2024 REVIEW THUS FAR

At the end of February, I wrote a blog about finances and trusting God with my money by tithing although it wasn't enough for the month. I tried not to succumb to worry although it oftentimes reared its ugly head. I was bombarded with impromptu increase in my council tax, plus other extras that I found myself unable to meet deadlines for. 

Somehow though the month has almost ended and all those bills have been paid. I remember writing about "the windows of heaven" in the book of Malachi 3:10 meaning  which I took personally to mean "opportunity"

That in paying my tithe, God would present me with opportunities that would bring in more blessings; in this case financial. 

So my review of the tithe this month is that I was gifted £50 unexpectedly from a lady at my church. I was also given the opportunity to make meals for 10 people which brought me some income and my sister supported me with extra cash for the house so that really made a difference thus, God's window was opened for me this month after my tithe.  (I was daring God with His word). I will do a another tester this month!

I was listening to a youtuber this morning who was speaking about just living life, dealing with it as it comes up, letting go of worry and just being. 

Today is Easter, Holy Saturday to be precise. It is considered the Great sabbath, the day on which Jesus lay in the tomb, went to redeem mankind from hell. Sabbath day in general is a day of rest from works which is supposed to be the 7th day after 6 days of work like God did during creation.

. 

On the sabbath day in Exodus 20:8-11 God encourages us to observe this day as holy by resting. 

In Hebrews 4:10. it is further stated that "anyone who enters God's rest has also rested from their works, just as God did from His. 

Entering God's rest in this time is a permanent condition for me which involves me deliberately letting go of my need to hold on to and control life's circumstances on a daily basis. 

It means for me resting from worry, resting from trying to force things to go my  way when I don't need to, resting from overdoing by letting go and allowing things to fall in place naturally. 

In nature, rest is when the most productivity happens. We see it in sleep as the body repairs itself, cells are renewed and growth occurs. 

We also dream which is God's way of speaking to us about life situations, giving us creative ideas and thoughts. Our focus is more astute after a good sleep/ rest, and in all our skin looks brighter and better with quality sleep.

We also see the benefits of rest/ sleep during the winter months when certain animals go in hibernation to conserve their energy as a result of lack of food. 

When you have used all your strength available for work, REST. 

In rest your creative antennas are awakened. 

Rest can be done in short phases as well as long and in short phases, we see it quick naps which are a way our "brain resets itself by sending it through a period of non-rapid eye movement sleep (N1)".

All of these examples hint on the importance of resting from work, essentially harnessing the full benefits of the precious sabbath. Rest from your addiction to busyness, struggle and worry. Stay still when things are not going as planned, lean on the strength of Yahweh and see all things work for your good.

Happy Great Sabbath! 

Enjoy the great benefits that come as you heed to the Lord's sabbath and rest in the finished works of Christ.

Adios

GOD and MONEY!!!

"We have here only 5 loaves of bread and two fish", they answered- Matthew 14:17 . 

This month, my prayer as a I paid my tithe was that God should make my money sufficient for the month. I don’t often do this but in my mind, I expected my income for this month to be slightly less as I did not work overtime. As I prayed, I realised there was a  slight anxiety rearing its head so I decided to switch and thank God in advance that my money for the month would be sufficient. 

As I continued, I remembered the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 people with little to nothing. And so here goes my lesson for the month so far which begins with my tithe. 

The tithe is based initially on the story of Abram paying his first tithe to Melchizedek, king of Salem who was also a priest of God, after the king had brought out bread and wine and blessed him for winning a battle against his enemies to retrieve his nephew Lot. 

Melchizedek is believed to be a type of Christ and in him first offering to give and bless, Abraham reciprocated by giving a 1oth of his spoils. 

Genesis 14:18-20 

"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all."

From this practice, believers have followed and had faith that in paying their tithe, which is a tenth of their income/ increase, the Lord will fulfil his promise concerning their finance as in the case in Malachi 3:10 which states 

"Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need". 

In this promise, it appears there is a storehouse which would suggest a place filled with extra in case there is a need to be met, an obvious window which as I write I think to myself as a portal or opportunity as in the case of a window of opportunity which will be presented to us as we honour God's word and obey this principle. Window also reminds me of the story of Jacob in Genesis 28:10-22 which speaks of Jacob having a dream in which God shows him a stairway resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven and the angels ascending and descending on it. 

