VERGEWIS JOUSELF NOU MET HOM, EN MAAK VREDE MET HOM

Dink julle ook ons verwaarloos ons geloof? Doen ons genoeg, of meer as genoeg om Hom werklik te ken of te leer ken. Ek dink dat ‘n doelbewuste soeke na wie God werklik is van kardinale belang is. Dit kan alleenlik gebeur met die hulp van die Heilige Gees wat moet kom en die verkeerde persepsies wat ons van God het vir ons moet uit te wys. Dan sal ons van hierdie verkeerde idees kan ontslae raak en meer bewus kan word van Sy goedheid en liefde. God se goedheid en liefde is diep verweef in Sy karakter en wese en ons sal dit alleenlik ken as ons Hom soek met ons hele hart (Jeremia 29:13).

Die woord kennis in die Bybel beteken om begrip te hê, te verstaan en te erken, dus om dit waar te neem en ten volle bewus te wees daarvan.

Om reg te leef moet jy eers die Here liefhê. As jy die Heilige ken, verstaan jy soveel meer van ’n gelukkige lewe (Spreuke 9:10). Die probleem is dat baie mense God nie werklik ken nie en Hom daarom nie werklik kan vertrou en liefhê nie.

A.W. Pink het ‘n paar artiekels geskryf wat ook in ‘n pdf boekformaat beskikbaar is wat jy gerus hier kan aflaai: ‘The Attributes of God‘. Dit werk deur nege karakter eienskappe van God wat mens help om Hom beter te leer ken. Hy skryf:

“VERGEWIS JOUSELF NOU MET HOM, EN MAAK VREDE MET HOM: dan sal dit weer goed gaan met jou” (Job 22:21).

So spreek die HERE: Laat die wyse nie in sy wysheid roem nie, en laat die magtige nie in sy krag roem nie; laat die rykman nie ryk wees in sy rykdom nie; Maar as iemand wil spog, dan moet hy hieroor spog: dat hy My, die Here, ken en dat hy weet Ek doen wat Ek belowe het. “(Jer.9:23,24). ‘N Geestelike en reddende kennis van God is die grootste behoefte van elke menslike wese.

Die fondament van alle ware kennis van God moet ‘n duidelike geestelike vrees vir Sy volmaaktheid wees soos dit in die Heilige Skrif geopenbaar word. ‘N Onbekende God kan nie vertrou, gedien of aanbid word nie.

Daar is iets meer as ‘n teoretiese kennis van God nodig. God is slegs in die siel waarlik bekend, want ons gee onsself aan Hom, onderwerp aan Sy gesag en reguleer al die besonderhede van ons lewens deur Sy heilige wette en gebooie. “Dan sal ons weet as ons die Here op die pad van gehoorsaamheid volg ons Hom sal ken” (Hosea 6:3). “Iemand wat doen wat God wil hê, sal weet of die dinge wat Ek vir julle leer, van God kom en of dit van Myself kom.” (Johannes 7:17). “… maar die mense wat vir God ken, sal aanhou om nie verkeerde dinge te doen nie.” (Daniël 11:32). – A.W. Pink, 1930.

 

Every Spoken Word

Life’s Endangerments

We are living in a world where extremes and drastic changes and choices have become the norm. Life itself have become very demanding and we have become very competitive and only allow for the “survival of the fittest”. We have become animals murdering the very essence of our souls. We are then “able” to destroy anything and anyone standing in our way…

Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:16).

We have a choice! Choose life or death, God said. Choosing life might be more difficult, but it is so much more rewarding.

Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again. Max Lucado

Choosing death will bring you satisfaction for now, but when the decay of it enters in you will not be able to stop it.

WAKE UP

WAKE UP!!!
by Joshua Drucker

Ephesians 4:17-19 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

There is a subtle strategy satan uses to take control of our lives. The Bible calls this lasciviousness, and it means to have no restraint.
Lasciviousness has been preached as being extreme immorality, but it does not start out that way. It begins with just a few seemingly innocent thoughts. Then those thoughts grow until they begin to produce serious sin.
I have lived a life of lasciviousness before. A life filled with lustful desires. A life that is going 100 MPH with no brakes. A life where you will do anything to satisfy your wants.

Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before I had lived this life of lasciviousness, I had already heard of the word. The late David Wilkerson wrote a great piece titled, “Turning THE GRACE OF GOD INTO LASCIVIOUSNESS.” In his writing, he talked about Christians, saved men and women, who think that they can continue in their sins, expecting the grace of God to cover them. But if you will look at the above verse, the Bible calls these people who think these thoughts ungodly men.

Ephesians 4: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

As I was reading over Ephesians 4:19 today, I noticed two words that I had never paid attention to before. The words are “past feeling”. Those two words hit me like a ton of bricks. Past feelings. After reading these two words, I then read the rest of the verse, and it says, “Have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
What this verse means is that before you arrive at lasciviousness, you first must by pass your feelings. Please bear with me, I do have a point.
When we first begin to commit a certain sin, our feelings tell us that we don’t need to be doing it. Even though we do the sin, it doesn’t feel right. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is present. We feel dirty and unclean after the act is committed.
When I first started to do drugs, it didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel right driving to the dealers house. It didn’t feel right driving back to the house or hotel where I was going to do the drugs. And it didn’t feel right after I committed the act.
However, after the third or fourth time going through the process of buying and using the drugs, something began to happen. My feelings began to subside. I was no longer scared to drive down the road with illegal drugs in my car. I was no longer fearful of the GBI busting down the door of the drug house. And I no longer felt guilty after I had consumed the drugs. What was happening? I had past my feelings.

Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

The above verse states that when you are past feelings you are then given over unto lasciviousness, a life with NO RESTRAINTS.
The drug world gave me a front row seat to a life of no restraints. Not only in my life, but with the people I was involved with.
I have seen women smoking Meth with one hand as they held their two year old child with the other. My best friend years ago sold a very nice car that his father gave him for seven hundred dollars worth of crack. He drove to Atlanta with a luxury car, and he left there walking home with a crack pipe and a pocket of rocks.
I apologize for being so graphic, but I was at a house one day, and there was a girl there who had sex with almost every male that walked into the house that night. She ran around the house naked, high on ecstasy, begging anyone and everyone to have sex with her. What was wrong with this girl? She was past feelings , and living a life of lasciviousness – NO RESTRAINTS.
Past feelings, is a very scary place to be at my friend. One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is conviction. I praise the Lord today that the conviction of the Holy Spirit is present in my life. I praise God for my feelings. Because at times in my life I was “past them.”
You need to know something about the life of lasciviousness. You don’t arrive there overnight. Oh, no, the devil is too crafty for that. It is a process. Little by little. First it starts with a thought, and then you act on the thought and commit the sin. And the first few times you feel guilty, then before you know it, you are committing that certain sin day after day and it doesn’t even bother you. You begin to live a life of no restraints and it becomes normal to you. You are past feelings.
If you ask any man or woman who has had an affair, they will tell you that it didn’t just happen. Even when they get caught, they may just say that it just happened, but they know that is far from the truth.
Affairs begin with flirty text messages. Love emails written during lunch breaks. Face Book exchanges that at first start off innocent, but end illicit. Casual friendship that turned into erotic romances.
Most people who get caught having an affair don’t get caught the first time. Do you know why? Because at first they are careful and strategic. They go above and beyond to take every caution necessary. However, as the weeks and months pass on, they no longer feel guilty about cheating on their mate. They then move past feelings and begin to live a life of no restraints. Which eventually leads to exposure.
I don’t know why the Holy Spirit stopped me dead in my tracks this morning at the two words, past feelings. And I don’t know who I am ministering to today. However, I know that this word is for someone.
You have been playing around and playing around in a certain sin for way too long and the Holy Spirit is telling you today, “STOP IT.” You maybe feeling guilty but the pleasure is way too good to quit. If this is you, the Holy Spirit is telling you to stop it.
And who knows, this word may be for someone who is past the feelings of guilt and you are NO LONGER convicted of your sin. Or maybe you have been deceived into thinking that the grace of God will cover up your willing acts. If you are deceived into thinking these thoughts, let me remind you one more time of Jude 4.

Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I very rarely send out a word of rebuke. I very rarely preach against sin. Not because it is not needed, but because we all KNOW what sin is. I don’t have to tell you that lying, stealing, cursing, etc..etc are sins – YOU KNOW. My reason for sending this word out is to wake up someone who is past feelings and headed down a road to destruction.

Romans 13:11-12 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12) The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

WAKE UP! Wake up my friend before it is too late. Wake up before you throw away everything that the Lord has blessed you with. Wake up before you lose your spouse, your children, your health, your ministry, or your FREEDOM. Wake up!
Get out of your sins today. I didn’t write this word to belittle or beat you down. I wrote this word to wake you up.
I know what it is like to live a life without restraints, and I am here to tell you that it is a horrible life. If I can prevent just one person today from going down that road then I have done my job.
If you are sleeping with a person whom you are not married to and the conviction is gone; you need to wake up and get out of that bed. Even if you have to sleep on the couch, get out of that bed.
If you are cheating on your spouse either physically or emotionally, I beg you to wake up. That one moment of pleasure is not worth what you will lose in the end.
If you are robbing God out of His ten percent tithe every week, I beg you to wake up. It doesn’t matter if you believe in tithing or not, if you don’t give God ten percent of your income the Bible says that you are robbing God. WAKE UP and pay the ten percent before you lose the other ninety percent.

Malachi 3:8-11 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

This word is not just for you, it is for me also. It is time for ALL of us to wake up and begin to live a pure, honest, and holy life. God doesn’t send a word like this to beat us down. He sends it to lift us up. Today, let us all arise out of the ashes of our sins and let us begin to live the life that God has called and ordained for us to live…WAKE UP!!

God Bless
Joshua Drucker

Bekragtig God dagliks

Dan sal ek na die altaar van God gaan, die God wat my bly maak.
Ek sal U prys met die lier, o God, my God.
Ek moenie so treurig en ontsteld wees nie, ek moet glo dat God my sal help, ja, ek sal weer ’n lied sing om Hom te prys.
Hy is naby, Hy sal my red, Hy is my God.
(Psalm 43:4, 5).

Julle moenie bekommerd wees nie. Julle moet ernstig bid tot God, julle moet vir Hom sê wat julle nodig het en julle moet vir Hom dankie sê daarvoor. Julle behoort aan Christus Jesus. Daarom sal God vir julle vrede gee, vrede wat baie beter is as enige iets waaraan mense kan dink, vrede wat die dinge beskerm wat julle dink.
Vriende, ek wil vir julle nog iets sê. Julle moet altyd dink aan die dinge wat waar is, wat mooi is, wat reg is, wat rein is, wat pragtig en goed is. Ja, julle moet dink aan alles wat mooi is, alles waarop ’n mens trots kan wees. Julle het geleer en gehoor en gesien hoe ek lewe. Julle moet dieselfde doen, dan sal God wat vrede gee, by julle wees.
(Filippense 4:6-9).

Bekragtig God se plan, weg, waarheid en lewe in jou, daagliks!!!!

Total Fulfilment

Why do we do what we do?

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people.
Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
(Isaiah 55:1-13 NKJV).

There are so many things that we do, but so few of it actually brings fulfilment.
Man was created with specific needs such as love, acceptance, recognition and security.
These needs can only be satisfied by God Himself, but we do not always recognize it and go find satisfaction from people, things and places that actually leaves a bigger hole in our lives.

Here in Isaiah 55 we see the invitation from God inviting us to come freely…
We do not need money, riches, greatness, power, strength or perfection to accept this invitation, we only need to respond to God’s word and come to Him. Just look at the blessing and the reward of accepting this invitation. We are satisfied with food and drink, our souls will be delighted in abundance, we will enter into an everlasting covenant and we will become a place of salvation to the nations (all people)…

Jesus said in John 4 that His food is to do the will of His Father who send Him.
We will also be able to eat and drink from this when we walk in God’s will, but first we must accept His invitation!

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
(Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV).

