Life in itself is not so easy, but if we convert every negatives and hindrances to positives we could just have the life we've always wanted..."Put God first"
I don't know about you but 2011 has been filled with a lot of surprises for me.
I had ups and downs and at the same time I lost loved ones and gained new friends. Above all I'm grateful to be alive.
As you all march into 2012, I want you to know that life will always be filled with opportunities it's how you interpret or make use of them to your own advantage that matters.
Advice for the new year 'spend a little live a lot' cos as we know times are getting harder and tougher. Also remember to continue to hold on to your faith and be reassured that 2012 will be even better and greater than 2011.
Appreciate everyone around you, life and time is too short to be keeping grudges, instead have fun, build memories that will last a lifetime.
Whatever you set your mind to achieve within the new year, start building up the spirit of determination and be focused and you will surely succeed.
Well, I intend on sticking with the advice above I don't know about you but set targets or goals for yourself.
In the new year, my blog will have new posts just stay tuned and I promise to keep you all posted.
From me to you
Happy New Year in advance
Beinspired
With Wisdom, there is nothing you cannot lay your hand on.
Wisdom teaches us how to be in cordial relationship with one another.
Without Wisdom from God we are absolutely nothing
Wisdom gives us thorough understanding about things we need in life.
Wisdom enables you to prosper in all endeavours.
Wisdom is out there
Go grab yours today
Lol, as hard as this is for most of us to answer this puzzling question, I do find it difficult to answer myself lol but here's my view on what love is and what it entails:
Love is being able to overlook the other person's flaw and still accept them the way they are. Love in a relationship stems from a solid foundation of friendship, respect, acceptance and understanding between the two people involved. True love happens when you've made up your mind that no matter what life throws at the both of you, you are willing to go through thick and thin with this person. I believe love grows with time and has a lot to do with making sacrifices.
I know it's very short but as I promised to write something about love, here is a short thing for y'all to think about.
check out lashaepandorabox.blogspot.com and missdeefelix.blogspot.com
I keep pondering over these questions: does age, achievement and appearance really matter when it comes to choosing a partner / relationship?
Before I take you into the life of Jenny, I want you to remember these bible passages:
Psalm 37vs4..."delight thine self in the Lord and He shall give thee the heart desires of thine heart".
Matt 6vs8..."Be not ye therefore like unto them for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask Him".
Jennifer looked at herself in the mirror. She brushed her hair quickly and put it in a ponytail. She looked at herself again, quickly fixed her tie and put on her jacket. Jennifer dreaded Mondays, she knew she had a lot of clients to attend to. She will probably be back home very late. her mother would have to remind her that she is so into her job and not looking to settle. With that thought in her head, she quickly picked up her phone and checked it. Jacob called. She was expecting it. The guy loved hearing her say no to all his requests.
She grabbed her car keys, took one last look in the mirror and made her way downstairs. She greeted her mother and ran out the door before she could comment on her dressing. What is so wrong with a girl wearing a tie? Janelle Monae does it, nobody makes her feel bad about it.
As Jenny got into her office, the telephone suddenly rang. Hello she said, it was her childhood friend Amanda on the other end of the phone. Amanda had called to invite her for their college reunion. Jenny tried to pull out as she felt this would be one of the worse things that could happen to her. Amanda had sent the invite to her by post and now she really had no option but to attend the reunion.
On getting home at 11pm, her mother had been sitting in the living room awaiting her daughter's return. "Where on earth are you coming from at this time, young lady?" asked her mum. She only had to say "from work" to prevent her mum from prolonging the conversation. Straight up to bed she went, just as if things couldn't get any worse Jenny began to toss and turn in her bed. She wondered what the reunion would be like, would everyone have achieved their future goals by now?, oh and what about Amanda I haven't seen her in 10yrs and all of a sudden I have to attend this ridiculous reunion.
Early the next morning her mum came into her room: Jenny dear can I have a word.Jenny sat up in her bed and thought this is not going to be good.
Her mum began: jenny this invite came through the post for you and it's from Amanda, it's about your reunion and attached to it is a note from Amanda which I want you to read before I carry on.
After reading the note, her mum carried on: can you see what I mean by you are not getting any younger, c'mon look at you, you will be 30 next month and what do you have to show for it, Your friend has a manufacturing company, a husband and 3 kids and you have been stuck in one silly dead end job for the past 8yrs and always running after church, are you the only Christian in the world?, ehn when will you take heed to my advice and get married?.
Jenny thought this will not end at all.
She reminded her mother: mama you do remember that so called silly dead end job is something I love doing and God gave it to me, so as far as I'm concerned I prefer this life.
Why don't you quickly settle down with jacob before you turn 30 so you could attend the reunion with him? asked her mum.
Jenny only waved her off.
When you keep dressing like a man and live this your high handed life because you're an accountant, how do you expect men to find you attractive?, ehn, said her mum.
Jenny walked to the little cottage behind the house to have a quiet time, while there she suddenly remembered the conversation she had with her Pastor at one of the marriage seminars at church.
Jenny: Pastor, I'm almost 30 and yet to be married, do I have a problem?
Pastor: first you have to understand that your will and God's will are not the same. Pray for wisdom and strength to do the right thing and trust God's plan and timing for your life.
She suddenly remembered the words to a song (while I wait) by John Walker:
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be be running the race
Even while I wait
With this in mind, she got on her knees, surrendered herself to God's will and chose to attend the reunion with all honesty.
Always remember that you are never truly alone ( Heb 13vs5)
So whether you decide to live a single life or get married, just remember that you are wonderfully and fearfully made by God and you are beautiful in every way
"Trust God's plan for your life and pray and ask for the leading of the Holyspirit"
Inspired by I will wait for You a spoken piece by JANETTE..IKZ of P4CM ( Passion for Christ Ministries)
Images obtained from Google. The video below does not belong to me but is property of P4CM (Passion 4 Christ Ministry).
A young woman by the name Rebecca went to her mailbox and noticed a letter that had no stamp, no post-mark, only her name
and address. She read the letter:
"Dear Rebecca, I'm going to be in your neighbourhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit. Love Always,
Jesus"
Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table
Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer.
With that thought, she reached for her purse and counted out it's contents: five dollars and forty cents. "Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least. She threw on her coat and rushed to the store to buy something for dinner. Rebecca had only a grand total of twelve cents remaining to last her until Monday. As she walked back, she heard a croaky voice: "Hey
Lady can you help us?" Rebecca had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't noticed two figures standing by the
sidewalk: a man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. "Miss, I don't have a job. My wife and I have
been living out here on the streets. We are kind of hungry. If you could help us Lady, we would appreciate it."
Rebecca answered: "Sir, I'd like to help you, but all I have is a few cold cuts, some bread and a carton of milk. I am
having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving it to Him"....
Rebecca finally said to the couple: "Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest." She handed the man her grocery bag. "Thank you Lady. Thank you very much." "Yes thank you!" It was the man's wife
speaking. Rebecca unbuttoned her jacket and put it over the shivering woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street, without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest. "Thank you Lady! Thank you very much!"
Rebecca became worried: The LORD was coming to visit her and she didn't have anything to offer HIM. She fumbled through
her purse for the door key. As she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox. "That is odd. The mailman doesn't
come twice in one day." She took the envelope out of the box and opened it. It read: "Dear Rebecca, it was so good to see
you again. Thank you for the lovely meal and for the beautiful coat. Love Always, Jesus."
The air was still cold but even without her coat, Rebecca no longer noticed. Jesus appeared to her in the form of a poor
couple.
Note that in eternity, we will have to show the Almighty God how we helped our brothers and sisters who were in need.
Mother Theresa said: "WE CAN DO NO GREAT THINGS,ONLY SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE."
Recently, I attended a program where the speaker talked about becoming a kingdom woman. I was blessed and thought I'd share this with you all.
Theme: The Kingdom Woman
The word "kingdom" means a state or people ruled by a king or queen. As a kingdom woman you are a queen so your are to do things that present you as good and appropriate. You are to carry yourself in a way that immediately people see you, they give you the respect you deserve. As a kingdom woman you must also learn to keep the company of those who will add value to your life.
