If you are impulsive, you tend to lack discipline. You can be thoughtless, or insensitive to others, or driven by appetite. You may have a hard time with delayed gratification. You have a low frustration tolerance. You get bored easily. You can fly off the handle. If this describes you, here are six principles you should try to incorporate into your life: 1) Ask counsel from wise friends before plunging forward with an idea. ‘The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge’ (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV). 2) Cultivate friendships with people who are not only wise but strong enough to hold you accountable. ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed’ (James 5:16 KJV). 3) Spend time praying about a potential open door before assuming that your intuition is a divine command. ‘He shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way’ (Psalm 25:8-9 NLT). 4) Study and read about an area of need before you commit yourself to action. ‘Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps’ (Proverbs 14:15 NLT). 5) When you come to the end of a season of activity, spend some time in reflection so that you can become a wiser person before you go on to the next thing. ‘Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty’ (Proverbs 21:5 NLT). 6) Make a commitment and stick with it, even when the next impulse, which looks so much more fun, comes along.

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

When you put your trust in Christ as your Saviour, God sees you ‘in Christ’. The words ‘in Christ’ appear no less than seventy-eight times in the New Testament. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you with all your flaws and imperfections; He sees you in Christ. And since Christ has atoned for all your sins, you are ‘accepted in the beloved’ (Ephesians 1:6 KJV). Having a blessed future is not contingent upon how much you strive to be perfect or how hard you work at changing yourself. It is contingent upon the person of Jesus Christ, and the fact that you are in Christ. The Bible proclaims, ‘As He is, so are we in this world.’ You say, ‘But surely you only get what you deserve?’ That’s true, unless you are in Christ. Then you get what He deserves! ‘For He made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). The word ‘righteousness’ is a legal term. It means ‘to have right standing before God’. Vine’s An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines righteousness as ‘that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.’ In other words, your right standing before God is based on Jesus’ right standing before God. You should be glad about that. Why? Because the only righteousness that measures up to God’s exacting standard of perfection is the righteousness of Christ. And since you are clothed in His righteousness, you can be confident of God’s acceptance and walk in His blessing each day.

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

Your thoughts create your feelings, and your feelings dictate your approach to life. So by changing the way you think, you can change how you feel and how you approach life. Unlike the world, which teaches you to empty your mind to achieve peace, God’s way is to fill your mind with fresh, powerful, redeeming thoughts. ‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!’ It’s not just about trying to blot out bad thoughts with your willpower. If a wrong, bad, or negative thought is lodged in your mind today and you can’t seem to shake it, stop trying! That won’t erase it from your mind. That’s like cutting a weed off at ground level rather than uprooting it; it will just grow again. What you need to do is replace that wrong destructive thought with a thought that’s from God. That’s the only way to deal with wrong thoughts and begin the healing process. The apostle Paul writes: ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…Then the God of peace will be with you’ (Philippians 4:8-9 NLT). Are you concerned about your health? ‘Fix’ your mind on this Scripture: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses’ (Matthew 8:17 NKJV). Are you concerned about the future? ‘Fix’ your mind on this promise: ‘And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed’ (Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV).

To become a worshipper in the fullest sense requires two things. First, an understanding that God’s love towards you is not predicated on your love towards Him. The moment you accept Christ as your Saviour, God accepts you and clothes you in the righteousness of Christ; therefore, you are always worthy to approach Him. Second, understanding that God’s love for you is not merely a theological concept, but something that is embraced with your heart and responded to through your emotions. In the act of worship, you ‘let yourself go’, giving yourself without reservation and abandoning yourself to Him. ‘Worshippers, once purified, would have had no consciousness of sins.’ When you believe that the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from all sin – past, present, and future – you become a worshipper enraptured with His love. Sinful patterns are changed, and stubborn habits are broken when you get your eyes off yourself and focus on Christ. Paul writes, ‘Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:18-19 NKJV). Note the words ‘in your heart to the Lord’. The psalmist David writes, ‘Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!’ (Psalm 34:8 NKJV). Note the word ‘taste’. Picture yourself sitting down to your favourite meal, tasting each bite and savouring each flavour. The truth of God’s love for you must not just remain in your mind; it must be experienced in your heart. When that happens, you are truly worshipping God.

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

The book of Mark concludes this way: ‘They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.’ Understanding the will of God is not a precise science, and the most spiritually mature among us can get it wrong. But this much you can count on: God will use a combination of the Spirit and Scripture to guide you. As you open His Word and open your heart, God will speak to you. Then you have to act on it. The way to get spiritual momentum is by praying, and then making a decision. And the harder the decision, the more momentum it can produce. The main reason most of us don’t notice God moving is because we aren’t moving. If you would like to see God move, you need to make a move! Near the end of her ministry, Mother Teresa was frequently asked by her admirers how they could make a difference with their lives the way she had with hers. She often replied with only four words: ‘Find your own Calcutta.’ That doesn’t mean God’s will for you is to be a missionary in a foreign land. It could be; the greater likelihood is that God is calling you to take action where you live and where you work. Before God asks you to do greater things, He will ask you to use what you have, do what you can, and serve where you are. So, what little things do you need to do now that will make you ready for the big things God wants down the road?

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

After four hundred years of living as slaves in Egypt, the Israelites struggled with low self-esteem. So, God said to them, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt’ (vv. 3-4 NKJV). Notice the words ‘built’ and ‘rebuilt’. How can you build, or rebuild, your self-esteem? In three ways. First, by believing in God’s unearned, undeserved, unchanging, unfailing love for you at all times. Second, by serving and giving to others. When you have been victimised in the past, you tend to focus unduly on yourself. It’s not that you want to be selfish, it’s just what you feel you must do in order to survive. Yet, the opposite is true. Helping someone – even making a small difference – lifts your self-esteem. It’s difficult to harbour bad feelings about yourself when you’re doing something good for someone else. On top of that, adding value to another’s life causes that person to value you more. It creates a cycle of positive feelings from one person to another. Third, doing the right thing, even when it’s the hard thing. Being true to yourself and your values is a remarkable self-esteem builder. Each time you do something that builds your character, you become a stronger person – the more difficult the task, the greater the character builder. You can actually ‘act yourself’ into feeling good about yourself, because positive character enlarges into each area of your life, providing you with confidence and positive feelings about all you do.

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

Planting a seed is only the first of a season’s worth of steps. There is watering, fertilising, weeding, and protecting the struggling plant from pests, diseases, storms, and adverse weather. Many flowers and vegetables require stakes, cages, and other supports to help them stand tall and bear their fruit. The gardener who does nothing but sow a seed shouldn’t be surprised if his or her plants never reach maturity. Almost all living things in God’s creation reproduce by sowing a seed: human beings, plants, birds, fish, and animals. When a seed is buried out of sight in the ground, there is little we can do to impact its growth. But when a new plant – and especially a new baby – enters the world, that’s where the results of real husbandry – and parenting – can be seen. Passive parenting is letting a child grow up in his or her own way. But Bible parenting is a different matter altogether. If you’re a parent, read these Scriptures (if you’re not, perhaps you could use these verses to guide your prayers for parents in your community): ‘True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honour, and long life. Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road; whoever values life will avoid it. Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it’ (Proverbs 22:4-6 NLT). ‘The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing’ (Psalm 92:12-14 NKJV). That’s called ‘parenting, the Bible way’.

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

The first step to getting what you want in life is knowing what you want. Jesus said, in essence, ‘The key to getting what you want out of life is to focus on what I want for your life.’ Note the words ‘seek first’. This word ‘seek’ means ‘to strive for diligently’ or ‘to desire strongly’. The action is continuous. It says, ‘Keep on striving for, keep on seeking, keep on desiring daily.’ When Jesus says, ‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,’ it means you don’t have to pray about what your top priority in life ought to be; everything you do will be ordered by those two things. Where you work, how you spend your time, the person you marry, how you manage your money, the relationships you form, the pastimes you enjoy, the purchases you make – all of these will be sifted and sorted through one filter: ‘Is this for His kingdom? Does it relate to His righteousness?’ Can’t you see how living this way would transform your marriage, your work, your family, your finances, and every other area of your life? But in order to pursue the priorities of the kingdom, you must first have a relationship with the King. You won’t even know where the kingdom is, or what it looks like, until you know the King. And you can know Him. How? As you open the pages of His Word and open your heart, there He will reveal Himself to you. And as you spend time with Him in prayer, He will respond to you.

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

In order to identify God’s will for your life, you must be clear about two things: 1) Your purpose. Facing the cross, Jesus said, ‘For this cause came I into the world’ (John 18:37 KJV). Your passion is that area of your life that fires you up. It might be world hunger, or neglected pensioners, or education. You see little kids growing up in underfunded areas, and they’re never going to have a chance to thrive, and it just kills you. Or unwed mums, or the gospel being proclaimed unclearly. Instead of finding your passion in the area of your opportunities and your skills, sometimes you will find it in the area of your hurts and scars. From people who struggle with addictions, to those who have spent time in prison, to those who contend with emotional disorders – there are so many areas. God won’t waste a hurt. 2) Your partners. Jesus called twelve disciples, then He dispatched them on a brief mission two at a time so they could go together. So along with your passions and strengths and scars, you need people in your life who will encourage you, applaud you, and take part in what you are doing. Paul spells out his passion: ‘The longing of my heart…is for the people of Israel to be saved’ (Romans 10:1 NLT). Paul also knew his partners: ‘Every time I think of you, I give thanks…for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ’ (Philippians 1:3, 5 NLT). So, the word for today is – know your purpose, know your partners.

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

Moses had a special place where he met with God. It was called ‘the tabernacle of meeting’ (v. 7 NKJV). What did they talk about? ‘Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me…Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight…” And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”’ (vv. 12-14 NKJV). Note the three things Moses asked God about: 1) ‘Let me know whom You will send with me.’ That was wise, because people either add to you or take from you, build you up or tear you down. You need to know who belongs in your life and who doesn’t, and God is the only one who can tell you that. 2) ‘Show me now Your way.’ God’s will, done God’s way, according to God’s timetable, always brings success. But your will, done your way, according to your timetable, can bring you trouble and heartache. 3) ‘That I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.’ Here the word ‘grace’ means ‘divine enablement’. By yourself you are not equal to the challenge, but through the power of God’s indwelling Spirit, you can accomplish great things. What God promised to Moses, He also promises to you: ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’

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