Tuesday, 11 September 2012

The shape of things to come

Genesis 1:1-4 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

It's been a while since my last blog and so much has happened, suffice to say I'm back with a vengeance.

God has taken me right to the beginning of things. He's been reminding me that where there is no form, He is the only one that can bring shape, where there is emptiness only He can fill and satisfy and where there is darkness only His light can shine and disperse it.

Life can be challenging sometimes where things don't go your way, your life seems to be so chaotic or it seems so empty, like something's missing. You look around for someone to help you, but there's no one, so you think. God's Spirit is always hovering over you, ready for action, just like in the beginning. Sometimes we have to begin again to realise that God wants you at that place where it's just you and Him.

When you come to that place where you say, 'God my life has no shape, it feels empty and there just seems to be darkness all around. His Spirit knows exactly what comes next, He's been there all this time, watching and waiting for you to surrender. Then God speaks, Let there be light and there was light. Wow! Suddenly, your life starts to take shape, God fills you with His Spirit and His light floods you.

The shape of your life is determined by your faith and reliance on your Creator, so when things are out of shape, let His word bring light and life.

My prayer for you today, is : "May our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit bring shape, fulfillment and light to your life".

God bless you!

Love Heather




Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Words cannot explain........ but I'll try!

Everyone who believes in God or even if they don't want the best for their lives and in their quiet time or sometimes express it, how they wish that they were blessed, or they wish that they had this or that, or wish that a sitaution changes. Then, after praying or wishing, wait for an answer to come. When it takes long we either give up or wait patiently or impatiently for the response. God responds, even in the silence.

I have been a believer in Jesus Christ for more than half my life and have prayed for certain things. I would pray expectantly and fervently and was taught to wait patiently. Even when nothing happened or so it seemed, I would still trust God to come through. I have been taught a valuable lesson this past month.(“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts".Is 55:8-9).

It has been the most dumbfounding, mind blowing, breathtaking and incomprehensible past month
since I landed in Auckland, New Zealand. God has shown me in so many ways that this is the place that He has called me to. It is dumbfounding when I soon as you think a thought, God has it ready and waiting for you. It is mind blowing that the blessings come one after the other uninterrupted. Breathtaking because you are so in awe of God that you have to keep on catching your breath to recover from His expressions of love and grace towards you. Incomprehensible because you can't understand why He would take the time to take care of your every need when you are so undeserving.

I said to God, "If You are trying to impress me, it has worked". He has taken impossible situations and made them possible.

Let me just give one example to make you see what I mean :
I was looking for a place for my family & I to rent and was told that I will not get a place because I was new in the country(3 weeks only), didn't have an income as such and also didn't have references. I said, well, I have Jesus and was laughed at. I went to see a few houses. I prayed and got my brothers & sisters to agree in prayer for a house that I saw & liked(only saw photos of it) but when I actually saw it, it wasn't what I wanted. I went to see the second house and really liked it, I filled in an application form there and then and the lady said she'll get back to me. I prayed and said to God, 'I know I asked for the other house, but I really like this one, please can you give it to us, Lord let them just give me a chance'. The lady phoned the next day before noon and said that I got the house, I was blown away and fell on my knees in thanks & praise to our great God. When I went to see her to pay the deposit she asked a few questions about who I am and what I am doing in New Zealand, so I explained that my family and I are on assignment from God to establish churches in New Zealand. I also told her how I prayed for this house to be ours & asked God to let them(owners) give me a chance. She sat back & smiled and I asked her why is she smiling. She said, funny how you are saying those words, because the thought came to me that I must give you a chance. I told her that God put that thought in her to help His servants. I was totally dumbfounded, my mind could not contain the magnitude of this whole encounter.

By the way, my applications were approved for all the houses I applied for. (But God!). So to understand, or even kind of understand all this, is to say that God overrides protocol, He makes the impossible possible and if He has chosen you for a purpose He will move heaven and earth for you to know that He is with You and will never forsake you.

I know that this will encourage your heart and I pray God's perfect will for your life!

God bless!

Love Heather WW



Sunday, 15 April 2012

My journey to the land of my adoption!

