Sandra

Prosperity Gospel, perhaps you have heard of it? It all sounds very negative and ‘not from God’, but perhaps we are missing the point? I am convinced that God is a good God, a good Father who wants to take care of us in all areas, and I certainly believe in the area of our finances.  There was a time when I struggled to truly trust God with my finances. I wanted so badly to learn and experience how God really wanted to take care for me. But at that time being a single mother, I found it terribly scary and wanted to keep control over “my” money.  As my dear friend told me, “You’re throwing out anchors,” and she was right, I didn’t dare to trust God 100%, and I always made sure I had a backup plan.  /*! elementor – v3.23.0 – 25-07-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} More month than salary The word “prosperity” may trigger a spontaneous allergic reaction in some people, but when we examine what God intended it to be, it is so beautiful! His purpose is that we, as His children, may be a blessing to others, so that He will be honored for that.  God blesses us with our gifts, talents and qualities, and He blesses the work of our hands (Deuteronomy 28:12). We can use the money we earn from this to bless others by, for example, sowing seeds in a beautiful ministry or your church, helping people who have less to spend, or paying for a stranger at the cash register. God will show you who you can bless. In the meanwhile, God will make sure you don’t fall short in anything!  I recently learned that we are “blessed to be a blessing, to have bread and seed, enough and extra”. (Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 9:10–11).  I also was allowed to learn from Jesus in Mark 6:40–43. He fed so many people with what at first seemed like too little. But what exactly was He doing there? He took what He had, lifted it up, thanked God for it, and blessed it.  And what did God do next? He multiplied it! Enough and extra came; Jesus and His disciples were blessed to be able to bless the crowd of people too!  “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.”- Mark 6:41 WOW! That was a revelation right there! First of all, I could just be grateful for the money I had, the food I had in the fridge, and even the gas in my car. Even though in the natural, at that time, I had more month left than salary, LOL, I continued to thank God for it and to bless what I had, so God in turn could continue to work and ensure that I was not lacking in anything! the cheerful giver The next stumbling block that I had to tackle within myself was giving with a cheerful heart because God loves the cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). I can tell you, I always gave, but I didn’t give very happily, rather out in fear and always safely within my budget.  That had to be different!  I prayed, and asked God to teach me this, because I also wanted to give happily! And again, because my heart was open to learning and growing, God led the way. I became more and more confident until one day God put an amount on my heart to give to the church which was quite a large amount for me at the time. I said, “Okay, Lord, even though I can’t miss it and it ‘hurts’, I will do it anyway. I choose to give with a joyfull heart and I choose to trust You, because Your Word says You will take care of me and I believe Your Word above my circumstances”.  Sometimes we don’t fully understand things, but then the ‘art’ is to simply choose to trust God. I thanked God, blessed the amount and transferred it. Then I let it go and didn’t think about it anymore. Within one day, that money came back to me via another special route, and not only the amount I had sown, but many times more! And there it was again: “Blessed to be a blessing, bread and seed, enough and extra!” With that came a deep realization and awe for God: the world is burdened by high costs, energy, groceries, taxes, everything is becoming more and more expensive, and for many, it is no longer feasible.  But we serve a God who rises above this world and economy, and in Him, we are completely free from all worries about rising costs! Sunday is coming The topic of finances has been a learning process for me for a number of months now, and God is slowly releasing me from all old thoughts and patterns and fear of not having enough. Small but also very large hurdles have already been overcome. For example, God has made me realize that I need to stop a certain income stream. It gave me stress, uncertainty and was more like a curse than a blessing. Being apart from that would give me more peace. But, despite all that, it still was a huge step of faith for me. Because I am so hungry, and because I know that I know that I know that I know (no, this is not a typo, LOL) that God’s Word is truth, also in the area of finances and prosperity, I also took that hurdle, followed His lead, and stopped that income flow. I want to receive all the blessings and promises that Jesus accomplished on the cross. So, I trusted God would fill that gap….and He did! At the time of writing, I have arrived at the point; give your tithes. This was the biggest obstacle for me the area of finance. Just when I thought I had seen

When you look at the state of the world, you cannot deny that time is short and Jesus may return soon. The enemy rages like a roaring lion, looking to kill and destroy (1 Peter 5:8-10) and that is evident from what you see around you or when you watch the news.   By the way, I strongly advise against watching the regular news or watching too much television at all. It’s better to fill yourself with a good sermon, the Word, a good book or teaching than all the junk that television brings, but that’s just my opinion, LOL.   In any case, you somehow get the idea that what is happening now is not very encouraging. You see so clearly what is going on and the decay of the world that you almost have to do your best not to see it.   