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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

‘I am disciplined and self-controlled’
28 OCTOBER 2023

‘The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.’
2 Timothy 1:7 CEV

In order to be happy in life, you must start doing the right things and stop doing the wrong things. And one of the first things you must do is stop saying, ‘I just don’t have any self-control.’ Self-control is a choice, and the more you choose it, the stronger it becomes. And here is the best part: the power of self-control comes from God, not you. ‘The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.’ It happens automatically as you spend time with God in prayer and His Word. ‘Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life’ (Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT).

God will give you the power to do this, but you must exercise that power each day. There is no quick-fix form of self-control. Remember how many times in school you repeated your times tables before they became part of your thinking? Now you just do it automatically. Similarly, when you become educated to think as God wants you to think, you will be able to defeat the devil and walk in victory. And the first step is to stop saying, ‘I just don’t have any self-control.’ You will never rise above what you say! As long as you believe you’re not a disciplined person, you won’t be. So today, come into agreement with God’s Word and start saying, ‘I am disciplined and self-controlled.’

Jeremiah 51-52, Hebrews 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

When God gives you a vision (1)
29 OCTOBER 2023

‘I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.’
Acts 26:19 KJV

Paul had a ‘heavenly vision’. But there are those who ‘speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord’ (Jeremiah 23:16 NKJV). So you must be sure you are operating according to God’s plan, not your own, or somebody else’s. The story of the Tower of Babel teaches us two things:

1) When people make up their mind to do something, they often succeed.

2) Succeeding doesn’t mean that you’re in the will of God.

The word babel (confusion) means others can think you’re right, yet you’re wrong. You ask, ‘But isn’t it okay to make plans and set goals?’ Yes, but your plans and goals should come out of a vision that God has given you. When Paul said, ‘I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision,’ he meant that there’s only one acceptable response to God’s plan – obedience! Partial obedience, selective obedience, or delayed obedience are still disobedience.

William Carey, who is considered the father of modern missions, gave up comfort and fortune to go to India and introduce the gospel. One of his more memorable quotes is: ‘Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God!’ But you can only say that with confidence when you know what God has called you to do. What He ordains, He sustains! When you set your own goals you lack a heart-deep confidence that God is doing the work, so you wear yourself out thinking it’s all up to you. However, when you know God has given you a vision for your life, you trust Him, even when you can’t see any way to bring it to pass.

Luke 20:27-47, Psalms 113-115

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

When God gives you a vision (2)
30 OCTOBER 2023

‘I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.’
Acts 26:19 KJV
When God gives you a vision:

1) It will interrupt you. Sometimes God will speak in a voice you can’t tune out. Other times, like Jonah, God will let you go to the bottom to get your attention. Either way, things won’t go right until you say yes to Him.

2) It will illuminate you. You may not like what God says. Ananias didn’t like going to pray for Saul of Tarsus, a man with the power to put Christians to death. But God said, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel…I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’ (Acts 9:15-16 NKJV). Notice the word ‘suffer’. The devil isn’t going to send you a congratulatory telegram because you have decided to do God’s will, so be prepared for attack.

3) It will inspire you. You will accomplish things you never dreamed possible. Look at Gideon. When God found him he was hiding in a winepress (see Judges 6:11); not exactly a promising start. When the angel called him ‘a mighty man of valour’ (v. 12 NKJV), he replied, ‘I am the least in my father’s house’ (v. 15 NKJV). When the angel said, ‘The Lord is with you,’ he replied, ‘If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?’ (vv. 12-13 NKJV). When he finally took the job, he wondered, ‘How can so few of us defeat so many of them?’ Yet at that very moment his enemies were having nightmares about him (see Judges 7:13-15). The secret of victory lies in knowing: ‘It is God working in me’ (see Philippians 2:13).

Lamentations 1-2, Hebrews 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Your loved one is with the Lord
31 OCTOBER 2023

‘To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.’
2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV

Try as we might to avoid it, and as reluctant as we are to discuss it, each of us must release the hand of the one we love into the hand of the One who loves us most. But what happens when you die? What happens to you between your death and Christ’s return? Paul answers, ‘We don’t want you, my brothers, to be in any doubt about those who “fall asleep” in death, or to grieve over them like men…who have no hope’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13 PHPS).

Scripture is surprisingly quiet about what happens to us in the period between our death and the resurrection of our body. (It doesn’t give us enough information to satisfy our curiosity, just enough to whet our appetite.) Paul writes: ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far’ (Philippians 1:21-23 NIVUK).

