Impostor Syndrome and The Believer

I began feeling it long before I knew what it was.

It was prize giving day in high school, and I’d made it to top 3 in my class. We had Math prodigees on the stag who had won inter-school and state championships. I’d never done anything like that, and in my silently growing panic, I wondered if they’d miscalculated my scores.

It was the feeling of not being sure I belonged. More specifically, the feeling of wondering if I was awarded by mistake.

Over the years, I’ve found this feeling to be quite common with a lot of people. I mean people worry that their school admitted them by mistake, or they won a scholarship by some stroke of luck or their boss overestimated their abilities, or their church thinks they’re a better Christian than they actually are, and sooner or later someone is going to figure it out. In a lot of cases, this feeling moves from worry to fear and then anxiety, timidity, self-sabotage, and outright quitting.

Other times, it creates a deep uncertainty about being loved or accepted by our friends, family, or even God. It births a need to do more, to be more, constantly measuring ourselves against standards that exist only in our heads.

“It was the feeling of not being sure I belonged. More specifically, the feeling of wondering if I was awarded by mistake.”

As you may be able to tell, impostor syndrome is quite powerful. It’s the reason a lot of people self- sabotage, or quit even before they begin. Sometimes, it looks like our insecurities or our limitations. Shaming us with lies of not being good enough and fear that everything could crumble if anyone were to probe deeply.

For believers, it’s one reason many of us don’t step into our calling because we feel like a fraud. An extra layer for the believer is the weight of guilt from sin, mistakes, and choices from our pasts. Some of us have chapters in our life stories that stand in stark contrast to where we now are and what God is calling us to do. Impostor syndrome plays on these experiences and slowly and silently kills the believer’s call.

“An extra layer for the believer is the weight of guilt from sin, mistakes, and choices from our pasts. Some of us have chapters in our life stories that stand in stark contrast to where we now are and what God is calling us to do”.

If this is you, I’d like to let you know that impostor syndrome is built on lies. That’s the key reason we have to resist it. Its aim is to paint a picture of unworthiness and make us believe that we do not deserve what we have because of something we have or don’t have or who we are or are not. The truth is that Jesus has made us joint heirs with Him, entitled to every good and perfect gift. It was never about us – He did it long before we ever came to know Him and become saved. He loved us in advance and with plenty more to spare!

The idea that “I’ve got to prove myself in order to get myself loved” is in total variance with the gospel of redemption. By grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of the work of Christ alone, we stand on the glorious rock of the forgiveness of our sins, our acceptance with God, the removal of our guilt, the canceling of our debts — all of it rooted in the love of God, who chose us for himself before the foundation of the world.

“The truth is that Jesus has made us joint heirs with Him, entitled to every good and perfect gift. It was never about us – He did it long before we ever came to know Him and become saved”.

In Luke 5, Jesus reveals himself to a fisherman called Peter who had toiled all night but caught nothing. Suddenly, this man makes an appearance, and his nets are overflowing with fish. Peter, realising who Jesus was and what He’d just done for him gave the a classic impostor Syndrome response – ‘Please leave me, I’m a lowly sinner, not worthy to be in your presence’. Peter felt unworthy and inadequate. He wanted to hide.

Jesus’ response is significant. He does not coddle Peter or skirt around his fears, He shifts Peter’s focus to a higher calling – ‘Don’t be afraid, from now on you’ll be fishing for people’.

Jesus ripped at the self-depriciating nature of Peter’s response. He knew that apart from feeling bad about himself, his feelings would distract him from what God had called him to do.

Impostor syndorme disables you through fear and feelings of inadequacy. It’s like having weights shackled to your ankles, keeping you from running full speed. The devil knows that as long as he can do this – keep your eyes on your inability instead of God’s ability. You’ll live a life of fearful restraint and miniscule goals.

But know that you have been engraced for every call of God over your life. Know that when God called you, He qualified you irrespective of your age, gender, experiences, background, mistakes, and any other variable.

As believers, there’s another layer of guilt and shame that comes from sin, but know that there is no pit so deep that His love is not deeper still. He loves you so much that he makes provisions for your shortcomings. Circling back to Peter who Jesus tells ‘I know you are going to deny me, but I have put something in place to help you out of that. And when you are helped, dont forget your call – help others too!

