MY CUP RUNNETH OVER

Today’s Text: A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. (Proverbs 28:20)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to take a look at the last part of Psalm 23:5. When our cups run over, it means that God has poured far more than we need, and that He still has excess. God owns everything. He can bless us with what we need, and with far more than we need. He wants to bless us. He wants us to realize just how much He loves us. If we are faithful to God He will faithfully take care of us and even bless us more abundantly than we could ever imagine. We just need to place our trust in Him. Nothing that we could ever gain ourselves can compare to what God can give us.

Today’s Testimony: Today is day 61. That means that I’ve shared 60 testimonies so far – my cup runneth over. God has blessed me so much. I asked the Lord what He wanted me to share with today’s text, and He told me to share how He has blessed me so abundantly with Bibles – I’m crazy about Bibles. Don’t ask me why, but for some or other reason I just like them.
I have so many different Bibles. I had a few of my own, and then my gran gave me many different translations that had belonged to my grandpa. He had worked at a publishing house and also loved Bibles and books. Another thing that I love is language, and Afrikaans is the only other language that I can kind of understand, so I have two Afrikaans Bibles. But I probably wouldn’t mind having Bibles in any other languages either.
At one stage I was looking for a small KJV Bible that could fit in my handbag. I went into the Bible shop and found two piles of two different small Bibles. I can’t remember if they weren’t the translation that I was looking for, if they were not within my price range, or just not exactly what I was looking for, but I didn’t want to buy one of those. But the Lord impressed me to look through both piles of Bibles. Buried in the second pile of Bibles was exactly what I was looking for. It was a small, soft-cover KJV Bible for only R30. God is so good! He knew what I was looking for, and He knew just where I could find it.
On another occasion we went to a second-hand book shop. We were there for quite a while, but I got no further than the Bible section. Just think – all sorts of different Bibles to look at! (I told you I’m crazy about Bibles). I scanned the shelves, looked at a few, and then sat on the floor to look through the piles of smaller Bibles and related books that were on the floor. So many of them were the same, but I looked through each pile. In amongst all those Christian books was a small English dictionary. It looked like one of the Bibles that there were a lot of, and had obviously been mistaken for one. I was so excited! I bought that and a small Afrikaans Bible for only R5. I got my second Afrikaans Bible for free from the same place on another occasion, that one is the normal size. God is so good!!!
I also bought a Bible key-ring a while ago for about R6. I’ve wanted one for years, and I was finally able to buy one at a reasonable price. God is so good! He has blessed me so abundantly with so many blessings. He truly does love His sheep!
God blesses us with what we need, but also sometimes blesses us with special little things simply to say, “I love you child!” I love Him too!

Today’s Task: Count your blessings. Your cup is running over – you just may not have noticed yet. If you are going through a rough time ask the Lord to show you your overflowing cup. He cares about His children. Praise Him for all His blessings – big and small. He deserves our praise!

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You for all Your many blessings! I praise You that you overflow our cups every single day. Please help us to notice. Lord, please remind us to always praise You for every blessing. I thank You that You love and care about each and every one of us. We love You too! Amen.

THOU ANOINTEST MY HEAD WITH OIL

Today’s Text: Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. (Isaiah 41:9)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re looking at the third part of Psalm 23:5. When God chose David as King of Israel He had the prophet Samuel anoint him with oil. This anointing was a symbol that God had chosen him, and called him to do a great work for him. God can, and has, called each one of us to do a great work for Him. He has asked us to be witnesses for Him. He has asked us to work for Him. He may call us out of a life of pride and ease to be His servants – we need to obey. The life that God can give us is far more worthwhile than any life that this world can offer. God has chosen us to be His sheep, He will not cast us away – He loves us far too much.

Today’s Testimony: Today I’d like to share another one of my songs. This one speaks about the Lord hand-picking us. He loves each and every one of us, and He’ll find us no matter where we are. We just need to allow Him to be our Shepherd.

More Than The Extra Mile

You came and found me when I sought You not
You came and bought me when death was my lot
You picked me up as broken as I was
And now I praise You simply because…

You went more than the extra mile for me
You went beyond the call of duty
You did not owe anything to anyone
Lord I stand in awe when I think of all that You have done
For me
And then I praise Thee

You were my Saviour before I was born
You were my Healer before I was torn
You paid my price when I deserved to die
And now I praise You and this is why…

You went more than the extra mile for me
You went beyond the call of duty
You did not owe anything to anyone
Lord I stand in awe when I think of all that You have done
For me
And then I praise Thee

You went more than the extra mile for me

Today’s Task: Allow the Lord to pick you up as His own. And when He has anointed you, go and work for Him. Be a powerful witness for your Shepherd. Tell the world what He has done for you. Show the world what Christ is really like. Make your Master proud. Go the extra mile for Him – He went more than the extra mile for you.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You so much that You were prepared to go more than the extra mile for us. We do not deserve to be saved, but You could not bear to see us lost. Please help us to accept Your gift of Salvation. Lord, we don’t want to disappoint You by choosing our own paths and not making it to spend eternity with You. Help us to work for You so that all that would accept You will have that opportunity. Lord I thank You that You have chosen and called us. Help us to make You smile. Amen.

