2021-09-25
Ephesians 3:17 NLT
Did your parents fail to make you feel loved? Did your partner desert you? Were you physically, sexually, mentally or emotionally abused? These are painful experiences. And recognizing their source is crucial, especially when it’s a root of rejection. You can resort to all kinds of tactics from people-pleasing to work-a-holism to make yourself feel better, but without a root system of healthy self-esteem, nothing works. Flawed roots produce flawed fruit: feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, anger, inability to trust, and fear of intimacy.
How do you change those fruits? By addressing the root of the problem. How do you do that? “He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong” (vv. 16-17 NLT).
The assurance of God’s love can bring healing to your emotions – and He doesn’t just “replant” you, He “re-parents” you. That means you no longer have to draw your security and self-worth from your family of origin, for: “Now are we the sons of God” (1 John 3:2). But remember, it’s a process.
Strong roots require three things: (1) Time to grow. Becoming confident in your identity as God’s child is like breaking in new shoes. You must walk in them till they become comfortable. (2) Protection from things that can kill. Surround yourself with people who build you up instead of tearing you down; people “who share the same precious faith” (See 2 Peter 1:1). (3) Spiritual nourishment. Learn to pray and feed yourself regularly from God’s Word (See Job 23:12).
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Luke 23:13-25; Ps 52; Prov 21:17
Ephesians 3:17 NLT
Plants need strong, healthy root systems to thrive. Those with weak or damaged roots can still grow, but they won’t be able to reach their full potential or withstand stresses as effectively. The good news is that the plants can be treated and the roots encouraged to grow stronger. Some plants suffer from root rot. Once the problem has been identified, the roots need to be washed clean, the bad parts cut away, and the plant is repotted in fresh soil.
And sometimes we need to do the same. Flawed roots produce flawed fruit, like feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, anger, inability to trust, and fear of intimacy. If our root system contains things like rejection, past mistakes, and painful experiences, we need to bring them out into the open and treat them. And we can do that with God’s help. ‘He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong’ (vv. 16-17 NLT).
The assurance of God’s love can bring healing to our emotions. We no longer have to draw our security and self-worth from how others treat us or from our background. But it’s a process.
Strong roots require three things: 1) Time to grow. Becoming confident in our identity as God’s child is like breaking in new shoes. We have to walk in them until they become comfortable. 2) Protection from things that can be harmful. We need to surround ourselves with people who build us up instead of tearing us down; people ‘who share the same precious faith’ (see 2 Peter 1:1). 3) Spiritual nourishment. We need to pray and feed yourselves regularly from God’s Word (see Job 23:12).
1 Sam 4-7; Luke 23:13-25; Ps 52; Prov 21:17
Efesiërs 3:17 NLV
Het jou ouers jou ongelief laat voel? Het jou maat jou verlaat? Is jy in die verlede fisies, seksueel, geestelik of emosioneel mishandel? Hierdie is pynlike ervarings. Dis noodsaaklik om die bron daarvan te ontdek, veral as dit ‘n wortel van verwerping is.
Jy kan allerhande tegnieke gebruik om jouself beter te laat voel, maar sonder ‘n wortelsisteem van ‘n gesonde selfbeeld, sal niks werk nie. Foutiewe wortels bring foutiewe vrugte voort: gevoelens van minderwaardigheid, waardeloosheid, woede, die onvermoë om te vertrou en ‘n vrees vir intimiteit.
Hoe verander jy hierdie vrugte? Deur die wortel van die probleem aan te spreek. Hoe doen jy dit? ‘Mag Hy deur sy Gees uit die rykdom van sy Goddelike grootheid aan julle die krag gee om innerlik sterk te word. Dan sal Christus deur die geloof in julle harte woon, en sal julle in liefde gewortel en gegrondves wees’ (verse 16-17 NLV). Die versekering van God se liefde kan genesing vir jou emosies bring. Jy hoef nie meer jou sin van veiligheid en eiewaarde uit jou familie van herkoms te kry nie, want: ‘…ons is nou reeds kinders van God…’ (1 Johannes 3:2 NLV). Onthou egter dat dit ‘n proses is.
