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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Don’t look back (1)
29 DECEMBER 2022

‘Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

In the words of the legendary baseball player Satchel Paige, ‘Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.’ That’s good advice! Paul bottom-lines it like this: ‘ I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead’ (Philippians 3:13 NLT).

Author Ellen Vaughn writes: ‘Before our spiritual vitality can really flow, we must forget three things. [Today, here are two]:

1) We must forget our sins. Obviously we must remember our sins in order to confess them. But having done so, we must let them go. The fact that God forgets is like calling heaven and hearing, “There is no record of any offence.” They’re expunged, as if they never existed. Satan would lure us to live in guilt and fear. He pulls us into the shadowboxes of memory in which our worst sins replay on the walls of our minds…We need to be very clear here, or we’ll miss the liberating point. It’s not as if forgiveness is real only if we experience some kind of holy amnesia. It’s not up to us. It’s up to God. And the Scriptures say that God forgets our sins (see Hebrews 8:12).

2) We must forget our shame. Paul could have been a prime candidate for shame. He had presided over the harassment, imprisonment, torture, and murder of innocent human beings. But God’s grace is stronger than our shame. It was defanged when Jesus died and rose again. We can forget our slithering shame, for Jesus took it. He scorned it, beat it, broke it. We need not take it back.’

The word for today is – ‘Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.’

Zechariah 11-12, Revelation 20

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Don’t look back (2)
30 DECEMBER 2022

‘Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

Author Ellen Vaughn continues: ‘3) We must also forget our successes. That doesn’t necessarily mean we must forget the great projects we have completed. We are to work and live with excellence unto God, and He takes pleasure in our successes as they are offered to His glory. But we should forget past successes if they have defined our identity or caused us to be complacent, smug and self-congratulatory. We’re not to fondle the past, dwelling on past glories. (Similarly, we must make sure our stories of God’s work and grace in our lives are not all old. If we can only point to instances of God’s faithfulness from five years ago but none from this week, our connection with Christ isn’t very current.)

'Paul warns the Philippians against those who would put their confidence in human criteria and accomplishment: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more” (Philippians 3:4 NIV), he said, citing his power résumé that many in his day would have coveted. But his focus wasn’t on his past: “Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ…But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:7, 13-14 NIVUK).’

The good news is, God doesn’t analyse your past in order to determine your future. He says, ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ Learn from the past, leave it, and don’t look back!

Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Five resolutions to work on
31 DECEMBER 2022

‘Run with perseverance.’
Hebrews 12:1 NIV

Susan Alexander Yates suggests five resolutions to work on.

‘1) Reach someone who doesn’t know Christ. God commands us to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16 KJV); that won’t happen if we spend all our time with believers….While reaching out feels scary, when you take the risk, you’ll see God work through you.

2) Be more grateful. I used to wake…thinking about all the things I had to do and…the people who needed me. I got depressed before I… got out of bed!…So I started meditating on…God’s character traits…thinking about how awesome God is. My perspective…changed.

3) Spend quality time with your spouse. I used to have a…raspberry patch. In the early years I…tended it, and it produced prolific crops. Then I got busy…and…weeds took over…A marriage can become like [that]. We get busy with kids, career, church…We think [we’ll] spend time [together] when life calms down. The problem is life never does. Don’t let the weeds…choke your marriage…You’re raising future husbands and wives who need to know a happy marriage takes time.

4) Say “no” to something. Maturing means you postpone something you’d like to do to focus on something more important. In 10 years, what will matter most – that you signed your child up for another activity or said “no” and had family dinners together?

5) Pursue Christ with fresh vigour. [David prayed], “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12 NIV). Vary [your routine]…[Pick] a new topic for Bible study. Begin a fresh journal. If you…still feel stale, ask God to show you the reason.’

‘Let us throw off everything that hinders and…run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ (Hebrews 12:1 NIV).

Malachi 1-4, Revelation 22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Enjoy each day of this New Year (1)
01 JANUARY 2023

‘Let’s celebrate and be glad today.’
Psalm 118:24 CEV

Each day is a gift from God. Next to your salvation, today is the most valuable gift you will ever receive. When you receive a gift, what do you do? Thank the giver, unwrap it, and enjoy it. Getting the idea?

