Afleveringen
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Zephaniah 1:4-13; 2:1-3; 3:7-20
Zephaniah means "Yahweh Has Hidden"
This week, we will explore how the Lord will bring judgment upon the people of Judah and the nations surrounding it. However, if they repent, they will be restored. Zephaniah prophesied that the Lord will gather people from all nations to serve and be saved by Him. We serve a God who adores all nations and has provided a way for us to be saved by Him.
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Habakkuk 1:1-19
Habakkuk prayed to God for a revival. Despite having heard back from God in the previous two chapters, in this prayer he simply admired God's strength and power. Habakkuk recognized that only God had the authority to bring about a revival in the land, and that He had done so in the past. Habakkuk also knew that judgment or wrath was coming, so he asked God to remember mercy even in His wrath.Today, we should not forget the profound guidance that we can receive from God when we live in submission to the Holy Spirit. God knows what is best for us, and when we embrace this submission, life can be as beautiful as 'hinds' feet,' allowing us to walk carefree and elevated, as if in the clouds.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Habakkuk 2:1-20, Romans 1:17, Hebrew 10:38 and Galatians 3:11
In the text of Habakkuk, God wants us to understand and follow what has been written by the prophets, apostles, and disciples. They wrote these words so that we would not be satisfied by the things of this world, but by what He says in His Word and run with it and by it. The Lord provides for all our needs in every aspect of our lives, whether it is physical, emotional, or spiritual. A Christian song from the 1990s says, "There is a God-shaped hole in all of us." This means that only God can fill and satisfy the cravings we have in our lives. We should not be content with the temporary satisfaction that the world offers. Instead, we should hunger for more of God. He wants us to seek Him, to marvel at His glory. The enemy seeks to satisfy himself with greed and pride, and he tempts us to do the same.
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Habakkuk 1:1-17, Isaiah 58:9 (a), Isaiah 65:24, Jeremiah 33:3, Isaiah 40:13
In the first four verses of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet complains to God about the destruction and terror ruling the hearts of the Israelites amidst the Assyrians and the future Babylonian captivity. He asks if God can intervene. The Lord answers him in the following seven verses, showing that He hears and answers our prayers. God tells Habakkuk that the Assyrians will be held guilty for their treacherous ways because their "strength is their god".God brought judgment to Israel through the Assyrians and the Babylonians to make them realize that they needed Him more than ever, for He Himself was their King.Sometimes, we find ourselves in trials and pray fervently for a change in our circumstances. In such moments, we must remember that God's timing is different from ours. These trials, although difficult, serve a purpose. They strengthen our perseverance, and as it is written, "knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance" (Romans 5:3(a)).Therefore, take heart and continue to pray, for God will soon answer.
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This book is about a prophet named Habakkuk who was a professional in the Book of the Law. Habakkuk was among the 12 minor prophets and lived during the reign of the evil king Jehoiakim. At that time, the Babylonians had invaded the land and taken control of it. Habakkuk feared that God's people would lose the land that God had bestowed upon them. He observed the situation and prayed to God, the only one who could restore the land.
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Nahum 3:1-19, Psalm 73:17-19
In Chapter 2, it was revealed that God would bring destruction upon the Assyrians, and He did. The Assyrians had led God's children astray, and so they were punished. This principle holds true today as well. If anyone tries to harm one of God's children, He will seek vengeance on their behalf at the right time and in the right way. No sin goes unpunished.If someone is spreading lies about you, it's important to remember that God sees everything and will take action when the time is right. It is our duty to pray for our enemies and forgive them, but we should not take matters into our own hands. Ultimately, it is God who will be the judge.
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Nahum 2:1-13, Romans 8:13 and Psalm 41:11
So, God has the upper hand on things that happen in our lives. He has done this in the past, and he does it again today.
The Lord brought judgment to Israel through the Assyrians, but God took them off the Land by the Babylonians, another enemy of God's children.
Today, I would like to remind you that God is for us, His children, who have accepted His son Jesus, and He is for His people in Israel, His chosen nation. As it says in Romans, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" No one knows how to judge our enemies like God. He will bend their needs.
Today, I encourage you to pray for Israel and for yourself, knowing that God will not allow our enemies to triumph over us, Psalm 41:11. He is just, and at the right time, he will judge our enemies.
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Nahum 1:1-15, Isaiah 52:7
The Lord will judge both his people and his enemies. He will not allow the enemy to add more pain to his children by trying to prolong their suffering through evil means. God has the final say on when judgment needs to be stopped in our lives. We can take comfort in the fact that no harm can overtake us, and no sin is too great for the Lord to forgive. The enemy may cause turmoil but cannot separate us from God. While God may allow hardships in our lives, they will not persist forever; they have an end date. Therefore, God uses difficult times to purify us and bring us out better and stronger than before. God desires our return so that sin does not permanently separate us from Him. He has provided a way for us to be reconciled with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, the King. Through Jesus Christ, our sins can be eradicated.