So what do we do when impostor syndrome begins to rear its ugly head? We do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 says.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

We declare that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, and we are entitled to every good and perfect gift. Guilt and shame have no power over us.

And for the times when it wears the deceptive cloak of ‘luck’, remind yourself that there is no such thing as luck — period. There is no such thing as luck. What the world calls luck is God’s providence. So, what you’re dealing with is not several thousand professional instances of luck, in which you lucked out and proved competent and responsible and helpful by accident. That’s not what’s happening; there’s no such thing as an accident or luck. God, not luck, brought about those thousands of moments of competency and responsibility and helpfulness. This is a pattern of divine sustaining, divine support, divine help, divine guidance, which bears all the marks of a calling, a vocation from God.

“And for the times when it wears the deceptive cloak of ‘luck’, remind yourself that there is no such thing as luck — period. There is no such thing as luck. What the world calls luck is God’s providence. “

Therefore, when you wake up in the morning and you feel anxiety that your luck might run out today, one of the answers is to preach to yourself, “There’s no such thing as luck. Stop thinking that way. It doesn’t exist. God has sustained me in all these thousands of moments of competency that I’ve been calling ‘luck.’ God has sustained me even if I am truly incompetent.”

When impostor syndrome takes hold of you, you take hold of it. Speak God’s word and refuse its lies and deception.

You were made worthy when Christ died and shed His blood for you. You DO belong in that church, that job, that programme, and anywhere else on this planet God has called you. So don’t look at the people around you. Don’t look at your limitations. Don’t even  look at yourself. Just look at Jesus and move.

Lovebound

"Long ago, the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love, I have drawn you to myself" - Jeremiah 31:3.

God really loves you.

It’s so comforting to know you’re unconditionally loved and accepted. I find that even the closest human relationships are incapable of cultivating or nurturing this kind of love – only God can. His love is not just unconditional. It’s everlasting. This means that it has always been and will always be! It’s a faithful love that can not waiver due to our unfaithfulness! It will outlast everything else. He loved us so much that he sent His only son to die for us, adopted us, and made us joint heirs with Him!

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" - Romans 5 : 8 NIV

Another beautiful thing about the love of God?  Nothing can separate us from it. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for deep, thoughtful, intentional love. The kind that pays attention to small details and truly thinks of the other person. If you’re like me, then you’ll appreciate the fact that God is a deep lover. He is so intentional about you that He knows every strand of hair on your head by shape, size, and thickness. He knows what you’re really good at and what you struggle with. What you need and what you can do without!

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you" - Isaiah 54:10.

Accepting Jesus’ love is like the beginning of the ultimate friendship. It’s being friends with someone with whom you can completely be yourself. You can come to Him with the things your excited about, things you’re disappointed about, your mistakes and your fears. You can completely unburden before Him.

Imagine knowing all of this? Imagine if we all rested in God’s love. The world would be so much better. Our minds would be more peaceful, our emotions would be healed, and we would become healthier people. A brother in Christ describes it as a ‘lightness’. We become so light because our minds are free, our conscience is free. Love becomes easy, forgiveness becomes easy, and we become genuinely happy. We would walk in a type of vulnerability that is both attractive and healing to others. We would exhude a different kind of honesty, compassion, and love that draws people to us, and ultimately to Jesus. They’ll encounter you and want to know what is it about you that makes you so different. Sin consciousness will die, and pride and shame would die.

Yes, it takes time, effort, and commitment to develop this relationship, but He’s the perfect person to develop it with. It’s someone who knows you inside out and loves you even more than you love yourself – no matter what. So when you come to God, you get to come to this friend who completely accepts you for who you are. Who is devoted to you and will never change their mind about you.

Imprisoned at Ravensbrück concentration camp during WWII, sisters – Corrie and Betsy ten Boom continued spreading the Word and Love of God, winning many souls to Christ right inside the camp. Before Betsy died, she told Corrie, “There is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still”.

If life has shaken you up every way possible and you are unsure about everything else, rest in this one promise – that Jesus really really loves you.

What You Seek, You Will Find

In the Spirit realm, there are no de-militarised zones. Actions and inactions are symbolic; each carrying their own consequence.

Can we commit to living deliberately? Speaking and acting only as lead by the Word and Spirit of God.

Why?

Because when He is the Captain, the ship always reaches the harbour.

