NCSA MENTAL HEALTH DEVOTIONS BOOK 1

NCSA Mental Health Devotions Issue 1 Nandi Fleming Editors: Kobus & Adele Beukes

Biblical & Psychological help for achieving mental wellbeing ISSUE 1 Christian mental health ©️2022 NCSA Pastoral counselling department, South Africa. For further inquiries contact us at [email protected] THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! 1

REDFOX MINISTRIES Index 1.CIRCUMSTANCES DON’T MATTER…………………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………… 2.THE THINGS THAT SHOULD DESTROY US………………………….……………………………………………..……………………..… 3.EACH TRIAL AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW………………………………………………………………………..……………………..… 4.IN GOOD TIMES, AND IN BAD TIMES…………………………………….……………………………………………..……………………..… 5.WHAT WOULD YOU DIE FOR……………………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………..… 6.BURN TO BURN BRIGHT, BUT NOT TO EXTERMINATE….……………………………………………..……………………..… 7.A CONSISTENT LIGHT EXPELS DARKNESS……………………………………………..………………………………………………..… 8.INESCAPABLE TRAGEDY, SELF-IMPOSED HELL, OR TRANSCENDANT PEACE………………………. 9.ARE YOU SAFE……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………. 10.IT’S GOING TO BE OK……………………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 11.PEACE AFTER THE STORM……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 12.COME ASIDE AND REST……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 13.BE CAREFUL NOT TO FALL……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 14.WHO ARE YOU REALLY?……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 15.COMFORT WILL BE THE DEATH OF US……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………… 16.WHILE WE WAIT, BE CONFIDENT……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………… 17.WHO ARE YOU FIGHTING?……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 18. RESTORED……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………. 19.THRIVE, DON’T JUST SURVIVE……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………… 20. HOW GIANTS ARE SLAIN ……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 21. DEAD, BUT STILL DEADLY……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 22. CALL ON GOD IN YOUR NEED……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………… 23. WHERE YOU FIRST SAW THE LIGHT……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………… 24. GOD’S RELENTL PERSUIT OF HIS WAYWARD CHILDREN……………………………………..……………………………… 25. JUST DO IT, TODAY……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………… 26. THE ENEMY WITHIN……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..………… 27. I SAW YOU UNDER THE FIG TREE……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………… 28. GOD’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT……………………………………..……………………………………………..………………………….. 29. RECOMPOSING YOUR LIFE……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. 30. WHO LIVES IN YOU?……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..………. 31. GET OVER IT……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..………………………. 32. DEPRESSION & GRIEF IN TIMES OF CRISES……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………… 33. FIGHT IN YOUR OWN ARMOR……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………… 34. YOUR ENERGY IN CRISES- PERSONALITY 1 ……………………………………..……………………………………………..………… 35. INFORMATION IN CRISES- PERSONALITY 2……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………… 36. DECISIONS IN CRISES- PERSONALITY 3……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………… 37. LIVING LIFE IN CRISES-PERSONALITY 4 ……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………… 38. WHAT IS GOD DOING?……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..…. 39. COMFORT OR DISTRESS IN GOD’S WORD……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………… 40. WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? ……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………… SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS……………………………………..……………………………………………..…………………………………………….. CONTACT DETAILS ……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..………………. BIBLE REFERENCES ? ……………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..………… 3

1. CIRCUMSTANCES DON’T MATTER You must not allow circumstances to master you, but you must master your circumstances. #NCSAMENTALHEALTHDEVOTIONS

CIRCUMSTANCES DON’T MATTER, ________________________ BUT EVERYTHING ELSE DOES ________________________ ________________________ Philippians 4:11-13: “Not that I was ever in need, for I ________________________ have learnt to be content with whatever I have. I know ________________________ how to live with almost nothing, or with everything. I ________________________ have learnt the secret of living in every situation, whether ________________________ it is with a full stomach or an empty stomach, with plenty ________________________ or with little. For I can do all things through Christ who ________________________ gives me strength.” (NLT) ________________________ ________________________ I bet that everyone has a story to tell. Something that you ________________________ did not pick. You were born into a fight that you did not ask ________________________ for. The world currently finds itself in circumstances that it ________________________ didn't plan for or asked for. In our wildest dreams we did not ________________________ expect facing COVID-19, which includes lockdown, isolation ________________________ and all the difficulties and uncertainties that go with it. ________________________ ________________________ The question in most of our minds is how we are going to ________________________ survive. How do we keep our emotions and thoughts in ________________________ check? How do we control our fear, our anxiety and our ________________________ nervousness? How do we continue to live life as normal as ________________________ possible since everything is changing? ________________________ ________________________ I'd like to turn your attention to some biblical examples of ________________________ people who were able to live life as normal as possible, ________________________ despite their circumstances. I am reminded of the story of ________________________ Jesus in the storm. The Bible tells us that while the storm ________________________ raged on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus slept. I think of Daniel ________________________ whose life was threatened by a new decree. Daniel was ________________________ thrown into the lions’ den, but yet he continued to pray three ________________________ times a day. Peter, when thrown into prison, sang songs of ________________________ praise to God. Paul, near the end of his life, was cast into ________________________ one of the most horrible prisons. ________________________ ________________________ DESPITE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ________________________ LIVE LIFE AS NORMAL AS ________________________ ________________________ POSSIBLE. LIKE JESUS, DANIEL, ________________________ PETER & PAUL. ________________________ ________________________ 1 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Locked up in a deep, dark dungeon; wet, cold and without ________________________ any windows. He had little food and no human contact. Still, ________________________ he took the time to write the book of Timothy to encourage ________________________ him to keep fast the fight of good faith. Read the passage ________________________ that Paul wrote while he was in the dungeon: ________________________ ________________________ 2 Timothy 4:5-8: “But watch thou in all things, endure ________________________ afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of ________________________ thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered and the time ________________________ of my departure is it hand. I have fought a good fight, I have ________________________ finished my course; I have kept the faith: henceforth there is ________________________ laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the ________________________ righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me ________________________ only, but unto all who love His appearing.” ________________________ ________________________ It is beautiful to think while Paul was in the severe ________________________ circumstances of facing death, he could say: “I know that I ________________________ am about to die. I know that I am ready to be offered up. I ________________________ know my departure is at hand, but I have done what I ________________________ needed to do. I have lived my life. I have fought the good ________________________ fight, I have kept the faith and I am looking forward to the ________________________ crown of righteousness with which Christ will reward me at ________________________ His second coming.” ________________________ ________________________ He encouraged Timothy to endure affliction, while he himself ________________________ was facing the most severe and harsh affliction. He did not ________________________ use the time to complain about it, but he took the time to ________________________ encourage someone else who might be going through a ________________________ difficult time. ________________________ ________________________ Do you perhaps find yourself in a storm today? Do you find ________________________ yourself bound by the laws of man that may threaten your ________________________ life? Do you feel locked away in darkness and possibly ________________________ facing death like Paul? For some the COVID-19 pandemic is ________________________ bringing financial storms. We all find ourselves bound by ________________________ man-made laws that don't allow for public worship. ________________________ ________________________ ENDURE AFFLICTION AS A GOOD ________________________ SOLDIER OF CHRIST. ________________________ ________________________ 2 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

We are locked up in isolation, wondering if we or our family ________________________ will be facing illness or death soon. With every cough or ________________________ sneeze of a family member, we feel uneasy and unsure. How ________________________ do we survive it? How do we remain unchanged by these ________________________ circumstances? ________________________ ________________________ Somebody once said: “Circumstances don't matter, it's ________________________ everything else that matters.” Everything else refers to the ________________________ small things in life, like our daily duties and habits, our daily ________________________ thoughts, our emotions, our actions and our reactions. ________________________ Things that we should be concentrating on during tough ________________________ times, are things like: ________________________ ________________________ Getting up early. ________________________ Spending time with God. ________________________ Doing the dishes. ________________________ Making the bed. ________________________ Performing a kind deed. ________________________ Performing the tasks at hand faithfully. ________________________ Sleeping enough. ________________________ Eating well. ________________________ Exercising. ________________________ ________________________ This is the ‘everything else, that matters’. We need to be ________________________ faithful in the little things. This is what matters now. The ________________________ small things are the things that build character. The small ________________________ things of everyday tasks make you who you are. If you want ________________________ to remain unchanged during the storms of life, you need to ________________________ now practise who you are by executing the little things ________________________ faithfully. ________________________ ________________________ When you consider the biblical examples I’ve mentioned ________________________ earlier, you will notice that the little things which helped the ________________________ biblical characters to get through the storms of life, were ________________________ things like sleeping, praying, singing and resting. ________________________ ________________________ CIRCUMSTANCES DON’T MATTER, ________________________ IT’S EVERYTHING ELSE THAT ________________________ MATTERS. ________________________ ________________________ 3 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Jesus slept during the storm because it was His habit to pray ________________________ early in the morning and late at night. That habit allowed Him ________________________ to sleep, knowing that God was taking care of things. Jesus ________________________ was also in the habit of taking care of his physical health. ________________________ ________________________ Daniel was able to pray despite the laws, because it was his ________________________ habit to pray three times a day. Peter was able to sing ________________________ praises to God because it was his habit to do so. ________________________ ________________________ Paul was able to write to Timothy during the darkest time of ________________________ his life because it was his habit to write. You see, ________________________ circumstances did not change who they were. Jesus was a ________________________ man who was at rest. Daniel was a man who prayed. Peter ________________________ was a man who sang and Paul was a man who wrote. Their ________________________ circumstances did not dictate what they were going to do. ________________________ They did what they were going to do because of who they ________________________ were, because of the habits they have formed in life. ________________________ Circumstances do not matter – everything else you do that ________________________ builds your character, is what matters. ________________________ ________________________ You should not be creatures of circumstances. You must ________________________ master your circumstances and not allow your circumstances ________________________ to master you. Do not compromise on circumstances. ________________________ Circumstances that are negative may sometimes scare you ________________________ into compromise, into neglect and into inactivity. You should ________________________ be faithful in the small things every day, no matter the ________________________ circumstances. ________________________ ________________________ Psychology tells us when we are faced with traumatic ________________________ circumstances, there are basic reactions we go through – the ________________________ fight-or-flight reactions. There are four basic reactions: fight, ________________________ flight, fright or freeze. Some people, when faced with difficult ________________________ circumstances, freeze up and they can't do anything. Others ________________________ run away. Others become very fearful. But then there are ________________________ those who tend to fight. ________________________ ________________________ CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD NOT ________________________ CHANGE WHO YOU ARE AS A ________________________ ________________________ PERSON. ________________________ ________________________ 4 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

