Clip on Love

Here's a video I made a while ago.  Hope it blesses you :)

Please leave your comments. Thank you.

One year on...a testimony from Tomi Lawal

In February last year, I started this wonderful journey. Unassuming of what would become of me, full of doubts about what was happening to me. One thing is sure though, I wanted it to happen. He must have seen my desire, and acted He acted on it. He’s just awesome, I mean, He puts the desire in me, then fills me up. That’s just love.

I won’t lie by saying it’s been all rosy, cos it hasn’t. There have been quite a few times, that I was weary, I felt like nothing was happening, I felt as if I was just stagnant, making no progress. Trust me, those were horrible times, but He held my hands up and made me rise again, stronger than I was before I fell. He became my pillar and my rock. I absolutely love you.

You took off the veil that hindered me from seeing afar off, the veil of sin that made me short sighted by expanding Your Word in my heart. Indeed, Psalm 119:130 is my testimony. You’ve thought me so many things, loved me unconditionally. Even at times when I kind of ‘ditched’ you, You did not leave me to suffer with my bad decisions. I love you!

I laugh sometimes and feel slightly embarrassed (I know I shouldn’t, but I do) when I think about the things I did when we newly began this splendid journey, but it only helps me to know how far You’ve brought me. I know I’m not even close to the heights You’ve destined for me, but I know I’m on the right track. Though, I waver sometimes, You help keep me stay on track. I treasure You!

I’ve come a long way now, and there ain’t no stopping me, I only get better, with You by my side, showing me the way to go and a heart that obeys You.

A toast to the best relationship ever..cheers!

Your Precious daughter!

           

P.S- This is also to encourage anyone who’s strayed of the Way. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. He would take you back, the question is do you want to come back? Just make sure it’s not too late before you give a reply to that question.

More on Isaiah 46

Hi all!

Thank you for your comments! I read the chapter and it seems to me like God is doing a comparison between Himself and Bel and Nebo.

1. God carries himself!
Bel and Nebo were two Babylonian gods. They were handmade, mounted by men and taken down by men.  The beginning of verse 1 states, "Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;"(ESV).
The New Living Translation puts the verse like so:

"Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, 

bow as they are lowered to the ground. 

They are being hauled away on ox carts. 

The poor beasts stagger under the weight."

These Babylonian gods had to be carried around with the people. Like you would have to do to dismount a huge statue, I imagine long ropes would have been used to pull down the gods from their places. The idols would have to come to a "stooping" or "bowing"position to be lowered and placed on beasts that would then carry them to the desired destination. I imagine that these idols were very heavy and would have put a heavy burden on the animal carrying them.
In the verse, God was saying that the gods that these people worshipped and trusted to relieve them of their burdens were themselves cripples and heavy burdens. Human hands made them, carried them and bore their burdens but God was saying, "I carry myself, thank you very much!"( Haha!)


2. God lifts your burdens! (and He doesn't bow)
Verse 2 goes on to say:

"They stoop; they bow down together; 

they cannot save the burden, 

but themselves go in captivity" (ESV)

Again, God emphasizes that Bel and Nebo themselves have to bow when they are being dismounted. They are loaded unto the animals but cannot do anything to save the poor animals from their weight. Instead, they are carried away into captivity, subject to the porters' (both human and animal) wills. 

God is saying, "These God can't save themselves, they bow! Well, I don't and Guess what? I don't weigh you down, I lift you up!" (Matthew 11:28-29 come to mind)

"Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (ESV).

3. God carries you! Don't be deceived by what you see.

Verse 3 says:                                  "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, 

all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been borne by me from before

your birth, carried from the womb;"

God is calling his people, "Listen to me. It's really easy to lump me with these other gods - Nebo and Bel - but I'M NOT LIKE THEM! I have thought about you even before you came into the world. I have known you. I have loved you and I still do" (See Jeremiah 1:5). 

God carries you! 

He promises that when you walk through the waters, He will be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you, and when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you (Isaiah 43:2).

