Category: Studying Bible Characters

“He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Happy new week my beloved family. We are still studying the life of John the Baptist. After sometime in the wilderness getting the training he needed, being hidden from the world , finally it was time to make an appearance. It was time to finally serve his generation. John began to fulfill his ultimate calling: to be a forerunner of the Messiah. It was time. There is a time for training. There is a time for process. Then comes a time for taking action.

John’s message was a call to repentance. Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word. John told his listeners to make a change of the mind, not merely to feel sorry for what they had done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not a sorrow in the heart. What l love about John’s ministry is that he did not go out to talk about himself and all the honey and locusts he ate. It was never about him. He went into all the country to talk about the Messiah. Maybe that’s why you haven’t been sent anywhere else because all you do is talk about yourself.

Many of us have fallen into sin. Actually, the bible says anyone who says they have not sinned is a liar. We know how bad and terrible it was to find ourselves in that moment of sin. We cried. I would cry. Whether it was a chemical response to soothe my conscience or l was really sorry only God knows. Sometimes I’d find myself back in the sin. I thought repentance meant saying “I’m sorry” but it actually means to turn away from. John was saying to them, “This path you have taken is wrong, turn and take this one instead.”

Preparation for the Messiah is not bathing and ironing clothes, l mean that’s wonderful. It is not carrying a bible and posting a bio on Instagram, that is also great! The way to prepare for the Messiah is to repent. We do not choose how we prepare, the template is already there. John truly was a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He preached about the kingdom of God. He says “Make straight the paths for the Lord.” This gets me wondering, are our paths straight? Or do we zigzag in and out of sin , in and out of purpose, into the light then back into the darkness. Repentance involves recognizing that you have thought wrongly in the past and determining to think rightly in the future. More than a desire to change, it is a decision to change. Selah.

We can not truly preach about the Messiah without emphasis on repentance. The short biblical definition of repentance is “a change of mind that results in a change of action.” This is why evangelism is of primary importance. There are so many people who need to hear the gospel. So so many. I totally love how bold John was. We will get into more of his message tomorrow but he was a bold man. You sure need to be bold to go into places preaching the gospel.

Have we turned away from our sins or will we keep falling and crying to soothe our conscience? Have we been baptised? Have we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour? Not because we are afraid of going to hell but because we recognise that we have truly been living unrighteously and we want to change. Wishing for change and actually changing are two different things. I know because there was a time l wished to change and a time l actually changed. Even right now, any part of me that is still canal and not ready to meet with God, may l change today. Can’t we see? The more we delay, the more damage caused. I don’t want to continue in reckless living, l want to be home with my Jesus. I want to check out of the pigsty. I want to prepare to meet the Messiah.

Aren’t we tired? Of losing so much for so little. Why don’t we repent today. Be finally tired of living like that. A friend of mine said to me,”I got tired of living in sin.” Another said, “ I got tired of saying I’m sorry everyday.” I say “ I got tired of being the one responsible for breaking my relationship with Jesus. I got tired of a divided heart.” Even now, l don’t claim perfection, l choose to repent today. What are you choosing to do?

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Believers also face trying times.”

The issue of mental health is often discussed in the world and rarely or almost never in the church. Perhaps because we have the Christianese language of “just be strong.” It has robbed us of many gifted people. It has destroyed marriages. It has crept into the pulpit where we have anointed ministers smiling and delivering the message with power yet in their closets they are weak, bruised and tired. The truth is this is a real problem that must be confronted and dealt with by teaching people how to deal with such things from the lenses of scripture.

Many Christians turn to the secular world instead of the church, because they sense they will get more understanding, sympathy, and help there. However, secular approaches can sometimes lead to further spiritual difficulties and complications. Dear Christian, the solution is here with us. We have the desperately needed antidote for anxiety, brokenness, depression. Before l go any further, how are you? How’s your heart? Your mind? (Id like for you to actually verbalise your response. Say it out as opposed to a thought response) How has your week been? Shall l be honest with you, l had an okay week, l felt more rested yet I did have anxieties about certain areas of my life.

While he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We read about the prophet Elijah who felt suicidal at a point in life. Was he a man of God? Yes. Was he anointed? Double yes. Elijah had endured a traumatic episode with the prophets of Baal and Asherah up in the northern region of Carmel. Although he successfully dispatched the prophets and demonstrated God’s power to Ahab, something was wrong. I imagine we can all think of difficult situation like this. When we were triggered by fear or pain to say, “You know what, l cannot do this anymore.” We can think of Hagar in the wilderness with her young boy, but God would not allow that situation to endure.

