Month: October 2019

‘For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ‘Romans 4:3 

It’s already the middle of the week. I hope you have been well. Do you like the new look?

A scripture caught my eye this morning, and I felt the power of God’s grace and mercy so profoundly. I was studying Hebrews 1, and the verses below stood out to me.

“But to the Son, He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” – Hebrews 1:8-9

We are the sons of God. We are seated in Christ and anointed with the oil of His Spirit. For what? Transformation.

‘”The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord , And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified.”‘ – Isaiah 61:1-3

The anointing on Jesus was for transformation. In Christ, God is raising trees of righteousness, His work of art. Abraham, God’s tree of righteous, also went on the journey of transformation.

Abram heard God, believed Him, and started his journey, which accounted to him for righteousness. He left everything behind in Haram, his comfort zone, and became a God chaser. Chasing God established him as the father of many nations, Abraham. He believed God and left the life created for him by man to live the one God had called him to. He searched for a being that could only be accessed by faith.

In Christ, we know that God has plans for each one of us, plans of a future, and hope. We have all been pre-destined to bring God glory. We can discern the good things God has prepared for us only by the help of His Spirit. So like Abraham, we need to journey (don’t pack your bags and take the next flight out to Timbuktu). Start your adventure with God, discerning His will for you daily and living it. Who knows, you may be the one who introduces another facet of God not seen before.

Please note that this journey is one of faith and not by sight. So, there will be storms and cloudy days with rain. There will be days of drought and low crop harvests, but God has assured us that in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him. 

Till next time, be transformed!!

“Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:116‬ 

Have you ever been in a place where nothing seems to work, and then you are expected to be innovative and to think outside the box to get the job done? I have been in such situations, at work, and in my personal life. Most times, we didn’t have the strength to continue, but we kept going. In some situations, the end did come.

We kept going due to different motivating factors, but what if there was nothing to motivate or assure us that there was light at the end, no motivation to keep the boat afloat?

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew‬ ‭8:23-27‬ ‭

I want to outline the verses in the list below:

• The disciples followed Jesus, not knowing that He is Lord
• Problems arose, hitting them left right and center and they tried everything they could, but nothing seemed to work
• Jesus (The Lord) was asleep in all the chaos that assailed them, or so they thought
• When they had tried their best to salvage the situation to no avail, they woke Him up and asked for help.
• He didn’t rush to make the situation right as they had expected; He was the Lord. He asked them an important question first, “Why are you afraid? Why is your faith small? Don’t you know that the Lord is with you?

Imagine Jesus on the boat of your work and personal life, the one that keeps Israel, that does not sleep nor slumber. He is right there with you, through your storms, your heartaches, worries, fears, and weariness, just waiting to be engaged. The storm is an opportunity for God. You need to believe that and begin to change your thought processes to align, to see, and then you can praise Him for it. Until you can see the change by faith and begin to speak God’s word over your life and circumstances, you may be held down in darkness.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-7‬ 

You are not built to handle life on your own; the enemy will make different flavors of chocolate ice cream out of you (if you are African). Engage with the Lord, with the Master of life. He wrote your manual, he knew about all the parts of your life from before you were born. Call Him and lay the storm at His feet and watch Him take over.

Note: Jesus is Lord also means that no matter the outcome of the storm, we praise and worship Him, the all-knowing one.

Till next time, be transformed!!

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” – II Timothy 2:20-21

Hello everyone,

I hope your week is going great?

My mum loved to buy gold. She loved the ones with colored stone inlays best because they glint in the light. She would sell the pieces she was tired of occasionally and buy new ones, so she was up to speed on gold trends.  A lot of people love to wear gold and silver for many reasons, but few people would agree to wear wood or clay to important events?

When I was younger, I would hear about how the wealthiest families would store their wealth as gold blocks, and I would marvel at that. To me, that was the heights, where everyone making money should aspire.

These days, though gold is still the thing, the younger generation has moved on, now there is cryptocurrency. The world is changing, and wealthy people are moving on from gold and silver, though it’s still the thing. I wonder, though, if we will get to a time when the appeal for these solid minerals is not as high, and their rates crash?

‘For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’ Ephesians 2:10

God created us in Christ Jesus for good works. Timothy admonishes us to be vessels of honor, set apart and useful for the good works. Not all vessels created for good works are for set apart for God’s glory.

I don’t believe that we can chase after gold (the solid mineral) and be set apart as gold (vessels of honor) at the same time, except God has individually sent us. To be vessels for God’s glory, we need to be cleansed, set apart, and found useful.

