God has been with us since birth.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 14

God has been with us since birth.

Psalm 22: 10 – 11 (AMP)

10 "I was cast upon You from my very birth; from my mother's womb, You have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble, is near, and there is none to help."

  Sometimes it's hard to believe that the Lord knew me when I was still in my mother's womb. God has been with me since my birth. He knows me inside out. He knows where I am, where I will be, and what I am doing. I believe my life can be victorious when I draw on God's power moment by moment ~ focusing my attention on God.

I realized that my biggest problem was my thoughts and impulses. I am very reactive, and then I make mistakes.

In 2 Peter 1 verse 3 to 4, we read "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. He has given us great and precious promises [so we can] share his divine nature and escape the Worlds corruption." God knew me before I was born, and He knows where I am right now.

Prayer

Father God, please help us to focus our lives on drawing from Your divine power, giving us everything we need to live a godly life and give us a great and precious promise in sharing Your divine nature and help us escape the world's corruption. In Jesus' Name, amen.

God will never leave you.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 13

God will never leave you.

Deuteronomy 31: 6 (AMP)

6 "Be strong, courageous, and firm, fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you."

  When I faced hardship, it was easy to turn my focus on the LORD. I could tap into the Word and overcome my difficult circumstances. Facing any crisis that time forced me to the brink of no return, I had to keep moving, giving up wasn't an option. I realized that God would never leave me, nor would He forsake me. I believe God is committed to my spiritual growth, and if that meant hardship, then so be it.

I realized that He started a good work in me and that it will come to furnished. It struck me that I'll be tested and many times to the limit. To this day, I know God will never leave me. I can stake my life on that.

No one makes me prouder than seeing my children's success, and God has a great plan for them. I realized God wants my whole and committed heart. I know that God will never forsake me. I can put my trust in Him.

Prayer

Lord God, You will never leave me, nor will You forsake me. I place my entire life into Your hands. I commit the lives of my family and friends into Your hands. I am drawing a hedge of protection around each one of us today. Thank You, LORD, You will never leave me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

My Spirit

by Yvette van Niekerk 

May 12

My Spirit

Isaiah 59: 21 (AMP)

21 "As for Me, this is My covenant or league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you [and Who writes the law of God inwardly on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, or out of the mouths of your children's children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever."

  I say "My Spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father as Comforter to His children. We are the born-again children, heirs of God. God's Spirit can only work in our lives if we are obedient to Him. I think we chase after all kinds of assignments, and we believe we have purpose and chase after it. But when it comes to experiencing the Spirit of the Lord, are we open to receive Him? 

If we can be obedient to the Lord by allowing His Spirit into our lives, we can enjoy a lifetime of blessings. We need to teach our children about the Lord Jesus, the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

O LORD God, I am grateful that "You have made a covenant promise to us, Your Spirit, which rests on and moves in us and LORD Your words, which You have placed within us, will continue to be spoken among us and move us into action. LORD not only for us but also for our children and their children too." In Jesus' Name Amen.

Keep on Asking

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 10

Keep on asking.

Matthew 7: 7 (AMP)

7 "Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find, keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you."

  A king the Lord God's supernatural favour in our lives can be done daily. Just keep in mind that you come to the Lord God with a pure heart, that you don't have any hidden agendas, or that you have something against your friend or family.

Come into the presence of the Lord God with boldness and ask Him to forgive you and make sure your intentions are honest and of good cause. We are reminded by the Lord Jesus, "You do not have because you do not ask."

Asking is easy ~ you need to remember that you can block the answering when there is sin in your heart that the Lord God cannot bless you.  

Prayer

O Lord with a humble heart, I want to dedicate my life back into Your hands, forgive me for sins known to me and those unknown to me. I repent of my sin and any bad attitudes, please hear my prayers, and I look forward to answered prayers. In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, I ask. Amen.

Raise my offspring

by Yvette van Niekerk 

May 9

"Raise my offspring."

2 Samuel 7: 12 (AMP)

12 "And when your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you, your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom."

  I know the Lord has a purpose for our lives. We know that and not only for our own lives but also the lives of our children. God wants each one of us to succeed in our lives and even our children. I see the Lord God has an individual plan and purpose for my children. As you think about your children and grandchildren, believe and claim this word today as your own. Our children and grandchildren are our legacies going forward.

I dream that my children will instead think about real things, then dwell on the past and things that are noble and just—raising their children teaching them to focus on something lovely and not the bad and ugly.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for this word that we receive and rejoice in the knowledge that You are faithful and that our children will succeed and prosper in their own lives. As we take this word today, we embrace it into our hearts and believe in You Lord Jesus. Amen!

Prayer through the Holy Spirit

by Yvette van Niekerk

 May 7

Prayer through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:26 (AMP)

26 "So to the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groaning's too deep for utterance."

