[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (2)

‘I was afraid…and I hid myself.’
Genesis 3:10 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 16 MARCH 2021

We tend to think that successful people are exempt from fear. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Every generation in history has experienced fear. The first person God created was Adam, and the first recorded words Adam spoke were these: ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ Fear is genetic; it’s part of human nature.

Studies confirm that our seven greatest areas of fear are these:
1) finances,
2) health,
3) career concerns,
4) parenting struggles,
5) family relationships,
6) accomplishing personal goals, and
7) death.

Are you fearful and anxious in any of those areas? Fear can be a destructive force in your life.

One of the old English words for fear means ‘sudden attack’. It’s akin to an old German word for fear that means ‘ambush or snare’.

That’s what fear does; it attacks us and takes us captive. So what’s the answer?

Faith in God! Fear weakens, but faith strengthens.

Fear imprisons, but faith liberates. Fear paralyses, but faith empowers.

Fear disheartens, but faith encourages. Fear sickens, but faith heals.

It’s been said that the words ‘fear not’ are recorded in Scripture 366 different times. If that’s so, God has given us a ‘fear not’ for every day of the year – and one for leap year! And here’s one of them: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine’ (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV).

Today God is with you and He promises to strengthen and guide you in every situation you face.

Numbers 29-31, Mark 9:1-29



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (3)

‘Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.’
Job 4:14 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 17 MARCH 2021

Fear can be devastating. Why? Because it breeds more fear!

And the most insidious thing about fear is its ability to exaggerate. C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general of the United States, observed, ‘People just have an inappropriate sense of what is dangerous.’ Do you fear flying?

The fact is, you’re more likely to die from choking on a piece of food than in a commercial airline crash. Are you afraid of dying in a robbery?

You’re twice as likely to be killed playing a sport than you are to be stabbed to death by a stranger. Are you afraid of sharks?

Every year farmyard pigs slay more people than sharks do. Are you worried about having surgery?

You’re sixteen times more likely to die in a car crash than you are from surgical complications. Seldom do the things we fear come to pass.

In our minds we conceive coming disasters that will likely never happen. And when they don’t occur, we think, ‘That was a close one!’

The truth is – our thoughts were the only things creating potential danger for us. So how should you deal with your fears?

By practising the truth of this Scripture: ‘You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]’ (Isaiah 26:3-4 AMPC).

Numbers 32-34, Mark 9:30-50



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (4)

‘As soon as their feet touch the water…the river will stand up like a wall.’
Joshua 3:13 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 18 MARCH 2021

To enter the Promised Land, the Israelites had to cross the River Jordan at flood stage. Were they afraid?

Wouldn’t you be? Nevertheless, the only way to reach their destiny was to do the very thing they feared!

When you let fear take hold, you become even more fearful and end up creating a debilitating cycle that works like this: Fear breeds lack of action. Lack of action breeds lack of experience.

Lack of experience breeds ignorance. And ignorance breeds fear.

It makes you afraid to do the very thing that would be beneficial to you. Taking action means you’ll have to move into the unknown and do the untried – and that can be scary.

But if you give in to your fears, you won’t move forward. You don’t receive the benefit of what you avoid, nor do you gain the valuable experience that will make your life better.

As a result, you remain ignorant about that area of life, and ignorance always breeds more fear, making it that much harder to push ahead and get things done. Harry Truman remarked: ‘The worst danger we face is the danger of being paralysed by doubts and fears.

This danger is brought on by those who abandon faith and sneer at hope…by those who spread cynicism and distrust and try to blind us to our great chance to do good for all mankind.’ Somebody said fear is the darkroom where all our negatives are developed.

It’s interest paid in advance on a debt you may never owe. And it undermines faith – in yourself, in others, and in God.

Numbers 35-36, Mark 10:1-31


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (5)

‘The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’
Psalm 27:1 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 19 MARCH 2021

An old adage says, ‘Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.’ It exaggerates the problem, and as a result, you expend valuable energy in ways you shouldn’t.

For example, sometimes you avoid things that can’t really harm you at all. Like the man who returned to his holiday cabin from a hike, badly scratched and bruised.

‘What happened?’ his wife asked. ‘I met a snake on the trail,’ he answered. ‘Don’t you remember,’ his wife responded, ‘the park ranger told us yesterday that none of the snakes up here are poisonous?’

