I met Love, and she’s everything I thought she would be.

Love is more than a feeling, it is a choice. When love embeds itself into your heart it begins to grow comfortable. Love moves in with no intention of leaving. Love settles deep and isn’t stirred by fleeting emotions. Love is quick to grow and slow to wane. True love prompts you to stay.

The sea of love I harbor in my heart flowed seamlessly into the ocean of God. My love met His love. I think for the first time I felt closer to Him. To truly experience Him and hold Him near.

Love is the most important thing to me. I try to deny and create numerous alibis but my heart cannot lie. Love is where I permanently reside. In a nonchalant culture that encourages me to hide, I find boldness in letting love fly. I let love be. I let love lead me. It’s a righteous path, kinda holy.

Love corrects and I try not to take offense. Love began to shape me the moment I let her in. I guess what I’m trying to say is love made me better. Love showed me how to weather the storms and find comfortability in the calm. Love taught me right from wrong; because I would never want to make love blue.

Love showed me how to stay when all I’m accustomed to is running away. Love keeps me grounded. Love keeps me surrounded by grace and mercy isn’t too far. Love requires that I release grudges and renew my mind. The love I have achieved didn’t sprout from me. It was given to me by my Lord. I can almost remember the day and I can pinpoint the moment.

I tried to hijack love but she can’t be stolen. She can’t be bought or manipulated. Love requires that I release any outlook that may be jaded. Love makes me pure. Allows me to feel like a child. Love keeps me hoping that there will be a tomorrow. So that I can hold her and bask in her bliss.

Love stays even when I beg her to go. Love can see the best and worst of me, but not pass judgment. Love knows how to keep me coming. She knows what makes me smile and what makes me blush. Love is everlasting so she requires no rush. Love can be scary because she’s so overwhelming. She cascades over me because I made her my dwelling. There’s no place I’d rather be than here in love with you.

Love makes me feel closer to God because I can feel my heart breaking too. Love is so amazing, and not pushy at all. Love knocks at the door but awaits for your call. She doesn’t force herself and respects all boundaries. Love takes no prisoners but lets every man come freely. Love will always be there, even if you never see me.

Count the Cost.

As I’ve been meditating on the past year and the blank slate in front of me, I can’t help to reflect on the things I’ve lost. I’ve lost the person I used to be; the friends who used to surround me and the lifestyle I was so accustomed to. I don’t think I necessarily miss these things but the amount of change I’ve undergone inside and out in the past two years has been drastic.

I believe that any drastic change is traumatic. Oxford Language defines traumatic as emotionally disturbing or distressing, and I would definitely agree that my life has been so since becoming a born-again believer.

The changes, or rather improvements, made have been for the betterment of my life and those around me. I would have never been able to reach the things I have achieved if I had stayed the same.

But still, it’s been emotionally taxing. Leaving behind everything I’ve grown to love and even those things I considered to be a part of my identity.

This shouldn’t be a surprise though. In Luke 14, when there was a massive crowd following Jesus, He told them straight up what it requires to truly be his disciple.

“When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers; it will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers.”

LUKE 14:26 TPT

Jesus said in this passage that in order to be a true follower of His, that every other relationship in your life must be set aside. 

My mother is the best example of a devoted disciple on this side of glory, and I admit I always felt like I came second to her. I can’t recall any one-on-one time we spent together nor was she around much during my younger years. I can recognize now that, in addition to a full-time traveling job, she prioritized her relationship with Jesus and the call on her life.

No matter who it is or how special they are to you, we’re commanded to put them aside for Jesus. That’s how special He must be to us.

It’s not that God is calling us to live a life of isolation. In Matthew 12:46-50 Jesus explains that our fellow believers, those who do the will of the Father are our family. God is calling us out of worldly, natural structures into His heavenly Kingdom, but we have to be willing to participate in this divine exchange.

“…it will even seem as though you hate your own life.”

LUKE 14:26b TPT

I believe this means that to outsiders and even within ourselves at times, we may feel like we are denying ourselves of true desires and sacrificing what may have been important to us at one time, but we are.

“Anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple”

LUKE 14:27 TPT

Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame for the joy that was set before Him. What are we willing to endure for God’s joy to be manifest in us? 

The amazing thing is that God is not requiring that we literally be hung from the cross, but that we, too, swallow the shame, disappointment and pride to suffer and sacrifice for the Will of God. 

ALIAH KIMBRO

God has promised so much for those who love Him. And He’s said if you love Him to keep His commandments. We have to go through the journey of sacrificial obedience in order to reap the blessings of God. 

The ministry of the cross is that it becomes our experience. Through dying to self and fleshly desires we are resurrected as a new creation in Christ Jesus. We are able to experience the Kingdom of Heaven and the overwhelming Glory of God now. 

“So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it? Otherwise he may lay the foundation and not be able to finish. The neighbors will ridicule him, saying, ‘Look at him! He started to build but couldn’t complete it!’”

LUKE 14:28-30 TPT

Jesus is letting us know that we must seriously assess the cost of being his disciple before we commit to following Him. He knows it is a process that will strip us of everything, and it may be too much for some. 

He warns us against being like a builder who doesn’t estimate the cost of completion and is not able to finish construction. This builder was being watched by those around him, who eventually ridiculed him after seeing he was not able to follow through.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be like that builder. He wants our light to shine among men. He wants our lives to be a living testimony to the power and glory of God.

But before we live, we have to die.

Settling into Destiny

Settling into destiny feels like coming home to the real me.

According to Merriam-Webster, to settle is to establish or secure permanently. 

That’s what the Lord is doing inside of me. It’s a beautiful thing to see. The process isn’t so pretty and there are nights where I cry until I dry heave but then I come back to center and sit still with the girl in the mirror.

Settling into destiny is being okay with what’s going on around me, or the lack thereof. It’s to stop trying to rush every moment and enjoy the wind blowing around me. 

It’s seeing everyone else move in a path I’d like to go but acknowledging that’s not the route for me. 

Settling into destiny is allowing me to see what God sees inside of me.

Your Word says you are that still small voice so as the noise around me turns to calm, I hear You.

It’s the clarity that comes from stillness. It’s the air being so quiet, I swear, I can hear the particles floating around me.

It’s trying to make peace with the pieces of me I’ve shoved down so deep. The ugly attitudes and jealous thoughts that threaten to creep above the seams. Acknowledging those thoughts spring within me but are not a part of who You’ve called me to be.

Settling into destiny is finally separating what is inside of me. What is truly me and what have I picked up along the journey that was never meant to be?

It’s listening to music that brings out the kid in me. Watching shows and finding moments that allow me to just be, authentically.

I’m not what I thought I was, and that’s alright.

Settling into destiny is allowing You to be the light on my path and wind beneath my wings.

It’s finding comfort in whatever the new day brings; knowing no matter the storm that I am not alone.

Everything I’ll ever need is inside of me because You placed the Truth within me.

Without Your Spirit, I’ll never find the right road to take and establishing destiny is allowing You to take the reins.

Marriage is for Living

I used to believe that marriage was for established people. I thought you went to college, found a career, reached the pinnacle and THEN “settled down” and had a family. Most of this, more than likely, came from the media. The line of thinking where your wedding must be extravagant, beautiful and the envy of the town. Every aspect of life must be able to be perfectly curated and Instagram-ready. Except, this is not biblical.

Marriage in the Bible is a covenant, therefore it is an agreement. I would also venture to say it is a partnership. 

Merriam-Webster defines partner as “one associated with another, especially in an action”. The Lord God gave Adam and Eve an action to be performed as a unit.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:27-28 NKJV

This charge is God’s original intention for man and woman before sin entered the picture. 

It is important to recognize that God created male and female and gave them their collective charge before the fall of man. This means that the fall of man cannot supersede it, because it existed beforehand. 

The direction given by God to both genders cannot be accomplished without unity. We know this because God is very intentional and he would’ve addressed the man by himself or vice versa. 

