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! :) 

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

Just at the Right Time

Quite a few things in life don't happen at just the right time. Timing is not always perfect. However, there are those moments that occur at the best time. But even better than perfect moments, are words that are fitly spoken.

Recently, I experienced a season of stillness. I wasn't as close to God as I used to be, you know the 'just-going-through-the-motions' feeling? I felt alone and I was distracted by many things including my university bachelor project. I hadn't been spending much time with God and I felt dry and empty. I had not been feeding myself spiritually for most of the duration of the project which lasted FIVE TEDIOUS WEEKS! Subconsciously, I knew something was wrong ( I honestly have problems with having things in the BACK OF MY MIND!) and therefore I didn't tackle the issue face to face, instead I opted for the feelings of failure, disappoint and self-pity. I felt as if most of my Christian journey was literally a joke.

However, I thank God that He speaks through people. I thank Him for believing friends because during that dark moment, someone wrote to me a message at just the right time. My friend told me that she thanked God for my life and that she sees me maturing. She also prayed that I may continue to grow in Him, encouraged me to keep on running the race and reminded me that He is with me. Those few powerful words were the push that I needed and believe me they propelled me forward.

Words have power. The words we speak will not always be timely but they should be "a life-giving fountain"Proverbs 10:11 or a "tree of life" and not "crush the spirit" Proverbs 15:4. Use your words to edify and build not to destroy. To encourage and not discourage. Use your words wisely. Let them be as precious as gold and silver.

Comments  and questions are always welcome!

God bless you!

Eliminating the Unnecessary

Last month, I was reading my devotional from Our Daily Bread and I could identify with the story. The Scripture was from Luke10:38-42; Jesus was at two sisters' home: Martha and Mary. Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening to Him but Martha was extremely busy and distracted with the preparations. I saw a lot of myself in Martha.

Most people who know me even for a short while soon realize that I am a busy bee. "Tawikala panshi?" is a  phrase in Bemba that has been spoken to me on numerous occasions. It literally translates as "Don't you sit down?" i.e. "Do you ever rest?". I am constantly planning things that need to be done and as a result I find myself incapable of relaxing when things are left incomplete. Usually when I return home from the library I begin to organize things instead sitting down and socializing with my lovely sister and cousin. I always want to be done with the "unfinished business" before I relax. I want to do a lot with the time I have, which is not a bad idea at all, until I over-plan and run behind schedule. I once invited a friend for dinner at 7pm, and being the European he is, he was right on time! The dinner that I had thought would start at 7pm ended up starting at 9pm; I was two hours behind, unbelievable but very true.

However, thanks to  the devotional and the very observant eyes of my sister and cousin, I have been awakened to the harsh reality of my life. Since the problem was noted, I started working on solutions. A few management lessons might do the trick but theory not put in practice is worthless. So, I have worked on my decision making. As much as I like to do everything, somethings are only distractions that are well-intended but do not need to be done that day and others are crucial and require my immediate attention. I am filtering the necessary from the unnecessary. This is not something that one learns to do over night, it requires a lot of discipline and so I have started with the small steps that can later add up to great changes. For example, in the past I studied in the library until 9pm every day except for the days that I have fellowship with the people at church. Instead, now I can study until 7pm and spend some quality time with the those I love, laughing and living a little. Secondly, I honestly do not have to make different appointments with 5 friends in one day instead I can easily spread them over the week or month,or even have one huge gathering, leaving plenty of time for some real girl talk! Last but not least, I can have a good quiet time with the One that matters the most, God, instead of rushing off to "unfinished business".



I am making small steps, the process will be long but I pray that God will continue to help me overcome other distractions and serve Him and others with the deepest devotion. I also hope and pray that God will open your eyes to the clutter in your own life and enable you to overcome them. Remember, His grace is sufficient.

Stay Blessed.

Thanks to Our Daily Bread for inspiring me to write this post.

Seasons of Life

Life is unstable. Things are constantly changing from one season to the other but in that instability God is our firm foundation, He is the One who is unchanging, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8).

I recently went through a  difficult season with regard to friendships. My reputation was tampered with and I lost some friends in the process but I also learned a few things.

First and foremost, I learned that God is SOVEREIGN over ALL seasons, and that He has a time and a purpose for each one ( Eccl. 3:1,11). When I realized that God was not at all surprised by what was going on in my life, I calmed down and drew strength from this truth. I no longer asked why me but I told myself that He knows and is in control.

Secondly, discernment and acknowledgement of one's season is key. I started off not liking this season at all, I wanted to be out of it from the get go; I was in winter wishing for summer. However, denial of my situation withheld me from learning. After I discerned and accepted my circumstances, I was able to look for and find the purpose for the season.

Lastly, every season has a learning curve. I learned the destructive power of gossip and the importance of communication when trying to restore a relationship. I realized my mistakes and at the same, developed some skills that I can apply in the future and also came to understand that without the power from God through His Holy Spirit, we are unable to perfectly apply Scripture to our lives.

To sum it all up, I learned to interpret my experiences through God's perspective and realized that God uses both good and bad experiences to purify and mold us into the image of Christ. I stopped fretting about the things I have no control over.

Maybe you are in a season of great trial and long suffering, or maybe you are in a season of prosperity and growth. Summer is not just about fun nor is winter only about sadness. Whatever season you are in, ask God to reveal His purpose for that season to you. Ask Him what it is that He wants to teach you. Life is unstable, seasons come and go, don't miss the opportunity to become better because of your feelings about the season you are in. Instead, embrace it and let God change you for the better.

Big thank you to my editors: Whitney van der Mark and Chibwe Beel!