I am giving thanks.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 12 I am giving thanks. 1 Chronicle 16:34 (ESV) 34 "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" Each day I am learning how to use the Word of God in praising His name. What makes me grateful? I am happy and thankful for the time I spend in God's presence each day. God knows my every footstep and is directing me. I am grateful that I am learning each day. The Bible shall not depart from my mouth, and I am meditating on it day and night, I am observing it all the time. I am pursuing a life of holiness and purity to draw near to the Lord. I want to know the Ten Commandments and live accordingly. I want to praise God and be free of stress and anxiety. I know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity in spending time with You. Thank You, Lord, Your mercies are new every day. Prayer Father God, thank You, for Your Son Jesus Christ, who paid the price for my sins. Thank You, Lord, Your lovingkindness and salvation are available to me today. Thank You for my salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. You, Lord Jesus, save me. Amen

Heart in the right place.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 11 Heart in the right place. Jeremiah 38:12-13 (ISV) 12 "Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian told Jeremiah, "Put the worn-out rags and clothes under your armpits under the ropes," and Jeremiah did as he said. 13 They pulled Jeremiah with the ropes and brought him up from the cistern, but Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard." Jeremiah was standing in the mud and had to wait and see what was going to happen. He left the king's house and went to see the king who was sitting in the Benjamin Gate. Ebed-Melech approached the king saying, "My Lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city." The king instructs Ebed-Melech to take thirty men and free Jeremiah from the cistern. Before Ebed-Melech went to rescue Jeremiah, he first went home to collect worn-out rags and clothes. On reaching Jeremiah, he said to Jeremiah "Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes." After which they lifted Jeremiah out of the pit. Prayer Lord help me to act in an unselfish way towards people in need, not being concerned with my comfort or station in life at the time. Let my heart be in the right place and help unconditionally as You do for us each day. In Jesus Name, Amen

Fear the Lord.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 10 Fear the Lord. 1 Samuel 12:24 (ISV) 24 "Only, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Indeed, consider what great things he has done for you." Walking in obedience has to do with fearing the Lord. We need to keep His commandments and heeding God's specific instructions. When we do what God asks, we are building our houses on a rock. When the rains, floods and wind come up against our house, the foundation holds it in place. Folks who serve the Lord will always honour Him. The fear we are speaking about is respect, worshipping God. Not being afraid and hiding from our God. We revere God as the Almighty God, King of kings, Lord of lords and the one who is our salvation. Obedience is necessary when God calls us to do something. Without faith, it will not be possible to fear God. We wouldn't care what He said or did. Our saving grace is the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of God. Prayer Father God, we know that not everyone who says to You "Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of You in heaven. Please help me in turning my ear to hear the law and grow spiritually. In Jesus Name, Amen

The Lord shut the door behind him.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 9 The Lord shut the door behind him. Genesis 7:16 (LEB) 16 "And those that came, male and female, of every living thing, came as God had commanded him. And Yahweh shut the door behind him." What an awesome God we serve Noah was instructed to build the ark. God sent all animals male and female going to Noah's ark. Picture this we are on earth right now because of Noah's faithfulness and obedience to God. God presented an opportunity to Noah. Saving his own family and all the animals we have on earth today. The same applies today in our lives. We are presented with new opportunities each day, and God gives us the right to choose what we want to do with them. We miss out on excellent opportunities. These opportunities slip through our fingers, and other times we seize the moment and take advantage of the possibilities. It's my wish to be aware of new opportunities each day; I want to be in the position to take advantage of what God has placed before me. I also want to know that it all is part of God's will for my own life. Prayer Lord, please help me to be aware of the opportunities. You present to us and help us to take each day as it comes. So that when Lord, You shut the door behind us, we will have made the right choices. In Jesus Name, Amen

Adds length to life.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 8 Adds length to life. Proverbs 3:1-2 (LEB) Wisdom and Piety 1 "My child, do not forget my instruction, and may your heart guard my commands. 2 For the length of days, years of life, and peace they shall add to you." As I meditate and focus on these words of wisdom and piety, I want to encourage you today. The Lord God reminds us to keep His instructions, and we must guard His commands with our hearts. It will increase our day and add years to our life with peace in our lives. Each person is ageing day by day, and we cannot stop the process, but once you have become a Christian and have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into your life, you will become younger through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit renews each of us. I want to praise God and thank Him for the knowledge and the renewing of my mind. I know that I am nothing without God. I remind you and myself; "If God is all I have, I have all I need." John 14, verse 8. Prayer Abba Father. I love You. Lord God with all my heart, body and soul. Lord as I take this word to heart today I pray that Holy Spirit; will help me. Focused on Your instructions and to guard your commands with my heart, in the name of Jesus. Amen

