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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Take time to rest and relax
27 September 2024

‘He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.’
Psalm 23:2 AMPC

When you find yourself saying, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,’ you may need to change some of your priorities and adjust your lifestyle. The psalmist said, ‘I am…wonderfully made’ (Psalm 139:14 KJV). God designed your body to give you warnings when you’re pushing too hard, like an ache here or a pain there. But we ignore these warnings until we become too sick to ignore them any longer. And because we live in the most medicated generation in history, we take prescriptions, pills, and potions hoping that’s the answer. But it’s a short-term cure.

We can’t ignore God’s direction to take time to rest and not pay a price for it. Nobody had a greater purpose or a more important mission than Jesus and His disciples. Yet He instructed them to take time out for rest and relaxation (see Mark 6:31). Pastor, is this an area of discipleship you need to practise and teach your people? The church should not keep people so busy that it negatively affects their health and hurts their family relationships. If you are living an unsustainable life today, stop putting off making the changes you need to make. Don’t wait until something happens, like a health problem or a family problem. Make changes now to live the kind of life God wants you to live. When you live God’s way, you will discover a new level of peace in your life. ‘He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside still and restful waters.’

Isaiah 47-49, Colossians 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Depend on God (1)
28 September 2024

‘[I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me].’
Philippians 4:13 AMPC

Paul shares with us the key to his amazing success in life: ‘I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].’ There is a syndrome called ‘failure to launch’. It’s experienced by people who feel insecure about their future. They never seem to get to the place in life where they feel ready, so they miss out on opportunities.

Life says, ‘Ready or not, here I come.’ Now, life’s inevitability doesn’t mean that preparation is trivial; it’s important. But feeling ready is very overvalued. We are called to ‘walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).

When God brought the Israelites into the promised land, He told them to step into the Jordan River first; after, He parted the water. If they had waited for evidence first, they would be waiting on the banks still. Faith grows when God says go and you say yes. The truth is, you don’t realise what you can do until you do it. ‘Ready’ happens quicker if you’re already moving. If you wait to move until you’re completely ready, you will wait until you die. Jesus doesn’t tell us, ‘Go; you’re ready.’ He tells us, ‘Go; I’ll go with you.’ You will grow as you ‘go’. You will develop as you ‘do’.

Here is the key: the thing that makes you ‘ready for anything and equal to anything’ is ‘Him Who infuses inner strength’ into you. God designed it that way because He wants you to depend on Him.

Isaiah 50-52, Colossians 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Depend on God (2)
29 September 2024

‘Go…I am with you always.’
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

The last thing Jesus said to His disciples before returning to heaven was this: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…I am with you always.’ When God gives you an instruction or an assignment, it will always require His involvement, His strength, His guidance, and His provision. Will He use your talents? Yes. Will He use others to assist and bless you? Yes. But He will never allow you to depend on anyone more than Him.

Back at the point when Jesus sends His disciples off to change the world, there are two remarkable challenges. One, there are now only eleven disciples. Throughout the Gospels, the number twelve reminds readers that the disciples have been selected to be a representation of the redeemed, restarted twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve is the number of completeness, wholeness, and readiness. Now they don’t have sufficient players.

But it’s not merely that they have the wrong number. Following Christ’s resurrection, we read: ‘The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted’ (vv. 16-17 NKJV). They already have a quantity dilemma; now they have a quality dilemma. They don’t have enough disciples, and even those don’t believe enough. Yet God used them mightily. Indeed, the accusation levelled against them by their enemies started with one of their greatest compliments: ‘These who have turned the world upside down have come here too’ (Acts 17:6 NKJV).

So, the key to success is not in your ability but in God’s ability to work through you. That’s why you must live each day in dependence on God.

Luke 18:18-43, Psalms 100-102

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Depend on God (3)
30 September 2024

‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves…but our sufficiency is from God.’
2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV

In the Bible, when God calls someone to do something, you will notice they don’t jump up and say, ‘No problem, I’m ready.’ In story after story, they tell God why they can’t do it. Consider the following list of people.

Moses: ‘I have never been eloquent…I am slow of speech and tongue’ (Exodus 4:10 NIV).

Gideon: ‘How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (Judges 6:15 NIV).

Abraham: ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?’ (Genesis 17:17 NIV).

