How can I clear the slate?

by Yvette van Niekerk

Ezekiel 18: 31 MSG “Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel?” When we are unable to confess our wrongs and sins, our countenance changes. We have darkness over our faces, and it may seem we are sad. Then we experience condemnation. We fail to repent and ask for forgiveness of my sin, our countenance changes. Psalm 34: 5 MSG “They looked to Him and were radiant; their faces will never blush in shame or confusion.” Confession is good for my soul. I need to repent of things I may have said or done. I do not want to build a wall between myself and God. I am honest when I confess anything I did and I receive God's forgiveness. I want a direct line to God and I can only achieve it by confessing my sins. Repentance: means "turning away and deciding not to do it again." I am saying "Yes, I did this, I am sorry and won't do this again." Ezekiel 20: 43 "Then you will look back at all your sins and loathe yourselves because of the evil you have done." Yes, it's true I struggle with self-loathing when I know I have been doing something wrong. I cannot move past it and it makes me feel miserable and I am frustrated. My self-esteem is down the drain, condemnation trails behind me. Life looks bleak and miserable. I seem to be going down the road of destruction in my life and only when I confess my sins, there is a relief. I realize that I cannot do this on my own, I have and always ask the Holy Spirit to reveal anything I should be confessing. God is faithful and He does show me my iniquities, giving me a chance to confess and repent. The experience is my heart feels lighter, freedom and joy come to me. God knows the secrets of my heart Psalm 44 verses 21. Prayer Father, Lord as King David prayed, "Wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation." Psalm 51. Please show me anything I am hiding and help me to see it and confess it to you, so that I may repent and receive Your forgiveness. Psalm 31 says "blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered." Please help me to always confess my sinfulness so that I am able to say "see if there are any wicked ways in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Please forgive me, in the name of Jesus Christ. Father God today I want to be obedient and accept the gift that You have given me. I am trading my tired and worn-out life for a new one today with Jesus Christ. Today I surrender all my faulty plans for Your perfect plan. Lord, please help me to abide in you so that you can abide in me. Father today I am embracing the new life available to me. I don’t know how things will work but I beg You hear my call. I accept the Lord Jesus Christ to renew my life today. Amen

My Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

by Yvette van Niekerk

I am sure you will enjoy this simple recipe, it’s nothing special a really basic recipe but it sure make my cakes pop, I use this on my cakes and also my cupcakes. I use a good quality vanilla extract to make my buttercream taste delicious. So something to keep in mind room temperature is important when making my buttercream. Now lets get started: Vanilla Buttercream Icing This is a rich flavoured vanilla buttercream that is so easy to make which tastes like you made something delicious. Prep Time: 20 minutes Servings: 3 cups Ingredients: 1 cup of Wooden spoon margarine or unsalted butter, room temperature. 3 ½ cups of icing sugar (powdered sugar), sifted. 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp whole milk of heavy whipping cream, room temperature ¼ tsp salt, to taste Method: With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium high until its creamy and light for approximately 6 minutes. With the mixer on low, add your sifted icing sugar one cup at a time remember to scrape the sides of the bowl after adding the icing sugar. Keep on incorporating the icing sugar to the mix. Now add your vanilla, milk and salt and mix to incorporate in the icing sugar. You are ready to cover your cake. Do enjoy.

How I fill and stack a cake.

by Yvette van Niekerk

I have had such a fiasco with filling and stacking cakes. I thought I would share some of my own experiences with you today. My cakes have bulged out between layers and are straight up oozing off the sides. An expensive lesson especially when I am baking for my clients. What was my problem? I realised this after a lot of tears and frustration. That many times I didn’t put enough icing on and the cake was cumber covered. I also came to the realisation that I didn’t build a wall on my cake when placing a filling inside of the cake. I soon realised the essential part of building your cake. Starts with the basics, your icing needs to be thick enough so that your foundation is sturdy. I have baked cakes and on delivery, my cakes started pulling to the left and going lopsided.

