Happy Easter!

It's Easter Season! How great!!

I hope you're well and you're welcome here as always. Feel at home:)

Some time this semester I was walking to an ICT Practical lesson at the Computer Centre in Kenyatta University, then this song came to my heart...back in my primary school, we used to sing hymns (hymns are wonderful and deep!) using The Golden Bells (incase you're familiar with it), during school assemblies just to spice things up and add a musical touch. Good foundation, if you ask me. This happens to be one of the hymns we used to sing and all of a sudden it fell heavily in my heart:

'I belong to Jesus
'Twas a happy day
When His blood most precious
Washed my sins away
When His Holy Spirit
Changed my heart of stone
Set His mark upon me
Sealed me for His own

I belong to Jesus
So I'll try to spend
All my life in pleasing
My Almighty Friend
Since He is so Holy
I must watch and pray
That I may grow like Him
More and more each day'

Beautiful, yeah? :)
I'm certain there's one more verse or two, but that's actually all I can recall at heart and that's basically what I'd like to highlight today.

This is what I'm saying to myself this beautiful Easter Season, and I hope you will too..

I'm a Child of God. I belong to Jesus. I am His and He is Mine. And the price He paid on the rugged cross, that fateful day, is everything I need and more. His blood cleansed me anew. And the most beautiful thing is that that cleansing action is continuous, consistent, abundant, sufficient..because of the grace and mercy our Father grants us freshly every morning. Because of Jesus' selfless act, I am set apart as a beneficiary of grace and a hopeful human! A beautiful mark. I wanna be like Him and I want to work towards it. Amazingly enough, God provides all the guidance and grace that I need to do so.My Jesus is too sweet! My beloved friend... I have found ALL I NEED and more...

'At the cross at the cross
Where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
It was there by faith
I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day!'

Jesus Loves You more than you can ever imagine.

Happy Easter Beloved!:)

Blessings.

Karwirwa Laura #GodGurl

At The Feet Of Jesus.

Lately, I've been thinking about this story. A story of extremes, if you ask me.. Whereby, The One who
stilled the waves (Mark 4:39) meets a man who is the very opposite of stillness, a man who “night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5). Mind you, this is no parable. It's a true, real story.


The first time I read about the Gerasene Demoniac I utterly empathized with this guy. Wait, no, I lied. Haha.. I didn't have deep enough understanding then, so honestly, I was more of scared. Thank God for growth, revelations come in deeper ways nowadays (spiritual growth is good! Something to desire. I pray for more of it upon your life:))
Glory to the Lord:) I digress.
......... I read this story for the umpteenth time before I could gain good understanding and when I did, I utterly empathized with this guy. This man was too taken over by this demons that he could barely be likened to a human being. He was way too abnormal. On a slightly lighter note, I visualize him to be the then version of "The Incredible Hulk".. coz maahn! the things he did!!!
He wore no clothes.. Lived in tombs instead of houses..he'd break the chains and shackles, and run off to the wild..!!way too much delirium!!

And then.........
One PERFECTLY FINE afternoon, the PRINCE OF PEACE sets foot on the land of Gerasa. And something amazing happens..
At the name that EVERY knee bows, the demon-possesed man falls at the feet of Jesus. Remember, he's too taken over by the demons, that it is no longer he but the demons in him that act, and speak and generally do everything!... The demons bow down at the feet of Jesus, trembling in fear.. And with their tongues, they confess (Luke 8:28) When he saw Jesus, he fell down
before him and shouted at the top of his voice,
“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the
Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit
to come out of the man.
What power!

If you go on, reading this excerpt and actually conceptualize every moment..craft it all in your head like a movie..you will see just how crazy the whole scenario was.
From the craziest guy in Gerasa screaming all over the place, then he runs towards some stranger who has just stepped into the land..who exorcises the demons into pigs, which run and drown themselves into the sea (so weird!), to people getting so shocked and reacting in all manner of ways......so much going on... so much going on..!

But...
Amidst all this craze.. there is one perfectly PEACEFUL place.
at the feet of Jesus.. Where the man from whom the demons had gone, was sitted, clothed! and in his right mind!
~Luke 8:35

At the feet of Jesus my dear..!
That is where we need to dwell.
There is profound peace, you will not want to let go.
Ask Mary, Martha's sister, she knows..
She found a place of stillness, where she could cast all her cares, focus on the right things and feed her soul.
At the feet of Jesus, there is fellowship with the giver of all good things. At the feet of Jesus, there is nourishment.
Where do you find yourself tonight?

Love love! 💕



Karwirwa Laura #GodGurl

Be Still.

Karibu sana hapa! :)

I'm doing a very exciting Bible Study Plan on YouVersion Bible Application titled "The Bible In A Year". And currently, I'm studying the Book of Exodus. It's a good one, you should try it! ;)

I was studying Exodus 14, and I found a very frustrated and fed up group of Israelites.From being enslaved, to going through the hustles of breaking free, and then just when they thought it was all over, they see a crowd of Egyptians, marching towards them, following after them as though they hadn't put them through enough. Ofcourse Moses will be to blame! I mean, he should have just left them to die in Egypt, eh?!
Now, hear what Moses says in response to their cries..
"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.
Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the
LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see
today you will never see again.The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:13,14


I don’t know about you, but it is quite hard for me to be still. It's almost subconscious. I'm an overthinker, a perfectionist too. When I am
struggling with fear and feeling out of control I want to do something. I want to take matters in my own hands and do whatever it takes to “make it right”.In doing so, I sometimes find  refuge in all  the wrong places. I trust in myself or others rather than resting in God. And then I feel okay for some short while, then within no time, I'm back where I left off.

Here is what God says to you and I:
i) BE STILL..
Learn to be quiet. Hush the multitude of voices in your life. The worldly turbulence and frenzy can be too noisy to allow a good enough form of stillness in your life. And so from time to time, you need to just get away.. and not just get away, but get away and bond with Jesus:)

When we are free from outside turbulence we are better able to hear the still, small voice of God’s
Spirit. He speaks to us, but sometimes we aren’t quiet enough to hear Him.One other voice that needs to be quieted is the voice of our flesh, the one which speaks in the language of worries, doubts and fears. By taking those thoughts captive and resting in God’s Word, peace replaces the
turbulence. That doesn’t mean the storm has passed, it means the storm is no longer within you. The storms may still rage, but you will be free
from their effects.

ii) KNOW THAT I AM GOD..
Learn Him. Only until you do this, will you appreciate His place in your life.
The way to get to know God better is to consistently be in His word, learning who He is, what your relationship with Him is and how He
operates. There is no better way to get to know someone than by spending time with them.
Bond with Jesus:)

Psalms 46:10 ~ Be Still and know that I am God.

Jesus embraced the aspect of stillness, and we see that in how he calmed the storm. "Peace, be still"

The next time you have fearful and anxious
thoughts that are raging within you like a violent
storm, do as Jesus did. Silence those thoughts by
saying, “Peace, be still.” When you need strength
and help, let go and rest in God, your refuge. “Be
still and know that I am God.”

