to His Word. This means He cannot operate outside the spiritual laws He has already set forth in His Word. He never promised to respond to your need, but a response to your faith is guaranteed.

Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23 NKJV).

Make the choice today to refuse to listen to the negative voices that speak words of doubt, fear, and worry. Do not be afraid—only believe.

Confession: I refuse to be moved by what I see or hear. I will only be moved by the Word of God and what it has to say about me and about my circumstances. All things are possible for me, because I believe!

Joseph Prince

So, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Daniel 3:26–27 NLT

There is truly no other god who can rescue like our God. Whatever circumstances you might be thrown into, our Lord Jesus is the fourth man with you in the midst of the fire. Notice how He didn’t stand outside of the fire but was in the fire together with the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were thrown inside for defying King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

This brings a whole new meaning for us when we read the verse, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6).

Our Lord doesn’t deliver you from afar; He is with you in the midst of your adversity. Call upon Him and He will answer you. When Jesus is with you, nothing can harm you!

Don’t you just love how the Word of God describes the three friends when they came out of the furnace? They were in the fire, but it had absolutely no power over them. It did not even leave a trace of smoke on them! Now, that’s a beautiful picture of God’s divine protection!

Beloved, as you call upon the Lord in your day of trouble, my prayer for you is that the trial you are going through will have no power over you; it will not even leave a smell on you. Instead, I declare in Jesus’ name that you will walk out of that challenge in your life and the only smell on you will be the fragrance of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14)!

And as the people around you witness how the Lord delivers you, may they come to know His wonderful name and give Him praise. Instead of being negatively affected by whatever trial you might face, I pray that you will receive honor and promotion just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Amen!