Are you looking for the right stuff?

by Yvette van Niekerk

In Romans 14 verse 17 to 19 Good News Translation it says "For God's Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy Spirit gives. And when you serve Christ in this way, you please God and are approved by others. So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another." It's clear we are going to see the joy in the Holy Spirit, and our lives will be useful, and we will have peace in God's Kingdom. 

So isn't it profitable for us to seek God's Kingdom? What are you seeking in your life right now? If you aren't pursuing God's Kingdom, you will suffer a loss when it comes to His righteousness, peace and joy.

 I used to worry about all kinds of stuff, and I never had peace because I was continually looking for something more. The only thing I found was loneliness. If you become one with God, the real peace will follow you. 

I am still learning and focusing my time with God when I slip up on spending time in His presence, and I find that I am confused and restless and aimless. I feel alone and abandoned. So here's something to think about, what are you chasing? Where is your heart focused? 

I have realized that the things of this world are temporarily and it doesn't satisfy me or my needs. I have come to believe that only God and His peace, joy and righteousness fulfils my expectations, and I feel at rest in Him.  

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, please let the Holy Spirit fill my heart, soul and spirit today. I am seeking Your Kingdom and am searching for Your righteousness in my own life. Bless each person who reads this message. Holy Spirit comes into our lives. In the beautiful and holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 Yvette van Niekerk
Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon

God’s Orchid  Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer or Daily Devotional Ebenezer

 

Married? Cut each other some slack.

by Yvette van Niekerk

So none of us is perfect, and it's going to happen. One of us will disappoint each other. Life is like that, no way we can get around it. How do we deal with people who disappoint us? 

Galatians 6: 1 AMP Bear One Another's Burdens "Brothers if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping  a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well." 

I struggle with being kind, and my first reaction is being judgemental, I can't help myself. So from my point of view, I need to take 10 minutes to digest what happened. I'm not perfect and struggle with compassion in general.

 I know I'm supposed to be gentle and understanding, but my goodness it's a challenge. I also know what the Bible says around being gentle and acting with respect. My learning is in progress. I remember being harsh or rude doesn't make any progress; instead, it breaks every opportunity down.

 

So I've seen this "Right + Rude = Wrong" Remember this.

 

So even if I am right, I must be careful not to be rude, I tend to be abusive because I'm hurt. Can you believe it?

 So something to take to heart, Proverbs 15 verse 4 says, "Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." 

Well, marriages are complicated. We are both going through stuff, I pray that the Lord give all of us wisdom and understanding. But most of all compassion and a gentle heart. 

Prayer

Lord God, help me with my quick temper and harsh words, I know I jump to conclusions before I even hear what happened. Forgive me for being impatient and always wanting to be right. I am not perfect and I confess my quick temper and stubbornness. Please forgive me, in Jesus Christ name, Amen 

Yvette van Niekerk

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon
God’s Orchid  Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Are we facing a famine?

By Yvette van Niekerk

 

Amos 8: 11 AMP "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD God, "When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the Lord."

 

I wonder if we aren't facing a spiritual hunger, you know people do listen to the preachers on Facebook but are they listening to them? If you look at the scripture, it says that people are going to have a famine of "hearing the Words of the Lord," do you think this could refer to a spiritual famine? If we aren't hearing the Word of God, then our faith is going to die. Am I right?

 

I honestly have been going through some stuff, and I have been reading and doing my Bible study as regularly as possible, but there is a small problem, I seem to side-tracked all the time.

 

Do you think Satan is busy sabotaging my time with the Lord? I fear I am not drawing closer to God because of my lack of attention, and my life isn't bearing fruit. Satan is stealing the Word of God right from under my nose. 

 

I see in 1 Samuel 3 verses 1 (AMP) "Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord under the supervision of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread."

 

I don't know, but it seemed that the Lord wasn't speaking to His people in those days. But if that were the case, why did He talk to a child? I think the people didn't hear the Word of God. The scary part is people are in Lock-down and cannot attend church, yes we have pastors preaching on Facebook and another platform but are the people listening to the Word of God? I believe we are under a spiritual attack, and people don't even perceive it.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, thank You, for the pastors who are recording their sermons on Facebook, who take the time to put it out there. Lord, bless their sermons so we may grow spiritually. Lord, send Your Holy Spirit to touch each life who reads or searches for Your Words. Bless my words, Lord, help me live according to Your Will. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Yvette van Niekerk

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon
God’s Orchid  Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

 

Showing Confidence as a Granny

by Yvette van Niekerk

Joshua 1: 9 (GNT)

9 "Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the LORD your God, am with you wherever you go."

