Sep 14 2026
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10 Bible verses on the message of Easter

By Sodwana Bay

Easter is a celebration with a powerful message that all people need to hear. I doubt that there is even a message more powerful than the Easter message, and it has nothing to do with barbecues and egg hunts. The message of Easter is that of hope and life. It is the message that our God came down as man to die for our sins. Although he died a death of earthly nature, death could not hold Him, so on the third day He rose again, establishing His authority over all the earth. That man was Jesus. This is the message that we need to hear, not only on Easter but every day of our lives. It’s also a message that all mankind needs to hear. This is the message that we should be giving on Easter. Without the power of Christ’s resurrection, we would still be slaves to our own sin. But because of His death, burial and resurrection, we are now given life and power to overcome death. Our salvation comes because God came down to rescue us, not because we have the capacity to save ourselves. Here are some verses that share the message of God’s power, as displayed through His resurrection. Romans 4:25 “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.” Romans 6:5 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Isaiah 25:8 “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.” Job 19:25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 “God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.” Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life– is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 10:9 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Originally posted 2016-03-09 09:14:36.

Sep 13 2026
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Habitual sin: 3 points to remember when battling habitual sins

By Sodwana Bay

We’ve heard it all before: “Why can’t you just quit your bad habits?” Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? So why is it that many believers struggle with habitual sin and cannot seem to be set free? Are we really to just accept that maybe we should just rely on repentance and live with our bad habits? Whether it’s a bad habit of drinking, smoking, watching pornography, or working too much, we’ve all had a bad habit that we found hard to break. One thing that is for sure is that if we are all to expect it to go away overnight, then we’re probably dreaming a tall tale. Some people get released from their sinful habits right away while others go through a long process of pruning in their lives, but one thing for sure is that God is working to set us free from habitual sins. Here are three points to remember when battling habitual sins. Acknowledge that there is a flesh that battles your spirit The reality is that we live in two realms all throughout our life here on earth — that is the flesh and the spirit. Many times our spirit will go against the flesh, and we must make a choice which realm we will fall under. Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.” Realize that we cannot help ourselves Here’s some really bad news that you have to understand: Your sin is much bigger than you. Anyone who believes that sin is harmless does not understand the weight and power there is behind sin. It’s so powerful that just one sin can sentence us to death and separation from God for all eternity. Our sins are extremely big problems and we cannot solve these problems by ourselves. On our own, we can never completely break free from our sinful habits. Rely on God’s power and grace Thank God that Christianity is not just about the bad news, but about the good news of what hope we have. Sure we cannot save ourselves, but there is one person who can and has already saved us from sin — that’s Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Because of God’s grace, we are not only freed from the consequence of sin but are also given the ability to say no to sin. When we start pursuing God more and continue to be filled by His presence, we are slowly relieved of our desire to sin over and over again. It is God’s in-filling that pushes out the desire of sin, not our willpower. Spiritual discipline does not come by pruning the flesh out of us, but by growing the spirit by experiencing the Spirit more and more. Originally posted 2016-03-09 09:11:27.

Sep 12 2026
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Hyena mauls camper

By Sodwana Bay

PJ Theron from Nelspruit was camping at Cape Vidal when he was bitten by a hyaena through an opening in his tent PHOTO: Supplied A HOLIDAYMAKER’S stay at Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park was cut short when he experienced a frightening encounter with a hyena. PJ Theron from Nelspruit was asleep on a stretcher in a small tent with the window flap open when a spotted hyena bit through the gauze and grabbed him in the face. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning and was immediately reported to the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s Cape Vidal Hospitality Manager. Theron was assisted by fellow campers before being taken to a hospital in Empangeni. En route to the Bhangazi (Cape Vidal) gate, he was met by the Eastern Shores Conservation Manager at about 3.30am. Once at hospital, Theron received treatment for cuts on his head and a broken nose. According to a statement from iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, a trap has been set for the hyena so it can be tested for rabies. ‘The public is reminded that iSimangaliso has dangerous game where negative animal encounters are possible, especially when animals are being fed by visitors or have access to garbage. ‘We ask visitors to be vigilant and report any incidents or observations to the park’s 24-hour emergency line (082 7977944),’ said iSimangaliso Media Officer, Siyabonga Mhlongo. Originally posted 2016-03-08 22:02:53.

Sep 11 2026
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What are the telltale signs of a sick church?

