#5 Things to be grateful

#1  My Lord Jesus

I am grateful that I am able to serve the Lord Jesus each and every day any which way I feel comfortable with.  I am grateful that I may speak to people openly about the Lord Jesus and that I do not have to fear condemnation.

#2  My Family

Thank You, Lord for my family, I am grateful for a good husband and wonderful children (my own and his, not forgetting my granddaughters).

#3 My senses

Thank You, Lord for all my sense, I can see, I can smell, I can hear and taste.  Awesome without them; my life would be miserable.

#4 My Friends

Thank You, Lord for all my friends, abroad and here in South Africa.  I am so happy that I may connect with good friends and enjoy good laughs.  Thank you, all my friends for reading my blog.

#5  My material belongings

Thank You, Lord for all that You have provided me with, I know I seem ungrateful many times but today I do want to say thank You.

God has blessed my life with great family and good friends.  Bless each one today and may you all enjoy your thanksgiving with the Lord's mercy and favor.

Zephaniah 3: 17  "The Lord your God is in your midst.  The Mighty One, who will save;  He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

How to become ‘Born again’ [Jesus Christ]

This is a life or death situation, are you sure you want to read on?

Today I want to encourage you to think about your salvation, are you Born again?

I believe that God loves you and me.  Because we serve a living God, I believe God wants to have a personal relationship with both you and me.  Through our salvation, we are able to find out what our purpose in life is and we will receive the gift of eternal life.

Your past

Romans 3: 23 reminds us ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’  As I read this scripture I am reminded that I am a sinner and so are you.

A price to pay, for our sin

Romans 6: 23 reminds us ‘For the wages of sin is death.’  When you work at the end of the week or month you will receive your wages.  The same principal applies to sin, at the end of your life you will pay for your sin, death.  When we die we are separated from the living God.  There is another way …

The Lord Jesus paid for our sin

Romans 10: 9 reminds us ‘if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’   Reflecting on these words in scripture I can only invite you to make that decision.  No one can make you chose its all up to you.  Once you do decide to make the decision by surrendering your life into the Lord Jesus hands, you start a living relationship with the Lord who died on the cross for your sins.  When you ‘believe’ you actually entrust your life completely into the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is true faith, asking the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins, and through your precious blood my sins are forgiven.  I surrender my life into Your hands today.  Thank You, for paying the most expensive price ever, dying in my place, forgiving my sins and allowing me, the gift of eternal life.  As I turn my back on my past and stretch forward acknowledging You as my Lord and Saviour.  Guide me and lead me to Your truth.  Amen

A sanctified imagination [Holy to Jesus]

As I think about these words today I want to do something my husband has been telling me for such a very long time.  According to him, one should sit down and write down your hopes and dreams.  He feels that one should visualize it in 3D.

I also know that the Lord said that He looks at our thoughts and intent of our hearts. (Heb. 4: 12)  So to my mind, I believe that the Lord wants us to be Holy as He said so in His word ‘Be holy because I am Holy.’ 

My hope and dreams are so much more than I can imagine and I want them to be sanctified to the Lord for His approval.  I know that when I obey God, He is with me.  (Ps. 14: 5)

As you think about your own sanctified imagination I do want to remind you to draw near to the Lord.  As the Lord God to help you move forward.  Let Him guide you and help you with your hopes and dreams.

Prayer

Lord God, please help me and my friends sanctify our imagination according to Your word, so that we may be consecrated to You.  In Jesus name.  Amen

Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting [Fasting]

Zechariah 7:8-10 (TLB)

^8-9 Then this message from the Lord came to Zechariah. “Tell them, to be honest, and fair—and not to take bribes—and to be merciful and kind to everyone. ¹⁰ Tell them to stop oppressing widows and orphans, foreigners and poor people, and to stop plotting evil against each other.

As I reflect on my journey of fast; these couple of weeks, I need to confirm how humbling it has been for me.  I have come to realize that I am so spoilt and that I actually am very blessed in being able to enjoy any kind of food.

I have been reminded on so many occasions that I should not think evil of other people, believe that all people are good and that I should not allow my temper to rule my head.  I have also come to learn that by focusing my thoughts on the Lord for the day changed my entire perspective of the people around me.

It is my heart’s desire, to draw closer to the Lord my God, I don’t want to be a disappointment and I have come to a point in my life that I cannot fix any of my past mistakes.  Going forward I can only do my best.  I have also come to realize God has a great future for me even in my older years. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, tonight I pray that You will show me through the Holy Spirit how to administer true justice; teach me to show mercy and compassion to one another.   Remind me not to oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor; and stricken the evil thoughts that come out of my heart.  In Jesus Name; Amen

Prayer for Guidance and Pardon.

Psalm 25:1-7 (AMP)  A Psalm of David.

Abba Father, O LORD, my God to you I lift up my soul.   O my God, in YOU I place my unwavering trust and in YOU I rely for Your steadfast confidence.  Please do not let me be ashamed or my hope in You be disappointed; please do not let my enemies triumph over me.

O my LORD, as I wait for You expectantly I know I will not be ashamed, and those who turn away from what is right and deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed and face  humiliation and embarrassment.

Please, LORD, let me know YOUR ways and teach me YOUR paths.

Guide me in YOUR truth and teach me, for YOU are the God of my salvation; for You and only You I wait expectantly all day long.  Please remember, O LORD, Your tender compassion, and Your loving kindness, for they have been from of old.

Please forget the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your loving kindness please remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD, my God.

Amen

Thanksgiving .... [Lord Jesus]

My prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord God praying Psalm 84.

Abba Father
Praise be to You for the privilege to come to church and bring praise to Your Holy Name, O LORD, God Almighty.  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

O LORD, even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in YOUR house; they are ever praising YOUR Name.  Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

We gor from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

O LORD, Almighty, please hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.  Selah

Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in YOUR courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from whose walk is blameless.

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in YOU.

On day's like these .... [Search my heart Lord Jesus]

It is cold today, it's supposed to be Sumer.  I feel excited and looking forward to Christmas with my children.  My dress is hanging in the cupboard, my goodness now to lose a couple of pounds, too much cake!

Don't laugh it could have been you.  I bake cakes for extra cash and with the cake money I was able to buy my dress, the number is correct but it seems I have put on an extra pound here and there.  

Lord give me the strength to watch my eating habits and think before i put anything into my mouth. 

Deut. 28: 8  The Lord your God will bless your work and fill your barns with corn.  Amen 

Thank you Lord

Disciples and the World

^{Matthew 5: 13 - 16}

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].

¹⁴ “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Can you hear God's voice calling you?

God wants us to enjoy our food each and every day, we also realize that when it comes to our food it is a gift from God.  We have something to enjoy and it makes us happy.  Some of our dishes require salt to enhance the taste and also preserve some of our foods.  Without salt, some of our dishes will be so dull and plain. 

Thinking about it, we need salt in our diets to prevent a number of ailments, so basically we know that salty is good for us.  The Lord Jesus, tells us that we should remember that we are the ‘Salt of the earth.’  Christian man or woman, it is our privilege to go out to the nations and speak to them boldly, telling them about the Lord Jesus.  As salt we have the privilege to be with our friends and family, savoring the conversations.  We can bring light into the darkness when people start talking about the bad economy and how they are suffering financially.  We can testify and tell them what the Lord is doing in our own lives.  Confess God’s goodness and abundance in our lives. 

Do you know my Lord Jesus?  Do you want to get to know Him?  Come and sit at His table and enjoy the good news.  Reading the New Testament, start with the book of John.

As God’s disciples, we want to remind you of the goodness and favor God bestows on each of us.

Prayer

Lord if I am missing the great things You are doing in my own life today, forgive me and I pray open my eyes to see.  Lord as for my friends and family, I dedicate each person into Your Hands, Holy Spirit comes and fill the hearts of each person reading this devotional today.  Give them the hunger and thirst they need to find out more about Jesus.  Lord touch the lives of the people reading the message today.  I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

  

Sense of occasion

Psalm 119:105New International Version (NIV)

נ Nun

105 Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.

O Lord, thank You for reminding us that Your Word is a lamp for our feet, a light on our path.

Create in us a sense of occasion and help us approach Your throne with the correct manner of occasion.

Lord Jesus, open our eyes and ears to the Words in the scripture.

In Your Holy Name amen

Tech Toys

Today I signed up with Amazon and saw these amazing toys, thought I would share this with you.  Click and take a look.

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Forgiving and overlooking another's faults.

Proverbs 10: 12

12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

Have you noticed relationships are so difficult to maintain?  Working on forgiving and overlooking another's faults are one of my focused during my fasting period.  To be honest, so people just know how to irritate me.  So I have to really pay attention to my words, the way I react and be graceful in my approach.

I am currently learning to filter my words and I am also learning to take other people's feelings into consideration.  I don't want to offend or hurt other people.

Today let me encourage you and let me tell you it is difficult and I am learning so much but God has been so graceful towards me I can only thank Him.  My filters are working, I am able to wait and see what the outcome is.

Prayer

Abba Father, Lord as I think of the people who offend and hurt me, the people that took advantage of my kindness, the people that hated me.  Lord Jesus I forgive and overlook all their faults.  I plead the blood of Jesus Christ over each person.  Amen