a few weeks ago, a friend shared a video with me. i watched and listened, and my breath was taken away! it's a message all women need to know and be reminded of. i've been mulling over the words, allowing them to sink in into the deepest, darkest corners of my mind and soul. it's really powerful, and i just have to share. it's one of those words you need when you're slipping into despair and the fog of the world rudely attempts to fade out your real and true identity. it says...
you are beautiful, you are smart, you are funny, you are kind, you are unique. you are worthy of love and affection. you are never too much and you are always enough. you are precious. you are a diamond, a rose, a pearl, the most stunning of all God's creation.
you are worth more than you could ever imagine. worth more than the numbers on the scale, or the hair products you use, or the shoes you wear. more than how many girls wish they were you or how many guys wish they had you.
more than the price tags on your clothes or the percentage on top of your maths test or even the number of followers you have on twitter. your worth surpasses all earthly things because in the eyes of the Lord God, you are loved and you are worth dying for.
regardless of who you think you are, whether you model in a magazine or you model pottery with grandma. whether you're on the hot list or the not list, whether you are head cheerleader or a high school drop out, whether you're miss popular or you've never had anyone you could call a friend.
whether you love yourself and love your life or you can't stand to look in the mirror and you feel as if everything in your life is falling apart, whether you're such a winner or you feel like the world's biggest failure.
regardless of who you think you are, the reality is that you deserve someone who will give up their life for you because you are powerful, and strong, and capable.
read about the women in the Bible: esther, ruth, martha, mary- these women changed the world for ever, and inside of you, each and every one of you is a woman with that same power, and that same strength, and that same world changing capability. and your responsibility is to find that woman and to set that woman free. this. is. who. you. are!
and any voices in your mind that try and tell you differently are from the enemy. and the next time you hear them, this is what you say, you say, "nah-uh, not me satan, i am a daughter of the living God, cherished, loved, and adored above all things, by the Creator of all things, for the glory of Him who is greater than all things. i. am. awesome." and please, don't you forget it.
the video is part of the anima series on youtube. {anima in latin means soul or spirit.} and of course, it's become my new favorite youtube channel. :) so.much.inspiration! from poetry, spoken word, music, testimonies...the channel is bursting out the seams with love, creativity and sunshine. ;) you gotta subscribe. i'm so glad there are guys out there who believe in the true identity of ladies, and are bold to encourage and cheer us on. much love, ladies! you are awesome!
This song by Britt Nicole won't stop running around in my head. And that's a good thing, a constant reminder that God will grace me...you...with the strength to STAND in the midst of our battles.
I wake up to another day
I don't know if I can face
All the fears (that are) staring me down
Yeah, I'm trying to be brave
But I'm a thread, about to fray
I wanna stand but I don't know how
I look up and all I see is Your love holding me
When I feel like giving up
When my heart is hurt too much
Feels like I've reached the end
No, I won't turn and run
This battle will be won
When I've done all I can
I'll stand stand stand
I'll stand stand stand
Some days I lose my place
It's a fight to keep my faith
But You are with me, I am not alone, no
But all around my world gives way
Toss like an ocean wave
You are my rock when the storm clouds blow
I look up and all I see is Your love holding me
When I feel like giving up When my heart is hurt too much
Feels like I've reached the end
No, I won't turn and run
This battle will be won
When I've done all I can
I'll stand stand stand
I'll stand stand stand
On Your promise, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
On Your promise, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
Sinking sand oh woo woooh
It's sinking sinking, yea yeah
When I feel like giving up
When my heart is hurt too much
Feels like I've reached the end
No, I won't turn and run
This battle will be won, yea yeah
So I'll stand stand stand
I'll stand stand
I'll stand stand stand.
A number of
months ago when I was still in school, something happened that encouraged me
and made me smile. It was nothing dramatic or ‘huge,’ but even in its subtle
form, it was and still is a big deal to me. It was an early morning on a Sunday
and I was heading to church. I was taking a long sidewalk from my school that
leads to a bus stop outside the campus. I can’t really place my finger on all
the thoughts I had going on but I’m pretty sure cluttered thoughts about the present
and my future and how things will play out were on my mind as they often are.
As I was
walking with my jumbled thoughts, and likely anticipating the message which God
was going to whisper to my heart in church, the chorus of a song came to me. It
was an old song I hadn’t heard in a long while. You know when something happens
and you go like ‘that must be God’? That’s exactly what I told myself. The
chorus of the song goes like this :
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh I'm already there
I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there.
I have no
idea where the song came to me from. Like I said, I hadn’t heard it in a long,
long while and from nowhere, without making any effort to remember it
whatsoever, the song filled my head. I was quite surprised and yet convinced at
the same time that God was trying to talk to me using these lyrics although the
context of the whole song isn’t necessarily from the viewpoint of God.
