Sandra

God asks us to give Him the highest and first place in our lives (Matthew 6:33, Exodus 20:3, Matthew 22:37-38). “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33   But, how exactly do you practice that? I myself believe that as long as you are receptive and humble to His will in your life, and you learn to crucify your own flesh, you don’t really have to do much more. God does it for you in you. I personally don’t believe that it is a complicated formula or checklist that you have to work through.   I think it is more about letting God lead, and letting go of, trusting on yourself. Admit when He points something out to you, and daring to look critically at yourself, your actions and walks with Him. Being honest with God and giving Him the space to let Him do His thing in you, that requires trust and letting go. “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” – Matthew 22:37-38 However, there are a number of things that I have learned from God in the past years that have helped me change into the person I am today. Am I there yet? Nope. Do I have all the wisdom? Another big Nope. But practice makes perfect, from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).   When I look back at how I was a few years ago and how I was in life, I see a huge difference, praise the Lord! So besides letting go and trusting God and giving Him space, there were still a number of practical points for me that definitely helped and that is why I would like to share them with you. I pray that it will bless you too. Getting practical Putting God first, what does that mean, and how can you put it into practice?   The first thing that has helped me a lot to make putting God first practical is to start the day early, and early for me is: five o’clock.   I can then start the day with Him in peace and lay everything at His feet. In this way, I give Him the first and best of the day. It is a wonderful start to the day and I recommend it to everyone, that does not mean that it should be at five o’clock for everyone, you do not have to do anything, because everything is grace, but starting the day with God is what allows you to put Him first right away.   “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”- Mark 1:35   Finding a time that is feasible and practical for you is of course different for everyone. Jesus himself also started the day with the Father (Mark 1:35) and because Jesus is our example and our Guide, this is also something we can learn from Him.   For me, it did cost some “blood, sweat and tears” to “get the hang of it”. I snoozed a lot those first months and put my phone (which I have my alarm on) further and further out of reach in the hope that that would help me not turn it off in my comatose state..LOL.   But nothing helped. Demonstratively and in a sleepwalking state, I turned it off every morning and then walked back to my bed and continued sleeping. To the point of annoyance…very frustrating.   But I kept on going, morning after morning, for months and months. Eventually it paid off and things went well more and more often. Persistence pays off, so to speak 😊, Praise the Lord.   You just start your day differently when you start it with God. Pray without ceasing “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Bible also teaches us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I am now succeeding more and more in this, and it is becoming more and more of a habit to be in conversation with Him throughout the day, but of course it did not start out that way.   Previously, I prayed very consciously at certain moments, I then separated myself to speak with God and after my prayer there was actually no contact between me and Him, until the next moment that I separated myself again. Although there is of course nothing wrong with this, God actually desires more for a continuous “open line” between Him and us and that He may be involved in everything in our lives. I must say that I personally did not have to make much effort for that, it has grown over the years so that I now involve Him in almost everything.   At school (Charis Bible College) I learned that a relationship with God works the same as a relationship with your spouse. One day you talk to each other a lot and the next day, perhaps because of work or other matters, a little less. On days off you can spend hours with each other, or take the time for a good conversation, than on workdays. And this does not have to be a problem for your relationship. It can also be that relaxed in your relationship with God. One day you can talk to Him for hours and hours, and on other days that is sometimes a little less. We do not have to make it difficult or complicated about that, that is simply the relationship that you may have with Him, in all relaxation, not from work but from love and relationship.   But involving Him in everything is, besides a wish from His

God knows what we need better than we think we do.   He created us and knows us to the depths of our souls. He knows our desires and the decisions we (want to) make, and He knows if those desires or decisions are good for us. We can sometimes want all kinds of things for ourselves or think we can judge whether something is good for us, but it is not without reason the Bible teaches us not to trust on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 Jesus my rock-solid foundation After my breakup in 2023, my life was no longer on loose sand and I made the decision to start rebuilding my life together with Jesus as my new, rock-solid foundation. After all, everything old had disappeared, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)!    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17   From that moment on, I decided to protect myself, my relationship with God, and the plan He has for my life by only allowing into my life what comes from God. And so I have become very attentive to what I fill myself and my time with, what television programs I watch, what I listen to, how I treat my body, and, above all, who I allow into my life.    