The Great Escape

by Yvette van Niekerk 1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” We all encounter various forms of temptation in our lives. The crucial question is how we can overcome or resist these temptations. I have a weakness for chocolates; it’s a constant temptation that I find hard to resist. Whenever I have extra cash, I invariably end up buying a chocolate bar, unable to simply walk past it. Similarly, in our spiritual journey, we often face numerous temptations that can divert us from our path of growth. When we start making progress in the right direction, it seems as if the devil is quick to devise distractions, attempting to shift our focus away from what truly matters. We get sidetracked, following an entirely different route. When you realize you’re heading down the wrong path, it’s essential to stop and take a moment to reflect. Consider your actions and take the necessary steps to correct them. But how do you do this? When I say “stop,” I mean you should pause before you act. It’s vital to pray about your impending actions and temporarily remove yourself from the situation. I believe that the Holy Spirit can guide and instruct us when we make a wrong turn. All it requires is for us to find some quiet time to listen for guidance and advice. In those moments of stillness, we can gain valuable insights that help us navigate through the temptations that threaten our spiritual growth. “The Great Escape” is a concept that reminds us that all difficult situations, including moments of temptation, are temporary and can be overcome. Temptation is like a mental trap, but we have the power to break free from it. To do this, we should focus on what truly matters in our lives and trust that a higher power, like God, can help us overcome challenges. In times of temptation, even seemingly harmless ones, we can pray for guidance, wisdom, understanding, and the strength to make the right choices. We don’t want to be misled by negative influences, so we ask for protection in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ. Prayer Dear LORD Jesus, as I embark on this new day, I humbly seek your guidance and strength to triumph over any temptation that may cross my path. Grant me the resilience to surmount these challenges, and may your Word, the Bible, remain my unwavering focus. Holy Spirit, I implore you to lead my every step along this journey. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen https://www.makemoneywitha.online/

Forgive others

Forgive others Matthew 6: 14 – 15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Have you ever suffered from pain caused by a misunderstanding? I am writing this message out of much affliction and anguish in my heart and with so many tears. For months I have been thinking of what I have done and why things are going the way they are. I have been drawing near to the Lord, yet my life is in such a mess at the moment. It is clear I have hurt so many people in my life, it is so astounding. I have lost my taste of living. I decide to take time out and speak to God about what I am facing. I ask the Lord, please reveal to me the one word I need to focus on for the rest of the year. I could not believe what I saw “Forgiveness”. I thought what a word, I forgive – sort of. Or let me say I try and forgive. Forgiveness: "stop to feel resentment against (an offender): pardon. Looking at my Bible verse God expects me to forgive my offender in return God can forgive me. I am honest in telling you I don’t understand the power of forgiveness. I am going through a process at the moment. I have written down peoples names that I need to forgive. I am working through my list and I am taking this list to the Lord, my God. I have heard that there are health benefits from forgiveness, I will lower my blood pressure and my immune system will be boosted. I have been suffering from depression and this has made me sleep less. I am hoping to stop being so hostile and move on with my life. Prayer Abba, Father, I know that You teach in Your Word that we need to forgive so that You are able to forgive me. Please will You reveal to me the people I need to forgive. Lord, I need help with my process. Help me understand and accept that forgiving others is to my advantage. Lord, if there are people I resent, or feel angry towards, help me deal with this anger and resentment. I forgive them and I am asking help me to forgive myself. It is my hearts desire to live in good standing with other people in my life. Help me check my heart towards others. Thank you Lord, for this opportunity, I am asking for forgiveness and I am forgiving other. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Confession and repentance

By Yvette van Niekerk Ezekiel 20: 43 You shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. It amazes me that when I do not confess my sins and repent of what I have done that is so offense to myself I seem to loath myself. The self-loathing of unconfessed and unrepented sin drives me to tears and my own image becomes distrauted and I seem to believe I am not worthy. Feelings of guilt and failure seem to drive me crazy, I wake up in the morning thinking of the Lord, in within minutes I am reminded of something I said or done. I completely stop my prayers and focus on the wrongs I have committed. This has been a pattern in my life for so long it is so scary. My prayer lately is Lord please reveal to me what I need to confess and repent off. I realise that when I want to keep on to a grudge or a hurt, it weights me down and I seem to fall into despair and my heart is heavy and I feel useless. When I start meditating on God’s Word, praying and thinking about the situation that makes me miserable I confess my part in the problem, I ask God to forgive me and I repent of the thoughts that plague me. I know God’s word say that God knows the secrets of our heart Psalm 44 verse 21. I want the Lord Jesus to break every stronghold in my life. Ezekiel 18 verse 31 says Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die? Lord Jesus, I speak Your Name into my own life, I confess that I am a sinful person, I sin and try and get away with it. Today I am asking You Lord Jesus forgive me. I repent of my negative actions. Forgive me. It is my heart’s desire to be quick to confess my sins and repent. It is my desire to live a life in truth and to serve You Lord. Prayer Lord God, You have never failed me yet, I am calling out to You Lord, help me today. I am still in Your hands today, You have never failed me yet. Lord, as I seek and draw near to You, help me today. Your Word will come to pass; my heart will sing your praise again. Jesus You are still enough, keep me within Your love. My heart will sing your praise again. Your promises still stands, Lord great is Your faithfulness, You never fail me. I love You Lord Jesus, thank You for being faithful even when I fail to be faithful. Thank You Lord, Jesus. Amen