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when we turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left “- (Isaiah 30 : 21 KJV)

The Call to Graciousness

God walks with, and in each of us using timeframes, methods and experiences peculiar to His plans and purposes for us and our distinct paces of growth.

May we remember to extend to others the same degree of grace that we expect to receive.

Are You a Hypocrite?

 

“Do not judge” is an oft-abused trump card in debates. It seems clear that Jesus is not against judgment, but against a certain kind of judgment. The context makes that clear–just a few verses later He tells them to watch out for false prophets and that they can know them by their fruits, something which obviously requires the exercise of judgment. John 7:24 is helpful in differentiating the two kinds of judgment, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Jesus is confronting a wrong kind of judging in Matthew 7:1-5, not all judgment.

Specifically, the reason that our Lord points out the hypocrisy of the judges in Matthew 7 is because they are not genuinely concerned about sin or about helping other people. If they were concerned about sin, they would deal with their own first. The fact that the person ignores the beam in his own eye while worrying about the speck in his brother’s eye shows that. If he really cared about sin, he wouldn’t ignore his own. If he really was concerned about the other person, he would take care of his own sin so that he could see clearly to help him. By ignoring his vision-impairing beam, he makes it clear that he really isn’t trying to help the speck-afflicted brother, but thinks himself better than him.

The righteousness that Jesus expects of His followers is evidenced by a genuine concern about sin that looks first at ourselves, then outward to help others. Phony, hypocritical concern about sin doesn’t deal with our own first, it focuses on the sins of others. My charge to the future pastors and missionaries was simply to not allow that phony spirit to invade their lives or ministries. If we, as leaders, are going to be genuinely serious about sin, then that starts by looking at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word.

It is much easier to point out where others are falling short than to admit and address our own errors. As leaders, though, refusing to acknowledge and act to correct our failures not only reveals a flaw in our character, it undermines the credibility of our claims to be concerned about wrong. How can anybody take the claim that we want to do what is right (by dealing with other people’s problems) when it is obvious that we don’t (by not dealing with our own)?

Few things, from my vantage point, undermine the leadership of parents, pastors, or ministries more than this kind of hypocrisy. The parent who quickly and strongly rebukes a child for wrong, while ignoring his or her own failures as a parent eventually loses the trust of the child. A pastor who confronts sin in the lives of church members, but fails to confront it in himself undermines his own spiritual leadership. A ministry or organization, for example, that exists chiefly to point out the disobedience of other people and ministries, but refuses to correct its own failures as aggressively loses its credibility by demonstrating that obedience isn’t really the controlling principle which governs it.

Jesus’ answer for judgmentalism is not to reject proper judgment, but to exercise it first with regard to ourselves. If we really care about sin, we’ll deal with the beams before we talk about specks. We’ll start in the mirror, not in somebody else’s eye.

 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” – (Matthew 23:2 – 4 KJV)

He Takes Care of His Own

“… 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒚. 𝑺𝒐 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎, “𝑴𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒕. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒚, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈, 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆.”

Did you read the text?

Jesus won’t only feed your spirit. He will provide for your physical needs, too. He takes care of His own.

In Mark 8, a crowd of roughly 4000 men (not counting women and children) gathered around Jesus to hear words that would nourish their spirits. After a while, they grew tired and hungry. What they didn’t know was that the One who nourishes immortality also sustains mortality.

You know, there’s a reason He is called The Good Shepherd. He takes complete care of His own. He taught a great deal and could have packed up and left, like his disciples wanted, but he cared too much to ignore their humanity. He couldn’t just feed their spirits and leave them deal with their human condition.

This is one amazing thing about Jesus. He was fully God and fully man at the same time. He understands. He truly gets us.

He sees how much effort you put into pursuing a relationship with Him. He sees your limitations, too.

He knows that you feel great after hearing the sermon on Sunday, but the zeal and enthusiasm don’t last long when you were back at home or at work, face-to-face with the reality of the problem. He knows you need strength for the road.

If you read further down in that chapter, you’ll see that even though the disciples are overwhelmed by the task of feeding the crowd, Jesus wasn’t. That’s what He does. He doesn’t netlect or abandon His own.

Jesus is the answer to ANY PROBLEM you will ever have. Any problem at all.

You do not have to figure it all out on your own.

He gave you that business, He will give you the resources to keep it afloat.

He blessed your home with kids, He will give you the means to care for them.

