Colossians 3: 12-17
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

A Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I pray for your angels to be around all of us, to guard and protect us and keep us within your safety net. I pray against all evil that lurks and tempts us, Lord that you would take it all and cast it into the firey pits of hell. Lord, I pray for your guidance as we strive to be the person that you need us to be. Help us Lord to hear and read your instruction of our jobs here on earth. I pray Father God for our careers in You , Lord that you would give us the wisdom to hear your words and the ability to work them according to your will. I pray against all procrastination, that Lord, you would keep this evil source from hanging over us. I pray too that we may feel alive and awake, to be able to work well during the allocated times that you give.

Lord we know as we pray that your ears are bent towards our pleas, that in your time you will fix everything. For this, we give you praise and glory with all our thanks. We love you Lord Jesus and trust in you forever, amen.

God gives and God takes!

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He brings us into this life

Born sinners to learn about strife

He stands near with open arms

Hoping we'll ignore the tempters harms

He watches as we make our choice

As He listens for His name in our voice

He will wait for us till the very end

As to us the Holy Spirit He will send

He will give us that very last chance

In the hope that with Him we will dance

He gives us life in the hope He won't lose

So as He takes it back it's Him we must choose

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Acts 17:26

"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings."

Dry Spell!

Phew, I'm back in the swing of writng it would seem, have exerienced a bit of a dry spell.

Why you might ask?

Well, this sort of thing happens when I allow the world to smother and drown me without asking God for help. Vicious circles of evil seem to swirl around, causing my mind to buzz with so much that I don't have time to sort my thoughts out. I'm just buzy in the head.

So, what happens then is my head is so badly clustered with nonsense which makes me feel too bothered to try and work it all out so I leave it. I get so frustrated and so tired that writing becomes a huge mission.

And then a break through, I suddenly remember to call on God and He clears my head and I feel that desire to get back to what I enjoy the most, working for Him.

Oh Father God, thank you Lord for penetrating my mind, for being in control of my life. Thank you that I can rely on You to set me free from the dilemmas of evil. Thank you Lord Jesus that You are always my saving grace. And thank you too for this honor of writing for You, to You I give all glory. Praise you Father God, in Jesus name, amen.

In His Light!

How often do you pray for God’s will in your life, and then resort back to what you know without Him? I know I do, and then I have to go through the process of conviction, seeking forgiveness and praying once again for God to change my ways.

There have been some in my life, whom have caused unnecessary pain, which has resulted in feelings of anguish and bitterness. I have not been able to defend myself for two reasons. One, those to whom I would plead innocence would never believe in me and secondly, I find defending myself against someone else’s deceit very exhausting.

When I sit and think about all these situations, I inevitably think about them on my own, without God’s opinions, which causes triggers of anger and hatred to settle in my heart, resulting in tears of anguish and frustration. The flesh rules over the spirit all because God is not in on the thoughts.

However, when it comes to praying, I have an absolute change of heart, because the presence of my loving Father God changes my heart and allows the Holy Spirit to work as intended. It is during these times that I see the picture as God shows it to me. These forlorn helpless creatures of creation, crawling around laden with heavy chains, chains bound around them by the evil one, who has attached heavy padlocks, without keys. I see these poor souls, looking around desperately seeking escape from these hellholes, wanting to be free from the burden of sin but with no hope in their sight.

This causes much pain in my heart and my prayers come out with the utmost sincerity, prayer requests of a desire that only God could instill. I become obedient to the spirit as the desires of the flesh vanish from my heart. It is at times like this that I beg and plead with the Holy Spirit to erase all bad memories, to take all the excess Godless baggage that I hold onto, and throw it all into the burning pits of hell, to never return again. God hears my sincerity whilst I pray from my heat in His presence.

His presence causes me to feel nothing but love and compassion for these people as I pray for them and myself and ask God’s mercies upon us all. I pray that He would instill in me a forgiving heart and that He would reveal all my iniquities in order that I may seek forgiveness too. I pray for His light to be upon each one of us, that it may penetrate our beings as His light eventually shines in its brilliance out of every one of us as we surrender our all to him. This is the day, I pray about, and look forward to. Until such time, I will keep praying for God to be in my face more and more as I grow closer and closer to Him. I will keep praying that He would be there to deny the desires of my flesh as He convicts me of any impure feelings. I will keep praying that His light and His presence would cause me to be His obedient child.

It is a difficult road but for as long as I look to His light, I will be on a forward march without a need to step back.

Psalm 67:1
“God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us.”

REWARD
Put your trust in the Lord
It’s the only thing to do
You’ll feel the reward
And realize his love for you

PROV 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart”

CARE
Thank you Jesus for your love of me
You make me feel so special
It’s in your care I need to be
Cause without you I’m superficial

DEUT 7:6
“A people for Himself, a special treasure”

DIED
Jesus died for our sins
Because he loves us so
Just make sure he wins
And let your evils go

ROM 5:8
“Christ died for us”

JOYOUS
Loving Jesus is a wonderful thing
If you let the Holy Spirit fill you up
Allow yourself the joyous sting
And get blessings to fill your cup

PSA 23:5
“My cup runs over”

Growing Wisdom!

Had a bad day yesterday, trying to understand people and their feelings towards me. Trying to establish why they have turned against me with no apparent reasons and no offer to expose their reasons either. Trying to defend myself but instead creating a deeper hole because of their following of others lies and deciet.

You can't change a situation like this over night, but through prayer and faith in Jesus Christ, you can know that something good will come of it.

However, after speaking to my older son and explaining my heartache, he made these statements, with the wisdom of someone in the know. Firstly, you have a husband and three children that love you, what more could you ask for? Secondly, anyone that causes you such pain is not worth the ground they walk on so divorce yourself from their space, find happiness in what you have. And thirdly he gave this awesome illustration:

There's a irregular triangular shaped piece of cheese with three people standing around it. Each person has a completely different view to the other and therfore each argues about what they see. They have two choices, either they can stand and argue and only understand the cheese from their point of view, or they can step into the others spaces and try and understand their view.

What would you do?

I know that I have tried to step into their space but they have locked the access. So, as wise as my sons words are, they have not worked for me. However, I am confident beyond belief in God answering my prayers. He is an awesome and loyal God for as long as we abide within His will. I trust that in His time, He will sort this dilemma out His way.

Dry your eyes....................

.....even though you feel stress

because your life seems such a mess

Dry your eyes....................

......even though you have an aching heart

because it seems your life is falling apart

Dry your eyes....................

........even though you feel so much pain

because it seems your life is upside down again

Dry your eyes....................

........even though you feel so much doubt

because you don't know what this lifes all about

Dry your eyes....................

.........even though you feel like ending your life

because of all the endless unecessary strife

Dry your eyes....................

..........because God wants to share His love

even though you forgot to reach out to Him above!

Temporary goodbyes!

Today came about and presented reason to say goodbye for a short period, and even though its short, it hurt.

But when I think about it deeply, bringing God into the equation, He reminds me of the health we all have, the love that we share, His presence in our lives and all the blessings we have.

