Trusting in God's Faithfulness: Embracing the Ups and Downs of Life's Journey

By Yvette van Niekerk Philippians 4:19 (AMPC) And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Life's journey can often resemble a roller-coaster ride, with exhilarating highs and sudden descents that leave our heads spinning. Have you ever experienced such fluctuations in your own life? It can be quite intriguing, sometimes lasting for a season or even longer. However, amidst these unpredictable twists and turns, I have come to realize that the Lord God remains in control of my life. He faithfully provides for me, abundantly supplying according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. What does this mean? It means that even in times when it seems like I have no resources available, God graciously provides more than enough. I have been blessed to such an extent that God consistently meets my needs, surpassing what I could have ever imagined. It may have seemed impossible, but through His divine provision, I have experienced abundance. Prayer Heavenly Father, We come before You, our Abba Father, with hearts filled with gratitude. We thank You, Lord, for the assurance that You will abundantly provide for us, according to Your limitless riches found in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We acknowledge You as Jehovah, our faithful provider. We express our sincere appreciation, Lord, for Your unwavering provision and care in our lives. We recognize that every blessing and provision we receive comes from Your loving hand. We are humbled and grateful for Your abundant grace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we offer this prayer of thanksgiving and trust. May Your name be glorified as we continue to rely on Your provision and guidance in all aspects of our lives. Amen. https://www.makemoneywitha.online

Holy Spirit

Good morning, today I want to talk about ‘how can I activate the powerhouse of God, within me?’ So what do I mean? Well, how can I cooperate with the Holy Spirit and become a Samson or even an Elijah? I know wishful thinking. The truth is I have been focusing on my problem and not on God's Word.

Samson Samson today would be the guy going to the gym, eating healthily every day and part of his day meditating on God's Word. Judges 15: 14 – 16 “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand took it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said: with the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.” Samson was an ordinary guy the extraordinary was the powerhouse of God within him. The Holy Spirit came powerfully on him. Without the Holy Spirit, Samson cannot do the things he did. Elijah Elijah was an ordinary guy too. He was afraid of the threats of a woman and he run away to hide from her. Hiding in the wilderness Elijah asked God to kill him so he didn’t have to face her. But Elijah became powerful once the Holy Spirit came upon him. I love the piece where Elijah calls fire from heaven killing 450 Baal prophets and outran the king’s chariot. And he did it all in one day see: 1 Kings 18 and 19. I want the Holy Spirit to also move in me. I do believe that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and he doesn’t act on impulse. He assesses the situation with wisdom and understanding to the extent I do not even think I can imagine. My questions: Why have you not worked in my life Holy Spirit? What do I need to do to have You act with me? I know You are living here right inside of me. What must I do to activate You? I am learning to speak God’s Word each day. Do I need to repent of my sins? Would You please show me so that I can repent and be acceptable to you? Prayer LORD thank you for your Word. Today I am opening a door so that the Holy Spirit may come in and help me. I am learning the Word and I want to develop an awareness of the Holy Spirit within me. Today I speak the Word and ask that the Holy Spirit be my powerhouse and activate the Word on my behalf. ‘I serve the LORD, my GOD, and he blesses my bread and my water and he takes sickness away from my midst. (Exodus 23: 25) LORD, I have received the Holy Spirit; so I have received power!’ Acts 1: 8. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Granddaughters prayers - Courage

by Yvette van Niekerk

December 15, 2022 Good morning, today I want to pray for Gizel, Anabelle and Briana my beautiful granddaughters. Lord may each granddaughter of mine stand firm for what is right, give them the courage they need to face today. Help them guard the truth and see justice in every aspect of life. Lord please gives them the ability to stand in grace. Let them revere Your name and be proud to proclaim You are Lord of lords and King of kings. In Jesus's name, we pray, Amen

