by Sara Vitakic | Jan 26, 2017 | encouragement
Dear sisters,
I think we can say we’re at the beginning of the year, we’re still in January, just about. At the beginning of a year our hopes and expectations are high as we hope our dreams and visions will be fulfilled and start to become a reality.
God is the author of hope, and the more we walk with Him, the more this hope overflows in our lives.
I love this verse in Romans 15:13 where it says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
We ask God who is hope fills us with joy and peace as we trust him, then hope overflows with the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
Many times though we hold back on our hopes. What holds us back? Often it is because of disappoint from our pasts and the fear of failure.
So what should we do when we have experienced disappoints and have the fear failure?
Put our trust in God, tell Him about what it is we fear and lay it all down before him and tell Him our disappointments. God hears us, loves and cares about us, He is the one who wants us to keep our hope alive and gives us real hope that is ‘God-hope’. God is the author of hope, we can trust Him. When we do His joy and peace fills our hearts and by the power of the Holy Spirit His overflowing hope floods in!
The word of God comes more real to us when we pray it personally like this:
“May the God of hope fill ME with all joy and peace as I trust in him, so that I may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom. 15:13.
What are you hoping for this year 2017? The God-given dreams and visions that fill us with hope will happen, it’s a matter of time. God is trustworthy and He is always faithful.
by Sara Vitakic | Jan 20, 2017 | encouragement
Dear sisters,
What are we looking at? Where is our focus?
The enemy wants each one of us to only look to where we have failed and been unsuccessful, instead of looking how much we have progressed and grown spiritually. The devil wants us to focus on our past, instead of focusing on our future. He wants us to think about how many times we’ve failed and made mistakes, instead of how many times we’ve succeeded.
But GOD wants us to focus on Him and to know with HIM we are strong and not weak, to look at our victories and not on our losses, and to look believing God does have the solution, and not just to look at our problems.
Phil. 3:13-15
“Brothers (sisters), I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.
I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.”
Through these two verses God is saying to us to run (press on) towards the goal, answer His call and forget what is in the past. Take note to ‘what’ we are focusing on and then to look at and magnify God’s works and possibilities. Don’t believe the lies of the devil! Believe God!
He has the power to strengthen people that feel weak. He wants to show His power and heal sicknesses. He can make a way where there is no way. He can give favour and open doors. He can be a powerful and personal Saviour, and best friend to those who have lost hope, purpose and think they can’t go any further.
by Grethe Stanley | Jan 14, 2017 | encouragement
REVELATION OF WHERE WE ARE AT IN GODS TIME FRAME.
While I was having a shower today I found myself thinking about the Star Wars movie Andrew and I went to see a few days ago. It just reminded me of the spiritual war that is raging all around us. In the movie it appears like evil is winning, and it is looking more and more hopeless for the good side. BUT SUDDENLY there is a point in the movie where ONE person from the good side says “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” she rises up in righteous indignation, she is willing to risk everything for the sake of GOOD. All the others that are on the GOOD side tell her, “no we cant win, they are too strong for us there are too many of them. She persuades a small remnant to fight with her: SUDDENLY the tide starts to turn, and it is beginning to look like, just maybe they could win, so many others now join in the fight for good and the movies ends with HOPE.
It was like the Lord was showing me that, that is where we are in the timeline of history. God has said ENOUGH is ENOUGH, we are now entering into that part of history where the tide is turning and the POWER OF GOD is going to be seen. I meditated on this for some time and then I felt the Lord say to my heart.
“The LION OF JUDAH has begun to roar, the WIND of the SPIRIT is blowing, THE ARMY OF GOD has assembled, THE TRUMPET HAS BLOWN. GODS PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP. The dry bones are becoming flesh. The finest hour in the whole history of mankind is upon us. Stand still and see THE SALVATION GOD. OPEN YOUR EYES AND YOUR EARS TO SEE WHAT GOD IS DOING. Don’t listen to doom and gloom; focus on what I AM DOING. STAND ASIDE AND SEE WHAT I WILL DO IN THIS NEW SEASON”.
