Who is Jesus Christ?

This is one of the most important questions you can ever ask because, you need Jesus.

God loves you. He desires to have a living relationship with you and give you salvation, purpose and eternal life. It is an important decision that only you can make, but you need to make it!

1. You have a past

Scripture states clearly that everyone in the world is guilty of sin — and that includes you and me. Romans 3:23 says: ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’

2. Sin has its price

Romans 6:23 tells us: ‘For the wages of sin is death.’ The wage we earn from work is money, but the wages of sin is death. Death means separation from God forever. But there is good news.

3. Christ paid for your sin

Even though we are sinners, Christ loves us so much that He died in our place to pay for our sin. ‘But God demonstrated His own love for us in this while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:8)

4. You must believe

To become a Christian and have assurance of eternal life is a personal decision only you can make. Romans 10:9 says: ‘if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ The word ‘believe’ here means to entrust your life completely over to Jesus Christ. That’s what real faith is, asking Jesus Christ to be Lord of your Life.

If You’d like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus today, please pray this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus, I believe You died for me and that Your blood paid for my sins. Please forgive me for my sin. I want You to be my Lord. Thank You for dying for me, forgiving my sin and giving me the gift of eternal life. I wish to turn away from sin and I acknowledge You as my Lord and Saviour. Lead and guide me in Your way, Amen.

You have just made an important and very wise decision. We encourage you to now contact your local Christian church for regular, ongoing fellowship and guidance in becoming a disciple. Anytime you would like us to pray for you, either now or in the future, you can always contact the team at Vision Christian Prayer.

We’d love you to send us an email to tell us the story behind your decision.

We’d also love to send you a complimentary copy of our devotional, The Word for Today to help you search the Scriptures daily, know Jesus better and follow Him more closely. Give us a call if you’d like a copy.

1 John 5:11-12 tells us there are two groups of people. ‘He who has the Son has life’ and ‘He who does not have the Son of God does not have life.’ Because you have prayed and believed in the Son you have life!

Forgive Your Parents (2)

‘Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.’ Luke 6:37 NLT

Once you understand that some parents aren’t capable of giving their kids what they didn’t get themselves—namely love, nurturing, acceptance, and physical affection—it becomes easier to forgive them.

Stormie Omartian says: ‘Sometimes what one parent didn’t do hurts as bad as what the abusing one did. A parent’s uninvolvement or unwillingness to step in and rescue you feels like a betrayal. Unforgiveness for that uninvolved parent is more difficult to recognise but is more common than we think. Ask God to show you any unforgiveness towards a parent who didn’t come to your rescue. If it’s there, you have to deal honestly with your feelings…We can’t go back in time and get someone to hold and nurture us, and we mustn’t demand it from a spouse or friends because they can’t do it. It [must] come from our heavenly Father…The first step…is to receive [His] forgiveness and let its reality penetrate the deepest part of our being. When we realise how much we have been forgiven…we have no right to pass judgment on…another. Being forgiven and released from everything we’ve ever done is such a miraculous gift, how could we refuse to obey God when He asks us to forgive others? Forgiveness is a two-way street. God forgives you, and you forgive others…We base our decision not on what we feel like doing but on what we know is right. ’

Jesus said, ‘Do not judge… and you will not be judged… Forgive… and you will be forgiven.’ (Luke 6:37 NLT) Choosing to forgive and not let somebody else’s sin dictate what you feel or do frees you to live in peace.

SoulFood: Job 11-14, Luke 19:22-40, Ps 116:12-19, Pro 8:10-13

Keep Away From Unhealthy Self-Focus (4)

‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Psalm 25:15 NIV

It’s no use for us to shine a spotlight on ourselves, find some faults and tinker with them in the hope of making improvements. The Lord wants total and radical replacement of ‘old’ with ‘new’. Your old nature is determined to hold your attention; it would rather be thought of badly than not at all. In the process of examining your flesh and feeling miserable, you’re probably going to think you are being humble, honest and spiritual. But the only spiritual and safe way to handle your fleshly nature is to consign it to the ‘ignore file’, and anchor your attention and expectations exclusively on the Lord.

David understood how this principle worked: ‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Looking at your own ‘clay feet’ (weaknesses and failures), and the ‘snare’ (your unregenerate flesh) you’re tangled in, won’t free you from the trap. You’ll just end up further entangled. Only God, together with your cooperation, can release you from the trap of the flesh. Keeping your ‘eyes… ever on the Lord’ is His way of giving you the victory.

