Die Lewe is nie:
§ REËLS en REG/VERKEERD nie ... maar oor “REAL”-wees! § “RELIGION” nie ... maar oor “RELATION”! § FORMULES of VOORSKRIFTE nie ... maar oor VRIENDSKAP! § wat ek als VIR HOM doen nie ... maar oor wat ek SAAM MET HOM doen! § MY liefde vir HOM nie ... maar oor SY liefde vir ONS! § net EEN UUR op ‘n Sondag nie ... maar oor ELKE UUR van ELKE DAG! § wat jy DOEN nie ... maar oor wie jy IS in en saam met Hom! § of ek Sy Woord LEES nie ... maar oor of Sy Woorde in en deur my LEEF! Lord I pray for open spiritual eyes 2Cor4:4 and ears Mat13:16 I pray for faith to believe in You. Acts 20:21 I ask that we can build caring relationships 1Cor9:22 have oppertunities to witness Col 4:3 with Holy boldness Acts 4:29 and be set free from spiritual captivity 2Tim 2:25-26 in Jesus Mighty Name we pray Amen
If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new! 2 Co 5:17
Have you been there? Have you felt the ground of conviction give way beneath your feet? The ledge crumbles, your eyes widen, and down you go. Poof! Now what do you do? … When we fall, we can dismiss it. We can deny it. We can distort it. Or we can deal with it… We keep no secrets from God. Confession is not telling God what we did. He already knows. Confession is simply agreeing with God that our acts were wrong… How can God heal what we deny? … How can God grant us pardon when we won't admit our guilt? Ahh, there's that word: guilt. Isn't that what we avoid? Guilt. Isn't that what we detest? But is guilt so bad? What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong, that we aspire to be better than we are… That's what guilt is: a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another. A Gentle Thunder (by: Max Lucado) “And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16)
“Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our churches.” These are the opening words of ‘The cost of Discipleship’ written by the German Pastor-theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Many know him as the author of this and other books, but not all know that he was executed by hanging in 1945 for the part he played in resisting Adolf Hitler’s Nazi government. As a Christian he spoke out for what he believed to be the truth according to the Bible…it cost him his life. When Jesus saw that the temple in Jerusalem had been turned into a market place and not for what it was intended to be, His righteous anger took over. Driving them out, He cleansed His father’s house and incurred the wrath of those who valued their interests above those of God. The day will come when you are faced with something you know is not right. The temptation is to just to pass by, to look the other way’ say or do nothing. BUT IF YOU DO NOTHING FOR GOD, WHO WILL? “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34 Thankfully Jesus was willing to speak up for righteousness even though it cost Him His life. “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.”(Proverbs 29:18, NIV)
God wants His people to be the most blessed! He wants His people to constantly increase so they can live as an example of His goodness. But in order to partake of everything He has in store for us, we have to be open to what He wants to do in our lives. We have to have a vision for increase. If you’re not expecting favor, or if you are just satisfied with where you are, then you will live below your privileges. But if you will get a vision for increase, a vision for who you are as a child of the Most High God and what He wants to do in your life, you’ll see supernatural opportunities, favor and increase in your life. When you look for what God is doing, when you follow His commands, you won’t just be “average” or “good enough.” No, as a child of the Most High, you are the most blessed. Today, take time to focus your heart and mind on God and His promises. Meditate on His Word and ask Him to increase your capacity to receive His blessings. Get a vision for increase, embrace His promises, and boldly move forward in the good things God has in store for you. Father, today I choose to set my mind and focus on You. I choose to look for what You want to do in and through me. I let go of any wrong thinking, attitudes or actions that would hold me back from You in Jesus’ name. Amen. GENESIS 24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
The Bible says that Abraham was righteous. But do you know that his nephew Lot was righteous too? (2 Peter 2:7–8) Yet, both men lived very different lives. Although they both lived under God’s grace some 400 years before the law was given, Abraham was very blessed, whereas Lot lost a lot! Both men had large herds and flocks. When their herdsmen started quarrelling over space, Abraham took the initiative to make peace. He even let Lot pick the lands that he wanted. Both men were righteous, but one was more gracious than the other. Lot picked the well-watered plain of Jordan, where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were. He dwelt there and pitched his tent as far as Sodom. Eventually, he lived in Sodom. Now, Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible represent a sinful lifestyle. Some Christians think, “Since I am righteous by faith and under God’s grace, I can live a sinful lifestyle.” Well, let’s learn from Lot. He first saw Sodom, then his feet walked toward it and finally he went into it. I like what a great man of God said: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.” What did Lot end up paying? He was captured when four kings plundered Sodom and Gomorrah. And even after Abraham rescued him with the help of God, he did not learn his lesson. He went back to Sodom. Some Christians live from one bail-out to another. God delivers them from, say, debt, and they go right back to borrowing money or gambling! Sodom and Gomorrah were eventually destroyed. Lot escaped with only the clothes on his back and even lost his wife in the process. Beloved, you are the righteousness of God in Christ. When you truly understand what Jesus did to make you the righteousness of God, it will cause you to fall out of love with sin and fall in love with God. Then, it will not be hard to have a heart for God, as Abraham did, and like Abraham, be blessed in all things! Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45
Ever wonder why two people can hear the same thing and yet have very different responses? For one, what is said makes him afraid and discouraged. For the other, his heart is so filed with faith that he dares to come against the devil and what he is doing. In the Valley of Elah, Goliath the Philistine giant taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days. When David came on the scene, he heard the same mocking of Goliath. But somehow, those same words which caused fear in the soldiers angered David. What did David know or see that the others failed to see? David knew that he had a covenant with God. Now, King Saul and all the soldiers with him that day also had the same covenant with God, but only David believed the covenant. And he acted on his belief. So God caused his giant to come tumbling down. If David had such a great victory even though he was under the old covenant, how much more you and I who are under the new covenant! Today, God is asking, “Where are my David’s who will believe the new covenant?” What is the new covenant? It is the covenant of Grace. And Grace means unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. God wants us to know that He has cut this covenant with us through Christ our representative. And according to the covenant, we have His undeserved favor. We are blessed because Jesus took our beating. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant. Isn’t that good news? Today, God wants you to stand before your “giant” and declare that in spite of what you are going through, in spite of what is happening, you believe that God is for you because of what Jesus has done for you. And then, before your very eyes, you will see your giant of accusation, intimidation, condemnation, disease and debt fall flat before you! |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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