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In the presence of Jesus: Martha’s lesson

We all have that moment when we think the presence of Jesus is the least important thing in our lives. There is too much to prepare for; life is busy, so the moment all this is going on, we easily put aside being in the presence of Jesus. I get it because I have many times gotten so busy with other things while Jesus just wanted me to be in his presence. I have missed opportunities to be with Jesus because I was distracted and frustrated by the preparations. I know I am not the only one, so to you, that was been distracted and frustrated with the preparations, it may be time to be in the presence of Jesus.

Just likE MARTHA

I have been watching the show The Chosen, and if you have not yet, I highly recommend it. I watched the episode that told the story of Martha and Mary and loved how well it showed the difference between the two women. Growing up in the church, going as far back as Sunday school, we know we were taught this story and the lesson we could learn from it. We were taught as children that being in the presence of Jesus was of the utmost importance. The teaching and lesson remain, except we grow and may have a lot more responsibility, distractions, and frustrations, so the presence of Jesus sometimes becomes less important. Just like Martha, we toil away in our kitchens (life) alone and forget the importance of Jesus’s presence.

For those of you who may not know Martha, let me introduce her to you and an important lesson we can learn from her. This particular story in Luke 10:38-42 gives us a glimpse into Martha’s life. She welcomes people into her home and from all the effort she puts into it, seems like second nature. Martha is receiving a special guest, and preparations are ongoing to ensure the special guest receives the very best. This is great! This special guest is Jesus! He deserves the very best. So she toils away in the kitchen to make sure there is a well-prepared meal ready for Jesus. While she toils away in the kitchen, her sister Mary decides to stay at the feet of Jesus and listen to him. She chooses to be in the presence of Jesus. To Martha this is not fair, her sister could be helping her prepare, but instead, she stays in the presence of Jesus? Is that even fair? Because I am like Martha sometimes, I totally understand her feelings at the moment. In the lens of Martha, what she is doing is of utmost importance, her sister should also treat it the same way. Her sister’s decision to be with Jesus frustrates her and eventually upsets her to the point she brings it up to Jesus. What Martha fails to realize at this moment is Jesus, the son of God is in her presence. Her preparations for Jesus were not wrong, and I am sure she was sincere in her desire to serve Jesus. However, this did not matter to Jesus, what mattered was Martha joining her sister Mary to partake in his presence. Being in Jesus’s presence still matters to him for us as well. If we could only step away from our kitchens and decide to join him.

Preparations vs presence

After reading Luke 10: 38-42, it is quite easy to tell if you have been more of a Martha or a Mary. Have you been more concerned about the preparations that you have entirely ignored the presence of Jesus? Or have you put all your preparations on hold just so that you can lean into the presence of Jesus? Let us compare preparation and presence, both are not bad things to to by the way, but each has its timing and if well balanced, could work incredibly well. With preparation from our example of Martha, preparations were distracting, frustrating, and brought unawareness of what matters in the moment. For Mary who chose the presence of Jesus, she experienced joy, revelation through his teaching, and closeness with God. Given a choice, I would decide like Mary did and hope you would too. An opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus surpasses all the preparations. I know that the decision is easier said than done especially for nature Marthas who are typically overtaken by the preparations. To us all I say, let us not miss any opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus because we are distracted. Martha nearly missed a physical moment in Jesus’s presence, let us not do the same by missing his presence in the spirit. Our spirit lets us know when we have put preparations above presence, and so we are pushed towards his presence. With the push of the spirit to be in the presence of Jesus, we desire his word, to pray, to obey, and to draw closer to him. Remember this is of utmost importance above the preparation. There are many amazing things you can receive just by being in the presence of Jesus. Jesus says to you;

I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. -John 15:5 AMP-

It is time to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

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Intentional encounters: Make the time

In the 24 hours we have in the day, we can do as much as we possibly can. Before bed, we may think where did the time go? Time does have a way of slipping by us so easily and we oftentimes tend to lack the intentionality of our time. Typically, what usually suffers is our intentional time spent meeting with God. We have limited our encounter with God to only our Sabbath days when there are so many more opportunities for us to meet with him in our daily 24 hours. I am guilty of this sometimes, I get caught up in my own timetable, and making time to meet with the Lord becomes difficult. In these situations, being intentional about connecting with the Lord helps take away the focus from our own timetable to then connect with God. Making the time, and preparing to have an encounter with God does change the day-to-day. If you are struggling with intentionally encountering the Lord, please keep reading.

INTENTIONAL about your time with the Lord

By definition, to be intentional is doing something on purpose. When we think of ‘purpose’ of this blog post we must think of preparation to successfully meet with the Lord. I was speaking with a dear friend of mine and she was sharing her amazing encounters with the Lord. She told me how before these many encounters with the Lord through confirming scriptures, dreams, and visions, she took time to prepare herself. She did a Daniel’s fast for 21 days and was intentional about how she spent her time. In her preparation, she ensured that her food planning was well-curated and this helped her avoid the temptation of meat and animal products. Every day during the 21 days she spent an hour in prayer. She went even further to put away all distractions, things such as social media accounts, TV shows, etc. All this was intentional and well thought through, I can’t go into detail about her beautiful encounters with the Lord in these 21 days, but rest assured it was great! While you may not be thinking about a 21-day Daniel fast as a means to encounter the Lord, you can still be intentional in your daily encounter with the Lord. Understand that God wants to be connected with you, he wants to spend time with you. How then can you be intentional about your time spent with him?

