2026-06-25
1 Corinthians 10:23 NIV
God can deliver you from anything in a single day, but you’ve got to back it up with daily discipline. If you don’t practice spiritual discipline day in and day out, your deliverance will be short-lived. You’ll fall back into whatever it was that God delivered you from. Anybody can set a life goal; the hard part is going after it every day. You get into shape one workout at a time. You get out of debt one paycheck at a time. Whatever goal you are going after, you have to take it one step at a time, one day at a time!
Notice that Paul didn’t just say, “Walk not after the flesh”; he also said to walk “after the Spirit” (see Romans 8:4). Deciding you are against something is only half the battle. The other half is deciding you are for something. Dallas Willard once said, “Not going to London or Atlanta is a poor plan for going to New York.” That’s obvious, but that’s how many of us approach spiritual formation. We try to not sin by not sinning. But if you’re focused on what you shouldn’t do – you probably won’t do what you should.
Jesus said, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 KJV). Jesus didn’t say you will build your church. It’s not yours; it’s His. And that goes for your business, your school, your family, etc. It’s not yours; it’s His. So, the pressure is off you. And if you’re focused on walking in obedience, He will fight your battles for you!
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Matt 22:15-22; Ps 21; Prov 16:16-19
2026-06-24
Hebreërs 11:31 AFR83
Baie kan oor Ragab gesê word sonder om haar beroep te noem. Sy was ‘n Kanaäniet. Sy het aan Josua se spioene skuiling gegee. Sy het in die God van Abraham begin glo voordat sy ooit die kinders van Abraham ontmoet het. Sy is gespaar toe haar stad vernietig is. Sy het met ‘n tydgenoot van Josua getrou en ‘n seun met die naam Boas, ‘n agterkleinseun met die naam Isai, ‘n agter-agterkleinseun met die naam Dawid, en ‘n afstammeling met die naam Jesus, gehad. Ja, Ragab se naam verskyn in die stamboom van die Seun van God. Haar CV hoef nie haar beroep te noem nie.
Tog word sy in vyf van die agt keer wat sy in die Skrif genoem word, ‘n prostituut genoem. Dit word selfs saam met haar naam in Hebreërs se lys van geloofshelde, genoem (hoofstuk 11). Hierdie lys sluit Abraham, Isak, Jakob, Josef, Moses in – en dan skielik, ‘Ragab, die prostituut.’ Geen voetnota, geen verskoning nie. Haar verlede is deel van haar getuienis. ‘Omdat Ragab, die prostituut, geglo het… het sy nie omgekom… nie.’ Dink mooi hieroor na: haar geloofsbelydenis was belangriker as haar beroep as ‘n prostituut.
Miskien is jou verlede ‘n sondige een. Miskien deel jou portuurgroep nie jou geloof nie. Miskien is jou stamboom een van geweld en jou voorouers een van rebellie. Indien wel, is Ragab jou rolmodel. Ons laat nie skarlakenrooi toue uit ons vensters hang nie, maar ons vertrou op die bloedrooi draad van Christus se bloed. Ons berei nie vir die koms van ‘n Hebreeuse leër voor nie, maar ons leef met die oog op die wederkoms van Jesus Christus. Die God wat Ragab verlos en gelei het, sal dieselfde vir jou doen wanneer jy jou lewe aan Hom oorgee.
Sielskos: 1 Sam 4-7; Matt 22:1-14; Ps 17; Spr 16:12-15
Hebrews 11:31 NKJV
Much could be said about Rahab without mentioning her profession. She was a Canaanite. She provided cover for the spies of Joshua. She came to believe in the God of Abraham before she ever met the children of Abraham. She was spared in the destruction of her city. She married a contemporary of Joshua’s, bore a son named Boaz, had a great-grandson named Jesse, a great-great-grandson named David, and a descendant named Jesus. Yes, Rahab’s name appears on the family tree of the Son of God. Her résumé needn’t mention her profession.
