Midnight Hour

by Nicky Wood

Matthew 25: 1 – 13

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the bridegroom came at midnight to get his bride, but only five of the 10 virgins were ready for him and their lamps were full…

Vs 10: “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.”

Who do you think shut the door? Reading this verse immediately reminded me of the fact that God personally shut another door – the door of Noah’s Ark – and we will explore how these two narratives are divinely connected to each other.

Genesis 7:16 “The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.”

Imagine for a moment, how many desperate people tried to get into the Ark once the rain started. People who mocked Noah day and night while he was building the Ark, were now franticly pleading with him to open the door of the Ark, as the flood waters started to rise, sweeping away with it everything in its sight.

Matthew 25:13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Let’s take a few steps back in Matthew, to chapter 24 vs 36-37: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

I find it utterly amazing that, in our current day and age, in the year 2026, scientists are revealing the possible location of Noah’s Ark – 4300 years after Noah stepped off the boat in the Mountains of Ararat.

All the evidence is pointing to the fact that this find is most likely the remains of Noah’s Ark, even the exact measurements of the formation matches the measurements God gave Noah in Genesis!

How ironic that the mockers are rife again, laughing at every social media post and news article of the discovery.

And so, I can’t help thinking that we are seeing the days of Noah again.

Yet our gracious God is leaving us little breadcrumbs, breadcrumbs that can’t be missed, a trial pointing us to revelations that time is running out.

Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (NLV)

We are living in a world, where knowledge is exploding. Anything and everything you may want to know, you can find by so many different means available.

Unfortunately, while knowledge is increasing, wisdom is rapidly depleting.

Yet, in spite of this, by His grace, God is showing this world evidence of His mercy and goodness and His very existence everywhere, so that no-one can come to the end of their lives, not knowing Who He is, and no-one can have any excuse.

Romans 1:19-20

“Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

Noah didn’t know the exact time that he would be going into the Ark, but he knew it would certainly come, by faith.

We as Christians also will not know the exact time and hour that Christ will return, but we can look at all the signs, in nature and events, and the acts of the people around is, and know the time is near.

The Ark saved Noah and his family from the destruction that God sent upon the Earth. Destruction is coming again for this world, not in the form of the flood, but I believe much worse, as John warns us in Revelations.

As His Children, we will be spared, we will be lifted to Heaven, not in an Ark, but by God’s amazing grace alone.

Will we be like the 5 virgins who were ready with their lamps full?

Their light was shining, so the Groom could see them and they Him, and He took them into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

The groom came at midnight hour. After they left with Him for the banquet, the darkest part of the night followed.

I believe we are a few minutes or maybe even seconds away from midnight.

If all of time is measured in 12 hours, and every hour is 500 years, and let’s suppose the clock could stop at 6000 years (as many Christians believe), we are perhaps 2 minutes away from His return, figuratively speaking. Of course, this is just a theory since no-one knows the hour except the Father.

The truth is that the Father loves us and wants us all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). He does not want a single person to drown or be swept away in the wrath to come. So He stretches out His hand and offers us more time and more opportunities to reach out and find Him and to search for Him (Jeremiah 29:13).

Just before the flood in Genesis 6:3, God states something very interesting:

“Then the Lord said, “My spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

We are entering a period where some people are outright rejecting the very words God said, by believing they can increase their live span indefinitely with the aid of technology.

The ultimate act of defiance will become the ultimate act of destruction for mankind.

As the 120th jubilee draws to it’s end, I encourage every person reading this, to look at the clock. Time is running out for the human race, but the bride of Christ will be forever united with our bridegroom, our Saviour Jesus Christ, before disaster comes upon the Earth.

Give Him your heart, before the clock strikes midnight.

There is only one door – and His name is Jesus Christ (John 10:9).