One Bible teacher writes: ‘I make an effort to focus on and enjoy every moment of my life, but doing so has been a long and difficult journey for me…I am a planner, and if I am not careful, I find myself planning the next thing while doing the current thing, which of course steals the present moment from me. Although being focused is a good thing, I can also easily get so focused on my work that I fail to enjoy the magic of the moment. For example, I was usually working while my children were little and found it difficult to even take a moment to stop and enjoy the cute things they said or did. I missed many of those moments and will never get them back. We should celebrate life and the people God has placed in our path. Life is to be enjoyed, not dreaded or regretted.’

Solomon wrote: ‘There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labour. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God’ (Ecclesiastes 2:24 AMPC). Note these two phrases: 1) ‘From the hand of God.’ That means it’s God’s will for you to enjoy every day. 2) ‘Make himself enjoy good.’ That means you must look for things to celebrate each day. And you can start doing this – today!

Luke 1;1-20, Psalms 1-3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Enjoy each day of this New Year (2)
02 JANUARY 2023

‘I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you.’
John 15:11 AMPC

You need to enjoy each day of your life for Christ’s sake, because He paid a very high price for you to be able to. He said, ‘I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)’ (John 10:10 AMPC). He said: ‘I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing’ (John 15:11 AMPC). He said, ‘Ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete’ (John 16:24 AMPC).

Jesus actually prayed that you would have joy: ‘Now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts]’ (John 17:13 AMPC).

With Jesus Himself praying such powerful words about His desire for you to have joy, how could you ever doubt that God wants you to be happy and enjoy your life? As a redeemed child of God, you’re a walking advert for Christianity! Don’t go around looking severe, stern, strict, sour, and sensorial, believing that you’re coming across as ‘spiritual’. No, that’s a turnoff to non-Christians! You need a new mindset; a scriptural one that will enable you to enjoy life and make you a more enjoyable person to be around.

Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

This year think ‘possible’ (1)
03 JANUARY 2023

‘With God all things are possible.’
Matthew 19:26 KJV

Read these two Scriptures: ‘With God all things are possible’ (v. 26). ‘He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief’ (Matthew 13:58 KJV). Those two verses mean this: many things that are possible remain undone because of doubt and unbelief. So, this year, think ‘possible’.

If God’s Word says you can succeed, but you’re failing, it may mean this: you don’t really believe what He says, or you’re not willing to do your part. When you think ‘possible’, it increases your energy level. Who gets energised at the prospect of losing? If you know something can’t succeed, how much time and energy are you willing to give it? Nobody goes looking for a lost cause. You only invest yourself in what you believe can succeed. So when you think ‘possible’ and trust God for success, your faith becomes the energising force.

Some people believe that possibility thinkers are naive or foolish. If you’re one of them, answer this question: how many highly successful people do you know who are continually negative? How many impossibility thinkers are you acquainted with who achieve big things? None! The first step to thinking ‘possible’ is to stop yourself from searching for and dwelling on what’s wrong with each situation. People with an it-can’t-be-done mindset have two choices: they can expect the worst and continually experience it, or change their thinking. And that begins with eliminating the negative self-talk you hear in your head before you have even opened your mouth. ‘The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences’ (Proverbs 18:21 NLT). In order to think ‘possible’, you must believe and speak ‘possible’.

Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

This year think ‘possible’ (2)
04 JANUARY 2023

‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him.’
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

The Bible says, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ (v. 6 NKJV). Here is something God can’t do: be pleased without faith!

Twelve spies entered the promised land, but only two came back and said, ‘We are well able to overcome it’ (Numbers 13:30 NKJV). God had promised it to them, but the majority thought it couldn’t be done. People who think ‘possible’ not only create forward-looking, optimistic pictures of the future in their own minds, but also in the minds of others. And the opposite is true. Sam Ewing said, ‘Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said couldn’t be done.’ Now, believing you can doesn’t guarantee you will. But believing you can’t guarantees you won’t!

So how’s your approach to life? When you face the unknown, the undone, or the untried, do you focus on all the things that can go wrong or all the things that can go right? Ballistic rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun said, ‘I have learned to use the word “impossible” with the greatest caution.’ You say, ‘Who was he?’ The scientist who made it possible for the first man to walk on the moon! John Andrew Holmes said: ‘Never tell a young person that something cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for somebody ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.’ If you want to achieve something, give yourself permission to believe it is possible – and trust God for success.

Genesis 7-9, Matthew 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


This year think ‘possible’ (3)
05 JANUARY 2023

‘Then he had another dream.’
Genesis 37:9 NIV

Joseph had two dreams, and the second was bigger than the first. His first dream was a field of sheaves; the second dream was a sky full of stars. So the word for today is – dream one size bigger!

Henry Curtis said: ‘Make your plans as fantastic as you like, because twenty-five years from now they will seem mediocre. Make your plans ten times as great as you first planned, and twenty-five years from now you will wonder why you did not make them fifty times as great.’ There is only one way to keep growing: make your goal a step beyond what makes you comfortable. That will force you to keep growing! And it will also set you up to believe God for greater things. Most people want their lives to keep improving, yet they value peace and stability at the same time. They forget that you can’t improve and stay the same. Growth means change, and that means challenging the status quo.

Thinking ‘possible’ means you can’t settle for what you have now. There will always be people around you who want you to give up your dream and embrace the status quo. Love them, but don’t be led by them. As you begin to believe God for greater things and others try to throw cold water on you, remember that right now, as you read this page, other people around the world are thinking about curing cancer, developing new energy sources, feeding the hungry, improving the quality of life, and winning whole nations for Christ. They are beating the odds and challenging the status quo – and you must, too.

Genesis 10-12, Matthew 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Learn to manage your emotions
06 JANUARY 2023

‘He comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.’
Genesis 50:21 KJV

If you have read the story of Joseph, you realise he had every reason to be angry, bitter, and vindictive for the despicable way in which his brothers treated him. But what does he do? He doesn’t get enraged and he doesn’t even get even. He helps Egypt, the land that enslaved and falsely imprisoned him, to survive famine. He feeds his family when they come begging for food. He forgives, and in doing so, he is freed from his negative emotions. He resolves the issues of the past, does not allow them to deter his destiny, and stays in the favour of God.

As second-in-command in Egypt, Joseph held the power of life and death over those who had hurt him. Yet he told them: ‘Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them’ (vv. 20-21).

We all have emotional reactions in our relationships; the problem isn’t the anger or the disappointment – unless you are controlled by your emotions. Whenever anger causes you to damage the things God has given you charge over, your emotions are being mismanaged. You give territory to the devil when you fail to manage your anger. ‘“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’ (Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT). So the word for today is – learn to manage your emotions.

Genesis 13-15, Matthew 5:1-26

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Are you critical of others?
07 JANUARY 2023

‘We have done foolishly…we have sinned.’
Numbers 12:11 NKJV

If you think criticising others is just exercising your right to free speech and it’s no big deal, stop and consider these three things:

1) God saw it as a sin when Aaron and Miriam criticised Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. He smote Miriam with leprosy, and Aaron was quick to repent: ‘We have done foolishly…we have sinned.’ Yes, God healed Miriam, but not before she had been publicly embarrassed.

2) A critical attitude will hurt you relationally. ‘Then the Lord said to Moses, “…Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again”’ (v. 14 NKJV). Leprosy was contagious, and those who had it were isolated from others. There is an important lesson here. When you become known for a critical attitude, people will distance themselves from you and avoid you. It’s a trust issue; they know if you will talk to them about others, you will talk to others about them.

3) A critical attitude hinders everybody’s progress. ‘So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again’ (v. 15 NKJV). Have you ever been part of an organisation where one fault-finding person destroyed the effectiveness and hindered the progress of the entire group?

4) A critical attitude hurts your relationship with God. ‘Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbours or speak evil of their friends…Such people will stand firm forever’ (Psalm 15:1-3, 5 NLT).

Genesis 16-17, Matthew 5:27-48