Today's thought - 18 September 2026 (God is a God of second chances)

 

So, finally Samson gave in after hours and hours of consistent nagging from Delilah. He moaned and looked down at his feet. He knew that he was about to break his promise with God but his irritation with her ongoing questions and his own desire to please her distanced him from God. The last and only thing that kept Him protected, he gave up and he told her his secret to his limitless power….

Bound with chains on a grinder in prison, this once powerful foe of the Philistines was now just another prisoner and ridiculed daily as a prize to his enemies. Pushing that grinder day in and day out was humiliating for a man who had it all, yet slowly his hair began to grow back…

Samson stood between the two main pillars of the temple. In the midst of the cheers and the laughter he could not look up, nor could he see the faces of his enemies. His heart was heavy with remorse and as he trembled calling to God to be merciful to him and once more grant him the strength to break the pillars and bring the roof down. God heard his cry and God forgave him…

How are you, my friend? We read in Luke 15:20 when the prodigal son returned, “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him”.

His father did not stand and wait. His father ran to him. For every step he took his father took ten steps. God is not a distant God and God is not a God that holds a grudge and God is not a God that wants to destroy you and punish you. Yes, we must be accountable for the wrongs we do, but God will not keep them against you. We read that the father ran towards him and hugged and kissed him. He did not stop and asked him where he went and what he did and where is all his money. No, he embraced him and clothed him and fed him. He removed his shame and gave him a garment of praise and removed the spirit of heaviness.

God is a God of second chances and believe me, I know. I had my fair share of second, third or hundredth of second chances. Samson had it all and yet he failed almost every test God placed in front of him. Did God abandon him? No, God distanced Himself from Samson when he turned his back on God, but God never left him. When he stood humbled and broken before God, God redeemed him. God forgave him and answered his prayer. Samson’s name is listed in Hebrews 11 amongst the likes of Moses and David. He is on God’s wall of fame and yet he made all the mistakes you can make.

My dear friend, your past does not define you. Your mistakes do not define you. Your colour does not define you. Your origins do not define you. People do not define you. God does. The minute you realise you can not do this life thing on your own and that you need to abide in Jesus and give Him all this past and present crap, is the moment you will be free. He does not sit and watch at a distance as you struggle to return. No, He runs to you and picks you up and bless you.

My friend, Jesus gave His life for you. This makes you very valuable. The world can not put a value on that because the world seeks value in perishables. God sees value in what He is willing to pay the ultimate price for. And that is you.

So, say this after me. Jesus loves me and He gave His life for me. I am free of my past, my mistakes and my problems because I give it all to Him. His peace is on me, and His Spirit is in me. I am forgiven and I am free and I am a child of God. I will fear nothing because He who is in me, is far greater than he who comes against me. In the mighty name of Jesus.

Have an awesome day, mighty warrior.

Today's thought - 17 September 2026 (Anger, resentment and unforgiveness)

 

How are you, my friend? I hope that you are walking closer with the Holy Spirit and that you are filled with His power and that you are resisting the enemy in all things.

As we continue to look at Samson’s life and the things he battled with and how it is relevant to us I want to remind you of Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

There is a few things that stands out from Samson’s life like fornication, uncleanness, hatred, contentions (an angry disagreement), outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions and murders. We read in Judges 14:19, “So his anger was aroused”.  In Judges 15:7 we read, Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.” In Judges 16:1 we read, “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her”.

We can see from the list that Samson struggled with several sins which finally ended his reign and he was captured. Now anger, bitterness, hatred and resentment are weapons the enemy uses well. These are the things that can control us and destroy us and steal our joy. It can bind you and keep you in bondage for a long time.

Jesus said that you must love your enemy and do good to them. He also said that you must love one another as He loves us. If we look back at Galatians 5:22-23 Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patiently enduring), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”.

Love, peace and kindness are on that list. I know it is easier said than done. I know they wronged you bad and they deserve whatever it is that you think they should get. I know it is hard to forget what they did to you and I know it still cuts deep inside you. I know the pain is still there, and I know it still hurts. I know you are angry and I know you want revenge.

Is it worth it? No. What does God say? “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord”. Can you forgive them, yes, you can. Can you forget it, maybe not. Can you let it go, yes, you can. Can you do it on your own, no you can’t.

