GRENID: THE JOURNEY: Lesson on love

I decided to wait on God to bring the man He wants for me in June 2013, after a past of 'misguided' relationships....fast forward to December 18th 2013.....where we first shook hands with Grey and I was too distracted by thoughts of getting my graduation shoes...
Lets press the forward button again...to June 2014 where we became friends and started going out on dates.....Grey had a graduation for a men's program he was going through called 'MAN ENOUGH'....it was pretty clear by now that we were on the verge of crossing the friendship line with each other...considering I helped him pick the suit for his graduation and he invited me to attend considering they were told to invite the special people in their lives....

I wore a GREY dress that day...yes! the support was real...lol and stayed in church way ,way, way (2 hours lol) after the service had ended just waiting for the ceremony to start.......so it started and ended well...

After the graduation I rushed out to look for him to show my support in addition to my GREY dress....and then when I finally get to him..he is with his friend and then I share with him how happy I am for him and then he appreciates and goes like..." I will see you another day",.......

SAY WHAT! DID I JUST WEAR THIS GREY DRESS....WAITED FOR 2 HOURS AND NOT TO MENTION AM SO HUNGRY SO THAT YOU COULD TELL ME....SEE YOU LATER?????/

well, I said all that in my head and just smiled and told him okay although I think I had a confused look and said goodbye without breaking a sweat......(mwanamke ni kujikaza..lol)....

So I went away pissed!! I remember talking to my pals on the way and I was lost in my thoughts...thinking did that just happen??? NKT....I wont even pick his call when he calls......all along am wondering why my phone is not ringing.....so that I ignore the call....So I get into the bus and on my way home....he calls...and I picked up lol!.....then He goes like am sorry I did not invite you  for lunch even my friend thought you should have come with us.....

In my head: Your friend had to tell you to invite me so that you do??? what is wrong with you? I just wasted my afternoon...

My lips: Its okay, next time....see you...

Hahahaha! I mentioned in my other post..." Why I am waiting to kiss my fiance on the wedding day" that I was so bad at confronting issues....

I remember sitting in the bus asking God...really? this is the man you have for me? why? he has even hurt me even before I get to be his girlfriend.....

Then God answered.....I never told you, he will be perfect.....he will screw up sometimes...he will hurt you...he will disappoint you..he will make you cry sometimes...but yes he is the one I have set apart for you.....I need you to love him even when you do not feel like it...because if you depend on your feelings the relationship will fail...I want you to learn how to love like I love you.....

After that response I cried and decided to forgive him...but I had to tell him why I am angry as I ignored his next 2 phone calls...and even after I told him and he asked me out for lunch the next day...I lied to him I was no where near the city center until....I heeded to what God told me and I truly forgave him.after he profusely apologized like 100 times lol.. and then 4 days. later he asked me to be his girlfriend...and well...now I am His fiance.....


This was my first lesson on what it takes to grow a godly relationship....the unique thing about this kind of relationship is the aim is to make you Christ like....to show you how selfish and inconsiderate you can be and mostly to reflect Christ to the other person..... I know we still have marriage to teach me more way more on loving Grey.....and reflecting Christ

God calls us to do all things for His glory.....and loving the other person when you think they do not deserve it is something we have to do in our relationships....

Thing is...a lot of Christians are being taught on waiting on the man/woman God has for you and are not taught that...it will not be smooth....

Truth is even if the two of you are saved, you will disappoint each other, hurt each other...etc....so before you decide to get into a relationship......you have to be ready to commit, to forgive, to carry one another's burdens, to sacrifice, to compromise....to most importantly forget about yourself and put the other person first.....in other words be ready to LOVE....

It is a beautiful thing to be loved...you have someone to cheer you on , you have someone to share the bad times with, you have someone who will see beyond your mistakes and take you just as you are....do not look for that person...choose to be that person...

PS: Grey is an amazing man....he probably has more lessons on love than me...lol..I can be hard at times

4 REASONS CHRISTIANS SHOULD WORK OUT

So I joined High School when I was a 'big' girl...I weighed more than I should have by then...even as we went to get my uniform...the store owner thought we were buying the uniform for my brother because I did not look like I was joining form one.....lol

The first term we were encouraged to join sports and I opted for football and lawn tennis...well...I love both games...by the time we were going for mid-term I had dropped a whooping 10 kg and I must say it felt good going to the tailor to reduce the size of the uniform...almost went back to that store owner to get a new pair....

That for me.... is where it all started.....and over time I developed a habit of exercising and trying to maintain my weight....

Fast forward...when I accepted to be a disciple of Christ....for some reason this motivated me even more considering.....