  • Start your day with devotion and prayer.
  • Listen to praise and worship music.
  • Study your Bible and seek understanding.
  • Listen to a podcast/sermon on a specific topic you want to gain more understanding from.
  • Write your prayers and thoughts by journaling.
  • Create times when you fast and pray.
  • Create absolute quiet time where you can just focus on your time with the Lord with no distractions (especially your smartphone). Allow yourself to quiet the noise of each busy day.

These are a few things that I do that help me intentionally make time to spend with the Lord. You may look at the list and think these feel like chores, and honestly when I have fed my flesh more than my spirit, they have felt like chores to me too. Almost like a to-do list that I am supposed to check off and feel great about my accomplishments at the end of my day. But these intentional things listed above are far from feeling like chores when continuously done with the purpose in mind that we get to encounter God. The idea of intimately connecting with our creator holds greater significance when we make the time to do these things. We intentionally prepare ourselves for an encounter knowing that he too wants to commune with us. In our intentionality, we find the very thing that we so desperately need. 

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Seek theĀ LordĀ and His strength;
Seek His face continually [longing to be in His presence].

1 Chronicles 16:11 AMP

The scriptures invite us to draw near to God and to continually Seek his face. May your intentions to seek God and draw closer to him be pure and true. It will surprise you what God can do with your intentional ways to encounter him daily. Encountering God does do so much for one’s journey, I can testify to how being intentional has helped my closeness to God. In your intentions to encounter the Lord, your faith is built, you are strengthened, you establish discipline and most importantly deepen your relationship with God. Intentionally making time for the Lord means that you recognize his significance in your life! If it has been a while since encountered the Lord and want to re-establish your connection start with making time for him in your day. He is waiting for you and eager to draw nearer to you as well.

It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

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Thoughts on Peter’s Repentance: The bitter weeping of repentance

I have been on this thought of repentance for a while now and I hope my thoughts also allow you to think of repentance much more deeply. Over the weekend I read a chapter in Andrew Murray’s book called ‘Absolute Surrender’, my dear friend recommended this book and I would highly recommend it to you. Especially if you are struggling with absolute surrender or in other words repentance to the Lord. I am far into the book, but this chapter, quite shorter than the other chapters I have read, highlighted Peter’s story. I must admit this chapter was so thought-provoking, hence me thinking my thoughts louder to you.

If you were by any chance raised in the church, as kids we infamously were taught that; Peter walked on water with Jesus, he was one of the close disciples called by Jesus, and he loved Jesus so much, that he eventually became a diligent messenger of the Gospel. I personally loved these stories and as a kid, it was a great way to establish my faith and love for Jesus. Our study school teachers may have intentionally left out the fact that Peter was flawed, just like most of us. I understand them, as a kid, I wouldn’t fully understand, but how I wish it was much clearer. Well, I now get to learn more about flaws as I figure out my own flaws with the Lord. Another famous story of Peter that was taught in Sunday school, was Peter denying Jesus. I wouldn’t fully understand the magnitude of this moment for Peter until I had denied Jesus in my actions.

Back to the book, after reading this short chapter in Andrew Murray’s book, I think, it brought much understanding to the denial and what it meant. In my thoughts I was thinking, how could Peter a man who walked on water with Jesus, gave up his career as a fisherman to follow Jesus, saw Jesus perform miracles, and defended Jesus still deny him. Andrew had the answers to my questions, he said in his book “I do not know a man in the Bible who gives us greater comfort. When we look at his character so full of failures and at what Christ made him by the power of the Holy Spirit, there is hope for every one of us.” This immediately gave me hope! As I read this, I thought of my own failures and how much at that moment I related to Peter. But if not for the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe as you read this, you feel the same way and I hope that gives you comfort.

The turning point of Peter

Think with me for a minute, would you? Peter denied Jesus, right? something he said he wouldn’t do even when Jesus said he would. The time comes, and at the third crow of the rooster, Peter denied Jesus. This was just as Jesus had told him. He must have been devastated, disappointed, and guilted by his action. This fulfillment led Peter to weep bitterly because he knew what this meant to him. But according to Andrew Murray, he said that weeping bitterly was Peter’s turning point. What changed in Peter’s heart in this moment? Most scholars of the bible and theologians say that this was the moment of Peter’s repentance. I think this was not the idea I had for Peter’s repentance, bitter weeping? Why would a friend of Jesus weep bitterly, he should have an easy turn point, right? He worked with Jesus for three years, and he surely must not weep, what does he even have to weep about? Well, he wept bitterly because in that moment he knew that his self-will was not greater than God’s will. In his action of denying Christ, it meant that he did not deny himself. Andrew says, “There is no choice for us; we must either deny self or deny Christ. There are two great powers fighting each other – the self-nature in the power of sin and Christ in the power of God. Either of these must rule within us.” Peter in his realization of choosing self knew he denied God and this is Peter’s turning point. What is yours?

Peter was not the only one

Sincere repentance comes with changed actions. Peter showed us this after this turning point. He was about Jesus’s work until his very last breath. He spread the Gospel and I am certain that came with a lot of denying of self. He was human just as we are, so I could imagine that even in the temptations to choose himself, he would go back to that very moment he denied Christ. He was not a man without sin, but his actions showed that he chose Christ even when he was put to death. He was persecuted for the Gospel, yet he continued to pursue Christ. The bitter weeping meant something, it meant a change of heart, an entire purge of the choice of self.

You may be exactly where Peter was, given the choice between self or Christ. Peter was not the only one who had to fight between the two choices. If like Peter you chose self and denied Christ, do not be guilted by your actions, but instead make it your turning point. You can change the choice you made and fully accept Christ. Walk with Christ like Peter did and find Christ again. You may not have a rooster crow for the third time like Peter did, but you do know the actions of self that drew you further away from Christ. It may cause you to weep because you then realize the magnitude of your actions, but take heart, weeping bitterly is sometimes what is needed for us to remember Christ and repent. 

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God. - 1 Peter 2:16 (AMP)
for you have been born again [that is, reborn from aboveā€”spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] not of seed which is perishable but [from that which is] imperishable and immortal, that is, through the living and everlasting word of God. - 1 Peter 1:23 (AMP)
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you. - 1 Peter 5:6 (AMPC)

It is time for you to take your rightful place. It is time to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Kholiwe

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Godly Convictions: The antidote to repentance

As a Christian, I have heard people say this too many times, either directly to me or to others. Those who are not of the Christian faith say our faith has a bunch of rules and obligations, surely we must be in bondage in their mind. Are we truly free while chained to the rules and obligations of your faith? A quick response to this is yes we are! I have never had a quick response to this question, because to some extent they are right, our Christian faith does have several rules and obligations. However, what they may not yet fully comprehend is the freedom that comes with these rules and obligations. Simply put, the Godly conviction (“rules and obligations”) we have lead us to repentance, over and over again. We need these Godly convictions as they are the antidote to our repentance. While it may seem that we are in bondage to others, these convictions fuel our continued walk in freedom with Christ Jesus.

What are Godly convictions?

By definition, conviction is to hold firmly to a belief or opinion. Godly convictions therefore would simply be to hold firmly to the beliefs and opinions that come from God. Where do we find these convictions? In the Bible, the very word spoken by God through people to his people (us). If let’s say one has never come across a Bible, they still innately know what is good and evil. It doesn’t take the Bible to convince them otherwise now does it? Take for example, if I was not of Christian faith and mistreated another helpless person, I would still have some innate thought that this was wrong. But if this is not a conviction I have, it would be difficult for me to want to change or in other words repent. This is why Godly convictions are important because they are catalysts that thrust us into repentance. What are some of these Godly convictions we must uphold:

  • Put must God first! – by first, this is above other gods, self, others, things, etc (read Exodus 20:3)
  • You must love others as yourself. (Matthew 22:39)
  • You must live a life different from that of the world. (read 1 John 2: 15-17)
  • You must live a life of genuine servitude. (read Romans 12:1)
  • You must forgive others (read Mark 11:25)

I could list several more Godly convictions, but there are many, and the Bible has them all. I wanted to share these 5 in particular because these are the core Godly Convictions that have to this day pushed me and others towards repentance of our sins.

Godly convictions in action

The question of bondage to these Godly convictions may come up, and sometimes, it is just so hard to answer them. However, what would help answer these questions is an already-written story in the Bible. There are many stories of people who held firmly to their Godly convictions. One of my favorite Bible stories is that of Daniel, talk about living a life differently from the world he lived in. He could have like most conformed to the Babylonian ways of life, but he took his Godly convictions and put them in action. In his story, we notice that not many took it well, to the extent that they requested he be punished. He was punished for putting God first, think about how strong his beliefs were that even the food sacrificed to idols, he would not eat. When punished in the lions’ den, an amazing thing happens, God keeps him safe. He comes out of the den of lions alive! People hear of Daniel’s God and in my head, I can’t help but imagine that there were several people who said I need to repent from idol worshipping and worship the God of Daniel. (read Daniel 6:26-27). What a beautiful story! There are many other notable people that put their Godly convictions in action and we see their repentance or that of others through them. Here are a few;

  • Job – Even in great suffering Job held firm his beliefs and opinions of God. I am sure those that saw Job fully restored, had to repent.
  • Samson- He struggled with getting with the wrong women, only towards the end of his life were he lost it all that his Godly convictions were evident and they helped him repent before his immediate death.
  • David – Anionted by God to be King, David was the least amongst them, but he had Godly convictions and through out the Psalms we see it. The many times he would seek repentance for his sins. This is because he had such a reverence for God. The Bible says he was a man after God’s heart. I can tell from his story that this man’s was relentless in his beliefs.
  • Paul – need I say more? I write so much about Paul because talk about thorns to crowns! You would think he is the only character I know in the bible. Paul went from persecuting Christians to leading them to Christ! Paul’s repentance story is so different. He went from having no Godly convictions to being so transformed that that was all he could talk about. Many came to repentance and believing in Jesus because Paul took his Godly convictions quite seriously. Just read all the books written by him. His message of repentance is quite evident.

To wrap this up, you must also have your story to tell. If you are of christian faith, your Godly convictions should be evident in your life and should always push you towards repentance. You may not be thrown in a lions’ den like Daniel, but you must hold firm to your beliefs and opinions of God even when it is not well accepted by others. If you are not of christian faith, but are thinking about it, then use these Godly convictions to push you towards repentance. It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love!

Xholiwe

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The purpose of stagnant waters

When we think of stagnant waters, we don’t think of things that are fresh and alive. On the contrary, we think of the dangers of stagnant water bodies and some of us follow the instructions not to be near or in stagnant water bodies. It is for our health anyway, right? According to my Google search, stagnant waters are a breeding ground for insects and bacteria that carry diseases, the water is filled with dead things and water-borne diseases thrive in these waters. What good can come from stagnant waters? In a physical and literal sense, nothing good can come from stagnant waters. For the purpose of this blog, I wanted to use stagnant water as an illustration of our spiritual stagnation. While we know nothing good comes from it in the physical, what good can come from stagnant waters in your spiritual life? If any?! What can God do with your stagnant waters and make them purposeful?

What is stagnant water in the spiritual life?

Similar to actual stagnant waters, there are many dangers of us coming near or in these types of waters. The stagnant water in a spiritual aspect is the death of faith and hope. With the death of faith and hope, there is a high likelihood that sin and doubt breed and start to grow in our lives. In a spiritual sense because of the death of faith and hope there is no longer any movement on our spiritual walk. The waters don’t move, so don’t we. The Bible does instruct us to not get into stagnant water, a place where faith and hope die, but many of us find ourselves there for so many reasons. Here are a few of them; hurt/disappointment, loss, fear, complacency, self-righteousness, and laziness. What was the reason that made you get into stagnant waters? In other words, what killed your faith and hope?

When it starts to STINK

Stagnant waters eventually start to stink. If you have ever walked past a place with stagnant waters, you know exactly what I am talking about. It is quite hard to ignore the awful smell. In many similarities with stagnant waters in our spiritual lives, our stagnant paddles of water begin to stink. We can spend all our lives ignoring the smell of it, and allow people around us to also get affected by the smell of it. If there are people who love you well, they will let you know it stinks and they can all smell it. They may even encourage you to clean up and get rid of the smell. However, it does come down to you deciding if you want to live your life void of faith and hope, and instead allowing sin and doubt to thrive within you. Here is where you may want to think what is the purpose of this stagnant water if nothing good comes from it? All you have is sin and doubt and whatever little faith and hope you had is dead. You are unable to move forward but sit there in misery. I understand where you are because I too have been there where stagnant water seemed like a better place to live my life. I knew what my Bible said about how life without faith and hope feels and looks like, but I had already killed it enough. Death surrounded me, where could I bring back to life faith and hope while I tried to move in unmovable water? Well, this is where the purpose of stagnant water steps in!

The purpose of stagnant water

Stagnant waters save as a reminder to tell us this is not where we used to be. We are reminded that there was a time when our lives were filled with faith and hope. Understandably, some circumstances killed our faith and hope, but surely this is not where you want to remain. If the awful smell of sin and doubt eventually gets to you, you then decide enough is enough! It is time to get back to thriving in living waters. If you have lived long enough in stagnant waters, stepping out will not be easy, in fact, it will be quite scary. But there is good news! You do not have to do this alone! Someone has been waiting for you to get out of there, his name is Jesus Christ. And to ease you into stepping out, he starts with you small, he is not even trying to overwhelm you.

In his word from Matthew 17:20, he says your faith can be as tiny as a mustard seed. Think with me for a second, a mustard seed is extremely tiny and that is what can help you get out of these stagnant waters? You can’t pass up this offer! Activate your faith and allow Jesus to bring you out of these waters you have made your home. After you have activated your faith remember that you can’t take your sin and doubt where there is life, those things can not thrive in living waters. Repent from your sin and doubt and begin to build your faith and hope in Jesus. It will surprise you how much making this decision will greatly impact your life. So do you still think only bad things come from stagnant water now? Well, I hope not, because many of us came out of stagnant water, and Jesus our living water turned things around for us. We are no longer surrounded by dead things, but life and, we can move freely!

