2021-09-24
Hebrews 5:4 NCV
When it comes to knowing what our purpose is, we have two options. 1) Guesswork. If we only rely on our own knowledge and feelings to find our purpose, we’re likely to get it wrong somewhere. We’d probably end up choosing the purpose we think we’d like, rather than the purpose that’s actually right for us. We can’t see the whole picture.
So we need: 2) Revelation. In the Bible, we read: ‘To be a high priest is an honour, but no one chooses himself for the work. He must be called by God as Aaron was.’ We can apply a similar thought to our own calling – it’s not our choice, but God’s. And we can actually draw comfort from this, because it means that when God has called us to do a certain thing, we can be confident that He’ll provide the resources, wisdom, connections and strategy we need to fulfil it.
We can also find guidance in His Word. In the Bible, we can discover insights into why we exist, how life works, how best to live our lives, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. There are a lot of self-help books out there, and while many of them contain good advice, none of them are God’s personal message to His children. The Message paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘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).
Each one of us has been created to fulfil a certain unique purpose in life. And to discover it, we need to turn to God and His Word, not the world’s wisdom.
1 Sam 1-3; Luke 23:1-12; Ps 34; Prov 21:14-16
2021-09-23
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
The Bible says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Overcoming fear begins with understanding that fear is a “spirit”, and it doesn’t come from God. Each time you realize that, you’re less likely to give in to it. So, what has God given us in place of fear?
Three things: (1) Power. Now we’re not simply talking about self-help techniques and stress management. This is deeper than anxiety reduction to make your life more pleasant. It’s a settled conviction that goes down to the core of your being, that all things that concern you are in the hands of a loving God who has only the best in mind for you. Therefore all things will be well, and you can live free of worry.
(2) Love. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18 NKJV). Only when you realize that you are loved unconditionally by a God who never changes His mind about you, will you learn to love and accept yourself, and then be able to love and accept others. Can you imagine the effect that would have on your fear of people, fear of rejection, and fear of criticism? This kind of love is more than a “feel-good” emotion; it’s a life-changing force.
(3) A sound mind. Paul writes: “We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG).
These three things are God’s answer to worry.
Soul food: Song of Sol 5-8; Luke 22:63-71; Ps 39; Prov 21:9-13
2 Timoteus 1:7 AFR53
Die Bybel sê: ‘Want God het ons nie ‘n gees van vreesagtigheid gegee nie, maar van krag en liefde en selfbeheersing…’ Om vrees te oorkom, moet ons eerstens verstaan dat vrees ‘n ‘gees’ is en dat dit nie van God af kom nie. Elke keer wat jy dit besef, sal jy minder geneig wees om daartoe in te gee. Wat het God vir ons in die plek van vrees gegee? Drie dinge:
1) Krag. Ons praat nie hier van self-help tegnieke en stresbestuur nie. Dit gaan dieper as blote angsvermindering om jou lewe meer aangenaam te maak. Dis ‘n vaste oortuiging wat na die kern van jou wese gaan, dat alle dinge waaroor jy jou bekommer in die hande van ‘n liefdevolle God is wat net die beste vir jou in gedagte het. Daarom sal alles goed gaan en kan jy sonder bekommernis lewe.
2) Liefde. Die Bybel sê: ‘volwasse liefde dryf die vrees uit…’ (1 Johannes 4:18 NLV). Eers wanneer jy besef dat God, wat nooit van opinie oor jou verander nie, jou onvoorwaardelik liefhet, sal jy leer om jouself lief te hê en te aanvaar en dan in staat wees om ander mense lief te hê en te aanvaar. Kan jy jou die effek indink wat dit op jou vrees vir mense, vrees vir verwerping en vrees vir kritiek sal hê? Hierdie tipe liefde is meer as ‘n ‘goed voel’ emosie; dis ‘n lewensveranderende krag.
3) ‘n Gesonde verstand. Paulus skryf: ‘Elke hooghartige leuen wat die ware kennis van God probeer verdraai, loop ons met God se wapens onderstebo. En elke gedagte wat deur ons kop gaan, neem ons gevange en lewer dit aan Christus uit. Ons dink slegs wat Hy wil hê’ (2 Korintiërs 10:5 DB).
Hierdie drie dinge is God se antwoord op bekommernis.
Sielskos: Hoogl 5-8; Luk 22:63-71; Ps 39; Spr 21:9-13
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
The Bible says, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ Dealing with fear begins with understanding that fear is a ‘spirit’, and it doesn’t come from God. Each time we realise that, we’re less likely to give in to it. So, what has God given us in place of fear?
Three things: 1) Power. We’re not simply talking about self-help techniques and stress management. This is something much deeper. It’s a settled and unshakeable conviction that goes down to the core of our being, that all things that concern us are in the hands of a loving God who has only the best in mind for us. He works for our good, and we can rest secure and confident in His power.
2) Love. The Bible says, ‘Perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18 NKJV). It’s only when we realise that we’re loved unconditionally by God, who never changes His mind about us, that we learn to love and accept ourselves, and then be able to love and accept others. Imagine the effect that would have on any fears of people, fear of rejection, and fear of criticism that we have. This kind of love is more than a ‘feel-good’ emotion; it’s a life-changing force.
3) A mind focused on Christ. The Message paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG). Let’s take hold of those three things that God has given us, and use them to break down our fears.
Song of Sol 5-8; Luke 22:63-71; Ps 39; Prov 21:9-13
2021-09-22
1 John 4:18 NKJV
Modern science confirms the truth of the Scripture: “There is no fear in love…perfect love casts out fear.” Love and fear are incompatible; they can’t co-exist. Children have two basic needs: (1) A need to explore. That’s how they learn, grow and develop. (2) A need to feel safe. If they don’t feel secure, they won’t explore. Every human being needs a secure base from which to investigate and grow. Research confirms that, generally speaking, one parent more than the other will push a child to take chances, run risks and learn that a little danger is a good thing, while the other parent tends to be the comforter, the soother, the safety net. But the truth is any parent can give a child both gifts.
When we’re afraid, our body activates its sympathetic nervous system. Our heart races, our breathing becomes faster and shallower and our muscles tense up. So we run to our non-anxious presence: our comforter, protector and parent. And as we are held, reassured and loved, the parasympathetic system takes over. Our heart rate slows, our breathing becomes deep and even, our muscles relax and blood flows back to our brain. In essence, a little voice inside us says, “I can go out and face the world again.”
It’s a fact in the physical realm that “perfect love casts out fear.” And it’s also true in the spiritual realm. With a God who is tender enough to love and comfort us, yet strong enough to be our rock and our fortress, we can face what life throws at us and grow stronger as a result.
Soul food: Song of Sol 1-4; Luke 22:54-62; Ps 3; Prov 21:4-8