Yet in five of the eight appearances in Scripture, she’s called a “harlot.” Five! It’s even attached to her name in the book of Hebrews’ Hall of Faith (chapter 11). The list includes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses – and then, all of a sudden, “the harlot Rahab.” No asterisk, no footnote, no apology. Her history is part of her testimony. “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish.” Think about this carefully: her profession of faith mattered more than her profession as a harlot.
Maybe your past is a checkered one. Maybe your peers don’t share your faith. Maybe your pedigree is one of violence and your ancestry one of rebellion. If so, then Rahab is your model. We don’t drop scarlet cords from our windows, but we trust in the crimson thread of Christ’s blood. We don’t prepare for the coming of a Hebrew army, but we live with an eye toward the second coming of our Joshua – Jesus Christ. And the God who redeemed and redirected Rahab will do the same for you if you surrender your life to Him.
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Matt 22:1-14; Ps 17; Prov 16:12-15
2026-06-23
2 Korintiërs 3:5-6 NLV
Dr O. Hallesby het in sy klassieke boek genaamd Prayer geskryf: ‘Gebed en hulpeloosheid is onafskeidbaar. Slegs diegene wat hulpeloos is, kan werklik bid. Gebed bestaan dus eenvoudig daarin om God dag vir dag te vertel op watter maniere ons hulpeloos voel. Ons word aangemoedig om elke keer wanneer die Gees van God opnuut vir ons ons hulpeloosheid beklemtoon, te bid. Ons besef hoe magteloos ons van nature is om te glo, lief te hê, te hoop, te dien, op te offer, te ly, die Bybel te lees, te bid en teen ons sondige begeertes te stry.’
Kom ons wees duidelik: Om hulpeloos te voel, is anders as om hopeloos of waardeloos te voel; dit is bloot om ons totale afhanklikheid van God te erken. Jesus het gesê: ‘…sonder My kan julle niks doen nie’ (Johannes 15:5 NLV). God sal jou nooit ‘n opdrag gee wat nie sy insette, sy guns en sy bemagtigende genade vereis nie. Elke aksie van God in jou lewe is ontwerp om jou afhanklikheid van Hom te verhoog. As jy dit sonder God kan doen, moet jy stop en jouself afvra: ‘Is dit werklik van God?’
Paulus het geskryf: ‘Dít is die vertroue wat ons op God stel, deur die bemiddeling van Christus. Nie dat ons op eie houtjie iets kan bedink asof dit ons eie breinkind is nie. Ons bekwaamheid kom van God, wat ons bekwaam gemaak het…’ (2 Korintiërs 3:4-6 NLV). Dawid het al die voorregte van koningskap geniet, maar hy het geskryf: ‘Ek is arm en behoeftig, maar die Here dink aan my. U is my hulp en my redder…’ (Psalm 40:18 NLV).
Die woord vir jou vandag is dus: moet nooit, ooit jou gevoel van afhanklikheid van God verloor nie.
Sielskos: 1 Sam 1-3; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 8; Spr 16:8-11
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NLT
In his classic book called Prayer, Dr. O. Hallesby wrote: “Prayer and helplessness are inseparable. Only those who are helpless can truly pray… Prayer therefore consists simply in telling God day by day in what ways we feel helpless. We are moved to pray every time the Spirit of God… emphasizes anew to us our helplessness, and we realize how impotent we are by nature to believe, to love, to hope, to serve, to sacrifice, to suffer, to read the Bible, to pray, and to struggle against our sinful desires.”
Now let’s be clear: Feeling helpless is different from feeling hopeless or worthless; it’s simply acknowledging our total dependence on God. Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV). God will never give you an assignment that does not require His input, His favour, and His enabling grace. Every action of God in your life is designed to increase, not decrease, your dependence on Him. If you can do it without God, you should stop and ask yourself, “Is this truly of God?”
Paul wrote: “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NLT). David enjoyed all the privileges of being a king, yet he wrote: “I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer” (Psalm 40:17 NKJV).
So, the word for you today is – never, ever, lose your sense of dependence on God.
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 8; Prov 16:8-11