This causes me to realise that I have so much and that three weeks without the adoreable smiles, loving hugs and girlie talks with my daughter, is not that long at all, that it will be over sooner than I know. I believe that our times apart cause our loving bond to grow stronger. That calling on God makes us both feel safe to be apart, just knowing He is right beside both of us.

Father God, thank you for being our guardian, for filling this void in my heart with knowledge of your blesings in our lives, that you have caused me to realise that this time apart is shorter than I believe. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Early Christmas!

We shared an early Christmas this evening with my daughter because she is going to Zimbabwe to spend her Christmas there with her dad. We gave presents and were given presents. There were lots of excited thank you's.

However, Christmas should not only be about us, it should firstly be about Jesus Christ. If it were not for His birth into this world, there would not be a Christmas, just an old testament life with no hope in everlasting life. No Godly examples to follow.

Say thanks, but say thanks to Him first, it is His birthday, not ours!

Lord Jesus, thank you for this time of year where giving becomes so desireable. I pray Lord that in giving, we give with a heart of Godliness with no expectations of receiving material gifts in return. I pray that our receiving may be in blessings from you. Amen.

Desirable desires

When Jesus preached, He expressed that your desires should be for His Father and His word. Although He does not use this word ‘desire’ carelessly, many do.

Desire means to follow, follow Jesus Christ, not the desires of our flesh. In many instances, we sway away from His word and His desire for our lives and we delve into piteous places, riddled with sin.

Evil forces display things of the world that pull us in because of their desirable packaging, all laced up and pretty to the eye and good on the nose.

However, these evil desires will land you in hellish hellholes, dark miserable places filled with dismal sinners, destined to die in their sin.

Take up desirable desires of Godliness, let Jesus Christ guide you in your desires, let Him be in control of your all. This will ensure a life destined in the heavenly places of peace, love, joy and sheer happiness.

Time is of the essence, but it might be too late!

Its that time of year where everything seems rushed, not enough time to do this and can’t go there because its too far and can’t phone them because no time to chat and can’t write that letter now because there is no time and then bang, that person goes away, away to a place that only God knows. We should have had the time!

Make time this year for those important people in your life. Allow those seemingly important issues to wait their turn whilst you share time and spread your love. You never know if you will get that chance again, so let your valuable time, be of good essence.

Ezekiel 16:8
“When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became mine, says the Lord God.”

Say...look what I have, not...look what I don't have!
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So often, we compalain about things that we don't have and about situations that don't suit us.
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I am a prime example of just this. I feel sad and complain that I am not with my boys who live in th UK, and that again for the fourth year running, I am not able to spend the holiday season with them. Then I go on about my daughter who will also be away for the third consecutive year running. And then the pain of a near 1 year anniverssary of my brothers death, also causes me to frown upon this time of year.
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I am so busy frowning and compalining about how hard done by I am, I forget to look at what I do have. I should rather be giving thanks that I still have my three children, that they are all well and healthy. That I still have my wonderful husband to spend Christmas with, that I will not be alone. That my brother gave his life to Jesus just 2 hours before he died in the crash, that he is clearly waiting for his place in heaven.
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So if you are reading this, take heed and acknowledge what you have, instead of looking at what yu don't have. Lets give thanks to our Almighty Lord Jesus, for His big and little blessings, blessings that we so often allow to pass us by without even a thought.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for all that you give us. For being in our lives and keeping us free from the evil perils that lurk around waiting to snatch us from your grip. Forgive us Lord for forgetting how much we have, for complaining instead of giving thanks. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

We live in a modern day world
where evil lurks in every nook
and cranny, hiding and waiting for an
opportunity to ambush us.
But, as you choose to live your life according
to God’s will, He will be instrumental
in constructing your life in a Christ like manner,
all you need to do is obey His word and live
accordingly. Although you may still experience evil
ambushes,the blood of Jesus will protect your spirit!
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Psalm 103:4
“Who redeems your life from destruction”

Why am I supposed to love my enemies?
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I still sometimes ask the same question until God reminds me of His answer. Look at it this way, we are all God’s enemies in many ways, but He still loves without condition.
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We are born sinners and we continue to hurt God more than any human is ever capable of hurting us. We ignore Him, we abuse His gifts, we take credit for His works, and we follow the flesh more than the spirit and so on. We only have to deal with a few enemies in our lives, He has to deal with the whole world, imagine that?
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Since I surrendered my being to God, He has changed my heart. I used to sit and think up the stormiest revenge against my enemies with my plan of attack ugly. Then God took over and wham, I have become a prayer warrior for my enemies.
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When I come before God, He softens my heart and gives me compassion for those that have hurt me, He portrays them in my heart as He sees them and it causes me pain, which resorts me to sincere compassionate prayer for them. When I think my thoughts, the pain returns so I have learnt to take it to God before I start thinking on my own and it is amazing how He works within me.
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Because I am able to pray for them tells me that God will answer because He above anyone knows my pain and He knows that I would not normally pray for them without His grace. So when you give your all to God, I believe that He will change your heart to love as opposed to hate, its not what you are supposed to do, its actually Him that does it for you.

What is it about?
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Life is not about us, and what we can do, but rather about God, and what He can do, if we give in to Him.
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Sure enough, we can work twenty-four seven and reap the financial rewards and pat ourselves on the back and claim the glory for ourselves, but can we do that forever. Just think if it were not for God, we would not even have what we have. No decent job, no car, no money, no happiness and no life. We would not be on this planet. He created us and gave us the brain that we use and without that we would be nothing.
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Its not about fancy cars and an extravagant life, its about receiving Jesus, giving of yourself to Him and then receiving His blessings and His will in your life.
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Let’s be fair and give Him His dues, He deserves to have our all!

I am currently participating in an awesome Christian Writers Workshop. I completed this exercise and enjoyed the writing experience. It was a timed exercise, adapted from a short passage, which needed elaboration in my own words. It is a message I thought needful to share just because of how it boasts God’s mightiness and truth. I have not added or taken away, merely edited grammar & spelling.
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Kill me in the flesh!
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The world has denied me my rights as a writer for God by imprisoning me to a life sentence. I have no defense but only God knows the truth and He will deliver me from the wraths bestowed before me. God has given me ten minutes for the rest of my life, to tell you what this sentence means to Him and me.
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Although I will no longer be able to write about Him and share my testimonies, I still have a voice and more so still have the light of Jesus in my heart. I need to share that although I may die in the flesh, I will never die in the spirit.
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I will never forget the changes in my life; God my Father changed a life that was destined to be miserable. I learnt about His truth and His desire to have me sit with Him in Heaven with His Father. I have learnt, since I have walked with Him, that to die of the flesh, will never mean that I die of the spirit.
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You, the world can do what you want but you will never be able to take my spirit captive away from God. He is my eternal peace; He saved me, and He will never leave me. So go ahead, do what is pleasing to you, live in your world of deceit and allow me my peace with Jesus Christ. He suffered more than I will ever suffer; He endured pain, unimaginable pain, for you and me. If you know Jesus like I do then you too will know the message I have.
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I would urge all of you to learn about Him and receive His promise just as I did. Then when the day comes for Him to retrieve His children into His heavenly realms, we can meet again and you will know that I was speaking the truth. God is my truth and my light and although I am destined to spend the rest of my life in a dark dungeon, it will never be like the dungeon I was in before I met my loving Jesus Christ. I will never again fear the dark because I have His light within me.
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Please people of the world, hear what I am saying and give over your pagan ways so that you too may know no fear of this world and its trials. God is calling all of you to enter His space; He is our creator and does not like to see us wasting away.
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Imagine you paint a beautiful picture, do you hang it proudly, admire it, and look after it or do you just sit back and watch it rot away. No, you would look after it and that is how God is with us, He wants us to stand proud in His honor. He wants us to show ourselves off as His marvelous creation.
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Listen to these words permitted for me to write and take heed, you will never look back and you will forever be happy living in God’s presence and His way. Go tell your family and all your friends, read His word and confirm what I am saying. I am not going to die as the world thinks.

