We can’t live with foreign objects buried in our bodies or our souls. What would an X-ray of your interior reveal? Remorse over a poor choice? Shame about the marriage that didn’t work, the temptation you couldn’t resist? Guilt lies hidden beneath the surface, festering, irritating. Sometimes so deeply embedded you don’t know the cause.
And you can be touchy, you know. Understandable, since you have a shank of shame lodged in your soul. Would you like an extraction? Here’s what you do. Confess! Ask God to help you. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Confession. You see, confessors find a freedom that deniers don’t. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins! He will cleanse us. Not might, could, would, or should. He WILL! I heard a story which illustrates how we often confuse God's timing with ours. A country newspaper had been running a series of articles on the value of church attendance.
One day, a letter to the editor was received in the newspaper office. It read, "Print this if you dare. I have been trying an experiment. I have a field of corn which I plowed on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday. I did all the cultivating on Sunday. I gathered the harvest on Sunday and hauled it to my barn on Sunday. I find that my harvest this October is just as great as any of my neighbors' who went to church on Sunday. So where was God all this time?" The editor printed the letter, but added his reply at the bottom. "Your mistake was in thinking that God always settles his accounts in October." That's often our mistake as well, isn't it -- thinking that God should act when and how we want him to act, according to our timetable rather than his. The fact that our vision is limited, finite, unable to see the end from the beginning, somehow escapes our mind. So we complain; we get frustrated; we accuse God of being indifferent to us. That's when God gently reminds us that... "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts". (Isaiah 55:8-9 God's timetable is perfect. He will do exactly what is best for us - in His own time - according to his wonderful plans for us, because He loves us so much. Wait! Be patient! His clock may show a different time than our clock, but it's the right one. Mag sonstraaltjies jou warm groet vanoggend en hul armpies liefderyk om jou vou sodat jy beskemd deur God se liefde en krag deur die dag kan stap.
The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. 1 Co3:19
[Power] comes in many forms. It's the husband who refuses to be kind to his wife… It's the employee who places personal ambition over personal integrity. It's the wife who withholds sex both to punish and persuade. It might be the taking of someone's life, or it might be the taking of someone's turn… But they are all spelled the same: P-O-W-E-R… And all have the same goal: "I will get what I want at your expense." And all have the same end: futility… Absolute power is unreachable…When you stand at the top—if there is a top—the only way to go is down. And the descent is often painful… A thousand years from now, will it matter what title the world gave you? No, but it will make a literal hell of a difference whose child you are. The Applause of Heaven (Max Lucado) To truly live we need to be plugged into Gods plan for our lives. We therefore need to be obedient to the commandments God set out of us in His word. Proverbs 19:16 He who keeps the commandment(of the Lord) keeps his own life, but he who disciples His ways shall die. Luke 10:28;11:28 Choose life (Jesus Christ)
Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4:4
I love the story of Jonah! It’s full of drama and important life lessons. After stubbornly refusing to do God’s will, Jonah finally preached a revival service in Nineveh that would have made him one of the most successful missionaries of his time. When the people repented and turned from their wicked ways—and when God relented and turned from His anger against them—you would have expected Jonah to rejoice. Instead, he was angry that God was merciful. Why? Although he was finally obeying God by doing the right thing in the right place, he was deeply flawed on the inside. Like Jonah, if we are not careful, we can be spiritually “looking good” on the outside, but far from God in our hearts. He is most interested in what we are like on the inside. His Word is “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit” (Heb. 4:12). With it, He performs divine surgery to remove the greed, dishonesty, hatred, pride, and selfishness that live in the deep shadows of our hearts. So the next time the Holy Spirit convicts you and asks you about your bad attitude (see Jonah 4:4)—listen carefully. Surrender and let Him change you from the inside out. If God controls you on the inside, you’ll be genuine on the outside. People born before 1946 were called -
The Greatest Generation. People born between 1946 and 1964 are called - The Baby Boomers. People born between 1965 and 1979 are called - Generation X. People born between 1980 and 2010 are called -Generation Y. Why do we call the last group - Generation Y ? Y should I get a job? Y should I leave home and find my own place? Y should I get a car when I can borrow yours? Y should I clean my room? Y should I wash and iron my own clothes? Y should I buy any food? But perhaps a cartoonist explained it most eloquently below... "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." (Proverbs 4:23 GN)
Long before psychology came around, God said your thoughts determine your feelings and your feelings determine your actions. If you want to change your life, you have to control the way you think. You're constantly talking to yourself — all the time. Your mind is talking to you! You're talking to yourself right now. Research indicates that most people speak at a rate of 150 to 200 words per minute, but the mind can listen to about 500 to 600 words a minute. That's why you can listen to me and plan today's dinner at the same time. In fact, our internal dialogue — the conversation we have with ourselves — is at a rate of 1,300 words per minute. How? Because our mind sees in pictures, and you can see a thought in a nanosecond! The problem is that a lot of us are like Job, who says, "Everything I say seems to condemn me" (Job 9:20 GN). He's saying, in effect, "Everything I say puts me down." If you are typical to the human race, you are your own worst critic. We're always putting ourselves down. We walk into a room, smiling, but inside we're thinking, "I'm fat. I'm dumb. I'm ugly. And I'm always late!" God wants us to stop putting ourselves down. When you put yourself down, who are you really putting down? When you say, "I'm fat. I'm dumb. I'm ugly. I'm no good. I have no talent," you're really pointing to the Creator who made you. When you say, "God, I'm worthless. I'm no good. I can't do anything," you're saying, "God, you blew it with me." That's why God says it's wrong to put yourself down. How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person? The Bible teaches the principle of replacement. "Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right … Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about" (Philippians 4:8 LB). In other words, don't think about all those weaknesses in your life. Focus on who God wants you want to be and on what God wants to do in your life. There isn't a better thing you can do to raise your confidence level than to start believing what God says about you. As I read through the Bible, chapter by chapter, and find a verse that speaks to me, I write it down on a card, memorize it, and then I affirm it back to God: "Father, thank you that I am valuable; I am significant; I am forgivable; I am capable." Let God renew your mind because "your life is shaped by your thoughts" (Proverbs 4:23 GN). Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen. Col 1:16 With one decision, history began. Existence became measurable. Out of nothing came light. Out of light came day. Then came sky … and earth. And on this earth? A mighty hand went to work. Canyons were carved. Oceans were dug. Mountains erupted out of flatlands. Stars were flung. A universe sparkled. Look to the canyons to see the Creator's splendor. Touch the flowers and see his delicacy. Listen to the thunder and hear his power… Today you will encounter God's creation. When you see the beauty around you, let each detail remind you to lift your head in praise. Express your appreciation for God's creation. Encourage others to see the beauty of his creation. In the Eye of the Storm (Max Lucado) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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