Herd
Get App
UCB Word For Today podcast cover art

UCB Word For Today

ByUCB
32 episodes

Podcast Summary

Dive into the transformative world of "UCB Word For Today," a daily podcast that invites listeners to enrich their spiritual journey through insightful discussions and Scripture readings. Each episode offers a fresh perspective on living as a new creation in Christ, addressing the common struggles of faith, identity, and daily challenges. What sets this podcast apart is its engaging format, featuring thought-provoking conversations with prominent Christian leaders and thinkers who share their personal experiences and wisdom. Guests have included influential voices from various backgrounds, discussing topics such as overcoming old behaviors, understanding the essence of faith, and navigating modern life's complexities through a biblical lens. With its blend of Scripture, reflective articles, and practical prayer points, "UCB Word For Today" is not just a podcast—it's a daily companion that empowers you to deepen your relationship with God and embrace your true identity in Christ. Tune in and transform your everyday life!

#1

Out with the old and in with the new!

As a new creation, you’re no longer controlled by your old behaviour but by your relationship with Christ. Jon Walker writes: ‘A few miles from my house there’s a convenience store that went through a makeover. However, the employees may have missed the makeover memo. The kid behind the counter wore a new uniform…but he also wore the same sullen look I’d seen before. It made me think about how we try to put new wine into old wineskins. Jesus says we’re bound to fail because “the wine will burst the skins, and both…will be ruined” (NIV). But don’t we [do the same] when it comes to our Christian walk? The new wine of honesty-at-work, poured into the old wineskin of cutting corners. The new wine of unconditional love, poured into the old wineskin of hatred for the family two doors down. The new wine of worship, poured into the old wineskin of idolising money, power, music, or the latest video game. The new wine of Bible study, poured into the old wineskin of “gotta-go-pop-tart-for-breakfast” busyness. The new wine of humility, poured into the old wineskin of conceit. The new wine of forgiveness, poured into the old wineskin of bitterness. The new wine of others first, poured into the old wineskin of selfish ambition. The new wine of joy, poured into the old wineskin of jealousy and factions. The new wine of peace, poured into the old wineskin of discord.’ If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to ditch the old wineskin and let God make you a powerful, new, clean vessel.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-06-04•2mins
#2

Today, use your God-given power

You say, ‘If Christ lives in me, why do I still think and act the way I do?’ A Christian leader explains: ‘The answer is illustrated in a story about a lady who had a small house…at the turn of the century. She was quite wealthy but also quite frugal…People were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home. Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked her if her electricity was working well, and she assured him it was. “I’m wondering if you can explain something to me,” he said. “Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?” “Certainly,” she answered. “Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off.” She’s tapped into the power but didn’t use it. Her house is connected but not altered. Don’t we make the same mistake? We, too – with our souls saved but our hearts unchanged – are connected but not altered. Trusting Christ for salvation but resisting transformation. We occasionally flip the switch, but most of the time we settle for shadows. What would happen if we left the light on? What changes would occur if we set about the task of dwelling in the radiance of Christ? No doubt about it: God has ambitious plans for us. The same one who saved your soul longs to remake your heart. His plan is nothing short of a total transformation.’ ‘He decided…to shape [our] lives…along the same lines as the life of his Son’ (Romans 8:29 MSG). Today, use your God-given power.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-06-03•2mins
#3

Be real

Jesus was rough on Pharisees: ‘People look at you and think you are saints, but beneath the skin you are total frauds’ (Matthew 23:28 MSG). They put on a good front but were devoid of grace, mercy, and compassion. And Jesus called them on it! Because we live in an appearance-focused society, Jesus warns us about the dangers that come from dwelling on the outer life at the cost of developing the inner life. So, how do you keep that from happening? 1) Follow Jesus’ example. He spent His life ministering to the hurting, the forgotten, the lost, and lonely. 2) Keep in mind that even though you’re a Christian, you will still struggle in certain areas, and don’t try to act like you ‘have it all together’. 3) Ask God to reveal behaviour patterns that are appearance oriented instead of heart oriented. 4) Surround yourself with transparent people who encourage you to be real and correct you when you need it. Marybeth Whalen writes: ‘The painters painted the wall leading downstairs…A week later I discovered, while the wall had been repainted, the habits hadn’t changed. The kids were still dragging their dirty hands behind them, making what was white and clean, grey, and dirty. Like that wall, if I’m not careful I can cover up what’s there…wear the Christian tee shirt, carry my Bible, smile like everything’s great, and talk a good game about my walk with the Lord. But deep inside the ugly habits are waiting to be revealed the moment life gets messy. I can become a modern-day Pharisee who focuses on the whitewash and ignores the dirty stuff underneath.’ So, be real.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-06-02•2mins
#4