Does being a Christian...

...mean I have to stop living? On the contrary, although many would disagree.
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You see, when you live in and of the secular world, the fruits of all the forbidden are deliciously tasty, but also detrimental to your health. Those that consume excessive alcohol suffer with their livers. Then those that smoke heavily suffer with different diseases of the lungs together with stained teeth and unpleasant breath. Those that indulge in multiple sex partners are vulnerable when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases and consequences of unsafe sex. Those that delve into pornography suffer with relationships because they are unable to focus on what they have because they want more, which causes them to commit offenses with other partners and so on. Criminals suffer with the consequences of being caught and locked up.
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However, the most serious painful effect of living this kind of life is your conscience, something we all have and something that the Holy Spirit will keep convicting. Many take heed of this and allow God to deliver them but sadly, many too ignore it and so continue with their dreadful existence.
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Because I lived a secular life and now live a God filled life, I am witness to what a better and awesome life I have now compared to where I was. I would not go back, not for anything because for the first time ever, I feel life, I love life, I have freedom of life and best of all, I have a God-filled life. I am living and love it!

WHY?
Why does life have so much pain
That leaves us feeling sad
Why does the hurt just remain
And make us feel so bad
Why can’t we be just like Jesus
In all the things we endure
Why can’t we do things that please us
And have happiness that’s pure
Why can’t we release all our pride
And hand over all to our Lord
Why can’t we trust in his stride
When he’s able to endure the sword
Why..?
…Because we can but didn’t try!

Colossians 3:16

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

Empty Promises & Windbags!

Have you ever had someone ask you to produce something for him or her? Say like you’re an engineer and they ask for a price for 300 balustrades, or you’re a glass engraver and they ask for 200 sets of 6 glasses with the big five, or you’re a writer and they ask you to write a book for them and so on.

You walk away with a smile around you whole head. You imagine the finished product with your name on it, the exposure you will receive, the admiration form onlookers or readers and of course the financial benefits. You dream about it, eat it, drink it, talk about it and prepare to show your enthusiast a prototype or sample.

You tell so many of this wonderful job, about how you were approached and how you have been waiting for a break through like this one. Your excitement is beyond any you imagined.

Prototype/ sample ready, and you make that call or visit with excitement ringing in your head like a busy buzzing bee in a honeycomb. Your smile still wrapped around you head.

Your enthusiast answers or acknowledges with a huge pin, which they carelessly use to deflate your balloon. Either they forget who you are, do not recall their proposal, or they move the goal posts and make the proposal you accepted a new impossible task.

Bags of win and empty promises, traits that many a man can claim as their own. If this has happened to you, like it has to me, do not worry because it is not the end of the world.

Turn to God and ask him to lift your deflated balloon off the ground. Ask Him to help you understand man, His creation of which many deliberately disrespect Him and His ways. Sit quietly and just listen, He will tell you to be still as the Holy Spirit ministers’ peace into your heart, a peace that only God can give.

You will realize that man is man and that is exactly what you are too. That there is none perfect and all of us hurt others in some way or another, even if it is unintentional, we all do it. When you reach this truth, you will then be able to laugh at your behaviour, which was because of your keen anticipation of things yet to come.

The only promise you must ever believe in is God’s promise, His promise of your gift of eternity with Him, now that’s worth getting excited over, without the anticipation, because it’s really real, without emptiness or windbags.

Little Warriors!

Today was the last day of my leadership in Promiseland, after teaching my grade 4 girls for 2 years. It was a sad moment saying good bye, but not so sad knowing that I would still be around. I will still see them on Sundays when I attend church but I will miss being with them knowing how awesome my time there was.

I loved the children's worship because all the songs are action songs. It allowed me to feel free with my emotions, to jump around like a hooligan in absolute freedom, with no worries of who is watching me. The reason being is that as leaders, we were there to encourage the children to enjoy singing for Jesus. To show them how much fun loving Jesus Christ is. I believe I was the oldest leader but I'm sure younger at heart than many there.

Children are a gift from God, a gift given for us to lead. Why not start them off with joyful hearts, not only at church but at home and in schools. Teach them how to love loving God and His music and His ways and His followers and more so, His word.

Its the light of life knowing Jesus, a light that will shine forever, a light to share with our little warriors in Christ. Join in and be a warrior for Jesus, be yourself in Him and allow Him to be Himself in you.

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us, for giving us such joys in knowing you and living for you. I pray for all the little children of this world, that they would find you and become little warriors for you. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Lifeboat!

I am living proof that you should not wait to invite God into your life, because life on earth is too short to be unhappy.

My life, since I took God in as my best friend, has never been better. My mother prayed for my happiness and that I would find the man that God had chosen for me, settle down and make God the centre of my life. I was disobedient and blinded through choices of my own because all that time God was reaching; I turned my face from His light.

Although my mother prayed for me, she did not know how to talk to me, that is why I am writing; so that you can hear the truth, I did not see. Please hear my truths, take God’s hand now and you will never look back.

My mother was essential for God‘s work, she was my lifeboat to fulfillment. I need you to absorb this message so that your lifeboat of fulfillment can be God Himself.

ESTEEM

You’re trapped in a web of deceit
So tightly that you’ve no self esteem
You’re too scared for the world to meet
And what you say is not what you mean
You’re used and taken for granted
And you take it for fear of being alone
You have to look at life where you started
And realise that to success you are prone
Just remember you have one shot at life
And where you end up is what you choose
You can start by ending your strife
So make up your mind, will you win or lose

ECCL 10:10
“But wisdom brings success”

Quit or commit?

Don't know how you feel, but if I undertake to do a project of sorts, I like to remain loyal and committed. Even thought the project may prove tiresome and tiedious, and the thought of quitting enters my head, I percevere to remain committed.

I've been working with children aged between 10 and 13. These children have been taking part in rehersals for a play that I wrote, a play that is due to feature on the 30 November. There have been many pass through who have not committed to practice times, which has been dealt with as other aspiring actors have taken over. No harsh feelings from them or I have been adopted, as I understand, it was not their calling, they just had to try it to find out for themselves.

However, being a parent, I have struggled to achieve my goals with these children. They are aware that I am not on the teaching staff and therefore have no real authority over them, wow, have they taken advantage.

