The sad princess and the living Prince….

I can see her now. Assembling her things early in the morning; scented oil and spices for the teacher she had just lost. She had not had a good night; how could she when the one she loved so dearly had just died a brutal death. She stepped out of the house while it was still dark, not caring about anything; heaviness still gripped her heart, eyes full with unshed tears..it had only been three days, and there would be more.  She thought back to their first encounter, and later to Jesus coming late to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. She remembered anointing His feet and looking up to the face that shone with approval…. how could He be dead after all the miracles He had performed?She had to see Him again, care for Him although dead…Maybe others didn’t care but He was HER teacher. He had been there for her every time she needed Him. She would be there for Him now.... 

She finally walked her way to the tomb and saw the stone had been taken away from the entrance. I can almost hear her heart skip a beat; her stomach hit the ground. She felt nauseous and wondered who would be so cruel to tamper with His place of rest. Why couldn’t anyone just leave Him be. Had He not suffered enough already?  She went back to the house, running as fast as she could to get Peter. She couldn’t say it all straight. She stammered, tears she didn’t know she shed running down her cheeks.. ‘Someone has Jesus. Come and see’.   She didn’t know if she made sense but Peter and a few others were suddenly running back with her.They got there but she failed to get in.  Peter went in but simply stared at the linens. She longed for Jesus now. Who would she tell about the disappearance? Who would actually do something apart from stare helplessly? If Jesus had been alive He would now what to do. She knelt down, stared inside and wept. Her Jesus was gone. He was gone even from her sight. Oh, how her heart hurt.

 

But then she looked up and saw them…two men sitting one at the head and the other at the foot of where Jesus had lain. She didn’t bother to ask who they were. She was so tired and drained but they asked her, ‘Why are you weeping?’ ‘It was a grave sight,’ she thought, ‘how insensitive was it to be asked why she was weeping? She had not only lost someone but the body was gone too. But maybe, they knew where the body was, maybe if she told them…’ So through the tears she said, ‘I am weeping because they have taken away my lord. My Jesus is gone and I have no idea where He is’.  They looked at her and said nothing. Not even one word of comfort. No one had answers for her, and again she thought of Jesus…the one person who would answer any question. Oh, how she ached.

But her need was too great. Her heart too heavy. Jesus wouldn’t leave her aching. He still had to ascend to the Father but she hurt so much and no one else could make it all go away. So He appeared to her and asked her:  ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She knew the story; Jesus had told it so many times: He was going to die and then on the 3^rd day He would rise..but grief had blocked that out. She did not even know it was Jesus speaking. She assumed it was just another person, a gardener with more questions and no answers. But maybe since he worked there he might know something, so again she responded, ‘Sir, if you have taken Him away, please tell me where He is and I will find Him a nice place to rest. I want to take care of my Lord.’  Jesus saw then that there was no getting across to her. She wanted Him back. No one would just tell her to stop crying without some answers. Awww… how He felt for her. This woman who loved Him so dearly needed Him. So He called her by name. The same way He had in the past, ‘Mary’ . He saw it then, that flicker of recognition in her eye, the shock and awe. He saw her thinking, ‘could this be true?’ and then finally her belief in Him being alive. Mary could not help it, she flung herself into His arms. She did not care about propriety. Her teacher was alive. She had wanted the dead body but having a live one beat her expectations. This was her Jesus alive!!! What sweeter news could there be. He had not deserted her. But He told her, ‘don’t cling on to me now… I need to ascend to our Father but I will be back.  Go and tell all the rest of them.’ She let go of Him…He was alive. He was alive and that is what mattered. She wiped away her tears and ran back to the disciples. A spring in her step, she had just been with her master.

I love, love this story.  I love how there was so much grief in Mary’s heart. So much pain and need for answers. When she looked to the future, all she saw was bleakness. She thought to herself that if she could at least keep herself busy with caring for the body of Jesus, then at least she would feel better. But she got to the tomb and He was not there. Suddenly, things got from bad to worse. And you know what? Jesus would have chosen not to appear to her. He would have shown Himself to Peter or better yet just ascended to Heaven to the Father, then come again to the disciples. But He did not. This pain, the need for answers called out to Him. Mary knew that seeing Jesus, even the dead one would at least ease up her pain. But Jesus gave her more. So much more of Him than she ever thought she would have. He showed up, alive and replaced her mourning into dancing. If He did it for Mary, He can do it for us. He is the answer to everything and if you need Him, there is no way He will stand you up…you can ask Mary.

I just love this season because it is a time when beyond any reasonable doubt God showed that His will can never be defeated. And the scriptures show how effortlessly Jesus defeated the devil...He did not struggle once He descended into hell, He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets (the message). In other words, He disarmed them, made a spectacle of them and there is nothing they could do about it (Colossians 2:15). We serve a powerful God and this Easter realize that His power in you enables you to break free of any hold the devil might have on you; u can shake loose en rise in victory in Jesus' Name!!

And I also love it because when He came back, He referred to God, not only as His Father but ours as well.  You can walk tall and with a spring in your step because He did not stop at saving you…No!!! He made you His sister, an heir. God is your Father. He gave you that link. So whatever you have done, however far from Him you think you are, remember today that you have been reconciled back to Him. You cannot leave His presence because that is the place you were brought to. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant cancelled and nailed to Christ's cross. You can count on His work today and your rightful place as a princess. Saving you, princess, was the greatest thing He ever did for you, anything else is a piece of cake. If He saved you while you were yet a sinner, what would He withhold now….If you need Him, He is there for you…Mary just wanted things as they were before: her master in front of her eyes, a dead one at that but Jesus gave her more, He gave her a living one and shared this life with Her. He blows my mind. And oooohhh…Yessss!!! We can laugh out loud!!! Jesus conquered the grave. Death could not hold life. It simply had to let Him go!!! He is alive. Live as if your Saviour lives. No crying, no losing hope..no fear…YOUR SAVIOUR…HE LIVES!!!!!

Little gems of Truth

Have you ever gone to the beach and picked some pebbles? Or gone outside to pick flowers? Fruits? Vegetables? Have you ever gone shopping for earrings? Clothes maybe? The principle is the same: You pick the best of the lot according to you. If you are like me, sometimes you just wish, you could carry the whole lot back to your house. It seems, the principle is the same with the word, there are little nuggets of truth thrown through-out the Bible and we pick the best that suits our season. You find rubies on love, gems on fear, diamonds of success and so on…but again, at times you just wish you could gulp it all. Often times on this blog, I find myself wanting to write everything but I can’t. It seems I always have to pick a topic for a week. But this week God surprised me. He gave me an idea to write several nuggets of truth for you. So, I will not be sticking to one topic but share on a few..

Firstly ladies, always bear in mind that God has made everything beautiful in its time ( Ecclesiastics 3:11) .

In every beautiful story, there are 3 determinants. There is God. There is time. And there is the ‘object/subject’. I was shocked to hear how very rare it is for a pearl to be formed naturally. There is no-one who can predict the formation and even when it is formed, it takes years for it to be ready for the market. Natural diamonds are the same. Taking the earth thousands of years to produce; It is no wonder, people will pay millions for them. The principle is the same with rubies. Hidden deep within the earth, awaiting discovery, while being formed and shaped into beauty. I relate more with flowers, because at the moment, I see them much more often than gemstones…hahahaha…but it will take time for a rose to bloom and if you force it, you will destroy it. It will take time for a caterpillar to break free of its cocoon and turn into a butterfly. You cannot force the process. 

The same principle applies to your life today, princess. There is God, there is time and there is you. If you will let God take His time with you, it is a guarantee that you will be a woman of immense beauty, displaying peculiarity in all you do. If you will be patient enough to not rush His work inside of you, there is no force in this earth that could prevent you from shining or blooming. In your own time, everything about you will be made beautiful. Do not therefore, look to your right and envy what the other has in their life. Your sister lives in a different time zone. The fact that she has what you desire does not mean you will never have it..No!! It just means, God is still working on you and in time, you will be ready. Your circumstances do not matter because as a caterpillar, you are in a cocoon of love, shielded on all sides and soon you will fly!! Your background has no hold on you: If God can produce a ruby in the depths of the earth, He can produce a beauty from ashes!!

