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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Meditate on God’s Word
27 NOVEMBER 2023

‘In His law he meditates day and night…and whatever he does shall prosper.’`
Psalm 1:2-3 NKJV

Thomas à Kempis wrote, ‘If you wish to grow in your spiritual life, you must not allow yourself to be caught up in the workings of the world. You must find time alone, away from the noise and confusion, from the allure of power and wealth.’ You say, ‘Does that mean God doesn’t want me setting goals and achieving things in life?’ No, quite the opposite!

The Bible says, ‘In His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper’ (vv.2-3 NKJV). What’s the secret of a tree’s fruitfulness? Having deep roots that are connected to life-giving streams of water. And as the demands on your time and energy become greater, you must discipline yourself to spend even more time in the Scriptures, not less.

When your inner life is not in order, your outer life becomes dysfunctional and begins to fall apart. And working harder will only make it happen faster. You will be like the pilot who announced to his passengers, ‘Folks, there is bad news and good news. The bad news is, our instruments have failed and we don’t know where we’re going. The good news is, we’re making great time!’

What’s the answer? David says: ‘I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word’ (Psalm 119:14-16 NKJV).

Daniel 5-7, 1 John 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Praying God’s promises (1)
28 NOVEMBER 2023

‘Let my teachings become part of you.’
John 15:7 CEV

According to one count, there are 3,573 promises in the Bible. That’s almost ten promises for each day of the year. When you know which of those promises apply to you, and you fulfil the conditions that go with them, you can literally begin to pray God’s promises into existence in your life (see John 15:7). Will your prayers be answered overnight? Some will, others won’t. ‘Be…followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises’ (Hebrews 6:12 KJV). The most powerful prayer you can pray is, ‘Lord, you promised in your Word that you would…and today I am praying and believing you for it.’ Here is how to pray:

1) When you need guidance and direction. ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye’ (Psalm 32:8 NKJV).

2) When you need deliverance from a situation, or to be set free from a habit. ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me’ (Psalm 50:15 NKJV).

3) When you need the strength to stand. ‘Fear not; for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV).

4) When you don’t have enough to meet your needs. ‘My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19 KJV).

If you meditate in God’s Word every day, each time a need arises, you will know which of His promises to claim in prayer (see 2 Peter 1:4).

Daniel 8-10, 1 John 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Praying God’s promises (2)
29 NOVEMBER 2023

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

When you begin to pray scripturally based prayers, you will get the answers you need. Here is why: the Bible is God’s Word, and He always keeps His Word. Here is how to pray:

1) When you don’t have the answer. ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’ (v. 3).

2) When you’re worried and under stress. ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ (John 14:27 NKJV).

3) When you need spiritual insight. ‘When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come’ (John 16:13 NKJV).

4) When you need power for service. ‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do…that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it’ (John 14:12-14 NKJV).

5) When you need God’s blessing on your endeavours. ‘I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing’ (Ezekiel 34:26 NKJV).

Once you see the results of praying God’s promises, you will never pray any other way.

Daniel 11-12, 1 John 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Do what God says
30 NOVEMBER 2023

‘The LORD came to Abram in a vision.’
Genesis 15:1 NKJV

When God gives you a vision for your life, He doesn’t give you all the details up front. He simply says, ‘Don’t be afraid; just do what I say, and I will guide you and prosper you.’ What did Abram’s vision involve? ‘The Lord said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation’ (Genesis 12:1-2 CEV). How old was Abram? ‘Abram was seventy-five…when the Lord told him to leave the city of Haran’ (Genesis 12:4 CEV). What was Abram leaving? ‘Abram was very rich…and had a lot of silver and gold’ (Genesis 13:2 CEV). How did Abram respond? ‘By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going’ (Hebrews 11:8 NKJV).

Abraham couldn’t have told you where his final destiny was or how he would get there. He just knew God had told him to leave the safe harbour of where he was. Understand this: what you’re willing to walk away from often determines what God can entrust to you. You say, ‘But I need to have more information.’ You will know as you go! With each step of faith you take, God will reveal another detail. He will inform you on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. So, is the God who said to Abram, ‘Go to the land that I will show you’ saying something similar to you today? Don’t be afraid; just step out in faith and obey Him.

Hosea 1-4, 1 John 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Meditation for beginners
01 DECEMBER 2023

‘We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God.’
Psalm 48:9 KJV

Hopefully by now you are convinced that the power that comes from meditating on God’s Word is a power you need working in your life. But maybe you’re a beginner and you need a starting point. You’re thinking, ‘Yes, I know I need to spend more time meditating on God’s Word, but how do I do it? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1) Meditate on God’s blessings. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits’ (Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV). Meditation leads to a thankful heart.

2) Meditate on your relationship with God. ‘You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God’ (Romans 8:15-16 NKJV).

3) Meditate on God’s love for you. ‘Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me’ (Psalm 63:3-8 NKJV).

You can meditate on God’s promises to protect you, or guide you, or instruct you, or correct you, or bless you. The point is, you need to get started!

Hosea 5-6, 1 John 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Finding common ground (1)
02 DECEMBER 2023

‘I try to find common ground with everyone.’
1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT

To influence someone, you must first connect with them. And to do that, you must look for common ground. Paul writes, ‘I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.’

In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralised – whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ – but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!’ (vv. 19-23 MSG).

Note the words ‘I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view’. When it came to preaching the truth, Paul wouldn’t yield an inch. But when it came to reaching and influencing people for Christ, he tried to remove every roadblock between them and Christ. And you must be willing to do the same.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. That’s why you must approach them heart-first, not headfirst. Before someone can receive the truth you have to share, they must be convinced that you love and care for them. And that means finding common ground.

Hosea 7-8, 2 John

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Finding common ground (2)
03 DECEMBER 2023

‘I have voluntarily become a servant to…all.’
1 Corinthians 9:19 MSG

Whether you’re applying for a job, trying to win someone to Christ, counselling and advising, or correcting someone’s behaviour, to be effective you must look for common ground. Let’s look at some of the qualities that calls for. Availability. Paul writes: ‘I have voluntarily become a servant to…all…to reach a wide range of people.’

Establishing areas of common interest takes time. It also takes effort. It’s been reported that today a typical business executive has an on-the-job attention span of six minutes. That’s pathetic! In six minutes a person can hardly get his or her feet on the ground, much less find common ground. Identifying areas you can agree on calls for empathy and a willingness to listen to what the other person has to say.

In her book How to Talk So People Listen, Sonya Hamlin reports that most people find this challenging because of the ‘Me-First Factor’. She writes: ‘Listening requires giving up our favourite human pastime – involvement in ourselves and our own self-interest. It’s our primary, entirely human focus. And it’s where our motivation to do anything comes from. With this as a base, can you see what a problem is created when we’re asked to listen to someone else?’

So, what’s the solution? First of all it’s essential to acknowledge and answer two of the listener’s instinctive, unspoken questions, which are: ‘Why should I listen to you? What’s in it for me if I let you in?’ Anytime you’re willing to listen to people and figure out how what you’re offering meets their needs, you are halfway towards your goal of finding common ground.

Luke 22:47-71, Psalms 125-129

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Finding common ground (3)
04 DECEMBER 2023

‘I…tried to experience things from their point of view.’
1 Corinthians 9:22 MSG

To establish common ground, you must be adaptable. Thomas Aquinas said, ‘To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them.’ You must be willing to move from where you are to where they are; to adapt and try to see things from their point of view. Anytime you’re aware of distance between you and the person you’re trying to reach, it’s good to search for something in your own background and experience that relates to theirs. Don’t start the process by telling them about yourself. Begin by moving to where they are and trying to see things from their perspective. Adapt to them – don’t think they should adapt to you.

Instead of telling people how you feel, find out how they feel. Instead of telling them what you see, discover how they see things. Instead of trying to tell them what you want, discover what they want.

Abraham Lincoln said, ‘When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.’ The truth is, you can’t take someone on a journey unless you’re willing to start where they are. Only then can you truly connect and lead them to where you want to take them. You can know a lot about a person and still not understand them. More information isn’t always the answer.

The Bible says, ‘Deep calls to deep’ (Psalm 42:7 NIV), and to really understand people, you must move beyond head knowledge and learn to speak the language of the heart.

Hosea 9-10, 3 John

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

A father’s blessing
05 DECEMBER 2023

‘My son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed.’
Genesis 27:27 NIV

Every child longs for their father’s blessing, and every father is called to bless their children. When Isaac blessed his sons, he was acting on God’s behalf, using his divinely delegated power to impart blessing. A father’s blessing was a cherished institution, but its effectiveness rested on the fact that Isaac blessed his sons as an act of faith and not out of mere sentiment or favouritism. By Hebrew custom, a father’s blessing comprised two elements.

1) A meaningful touch. ‘Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him…Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me”’ (Genesis 27:22, 26 NIV). A patriarch’s blessing included the laying on of hands, a kiss, and embrace of acceptance and love. Jesus knew exactly what children needed, that’s why ‘he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them’ (Mark 10:16 KJV). And such expressions of love still bless our children who crave them from us.

2) A spoken word of affection. Before blessing Jacob, his father said to him, ‘Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed’ (Genesis 27:27 NIV). To a city dweller these words may not mean much, but not to Isaac’s boys. This old outdoors patriarch who loved nature was in essence saying, ‘That’s my boy – an outdoorsman who loves spending time in God’s creation, just like me!’ He couldn’t have spoken more affirming words to his son. Dad, let your words not be critical, demeaning, or insensitive, but words that say, ‘I couldn’t be prouder than to call you my child!’

Hosea 11-12, Jude

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Do you know why you’re here?
06 DECEMBER 2023

‘He chose us.’
Ephesians 1:4 NKJV

When it comes to God’s will for your life, He decides it and you discover it. It’s not something you can change, a topic for debate, or a plan you get to have a say in. The truth is, you can miss God’s will and be miserable, or do things His way and experience ‘glorious, inexpressible joy’ (1 Peter 1:8 NLT). The choice is yours. ‘But I don’t know God’s will for my life,’ you say. Then pray this prayer:

‘Father, I’m tired of going through life with no real purpose because it brings no glory to You. You created every living thing, including me, that they may bring You pleasure (see Revelation 4:11). I know that You have a specific job for me to do. Your Word says You formed me in the womb to be Your servant (see Isaiah 49:5). I’m getting lots of input from other people, but I need to know the path You have chosen for me.

'Help me to stop ignoring and minimising the gifts and talents You have invested in me; acting like they’re of no significance. I know we are all called to serve, and I need Your help to discern who, where, when, and how I should serve. I want to do what You have destined me to do and not be side-tracked by wrong priorities, busywork, or other people’s desires and demands. At the end of my life, I want to be able to look back and say like Jesus, “I brought glory to You here on earth by doing everything You told me to” (see John 17:4). In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.’

Hosea 13-14, Revelation 1