Women living in Freedom.

Today I attended a ladies meeting at church and I was just so blessed to be surrounded by other women and hearing women and their stories as well as their struggles, challenges and strengths.

I realised just how much women need to be in relationship with each other, instead of judging one another or competing with each other, we were made to love and we should be pouring out God's love on each other.

It is true that as women we tend to put our best foot forward, we want to create an impression that e have everything together, as if we are doing well and are not struggling with anything.  The truth however is that every single one of us as one thing or another that we are struggling with. nobody as a perfect life, we all need each other, we all need help with one thing or another and it is only when we are vulnerable with the problems that we are experiencing will we be able to get freedom.

One thing I have realised is that until we let it out, ask for help, cry out for somebody to rescue you, speak to someone about your struggles, it is only then that we find relief, freedom and we overcome.

So often the devil uses women against women, we are our own worst enemies, the devil uses people who will judge you to prevent you from seeking freedom. We are then isolated and left to struggle and drown in the very thing that we need relief from if only we would talk to someone about it.


There are always people willing to listen, people who have walked through what you are struggling with and have overcome it, people willing to give you advise, to hold your hand, to cry with you...you would be surprised that maybe there is someone who as had victory over the exact same thing that you are struggling with if only you would open up to someone.

Now I know that sometimes it can be a bit difficult because as I said some ladies tend to be a bit judgmental and I also know that as a lady sometimes we do not want to show our weakness out of fear that it may be used against us but the reality is that it is better to be free because it is only in freedom that we are able to live an abundant and fulfilled life, it is only in freedom that we are able to prosper and live our full potential.


So ladies what ever it is that you may be struggling with whether in your life, your relationships, careers, families, whatever it may be, god wants to set you free. Sometimes it is not enough to just pray about it and try to overcome it by ourselves. Ladies we need each other, find someone that you trust, someone who you can confide in, someone you can open up to. Ask God for the spirit of discernment because it is true that we cannot trust everybody.

I was so blessed and challenged to see women being vulnerable with each other today and just opening up and letting God work in us. It is only when we open up and invite God that he will do a Really good thing in us.

God is a gentleman, he doesn't just force his way in, he wants to be invited in, he wants you to want him to set you free, to let you go so that you can live free as God intended.

As women we need to support each other, listen to each other and encourage each other... Too often women are too concerned about what they don't have and the other person as. Living in freedom means that you are thankful what what you have and trust God for what you don't have.

We don't need to compare ourselves to others because we are all special and loved by God....When we realise the depth of God's love, nothing else seems to matter...except living in God's love and freedom.

Life is not meant to be walked alone. God loves us and he wants to set us free and do a good thing in us. Open up and God will meet with you, you will encounter him, God always shows up....Thank You Jesus.


God wants to pour out his love, Receive it....Women need deep and meaningful relationships with each other...

Blessings

When I say "I do"

In exactly 144 days, I will be saying "I do", "I will","I promise to" to the love of my life, my best friend, my favorite person in the whole world. The one who wipes my tears, the one who makes me laugh. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend as his wife.

When I say "I do", it will be the greatest day of my life, a day I will never forget. The day I say "I do", I will be forsaking all others, everything will be perfect because I will be promising in front of family and our beloved friends to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you, taking care of you and dealing with life together.

When I say "I do" it will be because you are the only man I want to spend the rest of my life with, it will be because I want you to be my last kiss, it will be because I want to make you happy, I want to go on my knees every single morning and cover you in prayer as the head of our home.

 I will say "I do" because I will take you to be my husband all the days of our lives until death does us apart. I want to pray with you and discover life together as husband and wife. I want to spend all the precious moments of our lives together as one.


I cannot wait to say "I Do", I cannot wait to be your wife, I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. When I say I do, it will be because I realize that this is a once in a life time kind of love(literally not in a cheesy movie kinda way), A love that God as blessed us with, a love that I want to protect, a love I want to nurture, a love I want to pray for and a love for which I will always thank  God for.

