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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How change happens (5)
‘And he was limping because of his hip.’

Genesis 32:31
The UCB Word for Today - 23 May 2017

The Bible says, ‘The sun rose above [Jacob] as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.’ That’s significant, because the thigh muscle is one of the most powerful muscles in the human body.

In order to get Jacob’s attention, God touched him at a point of strength.

Once we start thinking, ‘This is what I’m really good at; this is where I’m really strong,’ God may have to touch that very thing to get our attention.

Jacob’s limp served as a lifelong reminder that he was no longer to trust in his own power, but in the power of God.

He was no longer to live in his own strength, but in God’s strength. And in so doing he became a much stronger person.

Think about it: every time Jacob got in a mess, his first response was to turn tail and run. Sound like a familiar pattern?

Do you do that? So God finally said, ‘I know how to take care of that – I’ll put a limp in his walk!’ And for the rest of his life Jacob would have to stand and face his problems head-on, not in his own strength but in God’s strength.

How about you? What’s the one thing you’d most like to change about your life?
Do you want God to help you? He will – in His own way. He will use the process of crisis, commitment, confession, and cooperation. And when God does the changing, it will be permanent.

You won’t have to worry about willpower and sticking with it because you’ll be cooperating with God, relaxing, and trusting in Him alone.

1 King 12-13, Acts 5:21-42

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Spend time alone with God
‘Be still, and know that I am God!’

Psalm 46:10
The UCB Word for Today - 24 May 2017

God can speak to you anytime, anywhere, through anybody, by dropping a thought into your mind (see 1 Corinthians 2:16).

But because that thought can be crowded out by busyness, He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ In stillness you can hear God more clearly. ‘Jesus used many…illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand…but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them’ (Mark 4:33-34 NLT).

In High Call, High Privilege, Gail MacDonald writes: ‘The ancient desert fathers used to commit themselves to a disciplinary creed: silence, solitude, and inner peace.

Only after adequate amounts of time listening, did they consider themselves ready to speak…Today there’s a strange logic that spiritual resource and renewal are found in constantly seeking new voices, attending more meetings…to exchange half-thought-out opinions…We fall into the trap of believing God is most pleased when we’ve maximised our information, our schedules, and our relationships.

Disengagement means silence before God…a time of heavenly discussion during which we listen more than we speak.

And silence demands solitude.’ In waiting quietly before God, your spiritual ear is trained to know His voice. Sylvia Gunter writes: ‘I understand why David had to command his soul to be still…Being quiet is difficult…almost impossible for some of us.

But I’ve discovered that my soul and spirit have been starving for stillness for a long time, and now that I’ve given my soul a taste of stillness again it will not be satisfied unless it’s a regular part of my day.’

1 King 14-15, Acts 6

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Shout it from the rooftops!
‘Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.’

Psalm 107:2
The UCB Word for Today - 25 May 2017

No matter how badly you have failed, God will give you another chance.

After Jonah had disobeyed God, spent three days in the belly of a whale, and been regurgitated on the shore at Nineveh, the Bible says, ‘The word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time’ (Jonah 3:1 KJV). King David’s sins were front-page tabloid material.

Yet God restored him, and he wrote: ‘He…brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay…set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD’ (Psalm 40:2-3 NKJV).

When God restores you, it doesn’t matter who’s fighting against you. When He raises you up, no one can keep you down.

If God has redeemed you – ‘say so’. Nobody else can tell your story. Nobody else knows what God has done for you. Nobody else knows how far you’ve come.

Nobody else knows what you’ve been through. But you do – you know it was only by God’s grace that you survived.

So don’t allow the devil to steal your testimony. It may have taken you longer than everybody else, but God has given you the victory.

The devil would love to silence you. Why? Because when you tell people what God has done for you, someone else will be set free.

The Bible says, ‘Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.’ So the word for you today is: shout it from the rooftops!

1 King 16-18, Acts 7:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t give place to envy
‘LORD…You guard all that is mine.’

Psalm 16:5
The UCB Word for Today - 26 May 2017

Have you allowed envy to form a ‘stronghold’ in your life? Do you find yourself avoiding or feeling resentful of certain people because of their success?