Thus, there is an obvious point of entry between the earthly realms and the heavenly realms. Why did Jacob only see this stairway when he was asleep and not awake? What were the angels doing climbing up and down, what business had they to do on this earth to be so active at that time of the night? Think about it because that’s a whole other sermon in itself!

 As you read along Malachi 3:10, it also appears that God is BOLDLY “DARING” us to “TEST” Him by OBEYING His word regarding tithing and be expectant of the abundance that will come with it 

Proverbs 3:9 also states “Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your harvest, then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. In this instance the bible speaks to us as though we were farmers who had worked to till the land, sown seeds and eventually reaped a harvest of great goods and are being encouraged to bring a portion to the LORD reminding me again of the story of Cain and Abel who brought an offering to the LORD and with the former’s being rejected and the latter’s being fully accepted. 

 As I write, I am also reminded of the verse that states that no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved- Luke 5:37-39. 

This verse to me speaks of newness and renewal of the mind. When we are renewed in our thinking on life’s issues as in this case, finances, we are to put away the old thoughts about our finances  and to imbibe the new wine (God’s word) into our new wineskin by implementing His word correctly regarding our finances. 

Some of these old thoughts could be, 

1. The Lack mindset 

2. Where is the money going to come from?

3. How am I going to pay this or that bill, 

4. How will I clear this debt etc 

An example is given of Jesus and his disciples presented with the case of 5000 hungry people gathered after his preaching and healing expecting to eat something. 

The only food available at the time is 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. How do you feed 5000 with such a small quantity? But Jesus did not panic. Rather, he looked up to heaven, GAVE the Father thanks and broke the bread. 

This action is described perfectly in Philippians 4:6-7 which states "be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." 

We all know that going on the path of anxiety is a fruitless venture. 

It stems from the place of fear of the unknown and wreaks havoc on our mental, physical, emotional wellbeing as well as our immune system. 

Imagine Jesus walking in anxiety after claiming to be the son of God and being presented with such a big "opportunity" only to disappoint his disciples by panicking! And so, Jesus in his wisdom chose to be still, give thanks to the father and begin to break the bread. Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10, and they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits Daniel 11:32 confirm this. 

So, on a new financial journey this year, I’m praying and hoping that in me relearning money, I will be able to implement more principles of God's word, some of which are, 

1. The borrower is servant to the lender- Proverbs 22:7 

2. Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding- Proverbs 3:5 

3. Guard your heart above all else, for from it flows the issues of life- Proverbs 4:23 

4. Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom- Luke 6:38 

5. Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land- Ecclesiastes 11:2 

This last principle reminds me of the story of Joseph in Egypt interpreting the pharaoh’s dream about 7 years of abundance and 7 years of famine and also giving him solutions by advising him to save in the years of abundance for surely the years of famine would come. In my learning of all these principles, I hope to do better this month and this year financially. 

I may not be so sure how things will work out, but I pray for wisdom to implement that which I have learnt. 

Some of the other practical ways to do better financially include

• Making work lunches to reduce cost
• Reducing borrowing
• Finding other means to make more money

So help me God!!!

I hope you are blessed as you read this and also will be able to search and know more of God's word regarding His financial promises to you and in doing so improve in your finances as well. 

Shalom!!!

ABBA & HIS REWARDS ❤️

 This morning as I read Genesis 15, God visited Abraham in a vision and said to him “I am your shield and exceeding great REWARD” 

•

Yesterday, apostle Joshua selman was preaching about Hebrews 6:10 where we are told that God is not unjust but will REWARD our labour of love. 

•

•This week, my theme was to walk by Faith.

As I wrote out my journal and plan for the day I realised I hadn’t thought about Faith at all. So I decided to read Hebrews 11, but then I thought I’d start from Hebrews 10. I read the last verses and in verse 38 it said “But my righteous one will live by faith, and I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back”. I wrote that down as my verse of the day in my journal

•

I was reminded of the Bible verse in Genesis 15:6 where it says “and Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness”

•

I realised the word “REWARD” kept popping up so I googled “what is God’s reward for those who live by faith

•

That’s how I ended up on someone’s likened in post entirely dedicated to God’s rewards for the righteous. 

