‘Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?’ Matthew 6:27 NLT

Worry changes nothing except you—and not for the better. It won’t pay your bills, solve your family problems, or give you a good night’s sleep. You don’t add one day to your life, or one bit of life to your day by worrying. But you can age prematurely and die before your time. Read these two Scriptures carefully:

‘Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.’ (Psalm 125:1 NIV)

‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.’ (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

Notice that the same word in both Scriptures is ‘trust’. Worry simply reveals our lack of trust in God! So who are we trusting in? Ourselves! And only when that no longer works, are we willing to hand God the problem. Can you imagine asking the great sculptor Michelangelo, ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing with that chunk of marble?’

God knows what He’s doing, and when you trust Him, ‘His peace will guard your hearts and minds.’ (Philippians 4:7 NLT) Paul is using a military illustration here. The Philippians lived under Roman occupation, which was bad. But they knew that the sentries also guarded their town, which was good. They knew that before an enemy could get to them, it first had to get past the guards. And because you’re ‘in Christ’, Satan has to go through Him to get to you. Are you getting the picture? Nothing—absolutely nothing—can get to you without first coming through Him! Once you accept that, God’s peace will fill your heart.

SoulFood: Zech 1–4, Matt 1:1–6a, Ps 128, Pro 31:10–13

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’ James 5:16 NKJV

The Bible says: ‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.’ (James 5:16–17 NKJV) There are two words in this portion of Scripture that you need to pay particular attention to:

(1) ‘Fervent’. This describes the intense heat you get from a blazing fire. The Amplified Bible puts it like this: ‘The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].’ If you’re not careful, you can fall into the trap of thinking you have to ‘work up’ strong emotions before you pray or while you’re praying, in order for your prayers to be heard and answered. Not so! Your feelings may move you, but only your faith will move God. The Bible says, ‘Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.’ (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) Just because you felt God’s presence in a special way yesterday when you prayed, and you don’t today, doesn’t mean your prayers aren’t being heard and won’t be answered.

(2) ‘Righteous’. Elijah was a righteous man, but he certainly wasn’t a perfect man. Yes, his prayers were effective. But he was also given to bouts of fear and deep depression. Here’s the key: because you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness you’re always worthy and acceptable before God, therefore you can be confident your prayers will be heard and answered (see Romans 5:17). Knowing that, you can pray effectively.

SoulFood: 2 Tim 1–4, John 21:15–25, Ps 47, Pro 31:6–9

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.’ Romans 15:13 AMPC

The Lord has promised us a sense of joy in the midst of every circumstance we face. Jesus said, ‘I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.’ (John 15:11 NIV) So how can you hold on to your joy and not lose it? The apostle Paul tells us, ‘May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.’ (Romans 15:13 AMPC)

Notice that all-important word ‘believing’. It’s ok to have questions, but you must never doubt God’s love and faithfulness towards you. A Bible teacher writes: ‘I remember an evening when I was feeling strongly dissatisfied and discontented. I had no peace or joy and was absolutely miserable. I read Romans chapter 15:13, and it was indeed “a word in season” for me. My problem was simple: I was doubting instead of believing. I was doubting God’s unconditional love for me, doubting that I could hear from Him, doubting His call on my life, doubting that He was pleased with me. I was filled with doubt… doubt… doubt. When I saw the problem and got back into faith and out of doubt… my joy and peace returned immediately. I’ve found the same thing to be true again and again in my life. When my joy and peace seem to be gone, I check my believing—usually it is gone also.’

And the same principle applies to you today!

SoulFood: Micah 5–7, John 21:1–14, Ps 12, Pro 31:1–5

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds.’ Philippians 4:7 NIV

Beverly LaHaye was terrified when her husband Tim began taking flying lessons. ‘Right away I started giving God my opinion and drawing my own conclusions. Fear was controlling me,’ she wrote.

Tim told her to pray about it and just be open to the Lord. ‘Let Him know you're afraid of flying, but that you’re willing to be changed.’ She did—but there was no overnight miracle. She had to continually give her fear of flying to God. But it worked!

Years later, when they were flying through a violent storm in a small plane, Tim noticed that, while he was sweating it out, Beverly was fast asleep. When they landed, he asked her, ‘How could you sleep so peacefully?’

