Waiting for your blessing?

The bible says ask and you shall be given. So automatically we assume it means ask and you'll receive instantly but it doesn't always work like that. I use to have this mindset that when I asked and God said yes to me I should be able to instantaneously see it but I learnt the hard way i guess.

We know that God's yes is His yes and no is His no, hence when He says yes to us it is done but God is a spirit so it is first permitted in the spirit realm before it manifests in the physical realm. See it can only manifest in God's perfect timing doesn't make the gift any less of ours than it was when God said yes to our request.

The problem we have as human beings is always "the timing" even after we know that His timing is the best. Take for instance when God said He would give ABRAHAM a son it was manifested in the spiritual but Abraham and Sarah ( Genesis 15-21) became impatient and as a result of that impatience,  Hagar their servant got pregnant by Abraham and gave birth to Ishmael. It's easy to judge them and say " they should have known better and waited" but lets ALL do a self-check-- do we wait when we don't see the physical manifestation of the promises of God?

God told them He will give them a son and they got tired of waiting so they took things into their own hands and decided to " bless" themselves with a son their own way in attempt to "substitute" Ishmael for the son God intended  to give them which was Isaac.

We often do the same thing Abraham and Sarah did. We ask God for something He says yes and because we don't get it when we "think" we were supposed to we attempt the assume the role of God and provide for ourselves. Anything you do on the contrary to God's plan and/or instruction is the work of the enemy.  What's ironic is that after we attempt to assume His role and we get the end results of "our own deeds" which will obviously fail to please us because it was not the true will of God, what do we do? Turn right back around and look to Him to fix our mistakes.[ I am glad that HE always still shows mercy to us]

I believe the reason why some of us seem to be stuck in a merry-go-round season is because keep trying to assume the role of God and refuse to learn the lesson He is teaching. He is saying "trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5) Meaning let go and let Him work! Until we learn this lesson we will not only be delayed the physical manifestation of our blessing but find ourselves no different from the people of Israel who were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. 

We can even be hindrances to our own selves and not even realize because we are to busy looking at the situation with our physical eyes whereas if we had been looking at it with out spiritual eyes we would have seen that when He said yes in the beginning when we asked Him it was already done!

So my point is lets not lead ourselves into "half" blessings because we are impatient but fall at the feet of JESUS humbly and surrender to His perfect plan for our lives. I know its hard waiting, and yea its easier to talk than actually do. But we must remember that we CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)

Marriage: For better or worse

Would you marry a man who you didn't trust could protect you? Or would you marry a woman who you thought would leave you when you're at your lowest point?

 Personally I am not married but even for those of you who aren't as well or are married i am sure everyone knows what they would expect out of a significant other right? But something to ponder on while reading the message -- what is your significant other expecting of you?

I always knew that the church as the bride and Jesus was the bridegroom but i never really put it into context in terms of marriage. Over the last couple of days i have been feeling guilty cause i was slacking with spending time with God not just in the morning but throughout the day. Yesterday i listened to this really good poem called "ready or not" ( Watch here  ) for the second time and the Lord spoke to me concerning it when i woke up today.

HE said that I am married to HIM and that even regular married couples spend a quality amount of time together so why wasn't i spending much time with HIM? If i was married or even dating someone I would communicate with them at least everyday not because i was forced to but because I was glad too. When we have someone special in our lives we think about them constantly as they are on our mind a lot. So i ask, why is it than we can occupy our minds with mere human beings and not the ONE who died on the cross for our sins?

John 15:13 says "Greater love had no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"

Then John 10:11 tells us that Jesus is the good Shepard and He will give up His life for us (which he already did). HE paid the price for us even while we were yet sinners but we spend more time with people that can not give us even half if what HE gave. Whether we admit it or not, no matter how much a person claims to love someone they will probably still  hurt them whether it was their intent to do so or not. Relationships don't work out most of the time because people have "no tolerance for your worst" and I'm sure we can think about some character we have that could push people away. We even cheat on GOD sometimes but i'm thankful that when He said He was in it for better or worse He actually meant it.

