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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

You will get through this
17 FEBRUARY 2023

‘To every thing there is a season…A time to weep, and a time to laugh.’
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 KJV

Sorrow comes to us in many forms. You can lose your job, or your home, or your health. But nothing hurts more than when you lose someone you love dearly. Waves of grief will come at you like the ocean throwing its waves up onto the beach. Whatever you do, don’t drown. Don’t stop there and allow yourself to be pulled under by the current. Allow yourself to feel the grief without tying it around your neck. Allow the weight of it to help you work through your thoughts, fears, and, if necessary, your tears. Grieving relieves the soul, like exhaling carbon dioxide relieves your body.

But there comes a point at which you must get up and go on. The stages of grief you go through are shock, then denial, then bargaining, then sorrow, and finally acceptance. David said, ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff [of protection] they comfort me’ (Psalm 23:4 KJV). When you get through this valley, you will be able to look back with more gratitude and less grief. Instead of focusing on what you have lost, you will be thankful for what you have left. And don’t be afraid to indulge in those rare moments of laughter that come even in the face of heartbreak. Laughter medicates the soul and alleviates the tension of those times; it requires us to step outside our present pain and adjust our focus. This in itself is a healing balm. ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine’ (Proverbs 17:22 KJV).

Leviticus 8-10, Matthew 25:31-46

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Jesus wants to set you free
18 FEBRUARY 2023

‘You are loosed from your infirmity.’
Luke 13:12 NKJV

The Bible says: ‘There was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity”’ (vv. 11-12 NKJV). Notice four things in this story: the person, the problem, the Great Physician, and the prescription. For every person, including you, there will be a problem. But more importantly, for every problem, including yours, the Great Physician has a prescription. Jesus’ opening statement to the problem in this woman’s life is not a recommendation for counselling – it’s a challenging command: ‘You are loosed!’

Christian counsellors are a gift from God, but often more is involved in maintaining deliverance than just discussing past trauma. Jesus didn’t counsel what should have been commanded. After you have analysed the condition and understood its origin, it will take the authority of God’s Word to put the past under your feet! This woman was suffering as the result of something that had attacked her eighteen years earlier, yet her trauma was as fresh that day as it was the day it occurred. But while her problem was rooted in the past, her prescription could only be found in a present word from God. Jesus, who is the Living Word, is ‘the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). That is to say, the word you are hearing today is able to heal your yesterday! Jesus said, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ Why didn’t Jesus call her by name? Because His promise applies to all of us.

Leviticus 11-12, Matthew 26:1-25

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

You are thirsty for God
19 FEBRUARY 2023

‘Give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty.’
John 4:15 NIV

This Samaritan woman tried to fill the emptiness in her life with multiple relationships. But it didn’t work. When you try to find in anyone else what can only be found in Christ, you place so much stress on the relationship that it will break under the weight of it. Why did Jesus say, ‘You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband’ (v. 18 NIV)? Because one of the first things hurting people need to do is break the pattern of using other people as a narcotic to dull the pain of their inner void. The more you medicate the symptoms, the less chance you have of allowing God to treat the cause.

The other dysfunctional tendency that can exist is that you keep increasing the dosage. When you become increasingly dependent on others rather than on God to create a feeling of wholeness in your life, you’re abusing your relationships. Clinging to people is very different from loving them. It’s not so much a declaration of your love for them as a crying out of your need for them. Like lust, it’s extremely selfish. It’s taking, instead of giving.

Jesus quenched the Samaritan woman’s thirst with His Word, saying, ‘Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’ (v. 14 NIV). And she went back home totally changed, for that’s what Jesus does. Listen to her testimony: ‘Come, see a man who told me everything’ (v. 29 NIV). And what Jesus did for her, He will do for you today.

Luke 3:20-38, Psalms 20-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Broken arrows
20 FEBRUARY 2023

‘Children…are like arrows.’
Psalm 127:4 NLT

Children are like arrows; they must be aimed in the right direction. When they’re aimed in the wrong direction, they may become involved in harmful habits or destructive lifestyles. And as long as we jeer at or judge them, they will never feel comfortable turning to us for help as they go through life. Broken arrows come in all forms. Pain isn’t prejudiced; it spares no age group, cultural background, or social strata. What’s the answer? Let the strong bear the infirmities of the weak (see Romans 15:1).

‘Jesus…had compassion on them and healed their sick’ (Matthew 14:14 NLT). Compassion is the mother of miracles! When the disciples thought they would die in the storm, they didn’t challenge Christ’s power, they challenged His compassion: ‘Carest thou not that we perish?’ (Mark 4:38 KJV). Where there is no compassion, there will be no miracle. Only when you’re moved by someone’s pain rather than turned off by their symptoms can you bring healing to them.

One author writes: ‘We can build all the churches we want. But if people cannot find a loving voice within our hallowed halls, they will pass through unaltered by our clichés and religious rhetoric. Church is not a club for the well-heeled, but a hospital for those needing to be healed and set free. You don’t have to like everything about the people you’re called to minister to, but you do have to love them because God does.’ We have been called to gather up those the world has thrown away because they matter to God: ‘“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I make them My jewels”’ (Malachi 3:17 NKJV).

Leviticus 13, Matthew 26:26-46

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Let God lead you
21 FEBRUARY 2023

‘He leads me in the paths of righteousness.’
Psalm 23:3 NKJV

Life is full of choices, decisions, and options. It’s also full of people with strong opinions who will try to tell you which way they think you ought to go. If we could turn back the hands of time, nearly all of us would alter some of our past choices because they have caused us to find ourselves in the path of ‘wrongness’ rather than ‘righteousness’.

Sheep will gravitate towards whatever appeals to their instincts, such as a berry bush, even though it will take them away from the flock and the shepherd’s protective care. They think they know the right path when they really have no clue. Question: Have you been following your appetites and instincts rather than your shepherd? You say, ‘But God has given me a brain to use.’ Sure, and you need to develop it. But it’s limited, and it will only take you so far. The Holy Spirit desires to take you beyond those limits. ‘As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God’ (Romans 8:14 KJV).

How does God lead us? Objectively through His Word, and subjectively through His Spirit. As you read His Word, you hear His voice, and as you ‘lie down’ (Psalm 23:2 KJV), He impresses upon your heart what He wants you to do. If you have gone onto the wrong path, turn to God and He will guide you back onto the right path. You say, ‘Would God actually speak to someone like me?’ Yes, ‘He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice’ (John 10:3-4 NKJV). Today, let God lead you!

Leviticus 14, Matthew 26:47-75

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Are you being sifted?
22 FEBRUARY 2023

‘Satan has asked to sift…you as wheat. But I have prayed…that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’

Luke 22:31-32 NIV
Jon Walker says, ‘When Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked to sift…you as wheat”…it raises the question in our minds, Lord, did you have to say yes? A good sifting brings glory to God, such as when Job continued to praise his Maker when things seemed lost and even his wife was telling him to give up on God. It probes your weaknesses. Where you’re still thinking, “I can,” a good, swift sift will push you to say, “I can’t, but God can.” It allows God to scrape away the distractions that could hinder you from fulfilling His purpose in your life.

'Peter’s sifting…would scrape away all his stomp-and-snort bluster, revealing a heart that’s teachable and willing to welcome Cornelius and his Gentile clan into the family of God. Notice, Jesus didn’t say, “Get ready for a whirlwind of hurt, Peter. I know you’re going to let me down!” Instead He pointed to the future. Peter would survive the sifting; he would return humbled, but stronger, and with purpose to strengthen his brothers and sisters. The Lord said yes to the sifting to transform Peter from a leader who serves to a servant who leads.

'And that’s a significant shift from the thinking of men to the thinking of God. You may have days when you wonder if God is letting Satan sift you. You can take a God-view of it, knowing He is always in control. And “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4 KJV).’

Leviticus 15-16, Matthew 27:1-26

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Navigating life’s losses (1)
23 FEBRUARY 2023

‘A time to gain, and a time to lose.’ Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV
Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV

God’s Word neither ignores nor minimises the painful realities of life. Inevitably, we and our loved ones will experience life’s losses: illness, ageing, death, divorce, disability, loss of independence, unemployment, financial reversals, etc. Today’s culture prepares us for gain, but not for loss; to dance, but not to mourn (see Ecclesiastes 3:4). Major losses throw us into unchartered territory. So, we need to understand the dynamics of our loss in order to help us through it and back to living again.

Life-changing loss begins with bereavement – the agony of feeling that something or someone indispensable to us has been ripped away, leaving us feeling robbed. Then comes grief – searing emotions of overwhelming sorrow that are often accompanied by anger, distress, confusion, and helplessness. Next, we move into the mourning stage – and begin to express our grief and loss. This is the ‘hard work’ stage of tears, memories, and heartrending spasms of weeping that shake us to our very core. We feel guilt and remorse over what we have said or done or not said or done. And our heartache gives those around us opportunity to respond, offering the comfort and reassurance we need to begin healing. This is God’s protocol for healing broken hearts.

At 120, the Israelites’ beloved leader died – leaving behind him a grief-stricken nation (see Deuteronomy 34). And God allowed them thirty days to mourn their loss and to comfort one another before resuming the business of life. So take the time you need to do the work of mourning your losses because Jesus said, ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4 KJV).

Leviticus 17-18, Matthew 27:27-50

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Navigating life’s losses (2)
24 FEBRUARY 2023

‘A time to be born, and a time to die.’
Ecclesiastes 3:2 KJV
Researchers at the Colorado Institute of Grief offer us this helpful four-stage path to recovery.

Stage one – Shock. Our initial response is one of denial and disbelief. ‘I can’t believe this is happening…it’s not real!’ There is a numbing of our senses, a God-designed natural ‘anaesthesia’ that buffers the early blow and allows us time to gather our coping mechanisms.

Stage two – Protest. We feel anger and resentment against God, yet we feel guilty for blaming Him. We may blame ourselves, the doctors, the patient, and question God’s love and faithfulness – even bargaining with Him. ‘If You will just do a miracle and bring them back, I will…’

Stage three – Disorganisation. Everything comes apart at the seams. The lifestyle we knew and loved unravels. The dreams we cherished evaporate. We feel hopeless, powerless, lost in a strange, empty universe. Secondary losses may loom: financial insecurity, social dislocation, depression, loss of concentration, etc. We’re convinced that life will never be normal again. We survive moment to moment, afraid to anticipate the road ahead.

Stage four – Reorganisation. Unrelenting grief gives way to waves of sadness varying in frequency and intensity. We begin to accept and accommodate our loss. The energy we expended on grief work becomes available again, enabling us to adjust to the demands and opportunities of our new lifestyle. Slowly we re-emerge and take hold of the reins again. The process will take many months, and full recovery even years. But God promises it will come! There will be ‘a time to heal…build up…laugh…dance…gain!’ (Ecclesiastes 3:3-4, 6 NKJV).

Leviticus 19-20, Matthew 27:51-66

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Navigating life’s losses (3)
25 FEBRUARY 2023

‘A time to gain, and a time to lose.’
Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV
How can we help children navigate life’s losses?Oi

1) Don’t underestimate their capacity for grief. Children are often the ‘forgotten’ grievers. Their pain is real and intense; recognise and validate it.

2) Don’t avoid talking about the loss when they’re present. Excluding them from adults in mourning denies them the opportunity for support, and increased understanding about their loss. Include them in the family’s collective grief experience.

3) Encourage them to share their feelings about the loss. Teach them that being ‘real’ is more important than being ‘strong’, and confirm that their feelings matter. Very young children have limited understanding about the meaning, permanence, and irreversibility of death. They can only talk about it briefly and concretely. Older children understand its meaning and should be encouraged to talk about it.

4) Make allowance for each child’s personality. Our personality determines our grieving style. Introverted children may need their own space; extroverted ones may need to be verbal and sociable. Dependent children need strong adults around them; independent ones can handle a lot on their own.

5) Communicate realistically with them. Adults often use language that confuses children. ‘Your dad has gone home…fallen asleep…passed away…gone to his rest,’ etc. Speaking of death as the end of this physical life is biblical, clarifies the significance of the loss, and allows children to ask questions that matter to them.

Your children can handle loss, and they can understand that everlasting life is God’s great solution and one day we will join our loved ones in heaven (see John 14:2-3).

Leviticus 21-22, Matthew 28

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Navigating life’s losses (4)
26 FEBRUARY 2023

‘A time to gain, and a time to lose.’
Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV
What else do our children need from us when they’re grieving?

1) Our honesty. They need to know we’re hurting too. When they see you crying, but you tell them, ‘I’m all right,’ they’re confused. They think either you’re not hurting, and tears don’t mean anything, or you’re not being real with them. They need to know the genuine you, so they can be real with you and trust you with their hurts.

2) Our awareness of their feelings without overprotecting them. For them, as for you, ‘There is a time to weep…mourn…lose’ (vv. 4, 6 NKJV). God has made all these experiences ‘appropriate in its time’ (v.11 NASB). Don’t inhibit or invalidate their sadness, anger, and depression. It’s part of their God-given humanness, and will help them become balanced, compassionate adults.

3) Sensitive listening. Kids learn and grow through loss when they have an open and understanding listener. Listen, then reflect their feelings. ‘Sounds like you’re angry. Want to talk about it?’ Don’t analyse, ask! Listen with your eyes and ears. ‘Your words say you’re all right, but your eyes suggest you’re sad.’

4) Permission to express negative emotions. Anger and resentment aimed at doctors, the system, family members, you, even God is normal! Don’t say, ‘You shouldn’t say such things.’ Instead say, ‘Sounds like a real, honest expression of pain and disappointment. Want to talk more about it?’ Expression detoxifies negative emotion.

5) Inclusion in our grief rituals. Include them in family gatherings, funeral planning, and services, and they will find comfort in the validation, closure, and healing these times bring!

Luke 4:1-30, Psalms 23-25