The Word for Today
With Bob Gass

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Wilderness Attitudes! We who...believed are able to enter...God's rest. - Hebrews 4:3 NCV

After spending half their lives in the wilderness, the Israelites blamed it on their enemies. But it was their attitude that was at fault! Because God "was...angry...they were not allowed to enter...God's rest, because they did not believe" (Heb 3:17-19 NCV). Their doubting, complaining and blame-shifting kept them stuck in the wilderness; and it'll do the same to you. It starts with feeling sorry for yourself and thinking, "If only I'd been born into a different family, had a better paying job, a more Spiritual spouse, etc., this wouldn't be happening." And from there it spirals downward into a full-blown 'pity party' where everybody else is responsible for your problems. The truth is, 99 percent of the time the solution begins with a change of attitude - in you!

Another wilderness attitude that'll keep you stuck, is insisting on doing everything your way! Stubbornness will keep you stumbling around in the wilderness, seeing the Promised Land but never reaching it. Offering a sacrifice to God before going into battle was the way to victory. Only one problem: Samuel the prophet was the only one qualified to offer such a sacrifice. But pride and stubbornness made King Saul think he could. As a result he lost his life and Israel went down in defeat. Samuel told Saul, "Because you have rejected God's word, God has rejected you as king" (See 1 Sa 15:26).

Understand this: you don't have to do anything to earn God's love, but you must obey Him in order to walk in His blessings. So, what has God told you to do? If you want victory in your battles and success in your endeavors, start doing it!

SoulFood Bible Readings: Jer 4-6, Lk 3:1-10, Ps 59:9-17, Pr 14:23-24

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This message from The Word for Today came from Rhema Broadcasting Group Incorporated in association with The Vine, New Zealand. "The Word for Today"® is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries.

Used under 'limited copy' permission by:

The Word for Today
With Bob Gass

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Responding Like Jesus! Pray for those who persecute you. - Matthew 5:44 NIV

A soldier made it his practice to end each day with Bible reading and prayer. As the others gathered in the barracks and retired for the night, he'd kneel by his bunk. Some of them saw this and began to mock him. But one night the abuse went beyond words. As he bowed in prayer one soldier threw his boots and hit him in the face. The others jeered, looking for a fight, but there was no retaliation. The next morning when the boot-thrower woke up he couldn't believe what he saw. There at the foot of his bed were his boots - polished and returned. Imagine shining the boots that kick you! That calls for a new level of grace. It means deciding what your response will be, before the offence comes! Some of the guys in the barracks were 'leaders', motivated by pride and insensitivity. That's how darkness responds to light. Others were 'followers' - they weren't necessarily bad, just weak and afraid to be different.

Why did Jesus pray from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do?" Because He understood that people who have been raised a particular way, who are driven by certain forces, who wrestle with unresolved issues and fears, who are programmed by an unstimulated mindset, need God. And He saw it as an opportunity to put God on display.

This requires more than church-on-Sunday religion. It calls for a Christ-like, example-setting, love-displaying response that makes others sit up and take notice. Your 'rights' and your wounded ego are not the issue - the One you represent is!

SoulFood Bible Readings: Jer 1-3, Lk 2:41-52, Ps 59:1-8, Pr 14:21-22

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Tell your friends about The Word For Today e-mail service. If you've been encouraged by The Word for Today, then your friends will be too. NZ - Click here, UK - Click here.

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This message from The Word for Today came from Rhema Broadcasting Group Incorporated in association with The Vine, New Zealand. "The Word for Today"® is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries.

Used under 'limited copy' permission by: