yielded

Happy New Week Family!🌸

when I grow up, I want to be a nurse.” No, wait—“When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.” Actually, scratch that—“When I grow up, I want to be a lawyer!” That was us, wasn’t it? Back in primary school, high school, and every moment in between, dreaming big dreams like the world was one giant career fair.

And let’s not forget those English compositions we all wrote: “When I Grow Up.” I bet some of us had ten careers lined up in one essay. “I’ll be a singer… and an actor… but also a doctor. Oh, and a judge on the weekends!” The dream buffet was open, and we were just loading up our plates.

Fast forward to today—some of those dreams have shifted, grown, or even been forgotten. But you know what? The dreams God placed in your heart are still there, waiting. This series is about rediscovering them, chasing them, and walking boldly into the future He has for you. You, me, and the Holy Spirit—we’re in this together. Let’s do this!

So Yielded Family, what is a dream? A dream is a vision, hope, or aspiration that lives in your heart and mind, often inspired by your deepest desires, passions, or purpose. It’s that picture of the future that excites you, motivates you, and makes you feel alive. Dreams can be as simple as achieving a small goal or as grand as changing the world. I know mine are always grand 😂 I really stretch it!

From a Christian perspective, dreams often align with God’s purpose for our lives. They’re not just random wishes; they can be divine seeds planted by the Holy Spirit, pointing us toward the plans God has prepared for us. As Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” I love writing so l have lots of diaries full of dreams. Some of which were not my purpose and not in my path of life. I really hope that this series helps those who have disconnected to reconnect with those visions.

When we know where we’re going we feel more alive. I don’t know any confused “happy” person. As the men of God have taught us, speed in the wrong direction often leads to destruction. How can we move in the right direction? We start by defining who we are. 

So who are you? 

Dreams are both a challenge and a gift—they push us to grow, trust, and take action. Whether it’s a career, a calling, or a personal milestone, a dream is your heart’s way of saying, “There’s more.”

Let’s start by looking within. Who is this person that is reading this? What’s your name?

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever set out on a journey only to turn back before reaching your destination? Or perhaps encountered an accident along the way? Maybe you even changed your mind mid-journey? I’ve experienced all three. When we plan a trip, we don’t anticipate failing to arrive. We’ve all heard stories of planes crashing, and we think of the passengers—each of them had plans, dreams, and expectations of arriving safely. If they had known what was to come, they likely wouldn’t have booked the ticket at all.

Have you ever started a new relationship and couldn’t wait to share the news with your friends? Maybe you told them, “I’ve met the one,” and they immediately started planning your bridal shower. Or, as a man, you were certain she was the woman you’d marry. When we enter relationships, we don’t plan for failure or heartbreak—we envision the best and build hopes for the future. Only someone with toxic intentions would think otherwise. If we could foresee how many of these relationships would end, we likely wouldn’t have entered them in the first place.

Have you ever started a new business or tried cooking a meal from scratch? You probably picked out the best ingredients, thinking, A dash of curry here, a splash of water there—perfect! Then suddenly, it’s too spicy, too salty, or just plain unrecognisable . In your head, though, the final dish was going to be a masterpiece—at least according to your taste buds. To be real, nobody starts cooking with the intention of burning food or wasting ingredients, especially in this economy! We confidently tell the family, “Don’t worry, I’m about to cook up a storm!”—but halfway through, it hits us: the storm isn’t on the plate, it’s in the kitchen. If we’d known we were about to serve up disaster, we might not have picked up the spoon at all.

Where am I going with this? Sometimes, the road is unpredictable. Other times, it’s predictable, but we still fail. We start things we can’t finish. We enter conversations and stir up feelings we’re not ready to address. We launch businesses, only to abandon them at the first sign of trouble or loss. Our decisions can be so inconsistent. But God isn’t like that. He is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end. He starts to finish. When He takes off, He arrives. He prepares a table and serves the meal before us, even in the presence of our enemies. What He creates, He sustains for eternity. He doesn’t just do the first step or the last; He completes it all—the 1 and the 100.

Where your confidence lies is where your trust is. Honestly, I’m tired of trusting myself—I don’t want to anymore. As I reflect, I realize I’ve failed because man can only see the present, while the future rests in God’s hands. Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” I love that Paul calls it a good work. Even when it feels hard—even when you’re crying—it’s still good work. God gives you the A, the Z, and every step in between. The vision will be accomplished. The process, the dreams, the purpose—it’s all in His hands. But let’s be honest: if it’s going to be accomplished, it has to be through the Lord.

Think about it. Do you really want to keep cooking up tasteless meals in your own strength? Why not hand it over to God and let Him do His work in you? God doesn’t help those who help themselves—He helps those who ask.

Lord, You began this good work in me, and I trust You to accomplish it. Amen!

My Yielded People, I love you. Yesterday, I watched a video by a wonderful woman I follow on Instagram, and she said, “Allow people to love you. Allow people to help you. Allow people to be there for you.” This message struck me deeply.
Often, it’s not that others aren’t offering love and support; rather, we may struggle to receive it. We disqualify ourselves in the wilderness and it stops us from entering Canaan. Some of us find it challenging to accept anything, even love. When I say, “I love you,” someone might think, “Why would you love me?” We often disqualify ourselves, thereby rejecting the special blessings available to us.

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
‭‭Malachi‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Reflect on what you desire or need. Are your hands truly open to receive it, or are you expecting it to come directly from God? Embracing the love and support from those around us can be a channel for the blessings we seek. God sends people, He always does.

I have struggled with this. I am sure it has made me block prayers of destiny helpers that l prayed. The destiny helpers probably showed up and I didn’t open my palm so they went to the ones who could receive. So, I have changed. I’m a brand new person now. Allow people to love you. Take the hug from your friends, stop thinking being loved is weird because it reflects your unhealed soul. We make things hard for ourselves that The Lord has made easy.