Now I have been baking for over a decade and it has been an experience. There are two kinds of fillings and a trick to stacking a cake. One: is the stable filling which is straightforward buttercream icing. Two are other less stable fillings. Such as soft consistency chocolate ganache, salted caramel, jam, lemon cured etc. I am going to show a stable filling today and next time we will explore the filling of ganache or chocolate. Starting point. Going straight to my board, I place a dash of buttercream on the surface. I place my first layer of cake on the board. This swipe of buttercream acts as “glue” to keep my bottom layer in place. This cake board method; I find makes life a lot easier. To place my cake on my turntable and then straight into the box for transportation.

Filling and stacking my cake with buttercream icing.

I find filling and stacking my cake with buttercream icing, it’s very straightforward. I know that consistency is very important. I will share my vanilla buttercream icing recipe with you. In South Africa; we have different kinds of margarine and butter.

I find that you should stick to the margarine or butter made for baking. To thicken the buttercream I add more powdered sugar. I find the thicker the icing consistency the better the cake.

I take some of my icing mixtures and place them in a piping bag, then I pip the icing on the base of my cake. I then place the icing on top and start covering the first layer. Here you can decide the thickness of the icing for the cake. I like it about 1 cm for the filling. I then place my next layer on the cake and do the same.

I have learned; through experience that I need to ensure my first layer of icing is as level as possible. Otherwise, my cake isn’t as even as I want it to be. Stacking cake layers As mentioned above; it's important to place a dash of icing on the bottom of the cake board. To secure the first layer of your cake. I then proceed to place my cake on my board. I don’t cake anything off my cakes, as you can see they are straight and no bulging on the top of the cake. I place my icing over the top and then the next layer and carry it onto the next layer.

I find that it is important to first crumb protect my cake. and I place my cake in the fridge for 20 minutes. I then start with the base cover. Plain white buttercream icing and then I pipe my colours for the finale stage.

I use a scraper to level my cake out and then I start with decoration. On this cake, I printed Masha and Bear on rice paper placing it on a biscuit for a nice touch. I then sprinkled some sprinkles on the cake.

People with a past.

by Yvette van Niekerk. God uses the painful times in our lives to make us stronger. Getting through a difficult time and moving forward every day, never giving up. Today, I want you to thank God for what He is doing and can do through the trials you are facing. No, I’m not saying thank God for what you are going through right now, it might be a very difficult situation. But, I do want to encourage you to thank Him for the good He is producing through these trails. Matthew 5: 3 CSB “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” And Psalms 34: 18 CSB “The LORD is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.” I have been going through some personal stuff for a long time, and to be honest, I thought this is never going to change. Then I realised God is busy in my circumstances. I saw and realised that He is also working on my side. God is working to help me change my mind and enable me to see new possibilities. It’s not easy and I struggle with negative thoughts. I am the person that will think the worst before something good. God is showing me new possibilities. It struck me that these possibilities are faith – things I cannot see but believe in. I realised that without faith it’s impossible to please and be satisfactory to God. In God’s Word; the Bible. Hebrews 11 verses 6 “For however would come near God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out).” I have been speaking to God and moving towards God by investing in my own deliverance. I heard that when we invest in something, we value and protect it. So here I am investing in my own deliverance. God is drawing near to me. I will not allow the devil to take away my peace again. Prayer Father God, I am asking that the Lord Jesus please be patient with me today. I also need to ask if the Lord Jesus will work with me through this problem I have of being negative and constantly moaning about things I have no control over. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the insight and understanding to looking at my circumstance with new possibilities. Changing the way and learning to focus and trust that You are in control. Lord Jesus according to Jeremiah 31 verse 3 to 4 NKJV “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you … I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt.” Lord I am asking that You turn my mess into a hope for others, You know my struggles and I am holding onto You today. The same applies to today, I am asking that You will bless my work and my hands today, Lord that You will come into my life and lead me I need You. Holy Spirit You are welcome in my life today, please help in Jesus Christ's name. Amen

