Forgive others

Forgive others Matthew 6: 14 – 15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Have you ever suffered from pain caused by a misunderstanding? I am writing this message out of much affliction and anguish in my heart and with so many tears. For months I have been thinking of what I have done and why things are going the way they are. I have been drawing near to the Lord, yet my life is in such a mess at the moment. It is clear I have hurt so many people in my life, it is so astounding. I have lost my taste of living. I decide to take time out and speak to God about what I am facing. I ask the Lord, please reveal to me the one word I need to focus on for the rest of the year. I could not believe what I saw “Forgiveness”. I thought what a word, I forgive – sort of. Or let me say I try and forgive. Forgiveness: "stop to feel resentment against (an offender): pardon. Looking at my Bible verse God expects me to forgive my offender in return God can forgive me. I am honest in telling you I don’t understand the power of forgiveness. I am going through a process at the moment. I have written down peoples names that I need to forgive. I am working through my list and I am taking this list to the Lord, my God. I have heard that there are health benefits from forgiveness, I will lower my blood pressure and my immune system will be boosted. I have been suffering from depression and this has made me sleep less. I am hoping to stop being so hostile and move on with my life. Prayer Abba, Father, I know that You teach in Your Word that we need to forgive so that You are able to forgive me. Please will You reveal to me the people I need to forgive. Lord, I need help with my process. Help me understand and accept that forgiving others is to my advantage. Lord, if there are people I resent, or feel angry towards, help me deal with this anger and resentment. I forgive them and I am asking help me to forgive myself. It is my hearts desire to live in good standing with other people in my life. Help me check my heart towards others. Thank you Lord, for this opportunity, I am asking for forgiveness and I am forgiving other. In the name of 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

How can I clear the slate?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Ezekiel 18: 31 MSG “Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel?” When we are unable to confess our wrongs and sins, our countenance changes. We have darkness over our faces, and it may seem we are sad. Then we experience condemnation. We fail to repent and ask for forgiveness of my sin, our countenance changes. Psalm 34: 5 MSG “They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.” Confession is good for my soul. I need to repent of things I may have said or done. I do not want to build a wall between myself and God. I am honest when I confess anything I did and I receive God's forgiveness. I want a direct line to God and I can only achieve it by confessing my sins. Repentance: means "turning away and deciding not to do it again." I am saying "Yes, I did this, I am sorry and won't do this again." Ezekiel 20: 43 "Then you will look back at all your sins and loathe yourselves because of the evil you have done." Yes, it's true I struggle with self-loathing when I know I have been doing something wrong. I cannot move past it and it makes me feel miserable and I am frustrated. My self-esteem is down the drain, condemnation trails behind me. Life looks bleak and miserable. I seem to be going down the road of destruction in my life and only when I confess my sins, there is a relief. I realize that I cannot do this on my own, I have and always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything I should be confessing. God is faithful and He does show me my iniquities, giving me a chance to confess and repent. The experience is my heart feels lighter, freedom and joy come to me. God knows the secrets of my heart Psalm 44 verses 21. Prayer Father, Lord as King David prayed, "Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." Psalm 51. Please show me anything I am hiding and help me to see it and confess it to you, so that I may repent and receive Your forgiveness. Psalm 31 says "blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Please help me to always confess my sinfulness so that I am able to say "see if there are any wicked ways in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Please forgive me, in the name of Jesus Christ. Father God today I want to be obedient and accept the gift that You have given me. I am trading my tired and worn-out life for a new one today with Jesus Christ. Today I surrender all my faulty plans for Your perfect plan. Lord, please help me to abide in you so that you can abide in me. Father today I am embracing the new life available to me. I don’t know how things will work but I beg You hear my call. I accept the Lord Jesus Christ to renew my life today. Amen

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

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid  Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

 

 

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

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing ; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

Day 21 ~ Forgiveness

Matthew 18: 21 - 22 AMP

Forgiveness

 "Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?  Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven."

I realized that I have been struggling with an unforgiving heart or spirit. On Sunday, I was listening to my Pastor preach, and something he said reminded me of my ex-husband. What he did to me and then I was in a state. I thought I had forgiven this man for all the things he has done to me. I didn't, and I also realize that to forgive someone, it has to be a conscious decision on your side. I thought I let it go, but I didn't.

It took me a couple of days of saying it to myself that I have forgiven that man.  You won't believe me, but before I said that, I was so heartbroken.

I know when reading the Bible that we are required to forgive someone for their offenses. I know I had to decide yes or no.

So when I think of Jesus and His disciples, it's something I need to forgive 490 times a day! I can't believe its possible, but that is a considerable amount of forgiving.

I have made a decision today actual right now, and I will live in forgiveness. It's not that easy, so many things upset me all the time. So I need to learn forgiveness, and it must be a constant thing in my own life.

I know Jesus taught us to pray the Our Father, and on a further study, it struck me that we are asking Father God to forgive us as we forgive others. If I am not going to forgive people who hurt me, then why would God the Father forgive me?

I want to move on in my life, and I need to stay focused, I will not let unforgiveness break my relationship with God the Father.

Prayer

Father God, I want to remind You of Your Word in my life today. I have decided to follow Jesus, and I also have decided to let go of offenses and unforgiveness in my own life today.  I trust that You God have mercy on me today. I believe that surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Lord, I am reminding You on "As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is Your mercy towards those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." I declare this word into my own life right now, and I trust in You Abba Father, I draw a hedge of Jesus Christ's blood around my family and me. Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing ; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

Are we "me-focused."

Ephesians 3: 10 AMP "So now through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places."

I know you may relate to this, but I am very selfish, and to be honest, it is all about me, my accomplishments, my plans.  Even when I bring God into my picture, it's about what God has in store for me. Right now, I have become too "me-focused."

I believe God demonstrates His love and mercy to me through His son Jesus Christ. I think it is to glorify God and only through Jesus Christ. I hate to say this, but when I think about the cross I believe it was for my sake, I know it's very selfish, but that's how I feel at times. Jesus died for my sins, and He also had been raised for me. So that I can inherit the new life, become a child of God. A nobody. Lord, I believe You are merciful, You are kind, You are forgiving and gentle. The just and the justifier.

In all Lord, it is all about YOU.

Prayer

Father God, I am reminded of Irenaeus, who wrote: "The glory of God is a living man, and the life of man consists in behold God." Today, in humility, I am asking You to help me as I go through today. I forgive that person who offended me to such an extent it pains my heart. I set him free in the name of Jesus Christ because of You in my heart. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing ; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid