Beauty

Beauty by Yvette van Niekerk

This struck me from Blaise Pascal “The serene beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world next to the power of God.” How I strive to be a beautiful person, then it struck me that I am attractive but the beauty I am looking for is something that comes from within. It’s not the beauty of the outer person, it’s the beauty that shines through your personality. How on earth will I become that beauty? This is living a Holy life, sanctifying myself. I would love to be that special Christian, someone soaked in the Word, cleansed by the Word and the Holy Spirit living and working through me. Are you saying I should lighten up and be a little relaxed, I don’t have to be serious all the time and I can laugh at myself. That sounds so bizarre, who does that? I like things a specific way, don’t joke around and do what needs to be done. C.S. Lewis “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing … it is irresistible.” Holy Spirit forgives me for thinking You are the kind of person I am. Serious and on the nose, no messing about, everything I do is very serious and You are very serious too. The truth is Holy Spirit I do not know You. Yes, I invite You each morning into my life, I ask that You help me as I commit everything I do into Your hands. From my point of view, my life is serious and I do things in a serious manner. I seem to miss out on the fun and I am so closed off. Now I need to learn where can I find Holiness. We need to go to church where we praise and worship God. I can praise and worship God at home too. Because I am reading my Bible and taking time to draw near to God. I am working on building my inner beauty. I want to be Holy because God is Holy. I want to learn more about the Holy Spirit and draw near to God. I am seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It isn’t going to happen overnight. I need to stick to the process, there is a way forward and I need to keep in step the Holy Spirit. I want to pray that my words fall right and that I do not hurt or upset the people I am working and dealing with. Life is much too short to get everything the way it should be. Obeying God is something I am trying to do right now. “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law; indeed, I will observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.” Psalm 119: 33-35 Today I want to be joyful and happy, I don’t want to feel worried or fearful about anything. God’s word is what I stand on each morning “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the LORD are pure, enlightening the eye.” Let's take this journey and learn how to become beautiful from the inside out. Let’s strive to draw near to God, asking the Holy Spirit to change us. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Daily Bread

Daily Bread by Yvette van Niekerk

In Matthew 4 verse 4 it is written “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Feeding my soul every day has become my priority, I have made time each morning to come and sit in the presence of God. I play gospel music and listen to the song playing, and then I turn my attention to God’s Word. I read my Bible and ask the Holy Spirit. “Holy Spirit what do you want me to learn today?” I have been doing this for some time now and I do not always know what I am hearing or what I should pay attention to, but there are times when I hear the Spirit pointing me in a specific direction. This morning I read the last chapter of the Gospel of John. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and when Mary saw the Lord Jesus, she thought He was the gardener. This has stayed with me the whole day. What does this mean to me? A gardener is someone that works with plants and in the ground. I believe God is working in my life. There are so many things in my life that need pruning and cutting away. Branches of unforgiveness, bitterness, selfishness, and self-centeredness to name a couple of sins need to be dug up and cleared away and confessed. The beautiful thing about a garden is when you see how the flowers bloom, and the trees bear fruit. I get so excited when my plants are growing beautifully. It makes me happy and I feel like I might have a green thumb. On reading the Word each day, let’s focus on where we are going. Lord please direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over my life today. Help me stay focused on Your Word today. Lord I need the law of the LORD to be perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Help me to keep my eye focused on Your Word, I do not always understand where I am going and what I am doing. I know it might sound strange but my heart desires to be beautiful, not physically but spiritually. I would love to be beautiful from the inside out. I am yearning for purity in my life. How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. O my desire to change and become more like the Lord Jesus. Today make it part of your practice to spend more time in God’s word, to seek the Lord and seek His strength and His face daily. Lord Jesus draw me close to You today, help to renew my mind and create in me a clean heart. Amen

Resigned as "General Manager - Control"

Hopefully, I will be able to relax and enjoy my life going forward. I realize God has been supplying according to all my needs. I see how He has kept His hand over my life and I am so grateful to the LORD for the opportunity to relax and enjoy the peace I feel today.

What happened? About two weeks ago, I woke up from a dream - in my dream “I took out my office cell phone from my handbag, and it was all scrunched up. I placed my hand over it to straighten the cell phone and it broke into two parts. I tried to fix it but it was broken.” I like to go and see the meaning of dreams and to my surprise, it said it’s a broken relationship. I broke down because I am trying to renew and fix my relationships with my family and friends, but this week was a week from hell. I resigned from my job and it was with immediate effect. I could not think of any reason to continue with the company. I felt so overwhelmed and upset I resigned immediately. I am still thinking of the way things went but honestly … even in the economic climate we are living in I do not feel the need to be bullied on any level. What have I learned? One, contentment is very important and I wanted to feel content with my work. I did not have content and it was very stressful. Two, I had to stop trying to be in control over a lot of things. The Wi-Fi was one, the internet the other, the response from my employer, the environment I used to control … no more control. I had no choice in the matter I had to resign as “General Manager – Control” which was and still is really difficult. I resigned with immediate effect from my job. I couldn’t take the constant fighting and critics any longer. I had such high expectations for the position I was in but I seemed to have failed at every attempt. Nothing seemed to be what my employer was looking for. I realize something not everyone is able to do what I had to and good luck to the next person. I realized that there was no balance in my life for the past couple of months. I worked late, got up early and had no time to relax. I felt so threatened and under extreme pressure, I couldn’t think straight. This is why I have decided I will not be manipulated by anyone again; I need to maintain a controlled anticipation for what tomorrow may bring me. My health and safety are important and I want to be able to live a balanced life. I hate unrestrained discontent and restlessness. I have and do commit everything I do into the Hands of the LORD my God. I pray this “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. Trust the LORD forever, because, in the LORD, the LORD himself is an everlasting rock.” Isaiah 26: 3-6 LORD, thank you for always being there for me, and thank You for the strength to carry on. Thank You, for keeping me safe. Bless each person who is reading my blog today. In Jesus's name amen.