My thoughts and my life

What is forgiveness? Oxford says it is the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven. But what is forgiveness actually? It is the release of the grip of offence taken or given that directly touches rejection and insecurity. Jesus said in Matthew 6, For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. In Luke 6 we read, do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Forgiveness is not just letting go but in essence it is releasing yourself, your soul, and your mind from hurtful bondage. Unforgiveness a...

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” We are busy with a series on “Anything can happen” in our church and to be honest I am a firm believer in anything can happen, because with God all things are possible. Peter walked out on the water and as soon as he saw the waves caused by the storm on the ocean he started to sink. Jesus grabbed him, but what He said is something that I want to emphasize. Jesus said, “Why did you doubt me?”. Does this sound familiar? I find myself in this exact spot so many times and when I am in the middle of the storm, I get overwhelmed, and I lose the fight. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that by faith Peter would have been fine because his trust would have been firm in the Lord. Why do we doubt? I think it is in some instances that we seek a quick fix and when it does not happen at the time we wanted, we lose faith, and we drown. Luckily the Lord is always with us, an...

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it (Romans 7). I read this chapter and to be honest it just opened to me. We live everyday trying to do the right thing and I find myself completely missing the objective and ending up doing it wrong. I am constantly in a battle, and it seems as if the enemy just took up a new level of attack on me. I am currently battling with two autoimmune diseases and the words in proverbs 23 (For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he) just opened my eyes yesterday. I realised that one of my biggest challenges is the “Not enough” challenge. I am not a good enough father, I am not providing enough, I am not good enough, I am not strong enough, I am not supporting enough, and I a...

I think personally I am probably the worst example of how to be a Christian ever. My entire life is a roller-coaster ride from one obstacle to the next and from one mistake to the other. I think my biggest problem ever was content and understanding love as Jesus showed. Content basically summarised as not excepting circumstances as they were or a simple life. I needed to be the best and needed to drive the car I wanted, and I needed to be accepted the way I was. There was no place for someone else’s needs except my kids and surely no place for disagreement. Obstacles I have plenty and challenges even more. I think stupidity and ignorance probably played a huge role and then there is me having to prove a thing or two. Jesus gave one commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you (John 15). Paul goes a bit further and explains love (kindness) in a broader way in Corinthians 13. The essence of love is love like Jesus loves. That unconditional intense love that will ...

I find myself in probably in one of the most challenging times in my life and I am struggling to understand what God wants from this. My budget is so depleted at the moment that to make my month I have to walk to work. Today was my first walk and I tell you it is much further than it looks plus I totally miscalculated the time to walk the distance so I was late for work. Then to add to my mishap I am so tired today and my knees are so sore. I am sitting here contemplating how am I going to keep this up. On my walk this morning the Holy Spirit kept putting these words into my head: For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  This is Paul and I have to give you the full context of it because you will be so surprised when you hear the rest of my testimony. How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how...

Anger is ultimately a happiness thief. Paul wrote in Galatians that anger and outbursts of anger are the type of things that can keep you from inheriting the kingdom of heaven. He goes on to say that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives and ultimately these are the qualities that not only gets you to inherit the kingdom of heaven, but it will produce far more victories in your life than you could ever imagine. The enemy is cunning, and he knows what will keep you from God’s promises and anger, jealousy and envy are tools that he uses easily, specifically if you are vulnerable in these areas. Personally, I believe that these reactions have root causes that is deeply imbedded in your mind. Maybe someone said something to you in your childhood that is a trigger point that immediately makes you angry when you hear it of see it or however it occurred. When these bad fruit...

Our journey in life should be one that we journey with God. God has a loving desire to spend time with you. Now Jesus set the bar when He was on earth. He prayed daily and spend a lot of time prayer with God the Father. You see Jesus knew that His time here was by design and God had a plan with His time here. He needed to keep aligning His purpose with the will of God. Jesus said in Matthew 6: ” But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.”   Every day we should work to get closer to God so that we can hear His voice clearly and not derail ourselves from His plan. How do we do this? How do we get closer to God? For me it comes down to three simple things: Firstly, I read His word and I meditate on it. I love to take a verse and see what other would write about it and finally allow the Holy Spirit just to unfold it into my daily life and into my journey with Him. Secondly, I memorise the Word so that I can react by u...

