Today's thought - 25 August 2026 (In this lies hope)

 

Hallo my friend, how are you today? The seasons are changing here in South Africa, and the crispy cold mornings are now warmer with beautiful sunny days. I just love our country with its vast mountains and beautiful forests. From the warm and dense bushveld to the green hills of the ocean. Our country is truly beautiful and diverse. But just as beautiful is the diversity of the people that live here.

We truly have a wonderful mix of races and colors and each beautiful in its own way. God is truly a God of beauty and abundance.

Yesterday we looked at Monday blues, and I wrote to you about tribulations and how it builds character and finally character that builds hope. The Holy Spirit was not done with this so this morning He took me back to Romans 5 pointing me to verse 5.

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.

I do not know what your Monday looked like, but mine was really cool. I have been postponing my pod cast for months with every excuse I can think of and finally yesterday I just did it. Dr Dave said we must do the difficult and God will do the impossible. I trust God for much fruit from this, because it is His pod cast and it is for His glory.

What is hope? Hope is an optimistic state of mind that combines a desire for something to happen with a confident expectation or belief that it is possible. In the Bible, hope is not a weak wish or a guess. It is a strong, sure, and safe trust that God will do what He promises.

Old Testament Hebrew Qavah / Yakhal): Means to wait or to look forward with tension and tight focus, like a rope twisted together. It means waiting on God even when life is hard.

New Testament Greek (Elpis): Means a happy and confident expectation of good, built on the solid fact of Jesus Christ rising from the dead.

A few things to consider:

Hope is certain: Unlike everyday hope ("I hope it does not rain"), Bible hope is a fact you can lean on.

Hope is tied to God (Abide): Your trust is not in luck or people. It is in God’s unchanging character and past faithfulness.

Hope focuses on eternity: It looks past current pain to eternal life and the return of Jesus.

Hope works with faith and love: The Bible groups hope with faith and love as the three greatest permanent Christian values. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Paul says that hope does not disappoint. It is our hope in Jesus Christ through the power and counselling of the Holy Spirit that we can hope knowing who God is. Hope is knowing God and knowing Him comes through prayer and time spend with Him in your secret place (room) surrendering all and trusting Him completely. To be filled with the Holy Spirit knowing that as we abide in the Lord, we will be able to do anything, overcome anything and succeed in everything. It is in our walk with God and the Holy Spirit that our hope increases because of the love of God that flows in us. And finally, we will have hope that does not disappoint but flow in us by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

My dear friend, I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that your hope and dreams will be renewed and restored by His grace and love, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 24 August 2026 (It is Monday)

How are you, my friend? It is Monday – again. There is always that negative connotation to Mondays. People would say things like, “It is Monday” as a reference to things normally goes wrong or they would say, “It is another blue Monday”, where they refer to all that had gone wrong.

This weekend God gave me these verses from Romans 5, and I guess today they make more sense than earlier in the weekend.

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope”. Romans 5:3-4 NKJV.

Sometimes life can be life. And life can have a few obstacles that we might feel we did not really need at that time or even better, we could do without. You see we would connect a Monday to bad stuff after a weekend but personally I feel that in my case almost every day is Monday then. Things go wrong and I face obstacles and battles every day of the week. Some days are better and some days are just plainly from hell.

I wrote to you last week about a very important concept where Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”.

We looked at the importance of consistently being connected to our Lord and seeking Him daily. Our Pastor said it is in our time with the Lord and our consistent reading of the Bible that builds this principal. In other words what we fill our minds with, with be visible in our fruit. As I said last week Jesus does not want us to just bear fruit, but much fruit.

Now coming back to blue Mondays and all the stuff that could go wrong. Paul makes it simple. He says that we should be happy in our tribulations and our challenges. Ok, well is he serious? When all hell breaks loose, we should jump up and dance on the tables. Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating a bit there but in essence he says, “Well be happy when things are going soar”. I do not know about you but that is the opposite of my reaction when things go south or not as I would like it to go. When people say bad things about you, when you are late for work, when you are stuck in traffic, when someone offended you or even when your toast is burned.