Anyhoo please follow our Instagram page!! Abeg!

Have you watched this Movie? Well, I’m plugging you today!! Remember, don’t make things hard for yourself today, look out for ease and for God’s help. Sharp , bye! ❤️

Do we all have the same vision? Are we all called to do the same thing? Of course not! I mean, come on—look at us. We don’t even wear the same clothes, let alone like the same stuff. My friend buries her head in all things sparkly, while I’m over here vibing to my own style. Some ladies are sneakerheads, but me? I like to be sky-high in heels. And men? One guy’s drooling over cars, while another’s busy chasing a soccer ball. Even in love, someone’s eyeing you, and someone else is stuck on me. The point is, we’re all different—and guess what? God’s totally in on it. He’s not out here using a cookie-cutter approach, which is, duplicating the same gingerbread man. Nope, He deals with each of us in our own unique, wonderfully weird ways.

I love tea. I mean, really love tea. My niece, on the other hand? She’s a Coca-Cola person – she could down a whole 2-liter bottle alone. You see, even in the little things, our preferences are worlds apart. Take Jesus and John the Baptist, for example. Both were sent by God, yet their ministries and personalities were totally unique. The issue today is that in the church we are too busy trying to copy-paste what God intentionally made different. Instead of celebrating our differences, we try to force everything to look and sound the same—and that’s when we start sneaking worldly trends into the church. God didn’t call us to be clones; He called us to embrace the beauty of being different!

A lot of people miss out on fresh revelation because they’re too busy trying to sound like some famous preacher. They dress like them, talk like them—even try to clone their voice! And I’m just sitting here thinking, “But where’s the God factor in all of this?” It doesn’t stop there either. We want to be like our friends, like that one person we admire, so much so that we lose sight of our own purpose. But here’s the truth: you have your own purpose! You weren’t designed to do things like your neighbor—and that’s perfectly okay. Do things like you. That’s exactly who God created you to be!

That’s exactly why we have Reflection Fridays—to pause, reflect, and realign ourselves with who we’re truly meant to be. As we kick off our new series, Chasing My God-Given Dream, I want us to be aware of these traps. If you spend your life trying to be like everyone else, you’ll miss the chance to become who God created you to be. So, be yourself! If your friend can afford Gucci shoes and you can’t, guess what? That’s totally fine.

Don’t lose yourself trying to compete or keep up with others—it’s not worth it. And let’s talk about this slay queen and king thing for a second. Do you know why we have so many of them? One person started it, and then everyone else jumped on the bandwagon. But the truth is, most aren’t really slay queens or kings—they’re just duplicating an image. That’s why they won’t even step out without a specific phone; they have to stay consistent with the “copycat vibes.” But let’s be real—God didn’t call us to copy, He called us to be authentic!

Tell your friends—it’s official! We’ve started the series Chasing My God-Given Dream. Show up, read, and engage so you can stop trying to walk in shoes that are either too big or too small for you. This is the season of self-measurements, where we’re aligning with God’s purpose for our tailor-made destiny! Remember what the Word says:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

IT’S TIME TO BE AUTHENTIC!

Happy Monday my yielded people. I hope you had a great weekend. One of the ways in which we learn how to yield to God is by taking time to consecrate and separate yourself unto God from time to time. That being said, l would like to encourage us as a family to fast and pray.

By the grace of God, the Yielded Center has grown so much. From the Yielded Blogs to the Yielded TV and now, we have The Yielded Counselling Center. In 2024, the Lord led me to return to the study of mental health, but from a fresh perspective. This time, I focused on Christian counseling while also exploring the psychological aspects to gain a deeper understanding of both the spiritual and biological dimensions of brain development. I obeyed His call—and let me tell you, one of the greatest decisions you can ever make is to obey God. At the same time, I was facing challenges within the Midnight Prayer Group that felt beyond my ability to resolve. I realized I needed the knowledge and wisdom to navigate such situations as a leader effectively. By God’s grace, this journey of obedience has brought me here today to present to you The Yielded Counseling Center. I am now a certified biblical counsellor. I will expand on the areas of specialization tomorrow.

If you’d like to book an appointment, you’ll find the link below.

The Yielded Counselling Center | Scheduling and Booking Website

You can also visit our website by scrolling to the bottom of this page for further details. The Yielded Center now stands as a ministry with three key expressions, Christian blogs, Christian tv/entertainment and Christian counselling. Well, not forgetting baby number 1, The Midnight Prayer Group. Until the Lord instructs otherwise, I believe these represent the core of my gifts and calling. As we begin January, I’d love for us to dive into an important discussion about dreams, the conception of ideas, and how we birth them. Many people find themselves struggling at different stages of the process:

• Some never seem to have ideas at all.
• Others get stuck in the conception/brainstorming stage.
• Some struggle to bring their ideas to life.
• And then there are those who birth their ideas but can’t make them grow into strong, sustainable systems.

We’ll also explore how your visions of the night (dreams) often connect to your real-life journey. I’m excited to share these insights and hope you’ll join me as we uncover ways to make your dreams come true. I promise to only lead you where I’ve already walked—and what I’ve learned on my journey might just help you on yours! On another note, please support The Yielded Counseling Center by sharing the counseling links. I’m praying for as many clients as possible—not just to grow the center, but to reach and help those who feel stuck in hopeless situations.

We now offer biblical counseling that’s both effective and efficient. And because it’s all online, you can book from anywhere in the world—how cool and convenient is that? I can’t wait to see you tomorrow as we take this journey together. Let’s start the year strong!

You have all my love,

Vanessa.