I believe
God speaks to us all the time. Through the Word, a friend, a movie, a song, a
dream and even a complete stranger (this happened to me years ago and yeah, you
guessed right. I was totally a lil freaked out. lol) Isn’t God so creative
to speak to His children in such different ways?!
There are
other times He speaks to us using repetition. Like, you come across something
related to a particular thing so many times you know it just can’t be
coincidence. For instance, I usually take part in an online Bible study on
twitter and a couple of months back, the book of study was Daniel. When I was
in church that week, scriptures from Daniel were part of the main reference scriptures
read (no, we don’t read Daniel every time in church), and around that time too, I
heard on the radio something about the book of Daniel. If you ask me, this
couldn’t have been coincidental. They occurred around the same period that I
began to ask myself: what is God trying to tell me specifically in this season
of my life from the book of Daniel? I thought through it and came to the wonderful
understanding that I might be going through tough stuff which may look
overwhelming to overcome, but with God by my side, just like He was in the
midst of the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and they stayed alive,
just as He protected Daniel from harm by sending an angel to shut the mouths of
the lions in the den, that is the same way He is going to protect me. I may go
through a fiery furnace or face lions, but I will NOT be harmed. I may
experience very uncomfortable situations, but that’s not going to bring me
down.
I’m oh, so thankful
to God that He thinks about me and cares enough to assure me that whatever
brand of crazy going on in my life, He’s right there with me. He really is. And
that gladdens this sometimes fretting heart of mine. I need to be attentive and
listen to Him all the time so I don’t miss anything. And though I haven’t yet experienced
hearing Him literally speak to me like in the Moses and the burning bush
scenario, (how I can’t wait for this to happen) I appreciate all the other ways
God chooses to speak to me, His beloved. :) Whenever I feel very strongly about
a scripture or convicted about something, I know that’s God right there,
tugging at my heart.
I don’t know
which ways God speaks to you specifically aside the Bible, but I pray that He
opens your heart to figure it out and be guided by His loving instructions
through every season in your life. And I hope that when someone prophesies to
you, you take the time to pray about it yourself to verify if what the person
said was actually from God before taking it in, hook, line and sinker. :) (You
need to be careful with these things.)
No matter
what you’re going through, trust me, I know what pain is. What I go through may
not be exactly what you’re going through but dear one, know that God is there with
you in the midst of it all. Is it present struggles, uncertainties about the
future that leaves you panicking and close to tears? You’ll be just fine. Keep
your head up, and listen to His still, small voice. And just like He was
speaking to me through that song, know that no matter what you’re facing, He is
already there with you. He’s always going to be with us and we shall overcome.
So, it’s the first day of the second half of the year! Woop!
Wasn’t it just recently that Christmas came by? Whew! How time flies. Today’s
Republic day down here. I honestly don’t really see the difference between holidays
and regular days lately. Hey, it’s not my fault. It’s a no school, no work
policy for now. ;) Every day is literally like a holiday for me these days. I
mean, after all that stress from schooling I deserve it right? Good. Anyway, happy Republic
day to all Ghanaians and honorary Ghanaians. ;)
Today marks the first day of the month which begins the second half of the year and I wanted to drop by and encourage us to keep pursuing our
goals. You know, the ones we resolved to chase after during New Year? Yes,
those goals/plans you wrote in your diary/journal, tucked away somewhere among books on
your desk or right under your pillow.
I look at my vision board and I realize I’m not totally
through achieving all the things on it, but of course I’m on it and I pray most
if not all are fully satisfied by the end of the year to make way for other
dreams and aspirations.
I pray you keep dreaming, hoping, praying, believing and
achieving. Don’t give up on those dreams, no matter how small or big they are. Go
over those goals and figure out what you’re not doing right that’s hindering
them see the light of day. Make the second half of the year count! :) Are you
waiting on God to come through with His promises? Well, hold on, He will come
through. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He wouldn’t forget. :)
Enjoy Brandon Heath's lovely song, 'Wait and see'
Cheers to a fruitful second half of the year! Do not stop
believing, keep hope alive. Have a blessed new month. Jesus loves you! xoxo
The past
couple of weeks have been busy ones. After my last finals and final submissions, I
FINALLY finished up with my undergrad studies (that’s a lot of finals I used in
that sentence LOL). After that, I had to do an awful whole lot of packing to
leave for home. I barely had any decent amount of sleep when I got home that
night cos mom woke me up earlyat dawn
around 4 am to get ready for the trip to our hometown for my grandma’s funeral
(bless her soul). All that while, I had to make sure I had packed up what I
needed for the trip.
Well, by God’s
grace everything went well, the days flew by and I had to pack up and leave for
the city. I got home just yesterday and as I’m talking (urm, typing) I need to
pack up for a camp I’ll leave for tomorrow. I’m like this packing machine right
now. Because I’ve been busy right after school, I’m not exactly feeling that
freedom I should feel. I’m looking forward to when I’ll finally get some
breathing space and really feel the sharp contrast between being so busy and
just winding down.
The camp is going
to last for about a week and it's in preparation towards the summer missions trip
the awesome evangelistic foundation I’m a part of is organizing. The campsite
is out of town and the time we’ll spend there is going to be packed up with activities,
so I’ll barely get me enough of my much needed rest and alone time. Sigh.
On the
brighter side, I’m excited though. I’m really expectant of what God will do. I’m
eager to listen to His voice and direction as I spend time in His Word,
praying, in fellowship in a quiet and secluded atmosphere. I’ll at least get
time to do some reflections, journal, and just enjoy God in the calmness of the
place, far from all the noise and clutter of life. I’m trusting God to speak to
us concerning the missions in the different countries we’ll be going to. The first
group will leave for the missions next week God willing after camp and the rest
will join a few weeks after. I’m really trusting Him to make all things
possible for us, for the people we share the Good News with to be transformed
(even we the missionaries) and for souls to be won.
After all
the cramming for my finals, through all the packing and grieving over the
weekend and all the crazy in between, I believe the camp is just what I need to
revive my spirit and help recharge me as I spend time alone with God and with other
souls thirsting after Him. The dawn prayers we’ll have at camp remind me of Mark
1:35“And in the morning, a great while before day, He arose and went out to
a lonely place, and there He prayed.” This will be my inspiration to
pray at that early hour when I’m likely to feel crazy sleepy. LOL This reminds
me...
A week ago,
a few days before I left school, God spoke to me through a fellow missionary.
He said so many things to me that encouraged, strengthened and comforted me. I’m
just so grateful that He’s concerned with my life that much. So there was this
part He said that I’ll wake up in the middle of the night this week between 12
and 2am, and when I do, I shouldn’t go back to sleep but I should get up and
pray.
Last evening,
after being wiped out for travelling back home, I showered, snuggled with some
snacks while I finished up a movie and conked out on the couch. Hours later, I
happened to wake to what seriously felt like someone nudging me sideways to
wake up. I opened my eyes, there was no one there and I checked the time. It was
12:50am and I immediately remembered the message God sent me last week. With
groggy eyes and a tired body, I fought against the desire to sleep and paced up
and down praying to God.
About 45 minutes later in prayer I was wide awake. I
read some psalms afterwards and a bit of Matthew. I thought about how God
honors His Word. I was so tired and deep in sleep, I don’t know how I woke up.
And as I said, I felt I was literally being shaken to wake up. It makes me
wonder, really. I could have gone back to sleep right after that but somehow, I
checked the time and immediately I remembered what I was supposed to do. Why
God chose that time, He alone knows.
I’m glad I
was obedient enough to do my little part of His grand scheme that night. I
thought about whether to share this or not...thinking about how off or weird it
might sound, but I decided to go with it. I don’t know who might need this as
an assurance or an encouragement. I need to remind myself that I can’t let what
people think or say stop me from sharing what God does for me. This is not
about me, it’s all about HIM. It’s all for His
glory. That prayer in the night must be the very thing that I needed but didn’t
know of. I’m thankful for God’s directions and guidance. It’s like the more I
get serious with Him, the more He draws closer to me. I’m beginning to feel
this personal connection with God grow more and more...
Ok, before I
finish up with this blog, I would like to share an amazing movement I found on
Twitter. ;) It’s called Overcome The Lie. It basically encourages women to
overcome the lies the devil throws in their faces and believe the truth of God’s
Word concerning their lives. Their Twitter handle is @OvercometheLie. There are
Twitter parties sometimes with the hash tag #overcomethelie. I join in when I can.
The time difference gets in the way sometimes but when I happen to stay up
pretty late, I definitely look forward to the wisdom everybody shares during
that time. The next Twitter party is Monday 9pm EST. It’s very inspiring. You
should join in whenever you can. :)
So, I’ll
talk to ya’ll later. I’ll be sure to fill you in on camp and thoughts on my
mind when I’m back. ;) Keep seeking God, He’s right there to answer you and to
speak to your heart. He loves you. xoxo
Today, I
want to encourage you. I want to remind you that you were made to bloom. Yes,
you. God penned down your story, my story way before we were even formed in our
mothers’ wombs, just as He told Jeremiah... “Before I formed you in the womb
of I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a
prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4,5 He made each of us for great
things. Jeremiah’s purpose on earth was to be a prophet of God. That’s the same
way you and I are here, walking this earth because of the purpose of God. He
appointed you to come to this earth to do something unique.
Now, won’t
it be a shame if you plant a seed of a rose flower, but instead of fully
growing and blooming, it sadly has a stunted growth? How come you may ask. Well, you barely had time to water it or tweak out the weeds that were hindering
its growth. Weeds only consume the nutrients in the soil that plants need to
thrive and grow well. So, that’s how come. The rose plant never bloomed.
Your life can
be compared to this rose plant. To be able to fully plug into your full
capabilities as a child of God, you need to allow God water your life. You need
to feed your life the right things to bloom. When we begin to feed our lives
with the Word of God and prayer on a daily basis, we start to grow as God
intended us to. We start to hear God’s voice clearly about what steps we should
take. Without constantly seeking God’s face in prayer and in the Bible, we’re
bound to live according to our own plans which might very well conflict with
our Father’s plans for our lives.
“He destined us in love
to be His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to
the praise of His glorious grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Ephesians 1:5,6
The weeds
that hindered the growth of the rose plant are those people and things that
stand in your way from experiencing the beauty of living a purposeful life, the
things that hold you back from shinning and living out loud for God. You know
very well the ungodly inner circle of friends you have around you prevent you
from passionately pursuing God’s will for you...those unhealthy habits of
watching porn, fornicating, profanity, adultery, smoking, getting drunk, clubbing,
going to worldly parties...they are all NOT God’s will for you. How can you
bloom when you are so busy chasing after sin which will only kill you? “For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6;23
Sin separates
us from God. The more a person sins, the farther God is. The Holy Spirit can’t
dwell in a body that is dabbling in an unbroken chain of sin. When we sin, we
are more or less driving away the Spirit of God in us, because the Spirit is
holy and can’t dwell where sin is. Sure, we are human and we’re tempted to sin
often times. But isn’t it far better to strive to live the life God called you
to instead of willingly going after things that cause you to stumble and die
out fast?
“Now the works of the
flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery,
enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy,
drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you as I warned you before, that
those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to
Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians
5:19-24
I encourage
you to seek God’s face, let Him become very personal and real in your life. Surround
yourself with people with Godly wisdom. Ask Him what He planned for your life.
You were not made to have a stunted life, you were made to bloom. :) Stop selling yourself short. God filled
each of us with wonderful talents and spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says “To
each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is
given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance
of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of
miracles, to another the prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish
between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the
interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit,
who apportions to each one individually as He wills.”
Dear one,
God made all these spiritual gifts available to help us bloom. He placed the unique abilities to write,
sing, paint, teach, sew, act in us. It’s not by our own might or some
coincidence. It is His will. It is our duty to humbly ask Him to make known to
us which talent and spiritual gifts He planned for us to have. He needs us to
use these gifts to serve Him and draw people to His saving grace. You can’t
know God’s will for you if you only know Him on Sunday mornings in a church
building. He needs to be a part of your everyday life. He needs to be present
in the songs you listen to, the movies you watch, the company you keep, clothing
you wear. You are His representative, you need to act as such. How can you
really know God without constantly and intentionally spending time with Him? You
need to pursue a relationship with Him cos He’s the answer to all the questions
you have.
“But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God
has prepared for those who love Him.””1 Corinthians 1:9
You might be
experiencing a season of drought where it’s hard to completely trust God’s plan.
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been there before. But the Word, O the Word! It
constantly speaks to me and urges me on to keep believing. There are times when
God seems silent. Those times are when you need Him the most, not when you
throw in the towel and abandon His plan for you. Times like that are when He’s
watching to see if you’ll exercise your FAITH or if you’ll let your current
circumstances dictate your future. Without faith we can’t please God.
“Now faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
Stay
encouraged dear one. You have the Creator, the one who calls things that be not
as though they were as your Father. Value this relationship you have with Him
and honor it by following His will. You were made to bloom. Come out of your
bud, your shell, your insecurities and doubts and display the beauty God
Himself has clothed you with, inside and out. He has a reason for making sure
you were born and raised where you were, the schools you went to, the people you
met. The wrong friends and relationships
you had serve a purpose to make you realize you deserve better and eventually
lead you to the right friendships. Trust God’s process. There’s purpose behind
your struggles, a purpose that’ll refine you and make you grow in Christ to be
the best He made you to be.
“Trust in the Lord with
all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5,6
I want to
share this lovely song by Moriah Peters. It speaks into my life and fill me
with happy, hopeful thoughts with every word.
Stretch out
your faith and bloom, darling. :) xoxo
