2024-08-08
Psalm 18:6 TLB
Have you suffered a series of defeats and setbacks? Are you discouraged because the attacks have been long and tiring? Read these words from the psalmist David and stand on them: “Lord, how I love you! For you have done such tremendous things for me… In my distress I screamed to the Lord for his help. And he heard me from heaven; my cry reached his ears… He reached down… and drew me out of my great trials… On the day when I was weakest, they attacked. But the Lord held me steady. He led me to a place of safety, for he delights in me. The Lord rewarded me for doing right… What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him. For who is God except our Lord? Who but he is as a rock? He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go” (vv. 1, 6, 16, 18-20, 30-32 TLB).
You have heard it before, and you know what to do – spend more time with God in prayer and reading His Word! Instead of striving in your own strength, plug into God and start flowing in His strength. Check and see who is on the throne of your life. If it’s anyone other than the Lord, including yourself, it’s an idol that must be dethroned. How long will this battle last? God knows, and He will never permit the attack you face to be greater than the great grace He provides. Today He is saying to you, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV).
Soul food: 1 Chr 4:24-5:26; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 119:1-8; Prov 20:15-18
2024-08-07
Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
Like a proud parent, our heavenly Father loves it when we carry out impossible things by His power and for His glory. And when you live in raw reliance upon His power, you will do things that otherwise cannot be done. When you think about it, in and of ourselves, we are incapable of loving God. We cannot fabricate love for Him. We can just respond to His love for us. Knowing this sets us free.
Religion focuses on doing things for God. But true Christianity is all about receiving what Christ has done for us on the cross. What we do for God is a reflection and a response to what He has done for us. We all love miracles; we just dislike being in a circumstance where we need one. But that is a precondition. You will never experience the power of God until you’re in a situation that requires it.
If you want to be filled with His Spirit, step into a situation that requires His power. Pursue a God-ordained dream you cannot achieve in your own strength and wisdom. That’s why Paul writes: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (vv.18-20 NIV). Today, God wants you to experience “his incomparably great power” in your life.
Soul food: 1 Chr 3:1-4:23; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 20:11-14
Efesiërs 1:19 NLV
Soos ‘n trotse ouer, hou ons hemelse Vader daarvan wanneer ons onmoontlike dinge deur sy krag en tot sy eer doen. Wanneer jy in totale afhanklikheid van sy krag leef, sal jy dinge doen wat andersins nie gedoen kan word nie. Wanneer jy daaroor dink, vanuit onsself, is ons nie in staat om God lief te hê nie. Ons kan nie liefde vir Hom versin nie. Ons kan net op sy liefde vir ons reageer. Hierdie wete maak ons vry.
Godsdiens fokus daarop om dinge vir God te doen. Ware Christenskap is egter om dit wat Christus vir ons aan die kruis gedoen het, te ontvang. Wat ons vir God doen, is ‘n weerkaatsing en ‘n reaksie op dit wat Hy vir ons gedoen het. Ons almal hou van wonderwerke; ons hou net nie daarvan om in ‘n situasie te wees waarin ons een nodig het nie.
As jy met sy Gees gevul wil word, tree in ‘n situasie wat sy krag benodig. Streef ‘n Godgegewe droom wat jy nie in jou eie krag en wysheid kan vervul nie, na. Dis hoekom Paulus skryf: ‘Mag God julle harte so verlig dat julle sal insien watter wonderlike vooruitsig sy roeping inhou… Mag julle insien hoe enorm groot die krag is wat God gebruik in ons wat glo. Dieselfde magtige sterkte was ook aan die werk toe God Christus uit die dood opgewek het en Hom in die hemel aan sy regterhand laat sit het’ (verse 18-20 NLV). Vandag wil God hê dat jy sy enorme groot krag in jou lewe moet ervaar.
Sielskos: 1 Kro 3:1-4:23; Luk 11:29-44; Ps 78:65-72; Spr 20:11-14
2024-08-06
Mark 16:17-18 NKJV
Here is an often overlooked part of the Great Commission Jesus gave us: “In My name they will… lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Research has revealed that touch has the power to fight viruses, reduce stress, enhance sleep, and assist us in recovering more quickly from injury. One study found that a thirty-minute massage three times a week lowers stress by 34 percent.
The power of touch, even on a human level, is an astonishing thing. But when you add the power of God, it opens the way for something supernatural. “And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him” (Acts 28:8 NKJV). Laying hands on the sick or on those called to ministry was a regular practice in the New Testament church.
And you don’t have to be an ordained minister to do it. Jesus said, “These signs will follow those who believe” (Mark 16:17 NKJV). If you are a believer who has placed your trust in Christ, you’re qualified. Could God do it without us? Of course. But He has given us the privilege of being conduits for His power. By laying hands on someone, you do two things: You identify, and you impart. Who knows how many miraculous moments we have sacrificed because we haven’t acted in a bold biblical way by praying for someone who is sick, commissioning someone who is called, or encouraging someone who simply needs a hand on their shoulder?
Soul food: 1 Chr 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:7-10
Markus 16:17-18 NLV
Daar is ‘n deel van die Groot Opdrag wat Jesus ons gegee het wat dikwels oor die hoof gesien word. Jesus het ons opdrag gegee: ‘…Hulle sal… in my Naam… siekes die hande oplê, en hulle sal gesond word.’ Navorsing het onthul dat aanraking die krag het om virusse te beveg, stres te verminder, slaap te verbeter en ons te help om vinniger van beserings te herstel. Een studie het bevind dat ‘n halfuur-lange massering drie keer ‘n week stres met 34 persent verlaag.
Die krag van aanraking op menslike vlak is verstommend. Wanneer jy die krag van God daarby voeg, maak dit ‘n deur na iets wonderbaarliks oop. ‘Dit het so gekom dat Publius se pa in die bed was, siek aan maagkoors. Paulus het na hom toe gegaan, en nadat hy gebid het, het hy sy hande op hom gesit en hom gesond gemaak’ (Handelinge 28:8 NLV). Om siekes of mense wat tot die bediening geroep is die hande op te lê, was ‘n algemene praktyk in die Nuwe Testamentiese kerk.
Jy hoef ook nie ‘n predikant te wees om dit te doen nie. Jesus het gesê: ‘Hierdie is die wondertekens wat dié sal beleef wat glo…’ (Markus 16:17 NLV). As jy ‘n gelowige is wat jou vertroue in Christus geplaas het, is jy gekwalifiseerd. Kan God dit sonder ons doen? Natuurlik. Hy het egter vir ons die voorreg gegee om herleiers van sy krag te wees. Wie weet hoeveel wonderbaarlike oomblikke ons opgeoffer het, omdat ons nie op ‘n vrymoedige Bybelse manier opgetree het deur vir iemand wat siek is te bid, iemand wat geroep is opdrag te gee of iemand aan te moedig wat bloot ‘n hand op hul skouer nodig gehad het nie?
Sielskos: 1 Kro 1-2; Luk 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Spr 20:7-10
