Today's thought - 30 July 2026 (Time invested)

 

My verse this morning is Galatians 5:25, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (NIV)”. We have been looking at the biblical principal of seedtime and harvest and the reason we are focussing so much on it is simply by applying this very basic principle in all areas of our lives and then we will see a harvest of overflowing. As Jesus said, life in abundance.

So today I feel it in my heart just to emphasize where we should invest our time. Now believe me, I am writing as much for me as I am writing for you, my friend.

In Galatians 5 Paul points us to the things we should stay away from, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery*; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord*, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions*, factions (clique) and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”.

** Debauchery means wild, bad, or immoral behaviour involving too much alcohol, drugs, or sex. It describes a time of heavy partying where people completely lose their self-control and chase physical pleasures.

** Discord means a lack of agreement, a harsh mix of sounds, or the popular online chat application.

** Dissension means strong disagreement, a difference of opinion, or a lack of harmony that causes fighting or division within a group

These are the bad seed examples as per Galatians 5. Then Paul continues to write about the good seed but interesting in verse 14 Paul says, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. This is the exact thing Jesus said when said in Matthew 22, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it love your neighbour as yourself”.

Now if we invest in this and take the time to sow good seed into our relationships and into our prayer life, we will reap a bountiful harvest that will overflow in our lives.

My dear friend, do not waste your time on the things of this world but keep investing in the things of heaven. Apply this in all areas of your life and your will touch lives and save lives. That is why we life by faith and that is why the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and that is why we seek God above all other things and that is why the peace of our Lord Jesus flows through us that surpasses all understanding. That is why we are more than conquerors.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 29 July 2026 (Time wasted)

 

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word (Psalm 119:37 NIV).

We are continuing with seed, time and harvest. We know that when a farmer plants his crop time must pass before the harvest. In this time period, the farmer can work his land by watering it and spraying pesticide to protect his harvest. It is a constant process of work until the harvest is ready.

What do we do with our time when we are in God’s waiting room? We can find other things to do instead to give God the first fruit of our day. We can sleep late or make another coffee or watch the news or tik-tok or Facebook or whatever keeps you occupied and away from your time with God. Then you run out of time and sometimes it becomes this quick prayer and when God does not do the things you ask you get angry and you see this time as a waste.

In reality it is this time that we give God and seek Him and prioritise Him that we gain so much more. You see we need to do our part first and seek Him and seek to build an intimate relationship with Him so that God can work through us. What we apply to our worldly relationships, applies even more to God. You cannot have a relationship with someone based on what you can gain from them. It is a giving and receiving principal. You do not marry your wife because she can take care of you and you can sit at home and do nothing. When we meet someone, we build a relationship with them where we get to know them and understand them and know their intimate thoughts and needs.

With God that is even more important. How do we get to know Him? By spending time with Him in prayer and in worship and by reading His Word. You are in control of your touch gate, see gate, feel gate and mouth gate. What we allow into our lives is what we become.

So, steer away from what the world says and seek more of God. An intimate relationship with God means having a deep, personal connection with Him that goes beyond mere religious rituals or superficial knowledge. It involves open communication, mutual trust, and a heart-based bond where you feel fully known, loved, and guided by God in your daily life.

Now, do not waste time in watering your seed with the wrong stuff. In the end we reap what we sow and if we sow bad seed and we nurture that we will have a bad harvest. If we gossip, hate, get angry, say bad things and keep grudges we will sow that back into our lives. Jesus said He came to give you life and life in abundance. To gain this harvest we must run from negativity and worldly things and seek heavenly things.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you into a more and intimate relationship with Him, in the mighty name of Jesus.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 28 July 2026 (Time)

We are looking at the principle of seed-time and harvest. Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, and day and night Shall not cease.”

I have written earlier that if you are not patient in the time phase you will become a patient. We have looked the past few days about the seed, and we saw how Daniel sowed good seed into his life by the way he walked with God and how he honoured God in his work and his relationships. We saw that King Darius signed the new law, but when he realised it was designed to destroy Daniel the king stayed awake all night fasting. We read in Daniel 6:18-19, “Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also, his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions”.

