[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Let go, and let God

‘Give your burdens to the LORD.’
Psalm 55:22 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 31 DEC 2020

Are you burdened about someone you love? Have your efforts to help them failed?

Let go, and let God deal with them! Letting go doesn’t mean you stop caring; it just means you can’t do it for them.

Letting go isn’t about cutting yourself off; it’s about realising you didn’t cause the problem, and you can’t cure it, and you can’t control it. It’s about letting others learn from their consequences.

It’s admitting that this time the outcome is not in your hands. It’s not about blaming or trying to change the other person; but having the wisdom to recognise you can only change yourself.

It’s ‘caring about’, instead of ‘caretaking’. It’s being supportive without trying to fix them, and instead of judging, allowing them to be a human being.

Letting go means instead of wading into the middle and trying to control every possible outcome, you allow others to affect their own outcomes. Instead of hovering and being overprotective, it’s about permitting them to face reality.

It’s about accepting instead of denying. And rather than nagging, scolding, and arguing, learning to work on your own shortcomings.

Letting go means instead of trying to adjust everything to your own desires, you take each day as it comes and cherish each moment. It means instead of criticising and regulating, you learn to focus on the purpose to which God has called you.

It means not looking back with regret on the past, and focusing instead on growing and living for the future. Letting go is about fearing less and loving more.

The word for today is – let go, and let God!

Malachi 1-4, Revelation 22

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

A word for the New Year (1)

‘From the beginning…to the very end of the year.’
Deuteronomy 11:12 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 01 JAN 2021

As you enter the New Year, read this Scripture and stand on it: ‘The land which you go to…is not like the land…from which you have come…the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord...are always on it, from the beginning...to the very end of the year’ (vv. 10-12 NKJV). For the next few days, let’s break this Scripture down.

‘The land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come.’ Egypt was the place of stress, sorrow, and struggle.

But Canaan was the place of God-given success, self-worth, and spiritual growth. In other words, this year doesn’t have to be like last year for you.

Why? Because ‘the Lord your God cares’. Jeremiah said: ‘Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him’ (Lamentations 3:21-25 NLT). David said: ‘His anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime!

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Psalm 30:5 NLT). You don’t have to dread what lies ahead.

This year you can experience God’s love, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, and favour in your life.

Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

A word for the New Year (2)

‘A land of hills and valleys.’
Deuteronomy 11:11 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 02 JAN 2021

This year you will face some mountains and go through some valleys. And you need both.

The strength gained from climbing and conquering your last mountain is what will get you through your next valley. It’s in the valley that the sweetest fruit grows.

That’s because it’s watered by streams that flow from the mountains. Jesus said, ‘By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples’ (John 15:8 NKJV).

This year Jesus wants you to be more fruitful in His service. And He tells you how: ‘Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:4-5 NKJV). What kind of fruit is God looking for in your life this year?

Paul tells us: ‘When we live God’s way...He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.

We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely’ (Galatians 5:22-23 MSG). So this year when you face a mountain or go through a valley, remember that God is with you.

Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

A word for the New Year (3)

‘A land…which drinks water from the rain of heaven.’
Deuteronomy 11:11 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 03 JAN 2021

This year look to God for your needs: ‘The land which you cross over to possess…drinks water from the rain of heaven.’ No matter what political party is in power, what the interest rate is, or what shape the housing and job markets are in, believe God to supply all your needs.

And He may use different people to do it! Jesus said, ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom’ (Luke 6:38 KJV). God will use people to bless you, but He alone is your source of provision.

You must never forget that. When you look inside yourself, you become aware of your own inadequacy.

When you look around, you become aware that others are fighting the same battles. But when you look to God, you discover He is ‘able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV).

Do you remember the verse at the centre of the Bible? ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man’ (Psalm 118:8 KJV).

Sometimes God will let you reach the end of your rope in order to show you that when you’ve nothing left but Him, He’s all you need! Note the phrase ‘the rain of heaven’.

That sounds like another promise God made: ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’ (Malachi 3:10 NLT).

This year obey God, and the blessings of heaven will be yours.

Luke 1:1-20, Psalm 1-3[/color]

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

A word for the New Year (4)

‘A land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of...God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end.’
Deuteronomy 11:12 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 04 JAN 2021

This year God will take care of you. Like a good father taking care of a child he loves, God will watch over you, never taking His eye off you.

And He will do it ‘from the beginning of the year to the very end’. Who else can make such a promise – and keep it?

Your lawyer and your banker are normally available to you Monday to Friday, if they’re not too busy; otherwise, you can end up playing ‘telephone tag’. And if you get sick, unless you’re in a critical condition you may end up on a doctor’s waiting list.

That’s not how it is with God! He guarantees you around-the-clock care.

But you have a part to play as well: ‘If you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and...soul...I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain [provision for all your needs], your new wine [joy and happiness], and your oil [the power and presence of God].

