Welcome

Dear Friends,

Oh yes..every reader and follower has become a friend of mine and most importantly shall become a friend of God cos that’s what its really about 🙂

It is truly a privilege to discover that before God created you, he was thinking about something, a solution to a problem that would become your Purpose/Vision/Assignment. I am on an exciting journey of discovering mine and would love to share my experiences with you but most imprtantly help you discover your purpose.

Your best days are here.

With Love,

TheProverbs31Woman

Women of Purpose Series 1…Wife and Friend

My Dear Friends,

I hope the series have been inspiring so far.. the privilege of knowing someone else who has experienced your struggles and has scaled through is priceless.

Today, please meet my dearest friend and sister in the faith, Mrs Seun Samson-Olawale.. lover of the Lord Jesus Christ; only wife to her king, Oluwaseyi; HR practitioner and aspiring CEO battered to beauty!

My walk with GOD has had several epileptic stages. Being born in a Christian home and feeling compelled to ‘live right’ quickly and often lost its touch- more like having a form of godliness . That point where you know you may be moral but neither just nor even living according to GODs will.

Focusing on a more stable and consistent period, I will start at 2010 when I moved to Abuja, independent as I’ve been since university but deciding not to remain half-baked despite the odds of an environment which prompts silliness! Getting to this stage where GOD has settled ALL that concerns me without struggling, I can only say that my life is grace-personified. At times I did get burnt, but GOD was rreeaaallll patient with me.

Reading a daily devotion message on Friday, 24th May just narrates the lessons I’ve learnt through it all. In all the haste and microwave expectations I placed on GOD, I realised how best it was to await the David-like blessings than the Saul-like thorns! Today, I am convinced and assured that waiting is never a waste and blessings are not accrued to efforts.

Through it all, one thing that stands out for me is the definition that the LORD is my shield and exceeding great reward! I have witnessed the promise in Genesis 15:1 be true in my life day-in, day-out. I put in my abilities without stress and over again, the LORD magnifies it and makes me look bigger & better than imagined!!
This is the story of my work & walk with GOD!

Women of Purpose Series 1… The Professional

Today on the women of purpose series is someone I have a great deal of respect for…She is the founder of the E- fellowship group that encourages young Christians to share God’s word daily, a Jesus lover and a lawyer.

The e- fellowship greatly encouraged me as it actually made me enjoy sharing God’s word and boy..i have learnt so much as a member of the group.

Meet Ogochukwu Okafor..

My walk with God thus far…. I thought very hard about this before I started writing. First thought was, “I’m so not qualified to write about my ‘walk’ with God, I mean, I’m barely crawling.” (laughs)

Anyway, one of the greatest challenges I faced as a young Christian adult was ‘commitment’. I mean the whole nine yards, all legs in, no hot one day cold the next, no dual lifestyle. That is what I have come to understand was my biggest challenge. All I really wanted was the best of both worlds, you know cool kid who goes to church on Sundays and even sometimes Tuesdays. I paid my tithes and more often than not made the right arguments in any hot Christian debate about churches and pastors and any other religious topic you can think about.
For example; One day in Bwari campus Nigerian Law School, in the midst of the almighty lawschool exam, I made that commitment again. In short I thought then that I’d never been closer to God than that period, I promised my all, I said no turning back, I said I’d give this vow if I get a first class, I said I’d serve in church forever, I went for every prayer meeting, I read very hard too. Hmmm, it was a serious matter, matter of life and death. To me that was the most important thing in my whole world….but guess what? It came and passed,  and life went on. Back to hot and cold…however I was a little bit more concerned about this trend though.

I remember sitting down one day and asking myself ,’why is it so hard to commit to God’s word, why is it so hard to just make up my mind to follow God?’  A thousand reasons came to mind, one of them was I’d still most likely fall anyway. Then another thought was ‘what would people say’….yep! cliché! But it was in my head for a long time. You know the stereotype life, not a bad girl but not a spiro aka church girl, just a normal average girl or maybe not!, I don’t really know. I also remember one provoking thought I had… why do I always care what people think anyway? What has that ever done for me? Nothing. First I never really know what anyone really thinks, its not like they walk up to you and tell you what they think, its always gossip or hearsay or someone say it in a way as not to hurt you and then you never really hear the nice stuff anyway. So I made up my mind one night and I said no more…..well of course I fell again the very next day.