With training you can overcome the natural responses and ________________________ you can learn how to fight when difficult circumstances come ________________________ up. You can learn not to freeze, not to fear, not to run away, ________________________ but to fight. ________________________ ________________________ I don't know about you, but I want to stand tall. I want to live ________________________ my life despite the that may come my way. Things that I did ________________________ not imagine would ever happen in my life. I believe that our ________________________ training time is now. We train not only when things are going ________________________ well, but also when things are not going well. What we ________________________ should be doing, is to say, “I cannot control the ________________________ circumstances, but I can claim the promises of God with ________________________ confidence.” I can exclaim and say: “I can do all things ________________________ through Christ who strengthens me.” Whether it is sunshine ________________________ or rain, I will get up. Whether it is dry earth or wet lands, I ________________________ will plant my seeds. Whether I am persecuted or safe, I will ________________________ preach the gospel of Jesus. Whether I have lots of friends or ________________________ lots of enemies, I will love them all. Whether I am poor or ________________________ rich, I can make it through. Whether I am homeless, or I am ________________________ safe, I can sleep peacefully. ________________________ ________________________ You have to be like the man at the Johannesburg Airport ________________________ who was cleaning the bathrooms. When someone walked ________________________ into the bathrooms, he said: “Welcome to my office.” When a ________________________ person walks into a bathroom and somebody says: “Welcome ________________________ to my office”, it is clear that he did not allow the ________________________ circumstances to dictate who he is or what he does. ________________________ Most circumstances do not last. You have to learn to outlast ________________________ them, to survive them; to fight through them. You need to ________________________ keep your focus to do the little things faithfully and to remain ________________________ who you truly are in Christ. ________________________ ________________________ Whatever you are going through, do not quit. Keep doing the ________________________ small things faithfully. Do not run away from your ________________________ circumstances. Live faithfully despite them. ________________________ ________________________ PRACTICE DOING THE SMALL ________________________ THINGS FAITHFULLY. ________________________ ________________________ 5 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Circumstances don't matter. The same wind blows on all of ________________________ us. Where you arrive is not determined by how the wind ________________________ blows. And the winds are blowing. Things are changing. The ________________________ walls are coming down. All kinds of things are happening ________________________ around us in the world. Where you arrive, is determined by ________________________ how you set your sails with the little tasks of life. Do not ask ________________________ for better wind, ask for better sails, for better rowing skills ________________________ and for a Master of the boat that teaches you how to sail in ________________________ the storm - or in the calm - so that the things that are ________________________ supposed to destroy you, will not destroy you, but will set ________________________ you free. ________________________ Under the bludgeoning of circumstances, we may exclaim: ________________________ “My head is bloodied, but I remain unbowed.” Circumstances ________________________ can mean that I may bleed, I may die, I may become ill, I ________________________ may lose my house, I may lose my family, I may lose my job, ________________________ my stability or my health or wealth, but I keep fighting, I keep ________________________ being focused on my goals and how I want to achieve them. ________________________ I, as a person in Christ, do not change. My thoughts do not ________________________ change. My emotions do not change. My actions do not ________________________ change. My praise and my relationship towards God do not ________________________ change. If I take a golden crown and throw it in a dumpster, ________________________ it does not stop being a golden crown. Do not allow the ________________________ dumpster of life to change you or to define you. You are ________________________ God's golden crown. ________________________ ________________________ Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10: “We are often troubled, ________________________ but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; ________________________ there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; ________________________ and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all ________________________ times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so ________________________ that His life may also be seen in our bodies.” ________________________ ________________________ WHERE YOU ARRIVE IS NOT ________________________ DETERMINED BY HOW THE WIND ________________________ ________________________ BLOWS. ________________________ ________________________ 6 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Circumstances don't matter. The same wind blows on all of ________________________ us. Where you arrive is not determined by how the wind ________________________ blows. And the winds are blowing. Things are changing. The ________________________ walls are coming down. All kinds of things are happening ________________________ around us in the world. Where you arrive, is determined by ________________________ how you set your sails with the little tasks of life. Do not ask ________________________ for better wind, ask for better sails, for better rowing skills ________________________ and for a Master of the boat that teaches you how to sail in ________________________ the storm - or in the calm - so that the things that are ________________________ supposed to destroy you, will not destroy you, but will set ________________________ you free. ________________________ Under the bludgeoning of circumstances, we may exclaim: ________________________ “My head is bloodied, but I remain unbowed.” Circumstances ________________________ can mean that I may bleed, I may die, I may become ill, I ________________________ may lose my house, I may lose my family, I may lose my job, ________________________ my stability or my health or wealth, but I keep fighting, I keep ________________________ being focused on my goals and how I want to achieve them. ________________________ I, as a person in Christ, do not change. My thoughts do not ________________________ change. My emotions do not change. My actions do not ________________________ change. My praise and my relationship towards God do not ________________________ change. If I take a golden crown and throw it in a dumpster, ________________________ it does not stop being a golden crown. Do not allow the ________________________ dumpster of life to change you or to define you. You are ________________________ God's golden crown. ________________________ ________________________ Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10: “We are often troubled, ________________________ but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; ________________________ there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; ________________________ and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. At all ________________________ times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so ________________________ that His life may also be seen in our bodies.” ________________________ ________________________ WHERE YOU ARRIVE IS NOT ________________________ DETERMINED BY HOW THE WIND ________________________ ________________________ BLOWS. ________________________ ________________________ 7 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

YouTube To watch the animated YouTube video of this episode scan this QR code with your phone. Podcast To watch and download a short motivational clip on TikTok about this episode scan this QR code with your phone. TikTok To listen to the audio of this episode on podcast scan this QR code with your phone. Northern Conference, Pastoral Counselling Department Revive, Refresh, Restore [email protected] Cell: +27836584296 Author: Nandi Fleming Editors: Kobus & Adele Beukes

2. THE THINGS THAT SHOULD DESTROY US Hunger, divorce, physical abuse and hardship will not destroy you. Only sin can destroy you. #NCSAMENTALHEALTHDEVOTIONS

THE THINGS THAT SHOULD DESTROY US James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever ________________________ you face trials of many kinds; knowing this, that the trying ________________________ of your faith will work for patience and let patience have ________________________ its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entirely ________________________ perfect, wanting nothing.” ________________________ ________________________ There are things in this world that are supposed to destroy ________________________ us, but I'd like to state that the only thing in this world that ________________________ can really destroy us, is sin. Satan wants to bind us in sin ________________________ and he uses hardships to do so. God, on the other hand, ________________________ wants to set us free and He can also use hardships to do so. ________________________ ________________________ There are many names for hardship. We might call it a ________________________ terrible darkness in our lives, or an all-consuming fire, or a ________________________ treacherous river that we have to pass through, or perhaps a ________________________ barren land that we have to scale. The times of hardship ________________________ often make us feel abandoned. They hurt us, they suffocate ________________________ us and make us feel like we cannot breathe. They leave us ________________________ thirsting and aching for relief. Have you ever experienced ________________________ such hardships? If your answer is yes, it means not only ________________________ have you experienced these hardships, but you’ve also ________________________ survived them. ________________________ ________________________ COVID-19 comes to us in the form of a hardship and it ________________________ brings many trials into the lives of God's people. The worries ________________________ that we are facing now, are not just from the COVID-19 ________________________ pandemic – the normal everyday hardships and trials ________________________ unfortunately did not leave us either. Many of you might face ________________________ more than one trial at this time. May be: ________________________ ________________________ your finances were already an issue; ________________________ your marriage might be struggling; ________________________ ________________________ HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED ________________________ HARDSHIP? IF YES THEN THAT ________________________ MEANS YOU HAVE ALSO SURVIVED ________________________ ________________________ IT. ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ 1

your superiors at work want you to turn a blind eye to ________________________ their misgivings and misleadings; ________________________ your children are addicted to substances or other things; ________________________ it could even be your own sinful tendencies that are at a ________________________ high point at this stage of your life. ________________________ ________________________ Satan knows your normal everyday trials and sinful ________________________ proclivities. He hopes that, if he places you in darkness or if ________________________ he places you in a fire, your sinful characteristics will come ________________________ out; that the sin and faults that are in you and that are ________________________ hidden, will come out to be seen. ________________________ ________________________ I have good news for you today. Satan may set the stage for ________________________ your destruction, but when we serve God, He takes over the ________________________ stage and He uses it to set us free. Some of you may be in ________________________ one of these destructive situations right now where Satan is ________________________ attempting to destroy you. Have you ever prayed and asked ________________________ God to remove these hardships from your life? I know that I ________________________ have. Perhaps you are one of those who have prayed and ________________________ asked God nót to remove the hardships, as James did when ________________________ he prayed: “Lord, leave the hardships, but help me to endure ________________________ this trial and make me strong to go through it.” The book of ________________________ James, as we have read in the beginning, explains that ________________________ hardships and trials make us grow stronger in our faith and ________________________ in our character. Lessons that are learnt under pressure are ________________________ often more valued and often not forgotten or repeated. ________________________ ________________________ There is a story about a bird that tells us how hardships help ________________________ us to grow. This little bird, while his cage was full of light, ________________________ never sang the song his master would teach him. He would ________________________ listen and would learn a snatch of this, a trill of that, but ________________________ never a separate and entire melody. His master then ________________________ covered his cage with a cloth and there, in the dark, the bird ________________________ listened to the one song his master sang. The bird tried it ________________________ and tried it again, until the song was learned and he broke ________________________ forth in perfect melody. Then the cage was uncovered and ________________________ the distractions were no longer disturbing him from singing ________________________ the song perfectly. Thereafter he sang the song in full light. ________________________ ________________________ THE ONLY THING IN LIFE THAT ________________________ CAN TRULY DESTROY YOU IS SIN. ________________________ ________________________ 2 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

