Change My Identity!

'Oh Lord this is me

I’m asking you to 

please 

change my identity;

I wanna be more like you

I’m asking you to 

please 

change my identity!'

These lyrics are from one of my favourite songs called Identity, by James Fortune & FIYA. I've had this song on repeat because lately, I have had such a need to want to be changed. As God's Word is issued out from the pulpit anytime I am in church, I become more and more hungry for the things of God. I want to give more of myself to God and receive more of Him. 

Problem is, what often happens is that the flesh gets in the way. My mind gets filled with other things and before I know it, I'm caught up in my own world - again.

This can happen a lot to us believers. We have a desire to want to draw closer to God in our walk with Him but we don't fully allow Him to have pre-eminence in our lives. He should consume our thought-life but it's so easy to just get 'caught up'. 

Romans 12:2 NLT : - 

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

God's Word in Romans is asking us to separate ourselves from worldly behaviours. Allow God to change us by changing our thought patterns and our worldly ways of thinking, which includes getting 'caught up' in our own world of worries, desires and what have you. 

One definition of the word 'identify' is 'to associate with'. So, in a sense, thinking like the world means you identify with the world or you associate yourself with the world. If you think like the world, you buy into its ideas, it's expectations and it's 'will' for you life. For example, the world wants you to think that it's alright to fornicate. Continuously thinking this worldly thought will eventually lead you to putting this thought into action. In this way, you have 'identified' yourself with the world. The Bible is telling us to change our thinking. Think godly thoughts. That way, you identify more with God. See: 'then you will know God's will for you'. You identify - "associate with" God! You fall in sync with His will for ya. You and God agree on something! The will for your life :D

Once our minds and thoughts are transformed, it creates the space needed for us to know God's will for our daily lives, and that pleases God!

#ChangeMyIdentity

I Wanna Make You Smile!

(Text in the speech bubble says: 'I wanna make you smile!')

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

On Sunday, my pastor preached about the Wonders of Praise. As I sat there, taking it all in, I knew this message was for me, as well as for many others. Recently, I've just been zoning out, focusing on other things, when I'm supposed to be praising! 

It's so easy to stand in church during Praise and Worship and just sing the song because you like it or dance because the beat is 'infectious'. I mean, who doesn't like music, right? Music makes you happy, music makes you feel good, etc. But in God's presence, it's a dangerous thing to do. We were created to praise Him - and that's irrespective of how we feel by the way. Praising and worshiping God should emulate out of our love for God. So whether we feel like it or not, He still deserves all the glory - period.  Nothing else should matter when we are in His presence. He is of the highest importance in absolutely everything anyway!

There's this one line in this song that I love: 
'I wanna make you smile' [- Smile/Better Is One Day by Jonathan Nelson].

So whilst Pastor was preaching, I was thinking to myself, how am I going to make God smile? I'm sure I displease Him everyday with my carnal thinking, daily sinning and what have you... so how can my praise and worship, with all this flesh, make God smile?

Thank God for fellow Christians! A Christian brother shared with me that when you're praising and worshiping God, just let all else GO! Just rest in His presence and shift your focus back to Him; get back to that place (where it's just you and God)! It's not as if I didn't know this before but how he explained it just really made me realise my self-centredness in the whole thing. It's supposed to be all about God and I've made it all about me. If I really want to 'make God smile', I've gotta separate myself from everything and let 'Jesus be the centre of it all'! 

Colossians 1:18 "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

Let Jesus have preeminence in our lives, in our praise and worship and in everything we do. 'Cause I don't know about you, but I wanna make God smile!

#IWannaMakeYouSmile

Testimony Tuesdays

Testimony Time!
(Click on this image for a clearer view)

Hey everyone!

These are some old posts I shared on Facebook a few months ago. I thought I'd put them on my blog so I don't lose them. It seemed that every Tuesday I'd have a testimony - 'small' ones, but the Bible teaches us to be thankful in all things :)  Check 'em out: 

March 25, 2014:

As it seems to be every Tuesday, I experience some extra touch of God's travelling mercies. 

