Global Mandate Schools

08/08/2025

The five crowns (1)8 August 2025‘‘They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.’’1 Corinthians 9:25 NKJVIn describing our heavenly rewards, the Bible speaks of crowns. Let’s look at each and see what we can learn. The first is the victor’s crown. ‘Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified’ (vv. 25-27 NKJV). Paul points out that athletes who expect to win must actively train. And we, likewise, must retain self-control even in things that, although not inherently evil, can weaken our devotion to God. A pastor explains: ‘Sometimes we have to turn off the television so we can study our Bibles. We have to get up earlier in the mornings to have our daily devotions. We have to exercise self-control in what comes into our minds. We can’t watch many of today’s television programmes or movies – much less the streaming material accessible on our phones and computers – without violating biblical standards of personal holiness. We can’t subject our bodies to drug or alcohol abuse or allow immorality to creep into our relationships. We’ve got to keep our tempers [and tongues] under the control of the Holy Spirit…and we have to depend on God to strengthen us in our resolutions to live disciplined lives.’ The Bible says, ‘Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown’ – the victor’s crown. UCB WORD FOR TODAY

06/08/2025

Wisdom for parenting teenagers6 August 2025‘‘There is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.’’Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJVWhy does a happy, cooperative twelve-year-old suddenly turn into a sullen, depressed thirteen-year-old? There are two powerful forces that account for some of the adolescent behaviour that drives you crazy as a parent. The first is linked to social pressures common at that age. But there is a second source of disruption. It’s related to hormonal changes that not only transform the physical body but also revolutionise how kids think. For some (not all) adolescents, human chemistry is in a state of imbalance for a few years, causing flightiness, agitation, outbursts, and even depression. This upheaval can motivate a boy or girl to do things that make absolutely no sense to the adults who are watching anxiously on the sidelines. This hormonal firestorm can destabilise their self-concept and create a sense of foreboding. Parents often despair during the irrationality of this period. Everything they have tried to teach their children seems to have misfired for a couple of years. Self-discipline, cleanliness, respect for authority, and common courtesy may give way to risk-taking and all-around goofiness. If that is where your child is today, there is good news – better days are coming! Your unpredictable teen can actually become a tower of strength and good judgement – if they don’t do something destructive before their hormones settle down once more. What should you do as a parent? First, don’t draw long-term conclusions based on a short-term season. Second, let them know you love them, be patient, and pray for peace of mind. ‘The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds’ (Philippians 4:7 NKJV). UCB WORD FOR TODAY

09/09/2024

https://youtu.be/tmphR0I5zZU?si=CI_CRbNNdnYF_Vg5

Diabetes Mellitus: Effective management of Psychological and Psychosocial aspect of diabetes care case presentation .

17/05/2024

You can rise above worry (1)
17 MAY 2024
‘‘Don’t worry…all your…concerns will be met.’’
Matthew 6:33 MSG
Missionary Gladys Aylward said, ‘The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself how it is to cross rivers.’ You can’t escape worry; it will come at you from different directions and in different forms. But like the eagle, you can rise above it. Jesus said: ‘If you decide for God…it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion…Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever got taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion – do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers…The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers…don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 'What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God…fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works…Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow’ (vv. 25-34 MSG). UCB WORD FOR TODAY

18/04/2024

Use the gift God gave you
18 APRIL 2024
‘‘God put all the parts…in the body as he wanted them.’’
1 Corinthians 12:18 NCV
A respected Bible teacher says: ‘Because my family’s so large, we draw names to see who we’ll buy presents for. One Christmas when I opened my present, I was disappointed…then I looked at my twin brother who got two nice gifts. Sensing my disappointment, my wife came over to me and said, “Don’t worry. When we get home, we’ll exchange it for something you like better.” The same thing happens in the Body of Christ. We open the gifts God has given us and immediately run to someone else to see what he or she received…When we look at our gift…we’re unhappy…and immediately think…“I know…I’ll swap it for something I like better.” That’s why there are so many people running around claiming to be an apostle or a prophet or a teacher…They’re gift-swapping.’ You don’t get to decide what gift God gives you. God ‘put all the parts…in the body as he wanted them’. Sometimes it takes years for you to recognise your gift and start operating in it. Instead of coveting another person’s gift, be thankful for your own and ask God to use it to bless as many people as possible. And if you have questions about it, search the Scriptures. Paul says, ‘God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable’ (Romans 11:29 NIV); ‘God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well’ (Romans 12:6 TLB); ‘Each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that’ (1 Corinthians 7:7 NIV); ‘The Spirit decides what to give each person’ (1 Corinthians 12:11 NCV). So, use the gift God gave you. UCB WORD FOR TODAY

