Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to see things from their point of view. That’s one of the great keys to working with clients, pleasing customers, sustaining a marriage, raising children, pastoring people, helping those who are less fortunate, etc. Live by this Scripture: ‘All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous.’ Try to look beyond yourself, your own pursuits, and your own world. When you decide to reflect upon an issue from every possible angle, a) look at it in light of another person’s history, b) find out the interests and concerns of others, and c) lay aside your own plan and try to see what others see. That’s a powerful thing because it means you are truly connecting with them. If you join in any kind of group or team activity, you know how vital it is that each person sees the whole picture and not just their own part. Anytime a person doesn’t recognise how their work fits in with that of their teammates, then the whole team suffers. The better a team member grasps the big picture, the greater their potential to work with the team. Getting along with people and working with them requires effort: getting to know their needs, their goals, their hurts, and their struggles. That’s what Jesus does with us. The Bible says that He can ‘sympathise with our weaknesses’ (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV). To follow in His footsteps, you must endeavour to do that with others.

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

You don’t have to be a great orator; you just have to deliver the message. You don’t have to emulate any other speaker; you just have to decide to be the best ‘you’ possible. So: 1) Forget about messing up. The chances are that you will know more about your topic than 90 per cent of the audience. If you stumble, so what? It signals to the audience that you’re human – just as they are. People often connect better with your vulnerability than your strength. Besides, they’re rooting for you, and they want you to succeed. 2) Focus on imparting value to the audience rather than trying to impress them. The only question that matters is, what did the audience take away from it? John Ford, an American film director, put it this way: ‘You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.’ 3) Practise! Practise! Practise! By first sharing your message with the person in the mirror, you will get to see and hear what others do, and you can add enhancements and make corrections accordingly. 4) When it comes to sharing God’s Word, prepare your message as though everything depends on you, and present it as though everything depends on God – because it does! Paul knew he was not a great orator, yet his words are still changing lives two thousand years later: ‘My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NKJV).

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

Have you been praying, and God hasn’t yet answered? Let’s look at some keys. 1) Maybe you’re expecting a lot from God but not much from yourself. Perhaps He is asking you to work harder by utilising the ingenuity He has given you. Remember, God’s promises are never an excuse for laziness. Elijah was in a devastating drought when God said, ‘Go to the brook Cherith. I will send ravens to feed you’ (see 1 Kings 17:1-4). Elijah could have replied, ‘Lord, I’m exhausted! Can’t you send them here?’ Instead, ‘he…did according to the word of the Lord’ (v. 5 NKJV). Ask God if there is something you should be doing, and when He tells you – do it. 2) Perhaps your prayers are not explicit enough. Doesn’t God already know what we need? Yes, but He wants to hear it from you. ‘You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it’ (James 4:2 NLT). God wants us to persist in prayer: ‘Ask and keep on asking…seek and keep on seeking…knock and keep on knocking’ (Luke 11:9 AMPC). 3) We fail to realise that God wants to meet our needs – in His time. ‘But what if my problem gets worse?’ you ask. Don’t worry; it will never be too big for God to resolve! From time to time, He waits in order to do something even greater. Lazarus was sick unto death, but Jesus didn’t respond immediately. He waited so He could raise him from the dead (see John 11:1-6, 43-44). We’re inclined to think our request is God’s best answer to our need, even though His Word assures us, ‘No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly’ (Psalm 84:11 KJV).

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

Spurgeon’s contemporary, Dr Joseph Parker, pastored the City Temple Church in London. One day he walked up to his pulpit and read this verse: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.’ After a long pause, he closed his Bible, looked at the congregation, and said, ‘Friends, that is enough!’ And scripturally and practically speaking, he is right! When God is your shepherd, you ‘lack nothing’. Even in the grimmest circumstances, you need ‘fear no evil’ because He is always with you (v.4 NIV). And you get to enjoy two things every human being craves – sufficiency and security – because with God, there is no lack of ability or resources to take care of us in any situation (see Philippians 4:19). It’s the reason Paul said that although he had nothing, he possessed everything (see 2 Corinthians 6:10). From God’s perspective we need nothing but God Himself. The Bible tells us, ‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?’ (Romans 8:32 KJV). And since He has already given us His greatest treasure, will He withhold from us any lesser resource? But there are some things we need to remember regarding God’s timing. 1) Because of His superior wisdom, He calls the shots, and when the time is right, the answer will come. 2) There are commandments He gives us, and until we obey them, the answer won’t come. 3) Faith is crucial in receiving the answer. Jesus Himself said, ‘I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24 NLT).

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

The Bible says, ‘Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.’ The righteousness that God approves and accepts comes as a ‘gift’. And it’s based on ‘grace’. And grace means ‘unmerited, unearned, undeserved favour with God’. Are you trying through your own efforts to earn right standing before God? Do you believe that by doing more good deeds, giving more, praying more, serving more, that God will love you more and bless you? These are all good things. Indeed, they are important things. But the righteousness God accepts is a ‘gift’ which He Himself bestows and you yourself cannot earn. Indeed, if you had to earn it, it wouldn’t be a gift; it would be a reward for your efforts. Furthermore, how would you know when you had done enough to please God and be acceptable before Him? Satan will take every opportunity to condemn you for never doing enough. When that happens, you begin to fall into the trap of guilt, condemnation, and shame. When you base your relationship with God on your own merits, you will always fall short. Note something else in this Scripture. When you see your righteousness as a gift bestowed upon you by God because you have placed your trust in Christ, you begin to ‘reign in life’. Link this Scripture together with Romans 6:14, ‘For sin shall not have dominion over you,’ and you begin to get the picture. Instead of being ruled by the world, the flesh, and the devil, you ‘reign’ over them.

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

Often the reason a relationship fails is not because of a difference of opinion, but a lack of understanding. Why aren’t we more understanding? For three reasons: 1) Selfishness. Somebody quipped, ‘There’s two sides to every question – as long as it doesn’t concern me personally.’ Paul writes: ‘Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.’ 2) Fear. Prejudice is often the fear of what we’re unwilling to try and understand. When it comes to new ideas you’ve two options: open your mind and grow, or reject them and stay the same size. We tend to compare what we don’t understand with what we think we do – like the people who told Columbus the earth was flat. When it comes to building relationships you’ve got to be willing to do what you’ve not yet done. 3) Differences. It takes more than one colour to make a rainbow and one musician to make an orchestra. When you take time to appreciate the differences in people, you discover we all share the same hopes and fears. Harry Truman said, ‘When we understand the other fellow’s viewpoint and what he’s trying to do, nine times out of ten he’s just trying to do right.’ Basically, we all share the same hopes and fears. Two of our most common problems are ‘gift-envy’ and ‘gift-projection.’ One happens when we compare our talents with others and feel inferior. The other happens when we expect others to feel equally passionate about what we do. The Bible says, ‘There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:5 NLT).

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

If you’re serious about reaching and teaching people, there are two things you must try to do: 1) Talk to them, not above them. A pre-schooler was eating an apple in the back of the car. ‘Daddy,’ he said, ‘why is my apple turning brown?’ His father explained: ‘Because after you assimilated the skin on the exterior, the core structure of the apple came into contact with the atmosphere, which caused it to oxidise, thus changing its molecular structure and transforming it into a different colour.’ After a long silence, the little boy replied, ‘Daddy, are you talking to me?’ Can the listener understand and apply what you’re saying? Paul told the church at Corinth, ‘I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready…Indeed, you are still not ready’ (1 Corinthians 3:2 NIV). Jesus made a point of tailoring His remarks so the people listening could grasp the message. The Bible says, ‘With…parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.’ Think about it: Jesus was God, and He could easily have awed us with His knowledge. But because His desire was to change our lives for the better, He stayed on our level and spoke in a language we understand. And you must learn to do the same. 2) Say it over and over again. The fundamental law of learning is repetition. It’s been said that people have to hear something sixteen times before they believe it and really ‘get it’. The question that should concern you isn’t, ‘What will I say?’ but, ‘What will people take away from it?’

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

The fifth crown is the crown of glory. Peter wrote: ‘The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away’ (vv. 1-4 NKJV). This crown seems especially designed for pastors and Christian leaders. That doesn’t mean you have to be an official pastor or a member of a church staff. As one pastor explains: ‘You might be the shepherd of a small group. Your flock might be your family…It might be your Sunday school class…The Lord often gives us responsibility for the spiritual well-being and maturing of others, and what an opportunity to serve Him!’ This raises an interesting question: what are we going to do with these crowns? Revelation 4:10-11 describes a great worship service that will occur when we arrive in heaven. ‘The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power”’ (NKJV). Imagine kneeling before the Lord and laying your crown at His feet, overwhelmed with gratitude for all that He has done for you.

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

The fourth crown is the crown of life. Two different verses depict it for us. ‘Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him’ (James 1:12 NKJV). ‘Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’ A pastor explains it this way: ‘The Crown of Life is given in recognition of enduring and triumphing over temptations and trials, even to the point of martyrdom. Motivated by our love for Christ, we persevere and never quit until He takes us home…Almost every New Testament book was written to believers who lived in danger of martyrdom. The apostles counselled them to persevere so they could inherit the Crown of Life.’ Today we are living in one of the most intense periods of persecution in the history of the church. Open Doors, an organisation that monitors persecution, reports on the top fifty nations where Christians face the most severe persecution. In 2017, they said trends are getting worse every year, and that ‘one hundred per cent of Christians in twenty-one countries around the world experience persecution for their faith in Christ, and more than 215 million Christians face “high levels” of persecution. Nearly one in every twelve Christians today lives in an area or culture in which Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished.’ The Bible says, ‘All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution’ (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV). But the good news is that it gives each of us a marvellous opportunity to lay claim to the crown of life.

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

The third crown mentioned in Scripture is the crown of righteousness. Paul writes: ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord…will give to me on that Day, and…also to all who have loved His appearing’ (vv. 7-8 NKJV). A pastor amplifies this: ‘The book of 2 Timothy represents the last known writing of the apostle Paul, and we have reason to believe he was beheaded shortly after writing these words. But rather than dreading death, he was looking forward to the Second Coming. He was…content with his record of service for the Master. Paul’s use of the athletic metaphor here is especially descriptive of the life of the believer because it describes struggle, endurance, discipline, and final victory. The Crown of Righteousness is reserved for those who have a longing for the Lord Jesus and who watch for Jesus to come back.’ Writing to Titus, Paul speaks of ‘looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13 NKJV). The pastor continues: ‘Psychologists tell us that anticipation…is an emotion with marvellous healing powers. People who are snowbound sustain their spirits by anticipating the longer days of spring and summer. Couples…separated by military deployment stay sane by anticipating their reunion…Brides and grooms are eager for their wedding day.’ As a Christian, your best days are ahead of you, and you can anticipate all the glories of heaven and eternity. It should motivate you to be faithful to Jesus as you wait for His return.

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

The second crown mentioned in Scripture is the crown of rejoicing. It’s given to those who take part in leading others to Christ. The background for this passage is written about in Acts 17, which tells the story of Paul arriving in the city of Thessalonica. He went into the synagogue, ‘and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining…that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ”’ (vv. 2-3 NKJV). Some of his hearers were converted, including a great multitude of devout Greeks and a number of prominent women. As a result, a church was built there. Writing to them later, Paul said that they would be his crown when Christ returned. We should all follow Bill Bright’s example; he was one of the best soul winners of the twentieth century. And he once disclosed his secret: ‘Although I have shared Christ personally with many thousands of people through the years, I am a rather reserved person and I do not always find it easy to witness. But I have made this my practice, and I urge you to do the same: assume that whenever you are alone with another person for more than a few moments, you are there by divine appointment to explain…the love and forgiveness he [or she] can know through faith in Jesus Christ.’ When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? Whenever you do, the Lord is fitting you for a crown of rejoicing.

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

In describing our heavenly rewards, the Bible speaks of crowns. Let’s look at each and see what we can learn. The first is the victor’s crown. ‘Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified’ (vv. 25-27 NKJV). Paul points out that athletes who expect to win must actively train. And we, likewise, must retain self-control even in things that, although not inherently evil, can weaken our devotion to God. A pastor explains: ‘Sometimes we have to turn off the television so we can study our Bibles. We have to get up earlier in the mornings to have our daily devotions. We have to exercise self-control in what comes into our minds. We can’t watch many of today’s television programmes or movies – much less the streaming material accessible on our phones and computers – without violating biblical standards of personal holiness. We can’t subject our bodies to drug or alcohol abuse or allow immorality to creep into our relationships. We’ve got to keep our tempers [and tongues] under the control of the Holy Spirit…and we have to depend on God to strengthen us in our resolutions to live disciplined lives.’ The Bible says, ‘Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown’ – the victor’s crown.

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

Patience is a difficult skill to practise when it comes to relationships. This is particularly so when you feel lonely, empty, and incomplete. When that happens you can jump the gun, and make a choice based on your limited perspective rather than the larger picture that would emerge if only you had sought more information and waited patiently. To keep you from making a mistake that can negatively impact the rest of your life, here are three important steps you should take when it comes to forming a relationship: 1) You must ask the right questions. Be curious, inquisitive, and hungry for all the pieces of the puzzle. Always, always, ask! 2) You must find the answer to those questions. Sift through the surface impressions of what you see and hear and you’ll soon see a clearer picture emerging. This picture must harmonise with two things: a) your participation in this particular relationship; b) God’s will and purpose for your life. 3) You must act when the time is right, and know that you are acting on the best and most comprehensive information available. If it doesn’t work out, you can relax in the knowledge that you did everything possible to make a wise decision. Statistically, about half of all marriages today end in divorce. But if you take these three steps, you could finish up in the right half. And even if the relationship fails, you can carry into your next relationship the wisdom gleaned from the last one. ‘He made…a woman, and…brought her to the man.’ God knows just what you need, so seek His guidance.

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

Why does a happy, cooperative twelve-year-old suddenly turn into a sullen, depressed thirteen-year-old? There are two powerful forces that account for some of the adolescent behaviour that drives you crazy as a parent. The first is linked to social pressures common at that age. But there is a second source of disruption. It’s related to hormonal changes that not only transform the physical body but also revolutionise how kids think. For some (not all) adolescents, human chemistry is in a state of imbalance for a few years, causing flightiness, agitation, outbursts, and even depression. This upheaval can motivate a boy or girl to do things that make absolutely no sense to the adults who are watching anxiously on the sidelines. This hormonal firestorm can destabilise their self-concept and create a sense of foreboding. Parents often despair during the irrationality of this period. Everything they have tried to teach their children seems to have misfired for a couple of years. Self-discipline, cleanliness, respect for authority, and common courtesy may give way to risk-taking and all-around goofiness. If that is where your child is today, there is good news – better days are coming! Your unpredictable teen can actually become a tower of strength and good judgement – if they don’t do something destructive before their hormones settle down once more. What should you do as a parent? First, don’t draw long-term conclusions based on a short-term season. Second, let them know you love them, be patient, and pray for peace of mind. ‘The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds’ (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).

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

One of the real tests of character and maturity is how you react to someone else’s success. That’s particularly so when they succeed in an area where you failed or in which you’re frustrated over not having achieved greater success. F.B. Meyer, a well-known author and minister in England, once shared the following experience to a few of his friends: ‘It was easy to pray for the success of G. Campbell Morgan when he was in America. But when he came back to England and took a church near to mine, it was something different. The old Adam in me was inclined to jealousy, but I got my heel upon his head, and whether I felt right towards my friend, I determined to act right. My church gave a reception for him, and I acknowledged that if it was not necessary for me to preach Sunday evenings, I would dearly love to go and hear him myself. Well, that made me feel right towards him. But just see how the dear Lord helped me out of my difficulty. There was Charles Spurgeon preaching wonderfully on one side of me, and G. Campbell Morgan on the other. Both were so popular and drew such crowds that our church caught the overflow, and we had all we could accommodate.’ No matter how well you do something, someone else will come along and do it better. So, here are your options: compare yourself to them, compete with them, criticise them, compliment them, and cooperate with them. The latter is what Paul meant when he wrote, ‘Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another’ (v. 10 NKJV).

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

In baseball, the catcher tries to distract the batter. On one occasion when Yogi Berra was behind the plate, Hank Aaron came up to bat. Yogi started in, ‘Hank, you’ve got the writing on the bat in the wrong place. The words should be facing you.’ Yogi kept going, ‘You better check it.’ Hank didn’t say a word. On the next pitch, Hank hit the ball over the centre field fence. He rounded the bases, stepped on home plate, looked at Yogi Berra, and said, ‘I didn’t come here to read, I came to win.’ It’s vital to know why you are here and not to let anyone talk you out of your calling or purpose. In the world today, people say they are trying to find themselves. Such a search is pointless. As one pastor states: ‘If you don’t know who you are, how do you know what to look for? And how would you know when you have found it, since you don’t know what you are looking for? Toasters don’t find themselves…A toaster…just [has] to do what the manufacturer had in mind.’ Paul had a supernatural encounter on the Damascus road when Christ said to him, ‘I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you’ (v. 16 NKJV). To discover your life’s purpose, you must start with God as your reference point. He made you; He redeemed you; He has a plan for your life – and He will reveal it to you.

