UCB Word For Today

God is the giver of dreams. ‘For God does speak…in a dream, in a vision…when deep sleep falls on people’ (vv. 14-15 NIV). Unless you want to spend the rest of your life being unfulfilled and uninspired, take your dream out of the closet and blow the dust off. It’s easy to get caught up in the ‘have tos’ of life – working; caring for children, spouses, and ageing parents; taking care of homes, etc. But you must believe that you can resurrect your life and your dreams and believe you have the ability to tap into the enthusiasm you once felt for life. You must have the courage to face the disappointments of the past, take a good look at how you got off the path, and see where you are headed. Then you have to silence the voice in your head that says: ‘This is all there is. Who are you to want more from life? You can’t do it; it’s too late for you.’ We give up on our dreams because we think that’s what grown-ups are supposed to do. But as we mature, we realise that reaching for our dreams is what makes us feel alive. The truth is that with love, prayer, and great attention, your dream, like Lazarus, can be resurrected (see John 11:43). The secret of recapturing dreams is to enjoy the pursuit of the dream rather than focus on the outcome. Achievement in this case is not about position, fame, or financial compensation, but about doing what you love. That’s what Jesus promised: ‘I am come that they might have life, and…have it more abundantly’ (John 10:10 KJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Marcial Losada is an organisational psychologist who studies the power of positivity. He argues that we need a negative feedback loop to survive. Without midcourse corrections, we mindlessly make the same mistakes. But if you want to thrive, you also need a positive feedback loop. His studies have produced what is known as the Losada ratio: it’s the ratio of positive feedback to negative feedback in a system. It doesn’t matter whether that system is a church, a family, or your workplace, there needs to be at least 2.9 positive feedbacks for every one negative. So, what’s your ratio as a spouse, a parent, a worker, a friend? Part of the reason for the disparity is that negative feedback tends to carry more weight and last longer, so it has to be counterbalanced. A pretty good rule of thumb is this: dish out three compliments for every complaint. Instead of looking for faults, train yourself to catch people doing things right. And here are a few more things you can do to stay positive. 1) Memorise and meditate on the promises of God’s Word and anchor yourself to them. 2) Keep a gratitude journal. It will let you know how blessed and how well-off you are. 3) Cultivate the habit of sending a heartfelt note to people you appreciate. It’ll only take you two minutes, but you can make someone’s day, or even someone’s year! 4) Find a way to share ‘wins’ with your family and in your workplace. It has the power to shift the focus and shift the culture. It’ll also anchor you to your kids and to your colleagues in a powerful new way.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Fanny Crosby, the noted hymn writer, said she never attempted to write a hymn without first kneeling in prayer. Given that she wrote about 8,000 songs, she was obviously a woman of prayer! Beloved hymns such as ‘Blessed Assurance’, ‘To God Be The Glory’, and ‘I Am Thine, O Lord’ were born from times of prayer. But like many creative people, she was often under pressure to meet deadlines. One time she tried to write lyrics for a tune composed by W.H. Doane. She couldn’t seem to find the words, but then she remembered she had forgotten to pray. As she rose from her knees, she dictated – as fast as her assistant could write – the words for the famous hymn, ‘Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross’. Another time she had run short of money and needed exactly five dollars for a particular purpose. There was no time to call upon her publishers, so she simply prayed for the money. As she ended her prayer, she began to pace back and forth in her room, trying to get into the mood to write. Just at that time, an admirer called upon her. The two chatted briefly, and in parting, the woman pressed something into her hand. It was a five-dollar bill! Fanny fell to her knees in a prayer of thanksgiving, and, upon rising, she wrote one of her most famous hymns, ‘All the Way My Saviour Leads Me’. The secret of Fanny Crosby’s success is not a ‘secret’. Before she attempted anything for God, she first sought God’s help. So, the word for today is – pray about it!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Before leaving the leaders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, Paul told them: ‘The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy’ (vv. 23-24 NKJV). There are two ways to deal with a problem: 1) Pray and believe God to remove it, like He did with the walls of Jericho. 2) Outgrow the problem. In the 1920s, an English adventurer named Mallory led an expedition to try to conquer Mount Everest. His first two attempts failed. On his third attempt, he and most of his team were wiped out in an avalanche. Upon their return to England, the few who had survived held a banquet to honour Mallory and those who had perished. As the leader of the survivors stood to speak, he looked around the hall at the framed pictures of Mallory and the others who had died. Then he turned his back to the crowd and faced a large picture of Mount Everest, which stood looming behind the banquet table like a silent, unbeatable giant. With tears streaming down his face, he spoke to the mountain on behalf of his deceased friends: ‘I speak to you, Mount Everest, in the name of all brave men and women living and those yet unborn. Mount Everest, you defeated us once; you defeated us twice; you defeated us three times. But we shall someday defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger – but we can.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

