Self-consciousness is a major problem in the Body of Christ today. It keeps us from doing the things God tells us to do. Instead of simply obeying Him, it makes us start to wonder, Now what will people think of me if I do that? What if I command that person to get out of the wheelchair and he doesn't get up? What if I start believing for prosperity and go broke? What about that, God? I won't look too good, will I?

If you've ever been through that, let me tell you something: It doesn't matter how you look! It's obeying God that counts. When it comes to obeying God, your own reputation doesn't count. And the sooner you forget it, the better off you'll be.

But you know what's ironic? Once you do that, your reputation gets better. It's a funny thing. When you lose that desire to protect your image, your image will improve. Why? Because then when people look at you, instead of seeing that puny little image you have of yourself, they'll see the image of the Lord Jesus coming through.

So put aside that old self-consciousness and develop God-consciousness instead. Stop being dominated by the fear of man and start being motivated by faith in what Jesus can do.

After all, He has promised He will never leave you or forsake you. Grab hold of that. Believe it. Act on it. Once you do, you'll realize there's really nothing to be afraid of anymore!

Scripture Reading:
Romans 8:29-39

Today's Word:
Twenty years before Abraham ever had a child, God said to him, "Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations." Notice God spoke to him like it had already happened, in the past tense. I'm sure Abraham thought, "God, You must have made a mistake. I'm not a father. I don't even have one child. Abraham could have talked himself out of it; but instead, he chose to believe.

Today, you may be thinking, "I'm not blessed. I'm not confident. I'm not healthy. I'm not favored." But when God says you're blessed, don't try to figure it out. Just agree with God and say, "I am blessed." When God calls you prosperous, don't go check your bank account. Don't go look at the stock report. Just agree with God and say, "I am prosperous." Things may look impossible. That's all right. That's the way things looked for Abraham. But sure enough, God’s promises came to pass, and he became the father of many nations.

Remember, when you agree with God, you are positioning yourself for a miracle. You are activating His truth in your life. When things look difficult, don’t agree with your circumstances, agree with His promises because He is faithful, and He will complete what He’s started in your life!

Prayer for Today:
"Father, I bless You and thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I receive Your promises as truth, no matter what is going on around me. Fill me with joy and peace as I hold fast to Your promises for me in Jesus’ name. Amen."

You won't really get excited about the Word of God until you realize that it's more than just a collection of divinely-inspired promises. It's a living force that literally carries within it the power to make those promises become a reality in your life.

Is it tough for you to believe such a thing is possible?

It shouldn't be. You see it happen in the natural world all the time.

If I were to put a tomato seed in your hand and tell you that within that tiny, dry seed lies the power to produce a stalk thousands of times bigger than the seed, to produce leaves and roots and round, red tomatoes, you wouldn't have any trouble believing that, would you? You know from experience that even though that scrawny seed doesn't look like a tomato factory, somehow, given the right environment, it will become one.

Jesus says the Word of God works by that same principle. There's miraculous power within it. It is a seed that, once planted by faith in a human heart, will produce more blessings than you can imagine.

Once you grasp that, you'll get extremely excited about the Word of God. That's what happened to me.

Over 45 years ago, I caught a glimpse of what that Word could do. I caught a glimpse of the power within it. Before long, I had a Bible in every room of my house, a Bible in my car, and a tape player going nearly all the time.

I spent every possible moment in the Word of God because I wanted the power of that Word inside me more than I wanted anything else in the world. I knew it would blow the limits off my life, limits that had held me back and kept me down for years. I knew that when I read it, I wasn't just reading, I was planting seeds. Seeds of prosperity, seeds of health, seeds of protection and seeds of victory for every area of my life.

Don't treat the Word of God like a book. It's not! It's spiritual seed that has the supernatural power within it to produce the harvest of a lifetime. Get excited about it and start planting today!

Scripture Reading:
Mark 4:23-32

You're spiritually "grown up" or mature when, through practice, you have trained your senses to discern between good and evil. You've practiced walking in the spirit and renewing your mind by the Word of God until even your flesh habitually goes God's way instead of the world's way.

Stop and think for a moment. Aren't there some things your old flesh used to pressure you to do before you made Jesus Lord of your life that you don't even want to do anymore?

There are for me. For example, I used to smoke tobacco, and I felt sorry for all those Christians who couldn't. But you know what? Now that I'm a believer, I have no desire for tobacco anymore. It is not even part of my thoughts, much less my lifestyle.

That's the kind of thing that happens as you feed and renew your mind on the Word of God. It doesn't necessarily happen quickly or easily. Your flesh may fight and buck for a while because it's been trained to go the way of the world so long. But if you stick with the Word and keep growing, your flesh can develop the habit of righteousness just like it developed the habit of unrighteousness.

Don't starve your spirit by trying to get by on just a little spiritual milk now and then. Develop the habit of feeding on the solid food of the Word every day and find out what real maturity is all about.

Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 5:11-14, 6:1-3