2026-08-28
1 Johannes 2:1 NLV
Jy ken dalk nie die naam Angelo Dundee nie, maar jy het ongetwyfeld al van die wêreldkampioen-bokser Muhammed Ali gehoor. Vir meer as twee dekades was Angelo letterlik in Muhammed Ali se hoek. Hy was Ali se hoekman! Hy het ook ander wêreldbokskampioene opgelei. Een van die beste beskrywings van Jesus is dat Hy ons hoekman is! ‘…As iemand egter sonde doen, ons het ‘n Helper by die Vader wat ons saak stel, Jesus Christus, die regverdige.’
In sy brief aan Timoteus spoor Paulus ons aan om die goeie stryd te stry (sien 1 Timoteus 6:12). Jy gaan vir seker ‘n keer of twee neergevel word. Jy het egter ‘n hoekman wat self drie rondtes met die dood geveg het. Hy is by die kruis neergevel, maar Hy het drie dae later weer opgestaan. Hy het uit die graf gestap en die stryd teen sonde en die dood gewen. Waar is Hy nou? Hy is aan die regterhand van die Vader en tree vir jou by Hom in. Met ander woorde, Christus is in jou hoek!
Hy is ook nie die enigste een nie. Jesus het die Heilige Gees die ‘parákletos’ genoem, wat in Afrikaans as trooster en raadgewer vertaal word. ‘Parakleet’ is ‘n militêre term wat na Romeinse soldate verwys wat rug-aan-rug veg wanneer hulle in ‘n handgeveg betrokke raak. Hulle het sodoende mekaar se blinde kant beskerm. Dit is wat die Heilige Gees doen. Die Heilige Gees beskerm jou rug, en Christus is in jou hoek. Die profeet Jesaja noem Hom ons agterhoede: ‘…die Here trek voor julle uit, en die God van Israel is julle agterhoede’ (Jesaja 52:12 AFR).
Jy het nie net een lid van die drie-enige God wat vir jou intree nie – jy het twee!
Sielskos: Josua 8:30-10:43; Mark 9:30-37; Ps 119:169-176; Spr 22:20-23
1 John 2:1 NKJV
You might not know the name Angelo Dundee, but you’ve undoubtedly heard of world champion boxer Muhammed Ali. For more than two decades, Angelo was in Muhammed Ali’s corner – literally. He was Ali’s corner man! He also trained other world boxing champions. One of the great descriptions of Jesus is, “He’s our “corner man!” “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
In his letter to Timothy, Paul exhorts us to “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV). And you’re going to get knocked down a time or two. But you’ve got a corner man who once went three rounds with death itself. He got knocked down at the cross, but He got back up three days later. He walked out of the tomb, winning the fight against sin and death. Where is He now? He’s at the right hand of the Father, interceding for you. In other words, Christ is in your corner!
And He’s not the only one. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “paraclete,” which translates in English as comforter and counselor. Paraclete is a military term referring to Roman soldiers who would fight back-to-back when they got into hand-to-hand combat. They protected each other’s blind side, and that’s what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit has got your back. And Christ is in your corner. The prophet Isaiah calls Him our rear guard: “The Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12 NIV).
You don’t just have one member of the Godhead interceding for you – you have two!
Soul food: Josh 8:30-10:43; Mark 9:30-37; Ps 119:169-176; Pro 22:20-23
2026-08-27
Philippians 4:8 NKJV
Experts estimate that we have 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. So let’s use 60,000 as a happy medium. And let’s observe four important things about our thoughts:
(1) Psychologists say that 98 to 99 percent of our thoughts are habitual. In other words, they are basically the same thoughts we had yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that. Your mind must be renewed day by day (see Romans 12:2). You can’t keep thinking the same things and expect a different outcome or a different outlook. What’s the answer? Take on a learning mindset! “In all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you” (Proverbs 4:7-8 NKJV).
(2) Only 12 percent of our thoughts are focused on the future. But faith, by definition, is future oriented. “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).
