I hope I’m not sounding contrived when I say good morning to You. Maybe I’m just being naughty and trying to get your attention. But I’ve had that since, so this can only mean one thing – it’s time to talk.
When I come to You with my heart full and needing to pour just to breakthrough It’s no April fool or a tool to jump the lines to get to You. I just need You!
When in Your presence I seem unsure of that which once was but now feels like force. I chose to trust that You will sense my hesitation and hold my attention. I seek You!
It’s only a fool that says there’s no You. For if they were true to their essence and paid heed to the gapping hole in them (that isn’t assuaged by anything), only then will it become clear… that You seek Truth and Spirit, not brute and spirits.
When my lips can’t say what my heart feels, understand me When layers and layers of clothing cover the “truth”, search me When rights prevent me from obedience, don’t turn away, pull me When it’s more than I can bear, and I can’t draw on Your strength, carry me
Dear God, it’s me again… is it OK to say talk to You later? I seek rest. Read me!
I Am IMAN – I Manifest Adonai’s Nature #UnapologeticallyMe #iman #imaniking #imanwrites #imaninspires
Today, I had an interesting conversation with one of my very dear friends. She was in a dilemma of some sort and honestly, as of today, I couldn’t offer her the assistance she needed (she knew, but still came to me). I thought about it and as we spoke, I knew why.
You see, we have different friends that play several and differing roles in our lives. She has her role in mine and it is a balanced one. Today, she needed to unburden her heart and ensure that I knew where she was at. Beyond that, she needed sound counsel from me. By the way, I have friends we gist and laugh a lot, but at some other times, I just call them up to rant and talk endlessly. They would sit quietly and let me unburden and then pray with me. Cool right? You should have one or two of those I tell you. Before you run off, you should be one of those to someone too!
As we spoke, I could feel her tend towards hopelessness and I remembered that a few months back, we had a conversation and after that we prayed and I said to God after the call, “don’t embarrass Yourself o! I’ve told her she will get an answer from You!” I won’t lie, she needed that answer in a few days and though I promised her on His behalf that it will happen. I had my own questions. Hmmm.
Why? You ask, ‘did I do that?’ Because I know I had spoken His Word and His Word is who He is. I knew He would respond to His Word I had faith in her faith…the way she said the ‘amen’ was something else, so I believed more than I prayed. That’s why I told Him, I had done my part, He should do His. And oh yes, HE DID!
As we spoke today, I reminded her that the God who did that then isn’t bankrupt and doesn’t need an account, so we can’t say He’s run out of money. I shared how we are told that ‘you reap what you sow, but in many folds’. Then the Holy Spirit said to me “If you sow beans and you don’t need beans, you will get what you need”. The scriptures in Philippians 4:19 jumped at me “And my God shall fulfill every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” I said to her, “Yes, I may have sowed a bean seed, but if I need a house, that’s what I will get as long as my faith is in place” and I never thought about it till we had today’s discussion.
We gisted about my Shoe-Faith. What is “Shoe-Faith”? Whenever I need shoes (whatever kind), I simply just say to God (no formality to it), I need a pair of shoe (or shoes), state the height of the heel, the kind (canvas or work shoe or flats etc) and the quantity and He gives me more! I also noticed that the same goes for phones, I’ve never bought myself a phone (definitely for the Heritage – my children, and the house) but I’m always given a phone. My last phone had been begging to be changed because the memory was always full. So I told Him about it and viola! It came. So with phones and shoes, all I need do is ask Him. Once, He said to me, why don’t you use that Shoe-Faith for every other thing you need. I wish I could, it’s so easy with shoes (or so I think), but it just faith at work. And it works all the time.
After all these *tory. We prayed and by the time the call ended, even the walls knew a different person was on the other end of the line. Her voice sounded lighter and I could feel her faith tangibly!
My pastor says it all the time, “Faith is Rest” and I’m resting and enjoying the fruit of the labour Christ finished on the Cross, how about you?