The Lord charged the church at Ephesus with having ‘left your first love’ (see Revelation 2:4) and the church of Laodicea with being ‘neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm’ (see Revelation 3:15-16). R.T. Kendall said, ‘The greatest opposition to what God wants to do next comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God did last.’ Read the following Scriptures carefully and prayerfully: ‘Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this’ (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV). ‘The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day’ (Proverbs 4:18 NKJV). ‘Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD…He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth’ (Hosea 6:3 NKJV). ‘When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you’ (John 16:13-14 NKJV). ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV). ‘May [you] be able to comprehend…the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God’ (Ephesians 3:18-19 NKJV). The word for today is – God has more in store for you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Just as Jericho was a stronghold in Canaan, we have strongholds in our lives. Paul wrote: ‘The weapons of our warfare are…mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God’ (vv. 4-5 NKJV). A stronghold is an ‘argument’ or a ‘high thing’ that ‘exalts itself against the knowledge of God’. It is a conviction, outlook, or belief that attempts to interfere with the truth. A stronghold is a false premise that denies God’s promise. It ‘sets itself up against the knowledge of God’ (v. 5 NIV). It attempts to magnify the problem and minimise God’s ability to solve it. Does a stronghold have a strong hold on you? Do you speak the language of impossibility? God could never forgive me (the stronghold of guilt). I could never forgive that person (the stronghold of resentment). Bad things always happen to me (the stronghold of self-pity). I have to be in charge (the stronghold of pride). I don’t deserve to be loved (the stronghold of rejection). I’ll never recover (the stronghold of defeat). I must be good, or God will reject me (the stronghold of performance). I’m only as good as I look (the stronghold of appearance). My value equals my possessions (the stronghold of materialism). Many Christians don’t even recognise the strongholds in their lives. But you don’t have to be among them. God has given you the weapons of prayer, Scripture, the Name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, fellowship, etc. And collectively, they have ‘divine power to demolish strongholds’ (v. 4 NIV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Someone said: ‘The secret of success is to be like a duck – smooth and unruffled on top, and paddling furiously underneath.’ Niccolò Paganini, the well-known nineteenth-century violinist, illustrated the truth of this. His most memorable concert was marked by ‘furious paddling under the surface’ rather than easy success. The concert was performed with a full orchestra before a packed house in Italy. Those who heard him play say his technique was incredible and his tone fantastic. Towards the end of the concert, he was astounding his audience with a very difficult composition, when one string on his violin suddenly snapped and hung limply from his instrument. Paganini frowned only briefly, shook his head, and continued to play, improvising beautifully. Then, to everyone’s surprise, including Paganini’s, a second string broke. Shortly thereafter, a third string snapped. It seemed like a slapstick comedy routine as Paganini stood before the awed crowd with three strings dangling from his Stradivarius violin. But instead of leaving the stage to repair his instrument, he stood firm. He calmly completed the difficult number on the one remaining string – a performance that won him applause, admiration, and enduring fame. Here’s another saying: ‘It’s when the going gets tough, that the tough get going!’ Paul was such a man: ‘Forgetting the past and straining towards what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.’ All of us who are spiritually mature should think this way too. So don’t give up; keep going!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Paul asked: ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ And the answer is nothing! Then he came up with a laundry list of worst-case scenarios, from trouble to danger and anything in between: ‘Trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword’ (NIV). When Paul wrote ‘hardship’, he was back in the Mediterranean Sea during a terrible typhoon. ‘Persecution’ pinged his memory of being stoned at Lystra and left for dead. ‘Trials’: Paul stood trial before Nero himself. He also went without food, was bitten by a poisonous snake, and had the clothes stripped off his back so he could be flogged. This did not happen only once or twice. Five times he received the maximum sentence – forty lashes minus one. Paul’s back was whiplashed and crisscrossed with 195 scars. Hardship has one of two effects: it either hardens or softens our hearts. And it’s that hardening or softening that makes us or breaks us. Research in psychology shows that between half to two-thirds of people who survive extreme hardship or crisis later experience positive personal changes – a phenomenon known as post-traumatic growth. It’s the tough times that test our love. But that’s also how it’s proved. The love of Christ wasn’t proved by His miracles – it was proved on a Roman cross. And it has proven to be fail proof. So no matter what trouble, hardship, or persecution you face, this too shall pass. More importantly, Jesus is with you and Jesus is for you. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from His love!

Thomas Aquinas was one of the most prolific writers and thinkers of the Middle Ages. His Summa Theologica is one of history’s most exhausting and enduring theologies. But Aquinas never finished it because of something that happened on 6th December 1273, that caused him to give up writing. ‘All that I have written seems to be like straw,’ Aquinas said, ‘compared to what has now been revealed to me.’ Exactly what was revealed remains a mystery, but that one revelation surpassed all the knowledge he’d acquired. No matter your IQ, that’s what you need. You are not smart enough to reason your way to God. You need ‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation’ (Ephesians 1:17 NIV). Nothing will change your outlook, or even alter your personality, like a revelation of God’s love. But it’s so diametrically different from the way we give and receive love on a human level. First of all, His love is unconditional. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more or less because He already loves you perfectly, eternally. Even when you don’t reciprocate His love, it doesn’t deter, deflect, or diminish His love. It accentuates it. ‘While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8 NIV). It’s easy to love others when they are at their best. But when they are at their worst? Not so much. But that’s the test of true love. Our love tends to be reactive, but God’s love is proactive. He loves us when we least expect it and least deserve it.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

In the realm of general relativity, an event horizon is the point of no return. It’s the point at which gravitational pull becomes so great that it’s impossible to escape. The most obvious example is the black hole – a celestial object so massive that light can only enter but never exit its gravitational field. The escape velocity of a black hole is greater than the speed of light, which is impossible to exceed. So, once you cross its horizon, there is no turning back. God’s love is like that. The Bible says, ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8 KJV) The implications of that one statement will take all of eternity to unpack. Nothing pulls stronger or longer than God’s love. Love is an event horizon, and once you cross over, you can’t get back. And who would want to? Logic won’t get you to God’s love. His love is beyond logical – it’s theological. The only way to receive the love of God is via revelation. Paul wrote: ‘I pray that you…may…grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’ The love of God is measureless. It doesn’t fit in a box, not even a box the size of the universe. And if the universe isn’t big enough, God’s love certainly won’t fit within the confines of our human logic. So how do we get it in our hearts and minds? Through a personal revelation! So, the word for today is: pray for a revelation of God’s love.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Pride promotes self-reliance. It tells us we can indeed do things on our own. In our attempt to walk in self-confidence, we slam the door in God’s face and shut out the work of the Holy Spirit, our Helper. Paul was educated, sophisticated, and consecrated, yet he humbly declared, ‘I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favour on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace’ (vv. 9-10 NLT). No matter how much ability you possess, without God, it will only take you so far. Jesus said, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5 NIV). So the source of our confidence should be God and not ourselves. When the plans of those walking in God-confidence go awry, they are wise enough to subordinate their desires to the sovereign will of God. They quickly remind themselves, ‘Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails’ (Proverbs 19:21 NIV). They are convinced that God has a higher purpose for their lives, and that no man can thwart it. So practise God-confidence rather than self-confidence.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

