"The genuineness of your faith."

 1 Peter 1: 7 AMP

“so that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I don’t like being tested. Yet we are tested on a regular basis. I thought about the tests in my own life. I have come to realize that my strengths and weaknesses are tested. I think my gifts are tested too. When I read “even though tested and purified by fire,” I feel I want to run away. These tests are truly difficult. I believe I have been tested and gone through fire and I am still standing. I am sure you have been tested and been through a lot.

I believe God tests me to see how I will react. Just yesterday I was being tested and unfortunately, I believe I failed this test and will be tested again. I know my problem the thing is how to deal with it and move on. My response to this test was bad; in the end, I withdrew and tried to gain some kind of stability again.

I fear that I didn’t look for an opportunity to obey God and learn how I can change my future. It made me feel miserable. I am praying God will give me the necessary wisdom and understanding in dealing with my own issues.

Do you remember Moses and Aaron were dealing with Pharaoh and how Pharaoh manipulated the situation all the time? My Pharaoh cannot always win, I need to start identifying my enemy and I know God is on my side. I believe that God is for me, who can be against me. God reminded Moses that He [God] will bring them out with a mighty hand. I stand on the knowledge that God cares for me and He will bring me out with a mighty hand.

Prayer

Humbly Abba Father, I want to pray and ask You to help me face my issues head-on. I seem to be struggling with these tests and failing all the time. I want to pray to ask for wisdom and insight and understanding. Lord when I feel like my back is against the wall I call out to You. I believe that You are for me. Lord I know when I tithe You supply according to my needs. You gifted me with a good job. I believe Your mighty hand will bring me out next year. Amen

THE Word for Today:
2 Corinthians 9: 6 – 11 AMP, “Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously will also reap generously [and be blessed]. Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift]. And God is able to make all grace [every favour and earthly blessing] come in abundance  to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity. As it is written and forever remains written,

HE [the benevolent and generous person] scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, his righteousness endures forever!

Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing [that is, your resources] and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love]. You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administer] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit].”

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Prophesy over my life

Psalm 23:1 ESV

A Psalm of David

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Today I am prophesying over my own life. I believe although I am walking through the “valley of the shadow of the death, I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” I am standing on Your Word Lord. I believe You are here with me. I won’t allow my emotions to take hold of my heart and mind. I will focus all my attention on You. I know no one is able to help me only You.

I prophesy that You Lord are restoring my soul. I prophesy that You are leading me in paths of righteousness for Your namesake. I prophesy You anoint my head with oil and that my cup overflows. I declare and prophecy “only goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Lord, I believe that You are working things out to help me. I prophesy that I am blessed today and that I have supernatural favour with You and with people. I prophesy that I am liked and that I am accepted by others. I prophesy that I am a Child of God. I am created in Your image.

Prayer

Humbly, LORD, I pray Psalm 23 and prophesy over my own life. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Thank You, Abba Father that I am able to stand and place my trust in You. Amen

THE Word for Today:
Proverbs 13: 10, “Through pride and presumption comes nothing but strife, but [skilful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.”

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Created to be like God

Ephesians 4: 24 NIV

“and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

I understand and know that we all have painful pasts. Some people have experienced dreadful things in their lives and have managed to put it behind them. I always wonder how they became so good at being nice and acceptable. I believe they have “put on the new self,” drawing near to God.

This morning I was speaking to God about a number of things happening in my life. I believe that for me to go forward I need to “put on the new self,” each and every day. I also realize the devil want to seal my peace away. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10: 10

What did the Lord Jesus do for you and for me?  The Lord Jesus came to earth to die for our sins so that we can have life in abundance so that we can live our lives to the fullest each and every day.

I want to encourage you today to keep on reading God’s Word, study the Bible and come into a relationship with the Lord. Hold onto the Lord and He will renew your mind every day with His word.

Prayer

Oh Lord my God, I humbly come into Your presence. Lord I put on the new self today, Lord I humbly pray that You will help me to stay connected to You. I am Your child and You have called me by name. Lord I am reminding You that I am lost without You. I pray that I will be renewed and regenerated each and every day through Your Word. Thank You, Lord in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

THE Word for Today:
 John 10: 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

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#resetbutton

Lamentations 3: 22- 23 AMP “It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.”

Every evening when we go to bed, we reset the button, God allows us to start new every morning. We are able to get a fresh start as we rise. Yesterday’s problems are behind us and we can move forward.

You know that I have been haunted by my past, I feel that I just cannot get away from it. I have been speaking to God about it and I admitted to this past issue. I must tell You God is true and faithful and has given me the ability to look forward and to put the past behind me. Yes, I do get reminders from the old devil but once he starts reminding me. I tell him to go away I reject these thoughts and have been forgiven. My God has given me a new day and my life is in God’s hands.

Thank You, Lord, for a new day, Your mercies are new every day. I am grateful for Your lovingkindnessess and that Your compassions never fail. I can stand on Your word and I know that You are here for me.

When I wake up in the morning I am grateful to face a new day, yesterday’s problems are behind me and I can move forward. You have been in charge of my life every step of the way. I will give You all the worship and praise.

Prayer

Abba Father, thank You, that Your mercies are new every day, giving me a fresh start each morning. Without You, Lord I am lost. I cannot function normally and I will struggle with fear. I want to thank You for Your mercies new every day, Your compassions and most of all for Your faithfulness and lovingkindnesses. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

THE Word for Today:
Psalm 25: 10 NIV, “All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demand of his covenant.”

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SEE HOW EASILY YOU CAN PRAISE GOD

 

Psalm 84: 10 AMP

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else]; I would rather stand [as a doorkeeper] at the threshold of the house of my God than to live [at ease] in the tents of wickedness.”

 

Lord God today I want to praise You and say thank You Lord for all the good gifts I have received. I want to let the people know how good You are to me. Lord, You have gifted me with my job. In giving me this job Lord I am able to help my mom, I am able to bring my tithings. I am grateful that I am able to still work and receive good gifts out of Your hand.

 

Lord, I am grateful and want to praise You for always protecting me. I am grateful and want to praise You for always protecting my Children, my Grandchildren and my Stepchildren each and every day. Lord, I am grateful that You have spared my mom and her husband another year. Lord, I want to praise You for the food on my table. Lord, I want to praise and worship for the gifts I receive every now and then. I am praising You for Your loving kindness even when I am not faithful and feel that You have abandoned me.

 

Bless the Lord O, my soul and everything that is within me. I want to bless You, Lord. You have always been there for me. Lord thank You, for today. Praise Your Holy name, and thank You also for my job, Praise Your Holy Name. Lord, I want to bring You all the glory and honour due to Your name. Holy, Holy, Holy, are You, Lord.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I want to praise Your Holy name, You have gifted me with three of my own children, two sons and a daughter and three beautiful granddaughters. Lord Praise Your Holy name, thank You also for my three stepchildren. Praise and honour to Your Holy Name. Amen

 

The Word for Today:
Genesis 30: 20 AMP, “Then Leah said, ‘God has endowed me with a good [marriage] gift [for my husband]; now he will live with me [regarding me with honor as his wife], because I have given birth to six sons.’ So she named him Zebulun.”

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THE SECRET OF SUCCESSFUL SOWING AND REAPING

Galatians 6: 7 – 8 AMP

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Set an example: To successful teach our kids the secret of sowing and reaping - set an example. Kids need boundaries and learn every action has a reaction. We all want to be successful in life. We need to learn from the beginning “what you sow you will reap.” It applies to our home environment as well as our schools and churches.

Teach our children:  As Christian mothers, we are expected to teach our children the basic truths we find in the Bible. God is no one’s fool; you won’t get away with bad things. This means we need to be consistent when it comes to disciplining our children. For example: Let’s take telling lies. Listen to what is said. Take a break and walk away. Come back and then test the story. When the story changes you know it’s a lie and then you can discipline the child.

There are consequences: I believe we confuse our children when we forego consequences. It results in our children becoming rebellious and stubborn. They feel they can manipulate the situation to their advantage. It won’t affect them right now, but it will in the long run. They think they are able to manipulate everybody around them and one day it will backfire on them. It is important to tell our children that God isn’t someone that can be manipulated and remind them whatever you sow you will reap.

The blessings:  It is important for them to see that God is blessing your finances when you are sowing in tithings. Tell them and let them see how God blesses your finances. They will want to copy you. I think it is important that they learn this from at an early age. One day they are able to make the ultimate decision in serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, O Lord please help me through the Holy Spirit to stay obedient to You. I want to do the best job now. Lord gives me the necessary wisdom and understanding for today. I know whatever I sow I will reap. Forgive me my short-sightedness. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

The Word for Today:
Galatians 6: 8 AMP, “For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

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Want to be truly self-disciplined? Start each day like this.

Philippians 1: 10 AMP

“so that you may learn to recognize and treasure what is excellent [identifying the best, and distinguishing moral differences], and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ [actually living lives that lead others away from sin];”

Make your bed – it was the hardest thing for me. I heard my mom saying “wisdom comes with age.” She sure knows what she is talking about. As you know I just turned 55 years old, I know ancient! Nevertheless, I have learned some important things that I try and practice.  I used to hate making my bed as a child and young woman. In order to start my day right I had to make my bed. It seemed to be the hardest thing I had for the day. I soon realized once my bed was made I was ready to face the day. At the office I hated filing away documents. They always seemed to disappear.  Not too long ago I helped implement a filing system that made this place shine from their competitive. Why? When our office was audited they could find all the evidence to each and every query.

Be on time. I don’t know about you, but I hate it when people come in late to a meeting. We can sit up to 20 minutes waiting for someone. I believe that it is important to be punctual. It shows your respect for the other persons time. Or do I have this all wrong?

Plan ahead. I am not in a position to plan ahead because my life isn’t as stable as most other people. I can only plan ahead to a certain extent. But I do like to plan ahead on many things that I feel is important to me. I also like to consult with God especially on my plans.

Correction. As I grow older I realise that the correction of any of my bosses in the past was a learning curve in my life. I am so glad that I wasn’t the one sulking and then running away. I never retaliated and I tried to understand their point of view.  I read that Gandhi said “There’s always a limit to self-indulgence, but none to self-restraint.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, O LORD my God, today I want to pray asking You to reveal to me the unmanageable areas in my life today. Help me deal with my unruly thoughts and feelings. Help me to stop making excuses and face the truth even when it hurts. I struggle with feeling sorry for myself constantly, please help me get over this issue. Please help me set goals that are attainable in my current situation.  Please teach me to recognize and treasure what is excellent. Humbly I am praying in Jesus Christ name Amen.

Word for Today:
Proverbs 13: 10, “Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife, but [skilful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.”

RELATED RESOURCES:
Join in today with a one-minute scripture, and a personal inspirational message, and prayer, with Yvette van Niekerk's book, Daily Devotional Ebenezer. Order your eBook copy here today.

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