The Lord will prepare an army to go in battle for you. He will make a way where there seems to be no way (even a pathway through the sea! Haha). He will bring about hindrances and confusion upon your enemy just as he jammed the wheels of the chariots of the Egyptian such that they had trouble moving.(Ex 14:25).He'll sort you out.
And then, you will see, that He is the Mighty King. Greater than them all.


Chill out and love on Him.
He loves peace.. He is the Prince of Peace.
He'll still your heart:)

Blessings!

Love,

Laura.

#KingdomAssignment



Karwirwa Laura #GodGurl

Beyond Good Intentions.

Confession: I can't count the number of times I  have heeded dutifully to my Quiet Time, sat in
my favorite corner on my bed with my journal and
my Bible…and then spent the time I had set aside for the Lord in allowing my mind to wander, hopping from passage to passage, getting up and doing another task, checking my phone, and basically being wildly distracted. I sat down esteeming a diligent spiritual life. I even had all the right resources, but not the ability to carry it out, basically because it's one thing to intend and another to actually do.
It's all too easy to start out with good intentions only to later falter and lose the initial excitement.

Having the right tools and the right desire, does not equate to actions.
I'm embarrassed by the number of times I've said either in words or thoughts, "I will pray about that matter," and done literally nothing about it.
I want to put real actions behind my good intentions; to put works behind my faith; to turn my enthusiasm into something more than mere words.
For example, I deeply esteem the discipline of prayer, but if I don't actually pray, my esteem is worthless.

Thankfully, there is an ever-present help for this shortfall of mine: Jesus Christ can turn the wanting in my Spirit into action-pumped enthusiasm within no time.
I recognize that I'm just but flesh and beating myself up (because I can be really good at this) won't help me one bit.
The moment I just utter a sincere, "Lord, I need your help on this. I can't seem to have my mind on doing your work but my heart is genuinely firmly found. I desire to do this, please go before me and guide me," I have faith He will come through.

But again it's not enough to revere myself and go before Him to seek an extra "push" only to keep my distractors around and not set apart good time for God. Throughout my life, I have come to find that God is really faithful in playing His part hence I need to play mine to, lest I get nowhere.
I've also learnt to ignore the bait of the enemy to
make an excuse because “sin lies at the door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Gen.4:7).

This post is all in first-person narrative form and you probably feel like the "I's" should be "You's" because like me, you might probably be finding it hard to put diligent obedience in carrying out your Kingdom Assignment or Quiet Time. Or probably you begin so strongly only for the enthusiasm to fizzle out within no time. Don't give in to the struggle. The secret is not in trusting in your willpower but in the one who gives all strength, Jesus Christ.

Love love! 💕

Laura.

Karwirwa Laura #GodGurl

Hello 2016! Let's Step In With Confidence.

Helloooo! :)
Happy New Year 😀

And welcome to this place..
This beautiful warm place, where I submit my #KingdomAssignment..
Always feel free, always open your mind and your heart to hear from the King..
Feel free, come in with your shoes on.. Haha.. Put your feet up on the stool.. Sip some coffee..
Let's share..
Let's go all out..
All for the glory of God:)

➡Reminder : I put up a post every second and last Wednesday of every month! 😃

I've been pondering on what exactly to share, over the past week.. And everyday, I get a new revelation. But there's this one thing that has been ringing on my mind repeatedly, and that's a verse from Isaiah 59:19:
It says, "So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."
I've been meditating on this Chapter, and the 27th Psalm of David..

I know there must be a reason why God won't let me get past this Word.. And the more I have opened my heart to Him, the more He has caused me to  understand what He has for me to learn.
Throughout the past year, I recall more than many times when I allowed myself to be downtrodden because my CONFIDENCE was drained. Forget about the fact that I have struggled with self-esteem issues from time to time in the past, this is far from it. All along, I didn't really know that I had another major problem, I lacked confidence in my God.

I focused too much on what the devil was doing, or trying to do and I forgot about what God can do.
I lost friends after a sudden bloom in my life, others began to treat me rather too harshly, and I cried fowl, I tried to cling, I tried to reach out almost desperately, keeping my head away from what God was doing on the other side because really, I have gained a ton more! :) Glory to Jesus..
Quick one: When you give your life to Jesus, you declare WAR! The devil is not going to leave you at it, just like that..

Aaalll along, I kept hearing a still small voice, a weight in my heart - "Laura, I have confidence in you my princess. HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME. I Love You. I'm your King."
(Confidence : the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.)

We need to be cognizant of the fact that the devil too has power..and when He rises like a flood, our King, our Mighty Father, raises a standard against His power. Because He is MORE powerful! Because He is STRONGER! He is UNDEFEATED!
Enough reason for me to have confidence in Him..

Beloved, Our God is a mover of mountains.. His unfailing love is enough for us. Could we work on fixing our eyes on Him alone beginning this year?
Give the enemy zero percent of your attention.
Trust in the one who will keep your foot from being caught! (Proverbs 3:26)

We can be confident in the Lord to be who He is. He can be trusted.He does not lie. He does not fail. There is no situation that our lives face that takes Him by surprise.We can build our lives upon the rock of His word and we can stand upon that rock in strength and safety regardless of the storms that come our way.

May Psalms 27 be your song today! 😃

The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I
will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and
praising the Lord with music.
Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Do not turn your back on me. Do not reject your servant in anger.
You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.
Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I've never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Love love! 💕

#GodGurl

Karwirwa Laura #GodGurl

Quality Time: Just You and God.

Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship:)

Lone time does something to a relationship..
Something good..
And that is why for EVERY Christian, it is very VITAL to spend some quiet time with God.

One thing about this is that it's something we've got to do with diligence.. regularity..
Not when it's convenient..
Haha..
Not when you have extra time..
Not when you feel like..

SEEK God.. Pursue Him.. Go After Him..
You've got to make an effort.
He already assures us that if/when we seek Him, we shall find Him.
If time is the problem, I encourage you to give God the little you have and He will bless the rest of the time you'll have left for the day.
For God so loved that He GAVE..
Time in itself is an offering..
Sow it like a seed.

The Bible is your number one weapon.
I'm sure you've heard of a verse the goes something like, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6)
Let me add another.. "You are in error because you do not know the Scripture......" (Matt 22:29)
Here are some of my tips on Bible Study :
⚫Possibly download a devotional application on your phone or probably get those lovely diaries that have daily Bible verses.. Or a lectionary of any kind. It helps to have order:)
⚫Identify a good quiet place as much as possible, to keep away from distractions.
⚫Before you read the verse, pray that God may open your inner eyes to see what He has for you, your inner ears to hear what He has to say and your heart to the understanding of His word.
⚫Read the verse itself, the verses above it, and those below to understand the context.
⚫Pen down what you understand from it as God leads you. It really helps to write, for memory and record purposes. So, keep a Bible journal.
⚫Seek further understanding from commentaries on the Internet or from Books or from a spiritual leader, it does help.
⚫Pray in context to that Word, that God may help you to keep and remind you of it when you need it.
⚫Pray.
For yourself, your family... everything else..

The more you put into the Word of God, the more you get out of it.

