ROADBLOCK REMOVAL!

ROADBLOCK REMOVAL

Verse for Today: Monday, February 07, 2011
Exodus 14:15 - Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on".

There are times when God's people reach a point of no return. If they continue to linger with complaints, unbelief, doubt, fear and frustration, soon the enemy will follow and devour them. They are not expected to stay with hesitation at the points of no return. They should not waste their time and energy, look back and wonder why God has brought them to this point. The Lord wants them not to stop on the way and take a look around to see if the enemy is following them. He expects them to keep going. It is good to cry to the Lord on the way and put our absolute trust in the Lord for onward journey, but it is not a time to slow down to look at the circumstances and to invite doubts and unbelief. The hindrance in front of us is only earthly, and will subdue to the power of God which is with us. We are traveling on the basis of the promises of Almighty God who is the source of all power and strength to fulfill the promises. If He can deliver us from the greatest world empire, He can definitely rescue us from any impending roadblocks. These roadblocks are brought to our attention only to renew our trust in the Lord. When we see the stumbling block, all we need to do is to entrust it along with all its consequences to the Lord and keep going. The Lord has given the promise that we will reach Canon and nothing in this universe will be able to stop us from reaching our destination. Surely there will be roadblocks created by the enemy. Sometimes the Lord also takes us through His creation like the Red Sea or the Sea of Galilee, but He is with us and He has gone before us to pave the way through these. He is the One who walks on the water and holds the waters of all the oceans of this earth in the palm of His hand. So these roadblocks can best be a test of our faith and so we should step forward by faith.

Dear friend, are you at a point of no return and are fearful of the roaring sea in front of you and the armies of the enemy which are following you? Is there doubt in your heart as you look back? Does the water wall in front of you terrorize you to paralysis? But you are not to look back to see if the enemy is following you or look at the water wall of the Red Sea in front of you and focus your attention on these. You are given light through the clouds for the day and the night, and you need to walk as the clouds travel in front of you. No matter what is on the way as a roadblock, it is only earthly and not heavenly. These roadblocks are either to terrify you to retreat or test to see how firm a foundation you have in your heart to believe in the promises of God to keep going. Please know that doubts and confusions will never come from the Spirit of God, but only from the enemy. The enemy will set up the circumstances to terrify you and cause doubt. But the Lord wants you to look up and see the guiding clouds and keep going. If you take your eyes off the guiding clouds, you will see hindrances which will break you down. Your spiritual enthusiasm need to continue to be ignited with the promises of God. You should not waste your energy to cry in desperation and unbelief, but trust joyfully in the power and promise of God. Remember, you need not be concerned about the Red Sea or other roadblocks until you take the first step into it. At that time, the Lord will put your feet on dry ground. Until you take your first step of faith, you don't need to expect a miraculous and mysterious passage in sight. This mysterious passage which the Lord has already prepared for you is to be seen by faith and it ought to strengthen you to take the first step of faith. The Lord will prepare the ground for the second step after you take the first, and then the third and so on. If you can trust your God for your eternity, what blocks you from trusting Him for each of the steps that you need to take in your sojourn. So dear friend, honor the Lord by believing in His promises and keep moving by taking the first step of faith. This is not the time to stop because of fear of the roadblocks, but a time to keep moving forward even through the most powerful and intimidating roadblocks in the power of our Lord. As He has promised, we shall cross over and reach the other side of the sea, and from there we have miles to go by trusting the same Lord and the same power. Yes, we shall overcome all these blocks by His power.

Romans 4:20 & 21 - Yet with respect to the promise of God, (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and fully assured that what God had promised He was able also to perform.

Thought for Today
The promise of God overrules all the intimidating and scary roadblocks confronted by His people.

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STILL WATERS FOR STILL PEOPLE!

STILL WATERS FOR STILL PEOPLE

Verse for Today: Sunday, February 06, 2011
Exodus 14:13 - But Moses told his people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again".