Jeremiah: ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord…I am too young’ (Jeremiah 1:6 NIV).

Isaiah: ‘Woe to me!…For I am a man of unclean lips’ (Isaiah 6:5 NIV).

Esther: ‘All…know that for any man or woman who approaches the king…without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death’ (Esther 4:11 NIV).

Rich young ruler: ‘He went away sad, because he had great wealth’ (Matthew 19:22 NIV).

Saul: ‘The Lord said, “See, he has hidden himself among the baggage”’ (1 Samuel 10:22 NRSV). (This occurred when Samuel was proclaiming Saul as king, and the people couldn’t find him and asked the Lord where he was.)

What a list of excuses: too inarticulate, too weak, too old, too young, too sinful, too dangerous, too rich, too hesitant – yet God used every one of them to fulfil His purposes. And Paul tells us why: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.’ Today, depend on God.

Isaiah 53-55, Colossians 3

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Happy New Month.

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Take control of your thoughts
01 October 2024

‘We lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ.’
2 Corinthians 10:5 AMPC

Your mind is the battlefield where victory or defeat is decided. That’s why Paul writes, ‘We lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ.’ You have a choice: either you lead your thoughts, or your thoughts will lead you. Either you take your thoughts captive, or your thoughts will take you captive. Where do thoughts come from? Everywhere. If you spend quality time with God each day in prayer and the Scriptures, your thoughts will be guided by God. If not, your thoughts will be guided by the world around you.

You don’t have to accept every thought that comes into your head. Instead, you should measure each thought against the standard of Scripture, which calls for obedience to Christ. Here is a practical example: if someone hurts your feelings, make a decision right then and there that you won’t be upset with them for days on end. That only gives Satan the opportunity to plant seeds of bitterness (see 2 Corinthians 2:11). Instead, you can reject negative thinking and refuse to let it drain you of your peace and joy. The same is true when you are tempted.

The best way to conquer a wrong thought is to replace it with a right one. As you renew your mind with God’s Word each day, your thinking will change and begin to line up with Scripture. Then, day by day, godly boundaries around your thoughts will be established and reinforced. These limits will not only keep you out of deception and defeat but help you to live a more enjoyable, godly life.

Isaiah 56-58, Colossians 4

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Happy New Month.

Our special message and good wishes to you as you come into the new month of October.




And our special New Month image for you.



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Keep praying about it
02 OCTOBER 2024

‘You do not have because you do not ask God.’
James 4:2 NIV

Many of our failures result from our failure to pray. As we examine our mistakes, we discover a forsaken prayer altar and an unopened Bible. James bottom-lines it: ‘You do not have because you do not ask God.’ One Christian leader writes: ‘As a burned-out, frustrated young Christian, I realised one day that living in my own strength was useless. I needed to take my problems to God. In other words, I needed to pray more!’

Found in Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us, ‘Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you’ (AMPC). Sometimes it’s only when we reach the end of our rope that we turn to God in prayer. And even then, when our prayers are not instantly answered, we give up. Over and over in Scripture, we are told to ‘wait on God’. Why? Because while we’re waiting, God is working. Sometimes He is working on the thing we have asked Him for; other times He is working on us. In such times He may be correcting our desires and attitudes or directing us towards His will.

Don’t just pray; pray persistently. Don’t stress out trying to make things happen on your own. Give it all to God as you pray. Remember, He has promised that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). So, put your heart into your praying, wait quietly in God’s presence, and let Him speak to you. You will be delightfully surprised at how He answers your prayers.

Isaiah 59-60, 1 Thessalonians 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™
Preparation for parenting
03 October 2024

‘Parents are the pride of their children.’
Proverbs 17:6 NIV

Many of the appliances in your home come with an instruction manual. Taking the time to read and understand it can save you all sorts of trouble. And God has given us the ultimate instruction manual for raising children – the Bible. It says, ‘Parents are the pride of their children.’ One of the highest callings is that of becoming a parent. It involves the most significant and life-changing decision you will ever make. Therefore, you should make it with serious consideration, prayer, and a sense of humour, and it can turn into one of the greatest joys of your life.

Your children need you to establish boundaries for them and safeguard them from harm. You need to conduct yourself as their spiritual and moral compass. Today children are being inundated with television shows, advertisements, music, video games, the Internet, and magazines full of images of materialism, cruelty, sex, and drug and alcohol abuse. And a lot of the negativity they see is admired and celebrated. So much so that even possessing a strong moral centre, they may start to feel like something is wrong with them if they don’t follow along.