To be honest and I have been there where you might be now, it is not worth it, and it will kill you. It is designed to keep you chained and to keep you bound. It is only by submitting to the Lord and giving it all to Him that you will be fully released from it. It is by forgiving and letting go that you destroy the power the enemy has over you and finally by loving you will fully remove it from your life. Yes, we would love to repay them the same way, but we also know we are not fighting against flesh and blood, and forgiving is not so easy, but in it lies a great reward. Once it is lifted and you are free from it, you can live. Your joy will return and the Lord will set you free. Leave the repay part to the Lord. He will deal with that in His time and in His way, what is important is that you are released from it and that there is no more place for it in your life.

When Jesus hung on that cross He said. “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”.

So, forgive, forget and let go of it. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and heal you with His love and let Him restore your joy.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 16 September 2026 (You shall receive power)

 

How are you, my friend? I hope you are well on your way to defeat all temptations in your life. I want to talk to you about power. We read in Judges 14:6 that a young lion attacked Samson, and it says, “The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him”. The result is that Samson killed the lion with his bare hands, ripping it apart as if it was a young goat.

This is actually remarkable, but you can also do it. Ok, I know you now have this image in your head with this lion that is running towards you ready to devour you and instead of steading yourself to fight it, you turned around and are heading for the nearest tree.

Yes, that is all of us. When you meet the king of the jungle here in Africa, you will have second thoughts on taking him on in his turf.

Now let me explain my statement, “You can also do it”. If you look back at what I wrote I said that the lion is ready to devour you. We read in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.

In Samson’s example the young lion is the enemy that came against him. We read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he killed (defeated) the lion easily. In other words, the enemy (satan) is like a young lion walking about ready to destroy you, but with the Holy Spirit you will receive power and this power will allow you to destroy (resist) the enemy.

We read in James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”. Now please note that it does not start with, “Resist the enemy and he will flee from you” as many misquote it. It starts distinctly with, “Submit to God” first and then resist the enemy. Why? Oooo I am glad you asked.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Ok, let me rephrase. Submit to God is surrendering totally to God and walking with Him in a close relationship. It means that you read your Bible every day, pray every day, go to your small groups or homecells and go to church. It means that you live a life that is hungry for God and for more of His presence. Then you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit fills you and dwells in you. This is the same power that Samson received that made him destroy the lion and this is the same power that will allow you to resist the enemy and step into your purpose aaaaaaaaaand overcome all that comes against you.

I want to say, I greed you mighty warrior of God. My friend, I have said it so many times that there is more to you than meets the eye. You are a mighty warrior, believe it, because God does.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 15 September 2026 (Be careful what you desire)

 

How are you my friend? I hope you are well and that you are stepping deeper into your purpose as we discussed yesterday. We are looking at Samson and there are a couple of things I want to talk to you about that Samson did and I believe they are relevant to what we face in today’s life.

We read in Judges 14 that Samson saw a woman in Timnah and he desired her. The Bible says she pleased him well, meaning that she was a very beautiful woman. So, I do not know if you had a similar experience in your life. There is always that woman or man that knocks you of your feet. We like to say the phrase, “Drop dead gorgeous”.

Now in Samson’s example, he picked the woman based on her looks, her beauty, even though she was a Phillistine. He went against the advice of his father and the guidelines of God. So, we can say he chose with his eyes (carnal needs) and not his heart (spiritual needs). As we continue in this story of his life, we can see that Samson often made the same mistake by making decisions based on what he saw rather than listening to the guidance of other or God.

We can say that Samson lived an isolated life based on his own needs and often rebelled against the regulations of his people. His strength set him apart from everyone, but his eyes destroyed his anointing and finally ended his life.

Jesus says in Matthew 18:9. “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire”.

Ok do not worry, I am not saying pluck out your eye. Jesus meant you must take extreme steps to remove bad habits and temptations from your life. He emphasises that the result of sin and rebelling against God can end in hell. It means that there are things in life we do not need or should not allow into our lives because the consequences are severe.

Satan is after your testimony. He is after the Word of God. He is after the seed in your hands. If he can make you comfortable with the sin or temptations in your life, he steals the Word from you and destroys your seed. He renders you powerless and then you are not a threat to him anymore.

Ephesians 4:30 says. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”.

He remains that still small voice, and it is imperative that you recognise it and do not quench it or resist it. He will save you. We read in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”.

God will not allow you to be tempted above what you can bear and even in it, He will make a way out or show you a way out. Again, it is in the still small voice that we will find the answers and the guidance and strength to overcome.

