Author: Vanessa Moonkie

Hey family! We are exactly two days away from Yielded Blog’s second birthday. I know I promised a Zoom party, but I think I’ll just get a cake and praise the Lord instead. I’ve written over 600 posts so I sure deserve a cake. Two years ago at this time, I was still doubting whether I should go ahead with this vision. The decision to start, although this platform does not pay me anything, has opened doors to many other things, including relationships. Some of these connections have changed my life in ways I never imagined. If you’d like to give and celebrate YC with me, please use the details below. Any amount will be greatly appreciated, and if you cannot give, please tell someone about Yielded. Partner with me to spread the word and grow this platform.

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Let’s talk about occupying through relationships. Once you hear the word relationships, people are quick to think of lover boy and lover girl LOL, but I’m talking about relationships in general. I have already shared that this very blog has connected me with so many people, people I would have never been able to speak to had it not been for the purpose of this blog. Now I am in relationship with them, and I am telling you, I am occupying. Relationships can open doors for you, they can limit you, they can help you grow or make you a dull axe, they can move you forward or keep you stagnated. The issue of relationships is no joke at all.

In the story of Joseph in the Bible, do you realise that his family would have never occupied Goshen or received favour with Pharaoh if they knew no man? Joseph was their ticket to the land. Joseph was the man they were related to who was relating to Pharaoh. Note the difference. Goshen was only free to those who knew Joseph. You could know another man in Egypt and that was fine, but when it came to staying in Goshen, you needed Joseph. Otherwise, Jacob, his sons, and all their livestock would have had to return to Canaan. They needed Joseph in order to occupy, and Joseph himself was aware of it.

Who are you in relationship with? Let’s even start with romantic relationships, who do you know, and who knows you? You may be like the man at the pool of Bethesda. How many years did he stay there? Thirty-eight years. Why? Because he knew no man. No man often means no help, because God uses people to help us. No man many times means no occupying, because the land already belongs to someone. You can be in one place for many years until just one person shows up and says, “I have the key, let’s go.”

This calls for wisdom in nurturing relationships. You must learn how to apologise. “Sorry” is not an apology. “I am sorry” is muuuuuuch better. “Hi, I need help with,” is not how relationships work. “Hello, how are you?” is a better place to start. Wait for a response. Care about how they are before introducing your troubles. For some of us, the issue is not that we don’t know people, it’s keeping them. You cheat on women God gives you to marry, and they leave, yet one of them could have helped your destiny. You cut off people every year and call everything toxic.

Some of the relationships we call toxic are simply the ones that confront us, and we hate correction. People leave churches over silly things, yet pray for godly friends. Where will they come from? The trees? Some people can’t even give. You cannot take money and buy a gift for someone who is always buying for you, and people notice these things. You miss birthdays, anniversaries, and do not send condolences when people lose loved ones, but you want to occupy? Na lie.

Even Jesus needed a man. Simon of Cyrene had the connections that allowed Jesus’ body to be buried in a tomb that was paid for. Relationships mattered even then. If the only time people hear from you is when you need something, they already know. Trust me, those people already know. That pause before answering your call is because they know why you are calling. You are not a celebrity, and even celebrities die alone when they cut off community. You cannot thank people for being there for you, not even your pastors. Yes, God called them, but entitlement must die. Some people say, “I’m not a friends person,” but how will you occupy? You don’t know Pharaoh, you don’t know anyone, and you say God will help you, you’re funny.

The Bible says, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Pastor Dolapo in one of his podcasts said, “If you only have favour with God, people can still say no, even when Jesus has said yes, because free will has been given to us all.” Saying, “I don’t care if nobody likes me,” is dangerous. Not everyone will like you, but someone must. That is one of the ways we occupy. You may enter a place, but because you cannot nurture relationships, they remove you and replace you.

This is serious. Mary needed Joseph. Lazarus needed Jesus. Martha could host Jesus because they nurtured relationship. She even got busy. Who have you ever been busy for? Everyone’s busy for you? No, that must change. Respect your parents, they are not your age mates. Respect your siblings. All I came to say is, Goshen is not a by-force situation. In Goshen, you must know Joseph, who knows Pharaoh, and that is how you will occupy. May this word help you.

🌸I love you🌸

A couple of days ago, I went on a retreat with a friend of mine. We were praying at different sheds, spending time alone with God. Later, when we came together to share what the Lord had laid on our hearts and what we were praying about, to our wowses we realised we had been praying the exact same prayer point. What was it?

“Lord, make me a wise woman.”

I have seen how wisdom brings men into palaces, into rooms and spaces they never imagined they would ever enter. Wisdom has a sound, a weight, a clarity. You can tell when someone is speaking by the wisdom of God. It is evident. Solomon was not just any other king. No. Other kings sent people to come and listen to this king. Why? Because he had something they did not. There was a uniqueness to his throne. He wasn’t an ordinary king doing ordinary things, he was wise. Solomon was a king among kings, yet he stood out. And that was how he occupied.

The Bible says:

“And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.”
1 Kings 4:34 (KJV)

Do you want to speak like all speakers? Write like all writers? Lead like all leaders? Even if you want it, I refuse that for you. The wisdom of God must rest upon us and believe me, it is not limited. We can all take a share and still be unique. You have to be wise. This is not optional. Wherever and however you occupy, you will need wisdom to remain the occupant. You do know that you can occupy a place and still be kicked out, right? We see this in governments all the time. You are not president forever unless you are a tyrant or you rig votes (which many of them do). That is not occupying through wisdom by the way, that’s force, greed and whatever.

