Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 03, 2026.

SUBJECT: NEVER BE SELF-CENTERED!

Memory verse: "But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew 16 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 16 vs 21 - 27:

16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

16:22: Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!

16:23: But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

16:26: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

16:27: For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will reward each according to his works.

INTIMATION:

Being “self-centered” is thinking mainly of oneself, caring only about oneself and own needs, being egocentric. A self-centered person leaves God out of the center of his or her life as Satan desires. But being “God-centered” is making God the center of your life. All you desire is to do God’s Will; always evaluating things from God’s perspective than from human or self perspective. 

Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. We are all made by God and for Him and His use, not vice versa. Life is all about letting God use His creation for the purpose He created it; it Is all about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.

The obsession of self-centeredness is a dead end. The Bible in Romans 8 vs 6 states, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Those who are self-centered live for themselves, and not for God, and consequently lose the spiritual dimension to their lives. Keep your commitment to Christ at full strength. Then you’ll be ready when He returns.

We must be committed to living for Christ that we should “hate” our lives by comparison. This does not mean that we long to die or that we are careless or destructive with the life God has given, but that we are willing to die if doing so will glorify Christ. We must disown the tyrannical rule of our own self-centeredness. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security, and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. Releasing control of our lives and transferring control to Christ brings eternal life and genuine joy.

In the passage we read today, Jesus said to Peter, ‘It is satanic to think of self rather than God’; ““Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” He further said to His disciples, ‘Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. They should follow Him and He will show them their life's purpose. 

Jesus advised His disciples that self-help is no help at all, but self-sacrifice is the way, God's way to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? Achieving your life's purpose ordained by your Creator is more valuable than gaining the whole world—your selfish desires.

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom—never lean on your own understanding. You must build your life on eternal truths, not self-driven ambitions. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposefully created you, and you are to serve His purpose.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, that You will take the first place in my life in all things. Give me the grace and enablement to center all that concerns me on You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

How to Respond When You Falter

 How to Respond When You Falter

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19)

Christians do not live only in defeat. But neither do we live only in perfect victory over sin. And in those times when we fail to triumph over sin, Romans 7:13–25 shows us the normal way a healthy Christian should respond. 

We should say:

I love the law of God. (verse 22)

I hate what I just did. (verse 15)

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (verse 24)

Thanks be to God! The victory will come through Jesus Christ my Lord. (verse 25)

In other words, no Christian wants to live in defeat. No Christian settles for living in defeat. But if we are defeated for a time, we shouldn’t lie about it. 

No hypocrisy. No posing. No boasted perfectionism. No churchy, pasted smiles or chipper superficiality. 

And even more, God save us from blindness to our own failures and the consequent quickness to judge others. 

God, help us to feel worse about our own shortfalls than the failure of others. 

God, give us the honesty and candor and humility of the apostle Paul in this text! “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY APRIL 02, 2026.

SUBJECT : PRESS TOWARD THE MARK!

Memory verse: "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3 vs 14).

READ: Philippians 3 vs 12 - 14:

3:12: Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold on me.

3:13: Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

3:14: I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

INTIMATION:

God's ultimate goal is to make us like Jesus Christ. The Scripture in First John 3 vs 2, says, "Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." As we become more like Him, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be. 

The Scriptures, in Romans 8 vs 28 - 30, say, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknow, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." The high calling of God is be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ His Son, where He will be the first born among many of the believers His brethren. This is the plan of God from the beginning, hence He chose the belivers in His Son and called them in Him to be justified and glorified in the end. 

God has set before the believers the mark of a final rest for which all men were created. The goal is the new heavens and earth wherein dwells righteousness (Second Timothy 4 vs 7; Second Peter 3 vs 13). The power of this hope in the life of the believer keeps his life focused on Jesus. When one's hope for heaven is strong, then he will submit his life to the narrow way of Christian living.

The motivation for pressing on lies in one's realization that he doesn't yet fully know what he desires to know of Christ. When one realizes that great spiritual growth will occur in presence of Jesus, then he desires to be with Jesus. All believers press on to acquire that for which we have been called. Therefore, this world is not our home. We are waiting for our transition into the eternal dwelling for which we are created. 

How can we be like Christ? By reading and heeding the Word, by studying His life on earth through the Gospels, by spending time in prayer, by being filled with the Spirit, and by doing His works in the world

The apostle Paul said his goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all that Christ had in mind for him. This goal took all of his energies. This is a helpful example for all believers. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal-knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective believers in Christ. 

The apostle Paul had reason to forget the past-he had held the coats of those who had stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7 vs 57 - 58). Like him we have all done things of which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don't dwell on your past, instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ. 

Though the apostle Paul was a Christ-sent apostle with a strong religious background in Judaism, he still had room for both growth in the knowledge of Jesus, as well as, spiritual growth within his heart. There will be a time when we all come to a greater knowledge of Jesus in the heavenly realm. While we are in this world, however, our knowledge and relationship with Jesus will always be limited. Our understanding of Jesus will excel only when we have been taken from the confines of this world into the next to be in the presence of Jesus. 

Sometimes trying to live a perfect believer's or Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we think we can never please God with our life. The apostle Paul used perfected (3 vs 12) to mean mature or complete, not flawless in every detail. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit's power, knowing that Christ will reveal and fill any discrepancy between what we are and what we should be. Christ's provision is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven. 

Christian maturity is acting on the guidance that you have already received. We can always make excuses that we still have so much to learn. The instruction for us is to live up to what we already know and live out what we have already learned. We don't have to be sidetracked by an unending search for truth. Our Helper-the Holy Spirit is always ready to help be what Christ wants us to be. 

Prayers: Abba Father, You have given us all that pertains to life and godliness in Jesus Christ. Open my eyes of understanding that I may know what is the hope of Your calling, and that I may press on earnestly to apprehend that for which You laid hold of me in Christ, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Better Than Everest

 Better Than Everest

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

If you live inside this massive promise, your life is more solid and stable than Mount Everest.

Nothing can blow you over when you are inside the walls of Romans 8:28. Outside Romans 8:28, all is confusion and anxiety and fear and uncertainty. Outside this promise of God’s all-encompassing future grace, there are straw houses of drugs and pornography and dozens of futile diversions. There are slat walls and tin roofs of fragile investment strategies and fleeting insurance coverage and trivial retirement plans. There are cardboard fortifications of deadbolt locks and alarm systems and antiballistic missiles. Outside are a thousand substitutes for Romans 8:28. 

Once you walk through the door of love into the massive, unshakable structure of Romans 8:28, everything changes. There come into your life stability and depth and freedom. You simply can’t be blown over anymore. The confidence that a sovereign God governs for your good all the pain and all the pleasure that you will ever experience is an incomparable refuge and security and hope and power in your life.

When God’s people really live by the future grace of Romans 8:28 — from measles to the mortuary — they are the freest and strongest and most generous people in the world.

Their light shines and people give glory to their Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY APRIL 01, 2026.

SUBJECT : DON’T FRET BUT TURN YOUR WORRY TO PRAYER!

Memory verse: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4 vs 6).

READ: Matthew 6 vs 25 - 33:

6:25: Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

6:26: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

6:27: Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

6:28: So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

6:29: And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

6:30: Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

6:31: Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall we wear?'

6:32: For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you needs all these things.

6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

INTIMATION:

Do not worry nor be anxious for anything, rather turn your worry to prayer. Anxiety is being uneasy with fear, worry, crave or desire regarding something, In our memory verse, the Scripture tells us not to fret or worry about anything. Instead pray concerning anything that makes you fret. 

Imagine not worrying or being anxious for anything! It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, in our business, at school, etc. Worry or anxiety in itself can change nothing. Take the required action of committing all things in prayers to the Owner of the whole world. The reason we worry or burn with anxiety is because we have not trusted God and His promises enough. 

Commit everything in the hands of God in prayer. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for your good, will come and settle you down. There is nothing impossible with, nor difficult for God. Therefore, steep your life in God’s reality, put Him first in your life; let Him fill your thoughts with His desires, take His character for your pattern, and serve and obey Him in everything.

In turning your worries into prayers, locate in the Scriptures the promise of God relevant to your situation, and put Him into remembrance of His promises (Isaiah 43 vs 26), He hastens to perform His Word (Jeremiah 1 vs 12.) Then rest assured you will receive your petition because you have prayed according to His Will. The Scriptures say, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His Will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked Him.” (First John 5 vs 14 - 15.)

In the passage we read today, Jesus tells us to stop worrying about those needs that God promises to supply. God knows you have those needs (Matthew 6 vs 32), and He is well able to supply your needs. Worry has its negative effects on us; it may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, and reduce your ability to trust in God. Worry immobilizes, but genuine concern moves you to action.

Worry is distinct from planning. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God's guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don't let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares. Many a time we run away from God because of our sin, thinking that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, he will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passively. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances.

Prayers: Abba Father, my trust is in You for I know You will never leave me nor forsake me. Daily You load me with benefits. My soul blesses, and rejoices in You. I put my cares upon You, knowing You care for me. Give me the grace to commit all things concerning me to You in prayers, and not to fret about anything, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Two of Our Deepest Needs

 Two of Our Deepest Needs

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:1)

We as a church are “in” a Father and “in” a Lord. What does that mean?

