HIS BEST!!

His best!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Genesis 17:18 - And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under your blessings.

It is difficult to imagine how we tend to reject the best in life for the second best. It is often because we are unwilling to wait or God’s best that we accept the second best that knocks at our doors. Little do we realize that there is nothing called ‘second best’ in God’s agenda for us! In fact God will not give us anything other than His best. But He wants us to wait for His best at His time. Without faith it is not possible to wait for God’s best. Sadly many of us seem to pray for the second best and jump into receiving it. Abraham is known for his faith and trust in God, but he was tempted to falter in his faith as he tend to compromise for Ishmael rather than wait for God’s promise. God planned to give Abraham a son through Sarah in spite of the impossible situation they were in. Abraham who believed God’s call in the Chaldean city of Ur now seems to jump into getting satisfied with something that is far less than God’s choice for him. Abraham and his wife Sarah manipulated human capacity and reason to manage another son who was already 13 years old. They seemed to be fully contented with him rather than waiting for God’s promise. It seems Abraham lost the capacity to wait any longer for God’s promise. He succumbed to disbelief and doubt. We are often like Abraham. God is ready to give us great spiritual blessings and is willing to make use of us in a great way for His glory, but we are satisfied with far less than the best. Our lack of faith and unwillingness to take God at His word deprives us of God’s greatest blessings. We must go through the pain of waiting to get greater blessings from God.

Dear friend, are you struggling between short term gains rather than waiting for God’s best time to receive His best in life? Are you feeling the great struggle to be satisfied with easier and quicker ways in life? Is there a battle between faith and sight in your outlook? Perhaps God wants you to do greater things and attempt greater ministries for Him. Perhaps God wants you to be the person who is totally committed to Him so that the world would see what God could do through you, as in the case of D.L. Moody. God's best is awaiting you if you are willing to take God at His word and go forward by faith. If God wants to give you great spiritual blessings, why should you be satisfied by anything less than that? Often our eyes are blinded by the goodness of things that come to us quickly and forget to aspire for that which far exceeds our expectation and imagination. If you have told God that the second best was enough for you, it is time you re-evaluate your decision and commitment to God. It is time to confess to Him how foolish you were in rejecting the opportunity to receive His best. You may need to tell Him how sorry you are in missing God's best and express your deep desire to get His best. It is time to renew your keen commitment to the brooks of God to satisfy your innermost longings. But if you go after the temporal, you will have to pick up its consequences as did Abraham. Let’s also resolve not to reject God’s best and wait for our second best to come, and then fall into confusion and chaos.

Psalms 37:5 – Commit your ways unto the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.

Thought for Today

There is no lasting satisfaction in getting anything less than God's best.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Give me the patience to wait for Your best in my life to serve and glorify You. Amen!

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COURAGE AND CONFIDENCE!!

Courage and confidence!

Verse for Today: Monday, January 06, 2014

Matthew 14:27 - But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying 'Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.

Storms in the sea of life are devastating and fearful. Its intensity is felt more harshly when it strikes on a dark night. It is a time when our expertise fails to find a way out. Precautions are impracticable because it strikes at unexpected time and unpredictable intensity. Jesus taught His disciples to trust Him on several such situations. They had with them expert sailors like Peter, Andrew, John and James, but their experience failed to save them from fear and peril. It was the fourth watch of the night, around 3 a.m. and there was no one else to help. There was no light and no radar for them to proceed. They were afraid and lost hope. But little did they realize that Jesus walking towards them with words of comfort and strength. He who holds the oceans in the palm of His hands has no difficulty to step on waves just has he would walk on firm ground. He demonstrated to the fearful disciples that He was in control of all elements at all times. He showed them that His presence was with them even when He was physically invisible. He also showed them how He would come to them when their faith was weak and they were filled with fear of their dark and cloudy situations. The same Jesus is with us when we go through devastating storms, mighty winds and strong waves in the stark and dark realities of life and situations. Even when our human intelligence tells us that there is no hope, He comes to tell us to be courageous and put our full hope in Him.