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

Dream

Dreams by Yvette van Niekerk Matthew 4: 4 But He answered and said: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of GOD.” This morning I a woke up from a funny dream. “In my dream, I was standing in my Kitchen, but it was a little strange this morning. I wanted to boil water for a cup of coffee. The kettle was placed on a high shelf. I moved the plug of the kettle to plug it into the wall socket. Before I could put it into the wall socket, I had to move green fern. I placed the fern on the floor and, it towered above the counter onto the countertop. I finally managed to switch on the kettle. As I did, the kettle turned into a blender making a blending noise. I walked out of my kitchen and into the garden. In my garden, I saw three people, man, and two little girls. They were playing and throwing something at each other. I was curious and asked them what are you doing? The man said: “We are throwing ‘coal balls’ to each other which we eat.” Wow, I answered, what on earth is a ‘coal ball’? They threw a couple at me and I proceeded to eat one. It was a grape that covered a piece of bread. It was different and, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I kept on walking, and then I walked into a lady, looking at her I thought you look like my aunt. She was speaking to me but I cannot remember what she said.” So I tried to think what this meant? I told my daughter, and she shrugged and said I don’t now. Then I though about looking up some of the symbols that stood out for me. Anyway this is what I have found: Coal – this is considered good luck. The visitor carries a piece of coal, and sometimes other items such as bread, wisky, and money, to bring good luck. So thank you I will take the good luck, then. Bread and grapes: Bread in your dreams is associated with positive emotions and material gains. Thank you I will take that too. The grapes can be a sign of abundance, health, success and happiness. Well, I have decided this was a very good dream, I believe, and receive God’s blessing of abundance, health, wealth, success, and happiness. To top it off, I started a new Bible Devotional, and it was about the Bread of life. Again confirmation God is speaking to me. As I listened to my devotional, I came to realize that The Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of life, and the grapes or wine is a representation of Jesus Christ’s Blood. The communion. Hmm, this became very clear to me. I am not double-minded, and I believe, God is working a miracle in my life. I see and hear negative tongues against me but, I believe and receive God’s blessing in my life.

Thank You, Lord

Thank You, LORD. by Yvette van Niekerk

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5: 18 You Lord, Jesus have been faithful all the time, I am so grateful that I can come and say thank you. I worry about my mom, she is getting older and I know that she is ill. This morning I was speaking to the Lord, I was praying asking Him to heal her and help her. I know we cannot call on Jesus and he is able to help us. I prayed that the Lord will strengthen them today so that they were able to do their work. I asked the Lord to let them look after their bodies so that they may have a good night's rest. When they woke up that they both felt refreshed and rejuvenated and restored and, ready to face today. I also reminded the Lord Jesus, that both Mom and Oom Frik was ill, I asked that the Lord will sustain them and heal them. To fill them with the joy of the Lord to give them strength. I prayed for Mommy’s lungs. I ask the Lord to give both Mom, and oom Frik the faith to say “O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.” Psalm 30: 2 Lord thank You, that You are my healer and the healer for both Mom, and oom Frik. I pray Mom, and oom Frik will live long and healthy lives. God thank you for hearing my prayer, I am happy to hear my mom is in good spirits. You are so good to me, I am so grateful. You are my king, my savior, Lord You are my provider, my power, and my king. Amen

Holy Spirit

Good morning, today I want to talk about ‘how can I activate the powerhouse of God, within me?’ So what do I mean? Well, how can I cooperate with the Holy Spirit and become a Samson or even an Elijah? I know wishful thinking. The truth is I have been focusing on my problem and not on God's Word.

Samson Samson today would be the guy going to the gym, eating healthily every day and part of his day meditating on God's Word. Judges 15: 14 – 16 “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand took it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said: with the jawbone of a donkey I have piled them in heaps. With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.” Samson was an ordinary guy the extraordinary was the powerhouse of God within him. The Holy Spirit came powerfully on him. Without the Holy Spirit, Samson cannot do the things he did. Elijah Elijah was an ordinary guy too. He was afraid of the threats of a woman and he run away to hide from her. Hiding in the wilderness Elijah asked God to kill him so he didn’t have to face her. But Elijah became powerful once the Holy Spirit came upon him. I love the piece where Elijah calls fire from heaven killing 450 Baal prophets and outran the king’s chariot. And he did it all in one day see: 1 Kings 18 and 19. I want the Holy Spirit to also move in me. I do believe that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and he doesn’t act on impulse. He assesses the situation with wisdom and understanding to the extent I do not even think I can imagine. My questions: Why have you not worked in my life Holy Spirit? What do I need to do to have You act with me? I know You are living here right inside of me. What must I do to activate You? I am learning to speak God’s Word each day. Do I need to repent of my sins? Would You please show me so that I can repent and be acceptable to you? Prayer LORD thank you for your Word. Today I am opening a door so that the Holy Spirit may come in and help me. I am learning the Word and I want to develop an awareness of the Holy Spirit within me. Today I speak the Word and ask that the Holy Spirit be my powerhouse and activate the Word on my behalf. ‘I serve the LORD, my GOD, and he blesses my bread and my water and he takes sickness away from my midst. (Exodus 23: 25) LORD, I have received the Holy Spirit; so I have received power!’ Acts 1: 8. In the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Blessing for Grandchildren