The word “Father” implies primarily care and sustaining and protection and provision and discipline. So, to be “in” the Father would mean mainly to be in the care and under the protection of God as our heavenly Father.

The other designation is Lord: We are in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “Lord” implies primarily authority and leadership and ownership. So, to be “in” the Lord means mainly to be in the charge, under the authority, and in the possession of Jesus as our supreme Lord.

So, Paul greets the Thessalonian church in such a way as to remind them that they are a family (in the care of a Father) and that they are servants (in the charge of a Lord). These two descriptions of God as Father and Lord, and thus of the church as family and servants, correspond to two of our deepest needs.

Every single one of us has a need for rescue and help, on the one hand, and the need for purpose and meaning, on the other. 

We need a heavenly Father to pity us and rescue us from sin and misery. We need his help every step of the way, because we are so weak and vulnerable. 

We also need a heavenly Lord to guide us in life and tell us what is wise and give us a great and meaningful charge to fulfill, and reason for existence, some usefulness for the way God made us. We don’t just want to be safe in the care of a Father — as precious and needed as that is. We want a glorious cause to live for. 

We want a merciful Father to be our Protector, and we want an omnipotent Lord to be our Champion and our Commander and our Leader in some great cause. So, when Paul says in verse 1, You are the church “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,” we can take rest and help from the one — God is our Father! And we can take courage and meaning from the other — Jesus is our Lord!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 31, 2026.

SUBJECT : BLESS AND DO NOT CURSE!

Memory verse: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Romans 12 vs 14.)

READ: James 3 vs 8 - 12:

3:8: But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

3:9: With it we bless our God and Father; and with it we curse men, who has been made in the similitude of God.

3:10: Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

3:11: Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

3:12: Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

INTIMATION:

Christians should always remember God’s law of love—love for God and our neighbor. Love is the greatest of all human qualities and is an attitude of God Himself (First John 4 vs 8). Love should make a Christian always bless others rather than curse them because it sees good at the end of everything. Therefore, any Christian practicing God’s law of love is never hypocritical. It is hypocritical for a Christian to speak good of God and evil of his brother or sister in Christ at the same time. Hypocrisy is revealed in the one who speaks both blessings and cursing. Hypocrite seeks to worship God, while at the same time, he or she harbors animosity toward his or her brother or sister in Christ. 

Springs do not bring forth fresh and bitter water. Fig trees do not bear olives and grapevines do not yield figs. In the same manner, a sincere Christian does not speak blessings and cursing. As it is unnatural for trees and vines to bear that which is not common to their fruit. Praises to God and curses of men should not come forth from the same mouth. One cannot propose to giving praise to God while at the same time cursing those who are made after the image of God. Criticizing what God has made in His image and likeness, and the same time praising God for all His goodness is duplicitous, and two-faced because on one hand one is saying that God is good, and on the other hand that what He created is not good. 

Our contradictory speech often puzzles us. At times our words are right and pleasing to God, but at other times they are violent and destructive. We were made in God’s image, but the tongue gives us a picture of our basic sinful nature. When our speech is motivated by Satan, it is full of bitter envy, selfish ambition, earthly concerns and desires, unspiritual thoughts and ideas, confusion, and evil. But when motivated by God and His wisdom, it is full of mercy, love for others, peace, consideration for others, submission, sincerity, impartiality, and righteousness. God works to change us from the inside out. When the Holy Spirit purifies a heart, He gives self-control so that the person will speak words that please God. 

It is for this reason that the apostle Paul, in Philippians 4 vs 8 says to us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” 

What we put into our mind determines what comes out in our speech and actions. The apostle Paul tells us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. If one will only meditate on these things, then his or her thoughts will be optimistic about life and others. 

Do not criticize or curse others, but rather think and speak of those good things you know about others. There is no room in the Christian mentality for pessimistic thinking. When one understands that all things are under the control of the God who can do all things, then he or she sees the best things of life. His or her focus is on that which is good and after the nature of God who is working all things together for good. 

A true heart is not one of malice or hate. Hearts of malice and hate identify those individuals who are of the world. Jesus said we should love our enemies and treat them well. If you love your enemies and treat them well, you will truly show that Jesus is Lord of your life. This is only possible for those who give themselves fully to God, because only He can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love. By telling us not to retaliate, Jesus keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. 

Remember that we are not fighting the tongue’s fire in our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit will remind us of God’s love, and we won’t react in a hateful manner. When we are criticized, the Spirit will heal the hurt and help us to not lash out.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the fruit of the spirit that I my shall manifest the excellent spirit which is in Christ and my speech will bless and not curse, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!