This could be how God deals with His creatures. He has a ________________________ song of faith to teach us and when we have learnt this ________________________ amidst deep sorrow and affliction, we can sing the song of ________________________ faith ever afterward. We will not be distracted by the small ________________________ things of life which take us away from growing in our faith ________________________ and our strength. ________________________ ________________________ There is a saying: ‘What doesn't kill you, makes you ________________________ stronger.’ This saying leaves a bit of an uncomfortable ________________________ feeling in me. But you know, when it comes to trials we really ________________________ do need a different perspective. We need to learn how to ________________________ react to the trials and how to look at the bigger picture of ________________________ what they can achieve in our lives. ________________________ ________________________ In gym-life there is an expression that goes: ‘Pain is your ________________________ friend.’ What! Pain, my friend? Well, the Bible is also full of ________________________ apparent contradictions. Things that seem to be awful and ________________________ horrible, actually are there to sustain us and to make us ________________________ stronger and help us to grow. James says we should be ________________________ happy in trial. An apparent contradiction. Solomon also notes ________________________ an apparent contradiction when mhe says: “Cast your bread ________________________ upon the waters and after many days it shall return to you” ________________________ (Ecclesiastes 11:1). Matthew writes in chapter 16:25: “For ________________________ whoever wants to save his own life, will lose it; but whoever ________________________ loses his life for My sake will find it.” Excuse me! What! ________________________ Humanly, this doesn”t make sense. ________________________ ________________________ It is natural for us to want to survive, for us to want to save ________________________ our lives, to want to try and persevere through whatever we ________________________ can, to protect ourselves, to defend ourselves against people ________________________ and things that threaten to destroy our livelihoods. Yes, ________________________ Satan is on the path of destruction. He wants to destroy us. ________________________ In John 10:10 Jesus tells us: “The thief cometh not, but for to ________________________ steal and to kill and to destroy; but I have come that you may ________________________ have life, and that you may have it in more abundance.” ________________________ ________________________ PAIN IS YOUR FRIEND. WE OFTEN ________________________ HURT BECAUSE OF GROWTH PAINS. ________________________ ________________________ 3 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Luke 9:56 also talks about God: “For the Son of man is not ________________________ come to destroy men's lives, but to save them” (KJV). There ________________________ are two things happening in the world right now. Satan wants ________________________ to destroy us and Jesus wants to save us. We should not ________________________ fear. The Bible gives us a message in Matthew 10:28: “And ________________________ fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the ________________________ soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul ________________________ and body in hell.” This verse is not there to scare us into ________________________ following Jesus. This verse is basically there to tell us that ________________________ instead of us focusing on Satan's destruction, we should ________________________ focus on the saving grace of Christ Jesus. We should not ________________________ focus on what Satan is doing, but on what God can do. God ________________________ can save the soul eternally. ________________________ ________________________ It is true that Satan can cause a lot of destruction on this ________________________ earth, but Jesus can transform that destruction into our ________________________ redemption. Think about it this way: the things that are ________________________ supposed to destroy us, can set us free. The Bible shares ________________________ examples of this. The Israelites, while they were in Egypt, ________________________ were suffering many cruelties under Pharaoh. It was Satan's ________________________ intent purpose to destroy God's people by hard labour, by ________________________ putting them under severe stress in order to remove their ________________________ minds from the work of God in their lives. Instead of them ________________________ forgetting God, they called out to God for deliverance and ________________________ God set them free. Yes, Satan is on the path of destruction. ________________________ He wants to destroy us. In John 10:10 Jesus tells us: “The ________________________ thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy; ________________________ but I have come that you may have life, and that you may ________________________ have it in more abundance.” ________________________ ________________________ Luke 9:56 also talks about God: “For the Son of man is not ________________________ come to destroy men's lives, but to save them” (KJV). There ________________________ are two things happening in the world right now. Satan wants ________________________ to destroy us and Jesus wants to save us. We should not ________________________ fear. The Bible gives us a message in Matthew 10:28: “And ________________________ fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the ________________________ soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul ________________________ and body in hell.” ________________________ ________________________ GOD CAN TURN SATANS DESTRUCTION ________________________ INTO YOUR REDEMPTION. ________________________ ________________________ 4 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

This verse is not there to scare us into following Jesus. This ________________________ verse is basically there to tell us that instead of us focusing ________________________ on Satan's destruction, we should focus on the saving grace ________________________ of Christ Jesus. We should not focus on what Satan is doing, ________________________ but on what God can do. God can save the soul eternally. ________________________ ________________________ Isaiah 43:1-4 says: “Israel, the LORD who created you says, ________________________ ‘Do not be afraid – I will save you. I have called you by your ________________________ name - you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I ________________________ will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When ________________________ you pass through fire, you will not be burnt; the hard trials ________________________ that come will not hurt you. For I am the LORD your God, the ________________________ Holy God of Israel, who saves you. I will give up whole ________________________ nations to save your life, because you are precious to me ________________________ and because I love you and give you honour.” We need to ________________________ learn to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and ________________________ finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). ________________________ Satan knows that his time is short and he wants to destroy ________________________ us. He's out for our physical destruction. He attacks our ________________________ bodies and our health. Sometimes he even wants to kill us ________________________ physically. He's out for our mental and spiritual destruction ________________________ as well. His mental and spiritual destruction are more ________________________ worrying, because physical destruction is obvious. Satan ________________________ works in little ways to destroy us mentally and spiritually. He ________________________ uses things we are not aware of. Things like television or ________________________ radio programmes. Remember the saying: ‘It’s the little foxes ________________________ that spoil the crops.’ ________________________ ________________________ The question that you need to ask yourself today is whether ________________________ you shoud be worried about the obvious trials, or should you ________________________ be more worried about the non-obvious trails which Satan ________________________ uses to get into your life? There is a tongue in the cheek ________________________ question sometimes asked: ‘How do you cook a frog?’ Satan ________________________ used to try and destroy people by physically going after them ________________________ and attacking them, making them martyrs, trying to destroy ________________________ Christians by killing them. ________________________ ________________________ GOD SAYS: “DO NOT BE AFRAID, I WILL ________________________ SAVE YOU. I HAVE CALLED YOU BY ________________________ NAME AND YOU ARE MINE.” ________________________ ________________________ 5 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Today he is much cleverer. Satan does not only use physical ________________________ destruction and trials when trying to destroy you, he uses ________________________ subtle ways you’re unaware of. How do you cook a frog? ________________________ Slowly. You put it in cold water and slowly turn up the heat. ________________________ This is what Satan is doing to you and me. ________________________ ________________________ The physical trials we go through shouldn't worry us. We ________________________ might go hungry, but will not destroy us. We might lose our ________________________ spouses to divorce, but it will not destroy us. We might not ________________________ have an education or a job, but it will not destroy us. Being ________________________ beaten and persecuted will not destroy us. Even dying will ________________________ not destroy us. But what will destroy us, are our own ________________________ thoughts and emotions and our actions in response to ________________________ hardships and trials. The battle in this life is not for our body ________________________ or our lives, it is for our minds. If Satan can break us ________________________ emotionally, cognitively and spiritually, then he has won. ________________________ ________________________ Remember, pain is temporary. Do not focus on the pain. ________________________ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew that the fire was ________________________ going to be made seven times hotter. But what was more ________________________ important to them than the fear of dying or the fear of pain, ________________________ was that God was their Saviour. They knew God could ________________________ preserve them if He chooses to do so. Their focus was not ________________________ on defending themselves or saving themselves, but it was on ________________________ God and His power. It is not our job to save ourselves. We ________________________ have a Saviour that is working for our salvation. ________________________ ________________________ What we should do, is to face the trials. Trials will help us to ________________________ exercise our faith so that we can grow in our faith. In order ________________________ for muscles to grow, a severe amount of strain must be ________________________ placed on it. Muscles tear, but they grow back stronger. This ________________________ process also involves pain. We need to realise that in order ________________________ for our faith muscles to grow, we may sometimes find ________________________ ourselves in strenuous circumstances where life apparently ________________________ tears us down. What is important during these times, is that ________________________ we exercise our faith in God and therefore our spiritual ________________________ muscles grow back stronger. ________________________ ________________________ HUNGER, DIVORCE, A LACK EVEN ________________________ PERSECUTION CANT DESTROY YOU, ________________________ ________________________ ONLY SIN CAN. ________________________ ________________________ 6 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