The king did not react in this way because he felt guilty, he was truly concerned about Daniel knowing who Daniel was and this is purely because of the seed that Daniel sowed in his life. God saved Daniel from the lions and judgement fell on those who desired to destroy him. God intervened but God also touched lives with this miracle.

That is why our time phase is of such importance. Now, why do people give up in the time phase?

There are probably hundreds of reasons but personally I think it comes down to fear, anxiety, stress and intimidation. We face these impossible situations, and it becomes to much and we give up. We believe the lies of the enemy, and we allow negative seed into our lives. The result is giving up and allowing failure to dictate who we are.

The only way to defeat the enemy and to stand in the impossible is in our relationship with our Lord. The time we spend in the Word, prayer and worship and in seeking a more and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In my battle I can truly confess to this. There are days when it just feels too much. The time, the lies, the costs, work and worry for my little girl. It is only by the time I spend in the Word and walking closely with the Holy Spirit that I can face these battles. He is my strength and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. As David writes, “Wait patiently on the Lord”. God can only work if we give it all to Him. Negativity blocks anointing but speaking life will release anointing.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 27 July 2026 (Do not eat your seed)

 

How are you, my friend? I hope you had an awesome weekend and that your day will be filled with joy. Our Pastor talked about seed again on Sunday and specifically you must not eat (use) the seed you have but instead sow (plant) it and wait on the harvest.

It takes me back to Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days”.

Daniel knew that this law, this new decree was initiated to remove him from his position because of hate and jealousy. What did he do? He ignored the world as Paul writes in Romans 8:5, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit”.

Daniel continued with his way of life seeking God and honouring God by praying three times a day. Pastor Maldonado writes in his books that prayer is the basis on which we get to know God and where we seek Him and build our intimate relationship with Him. It is in this relationship and reading the Word of God that we get to know God and this increases our faith and our hope.

So, Daniel was walking closely with God and knowing that even if he will be thrown into the pit of lions that God will be with him and God will deliver him from it.

What is important is the seed that he sowed into his life and his relationship with God. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit of lions with the struggles we face, and we are overwhelmed by the whole situation. In our walk with God in our relationship with Him we will enter into a place where God is more real to us than the trees in your neighbourhood. This is when we know God will shut the mouths of the lions that comes against us and deliver us even if it seems impossible, because we know that nothing is too difficult for God and us seeking Him above all else will also deliver us from the enemy.

So, when our Pastor said do not eat your seed, he means that you should not doubt that which is in your hands. The harvest is impossible without the seed. This is a simple principal, but it will change your life. We reap what we sow. There is power in our words and what we say and believe has a direct effect on our harvest. If we do not make time for God, our seed will not be good. If we do not walk with Him our seed will not be good. If we do not speak positive life-giving words over our situation our seed will not be good. It is what we put in that we will see manifesting in our lives. If we speak and believe the word of God, we will see His promises come to life in our lives. The only way we can do this is by moving. If you want to see change you have to initiate it. If you want to see improvement in your finances, you need to do more than just be average. Be the best in your job. Give the best client service. Be more than what your boss wanted and be the change in your work. God can only move when we step up in faith and as we know faith without works is dead.

So, steer clear of gossip and negativity and be the change you want to see and trust God in all you do, then He will open the doors to your work or business and by putting Him first you will be rewarded.

Have faith, sow good seed, and speak life over all the areas of your life. Live with a kind, forgiving and giving attitude and give God the glory – always.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 24 July 2026 (Types of seed)

 

This morning I want to briefly look at the types of seed we have and that we sow. Now we read in Mark 4:26-28, And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

Three things we need to meditate on. One, the farmer needed seed, two there is time between the sowing and the harvest and three in the time phase (God’s waiting room) we are prepared for the harvest.

