Across the miles

Across the miles ..from me to you Sister : Dienk's arty-angel, Mike's Apricot jam and my biscuits. Would love to speak to you some time.How about phoning me tonight or tomorrow evening?

Pre-Christmas buzzy-ness

Rhodeen en Rizannie -cuty-pie!

Pic taken on Daddy's birthday, a month before Christmas. We were on our way to go have a Chinese dinner. Daddy wants the photo for his new wallet

I baked Gemmer,appelkooskonfyt en hawermout biscuits for Christmas gifts and Hubby did some SApricot Jam. The kids decorated paperbags for their teachers .Here Rhodeen is putting it all together (Her bangs are brand-new !)

On our way to go see the African version of the Nutcracker. We felt so 'dressed-up' Enjoyed the alternative Ballet but must say, I do prefer the classics

Cousin Riette's middle child

Matt and cousin's eldest. They haven't seen each other for 5 years !

Coz Riëtte and me. We had SUCH a nice visit, was so good to see her. She's living in Namibië these days

Adultery

I Have this burden on my heart to share some thoughts on a thorny matter.
If I have to give this ‘matter’ a title, it will have to be long title like William Wilberforce’s book:A Practical view of the prevailing religion system of professed Christians in the higher and middle classes in this country, contrasted with Real Christianity’. My title will be the following:

A code of conduct as a helpful aid in protecting Real Christians from the sin of adultery / emotional adultery / marital unfaithfulness and other smaller not-easily recognizable sins relating to Real Christian Marriages and Friendships.

The essence of this matter I cannot put in better words than those of Frank Peretti in the introduction to his book, ‘The Oath’

Sin is the monster we love to deny.
It can stalk us, bite a slice out of our lives, return again and bite again, and even as we bleed and hobble, we prefer to believe nothing has happened. That makes sin the perfect monster, a man-eater that blinds and numbs its victims, convincing them that nothing is wrong and there is no need to flee, and then consumes them at its leisure.
We’ve all been assailed by this beast, sometimes face-to-face but all too often from a direction we aren’t prepared to defend, and it’s only in recognizing the beast for what it is that we can hope to escape at all. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and empowered to overcome sin, but opening the door and tossing the beast kitchen scraps of our character is no way to drive it off. Toying with an animal that is actually toying with us is a sure way to lose part of ourselves.
I was watching it happen to some friends of mine the year I began writing ‘The Oath’. As the rest of us just kept on praising the Lord, loving one another, smiling, and trying not to be judgemental, some real good people walked stupidly, blindly into the jaws of sin. The tooth marks still show today, in ruined marriages and soiled ministries. The rest of us should have said something.

In the Oath, I tried to say something through a vicious drama. I gave sin a form, an identifiable embodiment hell-bent to consume the hero. I chose an obscure, remote setting because sin shies from examination just as vermin flee from the light, and in this place, there are no rules. Denial is easy, and sin is protected. The consequences of course, play out just as they do in so many real lives: we’ve all seen friends, relatives, and fellow believers dragged out the door by a pet that got to big to control. Some have managed to come back, bleeding and bruised, hopefully healing and wiser. Some have never come back at all. And some of us have been there.
The Oath is a story we’ve all had a part in, to one degree or another. And years later, it still cries out the same warning God gave Cain:
Sin is crouching at the door, and it wants you, but you must overcome it.’ Frank E. Peretti July 2003

Leading a Life Group of our church, we are aware of the hurt, pain and destruction caused by the monster of sin that infiltrates church community; especially sin that threaten marriages. Thus we have a code of conduct for our life group:

No cross-gender communication outside our meetings.

Looking at the destruction the enemy has done under the mantle of Christian-based friendships, one can not be all brave and holy by having the attitude of:

“Oh , But it won’t happen in our group, we all love the Lord and each other as Christian brothers and sisters should “

Our salvation is by Grace and no goodness of our own. We must guard against becoming spiritually proud, thinking we are beyond certain sins common to mankind. Our very own hearts might deceive us !

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jer 17:9

The Lord Jesus taught us, us Real Christians, with good reason, to daily pray:” ...Give us today our daily bread. Forgive our debts....lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matt 6:11 -13.

He knows our fallen human nature to well. He knows we can not overcome sin and temptation in our own strength or by our own good intentions.

If Paul , one of God’s chosen apostles, can confess the following, who are we to think we ‘have arrived’ as Real Christians ?

So I find this law at work; When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For my inner being I delight in God’s law, but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work in my members. What a wretched man I am ! Who will rescue me from this body of death ? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord ! Romans 7;21-25

Some Christian friends find a code of conduct odd ; as if Real Christians should not need something like that.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1John 1:8

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall ! 1 Cor 10:11

Lets be Real Christians, working out our salvation in fear and trembling, living lives fully dependent on our God. Praying daily for forgiveness of sin , freedom from temptation and deliverance from the schemes of the evil one. Lets help each other, in tangible ways, like a code of conduct, to stay on the narrow road.

