And our Savior was born

 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloth, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:4-7



Merry Christmas to all and a very, Happy New Year!

Who is the behind it all

Extraordinary.....It is a word that describes the: very unusual or remarkable.

The Word from the Lord came to me that for the month of December, that the Lord would do extraordinary things.

For me, we may even think it couldn't be God who is behind it. But He is. Extraordinary sometimes means, being placed into a situation where I absolutely cannot help myself. Where I cannot take care of the problem at all. Facing an impossible situation.

Looking at Job.....we blame the devil. Rightfully so, satan was the culprit for Job's sufferings. But there is so much more to this story. God allowed Jobs sufferings to establish some things. We could say, He allowed some extraordinary things happening to Job. Why would God allow that we might ask?

God is interested in our transformation, into the image of Jesus. God is interested in our discipleship. He is interested in our flesh to die. He is interested in receiving Glory! He is interested to lovingly showing off. With Him ALL things are possible.

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil.

8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

I want you to understand, it is sometimes the will of God for us to suffer at the hand of evil, not to harm us beyond repair. But because of restoration.

God is interested in our redemption. Restoration of our soul and spirit. He will use what He sees fit, in order for us to lay ourselves down before Him. To give ourselves up in order to receive the very life of Jesus. To receive the very best He has for us.
The friendship of Jesus is one thing that is best for us. 

The main reason for our sufferings is to be restored to a loving Father, for eternity! Rebellion has been introduced through disobedience, by Adam and Eve. Therefore, God does use what is producing good fruit in us. But we are not left alone to suffer, all heaven is ready to help us, in order to produce good fruit for Jesus.

Galatians 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

As I have mentioned in earlier blog entries, my testimony is about the faithfulness of God. He is interested in restoring generational disobedience in my lineage. And yes, suffering on my part was/is necessary for me to submit my future, my generations under the mighty hand of God. So that eternity can be lived in the Kingdom of God and not below.

It is Christmas and at such time, remembering Christ and His sufferings is a perfect time to reflect. Let us not despise the chastisement of the Lord, it is for our good. Allowing Him to take us from Glory to Glory is the reward of His servants.

It is important to test the spirit, in order to find out what and who is behind our suffering. We cannot rebuke and cast out the devil when God is allowing satan to be His tool. But we CAN trust Abba Father to hold us and care for us despite the suffering. He loves us beyond the grave and He has great plans for us. Plans of good and not of evil. His plan is not to submit us to evil without good cause and a way out. His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts toward us are always GOOD!!

Trust Him with all your heart and mind and strength. Allow His grace to be sufficient in every trial and tribulation.

If you find yourself in a trial, ask a brother or sister in Christ to pray with you. Confirmation is very important.  Allow them to carry your burden and stand with you on the Word of God. Don't try to hide or go through suffering alone. This is why we have the Body of Christ. To receive encouragement and help in time of need. 

Have you made the Lord Jesus Christ YOUR Lord and savior? If not, please invite Him into your heart and life today. Allow Him to guide you from this moment on and accept His forgiveness for your sins. Allow Him to be the bridge between you and your heavenly Father, who loves you so much. Find a bible and start reading the story of God and get to know Jesus as your all and all. The bible says, if a sinner comes to Christ, all heavens (angels) rejoice. I want to rejoice with you. Please leave me a message here or a prayer request. 

Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year. 

Have you looked at Psalm 33 lately?

Have you looked at Psalm 33  lately?

What an amazing statement about God. 

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

He loves it when we sing to Him. Worship the Lord in Spirit and truth. With a melody of instruments. The praises of the upright are beautiful to God. Now that is my aim to bring something beautiful to Him. What else could we give Him that He doesn't already own?  Except ourselves.

We don\t really know who wrote this Psalm, but it is probable that David did. It fits his character. 

When was the last time, you were singing to the Lord?

No, not on Sunday morning with the choir or the worship team. 

I mean YOU singing from your heart to the Lord? Sing with a shout of joy. Joy is a gift and a choice. 

The joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

It pleases God when we worship Him. He inhabits the praises of His people. And by His gift of Joy, we have His strength to overcome heaviness.

When we sing, we sing of the great things God has done for us and about who He is. Singing His Word, which is alive will bring us tremendous joy. 

Singing should be a joyful, uplifting endeavor and not gloomy and dark. There is no gloom and darkness in God and therefore, we ought to sing of His greatness and to our encouragement.

Sing, Oh children of God, sing! 

As always, please let me pray for you. Don't hesitate to ask for prayer. He, the Holy One of Israel hears our prayers and answers them. 

Our God is Yahweh Yireh, He will provide

Our God is Yahweh Yireh, He will provide

Genesis 22:8,14

The Lord God has always been our provider. But the heart of men can grow cold toward Him and pride demands self-sufficiency.

Here are some examples of how I have experienced God's provision in my  life at certain times:

Like Daniel

Nothing dangerous, no consequences of being in a place of others harming me.

Like Job

None of my friends wanting me to deviate from God's plan.

Sickness and decease do not kill me. Satan has to ask for permission.

Like Elijah

Being fed by others as he was fed by ravens.

