Meditate … “Yvette, you will meditate on it [the Word] day and night.”

by Yvette van Niekerk

Good morning, Today I want to speak to you about meditation. It’s something that has been weighing heavy on my heart these past few months. What is meditation? Meditation is when you read something – the Word of God. Then you start to take it into your heart in a very personal way. Now after taking it into your heart, apply it to your daily life. Apply God’s Word in my life, I am reading the Word and when it comes to the scripture about blessing and prosperity. I say “Amen, Hallelujah! I take that Word from God. He says that He will meet all my needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Read Philippians 4 verse 19. I am expecting Him to do that in my life. For a long time, I have been reading God’s Word, the Bible like any other book. But the last couple of days I have thought about it and decided to see what I can learn. I also am thinking it's Words from God, speaking to me each day. What is God saying to me? I am starting to realise that God is speaking to me. When someone speaks to me I look at them, listen to what they are saying and respond to whatever is being said. Going forward I am reading the Word of God, [The Bible] to hear what the Lord is saying to me. I am trying to digest the Word and apply it in my own life. When it comes to God’s Word I want to take it so that it moves from my head to my heart. I want to become a new creation, revived in the Word, I want God’s Word to wash my soul clean. In Joshua 1 verse 8 I see “I meditate on God’s Word day and night. I observe to do it and I have success!” Prayer from Psalm 119: 73 – 80 Yodh Good morning Father God, according to Psalms 119 verses 73 to 80 I want to pray the Word and ask that Your Holy Spirit will work in my life today. “Lord Your hands made me and formed me; please give me the understanding to learn your commands. Lord May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I [Yvette] have put my hope in your word. I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness, you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Please Lord, let your compassion come to me [Yvette] that I may live, for your law is my delight. May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause, but I [Yvette] will meditate on your precepts. May those who fear you turn to me, those who understand your statutes. May my [Yvette] heart be blameless towards your decrees, that I may not be put to shame.” Thank You, Father God, I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ my saviour. Amen

Moments

by Yvette van Niekerk

Good morning The past couple of days, moments are coming up in every conversation. We do remember moments in our lives. I started to think of defining moments in my own life. The day each one of my children was born. I think about the day I decided to divorce my husband. I think about the day I remarried. I think about moments of desperation and fear that gripped my heart to the extent that I was sure that I might have a heart attack. Something I have come to realise the little things we do in life prepares us for something greater. I think of the day I decided to start baking. To be honest I didn’t know much about baking but I thought to myself if so and so can bake then so can I. My first cake was very large, I was so proud of myself. I thought I did a great job. Only to discover the cake didn’t have a nice taste, it could have been baked bread. Tasteless, the icing sugar could have been spiced up. In general, the cake looks good for a novice but the cake missing something. I didn’t know it at the time so I decided to bake the same cake for my mom. You know to show her my newfound skills. She called me and said “Yvette this cake is terrible. You should find another recipe.” I was a bit taken aback because I thought it was great. Yes, it looked beautiful, but true the taste was terrible. Did I go and sit in a corner and cry? No, I thought about the recipe and decided to try something else. It was hard work and then I started baking more cakes. The people love my cakes. I know what has baking cakes to do with being a Christian. I think it’s about the journey, the time we spend in God’s Word, and the time we spend in prayer and meditation. It’s a life of practice. I am constantly trying to find out what God has in store for my life. It’s my hope and prayer that I can leave a positive mark on this world. Am I able to do good in the lives of the people I love and care for? My moments are rocky and it’s difficult. I doubt I am perfect and I do suffer from a lot of negative thinking. I have been wondering how on earth can I become a better person. I spend a lot of time cooking, cleaning, the mundane things in life. I don’t believe I have an impact on anybody around me. As I think about my moment today, let’s read this message about the Lord Jesus. In Matthew 4: 1 – 11 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall and worship me.” Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him. As I meditate on God’s word today, I want to be open to hearing the Lord speak to me. I need to practice this and the best way I can do this is by meditating on the Word. Jesus knew who He was and He stood on every word written in God’s Word. I don’t always act appropriately and I struggle with all kinds of emotions and stuff. So if there is someone imperfect you are reading all about it. Nothing I do is perfect, I am a copycat and I doubt I even am worthy of coming into the Lord’s presence Prayer Father God, thank you for today. I have had the privilege to speak to my daughter and granddaughters. I also have the privilege to speak to my mom this morning. You have allowed me to wake up to a new morning. Thank You, Father. Lord, I am not the best child I know. I lack discipline and I lose focus. Lord, I confess I struggle with unforgiveness and I want to bring this into my conversation with You this morning. Please help me let go. I am guilty of this sin and I am asking Lord I forgive and I am asking you to help me let go. I give this problem into Your hands this morning. Holy Spirit I am inviting You into my life this morning. Come in and create in me a clean heart and a pure spirit. Lord, I seek Your strength, Lord I seek You diligently. I am asking come into my life, and start a new and fresh work in me. Thank you for today, help me keep an eye on every moment of my life that is significate. Help me remember the moment of growth and show me the way forward. I know and believe Your Word is a lamp on my feet. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen

Granddaugthers daily prayer

December 12, 2022 Today I want to pray for my Granddaughters, Gizel, Anabelle and Briana. O Lord my God, Lord today I want to praise your for my beautiful granddaughters … You created them as unique individuals. I want to pray asking You to help them appreciate their uniqueness. Lord, my Lord build up their self-image so they may enjoy their individuality. Lord as they go through today help them stand firm for who they are, where they have come from and what they believe in. Lord please encourage them not only to have hopes and dreams but to also enjoy each day as it come. In the Holy Name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Keeping a humble heart.

by Yvette van Niekerk Good morning it's been a while since we last chatted. This morning I want to come and sit at the Lord's feet. In His presence, I want to humble my life and ways. How about you? Would you agree the best way to maintain a good and humble heart is to study God's Word every day? We do this as we read and meditate on the Lord's Word. Getting into the habit of worship and praise. Have you read Matthew 13: 10 - 15? Let's take a moment and see what the Lord Jesus is telling His disciple. verses 10: "And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to the people in parables?' He answered them and said to them, 'The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even that he has will be taken from him. .... In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says " Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull." Did you see the Lord Jesus say the people's hearts have grown dull? It looks like the people allowed the things in their lives to affect their hearts. That caused them to not draw near to the Lord and move away. I have allowed my heart also to grow dull, allowing all things in life to affect me. Making me think I am not worthy and no good. I didn't think of protecting my own heart. Today I am in trouble because I am standing on the verge of destruction. How can I change? I know that I need to humble myself because in Isaiah 57 verse 15 it is written "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." What is the Lord saying here? What is it that we should do? He is saying “with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble.” When we humble ourselves God says “I will revive your hearts.” As long as we keep our hearts humble He will keep us on good ground. And if we decide not to humble ourselves what could possibly go wrong? I think we might become like Pharisees. You know, the “know it all” guys. I love reading the Book of Daniel, I think Daniel is one of the most humble people in the Bible. In Chapter 10 verse 12 we read “Then He said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.’” Wow….. did you see what I saw “humble yourself before your God, your words were heard?” God heard Daniels's word because Daniel was humble. I don’t know about you, humble is sometimes difficult. I believe it brings you to your knees. That is exactly where I find myself these days. On my knees. I ask myself, how is your heart today Yvette? My answer is very humble. Prayer Good morning Father God, Lord today I want to worship and praise Your Holy Name. Lord thank You, for Your mercy is new every day. This has been a really difficult year for me. I don’t want to cry about the things in my life that have made my heart grow dull. As I study and focus on Your Word Lord I come into Your presence and I humble myself before You Lord. Nothing I say or do can change me. I do not have the ability to change the way I think or behave, only You can change me, Lord. Holy Spirit I invite You into my life this morning. Please come into my life, renew my mind and change my dull heart. I submit everything I do into Your hands. I commit everything I do to You Lord. I want to draw near to You asking please forgive me. In humble prayer, I pray for the forgiveness of sin. Please Lord forgive me, I have been stubborn and self-centred. I know. I pray to forgive me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. amen

Dealing with rejection

 by Yvette van Niekerk

Isaiah 43: 4 "You are precious and honoured in my sight."

Reading this passage, make me feel accepted and loved. I do not have to continue down the road of feeling left out or not valuable. John 1 verse 11 describes how Jesus Christ was rejected: "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." What did Jesus do? Did He sit down and cry and feel sorry for himself? No, he didn't worry about their attitudes he moved on to where people gladly accepted Him. He said to the disciples: "whoever will not receive you nor hear your words when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet." Matthew 10 verse 14.

Constant and repeated rejection tends to validate our fear that we are inadequate. Especially when the opinions of our loved one, people we place value on effects our thinking. Ironically, our fear of rejection ultimately results in us being rejected because people feed off our emotions. The funny thing is, when people perceive that you have low self-esteem, and you have low regard for who you are, they zone in on it, and deal with you accordingly. My daughter tells me that we teach people how to value us, by how much we value ourselves. How does it work? You need to set the boundary and express a preference. Set limitations on how others interact with you.  If you do not do that, people tend to think you have none and their behaviour towards you is based on that.

Even when Jesus was rejected He never responded in that way and didn't tolerate continued rejection, He didn't stay there He moved on. Jesus went where He was celebrated not rejected. He recognized their behaviour and shook it off. He went where people were interested in receiving Him in person, who wanted to know His purpose and His power. Jesus has God's full acceptance, therefore, He didn't fear our rejection. We have God's full acceptance too. "Yvette, you are precious and honoured in my sight, and ... I love you."

My first reaction to dealing with rejection today, to realize that God's opinion of me is He loves me.

Prayer

Father God, thank you, for today's word, "I am precious and honoured in Your sight." Lord, Jesus Christ thank you, that You accept me just the way that I am, I feel valued and I can carry on. Amen

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#self-centered me

by Yvette van Niekerk

Matthew 23: 11 - 12 MSG "Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty."

As a mother, wife and grandmother I think that I have no choice in the matter of serving my family. To tell you the truth serving others does not come naturally to me. Why? I feel that I am a self-centered kind of person. I like things to go my way. I do feel ashamed about my self-centered ways and I am really working hard not to be so self-centered at time.

I wonder whether you struggle with being #self-centered? If you ask me, I believe we are selfish by nature. Looking at the two little kids I am looking after, I can tell you, the oldest is very #self-centered.

When reading my Bible, it is clear according to the Lord Jesus, life isnt all about me, and still everyting in this world revolves around "me" telling the "me" I need this and that.

The minute I get consumed by my own desires, my own needs and everything all about me, I forget about the Lord.

The Lord Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16 verse 24. Think about this the Lord wants it to be His way. When I think of food I should be focusing on what the Lord Jesus said: "My food ... is to be the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4 verse 34. I wish I was that kind of person who would think that "my food is to be a servant of God. I want to please Him. My food is to complete the work the Lord God sent me to do. I want to do the will of my Father and to finish His work." I am praying for this kind of divine direction in my own life, letting the self-centered person behind.

What's the message here? I believe we are to serve others, not try and get everything out of everyone. Fill others with what we have and turn to God to help us fulfil His purpose in our lives.

Prayer

O Lord, Father God, today help me to become the servant You need me to be. I am so self-centered and not concerned about others needs. I need divine direction in my own life, show me the way forward. Teach me to be a godly person, help me to listen and understand. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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Is your heart on fire for God? #heartonfire

by Yvette van Niekerk

2 Timothy 1: 5-7 MSG

"That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith - and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed - keep that ablaze! God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible."

When I see fire, I am automatically interested and stare at it, the flames licking and flickering up and down. When we have a braai (barbeque) most of us like to gather around the fire and chat, it nice and warm and very inviting. Fire keeps us warm and illuminates our interactions, it is the focal point, that brings us together.

Thinking of fire as a metaphor, it reminds of passion, burning and consuming desire, which is unquenchable. And fire can also be associated with our faith, burning and consuming desire to learn more of Gods word. I pray my heart and yours catches fire. The Holy Spirit coming in blazing and cleansing our hearts, souls and minds. I am asking God for purpose, passion and a promise in my life, the Holy Spirit to move and shake me.

Looking to God to His Kingdom and His coming. I want to have a deep conviction, almost simple assumption. The only way, I can experience the power, in my life through the Holy Spirit, and my ministry will go deeper in practising prayer in my life.

Prayer

Father, I want to come into Your presence with a joyful song of praise. I am asking You to ignite a passion in my spreading the gospel that is underscored by a sense of prophetic immediacy and urgency. I am praying for a powerful but natural merging of evangelism and compassion, of help and of hope and sharing the Word, Your Gospel with the kind assistance of a good friend. In Jesus Christs Name, Amen.

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Condemnation - why do we allow it?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Romans 8: 1 - 2 MSG "With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death."

I struggled to comprehend God does not remember my sins. It seemed impossible for my finite mind to see and understand.

