[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The healing power of forgiveness

‘Pray for those who spitefully use you.’
Luke 6:28 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 04 NOV 2019

Night after night, Mary was beaten by her father when he came home from the pub in a drunken rage. So the first chance she got, she left home.

Given time, most physical scars begin to heal, but emotional scars can last a lifetime. They can keep you stuck in the pain of the past and cost you valuable relationships.

Even the people who love you can grow weary and despair that you’ll ever get better despite their efforts to help you. Do you know someone like that?

Are you that someone? Do you want to move towards healing and find joy?

You can. Mary found it when she decided to forgive her dad and start praying for him. That’s when she started to become spiritually and emotionally whole.

And she kept on forgiving him and praying for him until her old memories no longer held her prisoner. Jesus said, ‘Pray for those who spitefully use you.’

The word ‘spiteful’ implies you did nothing to cause or deserve it, that your offender hurt you for reasons you may never understand. That’s why Jesus prayed on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do’ (Luke 23:34 NKJV).

That doesn’t let your offender off the hook. They will live with the guilt of what they did, and unless they turn to God for forgiveness they’ll have no peace.

But you will have peace! When you decide to forgive someone and pray for them, you take back your power and reclaim your life.

Ezekiel 5-7, Hebrews 7

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You Can Begin Again

‘The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him.’
Lamentations 3:24 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 05 NOV 2019

When you haven’t accomplished what you’d hoped for, regret can become a major pastime. The computer programmer wishes he’d become an accountant, the accountant wishes he’d become a doctor, etc.

Maybe you planned to leave a legacy, but to date all you’ve left is a trail of unfilled aspirations. It’s not too late; you can begin again!

You just have to be prepared to pursue your dream and pay the price. ‘To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best’ (1 Corinthians 9:25 TLB).

Don’t listen to the critics and complainers who’ve settled for less. Your goal shouldn’t just be to live long, but to make a difference in your world and glorify God.

Charles Lindbergh said, ‘I feel I lived on a higher plain than the sceptics on the ground…Who valued life more highly, the aviators who spent it on the art they loved, or these misers who doled it out like pennies through their antlike days?…

If I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary lifetime.’ Look at Moses. Look at Paul.

They both began again. Look at Winston Churchill: instead of retiring after World War II, he went on to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

When Heinrich Schliemann retired from business to look for Homer’s legendary city of Troy – he found it. Here’s a Scripture you can stand on: ‘Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him!’ (Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV). That means you can begin again.

Jeremiah 48-49, Philemon

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t brag about it

‘We have done what was our duty.’
Luke 17:10 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 06 NOV 2019

If you have a tendency to remind people of all the good things you do and the sacrifices you make, read what Jesus said: ‘When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say…“We have done what was our duty to do.”’ We all deserve recognition for the good we do, and we thrive on appreciation.

But lots of times we don’t get it, so we’re left with three choices:

1) We can succumb to self-pity and go around complaining about how the world doesn’t treat us right or give us a fair deal.
2) We can give way to resentment, walk around with a chip on our shoulder, and end up wondering why people don’t want to be around us.
3) We can adopt the attitude Jesus taught and say, ‘I’m only doing what God expects of me.

And knowing He is pleased with me is reward enough.’ If you try to run on the fuel of other people’s encouragement and praise, when it doesn’t come you’ll have no joy.

And that’s bad because ‘the joy of the Lord [the joy that comes from knowing you walk under the smile of His approval] is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV). Living this way will make you a self-starter and a successful finisher.

And when that happens, you’ll find favour at home and on the job, and end up with more friends than you know what to do with. Plus your real reward, the one that matters most, is guaranteed when you stand before the Master one day and hear the words: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ (Matthew 25:23 KJV).

Ezekiel 8-10, Hebrews 8

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Look for teaching moments

‘What do these stones mean?’
Joshua 4:21 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 06 NOV 2019

One of the most effective ways to teach is through ‘teaching moments’. Jesus did that.

