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

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

Only For A Moment

We are so frail
And yet in all our frailty
He loves us

"As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer." -Psalm103:15-16

Our bodies though magnificent are temporary
The strength of our youth soon fades
Then we are hooked to support systems
Our bodies are opened up to replace parts that are dysfunctional

Yet in all our weakness
We dare think that we do not need the Eternal One

 "For dust you are and to dust you will return." -Genesis 3:19

But He loves us still
And died so that one day
This tent of ours will
Be replaced by a house far more beautiful

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." -2Cor.5:1

Mindset Mondays: Life or Death by Favour Omileke

'Life and death are in the power of the tongue, he who loves it will eat the fruit thereof'. The venom coming out of a spider's mouth is so powerful that it can destroy anything it comes in contact with. What comes out of your mouth when you speak? Words are powerful, words have life. Positive words bring life, healing and restoration..negative words are venomous and destructive. The words you speak over your life are important, they can either build up or tear down your life..speak life not death to your life to the lives of others.

 A single letter is a character on it's own, a visual symbol that merges with other symbols to generate syllables. Syllables intimately connected emerge as words. A single word blended with patterns other words become more than just words.
Words have a creative power, whether spoken or unspoken, they give expression to thoughts and create a certain reality. The words you say about yourself matters. What you say over your life today could be your reality tomorrow. Words are seeds spoken in to the future. Sow the right kind of seeds into your life so you can bear the right fruits. Wishing you a blessed, fulfilled and productive week ahead.

It's Too Late, Lord.

"When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.....Jesus said, 'Take the stone away.' Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Jesus, “Lord, there must already be a stench. He’s been dead for four days.”
 - John 11:32,39 (GW)

 I learned something from Martha and Mary again! If you haven't read the previous post, click here Eliminating the Unnecessary. 

Sometimes in life we give up and lose hope easily. This loss of hope can also affect the way we view God. Let me illustrate this with Mary and Martha. 

Lazarus, their brother, had been sick and had just died. When he was sick, they had sent a message to Jesus; they knew that if  He came, He would heal him. They knew Jesus was a healer, He had healed many people before. He had healed the royal officer's son, the paralyzed man at the pool and many others. But the issue was that, when Jesus finally came, Lazarus was dead. Mary and Martha had given up. It was too late. Their brother was gone. We can see that that's what they thought because:

1. Although Mary had deep reverence for Jesus ( "she knelt at his feet"); she said to Him, "Lord, IF YOU HAD BEEN HERE..."
2. When Jesus asked for the stone be rolled away, Martha said " There is a STENCH. HE'S BEEN DEAD FOUR DAYS". (Emphasis added).

They had lost hope even in the Lord. But you know what Jesus told Martha? He said “Did I not tell you that IF YOU BELIEVE, you will see the glory of God?” (v.40). Jesus had already told Martha that her brother will rise again but she did not believe and so she limited God (v.23-24). But that didn't stop Jesus; He went on ahead and shouted “Lazarus, come out!” and guess what? Lazarus came out! He came back to life, still wrapped up in his burial clothes (v.43-44).

When I read this, I had been reading Ephesians and the Spirit revealed something to me. I remembered this verse: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins....But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" (Eph.2:1,4-5).
   
 We all have many loved ones, friends and family, who do not know the Lord. We all have things that we might be giving up on. Lost causes so to say. Things that HAVE BEEN DEAD MANY DAYS, MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS. But you know what? We were all dead once.I was dead for many years, I stunk way more than Lazarus, people might have given up on me but that didn't stop the Lord from calling out to me. And He shouted "Twi, come out!" and I came out of that dark and rotten place and stepped into life and into light.

I want to say to you, don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't let your view of God be changed by your current situations. Maybe your health, finances, relationships, spiritual life or whatever it is, is dead. Despite all this, you must chose to remember that He has victory over death and nothing is impossible for Him (1 Cor.15:55; Luke 1:37).