As a parent, your job is to reinforce your beliefs again and again while equipping your children with the tools they need to withstand the pressures of life. It’s a lifetime commitment. In a sense, you will be on call every day, all day, for the remainder of your life. And since God is called ‘our Father’, He understands what you’re up against and will help you when you turn to Him in prayer. If you’re not a parent, why not take this opportunity to pray for the parents and children you know.

Isaiah 63-64, 1 Thessalonians 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Rebuild your marriage (1)
04 October 2024

‘Treat your wife with understanding as you live together.’
1 Peter 3:7 NLT

A pastor advises, ‘To regain true intimacy, physical and emotional, to restore the closeness you once shared, you must be willing to allow your heart and soul to reopen.’ If you have been hurt, that’s not easy. But you must be willing to risk exposing yourself to the unknown in order to reconnect with one another. He continues: ‘To bring a marriage back from the brink of divorce is not easy; in every union, there are unique considerations that must be worked out…Whether the problems in your marriage arise from external circumstances, such as losing a job or undergoing a home foreclosure, or problems with the relationship, such as an affair or addiction issues, you can only rebuild your relationship by revitalising what you once had and reconnecting with each other…The first step in reconnecting with your mate is to practise the art of getting to know the other person.’

The Bible says, ‘Treat your wife [or husband] with understanding as you live together.’ And ‘understanding’ your partner’s needs takes time, attention, and effort. The minister adds this: ‘What typically happens when we are first trying to figure out someone is that we put them in a box based on who and what we think they are. Then we stick a label on the box that we hope will follow them for the rest of their lives. Truly knowing someone is not about deciding who they should be and then wanting them to stay that way forever. The mystery of knowing another requires commitment to lifelong learning.’ If you’re serious about rebuilding your marriage, make ‘understanding’ one another your highest priority.

Isaiah 65-66, 1 Thessalonians 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Rebuild your marriage (2)
05 October 2024

‘Husbands…be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect.’
1 Peter 3:7 NIV

Because something is said, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s heard. At least, not in the way you think it is. The apostle Peter uses the words ‘considerate’ and ‘respect’. Both are essential to the art of listening, which is essential to a good marriage. Unless you’re willing to consider what your spouse is saying and respect their thoughts and feelings, you’re heading for trouble. The reason many couples come to a point where they are contemplating divorce is that instead of having conversations, their interactions disintegrate into sermons and monologues. Counselling can help you learn how the other person expresses themselves. When you are focused on being right and getting ‘one-up’, there is no room for solutions to emerge.

The key is to try and listen with an open heart rather than a closed mind; learning to be vulnerable and soft in order to come to the place of understanding, where negotiation can take place. Some couples write letters to express their feelings as they navigate their way back to better and deeper communication. Just as an artist waits for the perfect light to capture a subject on canvas, couples must learn the art of waiting to help reset their relationship back on course. This requires patience and dedication that are not always easy but very necessary. God’s timing offers us deeper healing than anything we can construct on our own. If you are considering divorce, be sure that you have exhausted every other option first. No matter how bad things may be between you, with God’s help, you can rebuild your marriage.

Jeremiah 1-2, 1 Thessalonians 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Rebuild your marriage (3)
06 October 2024

‘Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’
Matthew 6:12 NKJV

Other translations say to forgive others’ ‘trespasses’. To trespass means to go where you’re not supposed to and do what you’re not supposed to. Infidelity, dishonesty, and other wrong things are among the trespasses we may experience. Without the ability to practise forgiveness, even for the little things, it’s hard to offer or receive the grace of forgiveness. To forgive means to admit to ourselves that our partner is not perfect, and neither are we. To fail to forgive is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Forgiveness not only releases your spouse from your anger and hurt, but it also lets you out of its grasp as well. It’s impossible to stay married without learning to practise forgiveness. We need it not only for each other but to have a relationship with God, since God is in us and in our union.

If the barrier between you and your marriage partner seems as big as a mountain, then pray, believing you serve a mountain-moving God. Jesus said: ‘Assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses’ (Mark 11:23-26 NKJV).

Luke 19:1-27, Psalms 103-104