Categories
The Yielded Believer

Reflection Friday

I came across this on Pinterest, and it really caught my attention. It reminded me of the classic “Where do you see yourself in five years?” question. Growing up, it was so easy to answer, but as adults, many struggle to articulate their purpose. So many people have no idea why they were born, and that lack of clarity is leading to deep misalignment in life.

The gap between the little girl and the woman I see in the mirror is all a matter of time. While writing my book about time, I realised that many people live under the illusion of “What will be, will be.” They drift from one season to the next without a real hunger to fulfill their purpose, believing that someday, like magic, a fairytale godmother will appear and hand them a perfectly laid-out path. But guess what? That’s a lie.

Let’s take a moment to really look at the picture. The little girl is even wearing oversized heels just like so many women today who insist on buying the wrong shoe size (but that’s a conversation for another day, lol). The big shoes symbolise that, at her age, all she can do is dream she hasn’t matured enough to walk that walk yet. But the woman in the mirror? She’s wearing them perfectly, fully capable of not just walking but running in them. So, aren’t you old enough too? It’s time to step into your purpose and start walking.

Now, let’s take a moment to reflect. The decisions you made this week how many of them contributed to your purpose? How many steps did you take in your purpose shoes toward the next level?

A couple of weeks ago, I was thinking about The Yielded Center, and a powerful realisation hit me: what’s inside of me remains hidden until I choose to reveal it. “You don’t know what I carry!” Yes, darling, we don’t know and we never will until you show us. Let’s stop acting like people are taking us for granted when, in reality, we’ve never presented anything solid to begin with. What you carry is already within you. Now, it’s time to reveal it. We only see what you choose to show us. I cannot guess that you can sing until you actually start singing.

Anything we spend time on that doesn’t contribute to our purpose is a waste, and before long, we’ll find ourselves praying for the restoration of the years we wasted not the locusts, but us.

So, take a moment and look within. What is the unique blueprint you carry for the world?

I’ve made my decision The Yielded Center will be global, and I will take the necessary steps to make it happen. I refuse to limit my writing to just my family or a small community. I will study, refine my skills, and present a vision that is undeniably great and excellent.

Now, what will you do about your purpose?

Remember, the only difference between the little girl and the woman in the picture is time and time is not a luxury we can afford to waste.

Selah. ( See you on Monday)

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Special Edition Thursdays

Special Edition Thursday With Vanessa

Guess what? Our First Ever Special Edition Thursday Interview is finally here! And who’s in the hot seat? Me! Yep, today’s interview is all about yours truly because apparently, my life is interesting enough for this.

The masterminds behind these questions? My older sister Valerie and brother-in-law, who clearly had way too much fun coming up with them. So yeah… buckle up, get to know me (a little. A twinsy winsy little) Let’s go!

🌸 GETTING TO KNOW VANESSA

  • If you describe yourself using only three words, what would they be?

Saved. Smart. Strong.

  • You do so many things counselling, blogging, cartoon creation, singing—if you had an extra hour in the day, how would you use it?
    A ~ “Definitely praying in the Spirit.”
  • What’s one fun fact about you that most don’t know?
    A ~ “I shut myself in my room and dance to Mr M & Revelation songs. I reaaallllly daaaaannncceee!”


🌼 FAITH AND MINISTRY

  • As the founder of The Yielded Center, what’s been the most rewarding part of your journey so far?
    A – “I’d say , my personal growth. The Yielded Center has made me better than l was before I started it.”

  • If you could have a coffee chat with any biblical character (besides Jesus), who would it be and why?
    A- “It would be Joseph. I want him to give me notes that I can write on the Yielded Center for the youth! How to flee 101.”

  • The Midnight Prayer Group what’s the wildest or most powerful testimony you’ve heard from these prayer calls?
    A – “The testimony of a baby who came out of the ICU after doctors said he’d not make it. He’s two years old now.
  • Serving at House of Treasures Ministries, what’s one lesson you’ve learned from Apostle Felix and Ps. Bulelwa Okoh that has stuck with you?
    A- “ Live a holy life and take your spiritual life very seriously.


    🌺 COUNSELLING & IMPACT
  • What’s the funniest or most unexpected moment you’ve experienced in a counselling session? (Without breaking confidentiality, of course!)
    A – Lol none honestly.

