2021-01-07
1 Johannes 3:21 NLV
Die derde struikelblok tot beantwoorde gebede is onbelyde sonde. Nadat hulle Jerigo, die sterkste stad in die Beloofde Land, oorwin het, is die Israeliete deur ‘n handvol soldate verslaan. Josua was verpletter! Hy ‘…het sy klere geskeur. Hy het voor die ark van die Here op die grond neergeval en daar bly lê tot die aand toe…’ (Josua 7:6 NLV). Luister na sy gebed: ‘Wanneer die Kanaäniete en almal wat in die land woon daarvan hoor, gaan hulle ons omsingel en ons van die aarde af verdelg. Wat sal dan van u eervolle Naam word?’ (vers 9 NLV).
Hoe het God gereageer? Jy sal dalk verbaas wees. “Die Here sê toe vir Josua: ‘Staan op. Hoekom lê jy daar op die grond? Israel het oortree…'” (verse 10-11 NLV). Wat het toe gebeur? Akan, ‘n Israelitiese soldaat, het van die buit wat aan God behoort het, gesteel. Jerigo was die eerste stad in die Beloofde Land wat hulle oorwin het en God het gesê dat die eerste van alle oeste aan Hom behoort (sien Spreuke 3:9). Die skatte van die volgende nege gevegte het aan die mense behoort, maar die skatte van Jerigo het aan God behoort.
Daar is ‘n tyd om te bid en ‘n tyd om op te hou bid, sodat jy eers die sonde in jou lewe kan hanteer. Jy kan nie bid: ‘Here, wat wil U hê moet ek doen?’, wanneer jy reeds weet wat om te doen, maar nie gewillig is om dit te doen nie. Praat God deur vandag se dagstukkie met jou? ‘Geliefdes, as ons gewete ons nie veroordeel nie, het ons vrymoedigheid om na God toe te gaan. Wat ons ook al bid, kry ons van Hom omdat ons sy opdragte gehoorsaam en dié dinge in sy teenwoordigheid doen wat Hom bly maak’ (1 Johannes 3:21-22 NLV).
Sielskos: Eks 13-15; Matt 5:13-26; Ps 42:1-5; Spr 1:20-27
2021-01-06
James 4:3 NLT
Another obstacle to answered prayer is selfishness. In the Lord’s Prayer, you won’t find the words “I,” or “me,” or “my,” or “mine.” What you will find instead, is: “Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses; deliver us from evil” (See Matthew 6:11-13). Are you getting the idea? The man who prays, “Lord bless me, my wife and two children: us four and no more,” won’t get a favourable response from heaven. Jesus said, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark11:24 NKJV). But that Scripture isn’t a blank check: God’s answer to selfish prayers is always no.
James writes, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3 NKJV). Maybe you’re thinking, “The Bible says if I delight myself in the Lord, He will give me whatever my heart desires” (See Psalm 37:4). Yes, but your desires must be in harmony with God’s will.
God blessed Abraham so that he could become a blessing to others (See Genesis12:2-3). God knows what you want, and He also knows why you want it. Is it only for your own comfort and convenience, or also to fulfill His purposes? Only when you have answered that question honestly, can you pray with confidence. When you look out only for your own interest, only one person is working on your behalf – you! But when your goal is to bless others, God goes to work and answers your prayer in ways you never imagined possible. Try it, and see for yourself!
Soul food: Exo 10-12; Matt 5:1-12; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
Jakobus 4:3 NLV
Nog ‘n struikelblok wat veroorsaak dat jou gebede nie beantwoord word nie, is selfsug. Jy sal nie die woorde: ‘ek,’ of ‘my,’ of ‘myne’ in die Onse Vader vind nie. Jy vind eerder die volgende: ‘Gee ons die porsie brood wat ons vir vandag nodig het. En vergeef ons ons sondeskuld… Bewaar ons… en bevry ons van die greep van die Bose’ (sien Matteus 6:11-13). Kry jy die idee? Die man wat bid: ‘Here, seën my, my vrou en twee kinders: ons vier en niks meer nie,’ sal nie ‘n gunstige reaksie uit die hemel ontvang nie.