There is only so much the human vessel will agree to take but God is in it for the good, the bad, and the ugly. But you know why people in relationships can only tolerate another person only to an extent? Well it's because they haven't gasped what a real RELATIONSHIP is about. How can you love someone for better or worse if you don't understand Jesus Christ? Jesus is LOVE and until you are thoroughly committed in the relationship with HIM other relationships or should i say MARRIAGES won't work out.

 Well you might say i don't have anyone i am in a relationship with but i'm not just talking about a significant other this is also relevant in FRIENDSHIPS as well. Being someone's friend is also like being married to them cause they shouldn't leave you when you need them the most right? You share your life and emotions with them right? When you've been good friends with someone and they get another best friend forgetting all about you it hurts right? I don't know about you but for ME it most definitely hurts, hence I call it a MARRIAGE.

I had to realize that until i learn to see others with the eyes of God Relationship just won't work. For us to be able to have a real relationship with another person we have to first have a working MARRIAGE with God. We are taught to love our neighbors with the Love of God but how can we love them if we don't know what that LOVE looks like? Since God is LOVE we have to spend time with "LOVE" to understand how love behaves, endures, rejoices, and tolerates.

The ultimate partner one can ever have is GOD. The most important Marriage or Relationship one can have is the one with God. Going back to the questions i stated at the beginning of this post- what is your significant partner expecting from you? Well ask HIM in prayer! Yea we all have a list of what we want in a partner and God meets our requirements but the question is do we meet HIS?

My brothers in Christ you can't know how to protect your woman if you don't have a relationship with the PROTECTOR. My sisters how can we submit to our men if we can't submit to GOD first? One of our most common excuses is that building a relationship takes time but aren't we MARRIED to the author of time? Lets not try to manipulate "time" as a means of doing things in an order that pleases our flesh but start today! The signs as we an see are clear that the BRIDEGROOM is coming back soon for His BRIDE so lets be ready for not just Him but for everyone He is sending into our life as well!

The transformation--'story of a little lost girl'

I was tweeting tonight and a question struck down in my spirit, why do you write?

I tweeted " I write becus i can't keep the joy HE brought to this once shambled heart a secret, when they say the blood still works i'll testify to it"

What do I mean you ask? Well once upon a time there was a little lost girl who thought she had it all together and that she could take care of herself. She would even sometimes assume the responsibility of taking care of everyone else. Trying to make people happy and still be happy all at the same time. Little did she realize that she had been wearing a mask for so long that it had become her reality. Little did she know that she was passing through life as a statistic not because she was created for that but cause she had let a thorn in her flesh dominate her mind for so long. That thorn was her need to be a part of the world's status quo, need to "fit in", need to be perfect, and need to meet everyone's criteria of what her being should possess in its entirety. 

She found herself storing up all the disappointments and pain in this little section of her heart not because she wanted to but because she made herself believe she had dealt with it. She didn't want to appear broken, or damaged but worthy in the eyes of her beholders. She was in so deep but thank God for always being on time! For being on time that day on the cross when He sent His only Son to die on the cross of Calvary for her sins. When He sent grace in exchange for her pains, when He sent love to mend that broken heart, and when HE said let it all go at my feet so i can give you peace.

She resisted because she thought she had to be this strong person and handle everything on her own, but He had the patience to wait for her to realize that she couldn't but HE COULD! That strength she thought was hers was really His but she was so blinded that she didn't realize she had blocked Him out a long time ago. Her heart was hidden but not in Christ; it was hidden in herself, her opinions, and "their" perception. Until one day He descended on her and broke her down to show her those corners of her life she was trying so hard to hide. He said "you can trust me and although it seems overwhelming i've been there by your side even when you didn't acknowledge me"

He swept up those mentalities that were ruling her mind and showed her the purpose for her life.

