Delays?

Hello beautiful people!

This topic has been on my heart the whole of this week because of something amazing that happened to me. I know I write a lot about trusting God and waiting on Him for something that seems to be taking long but that is because it is something I’ve personally had to deal with a lot in my life and I also see many people facing it, so why not encourage them as I encourage myself too?

I’ve written about how certain things seem to happen for us sooner than we expect and of course that always makes us happy, so we look up with excitement and say “God I know that was you!” but on the other hand when things seem to delay, how do we react? What do we say? What do we think of God then? Like I wrote here God’s Time Vrs Our Time, there are so many things I’ve had to wait for in my life that had already happened for everyone around me. I always seemed to ‘carry last’ and would often cry out to God and as usual, ask

I didn’t know of the principle of times and seasons then so I just expected things to happen when I thought they had to, so if there were any delays, I would think I was not doing something right and start wondering if God was forgetting about me. It sounds ridiculous just typing it out now because really, HOW can God forget about me, the apple of His eye?

God can never forget about you!

I’d like to share this really popular scripture that talks about times and seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV): ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.’ (ERV): ‘There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.’

When I finally understood this, I stopped fretting, took a huge sigh of relief and I rested! I pray right now that by the end of this post, you my dear reader, will get this insight and find that rest too. I’m going to share with you two things that really put my mind to ease and enabled me enter this rest:

1. The way I see God/my knowledge of God– Growing up, I thought I knew God. I mean I knew there was God but I didn’t know him intimately. I knew him as an entity who was very far away, who sat high up in the clouds to watch and record my every move, who could get angry at me and punish me when I did certain things, and reward me only when I did some other specific things. Thank God I have grown out of that! My view of God changed when I began to see him as MY father. Psalm 68:5 talks about God being a father to the fatherless and because my dad is late, I have personally taken God as MY own father. My relationship with him did a 180 degree turn when I began to relate to him as my dad instead of the distant God I knew. When my dad was alive, he loved and cared for me, and provided all my needs. Yes he did discipline me and kept me in check, but he never threw me out, threatened me or deliberately denied me of my needs even if I did something wrong, and this was my father who was just a man. If a man who can lie/change gave me good things, why wouldn’t God give me even better? (Matthew 7: 9-11) I am simply unable to see God as anything short of a loving father. This is someone who is not a human being, he has no flaws, weaknesses or shortcomings; he is perfect. Just imagine the kind of love that would flow from this perfect source, obviously it would supersede an earthly father’s. This brings me to my point. So this loving father of ours created and owns everything in this world, do you really think he would deny you of any good thing that you ask him for? Are you wondering why it looks as if some of your requests are being denied? I’ll address that in #2.

 

2. My understanding of times & seasons– I have now come to understand fully that there is indeed a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3: 2-8 throws more light on the different seasons and times in life. I love how verse 1 says there is a right time for everything and everything on earth will happen at the right time. That means there are also times that are ‘wrong’ for some things to happen; like a baby can’t be born just after a month of being pregnant and a baby won’t walk right after being born. Sometimes, certain things you ask for or pray about will not happen but that doesn’t mean God is bad, or wicked or that he has forgotten about you, it just means it is not the right time yet! Life is full of times & seasons and as long as there is day and night, rain and sun, things will always change. I read something in the book of John and I was so amazed by it that I’ve read it over and over again. On 2 different occasions (John 7:30 & 8:20) the people couldn’t arrest Jesus because what? The right time for him had not yet come. The repetition of this spoke so deeply to me and made me realize that nothing will happen until it is the right/set time for it to. That really helped me to relax and stop being so hard on myself. I mean even Jesus’ arrest which would lead to his crucifixion had an appointed time. A few chapters ahead when Jesus was praying, he mentioned that the time/hour had come. Then after praying, he was arrested. Understanding this principle helps you do away with worrying about the when’s and how’s, and makes you confident that even though nothing might be happening for you currently, it is definitely going to happen at the right time and in the right season.

Love this!

I have always heard that just because you cannot see what God is doing behind the scenes doesn’t mean that He isn’t working on your behalf and I believe this is so true! I’ve had times when it looked like there was nothing going on for me, I’ve felt like my life was at a standstill while everyone else was moving forward and if you’re in this place right now let me just tell you that your big break is coming! Yes nothing seems to be working out physically but it doesn’t mean that things aren’t working out spiritually. I have tried to rush out of my dry seasons but going through them taught me patience, endurance and perseverance.

