Relationship Series Part 2: Unsatisfied

I am not satisfied.

I am not satisfied with the level of intimacy between God and I. 

I came to realize this about a month ago, and although I am in a better situation than I was then, at the moment I am still unsatisfied. My number one new year’s resolution was “more Jesus, less of everything”, how did I deviate from such a beautiful desire? How did I end up in this state of lacking intimacy? 

I wish the answer to such a question was simple. But alas, it isn’t. However, despite the complexity of it all, I realized that the main reason was that I had not really sought God. I had not pursued Him. Yes, I was active in church, I had my daily quiet morning etc. I did all this but missed God. I honestly don’t know exactly how someone can miss God but I did. And I think it’s because I was too busy with school, work, university, church and an LDR. So I concentrated on getting stuff done and not really on Who I was doing it for or why I was doing it. I was going through the motions, trying to keep up with things without having to sacrifice something. But the truth is, I did sacrifice something and that was my intimacy with God. I also resorted to know about God from others and not from Him. I had spent most of the year sitting at His feet but not really listening to Him. I listened to myself or to other resources: friends, books, blog posts, sermons…you name it but I shut my ears to only voice that is worth listening to and that is His. 

What has happened has happened. I lost those opportunities to cultivate intimacy with God. But there is still hope, now I know that sacrifices have to be made and I’ll need to say “no” to certain things and say “yes” to some amazing time with God. Cultivating intimacy with God requires time, it’s something we need to fight to maintain, it doesn’t always come easily but it sure is worth it. The Bible says God wants to be known by us: He says we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. And it also says that what we sow we shall reap. If we seek Him, we shall find Him and if we sow in some good quiet time alone with God, we will reap a harvest of intimacy and transformation.

At the moment, I am fighting.

 Some days I win, some days I lose. I long for the days when I’ll win continuously. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and I don’t want to give up knowing what I know-that the Lord is good indeed. My walk with God isn’t meant to be some mediocre journey. The Bible is full of people, like David and Moses, who had such intimate relationships with God, and man, weren’t their lives adventurous! You and I can have that too! And don’t forget, there is no magic formula to cultivating intimacy, but it does require that you open your heart to Him. Share your dreams, hopes, fears, worries…share EVERYTHING and LISTEN to Him speak. And if the going gets tough, don’t hesitate to ask for His help.

Blessings 💖

😊Check out this beautiful song:Kari Jobe-The More I Seek You

😊 Verses mentioned in text: Jer. 29:13, Gal. 6:7-10, 2Cor. 9:6

→ There is no magic formula for hearing from God. There's no checklist that will guarantee a message from the Lord. Still we can cultivate a relationship with God that creates room for dialogue. When we know someone well, our conversations move to greater depth and intimacy as we share our joys and fears with them... Just as we deepen our relationships with others theough spending time together and dialoguing about things that are important to us, so we can get to know God better by spending focused time with Him.

 - Melissa Spoelstra

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

Relationship Series Coming Soon!

Hi there!

I am doing a relationship series!!! 🙌🙌🙌🙌

 In these posts I'll be focusing on the relationship statuses I have gone through with God. I have been wanting to write these for a while and was encouraged by a post by a friend, Jessica Starks! Please check out her post here what's your relationship status?. It is a great way to get you thinking as you wait for my posts. I hope and pray that the posts will help your reflect on your own journey: where you have been, where you are and where you want it to be in the future! The series consists of three posts each dealing with the above mentioned themes: past, present and future.

Hope to see you next week, when the first post is published!

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.