Author: Vanessa Moonkie

•Faith-filled🌼 •Love-driven🌺 •Spirit-led🌸
Heyyyyyyy ! I am V OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. Welcome to the Yielded Center. Through my reflections on faith, my meditations on scripture and intimacy with Holy Spirit, l aim to inspire my readers to cultivate an authentic transformative walk with God. We yield by living a spirit led life.
Do you desire this? Then keep showing up here and let’s get practical.
And hey, God loves you. 💞 [ We laugh and love here]

The Overcoming Believer

Who do you have?

“The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” John 5:7 (KJV)

Some of you replied to that title from yesterday saying, “I’ll be your man,” while another said, “You’d have a man if you didn’t reject me.” You people are hilarious, l think. One day I’m going to organise a stand-up comedy show just for you because the talent is clearly there. Please don’t sit on your gifts, guys. 😂 Anyway, let’s stay on the actual topic. My man will come oooo! Be praying there. Okay, sharp.

The conversation between Jesus and the man at the Pool of Bethesda is quite interesting. When Jesus offers to help him, the man responds, “I have no man.” Honestly, I understand where he was coming from, and I’ll tell you why. I totally get him. I don’t know about those who grew up with a silver spoon and never really had to struggle, I thank God for you. But for those who have endured hardship, you can genuinely find yourself with no one to help.

Some people are truly alone in this big world. No one checks in on them, no one offers support, and no one has ever done anything significant to ease their burden. Many people I’ve counselled have told me they feel invisible. That is heartbreaking because every single one of us deserves to be seen, to be loved, and to be considered.

I like that the man was well aware of his situation. Some of us don’t even realise that we actually have no man. We think all these people surrounding us will really show up when we need them most, but time and again we’re disappointed because they keep proving us wrong. I remember a season when my life became so busy with people texting me every hour, for prayer, for advice, for this and for that and I was always available for them.

When I was going through one of the hardest seasons of my own life, you would find one person, or sometimes no one, there for me. Do you know how heartbreaking that is? Some would even message me without first asking how I was. They would simply say, “Hey V, please pray for me. I’m going through ABC.” No “How are you?” No checking in. What if in the hospital? God forbid but what if I’m not okay at all? Would it hurt to check in first?

When something happened in their lives, guess who was always available? Me. And I would be, because I genuinely love them. The truth is, they had me, while I had no man. So I relate to the man at Bethesda. Sometimes we have people around us during our joyful seasons, but when life gets difficult, they all know you’re at Bethesda. They know you need help getting into the pool, yet they never come. It’s a very sad reality. Even sadder for some of us whom people always assume are okay. I don’t know who started that rumour about me, but it seems almost automatic that people think, “Ah, she’s always okay.” Well, that’s a lie.

Another interesting thing about this man is that he recognised his need for people . There’s a misguided group of people who believe they need nobody that they’re perfectly fine “on their own.” They’ll even say, “As long as I have God, I’m good.” Some go as far as making up quotes that God never said, “This year God said, ‘My daughter, I will make you strong by cutting everyone off.’” Really? When did God say that? Or did you find that on Pinterest to justify whatever emotions you’re feeling?

People isolate themselves from the church, from community, and from the very help God often provides through others.You need people, my friend. This whole “I’m a rock. I’m strong. I don’t need anyone” mindset has to stop. Some of us have become so ‘strong’ that no one can even be there for us. Strong to a fault. Some of us of us is me, by the way. We wear independence like a badge of honour, yet in doing so, we rob ourselves of the beauty of receiving love, support and help from others.

Whether we like it or not, God created us for community. Actually you must like it o. We need people. Let me ask you a question, who do you have? I’m not talking about the people who simply laugh with you, but the ones who cry with you too. Who can you text or call in the day of adversity? While you’re busy holding everyone else’s hand, who holds yours? One of my pastors recently asked me that question, and today I’m asking you. Who has your back?

Who can you call when you need help with something, and even if they can’t help, they would at least answer your call? Who can you say to, “I’m going through ABC. The pool has been stirred, and I need help getting in. Can you help me?” Who helps you? By the way, I’m not trying to stir up emotions for the sake of it. I’m also not talking to people who don’t know how to nurture relationships those who mistreated the very people God placed in their lives and then wonder why no one is there for them. I’m not talking to you.

I’m talking to those who have genuinely done their part, who have loved, served, shown up, and yet somehow are forgotten when they need someone. I’m talking to those who can’t even think of one person in their own family who intentionally checks in on them, not even their own parents or siblings. Who is in your corner? Who is on your side? Who can be trusted to bandage your wounds on a day when life has left you bleeding? Think about these questions carefully. They may reveal the difference between those who are truly your friends and those who are simply acquaintances.

