#Friendship

Jeremiah 38: 22 NIV “All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon.  Those women will say to you: “They misled you and overcame you – those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you.” 

My dad always reminded me that “birds of a feather flock together.” You are known by your friends.  The question I want to pose is “do you have good friends?” To climb the corporate ladder it is import to rub shoulders with the right people. You need people who have influence and so you want to be in their company.  

The skills managers actually lack and need are to my thinking, understanding people, being kind and friendly.  The problem with having too many friends is that it takes time and effort from both sides to keep the relationship going.

I know you are known by the company you keep as well as the company you shun. That is according to Charles Spurgeon. 

I believe it is better to be alone than to keep bad company. Life is too short to be in bad relationships.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us discern and take a good look at the company we keep. Also help us to be kind and friendly and helpful in all circumstances. We never know whether we are dealing with Angels you sent down to come and see us at work with Your people.

Blessed and Holy are You LORD God Almighty, thank you for today and the friends we do have in the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

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#Are_you_able_to_listen?

Ezekiel 40: 4 “The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought her.  Tell the people of Israel everything you see.” 

Do you sometimes dream of hearing God speak to you in an audible word? As you sit somewhere praying and hear God say “My Son, Daughter I am here.  Speak to me.” I do and I have heard God speak to me in a still voice. The problem is we don’t always listen carefully and we don’t always pay attention to that still voice we hear.

Yes I have heard the still voice speak to me on a number of occasions and regretfully the last time I heard God speak to me I didn’t listen carefully nor did I pay close attention to what God was saying.

In the mean time I am learning to listen more carefully and pay attention to everything I notice. I have decided that I don’t want to miss out on what God has in store for me this time. 

I didn’t listen without interrupting God and my life took a whole new turn. Thank goodness God is merciful and gives me the opportunity to rectify things.  His grace surpasses my expectations every time.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Lord I didn’t listen closely and I didn’t pay close attention when You were speaking to me.  In humbleness Lord I am asking You please Lord forgive me. I jumped to my own conclusions and did exactly what I wanted to. You know what I am referring to and I cannot change a thing but in humble prayer I am asking that You help me to listen careful and to pay close attention. You know that I am still regretting my actions and I am looking for guidance and asking You please show me the way forward. I declare the blood of Jesus Christ over my own life and the lives of each person reading this message. Please forgive me Lord in Jesus Christs Name. Amen

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“You” are always on “His” mind!

Psalm 139: 17-18 NLT “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

“You” and “I” are always on GOD’s mind. He is looking out for each one of us each and every day. I am so taken with the thought that GOD has me on “HIS” mind.

Thinking about this scripture I can see God has precious thoughts about me. I cannot even number these thoughts. There is no way I can place a number to the thoughts God has over me. I am reminded that God thoughts outnumber the grains of sand!

When I think about it even when I am a sleep God is there with me and when I wake up God is there with me. Awesome and Wonderful is our God.

If you are feeling a little blue or under the weather, stop and take a deep breath.  Look around you, see how beautiful our world is and remember God made everything we have through people and nature.

Prayer

Thank You Lord for today, thank You for Your loving kindness and thank You that I am able to come to You any time of the day or night. Thank You for the gifts You give me on a daily basis.  Thank You for being there for me in the mornings when I open my eyes to face a new day.  Thank You for Your protection and most of all thank You for looking for each person and every person on my prayer list.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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On Judgment day

1 Samuel 15: 24 KJV “And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”

A people pleaser, Saul admitted to Samuel he actually listened to the people. I also do that sometimes. I think it is because I want their approval or I want to please them, I may even be afraid of them and will obey just to keep the peace.

Picture this, I work in an office and we are audited every year. The Auditors will come to the office and ask to see a number of files.  The will go through the files and make copies of all the documents and then they will leave.  They do not say a word.  We wait to hear the outcome of the findings.  A meeting is called and we are asked to attend the meeting. The Auditors will bring their findings and tell us about the mistakes they have found. They will highlight problems they have identified and then they will give their thoughts and findings.

Good Audits are what we want and we don’t want to have to hear about mistakes and problems.  We worked hard to avoid these kinds of findings.  But human error does occur and we make mistakes.

I say God is going to call out your name, ask the angels to bring all your files and place them on the table.  God will go through your file and look at what you did, what you said and how you reacted and treated people. I believe that God will be doing an audit on each of our lives. Then God will give His finding and a judgment will be made.

None of us can escape death; we cannot get away from this appointment.  Reading Hebrews 9 verse 27 KJV “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

On judgment day will you be found worthy to enter into heaven and enjoy a full and eternal life?

Prayer

O LORD, we are people please at the best of times. We try to get the approval of man and we want to impress people we don’t even know. Why we act like that I believe is because we have forgotten who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our identity is blurred and we struggle to maintain our true identity in Jesus Christ. We humble ourselves before You, LORD, forgive us if we have offended You. Forgive us if we haven’t obeyed You. In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

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Gospel Encore Yvette Van Niekerk

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“I love it when a plan comes together.” (A Team)

Hebrews 10: 36 ESV “for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

When I was a young girl I used to love watching the A-Team on television, they were the best to my mind.  Hannibal was awesome and he always had a plan.

Reflecting on my past, I have come to realize that it was under those challenging and difficult times that my fortitude became a part of the fiber in my own being. Every ounce of energy I invested in pursuing my goals helped me grow closer to God. I never counted on ending up in "Witbank" - South Africa but here I am today.  I am writing my blog and daily devotional each and every day something I wished I could do when I was younger but never tried.

I have failed so many times and the difference in my life is that whenever I fell; I picked myself up and tried again.  I still am working hard and I promised myself that I would never quit.  Scripture reminds me that in Hebrews 10 verse 36 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He promised.”

My daughter reminded me that scripture says that “I was uniquely created for a purpose.” I am still not sure what my purpose in life is but I am confident that God will reveal it to me at the right time.

Each day I am working on my own attitude so that I am not my own worst enemy.  I believe God has a great plan for my life and I am holding fast to His word so that I will succeed in the end. I do fall prey to the devil every once in a while but I am reminded that Jeremiah 29 verse 11 says “For I know the plans I have for you (Yvette),” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I am perusing my dreams and I am hopeful the Lord will open the right door at the right time. Yes, I do lose heart and I sometimes forget that Isaiah 40 verse 32 says “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I believe I am motivated by the fact that God is watching over me and I think of last week when I felt that I had not strength to face a difficult.  God reminded me that “I will strengthen you and help you.” You cannot believe how these few words encouraged me and helped me face my problem.

Prayer

O Father God, I am asking You today help me live my fullest life starting today. I want to experience the joy and I want to mean to fill my days. O how I wish my writing could impact the world and bring meaning to the world around me. My dreams are clear and I know that You will open the doors at the right time. Thank You, Abba Father, in Jesus Christ Name. Amen

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