Our Pastor said this morning if you do not remain patient in God’s wating room you will become a patient. Now before we address time, I want to stop at seed. The message of the Kingdom has its own inherent power to change lives. Our role is to scatter it widely.

It is in essence a law of cause and effect. What you put in is what you get out. What you say is what you become. What the heart is full of will run out in the mouth. What we sow we will reap. What you put out into the world will eventually return to you. Planting seeds of kindness yields a harvest of goodwill, while planting negativity yields conflict. You can have good seed or bad seed.

Now it is important to know or remember that seed is not just what we give but also what we allow into our lives. We control the gates to our eyes, ears and mouth. That is why God says guard your heart and take captive your thoughts. If we think we can accomplish all we have to do and overcome all we face by our own strength and ability, we are gravely mistaken.

Zechariah 4:6 states, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit”. We can only succeed with and by the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us and that as I said before why we need to constantly seek Him and ask Him to fill us again. The attacks of the enemy deplete us, so it is imperative that we seek the kingdom of God above all else and desire a new filling of the Holy Spirit each day.

Coming back to seed. What we say over ourselves and what we believe ultimately determines how we will face our challenges. So, please sow good seed and speak life over your situation. Seek God’s Word and apply it in your life and speak His Word over your life and your family and your battles.

God says that His thoughts about you is good and not evil so that you can have a future and a hope. Remember this and say it to yourself.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 23 July 2026 (Seed)

In Daniel 5 in summary, it is when King Belshazzar of Babylon hosts a lavish feast using sacred gold cups taken from the Jerusalem temple. A disembodied hand suddenly writes a message on the wall. After his wise men fail to interpret it, Daniel is summoned. Daniel translates the ominous message, rebukes the king's arrogance, and announces Babylon's immediate fall. 

What happens here is directly related to Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”.

The king had a huge party in in this they brought in the gold cups taken from the temple (the house of God) and they drank from them and then gave praise to their idols of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

MENE....UPHARSIN. The word of condemnation was brief but powerful, a terse and simple Aramaic statement literarily translated: "Having been counted, having been counted, having been weighed, and having been divided." Why the wise men could not read it remains a mystery. Perhaps it was written in an archaic script or vertically rather than horizontally, or perhaps God confused their minds. Daniel skips the translation and immediately gives the grim interpretation. Time was up for Belshazzar personally (MENE and TEKEL are singular referring directly to him) and the kingdom corporately (UPHARSIN is plural referring to the Message Fulfilled in Daniel 5:29-31).

Now there is much in this chapter to write about, but I want to refrain from the lesson of material things and substance abuse and rather focus on personal growth.

I have written before that I take writing my blog very serious and the message the Holy Spirit places on my heart or teaches me is very important. I believe that anyone can write a nice message and anyone can quote a few scriptures and make you ponder on the Word of God, but what is faith without works. John Bevere loves to quote, “You will know them by their fruit”. How people live and what they do and say is part of that fruit.

I cannot sit here and write a nice blog, but my life resembles no power of the Holy Spirit. Just as King Nebuchadnezzar had to go through his wilderness, many of us has to go through trials and tribulation in life. Yesterday I felt like I was at the end of my strength. After my visit with my little girl, I felt that my bond with her has been so damaged by all of this and that I feel as important in her life as anyone else working in her mom’s house or a friend who temporarily visits and leave. It began to feel as if I am losing my daughter and I wondered at the end of all of this how long will it take to restore that and is it even possible. This made me depressed and I honestly could not see what I am fighting for, because it seems not only have, I lost a ton of money by this, but I have also lost my daughter.

Now at this point I wish to introduce you to a Biblical principal in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, and day and night Shall not cease.”

I want to focus on seed-time and harvest. There are different types of seed that we carry with us, and the value of that seed depends on how we apply/use/distribute it. The seed I want to look at today is the seed we sow in our own lives. Proverbs 23:7 states, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”. That which we think or allow into our lives determine the effectiveness of what we do for the Lord (the harvest). I have said to you that we limit the Holy Spirit, and we dampen our faith for we become more knowledge based than “works/faith” based.

