An Attitude of Gratitude

There comes a time in our lives when we are forced to evaluate our lives, our friendships and our relationships.

It's often the people that are closest to you who are not there in your time of need. Why is it that we have visions of how our lives are suppose to be and play out but our visions and our realities are often very different.

 Yes it's a part of life that things do not often play out the way we expected, the friends we thought were for a life time often turns out to be seasonal and when we get to a certain point in our lives, very often even the most profound times of our lives, people who we thought would be there, people with whom we share history, people with whom we share a past are not a part of our future.

I do believe that God changes disappointments into appointment. Regardless of whether we believe it or not, see it or not, appreciate it or not, God always steps in. The people that we think are best for us are the very poison that keeps us from reaching our promise land.  Life and situations forces us to be mature and see things for what they really are.

People will come in and leave our lives at some point or another. I have learnt to get with God's program, to bid people farewell when their part in my story is over, however I am still human, It still shocks me when I place people on pedestals and they disappointment, it hurts me when "that friend' does not share in my happiness, but like eagles wings I rise above it. In fact I look around me and it makes me appreciate those who are still around even more. It makes me welcome those that enter my live and give them as much love as I can.

I still question life, people, situations,  Why is it that someone whom you know less seem more appealing to open up to? Why is it that the friend whom you have known forever only shares a portion of your life and not all of it? Why do you feel like you will be judged if you open up to those closest to you? Why is the first person that crosses your mind in times of need not that dear friend or loved one? Why does a stranger get to see you cry and wipe away your tears?

Maybe it's just me, Maybe I need to be a better friend. I'm sure that other people don't share the same experiences as me. Maybe you have never been disappointed by a friend or loved one. You have probably been in the same situation at some point in your life, if not its still coming.

Human beings are far from perfect, we are in perfect human beings. The key to our happiness is to not take offence, let it out, forgive and move on with your life. Don't waste time trying to make that friend love you, appreciate you, support you. The truth is that it is impossible to please everyone and if you spend your whole life constantly seeking approval then one day you will wake up and realise that your life was never about you but about others and at the end of it all you still have not achieved anything.

So the moral of the story is forgive quickly, love with all your heart, live and enjoy every moment and recognize and accept when the story as ended so that a new story can begin. We all have a promise land, we are all on a journey to a destination better known to God and as a friend of mine once said  "YOU CAN NOT TAKE EVERYONE WITH YOU TO YOUR PROMISE LAND, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO STAY BEHIND"

So it is important to choose carefully who gets to walk with you to reach your promise land and more importantly who goes into the promise land with you. If you are not careful and do not leave some people behind, you will NEVER reach your promise land.

So my new philosophy is that "WISDOM IS KNOWING WHO TO TAKE WITH AND WHO TO LEAVE BEHIND" so choose carefully. Not everyone will get you and not everyone is meant to get you. Don't spend time crying over spilt milk, if its spilt then let it be.

Blessings

Becoming a Praying woman too.

Last year, I wrote a piece about the power of a praying man. I was encouraged and felt the need to share the power of a praying man because I had seen the power and effect of a praying man in my own life.

I felt a responsibility to share the importance of men being prayerful and covering their families and protecting their families and loved ones from the forces of this world. I had seen the damages and effects that are caused by men who are not prayerful, who do not protect their families and loved ones with prayer and I am convinced that a lot of challenges that people face in their lives, families relationships could have been easier with prayer.

Not that people don't know about prayer but I feel that too often we do not realise the true importance, significance and meaning of being prayerful. May things that happen in our lives and even in families such as families been torn apart, divorces, affairs etc all could have probably been prevented had the MAN and WOMAN been prayerful and covering each other in prayer.

On the flip side, the man does not carry the responsibility alone. There is power in a praying woman too. We as women should be the kind of people that make hell tremble, we should cause earthquakes and volcanoes in hell when we pray and seek God. As much as many things could be prevented in homes and families if men covered their families in prayer, a lot of things could also be prevented if Women covered their men in prayer.

