When One Gets Too Familiar With The Things Of The Spirit(A Personal Experience)

The service had started an hour before I entered but I cat walked in like the church should be glad I was gracing them with my presence. After all, I was wearing the dress I just bought and my shoes were to die for. I made calculations in my head of how many compliments I would get at the end of the service and my feigned surprise like I didn’t know I looked that stunning. I was just going to stay the next 45 minutes probably chatting on my phone and catching up on whatever gist I might have missed on the social media while waiting for the service to end. It had suddenly become the norm after my supposed life changing altar call. Church services were just for socializing.

 

I couldn’t explain it, I seemed to have devoured all the parts of the bible. Nothing fascinated me anymore. I could recite my everyday prayers in my sleep, it started from thanksgiving to prayer for forgiveness, then I ask for whatever I want and pray to make heaven. I had sunk so deep into this monotony and everything had just become so routinely. I knew I had to find a way out of the block. Every message sounded the same to me. I was the type of Christian I despised. Neither here nor there. Not bad enough for some kind of sins but not Christian enough to take the right stand.

You know how this story goes, there are no half ways, and one is either in or out.I was slowly treading the path that might lead to my destruction.

I knew I had to make a change and the void I felt needed to be filled. I started from acknowledging the situation. I recognized how self-conscious I had become, forgetting that I was not my own. I needed a fresh dose of anointing and I was ready to be broken and pieced together again. A convention was slated for a week and I resolved to attend every single service with an open mind. I had a lot to learn and I needed something to minister to me and wheel me towards that turning point again. This time I hoped to hold on to that beauty of the fullness the Holy Spirit brings.

Songs are a big part of my life. I even hum soundtracks to my day to day activities, so it is no surprise that I was finally redeemed through music. The choir came alive on the first day of the convention singing Tye Tribbett’s ‘Bless the Lord’. An awakening occurred inside of me, it was like a release of fresh anointing. I broke down and cried, I was glad because I could feel the fire that I thought was burnt out still burning. God didn’t go anywhere, I was the one that stopped being in touch.I stopped appreciating the freshness in every message, I thought i had heard it all.

I share this now because for some weird reason I gave a speech in the dream I had last night about the turning point in my life. I know this might just change someone else’s life too.

Are you where I used to be? Do you feel the need to be excited in the Spirit again? Understand that one might slip atimes and you need to take conscious steps into making that change before you get sucked into the life you escaped from. You need to always be on guard, the enemy is lurking in the dark just waiting for you to slip. Stay alert soldier. God loves you too much to leave you stuck in a ditch. He is that voice of reason that silently speaks when you are left alone with your thoughts. Hear him and Genuinely seek him. Don't be satisfied with being dissatisfied. Find that connection again.

Have a great week.

Photo Credit:redletterchristians.org

Of Nose Rings , Scanty Clothes and Other Doctrines

There are lots of misconceptions in the Christendom. See, I was going through one of my FB groups when I stumbled upon this debate about what to wear and what not to wear. The writer wanted to know if wearing anklets was in line with the practice of Christianity. As you’d imagine, many people had  opinions on what they thought was right or wrong.

I was surprised to read some comments and that left me wondering of our general view of Christianity. Christianity is not a cult where people have regular uniforms, we are not under law but we are guided by the need to live a modest life tailored after the life Christ lived. The problem here will now be that modesty is relative. I remembered riding the bus home one day and a woman that was well adorned in jewelries and with long manicured nails stood up to minister, people immediately started murmuring  and passing all sorts of nasty comments. They had already profiled her as an unbeliever even before she spoke. She was unrelenting and she later got people’s attention and I am sure her words probably saved a life that night.

I agree that one’s physical appearance in relation to clothing and accessories might be reflective of the person’s character but God sees deeper than that surface. God’s way is not our ways, what makes sense to us might be foolish to him. How did we ever reach the conclusion that we will be judged based on what we wear.

The ultimate criterion has always been accepting Jesus as one’s Lord and savior. Anklets, toe rings, nose rings or whatever accessory we decide to adorn ourselves with doesn’t  put us off as good Christians.

Christianity is a faith and not a religion. Jesus didn’t die so we could be judged by things we wear or don’t wear. Don’t wear trousers, don’t wear front buttoned shirts, don’t wear skirts with slits don’t apply make-up, don’t use jewelries, don’t use wigs or apply chemicals on your hair If allowed, we’ll be told not to wear perfumes or use scented soaps or wipes because the products will attract people’s attention to us. All these are at best doctrines and practices that are not even near the core of what we should stand for as Christians.

So what if a person follows all these doctrines and is considered chaste and pious in the eyes of the society but is filled with hate and spite?

Truth be told some form of clothing might be so scanty that another man is led into sin, this is where modesty should be employed but it is really wrong that we judge other people because of their perceived extravagant fashion choices. Let’s keep our eyes on the price, which is to spread the Love and knowledge of Christ, rather than invest energy and time into distracting doctrines and practices.

Have a beautiful weekend.

Photo Credit:Zazzle.com

10 things You need to Start Doing For Yourself Right Now

1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.

2. Start making holiness a priority. It's funny how we gloss over the topic of holiness - in fact, it isn’t funny. It might be hard to think of yourself as a holy person but it is attainable. Today, start asking God for forgiveness instead of just overlooking small sins, if you are sincere after a while you will not want to keep saying sorry but, actually live up to His expectations of you.

3. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn't your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. Problems will not disappear unless you take action. Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you've done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.

Imagine This: Richie Parker, born with no hands but works as an a vehicle engineer at NASCAR's most winning organization, Hendrick Motorsports

 (Photo: Facebook/Richie Parker)

Sometimes I come across some stories and it strikes a chord deep in me, reminding me that whatever life deals you, success or failure is dependent on how you deal with.

This story is about a man born with no hands but works as an a vehicle engineer at NASCAR's most winning organization, Hendrick Motorsports.

I came across this video about Richie Parker who works as a vehicle engineer at Hendrick Motorsports on "The Christian Post". He reminds me of Nick Vijucic, the man born without arms and legs.

Is there a Lance in You? - Lessons from Lance Armstrong

There has been so much news on Lance Armstrong. When I first saw him on the news I was like who is he? I don't know him? Why is Oprah interviewing him? Doping? Oooooh seen...cheating with performance enhancing drugs? Cyclist? Won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005? For real? So people actually watch those races? *covers face* Why should I be ashamed? Tell the truth, did you know him before now? 

It is easy for us to look at this guy and shake our heads and call him a cheat. This issue has caused a lot of finger pointing, side taking, and vehement arguments, so many people helped him cheat. And finger pointing is always directed to another person, never to ourselves. Before the dust settles and he is out of the news, the question we must ask   is “Is there a Lance in me?” Who are you when the chips are down and you're running out of chips? 

God's Warning Signs - Be Aware

Suppose you just purchased a new washing machine for your home. You are excited about all the new features and the many hours it will save you in your kitchen, and you are reading the instructions on how to make it do the best job for you. You discover a little sign that says, "WARNING! For the best and most efficient operation, do thus and so."

What would happen if you suddenly thought, "I can't keep this in my home; it may fail me!" Just for a moment you took your eyes off of the benefits and enlarge on the word of caution and immediately all the benefits diminished in your mind!

End time Blues

If I could offer you only one tip for the future,

sunscreen would be it. 

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, 

whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience 

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh nevermind, 

you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. 

But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself 

and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you 

and how fabulous you really looked, 

you are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. 

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Biblical Dating: How It's Different From Modern Dating - Scott Croft

If you're reading this, you're interested in dating. You've done it, you're doing it, you'd like to do it, or you need to teach somebody else how to do it. Don't worry. You're not alone. In our society, dating has become something of an obsession. It is expected to be a universal phenomenon. It's just something you do if you're single and of age (and that age is quickly dropping) in America. It is considered the natural precursor to marriage, and is generally considered something to be desired, whatever form it might take.

It's also big business. If you were to Google the word "matchmaker," you would receive something in the neighborhood of 19,500,000 responses — with a few of these outfits claiming to be Christian, but most making no such claim. "Dating" will get you 730,000,000 hits.

As evangelical Christians, we're called to be distinct in the ways we think and act about all issues that confront us and those around us. This topic is no exception. So is there such a thing as biblical dating? If so, what is it? How can Christians think differently about this pervasive issue in media and culture? How are we doing so far?

The answer to that last question is "not well." Surveys consistently indicate that professing Christians behave almost exactly like non-Christians in terms of sexual involvement outside of marriage (in both percentage of people involved and how deeply involved they are — how far they're going), living together before marriage, and infidelity and divorce after marriage. Granted, not all of these people are evangelicals, but we're not doing so well either. Indeed, the central issue we need to confront — and the reason I write and speak on this topic — is that when it comes to dating and relationships, perhaps more than in any other area of the everyday Christian life, the church is largely indistinguishable from the world. That truth has brought immeasurable emotional pain and other consequences to many Christians. Worse, it has brought great dishonor to Christ's name and to the witness of individuals and the church.

It doesn't have to be this way. For Christians, the Lord has given us His Word, and the Holy Spirit helps us understand it. We have brothers and sisters in Christ to hold us accountable and to help us apply the Word to our lives. If you're a Christian, that's the biblical life you're called to.

That's what I hope this series will be about — applying God's Word to dating, finding a spouse and getting married.

Scripture Rules