Have you ever been so afraid that it stopped you from boldly doing the right thing, the thing you know you should have done? I think we all have. And having been there, knowing the shame and disappointment in ourselves that ensued, I'm pretty sure we each hope that next time we'll show a bit more courage.

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was tired, but not just from work. She was tired of the injustice. Segregation laws required her to give up her seat to a white passenger. Fear gripped her: the risk of arrest, violence, even death was real. But Parks quietly refused.

Her act of defiance sparked the "Montgomery Bus Boycott" — led by a then little-known pastor, Martin Luther King Jr. That became the catalyst for the entire American Civil Rights Movement. Rosa's courage changed history — not because she wasn't afraid, but because she didn't let fear decide.

We're often called to do things, afraid. Following the death of Moses, the second-in-command, Joshua, had to lead Israel into the Promised Land against entrenched resistance. Man, this was life-and-death scary. The future of Israel hung in the balance. So God said to him …

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (ESV)

And that's the truth. In doing good, in going where God's called you, He is with you wherever you go. So don't shrink back in fear. Don't let fear hold you back from what's good, what's right. Don't let fear decide.

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Life is full of setbacks. Doubtless, you've had plenty too, right? Big ones, small ones, as far back as you can remember. Though discouraging at the time, some turned out much better than you'd imagined.

Back in the Old Testament, Joseph (of technicoloured dream coat fame) was the youngest of Jacob's sons and also his favourite. His brothers were extremely jealous, to the point where they conspired to kill him. In the end, though, they sold him into slavery in Egypt, where he spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

Setback after setback. And yet, the guy simply put his best foot forward each time, one foot in front of the other. That's not easy to do after a setback, but if you read Joseph's story in Genesis, chapters 37 to 50, it's something that God honoured big time.

Joseph eventually rose to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. At a time of great famine, through a series of events, those very same brothers who'd sold him into slavery stood before him. Joseph literally had the power of life and death over them. Yet this is how he responded:

Genesis 50:20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. (NRSV)

Though betrayed, enslaved, falsely accused and imprisoned, each of these massive setbacks moved Joseph closer to God's purpose: saving many lives. Because in God's kingdom, a setback is inevitably a setup for a comeback.

That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Have you ever seen someone familiar in an unexpected place or context? You kind of recognise them, but you can't quite place them. Sometimes you don't recognise them at all. That unexpected context plays strange tricks on the mind.

Such was the case for two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus after the tumultuous events of Jesus' crucifixion during the Passover festival. They'd been deeply traumatised, seeing his lifeless body hanging on that cross.

As they talked over the events of the last few days, another man pulled alongside them. Of course, the last person they expected it to be was that guy from the cross. He was dead, after all. But as He spoke, a strange, otherworldly feeling came over them.

They later recognised, to their shock, and when He'd left …

Luke 24:32 They said to each other, "When he talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. How exciting it was when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures!"

Sometimes the best therapy is simply walking with a friend. And indeed, the very best therapy, the very best healing in overcoming the trauma deep within, is to walk with Jesus.

That same risen Jesus, the one who died and rose again for you, is alive and well … and ready to walk and talk with you. He can – He will – heal your soul deep within. After all, He rose to give you a new life.

May that same fire burn in you.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The invention of the car has completely revolutionised the world, wouldn't you agree? From a standing start of zero in 1886, there are now over 1.5 billion vehicles on the road. But it wasn't until 1913, when Ford perfected mass production, that things really took off.

In the early days, Henry Ford thought that success rested on his own genius. His first attempts failed — too costly, too slow. Then came the shift. Ford gathered a team of engineers, mechanics and business minds. People like Charles Sorensen and the brilliant production manager Peter Martin helped sharpen his ideas.

Together they pioneered the moving assembly line, cutting production time for a Model T from twelve hours to just 90 minutes. Alone, Ford could build a car. With a team, he built an industry and put the world on wheels.

All too often we want to go it alone, imagining that we can make it happen through our own ingenuity and energy. After all, leading teams of cantankerous individuals who sometimes want to head off in different directions is hard work. But the truth is that …

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another. (NRSV)

Sparks fly when iron sharpens iron, but if there's one thing I've learned over almost fifty years in the workforce, it's this: though I can go faster alone, I simply can't go as far.

