Yvette's Whispers of Faith

"Am I a prisoner of my own dismal predicament, or am I allowing the LORD God to utilise this trying season for His divine purposes?" Perhaps my chains are not a sentence, but a calling? As it is written in Ephesians 3:1-13, even a prison can be a platform. A Petition from a Stubborn Heart Dearest Heavenly Father, I must confess, with a fair amount of chagrin, that I have entirely misinterpreted this difficult season. In my haste, I assumed I was being punished, or worse, abandoned in a dusty corner. Please forgive my audacity in assuming You were against me when, in truth, You were simply positioning me. Lord, do pry my eyes open! If there is refinement needed, then by all means, refine away. If there is preparation afoot, please prepare me. Help me to trust that You are Sovereign over my messy circumstances and intentional with my life. Teach me to see myself not as a captive to my pain, but as a servant of Christ, placed precisely where I am needed for Your glory. Ephesian...

by Yvette van Niekerk 29 March 2026 Honour God Dear Father God, Today, on this holy morning, I come before You with praise and honour. I worship You, LORD my God. Thank You for the gift of another day, and for welcoming me into Your presence. In humility, I lift up Your holy Name: Holy, Holy, Holy are You, God Almighty. All glory and honour belong to You. I praise You, LORD, in the mighty Name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Your Word reminds me: “For whenever our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.” (1 John 3:20, ESV) LORD, You know all things. You are the Creator of all, and You see me El Roi, the God who sees. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV) Father, I come before You this morning with a heart that longs to be aligned with Yours. Draw me near again. Where I feel distant, remind me of Your nearness. Where I feel uncertain, anchor me in Your truth. Teach me to guard my hear...

A powerful morning prayer for surrender and strength. If you are struggling with anxiety, feeling distant from God, or seeking direction, use these words to repent, find peace, and ask for God's guidance in your daily life. You don't have to walk alone. A Most Earnest Petition: A Morning of Surrender By Yvette van Niekerk An Adoration of the Almighty Heavenly Father, I must confess, as I cast my gaze upon the splendour of Your creation this morning, I am quite struck by the sheer magnitude of Your greatness. It is, in a word, overwhelming. Your power is etched into every leaf and gust of wind, and I find myself quite convinced that You are worthy of far more praise than my humble lips can manage. Lord, do help me to simply hush for a moment. In this bustling world, grant me the grace to be still and truly notice You. I wish to offer You my undivided worship today. The State of My Rather Disheveled Heart "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man t...

A personal look at what happens when we wander out of God's best, and how we find our way back. Can I be honest with you for a moment? Like, genuinely, pull-up-a-chair honest? Because I've been sitting with something that has been quietly, and not so quietly, getting my attention lately. It started with a verse I've read a hundred times. Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we can know God's "good, acceptable, and perfect will." But in another translation, that word "acceptable" becomes "permissive." And that one little word? It stopped me cold. Permissive will vs perfect will, do we really know the difference? My pastor used to say we often live in God's permissive will rather than His perfect will. I'd nod along like I fully understood. Turns out, I understood it in my head a whole lot better than I was living it in my life. God's permissive will is what He allows. His perfect will is ...

Honestly, Sarah’s email this morning gave me goosebumps. Real ones. If you know me at all, you know that doesn’t happen over just anything. Sarah sends out a daily email, and today this is what she shared: "I had a dream: A woman was being gently positioned on the ground — unconscious but alive. She is the Bride of Christ. She is alive and beautiful, but needs to arise, whole and well. ARISE, my beautiful bride, ARISE. My beloved spoke, and said to me: Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Awake, Church, Awake — for the time is at hand to minister, to preach the Gospel, to stand against the enemy. ARISE." Now, this stopped me cold. On Sunday (22 March), our pastor spoke about the Church being asleep. Then Sarah, who hadn’t heard the sermon, used the word unconscious. Same message. Different messenger. Different day. You really cannot make this up. I think the message is clear, and it’s for all of us. We’ve become so paralysed by the noise of this world, so desens...

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9 (ESV) Go ahead, take a deep breath. Inhale slowly, and as you let it out, whisper a word of thanks. Let the worries that have been clinging to your thoughts drift out with that breath. They don’t get to stay. Not right now. I’m sitting here in my study. If you were with me, I’d turn your chair toward the window so you could see what I’m seeing. The pool is still, and the lawn is busy with the gathering this morning. There’s a new little fellow, a white bunny, just hopping across the grass like he owns the place. The birds are playing, no other word for it, really, they’re playing, and the sun is doing something rather uncharacteristic for this time of year: it’s being gentle. There’s a soft breeze, and the air feels a touch cooler than it has any right to. Honestly, it’s as if the whole world has decided to take a collective sigh and slow down just enough to be noticed. I sit here watching it all, and a tho...