In times of peril, the world and our flesh expect and urge us to take some quick action. We are urged either to fight or flight. Fight comes from our flesh and intelligence that with our resources, we can try to win over the enemy. Flight comes from our fear that our enemy is strong and will come and destroy us. But the formula for safety given to us by the Lord is three fold. First we must shed our fears because He is with us and what He has promised to do for us still holds. We should not be afraid because the one who is with us is mightier than any sword, Chariot, horse or army. Secondly, we are asked to stand still and not go back until we are commanded to move. When we stand with the unmovable Rock of Ages, there is no need for us to move away. Nothing will happen to the Rock which is our refuge. Thirdly we need to stand and watch what the Lord will do for us. It is going to be a mysterious and amazing demonstration of divine power to deliver us which will cause us to praise and sing hallelujah to the Lord who is our deliverer. If He can bring us to this point, He is faithful to take us forward to our destination. The Lord has already written down our future in His Book, and no force in this Universe can alter it. But for all of these to be experienced, we need to throw away our apprehension and anxiety, and focus our eyes on the Lord and what He is about to do for us. Even if the enemy comes very near to us, the Lord will not allow the enemy to touch and hurt us. He has a plan and it will unfold according to His schedule. Our eyes should be focused on what the Lord will do for us and not what the enemy might do against us. His promise is to be fulfilled at a specific time frame and will not be delayed because the Lord has announced it.

Dear friend, are you cornered by the enemy from behind and all around? Do you find the greatest hindrance in front of your eyes? Is the situation you are faced with fierce and unique? Is the situation trying to drain your energy from you and making you loose your confidence? Remember, who is with you? It is the Lord who brought you so far and He has promised to take you to your final destination. If the pathway hitherto is any thing to go by, it would speak volumes about the way He is able to lead you and take you forward. He is the Lord who can take you out of your trouble without the use of sword or chariots. His right hand has brought you out of trouble and it is holding you even now. His hands are as powerful as they have always been. When He holds you by His hands, nothing untoward will happen to you. Not only that, while He holds you, He has asked that you hold Him and His promises firmly. You also have the company of a great cloud of witnesses who have trusted this Lord and come out by faith. Your faith in Him has to be contagious and should keep encouraging and strengthening you to strengthen others to keep going. When you and I cry unto the Lord in the wake of hindrances and phobias, you will hear His voice echoing in your heart that He will amaze you with His mighty acts specially designed for you. Not only that, what He is going to do for us is not seen nor heard by any one, and not even imagined by any body else so far. This is because the Lord has unique ways to deliver His people in unique circumstances. Our God's promises are predictable, but His ways are mysterious. We need the peace that passes all understanding to stand still, watch, experience and become a part of His amazing acts. He will never be late but will come to rescue us in mysterious ways to our amazement and for the praise of His name. God's rescue plan is sometimes before the trouble, sometimes through the trouble and sometimes even after the trouble, but in all of these situations, He guarantees to keep us safe and secure under His wings. Let us trust this great God to be our deliver even from the present predicaments.

Psalms 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Thought for Today
God of Heaven often waits for us to be still and put all our confidence in Him, and then His power will be demonstrated in and for us.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

IMPACTING THE FATHER OF ALL MERCIES!

IMPACTING THE FATHER OF ALL MERCIES!

Verse for Today: Saturday, February 05, 2011
Exodus 3:8 - So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.

The all-powerful God normally works from Heaven, but His presence can be seen everywhere in this Universe, as also His glory. But there are special occasions when God comes down to the earth to intervene in the affairs of His children when they are in despair. He has come down to enter into a covenant with Abraham and to renew His promise to him about the blessings already given to him. He once came down as the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly hosts, to strengthen Joshua in the face of war. Isaiah saw Him seated in the Temple in His full glory when he lost all hope at the time of the demise of King Uzziah. He met Paul in his prison cell at Caesarea to strengthen him and to renew His promises. He met face to face with Ezekiel and appeared to John in the island of Patmos. Yes, He comes down to reassure and directly involve with the affairs of His children at special occasions. One such occasion was when He came down to rescue Israel from Egypt and also to commission Moses for this ministry of deliverance. He could have done all of these directly from Heaven. But He decided to come down to give Moses a revelation of Himself to commission him for the great act of deliverance of Israelites because He has heard the cries of His people who have been under oppression for long. They cried unto Him and He heard them. He wanted come down because the situation of the Israelites was extremely urgent, pitiful and dire. He wanted to convince Moses about the importance of delivering His people and show Moses the strategic importance of Moses' job as the leader directly appointed by God. So God appeared in person to Moses. God wanted to convince Moses about the impact of the cries of Israelites in Him. He is our Immanuel and He dwells with us and is a partaker in our battles every day, every hour and moment.

