Selfish People

"Providence is the care

God takes of

all existing things. 

John of Damascus

With this Lock-down in South Africa, I am not sure how I feel about people stealing from the poor. I saw a notice on Facebook that showing one person in a position of authority makes decisions for the underprivileged. Race discrimination is enormous and shameful.  But then I realized that this person does not believe in God or Jesus Christ. This person is probably corrupt and is self-centered.

Psalm 145: 16 AMP

 "You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."

The Lord Jesus said that God takes care of the birds in the sky and the flowers in the fields, He also takes care of us. Then why are there so many people struggling? I think that it is because there aren't people in authority that genuinely serves the Living God. They do not seek God's righteousness or His kingdom.

I believe God is supplying me according to my needs. I can be sure He cares for me. We need to pray that our country, especially people who are in authority, commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6 verses, 33 "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Prayer

Heaven Father, today I want to pray for our country and the people who are in authority. I want to pray that You will speak into their hearts through the Holy Spirit, turn them from their selfish ways, and let them seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness so that Your Will be done here in our land. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

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Father's pray this for your children.

Judges 13: 8 TLB "Then Manoah prayed, 'O Lord, please let the man from God come back to us again and give us more instructions about the child you are going to give us."

I read this prayer was written by General Douglas MacArthur, a World War II hero. "Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know You ... Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenges. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the lessons of the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the humility of true strength. Then, as his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."

What a beautiful prayer to pray for our children, I pray the Lord will keep our children in Jesus name. Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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Eight the Biblical number of New Beginnings

Matthew 16: 21 AMP

Jesus Foretells His Death

"From that time on Jesus began to show His disciples [clearly] that He must go to Jerusalem, and endure many things at the hands of the elders and the chief priests and scribes (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), and be killed, and be raised [from death to life] on the third day."

Did you read it too? Yes, the Lord Jesus told His disciples that He was going to die, and then on the third day, come back to life again. Impressive, don't you think so. So what makes the resurrection so significant to the other seven people who came back from the dead?

There are two reasons the Lord Jesus's resurrection wasn't like the other:

Look at what King David prophesied in Psalms 16 verse 10, AMP "For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay." The Lord Jesus's resurrection was the only one predicted a long time ago. And then we see the second prophecies from Isaiah 53 verses, 10 "Lest the Lord was will to crush Him, cause Him to suffer; If He would give Himself as a guilt offering [an atonement for sin], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, And the will (good pleasure) of the Lord shall succeed and prosper in His hand." 

On reading Matthew 16, verses 21, did I see the Lord Jesus predicting His death and His resurrection? Jesus raised Himself from the dead! Look at John 10 verses, 18 "No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay I down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have the power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father."

So His enemies could not eradicate the Lord Jesus or His mission. He gave Himself voluntarily and took it back with authority. No one in Rome or the Jewish prosecutors could eliminate the Lord or nullify His cause. The Lord Jesus was always in control, and no one could take that away from Him. 

Prayer Father God, humbly I want to say thank You that the Lord Jesus died on a cross for my sin. Thank You that You Lord Jesus are at the helm of all things in life, You are alive forever. Amen

Thought for today: Frank Outlaw wrote these principles, and I find them to be very real:  

Watch your thoughts, and they become words.

Watch your words, and they become actions.

Watch your actions, and they become habits.

Watch your habits, and they become character.

Watch your character, and it becomes your destiny.

Yvette van Niekerk

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Day 23 ~Lock-down ~ should parishioners of the Church still tithe?

So if money is our source of life, then we need our homes, clothes, food, electricity, and cars. No one appreciates someone who spends foolishly and is selfish, not to mention careless with their cash. I know at the end of the day, I want to see the fruits of my labor.

Proverbs 12: 11, "He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment."

If you are fortunate to earn a good salary, I think you can put bread on your table.  

Even in our Lock-down, I believe we still should be giving to God. I feel giving to God is one of the greatest keys. My finances are in His hand. I believe in the Word of God and Malachi 3: 10 - 11 AMP "Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. Then I will rebuke the devourer (insects, plague) for your sake and he will not destroy the fruits of the ground, nor will your vine in the field drop its grapes [before harvest]," says the Lord of hosts."

God will bless the work you are doing when you give to God, and the enemy will not steal from you. God will protect you.

I want to encourage you to bring your tithes to the house of the LORD. He will bless you in these difficult times. 

Prayer

LORD God, if we are struggling with finances, please show us how to resolve our problems. Show me if I am giving towards the building of Your Church and Your kingdom in a way You want me to do. In Jesus name, Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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Today, let's encourage one another.

During this lockdown, we all are living with challenges and struggles. I find it hard to keep a positive attitude with everything that is going on around me. I want to speak life and godly wisdom into people's lives, circumstances, and trails. Hebrews 3: 13 says we need to encourage people in our lives. Be an encourager for today and Proverbs 27 verses, 17 say: "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." We need to communicate with each other and pray with each other. I want to ask God to help me be an encourager to people, and I also need God to help me not to fall today and lose my reflexes. I am in this for the long run with Christ. Let's focus our energy on Hebrews 10 verses, 22 - 25 MSG "So let's do it - full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."