(3) A Harvard University study found that the average person spends 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they are presently doing. And psychologists say, “A wandering mind is an unhappy mind.” Of course, the most obvious culprits are the digital devices that keep us disengaged. Nothing dumbs down our ability to dream like our so-called smartphones!
(4) The Cleveland Clinic estimates that 80 percent of our thoughts are negative. That’s 48,000 negative thoughts per day! And when we verbalize those thoughts, it compounds the problem. What’s the answer? “Whatever things are… noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things” (NKJV).
Soul food: Josh 5:1-8:29; Mark 9:14-29; Ps 119:161-168; Pro 22:17-19
Filippense 4:8 NLV
Kenners skat dat ons 50 000 tot 70 000 gedagtes per dag het. Ons moet die volgende vier dinge oor ons gedagtes waarneem:
1) Sielkundiges sê dat 98 tot 99 persent van ons gedagtes gewoonte is. Met ander woorde, dit is basies dieselfde gedagtes wat ons gister, eergister en die dag daarvoor gehad het. Jou gedagtes moet egter elke dag vernuwe word (sien Romeine 12:2). Jy kan nie aanhou om dieselfde dinge te dink en dan ‘n ander uitkoms of uitkyk verwag nie. Wat is dan die antwoord? Neem ‘n leeringesteldheid aan! ‘Stel wysheid voorop, dan sal dit vir jou aansien gee. Stel dit hoog op prys en dit sal aan jou eer gee. Dit sal jou kroon met voorspoed…’ (Spreuke 4:8-9 NLV).
2) Slegs 12 persent van ons gedagtes is op die toekoms gefokus. Geloof is egter per definisie toekomsgerig. ‘…geloof… is ‘n vaste versekering dat die dinge waarna ons uitsien, inderdaad sal gebeur’ (Hebreërs 11:1 NLV).
3) Navorsing het bevind dat die gemiddelde persoon 46,9 persent van hul wakker ure bestee om aan iets anders as waarmee hulle tans besig is, te dink. Dwalende gedagtes is dikwels ongelukkige gedagtes. Natuurlik is die mees voor die hand liggende rede daarvoor die digitale toestelle wat ons konstant gebruik. Niks verdof ons vermoë om te droom meer as ons sogenaamde slimfone nie!
4) Die Cleveland Clinic skat dat 80 persent van ons gedagtes negatief is. Dis 48 000 negatiewe gedagtes per dag! Wanneer ons dan daardie gedagtes verbaliseer, vererger dit die probleem. Wat is dan die antwoord? ‘…julle moet altyd dink aan die dinge wat waar is, wat mooi is, wat reg is, wat rein is, wat pragtig en goed is. Ja, julle moet dink aan alles wat mooi is, alles waarop ‘n mens trots kan wees’ (ABA).
Sielskos: Josua 5:1-8:29; Mark 9:14-29; Ps 119:161-168; Spr 22:17-19
2026-08-26
2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
Author Max Lucado wrote: “Some time back, a mother asked me to pray for her eight-year-old son. He was troubled by a constant barrage of images and scary visions that left him withdrawn and timid. They even took his sleep at night. On the day we met, his eyes filled with tears, and he clung to his mother. She had taken him to doctors, but nothing had helped. I told him that the devil had no authority over his life. That the real battles are fought in the mind. That God will help us take every thought captive. I urged him to memorize a Bible verse and quote it each time the fearful thoughts came to his mind.
‘Reach up with your hand,’ I urged, ‘and grab the thought and throw it in the trash. And as quickly as you do that, replace it with a verse of Scripture.’ We then anointed him with oil and prayed for him. Five days later, his mother reported great progress. ‘Since last week, the images are gone; he is no longer seeing them. He recites this Scripture from Psalm 25:5 NKJV nightly: ‘Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.’ I believe this has brought him closer to Christ.
He uses the strategy of throwing the fearful thoughts away in the trash can. He said when he tried to throw them away, his head would hurt. I asked, ‘What made them go away?’ He smiled and said, ‘I know God made them go away.'” So, the word for you today is – “Grab it, and throw it in the trash.”
Soul food: Josh 1-4; Mark 9:1-13; Ps 119:145-160; Pro 22:14-16