We will continue tomorrow.

If you read my blogs but have never met this Wonderful Jesus that I’m always writing about, you’d love to get to know Him, Or you know The Lord but have found yourself drifting far from Him, I would love to talk with you. Please send me an email on yieldedcwcenter@gmail.com or simply comment, and I will reach out to you

The Overcoming Believer

I have no man

“The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” — John 5:7 (KJV)

Happy New Week, Yielded People! I trust you all had a great weekend and went to church. Can I share something with you? Many Christians have adopted the world’s mindset that resists leadership and correction, yet when we look at God’s Word and His Kingdom, we see that leadership and submission to godly authority are foundational principles. Standard procedure. God Himself established the structure of the Church, placing believers under the care of shepherds.

We can have opinions and make excuses, but the same God whose promises we believe is the same God who commands us not to neglect gathering with other believers. The standard we hold pastors to in obeying God’s Word is the same standard we should hold ourselves to. Stop arguing with the Word. Go to church. Be submitted somewhere. Be part of a Christian community. A word is enough for the wise, these are wooorrrdssss so it’s more than enough! Now, let’s get into this week’s business.

The Bible gives us a very interesting story of a man who was lame. It doesn’t tell us how old he was, but it does tell us how long he had been lame, thirty-eight years.This suggests that he wasn’t born lame, (please do your research as this is just my personal revelation) He must’ve became lame at some point in his life. I often wonder at what age it happened, but either way, he had to adjust to the life of a lame man. That’s my first observation.

This was someone who had once been functioning normally until tragedy struck. Much like Job, everything can seem to be going well until life suddenly changes. Perhaps you lose your parents and life becomes unstable, or your spouse begins to change, and you find yourself adjusting to a life of pain. From one experience to another, I’ve learned that adjusting is never easy, especially when the circumstances forcing the adjustment are painful. What did you have to adjust to?

Was it learning to live without a friend you had grown so close to? Was it loss? Was it losing a job and going from being constantly busy to not knowing where your next income would come from? Was it divorce? What happened to you that forced you to adjust to a new reality? I have a few stories of my own where life suddenly changed, and I had to adjust. Ehhh. This man went from living as a healthy man to living as a lame man. Others go from being happily married to divorced, from being financially secure to struggling to make ends meet.

The years begin to count, one year, five years, ten years, until thirty-eight years have passed. You cry until you can’t anymore. Your hope is crushed so your heart becomes sick. Thirty-eight years is enough time for someone to have graduated from university, built a career, gotten married, and perhaps even raised three or four children but this man had none of that. He missed out on what many would consider the normal unfolding of life. Some of us know exactly what that feels like. You can see yourself in this particular blog.

Misfortune can keep you in one place. A season of being “lame” can leave you unable to walk, unable to progress, unable to move forward, unable to achieve, unable to do what you know you’re capable of, and unable to live the life you once imagined. Can you imagine how he must have felt sitting there day after day? We often talk about mental health, but what do you think his mental health was like? One of the greatest tragedies of prison is confinement, the lack of freedom, the inability to see beyond your very small surroundings, the limited space, the constant feeling of being trapped. It affects the mind. I promise you, it does.

In many ways, this man was living in his own prison. Every day he sat in the same place. What was he thinking? How was he feeling? Did he still believe that one day his life would change, or had hope slowly slipped away? Ok what about you? Do you believe your life can change? Is that something you genuinely expect, or have you adjusted to where you are & built a life around it. More importantly, how is your mind? How are you really coping? I hope you are doing well

So here we are, thirty-eight years of being single. Kai! “My lord please I’m tired about this!” Thirty-eight years of struggling. Thirty-eight years with what feels like no testimony. You watch others receive the very breakthrough you’ve been praying for, and somewhere along the way you’ve concluded that God doesn’t care about you or that He has forgotten you. I was watching a video about God on social media, and as I read the comments, one man’s words broke my heart.
He said,

 “I have loved God all my life. I am a good man. I was raised in church, but in one year my mom died, then my sister, then my dad all within two months. I cried so much, thinking, if I were God, I’d have done better. Nevertheless, I still believe.”

I could see that those words came from deep pain. I’ve also heard people say, “God has favourites,” or, “Maybe I’m not on God’s list for 2026.” People of God, be careful not to build your theology on pain. Don’t camp in statements that are not rooted in Scripture, especially when your tragedy may not even have been sent by God as a test. Pain has a way of making us think and say things we would never have considered otherwise.

