OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

Today’s Text: We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. (2Corinthians 4:8, 9)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re focusing on the second part of Psalm 23:4. Yesterday we spoke about the average valleys of life; today we’re going to speak about the more serious ones. For some of us we cannot always say the words found in today’s text – when we’re troubled on every side, we get distressed; when we are perplexed, we sink into despair; when we are persecuted, we feel forsaken; when we are cast down, we have no hope to live for. But God wants us to be able to cling to Him so tightly that we can always say the words in this text – no matter how dark the valley. He is always there for us to turn to. We can place our hope in Him, and He will carry us through the valley.

Today’s Testimony: If you’ve always been totally satisfied in life and never ever wanted to get out of a certain situation, you’re probably one in a few, if not the only. At some stage in life, we all wish we could get out. Some people turn to the temporary and fake relief of alcohol and cigarettes and all the other “distress-masks” that Satan offers. Even worse, some people take their lives because they see no hope to live. If you face times like these, please find your source of relief in The Good Shepherd.
Today I’d like to share two pieces from a book that I found encouraging when I was sick of life. They are both found in the book “Prophets and Kings” by the author E. White. The context in which these sections are found is the story of Elijah when he ran away from Queen Jezebel in fear for his life. He then wished he could die. The story is found in 1Kings 19. Here are the two excerpts:

Into the experience of all there come times of keen disappointment and utter discouragement – days when sorrow is the portion, and it is hard to believe that God is still the kind benefactor of His earthborn children; days when troubles harass the soul, till death seems preferable to life. It is then that many lose their hold on God and are brought into the slavery of doubt, the bondage of unbelief. Could we at such times discern with spiritual insight the meaning of God's providences we should see angels seeking to save us from ourselves, striving to plant our feet upon a foundation more firm than the everlasting hills, and new faith, new life, would spring into being. (Prophets and Kings pg. 162)

For the disheartened there is a sure remedy – faith, prayer, work. (Prophets and Kings pg. 164)

Have you ever felt like that? Just think, God cares so much about us that He sends His angels to try and save us from destroying ourselves. He wants us to find the peace that only He can offer.
When we do feel down and out, the best thing we can do is have faith, pray, and keep working. By working we turn our minds away from our sorrows and often they will shrink into insignificance. Working for the Lord is the best form of work to draw us back to His peace.
These two passages gave me strength when I was despairing of life; I hope they give you peace and strength to press on too. The Good Shepherd is there for you – He cares about you.

Today’s Task: Cling to your Saviour. No matter what dark and life-threatening valleys you may face, know that God is there and that He truly does care. Ask Him for His strength and peace. If you ever battle with stress and despair – place your faith in God, pray and find a work to do for Him. He longs to lift you out of despair. Take hold of His hand.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You do not leave us to destroy ourselves – You do all that You can to save us from ourselves. I thank You that You are with us in every trial. Please give us strength and peace to endure. Help us to know that You are very present in every valley. Lord help us to have faith and to take all our anxieties to You. Lord please give us a work to do for You no matter how simple it may be. I thank You for Your great love. Amen.

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY

Today’s Text: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
(Psalm 23:4)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’ll take a look at just the first part of this text. Life is full of highs and lows. Not all lows are life-threatening, so today we’re going to simply focus on the standard valleys of life. God is with us in every valley. No matter what troubles we may face in life, our Shepherd is there for us. He cares about His sheep. We do not need to fear while in the valley because our almighty God is with us. And yet we all so often tend to fear and stress and get depressed when we face turmoil. God doesn’t want us to. He wants us to run to Him straight away. He can give us peace no matter how dark the valley may be. Turn to Him today.

