RECONNAISSANCE

My heart is full of praise and gratitude,i cannot really express how I feel at the moment,2019 has been a year full of lessons,growth and change.

I am thankful for the bad moments,they gave me strength and experience.

I appreciate the blessings and good tidings happening around my life.

I am ever grateful for life.

I appreciate my parents,and grateful for my lessons,I cannot thank God enough for giving me such a beautiful family.

I appreciate the people i have met along the way,they have shown me the true value of friendship.

I look forward to the years,the good and the challenging moments,I believe and trust God for strength to pull through.


And oh  I cant wait to enjoy the many blessings he has in store for me.


Lord help me understand your love more fully.Make me more aware of your accompanying presence in my life.Help me know that you are always for me and never against me in spite of what i think.Let me walk in the confidence of who I am ,with you on my side like this ,I can never lose.

Remember the phrase “forgive and forget”? A very common thing to say or hear especially within the four walls of the church. I, personally have found myself use this phrase in many attempts to help someone completely forget about some kind of pain they had been caused by someone else. It is only with time that I have come to realise it is a dangerous way to live life.

I am an introvert. Those close to me know that I can only hold a conversation for so long and then quickly want to call it quits not because I have something else important to do but simply because I enjoy my own company. For people like myself, It’s easy to say “oh that’s okay” after experiencing some kind of hurt but subconsciously store it up in some part of our memory only to realise we aren’t ‘so okay’ after all, when something similar re occurs. Many times we are hurt because we place people in high expectations and are unable to release them when they disappoint the role we needed them to fill.

Forgive and forget makes a nice slogan but the reality is, it is almost impossible to erase memories connected to your life that caused you to question your ability to trust again. I’ve had people ask me “Is it possible to forgive and forget?” Recently, my answer has always been forgive and remember.

I’ve had lessons from broken relationships that I still treasure and keep. Did it hurt? Yes! Do I still feel the pain when the memory comes to mind? No. But I’d forever cherish what my pain taught me. Yours may be a lost job or perhaps a broken marriage you invested so much time and effort into. Unforgiveness is surely poisonous but the real test of genuity in your forgiveness is the emotions that are stirred up in you when you remember whatever it is that caused you pain.

Our smile is the best camouflage that our bodies automatically exhibit as proof of “forgive and forget” but the reason I say ‘remember’ is to help you examine the state of your heart in a likely re occurrence of a similar situation. Will your heart still ache? Will you feel the need to distance yourself all the more from the villain? As nature has it, the true test of healing is not when the scar disappears but when we can no longer feel the pain in the same spot we used to. My new expression for such scars is; “God always leaves evidence”.

If we are able to recognise that people hurt us often out of their own brokenness or immaturity, we will develop a sense of empathy towards them which allows us to release them very quickly.

By all means forgive but don’t forget. Remember until all of your hurt and pain is translated into empathy and maturity. Until the situation becomes so irrelevant to your present that you forget why you were hurting in the first place. Perhaps you may discover broken places in your life that needs healing too. Don’t be quick to tuck your hurt under a carpet labelled “forget”. It’s only a matter of time and you’d find blood oozing from the same spot at the slightest tickle.  Why such a hurry to forget though? Maybe because it still hurts? And if it does, maybe your forgiveness is not complete. Don’t get me wrong. There are times the enemy capitalises on our rememberance to cause unnecessary pain and that should be prayed out. By all means forgive and remember Pain is only your servant never your master.

DAUGHTER OF THE KING

There is one thing that I believe in, that  our worth and value is found in God. He calls us sons and daughters of the most high God. As daughter of the king we are all ;

Glorious, Romans 8:17 says that now if we are children of God, then we are heirs, and co-heirs with Christ, if  indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

Beautiful: Beauty is often expressed in terms of our outward appearance, but her there is great emphasis and increased significance to our inner beauty, in 1 Peter 3;3-4,it tells us that our adornment.,must not be merely external braiding of hair and wearing of gold and jewelry or putting on dresses, rather it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of worth in God's sight. If we are daughters of the king, then we are noble and posses royalty.  1 Peter 2:9 tells us that but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, so that you may proclaim excellencies of Him who has called you out darkness into his marvelous light.
 As daughters of the king ,we are surrounded by gladness and rejoicing, Psalm 30:11-12,You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness that my soul may sing praise to you and not be silent .
He calls us valuable, Psalms 39:13-14 says that" "For ye formed my inward parts,you wove me in my mother's womb, I will give thanks to you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made e must always remember that our worth  is not found in our bodies, our beauty, what others think of us, our degrees, it is found in God who has called us as His own and loved us.

So put your shoulders back, don't you know you are beautiful,walk around looking like you know, and if you see your sister walk around looking like she forgot, like all her dreams got crushed, You better remind her.CHEERS

12 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Come to think of it,was it not just recently that we celebrated Christmas and surprisinly Christmas is here again,in exactly 12 days we would be celebrating the birth our Lord Jesus Christ.Time really flies.The excitement that the festive season brings is overwhelming.

I want to impress on us something that has been on my mind for sometime. Many of us had goals,dreams and aspirations ,that we wanted to achieve.Its 12 days to Christmas right.....well I call it 12 days in retrospection,during these days ,I see it as an opportunity to reflect over the previous months,weeks and days.

What went wrong:Most of us had goals and dreams we wanted to achieve,but some way somehow,we have not been able to achieve them,sometimes we even feel like giving up.Its  tupsetting and disappointing,yeah we all through it.Its natural to feel down,but instead of dwelling too much on it,there is the need to analyse the situation and find out what went wrong,what should have been done,more like a hypothesis and fix them,we become better to achieve our goals and aspirations.

