   Dr George Washington Carver overcame racial prejudice and became an educator, scientist and inventor who was honoured by the U.S. Congress. He was also a follower of Jesus. And here's what he had to say about prayer: 'My prayers seem to be more of an attitude than anything else. I indulge in very little lip service, but ask the Great Creator silently, daily and often many times a day to permit me to speak to him...I ask him...to give me wisdom, understanding and bodily strength to do his will; hence I am asking and receiving all the time.' 

   Carver gave the world many inventions and was most famous for what he could do with peanuts. He stood on the truth of these Scriptures: 'I will go before you and make the crooked places straight' (Isaiah 45:2 NKJV). 'Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know' (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV). 'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand' (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV). 

   Pay particular attention to Carver's words: 'I am asking and receiving all the time.' Prayer was not his last resort, but his first choice. To him, it was more than religious ritual; it was a means of constant communication with the God he loved, sometimes talking and sometimes listening, but always sensitive to and aware of the presence of God. And daily prayer should be that for you too.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you.' Isaiah 41:10 TLB
— SOULFOOD —

    Obad + Mal 1-4, Matt 26:36-46, Ps 118:10-18, Pro 18:7-9
    

Dr George Washington Carver overcame racial prejudice and became an educator, scientist and inventor who was honoured by the U.S. Congress. He was also a follower of Jesus. And here's what he had to say about prayer: 'My prayers seem to be more of an attitude than anything else. I indulge in very little lip service, but ask the Great Creator silently, daily and often many times a day to permit me to speak to him...I ask him...to give me wisdom, understanding and bodily strength to do his will; hence I am asking and receiving all the time.' Carver gave the world many inventions and was most famous for what he could do with peanuts. He stood on the truth of these Scriptures: 'I will go before you and make the crooked places straight' (Isaiah 45:2 NKJV). 'Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know' (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV). 'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand' (Isaiah 41:10 NKJV). Pay particular attention to Carver's words: 'I am asking and receiving all the time.' Prayer was not his last resort, but his first choice. To him, it was more than religious ritual; it was a means of constant communication with the God he loved, sometimes talking and sometimes listening, but always sensitive to and aware of the presence of God. And daily prayer should be that for you too.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you.' Isaiah 41:10 TLB 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Obad + Mal 1-4, Matt 26:36-46, Ps 118:10-18, Pro 18:7-9

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.

The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day’s devotion appeared to be ‘written just for me’

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.
The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day&rsquo;s devotion appeared to be &lsquo;written just for me&rsquo;

The Word For Today

A habit of prayer

   Consider these examples of resistance to inventions that we now consider commonplace and enjoy every day. In Germany, 'experts' said that if trains went as fast as twenty-four to thirty kilometres an hour - considered a frightful speed - blood would spurt from the travellers' noses and passengers would suffocate when going through tunnels. In America, experts said the introduction of the railway would require the building of many asylums, since people would be driven mad with terror at the sight of the locomotives. When the idea of iron ships was first proposed, experts insisted that they would not float, it would be difficult to preserve the iron bottom from rust, and that iron would play havoc with compass readings. In 1797, when the first cast-iron plough was invented, farmers in New Jersey rejected it, saying the cast iron would poison the ground and stimulate the growth of weeds. When the YMCA in New York welcomed the invention of the typewriter and announced typing lessons for women, protests erupted on the grounds that the female constitution would break down under the strain. 

   Now consider these statements, each of which is a product of a negative mindset: (1) 'Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible' (Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895). (2) 'Man will never tap the power of the atom' (Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize winner in physics, 1923). (3) 'Everything that can be invented has been invented' (Charles H. Duell, U.S. Patent Office Director, 1899). 

   If you want to accomplish great things and be used by God, become an 'I can' person.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'I can do all things through Christ.' Philippians 4:13 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

    Ezra 9-10, Mark 1:1-8, Ps 46, Pro 19:18-20
    

Consider these examples of resistance to inventions that we now consider commonplace and enjoy every day. In Germany, 'experts' said that if trains went as fast as twenty-four to thirty kilometres an hour - considered a frightful speed - blood would spurt from the travellers' noses and passengers would suffocate when going through tunnels. In America, experts said the introduction of the railway would require the building of many asylums, since people would be driven mad with terror at the sight of the locomotives. When the idea of iron ships was first proposed, experts insisted that they would not float, it would be difficult to preserve the iron bottom from rust, and that iron would play havoc with compass readings. In 1797, when the first cast-iron plough was invented, farmers in New Jersey rejected it, saying the cast iron would poison the ground and stimulate the growth of weeds. When the YMCA in New York welcomed the invention of the typewriter and announced typing lessons for women, protests erupted on the grounds that the female constitution would break down under the strain. Now consider these statements, each of which is a product of a negative mindset: (1) 'Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible' (Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895). (2) 'Man will never tap the power of the atom' (Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize winner in physics, 1923). (3) 'Everything that can be invented has been invented' (Charles H. Duell, U.S. Patent Office Director, 1899). If you want to accomplish great things and be used by God, become an 'I can' person.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'I can do all things through Christ.' Philippians 4:13 NKJV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Ezra 9-10, Mark 1:1-8, Ps 46, Pro 19:18-20