Remember, you are a winner and you can do anything through Jesus Christ who strengthens you.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 14 September 2026 (You are born with purpose)

 

How are you my friend? I do hope you are well and that you will have a great day. I want to talk to you about purpose, because at some point in our lives we need to understand that God has a plan and a purpose with each one of us. We have a calling and we have a purpose. Our calling is our work or business, and our purpose is in the work we do for God. We read in Jeremiah 1:5, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

What is purpose? Purpose means the reason for which something is done, created, or exists, or an intended goal that guides an action. Samson was born with purpose. In Judges 13:5 we read, “For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Alright, before I get ahead of myself let's start with Jeremiah. God says He knew you before you were born. Before you were formed in you mother’s womb. Now this is very important stuff. You see God planned you, even if your parents did not. Even if the circumstances of your birth were not natural or as they say an accident. Yes, it requires a man and a woman for the two types of cells to combine, but the actual creation of the person you are today was by God’s hand. His work as He formed you. So, yes, you are a miracle and a winner because you won your first race against all the other millions of cells that competed for the victory in that moment.

Now just as the angel told Samson’s parents what his purpose was going to be, God installs in you a purpose that He has already seen before you were conceived.

Plus, to make that purpose more achievable He gave His only son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were sinners. So, He died knowing you will be born and knowing that your sin was on Him as He was nailed to that cross.

Ok, so it might be a bit much to process in one day, but what I need you to understand, and I need you to speak this out load – “I am not a mistake. I am a child of God. I am designed and formed by His hands. I am perfect and I am blessed”.

Now, you could sit there and think, yes but Samson had all this strength, and He was so strong and feared. No, wrong, I am telling you that there is nothing that was given to Samson, that you do not have. Why? I am glad you asked. You see the same God that created Samson, is the same God that created you and… BIG AND… the same power that came on Samson and gave him the ability to defeat his enemies is the same power that is in you and that will give you the ability, wisdom and strength to defeat your enemies and overcome your battles.

As Psalm 139:14 states – “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. Fearfully means to not be scared like Psalm 23 says even when I walk through the valley of death, I will fear nothing. Wonderfully means that you are set apart and unique. It means you are valuable to God and each one of us are made with a purpose and a plan.

Yes, you are perfect and yes, you have purpose.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 11 September 2026 (Jesus loves you more)

 

How are you my friend? It is a beautiful Friday here in South Africa and a very nice and warm day. I do hope you are well. I have been writing to you this week on challenges and how we can better be prepared for what we face and do by dealing with them with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This morning in my prayer time the Holy Spirit took me to Psalm 147, and I am looking at verse 3, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds”.

Now what is important is to see how the Holy Spirit ties up the week. So, bear with me as we go back in time. We started with hunger. As the deer pants (hunger) for water so does my soul hunger for the Lord. He walks with me through my battles and everywhere my foot steps God will give me victory over my challenges and my battles. As I continue to do good and to seek God even when I am desperate in my valley and in the trouble around me, I will follow His Word and seek His will and His ways above my own. And then God says that He will heal the broken hearted and bandage their wounds. He will give comfort to the hurt and the pain, and He will heal the sorrow and the loss.

Who is this amazing God we worship. He counts the stars and calls them by name. His power is absolute and His understanding is beyond our own comprehension. He who gives rain to the ground and water to the plants. He who watches over the birds and the flowers loved us so much that He gave His life to save us.

His delight is in those who fear (respect and honor) Him and who do good even in the tribulations they have. He strengthens your defenses against the relentless attacks of the enemy and He blesses you. He gives you peace when you are overwhelmed and anxious and He satisfies your hunger by dwelling in you and giving you power to stand up one more time.

My dear friend, God knows, God sees and God acts. He is the one we go to, and He is the one we surrender all of us to. He is the one who goes before us, and He is the one who has vengeance. Be strong and courageous and know that as He was with Moses He is with you.

He will bring forth water from a stone. Life from what was lost and He will protect you in the day with a cloud and by night He will be like a warm fire in you that comforts you and give you peace so that you will walk safely through the wilderness. He will part the water so that you can walk through the storms and He will deliver you from what was trying to destroy you. He will give you victory over your enemies so that you can walk with confidence in the land that He has given you.

Oh wow, that is so cool.

