YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!!!

 

Don’t you just love being a young fellow in this current world? I just love the way the world is right now around me and so many things I have to enjoy in my youth years. Aren’t you just glad to be young and strong, let’s enjoy this and have fun… You Only Live Once, right?!

I mean, just imagine a life of party and fun; letting go of all your worries, drinking your cares away, dancing all night, club hopping, laughing, getting wasted and waking up with some mad hangover. That is definitely the life to live… You Only Live Once, right?

I know we love getting down with all the ladies, looking around and choosing that pretty girl and throwing lines, get her weak in the knees and jump in bed with her. You can get tired of that one and find another girl and go through the whole process all over again. When else will I leave this life??? You Only Live Life Once, right?

I can make all the money I want in the world, I can get anything I want… But who cares how I am making that money? I can pull off a number of deals under the table and make some big cash! I have to enjoy my life and I know money is all I need… You Only Live Life Once, right?

Just look at life, I only have a short part of my life to make the most of my youthful days, I have to make the most of it and enjoy it. I can do the rest of life after I am old and worn out. You Only Live Once, right?

And anyway, I can get saved whenever I want, right… I’ll have all the fun I want right now, make the most of my youth and enjoy being strong and energetic; I have my whole life ahead of me. You Only Live Once, right?

“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.” Prov 22:15

Well, let’s go ahead and enjoy this youthful life, let’s make it all worth living; You Only Live Once!!!

Let us keep walking further and further away from God coz I’ll still get back to Him ‘at the right time’. I can choose when to get saved so I’m alright… I hope I’ll not die before that anyway.

I just can’t imagine the boring life without all this… why would I want one girl the rest of my life when I can walk around and cheat on them? Why would I want to go to church and yet I can live the fun club life? Why would I want to work hard for my dreams when I can cheat my way through life and succeed?

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” Prov 1:6

So my ways will lead to destruction, my choice will lead me to my downfall and I will end up being judged, I’ll live eternity in damnation and gnashing of teeth, I’ll experience the suffering and pain that comes with the life I have chosen to live, I’ll live my life away from the glory of God… Coz You Only Live Once, right?!!!

And anyway, the Bible lets us choose, right… this is the choice I’m taking, coz Your Only Live Once, right?!!

 

"SIN IS GOOD"

 

I grew up loving movies... And the only person who has never been a movie person at home is my mum. So Dad, Sis n I would sit through a movie almost every single week. And boy was it a wonderful time; laughing through comedy, grabbing onto something when it was a horror movie, a bit of hiding the tears in those emotional scenes and just the bonding we had through those movie sessions. We still all love movies, and I can watch a movie numerous times if its a really good one.  

Now dad took time to tell my sister and I a story once as we watched a movie and it went like this... 

A dad once made some cookies for his kids one day. They were very much normal cookies except that he added a little bit of dog poo from their dog's litter box. So as they sat watching TV together, the dad brought the cookies to the table and welcomed them all to eat. The kids looked at their father and went like, "No way!! They've got dog poo!!" 

Sis and I never really understood what this story was about till when a scene beyond our age appeared, dad confidently pointed out... "That's dog poo!". It was those little scenes of kissing that we could watch in movies that poisoned the whole movie.

So as my sister and I grew up, there were scenes in movies called "Dog poo!"... it was any scene beyond our age. I even remember a time when my sister would make fun of me because a movie was rater 16 years and I was not yet 16 and she'd tell me to go to bed because it was not for me. 

Later on, I had no hindrance to the movies to watch. I was above 18 and any movie was right for me to watch... Romance, action, horror, comedy, animation, epic; I've watched them all. 

The reason I give this story is because the only thing that stopped me from watching movies was that I was not old enough. But with time, I was convicted that it was not just about my age, it was about the content I fed my mind and spirit as I watched those movies. 

We live in a time where TV is one of the worst things for any Christian; I say this because I am a victim. I've seen some of the most absurd things... From cartoons that are gay and lesbian, to scenes of homosexuality in so many of the series on our TVs today. 

I have been a victim of the corruption that out television sets have become; having "become of age", nothing could stop me from watching sex scenes on TV or buy a series and watch on my laptop. I remember my days in campus when I would take time to watch 'Spartacus' and that threw me deep into sexual sin. 

