yielded

Hey my lovely family. It feels like I haven’t written in a long time. I want to apologise for my inconsistency the past week, I had to attend a conference in another city. I left in a hurry and didn’t want to “just write” to mark register. I believe that if you’re a cook , the taste of the food is more important than the design of the plate. Likewise, l cannot make one cute post that literally has no soundness. I am back though and have a lot to tell you. Ohhh I obviously took pictures!

One of the things l learnt from this trip is that faith and worry cannot coexist. I was worried about so many things and then l decided to drop that burden and man did God show uppppp! Imagine how many times we have failed to receive from God because we’re more fixated on the problem than the problem solver.

“He was unable to do any great miracle in Nazareth, except to heal a few sick people by laying his hands upon them. He was amazed at the depth of their unbelief! Then Jesus went out into the different villages and taught the people.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Jesus was “unable to do” got me! How can Jesus be limited in doing what He wants to do? What could possibly stop Him? Who? How? How could Jesus’ power be limited by the reaction of people? The bible says it was because of the depth of their unbelief – so he went out into different villages. It is possible to live too near a man to see him. It is possible to be close to the anointing that’s helping others all over the world but you. It is possible to live with a good spouse and never see it; you could even be the child of an Apostle and never receive from them – it’s not in proximity – it’s it’s heart condition. Our focus today is – unbelief.

I did not believe that I’d make it for that conference. So as long as l had that heart- l did not go. I could not go. When l decided to stop worrying and start thanking God, praying that if it’s His will l will go – l went. With no single hiccup. My trip was smooth as my skin when I was 21 years old (now I dunno what’s happening – send help Oh Lord) Anyways it’s not like it will stop me from going to heaven and stuff. 🫠😂. Dear friends, it is true that there is a connection between faith and the workings of God. Could it be that it’s not that we don’t fast and pray , could it be that it is because we don’t believe. Far it be from us that after all is said and done , we remain without , simply because the depth of our unbelief is marvelling.

The gospel according to Mark made it clear that Jesus performed miracles as an acknowledgment of someone’s faith. “Your faith has made you whole,” was His response to many who asked for their healing. The issue at hand, therefore, is not one of whether the Lord had sufficient power. The issue is how we have adopted unbelief as part of our character. We become “unbelievers” who pray 3 hours and do Esther fast. Believers who were waiting for the Messiah they didn’t believe in. It has become a character trait – a stronghold – a lifestyle – a mindset . Many believers only believe in going to heaven but they can’t trust God to put food on the table. Many of us have been here but were being called to more by believing more! Jesus is busy doing mighty works in other cities! What about in your city? In your family? In your life?!

There is an idle faith that is only stirred up when we see first – like Thomas. I experienced something that made me realise , God is ready to do. I’m the one who’s not ready to receive. The faith of the woman of the issue of blood! She didn’t even worry about touching Jesus’ hand, she wasn’t in a queue saying “Papa please lay your hand on me” , hers was silent, hers was determination, hers was “All this man is and has , has the power to change my life even the hem of his garment!” Do you realise that Jesus didn’t sew that garment ? He probably bought it somewhere. There was no occasion where He taught people to touch His garment for healing- so how did this woman even think of that? “What can the hem of His garment do? I need Him to pour anointing oil, l want to fall!” This generation may say. I have come to remind you, Sarah and Abraham didn’t have the same faith.

Sarah still believed in helping God. You need the breakthrough? Stop calculating how many Hagar’s you have that can pop your Isaac. Start thinking about what Isaac will wear when he arrives. Faith is locking into the later. To perceive and lock in! To perceive and be convinced it shall be so and not otherwise. Sometimes it’s not in the obvious, sometimes it’s in the hem of a garment or holding onto a promise even if you’re old. Remember, He is busy doing miracles signs and wonders in other cities.. He can do it in yours..

BY FAITH.

At the beginning of the year my friend Andile had us create our vision boards. We also did a challenge where you introduce yourself as the future you. That whole challenge challenged me. I had to get over the “it’s too big a dream!” thing and create a vision board that was faith based from the first picture to the last. If you haven’t done yours , do it today. There are apps like Canva that have the templates. My advice? Dream big and fuel it by faith.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Past negative experiences can make people feel worried that the same series of events will line up allowing the past to recreate itself. The disciples failing to catch fish all night could’ve been their excuse to say “No! We won’t cast the net again. We keep on failing ! We have tried 20 times and all we got was zero. We are tired of failing. We are going back home!” But they were still positive after toiling all night for NOTHING! Many of us have toiled over the years and caught nothing . God has sent a prophetic word but we did not mix it with faith because “Lord, I will fail again so NO!”

We fear another dose of heartbreak so we reject everyone. We fear the email saying we are not the preferred candidate so we stop applying. We fear that we will crush when the net is pulled and there’s nothing so we stay home and stop fishing. Fear. We look at the past and we assume that the future will be the same. That is not correct. Why are we afraid of a future that God says , will not bring us harm. I can’t help but conclude, we don’t necessarily fear the future, we just don’t have faith in God’s promises. We fear our own idea of the future. What lies behind the door at the other end of the room?