Listen again to what David said: ‘I keep my eyes always on the Lord… I will not be shaken… You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.’ (Psalm 16:8–11 NIV) Your job is simple, though not necessarily easy. It’s to ignore your fleshly cravings and stay focused on Jesus. His job is to transform you by His mighty power!

SoulFood: 2 Chr 25–28, John 13:31–38, Ps 118:1–9, Pro 27:23–27

Restoring Damaged People (4)

‘He wanted to see who Jesus was.’ Luke 19:3 NIV

The Bible says, ‘Zacchaeus… was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree.’ (Luke 19:2–4 NIV) The story of Zacchaeus teaches us that being rich doesn’t protect us from being damaged. How some wealthy people got damaged is in the story of how they got rich. When you violate your conscience, it’s hard to live in your own skin. When you trade your core values for kina, your success can be hollow and your guilt heavy.

Zacchaeus struggled with this and he said to the Lord: ‘If I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ (Luke 19:8 NIV) If that’s how you feel today, Jesus is saying to you the three things He said to Zacchaeus:

(1) ‘Make haste.’ Don’t put off your salvation. At any given moment you’re as close to eternity as a faulty heartbeat or a cancer cell. Don’t gamble with your soul; get right with Papa God while you can.

(2) ‘Come down.’ Humble yourself. Kneel at the feet of the One who loves you and gave His life to redeem you. It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve failed: ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (1 John 1:9 NKJV)

(3) ‘Today I must stay at your house.’ (Luke 19:5 NAS) The Greek word for ‘stay’ means ‘to continue to be present’ or ‘take up residence’. Refuse to live another day without the assurance that Christ lives in your heart, directs your steps, and watches over all that concerns you.

SoulFood: Heb 5–8, Mark 6:30–44, Ps 18:30–50, Pro 11:22

The Price of friendship with God

‘…Abraham…was called God’s friend.’ James 2:23 NIV

After losing everything he held dear, Job looked back and longed for the days when God’s friendship ‘was felt in [his] home… [his] children were around… the days when [he was] honoured…’ (Job 29:4–7 NLT) Maybe you can remember days like that in your own life. We’ve been conditioned to think of friendship in terms of the benefits we experience, but being God’s friend comes at a price. As Rebecca Barlow Jordan points out, it ‘costs… time, selflessness, thoughtfulness… absolute trust—and very often suffering. Those who are intimately close, feel the hurts and joys of the ones they love more than anyone else… True intimacy means a death to our own selfish desires.’ Abraham was called God’s friend, but the friendship came at a price. We read, ‘[Abraham] believed God’ (Genesis 15:6 TLB) when He asked him to leave his home, set aside any preconceived notions of how his life would go and move to a strange land. Aged 99, Abraham was still waiting for God to make good on His promise of a son and heir. Then Isaac was born—but God upped the ante by asking his ‘friend’ to make the supreme sacrifice: to do something He demanded from nobody else in Scripture—except Himself. The Bible says, ‘By faith Abraham… offered Isaac as a sacrifice… even though God had said… “through Isaac… your offspring will be reckoned.”’ (Hebrews 11:17–18 NIV) Then just as Abraham was preparing to plunge the knife, in an act foreshadowing the death of His Son, God honoured Abraham’s faith and provided a substitute. When you decide to walk with Jesus, the One Who calls us ‘friends’, the journey is rough at times, but His friendship will never fail you.

SoulFood: Obadiah, Ruth 1, Luke 14:1–14, Ps 119:73–80, Pro 17:27–28

Don’t Be Afraid of Failure (4)

‘A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…’ Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

Solomon writes: ‘Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.’ (Proverbs 14:4 NLT) If you insist on always having a nice neat barn, you’ll have an empty barn. If you want a big harvest, you’ll need a big ox with a big appetite who creates big messes. For example, if you decide to have children you’ll have lots of joy, and lots of messes to clean up. Within minutes, children can take a house that looks like it belongs in a magazine and make it look like a hurricane has just past through it. So you’ve an option: live by yourself and enjoy a less complicated life, or accept the problems that come with having a family. Even in the dictionary, the words striving and struggle come before the word success. Dr. John Maxwell says, ‘At some point you have to make a transition from believer of the dream, to buyer of the dream. No dream comes true without somebody paying for it.’ And part of the price you will have to pay is in learning from the mistakes you make. You can attend every success seminar, read every success manual and follow every success mentor, but the price must always be paid in messes and mistakes. There isn’t a single person in the world who has achieved anything without paying a price for it. Some pay with their lives or their freedom. Others pay by giving up options or finances or relationships. But one way or another, everybody pays.

