God knows

It's a better day family

It is in our nature to want to know everything and we feel so uncomfortable, anxious and fearful when we don't know things especially concerning our lives or the lives of our family or the future.

I was praying this one particular day about things concerning the future of my family when God said to me 'I know'. He took me to His word, Jeremiah 29:11. He said to me 'Be reassured that I know'.

This was a very comforting word to us because we don't know all the answers but God does. His plans & thoughts towards us are the best. So, because He knows, we can live in His safe arms knowing that He knows. Even if that is all we know, that's good enough for us to live a great life on this earth. 

My prayer for you today is that you rest in the knowledge that God knows.

God bless you & your family 

Love Heather

Love so undeserving

It's a better day family

I was beating myself up for making such a foolish decision the other day. I thought to myself, Heather when will you ever just do things right. So mad with myself, I went to God, saying sorry & asking forgiveness. He reminded me that there's nothing that I could do or ever would do to make Him love me less and nothing that I can do that will make Him love me more.

I realised how much I'm loved by God and that all I can do is just accept and receive that love. The mistake that most of us make is that when we mess up, we think that God is so mad with us that He won't bless us anymore or even use us anymore. That kind of thinking binds/stops us from speaking about God or encouraging people to pray and trust God. We think to ourselves, how can I be a witness when I'm so weak myself. We cannot earn forgiveness, it is our gift when Jesus went to the cross and took all our sins.

Jesus knew that we are still going to sin and fall but He also knew that His love for us will give us the courage to overcome all our weaknesses and sins. We are not perfect yet but each day we are being perfected.

For if your heart condemns you, God is greater than your heart and knows all things. (1 John 3:20)

There's a song that expresses God's love so beautifully, it says:

Your love never fails, never gives up & never runs out on me!

Father, thank You for your love & grace that sustains us & keeps us close to You. You carry us when we feel we can't carry on. You remind us that You are God & in control of everything & our lives are in Your loving hands. 

Jude 1:24-25 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. 

God bless you 

Love, Heather

Jesus, my Lord and my God

It's a better day family

The past weekend was a remembrance of the death and resurrection of our Saviour and King, Jesus Christ. You can't help but imagine all that Jesus went through, out of love and obedience.

When we stand at the cross, ready to give our lives to the One who gave His life for us, we place at His feet, all our sins, guilt, shame, weaknesses, faults, failings & all that we think we are. It is in that moment that we realise that there is no one in this world who can love us so completely and unconditionally. Many of us really find it so hard to comprehend that sacrifice and even that love but we nullify(make of no effect) the cross when we doubt God's love for us. The bible says that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but for those who are being saved, it is the power of God. 1 Cor 1:18. God doesn't only display His power by raising Jesus from the dead but displays His power in love.

Who would go through such suffering and humiliation just so that I may not perish but have eternal life? I wonder sometimes what would have happened if Jesus didn't go all the way to the cross. What would have become of us? So every time, I have to face a trial & even though it seems too hard to bear to the point that I want to give up, I remember that Jesus went all the way to the cross. He did this so that I may not lose heart but have the courage to overcome & be victorious in every situation. That I may run the race with endurance, finish the course and gain the prize. Hebrews 12:1-3.

When my life intersected at the cross, it was changed forever, Jesus lives inside of me. He is my Lord and my God.

Hebrews 13:20-21 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Love, Heather

Strength to pass every test Part 2

It is a better day people of God

I am continuing my story about the strength to pass every test.

One of my hardest tests I have had to face while in NZ was my children leaving home and taking their own journey. It is the most painful emotion to say goodbye to your children especially when they are going to be in another country and you don't know when you will see them again.

Truthfully, I am grieving at the moment, grieving their absence in body with me. I'm asking God for strength to pass this test, this is beyond my human comprehension. I need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to go forward.

They have been with us all their lives, we've loved them, nurtured them, provided for them & protected them. Now they are in this big world & away from us and we won't be with them to hug & kiss them and do all the things we usually do with them. These are just some of the emotions that I have been through & are going through.

I take comfort in the word spoken over our lives that we will all be together some day. That, the God we serve will keep them safe in His loving care & be their ever present help in times of need, that what we have taught them & trained them will bare good fruit & they will become who God said they will be. And I thank God for technology of Skype, watsapp & other sources of communication with them. Also, the fact that we have family who love them & care for them.

That was my emotions catching up to the Spirit who knows all things & sees all things and will lead us & guide us into all truth. God is Sovereign & in control of everything and well able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or think.

When your children are dedicated to God, it is a covenant you make with God, ' God you gave us these children, we give them back to You'. So now, this is the test of my faith in God, do I trust Him completely or do I walk by sight. Do I believe His word or do I believe lies? Well, being a believer of Jesus Christ is believing in Jesus Christ and His word.

This road is narrow and few travel on it, I pray I meet many more on this road, it can be very lonely at times but I know that I am not alone, God is with me, He will never leave me nor will He forsake me. I can say truthfully say that God has been my comfort in my discomfort.

I pray you will take God on your journey, you cannot do it alone, He will be the I AM in every situation, allow Him to be your everything and trust in His unfailing love for you.

God bless you!

Love Heather

Strength to pass every test

Happy New Year to all! May 2013 be a phenomenal year for you and your family!

A new year always brings with it some reflection. Looking back at this past year had it's fair share of joy and pain but one truth came out of it all-God is Sovereign and in control of everything. The things that I thought were bad turned out to be some of the greatest lessons and gems collected on my journey.

We came to New Zealand with so many plans and goals and we saw each of them just crushed in front of us. Many are the plans of a man's heart but the Lord's will prevails. And that was exactly what happened. Even though God sent us here, didn't mean that it was going to be a bed of roses. The easy part was getting here, the hard part, staying the course after all the testing.

Now testing comes in all forms and as my husband so wisely put it, a test to become a doctor is more difficult than a test to become a driver. We tried to fight it at first thinking that we were entitled to the blessings and smooth sailing from God because, after all, He sent us! Eish! Our faith was tested to the core. I'm going to give an example of what I'm talking about when I say God is Sovereign & in control of everything. Just keep in mind all we had left behind in South Africa-family & friends, jobs, house, cars, etc. South Africa was our comfort zone.

Neil couldn't get a job for months, the first month we could handle, the second month, we continued to ask & knock, by the third month it was not funny at all & we saw our faith being tested. By the fourth month we were asking God, what is going on. By the fifth month we just gave up, we just said to God we don't know what to say or do any more & just gave it all to Him in exhausted surrender. Then Neil got a job, go figure, that's God for you. We were so 'reservedly' excited because it was a 6 month contract job & not what we had prayed for. I complained to God, I said God, if a child asks for bread will you give her a stone? That was so disrespectful of me & I had to say sorry to God. This is the point where God taught me to be grateful & thankful. God was so gracious in that he allowed Neil to earn in 3 months what he would have earned in 6 months, talk about restoration.

There are a few examples of testing but I will tell you more in the next few blogs. Suffice to stay, I'm still standing, but by the grace of God.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally brothers, be strong in The Lord and in the power of His might.

Till next time!

God bless you!

Love Heather

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

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