So, today was one week before the production. I had a teacher move in to assist me. She could not believe how disruptive they were and that many had not learnt their scripts. In so doing, she made new rehersal times to fit in with her agenda. Unfortunately for the children, this interferred with many of their end of year parties, which caused tears and frustration. During this there was one in particular that made his emotions loud and clear, "I am quitting." My calm reaction, "that's ok, we will find a replacement." I was disappointed but what could I do, he made a choice and I had to accept it. Maybe he will regret his decision, but the show must go on and replacing him was a necessary requirement.

This brings me to commitments that I make with God. Commitments that have sometimes caused much stress on me and those around me. And yes, I have gone before God and told Him I want to quit. But His reaction is not the same as ours. He would never tell me it's ok, that He can replace me. Rather, He allows us to behave badly and then waits for us to come crawling back. I know I do, after I realise that actually, my initial commitment to Him was what counted, not the desires of my own heart. How awesome to know that we have a God that will NEVER replace us. (of course this is not an invitation to abuse His loving kindness.)

Knowing God and walking close to Him, has taught me more about commitment and the loyalty that goes hand in hand. He has taught me to respect my commitments, that to commit and then quit is just not on. Within His power, we can achieve instead of leave.

Titus 1: 3

"but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior."

If God's not in it, you won't win it!

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This is a fact..., not theory.., fact. Life without God just does not function properly. Hiccups are prevalent in a life with or without God, the difference being that without God you will fall, with nobody to pick you up for a second chance. With God, He will pick you up after a fall, comfort you, and guide you in the right direction, big difference.

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Try it out for yourself if you don't believe me. All you have to do is ask Him to move into your space and He will, for as long as you ask with respect that is. God is a superior being, the mightiest ever and deserves our utmost respect.

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When you have achieved His attention, try Him out, I promise you will never fall without a buffer again. Although He allows us to make our own choices, with Him included in your daily life, you are assured a way out, a loving way out.

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Moral of this story, if you need to win, invite God in!

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Lord Jesus, thank you for being a part of our lives, for picking us up after we fall, for being our truth and the only way. In Jesus name, we pray, amen.

God's Diversity...

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I am so thankful that our God is such a creative God, that He made everything and everyone in this world different. Just imagine how boring life would be, if we were all the same...
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What would we talk about..., ourselves all the time...?
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SAME
Just imagine if we were all the same
If we all answered to a common name
What kind of world would this be
If I looked at you and saw me
How would we look and talk
If we all had the same kind of walk
Just think it would drive us mad
If one were we would all be sad
So lets be thankful we’re not the sameCause if we were it would be such a shame

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Thank you Lord Jesus, for your creations all so different and exciting, for giving us reason to converse about many different things. Amen.

DISRUPTION!
When I sit and think of this life
I wonder where we are going
There are battles, famine and strife
And very little love flowing
Families being separated by divorce
And countries with no strong hold
There seems to be a strong force
That won’t allow peace to unfold
So what I suggest we do
To overcome all this anguish
Is get praying yes me and you

And allow God His work to finish

Temptation, phew....scary... but safe in God!
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Living for God is absolutely awesome . Its a feeling of freedom, safety, a desire to be obedient and more.
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But, there can be hiccups, those weak points that evil forces try and get you back with. Temptations..., scary..., but when you live by faith, you are almost 99.9% safe. Well, I can to date, brag that my faith in God, has kept me safe.
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I get tempted with different things that I used to do when I lived of the world. I feel myself being dragged in, I feel my blood pressure rising because I know I don't want to be there but then..., maybe just one more time. Oh my gosh, close but safe, phew! Saved by the grace and love of God.
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It is at times like these when I give praise and thanks to our Lord, Jesus Christ. I believe He sees us, sits and waits to see if temptation will win and as He sees us falling, He reminds us of who we are now, and manages to bring us back to Him. Wow, how awesome that God loves us so much that He would keep His hand over us always, saving us from the nasty fall into Hells arms. .

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your grace, for Your mercies over us sinners. Father God, we pray that You would always keep a strong hold over us, that You would not allow us to fall. We choose to stay within Your safety net of love, peace, joy, faithfulness, obedience, self control, patience, kindness, goodness and gentleness. Let us live by Your word as You continue to fill us with the fruits of the spirit. In Jesus name, we pray, amen.

Wish I knew....

This is a poem that I was sent over the email. A poem I have since found out, was written by an African American lady. Wow, how I wish I knew her, what an honor it would be to know someone with such depth in faith, with such an understanding of what Christians really are, with such an intimately awesome love of who she is in Christ.

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This must clearly be the most wonderful explanation ever of what we as Christians are, contrary to the persecution we often undergo. Whoever you are, if you ever read this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This poem I'm sure, has given many the faith to go on with their faith in Christ Jesus.

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BEING A CHRISTIAN
When I say…”I am a Christian”,

I’m not shouting I’m clean livin’

I’m whispering I was lost,
Now I’m found and forgiven.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,
I don’t speak of this with pride,
I’m confessing that I stumble
And need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,

I’m not trying to be strong,

I’m professing that I’m weak
And need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,
I’m not bragging of success,
I’m admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But God believes I am worth it.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,
I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say…”I am a Christian”,
I’m no holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner who

Received God’s grace somehow.

Source unknown

Just a prayer.......

Its late, I'm tired and I sit here with a blank mind. So, no story tonight, just a prayer...

Father God, thank You for this day that You gave us, for keeping close to us at all times. Thanks for all our blessings big and small, for the Holy Spirit within us, for our meals, petrol, health, safety, our homes, our families, for everything, we give thanks. Lord Jesus, may You send legions of angels, to stand wingtip to wingtip, around our homes, cars and families, protecting us from evil forces. We pray that You would continue to bless us as we continue to praise and worship You and give You glory for all. Father God, we love You so and pray that You stay close forever. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

GRACE
In this world so full of evil
God is our only saving grace
He can save us from the peril
Of becoming a shameful disgrace
So take time in prayer each day
And be specific within His will
Know what you need to say
And your troubles He will still

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2Corinthians 12:9

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my stregth is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

It's about what you are, not what you got!

So often in life, we look at others for what they have. We see a man driving the latest mercedes and we assume that he has class, that he would offer etiquette, good manners and of course the know how on everything you need to know. He looks clean shaven and dresses in a way that impresses you further. Wow, you look on as if he is some sort of hero. The girls look on and can only wish in their dreams.

Then you see a man in rags, no shoes and his hair is so matted. Probably has not had a bath for months. You look at him with disgust. Your thoughts are probably to move away from him as fast as possible. You envisage germs jumping from him as he stands across on the road, onto you. You think that he is in this position because he knows nothing, he probably has no manners and look at him, definitely no etiquette. The girls look on with disgust and move away as fast as possible.

I wonder what would happen if you put them into a room, talked to them, questioned their values, their beliefs, their dreams? What would you learn, how would you feel, who would win your heart?

Think about it, first impressions can be very deceiving and this is often what causes many to fall. So maybe you should look further and deeper and see who they are, before you judge them on what they got.