For many years I have allowed people to influence me, making me feel inadequate and not worthy. I didn't have confidence in my own life. I worried that I couldn't do much and felt very discouraged.

I divorced when I was in my late thirties and remarried in my late forties. My husband allowed me to expand my horizons, and I began to feel confident. I am learning new things and exploring new avenues.

I started focusing on my strengths, and I saw that when I baked a cake, I would rate myself as a 3 (under average), but as I progressed I realised, I am learning more about the art of baking I feel confident that I have now reached level 7 (better than average). I am aspiring to become a 10 (excellent) with baking cakes.

God created me to excel at what I do. I believe God wants to bless me, and I think he delights in my progress. I believe God is merciful, and if I can open myself up to God, I may receive His mercy and blessings. I think God sees my faith in the Lord Jesus and my hearts attitude.

I believe my confidence in God is the primary purpose of my life, and I want to please God. I have learned that I can only have faith in God alone, not in the world, not in other people or myself. I draw my strength and my purpose from the Lord Jesus according to Philippians 4 verse 13 APM "I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfil His purpose - I am self- sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]"

I want to encourage you today, be confident in the Lord Jesus Christ. You will learn and grow each day as you stay focused on Him. We are growing every day. Praise God.

Yvette van Niekerk

Follow me: Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon
God’s Orchid  Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Are you or your partner emotionally unhealthy?

by Yvette van Niekerk

80% of the married couple are separating or divorces because of emotional unhealth in their marriage. I think it's because we all have pasts and are both bringing some baggage into a new relationship.

Some sound advice found in the Bible that we may follow when seeking a life partner.
I must tell you that I agree with this one in Proverbs. I used to be married to a furious man. It turns out I have adopted his anger and can lash out in seconds. Of course, I am working on my attitude and my temper, but yes, I agree with this Proverbs.

Number One:  Don't marry someone who nurses an uncontrolled temper. Proverbs 22 verse 24 (NIV) says, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person; do not associate with one easily angered." I know I struggle with deep insecurities, and I suffer from low self-worth.

Number Two: Don't marry someone who is struggling with an addiction. Proverbs 23 verse 20 (TEV) says "Don't associate with people who drink too much wine or stuff themselves with food." You will see it mentions liquor or food, but I believe drugs and other substances are on the list too.

Number Three: You won't be happy if you marry someone bitter. They hide it well, but it comes to the surface now and then. Stop being resentful leave it behind and move on with your life. Reading Hebrews 12 verse 14 - 15 AMP "Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of God's grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it, many defiled."

Number Four: Steer clear of someone selfish. We see Proverbs 28 verse 25 TLB says "greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to prosperity." So greed is being selfish, which is a number one problem in many relationships because I'm more important than you.

Number Five: Greed is a problem and causes many fights: Probers 15 verse 27 TLB "Dishonest money brings grief to all the family, but hating bribes bring happiness." You will be stuck with someone who needs this and needs that, making debt and you will continuously be paying off something.

Number One person to get married to is "Kind and Generous person." Proverbs 11: 24 - 25 TLB says "It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself."

The best person to get married to should be someone who doesn't tell lies but tells you the truth. Proverbs 20 verse 7 TLB says "It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father."

I am mostly interested in people who tell me the truth. I feel very offended when people lie to me. I think they believe I am an idiot. It makes me angry, and I lose my faith in them there and then.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to give, and [gifts] are given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Lord I am asking that with the same standard I deal out [with the standard I use when I confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to me. Please search my heart, and create in my a clean heart and a pure spirit.  In Jesus Christ Name Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

Happy Mother’s Day!

by Yvette van Niekerk

Mommy, Odette and Didi and Carla and Dante and Zelda and all my friends, I want to wish you all a wonderfully blessed day, filled with love and laughter.

This year is the first time we could not celebrate Mother's Day together; it sure is terrible. It is difficult and hard not to get together and visit.

May you all have a lovely Blessed day, enjoying the people around with you.

Love you to the moon and back, may the Lord bless you, richly.

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

Lock-down causing Spiritual Decline?

by Yvette van Niekerk

We know that the Church is a living organism, not a building.

I believe for the Church to function correctly, it needs all the organism, we need to meet at least once or twice a week. We must stay connected, think of your own body, if you chop off your toe it will shrivel up and die. I believe we are all created for a specific reason, our roles may differ, but they are a necessary component of the body of Christ.