You don't need to have the word of God in your brain, you need to have it in your heart.
So when you find yourself struggling with forgetfulness, like I do, don't beat yourself too much about it.
I've come to learn that for as long as I put that Word in me, at the opportune time when I need it, God will bring it out for me. :)
So, invest I understanding, not knowing.

PRAY.
Anytime, anywhere..
Learn to speak to God and love it!
About everything that is in your heart for we know that nothing in this world is hidden from Him.
However, don't do too much of the talking.
Listen.
He has something for you as well..

Look out for the next post, we'll be talking about Hearing From God.
I can't wait!

Love,
Laura.

The Love Chapter

Let's talk about LOVE.
LOVE God's way.. :)

"Laura, why love?"
"Because they will know we are Christians by our love."(John 13:35)
Not by works, or by majesty, but by our love..

What is love?
Who defines love?
Truth is, we all love by our own different definitions.. To one, love is giving and to another, the measure of love is in words..
But it's simple.
GOD IS LOVE.
He is the personification of love.
He defines love.

You're in for a great time as we go on with this discussion... :)

Allow me to take you to the Love Chapter, as I love to call it.. 1 Corinthians 13..
I'd encourage you to read through the whole of it but for now I will delve mainly into verses 4 to 7.
"4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[ b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Paul writes this to a dysfunctional church at Corinth to rebuke them for abuse of gifts. And this is a chapter that is now often read at weddings and anniversaries, of which there's nothing wrong with that. However, it's very easy to superficially appreciate love and claim to practise it.. Because love is not an emotion, it's an action. 
He describes a completely selfless love in these senses:

1.Love is patient.
Love God's way does not lose it's temper easily.. It doesn't say, "I'm giving you only one more chance."
It keeps calm, with people and through difficult circumstances.
God humbles us enough with our personal shortcomings despite the many times we fail.. The least we could do is show patience to others when they fall short of our expectations.
Loving people are willing to tolerate the shortcomings of others because they know they have faults too.

2.Love is kind.
Love God's way is kind.
Not too permissive, kind..
Not to mean that everyone and anyone can and may take advantage of you, but to mean that even when your portraying some tough love, your words and actions do not fall far from the will of God.

3. Love does not envy.
A loving person is as enthusiastic about the success of others as they are about their own.. genuinely.
Being a Christian doesn't mean you can never feel jealous. And there is something we can do about it, pray.
This is the best way to cure envy. To pray for him or her demonstrates love, and love and jealousy cannot dwell on the same heart.

4. Love does not boast.
Gifts are generously given to us by God, therefore we have no reason to attribute anything to ourselves.
Pride sets in from time to time, most times unwaringly..
But I do believe that the more you fill your heart with the Love of God, the more these vices lack room.

5.Love is not arrogant.
Love respects, does not push for positions, and does not demean others.

6.Love is not rude.
There is a graciousness in love that translates to how we speak.
Jesus can help us, even in this.

7.Love is not self-seeking.
Love is not possessive, demanding, stubborn, or dominating. Love does not talk too much but listens as well. Love does not insist on its own way. It is always willing to give attention to others, and even compromise, when need be.

8.Love is not easily angered.
Agape love knows nothing about emotional outbursts and tantrums.
It is able to control irate people or a annoying situations with calmness and maturity.

9.Love keeps no record of wrongs.
This one really got to me.
I keep journals and countless times my classmates would fear to even look at what I'm writing because (as I came to discover) most journals contained lots of heavy tantrums and all manner of things that so and so did or didn't do that hurt or annoyed you. Well, it's taken to be a way of venting, but I can imagine how it is to always read what you wrote about someone when you were very annoyed at them. It brings back a lot of things..
We'll, this is just but an example, but many times, even in our hearts, we hold something against people who hurt us for very wrong and it hinders us from ever relating with them in the same way.
Love God's way forgives. It covers a multitude of sins.

10.Love always:
i)protects
Yes, she got pregnant at 18, but don't be part of the 411 team.
Love God's way does not rejoice in failure of others.
Even when others come to you with the 411, you could change the story to.. "Do you love coffee? I loooooovvveee coffee.. Want some?!"

ii) trusts
Ever met someone who, you know they've just been duped, but they are convinced," she didn't mean it."
And you're like, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE DIDN'T MEAN IT?!"
Haha..
Well..
I don't know about you..but I wannabpractise live like my Jesus did.
The Pharisees are speaking ill.. But oh well, they don't mean it!

iii) hopes
Hope and doubt are oil and water.. They don't go together.

iv) perseveres
Yes, that irritating friend.
There's a reason they came your way.

11.Love bears all things!
This is pretty much like what I said earlier.
Love doesn't nitpick, looking for faults all around and having an eye for the wrong things people do.
LOVE doesn't broadcast bad news, it goes a second mile to protect.
I came across this quote somewhere:
“There are many times in my life when I’ve been sorry I opened my mouth. But there has never been a time I’ve been sorry I kept silent.”
Stay strong.
Persevere.

12.Love believes all things.
This is where benefit of doubt comes in.
Believing the best in people.
We all work best in an atmosphere where we feel trusted and appreciated.
Create an environment for those around you to perform to their best.
Look for the best. It doesn't mean you won't see the worst. But focus on the best.


13.Love endures all things.
Love God's way does not retaliate or reject.
It doesn't say, "I'm done with you!"
"I don't want anything to do with you ever again! "

Wow..
It's been one long post, I know..
But this is the most important part that I pray you understand with as much weight as I did.
We may make efforts to work towards practising all these things but without knowing the one true personification of love Himself then it's all null:(
Jesus loves you.
Greater love had no man than this.. That He lay down His life for his friends.
1 John 4:8:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

I pray that we may all work towards understanding in depth the true nature of God because, then and only then will we be able to solidify our understanding of love.
We don't sign in to this by focusing on love but on the personification of it.. The definition of it.
Live it out! :)

The world will take notice, and lives will be changed.

Lots of Love,
Laura.

Hidden Faults

Unknown errors..
We all have these.

I recall sharing with you about my struggle with perfectionism.You my read about that here. It has a little to do with what I'll share with you on this post.

Being Christians doesn't mean that we never wander from the will of God, we do. We sin.
On to our first reference verse for this topic:
Psalms 19:12(NIV)
"But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults."
The first thing I derive from this verse is that as human beings, there are some errors we make that we can't notice, we can't understand, we can't detect.
Why?Simply because they are unintentional.

So, there are two kinds of sin: intentional (or rather, out of human weakness) and unintentional.
As Christians, any discovery of sin should lead us to the throne of grace, to confess and seek forgiveness. There is a natural proneness to sin even in the best of men, and if we don't constantly pray against temptation, we may find ourselves falling into it. Presumptuous sins are strangely dangerous.
In this verse, David not only desired to be pardoned and cleansed from the sins he had discovered and confessed, but from those he had forgotten or overlooked.
And that's what I'd like to encourage us to start doing from today.

Just to emphasize on the importance, Hebrews 4:13 tells us, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
He knows it all, He sees it all, So take it all to Him. He is abounding in grace.


Please pray with me:
"Oh Lord, wash away with your precious blood, even the sin my conscience has been unable to detect. Father, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable unto you. In Jesus Name. Amen"

God bless you! :)

Love,
Laura.