I know how difficult it can be to believe that anything good is going to come out of your situation, trust me, I’ve been there but your heavenly father can see the full picture and believe me when I say it’s a very beautiful one. These are not just words I’m typing flippantly, I mean every bit of it because I have personally experienced it. Waiting for that right time/big break can be really hard, you may be tempted to lose faith or give up hope, you may begin to have doubts but the wonderful thing about God is that He’s so faithful and he never fails. Keep holding on, keep believing in him and always praise him in advance!

Do keep in mind that your daddy God loves you so much and would never withhold any good thing from you.

Love always,

Mrs. A

If you’re currently going through challenging times and you’d like a listening ear, some encouragement or motivation, please contact me here: talktomrsa@gmail.com

 

Not only with our Lips but in our Lives

Hello beautiful people!

I know it’s late but my heart is grieving so much over this particular verse hubs and I came to during Bible study last night.

Colossians 2:6 AMP

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say -living lives that lead others away from sin]”

I know that this letter was not written directly to us believers today, as we are not the church in Colossae but since we have also received Christ, I believe we can apply this to our present day lives and learn a thing or two.

So I believe this verse is telling us to walk with Christ and keep following Him as we have come to know Him but the amplified version breaks it down further to talk about exactly how to do this, which is what grieved my heart so much.

1. We have to reflect His character in the things we do and say. Ooh I can stay here all day. To show that we (believers) really have received Christ as we claim we have, we have to live our lives in a way that reflects His character. This touched me so much because even I, by my human nature, don’t live my life this way but by I’m able to do this by His grace only. Now you all know I’m no Judge Judy and I’m not even trying to condemn anyone here because I’m nowhere near perfect, but when I look around me, I don’t see a majority of us believers reflecting Christ’s character in the things we do and say, let’s all be honest here. Lately, you can’t even tell a believer from a non-believer because most of us are all living the same lifestyles but then we like to point out their mistakes and call them sinners. One of the guiding principles I’m now trying to use in every situation of my life is ‘WWJD- What would Jesus Do?’ because if we say we are followers of Christ then of course our aim should be to emulate His life, but is that what we are doing? Or am I getting something wrong? What exactly does it mean to be a follower of Christ?
2. We should live lives that lead others away from sin. As believers, do we live our lives in a way that deters people from sinning? I really can’t think far on this one. If we say we are the light of the world and salt of the earth, is it not our lifestyles that would prove that, not our words? It looks to me like there are too many of us believers today loudly proclaiming the message of salvation to the world with our mouths and words but not with our lifestyles. We can shout and proclaim the gospel but do our lives reflect what we preach? There are so many of us living in unforgiveness, hate, greed, malice and wickedness (but we don’t see these ones as sin though!) and it’s no surprise that we are condemned so much by the world because our acts always contradict our speeches. I love how Peter puts this in 1 Peter 3:1-2 ERV (I’m using this version here because I love how it broke the message down):

“In the same way, you wives should be willing to serve your husbands. Then, even those who have refused to accept God’s teaching will be persuaded to believe because of the way you live. You will not need to say anything. Your husbands will see the pure lives that you live with respect for God.”

The amplified version says: “…so that even if some do not obey the word [of God], they may be won over [to Christ] without discussion by the godly lives of their wives…”

Heissshhh, what a word! So you mean to tell me people can actually be persuaded to believe in God because of the way we live?! Without discussion?! We don’t have to clap, shout or scare people into ‘repenting’ or believing God?!

Me right now

Now I know he was referring to wives here but can you see how believers today can benefit from this if we practiced it? If we really want to ‘win souls for the kingdom’ like we always say then I think it’s only walking in love and living lives which reflects Christ’s character that would do the trick. Enough with all the long talk and scary repentance messages; show a person the unconditional love that is talked about in 1 Corinthians 13, let your daily life match the words you preach and watch the person transform before your very eyes. I have seen it happen with a person very close to me so I can testify to this. Trust me, it’s not always in the words, it is mostly in the deeds!

Remember how much your Father God loves you, and love others the same way too.

Love always,

Mrs A.