The Lord can and will use our very weaknesses to show Himself strong in our lives. Let’s not play church. Let’s not be deceived. Only the Word itself is able to separate soul from spirit- the vile from the precious inside your very heart.

The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Heb 4:12

Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Ask the author of Love how to best love your fellow Christian friends, all the while guarding the doors to your heart against the sin crouching there; waiting for an entrance into your live, which will have devastating consequences.

Nathaniel's scepticism

I Have this weakness. Being Sceptical.

Lately I have been very aware of this characteristic in myself. It affects my relationships badly, makes me less 'fun' to be around because I'm always looking on the dark side , expecting the worse.This negativity obviously also stains my Christian witness. I have trouble sometimes discerning if I'm just being Sceptical by nature or is it that dark affliction of the soul , Depression ?

Anyway , I've been training my mind to focus on the positive in life (Phil 4:8)

And to take captive my (negative) thoughts (2 Cor 10:5)

For sure, It does help to stay mentally positively fit. It is hard work for me !

Joyce Meyer's book 'The battlefield of the mind' helps me a lot.

I often feel despondent about this sceptical inclination in me. Feel like I can not possibly be 'used by God' in this state.A Friend made me aware that these feelings of unworthiness and accusation is coming from the Evil One. If I give in to a moment's thought along these lines, I spiral down into a deep dark hole of sceptical negativity and depression. Just where the enemy wants me !

You do not love people like God wants you to,

you do not trust them,

you are always looking for the bad, expecting the worse.

You might as well give up on this whole 'christian attitude'

You are a hypocrite, you are false !

Today, on Mother's Day , the Lord has encouraged me tremendously about living with this weakness of mine, this thorn in my flesh (or rather soul)

I watched the Nativity Story on DVD last night. It was beautifully unpretentious , transporting one to the time of Jesus's birth and making people like Mary and Joseph real. How they must have struggled with living by the promises and gift God has given them in the face of rejection and ridicule. Mary and Joseph never seemed sceptical of God's message to them but they did look half-depressed at times ! Their true humility and nothingness in society was well depicted, I could relate at stages:

How can God choose me ? I am weak ,I am nothing , I am unworthy.

This morning I read the account of Jesus gathering disciples in John 1

Philip have met the Lord and excitedly go off to tell Nathaniel.

Nathaniel is sceptical in his response:

Nazareth! Can anything good come from there ?

The Lord comes up to Nathaniel and tell him:

Here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false !

WOW ! Talk about having worth in God's eyes....

But guess how Nathaniel responds !

Sceptically again, he asks:

How do you know me?

Only when the Lord show a bit of humanly impossibleness (said he have seen Nathaniel under the fig tree before Philip even called him ), does Nathaniel accept Jesus as the Messiah.

How do the Lord respond?

You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Another man who got to see angels on the heavenly staircase, was Jacob. He saw the same image in a dream ( Gen 28;12 - )

The Lord's message to him was:

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

And I will bring you back to this land

I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you.

What is all this saying to me ?

Yes, I have this weakness of being sceptical and negative.

Yes, I have to guard against it developing into depression.

Yes, I have to constantly train my mind to be positive

No, being sceptical by nature does not make me unworthy to God

No, being sceptical does not mean I can't be used by God

God loves me infinitely more than I can imagine.

He is long suffering with my weaknesses and in fact:He uses it to His good!

In Jesus and through Him, every single promise and positive thing He has ever given me in my life, is YES !YES! YES!

And I can say, through Jesus ,AMEN ! AMEN ! AMEN ! to each of these promises.

I have recently read 2 Cor 1:20-22 (see my picture attached from my journal )and it all makes perfect sense to me now.I am in a hurry, have to go look up all His promises to me, write them down, gaze at them, consider them and contemplate all their positiveness.

Have you seen Jehu ?

Here I am again! Was submerged in a teaching practical session the past 2 weeks. Did I learn a lot ! I had so much prayer support.It was my birthday the day before my practical started and I asked EVERYBODY who wished me Happy Birthday, to pray for me during my practical teaching sessions at a local Afrikaans High school. THANK YOU thus for all your prayers, sms's and support - I made it through the wilderness because of God's Grace and your prayers. This scripture meant so much to me :

We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.Indeed ,in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but our God ,who raised the dead.He had delivered us from such a deadly peril ,and He will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us , as you help us by your prayers. from 2 Cor 1

At seven (!) every morning I was sitting in the staff-room , observing the teachers. It was a bit like being in a submarine among all the deep-sea creatures - watching them in their daily activities and occupying some space among them without really being part of their world. I have to say this loud and clear: TRUE TEACHERS ARE OF GREAT WORTH ! Working, slaving very hard , giving their every last drop of energy, resources and time with very little tangible reward in return. Their reward is in the one or two children that they influence to be transformed from an ugly chick to a majestic eagle - ready to fly and live a life of significance.