Spoken faith.

by Yvette van Niekerk Psalm 46: 5 CSB “God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns.” What a wonderful statement wow. My thinking is then why do I forget that God is within me? Why do I try and fix things, control people and circumstances? Am I struggling with pride? I am being self-centred instead of God-centred? The truth of the matter is God is my power source and I am supposed to be drawing my strength from Him, but sometimes I want to be indented and go it on my own. This is when I start falling and toppling over. I am currently going through a difficult time, it’s called burn-out. I don’t feel like doing anything, I am restless, I have no drive and I am so very tired. God has been so good to me that I now can relax and rest and not stay focused on so many projects. My husband doesn’t push for things to happen; and thinks I should relax. Read a book or watch a movie on Netflix or even sleep in the afternoon. I want to draw near to God and I want to recharge my battery I need to be in a place where I can rely on God again. I am staying connected so that I don’t have to throw in the towel. Today I am resting in God, my Father's power. I am waiting on the Holy Spirit to carry me through. Philippians 4 verse 13 CSB “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” It’s clear I don’t have to worry about everything. I cant make things happen. I need to keep myself plugged in. 2 Timothy 1 verse 7 CBS “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” Joseph Campbell wrote, “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so on have the life that is waiting for us.” 2 Corinthians 5: 17 CSB “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away and see, the new has come.” I feel like there are so many wrongs I have committed in my life, but I feel certain that God already knows my past, present and even my future. I know that God exists outside of time, He is omnipresent and because of this, He has access to all time. Isaiah 43: 18 – 19 CSB “Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” I believe God knows all the hardship, obstacles and my terrible decisions and sin I committed and that was when I was created by God for an assigned purpose in my life. I am grateful that God decided to send Jesus Christ to die on a cross for me because of all the wrongs in my life making a wedge between God and me, but because of Jesus Christ, I have a chance. Father God today I want to be obedient and simply accept the gift that You have given me. I am trading my tired and worn-out life for a new one today with Jesus Christ. Today I surrender all my faulty plans for Your perfect plan. Lord, Father God, please help me to abide in you so that you can abide in me. Father God, today I am embracing the new life available to me. I don’t know how things will work but I beg You hear my call. I accept the Lord Jesus Christ to renew my life today. Amen

Leaf Double-knit hand knitted throw.

by Yvette van Niekerk These double knit throws are made from a thick, warm acrylic yarn that will give you the luxury of a lovely double knit blanket without having to use wool. The leaf pattern adds dimension and texture to any of your home decors. This is the perfect accessory for friends, yourself and even babies. You can style this throw on the end of your bed, or even your couch or a lovely seat. Dimensions: 47’ x 43’ in it could stretch to 50’ x 60’ in but do return to original shape if cared for. Message me if you are interested.

Friday, Repent!

Friday! Repent 2 Chronicles 7: 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. In my heart of hearts I believe God has called me by my name according to Isaiah 43 verses 1 I have called you by name; you are mine. Today, Lord, my God I confess that I still have problems dealing with resentment and I think it has taken root and become a root of bitterness.

https://vniekerkyvette.blogspot.com/ Lord, I humbly confess this problem and sin before You, I want to also ask You Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ to please forgive me. I know that I am one of Your stubborn children and I realise You have changed things around to get my attention. Please Father, God, I pray forgive me. I do not want to be a superficial kind of person, I have learned to avoid speaking to people and I have master the art of always being nice on the outside. Lord, my sin is before me, my bones are in pain and I know that You did not create me to be superficial. I do not know how to love anybody not even myself. Because I am stuck in a rut and I cannot see a way forward I want to pray and ask You, please forgive me. Help me with a new desire to read Your Word and let it come alive to me so that I can learn more from You. In the name of Jesus Christ Lord, I ask forgive me. I am expecting a change in my life, I am expecting You to turn my life around. I am expecting the Holy Spirit to be poured out over my life, so that I am able to be a living testimony to You Father God, in Jesus name. amen