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19: 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;

I got to understand that my body is not mine and since its God's temple...it should be in its best from possible.... for example...look at the white house and the Kenya State house....they are beautiful houses and they are uniquely built to be extraordinary and exceptional because they house the President......now Imagine God lives in you as a Christian.....(take a moment)...as in the Maker of the Universe...God who speaks and things come into existence.lives in you! ..isn't that just amazing and beyond incredible!!!! then we are expected to take care of that temple and keep it in the best possible condition we can. 

2. Matthew 28:19:Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We have been given a mandate as Christians to go out and make disciples...so how are we going to do this when we always lack energy....tired..sick? Your physical health is key in you carrying out your mandate as a Christian.....and we are expected to make disciples...this is the race that Paul talked about...that in the end we will be crowned and be called faithful servants because we heeded to do what Christ call us to do....to make Disciples...

3.Hebrews 10:36: You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
For those who have tried exercising...you know it goes beyond the physical and usually during the work out you have to always convince yourself to finish it even when the body doesn't feel like it...you have to push your self mentally......

Physical exercise develops endurance in us...whereby we have to endure to finish what we start/exercise reps in order to see the desired results....

Endurance is key for every Christian..as we are assured that the Christian life does come with a lot of trials and challenges that we need to endure through so that we can get what God has promised which is spending eternity in His presence where we finally find rest.....The Christian life is NOT easy and requires us to hold on and keep our focus on the goal,......

4. Proverbs 25:28: A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Making fitness a lifestyle requires a lot of self-discipline.....meaning you have to avoid overeating certain types of food and you have to be consistent in your work out plan.....meaning you will have to eat things that do not taste so good...you will have to control the portion of food you consume....you will have to wake up and work out even during days you don't feel like...in other words you will go against your flesh...

As Christians we are called to bear fruit...fruit that lasts....and self-control is mentioned as an ingredient of the fruit that we are called to bear,,,,where we display self control in all that we do...whether in our eating...in our responses when we are angry....and even in us resisting temptation requires us to be self-disciplined....

You develop self-discipline when fitness is your lifestyle....

You might say..you do not have time......thing is you do have time..you just do not make time for what is not a priority for you....or maybe you do not have enough money to join the gym or whatever else......EXCUSES!

Solutions:

1. Download an APP and use it to work out...you do not have to go to the gym 

2. Go to YouTube and see the different exercises you can do in the house or nearby and apply

3. There is a lot of information out there put up by trained personal trainers and nutritionists ..look for them and apply it

4. Take a walk.....

5. Get an accountability partner and keep track of each other...

Its pretty challenging to start...you will fall along the way..but do not let it stop you...stand up and try again..you will get the hang of it...

Its time as Christians we need to start seeing physical fitness as a call the same way we see spiritual fitness as a call for every Christian.....after all you live in your body as long as you are in this earth and there is no spare...so if you want to really live out your Christianity and represent Christ here on earth...work out!!!

THE GARDEN OF EDEN AND SEXUAL SIN

I decided to go back and read the book of Genesis and when I got to the part where Satan tempted Eve...I saw things differently this time round particularly on how Satan approached her and led to her to fall into sin......indulge me for a moment...I got three tactics that Satan used and still uses:

1. He implants doubt on God's word

Genesis 3: 1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Before this we see God giving Adam instruction that they should not eat from the tree of knowledge then Satan comes in and makes Eve doubt what God said........step one

2. He gives an alternative to the truth

Genesis 3: 2-5 :And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

He gives you a lie that is so close to the truth, you will believe it to be true because you cannot see the difference...step 2

3. He gives you a feeling of guilt

Exodus 3:6-7: So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

After you take his bait and you sin, he leaves you to feel ashamed, guilty and unworthy of God's presence that you fear to go in front of God and confess because you are 'naked'..step 3

This, ladies and gentlemen is how the devil gets you to fall without you even seeing it coming..that is how smart he is....

So how does this first sin relate to us falling into sexual sin?

Lets apply the same tactic that Satan used at the garden:

Satan: Did God really tell you to wait till marriage? Did He really say that its for only married people? 

You: God said we shall wait till marriage to have sex because sexual sin is the sin that causes us to sin against our body....

Satan: Surely! God gave you the sexual desires and he does expect you to fulfill them...I mean why else would he give the desires to you? He knows you are human and you have needs!

You: I guess He did.....it is for my pleasure and God does want me to be happy...how can something that feels this good be wrong?

This is where now we are left with the guilt...either after masturbation, fornication (sex before marriage) and adultery.....we are left to feel ashamed, guilty and unworthy to go before God...so we run to hide our 'nakedness'..... we let the condemnation get to us and say its better to continue indulging because God will never forgive us for this sin....we have already fallen and we continue to fall.....

Even with Adam and Eve the story didn't end there.....

