Today it dawned on me.

Today it dawned on me what it meant to “present yourself a living sacrifice” –it means to present your will to God. To let your life be such that God lives through you. Your life is sacrificed for His.

I was walking past the food display today. God told me not to get rice but I did – I was hungry.  I sat down to eat and remembered that I had just prayed to hear God’s voice clearly. Well, I had heard, and even though he knew why I shouldn’t have eaten the rice, I chose to ignore him.

Being a living sacrifice means I don’t always understand but I’m obedient- in all things.

Today, a prostrated person came to mind – Jesus, who took our pains and bore our diseases; who hung on the cross for us. He was a living sacrifice. He hung there on the cross for us even though we didn’t…couldn’t deserve it. He came so we could have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Today, it dawned on me that a living sacrifice should be a prostrated person. One who offers himself up for others and lays himself down for others – Jesus.

Today it dawned on me that that was who I was called to be – a sacrifice, offered up to God, clean and holy.  It means that I can’t run my life going: “What should I do in the next four years?” Instead, it should be “What is God thinking about for the next four years?”

The answer you’ll get will excite you! He has big plans for you –big plans - but you’ll have to ask him.  They are amazing plans but they involve you being a living sacrifice - allowing him live through you and consequently, you through him.

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him (Romans 12: 1, The MSG)

Light Cannot and Will Not Dwell Together with Darkness

I grew up in a strict Christian home, I had knowledge of the Bible and I knew what it meant to be a Christian. I practised religion according to what my parents had dictated and never really searched for a relationship with Christ. Many times in my past, I had tried to repent. I would hear the Word, take it to heart and “give my life to Christ”. I’m sure those who used to read the “Left Behind” series can relate. After each book I would bawl and pray to God to forgive my sins. For three days or so, I would be a ‘changed girl’. However, it never lasted and before I knew it, I was back to the meaningless life I had come to know. I continued this trend of ‘repenting’ for most of my teenage years.

However, when I finally left my parents’ house and gained the freedom to somewhat dictate what I did with my life, I found out that there was something missing. All my teenage years, I had waited impatiently for the time I would be able to buy what I wanted, party as hard as I wanted and just ‘live MY life’. When all these things I was dying for were all laid before me, I found myself wanting something more. I figured that there had to be more to life than this. Sure, it seemed fun at some point, but at the end of the day, there was just this emptiness I felt in my gut. It was then I went back, once again, searching for God.

I remember that service, I wept during praise and worship. I knew I had found what was missing in my life. It was soothing, sweet and satisfying and I wanted more of it.  It was then I started on my path to actually seeking a relationship with Christ.

 I have now come to understand what it means to GIVE your life to Christ. When we give our lives to Christ, there have to be some changes in our lives. I have also found out what had been hindering my spiritual breakthrough all those years. There is no way we can be of the world and of Christ. There is no accommodation for both! It has got to be one or the other! To progress in our faith, we need the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. If we still hold worldly things or things of the devil dear to our hearts, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell there. Light cannot and will not dwell together with darkness!

In doing that, I have had to let go of many things that I thought was harmless fun, things like listening to a lot of secular music, clubbing, messing around with boys etc. All I can tell you is it that it was not easy. But now I have come to see that those things are actually very harmful. Many of the things that we think are nothing but harmless fun will slowly dull our souls and break all barriers till we are back on the path of being lost.

It is still a daily struggle; nobody said it would be easy. I still fall from time to time, but we have a God of limitless grace and love. The world is a cruel place, people will disappoint, trends are ever changing but God and his Word will never change. He is the only thing we can count on. He is the only thing I will hold on to. 

God's Word will not return to Him void!

My name is Diana De La Rosa and I am currently a Christian because God pulled me out of the most horrible lifestyle anyone could live in. As a child, my parents were night club owners in Miami, FL. They made a lot of money and to the world everything seemed to be going perfect in their lives, but that couldn’t be more far from the truth. During that time, although we seemed to be the most prosperous family, in reality, at home, my parents and siblings fought like cats and dogs. There was no peace in my household because it was divided. By the year 2002, my parents had to sell the night club we owned and as a result of all the money we lost and the terrible times we were facing, my parents got a divorce. Coping with my parents separation was difficult for me and although I was a good student and generally a good kid, I felt a lack of purpose, an emptiness inside me that needed to be filled.

