Devotion (TNR part 1)
When you hear the word devotion, what comes to your mind? For most people, its a spiritual obligation or routine that they “have to do” or they will not be qualified to be called a Christian and for some they think its an obligation if they want to make Heaven. It becomes more of a task rather than an opprtunity.
Ask yourself this, What does devotion mean to you.In Jerimiah 30:31, the Lord said “for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me”. That sentence right there defines DEVOTION. Recently i had become so busy with work and life that by the time get home, something comes up and i eventually become tired. i started mising out on spending time with my father, i felt empty and began to condemn myself because something in me started to see it as an obligation rather than a time of rest in the arms of my Father. it became a struggle rather than a time to be renewed, a time to see my Father smile down at me as He speaks to me (i am not saying i have seen God Physically). A time to be like a child and see myself resting in His arms. My point here is even though i was battling that, does not make me any less saved, does not mean that if i had died i wont have made Heaven, or that God loved me any less.
But what it did was made me feel incomplete, i felt empty like a big part of me was missing. i was not getting feed, i was not Chilling with my Father and hearing Him speaak to me, i was living on human understanding and judgement rather than getting daily directions and blessings from the Creator.
So why do we need devotion? it is not a form of pleasing God, rather its God blessing you. Its you saying i want to draw close to God and He has said “if you seek me you will find me”. If only you knew the great joy that comes from being close with God. (He is AMAZING) and i am not saying that cause the bible told me so, i am saying it from spending time with Him and drawing close to Him. Your devotion time is an opportunity for you, its not an obligation, its a blessing. its not a routine, its LIFE.
No lie, it can be a struggle at times. getting into it, the worries of life getting in the way, or sometimes it might just be not knowing where to start. But i tell you, there is no greater reward than being feed by Him and getting close to THE ALMIGHTY..
Ill Challenge you today to start seeing Devotion as a blessing rather than a routine and begin to see your life transform…
xoxoxo…
Ladies, Who do you wanna be
Hey Fabulous Ladies, i was recently reading a passage in the Word about a wife of Noble Character. As i read this i realized that this is a kind of woman i want to be…
“A wife of noble Charater who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plans a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasp the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gates, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, ans supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the rewards she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31: 10-31 NIV
This is a type of person i want to be, a strong woman far from what society has pictured a woman to be. A woman who is strong yet humble, who can be a partner to her husband and yet still submit to him. who can be courageuos and confident. who can be ambitious and also enjoying life. Most importantly Loving God with all her heart because withouth Him, she really is nothing.
Ladies, you can be that woman. A part that really stood out to me is “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all”. Yes!! you, you can be that woman. You can do way more than you can ever imagine. I always say that women are powerful, but we put limits to ourselves and continue to follow a straight path on what the typical woman should look like. I’m not saying it is easy, but one thing i know for sur is that with Him, there is nothing that is impossible. Stand up and be the woman you were created to be.
A good thing
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been away from writing on the blog. Then as I search myself to find out what to write about, I realized the only topic that I’ve been having conversations about has been women and relationships.
This is a part of life that gets everyone anxious. Who is the right one for me? Am I ready? When will I get married? Especially in ladies, we get ourselves rapped up and worried with these issues. As a woman myself, I deal with these thoughts. And I realize that I can either worry about it which changes nothing or I can actually do something about. And its definitely not what you are thinking.
You see as I talk to people, especially single people. I realize they try to build their own relationship based on other peoples experience and think that would be theirs, or they read lots of books on how to treat a man or how to find the right guy. They eventually begin pulling out there hair when they see that all them tricks and games don’t work. Don’t get me wrong, books on relationships are good, but you have to know that they are there to counsel you and not find you a good man (a book cannot give you your heart desires).
Also, we say we want something, but are we ready for that which we want. We want a good man, but are we ourselves a good woman that a good man deserves. I say to myself, I want a man that will be comfortable with me in my sweats driving to the store or just going out. Then on a normal day, I’m decked up in my heels, hair tight and outfit just right. Then one day I stopped and thought to myself how funny it is that I want a guy that is ok with sweats but I never wear them, I want a guy who likes his girl in sweats but I don’t look like I own a pair. My point here is just that if you want something, you have to be prepared for it.
Ladies, the word say “he that finds a good wife finds a good thing”. It does not say He that makes a woman good. Which means start preparing yourselves to be good wives; we are naturally created to become wives someday. Search yourself and start being a treasure that will be found.
And what is it that I do about it? I trust in Him who has told me it’s going to be just fine.
xoxoxoxo
Hide and Seek
Do you remember how fun playing hide and seek was when you were little, especially if you were the one seeking and you find the one you are looking for. do you remember how excited you get? what if you were seeking God, can you imagine how much joy will fill your heart and soul when you find him.
Sometimes God plays hide and seek with us. As i wondered “why”, i began to realize in my spirit that at times God is asking us “what if you do not feel me around, will you still continue to trust me”. But even better than that, is during the process of seeking, we might have to suffer some griefs, but peter wrote that these have come so that our faith will be of greater worth than gold. But our biggest issue nowadays is that we want to act all grown up and we forget the feelings and excitments that comes from having some childlike attitude.
A child almost never gives up when playing hide and seek, they continue till they find that person whom they are looking for which brings more joy because you actually looked for and found. Think about it, who do you think appreciates wealth more, a guy who is born in it and inherits it, or a guy who has been seeking it and then finds it.
Do not get me wrong about us having to seek God as if he his never with us. But the truth is that God is with us always, wherever you look, but when we do not have the intention to seek him or know him, we do not see him, because we are blinded by so many things. Sometimes, we really need to sit back and remember how we played hide and seek as little kids and how we never gave up seeking because of the joy that came out of finding.