Her husband replied, ‘They don’t have to be poisonous if they can make you jump off a twenty-foot cliff!’ Clearly the man’s fear – not the snake – was the problem.

Charles Spurgeon once said, ‘Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but…today of its strengths.’ As long as you allow fear to take the wheel, you’ll never go where God wants to take you, or discover and develop the talents He has placed within you.

And here’s the great thing: God will help you to confront and conquer the fears that are controlling you. David the giant slayer, author of Psalms and Israel’s beloved king, often found himself with his back to the wall.

Writing about such an occasion he said, ‘Make haste to help me…Lord’ (Psalm 38:22 NKJV). ‘Be pleased…to deliver me’ (Psalm 40:13 NKJV). But David knew who to turn to: ‘The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’

When God is the source of your strength, you can face your worst fears and overcome them.

Deuteronomy 1-3, Mark 10:32-52



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (6)

‘What I dreaded has happened to me.’
Job 3:25 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 20 MARCH 2021

Do you ever fantasise about solutions to problems you fear may or will come your way? Ironically, when you do, what started out as an unfounded fear can turn into a real problem because you expended energy on wasteful thinking instead of productive action.

Joe Tye, author of Never Fear, Never Quit, says: ‘Wishful thinking is the lock that fear puts on the prison gate. Fear lets you indulge yourself, for a while, in flights of wishful thinking.

Somehow, you think, something will happen to make the problems go away. By the time you wake up, it’s too late.

What you feared has happened, and fear has defeated you. The only way to escape from the prison of fear is action.

You cannot wish your way out, you cannot wait your way out. You can only work your way out.

Every time you escape the prison of fear, you grow stronger’ (emphasis mine). Fear has no benefits and no upside.

It either pushes you in the wrong direction by producing nervous energy that causes you to do your worst in new situations, or it saps your energy as you fight its paralysing effects. Psychologist Randall B. Hamrock observed: ‘In twenty years [of practice] I’ve talked with, tested, and given vocational counsel to at least 10,000 young men and women.

One characteristic that almost all had was the tendency to sell themselves short.’ Don’t let fear rob you of your potential.

Don’t let it make you smaller than you really are. Believe God for great things, then step out and attempt to do them in His strength.

If you do, you’ll succeed. Guaranteed.

Deuteronomy 4-6, Mark 11:1-19



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dealing with fear (7)

‘God has not given us a spirit of fear.’
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 21 MARCH 2021

During the American Revolution, Spain gained control of the Bahamas. In April of 1783, Andrew Deveaux, a lieutenant colonel from South Carolina, recruited a handful of militiamen and Harbour Island settlers to retake Nassau using a clever strategy.

Deveaux had only two hundred men with him, a far smaller force than that of the Spanish, but he managed to capture the high ground on the island after a brief skirmish. The Spaniards then watched as boats repeatedly ferried load after load of men from Deveaux’s ships to his defensive position on the shore.

What the Spaniards didn’t know was that the same men kept going back and forth, standing up on their trip over to the island, and hiding themselves by lying low in the boat on the trip back to the ships. The leader of the Spanish troops, fearing a defeat from a larger force in an invulnerable position, surrendered.

When you succumb to fear, you’re already beaten. People ruled by fear stay where it’s safe.

And that’s sad, because you can’t reach your potential by staying where it’s safe. Shakespeare said, ‘Our doubts are traitors, and they make us lose what we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.’

What would you attempt in life if you were sure you couldn’t fail? Before you answer, read these words of David: ‘When I cry out to You…my enemies will turn back…I know, because God is for me’ (Psalm 56:9 NKJV).

Believe that God is on your side today, then step out and attempt the thing you’re afraid to do! You’ll never be the same again – you’ll be liberated!

Luke 5:1-16, Psalms 29-30



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You’re commanded to love

‘This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’
John 15:12 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 22 MARCH 2021

If love was a sentiment that depended on someone else’s actions and reactions, or an emotion over which you had no control, Jesus wouldn’t have said, ‘This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.’ That means love is a choice you make.

It’s initiated by your will. Jesus also said, ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you’ (Luke 6:27-28 NKJV).

And what He commands you to do, He will give you the grace to carry out. For thousands of years (and to this day in some Eastern cultures), parents arranged their children’s marriages.

Many brides and bridegrooms never saw each other until their wedding day. A certain young lady from India was to be married to a man she didn’t know.

One day she received a letter from her fiancé, designed to acquaint her with him prior to the wedding. But the bride-to-be returned the letter unopened, saying she believed love should be developed after marriage, not before.

‘When we’re born,’ she wrote, ‘we don’t get to choose our mother, father, brothers and sisters, yet we learn to live with them and to love them. So it is with a husband or wife.’

In societies that endorse this philosophy, divorce is almost non-existent. Now, we’re not advocating arranged marriages, but the notion of ‘romantic love’ that’s so prevalent today has little to do with a successful marriage.

When you endeavour to love someone unconditionally the way Christ loves you, you experience joy and fulfilment.

Deuteronomy 7-9, Mark 11:20-33



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Live for what matters!

‘I must leave…everything I have gained.’
Ecclesiastes 2:18,19 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 23 MARCH 2021

If you work harder you can earn more money, but you can’t earn more time. To coin a popular song, ‘Time may be money, but your money won’t buy time.’

There’s a story about a man who worked the late shift at a factory, who walked home in the wee hours. One night he took a shortcut through the cemetery.

Failing to notice the new grave that had just been dug in the centre of his path, he fell into it. After several unsuccessful attempts to get out, he decided to relax until morning when someone was around to help him.

As he sat in the corner of the grave half asleep, a fellow traveller who had overindulged at the bar stumbled in beside him. Desperate to get out, the drunk started yelling and clawing frantically at the sides.

At that point our hero reached out, touched him gently on the leg, and said, ‘It’s no use, friend, I’ve tried. You’ll never get out of here.’

Not surprisingly – he did! He jumped out! A periodic visit to the local cemetery might help you re-evaluate and reprioritise your life!

For example, it might encourage you to stop and ask yourself what you’re really living for. Solomon had an ‘aha moment’ like that: ‘For though I do my work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, I must leave everything I gain to people who haven’t worked for it’ (paraphrased).

A rut is simply a grave with the ends kicked out. Don’t just make a living; get out of your rut and make a difference.

Don’t just leave an inheritance; leave a legacy that will enrich the lives of those who follow you.

Deuteronomy 10-12, Mark 12:1-27

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Today God is with you

‘God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.’
Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 24 MARCH 2021

Consider these timeless words by Margaret Fishback Powers: ‘One night I dreamed…I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord. When the last scene of my life shot before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

There was only one set…I realised that this was at the lowest…times of my life. This always bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk…with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints.

I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.” He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you!”’ And if you need more reassurance, read these two Scriptures: ‘The Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not’ (Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV).

‘For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me’ (Hebrews 13:5-6 KJV).

The word for today is – God is with you.

Deuteronomy 13-15, Mark 12:28-44

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The assurance of salvation

‘I give them eternal life.’
John 10:28 AMPC

The UCB Word for Today - 25 MARCH 2021

Your salvation isn’t guaranteed by your performance – but by Christ’s performance at the cross. Yes, you’ll have moments you’re proud of and moments you’re ashamed of.

But as long as your trust is in Christ, you’re saved, and you’ll go to heaven. Jesus said: ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages.

[To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand.’

Even more, God stakes His claim on us. ‘By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge – a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete’ (2 Corinthians 1:22 MSG).

You’ve done something similar: engraved your name on a valued ring, etched your identity on a tool or iPad. Stamping declares ownership.

Through His Spirit, God stamps us. Would-be takers are repelled by the presence of His name. Satan is driven back by the declaration: Hands off.

This redeemed child is mine! Where there’s no assurance of salvation, there’s no peace. No peace means no joy.

And no joy results in fear-based lives. Grace creates a confident soul who declares, ‘I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day’ (2 Timothy 1:12 NIV).

Your boarding pass for the flight to heaven is secure: ‘These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life’ (1 John 5:13 NKJV). It’s not about your hold on God – but His hold on you!

Deuteronomy 16-18, Mark 13:1-20

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Have you stumbled?

‘All of you will…stumble.’
Matthew 26:31 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 26 MARCH 2021

On the night before His death, Jesus made this announcement: ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: “I will strike the Shepherd, and the…flock will be scattered.” But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee’ (vv. 31-32 NKJV).

