Confessions 🧎🏾‍♀️

"Therefore confess your faults to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

-James 5:16 (NIV)

I've had numerous heavy encounters with God over the past few months. More specifically, I've found myself in a space where God has brought certain aspects of my personality to my undivided attention.

Overwhelming is an understatement for explaining the level of discomfort it's brought me in this process of digging into my own ways and whys.

It's almost as If I've been cornered with parts of myself so that I no longer have room to escape or distract myself with things that will prevent me from facing me. Ironically enough though, nothing has had to happen in order for me to finally see and acknowledge the fact.

God showed me an uncomfortable image of the way I was perceiving and behaving towards people I've had past difficulties with and told me, "There is no place in Christ where evil can dwell, check your heart."

Sometimes I can be stubborn and avoidant, which could ultimately be a manifestation of pride. I struggle with unforgiveness, and initiating apologies to certain people often feels counterintuitive to me because of my unrelenting negative perception of them based off of how they have treated me in the past. I'm still learning the art and beauty of letting go. Sometimes holding on to the anger feels better. I've disgarded and mistreated people for no real good reason and have been burdened with the task of humbling myself in giving my sincere apologies. To my surprise, most were received well and with gratitude.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."

-James 4:10(NIV)

God has been leading me on a tedious journey inward and I've discovered many unexpected aspects of God and His love there. I believe that part of the reason I have been made aware of all the things to check in my heart, is because He wants to give me rest, freedom and joy. It's a daily process but I know it will be for greater good and healing.

"I know my God, that you are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

-1 Chronicles 29:17 (NIV)

Happy Candle Lit Friday 🫶🏾

Can you feel it? ☀️

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Can you feel it too?

Lately I find myself daydreaming about other places, of being in different spaces in other time zones, and thinking of being away from here and now. Although not bad feelings, to escape what I'm feeling, now.

It's uncomfortable.

Maybe I've been anxious about what is to come and looking eagerly towards where I want to be. Yes, there’s no crime in being excited about the future and having aspirations. I believe that there should always be a level of earnest expectation for the wonderful things that we have come to understand as promises and God given ambitions. I believe that those desires are the things that propel us deep into our purpose.

Yet, there’s this agitating urge /tendency to become consumed in those moments which can cause us to tread the line of obsession -wanting to hurry up and do something (or be antsy)- and ultimately become distracted from The Source.

What if those are the exact moments where He wants us to sit with our anxieties about those things before Him?

Some of us are about to come out of some things that has had us confined for a very long time. I keep saying this, but now is not a time to be distracted. Maybe you can sense it too and find yourself feeling the need to just move around and do something.

As we acknowledge how fragile, yet pivotal seeing things come to fruition and starting anew in the things that we only saw in our hearts and minds is, let's find quietude and do all that we can to separate ourselves from the racket of distractions.

“Therefore, Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is guiding us into better ways and more fruitful life. Let's ask Him how we can better manage that as we walk into it. Remember, it's going to be beautiful and better than what we've seen before.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 6:33 NIV

Happy Candle Lit Friday, friends 🕯️☀️

Begin Again ☀️

"Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Last summer a friend came to me beaming with anxious excitement as they spewed out ideas they had about a creative project they wanted to pursue. I remember that as we were conversing, I felt led to give them a bit of encouragement in the direction of their goals and a friendly nudge to pursue them confidently, they had insurmountable doubts about ever successfully achieving their goals due to fear of doing something different than they had ever seen.

Shortly after, while surrounded in the stillness of God, I heard Him say, “What you’re accustomed to is not all that there is.” This echoed in my head and His words just wouldn't let go of me.

As His words lingered in my spirit, I realized that God also needed me to take what He said, not only to encourage my friend, but also to encourage myself about various aspects of my own life.

At that time, I had become fairly complacent in a world of chaos and brokenness that didn't belong nor was assigned to me. I was, in most ways, both spiritually and emotionally blind to the stagnation that I was allowing myself to become comfortable in. But, gratefully, I was warned again and again, and ultimately guided towards gradual improvement and change.

Lately I've been hearing God say, "Begin again, begin again."

Why should we be afraid to change up our routines? What if beginning again (in business, work, home, relationship, finances, family, friends) could mean simply going deeper with God and experiencing Him in New ways while allowing Him to heal us from all the trauma that we've been accustomed to.

Think about it.

There's so much more to God than our small minds can fathom. When He speaks, we should never try to squeeze what He says into just one corner of our lives, because He is much greater than that.

"What you're accustomed to is not all that there is . Get Free from the bondage of your limited perception.

Happy Candle Lit Friday, friends 🕯️☀️