PEACE BE STILL

Today’s Text: And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)

Today’s Thoughts: This text comes from the story of Jesus calming the storm. That same God who stilled the wind and the waves so many years ago is still in control of the weather today. He is more than able to change the weather. But He always knows best. But more than the physical storms, God can still the storms in our lives. He can say to our troubled souls, “Peace, be still.” I want that peace.

Today’s Testimony: A few years ago I went to visit my gran at Anerley Place, a retirement village in the Durban area, for a few weeks. Every morning, except for Saturdays, a group of the residents meet and go for a walk. While I was visiting I joined my gran and the others on the walks.
One morning while we were standing waiting for some more people to arrive, one of the ladies said, “Not a day for washing.” I looked out over the see, and clearly it wasn’t a day for washing.
I needed to get some washing done that day so I prayed, “Lord, please clear the weather, I need to do washing. You can do all things. Your will be done.”
A while later when my gran came inside from hanging her load of washing she said, “Look at the gorgeous day.” I turned and looked out the window and the sky was blue with not a cloud in sight. The Lord had answered my prayer and taken all those dark clouds away. God can still calm the weather for us even today.
He has stilled many of the storms in my life too. He wants to do the same for you. He can do all things, ask Him today. Take every problem to Him. He can calm the weather and your heart. Trust Him.

Today’s Task: Are you in need of peace today? God wants to give you that peace. Ask Him for it, then trust Him and believe that He will grant it. I don’t know what you’re going through, but God does. And more than that, He knows just how to intervene. But in the mean time, He can give you the peace you need while you wait for His miracle. His timing is perfect, He will intervene at the right time, but he can give you peace right now. Ask Him for His peace today, right now.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You have peace for every single one of us. Lord we want that peace, we need it. I thank You that You can work miracles for us no matter what our troubles may be. Lord help us to trust in You. Help us to come to know You as the loving heavenly Father that You are. I thank You for Your love and Your peace. Amen.

WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO PRAY

Today’s Text: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

Today’s Thoughts: Ever felt that your prayers weren’t good enough? Ever felt you didn’t know how to voice the prayer on your heart? Ever felt that you didn’t know how to word your prayer? Ever felt that you’d run out of words, and yet weren’t sure if you’d said enough? No matter how insufficient you’ve felt your prayers were – God can read hearts. This text tells us that the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf because we don’t truly know how to pray. I think that’s totally amazing. Our prayers are all so inadequate, but God still hears them because the Spirit has purified them.

Today’s Testimony: Julie, my twin sister, and I were greeting for an evangelistic campaign a few years ago. Our meetings were held at a school in a room upstairs, and one evening the school was having a function downstairs in the main hall. Due to all the noise, Julie and I were standing outside our room with the door closed to keep the noise out. We opened the door to see how the meeting was going and discovered that they were having problems with the computer. Satan didn’t want the message to be presented.
Then Julie said, “It’s because we aren’t praying enough,” so both of us started praying individually outside the door. I prayed. I prayed this and that and was still waiting for the Lord to intervene. Then finally I said something like, “Lord, I don’t know what else to pray,” or “What else must I pray?”
I believe it was right about then that the computer started working. We opened the door shortly thereafter and the problem was solved.
When our prayers aren’t answered in the way we want immediately, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t praying the right prayer, God’s timing is perfect. But our prayers do fall so far short of what they should be. That’s why Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. It’s important for us to realise that the answers to our prayers often have nothing to do with the words we pray. Some people pray long and eloquent prayers, while others pray short, simple prayers. God hears them all. And that’s because the same Holy Spirit alters our prayers so that they are acceptable in God’s site.
I’m so glad that my prayers can be acceptable to God. I’m so glad that even the prayers I cannot voice are taken to His throne. I’m so glad that when I don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray on my behalf. Aren’t you?

Today’s Task: If you ever feel that your prayers are inadequate, remember that the Holy Spirit will make them acceptable to God. If you ever run out of words, leave the rest of your prayer in the Lords hands, His Spirit will finish it for you. The most important thing that I encourage you to do is pray. Take everything to the Lord. Tell Him everything. God hears prayer. He wants to hear from you.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You hear every prayer we pray. Lord teach us to pray. But I thank You that You hear the shortest, simplest prayer. Lord help us to talk to You about everything. I thank You for the Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf. Lord help us to trust Your wisdom in all the answers. I thank You for Your love. Amen.

GOD CARES ABOUT YOU

Today’s Text: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Today’s Thoughts: Do you know what makes our God different from all the other gods that people worship? The most distinguishing factor is that our God loves us. None of the other gods care about their followers. They are usually thought to require human sacrifice and self-torture. But our God cares about us. He died so that we could have life. He cares about every detail of our lives. If it matters to us – it matters to God.

Today’s Testimony: When I wrote matric, Biblical Studies was my favourite subject. I started focusing too much on that, and then had to leave it for a while so I could focus on my other subjects. I eventually wasn’t happy with the amount of time I’d spent on studying Biblical Studies; I new I could have done better. But those that know me know that I love studying anything that has to do with the Bible. As people say, “Maths is his/her subject”, anything Bible was mine.
I really wanted to get a distinction for Biblical Studies, but I also knew that I hadn’t put enough effort into it to deserve one. I asked the Lord to please at least help me to pass, but I also mentioned that He knew how badly I wanted a distinction. A distinction for matric is 80%. I got 80% on the dot. God is so good!!!
For the Bible subject that I wrote for university my exam paper was white. That meant I could take it home. If the paper is a colour, it remains property of the university. I was so happy. It wasn’t really that I needed the paper, I was just really glad that I could take it home. I told you – Bible is my subject.
When the papers and answer books were collected after the exam, the invigilator that collected in my row collected my “white” paper. I then started analysing the situation. “I guess I don’t really need the paper, but I still would have liked it, and it was mine to take home.” “Maybe I could go and ask the head-invigilator if I could have my paper back.” (I was sitting near the front, and I was the only one that turned up for that paper so it would have been easy to ask and to find my paper. It was also only one of two white papers in my row.) “If only I’d held on to it, maybe she wouldn’t have collected it. Or then I could have queried her wanting it.”
I can’t remember if I prayed. It was probably one of those times where we start making plans to fix a problem without stopping to think that we serve an almighty God. I might have asked the Lord what I should do, but I don’t think I asked Him to intervene.
The invigilator walked to the front of the hall and then the head-invigilator started telling her something. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but from what I could see, it looked as though the Lord had heard the prayer I hadn’t prayed. It was then that I prayed. I sat in awe. The head-invigilator told her to hand the white papers back. I got my exam paper back!!!
I didn’t need a distinction for Biblical Studies; I didn’t need my exam paper back, but God cared enough about me to intervene. He cares about the smallest details of our lives. And if He cares about the tiny issues, He definitely cares about the greater issues. If it matters to us –it matters to God. He loves us so much. Believe it.

Today’s Task: Got any “unimportant” things you’d like to take to the Lord? Take them to Him. He encourages us to cast “all” our cares upon Him, because He cares so much for each one of us. Take your problems and desires to the Lord, if it’s in His will, He will grant your request. He cares about you. Believe it!!!

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You care about us so much. I thank You that nothing is unimportant to You and that nothing is too big for You. You love us and want us to be happy. Help us to trust You more. Help us to cast “all” our cares upon You. I thank You that You are a caring and loving God. Help us to love You back. Amen.

TO HIM THAT BELIEVES

Today’s Text: Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23)

Today’s Thoughts: A man had brought his son who was possessed by an evil spirit to Jesus to ask Him to free his son. Jesus said that if he could believe, all things were possible. The father of the child then cried out, and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Jesus then cast out the demon.
It’s not always easy to believe that God can do what we think is impossible. That’s when we need to be like this father and ask the Lord to help our unbelief. With God all things are possible. We just need to believe. And then trust that God will do what is best.

