How To Get The Answers

"I will stand my watch and station myself on the rampart; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint" Habakkuk 2:1 NIV

Yeah, it's been a while. The silence hadn't been due to lack of zeal or utterance. It was a break to prepare and plan. So by His grace, i'm back and better.

Straight to the heart of the matter, everybody needs answer. If not, Google wouldn't be bombarded with questions ranging from "what to eat" or "how to care for my dogs". Believers also want answers to their numerous heartfelt needs. However, while it takes just few seconds to get your answers from Google, hearing or getting answers from God often take longer than that. We have all at one time of our lives felt as though God is too slow in answering us. It is the goal of this article to open our eyes to ways we can get specific answers from God according to His timing and will.

God speaks and expressly too. Why we don't hear him most time is because we are off channel or fixed up to even pay attention to the voice of His word. In case you are awaiting God's mind regarding what and how on a particular areas of your life, you may have to pay close attention to the following steps and realign where necessary.

Where: Oh my! Does God has a specific place? The whole of the scripture is filled with invitations  for believers to come. As you know every appointment has a venue. This is  where to meet with God and listen to specific instructions. When God also calls, it is not always to a deserted mountain or a lone motel but an invitation to the place you usually meet. Doesn't it sound like a date? Now search your heart, where do you usually hear God? It could be in church during worship, during pastor's sermon, or your personal devotion, the three work for me though. We may have to identify our individual place and stay there. We always complain how challenging it is to wait to hear God's voice, perhaps, He is been waiting for us to show up all along.

When: Though God speaks every time, we all have our different times and periods that we access His word more. While early in the morning works for some people, others would prefer late in the night. Is yours during the heat of the afternoon sun or in the coolest of the night as you meditate on your bed or as you pray or praise God with His people? Identify your time and henceforth be in your place at your time.

After the two factors above have been settled, then we begin to wonder how long the waiting is going to be. We must never forget that God is never late. Perhaps God want us to wait a little longer in order for Him to work on our hearts and prepare us for what He has to say. We must learn to persevere in waiting. What if additional twenty minutes in His presence is all you need to get the long awaited answer. You might never discover that if you don't try it.

So simple and so profound are these steps if they are consciously and prayerfully considered. God cannot be put in a box though, you may have to be sensitive per time in case you seem to miss in your specific place and time.

Why Am I different? (2)

   

In the earliest post, I wrote about the futility of comparing ourselves to others especially in the areas of our physical features. 

We have been fed wrongly and so accepting ourselves the way we are seems a bit challenging. The reason being that all our lives, we've believed something is wrong with us. Perhaps loved ones have consistently confimed our insecurities, we've accepted their verdicts because we thought they were right about us. Then the wound has gone deeper, confidence lower and self esteem has dwindled.

Depending on the extent of the emotional bruise, healing may take time. As you take each dose of the below listed suggestions, I believe you'll discover the pleasure inherent in seeing yourself the way your maker sees you.

First thing first! Identify that part of your body that you're ashamed of or you really aren't comfortable with. It could be the shape of your head, nose, size of your tummy...whatever gets you intimidated by others. You'll be surprised to discovered you have only been insecure because you thought others' are better.

Now, it is time to find out what God says about that part and your whole body. You will have to meditate on and declare God's word concerning that area. There is need to remind yourself every now and then how God describes you. This will definitely reprogram your mind, it'll purge it of every erroneous perceptions and replace it with beautiful and godly thoughts. You also need to extend grace to others' frame too. Are there people you believed aren't as beautiful, smart, confident as you are?

Start seeing these ones the exalt way you believe God sees them. And that includes no ridiculous and condescending comments about others.

You may also have to deal with funny and intimidating comments from loved ones. Whenever a friend, siblings or mates want to make jest of you, calmly remind them of what God says about you. Trust me, you'll never have to correct them again. The other side of this coin is to equally give positive comments always.  Remember what you give has a way of getting back to you. 

In case you really desire to add weight, lose it or want an improvement on any of your features, begin with the right belief.  See all you have to do as means to a healthier and confident you because God created you the way you are and accepted you, you're not in anyway less than others.

Why Am I Different?

" l know I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully well" Psalm 139:14

We might not be able to pinpoint how it started and why, all we can see is the unsatisfied teenagers and confused adults. Everyone has responded in a way to the societal picture of the ideal woman; thin is beautiful and fat is ugly, fair is good, dark is dull...we now find it difficult to recognize each other when the light is on because of the many cover ups that has tainted our shades and colours.

As it is, the world is doing a great job in reshaping women to its norms, Christian women need not undergo the rigour of fitting in but to just stand out, joyfully embracing the figure God has blessed them with.

God doesn't make mistakes. In creation, He never compared any creature to another. We didn't hear God say" Night is better than Day because that's when man rests". However, He clearly declares them good "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..." Definitely, in God's schemes of things, night and day is only relative to man as each has its purpose unique and different from other but in no way better. Also, who can boldly declare that blue is better than yellow, green better than purple or black better than red? Are they not all types of colours providing a wide variety for man to choose from,depending on the individual tastes?

Where then do we get the idea of comparing ourselves to ourselves? From whom did we learn that the taller the better, the fairer the prettier or the bustier the happier? Obviously, it isn't from God as He who made us in His image wouldn't feed us with self degrading thoughts.

It's time to start embracing and appreciating God's work in us. We need to stop apologizing for our coloured hair, fleshy legs, fat hips, fuller lips or whatever the features that we think is less attractive or acceptable to others. We must be free to be who we are without feeling odd because someone out there desires the exact thing you're complaining about. I always find it amusing when my fat friends wants to lose weight while the slim ones are looking for tips to gain additional weight. Funny how one person's poison is food for another!

As we were made in the semblance of God, that means we are as smart as smart can be, pretty as much as required and very unique. Others are as good as you are, you must not allow the devil to steal your joy.

I actually believe you are cute, intelligent and lovely the way I am... What do you think?

Watch out for the concluding part.