Today’s Testimony: Today I’m going to share a few portions from my prayer diary. One of the reasons I started keeping a prayer diary in the first place was because my life was in turmoil and I needed strength, guidance and peace. I started using a prayer diary in October 2007. The sections I’m going to share come from the first few pages of my first prayer diary. I’m not going to write everything that I said, but I’ll share just enough to say that God is still very present when we go through our valleys. If we turn to Him for peace, He will grant it. We just need to accept it.
(First day) “Lord, You and only You know what is happening in my life. You see the pain, questions, concern, fear, and yet, at the same time, You see the praise as You heal, answer, provide and comfort. I love You Lord!”
(Two days later) “Lord, I thank You for comforting and strengthening me today through my tears. … Please Lord, stay here, I need You. I’m not doing very well, but I’ve never felt so close to You before. Through all this pain You are refining me. Don’t stop Lord, don’t stop!”
(The following day) “My life still feels like it’s in turmoil. But I realize that it is necessary for my refining process. Lord, I thank You for the amazing peace You continually give me. Today, as yesterday, I went through periods of tears and fears, but You always comforted and helped me through. You are so good!”
(The next day) “Today I just missed tears. I came close to tears, but You dried them before they fell. Thank You Lord!”
I took my tears and fears to my Shepherd and He intervened. He truly does love each one of His sheep.

Today’s Task: I invite you to take all your tears, fears, stress and anxiety to The Good Shepherd. He loves you. Talk to Him about your valley. Allow Him to walk beside you and guide you through it. Take hold of His strength and peace. God is always there for you!

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You are with us in every valley if we invite You to be. We need Your peace and strength at all times, but especially in the valleys of life. Lord please give us Your peace right now. So many of us are struggling right now. I thank You that You care about us so much, You don’t want to see us stressed, anxious and depressed. I thank You that You will intervene. Help us to know and remember that You are very present when our lives are in turmoil. Lord please grant us Your peace. Amen.

FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE

Today’s Text: For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
(1Samuel 12:22)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to take a look at the last part of Psalm 23:3. The Lord will lead us in His way and not forsake us for His name’s sake. So many people see Christians as hypocrites because they claim to be living for God, but they are no different from the world. God leads us in the paths of righteousness because He knows that the life He wants us to live is better for us, but He also leads us in His way to protect His name. If God forsook His people, what kind of God would the world see Him to be?! He calls us to be true followers of His. He leads us in His way, and does not forsake us, for our own benefit and to bring honour to His name. I want to be a true follower of Christ and bring honour and glory to my Shepherd. Don’t you?

Today’s Testimony: Imagine if people could just look at you and know that you are a true Christian – before they’ve seen you do anything or heard you say anything. It is possible. I’ve had that experience many times. God has a high standard for His sheep because He loves us and wants what is best for us. If we truly live up to that standard the world will be able to know that we are followers of Christ at first glance. A life that is lived in Christ cannot but bring honour and glory to His name.
When I was about sixteen, my family and I were studying a few of God’s requirements for His people. One thing that we came across was His high standard of dress. Do we really dress for Christ and for Him alone? If Christ had to stand infront of us, would any of us feel uncomfortable with the way we are dressed? I didn’t dress totally for Christ at that stage.
We discussed that we should not wear any clothes that attracts attention to our bodies. One thing that needed to change was the tight pants I was used to wearing. The reason was because, like I said, they attract attention. My thoughts were, “But that’s why we wear pants!” Isn’t that so true – the reason we shouldn’t do something is so often the same reason why we do it in the first place. We love attention! We want to look good! We want to fit in! But what does God require?
It was not easy to change my wardrobe, but I then started wearing long skirts instead of pants. I do sometimes still wear pants, but I wear a long top over. I do look different from most of the girls I know, and it definitely wasn’t easy to make that change, but God had lead, and I had to follow.
On one occasion while in Cape Town we went to the same plant-nursery two days in a row. On the second day, the gentleman guarding the cars asked if my sisters and I were Christians. My step-mom told him that we were, and he said, “I can see by the long skirts they’re wearing.” That is only one of many similar stories. We can stand out for Christ in something as simple as our dress. And yet I also know that it is one of the hardest things for us to change. I didn’t write this testimony to tell you how to dress, I simply wanted to share how easy it is to be a witness for God – no words; no actions. But I do encourage you to take your dress-code to the Lord for checking. Ask Him if He is happy with the way you dress. Ask Him if He would have you change anything for His name’s sake. I want to follow Him wherever He leads, at all costs. Do you?

