2020-02-21
2 Kronieke 20:17 NLV
Vyfdens, neem jou posisie in. Jy moet vas staan tydens ‘n krisis en ‘n houding van stille vertroue inneem wat sê: ‘Ek gaan op God vertrou.’ Een pastoor skryf: ‘Dis iets wat ek stadig maar seker leer; dis nooit God se wil dat ek van ‘n moeilike situasie weghardloop nie. As ek dit doen, sal die situasie my net volg en ‘n bietjie verder langs die pad weer inhaal. Dit mag dalk nie dieselfde lyk nie, maar dit sal dieselfde wees. Hoekom? Omdat God my wil leer dat Hy vir elke situasie voldoende is. As ons dit nie vandag leer nie, mag ons dit dalk volgende week leer. As ons dit nie volgende week leer nie, sal ons dit dalk volgende jaar leer. Ons sal dit wel uiteindelik leer – liewer vroeër as later. Ons kan probleme voorkom deur posisie in te neem en in stille vertroue op God te wag.’ Waarop wag ons in vertroue? ‘Glo in die Here, en julle sal vas staan. Glo in sy profete, en julle sal suksesvol wees’ (vers 20 NLV). Eerstens moet ons vas op God se karakter staan. God is getrou en ons kan op Hom staatmaak. Tweedens, moet ons vasstaan op die geskrifte wat Hy deur sy profete aan ons gegee het – met ander woorde, die waarheid van die Bybel. Die Bybel is God se Woord en ons moet eenvoudig in stille vertroue op sy geskrewe beloftes staatmaak. Die woord vir jou vandag is dus: Neem posisie in en staan vas op die onveranderende karakter van God en die onveranderende beloftes van sy Woord.
Sielskos: Pred 5-8; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Spr 5:15-20
2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV
Another thing we need to do in order to win our battles is to stand firm. God told Jehoshaphat: ‘Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.’ What does it mean for us to ‘stand firm’ when we’re in a crisis? It’s having an attitude of quiet confidence that says, ‘I’m going to trust God.’ Moses also told the people to stand firm. They were being chased by the Egyptians, and were starting to regret leaving their life in Egypt and coming into the desert. He said: ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still’ (Exodus 14:13-14 NIV). It can be hard to stand our ground while the battle seems to be raging around us. We want to take matters into our own hands. But we need to be still and let God fight for us. This doesn’t mean we do nothing about our situations, but it does mean we trust in God to bring the victory. So what do we stand firm on? Jehoshaphat went on to tell the people: ‘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). We need to stand firm on the character of God. God’s faithful, and we can depend on Him. We also need to stand firm on the truth of His Word, the Bible. Every promise written in there will be fulfilled. So, in the battles we’re facing, let’s stand firm on the unchanging character of God and the unchanging promises of His Word.
Ecc 5-8; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
2020-02-20
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
Fourth, learn to relax in faith. Notice how God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer: “The battle is not yours, but God’s.” Many of us wear ourselves out trying to fight God’s battles in our own strength. In the initial flush of becoming Christians, we’re eager to win the world to Jesus, and want to go out and singlehandedly bring about His kingdom. That’s because we don’t realize what’s involved. Then after we’ve worked hard under our own steam, reality sets in. We end up crawling back on our hands and knees, disappointed, because we think we’ve let God down. But He reassures us, “You didn’t let Me down, because you weren’t holding Me up.” The truth is, we don’t hold God up – He holds us up! We don’t have Him in our hands, He has us in His hands! And He’s telling us to relax in faith and let Him do the work through us. Paul wrote, “As you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him” (Colossians 2:6 NIV). In other words, remember how you first became a believer – by simple faith in the finished work of Christ – and continue to live by simple faith. You didn’t become a Christian by striving for perfection and doing good works. Good works have nothing to do with it! Salvation is a free gift. God doesn’t need us to micromanage things; He has everything under control, and He wants us to relax and let Him live through us. Bottom line: Victory in life is a gift from God! “Thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14 GWT).
Soul food: Ecc 1-4; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 33:1-12; Prov 5:7-14
2 Kronieke 20:15 NLV
Vierdens, leer om in geloof te ontspan. Let op hoe God op Josafat se gebed gereageer het: ‘…die oorlog is nie julle s’n nie, maar God s’n.’ Baie van ons maak onsself moeg deur te probeer om God se gevegte in ons eie krag te probeer wen. Wanneer ons nuutgebore is, is ons ywerig om die wêreld vir Jesus te wen en wil ons op eie houtjie sy koninkryk meebring. Dan, wanneer ons hard op eie stoom gewerk het, slaan die realiteit toe. Ons kruip teleurgesteld op ons hande en knieë terug, omdat ons dink dat ons God in die steek gelaat het. Die waarheid is egter dat ons nie God omhoog hou nie – Hy hou ons omhoog! Ons het Hom nie in ons hande nie, Hy het ons in sy hande! Hy sê vir ons om in geloof te ontspan en Hom toe te laat om sy werk deur ons te doen. Paulus skryf: ‘Noudat julle Christus Jesus as Here aangeneem het, moet julle die leefstyl van ‘n Christen volg’ (Kolossense 2:6 NLV). Met ander woorde, onthou hoe jy aanvanklik ‘n gelowige geword het – deur eenvoudige geloof in die voltooide werk van Christus – en hou dan aan om in eenvoudige geloof te lewe. Jy het nie ‘n Christen geword omdat jy na perfeksie gestrewe het en goeie werke gedoen het nie. Goeie werke het niks daarmee uit te waai nie! Verlossing is ‘n gratis geskenk. God het nie nodig dat ons dinge bestuur nie; Hy het alles onder beheer en wil hê dat ons ontspan en Hom toelaat om deur ons te lewe. Oorwinning in die lewe is ‘n gawe van God! ‘Ek is dankbaar teenoor God wat ons, omdat ons één is met Christus, altyd saamneem in sy triomftog…’ (2 Korintiërs 2:14 NLV).
Sielskos: Pred 1-4; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 33:1-12; Spr 5:7-14
2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV
Another thing we need to do to win our battles is to trust in God and persevere when it gets tough. God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer by saying: ‘The battle is not yours, but God’s.’ We can often wear ourselves out trying to fight God’s battles in our own strength. But God says: ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength’ (Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV). If we’re feeling weak from fighting in our own strength, we can go to Him and ask Him to restore and refresh us. If we’re going to rely on His strength, we need to trust Him. But trusting in God can be easier said than done, especially when we’re facing a really tough battle. We can wonder whether God has left us to deal with it on our own, or whether He wanted us to suffer. Sometimes our battles can seem to be intensifying rather than getting better. How are we supposed to trust Him when things are getting worse? But God can see the bigger picture, and we might not always understand it. The Bible says: ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight’ (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV). It’s in the times when nothing seems to be changing that we need to persistently bring our battles to God. We need to wait expectantly for Him to move. We need to trust Him to bring victory. God doesn’t need us to micromanage things; He has everything under control. He wants us to relax and trust in Him.
Ecc 1-4; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 33:1-12; Prov 5:7-14