“Here’s what Yahweh says to you: “I know all about the marvelous destiny I have in store for you, a future planned out in detail. My intention is not to harm you but to surround you with peace and prosperity and to give you a beautiful future, glistening with hope.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭TPT‬‬

A future planned out in detail. The fear of the future can paralyse our daily lives. It can even take away your mental stability. Many people are depressed because of this. They lost a job and started spiralling in thoughts thinking about what will happen to them. What does the future hold for me now that I’ve lost my father? How many more years till Isaac is born? I’m running out of time; everyone around me is progressing. He still says, the future is planned out in detail? Every moment! So break free from the never-ending chain of worry that can give rise to feelings of hopelessness. Your future is sorted!

You are having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, can’t eat, you don’t laugh anymore, you have changed . These symptoms can weigh heavy on your mental and emotional wellbeing, robbing you of the joy of the present moment. Abraham waited, he did not question God, He trusted in Gods integrity even when he was told to slay Isaac , he didn’t fear what the future would look like between him and his wife. He didn’t sit and start thinking about how Sarah would respond to the fact that a father has killed his own son. In overthinking lies many weapons that demoralise. In overthinking lies seeds of doubt. In overthinking lies triggers of fear.

In the African society (and maybe other societies as well) parents are also another reason why young people fear the future. In the shouts and the complaints, fearful young people find themselves compromising to find relief . Girls are busy with older men , young men are busy with older women. The fraud. The back door deals. Sarah ‘s way out of barrenness because she fears dying without hearing the word “Mom” is still a foolish way out. The fear of the future will leave our society if we go back to the One who has already detailed it. And whatever He tells us to do .. we do it!

And hey… He is not a man that He should lie.

“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Most of my life I was so anxious. Afraid. Uncertain. I knew I had big dreams. Oh I’m a dreamer. My mind has gone as far as imagining I had my own country somewhere and I was President. I really really dream big! With those big dreams, a plan, praying, I was very fearful of what my future would look like. When you’re in high school you think , “Oh by 25 l will be married with two kids, driving this, living there, doing that.” Then the clock ticks , closer to 24, to 25 and your life looks nothing like you imagined. I mean nothing. You just have a couple of certificates, job today, no job tomorrow, and probably a lousy relationship that even you know, will not lead to the uncles announcing themselves at the gate. And from the boys perspective, even the woman you thought was the one was also someone else’s “the one”. All these things create so much worry about tomorrow because yesterday seemingly failed us.

I know people who laugh now in disbelief if you told them things will change. What did Sarah do?

“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my Lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭18‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sarah looked at her wrinkly skin. Her hair was probably gray white that time. Maybe episodic knee pains. Sore back at irregular intervals. Maybe she couldn’t do what she used to do before, l suppose as couples grow older the less they desire to have sex due to decrease in sexual activity in women, beginning at the onset of menopause in their early 50’s. Considering all the factors involved, when she heard the word , she laughed within herself and accompanied that laughter with a question of disbelief, “Abraham and l are worn out. Is it now that we’re going to have this pleasure?” Is it now that the husband will come? 3 have already disappointed me. Is it now that the job will come? I have had over 50 rejections. Is it now that l will finally laugh? My life has been chaotic since the day I was born. Is it now that things will change?

Let’s not lie to each other, when you’ve not seen results in a long time, holding onto a promise is hard. It requires foolish faith. Faith that is so radical it rides over your many thoughts of why it can’t happen. I can imagine Abraham . The man sat there and received the word. He staggered not upon the promises of God through unbelief. He wasn’t afraid or anxious about the future. To him the future was already sorted. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most famous scriptures yet one of the most unbelievable to a stagnated believer in a progressing society. When is this future? How much longer do l have to wait?

I’m not addressing lazy people on this post. This is for those who have put in the work and still there’s no harvest. Those are the people who easily worry about the future. Lazy people no. If they were worried they’d be doing what everyone else is doing. – Casting the net.

So I found out through research that this is called anticipatory fear. It usually kicks in when a disappointment has occurred in the past. It’s also called the fear of the unknown . People have an idea of what their future is like but they don’t know for sure. The bible clearly states that we only key into the future through faith. The only One who knows our future, seen it and has gone past it is GOD! Our future is His past. Our present is his past. Our entire lives, from beginning to the end, not one single moment is guess work for God. Your life right now is not a shock to Him. It may be – for you though because lol the journal says right now you should be a millionaire. How do we deal with this? How do we rid ourselves of the anxiety , the worry, the fear, the uncertainty of what things will look like next week? Next month? Next year?

We do it how Abraham did it. By faith. Read this slowly and understand. Let’s meet again tomorrow for part 2.

“Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.” Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up. He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.” But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬-‭25‬ ‭MSG‬‬