He gave you the marriage. He will give you the wisdom and courage to nurture it, too.

He gave you the admission, he’ll also give resources to pay the fees and keep you in school.

Most importantly, He called you into relationship with Him, He will engrace you to build and strengthen that connection.

“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞—𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧 – 𝐇𝐞𝐛 𝟒 :𝟏𝟓”

He knows the human condition extremely well, and He is the only one to ever overcome it. He’s not asking you to do anything other than abide. Stay close to Him. Abide in His presence – like a vine connected to a branch. Give Him a home in your heart, and one by one, He will take care of your needs – ALL of them.

He saves, He heals, He sets free

Some problems shake you to your very core.

This was the case for a certain man from Gadarenes on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. His problem couldn’t be seen or touched. It was in his mind and it was out of control.

He was held in bondage by demons and declared incurable. Uncontrollable. The Bible repeated the words “no one”. No one could bind him. No one could subdue him. The demons ravaged his life as days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and eventually to years.

He remained in torment until the day a man named Jesus set foot on the shore.

When those spirits saw Jesus, they knew their time was up. They knew He was about to do what no one had been able to do. He was their eviction notice – they had to leave.

The demons ran up to Jesus and willingly submitted themselves, begging Him not to torment them. How is it that the same demons who tortured one man, were  begging this other Man not to torture them?

Dr Luke, in the 11th chapter and the 21st verse tells us “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.”

Jesus was now that Stronger Man who had come in and subdued them.
There was no contest. He was Lord and they were in thrall to Him.

So Jesus commands the evil spirits to take leave of the man’s body and sends them into herd of pigs and for the first time in a long time, the man tastes freedom. His mind is restored. He sits beside Jesus and has a peaceful interaction.

My question is, do you need peace?

Is there something going on that has defied all logic and solution? If there is, it does not deter Jesus. It is no match for him. Whether it’s a sickness or an addiction or a behaviour or a negative experience, it ends when Jesus sets foot on the shores of your heart.

He is that Spirit that supersedes all other spirits. The Wind that commands other winds to be still.

Jesus came so that you and I may be free.
He went to the cross thousands of years ago so that His name may be glorified.  When we mention that name, every lingering problem takes its leave.

The villagers couldn’t help the demoniac. The Bible tells us people actually tried but did not succeed. But Jesus is that rock that no problem can escape. Anything the Rock opposes will be completely pulverized.

It may seem strong but Jesus is infinitely stronger. Take the problem to Jesus. Where others fail, He succeeds.

Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus sets free.

Let God write Your Story

At some point, it felt like I was swimming against the tide.

Why did everybody else seem to be doing well while I was stuck in a rut? Had my luck run out? Was I trying too hard? Trying too little? Trying the wrong things?

I have the qualifications and experience for my ‘dream job’. Why do these rejection emails keep filling my inbox?

They said,’The biggest risk in life is taking none.’ I have taken several risks, and they have all cost me so dearly – why isn’t it working for me?

They said,’Good things come to those who wait.’ Why does it feel like my good things have gotten missing along their way to me?

I remember praying one prayer – ‘God, organise my life. Please organise my life. I give you free reign – do as you wish, when you wish and how you wish. Wherever you lead, I will follow.’

I stayed on that prayer for some time. I stayed until I felt a release in my spirit. In that time, God reminded me of an instruction He gave me a long time ago that I needed to go back to.

I will tell you that the first thing I felt was peace. This peace didn’t come because my situation changed, because it actually hadn’t. It came because I changed. It felt like the gloom just lifted. I began to see possibilities where I formerly saw difficulty. I no longer felt ‘stuck’, I knew that I was in a season. I started believing that a greater power was constantly looking after me and taking care of me. I stopped leaning on my own strength, and I started committing more things to God, much quicker than I used to. This way, I didn’t tire myself out. I began to notice small acts of God’s providence, several times, every day.

I started narrowing my gaze and adjusted it till it focused solely on God. I gave God my full attention. I gave him first place. I put Him before my comfort, before my pride, and before the acceptance of others. I blocked out all the noise and truly lived for an audience of one. I still do this now and will do so all the days of my life.

Suddenly, the rejection emails didn’t hit so hard anymore. I just knew that the job God had for me, which would glorify Him, would come, and nothing could stop it. I started to use my imagination for good – I imagined good things happening to me! I entered what Yonggi cho called ‘REST’.

