The title of today’s UCB Word For Today is, “The quickening of the Holy Spirit”, with the key scripture coming from Psalm 119:25 (KJV): “‘Quicken thou me according to thy word.’” Listen along and spend some time with God today.

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

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The title of today’s UCB Word For Today is, “You’re not alone, God is with you!”, with the key scripture coming from Joshua 5:14 (NIV): “As commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Listen along and spend some time with God today.

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

💻 READ THE WORD FOR TODAY ONLINE

👉 Visit: https://www.ucb.co.uk/word-for-today

📖 SIGN UP TO GET THE UCB WORD FOR TODAY DELIVERED

👉 Get a free copy delivered to your home each quarter: https://www.ucb.co.uk/signup

If you are a redeemed child of God, then the Holy Spirit lives within you. And He will guide you towards God’s blessings for your own life and towards opportunities to bless others. In some cases, your ability and willingness to overrule reason, tune out the well-meaning advice of others, and be led by God’s Spirit can make a world of difference for someone in need. Admiral Sir Thomas Williams was in command of a ship that routinely crossed the Atlantic. His course brought him in sight of Ascension Island, which was uninhabited most of the time. It was barely visible on the horizon during the crossing when Sir Thomas felt a great urge to steer his vessel towards it. The closer he came to the island, the greater the urgency he felt. When he gave the order to head for the island, his lieutenant officer respectfully pointed out that such a course change would greatly delay them. Even so, the admiral remained intent. The inner urging, which he had come to recognise as God guiding him, was very strong. As the ship neared the island, his crew spotted a white flag. ‘It must be a signal!’ Williams concluded. Sure enough, on the beach were sixteen men who’d been shipwrecked many days before. They were starving and had nearly given up hope. Sixteen lives were saved that day because a man had learned to listen to and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit within him. And you can too. ‘The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them.’

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

Let’s look at four liberating truths in this Scripture: 1) ‘She perceives that her merchandise is good.’ She is not looking for validation or approval of her merchandise. When you’re insecure and don’t value what you have, others may be able to minimise it and convince you that it’s not worth much. This woman, like all of us, desires acceptance and validation, but she will not seek it or find herself debilitated if she doesn’t get it. 2) ‘She perceives that her merchandise is good.’ To perceive is to sense and know inwardly. She understands what she brings to the table and inwardly values it. She will not doubt the value of its worth; neither will she find it necessary to brag about the quality of her merchandise. She will not have her nose turned up in pride, but neither will she have her eyes cast down with false humility. She simply has a balanced and healthy view of her wares. 3) ‘She perceives that her merchandise is good.’ Here is someone who’s not intimidated by or unduly concerned about the goods of other merchants. Consequently, she doesn’t spend her energies comparing and competing. 4) ‘She perceives that her merchandise is good.’ She’s not stuck in the past, thinking about the good merchandise she used to have. Neither is she postponing the pursuit of her goals until her merchandise is perfect. She simply steps out in faith, having done the best she could. Her merchandise is good today; tomorrow is in God’s hands. Anxiety has no place in her life. So the word for today is – what you’ve got is good!

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

Nicholas Herman was a cook in a monastery. He worried about whether or not he was truly saved. One day while looking at a tree, he realised the truth of the psalmist’s words – that it had to be rooted in something other and deeper than itself (see Psalm 1:1-3). That day, he decided to make his life an experiment in what he called a ‘habitual, silent, secret conversation of the soul with God’. He’s known today by the new name given to him by his friends: Brother Lawrence. He remained obscure throughout his life and spent the rest of his days in the monastery kitchen. But the people around him found that rivers of living water flowed out of him that made them want to know God the way he did. ‘The good brother found God everywhere,’ one of them wrote, ‘as much while he was repairing shoes as while he was praying with the community.’ After Brother Lawrence died, his friends put together a book of his letters and conversations. It is called The Practice of the Presence of God, and it is thought to be one of the most widely read books of the last four centuries. This short-order cook has outsold many popular contemporary novelists, and his book is still on best-seller lists. Brother Lawrence said: ‘The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.’

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

When it comes to Christ’s return, five questions arise: 1) What is the Lord’s coming? It’s the fulfilment of His promise: ‘In My Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you. And…I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also’ (John 14:2-3 NKJV). 2) Whose coming is it? Christ’s! When He ascended back to heaven, an angel announced: ‘This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11 NKJV). 3) Why is Jesus coming back? His first coming was as the suffering servant who died on the cross for our sins. His second coming is to usher in a time of peace on earth and an eternity in His presence. His first coming, He dwelt with us for a while. At His second coming, He will take us to dwell with Him forever. 4) Where is His coming? ‘The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV). 5) When is He coming? Jesus said, ‘Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only’ (Matthew 24:36 NKJV). If you’re wise, you’ll live each day as if Christ could return at any moment – because He could!