She replied, ‘It’s God; only He could have brought me to the place where I could fly through that and be at peace.’ Sometimes God calms the storm, but most of the time He lets it rage—and calms us!

Don’t be discouraged when you have to turn your fears over to God, again and again. That’s how trust is learned.

Listen: knowing that Jesus cares for you, cast all your cares on Him, continually, the moment they raise their voices, before ever they take control of you. (See 1 Peter 5:7). Listen again: ‘Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything… if you do this you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.’ (Philippians 4:6–7 TLB)

SoulFood: Jonah 2, Luke 11:29–32

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.’ James 1:19 NIV

The first century Greek philosopher Epictetus said: ‘We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we talk.’ Taking that on board means being ‘quick to listen, slow to speak.’ Good listening builds relationships. But good listeners aren’t born, they’re bred! So here are a few suggestions to improve your listening:

(1) Listen without interrupting. Resist the temptation to jump in and finish the sentence, or take over. Control yourself, just listen.

(2) Listen to understand. Try to grasp their point of view, feelings, thinking and needs. Good listening is hearing what they actually think, mean or feel, not what you imagine they do. Instead of guessing, ask, ‘Am I understanding you correctly? Do you mean…? Are you feeling…?’ In other words, don’t assume—verify.

(3) Listen without judging. Don’t rush to conclusions. If what they say doesn’t quite add up, keep listening. ‘He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.’ (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV) When you hear more, it may make sense.

(4) Listen without correcting, countering or devaluing. Saying, ‘Yes, but…’ or ‘That’s not the way it was,’ or, ‘What did you expect? If you hadn’t…’ or, ‘You’re just being too sensitive,’ puts people on guard and stops real communication.

(5) Validate the speaker. Accept their feelings as valid expressions of a valued person. ‘If I understand you correctly, you’re thinking… feeling… Am I right?’ Ask them to help get you on the same page with them. ‘Given what you’ve told me, I can see why you’d feel what you feel,’ is very validating and will increase their confidence and willingness to consider the solutions you may offer.

SoulFood: Micah 1–4, John 20:19–31, Ps 67, Pro 30:29–33

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’ John 11:41 AMPC

Before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’ When you know your prayer is in line with God’s will, you can wrap it up with the same words: ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard me.’ Understand this: after you’ve prayed, the devil wants you to go away and wonder whether or not God actually heard you, or if He’s willing to grant your request. But when you know God has heard your prayer, you have confidence. You think, act, and speak differently. Anxiety is replaced with peace.

Here are a few Scriptures for you to meditate on: ‘When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.’ (James 1:6–7 NIV)

‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.’ (1 John 5:14–15 NIV)

‘If anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them… whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ (Mark 11:23–24 NIV)

Today begin to thank God that He has heard your prayer, and that He will answer it in the way that’s best for you.

SoulFood: Neh 11–13, John 20:10–18, Ps 57, Pro 30:24–28

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Get rid of all bitterness.’ Ephesians 4:31 NLT

The words ‘get rid of all bitterness’ paint a picture of a surgeon cutting out a cancer growth in order to save the patient’s life. A similar verse, ‘Looking carefully… lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble’ (Hebrews 12:15 NKJV), commands us to be vigilant in case a tiny seed of bitterness becomes a root that springs up and causes problems.

Bitterness has many sources: a missing or abusive parent we can’t forgive; a nasty divorce we keep reliving; the careless words of a friend who’s not even aware of their effect; a boss who doesn’t consider us for a promotion. What’s the answer? Forgive, before the problem becomes embedded in your emotions and starts feeding off your memories. Paul writes: ‘Quarrelling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind… forgiving one another.’ (Ephesians 4:31–32 TLB) And the sooner you do it, the better!

The heaviest thing you’ll ever carry is a grudge. It will make you a misery to be around because your driving desire will be to see the guilty party punished, especially when you or someone you love is seen as the victim. What happens is this: Satan enters the picture and convinces you it’s ok to harbour resentment. After all, you’re just protecting yourself from getting hurt again, right? When that happens, you dig in, justify your position, and get comfortable living with resentment. That is, until it destroys you. But that doesn’t have to happen to you, because there’s no emotion so deeply rooted that God’s grace can’t reach down and remove it. So the word for today is—‘Get rid of all bitterness.’

