Author: Vanessa Moonkie

Hey, my Yielded Family! I pray you’re all doing well. I’m truly blessed to have each of you here reading my blogs , you are a gift and a blessing! My prayer for you is that you will always remain yielded to God.
Yielding isn’t easy; it requires dying to self, surrendering your own will (which, let’s be honest, is no small task , no lie). It’s about laying yourself down so that Christ can fully live in you, leading your decisions, directing your steps, even influencing the little things, like what you wear. Even when it’s hard, stay yielded! I love you all. Now, let’s continue with Part 3 of our series.

I had something completely different in mind to share today, but as I started typing, I felt led in another direction—feelings.Last night, as I was walking into my room, thinking about what to post on the YC Instagram (by the way, please follow The Yielded Center on Instagram, I need those follows!), a thought came to me: “Feelings are as powerful as your thoughts and your words.” I quickly wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget.This morning, I was ready to go with my original post, but then I heard it again—feelings. So let’s talk about that for a moment.

We already know what a storm is but what are feelings? Feelings are the emotional responses we experience in reaction to our thoughts, circumstances, or interactions with others. Feelings are emotional by nature. They are triggered by experiences, thoughts, and circumstances, making them neither constant nor entirely predictable. Since feelings are a response to something, they naturally surface during storms, trials, or moments of intense situations.

Listen, anyone who claims they’ve never felt anything isn’t functioning as a normal human being. Many of history’s most shocking crimes were committed by individuals who lacked emotional responses. Feelings are important; they are part of what makes us human. So, be mindful of people who are completely nonchalant about everything. And if that’s you, change it’s not cute. A total lack of emotion isn’t strength; it reveals an almost inhuman detachment that can be unsettling and even dangerous. As human beings, we are meant to feel. Don’t romanticise wrong things to look cool.

Now, let’s talk about feelings during a storm. Many of us have responded to life’s storms emotionally l know I have. I used to cry, throw tantrums at God (yes, full-on tantrums!), without realising that when the enemy can’t make you numb, he makes you feel carelessly.

What does that mean? It means your emotions become completely unchecked like a bucket of water knocked over, spilling into every room. And that kind of emotional chaos is dangerous. Think about it there are people who became so overwhelmed with emotion in a storm that they felt like life wasn’t worth living. In that moment, they picked up a gun, poison, or a rope and ended their lives. What was that? Feelings during a storm.

While it’s good to feel, it’s just as important to control your emotions and recognise that the enemy works through your mind to influence your feelings. If he can get a stronghold in your thoughts, he can manipulate your emotions, leading you down a dark path. Stay vigilant. Feel, but don’t let your feelings rule you.

Peter was in a storm. At first, he channeled his feelings correctly he had faith. But then, he shifted his focus to the storm, to the waves, and his mind started receiving information: “You will die.” “This is too much for you—you’ll drown.” And what happened next? The Bible says he felt something different fear. And as soon as fear took over, he started to sink.

Matthew 14:30 (NKJV):

“But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’”

In a storm, the best way to channel your emotions is through faith. But here’s the key: faith, like fear, comes from information.

• Faith is built on God’s Word.

• Fear is fueled by the enemy’s whispers.

Are you aware that your feelings can be manipulated? Many people who took their own lives might have wanted to live just an hour before. But the enemy kept pulling the trigger in their minds, feeding them thoughts long enough to manipulate their emotions. You cannot survive a storm with scattered emotions. While it is undeniably hard to stay calm and trust God in the middle of chaos, it’s even worse to be all over the place because the devil is searching for those who feel carelessly.The moment our emotions run wild and unchecked, we become vulnerable. So, what’s the best response in a storm?

“Lord, I see the mess. I hear the thunder. But I choose to trust You. I choose to accept the peace You give me in this storm.”

My beloved family, watch your feelings, watch your emotions, and watch your thoughts. The enemy has taken out far too many kingdom soldiers using this very strategy: create a storm, trigger fearful thoughts, and let the person feel their way into giving up. But not you.

Because we do not give up here.

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)

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.