4. God made you!

Verse 3 says that God made you. He's calling out to those "who have been borne by him". Read John Chapter 1! Verse 12 clearly states that God has given all those who believe in the name of Jesus the right to become the sons of God, children born of the will of God, your new Father! 

God created you, He loves you and He has called you! :)

5. God will always save you! (And you're never too old to be saved)

Verse 4 says:                                          "Even to your old age

I am he, and to gray hairs

I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and I will save."

God is again restating his concern for you. He has made you and He carried you even before you were born. He's also reminding you that as a responsible Father, he will carry you, even till your old age. You never grow too old for his care!

He will carry you, He will save you because He made you!

God loves you!

-Child of Promise

Isaiah 46

The following verses are from Isaiah 46 in the King James Version. Feel free to read the whole chapter and comment about anything that strikes you but we'll concentrate on verses 1 through 4. Let me know what you think!

¹Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, 
their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: 
your carriages were heavy loaden; 
they are a burden to the weary beast.


 ²They stoop, they bow down together;
they could not deliver the burden, 
but themselves are gone into captivity.


 ³Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob,
 and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
 which are borne by me from the belly, 
which are carried from the womb:


 ⁴And even to your old age I am he; 
and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: 
I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Looking forward to reading your comments!

Child of Promise :)

It's a way of life!

     I was responsible, reliable, a role model, smart, and above all, I was religious! Every mother praised me, my teachers liked me, my peers admired me, my juniors wanted to be me, and guys wanted to date me. What more could I ask for? This lady wanted more. I was born into a Christian home. All my relatives are Christians, therefore I accepted the baton of Christianity. I regarded the concept of being a  Christian as a responsibility which I was willing to undertake. I prayed on most mornings, read my Bible, and went to church every Sunday.I was living the religious life. I did all these not because I was interested in knowing God, but I felt it was compulsory, and I would be stricken by God if I disobeyed.  I deemed God to be some improbable figure who was far off, unreachable. Some big guy up in the heavens to whom I could mumble a few words in prayer. How wrong I was. 

          The first time I felt the urge to discover something much more was in my JS1. I dabbled in Islam for a couple of weeks, but was reprimanded by a cousin of mine. After that detour, I diligently persisted in reading my Bible, which I understood not, and praying with a lukewarm attitude. In my final year, I was made the President of a Christian group in school. Apparently I was found worthy of the title, and accepted it with pride. I was pleased to be considered religiously superior. I look back at those days, and all I want to do is spank my younger self for such arrogance. As the day of my graduation loomed, the urge arose in me for something more. I couldn't place my finger on it, so I was easily deceived, by some of my peers, into clubbing and dating. It was an EPIC FAIL. I became more depressed, felt the void in my spirit enlarge. I became moody and short tempered. I graduated without knowing the true love of God for me. 

          During my gap year, I came to the realization that I had been searching for a true relationship with Christ. I gave my life to Christ over and over again, but this never lasted more than a couple of days, because I kept turning back to the ways of the world. My first semester at college was my turning point. I made friends who were not Christians, and was carried away by some of their perceptions. I went to a couple of parties, but I was so disappointed by what I experienced that I declined later invitations to other parties. To God be the glory, I was invited to a particular Christian fellowship, but I made up excuses not to go. 

          On April 24th 2010 I attended one of the Christian services, due to some nudging I received in my spirit. That was it. Oh he (God) touched me!! He spoke to my heart during the sermon, and during our heartfelt prayer at the end, he revealed to me my wrong ways, but assured me that I was forgiven. I wept till I could see no more. I was overcome by his love for me. This love that I couldn't find in guys, in parties, I found in Christ who died upon the cross for my sins. His pierced hands reached out to me, and all I could do was weep and thank him. I love him because he first loved me. Now I read my Bible because I long to know him more. I pray to him because I long to be in his presence and confide in him. I am a new creature, and my old nature has passed away. Joyce Meyer once said "you can get bored with religion but you can't get bored with a relationship with God." It's not a religion, but a way of life!


