by admin | Jan 19, 2024 | conferences
2009 – Daughters of impact
430 women gathered together in Sarajevo, BiH. This year we also had women from Austria & Hungary. As daughters of value who are full of faith and strength, we need to become women of impact; impacting families, churches, communities, work places etc. Once again we used the Word of God to teach from. This year was a very significant year for the conference, we took up and offering to sow into another nation, rather than always receiving, God is now taking us to a new level. We gave a donation to “Footprints in Africa” and with that donation a children’s feeding program was started.
by admin | Jan 19, 2024 | conferences
2008 – Daughters of faith and strength
220 women from nations of former Yugoslavia gathered in Vukovar, Croatia. The time they learned again through the Word of God that not only are they valued, but they can be women full of faith and strength. It was also a time of reconciliation between the different nations and ethnic groups. The conference ended with pastors’ wives from one nation asking forgiveness on behalf of their nation. It was a very powerful time; God did an amazing work
by admin | Jan 19, 2024 | conferences
70 women from the nations of former Yugoslavia gathered together in Fuzine, Croatia. It was a precious time of showing them through the Word of God that they are of great value to Him and indeed if they have a relationship with Jesus, then they are “Daughters of the King.
by Grethe Stanley | Aug 24, 2021 | encouragement
It has been a while since I have done a blog, but I received a devotion via email and it really resonated with me and gave me a different perspective of the meaning of Romans 8:28.I cannot take the credit for it, but I hope it encourages you also.
Romans 8:28 says, ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In other words, when you are in the purpose, or will, of God, everything that comes into your life can work for your good. You may immediately question how the pregnancy of your unmarried daughter can work fo your good, or how God can work even a divorce for your good, or how the loss of your job can be for your good, or how your terminal illness can be for your good.
If, by “good,” Romans 8:28 meant your comfort, convenience, health, wealth, prosperity, pleasure, or happiness we would all question it!. But your ultimate good is conformity to the image of Jesus Christ. And when you are in God’s will – “called according to His purpose” – everything God allows into your life is used by Him to make you like Christ. Everything!
Blessings,
Anne Graham
There is a lot to think about in that short devotion. I think a lot of the times we expect God to bring something good our of bad choices, which have brought about circumstances that we may not like and then when nothing good comes out of it we can tend to blame God.
Bottom line, God is more interested in our character than our circumstances. The question we need to ask ourselves is “am I in the will of God” and if the answer is yes, then He will work all your circumstances for good.
by Grethe Stanley | Jul 3, 2021 | encouragement
Psalm 22:21 (TPT) Save me from all the power of the enemy, from this roaring lion raging against me and the power of his dark horde.
Do you ever feel like the enemy is coming at you from every direction. Maybe the above verse describes your life in this season. If that is you, then I have good news for you! the answer is in the next few verses of the same Psalm v22 I will declare Your name before all my brothers and praise you in the midst of the congregation. v23 Those who fear Yahweh, praise Him! Let all the seed of Jacob glorify Him with your praises. Stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of Israel!
If you want to get the enemy off your back and drive him to distraction, you can do it with one simple step; Start to worship, sing praises to your Abba, declare His Sovereignty over difficulties you are facing in this season.
In some supernatural way, worship and praise ushers the authority of God into any given situation. A good habit to develop is to always begin your prayers and your times with the Lord by Praising Him and thanking Him. Praise Him for who He is and for what He has done for you.
The whole of Psalm 22 is about the Cross and the resurrection. But it can also describe what we go through at times and what is going on in our circumstances, however, I love the way the Psalmist always ends with the positive and the truth of the resurrection.
Jesus didn’t die for us so we could continue to be tormented by the devil, He died for us so we could have life and have it more abundantly. That is reason enough to worship Him and praise Him. Don’t delay, start NOW.
by Grethe Stanley | Jun 6, 2021 | encouragement
Psalm 61: 1-2 says From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.
The other day I woke up with these words “Lead me to the Rock”. I then went for my early morning walk and meditated on those words. When I got back from my walk I googled those words and the above scripture came up and I also thought it was a song and low and behold it is.
Over the last few years there have been many times I have felt overwhelmed. And I also know that there are many of my friends worldwide who have been and still are going through countless overwhelming trials. In times of trial we have the choice – will we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus or on the trial.
Though we may not always understand, we can confidently assert what 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 says.We will not rely on ourselves but on Christ who raised the dead. For He has, He will and He will continue to deliver us.” Friends, If you are in the middle of feeling overwhelmed, there is hope for you today – your deliverance is coming – and it comes when you anchor your feet on the rock that is higher than your circumstance and higher than your earthly perspective.
Here are the words to the song, let those words wash over you. you can also listen to it on YouTube.
VERSE 1 Let me not be overwhelmed by the sorrow When uncertainty is knocking on my door I will fix my eyes on Jesus this life’s author Whose faithfulness has followed all the way
VERSE 2Teach my heart to trust the heart of heaven With the things that my mind can’t understand I will remember that my God always delivers I will rest in the safety of His hand
CHORUSLead me to a rock higher than I An anchor for my soul in every trial The presence that surrounds me The love that never fades Jesus be my rock, my source of strength
VERSE 3Jesus lead me towards the promise of tomorrow May your spirit lead and guide me day by day May I know, within the trial, you are still sovereign I will choose to follow you all of the way.
by Grethe Stanley | May 29, 2021 | encouragement
Ephesians 5: 1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offereing and sacrifice to God.
It is natural for children to imitate their parents. Children often have their parents nature, their behaviour, and their actions. You can be around a child and you can see their parents in the way they walk, the way they talk and in the things they do.
