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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Practise self-control
15 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘Do not give in to sinful desires.’
Romans 6:12 NLT

Paul writes: ‘Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ…Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires…[or] let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God’ (vv. 11-13 NLT). If you let it, your body will lead you astray. It’s not that it’s evil, but it has certain appetites which are always ready to respond to surrounding stimuli, all of which are terribly appealing and temporarily satisfying.


Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘Life on earth is really nothing more than a string of moments…And I don’t want my testimony for Jesus Christ to be shattered by a single moment of indulging my flesh. I don’t want one moment of rage or pride or lust to cast a shadow over a lifetime of walking with my Lord. Frankly, I fear that possibility.

And do you know what? I want to fear that possibility. When I stop fearing it – I’m in grave danger.’ So how do you deal with your carnal appetites? The only way is to make God’s Word your code of conduct and refuse to compromise. And if you need a role model you won’t find a better one than Jesus. He said, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves’ (Matthew 16:24 NIV). Each day, look for an opportunity to deny yourself in some small area. You’ll be surprised how hard it is! But the payoff comes later when you need to deny yourself in a big area of life that has much more riding on it.

Isaiah 23-25, Ephesians 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (1)
16 SEPTEMBER 2021


‘That men may know…thou…art the most High over all the earth.’
Psalm 83:18 KJV


The Israelites called God Jehovah, a name they thought of as incommunicable and inexplicable. The name means the ‘self-existing one’; the ‘I am’. He was before all things, the creator of all things; an awesome but seemingly impersonal, unknowable being.

However, God wanted us to know Him in a personal way, so in Scripture He added five revealing titles to the name Jehovah, five word-portraits to help us understand and relate to Him. The Israelites usually discovered the truth of these word-portraits during times of crisis and distress. And they’ll encourage you, too, during your time of need.

Jehovah-Jireh: the Lord will see, the Lord will provide. Abraham was about to sacrifice his son when God provided a lamb as an offering in Isaac’s place. And in response Abraham called God Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who sees and provides. But it doesn’t just apply to Abraham.

The New Testament references many counterparts to the Lord who sees our needs and provides answers. Jesus said, ‘Your heavenly Father knoweth…ye have need of all these things’ (Matthew 6:32 KJV). Like a caring responsive parent, God sees His children’s needs before they do, and provides the solution.

Before their shoes wear out, their father provides new ones. They don’t have to beg, bargain and plead. Maybe you’re wondering how come you don’t always get what you ask for.

Because God knows what you really need – you don’t! Think about it: it’s possible for your wants to be gratified and your real needs go unmet. Remember Jehovah-Jireh sees your needs, and because He sees them He will provide for them! It’s that simple!

Isaiah 26-27, Ephesians 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (2)
17 SEPTEMBER 2021


‘Be not afraid nor dismayed…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’
2 Chronicles 20:15 KJV


When Israel was threatened by the armies of Amalek God gave them a glorious victory. Realising that God was fighting the battle for them, Moses built an altar to Jehovah-Nissi: the Lord my banner. Fighting our own battles was never God’s idea.

The Bible says, ‘The Lord is a man of war’ (Exodus 15:3 KJV). ‘The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace’ (Exodus 14:14 KJV). ‘Be not afraid nor dismayed…for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ As human beings we get exhausted and discouraged because we keep trying to fight in our own strength.

We engage in fruitless cycles of repentance, resolution, struggle, defeat, discouragement, and repenting all over again. The only spiritual conflict that’s ever successfully won is the one God fights for us.

He doesn’t expect us to win the battle but to let Him win it on our behalf. ‘But aren’t we supposed to fight too?’ you ask. Yes, we’re to ‘fight the good fight of faith’ (1 Timothy 6:12 KJV). Ours isn’t a battle of exhausting effort, it’s the battle of believing. ‘But aren’t we supposed to wrestle like Jacob did?’ First of all, Jacob didn’t win by wrestling, he won by being rendered too weak to keep wrestling.

Secondly, his victory lay in surrender to God. Are you worn out from the battle? Are you at the end of your rope? Then you’re just where God wants you! Let go and trust Jehovah-Nissi to prevail for you, because ‘the battle is not yours, but God’s’! Stand up and declare with Paul, ‘When I am weak, then am I strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV).

Isaiah 28-29, Ephesians 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (3)
18 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring.’
Exodus 14:13 NIV

Let’s look again at Jehovah-Nissi: the Lord my banner. It isn’t easy to hand our battles over and let God fight for us. We feel like we’re copping out or being irresponsible. Popular thinking says, ‘Don’t just sit there, do something!’ We’re like the drowning man who can’t stop grasping at his rescuer.