Whoever believesĀ in me, as Scripture has said,Ā rivers of living waterĀ will flow from within them

John 7:38 (NIV)

This verse reminds us that there is a way out of our stagnant waters, and it is through believing in Jesus. In other words, it is having faith and hope in Jesus. There is hope that once we taste the living water, no longer shall we thirst for the old stinky waters (Read John 4 v 10-14). Now that is some good news! I urge you to step out from those stagnant waters, there is hope on the other side. It is time for you to take your rightful place! It is time to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Xholiwe

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God’s Bigger Picture: The picture we don’t see

Two weeks ago my aunt and I went to a painting class. My aunt is an artist and I thought it would be a great birthday outing to celebrate her. This was for her because I am convinced that painting is not my strength. I find myself trying way too hard for only the final picture to not turn out, well, not so great. I have been to several of these painting classes with friends and family so believe me when I say, I just tag along. I knew this experience with my aunt wouldn’t be any different. Once we made it to the class, the instructor already had everything in place for us, the paint, brushes, a blank canvas, and to the side was a tiny little picture of how our paintings would look once we were done. My aunt said let us take a picture of the blank canvas so that we can show people how we started and then later our final picture! Great idea! I took a photo of the blank canvas and thought nothing much of it. I was too worried about how mine would turn out anyway. Sometime this week I was reminiscent of our time painting and decided to look at our photos and looked at where we started, our progress, and our finished paintings. It was the blank canvas that led me to want to write about God’s bigger picture for us that sometimes we don’t see.

Clearly, there is nothing to see with a blank canvas and I would like to think that all of us start from there in our lives. Newborn babies are a great example of this, especially when they blankly stare into this new world and do not know what to expect. A blank canvas could turn out to be anything based on the painter’s direction. Trust me when I tell you that it could be anything because all of us in the painting class based on how we followed instructions or just tried our best (pointing fingers at me), we all had different paintings despite us all referencing the little tiny picture of the final painting. With our lives, just like each painting was different in that class, our lives are different. But one thing that is universal for all of us is God’s bigger picture. What is God’s bigger picture for us?

What is God’s bigger picture for us?

As I continue to read God’s word his bigger picture continues to be much clearer. From start to finish, his picture has been the same. This picture does not look any different, the picture is the same for the poor, for the rich, for the one who struggles with sin, for the person who doesn’t believe, for the one who believes, it is for us all. God’s bigger picture is to dwell with his people. It was the same then and is still the same now. From the creation of man in the garden, God has desired to dwell with his creation. Unfortunately, with the fall of man, this picture got distorted making it hard for us to see what God sees. We shifted our focus to our own picture, and we have missed it all together. Every plan by God has been to fulfill the bigger picture for all humanity. Even when it meant him giving his only son Christ Jesus to redeem us. He did that with us in mind so that he may dwell with us. (read Ephesians 3:16-17).

When we dwell with God, we live with him and he lives in us, this means in more modern language, we do life with him. Doing life with God is one built on trusting him and knowing that through him all is fulfilled. He knows your beginning and he knows your end (read Revelations 22:13). Think of him as the instructor of your incomplete painting/picture, he will guide you through the fear, the joy, the frustration, the excitement, the regrets, the assurance, you can name it all so that ultimately you can see what he sees. It is a beautiful picture of you and him in it. Dwelling together as it was always meant to be from the beginning.

How can I see what he sees?

We too desire to dwell with God but as I mentioned earlier this image was distorted. The world became increasingly evil after the fall of man in the garden and this shifted our focus. However, there is a longing in all of us that sometimes can not be explained and if we dug deeper it would point to dwelling with God. Sadly, It can be hard to see what God sees when we are in a broken world that is filled with so many distractions. We may find ourselves focused on the wrong picture because when it is in front of us, it is impossible to think there is something else beyond it. If a person is presented with a picture of continuous pain, regret, fear, or loneliness, how can they believe in a bigger picture? They can only believe if presented with something different. We can only see what he sees when we re-align ourselves to his word. Reading his word daily and keeping it in our hearts for his word is truth. This means focusing on God in a world that may want so badly to draw us away from him. It is easy to fall into the trap of focusing on self and comparing our life to others in this distracted world. What this does is that it further distorts us from seeing God’s bigger picture. To see beyond this, may require you to realize that your life needs God’s guidance and much of your trust in him. (read Proverbs 3:5-6). Will you give God permission to dwell in you so that you may see clearly his bigger picture for you?

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ā€œLook! Godā€™s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.Ā They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

revelations 21:3 NIV

I hope you can see it now that God’s bigger picture is to dwell with you! He desires to live life alongside you. Trust me when I say that he is the best instructor/guide when it comes to painting a clear and meaningful picture. He wants to take that distorted image and make you see what he sees and that is a fulfilled life with him by your side. It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

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Steadfastly walking with the Lord: Is it worth it?

I had a conversation with my friend a while back who is an avid runner. This girl runs in any type of weather, mind you we live in the Midwest so you know we experience all seasons. I asked her how she does it and never skips a beat, and she said it is her continuous walking that has helped her build this momentum over the years. This momentum has allowed her to complete several 5k races and I am always so impressed by her passion and consistency. Her passion and consistency made me think about steadfastly walking with the Lord, which she is also great at! Steadfastly walking with the Lord is quite similar to what my friend does as an avid runner. It requires continuous walking that helps build one’s momentum to even do more walking. It is the commitment to walk alongside God through every season.

