Idols are joy thieves.

The first time I heard christian rap artist Lecrae was last year round about February, I remember it quite well. It was a Sunday morning and I was getting ready for church. His song "Change" was playing in the background while I was looking at myself in the mirror clipping my hair into place. I remember thinking, man this guy is preaching some life changing stuff.

Fast forward to now, end of July 2012. I've received so many blessings from God from the time I began praying from them in 2011 till now, but guess what? I was happier at the beginning of last year 2011 with nothing than I am now with more, why? Cause at that time I had nothing, when I was just another job seeking University graduate it was just me and God.

Now lets get this clear, I'm not saying that I was happy because I had nothing and could just focus on God. No, there are alot of people who have alot of material things but are great women & men of God who have an amazing relationship with God, that even though they are so wealthy their joy comes from the Lord.

So what happened to me? What took my joy away?

An Idol.

Yes I met this amazing guy, who put my heart on fire, treated me like I'd never been treated before. The nights I used to spend with God having my quite time, I'd spend chatting to my guy about how we're so mean't to be together, I'd end up falling asleep while chatting to him, so guess what? God got booted to the curb cause I'd found my new source of joy.

The relationship ended, it was hard, when he left my joy also went away with him. Now I look back and I realise that my relationship with my ex was an Idol. What's an Idol?

1 John 5:21

Amplified Bible (AMP)

"21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be)."

My relationship was what my life revolved around instead of God. My joy didn't come from God any more, it came from a man. There's nothing wrong with your partner making you happy, but the source of our joy should be God.

The joy that comes from God is indescribable. The cool thing about it is that he's constant, he's always there, he'll never leave. I don't want my focus to be just the joy I get from him, I want to have the relationship I used to have with him,how it used to be before I allowed an Idol in my heart. Just thinking about Gods beautiful character made me sooooooooo fulled with joy. All I could think about was how awesome he is, those amazing miracles he did in the the bible, how he wanted us sooooooo badly that he came to earth, killed like a criminal when he was royalty just so he could re-unite us with him, I was like wow, he's so incredibly magnificent. Yes I'm working on our relationship again, cause I really do miss that, just being so in awe of his sovereignty.

So where does Lecraes song change come into all of this ? Well it's basically bout how we seek things of this world cause we want them to change us inside. Guess the change inside could be the joy that we all seek. He talks about how we look for it in money, clothes and cars and yet it brings no change, (no fulfilment, no joy).

A relationship with God is so essential, once we know God we can talk about his glory to other people. He gave up his son so we could have a relationship with him. We can be satisfied with God and need no other satisfaction. I remember writing that on my facebook "about me" section. I wrote "I'm that girl who finds satisfaction in Jesus and nothing else." I really did. Then I removed it at the end of the year 2011, cause I'd allowed our relationship to go down the drain.

Not all men are going to become an idol in your life and steal your Jesus joy,When your Godly husband comes, it'll be at a time when Both of you will have matured in Christ to a point where you both know how to prevent Idols from taking Gods place in your heart, and your maturity will allow both of you to lead each other to an even more intimate relationship with Jesus and not away from him.

Psalm 16:11 New King James Version (NKJV)

"11 You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

What are you feeding your faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we live by faith, not by sight."

We live by faith and not by sight. This means that we don't live by bread, or water only but the prime ingredient of our livelihood is our faith. So if faith is what we live by then without it we have no life.

If faith is so important than surely we should be doing certain things to make sure that it's alive and growing.

There are certain things which are good for our faith and some which are not.

Somethings which starve our faith are T.V programmes and music which goes against who God is. Ask yourself, how is this growing my faith in God or is it leading me away from God. The thing is we soon imitate and believe what we watch over and over again. Once we watch T.V programmes which teach us to put our faith in material things or that joy comes from material possessions or a husband than God, our faith in God is starved as we now allow material goods to take over God's place in our hearts.

1 John 5:21
Amplified Bible (AMP)
"21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)—[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be)."

Our faith should be in God and not things. When we know,trust and believe in the greatness of God then we trust who he is, that he is so great that nothing is impossible for him, when we focus on his greatness, then we know that because he is so great he's able to answer our prayers and meet our needs easily.

That's why we should never compare ourselves to fellow christians, what they have or they don't have. Cause just maybe they haven't discovered for themselves that God is great, and how he can do all things and as a result their faith has been starved. Or they could just be hanging around negative people or watching negative t.v programmes, thus distracting their relationship with God which disables their faith.

Matthew 14:28-30New International Version (NIV)
28 "Lord, if it’s you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."29 "Come," he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

What happened when Peter shifted his gaze from Jesus to the wind? He became AFRAID. By looking at the wind he fed his fear instead of feeding faith. Then because his fear was fed, he sank.

How could he have fed his faith, by looking to Jesus, when he first got out of the boat and was walking TOWARD Jesus, he was fine, why? cause his focus was on Jesus, he was walking towards him to get to him, when his focus shifted, that's when he sank.

So what's shifting our focus from Jesus, is it negative people, T.V Programmes which cause us to covet other people's lives. Whatever it maybe, it needs to be cut out of your life because it's killing your faith in Jesus which is very essential cause we live by faith and not by sight.

What are faith feeders? The two that I know of are the bible and worship music.The bible amplifies God's powerful & wonderful characteristics in every book, It shows us the characters of God, a healer, a provider, a forgiver, a friend, a comforter, a mighty warrior, a conqueror and love.
Worship music, as we worship God we magnify him, we lift him higher and make him great cause that's who he truelly is.

So basically I needed to write this because I needed to hear this, hope this post has touched you.