Dear friend, do you realize how our cries impact God? Even though He has the whole universe to look after, He is concerned about each of us personally. He listens to our cries and sees our bitter experiences in this world which is the territory temporarily controlled by the enemy of our souls. Our experiences of pain, misery, despair, distress and desperation create an impact on our Lord as He treats us like the apple of His eyes. Those who touch us touch Him and He feels it. He holds us close to Himself like a baby is cuddled by the mother and a mother bird covers her chicks. God of love, compassion, mercy and grace becomes emotional and is moved by the sufferings of His children at all times. Our Lord Jesus Christ had compassion over those He loved when they went through hunger, thirst, sickness, demon attack and bereavement and expressed His emotions to them and went to their rescue. He never forsook any one, but always helped them and solved their problems. He has never sent any one who came to Him for help empty handed. He is the Lord who touches and heals. He takes bread and fish in His own hands to break for several thousand people. He stoops down to wash the dirty feet of His disciples. He prepared breakfast for the hungry disciples even when they went backsliding. He is the God of all mercies and compassion who comes down to help His children in dire need. This God is with us today and He comes down to our situations to personally interfere in our affairs to meet our needs and solve our problems. So dear friend, no matter what we are going through today, our Lord will come down to give us comfort, encouragement and peace in our situations and to meet our special needs. By coming down to us, He gives us personal attention, care and divine fellowship in our moments of tears, pain, misery and despair. It is for us to cry aloud to Him, and He will respond in person to wipe our tears.

Psalms 107:14 - He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

Thought for Today
The heart-felt cries of His children impact the God of mercy to personally interfere to rescue His children from distress.

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RULER OF ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!

RULER OF ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Verse for Today: Friday, February 04, 2011
Exodus 2:1 - Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman.

The situations which people go through make a big difference in their lives. Situations are most often limiting factors for people to take bold steps forward because unfavourable situations and circumstances are often taken as red signals by people. But when someone takes bold steps to go forward in spite of situations and circumstances, it shows their courage and confidence in life. When we observe the lives of the Biblical characters who were used of the Lord, we find that many of them took bold decisions in the wake of most difficult circumstances. The parents of Moses were two such people who put their faith and trust in the Lord. They lived at a time when raising a family, especially with a male child, was unthinkable for Israelites. But this couple trusted God to look after their child. They believed in a God who would even use the cry of a child to accomplish His purpose. Even the deep waters of river Nile did not cause any alarm for them because they trusted in the God who created the waters of the longest river in the world. We can today praise God for the parents of Moses who had the faith, confidence and boldness to raise a family and to leave the consequences to the Lord. Their simple faith was honored by the Lord who gave them victory and prepared the way for Moses to be raised in the palace rather than in the household of a suffering and persecuted Israelite under the tyranny of Egypt. These parents are a great challenge for us today to trust God even in our most difficult circumstances and to have the faith in the Lord to look after the consequences of our steps of faith. The object of the faith of these parents was the Lord who made all the difference in their lives. God honored their faith to see to it that their son would become the savior of Israelites and the mighty instrument God used to deliver His people from the slavery of Egypt.

Dear friend, are you living in circumstances which are perilous and fearful? Do you experience uncertainty every where you go? Is your situation life-threatening and intimidating? But even in such horrifying circumstances, rest assured that your Lord is with you. He understands your situation with all its dangers. He is over and above all circumstances. He is the Lord of the circumstances. He is the God of the dens of lions and the Lord of the fiery furnace which the world prepares for His children. He is the God of the Red Sea and Marah. He opens the dark dungeons for His children to take them to His eternal purpose. He takes them through the storms, wind, waves and shipwreck. He establishes the dignity of a family through converting water into wine. He feeds thousands even in the midst of a desert, and with meager substances. If we trust this Lord even in the midst of waves, He will enable us to rule over the waves by helping us to walk over it, as He did for Peter. But if we look at the waves instead of the Lord, we might sink into the deep waters of circumstances. Let us today allow ourselves to be challenged by the faith of the parents of Moses to trust God to go forward rather than be pulled back by the fierce circumstances. Let us believe that our Lord is also the Lord of all circumstances, and prove it by taking giant steps forward. Let us trust Him to rule and overrule our circumstances to take us forward to accomplish His purpose in and through us. Let us believe that even in the worst of circumstances, the Lord will use us to glorify His name if we go forward by faith.

Psalms 56:3 - When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.

Thought for Today
God rules and overrules circumstances to accomplish His purpose in His children even in the worst scenarios of life.

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A GUIDE IN THE DARKEST HOUR!

A GUIDE IN THE DARKEST HOUR!

