2020-07-25
Matthew 26:41 NIV
Jesus told His disciples, ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Jesus didn’t doubt the disciples’ love for Him or their willingness to serve Him, but He knew they couldn’t do it in their own strength. Without the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we’re not able to overcome the temptations that come our way. We’ll never be exempt from temptation. In fact, becoming a Christian increases the frequency, variety, and intensity of the temptations we face, because the enemy doesn’t give up easily. But we don’t have to ‘fall into’ temptation. The moment it comes along, and before we have time to give in to it, we need to turn to God’s grace. Jesus said, ‘Watch and pray.’ And that’s exactly what we need to do too. We need to be alert so that we’re aware of the areas of our lives where we’re likely to be tempted, and we need to pray for the strength to overcome any temptation we’re facing. If we’ve given in to temptation before, we don’t need to let shame overtake our lives. We can confess it to God, ask for His forgiveness, and then strengthen ourselves so that we avoid giving in to temptation again. When Jesus said these words to the disciples, they had repeatedly given in to the temptation to sleep when Jesus needed them to stay awake and keep watch. Jesus didn’t disown or condemn the disciples, instead He encouraged them and gave them advice. Let’s not write ourselves off just because we’ve given in to temptation before. Let’s allow God to remove our shame and strengthen us ready to face future temptations.
Acts 18-19; Luke 9:37-45; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 16:17-19
2020-07-24
Psalm 27:14 KJV
David had reached his breaking point. “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV). Can you identify? Have you reached your breaking point? If so, you have two options: Break down or break through. It all depends on what you do. There’s an old saying, “The same sunshine that melts the butter hardens the clay.” When trouble comes, you can either turn against God because you served Him and don’t understand why He’s allowing it, or turn to Him for strength and understanding. That’s why what David says next is so important: “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.” Sometimes God changes our circumstances; other times He uses them to strengthen us. Try to understand this. It’s not just about you, but those God wants to reach through you. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT). Nothing catches God off guard, and nothing’s too hard for Him to handle. The situation you’re in right now can become a platform for Him to demonstrate His love and care for you. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him!’ The Lord is good to those who depend on him” (Lamentations 3:22-25 NLT).
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Luke 9:28-36; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 16:16
Psalm 27:14 DB
Dawid het sy breekpunt bereik: ‘Dis net my geloof in die Here wat my staande hou. Sy goedheid dra my elke dag van my lewe. As ek dit darem nie geglo het nie…’ (Psalm 27:13 DB). Kan jy daarmee identifiseer? Het jy jou breekpunt bereik? Indien dit die geval is, het jy twee opsies: stort ineen of breek deur. Dit hang alles af van wat jy doen. Daar is ‘n ou gesegde: ‘Dieselfde sonskyn wat die botter smelt, verhard die klei.’ Wanneer moeilikheid kom, kan jy óf teen God draai omdat jy Hom gedien het en nie verstaan waarom Hy dit toelaat nie, óf jy kan na Hom toe draai vir krag en begrip. Soms verander God jou omstandighede; ander kere gebruik Hy dit om jou te versterk. Dit gaan nie oor jou nie, maar oor diegene wat God deur jou wil bereik. ‘In al ons swaarkry bemoedig Hy ons. Hy doen dit sodat ons ook in staat sal wees om mense in al hulle swaarkry by te staan…’ (2 Korintiërs 1:4 NLV). Niks betrap God onkant nie en niks is te moeilik vir Hom om te hanteer nie. Die situasie waarin jy jou tans bevind, kan ‘n platform word vir Hom om sy liefde en sorg aan jou te demonstreer. ‘die Here hou nooit op om vir ons om te gee nie. Hy bly getrou. Sy liefde het ons gespaar… ‘n Mens kan altyd op U vertrou. Elke oggend is U maar weer daar. Ek sê vir myself: ‘Ek vertrou die Here, want Hy gee vir my lewe.’ Die Here is baie goed vir elkeen wat wil doen wat Hy vra en elkeen wat op Hom hoop’ (Klaagliedere 3:22-25 DB).
Sielskos: Hand 16-17; Luk 9:28-36; Ps 42:1-5; Spr 16:16
Lamentations 3:25 NLT
Do you feel like you’ve reached your breaking point? Has everything fallen apart around you? When we feel like that, we have two options. We can either give up or we can walk towards breakthrough. We can either turn against God because we serve Him and don’t understand why He’s allowing it, or turn to Him for strength and understanding. David said: ‘Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD’ (Psalm 27:14 NIV). We can be tempted to try and fix all our problems ourselves, but that can actually make our problems worse. We need to turn to God and wait for Him to give us what we need. Sometimes God changes our circumstances; other times He uses them to strengthen us. Also, God wants to reach other people through us. The Bible says: ‘He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others’ (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT). When we’ve been through trials and experienced God’s help and comfort, we’re in a great position to help and comfort others. We can even help them to turn to God themselves. It’s important to remember that nothing we go through is a surprise to God, and nothing’s too hard for Him to handle. The situation we’re in right now can be a way that He shows His love and care for us. In Lamentations, it says: ‘The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him’ (Lamentations 3:22-25 NLT). So let’s turn to God and depend on Him today.
Acts 16-17; Luke 9:28-36; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 16:16
2020-07-23
Genesis 2:8 NKJV
First God made the garden, then He made man and woman and placed them in the garden. This is called “the law of location.” Understand this: You will succeed when you are where God wants you to be. Have you ever experienced the pain of a dislocated joint? It’s miserable. So is trying to “do your own thing” instead of doing God’s will. You can go the easy way or the hard way; God gives you that option. But eventually you’ll go, or you’ll go under. Jonah is an example of this – he decided not to go to Nineveh and preach because he didn’t like the people who lived there. Helping them was the last thing he wanted to do, so he decided to run from his God-given assignment in Nineveh. As a result he ran into a storm, caused misery and loss for everyone on board, and hit bottom before he finally got to where God wanted him to go. Learn from Jonah. Don’t repeat his foolish, costly, and unnecessary mistake. God told Adam to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Then He told him, “You have to work at it.” When you get to the right place, don’t expect your assignment to be easy or think you’ll become successful overnight. American clergyman and author Phillips Brooks prayed, “Lord, we ask You not for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.” When Paul prayed for relief, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV). When you’re in the right place, doing what God wants, you’ll thrive in conditions others crumble under because you’ll be “graced” to handle it.
Soul food: Acts 14-15; Luke 9:18-27; Ps 1; Prov 16:10-15
