2024-01-31
Filippense 4:7 NLV
Wanneer jy angstig of bang voel, moet jy die volgende twee dinge doen:
1) Kry ‘n ‘geloofsvriend.’ Wanneer angs jou gedagtes beetpak, is een van die kragtigste maniere om die siklus van bekommernis te breek om dit met ‘n ‘geloofsvriend’ te deel. Toe Israel uitgegaan het om die Beloofde Land in besit te neem, het God vir hulle gesê: ‘…Is iemand bang? As dit so is, gaan huis toe voordat jy ander bangmaak’ (Deuteronomium 20:8 NLV). Pessimisme, angs en ontmoediging is aansteeklik. Dapperheid is egter ook!
2) Neem aksie en staar jou vrees in die gesig. Preke oor hoe God vir jou sal sorg, is op sigself nie voldoende om angs uit jou lewe te verwyder nie. Jy moet sekere dinge ook doen, soos om in vertroue uit te tree. Die manier om God se vrede van jou gedagtes na die res van jou liggaam te versprei is deur Hom te vertrou tot op die punt wat jy jou vrese direk kan konfronteer.
Met dit in gedagte, a) mediteer dus op Skrifgedeeltes soos Psalm 23; verbeel jouself dat die Here jou deur groen valleie en na strome water toe lei, b) praat met jou ‘geloofsvriend’ voordat die bekommernis ‘n houvas in jou gedagtes kry, c) gebruik ‘n ‘asem van gebed’ soos: ‘God, ek gee al my bekommernisse aan U oor,’ d) oefen; fisiese oefening is een van die beste maniere om te keer dat ‘n oormaat adrenalien opbou, e) identifiseer jou vrees en neem selfs net een klein tree om dit te konfronteer, en f) kry genoegsame rus. Dawid het gesê: ‘Ek sal in vrede gaan lê en slaap, want U alleen, o Here, laat my veilig woon’ (Psalm 4:9 NLV).
Gee vandag jou bekommernisse aan God oor!
Sielskos: Num 8-10; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 107:10-16; Spr 3:19-20
Philippians 4:7 NIV
When you feel anxious and afraid, here are two things you should do:
(1) Find a “faith friend.” When anxiety grabs your mind, one of the most powerful ways to break the worry spiral is to disclose it to a “faith friend.” When Israel went out to occupy the promised land, here is what God said to them: “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too” (Deuteronomy 20:8 NIV). Pessimism, fright, and discouragement are contagious. And so is courage!
(2) Take action and face your fear. Sermons about how God will take care of you aren’t in and of themselves sufficient to remove anxiety from your life. You must do certain things, like stepping out in trust. The way to get God’s peace from your head to the rest of your body is to trust Him to the point where you can confront your fears head-on.
So, with that in mind, (a) meditate on passages like Psalm 23; imagine yourself being shepherded by the Lord through green pastures and led beside still waters, (b) talk to your “faith friend” before worry gets a foothold in your mind, (c) use a “breath prayer” such as, “God, I’m casting all my cares on you,” (d) exercise; physical exercise is one of the best ways to stop excess adrenaline from building up, (e) identify your fear and take even one small step toward confronting it, and (f) get sufficient rest. David said, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8 NIV).
Today, give your worries to God!
Soul food: Num 8-10; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 107:10-16; Prov 3:19-20
2024-01-30
Revelation 2:11 NKJV
You can read the same Scripture on different occasions, and it will speak to you in totally different ways. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is attributed with saying, “You never step into the same river twice.” And you never read the same Bible verse the same way twice. That is a testament to its heavenly author. And His illumination is based on His intimate and unlimited knowledge of your circumstances, your desires, your fears, your past, your personality, and your destiny. But you must take time to listen and cultivate your sensitivity to what He is saying.
The story is told of a music trainer hired to work with opera singers who could not hit certain notes even though they fell within their vocal range. It was a musical mystery. The trainer did extensive testing on their vocal cords, but he couldn’t find any reason why they couldn’t hit those notes. Then, on a whim, he tested their hearing. And what he discovered was that these opera singers could not sing a note they could not hear. The problem wasn’t singing. The problem was hearing. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.”