Have an awesome day, my friend. I love you but Jesus loves you more.

Today's thought - 10 September 2026 (As for me)

 

How are you, my friend? I just want to say again that I do not take writing to you lightly and I follow the Holy Spirit and His guidance when I write my blog. It is a privilege to share God’s Word and the thoughts He places on my heart with you. I am honored to be able to write this, and I am grateful for this gift and this responsibility that God gave me.

The Holy Spirit guided me to Job 5 today and I guess it must be because I am so tired the last couple of days. I don’t know how you are doing but I am exhausted and reading Job and just taking it all to the Lord just gave me that peace again. You know when Paul writes and He says take all to God in prayer and His peace that surpasses all understanding will flow through you. Jip, that peace.

My verse is from Job 5:8-9 and I have to give a bit of context here. It contains the continuation of the first speech by Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job's friends, as he responds to Job's deep despair and suffering. 

Now he says wrath (resentment) kills a foolish man and envy (jealousy) slays (kills) the simple. It is important that we understand he argues that God’s punishment is for sin, yet God does allow things into our lives to realign us and to prepare us for what lies ahead and sometimes God will chastise us as a good father does, but in Job’s case we know that the reason for his troubles was not a result of a hidden wrong he did.

But what is said and this is what God again places in my heart are what is said in verse 8, “But as for me, I would seek God”. This is vital and he goes on and say that God gives rain to the earth and water to the fields, and He saves us from the wicked and He will deliver us from our troubles.

This kind off ties to what Jesus said when He said look at the birds and the flowers. Do not worry for our Father knows what you need and as I have written before Jesus goes on and say but seek first the kingdom of heaven.

So, what is God saying today. Well, I am glad you asked. You see God is saying that nothing happens without cause and that He has everything in His hands. He’s got you and all that you are going through each day safely in His hands. He knows your sorrow and your suffering, and He will deliver you from it. Yes, it may be tough today but as we continue to seek Him, He will deliver us. Just stand up one more time. Fight one more day. Try one more time. There is power in the name of Jesus and there is power in your words.

I said yesterday, as God was with Moses so is He with you and everywhere your foot will step God will give victory. It is in our faith, because we walk by faith, and in our obedience, because we obey His Word and His guidance, and in our trust in Him that we will see this mountain move. We will see this storm become silent and we will walk fearlessly through this valley.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. In Him we find our strength to go on. Remember Jesus did not carry His cross halfway and gave up. He carried it all the way to the top and yes, Simon helped. In the same way you will receive help whether it is people of angels and finally Jesus went to the cross and gave His life and in this sacrifice, He changed everything. In the same way when we continue through our battles all the way to the end, we will see all things change and work out for good.

My fear friend, I pray that God will bless you and increase you. I pray that His hand will be upon you and that no evil will come near you. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 09 September 2026 (Everywhere I walk)

 

How are you my friend? The week is steadily moving forward and this morning the Holy Spirit took me to Joshua 1. The verse I want to focus on is verse 3 and it reads like this, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses”.

Ok before we get into this it is important to emphasise this statement that God makes four times in this chapter - “Be strong and courageous”.

Why? Why does God say that we should be strong and courageous. As the season is changing and we are moving into summer our personal season is also changing. God is taking us into a new season, and He is doing a new thing.

Every season will have its own battles, but every season prepares us for what God has prepared for us. Every season leads us closer to God as we seek Him and desire Him more. You see it should be more of Jesus and less of us as we journey from season to season.

Now God says be strong and courageous, but He very clearly says that as He was with His servant Moses, He will be with us (you and me). God says He will not fail you and He will not abandon you. Every step you take and everywhere you set foot you will possess.

In other words, in every battle, you face God will give you victory, just be strong and courageous in it and then He says and this part is just as important and I am repeating this verse for effect – “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do (verse 8 NLT)”.

God says that we must read His Word (Bible) and meditated on it day and night and be obedient to the Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit and then, yes, you will prosper.

My friend in a nutshell. As Paul says do not be anxious about anything and in all things bring it to God in prayer and supplication (A humble, earnest, and urgent petition or plea made to God from a deep sense of personal need or lack).

Do not worry about tomorrow but seek first the kingdom of God. Do not be afraid because God will never fail you or abandon you and God will give you victory and increase in all areas of your life.