It blows my mind to think, God who is an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, being doesn't remember my sins. He is the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present God, who can rightly know, every single detail of every sin, that I committed. God's declaration, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Hebrew 8 verse 12. I want to encourage you, if you feel you cannot approach God, because of your sin, you are able because He is waiting for you.  By simply believing, God's Word that through the provision of Jesus' sacrifice; God has indeed remembered my sins no more.

The impact of Jesus' sacrifice means I can start living without a cloud of shame, guilt, condemnation and any judgement over my life. I will stand bold and righteous in Christ today, I expect to receive Jesus Christ' best!

Prayer

Abba, Father, forgive me for holding onto past sins, I am standing firmly, boldly and righteously, in Jesus Christ today. Lord, I expect to receive, Jesus Christ's best in my life right now. I expect Your Supernatural favour in my life, I am Your child, You have called me by my name. Amen

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Fasting do you see any blessings?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Matthew 5 verse 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Something that comes to mind every time I fast, that it's challenging in the beginning. As time goes by, it becomes easier. I was thinking of what hunger causes me to miss? I feel that when I am hungry, I get a little irritated, but it goes away after a while, especially when I get busy and meditate on God’s word. And I believe when food is a source of comfort, it really can be a challenge to get through the day. I have realized that I love my food these days. I miss eating pizza's, and I miss eating eggs and bacon, that is something I love. I also miss my sweeties but not that much I wouldn't say I am craving anything specifically right now.

So is there any blessings that I feel grateful for today? In fasting, I am focusing on other things, not to think about the food that I might eat. I make supper for my family, and they can eat whatever it doesn't worry me.

I do find I have other challenges that I am dealing with. I am a little tender and get emotional, but it seems to pass as well.

Things I am grateful is my husband and all my children and grandchildren: my mom and oom Frik and my brother and his family and my sister and her family.

Prayer

Lord God, the Father, thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins. I am grateful to spend this time in Your presence. Thank You, Lord, for sending me a comforter, the Holy Spirit, I feel refreshed and look forward to an awesome day. I love You, Lord, I am drawing closer to You and asking that You will reveal Your will for my life. In the name of Jesus Christ. amen

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Are waiting for something expectantly?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Sometimes we pray and would like to get the breakthrough immediately, and it's something you desperately want. How can it take so long for the Lord to respond? If only the Lord can give this to me now, I would be a champion.

Then there's that problem that seems to linger it won't go away. I've been driving myself insane but no way, it stays there. Finally, I don't have a choice I have to live with it, and it's not going away. I have to accept it as part of my life and carry on.

I realise God hears all my prayers, and some answered prayers take time because I may have to learn from the circumstance. I know God is working things out for me; it's like I am too impatient to wait.

My daughter always tells me "and suddenly" things will change, you won't even expect it.

So are you waiting for a prayer expectantly? A yes, but you need to be patient. I sometimes give up, it seems too hard, and there is no direction or answer. Then other times, I get the courage to wait and see what happens. I am expecting something useful from this waiting. I have hope in my heart, and I look forward to the supernatural answer. Focus on today's scripture in Matthew 7, verse 7 to 11, MSG "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think God who conceived you in love will be even better?"

Prayer

Father God, I am waiting expectantly for You to help me going forward. My hope is in You Lord, You are my Counsellor, You are my Lord of lords, You are my Salvation, and I believe in Jesus Christ, thank You, Lord, Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

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Are you or your partner emotionally unhealthy?

by Yvette van Niekerk

80% of the married couple are separating or divorces because of emotional unhealth in their marriage. I think it's because we all have pasts and are both bringing some baggage into a new relationship.

Some sound advice found in the Bible that we may follow when seeking a life partner.
I must tell you that I agree with this one in Proverbs. I used to be married to a furious man. It turns out I have adopted his anger and can lash out in seconds. Of course, I am working on my attitude and my temper, but yes, I agree with this Proverbs.

Number One:  Don't marry someone who nurses an uncontrolled temper. Proverbs 22 verse 24 (NIV) says, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person; do not associate with one easily angered." I know I struggle with deep insecurities, and I suffer from low self-worth.

Number Two: Don't marry someone who is struggling with an addiction. Proverbs 23 verse 20 (TEV) says "Don't associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food." You will see it mentions liquor or food, but I believe drugs and other substances are on the list too.

Number Three: You won't be happy if you marry someone bitter. They hide it well, but it comes to the surface now and then. Stop being resentful leave it behind and move on with your life. Reading Hebrews 12 verse 14 - 15 AMP "Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of God's grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it, many defiled."

