The Invitation 📌

Scripture: Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Reflection: To seek God is to know Him. Learning to seek the face of God is paramount to the growth of every believer. The truth is seeking the face of God is a choice. It is a decision that one has to make daily. In Psalm 63, David illustrates his hunger and thirst for God. He makes it known that God is whom He has come to seek by this statement.

You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

David called upon the Lord and He heard his cry and satisfied his longing for more of Him. In our pursuit of drawing near to our Heavenly Father, many things (family, friends, circumstances) can stand in the way of us going deeper in our walk with God. Like David, we must prioritize and be intentional with our relationship with the Lord.

Will there ever be a time where the Lord may not be found?

The truth is God isn’t hiding somewhere. He wants to be known. We didn’t find Him; He found us. In Luke 15, we clearly see the heart of our Heavenly Father. He is a God who daily pursues us. I believe that the only time the Lord cannot be found is when our hearts are hardened and when He calls us home.

In Psalm 95, the Lord makes it very clear to His people by saying,

Today, if only you would hear his voice (God’s voice),
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.

One of the greatest gifts we have been given through Jesus is the privilege of hearing the voice of the Father. John 10:27 reminds us that God’s sheep hear His voice. We are the sheep of His pasture and hearing the voice of God is a gift we have given. As it is written in John 10:27,

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Is there a specific way to seek to the Lord?

In fact, I don’t know if there’s a specific way that one can seek God because the way you may seek God may not be the way I seek Him. For me, seeking God is simply inviting Him into your life (total surrender). It is through prayer, worship, studying His word and etc. It’s coming into His presence and allowing Him to have His way. It’s pouring out your praise unto Him. Seeking God to me is yielding to the Holy Spirit and abiding in His presence. It’s asking God to create in me a clean heart and to renew a steadfast spirit within me. Seeking the Lord has many components but what matters most is the condition of your heart. Many come into the presence of the Lord to seek after His hand (riches and miracles) while a very few people come to seek after His face. It’s in the place of seeking that one’s character is revealed unto them.

In Matthew 7:7, we are reminded that to everyone who ask, they shall receive. To the one who seeks, they will find and for the one who knocks the door will be opened unto them. The problem isn’t one asking, seeking or even knocking but much rather the intent behind it. You can seek but what is the condition of your heart? It is a promise that when we seek, we will find. The truth is we live in a time and a generation where people are seeking after so many things. James 4:2-5 makes it very clear to us by this statement

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the spirit He has caused to dwell in us?

God is sovereign but yet still He longs to have an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be encountered bu His children. The only requirements in seeking God is coming as you are and repenting of your sin. In our key verse, we are reminded that “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” In the same way as this scripture, Romans 3:23 reminds us that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We are all in need of God’s mercies which are new every morning (See Lamentations 3:22-23). Like David, may we get a point in our lives where we say,

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise (See Psalm 51:17)

Is there a time or specific place for God to be found?

There isn’t a specific time to seek God. He is to be sought at all times. I’ve heard people say time and time again that they will give their life to God completely when they turn a certain age or when they get married. The time to seek God is now! No one knows the time and hour the Lord will call them home. As children belonging to the King, we must prepare for our bridegroom. We must stop making excuses for the reason why we aren’t knocking on Heaven’s doors.

It is my prayer that we will accept God’s invitation. It’s in accepting the invitation that we take the steps necessary in growing spiritually in our walk with the Lord. Seeking the Lord is a choice. It is a gift and a wonderful privilege to know the heart of the Father. No matter where you are in your walk with God, He still desires to have fellowship with you. He dined with sinners. He didn’t come for the righteous. He came for you and I. We serve a God who deeply loves us and wants to know Him. As you make that choice to seek God daily, may He reveal Himself to you in ways you never imagined. May the eyes of your heart be enlightened and may you take delight and joy in the presence of your Heavenly Father.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. -Psalm 34:8

Verses To Ponder

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.-Revelations 3:20

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. -Hebrews 11:6

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. -James 4:8

Thank you for taking the time to read. Feel free to leave any takeaways or anything in mind. Until next time, stay blessed and rooted in Christ 😊🕊

Renewal of Joy 🕊

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. -Psalm 51:12

Reflection: Do you remember the day you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? How did you feel? What was your initial reaction? Looking back at that very moment, would you say that you have experienced joy in anyway possible throughout the course of this journey?