IN THE PRESENCE OF MINE ENEMIES

Today’s Text: He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. (Psalm 18:48)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re looking at the second part of Psalm 23:5. The Lord can prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. He can bless us so abundantly right before our enemy’s eyes. He can deliver us from our enemies and leave them speechless. He can lift us up above those that try to belittle us. God is our Shepherd – our enemies are God’s enemies – He will intervene.

Today’s Testimony: I only really have one enemy, and that’s Satan himself. He does all sorts of things to interfere with the tasks the Lord gives me. I’ve mentioned before that Satan hates this ministry and I’ve mentioned some of the things he does to interfere, and then how God intervenes. Today I’m going to share some more, and then tell you how God does not let that stop His purposes – He still glorifies His name.
When I went to update Today’s T’s blog after e-mailing the previous one, I somehow managed to accidently delete the entire archive page (that’s where all the past Today’s T’s are available for downloading or simply to view). I emailed my technical manager and he was able to recover up until Day 38. I had to redo the other 20. It didn’t take too long and I didn’t get chucked out of Blogger while fixing the archive page. God is so good!
Now let me share some of the blessings about blog views. The biggest blessing is that there is a certain website that has Today’s T’s blog as the first recommended site to visit while waiting for their service. Many people have visited the blog through that avenue. As for who has viewed the blog, let me simply share all the places that have viewed so far. Firstly, the most views have been from South Africa. Then we have quite a few views from the United States. We have then had views from the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, Russia, Iran and Indonesia. And most of those places have viewed more than once. God is so good! Probably a lot of those people had no idea that they were going to visit a Christian site, but I hope that what they read or saw spoke to their hearts. The whole world needs a Saviour, and only Christ can save them.
Satan keeps trying to attack this ministry, but God keeps blessing it. My biggest blessing lately was when I received an e-mail from someone who is now a good friend of mine. He shared his testimony and how much Today’s T’s means to him. After I read his e-mail I was left praising and saying, “That’s what Today’s T’s is for!” It’s to reach those who really need it. His testimony really gave me an extra boost of strength to go on. God knew I needed some encouragement, so He impressed a Today’s T’s recipient to e-mail me. God is so good!!! He sets a table full of blessings before me, in the very presence of Satan. Our Shepherd cares about His sheep!

Today’s Task: Trust in the Lord. He can deliver you from all your enemies and all your trials. He will never leave you to fight the battle on your own. Ask Him to set your table in the presence of your enemies. Then be sure to let them know that it’s your God that has blessed you – they need Him.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You are God, and therefore can save us from any enemy. Please bless us and let our enemies see and know that we serve an absolutely amazing and loving God. Help us to use each and every blessing as a powerful witness for You. I thank You that You will fight against our enemies. Please help us to trust in You completely. Amen.

THOU PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME

Today’s Text: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (Psalm 23:5)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to focus on just the first part of this text: Thou preparest a table before me; then tomorrow we’ll discuss the table that’s set in the presence of our enemies. God blesses us in so many ways. He provides for all our needs. He spreads a whole table full of blessings before us, just as a shepherd takes his sheep to a whole pasture full of lush, green grass. We do not need to worry about our needs being met – Our Shepherd is in control of that. He’s the one that gives us everything we have, and He will make sure that our table is always prepared with what is best for us.

Today’s Testimony: This morning while I was thinking what I could share today, the Lord said to me, “Lindy, I prepare a table before you every day full of all the blessings and testimonies that you could share, we just have to choose one. Share that.” The Lord truly has blessed me in so many ways. I still have so many testimonies to share, and the Lord still continues to bless.
Sometimes I’ll sit and page through my prayer-diary to find the perfect testimony for that day. Other times the Lord will bring one to my mind, and if it’s recorded in my prayer-diary He’ll help me to find it so I can double-check some of the details or quote from it.
Then the Lord will help me to find the perfect text to share with that testimony. He prepares a whole table full of all the testimonies I could share, and then He has a whole Bible full of texts that He helps me to choose from.” I encourage you to read His Word – it’s full of blessings.
At the moment it’s a little bit more complicated because I’m working up-side-down. Instead of finding a testimony and then looking for the perfect text, my text is chosen for me or I have to look for a text to fit in with the portion of Psalm 23 that we’re sharing for that day, and then I have to find a testimony to fit with the text. God has blessed me in so many different ways though, the table is always full.
When I started working on Today’s T’s the Lord blessed me with so many more experiences to share. He said, “Lindy, I’ve provided for your financial needs, your study needs (exams and assignments), and for so many other needs – I will provide you with testimonies to share. Move forward, you will not run dry.” God is so good!!!
Your table is full of blessings too, just stop and take the time to look. God blesses us every single day. There are so many blessings that we take for granted, until we don’t have them anymore. And then there are so many blessing that we are totally unaware of. God loves us so much! Please love Him back.