In Genesis 2, The Lord God formed Adam from the dust, placed him inside the garden and gave him a charge by his lonesome. I believe this is because the woman is to be a help meet and she can’t help a man without a plan.

“…but for Adam there was not found a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.”

Genesis 2:20 AMPC

This verse can save a lot of dating woes. Are we complementary? Am I suitable for this man’s life? Opposites may attract but the Word is clearly saying our spouse must be of like-kind.

What is the purpose of a help meet? To add value.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 AMPC

A wife adds value and accelerates purpose for her husband. The Word says that two are better “more excellently or effectively” than one because they have a good, or superior, reward for their labor.

People can do the journey of life alone but it is more effective and superior if you have someone by your side.

ALIAH KIMBRO

When a husband falls, his wife will lift him up. Thus making it of even more importance that she is suitable for him and capable herself. A useless wife is like being alone, you will have no one to help you up.

The scripture goes on to say in verse 12, “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Life will come and beat you up; a situation may completely overwhelm one individual but two people can stand rooted together in truth and solidarity.

The threefold cord is the husband, wife and Christ. 

I say this to say, marriage is for living. It is not something we do at the end of the building. Marriage is not simply for companionship but it is for purpose. 

Marriage is an example in the earth of Christ and His bride. His bride loves and longs for Him. He protects and provides for her. He loves her fiercely and she gives Him the utmost respect. It is a safe haven and most sacred place.

Things I do for me.

I’m taking an inventory in my life and it’s beginning with the things I do for me. For Aliah. That causes my heart to swell up with joy and everlasting abundance. When I happily sleepy-smile and flutter my eyes. When I laugh so hard that I accidentally snort. These days I have seemed to misplace my list.

My first mistake was becoming something I wasn’t.

I became a born-again Christian in April 2019 which is still hands down the best decision I’ve ever made. Jesus is *chef’s kiss* but He doesn’t lie. The Bible mentions tribulation and hardship, that there are spiritual forces that oppose Him and therefore now oppose me. He always says no one can take me out of His arms but I must rest in Him, and not allow circumstances to cause me to leave Him.

And by this, we know love. Love never fails because love never stops trying. My love for Christ forces me to grit my teeth and continue to love Him. His love is purifying, electrifying and rejuvenating. His love reminds me each time that every sacrifice and tear is worth it. It’s the tarrying that is hard for me. It’s the everything-that-could-go-wrong-has but I still press my way into His presence, into His Word. It’s that I haven’t been faithful and consistent but now I have the strength to fight against this type of attitude. 

Back to the mistake.

Like any newlywed couple, I spent spring and summer of 2019 in the bliss of my new love. I spent copious amounts of time learning and studying about God, Christ and my  new life. I gained so much knowledge in that short period of time, I felt catapulted and ready to soar. I went outside and got devoured. 

Does this mean my love and progress were fake? Of course not, it was naive and perhaps a tad shallow. My roots weren’t quite deep yet and I was a brand new tree in the dead of winter. 

I was zealous to do the Lord’s work and convinced I had changed at the core of who I was. One lesson I’ve learned: time will reveal the truth in you and those around you.

I’ve learned enough truth about myself to know that I haven’t changed as much as I would like to. At the core, I am the same person I’ve always been and honestly this frustrates me.

It would’ve been beautiful to magically become someone else, someone fresh who has no association with the “me” from my past. But it doesn’t work that way. God has removed (is removing) the aspects from me that were never designed to be “of” me. I attached stoner and partying to my identity, something He never intended. I attached melancholy and nonchalant to mask my sensitivity; sadly He never intended for that. I attached hypersexuality to replace my childlike innocence, He definitely didn’t want that for me. 

I delved into tradition, resolved that the only way to be a true Godly woman is to shun the elements of modern femininity and live like an early housewife. I internally, and at times, verbally shamed women who live in the way of the world. Even though I was once like them. 

I do believe it’s important to protect our gates and preserve what is good, holy and like God within us but this looks different for every woman. I still desire to be a housewife, raise my children with Godly values and love my husband without measure but it will look different than the 1920s. I also desire to have a career; to create, travel and experience life as a free, young woman.