It wasn't by any means easy but eventually she realized that there wasn’t anyway she could earn HIS love and this baffled her. Like something out of a fairy tale, a PERFECT GOD loving an IMPERFECT her dusting off the flaws and pronouncing perfection by the BLOOD of the LAMB!

See that little girl had to grow in the Lord to become a Woman according to the standards of heaven for Him to release her into His purpose for her. She had to learn that people's opinions didn't count and she didn't need to "fit in" because HE had ordained her "ONE OF A KIND"-- a unique species, a woman after HIS heart, a disciple, a leader, a prophetess, a WRITER and much more. This once “little girl” was ME!

I made up my mind that no longer would the skies be my limit but the heavens! It's me and HIM against the world and i write because HE literally changed the reason for my tears. It used to be tears of anguish but now its tears of joy & gratitude that someone like HIM could love someone like me. I write because if he could pick me up from the gutters and make me something HE can do it to anyone. I write because I want to encourage someone out there that he isn't looking for a perfect person HE wants you just the way you are to use you as  vessel to magnify HIS Holy name. 

We don't know it all and HE doesn't expect us to but what HE wants is for us to seek the keeper of all knowledge which is HIM and TRUST that HE can do ALL things including LOVE & bless us perfectly!

The definition of YOU

Who are you? This may seem like a vague question but I would like everyone to take a second to really meditate on it...

Recently I heard Minister John Gray preach and he said the reason why the enemy seems to have an upper hand with people is because they don't know who they really are. We see the enemy and take to our heels not realizing that when the enemy see's us he runs as well but sooner or later after looking back and realizing we are running away scared he uses that to his advantage. The enemy will turn around and start chasing after us to convince us that he has some power over us but it’s all a facade. He doesn't have power over us ….but then why are people afraid? It’s because they don't know that they possess the power to call into existence those things that be not.

Mark 11:23-24 "The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours"

The book of John 1 says "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God" Hence the word spoken in the book of Mark was God directly defining who we are and what we are capable of doing. Even before Jesus died He said that after He left we would do even greater things than He had done previously meaning that when He cast out demons we can do that and more.

Luke 10:19 says "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."

From all the above I can now say that the definition of YOU is love, power, and stability. The bible says NOTHING can harm us so we are untouchable in the sense that everything that happens God has let because it is according to His plan and not that of the enemy. The definition of YOU is love because God has set us apart from all the other creatures to bestow such blessings on us. He gave His only begotten Son-Jesus- to die on the cross so that in exchange for our sins we get grace! The definition of YOU is power because God has given us the ability of cast out the enemy just by speaking a word. The fact that NOTHING can harm us also makes the definition of YOU stability, because no matter how much the enemy tries one thing that will forever remain constant is that fact that we will always defeat him. 

I have been a victim of this mistaken identity where I would get scared of the devil because I thought he could harm me but why be afraid of someone who can only harm the flesh and not the spirit? We have been given the victory over every situation because the Holy Spirit (remember God the father, son and Holy Spirit are one) lives within us! The enemy is a liar and we should never let him define us because we have been created according to the likeness of the most high God.

Sometimes we need to be reminded of who we are because in the midst of trying to live we let our present condition define us rather than God. So let’s accept this challenge redefine ourselves daily. After waking up in the morning, look into the mirror and speak into existence the definition of YOU according to the word which is God.

The divided heart of man

Ezekiel 11:19 says "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh"

I read this over and over and eventually I realized that I was so engulfed with what God was going to give that that I didn't pay attention to the reason why He had to give it to us. I learnt that man’s heart is divided and that why God had to replace it with an undivided heart. 

One of the problems with us is that sometimes we want to eat our cake and still have it. We want to serve the world and God at the same time but the word says to choose who we will serve cause we CANNOT serve two masters (Matthew 6:24) 

Especially in these times we live in and everyone is being cautioned to pick a side- the word says if we are not for God then we are against Him. So we can't please our flesh and God! 

