2022-10-19
Romans 12:3 NKJV
It’s easy to give in to negative thoughts and fears about how things will turn out based on your past experiences. As Jesus pointed out, we live in a “faithless” generation (Matthew 17:17 NKJV). That means you must constantly fight the defeatist attitude portrayed by the culture, the media, the educational system, the workplace – and sometimes your own friends. Unless you recognize this, it can wear you down by diluting your faith. That’s why you need to feed your faith daily on God’s Word. Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move’… and it will” (Matthew 17:20 NKJV).
Notice, Jesus isn’t referring to a mountain you encountered years ago. He said, “Say to this mountain.” He wants you to exercise your faith today! He said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you” (v. 20 NKJV). A mustard seed is so tiny, it can get stuck between your teeth. But Jesus said although it’s “the least of all the seeds,” it grows into a tree big enough for the birds to nest in (See Matthew 13:32 NKJV).
You say, “I don’t have any faith.” Yes, you do. Paul says, “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” And when it’s activated, miracles happen. Even if you have only an ounce of faith left, you have what you need to prevail. But faith only works when it becomes the language you speak and the attitude you maintain. The Enemy doesn’t want you to know that, because when you do, you won’t just think about what’s happening, you will start thinking about what’s possible!
Soul food: 2 Sam 7:18-11:27; John 4:27-38; Ps 32; Prov 23:29-35
2022-10-18
Maleagi 3:10 NLV
Pasop daarvoor om ‘n sin van geregtigheid te ontwikkel waar jy dink dat jou geld iets is wat jy op jou eie verdien het. Elke keer wat jy sukkel om vir God dit te gee waarop Hy volgens die Skrif geregtig is, is dit omdat jy meer geheg aan die gawe as die gewer geraak het.
Lees egter die volgende: ‘…Bring al die tiendes na die stoorkamers sodat daar genoeg kos in my tempel kan wees. Toets My hierin of Ek nie vir julle die vensters van die hemel sal oopmaak nie. Ek sal voorspoed op julle laat reën wat meer as genoeg vir julle sal wees!’ (vers 10 NLV).
‘n Pastoor het ‘n brief van ‘n paartjie in sy gemeente gekry: “Ons was agter met ons huur en ons karpaaiemente. Ons was veertigduisend rand in die skuld, ons het geen kos in die yskas gehad nie en het pas met ‘n konstruksiebesigheid begin. Toe jy ons egter uitgedaag het om ons tiende te gee, het ons gedink: ‘Hoe kan ons gee wat ons nie het nie?’ Nietemin, het ons besluit om voort te gaan en God te eer deur Hom die eerste tiende van ons inkomste te gee. Die heel eerste week het ons ‘n kontrakteur ontmoet wat ons gevra het om ‘n huis te bou, met vele meer wat gevolg het. Nou het ons nie meer bevraagteken hoe ons ons verbintenis aan God sou nakom nie; om die waarheid te sê, ons het ons gawes verhoog! Jy kan egter nie meer as God gee nie. Deur ‘n reeks goddelik georkestreerde geleenthede het ons van huurders tot huiseienaars gegaan. Vandag geniet ons finansiële seën. En al gaan hierdie verhaal daaroor om God te vertrou, probeer ons by nabetragting steeds een vraag beantwoord: ‘Wat presies was dit wat ons opgeoffer het?'”
Sielskos: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; Joh 4:13-26; Ps 100; Spr 23:22-28
Malachi 3:10 NLT
Beware of developing a sense of entitlement where you think your money is something you earned all by yourself. Anytime you struggle to give God what is rightfully His according to Scripture, it’s because you have become more attached to the gift than the giver.
If you have never tried tithing, read this: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse… If you do… I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” (v. 10 NLT).
A pastor received this letter from a couple in his church: “We were behind with our rent and car payments. We were forty thousand dollars in debt, we’d no food in the fridge, and we’d just started a construction business. So when you challenged us to tithe as part of our Christian commitment, we thought, ‘How can we give what we don’t have?’ Nevertheless, we decided to go ahead and honour God by giving Him the first tenth of our income. The very first week we met a contractor who asked us to build a house, with more to follow. Now we no longer questioned how we’d fulfill our commitment to God; in fact, we increased our giving! And if the story ended there, it would still be a good one. But you can’t outgive God. Through a series of divinely orchestrated events, we went from being renters to being homeowners. Today, we’re enjoying financial blessing. And even though this story is all about trusting God, on reflection we’re still trying to answer one question: ‘What exactly was it we sacrificed?'”
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; John 4:13-26; Ps 100; Prov 23:22-28
2022-10-17
Psalm 143:10 NKJV
In order for you to understand God’s will, for the next few days let’s use the word S.H.A.P.E. as an acrostic. S represents your spirit. Your regenerated spirit is the part of you that’s capable of connecting with God and responding to Him. The Bible says: “People who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).
You can know something in your spirit without understanding it in your brain. Does that sound strange? It’s not: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Sometimes a Scripture leaps off the page you’re reading in the Bible and you “know” it’s God speaking to you and giving you direction. At the time it may not seem to make sense to you, but it resonates in your spirit as being right. We use different words to describe this experience, such as “a leading” or “a prompting.”
Will you sometimes get it wrong and make a mistake? Yes. The most mature Christians among us do. In his youth, God spoke to Samuel the prophet four different times before he finally recognized His voice. Just as you exercise your body to make it stronger, you must exercise your spirit to make it sharper and more sensitive to God: “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong” (Hebrews 5:14 NLT).
Soul food: Ezra 1-2; John 7:14-24; Ps 9; Prov 24:30-34
Job 12:12 NLV
‘n Bejaarde dame het gesê: ‘Een voordeel van ‘n lang lewe is om dit wat ek geleer het, te kan deel. Laat my toe om drie geheime te deel wat jou lewe kan verbeter.’ Toe het sy baie goeie raad aangebied:
1) ‘Tyd is kosbaar, moenie dit mors nie. Nadat my man oorlede is, het ek by vriende gebly. Een aand het hulle met mekaar begin stry. Ek weet argumente vind plaas; ek en my man het self ‘n hele paar gehad. Op daardie oomblik, het ek egter soos nooit tevore nie verstaan dat die tyd wat ons saam met mekaar het, kosbaar is. Moenie dit mors om oor dinge te stry wat nie sal saak maak wanneer jou geliefde nie meer daar is nie. Doen alles wat jy kan om in harmonie te leef en betoon liefde aan mekaar. Hoekom? Omdat dit nie saak maak hoeveel tyd julle saam het nie, dis nooit genoeg nie.
2) Maak goeie herinneringe bymekaar. Wanneer ek terugkyk, dank ek God vir onvergeetlike oomblikke. Die dag wat my man oorlede is het ons oudergewoonte mekaar die middag totsiens gesoen. Die aand was hy oorlede. Ek is altyd bly oor daardie finale soen. Skep dus herinneringe en nie oomblikke waaroor jy later spyt gaan wees nie.
3) Dis nie wat gebeur wat saak maak nie, maar hoe jy daarop reageer. Elke dag bring nuwe uitdagings wat jou liefde en voornemens gaan toets, mee. Jy het egter deur Christus die krag om elke toets ‘n geleentheid vir groei te maak. Die lewe is vol skynbaar onaangename gebeure. Probeer om hulle op so ‘n manier te hanteer dat wanneer jy oud is, jy daarop sal kan terugkyk en sê: ‘Dankie Here, vir daardie ervaring; dit het my help groei.’
Dis hoe mens wys en wel leef!
Sielskos: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; Joh 4:1-12; Ps 89:38-52; Spr 23:19-21