Seek God with all your heart and i promise you, you will be amazed…
xoxo
Cover Ups….
We all do it. we might try to hide it, deny it, but we all do it. Im not talking about covering up a lie or sin. Im talking about covering up the things that hurt us the most, either our past or mistakes, even things in us that we just do not want the world to see. We sometimes tend to hide our weaknesses and have the fear of being in a situation where we really need others. We open our bibles looking for courage and scream at the top of our lungs when we wannna worship God, whereas we still carry that pain in us but try to cover it up.
Christ told a parable in which he said ” no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined”. You cannot expect to be renewed if you are not ready or able to handle the new things. when we have so much junk in us and just try to cover it up and top it up with new things, we still get up day to day with the same pain and lie to ourselves daily and not really dealing with the truth. God wants to heal you from the inner part of your pain, but you have to be willing. Yes, you have to be willing; because you scream at worship does not mean you are willing. at a point when we see ourselves still having that same hurt and know that we are the first at church everyday, we begin to grow weary and get mad daily beacause we do not see changes, you just assume that if i cover it up with the new life, the old life will just go away,
The best part is That God can walk with you through all those hurt. he sent his Son so that we have the opportunity to also be sons and daughters to him. Do not lie to yourself or God because he knows. Talk to him about the hurt and pain and stop covering it up. open up to him because the more you pour new wine in the old wineskin, the more damage you create.You are a princess/prince to God, and every little thing about you he knows and cares about. He wants you to be able to bring all the pain to him and He will walk you through them. Its okay to be weak, because his strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.
God can and will change you, but you have to be willing. He loves you and knows you by your first name. Live free because you have nothing to be ashamed of, The Almighty God has accepted you as his own the way you are.
xoxoxo
Living in Love
Lord please bless me, Lord pls give me a job, Lord pls give me a husband, Lord pls provide for me. Those are just a few things we always ask from God daily. we always want and want but neglect the fact that it is also written that give and it will be given to you. We ask God for things daily but forget that God has asked us for just on thing, we get frustrated and grow weary when we have not recieved from him. We forget that he is God and sees everything even those done in the dark, and most definately God will not bless a heart or life that is not ready to recieve the blessings he has in store for us. You pray to God to provide for you, but there is someone close to you right now who is in need but you neglect.
There is just one thing God asks from us which is to “Love”. Loving God and loving eachother (which sums up the whole laws and commandments). It took me a while to understand why God will want us to love him, as i continued seeking him, i realized to Love God with all our heart gives us a chance to obey his commands and believe in the one he sent. And anyone who belives in the one He sent is born of God, and he who is Born of God overcomes the world. Living with nothing but the love for God is better than living with everything except the love for God. Loving eachother, This is hard (no lie) with people around you who just step on your toes and you just want to scream at them or say something. But you can do it. You ask God for forgiveness, you also should forgive that person that just keeps ticking you off. My pastor said something yesterday that really stuck to me. he said “There is a difference between love and approval”, Just because you dont approve of someone’s ways, does not mean you can not love that person. And love also because you please God by doing so and it is written that “whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him”.
Give and it shall be given to you. Live with faith, Love and Hope. Also remember that he who promised is faithful.
xoxo
Look ahead
As i was reading the story of the Isrealites, i came across the passage when they saw the Egytians as they looked up and then they began saying “was it because there were no graves in egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us bringing us out of egypt? dint we say to you in Egypt Leave us alone; let us serve the egyptians” my first thought was C’mon, the egytians were not even near them. And they would rather live as slaves that work hard to be free. They had forgotten that God brought them out and can do anything. i put this story here because, this kind of thought is still evident in our lives in this present day, we are scared of challenges and would rather stay in that situation that holds us down be it a relationship or job or whatever situation it might be that hold us captive. no matter what post or situation you find yourself and deep down you know its just not right but still scared to let it go because you think it defines you. im here to tell you to look ahead at possibilities. Commit it in your Fathers hands and know that it is for freedom Christ has set us free. DO NOT LET ANYTHING AND I MEAN ANYTHING HOLD YOU AS SLAVES. life, abundant life is your to have through him who set you free from everything.
XOXOXOXO
He/she aint my type
Relationships (yikes), most people want them but majority cannot handle them. this is probably one of the hardest aspects of life and very important though. this is for the single people out there who cant get a date or hold a reltionship . i’m not going to tell you to go out more or change your style, the thing you need to change is ( hmmm!!! cant find a word to use), but the way you think. what if you are not your type’s type, (i hope that makes sense) you will be single for a loooooooong time. and the best thing is if you are praying for someone to come your way, God won’t send that person till you are able to handle a relationship. so the sooner you realize that the sooner you will get that type that is meant for you. don’t lower your expectation, but delete your expectation and know that he is God…
xoxo
Dream BIG
Do you know that if you can dream big, God will give you big dreams. but the problem is people arent willing to dream at all, and if they were to dream they will dream about things they could see or things around them that was easily accessible. the funniest part is that we complain about things around us and have no thought about bringing change to it. one thing you know but have no true knowlegde about is that God can do anything and when his Spirit lives in you, he can do anything through you but he wont if you dont know it or wont dream Big.
xoxoxo
What if
What if you could have an abundant life? what if you could be all that you were destined to be? what if life could just be simple? what if you could cause a change? what if i told you its possible, what would you do? daily we carry loads and burdens that we do not even have to carry, we seek answers to life and thrive to make it on our own when theres a voice calling to save us, change us, fulfill our desires, release our burdens, what if you can have life to the fullest? What would you do?