There are very good examples of kingdom women in the Bible but in this study, the focus will be on Deborah and Esther.
(a) Deborah (Judges 4) - the following are the attributes of Deborah which made her a kingdom woman:
- In everything she did, she drew on the strength of God (she was a prophetess). She never did anything in the flesh but always asked God for guidance.
- She was a homemaker, because not only was she a wise judge, she was also a married woman who was never in competition with her husband.
- She was a 'Mother in Israel', why? because she had a meaningful life which encouraged people (men, women, young or old) to seek her for advice.
- People could see the glory of God in her life.
- She went from being a judge to becoming a leader. Do you know that how much progress you make in life as a woman depends on your attitude. If you are surrounded by friends or people who put you down cut them off.
- She led with authority from God.
- She was trustworthy ( Judges 4 vs 8-9). Can God trust you with his work or message?
- God released His word through her.
- She was a good listener cos she asked God to open her spiritual hear.
- She was also humble.
- She was a motivator. Learn to always influence others positively.
(b) Esther, Esther 9 vs 29:
- She was determined, not because she was from a rich background but on the contrary she was determined to succeed because she wanted a change for her people and also because she carried God along with her in everything she did.
- She had the Holy Spirit in her and that's why she was transformed from an orphan to a Queen.
- She waited patiently on God and while her people suffered, she remained in the closet and prayed and fasted until she won the battle spiritually . Esther 4 vs 15-16 and Esther 6
- She made her mark.
- She had the fire of God in her.
- She was sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
As a young lady, you need to learn to take time out and ask God for directions. Learn to listen to His voice and ask Him to lead along the right path.
One thing we need to know as women is that we are a powerful force and as the saying goes "behind every successful man is a woman". As a woman you must learn to respect your husband no matter the situation you both find yourselves in. He's the head and as you know every head must succeed, therefore you should learn to pray violent prayers concerning the success of your husband. If the head becomes a failure, then you automatically become a failure because his failure is as a result of you not carrying out your duties effectively
Learn to be a kingdom woman, let God inspire you, let Him speak to you. Let Him use you.
Never let others underestimate your abilities
Remember "You are what you believe yourself to be"
(This story is fictional, any similarities to an actual event is purely coincidental)
To
understand the context of this story I suggest every one reads: Ephesians 5:
22, 25-30
Her Story: Part
1
If
you are reading this,
Hi,
my name is Omoghene. About 15 years ago I came to Lagos to serve and while
attending the youth fellowship at church I met my husband to be. Well, he
seemed like the cool headed type and very spiritual.
He
had approached me patiently and carefully concerning him being led to marry me.
Well I’m 28, wasted all my life studying and still have no job, what on earth
could I want more than to marry this heaven sent man and move on with my life
but the voice of my Pastor back home in the South came rushing back at me,
“Before you marry someone pray about it and also get the leader of your local
church involved in it as well and never do anything without God’s leading”.
Ok,
I thought this would be easy since this man leads worship and Sunday school
beautifully, he should have a clean record right. One Sunday after the morning
service, I approached the Pastor and asked for his advice, He told me to pray
and very much assured me that the particular brother in question was very
spiritual. I mean how can an anointed man of God be wrong? I prayed and trusted
what the Pastor had said and got married to the man.
After
one year we had our daughter Peju and that’s when I started noticing signs of
his abusive nature. He would normally threaten to hit me and Peju but I thought
nothing of it because I linked everything back to stress or his late night
clubbing activities. Our son Dara was born 5 years after Peju and still he
showed a few signs of violence. Most nights I would lay awake alone in bed and
with tears in my eyes cry out to God.
After
Dara turned 5, my husband began hitting me and even at one point almost
strangled me only to be saved by one of the neighbors who pitied me. As years
went by, the abuse increased and I could no longer bear it, I decided enough
was enough and approached his family members who till this day did little or
nothing to resolve the situation. It’s Dara’s 10th Birthday, I look
so lean and unhappy what will my mother say. She wept when she saw me but I
reassured her all was well. I had to smile it was my son’s birthday. A few days
after Dara’s birthday, a series of nightmares keep haunting, so I have decided
to visit the Pastor. Yes, the same one who conducted our wedding because now I
need answers.