There are different seasons in our lives. Like the seasons in ________________________ nature, pain will come and go. There will be winter and it will ________________________ be cold, but I promise you, there will be a summer. ________________________ ________________________ If you are broke right now, it won't always be that way. If ________________________ you are sick right now, it won't always be that way. It is only ________________________ a season that will pass. There will be showers of blessings ________________________ too. God is in control of the seasons of our lives and ________________________ whatever you are going through right now, cannot last. Life ________________________ may change, but what should not change, is our focus on ________________________ God during these changing times. Don't give up on that ________________________ which is permanent, for problems that are temporary. You ________________________ are not losing anything in the hardships of life, except those ________________________ things that are holding you back. ________________________ ________________________ Allow me to share the following dialogue that talks about ________________________ how we fall apart. It is a conversation between myself and ________________________ God: ________________________ Me: “Hello God.” ________________________ God: “Hello.” ________________________ Me: “Lord, I'm falling apart. Can You please put me back ________________________ together?” ________________________ God: “I would rather not.” ________________________ Me: “Why?” ________________________ God: “Because you aren't a puzzle.” ________________________ Me: “What about all the pieces of my life that are falling ________________________ down onto the ground!” ________________________ God: “Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a ________________________ reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those ________________________ pieces back.” ________________________ Me: “You don't understand God, I am breaking down.” ________________________ God: “No, you don't understand. You are breaking through. ________________________ ________________________ What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are ________________________ shedding the things and the people in your life that are ________________________ holding you back. You aren't falling apart, ________________________ ________________________ THERE WILL BE DIFFERENT SEASONS ________________________ IN LIFE. LEARN TO SEE THE BEAUTY ________________________ ________________________ IN EACH. ________________________ ________________________ 7 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

you are falling into place. Relax! Take some deep breaths ________________________ and allow those things that you don't need anymore to fall off ________________________ of you. ________________________ ________________________ Quit holding on to the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let ________________________ them fall off. Let them go.” ________________________ Me: “Once I start doing that Lord, what will be left of me?” ________________________ God: “Only the very best pieces of you.” ________________________ Me: “I'm scared of changing, God.” ________________________ God: “I keep telling you: YOU AREN’T CHANGING! YOU ________________________ ARE BECOMING!!” ________________________ Me: “Becoming who?” ________________________ God: “Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light ________________________ and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and ________________________ mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than ________________________ the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with ________________________ and cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall ________________________ off of you. I love you! Don't change! Become! Become! ________________________ Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep ________________________ telling you this until you remember it.” ________________________ Me: “There goes another piece, Lord.” ________________________ God: “Yip, let it be.” ________________________ Me: “So ... I'm not broken?” ________________________ God: “No ... but you are breaking like the dawn. It is a new ________________________ day. Become who I made you to be.” ________________________ ________________________ May the Lord bless you today as you allow the trials of life to ________________________ mould you and help you to become who God intended you to ________________________ be. ________________________ ________________________ GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE AN ________________________ ABUNDANT LIFE ________________________ ________________________ 8 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

YouTube To watch the animated YouTube video of this episode scan this QR code with your phone. Podcast To watch and download a short motivational clip on TikTok about this episode scan this QR code with your phone. TikTok To listen to the audio of this episode on podcast scan this QR code with your phone. Northern Conference, Pastoral Counselling Department Revive, Refresh, Restore [email protected] Cell: +27836584296 Author: Nandi Fleming Editors: Kobus & Adele Beukes

3.EACH TRIAL IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME... Welcome all experiences cause you never know which one is gonna turn everything on. #NCSAMENTALHEALTHDEVOTIONS

EACH TRIAL IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ________________________ ________________________ BECOME ... ________________________ ________________________ 2 Corinthians 3:18: “So all of us who have had that veil ________________________ removed, can see and reflect the glory of God. And the ________________________ Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like ________________________ Him as we are changed into His glorious image.” (NLT) ________________________ ________________________ There is a saying by Trina Paulus that goes: ‘What the ________________________ caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a ________________________ beautiful butterfly.’ I believe that right now we have the ________________________ opportunity to change, to become more like God. Let me ________________________ ask you a question: “Who are you becoming when you face ________________________ personal trials or public hardships like this pandemic of ________________________ COVID-19?” It may seem like the end of the world to us, but ________________________ God sees this as an opportunity for a new and beautiful you. ________________________ Who would you like to become during this time? ________________________ ________________________ I see COVID-19 as the world’s wake-up call. Amidst the ________________________ chaos and confusion, we need to awake to the realisation ________________________ that life is a precious gift. It is our responsibility as citizens ________________________ of heaven and as human beings to now lead and live a ________________________ spiritual life to the best of our abilities, to be the best we can ________________________ be. For most of us it means looking at our current state of ________________________ affairs and recognising all the changes that we need to ________________________ make. This is the time to re-evaluate your goals and ________________________ priorities and leave behind what has not worked so far. This ________________________ is an opportunity for you to reflect the image of Jesus fully. ________________________ An opportunity to change. But you need to be ready and ________________________ willing to change. However by the time you realise that it is ________________________ important for you to change your life, you may not know ________________________ where to begin. ________________________ ________________________ There is an expression that says: ‘It is better to be prepared ________________________ for an opportunity to change and not have an opportunity, ________________________ than to have an opportunity for change and not be prepared ________________________ for it.’ ________________________ ________________________ RE-EVALAUTE YOUR GOALS AND ________________________ PRIORITIES, AND LEAVE BEHIND ________________________ THAT WHICH HAS NOT WORKED. ________________________ ________________________ 1 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

No matter who you are, how old or young you are; no matter ________________________ how far you have progressed in life, it is never too late to ________________________ change and to become more like our Saviour. Sometimes ________________________ God allows for distressing situations to push us to change ________________________ and to become more like Him. To become who He created us ________________________ to be, in His image, in His likeness. To be perfected. To get ________________________ rid of those things that do not completely fit the image of ________________________ Christ in our lives. Trials we need to go through often push ________________________ us towards these changes. I often hear people say that our ________________________ lives changed so drastically, and they wonder what life is ________________________ going to be like once we get through this pandemic. I believe ________________________ with the changes that are taking place now, we should re- ________________________ evaluate and see which things of the past are worth holding ________________________ on to in the future when things normalise again. ________________________ ________________________ If this tribulation, this pandemic, or the trials of life that we ________________________ are going through, is an opportunity for us to re-start again, ________________________ an opportunity for us to form and change ourselves again, ________________________ when is the right time for us to change? How long do we ________________________ wait? Do we start immediately? Sometimes we hope we can ________________________ accomplish personal changes by changing our environment. ________________________ We know who we want to be, but we first want the ________________________ circumstances to be just right. It is true that it is better for us ________________________ to have a more favourable environment to help us better ________________________ ourselves. The environment does help us and assist us in ________________________ becoming better people. ________________________ ________________________ Have you ever gone camping in nature or gone on a holiday ________________________ to the beach? Did you notice a difference in your demeanor, ________________________ in your words, in your actions and in your attitude, when you ________________________ were in nature, away from the city life and the hustle and ________________________ bustle of of it all? ________________________ ________________________ IT IS BETTER TO BE PREPARED ________________________ FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE ________________________ AND NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, ________________________ THAN TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ________________________ ________________________ FOR CHANGE AND NOT BE ________________________ PREPARED FOR IT. ________________________ ________________________ 2 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

When you put your phone down, when you switch the ________________________ internet off and you spend time with family? Have you ________________________ noticed when the evironment is different, you are different? ________________________ Yes, nature has a calming and soothing effect on us. If the ________________________ environment we have is favourable, it will definitely be ________________________ favourable in helping us change in life. Unfortunately we ________________________ cannot always be in favourable environments. ________________________ ________________________ We sometimes wait, we look and we hope for a change in ________________________ our environment. We hold back on our personal growth and ________________________ our personal change. We have ideas that we do not act on, ________________________ things we plan on doing one day – when our marriages are ________________________ better or when people treat us better, then we will be nice to ________________________ them. When we don't have all these bills; when our health is ________________________ better; when we've weighed the outcomes and everything is ________________________ favourable, then we will change. Then we will do the things ________________________ we know we need to do. We are hoping and waiting for the ________________________ economy to change, we are hoping for COVID-19 to pass, ________________________ then we can change. Hoping and waiting for our income to ________________________ change, hoping for the outside world to change. Hoping and ________________________ waiting all the time ... . ________________________ ________________________ Here is what I found out so far. These things are not going to ________________________ change, not soon anyway. They may even get worse, for all ________________________ we know. There is an expression which states that we should ________________________ welcome all experiences because we never know which one ________________________ of those is going to turn everything on(around) for us. A ________________________ besutiful example of this is the story of the caterpillar. The ________________________ caterpillar struggles to emerge from the cocoon. It is part of ________________________ what makes it beautiful and strong, it is part of what makes ________________________ its new wings to be strong and enabling the butterfly to fly ________________________ better and to be a better butterfly. ________________________ ________________________ WELCOME ALL EXPERIENCES ________________________ BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW ________________________ WHICH ONE IS GOING TO TURN ________________________ EVERYTHING AROUND FOR YOU. ________________________ ________________________ 3 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