The truth is, you can be removed from the very place you celebrated entering. Wisdom helps you secure your seat. Why? Because people will need you there. You carry solutions. You know what to do. Wisdom makes people plead with you, “Please stay. Keep the chair. Keep the spot.” There will be a demand for your gift because you do it differently. This year, you must occupy through wisdom.

And the Bible tells us,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)

That is the starting point. Step one. So if you are planning to carry the spirit of wisdom without step one, then by definition you are not wise. Wise people know to start counting from one, not ninetynine. “Lord, make me wise at work.”
Okay, but do you fear the Lord? How do you put on a hat and earrings before you put on your clothes? How do you put on clothes before you bathe? There is an order. Go with the steps this year. Ask yourself, “Do I fear the Lord? Do I obey Him? Do I love this God I am asking for wisdom from? Do I honor Him? I want Him to help me occupy but do I even walk with Him?

The Bible also says that wisdom is not hiding from you. She is calling out,

“Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets.”
Proverbs 1:20 (KJV)

I came with KJV today hehe. Elabashantaaaaaaa. Wisdom is already calling. She is begging you to receive her, for your business, your career, your calling, whatever you are doing. Wisdom is saying, “I can help you occupy.” Why occupy with foolishness and clumsiness when we can be wise and offer the world solutions it has never seen before?
Just like Solomon.

Even the Queen of Sheba, a whole queen with her own palace left her home and traveled to meet him. Not because he was wealthy. But because he was wise. “Who is this man? Why is he so wise? Let me go and hear him.” The bible says she was WOWED! Wisdom is not just in beautifully crafted words , it’s also in action , the bible says she saw for herself that naaaah this man na Wizkid. I’m joking 😂

Your audience may not be drawn to you by flashy clothes. They may come because of the wisdom you carry. How did Solomon get this wisdom? He asked God. Yet today, we ask robots for wisdom. They can give you information but wisdom? Forget it. We live in an information, obsessed society. Many people have information but the one who pairs information with wisdom will always be superior.

So what’s your choice?
To be wise or to be like everyone else? How will you occupy? I love you. See you tomorrow. Think about these things. How will you occupy?

I love you again.

Happy New Year once again, Yielded Family. What an honour it is to serve you again in yet another year. This year’s theme is Occupy Till I Come. You must occupy. I must occupy. We must occupy. I am excited to see what we will all look like at the end of this year.

When you look at different translations of this verse, you’ll notice that some writers use phrases like “Do business until I come” or “Trade with this until I come.” This already opens our eyes to this truth, to occupy, you must have something to work with.You don’t just get into any house and claim it. If that were the case, my friends know exactly where I would have claimed my house, Aspen Hills! I’m sure some of my friends would’ve claimed Bentleys and more. But you don’t claim, you occupy.

And this is where we need to talk about the claiming mentality of this generation.Listen to me carefully, my beloveds, “I tap into this, I tap into that” is not how you occupy. Yes, we release our faith. Yes, we believe God for testimonies. But tapping is not going to do the work for you. Am I against yareshing? No. I yaresh too.

(Yaresh means to take possession, to inherit.) But if you yaresh and then go and sleep, you will not get anything. You will just be saying the words and see no manifestation. To occupy, you don’t just tap into something. You must have:

• a plan,

• a mindset, and

• action steps.

“I like Apostle Felix’s ministry, I tap!”You will live and die without ever building anything like it, because to occupy is not to wish. It is not to fantasise. It is to DO. To occupy is to take up space but you don’t take up space by just claiming it. You must have money to buy the house. You must have a strategy and an action plan to build a ministry like so-and-so’s.

You have to wake up from the wishy-washy mentality. You cannot occupy with nothing. Even the master in the parable gave them ten pounds.He gave them gifts.He gave them resources.He gave them something to use while he was away. So the question is: what do you have? And your answer cannot be “nothing.”

One of the major reasons our generation remains stuck unable to break cycles is the mind. Our mindsets are crippling. You hear some people talk and you want to knock their head  so they can wake up.  Some people genuinely believe that God gave them nothing. They actually believe that! But nobody is born empty-handed. You are not empty, you are undiscovered. It took me many, many years to finally publish a book.

Was the book always inside me? Yes.Was I aware of it? No. I used to think God had to first give me money. I thought money was the only way to occupy. And yes, money is one way but it is not the only way. You can occupy with your gifts. You can occupy with your talents. This is not only about money. People make money through the use of their gifts and that is how they occupy. This year, you must put the gift to work.

If you can sew clothes, occupy.

If you can sing, occupy.

If you can write, occupy.

Do business and occupy.

Start doing.

Right now, nobody knows you anywhere, yet you are carrying an incredible gift. Why hasn’t it produced yet? Because you are waiting for money. But hear this clearly, money comes where there is value.You don’t use money to get the gift moving.You use the gift to get the money.Not the other way around.

Let’s continue tomorrow. Today was simply an introduction to what we will be focusing on this year. And remember, it’s not wishes or fantasies that produce results. That Pinterest board will remain exactly where it is until you put in the work. Occupy.

I love you guys.