Being a praying woman does not only apply to husband and wife relationships but also to daughters, sons, sisters, brother, cousins and all sorts of relationships. Very often we think that things have to go wrong before we are on our knees praying, situations bring us to our knees and that should not be the only times that we are on our knees. If we wait for problems to arise before we stand in prayer, it might very well be too late. Therefore let us pray and praise God in Good times, bad times, difficult times, at all times.

I am dedicating this year to living on my knees, that's my vision for the year. Not only to cover my soon to be hubby in prayer but all my loved ones in general and the country and live in and the world at large.

They say behind every great man their lies a great and prayerful woman. As a MAN fights off the burdens & pressures of life to protect his family, his woman who is anchored in her FAITH supports him in prayer and is not facing him as not to judge him as he strains to push through.

As we start this promising new year, my hearts desire is that God will give us the spirit to push(pray until something happens). That in every difficulty we shall be victorious, in every struggle that God shall speak to us, teach us and show us the way to the promise land that he as prepared for each and every single one of us, ladies and men.

God Bless us all.


Damilola

A Walk To Remember

It's been 3 and a half years with you and it seems  like just yesterday that we met but at the same time it feels like I have known you forever.

Its  been the best and awesomest 3years of my life and I'm looking forward to the next 70 years with you(May God Keep Us For Each Other)

I knew immediately that it was forever. I knew that you were that special man who would hold my heart, protect it and love it.

I knew that that first walk was a walk towards our future. I knew it wouldn't be an easy road and I was right, it as been a road less travelled but it as definitely been a road of lots of blessing.

It's been 3 and a half years of growing, falling, learning, teaching, ups and downs and now you and I are planning on forever.

I never imagined what relationships were all about until I meant the you, I never knew or could never have imagined how much change can happen in 3 years.

I have learned so much from you in the last 3 years, not only about myself but also about life and most importantly about what it truly means to love.

I am definitely a better person since I have met you. You challenge me for the better, you encourage me to be the best I can possibly be, you have been bringing out the God in me for the past  years and you have taught me that that's a process that will never stop.

We have not always gotten it right, we have made our fair share of mistakes, but we have also learnt alot from trusting in God above all else and also trusting in each other.

I can confidently say that what ever life through at us in  future, by the grace of God we  are overcomers.

We have been through alot of things designed to tear us apart and through it all even when we couldn't see the light, we have always managed to make it out even stronger than before by the grace of God.

I love you more than yesterday and I will love you even more tomorrow because God is Love. You are a blessing in my life, my special gift from God. It as been such an amazing time seeing you transform into a man that seeks God first above all other things.


You have been and continue to be my strength when I am weak, You pick me up when I am down, you are my voice of reason, you teach me how to do things the right way everyday. I sometimes even get angry with how you NEVER compromise on being good and righteous. I know that life with you will be a journey where I will never stop learning and growing and I can't wait to do life with you.

It's been such a wonderful journey learning and discovering God with you, I know that the future is bright. There is so much ahead and so many gifts that God as ahead of us that we will open and unwrap together.

There is no us without God, through our ups and downs God as always been the centre and will continue to be our centre, our rock, our resting place. I am writing this in appreciation of you, few will get it, many will hate it but only you and I truly understand it.

We have seen friends come and go and have become better people for it., some come for a season, others for a reason and only few are for a life time. Either ways you are my life time and even if everyone comes and go's it will always be me and you.

So to my Best Friend, my soul mate, my greatest cheer leader, here's to the future. No this is not my Vows, way too soon for that :-)

My Attitude Of Praise - Praise is Gratitude.

As the Year draws to an end, we tend to reflect on the year as a whole. Our successes as well as our failures, our strengths as well as our weaknesses, what we want to keep and what we want to change in 2014.

2013 as really been my year of most growth, as I reflect on it through the good and the bad of it all, I don't believe that there is anything that I would change.

I look back and think of one thing in particular, something that I have been asking and wanting from God for so long and I will continue to trust him for but even so, even though I did not get it in 2013, I had to come to a point of realisation that I have so many other things to be thankful to God for in 2013 and It would be so bad to simply forget all my 2013 blessings just for one thing that is still within my reach when God's timing comes.