In 1993, a group called AD2000 United Prayer Track came up with an innovative idea. To help realise their goal of ‘a church for every people and the gospel for every person by AD2000’, they established a programme called ‘Praying through the Window’. The ‘window’ referred to an area on the globe from ten degrees to forty degrees north of the Equator, from North Africa and southern Spain eastward to Japan and the northern Philippines. Almost three billion people live in this area, where the most prominent religions are Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. For the entire month of October 1993, and again in 1995, millions of Christians prayed for the people in ‘the 10/40 window’. The goal was that new churches be established, and new missionaries sent to these areas. In 1993 alone, the number of churches in Albania grew from 50 to more than 300, and the number of Christian fellowship groups formed in India rose from an average of three to seventeen each day. If your world consists only of your loved ones, your job, and your church, ask God to open your eyes to the world beyond your world. Begin praying that He will move in those nations. ‘Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession’ (Psalm 2:8 NKJV). You say, ‘Can we realistically believe that the world will turn to Christ?’ Read this: ‘All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You’ (Psalm 22:27 NKJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Jesus was called ‘Rabbi’ eleven times in the Gospels. But He wasn’t like any other rabbi. Rabbis quoted others, but Jesus said, ‘Truly, I say to you…’ In the gospel of John, He said it twice: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you…’ The reason Jesus wasn’t like any other rabbi was because He was God manifested in the flesh. And Paul says, ‘Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:2-3 NKJV). The early church fathers had a favourite saying: ‘The Gospels are a river in which a gnat can swim, and an elephant can drown.’ The Gospels – the record of Christ’s life and teaching – have impacted the world so much that they have been translated into 2,527 languages. The second-most-translated book, Don Quixote, has been translated into about 60 languages. To this day, the Bible remains the bestselling book of all time. In the academic world, scholars keep score of how often any articles they write are cited by other scholars. By this year’s secular score, Jesus’ intellectual impact is unprecedented. Why is this? Because when everything else fails, God’s Word works. Jesus explained it this way: ‘It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.’ If you are a teacher, you know that the number-one question in any class is: ‘Will this be on the final exam?’ If you want to pass your final exams and hear, ‘Well done!’ from the teacher, get into God’s Word each day and get God’s Word into you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Muscle memory isn’t stored in your muscles. It’s a procedural memory that is stored in your brain any time you repeat a muscle movement. Whether it’s putting a golf ball or playing a violin, the muscle memory becomes stronger the more it is repeated. Have you heard about the 10,000-hour rule? Psychologists say that’s the amount of time it takes to become an expert at anything. That’s encouraging because it means anybody can do it, but it’s discouraging because it means there are no shortcuts, no matter how smart or gifted you are. Just like a foreign language, developing a spiritual mindset is a learning curve. Can you imagine being frustrated on the first day of a foreign language class because you aren’t fluent? That’s how we often feel when we aren’t fluent in prayer, or strong in faith, or disciplined in our habits. Psalm 84:7 says we ‘go from strength to strength’ (NIV). You’ll be working on this for the rest of your life, one day at a time. You’ll keep benchmarking. Your faith ceiling becomes your faith floor. And make no mistake about it – those spiritual disciplines accrue compound interest. And they pay off in terms of joy, fulfilment, and power with God. ‘Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace’ (Romans 8:5-6 NIV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Before conquering Jericho, God told Joshua to ‘circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time’. Six hundred years earlier, God had inaugurated the practice of male circumcision. He told Abraham that it would be ‘a sign of the covenant between Me and you’ (Genesis 17:11 NKJV). What was the message here? Remember whose you are! In a sense, all believers have been circumcised. Paul wrote, ‘When you came to Christ, he set you free from your evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a spiritual operation’ (Colossians 2:11 TLB). That means you are now God’s child (John 1:12); Christ’s friend (John 15:15); a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27); a saint (Ephesians 1:1); redeemed and forgiven of all your sins (Colossians 1:14); complete in Christ, lacking in nothing (Colossians 2:10); free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); God’s co-worker (2 Corinthians 6:1); seated with Christ in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 2:6); God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10); a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20); adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5); born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you (1 John 5:18). Again, Paul wrote: ‘Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God’ (Romans 6:11 NLT). So when the devil draws near, stand up to him and say: ‘What are you doing here? I am dead to you!’ Don’t stand for his accusations, and don’t cower at his attacks. When he dredges up your past mistakes, tell him who you are ‘in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). He has no recourse to this truth. He knows who you are. He just hopes you don’t or that you’ll forget.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Jericho was the strongest city in the Promised Land and the first Joshua’s army had to conquer. You could say it represents the biggest challenge you’re facing right now. Because the towering walls of Jericho looked impregnable, it would have been intimidating to any would-be invader. So God told His people to remember and record what He’d done for them in the past. In essence He told them, ‘Before you look forward to Jericho, look backward to Jordan and what God accomplished for you there.’ He said, ‘Take…twelve men…one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, “Take for yourselves twelve stones…out of the midst of the Jordan…And those twelve stones…Joshua set up in Gilgal [as a memorial to the parting of its waters]”’ (Joshua 4:2-3, 20 NKJV). One of your best weapons against Satan’s attacks is a good memory. Don’t forget a single one of God’s blessings! The psalmist says: ‘He forgives your sins – every one. He heals your diseases – every one. He redeems you from hell – saves your life!...God makes everything come out right’ (Psalm 103:3-6 MSG). Create a trophy room in your heart. Each time you experience a victory, place a memory on the shelf. Before you face a challenge, take a quick tour of God’s accomplishments on your behalf. Look at all the pay cheques He has provided, the blessings He has given, and the prayers He has answered. ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness’ (Lamentations 3:21-23 NKJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

We share the same inheritance as Christ! Whatever He has, we have! ‘Our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s’ (1 John 4:17 MSG). So, if we are co-heirs with Christ, why do we struggle through life? For two reasons: 1) We don’t know about our inheritance – 'The exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe’ (Ephesians 1:19 NKJV). No one ever told us that instead of fighting for victory, we fight from a position of victory. If you have given your heart to Christ, He ‘has blessed [you] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3 NKJV). Notice the word ‘has’. You already possess everything you need to be everything God desires. You have access to ‘every spiritual blessing’. That also means God will ‘equip you with all you need for doing his will’ (Hebrews 13:21 NLT). 2) We don’t believe in our inheritance. Imagine what would happen if a generation of Christians lived out of their inheritance. They would turn off internet porn. The lonely would find comfort in God, not in the arms of strangers. Struggling couples would spend more time in prayer and less time in anger. Children would consider it a blessing to take care of their ageing parents. ‘God’s power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead’ (Ephesians 1:19-20 NCV). The same indwelling Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will turn every one of your ‘I can’ts’ into an ‘I can’. ‘I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength’ (Philippians 4:13 NCV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

A young artist called her aunt one day to let her know she was leaving on a trip to a fashionable resort to try and sell her wood carvings of seabirds to the owner of a gift shop. She asked her aunt to pray that her venture would be successful. Her aunt assured her that she would pray for the largest order she had ever received! That evening, the young artist called her aunt back. Not only had the gift shop owner purchased all of her carvings, but the owner of a chain of gift shops had also ordered as many carvings as she could make! She was filled with wonder at how abundantly God had answered prayer. ‘Now,’ she said to her aunt, ‘pray that I can fill his order!’ Her aunt replied, ‘The Lord doesn’t open a door unless He expects us to walk through it successfully. When we pray for rain, don’t be surprised when you get a cloudburst!’ Are you praying for God to meet a need in your life? What answer are you expecting? Be honest. Bare minimum? Meagre-but-satisfactory? Or are you expecting an abundant, more-than-enough supply? Stand on God’s Word: ‘The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand.’ Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly’ (John 10:10 NKJV). Paul wrote: ‘God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV). So, believe God for abundance.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

