2025-01-23
Psalm 105:19 NKJV
When Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat of many colors which represented his father’s favour, what held him steady? The promise God gave him. When he was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery, what held him steady? The promise God gave him. When the butler he befriended in prison failed to speak on his behalf to Pharaoh, what held him steady? The promise God gave him.
“Joseph… was sold as a slave… He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house” (vv. 17-21 NKJV).
God’s Word will stand the test of time, but in order for it to come to pass, you must stand strong in faith during your times of testing. You will be tested by the attitudes and actions of your family. You will be tested by the unfaithfulness and betrayal of friends you trusted. You will be tested by living in circumstances of adversity and hardship that seem opposite to what God promised you.
You see, God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort. The New Living Translation says, “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (v. 19). Why test anything? To find out if it’s trustworthy. And when you prove trustworthy, you can stand on the promise, “It will certainly come to pass” (Habakkuk 2:3 NET). So, stand on the promise God gave you.
Soul food: Rom 9:17-11:36; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 100; Prov 3:7-8
2025-01-22
Handelinge 9:6 AFR53
Paulus se lewe is vir ewig verander toe hy die volgende vraag gevra het: ‘…Here, wat wil U hê moet ek doen?..’ Let op wat God hom geantwoord het: ‘Staan nou op en gaan die stad in. Dáár sal vir jou gesê word wat jou te doen staan’ (vers 6 NLV). God se wil word in stappe ontdek.
Stap een is bewustheid. Jy kan nie van rigting verander as jy onbewus is dat jy in die verkeerde rigting op pad is nie, neem dus tyd om te dink waarheen jy tans op pad is. As dit nie is waarheen jy moet gaan nie, skryf dan die stappe neer wat jy moet neem om te gaan waarheen jy wil gaan, om te bereik wat jy wil bereik. Maak hierdie stappe so konkreet as moontlik. Sal dit heeltemal die regte stappe wees? Miskien, miskien nie. Jy sal egter nie vir seker weet voordat jy vorentoe begin beweeg nie.
Stap twee is aksie. Jy kan nie wen as jy nie begin nie! Neem die inisiatief. Doen elke dag iets spesifieks wat jou een stap nader aan jou doelwit sal bring. Hou dan aan om dit elke dag te doen.
Stap drie is verantwoordbaarheid. Min dinge sal jou so inspireer om jou doelwitte deur te sien as verantwoordbaarheid. Een manier waarop jy dit kan bereik is om jou doelwitte te deel. Wanneer jy vir mense vertel wat jy beoog om te doen, sal jy gedruk voel om aan te hou werk daaraan. Gee daardie mense toestemming om jou oor jou vordering uit te vra. Dis soos om jouself ‘n sperdatum te gee sodat jy aanhou daaraan werk. Nog ‘n vorm van verantwoordbaarheid is om dinge neer te skryf.
Wil jy God se wil doen? Begin dit deur hierdie stappe te doen.
Sielskos: Rom 7:1-9:16; Luk 5:12-26; Ps 96; Spr 3:5-6
Acts 9:6 NKJV
Paul’s life changed forever when he asked the question, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Note how God answered his question: “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (v. 6 NKJV). Discovering God’s will takes place in steps.
Step one is awareness. You cannot change direction if you’re unaware you’re headed in the wrong direction, so spend some time thinking about where you’re presently headed. If it’s not where you need to go, then write down the steps you must take to go where you want to go, to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Make them as concrete as you possibly can. Will they absolutely be the right steps? Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But you won’t know for sure until you start moving forward.
Step two is action. You can’t win if you don’t begin! Take initiative. Do something specific each day that will move you one step closer to your goal. Then, continue to do it every day.
Step three is accountability. Few things will inspire you to see your goals through like accountability. One way you can do that is to share your goals. When you tell people what you plan to do, you feel pressure to keep working at it. Give those people permission to ask you about your progress. It’s like giving yourself a deadline so that you keep moving toward it. Writing things down gives you another form of accountability.
Do you want to do God’s will? Then start with these steps.
Soul food: Rom 7:1-9:16; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 96; Prov 3:5-6
2025-01-21
2 Korintiërs 3:5 NLV
Gideon se leërmag van twee-en-dertig duisend man was heeltemal deur die magdom Midianiete in getalle oortref toe God vir hom sê: ‘Jy het te veel soldate.’ Hy het Gideon beveel om enigiemand wat bang was te laat gaan en Gideon het twee-derdes van sy manskappe verloor. Hy het net tienduisend man oorgehad. Weer het die Here gesê: ‘Daar is steeds te veel manne,’ en Gideon se leërmag tot driehonderd mans verminder. Op daardie stadium was die kanse vir oorwinning seker omtrent ‘n miljoen tot een. Dit raak egter nog beter! God het Gideon beveel om die Midianiete met ramshorings en erdepotte aan te val. Kan jy glo – Israel wen die geveg!
Hoekom het God dit op hierdie manier gedoen? Want as Gideon met twee-en-dertig duisend mans aangeval en die geveg gewen het, sou die Israeliete slegs beperkte erkenning aan God gegee het. God is egter waardig vir meer. God verlang en verdien volle erkenning. Wanneer driehonderd mans ‘n massiewe leërmag met ramshorings en erdepotte verslaan, kry God al die heerlikheid (sien Rigters 7).
Te dikwels draai ons gebede om die versoek dat God ons kanse om te wen, moet vergroot. Ons wil hê dat alles in ons guns moet wees. Miskien wil God egter hê dat die kanse teen ons moet wees, sodat ons ‘n wonderwerk van goddelike omvang kan ervaar. Geloof is om God te vertrou, maak nie saak hoe hopeloos die kanse is nie. Ons onmoontlike omstandighede is geleenthede om ‘n nuwe hoogte van God se heerlikheid te ervaar.
Staar jy ‘n situasie in die gesig wat, menslik gesproke, buite jou vermoë is om te hanteer? Lees dan die volgende: ‘Nie dat ons op eie houtjie iets kan bedink asof dit ons eie breinkind is nie. Ons bekwaamheid kom van God’ (2 Korintiërs 3:5 NLV).
Sielskos: Rom 3:21-6:23; Luk 5:1-11; Ps 91; Spr 3:3-4
2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV
Gideon’s army of thirty-two thousand men is enormously outnumbered by the Midianites when God tells him, “You have too many men.” He instructs Gideon to release anyone who is afraid, and Gideon loses two-thirds of his army. Now he has only ten thousand men. Again the Lord says, “There are still too many men,” and reduces Gideon’s army to three hundred men. At that moment, the odds had to be a million to one. And it even gets better! God directs Gideon to attack the Midianites with trumpets and pitchers. Now for the real kicker: Israel wins!
Why did God do it like that? Because if Gideon had attacked with thirty-two thousand men and won, the Israelites would have thought that God didn’t provide much help, and God would have received limited credit. But God is worthy of more. God desires and deserves complete credit. And when three hundred men defeat a massive army with trumpets and pitchers, God receives all the glory (See Judges 7). Why? The reason is a victory like that overcomes all odds.
Too frequently, our prayers revolve around requesting God to increase our odds of winning. We would like everything in our favour. But maybe God wants the odds to oppose us so we can encounter a miracle of divine proportions. Faith is trusting God no matter how hopeless the odds are. Our impossible circumstances are chances to experience a new height of God’s glory.
Are you facing a situation that, humanly speaking, is beyond your ability to cope with it? Read this: “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV).
Soul food: Rom 3:21-6:23; Luke 5:1-11; Ps 91; Prov 3:3-4