I didn’t have to be or do anything that wasn’t true to my personality or my calling (both of which were given to me by God) to nurture or preserve associations. Why would I, when a greater force is navigating my life and organising it for me.

You know, God desires to give us the BEST.
God once told me, “Let me do nice things for you.”

Your father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The Bible says the silver and gold are His, and He is your father, so they are yours too! He says He will show you HIDDEN treasures stored in SECRET places because they are hidden to you and I, but are in PLAIN sight to Him.

The way it worked for someone else isn’t necessarily the way it has to work out for you. Your friend got a job right after school, and it doesn’t invalidate your experience of job hunting. Your story is different. The same way God is writing your story, He’s writing theirs too. God’s glory isn’t in our stories all being the same. It’s in the fact that despite our different stories, He is able to make our lives living testimonies.

In John 9 : 1-12, Jesus and his disciples encounter a boy born blind. They ask Jesus if the boy or his parents were responsible for his sightlessness. Jesus says it has nothing to do with the boy or his parents. He said there’s no need to point fingers, no need to compare, no need for a pity party. It’s happening so that a healing miracle will occur, which will be recorded, and referred to throughout history. His story will bring glory to God.

You have encompassed this mountain long enough. Allow God to organise your life. Spend time fellowshipping. Exercise your faith. Listen to His promptings because He will respond. He wants to help you. He already has the pen, let Him write your story.

Something About Our God

On my morning run, I reflected on my life and some events, I thought to myself, ‘.. there’s definitely something about this God.’

That Paul, who had devoted his life to seeing Christians exterminated, proclaimed that his whole life belonged to Christ and dying was still gaining for Him.

Something that made three Hebrew boys – young, vibrant, and in their prime, unashamedly and unequivocally tell their executioner that dying for Him was better than living without Him.

Something that made a servant boy refuse the enticing, pleasure-filled advances of his masters wife, turning down an opportunity most would jump at, out of reverential fear of God.

Something that made a public servant – hearing the newly passed decree not to worship God, go home, open the window of his top floor apartment, and do exactly that.

Oh… there must be something about a God that looked at a valley full of the dead, dry, scattered bones that were once men, and in the blink of an eye, roused them back to life with the Word of His power.

There has to be something about this God… that made an exquisitely beautiful queen at the height of her reign, religate her position to a place of inferior importance, and risk her life to save HIS people.

Something about a God that made one man, outnumbered and unarmed, take on a whole government and its 450 prophets and effortlessly defeat them.

There just has to be something about this God that caused a man, dead for four days, embalmed, entombed, to hear his name called out with an instruction to come out, and respond!

There is something about a God who spoke in one location, and a man’s servant was healed in another location. Who gave sight to people who never saw and movement to people who had never known what it felt like to walk. Who gave mental, physical, and spiritual freedom to captives.

There has to be something about a God who loved so much, that He looked beyond all others and sent His prized Son to take the place of millions of unworthy sinners and mischief-makers and rogues and fornicators, so that anyone of them who believes in Him, has their slate wiped clean! They escape their rightful judgement and enjoy everlasting life.

Something that made him forgive the same people He came to save, as they hurt Him, betrayed Him, condemned Him, and finally killed Him.

Maybe it’s His loving heart or His able hands, but when I consider these things, I am convinced, without a shadow of doubt that there is something about my God that makes Him different from the rest. That same thing makes me love Him with all my heart and soul like I do ❤️

Our Advantage

Imagine having a friend who just gets you.

Who knows your actions, inactions, and your motives, as complex as they may be.

Who helps you at no cost, lends to you without asking for anything in return, and loves you without holding back.

Imagine a friend who helps you overcome your weaknesses and will never take advantage of your vulnerability.

Imagine a friend who is available for a quick chat or a long convo 24/7, every day, every week, every year. A friend who will show up anytime you need them.

Someone whose advice you can rely on because they’re bold enough to tell you when you’re in the wrong, and honest enough, commend you when you’re right.

Imagine a friend who has the ability and willingness to help you with everything, all of the time.

Imagine a friend who wants to make your life easier and has the power to do so.

A friend like this exists. He is the person of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was about to leave the earth, and the lives of 12 men he had shepherded so closely for 3 years. He told them He would be leaving, and they would not be able to go where He was going.

Traumatic News.

