2020-07-15
John 8:44 NIV
When Jesus was talking about the enemy, He said: ‘When he lies, he speaks his native language.’ And there are three ways he lies to us: 1) Doubts. The enemy wants to discourage us and to make us feel like giving up. He knows that if he can get us to doubt God and doubt ourselves then we’ll be ineffective in the kingdom. But when we say that we’re not good enough or that nothing will ever change, we’re letting Satan think he’s winning. 2) Shock. If we’re not expecting Satan’s attack, we can become alarmed and think, ‘I must not be making progress. Why else would I still be fighting the same old battles?’ Satan doesn’t give up without a fight, and his attack is proof that we haven’t been conquered. Often he attacks us when we’re being effective for God, so we can actually see the attack as confirmation that we’re doing good things for the kingdom. 3) Feelings. Satan tries to convince us that we don’t deserve to be forgiven. He’ll tell us that because we don’t feel forgiven, we’re not. But remember, he’s a liar. We need to stand our ground. God promises to forgive us when we confess our sins, and He doesn’t then hold our sins against us. Satan will bring to our minds all the things God’s already forgiven us for and set us free from, and that can cause us to experience some of the thoughts and emotions we used to have. When the enemy is lying to us, we need to remember God’s truth written in His Word. Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ (John 8:31-32 NIV).
Joel 1-3; Luke 7:24-35; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 15:33
2020-07-14
Genesis 32:24 NIV
Why would God let someone wrestle with Him? Because wrestling requires close contact. Jacob was a self-made man with an independent attitude that said, “I don’t need anybody but myself.” How long will God wrestle with you? Only for a limited time. In Jacob’s case, “till daybreak.” God knew that if Jacob didn’t submit to Him that night, the rest of his life wouldn’t go right. There’s a lesson here for all of us. Don’t procrastinate; you may be running out of time. Before you forfeit your integrity or your family and your future, stop and realize that God knows things you don’t know. He knows when the Enemy plans to launch his next attack, or when death will be allowed to claim you. When He wrestles with you, it’s to make you realize that you’re wasting your life, or neglecting your family, or to show you that you’re not the center of the universe. Or it’s to encourage you to keep this job without quitting, or stay involved in this church, or invest in this marriage instead of bailing out. God will wrestle with you until you stop making excuses and face the truth. And He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He gives it to you straight. He won’t let you get away with some of the stuff you’ve pulled in the past! The very fact that God is willing to wrestle you into submission means He has great plans for you. Indeed, what He has in mind is greater than anything you could ever conceive or imagine. That is why God is wrestling with you.
Soul food: Jer 51-52; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 15:31-32
Genesis 32:24 NIV
In Genesis 32, we read about Jacob’s encounter with an angel. The Bible says: ‘A man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man’ (vv.24-25 NIV). Jacob was a self-made man with an independent attitude. We can be like that too. We can be tempted to think that we don’t need anyone, even God. But we need God and we should be depending on Him each day. By putting Jacob’s hip out of joint, the angel was making Jacob unable to do everything himself. We’re told that ‘the sun rose as he was leaving that place, and Jacob was limping because of his leg’ (Genesis 32:31 NCV). Now he would need to depend on God when he faced troubles and battles. Ever felt like you’ve been wrestling with God? Maybe you’re struggling to surrender control to Him or maybe you’re wrestling over something He’s told you to do. But God will wrestle with us until we stop making excuses and face the truth. God’s got great plans for each of us. What He has in mind is greater than anything we could ever plan or imagine. He doesn’t want us to waste our lives and miss opportunities to become all that He intends us to be. We need to stop and realise that God knows more than we do. We need to humble ourselves and admit that we need Him. The Bible says: ‘”God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God’ (James 4:6-7 NIVUK). So let’s submit to God and allow Him to be in control of our lives.
Jer 51-52; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 15:31-32
Genesis 32:24 ABA
Hoekom sal God toelaat dat iemand met Hom stoei? Omdat stoei nabye kontak vereis. Jakob was ‘n suksesvolle man met ‘n onafhanklike houding wat gesê het: ‘Ek het niemand behalwe myself nodig nie.’ Hoe lank sal God met jou stoei? Net vir ‘n beperkte tyd. In Jakob se geval was dit tot dagbreek toe. God het geweet dat indien Jakob nie daardie nag homself aan Hom onderwerp nie, die res van sy lewe verkeerd sou geloop het. Daar is ‘n les wat ons almal hieruit kan leer. Moenie uitstel nie; jou tyd kan dalk onherroeplik verby gaan. Voor jy jou integriteit of jou familie en jou toekoms prysgee, stop eers en besef dat God dinge weet wat jy nie weet nie. Hy weet wanneer die Vyand sy volgende aanval gaan loods, of wanneer die dood jou gaan kom haal. Wanneer Hy met jou stoei, gebeur dit om jou te laat besef dat jy jou lewe vermors, of jou familie afskeep, of om jou te wys dat jy nie die middelpunt van die heelal is nie. Dit kan gebeur om jou aan te moedig om hierdie werk te hou sonder om te bedank, of om by hierdie kerk betrokke te bly, of om in hierdie huwelik te belê eerder as om tou op te gooi. God sal met jou stoei tot jy ophou verskonings maak en die waarheid in die gesig staar. God gee dit vir jou direk, Hy sal jou nie heuning om die mond smeer nie. Hy sal jou ook nie laat wegkom met sommige van die dinge wat jy in die verlede gedoen het nie! Die feit dat God bereid is om met jou te stoei sodat jy jouself aan Hom onderwerp, beteken dat Hy groot planne vir jou het. Planne wat groter is as wat jy ooit kon uitdink of verbeel. Dis hoekom God met jou stoei.
Sielskos: Jer 51-52; Luk 7:11-23; Ps 118:10-18; Spr 15:31-32
2020-07-13
Psalm 84:6 NLT
If you were raised in a culture where any show of emotion was considered a sign of weakness, you must learn that grieving your losses is a healthy process – and a scriptural one. The Bible says, “When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs…They will continue to grow stronger” (vv. 6-7 NLT). Note, when your strength comes from the Lord, you can walk through “the valley of weeping” and come out stronger. The length of time each of us spends in that valley may differ, but there comes a point where we must accept God’s will and move forward. So often we’re shocked by the death of a loved one, but God is not. David said, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment…laid out before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:16 NLT). And try as you will, there’s nothing you can do to change that. The truth is, we don’t grieve “as…those who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 GNT). One day we’ll be reunited with our redeemed loved one in the presence of the Lord, never to be separated again. The farewell is just “till we meet again.” In the meantime, if you need help don’t be ashamed to reach for it. Remember: “A brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17 KJV). Ask God to lead you to a person, a counselor, or a support group that can help you identify the unfinished business that’s keeping you stuck in the cycle of grief. Cherish your loved one’s memory, but move forward and fulfill your divine destiny and purpose.
Soul food: Jer 49-50; Luke 7:1-10; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 15:27-30
