Wow it’s September already! This second half of the year is flying past.
As I sit here writing this today, I’m excited to write on what the future holds and this month!
This is the month that a huge dream of mine will come true……I will be going to the place where Charis Bible College all started Colorado!
I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to go for a little over 1 week, attend classes and a very special event. You can read more on that here.
But before I get started on that, let me share a little bit of what’s been going on lately!
Heidelberg beautiful as always is starting to bloom with Spring upon us!
I’ve had some great opportunities to minister in the police startion’s devotions on Thursday mornings.
Ministering to children on our Thursday outreaches as a college.
I’ve also had the opportunity to help some of the primary school children that live in the same hostel as I do, with their homework, and had the opportunity to share the Gospel with them which is amazing!
This past Thursday I shared my 3rd year project at college. Part of the Charis 3rd Year Leadership Program is for the students to hand in and present a business project! My project was on Starting a Charis Bible College (CBC) extension school in the Gauteng Province and all that needs to happen in order for it to happen!
I was also able to go home for a weekend to Cape Town a few weeks ago (that’s about a 3 hour drive from Heidelberg).
We celebrated my brother’s wedding coming up soon by having a small intimate ladies family tee!
As well as one of my younger brothers’ (far left) 19th birthday!
It was a activities packed weekend, catching up with the family before heading back on Sunday afternoon.
Over the past few weeks the Lord has been speaking to me about thankfulness. So many times we can get so caught up in everything we need to do, that we forget to be thankful for what we have!
We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
This scripture says that it is the Will of God to give thanks - be thankful!
Thanking God in everything demonstrates to Him that you trust Him, believe in Him, and expect Him to turn what the enemy meant for evil into good!
Does this mean you should thank God FOR everything? No! You thank Him IN everything! There is a big difference!
God is not a God that brings sickness, lack, poverty or hardships on us, because He is a good God and only want good things for us!
John 10:10 says
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
(Brackets mine)
Sickness, poverty, lack, it’s the devil trying to steal our prosperity, and trying to kill us through sickness!
This is why we do not thank God FOR everything but we thank God IN everything.
I’m not saying that every morning we wake up we say “Oh God, thank you for this sickness! Now I can learn more about you.” No! This is not what it’s saying give thanks FOR everything
- It’s saying IN everything. So that even if you are in sickness, lack, poverty and hardship you Thank Him that He is a good Father, that He did not bring this upon you. That you are trusting Him that He will help you get out of this situation, that He will make it a testimony unto good! He will turn this bad into something good!
Romans 8:28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This does not say, God brings bad thing on us to teach us. This says that the people who love Him, the ones who trust Him (because with love comes trust) He will work the bad circumstances in their life to something good!
When we are SO focused on ourselves and the problems that we have, then we forget about this! We forget about the person down the street, who is just hoping to get a meal today.
When you only think of yourself and what your problems are. You despise where you are at this present, because of where you want to be.
This is not the will of God! Even though God may have promised you a brighter future!
You can’t get to another portion of the will of God for your life by forsaking the will of God in the present!
The Lord has really shown me, that in everything be thankful and you will find - life becomes a lot easier!
That is all for me this time! It’s my hope to do short vlogs (videos) on my Facebook account to keep you up to date on what’s happening in my travels!
Much Love
Heidi-Mari
Banking Details for Partnership/Giving:
Bank Name: Standard Bank
Branch Name: Tygermanor
Branch Code: 410
Account Holder: Miss Heidi-Mari H Lues
Account Number 33 103 780 7
Account Type: Current
SWIFT Code - SBZA ZA JJ