Romans 12 verse 4 to 5 says: "For just as we have many parts in one body, and not all parts have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and all are parts of one another."

If any organ removed off from the body, then it will certainly die.  It is not possible to live because the body sustains it.

There is no lifeblood flowing to it and keeping it alive. Do you know the first signs of spiritual death is inconsistent when you supposed to be diligently attending Church or other member meets? We aren't too concerned about attending meetings because something more important has just cropped up. The slide is slow, but it's a definite slide downwards. It is essential to love your spiritual family, support them where possible and attend the meetings.

I believe the devil is trying to break the bond between the family members. Thank the Lord Jesus for the Holy Spirit, who is continually reminding us to draw near to Jesus.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Lord, please help us during this lock-down, we deprived of fellowship with our members. We pray that during this dead season, You will send us the Holy Spirit, revealing to us the life we have in You. Come, Lord, we need You today. Nothing, we do is ever good enough the only way we will survive is through the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

Good stewardship requires thoughtful risk-taking.

by Yvette van Niekerk

When the Lord Jesus was teaching the disciples, He told them the parable of the talents.

I believe we too can take a valuable lesson away from this parable. Two guys invested their money and multiplied their investments the third guy hid the money. He didn't want to lose the money, and he wasn't thinking clearly. His prejudice towards the manager made him fearful. The master said to this guy 'you wicked and lazy servant, you ought to have deposited my money, and I would have received back with interest.' This guy was thinking 'what if I fail?'

Matthew 25: 21 (TLB) "His master praised him for good work. 'You have been faithful in handling this small amount,' he told him, 'so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.'"

Is failure a bad thing? What do we learn from failure? Well, I don't think it is terrible. The first time I baked a cake, I wasn't a successful baker. The cake looks good, but the taste was far from delicious. I risked baking a cake, and yes, it wasn't pleasant, but I heard about it and started trying out other recipes.  Today I am selling decoration cakes, and my business is growing. I failed, yes, and it took me several years to become successful. I am continually learning, and it was risky saying I can bake a cake. I thought, what have I to lose?

Matthew 25: 29 (TLB) "For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him."

My failure was training me to become successful. I learned what I was doing wrong and correcting it as I went along.

I believe God has been my safety net all along, but I still had to venture out and try.

Prayer

Father God, I am grateful that You are assessing my accomplishments and not the people in the world. I feel sure that I will not make it based on their assessment. Please keep Your hand over my life, forgive me for my insecurities, in the name of Jesus Amen.

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid

How to win a personal battle?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Ephesians 4: 23 - 25 TLB

"Now, your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature. Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other, and when we lie to each other, we are hurting ourselves."

I believe personal battles are connected to past hurts and thing or attitudes we want to change within ourselves. My husband said something interesting to me. He believes we all carry a little black box in the back of mind, heart or soul. It's locked away so no one, not even you can see it. 

How to win a personal battle? It's going to be a very tough battle. I believe if it is hidden away, we don't actually want to expose it. The best way to deal with such a situation or circumstance is to call on the Holy Spirit. It's like poverty, and it smells musty - acidic, it burns your eyes when you smell it. People living in these circumstances stomachs growl with hunger.  

The same for a Christian who has served God for a very long time; their religious thoughts keep them from growing into their new identity. It's much easier to teach a new Christian about mercy and grace than the person on the road for years. To change this person is going to be a brutal task. Only the Holy Spirit can set them free and deliver them from any strongholds or battles they are facing.

Paul writes us should drop these evil ways. Throw off your evil nature, the old you that was a partner in your evil ways, rotten through and through, full of lust and sham. 

To win our battles, we need to be constantly changing our attitudes and thoughts renewing it for the better becoming different person, holy and good. Telling the truth and breaking the old nature and habits.

Being a person that doesn't pretend to be good, pretend to be nice but genuinely is good and genuinely nice. Personal battles are tough, and we can't change them on our own, we need the Holy Spirit to help us with the battles we face.

Prayer

Father God, please save us from all error, ignorance, pride and prejudices. Please direct, sanctify and govern us in our work, through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, so the Gospel may be preached. Christ is truly spoken of and received, and we truly follow You in every place. We are fighting our battles with sin, Satan and death. Calling on You Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and mind. In Jesus Name, Amen

Yvette van Niekerk

Get your copy of Daily Devotional Ebenezer

Follow me on my Kellan Publishing author page, my blog at Yvette van Niekerk  or Kellan Publishing; Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram; Pinterest; Stumble Upon; God’s Orchid