God’s invitation is for mankind to return to Him and to correct these two evils. We leave the fountain of living water when we reject God’s invitation, or when we walk away from God and allow other things in our lives to dictate what and how we do things.

Let us look at a few scriptures regarding The Fountain of Life:

For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
(Psalms 36:9 NKJV).

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
(Proverbs 14:27 NKJV).

O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. “Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters.”
(Jeremiah 17:13 NKJV).

And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.
(Joel 3:18 NKJV).

“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
(Zechariah 13:1 NKJV).

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
(Revelation 21:6 NKJV).

We can see here that God is the fountain of life and we may drink from Him!!!
This fountain brings salvation, and cleanses us from sin and all other uncleanness…

What will satisfy you?

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
(Psalms 17:15 NKJV).

Remember success is not a destination but a way of living.

This is a destination – (I will be successful when I’m rich)

What is success for you?

Love,
Thomas Dreyer

Ken jy die God van Abraham, Isak en Jakob?

Ken jy God werklik?
Het “Die God van Abraham, Isak en Jakob” enige betekenis vir jou?
Die Israeliete het hom geken as “Die God van Abraham, Isak en Jakob”.
Hulle het presies geweet na wie verwys word en geweet dat Hy:

• die Skepper van alle dinge is,
• die Verlosser van die wêreld is,
• die God is wat vir Abraham ‘n seun op die ouderdom van’ n 100 jaar gegee het,
• die God is wat Isak en Jakob se families gered van hongersnood,
• die God is wat Sy volk uit Egipte gered het,
• die God is wat Sy volk deur die Rooi See geneem het,
• die God is wat Sy volk deur die woestyn gelei het,
• die God is wat Sy volk deur die Jordaan rivier geneem het,
• die God is wat Sy volk in die seëninge en beloftes wat Hy vir hul gehad het ingelei het…

Al hierdie beeld God se grootheid en almagtigheid uit en is saamgevat in Sy naam, “Die God van Abraham, Isak en Jakob”!
Sy naam het sy volk in verwondering en bewondering gebring, en daarom aanbid hulle Hom vir wie Hy is.

Jy moet hierdie naam van God vir jouself ontdek, die NAAM wat die wêreld laat still staan om jou as jy dit net hoor of daaraan dink.
Die naam wat Sy heerlikheid en almagtigheid, Sy liefde en beskerming en Sy genade en waarheid uitskreeu in jou binneste, ‘n naam wat Hom ‘n werklikheid vir jou maak…

Kyk hoe die mense in die Bybel die Naam van God deel van hulle gemaak het:

…wil U dan hoor uit die hemel, u vaste woonplek, en doen volgens alles waaroor die uitlander U sal aanroep, sodat al die volke van die aarde u Naam mag ken, om U te vrees soos u volk Israel, en mag gewaar word dat u Naam uitgeroep is oor hierdie huis wat ek gebou het.
(1 Konings 8:43).

… o HERE, onse Here, hoe heerlik is u Naam op die ganse aarde! U wat u majesteit gelê het op die hemele. Uit die mond van kinders en suiglinge het U sterkte gegrondves, om u teëstanders ontwil, om die vyand en wraakgierige stil te maak. As ek u hemel aanskou, die werk van u vingers, die maan en die sterre wat U toeberei het— wat is die mens dat U aan hom dink, en die mensekind dat U hom besoek? U het hom ‘n weinig minder gemaak as ‘n goddelike wese en hom met eer en heerlikheid gekroon. U laat hom heers oor die werke van u hande; U het alles onder sy voete gestel: skape en beeste, dié almal, en ook die diere van die veld, die voëls van die hemel en die visse van die see, wat trek deur die paaie van die see. o HERE, onse Here, hoe heerlik is u Naam op die ganse aarde!
(Psalms 8:1-10).

En hulle wat u Naam ken, sal op U vertrou, omdat U die wat U soek, nie verlaat nie, o HERE!
(Psalms 9:11).

Daarom sal Ek dank U, o HERE, onder die nasies, en psalmsing tot eer van u naam,
(Psalms 18:49).

