2022-05-25
Luke 8:48 NKJV
The Bible says: “Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years… touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped… Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.’ Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden… she declared… she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately” (vv. 43-44, 46-47 NKJV).
There are three important lessons for us in this story: (1) Recognize and seize your moment of opportunity. This woman understood that Jesus was visiting her town and might not be back. There are “God moments” in life when you must rearrange your priorities, overcome your fear, and exercise your faith. If you don’t, you will miss God’s best.
(2) Be willing to try a different approach. Since she couldn’t get Christ’s attention because of the crowd, this woman touched the hem of His garment and was healed. Many times, faith calls for stepping into the unknown, doing something you have never done before, and discovering God’s grace at work in ways you never expected.
(3) Establish a precedent for others to follow. Until this time, no one in Scripture had been healed by touching Jesus’ garment, and this woman’s faith opened a door for others to follow her example. “People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” (Matthew 14:35-36 NIV).
The fact is, God is looking for people who are willing to break with tradition. And when He finds them, He uses them to unlock new dimensions of His power so others can be blessed and made whole.
Soul food: Heb 9:1-11:16; Matt 12:15-21; Ps 97; Pro 12:1-3
2022-05-24
2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
When you don’t feel good about yourself, you live with a sense of insecurity. You keep looking to others for approval, and when you don’t get it, your sense of worth shrivels. As a result, you can spend your life living far short of your God-given potential. You are the only person you can’t get away from, and until you learn to accept yourself based on the fact that God loves and accepts you as you are, you will always battle insecurity.
Stop and think about the last time you were around somebody you didn’t particularly enjoy. How did it feel? Not too good, right? Good or bad, we project onto others the thoughts and feelings we have about ourselves. So if you want people to think well of you, you must have a good opinion of yourself – one based on God’s Word.
Now, the Bible cautions about having an overinflated opinion of yourself – but don’t go to the other extreme. Living in continual self-rejection is an open invitation to Satan, whom the Bible says is like a roaring lion who goes about looking for someone to devour (See 1 Peter 5:8). You say, “But didn’t Paul write, ‘Nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature’?” (Romans 7:18 NLT). Yes, but that means the good qualities you do possess are evidence that God is at work in your life. The Bible says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV).
Today, instead of focusing on your flaws and feeling bad, recognize the “treasure” of God’s presence, power, and potential that live within you.
Soul food: Heb 5-8; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 93; Pro 11:30-31
2 Corinthians 4:7 NCV
When we don’t feel good about ourselves, we constantly live with a sense of insecurity. We’ll keep looking to others for approval, and if we don’t get it, our sense of worth shrivels, and we spend our time living far short of our God-given potential. So instead of relying on other people’s opinions and acceptance, we need to base our self-worth on God’s opinion. He loves and accepts us just the way we are. Putting our trust in His opinion will help us battle every feeling of insecurity.
It’s fine for us to have a good opinion of ourselves. We know we should value other people because God values and loves them, and that applies to ourselves too. However, we must be careful that we don’t become arrogant and think we’re more worthy than others. The Bible cautions about having an over-inflated opinion of ourselves. But we must also be careful that we don’t go to the other extreme.
Living in continual self-rejection is an open invitation to Satan. The Bible says he’s like a roaring lion who goes hunting for someone to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). Paul wrote, ‘Nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature’ (Romans 7:18 NLT), but that means the good qualities we do possess are evidence that God is at work in our lives. The Bible says, ‘We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 NCV).
So today, instead of focusing on your flaws and feeling insecure because you’re not perfect, try to recognise the ‘treasure’ of God’s presence, power, and potential that live within you.
Heb 5-8; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 93; Pro 11:30-31
2 Korintiërs 4:7 NLV
Wanneer jy nie goed voel oor jouself nie, lewe jy met ‘n gevoel van onsekerheid. Jy strewe dan na ander mense se goedkeuring en wanneer jy dit nie kry nie, krimp jou selfwaarde. Gevolglik kom jy nie naby daaraan om jou Godgegewe potensiaal uit te leef nie. Jy is die enigste persoon van wie jy nie kan wegkom nie en totdat jy leer om jouself te aanvaar omdat God lief is vir jou en jou aanvaar net soos jy is, sal jy altyd met onsekerheid sukkel.
Goed of sleg, ons projekteer die gedagtes en gevoelens wat ons oor onsself het, op ander. As jy dus wil hê dat mense goed dink van jou, moet jy ‘n goeie opinie van jouself hê – wat op God se Woord gebaseer is. Die Bybel waarsku ons dat ons nie te veel van onsself moet dink nie – maar moenie tot die ander uiterste gaan nie. Deur in aanhoudende selfverwerping te lewe, is jy ‘n oop uitnodiging aan Satan, wat die Bybel sê soos ‘n brullende leeu is wat rondloop en soek na iemand om te verslind (sien 1 Petrus 5:8).
Jy sê: ‘Maar het Paulus nie geskryf: ‘…Nêrens in my liggaam skuil daar ‘n enkele stukkie goed nie…’ (Romeine 7:18 DB)?’ Ja, maar dit beteken dat jou goeie kwaliteite die bewys is dat God in jou lewe aan die werk is. Die Bybel sê: ‘Ons het hierdie skat egter maar net in breekbare kleipotte – die allesoortreffende krag kom van God en nie van ons nie’ (2 Korintiërs 4:7 NLV). In plaas daarvan om vandag op jou foute te fokus en sleg te voel, word bewus van die ‘skat’ van God se teenwoordigheid, krag en potensiaal wat binne-in jou lewe.
Sielskos: Heb 5-8; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 93; Spr 11:30-31
2022-05-23
Romans 13:14 NIV
Since first impressions are important, we’re encouraged to “dress for success.” And that’s a good thing. But as a redeemed child of God, your first concern shouldn’t be how you look to others, but to God. Just like a mirror reflects your physical appearance so that you can make adjustments, the Bible reveals your spiritual condition and tells you what to do about it.
James writes: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror… goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:23-25 NIV). You must spend time each day in the Scriptures; otherwise, you will run around spiritually threadbare. Paul writes, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14 NIV).
As Chuck Swindoll observes: “The number one enemy of change is the hard-core, self-satisfied sin nature within you. Like a spoiled child, it has been gratified and indulged for years, so it will not give up without a violent temper tantrum… The flesh dies a slow, bitter, bloody death – kicking and struggling all the way down.” Lasting change takes place in first gear, not overdrive. So expect occasional setbacks, and don’t let them derail you. When you feel like throwing in the towel, get down on your knees and ask God to help you get back on track. He will do it.
Soul food: Heb 1-4; Matt 11:20-30; Ps 88:9b-18; Pro 11:27-29