Today’s Testimony: When you think of the “impossible”, what do you think of? Big problems or small problems? Sometimes it’s the tiny things that we think of as insignificant. Other times it’s the mountainous problems that we see no way out of.
Today I’d like to share a story about one of those things that is humanly impossible, but also thought to be such an insignificant problem compared to the problems we often have to face. God cares about all the things that bother us, and if we ask Him to intervene and believe that He will, if it’s in His will, He will help us.
While my sisters and I were in Cape Town visiting my dad last year, my mom and step-dad, with the help of some friends, moved house back home in Durban. The former owners of our new house had owned 10 dogs and bred cats. The house was therefore over-run with fleas.
On my first morning in the new house I climbed back into bed after we had family worship because it was the only place that was safe. I dreaded getting up. I needed to have my personal devotions, but with that came kneeling for prayer. On that floor?!
I thought, “Do I kneel, or don’t I kneel?” Then I took my problem to the Lord. I asked Him to please let the itching stop, and to take away the fleas.” The itching stopped!!!
I slept a bit longer and then knelt on the floor to pray. The Lord and I had a long chat, so I landed up sitting cross-legged on the floor at His feet. I did not get attacked by fleas!!! I asked, I believed, and the Lord intervened. My God can do anything!

Today’s Task: I encourage you to take all your problems to the Lord, no matter what they are. He can do what we think is petty or impossible. Don’t ever think that your problem is too silly to bother the Lord with – He loves to take care of His children’s needs, You can never be a bother to Him. Give Him a try, He won’t disappoint you. Ask God to intervene, and then believe that He will. He will. Even if He doesn’t intervene in the way you thought best. He knows better. Trust him. Ask Him, Believe Him, then watch and stand in awe.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that all things are possible with You. I praise You that no problem is too great or insignificant for You. If it’s significant to us – it’s significant to You. Thank you Lord. Please help our unbelief. Help us to take all our concerns to You, and help us to believe that You will intervene. I thank You that You will do what is best in every situation that we bring to You. I thank You that You care about each one of us so much. Amen.

GOD DOES NOT LEAVE US IGNORANT

Today’s Text: Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Today’s Thoughts: Satan is not happy with this ministry. He has been trying to prevent these messages from going to the world from the day the Lord told me to start this ministry. Satan wants to get the better of us. He wants to destroy us. He wants to defeat God’s plans. But God is in control. He has told us that we have a very dangerous enemy. He is able to thwart Satan’s plans. Sometimes it is simply by informing us of what Satan is doing. When things go wrong – know that it’s Satan. When things go right – know that it’s God.

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I sent out an e-mail to inform all Today’s T’s recipients about Today’s T’s blog and Google Group. The only problem was that the address I’d given for the blog was incorrect.
I also announced the Today’s T’s blog address in my church this weekend – also the wrong address. Satan must have been smiling both times.
My cousin e-mailed me yesterday to tell me he couldn’t access the blog, and it was then that my technical manager and I discovered that I’d given the wrong address. We also discovered another problem and we sorted both of those problems out.
As for announcing the wrong address in church, I’ll work on fixing that problem too, it’s just not as quick and easy as e-mailing all the present recipients.
Satan was smiling with all these problems that would prohibit people from accessing Today’s T’s blog. God allowed him to have his fun, because he is the prince of this world, and knowing that it can all be fixed, but God did not leave us ignorant of the problems. This is His ministry and He won’t have Satan destroying it. It has been blessing and touching too many lives.
We have a very real and dangerous enemy, but God has told us about him. He tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. God has warned us, and will often interrupt Satan’s plans. Sometimes he may even open our eyes to what Satan is doing so that we can fix the problem. God is so good. He has not left us ignorant about the war going on for our lives. Satan wants to see you and I destroyed, but God wants to spend eternity with us.
We may have a very real and dangerous enemy, but we also have a very real and loving God. He can protect us from the Devil. I want the Lord as my Refuge – how about you?

Today’s Task: I hope you’re all convinced that God is very real and loves us all so much. It is also vitally important to realize that we have an extremely dangerous enemy, Satan. Don’t play with the Devil, you may not come out alive. Choose to follow the Lord and Him alone. Ask Him to keep your eyes open to Satan’s traps, and to give you the wisdom and strength to avoid them. God cares about your safety.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You have not left us ignorant about our arch enemy. I thank You that You are able to ruin Satan’s plans. Please help us to realize how dangerous the Devil is. Lord please protect us from his evil plans. Give us the strength to remain faithful to You no matter what he throws our way. I thank You that You care about our safety so much. Lord help us to know You more. We love You Lord. Amen.

GOD CAN PROTECT YOU

Today’s Text: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. (Psalm 91:10)

Today’s Thoughts: God has the power to protect us from anything and everything. But then why do we still see so much pain and disaster? We’ve talked about this question before, and yet because it is a very common question in the world today, I’m going to go through it again.
Have you ever sinned? We’ve all sinned. Do you know who we chose as our master when human beings first sinned? Yip, we chose to follow Satan rather than God. Many of us have since realized the terrible mistake of believing Satan rather than God, but right now, Satan is still the prince of this world by our own choice. God would love to protect us from everything, but legally, he can’t. Satan would not allow it. But our loving Heavenly Father knows how much we can handle. He still, believe it or not, protects us from so much. I’m glad that I have chosen the Lord as my Master now. Satan is still prince of this world, but God is my King. I don’t need to fear. He
will protect me from all that He will, and He will be with me through the rest. Is He your God too?

Today’s Testimony: I usually teach Grade 3 and 4 for Vacation Bible School, but one year I had to teach Grade 0 with Julie, my twin sister. I had taught that grade before, but that year was extremely exhausting.
There wasn’t a classroom available for us, so we were situated at the bottom of a staircase in a partially enclosed area. We do often get kids that are younger than Grade 0-age if their older siblings attend, and one little three-year-old got “clever”.
While Julie was telling the story, he decided to crawl under his table. He was under the table facing upwards. Then he decided to pull himself up. The table fell over and would have smashed his little face in, but because we were in a small area, it hit against the wall. It all happened so fast. He got such a fright – so did I. But God knows all things and placed us in a space where we would avoid serious injuries.
Then later that same day we took the kids to play on the field. This same little boy was halfway down the stairs, and another little boy at the top of the stairs decided he’d let the ball bounce down the stairs. It wasn’t a soft ball and as I called to the boy at the top of the stairs to tell him not to let go – he let go. The ball came bouncing straight toward the other boy’s head. He was holding the railing, and I honestly believe an angel pulled him away, because while the one second he had been holding the railing, the next second there was a gap in which the ball bounced past just between his head and the railing. I told you I had an exhausting week – same little boy; same day. God protected him twice. Kids can be quite a handful, but God’s
hands are big enough for all our problems, and His heart is even greater.
God does love you. He does care about you. He knows how much you can handle. He will protect you from all harm that he knows you cannot handle. Don’t doubt his ways – trust His heart.

Today’s Task: Do you ever feel that God is just not there for you? He is. I don’t know what you would think if He wasn’t. He cannot place a hedge around us, because Satan would accuse Him of being unfair. But He can still protect us from anything and everything. He knows what we can handle and what we can’t. He loves you. Believe it. Trust Him. Ask Him to protect you. Ask Him to give you strength to face your trials. He will not leave you to face them alone. He cares about you too much.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You protect us from so much. I thank You that you care about us so much, even though we often cause You so much pain. I thank You that You are with us in every trial. I thank You for the strength and comfort You give in times of need. Help us to trust You. Help us to come to know You for who You really are. We need You Lord. Amen.

NEVER TOO LATE FOR A MIRACLE

Today’s Text: Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. (Luke 7:22)

Today’s Thoughts: The blind had not seen for years, if ever; the lame hadn’t walked for years, if ever; the lepers’ bodies were probably in an extremely poor state; the deaf had not heard anything for years, if ever; and the dead, to the human mind were beyond help. The poor who were thought to be hopeless received hope through the Gospel message. What does this tell us? It’s never too late for a miracle. No matter what you’re going through, do not give up hope, if it’s in God’s will to intervene –it’s never too late for Him to work a miracle.

