The old life is a grass life – 1 Peter 1:24 MSG

By Sodwana Bay

Verse of the Day – 1 Peter 1:24 MSG Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.


Seek yourself second – Matthew 6:33

By Sodwana Bay

Day 1 Seek yourself second… Matthew 6:33 – Amplified Bible “33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” It’s now more than ever, amidst the uncertainty of tomorrow that we need to put aside the fickle things of this world and honestly and sincerely seek the Father’s heart. This which is happening around us today is nothing new – the bible is full of stories where Gods people are “tested” by circumstances that are totally out of their control.  These challenges aren’t sent by God – they are part of life – if you are alive you will face difficulties; you can bet on that. If you walked a strong solid walk with God, these “tests” will not be difficult for you – it will be a walk in the park, but like most of us – we aren’t always at the spiritual place/level we should be. Our Father is forgiving and understanding but He can’t do anything – you are the one which needs to come closer to Him. He is always near… So, when we are faced with these challenges – our first response is to act out and moan how awful things are because we do not understand and are not in sync with the Holy Spirit. Instead of submitting our path and knowledge to God we go into a full on childish tantrum mode and miss the whole point of the exercise. When things get rough in our lives, I constantly have to remind myself: You chose this path: Read the full chapter for context >Isaiah 43 The moment I made Jesus my Lord and Savior; I started walking away from the masses into Gods glory and his Kingdom. I chose a personal relationship with my maker. This will be hard as I am now busy on my journey of RENEWAL.  The renewal process is one of discovery and honesty and takes courage to be real and admit flaws and faults. I will be tested with water – rivers – fire and storms so that I can be purified! I will get through this… these things SHALL pass. Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. God is always ready to help: The moment you commit or choose to sin – there is ramifications – Good & Bad! God will forgive you but cannot just rip you out of the place/circumstances you are in right now. You will have to endure the storm – GO through it! But there is a Bonus – even though you might not feel his presence Jesus is right there next to you.  It might be time to slow down and surrender “thy self”… our “ego” closes our ears to His voice – to his calling. You might feel God is stripping all the most important bits from you but He is actually removing all the burdens from your life; the clutter, the half truths and filth of sin. If you will only allow Him – you will see the awesome results! Yes, the covid-19 is a real threat but it is time to understand our part to play in the “foreplay” of the coming of the one true KING – JESUS CHRIST. Realize this today – Our Messiah is coming back! I can’t say how long or when precisely, but JESUS is coming. The covid-19 and all the things which will follow have been predicted – so God gave you a heads-up so that you will not be full of fear… or in the dark for all that is coming. Prayer: Lord, I am a sinner and need you now more than ever. I submit/exchange my will – plans – hopes – dreams for your purposeful dreams and plans. Help me to see through your eyes – to see others as you see them. May my hands – feet – voice be all yours. I am yours, make with me as you please… Amen! Put your lives secondly so our Fathers Kingdom will come – Maranatha!!!   [wp-review]


The Wonder of God’s purpose

By Sodwana Bay

It is such a mystery how God thinks and operates most of the time… No one in their right mind would blindly surrender but part of following Christ Jesus is the “burned” of surrender. Jesus said – my burned is light! How can surrender be a burden you may ask? That is just it – If you do not want to do it and fight the process it becomes somewhat of a burden to your soul. It is like that choir you have to do but keep on putting aside… We all struggle with being ourselves and wearing masks daily – now we are being asked to drop all pretenses and leap into a live of FAITH! Laying all things at his feet – total surrender. It is madness I say to you. Faith is believing in what is not seen… this is a real scary commitment to make, but like all great men and women of the bible: it is those who had FAITH in Gods process that saw a whole new side of God personality. I believe our God yearns for a deeper connection with us his creation. Sad to say but most of is just that – creations. Jesus wants to set that right and make us Family!   [wp-review]