God as a funny sense of humour because this year more than any other year, I have learnt and I am still learning, you see God is teaching me to Submit to him wholeheartedly and to Praise him and I mean really Praise him in the Storm.

God as a way of just bringing me to my knees and making me praise him even when its raining and storming and there seems to be no sunshine, he makes me realise that he is my sunshine and it is in him that I will find security and peace.
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In my times of storm in 2013, I have had to hold on to his promises and continue to trust that even when it doesn't seem like it and I want to curl up and roll over and give up, God is preparing me for greater things. The greatest times of my life are still ahead of me and the devil would love nothing better than to have me give up, lose the faith and curl up
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This year was also filled with ups and I definitely have alot to be thankful to God for because he as truly been there and done alot of good things this year and as I look to the future and wrap up this year, I can only sit and be in awe of the goodness of God over me and my loved ones.

2014 is my wedding year and I am so much looking forward to spending the rest of my life with the second love of my life after God. I am looking forward to planning our wedding with friends and loved ones that we hold so dare to us.

I am looking forward to sharing the happiest day of my life as I make the second most important decision (after giving my life to God) with my closest friends and family.

Storms will come and go but it is what you do in your times of storm that defines you, it defines who you are and who you will become. It defines what God will do with your storms if you sit back and let him be in control.

Choose to praise God in your times of difficulties and hardship, look to God, the author and finisher of your faith.

So what ever went well in 2013, nurture it, be grateful to God for it,  for it is not by your own strength but it is by the grace of our almighty God and what ever did not go well in 2013, praise God anyways and thank him for his plans for your life for God desires an attitude of praise from us in every area and every situation of our lives.

Therefore in  glorious days,  praise God and in times of ruin,  praise him still.


PAISE GOD, PRAISE YOU FATHER. YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL.

Beauty For Ashes...

Last week, I had a particularly difficult week. It's been a long year, a challenging year but also a very blessed year and I am definitely looking forward to December and holidays and just taking a break and unwinding.

Although I had a challenging week last week, I still had a blessed week. It is true that it is through adversity that character is built and sometimes although not all the time(I should do it more often) during hard times, I give praise to God and Thank him for testing him for without being tested it is impossible to pass an exam. I know and I am comforted by the fact that tough times don't last, only tough people do.

I am now sitting and pondering on the words of Isaiah 61:3. In this word God says: To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

Everyone has experienced hurt and disappointment, it is true that sometimes it is the people closest to us that the devil uses to hurt us and to get to us. We’ve all been burnt by life, but God doesn’t want us to sit in the ashes of the past. He wants to trade our brokenness for healing. He wants to give us beauty for our ashes.

God is such a gentleman though, he does not impose on us, it's not in his nature. The key is that we have to be willing to give up the ashes in order to receive the beauty. You can’t have both because the old has to go before the new can come.


The past is over, but your future remains and there is still so much ahead of us. God wants to show us s much and wants us to experience his goodness. Let God give you joy instead of mourning, and let Him make something beautiful out of the ashes of your life today.

I choose life, I choose beauty, I choose to trade my sorrows for Joys. Do You?

 

Putting on the Armour.

God tells us in the Bible that there are two spiritual kingdoms that humanity must deal with at the present time. The kingdom of light is one, and the other is the kingdom of darkness. God the Father has made Jesus Christ  the king over the kingdom of light, and Satan has been allowed to be the king over the kingdom of darkness.

 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole Armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. - Ephesians 6:12. I love this verse because every time that I read it, it reminds me that there is more to things than the eye meets. We are constantly fighting spiritual battles even when we don't know it, the little things that happen or the big things we brush off are not just chance or bad luck, it's the devil attacking us and we are meant to attack back and not just have victim mentalities.

 

A spiritual battle rages over the eternal destiny of our souls whether we know it or not, or believe it or not. Which then means if you are devoted to God, you are in a spiritual battle whether we like it or not. That's because God has allowed it to be this way, and Satan HATES anyone who is in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Satan is not after people that he knows already belong to him, he is after you because he sees that God as a plan for you, he sees that you are about to walk into your destiny and he knows that once you do you will be unstoppable. He knows the power that you possess and he simply can't allow that to happen and he will stop at nothing to stop you which is why we have to stop at nothing to fulfil the promises of God for our lives.

