Time for Truth!

“Don’t give language to what you don’t want to give life to.”

I believe we are all innately wired to be overcomers. Life will do a daring job to intimidate us with defeat and despair, loss and grief, fear and hopelessness. We all have shards of broken dreams or fractured relationships, the remnants of which, if left, untreated, will only seep into wounds that will fester overtime, threatening to sabotage our God-ordained Destiny.

In the face of such a glaring reality, what does our response look like?

One word – FAITH!

Faith is not calling those things that are as though they are not. Faith is calling those things that are not, as though they ARE.

We don’t deny the reality that confronts us. We acknowledge the circumstances we find ourselves in, but we are faithful and faith-filled enough to elevate the Truth of the Word of God which has the power to CHANGE circumstances.

So, my question is: what are we confessing?

The Bible so eloquently puts it,

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

In the face of overwhelming circumstances, I implore you to lay a hold of Scripture and declare The Word of God over your lives, till you watch the atmosphere shift, circumstances alter and victory manifest. Let me share some with you:

  1. I am who God says I am.
  2. I can do what God says I can do.
  3. I can have what God says I can have.
  4. I can be what God says I can be.
  5. I have been chosen for such a time as this.
  6. I have been justified and redeemed.
  7. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
  8. I am Heaven sent, sent on assignment and Heaven bound.
  9. I will live and not die. and declare the works of The Lord.
  10. I am an image bearer of God.
  11. I am an anointed child of God.
  12. I am healed by the stripes of Jesus.
  13. I am a giant slayer and a world changer.
  14. I am a vessel of generational blessings.
  15. I am a Kingdom builder and a life giver.

Dear friend, I hope and pray that you will consistently choose to exercise the power of your declarations in a way that not only affirms your God-given Identity; but empowers you to be salt and light bringing forth the God colors of life. When the world seems to cave in and you are faced with formidable circumstances to confront, tempestuous storms to weather and deep valleys that seem too daunting; you may be tempted to criticize, condemn or complain; but I am here today to encourage you to not give language to what you don’t want to give life to. I am here today to tell you you can and WILL rise above. I am here to tell you that Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. I am here to tell you that you are not alone, my friend. God Himself, Immanuel tabernacles with us, is in our midst and delights in revolutionizing the messes we tend to dish up for ourselves for our good and His Glory.But it is upto us to align our faith with what He has spoken over our lives, and our language with the heartbeat of Heaven; a language that is seeped in Faith, Hope and Love; a language that the angels hearken to, a language that brings joy to The Father’ Heart, a language that emanates from the depths of a victor destined to win and leave this world a better place.

And that’s YOU, my friend.

Believe it. Live it. Unleash it.

All my love!

Surrender is Strength!

We live in a world that is easily frightened by the term, “surrender.” However, it is not difficult once you recognize the Power, the Love and the Might of The One you are surrendering to.

It is a Scripture all too familiar, yet the cornerstone of our Faith,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Jesus came from Heaven to Earth, fully God and fully human. He came as a man so we could identify with Him, yet He walked the Earth in the fullness of The Holy Spirit. He endured everything that one can possibly fathom – misunderstood, rejected, betrayed, denied, crucified. In His Great Love for us that we may have a forgiveness of our past sins, a brand new start today , a Hope for the future and once our time is done, Eternal Life with God; He took the Cross. He nailed all our failures, all our weaknesses, all our limitations, all our shame, all our brokenness to that Cross at Calvary, but The Good News is that He didn’t stay there. He rose from the dead and as He was raised up, we were raised up too : free, healed, redeemed and set free! Set free from the bondage of the past, and released to experience life more abundant here on Earth and everlasting life thereafter.

Why do I take the time to write what we perhaps already know?

Because I am writing this post after a season that I have wrestled to surrender. I was enslaved within the safety of my comfort zone, yet, in His relentless Love, He came, pursued and enabled me to release that which was necessary for the ushering in of the inevitable. I realized that the end of one season is only the beginning of another, for in Christ, we only go from strength to strength and glory to glory; even when it doesn’t feel like it. We feel like holding on to the familiar, not realizing that the next level of growth and transformation awaits us outside the confines thereof. Courage comes when we remind ourselves of The One we serve – Faithful. As The Word says,

” He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

So, I surrendered. It wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it. I am still navigating the changes that have ensued since but can testify that the point of absolute surrender is the point of absolute victory. When we surrender our will to His, a beautiful divine exchange occurs: beauty for ashes, wholeness for brokenness, Victory for defeat. Because THAT is the beauty of The Cross. Our Savior did not get stuck in a phase. Yes, He was crucified, but He rose again from the grave, and the same Spirit which raised Christ Jesus from the dead lives in us too. Suffice to say, surrender is strength, the point when we lose to Him is actually when we win. When we are at our end is usually when He steps in. As Christine Caine says,

“Impossible is where God starts, and miracles are what He does.”