---Daughter of Zion

I am with you

I would close my eyes and they would be there. I would sense the evil, the immense darkness around and with it would come a paralyzing fear. I would try to shout the name I knew saved - Jesus - but my shouts seemed muffled. In the morning, when my eyes opened, light from the sun would greet my eyes. I would look around and see that they were gone. So I came to believe they only came out at night, that they were only a reality when I shut my eyes. I would go to bed with the light on – I had faith that the light would protect me. Unfortunately, where I lived, the light didn’t always stay on - electricity was not consistent enough to be taken for granted. So there were many times that I would go to bed in the dark, knowing that shutting my eyes could either make things worse or slightly better. Either way, I felt stuck and continued to feel this way for many years. At night, going to bed was a struggle and slowly, the fear crept into the day as well. I always had to be with someone because when I was alone, I felt the fear the most. It kept me from doing so many things; from growing the way I think I should have. Like 1 John 4: 18 says, “…fear hath torment”. Someone called it “morbid fear” and probably thought I would eventually grow out of it – all children did. However, for a terribly long time, I stayed in the cage I myself had helped create by believing that there was always something waiting to attack me.

As I grew older, it bothered me that I didn’t grow out of this fear. Sometimes, it took me ages to fall asleep even though I was tired because most times, when my eyes were open, I felt safer. I prayed and cried about it but nothing seemed to change. I knew many Bible verses that talked about God being with me and not allowing any harm to come to me but none ever seemed to really work. When I seriously rededicated my life to God, every thing in my life improved noticeably, every thing but the fear I felt. At a point, I almost believed the lie that this fear was my “thorn in the flesh”, as Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 12:7, that would not go away. Thank God I knew better than to believe God would keep me in fear to show me His grace was sufficient. Why would He want me fearful when so many times in the Bible He says to “Fear not”? So I continued to wait for the day I would be free of this torment but that day never seemed to come. I wish I had known, really known, that Jesus had already set me free!

I meditated more on the passages that talked about God’s continual presence with me. And as they went deeper into my spirit and I really began to believe them, the fear gradually subsided. Still, there were times I would feel overwhelming fear and would cry because at those times, the Bible verses didn’t seem to work. Through it all, God held my hand. In Psalm 139, David says,

⁷ Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?

⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea

¹⁰Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

He brought me to a place where I began to learn about His love. I began to see Him as my Father. I thought of my earthly father and how he did everything in his power to make sure I was comfortable and safe. Then I thought of God, my Father, the Father to my father. If my earthly father would do everything to keep me safe, then how much more would God? It boiled down to really knowing that God’s love for me was real and that if He had promised to keep me, He would.

1 John 4:18 - 19 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us”.

God loved us first with a perfect love and when we come to know Him, our love for Him develops and grows unto perfection. As we walk with Him and he shows Himself, time and time again, to be faithful, we trust Him more. As our love for Him becomes perfect, fear is kicked out because we know that He who has called us, is faithful to keep us.

So when fear threatens to come, the Holy Spirit faithfully whispers, “I am with you”. I nod knowingly and shut my eyes because God’s Word says, “…for so he giveth his beloved sleep”.

I am the beloved of God and have overcome fear with the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. Thank you Father!

These Bible verses really minister to me: Psalm 127:2; 2 Timothy 1:7; Luke 10:19; Isaiah 54:15, 17; Psalm 91.

Hurricane

It came down, missing my head by an inch or so. I looked up at the place the ceiling board once was. What was happening? Then it started.

I am jealous for you

What?! The wind began to hit the walls of my house. So strong were they that the floor beneath me seemed to shift. I grabbed the sofa behind me. What was this? The strong wind hit the house again and I lost my grip.

I am jealous for you

There it was again. What was that about? The wind hit again and I found myself bending over on the floor, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then I heard it again. Who was that? This definitely was not the time for pranks. My house was falling apart and someone was obviously having fun.

Another ceiling board fell, then another. I screamed. I had heard about winds like this. I think they were called… Something startled me. I screamed as a hole in the wall formed. I looked through the hole and saw nothing.

I am jealous for you

What was this about? Who was jealous for me? What did I have that the person wanted? Why should anyone be jealous of me? I had nothing! Then again I had heard “jealous for” and not “ jealous of”. I stopped to analyze – I was good at that – but the wind hit again and this time, I felt the foundation of the house shake – really shake.

My love is a…

Hurricane, I completed. Yes, that’s what people called these things – hurricanes. Why hadn’t anyone told me anything? No one had called for an evacuation. Who was in charge of emergency evacuations? Irresponsibility! I could taste the gall in my mouth. I despised irresponsibility. Now, I was going to die because of irresponsibility that was not mine. The sound of the roof coming off stopped my thoughts in their tracks. I ran to my bedroom. I should get out of the house. I grabbed my bag and stuffed a few things into it. I thought of the house – my house. I was almost done with the payments. Now, the house would be gone in a few hours. I ran to the door and surprisingly, it opened easily.

My love is a hurricane.

This was getting rather disturbing. I looked at my house when I got out. It was a mess! I looked at the houses around me. They too looked like they had survived strong winds but then, they had always looked that way. The houses were old and had clearly had more than their fair share of use. Apart from the usual broken windowpanes and holes in the walls, blocked crudely from the inside, they looked normal. I looked back at my house. I had always taken pride in my house because it looked so beautiful beside those old houses. Now, it looked worse than they did. This was either a sick joke or a bad dream. I fumbled in my bag for my car keys as I ran towards my car. I got in and started the engine, wishing it would pick up faster than it was. That’s what you get for asking your neighbor to fix your car instead of getting it professionally serviced. I tried again and this time it picked up. I drove off as fast as I could, wanting nothing more than to be out of that place or to wake from this dream. I was sweating and the car felt stuffy. So I let some air in the car.

My love is a hurricane

The car windows went back up. I would rather suffer near-suffocation than hear that voice in the wind. What? I caught myself. Now there was a voice in the wind?! I had lost my voice and my sanity in the same hour! Wow, lovely day!

After some miles of driving, I stopped to get some gas for my car and some water for my throat. As I walked out of the shop at the gas station towards my car, I saw it - felt it. I started to run but not towards my car. I just ran.

My love is a hurricane

I felt my hair go up and felt the wind on my bare arms. I thought this was over. I ran as hard as I could, looking for a refuge of some sort. The only thing I saw was an old-looking shack, a few meters away. I ran towards it, feeling the wind getting stronger behind me. I got in and latched the door. How was this shack to protect me from this wind that had driven me out of my house? I lurched over to the other side as the wind hit the shack. This was it! I began to cry. I had dreams – big dreams. This was not how I was meant to die. There were still things I had not done.

I am jealous for you

My love is a hurricane

The words came like they were from within the shack – loud and clear. Who are you?!

Jesus

What do you want with me?

I love you

Then why did you destroy my house? Why are you following me around? I have nothing you want - trust me!

And the wind began to talk; the voice in the wind spoke. It told me about my house; that the beauty and order on the outside only concealed the disorder on the inside. How did Jesus know this? Not only was my house not doing well on the inside, its foundation was weak. I had suspected something was wrong and had called someone in to check it. The person confirmed my suspicion and offered to fix it. He did fix it but the fix lasted only a short while. After him, others came, promising to fix my house, fixing it - but never a lasting fix. There were a lot of things I did that I should not have done. For the most part, my house’s weakness was both own doing and my undoing. A deep sense of regret washed over me.

I am jealous for you

It stopped my thoughts again. What did He mean? He told me that he loved me – had always loved me, would always love me. He said that he had built my house and His heart bled every time I called someone else in to fix it. He knew the house more than anyone- even more than I did. As He spoke with such love, I became ashamed. I had wrecked this house so loved by Jesus- wrecked it maybe beyond repair.

My love is a hurricane

How could love be like a hurricane? How? When it comes, He explained, you are not expecting it. You can’t adequately prepare for it because you don’t really understand it. But when it comes, you know it - you feel it - because you are in it.

I began to weep. I really did not deserve this love. I had wrecked my house myself – I had wrecked myself beyond repair. I had done things no one should ever do, wrecking myself as a result.

