2021-02-20
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
God hasn’t made prayer difficult or complicated, but really simple. The truth is, many of us pray more often than we know. And we have a more effective and successful prayer life than we realize. The trouble is, we don’t always recognize when we’re praying. That’s because we’ve gotten the wrong idea about it. We’ve been taught that prayer requires a specific environment like church, or a prescribed posture like kneeling, or a particular form of words like “Thee” and “Thou,” and that we must strictly adhere to certain religious rituals.
No, prayer is simply talking to God, then being still and allowing Him to talk to you. You can pray any time, anywhere, about anything, by just directing your thoughts, spoken and unspoken, toward God.
Paul writes, “We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Imagine that all of God’s blessings and benefits are stored in a giant warehouse in the invisible realm; things like forgiveness, strength, wisdom, guidance, favour, and resources. Through prayer you enter God’s warehouse of blessings, and by faith you receive them and bring them back into your life.
The Bible says you have not because you ask not (See James 4:2). So whatever you need today, pray and ask God for it – believing that He will give it to you. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted” (John 15:7 NLT). So, have you prayed about it?
Soul food: Gen 10-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
God hasn’t made prayer difficult or complicated. Prayer is actually really simple. The truth is, we probably pray more often than we realise. The trouble is, we don’t always recognise when we’re praying, because we can get the wrong idea about it. We might have been taught that prayer needs a specific place or environment like a church, or a certain posture like kneeling with head bowed and eyes closed, or a particular form of words like ‘Thee’ and ‘Thou’, or that we must stick to certain religious rituals when we pray. These things aren’t necessarily wrong, but we don’t need to do them for God to listen to us.
Prayer is simply talking to Him, in a way that feels comfortable and natural to us, then being still and allowing Him to talk to us. We can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything, silently or aloud, just by directing our thoughts towards Him.
Paul wrote, ‘We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.’ Imagine that all of God’s blessings and benefits are stored in a giant warehouse in the invisible realm; things like forgiveness, strength, wisdom, guidance, favour, and resources. Through prayer we enter God’s warehouse of blessings, and by faith we receive them and bring them back into our lives. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted’ (John 15:7 NLT).
So whatever you need today, pray and ask God for it, believing that He will give it to you.
Gen 10-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2021-02-19
Efesiërs 2:8 NLV
Om te verstaan hoe God jou sien, kyk na hierdie twee voorbeelde:
1) ‘n R10 noot. Wat maak dit waardevoller as enige ander stukkie papier van dieselfde grootte? Die rykdom en stabiliteit van die regering wie se stempel daarop afgedruk is. Jy kan die R10 noot opfrommel, daarop trap of dit selfs in twee skeur en weer vasplak, maar sy waarde bly steeds dieselfde.
2) ‘n Robyn. As jy ‘n robyn in die stof rondrol, is dit steeds ‘n robyn, net ‘n vuile. Ons moet uitwys dat jy dan egter eers die vuilheid sal moet afwas en die robyn sal moet poets, om waarlik die skoonheid daarvan te kan waardeer.
Wat is die punt van hierdie twee illustrasies? Dat jou waarde in God se oë, as sy verloste kind, nie verander of verminder wanneer jy vuil word, op getrap word of deur die lewe en omstandighede uitmekaar geskeur word nie. Dis omdat jou werklike waarde nie deur jou eie pogings bepaal word nie, maar deur die prys wat Jesus vir jou aan die kruis betaal het. Daar het die groot wisseling plaasgevind. Al jou sondes, van jou geboorte tot by jou graf, is op Hom gelê. Wanneer jy Hom dan as jou Redder aanvaar, word sy geregtigheid na jou toe oorgedra. Jy hoef dit nie na te streef nie; dis “‘n gawe.” ‘…julle geloof kom nie uit julleself nie, maar is ‘n gawe van God.’
Sielskos: Gen 7-9; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Spr 5:15-20
Ephesians 2:8 AMP
To understand how God sees you, try thinking of these two things:
1) A five-pound note. It’s just a little piece of thin plastic, but it’s more valuable than another piece of plastic the same size because it carries with it the promise of the bank and government that’s issued it. You can crumple it up, step on it, cut it into pieces and tape it back together again, and its value doesn’t change.
2) A diamond. If you dropped a diamond in the mud, it would still be a diamond. It might be dirty, and in order to truly appreciate its beauty, you would have to clean it up and restore its original lustre, but it doesn’t lose its value.
Just like the five-pound note and the diamond, your value in God’s eyes as His redeemed child doesn’t change or decrease when you mess up, get stepped on by others, or crushed and broken by life and circumstances. That’s because your true worth isn’t determined by your own efforts but by the price Jesus paid for you on the cross. At that moment, all your sins (past, present and future) were laid on Him. And when you accept Him as your Saviour, all His righteousness is transferred to you. His blood cleanses you, and you carry God’s promise of love and salvation. You don’t have to earn it or strive for it. It’s a gift: ‘This [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God.’
Gen 7-9; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
Ephesians 2:8 AMPC
To understand how God sees you, try to think of these two things:
(1) A dollar bill. What makes it more valuable than any other piece of paper of equal size? The wealth and stability of the government whose signature is on it. You can crumple that dollar bill up, step on it, even tear it in two and tape it back together again, and its worth is still the same.
(2) A diamond. If you rub a diamond in the dirt, it’s still a diamond, albeit a dirty one. But it has not lost its value. Now, we must point out that in order to truly appreciate the beauty of the diamond, you would have to get the dirt off it and then restore it back to its original luster.
What’s the point of these two illustrations? That your value in God’s eyes as His redeemed child doesn’t change or diminish when you get dirty, or stepped on, or torn apart by life and circumstances.
That’s because your true worth is determined not by your own efforts but by the price Jesus paid for you on the cross. There, the great exchange took place. All your sins from the cradle to the grave were laid on Him. And when you accept Him as your Saviour, all His righteousness is transferred to you. You don’t have to strive for it; it’s a “gift.” “This [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God.”
Soul food: Gen 7-9; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