20/01/2024

Grace in marriage
20 JANUARY 2024
‘‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’’
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
Who in the Bible would you say had the best marriage? Adam and Eve started in Paradise, and it all went downhill from there. Abraham lied and said his wife, Sarah, was his sister, then impregnated her servant, Hagar. Isaac and Rebekah spent much of their marriage battling because he favoured Esau and she favoured Jacob. Jacob had children by two different wives, and the wives’ servants. All we know of Moses’ wife is they had an argument over circumcising their son and she called Moses a ‘bridegroom of blood’ (Exodus 4:26 NIV). David was a disaster as a husband, and Solomon was worse. When Job’s life got hard, his wife told him, ‘Curse God and die!’ (Job 2:9 NIV). In fairy tales, life is a difficult adventure until you get married – then you live happily ever after. But nowhere in the Bible does a couple get married and then live happily ever after. Marriage doesn’t save anyone, only Jesus does. Yet how often in churches do couples sit in silent agony? They have an image of spiritual success to project, but they don’t enjoy intimacy. Or there is abuse going on. Or their young daughter is pregnant, and they have no idea what to do. Or one of them is a closet alcoholic. Or they’re facing bankruptcy. Frequently people who need help the most receive it the least, because they would have to step down from their pedestal. But what if real people could be as truthful as the Bible about marriage? In Scripture, marriage is a place where we learn, receive God’s grace, and grow together in love. UCB WORD FOR TODAY

25/12/2023

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Merry Christmas to one and all 🌲🌲🌲

27/07/2023

Don’t quarrel about it
27 JULY 2023
‘‘Stop before a dispute breaks out.’’
Proverbs 17:14 NLT
Have you seen the bumper sticker that reads, ‘People who think they know it all are especially annoying to those of us who do?’ You will find know-it-alls everywhere. Older people afraid of uselessness struggle to prove they still have some superior amount of knowledge. Religious people use their convictions like a club to beat others over the head. The Bible says, ‘Earnestly contend for the faith’ (Jude v. 3 KJV). But there is a difference between contending and being contentious. Paul writes: ‘Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful’ (2 Timothy 2:23-24 NIV). Note these four phrases: 1) ‘Must not be quarrelsome.’ Don’t argue, just plant the seeds of God’s Word and trust the Holy Spirit to work in people’s hearts. 2) ‘Be kind to everyone.’ There is no need to be hostile, demeaning, or disagreeable with someone who doesn’t share your viewpoint. What’s driving you towards such unkindness? Must you prove people mistaken to validate your self-worth? 3) ‘Able to teach.’ Instead of trying to force your opinions on someone, simply say, ‘Here is what I have discovered in God’s Word, and here is the difference it has made in my life.’ Your experience is never at the mercy of someone else’s argument. 4) ‘Not resentful.’ Only when your own hurts have been healed can God use you to heal the hurts of others. So, pray: ‘Father, make me an instrument of peace so that people will be open to the truths you reveal to them through me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.’ UCB WORD FOR TODAY