•

Examples were given of Abraham, Joseph, with unwavering faith being rewarded with governorship of Egypt under pharaoh, David being rewarded with a kingdom & long lasting legacy, Job being rewarded with twice as much after many trials and Jesus topping it off in Matthew 5:12 with the promise “REJOICE, for GREAT IS YOUR REWARD in heaven” 

•

In the end I learnt that there is a REWARD for our righteousness which we do by FAITH and in my reading through all these verses, I realised it’s God’s way of speaking to me about the fact that he comes with his rewards in his hands for all, as in Revelation 22:12-13 which states, “And Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last”

•

So in your life journey, KEEP AT IT, whatever righteous acts you are doing, for as said “God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of Love which could be in your career (workplace), relationships, family etc. because HE is a REWARDER of them that DILIGENTLY seek Him. 

•

Adios Amigos ❤️😀✌🏽. 

HOW MONEY WORKS

So I always thought I knew how to handle money until I grew up and noticed that most of my money had been spent unaccounted for and I had nothing to show for it mostly.

Some of it I'm sure, I used for very important things and I wouldn't change it if I had the chance to choose between spending the money for those things or not.

For a long time, I had heard about budgeting but for some reason, I never really came around to applying it. So near the end of 2016, I decided to consciously implement budgeting to my financial life

BUDGET 

"a quantitative expression of a financial plan for a defined period of time. It may include planned sales, volumes and revenues, resource quantities, costs and expenses, assets and liabilities and cash flows"

- To simplify this, I'd define it as a picture image of what you did with your money over a certain period of time-

So after implementing budgeting 2 months down the line, I noticed a few significant things.

1. I spend lots of my money on things I deem important but I need to do a reevaluation.

2. I spend money on things for others more often than for myself (Good or bad depending on how you see it)

3. My money could be spread out more than I am doing now.

4. I save way less than I earn

5. I could do financially better than I am now by applying more wisdom in my spending




In the end I've noticed that I'm not as good with managing my finance as I thought I was and definitely need more education in that area.

And so one of the things I've resorted to doing is to watch more online videos on money management and read more books on finance to improve, one of which is RICH KID SMART KID by Robert kiyosaki which I'm currently reading.

So some of the tips I've learnt on money management so far are, 

• Budgeting on excel- This gives you a picture image of what you've done with your money over a period of time

• Learn to save- Emergencies are inevitable and you want to be ready for whatever may come your way as stated in Matthew 25 about the 5 wise virgins who had enough oil in their lamps and were ready when the bridegroom arrived. 

• Build an emergency fund- 1 to 3 months savings which you build over time and will only touch when the situation is dire, e.g. Job loss, etc. It doesn't matter how small the money is. save it, for "little drops of water make a mighty ocean"

• Whatever God gives you, make good use of it. don't waste it. Plant it with your actions so that it can bear fruit. The same can be said with money. Use it wisely and it'll grow, waste it and you'll lose.

So hopefully by the time I'm done I'll have a more improved view of the importance of money, how it works and what I can do to manage mine better.

I hope this post is helpful.
Thank you and have a lovely day.

VISIONS with GOD

Happy 2017 Everybody,

Its been 3 years since I wrote a post on here. A lot has happened within that time. Been through a lot, grown through a lot, and learnt overtime to trust God through them all. God has been good throughout. I have learnt more of him along the way than I had before and I'm hoping to share with you my experiences as we go along.

I decided to revisit my blog and found a few things that encouraged me to start paying more attention to it.

So today, I would love to share with you the topic of VISION

The common bible verse regarding this topic is found in Habakkuk 2;1-2

"I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint
vs 2- Then the Lord said to me, "Write MY ANSWER plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others"

I read this bible verse a while ago and realised that I had never noticed the part where God says "Write MY ANSWER"

I think it's probably because I read the versions that said "write THE vision and make it plain"

But this particular word stood out to me because it made me realise that the vision belonged to GOD and is derived from GOD. It was the Lord who gave the answer and not man who thought it.

So all these years when I've been making resolutions and all manner of goals thinking to myself that I was the one who was supposed to come up with them, it was not really the best option because then, I relied on my strength and really didn't focus on God and where He wanted me to Go that year

Either way, my eyes have been opened and now I realise that in order to know the vision, I have to turn to the SOURCE (God) to know which direction to take and HOW to RUN with it.