And not only in distant countries but also close to the brothers and sisters around me, the spiritual battle is great. I experience it myself; the spiritual struggle and tension are palpable. /*! elementor – v3.23.0 – 25-07-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Jesus, the hope of glory There’s something in the air. Something ominous, and at the same time, that ominous feeling stirs up hope in me! Looking forward to Jesus and knowing what lies ahead. He is our hope of glory and the way out of misery. The Bible teaches us to be watchful and alert because our salvation comes like a thief in the night (Matthew 24:42-44).   Until then, we’ll just have to put up with each other here for a while.   We need each other, and the time will come when we need each other more than ever. The closer we get to Jesus’ return, the more this will become clear. The Roman soldier A Christian life often reminds me of a Roman soldier and how these soldiers used to prepare for a battlefield. The equipment of a Roman soldier corresponds to the equipment as we read in Ephesians.   “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” – Ephesians 6:13-18   Now Paul wrote these letters to the church of Ephesus thousands of years ago, and all these years the people have needed this armor every moment of the day, but still, I think the more we get to the return of Jesus, the more we become aware and make use of this weaponry.   The Roman soldier made sure that he entered the battlefield armed and trained. He was armed with a lot of armor, He wore sandals with iron spikes and a helmet on his head. His weapons were a sword, a dagger, a spear and a shield. Before the soldier was ready to go into battle, he was trained. They swam, practiced recognizing commands and signals, trained in fighting with swords, practiced throwing javelins, learned to use stone slings, learned to ride horses, practiced carrying a heavy load and learned archery.   When all this had been mastered, he was sent into the battlefield, armed and fully equipped. The comparison with the Roman soldier is instructive for us because we too must be trained in using our spiritual armor. The armor we have received from God. Not a care in the world When you are in a season where everything is going calmly and smoothly, you might sometimes forget that you are actually on a battlefield. You lean back, unsuspectingly enjoying the peace and quiet…not a care in the world, you would think.   And that’s okay, we should certainly relax and enjoy when we are in a calm season, enjoying God’s peace and presence. I just think that we should not forget who we are dealing with and who wants to rob us of that calm and tranquility. When we learn to recognize the attacks from afar, and we are awake and sharp and alert, we are already two steps ahead.   Don’t be surprised when the enemy attacks you, he is always watching and hunting; looking for who he can crush; that is a result of living with Jesus,😊 LOL. But before his storms and attacks come, we need to make sure we are trained in God’s Word, that we know who we are in Christ, that we know our authority, and that our armor is not only in order but that we are already wearing it. “The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came” – R.A. Torrey The Roman soldier did not simply put on his helmet on the battlefield and gather his weapons. He made sure he was trained and fully dressed in his uniform to attack the enemy.   Fortunately, God has given us everything we need to resist the enemy, and he only has the power over us that we give him. Hallelujah!! We need our brothers and sisters Besides the armor, we also need each other. And the closer we get to the end, the more we will need each other. Making sure we stay in prayer and connected with each other is crucial for

A while back, God put it on my heart to write about this topic.  Phew…I thought, that’s quite a thing. Of course, I write all my blogs from my own experiences, my own pitfalls and victories together with God, and so it is often personal stuff that I share with you, and I have no problem with that at all, all for the honor and glory of His Name, even if I have to “bare my buttocks,” as we sometimes say in the Netherlands.  But this topic…I had to swallow it for a moment. It’s quite sensitive, and I don’t want to judge people who might be in a similar situation right now. But God’s Word is truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).  /*! elementor – v3.22.0 – 26-06-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32 Yet, I have taken some time in prayer and even in fasting to determine whether this is really what God is asking of me and how I am going to put things into words. Because it is a difficult and sensitive subject, it will also be a somewhat longer blog than you are used to from me so far, so grab a cappuccino, take seat 😉…,and let me just start at the beginning.   Before I made the choice to follow Jesus, I was in a relationship. Both completely in the world, and God was nowhere to be seen in our lives. We lived apart at that time, each in our own house. We also had our own friends, outings, lives and even vacations apart from each other. So “living apart together” (LAT), as they say “hip”. I had been in this relationship for a few years by the time I chose Jesus, again (I did that about 10 years earlier; read more about that in my blog, “My first encounter with Jesus”). So, while in this relationship I gave my life to Jesus and grew more and more with Him. My then-partner didn’t want to know anything about God. He thought it was all fine with what I did and that I went so completely for God, but he himself didn’t want to know anything about it. God created us all with our own free will, and He will never change that, including the will of my then-partner. The choice for Jesus must come from your own free will and from your own heart. No one can force this on you, not even God. The fact that you miss an incredibly great and beautiful opportunity when you do not choose Him and thus place your eternity in the balance is a story in itself. God’s Word is enough Well, fast-forward. While I was in this relationship, God showed me more and more often that this relationship was not what He wanted for me. I kept putting it away, but I couldn’t get away from the constant dissatisfaction