Yep, the different skills, perspectives, ideas around the table can cause sparks to fly. But they also achieve the greatest results. So, don't be afraid of the sparks, because just as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens the wits of another.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

It's utterly tragic to see people who are brimming with potential being held back by the shackles, the regrets, the stories of their past because they're at huge risk of wasting their lives – in fact, many do.

I wonder what life-limiting, soul-destroying stories your past is whispering in your ear over and over again. For some, the harsh realities of life have taught them that they're simply not good enough. For others, past failures haunt them.

It's painful even to admit that the past has such a death grip on our lives that we can't conceive of a future set free from its clutches.

If any of that rings true, I have some powerful, life-changing good news for you today. It comes from God Himself, as He spoke to His people Israel, at a hopeless, apparently futureless time in their history:

Isaiah 43:18-21 So don't remember what happened in earlier times. Don't think about what happened a long time ago, because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land. The wild animals will thank me. The large animals and birds will honour me when I put water in the desert and make rivers flow through that dry land. I will do this to give water to my chosen people. I made them, and they will sing songs of praise to me.

No, you can't change the past. But God yearns to change your future! He's calling you not to live in yesterday's failures, but to step forward into what He's about to do.

So don't remember what happened in earlier times. Don't think about what happened a long time ago, because He is doing something new!

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Reunions are so incredibly special: Family reunions. Class reunions. Catching up with people with whom, over the years, you've developed a deep bond.

For those of Chinese heritage, Chinese New Year is such a time. Families travel long distances to reunite and share the most important meal of the year together.

I know that when I catch up with the men with whom I trained to become an army officer almost fifty years ago, it's that same, deep, familial bond. We are, in a very real sense, made to be together.

And with all my heart, can I say, we're made to be one with God as well. He yearns for us. He sent Jesus to die on that cross so our sins could be forgiven when we believe in Him; to rise again to bring us a new life here and now, of freedom, of deep inner peace, of overcoming the sin that plunders our lives.

And make no mistake, He's coming back … to kick off the reunions of all reunions. To His disciples, just before He was crucified …

John 14:1-3 Jesus said, "Don't be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.

Trust Him. He's coming back … for you!

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

As we toddle along through life, we inevitably find that we each have 'stuff' going on that, whilst not acutely painful, nevertheless contributes to a chronic sense of unease. And that's simply no way to live, wouldn't you agree?

Take your sleep, for instance. Sure, you can get by with inadequate sleep for a while – for years in fact, until you realise that it's contributing to stress, hypertension, even diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Unless you do something about it … it'll kill you.

And the same is true of the 'stuff' going on in your heart that's emotionally, relationally and spiritually damaging. Take, for instance, chronic anger. How good is that going to be for your sense of wellbeing, your marriage, even your relationship with God?

For King David of Israel, his 'thing' was lust. He committed adultery and even had the woman's husband killed so he could take her as his own. His life was on a downward trajectory … until, that is, he came to his senses and prayed this prayer:

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (NRSV)

What is it that has your life heading down that same path? Perhaps today's the day for you to come to your senses. Maybe today's the day for you to clean house.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Have you ever felt completely inadequate for a task? Yeah, me too!

Ignatius of Loyola was a vain, glory-hungry young soldier in 16th-century Spain—more interested in fame and romance than faith. Clueless about God's calling, he chased honour on the battlefield until a cannonball shattered his leg and his plans. During a long painful recovery, he had nothing to read but stories of Jesus and the saints.

Slowly, conviction replaced ambition. That once-aimless dreamer surrendered to Christ and went on to found the Jesuits, one of the most influential missionary and educational movements in history.

Sometimes God calls the clueless, not because they're ready but because He's about to make them ready.

I so relate to that – how about you? When I stepped in to lead the media ministry of Christianityworks, hey … clueless doesn't begin to describe where I was at. I had absolutely no idea what to do. I felt called, I had childlike faith, I had business skills to be sure, but reviving a dying ministry on life support was completely beyond me.

What Ignatius discovered, what I discovered, what countless others down through the centuries have discovered, is that in God's service, it's okay not to have it all figured out.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (NRSV)

In other words, we're not meant to have it all figured out. God doesn't require perfect plans of us; He simply asks for our trust. His guidance comes as we walk with Him, not according to our less-than-brilliant plans.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.