‘Heavenly Father, although I’ve repented and genuinely regret my actions, the guilt of my sin continually torments me. The burden of it is too heavy for me to bear any longer, so I am turning to you for deliverance. Your Word declares that you are ready to forgive me (see Nehemiah 9:17), and that you have an abundance of mercy for all who call upon you (see Isaiah 55:7). The problem is, I’m having a hard time accepting your forgiveness and releasing myself from the remorse of my sin. Help me to comprehend and receive your promise that says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 KJV). You said in your Word, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isaiah 43:25 KJV). Drawing on the power of your Spirit, I choose to no longer let thoughts of guilt and condemnation rob me of the peace and joy you offer. I stand on your Word which says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far you have removed my transgressions from me” (see Psalm 103:12). You have said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17 NKJV). Since you have chosen not to remember it, help me to forget it and stop rehearsing it. Beginning today I declare, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses me from all sin!”’ (see 1 John 1:7).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

When British Prime Minister William Gladstone was facing one of the greatest crises of his political life, he sat down one morning at two o’clock to write the speech he hoped would help him win a political victory in Parliament the following day. At that same hour, the mother of a dying child saw the light on in his home and knocked on his door. She asked him to come and bring a message of hope and cheer to her son. Without hesitation, Gladstone left his half-finished speech on his desk and spent the remainder of the night with the child, leading him to Christ before he died. As the morning light was breaking, he went back to his study and faced his own day with a smile of confidence, peace, and power. He said to a friend later that morning, ‘I am the happiest man in the world today.’ When asked why, he replied that the previous night he had been allowed to serve a child in the name of his Master. Later that day Gladstone made what many consider to be the greatest speech of his life. The House of Commons was won over and his cause triumphed. Were the two events related? Gladstone was convinced that they were. Before leaving the leaders of the church at Ephesus for the last time, Paul told them: ‘I have shown you in every way, by labouring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Here is a description of Saul, Israel’s first king: ‘There was not a more handsome person…among the children of Israel’ (1 Samuel 9:2 NKJV). But his looks couldn’t compensate for his lack of character, and he died prematurely in shame and defeat. When Samuel the prophet went to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as Israel’s next king, God said, ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ Many years ago a boy was born in Russia who thought himself to be so ugly, he was certain there would be no happiness for him in life. He bemoaned the fact that he had a wide nose, thick lips, small grey eyes, and big hands and feet. He was so distraught about his appearance that he asked God to work a miracle and turn him into a handsome man. He vowed that if God would do this, he would give Him all he possessed. That boy was Count Tolstoy, who became one of the world’s foremost authors, best known for his epic War and Peace. In his books he admits that through the years, he discovered that the beauty of physical appearance he had once sought was not the only beauty in life – and it was not the best beauty. Instead, Tolstoy came to regard the beauty of a strong character as having the greatest good in God’s sight. Character is not a matter of money or looks, but of doing what is right apart from money and standing up for what’s right apart from appearances.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Here are five more relationship lessons by Jon Gordon: 1) The more I love my wife, the more I love my life. It’s not about what she does for me. It’s not about keeping score. It’s about deciding to be selfless, love her, serve her, and be there for her. When I do, we both get better. 2) Encourage instead of competing. A lot of couples get jealous if their spouse is enjoying success, rather than encouraging them. When you support and advocate for each other, you grow individually and strengthen your team. 3) Don’t give up. Sometimes marriage is great and sometimes it isn’t. Too many people give up, thinking the grass is greener elsewhere. It isn’t. Plant yourself, nurture your relationship, invest time and energy in your spouse, and you will grow into who you’re meant to be. Marriage is where you learn to give and take and compromise, where you work on your individual issues and heal together. 4) Have a shared mission. My wife and I knew we weren’t together just for ourselves. We felt our mission was to raise champions who will make a difference in the world. We aren’t perfect parents, we have made mistakes, but our mission inspired us to give our very best – especially this past year with two teenagers and a challenging year. 5) Invite God into your marriage. Years ago when we hit a tough patch, a guy told me how he and his wife pray together every night. So, I asked God what our prayer should be. It came to me a few days later, and we have said it every night since. It has made a difference that leads to forgiveness, healing, and growth.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

No matter how good your marriage is, you can make it better. Author Jon Gordon writes: ‘My wife and I just celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary. We’ve learned and grown a lot…and I want to share some of our relationship lessons: 1) Choose wisely. One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make is the person you marry. You know you’re with the right person when they give you strength. Looking back…there’s no way I could have done it without my wife. Her love, support, belief and encouragement gave me strength. She believed in me when no one else did. 2) Be willing to improve and grow. Early in our marriage our relationship wasn’t very good. I was young, selfish and quite negative. One day my wife had enough: “I love you but I’m not going to spend my life with someone who makes me miserable. You have to change.” I looked at myself and realised she was right. So I became willing to change and to become a positive influence on my wife, my children and others. 3) Communicate. Communicate. Communicate! Most relationships break down because of poor communication. We’ve had disagreements over the years, but we always communicated, and this allowed us to grow stronger together. 4) Admit when you’re wrong. I’ve been wrong many times and admitted it. I’ve also admitted I was wrong even when I thought I wasn’t. I knew my wife was bothered, and it was more important for her to feel loved than for me to feel right. It takes maturity and a willingness to focus on your spouse more than your ego.’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

