Thought For Today

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name! It is Saturday morning, the 2nd of December 2023; and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We go to Hebrews 13:18:Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a good conscience in all things desiring to live honorably.We must keep a good track record; we must live in an honourable way before God and men. We must have a clear conscience and live an honest life. A great example was told to me just a couple of years ago: two very good friends of ours were coming down from Johannesburg to visit us on the farm, Shalom. On the way, a very busy highway, they stopped halfway at a garage to fuel up and have something to eat. My friend's wife went to the bathroom. When she came out, they paid their account, got in the car and continued with their journey. After about an hour, they came to a toll gate and as they drew near, my friend's wife looked in her handbag to find her purse to pay the toll. The purse was gone, it wasn't there. They panicked, made a U-turn, and went all the way back to that very busy garage and restaurant.My friend's wife was distraught. She went straight into the bathroom where she had been because she knew she had left her purse there. In the purse was her driver's licence, credit cards, ID - everything was in there. She walked in and there was nothing. She looked everywhere. And as she walked out, a gentleman walked up and said: "Madam, have you lost something?" She said: "Yes, I've lost my purse." He asked her what colour it was and she told him, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He said: "Here it is, I've been waiting for you." Do you know that that impacted her so much, I think she was in tears. He didn't ask for any money, he didn't ask for a tip, he just gave it to her and said: "Have a nice day." That act of honour and conscience impacted my friend's wife more, I think, than all the big events and campaigns and the big preachers and professors of theology have ever made on her life. I want to say to you today, keep a good track record for Jesus. God bless you, have a wonderful day. Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 1st of December, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Joshua 24:15: Joshua said "…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,…" And then towards the end of the verse he says: "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."You know it's very contagious when you meet a man or a woman who can make a decision. If you look just a little further down in the same chapter, verse 18, the people of Israel said, "We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God." We have to make decisions. I know it's hard but we need to do it, every single one of us, from the oldest to the youngest, who is listening to this message. The Oxford Dictionary says that the meaning of the word, "Decision" is a choice or judgement made after considering something. We cannot sit on the fence any longer. They say it is better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all. Every single one of us has got to make decisions. It is not man's opinion that you and I are interested in; it is God's opinion on the issue that we are interested in. If you ask ten people, they will give you ten different opinions about a decision you have to make, it can become very confusing. I can hear somebody say, "But then how do we make a good, solid decision." Well, we go to the Good Book. We go to the Bible. We read the Ten Commandments. I can hear somebody say, "But that is old-fashioned." No, it's not. Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill - these are decisions that we need to make, and when we make that important decision we make it according to the word of God and every time (I am a witness to that), you will make the right decision. You might not like it, but you will make it because it is good for you. We obey the Ten Commandments and then we make good decisions every single time. People will even see that we are clever and wise. One of the fruits of making a quality decision is the peace that the Lord Jesus Christ will give your heart after you have made that decision. Young man, if you do not propose to that girl that you love, you will lose her. It's a decision you have to make. If you do not make that business decision you will lose the whole business. Sir, if you do not stop your excessive drinking, you will lose everything. Today, make a quality decision. Put Jesus firmly on the throne of your life and you will be amazed how everything will change for the better.Remember, men always follow someone who knows where he is going.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 30th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of James 2:23, in the New Testament:“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.” You want to be called a friend of God; I am sure you do; everybody does. No one wants to be an enemy of God. God has never lost a fight in His life.“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6We cannot please God by good works. He is not interested in our good works. He says they are like filthy rags. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). You see, the reason God loved Abraham so much is because Abraham obeyed whatever God told him to do. Abraham waited for his promise, a son. God gave him a son, a beautiful son, named Isaac. At the age of about 13 years old, God tested Abraham and said, “I want him back now.” Abraham never hesitated. He took his son up to the top of Mount Moriah and was prepared to offer him up as a living sacrifice. God was so moved by that act of faith that he said, “Stop, stop, stop Abraham. There is a little ram caught in the thicket. Use that for a sacrifice.” That is why He loved Abraham. Abraham is known as the father of faith.George Müller is one of my heroes. George Müller started a children's home in Bristol in England. Something like 10,000 children went through that home, something like 60 million rand by today's reckoning, went through his hands. He never asked for one cent; he prayed for everything and trusted God. At the end of his life, people said, “You must have had such a love for children.” He said, “Yes indeed, a great love for children, but the reason why I did it wasn't even for the children. I wanted to show the world what God will do if we put our trust in Him.” Today, I want to encourage you. Put your faith in Jesus Christ. Don't tempt Him, but you can test Him, and I want to tell you, He will never, ever let you down. He is a good God, He is for you and He is for me and He is not against us, so He wants us to attempt great things for Him and expect great things from Him.Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 29th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in that beautiful book, Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon His shoulder.And His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”Then confirmation of that is Matthew 28:18: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Wow, folks, we are talking about a government that shall never fail, and as we enter the Christmas season, we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to tell you that the government which the Master, Himself, will head up will be a government that will remain honest. It will deliver everything that it has promised. Everything He said, He shall do, and He has already done. Every promise He has made, He shall keep. The only thing left now is the great day of inauguration, the induction, and I tell you what, I cannot wait! Oh, when we look around, we see the world governments falling apart, making false promises, telling lies to the people, sometimes trying to bribe them to vote for them, and yet the Prince of Peace is coming back soon. Do you remember that old song?For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given;And the government shall be upon His shoulder.And His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,The Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace is He.Father, I pray for my friends today, that they will lift up their heads and they will see that there is a government coming into this world, and the leader is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.Lord, we have nothing to fear. I pray for my friends that they will keep focused today on the soon-coming King,In Jesus Name,Amen.Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 28th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Ephesians 5:8: "Walk as children of light…" What an opportunity for you and I to shine for Jesus in this very dark, old world we live in. We don't always feel victorious, do we? We don't always feel like shining, do we? No, but there is a deep knowing in our hearts that Jesus walks with us, irrespective of how we feel."…He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4You see, it's that knowledge alone - that He is sufficient for us, that keeps our light shining, sometimes ever so small, just a little flicker, but it keeps shining. The people in the world want to see how we handle our circumstances when everything around us is dead dark and jet-black. It's easy to shine when things are going well, isn't it? But the test comes. Are we going to shine when things are not going well for us? The greatest example of that in the Bible is Job, the farmer. He said in the Book of Job 13:15: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Remember the devil said, "Ja, Your servant, Job, serves You because he is so prosperous (I think he was the wealthiest man in the Middle East), he has got a big family, everything is going well. Take it away from him and let's see what he can do. Of course, the Lord said, "Okay, but don't touch his life." Right to the end, Job's light was shining. I want to say to you today, like never before, the world is watching us. Now remember, the darker it gets, the brighter the light shines. You strike that little match in a dark room, what happens? Yes, the darkness has to leave. One of my heroes was a Scottish minister named Peter Marshall. In fact, he was the one who said you must have faith like potatoes. He was coming home one night, and it was so dark, he couldn't even see his hand in front of him, and he decided to take a shortcut but what he didn't realise was as he was walking down the path, there was a voice that called out to him. He remembered it clearly, "Peter!" Then he stopped, and then he went on a little bit slower, and the voice said "Peter!" again, and he dropped to his knees, and as he dropped to his knees he stretched forward and there was nothing in front of him. He was on the edge of a precipice, on the edge of a huge, stone quarry. There was a hole in the ground. I don't know how deep it was, but it would have killed him if he had carried on walking. That was the change in his life.People need the Lord. People are walking in darkness. You and I need to be a light shining in the darkness for them today.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name! It is Monday morning, the 27th of November, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start with Isaiah 8:10:"For God is with us."I read that slowly because we all need to remember that God is with us. The proof of that is found one page before in Isaiah 7:14:"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."Which translated means God with us. If we go to Romans 8:31, a scripture which I have got many, many times - basically, it confirms the scriptures which I have just read to you."If God is for us, who can be against us?"That's why we are entering into the Christmas season. That's why we celebrate Christmas - God came down from Heaven, in the form of a defenceless baby, to be with us so that we will not be lonely anymore; so that will not be fearful anymore - Now that is worth celebrating!If Jesus is on our side, as the tennis players say, it is 'game, set and match'. What do we have to do from our side? Well, that's a good question - Simply believe! Sadly, Moses and Aaron did not believe, so they could not take the children of Israel across the river Jordan and into the land of milk and honey. You'll find that in Numbers 28:12. How do we get that kind of faith? Well, that's a good question. Romans 10:17 says:“So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”By spending time with the Lord! Do you know that little picture of a little lion cub walking down the road with the caption: "When you know who is behind you, the fear of what's in front disappears." As long as you know God is for you, who is against you doesn't matter anymore because behind that little lion cub walking down the main road is its huge doting mother. I want to tell you God is right with you today, and you have nothing to fear. Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Sunday morning the 26th of November 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We started in Exodus 24:17:"The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel."Then we go straight to Hebrews 12:29"For our god is a consuming fire." He's not a God to be trifled with. He is not a God to play the fool with - we are talking about a God who is a consuming fire. That's what the Bible tells us. We need to be ready to meet the coming of the Lord. Now, I can relate to this so much. You know, we live in the beautiful green hills of Natal, and Shalom Farm is situated right in the middle of many, many forests. We have pine plantations, eucalyptus and wattle plantations - beautiful trees, 30 years old and more before they get felled. But we have to be ready in the event of a forest fire. It is a terrible thing to be part of - when that fire gets going. The signs are always there. It's normally in the middle of Winter. There is a blowing wind, and there's been no moisture for weeks. People are ready; it's going to come. The foresters literally sleep next to their radios, waiting for the fire tower to make that call - fire! The game is on. By that time, we should have all our fire breaks in position. We should have all our water carts full, hitched up to our tractors - all our fire fighting equipment should be ready for action. We have to do it beforehand if we want to stand a chance in saving our homes and our farms.The question I want to ask you today, and the question God is asking us this morning is: "Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? When the Lord comes He will come like a consuming fire. It says, in Joel 2:11"The Lord gives voice before His army,For His camp is very great;For strong is the One who executes His word.For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible;Who can endure it?"I want to plead with you today to make sure that your house is in order. Make sure that your life is in order. That your children, your dependents know who Jesus Christ is because when that fire starts it is too late to try and get things in order. Do it today.Don't be caught out.Jesus bless you, and have a wonderful Sunday. Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, it is the 25th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go straight to Hebrews 12:15 in the New Testament "…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;…" We need to be so careful that we do not allow a root of bitterness which can cause trouble in a person's life and even sickness. Don't let it grow in your heart. Confess it, pull it out by the roots so that it can have no hold over your life. I remember like yesterday, many, many years ago, after preaching, asking people who are sick in their bodies to come forward for healing. I will never forget this old lady who came forward, and she looked so down and depressed. She knelt at the altar rail and said, "I need prayer for healing". I said, "What is the problem?" She said, "I suffer from migraine headaches terribly, have done for years." I looked at her, and I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, "Don't pray for healing for the headaches. There is unforgiveness in her heart." I said, "Do you have bitterness against someone who has maybe hurt you or disappointed you in the past?" She was very angry with me. She said, "Young man, I did not come here to confess my sins. I came here to be healed from my migraine headaches." Then she just broke down and wept and she said, "Yes, I have. I have had issues of bitterness against someone for years." So, the two of us prayed together. She confessed her sin and she left. I didn't even pray for healing.The next Sunday she came to church. She was a different woman. She was so happy and totally at peace. I said, "And how are you feeling?" She said, "I haven't had one migraine headache since we prayed together last week." Totally healed by Jesus!I would like to pray for you right now. Maybe you are suffering, and there is something in your life you just cannot lay down, that person has hurt you, you have been disappointed at work, and it is forming a root of bitterness. Let's deal with it now and carry on with our lives. Pray this prayer after me please:Dear Lord Jesus,I am convicted today that I have unforgiveness and bitterness in my heart. I forgive that person for hurting me, for disappointing me and today, Lord, I tear out that bitterness by the root that it will have no more part of my life.In Jesus name, Amen!God bless you and have a wonderful Saturday,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 24th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Gospel of Matthew 16:24: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Then we want to go to the Gospel of John 15:13:"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Following after Jesus is a costly business. Sometimes we lose our friends when we get serious for the Lord. We are not so popular anymore and it can be quite painful, especially if you are a young person. People are going out, partying, sleeping around, drugging, drinking, and you say, "No more for me." You will be surprised at how quickly you will lose your friends. I remember when I gave my life to the Lord as a young man. I said to the men who were following me up, I said, "There is one thing I don't want to do - I don't want to lose my old friends." They smiled and said, "Don't worry about that, Angus. You won't have to lose them, they will lose you." You see, we cannot have anything to do with darkness when we are walking in the light. It can be quite painful when people mock us for our stand for Christ. Gypsy Smith, that old Romany Gypsy who used to preach off the back of his painted wagon to crowds of up to 10,000 people at a time, said, "It takes a dead fish to flow with the current, but it takes a live one to swim against it." Remember, if your faith is costing you nothing, well then, it is worth nothing. It cost Jesus His life, didn't it? He died for you and for me. Sometimes I despair when I see how little you and I are prepared to sacrifice to stand up for our Lord. I remember a beautiful story told many years ago. A big sailing ship was sailing with people down to the South Sea Islands, and there was a lovely young family who had left their safe haven, their home, and they were on their way to one of these islands where there were cannibals. As the captain docked the ship, just off the coast, and lowered a little lifeboat for them to row to the shore, he pleaded with the family, "Don't go there because they are going to kill you." The man said to the captain, "Sir, we died before we left home." I want to tell you today, let's have a good look at our own lives and really see if we are making a difference for the Gospel and helping the lost.Have a wonderful day, Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 23rd of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Nehemiah 8:10: "…for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Then we go to the New Testament, to the First Book of Timothy 6:6: "Now godliness with contentment is great gain."I have just been to a men's prayer meeting. We meet at 5 a.m. at the little chapel on the farm, Shalom, and while we were praying, one of our men prayed a very touching prayer. He said, "Lord, two teams came back from the World Cup. One team have become the world champions, and the other just missed the world championship by two matches; one point separated success from apparent failure, one point. You and I cannot live like that. We cannot put all our hope, all our trust in one single game—the only difference between joy and sorrow, success and supposed failure - one point. You may be sitting and waiting for your university results to come in, and maybe you are going to make it by one point, or you are going to miss it by one point. You cannot put your whole life's expectancy on one point. Maybe you are a young farmer and you are trusting God for a good crop. You have put all your effort into that crop, just like you do every other year. The only difference between a good crop and a bad crop is whether it rains or whether it doesn't rain. Maybe you have beautiful animals for sale - beef cattle, sheep, lambs - but because of the economy, there is one point between failure and success. We can't live like that. The Lord tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. That's not a funny ha-ha joy. That is a deep knowing that if you love Jesus Christ, your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and when you leave this world, you are going straight home to Heaven to be with the Lord forever and ever. It brings a measure of contentment that this world cannot give. We must keep focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and His promises over our lives, which will bring us peace, joy and purpose for living.Today, go out and look forward to an incredible life because when you are a believer, it is a win-win situation. If we die, we go straight home to Heaven, and if we live, we live for Christ.God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 22nd of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Isaiah 35:3-4:“Strengthen the weak hands,And make firm the feeble knees.Say to those who are fearful-hearted,“Be strong, do not fear!Behold, your God will come with vengeance,With the recompense of God;He will come and save you.”Then we go to the Book of Hebrews 12:12-13: ‘Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.'You and I need to walk on straight paths. We must stop making things even harder for ourselves in a world that seems to have gone mad at the moment. Keep on the main road. There are no shortcuts on our way to Heaven. Every time I take a shortcut, I normally get stuck in the mud and have to walk home and get the tractor to come and pull me out! The Bible says we need to strengthen our hands and weak knees so that they will not be dislocated but rather heal. You know, many times I read in the New Testament that Jesus told His disciples to come aside and rest awhile because they didn't even have time to eat. I had an old friend who used to farm next door to me. Alan was a wonderful man, he has gone to be with Jesus now, and we used to meet across the fence early in the morning when we started farming with our staff, and he often used to say to me, “Angus, you need to take time out to smell the roses.” What does that mean? It means to take time to rest to strengthen your hands and your knees for the long road ahead. William Carey, that great man of God who translated the Bible from English into many different Indian languages, had a rose garden. He would often go into his rose garden that was walled up and be quiet on his own, and that would strengthen him. I have a beautiful hobby: I am a bee-keeper, and sometimes, when the going gets too tough, I just want to go and sit with my bees and not even take the honey out sometimes. I just sit there and watch them working tirelessly and just be in the presence of God.Today, take time out to smell the roses,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 21st of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to Hebrews 12:5-6: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;For whom the Lord loves He chastens,And scourges every son whom He receives."The word "chasten" means to discipline someone. You know, for me, it is very embarrassing to go to a party or a meeting or a public gathering and to see a very badly behaved little child throwing their toys, literally. I don't feel sorry for the red-faced parent who is trying to control the child, I feel terribly sorry for the undisciplined child who has to face life and walk a very hard road. Mom, Dad, if you love your child, you must discipline them for their sake, not yours, just like Jesus disciplines you and me to make us better citizens and stronger people. If Jesus disciplines us because He loves us, we must do the same. My son has got a gift for sorting out problem horses. People bring their horses to him, and he sorts out that problem. If a horse has a bad habit of kicking out at people or has a very hard mouth and will not listen, he can discipline that horse and make it rideable. You know, the amazing thing is that the horses with the most natural talent often need the most disciplining and then turn out to be amazing riding horses. The word "discipline" means the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour. I know a little boy's story, and it is such a sad story that I am telling you. He was big for his age, very strong, and got his own way at home. His mom and dad didn't discipline him, but eventually, the big day came, and he had to go to school. Mom and Dad dropped him off at school, and of course, in the class, he picked on the weakest little boy there and started to push him around. But you see, that boy didn't realise that that small boy had two big brothers in the grade ahead and of course, at break, the big boys would tackle this youngster and really make things very unpleasant for him, so much so that he didn't want to go to school anymore, in fact, he was starting to wet his pants and became a major problem to his mother and father. That is because Mom and Dad didn't discipline him when he was small. Please discipline your loved one if you want them to have an easy walk in life.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name! It is Monday morning, the 20th of November, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start in Isaiah 6:8Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:"Whom shall I send,And who will go for Us?"Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."Then we go straight to Mark 16:15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. John Wesley said the world is my parish; the world is my congregation. We need to go out and preach the gospel. Where, you might say. Well, go to the schools, go to the farms, the prisons, the hospitals. You know, when I go to the hospital, I'll go into a ward and pray for a Christian man or woman who's not well. As I leave, there are Hindus and Muslims there, and before I leave the room, they say, please pray for us as well. I have to come back, lay hands on them and pray for them. People are desperate for hope and truth, but most of all, love.University, what a place to preach the gospel. Radio, if you can get on there, TV. I can hear somebody say, but we have no training! Well, I want to ask you a question - Did the disciples have any training? Of course not. What is preaching the gospel actually all about? It's one hungry beggar showing another hungry beggar where to find bread. My old friend Wynand, from Radio Pulpit, says it's showing people the way to the bakery. D.L. Moody, a farm boy, went to Chicago as a shoe salesman. He got saved and wanted to teach Sunday school. They told him there was a waiting list of 17 people, and you will be number 18. He said: "I can't wait that long". They said why don't you go down to the ghettos to speak to those little street urchins causing so much trouble. Off he went, he hired a big old warehouse. He would put a pocket of oranges on the back of his horse, like the Pied Piper, and say: "Do you want an orange? Follow me". He would hang up a cage with a canary and tell the kids the first one that doesn't break one Sunday will get the canary at Christmas time. Folks, he was desperate. You know that that man had no less than 500 children in his Sunday school in no time at all. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a sportsman's breakfast to preach to people, and many of them don't darken the door of a church. Do you know that 800 people arrived there on a Thursday morning? In the middle of the week, for breakfast at the race track in Durban. I was there with Warren Brosnihan, one of the sportsmen. What an incredible meeting we had! I want to tell you today: don't waste a moment; tell people what Jesus means to you. Have a wonderful day. May God bless you. Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 19th of November, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start in the book of Jeremiah 1:9Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth."Then we go to the New Testament, John 1:1:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The power available to you and me through the spoken Word of God. You know Jesus calmed the storm on the Lake of Galilee with one word! Do you remember that old saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me."? That is so untrue, isn't it? It's the other way around - you can heal quickly from physical wounds, but words said in anger against someone can last long. The Word of God spoken in faith can move mountains."Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;But we will remember the name of the Lord our God."Psalm 20:7John G. Lake, the American evangelist, used to say that when you get up in the morning, and you get ready for work, and you are combing your hair, and you look into that mirror, you say to the person looking back at you - God lives in that person, and wherever that person goes today, God is going with them! If Christ is for you, there's no man that can stand against you."And by His stripes we are healed."Isaiah 53:5I want to pray a word of healing over your body today. I want to join my faith with your faith and believe for the power of healing through the spoken Word of God. Pray this prayer after me. Maybe put your hand on that area of your body where you are suffering. Perhaps you are suffering from migraine headaches - put your hand on your head. Maybe it's your back that's giving you trouble. Maybe it's a knee - pray this prayer after me. Dear Lord Jesus, I know that you are my Healer. Today, by Faith, I speak the Word of healing over my body, over my soul and over my spirit. I thank you for healing me, in Jesus' name, amen.Have a wonderful Sunday. God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 18th of November, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today.We start in Psalm 72:19:“And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.”Then we go to the book of Isaiah 6:3: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;The whole earth is full of His glory!”Then the last one is in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 4:8:“Holy, holy, holy,Lord God Almighty,Who was and is and is to come!”What beautiful scriptures! Holy means God as a Spirit who is active in the world. You know I've just come back from my bike ride. What a beautiful morning. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. There's that beautiful fresh smell on the earth. Yes, He created it all in one word, Holy God! The Orthodox Jews revere the name of God so much that when they sign their name, God bless, they will write G-D. They will not even spell His name and yet this mighty God chose to leave His throne in paradise to come down to earth in the form of a defenceless baby and live amongst you and I and help us, direct us and most of all, show us the way home. I saw Him again today in all His glory and I want to tell you He is worth worshipping and praising!Now, I'm going to sing a little hymn. I think all of us know it. Many of us may have learned it when we were at school. It was written in 1861 by John Dykes, and the lyrics by Bishop Reginald Heber. It is called Holy, Holy, Holy. If you want to join with me, I would be honoured if you would sing it with me. Let's try it together:Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,Heaven's elders cast their crowns around the glassy sea;Cherubim and seraphim worship too before Thee,Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,Perfect in power, in love, and purity.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful Saturday and glory by His name for truly He is holy and worthy!

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 17th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Book of Hebrews 12:1:”Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,…” Oh folks, we are running the race of our lives. We must be more intentional about it. This is not the dummy run, this is not the practice run, this is it! Many have gone before us, and they are cheering us on today. They say, “Come on, you can make it, you can do this!” The saints are all there in Heaven, your loved ones, they are waiting for you. Keep on running - get up and dust yourself off and keep going. Get rid of all that excess baggage that is weighing us down. “What kind of baggage?” you say. Unforgiveness, grudges, bad habits, greed, self-centredness. These weights will stop us from finishing the race. We need to become more determined and more intentional, running the race of our lives with endurance. Endurance is the ability to do or cope with something painful or difficult for a long time. This is not a hundred-metre sprint; this is a long-distance race. There are many hills and valleys; the road is rough but leads to home. Now, when we keep our eyes fixed on the road ahead of us, we must not look behind us; we must not be distracted to the left or the right by the people cheering or booing. It doesn't make any difference; we are going home, and the wonderful thing is that when we get to that finish line, do you know who is waiting for us? Oh yes, the One who ran before us, His name is Jesus! He has got his arms wide open. He says, “You are nearly home.” Keep on, just a short while, and you will get that gold medal of eternal life spent in Heaven where there is no more pain, no more tears, only peace, joy and bliss.God bless you today as you continue with me together, running the race of our lives,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning. It's the 16th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the book of Isaiah 5:20,"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"We need to call sin by its name. As believers, as followers of Jesus Christ, our standpoint has no grey area. It's either black or white. It's either right or wrong. Remember, people don't have to like us, but they must respect us for what we stand for. For evil to abound, all good people have to do is nothing. Isn't that right? Jesus says in Revelation 3:16: "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." Strong words! I really feel today I need to speak to dads and moms. You have to tell your children the absolute truth. You cannot compromise; they will not respect you for that. They might not like what you are saying at the moment because all their friends are doing something different, but we have to stand for truth and righteousness, and our gauge has to be the Bible. The Word says it, we believe it and that settles it. Remember, old Smith Wigglesworth said that? We have got to be known as people who walk the talk. You know, I heard a sad story many years ago about a beautiful young lady who grew up in a Christian home. Her mom and dad loved the Lord. She went to Sunday school, she got confirmed, and was a member of the church. Then she fell in love with a young man and she came home one night and said, "Mom, Dad, I am going to get married. They said, "Who are you going to marry?" "I am going to marry a communist." Now, communists don't believe that there is a God. Her mom and dad were totally devastated by what she said, and they asked her why, and she said, "Because he is the first man that I have met in my life who believes in what he stands for, and he stands by it."Young people are looking for truth and they are looking for a definite - they do not want any wishy-washy opinions! They want to know the truth because the truth will set them free. Let us be strong, bold, courageous and full of love and tell people the truth. His name is Jesus.God bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 15th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start off in the Book of Psalms 65:5-6: “By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us,O God of our salvation,You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth,And of the far-off seas;Who established the mountains by His strength,Being clothed with power;…”I want to say to you this morning, how dare we say, “Where is God?” How dare we say, “He has abandoned us.” Open your eyes, open your ears, He is all over the place! As I am recording this message, you can probably hear the rain on our tin roof, and you know we don't rely on the weatherman for a weather forecast. We simply walk out the front door of our little farmhouse and there we see the rain lilies in full colour and in full display. About two days ago, they told me it will rain because those beautiful little white buds came out of those magnificent green leaves, and here it is. It is raining! The weaver birds have told me that summer is well on its way and there will be plenty of rain. You say, “How do you know that?” Because God showed me. You see, when there is a drought, the weavers build their nest very close to the ground, but when there is going to be rain, they build their nests very high. How do they know? Because they have a Father and they listen to Him. Open your eyes, open your ears.You know, the swallows have just arrived. They have come thousands and thousands of kilometres. That little bird that doesn't even weigh half an ounce, and they have arrived. Why? Because they know that it is winter in Europe and they are coming to their summer residence. Now, not only do they come to the same country, but they come to the same province, to the same area, to the same farm and the same house. How do they know where to come? Because their Father in Heaven has shown them the way. Please never tell me there is no God! There is none so blind as those who do not want to see. This morning, I got a beautiful little message from one of my spiritual sons that I am mentoring: three words - “Love you dad.” It made my day. He is also a young farmer. Today, thank God that He is with us and that He is coming back soon to take us home to eternity with Him.Until then, keep running your race.