Sterk wortels het drie dinge nodig: 1) Tyd om te groei. Om vol vertroue in jou identiteit as God se kind te word, is soos om nuwe skoene in te loop. Jy moet met hulle loop totdat hulle gemaklik raak. 2) Beskerming van dinge wat dood kan maak. Omring jouself met mense wat jou opbou, eerder as mense wat jou afbreek; mense wat ‘dieselfde kosbare geloof’ (2 Petrus 1:1 NLV), as jy het. 3) Geestelike voeding. Leer om te bid en jouself gereeld uit God se Woord te voed (sien Job 23:12).
Sielskos: 1 Sam 4-7; Luk 23:13-25; Ps 52; Spr 21:17
2021-09-24
Hebrews 5:4 NKJV
When it comes to knowing what God has called you to do in life, you have two options. (1) Speculation. Dr. Hugh Moorhead, who heads the philosophy department at Northeastern Illinois University, wrote to two-hundred-and-fifty well-known philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals, asking them the time-honoured question: “What is the meaning of life?” Then he published their responses in a book. Some offered their best guesses, some admitted they had made up a purpose for life, and others were honest enough to say they were clueless. In fact, a number of them asked Moorhead to write back and tell them if he himself had discovered the purpose of life. Thank God there’s a scriptural alternative to speculation!
(2) Revelation. “No man takes this honour to himself, but he who is called by God.” When you know God has called you to do a certain thing you can be confident He will provide the resources, wisdom, connections and strategy. And here’s the great thing – you can find all of these in His Word. The Bible is the original owner’s manual when it comes to explaining why you’re alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could possibly know.
Paul writes, “God’s wisdom…goes deep into the interior of his purposes…It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us” (1 Corinthians 2:7 MSG). You’ve been genetically wired to fulfill a certain purpose in life. And to discover it, you must turn to God’s Word and not the world’s wisdom.
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Luke 23:1-12; Ps 34; Prov 21:14-16
Hebreërs 5:4 NLV
Wanneer dit kom by die wete oor wat God jou geroep het om in die lewe te doen, het jy twee opsies:
1) Spekulasie. Dr Hugh Moorhead, die hoof van die filosofie departement by die Northeastern Illinois Universiteit, het aan twee-honderd-en-vyftig bekende filosowe, wetenskaplikes, skrywers en kenners geskryf en vir hulle die eeue-oue vraag: ‘Wat is die betekenis van die lewe?’ gevra. Toe het hy hulle antwoorde in ‘n boek gepubliseer. Sommige het hul beste raaiskote aangebied, ander het erken dat hulle self ‘n doel vir die lewe uitgedink het en ander was eerlik genoeg om te erken dat hulle nie die vaagste benul het wat die betekenis van die lewe is nie. Dank God dat daar ‘n Skriftuurlike alternatief tot spekulasie is!
2) Openbaring. ‘En niemand kan ‘n hoëpriester word bloot omdat hy graag daardie ereposisie wil hê nie…’ Wanneer jy weet dat God jou geroep het om ‘n sekere ding te doen, kan jy verseker wees dat Hy die hulpbronne, wysheid, konneksies en strategie, sal voorsien. Wat meer is, is dat jy al hierdie dinge in sy Woord kan vind. Die Bybel is die oorspronklike eienaarshandleiding wat verduidelik hoekom jy lewe, hoe die lewe werk, wat jy moet vermy en wat jy in die toekoms kan verwag.
Paulus skryf: ‘Ons vertel vir julle van God se plan. Niemand het iets daarvan geweet nie, net God het daarvan geweet. Voordat God die wêreld gemaak het, het Hy begin om sy plan gereed te maak sodat ons eendag saam met Hom kan wees waar Hy Koning is’ (1 Korintiërs 2:7 ABA).
Jy is geneties geskape om ‘n sekere doel in die lewe te vervul. Om hierdie doel te ontdek, moet jy na God se wysheid en nie na die wêreld se wysheid nie, toe draai.
Sielskos: 1 Sam 1-3; Luk 23:1-12; Ps 34; Spr 21:14-16