Daily Bread

Daily Bread Matthew 4: 4 “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” By Yvette van Niekerk Do you every worry about eating your daily bread? I am sure when you get up in the morning go to the kitchen make yourself some coffee and have a slice of toast. It’s very simple we all do that. This morning I made eggs and toast for my husband and we actually did enjoy our daily bread. What about your time with God? Do you spend time in God’s presence? I got caught up with a cake I am making for someone to collect tomorrow. My thinking was I’ll sit down straight after I decorated the cake and then spend some time in God’s presence. Honestly, I actually did sit down and listened to some gospel music and then I listened to my daily devotionals. But I have not been able to really get into the Word of God. I seem to be side tracked all the time. After I sat down I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders, I felt dead tired. My focus is off and I seem to be so tired. I have come to realise that I am starving for God’s Word, spiritually. I need to do something to regains my relationship with the Lord my God. Hebrew 2 verses 1 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we heard, lest we drift away.” O my Lord, it’s clear as day, I have been drifting away from the Lord. I certainly feel I am learning new things every day. I realise that the War in Russia and the Ukraine, is very real, people don’t have bread everyday. I am considering myself blessed as I have peace in my home and I can spend time in God’s presence. It is my hearts desire to hear God’s voice through His word. I used to hear Him in the beginning when I just became a new born Christian. But lately I feel I have lost that personal touch with God. I seem to be so caught up in all my own thinking and work etc. Prayer Father God, I adore You, Lord. Worship at Your feet, I bring You glory and honor, and I want to sing praises to Your Name. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Great and might are You Lord, God my saviour. Today I confess my lack of focus and my sinful nature. Lord I confess my impatience with people around me, I confess Lord that I am not always tolerant and considerate towards others. I am so deeply sorry Lord. Father, I want to say thank You, for today, for Your lovingkindness and mercy which is new every day. Thank You that I can come to You in prayer. I want to praise You Lord. Today I also want to pray help me I really need to have Your Word come alive to me again. Make it happen, Father God. I am asking You please clear my mind and soul. Please teach me new things and help me go deeper into Your Word than I have ever done before. Lord, I draw a hedge of Jesus Christs blood around myself and my family and friends. I pray for Your supernatural favour in my life and the lives of my family and friends, let no harm come to us. Thank You Lord Jesus Amen https://vniekerkyvette.blogspot.com/

I am finding out who I am.

by Yvette van Niekerk Today I want to take a step in the right direction. I want to pray that God’s Word, the Bible will change me and renew my mind. I realise that in my ageing life I cannot make it on my own. I have prayed that the Word of God come alive to me again. I also want to ask God to clear my mind and my soul so that I may receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. I want the Lord, God to teach me new things. I am also asking God to help me go deeper into the Bible and discover more of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, where am I going? According to Psalm 119 verses 133 “Direct my steps by Your Word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” I am trusting God to direct my steps and keep me from sinning. What do I need? In Psalm 19 verses 7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” I do not have the necessary wisdom to carry on, without God’s Word I lack knowledge and have no wisdom. I am holding onto God’s Word for wisdom today. What will happen when I trust in God? I know out of past experiences that when I hold onto God’s Word, my life is working out. Joshua 1 verses 8 says “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” I need to be successful and I cannot do this on my own. Without God in my life I am unsuccessful. Why should I live in purity? Psalm 119 verses 9 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” I know I cannot come into the presence of God if I do not strive towards Holiness. I know that the Word of God is a form of washing me clean by the Words in the Bible. So I am not justified by the Word, but I am sanctified by it. I am justified in my spirit and sanctified in my soul. I am seated in heavenly places with Jesus Christ. What happens when I obey God’s Word? Psalm 119 verses 33 to 35 “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.” In obeying God’s Word I am drawing near to Him daily. What are the advantages when focusing on God’s Word? Psalm 19 verses 8 “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the Commandments of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” I want to be joyful and be stressed free, the best way to find joy is in God’s presence. I don’t think of my problems and my anxiety is far from me. Romans 10 verse 17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” An advantage of focusing on God’s Word is my faith is wrong every day. John 8 verse 31 – 32 “If you abide in my Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” I am set free from sin when I accept the Lord Jesus Christ. Is there peace? Psalm 119 verse 165 “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” The best way to find this kind of peace is to actually look for it in God’s Word, there is no other way and no real peace in my life when I stay away from God. Prayer Father God, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Lord, today I come into Your presence and I am asking You, please help me and let Your Word come alive within me. Please make it happen for me and anyone else reading my blog today. Father God, in Jesus Christ’s name I am asking You to clear my mind and my soul that I may be teachable again. I want to learn new things. Give me the wisdom and understanding to go deeper into Your Word which I have never done before. I take up the full Armor of God that I may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. I stand having my loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and my feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith I shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. I take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. In Jesus Christ’s name Amen (https://vniekerkyvette.blogspot.com/)