Some of us have experienced many years of victory and so we can’t seem to understand how things could suddenly go wrong. I love Elijah though. He teaches us to bring all our emotions to God. Telling the Father that you had a bad week and you need a hug. Listen to what the Bible says , “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” James 5:17 (AMP) How did such a man find himself saying he wants to die, he’s tired, he’s done with life? I by no means am an expert in mysteries of scripture but l am certain this story will encourage you that depression and mental health issues are experienced by the best of us and it’s possible to overcome them.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
— Psalm 73:26 NIV 

Elijah felt alone in his struggle, a common sentiment we can feel when we are depressed , anxious or scared. Look into the mirror. Do you need a hug? I may be unable to give you one but God can. God CARES. He cares even during the moments when you feel He doesn’t. The number 1 way to prolong a low season is to stay down. The key is knowing when enough is enough and when it’s time to get up. When it’s time to look the enemy in the eye and remind him that you have dominion over the situation. If the David in you does not arise to face the giant, the giant will bully you to your defeat. David ARISE! Elijah ARISE! Gideon ARISE! Déborah ARISE! Hannah ARISE! Vanessa ARISE! Arise and shine! Arise and eat and go in thy strength!

Let the dna of the Lion of the tribe of Judah in you kick in and you roar away all fear. Don’t stay down. Start to laugh. Laugh in the spirit! Hahahaha laugh at the enemy! Did he think he would take you down? Really? A whole you? A mighty you? A gifted beautiful you? A Jesus filled you? NEVER! I want you to verbalise it, DEVIL YOU CANNOT MAKE MY LIFE YOUR PLAYGROUND! Take authority! And hey, you are more powerful than you think. You don’t really want to die, you want a hug from your Abba! Get it and Get up!

I got a picture for you! Make a sound in the spirit! Don’t be silent! ROAAAAR. I bet you can even hear this picture!

Have a good weekend! I love youuuuuuuuuuuu! 💗

“But the angel reassured him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God is showing grace to you. For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child has been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you are to name him John.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Happy New Week my Yielded Family. I have a good feeling about this week but more than just feelings, l have the word of God which is better than any “feeling” because it is the sure word of prophecy! Have faith. Doors are about to open. Don’t give up by the finish line. Don’t turn back when the key is already in the door. Don’t you lose hope at dawn, the sun is about to come up. Don’t let go of the plough , there is sure harvest! We shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves.

The last two weeks we have been talking about rejection from the lenses of the life of Leah the daughter of Laban and the wife of Jacob. This week we are discussing the life of John the Baptist. I love John. I would’ve married him honestly lol . Firstly, because he was Jesus’ cousin. Secondly, he was a man of truth (mos these days Eii people are Ananias and Sapphira-ing like no man’s business). Thirdly, he was a revivalist and evangelist. Any man or let me say, anyone who takes evangelism seriously, is a person you want to be around. They are wise people.

Like that of our Lord Jesus Christ, the birth of John was foretold. This means there was prophecy about him before he was conceived and born. A priest and his wife were well beyond the years when it was possible to give birth to a child. While many of us always talk about Abraham and Sarah, they were not the only couple in the bible that received their miracle baby at an old age. Not only was this personally disappointing for Zechariah and Elizabeth, but others saw it as shameful. Jewish society at that time looked down on people who could not have children. You can now imagine why Rachel upon seeing that she was barren was always nagging and complaining to Jacob. You can now understand Hannah’s pain. To any woman in the world who is married , a child is a sort of completion. Although only God can complete a human being, there are things God Himself has structured to be a source of joy for us.

One day Zechariah is serving God and an Angel shows up and tells him about John. Due to unbelief, he is put on mute 😂😅 like my phone until the boy is born. Please refer to the gospel of Luke chapter 1. GOD does not only give this couple a son, He reveals the son’s prophetic destiny and even gives the son a name. It got me thinking , all these names we have , were they a revelation from God or just cute names. I know mine wasn’t 😂 my sister said she liked the name and she told my mom and the rest is history. I was named by my older sister. What about the names of my future children, did l not fetch them from google? “Cute baby girl/boy names” and even though the meanings may be good, what has GOD named the child? What if God named me Esther and then l was given Vanessa? 😂 Eii anyway let’s move.

John had a diet chosen for him. “And he will be one of the great ones in the sight of God. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother’s womb.” Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬ ‭TPT . God’s plan for John life was so great that He restricted him from somethings that others may engage in. One of those things is alcohol. I know some of you just shut down mentally from that point because you still love your glass of wine to “wind down” or a few sips of something but study the scripture with the intention or desire to yield rather than to read and look away only to be the same after years of beholding.

One of the things God will have you put away if you have a great destiny is alcohol. When we study the life of Samson, the angel said the same thing. Imagine a strong man who is to fight enemies but he comes to the battlefield drunk. Samson would’ve never fought and defeated his enemies if he was drunk or tipsy all the time. The Philistines would not have had to make plan after plan to capture him. The plan would be to give him a glass and they’d capture him or he’d confess in his tipsy state , the source of his power like many people who have sold themselves out because they were drunk. The number of things we could’ve avoided had we put down the glass. The number of encounters we could’ve had , drunk in the spirit and not with wine. The great things we could’ve achieved if only we were found sober enough to handle the assignment. John’s assignment had him keep away from somethings, what does your assignment require you to consecrate from? The fact that we don’t know or are not “sure” is already a tool the enemy can use to attack and disrupt us from fulfilling purpose.

