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 💜

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/

Guest Post:The Word of God by Myriam Ndanga

The Word of God, when we think about it, we think about the Bible.

But the Word of God is so much more. Let's take a look at the Bible and at Jesus.

The Bible is active and alive, it's our daily bread, it gives life, it's the Truth, it shows us the way, it is there for correction, encouragement and teaching, it's as sharp as a double sided sword, it's perfect in itself, it enlightens our ways by enlightening the path of our feet and much more.

Jesus is the living Word of God. He was in the beginning and He was with God and He was God Himself. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus says of Himself that He is the Truth, the Way and the Life. He says that He is the Bread of Life. He speaks what God speaks without error. When He speaks, He speaks with divine authority, with grace, with wisdom, with power, with knowledge, with truth and love. He proclaims the righteousness of God. And He uses Scripture to rebuke and correct and to guide.

Now, both of them are the Word of God but we can not live with one while neglecting the other one. They belong together and are one. You can not love Jesus but have no desire to read the Word also if you think that Jesus spoke to you but you can't find it in the Word it is not of Jesus, since He doesn't speak anything against or not according to His Word.

The Word of God is what God, Himself, speaks. It is what He thinks and it is coming out of His very heart. When we know and understand His Word, we get to know and understand His heart.

It is very interesting to see that He blessed us with His whole Word. Now, this doesn't mean that God doesn't have more to say, NO! God's wisdom is endless. It just means that He told us everything WE need to know in order to survive in this world and to be prepared for the world to come. He told us everything we need to know from beginning to end. There is nothing which should surprise us since He made sure to tell us everything we need to know concerning history, present and future events.

His Word also says that it is forbidden to take anything away from it or to add anything to it. Otherwise the Word would be twisted and not perfect and complete and holy in itself. It wouldn't be 100% the truth.

With that being said there are two parts of the Word. The reading part and the living part. The Scriptures help us to understand God's heart and will for our lives and Jesus helps us living according to it through His Holy Spirit. 

If you don't read the Word, you won't understand God and you would be spiritually dead and defenseless against the tricks of the enemy. If you don't live it, you can't please God, since your faith wouldn't be complete and faith without works is dead and it's impossible to please God without faith.

We have to abide in Him and His Word to understand and live it. 

Through His Word, by beholding Jesus, we are being transformed more and more into His image.

Just as Jesus is with us everywhere and everyday of our lives, it's important that the written Word is with us everyday and everywhere too.

Blessings through rain drops

A few Sundays ago, I watched Inside Out with a special someone. Overall, it is a great movie because I love animations and also because it has some good life lessons. One of the things I learned was that even though we think that sadness is irrelevant, it actually plays an important role in our lives. If  I were to ask a couple people to choose between sadness and joy, many would opt for joy. I probably would too, after all joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and I am definitely thankful for it. But sadness and all it encompasses has a purpose beyond what we think or often hear of.

Trials,injustices and suffering can result in sadness, grief and sorrow. But these are not the only results, apart from the gloomy and negative stuff, we have the some positive stuff  too. The Bible encourages us to take on a different aspect, to see beyond the obvious and common results. How does the Bible do this? I have thought of short list with many verses :)

1. We are not the only ones
The Bible is filled with real people that have faced real heart-breaking situations just like us. Take Joseph for example, he was a teenager when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, then thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit and then forgotten in prison. Then Job, the classic example of suffering. Joel lost everything! His children, his possessions, his social status, his health. Basically everything we regard dear in today's society. And Jesus, our Lord, the ultimate example of suffering. He was crucified for our sin. He did no wrong, but He willingly lay down His life so that we may be reconciled to God. Apart from the Bible, the news or in our neighborhoods and cities we see others suffering too,we are not alone.

2. They are opportunities to grow, to be identified with Christ and to depend upon Him
 “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:3–5,KJV).

" Dear friends, don’t be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return. Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God’s glorious Spirit is with you. But you deserve to suffer if you are a murderer, a thief, a crook, or a busybody.  Don’t be ashamed to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God that you belong to him." (1 Peter 4:12-16, CEV) 

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2Cor1:8-11)
  
3. God is with us

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;  he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. 

(Psalms 27:5,6)

   

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2Cor1:3-5)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.(Psalm 46:1-3)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you...Do not be afraid, for I am with you. (Isa43:1,5)

4. One day it will all be over

 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21)

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3,4)

When grief and setbacks come, it is not the end of the world. God is in control and He is able to bring something beautiful out of it. He is able to use it to refine us thus making us more Christ-like. I encourage you to see not only the negative stuff but the positive stuff too, it's worth it!

God Bless You

 Inspiration + Sources:

The Upside of Setbacks link to site

What Christians Want To Know

  

“The taste of restoration is sweet. There is nothing so great. Do not allow the bitter taste of past failures and defeat leave you with unresolved issues both in your mind and in your life that will weigh you down as time passes if you allow it. Give them over to God. Take those old wounds – the worries and heartaches about your wasted years, and let God restore to you the very years that were taken away. Then press on confidently in joy, He is your hope and your future.” Darell Creswell