We imagine they need our help, and as a result we end up making their job almost impossible. The truth is – we become their worst nightmare! But just because God fights for us doesn’t mean we’re not involved.

The hardest part about the order – ‘stand still and watch the deliverance of the Lord’ – is we mistake standing still for doing nothing, or being derelict in our duty. Fear says, ‘Just do something!’ Faith says, ‘Stand in faith. Let God do it!’ That’s about as far from doing nothing as you can get.

It’s faith at its highest. So how come we need spiritual armour if we don’t do the fighting? Good question! Paul said, ‘Put on the full armour of God, so…you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes’ (Ephesians 6:11 NIVUK).

Notice: you wear His armour – not yours. You’re to stand – not fight. ‘The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh’ (2 Corinthians 10:4 NASB). Human methods get in God’s way; natural abilities are useless against spiritual forces. The grub of the dragonfly at the bottom of the pond may be a well-developed, vigorous grub. But once it becomes a dragonfly, the strengths of its grub-life won’t help it to live an airborne life. Whereas we once trusted in our own human effort, now we trust only in Jehovah-Nissi.

Isaiah 30-31, Ephesians 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (4)
19 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’
Judges 6:23 NIV

The name Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace, was discovered by Gideon when God assigned him the job of leading Israel against the Midianites – a position Gideon saw as far beyond his abilities. ‘How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (v. 15 NIV). The Lord responded, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites…Peace! Do not be afraid.

You are not going to die’ (vv. 16, 23 NIV). A frightened Gideon believed God before the battle was even fought and the victory secured. Through the eyes of faith, he envisioned peace already secured, and built an altar to Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace.

We assume that we can only have inner peace when our outer circumstances are favourable. Let’s learn, like Gideon, that inward peace doesn’t depend on altering outward circumstances.


It depends on believing that Jehovah-Shalom is with you, and that will bring you through the battle with inner peace. Jesus said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace [inner, faith-based] I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives [outward, circumstantial]. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27 NIV).

No matter how inadequate you feel today, remember these words: ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace…take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV). Your job is to ‘take heart’ because Jehovah-Shalom is with you, and to trust Christ the ‘overcomer’ to handle the circumstances for you!

Luke 17:20-37, Psalms 94-96

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (5)
20 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘And this will be his name: “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.”’
Jeremiah 23:6 NLT

The name Jehovah-Tsidkenu: the Lord my righteousness, was given by God to Jeremiah, announcing the coming of Jesus. ‘I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line…And this will be his name: “The Lord Is Our Righteousness”’ (vv. 5-6 NLT).

Before Jesus came, our righteousness was dependent on our own efforts. ‘We will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands the Lord our God has given us’ (Deuteronomy 6:25 NLT). But we failed the righteousness test big time! Then the ‘Lord our righteousness’ became our solution. Here’s how: God ‘made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).

Notice, in Jesus we’ve ‘become’ [been converted…turned into] righteous before God! We’re not to try to do right just so we can feel right before God or generate a supply of good works to draw from when we need credit. We’re to draw what we need from the righteousness deposited into our account by Christ.


If we need humility, purity, patience, kindness or love, it’s useless to look within ourselves. They’re just not there! We must draw them by faith from the supply stored up for us in Jesus. Guilty hearts can draw forgiveness, anxious spirits can draw peace, weary souls can draw strength, and confused minds can draw guidance from our inexhaustible supply in Jehovah-Tsidkenu.

Just as you receive salvation by faith, you must draw righteousness and everything else you need through faith in what God has accomplished and stored up for your use in Jesus – the Lord your righteousness!

Isaiah 32-33, Ephesians 5:1-16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


What’s in a name? Everything! (6)
21 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘The name of the city…will be: THE LORD [JEHOVAH SHAMMAH] IS THERE.’
Ezekiel 48:35 NIV

During Israel’s twenty-fifth year in captivity Ezekiel received from God the name Jehovah-Shammah: the Lord is there. He described their future home, Jerusalem, saying, ‘The name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.’ It applies not only to the Lord of the old covenant, but equally to Jesus, the Lord of the new covenant whose name, ‘Immanuel’, means ‘God is with us’ (Matthew 1:23 NLT).

It means that at all times, in all places, under all circumstances, for all of us, he’s available and present! David discovered: ‘I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me’ (Psalm 139:7-10 NLT).

The name Jehovah-Shammah signifies that God’s presence is all we need. Remember when just the presence of your mother or father was enough to comfort and bring confidence to you? Fear, loneliness and helplessness disappeared when they were there.

In Israel’s worst moments God’s response was always the same: ‘I am with you.’ Those words guaranteed their needs would be abundantly met! And today God’s saying to you, ‘I’m with you, and neither death, life, angels, spirit-powers, present or future fears, height, depth, nor anything else in all creation will separate you from my love’ (see Romans 8:38-39). That’s promise enough for anybody. Take it and run with it today!

Isaiah 34-36, Ephesians 5:17-33

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Let God’s love dispel your fear
22 SEPTEMBER 2021

‘There is no fear in love…perfect love casts out fear.’
1 John 4:18 NKJV

Modern science confirms the truth of the Scripture: ‘There is no fear in love…perfect love casts out fear.’ Love and fear are incompatible; they can’t co-exist. Children have two basic needs: 1) A need to explore. That’s how they learn, grow and develop. 2) A need to feel safe. If they don’t feel secure, they won’t explore. Every human being needs a secure base from which to investigate and grow.

Research confirms that, generally speaking, one parent more than the other will push a child to take chances, run risks and learn that a little danger is a good thing, while the other parent tends to be the comforter, the soother, the safety net. But the truth is any parent can give a child both gifts.

When we’re afraid, our body activates its sympathetic nervous system. Our heart races, our breathing becomes faster and shallower and our muscles tense up. So we run to our non-anxious presence: our comforter, protector and parent. And as we are held, reassured and loved, the parasympathetic system takes over.

Our heart rate slows, our breathing becomes deep and even, our muscles relax and blood flows back to our brain. In essence, a little voice inside us says, ‘I can go out and face the world again.’ It’s a fact in the physical realm that ‘perfect love casts out fear’. And it’s also true in the spiritual realm. With a God who is tender enough to love and comfort us, yet strong enough to be our rock and our fortress, we can face what life throws at us and grow stronger as a result.

Isaiah 37-38, Ephesians 6

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


God’s answer to worry
23 SEPTEMBER 2021


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


The Bible says, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ Overcoming fear begins with understanding that fear is a ‘spirit’, and it doesn’t come from God. Each time you realise that, you’re less likely to give in to it.

So, what has God given us in place of fear? Three things: 1) Power. Now we’re not simply talking about self-help techniques and stress management. This is deeper than anxiety reduction to make your life more pleasant.
It’s a settled conviction that goes down to the core of your being, that all things that concern you are in the hands of a loving God who has only the best in mind for you. Therefore all things will be well, and you can live free of worry. 2) Love.

The Bible says, ‘Perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18 NKJV). Only when you realise that you are loved unconditionally by a God who never changes His mind about you, will you learn to love and accept yourself, and then be able to love and accept others.

Can you imagine the effect that would have on your fear of people, fear of rejection, and fear of criticism? This kind of love is more than a ‘feel-good’ emotion; it’s a life-changing force. 3) A sound mind. Paul writes: ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG). These three things are God’s answer to worry.

Isaiah 39-40, Philippians 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Speculation or revelation?
24 SEPTEMBER 2021


‘No man takes this honour to himself.’
Hebrews 5:4 NKJV


When it comes to knowing what God has called you to do in life, you have two options. 1) Speculation. Dr Hugh Moorhead, who heads the philosophy department at Northeastern Illinois University, wrote to two-hundred-and-fifty well-known philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals, asking them the time-honoured question: ‘What is the meaning of life?’ Then he published their responses in a book.

Some offered their best guesses, some admitted they had made up a purpose for life, and others were honest enough to say they were clueless. In fact, a number of them asked Moorhead to write back and tell them if he himself had discovered the purpose of life. Thank God there’s a scriptural alternative to speculation! 2) Revelation. ‘No man takes this honour to himself, but he who is called by God.’ When you know God has called you to do a certain thing you can be confident He will provide the resources, wisdom, connections and strategy.

And here’s the great thing – you can find all of these in His Word. The Bible is the original owner’s manual when it comes to explaining why you’re alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could possibly know. Paul writes, ‘God’s wisdom…goes deep into the interior of his purposes…It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us’ (1 Corinthians 2:7 MSG). You’ve been genetically wired to fulfil a certain purpose in life. And to discover it, you must turn to God’s Word and not the world’s wisdom.

Isaiah 41-42, Philippians 2