Reset

Good Day! Yes I am back. I have officially accepted that I am an occasional blogger and so here I am with my annual post. It seems that every year around the end of May/ beginning of June God gives me a word. So here I am to share it :)

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things." -1 Corinthians 13:11 

When I was young, I was immature in spiritual things. I always identified as a Christian. I grew up in a Christian home and I gave my life to Christ in elementary school. But I was naïve. My understanding was that a Christian goes to church, talks to people unashamedly about Jesus and when you die you go to heaven. Back then, these were the only requirements. Other than that I could live my life as I pleased. What I didn’t understand was developing a relationship with God. You know, spending time with Him, praying to Him, reading my Bible and so on. In Hebrews 5:14-14 The Bible talks about the infant who lives on milk vs. the mature person who eats solid food. Which is to say that the young Christian doesn’t know much about righteousness  but as we grow we are trained to know what is evil and what is good and we grow in our actions and choices. I say all that to say that even the things that I experienced as a young child such as moving around the country, going through poverty, my parents’ divorce, and going away for university – all these things were being allowed and directed by God to bring me to where I am today. I was just growing, making choices, living my life and God was able to cause every good thing and every bad thing work together for my favour and benefit.

I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    Israel’s Creator and King.

I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,
    making a dry path through the sea.
 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt
    with all its chariots and horses.
I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,
    their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

“But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
 For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. 

Isaiah 43: 15-19

So when God says in Isaiah 43: I am doing a new thing // I am making a pathway in the wilderness // I am creating rivers in the desert, He is saying that even when you are in the wilderness, He is there. Even when you are in the job you don’t like or that you don’t find fulfilling, He is making a way. And let me say, it is not necessarily that you will leave the job for a new one but that even at the job you will find meaningful work and favour. Then, at the right time you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace (Isaiah 55:12).

There is an analogy of a Radio frequency for God. It basically explains that God is on the radio at a specific frequency and it is only when we are tuned into that frequency that we hear from Him. In fact, He is always speaking, He is always moving, He is always fulfilling promises, we just aren’t in the right position to hear from Him. What this means is that if you are praying to be married or for salvation in your family, know that God will do it. When the frequency is right, when everything is aligned, it will happen. The waters are stirred, you only need to step in and receive (John 5:4-7). The right things will happen. His promises will be fulfilled. I’m saying this because I have seen it in my own life time and time again. Making a way in the wilderness means that even while you’re still in it, good things will be happening all around you.  

But hear this, if God promises to do a new thing in our lives and we are solely consumed by the past, we will never be able to see that new thing. For example, with relationships, if you’re closed off and so certain that every girl will treat you like the last girl. When your helpmate is right in front of you, you will not be able to see it because you are consumed with your past. Verse 19 says, I’ve already begun // I’m doing it now // You just need to be aware // You need to exchange your lenses for Mine so that you may see the new things I am doing. Remember not the former things, God has erased that and wants to do something new. Don’t let your past keep you from experiencing the bright future He has for you. Don’t let the way you started this year keep you from doing better the rest of the year.

June will reset everything that needs to be reset. Show halfway strength and a recharge. This has been my prayer and declaration since 2015. May it be so in your lives also.

Stay Blessed!!!


Elena Asks.

As You Define It

Recently I’ve been challenged with thinking about my definition of success. I came to this realization because I have been encountering how so many of my choices are based on things I learnt or experienced in childhood and in turn in my upbringing. Especially, having a Ghanaian mom, I realized that there are a lot of things that we, in the Ghanaian (and probably African community) believe and embrace that are solely based on the culture itself. It’s crazy to think about how many things we do and believe just because as Tupac would put it “that’s just the way it is.” We fail to challenge what we grew up learning or what we subconsciously carried from our communities.

These inherited patterns can be something as simple as using a spoon or fork to eat rice or something as complicated as why you can’t seem to keep a relationship without cheating on your partner. A relevant example is the idea that if you attend university in North America, when you graduate you will find a good job in your field. The problem I’m facing with these and other assumptions is that they don’t correctly align with the word of God. When we talk about success, my definition is much more different than how God defines it.

A popular verse that we quote is Jeremiah 29:11 which tells us of Gods plans to prosper us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” When we read that, we’re thinking, Yes! God has a plan for my dream house, more money, me to get married at 25. But in reality, the prosperity and hope that God wants for us is peace and joy and love. Which we only truly experience and embrace after facing trials of many kinds for that is when we find pure joy. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4.) Perseverance makes us whole and not lacking.

Jeremiah 29 provides some great clarity on success when we read it in the Message version. The plans God has for His people in this context was written as a letter to the exiles, the priests and the prophets who were in Babylon. So in a time when all hope seemed lost. When thinking about their future seemed pointless, God sent a word to His people. He told them to get comfortable in Babylon. To marry, settle down, to invest in the country, to sow in that place that seemed like their doom.

Verses 10-14 says, “This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. God’s Decree. I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you—God’s Decree—bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it."

We know that the people of God in the Old Testament were not patient people. They were looking for the promise land and expecting it in their own timing. But as God would have it, when they were exiled to Babylon, He gave them SEVENTY years to remain in that place until He would take them out. And after those years, He would return them back home.

A lot of times, we don’t consider Gods timing in our outlook of success. At 21 you graduate college, at 25 you get married, before 30 you have kids. So, when those things don’t happen for us we don’t feel successful. Instead we strive and strive to be in a place that God did not even call us to. There’s nowhere in the bible that says you’re supposed to get a car on your 16^th birthday. But for some reason I held on to that dream for 7 years because I got my first car at 23 LOL.

I don’t think I still have the answer but the important question to ask is what is your success rooted in? Is it the word of God or is it what your mama or daddy did? Is it based on what everyone else is doing? The word of God tells us, many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). We can plan plan plan AND desire desire desire, but if it’s not Gods purpose, do you REALLY want it? I hope your answer is NO. We are called to be in this world but not of it. That means we won’t abide by the worlds standards or what they expect us to do but we will choose to listen to what God’s word is on the subject and follow that instead. In fact, with this approach there is more peace. Because you are backed by the Word of God and God’s word has timelessly proved itself to be true.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Stay Blessed!!!


Elena Asks.