Category: The Yielded Believer

🌼Happy Monday, family! A brand-new week is here, and I love the fresh start it brings. There’s something about Mondays that makes me feel energised, like I’m setting the tone for something new. Well, this is unpopular but I actually love Mondays! 🌼🙃

“They all got into a boat and began to cross over to the other side of the lake. And Jesus, exhausted, fell asleep. Suddenly a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped. Yet Jesus continued to sleep soundly. The disciples woke him up, saying, “Save us, Lord! We’re going to die!” But Jesus reprimanded them. “Why are you gripped with fear? Where is your faith?” Then he stood and rebuked the storm, saying, “Be still!” And instantly it became perfectly calm. The disciples were astonished by this miracle and said to one another, “Who is this Man? Even the wind and waves obey his Word.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭TPT‬‬

This well-known Bible story begins with a group setting out in a boat, determined to reach the other side of the lake. They had a clear purpose for their journey, most likely making careful plans and even checking the weather. Everything must have seemed ideal for sailing otherwise, the Bible wouldn’t have described the storm as sudden. It caught them completely off guard. They hadn’t anticipated it; they weren’t prepared. If they had known, they might have chosen a different day to travel. These were experienced men of the sea who understood the dangers of the water. Surely, they wouldn’t have set sail if they had seen any sign of a storm. Their goal was to get across, but most importantly, they wanted to live. Storms can come suddenly.

“They were celebrating at the wedding, the picture of a perfect couple. But now… what is all this?” And then you laugh foolishly not understanding that storms can arise suddenly.

Think about it, humans naturally avoid danger. We don’t walk in the middle of the road because we know the risk of getting hit is almost certain. We don’t play carelessly with knives or guns because we understand the harm they can cause. In the same way, the disciples weren’t recklessly sailing into danger. They weren’t expecting trouble some storms come without warning. While men slept, they assumed they could rest as well. But unexpectedly, the enemy came and sowed tares. Not every trial people face is a result of poor preparation or failure on their part. Some challenges come simply because storms don’t always announce their arrival.

Today, we will focus on Part A of this scripture and continue with the rest tomorrow.

The Bible says, “Suddenly, there came a violent storm.” This storm wasn’t just unexpected it was violent. And anything violent naturally stirs up fear. The Bible repeatedly warns us to stay away from violent people because violence is a trait of the enemy. Not only was the storm fierce, but the waves rose so high that the boat was on the verge of crashing. I can only imagine that water was pouring in, soaking everything, heightening the chaos.

But here’s the most fascinating part Jesus continued to sleep soundly. Hayi, pause and selah.

I know for a fact I wasn’t gonna be sleeping on that trip. First of all I don’t like cruising, all those titanic things are just not my vibe. I want to be where I have the liberty to run when danger comes. I can’t swim in a normal pool so in the lake it means I will not even survive. So no. Do your cruise things guys. Anyway, Jesus slept.

The boat is filling with water, the men are in full-blown panic mode, shouting over one another, trying to figure out what to do. The storm is roaring, the waves are crashing with force. Maybe Peter is yelling, “Steer this way!” and James is arguing, “No, that way!” Chaos is everywhere.And yet, in the middle of all this, Jesus continues to sleep, soundly. Not just dozing off, but truly at rest, completely unbothered. He was relaxed, at peace, just chilling.
Have you ever truly rested in the middle of a storm?

When you lost that job, how did you respond? When all your carefully laid-out plans fell apart and your life turned upside down, did you still manage to sleep peacefully? Or did the weight of uncertainty keep you up at night? It’s one thing to have peace when all is well, but can you rest when the storm is raging? That’s something that even l have to learn. The truth is, sleeping is usually the last thing we do when we’re in the middle of a storm.