If the cocoon of a butterfly is broken open and its wings did ________________________ not take the time to struggle to break itself free, its wings ________________________ emerge underdeveloped and weak and the butterfly will not ________________________ be able to fly. With us, in our lives, these trials that we face, ________________________ are there to make us stronger, to help us grow more into the ________________________ image of God that is already inside us. ________________________ ________________________ Trials are hard and times are going to get harder and ________________________ sometimes we will want to quit. Nobody said it was going to ________________________ be easy. In Matthew chapter 7 we read: “But the gateway to ________________________ life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ________________________ ever find it.” So yes, the Christian-life is difficult. The trials ________________________ that we face are hard. There will be moments when we want ________________________ to give up. There's going to be moments when it will seem ________________________ impossible and the pain and disappointments we experience ________________________ are just too much for us. We might even have thoughts of ________________________ ‘this is not worth it!’. Thoughts that tell us to go back to our ________________________ old way of life. It was easier back then. It was more ________________________ comfortable being in the cocoon. Even though it was dark, ________________________ we were used to the darkness. ________________________ ________________________ The Bible tells us that Israel went through the same ________________________ experience when God set them free. They went through ________________________ many trials and tribulations as they were wandering through ________________________ the desert. God was still working on them, strengthening ________________________ them. As they were struggling through these trials and ________________________ hardships, they looked back to Egypt. They looked back ________________________ because the changes that had to take place in them, the ________________________ changes the wilderness was bringing, were too hard for ________________________ them, too taxing. They wanted to go back to what was known ________________________ and comfortable, even though they were slaves and even ________________________ though it was destroying them emotionally and mentally. ________________________ They asked themselves: “Is this really worth it?” ________________________ ________________________ WHAT YOU CONSIDER THE END OF ________________________ YOUR WORLD, IS OFTEN GOD ________________________ MAKING A NEW BEGINNING IN ________________________ YOU. ________________________ ________________________ 4 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

We need to be careful of comfort, because comfort may ________________________ place us in inactivity. We get so used to the mess of life that ________________________ we start feeling okay with it, and when things start to change ________________________ for the better and it is difficult, we want to go back to the ________________________ comfort of not having difficulties, even though we end up ________________________ back in a mess. ________________________ ________________________ An example of this is illustrated by the story of a homeless ________________________ man who was given a new opportunity. Somebody rented a ________________________ beautiful place for him to stay in. They furnished the house ________________________ for him and took him off the streets. He didn't have to pay ________________________ anything. They delivered food at his door every day. They ________________________ gave him a job and said to him: “Go live your life. Become ________________________ somebody new.” The sad part is that two or three days later, ________________________ when the person came to check on this man, everything in ________________________ the apartment had been sold and the man was gone. They ________________________ went looking for him and found him back on the street, ________________________ begging, doing his old ways of life because it was easier, it ________________________ was what he was used to, it was more comfortable. ________________________ ________________________ Do you want to be comfortable, or do you want to be better? ________________________ It is going to cost you effort and a retraining of self. Retrain ________________________ yourself not to be who you were, but to be somebody ________________________ different. Retrain yourself to put your phone down, to switch ________________________ off the internet. Retrain yourself to get up early, to pick up ________________________ your Bible, to behold the Word of God, instead of beholding ________________________ the things of this world. A retraining of yourself to be kind to ________________________ your colleagues even though they are rude to you. ________________________ ________________________ The nice thing about changing ourselves, is that our ________________________ retraining is going to take place in the school of Christ and ________________________ that we have a manual on how to become. It is called the ________________________ Bible. We can see in the Bible how Christ did things and by ________________________ constantly doing what He tells us to do in this manual, we ________________________ will realise that we are being transformed. ________________________ ________________________ BE CAREFUL OF COMFORT, ________________________ BECAUSE COMFORT CAN PLACE ________________________ YOU IN A STATE OF INACTIVITY. ________________________ ________________________ 5 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us how this transformation takes place. ________________________ It says: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and ________________________ have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like ________________________ trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep ________________________ into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heator ________________________ worried about the long months of drought. Their leaves stay ________________________ green, and they never stop producing fruit.” These trees ________________________ changed despite their circumstances, because they were ________________________ planted by a stream. A stream which symbolically represents ________________________ Jesus Christ, the Water of Life. When we are rooted and ________________________ planted in Christ, we will grow, despite our circumstances. ________________________ ________________________ Now then, if circumstances are not going to change, how are ________________________ we ever going to change our lives? Well, when you change, ________________________ everything else changes. But, how do I change? Change is ________________________ one of the hardest things to accomplish. Have you ever tried ________________________ to change yourself? Have you been successfull? How is that ________________________ diet going? How many times have you given up on ________________________ something that you started, e.g. New Year's resolutions? ________________________ How many times have you perhaps quit smoking or stop ________________________ doing things that you do not want to do? ________________________ ________________________ We don't have to wait for the economy or the country or for ________________________ circumstances to change. We only have to change ________________________ ourselves, BUT we are too concerned about how we are ________________________ going to achieve this goal. Do not be concerned about how ________________________ you are going to achieve the goal. Only know that you have ________________________ the goal of who you want to change into and leave the how it ________________________ is going to happen to a greater Power than yourself, GOD. ________________________ All you have to know is where you are going; what you want ________________________ to be. The answer should always be, I want to be more like ________________________ Jesus. I want to grow more in His image. ________________________ ________________________ WHEN YOU ARE ROOTED AND ________________________ PLANTED IN CHRIST YOU WILL ________________________ ________________________ GROW DESPITE YOUR ________________________ CIRCUMSTANCES. ________________________ ________________________ 6 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

The verse in Corinthians that we started off with, ________________________ summarises how we are going to change. It says: “By ________________________ beholding Christ, we become changed into His image.” By ________________________ beholding, we become changed. How does this work? Does ________________________ that mean we have to copy Christ? Imitate Him? ________________________ ________________________ As a kid, I used to enjoy teasing my older brother. We used ________________________ to travel far to go to church and on the way to church I would ________________________ get bored. Quite often I asked my brother to play some game ________________________ with me, and more than often, he would refuse. So I invented ________________________ my own game, called the Imitation Game. We've all played it, ________________________ right? Basically we say and do whatever the other person ________________________ says or does. We repeat them. We mimic them. We mirror ________________________ them. So, whatever hand gesture my brother would do, I ________________________ would do. Whatever noise he would make, I would make. If ________________________ he would touch me, I would touch him. This was obviously a ________________________ highly irritating game for him. ________________________ ________________________ Is this what the Bible means by ‘beholding we become ________________________ changed?’ Does it mean we must imitate Christ? Do we ________________________ become parrots? The answer the Bible gives is NO. When ________________________ the Bible tells us to behold, it is not copying. We do not ________________________ change by copying. We change by beholding, by looking, by ________________________ listening. It is not our work to transform ourselves, it is God's ________________________ work in us. It is the Holy Spirit in us that transforms us. We ________________________ just need to show up. We need to be there, to see what He ________________________ does, to behold Him. The way we do this is by Bible study, ________________________ by spending time with God's Word, by spending time with the ________________________ good things Christ has given us. ________________________ ________________________ It does seem impossible to change by simply looking and ________________________ listening to someone or somebody. However, scientific ________________________ research has made an amazing discovery about how the ________________________ human mind works in this beholding game. ________________________ ________________________ BY BEHOLDING WE BECOME ________________________ CHANGED. CHANGED INTO WHAT ________________________ ________________________ WE BEHOLD. WHAT ARE YOU ________________________ BEHOLDING EACH DAY? ________________________ ________________________ 7 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

There is something called mirror neurons. They are ‘smart ________________________ cells’ within the brain. Cells that work like mirrors. They ________________________ assist people in imitation, in learning language by listening ________________________ and observing. It helps in observational skills. These cells ________________________ are basically helping people to change when they view ________________________ things. Studies of the human mirror system also revealed ________________________ that it can be activated by sound as well as by visual stimuli. ________________________ A mirror neuron is a type of brain cell that responds equally ________________________ whether we perform an action or whether we witness ________________________ someone else performing the same action. In other words, ________________________ whether we do something or see how someone else does it, ________________________ the brain activates in the same way as if the action was done ________________________ by you. Mirror neurones only activate and are specifically ________________________ tuned in and switched on in response to actions with clear ________________________ goals. I believe God has planted this biological system inside ________________________ us to helps us to become that which we behold, literally like ________________________ a mirror. ________________________ ________________________ Remember the mirror neurons are only turned on with ________________________ specific actions that have clear goals, e.g. if someone moves ________________________ his hand for no apparent reason, the mirror neurons will not ________________________ activate and they will not imitate or copy or learn that which ________________________ they have seen. If however, someone moves his hand with a ________________________ very specific motive or reason or clear goal for the action, ________________________ the mirror neurons will activate. So, this is a learning ________________________ system. A system that changes us from the inside out. How ________________________ uniquely did God put us together! ________________________ ________________________ God knows He planted these cells inside us and He ________________________ therefore says: “By beholding, you will become changed.” ________________________ What are you beholding during these stressful times? Are ________________________ you listening and looking at the bad news and the things ________________________ Satan is doing in this world? Are you spending your time in ________________________ conspiracy theories and the negative things that are ________________________ happening and the possibilities of terrible catastrophies that ________________________ could come ahead? ________________________ ________________________ MIRROR NEURONS ASSIST YOU IN ________________________ LEARNING BY BEHOLDING. HELPING ________________________ YOU IMITATING WHAT YOU BEHOLD ________________________ ________________________ LITERALLY LIKE A MIRROR. ________________________ ________________________ 8 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Or are you beholding the goodness and kindness and the ________________________ graces of God? Only beholding His character? Are you doing ________________________ and imitating negative or positive things by beholding? Jesus ________________________ says you are a mirror. Whatever you spend your time on, ________________________ looking at, listening to, thinking about, is what you will ________________________ become. Who are you beholding? What are you spending ________________________ your time with? ________________________ ________________________ I love the following quotation: ‘Those who live the nearest to ________________________ Heaven, will reflect the brightness of the Sun of ________________________ Righteousness.’ A mirror only reflects well if it is close to the ________________________ image that it is reflecting. The closer the image is to the ________________________ mirror, the better the mirror will reflect it. You need to come ________________________ closer to Christ in order to reflect Him better. 1 Corinthians ________________________ 15:48 says: “Earthly people are like the earthly man, and ________________________ heavenly people are like the heavenly Man.” Speaking about ________________________ Adam and God. ________________________ ________________________ As we behold, there is nothing that shows us that we are ________________________ going to change. There is nothing about the caterpillar that ________________________ tells the caterpillar it is going to be a butterfly. There is no ________________________ proof right now that God is changing you while you are in ________________________ this dark cocoon. You just need to trust God, You need to ________________________ keep looking to Him in faith. There is a verse in the Psalms ________________________ that says: “I lift my eyes unto the hills, where does my help ________________________ come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of ________________________ heaven and earth.” ________________________ ________________________ You need to learn to behold God. Lift God up before man. ________________________ Lift up before man those things which are eternal and you ________________________ will have strength every hour. Choose not to talk of ________________________ darkness. Choose not to listen and dwell upon the things ________________________ that are terrible and horrible and happening right now. The ________________________ more you talk and dwell upon these horrible things, the ________________________ darker and darker you will grow. God has given you a perfect ________________________ model in His only begotten Son. ________________________ ________________________ THOSE WHO LIVE THE NEAREST TO ________________________ HEAVEN, WILL REFLECT THE ________________________ BRIGHTNESS OF THE SUN OF ________________________ RIGHTEOUSNESS. ________________________ ________________________ 9 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