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

What an amazing question Jesus asked this paralysed man: ‘Do you want to get well?’ Who wouldn’t? You might be surprised! Kay Arthur tells of passing a beggar one day on a street in the Old City of Jerusalem. As he sat begging, his trouser leg was pulled up to reveal his terrible sores. She writes: ‘My nurse’s heart brought my feet to a halt. I wanted to bend down and shield the open wound from the dust…It should be washed, medicated, and dressed by someone who cared. My friend gently took me by my elbow and propelled me towards our destination. I was a tourist and did not know about these things. She then proceeded to tell me that this man did not wish to be made well. He made his living from his wound! As I looked back…I caught one last glimpse of someone who was less than what he could have been.’ The man lying helpless on a cot by the pool called Bethesda had been there for thirty-eight years. Question: how long does it take before a problem becomes a way of life? Jesus said to him, ‘Get up…and walk’ (v. 8 NIV), the inference being that it’s time to get up and go to work – to become a parent to your children, a partner to your husband or wife, a contributor to your community, a solution to someone else’s problem – it’s time to take responsibility for your life. Are you letting your past or present circumstances keep you stuck and stop you from moving forward? If Jesus asked you, ‘Do you want to get well emotionally, physically, and spiritually?’ what would your answer be? Today let Jesus make you whole!

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

Graduate, here are eleven lessons to empower and inspire you: 1) You’re here for a reason, and the most vital thing you can do is find it. 2) Follow your passion. You may not already know what it is, but make it your mission to discover it. 3) Although you might love Facebook, you might not like working for the company. And because you enjoy cooking doesn’t mean you will enjoy owning a restaurant. 4) Don’t give up because the work is hard. Give up because deep inside you know there is something different for you to do, or you’re not improving yourself or the organisation, or you know you’re not supposed to be there anymore. 5) Learn from every experience. Each job gets you ready for the work you were born to do. 6) Your present job may not be your highest purpose, but it can assist as an agent to prepare you for it. 7) In whichever job you accept after graduation, serve. Serving in minor ways affords you opportunities to serve in major ways. 8) Your dream job probably isn’t the one you dreamed about. Frequently we end up in remarkable careers outside the scope of our degrees. 9) The pursuit of your purpose is filled with difficulties, wins, detours, dead ends, and postponements. Remain hopeful and faithful. 10) You may want something to happen immediately, but if it did, would you be ready for it? 11) Seeds yield to the ground so they can be utilised for a greater purpose. So, plant yourself, and let yourself be used for a harvest to benefit others.

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

Being in a position of leadership won’t give you courage, but showing courage will establish you as a leader in the eyes of others. Larry Osborne said, ‘The most striking thing about highly effective leaders is how little they have in common. What one swears by, another warns against. But one trait stands out: the willingness to risk.’ Courage isn’t the lack of fear; it’s doing what you’re afraid to do. It’s having the power to release the familiar and advance into new territory. The psalmist said, ‘The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ (v. 6 NKJV). Roman historian Tacitus wrote, ‘The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise.’ Courage has the reverse effect. It swings doors open, which is one of its most amazing benefits. British theologian John Henry Newman said, ‘Fear not that your life will come to an end but that it will never have a beginning.’ Without the courage to begin, you have no future. Here is something ironic: those who lack the courage to take risks and those who have the courage to take risks experience the same amount of fear in life. The only difference is that those who are afraid retreat while those who show courage advance. So, how do you handle fear? Do you embrace it or try to escape it? Do you put yourself in situations that stretch your faith? Or have you withdrawn so far into your comfort zone that you never feel fear? Only when you have answered these questions can you begin to overcome your fears.

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

Covetousness will rob you of contentment. It works like this: you browse through a home-decorating magazine, and the home you were thankful for an hour ago suddenly seems ramshackle. Or you see an ad on TV for a new car, and the car in your driveway suddenly looks like an old banger. God expects you to have goals for your life and to provide for your family but beware of coveting things so much that you become obsessed with how to get them. When Israel went to war with Jericho, God told them everything in the city was to be destroyed. So afterwards, when Israel stormed the small town of Ai and met with a humiliating defeat, Joshua was devastated. When he asked God why they had lost the battle, He told him it was because of sin in the Israelite camp. When Joshua investigated, Achan, one of his soldiers, confessed, ‘When I saw…the spoils…I coveted them and took them’ (Joshua 7:21 NKJV). When Achan tried to conceal his sin by hiding the stolen goods in his tent, it cost him and his family their lives. When you covet, you question God’s wisdom, willingness, and ability to provide for you. Don’t do it! When you find yourself wanting something, pray about it and trust God to give it to you – if it’s His will. His Word assures us, ‘No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.’ God knows what’s good for you and what’s not, and all your pleading won’t change His mind. But when your desire is to do His will, He promised, ‘You will always have plenty’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 NCV).

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