Granddaughters prayer - emotional development

December 14, 2022 Good morning, I want to pray for my granddaughters Gizel, Anabelle and Briana. Emotional development is so important in life. Father God, You know each girl, and I know You are the Creator of our bodies and mind. Lord create in Gizel, Anabelle and Briana the ability to deal with emotions. Strengthen them today if they feel confused, give them clarity of mind help them focus. We all face dark times, and should this arise at any time in their lives I pray give them hope for the future. Lord, let Your Holy Spirit fill them today, as a ray of sunlight shine over them and keep them safe. In the name of Jesus Christ. 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

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

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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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

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Let God carry your burdens.

by Yvette van Niekerk

Psalm 55: 22 MSG "Pile your troubles on GOD's shoulders - he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin. But you, God, will throw the others into a muddy bog; Cut the lifespan of assassins and traitors in half. And I trust in you."

During this time of the coronavirus, I must tell you I had thought this is a total hoax, it seems like everything is so sort of cover-up. Anyway, it doesn't help I start believing all kinds of conspiracy theories, that's not true. So this thing has been weighing me down for some time. I am sick when I have to go into a shop and buy some stuff, and the masks make me feel nauseous.

I think the best way forward is to bring this problem to the Lord, and I don't think I can handle this on my own. I believe God understands me and give me the strength to carry on. God is here for you and me. So let us bring our burned to the Lord. I believe God finds great pleasure in assisting each one of us, and He cares for all of us. So let us cast our burdens onto the Lord.

Prayer

Abba Father, Lord Jesus thank You for Your supernatural grace and strength which carries me through today. Lord, I am casting all my burdens onto You, I want to come into Your rest and peace for my life. In Jesus name 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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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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Changing Negative Thoughts into Positive

by Yvette van Niekerk

I'm in my late fifties, and I started the renewing of my mind a couple of years ago. But, last year was one of my worse years ever. The devil knows that I am trying to live a holy life; I am trying to become more like the Lord Jesus. The list goes on, and the thing is I started to feel condemned and guilty about a lot of decisions I took when I was younger. I was constantly feeling upset and worried about the things I did wrong. I finally broke down, told my husband and my daughter.

My daughter asked me to think about the situation that made me feel so badly and analyze it, was it all I could do at the time? Did I have another option? Could I have changed my circumstance then? I honestly couldn't do much at the time, and I was very reactive too. So NO, I couldn't change the way I acted. I also realized Satan was telling me I was a total failure, that it didn't matter. I wasn't good enough, and God doesn't love me, I won't ever get out of this mess.

The truth is I was very discouraged, and I struggled a number of months with these negative thoughts. I finally said to myself, No more, please, Lord Jesus, help me.

2 Corinthians 10, verse 3 - 6 MSG "The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way - never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity."

Prayer

Father God, You know I am still struggling with condemnation, but I believe that You are helping me get through this period in my life. I bind the negative thoughts, and I pray for peace in my life. I believe Your word that "only goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life." I confess these words today and also say "I am the righteousness of God in Christ, no weapons formed against me will prosper." As I face today, I want to praise Your Holy Name Lord, Holy Spirit You are welcome in my life. I embrace You today, accepting the challenges that come to me knowing You are on my side, "greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world." In the name of Jesus, my Savior Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

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Joy and peace

Romans 15:13 New English Translation (NET Bible)

¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Good morning, it’s really cold here in Witbank and in Pullenshope even more so.  I believe it’s about 0^o degrees outside.  As I walked up to my office the wind was blowing and I could feel the cold air through my hair and over my legs.

Sometimes life feels as cold as ice, freezing point seems to linger and you just struggle to get unfrozen.  I think of family that has passed away this week, peacefully and also suddenly.   

My mom’s fears are clear, I think she need reassurance and hope.  My sister seems to be disillusioned and disappointed.

Today I want to bring my family before the Lord praying humbly for a joy and peace for each person that is going through difficult times.

Prayer: 

Abba Father, the only hope we have is in You.  In our brokenness Lord we pray asking that You will fill each one of us today with all joy and peace in You Lord Jesus, so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen