no longer slaves | No Fear, Just Hope

But God~ Looking Back With Gratitude & Forward In Faith.

February 10, 2020

The only thing that is worthy and justifies incorrect grammar, is when God intervenes.

BUT God,’ (Ephesians 2:4) in the bible comes in moments where there seems to be no hope, then God suddenly intervenes to reveal His supernatural powers and His sovereignty. Its like He is storming in shouting ‘ No , no no, don’t close that chapter yet, I am not done with that season yet, I still have a say in it’/ don’t shut me out’.

God’s goodness goes beyond all our expectations and imagination. It is bigger than all of us

As human beings, we have a reputation for ‘selective forgetfulness. We tend to allow our hearts to forget the good things especially during hard times. Deuteronomy6:12 take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery“. So many times, the Israelites had to look back and be forced to remember how they had been rescued.

Since we got engaged and later married, going 12 years this year, I have had a book where each month I have been writing prayer points, come back and write answered prayers both for friends, family and myself. There are so many answered prayers the last 10 years but also unanswered prayers both for friends/family or myself.

However, in this season, I choose to count my blessings. In those seasons when I am between what God has done and waiting for the things he is about to do, I always take that book and go through it. Every single time, I am always ‘surprised ‘ at some of the answered prayers which could have been easily forgotten.

Whenever, I went back to read what God had answered, I would highlight what spike to me most especially if we were going through the same season of waiting.

It is very easy for us to fall back on the place where answers haven’t been given, where there’s uncertainty, that place where God didn’t come through for us the way we expected him to because that’s where our mind loves to thrive on, ~ places of doubt, regret and the ‘what ifs’. Instead of falling back to the familiar seasons and moments where we were at our darkest moments BUT GOD, came through for us. Let us remember that each day we rise He has new mercies at our disposal

Lamentations 3:22-24″ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;2 his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new mevery morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him”

God’s best friend David invites us to intentionally schedule time to look back into the details of our lives and think on the goodness of our father.

“My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.Psalm 145:21. On the other hand, we might be thinking ‘ what’s there to praise God for when all that surrounds you is heart ache after heart ache.

No matter how deep the valley you are in, please know that God will never forsake us. His word confirms this 1john 1:16. I think I love this translation better:

“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]”.Amp.

Like David, we need to slowly look back this past year and really deeply check mercies that had the almighty Gods doing to take place. There’s no doubt that we will find not one but several glimpses of His blessings and actual riches of his blessings.

As much as it is hard to reflect on His goodness, we need to walk in the confidence that “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32

The same God that gave His only son for your life will give you everything He has promised and He is with you always. No works will make us deserve His kindness, but out of his mercy and grace, He continuously purposes to choose us over and over again.

2 Peter 1:3 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence”

Looking Back With Gratitude – Image by Nelly

Therefore, even in the midst of the storm the psalmist urges us to reflect and give praise to God, acknowledging that He is the one able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ever imagine.

When there’s a positive motivation or reward, praise automatically comes easy. We are happy and feel generous so it only comes natural for us to say good things in response to what we might have received or actions that might have been done to us.

However, there are seasons where our hearts don’t seem to do this automatically. This is because, the praise is not coming from a motivated generous heart but one that is at the crossroads of waiting on God or in seasons of pain and hurt. Where we don’t see His goodness and our environments constantly magnifies the negativity around us and the unanswered prayers.

When we bring ourselves to praise God in these moments, we honour God as we choose to offer sacrifices of praise to Him. Not because of what He has done but who he is in our lives. Its praising in the pain. Reminds me of the song ” I will praise you in the storm….’

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. – Hebrews 13:15.

I want to encourage us to always remember moments where ‘But God’ is mentioned, because those are the moments where what all seemed impossible, is made possible by His grace.

I want to also challenge us, to look back especially in the seasons of waiting. The seasons where the enemy seems to be winning , take moments to acknowledge God and all the has done in your life. God will not look down on this form of praise, He will gladly and proudly inhabit in it.

Ephesians 2: 1…for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…..Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Prayer

Father God, thank you that while we are in the waiting season, you show us glimpses of the blessings to come. We praise you for who you are in our lives and for your continued faithfulness this past year. Teach us to look more deeply into your goodness and to always count our blessings. In Jesus name.

Amen.

Lots of love,

Mama Faith, Hope and Love.

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Hope Infertility

God has seen, heard, called and known you in advance.

October 10, 2019

Continued from To You Mama;

To the mama coming home to an empty closet that was once full of baby clothes, you are loved and thought of IN ADVANCE. God sees the tears you’ve cried out as you emptied your angel’s nursery.

To the mama who hasn’t entered her angel’s baby room or her own bedroom since the passing of her baby or husband, you are not abnormal. You are in pain that is beyond this world’s understanding and God is and will give you rest and comfort that will bring you joy inconceivable.

To the mama who’s walking with her shoulders low, with a load to heavy that you’ve been carrying for so long, know that, you were loved IN ADVANCE.

To you mama who’s too exhausted to come out of the emotional drain you fell into, and everybody is saying” get over it”, you are loved and seen.

To the ‘mama’ who feels lonely, abandoned, unseen, ashamed, unworthy and unheard, to YOU, please know today and forever, you can walk in the confidence of at least knowing that you were loved, seen, known and heard, way IN ADVANCE before your existence and there’s a plan in place in God’s storyline because he knows your heart.

To the mama overwhelmed with her kids schedules and undone laundry. To you who sacrifices yourself but your kids are too young to appreciate or thank you for your efforts ~ you are enough and loved IN ADVANCE.

To the mama feeling she’s not enough because she’s too overwhelmed and hasn’t managed to serve her kids the Martha Stewart diners but only managed cereal on certain days~ you are appreciated and doing an amazing job because you love your children.

To the mama crying herself to sleep because of loneliness, because of estranged children or waiting womb, you were loved and seen IN ADVANCE.

To the mama with the empty cradle, nest , God fore saw your yearning heart and see’s the numerous attempts at fertility to no avail. He sees your heart falling in despair but still sees, loves, knows and hears you.

To the mama falling in to debt, struggling to make ends meet and wondering where the next meal will come from, God saw this IN ADVANCE and wants to give you rest.God has heard the wordless groaning of your heart. Calling for breakthrough in your home’s and finances.

To the mama who doesn’t ‘feel’ beautiful because of the standards set by this world, may you know that your identity is in Him. He chooses you and calls you His own masterpiece and that’s what matters. Lean on the things unseen because those are eternal.

IN ADVANCE, God knew about your broken heart and heartache. He is not surprised of the fear that engulfs your mustard faith and causes you to be weary wondering where He is when you most need him.

IN ADVANCE, God knew the loss, despair and pain that has befallen you. He knows your broken heart and how hard it is for you to love again. As hard as it is to understand, your broken heart is a part of His storyline but in His storyline, mourning is temporary and joy in abundance is your portion.

To the mama who hasn’t drawn her curtains the whole week or left her house for a long time and her head has been burried in her pillow, soaked in her tears, God sees, hears and knows what it is to be lonely and rejected. But, He calls you His beloved and chooses you.

To the mama who feels like she’s always the last one on people’s hearts or minds and lists, God chooses you 1st. If it was only you, He would still die for you alone. To you mama, serving people in the open and also behind the scenes and feeling overwhelmed, God is your reward.

He has the whole storyline in mind and has already seen how the story ends. So nothing is ever a miss or last choice. Everything fits in His perfect plan and doesn’t take him by surprise.

To you mama suffering in silence, I say ” Just be held” and ” let go” by letting down all your anxiety, worries and stress at His feet because God has seen it all, the struggles to make everything work, your hard work, you being taken for granted, you being the talk of town and ashamed because of the infertility, failed marriage, ‘misbehaving’ kids or failed job.