Merriam-Webster defines Steadfast as firm in belief, determination, or adherence. It further breaks it down and says that steadfast implies a steady and unwavering course of love, allegiance, or conviction. Our walk with God when all summed up in one requires all the things mentioned above. Unfortunately, it does get difficult in some seasons to hold on to a steady pace and build momentum. So what do we do when start to lose our steadfastness? We examine our hearts and see if anything has changed our pace or entirely has made us quit. Several things can disrupt our steadfast walk, but in this blog, I want to highlight a few that we may experience.

Hope Deferred

Typically, when our steadfast walk with the Lord is disrupted, we know that our hope has been deferred (read Proverbs 13:12). When our hope is deferred we consciously or unconsciouly conclude on the impossibly of the desired change ,our actions begin to somtimes indicate that we have taken another route in search for hope. You may have had hope for a long time that things will get better for that difficult situation, you were trusting God and the more this hope felt far off or put off for later you, the less you felt inclined to walk with the Lord. To make matters worse, you decide to walk this alone. What a difficult walk it is when done alone. I have been there and might I tell you, it is not an easy walk. I wish at that time I could have thought of people like Abraham who steadfastly walked with the Lord even when the hope for his promised child with Sarah felt impossible. I had to pick up again on my steadfast walk with the Lord. But the good thing about the Lord is that he is ready to walk with you once you decide that your hopelessness will not take you away from steadfastly walking with him. Even when the walk may feel uncertain for you, your part is to stay firm on what you know to be true.

SIN AND SHAME

Do you remember the story of the prodigal son Jesus told? The son went on his own leaving his father to a far-off land and with the money he inherited used it wrongfully for worldly pleasure. He committed sin through how he lived his life and later shame came upon him when all his money was gone. We know the ending is a beautiful story of forgiveness, but I want us to look at this story with us in mind and our steadfast walk with the Lord. Like the prodigal son when we allow sin in our lives and are overcome by it, it is quite easy for it to disrupt our steadfast walking with the Lord.

Sin gratifies only the needs of the flesh, pushes aside the Lord and like the prodigal son takes us to a far-off land away from our Father. With sin comes the shame and feeling unworthy to walk with the Lord when all he has been doing is waiting for you to come back home. Sin and shame tell us we can’t walk steadfastly with the Lord anymore, these two things try to convince us that we are unable to continuously walk with the Lord and build momentum. Oh, what a lie from the enemy. Indeed sin and shame can cripple us from steadfastly walking with the Lord, but then because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and shame there is redemption for us! We repent from our sins and re-commit to steadfastly walking with the Lord again. We then stand firm and determined to walk with the Lord and no longer make the choices that took us away from him. (Read 2 Peter 3 v 17-18).

Is it worth it?

Walking steadfastly with God is 100% worth it! I speak for myself and for many others who have chosen to stand firm on the belief that God is truly the best to walk with on the journey of life. Even for the most difficult times, because walking with him when all is well is quite easy. However, we are to maintain our pace even when steadfastly walking with him feels difficult. Because in the end, we know that God is with us. (read Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 1:23).

5 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].

1 Corinthians 15:58 AMP

Be encouraged that your steadfastness in the Lord is not futile nor wasted. The reward for it is greater because you decided to stay steadfast. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12 ESV). It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much Love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

Letting go of your regret: When you can not take back what happened

Not too long ago I sat down feeling such an immersed amount of regret as I recollected a situation that I thought was in my past. The more my thoughts replayed the situation, the more I sank into this place of wishing I could reverse the hands of time. I immediately felt trapped by this regret and deeply thought of how this situation did not only hurt me, but it hurt others. Like a fresh-cut wound, I felt a rush of emotion that caused me to break down. I asked the Lord, I thought I let this go, I thought I moved on, but why then do I feel this way? At that moment I hoped to get an immediate response, but it was just me and my thoughts of regret for a while. I know that I am not the only one who has felt this way, I want to assume we have all been in a place where thoughts of regret flooded our minds, and letting go of these thoughts of regret felt nearly impossible, but thanks to God he surely has a way out for us all. Let us together look into letting go of regret for the things that we could not take back.