Hallo my friend. How are you doing today? What are your fears, your troubles and your situation? We are daily confronted by negativity. It comes in many forms and the enemy has perfected the way he brings negativity into our daily life and our challenges. The two mostly used methods is people and your thoughts. People probably has the most impact on our lives and our thoughts. I always say that when all is well, the enemy is happy with your direction, but the minute you align yourself with God’s path and His will, you will get bombarded from all sides and the people around us can unknowingly have a huge impact on our journey. It is so important that you remain focused on God and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you when you are in a position where you are confronted with negativity. It is in these challenges that we need to take a step back and just focus on God and allow Him to reconcile our thoughts with His plans. People can be cruel, and they can say things that really brea...

When Peter wanted to walk out to Jesus as Jesus was walking on the water, he called out and Jesus told him to get out of the boat and walk over to Him. Every day we stand up to face the day ahead. How we succeed depends mainly on our perception. It is easy to get up and face the day, but what happens when the walls come trembling down and we find ourselves in a place or position that we were not prepared for. Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus. For a moment he looked around him and the surrounding ocean with its smashing waves overshadowed his perception. You see when He walked towards Jesus He was focussed on God and on His salvation. The minute his focus was interrupted by his surroundings he lost his focus he started to sink. He turned and called out to Jesus for help. The Lord intervened and pulled him from the water. This simple example is basically what happens to us on a daily basis. As long as we focus on God and we spend time in His presenc...

A selfish and self-centred life is a lonely life. It is the easiest thing to do to judge people from our own perspective. I think the book “The Shack” gave a really good example of how God loves us. Now here is what Paul wrote in Romans 15: For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.”   Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. God loves you. He loves you no matter who you are, what you did or whatever mistakes you made. You are a child of the living God, and you are so precious to Him. I know it is hard to see beyond the lies that this world created about you or the judgements that is cast over you by people. Jesus said that you should remove the boulder from your own eye before you try to remove the speck from someone else’s eyes. We seem to miss our own fau...

I think the words “I cannot do this anymore” must probably pop up in my head over a hundred times a day. This morning on my way to work I thought if I could just have one more miracle or just hope that my circumstances will change and that I will rise up out of this pit I find myself in. Paul writes in Colossians 1 that God delivered us from the powers of darkness and “translated” us into the kingdom of His son Jesus Christ. I love the word “translated” in this verse. Now the only reason I find myself in despair is because the forces of darkness is moving in for the kill. You see they start with words from someone close to you like “You are a disappointment” or “You are a failure” and then they use this to populate your mind with more junk that will push you to the end. It is in these low moments that God reminds us that He “translated” us into His kingdom. Translated referrers to transferred. God through Jesus transferred you from the place of darkness to a place of light. The rea...

I must be in worst time of my life. It is one battle after the next and then the people closest to you seem to hurt you the most. There is always something. If it is not financial stress, then it is people having opinions over my life that is either a lie or a really well made-up assumption. Isn’t it amazing how people think they know what you think or what goes on in your mind. This week has been one disappointment after the next and to top it off I am apparently a disappointment. What is next? Plus, we are only on Wednesday. It can still get very interesting. So, what do we do? I got to my lowest last night, and I must admit I was just physically and emotionally exhausted from a week that basically started with me throwing up most of what was my Sunday evening. This is the word that I want to share with you: For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation (Psalm 100:5). When my enemies tried to break me by implying...