Shhhhh

I felt the wind hush me. I love you, I heard. I made you and I know how to build you again. I can make you new. That’s why my love is a hurricane. It rips out those substandard roofs and rusty bolts; those things you used to patch the holes up. It takes out those things that you think hold your life together but really only weaken you. It exposes you, so you can feel and know, really know, that I love you! My love overwhelms you and shows you that I’m the only one that can make you new; that I’m the only one that can truly hold you together. You only have to let me.

For a long time, I heard nothing. I still heard the wind, but the voice was silent.

Let me…

Jesus was asking me for permission? I thought of my house - the broken floorboards and windowpanes. I thought of me – of all my flaws, all my brokenness. Yes! I wanted to be new; I wanted to be whole. But was He the One?

Only I can…

So I said yes! I asked Jesus to come into my heart- to fix my house. As soon as I did, I wanted nothing more than to get out of the shack – the restrictions. I felt for the latch on the door and opened the door gently. I looked out and then, the first wave hit me. I fell to my knees and broke out in tears! Then the second wave hit and I found myself on my face. Ah! the bliss! I got up and walked away from the shack, farther and farther away into the wind. I felt newness and life course through my body, through my heart. As wave after wave hit me, I felt even lighter until I felt like my feet were no longer on the ground – I was floating! Every other sound faded except that of the voice in the wind, except Jesus’ voice.

I love you

I have made you new

I love you

I always will

For a long time, I wanted to stay in the wind; to savor the love and peace I felt. And savor it I did!

I was back on my feet again, as I walked back to my car. On my way, I saw a tree bending under the wind. I smiled- that was me. So I sang,

He is jealous for me

He loves like a hurricane

I am a tree, bending beneath the weight

Of His wind and mercy

Jesus is jealous for me. He loves me too much to let anything harm me or take me away from Him. His love is a magnet that keeps me attached to Him.

I love Him because He first loved me.

Religion vs. Relationship

I grew up thinking God was this big guy up there, looking down on us from His throne in heaven. I grew up thinking He was a very difficult person to please and that at the slightest mistake, He would reach down and punish me. So I grew up wanting to please God, not really because I wanted to please God but because I didn’t want to get punished for doing something wrong. So I strove to do all the right things. I went to church, read my Bible, prayed and tried my best to be a good child. By doing all these things, I would always be in God’s good books, or so I thought. As it turns out, this was all religion!

There comes a time when you get tired of doing everything you are told. You get tired of doing all the ‘right’ things and being ‘good’ all the time. So you decide that from that time on, you would do things differently- you would do what you please and in your own time too. So you embark on a journey. This time, it is your journey and you make your own rules. You are excited and you look forward to all the wonderful experiences this journey has to offer. On the way, you meet many people, each different and unique but all like you- searching. These people make your trip more exciting. They add adventure and excitement to the monotony of the undulating road. They are wonderful, you think to yourself, until you realize that a few miles behind, they had taken a detour. Then you realize that you are actually alone. You search for the next fellow traveler but can see none in sight. You sigh, you have acquired so much along the way and your bags are getting heavy- really heavy. You really need someone to help. You won’t really mind anyone, even if the person is all dusty and dirty looking, you say in your mind. You carry on like this for miles. You pass a young lady sitting by the roadside. She smiles at you, you smile back. You wish she would offer to help you but there’s so much worry on her face. You look closely and notice all the bags around her. You realize she’s just like you, with her bags to worry about.