By beholding Him, you will become changed into His image. ________________________ 1 Corinthians 13:12 says: “What we see now is like a dim ________________________ image in a mirror; when Jesus comes, we will see Him face ________________________ to face. What I know now is partial; then it will be complete - ________________________ as complete as God's knowledge of me.”As Colossians 3:10 ________________________ says: “... and I have put on a new self. This is the new being ________________________ which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in His own ________________________ image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of Himself.” ________________________ ________________________ You might not reflect God one hundred percent right now. ________________________ The image is dim. It is not one hundred percent perfect. But ________________________ keep on beholding Him. The beautiful thing about this ________________________ process is that the Bible says the more you behold Him, as ________________________ the time comes closer, the clearer the image will become. ________________________ And then, when you see Him on the clouds of heaven, you ________________________ will see Him as He is, and you will be like Him. ________________________ ________________________ In Psalms 107:35 we are told that God has the ability to ________________________ change us. It says: “He changed deserts into pools of water ________________________ and dry land into flowing springs.” Psalms 30:11 says: “You ________________________ have changed my sadness into a joyful dance; You have ________________________ taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy.” ________________________ ________________________ Let us today be careful of beholding people and ________________________ circumstances that are angry and sad and discontent with ________________________ the things of life, because it will make us angry and sad and ________________________ discontent with the things of life. ________________________ ________________________ Let us behold Christ who is content, who is happy, who does ________________________ not fear the troubles He goes through, who sleeps in the ________________________ storm, so that we too, by learning from Him, by viewing Him, ________________________ can sleep amidst the storms of life. ________________________ ________________________ HE CHANGED DESERTS INTO POOLS ________________________ OF WATER AND DRY LAND INTO ________________________ FLOWING SPRINGS-PSALMS 107:35 ________________________ ________________________ 10 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

YouTube To watch the animated YouTube video of this episode scan this QR code with your phone. Podcast To watch and download a short motivational clip on TikTok about this episode scan this QR code with your phone. TikTok To listen to the audio of this episode on podcast scan this QR code with your phone. Northern Conference, Pastoral Counselling Department Revive, Refresh, Restore [email protected] Cell: +27836584296 Author: Nandi Fleming Editors: Kobus & Adele Beukes

4. IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES God doesn’t want us to worry about anything. Nothing, nada, zip, zero. #NCSAMENTALHEALTHDEVOTIONS

IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD TIMES Psalms 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, always ready ________________________ to help in times of trouble.” ________________________ ________________________ What are your needs today? ________________________ There are three pivotal things that most people’s minds are ________________________ on right now: ________________________ ________________________ Will we survive financially? ________________________ Are we going to get sick? ________________________ Is this the beginning of the end? And if so, do we have ________________________ the assurance of salvation? ________________________ ________________________ The truth is that this pandemic and whatever it brings, is ________________________ completely and utterly out of our control. Up to this point in ________________________ life you may have been able to fix the things you struggled ________________________ with. But not this time. This time it is different. It is ________________________ completely above our human abilities and we all feel it. This ________________________ time it is more severe and frightening. Right now you may ________________________ feel helpless and you may even worry because you cannot ________________________ control the outcome of things this time. This pandemic is ________________________ above you. It is bigger than you. It is not something small ________________________ you can fix yourself. ________________________ ________________________ Let me tell you something about this uncertainty you find ________________________ yourself in, this uncontrollable situation you find yourself in. ________________________ This is exactly where God wants you to be. Helpless, weak, ________________________ dependent on Him and looking for a Saviour who will step in ________________________ and save you. He says: “When you are weak, I am strong,” ________________________ Although you worry, God does not want you to worry about ________________________ anything. Nothing, nada, zip.zero. In Philippians 4:6-7 we ________________________ read: “Do not worry about anything, but in all your prayers ________________________ ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a ________________________ thankful heart. ________________________ ________________________ BECOMING DEPENDANT ON GOD ________________________ INSTEAD OF TRYINGTO FIX LIFE ________________________ AND ITS PROBLEMS YOURSELF IS ________________________ ________________________ WHAT IS NEEDED. ________________________ ________________________ 1 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

And God’s peace which is far beyond human understanding, ________________________ will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ ________________________ Jesus.” ________________________ ________________________ The Bible tells us that we should not worry. We should take ________________________ our troubles to the Lord, trusting Him that He will take care ________________________ of them the best way He can. But we worry and we ________________________ sometimes worry even better than what we trust. I bet you ________________________ that you are worried about something right now. You might ________________________ be asking the questions: “What is going to happen if this ________________________ lockdown in our country continues? What if the economy ________________________ falls? What if my work can't pay me because they have to cut ________________________ down on salaries? They may start retrenching personnel and ________________________ what if I am one of those who will be retrenched? What if I ________________________ am the breadwinner, or what if the provider within our house ________________________ gets sick, maybe even dies? What if they cannot even afford ________________________ the essential personnel in companies and then those who ________________________ thought their jobs were secure, no longer have a job? What if ________________________ I am not ready? What if I am already without a job, with no ________________________ money and about to lose everything that I've worked for so ________________________ far?” ________________________ ________________________ I'd like to tell you that we should be careful not to worry too ________________________ much, because God is our provider, even in times of trouble. ________________________ Psalms 23 has a beautiful passage that says: “The Lord is ________________________ my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Some translations says: “I ________________________ will lack nothing.” I repeat, God does not want us to worry ________________________ about the things we need. He does not want us to worry ________________________ about anything. Worry is not unreasonable, but it is ________________________ unnatural. Nature does not worry. Jesus says in Matthew ________________________ 6:30 and 31: “Look at the birds of the air; look at the lilies of ________________________ the field; look at the grass of the field. Do not worry where ________________________ your food will come from or where your drink will come from ________________________ or what you will wear.” Jesus asks whether we are not more ________________________ than our clothes. ________________________ ________________________ WORRY IS NOT UNREASONABLE, ________________________ BUT IT IS UNNATURAL. NATURE ________________________ ________________________ DOES NOT WORRY ________________________ ________________________ 2 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Look at the grass that is here today and gone tomorrow. Are ________________________ we not more important than these things, the birds and the ________________________ grass and the flowers? ________________________ ________________________ Jesus says: “Oh, you of little faith.” We need to stop ________________________ worrying. We need to realise that God has promised to take ________________________ care of our needs. Philippians 4:19 says: “He will supply all ________________________ your needs according to His riches in glory.” If you are worn ________________________ out with worry right now, God says to you in Matthew 11:28: ________________________ “Come unto Me all you who are weak and heavy laden, and I ________________________ will give you rest.” ________________________ ________________________ Not worrying means that we need to learn how to trust in ________________________ God. How to have faith. God has real peace. A peace the ________________________ Bible says, that surpasses all understanding, knowing that ________________________ He is taking care of our needs. He has a thousand ways to ________________________ take care of those needs, ways that we know nothing about. ________________________ We need to exercise that faith now during this trying time. ________________________ ________________________ The time of the world we find ourselves in is a bit of a dry ________________________ run. What I mean with this is that I believe God is preparing ________________________ us for even harder times that are to come. I do not want to ________________________ discourage you. I do not want to put you in a place of ________________________ despair, but the Bible does tell us the last days before the ________________________ appearing of Jesus Christ on the clouds of heaven, will be ________________________ stressful. It will be a time like never before and men's hearts ________________________ will fail them for fear. I do not believe that we are right at the ________________________ end, but I do believe we are close. I believe the signs are ________________________ there that Jesus will come soon. I believe if we use this time ________________________ properly, God will help us to prepare. God will help us to ________________________ build faith and trust in Him, so that when the really hard ________________________ times come, we will not doubt. ________________________ ________________________ We need to exercise our faith. A whole generation of ________________________ Israelites died in the wilderness and never entered into the ________________________ land which was promised them, because of their lack of faith. ________________________ ________________________ IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PEACE. ________________________ GOD HAS REAL PEACE FOR YOU. ________________________ ________________________ 3 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