So friend, if you are struggling in any area of your life right now, my encouragement is simply this, “surrender.” Give The Holy Spirit free reign to move in every facet of your life. Let Heaven invade Earth. Let His Will manifest and co-operate with the person of The Holy Spirit, till it actually does. Let go, Let Him.

Because in Him?

You are already victorious!

So be it,

Amen.

War with Love

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against a spiritual wickedness in high places.”

In the times we find ourselves in today, people are inevitably going to disappoint us, betray us, reject us, deny us, abuse us. We will feel wronged and that life is unfair. But can we, in the midst of it all, find the fortitude within ourselves and pray for wisdom from the Heavens above, to discern that our war is NOT against each other but against the forces of darkness alone. The Bible assures us thus,

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says The Lord.”

We may have to bear the repurcussions of someone else’s poor choices and wrong decisions. But I urge you to never feel like a victim, rather declare the truth that you ARE a victor. You still are God’s child full of His Spirit which gives you power and authority, but most of all, the capacity to love, no matter the circumstance.

Yes.

We can choose to abide in Love, and not let someone else pay for what they never did to us. It becomes imperative to allow our wounds to heal. I believe what truly helps is to pray for those that hurt us, forgive them, release them, and continue to do as The Word instructs;

“Trust God and do good.”

Do good to your family, your friends, your community. your neighbors, your co-workers, your colleagues. Choose to let His Love permeate every broken crevice of your soul till it is so saturated with His Presence that the ones around you feed off of the overflow. Choose to volunteer with the underprivileged, choose to read a testimony to the cancer patient fighting for his life in the hospital, choose to read a bed time story to your ailing grandmother, choose to share The Good News with the prison inmate, choose to affirm Identity in the teenager you find struggling with self worth, choose to make the time to tell your parents you love them, choose to send an apology text that has been weighing on your conscience for sometime now, choose to invest honor in those that have invested in you, choose to pay that long lost friend a visit, choose to see life His way, dear friend. Suffice to say, choose Love. Every.Single.Time.

Till darkness has to back off. Chains are unshackled. Strongholds are broken. Health is restored. Life is revived.

My hope is that having chosen to sow in and through Love, you will find yourself not only more healed, whole and restored; but also reaping rewards you never deemed possible. You will have tapped into and brought forth the spiritual warrior within yourself who understands the power of choice; and having chosen well, will always emerge not bitter, but better.

After all, the best way to war?

is to war with Love.

The follower’s decree

“I don’t have to figure You. I simply need to follow You.”

It came to me at a time when I found myself in a set of unexpected circumstances which inadvertently cause a myriad of emotions one then needs to take the time to process. In the midst of the confusion and chaos, I found myself saying,

“I don’t have to figure You. I simply need to follow You.”

I believe it’s called The Simple Gospel for a reason. Our journey is simple, but perhaps not easy. The unexpected twists and turns along the way can catch us off guard. Change doesn’t always come with a disclaimer. There always are winding roads on the path to our Destiny. But the good news is that it is during these times, we grow closer to the heart of Our Saviour.

In our human frailty, we may, at times, find ourselves questioning why God is moving a certain way in our lives. In our limited wisdom, we reason that if only He would do this or that, life would be easier and we would be on course. At this point, I’m tempted to ask, “How many of us are glad about the Truth contained in Isaiah 55:9?” It goes thus,

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Time and time again, I have had to put my trust in the infallibility of this verse, and you know what? Time and time again, He has come through! Hallelujah!

The circumstances have changed, and with them, I have too. In fact, I still am. And I’m guessing, so are you. I have realized His Love is too relentless to leave us in a state of complacency. As He beckons us to follow Him, we will need to remind ourselves that this is a life path of constant growth and transformation. He knows the end from the beginning. As such, He will challenge us and change us. He will push us out of our comfort zones. At times we may not even like it, and it is precisely at such junctures that we will need to whole heartedly trust the nature and character of Our God. We will need to remind ourselves that He is truly too good to leave us in a state of mediocrity, when we are destined for greatness. Even when we can’t see the whole staircase, our faith in His Goodness will give us the courage to be content in simply taking the next step forward, knowing that in time, He will illuminate all that which perhaps for a season, seems to be a mystery.

If you have chanced upon this post at such a time in your life that you feel the world swirling around you and a mixed bag of emotions churning within you, then take heart! The One who holds you in the center of His palms is perhaps wanting to slowly whisper into your ears a simple yet profound message,

“You don’t have to figure me. You simply have to follow me.”

Good news!

The Wait

“What they call managing and surviving will eventually be flourishing and thriving.”

A season of waiting for breakthrough is never comfortable, but always glorious. It is in this place that The Lord prepares our hearts to be able to hold the weight of the Glory He is about to release. It often makes us looks awkward on the outside, but Heaven stands as a witness to the intricate work that is being birthed and nurtured on the inside.

