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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Peace, in spite of the circumstances
05 OCTOBER 2021


‘My peace I give you.’
John 14:27 NIV


God rarely sends us into situations where our comfort level is high. Instead He promises to be with us in spite of our fear. It’s God’s presence, not comfortable circumstances that strengthens our faith and brings out the best in us. God told Abraham to leave a wealthy, well-known family, and go to a land he didn’t know. He explained that Abraham would give birth to a new nation that would bless the world.

Abraham went, and a nation was born. God told Moses to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth, and that God Himself would use Moses to deliver His people. Moses confronted, and God delivered. God told Joshua that if he’d be strong and courageous when everybody wanted to return to slavery, God would go with them and give them the land. Joshua was strong and courageous, and God Himself went with them and gave them the land.

Over and over we see this pattern repeated in Scripture. David faced the giant Goliath, Elijah faced the prophets of Baal, Daniel faced a den of lions – and always there was God in the midst of their fear. And lest you think these stories of courage are all in the past, historian Everett Ferguson calculates that more Christians have been killed for their faith in the past fifty years, than in the first three hundred years of the church’s existence. So here’s Jesus’ Word to you when somebody doesn’t like you, or you get a bad review at work, or you face illness, or the economy dips and your retirement fund takes a 50 per cent hit: ‘My peace I give you.’

Isaiah 65-66, 1 Thessalonians 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


Learn to be alone with God
06 OCTOBER 2021

‘Moses alone is to approach…the people may not come up with him.’
Exodus 24:2 NIV

It’s essential to be alone with God in order to hear clearly from Him. For a texting/tweeting generation hooked on mobile phones and bombarded by round-the-clock media, this can be a tough concept to grasp. But until you do, you’ll get nowhere spiritually.

Are you serious about following Jesus? He ‘often withdrew…and prayed’ (Luke 5:16 NIV). He ‘went up on a mountainside by himself to pray’ (Matthew 14:23 NIV). How did Jacob the deceiver become ‘Israel, a prince with God’? (see Genesis 32:28).

The Bible says he ‘was left alone, and a man (the Angel of the Lord) wrestled with him till daybreak’ (Genesis 32:24 NIV). The greatest spiritual victories come from the battles God calls you to fight when you’re alone with Him. He outlines and clarifies His plans for your life when there’s nobody else around. That’s because He wants you to be more influenced by Him than them. When God is grooming you for a special assignment, you’ll be required to spend time outside the company of others.

In Exodus God said, ‘Moses alone is to approach…the people may not come up with him.’ After Elijah spent the night alone in a cave, God told him, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain…for the Lord is about to pass by’ (1 Kings 19:11 NIV). Daniel ‘was left alone, gazing at this great vision’ (Daniel 10:8 NIV). Jeremiah wrote, ‘I sat alone because your hand was on me’ (Jeremiah 15:17 NIV). Learn the difference between loneliness and solitude. When God sidelines you, glean all you can from the experience and move to the next level.

Jeremiah 1-2, 1 Thessalonians 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


Through Christ, you can break the habit!
07 OCTOBER 2021

‘I can…through Christ who strengthens me.’
Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Stubborn habits assume a life of their own; that’s why they keep growing. They have a mind that thinks for you, a voice that speaks to you, and a power that keeps conquering you. So…what should you do? Pray and proclaim God’s Word over your habit! God said, ‘I am watching over My word to perform it’ (Jeremiah 1:12 NASB). Pray: ‘Lord, Your Word says that if I call on You, You’ll answer me…that You’ll be with me in trouble, You’ll honour…and…deliver me (see Psalm 91:15).

You promised that through the power of Your indwelling Spirit, I can be free from this vicious cycle of temptation, sin and failure (see Romans 8:2). You said if I fully committed my life to You, I’d have the strength to resist the devil, and that he would flee from me (see James 4:7).

Your Word says You’ve given me the power to pull down my old mental strongholds and take control of every wayward thought, imagination, and impulse (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). You promised that by reading and meditating on Your Word each day, I’d become a partaker in Your divine nature and overcome the tendencies of my flesh (see 2 Peter 1:4).

You promised to strengthen me in my mind, my emotions and my will; that my self-worth would be based solely on Your love for me; that You’d do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think – because You’re at work in me (see Ephesians 3:14-21). Today, I claim victory over this habit, in Jesus’ name, Amen.’ The word for today is: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

Jeremiah 3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Get free from debt
08 OCTOBER 2021

‘The borrower is servant to the lender.’
Proverbs 22:7 NLT

To get free from debt: 1) Write down your financial goals. Decide what’s truly important – how much you’ll save, how much you’ll spend, and how much debt you can handle without jeopardising your future. One reason we never reach our goals is because we don’t set any. You must know where you’re going and how to get there. 2) Start small. Tackle one bill at a time.