You meet yet another person on the way. The person looks your way but there’s so much going on around that all he can offer is his fleeting glance. So you continue, telling yourself, as you pass by different people all with their own bags, that no one will come to help you. Something beside you suddenly catches your attention. You move your bags around to get a better look. There’s someone beside you and from the looks of his shoes, he’s been walking for a long time, maybe even as long as you have. Apart from his dusty shoes, he looks okay but unlike everyone else you have met, he’s not carrying anything. So you ask him where all his bags are. He smiles and asks to help you carry yours. You are skeptical; maybe he’s a thief. Again, you ask him where his things are and he simply asks to carry yours. You are suspicious, so you keep moving, dragging your bags along with you. Funny enough, this guy keeps walking alongside you. You begin to wonder why this man hasn’t left you. You glance occasionally at him and every time, he catches your glance and reaches out signaling that he wants to help with your bags. Each time, you hold on tighter to your bags; he smiles and keeps walking. Soon enough, you get tired. Seeing your fatigue, he offers again to help you out. This time you agree. He picks up the first bag with ease and then the next one. There are still a couple of your bags on the floor but your shoelace is undone and you bend to tie it. When you get up, you notice that this man has carried all your bags. You wonder how he can still stand upright with all the bags he is carrying. You ask him to give a few to you to carry but he says he can carry them all. From what you can see, he’s telling the truth. So you carry on, grateful for this stranger carrying your bags. You ask for his name and he’s surprised that you don’t know. He says you grew up with him and that as you converse, his name would come back to you. The conversation carries on and you find out that he is an artist, a king, a shepherd, a lover and a friend. You wonder how anyone can be so many things at once. You don’t ask. You find the way he talks rather romantic, but you just met this stranger so your guards are up. He seems more interested in talking about you than about himself and begins to ask about the places you have visited on your journey. You tell him of all the wonderful places you have been and your souvenirs. You decide to rest and use the opportunity to show him all your souvenirs. As you rummage through one of your bags, something falls out. You had not intended to show anyone, let alone a stranger, what fell out so you quickly put it back in the bag. You finally find what you were looking for and turn around to show him. From the first look, you know he knows! He had seen what had fallen out. You try to explain yourself but your words are jumbled up and tears flow down your cheeks. You have no words, only tears, but as you look into this man’s eyes, you are surprised. Where you expected to see condemnation and disgust, there was love- a deep river of love. He opens his arms and strangely enough, you want nothing more than to be in this stranger’s arms. So you walk closer to him, into his arms and you cry. Tears of shame and disgrace roll down your cheeks but he holds you tighter, wiping them away and whispering in your ear. You can’t really hear what his saying but the warmth in his arms is amazing. It calms you until you are ready to walk again.

After a while, you realize that he is one bag short. When you ask him about it, he tells you he dropped a bag along the way- you didn’t need it. You start to protest but restrain yourself- he is right. You don’t need anything in that bag. So you keep walking and several times, you break down because of something in one of your bags. Each time, this man takes you in his arms and hugs you until you are ready to walk again. Every time this happens, he drops a bag. As you continue to talk, you realize that you might actually know this man; parts of his name begin to come to you. At a point, you stop; the man has no bags left! He smiles at you and hugs you like he always had, whispering in your ear. This time, you hear clearly: I love you. The warmth from his voice fills your heart and tears roll down your cheeks. This time they are tears of gratitude, tears of love. You remember where you were before this man came along, the tears and hugs along the way. You love this man! This man is no longer a stranger to you but you still don’t know his name. Your head still on his chest, you ask him for his name. He replies, Jesus. You are amazed! You had heard about this man before. You had heard stories about him from people and from the Bible. Surely, this couldn’t be the same man. Jesus explains that those Bible stories you had grown up hearing were true. They spoke of Him as the Greatest Lover. He tells you that when you read your Bible and prayed and when you didn’t, He loved you. When you were ‘good’ and when you weren’t, He still loved you. He explains to you that He wasn’t looking for Bible-readers or churchgoers. He was looking for friends.

So as I pick my Bible up today, I’m excited. Not because I would have a star beside my name in God’s book but because I can’t wait to hear what my Lover has to say. When I pray, I don’t do it because praying makes me good. I do it because Jesus and I are walking down that dusty road together, hand in hand, conversing. The best part is, I’m not the only one talking. All the while, he says to me, I love you, friend. As it turns out, that’s all relationship!

Are you ready to let Him carry your bags? If you are, please say the prayer on the right and give all your bags to Him.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

(Matthew 11:28-30, Message Bible)