NO CONTROL!

Its really sad to watch someone you love going down deeper and deeper into dark places. Places of doom and gloom that I would imagine replicate Hell. Dingy, miserable, dark, lonely and very painful.

Then when you try and talk some sense into their dilemma, they believe that you are criticizing them and they take immediate offense. However, you are trying to get them to make responsible decisions, decisions that will move them out of that hellhole.

This causes them to pull away from you which is bad for them because they don't have another crutch. What do you do?

Call on Jesus, He is your only hope in situations like this. Pray to Him and trust that He will show you how to bring them into a brighter place, closer to Him.

Lord Jesus, thank you that You are so close and forever watchful over us and ours. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Gifts in genes!

I have had so much fun this evening with my daughter. She had a project that needed to be completed by tomorrow. The project was to make 2 puppets, a stage and to write a script.

Firstly allow me to tell you that I am gifted in the creative arts. I love craft work and can see masterpieces in somebody elses junk. I work a lot with garden foliage and anything else that I deem interesting. I do flower arranging, greeting cards, pictures, light features and so on. I also love writing and drama is something I find very interesting and fun.

Anyway, initially my daughter sat slumped over saying, "mom, I have this to do and I don't know what to do or how to do it." I gave her some ideas, started her off with easy puppet ideas, gave her script story ideas , helped her with a stage and then left her on her own. I kept telling her that she has great abilities and she must expose them. I just kept on encouraging her and affirming her work and wow. You should see what she came up with, so awesome. I am so proud of her efforts, efforts that will surely earn her good marks.

I have learnt that the gift of creative arts truly runs in our genes, because my mom was also very creative.

Lord Jesus, thank You for our gifts, given by You to use for Your glory. I pray for Cherise, that she would give thanks to You and use her gift for Your glory too. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Party in Heaven!

Without a doubt, the angels had a party in heaven today. I can imagine that they were praising God and worshiping as if at a live gospel concert. The reason for this is...wait, let me jump ahead before I say why. In fact I'm sure as I write that you will work it out for yourself.

Today in Promiseland, awesome things happened. We had our lesson as usual and each week we have a topic that we talk about. We give the relevant bible verses and stories. There is a drama or illustration on what our children will learn about. This week our topic was salvation. The Supervisor, with the help of an intern, did an illustration. It showed a small stickman, a big stickman, a stone representing sin and a cross. The idea was that the cross of Jesus takes away our sin and can be the bridge between God and us. We have to choose that though, it does not just happen on its own.

In my small group, I talked to my girls, seven in total today, about salvation. Whilst we each made our own crosses, I asked if any had given their lives to Jesus, none had. I asked if any wanted to and all seven said yes. So we went into the chapel, I said a prayer which they all repeated and they are now reborn children of Christ. How awesome is that?

Remember that little black book I mentioned in an earlier blog, well in that today, I not only got prayer requests, but thanks to God for taking them in, wow.

That is why the angels had a party, wouldn't you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for being witness today with the girls in my group that asked you into their hearts. Thank you that you have wiped away their sin and that the blood of Jesus covers them. Thank you Jesus for your amazing grace. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

I've been having one of those, miss my loved ones kind of day. Do you ever have them? This poem is meant to fill us with peace, as the title depicts.

PEACE
Although our loved ones move away
Leaving an empty and sad space
We trust that God was in their way
That He was standing in their face
And as we dwell on this thought
Knowing God is constantly near
We will know its peace He sought
And our loss we should not fear
So although our hearts still feel pain
And our eyes shed tears of sorrow
We must know our loss was God’s gain
And peace be ours if Him we follow

EPH 2:14
“For He Himself is our peace”

How many Hits?

I tell you, I get so stressed when I watch loved ones getting hit over and over and over, causing them to go down, down, down. What is it, why do people just sit back and take it, knowing full well that they could change their lives.

I have been sitting back, just pouring out love and more love. I have not pushed the 'God' issue but have not kept quiet about Him in my life. I have never pushed or caused any to leave my company. Today though I could not keep quiet.

We had an accident in our family, not serious but serious enough, a vehicle written off. This was about the fourth blow in 2 weeks. I called up and said, "right, enough is enough, how many hits are you going to take before you give in to God, before you allow Him to take over?" The answer was, "I am being taken to church on Sunday." Awesome, one baby size one step forward is better than any steps backwards. Now I will pray for God to work His miracles, for His merices and for His love to settle in the hearts of those that are keen to give in and give it up to Him.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your grace and mercy, for allowing us all a chance to grasp your holiness. I pray Father God for all those out there that know they should move into your space but are not. I pray that they would move today Lord, and start a new life with you as their leader. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Hugs galore!

Have to share something so awesome and it goes like this.

I am a leader at our Sunday Promiseland, and I am responsible for the 10 year old girls. There are about +- 15 of them. I have been there now for two years and love it to pieces. Every Sunday I walk in there, I feel a high in my spirit, a high for the innocence of all the children and their desire to be there. One of the main highlights for me is when my girls see me, nearly every one of them, including their little sisters, come running towards me and we share big hugs, I love it. I am sadly leaving year end due to other commitments and I have been receiving little letters, such sweet loving letters. I will miss my place there extremely and most of all, my girls.

Then I have written the end of year play for my daughters junior school and am consequently directing it to. Again, I am obviously working with young children, approximately +- 40 of them, whom I meet with every Friday afternoon. There are many from this group that run to me as they see me and we share big hugs too. I have received a loving letter from this group too. My time there will end after the play and I will again miss my children so very much.

I am helping out with the Thursday swimming training and am responsible for the younger group. Today as I walked towards the pool area, I saw little bodies come charging towards me and again big hugs were shared. This group however, might still be on the agenda for next year, unless of course the school brings in a pro, something I am not. Then I will be missing them too.

HUGS
A hug is a loving touch
A hug should be given without reason
A hug just means so much
A hug should be more than a season

God is so awesome, He changed my heart and He changed me. When you think where I started off with little children, and where I am today. If you are wondering what I am talking about, then you should go to www.calledtowrite.com This is the downloadable outreach magazine, 'Reflections', that I write for. Amongst many other awesome Christian writers works, are mine too, testimonies, stories and devotionals. If you enjoy reading then you should visit the site, its fantastic healthy God driven works for great reading.

Psalm 27:3

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward."

Left in 2003!

My dear mother passed away from Lukemia on the 31 January 2003, after many months of suffering. By destructive means, my mother was somewhat distant from me for many years, a distance that I could never understand. It caused deep pain, pain caused by feelings of rejection and visual knowledge of favouritism.

However, God was instrumental in her last seven months as He drew her and I closer than we had ever been. She cried many tears, regretted much, with many truths unveiled. She shared things that I will take to the grave with me, and I have God to thank for saving me from revengeful truths.