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 14th of November, 2023 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Gospel of John 15:16: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." Chosen! You are sitting there and saying, "I can't take much more of this." Jesus says you can. He says, "I chose you, and I appointed you for the job that you are doing", but only if we put our trust in Him, but you and I must do our part. Now, remember the story of Abraham and Sarah? When God told Sarah she was going to have a baby, that's Isaac, and that he would be the father of many nations, she went behind the tent and started laughing and giggling, and the Lord said, "What are you laughing about?" And she said, "Nothing." And He said, "You were laughing!" A woman 100 years old will have a baby; no wonder she was laughing. And then what happened? The Lord said in Genesis 18:14: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" I want to say to you today there is nothing too hard for God. God knows how much you can take, and He knows how much I can take; otherwise, He would never have chosen us and given us the job.Two Afro-American little boys of a single mother lived in America. The mother was a house cleaner. They were failing badly at school, and the headmaster called the mother and said, "If these boys don't wake up, we will have to take them out of school." She went home late one night after cleaning houses. There, the two of them were lounging around, watching television. She said," Switch off that television. I don't want to see it on again." She said, "Go to the library tomorrow, become a member. I want you to read two books a week each." They couldn't believe it, "Then I want you to summarise those books, and I will crit them." They turned from being the idiots of the class to being the geniuses of the class! The one little boy became a neurosurgeon. Thing that really touched me was that that mother was illiterate; she couldn't write or read. She used to make believe that she was reading their summaries and put a tick here and a cross there. It's amazing. God chose this young man. He became a doctor, not only a doctor but a surgeon, not only a surgeon but a neurosurgeon, a brain doctor! He was the first man to separate Siamese twins, joined together at the back of the head, without losing one of them. Up until then, the one twin would always die because of the blood circulation problem, but he discovered a way to separate them, and they both survived. This man is outspoken for Jesus Christ.Dust yourself off, get back onto your feet and get back into the race. The Lord has chosen you!God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning the 13th of November 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start with Hebrews 11:16"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."Then we go straight to John 14:1-2"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."This home is not our home, not at all. We are just passing through. Let's not get too comfortable. What do you think your mansion will look like in heaven? Have you ever thought about that? Well, I looked up in the Oxford dictionary to find the exact definition: It is a large, impressive house. It is a country house; it is a stately home. You know, when I travel, I get off that aeroplane, and the first place I want to go is to use the bathroom. I go into the bathroom, and there's a gentleman standing at the door with a big smile. He says welcome to my office. Yes, I do give him a tip! I sometimes wonder what he will feel like (a man who has to clean the toilets) when he walks into the mansion God has prepared for him in heaven if he's a Believer. Keith Green, the gospel singer, former drug addict, and Rock & Roll star, became an amazing ambassador for Jesus Christ. He once said, "If God made Earth in one day and he's been preparing a place for you and me for 2,000 years, man," he said, "We're living in a garbage can..." But seriously, I want to tell you about a little boy, his name is Togo. He was part of our little children's home on the farm. He was a very sick little boy; he had a terminal disease, but he loved to go for rides on Snowy. He got so weak and thin that I had to put a pillow in front of my saddle so he could ride comfortably. We would talk about heaven, and Aunty Jill would read stories to him about heaven and say are you scared, Togo? No, he's not scared. We would talk about that big white horse that Jesus would be riding when he came to fetch him to take him home to be with him in his mansion in Paradise. Jesus came and took him home, and Togo is in heaven today. Psalm 84:10 says:"I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my GodThan dwell in the tents of wickedness."Today, let's be sure we know where we are going when we die. God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning the 12th of November 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start with Isaiah 3:10:"Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,For they shall eat the fruit of their doings."Then we go to Psalm 128:1 "Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,Who walks in His ways."These two scriptures are very straightforward and very simple to understand. Even a small child can understand them. What the Lord is saying to us this morning is: Just do the right thing. No shortcuts to success, no ducking and diving, no bending the rules or telling white lies. You see, we might fool some of the people sometimes, but we can never fool all of the people all of the time - and we will never fool God.You know, shortcuts are not normally the quickest way home. Every time I've tried to take one, I always get stuck in the mud. Let's do it the right way. Why don't we hit the reset button and start again? Say, "Lord, I'm choosing today to start doing things Your way. Not to impress the Receiver of Revenue, not to impress anybody, but to do it because You promised me that if I do it the right way, then You, Lord, will reward me and my family."Started living righteous and godly lives. With Jesus in our corner, we cannot fail. Romans 8:31:"If God is for us, who can be against us?"Now, all of a sudden, the rain will start falling on your crops. Your dams will overflow, and your relationships will be restored. Your cattle will be fat, and your family will love and respect you. Let's do it today. Let's hit that reset button. Why don't you pray this prayer with me:Heavenly Father, please forgive me for trying to do things my own way. They have failed miserably, but today, Lord, I will start to do things in a godly, righteous way. I'm going to pay my debts. I'm going to love my family. I'm going to take care of those whom I'm looking after correctly, and Lord, I know that you will do the rest in Jesus' Name, amen. Have a wonderful Sunday as you contemplate what you are going to start doing as of Monday morning. Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 11th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Hebrews 11:8: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. "God always honours faith. You know, when you think about it, Abraham was a farmer. He left everything. He took his wife, workers, and animals and left everything. He didn't even know where he was going. He went because God told him. Remember, a good idea is not always a God idea, and a need does not justify a call. So you don't just do it. You do it because God tells you to. I am sitting in my prayer room here, thinking very affectionately of the Mighty Men phenomenon because that is what it is. There are Mighty Men Conferences all over the globe. I got a letter the other day from a very dear son of mine in the Lord, telling me that they are calling him to Fiji. They are calling him to the South Sea Islands of New Caledonia. They want Mighty Men Conferences, and we praise God for that. I have seen such sights! I will never forget 2010 on this farm, some 450,000 men assembled here for the weekend. It was something supernatural, but it didn't start that way. It started with a word from the Lord 20 years ago: "I want you to mentor men." In my heart, God gave me that scripture, and this is the outcome. You know the thing that touches me greatly about this move of God, is that it is not underwritten by some big denomination of some huge organisation. No, it's ordinary men, just like the farmer, Abraham, who take the initiative. In 2010, I told the men, "I am passing on the batten to you. You need to carry it on now. I am stopping (and many of them were unhappy to have me stop). I said, "I am stopping because God said this is the last one", and then ordinary men, like Abraham, went when God said go, they went.Going to these Mighty Men Conferences is so exciting for me because it is not about numbers. It is about obedience and to see each one has its own flavour and thumbprint - as one man said - completely different. There are miners, farmers, businessmen, professional sportsmen, and teachers - all kinds of men, backed by their wives, of course, and they step out of the boat. They cry, they phone me and say they don't know if it is going to work, and I say, "Go, if God told you to go." Then, of course the great day arrives, and all the cars come in, and the trucks and motorbikes, and there is dust in the air, and there is blood, sweat and tears, and then the Power of God comes down. It is something to behold. If God has told you to go, if God has told you to do something, do it, and I tell you what, He will honour you every time because God honours the prayer of faith.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning. It's the 10th of November, 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start in the book of Hebrews 11:6: ”But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”Then we go to Mathew 14:28-29: ”And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.” He is the only human being, apart from Jesus, who has ever walked on the top of water. You see, Jesus honoured the step of faith which Peter took. There were another eleven men in that boat. None of them got out of the boat and walked on the water, only Peter. God always honours faith, not presumption, and there's a big difference here. Presumption means to suppose that something might probably be true. That's not faith. Faith is when you get a clear word from Jesus. Jesus said to Peter, “Come”, and Peter responded by faith. When you get a word, you act on the word of God, not somebody else's presumption. It's not a case of, well, let's hope for the best. Peter, by faith, responded to Jesus' word, “Come”.Sadly, I've seen too many folk trying to imitate something God has done in another life. The sad thing is it fails miserably every time. Any act of faith must always glorify God. Faith like potatoes! Oh yes, I acted on the word of God, at King's Park Rugby Stadium in front of a large crowd. I said,” I'm going back to the farm to plant potatoes.” Why did I say that? Because I had a heart for the rural farmers, who were told not to plant anything because of El Nino. If you remember, I said, “To hell with El Nino. I am going back, and I am planting potatoes!” And I did, and I received a crop of potatoes.Today, listen to the word of God in your life and act on that and that alone, and He will honour His word every single time.Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 9th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Psalms 91:1: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most HighShall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."Then we go to Psalm 46:10: "Be still, and know that I am God;…" Then the last scripture is Luke 21:37-38: "And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him." First the mountain and then the ministry. You have heard me say that many times - first the mountain and then the ministry. The quiet time before the battle is absolutely critical. The battle is won or lost in that quiet time place. So many well-meaning people offer their advice before the big meeting, but it is vital that we hear from God. John Wesley, the great reformer, said that God would light him up in the vestry, in his quiet time place, and then he would go out, and the people would watch him burn for Christ. It's where the battle is won or lost. I want to say to young people, before you have to write that major examination, spend time quietly waiting and hearing from God. Before you have to make a life-defining choice, when the doctor is advising you to have the operation, you need to get aside with the Lord and ask Him, "Do I take the operation or not take the operation?" It is a life-defining choice. You need to be quiet, and you need to hear from God. Next to giving your life to Jesus Christ, the next greatest decision in your life will be the person that you marry because you will be with them until the day they die. You need to spend time in the presence of God before you accept the invitation or not.You know, many a time before going on to the platform, when I have to speak to a multitude of people, I need to spend time on my own, and there is a major battle that takes place. The devil is trying to rattle me, and the Lord says, "I am going with you." It's an important time to be in the secret place of the Most High. Jesus spent the night in Gethsemane before He went to the Cross. It was such an important decision that He was sweating drops of blood. I believe the victory took place at Gethsemane, not on the Cross. Jesus could have accepted or denied the choice. He accepted it and because of that, you and I are alive today. God bless you as you spend time in the secret place of the Most High,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 8th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start off in the Book of Isaiah 2:17: "The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,…" Very, very powerful words. We need to be careful how we stand lest we fall. Then we go across to the Gospel of John 13:12-14 in the New Testament:"So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." Wow! A band of feet-washers, that's what we are! And who gave us the example? None other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, Emmanuel - God made flesh. The best way to keep humble, and not to become proud and haughty, is to wash someone's feet. You see, you have to get down on your knees to wash someone's feet, you can't do it standing up. John Wesley, the great reformer, went all the way to Germany to learn from Count Zinzendorf, who was responsible for the Moravian church, which really shook the world, and do you know what happened? Count Zinzendorf put him in the garden. He had to look after all the vegetables and the flowers; this man who had a Master's Degree in Theology, was on his knees, tending the garden. That's how he taught him. I remember people telling me about the great evangelist Reinhard Bonke, who has been with Jesus now for a couple of years. He took Africa by storm, he preached to millions of people, live. They told me that after a meeting, when he would be exhausted, having prayed for the sick for hours and preaching the Gospel, they would be looking for him and he would be in a caravan with his team, his crew, and what would he be doing? Well, he had the apron on, didn't he? He was cooking supper for them at midnight! That is a mark of humility, a mark of a great man of God.I will never forget when I went to bonny Scotland, they told me that my dear old father had come over a few years before and had done very well in Africa, he had succeeded and became manager of an engineering company, that blacksmith, and he had his suit on. He was coming to visit some relatives on the small croft, a small farm. As he walked through the front gate, he saw that they had been cutting oats, and the oats were lying in the field. He took his suit jacket off, put it on a post - he was a very strong man, my dad - and started stooking the oats up for drying. They were amazed at his humility.Today, keep yourself humble and God will raise you up.