Jesus is the light of the world.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 6 Jesus is the light of the world. John 8:12 (NET Bible) 12 "Then Jesus spoke out again, "I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus Christ is telling us that He is "the light of the world." Let us use an illustration with the moon, for instance. On a really dark night, a full moon lights up the entire place. You can walk around and think it's daylight but in actual fact it's evening. The Lord lights up the world for me in the same way. People who really have a living relationship with the Lord Jesus know this light. Folks who are in a relationship with Jesus are focused. They have renewed their minds, and because of the renewing of their minds, it seems their brains rewired. Become Intune with the Lord Jesus. As you set your account on the day ahead of you I want to encourage you to become Intune with the Lord Jesus, make Him the light of your world. Let the Holy Spirit rewire your mind to the Lord Jesus. Prayer Heavenly Father, today I want to pray to rewire my thinking, help me stay focused on the Light of the World, the Lord Jesus Christ. Touch my heart, body, and soul and renew my way of thinking in Jesus Holy Name. Amen

"In the morning, ..."

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 5 "In the morning, …" Psalm 5: 3 (NIV) 3 "In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly." Good morning, Lord, is an excellent way to start the day. It sets the tone for the rest of the day, and you don't have time to complain and start murmuring, no. It's a good morning. You said it. King David was a man after God's own heart, and he knew to greet the Lord first thing and then he could speak to God and get his day right. Be encouraged today and start your day right with an open heart and mind. You can talk to God, asking Him to hear your voice early in the morning. When speaking to God about all you have on your account and knowing that you can trust Him. As you wait, expecting good things to come your way, don't forget to thank you. Prayer Good morning Lord God, thank You for today, thank You that I can come to You first thing in the morning, speaking of the day ahead of me know You will keep watch over me and I will have a prosperous day. In the name of Jesus, Amen

Where do you hide?

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 4 Where do you hide? Psalm 32: 7 (KJV) 7 "You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance." Child of God let me encourage and remind you today that you are not alone; you have someone that cares deeply for you. You can hide in the safety of the Lord our God. The Lord God is our hiding place, and He preserves us from trouble. Come today and hide behind the Lord your God, don't allow your problems to overwhelm you. As you sit and meditate on these words be encouraged and know that the Lord is your hiding place. You are safe and your troubles will be dealt with. I want to help you to sing your song of deliverance today; you don't have to fear the Lord God is with you. Let us allow the Lord God to put a song of salvation in our hearts. Prayer Heavenly Father thank You for this word, You Lord God are our hiding place, we will be safe with You today because you will preserve us from our troubles and we believe that You will surround us with songs of deliverance. We praise You in Jesus name, Amen

Memorize God's Word.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 3 Memorize God's Word. Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 (ESV) 6 "These words that I command you today shall be in your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Today's devotion is to teach our children the Word of God, diligently. When have you God's word engraved in your own heart, don't you think it would be easy to teach your children? Let us spend more time in God's word. We should memorize God's word each day and get it engraved in our hearts. I love God and it is so important to me to grow spiritually. I want to encourage you to take this command seriously and take God's word into your own heart. In doing this, you will be able to take the time and teach your children diligently. Have you watched other religions? They teach their children diligently and keep at it until they know their faith. Prayer Lord God in obedience we humbly come before you today, please create a hunger and thirst to study Your word. Lord help us to realize your command in our hearts and mind so that we can teach our children diligently. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen

They were praying behind closed doors.

by Yvette van Niekerk September 2

They were praying behind closed doors. Matthew 6:6 (AMP) 6 "But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you." Prayer is our communication tool when we want to speak to the Lord our God. We go into our private room, closing the door and then start praying. In private, we can speak our minds and hearts out before the Lord our Father. Is something heavy on your heart today? Why don't you take this time and go into your private room? Speak earnestly to the Father; bring before Him your problems. As Christians, we have an advocate waiting to stand in the gap for us. His name is the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you today. Pray for your relationships, finances, and illness to the Lord. Believe in your soul and heart that the Lord will answer your prayers. Prayer Father God, in faith we stand before You today, please help each of us face today, guide us and show us the way forward in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

God with you.

by Yvette van Niekerk

September 1 God with you. Exodus 33: 14 (NAS) 14 "And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." Did you see the promise this morning? God said, "My presence shall go with you." I do not think we understand the impact of these words in our own lives but let us focus and meditate on them today. God's presence with you today; it is incredible. God is personally accompanying you wherever you are going. Any storms in your life are not put aside, but now you can stop and ask, "Lord God, I have this problem, please can you help me?" Did you get that? God is with you right now, and you don't have to worry, God said He would give you rest. You can rest in the Lord God. May the storms in your life calm down and may the Lord God give you the necessary wisdom and insight to deal with them. As you take this promise with you today, meditate on it and see how God works wonders in your life today. Prayer O Lord, thank You for this promise. Thank You that Your presence is with me today, that I can find rest in You Lord. Bless each person reading this scripture today. Let Your Holy Spirit awaken their hearts to Your Word. In Jesus Name, Amen