I’m not a pastor, though surrounded by many and married to one. I just love the Lord and the way we do relationship is via words and deeds. He speaks and sends me messages, I understand and respond lovingly to Him…sometimes, I obey, other times I rationalise. But He knows me and understands me…what more could a girl ask for?! God is awe-amazing!
So, it’s Palm Sunday and many things have been said about today. But one that stood out for me was listening to Pastor Ifeanyi talk about the colt being tied up in an obscure place. It had never been used before, probably always ignored because according to the be-it-and-know-it-all, he doesn’t have anything to offer. Imagine, me (that colt) being called up, and prepared because the Master has need of me…omo! Small, ignored me being sought-for, hmmm…the Twitter world will get all the hashtags and I will trend as #TheColtJesusDrove #TheColt #NoLongerTiedUp #FreeToBeUsed #Untied2023…and many more.
As I listened to her give different scenarios of the many things that keep us tied, things that give us limited movement. Things that when we engage, we get pulled back into the same spot. I thought of the ones that have happened in my world and I gave God praise. So when Jesus has called for me and I am being led to Him, imagine the exhilarating feeling of freedom, only to leave my limited movement position and get into confusion in the name of a CROSSROAD, the place where two roads met.
When does it really end?
Will I ever be free, as in totally free to enjoy this liberty!? Well, the sooner I realise that being untied is not about me, but the One who needs my services, the better for me.
I’m off now to serve Him, as you lay your palms for me to walk on, I will keep raising my PALMS to Him in worship, in sweet surrender to the One who knows my end from my beginning. I’ll keep raising my PALMS (hands) to the One who knows that this week will definitely be different and end with sounds of jubilation. I raise my PALMS to the One who gives life to the many seeds that has been buried and given up for dead, because Sunday is going to be the time to RISE!
I was shocked also when I saw that command. I thought of my father’s really beautiful house and the lush grass in front with several mango tress, and the backyard which boast of African Pear (Safou), Udara (African Star Apple) and Palm trees, not to mention the pineapples that are spread in the bush. I left out the Pawpaw trees and the native Apple (Rose Apple) tree amongst others; Daddy loves his farm and fruits!
I remembered the streams, the long path that leads to my maternal Uncle’s house, whom we call Captain. My 2nd daddy’s home, Uncle Richard and the rest of my family members that are in the village. The generational church (The Lutheran Church) we attended as children and still visit when we go for Carols and prayers. I looked at the statement again and I shuddered.
I have read Mark 8:23-26 in the King James Version (KJV) many times and my focus is always on the man and his failing sight; a sight so bad to the extent that even when the Sight-Giver touched him and he still didn’t see! My focus has also been on the need to see men for who they truly are, not metaphorically(I see men as trees, walking), but what and who they are, what they represent and who they represent. Mind you, trees don’t walk, they can sway from side to side, be uprooted, but walking isn’t their thing. It has always been about clear vision that ends all deceit.
But this time when I read it in The Message (MSG), it hit me! That the man had already been healed, but his faith didn’t pull hard enough to see through the maze. In fact verse 25 (KJV) says “After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.” Jesus made him, encouraged him, redirected his focus from the mundane to the supreme (above) and when he obeyed, he saw clearly! MSG collaborates this by saying, “The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus.” Otherwise, we would be saying that Jesus was unable to heal him and that’s not true. The next thing Jesus did shocked me… Jesus sent him straight home, telling him, “Don’t enter the village.”
What is a village? What happens there? Why was the man who had just been healed given that instruction? I wondered…
A village is a small community or group of houses in a rural area. Jesus, the all-knowing Saviour of the world, knew the source of his trouble. He knew the man had a community he loved hanging out with, whose company he enjoyed, a group whose advice he took – hook, line and sinker without doubts, the familiar, the place he lets his guard down, the place his vision is downplayed on and he is robbed of his purpose to the point that he can no longer differentiate right from wrong, a zone he walks in greys – an astigmatic zone. Jesus says, “Don’t enter, don’t go there, go straight home!” Return to base, your vision, the place you have root, the place of certainty, where your heart is at peace. Stop the vacillation! Take a stand!