You see being happy about and stuff has always been the last thing on my mind and when I fail, oh my word I get depressed. Then you would hear things like, “I am not good enough” or “I am alone in all this” or “How the heck can I do this”. You see we are worldly orientated to be negative first and then after hours of complaining we will get up and try again. Paul continues and says that in your tribulation you will grow. In your tribulation you will produce perseverance and perseverance will lead to character building and character building will lead to hope. And we know now that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  

So, what is Paul saying. Well, he is simply stating that once you have abided (connected) with our Lord Jesus and you have fully surrendered all to Him knowing that you can do nothing without Him and with Him you can do all things. Then you will realise that in your tribulations and in your battles, God is building perseverance and character so that you can have a hope and a future. It is in these obstacles that we have each day that we are drawn closer to the Holy Spirit so that our relationship with the Holy Spirit will increase. Then we will fully comprehend what Jesus said when He said, “Come to me all who are tired and heavily burdened, and He will give us rest”.

My dear friend I am remined today that in Isaiah 53 we read, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our  peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”.

Do not let the lies of the enemy steal your joy and your peace today. Say after me, “The rest of this day will be the best of my day, and the rest of this week will be the best of my week”.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 21 August 2026 (By this my Father is glorified)

 

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8 NKJV).

I want to come back to what we were discussing yesterday. The whole concept of “Abide”. I personally believe that this message is very important for us in our day to day lives and how we address the challenges we face.

Yesterday I made a statement: “The taller the tree the deeper the roots”. My friend pointed out to me that trees grow in two directions. They grow up towards the sun, but they also grow down in their root system. You see for the tree to grow upwards it needs to grow downwards first. A strong root makes for a strong tree. Now to bring that into human context. If we want to grow in life, we need to make sure our roots are planted in good soil and watered continuously so that the part of us that is visible can grow outward and upward. In other words, what we do in the darkness (our prayer room) will be visible in the light. What the heart is full of will be visible in our daily lives.

Where does the tree get good soil and where does the water come from? I am glad you asked. The good soil is our willingness to hear and apply the Word of God that we read. The water we get is to do this every day, go to homecell and church. Here we are watered by our fellowship with God and with other believers so that our lives can become fruitful.

Now this is the most important part: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV).

It is in our time that we spend with the Lord and how we apply the Word of God into our lives that we abide in Jesus. Our Pastor said this morning that your Bible is actually a bag of seed and this seed needs to be sowed in your life and those in your circle of influence so that your will bear fruit and have a great harvest.

It is in our obedience and our faith that we will see a great harvest. As Paul writes in Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith”.

We walk by faith in complete surrender and trust so that God can shift things in our lives so that when He abides in us, that the result will be much more fruit than what we can think or imagine.

To summarise. It is how we connect with our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives that He can work through us for the benefit of all and for the glory of God. More of Him and less of us. It is removing ourselves from the equation and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us so that we will prosper and bear more fruit.

Have an awesome day, my friend.

Today's thought - 20 August 2026 (How does it work)

 

The taller the tree the deeper the roots. Today I want to talk to you and me about fruit. Yes, you are right. Grapes, apples, strawberries, peaches and oranges. How much can you carry at the same time and how much of these do you grow all by yourself. Sorry, I am being silly today.

Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me”.

I find myself questioning my fruit. You see each day we face challenges and obstacles and temptations and some I can successful overcome but with some I fail miserably. I can succeed at not getting angry in traffic, but when I get to the office I am annoyed by some of my colleagues. I can do my work to the best of my ability, but I fail when I am overwhelmed and then I struggle. Some temptations I can bear and other make me fall.

So, it is a roller coaster ride of emotions and battles that leaves me to question my fruit and if I am worthy of my purpose and that is do share the gospel and to help people.

How can I reach my circle of influence if I am annoyed with them or judgmental. The answer lies in the word “Abide”.

The word abide is a verb that means to accept, obey, endure, or stay in a place. It has a few different meanings depending on how you use it in a sentence. Abide by: To obey or follow a rule, law, or decision.

In the Bible, abide means to stay, remain, or dwell in a close, ongoing relationship with God. It describes a permanent, life-giving connection rather than a temporary visit. The most famous picture of this is Jesus calling Himself the vine and His followers the branches, showing that life and spiritual growth flow only from staying attached to Him.

So, what did Jesus mean when He said abide in me. It boils down to the next verse, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing”.

