Finding the More

God approves of you today - in fact He approves of you right now!   What are your thoughts as you read that statement?  Do you immediately think that cannot be true, my life is still a mess.  How can God approve if I am not yet walking in freedom, if I still struggle with sin, sickness or bondage, if my family is still not living in harmony.  Are you quickly considering all the things you need to do so God can accept you and approve of you so He can heal you and set you free?  This type of thinking will prevent you from walking in the fullness of what God has already done for you.  Let me explain: Most people believe that the cross happened, but they don’t believe it was all that effective.  They still believe there are things they need to do.  They need to read the Bible more, live more holy on purpose, and be mindful to confess any possible sin - their own and those of their ancestors.  And while these are all noble motives, you won’t ...

I am sure I am not the only one who feels alone from time to time.  People can leave you; friends move on, or circumstances and situations can make you feel like your life is overwhelming you to the point of despair.  In times such as this, have you ever thought about where God is?  He does after all say that He will never leave us nor forsake us. I heard someone tell a part of her testimony the other day.  When she was younger, she made the wrong friends, and these relationships soon made her question if God is real.  She seriously considered renouncing her faith in God.  At the time she was far away from home and felt all alone.  At one stage she sat sobbing in her room.  She didn’t say how she got out of the situation but shared that years later she asked the Lord where He was when she was going through this.  His response was that as she was sitting at her desk sobbing and staring at the wall, He was right behind her sitting on her bed....

Lately I find myself to be an “all or nothing” kind of gal about some things.  I love being creative, making art pieces or doing crafts - also referred to as “crefts” by the youngest Afrikaans speaking member of our family.  Where the “all or nothing” comes in is that for a while now I will only start a project if I know I will be able to finish it.  If I am unsure about that or if I don’t have a specific plan or purpose for the item - where I am going to display it or who I will give it to - then I don’t even start. I wanted to write about the goodness of God and what the finished work of the cross of Christ really means and the totality of what He did for us.  But like with the arts and crafts projects, I didn't want to start until I had the full revelation of all that it means. Well, I soon realized that I will never have a complete list - because it seems the more revelation I get, the more there is - and that is why I will start to at least write what I know ri...

Gracie gets a bit bored from time to time and we would catch her going out onto the covered porch at the front door just standing staring until something moves so she can bark at it.  When she finds such an innocent victim - which is normally an unsuspecting neighbor walking their dog or just going on a stroll minding their own business - she would bark and howl and create such a ruckus that the poor neighbor would stop and apologize for walking by even though they have all the right to do so.  Gracie would then come in all happy and smiling and tail wagging while I am fuming, ready to give her a quick sendoff right into doggie heaven.  She runs back into the house without a trace of guilt as if she hasn’t done anything wrong.  You can try and shame her, but the moment she walks back in, she has already put it behind her and is ready for the next adventure or something tasty to eat. I was thinking about the fact that God wants us to always have the confidence to run ...