THE CALL TO LEADERSHIP (1) '...Rise and stand on your feet...' Acts 26:16 If God has called you to leadership, you'll be unfulfilled in any other role. God told Paul, 'Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister...' Notice what the call to leadership requires: 1) Competence. You must recognise your gifts, and then channel your energies into where you're most likely to succeed. That means acknowledging your limitations and helping equip others to fill them. To do that, you must be secure. 2) Courage. Scott Peck said, 'The best decision makers are those willing to suffer the most over their decisions but still retain their ability to be decisive.' Good leaders are not necessarily the cleverest or most creative people, they're just the ones with the courage to step out and go first. So, '...Be thou strong and very courageous' (Joshua 1:7 KJV). 3) Clarity. Your life's vision may come at once, but the steps are revealed over time. Don't allow a lack of answers to leave you paralysed. Be clear about your goal, even though you're not certain as to the details. 4) Coaching. Without a good coach you'll never be as good as you could be. If you're hoping to learn everything from personal experience, all the best; you'll have to outlive Methuselah! 5) Character. You can lead without character, but you can't be a leader worth following. Character provides the moral authority to bring together the people and resources needed to get the job done. Your talent has the potential to take you places where your character can't sustain you. That thought should keep you on your knees.

As seen in The UCB Word For Today

CONFRONT THEM-IN LOVE! '...Speaking the truth in love...' Ephesians 4:15 Sometimes love requires confronting people. But it must be done in the right way, and only over the right issues. If you spend your life correcting people you'll finish up with no credibility, and no friends. At what point should you confront somebody? Only when you've answered these questions: a) Is it important? If it involves a destructive habit, an abusive behaviour, a major doctrinal error, or a situation that could hurt them, it's important-get involved. b) Is it chronic? If you observe the same thing happening over and over, it doesn't have to be big to get your love in gear. c) Have you earned the right to speak? If a casual acquaintance does something unwise, it's probably none of your business. But if someone close to you does it, it's both appropriate and loving to say, 'That will hurt you.' Paul points out four things about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NIV): 1) 'Love is not rude.' It doesn't use the aggressive, heavy-handed approach. 2) 'Love is not self-seeking.' It forgets about the need to be accepted, and makes sure that what the other person hears is filtered only by kindness. It refuses to walk away having spoken half the truth. 3) 'Love is not easily angered.' When you confront someone in love, don't be upset if you get an angry response such as, 'Who are you to tell me?' The right medicine doesn't taste good, but it heals. 4) 'Love keeps no record of wrongs.' When you have been hurt, it's critical that you deal with it and put it behind you. Only then can you confront someone for their own good.

As seen in The UCB Word Fod Today

LIVING FEARLESSLY (3) '...I will uphold you with my...right hand.' Isaiah 41:10 When you know that what you're doing is in sync with God's will, you can be confident He will provide what you need and fight for you. God told His people, 'When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you' (Deuteronomy 20:1 NIV). Then God added something else: '...Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too' (Deuteronomy 20:8 NIV). God knows that when you allow fear to rule your heart, it's fatal, not only for you, but to those around you. Playwright David Mamet wrote: 'On June 5th, 1944, thousands of American paratroopers jumped into Normandy. Four men refused to jump. Can anyone imagine the rest of these men's lives? What prodigies of self-excuse, rationale, or repression they must have had to employ. Their lives, in effect, ended the day they refused to leave that plane...We all die in the end, but there's no reason to die in the middle.' You don't overcome fear overnight. But gradually, day by day, you can get it by the scruff of the neck and bring it under control. '...the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits' (Daniel 11:32 NKJV). The word 'know' means 'to be in relationship with, or to be intimate with.' Want to overcome your fears? Spend time in God's Word. Prioritise your prayer life. Get to know God better.

As seen in The UCB Word For Today

When you’re faced with a decision and don’t know what to do, remember that God’s Word is His primary method of speaking to His people. You can also receive guidance by humbly seeking the Lord in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to help you apply Scriptural principles to your particular circumstance. When you patiently wait to hear His voice and heed His instructions, you can make a confident decision knowing that God has given you clear direction.

PastorMissionary Victor Sammuel

"People say that Bible has been changed, Let me tell you something, No one can change The WORD of GOD, But THE WORD of God can change your situation, your circumstances, your plans, your ideas,Your town, your city, your country and your nation because The WORD of God has power to change."