Verse for Today: Thursday, February 03, 2011
Isaiah 50:10 - Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

As God's children fear the Lord and walk according to His word, there are times when they do not receive light to go forward. They have the experience of walking through dark hours and are unable to see the way. Abraham had this experience in his encounter with the Lord, but that led him to come to grips with the Covenant God who renewed His vows with Abraham and to reassure him of the future. David walked through the valley of the darkness in the physical and spiritual sense, but got the reassurance of the Lord not to fear because the Lord was with him. In the pit and in the dungeon, Joseph had the experience of darkness. The Lord trained him in darkness and brought him to greater light. Both Jeremiah and Paul had experienced darkness in their ministries, but the Lord showed them that in spite of darkness, the light was going to dawn on them to help the ministry to keep going. The same was the case with Daniel, Job, Moses and other servants of God who had to go through darkness where they were able to experience the presence of God. Wherever there is the presence of God, whether in darkness or light, there we will experience the peace of God that He is in control of our situation. We might be in the centre of a storm in the midnights of our lives without any light and far away from the shore. We might feel that the Lord is not with us and is far away. But He is nearby, walking on the high waves to come to us to strengthen us with His presence, power and peace. The same Lord is with us even in our dark nights, giving us songs in the night, sleep and the peace that passes all understanding to enable us to hold firmly on Him to keep going.

Dear friend, are you going through a time without light on your way? Do you feel perplexed as to where to go and how to take the next step forward? Is fear gripping you and are you filled with anxiety? But there is no need for you to be afraid because the Lord who is the light is with you. He can see the pathway you are expected to tread and He is holding you in His hands and drawing you closer to Himself. All you need to do is to lean on to Him and put all your trust and cares on Him. When you are totally dependent on Him and trusting in His promises, you can take the steps of faith forward with courage and trust. Remember, even in the light He is the one who is leading you and you are not expected to lean on to your own understanding. If He is holding your hands, you cannot get lost on the way. If you are following Him by listening to His voice as your good Shepherd, you can go forward courageously. This is how Joshua walked, even when Moses was gone and light through him ceased to guide him. But even when Moses and Joshua are gone, Jesus would not go away. He is your leader, guide, friend, deliverer, rescue, way, light and truth. The God of David, Joseph and Daniel is with us. The God who led Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is our God to lead us throughout our lives. His Spirit is indwelling in us to show us the way in the midst of utter darkness. The dark clouds in the horizon will soon move way in the mighty wind of the Lord and you will see the sun (Son) shining on you soon. Darkness and night only mean that the day will soon break and we will see the way forward. The present darkness is for the weary traveler to take rest so that we would recharge our spiritual batteries to keep going. The present darkness is the prelude to the new day that the Lord is making for you to rejoice in Him and keep going. So let us be encouraged today because we are leaning on the everlasting arms to take us forward.

Psalms 23:4 - Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.

Thought for Today
Even during a time of temporary darkness that we are made to go through, we are safe in the Everlasting Arms which will take us forward.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com

FORGETFUL WORLD & A REMEMBERING GOD!

FORGETFUL WORLD AND A REMEMBERING GOD!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Exodus 1:8 - Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

We live in a world which forgets our God and all that He has done to sustain humanity. He has done great things in this world to keep it going because He has a great purpose for it. He has made all provisions for the earth to sustain itself until He would have accomplished His purpose for it which is His glory. He wants to save human beings from their sins and help them to live a godly life. He has used His choice servants to serve the people in different ways. One such marvelous deed was the deliverance of Egypt and the whole world from a severe famine. So God raised up Joseph to be ruler of Egypt, and he successfully managed a time of plenty and poverty to sustain the empire and the world. He was second to the Pharaoh and was pleasing to every one who lived there at that time. His contribution to Egypt and the rest of the world was remarkable and cannot be easily forgotten. But when Joseph is gone, the world easily forgets him and his contributions. God speaks to us today through this event to remind ourselves that no matter what we do for this world, it would not be always remembered by the people around. They often come to God's children asking for prayer when they are in trouble. When the trouble is over, they forget that God's people prayed and God answered their prayers. But it can be seen that often even God's people forget God and His mighty works for them. The people of Israel forgot their God and His marvelous deliverance for them soon after they left Egypt. But these are all recorded in the eternal word of God for us to remember and praise God.