Here's a thought, I think Dale Carnegie said it ideally "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

Prayer

Lord today, we have the opportunity of picking up the phone and calling a friend or a loved one and finding out how they are—encouraging them, praying for them, and just listening to them. I want to pray for wisdom, insight, and understanding when speaking to my loved ones—an ear to hear and a heart full of compassion. Lord, help me to be there for them. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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Day 21 ~ Forgiveness

Matthew 18: 21 - 22 AMP

Forgiveness

 "Then Peter came to Him and asked, "Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?  Jesus answered him, "I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven."

I realized that I have been struggling with an unforgiving heart or spirit. On Sunday, I was listening to my Pastor preach, and something he said reminded me of my ex-husband. What he did to me and then I was in a state. I thought I had forgiven this man for all the things he has done to me. I didn't, and I also realize that to forgive someone, it has to be a conscious decision on your side. I thought I let it go, but I didn't.

It took me a couple of days of saying it to myself that I have forgiven that man.  You won't believe me, but before I said that, I was so heartbroken.

I know when reading the Bible that we are required to forgive someone for their offenses. I know I had to decide yes or no.

So when I think of Jesus and His disciples, it's something I need to forgive 490 times a day! I can't believe its possible, but that is a considerable amount of forgiving.

I have made a decision today actual right now, and I will live in forgiveness. It's not that easy, so many things upset me all the time. So I need to learn forgiveness, and it must be a constant thing in my own life.

I know Jesus taught us to pray the Our Father, and on a further study, it struck me that we are asking Father God to forgive us as we forgive others. If I am not going to forgive people who hurt me, then why would God the Father forgive me?

I want to move on in my life, and I need to stay focused, I will not let unforgiveness break my relationship with God the Father.

Prayer

Father God, I want to remind You of Your Word in my life today. I have decided to follow Jesus, and I also have decided to let go of offenses and unforgiveness in my own life today.  I trust that You God have mercy on me today. I believe that surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Lord, I am reminding You on "As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is Your mercy towards those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." I declare this word into my own life right now, and I trust in You Abba Father, I draw a hedge of Jesus Christ's blood around my family and me. Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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You’re not going to work anytime soon!

Jeremiah 29: 7 AMP

“Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace.”

Right now, the lock-down isn’t a place where I want to be. I feel restricted and shut-in. I never thought there would be a day in my life that I had to stay home. I am at home anyway, but even still, this isn’t the ideal. Now, I have come to realize God has a word for me: “You are not going anywhere soon, so change your attitude and make the best of it.” Seriously, that isn’t what I actually wanted to hear. 

What are we going to do? There is an answer to that question too, I need to pray for peace and prosperity, and that is for myself, my family, and my friends.

And then to top it all off, I can hear my daughter saying: “Mommy, you are where God wants you to be.” So instead of sitting around hoping my circumstances are going to change, I might as well start doing stuff.  

So what now, I will be happy and content in whatever situation I find myself. I won’t sit around moping all day long; I can contribute to this life. My circumstance doesn’t rule my life, and I place that in God’s hands.

Prayer 

Lord, thank you for today, thank You for the time I have at home. Help me to stay focused on Your Word, teach me to be kind, understanding, and forgiving. Help me to consider people in my life and treat them with the loving-kindness You treat me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

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Day 22 – Lockdown ~ Children need these things:

Genesis 48: 9 AMP

"Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here [in Egypt]." So he said, "Please bring them to me so that I may bless them."

Teach your children.

We rely on the government and schools and Sunday schools to teach our children. As parents, we need to instill character and conviction. "Only be careful, and watch yourself closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and their children after them." Deuteronomy 4: 9 I am sure that the Lord is going to hold me responsible.

Discipline.

When it comes to training, I believe it is vital because the children are learning boundaries. When I say no, then they know it's not going to happen. I think this helps them in their lives to say no, to others. Proverbs 19 verses 18, "Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death."

Blessings.

It's not something we usually do, but it is important to bless our children. I wish I knew this when I was a young mother. I would bless my children every day and ask the LORD to bless them too. I think if Joseph blessed Jacobs's children, then we should do the same. I want my children to have peace in their lives, prosperity, and long lives. The devil will do whatever it takes to stop us from blessing our children. Let us bless our children today.

Example:

We need to set an example to our children, they are watching us. Let do the best we can so they may learn from us. I know I'm not perfect, but I can do my best and pray the Lord will guide my children going forward.

Prayer

Lord, I want to commit my children, stepchildren, and grandchildren into Your hands today. I realize they are all adults and living their own lives right now. I want to pray for wisdom, insight, and understanding. Lord, I want to pray that You will bless each one of them in whatever they decide to do. Give them open doors for excellent and prosperous opportunities. Let Your face shine on each one of them and let no harm come to them. I draw a hedge of the blood of Jesus Christ around each one. In Jesus name, amen

Yvette van Niekerk

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