I miss her so much and would love to share where I am in my life today, with her. She was instrumental in bringing me to God, as you may have read in a previous post on my blog. I know it is said that time heals, but I can honestly say, that when you need someone you need them, and when they are not there to respond to that need, it hurts, really bad. This is a poem I wrote for her whilst I watched her slowly withering away. I read it to her in her hospital bed:

IF
If I could give you health
And take away your pain
I would do it with stealth
And rejoice in your gain
If I could give you more years
And be with you in all
I would take away your tears
And with you stand tall
If I could turn back time
And fill you with joy
I would make you feel fine
And let you enjoy this new ploy
If I could stop you being sad
And give you a life so bright
I would make you so glad
And help you enjoy this new plight
If I could I surely would
And I would do it all
But I think it’s time I should
Respect that maybe it’s God’s call
If I could know this for sure
And be at peace about you
I would know no better cure
Is ever going to do
If I could hear God’s voice
And see his beautiful smile
I would know it’s the best choice
Cause to him you’re so worthwhile

ACTS 5:39
“But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it”

Was it the Queen.? No
Was it the president.? No
Ok so it must have been a distressed Comrades runner.! No

So who was it being escorted through the debris and spectators on the 16 June, right in the midst of the Comrades marathon?

It was Cheryl, a distressed mother desperate to get Cherise, her chronic asthmatic daughter to the hospital emergency rooms for emergency medical treatment.

This is the true story on how it all happened;

The whole family and a friend were packing and preparing to go away for the long weekend. Suddenly Cherise had one of her asthma attacks. Nothing serious to begin with, as she sat on her nebulizer at home with me very close by monitoring. Cherise then decided that her nebulizer was not helping and in desperation, in between trying to gasp for air, she let me know that this was one of those emergency room situations. Well, it was the Comrades marathon and I had heard that roads were going to be closed, but where. Coming from Zimbabwe, I was not sure of the Comrades route so I phoned our security link up control room, and requested an escort to the hospital for a medical emergency. Security reacted by saying no problem they would send a vehicle ASAP.

Whilst parked on the roadside, desperately praying and waiting for security to respond, Mike, my husband, called me to say that security has called to say they are unable to assist as this was beyond their means, but they were sending an ambulance. Panic set in as we did not have funds to accommodate an ambulance. By this time, my hands were sweaty, shaking and numb on the wheel.

Then one of the the heroes of the day appeared, racing up onto exit 16 to meet me, a security employee. He raced and motioned for me to follow. So the race was on, through red traffic lights, hazard lights on both vehicles flashing. Then the approach of road closure on Stapleton Road. The security employee won with the first policewoman but then seemed to have problems at Old Main Road with the Metro police there. By this time I was in a state as Cherise sat next to me with red cheeks, white face, blue lips and gasping desperately for air. Just then a group of guys on trail bikes in blue uniforms pulled up next to me. I looked up, (tears streaming out of control down my cheeks), at one of the guys who seemed to be the team leader, and pleaded with him to please help. He lifted his visor, took one look at Cherise and then said "follow me."

We became the escorted vehicle in our own little motorcade, up Old Main road towards the hospital, three bikes in front clearing the spectators and traffic, whilst the Security vehicle and the rest of the bikes rode behind. The escort was all the way to the doors of the hospital and as we arrived, a hospital employee ran out with a wheelchair. In desperation I by passed the chair and raced into the emergency room where Cherise was attended to.

Cherise was now in good care so I proceeded back to my unlocked vehicle, which I had left parked outside emergency, only to find all the bikers, who were SAPS, parked around it with their helmets off. They questioned after Cherise and then left to continue their duties. The security officer stayed to ensure that all was taken care of. Whilst all this was going on Catherine, Cherise's friend, had broken down, I moved in to comfort her but was called into the room where Cherise was being treated and the security officer gallantly took over.

The hospital staff were amazed at the entourage arrival of this heroic group and stressed that they thought the president had arrived. Wow, what an amazing experience, what an awesome God, what an awesome Security company, what an awesome security officer and what an awesome Police Force. My thanks will never be enough as they all took time out to save my 10 year old Cherise who was having a chronic asthma attack.

This true story was a scary account to say the least. The last visit before this gallant save was to the ICU where Cherise was put onto heart monitors and 24 hour surveillance.

I had so many prayers going on for her, desperate prayers for her healing, for God to take away her asthma. However, it took for Cherise and her faith to receive answered prayer. She prayed and believed that God was going to take it away from her, she had faith and He had compassion. To date, since June of 2005, Cherise has not suffered another asthma attack, He took it away. God heard her and gave her relief, all because she trusted and believed in Him. What an awesome God we have! Jeremiah 33: 3 is God's number, just in case you need to call on Him.

Backwards, Forwards, Upside, Inside down!

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Do you ever get those moments when every thing you say comes out the wrong way, with the wrong letters before the words or the wrong word order in your sentence. We have so many laughs because my dauhgter and I are often guilty of speaking before we think. It is hilarious which causes us to laugh sometimes till we cry. I find it loads of fun and the more we try and concentrate on our speech, the more we mess up. Laughing is a healthy emotion, an emotion that encourages happiness. Even though the laughing causes wet eyes, its wet eyes minus the pain of crying eyes.

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In school we used to have laods of fun making up our own languages, for example we would put a 'B' before every word and speak like that. Bow ba boo means how are you. Wow, we used to laugh our socks off and of course we caused much confusion with those who were not involved in our crazy conversation.

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Did you know that no matter what language you speak, God understands you and listens to you when you speak to Him. He understands every language on earth and not only understands, but can speak them too. How amazing is that? So even if you mince your words or try make up a language, God understands you, and for as long as you pray within His will, He will answer you in your same native toungue.

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1 Corinthians 14:10

"There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance."

Real Life!

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There was a time in my life that I did not have or enjoy a relationship with Jesus, I used to fight every battle on my own, gathering more and more unhealthy, miserable, heavy baggage as I went along. This baggage was my security, it made me feel bitter, fearful, depressed and totally unlikeable. I did not know how to reach out and take advantage of what God was offering, so I stayed cowered in the dark places that I knew. Hiding was one of my favorite pastimes, especailly in the dark.

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Then I met Jesus, and although it took me a long time to get over feeling totally inadequate in His presence, I managed to cross the hurdle to allow Him in. My life changed, I started to feel whole and my load was not so heavy anymore, a load that gets lighter as I spend more and more time with Him. Once I gave into Him, He moved into my space very fast to show me what 'real life' is all about. I became a new born child of Christ, and what a life changing awesome experience.

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Today I live every day for Him as I strive to obey His laws, and keep away from temptations. Its not an easy life with all the persecution, evil attacks, temptations on weaknesses, living on the straight and narrow and so on, but its a life that I would never change. The closer I grow in my relationship with Him, the easier the walk is, because living the Christian life, with a heart for God, causes me to want to live by the example of Jesus Christ. It is such an awesome life, try it and learn to yearn to live a 'real life' with God our Father!

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Lord Jesus, I pray for all those who walk this earth, lost and dreary, looking helplessly for hope in the dark places, Lord that you would shine your light in their space, and reveal your truth to them. Allow them a chance Lord, to learn about a 'real life' with You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

This gift of mine.

