Author: Vanessa Moonkie

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.

“And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”

Luke 19:13 KJV

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. 

“If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn’t much to you in the first place.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭10‬ ‭MSG‬‬

The book of Proverbs, sheisshhh, we’re in for a great time! Yesterday’s topic got so many reads that I think we’ll revisit it because clearly a lot of people needed it. Now, look at the picture above, a well-dressed man in a suit, looking sharp, yet carrying a massive rock on his back, one hand holding the weight, even his backside helping to balance it, and the other hand steadying himself. How many of us know that this is the real life of so many people? You look good and everything seems sweet on the outside, but you’re balancing life just like that, holding things together while trying not to fall apart. Let’s talk about it.

Before I continue, one of my friends told me that yesterday I didn’t say “I love you guys.” 😂 First of all, I didn’t think you all would notice something like that, and secondly, I totally forgot. So before I forget again today and courtesy of Keitumetse, I’m paying my love debt from yesterday, l love you guys! Who wouldn’t love you? Readers! People who love knowledge! Obviously you’re a special kind. Some people only read WhatsApp messages, so you guys are top tier. Ah, me I love you oo! Elabashantaaaaaaa!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been through many crises, plenty of times I’ve fallen apart too. Solomon is addressing something solid here, the true test of strength is how much pressure you can take, how much crisis you can push through without breaking into pieces. So when we say, “I’m a strong babe,” it’s not believable until you can actually hold your ground in the middle of trouble. That man in the picture is definitely a strong man, otherwise, that rock would’ve crushed him. Strength is proven in perseverance. If you can’t persevere, your claim to strength doesn’t hold. And remember perseverance is even a fruit of the Spirit.

You know, many people have been taught or even teach a gospel of soft life. But the more you read Scripture, the more you realise that life will confront you with many trials. So how strong are you, really? Your strength is measured by the battles you’ve fought and won. It’s not just in the fighting; it’s in the victory. Did you fight a sexual urge yesterday after reading that blog? Yes? Then you’re a strong person. Now do it again today, and tomorrow, and every day after that. People of God, we all go through storms. Your battle may be unique to you, but that doesn’t mean someone else’s isn’t just as intense. Battle is battle. Everyone has weapons of warfare to contend with. So that rock sitting on you will you let it crush you, or will you stay balanced?

How do you know if your strength is small? You’re just like Israel when they kept running from Goliath because running from your Goliath exposes your weakness. Proverbs even says that if you faint in the day of adversity, there wasn’t much to you in the first place. So who is a strong woman? Who is a strong man? It’s the one who steps up to face the giant like David. And the truth is, strength is not a matter of age. There are older people who can’t handle even a little pressure, yet a young person can stand firm and hold out. That’s why Apostle Paul said, “I write to you, young men, because you are strong and you have overcome!”

“But it’s been long… when will God answer?” His answer is here, hold on. Stay put. You will not be destroyed. Remember, come think of it, Israel became a strong people after all the pressure they went through in Egypt. Who could walk like that in the wilderness unless they were strong? Your trials are strengthening you. This world was not created for weaklings, if you are weak, even the smallest pressure can take you down.

You have to stay balanced. You have to stay rooted. You have to believe this is not the end. There is an expected end. There is rest for God’s people. It won’t always be like this. Pressure is just a test of strength and that same strength is what you need to fulfil your purpose.

Even as the year comes to a close, let me speak to the men, I feel led to. Listen, dear men, you have carried your families all year, hard work, going the extra mile, providing, sometimes feeling like you’re failing. I want to say this today, God sees you. It’s hard for men to speak about the weight they carry. Even Jesus went like a lamb to the slaughter in silence. But GOD SEES. Drop those shoulders. Unclench your jaw. You will come out. You will make it. You are not failing. You are a priest. You are a leader. You are a wonder in progress, even greater things are coming. I just felt led to share this with you.

Okay, before I forget again, I love you guys. It’s Worship Wednesday, so don’t forget to praise Him, even in the middle of your trials.

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