When  I say "I do", it will be because I want to call no other man "my husband", it will be because I want no other man to be the father of my children, I want them to be our children, ones who we will create together. I will say "I do" because I want to live and experience life at its best and worse only with you.

I will say "I do" because no other man can love me the way that you do except God, I will say "I do' because no other person other than God as shown me unconditional love. When I say "I do" it will be because you are the one person that makes me want to be a better me, the best me for you and for us.

I will say "I do" because you made me believe in Love at first sight, I loved you within the first week of meeting and knowing you. It was probably love at first sight even though we only realized it 2 days later. I will say "I do" because I do, I will say "I will" because I will, I will make promises that God will help me to fulfill.


Soon and very soon I will say "I do", "I will", " I promise to" and I cannot wait.

Love:Your future wife.

Fitness-Body and Mind

So recently I decided to change my life style in terms of health, no not after I saw what Boity did or didn't do....Her Curves are not threat!!! Neither was it a new years resolution nor is it to fit into my wedding dress(I can rock my dress just as I am right now). It was more like something within me woke up, arose....

Initially I wanted to slim down a bit for my wedding but a month into gyming and working out that changed. It changed into a desire to be healthy in body and to be physically fit, well that's how it started out but I have since realised that fitness is not only a body thing but actually starts with the mind.

So since January I have been gyming and working out...this is not about the scales(although it would be great to drop a dress size). I am someone who use to be sick quite often, particularly in 2013. I always had headaches, back pains or some pain or another and had extremely high blood pressure and I was always tired. 

Looking back I don't know how I went probably a whole year without any form of exercise. It's no wonder I was always at the doctor. I knew what I needed to do but I was too comfortable with the uncomfortable and I was mentally weak and extremely lazy. This was physical and mental laziness, for goodness sake I am only 26. I knew that I had to do something but kept procrastinating.

So this is not a new hobby, this is a life style that I want to implement, I have discovered the benefits of working out and pushing your body. It's true what they say that exercise is addictive, once you start you feel that your body needs it and as for me I don't know how I lived without it.

Not only do you feel great but you actually have better days at work in terms of been able to push and withstand the pressure, you get less exhausted and are able to do other things except work, home and sleep. This year is quite a big year for me in terms of work, my wedding and other personal goals and exercising is keeping me on top of things. If I didnt change my life style this year, I can't even imagine what would happen to me. Thank God :-)

Being fit is not only physical but also mental. This new lifestyle as forced me to think just beyond...When I am working out, I tell myself that If I am not going to work hard and achieve what I want to achieve in terms of my body, fitness levels, health etc then I might as well be at home sitting in front of the TV as it would all just be a waste of time. 

So when I am at the gym or running with all that in mind, I push beyond yesterday and I am inspired to achieve better than I did the day before. I am inspired to go big or go home and I have now transferred that thought into other areas of my life.

You see whats the point of me going to gym and being physically fit if I am mentally unfit. If I want to achieve something and I tell myself no "I can't" and give myself all the reasons as to why it won't work instead of all the reasons why it will then I am in actual fact mentally unfit and if I am mentally unfit then how will I push myself in gym and other areas of my life because we cannot achieve anything in life unless we are mentally fit. We have to be able to believe that we can do it, it all starts in the mind.

Someone VERY special to me hates the word "I can't". He always gets so annoyed with me every time that I say I can't do something whether in gym or any other thing. To him. "I cant" is a word that doesn't exist. It's a limitation that we put on ourselves. Charles as made em start questioning my "I can't" and turning them into "I will". Thanks Babe :-)


A healthy mind, leads to a healthy body. A fit mind will achieve great things. I decided to stop wishing I was fit, stop dreaming of being fit and to start actively doing something about my health and I have been feeling awesome ever since. No head aches, no sickness just loving and living life.

I encourage all of you guys who as been thinking of getting healthy to do something about it, don't just wish it and think it but actually get up and do something about it. When you decide to do something about it, don't do whats easy or comfortable, push yourself in order to see a difference.


Remember no pain, no gain.

Blessings

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.