Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Faith It Till You Make It
Is it Fight or Flight or Pray and Praise
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When you have been through a good amount of traumatic events in your life, your perception of things change. You no longer operate on FIGHT or FLIGHT mode but PRAY and PRAISE mode. Life knows how not to give us a break (at least not a long enough break). It is warfare, not because you are a great sinner and so you are being punished, NO! Life just happens because either God is allowing you to move to the next level in your spiritual walk where you no longer fight or flight during what looks like a valley of shadow of death, but you praise your way out to the next stage in your life.
I have learned to trust God for good things that happen in my life. I have seen God's miracles. I have experienced God's message through dreams, songs, sermons, conversations, gut feeling and even a voice, His voice. But every time I or someone I love goes through trials, it wares me out. The thought of the injustice taking place has caused me to sin in my mind so many times. Yet God reminds me to FORGIVE. When I think maybe I should be on a warfare prayer, my spirit remembers me of a PRAISE or WORSHIP song. It has come to a point where I am learning to be awake, to realize warfare is a promotion - win or loss. When we are faced with trouble, we wish for things to go our way. But we don't realize that even when they don't go our way, especially when we surrender the situation to God (when we don't try to bring vengeance on our trouble makers) and say GOD YOUR WILL BE DONE. Then we should be prepared for either outcome. Eventually, His 'will' will be done and His plans for us are good, no scratch that, are perfect! He will give us what will work out for us in the long run.
If you operate in this mindset of knowing warfare is inevitable to a Christian with a desire to grow spiritually, as well as the understanding that there are seasons for everything, seasons to laugh, seasons to cry, seasons to sow, seasons to reap. Then you should be on PRAY and PRAISE mode than Fight or Flight mode. The enemy both physical and spiritual will not hire a conference facility and have a discussion with you on how he or they will attack you. And that's okay. Besides, God already knows the end from the beginning, so why are you stressing about the outcome?
The thing with warfare is that it comes with a cost, be it financial, emotional, physical, spiritual or all four. But ultimately, if it is all meant to be for our good, then we should do what we can (PRAY and PRAISE) and leave it all in God's hand.
As I write this, it doesn't mean I have mastered this, but it means I am encouraging myself in the Lord and His promise. This is a reminder, a note to self. You can do it too. Let God handle it.
Faithfully Broken
Lessons learned from my Bible study this week have me feeling some typa way deeeeeep doooown in my belly. See, I realized it’s easy to trust God in and for things that He has already done, but we get hiccups when it comes to trusting God for things He has not yet done in our lives (if this ain’t you - I applaud you, and please be my spiritual mentor for a minute).
For instance, before you had a JOB you probably wondered if God will give you the job you desired or any job for that matter - then few weeks or months down the line God decides to bless you with a job that you wanted or better than what you wanted. Then you realize it’s all a miracle! Then you start having faith in God in your provision for a job. Then you believe you do not lack faith in God in any part of your life. You fully believe that your faith is intact.
But then you’ve never been seriously ill before and all of a sudden you get a condition that seems so big that will either cost your life, on top of costing so much money to go through treatment, or one that has no cure! Then you realized even though you have so much trust in God when it comes to getting a job - and you happily shout ‘God did it before, He will do it again’. But can you say that same sentence over your medical condition? And sometimes it may be easy to have faith in God that He will do a miracle for someone else, but when it comes to your issues do you still have the same amount of faith? Or what about being encouraged by others to have faith that God will do a miracle in your life but you know that what they are asking you to trust God for is something you’ve been trusting God for - for many years, then you slowly started losing faith over God’s willingness to do a miracle for you in that area?!
What a tough pill to swallow. That’s the moment you realize that you have been compartmentalizing God’s willingness (not ability) to bless you and there goes your faith! Interesting how losing faith can happen just like that!
Again, this may not be you because you are a faithful warrior, however, if you are going through this, don’t worry, you are not alone. As for me though, I would not mind getting a budget a hotel in Dodoma or any type of accommodation in Dodoma and take a week off from my life and just retire from this phase of life and wake up when my faith is 100% restored. Why Dodoma? Well, it’s better to question life about it’s plans for you from a place you first came into the world. In case you were born in a car - take a road trip that’ll sort you out (I joke).
The Battle is Real
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“Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.”
Proverbs 15:31-32 NIV
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”
Psalm 128:1 NIV
This is a note to self kinda day. As I try to reflect on my weaknesses and strengths, I try to see what areas have I been fighting from gaining understanding and what areas I have allowed to be corrected and I have gained understanding. You see, life is too short - indeed, but that saying should mean I need to get understanding and have things done the right way (now) so that my tomorrow will be painless (and not how the world chooses to interpret - life is short hence go ahead and make a mess of your spiritual walk by doing foolish things) even though this is not said in so many words but you kinda get the insinuation from the saying.
The older I get, the more I see just how much we think we know but we really don’t.
One topic I have been hearing alot lately is not to be anxious about anything. You see, sometimes we want what we wan’t and that can mean we tend to be anxious about life because we want things to happen the way we want them to happen. As I continue to learn to TRUST in God, it also means I have to surrender and boy oh boy - who knew kususa sio kuachilia/kusalimisha?! Life is correcting me and all I can say is LORD - Have your way!
Your way over who I am, where I have to be, what I have to do. Don’t get me wrong, don’t give up on your dream to own a mansion in Mbezi, but first ask if that’s in God’s will. And it may be in His will for you if He sees there’s nothing wring with you owning a mansion, but then His plan may be for you to get an apartment for rent in Kariakoo, or get any other type of accommodation in Kariakoo. Your duty will be to be obedient to that. But coming from a personal experience - it’s not easy to surrender it all. You have to be very obedient to agree to God’s will and plan over your life. To agree to live in an apartment when an hour drive will get you to your mansion. Then that’s when you’ll discover PRIDE has everything to do with your failure to be obedient and to fully surrender!
Mathew 7:1-29
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”
Matthew 7:1-29 ESV
https://www.bible.com/59/mat.7.1-29.esv
Travis Greene - Made A Way (Official Music Video)
This song is my anthem for this year as I encourage myself when I feel worried, defeated, empty, unprepared, trapped, anything...you name it. And eventually He comes through!! When I meditate on God's word over my life. And of course, pray that God changes areas in my life (mostly me) that may be causing me to be in a state of mind of being defeated, anxious etc,. He makes a way!!!!
Why do we make resolutions anyway?
If anything, 2018 taught me NOT to rely on my own understanding in any area of my life. I ended 2018 with a reality check, nothing that happened in 2018 was on my to-do list. So why make resolutions when life happens when I am busy making plans? Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on living my life aimlessly or not have goals at all. And it does not mean I should not do my best with what I have. I just want to be in a place where I can be okay with the curve balls that life throws my way, without losing my mind in the process. You just never know which life situation will bring down your spirit and this is what I need to learn to overcome. When your spirit is down, you could be surrounded by a gold mine, and yet not see the glitter or enjoy the wealth. I never want to be in that place ever again.
Happy New Year!!
Doing 2019 God's way!
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