  • If you had to write a counselling survival guide, what’s the first rule you’d include?
    A – Guard your heart like you guard your money with an atm pin.

  • What’s one misconception people have about Christian counselling that you’d love to clear up?
    A – “I guess people often think it’s all about prayer. There’s a lot of mental deliverance through words that happens. A LOT. And it requires the same diligence as a circular therapist. It’s WORK!”


    🌻 CREATIVITY
  • You create Christian cartoons and even do the voiceovers, if you could have any celebrity voice one of your characters, who would it be?
    A – Hmmm my best friend Siwe. To me she’s a celebrity, she does the beeeest voice overs.”

  • You create Christian cartoons and even do the voiceovers—how do you manage to record all the different voices and capture their emotions in different moods? Do you ever have a funny moment where a voice comes out totally wrong?
    A – l just get into character and l love it. Creativity requires that you step into a world that only exists in your mind and pull things out and bring them where people can see or hear And yes it does get funny most times when I’m doing a dialogue. One time I recorded something about 6/7 times still getting it wrong. I took a break and tried again later.”

  • If your life were turned into a cartoon, what would the title of your theme song?
    A – Little Miss Courageous

  • If you could animate a Bible story in your own unique style, which one would you choose and why?
    A – “John the Baptist! lol I think he’s an interesting character. His script would be FIRE 😂 “


🌸 BLOGGING & WRITING

  • You blog daily, where do you get all your inspiration from? Do you ever get writer’s block?
    A – I love reading the Bible, it’s in my face daily so l get my inspiration from there. I do get writers block but those are the days I actually write my best pieces. The most read and liked blog I wrote was on a day when l had writer’s block and I just said “Lord help me.”

  • If you could turn one of your blog posts into a short film, which one would it be and why?
    A – “It would be When you leave. Because we all had to leave something or a place to get to where we are now. Everyone would relate.”

  • What’s a comment or response from a reader that has really stuck with you?
    A – Someone from Instagram who l never even knew reads my blogs sent me a dm and said “Please don’t stop. This has made me fix my relationship with Jesus.” And that week I realllllly wanted to quit. No jokes.

🌹 PERSONAL & FUN QUESTIONS

  • If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be?
    A – “Cooking. I mean I can but yeah we are talking mastery here.”

  • Since you’re also a singer, what’s your go-to worship song when you need encouragement?
    A – There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus.

  • What’s your dream mission trip destination, and what would you do there?
    A – Not to sound too spiritual but Heaven. I will get there and look at Jesus and just cry because He’s so beautiful!

  • What’s one thing on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?
    A – Building a neat proper studio for my production work.”

  • If your future kids could only watch one of your cartoons, which one would you want them to see first?
    A – The birth of Jesus. It was my first ever cartoon and that’s when I was like ,ah I can really do this o.”

  • Tea or coffee?
    A – “Tea BUT salted caramel coffee twice a month!”

  • Movies or Music?
    A – “Music. My attention span on movies has dropped drastically” 😂

  • Favourite book of the Bible?
    A – GALATIANS! NEHEMIAH ! EZRA! You didn’t ask but my favourite verse is Galatians 4:19

  • Most used emoji?
    A – I’ve got two . 😂 & ❤️

  • If you had to rename The Yielded Center, what’s the funniest name you could come up with?
    A – Vanessa and friends 😂

  • Are you married?
    A – “Have a good day.”

My favourite words to say are , “Help me Holy Spirit,” and “I love you.”

Vanessa Ziyambi

Categories
The Yielded Believer

Worship Wednesday

Worshipping the right way

Many believers unknowingly turn worship into warfare, declaring, “Every enemy, die by fire!” in the middle of what should be a time of adoration. Why does this happen? Because they don’t truly know how to engage in worship. The root of the issue is a lack of intimacy with God.

Imagine being in a relationship where every time you see your beloved, you only talk about other people, politics, the economy, or global issues and never about your love for each other. You never say, “You look beautiful today.” Instead, the moment you meet, it’s, “Have you heard about the Russian army…?” My dear, that’s not intimacy! Worship is about Him. His beauty, His goodness, and His majesty. Let’s not turn it into a battlefield, but a love song to our King.

