Topic: Take Responsibility for Your Happiness [Joyce Meyer’s Daily Tuesday February 13th, 2018]

Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing [that is, your resources] and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love]. — 2 Corinthians 9:10

One of the most important lessons I have learned is that I cannot count on someone else to make me happy. God has given us the ability to take responsibility for our own happiness.

A lot of people aren’t happy unless a certain person behaves a certain way, or a certain situation works out just the way they want it to. Every day we let our happiness depend on other people and situations, when in reality, God wants us to find our happiness in Him.

There was a time when I would feel sorry for myself if Dave went to play golf the day after one of our conferences. I wanted him to go shopping or watch a movie with me. But God showed me that we have different ways of relaxing and unwinding.

That’s just one example, but there are so many ways that we put unrealistic expectations on people and rely on them to keep us happy. God wants us to look to Him first and rely on Him for our happiness.

Prayer Starter: God, my happiness should only rely on You, not other people and situations. Help me to see any unrealistic expectations I have so I can take responsibility for my own happiness.

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

Topic: Step Into The Water [TREM’s Daily Tuesday February 13, 2018]

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus”. Matthew 14:28-29 (KJV).

From this account of the scriptures, Peter and the other disciples were in a boat drifting aimlessly in bad weather at night when suddenly Jesus began to walk on water towards them. They cried out of fear thinking they had seen a ghost. The scenario however changed in verse 27 when Jesus spoke out and said, ‘be of good cheer; it is I be not afraid’. That word of reassurance from the lips of Jesus and the command to ‘come’ was all that Peter needed to attempt the impossible. He knew the time had come to function like Jesus. Stepping into the water for him meant stepping out of his comfort zone and breaking barriers.

The first key to stepping into the water is to recognize what God has put in you. The moment Peter acknowledged that he could do exactly what Jesus did, the atmosphere for the miraculous was created and he did what no mortal man had ever done. He walked on water! What does that tell you? It means everything you ever need to succeed is already in you. The world out there is in crises looking for solutions and if you dare look inside, you will be amazed at what you will produce.

Beloved that innovative business idea is inside you. The knowledge of witty invention is already inside you. All you need is to recognize it and appropriate it. As you step into the uncharted waters of life, the favour of God will attend your ways. I bless you in Jesus name.

Further Reading: Matthew 14:22-33, James 2:14-26

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Leviticus 14; Evening- Matthew 26:51-75

Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.