Secondly, daughters of the King, We walk by Faith and not Sight ( 2 Corinthians 5:17).

I often wonder why as humans we trust what we see more than the word of God. My sight is not the very best. I have to wear glasses to see afar. But even for those who would boast in the clarity with which they see with their natural eyes, I doubt, there is no limitation to their sight. There are just some things they can’t see. This should tell us something about our physical eyes. We cannot trust them 100%. They have a potential to lie to us and honestly, sometimes they do us more harm than good. No wonder the Bible says: If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell (Matthew 5:29)…YES PEOPLE…SOME OF OUR EYES NEED PLUCKING OUT!!!...Hahaha…Seriously though, some of the things we suffer: the loss of hope, the sadness, and all these unpleasant things, are mostly because we look at our situation and we are defeated. Our eyes magnify the problem and fear settles in our hearts. But what we need to do ladies is to walk by our faith and not by sight. Close your eyes, pluck them out…whatever works for you and trust in God; Walk by faith. A sure way to do so is to read the word of God concerning your situation. Find out what God says about your health, your finances, your husband, your education and stick to that truth. The word of God, will not tell you lies. It is TRUTH. As you read the word concerning your situation, faith begins to grow in you and you begin to see the problem through the eyes of God…it becomes an opportunity to shine!!(Romans 10:17)It can be scary, even seem impractical at times...but you have to trust the one leading; His vision is point-perfect!!

And hopefully by the end of this I will not be hated but let it be said dear sisters that we have feelings. Feelings do not have us.

I remember there was a time I believed God had no feelings apart from anger. I knew He was not happy during the time of Noah, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Apart from that I did not know He had feelings. The more I read the word however, the more am coming to an understanding that He does have feelings. The difference with us though is that He has a firm control of them and it is because of this that we can trust Him. You see, He does not act based on His feelings. He does not bless you primarily because He is happy, even though He is a happy God. He blesses you because His word says He will. The thing is, feelings change. You can be happy today and sad tomorrow. You can feel at peace today and disturbed tomorrow. With God, there is no shadow of turning. His nature does not fluctuate ( James 1:17).

It is our feelings that make us unstable and so stability will only arise when we have a hold of them. Remember the disciples when the storm hit while they were at sea (Mark 4:35-40); They were so afraid, panicked and their thoughts run straight to death. They said, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ They seriously thought Jesus was insensitive. However, that is another problem with feelings. They will influence our surrounding. When you are sad, everything becomes gloomy. It even restrains your friends from being happy because you are sad or hurt. It has been said that misery loves company and as the disciples did, one often feels like anyone happy does not sympathize with them. But Jesus, being so calm, ignored them and focused on the storm. Feelings will make you focus mainly on yourself, not God or what it is you are meant to be doing. So your mind will be filled with all that is wrong/good in your life and not on what God says about it. Unfortunately this, as was the case with the disciples, does not change anything. 

Jesus on the other hand, did not act on His feelings. He was therefore calm and collected. He acted on a true fact: That He had power to control anything. How He felt is so irrelevant, to the point that it was not even mentioned. He looked at the situation and commanded the waters to be at peace. He worked on His faith and influenced the situation. He used what He knew to be inside of Him and not what He felt inside, to influence His circumstance. The nugget of truth here is: you have the same ability to master your emotions, to the point of feelings becoming irrelevant. That is freedom from hurt and all its associates. Because while we might think feelings free us, they are in fact harmful in that we can be kept in bondage to them. Fear is crippling, hurt can be very selfish, I wont even touch on pride..even excitement can lead to trouble sometimes. If we are to follow our every feeling, the result will be dangerous. This surprises me because they seem harmless but it is in fact true. Ask those people whom depression has mastered, or fear, crippled. Don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying it is wrong to feel…I am saying though that it is wrong to be mastered by feelings.