Was there any growth:Physically,most of us increase in size,height,weight,others too remained the same,others too reduced in weight.Am talking of personal growth in our behaviours,how we take offences,have we grown spiritually,emotionally,socially,just to mention a few.No one is perfect but we can try  to better than who we were before. I admit its not easy especially in a world full of imperfect people,so through all the adventures,experiences,the fiasco that confront us daily,we need to grow through it,learn our lessons and say to ourselves that we are going to be better through this experience,with God on our side everything is going to be fine.


Springboard :As we move into the new year,what is your aspiration or motivation,what do you expect the new year to be like.Let the passing year be a yardstick to the new year,even with the little time left,something can be done,dont lose hope yet.

Lessons learnt:There were some lessons ,personally I learnt so much,I learnt that life is too short,appreciate and love those who love you,pray for them and move on.

I throw a challenge  to you that make your life become better than who you were before.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.

JUST SMILE

What is more beautiful than a blooming flower,what is more charming than a lovely sunset?  My dear friends ,I don't know about you,but I believe it is a smile.

A smile ,it is said is of no use unless it is given away,it may just take a few seconds for you to gift a smile to someone  but the memory of that smile,the cheer and hope ,it might have given to that person would last a lifetime.

At the same time,it is always a joy to watch an innocent new-born baby smile,that is life at its beginning ready to move on.It is again a joy to see the smile on the wrinkled face of an old man or woman looking back at life with the satisfaction of having run their race well.

Sadly ,so many people simply forget to smile as they worry too much about what is going to happen tomorrow. 1 Peter 5:7 says that "Cast all your anxiety unto God for he cares for you. It is this sure knowledge that God cares for you,that  makes you smile more even in the difficult times.

Always put a smile on your face because it is a very powerful weapon,not a cheesy fake one,but a genuine smile of happiness.

I gurantee you,if you do this,you will feel so much better. Remember God is always faithful,He will hold you up. Rejoice,because all things work together for our good.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do,Mother Theresa

,So why dont you just smile.

Is Your Beauty Paying Off?

Ever wondered what you can do with the beauty that God has blessed you with,quiet deep right? I realised there is weakness on the side of women when it comes to the  woman's ability to influence in their relationships.One thing that I have  noticed is that a lot of women put greater importance on our outlook,the way we appear,our hair do,our nails,make up,how people perceive us and all of that stuff which is a very good thing because the Bible even says that man looks on the outward but God looks at the heart,so it is important for us to enhance our outward appearance because that is the nature of man's  perception of a person.Looking at the life of Queen Esther and all the other women who were in the competition to become next queen for the king ,they all went through some physical preparation with cosmetics and spices for a whole year,so it is important to look really good on the outside.

I realised that it is very difficult for younger women to influence men, the ability to influence the decisions they make,to speak to their minds,the way they perceive things or even the state of your relationships,not just love relationships,but also in our businesses,friendships,in school or even in our marriages.We have placed a lot of importance on our outward appearance that we have not developed whats on the inside,now it makes a lot of sense to me why they say beauty lies in the inside and not on the outside.

In the Bible ,Queen Esther was chosen by the king because of her outlook,but when it came to speaking to the king's mind,she went on a fast and prayed because she wanted to influence the King's mind and his decisions.

As Godly women if we want the same thing in our relationships,career and even in our marriages,we must activate the part of us that generates power and influence.Come to think of it,you cannot change a man's mind,influence his decisions,or even the way he perceives you by your looks,you do so by activating you spirit man.

A lot of young women are compromising and yielding to anything that the man says in the relationship because you really have no influence over his life,his mind,his decisions or the choices he makes with regards to your destiny.

I throw a challenge to us as Godly women to develop our spirit man,determine to be praying more,reading the Bible even more than you do,to go on on a fast.do something that challenges you and builds you up  ,because that is where the power of authotity and influence lies.

Finally,1Peter 3;3-4 says that 'whose adorning let it not be that outward adorni ng of plating the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel,but let it be the hidden man of the heart,in that which is not corruptible,even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.

Hello September,lets meet in December.

Yours Truly.

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WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF

Ever  wondered   been given the chance to give an advice  to your younger  self , given the chance to travel from the future back to the past.Looking back to my younger years,I am   sometimes amazed  at   how my  life  has  turned.Nothing is exactly as I had planned, but one thing that never changed     is God,who I am and  my values.

I gathered a few things which I would love to tell my younger self :

• You are good enough,do not give anyone the chance to make you feel otherwise.
• Patience and persistence ultimately pay off.
• Don;t let anyone ever tell you ,your dreams are out of reach.Only YOU know your full potential.
• Dreams are nothing without action,Dream it then do it
• Fear is a wolf,Chase the wolf and you will never be afraid of the things you once feared.
• Life is called a "rat race",but remember it is a marathon and not a sprint.
• Learn to accept the unconditional love you deserve and to give it tenfold in return.
• Happiness is not just the most important thing in life,it is the only thing that matters.
• Celebrate your victories in life,even the small ones.

Finally 2 Timothy 1:6-18,You received a gift from God when I placed my hands on you to ordain you.Now I am reminding you to fan that gift into flames.God didn't give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power,love and good judgement.So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord or be ashamed of me,his prisoner. Instead,by God's power,join me in suffering for the sake of the Good news.

What would you tell your younger self ?.Please share your thoughts. Happy Independence day!!!

Yours Truly.