So here are some of the ways in which we can turn to the source

1. PRAYER
Speak to God intentionally and sincerely about what you would like to do and what you should do,
Seek HIS WILL concerning them
Ask for his guidance,
Listen and write as you pray
(Ps: AFTER prayer, wait and Hear what the LORD has to say too as mentioned in the verse previously- its a two-way conversation)

2. The WORD
Read the bible
Research from it topics on the steps you want to take

3. LISTEN OUT FOR THE VOICE OF GOD- (through others)
i.e books, mentors, video/audio messages etc

4. SEE & RUN WITH THE VISION
When you are done, remember to RUN with the vision.
Act on what God speaks.
Get rid of every nonchalant attitude towards the vision.
Visit it constantly to remind yourself of what God has said

5. TAKE A STEP OF FAITH
"In prayer, there's a connection between what GOD does and what you do"
Plan, take a step, sow by your action and you will reap the reward
If you don't take a step of faith, nothing will be accomplished

6. REMAIN IN COMMUNION WITH THE SOURCE
Continue to commune with God to ensure that your roots do not dry out and that you are constantly refreshed to carry out the vision.

John 15:5- "I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing"

Lastly,

I would like to share with you something from Lisa Bevere which I feel will be beneficial to everyone since we are still in the beginning of the year and people are in the goal-setting phase.

"God wants to take you from where you are to where He's calling you to be but He needs you to be INTENTIONAL where you are.

He needs you to be faithful here and needs you to dream there.
He needs you to write things down and then put it into his hands and understand that he can take care of that........

Go ahead and dare to dream
Go ahead and write down
Go ahead and be creative

Circle around those things in prayer
Speak them out in faith and entrust them to God

And it will be just a little while before you start to see those pieces come together"

-Lisa Bevere- 

https://www.facebook.com/lisabevere.page/videos/10157436799455447/

I hope this is a blessing and a reminder to keep God at the fore-front of your goals this year as you take steps to achieve them.


Enjoy the link and have a blessed day.
Love,
Trudie

PRAISING GOD FOR DELIVERANCE

Good morning guys... It's 4am in the morning in England just now and today is officially my birthday. Thank God for the many blessings He's blessed me with and the wonderful people He's placed in my life. I just finished watching a video on Facebook of a 22 yr old recent graduate known as lauralee patrika who escaped an accident today on the motorway in America and gave a testimony of how God delivered her when her tyres had span around and her car was facing the opposite direction on the motorway so that she found herself directly facing big trucks when suddenly she said to God, "Lord  help me please" and her car, without touching the steering moved straight away from the road unto the side in safety.

This reminded me of a few weeks back in January when my friend, sister and I were heading for church in our friend's brand new car and I was telling her about a car accident that occurred when I was driving with my cousin to the shopping centre to get groceries on the 30th of December 2013. Whiles explaining the incident our car started overspeeding. I began to think the driver (my friend) should slow down but before I realised the car had gone so fast in a bid to enter the roundabout that it nearly spun off the bridge we were on... I sat there quietly for a few mins reminiscing on the many  ways this could have turned out fatal and praying to God and thanking him for deliverance from this very clear and fatal accident that it could have been had it not been for Him who had delivered us that day. 

God has spared my life and your life but many at times we forget and moan to God about the things that we don't have, but if we are dead, what does it matter then if we have everything... Like the bible says, what shall it profit a man if he gains the WHOLE world and LOSES his soul?...Mark 8:36- Clearly NOTHING...

Let us start being more thankful for our lives and for what God has given us. The girl in the video was on her way to choir practice when it happened and she stated how she had praised God right after and  was going to praise God like never before when she went to church on Sunday and no one would stop her. This reminded me of a video I was watching of Bruno Mars at the Super Bowl  yesterday, and I thought to myself, "look how these people are just jumping with ALL their strength and are so excited for mere songs that a mere man has sang yet when we go to church, we find ourselves being so diplomatic and not praising God with all our might like David did. Imagine if we had the same attitude as these people at the Super Bowl but in the presence of God. What a terribly mighty breakthrough we would experience just because we praised. And so henceforth, let us all including myself practice an attitude of thanksgiving and praise to God because He sure does deserve more than many including myself give Him

Adios!!!

2013 LESSONS FOR 2014

Happy New Year lovelies!!!
It's a brand new year .... 
2013 went a bit faster than I usually think each year or maybe it's just me. I've heard quite a few comments from people saying how much they enjoyed last year and looking forward to the exciting things 2014 is going to bring them. Whereas there are also the few who said that 2013 was the worst year of their lives with it's very challenging situations which they had to face. Mine was a mixture of the two. There were many brilliant moments last year like the new addition to our family and spending time with this one person.... But there were also times that I struggled with many personal issues which I had never dealt with in the past. Through them all, I have become much stronger and have learnt some lessons which I hope to apply to my life in the coming future. Here are a few!

LESSONS LEARNED IN 2013

1. Forgiveness is difficult when you look at the one who offended you.

2. When you forgive others, it shows that you love yourself and are actually doing yourself a favour.

3. Not everyone who comes into your life as a friend actually is a friend, open your eyes. 

4. Some people come into your life as a lesson, learn them.

5. When people leave, it is for your own good even though it might not seem like it at first.

6. Listen to your inner man, he will always tell you the truth.

7. God always speaks to us, be attentive and listen.

8. Be true and truthful to yourself and others ALWAYS, it will benefit you in the end.

9. Have the courage to let go of things that do not grow you or serve you.

10. You are worth more, don't let circumstances and people determine your worth.

11. You are good enough, always

12. Be happy, Build yourself, Learn yourself and Grow yourself

13. Learn from your mistakes, though they might seem expensive and painful, they are always good ways to grow so don't be afraid to make them.

14. Live, Love, Forgive and Learn

15. Let go of the past

16. The best moments in life are those moments when we totally let go and just live.

I hope you've picked up a few pointers from my list so far. God is full of surprises and I'm very much looking forward to what He has in store for me this year. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR STILL....

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF FEARS

Yesterday I faced my fear. The best thing I did all day. My fear grew bigger the more I heared people speak of it. So I spent almost a year avoiding something so little which had become so great in my mind. Yet I sang, throughout that time that The Lord was my shepherd and so I would fear no evil.... The irony of the matter was that I was afraid.

I read an update from Pastor Mensah Otabil saying, "This week, put a smile on someone's face, HELP SOMEBODY TO STAND. SPEAK THOUGHTFULLY. BE GENTLE. Surprise someone with a random act of kindness. BE A BLESSING THIS WEEK. What you do for others, God will do for you." 

A day before facing my fear, I had gone to speak to one of my managers at my work concerning not working in a particular area of my workplace. She asked me the reason why and I let her know that it was partly because of the stories I had heard which had resulted in my hesitation to take the plunge. She was very familiar with this because many others had avoided this particular area because of a similar reason so she spoke kindly to me concerning this issue, encouraged me to take the step and get it done and also provided contact details of other members of staff who were available mainly for this kind of issue. She stated that she would review in a month's time where I was concerning this issue. I left the office feeling positive and very encouraged by what she had said as she had thrown a new and different light concerning this issue. 

After work, I went home, discovered Mensah Otabil's update and thought, "oh wow this is what the manager did for me at work today"- by helping me to stand up against my fear through speaking gently and thoughtfully to me- and so I took the plunge and booked a shift in that area. I prayed about my fears and encouraged myself with bible verses talking about trust in The Lord in times of fear 

Psalm 56:3- "WHEN I AM AFRAID, I PUT MY TRUST IN YOU"

This helped me a lot and after prayer I said to myself that I would not meditate on this issue again because the more I thought about it, the more daunting it seemed. 

I woke up on the day feeling ready to face whatever it was that everyone was talking about. At work, there were one or two glitches and that was about it concerning all the horror stories I had heared. In fact, I thought to myself, I have faced a few worse than this, but I guess maybe I haven't spent as much time there so I cannot completely draw a conclusion. But the long and short of the story is that, sometimes we tend to exaggerate fears in our minds which cause us to me stagnant. 

God has not put in us a spirit of fear but of love, of power and of a sound mind. Hence, it is important that we recognise that where there is fear, there is the absence of love and where there is love there is the absence of fear. 

After work I was glad I had worked in that area and I thought to myself... "Thank you God for how it went today".

In all I'm glad I took the plunge and my conclusion is that I should let love govern my steps not fear for as the bible says, love covers a multitude of sins, in my case, it covers a multitude of fears. 

ADIOS. 

THEN I SAT AND WORRIED INSTEAD OF PRAY

Who around here is familiar with my title for today? Well if none of you will admit it, I will.
Today, my sister has gone out to run a few errands as she does on fridays, the one day she genuinely gets to chill at home these days. So I lie in bed after an early shift to get some rest and I decide to check my facebook as well as my other websites (i.e facebook, blogger, yahoo then back to facebook, then I start all over again plus the ocassional tumblr; I haven't checked that one yet but I will do in a second lol).

I put on some Ghanaian spirit tunes on youtube and start to pray a little. But then one negative thought just pops into my head and I think, "i'll just brush it off". My mini prayer stops for a second then I go back on my facebook, then my blogger lol.

I check a few statuses and one says, "God is shifting your season. The drought is over! The famine has ended and now it's harvest time". As soon as I finish reading, I hear that little negative voice say something along the lines of "That's what they usually say, but it never really changes" But then I remember that God has given me the job I have now and God has done so much, I just don't pause to recollect them in that instant.

Then another moment of mini prayer ensues and after that I find myself beginning to sink back into worry as I have noticed myself doing these days when I'm alone. There is a saying that goes, "the devil has work for idle hands". Not that I am completely idle because I have deliberately laid down to rest and soak myself with my music but I've noticed that whenever I am alone these days, that is when I get overwhelmingly bombarded.

One time I allowed negative thoughts to overwhelm me so much so that the things I said I'm definitely sure did not sound pleasant in God's ears but He has forgiven me still so I move on. I know it is completely bad so today as soon as I found myself beginning to do this, I decided to write and pray about it instead.

I nearly shed a tear some minutes ago and I thought why not put it in words on here. I seem to be beating about the bush with this and now I've almost forgotten the reason for my topic

Oh yeah I just remembered. I mean to say that in times when we are being bombarded by thoughts from the enemy, let us not sink into worry like I have done many times, but rather make it a point to pray and tell God all our worries. He cares more than you and especially I know, yet for some reason I seem to think otherwise when I have asked sometimes and the answer has not yet come.
God is in charge of my life and everything works together for my good. 

So in conclusion, let's start to pray instead of sit and worry.... lol like you did not see that coming.

Adios amigos!!!!

THE OPPORTUNITIES I NEVER GRABBED

Do you notice opportunities when they present themselves? Or more like, do you notice it when God brings potential opportunities your way?

Do you, like me, weigh out the pros and cons of every opportunity presented and sometimes overthink them so much so that by the time you realise, you would have missed out on them altogether?

If yes, then we're all in this together because, like you, I've found myself in countless circumstances where I have over thought certain chances and lost them in the end. Maybe losing them might be God's way of showing me that those opportunities were not mine to take in the first place or possibly fear causes stagnation in my decision making skills.




Well today I happened to eavesdrop on a conversation between two people at work; a guy who had gone outside for a cigarette and a lady.

They discussed how the guy was feeling in general and this led to him speaking about his photography which he does as a hobby. He told different stories and one of them stood out to me.

One day, he had sat on a bench outside slowly inhaling his cigarette smoke when he discovered a bird perched in a corner. He had his camera with him as per usual and in his mind he thought to himself that maybe he should take a photo of this bird, yet he said to himself that he shouldn't because by the time he'd picked up the camera, the bird would've flown away. A few minutes later, the bird still perched there and this gentleman was contemplating whether to take the photo. Then another voice in his head told him not to take the photo at all to which he obeyed and lost the opportunity altogether to take a potentially brilliant photo.

How many opportunities have you missed out on because you sat and contemplated for so long? 

A few weeks ago, I wrote in my diary that I wanted to open an account. As soon as I wrote it down, I began to make plans as to which day would be most suitable for me to get that account. I went ahead and did as I had written in my diary on the actual day and on my way back I thought to myself,

"it never occurred to you to pray before making the account. Yet how many times have you used prayer as an excuse for your indecisiveness".

