He is intentional

One thing I have really learned the past year and a half, is that NOTHING in my life is haphazard. Why? Because I believe that GOD IS INTENTIONAL.

I didn't discern it in the moment, but looking back over my life and especially the passed months; I see the different times in which God carried me or went ahead and paved the way. I would like to share one such situation with you. 

I got my current job when I wasn't looking for one. 

When I graduated last year, I wasn't so keen on starting to work full time. In fact, the only job I was looking forward to ,was my summer job as an activity leader at a language summer school. I had worked there the previous year in the English department and I absolutely loved it. However, this time I was going to work in the Dutch department although I had applied for the English one. When the company organizing the summer language school offered me the possibility to work for the Dutch department, I was very hesitant as Dutch is my second language and I wasn't sure if I could manage to converse 24/7 in it. Normally, the company only hired native speakers for their different language departments; so this was an exception for them also. I accepted their offer and on  the 31st July 2017, I started my first day as a Dutch department activity leader. 

For four weeks, I was immersed in Dutch and eventually I improved in it myself. It was during those 4 weeks that I applied for my current job. One day, I was on LinkedIn and randomly liked a job vacancy post by a recruiter. After I liked her post, she messaged me privately and asked if I was interested in applying for the job since it fitted my profile. So I applied. A few days later, I had a telephone interview with her in Dutch; and sometime later, a formal interview with the hiring manager also in Dutch. Both interviews went smoothly and I spoke with such ease and confidence. Sometime later, I got the news that I was hired and after signing my contract, I started work on the 31st August 2017. 

So where is God's intentionality in this situation?

For one, I believe God opened the opportunity for me to work in the Dutch department so that I could be more prepared for my job application. My Dutch was good enough before the summer school; but if I didn't use it by being placed in the English department, it would have deteriorated in those weeks just like any second language that isn't used often. Indeed, I wasn't at the summer school only to improve my Dutch for my application; God's intentionality showed itself in many other ways but this is one that really stuck for me. 

Further, I see how God is using Dutch to prepare me to learn German; which will soon become one of my main languages of communication. He is also using my current job to get me in the workforce in Germany by giving me the opportunity to apply for a job in Germany within the company. 

So, all I am saying is that nothing is in vain. I remember being frustrated about not getting the opportunity to work for the English department; but looking back I see that it wasn't for nothing that I got the Dutch department offer instead. 

I'm sure that you too can look back on your life and see His hand guiding and leading you. 

Be confident, dear reader, that no matter what you face; He knows and He's in control. I know I shared something positive, but even in the difficulties He is able and He wastes nothing. I have a testimony coming up about God's intentionality also in difficult times. He is the God of the hills and valleys. 

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. - Proverbs 19:21

Check out this beautiful song by Travis Green: Intentional

Blessings,

Twisile x

You've got mail: an update

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your patience with me.

I have been m.i.a for waaaaaay too long.
7 months to be precious.
SEVEN MONTHS!!
Gosh, its unbelievable.

I AM SO SORRY.

Although it is inexcusable not only because it was my new year's resolution to write a post monthly but also because it showed my lack of commitment to something I LOVE doing.
However, please do accept my excuses.

I was super busy with work, long distance engagement, wedding planning, church activities and activities with friends. My week days AND weekends were always packed. Yes, I like being busy...it's an addiction...seriously.

But I have good news for you and I!

Yes, great news , in fact the best news!

I have decided to prioritize myself.

That means, taking time to do not only the things that are required or give the biggest return but also those that are rewarding, things I enjoy..and blogging is one of them! Some others are reading and sleeping. Hehehehe

So I have set apart a specific time for blogging...drum roll...WEEKLY!
Yaass, you read right. WEEKLY, meaning that I'll post at least on a monthly or biweekly basis.

 *pops bottle*

So stay tuned. I have some awesome posts about work, our wedding, and my faith journey coming up.

Blessings,

Twisile x

Made A Way

This is my testimony.

On 07 July 2017, I graduated with a great distinction from my Master's in Biomedical Sciences. A Dutch 5 year degree program.