When a fig tree didn’t produce fruit, He cursed it and it immediately withered up. That got the disciples’ attention (see Matthew 21:18-22 NKJV).

Then He explained that unless you stay filled with God’s Spirit, you won’t be fruitful in His service. He could have taught this same lesson in the synagogue.

But then His listeners would’ve had to imagine a fig tree, and the message would have been diluted depending on the ability of the hearer. When three drunken high-school students crashed their car into a tree, the wreck sat in front of their school for several days.

Every day the students had to look at it. That’s called a ‘high-impact teaching moment’.

They say timing is everything. That’s certainly true when it comes to learning the important lessons in life, so don’t miss them!

If you’re a parent, it’s futile to constantly ‘preach’ at your kids. If you’re a leader, it’s a mistake to keep ‘lecturing’ the people who are answerable to you.

Let the experience speak! Then ask for their thoughts, and listen without interjecting!

People learn more through discovery than dialogue. That’s why God instructed Joshua to build a monument of twelve stones on the other side of Jordan after He miraculously parted its waters so they could cross over (see Joshua 4:1-9).

What He was really saying was, ‘When your children ask what this monument is all about, use it as a teaching moment about My love and faithfulness.’ So look for the teaching moments in life – and use them.

Ezekiel 11-13, Hebrews 9

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Forgive – and set yourself free!

‘Forgetting those things which are behind.’
Philippians 3:13 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 07 NOV 2019

The Bible says that the greater the offence, the greater the need to forgive your offender in order to go on with your life. Remember when you were growing up, how your parents would tell you to close the door?

That’s because in winter you were letting in the cold and in summer you were letting in the heat. Forgiveness shuts the door on your past!

Paul, who martyred Christians before becoming one, writes, ‘This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching…unto those things which are before.’ Only when you release your grip on the past can you secure your grip on the future.

Forgetting is a decision, one you sometimes have to make daily or even hourly. Bottom line: you need to forgive every time the issue that’s hurting you rears its head (see Matthew 18:21-22).

Complete healing can take months or years. When someone hurts you deeply, you must purpose in your heart to keep forgiving them until you’re free from their influence.

No matter what they took from you through abuse, abandonment, betrayal, manipulation, or deceit, bitterness will take more! Like making a rod for your own back, unforgiveness lets the person who hurt you keep doing it.

So until the issue is resolved, you may have to get down on your knees every day and pray, ‘Lord, by an act of my will, I forgive ________ and ask You to bless them.

I’m turning them over to You and getting on with my life.’ There’s no shortcut – it’s the only path to freedom!

Ezekiel 14-15, Hebrews 10

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Anger management (1)

‘Don’t sin by letting anger control you.’
Ephesians 4:26 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 08 NOV 2019

The first mention of anger in Scripture is when Cain got so angry with his brother Abel that he murdered him. In 2017, over half of all homicides in England and Wales were the result of some type of anger.

But anger not only kills others, it can kill you. Dr Redford Williams, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Science at Duke University, states: ‘The hostility and anger associated with Type-A behaviour is a major contributor to heart disease.

People who struggle with anger are five times more likely to suffer coronary heart disease, and people with heart disease more than double their risk of a heart attack when they get angry.’ Of course, there’s a difference between anger and mere aggravation.

A little girl asked her father to explain that difference. So he picked up the phone, dialled a number, allowed his daughter to listen in, and when the other person answered, he said, ‘Hello.

Is Melvin there?’ Back came the answer, ‘There’s no one here named Melvin.

Why don’t you look up numbers before you dial them?’ The father waited a moment, then re-dialled the number.

‘Hello. Is Melvin there?’ The man yelled, ‘I just told you there’s no Melvin here! Don’t call this number again!’ then slammed down the receiver.

The father looked at his daughter and said, ‘Honey, that was anger. Now let me show you aggravation.’