The purpose of being on this earth is to win souls for Christ Jesus through the demonstration of my life. Everything I am to have and become is to reflect His Glory.

So what are the things I do for me?

  • I place utmost importance of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Before I am black, I am Christian. Before I am feminine, I am Christian. Before I am beautiful, I am Christian. Before I am ambitious, I am Christian.

What does it actually mean to be a Christian? To be like Christ Jesus. 

  • I take care of what’s important to Aliah.

There are four things I’ve discovered I must do to stay sane: journal, get my nails and feet done, get my hair done and exercise.

This may seem shallow to some but as far as my aesthetics (hair, nails, feet) I’ve always had these things taken care of. As a black woman, my hair appointments have been a part of my life as far as I can remember. I love how it adds to my essence and taking care of myself in this manner means, to me, that I am awarding proper attention to the state of my being (and resources haha).

I became an exercise-enthusiast in 2017 following gaining 20 lbs my freshman year of college. I was appalled at the lack of care and effort I was putting toward maintaining a healthy body. Learning about my health and finding ways to maintain it has been of importance to me ever since.

I have discovered, I am apt to sadness. If I can be unhappy, it seems as if my brain will gladly choose the option. Exercising and getting the happy chemicals in my brain flowing is important for me to remain chemically balanced.

Journaling is my life. It is the way I consort with myself and present my feelings to God. It is how I rub out my best ideals and determine if I’m truly being balanced concerning a matter. If I do not journal, I will be prone to oversharing because I am not dealing with my thoughts.

The Bible says the mind is deceitful above all things and incurable. Journaling is one way I deal with my mind.

  • I continue to dream.

I am a dreamer in every sense of the word. My imagination is large and I could happily live in the picturesque scenarios I see when I close my eyes. Dreaming is good because it keeps me alive. My mind is refreshed with what is lovely and desirable, no matter what is presently occurring in reality.

I dream so I have something to look forward to. I believe that if you can not dream it, you simply can’t achieve it.

What are some things you do for you? Leave a comment, I’d love to interact more with my readership!

Reality Check

This blog was originally published by Aliah Kimbro in November 2020 on biblicallyfeminine.com

I believe there comes a time for a reality check, or a recentering. It is too easy to be swept up in the cares and probing issues of this life, to fixate our eyes on the natural, or temporary, things, but it is more important now than ever to gaze upon and allow Jesus Christ to determine our reality. As for me, I have been entangled in my own mess, literally. Motivated by my fleshly desires, I have allowed myself to place my relationship with God second and my role in the Kingdom even lower than that. I am grateful to be loved and found by a God who believes in repentance, or pivoting. 

In order for us to truly repent we must shift.

Aliah kimbro, reality check

The word repentance actually means to pivot. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to pivot is “turning on or as if on a pivot”; the pivot itself is a shaft or pin on which something turns. When we pivot we are physically moving positions from where we currently are to where God wants to place us, toward His face and aligning with His will. Yes, we repent for forgiveness and the cleansing of our sins but there is an action involved.

45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Luke 12:45-47 NKJV

It is easy to be complacent with the idea that God is coming back one day far away from today, but we don’t know that. If in our hearts, we are justifying our disobedience and sin while deluding ourselves into believing that we have time to “get it right” then we will be like the servant in today’s primary text.

“”Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.””

Revelation 3:2-3

The Lord is telling us in this text to wake up and be alert! To give strength and life to the seeds of Christ that have been planted in our hearts because we are not walking worthy. God never expects perfection from us because He knows we are dust (Psalm 103:14) but we are expected to love and serve Him with all our being; this amount of effort and reverential obedience is “perfect” before God. 

This text is calling us to action! To remember in this text is a tense I’m not sure is used often; we are not simply recalling how we have received the Word of God, or the plans of God, but we are doing something. Oxford Languages defines remember in this context as “do something that one has undertaken to do or that is necessary or advisable”. But what are we to do? Hold fast and repent! We are keeping the Word of God close to us, fastening it to ourselves and repenting, or pivoting. 

We don’t want to be like the servant caught lacking on the job as both scriptures we looked at today are very clear on this matter. Not being alert will cause us to find ourselves on the outskirts of the plans of God. And to us Christians, it is a double whammy; Those who know the will of God and do not prepare NOR do according to it will receive a worse punishment than those who are ignorant.

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

This blog convicted me first and foremost, I have to be better because I truly do know better. The purity and sincerity of God’s admonishment and direction gives me a new strength. I pray that while the Lord is speaking to your spirit, you receive it in love for He is love. He will never hurt us, God wants us to be whole and reconciled to Him with no barriers. 

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

The Lord is asking us to heed His voice and pivot. His faithfulness endures forever and His mercy renews each morning.

3 Cheers for 2 Years

It’s my spiritual birthday and I am entering my Terrific Two’s! In case you don’t know, your spiritual birthdate is the day you became a born-again Christian. This day I celebrate when the Lord truly saved me, and in my case, He made Himself known to me which completely changed my life. 

In honor of my spiritual birthday, here are two major lessons I’ve learned under the age of 2:

  1. No mistake is so catastrophic enough that it destroys the relationship — Before entering in a relationship with Christ, I was a runner (a track star 🤣). I run away from conflict, messes I’ve made and things that challenged me but Jesus is teaching me how to stay. 

“He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

Psalms 1:3 NKJV
  1. This is a judgement-free zone — I’ve made so many mistakes before coming to Christ and after accepting Him but He still loves and sees ME. There is no hole my shame digs that He won’t come down there with me and then lead me out. His love is a healing balm. 

“that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them [but canceling them]. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation [that is, restoration to favor with God]” 

2 Corinthians 5:19 AMP

This verse is simply saying that God through Christ Jesus brought the world back to Himself, fixing, or reconciling, our relationship NOT counting our sins against us. God not only didn’t count our sins against us but cancelled them altogether. How great is our God! 

These past two years I’ve uncovered life’s best kept secret: Jesus is real and the power of God transforms. I’m grateful for each experience that has brought me up and then low to show me that God is in my midst. Every tear He’s wiped away and day He’s brightened with His presence. His manifest presence is unlike anything I’ve ever known. 

God has taken my shame and given me a new identity. He’s taken the ruins of my past and carved out of a new vision for my life. He is truly the Potter and I am the clay. Jesus has raised my standard for myself and my life as a whole. I am destined to walk in the Glory of God and experience the fullness of His Goodness in the Land of the Living. 

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior and/or given Him the rightful #1 position in your life as your Lord, I invite you to today. He’s the best friend I’ve ever known. Happy anniversary to me and my Abba Father 💛 For now until literal forever. 

Come Closer

3 Keys to Coming Closer to God:

  • Correctly posture our heart
  • Become one with other believers in Christ
  • Choose obedience over rebellion 

If there is one thing I have observed about love, it is that it is inviting; love beckons you to come closer and our relationship with God is no different. For some, coming in close proximity to God may seem like a hard, or even impossible, thing to do. But it is possible! Today I want to explore scripture that instructs and admonishes us in regards to our closeness to Christ Jesus. 

I became saved when God made His manifest presence known to me. The manifest presence of God is the “right here” presence. We know God is omniscient, meaning He is everywhere at all times, but God also manifests, or makes appear, His presence. It’s like being in a house with someone, you know they are there but it’s different from being face-to-face or in their actual presence. Being saved and therefore born-again this way is special to me and causes me to know what proximity to God truly is. As a consequence of these experiences I had, and continue to have, I strive to make my life the type of place conducive for Him to manifest Himself anytime. 

“[Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God.”