When I was 14 years old, on a Sunday morning in the summer, I turned on my television and started flipping through the channels when I suddenly found myself watching the Trinity Broadcasting Network, a Christian television station. On the station, a Pastor by the name of Dr. James Kennedy from Coral Ridge Ministries was asking if anyone wanted to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. At the time I only knew God from what I had been told, but felt a desperate need to get to know Him for myself. So I prayed the sinner’s prayer as the Pastor recited it and when I was through, I turned off the TV and fell on my knees and said, “God if you are real, all I ask is that my parents get remarried.” Instantly, I heard a voice say to me “Diana get up!” There was no one in my house at the time so I knew God was speaking to me and He directed me to do the following: “Go to your mother’s room and find the first wedding ring your father gave her (my parents had been together for about 32 years before they separated and had had previous marriage engagements).” When I found the ring, God directed me to put on the finger that best fit, and I placed on my left thumb. He, then, said, “You will wear this ring until the day that your parents get remarried, and when they do, give the ring back as a sign that I am your God and that I fulfilled this promise to you.”

As I served the Lord and continued to get to know God it took 5 years before I saw my miracle, but in 2008, my parents got remarried and I was able to give the ring back as a sign that God does answer the desires of our hearts. Ever since, my parents and most of my family have also come to the Lord and are now currently serving God in different ministries in my church back in Miami. In conclusion, God saved my family from utter destruction and saved me from complete despair and just as He saved me and brought me to His feet, he could do it with you.

So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.(Isaiah 55:11)

This is my story!

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams

Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The Sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

For I know that I know that I know that my Redeemer lives. You don’t believe? Listen to my testimony. And you are not reading this by mistake or error, for I do not serve a God of error.

In February, my older sister, who just graduated from College in Maryland gave her life to Christ. We had always grown up with the Christian doctrine. We had morals, we were ‘good’ girls. But for her, I believe she lacked something more personal. To cut a long story short, her new life changed me. She did not have to tell me that she did not listen to secular music for me to know that she had changed. She did not have to say oh wow, see what God has done for me. You could feel it. For it says behold old things have passed away, I have made all things new. And isn’t it easy to spot something new?

Anyway her new found zeal and passion for Christ motivated me. It created in me a thirst like no other. I remember calling my mum on the phone and crying because in my sister’s Church, I felt inadequate. Oh yes, I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. My goal has always been to please Christ, but I don’t know if I’ve always shown Him in my words and actions and thoughts. I also know that I did not have the best friend Jesus had promised to send at His ascension. My mum encouraged me and talked to me a bit. But I was still uneasy. You see when the Spirit of the most High God wants to do something in your life, He’s going to so bug you until you yield. Because we are created for Him, only Him, so why should He share you w another?

From mid March I started attending Christ Apostolic Church, Bethel Campus Fellowship. Sometimes I would be so tired because I go to school in DC and the Church is basically in the Greenbelt area. That was a long journey and I started using that as an excuse not to go. The youth pastor Uncle George said we must find a way because I must fellowship with them. It’s so funny because I love my sleep, lol. If you know me you can testify to that. But on Sunday mornings I would wake up bright and early w a song in my heart and an even bigger song on my lips when I got to Church. For you could not NOT feel the Spirit moving when you got to Church. It says at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!

For the fool says there is no God, but wise men still seek Him.

Yet there was still something missing. I had started reading Benny Hinn’s book called Good Morning, Holy Spirit. Everything seemed so easy and I guess that was the problem. All the youths around me were speaking in tongues and I remembered learning in High school that yes there are different gifts, but not everyone has every single gift. So I thought tongues were for specific people, people who were in a ‘higher’ walk with Christ. Sometime in April, I called my friend and she told me that the gift of tongues is only a heavenly language. For when we pray in English or Igbo/Hausa/Yoruba, French, Chinese whatever it may be, devil hears us. Yup, he does. And it’s at that point that he sends his demons and agents to obstruct your prayer. You might ask not to fall into temptation and that’s when temptation will hit you like never before. So that is ONE of the reasons why there’s tongues, so that we can talk to God through the Holy Spirit, uninterrupted. Sometimes we ourselves do not even understand what we are saying

Romans 8: 26 – 27 says

In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13

We have not received the Spirit of the World but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has FREELY given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

For the wisdom of man is foolishness before God.