We are all emotional beings. Emotions is what plays a role in how we feel and how we react and how we deal with the challenges life throws at us. How do you feel today? It is almost weekend, and the week is quickly coming to an end. What is going on in your head? Are you excited for the coming weekend or are you dreading it and to be honest the whole week has been a mess and you can just do with a break. Do you feel a little depressed and are you just tired of it all. Stress feeds emotions and emotions combined with stress can really get to you. Especially when you come to the point where you just can’t get out of bed anymore and the two days ahead feels like an eternity. How do we deal with this and how do we fight this battle. There are so many easy answers and yes there are pills for it. Those that kill the emotions and make you a happy robot. It is worth it or is total victory a better choice. A victory that is not substance motivated and surly one that does not end up in a hos...

This blog has always been dedicated to uplift and share and give a bit of advice. At times it has been hard to write because life can be so busy. I decided to change my direction and make it a bit more personal. I guess it has been extremely personal since most of it shares the struggles that life so diligently throws at us. Today has been an uphill battle with a number of challenges at work but mostly I am trying to build an online business as an additional income, and it seems to be much more difficult and very time consuming. I have always been a go getter and giving up is a phrase that does not exist in my mind. So, yes the battle is tough and my experience is zero to none in this area. Plus, I want it to be working yesterday. Yes, I know patience is a virtue, but life does not wait, and my challenges seem to multiply. I am sure you can relate and that you might face even more challenges on your side. I read this verse a few days ago and it keeps popping back in my head: Keep...

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51.10). I love this verse. I feel that it is something I should pray daily. Create in me a clean heart and renew my thoughts. We live in a world that is constantly changing and we face new challenges each day. Where are you on your journey and what are you facing at the moment in your life? I think finances is a battle that we all face, and I guess we find ourselves in moments where it can really get to you. When the bills pile up and the day-to-day expenses increase because inflation and interest rates keep escalating. The Holy Spirit just gave me a few ideas around this, and I believe that we miss the truth sometimes when we face mountains of trouble. First let us allow God to create in us a clean heart. This means that He will renew the essence of who we are and clear our minds and thoughts and realign our spirits with Him. This means that we allow God to take these burdens and just remove the fear a...

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12). Do you know the song “Words” from FR David? It was one of my favourites when I was in school. I always thought that that was a lot like me because words did not come easy and today, I am still very much an introvert. I am not a huge fan at to many people in a conversation and I will feel uncomfortable and sometimes out of place. I guess I am a bit difficult in that sense but I have always been one to keep to myself and I love going to the gym on my own and just doing my workout. Sometimes I even miss the people around me. This is one of my many favourite verses and I believe that with all my heart. The word of God is alive and powerful. If we miss the use of it in our own lives you will find yourself where I am today. Upset at my wife and hard-headedly unmovable in my opin...

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord. (Habakkuk 2:14). What a couple of weeks we had. It is amazing how quick time passes us and before you know it two weeks are gone. I think we do a lot of that towards God. We walk into church on Sunday, and we hear the message with great intentions to implement time into our lives and by Wednesday it feels like it was a great idea. I find myself in a place where I truly desire more of my God. I love this verse, and can you imagine how that would be if the world is so filled with the awareness of God. We will never have a time issue. I believe two of the enemy’s best weapons is time and comfort. He keeps you busy with problems, fear, need and greed and puts you in a comfort place. Now when I say comfort, I mean a way of life that you comfortably do from day to day. It is a lot like trying to lose weight and you hit the gym and you change the diet, but you soon find yourself back...

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). It is a new year with new ideas and new resolutions. Every year we start afresh, and we look to change the things we did not like or struggled with in year behind us. Jesus stood before a huge crowd as He gave them what we now know as the Beatitudes. Jesus says here that we should be a light to the world like a city on a hill. He said you do not put a candle under a bushel (The bushel was at the time a container for measuring dry goods such as grain or peas). I other words do not let the world hide your light but let it shine so that people can see it. Let your life exalt the glory of our Father and let His presence in your life be visible all around. The job description of a Christian is not only to maintain personal holiness, but also to touch the lives of everyone around us. This is easier said that done. Believe me I stand in this situation daily. ...