Yes, yes I know! We like to think we are all so sanctimonious and don't sin but put God first every time but let me ask you a question what is your motive when you do something good for another person? If your motive isn't truly in line with God then it is of the flesh. I myself am guilty of  doing good acts with wrong motives, and i try daily to be honest with myself because i feel God can't help me if i don't admit i have a problem.

Now let me give an example of such a situation. Let’s say for example you go serve homeless people in a shelter, and you tell everyone you know how you are sacrificing time out of your day to go serve them then it means you are looking for attention or affirmation from others. The bible says when we do good we shouldn't go telling everyone because that affirmation that we get will be our final reward. But if we do what we do between us and God then He will honor our acts and reward us justly (Matthew 6:1-4)

This all reflects back to how divided our hearts are because when we do these things with wrong motives it means we are doing it for ourselves and not to glorify God. Whereas if God had all of our hearts everything we do would be centered on Him and NOT ourselves.

Trust me we ALL have to ask ourselves these tough questions sometimes reason being that one’s heart can be so obviously divided, and yet their vision is so clouded that they don't even realize they have a problem.  Personally I try my best to reflect on myself and my relationship with God regularly because I don't want to be so blinded that when the trumpet sounds I am found wanting and I don't pray it happens to any of you either. So take time out today to do a "heart check" and ask God to show you what your real motives are. Tell Him to help you to give all your heart to Him sincerely, and pray for me saints as I pray for you also that God will open our eyes to a greater understanding of His will for us Amen!

Choices!!!!

I would love to share a testimony before I proceed with this message. When I wrote this I thought I was only writing just to write. But when I went to church the following Sunday, lo and behold the Lord showed up right on time as I began to question if He was the one speaking to me. Our Pastor preached about "Choices" basically summing up exactly what I wrote about. Talk about confirmation huh? It blew my mind, and all I can say is that God is good!

________________________________________________________________________

The thing about choices is that the consequences rest on the person who makes them. Just like how God has given us the choice to pick to serve Him or the world. As human beings we often don't think before we act rather we react based on our current emotion. But the thing about emotions is that, it’s a thing of the mind. It’s usually the state of our flesh at a particular moment, and it will pretty much deceive us. We have a choice however to either react based on our flesh or act as Jesus would. 

Sadly we often pick our flesh because it’s almost like an immediate response to situations. You might ask, but why do we do that? Well it’s because we have become so use to acting off the first emotion to pops to our heads. When we aren't always operating in our spirit man we are usually in our flesh man mode, this causes us to respond to situations like we are a part of this world. Romans 12:2 says to not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

This relates to choices in the sense that if we are constantly operating in our spirit man our thoughts would be occupied with the things of the spirit. Take for example when you hang around someone all the time, you begin to act and think alike consciously or subconsciously. If we are constantly operating in our spirit man we would begin to function just as the spirit man would. Our first reaction when situations then arise wouldn't be based on our flesh but based on the spirit man which is the Holy Spirit. Remember that God the father, the son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are one!  

I have learnt that as human beings we like to make excuses and blame everyone else for the way we act and not take any responsibility. But truth is no one can force you to do anything without you giving your consent. So I challenge us as the body of Christ to not feed into our emotions but our Spirit man. To be able to operate in the spirit man mode we have to read our word, be in constant communication with God, and ask Him to help us make a consistent CHOICE to die to our flesh daily. If we don't do these things it will be easier to suppress/ignore the voice of our spirit man, and when faced with situations which require us to make a choice we will make it based of the first emotion which isn't always in accordance with the spirit (lets’ be honest) and/or our flesh. Whatever we expose ourselves to the most will influence our behavior, so rather than regret our decision later lets follow just as the Spirit leads.

******If you want to read about more about the Holy Trinity (God the father. Son, and Holy spirit) and/or what the Holy spirit is meant to do please reference these verses:

Matthew 28:19

Romans 8:14-16

Galatians 4:6-7

A reason to live

Just a little something i wrote a while back, and i thought to share :)

Do you ever feel like everything cannot go right for too long?

Just as its all good, one problem or the other arises

If that’s you then permit me to speak a word

The devil is crafty

He’ll make those voices whisper into your ears

He’ll ask “Why do you proclaim God loves you?”

“If He did love you, you would be healthy, you wouldn't owe everyone, your friends wouldn't leave, you would have peace, favor, you wouldn't be single or lonely, and everyone else wouldn't be moving forward while your life sits stagnant” He mocks

For a split second you might let his words get to you,

You might even start to wonder what is actually going right in your life.

You start to question “Lord why am I in bondage?”

“Did I sin?” “Is this my punishment?”

I urge you NOT to let the devil adulterate your mind

Just as you hear the thoughts coming into your mind

SPEAK to it immediately!

Let the devil know whose image and likeness you have been created in

Tell him

“Don’t you know I AM A CHILD OF THE MOST HIGH?”

The Word says:

I am the head and not the tail

I shall live and not die

I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me

I am more than a conqueror

By His stripes I have been healed

Greater is He that is in me than you that is in the world

Everything works out for the good of those that love the Lord

Even with faith as small as a mustard seed I shall command the mountain to move and it shall obey

Hence I command you in the name of Jesus to seize defiling my thoughts

Be encouraged my brothers and sisters our God is unchangeable

The same God we serve is the same that parted the sea,

That sent His only son to die for us

That gave Jesus the power to overcome death

In whom all powers on earth and in heaven belong to

It doesn't seem right because we are thinking with our worldly minds

The word says “for lack of knowledge my people perish”

The ambiance of bondage might seem to overtake your blessings

But I tell you it’s a thing of the mind

We give the devil so much power over our lives

But the truth is he has no power over us

We have to make up our minds that we will no longer live in bondage

We will no longer put God in a box, but cast our burdens onto Him

And let Him give us peace that surpasses all understanding

If you were looking for a good reason why bearing all the trials is worth it here you go

God loves you, and has something greater than you can imagine waiting on the other side

We wouldn't know what being free was if we were never in bondage

Old Ghost's reappearing

We live in a society that would much rather shove things to the side and pretend that they have dealt with their "issues" than honestly face it. Now this title got me thinking, so I decided to do some self-evaluation. After much reflection I finally came to an honest conclusion that I hadn't really "let go" of some things that I knew were holding me back. What I did like most others was attempt to make my heart believe that I was over the heartbreaks, anger, desires that didn't please God, and I had forgiven the people that had hurt me. I was so blinded I couldn't see that these issues I hadn't dealt with became "ghosts" which lived in my apparent reality. I use the word ghost, because we cannot see these issues but they hide in a corner of our hearts and hinder us from moving forward.

Let me back track for a minute, so how do you know if you’re living with a "Ghost"? Well let’s say for example someone offends you, and you say you have forgiven. If when you think of that person or whatever situation transpired, and it gets you upset then you unfortunately haven't let go. The bible says in the book of Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others their sins, Your father will not forgive your sins"

When we hold on to these “ghosts” we unknowingly put a halt on not only our relationship with God, but allow ourselves to be held bondage in our minds. That thing or person that we let rule our minds could very well have even moved on but we for some reason chose to let that issue define us. Hence, when these old issues such as anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, and hatred that we thought we dealt with reappear, it just means that the "ghosts" never left. One thing that these Ghosts will NOT do is give you peace, so you holding on means you have CHOSEN to be in captivity. The blood of Jesus has given us the ability to walk in freedom, but why do we chose to be in slavery to "ghosts" of this world?

Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good and perfect will."