What words have you spoken out of pain? Or perhaps you’ve never said them aloud, but you’ve thought them in your heart. How do you think Job felt as he looked at his friends? They still had their health, their children, and their wealth, while he was the only one carrying such overwhelming loss. Yho! At the Pool of Bethesda, this man may have watched countless others come and go while he remained there for thirty-eight years. That’s what happens at Bethesda, some breakthrough first, some stay longer.

As l wrap up, I want to remind you of this, God has not forgotten about you. No matter how painful your story is or how long you’ve been waiting, I know this to be true, God is faithful. Today, Family, let’s hold tightly to that truth God is faithful. Your God is faithful. My God is faithful. Our God is faithful. Funny enough, I had planned to write about something completely different today, but I suppose God wanted this to be the message instead. I love you. Let’s continue tomorrow.

The Overcoming Believer

Waiting

Are you waiting on the Lord for something?

At some point, we all have to wait for something. We wait to be born, you don’t just decide, “I want to be born on this particular day.” As children and teenagers, we wait to become spouses and parents because it’s just not the right time. Then, as we grow older, we discover there’s even more to wait for. Personally, I think waiting is one of the hardest things to do as a believer. Can I be honest with you? I hate waiting.

I was listening to a sermon, and the man of God said that often, in waiting, God is silent. It’s one thing for Him to be silent when you’re trying to choose between two jobs; it’s another for Him to be silent in the middle of pain. To wait in pain. To wait in uncertainty. To wait in tribulation. Some situations don’t get better with time they get worse. Some things hurt so deeply that enduring them for just one more day can feel like it might wreck your faith. Has God ever been silent to you? Can I be honest again, like, double honesty? He has. And oh boy, did I cry. I crewwww.

Let’s talk about Jesus. His ministry began when He was thirty years old, which means that from the age of twelve, when He was found in the temple, until He turned thirty, He was waiting. We don’t hear much about those years. We’re not told what He was doing only that He appears years later to begin His ministry. If you’ve walked with God for any length of time, you’ll know that God doesn’t send you into an assignment He hasn’t first prepared you for. He prepares you before He releases you.

So Jesus must have been in preparation, and only God knows what it took for Him to reach that starting point at thirty. How old are you? Do you feel like you’ve waited too long? Do you feel exhausted and sick at heart because God hasn’t opened that door? Jesus went through a season of waiting too. Let me ask you something bredreeen, if that door had opened last year when you wanted it to, would you really have been ready? If your wife had come in 2024 as you hoped, would you still be married today? Would you have had the capacity to lead a home? See? God knows best.

I had to be honest with myself in the waiting. As painful as it is to wait, we are far better off being prepared for what we’re praying for than receiving it before we’re ready. Another thing I’ve learned is that our waiting seasons are different. Some people wait for a short time because that’s the perfect training for their destiny. Others wait much longer because that’s what’s necessary for theirs. So we can’t generalise. We can’t compare. We can’t compete.

You don’t prepare a Jesus ministry the same way you prepare a Jonah ministry. You don’t prepare Esther like Ruth because, with Boaz, there was no competition, Ruth was his only choice. But King Xerxes had many women before him, and God said, “No, I will make Esther stand out from the rest.”

Even two close friends won’t have the same journey or experience waiting in the same way. A pregnant woman doesn’t wait like a pregnant elephant. Both are waiting, but both carry different destinies with different capacities. They may share the experience of waiting, but they are not the same. You are not carrying anyone else’s destiny but your own, so you must learn to wait well, for your own sake.

Another thing about waiting is that we’re not privy to knowing how long we’ll have to wait, and I think that’s where much of the pain comes from, not knowing. Abraham and Sarah were given a promise, just as many of us have received a prophetic word, but they had to wait for it until the angel came and said, “Next year.” They held on to that promise until they were given a date. Maybe you’ve been waiting for ten years and you’re beginning to lose faith. Wait. The date will soon be given.

Maybe you’ve been knocking on the same door for so long that even your knuckles hurt. You’re about to turn back and give up. Wait. I feel like I’ve been sent to tell you today to wait. I actually feel quite different writing this particular blog. I genuinely sense that God wants someone to know that the date will be released sooner than you think. I know hope deferred makes the heart sick. I know your heart is growing sicker by the day. But darling, why give up now?

Why give up when you’re already in the palace courts, Esther? Why not wait for the King to call for you? “But Vanessa, when will it be?” Can I be honest with you, like triple honest now? I don’t know. I really don’t know when God will do it for you. I doubt anyone knows but Him. All I’m saying is this: Ishmael is not the promise; Isaac is.

