My thoughts and my life

My prayer for you for today is that you will feel the warmth of God’s love as He embraces you as His child, in Jesus name.  1 John 3:1-3 See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know Him. Dear friends, we are already God's children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure. Children - F or He calls us His children. What an amazing thought to know that God calls us His children. When I look at the way I love my own children, that burning feeling deep inside your soul that loves unconditionally, I can maybe for a moment have a glimpse at the magnitude of God’s love. What will I not do for my kids? Out of love we desire ...

My prayer for you for today is that you will acknowledge Jesus through your life, in Jesus name. 1 John 2:23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Acknowledges - But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. Jesus made it so clear when He stated: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!" (John 14). There are so many that tries to discredit Jesus as the son of God. Today I am giving you more confirmation that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ. We have seen the eye witness accounts of both Peter and John as they confirm Jesus as the son of God. Now we once more declare that Jesus is the only way to eternity. Many will come and try and deceive you and many have tried to deceive us. John writes about the antichris...

My prayer for you for today is that will have a peaceful and blessed day and that all your battles will be won, in Jesus name. 1 John 2:12-13 I am writing to you who are God's children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one. I am writing - I am writing to you who are God's children. I have always loved the saying “Determination today leads to success tomorrow”. With the Olympic Games starting in just a few days I can’t help but to think of all the hard work in preparation and training that went into this. How people will exceed their own limitations and make the impossible seems so easily achievable, through dedication and perseverance. I imagine all the dreams of Olympic medals in the minds of so many athletes, and yet there can be only one winner. I thi...

My prayer for you for today is that you will obey God’s word so that you can completely live in Him and He in you, in Jesus name. 1 John 2:5-6 But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. Obey - But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. How do you show your love? Is it in what you say, or is it in what you do, or is it the way you show it or the way you talk about it? Whatever or whichever way you show your love, it is always visible. When we follow God and we call ourselves Christians we tend you love God in secret. It is almost a forbidden thing and we don’t show it let alone confess it publicly. We hide our religion and this is among fellow Christians and we are embarrassed or shy to talk about His great love. If you enjoy an artist’s music, you will listen to it and share it with your friends, if you...

My prayer for you for today is that God will cleanse you from all wickedness and forgive your sins, in Jesus name. 1 John 1:9-10 But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts. Second chances - This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all (Verse 5). I just love this: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. Our God is a God of second chances. When Jesus were confronted by the priests about the fact that He visits all the sinners and that He spends time with them, His answer was: "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2) God is all light and there is no bad side to Him, He is love ...

My prayer for you for today is that your faith will be renewed and your heart filled with joy in Jesus Christ, in Jesus name. 1 John 1:1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. Beginning - He is the Word of life. Here we are once again looking at an eye witness account of Jesus as God and we receive more confirmation from John that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God. This is the essence of our faith and here I have given you two eye witness accounts of His deity and confirmed that He is who He is.  My dear friend, come with me today as we renew our faith in Jesus Christ. Come with me and let His light shine with renewed glory through our lives. Come with me a walk with renewed conviction and determination as we follow in His ways. Come with me today and live a new life filled with His presence. Come with me and let us give our he...

My prayer for you for today is that you will not be misled, but that you will remain focused and that you will continue to follow God with an undivided heart, in Jesus name. 2 Peter 3:3-5 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created."  They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Deliberately - What happened to the promise? We live in modern times and people in our time are so easily influenced by ideas and weird believes. I think as Christians we mostly face an uphill battle, because those who do not believe will find ways to confront our religion and ask questions to try and discredit it. Peter ...

My prayer for you for today is that you will hold on to Jesus and let Him be the focus of your life, in Jesus name. 2 Peter 2:19-20 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. Control - For you are a slave to whatever controls you. Peter talks about the wicked (False teachers) here in chapter two of his second book and makes it quite clear that they will do anything to lure you into their corrupted and sinful world. He refers back to how God threw the bad angels in hell and the time of Noah and Sodom and Gomorra. He says in verse 13: “Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in de...

My prayer for you for today is that you will know you are worshipping a living God, in Jesus name. 2 Peter 1:16-18 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw His majestic splendour with our own eyes when He received honour and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to Him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Eye witness - We saw His majestic splendour with our own eyes. Stumbling upon this verse this morning left goose bumps on my arms, Wow! Peter writes here in his second book about how we should live our lives growing in faith and he makes it clear that he will continue to remind people of these things and then he comes to this part where he talks about the second coming of our Lord and to highlight the importance of living holy lives he stops here and ...

My prayer for you for today is that you will live a godly life using the gifts and talents God has given you for His great glory, in Jesus name. 2 Peter 1:3 By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvellous glory and excellence. Given - God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We often struggle living our lives as God wants us to live. We go through temptations and we allow daily circumstances to get the better of us and our emotions take over and eventually it all explodes. So all the good intentions that we wake up with are out by the door and in are all the bad. We can so easily get ourselves worked up over small things and we allow our emotions to get the better of us in so many unnecessary ways.  My dear friend, through God’s power and grace He gave us all the tools that we need to live above all our ...