inside me and the “gut feeling” the Holy Spirit gave me. There was never peace in the relationship, and in my spirit, I felt that this was not the way, although I initially pushed that realization away for a very long time and made up all kinds of excuses. We lived separately, we both had our own houses and were not married. Actually speaking; sinful in God’s eyes. I can still remember being in a Sunday service with beautiful worship. During that worship, God spoke in my Spirit: “Do you know what my Word says?” I immediately knew He was referring to this relationship with a person who does not love Him. In the Spirit I said “yes, Lord, I know Your Word.” “You just have to do what My Word says,” God said. From that moment on it took another year before I took the step to actually end the relationship. Meanwhile, God continued to speak about this patiently and in love all that time. I now know, but at that moment I didn’t want to believe it, and put it away for a while. Joined together The Bible warns us many times about a relationship with an unbeliever. Or rather, not having a relationship with an unbeliever. Not because we are “better” or they are not worth it. That’s not what it’s about at all. One is not better than the other, but we do live in completely different worlds than unbelievers.  This is a completely different story if you are already married and one of the two becomes a believer during the marriage. The Bible says very different things about that. But the focus in this blog is mainly on the unequal yoke outside of marriage between a believer and unbeliever. I have experienced firsthand that God’s warnings about having a romantic relationship with an unbeliever while not married are, of course, true, as is the rest of His Word.  “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”– 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Imagine two animals who are joined together at the neck by a wooden yoke so they can pull a plow. They are two animals of the same species, joined together to accomplish a certain job. They’ve been trained to respond

At the time of writing, it is March and spring is slowly arriving in our country. The wind is still fresh, but in between there are glimpses of spring. “March moves its tail” says the Dutch proverb, which means that the weather in March can sometimes change from one extreme to the other. Which reminded me of my walk with Jesus. One moment you seem to be wonderfully in “the flow” and then from one moment to the next you find yourself in a whirlpool of struggle. At least, it seems to come from time to time, out of nowhere. I now have a suspicion where it starts, and it often creeps in. But more about that later in this blog. /*! elementor – v3.22.0 – 26-06-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Busy busy busy I was also wonderfully in “the flow” during this period. I was very busy with my homework and school days at Charis Bible College, I was doing everything for this blog, in between I was also working on a short course with Billy Epperhart; “Money Masters”, I was reading a fantastic book; “God of Prosperity by Tom de Wal (www.frontrunners.com), our church regularly evangelizes, and I would like to be there too, my normal work continued of course, my children also want something to eat now and then LOL, and then I also have a house that needs a cloth and mop occasionally, LOL. Busy, busy, busy, and I think this is recognizable for most people. Suddenly, what seemed like overnight to me, God seemed miles away! I could no longer pray, and I no longer had the strength to get up at 5 a.m. for quiet time before going to work. The “gate” to God seemed to be closed which was a perfect opening for the enemy to overwhelm me with worry and fear due to all kinds of situations that have been going on for a very long time and for which I am praying and trusting for a breakthrough. Suddenly these situations gave me a panic attack. It seemed hopeless, I was overcome with fear. My head was full of thoughts, and I was convinced that there would never be a breakthrough. The most terrible scenarios filled my head. Days passed and I couldn’t get it out. I have experienced moments like this before and I know what to do; praise and thank God. But this time I was paralyzed. Choose consciously At times like this, it only helps if you consciously choose to take up your cross and go for Jesus again. Even though you don’t hear God, even though He seems to have disappeared, even though you see no outcome or breakthrough. We also have our logical mind, and then it comes down to it; what do you choose? I seemed to be drowning in despondency, in questions, fear and doubts. And even though I was very aware at that moment of what was happening, that I was in my flesh and not in the Spirit and that the enemy had taken advantage of this, it still paralyzed me and I could not get out of that cramp. At such a moment, I know that I have to consciously choose Jesus.  I couldn’t pray, I had no words, so I chose to praise, praise and thank God. I chose to trust Him even though I didn’t see anything happening.  Proclaiming Bible verses works fantastic in such times! So I proclaimed, “I CHOOSE to trust You, for You are not a Man that would lie. I walk not by sight but by faith, I am Your child, and You have promised me never to leave me nor forsake me, Your Word is truth and I choose to believe Your Word despite my circumstances, You have always been faithful, so now You will also be.” (Numbers 23:19, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Galatians 3:26, Deuteronomy 31:8). I started worshiping and just started magnifying Him. When God seems miles away and your situation seems hopeless, we don’t need to make complicated prayers. Thanking Him and magnifying Him is in fact enough. God responds to that, and can change everything with the snap of a finger. At His feet The moment I did this; God spoke quite quickly and the problems disappeared from my mind. He told me to take rest that day. To do nothing, let go of everything, and come to His feet. Although I had a lot planned, I took His advice to heart, I was