Dear friend, perhaps you are going through dark and cloudy days in your life. It is possible that you are looking at the mighty winds and the waves around you which seem to engulf you, wipe you away from the face of this earth and drain away your courage and strength. Perhaps you are battered by your fearful situations and taking away your peace and rest? But today Jesus wants to reassure you that His presence will not depart from you in all circumstances. He is with you, though invisible to your naked eyes. His mighty power is encompassing around you. If you take your eyes off your situations and the threats you encounter, you will be able to see Him by faith. His promise of protection and provisions are with you all the time as He has promised. In the midst of mighty wind, powerful waves and darkest night with no one to help, Jesus will certainly be there with you in your current situation. He wants to tell you that there is no need for you to be afraid and lose courage. He knows what you are going through and has made enough provisions for you to be kept secure in His hands. His mighty arms of care and protection are around you. He will not allow your circumstances to harm you. Pretty soon the wind will stop and there will be calm. There is no reason to doubt His faithfulness to see you through the current difficulties. There is no scope for doubt and confusion when you are looked after by Jesus. He never brings doubts or confusion into your heart, but joy and peace. When you exercise faith in God, your fear will disappear. You are challenged to look unto Jesus and be courageous today. Trust Him to take you forward by His hands. Even if it is the fourth watch, Jesus will come to rescue and restore you and take you forward.

Matthew 14:25 - And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them walking on the sea.

Thought for Today

The wind of circumstances will not penetrate our hearts when we dwell under the shadow of the Almighty.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Help me to see Your invisible presence in all my battering, dark and cloudy situations. Amen!

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Contact for prayer support and counseling without cost or obligation to todayintheword@gmail.com

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RESTORING TOUCH!!

Restoring touch!

Verse for Today: Sunday, January 05, 2014  

Isaiah 42:3 - A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

The world throws away broken reeds and smoked wicks because they have no value or usefulness. A bruised reed is the prime example of failure. A smoldering wick will only create more smoke and no fire. So they are written off and taken out of circulation.  But these lives still have hope if submitted to the Master Designer and Divine Potter. He takes such broken and useless human lives and remold them according to His divine design. He doesn't look behind a broken or smoked life to probe the past. He looks at the future possibilities of these seemingly useless lives and makes them useful through His touch of restoration. He will put His strength and shape into these lives and rejuvenate them. He will establish His purposefulness and hope in such lives and give them a new beginning. His Spirit will transform these lives through His power. Any useless, broken and crumbled life will be accepted by His nail-pierced hands to impart eternal value and relevance. In fact, God is not at all interested in anything that is not broken in itself. Only those who are humble and broken hearted will He remold afresh. The broken life which comes with deep conviction and confession of their sinfulness and failure to God will be imputed with His life itself. Any life that goes to God with confession of failure and defeat will never be left behind. They must admit their unworthiness and uselessness to Him.  They must come with a deep desire to be healed of their sin-sickness and made whole again. He will then make use of such new lives for His purpose here on earth. He looks at them through their possibilities and not through their past failures.

Dear friend, are you in deep agony because of your failures, defeats and losses in the past? Do you feel that nothing good will ever come out of your life? Are you being written off by the world around you like a smoked wick or bruised wick? If the broken, bruised and smoked pieces of your life are submitted to the Master Craftsman, He will take you, restore and remold your life and make it new with newer possibilities, usefulness and worth. When He touches you, your intrinsic value will skyrocket eternally. He will put His power and strength in you so that there will be hope and usefulness for you. You will then be challenged to attempt great things for God and expect great things from Him in and through your life. You will experience the power of God when the Holy Spirit will invade your whole being. You will have the seal of ownership of God on you through His Spirit. Your heart will overflow with the joy of the Lord which will be your strength. Your behavior and attitude to everything will be God-centered. You will become salt and light for others to find taste and direction through your life. You will live to melt away or burn away for others around you. Thus you will find purposefulness in your life. This is not the time to cry over your past failures, but to experience a revival in your soul through the touch of Jesus. Today you have a divine invitation to come to Jesus with the broken pieces of your life, wrapped in the rags of your life and submit it to Jesus for remolding and restoration. Allow Him to touch your life and make use of you for His glory. Live for Him and mind His business and He will mind your business and lead you victoriously day by day.