Wheels of Change

By Sodwana Bay

Live now – it is time! In the hope of getting a solution for our “bad “circumstances, we constantly unknowingly try to take back the reigns from our loving Father; and in doing so just making things worst. Not understanding that the place you find yourself in now is not a test, but growing grounds. Like any good Father you only want the best for your child, you want them to be the best possible version they possibly can be. So, you let them experience life, you let them touch, feel and sometimes even let them get hurt. What, how can you let your child willingly get hurt, that is just so cruel? For example: I remember my first Red bicycle with white wheels… I can remember how my parents rolled out our first bicycles and saying that Father Christmas left it in our rooms. At first the training wheels were sufficient and I became real good at peddling, but my father took them off and I really did not like that new idea… Yes, he knew what was most likely going to happen, but he had to take me to the next level of riding… our driveway had a slight downhill and my dad was behind me telling me “ I am here” – “I won’t let go”, obviously he lied. I trusted him, I started to peddle and the next moment I was going very fast – it was amazing; it was then when it dawned on me that something was amiss. My father was missing in the equation! He let go!?! Sadly,  we all know what happened – I made a big crash – got a fresh new scrape/bruise because I was not focusing on what my father tried to teach/show me, but instead on my fear of doing it all by myself and falling. I was real angry at my father but when he made me see that I was actually riding all by myself and how proud he was of me;  it was an all together new ball game. So, it’s the same with our God. If he shelters us for everything we are we are just going to become big and fat, constantly, being pampered and spoon fed. What if your destiny is to be the most feared warrior; do you think by not understanding how things work in this world makes you a warrior? Sadly no! You must learn the art of combat. That in turn means you need to be attacked – be in life threatening environments – learn how to kill! Just like a seed that was planted and unfortunately to become a sprout it needs to burrow/push its way to the earth’s surface. For the sprout to be strong and make it in the harsh world outside it had to go through the push. It is just the way things go…Life is hard – people are estranged and hateful toward each other, but GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD! God, made all you can see and what is not seen for his hidden amazing purpose. If Gods purpose for you is to be a great Leader – you will have to go through the steps. If God wants you to be a successful business person – you will need to learn how to take loss and fail more than what you would like to… DO NOT PANIC when it feels that God has abandoned you – He is letting you LIVE!    


Get through it the right way.

By Sodwana Bay

It so important to understand why God has chosen this path for you, and not too get stuck with the circumstances around you. Like when Peter was called to step out of the boat – true to his character Peter responded to the call. So, with us we also sometime unwilling sign up for life’s challenges; simply by just being willing to live. When God moves – we need to learn how to follow. Although, we do not know where – why and how; we need to comprehend Gods extreme obsession with us. Like a good Father our God will not take us into harm; if He knows we can’t handle it, he won’t take us there. So, if you in it – You will get through it! The Israelite’s had a 40 Day journey from Egypt to paradise which turned into a 40 year roaming nightmare. I don’t think that was Gods intention or dream for his people. The same with us – God only wants the best… We might not understand things now; when we are in the crux of things it’s not so easy to be happy or smile. It sucks! Why do you think God had the Cloud and Fire? Firstly, the Cloud and Fire was there to show His people His physical nearness. These two signs represented God as whole… Secondly, the Fire and Cloud taught them to blindly follow without any questions – no matter what. When the Cloud or Fire moved they had to blindly pack up camp and move. They did not know where to next or for how long. All they knew was – We must Go!   [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=playlist&list=PLXQ9CQLR4uYtVqU1TnevAGCh2YUtgBnFb&layout=gallery[/embedyt]   It is in these troubled times of uprooting us when our dear Father wants to teach us the most important lesson of all… God is always Good and God will never leave us! He is crazy in love with us… Our God is faithful till the end!!!  


Lets get you some Peace!

By Sodwana Bay

When you think of peace, what comes to mind? ________________________________________ Peace may mean many things, but if the definition isn’t rooted in God’s Word, then the peace we long for is only a shadow of the peace God longs to give us. Right now, let’s ask for God’s peace to fill our lives and our world by praying these two prayers.   Experience God’s Peace Oh God, my life is filled with trials and hardships. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed and grieved. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that in every situation You are with me. In You, I can have peace. No matter what I face, today I chose to not let my heart be troubled or afraid. My mind is fixed on You and I trust in You. Fill me with joy and peace so that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, I may abound with hope. Guard my heart and give me the strength to live a life marked by Your peace. Amen. Peace for Our World Dear God, thank You for overcoming the world. Thank You that in all things we are more than conquerors because of You and Your love for us. Today and every day, help us to “turn away from evil and do good; to seek peace and pursue it.” Make us eager to maintain unity, and slow to become angry. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to You. Guide our feet in the way of peace and teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Heal our lands Lord, and bless Your people with peace. Amen.