Jesus simply says that on your own you will fail. But with Him (abiding) you will succeed. Connecting to Him and surrendering completely you will bear fruit. Trusting Him and implementing His principles will help but most important connecting, walking and building an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit will give you more success.

Jesus said, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples”.

The He added, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full”.

 This is why this is so important. Not only will you glorify the Father, but you will be filled with joy.

So, come with me today, my friend, and let us plug into the Lord and abide in Him as much as we can, so that we will bear fruit in all areas of our lives and touch lives and live with abundant life. Paul wrote and I remind you again, “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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen”.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 19 August 2026 (That's not very Christian)

 

Our church teaches us that to reach the lost at any cost we should SHARE our story. Now SHARE means basically S – See the need of a person, H - hear the call for help or cry for help or just listen, A – Act on this by accepting, caring, giving time and serving as Jesus did, R – Reveal the gospel and finally E – Engage where we invite them to church.

Now as I journey through this course, I am overwhelmed by the thoughts I have over people and the words I say. You see I am going through this massive battle for my daughter against my ex-wife and I find myself often saying that there must be something wrong or how could someone do something like this or I get angry at the system because it seems to never end. Then there are people I work with that causes equal frustration and finally I think “Whoa! that is not very Christian of me and how am I going to reach people if they annoy me even before I started.”

This morning the Lord took me to Psalm 126 and 127. This is interesting and I guess quite profound. The Lord says, “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” verse one, “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” Psalm 127:2.

Then Psalm 126:5, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy”.

Ok so there is an entire sermon in these verses, but what is important to remember is that in everything we do, we plant the seed and we water the seed. We basically have to do our best to implement Biblical principles in our day to day walk and this waters the seed we plant. The way we live for Jesus and God will produce the harvest.

So, again God says to me. You do the difficult and He will do the impossible. This is why He says we may sow in tears, but we will surely reap with joy.  You see it is hard or anyway it is hard for me to not get upset at the unfairness I see, or the things people get away with, but at the same time I need to understand exactly what the cross meant for them and me and you.

The hard part is to remove “self” from the equation and to allow God to touch our hearts and change our hearts. Jesus did not judge. He did though point out the flaws in the religion of the priests and pharisees. In essence Jesus taught the truth and ultimately that is to what we should strive to do to.

What am I trying to say? Well, I guess I am trying to say that nothing that is worth your time and effort is instant. It is the process that aligns us and touches others. It is in our trust of the seedtime and harvest principle that we change the world around us. Our circle of influence. Our family, friends and colleagues. The people we deal with regularly. Sharing your testimony or the Gospel in not a magic wand, but a process of trust and faith and understanding. It is God’s heart when we want to give up, it is God’s Word when we want to run away, it is God’s comfort when we cannot get up. It is simply allowing yourself to be still so that God can guide you. In other words, less of us and more of the Holy Spirit.

Ok, so let us go out into this day and share our testimonies. Our love, our faith and kindness to serve the lost and save one more life for the kingdom of God. And at the same time stepping back and allowing God to be our compass and our guide and seeking His way and His will in our own lives so that we will flourish in everything we do.

Have an awesome day.

Just something I think you need to remember

Have you ever wondered how Jesus sees you. 

Well, He made you in His image. He knew you before you were formed. He gave you the breath of life and even today science cannot explain the miracle of life. He took all your pain, guilt and sin on Himself when He gave His life on that cross. He chose you and He loved you first. So, if you are wondering today why you are here and is this all worth it. Well, you are so valuable to God that He gave His only Son so that you can have life in abundance. How does Jesus see you? He sees you as priceless, perfect and worth it.

Today's thought - 18 August 2026 (Getting back up)

 

Why am I writing to you? I think my heart towards you is to encourage you and to uplift you so that you and I can stay in the fight. So, we can face each day and overcome the challenges we face. So, at the end we will stand victorious and receive the prize of eternity with our Lord and savior.

I have written before that I do not take this privilege lightly and that it is an honor to walk with you and to journey through life and the battles we face together with you. I love you, my friend and it is an honor to share the Gospel with you. Yesterday I wrote to you about living water that will flow from within in you.

Today Romans 1:16-17 I so my heart. “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, it is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

Oh, I love this. My friend, I am not ashamed of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ and the work upon the cross. Neither should you and we should work to plunder hell and populate heaven. I know as I said yesterday, it is hard sometimes to be nice to someone who you do not like, let alone share the gospel with that person.

