Living Truths for Life
Living Truths for Life offers short, encouraging episodes to help you navigate daily challenges. Host Dr. Gayle Claxton provides practical tools and spiritual insights rooted in Christian faith. Produced by Voice in the City Ministries, the podcast aims to strengthen listeners' confidence in their walk with Jesus.
Episodes
Stupid Things We All Have Done
Every one of us has things we look back on in our lives and wish we had done differently or even not at all. We might feel regret, but if we continue in ignorance, it will certainly not end in bliss.How do we ensure that every one of our steps and decisions is measured?How do we use the Word of God and the wisdom He gives to prevent us from making stupid decisions?
Tomorrow's Effect of Today's Choice (Part 2)
God will promote our character before He promotes our visibility. Behind every story of accomplishment is a process of preparation. God, in His mercy, will not put us in things that our capacity is not prepared for. He does not require perfection, but He requires faithfulness and consistency in our choices that build upon each other as He develops us for the capacity of His calling.
Tomorrow's Effect of Today's Choice (Part 1)
Everything we do will have an effect on what follows. This is not a new revelation, nor is it rocket science. It applies to every area of our lives, and no one is exempt. The Bible puts it this way – what we sow, we will reap. The direction of our steps will take us in the direction of our destination and purpose. Whatever we respond to, we allow the right for it to take up space in our lives and
Adam and Eve - Lonely or Fulfilled?
The Bible says that God created man in His image. When we read the story of creation, God created a companion for Adam. God has created us to be relational – whether it be in marriage and family, the friendships we keep, or even our everyday interaction with the people around us.What does filling this need look like, and what image do we reflect as we steward the relationships that we keep?
Why Did Jesus Speak to the Disciples First?
We often overlook introductory verses, but we must remember that there is nothing in the Bible that is there without a purpose. Today, we take a closer look at the context and approach of the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. While this is an important foundational teaching for us as we live our Christian lives, who is it really for, and what is the perspective wi
Cast Your Bread
We may not see immediate results when we sow into ministry and the harvest fields of the Lord. This could look like sowing our lives, our hearts, our time, our resources, the words we speak, our actions and responses. God desires to use everything we offer up to Him, that our lives may be as living vessels, and that everything we pour out will flow to and impact our surrounding.What do our lives p
Have You Signed Up?
Modern-day progress has made many things easier, and even quicker, for us. However, there are no shortcuts with our Christian life, and we are not in competition with each other. We all run a race with our own paths that are uniquely ours, carrying the same message of hope and the testimony of the gospel.Are we signed up and fully committed to being focused and undistracted, uncompromised towards
What Drives You?
Consistency speaks volumes of one’s character. Being ‘only human’, our consistency is sometimes affected by what we feel. In our Christian lives, our consistency is one of the reflections of our faithfulness in all that God has called us to. Throughout the pages of Scripture, we read of many situations that resulted in setbacks or downfalls of different individuals, even whole nations. We also rea
Fear Has No Power
There are many expressions used to describe fear, among them are the adjectives ‘paralysing’, ‘crippling’, and the list goes on. We would sometimes even say that our actions or reactions are ‘governed by fear’. Fear is a stronghold that stops us from reaching our full potential in the purposes of God – but it can be broken! 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love
Break Your Prison Down
There are times when we feel trapped inside ourselves – not by our situations, but by our own minds. The Lord has never intended it such, intending rather for us to live and walk in freedom. Even a lie can become the basis of our truth if we declare it to ourselves enough.Will we choose instead to sing and declare God’s truth until our hearts believe?
Failure is Not Your Finish Line
Failure is not the ‘be all and end all’ of our world! Yes, there may be consequences that follow our instances of failure, but whether failure becomes a dead end or a step to the next thing is a decision that lies solely on us. We could choose to get stuck in the downward spiral of “Why, God?” and land back at square one, or we could choose to get up, pick up where we tripped, and find our hope a
Let God be the Hero of Your Story
For decades, even centuries, the concept of a ‘hero’ has never lost its relevance. With many of the stories from the pages of our lives, we often frame the story to paint ourselves – or someone we look up to – in a heroic light.What does the Word say about Who we should be reflecting? More importantly, what does it say about Who the true hero of our story should be?
Overcoming Hurt
Hurt is something we all experience in various forms throughout our lives. Some people subscribe to the idea that it is easier to seal it up and just move on. Others lash out and use it to justify their character or reactions. What is sure is, when left unaddressed, hurt becomes like a wound that is left to fester and never heal.How do we deal with these wounds, that we don’t end up tiptoeing thro
The Power of 'I Thought' in Our Lives
The Bible says that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways higher than our ways. It also says that He gives us freewill, and that is where our own thoughts and ideas influence our circumstances. God’s plans for us are for us to live full lives, fulfilling His unique purposes for each of us – that our joy may be made complete in His.How do we posture ourselves so that this place of f
When Life Throws a Curveball
‘Curveball’ is a term from baseball where the pitcher throws the ball with a spin, causing a surprise deviation from a straight path. The unpredictability and speed of this makes it difficult for the batter to hit the ball with accuracy. The good news for us believers is that God is in control – even over the curveballs of life!Knowing this, how then should we respond in these unexpected situation
Trusting God Through Transition
Moving from one place to another evokes different responses from different people. Leaving the familiar behind, and approaching unfamiliarity can be uncomfortable, even daunting. There is one constant that we have, and that is God. Scripture tells us again and again that He is the same yesterday, today, and He continues to be.What does leaning on Him through transitions look like?
Jesus Our Cornerstone
We cannot give what we do not have. When Jesus came, fully man, He experienced the same things we do so that He could fully relate with what we go through. Jesus experienced rejection so that He could redeem and come back as an overcomer. The beginning and end of our struggles sometimes so consume us – but – the in between is where the rebuilding and redeeming happens so that we can emerge victori
Living Through Tough Days
In the opening verses of Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he says “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”. This tells us that God’s work in us is current and will continue until the end of our time. This is the assurance that when we come into the covenant of relationship with God as believers, He will
Our Next in God
“Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living,” penned the missionary Jim Elliot in a letter.Sometimes to get us through difficult or challenging situations, we look ahead to the next season or promise. The fine line falls between whether we take that as motivation to work through our journey, or where we grow frustrated or even resentful at the ‘now’ that we are in. How should we navigate
Your Little Can Become Much
When God nudges our hearts to do something, it is always an invitation to partnership with Him. Often our natural instinct is to respond based on what we think our capacity or capability is. We might make excuses – almost as if we know better than the One who made us! What do we have in our hands? Are we willing to partner with Him for His greater purposes?
What is Our Fruit?
“For every tree is known by its own fruit…” Luke 6:44aThere are many instances in the Bible where the analogy of trees are used to describe the life of a believer. ‘A tree planted by streams of living water’ gives us a picture of us being rooted in God, our source of Living Water. The fruit that trees bear is not for their own consumption, but to be enjoyed by others. Likewise, the fruit of our li
It's Not Just About the Bread
What is our motivation when we seek Jesus? Is our relationship with God subject to conditions and confirmations? God desires transformational relationships over transactional relationships. Our journey should prepare us for eternity, and not merely for the temporal things of the earth.In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the Bible says that God has written eternity in our hearts, and only He knows the end from t
The Harvest Field - a Call to Action
Moved with compassion at the sight of the multitudes, Jesus turned to His disciples in Matthew 9:37 and said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few.”We are all called to be disciples of Jesus, and we often overcomplicate what being part of the harvest means. Not everyone is called to speak on platforms to hundreds and thousands, but in fact, every one of our lives speak louder
Can You Admit It?
From the beginning of mankind, we read in Genesis 3 the first incident of self-justification when Adam and Eve were confronted with sin. There was a shifting of blame and their relationship with God was affected. Taking ownership of our actions and their consequences allows us to come to a place of forgiveness, resolution, and peace with God and with those around us.
The Grip of Fear
Fear is a weapon that the enemy will use against us, whether to confuse, discourage, or even derail us. With all that is happening in the world today, it is easy and only natural for us to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all. God has given us the authority to be the master over our fear and not let our fear be the master over us.
Greener Grass
It is far easier to admire someone else’s field than our own. What slips our mind is that someone had to work on that field, the same as our own. How should we steward the promises and prophecies we receive? God has sent us a helper – the Holy Spirit. Let us stop comparing our pasture with someone else’s and learn to flourish in the place that God has given to us.
Everybody Has A Past
In Isaiah 43:19, God promises that He will make a way where there is no conceivable way. Reading it is one thing, but receiving and living it is another. It is often a struggle to believe and claim the wonderful plans that God has for us, and we create excuses and justifications based on our past experiences. Can we reconcile and truly believe that this God we read about in the Bible is the same G
Defining Moments
Every one of our lives are marked by defining moments, be it positively or negatively. Some become pillars and form principles in our lives, some leave us scarred and discouraged, while others may even change our trajectories. Our responses to these moments determine how we move forward from them. We don’t always have to have it all together, but how can we then use them as we grow and develop on
Jesus Our Resurrection (Easter special)
Resurrected life in Christ does not just speak about the promise of eternal life – it speaks of the resurrection of God’s promises in our lives here on earth. It may be difficult to reconcile the reality of we see happening around us with the hope that the Word of God promises. Would we allow Jesus to step into our devastation and disappointment to bring the light of His life and hope into our hea
My Promise is Dead - Now What?
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 AMPSometimes when a promise seemingly comes to pass and then is taken from us, we fall into discouragement and disappointment. God develops our character as we respond to Him. Would we resign ourselves to our natural understanding of what our promise is and sit in dejection, or would we turn to
Life in God's Canvas
Every great painting begins with a blank canvas. Every sunrise and sunset is a testament to the artistry of God - the Divine Artist. The beautiful promise of Jeremiah 29:11 assures us of the plans that God has for our lives. We may feel like we have nothing to offer, but just as a blank canvas in the hands of a master artist, so can our lives be in the hands of God.
Are Hurdles Stopping You Possessing the Land?
How do we respond when faced with challenges – fight…or flight? When God speaks to us about a call or commission upon our lives, be it for a short or long season, we must take it on with conviction. The journey towards possessing the land or the promise will be filled with challenges. Take heart! Here are some useful keys on how to stay the course until we emerge as overcomers victorious in Christ
Are We Professional or Anointed?
Serving from a place of our strengths and skill-sets is something that most of us do. Excellence is emphasised and desired in almost everything we do. What is it that changes our work into worship, where the Holy Spirit can work in and through us?
Admit It
Are we really able to admit our short comings and in so doing allow the Holy Spirit to change us and let Proverbs 28:13 become a foundation in our walk with God? It's not admitting only the big things but the small things like attitudes, the way we speak - these have great impact on our daily lives.