Hebrews 12:2 KJV
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith"

Magnifying God

Worshipping God is magnify him, making him great because he really is great. Through worship we see God for who he truly is. Negative strongholds are broken as we renew our minds with the greatness of Gods character.
This then changes our perception of God that he truly can do great things and nothing is impossible for him. This then feeds our faith, we believe that he is able to do everything.

Being stylish but christian.

So many people are led into this bad way of thinking that in order to be a christian means you gotta suffer and not enjoy your life, wrong!

See the saints of old suffered for God cause many people were killed if they were christians during that time.

Thats the kinda suffering one might endure have endured.

But have fun, have some swagg, your own style and look beautiful even if enhancing your looks with make-up.

HAAAAVE fun!

It's still about Faith, YOUR faith.

It seem's there are different schools of thought in the church when it comes to the topic of meeting your Godly spouse. Some say we should wait upon the Lord, seek him and he'll supply all our needs while others believe that you gotta go out there and meet other Christian singles, you gotta put in effort yourself.

This is what I say... both groups are right, why? Cause it all boils down to your individual faith.... yours and no one else's.

While Jesus was on earth he performed alot of miracles, healing the sick, casting out demons and feeding multitudes... however you'd think that every where he went he'd be able to perform miracles right? wrong! There was a time when Jesus was actually unable to change peoples lives through miracles,why you ask? Had his power run out? Had he done something wrong? No it was not Jesus... let me write this verse out for you and you'll see why.

Mark 6:5-6 (NLV)

"And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.6)And he was amazed at their unbelief"

It was "their" unbelief that resulted in them not being able to RECEIVE miracles from Jesus... Now lets just look at the part that belief or faith played when other people received miracles.

Matthew 9:28-29 (NLV)

28)"They went right into the house where he was staying and Jesus asked them , Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes Lord, they told him, we do."

"29) Then he touched their eyes and said "Because of your faith it will happen" v30) Then their eyes were open and they could see!"

And there are many accounts in the new testament where Jesus tells people that it's through their faith that they've received their miracle. (Matthew 9:22) (Matthew 9:29)

So with regards to people in the church having different opinions when it comes to meeting one's Godly spouse, this to will be determined by what one puts faith in.

If you believe that God will match you while you seek him, it will be just as you've believed. You will indeed find God as you seek him and he will match you with the partner whom he deems is perfect just for you. (Matthew 6:32-34)

And if you pray and go out there looking for a man or woman on your own cause you believe it's the right thing to do, that's what you believe and it will be so. Cause the bible says: Mark 11:24 "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."

Many women & men will tell you that they had a list of the traits they wanted in a husband or wife, and God brought to them a husband or wife who was exactly that. Others will tell you that they told God that they'll leave everything to him, cause he knows them better than they know themselves, and God brought them a mate who was imperfect but perfect for them as in equally yoked he's Good at the things you're bad at & vice versa. But do you see that whatever these two types of woman/men believed God for he answered them? Cause why? of their faith. That's what they believed in.

I'm not married nor have I ever been but I know that in (Matthew 6:32-G34) Jesus said we should first seek the Kingdom of God above all things, not some things but all (that's including a Godly spouse) will be added on to us.

And I'll leave you with that.

Singleness

God has also been teaching me about singleness.

For a long time I didn't see singleness as a season, I just saw it as a phase in life where you're lonely and waiting for a guy to ask you out... Goodness I'm puting myself out there by being so honest, but that is the sad truth.

But I've been reading some awesome blogs by Godly women who've completly changed my whole outlook on singleness and this is what I've learn't.

God works in season's, not time, Each season has a role to play in out development and growth. Once We've grown and developed we enter into the next season.

For example, when you've passed high school you're able to go to the next stage which is university. Without having gone through high school you wouldnt be able to cope with the University work.

Same with a baby, it stays in it's mothers womb and develops there for 9 months so the baby can can live in the world. Imagine a mother was so excited to see her baby that she took her baby out in three months. Those little lungs wouldn't have developed to their ful capacity and as a result the baby wouldn't be able to breathe and the baby would die.

So to with each season, we need to develop in that season in order to be able to cope with the next season. such is the season of singleness, we develop and grow, getting ready for the season of marriage.

What does our development consist of? We have to develop our relationship with Jesus.
God wants all of us during singleness, once spending time in the wee hours of the morining with God becomes second nature to us, we will be able to do this even when we have kids and a husband to take care of. If we can't even do that now, wake up early in the morning to spend time with God, what are the possiblities that we'd be able to do it when we have other people to take care of besides oursleves.

And the thing about that is, in order to have a successful marriage we need Jesus to be the third person, we need to run to Jesus and not anyone else when we have trouble in marriage or need advice. Ecclesiastes 4: 12 " Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Jesus is the third strand in our marriage that strengthens marriages so that it's not easily broken.

When people get married it's two wholes coming together as one, if you're not whole then you'll put a burden on your partner that he can't handle cause only God can complete you. When does God complete you? during your time of singleness.

The bible also refers to Jesus as our bridegroom.

"Isaiah 54:5-75 For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth."

Jesus is our bridegroom, we're getting ready to meet him, our wedding is his second coming.

Our source of strength is Jesus, the more time we spend with him, the better our relationship will be, satan knows this, so he brings things into our lives to cut us from our source of strength, leaving us weak for his capture.
Watch out for distractions that shift your focus away from spending time with God, for me it's been guys I've dated.

Right now lets pursue God, spend time with him, let him have our first hour in the morning till it becomes a habit. This is a great season, our season of singleness is dedicated to us and our maker.