Hey guys! Happy Wednesday! I’m sorry for posting late today , it’s just been a zig zag of a day. I hope we are all good good aaaannnnnnd I hope we’ve been inviting people to the event. You can’t be part of the Yielded Family and miss a Yielded Family Event. You’ll be that cousin that never shows up to family gatherings .. eii!
It’s every easy to be distracted during worship. Distracted by pain. Distracted by Instagram notifications. Distracted by intrusive thoughts. Distracted by a call from a friend with hot gist or a lover. Distracted by self or even the devil himself. Many people don’t know how to focus on Jesus alone. We worship for a second then we quickly shift to “Lord l want five million.” We praise for a few seconds then we quickly shift to “Lord when is my wife or husband coming.” This is the reason why we are robbed of encounters. We don’t enjoy His presence , we always try to bring self; my job; my money; my this ; my that. “for our “God is a consuming fire.”” Hebrews 12:29 NIV Today we will pray that the consuming fire of God will consume whatever distraction may arise to quench our intimate moment with the Lord. If you are coming for the event , we will have a wonderful time of worship together. Remember , FOCUS ON THE LORD For now, here’s a worship song to listen to;
Happy new week my Yielded Family. We are starting a new topic this week. We will be looking at different characters in the Bible. Let’s study the woman – Leah. Leah is the elder daughter of Laban, the wife of Jacob and the sister to Rachel. Please refer to Genesis chapter 29.
The first time we hear anything specific about Leah’s is in verse 17;
“Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” Genesis 29:17-18 NIV
My friend and l read this chapter a while ago and we quickly went to google to check if maybe there’s a visual reference to Leah’s physique, lol because , I mean, what are “weak eyes?” Other versions say her eyes were sickly, dull looking and tender. Whatever “weak” means I’m not sure, but the context is clear. Leah was physically unattractive (at least in Jacob’s eyes), whereas Rachel was beautiful (he was in love with her). He completely disregarded Leah. The bible says she was not his choice.
We live in a world of choices. I was scrolling on an online store last night looking for bags to buy and sell. I checked a few and added them to my cart. I checked out other bags and even though the reviews were quite good, “it’s good quality” , “it’s spacious”, “I love the design” , to me , they were not a choice I’d make. I love shoes but there are shoes I’d never buy, like these.
These ones can cost R3 or even be for free , l would never ever buy them. Why? Because human beings have a choice based on their preferences. You’d be shocked how many people would love them and even cry if you give them as a gift. Now the difference is, those are shoes, shoes don’t have feelings even if they are rejected. At worst the designer hears you talking bad about his design but that’s that. Leah was not a shoe. Or a bag. Human beings feel. Human beings yearn and Long to be chosen no matter the flaws they are AWARE they have, they still want to be first choice. Let’s go back scripture;
Jacob did not hold back his love. He declared it openly to Laban that he was willing to work hard to get his younger daughter , Rachel. Guess what? From the get go, Jacob knew the custom was to marry the first daughter first. If Jacob is a cheat, Laban is double dose! Anyhoo, Leah was aware that Jacob does not like her much so much so he’s willingness to cheat “culture and tradition” to avoid being with her. How did Leah feel about all this? Maybe Jacob was not the first man dodge her. Maybe he was not the only man to make her feel unseen. Leah.
When it came to Rachel, Jacob said “l will work” but when it came to Leah , there was silence and crooked plans. No one was willing to show up. I know many of us have had our Leah moments. You applied and they chose someone who wasn’t even as qualified as you. You thought because you have finally made it in life your parents would love you but the rejection continued. Rejected by friends. Rejected by men. Rejected by women. You are just never the first choice and you have built an identity around it so much so even before people say anything, you have concluded, it will be a no. What happens to you when you feel you’re not good enough? What happens to you when certain people destabilise our need to “belong”?
There are so many things about Leah that I want us to discuss. We should’ve been on our second post but I got tied up yesterday and couldn’t post. I want to encourage you to get a ticket for our event on the 19th, we will talk about such things and more. The truth is, many people think they’ll find healing in other people. No. Healing is found in God after you make a decision to start the journey. Healing from rejection . See you on our next blog, let’s find out how much damage rejection can cause.
Please help me share the link to the event with your friends
If the mirror could project hearts, what would yours look like?
