I haven't posted as much as I would have liked these last few weeks but have had a lot on with University course work although I am trying not to let it get the better of me, I won't be caught up in the cares of this world, thank you Jesus.

I wanted to come on and give a quick post, these last few weeks have blessed me more than ever and I am really trying to die to self and give my will completely over to God, it is my only prayer at the moment.

The coming of Jesus is so near there seems to be an urgency around me to just get right and to live a ready lifestyle, I am so thankful to God for amazing teaching at my church which allows me to get the spiritual food I need.

I know that I can't be left behind when the rapture comes and I just really want to encourage anyone and everyone whether it is one person who reads this or ten, please live ready for God, desire only to be filled with God, forget this life and its cares and live by faith waiting expectantly for Jesus' return.

We are merely tourists in this world, visitors only, look away from the seen and keep focused on the unseen, we are fighting the good fight and it is almost over, remain faithful and steadfast in your prayer life. And whenever you see heartache and news of wars and evil just remember that Jesus is coming back.

Let us rejoice, for the coming of the lord is nearly upon us, and I for one cannot wait to go home.

THANK YOU JESUS

He who gives this warning and affirms testifies to these things says, yes (it is true). [Surely] I am coming quickly (swiftly, speedily). Amen (so let it be)! Yes, come, Lord Jesus! Rev 22:20

The grace (blessing and favor) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with all the saints (God's holy people, those set apart for God, to be as it were, exclusively His). Amen (so let it be)! Rev 22:21

Book challenge

So this week I started my book challenge.

At the moment I am reading Rick Warrens - Gods Power to Change your Life.

Basically I'm just trying to read a chapter a day so I can apply what I have learnt to my life and pray over it.
When I've finished I will then start reading The Alpha Course - Jesus Lifestyle.

I started with the Rick Warren book because it deals with what I have been praying for, which is amazing as I brought this book years ago and just never got around to reading it.

As well as this I am going to read a book of the bible a day- this is the aim. During this process I will be blogging randomly on what I'm reading and how I'm applying it to my life, this process is so I can document what I'm going through at present and hopefully when I look back I will see amazing change, glory to God.

At the moment I am four chapters into the Rick Warren book and going strong, I feel so much peace and I am so happy in God. He is just leading and guiding me its amazing.

I will take some time and go back so I can post on each chapter over the next few days; if there are any books that you would recommend that would great, also if you are reading particular scriptures or books of the bible please share and discuss below.

God Bless xx

I don't usually post twice on the same day but I returned home from church a few hours ago and just feel led to write this.

I posted earlier about the service we would be having today which was a thanksgiving service, but once I arrived at church we were told that in fact service had been changed due to my pastor receiving a word from God.

We have always been taught on the importance of living a ready lifestyle before God, to wait expectantly on his arrival because we can't be sure in the end times whether there would be a rapture or not.

My pastor had never really received a word about rapture- whether it was real or not, but she expressed that we should live to be ready for the coming of God.

Today she preached a word saying that in fact there will be a rapture and only the holy in Christ would be taken.

The word she received was the 7 Dispensations.

Basically, scriptures divide the time of man from the beginning of time to the end, each dispensation represents a period in time where God changed his method for dealing with mankind in regards to sin and responsibility.

Each dispensation starts with the test of man and ends in judgement; five have already been fulfilled, we are currently leaving in the sixth and the seventh remains to come, they are as follows:

1. Innocence - This represents the time of Adam who was created pure without sin, this ended when Adam failed his test and he and Eve were cast out of Eden.

2. Conscious - After the fall of Adam man acquired the knowledge of good and evil , men hearts became wicked, this ended in the flood.

3. Authority - After the flood god gave Noah authority to govern the world, man became independent of God, this ended in the confusion of languages.

4. Promise - God gave his promise to Abraham , the condition of Gods promised were violated and this ended in bondage in Egypt.

5. Law - God sent the 10 commandments which were again violated this ended in Irael and Judah being cast out of the lands.

6. Grace - This is what we are living under now, Gods grace, Jesus died so that we might have salvation, this is where we will see the rapture of Gods holy people because this ends with the reign of the beast and the great tribulation.

7. The reign of Christ - Which is when God will return to the earth and Satan will be bound for 1000 years so people can get saved, this will end in judgement.