I was not born clever.
God made this possible. He made a way for me.

This is my story.

My early primary years were a struggle, I often came 2nd or 3rd from last in a class of about 30 pupils. I even had to repeat one year. However, my breakthrough came 2 years after we had moved to Zimbabwe, when I was promoted to the faster stream in grade 7. And in high school, I became one of the top students in my class. And when I finished high school in Suriname on 25 May 2011, I was the best in my class.

A month later, I went to Belgium to study at university. Well I actually like to say that I was sent by my parents lol. Belgium was the best option for me to study except for one thing, I couldn't  speak , Dutch,the language I would be studying in. I knew how to greet people but beyond that I didn't understand a thing. Having studied in English all my life this was quite a disappointment and at the same time a horrifying thing. However, my parents were confident that a one year advanced Dutch-as -a-second-language course would remove the language barrier.

So on 11 June 2011, I landed in Belgium and started my new student life with my sister. During the summer, in preparation for a placement test, I did some Dutch self study with a language book I got from a friend. I was motivated to learn Dutch since my higher education depended on it. I came back from the placement test with a headache...convinced that I would probably start in level A1 but God being so good I started in level B1 (the 3rd level) in September. I didn't expect it at all. About 6 months later, I had obtained the necessary certificate to prove that I was proficient enough to study in Dutch at university.

I started studying Biomedical Sciences in September 2012. My first year was nothing but hectic. I didn't know anyone for the first few weeks and spent most lectures seated at the very back of the auditorium. I would get back home after classes very dejected...I didn't understand my courses so well...I doubted I would make it beyond 1st semester. But God being good and gracious, I had my sister who encouraged me and He gave me friends that helped me through my 1st year in so many ways. Some gave me notes or summaries,  others were willing to sit down with me until I understood the topic and even others studied with me in the library till it closed. God also gave me professors that were understanding...who didn't mark me based on my language but on my knowledge. I made it through first year, I had average grades and only had to resit one course.

In 2nd year, I became friend's with someone without whom the rest of  my uni years would have been very difficult and  very different. We became each others go to person when we needed further explanations or needed to discuss certain topics. We made a good team academically and socially.

When I finished my Bacherlor's degree in August 2015, my grades had improved over the years from my initial 52% overal grade to 62%. I had had 2 resits in total.
In September 2015, I started my Master's degree. Before I started, I asked God for one thing...that I would have no resists, I didn't want to spend my last summer vacations studying for exams and He answered my prayers and more! I had no resists and I graduated with a great distinction (73%).

Though my beginning was small, God made my ending big.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." - Ephesians 3:20

God did it for me, He will surely do it for you!

Wanting What God Wants

I came across a beautiful quote about a year ago in my news feed. I instantly liked and it saved the image with the quote on it. I remember thinking to myself that that's exactly what I wanted to be true in my life, I wanted God to have His way. I also remember thinking along the lines of Jeremiah 29:11, because God has good plans for me, then why wouldn't I want what He wanted for me more than what I wanted for myself? After all, His plans for my life are waaaay better! 

However, a couple weeks ago when I was studying Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer, I came to understand the quote in a whole new way. The thing is, my desires (like many other people's desires) are not always in line with God's. There are times, everyday, when what I want to do or say  will not please Him and is contrary to His will and plans for my life. There is this gap between God's desires and mine. Although I do not have the power to always be in line with God's desires, God has done something in me that enables me to want and do what He wants. God has placed His Holy Spirit within me to will and do what pleases Him. 

 "The Holy Spirit will never [ever] tell us to do anything that isn't in God's will. He speaks exactly what He hears from the Father. He begins to influence our minds, will, emotions and bodies to desire what is pleasing to God and will bring Him glory. " - Priscilla Shirer

So the first part is that it is God's work.

- God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him (Phil 2:13)

- Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

"Our responsibility is to cooperate by obeying His promptings and bathing ourselves in the Word and in prayer. - Priscilla Shirer

But just because it is God's work, doesn't mean that we don't have a part to play. The second part is our response in obedience and in yielding.

- Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. (Phil2:12, NLT)

- I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you (Romans 12:1)

Thus, to want what God wants is not just to want His good plans for us; but it is also do desire what He desires. This means that we must be intentionally aware of the Holy Spirit and what He is speaking to us more than our own minds, bodies, emotions etc. And that we should response by yielding and obeying. 

I'll end with an example. This week, I had made a mistake with the experiment I was performing which made the data I had already collected useless. I knew I needed to inform my supervisor and instructor about the mistake I had made but I was scared and I was contemplating whether or to tell the truth. I had to remind myself that as God's child I was not a liar and that no matter how hard it would be to admit my mistake, I was to please God and not myself. I eventually braced myself and informed them. Of course both were disappointed but they also understood that such mistakes can indeed happen. In this case, the Holy Spirit reminded me of my identity and I responded by obeying. Although it was not easy, it was worth it because I knew that I did something that made God proud. 

Blessings💜


If you evaluate your own life, are you more prone to want what is contrary to God's wants?
In which areas of your life to you struggle with this the most?
What steps can you take to change that?

Check out Discerning the Voice of God from Priscilla Shirer! It's absolutely amazing! :) 

Alive and Powerful

Hello there 😊!

My sincere apologies for being MIA, it's been hectic and difficult to find a balance between all my activities. I had planned to post at least once a month but alas, that didn't happen so far but I'm working on it :). With that being said, I wanted to share something that's been on my heart and mind for some time now:  the danger of knowing the Word of God but not experiencing it's power.

You see, the Word of God is food for our spirit (1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:12-14) and we need food to function normally. The energy we get enables us to do our daily activities. Therefore, we believers need a daily portion of the Word to keep us functioning properly. If we stop eating, we become malnourished and fail to grow; on the other hand, if we eat a lot but don't use the energy, we become obese and limited in our activities.When I had the idea to write this post, I saw myself as an obese person receiving therapy; that is, I knew a lot but applied very little. I had a lot of information stuck in my head and not in my heart. So in order to avoid either extremes of this spectrum, we need a good balance between intake and work out.

How can we get this balance? We need to understand a couple of things. First, we need to desire and make it a habit to read the Bible daily. Secondly, when we read the Word it first touches our minds, we gain knowledge. But in order for the Word to have an impact on our lives, it needs to reach our hearts because out of the heart flow the things patterning to life (Proverbs 4:23). It's the Word in our hearts that changes the way we see things and our behavior. I'm not saying that the mind is less important, the mind is needed;that's were digestion happens. But after digestion, the Word needs to go where it will be used and that's the heart. But if it stays only in the head, there is knowledge but no application. And if there is no application then we've got a problem because it is meant to benefit you as a believer when you read it. You should be able to bear the good fruit of the Spirit.

I also want to stress that putting to practice the Word in our lives, is the work we do together with the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:26-27). If we try to do it on our own, we become legalistic.As we read the Bible, we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us and to show us ways we can apply it, we also need meditate on the Word (chew on it over and over again until it's in the proper form for absorption and use). This is what am currently learning to do and it's not always easy but it's a start.

There are numerous verses in Scripture that point to it's usefulness in our daily lives and how crucial it is that we apply it in our lives. I have mentioned a couple below.
1. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. - Psalm 119:105

2.For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. - Hebrews 4:12

3. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  - James 1:22-25

4. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.- 2 Timothy 3:16
 
On other hand, however, I also want to remind us that the Bible is not just there to pointing fingers at what needs to be "fixed" in our lives but it is primary a revelation of God. And a friend of mine states it perfectly "The Bible is not only a reflective surface, where you look at yourself and see which areas need patching up. Read it and use it to see who God is and to understand His nature." So it's about learning about His nature that we may become more and more like Him.

Where do you find yourself on the spectrum? What steps do you want to take to do better? 

Blessings 💜

Check out:
- This devotional that spoke to me profoundly about this topic: Bearing Good Fruit
- A post from a friend: Mornings with Jesus

Fighting the Right Way

Confession.

I struggle with perfection. 