It Stop's with me, NOW!

by Yvette van Niekerk

Feelings of embarrassment cover me as I need to deal with some personal issues I am facing at the moment. I have allowed resentment to turn into bitterness in my life. Red light! I need to deal with this bitterness before I grow old and become obsessed with unforgiveness. I am wrestling with the fact I have allowed myself to fall into this trap. I needed to identify my problem and I realised that I took offence to the next level - bitterness. I remember reading that the root of bitterness becomes a destructive force in a person’s life. This is a type of cancer "spiritually." I am afraid of this kind of cancer and I want to stop it by all means possible. This insidious root of bitterness is hiding in my life. Why? Wow because I didn't forgive and let it go. I held onto it and thought I'll get you back, and then? This little dragon started to grow and come to the surface bit by bit. My personality started to change and I became more angry and frustrated. I am not joking when I tell you it is a destructive force that needs to stop right now. Looking at my life, you can see me as one of those big ocean liners, it cannot turn on a dim, it needs space and time. So turning it around is a process. Apostle Paul; wrote we should watch out and not allow this evil spirit to become attached to our lives. Which will corrupt us. Hebrews 12: 15 "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” At the moment I am doing whatever it takes to make the right choice. I have decided to deal with the root of bitterness and I want to change my life before I turn into an old hag. So let's see how I am going to deal with the poisonous root of bitterness that has flared up in my life. Confess my sin of unforgiveness to the LORD, Isaiah 1: 18 "Come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD; thought your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Forgive the person or persons and stop the resentment. I know and trust the LORD and believe that when I confess my sin that I will be forgiven. Prayer Father God, I confess that I have feelings of bitterness in my heart today. I also confess that I am angry and hurt. I have allowed this sin of unforgiveness to stay alive in me. I am asking You, Father God, forgive me. I forgive the people that have offended me and hurt me. You know them and I set them free in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Praying for myself?

It’s much easier to pray for someone else than it is to pray for myself. God knows all my needs and that He can do things for me even if I don’t ask for it. To my mind I have many, and complicated things going on in my life and I am not sure how to tell the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4: 7 We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. Right now my life feels it is out of control. Pressured and I am not able to get to everything. I am tired and burned out. When I start cleaning my house I will not sit down until I have done everything that is necessary. Im sure you have everything together, me on the other hand, that I am stuck and that I cannot move forward. I also feel like for every three steps I take forward I seem to move six backwards. Right now I doubt I can every move into the full purpose and destiny God has for me. I feel that I have not been faithful or even tried to get to my purpose. I am struggling with feelings of emptiness, frustration, and unfulfillment. I want to ask the Lord to forgive me, it seems I am stuck in a rut and not able to make any progress. Prayer Father God, I long to be in Your presence. I want to find my fulfilment in You. It’s my hearts desire to walk closely with You every day. Please help me increase in faith and knowledge in Your Word. Today I want to put all my hopes and dreams into Your hands. Lord I believe that all my hopes and needs will be met by You alone Lord Jesus Christ. Amen