I was sitting on the aeroplane from Joburg to Dubai I was overwhelmed with a tidal wave of sorrow. My soul was in anguish over leaving home, leaving the comfortable and familiar and at that moment I felt so alone and forsaken. It was like God had turned His face away from me and I cried out for Him to just surround me with His love, I just needed to know that He was here with me. God showed me the price Jesus had to pay for us and how He felt on the days leading to the cross. He was in anguish and felt forsaken at that moment when He asked His father to take this cup from Him and yet not His will but God's will be done. We all have our own price to pay.

Through my tears, I asked God why do I have to go through this when I was willing to surrender my will for His and He kept on pointing to Jesus.

You know when we talk about being pioneering and spear-heading, nobody knew what that really meant. You find yourself in place where few people tread. It is a lonely place because you are in the front and everyone is coming behind you. It is a hard road but it sets the platform for the ground that needs to be broken and the trail that needs to be blazed.

It is no easy thing to leave your comfort zone with the familiar and family. I wonder how Abraham felt. I believe with everything within me that God who sacrificed His son, sacrifices His children so that the world can be saved. Jesus paid the ultimate price and we have to endure like He did because He did it so that we will not grow weary and lose heart(Heb 12:3).

Eventhough this was a tough journey, I have taken away something that will stay with me forever, God's perfect will over my, oh so imperfect will. He began to pour in His healing balm into my broken & crushed heart.

The in-between part is always not told and that's the part that makes you or breaks you! I know what it means to deny myself, take up my cross and follow Jesus but I know I will have to do this for the rest of my life. I pray that I will run this race with endurance, keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus.

My new journey begins in the land of my adoption where the execution of His will will take place until such time He tells us His next intention.

Until we meet again!

God bless!

Love
Heather

My journey to the land of my adoption!

One chapter closes $ another opens. It is so strange when you think about life and how you can never predict where you would be in the next few years. But God knows even to the point of your address.

I was sitting on the aeroplane on my way to Dubai when God allowed me to experience certain aspects of Jesus' experience leading up to the cross. What overwhelmed me was the sense of loneliness and it washed over me like a massive tidal wave. I began to cry because I felt why must I go through this when I had already accepted to do God's will. I felt so forsaken and so vulnerable that God took me from my family who I hold so dear and brought me by myself to New Zealand.

Jesus knew what it meant to feel alone & forsaken but only He could do the assignment God had commissioned Him to do.

You know when we talk about being pioneering and spear-heading nobody knew what that really meant. You find yourself in place where few people tread. It is a lonely place because you are in the front and everyone is coming after you. It is a hard road but it sets the platform for the ground that needs to be broken and the trail that needs to be blazed.
It is no easy thing to leave your comfort zone with the familiar $ family. I wonder how Abraham felt. I believe with everything within me that God who sacrificed His son, sacrifices His children so that the world can be saved.
Eventhough this was a tough journey, I know that if Jesus endured the cross, I can endure whatever comes my way. It was not easy for Jesus so I am comforted knowing that our God laid everything aside for us.
The in-between part is always not told $ that's the part that makes you or breaks you! I know what it means to deny yourself, take up your cross $ follow Jesus $ pray that I will run this race with endurance. Keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus.
Your faith just goes from one level to the next with many a test(more like examinations).
My new journey begins in the land of my adoption where the execution of His will will take place until such time He moves us again.

Friday, 23 March 2012

Going with God's flow

Did you know that God has flow? Well He does! We've been on this journey leading up to our Great Trek to New Zealand from July 2011.

We learnt that you can't stop the plan of God(try saying no to God), you can't delay it(make excuses why you can't do it) and neither can you run ahead(start doing things your own way), you have to just go with God's flow(His perfect will). We chose the latter and surrendered all to Him.

This isn't easy because we are leaving our comfort zone, the familiar and the people who we love and treasure all these years and walk on the water to get to a foreign land. We've never been to New Zealand but God gave us an assignment to do and we will do it!

When we heard the word of God for our lives, we just kicked into motion and did all that we needed to do and God was on the other side just clearing the path for us to follow. We realised that all we had to do was our part and God did His.

When we started running ahead, God put the brakes on and we had to wait for a period of over 2 months - nothing happened, nobody from Immigration spoke to us, nothing but total silence. Talk about patience, long suffering and faith. God was teaching us that He was in charge, not us and He was working things out behind the scenes.

We went to a Mall over the Christmas period and there were these massive, gorgeous ornamented balls suspended from the ceiling. I had this thought that all the blessings that God had for us were being suspended. We stood there and asked God to please release the blessings and I had this image of the balls falling one at a time over us and exploding into this beautiful light of blessing. God was in total control and nothing we could say or do would change the perfect plan that He had in store for us.

The blessing bombs started falling very fast and we experienced the hand of God in such an awesome and powerful way. God was teaching us His ways.

We are now at this place where we are leaving the known, not for the unknown but for the perfect will of God to be fulfilled in our lives. To be hidden in God is the most safe and peaceful place to be. He has given us such peace that only comes with trusting that our mighty God has us in the palm of His hand and won't let us go.

Go with God's flow and He will navigate you into His perfect stream(will) for your life!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1 : 9

God bless!

Love Heather

Monday, 12 March 2012

Your faith has made it happen!

In the words of Jesus Christ, 'Go, it will be done for you just as you have believed!'(Matt 8:13)

We were believing God to come through for us and we were specific in our request, we wanted a positive answer within the week. I imagined how the answer will come and the words that will be used. We prayed and asked God, stood on His word, believed God  and God came through within the week.

The centurion probably imagined how the healing would take place, believing that Jesus would say the word and his servant would be healed.

It is a matter of thinking about what you need, imagining how it will happen and then believing that Jesus would send the word and the situation would be changed.

You need to believe the word of God, it is not someone's opinion, or someone's insight, we are talking about the powerful words that God Himself speaks. 'So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'(Isaiah 55:11)

We believe the gossip in magazines, the lies in the newspapers and what people think about us and yet when it comes to the word of God we not so sure or convinced that His words are true. Every word of God is pure, flawless and true.

God is not like man who lie nor the son of man that He must repent, what He said He would do, what He promised, He will surely bring to past.(Numbers 23:19).

Just believe, God honours His word above His name!

God bless!

Love Heather

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Hold on, help is on the way!

When you think you are drowning and don't see a lifeline in sight, hold on help is on the way.
When you have fallen into a pit and cannot pull yourself out, hold on, help is on the way.

When you feel that nobody knows or understands what you are going through, hold on, help is on the way.

Call out to God, He will rescue you, trust in His unfailing love for you and He will take care of you.

Don't give up, don't give in, you have strength inside of you that is greater than any situation. Greater is He who is inside of you than He that's in the world.(1 John 4:4)

His strength is greater when we are weak. Tell God, 'God I am weak and I don't think that I can make it through this, I need Your help'. Wait, it won't be long when you will realise that you made it through one day, then the next and the next and pretty soon, your strength has returned and you have made it through the storm.

Don't forget to thank God for His help and acknowledge that you could never have made it without Him.

Remember that Jesus is only a prayer away.

May God be your comfort and strength in your trials and may your trials become tests that you have passed and now you have a progress record on how God has helped you through every situation.

Take courage, be not afraid, for 'God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble'(Ps 46:1).

God bless!


Love Heather

Saturday, 25 February 2012

MY DEBT TO GOD!

How do I repay Jesus Christ for giving his life for my life? Not only that, He brought me into His family and gave me a new life, forgave my sins, healed my sicknesses, rescued me from the clutches of evil, loves me unconditionally and showers me with his grace? Jesus Christ has done this for me and He has blessed me with all the gifts due for a Princess.

The repayment required from Jesus Christ is that I have faith in Him, believe His word, do His will and spread the Good News. I am forever grateful to Him and will love, praise and serve Him all of my days.

A very wise man, my Dad, once said, ‘Give Him your days and He will deliver your destiny”. I have given Him all my days and He sure is delivering my destiny.

Here is a poem I found(author unknown), which I think is fitting for how I feel.

Debt to God

I'd like to think when life is done
That I had filled a needed post
That here and there I'd paid my fare
With more than idle talk and boast,
That I had taken gifts divine
The breath of life and manhood fine
And tried to use them now and then
In service for my fellow man.

I'd hate to think when life is through
That I had lived my round of years
A useless kind that leaves behind
No record in this vale of tears,
That I had wasted all my days
By treading only selfish ways
And that this world would be the same
If it had never known my name.

I'd like to think that here and there
When I am gone, there shall remain
A brighter spot that might have not
Existed had I toiled for gain.
That someone's better life and smile
Shall prove my life had been worthwhile,
That I had paid with work divine
My debt to God for life so fine.


God bless!
 

Love Heather

Monday, 20 February 2012

Things that money can't buy!