Today’s Task: Count your blessings. And then thank the Lord for each one. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His blessings. If you are in need of anything, ask the Lord to provide, He will prepare a whole table before you. Remember that He cares about you so much. And then please, remember to love Him back.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You so much for Your providence! I thank You that You prepare a table full of blessings for us each and every day. Help us to stop and look at our tables to see all the blessings that You have provided. I thank You so much for every single blessing – those we count, those we over-look, and those we are unaware of. You are so good Lord and I praise You! Amen.

THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME

Today’s Text: Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. (Psalm 32:7)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re going to take a look at the last part of Psalm 23:4. A shepherd uses his rod to protect his sheep from wolves and other enemies. He uses his staff to support himself when leading His sheep. For sheep, knowing that their shepherd is there, and fully able to protect them from danger, and to guide them along, sometimes dangerous, paths is a huge comfort to them. They have no need to fear. It’s the same with the Lord. We should be comforted in knowing that our great God is present and fully able to protect and guide us no matter who or what the enemy. We can hide ourselves safely in the Lord. Our hearts will be left with songs of deliverance. Our God is fully able and prepared to deliver us from all harm.

Today’s Testimony: Let me share the behind the scenes of Today’s T’s.
Some friends of mine had drifted a bit from the Lord, and I heard two people talking and the one said, “If only someone would send them a Scripture text or something every day.” A while before, I had been sending a friend a Scripture text and my thoughts on the text every single day, including weekends, for a total (there was a pause for a while in between) of six months, so I thought, “I could do that.”
The Lord then started unwrapping exactly what he wanted me to do – “I want you to send a text and call it Today’s Text, just as you did for your friend. Then I want you to send the thoughts on that text that I give you, and call it Today’s Thoughts….” I can’t remember exactly how it all unfolded, but you all know what the end result was. The Lord led with what to include, and what to call this ministry.
Being me, I was standing in awe and so excited. I started working on one the very next morning. I didn’t allow myself enough time to really think it through: “Lindy, are you crazy?!!! You are planning to send all that, every day. Isn’t that a little bit daunting?!” I don’t know, it was the same with Praise Corner – the Lord often has to choose people who are crazy enough to do what He asks without evaluating the sacrifice, and ignorant enough not to know that the task “cannot be done” (according to human standards).
Only one person that I spoke to has said, “It’s not easy.” It definitely isn’t, but there’s no way I’m turning back. I know that the Lord has called me to do a work for Him, and I’m going to do it for as long as I am able. I knew that my Shepherd would be with me through it all. I knew that He is fully able to protect me when Satan tries to discourage me; I knew that my God is fully able to guide me along the path that He has chosen for me, and therefore I followed His leading. And for the same reason, I hide myself in Him, and press forward. His rod and His staff they comfort me.

Today’s Task: Hide in the Lord from all your troubles. Remember that He is fully able to protect and guide you. Do not fear when troubles come, know that your powerful Shepherd is right there with you. Trust in His care.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You are fully able and willing to protect us from all danger, and to guide us in all paths, no matter how rocky. Lord help us to trust in You and hide ourselves in You as our Refuge. I thank You that You are such a good Shepherd. Lord help us to praise You for Your protection, guidance, care and deliverance. We love You Lord. Amen.

FOR THOU ART WITH ME

Today’s Text: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Psalm 46:7)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re focusing on the forth part of Psalm 23:4. God is ruler over everything. He owns everything. He has hosts of angels that He can send to help us in times of need. He is also the same God who was with Daniel in the lions’ den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. That same God, the God of hosts of angels and people, is the God who can be with us right now. He can be a place of safety to each one of us no matter what evil and trials we may face in life – we just need to make Him Lord in our lives.