Coming back to my day yesterday. The minute I realized that I am responding in doubt over God’s Word I repented. God showed me that the words we speak has a direct effect on us and this morning He is telling me that we need to be filled by the Holy Spirit daily.

So, I had to take a step back and allow God to work in my heart and reveal to me my mistake so that I can get up and be more effective in my battles. You see had I fallen for the lies and deceit of the enemy my faith would have been worthless and my message of no effect, but because I stepped back and I seek God in that moment my faith was unaffected and I could be more effective. That is why we walk by faith and live in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Romans 8).

Coming back to king Belshazzar, the seed he planted in his life caused him to be weighted and to be found wanting. In the end it caused his death, because we know that the result of sin is death (spiritually) and that is why we need to be filled by the Holy Spirit daily and speak good seed (life) over ourselves and our situation.

So do not allow the enemy a seat at your table (Louie Giglio).

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 22 July 2026 (Transformation)

Daniel 4 starts with these words from a previous pagan king, “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations”.

This is probably one of the most amazing transformations and a process that God used that He still uses today. A Pastor once said that sometimes God needs to break us down so that He can rebuild us. He needs to remove all the pride and religious ideas we form so that He can use us. In Martial arts we learned that you cannot teach someone whose cup is full and they need to empty their cup before they can become teachable. In other words, they need to put aside what they think they know and receive the new ways that will make them better.

Daniel 4 tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, his subsequent madness, and his ultimate restoration. Through a dream of a great tree that is chopped down, God warns the king that he will lose his sanity and kingdom for seven years (times) until he acknowledges that the Most High God is the ultimate ruler over all human kingdoms.

Nebuchadnezzar's immense success led to excessive pride and arrogance. In the dream, he is represented by a towering, fruit-bearing tree. The command to chop it down is a direct consequence of his self-reliance and arrogance, serving as a warning that pride precedes a fall. 

The purpose of the king's humbling and living in the wilderness like an animal for seven "times" was not just punishment, but a transformative process. When Nebuchadnezzar finally looks to heaven and humbles himself, his sanity and royal status are immediately restored. 

Uniquely, the entire chapter is written as a public decree by Nebuchadnezzar himself. It ends with him praising and exalting the God of Israel - “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honour the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

My dear friend, pride can destroy us and pride can lead us to more problems. It is in our humility before the God of all creation that we find true peace and true freedom from the burdens of this world. Everything we do and say remains a choice. We can choose to do the right thing, or we can choose to do the wrong thing. We can choose to be depressed and say the wrong thing, or we can choose to speak life and speak positively over our situation. We can choose to go to church, or we can choose not to.

As God says in Deuteronomy 30:19, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”.

My dear friend, Nebuchadnezzar’s rise and fall is a classical example of choices. In the end we see a very familiar pattern to salvation that we all have to follow at some point. It is not a McDonalds happy meal or a quick seven steps to a happier life. It is a process and in Nebuchadnezzar’s case it was a seven-year process. In the end His whole life and His way of life changed entirely. Now I am not saying it takes years for us to change our way of life, but it takes an encounter with God. These encounters are only available when we seek God above all else and we desire more of Him. Your encounter can be today or maybe you have already had it, whichever it is, live by it. For the God we worship is able to do increasingly and abundantly above all we can think or imagine.

As God says in Jeremiah 32:27, “I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”.

I pray that you have an amazing encounter with God in this week and that your life will be completely transformed as Nebuchadnezzar’s life was transformed. In the mighty name of Jesus.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 21 July 2026 (No Weapon)

 

In Daniel three we read about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. I have written about them before in my post on 18 June (In it with you) and how their faith saved them and touched the people around them.

We know that they said in verse 17 and 18, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Their faith and their trust in God are astonishing and a true example of how we should stand on our faith and in the Word of God. I want to focus a bit again on the outcome of faith and trust.

Yesterday we saw that through Daniel’s faith he was promoted and today we read in the NLT verse 30, “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon”.

