2022-03-06
Rigters 16:28 NLV
Simson het in die tronk gebid: ‘…’God, maak my tog net hierdie een keer so sterk…’ Simson het met sy hande teen die twee hoofpilare gedruk waarop die gebou rus… Hy het met al sy krag gedruk en die tempel het inmekaargestort… Met sy dood het Simson baie meer mense doodgemaak as deur sy hele lewe’ (verse 28-30 NLV). Hoe het Simson in hierdie tronk opgeëindig? Delila! Die Bybel sê: ‘…sy [het] dagin en daguit by hom bly neul…’ (vers 16 NLV).
Satan is aanhoudend en hy wag om jou in ‘n onbewaakte oomblik te vang. Dis hoekom sekere deure in jou lewe nooit oopgemaak moet word nie. As jy die verkeerde aptyt net vir een dag voed, kan jy ‘n leeftyd daarmee sukkel. Miskien het jy al die plakkaat gesien wat sê: ‘Elke oggend in Afrika, word ‘n wildsbok wakker. Hy weet dat hy vinniger as die vinnigste leeu moet hardloop, of hy sal doodgemaak word. Elke oggend word ‘n leeu wakker. Hy weet dat hy vinniger as die stadigste wildsbok moet hardloop, anders sal hy van honger sterf. Dit maak nie saak of jy ‘n leeu of ‘n wildsbok is nie; wanneer die son opkom, beter jy aan die hardloop wees.’
Die goeie nuus is dat Simson God onthou het! Dis ‘n wonderlike dag wanneer jy God onthou en weer na Hom toe uitreik. Simson se grootste oorwinning het in die laaste hoofstuk van sy lewe plaasgevind. Hy word inderdaad saam met die helde van geloof in Hebreërs hoofstuk elf, genoem.
Maak nie saak waar jy vandag is of in watse toestand jy jou bevind nie, draai na God toe. Hy sal jou help om ‘n terugkeer te maak. Dis nie te laat vir jou nie.
Sielskos: 1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
Judges 16:28 NLT
In prison Samson prayed: ‘LORD… please strengthen me just one more time… Then Samson put his hands on the two centre pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands… the temple crashed down… So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime’ (vv. 28-30 NLT). Samson ended up in this prison because of Delilah. The Bible says, ‘She pressed him daily’ (v. 16 KJV).
Satan is persistent, and he waits to catch us in unguarded moments. That’s why there are certain doors in life we should never open. If we give in to a temptation for one single day, we can end up struggling with it for a lifetime.
There’s a poster that says: ‘Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.’
The good news is, Samson remembered God! And it’s a wonderful day when we remember God and reach again for Him. Samson ‘killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime’ (v.30 NLT). His greatest victory was recorded in the final chapter of his life. In fact, he’s named among the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven. Regardless of where we are today, whether we’re feeling like a failure, or broken and burnt out, we must turn to God. He’ll help us turn things around. It’s never too late for God to make a difference.
1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
Judges 16:28 NLT
In prison Samson prayed: “Lord… please strengthen me just one more time…. Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands… the temple crashed down… So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime” (vv. 28-30 NLT). How did Samson end up in this prison? Delilah! The Bible says, “She pressed him daily” (v. 16).
Satan is persistent, and he waits to catch you in an unguarded moment. That’s why there are certain doors in life you should never open. If you feed the wrong appetite for a day, you can end up struggling with it for a lifetime. Perhaps you have seen the poster that says: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
The good news is, Samson remembered God! And it’s a wonderful day when you remember God and reach again for Him. Note the words “he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime” (v. 30 NLT). Samson’s greatest victory was recorded in the final chapter of his life. In fact, he is named among the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven. Regardless of where you are today or what shape you’re in, turn to God. He will help you make a comeback. It’s not too late for you.
Soul food: 1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
2022-03-05
Genesis 32:30 NIV
“Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip” (vv. 30-31 NIV). The truth is, without God’s protective hand on your life, you wouldn’t be here today! The reason you didn’t die in the accident, or that tumor didn’t claim you, is because God is not finished with you yet. Do you remember when some of your friends (and your enemies) didn’t think you would make it? But God rescued you and placed you where you are today. After God finished wrestling with him, Jacob said, “My life was spared.” And so was yours, right? That’s because there is more to come.
The Bible says, “God… creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 4:17 NLT). He wants to set in place in your life things that weren’t there before. Good things! But notice something very important: “Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak” (Genesis 32:24 NIV). When God deals with you on important issues, He does it one-on-one, not as part of the crowd. In fact, being in a crowd can keep you from hearing His voice. Being alone with God can feel threatening because your facade and ego get stripped away. Your first impulse may be to stay with the crowd, but you soon discover they can’t calm the restlessness in your spirit. That restlessness is God calling you to a meeting! So, like Jacob, don’t be afraid to wrestle with Him until a new day breaks for you.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 136:1-12; Pro 6:30-31
Genesis 32:30 NIV
The Bible says, ‘Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip’ (v.30-31 NIV). Without God’s protective hand on our lives, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Even if we think God can’t use us, or we think we’ve done all we can, God hasn’t finished with us. Even when other people doubt our abilities to carry out what God’s called us to do (and even when we doubt ourselves), God doesn’t cast us aside. He always has more for us and can use us. After God finished wrestling with him, Jacob said, ‘My life was spared.’ There was so much more to come, more that Jacob could accomplish for God.
The Bible says, ‘God… creates new things out of nothing’ (Romans 4:17 NLT). He wants to set things in place in our lives that weren’t there before. Good things! But notice something very important: ‘Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak’ (Genesis 32:24 NIV).
When God needs to deal with us on important issues, He does it one-to-one, not as part of a crowd. In fact, being in a crowd can prevent us hearing His voice. Being alone with God can feel nerve-wracking because our egos and protective facades we’ve built up get stripped away. We might want to stay with the crowd at first, but they can’t calm the restlessness we feel when our spirits respond to God’s call. We needn’t be afraid of God’s calling us to be alone with Him. It’s just the start of His next chapter for our lives.
Exo 22-24; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 136:1-12; Pro 6:30-31