Preserving Truth

by Nicky Wood

Matthew 5:13 (NIV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

Last year my husband and I took a trip to a mountain range wilderness area in the northern part of South Africa, called the “Soutpansberge”. The Afrikaans name translates directly to the “Salt pan mountains.” We stayed at a beautiful lodge for 2 nights, and one of the special surprises came during the evening turndown.

When we got back from dinner, on my pillow, instead of a chocolate, I noticed a small vial with the beautiful pink salt of the ancient mountain range in it – along with a note explaining the fascinating history and geological significance of the area.

I took it home and placed it in my bedside table drawer, never to be thought of again. However, about a month ago I re-discovered the same vial of salt…this time around though, I felt a stirring in my spirit to think deeper about the salt…

Most Christians are aware of the Scripture on salt and light in Matthew that forms part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It came to my mind again and I decided to explore the use of salt in Biblical times…

There were no fridges of course during those times, so the way food was preserved (especially meat) was by rubbing it with salt. It was a precious commodity during those times but also a significant theological symbol.

I won’t go into all the details here… but what stood out for me was the use of salt as a preservation agent in those times.

By telling his disciples to be the salt of the earth, Jesus is essentially asking them to preserve the world from moral decay…

In the context of preservation, I then envisioned the end times and the start of all the disasters and plagues that John described in Revelation, that would be released upon the earth.

I realised that the Bride of Christ is currently preserving the earth – that is indeed why we are called the Salt of the Earth. But significantly – once we are removed from this world – the decay will rapidly start setting in.

The rapture is a widely debated topic within the Church, and I’m not in a position to claim to have all the answers. It is starting to become very evident though, that there is an element of preservation in this world currently, and I do believe that for the end to come, it needs to be removed. I have no doubt that this event will be quick and unexpected, since Scripture warns us that we need to be ready (Matthew 25:1-13).

My question to you is if you have perhaps lost your saltiness? Potentially being “thrown out and trampled underfoot”, instead of meeting our Maker in Heaven when we ascend into the heavenly realms, is perhaps not something we think about as Christians often enough.

If you do a simple google search on how salt can lose its saltiness, it states that it can lose its flavour through impurities, dilution or environmental exposure.

Impurities:

Christ calls us to be holy just as He is holy. Impurities can start small, like a small lie that you might feel is justified, but it then grows into full on deception as you need to tell more lies to keep up appearances. Or a bad habit, that you just can’t seem to shake, but you don’t have the humility to take it to Jesus and to other believers for accountability to receive freedom from its hold on you.

Dilution:

I believe this happens when the treasure that we have in Christ is overshadowed by the things of this world. When things like career progression, wealth, education, possessions, hobbies, our image, etc. dilutes our relationship with God, because if other people look at us, they only see this particular aspect of our lives and not Christ in us anymore.

Environmental exposure:

What comes to mind here is what we allow into our homes and into our private space. For example: social media exposure and spending hours a day lost in the algorithms created by the big tech companies to keep us captured and busy every day, instead of creating the space and the environment to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. But it can also be the friends we surround ourselves with that don’t share our beliefs and influence us to behave like they do, the music we listen to, games we play and the movies we watch that don’t honour God. 

I am guilty of allowing all 3 these things to impact my “saltiness”. I am comforted however, by the fact that I know I can still turn to God for His grace while there is still time, and ask Him to restore my saltiness again, enabling me to flavour the world with goodness, so that all people can taste and see that He is good! (Psalm 34:8)

My prayer for you is to know that time is of the essence. We can look at the fig tree and see its leaves starting to come out, and we know the season is about to change (Matthew 24:32). In the same way, looking at events unfolding in the world presently, we can have the discernment to know a season is coming soon where God’s kingdom will be at hand – let’s be ready for it!

New Wine – Easter

by Nicky Wood

Luke 5:37-39 TPT
“And who pours new wine into an old wineskin? If someone did, the old wineskin would burst and the new wine would be lost. New wine must always be poured into new wineskins. Yet you say, ‘The old ways are better,’ and you refuse to even taste the new wine that I bring.”