 In Genesis we were given dominion over everything, and that includes our bodies, of which feelings are a part of. In addition, as Christians we have been given constants in the FRUIT of the Holyspirit. These are things you can always draw from. They are inside of you no matter how you feel. Jesus drew peace from within Him and it influenced the circumstances around. You have love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ( Galatians 5:22). You can draw from within and stop the fear. There is no reason why we should subject yourselves to ourselves to feelings as we often do. If people heard the way we lament of our feelings, they would think we were powerless, little kids with no dads. We have got to sort this out by changing the way we think.  If our thinking is intoxicated, our feelings will be too. And we all know a sure way of renewing our minds is through the word. Feelings are a gift, but if they have you, they are your worst enemy: They will stop you from doing what needs to be done because you simply do not feel like it. Smith Wigglesworth once said: I understand God by His word. I cannot understand God by impressions or feelings. I cannot get to know God by sentiments. If I am going to know God, I am going to know Him by His word. I know I shall be in heaven, but I cannot build on my feelings that I am going to heaven. I am going to heaven because God's word says it, and I believe God's word.

Lastly princesses…. God loves you.

I want you to allow this TRUTH to sink into you. GOD REAAAALLLY LOVES YOU.  I know you know this, but never stop reminding yourself. It can not be overstated. I do believe if Christians knew the extent they were loved, the gospel would spread like fire. The excitement would be electric. The problem is that this truth has been watered down by many Christians into a human kind of love. We think it is normal for God to love us or we take it for granted because He will always love us. We are almost immune to the impact it can have in our lives. I pray we understand this though because it was the knowledge of God’s love for them that empowered the apostles. They could not just sit down. It was too huge a truth. It was madness for them that while they were yet sinners, an innocent man died for them. That they had been reconciled to God. Paul, a chief sinner by any standard, was a recipient of this love and it just transformed His life. These people did everything because they had come to the understanding that God loved them. Do you really know how much you have been loved? Salvation and its effects are things that even angels desire to look into. It is not normal that God should love you. He could have loved anything, ANYTHING. And yet we have become immune to the wonder that it is!! It is really sad....

Okay, I have to stop now…rather reluctantly though…again I wish I put a lot more down…. But until next week, princess…

Who are you, Princess?

One thing I am finding in learning about women is that it is hard to define a woman apart from a man. Whether we like it or not, God has made us interdependent. However, this should not be misinterpreted to mean without men we are nothing or that our lives start and end with men. No!! A thousand times NO!! They are a beautiful part of our lives but not our lives.

A lot of women today are waiting for their life to begin; they are so frustrated with the state of affairs at present and so they live in the land of ‘if’ and ‘when.’ For some, they think real life will start when they get their degree, others after they get a job, a boyfriend, a husband, children, a house, a car..and so the list goes on. They are waiting, and watching for a future and in the process just going through the motions. But I want to remind you today that your life began a long time ago and what you are doing in waiting for these things is wasting time. Not that waiting in itself is wrong; It is not! But to believe that your whole purpose begins or is defined with these things is where the problem lies. Too much focus on these things will always make you feel like God is delaying you; that He’s being late when in fact He is not late and is trying to tell you to live and enjoy the now because you, without those things are fully equipped to do so. Right now, where you are, is the story of your life. God wants you to enjoy it, not to feel less of what He made you because you do not yet have whatever it is you want. You do not have to wait for a man just for you to be a complete woman. That is putting too much pressure on him. You do not have to wait for children to be a mother, you meet so many people whom you can nurture and in doing that, those are seeds planted for your own children. You do not need a degree to define who you are; the Bible has already done that for you.

Dear woman, I would have you know today, in case you did not now, in case someone has brainwashed you, I would have you know at this moment that you being born, the fact that you were born, means you have a purpose and that you were specifically designed for it. That purpose is not found in a job, in a husband or a degree. It is already in you. If it was not, you would not be here. God is not a waster. He does not just do things without a plan (Isaiah 14:24). God did not create you as an afterthought but as a very important part of His plan in creation. You were not Adam’s idea. Adam didn’t even think that there could be such a thing as a woman before God brought her to his attention. You are God’s idea and a good one at that. He has a special plan just for you. Do you think you have a missing ingredient in your makeup to be a woman? Perhaps He created you half woman and the other half is in a man? In a child? A job maybe? No, not my God. He made you gorgeous, and fully capable to be all the woman you want to be because He makes things thoroughly.