So much so that I spent most of last year hiding my mess from God. I found it hard to go to God with my struggles. My (inner) battles. I was convinced He didn't want to see nor  know about them; that He wanted me to have it all together. I thought I had to fight alone, which I tried a couple of times and every time I lost miserably; even if I started on a good note, it was never long before I failed. It didn't matter how determined I was or how much preparation I had, the result was always the same. Failure. My continuous failure took away whatever willpower I had to continue fighting and so I gave up.

 But now I realise that I was believing a series of lies. 

First, I was convinced that God didn't want me to share my mess with Him but I realise now that with intimacy comes vulnerability. If I was in close fellowship with God, which I wasn't, I would have known that He wanted me to tell Him about my mess and ask Him for help. Just as we tend to open up more, the more we know a person, so it is with God. The deeper our relationship with Him is, the more likely that we'll share our very hearts with Him. 

Secondly, I thought I could conceal my struggles but now I realise that there is no point in hiding anything from God because He knows and sees it all (Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 139). Inside of hiding things from God, we should be taking these things to Him and asking Him for power to overcome them. Praying for conviction also otherwise our hearts become hardened.   

Thirdly, I assumed that God didn't understand me nor my struggles but now I realise that He knows my frame. After all He made me. God knows both our strengths and weaknesses. I know that I need His help and for me to think that He doesn't want to help me is very wrong; after all Christ came at a time when we were utterly helpless (Romans 5:6). Without His strength, if we don't rely on the Holy Spirit, we will eventually fail. It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to overcome the power of sin through Christ (Romans 8:2).

Finally, although I knew that God's love for me was unconditional, I believed that He surely couldn't love the mess that I was. But God loves us so so much. I found and still find this the hardest truth to grasp fully. God's love for the individual is so vast! When I lost my battles, I somehow thought that I had let God down and that He probably didn't want anything to do with me. I was a failure after all. However, He loves me despite my faults. He loved me when I was His enemy and His love for us all was revealed in Jesus' death on the cross (Romans 5:8). If He loved me so then, what more now that I am His child? God's love for me isn't a blank cheque to sin as much as I want, it's actually the contrary. His love for me should motivate me to love Him back, and that means keeping His commandments (Romans 6, John 14:15-26; 15:10-17; 1John 2:5).

So to make a long story a bit short, God is teaching me to fight the right way. With Him. We are not meant to fight our battles on our own, don't make the mistake I made. Invite Him in. You can only kill a Goliath with a stone when you know whose you are and Who is on  your side!

This song by Steffany Gretzinger: Out of Hiding (Father's Song) summarizes what I just wrote perfectly. I also love this song by Positive on a similar theme: Two Man Army. Last but not least this beautiful sermon by Kim Walker Smith (I didn't even know that she preached??!!): The Art of Vulnerability. Check them out!

What lies have you believed about battles? What truths has God shown you? Leave a comment below!

Blessings 💜

Resolutions: changing for the better

Hello there!😊


My purpose for this blog is deeply rooted in my previous post (click on the link if you haven't read it: 2016: Reflections & Resolutions), in which I mentioned the importance writing down a resolutions list and reviewing it regularly. I also mentioned a lesson I learned last year, that lasting change begins, continues and ends with the Holy Spirit.

 I have already started working on my resolution list, and it's already pretty long although it's not done..and that's kind of scary BUT the good thing is that most of the points are interconnected, so we'll just call it detailed instead of long 😉.  And these past days, God has been pointing out things to me that need to change...things that I didn't consider when I started writing. God wants me to change for the better and He is initiating that change, and that perfectly aligns with what I wrote about lasting change. The things that He has been pointing out are so deep and definitely something that needs to be worked on before I find myself in worse situations. I see that God is giving me another chance or a grace period and I am so thankful for it. I see them as "God's resolution list" for me and I'll be sharing them in the coming posts.

So this whole, "God's resolution list" kind of shocked me and I was wondering if it's Biblical and it actually is. Let me explain. I was reminded of these verses from Psalm 139.

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; 

Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—then guide me on the road to eternal life.

God knows us our hearts through and through. He knows everything about us. He can examine our lives and point out things that are wrong in our lives and He can lead us on the road to right road. 