grateful to receive from Him again. I walked outside into the sun. There is a beach just outside my city, it was beautiful spring weather, so I decided to walk there and sit. Just sit at His feet, talk to Him and nothing else. Resting is Biblical, look at Elijah who had seen mighty wonders of God. Fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:38-39)! But then shortly afterward, he was completely extinguished and asked God to take his life away. But what did God do, He sent an angel who woke Elijah up twice and instructed him to eat and sleep. Elijah did it and then walked in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights (1 Kings 19:4-9). For me, that day was somewhat similar, and I witnessed how God redeemed the entire day in a single moment by directing me to simply rest and recharge at His feet. Everything changed from desperation on my part, to complete peace and overview of the situation. The situation itself was still unchanged, but I had changed. God showed me again what was really important. In His presence there is peace despite your circumstances. Pause! When we are overwhelmed by worries and God seems nowhere to be seen, it could be due to various things. In my case, it was because I spent weeks focusing on God instead of with Him. Busy with Bible school, reading books, courses and church, but nowhere did I take time with Him. Jesus regularly made time

There are many people around me who think that God does not exist. As if He is a fairy tale or a fable, and the Bible is a storybook, and you probably recognize it from your own environment. Yet it also strikes me that even though they do not believe (Yet 😉), they do keep an eye on us. They observe how we behave, what we do, and how we do it and as soon as we make a “misstep” or react “not in a Christian way,” it is evidence for them to show that the entire Christian faith is a charade, not real and not sincere. “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23 There are plenty of people who are not sincere, unfortunately, also among Christians. God showed me a long time ago that believing in Him and actually following Him are two completely different things. There are plenty of people who believe in Him but do not follow Him. Following Him means taking up your cross (Luke 9:23) and dying to your own flesh. Surrender your life completely to Him, be rooted in His Word, hear His voice and be obedient to Him in everything He asks or sends you. When you say you believe in God, but act completely different, I can understand the unbelievers in the world become skeptical and keep an eye on us. Waiting for something they can catch us on and show that that crazy belief is hypocritical or fabricated. I didn’t realize that I was also being observed this way, by my own child, of all people…LOL. A memory of an elephant Before I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Redeemer, I had a pretty short fuse, or rather, no fuse at all. In the event of any setback, a nuclear reaction and explosion immediately occurred. In addition, I had the patience of a three-year-old, and I liked to proudly show everyone who bothered me the “most beautiful finger” on my hand (read: my middle finger). I was impulsive and could swear like a construction worker. Sigh, yes, really ‘ladylike’. Praise the Lord for taking care of me . Although I no longer react or behave like this, it is apparently still fresh in my children’s memories. Apparently they have the memory of an elephant! Some time ago, I had an argument with my youngest son over the telephone. Just the fact that we had an issue upset me so much that I just didn’t know how to act or respond. My boys (Sem, 19y and Daan, 16y) are both very easy-going, sensible, sweet, hardworking and social boys. Of course everyone is proud of their child, but honestly, mine are both so easy and sweet that I like to brag about it, LOL. I never have to make a fuss or get a rude mouth, they have never or hardly had puberty, they always ask if they can help me with something, and they actually always do what I ask of them without (much) complaining. Then perhaps you now understand why I was so surprised that my youngest son, Daan, and I had a disagreement this time. I was so surprised that I really had no idea how to respond to it, and out of powerlessness, and from my flesh, I raised my voice at him and “freaked out”. Smartly and out of nowhere, he responded, “I thought you wouldn’t do that anymore because of your faith”. Say WHUUUUTTTTT??? This made me even more pissed off, and we hung up angrily. I had some time to think about this: “What a big mouth that child had!” “What is he thinking? And then attack me for my faith! The nerve! As if you can’t get angry as a Christian, hello…I’m still human; no, the last thing hadn’t been talked about yet.” All went angrily through my head until the Holy Spirit started speaking to me: “In the Spirit, you have already received everything, including all the parts of the fruit of the Spirit, and what is part of this fruit? Right, patience. So you do have that patience, and you also have the same patience that Jesus has. In principle, your son is right; only you reacted in your flesh, and you must crucify your flesh. I want you to straighten this out with him.” OUCH! Not nice, but truth. Show Jesus In the Spirit, we have already received all the parts of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Now we have to renew our thinking (Romans 12:2) and learn how we can draw from that source that contains all those beautiful parts: Love, patience, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness and self-control. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 Another revelation for me, firstly that it was a lie in my thinking that “I am only human”, of course I am human, but how I react and solve things is a completely different story. Getting angry is one thing; there is also such a thing as parenting and righteous anger, but raising your voice and losing patience is another story. I had to give in to that smart-aleck teenager of mine right away. Yes, we are still humans, but how do we allow ourselves to be guided? Are we led by our flesh or by the Spirit? And if we unexpectedly allow ourselves to be led by our flesh, how do we solve it? Do we leave it for what it is, angry in our ego and in our flesh? Or do we listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and come back to it, start a conversation or offer an apology so that we can still show a glimpse of Jesus? We are being observed; we are the