The problem however is that a lot of women do not realise that they can be all the woman they want to be without all the other things to define them. So instead they look for a man, because at least then, they will have a role as a wife or a mother, or whatever it is. All beautiful gifts, I should add. Honestly though, these are all earthly relationships/gifts. But as a Christian woman, you should always remember that there is a heaven and in heaven these things will not be there. The fact that God does not class you as male or female but as His sons is telling (Galatians 3:28). Ultimately, this definition of you is what counts. He looks at your spirit, the transformed part of you. The spirit part of you that is like Him and that relates to Him ( John 4:24). This part of you, which is the real you has no limits; in fact not even death can beat it because when you became Christian, it gulped in everlasting life (John 3:16). So yes, while your physical body will die, your spirit will not die. This is absolutely mind-blowing. Unfortunately though, a lot of women just concentrate on the outside, because that is what they see. Very often therefore, we limit ourselves. If we focused on the limitless us, our spirits, all these roles in the world would be a walk in the park, or at least close to one, because we are functioning as a super woman. Peter knew this and so he said, ‘ Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.’You are more than what meets the eye. Do you understand that?

A woman who understands this will understand that ultimately she is first and foremost God’s woman. And most assuredly I tell you this, God will never let you be half of what He planned. Whatever you think you are accomplishing without God is nothing compared to what you can accomplish with Him because He knows what exactly He put inside of you and noone or anything will ever tell you that. Once you fully grasp this you will not be waiting for anything. Instead, you will be pursuing God, trying to get all He has on you and guess what? Your hearts desires are on the list too. I made up my mind a while ago that this is what I want to do with my life. I am going to pursue Him and when all is said and done, I will go be with Him, with my works to present. And oh my God!! does He take care of me because I accept, I am His woman!!!

But I will not disregard the physical you because while on this earth you are in a beautiful body of a woman. Obviously you are physically different from a man. Mind you, different does not mean inferior. It just means different. In Peter 3:7 we have been called the weaker partner. Considering though that a lot of women can and do handle much more adversity than men, I like the interpretation Myles Munroe puts on it, that it means more delicate. Which is true. While Adam came from dirt, Eve came from Adam. Our shape was made a little more refined, with what I like to say, a dash of elegance..hahahah…I believe emotionally too, He made us sensitive, nurturing..just really amazing, really. God did this intentionally not by mistake. The sooner we accept this, the better. It baffles me why women think all this puts them at a disadvantage. Usually a difference is considered a strength. You can ask the singer with the unique tone to her voice, the painter…it gives everyone the extra edge.. why would you think it gives you a disadvantage?

Perhaps it is not knowing why you were made this way? Well then, one of the reasons you were made different is so that you can incubate a child and give birth to it. Apparently, it has been said that the pressure exerted on a woman’s body during delivery would kill a man. The pressure is so great that a man’s body could not withstand it. I completely rejoice in this. Oh Yes! Marvellous are His works; surely we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That physical body you have therefore, is just not for show, it has a huge incredible purpose. Your ability to incubate and birth however, is  not limited to a human child only. God, amazingly made the whole of u to be an incubator, hence the saying a woman’s touch!! Your touch can turn a house into a home. Your touch can turn food into a meal. God made you creative, resourceful. When you are feeling like you have run out of ideas, remember who you are: His woman. Just ask,Him: Dad, what are your thoughts on this? I know you You gave me all the abilities to do this so show me how (Jeremiah 33:3)…its an easy life right? It is ingrained in you to multiply things and to make things more than they are.

I do believe that this ability we have is because we were made to be helpers of men. The term helper is packed. It speaks of a fully prepared person who comes to assist. One cannot help if she lacks the ability to do so. I do believe the fact that God called us helps means that He fully equipped us with every sort of idea our man will need to enhance his life. That’s a lot of power you have princess. The thing is though, it is already in you even without your man; that is why you are already nurturing, creative and so much more. Do not just sit on these gifts God gave you. How I pray that you realise what you have, Woman!!! 