Hebrews 3:12 AMPC

I love this verse, and the entire chapter, because it gives direction and insight on the manner in which we relate to God. This verse diagnoses the reason why believers may not be as close to God or even why they turn away from the faith altogether: a wicked, unbelieving heart. On some level there is a distrust in God. The verse in the AMPC, which I love for revelation and context, goes further into detail on what a wicked heart is; an unbelieving heart that refuses to hold on (cleave) to, trust in and rely on God. The result of not trusting in or relying on God is to leave Him altogether or stand at a distance. 

According to Merriam-Webster, aloof means “removed or distant either physically or emotionally” or “at a distance”.

This is the opposite of proximity or closeness. We can then conclude from this scripture that if our heart is not in the right posture then we cannot truly be close to God. Why is this important, you may ask? Because God wants you to be close to Him! My last blog was about pursuing purpose and I believe this is an important aspect.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

John 17:20-21 ESV

These are the words of Jesus the Christ who expresses the desire and will of the Father who sent Him. Jesus was praying that those who receive the Gospel of Truth might be one (the Body) just as He and the Father are one. As we come together as one united (church) body and form the Body of Christ we are truly one with Him, and therefore the Father as well. This is like the ultimate, overarching purpose of being saved.

Another aspect of coming closer to God is revealed! We have to come close to the point of being one with other believers. This is why I feel church denomination should not be a divisive matter as we are coming together to form one Body in Christ. Not the catholic Body of Christ, the baptist Body of Christ, penecostal, etc. we must hone in on what is of importance. 

“But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the trickery which the delusive glamor of his sin may play on him].”

Hebrews 3:13 AMPC

The last thing I want to touch on is settled rebellion. The Word of God says rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). To be settled in our rebellion is to be fixed, to excuse it or just say “it is what it is”. For me, I tried to settle against my personal conviction of the Holy Spirit in regards to marijuana. I know some believers who smoke claim they have no issues in relation to their closeness to God but that was not the case for me. God literally rejected it for me and told me, straight up, that it didn’t please Him. So hearing that and knowing He said it discontented me enough, eventually, that I had no choice but to choose unity with Christ over my own pleasure.

The scripture explains that we can be settled into this rebellion by the trickery and fraudulence of sin. On some level it is comforting, to me at least, to know that I’m just not this wicked person but that sin is conniving and takes effort to fight. This scripture is literally saying that sin has a strategy against us and our advancement. Our sin is delusive meaning it gives a false or misleading impression that it’s not that bad, or it won’t truly hinder us in any way, whatever the lie your sin is trying to make you believe! I believe this revelation can set us free because it’s not just smoking, drinking, fornicating or whatever your sin of choice is but it’s a pawn in the larger strategy that the enemy has to knock you off your game and out of the perfect Will of God. 

When we are out of the Will of God we don’t have the same authority or protection as we do inside the Will of God. Being outside the Will of God makes us vulnerable. Psalm 91 which is beautiful and speaks of the protection of God begins with “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” thus we must be in proximity to dwell in His shelter and to be close with God, as we learned today, means to trust in, rely on and cleave to Him. 

A Worthwhile Pursuit

As I was gearing up to finish part 2 of the Promise and the Possession, I was led to another topic: Purpose. I am guilty of pursuing the promise and longing for its’ possession, not realizing those are conduits for my purpose to be manifested in the earth. All believers of Christ Jesus have the same purpose: manifest the will of God in the earth.

It is also important to remember that the will of God for my life will not look exactly like the will of God in another believer’s life. We are all to do our part and come together as one body in Christ Jesus.

This is why our Lord Jesus instructed us to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” because this should be our overarching goal; everything else is a means to this end. It is also important to remember that the will of God for my life will not look exactly like the will of God in another believer’s life. We are all to do our part and come together as one body in Christ Jesus.

“Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.”

Matthew 15:30-31 NKJV

In these two verses we can see purpose working in three different parties, which I believe can represent three different progressions we go through relating to purpose.

  1. Jesus was acting in purpose by operating in His gifts to heal the disabled and afflicted.
  2. The afflicted were in purpose when they laid at Jesus’ feet and THEN healing began.
  3. The multitudes were in purpose when they saw the power of God demonstrated in these healing miracles and glorified God.

I believe these are all facets of purpose that we will go through during our lives, though rarely in this order. We can put ourselves in each category. 

We must lay at the feet of Jesus in our affliction and disfiguration in order to be healed. Being a born sinner, shaped and, oftentimes, mishandled by the world we are broken people. I can name at least five situations in the last year that have shaped my mindset and my current viewpoint, but it is the will of God that we allow Him to transform us into the image of His Son and this only happens at His feet. 

“But He answered and said, “Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.” 

Matthew 15:13 NKJV

During this process of laying at the feet of God and being in His presence, the Lord will be that great vinedresser and prune us to His glory and our benefit that we may bear fruit to Him alone.

Once we have allowed God to uproot and repot us in the soil of His goodness then we can move on to another facet of purpose displayed in this text: operating in our gifts. I have uncovered and begun to dabble in some of my gifts for the Lord, such as this blog, but I know I will be more fruitful and consistent when I am no longer in the season of pruning and repotting. 

Jesus was totally in His purpose at this point in His life; the text goes on to explain He spent three days with this particular multitude healing and changing lives. This is the will of God for all of us demonstrated because we all have a sphere of influence and souls to illuminate from the darkness. As Matthew 25:14-30 explains, we are all given a measure and He will be coming to collect; God forbid we bury our talents and never step into purpose. I want to be like the one who was told “well done” and received more than he already had because he was faithful and productive. 

Once we are operating in our God-given purpose in the manner God intends then those who are impacted or spectating will see the power of God in our lives and glorify Him. This is the will of God, that He be glorified in the earth and the world will see His power and know that He alone is God.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

So as we pursue the promises of God may we also pursue our God-given purpose as, or even more, vigorously; for operating in purpose and the will of God commands the blessing and promises of God to show up in our lives. God desires to bless His people so when we concentrate our lives to do His will (diligently seek Him) His blessings will be manifested in and through us. 

Setting the Stage (For a Better Life)

Hello Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

I have returned from a small hiatus with some much needed revelation. I did not intend to take a break from blogging as one of my 2021 goals is to publish a new blog each week, and following this post I intend to keep that schedule (God willing). 

Today, yesterday at the time of this publication, was Valentine’s Day. A day filled with love and social media posts either showcasing gifts and romantic stories or denouncing the day altogether. I found myself somewhere in the middle; I love love and revel in it but I am also dissatisfied with my own personal relationships leaving a sour taste in my mouth concerning the holiday. I don’t think I’m alone in this so I felt led to share what the Lord has revealed to me: God is love.

Now I know we always hear that God is love but I mean it. God is love. Love cannot be an emotion because it is a Spirit; love can be felt, love can be expressed but love must always be in harmony with God because they are one in the same. 

This has freed me tonight. To know that the lessons I’ve been taught, emotions I’ve felt and feelings I’ve harbored aren’t love at all if the Lord was not the center. Thus meaning I am free to take a new look at love with fresh eyes as the scales have been removed. 

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

1 John 4:9

We can see some expressions, or attributes, of love that can help us be discerning. God’s love was manifested, this means that He displayed love. If someone is withholding displaying their love for you, it is not pure. He also gave of His prized possession. Love is self-sacrificial, love gives (and dare I say, love gives of value; every sacrifice, every gift does not hold equal weight to the giver).

How does this set the stage for a better life? By reconstructing and reanalyzing our definition of love, we can begin to love others purely and reject that which is merely only a fabrication. In romantic and platonic relationships, it is not love unless it is rooted and congruent with the character of God.

Happy (belated) Valentines Day and may true love dwell in your heart.

Part 1: The Process of the Promise

“Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

Joshua 14:8 NKJV

The possession of the promises of God is nothing if not a process. In Hebrews 12:1, Paul encourages believers to run with endurance the race that is set before us. Today I want to backtrack a couple books and take a magnifying glass to the process of the promise.

We are the children of Israel; the depiction in scripture is for us and it is our actual identity. The Lord freed the children of Israel from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians (bondage) and was leading them through the wilderness (process of transformation) into the land He had prepared for them (the promises of God). Unfortunately for them, the 40 day journey ended up taking 40 years as God had to mold and train the people in how to serve Him and behave as His chosen people. This is what happens to us; the Lord saves us through His salvation power and then He gives us a new life, a new identity in Him; we learn His ways, study His Word and thus are changed by it (Romans 12:2). But what happens when we don’t submit to this process?

The children of Israel in the wilderness complained that God was actually trying to kill them and that they would rather return to bondage (doesn’t this sound much like us? Our transformation process may take too long, in our eyes, and we long or even return to the worldly, ungodly lives we lived before we came to the knowledge of Christ.) Their stubborn unwillingness to be molded by Moses and God caused their road trip to be delayed by decades. Our own stubborn unwillingness to be completely transformed by God will delay, or even stop us, from walking in the promises of God on this side of Heaven. The Lord will not bestow onto us what we are not ready for because He is a gracious God who looks out for our wellbeing. Our minds and hearts must be able to receive and store the blessings correctly (James 4:2). The scary and sobering reality is this: of the millions of Jews that the Lord rescued from Egypt only two entered into the promised land. 

Thank God for the Holy Spirit and grace because we have a much better probability, but we must heed the lesson from God found in this text and follow the good example of Caleb, the only other original Israelite who entered in the promised land besides Joshua. 4 important things we can learn from Caleb:

  1. Divorce yourself from groupthink. 

The children of Israel as a whole were determined to be discouraged. The Lord sent out 12 spies into the land He swore to give them, promising they would overcome opposition and even still 10 of the spies couldn’t see past the opposition into the promise. Groupthink is like the average; average is neither good nor bad, it is common and the people of God are not called to be common. 2 Corinthians 6:17, the Lord commands us to come out from among them and be separate. To be separated is to cause to move or be apart; or to divide. Nothing that is separated is average or a part of groupthink, we are only called to be a part of Christ’ body but even then, every part has its own function so there is still individuality and difference in calling. 

  1. Never be happy settling for what others are happy with.

The other children of Israel were technically Caleb’s circle; they were his kin and the only people he could relate to but he still didn’t allow himself to be overly influenced by them. 1 Corinthians 5:6 “…Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” This scripture means that by having any ungodly association at all, even a little, one will be defiled. When we are given a mandate by God we must pursue it wholeheartedly. So when, or if, the other saints around us have decided to another route we must stay devoted to doing God’s will. 

  1. Always ask for what you want.

The Kingdom of God must be seized and brought upon the earth. We know this from Matthew 11:12 NMB, “From the time of John the Baptist to now, the kingdom of heaven is sorely pressed, and those who go to it with effort seize it for themselves.” We have to vigorously go after the promises of God. The Lord’s Will is law and nonnegotiable in heaven but seeing as He has given dominion on earth to us, we must manifest His perfect will in this realm. James 4:2 “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” Wow, this just hit me! Are we truly asking the Lord for what we want or we are just lusting and coveting after it? It is said, life will rarely give you anything positive that you do not ask for.

  1. Never become discouraged by the length of the process.

“And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the Lord spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.”

Joshua 14:10 NKJV

Caleb literally waited 45 years for the Lord to fulfill His promise to him that he would inherit the land of Hebron. Which should cause us to check ourselves: how soon am I becoming discouraged? What leads me to believe I will shift levels overnight like presto magic? Thus we learn an important principle of the process (and my least favorite — Jesus is working on me) is patience. If we are to upgrade our lives and actualize the promises of God we have to possess the virtue of patience. The process may be lengthy but if we are truly in the will of God, we will lose nothing as Caleb goes onto say in verse 11, “As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.”

There are some parts of the process we simply cannot control and we must exercise our faith in and toward God as the architect of our lives. God controls the seasons but we are in full control of our time, so let us use it positively, energetically and productively! Next week’s blog will cover the possession.

Special shoutout to my e-spiritual father who has unknowingly poured into me and sparked inspiration, especially for this blog. I highly recommend checking out his Youtube channel here.