2020-11-14
Psalm 34:2 NLV
Die Psalmdigter het gesê: ‘Ek sal te alle tye die Here loof. Sy lof sal altyd op my lippe wees… Kom verheerlik die Here saam met my; laat ons saam sy Naam prys’ (verse 2-4 NLV). Let drie dinge in hierdie Skrifgedeelte op:
1) Jy moet kies om die Here te prys. ‘Ek sal te alle tye die Here loof. Sy lof sal altyd op my lippe wees.’ Dis nie ‘n impuls nie, dis ‘n keuse wat jy maak, ongeag jou gevoelens. Die woord ‘halleluja’ is die bevelvorm van die woord ‘prys’. Dis ‘n uitdrukking van lofprysing, maar dis ook ‘n bevel om die Here te begin prys.
2) Lofprysing roer jou emosies. Eerstens, het Dawid die Here geprys omdat hy beveel is om dit te doen. Tweedens, het hy die Here geprys omdat hy dit wou doen. As jy jou gevoelens wil verander, moet jy jou fokus verander. Voor dit verby was, het Dawid gesing: ‘Maar hulle wat die Here dien, sal Hy bevry. Nie een wat by Hom skuil, sal veroordeel word nie’ (vers 23 NLV).
3) Lofprysing beïnvloed ander. ‘Kom verheerlik die Here saam met my; laat ons sy Naam prys.’ Lofprysing is aansteeklik; dit verander die atmosfeer rondom jou. Wanneer jy saam met mense lofprys, gee dekorum pad voor verruklikheid en jy bevind jouself in ‘n area van vreugde wat jy nog nooit vantevore ervaar het nie.
Lofprysing het verskeie vorms van uitdrukking. Psalm 150 noem nege verskillende maniere om God te prys. Jy kan praat, skree, sing, jou hande klap of hulle ophef. Jy kan musikale instrumente speel, jy kan staan, kniel of dans. Die punt is – maak seker om God te prys!
Sielskos: 1 Kro 19:1-23:20; Joh 11:1-16; Ps 4; Spr 26:17-22
2020-11-13
Nehemiah 4:14 NIV
Fight a gloomy outlook. Attitude is a little thing, but it makes a big difference. Depression, gloom, pessimism, despair, and discouragement stop more people than all the world’s combined illnesses. The truth is, enthusiasm will take you where talent alone can’t. Think about it: Every day talented people give in to discouragement and quit, while people with less talent and ability keep going and succeed. Winston Churchill once quipped, “I’m an optimist. It doesn’t seem too much use being anything else.” If you really, really, really believe that God is on your side, you’ll be optimistic even in the face of overwhelming obstacles and discouragement.
In the Old Testament, a group of former slaves rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in just fifty-two days, and went on to prosper. How did they do it? Because their leader said, “Don’t surrender to discouragement. Don’t give it an inch. Fight every step of the way!” And that prescription still works today!
One of Satan’s favourite weapons is discouragement. He knows you can never be defeated unless you’re defeated in your thinking. But you have the power to overcome him. The Bible says, “Submit…to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). When Satan brings discouragement to your door, what should you do? Don’t open the door! Don’t invite him in! Don’t accept the package! Don’t sign the receipt! Instead, submit to God – and resist him! From time to time we all experience fatigue, frustration, failure, and fear. But by standing on God’s promises and drawing on His strength, you can choose not to get discouraged. The choice is yours!
Soul food: 1 Chr 16-18; John 10:22-42; Ps 83:9-18; Prov 26:13-16
Nehemiah 4:14 NIV
The third thing we can do to break through discouragement is: Fight a gloomy outlook. Attitude is a little thing, but it can make a big difference. Having a talent for what we’re doing is important, but being talented won’t always carry us through the challenging times. But if we also have enthusiasm for what we’re doing, we’re less likely to be discouraged when we come across problems. And if we really, really, really believe that God is on our side, we’ll be able to be optimistic even in the face of overwhelming obstacles and discouragement.
In the Old Testament, a group of former slaves were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. On top of the difficult and strenuous work involved, they were also facing attacks from enemies at the same time. It would have been understandable if they’d become too discouraged to continue, but their leader, Nehemiah, encouraged them not to surrender to discouragement: ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families…and your homes.’ They ended up completing the wall in just 52 days.