Bible scholar Anthony Hoekema says, ‘What Paul is saying here is that the moment he departs or dies, that very same moment he will be with Christ.’ Ultimately, heaven is the greatest healing of all! Your loved ones had pain here but have no pain there. They struggled here but have no struggles there. You may wonder why God took them home, but they don’t. Now they understand. They are, at this very moment, at peace in God’s presence.

Lamentations 3-5, Hebrews 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Don’t be a mudslinger
01 NOVEMBER 2023

‘The slingers surrounded and attacked it.’
2 Kings 3:25 NKJV

In Old Testament times, ‘slingers’ were people who defeated others by slinging stones and blocking their wells by throwing mud and rocks into them – wells of water that were essential to their survival. Today, mudslingers are people who make malicious attacks against others. Now, chances are that you may have encountered some ‘mudslingers’ yourself, and even suffered at their hands. What should you do? Avoid them because they’re dangerous. You can’t mud wrestle with a pig without getting dirty. Not only will the pig win – he will enjoy the fight!

And if you yourself have become a slinger, here is a portion of Scripture you would do well to read and keep in mind: ‘If you stop making trouble for others…then your light will shine in the darkness, [you will begin to get attention from and have influence with the right people]…The Lord will always lead you [you will begin to make the right moves]. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands [He will give you success in the most unlikely places, and in spite of adverse circumstances] and give strength to your bones [cause you to live a long and healthy life]’ (Isaiah 58:9-11 NCV). Now there is a benefit package worth working for!

So, guard your thoughts because they become your words. Guard your words because they become your actions. Guard your actions because they become your character. And guard your character because it determines the level of God’s blessing in your life. So, here is the word for today: don’t be a mudslinger.

Ezekiel 1-2, Hebrews 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

]Stand in faith
02 NOVEMBER 2023

‘All things are possible to him who believes.’
Mark 9:23 NKJV

One day a distraught father came to Jesus and said, ‘My son…frequently…he falls into the fire and…the water…I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to cure him’ (Matthew 17:15-16 AMPC). Notice, he never once said, ‘Maybe my son inherited this problem from me’ or ‘Perhaps if I had raised him differently.’ No, he dumped the responsibility onto the disciples, who were themselves in training. Whenever we’re in trouble, we like to blame the pastor, the church, our spouse, our boss, our family, our looks, our social status, or find some other excuse. We’re unable or unwilling to admit that we stuck our own hand in the fire or almost drowned by jumping in headfirst when we couldn’t swim.

After Jesus healed the boy, His disciples asked Him, ‘Why can’t we do the things you do?’ (see Matthew 17:19). That’s like asking, ‘Why isn’t my situation changing?’ when we haven’t brought the problem to God, prayed about it, and trusted in His transformative power. Jesus replied, ‘Because your faith is too small’ (Matthew 17:20 NCV). Sometimes you need the kind of faith that makes you seem a little weird; the kind that doesn’t need other people’s approval and doesn’t care whether or not you fit in. That’s the kind of faith that made Noah say, ‘Even though there has never been rain and nobody in my generation believes, I’m still going to do what God said.’ As a result, he came out on top!

Paul writes, ‘Having done all…stand’ (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV). Stand on what? Stand on what God has told you in His Word, because ultimately, it’s the thing that will work.

Ezekiel 3-4, Hebrews 6

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Don’t compete, and don’t compare
03 NOVEMBER 2023

‘He alone decides which gift each person should have.’
1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT

In Scripture, the church is never described as a democracy. Certainly every person deserves equal treatment in terms of kindness, love, and respect; but as our God-given assignments differ, so do our gifts. ‘It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have’ (v. 11 NLT). Pay close attention to the words ‘He alone decides.’ Parents want to see all their children succeed in life. But they also need to recognise that just as children’s individual talents differ, so do their unique destinies. That’s why it’s a mistake to compete with or compare yourself to somebody else. The Bible says, ‘God was validating it [the message] with gifts…as he saw fit’ (Hebrews 2:4 MSG). Don’t question and second-guess God; He knows what He is doing and never makes mistakes.

Even among His twelve disciples, Jesus had an inner circle. He took Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration and sent the others into town to work. He didn’t feel obligated to take everybody up the mountain so nobody would feel slighted. Does that mean He loves one person more than another? No, the experience Peter, James, and John had on the mountaintop that day was part of their training for the assignment Jesus was calling them to.