Through these radical changes, I began to hear God’s voice even better. I sat in His Word for hours, following and being obedient to His voice, and also because of the Biblical education that I received at Charis Bible College, here in the Netherlands, I became more and more rooted in His Word.    My relationship with God has grown enormously since then. But, what was completely new to me was God’s radical protection and direct intervention over me in a Fatherly way.   A while ago I came into contact with a person with whom I shared many encouraging texts, Bible verses, books and our walk with God. The contact was friendly, pleasant and constructive. With the human eye, there was no problem.    Since the breakup, I have tried to protect myself from everything and anyone that is not sent by God, and to be as attentive as possible so that I don’t stray from the narrow path.   Ephesians teaches us to put on our armor and be observant (Ephesians 6:11-18).     But how do you know whether you can let someone into your life or when someone is not sincere? Our own insight can sometimes be so wrong, as I have experienced all too often. We need God’s discernment so we don’t make the same mistakes again or put ourselves in situations that will ultimately keep us further from God.     This contact developed in to a starting friendship, and we talked a lot about our walk with the Lord and our faith. It was a nice and friendly contact, and went on for a little while until I thought…”let me involve God and ask Him what He actually thinks about it”, and so I included this in my prayers and asked God for discernment.   I prayed and asked God what His idea was about this contact. I still didn’t see anything strange in it; the conversations were encouraging and good. But, “Don’t lean on your own insight, right?” So I asked God, “Lord, what do You actually think of this?” He immediately said, “It’s not what I want for you; I’m taking it away from you.”     WOW! I didn’t see that coming! I didn’t understand it, but despite that, I said, “Okay, Lord, I don’t understand it, but I trust You; I just want what You have for me in my life, your will be done, not mine.” After that, immediately the next day, I stopped hearing from him and he had disappeared completely from the face of the earth!     God radically and completely stopped all contact. I was astonished and impressed by God’s actions.   Even though I have seen God do many special miracles in recent years with myself or with the people around me, I was still taken aback by this. I was grateful for God’s guidance. Apparently it was not the right person to talk to or not the right time; at that moment, I had no idea why God had made the contact disappear so drastic.   Ask questions to your Father I learned to ask God questions, He is our Father. While some questions may always remain unanswered, there are plenty of questions that God wants to help us with.   Sometimes you can struggle with things, and you want to gain clarity as to why things can turn out the way they do and learn from it. I felt the same way in this situation. At first, I was impressed for weeks by the fact that God indicated that He would take the person out of my life because it would not be good for me, and this exact thing happened immediately the next day.   But once that had landed, questions arose of “why”; did I overlook something, was I too naive, where had I gone wrong, I wanted to know and learn. I decided to just ask God these questions and I got a detailed answer to that too! I was completely awed and grateful for His protection, but also greatly encouraged by what He spoke to me.   He made me understand, He needed my complete focus on Him at this moment for the sake of His plans, and this was distracting me. He also spoke about why He had protected me; People can sometimes pretend to be so different from what they

Living with the Lord is something I can talk about for hours. But you know what I always find so exciting? You never know how things will turn out with God. We, with our human minds, can sometimes plan or have things in mind, but then He makes it happen in a way that you would never have imagined. Doors can open unexpectedly, people can cross your path, or opportunities can arise unexpectedly. These are always ways that God can show us the next step, the question is however: Do you see it? When we are open to His voice and guidance, He will take you places and lead you on paths beyond your own understanding. But the key is to be open and sensitive to His voice and not harden your heart to His wonders and signs. I learned that a hardened heart does not always mean that an unbeliever has hardened his/her heart against the Gospel of Jesus and the realization that we need a Savior, but that a hardened heart can also affect the believer. We can also allow unbelief into our hearts, which, to some extent, hardens our hearts to His voice and guidance. A hard heart does not allow all the good of God, and so we limit Him in what He wants and can do in our lives. “Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27 Don’t limit God with your small thinking God’s plan for our lives is so much better than we have for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). We think of limits, boundaries and possibilities to a certain extent, but with God, everything is possible (Luke 18:27). When we think; “Ah, I’m too old for that”, look at Abraham and Sarah. When we think; “I can’t do that, that’s beyond my ability”, look at Moses. When we think; “No, I have too much on my plate, God cannot use me”, look at King David. When people humiliate or belittle us and we think; “I’m nothing”, look at Jesus. Feeling like Sarah There are so many examples in the Bible of people like you and me that God has used mightily. Only are we open to it, or do we limit God with our small thinking? We can think bigger, dream bigger because we serve a great God! And when we pray according to His will and His Word, it will be given to us, that is His promise. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:7-11 So I have learned that sometimes I limit God by thinking too small, even though the possibilities are limitless with Him, but; Do you want to see it and do you dare to take your foot off the brake?  God told me in January 2024 that I had to set up this blog, and that it had to be in English.  I started it full of enthusiasm with my eldest son, Sem. That child has great gifts and talents when it comes to ICT and entrepreneurship. My youngest son, Daan, also has that entrepreneurial streak, but more so in other areas. They are both fantastic, hardworking boys that I am very blessed with those two, #proud. Anyway, my oldest son set up this page; under my high standards of course, LOL.  I have been given limited access by the “chef”. I can do the things that are necessary and post my blogs, but he has not given me access to all technical things. “No, mom, then you just click on something and then everything is gone; that’s not for you.” LOL, he knows his mother well.  Anyway, we were still working on the design, and the website was far from being up and running when, one afternoon during my quiet time, God said to me, “You are going to preach My Word throughout the world.”  I had to secretly laugh because I thought, “All over the world? How”? And as I thought about it with a laugh, the Holy Spirit immediately pointed me to Sarah’s story and how God promised her a son at an old age, and how she had also jokingly laughed at that…I felt like Sarah.  “Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”  – Genesis 18: 10-14 I repented and remembered a lesson I learned at my Bible college, Charis Bible College, “Don’t limit God with your small thinking.” It took some time before this blog finally went “on the air” and we were online! Praise God. After the page had been online for almost a month, and we looked at where it was already being viewed, my son and I were both amazed! Within just a few weeks, the blog attracted a staggering number of visitors. and… all over the world. Countries where

Prayer, it, is an important part in the life of a Christian. It is the way we communicate with our Heavenly Father. Prayer should also be something we do throughout the day. Many people may think that when you pray and end with “Amen,” you conclude your conversation with God. Like hanging up the phone after a conversation. But the great thing is that we can always keep this ‘telephone line’ open. Every day, every moment, for the rest of our lives, we can keep this phone conversation going with our Heavenly Father, and we never have to “hang up.” This is also God’s desire, that we involve Him in everything, every moment of the day. From deciding which house to live in, which job to take, advice on raising our children, who will be your life partner, to the little things in life; finding your keys, whether to turn left or right or what you are going to eat that evening. He wants to be a part of our lives in everything. God is a God of details and of relationship; what is important to us is also important to Him. Our God wants to answer our prayers. He is a loving Father, a Father who wants your happiness and not your unhappiness (Jeremiah 29:11), a Father who wants to give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) and life in abundance (John 10 :10). “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”- Psalm 37:4 Power of prayer In this way, I have also experienced the goodness of God and what it is like to persevere in prayer. Because while God is a good Father and wants to give you all your heart’s desires, He also protects you when the things you desire and pray for may not be good for you or in line with His plan for your life. Not because He requires us to do His will, but simply because His will is the best and most beautiful for us. It is a place where all our gifts and talents are at their best, and He gets all the honor and glory. A place where people can see His greatness, love and faithfulness through us, and He is glorified. A place in which the Body of Christ is increasingly gaining the upper hand in this world, and we can help build that. It is a life in all its fullness, to which we are destined. By staying close to Him and keeping that “telephone line” open, you will increasingly recognize and understand His voice and direction. This may take some “training” but like any relationship, everything needs to grow; trust and getting to know each other. Every good father, who loves his children and wants the best for them, will want to give his children the very best. And if the children asked for a loaf of bread, he would not give them a stone (Matthew 7:9), how much more will our Father in heaven bless us. Our God responds to prayer (1 John 5:14-15, Matthew 21:22, Matthew 7:7) and we may make all things known to Him and come to Him as children (Matthew 18:2-5). When we pray in line with His will and put His Kingdom first, He will answer those prayers. Discovering whether what we are praying for is in line with His will is by spending time in the Word and getting to know His character. No, Slow, Grow…or GO! I have learned that God ALWAYS answers our prayers. Sometimes you hear people say “I prayed, but God didn’t answer”, My own experience is “God did answer, but you didn’t listen 😉”, sorry to burst your bubble. My own experience is that there can be at least four answers; “No, Slow, Grow…or GO”! We sometimes want to see the things we pray for happen immediately or receive an answer. When that does not happen immediately, or we simply miss the answer, we think that God has not answered or is not willing