So, again I pray that God will bless you and increase your territory. I pray that His hand will be upon you and that no evil will come close to you. I pray that God will bless you increasingly and abundantly above all you can imagine or dream so that you can bless other. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 08 September 2026 (Always try to be good)

 

How are you, my friend? As the days basically fly by and we are beginning to approach the end of the year we are tired and exhausted from what has been a busy year. I do not know what your year looked like, but I can only assume you have seen your fair share of challenges and may still be going through bigger or like me the same trial.

We are reading 1 Peter 2 and the verse the Holy Spirit pointed me to is verse 21, “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps (NLT)”.

To be honest at this time of the year there are people I would prefer like my tea. In a bag and under water. Haha, sorry I am just kidding, but in our battles, it can be very hard to do the “do good” part as Peter writes here.

He basically says in verse 19 that God is pleased with those who endure unjust treatment or tribulation while being constantly conscious of God’s will. In other words, while you are facing all these troubles and trials you are constantly seeking God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I know it is not easy and I know it can be impossible at times, but the Holy Spirit is guiding me with this scripture, because I feel that I am at my last. I feel that I had enough of this nonsense and how long must this battle still rage on.

So, my Word is not to discourage you but instead to encourage you. What you need to remember here is that Jesus personally carried our sins in His body on that cross. He did this incredible thing so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds we are healed. I have to say this again; we are healed by His wounds.

There is nothing God can’t do, but it is important that we do the difficult part so that God can do the impossible. We have to stay in this fight and battle on, and God will change it all and change it in His time and according to His plan.

Now Peter says we must do good while we remain patient at this time or in what we face. One thing we need to change is what we say. How we say it and what we speak over our situation. Be careful to become negative and refrain from speaking negative words over or in your situation. Say only what is good and uplifting and it will change your outcome. There is power in your words, and you need to remember this every time you say something.

Now, it does not only stop with us, but it flows from within us. Jesus said streams of living water will from you and if you abide in Him and He in you, you will bear much fruit. This is a promise and to follow this will not just change your situation, but your life, because as you begin to bear fruit, you will increase and as you increase your situation will become smaller and smaller until it is no more. Yes, there will always be another trial but the growth you will have through this one will make next mountain a hill.

I pray that God will bless and increase you and that His hand will be upon you and that no evil will come near you. I pray that as God blesses you more, you will be a greater blessing to other. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 07 September 2026 (A deep desire)

 

How are you, my friend? I do hope you had a great weekend, and you are well rested. Sometimes we wake up and it feels like we are not ready for this day. It feels like you should have slept more or you feel you must just stay in bed.

This morning I am reading Psalm 42 and verse one is just one of my favorites. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God”.

So, my question on this wonderful and blessed Monday is, “How hungry are you for Jesus Christ”.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:17-19, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness”.

Paul continues and says that we should put away or rather let go of the “old man”. Our past self, the one who is corrupt by the needs and wants of the world. He says we should be renewed in the spirit of our minds. In other words, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. So, that we can put on the new man, the new life we have in Jesus Christ.

Every day has its own challenges, and I have written to you before that you should not worry about tomorrow but as Jesus said focus on today. Jesus said that worry will not add one thing to your life, and we know that we should not be anxious about anything but rather pray about everything. Jesus said our Farther knows what we need. He knows our sorrows and He knows what we need.

We read in James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Now back to my verse in Psalm 42. As the deer longs for and desires the cold steams in the mountain, so should we desire the warmth and love of our Father. The infilling of the Holy Spirit and the power of our Lord. We should desire Him more and desire an intimate relationship with Him. We should fully let go of the old man and embrace the new man. This comes from fervent prayer. A fervent prayer is a passionate, deeply sincere, and heartfelt request made to God with intense focus and genuine emotion. And I want to add with persistence.

My dear friend, this is vital to our day-to-day battles and something you should never neglect or stop. It is so important that we abide in Jesus and He in us and I can not emphasise this more. I can’t make it through a day if I did not start my day in prayer and reading the Bible. I feel so much closer to the Lord, and I hear the Holy Spirit much clearer as I draw nearer and deeper to the Lord. We have to understand what Jesus said when He said that without Him, we can do nothing and with Him we can do anything.

My prayer for you today is this. I pray that you will feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your prayer time and that you will have an encounter with Him every time. I pray that you will be filled with His power and strength and that He will bless you and enlarge your territory. I pray that God’s hand will be upon you and that no evil will come near you, in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day.