You are the vessel, not the treasure

Be careful to make the distinction between the ‘earthen vessel’ and the ‘treasure’. Paul says, ‘We have this treasure’; he doesn’t say, ’We are this treasure’! Anytime you allow people to think of you as the treasure, God is not pleased, and you’re setting yourself up to fail. When God deposits a treasure within you, it means two things: 1) He expects a return on His investment. 2) You’re called to a higher level of responsibility and accountability. Sometimes people think leaders are immune to life’s tests and trials. Not so! Because someone has talent doesn’t mean they don’t struggle in certain areas. Their struggles may be unseen, but they’re real. Let’s face it; God uses people we would have censured and thrown away, like Rahab working as a prostitute in Jericho. But when she placed her faith in God, He used her to help win the battle of Jericho. Then He included her in the family line of Christ (see Hebrews 11:31). And how about Jephthah? He was born to an unwed mother, rejected as illegitimate by his half brothers and sisters, and ended up living in a cave with a gang. Yet God used him to deliver Israel and become one of its youngest leaders (see Hebrews 11:32). God specialises in restoring broken vessels. He takes things that aren’t productive – marriages that don’t work, people with problems – and teaches them how to be victorious and fruitful in His service. Knowing that gives you the strength and tenacity to face whatever comes because you understand that when God places His treasure within you, He protects it, uses it, and blesses it.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-06-01•2mins
#5

‘Much more’ or ‘much less’ (2)

Try to imagine the abundance God has prepared for you (see 1 Corinthians 2:9). Then decide that the language of your heart will be the ‘much more’ of faith, not the ‘much less’ of unbelief. Observe: 1) Your salvation supersedes your sin. No matter how sinful your history, ‘if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God…which is by…Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many’ (Romans 5:15 KJV). Rejoice! You’re ‘much more’ forgiven. 2) Christ’s life in you continuously saves you. If He lives in you, His salvation remains actively at work in you. ‘If, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life’ (Romans 5:10 KJV). 3) The Holy Spirit will be in you abundantly. ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’ (Luke 11:13 KJV). He gives the Spirit ‘much more’ to His children. 4) You can triumph in life through Jesus. ‘Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:17 KJV). By God’s grace, you can walk in ‘much more’ victory. 5) All you need, He will provide. ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father…give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matthew 7:11 KJV). As you develop a ‘much more’ mentality, you will begin to enjoy the ‘good things’ God provides.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-31•2mins
#6

‘Much more’ or ‘much less’ (1)

Here is an expression used throughout Scripture to describe God’s provision for us: ‘much more’. It assures us there is no need we will ever face that can’t be met through His abundant resources. Our tendency is to approach our needs with an attitude of ‘much less’. It assumes that God is unable or unwilling to meet them. No, God wants us to adopt a ‘much more’ attitude. Much less is the language of visible things; it allows circumstances and lack to govern our lives. Much more is the language of unseen things; it invites us to live in the assurance of God’s abundance. There is an inspiring illustration of this principle in 2 Chronicles 32. The Assyrian King Sennacherib’s forces were threatening Israel with annihilation. After he told them to look around and see what he had done to the people of other lands, he added, ‘How much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?’ (v. 15 KJV). But instead, King Hezekiah fixed his eye of faith on God’s resources and encouraged the Israelites: ‘Be not afraid…for the king of Assyria, nor for all the [visible] multitude that is with him: for there be more [invisible] with us than with him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God’ (vv. 7-8 KJV). Although the Assyrians had a vastly superior army, verse eight says God’s people ‘rested themselves’ (stopped worrying), believing the hand of God was much more effective than the arm of the flesh! And it’s time you developed a ‘much more’ mentality in your life because our God is ‘able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20 KJV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-30•2mins
#7

A ministry of tears

If you cry easily, it could be that God has given you a ministry of tears. What is that? Author Liz Curtis Higgs explains: ‘I cry easily and often. Happy tears, sad tears, over-the-top tears, Hallmark commercial tears – you name it…I cry at church…When I hear a wondrous truth spoken or a glorious song lifted in praise, when I see a new believer step forward or an old saint read the Scriptures, I’m so overwhelmed with God’s presence that tears flow down my cheeks…While I’ve made peace with [it] many women are ashamed of their tearfulness. A dear woman in Missouri thought her tears were a stumbling block to serving God…She explained, “I want to help hurting people, but the minute I hear their stories, I start weeping.”…I gave her a big hug [and said,] “You have a ministry of tears! The Bible tells us to ‘mourn with those who mourn’ (Romans 12:15 NIV), and to ‘comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God’ (2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV). Your tears don’t hurt, they help!” God can use anything we surrender to him. Laughter and tears. Joys and sorrows. Victories and mistakes. Strengths and weaknesses. We minister to others best when we offer our true selves – “as is” – not waiting until we’ve cleaned up our act or dried up our tears, but right now, leaks and all.’ One day ‘God shall wipe away all tears’ (Revelation 21:4 KJV). But until then, our tears are so precious to Him that, like fine wine and priceless perfume, He preserves them in a bottle (see Psalm 56:8).

2025-05-29•2mins
#8

You’re almost there!

Psychologists say the strongest influence on our present is often our past. But Paul tells us to forget the past, and focus on ‘what lies ahead…press on to…receive the heavenly prize’ (v. 13-14 NLT). One counsellor writes: ’I know you’re tired…overwhelmed…as though…this hard time will last forever. It won’t. You are almost there. You don’t just think it has been hard; it has been hard. You have been tested and retested on what you have learned. Your faith tried in fire. More problems occurred than you anticipated…You did not plan on this, yet it has been good. Part of you, [your spirit], has sensed this even when your head told you that things were out of whack…that there was no plan, that God had forgotten you. Each incident – the most painful, troubling, most surprising – has a connection.’ ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NIV). The counsellor continues, ‘Things were meant to happen this way. You didn’t believe it would take this long, but it did. You have learned patience. Many moments you thought you were forgotten. Now things are coming into place. You are almost at the end of this difficult portion of the journey. You have been climbing a mountain. It has not been easy, but mountain climbing is never easy. Now, you are near the top. A moment longer, and victory shall be yours. Steady your shoulders. Breathe deeply. Move forward in confidence. The time is coming to enjoy all which you have fought for…Your struggle has not been in vain. For every struggle on this journey, there is a climax, a resolution…There will be more mountains, but now you know how to climb them.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-28•2mins

Listen to your favourite podcasts.

Now ad-free.

Download herd and enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality podcasts without the wait.

Download on the
App Store
#9

Tell them while you still can

Read this: ‘I remember when I took your new car on the road and wrecked it. I thought you would be livid and come down hard on me, but you didn’t. I remember when we went to the beach, and you didn’t want to go because you said it was going to rain. We went, and it rained. I was sure you would rub it in and say, “I told you so!” But you didn’t. Then there was the time when I spilled blueberry juice down the front of your new white tuxedo. I knew you would be upset and blame me. But you didn’t. And remember that formal evening? I was mistaken and told you it was casual. You wore blue jeans and felt like a fish out of water. I was sure you would storm out in anger and leave me standing there. But you didn’t. I wanted to tell you how much I loved you and how much I appreciated you for all those things when you returned from Afghanistan. But you didn’t.’ Don’t spend the future regretting unspoken words someone needs to hear. ‘Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.’ Few things are more effective than the right word at the right time. By the same token, words of kindness withheld are a heavy burden to live with. That’s why the Bible says, ‘Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad’ (Proverbs 12:25 ESV). Don’t let shyness or fear of rejection keep you from saying what needs to be said. Tell them while you still can.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-27•1mins
#10

To be used by God

To be used by God, you must know two things: 1) Who God is. A little girl in Sunday school was asked by her teacher what she was drawing. She replied, ‘A picture of God.’ The teacher said, ‘But nobody has ever seen Him.’ Confidently she replied, ‘They will when I’m finished!’ Please understand this: the only God some people around you will ever see is the one they see in you each day. And to know God, you must spend time with Him. Not leftover time, but quality time, daily time, prioritised time! 2) Who you are. When God called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt, he asked God two things: a) ‘If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” they will ask me, “What is his name?” Then what should I tell them?’ (Exodus 3:13 NLT). ‘God replied to Moses…“Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you”’ (v.14 NLT). In order to know who you are, you must first know who God is – then you will have credibility. b) ‘What if they won’t believe me or listen to me?’ (Exodus 4:1 NLT). ‘Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake!…“Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe”’ (vv. 2-3, 5 NLT). Moses already had what he needed! And so do you. Bottom line: to be used of God, you must know who He is and who you are.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-26•2mins
#11

Don’t let a wall build up between you.

An unknown author wrote these poignant words: ‘Their wedding picture mocked them from the table, these two whose minds no longer touched each other. They lived with such a heavy barricade between them that neither battering ram of words nor artilleries of touch could break it down. Somewhere, between the oldest child’s first tooth and the youngest daughter’s graduation, they lost each other. Throughout the years each slowly unravelled that tangled ball of string called self, and as they tugged at stubborn knots, each hid his searching from the other. Sometimes she cried at night and begged the whispering darkness to tell her who she was. He lay beside her, snoring like a hibernating bear, unaware of her winter…She took a course on modern art, trying to find herself in colours splashed upon a canvas, complaining to the other women about men who are insensitive. He climbed into a tomb called “The Office”, wrapped his mind in a shroud of paper figures, and buried himself in customers. Slowly, the wall between them rose, cemented by the mortar of indifference. One day, reaching out to each other, they found a barrier they could not penetrate, and recoiling from the coldness of the stone, each retreated from the stranger on the other side. For when love dies, it is not in a moment of angry battle, not when fiery bodies lose their heat. It lies panting, exhausted, expiring at the bottom of a wall it could not scale.’ So, the word for today is – don’t let a wall build up between you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-25•2mins
#12