So as good as it is to write lists from our view, we have an incomplete view of ourselves. Therefore, I encourage you to ask God to point out areas as you write your list. Some of you may be thinking that it's too far into the new year to write or to be talking about resolutions or even to make them. But let me remind you that we have 340 days left of the year, and January isn't over yet!😁 It's never too late to want to change for the better, and we don't have to wait for a new year to make resolutions. Everyday is an opportunity to do better. And last but not least, let us ask God to guide us so that we can live out the resolutions that we have.

Blessings 💜

Relationship Series Part 1: Eggshell

I suppose I can say that I grew up in church. I remember going as a kid and I continued to as I grew older. I was surrounded by Christianity not only in church but in school too. So, what I knew about God was mainly from Sunday school, youth group and school. My knowledge and understanding of God developed more in Suriname and Belgium between my late teens and early twenties. In this time, I began to understand God and the Bible more. God was no longer this far-off person and the Bible was no longer “that-book-that-I-couldn’t-understand”.

However, despite this progression, my life was not completely surrendered to Him. Sunday belonged for God and the rest of the week belonged to me. There was a disconnection between the girl who sat in church and the girl who swore and went clubbing until the wee hours of Sunday morning. I thought I could enjoy the best of both worlds but that was a lie from the very pit of hell. I blended in with other church folk externally but was empty on the inside, like an egg shell without it’s crucial internal components. Although I could fool others, I could not fool God. Christ was not the centre of my life.

It’s only by God’s wonderful mercy that I got out of that pit. He placed people in my path that planted seeds of truth that led to my liberty. 

I wrote this post to remind and warn that being a church-goer or in an open relationship with God isn’t real Christianity. The devil wants us to believe that it is okay to love both world and God; that we don’t need to choose one or the other. But that is such a big fat LIE! You can’t have the best of both worlds because you’ll love one and hate the other (Matthew 6:24), and loving the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Choices have to be made, all or nothing choices. God wants all of us not just some of us. We are to love Him with everything that we are: all your heart, all your mind, all your strength and all your soul. 

So maybe you were once like me, and well I thank God that He got us out of that pit! Maybe you are in that pit now, if so, don’t lose hope! He got me out, He surely can do it for you too. All you need to do respond to His call for surrender and daily pick up your cross and follow Him. It doesn’t mean you won’t fall, you will but you’ll get up each time (Proverbs 24:16). 

Blessings

Sharing is Caring

The societies we are a living in, especially in the West, are evolving from ones that are concerned about others to ones that are individualized and closed. And as a result, we are becoming the kind of people that "mind our own business" in other words, people that are concerned only about themselves.

 This change and it's consequences are contrary to what God desires of us. Human beings are created in the image of God. God is a relational being and is greatly concerned about our welfare. So when we become less relational and more selfish, we are acting in an abnormal manner. One of the most important ways to show genuine care for others is by sharing the Gospel in word and in deed, God doesn't want us to live among the lost without caring enough to tell them about His love which was so richly expressed in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection three days later.

In the years that I have been living in Belgium, I have found it hard to be an effective witness of Jesus not only because of the above mentioned reason. For the first two years, I was uncertain of my faith although I still sought God, it's not easy to talk about someone you don't know. After my baptism, it was mainly because I was afraid of what people would think of me if they knew that I believed or  I was not confident enough to start a conversation about the Gospel.

But last month, God had been speaking to me and teaching me about evangelism in so many ways.
- He encouraged me to not only know my faith but also share it and  He reminded me that I am His ambassador through whom many will come to know Him.
- He helped me understand that  it's not my job to convict and cause people to confess that Jesus is Lord but that my part is in planting the seed which He will tend and cause to grow.
- He showed me that each day is a day for salvation and that I should seize every opportunity that comes my way.
-  Although I can witness with my lifestyle, I can also do so with my mouth; after all, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. This to for me, has been the most important lesson because I had always relied more on my lifestyle to witness to people. However, I have also been given a mouth to speak words of life. One method is not better than the other, both a biblical and both should be used.
- Lastly, He made me realize that wherever and with whoever I am, I am there to witness.