SoulFood: Zech 5–8, Matt 1:6b–11, Ps 113 Pro 31:14–17

Build Others Up (1)

‘Let everything you say be good and helpful.’ Ephesians 4:29 NLT

The apostle Paul writes, ‘Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.’ (Ephesians 4:29 NLT) Think of the people you most enjoy spending time with. How would you describe them? Grumpy? Bitter? Negative? Of course not! They’re celebrators, not complainers. They’re passionate about life.

As you live this day, realise that everyone you meet, you will leave: (1) better off; or (2) worse off; or (3) unaffected. The way to build others up is to see them as opportunities instead of obstacles or obligations. John Maxwell writes: ‘One of the best things you can do for people—which also attracts them to you—is to expect the best of them. I call it putting a “10” on everyone’s head. It helps others think more highly of themselves, and at the same time it also helps you.’

A survey of 100 self-made multi-millionaires showed only one common denominator. These highly successful men and women routinely looked for the best in people. Benjamin Disraeli, one of Britain’s finest prime ministers, put it this way: ‘The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.’ And you do that by appreciating, encouraging, and helping others to reach their potential. Napoleon described leaders as ‘dealers in hope’. He understood that hope is one of the greatest of all possessions. If you can be the person who gives that gift to others, they’ll not only be attracted to you, they’ll be forever grateful.

SoulFood: Deut 32:29–34:12, Luke 12:1–12, Ps 119:17–24, Pr 17:7–10

The ‘Spirit of Wisdom’

‘The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom…’ Isaiah 11:2 NKJV

During His earthly ministry Jesus needed ‘the Spirit of wisdom’ when it came to making decisions and dealing with the enemy. As believers, that same Spirit lives in us. James 3:15 says ungodly wisdom has three aspects. It’s: (1) Earthly, so it isn’t always dependable because ‘Sometimes what seems right is really a road to death.’ (Proverbs 16:25 CEV) (2) Sensual, based on emotions that can lead to confusion, hurt, and jealousy. (3) Demonic; that is, selfish, lustful, and ungodly. Godly wisdom, however, that comes ‘from above is… pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and… hypocrisy.’ (James 3:17 NKJV) The Bible says, ‘[When] you need wisdom, ask… God, and He will give it to you.’ (James 1:5 NLT) And when you’re praying, ask yourself these questions: (a) Are my motives pure or will I be ashamed of them later on? (b) Will my decision result in mercy and compassion or strife and stress? (c) Have I considered all the people who’ll be affected by the outcome? (d) Am I willing to submit to what God wants or am I determined to plough on regardless? (e) Will the end result cause me to have a harsh attitude or will it produce an environment where love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control can grow? (Galatians 5:22–23) (f) Is it fair and impartial or does it favour a particular person or group? (g) Can I take this particular course of action with a clear conscience or does it involve some level of deceit and selfishness?

SoulFood: 2 Chr 32–34, John 14:15–25, Ps 118:19–29, Pro 28:5–8

How To Deal With Difficult People (2)

‘Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.’ Ephesians 4:26–27 ESV

God designed us in such a way that in times of intense difficulty, we have a built-in moment to turn to Him for help. The primary place in your brain that processes strong negative emotions, such as rage and fear, is called the amygdala. And when it’s removed from certain animals, they become incapable of expressing rage and fear. Normally when input comes into your brain, it goes to the cortex for processing.

In about 5% of cases, however, when something extremely emotional happens, it goes to your amygdala, and the thinking part of your brain gets short-circuited. But in between your brain’s intake and your body’s response time, there’s what researchers call the ‘life-giving quarter-second’. And that quarter-second—although it doesn’t sound very long—is huge. Paul writes, ‘In your anger do not sin… and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (Ephesians 4:26–27 NIV)

That quarter-second is the time when the Holy Spirit can take control. That’s when you can choose to give the foothold to the Holy Spirit, or you can give it to sin. That one quarter-second in your mind can be an opportunity to say, ‘Holy Spirit, I’ve got this impulse right now; should I act on it?’ It’s amazing how the desire to hurt someone you love can be so strong, then lead to such pain when you indulge it. But another piece of good news is that when you blow it—and you will blow it—God sends another quarter-second right behind the first one. He’s committed to you, and He will keep working with you until you get it right!