In her book 30 Days to a Stronger, More Confident You, author Deborah Smith Pegues uses the word ‘pray’ as an acronym: ‘Pause. I stop all activity and focus completely on God. Worship is total preoccupation…The greatest honour and respect we can give to anyone is our undivided attention…Reverence. I express my admiration for all His attributes…At this point, distractions start to pop up like dandelions…I will suddenly remember a task I need to put on my to-do list. I have learned to jot down the task in my journal and ignore the other issues for what they are – mere distractions that can be dealt with later. I have also learned that praying audibly helps to minimise wandering thoughts…Ask. I ask for forgiveness for my sins, making every effort to be specific. I pray for the power to live a Christian life and ask God to give me a passion for His Word and for prayer. I ask for His will to be done in every aspect of my life: spiritually, physically, financially, relationally, vocationally, and emotionally…Yield. I must subordinate my requests to God’s sovereign will, trusting that He knows what is best. I strive to maintain a “nevertheless” attitude. Therefore, I am careful to conclude my prayer by saying, “Nevertheless, not my will, Lord, but Yours be done” [see Luke 22:42]…The old adage that it is not what you know but whom you know that gives you the advantage in a situation is true – especially from a spiritual perspective. When we have a relationship with God, we understand that He is sufficient to handle any demand placed upon us.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

To have a personal relationship with someone, there must be two-way communication. Even the most uncommunicative spouse has to grunt every once in a while, or it isn’t a marriage – it’s a monologue. So, the Lord being with you, and you being with the Lord, takes place primarily in your mind. Two people may occupy the same room, but if one of them is sleeping or engrossed in television, they’re not really with each other. There must be interactive awareness. Now, as human beings, we don’t have ‘direct access’ to each other’s thoughts. We can use words, human touch, or hand gestures to guide another person’s thoughts. But God is infinite rather than finite, so He is able to guide our thoughts directly. He can speak to us through Scripture or through the words of another person. But He can also plant His thoughts directly in our minds. ‘We have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV). And this can happen anytime, anywhere. So, your mind is your meeting place with God! There’s much about God speaking to you that’s a mystery. There are no formulas. You cannot control God’s communication with you. You cannot force Him to speak by being more pious or more sincere or by working hard. Jesus told Nicodemus: ‘The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit’ (John 3:8 NKJV). This much you can be certain of today: God is with you, and He will speak to you if you take the time to listen.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Job the patriarch said: ‘For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night…while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men’ (Job 33:14-16 NKJV). A dream can be an important message from God or an answer to your prayer. God gave Paul a dream in which a man from Macedonia appeared to him saying, ‘Come over and help us’ (see Acts 16:9). And Paul went there and preached the gospel. Solomon’s reign as king of Israel begins with these words: ‘In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee’ (1 Kings 3:5 KJV). Solomon asked God for great wisdom, and God gave him wisdom, honour, and riches. Would God still speak to us today in dreams? Yes. He says: ‘I am the LORD, I change not’ (Malachi 3:6 KJV). The Hebrew word for dream is ‘chalom’. It has five meanings: 1) ‘To bind firmly.’ This pictures you being wrapped securely in God’s love. 2) ‘To be or make plump.’ In the Bible, fatness or plumpness is a picture of health, well-being, and prosperity. 3) ‘A sense of dumbness.’ When God gives you a dream, He is sharing with you information about things of which you are ignorant. 4) ‘To be in good liking.’ When God gives you a dream, He is showing favour towards you. 5) ‘To recover.’ When God gives you a dream, He is working on restoring what you have lost. So, ask God for a dream.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Just before He was arrested and taken to the cross, Jesus prayed: ‘[Father], I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.’ When it comes to recognising and responding to God’s presence in our lives, Christian author, John Ortberg, says he lives by these twelve truths: 1) God is always present and active in my life, whether or not I see Him. 2) Coming to recognise and experience God’s presence is learned behaviour; I can cultivate it. 3) My task is to meet God in this moment. 4) I’m always tempted to live ‘outside’ this moment. When I do that, I lose my sense of God’s presence. 5) Sometimes God seems far away for reasons I don’t understand. Those moments, too, are opportunities to learn. 6) Whenever I fail, I can always start again right away. 7) No one knows the full extent to which a human being can experience God’s presence. 8) My desire for God ebbs and flows, but His desire for me is constant. 9) Every thought carries a ‘spiritual charge’ that moves me a little closer to or a little further from God. 10) Every aspect of my life, work, relationships, hobbies, errands – is of interest to God. 11) My path to experiencing God’s presence will not look quite like someone else’s. 12) Straining and trying too hard do not help. So, the word for today is – God is working in you, with you, and through you!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Whatever you keep doing becomes a habit. That’s why James says, ‘do not complain’. Author Jon Gordon says, ‘A complaining fast won’t just make everyone around you happier…you’ll experience more joy, peace, success and positive relationships.’ So instead of complaining when things go wrong: 1) Practise gratitude. Giving thanks for three blessings every day energises you and makes you feel happier. It’s impossible to be grateful and negative at the same time. 2) Encourage others. Instead of complaining about what people do wrong, focus on what they’re doing right. ‘Encourage the people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone’ (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NCV). It’s okay to criticise people’s weaknesses as long as you balance it with three times more praise. 3) Focus on your success. Start a success journal. Every night before you go to bed, write down something great about your day. It could be an uplifting conversation…or an accomplishment you’re proud of. There’s truth to the old saying, ‘Nothing succeeds like success.’ When you focus on success you set the stage for more to follow. 4) Learn to let go. Instead of obsessing about what you can’t change, focus on what you can influence. When you stop trying to control everything and place your life in God’s hands, things have a way of working out. 5) Use the power of prayer. Paul says, ‘Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.’ (Ephesians 6:18 NIV). Prayer reduces stress, boosts positive energy, and promotes health. When you’re under pressure, instead of complaining, plug in to God’s power and recharge your batteries. © 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

She lived in Samaria, had been married five times, and was now living with a man who was not her husband. Maybe gossipers wagged their tongues about her. How else would you explain her midday appearance at the well? Other women fill their buckets at sunrise, but this woman opted for noon, preferring the heat of the sun over the heat of their scorn. Were it not for the appearance of a stranger, her story would have been lost in the Samaritan sands. But He entered her life with a promise of living water that would quench the thirst of her soul. He wasn’t put off by her past. He told her: ‘“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst”…The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him…And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did”’ (John 4:13-15, 28-39 NKJV). No one else was willing to give her a chance, but Jesus gave her the chance of a lifetime. And what He did for her, He will do for you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

In her book A Slow and Certain Light, Elisabeth Elliott wrote: ‘When I lived in the Forest of Ecuador, I usually travelled on foot…Trails often led through streams and rivers which we had to wade, but sometimes there was a log high above the water which we had to cross. I dreaded those logs and was always tempted to take the steep, hard way down into the ravine and up the other side. But the [local guides] would say, “Just walk across, senorita,” and over they would go, light-footed and confident. I was barefoot as they were, but it was not enough. On the log, I couldn’t keep from looking down at the river below. I feared I would slip. I had never been any good at balancing myself…so my guide would stretch out a hand, and the touch of it was all I needed. I stopped worrying about slipping. I stopped looking down at the river or even the log and looked at the guide, who held my hand with only the slightest touch. When I reached the other side, I realised that if I had slipped, he would have held me. His being there, and his touch, were all I needed.’ That’s all you need too: to experience God’s presence and feel His touch. Daniel wrote: ‘The one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said…”Beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me”’ (vv. 18-19 NKJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

One of Satan’s tactics is to take us from one extreme to the other – from laziness to workaholism. Understanding the difference between being a hard worker versus a workaholic is key. Hard workers have the wisdom to set limits on how much they will do in the course of a day. In her book 30 Days to a Stronger, More Confident You, Deborah Smith Pegues wrote: ‘I was in denial about my propensity towards workaholism until I realised that I had too many of the tell-tale symptoms: I worked late the majority of the time. Most of my conversations revolved around the issues at the office. I rarely took lunch breaks. I was always multitasking; I rarely performed any task single-mindedly. If I talked on the phone, I would also use the time to tidy the house. If I watched television, I also organised papers, and on and on it went. When I tried relaxing, I would think of all the things I should be doing. My to-do list had more items on it than I could possibly achieve during a single day. I was a slave to my overcommitted calendar; I left little or no downtime. Everybody seemed to move too slowly. I was always rushing to the next appointment. I looked forward to the accolades I received for performing well. I found little time to nurture my friendships…Today, I try to engage only in those activities I feel are part of God’s plan for my life.’ What great advice! Jesus said to His hard-working disciples: ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ Is the Lord saying the same thing to you?© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

God is at work ‘in you’. What is He working on? Your ‘will’. What does He want you to do? ‘Act according to His good purpose.’ How does He accomplish this? Through your mind: ‘Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5 NKJV). God can speak to you audibly, through circumstances, or through another person. But because God can give you His thoughts or guide your thoughts, your mind is the meeting room where He will most often communicate with you. That’s why Satan will try to place evil thoughts in your mind. If he cannot succeed, he will try to fill your mind with fear and worry. If that doesn’t work, he’ll settle for having you watch hours of ‘worthless things’ on television or the internet. The psalmist prayed: ‘Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things’ (Psalm 119:37 NKJV). In order to hear from God and recognise what He’s saying to you, you must make your mind a protected environment. And one more thing: your desire to hear from God must take precedence over every other desire you have. Social reformer Dorothy Day, who did much work on behalf of the poor in the twentieth century, spoke of what she called her ‘notions’ – ideas that had the unmistakable stamp of God’s authorship in her mind. George Fox and the Quaker tradition called them ‘concerns’. Others speak of ‘promptings’ or ‘leadings’. The good news is if you truly want to hear from God, and you’re willing to prioritise your life accordingly, He’ll speak to you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Our God is the God of new beginnings! The Bible says: ‘Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.’ It is never too late for a new beginning. And what’s even more remarkable is that God uses people like us to help others find a new beginning. The Bible contains many accounts of men and women who got a second chance and, by God’s grace, used it well. Like Peter, who denied Jesus but went on to become a leader in the New Testament church. Or David, who committed adultery and murder, yet his psalms are a major part of one of the most quoted books in the Bible. And what about Jonah? He got a do-over! ‘The word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time’ (Jonah 3:1 NKJV). Sin can wreck hearts, homes, plans, and people. But the good news of the gospel is that sin can never keep God from loving or reaching for us. And we should never stop loving and reaching for others. ‘If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness’ (Galatians 6:1 NKJV). The Greek word for restore is a medical term that means ‘to set a broken bone’. When a doctor resets a broken bone, he realigns it and then puts it in a cast for about six weeks. During that time, God does the actual healing. Your job is to find broken people who need a second chance and help to restore them.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Who are you? It seems like a simple question but is often one of the most challenging to answer. To know who you are and what you stand for, to be aware of how you’re perceived by others and how you present yourself to the world, is one of the most important aspects of a well-lived life. This could be called your ‘personal brand’. Your brand consists of attributes that are present for every encounter you have with work colleagues, family, or friends. You could call them ‘deliverables’, virtues you bring to all your social and business interactions. You may take your deliverables for granted but consider writing down your own personal mission statement. What is your purpose? What are you about? What is your vision? Does your life truly reflect what’s important to you and how you want others to see you? So often, we live our lives based on what those around us think we should be or do. We follow the path we’ve seen others take, or we pursue what the media defines as success. Eventually, and sometimes surprisingly, we may find ourselves frustrated, angry, and disappointed in life. Have you ever heard business professionals lament about climbing to the top of the corporate ladder, only to find that it was leaning against the wrong building? They were so busy keeping up with what they thought they were supposed to be doing that they never stopped to ask themselves what they actually wanted to do. Be like Paul: know who you are, honour your personal brand, and say, ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