Dear friend, are you aware of all that God has done for you? Perhaps you are upset that the world around you easily forgets all that you have done for them. But you will have to console yourself like Joseph that whatever you have done was done by God through you. You should also accept the fact that this is an ungrateful world. This world forgot all that Jesus did for them for three and a half years. They ate the bread He gave them. They enjoyed the wine He made from fresh well water. They experienced innumerable miracles through Him. They were often marveled at His teachings. He touched the lives of the poor, brokenhearted and the outcast among them. Yet they treated Him brutally and crucified Him. They shouted out against Him and demanded for a criminal in His place. Yet He prayed that God forgive them for they did not know what they were doing. Perhaps you experience rejection and resentment from the people you work with, those in your church fellowship, your neighbours and friends and even members of your own family. Even when all of them forget you, there is a God who will never forget you. Jesus has assured us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He has recorded all that He has accomplished through you and will reward you. Even when the world around you deals cruelly to you, your Lord will show compassion and favor to you. There will be sympathy, comfort and strength for you in His presence. He understands your plight and comes to you with words of encouragement for you to continue to go forward with the mission that has been entrusted with you. But God will continue to give His people the increase that He has planned and at the right time, He will release them from the clutches and forgetfulness of Pharaoh through wonders and miracles and take them to the Promise Land through the Red Sea, Marah and desert. We will cross the Jordan and reach the fullness of the blessings of the Lord to continue to accomplish the purpose the Lord has marked out for us. So, dear friend, let us be courageous and not loose our hope and trust in the Lord because in spite of the forgetfulness of the world, the Lord will not forget us and will work in us to accomplish His plan for us here in this world.

Hebrews 6:10 - God is not unjust; He will no forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.

Thought for Today
Even when the whole world forgets you, the God of Heaven will never forget all that you have done for Him and others, and will give you eternal and imperishable rewards.

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RESCUE FOR THE HUMBLE!

RESCUE FOR THE HUMBLE

Verse for Today: Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Psalms 149:4 - For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation.

God's pleasure and delight will be on those who are humble and contrite in their attitude. He cannot stand the proud and the haughty. The arrogant cannot go to Him with their requests in prayer because they would find it difficult to accept the fact that they are not sufficient unto themselves. It is important for us to understand that God delights only in the humble and broken people who totally depend on God for all their needs. Such people who are humble go to God for all their needs and they have no hesitation to submit all their needs all the time and expect only God to fulfill all their needs according to His will and pleasure. Only when we are truly humble, will we be able to depend totally on God. If we have any reason to trust in our own merit, strength, capacity, ability, background, skills, education, possessions, circle of friendship, family assets or reputation, we will not be able to humbly submit our needs to the Lord and solely depend on Him to supply us with our needs. If we think that the things we trust on will deliver us, we will naturally go to those to help us. But soon we will realize that all of those human strengths that we have are only like a vapor which will be seen for a split second and then will disappear. Natural human tendency is to depend on our self and its merits and that is the sure way to destruction. The Lord is pleased and delighted with the humble at heart and come to rescue them from their difficulties. We are to seek the delight of our Lord and to allow ourselves to break our egos before Him. Thus when we are totally helpless and incapable in ourselves and are willing to admit it wholeheartedly before the Lord, He will be delighted in us and will come to our rescue.

Dear friend, what are you anchoring on today? Are you tempted to trust in your horses and chariots to win the battles that you are engaged in? Do you have the temptation to feel that our own natural strength will come to help you? This was what Goliath, a natural man, thought but he soon plunged into despair. Lot, a carnal believer, also thought in this line, but became a great monument for failure. But with his meager and unworthy tools, David won the battle against Goliath, a lion and a bear in God's power without depending on any worldly or human techniques. Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem by depending solely on the Lord and His resources. Gideon had only broken pitchers as instruments to defeat the Medianites. Benaiah won over giants and even a lion in a cave on a snowy day in the might of the Lord and without any worldly weapons. When we are totally broken before the Lord and do not depend on our own merit, the Lord will be delighted in us and will rescue us from all peril. He will sustain us as we go through the battles of life. He will strengthen us to fight in His might. He will fight for us and will use us as weapons to fight our enemies. Our faith and trust in the Lord will be our mightiest weapons to fight the enemy because our faith comes from His Word which is the Sword of the Spirit. Today let us admit our nothingness and emptiness before the Lord and exhibit our true humility and dependence on Him so that we will become His delight. When we become the Lord's delight, it then becomes His prerogative to rescue us and deliver us from the present difficulties for His glory.

Psalms 40:17 - Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Thought for Today
Admitting one's nothingness is the sole qualification to getting the best from God.

CONTACT US: todayintheword@gmail.com