I’m holding on.

Can I say I’m going through now? This has been one of my hardest seasons yet. Coming from cloud nine with just me and my Jesus to moving into a new home with a father I don’t understand, who is so distant; to being talked about and looked down on for no reason. I sit and look at all that is around me and I can’t help but think “can I do this”. The enemy has been plaguing my mind. Telling me I’m not good enough and I’m a failure. He shows me “me”, reminding me of what I can’t do.

Soul, why are you so cast down? Remember the truth that you know. These trials come to build you, to make you perfect in the Lord, not to take you out! The Lord loves you! Just rest and see the salvation of the Lord. He said in your weakness, He is made strong. See the strength of the Lord. Allow God to work in you and through you those things that the enemy says you can’t do because the truth is you can’t! But God can!

This is the test. Do you believe the report? You know the truth, you jump at it, but do you truly believe it? To believe is to rest and obey. Will you do that? Will you allow me to show principalities and powers MY manifold wisdom?

It’s not easy God. It hurts sometimes. But… I know there is nothing outside of you that makes me happy! I would die in this world. And I love you. I love you so much. So yes, I will wait. I will trust you. I will believe you. Have your way.

This is a conversation I had with myself and God. Sometimes it’s hard to open up when we are going through. It’s not alright when everything isn’t going right. But silence makes way for the enemy. Sometimes we have to minister to ourselves and remind ourselves of the truth! Talk to God, talk to a friend, truth is you may not be the only one going through! But I know that there is nothing like when God encourages you though.

This is for my sister out there who is about to give up and my brother who doesn’t see the point of going on. I encourage you to keep holding on! Praise God through these trials! The Lord promises that your end will be greater if you endure! They say purpose is more powerful than pain; remember the promises God has spoken to you, remember the love you have for God and let that soothe your soul.

Jeremiah 29:11King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

I love you

Mo.

I don’t think we realize how truly powerful our minds are. I know I didn’t. I mean I had an idea, but it wasn’t until 2 days ago, while sitting in a seminar at school, that it dawned on me. It was a Professional Development Seminar that was geared towards motivating and encouraging us as individuals and to help steer us where our confidence in our chosen career path was concerned.

The speaker had us do an exercise where she told us to close our eyes and imagine an event that happened some time ago that had made us feel extremely proud of ourselves. She told us to picture what we were wearing, where we were at the time, who was around and how we felt. After we opened our eyes she asked different ones how they felt now. Various persons said they felt proud or happy or hopeful etc. just by remembering and focusing on that one moment. She used this exercise to set the stage for the point she wanted to bring across. The point was that we don’t realize how powerful the human mind is. We don’t realize that we have the ability to change the way we think or feel at any given time and how by just thinking a positive thought could change our whole mood and outlook on a situation.

I was amazed.

More amazed because as she spoke, I remembered the scripture that said “as a man thinketh in His heart; so is he” – Proverbs 23:7. I was like, God you said that first! A scientist didn’t come up with this; this was something you already told us!

I got so excited! And as I talked with the Lord, more scriptures came to me about the mind and how we should think. A few of which are:

Philippians 4:8 (KJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

And the list goes on! It really got me thinking though. Why would God put so much emphasis on our minds and mindsets? Could there really be something to it? Could it be that, by me just choosing to change the way I think that I could actually feel differently?

The answer was yes.

If we can be honest saints, some of the biggest battles we face are in our minds! We hold on to hurt and different bad memories and play them over and over in our minds. Some of us, our minds are like an incubator for iniquity! We hold them dear and nurse them there, and then we wonder why we are always getting frustrated and can’t seem to move in God! We focus so much on the negative that we can’t even see the goodness of God and what He is doing in our lives!

The moment I saw this, my spirit lit up! I felt a weight fall off because I was going through a period where my thoughts were a constant plague for me. But now God is saying that all I need to do is change the way I think! Focus on those things that are good. Serve Him from my MIND and I will be amazed at how I will just walk in the spirit. Hallelujah!

Apostle Kareem shared his testimony about how he had been depressed for a long while and the Lord spoke to him and said that if he didn’t think about himself, he wouldn’t feel anything. He tried it and it worked!

I pray that this is coming off as powerfully as it did to me. I want us to see the reality and simplicity of God! Saints, we have the mind of Christ! All we have to do is choose to agree with that mind and we will start seeing things from the eyes of God. There would be nothing that could come and faze us because we are walking in the spirit. Even suffering would become something we greatly anticipate, because our mindsets have changed and we now have the mind to suffer (which is simply the mind of Christ).

"There is a power within us that we don’t even fully comprehend."

Let us embrace this truth and submit to the mind of Christ in us! I pray you were blessed and encouraged.

I love you

Mo.

This is what the Lord spoke to me on the second night of the 3 days fast my church just did. We were all crying out to God to have mercy on us and forgive us of our unbelief; and as I cried out to God for my own soul, these were the words I heard “There is no delay in Obedience”. I quickly understood what He meant and found myself praying even harder because I knew I had sinned in that area. I could immediately see flashes of different times when the Lord would tell me to do something and I would hesitate, if even for a second. I would always go to the place where my first thought after being told what to do would be that of considering how the person may see me or how what I would say would affect the person or how they would take it or even how it would sound! But as I laid before God asking Him to change me, He really showed me His heart toward His Sons where their obedience to Him is concerned.

Obedience is immediate. This is where the Father wants to take the church. To the point where their obedience to Him comes naturally; where there is no consideration of flesh or self. Obedience is not about quickly going to correct a wrong or do what it is you were told to do either. It is far more than that. The Lord is saying that there are many who seem to be in obedience because they immediately do what they are told, but in reality they are not in obedience to Him. Obedience is a disposition of the heart. Obedience means that the moment God says it, we agree. It means that it could be a week before we do the physical action of what is asked, but in our hearts we would have already obeyed God the moment He made the request of us.

That is when obedience is pure. Because now it is obedience unto God and not unto man and this is what God is looking for.

Man, I hope you guys are seeing this how I saw it. This revelation from God hit me like a wrecking ball because I knew I wasn’t there. I thank God for His mercy though, that I am now able to make it right and truly obey Him as I ought. I believe many of us find ourselves here. The Lord will speak to us and we allow our minds and our emotions even, to wonder before agreeing and obeying God. But God is saying NO. This is ugly before me because that second of a thought was a manifestation of your unbelief and unbelief is sin. The Father is only pleased with a heart that is ready to obey Him at all times.  I see it necessary to insert here though, that this obedience is not situational. Meaning, it is not about choosing to obey each time something comes up, no. Let us get to where God is. God is saying that His obedience is a onetime agreement. His sons need to resolve in their hearts to stay in obedience to Him in all things at all times. This is what pleases Him.

If you are like me and you found yourself right here I just encourage you to embrace God’s grace right now. God was faithful to reveal His heart to us re obedience, don’t take it for granted. Repent before Him now and I pray that we will all just resolve in our hearts to remain in obedience to God always. Amen.

I love you.

Mo.