Love, joy and peace!

Money can't buy you love! Yet people will do anything just to be loved and to love someone. Who can put a price tag on the love of our God, a spouse, child, family or friends? Some people go through their whole lifetime never experiencing what love is. To choose love and not hate will bring more benefits to your life than you will ever know. If you want to hate anything, hate evil, hate injustice and hate lukewarmness.

Joy is a precious commodity that many people don't have. I choose joy every day of my life. I can have an argument with my husband, it doesn't last long because I choose joy over anger and sulking. Life is to exciting to waste it on misery, negativity and self-pity.

As for peace, some people pay so much money to have peace and still don't have it. Instead of going straight to the source of all peace, the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, they go around trying to find serenity in yoga, tranquillity in meditation on nothing and calmness in retail therapy. All you need to do is abandon yourself and who you think you are into the hands of the greatest Potter, the Lord God Almighty.

If you have tried everything and spent too much on trying to obtain these treasures, stop right now. No need to waste your time, energy and money on meaningless things that won't last. Let Jesus Christ give you all you need for this journey, He paid the price anyway just so that you may have life and live it to the fullest!

God bless!

Love Heather

Saturday, 11 February 2012

An encounter with the Great I AM!

And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you! Exodus 3:14

Discover how God is the Great I AM in every situation of your life.

I did not know that I needed a Rescuer until I was in trouble. I never knew I needed a Comforter until I experienced sorrow. I never knew I needed the Prince of Peace until I was in a storm, I never knew I needed the Healer until I needed healing and I never knew I needed a Saviour until I almost drowned in my sin.

Jesus Christ has been this to me and more even though I never thought I would need God for anything. To have an encounter with God is to experience His unconditional love towards you even when you don’t deserve it and acknowledge that it is Him who is with you through it all. He shows up as the Person you need Him to be at the time of your need.

You go through life thinking that you can make it on your own until something brings you to your knees. You then realise that you cannot make this journey on your own and even though you have people around you who love you, you just need a power greater than yourself and this is when Jesus Christ steps in.

You will discover that His ways are far above our ways and His thoughts higher than ours. Every test, trouble or trial is a valuable lesson and a strength that will take you to another level of love and worship for God.

I have learned to hide myself in God and that He will take care of me no matter what, He said that He will never leave me nor forsake me(Heb13:5b).

Let God be the great I AM in every circumstance, and if He brought you to it, He will take you through it.

God bless!

Love Heather

Saturday, 4 February 2012

But this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life! John 9

There’s this notion that we are who we are because of our parents. Many say that we inherit sickness or sin from our father or mother. The bible teaches that it is not the sin of the parents that sickness or affliction happens but it happens so that the work of God might be displayed in our lives.

I believe that your weakness, disability, past or sin when placed in the hands of a Mighty God is turned around and changed so that God will be glorified through us.

It is the work of God, who is perfecting us daily and not our own work. The word says that "He who begun a good work in us will see it to completion". When God works in us, we are not recognised because He makes us new in Him. Like the blind man in John 9, the people knew who he was but when Jesus touched and changed him, they said that it 'looked liked him'. When you encounter Jesus, more of Jesus is seen in you and less of yourself.

God came for the imperfect, the flawed, the lost, the rejected so that when others see the change, then they will know that only God can do this thing.

Let Jesus Christ in your heart so that the work of God may be displayed in your life. He wants to show off and show you off to the world, all for His glory. 

God bless!

Love Heather

Saturday, 28 January 2012

If one falls down, his friend can help him up!

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up - Ecc 4 : 10!

I thank God for the people He has placed around me. They are people of substance and have true essence. They bring flavor and fragrance to my life. Their strength is my strength(the strength of one is the strength of all and strength of all is the strength of one). I have been truly honoured and privileged to be around such people of calibre who have taught me the true meaning of love and being there for each other. I know that I would never have to go through any storm alone.

I am so grateful that I have them around me, it's like being walled in. This security is only found when you have strong spiritual ties.

God has placed these mighty warriors, cloud of witnesses and cheerleaders who cheer me on, pick me up and keep me grounded, in my life. There were times when I thought that I wouldn't make it, but the love and grace of God and their love and prayers sustained me.

I hereby place on record my eternal thanks to all those who love me, support me, encourage me and pray for me. You have enriched my life.