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The name Nahum means "comfort," and scholars debate his origin. Some suggest he hailed from Elkesh, which later became Elcesi in southern Judah. Others propose he was from Capernaum, a village near the Sea of Galilee, which literally translates to "village of Nahum."The book of Nahum describes the invasion of the Assyrians over Israel and Judah. This invasion is believed to have occurred 100-150 years after Jonah had gone to Nineveh to preach to them about repentance. It is said that the Ninevites did repent at that time, but years later they returned to their evil ways and conquered Israel. The Assyrians were known for their cruelty, and this invasion happened during the reign of King Manasseh, who did evil things in the eyes of the Lord. The Ninevites encouraged the people of God to practice idolatry and turned their backs on God. However, God soon brought judgment to the Assyrians by bringing the Babylonians to dominate Israel.
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Micah 7:1-20
In the final chapter of Micah, he reveals his trust in God despite their struggles with famine, bribery among princes and judges, and even conflicts among relatives. Micah knew that God would show compassion and provide for them once again. Our God is like no other, who restores and replenishes, provides for us, and takes us out of our sufferings. He promises to take us out of our valleys and showcase His greatness to others. God made a covenant with Abraham, our forefather, that He would bless him and multiply his descendants, and that all families of the earth would be blessed through him. If you're experiencing difficult times, trust in God. He never abandons His children, but instead pulls them out of darkness and blesses them with a new perspective on life.For "who is like Yahweh?
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Micah 6:1-16, Numbers 22-24, 1 John 1:9
In this chapter of Micah, the author presents a scene where people stand before God in a trial. Despite their many sins, they still hold onto hope. However, God reveals to them the consequences of their actions, showing them why they will lose if they don't repent. Just like them, we all sin on a daily basis. Yet, God's desire is for his children to experience the transformative power of repentance, to surrender to him and ask for forgiveness, offering a path to redemption and renewal.
God's love for his children is shown in the story of Balaam. He protected his children from being cursed because of his immense love for them. His love is so great that He sent His son to die on the cross for all our sins. This is the only way we can be reconciled with the Father.
So, if you turn to God today, you will experience His love and protection. He loves all his chosen people, the Israelites or Gentiles, who come to Him and ask for forgiveness. Once forgiven, his protection and guidance will be forever.
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Micah 5: 1-15, Matthew 2:5-6, Revelation 22:13, John 17:5 and 24, Philippians 2:10-11.
In this passage, the prophet Micah reveals the birthplace of the world's King, Messiah, and Savior. Bethlehem may have been a small town in Judah, but the Lord brought forth our deliverer from it. God values every individual and every place, regardless of their size or significance. He has the power to lift people out of poverty and make them prosperous and well-known. Many famous people who may not have known Jesus as their savior have still experienced God's protection and blessings in their lives. If God can do this for them, just imagine what he can do for his children who walk uprightly with him. Jesus is a perfect example of how victorious we can be when we walk with God, Him, and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity. So, if you come from a small town and are struggling with poverty, take heart. You too can achieve greatness if you choose to walk uprightly with God.
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Micah 4:1-12 and Isaiah 2:1-3
In this chapter, Micah talks about both past and future events. He mentions the Millennial reign of Christ as well as the time when the people were in captivity. During Micah's time, Isaiah was also a prophet to God's people, and they both prophesized about the same things in their books. It is interesting to note that sometimes the Lord speaks to two people about the same things, and they receive confirmation from each other. We are united to God by one Spirit, and He speaks to each one of us so that we can be in sync with Him.
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Micah 3:1-12, Numbers 26:25, 1 Corinthians 14:3, Jeremiah 26:17-19.
Judah and Samaria's kings and prophets were doing and prophetizing the wrong things to the people. We are to follow our leaders, but we must decide what to do if these leaders' hearts are far from God. Leaders such as prophets should "edify, exhort and encourage and bring consolation to the people, in the word in 1 Corinthians 14:3. The kings and prophets of Judah and Samaria were leading their people astray by giving them false guidance and prophecies. Although we are supposed to follow our leaders, we should be cautious when their hearts are not aligned with God's will. As per 1 Timothy 2:1-4. The verse says, "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness". We must pray for our leaders to ensure that we can lead peaceful lives.