Relentless reasoning
Renders your heart a dry land…
But You came to write
New dreams in the sand

This pressing is still meant to bring purpose
To a tree that was once
Fruitless…

The Fruit of Your new Vine
Has come to bring the anointing of a pure Wine
Nails crushed the lifeblood from Your veins
So that with You, we can reign

I’ve tasted and seen
The healing only You can bring
A new vessel built for Your true Art
Can never be torn apart

Created in the Image of God

by Nicky Wood

Genesis 1:26-28:

“Then God said: “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us…” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” (Emphasis my own).

The word “image” is defined as a representation of the external form of a person or thing in art.

If this world we live in is a spectacular work of art created by God, then the humans He created to dwell in it would be the very essence of the signature at the bottom of the artwork, by the Creator Himself.

But more than just being a signature or an extension of who He is, we were made to be a full representation of God. The representation is unique in the fact that it is only complete in the form of male and female. One gender wasn’t an afterthought and the other the dominant. Both are equally important in their representation of the image of God as per Genesis 1.

A male alone does not represent God ‘s image in full and neither does a female. But the two of them together, in unity, forms the complete picture of His image.

Have you ever taken the time to consider this? To consider that God Himself is three in one? And when a husband and wife come together physically, the miracle of a third person or child is created.

When we look at the character of the triune God described in His Word, we see male and female characteristics. He is our loving Father, but the Holy Spirit is also the Helper and when Eve was created, God said He will make a helper for Adam. God is also described as covering his children under His feathers, similar to the actions of a mother bird.

This concept is so important to understand in this day and age when the world is being led astray by the physical identity of men and women and their respective genders. Just as the snake bought confusion to Eve in the garden, he is now doing it again to distort the image of God that was set thousands of years ago in the creation of males and females.

God designed us to be functional on our own, but dare I say more importantly, to be dependent on each other. He designed marriage between a man and a woman to be a safe-haven and a unique institution in the sense that a covenant between a male and a female before God brings together three parties – and through this unity the world can see a representation of the fullness of God.

A triple-braided cord is not easily broken (Eccl 4:12). A godly marriage between a male and a female is a beacon to the world of sacrificial love and care, the epitome of what Christ came to show a broken world. Marriage is the setting out which fruitfulness and multiplication flows. Physically in the form of the raising of godly children, but also spiritually, it is the catalyst for growth and the multiplication of God’s Kingdom.


Satan of course knows this, so his plan is two-fold but simple. Break up existing marriages, and secondly prevent godly marriages between a man and woman from happening in the first place by causing shame and confusion gender-wise. A Christian man who is able to stand in the authority given to him in Jesus, as the man God created him to be, and a woman who embraces her role as a godly woman has more power to stamp on the enemy’s head than anyone who is lost in the world’s view of what gender roles should be.


For males to desire to be females physically and vice versa, and even for women to want to become more like men, or men more like women from a behavioral point of view – is the biggest tragedy to fall on our society. God created each gender with strengths and weaknesses that is absolved in the other gender. This was no accident but done on purpose to mirror His image. What we perceive to be weaknesses of the respective genders, are in actual fact not weaknesses, but puzzle pieces purposefully adapted to be optimized when the two pieces come together.


Its design helps us to visualize how much we need each other but also ultimately, how much we need Him.


When He knit you together in your mother’s womb, He didn’t make a mistake when He chose your gender. He never wished for you to let your physical shape be a cause of confusion.


God wanted you to see how He created you to fit into the bigger picture. To look at yourself every day and realize you are made in the Creator’s image, which means you are perfect, and nothing should be taken away or added to the work of art that you are.


My prayer is that God will open our eyes to be able to fulfill the role that He created for us that fully encapsulates our genders. Not the roles that society dictates to us, but the one that He gently whispers to our hearts, the Truth of who we are – and the Truth that only in and through Him can we fruitfully live out our true identity.