And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock [investments], that you may eat and be filled [blessing and success in your business and career]’ (vv. 13-15 NKJV). Bottom line: if you walk with God and honour Him in all you do, this can be one of the most blessed years of your life.

Genesis 7-9, Matthew 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (1)

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you.’
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 05 JAN 2021

For the next few days let’s look at some reasons why our prayers aren’t answered. Fallen angelic powers.

For three weeks Daniel prayed and got no answer. Why?

Because an evil force in the spiritual realm, ‘the Prince of Persia’, blocked it (see Daniel 10:13). So God assigned Michael, one of the archangels, to do battle with him.

Twenty-one days later the struggle ended, and Daniel got his answer. Paul says, ‘We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world…against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).

How powerful is the devil? Powerful enough to deceive you (see 2 Corinthians 4:4).

Powerful enough to bring sickness (see Job 2:7). Powerful enough to oppose the righteous (see Zechariah 3:1).

Powerful enough to devour you (see 1 Peter 5:8). You ask, ‘What can I do to overcome him?’

After telling us we’re fighting against the forces of the unseen world, Paul says, ‘Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers’ (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).

The Christ who lives within you is stronger than the enemy you face. Jesus said, ‘When a strong man [like Satan] is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe – until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him’ (Luke 11:21-22 NLT).

Satan is strong, but Jesus is ‘even stronger’. John records: ‘The accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth – the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony’ (Revelation 12:10-11 NLT). Aren’t you glad?

Genesis 10-12, Matthew 4



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (2)

‘You don’t get it because your motives are all wrong.’
James 4:3 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 06 JAN 2021

Another obstacle to answered prayer is selfishness. In the Lord’s Prayer, you won’t find the words ‘I’, or ‘me’, or ‘my’, or ‘mine’.

What you will find instead, is: ‘Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses; deliver us from evil’ (see Matthew 6:11-13). Are you getting the idea?

The man who prays, ‘Lord bless me, my wife and two children: us four and no more,’ won’t get a favourable response from heaven. Jesus said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24 NKJV).

But that Scripture isn’t a blank cheque: God’s answer to selfish prayers is always no. James writes, ‘You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures’ (James 4:3 NKJV).

Maybe you’re thinking, ‘The Bible says if I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me whatever my heart desires’ (see Psalm 37:4). Yes, but your desires must be in harmony with God’s will.

God blessed Abraham so that he could become a blessing to others (see Genesis 12:2-3). God knows what you want, and He also knows why you want it.

Is it only for your own comfort and convenience, or also to fulfil His purposes? Only when you have answered that question honestly, can you pray with confidence.

When you look out only for your own interest, only one person is working on your behalf – you! But when your goal is to bless others, God goes to work and answers your prayer in ways you never imagined possible.

Try it, and see for yourself!

Genesis 13-15, Matthew 5:1-26



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (3)

‘If our hearts do not condemn us.’
1 John 3:21 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 07 JAN 2021

The third obstacle to answered prayer is unconfessed sin. After conquering Jericho, the strongest city in the Promised Land, the Israelites were defeated by a handful of soldiers in a small village called Ai.

Joshua was devastated! He ‘tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord’ (Joshua 7:6 NIV).

Listen to his prayer: ‘The other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?’ (v. 9 NIV).

How did God respond? You might be surprised.

‘The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?

Israel has sinned”’ (vv. 10-11 NIV). What had happened?

Achan, an Israeli soldier, had stolen some of the spoils of battle which belonged to God. Jericho was the first city in the Promised Land to be conquered, and God said the ‘firstfruits’ of all we have must be given to Him (see Proverbs 3:9).

The treasures from the next nine battles belonged to the people, but the treasures of Jericho belonged to God. There’s a time to pray, and a time to stop praying, so you can deal with the sin in your life.

You can’t pray, ‘Lord, what do You want to do?’ when you already know what to do but aren’t willing to do it.

Is God speaking to you through today’s reading? ‘If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him’ (1 John 3:21-22 NIV).

Genesis 16-17, Matthew 5:27-48




TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (4)

‘If…my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish.’
John 15:7 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 08 JAN 2021

The fourth obstacle to prayer is unscriptural prayers. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.’ Those who live by the principles of God’s Word don’t pray to win the lottery, or for their horse to finish first in the Grand National.

They know that those are unscriptural prayers God won’t honour. When you pray, your request must line up with His will.

After leading the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness Moses naturally longed to enter the Promised Land and celebrate victory with them; to ‘go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan – that fine hill country and Lebanon’ (Deuteronomy 3:25 NIV). But in spite of his prayers it didn’t happen.

Why? ‘Because…the Lord was angry…and would not listen…“That is enough,” the Lord said.

“Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east.

Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan”’ (vv. 26-27 NIV). Prayer isn’t some kind of talisman, or lucky charm, or religious formula you repeat to get the results you want.