Give God all the glory

When we try to impress the people, we consider to be important, we become trophy collectors. ‘I’m more important because I know this famous person’ is how our thinking goes. And all kinds of objects can become trophies: our grades in school, the houses we live in, people we have impressed, our looks, clothing brands, compliments, and promotions. There are even websites you can visit to look for a trophy wife – a woman whose beauty is a tribute to her husband’s wealth and influence. A trophy is anything you own that causes other people to look at you and say, ‘Wow!’ But living for trophies leaves you empty, unhappy, and tired. They bring a momentary happiness that can be addictive, but the enjoyment always dwindles. It’s notable that in heaven, when images like crowns are used, instead of wearing them, people are casting them at the Lord’s feet. When you give the triumph, admiration, and honour away, they bring you joy. When you collect them, they dull, fade, and become a burden. That’s why the Bible says: ‘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; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created”’ (vv. 10-11 NKJV). Anything good you have, anything good you are, and anything good you will receive in the future all come from God. So, be sure to give God all the glory.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-24•2mins
#13

Always agree with God’s Word

Do you think of yourself as a person who has faith in God? Do your thoughts and words reflect that? We can deceive ourselves into thinking we have great faith, but if challenges easily defeat us, then maybe our faith isn’t as great as we thought it was. Jesus said, ‘The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.’ You can learn a lot about yourself by listening to what you say. Do your thoughts and words show your dependence on God, recognising that His abilities, not yours, enable you to do anything you need to do? To get your words right, you must get your heart right. And to do that, you must line your thinking up with God’s Word. That means being willing to face anything He wants to show you and asking Him to change you. If you’re trusting in your own strength, start trusting God instead. If you’re attempting to do things through your own abilities and becoming irritated, let God know that you want Him to work through you, and allow His sufficiency to be yours. Paul writes, ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God’ (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV). Your words are like containers, so don’t fill them with things that disable you. Instead, stand on this Scripture: ‘God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV). When you speak, always agree with God’s Word.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-23•1mins
#14

You can learn to love

You can learn to love by thinking loving thoughts. By focusing on the other person’s needs, pains, difficulties, goals, and desires, not just your own. The old saying goes, ‘It’s easier to understand someone when you walk a mile in their shoes.’ Hurting people tend to hurt other people. If someone is hurting you, that person may be doing so because they are hurting. How can you love them? By looking beyond their faults and seeing their needs. The least lovable people are often those who need love the most. The people we would prefer to ignore are the very ones who need huge doses of love. If a person can’t find love, they will seek attention. And if they can’t obtain positive attention, they will work at attracting negative attention. Unintentionally they are saying, ‘I will be noticed, one way or another.’ Make love the master of your will, not the slave of your emotions. We can’t change our feelings, but we can change our thoughts. When we change how we think about someone, we will steadily change our feelings about that person. When rather than thinking about a person’s faults, we start thinking about their needs, it will change the way we feel. You say, ‘If I act lovingly towards someone I don’t even like, wouldn’t that be hypocritical?’ No, it’s called ‘loving by faith’. When you love by faith, you act yourself into feeling the right way towards that person. Try it and find out for yourself!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-22•1mins
#15

Learn to say no

To say yes to the will of God, you will have to say no to other things. And some people won’t like it, especially if they are used to getting their own way. People will make demands on you based on their needs and be oblivious to or uncaring about your needs. So, you have a choice: be led by God or by others. No one was busier than Jesus or had a greater assignment. Yet we read, ‘When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth”’ (Mark 1:37-38 NKJV). Was Jesus saying no to meeting unmet needs? Yes, He knew what His priorities were, and He remained focused. That way, He was able to say to His heavenly Father at the end of His life, ‘I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do’ (John 17:4 NLT). If you have a hard time saying no, stop and mentally picture what you think will happen when you say no. The only way to conquer your fear or insecurity in this area is to begin to take small risks until you are finally comfortable giving a firm no. When a person gets into debt through reckless spending, you’re not doing them a favour by saying yes to bailing them out. You’re enabling them! By saying yes to someone who refuses to learn a new skill set they’re capable of, you’re promoting ‘learned helplessness’. So, learn to say no.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-21•1mins
#16

Prayer and your RAS

To understand how prayer is powerful and effective, look at it from a neurological perspective. At the base of our brain lies a cluster of nerves called the reticular activating system (RAS), which monitors our environment. We are constantly bombarded with countless stimuli vying for our attention, and it is the job of the RAS to determine what gets noticed and what goes unnoticed. For example, you download a new ringtone for your mobile phone. You’re sure that you’ve never heard it before. But after downloading it, it seems like everybody else has the same ringtone. It’s not that lots of people went out and downloaded it when you did. It’s the simple fact that when you downloaded that ringtone, it created a category in your RAS. That ringtone went unnoticed by you before you downloaded it because it wasn’t important to you. Once you downloaded the ringtone, the RAS recognised it as relevant. Prayer works that way. When you pray for someone or something, it creates a category in your reticular activating system. And now you notice everything related to those prayers. A pastor writes: ‘Have you ever noticed that when you pray, coincidences happen? And when you don’t, they don’t? It’s more than coincidence, it’s providence. Prayer creates divine opportunities. But prayer also sanctifies the reticular activating system and enables us to see the God-ordained opportunities that are all around us all the time. And once we see them, we have to [activate our faith and] seize them.’ Prayer is the portal to God’s kingdom and through which His blessings flow to us. So, pray each day.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-20•2mins
#17

If you’re a leader, read this!

A leadership expert says: ‘Most leaders focus on two things: the vision and the bottom line. The vision is what usually excites us most, and taking care of the bottom line keeps us in business. But between the vision and the bottom line are all the people in your organisation…If you ignore the people and only pay attention to these other two things, you will lose the people and the vision (and probably the bottom line). But if you focus on the people, you have the potential to win the people, the vision, and the bottom line.’ Interestingly, the Bible puts these two things together: ‘Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal [hard work].’ When business consultant Jim Collins studied great companies, he discovered ‘level five leaders’. He says these leaders refused to take credit for their organisation’s accomplishments. Instead, they humbly gave credit to their employees. Numerous leaders say they value their people and customers. That’s a popular thing to say, and anyone can say it. But if you want to find out whether this is a value your organisation actually holds, chat with people who know your organisation well but aren’t employed by you. What do they say? Their answers will show you the most accurate picture. Since you know your own heart better than anyone else, it all starts with you. Ask yourself, ‘Do I place a high value on people?’ If you do, it will show up in how you treat them. If you treat them right, God will bless your efforts. And the Bible says, ‘The blessing of the Lord makes rich’ (Proverbs 10:22 ESV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-19•2mins
#18

The kids are watching you (2)

If you’re a parent, you want your children to turn out well, and the best way to do that is by modelling proper behaviour at home (see Ephesians 5:1 MSG). Learn to say no. Susan Alexander Yates says: ‘There are simply too many demands…choices, and too little time. Maturity means learning to postpone something you’d really like to do now…to focus on something even more important. Maybe it’s that career opportunity so you can have more time with your children, or that outing with your friends so you’re around when your teens have their friends at your house. Maybe you need to say “no” to your kids being in yet another sports team so your family can have dinner together. Ask yourself, in 10 years, what will matter most – that you signed your child up for yet another activity and spent evenings apart, or said “no” and had family dinners together? Or that you participated in…another committee, or said “no” so you could spend more time with your husband? Pursue Christ with fresh vigour…I pray King David’s prayer: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12 NIV). Resolve to recapture that joy. Vary…your time alone with God. Decide on a new topic for Bible study. Begin a fresh journal…If you…still feel stale, ask God to show you the reason. Is there sin in your life you’re ignoring? A wrong relationship, self-pity, jealousy?’ The Bible says, ‘Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV). Always be aware that the kids are watching you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-18•2mins
#19

The kids are watching you (1)

Susan Alexander Yates offers us scriptural guidelines for influencing our kids. (If you’re not a parent, why not use these points to help you have a positive influence on the children in your family or community.) 1) Reach out to non-Christians. If you want kids to grow in faith, expose them to people who need faith. God called us to be ‘salt and light’ (see Matthew 5:13-16), but that won’t happen if you spend all your free time with fellow believers. Plus, kids are more likely to reach out to others when they see it modelled at home. Befriend someone who is not a believer, like a neighbour, a co-worker, a teacher or coach, or your hairstylist. Reaching out can feel scary, but when you risk it, God will work through you in exciting ways. 2) Model gratitude. No one enjoys a whiny kid, including God. And when we appreciate Him, it delights His heart. ‘Children…learn…from their parents’; they pick up on your attitude. Your mood fills the atmosphere of your home, and if you whine, they’re more likely to complain. When you dwell on the negative, they learn to focus on what’s lacking. 3) Make time for your spouse. We get busy with kids, jobs, and church activities, and we think we will spend time with our spouse when things calm down. The problem is – they never do. Don’t let the weeds of so-called important things choke your relationship. Nurture it; look for ways to bring you and your spouse closer. Start with a weekly date. Your kids’ security is based on knowing you love them, and it soars when they know you love each other! The Bible says, ‘Wise children become proud parents’ (Proverbs 23:24 MSG). You’re raising the next generation, and they need to know a happy marriage takes time and effort.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-17•2mins
#20

Be true to the Scriptures

When asked if they believed that the Bible was the inspired and the infallible Word of God, a majority of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds in America said, ‘Yes. Give it to me straight. And if you don’t live it, don’t give it!’ It’s an honest response! Think about it: who told the first lie ever recorded? Satan. In the garden of Eden, he convinced Eve it was okay to eat the forbidden fruit and that God didn’t really mean what He said. And he is still peddling the same old lie! You hear it in comments like these: 1) ‘You can interpret the Bible many different ways.’ That sounds reasonable until you read this: ‘Above all, you must realise that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God’ (2 Peter 1:20-21 NLT). Isaiah said, ‘People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.’ Two and two must make four; otherwise, we’re all open to each other’s interpretations and value judgements – and somebody is going to get the short end of the stick. 2) ‘It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.’ What if you’re sincerely wrong? If a doctor prescribes the wrong medication, it could kill you rather than cure you. 3) ‘Rather than offend someone, you should say nothing.’ If that person’s house were on fire, wouldn’t you warn them in order to save their life? Before He was betrayed, Jesus said, ‘All ye shall be offended because of me this night’ (Mark 14:27 KJV). The truth hurts, but it heals, so let’s be true to the Scriptures.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-16•1mins
#21

‘Forgive them’ and delete it

Some societies in history punished those who committed adultery by making them wear a big scarlet letter A, publicly identifying with their behaviour. And if you were caught stealing, they made you drag a ball and chain around. Maybe you’re thinking, ‘Well, they deserved it.’ Really? Jesus said if you simply lust after someone, you have committed adultery in your heart (see Matthew 5:28). Then He went on to say the standard of judgement you impose on others is the same standard you will be judged by (see Matthew 7:1-2). God is not soft on sin; notice two things: 1) He won’t just overlook your sin. ‘The Lord disciplines the one he loves’ (Hebrews 12:6 NIV). 2) He won’t turn His back on you. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (see Romans 8:38-39). We don’t use scarlet letters or balls and chains today, but we use computers. So, when someone hurts you, God says we must forgive them and delete it! Otherwise, it will influence the way we think, act, and talk. Plus, it will keep us tied to old, painful memories. ‘But forgiving them is hard,’ you say. That’s why Jesus said to pray for those who mistreat you (see Matthew 5:44). Forgiving someone begins with praying for them. You say, ‘But I need to understand why they did it.’ Wise people do foolish stuff, good people do bad stuff, and misguided people don’t know what they’re doing. Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ Someday you may understand what motivated your offender. But even if you don’t, forgive them and delete it.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-15•2mins
#22

Put God between yourself and the foe

Faced with an enemy he couldn’t conquer on his own, King Asa prayed, ‘“Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.” The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah’ (vv. 11-12 NIV). F.B. Meyer writes: ‘Remind God of his entire responsibility. “There is none like thee to help.” The odds against Asa were enormous. There were a million men in arms…beside three hundred chariots. It seemed impossible to hold his own against that vast multitude. There were no allies who would come to his help: his only hope therefore was in God. There was none beside to help. It may be that your difficulties have been allowed to come to so alarming a pitch that you may be compelled to renounce all creature aid, to which in lesser trials you have had recourse, and cast yourself back on your Almighty friend. Put God between yourself and the foe. To Asa’s faith, Jehovah seemed to stand between the might of Zerah and himself, as one who had no strength. Nor was he mistaken…the Ethiopians were destroyed before the Lord, and before His host, as though celestial combatants flung themselves against the foe on Israel’s behalf…Our God is Jehovah of Hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to the aid of his people. Believe that he is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before him as clouds before the gale.’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-14•2mins
#23

Only Jesus can satisfy your soul

We are desirous by nature. We keep desiring things just like we keep taking our next breath. The trouble is, when we get the things we crave, they don’t bring us the happiness we yearn for. So, we keep looking for more and more things. Online shops are in the business of ‘creating need’. Things we had assigned to our ‘want’ category are switched to our ‘need’ category. But according to a theologian, here is the problem: ‘We cannot get enough of what we do not need…No matter how much we have, we remain “not-enough” people. For not-enough people, there exists no lasting soul satisfaction. I saw an ad that featured the tagline “yesterday I didn’t know it existed; today I can’t live without it”. [It’s called] the myth of more, the myth that one day more will be enough. If we believe this myth, we spend our lives looking for the next thing. It might be a car, or a promotion, or the love of a beautiful woman or handsome man. It might be, depending on your age, an iPod, or a Lamborghini, or a Tickle Me Elmo doll. We keep hoping that the next thing will be it – the source of true satisfaction for our souls. For a few minutes, or perhaps days, we experience true soul satisfaction. Then it wears off. It always wears off.’ Understand this: only Jesus can satisfy; everything else disappoints. God said, ‘My people have done two evil things: they have abandoned me – the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!’ If you are tired of living an empty life, come to Jesus. He won’t disappoint you.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-13•2mins

Listen to your favourite podcasts.

Now ad-free.

Download herd and enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality podcasts without the wait.