I haven't gone into full detail, I really don't want to sit here and pretend that this is a revelation or I am teaching because I am not, this is a message recieved from church which literally smacked me in the face like a lead frying pan.

I wanted to share this so you in turn share this with someone saved or not, we are living in the last days and Jesus' return is so close, when the rapture takes place I want to know that I will be taken, I need a pure heart and I need to be living in alignment with God.

Right now my heart is literally crying out for God, I want to write this so I can look back in a few months and know that I have moved on from here and done whatever I can to live solely and purposely for God.

It not that I haven't been, but I need to ask myself what am I dong for God, then I need to tell myself that I can do more, as christians the bible says we are barely saved, what will become of the people we love who aren't saved?

My salvation is no longer just about me, its about being a light in darkness and guiding people home.

 My church is recieving more teaching on this in the coming weeks and I will do my best to make sure I blog on all of them.

I really pray that we truly soften our hearts to the word of God. That is my biggest prayer.

God bless xxx

Thankyou

Today church is all about giving God thanks, we often have a thanksgiving service where everyone prepares a little testimony or just a word to give God thanks.

To be fair its not a hard thing to do as there's nothing I can't give God thanks for.

I woke up this morning so I give God thanks; I have my health so I give God thanks.

But above all, I want to give God thanks for making me realise that I can't live without him, and all the  moments in my life I felt like I got myself through situations, its not until I look back I can truly see that it was Gods grace that got me though.

I thank God that my Grandmother gave me to God as a child because since that moment he has never left my side, not for a minute, even when I hadn't given my life to God and way before I started even thinking about going back to church, God was still there for me.

I thank God that even though I was brought up in a series of foster homes, that everyone family I lived with knew the word of God and took me to church, because it was the word I learned as a child that stayed  me, like a tattoo the word stayed engraved on my heart and saw me through some of the worst situations I faced later in my life.

God prepared me for every moment because he knew I would fall away, but deep down knowing that I would give my life again and for that I am truly thankful.

Hello....

...if theres anybody out there.

I've not been writing for a while but I have been so busy with Uni work so I just wanted to come and leave a quick message.

Its been a tragic few weeks for Japan and my prayers are with them.

The events over the last few years have been like an alarm ringing in my brain, I just want to encourage everyone to continue to live a ready lifestyle, the days are drawing so near to the end and Jesus is coming back, let us not be like the 5 foolish virgins but like the wise, who continued to wait expectantly on the lord.

Matthew 24: 6 -8
And you will hear rumours of wars;
see that you are not frightened or troubled,
for this must take place,but the end is not yet.
for nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom, and
there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;
All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs
[of the intolerable anguish]

Please check out my links -   Convey of Hope a christian based relief charity who have worked for a number of disaster areas and were voted top 5 ways to help Japan. Please donate if you can.

God bless xx

Shocked and concerned:

I was very disheartened to hear the story of Eunice and Owen Johns this week. 

A Pentecostal Christian couple from Derby who lost their case to foster children because of their Christian views on homosexuality.

The ruling was made after two judges believed sexual equality laws ‘should take precedence’ over the right not to be discriminated against on religious grounds.

The couple who had been fostering since the 1990s withdrew their recent application after a social worker expressed concerns when they stated they could not tell a child a homosexual lifestyle was acceptable.

As a Christian and a former foster child myself I was totally thrown off by this ruling, I think the judge’s made these decisions based on a lack of understanding and a lack of commonsense. 

Speaking after the ruling the couple said "We are prepared to love and accept any child. All we were not willing to do was to tell a small child that the practice of homosexuality was a good thing."

I feel the ruling was nonsensical and regardless of believes I think it is wholly inappropriate to discuss such matters of sexuality with a child anyway, especially before they have matured enough to figure out what their own believes on the matter are. I feel that children are exposed to way too much, and way too early. 

More to the point the actual care they were seeking to obtain would be respite, this suggests that the child parents would still be in the picture and therefore conversations of this nature would be better left to the child’s parent or a social worker in the first place. 

What the story seems to suggest is that the fact that the couple were Christian was not the problem but the fact that their views were deemed to be too “traditional”. 

A spokesperson for the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall’ almost suggested that the views of this couple where the last of its kind and that Christians should move with the times. speaking after the ruling he says ‘Thankfully, Mr and Mrs Johns’ outdated views aren’t just out of step with the majority of people in modern Britain but those of many Christians too.