Today’s Task: Ask the Lord if there is anything in your life that He would have you change in order to bring honour and glory to His name. Ask Him to lead you in paths of righteousness, and then follow Him for His name’s sake. Ask Him for the strength to live for Him at all costs. Trust His standards, He knows what is truly best for us.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that we can bring honour and glory to Your name simply by walking in Your paths of righteousness. There are so many things in our lives that we need to change, but You will not forsake us and leave us to struggle on our own. I thank You that You will help us to live totally for You. Help us to follow You always for Your name’s sake. Amen.

HE LEADETH ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Today’s Text: Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. (Psalm 5:8)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re focusing on the second part of Psalm 23:3.A shepherd uses his staff to keep his sheep together and on the right road. These days they also use dogs to herd the sheep. Our heavenly Shepherd wants to keep us in His chosen path; He wants to keep us on the road toward Heaven. Sometimes we’re tempted to stray from God’s way because we feel that “fair’s fair”. We want to retaliate, and get our enemies back; or we don’t want to do what others ask us to do because we feel it is unfair. God doesn’t call us to decide when to act righteously, He leads us in that path all the time. We need to do what’s right in His eyes at all times, and simply leave Him to intervene if the situation is unfair. It’s definitely not easy, but God knows that. He will give us strength. Trust Him, and follow Him.

Today’s Testimony: One morning I went into the kitchen for breakfast and my step-dad asked me to grind up some seeds for his breakfast. We were both wanting to eat and I needed to grind up my own seeds too. In all fairness, according to the human heart, we should each have to grind our own seeds. But the Lord requires us to be obedient, and so I, not exactly very joyfully, but silently, ground up my step-dad’s seeds.
While I was busy the Lord and I had a talk about it. I knew that He wanted me to grind up those seeds whether it was fair or not, so we started talking about what He would have done. Jesus would have done every task that His earthly parents set before Him with joy. He would have been more than willing to be of service to them. The thought of the task being unfair never would have crossed His mind. And I said, “Lord, I can’t imagine myself doing this joyfully.”
The best option the following day, in human terms, would have been to make myself scarce and not be around when my step-dad was preparing his breakfast. But according to God’s way, that was not an option. I ground up my step-dad’s seeds the following morning, but I can’t remember what went through my mind.
The third day was when the real change took place. I went into the kitchen and quickly ground up my step-dad’s seeds before he got into the kitchen to ask. I did it as quickly as possible so I could surprise him when he asked. When he did come and ask me to grind up his seeds I could joyfully tell him that they were already ground up and waiting.
That was the last day that he asked me to grind his seeds. After that he ground them himself. In my opinion, the Lord simply wanted to teach me how to walk in His way of righteousness. Once I’d past the “test” I no longer needed to grind my step-dad’s seeds. The Lord often chooses other methods of training for me, and that’s because He wants me to live in Him and for Him. He wants each of us to follow Him as He leads us in His paths of righteousness. Will you follow Him?

Today’s Task: Forget what the world says is fair and unfair. Follow the Lord’s way no matter what, at all costs. Allow Him to lead you in paths of righteousness. Follow your Shepherd joyfully. God’s way is the best way. He blesses His faithful sheep.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You are a faithful Shepherd. Help us to be faithful sheep. I thank You that You do not leave us to stray in the paths of unrighteousness, but lead us in the paths of righteousness. Lord help us to follow You – always. I thank You that You care about Your sheep so much. Amen.

HE RESTORETH MY SOUL

Today’s Text: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:3)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to focus on just the first part of this verse. Do you ever need encouragement? When we are feeling down our Shepherd is willing and waiting to comfort and strengthen us. He longs to restore our souls to the state of peace that He has blessed us with in the past. He wants to one day restore us to the incomprehensible peace that He intended for us to have when He created us. If you need God’s peace once again, or even if you’ve never sensed His presence and peace before, invite Him to come into your heart and bless you with His peace. We all need peace.

