Yvette's Whispers of Faith

Daily Devotional Ebenezer Ecclesiastes 9: 9 (TLB) 9 "Live happily with the woman you love through the fleeting days of life, for the wife God gives you is your best reward down here for all your earthly toil." I was 18 years old when I first got married, and I didn't think it was strange as many of my school friends also got married at that age. When I was 21, I already had two small kids. Then divorces were comment, but realistically today, its even worse. I wonder why our marriages don't last. I was married for 21 years before I decided enough. I wanted to change my environment and feel safer. How can I ensure that my current marriage doesn't fail? I think the most important thing is to learn to show my love. I still struggle with showing respect, and it's almost foreign to me. I know I crave appreciation, and I believe we all seek that in our lives. I try and show gratitude towards my husband and all my children.  Something I have ...

James 4: 8 "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." How can I draw near to God? I believe God wants us to want Him. That would be my first step, and I want to draw near to God. The next step would be spending time with God. I need to take the time to grow my relationship with God. How can I build my relationship with God? I need to pray about my relationship, spend time alone with God, and nurture my time with God. Luke 12, verses 32, says, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." I realized that I could not build my relationship with God if I do not get to know Him well. I want to develop the kind of intimate relationship with Him, and I can only do that when I am alone with God. When I am alone with God, I find that during these special moments, I feel refreshed, strengthened, and rejuvenated. Drawing away from my busy schedule, taking a moment in seclusion with God, I find peace with Him. Praying is something we have to ...

Daily Devotional Ebenezer   Reading Psalm 34, verses 5, "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed."  I feel that when I have done something wrong, especially towards someone, I cannot face them. I think I am too embarrassed and feel very uncomfortable in their presence. Guilt chases me, and I want to steer clear of them. When it comes to the LORD, it's even harder for me. I need to pray and confess my sins, or it eats away at me. I believe that if I do not confess my sins to the LORD, there is a barrier, and I cannot come into the presence of God. When we read Ezekiel 20, verse 43, "You shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled, and you shall loathe yourselves in your sight because of all the evils that you have committed." Here the Israelites disobeyed the LORD, and they did not repent. O Lord, please let the Holy Spirit reveal to me whatever I am doing wrong so that I can repent of my ...

Daily Devotional Ebenezer I have been questioning my life and the decisions I have taken these past couple of weeks. I want to know that God is keeping me in the center of His Will. I believe facing difficult times does not mean I am out of God's will. Testing is part of growing my spiritual life, and I know that, but it sure isn't fun. Let me put it to you this way, Jesus was doing God's will by going to the cross. Jesus states in John 6, verses 38, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent me." Now I am at this point in my own life where I want to know which way to go. I want direction in my personal experience, and I want God to direct my footsteps. I know that God is enabling me to follow Him because I have someone to follow - Jesus Christ. When I was younger, I used to say the LORD thinks I am an elastic, and He is continuously stretching me. We only grow in our spiritual life when we are being...

Matthew 7:11  (ESV) 11  If you then,  who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will  your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Hallowing the Father's name is perhaps one of the most essential and celebrated dimensions of prayer. It is the revolutionary intimacy of addressing God as Our Father. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Jesus was teaching His disciples to address God in the manner. I believe they would never have addressed God as their Father; if the Lord Jesus didn't teach them this, it would have been wrong in their upbringing. I want to pause and pray to my Father in heaven. What do you think God's expression looks is? Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV) 9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, you will be done,     on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our...

Psalm 5: 1 - 3 MSG "Listen, GOD! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans, and cries? King-God, I need your help. Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend." Paying attention probably is one of my problems. I get sidetracked and I miss out when my attention is drawn away. I struggle with mundane things. I am also very in a rush and feel people drag their feet when I want something done. Have you felt any of these things, frustration and then impatience? I find myself in this part of my garden, I am of course trying to rid my garden of these two weeds. So it's difficult for me at the moment. So here's something to meditate about, "how can I become  intentional about how I approach my life and frustration?" It is my desire to focus on praise and adoration to the LORD on a daily basis. I seem to fall short in this area, shamefully...