It reminds me of Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”.

There are three things we should consider here:

Limitless Power: The Greek phrase translated as "immeasurably more" or "exceedingly abundantly" emphasizes that there is no cap or boundary to what God can do.

Surpassing Expectations: God's plans and abilities transcend the limits of human imagination and the scale of our prayers.

Inner Working: The supernatural power mentioned is not an external, distant force, but the Holy Spirit actively dwelling and working within us.

If we look at what happened with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego we can see here that the outcome of their faith surpassed that which was expected and even more so in the rewards that were bestowed on them.

My dear friend, you need to understand that God’s Word and God’s power and God’s will is not only for people in the bible but for all of us that has accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and He also said that we will be able to do greater things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The only problem is that we limit the Holy Spirit by our faith and as we know faith without works is dead and we can only please God by faith (Hebrews 11).

Again, I emphasize Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”.

My dear friend, I pray that your faith will grow and that you will continue to trust God in your battles and in your challenges and that God will hear your prayers and change your circumstances. Not by might nor by power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in you. In the might name of Jesus.

As you hear this Word today, I also pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that He will move in your life and the Word of God will increase your faith and you.

Have an awesome day.

This is also on my heart for today

 

After you have read what the Holy Spirit placed on my heart, this is for you, my friend.

Today's thought - 20 July 2026 (Wait)

 

We are continuing in Daniel and in Daniel 2 we read about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. In essence it outlines a prophetic dream of a giant statue with a head of gold, silver chest, bronze thighs, iron legs, and iron-clay feet, that represents successive world empires. A supernatural stone destroys the statue and grows into an eternal kingdom, symbolizing God's ultimate and everlasting rule. 

Now let us look at the statue and what each level represents:

Head of Gold: The Babylonian Empire (605–539 BC) under King Nebuchadnezzar.

Chest and Arms of Silver: The Medo-Persian Empire (539–331 BC), which conquered Babylon.

Belly and Thighs of Bronze: The Greek Empire (331–168 BC) founded by Alexander the Great

Legs of Iron: The Roman Empire (168 BC–AD 476), characterized by its immense military and administrative strength.

Feet of Iron and Clay: A fragmented, divided Europe or a series of fractured kingdoms following the fall of Rome that struggle to remain united.

What greatly worried the king was when a “stone cut without hands” strikes the statues’ feet and shatters it into dust.

There is a little more to this chapter than just the dream. You see the king first called all the wise men and asked them to interpret his dream. When they asked him what the dream was, he said that they should first tell him what he dreamt and then interpret the dream. His reason was simple that if they cannot he considered them liars and then he would destroy them all. That was basically the end result because they could not. So, Daniel and his friends was part of the people that the king wanted to kill because his wise men could not tell him what he dreamed.

Daniel asked the king to give him time that he might interpret the dream. Now here is the important part. Daniel did two amazing things. When God revealed the dream to him, he first glorified and blessed God for this. Here in Daniel 2:19-23 we read, Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So, Daniel blessed the God of heaven. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

The second important thing is when Daniel stood before the king, he says in verse twenty-eight, “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” And then he goes on in verse thirty and says, “As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.”

Can you see that first he thanked and blessed God and then he did not take the credit for the interpretation, but he made it clear that is all from God.

Now, let us do the same in our battles and in our trials. As Daniel let us walk closely with the Holy Spirit and turn to God when we are faced with difficult things. Then as David said, wait patiently on the Lord and when He reveals it or changes the circumstance, we must give all the glory and all the honour to our Lord and God.

In Daniel’s case “the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.” (verse forty-eight).

In obedience and trust lies a great reward and it will always be more than what we can hope or imagine. That is why I keep emphasizing to you that trusting God is so very, very important, because God’s way and God’s will is perfect and we should trust Him and the process.

Have an awesome day, my friend, I pray that your day will be a victorious day and that you will find strength in our Lord and that He will be glorified through all that you do. In the mighty name of Jesus.