or able to give us what we are praying for. Doubts can arise whether we are doing it right or whether we have missed something. This can result in us giving up or letting go of our prayers and dreams. We also live in a time and society where everything happens in an instant. Do you need something? Search for two seconds on the internet, place an order, and it will be on your doorstep the next day. If you want something quick to eat, pop it in the microwave and have a meal on the table within a few minutes. Everyone is immediately accessible because everyone has a mobile phone, no matter how crazy you think it is, it is available. But our God is not of this world, and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and He is outside of time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). So when we pray for something, we may have to wait months or years for it. Look at the many stories from the Bible, for example, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, King David and many others. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” – Ecclesiastes 3:11 This wait can be due to so many factors, and sometimes it doesn’t even matter whether you know or understand those reasons; what matters is whether you can let go of possible answers to your “why” or “when” questions and trust God and His perfect timing. You may get a “No”, in which case you can be grateful for His protection, and you can rest in the fact that He has something much better and more beautiful for you. Maybe you get a “Slow”, then it is not yet the time. Then listen to His gentle voice and guidance on what you may learn or do

“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” – Matthew 5:39 How difficult it can sometimes be to turn ‘the other cheek’ to people who hurt us. Injustice can sometimes be so painful. Man, when I think back to what I was like before I had Jesus in my life; I was someone with ‘hair on my teeth’ as ​​a Dutch proverb says for someone who is rather hot-tempered. The proverbial ‘short fuse’ was an understatement for me, I had no fuse at all! In the event of any setback, a nuclear reaction and explosion immediately occurred. Someone only had to do me an injustice and I wouldn’t eat them whole, LOL. I still remember a moment when, with my heavily pregnant belly, I went to get some ‘story’ from the person who was tailgating behind me. I stopped my car in the middle of the road, got out and walked to the lady in the car behind me to ‘kindly’ explain that if she was in a hurry, she should have left home earlier. I say it now with a smile, but it was quite serious. I had such a problem with injustice, and when it was done to me, I came to seek redress. I do not say all this with pride, but to show the greatness of God. The changes He brings in us are immense, as long as we allow Him to do so and give our battles to Him. From glory to glory I praise the Lord for the changes He has made in me, LOL. I just don’t recognize that person anymore. The longer I walk with God, the easier it is for me to let things go, and the easier it becomes to place everything on Him and expect it from Him. Is it always easy and smooth, nope, but we are on our way anyway. From glory to glory. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18 Taking ‘revenge’ does not have to mean that you want to do violence to someone, although sometimes you would like to stick some persons ‘behind the wallpaper’ 😉. It is also about not taking steps to defend yourself based on your own insight, sending messages out of anger, saying or thinking things that are not in line with God’s will. In difficult moments, we should ask ourselves: What would I rather have: God defending me or me defending myself? That is the choice that Jesus offers us and means in Matthew 5:39. So, ‘turning the other cheek’ is not a recipe for abuse, but rather a way to involve God in your struggle and defense. Many people believe that these instructions from Jesus guarantee that others will take advantage of us. That would be true if there were no God. But if we follow these commands of Jesus, God will be on our side. “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19 When we fight back, we draw on our own strength and our own understanding. But when we turn the other cheek, we are actually calling on God as our defense. Once we understand this, it becomes clear that these instructions are for our own good.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-8 Release Gods best in your life Regardless of whether our anger may seem justified and regardless of whether we think we can change the person or the situation in our own flesh, If we don’t learn to step back and let God fight our battles, we will never see God’s best in our lives. When we “go to war” to defend ourselves, we prevent God from defending us.  I want to encourage you: when you are in a difficult situation and people have hurt you or wronged you, Jesus is our advocate. He stands up for you, and He fights the battle for you with all His love. The responsibility is yours to give everything to Him. Let go of control and take a step back. Give your battles to God, be still and know that He is God! “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;” – Psalm 46:10