Until you hear the voice of God, you won’t be able to sing His song. Why? Because you’re out of tune. That’s how we get trapped in sinful lifestyles and negative cycles and destructive patterns. But when you open up the Bible and truly hear the voice of God – His loving voice, His affirming voice, His graceful voice, His convicting voice, His authoritative voice, His powerful voice – your life begins to harmonize with the Holy Spirit.
Soul food: Num 7; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 107:1-9; Prov 3:13-18
Openbaring 2:11 NLV
Jy kan dieselfde Skrifgedeelte op twee verskillende geleenthede lees en dit sal op heeltemal verskillende maniere met jou praat. Die Griekse filosoof Heraclitus het glo gesê: ‘Jy klim nooit twee keer in dieselfde rivier in nie.’ Jy lees ook nie dieselfde Bybelvers twee keer op dieselfde manier nie. Dis ‘n bewys van sy hemelse skrywer. Sy woorde is op sy intieme en onbeperkte kennis van jou omstandighede, begeertes, vrese, verlede, persoonlikheid en lotsbestemming gebaseer. Jy moet egter die tyd maak om te luister en ‘n sensitiwiteit vir wat Hy sê, ontwikkel.
Daar is ‘n verhaal van ‘n musiekafrigter wat aangestel is om met operasangers te werk wat sekere note nie kon sing nie, al het dit binne hul vokale register geval. Dit was ‘n musikale raaisel. Die afrigter het uitgebreide toetse op hul stembande gedoen, maar hy kon geen rede vind hoekom hulle nie daardie note kon sing nie. Toe het hy hulle gehoor getoets. Hy het ontdek dat hierdie operasangers nie ‘n noot kon sing wat hulle nie kon hoor nie. Die probleem was nie hulle sangvermoë nie, maar hulle gehoor. ‘Elkeen wat gewillig is om te luister, moet hoor wat die Gees… sê…’
Totdat jy die stem van God hoor, sal jy nie in staat wees om sy lied te sing nie. Hoekom nie? Omdat jy van toon af sal wees. Dis hoe ons in sondige leefstyle, negatiewe siklusse en destruktiewe patrone vasgevang word. Wanneer jy egter jou Bybel oopmaak en waarlik God se stem – sy liefdevolle, bevestigende, genadige, oortuigende, gesaghebbende, kragtige stem – hoor, begin jou lewe met die Heilige Gees harmoniseer.
Sielskos: Num 7; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 107:1-9; Spr 3:13-18
2024-01-29
Hebrews 10:23 NKJV
You will notice that during the creation process, God counts days based on the previous nights. The Bible doesn’t say, “The morning and evening were the first day.” No, it says, “God called… the evening and the morning the first day” (Genesis 1:5 KJV). That means God specializes in bringing light out of darkness – you just have to get through one to get to the other!
God told Moses that the angel of death would come at night, and wherever he saw the blood of the lamb on the doorposts, the inhabitants of that house would be saved. (See Exodus 12:12-13). Exodus states that God “sent a… wind that blew all night until there was dry land… and the Israelites walked through” (Exodus 14:21-22 CEV).
The psalmist wrote, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5 NKJV). The dawn is all the more brilliant because of the darkness that preceded it, just as your progress is all the more rewarding when set against a backdrop of pain, gain, and breakthrough. Great mornings come by getting through rough nights.
When you see somebody who is having a great day, chances are you’re looking at somebody who has been through a long night. When you hear them shouting the victory, it may be because they have spent the night praying and weeping before God. The Bible says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT). Trusting God is more than just wishful thinking. It’s knowing that if He said it, He will do it. It’s realizing He doesn’t just control creation, He controls your circumstances. So, “hold fast.”
Soul food: Num 4:34-6:27; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 104:24-35; Prov 3:11-12