How many times have we been caught in this place of deceit where we keep thinking that a particular place or person holds the answer to the clarity of purpose we seek? I’m not sure if I have cleared your doubts, but one command I’ll leave you with is, whenever it has to do with your sight or purpose, go back to the Word, don’t enter the village!
Love is the strings I hear that held You bound to the Cross Falling down a cliff, but like Mary, I hung on Your every Word Lost, seeking to find my path through life I dive in, struggling through the battles I strive. Do I have the strength to carry me through? Or the nerve to testify that You’re good? Falling, I held on
Blood is the flood that washed me from every stains of death Blinded with tears, I used grace to wipe my eyes of earth Discovery! The blood didn’t stain, it made free of pain How do I explain the great worth of death and its gain? Does this sound wise or it’s just in my own eyes? That grace bought what was redeemed from the many lies Falling to my knees, I stayed
Hung up on the cross and down to the grave Purpose You made, was to make me no slave Freed! The Word is indeed real and complete Let me be! In Him, I’m beyond defeat Spoken, full of light and power to deliver A token, on which to trust as I believe “Fallen”, the Word was my stay.
Focused people are likely to be termed as rude, unfriendly or unapproachable because they will ignore you till they are done with the matter at hand.
More often than naught you hear a parent say to their ward, ‘FOCUS!’ Knowing toddlers and their propensity to be everywhere at the same time, whilst deriving fun from all those things you think make no sense, it is practically an effort in futility. Ask Peter, and he’d readily recount the inner battles he had, trying to keep his gaze on the Master as he took that first step, as his other senses could feel the wind in his hair, the toss of the wave under his feet. As a matter of fact, it was the turbulence he felt in the place of ‘seeming safety’ (the boat), that sent him seeking a way of escape outside.
How do you focus when the noises within and without is almost louder than the VOICE speaking to you? How do you ‘pretend’ and continue with your trip towards that VOICE, when the trouble is in ya face!!!
The word by itself already tells you that your flow won’t be so straight-forward or steady. You have waited long for an opportunity to show the world what you are capable of and here you are on top speed to catch up with time and you get interrupted!? Who does that to a waiting-mother, single lady or broke man? That’s just not fair!
Interruptions are good. Of course, it doesn’t always look that way, but they are like road bumps or warning signals that cause us to slow down and rethink. Check out the cause or reason for that interruption, you will find a ‘flaw’ that would have brought the whole system crashing after you had painstakingly put the blueprint together.
This morning we were on our way to work and my friend noticed that the temperature went up a bit and back down and up again. We turned off the AC and drove on. But at some point we had to park the car for it to come down and forget about clocking in on time. After a while, we opened to the radiator to discover there was no drop of water in it. Imagine, if we drove on just so we could clock in, we would have had a blown gasket, probably a knocked engine (don’t know much about cars). But it definitely wouldn’t have been nice. That would mean spending money on something that was avoidable.
All it took was enough water and the radiator’s thirst was assuaged! LOL!
It may be a mind-set or an attitude. Check it out and enjoy your interruptions that will lead to your opportunities – the right way.
Last week, I read from one of my pastor’s page and these words jumped at me “Preparation is an act of Faith!” As I pondered over these words, I realized that nothing could be truer than that.
How do you mean? You ask…
Yes, the driving force behind your action or inaction shows how ready you are for the many opportunities that abound. Getting ready by honing your not-so-good abilities, shows that you believe that there is better ahead of you, there’s a canvas in front of you waiting for you to splash on the colors and release a masterpiece which the world has never seen before. You have an idea about what drives you and what aspect of you/creativity you want to share with the world, there’s someone that has gone down that path before. Make use of available information and add a bit of you in it and that’s the difference the world has been waiting for.
Though the ingredients abound, without preparation, the soup or sauce is nowhere ready for eating. Let’s get to work then!
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