When I was a little girl, my family and I used to go to church. All I can remember about that was that the pews were hard and cold, and my mother gave us a mint during the service. I was about twelve years old when my parents divorced. My father (and that whole side of the family) disappeared from our lives, and we stopped going to church. To the sadness of my grandpa and grandma. (my mother’s parents). They loved the Lord very much, and their entire lives revolved around God. Grandpa had been an elder in the church for years and also visited people’s homes who needed spiritual support. And grandma helped keep the church clean. Mom didn’t have an easy time with three growing small children, but fortunately after a few years she met my dear stepfather, who lovingly took on the role of father. Yet, God remained far out of sight in our family until about fifteen years ago. /*! elementor – v3.22.0 – 24-06-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Okay Jesus, I want to get to know You I left home and started my own family. By the time, my eldest was two years old and the youngest was almost a year old, I became interested in seeking God. I had so many questions, and they were finally answered in the “Jip and Janneke” language (a Dutch saying for a straightforward and childlike explanation😊). Finally, everything became a bit clearer. I also wanted to know Jesus, and it was explained to me how I could invite Him into my life. With a childlike faith and quite uncomfortably, I got down on my knees and said: “Well okay Jesus, I also want to get to know You and invite You into my life. I believe that You are the Son of God and You died on the cross for my sins and rose again the third day.” I then experienced an indescribable feeling of supernatural peace and joy passing through me. That same day people asked me “What’s wrong with you?” referring to a huge smile that never left my face. That same week, God answered a prayer in a special way. I was perplexed! “So it’s all real! You really do exist!” Unfortunately, I found myself in an environment that was not stimulating for my new life that had just begun. I was alone in this, and didn’t know anyone else who also believed, the people around me offered a lot of resistance, thought it was strange and did not accept it. I wasn’t allowed to talk about it or say anything about it. There was just some kind of ban on it. I tried to find a church, but didn’t know where to look and didn’t know anyone in my area who could help me. I slowly let go of Jesus. Looking back on everything that has happened over the past fiftheen years (and that’s a lot, LOL), I see; I might have let go of Him, but He was not letting go of me! God’s hand is on you God promises in His Word, He will not let go of what He has started (Psalm 138: 8) even though you are so far away, He will not let go. He had His eye on me and did not give up on me! “The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures foreverdo not abandon the works of your hands.” – Psalm 138:8 Tough years followed, my stepfather passed away from a terrible illness. I ended up getting divorced from the father of my children, which was very difficult for everyone because we had been together for over twenty years and had two beautiful sons. These were turbulent years in which I made many mistakes, hurt others and had to endure a lot of pain myself. Yet, when I look back, I see God’s Hand. In a very special way, I was assigned the house where I could make a new start with my boys and with which I am still blessed. After years of not working because I was a stay-at-home mother for our boys, I suddenly had to go back into the business world, but in no-time I went from one job, to a better job, to an even better job. And in addition, I received many beautiful “little” winks from God. Though, I had not realized it yet, God was with me and leading me. The Holy Spirit led me into forgiving the people who had hurt me, so that I did not become bitter and did not hold grudges. They could scream, kick, spit or gossip, but it didn’t bother me. I was able to forgive them again and again, and again, without difficulty and without leaving any bitterness or resentment in my heart. I thought it was special, but I didn’t realized how it was possible. Now I know how it happened, or rather, WHO made that possible that I was able do so. Re-choice for King Jesus At a job where I worked at that point, I met a sister in the Lord who invited me to the Sunday service at her church. I accepted her invitation and met up with her the following Sunday. Not only that, but I remember how welcome I felt among the people in church. I was welcomed with open arms, God’s presence was palpable, and there during that service, years have passed since my first encounter with Jesus, I once again made the choice for my King Jesus!  And this time I decided, I would grab Him with both hands and never let go. No matter what people would say, no matter who would make fun of me, no matter who would walk away from me, I would hold on to Him! This was four and a half years ago now, and it’s far gone, The Best Choice of my life! Much has changed after my “re-choice” for Jesus. I was baptized, and