01/03/2023

Start fresh every day!
1 MARCH 2023
‘‘A quick-tempered person does foolish things.’’
Proverbs 14:17 NIV
You overslept, the car wouldn’t start, you were late for work, your computer crashed! These things can make you angry, but only if you let them. Solomon said, ‘A quick-tempered person does foolish things,’ so if you fly into a rage, expect a rough landing! The Bible says, ‘Patience is better than strength. Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city’ (Proverbs 16:32 NCV). Anger always comes back to bite you and ends up doing more damage than the thing that triggered it. David said, ‘Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar’ (Psalm 5:3 MSG). Start by offering your day to God, then you will be less likely to react in anger when things go wrong. One pastor writes: ‘Our time here is short. What a shame to let something that happened – twenty years or twenty minutes ago – ruin your day. I’ve made up my mind to enjoy every single one. I may make mistakes; things may not go my way. I may be disappointed, but I’m going to live my life happy. I’m not going to let what does or doesn’t happen steal my joy. Every morning I say, “Father, this is going to be a great day. I thank you that I have discipline, self-control; that I make good decisions. I may not have done what I could have yesterday, but that day is gone. I’m going to do better today.”’ Ever wonder why a car’s windscreen is big and its rear-view mirror small? Because what’s behind isn’t nearly as important as what’s ahead. So keep looking ahead, and no matter what happens today, don’t lose your peace. UCB WORD FOR TODAY

01/03/2023

Home sweet home!
28 FEBRUARY 2023
‘‘I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.’’
Psalm 23:6 NIV
For some of us, the love of God doesn’t feel real. Why is that? Because we have tried to make this earth our home. And as a result, we live with worry and frustration. Only when you have the right view of there will you have the right view of here. When you understand your true home, death is never a full stop; instead, it’s a conjunction. Less than one second after you die, you will be escorted into the presence of God. You won’t even be dead long enough to know you died. You don’t expire; you transfer. Quicker than you can blink, you move from one dimension to another. You go from living in this time to dwelling ‘in the house of the Lord forever’. Most of us will not die suddenly of a heart attack, or a stroke, or in a car crash. For most of us, death will come gradually as we wear down over time. You will feel your body deteriorating and atrophying, and you will know you’re nearing death. Then God will put you into transition mode. He will make heaven look much more appealing than earth so that you will be thinking, ‘I wish God would just hurry up and take me home.’ He may even give you a little preview of glory and let you see your Saviour waiting to welcome you. When you glimpse those arms wide open, you will want the trip to hurry up and take place. You will say like David, ‘As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness’ (Psalm 17:15 NKJV). Home sweet home! UCB WORD FOR TODAY

24/02/2023

Navigating life’s losses (2)
24 FEBRUARY 2023
‘‘A time to be born, and a time to die.’’
Ecclesiastes 3:2 KJV
Researchers at the Colorado Institute of Grief offer us this helpful four-stage path to recovery. Stage one – Shock. Our initial response is one of denial and disbelief. ‘I can’t believe this is happening…it’s not real!’ There is a numbing of our senses, a God-designed natural ‘anaesthesia’ that buffers the early blow and allows us time to gather our coping mechanisms. Stage two – Protest. We feel anger and resentment against God, yet we feel guilty for blaming Him. We may blame ourselves, the doctors, the patient, and question God’s love and faithfulness – even bargaining with Him. ‘If You will just do a miracle and bring them back, I will…’ Stage three – Disorganisation. Everything comes apart at the seams. The lifestyle we knew and loved unravels. The dreams we cherished evaporate. We feel hopeless, powerless, lost in a strange, empty universe. Secondary losses may loom: financial insecurity, social dislocation, depression, loss of concentration, etc. We’re convinced that life will never be normal again. We survive moment to moment, afraid to anticipate the road ahead. Stage four – Reorganisation. Unrelenting grief gives way to waves of sadness varying in frequency and intensity. We begin to accept and accommodate our loss. The energy we expended on grief work becomes available again, enabling us to adjust to the demands and opportunities of our new lifestyle. Slowly we re-emerge and take hold of the reins again. The process will take many months, and full recovery even years. But God promises it will come! There will be ‘a time to heal…build up…laugh…dance…gain!’ (Ecclesiastes 3:3-4, 6 NKJV). UCB WORD FOR TODAY