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I shared a story about George, our Basset Hound, today I’m going to share a story about Rolo, our Golden Labrador cross Golden Retriever.
Rolo is terrified of loud noises, and when there are fire-works in the neighbourhood, he goes absolutely berserk. One night when there were fire-works being set off in the neighbourhood we let him in the kitchen for a while. I washed dishes and sang to him until he fell asleep. I’d often calmed him down by singing to him when he was a puppy, and it still worked.
But then we had to get to bed. We couldn’t leave him in the kitchen, and the bathroom wasn’t dog-proof either. He and George lived in the court-yard just of our kitchen, so he would have been in an enclosed area, but even that didn’t seem safe enough to him. We let him out into the court-yard for a while to see if he would calm down before attempting to renovate the bathroom, and he just didn’t seem to be calming down. I had been praying the whole time. One thought that the Lord brought to mind was that it’s never too late for a miracle.
Toni, my older sister, and I were the only ones still awake, but she was in bed. I went into her room to discuss what we were going to do. I figured I’d leave him for just a little while longer and see. But then just before leaving Toni’s room I prayed again mentioning something about the Lord being able to do a miracle even at the “eleventh hour”. That is another way of referring to the last moment.
Silence! It really is never too late for a miracle.

Today’s Task: Are you in need of a miracle? It’s not too late. God can still work a miracle for you now no matter how long it’s been, no matter how complicated the situation may be. Trust Him. Never lose hope. Ask him to work a miracle in your life today.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that it’s never too late for a miracle. I thank You that you care about what we are going through. I thank You that You can intervene. Lord please work a miracle in each of our lives. It’s never too late. We love You. Amen

JOY COMETH IN THE MORNING

Today’s Text: For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

Today’s Thoughts: God hates sin. He doesn’t hate the sinner, He hates the sin. He is never pleased when we sin, but His displeasure only lasts a little while. When we repent we can once again find favour with Him. God’s anger is but for a moment, but His love endures forever. When we repent, God forgives us and we can find joy in being restored to His favour.
We see pain and heartache all around us. These are the sad results of sin. Our weeping over sin and its results will all be over soon. Jesus is coming back to destroy sin forever. In the mean time, God is with us in every trial. Our troubles usually only last a little while, but if they are more permanent – soon they will all be over. We will spend eternity in a sinless, unscarred environment with our Saviour. The choice is yours. Will you be there?

Today’s Testimony: We have two dogs. One is a Golden Labrador cross Golden Retriever, Rolo, and the other one is a Basset Hound, George – we got him with that name. The Basset Hound by default is my dog. He’s huge and slobbers everywhere and I’m the only one who loves him.
One day while resting on my bed, I was woken up with everyone screaming my name. The two dogs had been playing outside fighting over something and it had landed on our trampoline. Now George always wants better than Rolo. And although they both hesitated to climb on the trampoline, George decided to take the risk. He got on just fine, only to have Rolo snatch his prize from the other side. Now George had to get off. He walked around surveying the situation, and then made his attempt. His paw-pad on one of his hind feet got stuck in the triangular clip connecting the trampoline to one of the springs.
We somehow got him to turn around and sit on the trampoline. His paw had swelled, thus making it even more difficult to get him loose. My step-dad was out at the time, but the tenant staying in our garden-flat came to help.
Sadly it wasn’t my first thought, but at some stage I started praying. I was there trying to comfort and calm George down. He was in a lot of pain; it was terrible to hear him complaining. I said to him, “It will all be over soon.” I had absolutely no idea how on earth we were going to get him loose, but I knew that somehow or another, the problem would have to be sorted out. We eventually got him loose. And he then started trying to find his way off the trampoline “again”. I got my step-dad, who was home now, to rather carry him off the trampoline instead.
Later while I was thinking about everything that was going on in my life at the time, the Lord reminded me of what I had said to George, “It will all be over soon.” I did not know how and when, but God said it would all be over soon, and I believed Him.
I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but I do know that God is right there with you. He will give you the strength to endure your trials. And the best part – it will all be over soon.

Today’s Task: Trust God. You can allow Him to give you peace and joy right now in the midst of turmoil. Weeping endures for but a little while; but true joy is everlasting. Give your burdens to the Lord, He wants them. Turn away from sin and find peace in Christ. He will give you a peace and joy that you won’t be able to describe.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You for the peace and joy that only You can bring. I thank You that You are a forgiving God who will give us everlasting joy when we deserve everlasting sorrow. Lord if we accept You into our hearts You will give us everlasting life that is full of joy and peace. We want You. We need You. Please come into our hearts today. Amen.

MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU

Today’s Text: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

Today’s Thoughts: Everyone longs for peace in their lives. We so often try to find it in all the ways Satan offers it. But we cannot find true and total peace in anything or anyone other than in Christ who offers us a peace that we could never dream of. We do not have to worry or fear when we accept the peace that God offers us. He has promised us His peace; we just need to accept his gift.

Today’s Testimony: The morning that I was going to be writing a certain exam, my stomach was in knots. While I was sitting on my bed having my morning devotions I prayed for peace. I had so much to do and needed some study time, but do you know what the Lord did?! He put me to sleep. The next thing I new I woke up, but I had an unbelievable sense of peace. God knew that I wouldn’t have allowed Him to calm me down and give me peace while I was awake, so He allowed me to fall asleep. I needed that sense of peace even more than the study time, so God intervened.
One day I was feeling very down and out and I couldn’t even pin-point the reason. It was kind of a mixture of a whole lot of things. I prayed, I sang, I tried everything, but the feeling wouldn’t leave.
A friend of mine was looking for a home for her cat and I had been trying to find someone to take him. While I was putting my bunny away in his hutch – the same bunny I mentioned before – my neighbour, who I would often chat to and hadn’t seen for ages, arrived home. He stayed in a garden-flat next door, and his door was right opposite where my bunny’s pen was. We greeted, and then I asked him if he knew of anyone who was looking for a cat. He said that he didn’t. As I continued to put my bunny away I thought to myself, “I can’t believe you just asked him that!” I guess that maybe there wasn’t really anything strange about asking, but whether there was or
not, I then burst out laughing – not out loud, but inside. I couldn’t stop smiling. That was the end of me feeling down and out.
God has so many ways to grant us His peace. Some of them may seem almost totally ridiculous, like Him allowing me to sleep when I was still hoping to have time to study, and making me laugh about something which wasn’t even that funny. Never ever underestimate God. He can give you peace, His peace, right now. Just ask Him for it.

Today’s Task: Ask the Lord to grant you His peace. Trust that He can give you peace, no matter what you’re going through, in ways you would never dream of. Please accept that peace that only He can give. He wants you to have it more than you want it for yourself. He loves you. Believe it.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You for Your peace. I thank You that You can grant us peace no matter what we may be going through. I thank You that You know just how to give us that peace. Lord we need peace. We need You. Grant us Your peace today. Amen.

DO NOT WORRY

Today’s Text: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)

Today’s Thoughts: In this passage of Scripture Jesus was speaking to a multitude of people and encouraging them not to worry. He provides food for the birds of the air and He clothes the grass of the field with beautiful flowers, so how much more will He take care of the needs of His children. Some of us may always be finding something to worry about, but no one truly likes to worry. Yet we seem to worry all the time. God wants us to hand our worries and concerns over to Him, He can intervene. He can give us peace.