God punished them of course and then He covered them......so it doesn't mean that when you will confess to God about your sexual sin that you will not face the consequences...in this case the consequences might be...contracting an STD, even HIV, unwanted pregnancies, soul ties.....broken marriages.....etc.... you will face the consequences but even despite that God will cover you..He will 'clothe' you just as He did Adam and Eve....

Meaning He will forgive you for everything that you have done and embrace you as His child....He offers us grace which is limitlessness...... when Satan condemns you, he blinds you so that you will not seek to be forgiven and as a result not experience the grace that God offers....

1 john 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 43:25: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. 

Acts 3:19: Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord

God offers you forgiveness and a new beginning...so you don't have to wallow in self pity, despair, guilt, shame....He asks you to take the first step and come out of hiding....He will put you back together and make you new...so no matter what sexual sin you have been in, you are in....YOU CANNOT OUT-SIN GOD'S GRACE.......

Prayer

Dear Lord, I come to you today, asking you for forgiveness for (name the sexual sin) and for accepting the devil's lie that you will not forgive me. So today, I confess my sin and I pray that you will help me to turn away and live a life of purity that you have called me to live. Father, help me to recognize the schemes of the devil so that I will not sin against you. I thank you for your forgiveness and I receive it. In Jesus name I pray...

Amen

FEAR: GOD AM I ABLE?

Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat

Belief: an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. 

Conclusion, fear is an emotion caused by us accepting something unpleasant will happen without us having evidence that it will happen (enidpedia)

98% of people who never get to live their life to the fullest usually blame it on the fear of the unknown....(I made that up..but you have to admit its kinda true)....

Let me take you back to 1393 BCE,....When Moses lived....

I will skip the part where he was born and grew up in a palace and go straight to when he was looking after his father in laws sheep in the desert and ended up in Sinai.....

Scene 1
This is where he saw the burning bush and the Lord spoke to him.....
The Lord told him that He had heard the cry of the people of Israel and He wanted Moses to go and lead them out of Egypt....

Exodus 3:11: But Moses said to God, “I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Audience react: (God has just appeared to you in a burning bush? would he do that to a nobody???)

Exodus 3:12: God answered, “I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. That will be the proof that I have sent you.”

 Even after God told him to say I AM sent him.....he didn't seem convinced (sound effects)

Scene 2
Moses asks God in Exodus 4: 1, that what if they do not believe him or listen to him when he says the Lord appeared to him?
Here God turns his rod into a snake and makes the skin on his hand leprous and then heals him....
He didn't seem convinced yet so the Lord told him...


Exodus 4:8-9: Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

Was He convinced now?.....(more sound effects)


Scene 3

Exodus 4: 10: Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Audience react: (*rolls their eyes* There he goes again..with another excuse)

Exodus 4:11-12: The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

 How much more convincing did this guy want????

Scene 4:

Exodus 4:13: But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

Audience react: (C'mon!!!! after all that??)

Exodus 4:14-17: Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

 This was all the convincing he needed, because after this he went and told his father in law that he is going back to Egypt.......

                                                            *** END***


Well, we all know how the events unfolded and he was able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt..just like God told him he would.....

So many of us (me included) we are like Moses, God calls us to do something either with our talents , other resources he has given us ..usually through a burning desire in us we call PASSION...
Only a few people in this life usually follow that passion and 100% of them end up changing the world!!

What happens to the rest of us? God calls us to do something but we come up with all sorts of excuses to not do it even after God assures us that He will help us do it ..He will give us the ability to do it and He will always be at our side to ensure success...we still doubt because we are fearful asking him...what if I fail? what if I get laughed at? what if I lose friends? what if I lose my job? what if I become broke? what if I die? What if I don't meet anyone else? ...so many "what ifs" but God tells us....I will teach you, I will strengthen you, I will be right there with you.....

Imagine if Moses, did not overcome the fear he had?....we would have never read about Him and how God used Him to change the world forever! There is no way we can talk about leadership now and not mention Moses......

What has God called you to do?Must He  get angry with you so that you can get up and do it?? Does He have to keep showing you signs for you to believe what He tells you is true? or will you believe in His word..the first time he tells you?

So, today I urge you to step out and do what you have been called to do...utilize your talent for His glory....follow your dreams despite fear convincing you that you will fail......stop waiting for those signs and trust Him at His word...because He has NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR....
Decide today that even if you think you are a nobody, even if you think you will fail....that if you believe that God has called you to do that thing...that you will take Him at His word and DO IT!

NB: When we trust God, we are not risking anything, its assured because HE IS GOD

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I come  before you  to ask you to forgive me for the many times I have doubted that you have called me to (mention it) . For your word says that you have not given me a spirit of fear, help me Lord to believe in your word and to stop relying on myself but to believe that you are the one who will enable me to do it. Help me, to overcome fear and to live to be who you have called me to be. In Jesus name I pray.

Amen