A while ago, I was reading Deuteronomy 1:8 and something struck me. God spoke to the Israelites through Moses and said that He had given them the promised land. But at that time, the Israelites were still in the land of Moab. “See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and to their descendants after them.” – Deuteronomy 1:8 This promised land was far away from where they were at that moment. In addition, they first had to get there, and when they did, they would even have to conquer it because the land was still owned by others. This required a major step of faith on the part of the Israelites! They grumbled, complained, and argued (Deuteronomy 1:26-27), but Moses reminded the Israelites that God had been faithful and provided for them all along the journey (Deuteronomy 1:29:31). He would also ensure that the land He promised them would come into their possession, and they would gain victory. /*! elementor – v3.22.0 – 24-06-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} A better covenant As I read this, it reminded me of the fact that our walk with the Lord is not very different from that of the Israelites, and we, like the Israelites, can sometimes have difficulty trusting God and standing on His promises. Today, because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we live under a much better covenant and are back under the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14), which is the same blessing the Israelites had. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” – Galatians 3:13-14 When reading Deuteronomy 8, that realization hit me even harder. Wow, but wait a minute; this means that all of God’s promises He made to the Israelites and Abraham apply to us too! Error in my head!  This is of course fantastic news, but there is also a responsibility on our part, because although all these promises have already been made, we still have to take action ourselves. Nor was it cast into the bosom of the Israelites; they still had a long journey and a battle ahead of them. Same, we must learn to discover what all those promises are, so we know what is ours.Jesus accomplished so much on that cross! It is much more than just salvation, which in itself is, of course, an indescribably great gift. It strikes me that there are many Christians who are not or not fully aware of what was released when Jesus went to the cross.Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to say that I have all the wisdom (although we all do have the mind of Christ😉; 1 Corinthians 2:16). We are all on our way to our promised land, just like the Israelites, and during that journey we can learn to renew our minds so that they align with God’s Word (Romans 12:2). You can only learn this journey of discovery into all promises and blessings by spending time in the Word and with God, and by following good Biblical education. It is not without reason that God has appointed teachers in the fivefold ministry. I want to encourage you to look for them and accept them with both hands. It will bless you. Yes, and Amen! Back to the Israelites. God chooses to work with us and through us. So it is up to us to trust Him and take steps of faith. Man! I still find that exciting sometimes. Apart from their complaining and grumbling😃, what example were the Israelites in this. They had to cross that desert first and then fight to conquer that land! It was a long journey, and yes, they resisted; yes, they struggled and rebelled (that’s how not to do it, LOL). But eventually they arrived in that promised land, and God did what He said would happen – the land became theirs! The taking of the land was not all done overnight; it happened step by step and started with the taking of the city of Jericho(Joshua 6:1-16). “Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days” – Joshua 6:1-3  God gave them possession of the land before they saw it in natural. This required faith and trust, and step by step, the country became theirs. We can also discover, step by step, which promises are already ready for all of us, and there are so many! From our salvation and eternal life to health to life in prosperity and freedom, and many more, Hallelujah! Discovering this, just like the Israelites in the desert, is a journey in itself. I want to encourage you to discover what belongs to you and not to become rebellious, like the Israelites, or to doubt all these promises because this could unnecessarily extend your journey to your promised land to forty years, LOL . Take them with both hands! For all God’s promises are Yes and AMEN! “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20 Taking back what is yours Accepting and believing God’s promises is the first step. Then you can go on a journey with Him and little by little take over your promised land. The enemy is the one who has usurped your country for himself all this time, but Jesus defeated him on the cross!  Now it is up to you, together with God, to drive him out! It’s your land! Even if you don’t see it yet! Even if you don’t see that

It was a hard learning process for me to hear God’s voice, and sometimes I still have trouble with it. I often wondered why it had to be so cryptic sometimes, couldn’t He just communicate more easily by giving the answer on a silver platter?  It could sometimes feel like a treasure hunt, one big mystery. And often I felt like I was wasting a lot of time trying to figure out what God actually wanted to say to me, or what direction He wanted me to go. Fortunately, things are getting better now, but that took time. I once heard a sermon in which it was explained that you only learn to recognize someone’s voice naturally when you actually know the person. In a crowded room, you can immediately recognize the voice of your partner, who you have been with for years, among all those different voices. I thought it was a nice comparison. It is the same with recognizing God’s voice. All kinds of voices can talk to you throughout the day; from your partner, your children, your parents, your colleagues or the stranger at the checkout. But it is an art to pick out God’s voice among all those voices throughout the day. We only learn this by spending a lot of time with Him. Looking for silence helps with this, because the noise of everyday life obscures His voice. /*! elementor – v3.22.0 – 16-06-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Custom care relationship God does not shout; He always speaks in a soft and loving tone.  