Well who are these Christian that believe this couples views to be outdated? Don’t get me wrong I have friends who happen to be gay and although I don’t chase them down with the bible I do not agree with their lifestyles, but believe their situation to be between them and God. 

But when it comes to small children can't we be trusted to make judgements based on their needs at the time, I just can't believe there will be a situation when this needs to be addressed in this matter, and in regards to teens then surely encouragement and understanding is what is needed.

I think it will be a real shame if this ruling deters Christian from fostering as I feel a child will lose the chance of being brought up in loving homes and possibly the reward of a better upbringing. 

What these judges fail to realise is that as Christian we have so much more to offer.  For example a child who feels disowned and rejected by their parent in this kind of situation will learn to forgive and to love, young women who may seek love in the wrong places will learn to regard themselves as a temple and maybe our young men would be better role models for each other - or maybe that’s just an idealistic view. 

But never the less, I feel this is just another case of the PC brigade making yet another ill informed decision.  

Read full judgement here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/375.html

Lovesick: I'm in love...

 

It felt weird at first as I have never been in love before; well... I have had situations which felt like love, but after careful consideration, I now know were nothing more than youthful obsession, in fact no comparison to the real thing at all.

You may be thinking who is this person and where did I meet him, well it’s  kind of a strange story, he came at a time when I wasn’t  really looking and you know what they say, “He’ll turn up when your not looking” how true that is.

He has always kind of been in my life; I just didn't notice him before. I kept flirting with disaster, being lured into different directions, but he never gave up on me, he kept telling me to rely on him but I just wasn’t willing to listen.

I lost him once and it was then that I realised I how much I needed him- they say “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”; they seem to say ALOT don’t they.

But finally I saw sense, all my life I had been searching and he was there all along, I am so thankful he is still in my life.

And now... well now I just can’t stop thinking about him, knowing that he has my best interest at heart, that he would do anything for me, go so far as to actually die for me.

A perfect gentleman in everyway, he takes the time out to teach me, he is in no way judgemental and in fact he seems to show up more in my weaknesses.

He has wisdom, knowledge and integrity, and what’s more he is rich; but in so much more than wealth - although his father has a mansion, which if I play my cards right could hold a place for me one day.

Everything I learn about this man leaves me desiring more, and the more I get to know him the more I want him to be in my life. 

We just seem to be on fire, almost as if we’re merging into one, my other half, my missing piece.

He is such a comfort to me when I am sad, my protection when I call on his name and what’s more  he doesn’t mind telling me when I’m wrong- I like someone who can put me in my place.

But that doesn’t mean he is arrogant, just the opposite in fact, humble and meek he is just the kind of person I need.

Only trouble is, I’m not the only person in love with him, in fact he has quite a few followers, but I’m not sad because he always seems to have time for me.

So who is this person? His name is Jesus Christ.

 And if you knew him, you would love him too.

Philippians 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognising and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know  the power overflowing from His resurrection [which exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]...

Armour of God Cont.

It’s a little later than anticipated but as promised here is the rest of the armour of God.

 Warrior spirit

Gods say that he did not give us a spirit of cowardice or timidity and so we must learn to have the mindset of a warrior.

2 Timothy 1: 7 God didn't give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control

Isaiah 54:17 No weapons formed against me shall prosper and every person who rises up against me in judgement I will show to be wrong - take authority over your day, don’t allow people to cast judgement over your day and what’s more don't rise to it, justice is Gods.

Psalms 18:32 - 39 I love this prayer as I feel really strong afterwards, this is great to pray for a warrior spirit as it reaffirms our strength in Christ

Luke 10:19 God says Behold I have given you authority to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and physical mental strength over all the ability the enemy possesses and nothing shall harm you.

Philippians 4:3 we have to remember that we are not independent of God, he created us to dwell in us and we can't do anything without him, this is a great scripture to remind ourselves of just that.

Peace

The peace of God is not to be underestimated, God peace is a supernatural, without God in your life there is no way you can experience this, it is unexplainable. It just is. The following scriptures are for peace.

Isaiah 26:3 you will guard him and keep him in constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on you

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now leave give and bequeath to you.

The peace of God is one thing, but we must also strive to have peaceful relationships with each other, by stripping ourselves of our former natures as tackled in the above post we can learn to live harmoniously with others, not taking offence and curbing our tongues.

Matthew 5:9 blessed are the maker and maintainers of peace for they should be called Sons of God.

Romans 14:19 so let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual up building of one another.

Faith

Matthew 7:24 so everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them will be like a sensible man who built his house upon the rock

God should be the rock in our lives and his words the foundations which we build our houses, so when the devils come to kill, steal and destroy we cannot be moved but stand firm in our faith..

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to him. For whoever would come near to God must believe he exists.  

Hebrews 4: 12 for the word that God speaks is alive and full of power ....it is sharper than any two-edged sword.  I love to back this up with Luke 1:37 for with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfilment.

The most powerful prayer we can pray is the word of God, speak his words into existence and into your hearts.

I hope this blesses someone, of course these scriptures aren't for everyone and maybe there are others you would like to add to your armour, that is for you to decide and build on.

God Bless xx

Public Service Annoucement:

Calling all Christian Soldiers; are you armed?

We're living in the last days and time is running out, the bible says the devil is roaming this earth looking for people to seize upon and devour 1 Peter5:8, what are you doing to protect yourselves?

The armour of God is there for us to protect ourselves against attacks from the devil, we need to get a warrior mentality and realise this isn't a joke, Jesus is coming back but in the meatime we have to do all that we can to make sure we are living a ready lifestyle.

The armour of God teaches us to take authority over our day, below I have listed scriptures that I have been taught, it can take me between 45mins to over an hour depending on what God has laid on my heart, but as my Pastor says if this is the only thing you pray make sure you apply it.

If you want the basic armour just apply ephesians 6:10 - 18 once you have prayed that you can start thinking about getting deeper, I pray the following to deal with different parts of me. You will find along the way that you want to include a lot of other scriptures, but this is my outline.

Self:

The biggest stumbling block to my day is usually me, I take alot of time out to pray self, to deny every part of me and allow the holy spirit to dwell in me.

I start with 2 Corinthians 5:17 - I thank God that I am a new creation in Christ, I pray that I lose self, forget the old me and renew myself in the spirit.

Galations 2:20 backs this up, I have been crucified in Christ therefore the old me no longer lives but I have become one with Christ, I ask God to help me live a life pleasing to him.

Ephesians 4:22-24 Tells us to strip ourselves of our former nature to put off and discard our unrenewed self but be constantly renewed in the spirit of our mind putting on the new nature created in Gods image.

Roman 13:14: Clothes yourself as the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, making no provisions for the flesh.

Colossains 3: 12-14 Says clothes yourselves therefore as Gods own chosen one...by putting on behaviour marked by tender hearted pity mercy....

Ephesians 4:25 Reject all falsity being done with it, let everyone express truth with their neighbour

Ephesians 4:15 Backs up the previous scripture telling us to deal truly, live truly and speak truly.

But my favourite scripture during this prayer is Matthew 16:24 Jesus says if anyone desires to be his desciple let him deny himself, lose sight of his own interest and take up his cross and follow him, conforming wholly to his example in living and if need be in dying also.

The more I pray over self the more I realise that the only good in me is God, I truly desire for the spirit to have its way in me and to lead and guide and convict me in everything I do, I desire to be like Jesus, I ask God to humble me and allow a serving spirit to dwell in me, I thank God that I am a new creation.

This has turned into a long rambling post so I will continue this in sections, over the week I will be giving the remaining scriptures for  a warrior spirit, peace, forgiveness and faith, plus the love walk.

God bless xx

Increase in me o lord

If someone asked me to list traits about myself what would I say, I would probably say I am determined, that I am stubborn and strong willed and when I set my mind to something I know I can do it.

I was thinking the other day about my past and my life before God, there were times when I was so broke I was just about paying my bills, but if any of my friends said hey lets go on holiday, thats it I would be there.
I would make a plan to save and put so much away and before I knew it I had money for the holiday, spending money and enough for new holiday clothes, thats what determination and strong will can do for you.

I have always had this belief that if I wanted something I could have it, I have never deprived myself of anything, and If I say i'm going to do something then I just do it no discussions, I said I wanted to go back to university late in my life and I did, so imagine my surprise when I  give my life to God and it didn't come as easy as everything else.

I am not sure what I expected, maybe a dramatic moment when I would fall to the ground shaking and when I came to I would suddenly be talking in tongues, or that someone would just walk up to me one day and hand me my salvation.

But God has shown me these last few weeks that If I want him I have to desire him more than anything else in my life and go after him with the same tanacity that I have everything else in my life, the only difference with God is not only do I have to put my mind to it, but my heart as well, God is a god of hearts and he has to know that the desires of my heart is to live a life pleasing to him.

Lately I have been really praying to God to increase my desire for him in my life, my favourite scripture for this is Psalms 63:1 O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek you; my inner self thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you, in dry and weary lands where no water is.

God says that we should seek and inquire him, that we should require him as a vital necessity, like the air I breath, or my heart, if any were to be removed I couldn't live, and the more I come to know God the more I know I can't do anything without him, when we look back at our lives before God how can any of us think we don't need him?

Ever since I swapped my secular music for gospel I have discovered so many new and talented artists who are glorifying God, but sometimes oldies are goodies and this month I have rediscovered Hillsongs.

Hillsongs praise and worship albums just have a way of speaking straight to my heart and spirit, the songs are sang with such beauty and so heartfelt that I have literally been moved to tears, usually whilst riding the bus to work which isn’t always great.

If you’re not familiar with Hillsongs, although I am sure most of you are, but still...I will put it like this, Hillsongs do for praise and worship what Mariah Carey does for the ballad; they just seem to know exactly what I’m feeling and exactly what I want to say, only they can articulate it a lot more eloquently than I can.

Being able to relate to a song is so important to me, ever since I came to God I just can’t have the same feeling for “worldly” music because its just not my life anymore, my life is about finding God, this is what I relate to so when Hillsongs sings “And I will open up my heart And let the Healer set me free” that’s exactly how I feel. Sometimes when I don’t have the words to pray I just throw on one of their albums and I know I will find what I need.

This is my favourite at the moment, enjoy

Lyrics:

Over the mountains and the sea
Your river runs with love for me
And I will open up my heart
And let the Healer set me free
I'm happy to be in the truth
And I will daily lift my hands
For I will always sing
Of when Your love came down

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

Oh I feel like dancing
It's foolishness I know
But when the world has seen the light
They will dance with joy like we're dancing now

I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever
I could sing of Your love forever

Learning to carry each other

Wednesday evenings for me are usually assigned to my church bible study class, but this week we were blessed to have had a visitor in the form of Night Watch, a charity which supports local homeless people in the community.

Our church started supporting Night Watch after hearing about a harvest festival being organised by the charity. We started to donate food and clothing on a regular basis and have continued to support the charity ever since.

Night Watch was founded in 1976 after the death of a homeless man in one of the coldest winters the area had ever witnessed, after hearing of the death the community came together and decided something needed to be done and so the charity began.

A group of volunteers go out every evening to a regular meeting point where they minister to the homeless, dishing out food, clothing and toiletries. The organisation depends upon the volunteers who donate there time, and the communities who donate food and money and other required items.

What really struck me during the talk was the stories of the people Night Watch ministered to, as well as the usual donations of food and clothing that people came for, what a lot of the homeless needed was something as simple as someone to talk to, just having a familiar and regular presence who show genuine care was the only thing needed.

As Night Watch continued to speak I just wanted to give God thanks because he saw fit to deliver me from this kind of situation, we can often take our lives for granted but we will never know just how close any one of us are to being homeless, and its by Gods grace that I have a warm home, a family I can talk to and that I am able to buy so much as a meal without even giving it a second thought.

We were told a story about a successful Graphic designer who worked in the city. He had a champagne lifestyle and was an occasional drug user, this however, turned into frequent drug use and alcohol abuse, after tragically dealing with the death of a beloved pet he began to spiral out of control, occasional drug use turned to dependency and soon he was homeless. This is a testament to just how fickle life can be, and the only real thing we can be sure of is our salvation through Christ.

I really want to this post to encourage us to carry peoples burdens. I am going to donate my time as well as food to Night Watch  and I encourage people to do the same by finding out about something going on local to your area.

Gods says in Galatians 6:2 Bear (endure, carry,) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfil and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].