I’m not in any way trying to dictate to you on how to live, even Holy Spirit does not do that but think of it. I mean really selah. For some of us Tv is not even part of our prophetic lives. I discovered that TikTok was a tool to a leak in my spirit. I would be so grieved and unable to pray. I had to do away with it . Now that’s my personal testament. Yours could be some kind of music. Others it could be alcohol. You drink as if there’s no tomorrow. For some it’s going to certain places. There’s a prophetic blueprint for your life that includes your spiritual name, your lifestyle and your purpose. We do well to pray and find out, lest we become a John the Baptist who womanises or is always found drunk. Correct name but the lifestyle is inconsistent with the prophecy. Imagine naming someone Aaron or Moses and the person is a thief. Or naming a serial killer Jesus. I meaaaaaaaaaan … Who would ever believe a drunk John? Our lifestyle could be what is stopping people from believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray and find out from God Himself what things He’d like you to do or not do to become the great person He ordained you to be. Stop choosing your diet based on canality. To become great, you must key in to what God has said about you in the volume of the book. You miss one thing, you have opened a window for the devil to blind and cripple you. John the Baptist , keep away from 123. Do 123. Pursue 123. Find out from Holy Spirit and live accordingly . See you tomorrow. I love you 💗

Typically, rejection describes an instance of a person or entity pushing something or someone away or out. Rejection isn’t always about the love of your life texting and saying “It’s not you, it’s me.” Sometimes it’s not getting into your top college, not making the team, or not getting the job. Everyday situations can lead to feelings of rejection. Some people feel rejected if nobody laughs at their jokes or family don’t remember their birthday. Leah was rejected by her husband. Someone she really hoped would love her, see her, validate her emotions, laugh with her – someone she hoped would see her for more than just a baby baker. We all desire to be accepted.

It can also come through a parent whose approval always seems to be just out of reach, a parent who decided not to be your parent after all, a spouse who comes home one day to say he no longer loves you or that he loves someone else, a friend that suddenly blindsides you with betrayal, a child who turns her back on your love, suddenly hearing news that they accepted everyone at the company except you.

Rejection hurts. Terribly. Rejection is hard. It leaves scars.We all long to be accepted. When we are accepted we feel valued. Don’t try to brush off the hurt or pretend it’s not painful. The truth is it really hurts. I’ve been rejected many times. I grew up feeling rejected in my family, maaaaany rejected cvs, rejected in the work place after giving it my all, rejected as an entrepreneur, as a girlfriend (they’re crazy) , rejected applications for visas, rejected ideas and proposals .. just a whole baggage! While any rejection can be painful, some instances of rejection may be more painful than others.

Jesus was rejected by people He came to suffer and die for. Even right now, we are still praying for souls to be won because there’s still a great number of people who reject Him. Scripture tells us that “not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5). Jesus’ own family rejected him as the Messiah. He said He was “without honor” in His hometown. As he hung on the cross dying, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Think about it. Do you think Jesus had never needed or desired his Father’s love more than in that moment?

Sometime ago l was rejected by someone l had been with for a long time. I had literally built my life around the person. It broke me. I started questioning my value. My image. I had thoughts of low self esteem because l was trying to find a reason why I was rejected. I need to pause here for a moment and clarify the difference in feeling rejected and being rejected. Feeling rejected is an emotion brought on by your own insecurities, and prejudgements of other peoples actions. Feelings of rejection can be brought on completely of your own making. I have had people say about me. Well I don’t feel like Vanessa likes me so I’m not going to talk to her. All based on assumptions.

Let the rejection of people drive you to presence of the Lord. All the time l feel rejected l run to God. My place of acceptance with no judgement or a shadow of turning is in God. Forcing them to like you won’t make them actually do. Giving them more won’t change how they feel. Another paragraph? No. Let me reach out again maybe they didn’t see I called? No. Let me pay them a visit with big gifts so they finally accept me as a friend? No. Let me change myself to be what they might like? No. Stop doing too much. More babies might save my marriage? No sweetheart. If I have sex with him he’ll not keep going to other women? Nope. If I post more revealing clothes people will follow me and like me on social media? No! As man you could give your all to a girl and she uses your money to order clothes on Shein. What am l saying as we conclude this topic , find your tribe. How? By asking God to bring them

There are people who will love and accept you. Stop staying where you’re not accepted for who you are. Accepted with the big nose, accepted without billions, accepted with cellulite and pimples, accepted with the few certificates. Not everyone will accept you, as a matter of fact some instances of rejection are orchestrated by God to push us to places of purpose. The pain of rejection somehow wants us to cling to that toxic environment. Have you been feeling broken because of rejection? Pray this with me ;

Dear God, l have so much to say but sometimes l don’t know how to. I have many questions and a few answers which makes me constantly seek closure in places and in people even though l know I may never get it. I feel rejected. I feel unseen. I feel unworthy. It has made me afraid to try out new things, to step out again, to even speak up because the pain of yesterday makes me feel like the same will happen today. I know you understand how l feel and so l pray that you give me a hug today. Let me know that you are with me, you love me, you accept me. Like Hagah, l say of you, You are the God who sees me. Calm the storm raging inside my heart. People may discard me but you accept me. People may walk out but you walk in. I choose to believe that I’m being redirected to so much better. I cast this burden on you and l declare affliction will not arise the second time. In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen.