Friday, January 28, 2011

STEP UP

I woke up to Beethoven’s Fur Elise; I could hear Laura my housemate who lived in the flat above me playing that soothing music. You should see her flat, she comes from a long line of interior decorators, and she even though isn’t officially one was able to personalise her flat to reflect who she was. You could so see she was an editor working at the Cambridge press, I mean, so many high ceiling bookshelves, adorned with her favourite books all arranged in a colour scheme that ran throughout her flat. I was somewhat reluctant to leave my bed, the soft quilt feel of my bedspread which Didi had purchased for me as one of my house warming gifts beckoned me not to leave. I could stay in this very spot all day, and still would not be remotely sad. Such wonderful thoughts filled my mind. And as I tried to turn the piercing sun rays coming through my bedroom window reminded me it was a good day to be alive. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I was affronted by our somewhat overgrown garden, which Laura had complained to me on so many occasions how she had pleaded with our Landlord to let us go and spend a day weeding and sipping all day long until the garden was in the right state for summer – I know, it is January and we still have a long way till the summer comes, but that is Laura for you. “It’s a Forest out there I tell you a forest, in her Spanish English accent. I smiled again to myself, and hopped out of bed to have my shower and then the fire alarm started to bellow. Oh yes, that daily ritual that wakes up the whole house every morning. Since I moved to the apartment, my ground floor flat has had an electrical problem and the whole house block must put up with it every time I have a shower. But amidst the music and the fire alarm, there was still a sense of serenity in the house. The electrician is still working at fixing the problem, and we are still enjoying the moments of living in our house. Even the Landlord once commented on how he has never had such wonderful tenants all at a time living in his house. As the sound made up of varying frequencies and amplitudes began to resonate, I wondered if I should move my body to their rhythm as I got dressed. It was now time to leave. I unlocked my front door, and up the stairs I went. As I climbed up the stairways which separated me from my basement flat, and the main road at the top, I couldn’t help but wonder upon a thought.

That, regardless of where I am, getting to the top requires a “step up”. The more I pondered upon it, the more I came to the realisation that irrespective of where or what that “step up” is, there is always a beginning, a starting point, a base level, a ground zero. And to get to the top requires a stair case, a ladder, a lifter upper, a shoulder, my goodness a facilitator, an enabler, a helper. You cannot get to the top, a place higher than a base, a raise, a boost, an uplifting, by simply walking on the same level. You need help. You need direction. You need guidance.

LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their stepsJeremiah 10:23.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths - Proverbs 3:5-6

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their stepsProverbs 16:9

Thus says the Lord, Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go” - Isaiah 48:17

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future – Jeremiah 29:11

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on youPsalm 32:8.

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm – Proverbs 1:32-33

So let me pose this to you: What are you using, or have you been using as your support system for your step up. Who are you depending on to boost you to the top? On what are you basing your confidence on to increase and accelerate your movement to the top? Friends, friends, who are you relying upon, hoping upon, to assist, grant or facilitate your entry and access to all that your next level has to offer? Remember that only those who listen to the Instructions of the Lord can have access to all He has to offer. Only those who have made up their mind to delight in all that pertain to Him does He establish!

The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand – Psalm 37:23-24

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; - Psalm 37:4-7

I thank God every day, because I don’t know where I would have been today if it hadn’t been for Him. I know that where I am today is because God has been that support system, that assistance, that facilitator, that elevator, that helper. He has been dependable on all counts and faithful. Only He knows the way I ought to go. Only He knows the best way for me to live a productive and profitable life. Only He knows all the different ways to reach the top, and am not about to start toying with His instructions. Thank God for being my “STEP UP”, because surely I would have still remained in my ground zero, wandering around without any form of progress. And then He came, and uplifted me. Wow. This is my testimony. This is my song. How about you?

Friday, January 21, 2011

What will you do?

Today is going to be a very short post J. Just questions, maybe two, maybe even three, but a question no less. I wondered, when you have waited on the Lord for a while for something, and it appears that He is slow in answering. And for this reason, you then decide to take matters into your own hands. Let’s say for example that your next plan of action is to give up on Him. You stop reading your bible. You stop praying. You stop playing an active role in your church, even better you stop going to church. Worse still you have reconnected with your old friends and gone back to the way it used to be; after all you say to yourself, He does not hear me. Hmm.

Let me pose another. What will you do, if all this while, what you had asked of the Lord, the Lord felt was too small for you, and was preparing something considerably even bigger than you could ever imagine. What will you do when the time comes when He has perfected that gift and decided it was time to deliver it to your address. What will you do when it finally arrives?

I’ll tell you what you’ll do; you will be shocked and dazed for weeks. Speechless, not sure what to do next and maybe in the end feel like a fool. But I’ll tell you what you should do, NEVER forget that God is able to do exceeding more than you can ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20), and He is more than enough to give you the desires of your heart. So when you feel like giving up, remember that.

I have learnt the hard way, that regardless of how long it takes, God still honours His words (Psalm 138:2b), and STILL answers prayers. I may not have stopped going to church, or re-acquainted myself with my old ways, but in my little way I once did doubt His ability to hear me and answer all my petitions. And now that He has, I wondered why it was so difficult for me to believe that He could!

Dear Lord Jesus, I ask that in all of my ways in which I have acted in disobedience and doubted your ability to answer my prayers, Lord forgive me, and have mercy on me. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Now friends, don’t do like I once did. A day is surely coming when your story will change, the question is, would you be faithful till then?

Friday, January 14, 2011

It has never entered into my Mind

“A mother watches her daughter riffle through her purse in search of a wad of notes. She searches and finally finds a bundle of them. An envelope of ten €100 notes, she removes three and puts the rest back into her mother’s purse”. Her mother in disappointment wonders to herself, how could it be that she has given birth to a daughter who steals? Surely, she could not have learnt this from her. She has always been a woman of means and has never known poverty nor what it means to be in lack. Yet her child whom she has brought into this world, in her own likeness (and not of another), has mastered the art of stealing. But how did she ever get to this? How, why and when did such enter into her mind? How can this be?”

The daughter ….

I don’t quite know what else to do. I cannot leave, but staying gets harder by the day. I know I think too much, maybe analyse too much, maybe even scrutinize so much, but I wasn’t always like this.

The beginning will be a good place to start. I was once young and carefree, did as I wanted, made a few mistakes, but they were not life threatening. Got into a few messy spots then the penultimate, I’m surprised death did not swallow me. I walked as one marked, marked for death, with a sign on my forehead. Day and night I struggled to stay alive, battle stands ensued, most of time without my knowledge. Misery had been my comfort, self-doubt my protector, and Hope, Hope my worst enemy. Hope is for the foolish, life is for the foolish. Wondered why my life would not just ebb away, when there are so many out there dying to live. Why couldn’t we make an exchange, you have what I want and I what you need. My life so tres fabulous I’m told, many wishing to give theirs in exchange for mine; Live the dream, my nightmare of sorts. But I have often wondered, do they know what it is I go through? Do they know the troubles preventing my eyelids from staying shut at night? Do they know the lengths I’ve taken just for a moment’s peace? I have tried to live in the shadows for some time now not wanting to be exposed. In constant fear that a day is coming when all will know, when they will know that I am not whom they think I am. The day is coming soon, and I dread to think of how it will be. Who am I? A repeated question I have seldom refused to stop asking myself? How did I get to this place, to this point? I need to forget, too many questions, still no answers. I need to forget.

Pitty parter, pitty parter, invitees only

Mama watches her daughter cross over to the other side of the road, and immediately she follows her. She sees her exchange what seems to be money for some goods, walk towards the roundabout, down the alley, and before she could reach her, she was already seated on a bench, by the canal, and have now fallen into a deep sleep.

Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared – Matt. 13:24-26

Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things – Prov. 23:33

On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme – Ezekiel 38:10b

Check this:

We in one way or the other in our lives here on earth have caused God to ask Himself such a question. He can’t quite understand how it is, we do the things we do. Doesn’t quite understand why it is we as a people are so wicked [Gen. 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9], especially when He is not. He knows no sin, and yet we his creation are continually evolving into experts in wickedness. How can that be? We can no longer use excuses like ‘life is so difficult’ or one lame excuse or another to explain away the evil things we do. We can no longer use previous bad experiences or challenges as a reason why we’ve turned to the evil things we do. The Lord never promised us that life was going to be an easy road [John 16:1], but He did promise us that we can overcome it if we make up our mind to, just as He did [John 16:33]. He never promised it would be an easy journey but He did promise that the end will be worth it [Revelations 2:7]. Sometimes the Lord has to take you through a process of purification, and empowerment before taking you to that next level. Is there prayers you are still waiting on the Lord for its fulfillment, or do you think you’ve been living a lie and the enemy is about to expose you. What is your confidence based on? Whom are you looking towards for help? I pray that this 2011, we will have no more excuses for not living the life the Lord called us to live. I pray that this 2011, we find a way of realizing that the past is gone, and we can work out our relationship with God in fear and trembling. That this year will not be a year that the Lord will look upon us and wonder why He made; but instead that this 2011, the Lord God will look upon us and have a reason to be proud of us.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Happy Friday Everyone

Hello friends, good friends, great friends and best friends for ever, we’ll that what ya’ll are to me. I have to first of all apologise for my “incommunicardo” throughout the month of November and December especially when I was starting to get back to the swing of things. I had way too many trips that kept me away, which kinda messed up my routine. But I am back (you’re probably saying: wasn’t that what she said the last time *rolling my eyes and looking the other way* now :)). I have really missed you all.

I was thinking of putting up a post on the “journey to the top”, but maybe that will wait for next week :), yep you heard me right, I have to make up for lost time :).

Mehn 2010 was indeed that year that all on my wish list came to pass. God truly has been so wonderfully great and so wonderful to me that I just don’t know where to begin. As in REALLY! Even during my faithless times, God still remained faithful. Gosh, where would I begin? I already know that some of you don’t’ like really long stories, but if I were to start to write them all one by one, I think we might be here all day and all night J. I remembered in the month of December 2010, the Lord reminded me why I need to take out some time and just tell him how much I love Him; for ALL THAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME. Gosh, what manner of praise or worship can I ever be able to render unto Him for all of His wondrous acts. Every one of them has been so great that I need to have a Thanksgiving Day every day for at least TEN years for just one of them. And if I were to start thanking Him from now, it would last till eternity and it still will not be enough. For indeed it is so true: When the LORD restored the fortunes of lifeofastranger, she was like those who dreamed. My mouth was filled with laughter, and my tongue with songs of joy. Even those around me kept saying “The LORD has done great things for her.” Indeed the LORD has done great things for me, and I am filled with joy (Psalm 126:1-3). I am still in shock :).

So as I entered this 2011, I scrapped off my wish list and instead decided that this 2011 is all about what I can do for Him. This year is not about “Baba God do this for me”, 2011 for me is about “Baba God let me do this for YOU”. This 2011 I am resolute to make God Happy. God must be happy with me this year. This 2011 I have made up my mind to show Him that I am not an ingrate but indeed a grateful child who is overwhelmed with all of His mercies towards me, of which none of them I deserved.

This 2011, I have made up my mind that it is that year that I will arise, and take my place among those completely sold out for God (not like the previous ones of yesteryears). This year, God I am ready and willing. I have written my list, crossed my t’s and dotted my I’s, and my plan is in place. I am ready now to get to it.

I have my mind made up, and I won’t turn back. What about you? What do you plan to do for God this year?