Tabla de contenidos para December 2023 en JOY! Magazine

Email questions to: info@joymag.co.za I pray every day and night when I sleep, but sometimes I get nightmares. What is the cause of nightmares and how can I avoid them? Nightmares are often the result of unresolved issues in our subconscious mind. What we see, read, and hear filters through, and those memories must be replaced. TV shows, social media comments, videos, relationship issues, and experiences all crowd our minds. When our conscious mind is asleep, our subconscious becomes active. That is why many of these elements are involved in our nightmares. The most powerful way to combat nightmares is to fill your mind with the Word of God. Read scripture before you go to sleep and meditate on what you have read because God’s Word washes and cleanses us…

The return of Jesus Christ is a fundamental belief of Christianity and one of the dominant themes of the New Testament. His coming is a time of judgement, and the Bible warns us to be ready. When the Bible speaks of the time of the end it refers to the period preceding the coming of Christ and describes the conditions we can expect to find. Israel will be the focal point We know the world will be characterised by religious deception. A key event is the Jews’ return to the land of Israel. Importantly, Israel will be the focal point of events. The Bible says the land of Israel will be divided – which happened when the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states in 1947. It was…

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that others, who have done far less than you, unfairly received equal or greater credit? This month’s parable has a similar feel to it. There is something that strikes us as unfair, but this is precisely where we find the reason why Jesus created this story. Five groups of workers In Jesus’ parable, the vineyard owner goes out at sunrise to get workers to harvest the ripe grapes from his vines. About three hours later (which would be nine in the morning for us), he realises he needs more workers for the job. The same happens at noon and then again at three in the afternoon. However, seeing that his goal of getting the grapes picked in just one day…

Parenting and technology issues are common today, and I’ve experienced this with my kids and their love of video games. We lovingly put limits on how much our kids play video games. But one afternoon, I caught my son in his room on a tablet playing his favourite online game. “What are you doing?” I asked. “I put a time on your game, and you know you’re not supposed to be playing.”“I had to play for ten more minutes to get this special badge,” my son responded. “So, I just signed in from your tablet.” And there it was – I was mired in the middle of parenting and technology issues. My son’s ability to circumvent my rules made me realise that technology can erode my ability to control what…

TESTIMONY You might remember Joshua Aaron as the Israeli/American singer who was featured on our March cover, before playing to a sold-out audience in Cape Town. But what you may not know is that a local Cape Town harpist, Christy-Lyn Dosè, joined him on stage at that March performance, with her harp playing adding an ethereal layer as they led worship together. Little did Christy-Lyn know that this performance would be the stepping stone to something bigger – a personal invite by Joshua to perform at his annual Gather the Nations conference, where she used her harp to lead 2000 people in worship in Dallas, Texas! Who is Christy-Lyn? Christy-Lyn felt led to learn to play the harp at age 24, but thought that she wouldn’t get very far since…

It is possible to be too self-aware, to the point where you try to intellectualise away your feelings and emotions. This is often a sneaky defence mechanism used to avoid processing hard emotions. Be aware of this and allow yourself to feel so that you can heal. A common occurrence I’ve found myself sometimes using too much reasoning and therapy talk to avoid acknowledging and processing emotions. It’s common, especially when you start doing the work of healing and becoming more self-aware. Feel the feelings! So, this is a reminder that you need to allow yourself to feel the messy and uncomfortable feelings, and it’s okay not to have the right words or logic at first. Give yourself some time and grace! You have to feel to heal. For more…

Short testimony Ever since I can remember, my father was involved in Welwitschia’s (now Khorixas’) local commando in Namibia. The commando regularly had target practice and some of the younger boys would release the targets to earn a little pocket money. During one such target shooting day, I somehow managed to get a hold of a .303 British cartridge, a “live round”. A dangerous plan Back at the hostel I decided that the cartridge should be fired. Of course, I did not have a gun and my best plan was to wedge the tip of the cartridge into one of the holes in an iron post and then hit the percussion cap with a nail. Anyone who knows better than a 9- or 10-year-old child will know that the shell…

The tabernacle was given by God as a display of truth. Each item in the tabernacle served as a visual aid, reminding God’s people of His character, comforting them with His grace, and assuring them of the hope that He extends to sinners. KEY: Each piece of furniture… • showed the sinner’s need• symbolised God’s temporary provision• pointed to a greater fulfilment in the coming Messiah THE TABERNACLE God lives among sinners. THE LAMPSTAND God gives light to sinners. THE ARK God reigns over sinners. THE ALTAR God saves sinners. THE LAVER God cleanses sinners. THE SHOWBREAD God fellowships with sinners. THE INCENSE God hears sinners. THE CURTAIN God is separate from sinners.…

There is a personal vision and a national vision. A statesman/woman is one who merges their personal vision with the national vision. The national vision starts with embracing the green revolution, which is taking care of our environment and ensuring that we reduce carbon emissions. This means we need to seek ways of disposing of our rubble without compromising the environment. A cleaner environment is part of the many goals of the national vision which focuses on these and many others: a cleaner environment, safer communities, and a thriving economy. Backed by action We can celebrate New Year festivities without burning tires and without damaging public property. Countries that are thriving have a strong vision. Many people would argue and say; “But South Africa also has a strong vision.” What…

It is that time of year when kids come alive and we, as parents, receive the subtle hints and written notes with suggestions as to what they want for Christmas. Suddenly, the dog gets walked and the trash is taken out without a murmur; the dishwasher gets packed and unpacked in a flash. Rooms are a bit tidier, and the kids even get along, well, most of the time! In the De Lange household, we love giving and being generous – it is one of our collective love languages. What gifts represent However, amidst the joyous exchanges of gifts, it is vital to recognise that the true essence of Christmas lies not in tangible gifts, but rather in what they represent. This is why we embrace this time of giving…