On April 24^th, there was Gethsemane experience at Howard University and a lady that I absolutely love preached about turning point. I wanted a turning point in my academics because there is this class that attempted to give me trouble (poor class does not know that God said “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm” 1 Chronicles 16:22)

Anyway, I had stopped praying so hard for the revelation of the Holy Spirit but as I went out to pray everyone around me was speaking in tongues and I began to feel bad. My hands were open, God has promised it as a GIFT and He said if your earthly father knows how to give you fish not snake and poison, how much more me? And the gift is irrevocable. He said seek and you shall find, ask and it shall be given unto you, knock and the door shall be opened. So I began to search myself. Was there something I did that was holding my gift back? Did I sin? Am I a bad girl? Is God trying to teach my patience?

I cried for so long. But this God answers at His own time. After the program I went back to school because I had to hand in History homework before midnight. I prayed a bit more and fell asleep, into very fitful sleep initially because I had a terrible tooth ache.

At about 4 or 5am I stood up to use the bathroom and a Bible verse came to me.

Psalm 6:8

Away from me all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping

Oh Jesus! I had legit never seen that verse before, possibly ever in my life. When I saw that I dried my eyes but the devil has a way of planting doubt in our minds. I called my friend again and she said you know what, after Church tomorrow we’re going to pray. Because it is really very easy. It is a gift, all you have to do is ACCEPT His gift.

I was at peace but I did not want to be so ecstatic because I had heard this before and still nothing happened. After church we went to my friend’s house, where we talked about different issues, read a Bible passage and began to pray. At some points I would not know what to say. You know when they say you run out of things to tell God? That was how I felt. And of course the water works started again. The devil is a liar oh. What did he not plant in my mind? So many times I simply began to doubt if it was ever for me. But how can it not be? For His word says for as many have believed I have given the right to become sons of God.

At some point my sister placed her hands on my ankle and began to pray and speak in the Spirit. She said, it is there just open your mouth and talk. I did, and all that came out was English. I was so ashamed. I just began to sing Cece Winan’s No One

Then later on my friend came and held up my hands. Haha! Oh sweet Jesus. She said I should just be quiet and accept. I cannot even begin to explain to you in detail because this note is long enough as it is. But of course you know how the story goes.

God has a sense of humor. It was as if He said this girl see how you have been disturbing me for something as easy as this. So all I could speak for hours was tongues. I tried to switch to English, no show. All I could do was talk to Jesus, and devil had NO idea what we were saying to each other. I’m sure he was so mad. Who cares? For we are in this world but not of this world. So the prince of the world, Lucifer has no hold over me. One of my friends said this is a God of extremities. You do not want to know all I did in that room. For those who do not understand call it foolishness.

I did not get back to school till like 7pm and I immediately fell on my bed and fell asleep for 2 hours. When I woke up I was a bit scared. You know when you get into God’s presence you never want to leave so the rest of the World won’t taint you. But I opened my mouth and there it was. It’s like your mum buys you this bag you’ve always wanted and you go to bed. When you wake up you are still worrying, wondering if it suddenly walked back to the store and was sold to someone else. Impossible right? Well that’s the same thing with God. As if to solidify this point in my mind, my devotional for that day said whenever we feel He is far away, it is only an illusion. It’s either that we have turned our backs on Him through sin or put worry in front of our eyes and blocked out the fact that He is still there, right where He said He would be.

So I’m not worried. If I open my mouth and I pray in the language of men, so be it. My commission is not about what I can and cannot speak. I want to decrease as God increases in and through me and God forbid that my love and admiration of the gift blocks out the One who gives such gifts.

I’m not saying everything will be rosy and cherry from here on, but He that is in me is greater than he that is in the World. I have someone greater to fight my battles, that’s all I need to know.

If you read this to the end, my prayer for you is that your spirit remains troubled until you see the face of the one who created you. Until you feel His presence like nothing else, may you always search for Him. For w Him there’s no looking back!

This is Edia Uko's Testimony, written April 26th 2009.

God bless you sister!

A good girl

I was a good girl. At least, by many people's standards I was. I was born into a Christian home and grew up in Church. Growing up, 'God', 'Bible' and 'prayer' were not strange words to me. I was an active child in Sunday School. I always enjoyed being in plays and presentations at church especially when I was the 'star'. Bible recitations were probably one of my favorite activities. I was a smart child (still am, Thank God!) and for my age, was very good at memorizing Bible verses. Bible recitations were the best avenues to "wow" the mummies and daddies. Looking back, I probably did not have any ulterior motive for participating in those presentations but I must have enjoyed the attention.

