2020-02-25
2 Korintiërs 3:5-6 NLV
Jesus het vir sy dissipels gesê: ‘Wees waaksaam en bid. Anders sal die versoeking vir julle te sterk word. ‘n Mens se gees is wel gewillig, maar jou liggaam hou nie altyd by nie’ (Matteus 26:41 NLV). Wat het Hy daarmee bedoel? Hy het bedoel dat hulle sonder die bemagtigende teenwoordigheid van die Heilige Gees, wat Hy pas gesê het hulle sal ontvang, nie opgewasse sou wees teen die uitdagings waar voor hulle binnekort te staan sou kom nie. Hy het nie hulle toewyding en gewilligheid om Hom te dien betwyfel nie; Hy het net geweet dat hulle dit nie alleen sou kon doen nie. Jy kan ook nie. Hoe gouer jy dus ophou probeer, hoe beter daaraan toe sal jy wees! God sal jou net seën wanneer jy jou totale afhanklikheid van Hom erken. Dit beteken dat jy moet bid en op Hom moet leun voor jy begin; en aanhou om te bid en op Hom te leun tot jy die wenstreep oorsteek. Dit beteken ook dat as God jou nie stuur nie en jy dring aan om te gaan, of Hy sê vir jou om iets te doen en jy probeer dit in jou eie krag bereik, jy verseker sal misluk. Wat meer is, is dat Hy jou sal toelaat om aan te hou misluk, totdat jy die plek bereik waar jy soos Paulus kan sê: ‘Nie dat ons op eie houtjie iets kan bedink asof dit ons eie breinkind is nie. Ons bekwaamheid kom van God, wat ons bekwaam gemaak het…’ Dis wanneer ons die einde van ons vermoëns bereik wanneer God se krag inskop. Die woord vir jou vandag is dus: In plaas daarvan om op jou eie krag en hulpbronne staat te maak, maak volkome en alleenlik op God staat.
Sielskos: Gen 4-6; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 40:9-17; Spr 6:6-8
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV
Jesus told His disciples, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41 NKJV). What did He mean by that? He meant that without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, which He’d just told them they’d soon receive, they weren’t equal to the challenges they were about to face. It wasn’t a matter of His doubting their devotion and willingness to serve Him; He just knew they couldn’t do it by themselves. And you can’t either. So the sooner you quit trying, the better off you’ll be! God isn’t looking for educated, sophisticated, well-meaning flesh, or any other kind of “flesh,” for that matter. He will only bless you when you acknowledge your total dependence on Him. That means praying and leaning on Him before you start, and continuing to pray and lean on Him until you reach the finish line. It also means that if God doesn’t send you and you insist on going, or if He tells you to do something and you try to accomplish it in your own strength, you’ll surely fail. And what’s more, He will allow you to keep failing until you reach the place where you can say like Paul: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent.” It’s when we reach the end of our resources that God’s power kicks in. So the word for you today is: Instead of leaning on your own strength and resources, depend wholly and solely on God.
Soul food: Gen 4-6; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 40:9-17; Prov 6:6-8
2020-02-24
Isaiah 54:17 NLT
Have you been falsely accused? So was Jesus. They called Him a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of low-life sinners. They accused the apostle Paul of being a madman, a fool, and a babbler. The Bible calls Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV). And when you’re committed to doing God’s will, he will attack you – and use people to do it. Don’t get discouraged and don’t despair. God will vindicate you. His Word says, “No weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me.” If you insist on retaliating, God will back off and leave you to it. But when you put the situation into His hands, the test can result in a testimony to His goodness and grace in your life. So instead of wasting time complaining, pray: “Let your favour shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. Don’t let me be disgraced…Lord…I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced…Silence their lying lips – those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues” (Psalm 31:16-20 NLT). Simply pray, “Father, I put this situation into Your hands today. Vindicate me.”
Soul food: Gen 1-3; Matt 17:1-13; Ps 40:1-8; Prov 6:1-5
2020-02-23
1 Samuel 1:27 NKJV
Hannah wanted to be a mother so badly that “she…prayed to the Lord and wept” (v. 10 NKJV). In fact, she made a vow to God, pledging that if He gave her a son, she would “give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (v. 11 NKJV). And it happened. The Bible says, “It came to pass in the process of time that Hannah…bore a son” (v. 20 NKJV). The same thing happened to Ruth: “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth” (Matthew 1:5 NKJV). Ruth was a penniless widow when God introduced her to Boaz, the owner of the field in which she was gleaning. She was a Gentile and he was a Jew, and by law they were forbidden to marry. But God removed the barrier that stood in their way, and from their union came a little boy called Obed. He was a progenitor to King David, and eventually to our blessed Lord Jesus. God said, “I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV). And in case you’re not sure of the answer, here it is: “Lord…You…made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You” (v. 17 NKJV). Today if you’re asking God for a child, stand on these Scriptures and believe Him: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass…Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:4-5, 7 NKJV).
Soul food: Titus 2:1-14; Gen 39:6-12; Prov 25:28
2020-02-22
2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV
Sixth, thank God in advance. Imagine standing on a mountaintop looking across a valley toward a mountain on the other side. A big battle is about to take place down below. On one mountain, three enemy nations are poised and waiting to devastate Israel. The Israelites are on your mountain, and their leader Jehoshaphat tells them, “Here’s God’s battle plan. All of those who sing in the choir, I want you out front.” So the army goes marching into battle with the choir on the front line singing praises to God. Did the plan work? Yes. The opposing armies got confused and ended up killing each other – and all God’s people had to do was divide up the plunder! Why did God do it this way? As a visual object lesson to teach us to praise Him in faith even before the victory takes place. When you pray, “Lord, I know I have problems, but I thank You in advance because there’s no situation You can’t take care of,” three things happen: (1) Your atmosphere changes. You no longer feel afraid because you have the assurance of God’s presence. (2) Your attitude changes. You begin to say, “Lord, this may be too big for me, but it’s not too big for You.” (3) Your approach changes. Instead of speaking words of doubt, you start speaking words of faith. And because your faith honors God, He honors your faith and the battle begins to turn in your favour. And here’s another important key to victory: Don’t just praise God for a while and then quit; keep praising Him until your breakthrough comes.
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2020-02-21
2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
Fifth, stand firm. Notice what God told Jehoshaphat: “Stand firm.” What does it mean to “stand firm” when you’re in a crisis? It’s a mental attitude of quiet confidence that says, “I’m going to trust God.” One pastor writes: “This is something I’m slowly learning; it’s never God’s will for me to run from a difficult situation. If I do, the situation will only follow and catch up with me a little further down the line. It may not look the same, but it will be the same. Why? Because God wants to teach me that He is sufficient for any problem. If we don’t learn this today, we may learn it next week. If we don’t learn it next week, we may learn it next year. But eventually we’ll learn it – and the sooner the better. We can save ourselves problems by standing firm and waiting on God in quiet confidence.” So what do we stand firm on? “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful” (v. 20 NIV). First, we need to stand firm on the character of God. God is faithful, and we can depend on Him. Second, we need to stand firm on the writings that He has given us through His prophets – in other words, the truth of the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word, and we need only rely in quiet confidence on His written promises. So the word for you today is: Stand firm on the unchanging character of God and the unchanging promises of His Word.
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