Think about it! If the disciples who had spent three-and-a-half years walking and talking with Jesus, hearing His messages and seeing His miracles could stumble, then any of us can.

‘All of you will…stumble.’ But the promise was lost on Peter.

‘Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble’ (v. 33 NKJV). This was not one of Peter’s finer moments.

‘Even if all…’ Arrogant. ‘I will never be made to stumble.’ Self-sufficient.

Peter’s trust was in Peter’s strength. Yet Peter’s strength would peter out.

Jesus knew it: ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’ (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV). Satan would attack and test Peter.

But Satan would never claim him. Why? Because Peter was strong?

No – because Jesus was. ‘I have prayed for you.’

And here’s a wonderful truth – Jesus prays for you too: ‘Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name…I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me’ (John 17:11, 20 NLT).

Will God answer Christ’s prayer on your behalf? What do you think? Of course He will!

Deuteronomy 19-21, Mark 13:21-37

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR YODAY
You can have peace and prosperity
27 MARCH 2021

‘Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.’
Job 22:21 NIV

Today we don’t just have regular stress, we’ve got cyber stress. Emails multiply like rabbits. Turn your mobile phone off for even a couple of hours, and when you turn it back on, it has gained ten pounds from the influx of recent voice mails.

Then we have hyper stress. Go to the supermarket and see how much small talk you get from the cashier whose speed and efficiency is being tracked by computer as he or she electronically scans your groceries, calls out your total, and digitally sweeps you out the door. In a five-year study of three thousand salaried and hourly employees, 88 per cent said they work ‘very hard’. Sixty-eight per cent said they worked ‘very fast’. Sixty per cent said they ‘still don’t get all their work done’. And 71 per cent said they felt ‘used up’. Even church leaders aren’t immune.

Almost half eventually resign, and when asked why, 80 per cent cited the negative effect of pastoral ministry on their family lives.

So what’s the solution to our stress? Peace! And where can you find peace? The Bible tells us, ‘Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.’ Here’s how it works: when you know that God loves and accepts you unconditionally, it sets you free to do the same for yourself.

As a result, you’re no longer driven by a need for acceptance, acquisition, and achievement. Yes, when you live by the principles clearly laid down in the Bible, you can have peace and prosperity!

Deuteronomy 22-24, Mark 14:1-26





TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
How to walk in God’s blessing (1)
28 MARCH 2021

‘Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.’
James 1:22 NIV

James writes: ‘Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has…gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

But one who looks intently at the perfect law…and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does’ (vv. 22-25 NASB).

In this Scripture the word man comes from the Greek word for male. Why is that significant? Because there’s a difference in how men and women use a mirror.

Men generally glance in it just long enough to get the basics done; whereas, women often carry a mirror in their bag and check their looks regularly throughout the day.

But don’t miss the point. It’s not about the difference in how men and women utilise mirrors.

No, it’s about the difference between spending a few hurried moments in the Scripture before rushing out into your day, instead of meditating on it until it renews your mind and shapes your character into the likeness of Jesus.

As you read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit holds a mirror up in front of you so that you can make whatever adjustments are necessary.

Note the words, ‘Whoever looks intently…and continues in it…will be blessed’ (v. 25 NIV). It’s a two-way street. To walk in God’s blessing, you need to take care of the ‘doing’, and He will take care of the ‘blessing’.

Luke 5:17-39, Psalms 31-32




TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to walk in God’s blessing (2)
29 MARCH 2021

‘Now ye are clean through the word.’
John 15:3 KJV

Your new nature is programmed to want to obey God in much the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers.

When you put in the right information, you get the right response. And when you feed your new nature with God’s Word, it’s designed to give you the right response.

That’s why Satan tries to keep you so busy doing other things that you don’t spend time reading your Bible. His goal is to keep you weak and ineffective.

Paul writes, ‘We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector.

And the more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage.

No, it calls for renewing your mind every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with your spirit and produces a Christlike lifestyle. Jesus said: ‘Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me’ (John 15:3-4 KJV).

When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to ‘abide’ in some hot, soapy water so that all the mess can be removed.

That’s why you need to soak your mind in God’s Word. It removes not only gross sin, but hardened, baked-on, stubborn attitudes that keep you from growing in grace.

Deuteronomy 25-27, Mark 14:27-52

[ebankole]

We need a member, a replacement who will be updating this thread daily. Reply to this post if you believe you can.


