Knowing Him is knowing yourself.
Knowing God is finding the purpose for your life.
Knowing Who’s you are (His!) means understanding who you are.
Knowing all He is ,the always more, is finding Life.

In Knowing Him I found Life.

To be honest, I’m always hoping to witness some kind of miracle. The miracle of someone being healed, rain to come or stop as I pray, stars to shoot when I ask for it, circumstances to change in a miraculous way. You name it! It’s the signs and wonders that I am (and I think many people with me) looking for to be able to really believe there is a God. And I hope by experiencing this, my faith will maybe even grow stronger. We want to see to believe!

But lately my own life’s set of circumstances brought me to the realization that the biggest miracle of all is not in one of these!
Yes, I believe God as Creator can move mountains.
Yes, I believe He, as The Beginning and End, can stop time.
Yes, I believe (and witnessed) He can bring rain in places or tell it to stop.
But these three things are created without an own will. They don’t just decide by themselves to move from left to right, to fall today or tomorrow.
They are subjected to the Laws of Nature. (Which is a miracle on itself already! Who could ever come up with those!?!) God can easily ‘break into’ those.

The heart of men on the other hand is not subjected to any set of rules or force, but our own will. We have a free choice and we can make decisions for ourselves. We decide what we open our hearts to. We decide where we listen to. We decide how we want to react on things. We decide who we share our heart with and who we give our heart to. We have a free will!

The Bible speaks a powerful truth about the heart to us:
“Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it is the wellspring of life.”
(Proverbs 4:23)

The heart is our spring of life!
Squeezed by the circumstances of life, we will often find out what really lives in our hearts. Which motives drive us to live our life the way we live it. (Fear, pride, jealousy, anger, love for self.) At the very moment circumstances begin to pressure our heart, we can choose to ask God to change the circumstances. But I learned we can also choose to be still for a moment and take a look what’s really inside our hearts.

Because the most precious miracle I’ve experienced is the change of one’s heart!
God didn’t change my circumstances the time I asked Him…..
He was aiming at something far more miraculous: the change of my heart!
Which is of way more value then any miracle I can think of! Even though I’m longing for circumstances to be changed, He’s aiming for my heart, for He knows what it’s worth! It’s a strong, precious and worthy weapon in my future life as it comes.

The change of heart will make me able to move the mountains in my life.
The change of heart will do greater healing on the inside than can ever be done the outside.
The change of heart will make you and me like welcomed rain in the life of those who’s heart became dry land.
The change of heart will make us like a shooting star in the life of others.

The change of heart is the greatest prove of God’s love working among us to me!

Faith is trusting in all Who God is.
Who is God to you?
Is there any place in your life where He can show you all He is?
In the ordinary days, is there room for God to be God? Or do you have it all in order and under control. There’s not really something you need God for?

It is much easier to do something, than to trust in God.
We rather work for God than believe in Him.
The work of God is this: Believe in Him, He Who is God!

Living in the reality of One Who is.
Sometimes I forget God is here. I only see what I see.
My circumstances. My problems. My troubles. And mostly myself.
I’m living this reality in stead of His reality.
I forget to consider Him.

I need to clear the stage of my life and put the Spotlight on One Who’s really worthy!

Listen while you read.

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
if that’s the measure you must take to crush the idols.
Jerk the pews & all the decorations, too.
Until the congregations few, then have revival.

Tell your friends that this is where the party ends,
until you’re broken for your sins, you can’t be social.
Then seek the Lord & wait for what He has in store.
And know that great is your reward, so just be hopeful.

Take a break from all the plans that you have made
and sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.
Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak.
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.

Shine the light on every corner of your life.
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.
Then read the Word and put to test the things you’ve heard.
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

We must not worship something that’s not even worth it
Clear the stage, make some space for the One who deserves it!

And anything I put before my God is an idol.
And anything I want, with all my heart is an idol.
And anything I can’t stop thinking off, is an idol.
And anything I give all my love, is an idol.

‘Cause I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong
Worship is more than a song.

I just spoke silence with the seeker next to me
She had a heart with hesitant, halting speech.
That turned to mine and asked belligerently
“What do I live for?”

I see the scars of searches everywhere I go
From hearts to wars to literature to radio
There’s a question like a shame no one will show
“What do I live for?”

There is truth in little corners of our lives
There are hints of it in songs and children’s eyes
It’s familiar, like an ancient lullaby
“What do I live for?”

We are squandering this life
Using people like ladders and words like knives
Using bodies like money and truth like lies

If we’ve eyes to see
If we’ve ears to hear
To find it in our hearts and mouths
The word that saves is near
Shed that shallow skin
Come and live again
Leave all you were before
To believe is to begin

Listen to: Hosea’s Wife – Brooke Fraser

“We pronounce the deepest kind of belief in the worth of whatever we choose to treasure.”

Liefde, geduld, vreugde, vriendelijkheid, vergeving, vriendschap, hoop, geloof, vertrouwen, goedheid en blijdschap. Het zijn de meest waardevolle schatten die ik gevonden heb op aarde en in mijn leven tot nu toe. Het zijn de waarden die het leven het leven waard maken. Die het leven mooi maken, een bestemming geven. Dit maakte dat ik erachter kwam: De Bijbel is niet alleen waar, alles wat waar is staat ook in de Bijbel.

At the end of your life, you won’t be asking for your diploma’s, awards or medals.
When life is ending you don’t surround yourself with objects. But with people you love.
So don’t wait until your deathbed to figure out what matters most.

“Your time is your life,
That’s why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.”

God’s commandments are not about the ‘rules’ we find them to be…
They are telling us to love!
“The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
Imagine what the world would look like if we would all do this.
Such a good idea!

(Based on Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life)

 Afrika: tussen de krotten, in de bloed hete zon, met tientallen kinderen om mij heen in een rottende lucht die ik nooit zal vergeten stel ik God de vraag, die zovelen met mij hebben gesteld: “Waarom God? Als U er bent, waarom kan dit bestaan?”

Op hetzelfde moment kijk ik naar de lucht, alsof ik Hem aan zou kunnen kijken en mijn antwoord krijg. En ja, op datzelfde moment klinkt het in mijn hoofd:
“I can ask you the same question…..”

En ik weet genoeg! Het overtuigt mijn hart, omdat ik weet dat het waar is. God heeft ons alles gegeven wat nodig is om voor deze wereld en elkaar te zorgen. Er is genoeg voor iedereen. Alleen teveel hier en te weinig daar. Het is niet God die dit toelaat, wij doen het.

Meer, meer, meer en meer….. voor ‘ikke’ alsjeblieft!

It is poverty to decide that a child must die,
so that you may live as you wish.

-Mother Theresa-

“Faith never knows where it is being led,
but loves and knows the One Who is leading.

It is a life of faith, not intellect and reason
but a life of knowing Who makes us “GO”.

The life in faith is not a life mounting up with wings,
but a life of walking and not fainting.
Faith will be tried and proved and stand the test:
believing a God Who is REAL.”

- Oswald Chambers-