When they reached the border of Canaan, they scouted the ________________________ land and they saw the giants.God said: “Go in and fight, go ________________________ in faith, I will fight for you.” But they said: “God, we cannot ________________________ do it. The giants are too big for us. The giants are too big for ________________________ You.” ________________________ ________________________ In your life, and in mine, there is nothing too big for God. ________________________ Fighting giants can be scary yes, but faith is sometimes ________________________ going to ask us to do scary things. Faith takes courage. It ________________________ takes guts to blindly step out saying: “I cannot see the future ________________________ or the solutions to the problems I am facing right now, but I ________________________ will trust God, irrespectively.” ________________________ ________________________ There is a story told of a man who was a mountaineer. He ________________________ liked climbing mountains and face rocks. He was a bit of a ________________________ daring man. He liked climbing many of the face rocks without ________________________ equipment and gear. One day he went to climb the ________________________ Aconcagua mountain range in South America. This was a ________________________ very treacherous mountain range and the advice to any ________________________ climber was that they should never climb alone. They should ________________________ always start climbing early in the morning, so that they could ________________________ reach the summit before dark and set up camp in order to be ________________________ safe. ________________________ ________________________ This man however wanted to prove to the world how great he ________________________ was and decided to climb the mountain alone. He also ________________________ decided that he was not going to listen to the advice of ________________________ starting early in the morning – he was going to start after he ________________________ had his breakfast. So, he started off his journey climbing this ________________________ mountain. As you know, mountaineers usually have safety ________________________ equipment that they climb with. ________________________ ________________________ Little pegs and ropes they tie around themselves and as they ________________________ climb up the mountain, they find little crevices within the wall ________________________ of the mountain to put these pegs into. ________________________ ________________________ YES LIFE CAN BE SCARY, BUT ________________________ SOMETIMES FAITH IS GOING TO ________________________ ASK YOU TO DO SCARY THINGS. ________________________ ________________________ 4 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

If they do slip or fall, these pegs will stop their fall along the ________________________ way.This man was climbing and he was doing pretty well. He ________________________ was quite chuffed with himself because he was a good ________________________ mountaineer. His journey went well and it started getting ________________________ dark. He was close to the top of the mountain, but he was ________________________ not there yet. By the time he reached the top of the ________________________ mountain, it was completely dark. He was climbing the ________________________ mountain during the time of the year that was very cold, with ________________________ frost and snow. As he reached the top, he put his hand on ________________________ top of the summit. He was so glad that he reached the top ________________________ that he relaxed for a moment. ________________________ ________________________ The top had frozen because of the dew of the evening. In ________________________ that relaxation, his hand slipped and he started to fall. He ________________________ was falling and black blotches were going past him. He could ________________________ not see where he was. He was shouting and screaming and ________________________ the pegs were pulling out one by one. One by one, over and ________________________ over, they were pulling out. Eventually he felt the sharp pull ________________________ in the middle of his body. The safety rope and one of the ________________________ pegs that were tight enough, stopped him from falling ________________________ further. In his distress he reached for his bag, only to find ________________________ that his bag and his climbing equipment had been lost in the ________________________ fall. ________________________ ________________________ And there he hung, suspended in the middle of nowhere, not ________________________ knowing whether he was going to make it. He could not climb ________________________ further because he didn’t have his gear anymore. He could ________________________ try and climb on his own, but he might not even make it to ________________________ the top of the mountain. It was very cold. He might even die ________________________ of frostbite or hyperthermia before he reached the top again. ________________________ ________________________ In his distress, hanging there in the middle of nowhere, he ________________________ called out to God and shouted: “God!” God's voice came ________________________ back in the dark saying: “What would you have Me do my ________________________ child?” ________________________ ________________________ ARE YOU HANGING SUSPENDED ON ________________________ THE ROPES OF LIFE, CRYING OUT ________________________ ________________________ TO GOD TO SAVE YOU? ________________________ ________________________ 5 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

He answered: “Well God, obviously I want You to save me.” ________________________ God asked him: “Would you do anything I tell you in order for ________________________ Me to save your life?” ________________________ The man replied: “Clearly God, I will do anything. You know ________________________ what is best for me. Just tell me what to do and I will do it.” ________________________ (The man didn’t know how far he was from the top, or how ________________________ far he was from the bottom. He couldn’t see a thing.) ________________________ God answered him from out of the dark night and said to ________________________ him: “You have a small pocket knife inside the sock of your ________________________ boot. Take it out.” ________________________ The man took out the knife, and then God told him: “Now, ________________________ what I want you to do is to take that knife and cut the rope.” ________________________ [Would you cut the rope if you couldn’t see the bottom or the ________________________ top? If you didn’t know how far you were going to fall and ________________________ God tells you to cut the rope, would you? ________________________ ________________________ The next morning rescue teams realised that the man had ________________________ not arrived at the camp base by the time he should have and ________________________ they went out looking for him. The rescue team found this ________________________ man hanging suspended only a metre above the ground. ________________________ Frozen to death. He did not cut the rope. ________________________ ________________________ Are you willing to trust God even when you can't see the ________________________ future? Even when the future looks dark and bleak? Even ________________________ when it seems what God asks you to do might put your life in ________________________ danger? Are you willing to step out in faith trusting Him, ________________________ cutting the rope? Your giants in life may be terrifying, but ________________________ you have to fight the urge of allowing the fear to overwhelm ________________________ you. ________________________ ________________________ When you are going through difficult financial times, fight the ________________________ urge to go and borrow money. It is scary not to know where ________________________ your food is going to come from, but God says, “Cut the ________________________ rope, trust Me.” ________________________ ________________________ CAN YOU TRUST GOD EVEN IF ________________________ YOU CANT SEE THE FUTURE? ARE ________________________ YOU WILLING TO TRUST GID EVEN ________________________ ________________________ WHEN YOUR FUTURE LOOKS ________________________ BLEAK? ________________________ ________________________ 6 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Proverbs 3:5 and 6 state: “Trust in the Lord with all your ________________________ heart and lean not on your own under- standing. In all your ________________________ ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Do ________________________ not trust everything you think you know about this pandemic ________________________ and how to survive it. Even if there is well-researched ________________________ evidence, don't trust your own understanding about the times ________________________ that we live in. Go to God. Pray to Him and tell Him what you ________________________ need and then trust Him. I challenge you to make God your ________________________ entire dependence. Put your whole being, soul, body and ________________________ spirit into the Lord's hands. ________________________ ________________________ How will we trust? The verse tells us to trust with all our ________________________ heart and in all our ways. In other words, in all ________________________ circumstances, whether big or small, trust God. We struggle ________________________ for the very reason that we get so self-sufficient. We get ________________________ ourselves out of jams, instead of allowing it to run its course ________________________ and to do what it is supposed to do within us to develop our ________________________ faith and trust. By not trusting God, we short-circuit the ________________________ opportunity for growth and faith through active trust in God in ________________________ real situations. We rob ourselves of a real chance to ________________________ experience God's intervention and powerful hand to step in ________________________ on our behalf. We fail to go to Him first and to trust Him. We ________________________ trust in ourselves or we are quick to call on others. Many of ________________________ us have friends who are smarter or richer than us and if we ________________________ are not careful, they will become a crutch for us. They may ________________________ have connections and when we end up against the wall, we ________________________ often go to them because we know they can get us through ________________________ it. We need to be careful not to trust in ourselves or to trust ________________________ in man. Rather put God first and trust in Him. ________________________ ________________________ There is a sad biblical story in the book of 2nd Chronicles ________________________ chapter 16, which tells of King Asa. He was faithful to God ________________________ for 38 years of his life. ________________________ ________________________ BY NOT TRUSTING GOD, WE ________________________ SHORT-CIRCUIT THE OPPORTUNITY ________________________ ________________________ FOR GROWTH AND FAITH ________________________ THROUGH ACTIVE TRUST IN GOD ________________________ ________________________ IN REAL SITUATIONS. ________________________ ________________________ 7 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

He faithfully sought God and in all his ways he would go to God and ________________________ ask God for advice. God gave his kingdom peace. But King Asa ________________________ became confident in his welfare and started to think and plan on his ________________________ own. The Bible tells us that in the thirty-ninth year of King Asa's ________________________ reign, he was afflicted with a foot disease. This disease was very ________________________ severe. Even in his illness, Asa did not seek God. Instead, he went to ________________________ physicians. God warned him against that independent trust in himself ________________________ and other men. He was to rather trust God with his health. ________________________ ________________________ God had helped him in conquering many nations around him ________________________ but in the last two years of his life, he went to others to help ________________________ him fight his battles. It says he formed an alliance with Ben- ________________________ hadad, the king of Syria in Damascus. Asa used all the silver ________________________ and gold that was left in the temple as monetary bribes. He ________________________ convinced Ben-hadad to break his peace treaty with King ________________________ Baasha of Israel and to invade the Northern Kingdom. Then ________________________ the prophet Hanani came and admonished Asa. He told him ________________________ he should not have relied on the king of Syria and opposed ________________________ divine help by defeating Baasha. The sad part is that Asa ________________________ rejected the words of the prophet and he threw Hanani in ________________________ jail. Two years later, King Asa's reign ended and he died. ________________________ The terribleness of the story is that King Asa trusted God all ________________________ his life, but in the last years he gave up that trust. He went ________________________ to people, more than he went to God. If you were God, what ________________________ would you do? ________________________ ________________________ If you promised a friend you would be there for her whenever ________________________ she was in need of money, clothes, food or someone to talk ________________________ to, just to find out your friend has been living off welfare and ________________________ didn't come to you for help, how would you feel? What if you ________________________ reassured your friend each time that you would help her, and ________________________ each time you would find her somewhere else asking for ________________________ help, begging on the street? Perhaps even selling her body ________________________ for money to make a way. Using every possible way to ________________________ survive, except laying claim to your offer. How would you ________________________ feel? ________________________ ________________________ BECAREFUL OF INDEPENDANT ________________________ TRUST IN SELF. GOD CALLS US TO ________________________ ________________________ COMPLETE TRUST IN HIM. ________________________ ________________________ 8 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