Off course I had to park on the principle's spot under the trees the first morning... And on a senior teacher's spot she's been using for 18 years on the second morning...Got it right third time round.The children are wonderful !I did not experience any of the terrible teen-agers everybody warned me about. Yes, the boys are such attention-seekers -always ready to try and get away with some mischief.

My emotions are up and down. Can I teach ? Can I survive in the structure ? Can I sacrifice as much as is required ? Can I survive OBE ? How long before my purpose for being in teaching is done ? I don't know.

The history of Jehu being anointed king of Israel in 2 Kings 9 give me purpose and reason for being in teaching :

I am a 'mad woman' , venturing into teaching with my cloak tucked into my belt. Looking to call the child Jehu aside , to anoint him for God's purposes. I imagine people whispering: "You know this woman ? have you heard the sort of things she says !" What encouraged me was the freedom God gave the prophet who delivered the message:

"Then open the door and run ; don't delay !"

I was pleading with the Lord to quickly show me Jehu, that I can give him the message that God is anointing him for great significance and then run. But the Lord answered:

Let us not become weary in doing good ,for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Gal 6;9

So, I have as yet not found Jehu. Until I do, I am in 'teaching' . But I tell you , as soon as I find Jehu believe me: you will just see a 'onderrokkie uitsteek in die stof-streep soos hierdie tarentaaltjie hardloop ' !

MIGHTY MEN ,MIGHTY WARRIORS

Above are three of a group of more than 30 000 men expected at Shalom , Greytown this afternoon for a ‘MIGHTY MEN’ conference. A while ago I asked the Lord for 3 or 37 Intersession MIGHTY WARRIORS (http://skitter-gedagtes.blogspot.com ). I stand amazed. God is raising up the men of our country, to take up their rightful place in God’s order. Imagine how many lives will be touched and blessed through these men !

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from the nations where He scattered you....The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants , so that you may love Him with all your heart and all your soul, and live. Deut 30: 1 -6

Laat ons dames en kinders wat tuis agterbly hierdie helde van ons opdra aan die Here en Hom vertrou vir GROOT dinge !

Die God van Israel het gesê , die Rots van Israel het tot my gespreek:‘n Heerser oor mense, ‘n regverdige , ‘n heerser in die vrees van God ,Is soos die môrelig by sonsopgang , ‘n more sonder wolke as deur die glans nà die reën grasspruitjies uit die aarde uitkom.Want is my huis nie so by God nie?Want Hy het ‘n ewige verbond vir my daargestel wat in alles gereël en verseker is. Want al my heil en alle welgevalle , ja, sal Hy dit nie laat uitspruit nie ?2 Samuel 23; 3 – 5

Some prayer guidelines for us ladies at home:

Lord, I lift up my husband to You and pray that:

· He will love You, first and foremost, with all his heart, soul,mind and strength.

· You will protect him, body, soul and spirit from the evil one and keep him from temptation.

· He will be a wise steward of all You entrusted to him in life .

· He will grow in the desire to love, protect and lead his family,modeling a godly lifestyle to our children.

· He will be quick to hear , slow to speak , and slow to anger

·You will guide him to act with integrity in the workplace and bless him with social favour that he can be a witness to You in the marketplace.

· You will give him peace in circumstances, patience to wait on Your way out of trails and tribulations.

.He will love me and be faithful to me, his wife. That he will treat me , as the weaker partner, with respect, so that his prayers will reach You unhindered .

· He would meditate on Your Word ,pray without ceasing and have all of Your Word ready on his lips to give sound answers.

· He would develop strong relationships with other godly men

· He would stay faithful to his calling in Christ Jesus to the end of his life here on earth.

.Father God, as I bring my husband before You , I lay down my own expectations of him. I Entrust him to You and know that You will work all to his good according to Your unmeasurable Love for him.

AMEN

Anointing a king

Soon I'll be a student teacher doing a practical at a school. I am so anxious ! I don't know what to expect and what will be expected of me. I doubt all of a sudden my calling into this. Do I really have it in my heart to teach , teach children? ( I taught them to Praise Dance; but that's different)

The Lord encouraged me:

Tuck your cloak into your belt ,take this flask of oil and go...

Look for Jehu, get him away from his companions

and take him into an inner room...

Pour the oil on his head and declare:

This is what the Lord says:

"I anoint you king over Israel "

Then open the door and run, don't delay !

Yes, I will persevere for this Jehu's sake. I will endure hardship and ridicule.I will look out for him or her and speak God's anointing over this child. Thereafter I am free to run , the Lord is gracious to me -I don't have to endure beyond my calling. I am also greatly encouraged to read how Jehu was the king to demolish Baal worship. I see a lot of Baal worship in my country.

Lord raise up your servant Jehu and let Your Will be done here in South Africa , as it is in heaven. Amen