And because you are help, it comes very easily for you to influence. Yes, I am speaking to you. Do not underestimate what you have. You have power to influence decisions just as Eve did. You are a woman of influence. You must decide however to use this for good not to destroy. The devil knows how powerful you are, he really does and that is why he aims to destroy your knowledge of who you are. Because if you find out who you really are, not from me, for I hold no answers but from God and His word, you would be a force to be reckoned with, I assure you. Women have lured men into paths that have destroyed them but you can be women who lure men to greatness. Esther is a case in point. All some men need is a right word from a woman. I am so proud to be a woman and I am on a mission to fully discovering myself. I am determined to be all I am meant to be and you can be too. It is my prayer that you do.

Do not spend time wishing you were stronger, more disciplined, quieter, the virtuous woman of proverbs 31; A multi tasker, a doer and a world shaker. I want to tell you that you already are. God placed all those qualities in the inner you. Unfortunately a lot of us women are spiritual babes with untrained spirits and so we do not know how to release all that is within us. But Peter says as babes, we must desire the sincere milk of the word that we might grow thereby. That is it, that is the key: the word. A baby does not know who she is, not really. That is why you do not believe you are a woman of virtue. In fact maybe you want to argue with this truth. Once we grow however, we will realise who we are and once we do the rest is history.The Bible says the whole world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God....do not wait for it, darling!!

Let me recommend a book: Understanding the power and purpose of a woman by Myles Munroe…It helped me a lot. I hope it will help you too. Have a great week, ladies

First things First.....

First of all, let me say, we now have a facebook page: From peasant to princess. Search for it if you are on facebook and join. I am learning quite a lot from, not only princesses but princes as well. Please search for it and join. I promise you, you won’t regret it.

Anyway, let’s get started…I have a surprise for you guys this week. For the very first time ever, I have an entry that is not written by me. I am very excited about this wave of fresh air coming in and I look forward to many more as will be provided by God. I first read this article when I was tagged on facebook by the author and brother in Christ, Fredrick and I thoroughly enjoyed and agreed to the word shared. Unknowingly, my friend, Geraldine read it too and suggested it be posted on the facebook page. The area it covers is that of relationships. Honestly, I wanted to reserve any topics about relationships till June this year. That was the plan because I thought there are other important things to discuss and (I know this will sound selfish) but I thought I have just about had enough of anymore talks about relationships because that is all everyone, including myself talk about. But God had different plans for us and hence the entry. It has been beautifully written and I know that it is the right entry for this week because of a certain princess I might not know, who needs it. And I just wanna say that God loves you so much that He placed it on Fred’s heart to write this, and  placed my plans aside just for you, so open your heart and receive it:

There is a true saying that goes “First things First.” No matter what the first things are, success is dependent upon them coming first. I am convinced there is no exception to the rule. For example, one will not quench thirst before first taking a drink - be it water, minerals or juice, it doesn’t matter. Similarly, before one starts to think seriously about relationships, it is important to first know oneself (who exactly they will court with is a matter that must be settled when this first issue is sorted out). The word says “as a man thinks in his heart so he is”… for out of the heart “spring the issues of life” (Prov.4:23).

How your relationship is going to be is largely a function of yourself; if you are unstable, it will be rough and unstable; and if you are established, it will be focused. This means, then, you must first define yourself, and in the course of doing this you have a need; a great and indispensable need of at least answering the following questions:

Firstly, who is God in your life? Jer.9:23-24 says, ‘Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the Lord. Can you say that you personally know God? What exactly He is to you? Do you know Him as the definition of your life?

Secondly, who are you? Am not asking about your name or your place of work, but your identity. What is your treasure in life? Is Christ all you’ve got? John.6:68-69 says, ‘But Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ He had come to an understanding that in Christ, there was everything, he could ever want. There was no point looking elsewhere.

Thirdly, are you able to say without Him I can do nothing? John.15:5 says, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing?’ This is basically a show of surrender; that you are so dependent on Him that you can not even start a relationship without Him initiating it. And we have to strive to be grounded in this, for what branch is without the vine, but the dead one? Also, you gatta ask, what is your vision in life? Do you know where you are going like Jesus did in John.8:14 where He said, ‘Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going..’ And if you know, how are you progressing towards that vision?