Christ knew why He came; He was clear about it. You couldn’t distract Him with bread and wealth, unnecessary tests of sonship. You couldn’t distract him with a fan base either; He knew the heart of man.

Christ came, achieved, and ascended victoriously. He has left the baton to us, so do we have clarity for our reasons for being, are we living daily in understanding and wisdom?

Gold owners die, the gold gets stolen, and some owners lose interest, but our calling is eternal. The more we walk the path God prepared for us before time, the more we are set apart, the more our vessels shine and glow. So today I ask, as God’s work of art, are you shining?

May we submit daily to the purifiers fire in Jesus’ name.

Till next time, be transformed!!

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” – I Timothy 6:6

Hello,

This is another blessed week.

Today, I was thinking about the conversation between Eve and the serpent, and this is how I summarized the dialogue in Genesis 3:1-6.

The serpent in his sinister hiss, asked oblivious Eve, “Don’t you want to take control of your existence?” and Eve said,

“We are already in control, but not fully.”

The serpent continued, “God doesn’t want you taking full control and knowing everything.”

Eve thought about it and realized that the serpent made sense. So, she decided that they would take full control of their lives, knowing everything, and they did.

In my training to write, I discipline myself to focus on systems I have built and apps I use to be more productive. In my mind, I am doing all this to achieve the goal God called me to, but is it possible that by depending on my systems, I have left Him and continued with doing His will? Is it possible that we have focused on the ‘getting’ and not on godliness, which is being like God. As I track my work through these systems, I realize that without them, God’s purpose would still be achieved through me. I would do His will, shine His light, and be transformed by God’s grace.

We judge politicians, government workers, companies, and people who achieve success through corrupt means, and we forget that the drive to take full control for selfish reasons, has been ongoing since Eve. The enemy doesn’t want us at rest. He wants us striving, thinking we are Gods. He wants us to believe that we are in control and that if we don’t put in the effort, we would be doomed, and our families would perish.

What does God want for us? He has always wanted our peace. It shows all over scripture that God goes to all lengths, to the very end to achieve this for us. He does everything in His power, even gave up His life to give us peace. All He asks is that we come to Him, trust Him, and allow Him to take control.

As we start up another week, this is my word of encouragement, go to Him. Focus on His guidance and let Him lead the way. His thoughts for us are only good, and the future He has prepared for us, we cannot even begin to imagine. Yes, it may make sense to follow our own way and take control of our own destinies, but remember Eve.

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

I Timothy 6:12 NKJV

If Eve had continued in faith, believing that God’s plans were for good and not for evil, we would have been telling a different story. Thank God for His grace and mercy, that even in our fallen state, He sacrificed Himself to make us whole again, to bring us peace. This is the same God Eve doubted, He is indeed the same yesterday, today and forever. Trust Him.

Till next time, be transformed!!

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” – Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ 

What a week!

I hope you are well.

Today, I watched one of Oprah’s shows on YouTube. She was interviewing the cast of The Sound of Music, a classic, and I was touched. I watched the film as a child, and as I watched the show, I remembered the beauty of the location, the songs, and how the cast brought such a great story to life.

I have been selective lately of films I watch because I noticed that most filmmakers and writers are tending towards dark content, celebrating blood and violence. It’s bad enough that we have to see such darkness in the news, do we have to accept it as entertainment as well?

If you tend towards that kind of entertainment, forgive me,  I watched Things Fall Apart, a popular Nigerian movie, and its tragic ending affected me for years. So violence and bloodshed are certainly not for me. However, as I watched Oprah’s show, I realized that people are tending towards such dark themes because of the times. The times are evil, I tell you.

One of the reasons for the darkness we see is that people are experiencing horrifying things in their lives,  thank God those stories are being told. Another reason for these dark tendencies is the state of people’s minds. People are watching, playing, and reading all sorts of things to escape reality and get by. The movie/game makers and writers have taken notice and are using it to their advantage, how else can they make a living?

Today, I ask that we see to ourselves first. What are we watching and reading? Are we being edified? What are the children watching and reading as well? The scripture says we should focus on the true, noble, pure, lovely, and of good report, meditate on these. It goes beyond what we watch, the games we play, or the books we read. It affects how we feel about the people in our lives, and even how we feel about the work we do.

Next is our neighbor. How can we impact the lives of the people around us for good, how can we make them smile in these times, what can we do to bring relief? I asked God this because I felt cocooned in my small world and helpless, and he told me what I needed to do. There are people and situations you can shine God’s light on, ask Him for direction.