I imagine the confusion, devastation, and fear. They had practically lived under His covering and depended on his presence for the last 3 years of their lives. Jesus knew their hearts were troubled and said to them:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Saviour, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you… I will not leave you orphans” – John 14:16‭-‬18 TPT.

The disciples had developed a close relationship with Jesus, but there was someone else He was introducing to them – The Holy Spirit.

In chapter 16, Jesus tells them, of a “Divine Encourager” He is sending who will lead them into the truth and help them identify what is really sinful and what is really righteous.

Friend, the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ gift to you and me. He is that neighbour who will lend you a cup of sugar at 2am in the morning – He’ll never turn you away. He is that friend who ‘can’ and who ‘will’.

He is our advantage; ever-present, ever-ready.

No Fear Zone

When you imagine signs of fear in a person, you may picture someone cowering, shrieking or crying out for help. On the inside, fear presents itself as increased blood pressure, heightened heart rate, and blood flow changes.

Here’s something else to consider: fear shows up in our behaviours too.

-Fear of losing control or influence, so you scheme and manipulate.

-Fear of feeling anxious, so you have fits of rage and angry outbursts.

-Fear of consequence, so you lie.

-Fear of rejection and loneliness, so you posture and people please.

-You fear being outsmarted so you also outsmart and cheat.

-Fear of embarrassment, so you over-compensate.

-Fear of failure, so you self sabotage and give up.

I could go on and on.

You would be be surprised at how many dysfunctional behaviours and habits are actually rooted in crippling, paralyzing, diarrhoea-inducing fear. The dread and terror that come with fear are enough to alter personalities and trigger the most outrageous responses. The things we do are not nearly as intruguing as the reasons why we do them.

Whether the fear is reasonable or not, is another discussion entirely. The response doesn’t invalidate the fact that it is there, and like a wrecking ball, it is wreaks havoc, leaving a trail of bad experiences behind it.

No wonder The Bible lays so much emphasis on dispelling fear. It’s not just about the feeling, it’s about what it makes you do, and who it makes you become.

The old testament is riddled with verses telling us not to be afraid and giving us reasons. The Book of Isaiah alone has so many verses addressing fear. It usually starts off with a command, and a reason. For example:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” – Isaiah 41:10

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”. – Isaiah 41: 13

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” – Psalm 23:4

God isn’t just shoving us out into the world to face the things that terrify us alone. He is telling us not to fear because He is bigger than fear. Because He is WITH us, and because He is IN us. The courage to face fear is not external, it is already in you. When you surrendered to Christ, He gave you a spirit without fear, but with love, power and an excellent mind. The Bible says if God is with you, who (what) can be against you? Jesus said the world will give you reasons to fear, but don’t fall for it- I have stripped it of its ability to hurt you and my victory is final (John 16.33) .

So what do you do to fear when you learn that you have the backing of The One who rendered it empty and powerless?

You face it.

You do not overcome fear by running from it, you face it and tell it what God said.

– Dont fear consequence, all things are working together for your good. Own up to mistakes don’t lie

– Do not fear losing God control. God is the master of your destiny, His plans for you are excellent. Be straightforward and have good intentions, don’t manipulate.

– Do not fear loneliness or rejection. You are precious, valued, loved dearly and tenderly by God. Be confident and content. Don’t posture, or people please.

– Do not fear being outsmarted. You have an excellent mind and you discern matters correctly. Your God is exceedingly rich enough to meet all your needs. Don’t cheat or swindle.

For every negative behaviour that seeks expression, there is a positive alternative that is both befitting and liberating.These are the actions and motives that heaven recognises and celebrates.

While on the surface, it may appear that you are losing or missing out, you are actually building character, strengthening your walk with Christ and demolishing fear and its stronghold over your life.

The Whosoever Wills

We have a natural need for inclusion. Being part of something gives us a sense of identity. It’s one of the reasons we group ourselves into races, ethnicities, religious denomimations, and many more.

Two main groups cut across all others; good guys and bad guys.


The good people; we tend to like, and reward with inclusion. The bad people? We don’t want anything to do with. They’re like bad eggs that deserve exclusion and probably harsher punishments too. We ‘other’ them and keep them far away from ourselves.


Not Jesus though.


Jesus hangs with one group of people – the ‘Whosoever Wills’.


Whosoever will come.

