2022-06-25
Psalm 112:7 KJV
There is a big difference between thinking about God from time to time and having your mind “fixed” on Him. Echoing psychologist William James, researcher Jeffrey Schwartz writes: “The essential achievement of the will is to attend to one object and hold it clear and strong before the mind, letting all others – its rivals for attention and subsequent action – fade away like starlight swamped by the radiance of the Sun.”
Have you ever dropped a contact lens on the carpet? Your intense focus causes the brain to suppress anything that distracts you from finding the lost lens – lint, carpet color and pattern, cookie crumbs. Your mind is “fixed.” It responds with the laser-like focus of a bloodhound given a shirt with the scent of a fugitive. It’s amazing how often people see themselves as victims of whatever thoughts happen to run through their head. It’s like they’re passive spectators with no control, watching unbidden thoughts scroll across the screen of their mind.
Understand this: There is a battle being waged by Satan to control the kinds of thoughts that run through your mind. And it’s a battle you can’t win without God’s help. The ultimate freedom – one nobody can take away from you – is the freedom to decide what your mind will dwell on. In describing the truly blessed person, the psalmist wrote, “His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” When your mind is “fixed” on God, you will see evidences of His presence everywhere you look. You will be able to say with certainty, “Surely [not maybe] goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6 KJV). So, keep your mind fixed on God.
Soul food: Hosea 6-10; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 8; Pro 14:9-12
Matthew 6:26 NKJV
Jesus said: ‘Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?… These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need’ (v.26-33 NLT).
And here are some more scriptural promises to stand on when we’re not sure if God will provide for us: ‘Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need’ (Psalm 34:9 NLT). ‘Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house… He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD’ (Psalm 112:1-7 NKJV). God recorded these promises in His Word so that you could read them over and over, use them to rise above worry, and live your life with joy and confidence in Him.
Hosea 6-10; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 8; Pro 14:9-12
2022-06-24
1 Korintiërs 2:16 NLV
Daar is ‘n natuurlike ingesteldheid en ‘n geestelike ingesteldheid. Om in oorwinning te lewe, moet jy ‘n geestelike ingesteldheid ontwikkel. ‘Mense wat nog in materiële terme dink, kan nie hierdie waarhede toe-eien wat van die Gees van God kom nie… Hulle kan dit nie verstaan nie, want hierdie dinge moet uit ‘n geestelike perspektief verstaan word… ons is ingestel om soos Christus te dink’ (1 Korintiërs 2:14, 16 NLV).
Soos jy jou lewe in ooreenstemming met God se Woord programmeer en jouself bewustelik daaraan onderwerp om elke dag sy wil te doen, sal Hy sy gedagtes in jou gedagtes plant. Wat ‘n voordeel! Byvoorbeeld: Iemand kritiseer jou en jou gevoelens word seergemaak. In daardie oomblik praat die Here met jou en sê: ‘Ja, jou gevoelens is seergemaak, maar ‘n deel daarvan is net gewonde ydelheid. Ek is lief vir jou ten spyte van al jou gemors. Jou posisie by My is nie in gevaar nie. Die persoon wat jou gekritiseer het, sien dalk ‘n fout raak. Maar dit is beter om nie te hoef voor te gee dat jy perfek is nie. Hier is ‘n kans om te groei. Gebruik dit!’
Selfs al is daar elemente van pyn in hierdie geestelike soort gedagtes, verlam dit jou nie, maar gee jou eerder energie. Dit is waar, dit gee jou grond om op te staan en jy besef dat indien jy jou gedagtes op hulle gefokus kan hou, sal die regte gevoelens en aksies meer geneig wees om daaruit te vloei. Nou begin jy die volgende belofte uitleef: ‘U bewaar elkeen wat op U vertrou in vrede, die mense wie se gedagtes op U gerig is’ (Jesaja 26:3 NLV).
In plaas daarvan om op jou kritici te fokus, fokus eerder op God, op jou geestelike groei en wat jy uit die ervaring kan leer.
Sielskos: Hosea 1-5; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 144:9-15; Spr 14:5-8
Genesis 22:16-17 NKJV
God won’t ask us for what we don’t have, but sometimes He will ask for the one thing we really want to keep. It reveals if there’s anything we value or depend on more than Him. Abraham was tested like nobody else in history. But he passed the test and was blessed like very few others in history. Imagine God saying to you, ‘Take now your son, your only son… whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you’ (v.2 NKJV).
So many questions would swirl through your mind. But Abraham trusted God. In fact, his faith was so strong that he would be described as ‘the friend of God’ (James 2:23 NKJV) and ‘the father of all them that believe’ (Romans 4:11 KJV). When the test was over (and Isaac wasn’t sacrificed), God said this to Abraham: ‘Because you have done this thing, and have not withheld… your only son… I will bless you, and… multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore… In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice’ (Genesis 22:16-18 NKJV).
So now the question is: what’s God asking of you? Are you struggling with giving it? Are you withholding what He wants, or are you handing it over confidently? Isaac was the hardest seed Abraham ever had to sow, but that seed produced a harvest of blessing greater than anything Abraham ever dreamed of or thought possible. What’s God asking you to do today? When you say yes to Him, you’ll get to see the amazing things He can do and just how far His blessing can reach.
Hosea 1-5; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 144:9-15; Pro 14:5-8
1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV
There is a natural mindset, and there is a spiritual mindset. To live victoriously, you must develop a spiritual mindset. The Bible says: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God… and cannot understand them because they are [spiritually] discerned… But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:14, 16 NIV).
As you program your life in accordance with God’s Word and consciously submit yourself to do His will every day, He will plant His thoughts in your mind. What an advantage! For example, someone criticizes you and your feelings get hurt. In that moment the Lord speaks to you and says, “Yes, your feelings are hurt, but part of it is just wounded vanity and we can deal with that. I love you despite all your junk. Your standing with me isn’t at risk. The person who criticized you may see a flaw. But nobody thinks you’re perfect anyway, and it’s better not to have to pretend. Here is a chance to grow. Use it!”
Even though there are elements of pain in these kinds of thoughts, instead of paralyzing you, they energize you. They’re true, they give you ground to stand on, and you realize that if you can keep your mind centered on them, the right feelings and actions are more likely to flow from them. Now you’re starting to live out the promise, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV).
Instead of focusing on your critics, focus on God, on your spiritual growth, and on what you can learn from the experience.
Soul food: Hosea 1-5; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 144:9-15; Pro 14:5-8