No one is above the works of God and we should really learn to humble ourselves and remember, God exalts the lowly and so someone you might over look in this life could be a mighty person in the kingdom of God.

God bless xx

Night Watch: http://www.croydonnightwatch.org.uk/HomelessCommunity.htm

Review: Love Sax and all that Jazz

The valentines weekend could have gone one of two ways for you, if your part of a couple you will undoubtedly be enjoying the giving and receiving of gifts, but if you’re single  you will probably be looking around at all the smug happy couples whilst muttering to yourself about the commercialisation of these so called hallmark occasions.

For me, I was able to find light relief in the form of Love Sax and all that Jazz, a stage show written by and featuring poet Alan Charles.

Within five minutes of the show getting going my attention was locked as I was treated to a poem which spoke straight to my heart entitled “singleness is not a crime”, within moment of hearing it I knew this was just the show I needed to see.

The play was set around the lives of a group of female friends dealing with the everyday troubles of marriage and singlehood, a kind of Sex and the City vibe, although more relatable for the Christian viewer.

From the issue of domestic violence, to the dangers of idle gossip and fornication, each subject was tackled with humour and deep sincerity.

The combination of cleverly written dialogue delivered through poetry and songs which drew from scriptures, and a fantastic cast who’s fast paced delivery and audience interaction, ensured there was never a dull moment.

Particular highlights presented themselves in the form of the “All New Shiny Black Man” a poem recited by Alan Charles himself, which undoubtedly pricked the ears of a few males in the audience, as well as a few single ladies like myself hoping to find out where we might meet one; this was rounded off nicely by the empowering "My Body is a Temple" a reaffirmation for women everywhere encouraging us not to defile ourselves but to wait on God.

This modern day stage play was packed full of revelations, heart warming and thought provoking moments, and a message which stays with you long after you have left the warmth of the theatre seat.

Unfortunately Love Sax and all that Jazz was only showing for this weekend, however keep your diary free for 26^th June as Alan Charles returns with his next show Shoulda Coulda Woulda.

Prayer

Forgive me I haven’t written in a few days, just seem to be so busy at the moment.

I wanted to come and give a quick message of encouragement in regards to prayer life as it’s something that God has been dealing with in me.

This is an area where I have struggled over the last few months, especially coming to the end of last year, things just seem to get in the way and wrongly I was looking at prayer as something I was obligated to do rather than a time of enjoyment between me and God.

I always wondered why I couldn't get close to God and why I felt my prayer time was so under attack, but I realised there were things getting in the way - which I will go into in later posts.

The last few weeks God has really brought a lot of clarity to my life, I realised that in order to function the way I really wanted to I needed to create a relationship with God, cherishing the time we have together.

God really helped me deal with the issues that were hindering our relationship and now I feel so blessed to finally feel like I can talk to God, my heart is completely open and prayer time is now a time of peace and joy for me, I never want to be far from God and to feel like that is such a huge blessing in my life.

I really encourage people to persevere in their prayer life and hold on to the time you have with God. A scripture was given to me for this very purpose - Colossions 4:2 tells us to be earnest, unwearied and steadfast in our prayer life, God constantly focuses on the importance of prayer in the bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we should be unceasing in prayer, and Psalms 141:2 says let my prayer be set forth as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. This is how we should aim to pray to God, straight from the heart making a joyful sound unto the lord, giving thanks and glorifying his name. And even when you don’t feel like praying, just get up and give God thanks anyway because you never know where it could lead.

God bless xx

Flesh Vs Spirit, Part 1 - Walking in Love: Public Transport

Each day we choose to walk in the spirit is a test in itself, every morning when I open my eyes, adjust my head scarf and prepare for the day ahead, I pray and ask god to strip me of my former nature, I ask him to clothe me as his own chosen representative, to humble me, and to love each person as I love myself.

With good intentions I give myself over to the Holy Spirit and ask God to walk with me, I do this as part of my armour, not only to protect myself against spiritual warfare, but also because I know what awaits me....

Corinthians 13:4 tells us that we should walk in love, not taking offence and taking no account to the evil done to us, we shouldn’t be touchy or resentful, and pay no attention to a suffered wrong.