As we see in the above scripture we are to be imitators of Christ. You cant imitate a person if you do not know anything about them. A child learns to imitate a parents because they spend a lot of time in each others presence. It is the same for us, if we are to imitate Christ we need to know Him, we need to study His Word, we need to be in His presence. We must put into practice everything we know about Him. We are to do the things we see Him doing, and we are to avoid the things He avoids. We are to be like God in every respect.
The reality of the above is impossible for us to do within ourselves. Left up to us, we could never be imitators of God. We simply cannot imitate God through our own power. (phew I am glad aren’t you?). But as redeemed children of God, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live like Him, act like Him, walk like Him and talk like Him. God has empowered us and enabled us to live Holy lives for His Glory.
Remember we are not mere slaves following in the footsteps of a demanding master. We are the sons and daughters of God. We have been redeemed by His Grace, adopted into His family and are partakers of His very nature. (let that sink into. your spirit)
Being an imitator of God means we must imitate His love. God is love, His very nature is love. Everything He does, He does it out of love. As children of God we are to imitate and walk in that love. The good news is, we do it, not in our own strength but through the Power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.
Gossip is not imitating ChristJudging is not imitating ChristNagging is not imitating ChristUn-forgiveness is not imitating ChristBeing offended is not imitating ChristLying is not imitating Christ etc. etc.
Imitators of Christ can turn the world upside down for His Glory
by Grethe Stanley | May 7, 2021 | encouragement
What do you practice? because what you practice you become good at.
Do you practice joy in your life, do you practice peace in your life, do you practice happiness in your life? Or do you practice a lot of complaining? Because if you complain, you will get very good at it. And you will get so good at it that you will find fault with everything, even when there is no fault that a layman cannot see, you, being an expert will see it!!!!!
What do you practice? Do you practice anger? Because if you practice anger, you will get very good at it. And you will get so good at it, that the most trivial thing will make you angry, like sitting in an airplane, seeing the seat across from you somehow looks better than the one you have been given, and that is so unfair of the airlines.
What do you practice? Do you practice being worried, because if you practice being worried, you will Gert very good at it. And you will get so good at it that everything will worry you, even the buffalo you don’t have, so I propose that if it is true that it is a matter of practice, then I propose you practice Joy!!!!
The above is not mine, it was something I heard a young boy of about 6 say on a video clip, I thought it was really good so I typed it out. It is simple but has a good message for us all, it is like a check list of what we occupy our minds and time with.
I would like to back it up with scripture. Philippians 4: 4-9 (ESV) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
If you practice Philippians 4:4-9 you will become very good at it!!!
by Grethe Stanley | May 2, 2021 | encouragement
Have you ever said to yourself “what if I fail?” There is only one thing worse than wondering to yourself, “what if I fail?” is someone confirming your fear and telling you that you will fail. Be careful who you share your dreams and visions with.
There are lots of voices; for example the voice of limitation, which tells you that you can’t do it, or the voice of manipulation, which tells you that you don’t have what it takes, the voice of intimidation tells you that you will not succeed. As Goliath basically says to David in 1 Samuel 17, you won’t make it out of here alive.
Our circumstances may not be as drastic, but the voices we hear can certainly paint the details to make it seem that way. Our response should be like David’s, he pointed back to the Lord rather than the details of his situation. David says, in 1 Samuel 17:45, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Goliath thinks he is fighting the flesh-and-blood David, he does not realise that he is going against the ALL MIGHTY GOD. Can you imagine what it would have been like to actually witness this battle? I am sure there would have been a look of horror on our faces as we see this young boy going up against the giant, but imagine the roar of victory as David cut of the giants head.
You might look and feel like David—a young boy with a slingshot facing a giant—but notice how his words shift the focus from his own stature and weapon to the Lord Almighty. He doesn’t say, “I come against you with a slingshot and five smooth stones.” In fact, he doesn’t mention the weapons he physically has at all. He calls out the ultimate truth:
We can do the same thing in our own lives. The Word of God is our weapon. David used it in response to Goliath. Moses used it in response to the Israelites’ fear when they were being chased by the Egyptian army. Even Jesus used it in response to the enemy in the wilderness.
You don’t need to be afraid; the Lord will fight for you.
Read 1 Samuel 17:41-47, Exodus 14:13-14,
When you hear the voice of intimidation creep in, shift the focus and speak the truth out loud: The battle is the LORDS
by Grethe Stanley | Apr 19, 2021 | encouragement
Isaiah 7:4 (TPT) Give him/her this message. “Stay calm! Be quiet and guard your heart! Don’t panic or be discouraged over these two smouldering stubs of firewood.”
We all go through times when it feels like satan has launched an attack against us. The above verse tells us how to handle those times
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Stay calm.
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Don’t let your emotions overtake you, but bring each one to the Lord so He can refine you.
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Don’t explode.
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Don’t overreact.
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Don’t exchange faith for fear.
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Guard your heart.
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Don’t panic.
Some of our biggest and seemingly insurmountable trials are nothing more than smouldering stubs of wood in the eye’s of our Heavenly Father.
If we could see things from His point of view, we would all feel a lot less stressed.
If we can learn to go immediately to Him in times of crisis and find His presence so we can get His perspective.
Too often, we depend on our own understanding, frantically searching for answers that only He can give.
In times of trouble, let us not react but intentionally step back to find HIM.
Prayer: Father, in times of trouble, You alone are our refuge and peace. When it feels as if the
world is crumbling around us, and we feel ourselves succumbing to fear, wrap us in Your arms and pull us close. Help us to remember that you are in control, and we are not. You will work out the details, in Your time and in Your way. AMEN AMEN AMEN