Today’s Testimony: I’ve mentioned before that Satan hates this ministry. Today I’m going to start by sharing some of the complications, and how the Lord was still with me to give me strength and help. God will not let this ministry die – it is making a difference in too many lives.
Let me start with the strangest complication. At the moment I type Today’s T’s on one laptop, and then take it on a flash-stick to the other laptop and send it from there. One morning I put my flash-stick into the first laptop and was given the option to scan it for viruses. I decided that I would and then once the scan was complete I decided that I would clear some items off my flash-stick. For some or other reason the flash-stick was no longer registered as being in the lop-top. I then had to take it out and reinsert it.
The most frustrating hiccup is when I’m updating Today’s T’s blog and I get chucked out of Blogger. One day after updating the archive page, before clicking to publish the page, I decided I’d close the place where I got the links from. I’d normally leave it open until I was totally finished. That day, when I clicked “publish page” I got chucked out of Blogger and had to reopen the place where I got the links. That was the first and only time I’ve been chucked out while updating the archive page. That’s also the first and only time I’ve closed the place where I get my links before I was done.
Adding the new posts is where I have the most trouble. I have to change quite a bit before I can publish the post – colour, word size, format etc. But so often when I’m finally finished and click “publish post” I get chucked out of Blogger. I then have to start from scratch.
For some of the more complicated problems I have to contact my technical manager ; but no matter what the hiccup, God always intervenes. He gives me the patience daily to deal with all the necessaries and complications.
Yesterday I couldn’t think what text and testimony to share. I had quite a few texts pasted on stand-by, and then I had quite a few thoughts typed out. Then the Lord intervened as he did with my assignment (Day 15). He said, “Use this text”… “Say this”… “Delete that”… “Move that here”. God helps me every day to know what He wants me to share. Satan wants to destroy this ministry, but God is with me every moment intervening. Whenever I need help, I know I can run to Him. Whenever Satan tries to discourage me, I know I can take refuge in My Shepherd and He will give me strength to press on. No matter what evil comes my way, I know that my God is with me.

Today’s Task: Take refuge in the Good Shepherd no matter what evil comes your way. He cares about His sheep. He knows what you are going through and He is right there to be a strength and a comfort to you. His peace is available – accept it.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You are very present when we are in trouble. I thank You for the strength, comfort and peace that You give when we need it. Lord I pray that You will give us the patience we need to endure every trial. Help us to run to You as our refuge from the storms of life. I thank You that You are always with us and care for us so much. Amen.

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL

Today’s Text: The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? (Psalm 118:6)

Today’s Thoughts: Today we’re looking at the third part of Psalm 23:4. No one wants to be hurt or killed, but our greatest concern should be that we are saved. We may have everything that we need in this life, but if we do not have the Lord, what does all the rest of it really matter. Knowing God is the most important thing in life. Man can hurt us and even kill us, but no matter what happens to us in this life, nothing and no one can take away our Lord from us. They may take away our Bibles and even forbid us to worship our God, but no one can truly take Him away, or destroy the relationship that we have with Him. God is the only constant in our lives. All else is uncertain – even life itself. That’s why it is so important to know the Lord. Then we will have no need to fear no matter what happens to us. And through all our pain and heartache, God will be with us. Don’t ever forsake your God, He loves you so much.

Today’s Testimony: One day in my youth class we were discussing persecution. My youth leader said, “If they threatened to pluck your toe-nails off one by one until you forsook your God, what would you do?”
I know that Satan is already persecuting so many of God’s people, but I also know that persecution will heighten and all God’s true followers will be affected and have to choose between God’s truth and Satan’s error which is portrayed as God’s truth. That’s why Jesus Himself was persecuted – the priests thought that they were doing a good work for God, but they were really working for Satan.
Persecution is always horrific, and the torture is never desired, but the question to ask when facing persecution is not, “Can I bear the torture?” but, “Am I willing to forsake my God?” And the answer to that should be a definite, “No!”
When I presented the week-of-prayer that I mentioned a while ago, I sang one of my songs to close each evening. I’d like to share the words to the one I sang on the last evening. I want to stand for my God at all costs. What have I truly gained if I spare this earthly life for a few days, but lose out on spending eternity with my loving Shepherd?!

I Will Stand

They’ll come with fire and sword
And take away God’s word
But still I will stand
They will threaten me with death
But I will take my last breath
Knowing that I’m safe within God’s hand

I will stand, no matter what the cost
I will stand, for I refuse to be lost
When hardships come
Though I may be the only one
I will stand; Lord I’ll stand, for You

When things get rough
We may be tempted to give up
But still we must stand
Though we think we’re on our own
We will never stand alone
For God will be holding our hands

I will stand, no matter what the cost
I will stand for I refuse to be lost
When hardships come
Though I may be the only one
I will stand; Lord I’ll stand, for You

I will stand; Lord we’ll stand, for You

Today’s Task: Remember that the Lord is your Shepherd and that you do not have to fear. No matter what Satan uses to attack you, he can never take away your God. When Satan attacks – cling to your God, He will give you the strength you need. Do not fear evil, it will only last a little while longer – our Saviour is coming back. Make sure that He is your God – that’s all that matters. I invite you to take hold of the Lord’s strength and endure persecution – your reward will be an everlasting life of peace with your Shepherd.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that no one can take You or Salvation away from us. I thank You that You will be with us in every trial, and that You will give us strength to endure. Lord help us to realize how valuable it is to know You, and that nothing else is more important. I thank You that we do not need to fear. Help us to trust in You. Amen.