We stress all night. We sit up calculating our next move from 8 PM, and before we know it, it’s 4 AM our stress levels have skyrocketed from 10 to 5000. Sleep? That’s the furthest thing from our minds. And in our thoughts there’s a so much noise , “You need to act fast! Drop this prayer thing and find a solution. ‘Be still’ isn’t working can’t you see the water flooding the boat? Your husband is about to leave go seek help somewhere else!”

The enemy applies relentless pressure, making it impossible to sit still. You pace back and forth. You scratch your head. You sigh a billion times. You panic. And yet… Jesus slept. Soundly.

Why? How? Can you do that? If you’re in a storm right now, are you still like Jesus or you’re on panic mode like the disciples? What’s your response?

See you tomorrow, don’t forget to follow The Yielded Center on Instagram ❤️

My amazing family! You guys are the best thank you for all your love and support! Truly, you’re a blessing to me! I’ve got an announcement coming on Monday, and I hope you’ll be here for it! But for now, it’s Reflection Friday, and I thought I’d share a little poem.

Fun fact: Before I ever wrote stories, novels, or anything else, I started with poetry! It was my first love then came stories, fictional novels and audio books, and eventually The Yielded Center. Back in the day, I even wrote poems for competitions where three people would compete using my work! Well my mother would always force me to! One thing I’ve learned? Growth is inevitable when you nurture your gift. So keep growing, keep creating, and may your gifts flourish in Jesus’ Name! Let’s go!!

“That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.”
‭‭Haggai‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Heyyyyyyyy! Shall we continue? Yes, so STORMS OF LIFE 😅.
The prophet Jonah finds himself in a storm, heavy, life threatening, the bible says it was so intense that it threatened to break the ship. Jonah then decides to pull a standard classic Jesus move and takes a nap. I find that to be so funny because Jesus napped knowing He had control over the storm, what made Jonah so chilled though? I mean you can sleep if you’re sure your faith is intact and you know that you know that you know that God has said chill out. It shows us that you don’t sleep through all storms. Some require that you be thrown into the water and be caught by a fish. There are storms you should never sleep through, the ship will break.

“So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The captain was shook , how could someone be sleeping when the storm was about to take them all out? And honestly, how did Jonah even get sleepy in that chaos? The truth is, what some of us call a season to chill is actually a season of warfare. And when you sleep through that kind of season, you lose more than you realise. Many have mistaken seasons of building for seasons of resting, and now they’re paying heavily for it.

How can you sleep when you should be on your knees, crying out to God for help? Even if you rest, you rest while praying because some seasons demand vigilance, not sleep? One thing about storms they’re loud. The wind blows, the waves crash, and fear creeps in. So how did Jonah not hear that? How did he not feel the turbulence? It’s actually hilarious, like something straight out of a comedy!

Like I said, Jesus had control over the storm. He rested, but not out of ignorance, He knew exactly what He was doing. Wena you don’t know but you’re sleeping. Jonah, on the other hand, was asleep at a time when he should have been up repenting. Big difference! And yet, how often do we copy how others handle their storms? The strategy isn’t always the same! You throw a stone at Goliath, but with the Amorites, you need weapons. Last season’s battle plan might not work for this season.So why sleep when the enemy has stepped into your home? Wake up and fight!

Some of you are in the middle of a spiritual storm, but instead of fighting, you’ve gone numb. You can’t pray anymore two words in, and you’re out. Fasting? Ehhhh! There’s always an excuse. Even watching a sermon feels impossible because distractions keep pulling you away. You’re unstable, disconnected, and you can’t even remember the last time you had a real, heart-to-heart moment with God.

Please, don’t be like Jonah. You are under attack GET UP! Arise! Shake off that spiritual heaviness! Listen, you don’t come out of this by wishing. You come out by DOING. If you sleep through this, your destiny will slip through your fingers. And unlike Jonah, there might not be a fish to rescue you. You risk drowning.

How can you sleep at a time like this? The timing is all wrong. This is NOT the time to snooze because you snooze, you what?

Exactly!

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.