Download on the
App Store
#24

Born to believe (2)

Parenting doesn’t end when your child becomes a teenager. Teens are just more mobile, spend less time with you, and are more independent. Now they value and emulate peers who are as immature as they are. Even when you have laid moral and spiritual foundations in their early years, something will happen that leaves you asking, ‘What happened? Where did I go wrong?’ Adolescence happened! It’s the teenager’s brain; it’s wired that way. Their frontal lobes – the part of the brain linked to moral development, emotional reactivity, impulse control, and decision-making – aren’t fully developed yet. Their frontal lobes won’t finish growing before their twenties, and sometimes later. Meantime, what happened to all those Bible stories and your efforts to build godly beliefs into them? It’s all in there, temporarily lost in those budding lobes! They aren’t bad or ignorant, though they sometimes seem to act that way. They haven’t abandoned your teachings. The belief systems you helped them construct earlier are not erased – they have been transferred to a ‘holding file’ until their new sanity-restoring brain cells arrive. And they will! Your job is to avoid panic, pray, and allow God to work on them, love them unconditionally, and be their anchor. Stand firm, and live by your principles. Demonstrate empathy, but teach them how their decisions affect others. Help them learn self-control by letting them deal with their consequences! Be patient, supportive, and never give up on them. You have sown the seed of God’s Word into them, and ‘at just the right time [you] will reap a harvest of blessing if [you] don’t give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NLT)!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-12•2mins
#25

Born to believe (1)

Training a child is both challenging and rewarding. By shaping their underlying belief system, you help their developing brain establish permanent neural pathways that will guide their moral and spiritual growth. Neuroscientists Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman, authors of Born to Believe, tell us the most crucial years are from age seven to ten. That’s when a child has the greatest propensity to understand the concept of a God they can’t see, feel, or hear. What an ideal opportunity! Newberg and Waldman also suggest that our most effective tool for belief building at this stage is storytelling, not preaching or moralising. Stories that incorporate godly principles, moral behaviours, courage, faith, love, compassion, and forgiveness are welcomed, easily digested ingredients for building Christian character. Storytelling was how God instructed the Israelites to teach their children His ways and Word. Stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Daniel, Esther, Samson, Ruth, and David; of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection; of Jesus walking on the sea, raising the dead, and feeding the five thousand, stir the hearts, interest, and imagination of young children and impart enduring, life-changing principles! In fact, studies show that the belief systems of adults are powerfully influenced by stories they heard growing up. Implant stories that will become the underpinning for their character and the basis for a lifetime of faith. As a parent, carer, or teacher, it’s your job to encourage and stimulate their developing brain towards godly beliefs, decisions, and lifestyle!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-11•2mins
#26

How God sees you

Once we understand that God’s love for us is based on what Christ did for us rather than what we do ourselves, the struggle is over. Now we can stop ‘performing’, and we can serve God because we know He loves us and that we don’t need to try to make Him love us. We no longer fear rejection by Him because of our mistakes. When we do something wrong, now all we do is repent, receive God’s forgiveness, and then refuse the condemnation that sin brings. Realising we are loved and accepted even though we’re imperfect is such a relief! Serving God out of desire rather than obligation is incredibly liberating! The moment you place your trust in Christ, God sees you as righteous from that point on. He doesn’t accept you because of your performance but because of your relationship with Him through Christ. And you need to decide to believe it and stand on it. A noted minister writes: ‘We become what we believe we are; therefore, as we become convinced that we are right with God, our behaviour will improve. We will do things right and with less effort. No matter what other people may have told you that you are not, God delights in telling you in His Word who you are in Him – loved, valuable, precious, talented, gifted, capable, powerful, wise, and redeemed. Take a moment and repeat those nine things aloud. Say, “I am loved, valuable, precious, talented, gifted, capable, powerful, wise, and redeemed.”’ That’s how God sees you, and it’s how you need to start seeing yourself.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-10•2mins
#27

Setting prayer traps

When we read the verse, ‘Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,’ we tend to think it’s about capturing sinful thoughts and getting them out of our minds. And it is. But it’s also about capturing creative thoughts and keeping them in our minds. This Scripture also means stewarding every word, every thought, every impression, and every revelation inspired by God’s Spirit. A pastor writes: ‘The Aramaic word for “prayer” means “to set a trap”. We often think of prayer as nothing more than words spoken to God, but maybe it’s more than that. Prayer is also when God speaks to us through dreams and desires and promptings and impressions and ideas. Prayer is the mechanism whereby God ideas are conceived and captured. And it’s our capacity for prayer that will ultimately determine our creative potential. One way to set prayer traps is by keeping a prayer journal…Journalling is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated spiritual disciplines in our multi-tasking culture.’ Your journal captures your journey. It shows you how far you have come and how far you still have to go. It reminds you of God’s grace when you stumbled and His faithfulness that brought you back to the right road after you had taken the wrong one. When you set a prayer trap, you capture each experience and wring the wisdom out of it to be better and stronger. You need to ‘write down the revelation’ (Habakkuk 2:2 NIV). Some of us do this digitally, and others with pen and paper. What matters is that you are recording what God is doing in your head, in your heart, and in your life.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-09•1mins
#28

How long will you live?