God bless you all.

Prophet Ebankole

[pikk]

I am available sir

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to walk in God’s blessing (1)
28 MARCH 2021
‘Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.’
James 1:22 NIV

James writes: ‘Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has…gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

But one who looks intently at the perfect law…and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does’ (vv. 22-25 NASB). In this Scripture the word man comes from the Greek word for male.

Why is that significant? Because there’s a difference in how men and women use a mirror. Men generally glance in it just long enough to get the basics done; whereas, women often carry a mirror in their bag and check their looks regularly throughout the day.

But don’t miss the point. It’s not about the difference in how men and women utilise mirrors. No, it’s about the difference between spending a few hurried moments in the Scripture before rushing out into your day, instead of meditating on it until it renews your mind and shapes your character into the likeness of Jesus.

As you read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit holds a mirror up in front of you so that you can make whatever adjustments are necessary.

Note the words, ‘Whoever looks intently…and continues in it…will be blessed’ (v. 25 NIV). It’s a two-way street. To walk in God’s blessing, you need to take care of the ‘doing’, and He will take care of the ‘blessing’.

Luke 5:17-39, Psalms 31-32

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to walk in God’s blessing (2)
29 MARCH 2021

‘Now ye are clean through the word.’
John 15:3 KJV
Your new nature is programmed to want to obey God in much the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers. When you put in the right information, you get the right response.

And when you feed your new nature with God’s Word, it’s designed to give you the right response. That’s why Satan tries to keep you so busy doing other things that you don’t spend time reading your Bible. His goal is to keep you weak and ineffective.

Paul writes, ‘We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector. And the more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage.


No, it calls for renewing your mind every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with your spirit and produces a Christlike lifestyle. Jesus said: ‘Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me’ (John 15:3-4 KJV). When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to ‘abide’ in some hot, soapy water so that all the mess can be removed.

That’s why you need to soak your mind in God’s Word. It removes not only gross sin, but hardened, baked-on, stubborn attitudes that keep you from growing in grace.

Deuteronomy 25-27, Mark 14:27-52

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You’re ‘graced’ for this test
30 MARCH 2021
‘When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.’
Job 23:10 NIV
Job lost his family and his fortune in a single day. Yet, looking back he wrote, ‘When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.’ It takes much more heat to produce gold than it does to produce tin.


So which of the two do you want to be? To enjoy the blessing God has in mind for you, you’ve got to pass life’s tests. In the early days of television programming, schedules were routinely interrupted by a thirty-second test of ‘The Emergency Broadcast System’. And those tests are a lot like the ones that come into our lives – unscheduled…unwelcome…and they always seem to come at the worst possible time.

But unlike television test patterns, life’s tests don’t last for thirty seconds then go away. No, they can last for weeks, years, and in some cases, for a lifetime.

And the reason why may never be completely clear to you. However, there’s an aspect of the test you can control – how you respond to it.

The truth is, tests are an invaluable, integral, and indispensable part of your spiritual growth. Without them you’ll never grow and mature as much as you need to.

And it’s how you handle your ‘tests’ that decides your ‘testimony’. Paul writes: ‘Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace…more and more praise! So we’re not giving up.

How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside…not a day goes by without his unfolding grace’ (2 Corinthians 4:15-16 MSG). Bottom line: you’re ‘graced’ for this test.

Deuteronomy 28-29, Mark 14:53-72

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Are you under pressure today?
31 MARCH 2021
‘Under pressure, your faith-life…shows its true colours.’
James 1:2 MSG

It takes a long time and an incredible amount of pressure to turn a worthless piece of carbon into a valuable diamond.

That’s why James writes: ‘Consider it a sheer gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours.

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way’ (vv. 2-4 MSG). Once you grasp that scriptural truth, whenever your life is interrupted by problems or circumstances you didn’t anticipate, you’ll begin to see God’s hand at work in all of it.

The truth is that you’re either in a trial right now, just coming out of one, or heading towards the next one. James talks about ‘various trials’ (v. 2 NASB); they come in every conceivable variety.

Like the letters you get through your letterbox, some are addressed simply to ‘The Occupant’. Will Rogers once read a newspaper headline that said, ‘Innocent Bystander Shot in New York.’ He quipped, ‘How about that? All you have to do to get shot in New York is be innocent and stand by!’ That’s how it is with life’s trials. Just stand by – and you’ll get hit. But the fact remains that it takes adversity to produce spiritual maturity. It can’t come any other way.

Jesus said, ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV). Jesus was an overcomer, and because He lives in you today, you can be an overcomer too.

Deuteronomy 30-31, Mark 15:1-24

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Why you need a relationship with God
01 APRIL 2021

‘He walked with Me in peace and equity.’
Malachi 2:6 NKJV
From the very first chapter of Genesis, it’s clear that a relationship with God is the foundation upon which everything in our lives must be built. If we try to build on anything else, we’re building on quicksand.



Why? Because sooner or later our relationship with our children, our siblings, our spouse, our parents, and our friends will break down.



If we don’t understand that we were created with an intense hunger for a relationship with God, we won’t understand where the inner void and loneliness come from.


And as a result, we’ll try (unsuccessfully) to fill it with three things: 1) People. Having the right person in your life can help fulfil your need for love and emotional intimacy, but no one other than God can fill the spiritual emptiness within you. 2) Things.


Having material things can give us comfort and convenience. Having money can give us options to do good; options the less fortunate can only dream of. But you can have material things and still be lonely and unhappy. 3) Religion.


God’s not interested in religion; He’s interested in having a relationship with you. Religion only becomes significant when it enhances that relationship, which it doesn’t always do.


Oftentimes religious rules and regulations become a deterrent to a relationship with God. The Bible is filled with religious people who missed connecting with God altogether. Sometimes we’re so preoccupied with our religious ideologies, teachings, doctrines, and principles that we fail to understand that what really matters most in life is a personal, intimate, daily, talking-and-listening relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 32-34, Mark 15:25-47

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Redefining ‘Good’ Friday
02 APRIL 2021
‘All the broken…pieces…fit together…because of his death.’
Colossians 1:20 MSG
Carolyn Arends writes: ‘Easter Sunday is the Christian faith’s gold medal victory lap…the Happily Ever After…But here’s the rub: I dread Good Friday…images of torture and suffering…sombre music…the terrible recollected cry, “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Left to my own devices, I’d probably skip Good Friday. But…if I did, Easter morning would become increasingly hollow. I’d forget how much my salvation cost….I’d start to believe that you can have victory without sacrifice…that you don’t have to die [to self] to live the resurrection.


I’d buy the lie that Christ’s…victory over death – and my decision to follow him – means life will be trouble-free…The biblical writers…encourage us to consider suffering…an opportunity to identify with Christ…to take up his cross. Yet…when the job is lost, or the tumour is malignant, or the friendship is betrayed, we grieve not only the wound but also the fact that we can be wounded. We feel…Jesus has let us down. We don’t consider it “pure joy”…We consider it failure…So how do we become Easter Sunday Christians? When I’m expecting Easter Sunday and I get Good Friday…[I try] to remember that God’s definition of “good”…far exceeds my own…that almost all the new beginnings…have come from what felt…like terrible endings….What seems like a small (but devastating) death is actually a chance at new life….We must be…broken…to grow into what we were made to be.’ If you’re struggling to see the ‘good’ in your situation, hear this: ‘He was supreme in the beginning and – leading the resurrection parade – he is supreme in the end….Not only that, but all the broken…dislocated pieces…people and things…get properly fixed and fit together…because of his death’ (vv. 18-20 MSG).

Joshua 1-3, Mark 16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The battle over the resurrection
03 APRIL 2021
‘If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!’
1 Corinthians 15:17 NKJV
In 2013, Fox News reported that an exercise in a university course textbook involved instructing students to write the name Jesus on a sheet of paper, put the paper on the floor, and stomp on it. In one Florida university class, all the students participated – except one! Out of love and loyalty to Jesus, he said he wouldn’t do it.

This leads us to ask the question, ‘Why would anyone, even an atheist, agree to do such a thing?’ Answer: because sometimes we fight what we fear. It’s called ‘living in denial’.

Think about it: hatred and resentment normally end at the grave because the person is dead and no longer has any power over you. So why then do some people still hate Jesus? Fear! Deep down they fear He’s alive and that His influence in the world is growing.

And His influence will continue to grow! ‘The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah 11:9 NKJV). The historical truth of Christ’s resurrection is beyond dispute to any honest, open mind. But the greatest proof of His resurrection can be seen in changed lives.

