Andrea Sieberhagen
… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:17-18, NIV
When Christ lives in your heart, it means he is your source of strength. When you are plugged into the right source of faith, others should be able to see the difference in your life. They should sense the presence of Christ in you.
When you are rooted and established in love, you are anchored securely, and no storm can uproot you. And in this imperfect world, we as believers are often struck by storms. A fierce wind could turn your finances upside down, a heavy downpour may wash the love out of your marriage, and a lightning strike could take away your health in a moment.
Like a tree, you will only remain standing in a storm if you have a strong root system. That is what your faith must be for you. Through the wind and the rain and the lightning, you must be able to hold onto your faith, faith that is all-encompassing. It must not exclude any part of your life, because Christ’s love is all-encompassing. It is wide and long and high and deep – limitless. It surrounds you completely and protects you from the storms of life. With this love around you and faith in your heart, you can overcome any crisis.
Prayer:
May Christ come live within my heart
so that those who look at me
may see how far faith reaches,
and all who cross my path
may feel the difference
that love makes.
Andrea Sieberhagen
… dat Christus deur die geloof in julle harte sal woon en dat julle in die liefde gewortel en gegrondves sal wees. Mag julle saam met al die gelowiges begryp hoe wyd en ver en hoog en diep die liefde van Christus strek. Efesiërs 3:17-18, 1983-vertaling
As Christus in jou hart woon beteken dit dat Hy jou bron van krag is. As jy dan so by die regte kragbron van geloof ingeprop is moet ander mense die verskil in jou lewe kan sien. Hulle moet die teenwoordigheid van Christus in jou lewe kan aanvoel.
As jy in die liefde gewortel en gegrondves is, anker dit jou stewig en kan geen storm jou ontwortel nie. En in hierdie onvolmaakte wêreld word ons as gelowiges dikwels deur storms geteister. 'n Sterk wind kan jou finansies heeltemal deurmekaar waai, 'n harde bui reën mag die liefde uit jou huwelik wegspoel en 'n weerligstraal mag binne 'n oomblik jou gesondheid wegneem.
Soos 'n boom sal jy net in 'n storm bly staan as jy 'n stewige wortelstelsel het. Dit is wat jou geloof vir jou moet wees. Deur die wind en die reën en die weerligstrale heen moet jy kan vashou aan jou geloof. Geloof wat allesomvattend moet wees. Dit moet geen aspek van jou lewe uitsluit nie, want Christus se liefde is allesomvattend. Dis wyd en ver en hoog en diep. Sonder enige beperkinge. Dit omvou jou heeltemal en beskerm jou teen die storms van die lewe. Met hierdie liefde oral om jou en die geloof in jou hart, kan jy enige krisis te bowe kom.
Gebed:
Mag Christus in my hart kom woon
sodat elkeen wat na my kyk
sal weet hoe ver geloof kan reik
sodat elkeen wat my lewe raak
die verskil sal voel
wat liefde maak.
Andrea Sieberhagen
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being ... Ephesians 3:16, NIV
When we read Ephesians 3:16, we find a wonderful prayer in this verse, a prayer for inner strength. We would handle our daily problems so much better if we were “strong in our inner being”. When our strength comes from within. Too often, we rely on external forces to carry us through a day. We especially rely on the people around us. Perhaps we are just too dependent on their support, their approval, their applause, and recognition.
When you are strong on the inside, you find your strength within yourself. But you can only draw on that strength if you are “plugged into” the right source. If the people around you are your power source, you will often feel the frustration of power interruptions, because people are unreliable.
The only sustainable source of power is God the Father and his Word. If you recharge your spiritual batteries with God and his Word when you are tired and emotionally drained, you will experience that your strength truly comes from within! Suddenly there will be light on your path again and warmth in your heart. Then you can find your direction in this confusing world and feel love for those around you. And in the end, you are free from the underlying “unplugged” feeling that made you struggle through your days without strength.
Prayer:
My prayer for you
is that God through his Spirit
will give you the strength
to be inwardly so strong
so that every day you may know
he fills you with new power.
Andrea Sieberhagen
Ek bid dat Hy deur sy Gees uit die rykdom van sy heerlikheid aan julle die krag sal gee om innerlik sterk te word. Efesiërs 3:16, 1983-vertaling
As ons Efesiërs 3:16 lees is daar 'n wonderlike gebed in opgesluit. 'n Gebed vir innerlike krag. Ons sal ons daaglikse probleme soveel makliker hanteer as ons “innerlik sterk” is. As ons krag van binne af kom. Te dikwels maak ons staat op ander eksterne faktore om ons deur 'n dag te dra. Ons maak veral staat op die mense rondom ons. Ons is dalk net té afhanklik van hulle ondersteuning, hulle goedkeuring, hulle applous en erkenning.
As jy innerlik sterk is vind jy jou krag binne jouself. Jy kan egter net hierdie krag gebruik as jy op die regte plek “ingeprop” is. As die mense om jou, jou kragbron is, sal jy dikwels die frustrasie van kragonderbrekings ervaar omdat mense maar baie onbetroubaar is.
Die enigste volhoubare bron van krag is by God die Vader en sy Woord. As jy jou geestelike batterye by God en sy Woord gaan herlaai, wanneer jy moeg en emosioneel uitgeput is, sal jy ervaar dat jou krag werklik van binne kom! Dan is daar skielik weer lig op jou pad en warmte in jou hart! Dan kan jy weer jou rigting vind in hierdie deurmekaar wêreld en liefde voel vir almal rondom jou. En uiteindelik is jy ook ontslae van die onderliggende “unplugged” gevoel wat jou so kragteloos deur jou dag laat worstel het.
Gebed:
My gebed vir jou
is dat God deur sy Gees
aan jou die krag sal gee
om innerlik so sterk te wees
dat jy kan weet, deur elke dag
vul hy jou met nuwe krag.