One thing I truly desire is to speak to God openly and honestly. I know the Lord Jesus, teaches the disciples to pray: Jesus said: "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, Give us each day our daily bread, Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. I do not consider myself an expert prayer warrior, so I feel I need lots of guidance on this part of my walk with the LORD. Today lets start our prayer life with the Lord's prayer and keep on praying this until we feel we can move forward. Let's open our hearts to God and wait on the Holy Spirit for guidance. Amen

Philippians 4: 6 - 7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Psalm 107: 13 - 14 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of the darkness and the shadow of death and broke their chains in pieces. Matthew 11: 28 - 30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Psalm 34: 17 - 18 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Isaiah 40: 31 Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their s...

Mark 8: 35 “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” I wonder if I am living my dream or the dream God has for my life? Have you ever thought about that, are we here just to get up every morning, go to work, come home cook and clean, go to bed, work until we have to retire. Sit at home and wonder what comes next? I believe God is looking for people willing to take up the next thing, which starts going to church. Connecting with God’s people.   Working towards the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the church we grow and become established. My husband said something to me this morning if a person truly studied God’s Word and applied His principles in their lives, God would surely prosper them. I believe God is working in my husband’s life, God is drawing him closer to him. Before the Lord Jesus went back to Heaven after his resurrection, he said “G...

Luke 6: 37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. My previous marriage was something I could describe as disastrous.  I was constantly on my guard and always worried about the fate of my children. My ex-husband was involved in drugs and he just never seemed to be worried about anybody but himself. I never talk about the anger, rage and hurt I felt toward him because it makes me sick to the pit of my stomach. He put so much pressure on myself and our children. Constantly fighting, stealing and telling lies. Money was the biggest problem in our life. He constantly wanted more and more and we fell behind on our mortgage and cars and finally, I decided enough. We are divorced and I honestly don't regret this one minute.  I have decided to forgive him and set him free, I don't want the sin of unforgiveness in my life. I rebuke the feelings of self-pity and I pray the Lord will help me to be a...

Psalm 100 A Psalm of thanksgiving  and  for the thank-offering. 1  Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2  Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! 3  Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving  and  a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful  and  say so to Him, bless  and  affectionately praise His name! 5  For the Lord is good; His mercy  and  loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness  and  truth endure to all generations. It's Sunday and I'm grateful that I was able to go to church and bring praise to the LORD and say thank You for my life, my husband and all my children. God blessed my life and I feel so happy that I can spend time i...

Mark: 1 - 26 Jesus Anointed at Bethany The Last Supper 14  Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.   2  “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”  3  While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.  4  Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?   5  It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages [ a ]  and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.  6  “Leave her alone,”  said Jesus.  “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.   7  The poor you will always have with you, [ ...

Psalm 3: 3 You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Psalm 30: 11 - 12 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. John 10: 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. But Jesus came that I may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). Today, humbly Lord, I want to come before Your throne this morning, Lord You know my heart and understand the discouragement in my life, I sometimes feel despair and without strength but today Lord You are my shield and my glory and the lifter of my head. Lord today I know You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. ...

Ephesians 1: 15 - 19 "For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  I keep asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength," This is my prayer for each of you today, that the Lord will open the eyes of your heart in order to know the hopes to which he has called you. I cannot add or take away the words of the apostle Paul, how well he has put it for our understanding. It is my heart's desire that when you start reading the word of our Lord, that the Holy Spirit ...

I've been away for 6 weeks and only now starting to recover. I was so fortunate in being treated to a lifetime holiday I could not obtain in my own strength. I remember in 2018 I prayed to ask the Lord if it would be possible for me to go overseas to Australia to visit my brother. I was very upset and thought I would never leave South Africa never mind going overseas. But God hears all our prayers, I realize that today and when I was in Australia I realized God answers prayers. So some background in 2019 my brother who lives in Australia actually came to visit all of us here in South Africa. It was such a lovely time and I expressed my desire to visit him but I didn't have the means.  I am unemployed and I don't have two cents to rub together. Well, my brother bought me a ticket to visit him in December 2019 and my husband was gracious in allowing me to travel overseas. My daughter gave me cash to go over and to pay for my visa and other important do...