GOD today, I am asking You for wisdom and Your direction.

by Yvette van Niekerk

When I was young we used to go to the sea on vacation with my parents. My Dad always told us remember the sea isn't your friend, you need to respect it. We would play around on the beach and then venture out into the water. Sometimes the ocean bed would be high and we needed to walk through the water. There were places on the ocean bed that would fall away from under out feet and we would be in very deep waters. That used to frighten me, I didn't like that and then would make sure I am out of the water in minutes. God watches us and He knows the where the shalow waters are and where it is deep. We should actually be asking God to give us wisdom to hear Him and ask Him to direct us. I don't know lately I have not been listening for God's direction nor have I been praying for wisdom. It's been difficult as I seem to think I know it all and guess what I have been going through deep waters for too long. I have started to pray and ask the Lord to please forgive me and to give me wisdom and please guide and direct me. It’s clear I have not been connecting with God on a regular basis, I have not been praying “Abba, Father, guide me so I won’t fall.” sure that if I had been praying this prayer my Lord Jesus would lead me away from the edge. I know I have missed the mark on so many occasions. 1 Corinthians 2: 14 says: “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Hmm, so this reminds me the minute I take my eyes off of the LORD my natural man starts up and is in the driver’s seat. Directing me as I see fit. My husband said that he thinks I am making mistakes, it seems crystal clear to him. I don’t see it at all. From my perspective I am doing great. I am experiencing the consequences right now, not fun. It’s been a journey and I am praying on a regular basis please LORD let me have wisdom with a clear understanding and insight. It is clear I don’t know how to apply the truth in every situation lately. I don’t seem to discern right from wrong. John 16: 13 “When He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” I have learned that making impulsive decisions and not praying about it, is detrimental to my circumstance. The past couple of days I have been praying “Abba, Father, Lord my God, please give me wisdom in everything I do. Please Lord, help me to walk in wisdom every minute of today.” Scripture: Psalm 37: 30 – 31 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, ad his tongue talks of justice. The Law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Jeremiah 33: 3 Call on Me, and I will answer you, ad show you great and might things, which you do not know. Proverbs 2: 3 – 6 If you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. Prayer Dear Lord Jesus, I want to ask please give me Your Wisdom and Your understanding in everything I do today. You teach me that wisdom is better than gold and that understanding is better than silver. I seek Your wisdom today, enrich my life with Your wisdom and make me wealthy with Your understanding. Oh, Lord, help me in making right decisions, I seem to lack wisdom and insight when making decisions. I have lost the plot too many times. I am asking You to guide me and give me discernment when making decisions. Please counsel and guide me. I am studying Your Word. I am listening to it as much as I can. I pray remove the scales from my eyes and open my ears so I may hear YOUR WORD. You know I delight in listening to Your Word as much as I can, You know I love and adore You. Please LORD, help me to draw near to You so that I may draw from Your stored sound wisdom … Proverbs 2: 7. Please LORD, help me to find the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge in YOUR Word. Bless me and help me as I keep on seeking Your kingdom. Forgive me when I fall, I pray in Jesus Christs name. 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

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

Wisdom

We all need wisdom in our lives, and today let's take a look at Proverbs 9 verses 1 to 12. 

Seven pearls of wisdom. The number seven in scripture represents completion or perfection typically. Come, let us find ways to grow in understanding.

Proverbs 9:1 (AMP)

Wisdom's Invitation

9 Wisdom has built her [spacious and sufficient] house;

 She has hewn out and set up her seven pillars.

I do not do well when criticized, it pains me when someone wants to correct me. But, I keep quiet and hope the critic is truthful and not mocking me. I have found some people love to "insult" or "abuse" when critiquing me.

It's challenging, but I manage to keep quiet, to avoid further wrath. In earlier days I would lash out before I accept someone critiquing me. My natural instinct is to take offense and I can get quite angry. These days I try and see it from my critic's perspective. I don't always like hearing what they say, but I try and listen with an open heart. Learning is part of my spiritual growth, and it does help to hear other people's opinions. I still believe "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." 

Prayer

Humbly, I pray Lord if I am critical about a person, give me the wisdom to be constructive towards them, and gracious when I receive criticism. Help me stay focused on Your Word so that I can learn from each experience, in the name of Jesus Amen.

                                       

Yvette van Niekerk

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