I know it’s hard, but we serve a God that is bigger than any issue. If only we would go Him in prayer and sincerely ask Him to change our hearts. The word of God says in Jeremiah 17:9 that the heart of man is desperately wicked, and no one can understand it. God however created us so He knows why we act the way we do, because He is the only one that can search a man's heart. As people of God we need to do whatever it takes, especially in these times where the signs are clear that Christ is soon to come. If it takes praying every day for God to strengthen us to overcome our sinful nature, then let’s do it! I don't know about you but I’m glad I serve a God who can look beyond my nature to hold on to things that I clearly know won't prosper me. He loves us, and He is willing to help us be free as long as we are willing to come into His presence with a sincere heart.

In His silence...

There have been a number of preachers talking about a shift that is about to take place soon. Not necessarily a physical, but most definitely a spiritual shift. It got me so excited, and I kept talking to God asking "Father what should I do, as I wait for this shift to occur?" I felt like I didn't get answer.

Not hearing His voice got me worried; my mind began to wonder causing me to question if I was doing something wrong, which could have caused Him to hide His face from me. I found myself constantly asking "Father didn't you say in Your word that if i seek You i will find You?" It got to a point that i subconsciously started spending less time reading my bible, worshiping and praying. Now we all know that when we get to our lowest points the devil starts meddling with our minds, and could cause us to reevaluate our relationship with God. Although he tampers with our minds we cannot blame the enemy entirely, because most times we leave ourselves prey to his attack. When our inner man (Spirit) is empty our vessels are prey to the enemies attack, and we become extra “sin sensitive” so much that we start wondering if old sins have even been forgiven. The word of God (Bible) is food for our spirit, and when we don't nurture our inner man it causes us to get weak spiritually. It’s easier for the devil to attack someone whose inner man is empty than someone whose inner man is loaded and ready to go!

(http://thebookofcornelius.blogspot.com/2012/08/pouring-out-my-heart-to-you.html)  

                             

Recently i read on the blog above that sometimes we read our bible's, and spend time with God as if we are doing Him a favor when it’s really for our benefit. If our inner man is always fed, and ready to go even when we experience God's silence it wouldn't break us down or cause us to drift, because we have His word in us to reassure us of His promises.

Being loaded means that when those doubts come, we can silence the voice of the enemy immediately reminding him of what the word says in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Silence doesn't mean God isn't listening to us, but rather He might just be helping us to understand where we are in our relationship with Him. It’s easy to think we have faith in God when we are constantly hearing Him speak to us, or feel His presence surround us. On the other hand true faith is when despite the fact that we cannot see or feel God's presence we remain established!

Established means to be settled securely, unconditionally, convinced, or shown to be valid beyond a reasonable doubt.

Hence when we are established in His presence the little things won't shake us. Take for example when the cold season comes it tears down all the leafs  from the trees leaving it bare, and even the wind causes it to waver back and forth but it remains planted. During the dry season, it gets the food it needs to survive from the nutrients which were stored up prior the drought.  As the trees remain firm and planted in the soil regardless of what season they are in, let our faith in God also remain solid! 

To accomplish this we as believers need to have God's word established in us, so that when we find ourselves in such situations we will have the right words to lose the hold of the enemy on our minds and life.

Matthew 12:34 "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh"

Ever felt lonely?

Most times we never want to admit our true feelings, so we try to hide behind the mask of self-Independence and this notion that we don’t care what anyone else thinks. We should know by now that others might believe in our facade, but God knows all things. 

A couple of days ago a friend of mine asked how my journey with the Lord had been going so far, and it really got me thinking about the lessons I have learnt. There have been sometimes in my life when I felt like something was missing, but just didn't know what exactly. The feeling of loneliness for me first started off slowly so I would brush it off, but it eventually seemed to overtake the standard I thought I had set against it. It caused my heart to ache, and sometimes even made me weep in my quiet places with God. I am sure a lot of people have felt that way before, when it’s like no one understands your pains or the people you thought you could count on seem to have drifted away. You're trying to see the bigger picture, but it seems like there's a wall in front of you; it feels like you are stuck!