Guard Your Heart.

My Bible tells me to guard my heart, for its the wellspring of life..

Wellspring?
Chill out.. I'll explain.
A wellspring is a source.. Not just any source.. an original and bountiful source of something.
(this is how Google defines it, and I so love this definition!)
We view the heart as just the seat of emotions and will, but it goes without saying, that there's more to it than this verse states. Your heart is WHO YOU ARE.

At some point within this year, I was faced with many tricky situations whose way out was to "guard" my heart. I walked around daily, telling myself, "Laura, guard your heart!".. Before I picked certain phone calls, or replied to certain texts, or opened my mouth to give my view in a certain conversation.. I was just shouting at myself, " GUARD YOUR HEART! "
Yes, it's because I was afraid of bruising my heart because then I wouldn't have inner peace. And I was also afraid of making mistakes I'd made before..

We'll, the fact that I was trying to put scripture into practise, really went a long way..
But the problem come in whereby, I didn't really, fully, broadly, comprehensively understand what it meant to guard my heart.

Everything about God is just so beautiful.
Lemme share with you something in the Word that you probably didn't know.
(I didn't know until recently)
To every question in life, the Bible gives an answer.
And to the wonder of how really to guard the heart, the Bible gives us the answer in Phillipians 4:6-7..
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Paul tells us that prayer is the pathway to guarding our hearts and minds with the peace of God. Peace comes as a comfort rooted in our trust in God that comes out clearly in the process of prayer. So, guarding your heart is the result of clear communication with God about ALL you do.
And you see, the most amazing thing about all this is that once we take it to the King, then we've played our part.. The ball is now in His court..
See...
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Sweet! :)

Guarding your heart is essential, it can break you or make you..
It can liberate you or paralyze you.

What you have within you pours out with-out you..
Who you are affects what you do...

Therefore,
Guard your heart (who you are).. For it's the wellspring of life (what you do).

Blessed?
I hope..

Love,
Laura.

On Kingdom Assignment

I didn't write this..
(Lol.. What a way to begin a post)
I came across it and I resonated perfectly well with it, hence I had to share with you.

Please read it first before I say more:

“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” Matthew 16:22-23, NKJV.

Peter didn’t understand at the time why Jesus had to die, but later on it made perfect sense. It was so that whoever would believe on Him would not perish, but would have everlasting life (see John 3:16).

When God has given you a kingdom assignment, there will be those who will not understand. They will try to dissuade you from doing the work God has called you to do. They will speak from their emotions instead of from the Spirit. But you can’t allow people’s fears and their feelings to become your own. You have to serve God with a made up mind as you focus on obeying His voice and His Word only. The deeper you go in Him, the harder it will be for others to understand. And while you’re sitting there trying to explain it, you’re losing time. Recognize time wasters and the distractions of the enemy. Recognize those who are trying to hinder you. Rebuke them in a spirit of humility if you must and keep on moving forward. Brave the waters, raise your sail and let God chart your course. Do what He has put in your heart to do, and you will hear your heavenly Father say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

What's your Kingdom Assignment?
Have you been called to minister through song, writing, journalism, photography....?
What's holding you back?

You see, Peter held Jesus back because he did not understand.. It's like that for the most of us on a kingdom assignment. They just don't understand.. It's not always necessarily because they don't mean well.
You can't afford to be distracted.
And whatever it is you've been called to do, give your all to it.

Sending blessings your way, faithful servant!

Jesus loves you! :)

Love,
Laura.

Perfectionism Chains.

For the better part of my life, I've been on a mission. A mission to be the perfect daughter, the perfect friend, the perfect student.... the perfect Laura.
Oh how it drained me!
Oh what a difficult path of life to take!

When my teacher told me, "You're a good student Laura. I'm sure you will not disappoint me." I heard, "You're a good student Laura. But you better not disappoint me."
When my parents told me," We trust you Laura". I heard, "You better keep it that way young girl."
Hehe.. It's a little funny to think about it right now. But for sure I was in chains.
Simple conversations had me setting out on a quest to prove that I was actually the best. That I was perfect..
Those few times I did get into trouble with my parents or my teachers, or I disappointed a friend, I felt horrible. And even though I got off with a few stern words, I still felt like I'd let them down.

My strife to be perfect gradually carried over to my relationship with God. I honestly thought that God would love me more when I read my Bible everyday, when I prayed everyday, when I attended youth meetings and participated in church events, when I fasted from time to time... and more. I believed that I would impress God more by doing all the right Christian things there are to do. Yes, I did want to do them because I partly understood the importance of feeding my Spirit and serving..but I found myself doing them mainly because I thought that was the best way to 'bribe'  God into blessing me.
I'd beat myself up every time I dozed off after a long day and woke up having realized that I didn't pray for atleast 5 minutes before I slept.
I'd feel as though I needed to get saved again.. Hehehe.. Like I'd messed up big time.
It wasn't cool one bit..

I know I'm not the only one who has felt (or feels)  that being a good person - being a perfect Christian - is the key to God's heart.

There's nothing wrong with striving for excellence in whatsoever field of life. Being always at our best is part of being a Christian. In fact, Matthew 5:48 says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." We are supposed to shoot for the highest standard of goodness—God's goodness. And Paul tells the Corinthians, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

But here's the problem with perfectionism:
Perfectionism is doing our best, for the wrong reason. It is about you, it's not about God, or anyone else around you.
Perfectionism is selfish.
Perfectionism makes you believe that your worth is in pleasing your parents, your teachers, your friends, your God.. so that you may earn favour with them..so that you may earn love and acceptance.
Or rather, that's pretty much what it did to me.
Deep within, I was a little stressed out. And I didn't really want to admit that I wasn't perfect after all. I had to prove that there was one perfect girl out of about 400 in school.
(And I flopped, by the way..hehe..I messed up many times. And it got me walking with a stoop for almost a year, feeling unworthy)
I had to prove that I was the kind of child every parent desired to have.
The pressure to be perfect, was a little too much to handle.

God's Perfect Plan
When it comes to God's love, we perfectionists tend to get the order of things all mixed up. We think, If I'm good enough, if I do all the right things, God will love me. But God reached out while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). God made the first move.
Sin entered the world, straining God's relationship with man. We see man trying time and again to fix the relationship with God through animal sacrifices, money, even a tower going up to heaven. But it took God's sacrifice to bring us back to him. God's incredible gift of salvation is ours because God loves us, not because we earned it.(Romans 4:4-5.)

(Oh to grace, how great a debtor..
Daily I'm constrained to be.)

God's love paid the price for our misdeeds. Grace built a bridge brought down by our imperfections.

When Jesus tells us to "be perfect" in Matthew 5:48, he's saying that God's idea of perfection is radically different from the world's idea of perfection. The world says perfection is having the best body, the most popular friends, the happiest family. But Jesus tells us God is our best example of perfection. That means perfection is only found in striving to follow God. And as the apostle Paul explains in Philippians 3:12-16, God wants us to keep our eyes on him and follow the example of Christ in all we do.

Yet even Paul, one of the greatest Christians of all time, admitted he wasn't perfect. He knew he could only gain salvation through a relationship with Christ. But he continued to do his best as a natural response to God's love for him. And for Paul, doing his best meant growing in his faith, seeking God in everything he did, loving God with his whole heart.

The same is true for us. Being perfect in Christ isn't about living up to expectations—the world's, your parents', your own. It's about being obedient to God, day in and day out.

Showing others the light of God doesn't mean we can never mess up. That's why some people think they are not good enough to be Christians.
They don't think they can live up to the expectations everyone has of a Christian - always being nice, never getting in trouble.. etc. Our efforts to be the perfect persons sure doesn't help them think otherwise. But if we'd be more honest about our own failures and show them how God forgives, they might view everything differently.

Perfectionism is a losing game. Fortunately, it's one we really don't have to play. After all, God reached out to us when we were as far away from Him as we could possibly be. Being a Christian isn't about being perfect; it's about being forgiven. So we can relax and be confident that God knows we're not perfect and loves us just the same.

Break the chains now:)

Love,
Laura.

The Mind-Garden

Your mind is a garden
Your thoughts are the seeds
You can grow flowers
Or you can grow weeds.


As James Allen would put it:
"A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind."


The use of a garden as a metaphor for the mind works because it indicates the need for growth and maintenance.

The mind is the most powerful asset granted to us by our maker. We feed it in two ways; positively and negatively. Positive thoughts are the beautiful blooming flowers that brighten your life. Negative thoughts are the ugly weeds that spread faster than you can imagine and eventually suffocate the flowers.
What and who surrounds us has such a great impact on what grows within your mind.

Hence, I bring forth what I'd term as the first point:
❇Surround yourself with what you want to be.
Bad company corrupts good morals. I didn't say it, the Bible did.(1 Cor. 15:33)
I'm one who's really not easily influenced, especially by what I deem negative but indeed for a long time, I took this verse lightly. I assumed that I could be around people who from time to time discussed unproductive topics and leave the place without even the slightest desire to pursue these paths that would most probably eventually lead to my doom.
Until somebody told me, words are seeds and the mind is a garden. Enough said, eh?!
Avoid:)


I'm pretty sure most if not all of us are well conversant with the saying, "Garbage in, Garbage Out". Everything that goes in somehow comes out.
Viewing the heart and the mind as somewhat interconnected, let me share this.
"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. "~Luke 6:45
Feed your mind with life, you shall speak life:)
Feed your mind with deceit, it'll be all you are about.
So,
❇Feed your mind positively.

We've been talking about weeds for quite some time now, we may as well delve into identifying them:
°°constantly worrying about what people think.
~Caring about what people say is not the problem (because it can as well build you).. Worrying is. Caring about what others’ think means you respect their opinion and will bear it in mind, but it doesn’t suggest that you will rely on someone else’s viewpoint to determine your worth. Worrying about it implies that your worth is contingent on someone else’s appraisal. As James Frey put it, 'Worrying about what people say will always render you their prisoner'.
It is human nature to want to be loved and accepted but you can't please everyone dear:)

°°taking things personally.
Not everyone is out to attack you.
Relax.
It's never that serious.

°°stressing out about situations.
I'm an overthinker. Sometimes I subconsciously drift into deep thought and only until I develop a tension headache do I realise that I have spent a whole lot of time worrying about circumstances which most times, I can't change.
If you can change the situation, get up and do something about it.
If you can't, go on your knees and take it to the King.
I'm reminded of the nursery school songs, "Why worry, when you can pray? Trust in Jesus, He knows the way......".. And..." Cast your burdens unto Jesus, for He cares for you.":)
Oh, what a sweet feeling. :)!

°°gossip, illicit/obscene material..... You know..
These are stuff we should practically flee from.

°°doubt, fear, anxiety, insecurity, anger, self-centered egos..
Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil: for thou art with you; thy rod and thy staff they comfort thee.(Psalms 23:4)
Don't allow yourself to often lose your cool and only focus on self-centered ambitions.

Replace all these weeds with beautiful flowers:)
Kindness, Compassion, Love, Forgiveness.......
You can bring mercy and tenderness to the wounded parts of your mind so that the fight within you can come to an end.

It's easy to overthink things, jump into conclusions or get wrapped in negativity especially when you do not have others around you to give you a fresh perspective.
Being alone, majorly contributes to overthinking so you might as well consider appreciating company.
Also, avoid complaining. It's pointless, doesn't make anything better and drains the complainer as well as those around him/her.

Meditation is blissful. It can help your mind blossom:)
Learn to live in the moment, but do not entirely rule out the fact that there is a future.

Beloved, find ways to cultivate the beautiful flowers in your life. Remove negativity in your life in order to see positivity bloom.
Tending to your garden is an ongoing process.
Tend to it daily:)

Love,
The newest flower garden-tender in town..
The Ultimate #JesusFreak

Laura.

F.A.I.T.H!

I used to think I knew what it was to have faith until I actually studied Hebrews 11 in depth, only to realize that my faith was quite superficial.

Faith is a firm persuasion and expectation, that God will perform all He has promised to us in Christ. As God's word itself would describe it, it is 'being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see' (Heb. 11:1)
Faith proves to the mind, the reality of things that cannot be seen by the bodily eye.

Now, I wonder.. if I cannot even purchase an item I have not only seen but also critically analyzed, how can I just simply believe in the occurrence of a certain breakthrough in my life of which my current situation does not reflect one bit?
It's only human to think that way..

Faith is confident in unseen things.
(Romans 8:24-25) "For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance."

Still in Hebrews 11, we are given examples of real faith.. From the creation of the world, to the worthy sacrifice made my Abel and Enoch's ascension into heaven.... These, among other numerous examples buttress the actual definition of faith.

I'm quite a pro in the game of Poker, if at all my skills haven't become all rusty and I can undeniably admit that while playing the game, I do exercise some sort of distorted 'faith', especially where bets were involved. I don't have to get tangible proof that I will pocket the several hundreds placed on the table, I will simply take a leap of 'faith' and cross my fingers (or not)
I notice quite an inter-relation between faith and sight. They are way parallel to each other. Hence, the moment we choose to walk by sight, then we completely lose the whole aspect of faith in our lives and we only THINK we have faith.

❇"We live by faith, not by sight"(2 Cor 5:7)

I was really struck by verse 6 which says, "And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
It hit me hard on the face, that I can actually exercise all the possible good traits taught in the Word, day after day, but for as long as my faith is wanting then there is NO WAY I can please God.

I'm guilty as charged of making the "give me a sign Lord"  kind of prayers. And when He doesn't SHOW me, then I begin to complain that He doesn't listen to me. I spend hours on end on my knees, asking God for this that and the other only to just say 'Amen' and get back to wallowing in self pity and discussing my misfortunes with anyone who gives me attention.
Lol. And I wonder why things are not changing..

When Jesus was asleep in the boat, the disciples were shaken and they woke him up like, "what's wrong with you?! How can you be asleep in the midst of a storm?".. I can imagine them saying this, especially the Sanguine of all, Peter. And when Jesus woke up, He rebuked them saying," Oh men of little faith!"
Lack of faith makes it difficult to get through to God, to get past our shortcomings.

When He tells us to take it to the cross, He doesn't mean that we only take a portion and go back with the rest. Then there was really no point of embarking on the journey in the first place. HE WANTS IT ALL. Because He can handle it. Faith is the ONLY way into great salvation. Otherwise, we are only living a lie. True faith is worth every step. It doesn't make everything easy, but it makes everything good possible, to be revealed at God's perfect time.

One of my favorite Hip-hop groups here in Kenya, Recapp, are soon releasing a song titled '5 Stones'.
I love how they use the analogy of David's battle with Goliath.
The chorus goes something like, "all I need is 5 Stones and I will slay the giant (Goliath)."

Stone 1: F, Two: A, Three: I, Four: T, Five: H.

By FAITH, just like David, we can slay every Goliath in our lives. We don't have to SEE how far the stone will go, or where exactly it'll hit Goliath (if not his forehead).. We just have to be CERTAIN, that it's a worthy stone-throw, that shall bring Goliath down and render us victorious.

:)

Wow..
I'm so glad that I have now assimilated this.
Currently a work in progress..
Please join the club;)

Love,
Laura.

DENY Myself, Take Up The CROSS, FOLLOW Him.

Hi there beloved. :)
You're going to love this one..

We are on Matthew Chapter 16:
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Everytime I come across these verses, or I hear someone mention them, I get this feeling in my heart. That feeling you get when you are so much in the spirit, you know. Or when you read a verse that you resonate well with.
But today, a deeper understanding was planted in my heart.

Much emphasis will go to verse 24.
Discipleship (going after Jesus) calls for three things, one: self-denial, two: cross-bearing, three: loyal obedience.
Going after Jesus is in His terms, not ours.
That's why He says, "if anyone...."


°Deny Yourself.
That to go after Christ, I have to deny myself? Hmm.. to mean what exactly?
That I should fast every once in a while? That I should sacrifice my leisure time to do His work? Well,that could work too..but here is the thing.
Denying yourself, means, to completely disown.. utterly separate yourself from yourself.
Huh? What did I just say....
That it's ALL about Him.
(Let me use an example I very much relate with..)
That when you go up on stage to perform your song, or spoken word piece, or present any kind of artwork with the message of Christ in it, it is ALL about the Father and NOTHING about you. NOTHING about who you are, what kind of background you trace back to, what brand of clothes you are in, or the number of fans who will scream your name.
How amazing it would be, if they would scream and shout, "Jesus!" "Lord You are Mighty!".. And not "Laura! Gurl, you are so talented!"
Don't you think?!

Jesus proclaimed that the first requirement for entering the kingdom is to be “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3 ), to have the spirit of utter poverty in regard to one’s own goodness, righteousness, worth, and merit. It is to humbly recognize one’s spiritual destitution.
It is only the person who realizes how poor he is who will ever know the riches of Christ. It is only the person who realizes how sinful and damned he is who will ever come to know how precious the forgiveness of God is.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalms 34:18 ).
It is the broken and contrite heart that God loves and will never despise (Psalms 51:17 ).
It is not the self-righteous and self-satisfied but the penitent and humble whom God saves.
It was not the proud Pharisee who had such a high image of himself, but the brokenhearted tax collector who asked God for mercy, who Jesus said “went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14 ).

Oh Lord help us to always keep this in mind..


“Growth in grace is growth downward; it is the forming of a lower estimate of ourselves; it is a deepening realization of our nothingness; it is a heartfelt recognition that we are not worthy of the least of God’s mercies.”
~Arthur Pink


°Take Up The Cross.
To take up one’s cross is simply to be willing to pay any price for Christ’s sake. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for His sake.

I was listening to a radio show a while before the inspiration to post this landed so heavily in my heart. And the lady was saying that, the cross is heavy to bear. Taking it literally, in whichever position you place it, it will remain difficult to carry.
Sometimes studying the word actually requires literal reasoning. Only until we take it literally will we realize the weight of the message.

The walk of salvation is not an easy one. Speaking for myself, at a time and age where 19-year olds like me would rather be in a club or at a 'weed' joint, being a staunch Christian is difficult. Friends desert you. The world mocks you. Mean words are hurled at you. More often than not, people misunderstand you.. I could go on and on.

Beloved, all these struggles are part of taking up the cross. This idea has profound meaning which must be understood. Taking up one’s cross is not some mystical level of selfless “deeper spiritual life” that only the religious elite can hope to achieve. Nor is it the common trials and hardships that all persons experience sometime in life like a sick relative, or betrayal by your better half.

Needless to say, if you haven't or aren't facing any of this, you are probably not taking up the cross rightfully. (Ahem.. Living a 50/50 kinda life?I might be hinting at you)
Sorry, sometimes ministry takes stepping on someone's toes.

During Jesus' time, a cross was an instrument of execution. Hence, part of following Christ is like carrying the very beam on which you will hang.
You will be hung from time to time. But hang in there.
It's a journey worth taking.

°Follow Him.
It's simple.
1 John 2:6 says..
“The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked”

When you look up to someone, you desire and actually strive to be like them. When you follow someone..you can't afford to walk in a manner less than that which they walk in.
Remember,
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus declared; “but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 ).

To continue in His Word is to be His true disciple. See John 8:31.

Wow.
Amazing, eh?

Let's completely deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him.
Our reward awaits us in heaven:)

I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown:)
Love,
Laura.

Random #3

Laura Story says in her song, 'Blessings'

"We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy?
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise..

Does this spark up something lovely in your heart?
I believe so..

My God is awesome, He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain
My God is awesome, heals me when I'm broken
Strengthens where I've been weakened, forever He will reign

Our God is awesome..
Unfathomably awesome!

Hang In There!

As I sit here sipping my coffee, my mind is still clouded with chains upon chains of thoughts.I still feel like I need a long, fuzzy hug. But I'm glad that today is better than yesterday and the day before and the whole of my past week if I may be honest. It's better because my heart is less heavy, and I am slowly starting to see some light. That's why Sundays will forever remain my favorite day of the week.
I woke up late today, moody but I just dolled up to go to church because it's a norm. I was still lost in thought, all through the way to church. I still wonder how I drove all the way without badly hitting the potholes along the way (ofcourse the Lord was with me and I thank Him so much for that). I prayed for the first time in days, because I was required to go to the pulpit and lead the congregation in Praise and Worship. At that moment, if I may be honest, I really wished I could escape that role (not forgetting, this is a calling, a great role God has completely set me apart for)

Now, before I even proceed.
I'm sharing this with you so that we can learn together, because I know for sure that everything else I will say after this shall change a life today or someday.
I take you back to my blog description. God has called me to minister through my life. And sometimes it just costs me a bit of my privacy. All in all, I don't mind because I know a life shall be transformed or blessed.. :)

So.....
Back to today's service. Let me just say, God is able. He is so awesome. He filled voids in my heart. He revived some dead parts within me. And he brought me back to the sane and optimistic way of thinking. I was about to break out in laughter when I was called to lead the congregation in intercession. "Of all days to say a lengthy prayer?! before everyone?! really God?!" It was just so funny.. I really didn't have the right words to say in prayer to this great God that I hadn't spoken to in days.
But guess what?
Yes, you guessed right. I did it and did it well. And as others found healing (I believe), through the prayer I made, I found great healing even the more.