Let me conclude by saying this, God knows you are waiting. How long did Job wait to be vindicated? He didn’t just pray one day and have all his trials disappear the next. No. He lay on that mat for a long time. Even his own babe was like “Man of God, you should just curse God and die.” Imagine? She was saying just kick the bucket already. The devil will say “just commit suicide. You’re better off dead”. He will say “Just give up! Other people are living life. Look at your friends. Just end this thing.” He will suggest many things to you during this time, reject them ALL.

I wish I had the kind of news you want to hear, but I don’t. Sometimes, you simply have to stay on that mat and keep believing God. Rushing into the promise is not a good idea. You need this time to be prepared. Even I want the fulfilment of my own prophecies today, actually, right now as I’m typing. I wish the Lord would visit me and say, “My daughter, the waiting period is over. Congratulations!” I’d probably scream and forget to post this blog out of sheer excitement. We all wish we had already broken through but hey the truth is, you’re not the only one waiting.

I am too. I’ve waited for sooooo long, eh. Everyone I was standing with at the bus stop got on a bus and left, and guess what? Buses kept coming, yet God still said, “Don’t get on that one.” “But Lord, the bus has empty seats, and it’s going in a good direction.” And God says, “Stay at that bus stop until I give you a ticket for the bus I want you to board. This one may eventually turn and take you somewhere I never intended for you to go.” Wait.

Don’t move impulsively. Don’t just look at the green pastures, Lot. Wait for God’s instruction on where you should settle so He won’t have to rescue you from Sodom later. I know it’s painful, my brothers and sisters. You’re probably tired of waiting. But let’s all learn to wait well. God is not unjust. Keep that in mind. Your God is neither unjust nor unfair.

29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,

31 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

The Overcoming Believer

When God says leave …

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate goodbyes. I remember back in primary school when our friendship group slowly fell apart because one friend had to relocate, then another, and eventually we all ended up at different high schools. Because I’m a lover girl, I wrote so many letters to my friends. By the way, I still love the old kind of love where we leave notes, write letters, and nobody feels the need to be nonchalant.

These days, they say if you love people, don’t call them so they can miss you. Don’t show them you care. Don’t reply too fast. Don’t be too available. Don’t do this, don’t do that. A whole list of exhausting rules that somehow turn love into such a wearying task. I hate it. Back then, I’d write letters promising my friends that we’d grow up and stay friends forever. Of course, that didn’t happen, but looking back, I think that was just my little way of grieving goodbyes.

We grieve goodbyes. Sometimes we grieve before they happen, sometimes during, and sometimes long after they’re over. I’ve said goodbye to a lot of people at different stages of my life. For some, I won’t even lie, it felt like a relief program. I was sooooo relieved we had to part ways because the toxicity was stronger than a scorpion’s poison . Actually, they were scorpions. Scorpion Kings.. Toxicity Pro Max. Full bars. Strongest network but if I’m being honest, some goodbyes absolutely wrecked me.

Because I’m a lover, I’m also a crier. So yes, I cried. On the flip side, we don’t only say goodbye to people. We say goodbye to places, jobs, seasons, and whatever must be left behind. The truth is, at some point, we’ll all have to wave goodbye to something or we’ll be the ones being left behind or doing the leaving. What have you said goodbye to? How did you feel? Was it a person? A location? Was it a relief program or the wrecking goodbye?

I’m reminded of Abraham and Sarah. Remember, Abraham had no plans to leave home until God told him to. Imagine just chilling with your family, your favourite cousins, your friends. You know your city inside out, you’ve got a job there, life is life-ing, and then one day God says, “Pack up.” Mind you, you’re not packing to come back in a few months. You’re packing to turn your back on everything familiar and leave it behind. That’s a serious goodbye. As in the one that if you wrote a letter you’d end up writing a book.

When the only option on the table is to leave, and God has told you to, darling, you do what Abraham did. You pack up and go. I’ve had my fair share of moving houses, and let me tell you, I looooved our previous apartment. It had the most beautiful mountain view and the best balcony ever. I spent so many evenings out there, staring at the stars and simply enjoying time with the Lord. So when it was time to move, I felt that grief of detachment. It wasn’t just the apartment either it was the walkways, the familiar corners, the little things that had quietly become part of me.