I see my days as a ladder or a staircase. Sometimes we are on top of the staircase and we are ready to take on the world and sometimes we fall off and we are back at step one. The good news is that Jesus is right there with you. He is like your greatest fan cheering you on. He is your coach shouting, you got this. He is your trainer telling you, take one step at a time. He is your manger telling you I am waiting for you on the first level, I know you can do this. He is your friend picking you up when you are injured so that you can recover and get back on your feet. He is your doctor that touches your hurt and your pain with His amazing grace and heals you so that you can get back into the fight.

My friend, getting back up seems hard sometimes and sometimes it feels impossible and sometimes it feels not worth the time and the effort. I am telling you that to get up again when you are knocked down or when you failed or when you fell is the best thing you can do. It does not just put you back in the run, it builds character and that is the enemy’s greatest fear. Because when you and I get back up and we stand to face another blow we gain wisdom and knowledge and experience and we grow in our fight. This means that every time you stand back up you are one step closer to finishing the race. One step closer to your goal. One step closer to your purpose and one step closer to save another life and to stop the enemy’s lies.

My dear friend, as the scriptures say, it is through faith that a righteous person has life, and life in abundance. Come with me as we get back up and face our day filled with Holy Spirit power. Say this out load: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me and no weapon formed against me shall prosper”.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 17 August 2026 (Fruitful)

 

I think the hardest part of writing this blog is when I am going through a tough time and I am struggling. You see I have days that I feel I can conquer the world and then there are days that I feel powerless in my battles and the fight for my daughter feels like it is going nowhere and then I have so much on my plate that I get overwhelmed. I guess this is normal in life. We have our ups and our downs, but how do I write to you my friend and motivate you when I am down in the dumbs.

I was telling my friend that my battle seems endless in my subconscious and from time to time I catch myself talking to the Holy Spirit of the unfairness and the consistent manipulation that is taking place. You see when someone openly does something, yet it is hidden in the guise of another reason. And I can see the intentions behind it where someone else might not. It drives me nuts. Then I have to go back to the drawing board and start over.

This morning the Lord placed John 7:37-38 on my heart. On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, Rivers of living water will flow from his heart”.

At first, I thought ahhhh… prosperity. Our Pastor was talking about this yesterday. So, I wanted to quote some of the things he said. But I realise now that what the Holy Spirit is saying is a bit deeper than that. Jesus said, “Anyone who is thirsty”. This means anyone who desires more, who seeks more, who wants more. You were never designed to be a mediocre everyday Christian. When God made man and woman He said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

He did not say be content and take a vacation. He said be “fruitful” and here Jesus says, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart”. What does this mean? I am glad you asked.

This means that you are more than what you think or believe. This means He who is in you are much greater than he who is in this world. This means you can do anything through Jesus Christ. This means that God knows your circumstances and He will intervene. He will be there with you and take you through it. God is saying that no weapon will prosper over you and He has already blessed you. You need to take the next step. You need to act in faith. You need to trust Him. You need to be still and know who He is. You need to walk by faith. You need to dream bigger. God is not a mini-God and He surely did not have mini dreams when He made you. You are made in His image, and you have infinite power living in you. This is like having a helicopter and you opt for the bicycle.

Be fruitful and multiply. Take that step and let God guide you. Trust His promise and let His Word be the lamp to your feet. Be the best you can be at what you do. Never opt for mediocre but always desire more of God and always give Him the glory. Just as He lifted me out of my pit of despair so that I can be the voice that reminds you that you are wonderfully made and that nothing is impossible for God, He will lift you out of your pain. We must do the difficult and He will do the impossible. I have to stay in the fight and not give up, and He will make all things work out for good. I have to do my job to the best of my abilities and God will increase my favour in my workplace. I have to start my podcast and write my book and God will increase it. I have to walk by faith and not by sight.

My dear friend. God is the God of impossibles. He is the God of the underdog, and He is the God of the faithful. Come with me and let us infiltrate this world with Godly wisdom and change lives and show people who Jesus is. Let us be fruitful and allow the Holy Spirit to let steams of living water flow from us.

Have an awesome day.

Today's thought - 16 August 2026 (Thoughts)

 

Today's thought - 15 August 2026 (Do not lose hope)