 All this has been a lot to take in but the Holy Spirit both teaches and enables us to do good works of which evangelism is one. We can not witness in our own strength. Instead effective witnessing is a result of a rich relationship God which develops from spending time with Him, the knowledge of one's identity in Christ and a correct understanding of the Bible. The more I will know Him, the easier it will be to tell someone about Him. And the more I understand that I have not been given a Spirit of fear, the more I will not be ashamed to tell others about the Lord. Lastly, the more I understand the Bible, the better I will explain the faith.

The sharing of the Gospel to a single person has a ripple effect, like that which is seen when a stone is thrown in a lake with each subsequent wave growing larger, it not only affects the person in which the seed was planted but also his/her lineage and  the lineage of others around him/her.

What greater gift is there to give to someone than the message of eternal life because of God's love displayed in Jesus' death and resurrection?

Now is the time of salvation! Be bold, be silent no more!



How has God been using you to draw people to Himself? What do you find difficult about the sharing the Gospel? Which songs inspire you to evangelize?

Two songs that have greatly inspired me about witnessing are Tell The World by Lecrae ft Mali Music and  Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective. 

Check out these devotionals from Our Daily Bread about evangelizing:
Evie's Decision
A Pleasing Aroma

Three & Free Indeed!

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. - John 8:34-36 

 Three years ago today, I got baptized and decided to take my walk with Christ seriously :)!
I have had ups and downs, overflows of  living water and dry spells. It hasn't been a problem-free, cherries and roses 3 years. However, it's still the best decision I have ever made, I don't regret it!

A wise person once said that you can't met the real Jesus and stay the same, having Him in my life has indeed changed me for the better. And I am sure that many fellow believers can agree with that! The Gospel changes everything! And definitely for the better!

The song, Thank You Lord by Israel & New Breed, is my celebration song  for this wonderful occasion!

 If you, my friend, are still doubting about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, doubt no more. Believe! His arms are open wide, ready to welcome you to a new life full of adventure! Delay no more. Now is the time for salvation.

Masterpieces of Grace

Leuven is a lovely small city. Every year and in different places something is always under-construction, it can be anything but usually it is a building, a road or a roof.The same is true for other cities like Ghent and Brussels. Renovation can be considered as something typically Belgium. Just take a walk outside and you will hear the drilling machines, the sounds of hammers hitting metal and you will see the builders at work from early morning to late afternoon in winter, spring, summer and autumn and in all kinds of weather too. Their dedication is visible. They want to see the project complete and to admire the beautiful result of hard work.  

Apart from Belgians, I  know Someone who is an expert and incredibly skilled in all things regarding restoration, renewal and rebuilding and He works on people. His name is Jesus. You might think and be convinced that people do not need repair, but we do. We are not in our original state. We used to be, until the fall and are in great need of restoration. Let me be explain further.

When God created the earth and made the first humans (Adam and Eve) in His image, it was very good (Genesis 1:31). But Adam and Eve went against God by disobeying Him. This lead to what we call sin, and every human being after Adam and Eve is born with it (Genesis 3). The problem about sin is that it destroys and disfigures us; it has stolen our true identity and left us empty and separated from God. Sin has made a mess of life. But the good news is that God has given us a solution to this sin problem. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who was in every way human as we are but without sin. He lived, died and rose again. In dying all sin was laid on Him and in rising up again from death, He destroyed the power of sin and all it's consequences such as death for example (Hebrews 2:10-18). So when we accept and confess our sins and  trust that Jesus did this for us, we are saved and we receive eternal life, new life (John 3:16, Rom.10:9; 2Cor 5:17).

This new life consists of a lot of restoration, God bringing us to be like His Son; so in a way taking us back to our original state. He intends for us to be as holy and blameless as He is. So Christians are in fact people under-construction, this project lasts for a lifetime and ends either when we die or when Jesus returns (1Cor 15:35-58). Jesus through His Holy Spirit and our effort is slowly but surely changing our hearts and giving us new habits, new goals, new attitudes (Titus 3:5). Some habits are easier to break than others, some new characteristics will take more time and energy to learn. Some wounds are harder to heal, and painful to treat but they will be healed completely because God is not the type who doesn't finish His projects (Philippians 1:6). However, we should not use this fact that we are being renovated as an excuse to fall back into old destructive habits but as a propeller that energizes to seek to work and cooperate with God. 