When your prayers line up with the Scriptures and are in harmony with God’s will, then will He answer them. This truth may not be palatable or popular in today’s ‘feel good’ generation where everybody wants all the benefits of God’s kingdom on their own terms.

If you’re serious about getting your prayers answered – read the fine print!

Genesis 18-19, Matthew 6:1-15

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (5)

‘First go and be reconciled to them.’
Matthew 5:24 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 JAN 2021

The fifth obstacle to answered prayer is an unforgiving spirit. Your anger may feel justified, but it can produce long-term results that hurt you.

Regardless of ‘who did what to whom’, resentment is hazardous to your health and spiritual well-being. Jesus said, ‘If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift’ (vv. 23-24 NIV). Satan will keep hurting you every day of your life – until you decide to forgive. God says, ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins’ (Isaiah 43:25 KJV).

Forget it, for God’s sake; when you keep bringing it up you bother Him! Is God really serious about this?

Yes. He ‘struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the Lord’ (1 Samuel 6:19 NIV).

What was in the ark? The Ten Commandments which we’ve all broken; the record of our guilt and failure.

Think twice before you decide to ‘lift the lid’ on someone else’s sins; you’re in a dangerous place with God! You say, ‘But they don’t deserve to be forgiven.’

None of us do, but God keeps forgiving us anyway. And His Word says, ‘Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you’ (Ephesians 4:32 KJV).

So if you want God to answer your prayers – forgive, and let it go!

, Genesis 20-22, Matthew 6:16-34

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Obstacles to answered prayer (6)

‘Wait for it; it will certainly come.’
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 10 JAN 2021

Before leaving our study on obstacles to answered prayer, let’s be clear about one thing: some of our unanswered prayers have been answered. The answer is ‘wait’.

But because we don’t like the answer, we keep hoping God will have a change of heart. The truth is God won’t change His mind to accommodate us.

So we have two options:
1) Keep complaining to Him.
2) Start cooperating with Him.

When the prophet Habakkuk needed an answer to his prayers in order to give direction to Israel, what did God tell him? Wait!

‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it…Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay’ (vv. 2-3 NIV). God works according to His own plan and schedule, and He won’t be rushed.

When you try to get ahead of Him you always end up in trouble. Abraham did that, and the end result was Ishmael.

That’s when Abraham’s troubles began in earnest! Other times God answers our prayers and says, ‘No’.

He knows what you can handle and when you’ll be ready to handle it, and He won’t give it to you before then. Paul said, ‘Three times I pleaded with the Lord…But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”’ (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV).

Instead of delivering Paul from his problem, God used it to develop him. Without his thorn in the flesh to counterbalance his great talent and potential pride, Paul wouldn’t have been nearly so effective in the service of God.

Think about it!

Luke 1:21-38, Psalms 4-6

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

We need each other

‘Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.’
Romans 1:12 NCV

The UCB Word for Today - 11 JAN 2021

Next time you take a walk in the woods stop and think about what is taking place right under your feet. As the roots of the trees connect with each other they form a support system, using a network of fungi to communicate.

One has access to water, another to nutrients, and another to sunlight. No single tree has it all, but together they can grow, thrive, and withstand the storms of life.

‘Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love’ (Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV).

Some of us independent types have difficulty with this concept. We want to fly solo until we crash, and then we realise our need for:

1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on: ‘Everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes.

I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn’t ashamed of me when I was put in jail. Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me’ (2 Timothy 1:15-17 CEV).

2) Sympathy. ‘Be sympathetic’ (Colossians 3:12 GWT). We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated.

But sometimes we are in such a hurry to ‘fix’ people we don’t have time to sympathise with them.

3) Grace. ‘Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others’ (v. 13 NLT). What motivates us to extend grace to others?

God’s grace to us! Remember, you will never be asked to extend more grace to someone than God has already extended to you.

Genesis 23-24, Matthew 7

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You need purpose, and persistence

‘My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus.’
Acts 20:24 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 12 JAN 2021

To live your best life you need two things – purpose and persistence. And if you ask Him, God will help you develop them.

1) Let’s look at purpose. On the historic monument commemorating the life of author Jack London, who wrote the classic White Fang, are these words: ‘I would rather be ashes than dust!

I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time.’ To make a difference in this world you must discover your God-given assignment, and commit yourself to it 100 per cent.

Paul did that. ‘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.’

2) Let’s look at persistence. In 1923, sprinter Eric Liddell was taking part in a quarter-mile race in Stoke-on-Trent, during which he tripped over the legs of another competitor and fell.

By the time he got up, the other runners were well ahead of him, leaving him unlikely to win. But, determined, he carried on, overtaking the leader in the last few yards and winning the race.

The following year he went on to become a gold medallist. His determination and refusal to give up are the essence of purpose and persistence.

Genesis 25-26, Matthew 8:1-17