The word ‘prepared’ derives from an ancient custom of sending servants ahead of a king to have things ready for his arrival. But the King of Kings goes in advance of His servants and prepares the road ahead of us. We don’t know this in advance, so we have to overcome our fears, step out in faith, and follow Him. And as we look back, we can say, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’ (Psalm 23:6 KJV). In Ephesians 2:10, notice the words ‘good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’. When you follow God, you’re walking a prepared path. It’s important to keep this in mind. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, you need to know that God is directing your footsteps (see Psalm 37:23). You have assurance because you know that God has considered every contingency in your life and that He always has your best interest at heart. The psalmist David wrote: ‘I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too – your reassuring presence, coming and going…I can’t take it all in!’ (Psalm 139:1-6 MSG). If David, whom God called ‘a man after My own heart’ (Acts 13:22 NKJV), couldn’t take it all in, you won’t either. But God is not asking you to figure Him out; He is just asking you to trust Him.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

As a teen, Megan arrived home from school just in time to watch an hour of soap operas before doing her homework. She enjoyed the escape into the TV world and wasn’t aware that the programmes were arousing sexual curiosity in her. After years of exposure to these soaps, her perspective on life took a shift. She began to think, ‘Relationships don’t need to be pure. In fact, the impure ones seem more exciting. Fidelity doesn’t matter, as long as a person is happy.’ As a college student, Megan found it easy to participate in one-night stands. Then after a short marriage ended in catastrophe as a result of her infidelity, she sought help from a counsellor. At first it was difficult for the counsellor to understand why Megan engaged in extramarital affairs. She had been a model teenager at home, church, and school, as far as her public behaviour was concerned. Finally the counsellor discovered the source of the temptation that drove Megan to participate in her supposed hidden life. What you watch on television and the internet becomes part of your memory bank. You’re putting images on file that Satan will use against you. David’s affair with Bathsheba started with a wrong look and ended up bringing tragedy to his family. Later David wrote: ‘I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar…I will reject perverse ideas and stay from every evil…I will search for faithful people to be my companions’ (vv. 2-4, 6 NLT).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Jesus said, ‘Protect yourself against…greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot’ (Luke 12:15 MSG). We live in a materialistic society that’s obsessed with accumulating stuff. But the more you have, the more you have to worry about. So, what do you suppose Jesus wanted to teach His disciples when He sent them out ‘without a wallet, bag, or sandals’? Author Cynthia Ruchti asks: ‘Was He showing them He was all they would ever need? Did He want them to learn dependence on Him? Was He instructing them in the humility of accepting help from others – a bed for the night, a meal, a borrowed coat when temperatures dropped? Did He hope they would realise they could get along with fewer belongings? That their success depended on travelling light? That they would be safer from thieves along the journey if they had nothing worth stealing? Was it focus that Jesus cared about most? With nothing in their hands to distract them, would the disciples cling more diligently to His words and to the ministry of caring for people’s physical and spiritual needs? The more I think about it, the more value I see in the “no baggage” directive. What if I walked into my day, conscious of a no-wallet, no-extra-sandals mentality, intensely focused on Jesus, on His words and His mission, the mission He passed on to us? What if I measured success not by how much I accumulated but on how little I need to survive if I stay close to Jesus? What would I lack? Nothing!’

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

When you take time to listen to another person, you don’t just give them a gift, you give yourself one. Dr Juli Slattery observes: ‘Everyone is attracted to a good listener. How ironic that you can major in communications and never take a class on one of the most fundamental aspects of communicating – listening…Perhaps the most powerful mode of sharing the gospel, saving your marriage, and making friends is to truly listen. We feel loved by those who take the time to hear our story and ask insightful questions…Here are three ways to become a better listener: 1) Become curious. Every person you meet is interesting…On the surface they may drone on about something you don’t care about, but underneath is an interesting story if you take time to dig for it. For me, the first step to listening is finding something to be curious about…After 20 years of marriage, I still want to be curious about my husband…to know what God is teaching him…what he’s looking forward to, and what made him laugh today. 2) Maintain eye contact. Because we can’t gauge listening by looking at someone’s ears, we look at their eyes…We show our children, spouses, friends, and even strangers respect when we give them focused attention. 3) Go beyond the words you hear. We only communicate a portion of what we want to express through words. The rest comes through body language, tone, and even silence.’ Proverbs 12:15: ‘A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others’ (TLB). As much as you may like the sound of your own voice – you become wise by learning to listen.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

No matter what problems you’re grappling with, it’s good to know that the peace of God ‘which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and…minds in Christ Jesus.’ Author Lorie Newman said: ‘For me, that peace came when my husband lost his job…We were a one-income family with seven children, a mortgage, [and] bills. Would we lose our house? How could we feed our large family? These questions fogged my mind like suffocating smoke. But, in the midst of it, God tenderly spoke life into my worried heart…Unemployment remained. In fact, it remained for nearly two years. But day-by-day, step-by-step, the truth of God’s Word began to eclipse the despair and I had incredible peace! God’s Word came alive as never before as I navigated the turbulent waters of that rough season of life. I had read that God was my provider, but I began to know and experience him as my provider! What should have been a time of horrific stress…became a place of peace.’ When problems arise, our natural inclination is to panic. When we do that, we open the door for the Enemy to come in, get us off track, and make us feel victimised. Take these words of Jesus to heart: ‘My [own] peace I now give…you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed…do not permit yourselves to be fearful and…unsettled.]’ (John 14:27 AMPC).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.