And the great thing about this restoration is that, God is not only restoring human beings but everything and one day there will be a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21).

Salvation is only the beginning and Christ is making all things new!

Share your story in the comment section below or with a sister or brother, what new habits has God placed in you? What old habits has He taken away? 

For further reading on this topic, check out the links below (the short list) ;)

http://odb.org/2016/05/01/the-restoration-business/
http://odb.org/2016/05/04/out-of-the-ruins/
http://odb.org/2015/12/02/glass-beach/
http://odb.org/2016/02/03/training-for-life-2/
http://odb.org/2015/06/03/something-new/
http://odb.org/2015/07/27/the-checkup/

Daily Choices & Decisions (Wisdom II)

In my last post, I wrote about wisdom and God (No Longer Encyclopedias). In this post, I am focusing on how to get wisdom and why it is beneficial. 

  

The Bible encourages us to ask for wisdom from God and trust Him to give it to us (James 1:5). Therefore, just as Solomon asked God for wisdom, so can we. For the longest time, I have only asked for academic wisdom but then I realized that I was limiting myself and was in greater need of wisdom for life.

Receiving wisdom doesn't mean that I will SUDDENLY know and understand all things. It's not automatic. If we look at Solomon, his wisdom was first displayed in the judgement of who the baby's mother was (1 Kings 3:16-28) and that was a sometime after he received it from God. And he didn't suddenly write thousands of poems and proverbs (1 Kings 4:29-34), he wrote them over the course of his life. So when we ask and receive wisdom, we don't suddenly become super geniuses but it's a process that is visible in our actions and decisions day after day.
 

from 887thebridge.tumblr.com

Wisdom therefore is displayed in the daily decisions we make. For example, the Bible says in Proverbs that "he who vents his anger is a fool", but that "a person's wisdom makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense" (Proverbs 29:11; 19:11). This is something I am currently struggling with. The thing is, my boyfriend is forgetful unlike me; and there have been times where I have gotten angry over the silliest things that I could have easily overlooked but my own pride and foolishness always got in the way. And it's only afterwards that I realize that I have hurt his feelings and did show him love. So although I have asked for wisdom, I am learning to live wisely daily by seeing my wrongs and aiming to do better next time. It does not mean that I will not fail, the honest truth is that I will but the important thing is that I will get up each time and try my to do better the next time by the power of the Spirit (the righteous fall seven times, they rise again; Proverbs 24:16). 

So far, I have written about how we can get wisdom. Now, a good question to ask is: why on earth would you want wisdom? Here is a short list of the benefits of wisdom, the rest can be found in the Bible ;)         
Proverbs 19:8 = it shows that you love yourself and it will cause you to prosper
Proverbs 1:33 = you will live in peace, untroubled by harm.
Proverbs 2:12, 16 = will save you from evil people, from immoral women
Proverbs 3:13-18, 35; = more precious than silver, gold or rubies; life and riches and honor;
Proverbs 4:4-9 = protection, good judgement,honor

So don't miss out! Get wisdom!

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise" -Ephesians 5:15

God bless you!  

No Longer Encyclopedias (Wisdom)

In this post and the ones to follow I will be writing about wisdom: what is it, how to get it and why it's important (i.e. what are the benefits).

 Many of us when we hear the word  wisdom automatically think of Solomon. Although wisdom is instantaneously linked  to Solomon, it does not start nor end with him. 