I often heard around me about the anointing of God, but I had never really stopped to think about the question; what exactly is that? Until I attended a great event of The One in Him Foundation. I have written about this ministry before, and I will continue to do so, because what a great ministry this is! And what a testimony the founders of this ministry have. I highly recommend you order the free book “Good Enough” via the website (www.oneinhimfoundation.com) to read from which dark and gloomy world God has pulled them and where He has placed them now. He has sent these people to the poorest places in South America to reach the people with the Gospel, and with great success! Electrified The One in Him Foundation organized a two-day event where they had worship leader Elijah Oyelade come over from Nigeria to the Netherlands. I have visited many events in the past four and a half years, also several from The One in Him, but also from other ministries, from different speakers, from healing services to deliverance services and from business summits to women’s events, you name it, really a lot. And they were all always just as powerful. I can’t say anything about that, every speaker and every event has always been just as great. I have seen many people healed, delivered, seen the joy of the Lord, had teachings, you name it and I have seen it…but this time was a completely different experience. Never before had I experienced the anointing of the Lord so powerfully and in this way. As soon as Elijah started singing, the entire room fell into worship. I closed my eyes and completely forgot where I was, my focus was only on God. Now that is not something very strange, but this time it was different. I heard Elijah singing and I heard the entire room singing along, it crossed my mind several times that it could be like that in heaven too. So many people in harmony, together, on their knees, hands up and worshiping God and singing to Him. With my eyes closed and hands up, it was as if I was already there. Everything around me seemed to disappear, only God’s presence and the singing of the people. I felt the Holy Spirit moving through the room so tangibly, several times I felt tingling in my fingertips of my hands raised high. As if, the Holy Spirit took my hands for a few moments. Anointing is tangible, you can feel it. Just like you can feel electricity, you can also feel the anointing, and that was exactly what I experienced. Anointing destroys every yoke “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” – Isaiah 10:27 Sickness is a yoke, weakness is a yoke, sorrow can be a yoke, pain can be a yoke, the anointing destroys it. So the yoke is not only removed, but it is completely destroyed – beyond repair – by the anointing! It is God’s desire to destroy every yoke that holds you and oppresses you. The anointing is passed on when hands are laid on people. These evenings I saw this happen a lot, many people were prayed for and hands were laid on, people were delivered from demons, healed and people stepped forward to consciously lay down their old nature, their old way of thinking and acting and leave it behind at the altar and to clothe themselves in their new nature (Ephesians 4:22-24). “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24  Rows of people, including myself, fell in the Spirit. Completely blown away, I lay on the ground for minutes and felt God working through me!  What a joy these evenings were! I didn’t want to leave! I wanted to stay in this worship and presence of God, because I had been in the same kind of ecstasy both evenings, and “coming back” to the here and now was a big downer. In awe The second and final evening was over, but God’s presence was still palpable in the room. Volunteers and team members were slowly cleaning up, while one of the band members was still playing quietly on the keyboard. I stayed in the room for a long time, I couldn’t leave. I didn’t want to leave God’s presence. Together with a few others, we stood in awe, enjoying God’s glory. When people turn off their minds and open their hearts to receive, God’s anointing can flow freely. We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) which also applies to God’s presence. If we don’t feel anything, that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. Feeling something shouldn’t be the starting point, either, but your faith and trust in God’s presence. That being said, you can definitely feel God’s presence physically. Along with a feeling of immense peace, there can also be tears, joy, happiness and laughter. We read about these kinds of experiences in several places in the Bible: In Genesis 17:1-3 we read that Abraham fell flat on his face when God spoke to him, LOL. The apostles in Acts: Acts 2:1-21. King David dancing half naked through the streets : 2 Samuel 6:14. Jeremiah also had strong physical reactions to the power of God: Jeremiah. 23:9 And what about Daniel: Daniel 10:7-9. That evening of the event, God’s presence was so strong and palpable in the entire room, that besides an electric tingling feeling in my fingers, I also felt an enormous peace and tranquility and, that it seemed as if I had

Sometimes there are days you just don’t have the words to pray. Maybe you recognize that? I usually notice it when I’ve been too busy with other things for a while and God kind of parked in the waiting room of my life. I know that I need, and want to make time with Him, but suddenly I am consumed by the things of the day. Or to be honest, sometimes I just don’t make time for Him myself. Then I want to exercise, because I haven’t done it for a few days and I feel bloated, or just calling my friend or that nice television program, is just a little bit more important. Not the best way of course because I know when I put Him first, everything else runs much smoother. In His presence When I finally do make time for God after a few days, it can sometimes be that I have no words, or they are the same words over and over again, as if I were reading a script. When I first started walking with the Lord, I was annoyed and at a loss when these things happened, and God only seemed further away.  The enemy gets into your head and makes you feel guilty, which can make you feel ashamed of God. . What he wants is to keep you away from prayer. For he knows that prayer is powerful, our God answers prayers (Matthew 7:8)! Now, after much trial and error, I know that fortunately God is not going anywhere, but that it is me who is slowly drifting away, and is swallowed up by the things of everyday life.  