Psalms 34:18 – The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Thought for Today

The touch of the Master Craftsman will transform failures and losses into splendid possibilities.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Restore my bruised and broken life and make me a blessing to many today. Amen!

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Contact for prayer support and counseling without cost or obligation to todayintheword@gmail.com

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FAITH N FAMINE!!

Faith n famine!

Verse for Today: Saturday, January 04, 2014  

Genesis 12:10 - Now there was a famine in the land, and Abraham went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

Our decisions in life are often a response to situations and needs. When we are confronted with a problem, we tend to make intelligent decisions. But in times of difficult situations, God expect us to make decisions based on faith and not sight. When sight makes us chose better prospects, faith is willing to go through difficulties trusting God to see us through. God's called out people are expected to follow the divine leading to live in the situation to which they are called and trust God to meet all their needs rather than finding out their own solutions to the situations. If God has called us, we have to trust Him to lead us through all situations on the way. Whether we face famine or bumper harvest, rain, snow or sunshine, land or sea or storm or calm, we must go through it by faith. If God is worthy of our following, we must believe that He is able to sustain us in all situations through which He has led us. We should look to the riches of His glory rather than look around for worldly prospects and solutions. Worldly solutions are often very reasonable, intelligent and worthy of appreciation, but they are by sight and not by faith. Worldly alternatives are not necessarily God's choice for us. When God sends us on a mission with a promise, He has enough resources to meet our daily needs as He met the needs of Prophet Elijah at a brook with ravens and in the house of a widow. God expects His servants to be satisfied in all circumstances and trust Him for all their tomorrows. Our prayer has to be for the daily bread rather than affluence or wealth in the distant future. We are not expected to make smart choices to help God fulfill His plans in our lives. As we stay put by faith, God meets our all needs according to His riches in glory. Otherwise we would fall into unexplainable heartaches and trouble like that of father Abraham.

Dear friend, if God has called you to a particular situation as part of His divine plan, rest assured that He will guide and lead you on a daily basis and provide for your daily needs. There is no reason to doubt God who has led you so far. There is no way you can doubt His capacity and willingness to meet your needs. He who feeds the birds and animals will take care of you. In times of difficulties and shortages, we must focus on the Lord and not the situation. If you focus on situation, you will develop doubts and discouragement. But if you look at the Lord, you will be filled with faith and confidence. God Spirit will never bring doubts into your hearts about the pathways to which God has called you. Doubts and confusions come from the world and the flesh. In the midst of famine, the God of impossibilities will transform your situation to feed you. So when temptation comes to knock at your door to deliver your life into the enemy's backyard, ask Jesus to answer the door. When doubts developed by flesh, world and Satan see Jesus responding by faith from your heart, they will all flee. But they will keep coming back to create doubt again to make you go after the greener pastures of this world. Renew your commitment to the call you have received. Crucify the temptation to go down to greater prospects in the world and trust Jesus to carry you through the times of difficulties.

1 Kings 17:14 – “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.”

Thought for Today

God’s call includes daily leading and provisions in all circumstances.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Strengthen my faith to trust you to meet all my needs when the going gets tough. Amen!

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WAITING AND HOPING!!

Waiting and hoping!

Verse for Today: Friday, January 03, 2014  

Genesis 30:22a - Then God remembered Rachel.

There is a limit to what humans can do for us. They sympathize with us for a short while and then they leave us alone to suffer in our darkest valleys of life. We are often written off by others when all hope is gone. But when all others give up on us, our God visits us with His hands full of blessings to meet our needs. Rachel’s motherhood was a gone case for all. She reached a stage when no one expected her to become a mother. But when she cried in her long lonely hours, her God heard and gave her the desires of her life. God's time for Rachel has finally arrived. She had been praying and desiring for children. She had a very difficult time to put up with the home situation when her sister had several children and she had none. She silently experienced the despising and the ridicule for a childless woman of her generation. It was a very intimidating, agonizing and depressing time for her. As years went by, she seemed to have became disillusioned and lost all hope. She even resorted to some short-cuts. But none of these satisfied her soul and she relentlessly sought after God’s help. When all hope was gone, God remembered her and gave her the desires of her heart. She had the privilege of giving birth to Joseph. Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Hanna and Elkanah and Zachariah and Elizabeth were other examples of God's servants who prayed relentlessly for children. The Lord granted them children at His time, especially when the whole world thought that there was no hope. The God of Rachael is alive and He still answers His children’s prayers. When all hope seems gone, He comes to meet with us and fulfill our desires. When we go through the dark tunnels of life, He waits for us at the end of the tunnel with His rays of hope and light. But His presence goes with us even as we go through the dark days and years of our lives with the hope that one day, the Lord will answer our heart cries.

Dear friend, are you weary of waiting for long and passing through the valleys of pain and misery? Are you desperate for your prayers to be answered? Just hang in there and believe that God is working behind the scene to fulfill the desires of your heart. He is preparing you to receive answers by faith. When He gives, it will be far beyond your expectations. God will come to your situation to answer your cries at His perfect time. He comes when you are unable to do anything out of your abilities to solve your problems. Only when the answer is totally from God will He get all the glory for all that happens in your life. There will be no room for you to boast in any way as God’s help comes when you are totally helpless and at the pinnacle of hopelessness. God works in our lives just as He worked in the life of Rachel, Rebekah and Hanna. When all hope is gone, God comes with His answer of hope and faith. Today Rachael is remembered not only as the wife of Jacob, but as the godly mother of a godly Joseph who was used mightily by God. The God of Rachel is with you today and He remembers you. He will visit you at the right time with His answers to your longings. He will answer you and fill you with joy unspeakable. He will release you from your pain and bless you with spiritual increase in life. He will wipe your shame and embarrassment away and fill you with hope as you wait for Him by faith.  

Psalms 20:4 – May the Lord give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

Thought for Today

It is worth waiting by faith for the best that God will give us.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Give me the strength and patience to wait for Your time to give me Your best. Amen!

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Contact for prayer support and counseling without cost or obligation to todayintheword@gmail.com

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MOVING PRESENCE!!

Moving Presence!

Verse for Today: Thursday, January 2, 2014

Genesis 28:16 - When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it".

Awareness and realization of the presence of God is vital in our lives. It helps us to be confident and vigilant in what we attempt and accomplish. It makes us courageous in all our circumstances and humble in our efforts. In our times of utter hopelessness, we sometimes become presumptuous and say that God has abandoned us. We make such immature and unspiritual conclusions which reveal our spiritual audacity. At Bethel, the fugitive Jacob was at the bottom of hopelessness and friendlessness. His future was uncertain and he was in utter confusion and discouragement. But God revealed Himself to Jacob in mysterious ways and reminded him that God was with him.  He reminds us also today that He is present wherever we go. We might be thinking that we are running away from all our troubles. But the Lord comes back to us to reassure us that He turns our troubles into triumphs. We were not worthy to be chosen by Him, but by His grace He chose us. In spite of our failures, He still fulfills His plans and purposes in our lives because He is compassionate and merciful. He also demands that we give Him first place in our lives. As He gives us new visions, renews His promises and reassures us of His plans for us, we need to become humble and broken in our spirits and commit our ways to Him. We must submit ourselves as sacrifices of worship before Him so that He can make use of us for His glory. Just as God wiped away Jacob's past and prepared him for the future, He will forgive us of our past failures and give us new opportunities. His presence goes with us not because we are the best people available, but because He is compassionate.