I was a good girl. I did the right things, got the right grades and made friends, for the most part, with the right people. My life was pretty good. And then came those years when your mind tricks you into believing you're old enough to run your life. The rebellion kicked in slowly. It started with minor grievances with my parents -most of which I did not really voice out because if I did, I might have been rude. Now that would have been bad, you see, I was a good girl. Then it escalated to angry words and hot tears burning with anger over something they did or did not do- like not letting me wear the clothes I wanted. The anger continued to grow and would often invite loneliness and sadness. Together, they would have a feast on my insides, leaving me hollow and empty. Still, I was a good girl. I was able to whip out my dimples on many occasions, masking the sadness within. I pulled off the facade really nicely but one person was not deceived - my mum.

I was a good girl; everyone but my mum knew that. She saw right through me, like a good mother would. She tried to talk but I shut her off emotionally. She was the one with the wrong perspective and the restrictive views about who she wanted me to be. Though I was adamant, she refused to let me go. How could she? Her daughter was a very good girl going to a very real hell. Luckily, this good girl's mother was a praying woman. With tears in my eyes, I can imagine my mum on her knees, crying to God to save her daughter. I can imagine her going to weep before God, every time we had a hurtful conversation. I knew I was hurting her but I was not sorry. Why should I have been? I was a good girl.

Good but empty, I depended on compliments and people's opinions about me to keep me happy. I sought companionship and was happy when I found it. I loved my friends a lot (I still do). I may not have known it, but I was looking for love - not the "butterfly-in-your-tummy" kind that ends but the deep, long-lasting one that never fails. Yet, in my quest for love, I turned away from the only One who could ever love me the way I needed - God. But this good girl had a praying mother. For a long time, I was satisfied with mediocre love - the kind that fades with time. I was like Prophet Hosea's prostitute-wife (Hosea 1-3), running away from my True Love.

On the 15th of July, 2008, this good girl finally went for the real thing. That night, on the floor in my room, I allowed the Lover of my soul, Jesus, to love me. I accepted His love and asked Him to come into my heart. He did!

Today, this good girl isn't just good anymore. She's righteous by reason of Jesus' blood! Goodness without Christ won't get you anywhere. Allow him to love you today. Accept Jesus into your heart. Ask Him to cleanse you with His blood and make you free and whole. Don't wait till you feel you are lovable - that day will never come! Accept His grace today. He loves you just as you are. He loves you so much!

This righteous girl is Christian because she has found True Love in her Savior, Jesus!

I leave you with this verse from the song, How He Love Us by Kim Walker

He is jealous for me

Love's like a hurricane,

I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of

His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me

Never doubt that your steps are ordered!

The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].

Psalm 37:23 (Amplified Bible)

So it's that time again. The time when Mrs. Holiday is about to hand the baton over to Mr. School(Not a very happy time for many but I'm excited because I'm convinced that this semester will be amazing!). I had bought my bus ticket online the night before I was going back to school. It was from Hartford, Connecticut to Amherst, Massachusetts and was scheduled to leave Hartford at 3:30pm and arrive Amherst at 5:00pm. Most times, this journey takes around three hours due to the changeovers and stops the bus makes, so I was glad that this one would only last for an hour, thirty minutes.

I was asked to pick up my ticket at least one hour before my departure time; that meant, preferably, before 2:30pm.

My aunty had an appointment that day but surprisingly, she got back much earlier than I had expected. She suggested we leave the house at 1:30 because it was raining rather heavily and she wanted to be sure we would get to the station before 2:30. This was a rational decision that many people would have made given the prevailing conditions. Looking back however, I sense it was much more than human rationality at work. I have a feeling my Father might have caused it to rain because he knew it would get His daughter out of the house earlier than normal. My Father is a Master planner!!

I picked up my ticket at 2:10 and prepared myself for the wait. Shortly after, a man announced that there was a bus outside that was ready to leave and would be making stops at several locations, one of which was Springfield (I was to make a stop at Springfield before continuing on to Amherst). I told him I was going to Amherst and asked if I could go with the bus since it was going my way. The man nodded and said, "That's your bus".

So I got on the bus, committed the journey to God, thanking Him for getting me on an earlier bus and then I fell asleep. I woke up when we were almost at the first stop. The driver announced that we would be arriving at Hartford shortly. I was a bit puzzled; wasn't I coming from Hartford? I waited till we got to the station to see if I had heard the driver correctly- I had! Then I realized that I had taken the bus at New Haven and only just got to Hartford, which was about forty-five minutes away. That's why the ticket was so cheap! It wasn't for the whole journey. My real journey was

New Haven ->Hartford ->Springfield -> Amherst but I had mistakenly bought a ticket for Hartford ->Springfield ->Amherst instead. It was probably the bus I took from New Haven that was scheduled to leave Hartford at 3:30. So if I had waited for my 3:30 'Hartford -> Amherst' bus, I would have missed it because I would still have been in New Haven!