This is often what we do to God. We go to everybody else ________________________ before we go to Him. Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth ________________________ and the life.” You are not the way. Others are not the way. ________________________ Wealth and security and jobs are not the way. Jesus says, “I ________________________ am the way.” ________________________ ________________________ Many of us struggle with trust. We really are unbelieving ________________________ believers. It sounds contradictory. Unbelieving believers are ________________________ people who know of God, but don't know God personally. ________________________ They are people who have not had a real deep experience ________________________ with God. Unbelieving believers can tell you that God ________________________ created the heaven and the earth, but they can't tell you ________________________ what He has done for them personally, because they haven't ________________________ given Him a chance to manifest His power on their behalf. ________________________ They pray for deliverance, but before He can answer, they ________________________ make a plan themselves or run to somebody else to solve ________________________ their problems. They rob God of an opportunity to show His ________________________ love, care and protection. They also rob themselves of the ________________________ opportunity to experience God coming through for them at ________________________ number 99, because they were impatient, because they lack ________________________ the experiences that grow faith. ________________________ ________________________ You have to believe in the Word, in the power of the ________________________ promises of the Word. Do you believe that God sent His only ________________________ Son? If so, then you should also believe He will supply all ________________________ your needs and that He will take care of you. It makes no ________________________ sense that you would trust God with your eternal salvation, ________________________ but you don't trust Him with your car payments, or with your ________________________ health. ________________________ ________________________ The Bible tells us that our bread and water will be sure. God ________________________ does not always provide for us in the way we expect. Look at ________________________ the story in the Bible of Elijah during the drought. God cared ________________________ for him. ________________________ ________________________ DON’T ROB YOURSELF OF THE ________________________ OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE ________________________ GOD COMING THROUGH FOR YOU ________________________ AT NUMBER 99, BECAUSE OF YOUR ________________________ ________________________ IMPATIENCE. ________________________ ________________________ 9 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Crows brought him food while he lived in the wild next to a ________________________ stream. He was God's prophet and one would think that God ________________________ would take better care of him. The Bible tells us not only did ________________________ God care for him in that way, but when the brook ran dry, ________________________ God sent him to a widow who had nothing. She was about to ________________________ share her last piece of bread with her son and then die. God ________________________ said to Elijah: “Tell the widow that she must give you her last ________________________ piece of bread.” ________________________ ________________________ Would you do it? Would you ask somebody who was starving ________________________ themselves, for the last piece of bread? Do you have enough ________________________ faith in God that He will take care of them as well as you ________________________ after that? For me, I'd rather go hungry. I'd rather go pick up ________________________ some roots or scraps out of a dustbin to take care of myself, ________________________ than do that which God asks me, because it's difficult. We ________________________ are very self-sufficient. I know we call this self-dependence. ________________________ We are self-dependent, other-dependent, but we struggle to ________________________ be God- dependent. This is because we do not really know ________________________ God. We haven't had a living experience of the invitation: ________________________ “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” ________________________ ________________________ How awesome would it be if you could say: “I cut the rope ________________________ and He caught me? He came through for me. I had faith. It ________________________ was scary and dark. I couldn't see, but I stepped out in faith. ________________________ I cut the rope.” ________________________ ________________________ You won't know until you’ve tried. You have to put God to the ________________________ test. Do you really believe that all power in heaven and earth ________________________ belongs to Him? Do you really believe that the Son of God ________________________ died and rose again for you? Do you really believe there is a ________________________ Name you can call on that is above every other name? That ________________________ He will open the storehouse of heaven and pour out ________________________ blessings on you and that you do not have enough room to ________________________ receive it? ________________________ ________________________ CUT THE ROPE AND ALLOW GOD ________________________ TO CATCH YOU. HAVE FAITH ________________________ WHEN IT’S SCARY AND DARK. ________________________ ________________________ STEP OUT IN FAITH AND CUT THE ________________________ ROPE. ________________________ ________________________ 10 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

’For those who know the unchanging and reliable nature of ________________________ God's promises, we show dishonour to God when we lay our ________________________ burdens upon mortal men.’ We should not be like King Asa. ________________________ ________________________ Psalms 20:7 says: “Some trust in chariots and some in ________________________ horses: but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God.” ________________________ Examine yourself today. Who holds your trust? Timothy ________________________ writes in 2 Timothy 3:5: “Some have a form of godliness, but ________________________ they deny the power thereof.” Don’t be like that. Put God first ________________________ in your life. Don't just make room for Him or call on Him ________________________ when you are exhausted and you have no other options. ________________________ ________________________ Do we trust God enough when He is silent? When it is ________________________ scary? When He hasn't given us all the details of how He is ________________________ going to come through for us, we need to take courage. Our ________________________ unknown is known to God. Our rescue is already there ________________________ before the day of trouble comes. Our Saviour has already ________________________ paid the price to set us free. Our healing is already there, ________________________ because by His stripes we are healed. Our answer is just on ________________________ the other side of fear. He knows how it is going to work out ________________________ even if we don't. ________________________ ________________________ Hebrews 13:5 gives a beautiful promise. God says: “I will ________________________ never leave you and I will never forsake you.” Trust God in ________________________ the good times, as well as the bad times. Trust God now so ________________________ that you can trust Him later. ________________________ ________________________ FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ________________________ UNCHANGING AND RELIABLE ________________________ NATURE OF GOD'S PROMISES, WE ________________________ SHOW DISHONOUR TO GOD WHEN ________________________ WE LAY OUR BURDENS UPON ________________________ ________________________ MORTAL MEN. ________________________ ________________________ 11 ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

YouTube To watch the animated YouTube video of this episode scan this QR code with your phone. Podcast To watch and download a short motivational clip on TikTok about this episode scan this QR code with your phone. TikTok To listen to the audio of this episode on podcast scan this QR code with your phone. Northern Conference, Pastoral Counselling Department Revive, Refresh, Restore [email protected] Cell: +27836584296 Author: Nandi Fleming Editors: Kobus & Adele Beukes

5.WHAT WOULD YOU DIE FOR? In boxing there’s a saying that goes: The guy that aint afriad of dying is gonna win. #NCSAMENTALHEALTHDEVOTIONS

WHAT WOULD YOU DIE FOR? ________________________ ________________________ 2 Timothy 2:3: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good ________________________ soldier of Jesus Christ.” ________________________ ________________________ The world is currently facing disease and death all-around. ________________________ COVID-19 has brought many countries to their knees. ________________________ Individuals and households are facing the fear of the ________________________ unknown. The fear of illness and possibly death. With death ________________________ staring us in the face, the question comes to mind: “What ________________________ would I be willing to die for?” The question I want to pose to ________________________ you today, is: “What are you willing to die for?” “What would ________________________ you give your life for?” ________________________ ________________________ John 15:13 says: “Greater love has no man than this, that he ________________________ lay down his life for his friends.” What would you die for? ________________________ Family? A friend? Perhaps to stand up for your moral values? ________________________ Would you die for God? If you are like me, somewhere in life, ________________________ you might have made the declaration that you would give ________________________ your life for God. If there ever comes a time when God would ________________________ call upon you to die for His cause, would you gladly stand up ________________________ and volunteer to die for Him? If your answer is yes, what ________________________ does ‘to die for Christ’ mean ? What are the risks involved in ________________________ making such a declaration? ________________________ ________________________ When soldiers sign up for war they know the risks involved ________________________ and they take on these risks happily knowing that they might ________________________ die. They feel it an honour to suffer or even die for their ________________________ country. We are soldiers in God's army. Soldiers who are ________________________ called upon to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel. ________________________ In John 13:38 (ESV), Jesus asks Peter while in the Garden of ________________________ Gethsemane: “Will you lay down your life for Me?” Today, ________________________ Jesus asks us the same question: “Will you lay down your life ________________________ for Me?” ________________________ ________________________ SOLDIERS KNOW THE RISKS THEY ________________________ SIGN UP FOR, DO YOU KNOW THE ________________________ ________________________ RISKS INVOLVED IN ________________________ VOLUNTEERING FOR ________________________ ________________________ CHRISTIANITY? ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

There are different ways to lay down our life. Some of us will ________________________ be called upon to die. Others will be called upon to live, but ________________________ to die to self. This is often much harder than what we can ________________________ imagine. ________________________ ________________________ I heard a joke saying that often spouses will make ________________________ declarations that if ever the time comes where they have to ________________________ lay down their lives for each other, they would do it. But ________________________ then, when asked to do the dishes or take out the trash, the ________________________ spouse grumbles and moans and does not want to do it. We ________________________ are very quick to make a declaration that we will die for ________________________ someone or something. To die for someone may be hard, but ________________________ what is much harder, is to live for someone. To die for Christ ________________________ might be something easy to do, but to live for Him, might be ________________________ a harder sacrifice. A sacrifice which calls us to put aside our ________________________ self and our own needs and wants. ________________________ ________________________ Both of these, either to live or to die, is a sacrifice. The ________________________ sacrifice of living is what we are currently facing. Living ________________________ amidst the trials and tribulations of COVID-19 and living ________________________ faithfully within this hardship. The sacrifice of living is ________________________ spoken of in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore ________________________ brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your ________________________ bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, this ________________________ is your reasonable service.” God is not only calling us to ________________________ maybe, some day, die for Him, but also to live for Him every ________________________ day. To be a living sacrifice. To sacrifice daily on the altar of ________________________ self-denial. Dying for Christ is easy, but living for Him and ________________________ denying self, may be harder. ________________________ ________________________ 2 Timothy 2:3-4 says: “Thou therefore should endure ________________________ hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No soldier in ________________________ active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life ________________________ so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a ________________________ soldier.” ________________________ ________________________ YOU THEREFORE SHOULD ENDURE ________________________ HARDNESS AS A GOOD SOLDIER OF ________________________ ________________________ JESUS CHRIST. ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________