[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Giant-killers (2)

‘If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.’
Luke 16:10 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 17 Nov 2018

Observe: 1) Giant-killers don’t start out as giant-killers! David was a meek musician, humble shepherd, and overlooked son.

Faithfulness was his advantage – faithfulness in his talent, faithfulness with his father’s sheep, faithfulness to God. By becoming master over the small things, he became master over the large things.

Faithfulness is a common characteristic of uncommon spiritual achievers. Matthew started as a tax collector; Peter as a fisherman; Elisha as a farmer; Jesus as a carpenter.

Have you ever considered that Jesus spent more years as a carpenter than He did as a preacher? He was faithful in little things.

God never called an inactive or non-productive person. Every candidate had started something before they became a giant-killer.

Giant-killers don’t start out as giant-killers…but giant-killers start!

2) Giant-killers know that the reward is always greater than the risk! Life rewards risk and action, but Satan will whisper words of fear and anxiety in your ears to minimise the reward and magnify the risk.

Yet the truth remains, that ‘God is a Rewarder’ of diligent seekers (see Hebrews 11:6). You must believe the promise is greater than the problem, the objective is greater than the objections, and God is greater than your giant.

The belief that ‘God is greater’ is the essence of a faith that persists in the face of fear. Fear is Satan’s weapon to paralyse you; faith is God’s weapon to mobilise you.

So depend on God, challenge the giant, and join the ranks of God’s giant-killers.

Ezekiel 35-36, 1 Peter 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Giant-killers (3)

‘He picked up five smooth stones.’
1 Samuel 17:40 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 18 Nov 2018

In David’s day they fought ‘by representation’. One man would fight for the nation as a whole, and the country of the losing warrior became subservient to the country of the conquering warrior.

The upside is obvious, isn’t it? Everybody didn’t have to die!

So David versus Goliath was really Israel against the Philistines. It was a one-on-one contest: winner takes all.

We’re familiar with David’s victory over the giant with faith, a stone, and a slingshot. Yet Scripture tells us he picked up not one, but ‘five smooth stones’.

Why? It wasn’t a lack of faith – he knew that Goliath had four brothers.

Observe: 1) Giant-killers realise that their giant represents greater issues. A giant never stands alone; behind him lie his causes.

Overeating, addiction, abuse, and anger are all driven and supported by other issues. Somewhere behind the obvious giant are his supportive brothers – pain, guilt, loss, and shame.

David was prepared with five stones – one for Goliath and one for each of his four brothers. What lies behind your giant?

With God’s help you can conquer both the giant and his support team.

2) Giant-killers are not overwhelmed by the challenges. Never allow your fears to overwhelm your faith.

The Bible says that ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). Fear will feed on the failures of the past, but you can’t allow yesterday’s failure to overwhelm today’s faith.

So take your failings; list them on a piece of paper and boldly print at the top of the page: ‘Things I don’t need to try again!

Lesson learned.’

Luke 22:1-30, Psalm 119:1-88

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Giant-killers (4)

‘The LORD who rescued me…will rescue me.’
1 Samuel 17:37 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 19 Nov 2018

David prevailed because he understood the power of past successes. He told King Saul, ‘The Lord who rescued me from the…lion and the bear will rescue me from [the giant].’

Observe: 1) Giant-killers build on past successes. A series of successes builds your momentum and allows you to find the mix of ‘God-confidence’ and ‘self-confidence’ necessary to make you unstoppable.

Second Samuel 3:1 says, ‘Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker’ (NKJV).

David understood that every time you put a win on the board, or an enemy under your feet, your confidence in God and yourself grows. So replay your past victories and trust the God who did it before to do it again.

2) Giant-killers create their own style. David couldn’t wear Saul’s armour – and you can’t operate in someone else’s gift.

You have your own weapon, your own armour, and your own style. You are uniquely equipped to conquer your giant. David conquered Goliath with a slingshot.

Moses parted the Red Sea with a shepherd’s staff. Paul conquered disease and demonic oppression with a handkerchief.

For Simon Peter, power over sickness was released through his shadow, and many times, Jesus simply ‘spoke the word’. Resist the urge to ‘wear Saul’s armour’ and quietly wear the wardrobe that God has given you.

Stay in your gifting. Stay in your anointing.

Stay in your assignment. This winning combination of building on past successes and creating your own style leaves you exuding confidence and creativity, two of a giant-killer’s secret weapons.

Ezekiel 37-39, 1 Peter 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Leader, here’s God’s way

‘If you do this…you will be able to stand the strain.’
Exodus 18:23 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 20 Nov 2018

Why do we insist on doing everything ourselves? Three reasons:

1) We’re afraid others won’t do the job as well as we do – but how else are they going to learn?