18 December 2022 Salvation LORD, today I want to pray for the salvation of Gizel, Anabelle, Briana, Cuba and Devan. LORD, I want to ask you to guide them as they make choices that have eternal consequences. LORD, let them claim the Lord Jesus Christ as their saviour. Help them walk with you during their lives. Let them come to love and know you more. May they develop a relationship with you, and please straighten the path ahead of them. Let there be moments in their lives that they can pinpoint and say: “the Lord help me here.” In the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Prayer for my grandchildren - Respect for Authority

December 17, 2022 Respect for Authority Good morning, today I want to dedicate my grandchildren to God’s hand. Lord, today I want to pray that Gizel, Anabelle, Briana, Cuba and Devan have respect for authority. Lord instil a high regard for our government and law enforcers. May they also enjoy a great relationship with their parents, teachers and coaches? When they start work, may they have a good relationship with their bosses and managers? In Jesus's name, amen.

Grandchildren prayers - Friends

16 December 2022 Good morning, let's pray for our grandchildren. Today I want to pray for the friends they make. Loving heavenly Father, I want to pray for Gizel, Anabelle, Briana, Cuba and Devan. Lord, I pray for friends who will love and encourage my grandchildren. May they enjoy the good times and bring laughter to my grandchildren. And in any division Lord, I pray You will drive out the wedge of division and bring healing. Lord give them wisdom, understanding and discernment. If there are cliques make them aware of it and keep them from dangerous or foolish behaviour. So they may avoid any harm to themselves or their friends. Fill each child’s life today with close and caring relationships. In Jesus Christ's name amen.

The Perfect Marriage Partner

Good morning, today I want to think about my children and also my family's children. Finding the perfect marriage partner is key to a happy and healthy marriage. I know from experience life is hard at times and when there is no trust the marriage fails. I have been thinking about this for some time, it’s important to pray for our adult children. Let them find the perfect marriage partner. I know my youngest son has a specific wife in mind. He has placed the bar high, and the woman he wants to marry needs to fit into this category. My nephew asked me to pray for a good, loving wife. He wants someone who will appreciate and love him for who he is. I declare and pray for love, understanding, peace and kindness in my niece's marriage. The necessary trust, devotion and understanding for each other. Then my two stepchildren need to find marriage partners. I know my stepson wants someone who will understand and love him. My stepdaughter, if she wants to marry let it be, if she wants to remain single then give her peace of mind. I pray for love, understanding, respect and trust for my eldest son's relationship. They got engaged and are planning on getting married. I wish them all prosperity and plenty in their future. All the happiness and good things life has to offer. Blessings to their beautiful young children. Safety and protection each day. I pray for my daughter's marriage, let them be safe and happy, and enjoy the trust and respect for each other. Blessings to them and their two beautiful daughters. Let there be love, understanding, respect and trust for each other. I don’t know if I missed anything specific, my brother’s children are both in relationships too. I pray for their relationships as well as their grandchildren. That they too may enjoy, peace of mind, love each other, respect each other and trust each other. But the key to all these relationships is Jesus Christ. I pray Jesus over every one of them. Prayer Heavenly Father, today I dedicate my children, my grandchildren and my stepchildren. My sister's children and my brother's children and grandchildren. Lord, unless you plan that they remain single, You will send them a perfect marriage partner. Lord, send each unmarried young adult their perfect marriage partner. Give them the understanding and wisdom to know they are the right person for each of them. Lord, guide these young people in being submissive enough to hear Your voice when it comes time to get married. Lord, let them trust You with their decision and lean not on their understanding. Lord, let them acknowledge you in all their ways and listen to Your direction. Prepare their perfect marriage partners in advance for each person. Lord, let them be aware of You and let them trust in You when deciding to get married. Lord, help them to understand they need Your blessing in their marriage to make it work. Let the person they choose be a devoted servant of You, someone who loves You and lives Your way. Lord, I pray that there be no divorce in their future. I pray for the deliverance of divorce. Lord, also let there be no mental illness or emotional or physical abuse for any of these young adults. Let each one enjoy a life filled with close friendships with their partners. May they enjoy loyalty, and compassion, be considerate and sensitive, respectful, affectionate, forgiving, and supportive. Let them be caring and loving towards each other all the days of their lives. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen