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!

GOD'S PLANS????

 

"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 a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I got to listen to one of my colleagues last week as we had lunch as she shared with us about a few people she knows who would rather give sexual favors to get jobs than wait for one that they get the right way. I have a feeling a good number of people seated reading this article would probably do the same thing. 

I had an interesting experience last year when God told me to quit my job... yes, quit my job!!! One of the things I really battled with was what did He want me to do next. I prayed so hard, asked Him over and over again, what am I to do after that??? But no answer came, the only thing God kept repeating was that He was asking me to quit my job. 

So, very reluctantly, very unsure of what next, like running straight into a brick wall... I quit my job.

One of the biggest mistakes I made was to try and fit God into my plans, trying to direct Him to what I thought was the direction I would should have been taking. I pursued jobs I thought would fit who I am, make more money than where I was before. It just felt like I knew what God wanted for me instead of listening to what He was telling me. 

Many times we are all like me... Trying to guide God into what we want for ourselves yet we do not ask God what He wants from us; where we should go, what we should do, who we should be in a relationship with...

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

And many times we forget this simple truth... God knew exactly what He had planned for us way before we came into this world. Nothing that happens in our lives ever comes as a surprise to Him. In my anxiety to change my situation, I forgot this and began to rely on my on wisdom, or lack there of.

And just last week I sat in a restaurant and for a moment, I have to admit, I forgot it again. I became so focused on a very big part of my future and all that went through me was worry, fear, anxiety... I went back to that point of thinking of how I was going to achieve it all in my limited capabilities and I forgot about the God who knows all this about me, I forgot about the guy who says He knows the number of hairs on my head.

Have you ever been there, beginning to look at your abilities... rather your inabilities, and letting them cloud your mind? Ever ask yourself why those times come into our lives?

Here's one thing that I have learned through it all, God reminds me that I am weak but He is strong. How can I experience His strength if I do not realize I am weak? How can I see Him take control of all my situations without getting stuck and letting Him take control? How do I experience comfort in Him without experiencing discomfort in the situations around me?

"Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

God is assuring us today that when we can find our way back to Him, he takes us in our situations, in our worries, in our pain, in our joblessness... in all of that, and He gives us rest.

So back to my jobless period of 2015... there I was, trying to make things happen away from God. When I did realize I was trying to make things happen without finding God first, I changed and started asking where He wants me to go. One more thing He taught me was that I am not the source of my daily bread.You see, that big worry when He directed me to leave my job, that issue of how I was going to earn my living became a reality. But every day He made it clear to me that it is He who sustains me.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

This happens to be one of my favorite verses, yet so many times I forget that it is He who sustains me, not the monthly salary that I get. So being away from a job reminded me to rely on Him and to turn away from my worry. And last year I worried, I depleted every coin in my savings... but not a single day passed with me feeling like I was out, He took care of me one day at a time... and that last question became a reality, I heard Him repeat it to me over and over again... "Grey, are you not much more valuable to Me than the birds of the air?"

I remember one of the other significant lessons He taught me was that I got the feeling of being in need. Have you ever been there... at the place where you have nothing and you seriously want to move out of it? Need a job? Need success in your examinations? Need a Godly relationship? What is it that you are in need of? what is it that you need and you are seeking God for... or at times not going to God about it. Here's what the word of God says...

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to be in 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

And He just told me that I need to find peace in Him, I need to be satisfied in Him... whether I have a job, whether I am jobless, whether I am full or hungry or dating or single. It just does not matter the situation...I need to be content in Him.

I thank God because, out of Him taking time to get me away from my comfort; He took 6 months to remind me to send my cares to Him and find rest in Him, to always find my comfort and contentment in Him, that I am of greater worth than the birds or the air.

He loves you and me so much!!

The most significant lesson was this, the confidence of going to Him in prayer;

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Are you at a point of need? With all the confidence you can master, go to Him in prayer, and you will receive mercy and find grace.

I write this having completed 6 months in 2015 learning from God in my time of want and need; learning that He planned it all out for me in advance, having found out where He wants me to go, what he wants me to do, and seeing Him place me exactly there. I know, I am confident that even you can find that place, by just finding Him first and He will place you exactly there.

Prayer
Thank you Lord for the lessons we learn through our times of need, want, worry and despair. Forgives for when we forget you at those times and we focus on our own weaknesses and forget your almighty strength. May your word remain our foundation that we may seek you and find ourselves in your will. Amen

CONNECTED

 

One of the best things about starting 2016 was that I got a watch as a gift; and it was from a very special person, so you can only imagine what it meant to me. Having had the same watch for almost 7 years, I have to admit I was quite attached to it, so a new one was going to be one to adjust to... but I loved the feel of a new one.

I however had one challenge though... Its battery. I got a new one for it as soon as I could, but a few days later it was dead. I couldn't tell why because in my mind the new battery was still good. The watch was new, the battery was new... No way it could be a fake. It was quite disappointing, though I still continued to wear it. 

I visited a watch shop and the information I got is that the battery was a fake... A fake! Really!? And he was right. I bought a new one again, and the watch is still ticking along and I'm all about the time piece I got as a gift. It's a memory of the person who gave it to me... One that I wear proudly and think about every time I check the time. 

And this experience reminded me of a few life lessons... 

Now, the challenge I had was that my lovely watch was that it was not connected to a power source, hence even if I wore it every day, it still did not serve it's purpose. 

Let's think of a different situation. What car do you fancy? Yes, think about it... You're sure that's the one, the one you're thinking about... Yes, that one.  Imagine you had the chance to own it, but with one thing missing... Its battery. Remember this, it's a car. It's meant to be driven, to move from point A to point B. Let the whole world see you in it. But without a battery, how will that happen?? There is no way you are showing that off. 

I bet you have a mobile phone in you're pocket right now...maybe it's on your desk, or that's how you're reading this. If you take out its battery, or even it's Sim card, then you are no longer connected. What then becomes the point of you having that phone? 

I was reading an article somewhere recently on the most annoying things in the world right now. And somewhere near the top of that list is slow WiFi connection.

Yes, connection... That's what we are talking about today, connections. 

Everything in this world needs to have a connection to serve it's intended purpose... My watch, that car you dream about, your mobile device, your laptop, radio. It's all about the connection.  

Our lives have the exact same principle... Firstly, we have a purpose, one that our maker says He intended for us even before we came into this world.  

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10

Yes, way before you were born, you had an intended purpose. Before every device in this world was created, the inventor sat down and thought about what that device would achieve once it was created. So did our Maker... He knew the reason He made you, the reason He chose everything about you, your family, your job, your school, your life partner... everything was designed for you in advance. 

But...the tricky bit is, just like the connections we talked about, our lives as well, need to be connected to a power source so as to achieve their intended purpose. 

So what is your connection??? Here's a hint... 

"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4

The connection we need to achieve our purpose in this world, is a connection to our Maker. How else do we know who we are if not by knowing Him who made us?? Just like a manual is the guide from the creator to an end user of an appliance, we have our Maker who knows us and knows why He made us. 

We battle so many times with why we exist, we battle with why things go the way they do and we find anger and disappointment creeping into our lives. We get so lost trying to find ourselves, yet we have the answer right in our faces... get connected to God!!!

BATTLE GROUND

 

"War, its been a part of humanity in every age. We fight for power, for riches, for rights or for freedom. there always seems to be something to fight for."

I start this blog post with the introduction of War Room, because today, its all about getting to know that we are at war, and we need to understand this battle.

I got the chance to watch the movie a while ago with some friends and it pushed me to make radical decisions in my life. It reminded me of the really important things and the not so important things that I make a priority many times. It showed me how much I have made God secondary yet He is The Primary aspect of my existence.

It reminded me a lot about my childhood. I loved watching movies... romance, action, comedy, thriller; it was dad, sis and I... mum could never do movies.

Of all these, I think action movies had quite the impact. I don't know if it was because of the way my friends narrated how the "starro" would get beat up, just to the point of death and just when it seemed impossible, they would 'resurrect' and beat up the bad guy and take the day.

These movies just got me as a kid... Rambo, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then there was the damsel in distress that they all had to save, come to think of it, how come there had to be a beautiful girl involved??? Enough of that...

Combining all these with studying the book of Revelation has reminded me.. actually not so much of a reminder, but a realization... that the devil is real, that evil does exist, that the devil will do all he can to take us away from our focus of God.You see, we are that 'damsel in distress' Christ is the 'starro' and the devil is the bad guy.

Getting to read through Revelation 12 and I realize, the only difference is, we are dealing with a bad guy who was already defeated... but we give him the chance to take control of our lives, we allow him to terrorize our lives yet, according to Rev. 12:9, he was already beaten up by the good guys... yet we still let him have his way with us. Now his only strategy is to come down to the earth and attack the closest thing to God... you and I.

Now back to War Room... what does it take to beat this bad guy in our lives, what does it take to get us from the point of letting the devil out of our lives?

Just like Miss Clara starts by saying, every war needs strategy. To beat the devil away from our lives we need to have a strategy. The biggest strategy we have for battling with the is being connected with the one who has already beat him... our God.

Our human nature has caused us to turn to the world seeking joy, seeking all the good things that the world (read the devil) can give us, yet we do not realize that it will lead to our destruction. We are forgetting to include God in our relationships, we forget God at work, in every single thing in our lives... and the devil occupies that room. He leads us to sin in every situation of our lives, he brings strife, anger... he sucks away all good things that Christ has given to us freely. And guess what... we are the reason he stays, we keep him in our lives.

But God is calling us to go down on our knees, to seek Him and we shall be reconciled to Him.

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

 The only way to get our joy back, the only way to get the good things in our lives... is to turn back to Christ, to seek Him with all that we are and He will remind the devil that our "Starro"  has already beat the bad guy... the battle was already won.