In the same way, when we grieve people, we grieve every part of them, their smile, their voice, their scent, their little habits, their everything. After all is said and done, when it’s time to leave, we still have to pack up and go. What about the onions of Egypt? What about the spices and the cucumbers? God factored all of that in when He told you to leave. He knew you loved the spices, yet He still said, “Get out of there.” To God, your love for the spices was never more important than your journey into the new. This also means my darling that your attachment to that relationship is not more important than His plan to lead you to the right person.

Your comfort is not more important than your calling. God has already weighed what you’re leaving against what He’s leading you into, and He knows the latter is far greater. Oh, so you’ll miss the food from Egypt? Then trust that there’s food where you’re going. When it’s time to leave, excuses won’t move God. He sees what you can’t yet see, knows what’s truly important, and will faithfully leads you there. When the only option on the table is to leave, I wish there was another way, I even wish there was another option or alternative but there’s none. You just pack up and leave.

There is a Scripture that says, “The glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former.” We remember the laughter, the view, the people, the memories, and we convince ourselves that nothing could ever compare to the former but God isn’t asking you to leave because the former was bad. Sometimes He asks you to leave because what lies ahead carries greater glory. The latter house isn’t better because the former had no value; it’s better because God’s presence, purpose, and promise are waiting there. So don’t let your attachment to yesterday rob you of the glory prepared for tomorrow. See you tomorrow

The Overcoming Believer

Remember the cost

What did it cost the last time?

Hello Yielded People!

Take out your receipts. This morning, I want us to reflect on something that has been on my heart. One of the realities of being human is that we often forget the past. We forget the pain we once felt , and because the wounds have healed, we find ourselves repeating the very things that once broke us. You may have been burnt before, but as time passes and the scars fade, it’s easy to forget just how painful it was.

The same happens in our relationships. We find ourselves choosing the same kind of people and walking into the same patterns, even though we promised ourselves we had learned from the last time. It also happens with sin. Do we so quickly forget the tears we cried in repentance, the desperate prayers for mercy, and the weight of guilt we carried? Why is it that we forget so easily, and in forgetting, return to the very things God has already delivered us from?

It doesn’t just end there, it boils down to even the decisions we make daily. You invested in a scam before because you never did due diligence or background checks, but guess what? Another “once in a lifetime opportunity” has come, and dear Mr. Investor is about to do the exact same thing again. Came across a Al poster on Facebook and you are ready to risk it all again. What does it take for human beings to learn?

You already have three children out of wedlock, yet a guy says, “Come over,” and you’re packing a very big overnight bag. You’re choosing outfits, packing toiletries, you’re excited o… you are seeing yourself as wife material but what about the cost? What about what this very same action cost you before? We don’t want to learn. It’s almost as if without pain, we would never stop doing some things. Without consequences, we’d happily continue in the very things that destroy us.

What about what it cost you to build your spiritual life? The fasting, the prayers, the consistency and now you’re busy leaking it to every app with unguided hours of scrolling . You want to start from scratch again? And what did it cost you the last time you replied to a “Hey stranger ” text? You as the stranger keeps replying. You remember how that movie ended before, right Pinocchio?

Let me just say this, the consequences of yesterday’s actions are still the consequences today. If you put your hand in the fire, you will burn. If you try it again next year, you will still burn. Fire does stop being fire because it burnt you before, actually, fire does not remember, you do. So you should be wiser. Nobody gains enough experience with heartbreak that it suddenly stops hurting. It’s like grief, you don’t become immune to the pain. I’m saying this to make one point, your heart can be broken again and again if you refuse to learn the lesson.

A red flag is a red flag, baby. It’s not a ribbon, don’t tie it to your hair. Don’t turn a flag into a carpet and make a grand entrance into pain. Whatever you do this week, remember the cost. Calculate what that text will cost you. Work out the maths on what you’ll have to pay if you make that decision. You want to sext? Calculate the cost. You want to kiss? Calculate the cost. You want to keep slumbering and not praying?
Calculate the cost.

You want to ignore God and make your own decisions? Calculate the cost. You want to argue with scripture and choose your own opinions? Calculate the cost. You want a dangerous boy? Calculate the cost. You want a hot babe from the other kingdom? No problem. Calculate the what? Exactly. This applies to both the good and the bad because every decision has a receipt.

Whatever happens, use your brain well o. Use am weh well. Don’t be impulsive. Think before you act. And remember, whatever the case, the receipt won’t be handed to your friends or your family, it will be handed to you. The Bible says,

“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7).

So sow wisely. Have a beautiful day. 🌸

I LOVE YOU❤️

Are you waiting on the Lord for something?

What did it cost the last time?

Recent Posts

Recent Comments