Dear friend, are you a fugitive and running for life today? Are you homeless and friendless and lost all hope for the future? Do you feel that you are abandoned by all around you? Even when you allow your mind to be boggled down with such negative thoughts because of your situations, your Lord is with you. He wants to open your eyes to see His care and concern for you. He reassures you that He will never leave you homeless. If you do not have a home in this world, He will show you how you can climb the ladder of faith to reach up to your heavenly home which God has prepared for you. He is willing to wipe your past failures away and give you a new beginning. He wants you to sacrifice your life for Him as a living worship. He wants to renew His promises to you to keep going. He reassures you of His presence which goes before you in your pathways. God doesn’t want you to handle your life according to human wisdom, but give it to Him to remold and restore. He wants you to submit your desires and future to Him to redesign it His way. He will fulfill His desires in your lives for His glory. God also reassures you that no matter what you go through in the future, He will be with you and lead you by His hands. If you falter or digress, He will discipline and teach you new lessons so as to avert future failures. These disciplines are all meant to draw you closer to God. Confess your failures and ask that you may be remolded according to His plan and pleasure. Make God your highest priority in life. He will make your life purposeful and bring in His certainties in your pathways.

Exodus 33:14 - The Lord replied (to Moses), "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest".

Thought for Today

When God is present our lives, His presence will go with us wherever we go.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Reveal Your glory to me in my uncertain situations and fill me with Your presence to wipe away my past failures. Amen!

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Contact for prayer support and counseling without cost or obligation to todayintheword@gmail.com

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QUENCHING AND REFRESHING!!

Quenching and Refreshing!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Psalms 46:4 - There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the most high.

Human life without water is unthinkable. When enemies attack us, they try to shut down sources of water to make us suffer and surrender. But when we find refuge in God in the wake of enemy attack, it is amazing to see how our God keeps water for us which the enemy cannot shut down. The circumstances of the sons of Korah were trying and tough with raging sea which rips off the earth beneath their feet. Their troubles were like the uprooting of mountain into the ocean of life. The consequences of such devastating situations are beyond imagination. But they were enabled to sing to the Lord in the midst of it all because their Lord kept a stream for them to drink and live. They knew that even when calamities come their way, they could trust in the Lord who created and controlled the seas, earth, mountains and the roaring and foaming waters. His hands lifted them over and above their circumstances and kept them safe in His palms. He opened their eyes to see the reservoir of water and other supplies that were kept for them. God’s stream existed over and above all their difficult circumstances which no force could tamper with. They realized then that there was no more reason for them to be alarmed. They took comfort and strength in God and His supply line. When they were in the presence of their heavenly refuge, their eyes were opened to see the provisions and protection made ready for them by Him which helped them to face their situations without anxiety, tension, stress and fear of the enemy. The key to their comfort and courage stemmed from their faith in the power and promises of God.

Hello dear friend, are you going through intimidation and fear because of the attacks of the enemy? Are you parched and scorched by the heat of your circumstances? Are you feeling like your courage and strength is drained out? Is fear devouring you and making you puzzled about your uncertain future? Is your throat parched with thirst and heat of your situation? But there is no need for you to lose your confidence. You must look to the future through the eyes of faith and see all that your Lord has prepared to help you face your situation. God’s army is fighting for you and His armor is in your hands to use against the enemy. All supplies are ready and made available. He has kept ready a stream of water for you to quench your thirst and refresh your soul. But you must by faith appropriate it and refresh yourself so that your weariness will disappear. Your drained out energy because of the circumstances will be regained. The river of grace, love, peace and joy will fill your heart and mind with God’s power and His Spirit. You are admonished to take your hands off your circumstances and pass everything on to the Lord and allow Him full freedom to handle it according to His perfect will. He who strengthened Jacob, made him 'Israel' and used him to accomplish His purpose will do the same for you today. When you get discouraged, look into the Word to see the mighty acts God has performed around the world to protect His beloved children from dark and dangerous circumstances and fierce attack of the enemy. You can definitely trust such a God who saved you and sustained you thus far. He who started a great work in you is faithful to continue with it and complete it as He has planned. .

Psalms 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Thought for Today

The loving hands of God carry His children as they pass through the raging seas of life.

Prayer for Today

Dear Lord Jesus: Help me to see the great provisions You have made for my daily living and trust You the midst of fiercest trials. Amen!

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Contact for prayer support and counseling without cost or obligation to todayintheword@gmail.com

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