U Naam wil ek vermeld van geslag tot geslag; daarom sal die volke U loof vir ewig en altyd.
(Psalms 45:18).

Vir ewig sal ek U loof, omdat U dit gedoen het; en ek sal u Naam verwag, want dié is goed, in teenwoordigheid van u gunsgenote.
(Psalms 52:11).

Só wil ek psalmsing tot eer van u Naam tot in ewigheid, om my geloftes te betaal, dag ná dag.
(Psalms 61:9).

… Ons loof U, o God, ons loof, en naby is u Naam; hulle vertel u wonders.
(Psalms 75:2).

Mag jy God in jou daaglikse lewe so ontdek en Hom toelaat om meer en meer deel van jou te word …

Heilig en Almagtige Vader,
Heerlike en wonderlik is U Naam!
God, ek het U nodig
Maak oop my oë, my ore, my gedagtes, my hart
Sodat ek mag weet, verstaan en begryp
Dat ek meer en meer van U kan sien en hoor
Kom openbaar Uself aan my daagliks
Wees vir my ‘n tasbare God
‘n God wat vir my eg is …
Wees my God en Verlosser vandag
Ek bid in Jesus Naam.
Amen

Daily Quiet Time

What you put in is what you will get out…

You man, you woman… Pray to stay together – to be held together…

Niks kan ons beter troos nie as die helder wete dat ons, midde-in ons ellende, deur die God van Liefde vasgehou word – Johannes Calvyn.

Practice the presence of God – the Gifts of the Holy Spirit…

We sometimes need to remember that we are only dust…

For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
(Psalms 103:14).

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
(1 Corinthians 14:26).

I realised that we do not embrace our humanity. We want to be strong and powerful, but even David said that God remembers that we are only dust. You have to embrace your own humanity and then others… It is that we are frail and limited, not able to carry, performer and give what life demands from us daily. You may be offended and believe that you are able to do all of this, but are you?

Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted.
(Hebrews 2:18).

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
(Mark 1:35).

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
(Matthew 6:6).

We have a God that knows and understands who we truly are. We want to be strong and live this daily living as overcomers, but we will fail if we forget our humanity.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
(2 Corinthians 5:18).

The Letter to the Philippians gives us a glimpse of the frailty of humanity, the embrace thereof and the knowing that we are utterly depended on a God that knows and understands this even more than we do.

Are you willing to acknowledge your humanity in total dependence on God?
Will you become a vessel filled and overflowing with all of this becoming a carrier thereof? Mankind needs to know the truth – we are not as strong and invincible as we might think we are…

When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul.
(Psalms 94:19).

A song for going up to worship. O LORD, out of the depths I call to you. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be open to my pleas for mercy. O LORD, who would be able to stand if you kept a record of sins? But with you there is forgiveness so that you can be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and with hope I wait for his word. My soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, because with the LORD there is mercy and with him there is unlimited forgiveness. He will rescue Israel from all its sins.
(Psalms 130:1-8).

We need to come to the full knowledge and understanding of our humanity – that we are nothing with out God. The fact that we even have a breath is a gift from God for He breathed into the nostrils of man the breath of life and man became a living soul.

Knowing that I am nothing and Jesus is my all in all – my source of life.

It is all about
RELATIONSHIP

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1).

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
(Colossians 3:16).

Know the word of God, memorize verses and make it your own.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
(James 1:21).

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Have I not written for you long ago excellent sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know for certain what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
(Proverbs 22:20-21).

Are we going to take hold of this life we have received, no matter what? The lives we live are tough and we face confrontations and challenges daily. Each and everyone that met with God will still have these confrontations and challenges, but it will seem different, because we look at it through different eyes. This new life is first a dying and secondly a resurrection. We succeed only when we die to live.