The Ultimate Creation

by Nicky Wood

Someone was creative, so we can create…

When I was much younger, I believed I was quite creative. I enjoyed painting, making mosaics, writing poetry, drawing and more. Then life happened. And between the 8 to 5 of crunching numbers, falling asleep dreaming of making a living and rising to start all over again, the creative creature I thought I once was, shrunk back into obscurity.

Then this year started with a Word. A word given by the Word Himself, and that Word was – create. It didn’t really make sense. And still creating takes effort. Just writing this takes effort. It’s easier to fall into the familiar pattern of routine, to slumber the days away doing what I think people might expect of me, doing what I did yesterday and the day before, and five years ago and maybe even decades ago. And so, I wake up one morning and wonder why my hair now turns grey after seven days instead of twenty-one, and why the lines beneath my eyes have turned from two into a maze. And the days go by in a haze.

Being creative can feel like a burden in a world where it takes much just to survive. Yet this word lingers in the back of my head every day and makes me sway…makes me wonder what to change. Most days I feel powerless to change what I see every day – things that can cramp the creative spirit of every creature – injustice and apathy, anger and inabilities. But God has placed a seed in all our hearts, a seed to water and nurture, a seed to feed so that it can grow into a garden that will sustain the wearied world. Your seed is not mine and mine isn’t yours, but my job is to cultivate the seed that He has planted in me.

That seed needs the right environment to grow, just like creativity most often blooms in a special setting. The ordinary spaces don’t always lend itself to creative grace. But we don’t all have the luxury of escaping to a solitary mountain cabin or distant island paradise to find a new vision. We need to find the inspiration within our daily disorder to lean into the Creator’s whisper. If you listen close enough, you will hear Him remind you of how He mold you from dust and how the dust itself was enough. Because He saw the potential. We most often don’t…

We see things for what they are because that is what the world tells us…Don’t take the time to find something that isn’t there. Fantasy won’t fill your cup, but who feeds the fallacy? Lies spin a web of comfort for those who fail to keep their focus on the One who called it all into being.

And so here I am trying to create something that is of worth. Words that will wrap around the heart of what He wants to say and try and make a way. But it doesn’t only have to be written, it can be a thought turned into an action. It can be a wave to a stranger or a hand to the hurting, it can be a song sung to an old man or a flower picked for a young girl. It can even be amidst the every day cooking, cleaning and parenting. Creativity comes when we step off the merry-go-round of the daily grind and take a breath, listen to what God says and bring into being His Heart. He has placed the seed of all life in everything around us…a drop of water, a ray of sunlight, a breath of cold air.

In admiring what He does with dust, I know in Whom I can place my trust. I know I am His creature and creating is in my being, all I must do is stop for a second and listen… Tune into the frequency of the ultimate Creative Genius, His creativity is infinitely expanding, and it is impossible for Him to ever run out of inspiration.

By your words

by Nicky Wood

Genesis 1:3: “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”

Four words uttered by the Creator of the Universe, sparked the start of the ultimate display of creativity. Light and life exploded at the sound of His Voice, our world was birthed and all life as we know it, formed in the perfection of His Plan.

When God created you and me, made in His image, male and female, He gave us the ability to speak life and light into the darkness too. He gave us the ability to call upon His name, and He warned us that the tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).

Yet we see death and darkness constantly around us. We complain, and our joy dies. We belittle, bemoan and begrudge and we wonder why we aren’t living victorious lives.

I know that I often complain and speak negatively even without realizing it. I used to always say and think of how stressed I am, not realizing that the more I proclaim my stress and other negative emotions the more I will find myself entangled in it. 

Matt 12:36:

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

God takes every word we speak seriously, so why don’t we? How can we guard our hearts so that our words will be filled with the good fruit that we have cultivated in our hearts? (Matt 12: 33-34).

How do we place a guard in front of our lips and ensure that every utterance is drenched with grace and tempered with truth and clarity? (Col 4:6 (TPT)).