Today’s Testimony: I woke up one morning thinking that my alarm clock was taking far too long to go off. I had prayed my usual prayer the night before, but I still thought something had gone wrong. I couldn’t sleep. I wasted so much time just lying in bed worrying when I had absolutely no excuse to worry. Firstly, it didn’t really matter whether or not it went off because Julie would have set it off for me when she got back from the bathroom. Secondly, I could have used my torch to check what the time was on our wall-clock. And thirdly, I could have even gone to check my alarm clock. But no, I didn’t do any of that, and thinking about it not really mattering whether or not it went off didn’t help.
I had prayed my usual prayer: “Lord please let my alarm clock keep time all night and go off on time in the morning. Your will be done. Amen”. I had left it in His hands. All I had to do was trust Him. But no, I took the problem back and lost sleep over it. My alarm clock did go off on time the next morning – all that worrying for nothing. If only I’d been more willing to fully trust God.
Now sometimes we have worries about issues that are far more serious than this one. Sometimes we are faced with a real problem that cannot be sorted out as simply as my situation could have been. We need to find peace in Christ even in those situations.
In this same passage of Scripture Christ also says, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” (Matthew 6:27). Worrying about a situation will be of no benefit to us. And yet we still worry. God wants to spare us from worrying, He knows it will only cause us harm and no good. But sadly, even though we no it doesn’t help, we can’t seem to help but worry. But God never asks us to do something that He knows we cannot do. He can and will grant us peace so that we don’t worry, we just need to ask Him to, and allow Him to give us that peace. I want that peace. Don’t you?

Today’s Task: Ask the Lord to take your worries and concerns away. Ask him to give you a peace that you never thought possible. Place each and every worry in His mighty hands and leave them there. Don’t take them back, you are far better off without them; you don’t need them. If you think you will never truly sense His peace, pray that God will help your unbelief and surprise you. Ask Him for His peace right now. You need it.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that you care about us so much. You don’t want to leave us to worry; you want to give us peace. Help us to accept that peace. Help us not to worry. Help us to entrust every situation to You and find peace in knowing that our problem is left in the hands of an all-knowing, all-powerful God. Lord, grant us Your peace. I thank You for making it available. Amen.

THY WILL BE DONE

Today’s Text: And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2)

Today’s Thoughts: This is a piece of what is usually referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”. Today we’re simply going to focus on the “Thy will be done” part. I’d rather ask the Lord for anything than to ask a human being. If people gave me everything I asked for I probably wouldn’t be a very happy person right now. Do you feel the same? Maybe not. But God is all-knowing. He would love to never disappoint us by refusing our requests, but He also knows that some things are best done a different way. I’ve seen His will stand out as far greater than mine time and time again. I don’t know about you, but I want His will to be done in my life in every situation.

Today’s Testimony: Now for some more stories about my alarm clock. One morning I got up and went off to the bathroom when Julie’s alarm went off. Before I climbed back into bed I checked my alarm clock’s time. I’d never done that before when I’d come back from the bathroom in the night, but that day the Lord impressed me to. It wasn’t ticking. I changed it, prayed my usual prayer, and then climbed back into bed for what was left of my sleep.
So why didn’t God just keep my alarm clock ticking in the first place? Well for one, that would be nothing out of the ordinary to share as a testimony. God had already blessed in that area. To me it was a message that said, “I care about you. I want you to see miracles – big and small.” But one thing that I know for certain is that God’s will was done – I’d asked for that.
On another occasion my older sister, Toni, was sleeping in the room with my twin sister and me. She got up to go to the bathroom in the night, and when she came back she checked on my alarm clock for the time. Julie checked the time on her alarm clock. Both gave the same time. But when Julie set my alarm clock off that morning the time still read the same as when we had checked it during the night.
Why had it lost time this time? Not that it really mattered too much though, because as I said before, Julie would simply change the time and set it off for me in the morning. And yet there had to be a reason, there always is a good reason if my alarm doesn’t go off since I’ve started praying for it to go off. I thought about it, and couldn’t remember if I’d prayed, “Your will be done”, when I’d prayed the night before. I believe that’s the reason that it didn’t go off. We need to ask God to do His will, it’s always best. But why didn’t God just remind me to pray for His will to be done in the first place? Possibly because He wanted to give me a testimony to share. And then, hey, in that case, maybe He did do His will even though I’d forgotten to ask. He does that you know. He does so much more for us than we could ever deserve. And that’s because it’s in His will to love and bless us. I want him to do His will in my life – always. How about you?

Today’s Task: God always knows best. He can see the beginning and the end. Often we don’t understand His reasoning, but in those cases we need to trust His heart. He really does love each and every one of us. He cares about you – believe it. Trust Him and ask Him to do His will in your life in every situation. You might not understand the path He leads you in, but you will not regret it – if not now, then in Heaven when you get a better glimpse into the wise intervention of our loving Heavenly Father. Trust Him today.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You love us so much. I thank You that Your will is always for our good. Lord I pray that You will help us to submit to Your will. Help us to always allow You to do Your perfect will in every situation. Lord You love us so much, and You cry with us when we reap the results of sin, whether it be our own sin, or sin in general. It was never Your will to have us suffer so much, but we chose Satan as our master, and thus You cannot put a hedge around us and spare us from all harm. But Lord I thank You that You are still with us even in turmoil, and You still work all things out for our good, even if we can’t see it that way. Lord, may Your will and Yours alone be done in each of our lives. We love You Lord. Amen.

THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

Today’s Text: For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zechariah 2:8)

Today’s Thoughts: Did you know that you’re one of the apples of God’s eye? That’s how much He cares about you. He hurts when you’re hurting. He cries with you when you cry. He knows how you feel, and He feels it too. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God really cares about you? If not, please give Him a chance. Your life depends on it.

Today’s Testimony: I was at a church camp near the beach. On the Saturday afternoon we went for a beach walk. Our task was to find something to represent a few Bible characters. I was also looking for “used-to-be-beautifuls”. Those are broken pieces of shells that used to be beautiful. This is a piece of a song that I wrote about it:

It used to be beautiful, when it was whole
But now it is broken, like my sin shattered soul
But there’s hope for me, I can be made whole again
For our broken lives, our God, can in His mercy mend

God cares about each one of us no matter how broken we may be. He can make us whole in Him.
While walking along the beach I found a “whole” cowrie shell. It wasn’t spectacular, but I thought it was really beautiful.
A while later I was thinking about my shell, and thought of how special it would have been if ‘the man of my dreams’ had picked it up for me. I don’t think I particularly had a ‘man of my dreams’ in mind, but I just thought that would be special.
Then the Lord said to me, “Child, I gave it to you.” He has done so much for me, and given me so much. I don’t need a ‘man of my dreams’ to make me happy, I have a Heavenly Father who thinks of me as an apple of His eye. He cares about us so much.
God has often given me great and small blessing that have screamed that He is good and that He loves me with an unmatchable love. He wants to do the same for you. Allow Him to love you. And please, love Him back.

Today’s Task: God loves you. He thinks of you as one of the apples of His eye. He cares about your well-being so much. Believe it. Open your eyes to the many blessings He bestows; He wants to tell you how much He loves you. Please, accept His love today; tell Him you love Him too.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You love each one of us so much. You love us individually, not collectively. Lord every single one of us is the apple of Your eye. And I praise You for that. Lord what would we do without You?! I’d never survive. I thank You that You will never stop loving us. Lord, we love You. Amen

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Today’s Text: Pray without ceasing. (1Thessalonians 5:17)

Today’s Thoughts: We need to be in continual communion with our Heavenly Father. We do have other things to do that God does require of us, so this text does not mean that we must spend each moment on our knees. Being in communion with God means that we can talk to Him, and He can talk to us, anywhere at any time. It means that we take advantage of this opportunity and talk to Him often throughout our day. Another point that I’d like to bring out is that we should not cease to pray when the case looks hopeless. We serve an almighty, miracle-working God who can do all things at all times. We must never stop praying.