How many times must the apostle Paul, who was once known as Saul the persecutor of Christians, have had flashbacks to Stephen’s stoning? Or the countless other Christians he hunted down like animals? Paul was an eyewitness, which means those snapshots were sealed into his visual cortex. When he closed his eyes, those images could have haunted him for the rest of his life. By today’s standards, Saul was a terrorist – but he had an encounter with Christ that blinded him. He regained his physical sight after three days, but the grace of God enabled him to turn a blind eye to his forgiven sin forever. If God turns a blind eye to confessed sin, shouldn’t we? That doesn’t mean we deny our sin or ignore it. If you underestimate your sinfulness, you depreciate the grace of God. Paul called himself the chief of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:15). Perhaps that’s why he appreciated the grace of God so much. The reason many of us label others by their sin is because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We think: ‘I may not be perfect, but at least I haven’t done that!’ But Paul was explicit: ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23 KJV). God doesn’t grade your sins like the legal system, as indictable or summary offences. No, you are either in sin or in Christ. You’re either guilty or you are fully forgiven. Not only have your sins – past, present, and future – been atoned for, but at the point of believing faith, God forgave you and credited your account with the righteousness of Christ.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Country-music star Randy Travis and his manager, Lib, remember the lean days of his career – all 3,650 of them. For ten years, Lib did whatever it took to keep her club open long enough for somebody to discover Travis’s talent. For his part, Randy sang his heart out. And when he wasn’t singing, he was frying catfish and washing dishes in the kitchen. Then it happened. His break came, and everything seemed to click for him. He had a hit called ‘On the Other Hand’, an album contract, a tour offer, and a movie deal. He was hot! Suddenly, everyone seemed to be calling him an overnight success. But Randy recalls it differently: ‘We were turned down more than once by every record label in Nashville. But I’m the kind of one to believe that if you work at something long enough, and keep believing, sooner or later it will happen.’ Randy Travis went on to become an American music legend, winning three Grammys and seven Dove Awards and being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But it didn’t come easily or happen overnight. It happened because he worked hard, remained faithful through the tough times, and trusted God to come through for him. Jesus said: ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.’ And here’s something you need to keep in mind: it will happen in God’s time, and on His schedule. Your part is to keep walking by faith and trusting Him to bring it to pass.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Why would fishermen wash nets that hadn’t been used? The answer is they were quitting because of an overnight problem. ‘We have fished all night and caught nothing’ (see v. 5). Their expectations had been destroyed. They believed that the way things were was the way they’d be. They were beaten! That’s when Jesus showed up. He came to where they were; He walked right into the middle of their disappointment with a solution. First, He asked them for their boat and used it to preach to the crowd and heal the multitudes. Child of God, turn everything over to Him – all you have, all you are, and all you’ll ever be – and let Him use you for His highest purposes. Next, He gave them a word that only faith could receive: ‘Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught’ (Luke 5:4 KJV). Can you see now why He has to wait until you’ve done everything you know to do? Only then are you ready to listen; even though His Word doesn’t seem to make sense, you’re ready to obey without question. Are you discouraged today? Is it your ministry, your marriage, your job, or your health? You may be washing your nets, but it’s not over. Who told you God wasn’t going to bless you again? Who told you He wasn’t going to bring victory out of your ashes? It’s not over until He says it’s over. If He can fill empty nets for those discouraged disciples, then you don’t have a problem He can’t take care of.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

It’s impossible to live successfully without taking risks. Leo Buscaglia wrote: ‘To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out to another is to risk involvement…To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd is to risk being called naïve. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing…Only the person who risks is truly free.’ Franklin Roosevelt spent much of his life battling illness and was confined to a wheelchair. Yet he became one of America’s greatest presidents. He said: ‘It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.’ In The Pursuit of Excellence, Ted W. Engstrom gives this advice about the importance of trying: ‘Starting today, you can begin to enjoy using and developing your gifts…If you’ve always wanted to write, then write something, a short article, a poem, an account of your vacation. Write it as if you were going to be published; then submit it somewhere. If you’re a photographer, gather your best pictures together and submit them as entries in a contest. If you think you’re a fair tennis player or golfer, enter some tournaments and see how you do. You may not win the top prize but think how much you’ll learn and experience just by trying. The worst failure…is failure to try!’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

God will not tolerate pride from anyone. If self-exalted ones refuse to humble themselves, they leave God no other choice than to do it for them. One day, pride got the better of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon: ‘As he looked out across the city, he said, “Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendour’ (Daniel 4:30 NLT). That was raw, unvarnished, arrogant pride. A year earlier, Daniel had told the king through the interpretation of his dream that he should change his ways. But he had ignored Daniel’s warning. Now God said enough was enough and interrupted his proud moment: ‘While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer the ruler of this kingdom”’ (Daniel 4:31 NLT). During the next seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and was reduced to the status of an animal in the forests. That’s how low pride brought him! Someone once said, ‘A man wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package.’ Only when Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself did God have mercy on him and give him back his sanity and his reign. That’s when he declared God’s sovereignty over all kings and kingdoms: ‘Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honour the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud’ (Daniel 4:37 NLT). So be humble!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was acquainted with an actor named Mr Butterton. One day he asked Butterton, ‘What is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with the speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?’ Butterton replied, ‘We actors on stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.’ The world needs Christians who speak like they believe what God said in His Word is true, and who live accordingly. When Abraham was eighty, God promised him he would father a son. Twenty years later, it hadn’t happened, but Abraham was standing firmly on God’s Word: ‘He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform’ (vv. 20-21 NKJV). William James, the first educator to offer a course in psychology, said, ‘If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.’ He also said, ‘Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.’ Saint Augustine said, ‘God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.’ If you fully grasp the truth of this, it’ll set you free from fear because that’s what God’s perfect love does (see 1 John 4:18). God can’t love you any more or any less because He already loves you unconditionally, eternally. You just need to live like His beloved.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

A fascinating experiment was conducted a half century ago. Three men tested their strength on a gripping machine, with an average measure of 101 pounds of pressure. Then the participants were hypnotised, and the experimenter told them, ‘You cannot grip because you are weak.’ Under the power of suggestion, their average grip strength fell to 29 pounds of pressure. Then the experimenter said, ‘Now you can grip.’ Their average grip increased to 145 pounds of pressure. Their strength was increased fivefold when they said, ‘I can,’ versus when they said, ‘I can’t.’ It helps to think of Scripture as a script. While the reality of your circumstances often feels as if you are off script, you’ve got to take your cues from God’s Word. You’ve got to live as if you are who God says you are, you have what God says you have, and you can do what God says you can do. If you believe the enemy’s lies, you’re in deep trouble. But if you believe God’s Word, it’ll get you and keep you out of trouble. When you’re lonely, don’t forget His promise, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). When you feel like you’ve lost your way, remember His words: ‘A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps’ (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV). When you’re battling illness, you can stand on His promise: ‘“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the LORD’ (Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV). The word for today is – live as if you believe it!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Jesus told His disciples: ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ Next, we read: ‘A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat’ (v. 37 NIV). The disciples turned to Jesus and found Him sound asleep! They screamed, ‘Don’t you care if we drown?’ (v. 38 NIV). Jesus woke up, commanded the storm to shut up, and then said to the disciples, ‘Do you still have no faith?’ (v. 40 NIV). What a stunning rebuke! The sea was raging; the water was churning. Why did Jesus scold them? Simple: they didn’t take Him at His Word. He said they were going to the other side. He didn’t say, ‘We are going to the middle of the lake to drown.’ Jesus had declared the outcome. But when the storms came, the disciples heard the roar of the winds and forgot His Word. Storms are coming your way too. Winds will howl, your boat will be tossed, and you will have a choice: will you hear Christ or the crisis? Will you heed the promises of Scripture or the noise of the storm? God told Joshua to ‘meditate in [Scripture] day and night’ (see Joshua 1:8). The word meditate means to ‘mutter’ over what you’re reading. The image is one of a person reciting, rehearsing, and reconsidering God’s Word over and over. Paul says: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another’ (Colossians 3:16 NKJV). Begin with a prayer: ‘God, please speak to my heart today as I read.’ Then read with an open heart until the message hits you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Bill Gates predicted: ‘There will be “two societies” in the future; high-paid knowledge workers and low-paid service workers.’ The saying ‘knowledge is power’ is true. And it’s even more dynamic in the spiritual realm. The more you know about God, the more confident you’ll be. Knowledge of God’s Word can give clarity to the puzzling issues of life. When a certain religious sect tried to pull Jesus into one of their debates on a particular issue, He replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God’ (Matthew 22:29 NLT). There are some truths you need to settle in your heart and let them bring peace to your spirit. For example, no one else can thwart God’s purpose for your life. ‘The LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?’ (Isaiah 14:27 NIV). You also need to settle in your mind that no matter what happens, things are working out for your good. Therefore, you can resist anxiety and worry. ‘We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NKJV). Daniel reminds us that God ‘gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him’ (Daniel 2:21-22 NKJV). The ‘light’ you need belongs to God. And you never have to feel insecure regarding any aspect of your knowledge when you know Him, for He knows everything.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

