I AM MORE THAN A CONQUEROR – PART 1

I heard one of the worst news today.... However, I refuse to allow the devil pull me down with his tricks and gimmicks!!...

Do you ever feel like life just has a way of throwing hard rocks at you? Do you ever go through situations where the only thing that comes to your lips is “Why me?”... Do you ever wonder where God is?? You start to think about how hard it has been, how it seems as if you have been fighting a battle all your life and there never seems to be time where you can rest or even retreat! You are spent and all your ammunitions are just not strong enough to fight the battle! Life they say is not a bed of roses, life they say is ever changing! Nothing is constant aside from change itself and God Almighty!

The news hit me like a shock of waves! I thought that my faith would be enough to carry us through, I thought that my faith would just be able to propel us to where God expects us to be... but I thought wrong! I found myself thinking the exact same thing that kind of lingered in the room... “Where is God?? Haven’t we been praying?? Don’t we pray?? But we are Christians? When is this ever going to stop?? Why us??”

I became angry in my spirit and indeed wondered why us? Indeed wondered what it means to be a Christian if we still had to go through things like this? I wondered what the difference was between us (BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS) and people that have never even stepped a foot in the church, let alone know who God is! I just could not get over the fact that I felt cheated and unduly treated! Was it something we did?... NO! She would never hurt a fly; she hardly had friends and tried her best not to offend people... So who might she have wronged? She spent most of her time studying the word and praying!! So where is the “problem”...“Battle” from??

I could not help the hot tears that came so freely down my cheeks! I could not help but agree with them forcing their way hastily from my eyes, down to my cheeks! I thought indeed they deserved to be let out! I ignored the voices in my head that seemed to come at that very “perfect” time... “God does not care about your tears”, “Your tears do not move God”, “Cry now!! Cry it all out!!” All of a sudden, all the sermons I have ever heard came rushing to me... I refused to meditate on them... All I was concerned about was the helpless woman that sat next to me and the terrified child that stood before me! What have they truly done? Who have they wronged? All their life, they have had to fight off death in order to live! They have had to sacrifice their lives in order for others to live theirs... Now, just when they could fully reap the benefits of their hard work... It’s about to get snatched away, like it was not deserved!

I had pitied myself and these people enough! I was now truly very angry in my spirit and needed answers! I wiped those unruly tears and matched like an angry soldier ready for battle! Went straight to my room, down on my knees on to the cream carpet I had stained with a lot of my mascara coated tears!  This was where I knew how to fight best, this was where I knew how to regain all my stolen joy! I was on the battlefield... It was time to take the battle to the King of kings and Lord of lords! The enemy has indeed taken a lot away from me and I have literally sat back and watched him loot freely and unashamedly! I was going to take this one precious part of my life back... The battle line has been drawn!

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places!”

This is just the beginning...

LOVE STORIES

The following is a note from the author of "Redeeming Love"....in my opinion, one of the greatest love stories ever written. It's a truly compelling novel, based on the book of Hosea. There is power in this beautiful story, and it will change your life. I challenge you to pick it up...you won't want to sleep until you've finished it!

"Many Christians talk about a single conversion experience that changed their lives forever. They can tell you the day and the hour they made their decision to live for the Lord. I can’t do that.

I was reared in a Christian home. I went to Sunday school and church camp. I attended youth groups. When I filled out various forms that asked what religion I was, I checked the box that said “Protestant”. Yet for me, my actual conversion came slowly – like the changing of seasons – and with a power that still humbles me.

I will not go into details about the mistakes I made. Suffice it to say I was burdened and soul-hungry…yet even through the hardest times, I can look back and see that God showed His love and concern for me. He was constantly holding out His arms and saying, “Come to me”…

We opened our house for a home Bible study, and our pastor began a study on the gospels. Then we did a study on materialism. Then we began a study on the minor prophets. We eventually came to the book of Hosea. That portion of God's Word hit me so profoundly that I knew this was the love story the Lord wanted me to write! His story, a deeply moving story of His passionate love for each of us - unconditional, forgiving, unchanging, everlasting, self-sacrificing - the kind of love for which most people hunger their entire lives, yet never find.