When you get a couple of pimples on your face , you may quickly try and find new products to give you a clearer and smoother skin. “Perhaps,” we say, “the ones we got before don’t work”. When a hairstyle is over three weeks and it looks like you are a bushman , you get a new hairstyle then you suddenly feel alive again. Why do we do all this? To ensure that our physical appearance is good. How many times do we intentionally check the conditions of our hearts?
It is not uncommon to hear people say, “I don’t believe in therapy” or “Therapy doesn’t work for me,” and these are all valid claims. I went for therapy too. It didn’t work for me. It was later that l realised, the issue isn’t therapy, it is where you go for therapy. Nobody can fix the heart better than the One who created it – that is – GOD. Psychologists play a huge role in our communities and have been able to help many people , we salute and honour them but they can only offer coping strategies not complete healing. Complete healing is found in Christ alone.
Often, we use something external to help us cope with what is internal, like a glass of wine or your favourite snack. Some use sex and binge watching tv series to cope. Eventually it starts influencing your day-to-day functioning. The people of the world don’t see anything wrong with this. As a matter of fact, they encourage you to do what you can to “cope” while the Bible encourages us to come to Jehovah Rapha. One brings short lived relief, the other brings total and complete deliverance.
There is no checklist or quiz that can tell you, “Hey! It’s time to consider counseling!” but there are some red flags that might tip you off like answering the question above. If mirrors could reflect the heart and mind, what would yours look like? As a survivor of mental health issues, l speak based on experiences which led me to The Balm in Gilead and left me with encounters. Look at what Hebrews 4:12 says:
“The Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”
Our first event , which will be a mass counselling session will be held on the 19th of October. We have limited tickets so get yours as soon as you can. Share this with a friend and show up! You can even buy for your parents (yes parents have held onto so much for so long)! Remember, whatever we need is found in God. Sometimes looking in the mirror is not fun but if we want to fix the creases, the hair, we have no choice but to first find out where the problem is by looking into the mirror.
If I have counselled you before, please do share how you have been helped and how it has affected your day to day life. To get your ticket, click on the link below;
Today l woke up late. I felt too tired to face the day. I felt guilty even worse l read this verse last night;
“How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:9-11 NIV
Eiiiii !! It hit me in my sleepiness. Although the right amount of sleep can be beneficial physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, too much sleep can be harmful if it detracts from work. There is a difference between reasonable self-care and being irresponsible. I felt irresponsible because of the amount of school work I have to cover inorder to be able to teach at the event. Chilled Thursday is not an excuse for us to not do anything at all. Anyhoo, I’m in school rn as l also juggle it with yielded. In my ant era 🐜 😩
May you have a productive day. I will try and create a weekly chart for us to help us achieve our weekly goals. I love you. ❤️
Here’s an interesting book to read. It will help you in building relationship with others.
I love this song. I love how it reminds me that even before l was born God already knew who l would become. He knew my name, He knew my yesterday, and He knows my future. Many of the lies of the enemy are shadowed in the fact that people think that God knows nothing about the future. God is not trying to figure it out. He is not putting together a last minute “What to do with Vanessa” plan. No. He has always had a clear vision about you and l.
Before a baby is born, they are such a wonderful mystery. Though we can get a “peek” at them through ultrasound images, hear their heartbeat with a doppler, and speculate about what they might look like by forming images in our imaginations of their mom and dad’s features, we can’t really know them until they are born. And even then, though we may have dreams about what they could do and who they could be, we can’t accurately predict their futures. The bible says God already knows in exactness how the child looks.
When a pregnant woman is about to put to bed, the couple buys what is called, preparation. They buy things like nappies, new baby clothes, baby wrapper, etcetera. Infact, some are given the list at the hospital. When the baby is born you don’t see the mother running out of the Labour room to buy the nappies, no. They prepared for the baby’s arrival and have all they need for the baby. It’s like that with God. What you needed from birth till you die has already been prepared for you! God is not overthinking about your future.
It is comforting to know our lives are held and known by a God who is infinitely Great and eternal. Are you unable to pray or worship because you are worried about the future? Receive the peace of God. Your Father already knows what you need before you need it..
Finally, our tickets are live. Click on the link to get yours, please do share the poster. Take some time to worship today.