Today’s Testimony: I’ve been helping and teaching at Vacation Bible Schools for 9 years. I can’t believe it’s been so long, but I have thoroughly enjoyed each one. Last week I took part in my third VBS for this year, and it was slightly different from normal.
What is the most important ingredient for a VBS? Kids! Yes you need everything else to be just right too, but what’s a VBS without kids?!
We advertised to start at 09:00 on Monday morning. 09:00 came and went and we had only “2” kids. I’ve never even had so few kids in the classes I’ve taught, let alone attending the whole VBS.
It was about 10:30 and I started thinking, “That’s our kids for the week”. And I knew one of them was only going to be there till Tuesday. I thought, “Kids won’t come after 10:30, and I don’t think any kids will come after missing the first day. If they had planned to come, surely they would have been here by now.” I was so wrong!!! In spite of how hopeless I thought the case was, I still prayed that more kids would come. God can do what we think is impossible.
At about 11:00 a girl arrived who said that she had had something on in the morning, but came as soon as she could.
At 11:30 another girl came who said that she couldn’t remember when and what time the VBS was, and then she saw the banner and came.
On Wednesday one of the girls that arrived late on the first day brought a friend. Then we had another little girl join us, and she brought a friend on Thursday.
On Friday the one girl’s twin brother came and he brought a friend with him. We had a total of “9” kids attending our VBS. We went from only 2 kids to 9 kids.
Yes the VBS was a lot smaller than what I’m used to, but as a friend said, “Remember, God will send the kids He wants you to reach this week, whether it’s one or fifty-one.” God sent those He knew He could speak to.
Last week I was reminded that no matter how hopeless the case may seem, we must never stop praying for a miracle. God has no limits to what He can do.

Today’s Task: Are you facing a hopeless case right now in your life? Pray! Pray, and never stop praying for God to intervene. Unless He knows a better way, He will grant your request. Have continual communion with the God of the universe. Take your petitions to Him –anywhere, anything and anytime. God cares about you!!!

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that we can come to You for anything at any time, no matter where we are. Lord give us faith. I thank You that you still work miracles, and that You do them for us. Help us to never stop praying. Amen.

I WILL INSTRUCT THEE AND TEACH THEE

Today’s Text: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)

Today’s Thoughts: God sees all and knows all. He knows what is best for us to do in each situation. In His wisdom He can instruct us in what to do, and He can teach us the way to go. He can guide us in the course that He sees as best. He cares about our well-being.

Today’s Testimony: I once had an assignment due and I wasn’t totally sure what my lecturer wanted. The day before I had to submit it, my youth group were doing door-to-door ministry, and I felt that that was more important. I had written so many thoughts, but my assignment was far from finished. I knew that the Lord could help me when I got home. He blesses when we choose the things of Him.
When I sat down to work on my assignment I wondered if I should have rather stayed home and worked on my assignment. I was stressed. But the Lord gave me such peace.
I’d asked the Lord to be my Tutor throughout my studies, and so He stepped in. He said to me, “Write this… Delete that… Move this there…”. He led me through the completion of my assignment. I submitted it on time.
That wasn’t my assignment – it was God’s. And when God does something, He always does it to the best of His ability. Of course He had my input here and there, that’s why we didn’t get 100%. But we did get a distinction. I’ve got the best Instructor in the world.
God can instruct us in every detail of our lives, we simply need to ask Him to be our Guide.

Today’s Task: Ask God to be your Instructor, Teacher and Guide. Only He knows what is truly best for you in every situation. He knows what you should do in every circumstance. Trust Him. He won’t disappoint you.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You for Your instruction, teaching and guidance in the past. I pray that You will be an Instructor, Teacher and Guide to each and every one of us. You know all things. You can see our past and future. Help us to allow You to Guide us in the path that You know is best for us. I thank You for Your love. Amen.

BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE

Today’s Text: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24)

Today’s Thoughts: When we ask God for things, He wants us to have enough faith in Him to believe that He will grant our requests. He wants us to believe that we already have the things we asked for. It’s kind of like when we ask someone to do something for us, and we know that because of who that person is, once we have asked, the task is as good as done. God wants us to have that kind of faith in Him. A faith that says, “I’ve asked – I’ll receive.”

Today’s Testimony: My step-dad was once asked to fill in for his brother, who is a pastor, and do a Bible-study with a young couple from my church. They had a little daughter of about 2, and seeing my mom was busy, I went with to baby-sit during the Bible-study.
We went into her room and I read her Bible stories from a children’s Bible story book. She really enjoyed that, but there was something else that she wanted to do too. She wanted to jump on the bed. She stood up and started jumping on the bed, and not knowing whether that was normally allowed, I got her to sit down again.
A while later she made another attempt. She got up; jumped; and hit her head on the wall, all before I could stop her. She then burst into tears, and I carried her to her mom.
Her parents knew what had happened; she’d obviously done it before. Her mom came over; kissed her head; and said, “Shall we pray for it?” She answered, “Yes.” The tears stopped right there and then. Her head was obviously still sore, but it was as though in child-like faith she thought, “We’ll pray – all is well.”
I want that child-like faith too. A faith that says, “I’ll pray – all will be well, God will intervene.”

Today’s Task: Next time you take a petition to the Lord, believe that you are already going to receive it. Maybe you have already taken a request to the Lord; I encourage you to do the same. God loves us, and unless He knows that it is better not to grant our requests, He will give us what we ask for. We simply need to believe that He can provide for our every need, and then trust His wisdom to only do what’s best for us.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You love us so much. I thank You that You care about each one of us and long to bless us with the things we ask for. I also thank You that You know what’s best for us, and will save us from receiving things that would harm us, or not be best for us. Lord please give us a child-like faith. Help us to believe that You have granted our petitions, as soon as we ask, in the way that You know best. You are good Lord – always good, and only good! Amen.

I HAVE TOLD YOU

Today’s Text: And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. (John 14:29)

Today’s Thoughts: Jesus was speaking to His disciples in this text. He was telling them of all the things they would face in the near future. He did not want them to be overwhelmed when the time came, so He lovingly told them in advance. At that stage they could not fully understand what Jesus was saying to them, but when it came to pass, they remembered and believed. Christ can do the same for us. He can warn us of future events, and He can tell us how to prepare for the future.

Today’s Testimony: I’ve got two powerful testimonies to share today. They both have to do with God revealing a piece of the future, so that when the events happened, I could believe and be blessed.
We were leaving church after a Wednesday evening prayer-meeting. We had just heard the sad news that a much loved sister in Christ was in hospital with heart problems. I was taking it to the Lord as we were driving out the gate, when He said to me, “Lindy, she’s not going to make it.” It was one of those times when I wasn’t totally sure that it was the Lord speaking, or maybe it was more that that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, so I shrugged it off.
That weekend my family and I attended a different church, and therefore did not hear any of the news from our usual congregation. On Sunday a friend of mine phoned me. We had a singing group, and she said, “Don’t you think it would be nice if we could sing at Ouma’s memorial service.”
God knew I would hear about her passing away in that way, so He caringly prepared me for it. That was the first and last time the Lord has revealed the future in that regard. He knew I needed it then. We serve an amazing God.
My second testimony is about exam time. I was preparing for my roughest subject, and said to the Lord, “How wow would it be if You could say, ‘Lindy, study this, study this,’ and help me know what to study”. I had the two past-papers from the previous year, and the Lord said to me, “Study the past-papers.”
I thought that that was at least a start, but I also “knew” that there would be more than just those questions in the my paper. I focused mainly on the past-papers, butalso studied a few other things that I thought could be asked.
Every single one of my questions were from those two past-papers!!! I just missed getting a distinction. If I had only focused on those topics I could have gotten a distinction. But no, we are often so slow to believe when the Lord speaks.
God spoke. He told me in advance. But I only believed that it was truly Him that spoke when it came to pass.
God can speak to us about some of the most un-thought-of things. Listen to His voice.

Today’s Task: Listen for the Lord’s voice. He speaks. If you find it hard to tell if it was truly God Himself speaking, ask Him to tell you otherwise, or to help your unbelief. But the most important thing for you to do – remember the words that He speaks, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe, and praise Him.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You speak. Lord help us to know Your voice, and to listen when You speak. Lord help our unbelief. I thank You that You are patient with us. I thank You for all Your miracles. Amen.

THE RICHES OF GOD’S WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

Today’s Text: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

Today’s Thoughts: God is all-knowing and He knows what to do with all that knowledge. He knows when, where and how to intervene in every single area of our lives. Even though we don’t understand His decisions and ways, we can trust Him because He knows everything, He is wise in all His doings, and because He loves and cares about each one of us. He will make sure that all things work out for the best.

