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

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

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

 

 

#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.

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

Do you need strength to face today?

by Yvette van Niekerk

I read D.L. Moody said, "When a man has no strength if he leans on God, he becomes powerful."

The Lord is trustworthy, and when we are facing insurmountable issues and problems, we should not turn to men, but lean on God, He is powerful. What does it mean to trust in God? He has a position of security, and we can trust Him because He reveals Himself as reliable. If you will take a moment with me and read Psalm 91 out loud, you will see the Lord God is a symbol of protection from attack. The best description I can give you is of an old Castle with the walls that surround it, people living behind these fortified walls of protection. It would have to be a smart and robust army that penetrates these sturdy walls, how we should view God, His robust, sturdy and will put His arms around us His children. Putting our trust in the Lord is the way we should go. He has never failed us, why now?

Psalm 91 MSG

"You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, you're my refuge.  I trust in you, and I'm safe!"

That's right - he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His massive outstretched arms protect you - under them, you're perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing - not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day. Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will also graze you. You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path."

Prayer

High God, please Abba Father, help me today, I cannot get through this day without your hand over my life, I run to You Lord, You are my strong tower. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

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

 

Here are Some ideas on how to study God's Word.

by Yvette van Niekerk

1. Make an appointment with the Lord God. Decide which time of day suits you best and set this time aside to read God's Word. In the beginning, you might only do this twice a week, and as time goes by, you will pick up the pace. I need to spend time with God in the evenings and the morning is hectic on my side.
2. Decide where in your home you are going to spend time with the Lord. I have picked out my bedroom, and it works for me. Everyone in the house is watching TV, and I have time alone.
3. So what do I need? Well, of course, you need your Bible, a good Bible dictionary or concordance and then pen and paper. Then you are equipped and ready to start the process. It's a learning curve, and this might be not easy in the beginning, but it picks up, and then you are on your way.
4. Confession. In this time, I confess whatever has been on my heart and worrying me lately. Now, I feel open and ready to speak to God and learn what He wants me to know.

Proverbs 4: 20 - 22 MSG

"Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health."

I'm not a guru on this matter, and I am still learning, but these are things I like to do, and this helps me stay focused and in contact with the Lord God.

Prayer

Lord today I want to pray to help me set the time aside for You. I want to purposefully spend time Your Word today, help me meditate and focus on You Lord. In Jesus Name Amen

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid 

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer or Daily Devotional Ebenezer

If you don't change your thinking, you won't change your life.

by Yvette van Niekerk

Negative thoughts were part of my life for a very long time. I also suffered from condemnation, and life seemed uphill all the time. So when it comes to renewing of my mind, I feel strongly about the Holy Spirit, who is my guide and is always there for me. I don't feel abandoned and lost anymore. I am washing my soul with the Word of God, by reading a chapter or two a day in my bible, which I feel is cleansing my mind.

I have decided to follow Jesus, and I put my trust in Him. I believe God is renewing my mind through His Word.

Philippians 4 verse 8 GNT "In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good, and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable."

I stopped breaking myself down, I know I am imperfect, and I have problems, but I do believe God is working on me each day, I am a work in progress.

I challenge you today, to write scripture down, and put it next to your bed. When you wake up in the morning, take the page, read the words and meditate on it. Let the Word of God fill your mind, become renewed in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord according to Philippians 4 verse 8 to 9 I want to fill my mind and meditate on your Word, I want to focus on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what You Lord are teaching me, what I hear and see and realize. I believe Your Word that You Lord, who makes everything work together, will work me into Your most excellent harmonies. In Jesus Christs Name, Amen.

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid 

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer or Daily Devotional Ebenezer

 

God within me!

Isaiah 12:2

'Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.'