He dialled the number again and when a voice roared back, ‘Hello!’ her dad calmly said, ‘Hi. This is Melvin, have there been any calls for me?’

The word anger is only one letter short of the word danger. So ask God to help you manage your anger. He will!

Ezekiel 16-17, Hebrews 11

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Anger management (2)

‘A quick-tempered man acts foolishly.’
Proverbs 14:17 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 NOV 2019

The truth is that when your temper gets the best of you, it reveals the worst of you. The Bible says three things about unrighteous anger that you need to keep in mind:

1) It’s stupid. ‘A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated’ (v. 17 NKJV).

Benjamin Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanac: ‘Take this remark from Richard poor and lame; Whate’er’s begun in anger ends in shame.’

2) It’s divisive. ‘A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them’ (Proverbs 15:18 NLT).

Occasionally we may become angry for good reason. But most of the time it’s because we’re selfish, impatient, irritated, or hurt about the way we have been treated.

Humorist Will Rogers once said, ‘People who fly into a rage seldom make a good landing.’ Instead of solving the problem, anger only makes it worse.

3) It’s destructive. ‘Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again’ (Proverbs 19:19 NLT).

That means when you keep losing your temper, you keep losing. You will lose friends, you will lose the love and respect of your family, you will lose your business associates, and it can even cause you to lose your health.

John Hunter, a psychologist who had a severe heart condition, said, ‘My life is at the mercy of the person who can make me angry…the first scoundrel who gets me angry can kill me.’ And guess what?

That scoundrel can be you! So ask God to help you control your anger.

Ezekiel 18-19, Hebrews 12

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Delivered from people pleasing

‘I will deliver you from the…people…to whom I now send you.’
Acts 26:17 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 01 NOV 2019

Paul’s ministry began when he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. In that humbling encounter, the Lord said to him: ‘Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and…things which I will yet reveal to you.

I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light’ (vv. 16-18 NKJV). Before Paul could be successful in his calling and minister effectively, he had to be delivered from the fear of people.

That included those who knew him well, and those he had yet to meet who didn’t know him at all. He had to be detoxed from the need for people’s approval.

In essence, God was saying to Paul, ‘You’re just the postman. Some days people will like what you deliver, other days they won’t.

You have to deliver the post anyway. So I’m setting you free from the fear of their rejection and the need for their acceptance.’

Has God called you to do a particular job? Are you afraid you’ll make mistakes?

Count on it – you will! Are you worried you’ll be criticised?

It comes with the turf! People will disappoint you in 101 different ways, but if you’re determined to do the will of God, pray, ‘Lord, deliver me from people pleasing, so I can share with them what You’ve given to me.’

Then get on with the job!

Ezekiel 1-2, Hebrews 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Anger management (3)

‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty.’
Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 10 NOV 2019

The Bible says, ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.’ As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living within you, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is ‘self-control’ (see Galatians 5:23).

That means as a Christian you can control your temper, and as a Christian you must control it. You say, ‘I get mad easily because I was born with that nature!’

You’re not supposed to live according to your old nature, but your new one! Anger is like a river.

Controlled, it can generate enough electricity to power an entire city. Uncontrolled, it can overflow its banks and become a raging flood that destroys everything in its path.

And as surely as a river can be controlled, so can your temper. Have you ever been in a big argument at home with your spouse or one of your kids?

Suddenly the telephone rings; instantly you pick it up and answer in a soft, controlled tone, ‘Hello-o-o-o. May I help you?’ What just happened?

You proved that your anger can be controlled and tamed. The Bible says, ‘People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness’ (Proverbs 14:29 NLT).

Not everything is worth getting angry about. The more calmly you see a situation, the more clearly you’ll see how to handle it.

So if you have a quick temper, here’s some good advice. When you’re angry, count to ten before you speak.

And when you’re really angry, count to one hundred – then don’t say anything.

Luke 21:20-38, Psalm 116-118

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Anger management (3)

‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty.’
Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 10 NOV 2019

The Bible says, ‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.’ As a Christian you have the Holy Spirit living within you, and one of the fruits of the Spirit is ‘self-control’ (see Galatians 5:23).

That means as a Christian you can control your temper, and as a Christian you must control it. You say, ‘I get mad easily because I was born with that nature!’

You’re not supposed to live according to your old nature, but your new one! Anger is like a river.

Controlled, it can generate enough electricity to power an entire city. Uncontrolled, it can overflow its banks and become a raging flood that destroys everything in its path.

And as surely as a river can be controlled, so can your temper. Have you ever been in a big argument at home with your spouse or one of your kids?

Suddenly the telephone rings; instantly you pick it up and answer in a soft, controlled tone, ‘Hello-o-o-o. May I help you?’ What just happened?

You proved that your anger can be controlled and tamed. The Bible says, ‘People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness’ (Proverbs 14:29 NLT).

Not everything is worth getting angry about. The more calmly you see a situation, the more clearly you’ll see how to handle it.

So if you have a quick temper, here’s some good advice. When you’re angry, count to ten before you speak.

And when you’re really angry, count to one hundred – then don’t say anything.

Luke 21:20-38, Psalm 116-118

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Resistance training

‘Submit…to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’
James 4:7 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 11 NOV 2019

Have you ever watched someone doing resistance training? They get stronger every day as they press more and more weight.

That’s how to view the verse ‘resist the devil’. Satan is out to do three things: ‘Kill, steal, and destroy’ (see John 10:10).

Destroy what? Everything God has given you! And he doesn’t play fair. Using a whole arsenal of weapons, he’ll attack your mind, your health, your marriage, your children, your finances, and your character.

And if you’re a spiritual weakling, he’ll crush you! Satan studies you.

He knows your quitting points, and he’ll push you to the brink every chance he gets. So what should you do?

Push back – and keep pushing! Use every spiritual weapon God has given you – prayer, praise, His Word and fellowship.

It’s time to turn the tables on the Enemy and start using him as your spiritual gym! The Amplified Bible talks about ‘the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God’ (Ephesians 6:17 AMPC).

When you’re filled with God’s Spirit, He will fight in you, through you, and for you. When that happens, Satan reaches the place where he knows he can’t defeat you on a particular front, so what does he do?

He attacks you on a different one! But with victory after victory being chalked up, you develop the boldness and strength to defeat him on that front too.

With enough resistance training under your belt, you’ll experience the joy of walking in the truth of this wonderful promise: ‘God…will soon crush Satan under your feet’ (Romans 16:20 NIV 2011 Edition).

Ezekiel 20-21, Hebrews 13

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Come back to God!

‘When he was still a great way off.’
Luke15:20 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 12 NOV 2019

The Bible says concerning the Prodigal Son: ‘When he was a great way off, his father…had compassion…ran…fell on his neck and kissed him.’ The truth is, you’re not beyond the reach of God’s grace, so your future can be greater than your past!

When he was ‘a great way off’, his father ran to him. Why? Because his relationship with his son wasn’t based on performance, but on the fact that he’d given him life and brought him into the family.

When you think about the things his father gave him that day, you realise the significance of each item.

1) The robe. That confirmed his identity as a son. God doesn’t see you in your weakness; He sees you clothed in the righteousness of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NIV 2011 Edition).

2) The ring. This was a signet ring with the family seal that gave him back authority to do business in his father’s name.

3) The shoes. Household servants didn’t wear shoes, only family members did. He returned home thinking the best he could hope for was a job in the servants’ quarters.

But his father not only restored his identity and authority, he restored him to full son-ship in the family.

4) The party. Back then when you rebelled against your father’s authority and left home, they conducted ‘a ceremony of shame’, which meant you could never return.

Not this father – he threw a party! The point?

Because Jesus took our shame! ‘For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT).

The word for you today is – come back to God!

Ezekiel 22-23, James 1