It happens almost every day, like right at this moment. I have no idea what to write about. I then close my eyes and ask God to please intervene and He does. He puts thoughts into my mind and gives me the inspiration to write as He authors.

Somebody said the other day that I am talented, and as much as I appreciated their comment, I replied that "no, I don't have the talent, God does, I merely have the gift of writing for Him." You see, most of the work I write even astounds me. I read through and feel so honoured that I am able to hear and understand when God speaks to me, telling me what to write. I know you may be saying, 'yeah, whatever,' but believe me, it is so real. God is without a doubt my author and has given me the gift of writing for him. I just love this gift of mine.

PROSPER
Oh Lord how I love the gifts you give
That allows us to prosper and grow
Please help us with these gifts to live
Let us remember to use them and know
That to you we owe praise for success
If we use them as we should do
Let us know that it is us you will bless
When we prosper and give thanks to you

Romans 12: 6-7

"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering, he who teaches, in teaching."

Actual fact!

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I was sitting after dinner and the most amazing actual fact entered my head. I don't know any Christians who are unhappy or discontent with their lives. In no way do they have problem free lives, but because they have the love and light of Jesus in their hearts, they are able to deal with their problems with a more content attitude, knowing full well that God is in control.

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This is the actual fact that struck me, I don't know any non Christians that have happy content lives, fact. They all have the same sort of problems, just like Christians do, but their problems are huge in comparasion, all because they nurse them alone, without the help of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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I sometimes sit and wish that every person alive on this earth today, could feel what I feel with Jesus, the warmth, the peace, the security and the knowing of how special I am to Him. I get so emotional when I really think about me and Him and the relationship we have, the trust, the love, the sincerity, the compassion, the honesty and the peacefulness of knowing that I fear nothing but Him. My fear of God is not a terrified fear, its rather a fear of hurting Him, knowing what Jesus did for us and the huge sacrifice God made. I cringe when I know I have sinned, because of the pain that our Father and Son endured for us. I will pray for you to meet with me in God's space, you will never want to leave, I promise, actual fact.

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Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing us born sinners, to be a part of your awesomeness, for forgiving us of so very much. Thank you for loving us without condition and for the most wonderful gift ever known to man, the promise of eternity within your heavenly realms. We love you Jesus and forever will. Amen.

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Acts 1:4
"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;"

Nearly sad!

I thought that I would not be able to post anything on my blog tonight because I was experiencing technical problems with the Internet. I called the technicians and they could not even figure out what was wrong. They then told me to call Microsoft becasue they felt it was their problem, they were clsoed till morning so I left a message. I prayed "help."Then my husband walked into the office and suggested I turn my PC off and start again, I did, and here I am, and to think he doesn't even get paid for being so clever.

Thank you Lord Jesus for bringing my husband into my space just when I needed him, for giving him to me to love and adore. Father God, thank you for your love of us and for being the centre of my life. I pray for this night, that it be safe and within your loving arms. I pray for my family and for the nations of the world, that you would cover us all with the blood of Jesus as you wash away all evil from our lives. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

From the mouths of 'babes'!
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I have the awesome privledge of leading a group of 10 & 11 year old girls in our Sunday school which is called 'Promiseland'. We work from a syllabus created by a church in America. It is a wonderful way to work as all the leaders work together with the same theme. Some of the leaders do drama and our praise and worship is awesome, the kind that I enjoy where you have to do all the actions to the words. More than often, I outshine the children as I become a wild child for God.
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Then we have our small groups where each leader gets the chance to interact with their little ones on a one to one basis. I have an A5 hardcover book which is used for notes and lesson previews which I do in the front of my book. In the back, I get the girls to write their prayers for the week, requests that I take home and pray about. I wish you could see what these girls write, straight from the mouths of babes. Their childish sincereity is enough to cause tears in most. The best part of this, is that although I pray for them, God has already answered the prayers that are within His will, as the girls wrote them down. How awesome is that? When I check up and ask about their week , so often they tell me that the problem has gone, confirmation that God has answered their prayers. We then give thanks.
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Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me a time of sharing Your way with these young girls , for giving me the opportunity to love them and enjoy them. Father God, please give me the ability to plant seeds for You, righteous seeds that would grow in these girls and never stop growing. I pray Father God that You would bless all the little children of the world, and give them all the chance to learn about You. Thank you Lord for our children, may you give us all the ability to love them according to Your will, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Acknowledge and........He WILL within His Will!

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As you would have read further back, we are the proud owners of two adoreable cats and one dog. Well, the two Zimbabweans, (Simba and Misty), are home bodies and never try to wander away. In fact, Simba does not really venture across our borders, he stays very close to home. And Misty, being a dog, does not jump onto walls and over to the neighbours. However, Kiara, the South African, thinks he rules and does what he pleases.

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In June 2003, my precious baby cat Narla, (also Zimbabwean), was attacked by the next door dogs and consequently died. He was a wonderer of note, always out and about. He was a wonderful cat, my affectionate and loveable little shadow, who loved me more than anyone. Sadly my love for him often overpowered my love of God. I believe God took him to remind me of my priorities, to acknowledge Him before any other. It worked because I drew strength from God as I mourned my baby. Narla leaving us reminded me who should be first in my life, Jesus Christ.

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Kiara was born into our family in 2004, a cute little white bundle. I thanked God for him and now when I see Kiara, he reminds me to pray, to acknowledge my Father God. Kiara wonders just like Narla did, and about two months ago, he was badly beaten and landed in hospital for three days, a human attack according to the vet. I prayed that God would cause him to stay at home, to not wander and guess what, my prayers have been answered. Kiara spends all day at home now and will only sit by the gate at night, it would seem that he no longer wonders. Our God is a faithful God, an awesome God and for as long as you acknowledge Him, put Him first and pray within His will, He WILL answer your prayers.

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Proverbs 3:6

"In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths."

Trusted or Busted!

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Its a fact, if you compulsively tell lies, you will often forget the details of your initial lie and will end up changing your story. The mistake here, is that the people involved in your falsehood probably know each other, which poses a problem for you. They might talk and tell your story and will realise that they both know about it, but will hear the variance. In so doing, people will learn of your deceit. I knew once of someone who took it upon themselves to take property from a deceased estate, with three different stories to three different people as to how they had claim over it. Busted!

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When you are honest, your story will remain as it was first told because the truth prevails. You will be notably trusted and will probaly have a lot more friends because it is easier to get on with honesty than it is with deceit.

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So, the moral of the story here is this, truth enpowers strength, deceit enpowers weakness. Which one will you choose..........?

Trusted or busted!

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Ephesians 5:6

"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

CAPS & ALL
I’ve been there and done it all
And have the caps and all to show
But even though I can now stand tall
Cause all my past I chose to let go
I changed to live a life with my Lord
As I surrendered all my burdens and pain
He heard me cry and removed the sword
And with Him close I feel loved again
So if you need a new lease on life
Away from the ugly past you harbour
Ensure to hand over all your strife
To your loving creator and Father
He promised to always be there for you
As He just loves to forgive our sin
He will guide you in all that you do
As you trust to no longer lose but win

PSA 37:3
“Trust in the Lord, and do good”

Alienated!