But how quickly do you forget those words when being hustled onto the bus, each journey turning into a battle of survival, as shopping bags crash into your shins and buggy’s roll over your feet, you hear your flesh screaming, wanting you, urging you to say something, “... er, can’t you look where your going?” Your flesh wants to shout, whilst your spirit man is willing you to remain strong.

No one said walking in love is easy, and God says the path is narrow and only but a few find it, but if I can remain filled with the word of God, what little I suffer now is worth the greatest reward in heaven.

So the next time I am literally packed into a tube carriage as what my sister likes to refer to as cattle, being shuttled from one station to the next whilst breathing in arm pit, and trying to avoid eye contact with complete strangers, with which I seem to be partaking in what can only be described as a human sandwich,  I will continue to have  joy in my heart and a smile (though subtly) on my face, continuing  in the process and clinging steadfastly to the word of god, heartily praying the love chapter over my live and that of others.

God bless xx

Counting the cost of living for Christ

“If your salvation doesn’t cost you anything, then it isn’t worth anything” that is such a deep statement, but isn’t it true? That was the word spoken at Sunday service, and boy was it needed.

If me coming to God doesn’t affect what’s happening in my life, if nothing has really changed, I’m going to church on Sunday but still taking to the raves on a Saturday night, doesn’t that mean I’m not living for God?

As a Christian I should be making a difference to the people who surround me, God says that we should clothe ourselves as his chosen ones, his own picked representatives, so as a representative of Christ how am I making a difference, if no one can see any considerable differences in my life compared to that of a non-Christian.

Giving your life to God is a sacrifice; we have to be prepared to give up the desires of our flesh in order to live for the spirit, Matthew 16:24 says “who ever desires to be my disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow me”.

So what might that sacrifice be? Putting my wants second to Gods, desiring to do the works of God more than anything else, not going to places I know I won’t be able to practice the word of God, not drinking and what ever else we find ourselves doing instead of giving ourselves to God.

For me, fully accepting this would mean to cut off the things I know are a hindrance to my godly walk, and the biggest of these are my non Christian friends, considering the length of time I have known them this is so difficult to do, I hope over time some will be converted, but for some I just know this isn’t true.

God say how can light have fellowship with dark, and the truth is if you’re not for God then you’re against him, maybe that’s just something I have to consider as I gain strength in God.

A sacrifice, yes, but the most important thing a Christian has in there lives is there relationship with God, and no sacrifice we make on this earth can be any greater than what God has already sacrificed for our salvation.

God Bless xx

Friday Spotlight: Mouthpi3ce



Welcome to my first Friday spotlight, every week I aim to showcase a talent that I have found inspirational during the week, from artists, to musicians, poets...basically anyone who is glorifying the name of Jesus, Amen?

So for my first ever Friday spotlight all eyes are on the ALT born Mouthpi3ce. I first stumbled across him by accident listening to a Podcast by The Genesiz Lounge.

Gospel Hip hop or Christian rap, whatever you want to call it, there is no doubt that mouthpi3ce has a talent for bringing the message of God to his audience, with a flow that would challenge most mainstream rap artists and an honesty in his lyrics that would touch the hardest heart.

He is living transparent before god and has the ability to deliver a message without preaching, but as someone who has already been there; son of a preacher and musician it’s obvious that the hand of God is truly upon him.
Listen to Mouthpi3ce, Jesus did it (ft Bizzle):



Suppression


So I have just come back from Bible study tonight which dealt with the issue of suppression.

This can mean different things for a lot of different people, but for me it's more to do with suppressing certain emotions which go back to how I was brought up.

It was such a powerful session in terms of sharing, we dealt with the issues that can arise from suppression, from anger to growing cold, to worst of all diminishing your relationship with god.

It’s so important to talk to someone, but most importantly take it to God.

God says that we should cast the whole of our cares, anxieties, worries and concerns upon him, for he cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7.

Be sure not to hold on to things as this will lead to more damage in the long term.

Take care, god bless xx

First post

So, this is the first post of my blog, well first things first, let me explain what this blog is about.

I am a follower of Music, Fashion and anything remotely creative, but first and foremost I am a follower of God.

I gave my life to god a year ago and it has been a tough transition, this blog will cite my walk on the narrow path, as well as show casing the talented and inspirational people who continue to glorify his name.

I hope this blog will have the same casual, and familiar attributes as that of a meeting with an old friend for a brew and a chat.

Enjoy