If you’re currently going through challenging times and you’d like a listening ear, some encouragement or motivation, please contact me here: talktomrsa@gmail.com

You can also connect with me on my social media pages linked way down below this page xx.

Let Love Lead

Hello beautiful people!

I almost didn’t post today because I have been so immersed in studies but I didn’t want a day to pass by without doing what I’ve been called to do. So during my bible study this morning, I came across some scriptures and the realization of how far we have strayed from them hit me so hard, I just stopped in my tracks and pondered on it for a long time; I couldn’t even read past those lines. In fact, I was so burdened by it that I posted it to my Facebook to seek answers from other discerning minds. Let me share it here:

John 17:20-23 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“20 I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake alone that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message, 21 that they all may be one; just as You, Father are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me.

22 I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me.

This was Jesus’ prayer for all believers before he was betrayed and arrested. Just reading this again is making me so emotional, I feel like crying right now to be honest. Oh my goodness! Where did we go wrong? I have studied various versions of these verses and each version still grieves my heart. This is Jesus, savior of the whole world praying earnestly to his father, our father in heaven that all of us (believers) and those who will ever believe, may be one in Him so looking around me and not seeing that oneness is what’s making my heart so heavy. He said this would make the world believe that He was truly sent by God and it just makes me wonder, what if one of the reasons why the world finds it so hard to believe is because we the believers are so divided? So many different churches, so many different doctrines, if I was an unbeliever and I listened to them all, I would wonder which is which.

The question I asked on my Facebook this morning was, “Are we all one?” That was among several of the other questions I was asking myself; why are there so many divisions in the church? What is that oneness Jesus prayed for? Is it possible for all believers to be perfectly one? I have been having several discussions today, trying to get to the root of this problem of division we see in the body of Christ and though I haven’t completed my research yet, I have come to a premature solution to the problem which I believe when practiced, there would be less divisions and separations or probably none at all! Personally, I believe love is the foundation of our faith because there would have been no ultimate sacrifice (Jesus Christ) if there was no love- John 3:16. Jesus gave us 2 commandments; to love God and to love our neighbors and I strongly believe if we (believers) all practiced this, we would have fewer problems in the world. Can you imagine the difference we would make in our communities, not to talk of our countries and the world as a whole if ALL believers practiced the agape love that Jesus spoke of? Today I just want to encourage you my dear readers, to let love lead in everything you do.

A couple of months ago, I got so engrossed with myself and my own issues, not bothering about anything or anyone else and when I came to, I felt so bad that I immediately started looking for ways I could rectify it. I couldn’t believe I had become that self-absorbed! Yeah fair enough, I had my own problems, as do you all, but that didn’t mean I had to lock myself up in my own world, thinking of nothing or no one else. I mean I was so caught up with myself that I didn’t even realize someone I considered a friend, who was at my marriage ceremonies and very active on my Facebook had unfriended me and I had no idea when or why, though I visited Facebook regularly. I immediately added her again and then called her up to find out what was going on, something I never would have done without the Father’s unselfish love I’ve got in me. I have learned and am still learning to love ALL men unconditionally, whether they love me back or not because that is what Jesus did and that’s what we are supposed to do if we say we are Christ-like. I mean He even said to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-35), how much more ‘friends’ who are at loggerheads with us?

It looks like it’s so easy for us believers to pray, give offerings and attend all church services but it is SO HARD for us to forgive people who offend us and to love everyone unconditionally. All the posts I have seen that talk about cutting people off in a second when they offend us are put up by Christians, many of whom I know and I’m not condemning anyone because I’ve been there, done that.

“love, don’t live here anymore…”

most cut off, ayekoo!

Our love has always got strings attached; only if they love us too, are nice to us or if we’d get something in return but look what Jesus had to say about that: “If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” Luke 6:32-33 (AMP) What are we really doing without love? Paul really goes in on his teaching on love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and that is by far one of my favorite verses to read. He said love is the greatest and whatever we do outside of love is basically done in vain.

While we may not be able to unite all believers in the world, I strongly believe this oneness Jesus prayed for begins with you and I making an effort to love everybody just as God loves us. That certainly would make a difference in our homes, schools, work places and churches. Little drops of water they say makes a mighty ocean and if we begin to shine our individual lights in the various places we find ourselves, just imagine how bright the whole place would be.