There is a little phrase repeated 436 times in the Bible: ‘It came to pass.’ Whatever trial you are going through today, remind yourself, ‘It came to pass – not stay.’ If the fulfilment of the vision God gave you seems to be taking longer than you thought, remind yourself ‘it will come to pass’! In his biography, God in My Corner, the two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman tells a story about an elderly woman who was asked her favourite Scripture verse. She replied: ‘And it came to pass.’ She explained why: ‘I know that whenever a trial comes, it doesn’t come to stay; it comes – to pass.’ And the Scripture on the flip side of this coin reads: ‘Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV). In other words, He will bring it to pass! Either way, God always finishes what He starts. ‘The vision is yet for an appointed time…Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come [to pass]’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV). Battling an illness that threatened his life, and enemies who wanted to take his throne, David turned to the Lord for help. And God didn’t disappoint him. Read these two Scriptures and stand on them: ‘Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Psalm 30:5 NLT). ‘You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!’ (Psalm 30:11-12 NLT).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Nearly all key relationships in your life can be broken down into three categories: confidants, constituents, and comrades. Let’s look at each. 1) Confidants. These are the people whose relationships with you are lifelong. They love you unconditionally, stand by you, and have your back in good times and bad. Your best interest is their number-one priority. They never seek to use what they know about you for their own gain or throw your secrets back in your face. Paul said concerning Timothy: ‘I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character’ (Philippians 2:20-22 NKJV). 2) Constituents. These people share the same goals, values, and principles you have, but they aren’t always there for you. But having constituents in your life is important. They contribute energy, passion, and enthusiasm. And you can work with them to accomplish common goals and build bridges. Just be sure not to expect constituents to have the loyalty of confidants. They are with you for a reason and a season, and then they move on. 3) Comrades. These are the people who are attracted to you because of what they are against. They may not get to know you, or even like you, but on the field of battle, they join you as soldiers to defeat a common enemy. Once the fight is over, the relationship ends or at least cools. Your only bond is your common enemy. So get to know who’s in your life: confidants, constituents, and comrades.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

More than a hundred years ago, William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, spoke prophetically when he said, ‘The chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.’ That’s as true now as it was then. Paul exhorted the leaders of the Ephesian church to declare, ‘The whole counsel of God.’ He said: ‘Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears’ (vv. 28-31 NKJV). On the eve of his execution, Paul passed the baton to his successor Timothy with these words: ‘Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables…be watchful…fulfil your ministry’ (2 Timothy 4:2-5 NKJV).

The Bible says, ‘A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And…the tongue is a flame of fire’ (vv. 5-6 NLT). People living in hot climates know the danger of ravaging bushfires driven by desert winds and can readily identify with these words: ‘See how great a forest a little fire kindles!’ (v. 5 NKJV). A single spark from a match has started many massive fires. Spreading faster and farther than we might ever imagine, that kind of fire destroys homes and businesses worth millions of pounds, leaving a scorched landscape and devastated lives. Similarly, how many reputations have been ruined by a careless word? The impact of our words spreads far and fast, especially in our digital age. A word tweeted anywhere can be retweeted all over the world in seconds. Like a fire, that word can get out of control and do irreparable damage. Hence James wrote: ‘No man can tame the tongue’ (v. 8 NKJV). But God can. ‘The fruit of the Spirit is…self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV). The Holy Spirit can take a tongue that peddles gossip and turn it into one that brings glory to God. He can take a tongue that spews bitterness and turn it into one that speaks blessing. Gossip is saying something behind someone’s back that you would never say to that person’s face. Flattery is saying something to someone’s face that you would never say behind the person’s back. And both are wrong. So let’s join the psalmist in praying: ‘May these words of my mouth…be pleasing in your sight, LORD’ (Psalm 19:14 NIV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

The Bible says: ‘If we could control our tongues, we…could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth’ (vv. 2-3 NLT). If you’ve ever bridled a horse, you know the bridle that slips over the horse’s head and behind its ears has a ‘bit’, a metal bar that goes in its mouth and lies on top of its tongue. When the rider wants the horse to stop, he pulls back on the reins and the bit presses down on its tongue. The rider who controls the horse’s tongue can actually control the horse’s whole body – steer it to the right or left, and bring it to a stop with a simple pull of the reins. Likewise, your tongue needs to come under the control of the Holy Spirit. A horse can’t bridle itself; the one who masters it puts on the bridle. Try as you might, you can’t control your tongue through your own efforts. Haven’t you said things you wish you could take back? Haven’t you caused trouble for yourself and others by some of the things you’ve said? And haven’t you said things that, in hindsight, you can’t believe actually came out of your mouth? The trouble is that what you say does not originate in your mouth but in your heart: ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’ (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). So having a Spirit-controlled tongue is the result of being Spirit-filled and having a heart committed to doing God’s will in every circumstance.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