Jesus Said:

…If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
(Luke 9:23)

Taking up your cross is the process of dying; it is your walk towards death. Jesus’ words was that we have to die daily, not just carry a heavy load…

Our success lies in the way we die…

No matter what the circumstances are we must die daily to everything else and live for Him, our Lord God and King, our Life-giver. For true life is only found in Him. When we die to everything else the salvation we found in Him becomes our resurrection…

John the Baptist said:

He must increase, but I must decrease.
(John 3:30)

and Paul said:

…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead.
(Philippians 3:10-11)

We have to begin each day with God, dying if need be. We have some good traditions and habits, but we also have bad traditions and habits. These bad things must be killed daily in order for us to follow Him. Killing these bad habits is hard and at times it feels like we are dying with it, but do not fear for HE is our resurrection!!!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t die easy. Dying is painful and tough. I cling to stuff that I should actually let go of, which only increase the intensity of the whole dying process. Dying to self does not come easy, but it is possible and together we can do it. It is important to know that you cannot do it alone, you need God first and also the support of family or friends that are willing to walk to death with you that you may “attain to the resurrection of the dead”

Met Erkenning ook aan Marlene Steyn.

Are our desires His desires or vice versa?

Where does it start and where does it end? I think it is actually so intertwined that it’s hard to tell at times ….one of my recent unexpressed desires was that I longed to hear Him more – in a real way and be so entrenched with and in Him so I can tell others more about Him… Let me back up a bit…

A while ago I was thinking about how I don’t seem to hear people (myself included) talking and being excited about what the Lord has done for them recently, any-more. You know, about what He has done for them that day or for others or what He told them that day- the way we did when we’ve just met Him? I started to think about earthly relationships specifically romantic ones-how the two lovers cannot seem to talk enough about each other, to everyone who wants to and who does not want to hear. How we divulge the minutest piece of information of our times together with trusted friends and to acquaintances around us – just as long as we can get it off our chest! We want to shout it to the world and from the roof tops that we’ve just been with our lover and that he/she has said this or done that, how wonderful and perfect they are etc. …

Sometimes our beings are so full of those emotions that we don’t even have to utter one word to others, because they already know and understand what you are not saying, because your whole facial expressions, from silly grins at nothing to deep pensive stares into nothing tells it all! We just put it all out there…

Ok, at the risk of becoming repetitive what I am wondering is…

Have we become so complacent, busy, so puffed up, so engrossed with this life and its affairs, or too accustomed to being a believer in Jesus Christ that we no longer find any excitement in Him, no longer appreciate the small things he does for us in our everyday life, has our love grown so cold that he has just become another familiar Person instead of The One and only true God. The giver of all that is so good and perfect? do we take His goodness for granted that we don’t deem it necessary to TELL about it…?

Fact is: He does not change,amidst a fast changing world He still remains the same Faithful God. He does want to talk to us to show us the way that we should walk in, to know Him and to be a blessing to others.

But: Are we going to talk about Him and about what He means and is to us?
Are we allowing His words to fill our very being, so that those who look at us will KNOW that we’ve been with the Lord without us saying a word?
Are we going to become excited about Him again ,the way it was at first, no, better yet even more excited, more in love, allowing our latter end to be so much more glorious than our previous and present state.

Let us return to the love that once captivated us so much – when our whole beings ate, drank, breathed, dreamed, talked, walked, laughed, vibrated and yes… lived…HIM!

Then they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
Malachi 3:16

He wants us even closer to Him

Today I read again that God loves us and that He has a plan for each and everyone of us. My heart is stiring with in me as I ponder on this… I can hear our Lord calling us to intimacy – we might think that we are having an intimate relationship with Him, but He wants us even closer to Him.

What is this new move of God all about? The only way we will ever know is when we stay close to Him, spend time with Him and are willing to let go of whatever is hindering us to take the next step. Yes it is all about being willing and obedient, but willingness and obedience is useless if we are not close enough to hear Him… if we can’t hear His word, we can’t be obedient to His word…

Our hearts desires needs to be focused on Him and Him alone. Not on being useful, obedient or worthy, but on Him…

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:2).

We have to follow Him through this season, no matter what – for the joy that is before us… for He is the author and finisher of our faith and also the giver of it…

Hunger and thirst after Him… That you may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Phil.3:10)…
We need to walk so close to Him that we should know, feel and experience His every move – not being followers of the movement or move of God, but followers of Christ…

May we be found in Him – walking Him, eating Him, breathing Him…