Our generation right now says Sex Sells... But we end up selling our souls to the devil; we end up throwing our lives into sin in the name of entertainment. We teach our children to engage in obscenities by letting them watch those obscenities on television.

A simple cement or energy drink advert will end up as a sex scene on our television and we sit with our entire families and watch.

Sin has walked into our homes through televisions and mobile phones... I know, because my sexual sin was as a result of television and my mobile phone. It took me deeper and deeper, with the convincing of online articles that there were so many benefits to my sin and that made everything just right. The lies will come, the proof will be sold to us that our sin is a benefit to our health, that there's nothing wrong with a little bit of indulgence of sin here and a little bit of sin there... and we slowly get lost in sin knowing that it is good. 

I am in tears whenever I see a series on television showing gay and lesbian scenes, or a poster on Whatsapp welcoming 'girls only' for a speed dating session, or when a group of young people will sit in a TV studio and justify why their drinking habits are good and should be followed by others. It’s shocking how we watch gay and lesbian marriages of celebrities and it is celebrated on our television screens, or how a man will change gender to a woman, get a reality show done and the entire world gladly sits and watches and admires the sin that is sold to them.

It pains me to hear young people claim their adulterous lifestyle is dating, they establish their own rules and claim that God is OK with having such kind of relationships. Those are the exact things we feed our souls when we sit in front of our screens and claim that what we see is the best life to live. We have put our real manual (The Bible) and we have adopted that series, that movie, that celebrity lifestyle… that’s the life we want to live.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

The truth is that the devil will not establish any new systems to steal from us, to kill our souls and destroy our lives… He uses what is already in existence and he has found the perfect way. He doesn’t come dressed in a red cape, pointy horns and a pitchfork; he comes as everything you’ve ever wished for.

It took me God to get me out of sexual sin, it took the giver of life who gave himself for fallen sinners to get me out and embrace me as His child. It broke me, it killed me inside to be reminded of my sin and I desired the love of the Father.

You see, it really doesn’t matter what life you have led before; it only matters that you want to change your life, it only matters that you want to turn back to the real giver of life and let go of the lies that have been fed to you, it only matters that you have seen the truth and you want to live a life of truth… And He will embrace you just as you are.

He says He comes to give life, and gives life to the full… It is a choice, and I can do nothing more than urge you to choose life.

LOOKING IN THE MIRROR…

 

Every morning I wake up and get myself ready to face the day. It’s the usual process of spending time with God, a little bit of a workout whenever I can, taking a shower, dressing up, taking breakfast and leaving for work… That’s more or less the standard morning I have. 

But today as I stood in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but think of the reflection I was seeing there. Is it just me or does everyone stand in front of a mirror and have lots of thought about life???

Well, I know there are a few who get in front of mirrors and just can’t help taking selfies… I guess it means that whatever/whoever they see in the mirror makes them smile and they just have to share it with the rest of the world. 

So what do you see when you look in the mirror???

Now, my I just point out that it is impossible for you to lie to yourself… You can hide a lot from the rest of the world in the way you appear, the way you dress, you can even have a smile plastered on your face every moment of your life and all that deceives us about the real you hidden inside. 

I stood in front of that mirror today and that is the same thought that went through my mind… Am I living a lie? Am I wearing a façade to show the world how everything in my life is just right and I am doing just fine???

So how then am I supposed to be? What image am I supposed to be seeing every time I stand before that mirror? What should I see???

As these questions went through my mind, I was reminded of one major fact… we were created to glorify God, we were created to worship God at every moment of our lives. When you sit down to eat breakfast, or you are seated in a matatu in traffic on your way to work, seated in that ‘boring’ staff meeting, out on your weekly Friday date, watching your favourite movie… whatever you do, it is meant to be an act of worship 

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

I was once reminded that the challenge with having us as living sacrifices for God as an act of worship, (Ref. to Romans 12:1) is that the living sacrifices can walk onto the alter every Sunday as we come to church and walk away on Monday all the way till Saturday. And I have an experience of that…

You see, looking at myself in the mirror reminded me of times when I lied to the world that I was saved yet the life I lived away from their eyes was nothing close to pleasing in the eyes of God. Yet that is what God expected of me… to reflect him at every point of my existence. 

