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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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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