Our theme read, :"God Cares For The Marginalized Lot". The readings......
Psalms 146:
Verse 3 hit me with so heavy a blow right in my face.
"Do not put your trust in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirits depart, they return to the ground; on that very day, their plans come to nothing."
Beloved, please, let the lead voice in your life be the voice of God. One of the reasons why I have been so confused and lost for the past couple of days is because so many human voices have been speaking into my life, that I became so overwhelmed, I couldn't take in any more. At some point, I really didn't want to hear anything in the name of advice.
It's not a good place to be. Because you lose control over your life, you end up having other people on the driver's seat of your life. And by the time you realise all this, unfortunately, the pieces may not be all that easy to pick up.
The worst thing I did to myself, is that I didn't get down on my knees and get to understand God's will soon after I realised what had been happening with me. Well, I was so empty, for many other reasons, but that's still not justifiable.
A classmate in high school once told me, "when the world knocks you down, you are in the best position to pray." If you take it literally like I did, when you are knocked down, you are likely to fall on your knees, yeah? Do join the rest of the dots..... :)
Kindly read the rest of Psalms 146 at your own time. And be blessed like I was:)
(I would put it up for you but it's going to make this blogpost seem so long and someone somewhere will just lose interest in reading.. Hehe #truth)

Wait..
Does God really speak to people?
Yes, He does..
I'll put up a post on this some time soon.. :)

1 Kings 17:7-24:
Here is a widow in Zarephath, desolate, possibly literally marginalized because of her status and she was at her wits end, she had given up. This is another "God, really?!"  moment because of all people in Zarephath, God sends Elijah to this poor widow for food. A poor widow who was collecting firewood to cook the last meal for herself and her son and then die, because she had NOTHING else. Please take your Bible and see, she said it for real.
(Just like He did with me today, God can use you even on you 'empty' days. You remain His vessel.)
And then Elijah still insists on being served with bread.. Hehe..This woman was oh too graceful. She believed as Elijah had told her ("the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land") Crazy faith!
My dear, WALK BY FAITH NOT BY SIGHT. Need I repeat that? Because I really won't mind..
(2 Cor 5:7)
It's sad that for some time now, I've been living on what I see, and I put all what I believe behind me. I thank God He reminded me all these today. I was heading for a fall.
Are you feeling me tonight?
Walk by FAITH beloved..

Galatians 1:11-24
I'll come back to this on a later post:)
But you can read it on your own..

Luke 7:11-17:
Another widow, who has just lost her son:(
The Bible says, Jesus saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry". His heart goes out for you..
Through my rugged week, at some point I felt so lonely, because I desired some love, attention and affection from specific people but I think I was probably asking for too much. Emotions were on the rise, clearly. I needed to vent.
I can tell you for free, there's no better place to vent than down at the feet of Jesus.Not everyone's heart will go out for you simply because people have their own lives to live. Listen to His calm and gentle voice telling you, "Don't Cry". I know you feel loved. I know you feel cared for.
There, you are at the right place. :)
Oops, I just slid off topic for a moment there.. Sliding back..
God can bring back to life the dead parts in your life when you just let go and let Him be God. This includes your faith.
Because honestly, we are human beings. We have limits. We fall weak and vulnerable from time to time. We get angry. We are tempted to give up. We speak with so much pessimism. We even don't feel like God understands us anymore.. etc..
God knows all these.
And He is always ready and willing to come through for us when we reach out to Him.
In Him, we find complete healing.

Jeremiah 33:3
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

I hope you feel more human now just in case you didn't. Because feeling low is just but normal.
I hope all what I have shared has helped you view your circumstances in a whole new dimension.
I hope you realize that in His presence, there is fullness of joy.

Feeling better?
I hope..

If you're not too tired of reading, please read my next post.
I promise it's short. :)

I love you.
Please smile.
(if you ain't already)

:)

Love,
Laura.

A Birthday Message:)

It's the 12th of June:)
My day:) :)
I'm joyful and greatful to God that I have seen yet another year.
Life is a blessing.

I am quite sleepy but I didn't want this day to end before I write this birthday message to you:)
Assume there is no irony in this case.. Lol..

Okay, here you go beloved..

1.Psalms 118:24 : "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the verse I wake up to every morning.The moment I open my eyes, I acknowledge that I am blessed to see yet another day, fresh in the eyes of the sun and every being on earth. I know that God has allowed me to see the day so that I can accomplish something. I will rejoice. Because every single minute of my day, is in His thoughts and plan. In joy and peril, I will rejoice. I will be glad. So, it's your birthday (Or not.. Pun intended.. Lol) Rejoice. And start the day on your knees. Begin a new chapter in your life with Him on the driver's seat.

2. Psalms 139:16b : “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book
before one of them came to be.”
Our omniscient God knows the end from the beginning, and vice versa. Throughout the Bible, God’s all-knowing wisdom is demonstrated and celebrated.
In this popular psalm, filled with super self-image affirmation, King David recognizes the Lord’s daily and active involvement in his own life. He understands that God holds each of his days within His power and grace.
Please do too:)
You are so loved.

It gets better..

3. God Sings Over You
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Your Mum sang with joy when she gave you life successfully. But she wasn't alone. The Almighty was singing too.. With 'loud singing'! How exciting?!I love the line,'He will quiet you with his love'.. It gives me so much peace.
On your special day, remember this:)

4. Your Birth was Appointed by God
Psalm 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
God saw every part of you before you were born. He has it all in the book, your days from the very beginning, your every experience. He knew you would exist and what would become of you. As I like to say, let Him take hold of the pen in your life and orchestrate your every story even as you begin your new year.
:)

5.Wonderfully and Fearfully Made
Psalm 139: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.”
This is just the most amazing verse on one of those dark days when insecurities creep in, because they do, we are human.
You were secretly knitted together by God in your mother’s womb. He knew what He was doing too. The way a human life is formed is too incredible to describe but even in your mother’s womb, you were “not hidden from” God’s eyes. He made you in the secret, inner most parts of your mother. So amazing, I tell you.

6. The Potter and the Clay
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
God prepared beforehand, every single detail of your life. You are created for good works and you should walk in them. So, this is to hint that if you are not walking in His ways then you should find your way back on track. Before you were even born, God prepared ahead of time good works for you to do for his glory. Now, find that purpose and fulfill it for His glory.

In conclusion,
Before sleep takes me...
Every Christian has two birthdays…one of their natural birth and the other on the day that they were born again because “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). If you are born again then you’ll die only once but if you’re born only once, then you’ll die twice. One will be a natural death and then the second death (Rev 21:8) will be in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). I plead with you, if you are not born again, to repent today and place your trust in the Savior. Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness and He will take ever sin away (1 John 1:9) and then God will see you just as He sees His own Son, Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:21).

Happy Birthday to me. 😊
I am so grateful for this day.
I hope you like my birthday message to you.
I do love you very much.

Blessings!

Love,
Laura.

Random #2.