GOOD NEWS! The devil is a liar, because the word says in Colossians 2:10 " and in Christ you have been brought to fullness, He is the head over every power and authority"

The devil always tries to blind us with our apparent circumstance, so much that we can't see or hear God’s voice. We often even attempt to fill that void with earthly things such as money, relationships, partying, shopping, sleep, and so on. Some might think God has forgotten them, and doesn't feel their pain when rather He has been speaking to them all along. Occasionally He allows us be stripped of everything we had or thought we had so we can see the truth, which is that everything in our life can be taken away but God will always be there.

The word says in Deuteronomy 31:8 (CEB) "But the Lord is the one who is marching before you! He is the one who will be with you! He won't let you down. He won't abandon you. So don't be afraid or scared!"

We place so much trust, and cling to these temporary things, and we forget that all of it WILL surely pass! God however, is the same as He was before, as He is now, and will be forever more. Loneliness might seem rough at times, but it draws us closer to God and teaches us what’s really important. See by getting closer to God we will start finding ourselves which brings about peace, and totality which is something this world can NEVER give us. So I urge that next time we find ourselves in that lonely place we take it as God trying to speak, and we listen as we go to Him in prayer.

Who do you trust?

To "trust" means to have faith, or believe in the reliability of someone or something

Personally "trust" is a very startling word. It usually takes a lot to trust someone, because disappointment seems inevitable in this world we inhabit presently. Therefore people have consciously or unconsciously chosen to "trust" no one else expect themselves. But that isn't always the case, since sometimes we place our trust in idols. Because of this misplaced trust we find ourselves getting disappointed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight" 

Let me ask a question, and I want us all to do an honest "reality check", even if you have heard this question time and time again. Now the question is what have we placed our trust in? Is it school, friends, family, validation from social media sites, food, clothing, attention, sleep, compliments, parties, or even your significant other?  Anything we put above or trust in more than God is an idol. Sometimes we trust in the pleasure of things/people, or seek validation from others to make us feel better or dare I say to tell us the difference between "right" and "wrong". When really we need to refer back to the bible to get our answers, because worldly advice and validation can only go so far but the word of God is everlasting. 

Numbers 23:19 says "God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and then not fulfill? 

Then Isaiah 55:10-11 goes on to reassure us saying "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

 Let’s take a poll, how many people including you make promises and keep them 100% of the time? NONE except God! Sometimes we get scared to trust God but if we genuinely examine the reasoning behind that we would find nothing valid. Why? Because even if we evaluate God's track record, from the beginning of the world till today He has kept His promise every single time. In God’s timing we have the victory in EVERY obstacle we face. So I ask that we pray to God to show us those things we have placed above Him and to draw us closer so we can walk in the purpose He has spoken over our lives.  

Sprung on God!

Honestly I wasn't going to post tonight, but I just couldn't stay away. Usually I always have fazes when it comes to songs, and one of the songs that has been on repeat is "Loving me" by Jonathan McReynolds.
(There's the link below if you want to listen)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUUqXjbx6Bw&feature=related

Now at first I didn't really pay attention to the lyrics, but when i listened carefully it brought me to this revelation.

God's love exceeds both the heavens and earth 

It’s as pure as water,

But it runs deeper than an ocean

Cleansing to the very core of our souls,

Replacing the void within with the fruits of the spirit

Not just any spirit but the Holy Spirit!

The restlessness is traded for peace

Brokenness for joy

Anger for Love

Arrogance for gentleness

How great is our God?

His ability to love us in our filth is impeccable

Remarkable I tell you!

Even in the midst of faithlessness,

He looks past our façade

And you know what He sees?

 A vessel worth fighting for!

My mind cannot comprehend such love, but hey if we could understand God fully we wouldn't be amazed. Life may not always go the way we think, but with a God as wonderful as this it doesn't even matter. His love fills, and replenishes so what more can we ask for? All we can do is worship, and tell Him every day how magnificent He is.

Set apart..

I heard the title "Set apart" when I woke up this morning, and I was absolutely excited! For the most part writing comes to me almost naturally, but this time I really had to dig deeper in order to understand what the spirit was saying. So I looked up the definitions of "set" and "apart".

Set means to put, lay, or stand something in a specific position. A group or collection of things that belong together or resemble one another

Apart means to be separated by distance. 

In other words to be "set apart" means to be detached from things that have no resemblance to one's grouping/category. 

So what should this mean to us as Christians? Let’s go back to the beginning Genesis 1:27 (NIRV) says "So God created man in His own likeness; He created him in the likeness of God; He created them as male and female." 

This means that right from the beginning we had been set apart, because we were the only ones created with "resemblance" to the Lord. Hence, we ought to walk life with the mindset that we are holy, why? Because we have been created with the competency to do so. 

Now let’s not get it twisted! Yes we have the ability to be holy, but God has given us the free will to decide whether or not we want to live a holy life. Most of us don't really understand what it means to live a holy life, so we just shove the idea to the side never to be revisited. Being holy doesn't mean we don't fall short, even the bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, NIV) 

What matters is that we make up minds to live a holy life, and ask God to help us. Look at it this way God's plan for us will ensure we are provided for; His plan is perfect, so why should we chose to live life with less when He wants to give us more? The enemy will always try to penetrate our minds, and swindle us with the fact that we are not worthy but don't be deceived! When Jesus died on the cross He paid in full. The blood that was shed on our behalf has erased those sins done, and that which is yet to be done. I don't know about you, but God has to be extremely mighty to see the end before the beginning and make preparations to have us taken care of even before the fact.

To live a holy life is to surrender your will to God, and let Him take total control. Sometimes we are so hidden in the things of the world that we forget this isn't our final stop. The bible says that the things we see are temporary, but the things unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV) 

Trust me I understand the constant pressure to fit in, but why bother when it’s only temporary? We have a much greater purpose which will reward us with eternity in a land filled with milk and honey, where there is no pain or sorrow. Not to forget we get to spend it with God. Therefore I encourage us all to heed the words from Romans 12:2 (NKJV) "And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God"

Got gifts?

Now here's a question for everyone including myself to honestly answer. Have you ever felt the spirit press, or whisper to your heart to awaken a talent or gift that has been bundled up? 

*Raises hand*

   

 I won't lie, because the only person I can continue to deceive is myself. My name is Michelle Ziregbe, and I have decided to answer to my calling as the Spirit leads. Just a short story about myself that most people probably don't know. When I was a little girl I loved to write! I wrote songs, poetry, and I loved to perform in general. Somewhere along the line I let myself get so caught up with everything else that I neglected the gift God gave me- writing. 

  

 In reference to the Book of Matthew 25:14-28 (NIV) "The parable about the bags of gold". For those who haven't read or can't remember the story here is a brief summary. A man was travelling, and before he left some of his wealth was allotted among three of his servants. To one he gave five bags of gold, to the second he gave two bags of gold, and to the third he gave one bag. The first two servants invested the wealth, and multiplied but the third hid it until the master returned because he was lazy and afraid. The master was not pleased with the servant, so he gave the gold to one of the other servants. 

    

 Nearly all my life this story was told to me time after time, but I finally understand the real message behind the story. God has placed in each and every one of us different gifts but we hide them just like the lazy/scared servant. But you know what’s worse than being scared to use your gifts? God taking those gifts away, and giving it to another person who is willing to use them.

And yes I know the plans God has for us sometimes seem big, and petrifying. It often might even cause some to question whether or not they have enough vigor in them to accomplish such enormous tasks. Don’t forget 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 

Therefore I urge every one of us to be like the two servants who took the gifts their master gave them, and multiplied it. Fear as we know isn't of the Lord, so let us gather courage and trust that if the Lord gave us a gift then the harvest will be prosperous.