Like Paul

Being blessed by others in all sorts of ways.

In order to see these kinds of blessing, self has to be layed down and killed daily. There is safety and peace in God's provision in many ways. 

First: I don't have to rely on my own understanding. His ways of provision and blessings are without repentance. Meaning they are the very best for us and we will not be sorry for it. 

Second: Relationships develop out of His provision and blessings. 

What has kicked satan out of the heavens? 

Not God, but pride. God just enforced His law on satan because of his pride.

During this Christmas season, it can be difficult for many, even painful. Not having the means to provide Christmas presents, food, not having companionship etc. 

I would encourage you to go to God. Pray for provision with expectation. Talk to God and allow Him to be your heavenly Father, providing the things you need. Remain humble before Him and you will see your prayer answered. Believe He is God and can, will provide for you. 

I would love to pray for you. Don't hesitate to ask for prayer. 

Healing in His wings

“...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.”

Ephesians 1:17-19

“But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings, And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.”

Malachi 4:2

Both verses speak of something God wants to do for us and give to us.

Both are emphasizing that we need to have wisdom, power and healing to grow and flourish.

Both are making it clear: it is He who works in us and through us.

Yesterday morning, during prayer time with our church congregation, I heard the Lord whisper Malachi 4:2.

I came to this prayer meeting tired, my feet hurt with stinging and burning. I could hardly walk, This came because I had dared to walk over 20 miles within the last 6 days. Also, having been up since 2:30 am, the night before.

As I heard this verse, I realized that my feet did not hurt any longer. So I stood up and yes, no more pain!! I started jumping and walking, no pain at all! Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus.

What a wonderful thing to do. This is part of our inheritance. Healing. By His stripes we are healed, the word of God says.

And yes, obedience probably played a role. I needed to be at this prayer meeting instead of staying at home, sleeping or whatever else. I made my way to the meeting and received the Lord Himself with His healing power. Mind you, no one laid hands on me, no one prayed directly for or with me.

Jesus is all we need!

What is it today that you need? Healing, provision, peace?

Jesus is willing and able to provide. Believe in Jesus, that He is the son of God, born of a virgin. Died on a cross and raised again on the third day and you shall receive! Then you shall receive the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. and be saved.

Feeling like going to the pit?

O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 

Ps.30:3-4

Have you ever felt so low, as if you are on your way to the pit? Well, King David did.

To be honest, I did too. There have been days of despair, feeling as if I would never be able to return to a time of peace.

But the Word of God tells us that peace comes from within, Christ in us!

He is the Prince of Peace. 

As we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, He is our Peace as well. 

Still, we will experience times of defeat, doubt, and discouragement. Not to harm us but to change us. To change us into the likeness of Christ. If we allow it to change us. 

Goodness, just look at the sufferings Jesus had to endure. Jesus was sent to do the Will of God, so are we. 

It is this co-laboring thing we need to work out for ourselves. When to let God do His work in us and when to move/work. Not to work as if we labor according to the world's standards. But to labor in the Kingdom: obedience, preaching the Gospel, penetrate the marketplace (yes also by working a job), praying for others and so on. 

We are the workmanship of Christ (Eph.2:10) and we are able to fulfill the Will of God through and in Christ Jesus. 

As we are walking, working and looking to God for all of our sufficiency, we are to encourage each other (1Thess.5:11)  in order to stand and believe the Will of God for our life. In order to stand in the days of evil, resisting the devil and moving through the valleys of  our lives 

Easier said than done, you say? Yes, that is where the fellowship of believers comes in place. So that iron can sharpen iron. 

Being in a relationship with believers of Christ is for our benefit and safety. In the multitude of counselors, there is safety (Prov. 24:6). 

Coming back to the beginning of this blog. When we feel down and out, we have to know where and who is our safety net. 

Yes, God needs to be our first address, but that is not always the first thing on our mind when wallowing in the mud. God uses His church to serve one another.

A wise woman in my church told me: "Find the one you can trust!" And God provided!

Father, I pray today will be the day for Your children to allow them to be encouraged, strengthened and uplifted by others in Christ, I pray for those with heavy hearts to receive Your easy yoke and help in their time of meed. In Jesus' Name. AMEN

Unburden myself in His presence

When we spend time with God to learn about Him, (reading His word and praying) it will definitely bring us closer to Him.
But here is another aspect that I think gets forgotten:
When in His presence, we can unburden ourselves and letting go of today in order to NOT take burdens from today into tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own.

So one day at the time! Whether not thinking about tomorrow or taking today's burden into tomorrow. It all comes down to living TODAY and making the most of it, for the Kingdom of Heaven.

If it has been a while for you, spending time with God, use the model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 and wait for Him to speak to your heart.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

I am often a sobbing mess before God for many reasons. and I can tell you, I feel much better throughout my day if I unburden myself!
After all, Jesus is the best counselor !!

"You are my peace"....by Housefires is a great song that helps me to remember in whom I need and can trust.

And I hear the Father say:

"Come to Me and give me your heart,I will not disappoint you! Your heart and soul is safe in my hands. Take a step toward Me and I take a step toward you. Lay your burden at my feet and I will care for you! You are My child and I love you so very much!