2) We’re afraid they will outshine us. The Bible says, ‘In honour preferring one another’ (Romans 12:10 KJV).

3) We think God expects us personally to do it all. Moses’ father-in-law told him: ‘Listen now to me and I will give you some advice…You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him…But select capable men from all the people…and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.

Let them serve as judges for the people at all times, but let them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied’ (Exodus 18:19-23 NIV 2011 Edition). So evaluate what only you can do, and delegate what others can do.

If the job’s too big for you, take it as a sign that God is telling you, ‘Don’t try it alone!’ That doesn’t mean dump the work on just anybody.

If you pair the wrong person with a job that makes no sense to them, disaster will ensue. You must:

1) find the right person;
2) give them the right job;
3) trust them to do the right thing. Do those three things and you’ll live long enough to enjoy the fruits of your success.

Ezekiel 40-41, 1 Peter 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Ask God to use you

‘Lydia…a merchant of expensive purple cloth…the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying.’
Acts 16:14 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 21 Nov 2018

Lydia wasn’t a preacher, she was a successful businesswoman won to Christ under Paul’s ministry. As a result, her home became the first church building named in Scripture where believers met.

Get rid of the idea that only preachers speak for God. Out of 168 hours in each week, preachers generally get to speak to people only one hour.

Who’s going to speak for God the other 167 hours? India has over a billion people, and there’s an interesting story of how the gospel first reached the Telugu region.

It wasn’t through a preacher, but a civil engineer called John Clough, who offered to go to a newly established mission and help them. The missionary board had misgivings because he hadn’t been to a Bible college, but they admired his zeal so they authorised the trip.

During a great famine, Clough supervised the digging of the Buckingham Canal. His position enabled him to hire thousands of hungry people, which meant they could earn wages and buy food.

But something even more important happened. As a result, God opened the hearts of multitudes to receive His Word for the first time and today the church is thriving in India.

God says, ‘Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass’ (Isaiah 46:10 NLT).

God already has a plan; what He’s looking for are workers willing to help fulfil it. And you can be one of them.

Ezekiel 42-44, 1 Peter 4

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You’ll get back more than you give

‘No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.’
Psalm 84:11 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 22 Nov 2018

In a sense, it’s impossible to ‘sacrifice’ anything for God. If you get back more than you gave up, have you sacrificed anything at all?

The eternal reward always outweighs the temporal sacrifice. On Judgement Day, our only regret will be whatever we didn’t give back to God.

It may seem counterintuitive, but the key to self-fulfilment is self-denial. The selfish part of us has an allergic reaction to the word deny.

It’s tough to do when we live in the lap of luxury. We don’t just tolerate indulgence in our culture, we celebrate it.

But the fundamental problem with indulgence is that – enough is never enough. The more we indulge ourselves in food or sex or the amenities of wealth, the less we will enjoy them.

We have bought into the consumerist lie that more is more. We mistakenly think the more we give, the less we’ll have.

But our logic is backward. You ultimately lose what you keep, and you ultimately keep whatever you lose for the cause of Christ.

Author Mark Batterson writes: ‘The more you give away, the more you will enjoy what you have. If you give God the tithe, you’ll enjoy the 90 per cent you keep 10 per cent more.

You’ll also discover that God can do more with 90 per cent than you can with 100 per cent…One of our life goals as a family is to reverse tithe and live off 10 per cent while giving away 90 per cent. When we get there, I’m confident we’ll enjoy the 10 per cent we keep 90 per cent more.

It’s the sliding scale of joy.’

Ezekiel 45-46, 1 Peter 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Trust God’s unchanging character

‘I catch no glimpse of him.’
Job 23:9 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 23 Nov 2018

Sometimes you will not sense God’s presence. Those are difficult times.

In the midst of trouble, Job said, ‘If I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him’ (vv. 8-9 NIV 2011 Edition). Job felt far from God.

Yet in spite of his inability to feel God, he resolved, ‘He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold’ (v. 10 NIV 2011 Edition). Difficult days demand decisions of faith.

David said, ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you’ (Psalm 56:3 NIV 2011 Edition). When you can’t understand the ways of God, trust in the unchanging and loving character of God.

Go through your Bible and make a list of the character qualities of God, and keep them on hand for tough days. One author writes: ‘My list reads like this: “He is still sovereign.

He still knows my name. Angels still respond to His call.

The hearts of rulers still yield at His bidding. The death of Jesus still saves souls.

The spirit of God still indwells saints. Heaven is still only heartbeats away.

The grave is still temporary housing. God is still faithful.