Staring at my phone.. Hoping someone could text me and ask me how I am.
It's easy to say "I'm okay".. And add a smiley face.. :)
Sigh.. If only they knew..

:(

How could God let this happen to me?

I never thought I would ask this question.. For so long, I lived the almost perfect kind of life.When sorrows would only last for the night and joy came in the morning. Literally.

Hehe..

I never thought I'd feel this lonely.
Lol.. I'm finding a new hood in solitude.
I never thought I'd really feel this confused and lost for options.
What to do?
Who to talk to?
These among many other questions keep running through my mind..

They say happiness is a choice.
Is it really?
Because if it was, then I would press the happiness button, and everything around me would change..
Haha.. (insert sarcasm).. Truly, some things are easier uttered than put into practise.

Oh wait.. These are just circumstances.
Scratch that.
Let's just assume I didn't just sound so pessimistic for a moment there..

You probably won't feel me on this vibe.. Or better yet, you probably will.
(There is some sort of comfort and relief in knowing that you ain't alone)
You feel like you can't talk to anyone?
Because you are aware of what they are going through on the other end of the line and it's probably worse..? Or because to them it'll sound like every other random problem, and they will take you round and round, leaving you with no solution..?
I know!... Or because you are afraid to sound fussy and nagging..?
Sigh..
My veins could burst within my head right now..

I'm just too human to think like God..
Not now especially..

:(

All I know is..
For sure..

I just need some heaven.

Just chill right there..
There seems to be some sort of interruption.......
❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

"My Child..
I can read your thoughts.

You know what?
I understand your every feeling.
And yes, sometimes I let these things happen to you so that you can learn.. Other times so that other people can witness my glory and power through you.
I have my reasons.
I have my ways.

Two things:
One:..... I have given you seven fruits of the Holy Spirit. One of them includes joy. You've got to keep in mind that the devil is not happy when things are going well for you. Listen. He is not after your finances, your family, your job, your studies.... he is after your Joy. Don't let him take it away. He feels completely defeated when he realises that he cannot take away your joy.

Two:... Be still and know that I am God. I know the plans I have for you and my promises are true. Would you please just let me be God? Be still..

I know you weren't really talking to me.
But I am everywhere.
And I care about you.

Let me wipe away your every tear.
My love will carry you.

~GOD.

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Are you still reading?
I'm tempted to get back to my senses now..
He is quite brief, yet so clear.

I choose to listen to that still, small voice.

Earth is not our home.
Our home is being made ready for us.
And the time will come.

I'm still a Christian.. But I just figured how human I can be..

He is actually here with me..
What more do I need?

As Meredith puts it in song:

I searched for love when the night came and it closed in
I was alone, but You found me where I was hiding
And now I'll never ever be the same
It was the sweetest voice that called my name..

You cry yourself to sleep
Cause the hurt is real and the pain cuts deep
All hope seems lost with heartache your closest friend
And everyone else long gone
You've had to face the music on your own
But there is a sweeter song that calls you home, saying.

You're not alone for I am here
Let me wipe away your every fear
My love, I've never left your side
I have seen you through the darkest night
And I'm the One who's loved you all your life
All your life


(Buries head under pillow.. And can now sleep soundly)
:)

~Anonymous~

Or not..

Forget everything else I said.
But don't forget..

You're not alone..

Write It Down..

Habakkuk 2:2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain on tables, that he may run that reads it.
Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Time and time again we make promises, set goals, etc. Some we keep/achieve, others we don't. Spoken words are easily forgotten, but what is written can always be revisited.

Analysis is important.
We spend alot time with other people and sometimes forget that our happiness and fulfillment of our desired goals, requires isolation.
Reflection, reassessment and self-evaluation are best implemented during times of solitude.

Once a week, in the middle of the year, at every end or beginning of something of a certain chain of events........
Meditate.

Where am I right now?
Is this where I should be?
What have I achieved so far/from this?
How have I failed?
Way forward?
...........

It helps, to forge ahead stronger.

When an eagle is old enough and about to die, it sets off to a far away place in the rocks. There, it plucks of all its feathers, one after another, until it is bare and scrapes its beak over a rough surface until it is very blunt. It stays there until all its feathers grow all over again and its beak grows back too.
It's a time of restrategizing for the Eagle.
At times we need to shed off old habits or setbacks so that we are able to move forward with our lives as it should be.

Jesus too, if you notice, set off to a place away from other people to pray.He could have done it in the presence of his disciples or his audience, but in solitude, he could connect better with his Father and with his inmost being.

I found this quite a timely piece to write, this being the 1st of June - the middle of the year.
I hope you will find such a time today or some time soon. And once you have done your analysis, do pray about all your plans. Trust the Lord with your future. Seek God's guidance, for He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.

Go on, write it down:)

Love,
Laura.

When He Scripts Your Life Story..

When you take hold of a pen to jot down something, you are in control. Whatever you write, is up to you. However your handwriting appears, is entirely up to how your hand will write. You are in charge.

This week has been so good for me..For sure, not in terms of what I have been through but because I've finally assimilated very clearly, the concept of letting God take charge over my life. Everything! From my family, to my finances, to my alliances and relationships, to my worries and hurt.. Everything.
My Mum and I were talking over cooking chapatis some time this week.. and I was a little in distress regarding my musical journey because it has been slightly stagnating lately (and I must admit I over-thought the situation and ended up stressed). All she told me was, "take it to Jesus". It wasn't what I wanted to hear.. but it was what I needed to hear and understand.

I don't know..
I feel it so heavily in my heart that someone really needs this message..
I'm hoping I have the right words to pass it.

God loves you my dear. He really does.
Sometimes you may wonder why you face certain situations.. It's like wondering why God made water wet.
He made water wet because He willed so.
Sometimes he allows storms to come over our lives for some time so that we may learn a thing or two.. or so that, through us, others may witness His power and honour Him.
Sometimes the devil brings along your path various obstacles. Recall, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It shall be formed......... (can I repeat that?) It shall be formed... But it shall not prosper!

When you let God script your story.. You will not have to worry about where money to pay school fees will come from..
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to cry for days about your families woes.. About your broken family.. About your differently structured family.. About your drunkard parent........
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to struggle for approval, for opportunities.. He will open doors for you. And the doors He doesn't open will remain closed because that is not His will for you.
When you let God script your story.. You will not struggle with past pains of defilement and brutality, bullying and being downcast..
When you let God script your story.. You will not have to worry about whether you will ever be in a good relationship.. Or whether you will ever find the 'right one'.. He will script your love story as well:)

Friend, will you let Him?

I know, sometimes He doesn't take away all our troubles as we would want Him to. But we just need to trust Him. :|

When you let God script your story..

Every letter, every word, every coma.. He will have control over it. Even when the pen blots.. Hehe.. He knows what He is doing. Let him orchestrate your life story...
There is a song I love which says, "Father let your will be done. For I am just a piece of clay and you are the Potter."
Like Mary, just say, "Be it unto me, according to your word.."
Jesus acknowledged this as well.. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Just get on your knees and say, "Fit it Jesus"

“Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).

I love you friend.
And God loves you more.

Love,
Laura.