Remember the Lord says your heart is bent towards where your treasure is. What is your treasure? Is it school, family, boyfriend/girlfriend, work or God Almighty? You will see that we need not put trust in riches or in the sons of men who when they die all their plans come to nothing (see Ps.146:3-4). There is no help there and if this was deeply rooted in us, we would save a lot of time.  Many times we fail to go to the Father who can help, and instead run straight into the arms of someone who cant help. We have to understand though that, we cannot commit to someone thinking they can save us; that if we just find that someone, or thing then everything will be alright. Men are not saviors. They have nothing with which to save us. They are co-heirs with Christ, just like us, of God's glory; not the givers of the inheritance. Therefore, no man, however wonderful can make you whole. This is why the word of God exhorts us that we are to define ourselves first of all by “…seek[ing] first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto us.” (Mt.6:33).

But why does the Father want you to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness? Well, God is truth and He created you in truth. Your identity is bound up with Him; He not only knows the truth about you, but He also has it. You will only function best if you live in your intended environment, which is in God presence. Using the physical to explain the spiritual, Did you know that even a flower does this? Science will tell you that a flower will bend towards the sun. Even when grown in darkness, if light slips through from somewhere, it will lean towards that because there is only death in the wrong environment. God has your purpose for being and He framed you for His praise (Isa.43:21). You were to have dominion (see Gen.1:26). But when Adam sinned we all lost touch with our identity and purpose as well as dominion, and consequently became disobedient toward God. Through deception the devil overthrew us all and took us bondage, even blinding our minds so we could not know truth (see 2Cor.4:3-4).

However, the best part is that although the latter came to be the status quo, out of love, God gave up His Son to die for us that we may find our way back to Him. He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Consequently, through Christ, He wants you to know Him personally, and also that you may know the truth about your being – just as “man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man…nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord…but all things are from God” (1Cor.11:7-12). There are deep revelations in this which even touch on our relationship with God; You are the image and glory of God, and you must come to know what this means.  And, still more, God has revealed that He knows the thoughts He thinks toward you; thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give a future and a hope (Jer.29:11).

Yet although one may know all these wonderful facts and promises, it is important to note that these things will not come to pass in your life until you seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. This is so because if you don’t seek Him you won’t know His will for your life; and neither are you going to subject yourself to it because you don’t know it. But as you seek the kingdom and His righteousness you will find yourself positioned within His will, which will in turn lead to freedom, peace, joy, love, hope, confidence, boldness and all fulfillment that is in Christ. All confusion and emptiness of the soul will come to cease as you progressively come to know more and more that you are so valuable in God’s eyes; and what else will you ask for ,having become known by the Father who owns all things? Think about God becoming a Father unto you, what exciting news! Besides, the Lord said it is to the Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom; what other gifts could be greater than these? You see, before anything in life, a relationship inclusive, you must first identify yourself deeply with God, for you are made complete in Him (Col.2:10).

In addition, the result of seeking Him is that ALL OTHER THINGS will be added unto you. Note that all other things means all other things, not some; and these include brothers, sisters, father, mother, Wife/Husband (who is first a girlfriend /boyfriend no matter how short the time may be), children, lands, etc (crosscheck with Mk.10:29-30). He even assures you that you will by no means lose these things (of course with persecutions attached) as you labor for His sake. Therefore, be assured that it is in God’s interest for you to have a relationship, only put first things first. Consequently, after you have known you are in His care, the Lord exhorts you that we are not to worry about tomorrow since you know that all other things will also be added unto you as you seek first  His kingdom and His righteousness (see Mt.6:34). But always remember all these other things will bring enjoyment only after first things have come first!

And there you have it ladies. Its brilliant stuff right? I believe we can do this. I mean if flowers can seek for their right environment, so can we right? I was blessed, still am. The guy knows his Bible and I can testify that he is not just talking theory. Its true. This has worked in his life and in many other people’s lives. I have learnt from this that a relationship is not a game of chance. It is not a mystery. You can know that it will be good or not. If God was the founder of it, the initiator, it will surely bring you good because He only gives good and perfect gifts. The sad fact that a lot of believers fail in this area, is rooted in allowing feelings, what we think God said and desperation overwhelm us to the point of acting without any consultation. But we have to know God, to know Him so much that we are willing to listen to Him even if it means not having our way. Play it safe today!! Seek Him first.