So even though I had the wrong ticket, my steps are so ordered by God that I got to the station at right time, got on the right bus and paid less for my journey! He paid the rest for me!!! What's more, He got me to the Amherst stop in time to get another bus that took me to my school! Glory!

I'm Christian because my Father delights in my steps so much that he busies himself planning and ordering them! I'm always in the right place at the right time! Praise God!

Child of Promise is Christian because...

So I said I was going to put up the Facebook note. Here it is:

For many years of my life, I stumbled in darkness. Sin is like a black hole, without help, one would simply sink deeper. For many years, I was in this black hole called Sin, sinking yet not wanting any help. I had grown accustomed to the darkness- I liked it! But deep within, because I had been brought up in God's Word, I knew there was something much better than darkness. I knew there was light. I knew there was Jesus -THE light. At times, I would try hard to get to the light on my own but I never could. I prayed and read my Bible, most of the time still in sin, but praying and reading the Bible alone don't save you. One night, God made me see how much darkness was around me. He opened my eyes to see the error of my ways and the emptiness of religion, which tells you that your good works can save you or that going to church, praying or reading your Bible can save you. God didn't do this to condemn me. Oh not at all!! My God loves me!! As soon as I called out to Him, He reached out and pulled me out of the hole. I needed a Savior and being the only True Savior, Jesus stepped in. His blood washed me clean of all my sins (and still does) and God put His Holy Spirit in me.

I'm Christian because God loves me. He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world, forgiving them and making it possible for everyone to be reconciled with Him. I accepted this forgiveness and so I'm reconciled with God. I'm righteous; In fact, I have been made "the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus" (2 Corinthians 5:21). I'm Christian because I love God and everyday, in His strength, I live for Him. I'm Christian because I'm saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8) and by the blood of Jesus. I'm Christian because God's Holy Spirit lives in me (1 Timothy 1:14, 2 Corinthians 1:22), loving me, directing me and keeping me (John 14:26, John 16:13). I'm Christian because "my life is hid in Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). I love Him because He first loved me (1 John 4:19).

In the place of prayer

Hi Overcomers!!

Before I go on, I'll like you to know who's in charge here. It's not me and since you didn't write this, it definitely not you! This blog is run by the Holy Spirit of the Most High God! Yours truly is only an employee- a very happy one though! He's really wonderful to work with! That you are reading this is no coincidence. Trust me, my Boss knows. He actually planned it.

Now that you know who's Boss, you can relax and keep reading.

A few weeks ago, I asked myself why I was Christian. I only got to think about it for a short while before something else caught my attention. This question must really be important because a few days later, it came knocking at my door again.

You see, that morning, I woke up with the words, "in the place of prayer" on my heart. So I sat down at my cousin's desk, armed with my Bible, my devotionals, paper and pen. I don't remember if I had begun to pray or not but the Holy Spirit brought the question up again. This time I wasn't going free. He whispered, "Write". And that's how I wrote my note on Facebook titled, "I'm Christian because...". That's where all this was birthed: in the place of prayer and by the Holy Spirit.

The note, which I'll post soon, tells about God's love that pulled me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). It's my answer to the question. With the note, I completed the sentence - I'm Christian because...

The Holy Spirit also gave me Revelation 12:11 which reads, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...". This is a movement of overcomers! By telling our testimonies, having been washed clean by the Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we have overcome the devil!

God's love is boundless! He loved us even while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). A Holy God loved us unholy, unworthy people! So He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us that through Jesus' death, we may be reconciled with Him! Then, when we were reconciled with Him, He put His Holy Spirit in us! God's Spirit is in you! Amazing! Now we are called to live victorious lives through Him that loved us (Romans 8:37)!!

This is a movement of testifiers. People who are not ashamed to say what God has brought them through, what He has delivered them from. We are not ashamed to say we are saved! We believe our God and have faith in His words and promises and so He is not ashamed to be called our God! (Hebrews 11:16).

So we are young (if not physically, then at heart) and unashamed and we shout and declare, We are Christian because...

I've done my part, do yours: Complete the sentence!

My Boss loves you and so do I,

✝ Child Of Promise♥