  Paul writes that "we need the Holy Spirit to come to our aid and bears us up in our weakness." On reading God's Word, we know that it is living and active and also full of power, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit.

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us with what we are praying for. Because God created the entire universe with words, we need help with our prayers. I realize that God has given me the same power. I am asking the Holy Spirit to help me get my words in line with God's Word. I want to ask the Holy Spirit to help me live a victorious life. We must be witnesses for God, and that can only happen when the Holy Spirit is living inside of us.

Prayer

Lord, Father God, I want to ask You today for the same Holy Spirit power that the Apostle Paul received. Please let me receive Your Holy Spirit so that my doing can change to being. In You Holy Spirit, through You Holy Spirit and surrounded by You Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Surrender an Allegiance to the Lord Jesus.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 May 6

Surrender an Allegiance to the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 10: 37 (NIV)

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

  We know when studying the word of God that the Lord Jesus demands that we will sever our dearest and closest ties with family and friends, making allegiance with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also know that once we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are in right standing with God. Our salvation is dependent on believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can know without a doubt that the Blood of Jesus Christ saves us. Now we were learning that God is the most merciful person in this world. Even when I mess up, God understands. Because God has cut me some slack, I can do the same for the people around me.

Prayer

Lord, as we consider our relationship with You today, please help us realize that we need to surrender and accept an allegiance with You today. Draw us into Your kingdom as we call upon You in the name of Jesus, Amen!

#consciousness

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 5

Consciousness

Matthew 3: 17 (NIV)

17 "And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased."

  On reading Matthew 3, we come to realize that the Lord Jesus was on his way from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. When John saw the Lord, he tried to deter him by saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" To which the Lord Jesus said, "Let it be so now; for thus, it fits for us to fulfil all righteousness."

As Jesus went through the water and came out, the heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on Jesus Christ. We then see the Father saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased." We desire to have the consciousness of Christ in our own lives.

Like, babies, we see our reflection in the mirror but still do not recognize who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord, we want to pray for a consciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ in our own lives. Draw us near to You Lord and help us grow spiritually. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

God's Grace.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 4

God's Grace.

John 1:16 (AMP)

16 "For out of His fullness(abundance), we have all received [all had a share, and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favoured upon favour and gift [heaped] upon gift."

  Something I have learned over the past couple of years, my husband thinks "grace" is very much the same as "relax." If you want me to have, a hissy fit ~ tells me to "relax."

Well, it actually can be something to that effect, because if you are not willing to "relax," you are not able to walk in God's grace. I think what is important is that God is waiting for you to get into His peace, and once you are in His order, you can receive His grace. 

Another thing to remember is that grace isn't something that you can earn, and remember, it is what God is doing for you, which you cannot do for yourself.

Prayer

Lord helps us to understand the fullness we can receive one grace after another and spiritual blessings upon spiritual blessing and favour upon favour with gifts heaped up. Teach us how to live in peace and receive Your Grace in Jesus's Name. Amen!

A sound mind.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 

May 3

A sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind."

  Look at the most successful people around you; what do you see? Are these people negative and worrisome? No, they are decisive; they think and are always looking at how they can better themselves.

There is no "fearful spirit" in a successful person, and they can make a decision and stick to it. They have the power to do the jobs and make the decision. They usually care also about other people (love). Thinking is part of their modus operandi, and they have a sound mind. Always learning ~ makes time to be in the presence of God.

They rise early and spend personal time in God's presence. They stay focused. According to Proverbs 21, verses 5 ", I think about sticking with things because the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty, but everyone impatient and hasty hastens only to want."

Prayer

Lord, as I start my day, I want to pray that you will help me to begin changing my mind. May I ask You to help me block out fear, teach me to love, and give me the power to do my work? Lord, give me a sound mind, in Jesus's Name, Amen!

Your love ~ supported me.

by Yvette van Niekerk

 May 2

Your love ~ supported me.

Psalm 94: 18 (NIV)

18 "When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me."

  We sometimes face difficult times and don't always make the right decisions. I would think that is when "my foot is slipping." It is essential to start each day right, take the Word (Bible) and read your daily passage, pray, and spend some quiet time in the presence of the Lord.

This Word, the Bible, isn't an ordinary book. These words are like medicine to your soul. As we keep reading our Bibles, it has the power to change our lives, and it is a life-giving Word. Only through praying and studying the Word can we build our relationship with the Lord. That is, "O Lord, supported me." Today may you know without a doubt that the Lord, our God is with you and that He loves you and because of His love He will support you even when your foot is slipping?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for this Word, that I can draw the necessary wisdom and understanding that because of Your love, You support me, even when I am slipping. Bring me back into the fold, in Jesus's name. Amen!