Today’s Testimony: When Today’s T’s first started going out I received feedback in some way or another just about every day, but for ages now I’ve hardly received anything. The greatest feedback lately has been checking which parts of the world have viewed Today’s T’s blog. Many of those people stumble across the blog accidentally, and yet God’s hand is in everything. Please pray that all those people will find their Saviour, no matter how much they see or read. The Revealing Christ Ministries logo of the heart on the cross says more than a thousand words, and that’s probably the first thing they see.
Last night I was feeling rather discouraged. There are a lot of things concerning me at the moment. I went to an evangelistic campaign and while sitting there the Lord reminded me that I need to find my peace in Him and Him alone. Even if there’s no one to encourage me and a few that Satan uses to discourage me, it does not matter, as long as I have the Lord.
When I left the meeting I had a good chat to a dear friend that I hadn’t spoken to in ages. The Lord used that to cheer me up.
The Lord and I sat down and wrote this song last night and this morning. If you are also in need of the Lord’s restoring power in your life, I hope this song will help you to sense God’s peace.

Lord Please Restore

Lord please restore my soul
Please take my crushed spirit and make it whole
For Lord I am so weak I can barely carry on
I need Your strength to lean upon

Lord please lead me back to Your peace
Where my burdens You untie and release
For I know that In You my weary soul can find
Hope and peace of mind

Even if there is no one to encourage me
And though there be a few that would discourage me
Lord may my peace be found in You alone
For though there be no one else, with You I’m never on my own

This sheep Lord, is ready to come home
This sheep Lord, no longer wants to roam
Away from the peace I find in You
O Lord comfort me as only You can do
This sheep Lord, as weary as I be
Knows that You Lord, will gladly carry me
For I dare not go forward alone
Lord this sheep is coming home

Lord, your peace please restore
And help this sheep to stray no more

Today’s Task: Ask the Lord to restore your soul. Ask Him for comfort and peace. Remember to never focus on all the things that discourage and disappoint, but totally and only on Christ. If we focus on anything else we’re bound to lose the peace He wants us to have. I invite you to accept God’s peace today.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I praise and thank You for Your peace. I thank You that as our loving Shepherd You restore our souls. Lord please comfort and strengthen us and give us hope. Help us to turn to You for peace and to You alone. Lord I thank You that You care about each one of us so much. Amen.

HE LEADETH ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS

Today’s Text: Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re focusing on the second part of Psalm 23:2: He leadeth me beside the still waters. I love the sound of a gentle stream. Although I also love the sound of a furious waterfall. But a shepherd takes his sheep to drink at calm waters. But even more than that, he leads them beside those calm waters so that they can be refreshed at any time. They can also drink to prepare themselves for the dry parts of the journey. Today I’d like to compare the still waters to God’s peace. It is always there for us to drink from. Our Shepherd wants us to have peace no matter what we are going through. He can give us the peace that we need now, and give us peace for what He knows is coming our way. If we are stressing and keeping away from God’s river of peace, He might need to tell us to be still, to be quiet, and then when we can hear the calming sound of the stream, we can find His peace. We can then drink of God’s peace, and be refreshed.

Today’s Testimony: Last year as part of my studies I did two year modules. Both of them had rather complicated second assignments and they were both due shortly after the mid-year break. My year had been extremely busy. First I had to focus on the first assignments for my first semester modules; then the first assignments for my year modules; then the second assignments for the semester modules; then I had to study for and write my first semester exams; and then during the mid-year break I helped with two Vacation Bible Schools. Now I was left with two weeks each for my two second assignments for my year modules. It was recommended that we worked on them for three “months”. I prayed and left it all in the Lord’s hands.
One module was on couples counselling, and I had to interview a couple, and then five individuals. Firstly I had to design a brochure on conflict management and design an outline for my interview with the couple and a questionnaire for the five individuals. Then most importantly, I had to find people who were willing to be interviewed. I started stressing.
I got permission from a couple, and found a few individuals, but I still needed more. The morning I was to conduct all the interviews the Lord sent me a message. I’ve mentioned my alarm clock before, and it was a message through that. My alarm clock had been keeping time all night for ages. That morning I got up and went to the bathroom when my sister’s alarm clock went off, and when I got back the Lord said, “ Lindy, check your alarm clock.” I did and it had stopped. The Lord then said, “If I can intervene with your alarm clock, I can intervene with your assignment.” I needed that strength.
On the way to do my interviews and find more candidates I felt a strange sense of peace. Finally when I was on my way back home, and realized that everything was sorted out, the Lord said to me, “Be still my child, I am here.” That’s what He had been saying to my heart the whole day, but I only heard it then. God can give us an amazing sense of peace when we need it. We just need to be still, and know that He is there.
Both my assignments were sent off on time. I’ll share about the complications and God’s intervention with the other one at a later stage, but for now, let me say that I got distinctions for both of them. To get a distinction for a complicated assignment done in two weeks is humanly not possible, at least not for me, but my Tutor can do the impossible!

Today’s Task: Be still and know that the Lord is God. Know that He is with you. Know that He can do the impossible. Allow the Shepherd to lead you beside His still waters. Drink of His peace. We all need it. And then tell others about the peace that only God can give. Tell them what the Lord has done for you and can do for them too. Let our great God be exalted in all the earth.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You for Your peace. I thank You that You care about Your sheep. I thank You that You supply all our needs. I pray that You will help us to be still and accept Your peace. I thank You for making it available to us. I pray in Christ’s name, Amen.

HE MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES

Today’s Text: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (Psalm 23:2)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to focus on the first part of this text. A Shepherd never takes his sheep to dry grass, or rocky mountain to graze, he always looks for the best pastures. In those lush, green pastures the sheep can eat to their hearts content, and then lie down to sleep on that soft grass, knowing that they can rest peacefully because their shepherd is watching over them. Our Shepherd cares for us far more than any earthly shepherd could ever care for his sheep. Some of us may be experiencing turmoil in our lives, but God has lush, green pastures that He wants to take us to. In His presence we can find peace and safety no matter what we are going through. In His Word we can also find messages to give us peace and hope. If we follow our Shepherd to the green pastures to which He wants to lead us we will be able to rest in peace and safety.

Today’s Testimony: One year while attending a church camp-meeting, where hundreds of people meet to spend time together and listen to uplifting messages, I started feeling very down-and-out. There was no main reason, it was just a few small things that really started getting me discouraged with myself.
Why was I feeling so down-and-out at a camp-meeting of all places?! I had prayed about it and had tried singing, but nothing seemed to help. The Lord tried to calm me down, but I would not relax. He tried to tell me that He loved me and that that was all that mattered, but even that didn’t help.
I was sitting in one of the meetings feeling that I could just burst into tears. The speaker started off by speaking about Solomon who had everything that money could buy, but had no peace. The rest of the message was basically that we do not need to run after the world’s good, and shouldn’t. Our greatest need is to follow the Lord with all our hearts. If we live in the Lord, He will provide us with everything that we need.
The Speaker then started sharing testimonies of how the Lord had provided for Him on so many occasions. It was then that the Lord took my mind back to my testimony about His providence for me and Praise Corner. He had provided for me in so many ways. He cared about me. I then couldn’t hold back the tears, but these were tears of joy and gratitude. And you know what the Lord ended off by saying? “I told you I love you.”
The Lord had “green pastures” of peace that He wanted to lead me to, but I was too busy straying on the rocky mountains to follow His leading. Finally He carried me to those pastures of peace, and I found peace.
Then later that day I bumped into someone who asked me what I was doing with myself. I told her that I was studying from home through UNISA. She then told me that I should have been studying at our church’s university. I had considered that at one stage and had gotten the forms to register, but then plans had changed and I ended up studying something else from home. I then started heading back to the “rocky mountains”. “Should I have been studying there?” “Was I in the wrong place?” I started feeling down-and-out again, wondering if maybe I had not followed the Lord’s will for my life.
The Lord then sat me down and said, “Lindy, no one knows you and your life better than I do. I have you where I want you.” That settled it for me. I was back in the peaceful pastures chosen by the Lord, and I was staying there.
The Lord often has to bring me back to His pastures of peace when I lose that sense of peace, but He always does. I’m always so much happier in His lush green pastures. I invite you to follow the Lord there too.

Today’s Task: God wants us to experience His peace. Follow Him to green pastures and rest in His peace. You might also find yourself straying to dry grass and rocky mountains, but when He comes to lead you back to lush green pastures I encourage you to follow. Accept God’s peace in your life today.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You for Your peace. I thank You that You do not leave us in dry pastures or rocky mountains when we stray from Your peace, You come and tenderly lead us back to Your peace. Lord help us to follow You. Help us to accept Your peace. Lord I thank You that You care about us so much. Amen.