When regret is louder than Grace

It can be hard to let go of regret when there is a constant reminder of our mistakes and failures. When thoughts of regret play louder in our minds we forget the grace God freely has given us. Letting go of regret starts with knowing God’s grace for us. No one works harder than the enemy to keep us away from this because he would rather the regrets permanently play in our minds, making it impossible to let go. Satan would rather you live in shame and guilt instead of walking in the forgiveness of God and the freely given graceā€‚through Christ Jesus. When the enemy wants to amplify all your regrets, run to Christ. He wants to condemn you, but unfortunately for him, he can not keep you there because in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation. (Romans 8:1).

forgiveness and its role in letting go of regret

There is a lot of forgiving to do in most regrettable situations. When we do not forgive, ourselves and the people we may have hurt, or those who hurt us, we easily can stay trapped in feelings of regret. It is almost like walking around with an open wound and hoping we do not bleed. Of course, you will bleed if you go around with an open wound, so then you will need a covering to stop the bleeding. Our cover for this woundā€‚would be forgiveness. If you want to let go of regret forgiveness plays this role. It covers you and allows you to heal and move forward. If it was for your mistakes and failures seek Jesus and if it is because others hurt you forgive them. (Matthew 6:14).

mOVING FORWARD AFTER REGRET

Regret is a humbling way to remind us of God’s redemption. He gives us a way forward from all our regrets. It is not just with us, many people in the Bible too had regrets. God’s very first creation of mankind Adam and Eve had deep regrets about eating that fruit and leaving the garden. Abraham and Sara regretted having a child outside their marriage even after God’s promise to bless them. King David had many regrets, just read Psalms. I could go on with this list of biblical figures who like us experienced regret, but what all of us have in common is God’s redemption that moved them forward. They could have easily dwelled on their regrets, but if we want to use them as an example, we could learn from them. They moved forward with faith in God knowing he had a redemptive plan for them, God has a redemptive plan for us too! We no longer have to hold on to our regrets, but we can look forward to what is ahead. Here is what Paul has to say:

13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3: 13-14

Regret is behind us, we are graced by God to move forward through Christ Jesus. I just don’t want you to think that letting go of regret is an easy thing to do. For some knowing of God’s grace, forgiving, and realizing there is a redemptive plan can take a while, months even years. However, if you want to start to let go of regret make it a mandatory act to run to Christ when to spend too much of your time recollecting your regrets. Proceed to seeking forgiveness and forgiving others and not dwelling on your regrets. You surely can not take back what happened but you can surely trust God to work all things for your good, might I say, even your regrets! (Romans 8:28). It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns!

Much love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

Cultivating your relationship with God: Being rooted in it

The idea of cultivating a relationship with God to many may feel like a daunting task and for some nearly impossible. I personally was quite intimidated by the idea of cultivating a relationship with God because I wanted to believe that I did not have what the others had. I would think to myself, I do not pray as eloquent as this person, or give my time as the other person, how then would God want a relationship with me? I single-handedly talked myself out of cultivating a relationship with God. If this is you I hope after this read, you feel encouraged to cultivate a relationship with God. It is not as intimidating as you think! If anything, it is quite easy because you have a God ready to build a relationship with you!

A relationship with a God you can’t see

Many may argue and say how do you build a relationship with a God you can’t see? And in all realness, it is a good question. My answer would be through having knowledge of him. You are unable to cultivate a relationship with God if you have no personal knowledge of him. Fortunately, God made knowing him quite simple, you can get to know him through the bible (his word). If you are like me and grew up in a Christian home, I grew up being taught of him, but I personally did not know him for myself. It was what was taught to me that helped me believe in his existence, but seeking him is what helped me know him. The amazing thing about God is that he is not hiding himself from you, he is in plain sight wanting to be known by you. Our part then is to seek knowledge of him.

Think about how we get to cultivate relationships on earth for a second, we first get to know the person who a minute ago may have been a stranger to us. We ask questions such as; how are you like? what do you enjoy? what matters to you? and the list goes on. These are the exact questions you can ask God if you want to cultivate a relationship with him. It will require you to seek these answers in his word (the bible) to know him better (read Jeremiah 33:3). While with earthly relationships it may feel easier because you can see and touch the person that does not mean you can not have a similar experience in your relationship with God. The key is to know him and cultivate this relationship with him. Doing so is not as complicated as it seems to be or even as intimidating. You can have a relationship with a God you do not see by seeking to know him better. (read Jeremiah 29:13).

communication with God

Any long-lasting and fruitful relationship requires communication. With our earthly relationships, we communicate quite regularly with people we know. The constant communication builds even deeper and more meaningful relationships. Our approach to making communication essential in our earthly relationships would also apply to our relationship with God. Cultivating a relationship with God requires you to communicate with him regularly. We do this by praying to him, we have the privilege of communing with God daily through prayer. Our constant prayer to God starts to grow our relationship with him because, with each prayer, you invite God to be a part of your life and relate with you. Similar to how you call a friend when you receive good news or even bad news, is the same way God would like to hear from you. His desire is to be known by you and commune with you. (read 1 Chronicles 16:11). It will surprise you how much your relationship with God will grow because of your constant prayers to him.

Becoming rooted

From my experience with earthly relationships, I can tell you that my strong and meaningful relationship had to be rooted so they could stand through it all. If you want your relationship with God to become meaningful, it has to be rooted. It is the type of relationship you want to stand and stay anchored in. Becoming rooted comes from your constant desire to know God, to be known by him, and to commune with him through prayer. Becoming rooted in other words is a commitment to your relationship with God. You stay in it until the very end.