A premature baby needs extra care, and it’s the same with our dreams and Destiny. So, God in His kindness ordains these seasons to equip and empower us internally to face and slay whatever giants we may need to in order to make our way towards that to which His Voice is leading.

This is called delayed gratification, and in a culture inundated with instant gratification, I know folks get curious. Some may wonder why we seem to be wandering. Why the delay? What’s the purpose?

At such times, I want to encourage you to let this passage of Scripture seep into your bones,

“ ‘For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

We can say this with FULL ASSURANCE because we know that through The Cross, we are already victorious. It may not look like it now, circumstances may be testing every bit of us, but nothing can alter the truth of our outcome;

TRIUMPH!

So, as we wait, let us attune our spirit to hear His Voice lead us on. Let us pay no heed to the lies that come to discourage or dishearten; rather let us be wholly heartened by the truth that,

“What they call managing and surviving will eventually be flourishing and thriving.”

Wait upon The Lord, dear friend.

Wait upon The Lord.

Amen👑

The Father’s Love

“I don’t need you, I want you.”

As God’s chosen ones, we have the absolute privilege of co-partnering with Him to see the fullness of His purposes burst forth not only in our lives, but also in the lives of those that are connected to us. At times, the work may seem to try everything in our mind, body and soul. We may feel tired, drained, or outright overwhelmed. It was during such a vulnerable moment that He spoke to me,

“I don’t need you. I want you.”

What ensued was a bag of mixed emotions, but an undeniable touch of The Father’s Love. It led to a reckoning that He really does not “need” any one of us to accomplish what he desires to see happen in the Earth. He “wants” us.

We are King’s kids. As such, He wants us to walk in constant fellowship with Him and reign in full freedom. He wants us to cultivate a depth in our relationship with Him that will, time and time again, unravel not only greater dimensions of who He is, but also of who we are, for our Identity is tied to Him, and Him alone. He wants us to experience The Potter’s touch that, in turn, puts us in touch with another reality; a reality that is more real than the ground we stand on, having experienced which, begs but one question:

Can we keep this to ourselves?

I’m guessing not.

The work may seem prolonged at times, and at times, simply impossible. But take to heart what He says,

“With man this is impossible, but not with God. With God, all things are possible.”

As I write, He seems to impress upon the term, “with.” After all, He is Immanuel – God WITH us.

Friends, as we steadfastly labor and toil, we may hit points where we feel it’s a bit too much. At such times, we need to remind ourselves that He is WITH us.

In the pain, He is WITH us. In the mystery, He is WITH us. In the confusion, He is WITH us. In the uncertainty, He is WITH us. In the chaos, He is WITH us.

He loves us way too much to leave us by ourselves. His Promise is true,

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He is our Constant Companion, a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He knows what He has called us to and what needs to be factored in for the accomplishment thereof. He could do it all on His own, but He chose to “choose” us. He works patiently with us, forging His own image on the inside of us that we may go out into all of the world and be the salt and light that we are called to be. He is a Father who takes us in baby steps towards the fullness of our God-ordained Destiny. He loves us so much that even when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought, He reaches down into the pit we dig up for ourselves and gently whispers,

“I don’t need you. I want you.”

“Everyone has their own fire to walk through.”

I used to think I had it tough till He spoke, ever so gently,

“Everyone has their own fire to walk through.”

This truth has stilled me and sustained me each time I have felt tempted to wallow in self pity. It has stopped me in my tracks and pulled me by the bootstraps. It has ignited compassion for my fellow travellers and renewed my sense of Purpose. It has taught me, shaped me, corrected me, chastened me, graced me.

I believe there is a direct co-relation between the fire He has you walking through and the anointing it’s purposed to release on your life. Diamonds are forged in fire, and He calls you precious. He has good plans for you and a purpose so uniquely tailor made for you that it’s fulfilment mandates an authentic anointing. It is therefore, futile to compare our anointing with that of another. As surely as we are unique, I believe our anointing is as well. The Bible articulates it the best I know,

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

And we certainly don’t want to be foolish. It would only be prudent therefore, to acknowledge the fact that before we ever covet another’s anointing, we must realise that we don’t even know how much it may have cost them. Wouldn’t we rather embrace our own unique adventure with God and watch Him use our anointing to break yokes off of not only our lives, but also that of those who are connected to us, and that too, not just in the day and age we find ourselves in, but generationally?

I bet we would want to.

So, let us cast aside the temptation to compare as that would only sabotage our own unique, God-given anointing and affect the extent to which we can impact the course of history. Let us instead be grateful for the fire that is refining us in a way beyond compare. It is destroying that which needs to die while simultaneously protecting and purging that which will bring us and birth us into the next dimension of our being and our calling.

So, the next time there is a rap on the door of your heart that beckons you to compare and contrast, simply remind yourself of this subtle yet powerful truth,

“Everyone has their own fire to walk through.”