Writing Redeeming Love was a form of worship for me. Through it, I was able to thank God for loving me even when I was defiant, rebellious, contemptuous of what I thought being a Christian meant, and afraid to give my heart away. I had wanted to be my own god and have control of my life the way Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Now I know to be loved by Christ is the ultimate joy and fulfillment. Everything in Redeeming Love was a gift from the Lord: plot, characters, theme. None of it is mine to claim.

There are many who struggle to survive in life, many who have been used and abused in the name of love, many who have been sacrificed on the altars of pleasure and “freedom”. But the freedom the world offers is, in reality, false. Too many have awakened one day to discover they are in bondage, and they have no idea how to escape. It is for people such as these that I wrote Redeeming Love – people who fight, as I did, to be their own gods, only to find in the end that they are lost, desperate, and terribly alone. I want to bring the truth to those trapped in lies and darkness, to tell them that God is there, He is real, and He loves them – no matter what.

I used to believe the purpose in life is to find happiness. I don’t believe that anymore. I believe we are all given gifts from our Father, and that our purpose is to offer them to Him. He knows how He wants us to use them. I used to struggle to find happiness, I used to work to attain it. By the world’s standards, I was successful. But it was all meaningless vanity. Now I have joy. I have everything I ever wanted or dreamed of having: a love that is so precious I can find no words to describe it. I haven’t achieved this through my own efforts. I certainly have done nothing worth to earn it or even deserve it. I have received it as a free gift from the Lord, the everlasting God. It is the same gift He offers you, every minute, every hour, every day of your life.
 

I hope this story will help you see who Jesus is and how much He loves you. And may the Lord draw you to Him"  

REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Last year was a rollercoaster! Full of ups and downs and everything in between... I went through a phase these past couple of weeks, just before the year ended, where I was only nagging, screaming and wondering why God had “forsaken” me! I exhibited all the traits of a “Drama Queen”. I was so wrapped up in what I wanted and in the fact that I started to believe that God had not done what He promised. All these self orchestrated noise was so loud that I failed to listen to that calming still voice deep within! Do we find that we sometimes allow our ever so long list of requests, expectations and “errands” becloud our love and desire for God?! I find that I am my happiest when things happen the way that I expect them to and the way I want them to. I become a totally different person, even a stranger to myself when I don’t see things happen my way. It is funny how we are so quick to raise “holy hands” and act righteous when everything listens to us and acts accordingly. But woe betides the people around us when we suddenly realise that life is not a bed of roses, neither is it milk or honey.

God allowed me to cry all I could, He allowed me to throw all the tantrums and He did what I hated the most! ... He kept quiet! Not a word, not even a scripture to encourage me and tend to my “wounds”. I was all alone, I stopped crying enough to see if He bothered and was probably speaking amidst my crying... NOTHING! Quiet as a grave yard and was scarily deafening. I tried to turn to everyone and anyone I could, to hear God speak through them, but He was not going to speak to me while I was in that mood.

I finally stopped acting like a child and decided to go back to Him... I remember that night like it was just a couple of hours ago, I went on my knees and asked Him to take me back, with all my flaws and ungratefulness... Still no word. Suddenly, I started to get words from my family and friends, telling me to remember where God brought me from and what He did for me in the past, knowing that the same God that did it then will do it again! I was reminded of how great my God is and how mighty He is! I was reminded of how much He loves me and will do what is best for me and not what I want. The word finally came... "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AGAIN I SAY REJOICE!" I got the word and ran away with it. I remembered how far He brought me and all the awesome things He did and is doing, even though I could not see them. I turned my drama to dramatic praise!! I looked for something, no matter how small, to thank Him and just lift His name! I made a decision to love and praise God regardless of what I went through, good or bad!

Guess what?? Just when I thought He was done with me, He started to speak to me again, even clearer than before!! He did what I expected and even more. My praise had broken through for me!

We sometimes go through very low times and seasons, where we feel like we are all alone, but regardless of your situation, whether things go your way or not, never for once forget the things He did for you in the past and rejoice because you know He is going to do it again!

Have a praise (full) and fulfilling new year!

Peace and Blessings

Be Love

YOUR LOVE IS LIKE NO OTHER!

“Love the Lord your God, and love one another. Love one another as He loves. Love with strength and purpose and passion and no matter what comes against you. Don’t weaken. Stand against the darkness, and love. That’s the way back into Eden. That’s the way back to life.” - "Redeeming Love"