Today’s Testimony: Now for another problem with my little alarm clock. If I place the alarm hand on a certain number, the alarm will go off before that time. The alarm’s time and the clock’s time don’t synchronize.
Remember the lecture I had to attend and how because I asked the Lord to let my alarm clock keep time and go off, it did. Another side to that story is that, knowing the problem with the times, I played with my alarm clock and its hands until I set it for what I thought was the time I wanted to get up. My alarm clock went off half an hour early. The Lord, in His wisdom, knew that I’d need an extra half an hour.
God knows everything. In His wisdom He knows just how to take care of His people. He is almighty and can do all things.
Now on another, more serious note, how’s time in your life? Have you surrendered your life to God? Do not put it off. He loves You. God wants you to turn to Him right now. He knows all things. If you feel Him tugging at your heart, please don’t send him away. It could be that God knows that this is your last chance. Later may just be too late. He wants to spend eternity with you. He wants you to know Him now, and to continue your relationship with Him in Heaven. He cares about you so much. Do not delay.
I want you to be in Heaven. I want to meet you there. God longs for that so much more. And I know that deep down inside, you want that for yourself too. Please let Him come into your heart. Not later – right now.

Today’s Task: Trust the Lord. Remember that He knows all things. He knows your every need. He is wise enough to know how to intervene in every situation to turn it out for the best. Ask Him to do His will in your life in every situation. He knows our needs far better than we do. Trust that His ways are perfect. Allow this wonderful God to be your God. Open your heart’s door to Him. You won’t regret it. Your only regret will be if you choose not to, this may be your last chance. Please, love Him back.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You know what is best for every single one of us in every single situation. I thank You that You wisely intervene for our good. Lord help us to trust You. I thank You for Your intervention in the past; and I praise You for Your intervention in the future. Lord help us to surrender to You. Our lives are incomplete without You in them. Lord we need You now. Please take away all doubt and procrastination. Lord help us to return Your love, though it be in a tiny degree. I love You Lord. Amen.

IN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME

Today’s Text: But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. (Psalm 69:13)

Today’s Thoughts: God knows all things. He knows when it is the right time to grant us our requests, and when it is not in our best interest, or when it is best for us to wait. Sometimes we may think that there is no reason why God shouldn’t grant our request, but He knows best. If it truly is an acceptable time to Him, He will, in mercy, grant us our petitions.

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I shared the testimony of my alarm clock; now I’d like to add to that. About three weeks later my alarm clock was still keeping time so I thought it would be interesting to not pray one night and see if the alarm clock lost time – just to add to the testimony. If it didn’t lose time I also knew that it could also be that God knew better. Anyway, I thought to test it one night, but God knew better. I didn’t test it, I prayed my usual prayer. My alarm clock went off on time. As for it being better, Julie had fallen asleep again after she had put her alarm clock off. She only woke up when my alarm went off. We both could have over-slept a lot longer if I had chosen that night. God knew better, and therefore directed me not to choose that night.
I didn’t ever test it in the end. But after all the rest of the testimonies around my alarm clock, I didn’t need to.
On another occasion Julie and I had been sick and our mom said we weren’t allowed to set our alarm clocks. We had to stay in bed until it was warmer. When I was a bit better I started by setting my alarm clock for a later time. The one night I prayed my usual prayer, “Lord, please let my alarm clock keep time all night and go off on time in the morning. Your will be done. Amen”; then added a side thought, “But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t really matter.” It didn’t go off the next morning. God knew better, He knew I still needed to rest and recover. When we pray and the timing is acceptable in accordance with God’s will, He will grant us our petitions. He knows what time is best for everything.

Today’s Task: Take your petitions to the Lord. But remember that He knows best. He has an acceptable time to answer. You might not always be able to see why He chose to answer the way He did, but sometimes we just have to trust God’s heart. He cares about you. God is good – always good, and only good.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You know what’s best for every single one of us. I pray that You will do Your perfect will in every situation. Lord, help us to trust Your heart and know that You will only do what is best for us. I thank You for Your love. Amen.

IF YE SHALL ASK

Today’s Text: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14)

Today’s Thoughts: Ever neglected to ask the Lord for something simply because the thought never crossed your mind? Sometimes the Lord will intervene before we think to ask; sometimes He will intervene even though we don’t ask; but sometimes, if it won’t cause us any harm, He might just wait for us to ask before He intervenes.

Today’s Testimony: I needed a new alarm clock. I finally found and bought one, but when I got home I realised that it did not have a snooze button. Now that might sound like a good thing, but I used a snooze button if my sister, Julie, was in the bathroom when my alarm went off. I usually only get up if an alarm tells me to. People telling me to get up only makes me want to sleep more. If the bathroom was occupied when my alarm went off I’d press the snooze button until I could have my turn.
The first morning the bathroom was unoccupied when my alarm went off. The second morning the next problem came. My alarm clock stopped ticking during the night. That was solved by Julie resetting the time when she was done in the bathroom. All the problems seemed solved, but that was only temporarily.
A short while later I had to attend a lecture in Durban at 08:00 a.m. We lived in Pinetown and needed to leave home early to avoid traffic. I had to get up rather early, and before Julie. Now I had a problem. If my alarm clock did not go off I would have been running hopelessly late. Julie’s alarm would only go off 40 minutes later.
So, there was only one thing to do. Well, I could have gotten Julie to set her alarm for me, but where would the testimony be in that?! I prayed.
My alarm clock kept time all night, and went off the next morning – but only that night. Then about a week later I thought, “Why don’t I pray that my alarm clock will keep time at night.” I did. This is my usual prayer: “Lord, please let my alarm clock keep time all night and go off on time in the morning. Your will be done. Amen”
That was the end of my alarm clock stopping during the night – except for a few exceptions that I still plan to share.
The one day that I prayed, my alarm clock worked, but it took me just over a week before I thought to do it permanently. God knew it wouldn’t harm me if it didn’t go off, and therefore He waited for me to ask.
I love that little alarm clock. It’s the best one I ever could have had. God Himself runs it. God is truly interested in every detail of our lives. He can do so many things that we would never think to ask – things we think are out of God’s do-list. But to put it plainly – it won’t hurt to ask. God is good!!!

Today’s Task: Do you have anything that you think just isn’t on God’s do list? Ask Him anyway, you might just be surprised. He can do the “impossible”; He can do the “petty”; and He can do the “not-done”. Try him.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You care about every detail of our lives. I thank You that You answer prayer. Lord, help us to ask You to intervene no matter what the problem. I thank You that You know what’s best for us. Amen.

A NEW CREATURE

Today’s Text: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today’s Thoughts: Anything you wish you could change about yourself? I believe we’re all a bunch of broken people. Think about it, deep down inside you must have something that you’re not happy with about who you are. If you feel everything is absolutely perfect in your life, you might just be deceiving yourself; but I believe we all have things we hope to change. The good news is that God can change us. He can make totally new creatures out of our broken lives.

Today’s Testimony: I went on a church camp a while ago. On the Saturday evening we had an agape supper. That is a Holy Communion service followed by a light supper spent in fellowship with each other.
During the short sermon at the beginning I had a conversation with the Lord. I thought about how people often say that Christ thought of us while He was on the cross. I asked Him, “Lord, did You really think of me while You were on the cross? …What did You think?” His response was, “Well, what would you think of yourself?” I replied, “Pretty broken.” Then He said, “That’s what I saw. …But I thought, I’m going to change her.”
We serve an amazing God!!! He doesn’t expect us to perfect ourselves – He changes us. He does what it is impossible for us to do for ourselves. Yes, we do have a part to play. We need to fully surrender to Him. I’m busy writing a song entitled All Is All.
Let me share a piece of it with you:

I surrender all
All to You O Lord
Nothing less than full surrender
I surrender all
And all is all!