The answer lies with the Word of God and gratitude.

Gratitude is an attitude that allows us to honour God for Who He is and what He has done no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in. It should be one of our life goals to master the art of thankfulness despite what we feel in the moment. I am certainly not naturally inclined to be grateful… but I have come to understand through God’s Word that when my attitude changes internally, very often external circumstances beyond my control also changes. And even if they don’t, there is still a lesson to be learned to be thankful for.

God’s word, going out from His mouth, will not return to Him void but will accomplish all that He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it (Is 55:11). When I abide in His word, His written word and His Rhema Word… my words start reflecting the character of the Word Himself – Jesus.

And when that happens, I can be sure of one thing – I will live a victorious life, by the Grace of God. No longer will fear and confusion threaten to steal my peace, but my words will echo the goodness of the Creator and the love of the Saviour.

Passionate Pursuit

by Nicky Wood

Easter is upon us, and I would like to take this moment to share a piece with you that I wrote some time ago for a women’s ministry in the US – “She Heard”.

My prayer is that it will draw you closer into the Heart of the Father, where the ultimate Sacrifice became the world’s saving Grace. The Cross is the heartbeat of his unfathomable Love for us… May you have a blessed Easter.

Almighty Power and Grace

by Nicky Wood

I am in the middle of the ocean… drifting alone in the endless blue. Around me the tide is picking up. It’s dark and all I can sense are the waves around me. 

Suddenly a massive breaker appears on the horizon making its way towards me. Before I can think of what to do or how to get away, the cavernous tower of water is right in front of me. All I can do is cower pathetically under the immense imminent tidal wave and wait for it to consume me. As the wave looks about to topple over, the scene pauses…

A voice is speaking. It’s unlike any I have ever heard before. It’s not coming from anywhere specific. Instead, it IS everywhere and at the same time I realize that it is everything. It sounds as though everyone on earth – all 8 Billion people – are talking at the exact same time – but in perfect harmony. It sounds like roaring, rushing water and thunder simultaneously. In fact there are no adequate words to describe the voice accurately. All I can think of in the moment is the feeling of being completely and utterly overwhelmed and in awe.

The Voice thunders and echoes around me and I am aware of the words taking form inside my spirit: “Almighty power and grace”.

I wake up suddenly, startled, and amazed.

Even though I had this dream about 5 years ago, the sound will never leave my memory and the words are still vivid in my mind. Every time I remember the image of the imminent tsunami, it draws me back into the wonder of the Father.

As the curtain falls on 2021, we find ourselves in the midst of a different kind of wave…

The 4th one in South Africa to be exact of the Covid pandemic. Each wave has bought new fears and uncertainties to a world that is exhausted and discouraged, and eager for the waves to end.

It reminds me of Peter.

Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT): “Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me Lord!”, he shouted.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?””

Here I am, my eyes fixed on the covid waves around me, wondering when the next wave will hit and afraid of drowning in the noise around me. Yet Jesus is asking me to rather fix my eyes on Him above the waves. Above the roar of the wind – the voices of the media and of this world – and the covid waves around us, Jesus is still calling out to us today like He did to Peter 2000 years ago asking, “Why do you doubt me?”

As we make some time to meditate on the brand-new year that Jesus is preparing for us, let us turn our hearts and our faith onto the One who can calm any storm in an instant with His mighty voice. The Almighty One is full of Power and Grace and able to do above and beyond all that we can ever ask, think of, or imagine.

The Road Less Travelled

by Nicky Wood

Ruth 1:16 “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God…”

I love travelling. The thrill of finding and exploring a new destination ranks right up there with one of my favourite things to do. Although the destination is always important – and as a South African we are spoilt for choice with beautiful places to visit – your travel companion is just as important. This can certainly make or break your trip.

