2021-08-05
Mark 4:39 NLT
‘Jesus said to his disciples: “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out…But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back…with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” When Jesus woke…he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”…”Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”‘ (vv. 35-41 NLT).
Following Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll avoid life’s storms, so we need to: 1) Remind ourselves that Jesus is with us. If Jesus can calm the storm, He can prevent it. But He allows us to go through storms to prove that there’s no problem He can’t solve. We might be powerless in the situation, but He’s not. By going through the storm, we’ll come to know and trust Him in a way we never have before. His goal is to bring us out stronger on the other side.
2) Trust what He’s said. When Jesus says, ‘Let’s cross to the other side,’ we won’t encounter a wave big enough to drag us under. The truth is, we can’t stand in the storms of life based on someone else’s faith. We must trust Jesus and be completely assured in our own hearts and minds. So when storms come our way, let’s stand in the strength of Jesus.
Deut 28-29; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 119:1-8; Prov 17:3
2021-08-04
Isaiah 52:12 NKJV
When you’re under pressure and tempted to move too quickly, if you stop and pray you’ll hear God saying: “You shall not go out with haste…for the Lord will go before you, and…be your rear guard.” What an awesome promise! God goes before you to prepare the way and comes behind you to correct your mistakes and redirect your steps.
When you’re about to make a wrong turn His Word says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NLT). If you let Him, God will overrule your decisions and reroute you when necessary. When you don’t have what it takes to get the job done, His promise is: “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring…you will be known as a rebuilder…and a restorer” (Isaiah 58:11-12 NLT).
When you’ve run out of answers and don’t know what to do, He reassures you: “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8 NLT). When the load you’re carrying is too much to bear you’ll hear His voice saying: “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall” (Psalm 55:22 NLT).
But in order to hear His voice you’ll have to reorder your priorities, sacrifice lesser things and tune out other voices. But you must do it, because nothing is more important than knowing in your heart that God is guiding you.
Soul food: Deut 25-27; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 17:1-2
Jesaja 52:12 NLV
Wanneer jy onder druk is en in die versoeking kom om te vinnig te beweeg, sal jy God die volgende hoor sê as jy stop en bid: ‘Julle sal nie haastig padgee nie… Die Here sal voor julle uittrek en die God van Israel sal julle van agter beskerm.’ Wat ‘n wonderlike belofte! God gaan voor jou uit om die pad voor te berei en kom van agter af om jou foute reg te maak en jou treë te rig.
Wanneer jy op die punt is om ‘n verkeerde afdraai te maak, sê sy Woord: “‘n Mens beplan sy koers, maar die Here bepaal sy bestemming” (Spreuke 16:9 NLV). As jy Hom toelaat, sal God jou besluite oorheers en jou pad soos nodig herlei. Sy belofte aan jou is: “Die Here sal jou altyd lei. Selfs in tye van droogte sal Hy voorsien in jou behoeftes. Hy sal jou gesond en sterk hou. Jy sal wees soos ‘n tuin wat genoeg water kry… Hulle sal jou noem: ‘Herbouer van Gebreekte Mure, Hersteller van Strate en Huise'” (Jesaja 58:11-12 NLV).
Wanneer jy nie antwoorde het nie en nie weet wat om te doen nie, stel Hy jou gerus: ‘…Ek sal jou onderrig en die pad wys waarop jy moet gaan. Ek sal vir jou raad gee, my oog sal op jou wees’ (Psalm 32:8 NLV). Wanneer die las wat jy dra te swaar word vir jou, sal jy sy stem hoor wat sê: ‘Gee jou kommer oor aan die Here. Hy sal vir jou sorg…’ (Psalm 55:23 NLV).
Om egter in staat te wees om sy stem te hoor, sal jy jou prioriteite moet herrangskik en ander stemme moet ignoreer. Jy moet dit egter doen, want niks is belangriker as die wete in jou hart dat God jou lei nie.
Sielskos: Deut 25-27; Luk 11:14-28; Ps 78:65-72; Spr 17:1-2
Isaiah 52:12 NKJV
When we’re under pressure and feeling tempted to move too quickly, if we stop and pray we’ll hear God saying: ‘You shall not go out with haste…for the LORD will go before you, and…be your rear guard.’ What an awesome promise! God goes before us to prepare the way and comes behind us to correct our mistakes and redirect our steps. When we’re about to make a wrong turn, His Word says, ‘We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps’ (Proverbs 16:9 NLT).
If we trust God and allow His will to rule us, He’ll reroute us if we head off in the wrong direction. When we think we don’t have what it takes to finish a task, His promise is: ‘The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring…you will be known as a rebuilder…and a restorer’ (Isaiah 58:11-12 NLT).
When we’ve run out of answers and don’t know what to do, He reassures us: ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you’ (Psalm 32:8 NLT). When the load we’re carrying is too much to bear, we’ll hear His voice saying: ‘Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall’ (Psalm 55:22 NLT).
In order to hear His voice, we have to put Him first, sacrifice things that aren’t from Him, and tune out other voices. It can be difficult, but we must do these things, because nothing is more important and peace-bringing than knowing God’s guiding every step we take.
Deut 25-27; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 17:1-2
2021-08-03
Philippians 4:8 NLT
We don’t have to look very far to find things to complain about. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Paradise where they had everything they needed to be happy. But they chose to focus on the one tree they couldn’t have.
God miraculously divided the Red Sea, guided the Israelites through the wilderness and provided food from heaven each day so they’d never go hungry. And they appreciated it…for a while: ‘They…sang his praise. But…soon forgot what he had done’ (Psalm 106:12-13 NIV). That’s why Paul wrote ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise…Then the God of peace will be with you’ (Philippians 4:8-9 NLT).
When life is good, having a positive outlook feels quite straightforward. But when things aren’t going so well for us, we have to make a conscious choice to focus on faith over fear, hope over despair, or solutions over problems. It’s not easy, but we can do it by keeping our eyes lifted towards God.
When Paul and Silas were in prison, they could have given in to discouragement and hopelessness. But they didn’t even complain about their situation – instead they chose to focus on God by ‘praying and singing hymns’ (Acts 16:25 NIV). Even if our problems aren’t solved in the way we’d like, when we focus on God and all that’s good, He’ll lift us above our circumstances and give us peace in the midst of them.
Deut 22-24; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 16:33