SoulFood: Deut 30:1–32:28, Luke 11:45–54, Ps 119:9–16, Pr 17:4–6

Your Prayers Can Make Great Things Happen!

‘When a believing person prays, great things happen.’ James 5:16 NCV

While holidaying in England, DL Moody visited a London church that was spiritually dead. The pastor recognised him and asked him to preach at the morning service. Reluctantly, Moody agreed. Afterwards, he told a friend the congregation was so unresponsive it was all he could do to finish his sermon. Later, he remembered he had committed to preach there again that night. Wishing he had never interrupted his holiday plans, he spent the afternoon dreading what was ahead.

But behind the scenes, something was happening that Moody knew nothing about. After the morning service, an elderly lady met her invalid [ill] sister for lunch and told her about Moody’s upcoming visit. Her sister’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, ‘I’ve been praying God would send Moody to England! Put away the lunch, Sis. We’ll spend the afternoon fasting and praying for tonight’s service.’

When Moody took the pulpit that night, an ‘electric’ sense of God’s presence filled the sanctuary. He preached like a man on fire and, when he issued an invitation for people to follow Christ, 500 responded. Thinking they had misunderstood, Moody had them sit down while he re-explained the Gospel call. But when he issued a second invitation, the same 500 stood to receive Christ. That Sunday initiated one of the greatest revivals ever to sweep England.

What helped make it happen? Two elderly ladies who understood their church desperately needed the fire of God’s Spirit. They believed God’s promise, ‘When a believing person prays, great things happen.’ Today, tap into the power of prayer. Your prayers can help ignite the fire of God and make great things happen.

SoulFood: Exo 36-38, Luke 15:11-32, Ps 27, Pro 7:10-20

Preparing for greater things

‘You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.’ Matthew 25:23 NIV

To succeed in life you need thick skin when it comes to handling criticism. It’s what separates those who say they want success from those who are prepared to pay for it.

For example, if you’ve been praying for a wife or husband to share your life, ask yourself if you’re prepared for the sacrifice and responsibility that comes with marriage. Are you stable? Are you unselfish? Are you mature enough to provide for a family?

Or if you’re asking God to increase your business, are you providing outstanding service to your existing clients? Dolly Parton quipped: ‘A peacock that rests on its feathers is just another turkey!’ Sometimes we’re in love with the image of success, but we haven’t counted the actual cost of succeeding. It’s a good thing God doesn’t automatically give us everything we ask for. Often we want something because it looks good in someone else’s life. But God in His wisdom knows that right now it would hurt us because we’re not mature enough to handle it.

God tests us with what we have, in order to develop our consistency and strength. He watches how we handle the pressures that come with the blessings He’s already given us. He wants to bring us to the place where we’re unaffected by trials and opposition; where we’ve learned to appreciate the giver more than His gifts. When we reach that point, we’ll hear Him say, ‘You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:23 NIV) Those words will make everything you’ve been through worthwhile.

SoulFood: Num 32:25–33:56, Mark 8:1–13, Ps 44:17–26, Pr 11:12–13

Marilyn from Holik Village

Marilyn Huasimani is from Holik village in Yangoru in East Sepik Province. She is the Women’s Fellowship Coordinator. When The Word for Today was introduced to the ministry, the mothers were in tears wondering if the writer knew their situations and wrote the book. She said, when you are sick, you will need to see the Doctor, but when you are spiritually sick, you will need to read The Word for Today…cause the book has Heavens Prescription that doesn’t cost you a penny.

The Blessing of Children

In 2020 Amali asked that they could have children, because for several years they had not been blessed with children. They had tried various things including going to traditional healers, going to traditional houses to ask for children and performing world rituals to have children. All without success.

He submitted a request via SMS to the Voz Crista program hosted by Rio. Rio and Amali prayed together. As a result, after 3 months his wife began to show signs of a pregnancy, and now the wife is nearing giving birth, so she feels grateful.

Amali was very grateful and thanked Radio Voz and the Voz Crista program. Thankful that his wife was able to give birth smoothly.

Timor-Leste

Kornelio and Jina Leorema

Kornelio and Jina Leorema are a married couple and avid listeners on Radio Voz. They live in a mountainous area called Remisiu and Leorema. They decided to visit Radio Voz to see it live.