It’s amazing what you accomplish when you’re serious and stick with it. The Bible says, ‘At the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NIV). 3) Stop charging what you can’t pay for. You’re incurring higher interest rates and adding to your burden. Use credit cards only if you’re disciplined enough not to go overboard. Your intentions may be good, but unforeseen circumstances can force you to carry a balance from month to month.

And if your spending is totally out of control, do plastic surgery – cut up your credit cards! 4) Give more. This may sound foolish and counter-intuitive when you’re in debt. But Jesus said: ‘Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.

The amount you give will determine the amount you get back’ (Luke 6:38 NLT). 5) Expect disapproval. When you begin to practise financial discipline, some people may not be too happy, especially if it affects them personally. But if you only do things in life that nobody can find fault with, you’ll never accomplish much. Starting today, God wants you to be free from debt – and stay free (see John 8:36).

Jeremiah 6-8, 2 Thessalonians 1

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Strive to become intimately acquainted with God
09 OCTOBER 2021

‘So I could know Christ personally…and go all the way with him.’
Philippians 3:10 MSG

It’s one thing to know about God, but it’s entirely another thing to know Him intimately. Take a moment and examine your life today. Has your walk with God slowed to a crawl? Are you running on empty? A full tank is only possible by making regular visits to the fuel pump; that means paying attention to your fuel gauge. And a full tank doesn’t just happen; it requires vigilance, commitment and action. Your flesh will work against you every day, and adverse circumstances will come to discourage you. Even those close to you may misunderstand your new spiritual priorities. If it was easy, anyone could do it.


The prize goes to those who can say like Paul: ‘I gave up all that inferior stuff so that I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him’ (vv. 10-11 MSG). The Bible tells us, ‘The man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame’ (Genesis 2:25 NLT). That’s physical intimacy! But the ultimate intimacy is not between a man and woman; it’s with God! And Paul didn’t just pray for it; he pursued it with all his heart.

Nothing was more important to him. How about you? Do you sing God’s praises in church with a mind that’s elsewhere? Have you become so critical around others that you sound like an unbeliever? Have you allowed sinful habits to rob you of your confidence towards God? (See 1 John 3:21-22.) If you are, you must do something about it! Starting today, strive to become intimately acquainted with God.

Jeremiah 9-11, 2 Thessalonians 2

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How God deals with our self-centredness
10 OCTOBER 2021

‘Everything connected with getting our own way…is killed off for good.’
Galatians 5:24 MSG

It’s estimated that the average person speaks about nine million words a year, and more than half are, ‘I, me, my, mine.’ But following Christ means dying to self, and self-centredness doesn’t give up without a fight. That’s why Paul writes, ‘Everything connected with getting our own way…is killed off for good.’ Self-interest won’t just roll over and die; it must be killed. And it’s a daily battle, because we have a tendency to cling to our own interests with a death grip.

Jesus told His disciples, ‘Whoever desires to be first…let him be your slave’ (Matthew 20:27 NKJV). In those days a slave was considered to be the lowest employee among the household servants. That means you have been called to sacrifice your own interests in order to serve others.

And if He has to, God will leave you with ‘a reminder’ of what it took to get through to you in your particular areas of stubbornness and self-centredness. For example, after his encounter with God, Jacob walked with a limp, but it was a constant reminder of his total dependence on God.

And the great apostle Paul writes, ‘So I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations’ (2 Corinthians 12:7 MSG). What’s your handicap? A habit you battle? A fear that dogs your tracks? A difficult relationship? A financial shortfall? A physical ailment? Why doesn’t God just take it away? Because He considers anything that makes you more dependent on Him and less dependent on yourself, a plus, and not a minus.

Luke 19:1-27, Psalms 103-104

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Be an exhorter (1)
11 OCTOBER 2021

‘Exhort one another daily.’
Hebrews 3:13 NKJV

The Greek word for ‘exhort’ is parakalew. It comes from two words, one meaning ‘alongside of’ and the other meaning ‘to call’. This is the root of the Greek word paraclete, which is the name Jesus gave the Holy Spirit. The real ministry of the Holy Spirit is to exhort and encourage us in our walk with God.

So you are never more like the Holy Spirit and never more in tune with His ministry, than when you are exhorting and encouraging others. An exhorter can turn a loser into a winner, a shirker into a worker, and a pessimist into an optimist. They inspire others with renewed courage, spirit, and hope.

They have a ministry of affirmation and appreciation. It’s important to remember the distinction between appreciation and affirmation. We appreciate what a person does, but we affirm who a person is. Now appreciation comes and goes because it’s usually related to someone’s accomplishments, but affirmation goes right to the heart of a person because it is directed at that person’s individual worth. An exhorter has the ability to make you feel good about yourself.

They uplift, inspire, motivate, and make you feel better just by being around you. The Bible says that Barnabas was an exhorter. ‘Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord’ (Acts 11:22-23 NKJV). So the word for today is: be an exhorter.

Jeremiah 12-14, 2 Thessalonians 3

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Be an exhorter (2)
12 OCTOBER 2021

‘Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith.’
Acts 14:22 NKJV

An exhorter has the ability to do three things: 1) Confirm. ‘When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God”’ (vv. 21-22 NKJV). An exhorter is a pillar of strength in difficult times.

They know how to motivate the tough to get going, when the going gets tough. They throw a life jacket of faith to the believer drowning in a sea of doubt. 2) Console. ‘So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed’ (Acts 16:40 NKJV). Here the gift of exhortation is demonstrated in its finest form. Paul and Silas had been falsely accused, beaten with rods and thrown into a dungeon with their hands and feet locked in stocks.

When word of it reached the church, the believers were really depressed. Remarkably, after they were supernaturally released from prison, instead of looking for consolation and comfort, Paul and Silas went to church and offered it to others. 3) Confront. ‘I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord…these women who laboured with me in the gospel’ (Philippians 4:2-3 NKJV). These two prominent women in the church couldn’t get along with one another, so Paul took on the role of a peacemaker and confronted them. He was friendly, he was fair, but he was firm. And you must be the same.

Jeremiah 15-17, 1 Timothy 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


Be an exhorter (3)
13 OCTOBER 2021

‘Your assistant, Joshua…Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit [the promised land].’
Deuteronomy 1:38 NIV

When it comes to being an exhorter, observe two things: 1) Exhortation is a neglected gift. No ministry is more needed in the church today, as that of encouragement. It’s so easy to find discouragement and so difficult to find encouragement.

Even in the church. Most churches have what’s called a ‘cold water committee’. They’re always ready to tell you why something won’t work and point out how some programme went wrong. They seem to talk louder and longer than the encouragers, which leads to the next point. 2) Exhortation is a needed gift. No matter how well things may be going, or how well someone looks on the outside, every one of us can use some encouragement.

In fact, encouragement is so important that the whole church is to be involved in it. ‘Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching’ (Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJV).

Church is a place where people should be picked up, not knocked down. We need to encourage people when they don’t need it, instead of waiting until they do. If you wait too long your encouragement may be too late.

Don’t wait until something good happens to speak an encouraging word; make it a regular practice. ‘But I don’t know what to say,’ you protest. Ask God for wisdom and you’ll get it. ‘The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary’ (Isaiah 50:4 NIV).

Jeremiah 18-19, 1 Timothy 2

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Today, practise humility
14 OCTOBER 2021

‘Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
Matthew 23:12 NLT

Paul had one of the greatest ministries the world has ever known, yet he said of himself, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief’ (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV). When people told Paul how great he was, he stayed humble by remembering what he used to be. If you believe God has called you, your response should be to bow down in humility before Him.

When the Angel of the Lord told an ageing Zacharias he would father a son named John the Baptist, Zacharias hit the floor and didn’t move, to the point where people wondered if he was dead. Ezekiel had a book in the Bible named after him. That’s heady stuff! Yet when God called him, he collapsed on the floor and God had to tell him to get up, saying, ‘Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee’ (Ezekiel 2:1 KJV).

When John the Revelator saw Jesus standing in the midst of the seven churches, he wrote, ‘When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead’ (Revelation 1:17 KJV). Can you see a pattern emerging here? Paul writes, ‘Walk…with…lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering’ (Ephesians 4:1-2 NKJV).

Think about the phrase ‘walking with God’. Whose company are you in? God’s! Can you think of a higher calling? And the higher your calling, the lower you must become in your own estimation. Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself; it means thinking of yourself less. Jesus summed it up like this: ‘Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ Today, practise humility.

Jeremiah 20-21, 1 Timothy 3