Finally, I pray that you experience a weekend filled with God’s grace, light, life, and goodness.

Till next time, be transformed!!

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. – Matthew 6:33

I hear people talk about developing their passions, honing their gifts, and perfecting their skills, the end result is always for financial gain. The scripture above is, therefore, challenging as it places a demand on the children of God.

Jesus asked us not to worry about anything, but to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first. That must mean that if we are not doing that, we are building other kingdoms, living in other forms of righteousness. Jesus prayed that God’s kingdom would come and His be done, which means that the earth would become the realm in which God’s will is fulfilled.

I am learning to write better, so I follow a lot of freelance writers and authors, and they tend to go on about finding one’s freedom financially. I have nothing against that, but is that really what the followers of Christ should be about? I have had to check myself, my goals, and aspirations because I know I am also guilty of building a different kingdom and living in my righteousness.

The road is indeed wide that leads to destruction, trust me, I know. It’s so easy to walk in it and keep going because everybody else is taking it. We wake up every day to ‘hustle’ and live ‘our truth,’ yes, walking the wide road would be easy. However, we have been called to walk the narrow way, the way of life. The way of God’s kingdom, where His will is done.

How will we know His will, how do we seek His Kingdom first and are we sure that He will add the other things in time? Will He be there to ensure that we don’t starve and go without clothes? How do we know that if we don’t take charge that He will make everything ‘well’? These are some of the questions I asked, some arguments that went on in my head.

Over time, as I presented them to Him, He answered them, He is still answering me. No one can explain faith to another person; it is divinely bestowed. The faith to live, the wisdom to walk right, the understanding to put two and two together and make four, only God can open our eyes to that.

I have lived to see that it is not magic, God answers. In his infinite love and mercy, He understands the hustle life but asks us to drop it and come find rest. Do I mean stop work? No, I work every weekday. He is asking us to seek His will first in everything we do, whether at work or at home and in our relationships.

At a point in time in my life, I struggled with His will. I couldn’t see how I would survive it, but I am still here, breathing and doing what He wants me to. Gradually, I am learning through my failures, through His word and grace, that in His will is life.

I saw a quote today in my digital notebook, it said, “Writing starts with living.” For us as followers of Christ, living starts with dying. Let us begin there, dying daily, believing that regardless of what we see, hear or feel, we must continually seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, for in that is life. He is faithful, and He will ensure that as we trust Him, He will establish us for His glory.

Till next time, be transformed!!!

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Hello,

I hope your day went well.

As I worked today, I kept thinking about living intentionally for God. I have written about it, but what does it mean for Christians?

As we start another week, I wish to engage you my reader in this study by asking, how do you live with intention? How do you live out God’s purpose for your life every day?

How do we live every moment devoted to the cause of Christ? Do you continually assess your thoughts, actions, and words, or are you journaling your daily experiences to assess them later?

The Holy Spirit is the one in us that carries all the virtues listed in Isaiah 11:2, are we aware that we carry such a treasure in our earthen vessels?

As we remind ourselves this week of where our sufficiency is from, who we are in God, and the wealth we carry within us, may God guide us in the path of His truth.  

Don’t forget to send feedback on your way of living intentionally; it might save lives.

Till next time, be transformed!!

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” – II Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-6‬ ‭

It’s another Friday!!

I hope your week went well and you were victorious in all your dealings.

This week, I had different experiences that challenged me to ask myself that question daily.

So, was the week victorious?

I kept hearing a phrase in my spirit, “keep going.” I understood that it meant that regardless of what I faced, thought, or felt, I was to keep going forward by faith. That phrase kept resurfacing in my mind throughout the week when I felt discouraged, tired, and even this morning when I felt physically sick.

I am writing a book, and today I had to draw up strategies for the forces of darkness and the followers of Christ. When I had finished my research and drawn up the different plans, I realized that the followers of Christ can never be victorious if they don’t conquer the battle in their minds first.

The spiritual race we are on has levels that we must overcome, not by might nor by power, but by God’s Spirit. Led by Him, we are alert in our spirit’s and are victorious over the tests that we face daily. With each victory, we are promoted to a higher level. If you fail, you are not wiped out, but by the blood of Jesus, you can get back to the throne of grace for mercy and grace. Then try again.

I have the following questions:

• Do we wake up aware that we are on a race, and we all need the Holy Spirit’s guidance always?
• When we come against pressure or problems, do we realize that we have been provided with the opportunity to go higher when we overcome?
• Do we understand that our fellow humans are not the problem?

God wants us to walk by faith all the time and focus on his guidance alone. My weekdays are scheduled from the time I wake up till I go to bed. I realize that this helps me to stay focused and be productive. Today, I woke up an hour late, I ‘seemed’ to have a migraine, my eyes were heavy, and my joints were aching. I told my husband that I maybe sick because I wasn’t feeling well, but immediately he left I remembered my phrase of the week, keep going, and I got out of bed and started talking to God. As I spoke to Him, I was getting my self ready for the day, and after a bath, I went to work. I started work this morning with heavy eyes, but as I type this post now, I feel none of the symptoms I experienced this morning.

Does that mean that Christians shouldn’t go to the hospital or that they have failed when they do? No, I just followed the word God laid in my spirit and acted by faith, and it worked out. A lot of distractions are dumped in our minds from words we hear, see, and agree with. They form strongholds, arguments, and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. It is more complicated than we think to push them away in obedience, especially when we are not alert or being guided by God.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—” – ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-18‬ ‭NKJV

The verses from Ephesians 6 above says it all, but I want to note the following:

• Be strong in the Lord
• Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil
• and having done all, to stand

As we end another work week, I wish to remind us all that the battle is the Lord’s. He has made us, and He will care for us. Keep going!

Till next time, be transformed!!

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:12-17 

It’s another week!! Thank God.

Today, as I studied scripture, something caught my attention, and I feel it is a good opening for the week.

As I studied Colossians 3, I came across a phrase that has encouraged me today, and I hope it will inspire you as well.

In my bible, there is a sub-title before the verses from Colossians 3:12, and it says, Character of the New Man. So this must be a template for how the new creation in Christ should be. I know there are other templates, but I hope that like me, you would prayerfully consider this one this week, to live it.

The first thing I noted was the phrase ‘put on’. The Macmillan Dictionary calls it a phrasal verb and has different meanings for it. They are; to cover with, to lay on, to activate, to add to, etc. There are other meanings there, but I chose these ones for the post.

Paul encourages us to cover with/lay on/activate/add to ourselves the following characteristics as new beings in Christ:

• Tender mercies
• Kindness
• Humility
• Meekness
• Longsuffering; 
• Bearing with one another
• Forgiving one another
• Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection
• Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body
• Be thankful
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord
• Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him

Usually, I would look at these verses and read through prayerfully, and it ends there. Today, I realized that we have been encouraged to put them on because it is our nature now. We were not born with them, but by faith in Jesus Christ, we can put them on. Someone would ask if I am saying we should fake it, till we become it, and I would say no. We can put on all the characteristics listed above because we have believed that in death, our lives are continually yielded to the rulership of Christ. The bible says we are also seated in Christ in the heavenly places. That is true for every child of God in Christ. Are we faking that as well? No, we need to live these truths by faith.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” – ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-6‬ 

The characteristics above show our real features in Christ. Though we may struggle, I firmly believe that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. Christ died that we may attain this reality, and He didn’t die in vain. I don’t know what your struggles maybe, but I believe that if you lay them before God, He will you pull you through.

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – II Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭

Like Paul, I will boldly lay down my struggles, my weaknesses, my problems before the Master, my Father, so that His strength may rest upon me.

Be blessed!!

Till next time, be transformed!!

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” – ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:21-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Christ died on the cross to present me before God without blemish or spot. Notice we have nothing to do except to continue in the faith, not moving away from this hope.

It’s a Friday, and the week is at an end. You have been through the good and the bad, as you reflect over your week, give thanks. In His mercy, we are saved and not consumed. We are going through a process of transformation from one point to another, so God is just expecting us to come as we are. Just go to the mercy seat and lay before the Master.

No matter the difficulties you have faced, the overwhelming challenges, go and lay them before Him, He is waiting. Stop carrying those burdens, stop bearing those loads, go before your Father, He wants to lift them off. The 23rd verse of the chapter asks that we continue in faith, what does that mean for you right now?

For me, it means thanksgiving in all situations. It means the following:

• Waking up every morning, giving thanks, and expecting His care and supply. 
• Doing my work believing that I have His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge available
• Taking care of problems as they arise and if they are not sorted immediately, having faith that He is in control and has got my back.

That is what faith means to me right now. I don’t have all the answers, but my Father does. As we end the week, let us be thankful and be ready for next week with a different perspective. God can get us through any storms, the waters, and fire, unscathed. All He asks is that we lay before Him in faith and submission, and He will take over.

How was your week, did God teach you anything new, or did He help you remember wisdom you forgot? Please share.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” – ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Till next time, be transformed!!