Paul writes: ‘You have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.

And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same Spirit living within you’ (Romans 8:10-11 NLT). Songwriter Alfred Ackley put it this way: ‘You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.’

Joshua 4-6, John 1:1-28

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The work was finished
04 APRIL 2021
‘The cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up.’
John 20:7 NLT
In Bible days when you wanted a fine piece of furniture made, you picked someone with a reputation for excellence – a master carpenter or a finish carpenter. But these carpenters had an interesting custom.

When a carpenter completed a job, he took off his apron, folded it up, and set it on his finished work, signifying the job was complete.

With that picture in mind, read this: ‘Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.…Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb.

They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings.

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed – for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead’ (vv. 1-9 NLT). Note the words ‘the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up’.

The master carpenter had finished the job. Our salvation was complete. You don’t have to work to be saved, you only have to put your trust in Christ, and your sins are forgiven and your place in heaven assured.

Luke 6:1-26, Psalms 33-34

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Renew your love for Christ
05 APRIL 2021
‘Turn back and do as you did at first.’
Revelation 2:5 CEV
Addressing the Ephesian church, Jesus said: ‘I know everything you have done, including your hard work and how you have endured. I know you won’t put up with anyone who is evil….You have endured and gone through hard times because of me, and…not given up. But I do have something against you! And it is this: You don’t have as much love as you used to.

Think about where you have fallen from…then turn back and do as you did at first’ (vv. 2-5 CEV). Think back to your early days as a Christian. Remember how excited you got when you talked about the Lord.

Remember how you spent time each day in prayer, and left His presence strengthened. You couldn’t get enough of His Word. It was filled with fresh insights that thrilled your soul and challenged you to go deeper with Him.

You never missed an opportunity to talk to others about the Lord. Your walk with Him was consistent, fulfilling, and the pivotal point of your life.

What happened? Have you reached the same point in your life as the Ephesian Christians Jesus was speaking to? If so, understand that God won’t interrupt your busy schedule or accelerate His pace to catch up with you.

No, you must slow down in order to get back in step with Him. He can’t be conveniently fitted into the framework of your complicated life; you must choose to put Him first, and keep Him there.

Today the Lord may be speaking these words to you: ‘Think about where you have fallen from…then turn back and do as you did at first.’

Joshua 7-9, John 1:29-51

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Decide, and stick with it!
06 APRIL 2021
‘As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.’
Joshua 24:15 NKJV
People who succeed in life set their priorities early and maintain them daily. That way they don’t have to keep re-establishing them. That’s a good idea for two reasons: 1) It takes the emotion out of it. If you’re not careful, you can make a life-altering decision based on a temporary situation rather than God’s will. Or worse, base your decisions on your feelings! By establishing your life’s priorities before you have to, you can do it without your emotions manipulating and controlling you. Plus, you’re more likely to set them with integrity. Joshua did that: ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’ 2) It makes managing your life easier. Once you nail down what’s important to you, you can live based on those principles. Let’s say you’re a compulsive gambler and you decide to stop. Your task then becomes ordering your life in light of that decision.

That probably means not visiting the racecourse or going on holiday to the Strip in Las Vegas. Or, say you want to build a better marriage: that may mean spending less time at work or on a hobby, and planning a weekly date night with your spouse. It takes honesty, born in prayer, to know what your real issues are and to make good decisions accordingly. And it takes character and perseverance to follow through once those decisions are made.

The great thing is that once you decide, then ‘commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed’ (Proverbs 16:3 NLT). He will give you the strength each day to live by your decisions.

Joshua 10-12, John 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Dealing with your doubts (1)

07 APRIL 2021
‘Unless I see…I will not believe.’
John 20:25 NIV
Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared to His disciples after the resurrection. And like many of us, other people’s experiences weren’t good enough for Thomas – he had to have his own.

And Jesus made sure he got it. Note, He didn’t put Thomas down for having doubts. He understood that any question arising from an honest heart isn’t a sceptical question; it’s a search for truth.

The Bible tells us: ‘After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came…stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.

Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”’ (vv. 26-28 NKJV). We glean two important lessons from this story: 1) Your doubts can actually lead you to a new level of faith. When the bottom drops out of your world, when the pain of your circumstances seems unbearable, when some shattering event occurs and doubt marches in unannounced, don’t deny it – acknowledge it. Times of doubt become classrooms of learning when they drive you to God for answers. As you work your way through them, you reach a new level of faith. 2) Your doubts can lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

The testimony of others will only carry you so far; ultimately, you need your own personal experience with the Lord. And you can have it! Thomas started out doubting Jesus and ended up dying as a martyr for His cause. Think about that!

Joshua 13-15, John 3:1-21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Dealing with your doubts (2)

08 APRIL 2021
‘Unless I see…I will not believe.’
John 20:25 NIV
Some of us have taken the message of Christianity and put it in a box marked ‘Don’t ask – don’t tell.’ Ever feel like you need permission to weep when you lose a loved one? Or feel intimidated about admitting, ‘I really don’t know for certain’? The story of doubting Thomas teaches us that not only is it okay to doubt – sometimes it’s necessary! If you don’t, you won’t grow. You’ll wind up with somebody else’s answers, and in many cases they will be inadequate for your questions – even if you’re honest enough to ask them.

Question: has some well-meaning religious soul pushed you into a corner and tried to make you believe that your questions are an offence to Christ? If so, it’s time to listen anew to the tender words of the One who knows your doubts and fears better than you do: ‘Peace be with you.

Look at my hands and feet. Look with eyes of faith and believe. You are blessed when you believe in spite of your doubts.’ It’s okay to pray, ‘Lord, like Thomas, I still struggle with some doubts. I haven’t put my life all together yet. Not until I’m with You will that happen. Thank You for accepting me in my struggles, and not ignoring my questions. Thomas finally reached the place where he could say, “My Lord and my God.” Thank You for being patient with me as I strive to reach that place as well.’ So, how do we get through our doubts? Like Thomas! By facing them honestly, bringing them to Jesus, and growing spiritually as a result of them.

Joshua 16-18, John 3:22-36

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
The sting!

09 APRIL 2021
‘I fear…your…devotion to Christ will be corrupted.’
2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT
Have you heard of the velvet ant? It has a coat of tiny hairs that feel smooth and velvety. But it’s all a disguise. It isn’t an ant at all, but a wingless wasp with a nasty sting.

After injecting its victims with a venom, it lays eggs in their incapacitated bodies. One of Paul’s greatest concerns was that, after being saved by grace, the churches would go back to living under the Old Testament law.

He constantly warned them about basing their salvation and their relationship with God on their own performance. ‘I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed’ (vv. 3-4 NLT). Another Jesus! Another spirit! Another gospel! Again Paul warns, ‘Satan disguises himself as an angel of light’ (v. 14 NLT). Yes, your work for God on earth determines your rewards in heaven.

But only by trusting in the finished work of Christ will you get to heaven. No one in heaven will say, ‘Look what Jesus and I did!’ Legalism will not only infect you, it will incapacitate you. Scottish minister Horatius Bonar wrote, ‘Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die; another’s life, another’s death, I stake my whole eternity.’ How do you protect yourself against ‘the sting’ of legalism? By depending on God’s grace alone.

Joshua 19-21, John 4:1-30

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
God will provide ‘all’ you need

10 APRIL 2021
‘How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’
Romans 8:32 NKJV
George Müller is considered to be one of the spiritual giants of the church. Do yourself a favour and read his life-story. Faced time and time again with overwhelming needs, he turned to God in prayer, claiming His promises and experiencing amazing miracles. But great faith does not come overnight; it comes over a lifetime of walking with God. Müller said: ‘My faith is the same faith which is found in every believer. It has been increased little by little for the last twenty-six years.

Many times when I would have gone insane from worry, I was at peace because my soul believed the truth of God’s promises. God’s Word, together with the whole character of God as He has revealed Himself, settles all questions.

His unchangeable love and His infinite wisdom calmed me. I knew, “God is able and willing to deliver me.” It is written, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”’ You say, ‘How do I get this kind of faith?’ The Bible says, ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17 KJV).

Just as a daily diet of good nutrition strengthens you physically, so do reading, meditating, studying, verbalising, and standing on God’s Word each day strengthen you spiritually. The ‘secret’ of successful Christian living is not a secret at all – just get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into you.

You can’t avoid anxiety-producing situations in life, but when your faith is strong you can overcome them.

Joshua 22-24, John 4:31-54