You see, as a child of God, we have been given the privilege to experience all that our Heavenly Father has in stored. For instance when we take a look at Luke 15, we are reminded of the prodigal son and the older son. I can count how times I’ve read this passage before but what has stood out to me within the course of these years has been this verse:

My son, the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”

For as long as I can remember, I always related to the oldest son every time I read this parable. I understood his frustration and anger as the oldest son until someone else explained it during Bible study. My perspective changed from that day. I share this scripture to remind us that as sons and daughters of Christ, we have an inheritance in Christ Jesus. We are reminded in Psalm 16:11 that the Lord has made known to you and I the path of life. He will fill us with joy in His presence with eternal pleasures at His right hand.

If you were asked to describe the word joy, what would you say? After defining what joy means to you, would you say that you have experienced joy? Having defined what joy is, would you say it is the same as happiness?

Joy is not found in the things that we have or need to acquire. Joy is pure and is found in the presence of the Lord. Joy is the fruit of the spirit. It lives in us. We don’t have to work in order for us to experience joy. For many of us, we see joy as someone having everything in life. The life we live is not marked by how much we have or what we have accomplished because as believers we know that everything that have is because of Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we have access supplies. We serve a God who is all sufficient and all knowing. We lack nothing in Christ because He meets every one of needs.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

If God can give us this precious gift of His beloved son, how much more will He not be willing to supply us with joy? As it is written in James 4:2 “You do not have because you do not ask God.” The truth is, God longs to fill us with joy. We are called to be imitators of Christ not just in our character but through our lifestyle. When we reflect Christ, we will lead others into having fellowship with our Savior. Being a carrier of God’s presence requires us (the believer) to take up our Cross daily. It requires us saying No to fruitless activities of the flesh and making a decision to yield to the Holy Spirit daily. We can experience joy. It is not reserved for people who don’t have problems. It is made available unto us every day. Joy is not a seasonal feeling. It is not fleeting. It is steadfast, and unshakable. We just need to ask God just as David did in Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

It is my prayer that we will experience joy in every season of our lives. No matter what circumstance we face, may we find it in our hearts to ask God to fill us with joy. When you are a carrier of joy, it is contagious yet still undeniable. Joy is a fragrance that the world needs. May it overflow in your life and also be a refreshing source of hope to everyone you meet and greet.

Verses To Ponder

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” -Matthew 13:44

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” -Isaiah 55:12

Thank you for stopping by my blog. God bless you. I hope that you were able to take something away from this post. Until next time, stay blessed and rooted in Christ 😊🙌🏿🕊

The Secret! 🚣🏿‍♂️

Scripture: This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Happy Sunday Everyone. I trust that you are all doing well. If not, I hope that things get better. Last week, I started something new on here. I shared with you all a series that we started in my church titled “Deep Waters”. We learned that in order for us to go deeper in our walls with God, we must learn to get out of the shallow waters. There is no fulfillment in the shallow waters. There is no true stability in the shallow waters and we miss out on God’s best for us when we remain in our comfort zones. In today’s session, we are going to be learning about seeking deeper meaning.

Sermon Notes 📝

Sensus Plenior: Latin phrase that means “fuller sense” or fuller meaning. Deeper meaning, intended by God but not clearly intended by the human author.

1. We must learn to seek deeper meaning. It is impossible to go deeper with God when you don’t seek things that are deeper.

2. Meaning is purpose. Our life has a purpose. It takes us seeking deeper meaning, to know what God is doing in our lives and around us.

3. Having deeper meaning leads to a life of faith and purpose. Your life is not on a surface. You were not just created to eat good food and go to work. Ask God, to reveal the deeper meaning to your life.

4. We must go beyond the surface. Going beyond the surface is a choice.

5. We must learn to trust and walk with God. (See Hebrews 11:17-20)

6. A deeper seeker leans in to see from God’s perspective. Those who go deeper, are those who are able to hear God’s voice and it’s in that place of seeking that God reveals deep and hidden secrets.

7. It takes deeper meaning to live a life of obedience.

8. Shallow people evaluate people from fleshly point of view. You will not be able to recognize what God is doing in your life when you think in a shallow perspective.

9. People who are on the surface look for bread. They come to God only to see miracles. Their heart is calloused (Matthew 13:15). We must ask ask God, “What is the condition of our hearts?”

10. Having a deeper meaning when it comes to God levels down to the posture of one’s heart. Deeper meaning is the function of the heart and not of the mind.

Reflection Question

1. Are you open and willing for God to have His way in your life?

2. What steps are you willing to take to go deeper in your walk with God?

3. What are some of the things in your life that are hindering you from going deeper in your walk with God?

Deeper meaning belongs to those who are willing to search not those who are excited momentarily and later abandon the sole purpose of their search.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I pray that as we venture into a new week, we will make a conscious decision to stay rooted in God’s word. Please do feel free to share what you also learned in church today. Until next time, stay blessed and rooted in Christ 🙏🏿😊

Amazing Grace! 🕊

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Grace : unmerited favor of God towards man.

One of the greatest gifts that we have been given as believers is the precious gift of Jesus, our embodiment of grace. In a world where we are taught to work in order for us to earn certain things in life, understanding the concept of grace can be difficult when not seen through the lens of Christ.

Looking at our key scripture today, which is taken from 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul reminds us that in his time of weakness, he found strength in the Lord. Paul acknowledges the Lord. In the same way as believers, we must get to that place where we acknowledge the Lord in all that we do. I love how Paul made it known to the Corinthian church that it was the Lord who encouraged him at his weakest moment. As believers, we have been given this opportunity to receive God’s grace and outpouring of strength in our times of weakness.

The demonstration of grace begun on the Cross of Calvary where Jesus died and bled for you and I. He remembered us. He laid down His life for our sake. He made a way for us to experience light by laying down his life that we might live through him. We serve a God who is willing to do whatsoever it takes for His children to commune and have fellowship with Him. In Christ, we have this grace that never runs out; that is so ever sufficient. The truth is, though the grace of God is made available unto us, it is so easy to take it for granted.

To encounter God is to experience His grace. Its the core of His character. We are reminded in Psalm 145:8-9 that “The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” It’s in His presence, that we receive this gift of grace. The requirement of receiving this gift is simply having an open heart. We can never work hard to earn grace. It is free. It was never by our own doing but by the blood of the lamb.

As we go forth into our day, may we take the time to meditate on this precious gift of grace. As it is written in 1 John 3:1,

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

We have come to the knowledge of Christ by His grace. We have experienced His love, abundant peace, undeniable joy and so many things that only He can give unto us. In showing grace to others, those surrounding us will get a foretaste of Christ and one day come to the knowledge of Christ and experience the love of our Heavenly Father. It is my prayer that as we have experienced God’s limitless grace, we will walk in step by exemplifying this outpouring unto everyone that we meet. Grace is not for pocket keeping sake. It is for everyone. It is a glorious gift that everyone must experience. It is the foundation by which we have a restored relationship with Christ. Run into the arms of grace. Just as we have received the gift, may we learn to be ministers of God’s grace wherever we go, that His light and glory will shine in and through us.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope that your year is coming along well by far 😊. Until next time, stay blessed and rooted in Christ 🙏🏿🕊

Into The Deep! 🚣🏿‍♂️

Scripture : So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. –Colossians 2:6-7

Sermon Notes 📝

Today’s Message: Get Out of the Shallow Waters

Happy First Sunday of 2020. I pray that you had an awesome time in the presence of the Lord! In this blog post, I will be sharing with you all about what I learned in church today. So, we started a new series titled “Deep Water”. God is Good. In my next post, I will share more insight of the goodness of God. I’m just so in awe of the Lord. I can’t even find the words to explain it but let’s get right into what was taught today.

Key Points ✍🏾

1. If you decide to follow Jesus, He is going to invite you into a deeper relationship with Him. Do not offer excuses to the Lord. (See Luke 5)

2. Shallowness represents flesh. Depth is the spirit. We have the power to choose whether we want to abide in the flesh or the spirit. We must let the spirit lead us. Too many believers need to get out of the shallow waters.

3. There is no fulfillment in the shallow water. (See Luke 5:5) “We worked hard all last night and catch. God does not do shallow water. When you propose in your heart to go deeper, you will experience God all the more.

4. There is no true stability in the shallow water. Our confidence should be in God. People with deeper stability can go further with God. No true stability can be found in shallow waters. There is no learning and growth in the shallow water. People who live in the flesh love comfortability so there’s no room for growth. God wants us to grow in Him. We must learn to go deeper in order to go higher.

5. You are missing out on God’s best while in the shallow waters. God’s treasures are found in the deep water and that is where God is inviting you.

6. Shallow people cannot see beyond the surface. They can’t see Christ in others. They see what they want to see. It’s all about the surface which is not deep.

7. God is calling His children to deep places but you have to be willing to partnership with Him.

Verses To Ponder

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? -1 Corinthians 3:1-4

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” -Luke 5:4

Confession of the Week

2020 is my year of GOING DEEPER! Therefore, I refuse to keep on dwelling in the shallow waters of flesh, sin, and just religious activities. I am ready to go deeper in God; in prayer, in the word, in faith and in radical obedience to God. In 2020, I am going deeper to go higher!

Thank you for stopping by this blog. If you are new, welcome. It’s such a pleasure to have you here. If you are not new, still thank you for journeying with me. I pray that you are blessed by this post. May we go deeper in our walk with the Lord. As we go deep, I trust that God will show Himself strongly in ways we have never experienced.

Until next time, stay blessed and rooted in Christ 🙏🏿😊🕊

Happy New Year 🎆🕊🎉

Happy New Year Everyone 💃🏿. On board with the bliss, newness and all that 2020 has in stored for us. Welcome to Day 1 of 365 days. It’s a start of something new. We made it by God’s grace. Hooray 🎉. I hope that your day is coming along well. As we embark into this new chapter of our lives, this is my prayer for us all. I pray that we will make time for the Lord. In our pursuit of knowing the Lord, may our eyes be enlightened and graced with the knowledge of Christ. May we be rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (See Colossians 2:7)

As we seek the face of God, may our souls find satisfaction in Christ alone. As it written in Isaiah 58:11, “The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” I pray that we will be reminded of this truth, that God will guide us. He will supply our every need but we must make every effort to dwell in His presence. It is only God who can satisfy our souls. Our thirst can only be quenched when we seek the Lord. He desires more of us. I pray that as we have entered a new year by God’s grace, we will not neglect the One who brought us this far.

It is my prayer that we will make Christ a priority and be intentional in our walks with Him. He longs to reveal Himself to us. It is in His presence that we learn about our identity, purpose and the heart of the Father. Our alone time with God is precious and never wasted. Time with God is an investment. I pray that as we go deeper in with God, we will be transformed. It is Christ alone, that can renew our minds. He wants our heart, mind and soul. I pray that we will ask the Lord for a new heart, a renewed mind, and an abiding spirit to seek His face always.

The start of the new year has always been a hard transition for me but for some reason, it’s been quite different today. It’s been relaxing yet still a productive day. I thank God.

Though the transition for some of us can be difficult, I hope that amidst the uncertainty, we will learn to trust God, who is Sovereign and in control of all things. 2020 is my year of Going Deeper with the Lord (Deeper Intimacy). It’s my year of fulfillment, purpose, and fruitfulness. I’m looking forward to see the fruit in the land flowing with milk and honey. It will be my year. I stand in faith with you that 2020 will be an extravagant year. A year of Afresh vision, radiance, God’s hand at work, the manifestation of God’s glory and so much more. As we go deeper, God will meet us. It’s in the digging that we know more about God and who we are in His Kingdom. As we seek His face, He will surely visit us but we must continually fix our eyes on the Lord (Hebrews 12:2). Like Moses, may we come, empty and ready to meet with the Lord (See Exodus 3).

Prayer Point

1. Lord, I ask that you will draw my heart closer unto you. Increase in my life as I decrease.

2. Lord, I ask that you will reveal yourself unto me. I want to know you more.

3. Lord, please remove any misconceptions I have of you. Give me a revelation of who you are. What are your thoughts towards me?

4. Father, I ask that you will remove any form of distractions in my life, anything that will stand in the way of me going deeper for you.

Questions

1. What is your word for the year? *It can be more than one word.

2. What are your expectations for the year 2020?

3. What are you looking forward to most in this year?

4. Which books in the Bible are you planning to read/study?

5. Is there a scripture your focusing on in this month of January?

6. Are there any books your planning to read?

7. *Be a light 💡 unto those you meet. Let your light shine.

Song of the day :

Kathryn Sarah Scott – Hungry

Cheers 🤗. We made it into 2020. By God’s grace, we are still standing. I look forward to reading 📖 and writing ✍🏾 more blog posts in this year. I’m trusting God for new ideas and His guidance in everything. God bless you all. With great joy, I rejoice with you, my people, for God has blessed us with another year to see. All Glory unto the King of King.

Dear 2019

Like a gentle breeze, you came and welcomed us. Like a wave, you silently but surely, showed up and a new year is right before us. I’m grateful for every single day presented to me. I’m thankful for the lessons learned, the new friends made, spiritual maturity, good food, movies, and every other experience. We had our shares of ups and downs but overall, I’m truly grateful.

Things I’m grateful for in 2019

1. The gift of life. Being alive is a gift we so often take for granted.

2. My family

3. My friends ( I made a new friend here on WordPress. I never would’ve imagined that I’ll have a friend in my life through a blog)

4. I’m grateful for the gift of writing. Though I like writing, I haven’t gotten to the point that I love it. I challenged myself to write on my blog seven times each month and by God’s grace, I was able to execute but it was hard at times.

5. Books 📚: Though I challenged myself to read a book every month, I wasn’t able to because I love to make sure I’m reading and learning something. It takes me time to read.

6. Business: At the start of the year, I started make pepper sauce. I’m grateful for all my customers.

7. Being a bridesmaid: It was my first time being a bridesmaid for my friends wedding. The process was a whole lot but a blessing. I had so much fun.

8. My job: I’m thankful for my job. I love interacting with customers and working with my employees. I learn something new weekly.

9. For the birds : I love birds. The sound of their chirps bring me joy

10. My relationship with God : I take delight in spending time with the Lord. This year was an awesome one and I look forward to 2020.

11. Children : For every child I encountered this year, I am grateful. Children are my heartbeat. They make my heart smile all the more.

12. Uganda Mission Trip : So grateful for another opportunity to share the love of God with the little children. Though the flight was long, it was worth it after all seeing the joy on the little children’s face.

13. My church : I’m truly grateful for my church community. I learn so much while fellowshipping with other believers. A time of worship and simply spending time in God’s presence is a precious gift in itself.

14. Worship Songs: For every song that ministered to me, I give Glory unto God.

15. Planner: Before the start of this year, I didn’t write in a planner. I tend to remember quite a lot of things but I wanted to do something different. My planner 📝 blessed me. I was in intentional in writing in it and looking back I’m so happy for everything written and goals accomplished.

16. Peace : To have peace of mind is everything. I thank God for His Peace amidst the tough times.

17. God’s love: Unfailing, Unconditional

Thank you everyone for being apart of this journey. I’m grateful for every comment, insight and memories created. God bless you all 🙏🏿. I pray that 2020 will be a memorable one filled with God’s blessings for you all 😊.