Surrendering to Christ

God intended for us as young Christian women to live a life that is completely and fully transformed by the power, life and radiance of our Heavenly Prince. For us to live lives that are not our own, but Christ’s’, for He lives within us. Unfortunately, modern femininity falls short of this example of true beauty because we do not understand the reality of who Jesus is meant to be in our lives.

Jesus is not meant to be slipped into our lives whenever it is convenient. He is not meant to be treated as a casual buddy we hang out with every once in a while. Jesus wants to be our LIFE. He wants to occupy every waking thought, action, attitude, word and decision.

Being a Christian means that your life is hid with Christ. You are not your own. You have no time of your own, no money of your own. Christ must become your complete Master.

If you are ready to trade the hollow self-made beauty of this world for the glorious Christ-built beauty of a set-apart young woman, this is where it all begins. Denying self, taking up your cross and following the Lamb wherever He leads. In other words, letting go of all preoccupations with self; our comfort, our pleasure, our agenda, our popularity, our ability to gain the world’s approval, even our own dreams and desires. And as Paul did, treating all those things as rubbish for the excellence of the knowledge of Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings (Phillippians 3:7-9).

At first glance, it sounds like a very scary decision to make. If we stop looking out for our own agendas and become completely preoccupied with Christ, won’t our lives become dull and boring? If we stop pursuing worldly applause, worldly beauty and worldly pleasure, won’t our lives lose all their radiance?

Just the opposite! A life overtaken by the Heavenly Beauty of Christ is the only life truly worth living. Yes, it may include some discomfort, prison, pain or even death, but it also includes triumph, joy, peace and fulfillment in their richest and purest forms. Jesus Christ takes good care of the things we entrust to Him.

When we offer our existence to Him, we may not gain fame, fortune or sex appeal, but we will gain all the riches of His Kingdom. We will gain the lasting loveliness that every woman longs for. We will gain the unshakable fulfillment that the rest of this world spends their entire lives searching for in vain. Not only that, but we will live out the most spectacular real life adventures this world has ever seen.

I don’t know about you, but that sums up everything that I truly desire. I want the kind of beauty and radiance that never fades away. I want to join the ranks of set-apart femininity and glow with the kind of loveliness that all of Heaven cheers.

“...those who catch the vision are ready to follow the Lamb wherever He leads, and as they follow, in this spirit of joyful adventure, their path becomes clear before them and they are given power to fulfill their higher calling. They are those who have the courage to break the conventionalities, who care not at all what the world thinks of them, because they are entirely taken up with the tremendous reality of Christ.” – Bishop Bardley

God's Plan

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Everything that comes your way this year forms part of God’s plan for your life. God is omniscient and He therefore already knows what is going to happen to you. He is also omnipotent and He can therefore use everything in your life in a positive way. For that reason, you can rely on God totally, instead of making your own little plans.

God has a plan for each of our lives. We have to consider 3 words into our plan this year: initiative, timing and surrender. Swop your own plan for God’s initiative which He sets out in His Word. Work out your carefully and see to it that you do the right thing at the right time. Also, be prepared to accept God’s timing if you are uncertain. 

Finally, surrender your WHOLE life and ALL of your dreams to the Holy Spirit. If He is the pilot of your life, all things will work together for your good.

-         Derived from Living in God’s Love, by Nina Smit

Child of God

“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1

Basically, this scripture speaks about how we as God’s children, ought to be perceived in the world. God’s children are his representatives in the world. As His children, we are the ambassadors of the GREATEST King ever to exist, therefore it is our responsibility to show others who belong to the world and not to God, what He really looks like. Through His Word, we get to know Him, and through prayer, we develop and personal relationship with Him, so we get to know what it is that God expects and intends for us. The only way that unbelievers can come to know more about God is by looking at the lives of God’s children. Others see our faith by the way we live, and this is the only picture that they have of what our Father is like.

God placed YOU in this world to serve Him and others the way that Jesus did. We are the servants to whom God has entrusted the management of His property. However, the possessions of God has given you, do not belong to you either; they belong to GOD. You are merely a steward. Therefore, it is up to us to represent God in the best way that we possibly can, to bring more believers to serve Him, because let’s face it, the world needs more of JESUS.

It is awesome to know that we are the “secret agents” of God, and He has entrusted us, with His secrets to life. We are so privileged! Therefore, I thank the Lord for that He saved me, and by being born again, He has entrusted me (and all of you), with the position of being His secret agent. That is such a blessing in itself! Shine your light that God has blessed you with to all of the Earth!

Be blessed. 

I give myself to you

"My life is not my own, to you I belong, I give myself to you. I give myself away, so you can use me.”

God made the ultimate sacrifice for our sake, by sending His Son to die on our behalf. To die. Imagine losing the one thing that is most precious to you. Imagine losing your child, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, for the sake of some one else.

I struggle to comprehend the idea that someone would do that, for me, a sinner, unworthy of this sacrifice. I use the term sacrifice very lightly, as Jesus voluntarily bore our sins on the Cross so that we may be saved from an eternity in hell. Despite the countless times that we have sinned and wronged God, He finds each one of us worthy of His love, and worthy of His gift to us. Therefore, personally, I think the LEAST that we can do to show our gratitude (not that He expects any reward for what He has done for us), is to give our lives to Him, and completely and utterly surrender to His Will for our lives. He took the time to formulate a plan and purpose for EACH of our lives before we were even in our mother’s womb! How awesome is it to know that God has given each one of us our own, unique destiny?? 

As His children, He has set us apart from all of those who belong to the world, so that we may rise above all the enemies attempts to take control of our lives.

Jesus is our Saviour, who gave His LIFE, so that we may be saved. There’s no greater love than that.

Who Is God Really?

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” – Ecclesiastes 11:5

We do not have to try to understand God with our limited human minds because we will never be able to understand Him. However, the central message of the Bible explains who God wants to be for us. Willem Nicol said:

 “God is the Infinite One, the Foundation of our existence. He has a burning desire for us. He paid the highest price to enable us to be part of Him forever. We see Him in Jesus. Basically life for us should consist of being different from others, of no longer living for ourselves, because we follow Jesus. Eternity makes this possible for us because He gives His Spirit to live in us and to lead us.”

This is exactly what God wants to be for you. The reason for your existence. He wants you to be part of Him forever. He sends his Son so that you can be His child, and He gives His Spirit to show you how to live. You no longer have to try to understand Him – you merely have to be still and cherish His love for you.

-         Derived from Living in God’s Love, Nina Smit

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ. 

It is no longer I who live, 

but Christ who lives in me. 

And the life I now live in the flesh, 

I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave himself for me. " 

Romans 6: 22-23

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you real leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"