One of Satan’s favourite weapons is discouragement. He knows we can never be defeated unless we’re defeated in our thinking and forget that God is working for us. But we have the power to overcome the devil and his discouragement. The Bible says, ‘Give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you’ (James 4:7 NCV). We all experience fatigue, frustration, failure, and fear. But by standing on God’s promises and drawing on His strength, we can choose to fight and stand against discouragement.
1 Chr 16-18; John 10:22-42; Ps 83:9-18; Prov 26:13-16
Nehemia 4:14 NLV
Beveg ‘n swaarmoedige lewensuitkyk. Houding is ‘n klein dingetjie, maar dit maak ‘n reuse verskil. Depressie, swartgalligheid, pessimisme, wanhoop en moedeloosheid affekteer meer mense as al die wêreld se gekombineerde siektes saam. Die waarheid is dat entoesiasme jou kan neem waar talent alleen nie kan nie. Dink daaroor: Elke dag gee talentvolle mense hulself oor aan moedeloosheid en gooi tou op, terwyl mense met minder talent en vermoëns aanhou en sukses behaal.
Winston Churchill het een keer geskerts: ‘Ek is ‘n optimis. Dit lyk nie of om enigiets anders te wees, werk nie.’ As jy regtig, regtig, regtig glo dat God aan jou kant is, sal jy optimisties wees, selfs wanneer jy voor oorweldigende struikelblokke en moedeloosheid te staan kom.
In die Ou Testament, het ‘n groep voormalige slawe die mure van Jerusalem in slegs twee-en-vyftig dae herbou en voortgegaan om te floreer. Hoe het hulle dit gedoen? Omdat hulle leier gesê het: ‘Moenie aan moedeloosheid oorgee nie. Nie eers bietjie nie. Beveg dit om elke hoek en draai!’ Dit werk vandag steeds so!
Een van Satan se gunstelingwapens is moedeloosheid. Hy weet dat hy jou nooit kan verslaan nie, tensy jy reeds in jou gedagtes verslaan is. Jy het egter die krag om hom te oorwin. Die Bybel sê: ‘…Weerstaan die duiwel en hy sal van julle af wegvlug’ (Jakobus 4:7 NLV). Wanneer Satan moedeloosheid na jou deur toe bring, wat moet jy doen? Moenie die deur oopmaak nie! Moenie hom innooi nie! Moenie vir die pakkie teken nie! Onderwerp jouself eerder aan God – en staan hom teen!
Van tyd tot tyd ervaar ons almal moegheid, frustrasie, mislukking en vrees. Deur egter op God se beloftes te staan en krag uit sy mag te put, kan jy kies om nie moedeloos te word nie. Die keuse is joune!
Sielskos: 1 Kro 16-18; Joh 10:22-42; Ps 83:9-18; Spr 26:13-16
2020-11-12
Nehemiah 4:14 NIV
The second thing we can do to break through our discouragement is: Don’t just think about the problem, think about the Lord. Nehemiah said: ‘After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles…officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome.”‘ There are three things to try and remember:
1) Remember God’s goodness in the past. When we start thinking about all the good things He’s already done in our lives, our spirits will be lifted and our worries can be eased.
2) Remember God’s closeness in the present. What’s He doing in your life right now? The truth is, He is with us whether or not we feel His nearness. He said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).
3) Remember God’s power for the future. He’ll give us strength for our needs.
When we get discouraged, we should try to stop focusing on our circumstances and focus on God instead. This isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially if we’re feeling overwhelmed by our situation, so it’s helpful to choose some encouraging Bible verses to memorise and quote when things feel too much for us to handle. For example: ‘I can do all this through him who gives me strength’ (Philippians 4:13 NIV). ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31 NIV). ‘Everything is possible for one who believes’ (Mark 9:23 NIV). It’s often our thoughts that determine our feelings, so by filling our minds with promises from God’s Word, we can take steps towards breaking through discouragement.
1 Chr 12:23-15:29; John 10:11-21; Ps 83:1-8; Prov 26:7-12