Am l saying never engage in warfare? No. I’m saying when it’s worship, we give all our attention to God. Leave the devil aside and build intimacy with your Abba. You can fight him later. Not all the time is warfare time. Imagine a married couple that only communicates when they have to solve issues in their family? They don’t go on dates. They don’t do anything romantic together? That’s so boring right? Your relationship with God feels boring because you have not intentionally pursued intimacy through worship. Also believers, there are words to say to God during worship, not only tongues. Yeah, I said it.

Imagine a friend that only talks to you when they have to solve problems no date nights, no time to laugh, no “I love yous.” Just crisis management 24/7. Boring, right? Now, if your relationship with God feels a little boring, maybe it’s because you’ve been treating Him like a problem-solving hotline instead of a loving Father.

Tell God He’s beautiful, that you adore Him. Don’t just go rababa shakata for 30 minutes straight and call it a day. Worship is about intimacy not so make it personal! Some of you love hearing sweet things don’t even lie! That’s probably how you ended up in the wrong relationship. You heard a few poetic lines and thought, “Yup, this is the one!” Meanwhile, you ignored the brother who kept saying, “Sister, I saw dimensions…”

Truly speaking , there’s something about soft, loving words that just get to us, right? Well, guess what? God loves to hear them too! David said,

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” — Psalm 18:1 (NIV)

I loooove that verse.

But have you ever told God you love Him? Or do you just show up like you’re at a heavenly supermarket grabbing your blessings, making your requests, and then, instead of sticking around with Him, you start a full-on conversation with the devil? People give the devil 90% of their attention and 10% to God where they’re telling Him what to do to the devil on their behalf.

Do you even greet God, or do you just burst in like, “Lord, fix this, do that, and while You’re at it, let fire consume my enemies!”? Let’s do better! God isn’t just our problem-solver, He’s our Father, our Lover, our King. Let’s give Him the love He deserves!

“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Here’s a beautiful worship medley

Categories
The Yielded Believer

Going through the storms of life [2]

The Bible holds the answers to all our questions, yet the real issue is that we often own Bibles we don’t read. If someone asks, “Do you have a Bible?” we confidently reply, “Yes!” But when asked to quote a single verse, silence fills the room. Why? Because though we possess this treasure, we remain empty. The average believer is unfamiliar with the Word—we know opinions, church traditions, and everything else except Scripture. And it shows, especially in how we handle life’s storms. Stay rooted in the Word. Happy Tuesday, family! 🌸

“But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold.”
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

First of all, this storm was sent by God. It was powerful and violent, threatening to break the ship, meaning it was a serious, life-threatening storm. Many of the storms we face in life feel just as intense. A parent gets diagnosed with a harsh disease. Some storms hit marriages, and people divorce over a storm that was never going to break the marriage, it was just a threat. Some of us go through violent storms, waking up stressed, spending the entire day stressed, and going to bed with no peace at all. These are the storms we face, real, heavy and sometimes very terrifying. No be joke o. No be small thing o.

Many of us instinctively try to solve the problem when a storm hits. We come up with plans just like the sailors did. We always have an ABC plan for what we’ll do when trouble comes. The sailors had a plan too. Their first response was to pray to their gods. They understood that storms have a spiritual dimension. They knew that engaging the supernatural must come first. You pray first. You seek God first. You call upon God first.

Dear believer, before you run around looking for friends and other sources of help, open your mouth and call upon your GOD! If men who worshiped false gods knew to turn to the supernatural first, how much more should you, a child of the True and Living God? The storm is looking for a response and we foolishly give it a fleshly response and think there will be a calm. No. Respond in the spirit!

Thennnn they decided to throw the cargo overboard to lighten the load. For some, that “cargo” is their marriage. Others throw away their Bibles, saying, “I just need a break.” They chose to lose their goods in order to save their lives but at what cost? Imagine the valuable things they lost. Those ships didn’t just carry ordinary goods; some transported gold. Real gold not the kind sitting in your jewellery box! 😂 They turned to a fleshly, impulsive solution—thinking, If we cut this off, we’ll be fine. And we do the same. We throw away our most precious possessions, like the Word of God, and rely on a fleshly plan to fix a spiritual problem. But you will lose.