God bless you abundantly and His perfect will be the only influence in Your life.

I encourage you today, to express your appreciation to those around you who have done something to bring you to the place that you are right now.

To all my family, I LOVE YOU!

God bless!

Love, the one who will pick you up, Heather

Saturday, 21 January 2012

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen!

2 Cor 4 : 18 - So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

How many times has the things we see fooled us into thinking that that is how it will be and that it will never change.

It looked like we would never own our own home because we were 20th on the list for the land to build our home and we also didn't earn enough. But God, in His infinite wisdom and power moved heaven and earth just so that we can own our own home.

It didn't look like I would get the job I wanted which was to be a secretary of a school so that I can spend more time with our kids but God came through and caused a secretary of a school to resign and me to apply for the post and get it.

I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was pregnant with my son, and it seemed like I would have to live with this sickness for the rest of my life and since my father had it, my grandmother had it, it was likely that I would have it. But God, like the awesome God that He is healed me and I haven't had it since then which was about 24 years ago.

Think about those times when what you saw was not how it stayed and you would also realise that the word of God is true.

So there is evidence to show that the things we see in our lives that are not what we want them to be at the moment, are temporary. Don't give up on that dream, diliquent child, the unsaved loved one or whatever the case may be. God has the final say! God is invisible but we see Him in creation, feel His love and experience His grace.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, nothing else matters because He has us in the palm of His hand. So allow God to take care of the seen because what is unseen(eternal life) is more important.

God bless!

Love Heather

Saturday, 14 January 2012

God knows your address!

There's a scripture in Acts 17:24-26 that speaks about who God is. In it the word says that God knows where we live. Some people have the misconception that God doesn't know them and doesn't care what is happening to them. If He knows your address, He most certainly knows all about you. He's waiting to get your attention, but you are so focussed on your issues that you don't take the time to acknowledge God and realise how much He loves you and how much better your life will be if you entrust your life entirely to His control.

Isn't it funny how people are, when everything is going good, they don't go to church and they don't stop to thank God for the many blessings that He has given them. But when something goes wrong, they are quick to go to Church and they ask God why did He do this bad thing to them? This seems to be the only time that God gets some attention and even if He is innocent, which He is, and the bad thing is their own doing, God gets blamed.

But it's okay, it doesn't matter how you give God attention as long as you realise that He is the only one that can help you. After all, He created You, knows you better than you know yourself and He knows what's best for you. So when He comes knocking on your door won't you let Him in. He wants to come inside your home and be a part of your life. He knows your address, do you know His?

God bless!

Love Heather

Saturday, 7 January 2012

With God all things are possible!

I grew up in a place called Wentworth in Durban, South Africa. It is a place where so-called 'coloured' people reside and where one would question 'what good can come out of that place?' We first lived in Woodville Road in a flat and then moved into a house in Cycas Road when my father, who had two jobs at that time could afford for us to move. In Woodville Road, we saw poverty all around us as well as drug and alcohol abuse, violence was on the low at that time. But when we moved to Cycas Road, the violence was at an all time high. We had gang wars going on and we had to run home at times from school because we were caught in between two gangs. At that time I was so glad I was not a boy because they were being intimidated and beaten just because they lived in a certain area. We feared for our lives daily but God knew the plans He had for my life, so I can live to tell the tale.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would meet Jesus on this journey of my life at the young age of 22 years. He changed the course of my life and all the things that I never thought possible became possible. God gave me a brand new life. He forgave my sins and wiped the slate clean. Like a little child I trusted Him for everything. We needed a home and we stood on the land that we wanted to buy and build our home and He blessed us with the desire of our hearts. With all the things we needed or desired we asked God first and He answered some and some are on the way. Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of trials and pains but His love for me outweighed all the negative. He called and chose me to preach for Him which is the greatest honour that anyone can have.

I am now 44 years young and God has never failed me. If you put your trust in Jesus, He will take from rags to riches (from wearing hand-me-downs to being able to buy your own clothes), from zero to hero (anyone who saves lives(souls) is a hero). The latest miraculous wonder of His love is a new beginning in a land I've never been to as yet, New Zealand. God has called our family to do His will in that land and so when God said jump, we just said 'how high?' We leave the familiar to walk on the water with Jesus. I never thought that I will leave Durban, never mind South Africa. For with God, all things are possible!

God bless!

Love Heather