My brother, Paul, and his wife, Jeannie, are permanent caravanners in the Dibiki Holiday Resort in Hartenbos, owned by Oosie and Martie Pretorius. Paul suffers from facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a debilitating neuro muscular disease that causes deterioration of the muscles in the entire body. Our mother, who was also afflicted, suffocated at the age of 77 because of her lung muscles collapsing. Deteriorating rapidly Although deterioration differs from person to person, up until a few months ago Paul was still able to walk with the assistance of a cane. After contracting shingles, his nerve endings deteriorated to the extent that he no longer has feeling in his hands. All his limbs collapsed in a very short time, leaving him at the mercy of others; his dear wife bearing much…

Artificial intelligence (AI) might be the last technology that humanity will ever need to invent. If computers are bicycles for the mind, AI is a car. As with any other powerful technology, AI has the potential to completely transform the human way of life. It is up to us to ensure that this transformation is positive and equitable – this starts with education. Demystifying AI Instead of being explicitly programmed to perform a task, AI learns patterns by looking at big data. This data can be anything, but the spotlight is currently on large language models (LLMs) – neural-network-based architectures that have been trained on natural language data. By learning from gigantic volumes of writing (e.g., the whole of Wikipedia as a drop in the ocean), these models have developed…

God’s Double Agent by Bob Fu This is the riveting true story of a Chinese student leader of the famous Tiananmen Square protests who discovers the matchless treasure of Jesus Christ. He and his wife accept a call to share the Gospel in China and thereby take on the life of suffering and persecution that goes with it. Not only will you not be able to put down this masterfully written book, God’s Double Agent will give you a new perspective on your own privileges, challenge you in your personal response and commitment to the treasure of the Gospel, and help you know the untold story of what our brothers and sisters in China face under that country’s oppressive regime. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan In recommending the reading…

1 Unashamed witnesses for Christ The number one lesson we can take from many of the South African national Springbok rugby players is their unashamed and unapologetic stance for Christ. In an age where many believers seem almost shy or fearful of making known their beliefs, the Bokkies have stood proud and tall in their unashamed proclamation of their faith. They have taken a bold stance for Jesus and have let the world know that they are followers, imitators, and disciples of Yeshua Hamashiach. We have seen many photos taken of them reading their Bibles, in a time of Bible study (individually and together), praying together before and after matches, and worshipping together. A photo of their captain, Siyamthanda Kolisi, wearing a wristband that had “Jesus” written on it, went…

We all know the scene. Baby Jesus lies in a manger closely surrounded by His parents. There are some random farm animals around, perhaps a shepherd or two, and maybe even an angel. But there are always three stately-looking men bearing gifts. This month we’ll take a look at the “three wise men” who regularly play a role in the Christmas story, but about whom relatively little is known. We only learn about the wise men visiting baby Jesus from Matthew’s gospel. Only in Matthew We only learn about the wise men visiting baby Jesus from Matthew’s gospel. This is another case where we need to allow the Bible to speak for itself, as opposed to the various and often contradictory nativity traditions that have been created. So, for example,…

I was doing some shopping a few days ago and noticed all the Christmas decorations displayed in the shop. Without thinking, I started humming my most favourite Christmas carol, “O Holy Night”. I really love the build up in the song when we sing “Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born.” I can just imagine the shepherds and wise men who had come to see the baby Jesus falling on their knees in worship before Him on this incredibly divine night. My mind also raced to the prophetic word Isaiah spoke in chapter 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will…

In Revelation 11, God shows the Apostle John a vision of two witnesses who testify with great power. But these witnesses are killed by the beast and their death is celebrated. Who are the two witnesses? How should we understand this prophecy? A vision of the future The book of Revelation is an inspired account of “the things that must soon take place” (Rev 1:1). The “things” the Apostle John sees happen after his death (ca. AD 100) and before Christ’s return for the final judgement (Rev 19-20). God reveals the future with visions and colourful imagery. John did not write a history book with precise stories of literal events. Rather, it is a collection of visions depicting the future. Formerly, God had revealed future aspects to the prophet Daniel…

In 2024, we will celebrate 50 years of Christ for all Nations ministry – our golden anniversary – and what an amazing 50 years it has been! We’ve documented over 90 million salvations. We’ve seen entire cities and even nations shaken by the power of God. And in 2024, as we celebrate 50 years as a ministry, we will conduct 50 Gospel campaigns in 50 cities/regions across Africa, starting in Cape Town and ending in Cairo. We will work to see 10 million people come to Christ in our 50th year, bringing the total number of documented salvations to 100 million! And we will do all of this for around 20% of what it used to cost. This is true multiplication! * 50 YEARS* 50 CAMPAIGNS* 50 CITIES* 100 MILLION…

Greetings, precious friends. This is that special time of the year where we remember Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord, and King coming to this earth. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, left His throne in heaven to come to the earth, to live as a man, and to ultimately pay the price for our salvation. Wow, what a demonstration of love and commitment to the will of God being accomplished here on earth. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16, NLT). A time of celebration Christmas is a time of celebration and enjoyment with our families and friends. It is also a time of reflection…

AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY There is no shortage of articles and studies outlining the potential dangers and pitfalls of social media. This is not intended to be another addition to that extensive pool of information. While concerns about social media are well-documented and extensive, from cyberbullying and identity theft to the proliferation of explicit content and the rapid growth in mental health concerns, particularly among teens, there are marked benefits as well. Reasons for using social media In fact, research earlier this year revealed that the number one reason why South Africans use social media platforms is “keeping in touch with friends and family”. That’s a good thing! Out of almost 26 million active social media users aged 16 to 64 in South Africa, 62 percent said that staying connected with friends…