Just as He created a solution to save mankind before hand, by providing his son, way IN ADVANCE to be a sacrificial Victor, He is working behind the scenes to bring you victory and healing.

To you mama, rest in His love.
Lots of love.
Mama Faith Hope and Love.

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Hope

Loved In Advance | Even Before your Existence

October 7, 2019

Sermon inspiration from Pastor Matt ~DRIC

To the ‘mama’ who feels lonely, abandoned, unseen, ashamed, unworthy and unheard. Please know today and forever, you can walk in the confidence of at least knowing that you were loved, seen, known and heard, way IN ADVANCE before your existence and there’s a plan in place in God’s story line because he knows your heart.

To the mama who doesn’t know whether to add her angel baby when asked whether she has kids or not or how many kids. To the mama overwhelmed with her kids schedules and undone laundry. To you who sacrifices yourself but your kids are too young to appreciate or thank you for your efforts ~ you are enough and loved IN ADVANCE……TO BE CONTINUED.

In Advance:

These last weeks, we’ve been going through a series of sermons at church, around the preposition ~IN. To see various ways we can participate in God’s work by being IN him.

So, being October when we reflect and empathize with those who have suffered child loss, I wanted to encourage someone through this message because I related so much to it and it blessed my aching heart, that immediately I heard it, I knew I wanted God to use me to write something along those lines.

God is all powerful and he’s not surprised by any of life seasons or events that come our way. He knows us and knew us before we were created, God prepared somethings for us IN ADVANCE for us to walk into or choose to follow.

A question to ask would be “Do you know why you are in the season you are in at this very moment. ? Yes, even your heartbreak.

Our pastor used the example of the Marvel movies, how there are so many of them but all of them are connected with regards to the story line in the comic universe. You don’t really have to watch all of them to understand the story.

On the other hand, It’s ironic that even while we get to watch such movies, and commend the directors or writers of how good of a plan they had about the content, because the storyline fits so well, we still fail to see how God also had a plan when creating this universe and us. We see things happening as accidents. We forget that, He has been working IN ADVANCE , to set things into motion.

God’s word is much more than those movies, full of various authors but with an incorporated and intertwined storyline. He had a plan and knew the direction our lives was going to be taking all along.

Our best example is Jesus Christ, in
John 17:24 he says “…..because you loved me before the creation of the world”.
Colossians 1:26~ the mystery that was hidden for ages has now been revealed to us his children , and the glorious riches of this mystery, which is = Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory. That means, there’s been hope all along to get us to victory even when it doesn’t seem so.

*In John 17:24, Jesus knew He was loved IN ADVANCE. From the very beginning and it’s a part of his identity and nothing can take that away from him. Whether the world rejected him, persecuted him, didn’t see him as worthy, he knew he was the beloved. All other things didn’t matter to him.

I hope we find out how loved and thought of we are and go with that, letting that knowledge guide our lives and all seasons we are in. May that knowledge of our identity, remind us, in the moments society doesn’t count you as a mother when you are a mother to many angel babies that no one knew of.

IN ADVANCE, God knew he wanted to create the world, he had a plan to do that, it wasn’t a last thought. He wanted to create a people who would know him and be in communication with him. That means you and I. He also knew, that human nature would cause us to disconnect from him.
So IN ADVANCE, he sent Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb (read Victor) to be the one to reconnect us back to God without judgement.

In Jesus, we have new mercies,(Eph 2:4,5, 2cor 8:9) which he has prepared IN ADVANCE for us. God went ahead to create a solution to a problem he had fore seen.

His final request is asking us whether we choose to ENTER IN, in his rest accepting that we can’t do it all alone. The challenges and standards set by the world may cause us to disconnect and bring disbelief or anxiety in His promises. Even this, He had foreseen, what matters now is, do we choose to ENTER IN by obeying and believing that where we are and the seasons we are in, fitted into his storyline way before we were formed and that you are enough and thought of.

I pray that we would let down all weight that burdens us and choose to ENTER IN to what God has prepared IN ADVANCE for us.

****For we are God’s masterpiece. God’s whole plan from the beginning, after seeing that what he created was good, was for us to be connected through Christ to return to that point before humanity disconnected from him and all everything was still good.

You are the daughter of the most high King. Know that, the Sovereign one who created the universe also created you in His image and is mindful of you.

God has something in mind for you, he has good works for you that he has prepared IN ADVANCE for you to participate in. He has already prepared good works for us to do (like serving and caring for your little ones) so that we can walk into the rewards he has prepared for us IN ADVANCE from the foundations of the world.

Accepting his rest is to accept his work. He loves you and has a good plan for your life. No matter how often this has been said, it is true, because He really has been and always has a purpose for your life. So rest in the assurance that you were thought of , loved IN ADVANCE and nothing you do or come short of achieving will ever separate you from his ‘IN ADVANCE’ love.

Much love.
Mama Faith, Hope and Love.

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Faith over Fear Hope

Christ In Us | The Hope Of Glory.

December 25, 2018

Am not sure which translation I like best:

“God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.Colossians 1:27 GNB
OR,
“For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory”.Colossians 1:27 NLT.

I didn’t plan to post anything today except a merry Christmas wish.

Well, its 4pm on Christmas day and I am laying on my couch with ‘clutter’ all around me. If you know me, you know I hate clutter and messy . My plan was to clear all this yesterday after our intimate Christmas Eve family dinner which is my hubby’s tradition. He prepares for us a 3 course lux meal#justChicken, not the usual beans we eat January to January .

Anyway, am laying here and this verse which has been on my mind keeps coming back to me, so I decided to find it and read it again and from it, this is the encouragement I received and I hope it blesses you~from one former Gentile to another. Ooh so thankful for God’s grace.

In Colossians 1:27, simple points out that the secret is that Christ is already in me and you. That’s not all, with him in us, He is moving in to our hearts with all the hope of all the mysteries of all glorious things that are yet to come.

How will He do that? His word says that , He will accomplish the work he started in us. Meaning that, He is perfecting us till He returns for us and at that time, the full revelation of all that seems mysterious, will be revealed to us.

We are therefore still a work of art in His hands. Even though, we are His masterpiece, the work continues. The artist always continues perfecting their art until they are ready to showcase it~that’s how Christ is working on us.

Therefore, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” is a call of expectation. It’s a call, calling us to rise up from the comfort zones and urging us to look forward to the promise we have been assured of being perfect.

That hope of glory is what will fulfill all God’s promise of restoring us to Him. As Romans 8:19-24 puts it.
….”For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse.

But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it…”

1Peter 5:10 “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

Do you see how much we have received, with Christ in our hearts?

He is the one that was promised, the one we have waited for , for so long and the same one who is here now in our hearts giving us , through His Holly Spirit a glimpse of the glorious glory that is about to come. {..Rom 8:23…”.And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory”,….}

Therefore, I want to continue walking in this confidence, and I hope you do too.

Let’s walk in the knowing that Christ is perfecting us and when the time comes and having been conformed to His image, we will get to gaze the real glimpse of His face.

What a glorious day that would be! Hallelujah!!

Rejoice, the hope of glory is here and we nolonger have to wait for Him. The same Spirit that raised Him from the dead, lives in you!

Receive Him. Freely He comes knocking on your heart~please, let’s let Him in as He longs to go about this life with us. We don’t have to do it alone.

So, no matter how you are celebrating today, in low spirits , lonely or surrounded by family, let’s remember the big picture is that we have an assurance of the big inheritance and we are nolonger waiting for the one that was promised, He’s here now, let Him come in and give you that hope of glory that is full of life, riches beyond what our physical eyes can fathom.

Merry Christmas to you all.

#IFinallyFoundTheEnergyToShowerAndAtleastChangeFromPjs. #ThisIsAHappyPostBtw.

Lots of love.

Nelly.

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