Words of Encouragement from Niqui's Heart

Oooohhhh ... I am so excited about this post! Please meet my very beautiful sister, Niqui.

Her and I are not only sisters, but the best of friends. We have been on the most wonderful adventures together and I love her honest heart and the wisdom that pours out of her. Her heart is so compassionate and I see so much beauty in her, inside and out! This message is straight from her heart to Yours. May you be just as encouraged as I was!

"Belonging"

I have been meditating on the word ‘belonging’ for a few days now...

I have been thinking about little Cosmo, and the fact that he has fitted into his new family life so quickly and with so much ease. And that he has found his person... Jan. He knows that she loves him and that when he needs a cuddle, or a chunk of ice, or food or whatever, he can go to her, and she will gladly give it to him.

So who do you belong to?

Isaiah 43: 1-5 “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by your name: You are Mine”

This passage of scripture is heavily underlined in my Bible. God gave me this scripture when I was going through a seriously tough time in my life. And boy, do I hold onto this passage.

I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home. I accepted Jesus into my heart when I was 4 and half years old. And when I was about 5, I was baptised in water, and when I came up out of the water I was filled with the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I am 36 now.

And still I find that I have to remind myself, daily, that I am a daughter of the Most High God. That I am His. Precious Jesus paid the ultimate price, for my freedom, so that I can have a close and intimate relationship with the Father.

So this is what I have learnt so far, that everything in life starts with a thought. Before we do anything, we think about it first.  Our thoughts then tell us how we feel about ourselves, and then we act on how we feel.  So if I know that I am a King’s kid, why do I sometimes feel, not worthy or not good enough to sit in His presence?

I am now training myself to analyse my thoughts. These are the questions I will ask myself, “is this a positive or negative thought”, “where on earth did that come from?” “What does the Word tell me?”

And this is generally my answer.... I know that the enemy is the father of all lies! (Old Satan knows the truth, and if he can steer us away from having a close and meaningful relationship with the Father, he will do it at all costs. But we have the power of choice. We choose what we believe!)  If I am feeling sad and low, I know that I have bought into a lie... so the only thing to do is tell myself the truth!

I am the righteous of God apart from my performance! There is nothing that I can do that will make the Father love me more and I know that there is nothing that I can do that will take His love away from me! He loves me for me, because after He made me! Psalm 139: 14 “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well”. When we start to believe the truth, we will start to live in the freedom that Jesus paid such a high price for.

I read this passage this morning, and it made my heart smile (^^,) Romans 5:1 in the Message “By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us – set us right with Him, make us fit for Him – we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise!” How awesome is that!! I love the fact that our precious Father waits until we are ready. He is already waiting for you, so throw open the doors of your heart today, and let precious Jesus come in.

Why is it so important that we know that we belong to God? When we are secure in the knowledge that we belong to God, and that we are in relationship with Him. I believe that the ‘knowing that we are secure’ permeates to other areas and relationships of our lives. Take our kids for instance... I have 3 beautiful girls that have been entrusted to my care. I am very much aware of the fact that they belong to God, and that He has given them to me to raise. It is an awesome responsibility. Our kids learn from us all the time. Not only when we are issuing instructions, and the like, but more from how we act. They follow the examples we set... Shew that’s quite a thought! If I am secure in the knowledge that God is my Father, and he loves me no matter what, then they too will see that they too have an Awesome heavenly Daddy who loves them to bits. And they then will also become encouraged to spend time with Him.

How does our relationship with the Father affect those who are around us? I encourage you to take negative thoughts captive, meditate on the FACT that you are a masterpiece, who has been hand crafted by the Most High God. He loves you to bits, and He wants to spend time with you. ‘Coz after all you are His.

Have a blessed day

With so much love

Niqui xx