Running early: 

I left my house early today. Well, on time. But I'm supposed to go in extra early today. From my bus stop to the station is about 20 mins. But I prayed that I would get to the station in 13 minutes; I prayed for a 13 minute miracle. Why 13mins? 

Well yesterday, I needed to get off the bus in exactly 13 mins to make my train. I dared God in prayer to let it be so and He actually did it, to the letter, or should I say, to the number! So, why not pray that same prayer today, right? After all, I was practically in the same situation as I was yesterday.

So here I am on the train. God got me here in 13 mins again. I'm chilled and early. Did I mention that today's train is extra special? The interior is more luxurious than the train I usually get 

#ThisKindGodO #TestimonyTuesday

March 18, 2014:

Funny enough, I always seem to have a testimony about my journeys on Tuesdays...

Nyame te ase:

5 hours sleep. No breakfast. Then the rush. For once, I wasn't running desperately late like the last time. No need to catch the train. 

One problem. This journey wasn't going to be relaxed. I still had revision cards to complete for my 09:00 session. I honestly did try to do all this before but life just got in the way. Being overly busy stole the time I needed to complete this work. Not to mention that I'd slept at 1am today, completing other work.

The struggle is real.

So there I was on the bus, writing like a madman, attempting to produce something presentable, something that's of worth.

By God's grace, I did it. I actually did it.

I completed the task!

I got to my session to see a note on the door saying that my tutor was not in. Was I mad? Yes! How can I rush like this only to have this notice slapped in my face?

After bursting with complaints and moans with my peers, I whispered to myself "Anyways, Nyame te ase" - meaning 'Anyways, God understands'. He knows why. He knows that I have even more stuff to do when I get home. And knows that I need to catch up on sleep. And food. And work.

So instead of complaining, though this stings, I will be grateful. Thank you Jesus. I have no lessons today. YOU made a way.

#WuTeAse #TestimonyTuesday

March 4, 2014:

God has a sense of humour!

Running late: 

I prayed that my 08:43 train will delay by two minutes just so that I can catch it and be on time for my destination. It turns out that I still would have missed that train. I am running to the train station all out of breath hoping to now catch the 08:51 train. I get to the station to find out that my 08:43 delayed by not just 2 minutes, but by 8 minutes. I am now sitting on that delayed 08:43 train. Favour be? #TinsLykDis #ExtendedGrace #TestimonyTuesday

This thing called 'Joy Unspeakable...'

Welcome to my first ever blog post!

This year, particularly, has been an interesting one for me. God has given me so much joy that I find it difficult to explain (it's unspeakable!). It's a kind of reassurance I have within me that everything is going to be absolutely fine. I haven't just felt this joy when I feel 100% okay, or when everything has been 'perfect' by the way! A typical example was during my exam season. Normally during exams, I am one to PANIC! It's ridiculous. But this year, imagine I was the one skipping around rather telling other people not to panic - Ha! God has a wonderful sense of humour, you know? I was at so much peace during the whole thing that it doesn't actually make sense up until now. And it's not because I thought I knew everything for the exams, but God always reminded me of this Scripture anytime I was getting slightly overwhelmed...It says, "Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated." (Isaiah 54:4) God gave me the strength and courage to trust what He kept telling me in His Word. Trust me y'all, it just settled the matter for me. 

Bible says, "Do not sorrow, the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10.) When you're on a 'high' and in your optimum state, you feel almost invincible, fired up for the day, ready to conquer! This is what the Bible means - this joy is your strength!

But wait, what is joy? 

Rick Warren put it this way: -

Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation. [From Rick Warren's devotional]

I dare you to "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). In other words, chill out and know that God is more than able to handle the matter. Take God at His Word. As my pastor would say: Take God's Word raw! Trust Him and begin to experience His joy unspeakable!

#JoyUnspeakable