Do you ever wonder how long you will live? The Bible says, ‘The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away’ (v. 10 NKJV). Why do some of us live longer than others? Paul answers, ‘Our knowledge is partial and incomplete’ (1 Corinthians 13:9 NLT). But here are three things you can be sure of: 1) You can lengthen your life by obeying God and shorten it by disobeying Him. Fighting illness and facing death, Hezekiah prayed, ‘Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes’ (2 Kings 20:3 NIV). God answered, ‘I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you…l will add fifteen years to your life’ (2 Kings 20:5-6 NIV). So, does God still heal today? Yes, His Word says, ‘Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil…and the Lord will make you well’ (James 5:14-15 NLT). 2) When their work on earth is done, the redeemed go to heaven. Paul describes heaven in two words: ‘far better’ (Philippians 1:23 KJV). And the architect, builder, and designer of your heavenly home is Jesus, the One who said, ‘I go to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2 KJV). At home with Jesus – try to imagine what that will be like. 3) If you’re worried about death, claim God’s promise: ‘With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation’ (Psalm 91:16 NIV).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-08•2mins
#29

Use your imagination

Lack of faith is not a failure of logic; it’s a failure of imagination. Lack of faith is the inability or unwillingness to entertain thoughts of a God who is able to do ‘immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us’ (v. 20 NIV). Did you get that? God wants to empower your imagination! A pastor writes: ‘If we are going to have an eternal impact on our culture, we can’t just criticise it or copy it. We’ve got to create it. If we are going to reach our generation with the gospel, we can’t just appeal to logic. We’ve got to capture their imagination. And C.S. Lewis is a great example of both. Can you think of anyone more left-brain logical than Lewis? His theological writings, from Mere Christianity to The Problem of Pain, are as logical as logic can be. But Lewis combined left-brain logic with right-brain creativity. The Chronicles of Narnia continue to capture the imagination of new generations. The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet. And there are certainly pockets of ingenuity and imagination, but we’re nowhere near our creative potential.’ Perhaps this is because we have a false definition of faithfulness. Faithfulness is not doing it how it has always been done. It’s not preserving the status quo. No, we must never water down the gospel or promote biblical compromise for cultural relevancy. Bottom line: our message must never change, but our methods must change if we are to gather in the final harvest before the Lord of the harvest returns.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-07•2mins
#30

Learn to delegate

The New Testament church grew so fast that the apostles became overwhelmed with the challenge of administering it. What did they do? ‘So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word”’ (vv. 2-4 NIV). And the result? ‘The word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly’ (v. 7 NIV). You can improve the quality of your life by learning to delegate. Here is how you do it: 1) Start with a task you currently perform that could be handed off to another. 2) Identify a person with the capability (not just the willingness) to do it. 3) Take time to write the steps and to go over them with the person. 4) Describe why the task is essential and its importance in the whole scheme of things. 5) If the task is time sensitive, then set definite dates. 6) State your expectations. 7) Evaluate the person’s progress on a recurring basis until you’re assured they can handle the job without your involvement. Assist them for a while and check in with them to make sure they’re doing the job right. The saying is true: you don’t get what you expect; you get what you inspect.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-06•1mins
#31

Put away the measuring stick!

Reimar Schultze says: ‘The more conscientious we are, the more we…go to bed with some sense that we missed the elusive 100 per cent again…Many precious saints fall for this trap…robbing themselves of the joy of the Lord and the peace…that passes all understanding…We all are familiar with the testimonies of some of the greatest men of God. Many of them, like us…found themselves in the gutters of self-incrimination.’ Moses felt completely unworthy and unable to free Israel from Egypt. Yet how often has God called you to do something and you said the same thing: ‘Who am I, that I should go…?’ (Exodus 3:11 KJV). Do you think you know more than the One who called you? David tells us throughout the Psalms that God is omnipotent and omnipresent; that He never takes his eyes off us. Then David contradicts himself by declaring, ‘I am a worm and not a man’ (Psalm 22:6 NIV), and ‘I am forgotten as though I were dead’ (Psalm 31:12 NIV). Elijah was so depressed that he cried, ‘Enough…Lord, take away my life’ (1 Kings 19:4 KJV). Job cursed the day he was born, yet the Bible calls him a ‘blameless and upright’ man who reverenced God (Job 1:1 NIV). Pastor Schultze continues: ‘Measuring our worth to God by our performance will continue to threaten us until the end of time…I absolutely refuse to go to bed going through some kind of checklist on how I did…I would rather ask myself the question Jesus asked Peter…do you love Me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Again, that is the only test I want to give myself at the end of the day.’ It’s the one that counts most!© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

2025-05-05•2mins
#32

Be guided by wisdom, not impulse

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.

2025-03-26•2mins

Listen to your favourite podcasts.

Now ad-free.

Download herd and enjoy uninterrupted, high-quality podcasts without the wait.

Download on the
App Store