The Bible says, ‘Envy rots the bones’ (Proverbs 14:30 NIV 2011 Edition) and the New Living Translation paraphrases it this way: ‘Jealousy is like cancer in the bones.’ If you find yourself constantly criticising someone and craving what they have, read these words and think about them carefully and prayerfully: ‘I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.

They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen’ (Jeremiah 29:11-12 TLB). In essence, envy says to God, ‘You made a mistake when You made me like I am.

I want to be like that other person, and have what they have!’ No, God has a unique calling and destiny for you.

So instead of giving place to envy, let it motivate you to become the best possible ‘you’ – the person God intended you to be.

If you’re fighting a losing battle with envy, here’s a prescription from God’s Word you need to take every day: ‘LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice’ (Psalm 16:5-9 NLT).

1 King 19-20, Acts 7:23-43

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Get the mix right!
‘It was not mixed with faith.’

Hebrews 4:2
The UCB Word for Today - 27 May 2017

In order for cement to become concrete, it must be mixed with sand and water.

If you don’t get the mix right, the cement will never become concrete.

And just as your body needs good nutrition each day, your soul needs to be fed on God’s Word.

But you can’t stop there. You must act on what you hear and read.

Faith is acting like God is telling the truth! If you don’t act on God’s Word, it won’t do you any good. ‘The message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it.’ To get the results God’s Word promises, note what you must ‘mix’ in: ‘Confidence in his power, wisdom, and goodness.’ Why do you go to church and sit down in a pew? Because you are confident that the pew will hold you up. The reverse is also true.

You may say you believe the pew can hold you up, but if you never sit down on it, you’re not exercising faith – because you’re not acting on what you say you believe.

What does it mean to ‘act’ in faith? 1) To agree with God’s Word and refuse to say anything that contradicts it. 2) To wait patiently, allowing God to fulfil His Word in His own way and on His own schedule. ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for’ (Hebrews 11:1 KJV).

Note the word ‘substance’. Your faith must be based on something substantial. And that ‘something’ is the tried, proven, unfailing truth of God’s Word.

1 King 21-22, Acts 7:44-60

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Write it down – then tear it up!

‘Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.’

Philippians 3:13
The UCB Word for Today - 28 May 2017

There will always be people who speak ill of you. ‘She’ll never amount to anything… His parents were nothing, his grandparents were nothing, and he’s going to be nothing too!’ The question is: who are you going to believe, God or your critics? According to Scripture: ‘Anyone…in Christ…is a new creation; old things have passed away…all things have become new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). God says that by His grace you’re going to prove your critics wrong, so stop listening to their negative predictions. Stop believing the family members, schoolteachers, employers, and so-called ‘friends’ who try to put you down. Turn a deaf ear to racism and sexism. Jesus said, ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32 NIV 2011 Edition). Renew your mind daily with the truth of God’s Word (see Romans 12:1-2). You may have been abused, misused, rejected, and neglected, but it’s time to forget those things that are behind and start reaching forward. When God speaks a word over your life, as far as He’s concerned it has already been accomplished; it’s ‘a done deal!’ Now it’s your job to believe it, speak it, and walk in the reality of it each day. When someone says something that leaves a scar on your heart and mind, do this: 1) Write it down on a piece of paper. 2) Ask God to help you forgive them and to erase the scar. 3) Tear up the paper, toss it into the rubbish, and ‘press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:14 NKJV).
Luke 9:37-62, Ps 54-56

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Set goals for your life
‘Write the vision and make it plain.’

Habakkuk 2:2
The UCB Word for Today - 29 May 2017

Only when you’re clear about your personal goals, can you measure your personal growth.

Here are eight proven principles that will help you to establish the right goals for your life: 1) Begin with prayer; otherwise the ladder you’re climbing may be leaning against the wrong wall. ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but…the LORD’s purpose… prevails’ (Proverbs 19:21 NIV 2011 Edition). 2) Think on paper.

God told Habakkuk, ‘Write the vision and make it plain.’ Writing your goals down gives them a sense of permanency, plus it energises you. 3) Set deadlines. ‘The vision is yet for an appointed time’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV).

Without a definite beginning and ending, it’s easy to procrastinate and get nowhere. 4) List the steps you need to take.

Then keep the list before you at all times; it will show you the path to follow. 5) Prioritise the steps in order of importance.

What do you need to do first? What can you do later? An organised plan is always better than trying to carry stuff around in your head. 6) Take action – now. ‘Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity’ (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV 2011 Edition).

A mediocre plan that’s implemented always beats a brilliant plan that isn’t. 7) Do something each day to move you forward.

For example, read systematically through the Bible in a year…call a specific number of clients every week…engage in physical activity every day. 8) Have goals you’re willing to devote your life to.

The psalmist said, ‘Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom’ (Psalm 90:12 NIV 1984 Edition).

2 King 1-3, Acts 8:1-25

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You belong to God
‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you…You are Mine.’

Isaiah 43:1
The UCB Word for Today - 30 May 2017

When God redeems you, He owns you. And what He owns, He protects! This is illustrated in the story of Belshazzar.

The Bible says: ‘King Belshazzar held a great feast for his one thousand nobles…heady with the wine, [he] ordered that the gold and silver chalices his father Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from God’s Temple of Jerusalem be brought in so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines, could drink from them’ (Daniel 5:1-2 MSG).

Now, if they’d just abused some worthless old cup it might not have mattered, but God valued these sacred vessels too much to let them be mishandled.

So out of the invisible sleeve of the night, the finger of God wrote the fate of Belshazzar on his palace walls. ‘That same night…Belshazzar was murdered. Darius the Mede…succeeded him’ (vv. 30-31 MSG).

As a redeemed child of God, here’s an unchanging principle you can stand on: ‘He permitted no man to do them wrong…saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones”’ (1 Chronicles 16:21-22 NKJV).

You may have to fight on foreign soil, work at home in a difficult situation, or endure hardship for your faith. But you can be sure of one thing – God has too much invested in you to let you be destroyed.

And any time Satan tries, God will interrupt his party and say, ‘This vessel is off limits – it took Me too long to teach this woman to pray…I’ve invested too many years training this man how to overcome…They’ve endured too much for My name’s sake for Me to let you harm them. Take your hands off them; they’re Mine!’

2 King 4-6, Acts 8:26-40

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Focus on what really matters
‘Life is not measured by how much you own.’

Luke 12:15
The UCB Word for Today - 31 May 2017

One day a man was talking to an angel. The angel said, ‘What can I do for you?’ The man said, ‘Show me the Wall Street Journal one year from today.

This way, I’ll know where to invest my money and become a multimillionaire.’ So the angel snapped his fingers and out came a Wall Street Journal dated one year in the future.

The man flipped the pages of the newspaper, studying the listings and observing which stocks would be high and which ones would be low. But in the midst of his joy, tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Why? Because when he looked over the obituary column, there was his face. God is not opposed to you acquiring and achieving things in life.

But He wants you to know that this life can only offer so much, and unless you live each day in the light of eternity, you’re going to waste your time on the wrong things. It’s okay to enjoy temporal things, as long as your main focus is on eternal things.

Paul said: ‘My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God’ (Acts 20:24 NLT).

In the UK if you live to be one hundred, you may receive a ‘Congratulations’ card from Buckingham Palace, signed by the Queen herself. But it doesn’t compare to the ‘well done’ you’ll receive from God for fulfilling the assignment He has given you here on earth.

2 King 7-9, Acts 9:1-22

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HAPPY NEW MONTH OF JUNE MEMBERS!

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Anger management (1)
‘Don’t sin by letting anger control you.’

Ephesians 4:26
The UCB Word for Today - 1 Jun 2017

Here’s a Bible plan for growth that includes anger management: ‘Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil…Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you’ (vv. 23-32 NLT). God gave you every emotion you have, including anger. But He wants you to handle it the right way. Note the words ‘let us…tell the truth’. When you’re angry, instead of denying it, use it to bring about positive change. Saying, ‘I’ve been feeling angry because I value our relationship and I’d like to talk about it,’ brings healing and solutions. Pretending you’re not angry when you are is basically dishonest. So is exaggeration. ‘You never listen to me…You always ignore my wishes…Nobody does anything around here except me.’ Such generalisations are untrue and serve only to aggravate and polarise, guaranteeing the problem gets obscured and goes unsolved. God’s will is for you to control your anger rather than letting your anger control you.

2 King 10-12, Acts 9:23-43