Be an 'I can' person

   Marian wanted to become a concert singer, a challenge that was doubly difficult because of the colour of her skin. Her mother, however, had a patient trust in God. Marian later said, 'Mother's religion made her believe she could receive what was right for her if she was conscientious in her faith. If it did not come, it was because God had not considered it right for her. We grew up in this atmosphere of faith that she created...We believed as she did, because we wanted the same kind of haven in the time of storm.' When Marian was denied admission to a famous music conservatory on account of her race, her mother said, 'Someone would be raised up' to help her accomplish what she hoped to do at the conservatory. That someone arrived a few weeks later. One of Philadelphia's outstanding voice teachers, Giuseppe Boghetti, made room for her to become one of his students. And Marian Anderson was on her way to becoming one of the most popular singers of the twentieth century. On Easter Sunday in 1939, she sang to seventy-five thousand people at the Lincoln Memorial and gave a performance never to be forgotten by those present. 

   Solomon said this about God's guidance: (1) 'The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way' (Proverbs 20:24 NLT)? (2) 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take' (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT).





— SCRIPTURE —

    'The Lord decides what a person will do.' Proverbs 20:24 NCV
— SOULFOOD —

    Eze 37:1-14, Matt 27:50-53, Eph 1:18-21
    

Marian wanted to become a concert singer, a challenge that was doubly difficult because of the colour of her skin. Her mother, however, had a patient trust in God. Marian later said, 'Mother's religion made her believe she could receive what was right for her if she was conscientious in her faith. If it did not come, it was because God had not considered it right for her. We grew up in this atmosphere of faith that she created...We believed as she did, because we wanted the same kind of haven in the time of storm.' When Marian was denied admission to a famous music conservatory on account of her race, her mother said, 'Someone would be raised up' to help her accomplish what she hoped to do at the conservatory. That someone arrived a few weeks later. One of Philadelphia's outstanding voice teachers, Giuseppe Boghetti, made room for her to become one of his students. And Marian Anderson was on her way to becoming one of the most popular singers of the twentieth century. On Easter Sunday in 1939, she sang to seventy-five thousand people at the Lincoln Memorial and gave a performance never to be forgotten by those present. Solomon said this about God's guidance: (1) 'The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way' (Proverbs 20:24 NLT)? (2) 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take' (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT).
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'The Lord decides what a person will do.' Proverbs 20:24 NCV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Eze 37:1-14, Matt 27:50-53, Eph 1:18-21

God-directed steps

   Jesus said: 'The Helper, the Holy Spirit...will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you' (John 14:26 NKJV). When you need to make a critical decision, you need 'the spirit of wisdom and revelation' (Ephesians 1:17 NKJV). When you're in a difficult situation and unsure of what to say: 'Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit' (Mark 13:11 NIV). When you find it hard to show love: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love' (Galatians 5:22 NIV). The same is true with every fruit of the Spirit. Do you need to overcome an addiction? 'The fruit of the Spirit is...self-control' (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). Of course, that's an oxymoron because it doesn't come from you. It's the Spirit who manufactures it, so it's really Spirit-control. 

   What you need more of is the Holy Spirit. And for the record, the Spirit of God doesn't just want to fill you; he also wants to stretch you and increase your capacity. If you feel like your life is in chaos today, the Spirit of God is hovering - just as he did at the dawn of creation when he brought light out of darkness, order out of chaos and beauty out of nothingness (see Genesis 1:1-3). 

   No matter what question you have, the Holy Spirit is the answer. No matter what problem you face, the Holy Spirit is the solution. You need as much of him as you can get, so you need to yield as much of yourself to him as you can.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'The Helper, the Holy Spirit...will teach you all things.' John 14:26 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

    Ezra 3-5, Matt 28:1-10, Ps 42:1-5, Pro 19:12-14
    

Jesus said: 'The Helper, the Holy Spirit...will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you' (John 14:26 NKJV). When you need to make a critical decision, you need 'the spirit of wisdom and revelation' (Ephesians 1:17 NKJV). When you're in a difficult situation and unsure of what to say: 'Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit' (Mark 13:11 NIV). When you find it hard to show love: 'The fruit of the Spirit is love' (Galatians 5:22 NIV). The same is true with every fruit of the Spirit. Do you need to overcome an addiction? 'The fruit of the Spirit is...self-control' (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). Of course, that's an oxymoron because it doesn't come from you. It's the Spirit who manufactures it, so it's really Spirit-control. What you need more of is the Holy Spirit. And for the record, the Spirit of God doesn't just want to fill you; he also wants to stretch you and increase your capacity. If you feel like your life is in chaos today, the Spirit of God is hovering - just as he did at the dawn of creation when he brought light out of darkness, order out of chaos and beauty out of nothingness (see Genesis 1:1-3). No matter what question you have, the Holy Spirit is the answer. No matter what problem you face, the Holy Spirit is the solution. You need as much of him as you can get, so you need to yield as much of yourself to him as you can.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'The Helper, the Holy Spirit...will teach you all things.' John 14:26 NKJV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Ezra 3-5, Matt 28:1-10, Ps 42:1-5, Pro 19:12-14

A habit of prayer

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