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 7th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Gospel of John 1:41: “He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.” Andrew is known in the Bible as the introducer. He is the one who introduced Simon Peter to Jesus Christ - “We have found Him!” What a moment. “We have found the Messiah!” Can you imagine jumping up and down, “Peter, leave your nets. We have found Him!” It is what is known as a “eureka moment.” Now, Archimedes was a Greek scholar. He jumped out of his bath and ran naked down the street, shouting, “Eureka, I have found it!” He discovered the principle of buoyancy. In 1895, Albert Einstein's eureka moment occurred. He was a bored, lazy, indifferent sixteen-year-old schoolboy, and he was also a day-dreamer. One day, during one of his daydreams, he dreamt and wondered what a beam of light would look like if he could run past it, and he was the man who was responsible for splitting the atom. I want to tell you today that my eureka moment was on 18th February 1979, when I was introduced to the Son of God, the Messiah, who has become my best friend ever, and people need to know about it today. Have you introduced anybody lately to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords? Have you told them, “I have found Him, we have found Him.”Everybody ought to know,Everybody ought to know,Everybody ought to know who Jesus is!He's the Lily of the Valley,He's the bright and Morning Star,He's the Fairest of ten thousand,Everybody ought to know!Go out today and tell somebody that you have had a eureka moment. You have found the Son of God, and do what Andrew did. He introduced them to Jesus.God bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning, the 6 of November 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start with Isaiah 2:5:"O house of Jacob, come and let us walkIn the light of the Lord."Then we go to Ephesians 5:8"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."There are no secrets in the kingdom of God. You and I need to walk in the light with each other. We need to be transparent, no hidden agendas, no dark areas. You know if you look at Numbers 32:23 the word of God says:"...be sure your sin will find you out."When we become Christians, there are no more secrets. We walk in the light, and that gives us freedom. I remember many years ago having the privilege to preach in New Zealand to the Maori people - what beautiful, gentle folk. That is until they get on the rugby field - Beautiful people. They invited me to one of their traditional meeting places called a Marae. It's made out of wood in an A-frame shape, a beautiful place. The floors are wooden, and you sit on the floors. The Maori folk invited me to come and bring the message of God. It was a great honour for me. As I walked in, I took off my jacket because I cannot preach when I'm wearing a jacket. I always feel constricted. I got my jacket off and put it down, and they looked at me with a big smile on their face - I didn't realise what I had done. Then they said to me what you've done is a very good thing. Traditionally, when you come into a Marae, you show the people that you are not carrying a firearm or any weapon to use against them. You take your jacket off to show them you've got nothing to hide.Today, let's walk in the light and have no secrets. Let people see that we are children of the light, servants of the Lord Jesus Christ! Have a wonderful day. Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name. It is Sunday morning, the 5th of November 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for the day. We start with 1 Corinthians 2:9:But as it is written:"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of manThe things which God has prepared for those who love Him."Oh, that is good news, the best news I've heard today. I want you to visualise a little street urchin selling newspapers on a busy street corner in a big city like London or New York. He's trying to sell these newspapers, and to get rid of them, he needs to be convinced to convince other people to buy them. He is full of excitement and vitality. He's got a bundle of newspapers under his arm and one shaking up and down and saying to everyone walking past going to work, have you heard the good news? We've got the scoop. This is the good news. Hear ye, hear ye, the good news. The good news is a baby has been born in a village called Bethlehem in the country of Israel in the Middle East. His name is Emmanuel, God with us. Matthew 1:23:"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."You need to buy this newspaper today. Do you know that His father is country Carpenter? His mother, a beautiful young virgin who has never known a man - it's miraculous! Have you heard the good news? You know what's happened? He's grown into a very strong young man and they say that he is healing the sick. He's setting the captives free. He is actually raising the dead. Crowds are flocking towards Him to hear and see what He's doing. They say He is the son of God, but you know the best news of all? He's coming back again! Buy this newspaper, read it and then tell everybody the good news. Jesus bless you and have a wonderful Sunday and tell somebody the good news. Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 4th of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Hebrews 10:23: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Our faith is not in ourselves, but it is in the Faithful One. It is in the name of Jesus. You see, the farmer, Job knew that very well, and he said in the Book of Job 13:15: (Even) "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." It's not in ourselves but in Christ alone that we put our trust. It is not in public opinion - no, we must stand strong on the hope of our confession. That is what the scripture is saying. You see, Jesus asked Peter, "But who do you say that I am?"Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."Mark 8:29Oh, my dear friend, He is not the man upstairs, He is not our mate, He is not the big boss, He is the Son of the Living God. You know, that name is so powerful and so controversial that by simply confessing that Jesus is Lord, 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians lost their lives, they were martyred, their heads were cut off - just by that statement! - 21 Coptic Christians and one Ghanaian Christian, but they are sitting around the throne of Jesus today. They are martyrs, indeed. We have seen miracles take place. I have seen when the name of Jesus is spoken in hope, that blind eyes have opened, deaf ears have been un-stopped, and people have been delivered from darkness and evil. You see, 1 John 4:4 says greater is He who is within us than he who is in the world. He who is within us is the Holy Spirit, he who is in the world is the devil and he has no power over that Name. Please use that name more often. Use it when you have need of help, when you are lonely, when you are afraid, use that name. The power is in the confession of the name.Have a beautiful day today, Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 3rd of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. I want to speak to you this morning about probably the greatest and the most powerful weapon every Christian has at their disposal. We go to James 5:16: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." You know, they asked Dr Billy Graham, probably the greatest of all modern-day evangelists, what was the secret of his success? He said words to the effect, "First, it was prayer, secondly, it was prayer, and thirdly, it was prayer." Oh, my friend, why do we always leave it to the last before we pray? We try everything else, don't we? Then, when it doesn't work we say, "Well, let's pray." I want to tell you that prayer is a supernatural weapon against the powers of darkness, sickness and disease. Prayer means so much to me that if there is no prayer cover at a meeting where I am invited to speak, I will decline the invitation. "God is not looking for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of their God." A.W. Simpson said that. You see, it is the prayer of faith which moves the hand of God, not prayer, the prayer of faith. Jesus Himself, prayed more than He spoke. He taught His disciples in Matthew 6 how to pray. Prayer must become a lifestyle, my friend. It's not just spending a few minutes in prayer; you pray all day, and you pray in every situation. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Now, remember that great Christian writer, C.S. Lewis? He wrote a book called, "The Screwtape Letters"? It's a fictitious story about Screwtape, an experienced devil, teaching his young nephew, Wormwood, an effective way to turn people away from God. In a nutshell, he said, "Stop them from praying, distract them from praying. Let them do everything else. They can praise God, they can go to church, but don't let them pray." Why? Because when we pray we move the hand of God, and also don't limit God with prayers of unbelief. Be prepared to pray for great impossibilities. Luke 1:37: "For with God nothing will be impossible."We went down to the Kouga Dam Wall, and we went down to Jeffries Bay in the Eastern Cape. They had no water, nothing at all, and we prayed. Many of us, thousands of us prayed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, and the Eastern Cape has got plenty water and the Kouga Dam is overflowing for the first time in many years. Let's continue to pray together today,God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 2nd of November, 2023 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Hebrews 9:16-17, in the New Testament:“For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” What an incredible promise from God and so exciting. You know, when I read this scripture, it was like the Lord opened something very special for me. A testament is a will, and a will is drawn up by a parent for their child, for example, while the parent is alive, the will is actually of no benefit to the child, but when the parent dies, the child receives the benefit of the will. The will comes alive, in other words. Before that, it was just a piece of paper in the lawyer's office. You can do nothing with it, but once the person who made the will dies, the will becomes alive, and the child receives the benefit, for example, a farm, a large sum of money, a house, a motor car, whatever it might be. Now, that is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for you and me. When He died on the cross for all of our sins, our inheritance came into being. What do we need to do? We need to accept it, to believe it, and we also need to be eternally grateful and thankful for the tremendous price the Lord has paid for your sins and my sins. We can't earn our way to Heaven, no way. When we stand before the Lord one day, all we are going to say is, “Lord, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” and of course, we have to live the life, but that is the fulfilment of the testament, the will that the Lord Jesus Christ left for you and me. Now today, let us go out and let us be a blessing to those who do not know Jesus and let us tell them that unless they are born again, unless they have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they cannot be part of the will, the testament that Jesus left for us when He died on the Cross of Calvary. Have a wonderful day.Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 1st of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Gospel of Mark 9:5: “Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” You can't live on top of the mountain. You see, when Peter, James and John experienced the Lord Jesus Christ speaking to His Heavenly Father and the visitation of Elijah and Moses, they were so overwhelmed. They didn't want to go back down into the valley where all the day-to-day issues and problems faced them. They wanted to stay on the mountain, and you and I need to be very careful about that as well. We need to meet the people where they are at. You know the old saying, “Don't become so heavenly-minded that you and I are no earthly use.” We need to touch base with the man in the street. Do you know, they asked Martin Luther, the great reformer, “What would you do if you knew that the Lord was coming back tomorrow?” He said, “I would plant an apple tree today.” You see, in Germany, there are lots of apple orchards. They asked John Wesley, “If you knew that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming back tomorrow, what would you do today?” He said, “Well, it is 9 a.m., I have got a Bible study meeting in this village, and then I am going to get on my horse, Dobbin, and I am going to ride to the next village, and I am having lunch with a group of people there, then I will preach the Gospel in the evening…” In other words, what these two giants of the faith were saying was that we carry on living day to day. God uses ordinary people. Look at the track record in the Bible. God used fishermen, shepherds, tent-makers, and He even used tax-collectors. Don't lose touch with the man in the street. You know, I have just returned from a wonderful weekend as a speaker at a Mighty Men Conference in the central part of our beloved nation, South Africa. What wonderful people! Farmers and miners, just ordinary working folk like me. These people love Jesus in a simple yet profound way. It was so refreshing for me not to try to solve all the problems of the whole world, which we can't do anyway, can we? Not so caught up with doctorates, theology - I mean, I can't even spell the word - which have no bearing on living from day to day, putting bread on the table, finding employment, or working through marriage issues. You know that after we had finished preaching on Saturday night, a group of us got together and watched the World Cup Rugby Final on television. What an experience! We were laughing, we were trying to tell the referee what to do, we were crying with joy and pain! Don't lose touch with reality, even though we are passing through this world, even though we don't belong here. That was the secret of the Master's touch. That was Jesus' touch, meeting with all people!Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name. It is Tuesday morning, the 31st of October 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in Isaiah 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together,"Says the Lord,"Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be as wool."And then we go to the last book in the Bible, Revelation 7:13: "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"And I said to him, "Sir, you know."So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."What powerful scriptures! Is it possible that Jesus could give a sinner like you and me a second chance in life? The answer is yes, most definitely! Not only that, but He is more than willing to do it. You know, we are dirty, and we look like we have been rolling around in the mud sometimes, don't we? You know, when you get a little dog, a little puppy, and he comes to the farm, especially the farm, where there is all kind of mud and cow patties around and all kinds of things lying around - What does he do? He goes straight into that mud. Even that cow manure, and he rolls around in it, then he comes running into the house and mother just about tears her hair out. Nobody wants anything to do with that little puppy, right? Well, sometimes you and I mess up so badly no one wants anything to do with us, either.Many years ago, I used to show stud sheep at the show. I had Ile de France stud sheep. We used to take those beautiful rams and put them on a table, wash them down with soap and then we would even use shampoo. It would take a long time, but when we had finished, they looked magnificent, like they were coated with cotton wool. Lovely, soft, snow-white and not a mark on them, that is how we got the champion. I want to tell you today, "Don't roll around in the mud, in the cow patties of this world. Come to Jesus and let Him wash you so clean because He loves you so much. He is waiting for you in Heaven. Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 30th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Book of Hebrews 8:10 in the New Testament:"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."How does the Lord speak to you? Well, the Lord speaks to me first and foremost through the Word of God. That's why I get up in the morning and have my quiet time before I do anything else. Then He speaks to me through my conscience. Now, what is a conscience? Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary, it is a moral sense of right or wrong. Standards, values, principles, ethics, and beliefs are what a conscience is. I believe the Holy Spirit is our conscience if we allow Him to be. For example, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you know when you are breaking the speed limit, don't you? I can see some smiles there. I can see some people's faces are going red. Ja, I know mine is too. You may not break the speed limit because that's against the law. You find when you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will remind you to pay the full price. Don't go and shortchange somebody, and if you have, go back and say sorry and give them the full amount. Be courteous, especially to older people. Respect them, and stand back. Give them an opportunity. Some of them are in pain. They've got sore backs, they've got knees that are giving them trouble. Stand back and help them. What reminds you to do that - that's right, your conscience. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you. You know, when you don't know Jesus Christ you couldn't care less, isn't that right? You barge in. You push in. You muscle your way around. You shout. You perform. You scream. You blaspheme with no problem at all, but when Jesus Christ comes into your heart, and He is Lord and Saviour, the Word becomes a reality, and all of a sudden, you know when you are doing wrong. You know when you are being dishonest, and that's the Lord speaking. Don't allow your conscience to become seared. What does that mean? Don't harden your heart so that when the Holy Spirit talks to you, you don't listen to Him. You do that, and you'll get yourself into big trouble. Just do what the Lord says, and He says in His Word, "They shall be my people, and I will be their God."What a promise! Jesus bless you today,have a wonderful day and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 29th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Gospel of Mark 4:34: “And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.”When we spend time in meditation, when we focus our minds and free our minds from uncontrolled thoughts, when we start carefully thinking about the situation, then the Lord can speak to us in our hearts very clearly. That wonderful Scottish preacher who was blind, George Matheson, wrote the following words:“My soul, practice being alone with Christ. The scripture says that when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything. Do not wonder about the truth of this verse for it can be true of your life as well. If you desire to have understanding, then dismiss the crowd, just as Jesus did. Let them go away one at a time until only Jesus is left.Have you ever pictured yourself as the last remaining person on Earth or the only person left in the entire universe? If you were the only person remaining in the universe, your every thought would be, “God and I…! God and I…!” Yet He is already as close to you as that. He is as near as if no hearts but His and yours ever beat throughout the boundlessness of space.O my soul, practice that solitude, dismissing the crowd. Practice the stillness of your heart. Practice the majestic song, “God and I! God and I!” Let no one become between you and your wrestling angel. You will receive conviction, yet pardon when you meet with Jesus alone.”Have a wonderful day as you come aside and meditate for a while with the Prince of Peace.Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 28th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the book of Song of Songs 2:14, the book of love: "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,In the secret places of the cliff,Let me see your face,Let me hear your voice;For your voice is sweet,And your face is lovely."Then we go back a little bit to verse 10:"My beloved spoke, and said to me:"Rise up, my love, my fair one,And come away." What beautiful words! Then we go to Psalm 35:9: "And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; It shall rejoice in His salvation."Do not become so very busy that we neglect our first love. You know, people come to see me from time to time because they have problems with their marriage, and I sit down, and I ask them, "Is there a third party? Is there someone else who is getting involved in your marriage?" And they say, "No," and I say, "Well, what is the problem?" They say, "We want to get divorced because we don't have anything in common anymore." So sad! What happened to your first love? You neglected it because of the busy schedule that you have, and you know, the excuse that many of us use as men is that "I was so busy working for my family." Come on now guys, let's get real. For a lot of us, it was for our own ego. We were building our own empire and it cost us our marriage. Don't go there.Revelation 2:4, the Lord says, "… I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Now, that is tragic. It must not happen. That is exactly what the devil wants to do: to keep you and I so busy that we neglect our first love. "…I have this against you, that you have left your first love." What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? I want to say to you today, work on your first love. Jesus is waiting to talk with you this morning. As soon as this little message is finished, I want to challenge you to find a quiet place, sit down and start to talk to the Lord. Tell Him how much you love Him, and ask for forgiveness for how you have neglected to spend quality and quantity time with Him because if you neglect your first love, what have you got left? Absolutely nothing. So Jesus bless you today as you rekindle that first love and it will take care of all of your problems. "Come unto Me, all of you who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."Matthew 11:28Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 27th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start off in Isaiah 40:31:"But those who wait on the LordShall renew their strength;They shall mount up with wings like eagles,They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint."Oh my dear friends, this morning, we must become more intentional regarding this race of life we are running in together. This is not the warm-up race. This is the final. We need to be more focused and keep our eye on the goal, the finish line. If we look at Philippians 3:14, the word of God says: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." We really need to get serious. This is not the dummy run. This race will lead us home to Heaven, and Jesus will be waiting for you and me at that finish line. What a day that will be. But until then, we need to keep on keeping on. You know, I remember so distinctly watching the Comrades Marathon on TV. I remember that small little man with the blonde hair, Bruce Fordyce. Do you know that he won the Comrades Marathon no less than nine times? Nine times! Runners come from all over the world, and there is a lot of money for the man who comes first.The Russians and Americans were here - but one thing about Bruce Fordyce - he was focused. He was intentional, and he kept his eye on the goal. When the gun went off and the race started, I remember so clearly all the novices were coming out of the stalls there flat out, running like a hundred-metre race, and five kilometres down the road, they had blown out already. Bruce Fordyce kept his eyes on that watch. He was totally committed to what he was doing. He wasn't looking at the crowds around him. He wasn't worried about all the other runners that were way ahead of him, some of them five or ten kilometres ahead of him. People would probably ask him, "Do you realise your opponent is far ahead of you?" He was focused on his race. He was disciplined, committed, and knew exactly what he was doing. On the upward run, he would come up to Polly Shorts which was just outside Pietermaritzburg, that very, very ugly steep hill, and then he would just put on the pressure. He would come right past the runner who had probably been running ahead all the way, tap him on the shoulder and give him the "death-hand shake", and off he would go and come through the finish line because he knew where he was going. He had disciplined himself, he had done all the preparation work correctly and he was confident that he was going to win.You and I today need to do exactly the same.Jesus bless you as you run for the finish line,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 26th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Isaiah 49:15-16:“Can a woman forget her nursing child,And not have compassion on the son of her womb?Surely they may forget,Yet I will not forget you.See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;…”Now folks, the Book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ died on the Cross of Calvary for your sins and my sins. I want to ask you a question this morning. Are you feeling lonely today? Do you feel that no one really cares for you? Do you feel that you have no friends? Well, there is One who cares for you and me so much that He was prepared to die for you on that ugly cross. Jesus loves you so much that the holes in his hands made by those crude nails proves just how much He loves us both. If you look at the word of God in John 15:13, Jesus says: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” The greatest thing that you can give somebody is your life. There is nothing more that you can give. I remember sitting in a little Bible study many years ago, and a gentleman explained the pruning process and how God prunes us so that we can bear much fruit. I can hear you and me saying, “But it is so painful sometimes.” This gentleman said, “Yes, but the Man who is holding the secateurs, the pruning tool, is pruning you, but He has holes in His hands, so the pain that you are suffering, and I am suffering by being pruned, is not as much as the Man who is doing the pruning, because of the pain in His hands. Today, remember, you never need to be lonely because He cares for you more than a nursing woman cares for her baby.