17Ā [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].Ā 18Ā And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will knowĀ andĀ cherish theĀ [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in theĀ [b]saints (Godā€™s people),Ā 19Ā and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurableĀ andĀ unlimitedĀ andĀ surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength

Ephesians 1:17-19 AMP

Again, God wants to be known by you and I hope that you want to know him too. Cultivate a relationship with him, he has been waiting for you to come around. Tend to this relationship like you would to the dearest relationships you have on this earth and watch it grow. Share with God in your good, and in your bad and see how making him part of your life transforms you. It is possible to have a meaningful relationship with God. You have to cultivate! It is time to take your rightful place, it is time to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Xholiwe

Posted on by thornstocrowns

Perseverance: New starts and stronger finishes

Photo by yang miao on Unsplash

Dear Crowned Royals, I bring you all the missed-year greetings from 2022 and share the joy of the new year with you! It has been a while since I last shared on here and I think now may be a good time for me to come out of hiding. We still have some work to do and I do hope God has been helping us through it all.

It is a start of a new year and we are all hoping for a great year, you know a year without the trials and tribulations. No one at the start of a new year wants to hear the word perseverance, because this word is associated with difficulty and by definition requires too much from us. I do hope that with this post you may look at perseverance a little differently and see the hope we build through it.

Why do we need to persevere?

Let me start off with a practical example that explains the need for us to persevere. A young man just graduated college and after several tries managed to score a final interview with his dream job. All he needs to do is drive downtown to seal the deal. He plans to get there on time and ensures his car has enough gas to get him there. He heads out to the city and traffic is flowing, he even may have some spare time to freshen up before his interview. Nothing should go wrong at this point, but then several cars ahead of him, an accident occurs and this slows traffic. What was supposed to be an easy drive to an interview becomes a difficult one as the young man tries to move around the traffic so he can make it to his job interview. All his efforts seem impossible and the spare time to possibly freshen up becomes less and less. To make things worse his phone battery power left won’t allow him to make a call to explain his delay. This interruption could cost him losing a position he has been hoping for, does he stay in the traffic until he makes it to the interview or turns back and drives back home because all hope is lost? Many of you I want to assume would say he stays the traffic until he makes it right? I agree, he keeps going knowing that not all hope is lost and that with this seemingly difficult new start, there is a possible stronger finish.

We need perseverance because with it we make it through any and many of life’s difficult interruptions. Perseverance is the longevity of our hope that allows us to keep going even when situations seem impossible. God calls us to do so knowing that through perseverance, he has the opportunity to bless us and build our character. After one has experienced difficult circumstances and through it all continues to steadfastly persevere, one gains incredible strength to face life’s challenges as they come. The need to preserve typically starts when our life seemingly perfect life is interrupted and easily affects our wellness be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. It could be that you may have lost a loved one, missed a job opportunity, or received a bad doctor’s report and the list goes on. There are so many challenges in life that temporary hope cannot keep us going even if we tried. We then look to perseverance knowing that as we hold on to it all, we get to stay strong and most importantly finish strong despite the difficult life circumstances.

New starts and stronger finishes

There is this famous quote we come across online often or have heard others that says that “it is not how you start that is important, but how you finish.” Starting can be hard, and holding on to hope at the initial start of a life challenge can even be harder. Look at this new, not-so-pleasant start for you as a way to stand the test of time and come out stronger. Making the choice to persevere even at what seems like defeat allows us to pick ourselves back up again and again with every other life challenge we are dealt with. Call it a ripple effect, but once a person perseveres through a couple of life lows, it builds them for the next. Obviously, at the start of it, one does not recognize the strength they continue to build as they keep choosing to keep going despite it all. There are quite a few more other great things we gain as we continue to persevere, but one thing I would like to mention is how we grow in patience. It is a great fruit of the spirit after all and makes a seemingly difficult or delayed situation so much better. With patience and perseverance, you are well on your way to a stronger finish. Don’t give up just yet because a stronger finish is why you have held on so long. Some of you have been persevering for a while now, but hold on. What does a strong finish look like? Well, it looks like you coming out on the other side still trusting, still hoping, and still believing that this life challenge will change. Despite the many setbacks, obstacles, hurts, frustrations, and delays, you will be able to see a turnaround of things because you choose to persevere. And because you have chosen to do so, God has this promise for you;

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 NIV

Please find comfort in knowing that your efforts to persevere are blessed by God. He knows that it is never an easy start, but just like you he hopes for a stronger finish. He wants the opportunity to bless you because you stood the test. One story that came to mind of God’s blessing to those that persevere is the story of Job. Wow! Job had some serious seemingly impossible life challenges, but through it all, he kept his hope and persevered through every test. He was greatly blessed by God, all he lost was doubled, and now that is a strong finish. While you think about your own life challenges, take some time to read or reflect on Job’s perseverance experience and see if there are things you can adapt for your own experience.

Stay encouraged! There is a stronger finish that awaits you, do not be discouraged by the start of it at all. Perseverance is the longevity of our hope and it is something you can do. I pray God helps you through it all so that you too can be blessed by him. It is time for you to take your rightful place, it is time for you to trade thorns for crowns.

Much love,

Xholiwe