Today’s Journal (Perception) – 27 July 2023

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 presence and seek Him in all that we do, we will not sink. The moment we allow the world and the lies of the enemy alter our focus, we lose our footing, and we sink.

Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 14: “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Why do we doubt? Why do we allow the lies of the enemy to pollute our minds and push us from our path. It is simply because we change our perspective. If you look at the mountains from below, they will look huge and intimidating. The minute you change your position and look at the mountain from the top of another mountain it looks completely different.

The same applies when you look at your problems from your position, then they will seem impossible, but the minute you look at them with faith from God’s perspective. They will begin to lose power over you and shrink to where they have no more influence on you.

Let us face today with faith. Let’s walk by faith and not by sight.

My prayer for you is that God will renew your faith and help you to see your battles from His vantage point.

Have  a great day.

Today’s Journal (Lift) – 25 July 2023

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 faults when we look at other. In most cases it is a form of insecurity and rejection that basically pushes us to seek fault in other rather than to look for it in our own lives.

Insecurities and rejection can be formed in your early childhood and some of them are so well hidden in our deepest places that we do not even realise they are the cause of habits that we created towards other.

So, before we make a judgement or a say something to hurt someone, think about what you are about to say and why you are saying it. Does it carry any truth, and do you really know exactly what the other person is going through. A nice word and an understanding heart is far more valuable than a judgement.

Sometimes people just need to know, you can see they are in a battle and even if you are facing a mountain. A kind word where you take yourself out of the picture and think of someone else instead of your own needs and problems, will have so much more value in the long run. God sees your heart and He will surely bless you.

Paul says that we should wait patiently for God’s promises. My prayer is just this: I pray that the Lord will clear your mind of all the bad things and just renew your thoughts as He realign you with Him. I pray that your faith will be renewed and that you will rise up as we take God’s promises and wait patiently for Him.

Have a great day. 

Today’s Journal (Don’t quit) – 24 July 2023

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 reason we get caught in this pit is purely because we forget that the enemy does not control our lives, nor do they own our lives and they definitely do not define who we are.

Jesus is the only way and He said that we will face troubled times and we will surely go through hardships and challenges. We just need to stop listening to the enemy and remove those negative words from your mind.

We need to realign ourselves with Jesus and His words. Jesus said that God will hear our prayers and, in the Bible, the phares “Fear not” is written 365 times. That is once for every day of the year. So, stop fearing and start believing. We live by faith and not by sight, so let is live with that faith and trust God.

My prayer for you is that God will hear your prayer today and that He will change your circumstances and lift you out of the mud and mire where you are stuck now. I pray that God will bless everything you do and that you will break free through His amazing grace and stand up again.

Have a great day.

Today’s Journal (People) – 19 July 2023

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 that I might be incompetent or that I lack the ability to do my work, God stepped in, and I saw one miracle unfold after the next. In my weakest moment God just did amazing work in my work and in my relationship with my directors. I am still amazed at how easily He took what was intended for evil and turned it into so much good.

I trust that this is just the beginning and that my life is about to change very dramatically. So where am I going with this. Simple – Trust God and trust His timing. Difficult times is either there to teach us something about God or for God to reveal things that was unseen to us. We are sometimes so consumed by our circumstances that we miss what God is doing.

My prayer for you is basically that God will give you patience and wisdom and that your heart will burn with a need for more of Him and that He will be more in you with every step that you take from today.

Have an awesome day.

Today’s Journal (Emotions) – 13 July 2023

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 hospital.

Jesus came to this world, and He was ridiculed and hated. He was banished and outlawed yet all He preached was life and how to live it better. He made no excuse in hiding the fact that you will go through tough times. He said that this world hated Him first and so will hate you. Yet despise all of this He just kept following the will of God and finally gave His life for all, even those who persecuted Him.

The victory does not lie in the defeat, but the victory lies in humble persistence. Yes, it is easier said than done but why will the Lord not give you strength and wisdom and direction. This too will pass and yes, it is not easy, but the end and the victory over it is so worth it.

He said “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you (Deuteronomy 31:6)”

God made this promise. All you need to do is to give it all to Him and let Him take control. Stop trying to fix everything on your own but trust Him with it.

I do it in a simple prayer: “Lord, I am at my end, and I have absolutely nothing left to give. I humbly apologize for taking it all on my own and I ask you to forgive me for excluding you from my life. I desperately need your help and openly with a grateful heart give it all over to you. You know my battle and you know my limits. Please guide me through this and help me to overcome it all and finally glorify your name through my victory. In Jesus name.”

Today’s Journal (New beginnings) – 07 July 2023

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 on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7)

This is a verse that we can get wrong fairly easily. Put yourself in the shoes of a parent. A child obviously wants things from time to time, yet the parents know what is needed, what is good and what is not so good. Jesus mentions that even sinful people know how to give good gifts to their children.

The challenge is to ask within the will of God, and we sometimes desire what is against His will and this can cause indifference and anger on our side. Jesus goes on and later mentions that when you pray you should ask in His name. Jesus wants us to mimic His life and see that what He did always remained in the will of God.

Surely God will always want the best for you, but the best can be different to our desires. I believe that we can do anything and ask God to bless us in everything we do. Just as I pray for His blessings over my work and my business and my family I always ask if it is His will. I know God will bless hard work, but we should always be thankful for the ability to be able to work and to have opportunities.

My battle remains a reality, but my faith surpasses my struggles. I am not perfect in any way, and I am sure I have a ton more flaws than you, but my faith remains firm even when the road ahead is impossible to see.

Yes, I get upset and yes there is times when I just want to quit and give up. For what, to let the enemy have his way and accept his lies. No, I will fall, and I will fall again, but I need to keep standing up and keep moving forward. I just need to keep my eyes on God and trust His time and His will.

Let see what tomorrow brings.