I have learned when you find yourself in a time where you just don’t have the words to pray, there are many other ways to come back into His presence. You can set up beautiful worship and sing along and worship Him, or find a quiet moment and sit at His feet. But what always works for me to come back to the realization Who is really important, is gratitude. “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:8 Expressing how grateful I am, and counting my blessings is a powerful prayer!  Once I start listing all the things I’m grateful for, I often can’t stop. The list goes on and on. Expressing what He has done in my life and all those times He was there, my children, my husband, our home, my work and colleagues, dear friends and family, warm clothes or that delicious cappuccino pumpkin spice. Sometimes it’s small things, but with gratitude we worship our Lord because ultimately all good things come from above (James 1:17). “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17 Just like in any other relationship, in some moments, you will talk to that person more than other moments. I once heard the comparison to a marriage, one moment you may speak to your spouse more in a day than at another. So may it be with God. Of course, it is very important to be in contact with Him daily through prayer and the Word, but sometimes you can have those days, right? Then things turn out a little differently than usual, or we get caught up in all kinds of activities. We don’t have to panic, God is with us and is not going anywhere.This knowledge can help you be more gracious with yourself, after which it can help you look at the many blessings in your life and thereby magnify and worship Him. An attitude of gratitude will soon bring you back into His presence.  You can find God’s winks in the little things, they do not necessarily have to be supernatural miracles, The fact that He woke you up again this morning is already one!

The shortest day, also called the winter solstice, entered our dark little Netherlands on December 21st.It is a day with the least amount of sunshine. On this day, the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, resulting in the fewest hours of daylight and the longest night. This also marks the beginning of winter; short days and long nights. At the same time, this also symbolizes the turning point towards increasing daylight, although it will take more than a month from that moment before we will notice anything of it. The days are mostly short, dark and cold. I leave home in the dark to go to work and when I drive home in the dark after a day of work, I ask myself the question; “Has it even been light today?” LOL. This natural phenomenon reminds me of life in this broken and fallen world, the darkness can seize you from time to time. The sadness, pain or brokenness of the people around you, or perhaps in your own life, can then overwhelm you. The darkness and gloom is long and a path to light seems far away.Your days can feel dark, cold and lonely. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”- John 8:12 Exchange your cargo Yet, there is a Light to be found in our world, although it is not of this world. Jesus is that Light (John 8:12) and a life with Him can lighten your dark moments. The situation does not necessarily have to change immediately, but with Him, it will be more bearable and His peace and joy will carry you through those moments. It is a command from Jesus Himself, to come to Him with our problems, with our sorrow and with our pain and brokenness because when we do that, He will give us His peace and rest (Matthew 11:28-30). “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 You may bring everything to Him, as it were you exchange cargo, you give Him yours, and He will give you His. Step by step He will then lead you to the light, to a place of rest in the midst of your storms, in the midst of the darkness. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5 Child of The Most High Like everyone else, I have had dark days. Days when, just like on this shortest day in December, there was little or no light to be seen. Worries or sorrows can grip you, moments when heaven seems brass, prayers unanswered and God seems miles away. In those moments, it is all about walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7) and not about what you see, hear or experience. Knowing your authority in Christ, that you are a child of the Most High, and knowing that God will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” – Mark 11:23 Storms will continue to come as long as we are here, that is also what Jesus tells us (John 16:33). Yet, it is possible for us Christians in the midst of those difficulties to experience joy, peace and rest. Jesus even gave us the authority to speak to our mountains (problems) ourselves (Mark 11:23). Knowing that you are a child of God and are placed with Jesus above all powers and principalities in the heavenly places and are seated with Him at the right hand of God is crucial at those times (Ephesians 2:6, Ephesians 1:20-21). It gives you the power to resist all those problems and difficulties that you experience in your life at that moment.  Perhaps you are currently in a period in your life that is similar to the winter solstice in the Netherlands; dark and cold; I want to encourage you to search God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation about the position in which you are as a child of the Most High (Ephesians 1:17). “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”-Ephesians 1:17 Above all, hold on to your faith, hold on to Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him, for He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He will guide you through those days filled with darkness, and He will bring you to the place of rest (Psalm 23). “1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” – Psalm 23