It Stop's with me, NOW!

by Yvette van Niekerk

Feelings of embarrassment cover me as I need to deal with some personal issues I am facing at the moment. I have allowed resentment to turn into bitterness in my life. Red light! I need to deal with this bitterness before I grow old and become obsessed with unforgiveness. I am wrestling with the fact I have allowed myself to fall into this trap. I needed to identify my problem and I realised that I took offence to the next level - bitterness. I remember reading that the root of bitterness becomes a destructive force in a person’s life. This is a type of cancer "spiritually." I am afraid of this kind of cancer and I want to stop it by all means possible. This insidious root of bitterness is hiding in my life. Why? Wow because I didn't forgive and let it go. I held onto it and thought I'll get you back, and then? This little dragon started to grow and come to the surface bit by bit. My personality started to change and I became more angry and frustrated. I am not joking when I tell you it is a destructive force that needs to stop right now. Looking at my life, you can see me as one of those big ocean liners, it cannot turn on a dim, it needs space and time. So turning it around is a process. Apostle Paul; wrote we should watch out and not allow this evil spirit to become attached to our lives. Which will corrupt us. Hebrews 12: 15 "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” At the moment I am doing whatever it takes to make the right choice. I have decided to deal with the root of bitterness and I want to change my life before I turn into an old hag. So let's see how I am going to deal with the poisonous root of bitterness that has flared up in my life. Confess my sin of unforgiveness to the LORD, Isaiah 1: 18 "Come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD; thought your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Forgive the person or persons and stop the resentment. I know and trust the LORD and believe that when I confess my sin that I will be forgiven. Prayer Father God, I confess that I have feelings of bitterness in my heart today. I also confess that I am angry and hurt. I have allowed this sin of unforgiveness to stay alive in me. I am asking You, Father God, forgive me. I forgive the people that have offended me and hurt me. You know them and I set them free in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Praying for myself?

It’s much easier to pray for someone else than it is to pray for myself. God knows all my needs and that He can do things for me even if I don’t ask for it. To my mind I have many, and complicated things going on in my life and I am not sure how to tell the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4: 7 We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Right now my life feels it is out of control. Pressured and I am not able to get to everything. I am tired and burned out. When I start cleaning my house I will not sit down until I have done everything that is necessary. Im sure you have everything together, me on the other hand, that I am stuck and that I cannot move forward. I also feel like for every three steps I take forward I seem to move six backwards. Right now I doubt I can every move into the full purpose and destiny God has for me. I feel that I have not been faithful or even tried to get to my purpose. I am struggling with feelings of emptiness, frustration, and unfulfillment. I want to ask the Lord to forgive me, it seems I am stuck in a rut and not able to make any progress. Prayer Father God, I long to be in Your presence. I want to find my fulfilment in You. It’s my hearts desire to walk closely with You every day. Please help me increase in faith and knowledge in Your Word. Today I want to put all my hopes and dreams into Your hands. Lord I believe that all my hopes and needs will be met by You alone Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Make my heart right with You, Lord Jesus.

by Yvette van Niekerk

It's so easy to get caught up in all kinds of things in this world. I can create work and stay busy all day long. I have the ability to stay on my feet from the morning till the evening. I am not perfect and I can be very mean towards people. So when you look at my profile picture, remember one main thing, I am not perfect. I need the Lord Jesus Christ more than you know. It's very hard being completely honest about myself, but I need to keep myself accountable. I also know that I cannot make anything happen in my life. I am not God. Only God can make things happen. I don't know if you have experienced God's love and His perfecting you, I am still on the road to perfection. This week I want to examine my life and be honest about the wrong thinking, the wrong living I find myself pursuing. I am trusting the Holy Spirit in cleansing my heart, spirit and mind. I read a prayer and it says "Please Lord, I need You to show me what does not need to be in my heart, mind, spirit and soul. I am asking for direction and I want to be right with You. Please convict me of wrong habits, thinking and judging people. Today I am praying please by Your grace tear down my arrogance, pride, fear, and insecurities, help me see the truth about who I am." Acts 3: 19 Repent therefor and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. I am trusting God to work through the Holy Spirit today, to make me see what I've become. To give me a change of heart and cleanse me so that I am able to come into His presence again. Proverbs 28: 13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. I am confessing to the Lord Jesus Christ I am sinful and I want to confess my thoughts and action and I am asking Him to show me where I am still falling short. Psalm 32: 5 I acknowledge my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. I repent of many things this morning and I am forgiven. Please Lord have mercy upon me today, O God, according to Your Lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my sins today. Please wash me thoroughly from in iniquity, and cleanse me from my sins. Please create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Please Lord don't throw me away but draw me near through Your Holy Spirit. Make me clean and right before You today, In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ Amen

I choose to take my thoughts captive.

I choose to take my thoughts captive. Today I was busy working on a cake for my client, and I started thinking what a terrible person I have become. All the while I was singing a song to the Lord. "How great is my God." Boom I get bombarded with negative thoughts. Today I am reminded to take my thoughts captive. It said in Philippians 2 verse 5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Not realizing that the devil was trying to keep me from praising God, I stop and thought "wow what have I become?" Mark 7 verses 21 to 22 says: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." I better take a hold of my thought life, I am not bad, in fact, I try and act decent most of the time. It struck me that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. If this is true why am I feeling so lousy about who I am? Then I realised I need to stop allowing negative thoughts to plague me and tell the devil to leave me alone. I have the mind of Christ. I won't listen to him anymore. I have decided not to live with mental oppression any longer. I am sick and tired of being pushed around. I will not harden my heart towards God, but I am embracing Him today. If I am pursuing clarity and knowledge I will study God's Word. Make God's Word my purpose going forward. Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Prayer Father God, I need wisdom and understanding it seems I have accepted lies instead of Your truths in my life. Please forgive me. Please, Lord, help me to discern when You are speaking to me. I do not want to be deceived by the enemy. Today reminded me that Your Word is "a discern of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrewes 4 verse 12. Reveal any wrong thinking in me today through Your Word, Lord Jesus. Amen

Learning how to take control of my mind.

Learning how to take control of my mind.

Today is Wednesday and my goodness, I sure am struggling with my negative thoughts. I am angry and despondent right now. Today my husband has gone away to a little town called "Driekies Dorp" and he passed through "Ermelo". So I'm supposed to bake a birthday cake for one of my clients. It struck me once again I struggle with negative thoughts, my husband tends to ignore me when he doesn't get his way. This frustrates me. This morning I felt so paralyzed by the thought of his acting out again. I felt tremendous loneliness and sadness as he drove off to work. Depression was lurking and waiting for me as I walked into my house. I didn't phone my mom or anyone I sat down. Then I decided I needed to get out of the house and do something before these thoughts consume me today. I have decided that I will fast tomorrow and find out what I can change in my life. I need a breakthrough and only God knows my thoughts and my emotions. I am trusting God to help me deal with the heaviness that is chasing me and making me feel so misrable. Romans 12: 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformd by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable an perfect will of God. Prayer Heavenly Father, today I need to pray for wisdom, insight and understanding. I draw a circle of Jesus Christs blood around each member in my family today. O LORD, its tough and I know that You are able. Lord I know that You are a Mighty God. Lord I know that You will deliver us today from the working of the evil one. Lord Jesus, my eyes are on You. I draw my family into this circle of Your protection, Your superanatural favor with You as well as with men. Please Lord remove any evil person from their lives and replace it with a good and righteous person. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.