This storm was not by chance. It wasn’t random. It was a spiritually orchestrated plan to correct a man’s disobedience. But instead of recognising this, the men on the ship went through a terrifying experience. Let me say this, you could be in a storm not because of your own actions, but because of who you’re connected to. If your spouse is disobedient to God, you will feel the impact too. These sailors had absolutely nothing to do with Jonah’s disobedience. They had no idea what was happening, yet they suffered heavy losses simply because they were in the same boat with him.

Check who’s around you. Check their lifestyle. Their decisions could be affecting you. Don’t lose your cargo over a storm that isn’t yours. God may be dealing with a disobedient person in your midst, and unfortunately, the wind is hitting you too. Actually, you could be the disobedient person responsible for the storm happening in your family. You may have thought, I’m the sailor in the story, no, you could be the Jonah.

In any case , Don’t lose your cargo.

Categories
The Yielded Believer

Going through the storms of life [1]

Happy Monday, my Yielded Family! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

This week, we’re starting a new blog series: Going Through the Storms of Life so tell a friend to tell a friend! Earlier this morning, a friend and I were having a deep conversation about how both God and the enemy use people. We are lifted through people, and we are cast down through people. That’s why every act of kindness matters. When you do good to someone, you are participating in God’s plan to bless them. And remember, blessings aren’t always financial. Sometimes, they come in the form of a shared link, a word of encouragement, or a simple check-in—because these days, many who seem okay are silently battling thoughts of despair or even contemplating suicide. Okay, let’s go!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

Isaiah 43:2

What is a storm?  
Let’s read through a google definition. 

A storm, in both the natural and spiritual sense, is a period of turbulence, challenge, or adversity. It says a period – meaning there’s a length of time involved. A time of chaos. A time is disturbance. A time of unpredictable movement and change. A time of unrest and a threat to peace. Phew😅 . Does this sound like something you are or have gone through?

I love that it says turbulence exists in both the natural and the spiritual because, after studying the Word, here’s my take on it: Storms begin in the spiritual realm and manifest in the natural realm. Life is spiritual, which means that everything we see happening in the natural is simply a reflection of what is taking place in the spirit. So no, it’s not just turbulence caused by a difficult boss or an unexpected challenge, it’s a storm in the spiritual realm directly affecting your life in one way or another. Recognizing this helps us respond not just with frustration, but with prayer, discernment, and faith.

Are you facing turbulence or a challenge that feels overwhelming? Have you been through something similar before? You are not without help , you may, however, be without understanding. And it is understanding that helps us navigate through life’s storms. In nature, a storm is a disturbance in the atmosphere, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, or even snow. It disrupts normal conditions and, at times, causes destruction. Does this sound like what’s happening in your life right now? Stay with this series—let’s figure it out together.

Who Does the Storm Affect?

The simple answer? Everyone.

Everyone has experienced a bad weather day—both in the natural and emotionally. This should remind you that you are not alone in your struggles. This is not to downplay what you feel or what you’re going through, but to help you see that storms don’t discriminate.
Rachel will face it, and so will Hannah. The disciples faced it, and so did Jonah. So when the thought, “I’m the only one,” creeps in, know this: you’re not. The enemy wants you to feel isolated so that you lose hope and give up. But the truth is, storms are not random. They often announce a time of testing or spiritual warfare. The key is not to avoid the storm, but to be spiritually ready to go through it.

In life, a storm represents trials, hardships, and difficult seasons that test our faith, strength, and endurance. These storms can come in many forms, financial struggles, sickness, loss, betrayal, or spiritual warfare. Just like natural storms, they can shake us, but they also have the power to deepen our dependence on God, refine our character, and prepare us for greater things. This is the one believers DO NOT WANT TO HEAR. Well, l don’t too because ehhh who wants to sofffer?! Nobody! I wouldn’t even volunteer for it 😂 and I know you wouldn’t too.

As we lay the foundation for this topic, grab your lunchbox and pack this takeaway: storms are coming, but not every day is a stormy day. So, no need to walk around in a raincoat 24/7, some days are bright and sunny! Wear your shades! Izaza nje. Storms announce turbulence in the spirit, and if you try to calm a spiritual storm using natural means, you’re not just wasting your time, you’re wasting your energy.

And remember, storms happen to everyone. You may not be in one right now, but take notes, you’ll need them later (because the time of turbulence will come). Tomorrow, we’ll dive into the stories of people in the Bible who went through storms.
Be digesting what you read today.

I love you!❤️