I'm not saying that it is not good to pray. It is the perfect thing to do at all times as a christian yet, I find that sometimes we are indecisive because of fear of making a mistake. God is the utmost restorer in all situations. He has not put in us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 hence we need not approach opportunities with fear but with courage knowing that the Lord will definitely order our footsteps as in Psalm 32:8,

- "The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch and watch over you"-

In Genesis 28:15 God tells Jacob that He has given him a land where he is but Jacob decides that he wants to go somewhere else. God does not stop him from making that decision but reassures him with these words
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you"

In other words, God is with us in our decision making hence we should not be crippled by fear because either way, that which God has spoken will come to pass.

So from today, Let us all begin the journey of boldness in our decision making and grasp opportunities presented to us but also remember to walk in God's guidance so that we will not be led astray

Love.
Have a blessed day!!!

RESILIENCE By Texttextiles!!!

"I shall have what I decree in Jesus name"- Speak by Myron Butler
Texttextiles has been making youtube videos for a while but for some reason I haven't made a blog post about any of it even though a few have been a blessing so far.
Here's a recent video of her talking about developing "RESILIENCE" in the new year and also speaking in faith regarding the things we desire so that we can have them. Be blessed as you listen and feel free to check out more of her videos and ofcourse her blogposts.

 Dios los bendiga a todos- God bless you all!
Adios! Hablaremos mas tarde

WAITING UPON THE LORD

Patience brings endurance to run the race. It is a manifestation of our faith in God!

Patience is a virtue which is more than many treasures when developed. Just recently, my friend got married and I learnt a few things in the process. One of them is the spirit of patience. When we were young it was the norm for people to get married before having children. But as I grew up, I realised that this had changed. It seemed even more normal to have kids before marriage, hence break once virginity.

It was not on my agenda to get married before having my own children but all I knew was that I wanted to have kids roughly in my mid to late twenties as at some point, my "biological clock" might start ticking.

But then things changed when I went to university and I found out that there were another group of young people who were planning on keeping themselves till marriage. This became the norm for me and my ideas changed. I'm glad they did yet I'm also aware that sometimes it is a bit challenging in this present day.

My reason for first mentioning my friend is that, she's one of those young people at university who waited before marriage.

I haven't had the chance to ask her but when I do, I'm sure she'll say that it was worth the wait. All those times when she was faced with compromising the standards in God which she believed to be sure and true and yet did not give up but stood her ground in God's word and decided to wait have become fruitful.

I recently read the book of proverbs (The message bible) and each time, "righteousness" showed up, the word "uncompromisingly" was written before it.

AMP version says in Psalm 92:12 that "The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful and fruitful]; They shall grow like a cedar in lebanon [ majestic, stable, durable and incorruptible]

Therefore if this promise has been made regarding the standards in God which we decide to keep in the process of dating, then I'm sure it is a blessing

Regarding adulthood and relationships, sometimes when things are not going the way we planned them as little children, we tend to get frustrated and if not careful we rush into things that set us back and make our journeys to our destinations even longer- This has been my feeling for sometime now but God help me. For instance, certain people assume that at a specific age, they are supposed to at least own a car, be in a relationship and have good jobs (Myself included). But sometimes it happens differently. What should we then do if we find that the plans which we made for ourselves are not coming out the way we wanted them to? This is when we need to develop a patient spirit. For in doing so, we will come to find that things will fall into place as they ought to.

I learnt from one of our fellowships at university that patience involves "waiting, trusting and holding tight" with anticipation. God expects us to be alert as we wait in patience. It involves expectation based on knowledge and trust and sometimes not waiting is a sign of arrogance. We should not go ahead of God but rather allow Him to lead us. One of the final things we need to participate in in our process of waiting is to spend time with God in prayer, be still and build our relationship with Him. God will always show up at the right time and give us that which we need. Let us not be bitter as it sometimes happens when the issues in our lives have not been attended to by God. Neither should we give God time to do things but rather wait upon Him because at the time when we are tired and seeking alternatives to Him, it is our own issues that are before Him which He is sorting out.

Psalm 145:15 says "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season"

Psalm 130:5-6 also says "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth on the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning"

You might ask after such a long essay that why should you wait. Well a few reasons would be because of who God is, who we are and what we are not capable of doing.

Here's another favourite verse of mine in the bible on waiting.

Isaiah 40:30-31

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." 

Stay focused on the destination as you run the race of endurance and STAY BLESSED AS YOU LEARN TO WAIT UPON THE LORD IN THIS NEW YEAR!!!

Adios!