So, learning to hear His small voice among all the sounds of a screaming world, took me some time. I have discovered that God speaks to us in all kinds of ways, and it does not have to be the same for everyone. I often compare it with how I speak to my children. Likewise, I also approach my eldest son differently than my youngest son. The band is a bit different; my eldest is all grown up, and the youngest is still a fun teenager who doesn’t take life too seriously yet . The fact that my youngest and I are very similar doesn’t help eithter. Quite often, it causes us to clash. My eldest son finds it quite amusing to watch as my youngest son and I are engaged in a veritable “well-or-better battle”, in which the Holy Spirit always has to remind me to be quick to listen, but slow to speak, LOL (James 1 :19). But anyway, that’s besides the point 😉 Anyway, this means that I approach each one in a different way. Logical, actually. My dear friend recently said very beautifully: God has a different relationship with everyone; you can see it as a  “customized care relationship”. And this is so true. God approaches each of us differently, so it can sometimes be challenging, but when you think about it, it is beautiful! Because therefor, we don’t have to ask our friends, our pastor, or our mom what God wants us to hear. Through this, God teaches us to build our own relationship with Him so that we also learn to recognize His voice. Every relationship takes time to build. You have to get to know and trust each other. We may also take the time to learn to hear God’s voice. Pray like Gideon I have been walking close to God for about 4 and a half years now, and I can say that it has taken me that time to really learn to understand Him well, and of course, sometimes I still have doubts. When I continue to have doubts about a certain situation, I sometimes ask God for clear signs, and then I ask, “Okay, Lord, I really don’t know what You expect from me. Will You give me a lot of peace if I have to take this step, or will You give me a lot of anxiety when I shouldn’t do it?”  I can tell you, He has answered immediately every time I asked. I love how you experience a supernatural peace or a very strange, persistent unrest. One of the other ways that I sometimes use when I don’t know what God wants to tell me is to ask for a sign. My friend and I always call this “the Gideon prayer” LOL.          Pray like Gideon. Gideon asked for a sign from God several times in Judges 6, and God answered him, (Judges 6:36-40). Our Father wants to talk to us and give us advice when we’re stuck, so keep asking for help. That does not tire Him.  “Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.”  Judges 6 36-40 No worries Take the time to build your relationship with Him. Seek the silence of His presence and begin to recognize the ways He speaks to you personally. Search the Word for it will always line up with His Word.  Are you currently running into something and just don’t know what to do? Keep asking, He is your Heavenly Father and wants to answer you in everything, even the seemingly minuscule things. You can ask Him for peace or restlessness, or try a prayer like Gideon. No worries, He

I can still remember so clearly what life was like without Jesus. I mainly looked forward to the worldly fun stuff; vacations, drinks, trips and weekends. There were always fun things planned during the weekends, but on Sunday evening I thought, “Arrggghhhh, back to work tomorrow”. I looked forward to holidays and trips, weekends away or drinks. But all these things come to an end and before you know it you are back in the daily grind, looking forward to the next outing planned. Without anything planned, days, weeks or months could be boring. I could wake up in the morning in a fantastic mood only to see it disappear like snow in the sun when someone bothered me on the road or things went wrong. Now I have learned that happiness belongs to the world; it is subject to how we feel, what or who comes our way, or what happens to us. I can give you a brand new car today, and you will be completely happy. But if I decide at the last minute that I should not give you the car after all, but would rather give it to your neighbor that you are not a fan of (😉), then at that moment I have taken your happiness away from you. Look, in a life without Jesus, you are dependent on how things go in your life or even on other people. It comes from the outside. God, in contrast, gives us Joy. Joy is something completely different from happiness. Because joy is “heavenly happiness”. An incomprehensible and supernatural joy that can delight you in the worst of floods. Even if I give that car to your rude neighbor, you can be joyful 😉. He fills your heart with His joy, Heavenly joy! God’s joy is not dependent on circumstances. It is dependent only on God Himself who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). A Christian can have great peace and joy even in the midst of terrible problems because his faith is in God. /*! elementor – v3.21.0 – 26-05-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} That dreary Monday morning When I think back to those worldly moments of “happiness” when I did not yet know Jesus, I can now say; What a superficial emptiness! Frightening actually because your “happiness” can also be stolen! Circumstances can change; your own emotions are as changeable as the weather; you can get sick or depressed; other people can ruin your “happiness”; your marriage can fail; loved ones can leave you; you name it! Now that I know Jesus, I wake up with joy in my heart, even on the most boring, drizzly autumn Monday. Just for the simple fact that I have Jesus in my life, every day with Him is truly an adventure! You never know what or who will come your way or what He will ask you to do. So you never know how the day will go with God. Every morning I thank Him for the new morning, and I give the day to Him. “Lord, guide me again today. I am Yours, and I want to see more of You in my life and less of myself. Let me speak when I need to speak, and be silent when I need to be silent (especially that is an important prayer point for me, LOL 😊).” When you pray this, prepare yourself, because even that drizzly Monday can suddenly turn out bizarrely wonderful, and if not, you will still be joyful simpley because of His precense.   