So what is wisdom?

photo credit: simplydivinelove.blogspot.com

Wisdom is found in God and that's where Solomon got his (1Sam. 3). In Job and Proverbs, we are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear the Lord means to have reverence for Him, and reverence is to show respect or honor. And what other better way is there to show God that He is worthy of honor and respect other than to obey Him? Wisdom is obedience, this should be an obedience out of love (trust me, you don't want be a Pharisee). Thus without God there is no wisdom and when you find God you also find wisdom. Colossians 2:3 also tells us that all wisdom and knowledge is found in Christ. That's why I think that the Bible also says that he who says there is no God is a fool (Psalm 14:1). And here is where we see that wisdom is not equal to intelligence because there are some pretty clever people out there that don't believe in God. Thus human wisdom will not get you anywhere with God,we need His wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

How does it differ from knowledge?

 "Wisdom is the right use of knowledge." -Charles Spurgeon

  

"Knowledge is awareness of facts and

 wisdom is awareness of how to use those facts for good goals."- John Piper

So it's knowing what you should and should not do, and acting upon it. (Eph.5:15-17, James 1:22)

Let me give an example to make it more clearer. I recently read a book on sexual purity. I learned a lot from it, it was a great eye-opener. As long as I don't apply what I learned, I am not better than where I was before. Yes, I may know that the devil and my flesh are fighting within me to take the upper hand and cause me to fail, and I may know that I need the Holy Spirit to win this fight.But as long as I don't apply what I learned; then I might as well have not read the book. Then I am being a fool! 

This is applies to everything.For example in our readings of the Bible a lot of truth is revealed to us but as long as we don't apply and use it. As long as we don't let it marinate and take root in our hearts, then they just plain facts. This is an issue I recognize in myself, I read the Word daily but I am very weak spiritually because one of the reasons is that I am being a fool and not applying what am reading. And honestly, am fed up and super happy that God has shown me the step that am missing out time and time again.

Thus in all our getting, let us get wisdom by acting on our knowledge.
  
 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." - Matthew 7:24

 "If you don’t have wisdom that goes with knowledge, you are only a walking encyclopedia. A book of knowledge is useless without the wisdom to know how to apply that knowledge." - Jack Wellman

Stay blessed xoxo

 The book I read on purity is called Sex and the Single Christian Girl by Marian Jordan Ellis (YOU SHOULD READ IT'S AMAZING). Thanks to my dear friend, Mukase, for recommending it to me :)

Lost & Found

I don't know why but I am learning a lot from phones lately. 

On Saturday, I made a trip to Germany. And on one of my trains to my final destination I found an iPhone 6 on a chair. I tried to find the train conductor to hand it in but there was none. So I took it with me hoping that the owner or one of their contacts will finally call after realising that it's missing. To cut the story short, a day later I received neither a call nor a message. I was desperate to find the owner but helas the phone was locked and I eventually was left with the option of handing it to the police which I did. I would have rather seen the phone back in the owner's hands but not handing it in to the police would have been deemed as robbery. No finders-keepers principle here. The law is clear about such things (theft by finding).

But then it got me thinking. How can someone FORGET AN  IPHONE 6 FOR SO LONG? HOW??? How can anyone forget their smartphone? Definitely not me (LOL) but now I know that it can happen. Maybe the person didn't value it or it's not precious to them. Or maybe they are not a phone person which is hard to imagine nowadays but it's possible. 

Then I remembered Jesus who came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10, Matthew 18:11). He went to great lengths, the greatest lengths actually to save us who were lost. He didn't forget about us nor leave us to find a solution ourselves; But He became flesh and died a criminals death for our sake and He rose again on the 3rd day so that we may have eternal life. We sure are precious to Him. No doubt about that.  He did so much for us all. He came for ALL people, every single human being is precious to Him. Today He is calling and opens His arms to everyone who believes in Him and sees their need for Him. He loves you and has shown the greatness of His love. A love that nothing can separate us from. 

We aren't meant to stay lost forever instead we are meant to be with Him forever. 

Thank you Lord that you didn't  forget us but came to seek and save that which was lost. 

"Jesus, you are the one who saves, not us. Thank you for rest, for hushing the furious winds of our faithless works. Thank you for stopping the strivings of our souls. Overcome us more and more with the glory of your grace, and make our posture toward others echo this summary of your gospel: “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”" - Jonathan Parnell

If you haven't accepted Jesus into your life, you can do it now. Now is the time of salvation. Don't delay.

God bless xoxo