Jesus het gesê: ‘…alles wat julle in die gebed vra, sal julle ontvang, mits julle God daarmee vertrou’ (Markus 11:24 NLV). Hierdie Skrifgedeelte is egter nie ‘n blanko tjek nie; God se antwoord op selfsugtige gebede is altyd nee. Jakobus skryf: ‘En selfs wanneer julle vra, kry julle dit nie omdat julle motiewe verkeerd is – julle wil goed hê net om dit self te geniet’ (Jakobus 4:3 NLV).
Miskien dink jy: ‘Maar die Bybel sê wanneer ek vreugde in die Here vind, sal Hy my alles gee wat my hart begeer’ (sien Psalm 37:4). Ja, maar jou hartsbegeertes moet in harmonie met God se wil wees. God het Abraham geseën sodat hy ‘n seëning vir ander mense kon wees (sien Genesis 12:2-3).
God weet wat jy wil hê en Hy weet ook hoekom jy dit wil hê. Is dit net vir jou eie gemak en gerief, of is dit ook om sy doelwitte te vervul? Eers wanneer jy daardie vraag eerlik kan beantwoord, kan jy met vertroue bid. Wanneer jou doel is om ander mense te seën, spring God aan die werk en beantwoord jou gebede op wonderbaarlike maniere. Probeer dit – en sien vir jouself!
Sielskos: Eks 10-12; Matt 5:1-12; Ps 10:12-18; Spr 1:17-19
James 4:3 NLT
Another obstacle to answered prayer is selfishness. Ever noticed that the Lord’s Prayer doesn’t use ‘I’, or ‘me’, or ‘my’, or ‘mine’? Instead it says: ‘Give us today our daily bread’; ‘forgive us our debts’; ‘lead us not into temptation’; ‘deliver us from the evil one’ (Matthew 6:11-13 NIV). Jesus said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark11:24 NKJV). But that doesn’t give us permission to be self-centred in our prayers. God’s answer to selfish prayers is always no.
James wrote, ‘Even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure’ (James 4:3 NLT). We can get confused because the Bible also says ‘Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires’ (Psalm 37:4 NLT). But our desires must be in harmony with God’s will, which they will be if we truly delight in serving Him and allowing Him to be the ruler of our hearts.
God blessed Abraham so that he could become a blessing to others (take a look at Genesis 12:2-3). God knows what we want, and He also knows why we want it. We need to be truthful about our own motives – are the things we want only for our own comfort and convenience, or also to fulfil His purposes? When we’ve answered that question honestly, we can pray with confidence. If we only look after our own interests, our answer will be ‘no’. But when our motive is to bless others too, God goes to work and answers our prayers in ways we never imagined.
Exo 10-12; Matt 5:1-12; Ps 10:12-18; Prov 1:17-19
2021-01-05
Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
We know that God loves to answer our prayers, but there can be obstacles that get in the way of our prayers being answered. For the next few days, let’s take a look at some of those obstacles and how to overcome them.
First: ungodly powers. For three weeks Daniel prayed and got no answer, because an evil force in the spiritual realm, ‘the Prince of Persia’, blocked it (see Daniel 10:13). So God assigned Michael, one of the archangels, to do battle with him. Twenty-one days later the struggle ended, and Daniel got his answer.
Paul says, ‘We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world…against evil spirits in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 6:12 NLT). The devil is powerful enough to deceive us (see 2 Corinthians 4:4), to bring sickness (see Job 2:7), to oppose the righteous (see Zechariah 3:1), and to destroy us (see1 Peter 5:8).
So how can we overcome him? After telling us we’re fighting against the forces of the unseen world, Paul says, ‘Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers’ (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). Christ within us is stronger than any enemy we face. Jesus said, ‘When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe – until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him’ (Luke11:21-22 NLT). Satan is strong, but Jesus is ‘even stronger’. ‘The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work’ (1 John 3:8 NIV). We need to keep focused on Christ, pray faithfully and persistently, and refuse to give up even if the answer is a long time in coming.
Exo 7-9; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 10:1-11; Prov 1:10-16