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit.” 2 Cor 3:18

One of the main things I am learning is that God just smiles when we worship him, and by worship I do not mean when we sing and lift up our hands in church… I mean when we intentionally make sure we want to bring Him praise at every moment of our lives.

Do people hear the voice of God whenever they hear us speak???

Do people see God in the way we carry ourselves at work, walk in the streets, do our chores at home???

 

Do people see God when they look at your Facebook page, your Twitter handle, your Instagram pics and your WhatsApp Chats???

The truth is, many in this generation would rather live their lives to please others, to feel appreciated by peers, to have the best friends, to live life the way the world would expect. But living as a follower of Christ calls for us to forsake the world and follow Christ.

There is no point we put aside our salvation and wear the world and live like it. The expectation is that we wear a garment of salvation and we never take it off… we get to live as reflections of Christ so that the world can attest to the fact that we have a God living in us.

The other day, one of the Teens asked me if we are supposed to spend every moment telling people about Christ. And I answered him this way… Our daily lives are supposed to be a ministry in itself, the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we eat, sleep, dance, study, work; that is our avenue of preaching Christ. It calls us to maintain the same reflection of Christ living in us.

So… What do you see when you stand in front of the mirror; do you see Christ, or the World?

I'M IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL

NO! This has got nothing to do with the movie with the same title...

So today I'm convicted to write about relationships... It is something I rarely do, but today, that's where God is leading. 

I have been learning a lot of lessons in my relationship and it has been one of the biggest growth points, especially in my relationship with God. He has been speaking into my life every single day even as I continue to welcome Him to take control of my relationship. 

I have to admit that I am in a situation that I have never experienced before in my life and I can only credit it to God's leading and having His way in my relationship. I want to start with a look back at where all this began. 

Some time in 2013, I made a commitment to give up on trying to get the right girl to go out with. Sometimes I hear advice being given; that in seeking a partner, you need to pray with one eye open. But in this particular instance, I decided I was going into prayer with both eyes closed. The only thing I was going to seek, was God's will. 

Now, at this point, I realized the error of one eye open... I was going to be searching for the best girl in my eyes instead of the one God had set aside for me. I had become accustomed to passing every girl through a list of criteria that I pictured as ideal in the girl I wanted to end up with. A few of my friends even came up with a 'type' for me. 

Coming to the realization that I always ended up with my type made me see that I very likely had ignored God's type and I was turning away from His will every time I did... So it had to be 100% His will. 

Getting to this point in my relationship all began with allowing God to take complete control of my situation and being led in who I am supposed to be with. I got to learn a new lesson last week at a training we are going through at our offices... 

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it" Psalms 24:1

Now if you were to look at it in this very sense... that all (including your future relationships) belong to Him, then why not just go to the owner of all things and ask Him for the best thing for your life??

It has been life changing from the point of letting God take full control of my relationship, Him bringing my way a church girl, and Him sustaining our relationship till where we are right now. So many times we sit down and and we are amazed at how good God has been to us, how He is the one who has sustained us this far. So here's a few lessons I have learnt from when He gave me a church girl up to this point. 

1. It takes God to sustain a godly relationship

As I pointed out, it took God to bring a church girl my way... and one of the biggest lessons I have been learning is, just the same way I did not rely on my own understanding and strength to get into the relationship, then I do not rely on myself to sustain it. 

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:6

As Paul was writing this letter, he was noting how God was the author of all the partnerships that he had, and since He was the start of it, then He was definitely going to sustain it to the end of it.  

What better way to look at our relationships, than to see them as authored and sustained by God?

2. Purpose beyond marriage

If, a few years ago, you asked me the purpose of getting into a relationship, I would probably have just told you it is marriage. I doubt I ever saw anything beyond getting a girl, wedding and starting our family together. I probably even got into this relationship with the very same view. 

But God has revealed to me that life is more than recognizing the success of a marriage as being happy, raising children and being financially stable. Last week, at our staff training, I got a new definition of what success should be... Success has God as its foundation and eternity as its perspective. 

I want to change that context a little bit for the sake of this particular discussion... Relationships have God as the foundation and eternity in perspective. There is much much more beyond what we experience in our lives here on earth. 

As Jesus was leaving the earth and giving the great commission (Matt 28:18-20), we are reminded that this particular instruction has no limit to it... that even in my relationship, I am being sent out to make disciples for Him, to preach the good news, to look out for those who are needy in the society (according to Matt 25:35-36)... because these are the very questions He will ask when I meet Him in heaven. 

Remember, all these things are His... and we are only stewards, using them all for His name to be glorified. 

3. The essence of boundaries

I have to point out, though previously stated in one of my previous blogs, that we have made a deliberate choice to keep our hands away from each other (forgive the very direct way I put that). 

I know a few people who have thought we are being a bit too radical with our stand to keep off what is meant for our marriage life until we are done with our vows. But I will always stand with what the word of God says. 

My reason to not kiss is this... 

"... Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." Songs of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, 8:4

Now why should I kiss and end up causing my body to lead me to sexual desires???

My reasons for abstaining from sex are these... 

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

There are so many verse to quote concerning keeping ourselves pure; honoring our bodies as temples (1 Corinthians 6:19), fleeing from sexual immorality (Galatians 5: 19-21) and the consequences of living in our flesh (Romans 8:13). 

But the best conclusion of dating a church girl and keeping our boundaries is this...

"How can a young man keep his ways pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you" Psalms 119:9-11

So this church girl and I have decided that God's word will always be our foundation, that we'll not end up sinning against God.  

4. The devil is not happy
This has got to be the biggest lesson I have learnt from my relationship with this church girl... that we are in a constant battle even as we seek to live according to God's will. 

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" Ephesians 6:12

So who says the devil is ever happy when things go God's way??? I have come to learn that he will try all he can to compromise our testimonies. 

Even as Paul was advising the people of Ephesus that they are in battle, God has told us that our deliberate decisions to seek Him, to live according to His will, to resist the evil... in the very same way, the devil will rise against our relationship. 

Whenever you make that decision to welcome God in your relationship, the devil will throw all the 'curve balls' your way and Paul is reminding us, just as he did the Ephesians, that we should not be caught napping... get your armor on and brace yourself for the battle. 

5. Pray

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

This has got to be the highlight of my relationship with a church girl... that we are called to pray and look for God so hard that he sustains the rest of our relationship. 

It has taken prayer to sustain our relationship, it has taken seeking God's will and it has taken us yielding to His will. 


I really do not know what reading this article means to you, I really do not know what situation you are in with your relationship... but this I can tell you for a fact; if you take God out of the equation that is you relationship, then I can bet you anything, you are heading for disaster. 

I am concluding this one by making a prayer in my heart for every person that gets a chance to read this, that the spirit of God will convict you enough to make God the foundation and eternity the perspective of your relationship. 

LETTER TO GENERATION X

So I sat down sometime last week watching one of the major local T.V stations in the country as they discussed Project X.

We've had an interesting couple of weeks with this issue being a major focus of the media; on radio stations, on T.V, on Instagram, on Twitter, on Facebook... it has been everywhere.

I have sat listening, watching and seeing all the drama around it unfold and I decided to write a letter to the young people of our generation and just share with them a little bit if what I've learned about it from the word of God and what He has been teaching me.

So here goes...

Dear Generation X

I hope as you read this you are well and enjoying your day as it is.

I write this letter with great concern in my heart as I look at what has been making rounds in the media regarding your generation and the interesting activities that are being made available to you.

As I listen to some of you speak, I am amazed at what you consider as good, what you do not mind engaging in for your own benefit. I guess I can bring in that recent survey that was done with you guys on what you consider as corruption and whether you mind engaging in it.

So let me get this straight... You do not mind being corrupt so long as you do not get caught??? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of theft being good for you to gain wealth... well, so long as you do not get caught stealing.

I remember growing up being taught that in all things God sees us... that even when I cover myself with a blanket, or get under the bed, it still doesn't matter, God is seeing me. Has that changed? Has God stopped being that great and mighty God who sees us in all our nakedness and sees all the way into our hearts?

I know we all want the good life; drive the best cars, live in the leafy suburbs of Nairobi, take holidays to the best destinations you can imagine... I know I want it too. But unlike what the world says, the end does not justify the means, it does matter when you sin to get yourself there. 

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12

The Bible asks us to be content in our different situations and  live in the knowledge that God plans for us are good and He always wants the best for us as He says in Jeremiah 29:11.  

Then there's the next big thing; the elephant in the room... Project X. 

I really don't know where to start with this one... alcohol, sex, fun... really??? Now what makes it worse is to hear people justify it all and say it's all good. Since when did we accept sin and say its all good and we can engage???

First thing is sex... So sex has become the order of the day in our generation, we have all hear the myths of how sex before marriage is good, move from one bed to another, call it fun and lots of enjoying, getting a hang of things before we settle for one person... I bet you've heard it all and I also bet many of you have given thoughts to it and maybe tried it. 

But the honest truth is this; it is all a lie... it is all the devil's schemes to cause us to throw our life into sin and it hurts me when I see so many of you young people accepting sin and letting the devil have a laugh. There's a lot the Bible says about our sexual purity, and one of my favourite bloggers has covered it in her article It's Just Sex... But here's one that covers it all...

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I beg you dear loved ones, to uphold purity, honour God with our bodies, serve God with every morsel of your being, let God look down at you and have a smile on His face. 

I have experienced God's faithfulness, and especially with the knowledge of God's faithfulness and the fact that when I'm content in Him, He is able to provide for all my needs. 

Then comes alcohol; the fun and joy we all want to have as young people. I have spent 4 years at the University and I often hung my head in shame as I saw young people indulge. I don't think I'll ever be ashamed to tell it as it is... it is a sin. 

"Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish!" Proverbs 31:6

I see young people  perishing every single day as they continue to engage in alcohol and claim there's all good things in having their drinks. I beg you dear Generation X, there's nothing more in those brown bottles than death, there's nothing more in alcohol than perishing. I have made up my mind that I will not sit back and see you throw your lives into perishing and do nothing about it. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

I always pray for you, Generation X, that the devil will not convince you to indulge in sin since you will walk your way to the grave, you will walk your way into eternal damnation and that is where the devil will find his joy. I always pray that you will find your way back to the cross of Christ and find all good things in Him. 

It is with love that I send out this letter to each and every one of you, with love that I make a prayer for you every day and with love that I ask that you turn away from worldly ways and hold on to Christ as your joy and source of salvation. 

Yours sincerely, 

From a fellow brother in Christ. 

MY FEAR OF MARRIAGE- OVERCOMING MY FEAR

 

Marriage... precisely 2 years ago, I wrote an article on My Fear of Marriage. 

I expressed my great concern for the institution that is marriage, how it had been made into a joke, a carnal union not based on our Christian values. I remember ending the article by making a prayer. I trusted God that He was going to lead me to the institution of marriage and that I was going to honor Him through it. 

And two years down the line, I have seen Him take complete control of my relationship matters. I remember sitting down and declaring that a time would come that I would love a girl enough to go down on one knee and ask her to marry me. 

As I was writing the article, I was still single... by choice. And in terms of relationship choices, I have learned so much to get to the point that I am at right now. I've had the desire to share a little bit of how the journey has been so far, and with so much effort, I am here asking God to help me find the right words to share just how much the journey has made an impact in my life and what God has taught me. 

1. Knowing God's Will

This for me was the starting point of my decision to stay single. I had made my own decisions for so long and I always ended up where I was, what I was doing and who I was. And it never ended well.

Many times, we want to be the ones to decide on our relationships; I have to confess that so many times I never really asked God if I should be dating the persons I dated before, and it never ended up progressing. I never dated for more than 3 months... maybe close to 4 months, but never getting there. 

This time it was different... God told me to wait and I decided I was going to listen to Him... and I waited. I remember making a vow to go down on my knees and pray to God to bring a girl my way, and He did

Interesting thing is, at the time I wrote the article, I had not held more than 5 conversations with my now fiance, and I never imagined in my wildest dreams that it is her I would now be planning to marry. But every step of us being here now has been led by God. 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Letting go of my own desires was the starting point of meeting Enid and I never regret it one bit. Getting our plans aligned to what God desires for us is the first step we need to take. If we are not in God, how else are we going to know the good plans He has for us???

2. God has sustained us this far

I sit back and look at where Enid and I have come from, from the first time we spoke on phone, to the first time I met her and to me noticing her... Our relationship has just flowed... I don't know how to explain that. 

How hard is it sometime to get a girl's number? At times you see a girl and you walk over and ask her for her number, and she has no motivation to give it.  I never had that challenge, she called me. I look at our first date... she did not say no or give me a hard time. God had built us, one step at a time, to a point of building our friendship enough for us to sit and have coffee together so many times, even before I asked her to be my girlfriend. 

The Challenging times we faced are when we each tried to create concerns and questions as to whether we were in the right place, when other people said things and it sounded like this relationship was the wrong one, when we compared each other to people outside the relationship and thought they were a better option. There were times that we both were just about to end the relationship, because it seemed the other person was not all in.

But there was always God's voice telling us to stick right there, reminding us that we did not get ourselves there and that it was He who did. 

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

He reminded us, in our separate situations, that it is He who had brought us together and that He was able to sustain it. Sitting here right now and reminiscing on the journey so far, He really is the one who has got us to where we are right now. 

As we got into the relationship, God reminded us that, the most important thing, is that we need to honor Him even in our relationship, to keep ourselves pure and to glorify God in our relationship. I know Enid has taken time to write a little bit about some of the decisions we made in honoring God. I know we'll be writing more on this bit, but you can see her article here.

So let me put it this way, God led me a girl, I got a best friend and I fell in love with her, He has sustained us this far and we continue to trust that it is He who will get us to the end of our courtship and into marriage. And I know He will still continue to teach us and lead us to growth in our relationship.

God did answer one of the prayers I made in my article 2 years ago... that I'd go down on one knee and ask a girl I love to marry me, and that, with tears in her eyes, she'd say yes because of the love we have shared. And just like I had prayed, it happened. If I had doubted God's ability to answer prayers, there is no doubt now that He really does. 

Two years down the line, all I can say is that God has done it for us this far... and it is He who will continue to guide us.

RAGE

 

So as I sit down writing this, I am from a point of seeking peace and calm. 

Anger, rage, frustration... these are 3 words that simply explain what I was feeling a while ago and many times what many of us feel so often. 

Just a few moments ago, I had someone walk into my office with rage and anger and it took lots of grace not to get to the point of having an argument. I could feel anger building up inside, I could feel every muscle in my body aching to just erupt and let go of all that piling pressure, I could feel my breathing get heavier by the second and the rage building up inside. I wanted to shout, I wanted to get angry, I wanted to be heard... 

But it took way more grace to walk away, it took way more strength to hold back and find a quiet and peaceful place where I could sit and have some time with God. And seated there in silence, I asked God to forgive me for what I had just felt, I asked God to take that away from me because certain that it was not from Him. 

And as I sat there, God sent me this word; 

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Just breaking this down helped me ask myself a few questions as I meditated on the situation I had just experienced... According to v. 12, there's 5 things listed that I should clothe myself with; 

1. Compassion
2. Kindness
3. Humility
4. Gentleness
5. Patience

I had to take time to ask myself if I had shown these 5 attributes in my time of anger, realizing I had not was the first thing and seeking forgiveness from God because I had gone against His will.  

I can assure you this, it is not always easy to find theses 5 attributes in certain situation, but Paul reminds us that once we are clothed in this at all times, then even as these situations come our way, we'll easily find these attributes in us, enough for us to control ourselves. 

Paul then goes on to talk about forgiveness; and for me, I needed to seek forgiveness for what was sin and to forgive for the situation I had found myself in. You see, when we want to take control of situations around us, it gets very easy for us to sin... against God and against our brothers and sisters. And forgiveness then becomes key... and it's forgiveness, just as Christ forgave us. Find it in your heart to forgive. 

Above all these is love, it binds all these other things in perfect unity. If we have love in our hearts, there's just no room for anger and rage to build in us, whatever the situation. Paul just caps it all up in a way that reminds us all that, if we follow and live by, then we'll put away all the discord, anger, rage etc that causes us to sin and separates us from God. 

I think writing this was more for me, to find peace and to find an answer to my current situation... but I do hope it provides peace for you as you read it and share it with those around you. 

Love one another!

Prayer

Dear Lord of love, please forgive me for the times I have been angry at my brothers and sisters; may I find it in my heart to forgive them. Lord I pray that you clothe me in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience all these capped in love that is from You. Tank you for listening to my prayer, in Jesus name I pray, Amen!