SoulFood: Neh 8–10, John 20:1–9, Ps 105:37–45, Pro 30:20–23

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Through Your precepts I get understanding.’ Psalm 119:104 ESV

True understanding comes from God—it’s a gift only He can give. That’s why Solomon asked God for understanding instead of relying on his own. And God will give you understanding through His Word. ‘For the Lord gives wisdom: from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.’ (Proverbs 2:6 ESV) David said, ‘Through Your precepts [laws] I get understanding.’

The Bible was written that we might have understanding and be able to interpret life the way God does. Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, told Timothy, ‘Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.’ (2 Timothy 2:7 NASB) As you immerse yourself in Scripture, God speaks to you. In essence He says, ‘This is how I see it, and this is how I want you to see it.’ In other words, He gives you His insight into the situation.

In the Bible you will discover how to become truly successful. You will find the answer to your financial troubles, how to cure worry, and how to solve relationship problems. It will direct you in your family relationships—the chain of authority in the home, including the position of the husband, the wife, and the children. It contains the cure for nervousness and depression. It’s even a cleaning tool for removing sin from your mind and life. ‘How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.’ (Psalm 119:9 NKJV)

In short, your Bible is the greatest success manual in the world! The psalmist said, ‘The teaching of Your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.’ (Psalm 119:130 NLT) So if you want true understanding, meditate on the Scriptures today.

SoulFood: Neh 5–7, John 19:31–42, Ps 105:23–36, Pro 30:15–19

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘Let the wise listen and add to their learning.’ Proverbs 1:5 NIV

To succeed in life you must make personal growth one of your highest priorities. The fact is, you never stand still. You’re either going forwards or backwards, stretching or stagnating. Let’s take a moment and think about what happens when you allow yourself to stop growing and stagnate. You lose your influence. Do your friends seek your advice and then act on it? Do your co-workers value your opinion? If you’re not bringing new ideas and information to the table on a regular basis, people will start looking elsewhere and you’ll end up becoming ignored.

Today’s businesses move at the speed of light. New ideas, technology, leadership techniques, financial models, sales principles, and ways to communicate are constantly being scrutinised, discussed, evaluated and tested. Company leadership is looking for men and women who aren’t automatons. They’re looking for original thinkers, people who can look beyond normal everyday workplace interactions and find new solutions. Become the ‘go-to person’ when it comes to answers and ideas. Be the one who knows how to find new information, and who can provide innovative insights and perspectives. If you keep your eyes and ears open, your mind alert, and listen carefully, you’ll discover that great ideas are all around you. You’ll find a hundred people who can manage a good idea, for every one person who can come up with that good idea.

If you’re not influencing decisions, directions, or people, you need to implement a plan for personal growth—immediately! Solomon, who is often referred to as the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Christ, said, ‘Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.’

SoulFood: Neh 1–4, John 19:17–30, Ps 105:16–22, Pro 30:10–14

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©

‘The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.’ Proverbs 4:18 NLT

Phil Cooke writes: ‘Growth is what we do with knowledge. Growth is where we take our knowledge, how we apply it, and how we use it in our everyday lives. Leadership expert John Maxwell taught me long ago to change my orientation [aim] from goals to growth. When he said those words, it was a revelation. I’d always learned that goals were important, and I tried and tried to use a system of reaching goals, but I’d always struggled with it. I could see that goals motivated lots of people… but reaching goals always left me empty and unsatisfied. But when John showed me how to focus my attention on growth, everything suddenly fell into place. The process taught me that goals are great, but when we reach a goal, we’re finished. But with growth, it’s a never-ending process—always learning, always moving forward, always achieving. I hope when I reach the end of my life, there will be a couple of good books on my nightstand. I want to learn and grow until my last breath… Look at the people in your circle of friends. Why do some succeed and others seem to stagnate? Why do some move to higher levels of achievement while others stay at the same place for years at a time? Many people blame the system, the company, or their boss. They blame society, their upbringing, or their past. But a lifetime plan for growth can break through barriers and overcome nearly any obstacle.’

The Bible puts it like this: ‘The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.’ And the more they grow!

SoulFood: Col 3–4, Philemon, John 19:1–16, Ps 105:8–15, Pro 30:5–9

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©