There is a saying in baseball: ‘Three strikes and you’re out.’ We tend to play life the same way. We give people two or three chances, but no more. But God never gives up on us. It’s not in His nature. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Jesus set the gold standard. Peter answered his own question by saying, ‘Seven times.’ But Jesus ups the ante to seventy times seven (see v. 22 NLT). Then He ups the ante even more with a story of a master who forgave his servant a 10,000-talent debt. Let’s do a currency exchange. One talent totalled 180 months’ wages – that’s fifteen years! And that’s just one talent. So a 10,000-talent debt totalled 150,000 years of wages. Using today’s average life expectancy, it would have taken his servant 2,232 lifetimes to pay off the debt. Of course, the average life expectancy in the first century was less than half of what it is now, so it would have taken twice as many lifetimes to pay off the debt. But instead of years, let’s put this debt into pounds. Using a minimum wage of £12.21, let’s take a nine-to-five job, Monday through Friday. That’s an annual income of over £25,000. That might not seem like much, but when you multiply it by 150,000 years, it totals £3,750,000,000. (Three commas means billions.) Now here’s the thing: by virtue of what Christ accomplished on the cross, your sin debt – past, present, and future – is paid in full. That’s a truth you can be confident in and stand on.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a nineteen-year-old young man who loved Christ deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He’d never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing, or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he’d experienced, and he replied: ‘I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I’m beginning to lose my grip on my day-to-day dependency on Christ.’ Paul spoke of a time of trouble in Asia in which he was ‘crushed and overwhelmed’ (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). Then he wrote: ‘As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God’ (v. 9 NLT). And God wants to bring you to that place also. Yes, He wants you to use the gifts and resources He has provided, but His desire is that you rely completely on Him. Only then can He provide everything He desires to give you, because then you will be open, ready, and mature enough to receive it. ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear [reverence, respect, obey] the LORD’ (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Unlike jealousy, which is the fear of being displaced, envy is ill-will towards those who possess something you want. Jealousy says, ‘I’m afraid you are going to take what I have.’ Envy says, ‘I want what you have, and I resent you for having it!’ Envy is one of the most frequently concealed emotions. You may be more likely to admit to an uncontrollable temper, a phobia, or any other negative emotion than to acknowledge that you are envious. Envy inevitably leads to resenting and criticising the person you envy. And once you allow envy and resentment to enter your heart, they act like free radicals producing an emotional cancer. Eventually they will manifest themselves in some destructive way, whether it is in the form of taking mood-altering substances, overeating, shopping excessively, lashing out, being sarcastic, or physically harming others. If you harbour envy towards someone, it’s time to deal with it. David wrote: ‘You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow’ (Psalm 51:6-7 NIV). If you covet what someone else has, ask yourself, ‘Am I willing to pay the price they paid to obtain it?’ The world has a saying: ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’ Everything – except salvation – has a price tag. So whether you want to be thin, rich, educated, or whatever, stop envying the success of others, and ask God to help you succeed in the assignment He has given you for your life.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

We often think of great artists and musicians as having ‘bursts’ of genius. But more often, they’re models of painstaking patience and perseverance. Their greatest works tend to have been accomplished over longer periods and through extreme hardships. Beethoven is said to have rewritten each bar of his music at least a dozen times. Joseph Haydn produced more than 800 musical compositions before writing The Creation, the oratorio for which he is most famous. Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment is considered one of the twelve master paintings of the ages. It took him eight years to complete, producing more than 2,000 sketches and renderings in the process. Leonardo da Vinci worked on The Last Supper for ten years, often working so diligently that he forgot to eat. When renowned pianist Paderewski was quite elderly, an admirer asked him, ‘Is it true that you still practise every day?’ He replied, ‘Yes, at least six hours a day.’ The admirer said in awe, ‘You must have a world of patience.’ Paderewski said, ‘I have no more patience than the next fellow. I just use mine.’ It is said that in the Kentucky Derby, the winning horse effectively runs out of oxygen after the first mile and runs the rest of the way on heart. Basketball legend Michael Jordan says, ‘Heart is what separates the good from the great.’ In the Bible, James wrote, ‘As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.’ Those who are ‘blessed’ with success are those who keep persevering and refuse to give up.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

The Bible says, ‘If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction’ (vv. 19-20 MSG). That means it’s possible for a true believer to do this. It also means we must never put our convictions on the shelf. If we don’t make a deliberate effort to stay close to the truth of God’s Word, we will wander from it. After all, we live in a world with lots of distractions. Today many people are on a quest for ‘unity at all costs’ and are therefore devaluing the importance of the truth as revealed in God’s Word. Knowing he would soon die as a martyr for his faith, the apostle Paul wrote to his successor Timothy: ‘Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of’ (2 Timothy 3:14 NIV). Then in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, he encouraged Timothy: ‘Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship…discharge all the duties of your ministry’ (NIV). So the word for today is – stay true to the truth of God’s Word.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

As a leader, you must understand what you do well and know where you need assistance. Your strengths and weaknesses don’t make you wrong or right; they just make you who you are. If you’ve ever heard the saying, ‘No man is an island,’ it was probably said about a great leader. Few people achieve success on their own. Consider an actor in a play. He may be the one out front in the spotlight; with perfect hair, make-up, and costume; reciting poignant lines and getting all the applause. But he didn’t do it alone. He had to rely on the costume designer for the outfit he wore, the hair and make-up artists who made him look flawless, the playwright who wrote the words, and the lighting and sound crews who set the stage, etc. Good leaders are wise enough to surround themselves with people who have strengths that complement theirs. They are still in charge, but they have teams that help them achieve their vision. You are a leader in some area of your life – home, family, work, church – and you know leadership has its challenges. While there are certainly many benefits, a leader has to deal with conflict, controversy, and naysayers who think they know better. This comes with the territory. But you can’t let others keep you from achieving your goals. Not everyone will be your cheerleader. That’s just a fact of life. If you are going to be an effective leader, hold fast to your vision, build a great team to help you, and stand on God’s promise: ‘I have called [you]…and [your] way will prosper.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Within a matter of seconds, Vicky’s life was shattered. A trapeze artist, she lost control of the fly bar and landed head-first in the net. She broke her neck between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae and became paralysed with quadriplegia. Three years after the accident, she had fallen into deep despair and self-pity, and was determined to take her life. She survived a suicide attempt and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for care. On the fourth anniversary of her fall, she and her husband separated, and bitterness set in. One day, a home-health aide was assigned to help Vicky. Her name was Mae Lynne, a strong Christian who introduced Vicky to Jesus Christ and the Bible. Vicky began to learn how to stand firm in her faith and walk in obedience to God. In addition, a pastor faithfully taught her God’s Word for two years. Then Vicky began a ministry of encouragement by writing letters each week to prison inmates and others with disabilities. The more joy she brought to them, the more she experienced herself. She jokes, ‘Quadriplegics aren’t supposed to have this much joy, are they?’ Vicky still uses a wheelchair, becomes dizzy at times, and has occasional respiratory problems. But she has a deep inner peace and strength because of her relationship with Jesus. And you can have it too. Job said: ‘Acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up’ (Job 22:21-23 NKJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.