The Good News Blog

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” -2 Timothy 1:7, NLT

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

So many people today are living with less than God’s best because they’ve allowed fear to stop them from pursuing their dreams. We have to remember that fear is not from God. It’s a lie from the enemy to paralyze us and steal our power.

Today’s verse tells what God has given us: power, love, and self-discipline or self-control. When you are confident in God’s promises, there’s nothing that can stop you. But when fear creeps in, you hesitate. You’re not as strong as you were before. You feel powerless.

Not only that, but it affects your love. Love prompts us to give, and when we are afraid, we tend to clench our fists and act selfishly. Fear also affects our self-discipline or self-control.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9, NLT

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Did you know that fear works just like faith but in the opposite direction? In the same way that faith opens the door for God to work in our lives; fear opens the door for the enemy to work in our lives.

The Bible says that fear has torment. Fear has no mercy. If you act on fear instead of acting on faith, it will keep you depressed, miserable and lonely. And so many people today are missing out on God’s joy, peace, and victory because they keep giving in to fear. They feed fear by what they watch on TV or read in the news or on the internet. Don’t let that be you!

Romans tells us

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…”For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder… -Isaiah 9:6a

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

When Jesus came to the earth, He brought with Him everything you need to be empowered to live a life of victory. He came as a little baby, but He represented all authority in heaven and earth. When you choose to serve Him, you have access to all of His resources.

You have access to His peace, power, authority, provision, joy, and strength. He brought all of this to us when He came to earth. Unto us a child is born…unto us victory is given. Unto us peace is given. Unto us provision is given. Unto us hope and healing are given. Unto us eternal life is given!

Whatever you need today, remember, when Jesus came into the world, He made a

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel–which, when translated, means, God with us.” -Matthew 1:23, AMP

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

In the Bible, Jesus has many names that identify His character. One of those names is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Before Jesus came to the earth, the Spirit of God resided in the temple. The people had to go through all sorts of rituals to make them clean enough to go near Him.

Now, as believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He is the one who cleanses us and actually makes His home in our hearts.

Isn’t it good to know that God is with us? He is closer than the very air we breathe. His peace is always with us. His joy

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…Prepare the way for the Lord” -Isaiah 40:3, NIV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Everyone goes through seasons of waiting. A lot of times, people just sit back and wait for God to do everything. But you have to remember to do your part and make preparations. You have to talk like it’s going to happen and act like it’s going to happen.

Some people might say, “Well, Joel, what if I do this and it doesn’t happen?” But I say what if you do and it does happen? And even if things don’t turn out the way you had hoped, you’d still be better off living your life positive and hopeful than you would to go around down and discouraged.

I love what David said in the Bible, “God, my times are in your hands.” He was saying, “God, I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but I know You

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.” -James 5:7, NLT

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

God has put dreams and desires in every person’s heart. But most of the time, there’s a season of waiting involved. Maybe you’re waiting for a relationship to improve; waiting to get married; waiting for a promotion; or waiting to overcome an illness. Much of life is spent waiting.

But there’s a right way to wait, and there’s a wrong way to wait. Too often, when things don’t happen on our timetable, we get down and discouraged or anxious and fretful. That’s because we’re not waiting the right way.

Notice that today’s verse doesn’t say if you wait, it says as you wait. The

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“They turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” -Psalm 78:41, KJV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

We serve a God of increase! He wants to do new things in our lives. We should always be rising to new levels, but it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and just settle for the status quo.

Sometimes we think, “Well, I’ve reached my limits. I’ve gone as far as I can go. This is as happy as I’ll ever be.” But if we’re going to continue to increase and really experience God’s best, we have to get our thinking lined up with God’s thinking.

It’s interesting that in this scripture the people limited the Holy One of Israel. Think about that. How can the all-powerful God, the Creator of the Universe, be limited? By our thinking. He can be limited in our lives by

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” -II Corinthians 5:7, NKJV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Are you walking by faith or sight today? In other words, are you choosing to believe God no matter what your circumstances look like, or are you making decisions and focusing your mind on what you can see.

As believers, we have to remember that we aren’t just subject to this natural realm–what we can see, hear, touch, and smell. No, we have access to the unseen, supernatural realm where all the promises and blessings of God are stored. When you choose to walk by faith, you are opening a door from the natural realm to the supernatural realm and drawing the blessings of God into your life.

Remember: with God seeing isn’t believing; believing is seeing! 

Throughout the

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you” -Matthew 7:7, AMP

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

What doors are you knocking on today? Are you looking for a door of opportunity to be opened? A door of escape? A door of shelter from the storms of life?

God loves persistence. He honors diligence. When you diligently do the will of God, obeying His Word and following His commands, it’s like knocking on the door of His promises. He is faithful, and He will open that door! Maybe you’re already doing all you know to do today—don’t give up! Perseverance will carry you to the promise.

Perseverance keeps on asking and keeps on knocking. Perseverance looks away from discouragement and distractions and keeps looking toward God. It has a voice that

By Bo Sanchez

Have you been hurt before?

Have you ever been rejected by others? Ridiculed? Maligned? Gossiped about?

Have you been cheated? Betrayed? Lied to? Stolen from?

If your answer is yes, then I’m writing to the right person.

That means you have emotional wounds, and my big message for you is that there’s only one thing that can heal your wounds.

Let me start by talking about something of great cosmological and eternal significance: My bloody ingrown toenail.

Sometimes called hangnail.

Let me translate that in Pilipino: hangnail is kukong nagbigti.

Anyway, would you believe my ingrown toenail lasted for two years? Because the nail kept re-growing, puncturing my wound again and again. The wound got infected and my entire toe was filled with foul-smelling yellow pus. (I apologize for grossing you out. I’m actually doing it on purpose and having fun.)