My prayer for you for today is that God will restore, support and strengthen you as He places you on a firm foundation in Jesus name. 1 Peter 5:10-11 In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. All power to Him forever! Amen. Kindness - God called you to share in His eternal glory. I have often wondered about the time we have here on earth and I so often find myself being negative about life and all the bad that happens around us. Just as I get to a point where I feel strong and free from the worldly burdens, the enemy will launch a new attack. It is almost as if you cannot get to place or a stage where you can just chill for a while and bask in God’s grace. Every time we reach a new goal, there is mountain to climb. Life seems unfair in this as we struggle from one day to the next and to make it w...

My prayer for you for today is that you will stand strong against the enemy and know that you are not alone, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. Roaring Lion - He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. It is probably one of the strongest comparisons ever made of the devil. Peter made it so clear here how he is. I believe that this statement made by Peter is one made in experience, an experience in seeing how the enemy tries to destroy our faith in every possible way, relentless and without shame. Peter starts this verse with “Stay Alert!” and in this he places all the focus on what he is about to say - Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. My dear ...

My prayer for you for today is that you will humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 5:5-7 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favours the humble." So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. Humble - God opposes the proud but favours the humble. It is so easy to be proud and to know that I have been so successful and I have all these achievements and I am just the greatest.  Oh boy, can we love ourselves. I guess huge success can easily propel our pride and place us in a position where we can idolise ourselves or whatever it is that we have achieved. Being proud of yourself is one thing, but letting self-pride take away God’s glory is not a good thing. God opposes the proud, God does not like a pro...

My prayer for you for today is that you will remain standing through all the trials you face and that you will rejoice for the glory of God, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Strange - don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through. It is amazing how many times Paul and Peter wrote about troubled times and difficulties and suffering for Jesus. They seem to be constantly encouraging and reminding us of the fact that it is not going to be easy and we will go through difficult times and we must remain focussed on Jesus. I love this verse from Peter as he says that we should not be surprised that we are going through trials and he goes on and say it is almost as if something strange is happening to you. Now I love that, because – yes I can relate. How weird is it when stuff goes wrong that it just keeps on coming. Like a snowball! When troubl...

My prayer for today is that you will use the gifts God has given you to serve and glorify Him, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 4:10-11 God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen. Gifts - God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Each one of us is blessed with spiritual gifts and talents and these make us unique in our abilities. Yes each one of us is special in our own way. God designed you and made you according to His requirements and placed you where He needs you so that you can use the gifts He has given you for His advantage. There are so many of us that feel inadequa...

My prayer for you for today is that you will love to live and live to love, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Love – Love is a beautiful song. Love brings us together, love overcomes all boundaries, love is in the moments we have, love is the patience we show, love is in the smile, love is strong and unbreakable, love is the great soother, love understands and love scolds, love is in the air and love is in the heart, love stretches over all continents and love is here, love travels and love is at home, love feels, love hurts, love sees no colour, love is eternal and love is forever, love seeks and love is unlimited, love holds and love hugs, love loves and love is God and God is love. My dear friends let us love today where we will normally be upset, let us love where we would be angry and let us love even if we can’t. Love will overcome and clear all the worldly issues we hav...

My prayer for you for today is that you will bless each and every person you meet, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 3:9 Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it. Insults - Don't repay evil for evil. One of the hardest things to do is to bless someone when they insult you. Reading this scripture form Peter this morning I can’t help letting my mind once again return to the capture and crucifixion of Jesus.  He remained calm and accepted all the insults knowing that He did not do what He was accused of. When looking at myself I think I am not even close to that, I am quick to get angry and certainly will not let an insult pass me by without returning one. This is how this world has changed us, it is what we see as accepted by society and it is shown on television as the way to react. We are under constant influence from the world t...

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. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.  Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21-25) I just felt today that we should bring glory to God. He is always there, always with us and loves us so dearly. Today I want to remind you of a man, a God who became a man. A man who lived a perfect live and a live that was seen as a threat and a threat that was captured and a captured that was crucified.  He walked our journey and did it with so much compassion. We ar...

My prayer for you for today is that you will overcome all evil, fear God and respect authority, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 2:15-17 It is God's will that your honourable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God's slaves, so don't use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king. Honourable - Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. I am once again in awe of the amazing and powerful word that the Holy Spirit brings to me every day. Peter writes here that it is God’s will that our lives will silence those who accuse us. The fact is that it is God’s will that we are where we are, and that we can live lives with so much to be thankful for. It is not what we say and what we are but how we live that glorified God and highlights Him in this dark world. We are free, yet we are slaves but t...

My prayer for you for today is that you will steer clear from worldly desires and desire God’s will, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 2:11-12 Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when He judges the world. Worldly - keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Once again I love Peter’s statement calling us "temporary residents and foreigners" , and I thought that we should think about this some more. I have been a foreigner in a foreign country and I think there is a little of that in the way we should live our lives here on earth. You see, while living in another country away from your friends and family, you have that constant longing to be with them. When we ar...

My prayer for you for today is that you will live your new life in Jesus for His glory and that you will truly live each moment, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 1:23-25 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. Time - People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. It is when you are faced with death I think one truly realizes how quickly life can pass you by. We are all running along in our rat race seeking the now and forgetting eternity. Life goes by as quickly as the grass withers and the flowers fade. We have so little time to tell the good news to those around us and ...

My prayer for you for today is that you will know God has no favourites and that He paid a ransom for you far greater than silver and gold, in Jesus name. 1 Peter 1:17-20 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favourites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days Foreigners - And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favourites. What an awesome statement and such an important thing to remember: God loves equally! I think that it is a difficult concept for us to grasp being emotional beings...