Then a piece of another song I wrote:

Broken little girl, who needs to be restored
Where else could she go, but to the feet of her Lord
She wants to be made whole, but she cannot see how
God knows and He says He wants to do it now

“I brought you out of the dust, and I can do it again
If in Me you trust and on Me you depend
I can make you whole, though shattered you may be
For every wounded soul is precious to Me”

Today’s Task: Please surrender to the Lord – a full surrender. Do it today. He wants you to be in Him. He longs to have the go ahead to change you; to make you new; whole. Trust Him. He will not disappoint you.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You can make us whole. You can change broken people. Lord help us to surrender – all. Make us into new creatures; we long to be whole, but no where near as much as You long to make us whole. Lord help us. I thank You that You will. Amen.

I AM THE WAY

Today’s Text: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Today’s Thoughts: Christ is the way. Living a life with Him in our hearts is the best way to live. That is the only way to get to Heaven. We must have Him in our hearts. Truth, life and the way to the Father can only be found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. There is no other way.

Today’s Testimony: Just for a little bit of background for those of you who do not know me. I have two sisters, one of which is my twin sister. I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. My parents got divorced when I was 5 years old; and when my mom remarried when I was 12, we moved up to Durban.
For my sister and my 13th birthday, during our first year in Durban, our dad flew up. We stayed in a hotel on the beach front and caught buses if we wanted to go anywhere beyond walking distance.
One day we caught a bus, and when we got off at our destination, the bus-driver said, “When you want to go back, just wait on the other side.” We thought, “Well obviously, you travel up the road on the opposite side to the side you travel down the road.”
When we were ready to catch the bus, we went to find a bus stop on the “other side” of the road. We walked a bit, without finding a single bus-stop. We finally decided that our best option would be to cross the road to where there were bus-stops; catch a bus; and then just wait for it to travel back up the road. We crossed the road, and when we were nearly at the bus-stop my dad stopped and said, “Look at the cars.” We looked for a while, and then my dad said, “They’re all going the same direction.”
We had been standing on a one way street trying to catch a bus going in the opposite direction!!! Then we understood what the bus-driver meant by “other side”. We all packed up laughing.
Sometimes we think we’re going the right way. We do everything we’re supposed to do, but we miss the most important ingredient for our lives – Jesus Christ. Are you looking for fulfilment on the wrong side of the road? Christ is calling you to the other side, the side where you’ll find Him – the way, the truth and the life.

Today’s Task: Choose Christ today to fill your every need. There is only one way to truly find peace, and that is in Jesus. Give God a chance. Ask Him to be your God.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord, help us to turn to You. Lord You are the only way; the only truth; the only life. We want Your way; Your truth; Your life. I thank You that You have given us the opportunity today to surrender to You. Lord, may we surrender. Amen.

WHATEVER YOU ASK

Today’s Text: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)

Today’s Thoughts: Our text for today says: “Whatever you ask”. What kind of things do you ask the Lord for? Do you only go to Him when you’re in a crisis? Do you ever think some things are just too petty? God wants to work miracles for you – big and small. If He knows it is best for you, and that it will give glory to His name, He will give you your request. He loves you and longs to bless you.

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I mentioned my prayer-diary. Today I’d like to share a testimony and quote from my prayer-diary.
One evening during the time I was writing my matric exams, I opened up my prayer-diary to record a blessing, and this is what I wrote first: “Lord, tonight I can’t concentrate, and it’s not because of what’s happening in my life – it’s because of this fly! This continual, tone-changing buzzing is so frustrating. But, thanks Lord, I hadn’t even asked You yet. Please let it remain seated, at least until I’m done writing. You are so good – fly or no fly!”
The next day after writing a paragraph about all the messages the Lord sends simply to say, “I love you child”, I wrote: “Oh yes, about that fly… thank You once again! It only took flight again just before I put the light off, and then it soon settled down. It’s not here tonight. See, this is one of those messages. Thank You Lord, I love You!”
God cares about even the little details of our lives. Nothing that is a concern to us is too big or small to take to our Heavenly Father. He is good; and He is God!

Today’s Task: Take your problems to the Lord no matter how petty or impossible they may seem. God can do all things – and “all” means anything and everything. If God doesn’t answer your prayer in the way you hoped He would, remember that He knows what is best for you. He is a God of love. To put it plainly: God “is” love. He can be nothing less than love, and you get nothing more than His love. Try Him. Take your requests to Him. Prepare to see miracles.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that we can come to You with anything and everything! I thank You that you care about our big problems and our small problems. I thank You that nothing is too big or too small for You to intervene. You care, and I praise You. Lord, I thank You for Your love. Amen.

MAKE KNOWN HIS DEEDS

Today’s Text: O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. (Psalm 105:1)

Today’s Thoughts: Where do you go when you’re happy? Where do you go when you’re sad? Do you run and tell an earthly friend? Do you not tell anyone? This text tells us that when we have something to rejoice about, we can praise the Lord; when we have a problem, we can take it to Him. I go to the Lord for everything. The last part of this text tells us that we need to share what the Lord has done for us. When He has blessed us; when He has comforted us, we need to tell others of His goodness.

Today’s Testimony: I already said that I go to the Lord for everything. One of the ways in which I go to Him is in the form of a prayer-diary, also known as a prayer-journal. When I have something to praise about, I record the blessing or miracle in my prayer-diary. When I have something that’s concerning or hurting me I take that to the Lord through my prayer-diary. I write as though I were talking to the Lord in person.
My prayer-diary is used for three purposes. 1: It is a place of prayer. 2: It helps me to be able to reflect on past blessings in the future. 3: It is a way of recording God’s miracles to share with the world. The Lord has worked so many miracles in my life that if I didn’t keep a prayer-diary, I doubt I’d be able to recall all the blessings I’m going to share through Today’s T’s. He truly is so good!
One day while I was thinking about what a blessing it is to keep a prayer-diary, I said to the Lord, “Lord, why doesn’t everyone keep a prayer-diary?!” His reply was, “Lindy, not everyone would have something to write.” I thought, “No!” but I knew it was true. It does not mean that the Lord is not blessing everybody; it simply means that so many people are not counting their blessings and realizing the source of each and every one of them.
God wants to hear from you. The world needs to hear from you.

Today’s Task: I encourage every single one of you to start counting your blessings, and do not forget that they come from God. Then I encourage you to start keeping a prayer-diary. If you don’t, please at least talk to the Lord in prayer. Tell Him everything. Then do not neglect to share with others what God has done for you. As our text says, praise Him; run to Him; tell the world what He has done.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You! I thank You that we can come to You for anything and everything. Lord please help us to count each blessing that You send, and help us to never forget them. Lord please give us the courage and strength to tell others about how great You are. You truly are a great God. Amen.

COALS OF FIRE

Today’s Text: Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20, 21)

Today’s Thoughts: What’s your preferred method of dealing with your enemies? Do you sit and contemplate how you will take revenge? In the text just before this one, the Lord says, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” (verse 19). Have you ever heaped coals of fire on your enemy’s head? It’s so much fun! That’s the way I like to get revenge – God’s way. And sometimes He steps in and does a little more. But I have to admit, I often feel guilty doing it. Think about it, to have someone get you back is pretty normal, and the cycle continues, that’s how you keep your enemies, but if the one you have harmed does something good in return… ouch. I believe that feels far worse.

Today’s Testimony: I once asked a friend to do me a favour. We weren’t close friends and our friendship had many ups and downs. The favour wasn’t anything difficult and wouldn’t have taken long at all. He was talking to some other friends, and when I asked him, he harshly replied, “No, I’m busy.” It was going to be his birthday that weekend and my sisters and I had gotten him a small gift. It was my task to give it to him, and I was waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Now most people would probably think, “Well, he can forget getting a present from me if he wants to treat me like that.” But me, I played out the rest of the story in my mind and was excited. The Lord had truly given me the perfect opportunity to give him his present.
A short while later when he was alone, I went to give him his gift. He was sitting with his head-phones on. I held it out to him and said, “This is for you from the three of us for your birthday.”
I’ll never forget his sheepish smile as he took his head-phones off and said, “Excuse me?” Whether or not he had heard the first time or whether he was simply in shock I do not know, but I can only imagine how he must have felt after being so rude to me.
He thanked me, and a few minutes later I heard him doing the favour I had asked him to do.
This truly is my preferred method of taking revenge: heaping coals of fire on your enemy’s head. You seriously must give it a try; you’ll feel so good; it’s so much fun.