Joel 1:12 (AMP) “The vine is dried up, and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple or quince tree, even all the trees of the field are withered, so that joy has withered and fled away from the sons of men.” THOUGHT Can you imagine standing there… looking at once-beautiful trees, now dry, empty, and lifeless? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, the palm… all of them withered. What once brought life and nourishment now looks tired and worn out. It must have felt heavy, like something precious had quietly slipped away. And if I am honest… I recognise that feeling. There are days when I don’t feel like myself. Days when joy doesn’t feel close or easy. It’s not always loud or dramatic; sometimes it’s just a quiet dullness, like going through the motions… doing what needs to be done, but without that spark. Almost like being in “robot mode.” Perhaps it’s tiredness. Perhaps it's life pressing a little too hard. Or perhaps it’s simply one of those ...

Before you dash off—because I know life does tend to keep us all rather busy—I wanted to share something close to my heart. My daughter has written a book, and I must admit, I am just a tiny bit proud (and by tiny, I mean quite a lot). If you’d like to take a peek, you can find it here: https://a.co/d/03cY0WRv

Proverbs 4:23 (AMP) “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” THOUGHT This afternoon was… well, rather memorable in the most unexpected way. Mom was sitting outside, enjoying one of her quiet moments with a cigarette in hand and the sun gently warming her shoulders. I decided to join her, thinking it would be a simple, peaceful visit. I was mistaken. Because, as it turns out, Mom had been doing research. On “The Facebook,” no less. Now when my mom says “The Facebook,” one must prepare oneself, because it usually means she has discovered something both fascinating and slightly alarming. And today’s discovery? Wrinkles. More specifically… how to get rid of them. With great seriousness, she began explaining what she had learned over the past few days. There was talk of smoother skin, fewer lines, and something called a derma roller, which, according to her, appears to be nothing short of miraculous. “I think I m...

Jeremiah 31:23 (ESV) This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain.’” Thought There are moments in life when words simply stop. Not because there is nothing to say, but because somewhere between the waiting and the weariness, the language of hope quietly slips away. The blessings I once spoke over my life begin to feel like a foreign tongue. I remember saying them, but somehow I can no longer quite find them. Are you facing a dry season? Something stopped me in my tracks this morning. In a quiet moment I opened my Bible, and my eyes fell on Jeremiah 31:23. As I read the verse again, slowly, I noticed something I had never seen quite so clearly before: “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘When I bring them back from captivity…’” Let me share a little background, and ...

Good morning dear reader, I am learning to pray to the LORD, I have done this for many years and thought I would structure my prayers and see if this is something you too would like to use. 1. Honour and Worship God (Adoration) We need to start by honouring who God is, not first asking for things. This turns my heart toward Him and reminds me of His greatness. I try praise His character, His creation, and His love. Example: “I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:12 Abba Father, I honour and worship You. You are holy, mighty, and full of love. When I look at Your creation: the sky, the earth, the living creatures; I see Your greatness. Thank You for being my God and for knowing my name. Purpose: This places me and my heart in awe and gratitude before God. 2. Confession and Humility Next, gently opening my heart honestly before God. Ask forgiveness and invite Him to cleanse my heart. Example Scripture: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me ...

To everyone who has stopped by, clicked a link, and taken a moment to read, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Seeing people find their way to this little corner of the internet has meant more than I can easily put into words. Whether you stumbled across a post by accident or came back intentionally, your presence here has not gone unnoticed, and it has not been taken for granted. I'll be honest with you: I'm still learning. This blog is as much a journey for me as it is (I hope) something valuable for you. I'm growing slowly, finding my rhythm, and working on building the consistency and diligence that good writing deserves. There were gaps, and there may be bumps ahead, but I'm committed to showing up more, sharing more, and improving with every post. So if you've been patient with me, thank you. If you're new here, welcome, you arrived at just the right time. More is coming. With gratitude, Yvette van Niekerk

Hello, my dear readers! What a journey it has been. As I sit down to write this, I am reflecting on the fact that this year is shaping up to be a major year of construction in my own life. I kicked off the month with the Daniel Fast (10 more days to go—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!), and I’ve been thinking a lot about building a new foundation. Looking Back to Move Forward If I’m being completely honest, last year was one of the difficult ones—the kind of year I hope I never have to relive. Family life felt heavy, with constant fighting and backstabbing that left me drained. Work was the usual "get back on the horse and ride." However, in the midst of the storm, I found my anchors. Diving into Digital Marketing has been a fascinating learning curve and kept my mind busy. I also found peace with my hands—baking cakes and crocheting snuggle bunnies for little ones. And then, the news that changed everything: I’m going to be a granny! The year ...