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

Here are some confidence-building Scriptures you should read, memorise, pray, and stand on each day: 1) ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness’ (2 Peter 1:3 NIV). 2) ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him’ (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). 3) ‘The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’ (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV). 4) ‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit’ (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV). 5) ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). 6) ‘We say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”’ (Hebrews 13:6 NIV). 7) ‘Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV).

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

Around the turn of the nineteenth century, a Russian physician named Ivan Pavlov won a Nobel Prize for his experiments with dogs. All of them had one thing in common – they salivated around food. But Pavlov wanted to find out if salivation could be caused by another stimulus, so he conditioned the dogs by ringing a bell before feeding them. Eventually the dinner bell caused salivation, even if the food wasn’t served. Pavlov referred to this learned relationship as a conditioned reflex. We have all been consciously or subconsciously conditioned our entire lives. Much of our behaviour was dictated by those conditioned reflexes. Some conditioned reflexes are as normal and natural as a blush. Others are as destructive as drinking to drown your sorrows. But conscious or subconscious, harmless or harmful, one thing is certain: we are far more conditioned than we realise. And one dimension of our spiritual growth is being reconditioned by the grace of God. Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said…But I say to you.’ Jesus uses this couplet repeatedly. What was He doing? He was uninstalling Old Testament applications and reinstalling New Testament truths. It was no longer ‘An eye for an eye.’ Jesus upgraded it to ‘Turn to them the other cheek,’ which required reconditioned reflexes (see Matthew 5:38-39 NIV). Sometimes it’s much easier to act like a Christian than to react like one. How does this change in our reactions take place? By the Holy Spirit. ‘We are being changed to be like him [Jesus]. This change…comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NCV).

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

Do you find yourself wondering if Jesus is willing to heal you? Let’s look at the ministry of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible says is ‘the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV). That means if He did it before, He will do it again. As you read about the many healings and miracles Jesus performed on a continual basis, it will cause your faith to grow and your expectation to rise. ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17 KJV). Throughout the gospels, people with various sicknesses went to Jesus for healing. Some were near death, and some were actually dead. There were people with strong faith, and others who struggled to believe. All the people Jesus healed were unsaved, as Jesus had not yet purchased salvation on the cross. The keys to every one of these miracles are: 1) Those who were sick made sure they were in the presence of Jesus; 2) They willingly received His word and acted on it. Read about some of the miracles Jesus performed: 1) Simon’s mother-in-law healed of a fever (see Matthew 8:14-15); 2) The resurrection of Jairus’s daughter (see Mark 5:21-24, 35-43); 3) Healing of the woman with the issue of blood (see Mark 5:25-34); 4) A deaf man healed (see Mark 7:32-37); 5) A severed ear restored (see Luke 22:47-51); 6) A blind man healed (see John 9:1-41). Jesus never said no to a cry for help and healing: ‘Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all’ (Matthew 12:15 KJV). And what He did for them, He can do for you if you pray and believe His Word.

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

A farmer once caught a young eagle in the forest, brought it home, and raised it among his chickens and turkeys. Five years later, a naturalist came to visit him and saw the bird. ‘That’s an eagle, not a chicken!’ he said. ‘Yes,’ said the farmer, ‘but I’ve raised it to be a chicken.’ The naturalist said, ‘It has a wingspan of fifteen feet. It’s an eagle!’ The farmer said, ‘But it will never fly.’ The naturalist disagreed, and they decided to put their argument to the test. First, the naturalist picked up the eagle and said, ‘Thou art an eagle; thou dost belong in the sky and not to this earth; stretch forth thy wings and fly.’ The eagle saw the chickens and jumped down. The next day, the naturalist took the eagle to the top of the house, said the same thing, and let the eagle go. Again, it spotted the chickens below and fluttered down to join them in feeding. ‘One more try,’ said the naturalist. He took the eagle up a mountain. The trembling bird looked around, and then the naturalist made it look into the sun. As he spoke its true identity once more, suddenly the eagle stretched out its wings, gave a mighty screech, and flew away, never to return. You must know who God created and called you to be. And that takes place in the right environment, the right company, and with the right input – God’s input! ‘He has created us anew in Christ Jesus…[to] do the good things He planned for us.’

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