Another purpose of the visit was to ask for a chance to be given and give ideas to solve the problems they face. And asked to pray for them to continue their relationship as husband and wife because their relationship was having problems due to intervention from the family. And my team and I are committed to praying for them.

Rio
Station Manager – Radio Voz
Timor-Leste

They lift up my spirit and motivated my life

Just letting you know of a testimony of a lady I met up with again on the road yesterday morning. She looked very happy and excited…

This lady had gone through a very tough and rough time for a very long time. She shared a number of things (experiences) but this is one that I clearly picked up yesterday and I quote…

“When I read the book each day, I felt as if those words are written specifically for me. The words and the Scripture references speak directly to my situation and needs. They lift up my spirit and motivated my life each day. They empowered my prayer life and I feel like sharing Christ to anyone I meet.
Many work colleagues at the hospital really like the book. We have prayer & fellowship time twice a week at the hospital’s Conference Room. We also take some of our time ministering to the sick people at different wards. We really want to use this devotional book in our prayer & fellowship time at the hospital…”

This lady is now strongly connected to a Church and is beginning to get actively involved in small outreaches, missions and prayer activities.

Coxwain, Chairman, UCB Solomon Islands

Carry The Word for Today always

Being part of CY [Central Youth] Ministry I’m so blessed to have this special edition “the Word for Today”. Although I did not attend the CY programs for a couple of months, this handy book is very helpful ad become my motivation. I recommend CY members to have this and carry around wherever you are and continue to reach others!

May God bless us all

Suzie – Solomon Islands

Sapna from Kathmandu

Greetings
Sapna B.K. is my name. I work as a nurse and live in Kathmandu. I can’t do my normal Bible study since I spend most of my time at work, but I like reading and listening to The Word for Today in my daily life. I really enjoy this program. Because it is brief and well expressed, my reaction is noted, and I am grateful for it. In a similar manner, this devotional book has taught me a lot. I’ve learned from God that we should protect our tongues and only speak morally upright statements. God
desires our prosperity, and I believe He has helped me in every effort. I want to say a lot of prayers and We are grateful to Message of Hope Nepal for providing us such a beautiful and practical word from God.

Following and obeying Christ

I have been a Christian for quite a long time but along the way, I had experienced a number of challenges in my life.
As a mother, I have to care for my family and home and as a Senior Nurse, I have to fulfill my duty at the hospital as a public servant.
Life is a combination of challenges and blessings.
In 2021, I got a copy of The Word for Today and began faithfully reading and meditating through it each day.
What I found was that each time I read the book, it seem to speak directly to me and my situation.
The words and Scripture passages in each day, appear to be speaking to me and my life situation.
Through the daily readings, I was greatly encouraged and motivated to follow and obey Christ. I can sense a big difference in my life. I began to faithfully attend Church and prayer meetings. I began to be involved in Mission outreaches. I was confident to share God’s Word and even testify about Christ to other people. My desire is to know more about God and to serve Him.
The Word for Today has really helped me in my Spiritual and Christian journey and is a real blessing!
Amen.

Mercie Idufo’oa – Solomon Islands

The Personal prayer

This man and his family love to listen to Radio Voz. When I went to the Fatuahi transmitter his son came up to me and said that his family likes to listen to Radio Voz. I rushed to visit him. During that visit, I briefly conveyed the goodness and truth of God’s Word to him and his family. After finishing convey and pray for them. They are very happy because they can meet and be prayed for in person because so far they have only heard prayers only through the radio.

Sharing The Word for Today with friends

Greetings!!
It’s me Anish Magar all the away from Dolakha, Nepal.

I used to go and do fellowship in Ashim Church, Bhaktapur.

First of all, I would like to give thanks to my friend Dirgha to share about this devotional book. After that time, I’m reading The Word for Today since 2 years and it taught me so many spiritual lessons. When I went to do house fellowship in my village, I use to share preaching from this devotional book.

Personally, I’m blessed to have this The Word for Today in my life. Sometimes, it’s hard to read Bible because of our busy schedule but we can hear The Word for Today from YouTube which is provided by Message of Hope Nepal team.

Thank you MOHN team for giving us such a wonderful gift.

Suva Church and Taxis, and The Word for Today

In Suva, a Methodist church minister distributed 2 cartons of The Word for Today to his congregation.

Before being given out, the books were prayed over and delivered under the guidance of our team. He also distributed some to taxi drivers servicing the greater Suva area, pictured here.

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