God's hierarchy involves leaders and authority figures, followed by pastors, prophets, and lastly, us. We must always strive to follow God's path by living in His presence through the Holy Spirit. This way, we can obey our leaders and do what is good in the eyes of God.
We are to constantly live in God's sight through the indwelling of His Spirit in us as part of the new covenant that we follow and obey what is good in God's sight expressed to us by our leaders.
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Micah 2:1-13, Exodus 20:17, Philippians 4:19
The Lord does not want us to plan or plot sinful actions, as it is a terrible thing to do. When we do this, we are reacting negatively to someone's behavior towards us or even coveting their possessions. Even if we have not been offended, we may feel the urge to covet what our neighbor has, and we might start planning how we can take it from the comfort of our own bed. However, covetousness is the gravest sin, which is considered idolatry in the New Testament (Colossians 3:5), and even worse in 1 Corinthians 6:10: "It can exclude us from heaven" as we will not "... inherit the Kingdom of God". Therefore, let us stop being envious of other people's blessings and start being thankful for what God has blessed us with. We should appreciate every bit of it and be content with what we have.
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Micah 1:1-16, 1 Peter 4:17
In the first chapter of Micah, God judged the people of Israel and Jerusalem, both in the north and the south kingdoms. The judgment came in the form of an invasion by the Assyrians in 722 BC. As a result, the Assyrians took over the land, and the people who were not expelled from the land were called Samaritans.God brought judgment on his people through the Assyrians as a way of disciplining them. However, he also brought judgment to the Assyrians themselves because of their arrogance. We should remember that when God disciplines us, it is for our own good, and ultimately, it is better than his rejection.
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In this book, we will explore how the prophet Micah prophesied about Samaria and Jerusalem and how the evil kings oppressed the people. As a result, the judgment of God was upon them through the invasion of the Assyrians. The book also talks about two other important points, namely the millennial reign of Christ and the birthplace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Micah wrote this book while he was living in the countryside of Moresheth Gath, which is about 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem. He was a contemporary prophet alongside Isaiah and Hosea. According to Micah's prophecies in 4:3-4, the land will be at peace and secure during Christ's millennial reign. Additionally, Jesus' birthplace was foretold and it came to pass, exactly as prophesied about 700 years earlier.
I invite you to join me in studying this book of Micah.
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Jonah 4:1-11, Luke 15:7
May you have time to reflect today on Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. It is Good Friday, a day when he gave his life for sinners like us.
In today's reading of Jonah, we find a Jonah who was very upset about the forgiveness God extended to the Ninevites. He knew God was and is a compassionate father and does not want anyone to perish.
The Ninevites were cruel people, just as we are today. Still, God brought hope and salvation to them through Jonah, which Jonah did not like because he knew they were perverse and evil people who deserved death, but God here showed his compassion for them as a gentile nation, so there is salvation for Jews and us wicked gentiles.
On a day such as this, Christ died on the cross for all humanity for all the 8. plus billion people in the world, and so he did then with the Ninevites to save over 120,000 people and flocks.
Today, extend grace to your enemies, for it might be the person God may use to bring even more people to salvation. God's plans are great, just as he is Great.
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Jonah 3:1-10, Genesis 19:25, Hebrew 4:12
The people of Nineveh, from the greatest (their king) to the least of them, believed in Jonah's message.
The word of God is "active and sharper than any two-edged sword," as it stays in Hebrew 4:12. This means it can change the direction of a person's life and even nations, as we see here in Jonah chapter 3, where the nation of Nineveh repented. The people believed in Jonah's message sent by God to them, and the Lord saved them. He relented from the harm and destruction he was going to bring to them.
When we allow God to use us to deliver a message to someone, it is not our words that change that person, but God's substance and active word that can change that person. We are to speak His truth, for we never know who is actively listening, analyzing in their heart, and is determined to change. So, today, let us tell his truth, and He will do the rest of convicting people through his word.
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Jonah 2:1-10, 1 John 1:9, Matthew 12:40, Proverbs 28:13, Psalm 86:5
The Lord is gracious with us. He does not use force for us to ask for forgiveness, but with his gentleness, he reminds us of a time when we had a peaceful and close relationship with him to bring our hearts back into repentance.
I encourage you to ask God for forgiveness, no matter where you are physically located. If you are alive today, you have a chance to reconcile with the Father. He is always ready to hear our repentant hearts.
Jonah was in this big fish or whale for three days and three nights and was submerged in water and debris of the sea. In his moment of distress, Jonah asked God to forgive him, and God heard his cry for help. So, it is with us today. God is not far away; he is right here with us. We do everything in his presence while living on this earth, for nothing is hidden from him.
Ask God for forgiveness today; he will reconcile your life and change your trajectory completely.
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