Today’s Task: Whenever someone hurts you in any way, try to do God’s prescribed method for dealing with your enemies. You’ll honestly be getting them back twice as hard, if not more. You might even gain a friend, or at least lose an enemy. With time, even your worst enemy might soften. I encourage you to try it today if you face an enemy. Pray that God will give you the strength and help you to know how to heap those coals. Don’t give up; make it your preferred and only method of dealing with your enemies.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You have given us such an amazing way to deal with our enemies. I thank You that You can help us to heap coals of fire on the head’s of our enemies and leave any further vengeance to You. Lord please help us to lose enemies and gain friends through Your intervention. I love You Lord, Amen.

THE LORD WILL GIVE STRENGTH

Today’s Text: The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)

Today’s Thoughts: Ever felt that you couldn’t go on with life? Ever experienced a heartache so deep that you thought you’d never recover? Ever wished life could just pause until you were ready to move forward? No matter what may come our way, God has promised to give us strength and peace. He knows how devastated we may be. But He also knows that continuing with life is the only way we’d ever be able to recover. He does not leave us alone to cope with life after distress, He is right there with us, to give us strength and peace.

Today’s Testimony: Do you remember the testimony I shared with you yesterday? I’d like to add on to that. Before my mom phoned I was chatting to a friend on Mxit. After I’d finished speaking to my mom, he and I continued chatting. I told him about my bunny, and he allowed me to share some memories. One of the messages I sent him said, “But hey, life goes on.” For me it was more of a negative thing, kind of like: “I’ll just have to cope; life won’t come to a standstill and wait for me to recover; I’ll just have to march on, ready or not”.
His reply said, “Yeah, that’s the good part.” I thought, “What?!” But then I started thinking. Let me share the chorus of yet another song that I wrote that was inspired by the words of my friend:

Life goes on, that’s the good part you see
For if it had to come to a standstill, we would never be set free
God in His wisdom, knew we’d never journey on
And then we’d never, once again be strong
And that’s why life, goes on

It’s so true. If life didn’t carry on, and waited for us to recover first, we’d never march on. But with life carrying on our heartache soon lessens as we focus on other things. God is so good! We truly do serve an all-knowing and amazing God!

Today’s Task: Whenever you feel you cannot march on with life, and wish it would all come to a standstill until you’ve recovered, remember that God knows best. In His mercy He leaves life to carry on, knowing that it is exactly what you need in order to get back on your feet. Remember that He has offered you strength and peace. Take advantage of His offer, you’ll need it. You might need it right now. Run too Him.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that when we experience turmoil – life goes on. Lord, that truly is the good part, and I praise you for that. I thank You that You have promised us the strength we need to go on. Help us to accept it. I thank You for the peace that only You can give. Please Lord, grant us Your peace. I love You Lord, and I praise You in Christ’s name, Amen.

MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS

Today’s Text: For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9)

Today’s Thoughts: Let me start by saying that God’s thoughts on this text would be
higher than mine. But I’m going to give you my much lower thoughts. Firstly, let us look at the previous text, verse 7, so we can be sure to use today’s text in its proper context.
The previous text says that the unrighteous man must forsake his thoughts. What are the thoughts of an unrighteous man? To put it plainly, they are unrighteous thoughts.
We as humans think evil thoughts, worldly thoughts, destructive thoughts, but our
loving Heavenly Father thinks good, heavenly and constructive thoughts.
God is good, and only good. His thoughts are good, and His ways are good. We will not always understand His reasoning, but we can have a peaceful trust in knowing that God knows what is best. From our earthly view, we think things should be one way, but from God’s heavenly, all-knowing view, He sees that things are far better a totally different way.

Today’s Testimony: One evening when my family and I arrived at our church for prayer-meeting we spotted an animal sitting outside the church hall. It turned out to be a bunny. We tried to catch it, but to no effect. I prayed for that bunny during the course of that week. I was concerned that it would get eaten by a cat.
The following week when I stepped out of the hall after prayer-meeting the bunny came bounding down the grass toward me. I encouraged it to come to me and we eventually caught it. In short, that bunny became my baby, and he was the sweetest little bunny ever. He honestly was more like a puppy than a bunny. He would play with me, give and receive affection, sulk, misbehave and do all the things a little child would do. I loved him so much and he meant so much to me. You had to have seen us together to truly understand what I mean. No one ever did, he was only his normal affectionate self when it was just us.
Then after I’d had him for just over a year, my sisters and I flew to Cape Town to see our dad and family. About a week before we were to fly back home to Pinetown, my mom phoned. Some family had been staying at our house and they had brought their puppy with them. The day they were to leave, their puppy had gotten into my baby’s cage and killed him.
At that stage my greatest concern was that the family didn’t feel too bad, but yes, it did hit me hard. Yes, I cried. But after the tears, that same day, I wrote a song. I hope you will be able to hear it one day. In short, it was a song of praise because God knows what is best. These are the words of the chorus:

Lord I praise You, for the blessings you bestow
And for the strength You give, when the blessings go
Lord, You know what I need, and when I need it too
O Lord, in spite of all the pain, I still praise You.

Today there is so much turmoil and heartache in this world. We need to get to know our God, so that we can trust Him no matter what. If you are still confused about why we see so much evil, please do not forget that Satan is still very much alive and knows his time is short. But God is good – always good, and only good.

Today’s Task: Trust the Lord. When you can’t trace His hand – trust His heart. He loves you so much, and He truly does care about you. Praise Him for His blessings.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You! I thank You that Your thoughts are not like our thoughts. You think good, and only good. Help us to come to know Your heart, so that we can trust it. O Lord, please give us a peaceful trust in You. Amen

A GOOD NAME

Today’s Text: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. (Proverbs 22:1)

Today’s Thoughts: What do people think of you? Do you have a good reputation? Knowing that people value you for who you are, rather than for what you have, is a priceless treasure. Are you a Christian? Do others know you as a true follower of Christ? I want to be a true Christian. I want to have a good reputation for God’s glory. How about you?

Today’s Testimony: Do you know what your name means? This is the meaning of my name and second name: Lindy: Beautiful; Catherine: Pure One. My nickname is Sunshine.
A few years ago I asked the Lord to help me to live up to my name on the inside. I wanted to be God’s beautiful pure one. I wanted to shine for Him with a positive character.
I then added, “But if You want to make me beautiful on the outside, I won’t complain.”
The Lord granted my request. He is still working on me, but He has changed my selfish, impatient, hot-tempered, disrespectful character so much. Some of these negative traits have even, by His grace, disappeared.
I am so much happier with who I am – internally and externally. God did change my physical appearance too. He has helped me to become a shining light for Him.
If you have met me in person, I hope you have seen Christ in me. If you haven’t met me before, I hope I will have the privilege of meeting you one day, if not now – in Heaven.
My life is a huge testimony to the power of God to change our characters. OK, OK, most people may not have ever thought me to have any of the negative characteristics I mentioned earlier, but I honestly did. God is so good – He has created something beautiful from something that wasn’t.
He longs to do the same for you.

Today’s Task: If you don’t know what your name means, try and find out by using a name book or the internet. Some names are not ones we can live up to, but for some, try and find a personal, practical meaning; an internal, character-building one. Then ask the Lord to help you to live up to that name.
Secondly, are you a Christian? If not, all I can say is that I sincerely hope that Today’s T’s will give you a new glimpse of God – one that will draw You to His feet.
If you are a Christian, ask the Lord to help you to live up to that name and be a true Christian, a true follower of Christ.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You can change lives. I thank You that You can help us to live up to our earthly names, and more importantly, to live up to the name Christian. Lord I pray that You will help us to come to know You more so that we will be able to be true followers of You, reflecting You to the world. O Lord I thank You that You live up to Your names found in Isaiah 9:6 and scattered throughout Your Word. I praise You, Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Amen.