God’s joy is given to you by God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and flows from within you outward. Jesus promises us that this Spirit will never depart from us (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Romans 8:38–39, John 15:4); we are even sealed with Him (Ephesians 1:13–14). Meaning this inexhaustible, supernatural and incomprehensible joy cannot be taken away from you by anything or anyone!!! No matter what happens, whoever stands in front of you and shouts ugly things, no matter what is taken from you, that joy will remain in you until the end of the world and will be your strength in every situation (Nehemiah 8:10). Out of this world I have lived without Jesus for fourty years and with Him for four and a half years now, and I can tell you, a life with Jesus is really out of this world!  It is so supernaturally beautiful that I could write five hundred blogs about it, LOL. It has brought me so much, and I have never spoken to anyone or heard a testimony of anyone who regrets following Jesus. If there is anyone who has regrets, I wonder who they met with. That could not have been the case with our King Jesus. An encounter with King Jesus will not leave you unchanged; you are guaranteed to fall in love with Him, and you will never regret it! Do I never have a bad day? Never is a strong word, but I honestly can’t remember when I had a bad day. Of course, there are times when you are disappointed about something, something doesn’t go well, or you would like to see it differently, or you meet an annoying person 😊, but I have learned to shake it off by tapping into that source of joy God gives me trough His Holy Spirit!  Try not to look at your circumstances, but let His presence be the joy in your life and tap into the infinite source of the Holy Spirit. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Therefore, enjoy this new day (Psalm 118:24), give the day to Him and surrender to His guidance.  

Sometimes you can pray so long for a breakthrough that it seems like God isn’t hearing you. Do you recognize this? You can become frustrated because there seems to be no end to the situation you find yourself in. So I was in such a situation and eventually discovered that I was the problem. Ai! For a very long time, I was praying about a difficult conflict I was in with another person, and it just didn’t seem to end. I prayed, and I prayed, asking God over and over to move that person (in the right direction for my benefit, of course, how selfish) or to make them less stubborn, but absolutely nothing happened! I really didn’t understood it, and God only gave me cryptic descriptions that I could interpret so broadly that I didn’t get much further with them, such as ‘be patient’. Well, you can elaborate on that in many different ways. But it didn’t get more specific than that. Months and months went by and nothing changed, and the person turned out to be annoyingly stubborn to me and wouldn’t move. Very annoying! Until I decided to fast. Not even for that reason, but because I wanted to give the beginning of the new year to God, I decided to fast my first twenty one days of 2024. And let me tell you, I’ve tried fasting before but never lasted longer than a few days, where it was nothing more than starvation, headaches and irritability. I didn’t experience all those beautiful stories of people who had a fantastic time with God during their fast; to me, God seemed miles away. Anyway, you can read about that process in my blog “My struggle of fasting and praying”, from a few weeks ago. This time, I had a wonderful time with God, wonderful breakthroughs and insights in all kinds of areas, and then suddenly it happened! On this issue, God suddenly taught me something that made me think to myself, “Mmm, I didn’t see that coming.” All those months that I had prayed, begged, irritated, broken everything in Jesus Name (because of course the enemy was also blamed for the fact that nothing happened) and waited without results, and then God taught me that there was still a part of my heart where a wrong attitude was hidden. It was hidden so far away that I myself didn’t even know it. Was it bothering me?? “I don’t think so. Huh, oh wait…………” /*! elementor – v3.21.0 – 26-05-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px} Wake-up call Well, that hit hard! Of course, I had to repent of that and express to God that it indeed still needed to be cleaned up, and I asked Him for His help. Immediately that afternoon, I had a revelation about this issue, and God told me; “Now that this has been exposed, you can take the next step.” While all along I thought the person had to move, it was accualy ME who had to move, but first something had to be cleared up, and then I could take that step. If I had not freed my heart first, I would have taken steps with the wrong attitude. And because I was the one who took a step instead of the person, God got the glory because this person certainly didn’t expect this decision on my part, LOL. Then suddenly, I thought, Of course! God is going to work with ME! He helps us to change more and more into His image; we can pray and ask Him all kinds of things about other people, and of course nothing is impossible for God, but first, He goes to work with us! How could I have missed that all those months? I really felt like a donkey for a moment. But hey, that’s why I’m human, and God is God. Pray like David When you find yourself in a situation where it seems like nothing will ever change, I want to challenge you to ask God to examine your heart. As David prayed,  “search me, Lord, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).  There may be obstacles in our own hearts that can create blocks to receiving our blessings. Be prepared to receive an answer that may hurt for a while, but be open to learning and growing because eventually He will show you exactly what is hindering your growth in Him. By dealing with it and cleaning it up, you will be able to move forward again, together with Him. He can then take you to your next step. From glory to glory!  (2 Cor. 3:17-18)