Number Four: Steer clear of someone selfish. We see Proverbs 28 verse 25 TLB says "greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to prosperity." So greed is being selfish, which is a number one problem in many relationships because I'm more important than you.

Number Five: Greed is a problem and causes many fights: Probers 15 verse 27 TLB "Dishonest money brings grief to all the family, but hating bribes bring happiness." You will be stuck with someone who needs this and needs that, making debt and you will continuously be paying off something.

Number One person to get married to is "Kind and Generous person." Proverbs 11: 24 - 25 TLB says "It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself."

The best person to get married to should be someone who doesn't tell lies but tells you the truth. Proverbs 20 verse 7 TLB says "It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father."

I am mostly interested in people who tell me the truth. I feel very offended when people lie to me. I think they believe I am an idiot. It makes me angry, and I lose my faith in them there and then.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to give, and [gifts] are given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Lord I am asking that with the same standard I deal out [with the standard I use when I confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to me. Please search my heart, and create in my a clean heart and a pure spirit.  In Jesus Christ Name Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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How to win a personal battle?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Ephesians 4: 23 - 25 TLB

"Now, your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature. Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other, and when we lie to each other, we are hurting ourselves."

I believe personal battles are connected to past hurts and thing or attitudes we want to change within ourselves. My husband said something interesting to me. He believes we all carry a little black box in the back of mind, heart or soul. It's locked away so no one, not even you can see it. 

How to win a personal battle? It's going to be a very tough battle. I believe if it is hidden away, we don't actually want to expose it. The best way to deal with such a situation or circumstance is to call on the Holy Spirit. It's like poverty, and it smells musty - acidic, it burns your eyes when you smell it. People living in these circumstances stomachs growl with hunger.  

The same for a Christian who has served God for a very long time; their religious thoughts keep them from growing into their new identity. It's much easier to teach a new Christian about mercy and grace than the person on the road for years. To change this person is going to be a brutal task. Only the Holy Spirit can set them free and deliver them from any strongholds or battles they are facing.

Paul writes us should drop these evil ways. Throw off your evil nature, the old you that was a partner in your evil ways, rotten through and through, full of lust and sham. 

To win our battles, we need to be constantly changing our attitudes and thoughts renewing it for the better becoming different person, holy and good. Telling the truth and breaking the old nature and habits.

Being a person that doesn't pretend to be good, pretend to be nice but genuinely is good and genuinely nice. Personal battles are tough, and we can't change them on our own, we need the Holy Spirit to help us with the battles we face.

Prayer

Father God, please save us from all error, ignorance, pride and prejudices. Please direct, sanctify and govern us in our work, through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, so the Gospel may be preached. Christ is truly spoken of and received, and we truly follow You in every place. We are fighting our battles with sin, Satan and death. Calling on You Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and mind. In Jesus Name, Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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How does prayer change your life?

by Yvette van Niekerk

I believe when we pray that we are in communication with the Lord Jesus. We want to build our relationship with Him, and we need to speak to Him. Even when we don't know what we want to say we still just come into His presence and be still.

There are so many formulas and so many prayer guidelines available to us, which can help us, but from my point of view, just being honest, and speaking to God from my heart. I believe God hears these prayers.

We need to praise the Lord when we come into His presence. Giving Him praise, saying thank You, and blessing the Lord is good for our soul and helps us go into right standing with God. Then because we are fallible and have sins present in our hearts and lives, I believe we should be confessing our transgressions. Then we need to repent of our sins.  Reading the Word, we know that in Isaiah 59 verses two says "Your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear." It's no use trying to hide your sins, or the things you know aren't acceptable to God. He knows you and can see what you have done. Hebrews 4, verses 13 says "There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." So true confession is admitting to all your evil deeds and asking God to forgive you with a repented heart.

This type of prayer is good for our soul; we feel relieved and can breathe after this. Lifting heaviness from our shoulders and creating a renewing; in our hearts and mind because God knows the secrets of our heart. Prayer changes my perspective of life, and God is waiting for me to speak to Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, humbly I come before You, asking You Lord God, please forgive me. Create in me a clean heart and forgive me every fault. Please renew a right spirit within me. O LORD, You are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. Please forgive me for taking advantage of your graciousness and mercy. Please Lord, have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquities and cleanse me from my sins. I want to receive Your forgiveness of sins and ask for refreshing in my life. Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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