So
this is the day I must visit Pastor. I have decided to either separate from my
husband till things are resolved or get a divorce but nonetheless I need
answers. I’ll be back to give you my feedback……..
If you are in an abusive relationship ladies please get yourself out as soon as possible
Love should not hurt you or kill you
You have a right and a voice
You have a future and your own mind
Above all you have God
Call on Him and He will surely answer
It has been 2 years since I lost a loved one but you know that feeling when all of a sudden it hits you that today is the 2nd yr anniversary of their glorious passing....well yes today happens to be that day.....it's still hard but with time it should pass but on his passing I promised him that every year till his 10th anniversary I'd write a poem/letter to him. So here it goes:
You are still in my dreams
You made my world so perfect
I wish I could let go
But I keep holding on
I keep standing at the door
Hoping you'd walk right back in
I still can't believe it's over
I still can't get my head around the fact that you're really gone
No matter what I do
I just can't let go
It's killing me
I cannot say bye bye
In my heart you'll always live
In my dreams my world would always remain perfect
I'm glad you were a part of my life
Your life has inspired me to become a better person
Ever wondered why God loves us so much. Many at times, I would get on my knees and thank Him for His grace. We often forget that every blessing we receive from God even when we’ve receded from Him, is given to us from the abundant mercy He has upon us. I sit here thinking about how to illustrate the love of the Father. But here goes a story which I hope sheds light on His eternal love for us. Everyone knew Jesus and Samantha, almost as though their names were one word. Jesus knew Samantha before she was formed in her mother’s womb. He knows her beginning and end. Everywhere she went He went with her because He decided He was never going to let her foot dash against a stone because she was called by His name. And everyone around them knew that nothing could separate them, not until Samantha began to sink so deeply into sin. She began to exclude Jesus from all her daily activities, she never invited Him out again with her friends. At one point Jesus tried talking to Samantha, but she attention seemed to be focused elsewhere. This hurt Jesus so badly because He wanted to reach out to her. But knowing that she had to find her way back to him, Jesus went to God and as He spoke about Samantha, tears streaked His face. Seeing His son weep God’s heart was grieved for one of His sheep was being led astray. God knew Samantha needed His help. But we should remember that there is only so much that God can do for He gave Samantha free will and time to redirect her footsteps. Over the next few months Samantha began to face challenges, her parents died in a tragic accident and she lost all her money and friends that came with it. Then one miraculous day, she remembered a man whom she always had with her and his name was Jesus. At this point she felt ashamed to go to Him in person but she began to attend church again. This wasn’t enough to satisfy Samantha because the more she heard about God’s love, the more bitter she became. But Jesus waited patiently for Samantha to recover. Although Samantha’s words hurt Him, Jesus hung on to his memories of the Samantha He first knew. When Samantha fully surrendered herself to the Father, she began to thank Jesus for loving her during the times when she was so unlovable.
1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 – "I may have faith so great I can move mountains, but even with all these things if I do not have love, then I am nothing".
Sound familiar, if yes I want you to know that you are not alone.
God loves you so much and all you have to do is surrender, let Him lead you, let Him order your steps and in no time you will find that unbreakable joy and unexplainable peace.
The highlights of this story are the words written in bold. But I leave you with one sentence: God is love and without love we are nothing and we can do nothing and above all nothing can separate us from the love of God
A smile that never fades Like honey sweet to the soul A face kissed by the sun Never fails to smile A smile that never fades Like peace melts away all sorrows and pain A smile that never fades Behind the mask holds alot of pain A smile that never fades Everyone wishes they had one A smile that never fades One day will crack and alot of hearts might weep A smile that never fades Now exist no more As all life's troubles have caused it to fade A smile A smile That exists no more Has died today
Heartbreaks, setbacks should not get you down but look on the bright side it shows you there is a better answer out there for you....beinspired2011