 

 

He is filled with rage towards us, because we are the "apples of God's eye," and Satan no longer is or ever will be. Just because a Christian believer may be in a season of peace does not mean the battle isn't raging all around us. It's just a matter of time before the devil will  make his influence greatly known to you, and when he does, God wants us to be fully informed in what to do. God expect of us to be wise when the devil attacks us, Wisdom to hear what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do in each instance, and courage and determination to obey as He directs. 

 

The word tells us in 1 Thessalonians that we must Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. It is only through prayer that we become sensitive to the Holy Spirit and learn to yield to his guidance.I definitely feel that I am more lead by the Holy Spirit when I commit myself in prayer and to the word, that is when the spirit ministers to me the most and my spirit is fed.
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It is true that it is in Christ that you find all wisdom and understanding, in Christ we are able to do all things. We need to put on our armours and fight, the full Armour of God is our spiritual defence against attacks by Satan. So don't forget to put on your Armour every morning in order to be able to withstand whatever life through at you.

 

 

 

Be Blessed.

 

 

CONVICTION VS CONDEMNATION

It is important for those of us who are born again Christians, to know that there is a huge difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy of our faith, because it can affect how we approach life.

Condemnation is not of Christ but from the devil in order to keep us in bondage. The holy spirit convicts us in order for him to take us away from sin and to push us towards God in order that we may be set free while the Devil condemns us in order to keep us trapped so that we will drown in our sin due to the feeling of not being worthy of God's love.

 

The condemning spirit of the enemy of our faith works to push us away from God in shame and condemnation, so we are more prone in hopelessness, to continue to do what we should NOT.

For those of us who have sinned, there are usually two feelings that you feel when you sin, one is conviction and the other is condemnation. Conviction is from the Holy Spirit, where he prompts us to confess and be restored to fellowship so God can continue to bless us, Its purpose is to draw us closer to God. Condemnation is from Satan, trying to convince us that we’re no good, and that God will never forgive us. It’s purpose is to keep us away from God by making us feel guilty.

 

The bible says in Romans 8 vs 1 that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. That for me totally clarifies the issue of weather the little voice inside of you is of Christ or of God, it's in the words that is being spoken to you. Is it positive or is it negative? Is it meant to encourage and uplift you or is it meant to keep you down in the feeling of worthlessness?

The bible says in 1John 1 vs 9 that "As soon as we confess our sins, we’re forgiven and the sin is forgotten as God immediately purifies us from all unrighteousness ". That then means that  any bad feelings we have after that are feelings of guilt that come from Satan.

So if you’re being drawn closer to God, you’re feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But if you feel like hiding from God and begin to doubt His love for you, you’re feeling condemnation from the devil. Rebuke those feelings in the name of Jesus. Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you as we are told in James 4 vs 7-10.

Guilt is too much of a load to carry and it is a burden that we need to daily rid ourselves off as it is not from the Lord. The devil will even go as far as bringing negative scriptures to mind because he knows how to quote scripture to his purpose.

 

The devil makes you believe that grace is denied because you didn’t fulfil the conditions where as the holy spirit brings positive scriptures into your mind that will renew your mind and cause you to change your heart.

 

The devil also loves to isolate you from others, Suggestions are sown that cause you to withdraw from other Christians and works on you to think that they reject you. In your isolation, you then feel lonely, hurt, unworthy, rejected by others and angry because his aim to to cause division.

 

The Spirit sends others to minister to you in love thus you learn to accept other’s words of encouragement and to appreciate one another and their ministry to you, he sends others to open your eyes to turn from darkness to light so you may receive forgiveness. He works to unite us in love with other believers and bring forth fellowship.

 

 

Unpack the bags of condemnation and let go of all things that are holding you back for if you are in Christ there is no condemnation and in Christ there is only forgiveness, healing and restoration.


*BLESSINGS*