The scripture that comes to my mind is Ezekiel 37:9-14
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ”
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’
12 Therefore prophecy and say to them: ‘this is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ ”
Be blessed until my next blog
Love you
Grethe
by Grethe Stanley | Jan 7, 2017 | encouragement
I have such a sense that we are entering into a new season and it is not by mistake that our theme for this years Daughter of the King Conference is “A New Day”. Isaiah 60:1 says “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. This is a word for us right NOW at the beginning of 2017. As we arise and start to declare this verse over ourselves and speaking it out into the atmosphere we will usher in this new season in our own lives and it will impact us in a positive way.
We do not realise the POWER there is in Gods Word. It is full of promises, promises that we never claim because we don’t read His word and we don’t take hold of what it says. When God created the world, He spoke it into being, we are made in His image, therefore I believe we can enter into a greater authority, build God’s Kingdom here on earth by SPEAKING out and declaring His word.
verse 2 of Isaiah 60 says “See , darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His Glory appears over you”. verse 3 “Nations will come to your light, and Kings to the brightness of your dawn. We only have to watch the news to see that darkness covers the earth, evil is everywhere we look, and darkness is over the people (fear); This is our time to ARISE and to SHINE because when we do ARISE God’s Glory appears over us and those who are in darkness (fear) will be drawn to us.
Will you join me in declaring?
“I declare a new day, as God’s light shines on and through me”. AMEN
ARISE, SHINE, FOR your LIGHT has come, and the GLORY of the LORD RISES upon you.
You may need to repeat this over and over until you feel yourself arising. Make a choice today that God’s Word is going to be your new diet for this year.
Love and blessings
Grethe
by Grethe Stanley | Dec 30, 2016 | encouragement
As this year draws to an end and I reflect back over all that has happened, I can honestly say that God has been Faithful in every way, in every circumstance. There has been many stressful situations, many joyful situations, the year has been full of twists and turns and I am glad that at the beginning of 2016 I did not know what the year ahead was going to be like. My Heavenly Father knew what each day was going to bring and all I had to do was walk with Him one day at a time, trust Him, and here I am sitting reflecting back on His absolute Faithfulness to me. THANK YOU JESUS.
When I was checking my emails the other day, someone sent me this verse Jeremiah 29: 11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope”. I think this is a good verse to start the New Year with. You and I have no idea what the year 2017 is going to look like, but our Heavenly Father does. Take comfort in the fact that He already has our year planned out and He has a solution for every Circumstance. Your year is going to look different to mine. Your circumstances will be different to mine. But we can COMPLETELY TRUST GOD to get us through next year, one day at a time.
Put your trust in God, declare to yourself; “my Father in Heaven, has a plan for me for 2017, a plan for good. Psalm 40: 4 says “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.” Psalm 56:34 says “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid, what can flesh do to me?” Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting ROCK”.
Love and blessings to you all.
Grethe
by Grethe Stanley | Dec 24, 2016 | encouragement
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His son…
The gift of eternal life is free, how amazing is that. We cant earn it and we cant buy it, it is completely free. A Gift from our Heavenly Father because He loves us. All we have to do is take the gift and invite Jesus into our lives, repent of our sins, ask Him to take control, and then follow Him. He is completely Trustworthy and Faithful. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He WILL direct your path”.
I have been meditating a lot these past few days on the amazing gift of eternal life that God has given us and a thought came into my mind “what can I give to Jesus this Christmas?” Two words popped into my mind “Thankfulness and Gratitude”. When we are thankful and grateful, we bring joy to Jesus’ heart. It is a way of showing Him that we trust Him with all our tomorrows.
So as you prepare to give gifts to your family and your friends, consider giving a Jesus a Gift as well. My gift to Him will be that I will do my very best to be thankful and grateful everyday of 2017. My dear sisters in Christ, may you have a blessed Christmas and a very prosperous, healthy and happy New Year. I love you,
Grethe