Let me leave you with this: ‘Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] 1 John 4:7-8 (AMP)

Always remember how much God loves you, He wants you to show others that kind of love too!

[Unconditional] Love always,

Mrs. A

If you’re currently going through challenging times and you’d like a listening ear, some encouragement or motivation, please contact me here : talktomrsa@gmail.com

 

You are not for everybody

Hello beautiful people!

Oh I love the direction in which this is going and I love how God is leading. It is amazing that the very things that brought me pain, which God delivered me from and I testify about are the same things He is using to deliver others through my posts. All the glory belongs to Him, I only put out what He puts into me and as much as sharing such personal bits of my life may seem like a daunting task, there is a purpose for it all.

I know this post will speak to someone but it would speak to me the most. Today I am here for anyone who feels unloved, unwanted and rejected by people, who feels like they’re not a part of something or they just don’t belong, including myself because Lord knows I spent a greater part of my adolescent years feeling this way. Come here let me give you a warm hug before I begin.

I spent a lot of years trying to be liked by everyone- Big mistake! So if you don’t know me, here’s a little intro: I am a really nice person, sweet by nature, affable, emotional, sensitive and soft spoken and I’ve got a BIG heart. I get mad literally for just like 7 minutes then I’m back to normal and for this reason, I don’t know how to stay mad at people or hold grudges. I have always known this about myself but I have not always liked it. I always wondered why I’d be so nice to people but they’d be mean to me, why I wouldn’t go out of my way to say horrible things to people but they wouldn’t think twice about the things they said to me. Basically, I didn’t get why people didn’t treat me the way I treated them but that was very naïve of me. I even wanted to change this nature of mine so I could also be mean spirited and harsh, trust me, I tried but that didn’t last very long because you know what? God didn’t make me like that. This is the way He made me and there is a purpose for it, even though I have spent time crying and asking Him whyyyy???!

That brings me to Jesus Christ, who we are trying to emulate. The savior of the whole world, master healer, great teacher and friend, a man who was perfect in every way yet still had ‘haters’ when he was on this earth. As much as he had a great following, he also had people who truly hated him for no particular reason (John 18:25). At the end of the day, the same people who hailed him gave him up to be crucified. So if this happened to a whole Jesus, how much more you and I? (John 15:18-19) I have come to the realization and understanding that there are some people who will dislike you for reasons unknown to you and known to them only, sometimes for no reason at all. Nothing you do will ever please them, you can do no good in their sight but that is Okay! Sometimes we get so caught up in this world and its struggles that we forget this is not our final destination, we are merely passing through. I know firsthand how it feels to have people who you expect to be cool with turn their backs on you but I also have a love that is greater than all, so I am no longer moved by people who suddenly switch up on me even if I did them no wrong. Remember also that once you set yourself apart to live for God, people will automatically dislike you just as they did Jesus, because you’re no longer going to conform to their standards, which is the world’s standards. Living for Him causes a natural separation from this world. You’re not going to do the things you used to do with them anymore, you’re rather going to try to get them to change too and do you really think they’d like you for that? Certain situationships of mine ended after I got saved because light cannot fellowship with darkness. I still can’t believe some people actually had the confidence to ask me why I wouldn’t invite a certain ex of mine to my wedding. I just had to think they weren’t being serious so that I won’t lose my cool.

Beloved, if you feel unloved and unwanted by certain people, remember you’ve got the greatest love of all, which is your heavenly father’s. You don’t need the whole world to like you, in fact you need to know for sure that not everyone will like you because you are not for everyone! You are so special and have been selected and set apart by God, not everyone would understand this and we all know how people hate on the things they don’t understand. The love of God is greater than all things so if you have that, you need not worry about anyone else. HOWEVER, (I put this in caps because this is a very important part of this message) the fact that people act like this doesn’t mean you must do same. We rather have to go the extra mile to show such people the unselfish love of Christ we have in us. The core message of our gospel is LOVE and therefore we must all strive to walk in love. As children of the Lord, we are not to retaliate, be vengeful or unforgiving. Turning the other cheek is not an outmoded practice and how many times did Jesus ask us to forgive? (Matthew 18:21-22) This generation is so quick to cut off people who offend us that forgiveness has become like a mirage.

Love everybody unconditionally, forgive them when they offend you but don’t stay hung up on people who don’t like you because when someone has made up their mind to dislike you, nothing you’ll ever do will change that. I know this because I have experienced and still experiencing it now. Instead, be mindful of your deeds so that those outside the faith will see you and know that there is something different about you; don’t just proclaim with your mouth that you are a child of God, let it be seen. Like my junior high school’s motto goes: “Not only with our lips, but in our lives.”

Love always,

Mrs. A

If you’re currently going through challenging times and you’d like a listening ear, some encouragement or motivation, please contact me here: talktomrsa@gmail.com

You are NOT your Past

Hello beautiful people!

Before we begin today just say this to yourself: “I am not my past.”

As a child of God freed from the bondage of sin, your past may have a funny way of rearing its ugly head in your present, trying to threaten your peace and make you question your entire salvation. It is such a struggle especially when you are a new convert trying to move past your old habits and mistakes. The Bible says there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7) so how do you think the enemy will feel about that? He doesn’t want to lose anyone in his clutches, therefore he will come at you from all angles after you’ve publicly declared that you have repented, by constantly reminding you of your past mistakes and shortcomings every chance he gets. It is even worse when you happen to fall into sin after being born again, oh my! This enemy will try to make you feel unworthy of your heavenly father’s love and make you feel like you’re better off living in sin, forgetting that when God forgives, He remembers our sins no more (Isaiah 43:25). In fact the New Living Translation of this scripture says He will never think of them again.

Unfortunately, after every mistake we make, we don’t remember scriptures like this. Let’s be honest, we don’t even think of God’s love for us in such moments; we think ‘oh I messed up again, God is done with me for real this time.’ We only hear that voice of condemnation and begin to wonder if there’s really any hope for us or if we can ever truly be free.

The good news that I, former sin grandmaster, am here to share with you is that yup, we definitely can be totally free from the clutches of sin when we are in Christ because if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! (John 8:36) I believe the word ‘if’ is used here because there is a condition attached to this freedom; it ONLY comes from Christ, you can never truly be free until He gives you that freedom. I was once fed with the lies of the devil. I was so deep in sexual sin that I had come to accept it as a way of life. I believed it was normal, a part of me and the more I tried to stop, the deeper I would go in. I didn’t know about my father’s love the way I do now, I just thought I was far too gone so I might as well just stay there and keep sinning. You can imagine the hard time I had when I got saved, it was a long hard battle! Remember, the devil knows exactly what our weaknesses are and that’s what he uses against us. Breaking free from years of that sinful lifestyle sure didn’t make him happy, so he would accuse me day and night and even flaunt it in my face to see if I’d come back running but after being washed and cleansed by the superior blood of Jesus, I had decided never to go back.

‘I won’t go back, I can’t go back

To the way it used to be, before your presence came and changed me.’

What really would I have gone back to? The lies? Deception? Fake joy? Temporal pleasure? I was so done with all of that and determined to live for God but it didn’t mean the enemy was going to leave me alone, however I now had a weapon that could always defeat him, which is the word of God. In it we find several ammunition that we can use to destroy his work, only if we believers would open our Bibles and our mouths and apply it! Ephesians 6:11&16 gives us perfect examples of how to come against the evil one.

Whenever you are confronted with your past or the devil tries to guilt trip you, remember that God tells us not to remember the former things and neither consider the things of the old because He said He will do a new thing in our lives. (Isaiah 43:18-19)

Also, remember that in Him you are a new creation, the old things in your life have passed away and everything about you has become new so you are definitely not your past (2 Corinthians 5:7) and finally:

‘We are a chosen generation, called forth to show His excellence…’

We are so special to Him that He has chosen and set us apart to show others His goodness and declare His praises because He’s the one who called us out of the darkness into his wonderful light! (1 Peter 2:9). Don’t think that you are too sinful and shy away from Him, He didn’t die for the righteous and there is a reason why He bought you with such a high price to bring you out of that messy past. I pray that we will all be able to let go of our pasts completely and that the Lord will deliver anyone whose past has a hold on him/her, in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

God loves you so very much.

Love always,

Mrs. A

If you’re currently going through challenging times and you’d like a listening ear, some encouragement or motivation, please contact me here: talktomrsa@gmail.com