Whosoever will believe.

Whosoever will trust.

Whosoever will…attend.

At Matthew’s (A Tax Collector) house , He invites some of society’s most despicable people to have dinner with Him – other tax collectors.

Understand who tax collectors were back in Jesus’ day. They were traitors, hated with considerable levels of passion. Being Jews who worked for the Romans, they played a key role in ensuring the Roman Empire maintained its oppressive grip on their own people. What’s worse? They often collected more than was due, and the Jews had no choice but to pay. They were the bad guys of the times.

Jesus chose to hang out with these people, and other sinners too. He probably shared a joke with the robber, talked intimately with the adulterer, showed interest in the affairs of the swindler. He got so comfortable talking with them that the Scribes and Pharisees, who maintained the margins of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ became extremely uncomfortable.

Here’s the thing, Jesus didn’t see them for who they were, He saw them for who they could be. They may have been outcasts to society, but they were also, the exact sort of people Jesus was looking for. He knew that reaching the lost, required having some contact with them. He knew they were guilty, but chose to personify mercy in place of condemnation. He didn’t come to judge the ‘bad guys’, He came to offer them salvation.

Sitting at that dinner table, Jesus shook the faulty tenets of righteousness, good and evil that were in effect. What is even more beautiful, is that he did it over and over, and over again (John 4:27: Luke 7: Mark 7: Luke 5: Luke 19).

The souls of men are of far greater importance than the frowns of a few and threat of exclusion. Jesus knew that and we should too.

No matter what you’ve done, no matter how long it’s been. Even when the whole world counts you out, Jesus still invites you in.

This Too Shall Pass

A good friend of mine taught me about times and seasons in the most profound way. He showed me.

We became friends in university, and I’d always known him as a ‘classic man’. No kidding, he wore the finest clothes and always had the trendiest stuff. In a nutshell, this fellow took very good care of himself.

Fast forward 5 years later, we hadn’t seen each other in a while, and I happened to be in his neck of the woods, so we met up. I was stunned to see my friend not looking as prim and proper as I knew him to look. He told me he’d been out of work for a while and was hopeful he’d find something new soon. I was so shaken by his appearance that I was about to give him my sympathy when he told me ‘Look Amaka, I’m in a season. This season isn’t meant for fancy clothes and comfort. It’s for rolling up my sleeves and doing heavy lifting. The season for all that will come around. But this isn’t it’.

I saw him a few years later, and truly, he had changed. He was married and was working in a top financial institution, and true to his nature, he had on the baddest suit I’d ever seen, lol.

I remembered our conversation a few years back. How he didn’t give into the pity party I was unknowingly trying to throw. How he looked beyond his daily struggles and discerned that it was only a season, not his final destination.

My Bible tells me that life is made up times and seasons. Winter, summer, spring, day, night – they all come and go. It gives me examples of men like Daniel who knew when the times required intense prayer, and the sons of Isaachar who were so good at discerning the times that they were strategic resources whenever Israel was at war.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in daily activities that we don’t discern our season and the lessons that lie therein.

Are you in a season of plenty? Yes, it’s a season to enjoy the finer things. Could it also be an opportunity for you to double up on your savings? Invest? Do things for people who deserve it?

Are you in a season of want? Is that an opportunity for you to improve your resource management skills? Be financially disciplined? Learn to repurpose?

Are you in a season of sadness? Could it also be an opportunity for solemn reflection? An avenue for you to become more compassionate??

Season of waiting? Is God teaching you patience? Dependence on Him? Humility?

All seasons are significant, even when they come with a sting. The bottom line is that they will come, and they will go. If we take time to speak to the Holy Spirit and give things time, we will see the essence of the season.

Another thing I learned from my friend is never to make lasting judgement on someone who’s going through a temporary situation.

Thank you for the lessons, O.

God bless you for being a blessing.

The Weaver

I am convinced that God is a God of order

That He is a God of time and seasons

That He knows when to speed it up and when to slow it down
That He knows when you need a push forward and a tug backwards

That He knows when to claim the storm and when to calm His child

That at the end of our weakness, His strengths begins

That torn robes cab become royal clothes, and the pit can become a palace.

That in His hands intended evil becomes eventual good

That He is the Master Weaver, and as He stretches the yarn and intertwines the thread, nothing escapes His careful reach

God sees, God knows, and God cares 💖