When we meet Ruth – a lowly widow from Moab – she is about to make an interesting travel arrangement. It soon becomes clear that this will also be a one-way ticket with no option of returning. But over and above the difficult and perilous journey she chooses to embark on, she also swears her allegiance to her travel companion – her widowed mother-in-law. From the outset, it looks like this trip is doomed to failure.

As she clings in desperation to Naomi, her loyalty and devotion to the older woman becomes the compass by which she charts her future. Little does she know that this decision made at a crossroad in her life, will have a profound impact not only on herself and Naomi, but also on the lineage of the God of the Universe and all generations to come.

The one decision she takes to follow the path of her destitute mother-in-law, where-ever that might lead, sets her and generations to come, on the road to God’s provision, favour, and abundant blessings. Yet she is the one with the choice. And it’s not an easy choice to make and certainly not the most convenient one. The path she intends to take is unchartered and uncomfortable territory, but she commits her life and her desires into the older woman’s hands in good faith, and in so doing submits to her and her authority.

I wonder what crossroad you may be facing at the moment? I wonder if you have perhaps taken the time lately to evaluate the path you might find yourself on currently. How did you get there and where is it leading? Who have you chosen to embark with you on the journey? Who have you left or met along the way and have you committed to follow any One person as you journey on?

Sometimes we need to stop and ask God to remind us where we’ve been and to whisper to our hearts the way we should be going. Our next step might impact our future and generations to come dramatically, just like it did for Ruth. Who we decide to follow can make or break our future and our destiny.

Ruth was a nobody with no future, no inheritance, and very little options. But the one thing she did have was her loyalty and integrity. So she made the hard choice and chose to follow Naomi and commit to her ways, knowing full well that they might not even survive the journey alone as two widows to Bethlehem.

This courageous act of loyalty and faith led to her redemption and provision and she became the great grandmother of David, her story recorded for all generations to come.

You and I don’t know where exactly our next steps will lead us, just like Ruth must have had no idea. But may I encourage you to make all your decisions based on your loyalty and submission to Jesus, and to be obedient to Him just like Ruth meticulously followed every instruction Naomi gave her. Our faith in Him will be rewarded even if we can’t see the details of the road ahead. As you commit to His leading, however perilous the road may look, trust that He will turn your mourning to dancing just as He miraculously provided for Ruth and Naomi.

Heart’s Desire

by Nicky Wood

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Take a quick moment, and think of something that you love to do…

It could be as simple as having a coffee with a friend, going for a walk along the beach, arranging a vase of flowers, taking a long bath or planning a trip.

These are examples of little pleasures that we try to make time for in the midst of our busy schedules. Often, if we don’t get the time or if we don’t have the opportunity to do these things we love, we might start to feel despondent or even irritable.

Then there are our deepest heart’s desires – the things no-one might even know about – except you. A dream you might have had as a child that you’ve locked away and almost forgotten about. Maybe it’s something that you think of every day and you feel frustrated, maybe even at God, that this dream hasn’t realized yet and you wonder if you should just let it go.

David states in Psalm 37: When God becomes our delight (in the same way perhaps as we delight in having coffee with a friend) then He gives us the desires of our hearts. When we delight in something, we make time for it. We prioritize it because we enjoy it and it satisfies a part of our soul. It speaks to a need inside of us and allows us to be blissful in that specific moment. 

So God calls us to take delight in Him. To anticipate with joy our time with Him, to draw close to Him and get near to His Heart. As we draw near to Him, He unveils His heart to us – a heart of infinite love, grace and beauty. His heart fuses with us, and our desires become one with His.

The world tells us to follow our hearts, but God teaches us to follow His Spirit and to protect or guard our hearts (Prov. 4:23).

I have followed my heart down many seemingly enchanting paths, that in the end, have only left me feeling lost and broken.

Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

However, there is One who understands it. God understands our hearts because He made each one intricately to fit into His heart. As we delight ourselves in Him and follow Him – and Him alone – He will fulfill our deepest heart’s desires.