LOVE '...Let us...love one another...' 1 John 4:7 Love is slow to suspect but quick to trust; slow to condemn but quick to justify; slow to offend but quick to defend; slow to expose but quick to shield; slow to reprimand but quick to empathise; slow to belittle but quick to appreciate; slow to demand but quick to give; slow to provoke but quick to help; slow to resent but quick to forgive. Jerry Cook talks about a church where the people make the following pledge to each other: 'I'll never knowingly say or do anything to hurt you. I'll always, in every circumstance, seek to help and support you. If you're down and I can lift you, I'll do that. If you need something and I have it, I'll share it with you. If I need to, I'll give it to you. No matter what I find out about you, no matter what happens in the future-either good or bad-my commitment to you will never change. And there's nothing you can do about it.' 1 Corinthians 13:7 NKJV says love: 1) 'Believes all things.' When someone you care about is called into question, love says, 'That's not the kind of person they are; that's not what they meant.' 2) 'Hopes all things.' Love sees people not just as they are, but as they can be through God's grace. And if you let Him, God will download that kind of love into your heart. 3) 'Endures all things.' The word 'endure' is a military term. It means driving a stake into the ground. It's like saying, 'I'll stand my ground in loving you.' Today, take the love that God has given to you, and give it to others.

As seen in The UCB Word for Today

No one wants to go through life on a selfish, heartless road. But it can happen unless we consider where we are going in life and ask the Lord for His direction May He give us grace today to embrace His word and follow Him with all our hearts. ---David McCasland

ARE YOU LONELY? '...We're all connected to each other...' Ephesians 4:25 In the first chapters of Genesis we read, 'And God saw that it was good.' That is, until He created Adam. Then God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone...' (Genesis 2:18 NIV). Adam was enjoying a great relationship with God, but because he didn't have a human companion, God said it wasn't a good thing. God designed you with two voids. One is a void only He Himself can fill. The other is a void only the right people can fill. And you can't fill either void with things like jobs, houses, cars or money. You say, 'What should I do?' 1) Keep your eyes open. Today one in five relationships begins on the Internet. But there's a built-in danger there; you can be anybody you want to be on the Internet, yet not be known and loved for the person you really are. Furthermore, loneliness can blind you to your own true needs and another person's lack of character. 2) Pray about it. When Eliezer, Abraham's servant, was sent to find a wife for Isaac he prayed, 'O Lord...give me success today...' (Genesis 24 NIV). And God did. Isaac and Rebekah became one of the great love stories of the Bible. 3) Reach out to others. That may mean taking down the wall you've been hiding behind and building a bridge. The Bible says, 'Do not be interested only in your own life...be interested in...others' (Philippians 2:4 NCV). There are no perfect relationships, or risk-free ones. It's in finding an unmet need and pouring yourself into it that you conquer loneliness and discover a new joy in living.

As see in The UCB Word For Today

Surrender is not a onetime trigger that you pull then wonder why you want to run away when the trials come, surrender to the Lord is a ballot that you cast over and over again and again with each call to lay down your will and take His yoke upon you. Each level of self that is pealed back and revealed for all its weakness keeps us on our knees saying yes Lord, yes Lord, I will surrender that too, this is learning to Trust our Master as we die to self and learn to “continue” to live for Christ.

DEALING WITH TEMPTATION '...When you are tempted, he will...provide a way out...' 1 Corinthians 10:13 Temptation brings with it feelings of guilt. As a result we get discouraged and think, 'If I were a better Christian I wouldn't have such thoughts. I've prayed, over and over. Why doesn't God just take it away?' Temptation never goes away! Prayer doesn't remove it, prayer just drives you closer to God and He gives you power over it. 'Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' (James 4:7 NIV). The Bible says, 'The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand...he will show you a way out so...you can endure' (1Corinthians 10:13 NLT). When you're tempted you never have to wonder what the right thing to do is. God makes His will clear in Scripture and He's given us His Spirit to convict, guide, and empower us. Plus, we can '...approach the throne of grace with confidence...and find grace to help us in our time of need' (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). Richard Blackaby writes: 'It's a mistake not to take temptation seriously. Many who've succumbed, thought they were strong enough to resist...When wickedness surrounds you, never assume you're immune...remove [yourself] from temptation's way..."Put away the evil from among you" (Deuteronomy 22:21 NKJV). Keep any form of temptation out of your home, your relationships and your mind by maintaining your love relationship with God and recognising you're powerless to resist in your own strength. When Joseph was tempted to commit adultery he fled (Genesis 39:12). Darkness and light can't co-exist. Run from the darkness to the light.'

As seen in The Word Today

Romans 8:1-2; There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

It is amazingly simple and miraculously complex all at once. Being guilty of our sin and recognition of it takes a great amount of courage. It is uncomfortable and at times embarrassing. To live a life free from our sin requires faith and trust in Him. He loves us so infinitely that we cannot even begin to comprehend. But He loves us so deeply He gave it all.

God's love is not a slowly dripping faucet or a well we have to dig for ourselves. It is a rushing stream that flows from His heart into ours. Whatever our family background or experiences in life -Wether we feel well loved by others or not-we can know love. We can draw from the Lord's inexhaustible source to know His loving care for us and we can pass it on to others. In Christ our Saviour, we are well loved ---David McCasland