He is not caught off guard. He uses everything for His glory and my ultimate good.

He uses tragedy to accomplish His will, and His will is right, holy, and perfect. Sorrow may come with the night, but joy comes with the morning.”’

In changing times, stand confidently on the unchanging character of God.

Ezekiel 47-48, 2 Peter 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Avoid ‘foolish speculations’

‘As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be.’
Luke 17:26 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 24 Nov 2018

If you had a doctor whose diagnosis was wrong as often as the predictions of some Bible prophecy experts, would you trust him or take the medication he prescribed? One ‘expert’ sold millions of books in which he predicted the rapture of the church would take place by 1988.

Then without apology or explanation, wrote a second book pointing us to the year 2007. Another television preacher offered ‘rapture deadlines’ starting in 1975.

He said that the Soviet flag would probably fly over Independence Hall in Philadelphia by 1976. Then he fixed the date of the rapture at 1992.

Undaunted, his next book changed the year to 2012. (Interestingly, he also refers to Nostradamus, the 16th-century occult seer, as ‘a great Bible student’.)

The Bible tells us to avoid ‘foolish…speculations’ (2 Timothy 2:23 NASB). Why?

Because they make us look ‘foolish’ in the eyes of the world! Who’s going to listen to a church that repeatedly sets wrong dates, when Jesus Himself told us not to set dates at all?

‘As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate…drank…married…until the day…Noah entered the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all’ (Luke 17:26-27 NKJV). God didn’t give Noah a date, He gave him a job.

And the end didn’t come until the job was done. Jesus said, ‘But the exact day and hour? No one knows…Only the Father’ (Matthew 24:36 MSG).

The whole world has yet to be reached with the gospel, so instead of ‘date setting’, let’s roll up our sleeves and get busy.

Daniel 1-2, 2 peter 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Put God to the test!

‘Bring the whole tithe…Test me in this.’
Malachi 3:10 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 25 Nov 2018

God is a meticulous planner. For example, He scheduled a banquet called ‘the marriage supper of the Lamb’ two thousand years in advance (see Revelation 19:9).

He instructed Noah to build the ark ‘450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high’ (Genesis 6:15 NLT). He gave Moses the specific colours and fabrics He wanted used in constructing the tabernacle (see Exodus 26).

And look how precisely He orders the seasons and positions the stars. Can you imagine such a God having no plan for your finances – the product of your work life? Surely not!

In Scripture He says: ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…Test me in this…see if I will not…open…heaven and pour out so much blessing…there will not be room enough to store it.’ The original word for ‘whole’ is ‘unbroken’; that means before taxes and other deductions. Why?

Because He wants to be first in your life in everything – including your finances. God also told His people, ‘You have robbed Me…In tithes and offerings’ (Malachi 3:8 NKJV).

Stop and think about the word ‘offer’. When you sell a house you decide whether or not to accept the ‘offer’ the buyer is making.

And in this Scripture God is saying, ‘Until you give Me what’s rightfully mine (the tithe), why should I accept any other “offering”?’ Tithing isn’t just about money; it’s about faith and obedience.

When you tithe your income, you can expect God to pour out His blessing on you as He promised. You can live under an open heaven; the choice is yours.

God says, ‘Test me in this.’ Put God to the test and see what happens!

Luke 22:31-46, Psalm 119:89-176

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to receive ‘a double portion’

‘Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.’
2 Kings 2:9 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 26 Nov 2018

In the Old Testament, ‘Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing.

Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so”’ (vv. 9-10 NKJV). Elisha received his ‘double portion’, and went on to perform twice as many miracles as his mentor Elijah.

The key phrase here is: ‘If you see me when I am taken from you!’ In other words, ‘Stay close to me and you can have it.’

Notice the four places to which Elisha followed Elijah:
1) Gilgal. That’s where the Israelites were circumcised, which involves ‘cutting off the flesh’ (see Joshua 5:8).

You must be led by God’s Spirit and say no to your carnal nature – that’s ‘a hard thing’ to do.

2) Bethel. That’s where Jacob had a heavenly vision (see Genesis 28:19). Unless you have a vision that’s born of God, you’ll drift aimlessly through life.

3) Jericho. That’s where Joshua had a face-to-face encounter with God and prayed, ‘What saith my Lord unto his servant?’ (Joshua 5:14 KJV). It’s only when you surrender to God that you experience victory.

4) Jordan. Because the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, it represents death. So be prepared to attend your own burial – every day (see 1 Corinthians 15:31). Paul said, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20 NIV 2011 Edition).

Do you want a double portion of God’s spirit? You can have it if you meet the conditions.

Daniel 3-4, 2 Peter 3