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day!Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 25th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." What a beautiful promise. Then we go straight to the Book of Hebrews 8:13: "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."Obsolete is old fashioned, it is no longer relevant, it is no longer valid like your passport when it runs out, you have to get a new one. You might as well throw the old one away because it is no longer valid. You cannot travel on a passport that is redundant. You and I cannot earn our way to Heaven by our own efforts. Jesus has paid in full - all our debt. All we have to do is to say thank You! That's very hard to comprehend, isn't it? Especially when you are from the old school. Some of us struggle with this free gift of eternal life. We always want to earn it or pay for it. Why? Probably because of pride. If I cannot pay for it, then I do not want it. Many of us, including myself, struggle to accept a gift from someone.A couple of times, more than once, I have been sitting in a restaurant with my wife and my family, and we have just had a lovely meal. I call the waitress and ask if she could please bring us the bill because we want to pay for the meal, and she looks at us and says, "Your meal has already been paid for in full." Now, it is very humbling, but it is so special and so touching. You see, you can't even pay it back; You can't even say thank to the person who has paid for your meal because they have already left the restaurant and gone. That is what grace means. It means un-deserved, loving kindness. Now, that is exactly what the new covenant is all about. Father God has given us His Son, Jesus, who has paid in full for all our debts. What must we do? We must say, "Thank You, Lord," and go out and sin no more. Have a beautiful day and remember, if Christ is for you, there is no man that will ever stand against you. (Romans 8:31).Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 24th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,…" Then we go straight to the Book of Hebrews 7:22. "…by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant." A surety means "a person who guarantees that somebody else will do something or pay a debt." Now, that is exactly what Jesus Christ has done for us who believe; therefore, we cannot let Him down or disappoint Him. We cannot get to Heaven by trying to live a better life, by earning "brownie points" because we fail miserably every single time, don't we? Jesus Himself has become our guarantee! Isn't that beautiful? A guarantee that we will make it.I remember a story that I heard so many years ago. It was one of my favourite stories about a cowboy preacher. He was a circuit preacher, riding his horse, going to all the small towns in the prairies in North America. He was a seasoned old man, and as he was riding along on his horse one day, a big dust storm came up from the horizon and he knew what he had to do. He stopped immediately, hobbled his horse, put his saddle down, took his saddle blanket, put it on the ground, got underneath it, pulled his cowboy stetson hat over his head and waited out the sand storm, and he went to sleep. He had a dream that a huge angel was standing in front of him. The angel was holding a book, and the cowboy said, "What is in that book?" He said, "This is the Book of Life, and everyone who's name is in this book goes to Heaven." The old cowboy said, "Well, my name must be in that book because I am a preacher of the Gospel." The angel looked it up in the book, and he said, "No, sorry, your name is not in this book." The old cowboy was angry. He said, "It must be!" He said, "It's not here. What is your name?" "My name is John Smith." He looked it up, but he couldn't find the name there. "I demand to go to Heaven. I want to speak to God and find out why my name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life." The angel said, "Okay, jump on my back, hold tight, and let's go." So they flew into the universe, in through the blackness, twice the speed of sound. Eventually, they saw a little light in the distance. The angel said, "That is Heaven. Get ready, we are going to be landing shortly." The light got brighter and brighter and brighter until they arrived in Heaven. The angel landed on a floor of pure gold. He let the cowboy down gently. The cowboy was absolutely petrified by this time. He was lying on his face on this floor of gold, and he heard a voice like a thousand rivers saying, "Who are you? What do you want here?" The cowboy was petrified. He couldn't move. A second time, this voice came. "Who are you? What do you want here?" At that time, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. A beautiful robe was swishing back and forth. He could hardly lift his head. Feet that wore sandals walked up next to him, and big, strong arms bent down and picked the cowboy up from underneath his chest and stood him to his feet, and the voice said, "It's okay, Father, he's with Me. He is My friend."I want to say to you today, make sure that Jesus Christ is your friend. He is the only guarantee you will ever have. Have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning, the 23rd of October 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start with Galatians 4:9 "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?"Why do we always want to go back to Egypt - Back to slavery, when the Lord has set us free? John 8:36 says:"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." My dear friend, the Lord has set us free; why do we continually want to go back, as it were, to our former lives? 'No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.' You and I need to press forward, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. You know you can hear my voice. I'm so happy this morning. Why? Because it's raining! Beautiful rain is falling on my tin roof, and there is thunder and lightning, and we are rejoicing. Malachi 4:2 "And you shall go outAnd grow fat like stall-fed calves."When I was a very young man, 19 years old, I was in bonnie Scotland. There, the calves are put into stalls for months and months during the extremely cold winters. There is snow outside. It is freezing cold. When Spring comes, they open the stalls and let those young calves out. Oh, my dear friend, you've never seen anything like it in your life - They go running around the field eating the new green grass, tails up, prancing around. There's no way you can get them back into the stalls. An old cowboy saying - once you let a cat out of a bag, try and put him back in that bag again... He is not going back in the back!I want to say to you today: don't return to Egypt. Enjoy your liberty and your freedom in Christ. Remember, good people don't go to heaven. Believers go to heaven. Have a wonderful Monday; Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Saturday morning, the 22nd of October 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We go straight to Hebrews 6:19:"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..."I'll stop right there - an anchor in the storms of life. Now remember, our hope for the future is in none other than our anchor. His Name is Jesus, absolutely. Faith is for the present, but hope is for the future - Who are you and I hoping for in the future? It has to be our anchor, and his Name is Jesus.Now, I looked up the Oxford dictionary to define the word anchor, and it says: "A heavy object that is attached to a boat by a rope or a chain and is dropped onto the seabed to stop the boat from drifting." We need to stop drifting. Many of us today are drifting aimlessly. We are going nowhere fast; it is dangerous. Any sailor will tell you that - Especially when a storm is on the horizon. Now, remember, when all else fails, we drop the anchor. The anchor slows the boat down so it does not hit the rocks. Yes, His Name is Jesus - He is our strong anchor; He will keep us from hitting the rocks and destroying the boat. Today, let your anchor down; let Him take control of your situation.They say that when a flock of geese fly over a lake and they see a storm approaching, they land on the lake, tuck their wings in, and face the storm. They stay there on that lake until the storm passes. Today, you and I, let us put our anchor down, face the storm, and put our hope in Jesus Christ alone.God bless you, and have a wonderful Sunday.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, its the 21st of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Isaiah 61:3 in the Old Testament: "The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;…" Then we go to the New Testament, to the Book of Acts 16:25-26: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed." The power of praise! How are you feeling this morning? Are you feeling downcast or heavy-hearted? I know, I know - I feel like that as well, oh yes, I do indeed, but how do we combat that heaviness, that dark cloud that descends upon us? Sometimes, we can't even explain it - everything is going well but there is just a heaviness. Well, we do exactly what Paul and Silas did in that horrible, dirty, dark dungeon. We start to praise the Lord! We praise the Lord especially when we do not feel like it. It is like trying to get fit when you are in the gym and you are training hard for a race or some sport. It is always the times that you don't feel like training that it does you the best. Isn't that right? Normally when you say, "I do not feel like getting up this morning and going to the gym", that's when you must do it. Well, the same thing applies when you don't feel like praising the Lord; thats when you praise Him, especially when we are going through hard times. That is what lifts us up, lifts our spirits when we praise Him unconditionally. I have just returned from a mountain bike ride early this morning. There was nobody anywhere to be seen hardly, and I started to sing praises to the Lord on my mountain bike. I am sure if anybody saw me, they would have thought I had lost my marbles, but you know, the more I praised the Lord, the lighter my spirit became, and I started to focus on positive things, like soon, very soon, the Lord is coming back to take us home to be with Him in Heaven. I started to focus on the fact that the Lord promised me, "I will never leave you, I will never forsake you." I began to focus on things like, "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me," and my heart just lifted up. For I am confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in me shall perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Go out today and praise Him because He is a good God and because He deserves it and He is worthy of it. Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 20th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Book of Hebrews 5:9 in the New Testament:“And having been perfected, He (that's Jesus) became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, …'Yes, although He was God's only Son, Jesus went through all the suffering on earth and learned obedience and trust in His Father. He wasn't exempt. He didn't just arrive on earth. No, He went through every trial and every tribulation that you and I are going through at this moment. Even as He was perfected, He became the way to eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Now, in John 14:6, we know that scripture so well - Jesus Himself said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” When we are lost, when we are afraid, when we are in the bush - as a young man, it has happened to me before - I am sure it has happened to you. Maybe you got lost in a concrete jungle. That would be even more scary, especially for me as a farmer. Your water has run out; you are hungry, tired, and lost hope of ever finding your way out. Have you ever been in that situation? Then all of a sudden, a local tribesman stumbles upon you. He's a seasoned man, he is tough, he knows the terrain, maybe he's a Khoisan Bushman, and that big smile comes over his face, he gently takes you by the hand and points the way out of that harsh environment. After giving you some fresh water to drink, he reassures you that you have nothing whatsoever to be afraid of and he leads you home. That is exactly what Father God has done for you and me. He saw how lost we were. He sent His Son down from Heaven to Earth to rescue us and show us the way out of this jungle we are trapped in. Listen to Jesus today because He knows the way home and He will show you the way home to eternity.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 19th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to the Song of Songs 6:3 in the Old Testament,"I am my beloved's,And my beloved is mine."What a beautiful statement! It is written no less than three times in the Book Song of Songs. We need to ask ourselves a serious question this morning, is He our beloved or not, or are we just going through the motions? Maybe the cares of this world have robbed us of our intimacy, our first love with the Lover of our souls? How personal is that love affair that you and I have with our Lord Jesus? Remember, Jesus is the Saviour of the whole world but He is also the Saviour of the individual. He knows how many hairs are on our heads. Isn't that incredible? When we eventually meet Him face to face in Heaven one day, He is going to greet us personally by our first names. That's right - He is not going to welcome us into Heaven like flocks of sheep or herds of cattle. No, He is going to say, "Welcome home, Johnny!" "Oh, Mary, welcome home!" Looking at the Gospel of John 1:47-48, we can see how personal the Lord is within every individual. "Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."That changed Nathanael's whole life. That's when he became a Christian, "Lord, how did You know me? You have never even seen me before in Your life?" It's so nice, isn't it, when someone remembers you by your first name? It just does something to you. I bought a beautiful silver ring for my wife, Jill, when I was in Israel one time, and the inscription on the inside of the ring says, "I am my beloved's, And my beloved is mine."Today, please, do not lose that personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. He is waiting to speak to you. God bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 18th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We start in the Gospel of Luke 14:28-29: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,…" We need to finish the job. We need to sit down, count the cost, roll up our sleeves, get stuck, and finish what we started. You know, when I was a little boy, my dad would never allow me to have any dessert or pudding until I had finished what was on my plate. He said, "You can eat as much as you want, but you must finish it." I can hear some little guy say, "I always take too much on my plate." Well, that is the problem - when you put food on that plate, you must finish it. I remember one of our early Mighty Men Conferences on the farm here at Shalom. It was a Saturday evening, and maybe some of the mighty men listening to this were there. About 600 of us were in the hall, and the Holy Spirit visited us tremendously. I will never forget it as long as I live. That particular meeting started at about 2 p.m. and finished at 8:30 p.m. Men were convicted of all kinds of sin in their lives. It was a wonderful time of repenting, asking forgiveness and starting again. One young farmer got up and came up to the platform and he confessed in front of all of us. He said, "I started building a church on my farm. I got as far as the foundation, I laid the concrete slab to start building the walls, but I never got any further. I am going back home to finish the job. I am going to build that church."Today, I want to say to you, finish what God has given you to do and then He will give you another project, but He will not give you anything else until you finish the first one. Have a wonderful day,Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 17th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. If we go to the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation 3:20. Jesus says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Is the Lord knocking at our door this morning? I am sure He is. Now, remember, we need to open the door. Our Lord Jesus Christ is a gentleman, He will not break the door of your heart or mine to come in. No, we have to turn the handle and open the door - and by the way, the handle is on the inside, there is no handle on the outside - we need to open the door of our lives and let the Master in - that is what He is saying. He wants to come in and have fellowship with you and me. The Darling of Heaven wants to come into your heart and help you. Don't wait. If we do, we will only regret it. A good friend of mine, the Founder of Africa Enterprise, Michael Cassidy, told me a story. He said when he was at university in England, I can't remember whether it was Oxford or Cambridge, he would travel past the rooms of a tutor who would encourage and teach the students privately. He would go past the rooms of this man many, many times and was tempted to knock on the door and go in and spend time with him, but he never did it. That man was none other than C S Lewis, who wrote books like Mere Christianity, The Screw-tape Letters, Narnia, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and many, many others. Michael would pass by his rooms and not go in and meet this giant of the faith, I am sure one of his greatest regrets. Do not pass the opportunity today to meet with the King of Glory, Jesus Christ! He is standing at the door of our hearts. He is knocking. He says, "Open the door please, I want to come in and I want to dine with you." Let's do it today.Jesus bless you,Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 16th of October 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for the day. We go to Luke 15:7:"I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."The other scripture is found in Romans 10:13: For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."This morning, I want to speak to you about the God of the individual. Yes, Jesus preached to the masses but also talked to the individual sinner. Remember the woman at the well? First of all, she wasn't a Jew. Secondly, she was a woman. He shouldn't have been talking to her, but when He told her her whole life story, she went into the village, and the entire village was converted. What about the case of that little short man who went up the sycamore tree, the chief tax collector? Jesus was found in his house - the disciples said, "Lord, do you know that man is? You can't go in there - That man is a sinner. He is stealing money from his people." Jesus said I came for the sick, not for the healthy. What about Mary Magdalene? A woman of ill repute, a woman with a bad reputation. A woman whom Jesus cast seven demons out of, but she became the most faithful of all the disciples.Do not give up today on your loved one. Do not give up on that son, that daughter - that prodigal who has gone into the far country. Keep loving them, keep praying for them, keep speaking to them. Remember, Jesus also died for them; don't give up on your miracle. Do you know that some of the best Ambassadors in the faith are those who have come out of the grind of the pressures of daily life and business, and when they come through for the Lord, they are incredible, incredible witnesses for Christ?Concentrate on the individual, and the Lord Jesus Christ will take care of the rest. God bless you and have a wonderful day. Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 15th of October 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan, with a thought for the day. We start with Psalm 95:8, the Lord says:"Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Then we go straight to Hebrews 3:15:"Today, if you will hear His voice,Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."Now, the Lord is talking about the children of Israel who spent 40 years in the wilderness and their Hearts were hardened, God was displeased with them, and none of them entered into the land of Promise, the Land of Milk and Honey - the land of Israel, except two: Joshua and Caleb.We need to guard our hearts this morning. Please do not allow it to become polluted by what is happening in this unjust world at the moment. Remember, the wellspring of your life is your heart; you need to guard it. Proverbs 16:22 says:"Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it."We need to guard it with our lives. Do not allow bitterness, anger, evil thoughts, or unforgiveness to muddy the wellspring of your heart - protect it with your life. That's why farmers, when we see a fountain in a field, a beautiful spring of water coming out of the ground, we fence it off so that the animals do not go in there and pollute it when they want to drink water. We take that beautiful water and pipe it out of the spring, through the fence and into a beautiful water trough where they can drink as much water as they need.My late dad was a prisoner of war in Germany, and he said he saw Men of the Cloth, ministers, take off their dog collars and throw them away in the prisoner of war camp when they saw the horrors that happened there, and said there is no god. Their hearts became hardened because of the situation that they were in. Do not allow that to happen to you today. We need to focus on the things of God. The Lord says that he is our helper, and the Lord says He will never forsake us - We need to take that to heart. The Lord has warned us about these things. You can see it in John 16:33. We must guard our hearts and lift our eyes to the soon-coming King.My dear friend, spend time with the Lord today and strengthen your inner man. He is coming soon. Jesus bless you, and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 14th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Hebrews 2:18: "For in that He Himself (thats Jesus) has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Yes, He knows. Maybe this morning, my dear friend, you are feeling deserted. Maybe today you are saying, "My marriage is in a complete mess and there seems to be no hope for me" maybe you are facing bankruptcy in your business, maybe you have been to the doctor and he says, "There is no more we can do for you. You need to go home and make yourself comfortable." There is One who knows exactly what you are going through at the moment, and I want to give a word of caution to people who have a habit of saying, "I understand", especially when you have no idea what that person is going through. Please don't say that. It is like pouring petrol onto the fire. Rather, put your arm around them and love them if you don't understand. Many years ago, when I was still comparatively young as an evangelist, I went overseas with my oldest daughter and preached the Gospel for three months. Three months away from home, three months away from my young wife and small children. Yes, I had a man on the farm, a brother in Christ who did the farming while I did the preaching. After three months of preaching in Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland, in prisons and in fellowships, wherever I got an opportunity, I was terribly homesick. Eventually, after three months, when the mission was over, we came back home. I want to be honest with you, I hit a brick wall. Now, I should have been rejoicing. I saw many souls come to Christ, and I saw many miracles take place, but when I came home, my dear wife had to carry on with the work on the farm. She was signing all the cheques - we used to sign cheques in those days. She had to organise the children for school. My brother in Christ, who was looking after the farm, was carrying on with the farming. Even my little Staffordshire Bull Terrier walked past me. He didn't recognise me anymore, and I really went into a deep pit, actually, and people didn't seem to understand what I was going through, not even my family.One day, I went to visit an old gentleman, an old evangelist who had been preaching the Gospel most of his life. I went and sat down with him and said, "Uncle Gerhard" - his name was Gerhard Engelbrecht - I said, "I have come to see you because I don't know what is wrong with me. I should be rejoicing. We have had wonderful victories overseas, but I feel so down and flat." You know, that old gentleman never said a word. He looked at me, and just smiled and as he smiled, I knew instantly that he understood what I had been through because, you see, he had walked that road himself as a young evangelist. I want to say to you today, remember Jesus knows. Take your problems to Him and He will comfort you. Have a wonderful day, God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 13th of October, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.We go to Isaiah 26:9 in the Old Testament:"With my soul I have desired You in the night,Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;…"Then we go straight to the Gospel of Matthew 7:7-8, and I am reading out of the New Living Translation: "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."I just feel I am speaking to somebody, particularly this morning, who has decided to give up. "I can't take it anymore. It's too much for me", and you want to give up your vision and dream. You do not realise, my dear friend, just how close you are to receiving your dream. Now, you know the old saying, "A faint heart never gained a fair maiden"? I remember a young man who was very close to me. He came into my house one day and was very tearful. I said, "What's wrong?" He said, "The young lady I have been pursuing has found somebody else." I asked him, "Is she wearing an engagement ring?" He said, "No". I said, "Get back in there!" He did; he has married her, and they have two beautiful sons. They are very much in love.You know, at 15 years old, I so desired to become a preacher of the Gospel. I went to visit the minister of our local church in Central Africa where I grew up, and I told him my dreams, and he said, "But you have to go to university and get a degree in theology first." Well, you know I didn't have the qualifications to get into university, and what did I do? I did the unforgivable. I gave up, and I went into the far country literally and became a prodigal son, but praise God, Jesus Christ never gave up on me. I want to tell you I am preaching now with all of my heart, and I am receiving more than I ever thought, in a million years, that I would receive from the Lord. Do not give up today. Get back in the fight, get back in the race, and the Lord will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)Jesus bless you and have a lovely day,Goodbye.