By Sodwana Bay

As pastors are tasked with spreading the ministry and the word of God in their churches, it is important that they are attuned to the different signs in their church to make sure that the churchgoers are sticking around for all the right reasons. In her article on Charisma News, Dina Kalmeta, urges pastors to watch out for 10 signs that their churches are sick. According to Kalmeta, one of the first signs that there is something wrong is a steady decline in attendance. As this is usually gradual, Kalmeta advised leaders to compare the average month’s worship attendance to that of the previous years. Related to the first sign, the second symptom is a decline in the frequency of attendance among church members. This symptom is associated with a waning commitment to the faith or lack of interest in what the church has to say, and churchgoers manifest this by not going to church as often as they used to. Other signs include a lack of vibrancy in the worship service and a lack of evangelistic fruit.  In Kalmeta’s view, if a church fails to reach the hearts of non Christians and encourage new Christians to join the Church, then there is a need to reevaluate the methods being employed by the Church to reach new members of the faith. Low community impact is also a sign that a Church is not doing as well as it should because churches should always make a difference in the community. If there are more meetings than ministries, she believes the Church is being ineffective in its mission to spread the word of God as it is more occupied in forming committees rather than focusing on conversions. If meetings within the Church result in more disagreement and bitterness rather than unified and harmonious results, something must be wrong within the organization. “Very few guests in worship services. A vibrant church will attract guests. A sick church will not,” Kalmeta said. Originally posted 2016-03-08 16:23:45.

Sep 09 2026
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Positive Minds

By Sodwana Bay

by Joyce Meyer – posted March 08, 2016 Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.… —Matthew 8:13 Sometimes when I stand behind the pulpit, and before I speak, I pause and my gaze sweeps across the audience. I look at the faces of the people. I love to see the bright smiles and expressions of anticipation, but there are always a few who look downtrodden and discouraged. I don’t know anything about them and I don’t want to judge them, but their faces look sad. They look as if they have lost hope and expect nothing positive to happen—and too often, they get exactly what they expect. I understand those discouraged people; I was once one of them. Here’s a simple fact I’ve learned: Positive minds produce positive lives, but negative minds produce negative lives. The New Testament tells the story of a Roman soldier whose servant was sick, and the soldier wanted Jesus to heal him. That wasn’t uncommon—many wanted Jesus to heal them or their loved ones in those days. But this soldier, instead of asking Jesus to come to his servant, expressed his belief that if Jesus would just speak the word, his servant would be healed (see Matthew 8:8). Jesus marveled at his faith and sent out His word to heal the servant. The soldier’s positive mindset—his faith—brought positive results. He expected healing, and that’s exactly what happened. Too often, we cry to Jesus to heal us, to take care of our finances, or to deliver us from problems, but we don’t fully expect the good things to happen. We allow our minds to focus on the negative aspects. Doubt and unbelief war against our minds and steal our faith if we allow it. As I wrote in my book Battlefield of the Mind, many years ago I was extremely negative. I used to say that if I had two positive thoughts in a row, my mind would get in a cramp. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but that’s how I saw myself. I lived with the same philosophy that other people have: If we don’t expect anything good to happen, we won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t. I could have excused my negative attitude by telling everyone about my disappointments in life and I had many. It wasn’t just my lack of expectation. It was more than that. Because I thought negatively, I spoke negatively. When people told me of their spiritual victories, I’d think, That won’t last. When people spoke of their faith, I’d smile, but inwardly I would think that they were gullible. I could always figure out ways that plans would go wrong or people would disappoint me. Was I happy? Of course not. Negative thinkers are never happy. It’s too long of a story to explain how I came to face that reality, but once I realized what a negative person I was, I cried out to the Lord to help me. I learned that if I kept studying the Word of God, I could push away negative thoughts. God’s Word is positive and uplifting. My responsibility was to become the kind of believer who honors God with her thoughts, as well as with her actions and her deeds. I understood the remorse David must have felt when he wrote Psalm 51: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love… is the way he starts. I especially meditated on verse 9: Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities. I hadn’t sinned the same way David did, of course, but my negative thinking and bad attitude was sin. It wasn’t just weakness or a bad habit. When I focused on negative thinking, I was rebelling against God. The Lord had mercy on me. As I continued in His Word and in prayer, He freed me from Satan’s stronghold. Freedom is available for all of us. Gracious God, thank You for every deliverance in my life. Thank You for setting me free from negative and wrong thinking. Thank You for defeating Satan in this area of my life. Amen. Originally posted 2016-03-08 15:43:53.