Do you sometimes feel like you're being left out for no reasonable reason? Like you are of the same group but on the outside without even a window to look in? Well, then you are clearly being persecuted if you are best friends with the same guy I am, Jesus Christ. I feel alienated but I have read since in the bible that God calls it persecution. The more I read the more I realize that knowing God is never portrayed in the bible as a bed of roses like so many believe. On the contrary, knowing God and putting Him in the centre of your life means that you are on the hairiest, scariest roller coast ride ever known. Reason being, is that all the evil forces of this world are suddenly going to grab a hold of you, and try and bring you down. The temptations are ones that hit our weakest points, ones that cause us to sweat as we obediently refuse to go that road again. Phew, its difficult to say the least. But I know that I will go even further than required, if I have to, because I am looking forward to my reward at the end of it all. I am looking forward to the treasure trove that God has promised, a new life filled with treasures made up of peace and love and honesty and harmony and gentleness and patience and self-control and so on. God's way is my way and my only way forward!

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Isaiah 40:31

"But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings

like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not be feint."

Is He with you.......?

.........Or are you alone?

ARROWS
What is it about man that you are afraid
That you behave like them of the world
Why do you lie and hide in the shade
As evil arrows at others are hurled
Why do you behave to cause such pain
When you’re aware its deceit you support
What pleasure do you derive and gain
From the venom in a dishonest report
Do you recall the day you were saved
The day Jesus forgave you your sin
Do you remember the pain He braved
To override evil in the hope of a win
And even though He sees you falling
He watches and hopes you will turn
And as He waits to hear your calling
He prays you’ll choose life over the burn

Phil 3:11
“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!”

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Judge not!

If you are honest, you will admit that you have judged or mocked others before, I have! I bet you've sat in shopping malls and watched people walk past and made comments like, wow, "she clearly did not brush her hair before she came out", or, "he looks like he's wearing his PJ's." Those are mild compared to what most say I'm sure. It's easy and seemingly entertaining to laugh at someone else's expense, especially when they are not aware of it. Although this does not hurt the person in question, you must ask, would you like it if others were laughing at you behind your back...., I don't think so. I'm guilty of doing this, once I called a girl I was angry with Miss Piggy. I said she looks like her and is as fat as her. At the time I was slim and comfortable with my weight. Believe me there was an almost instant consequence to my unnecessary cruel words, I started putting on weight for no reason. I was convicted by visible conviction which caused immediate repentance. The bible talks about looking at the plank in your own eye before you tackle with the speck in others, I think the same goes for mocking . You judge, you mock, you pay, simple!

Matthew 7:5 (NKJV)

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers' eye."

Lord Jesus, help us to love as you do, and to treat others we know and don't know, with respect and not dishonor. Let us know Father God that judgment is yours not ours. Help us Lord to judge not, amen.

Trust me!

When we live our lives according to our will, we inevitably fall a lot, and sometimes we cause others to fall too. You know that saying, “What goes around comes around,” well, it’s for real, trust me. There are incidents in my life that I am not proud to talk about, incidents that I would rather lock in a lost, and never to be found again, cupboard. It’s true in addition, that for every action there is a consequence, and often, when we live without God’s lead, that consequence can be harsh. Trust me, I know, I have been there, and it’s not pleasant at all. God does not punish us because He is a loving God, however, if we live out of His will, He allows us to fall in the hope that we will turn to Him for help. I did just that, and my miserable existence changed to a real life with God. However, just because I have put God in control of my life and Him first, does not mean that I have fallen away from the consequences I earned, on the contrary. I still pay for the life I led, but instead of it being endlessly painful, God helps me to understand the why’s, and fills my heart with understanding, and a deeper love and desire to live for Him. I live according to His will to the best of my abilities, and because of that, even when I do falter, because I do, He’s there to catch me, trust me. Living according to God’s will is the only way to live, that’s if you desire a real life. I am there, in that place with God right now, and loving it, trust me!

YEARN
It’s true what they say in life
What goes around comes around
So why not save yourself the strife
Of doing bad when it will rebound
Rather sow good into all that you do
And benefit from the wonderful return
You will feel happiness shine through
And a love for peace you will yearn

Isaiah 32:20 (NKJV)
"Blessed are you who sow beside all waters”
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Fear What.......Fear Not!

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

A sound mind is a happy mind, a peaceful mind and definitely a wise mind. You may ask how do you go about establishing all these awesome emotions. Well, I know I've achieved mine through obedience, obedience to God my Father. I used to live in a world of fear, I was scared of every imaginable scary thing, be it walking, crawling, big, small, the dark and much more. I woud lay in bed at night and would not sleep for fear of whatever you can imagine. I drove everyone around me insane and would often drag them into my pitiful pit of fear too, so I had another set of eyes peering over the edges watching nothing, but still just watching. I would pray for peace but would ultimately hang very tightly onto my fear, it was mine, so as God stretched out His hand to take it, I would pull it away like a child saving their sucker from another's choppers. I could never maintain a stare without flickering my eyes around , fearfully checking for the unknown. Then I was told once that God's will for me is peace , not fear, that my fear was being instilled by evil forces. So I went home and prayed for God's will of peace over me and, wow, I slept through that night and have done since. I believe this time round I felt comfortable enough to let go, now knowing His will. I still fear, but my fear is now healthy fear because I fear God my Father. Fearing my Lord Jesus Christ causes me to be wise through obedience which then fills me with His peace, which takes away the fear of the world. So now it's not a case of 'fear what' but rather 'fear not', because God is with me.

Listen Up!

There is good reason to listen to what I have to say, because I need to share what I call instant answer to prayer. No, God did not build a pool in my garden overnight, even though He could, and no I still have the curliest hair in my family, and no I did not wake up this morning looking like I had an extreme makeover.

I am married to a man who has never really taken to family quality time, like playing swingball or swimming and playing marco polo, or going to the beach or taking the family bowling etc. This is by no means a fault, merely a choice, a choice that I respect because its his perogative . During his relax times he prefers to sit in front of the TV and watch his favorite programs which basically seem to last forever. So when I ask him to join us and he says, "ok, I'm just watching my favorite program," you can imagine what the result is. Although he has many other qualities that make up my love for him, I do sometimes wish that he would join us.

This morning whilst I was busy praying, I specifically asked God to soften his heart, to fill him with a desire to spend quality time with us. Well. I could not believe it when he came back from a hard morning at work, his first words were, "I've decided that we are all going to sit out by the pool this afternoon, swim and just be together whilst we braai." My jaw immediately dropped open and I let him in on my morning prayers. I gave thanks for instant answers. I had to laugh as I imagined God realized how much I wanted this and just threw it in as a bonus with all my other answered prayers. Oh our God is an awesome God, a God who loves to spread happiness, love and joy. He certainly made me happy today.

So, the reason for the picture of the pool, that is where we are swimming today whilst we enjoy an early braai together. What more could I ask for?

ENDEAVOR

You must endeavor to say a prayer

Before you start each new day

For God loves you and does care

An He'll be with you all the way

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)

"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

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