There is a lesson here. You have to move beyond other people’s opinions. God made you for a special purpose; He has a job for you that nobody else can do as well as you. When you know that something is right for you, do it and trust God to vindicate you in the eyes of others.

Ezekiel 5-7, Hebrews 7

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

God can cancel your past (1)
04 NOVEMBER 2023

‘He cancelled the record of the charges against us.’
Colossians 2:14 NLT

Jesus ‘cancelled the record of the charges against us…by nailing it to the cross.’ The word ‘cancel’ means to remove, to neutralise, to offset something. Have you ever got most of the way through a project and wished you could start over? Suppose you were painting the lounge, and you stepped back and looked at the colour on the sample chart. On the wall, however, it doesn’t look the same. You wish you could redo it.

Many of us feel that way about life, as one author describes it: ‘I’ve made so many mistakes. I wish I could just wipe them out and start over.’ Failures, problems, bad decisions – we have all suffered from them. But some people can’t let go of the past and, as a result, they let their past limit their present opportunities. They live in a constant state of regret, continually lamenting, “If only I hadn’t done that” or “If only I had made these changes.” They repeatedly second-guess themselves. And they are tormented by painful memories. “I blew it, and I’m going to be paying for it for the rest of my life.”’

You may choose to carry guilt, but you don’t have to! The moment you put your trust in Christ, He ‘cancels the record’ of your past. Actually, you no longer have a past, you only have a future! You can lay down, once and for all, your heavy load of guilt, old hurts, and memories of mistakes. Jesus ‘took it away by nailing it to the cross’. God has promised to ‘blot out your sins…and will never think of them again’ (Isaiah 43:25 NLT). You must too!

Ezekiel 8-10, Hebrews 8

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

God can cancel your past (2)
05 NOVEMBER 2023

‘I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.’
Jeremiah 31:34 NLT

Have you ever watched children playing with an Etch A Sketch? If they make a mess of the picture, all they have to do is turn it over to erase it; then they can start all over again. This is how God handles the mistakes you have made; He wipes the slate clean. ‘I will…remember their sins no more’ (v. 34 NIV). This has to be one of the most wonderful statements in the Bible – that ‘God forgets’.

When we admit our sins and ask God to forgive us, He cancels our past. He chooses to forget our wrongs, errors, and failures. Even if we died tonight, stood before God in heaven, and asked Him about a sin we committed yesterday, He would say, ‘What sin?’ When you deny your sin, you deny God the joy of forgiving you. When you try to excuse your sin, God permits the consequences to become so painful that you will want to turn from it. But when you confess your sin, ‘he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9 NIV).

The Prodigal Son broke his father’s heart, squandered his inheritance, and ended in a pigpen. But his is a comeback story! His turnaround began with these words: ‘When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself…“I will go home to my father and say, ‘Father, I have sinned’”’ (Luke 15:17-18 NLT). And what his father did for him, God will do for you today.

Luke 21:1-19, Psalms 116-118

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

God can cancel your past (3)
06 NOVEMBER 2023

‘It is finished.’
John 19:30 NIV

One of Christ’s last declarations from the cross was, ‘It is finished.’ That phrase comprises just one word in Greek, tetelestai, meaning ‘paid in full’. It was the word merchants wrote on a bill when it was cancelled. It was also the word stamped on a document announcing that a prison sentence had been commuted. Jesus paid the price in full for every sin you have ever committed! ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1 NIV).

The question is, if God forgets your sin the second you confess it, don’t you think you should forget it too? How long do you think about an invoice you have paid? You forget it the minute you have paid it. Similarly, since Christ has paid your bill in full, you don’t need to remember it anymore. Paul, who once described himself as ‘chief among sinners’ (see 1 Timothy 1:15), wrote, ‘Forgetting what is behind…I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK).

We can short-circuit God’s power in our lives by not trusting that He has truly forgiven us or by deciding not to forgive ourselves. Why do we do that? Sometimes because of how we were raised. Our parents told us, ‘I forgive you,’ but they constantly brought it up. Good news: your heavenly Father is different from your earthly parents. When He forgives your sin, He expunges your record, cancels your past, can’t remember it, doesn’t talk about it, and will never bring it up again. So, today accept His forgiveness. And if you need to, forgive yourself and move on.

Ezekiel 11-13, Hebrews 9