Then I remember my prayers started changing from Lord if you just do this for me I will….to Lord if u don’t help me I will keep falling, I need you! I remember I’d just keep going to church every Sunday with one of my bestfriends, and then it turned to Tuesday and Sunday and then there was this hunger for more and we joined believers class…yep and then baptismal class, now the difference here is I actually now ‘wanted IN’, it was like a roadmap was being drawn, my steps were being ordered, I dint even have time to think of other things, I was so thirsty (still am, God help me!) and so hungry for more of what I was knowing  and learning. The issue is, I have been a Christian all my life (we are the ones who usually fall into familiarity with the things of God and end up taking the privilege of knowing Him for granted)… to top it all I was one of those choir leader, drama leader, Sunday school teacher children in children’s church with little or no understanding of the investment in my future I was making, all I wanted was to be like other kids and go for party, and not have to be in all the church activities because of my parents, I just wanted normal. The saying train up your child in the way he should go and when he is older he would not depart from it is what I believe has worked in my life.  No matter how much I tried (unknowingly) to depart from it I just found myself back in God’s arms, there was always a way back, always an opportunity to get back on track and I bless the Holy Spirit.

I had walked the walk of the lukewarm for so long, the path of destruction, you know the worst one, you are not choosing God fully and your not enjoying the sin you find yourself in either. That’s me! Then you begin to wonder what’s the point of  life….but I found Jesus, right there waiting for me to decide, waiting for me all this little time to just choose him fully, to just say YES to the blank sheet of paper that my physical eyes cant see the writing of, to just say yes to the plan he has set up for me right from the beginning…to just say YES LORD I choose you FULLY, and only you.

It really has not been easy (because this slimy flesh has to keep dying daily) but its been sooo jaw-dropping amazing just seeing the power of God for real!
For me, it all started with going to church, hearing the word, that’s what kicked my faith, hearing the word everyway I possibly could, it pierced through my heart and re-awakened my inner man. Again I believe I am not qualified to talk or write about my walk with God just yet but I do look forward to my 80th birthday when my grandkids would talk about it …by Gods grace and if He indeed tarries till then.  What God is doing in my life hasn’t yet fully manifested and one day I’d understand fully well what it actually means to write on my walk in detail and do same ,but for now I continue and I forge ahead, blessing God for all the sharpeners and irons he has sent my way.

My study for this week has been Romans 11:33 and Romans 12:2 (please read)…I stand amazed at his beauty and the power of  His love. I refuse to take it for granted anymore and live in a lie that I can win the best of both worlds.

Today, and forever more all I long to do is sing about his love and how beautiful God really is…and I’m looking for more young adults to join in.  Not for what He can do for us but what we can do through Him and In Him.
God loves you so much and the more we key into this love the more we don’t want anyone else to miss out on it. Shalom!

Women Of Purpose Series 1…The Fashionista

Dear Friends,

Sigh..so sorry I couldn’t start the series yesterday…you know those aliens that abduct your data plan *side eye* Well in had a run in with one of those.

Anyway so we are starting today with an amazing woman.. The Fashionista.

 

I met this woman in 1997 same class in High School..got really close in ’99 and then life happened but i can confidently say we have been friends for 14 years.

She is a Fashion Blogger by Night, Banker by Day and a Shopping Addict at weekends (rolling my eyes). She is also a Sunday school teacher and an aspiring writer.

This Gifted, Smart, Beautiful and amazingly Kind nerd got her arm twisted (oh yes..im the bully :D) to share a little bit of her journey to self with us. I have no doubt a lot of us have been and probably are in this address and I pray the Lord will always give us understanding and help us grow in the knowledge of His unconditional love.

Here She goes :

When I heard about the Women of Purpose Series, I was excited. Real people sharing real experiences, something I can relate to. Then I heard I would be one of the 6 women. Ha! If onyeka had seen my face ehn, she would have “dis-friended” me. Armed to the teeth with my quiver full of “I’m too shy” arrows and my “I can’t do this” grenade on standby, I was ready to go to war with Onyeka. But then the panic attack subsided and I remembered; I can’t do one thing or two or a few. I can do ALL things.

So here I am writing this post….

Technically, my walk with Christ began the day I was born. I was fortunate enough to be born to Christian parents and they brought me up in the way of the Lord. I accepted Jesus as my saviour when I was 12. Did I fully understand the import of that decision? At that age, most likely not. But with each passing year, I learnt and grew in him. Then I went to the university. For 4 years, I watched people party, do drugs, drink alcohol, get pregnant, get rid of it…and I judged. In retrospect I must confess, I was such a self-righteous, goody 2 shoes, judgmental christian.

A few years after I graduated, I got the much anticipated “freedom”. I started going out more often, made new friends, kept the old ones close. The ugly duckling transformed into a swan. The swan fell in love and BAM! Life as she knew it changed completely. I couldn’t wait for his calls, laughed silly at his jokes, eagerly checked my phone for his messages. He quickly became my everything, my “mini-god”, and everything revolved around him. But being human, he couldn’t keep up with my ridiculous expectations and he slipped up on one. I quickly ended things…being immature and all, thinking it would make him sit up and come begging. Two weeks later, I went begging him to take me back…give us one more chance. His firm NO was like a slap to my face.

For months, I pined over him, cried, cursed myself and my childishness, prayed to God to bring him around…begged for one more chance. Without him I felt so alone, confused, disoriented, like I had lost my identity. I felt like I needed him to complete me and make me whole. My friends got sick and tired of listening to me whine (I think the only reason they put up with me is ’cause when I’m sane, I’m pretty much amazing 😉 ). A sip of vodka helped ease the pain, a cup helped deaden it. I partied hard, but it didn’t help. The morning after pain was the worst!

Cover of Redeeming Love

For some reason, I was pushed to read Francine Rivers’ “Redeeming Love” again, and I saw clearly what was happening to me. Like Angel, I had replaced God with this “mini-god”. I had let my happiness and joy depend on him, so without him I was sad, depressed and almost lifeless. I knew I needed to take a drastic step. So, just like Angel did, I walked away. From the heartache, the sadness, I kept my distance from him, deleted him from my blackberry (yes, drastic measures). I focused more on God. I told him all my problems, shared my pains with him, cried in his presence, asked him to take away my pain.

It didn’t happen overnight, I still feel sad, wonder if I’ll love again, cry sometimes, but ultimately I’m reminded that he has beautiful plans for my life and I stop worrying. I’m not where I want to be, but I’m slowly getting there. Before I gave everything up to God, I had crossed many lines. Mention it, I’m sure I’ve done it. I’ve been in shoes, the weight of which staggered me and I’ve learnt not to judge people. So many people have faced situations so tough they need to be awarded badges of honor for surviving. I used to be so innocent. I’m not anymore. I’ve made mistakes, I still do. I’m undeserving, but his mercy remains available for me. I try to live consciously, live right and live for him. It won’t be easy, but I’m going to keep at it.

I’d like to share my favorite bible verse with you…Luke 1:37. “For with God, nothing shall be impossible”. It reminds me that God is bigger than any problem and situation and he cares about everything that concerns us, down to the last strand of hair on your head. So, act like you know.

“I’m a christian, I’m not holier than thou, I’m just a simple sinner who received God’s good grace, somehow.” – Maya Angelou.

Women of Purpose Series 1

Dear Friends,

I am so excited about the women of purpose series starting on Sunday.

In this series, 6 amazing women will share experiences about their walk with God so far..sharing about the things they struggled with and how God is bringing them to their prepared place in Destiny.

I have no doubt you will be blessed through this series.

With love,

TheProverbs31Woman

How Passionate Are We About God?

How passionate are we towards the things of God?

When was the last time we were called fanatics for Christ or labelled as ‘Spiri Koko’. A lot of us Christians today are not really different from unbelievers. We cut corners, speak words that tear down (and not d kingdom of darkness), we speak words that lack faith…and yet we are of God. We carry the God-head inside of us but are lives don’t reflect it.

We are fast turning into the Laodicean church as described in Revelations 3:14-17..neither Hot or Cold. We are busy seeking God’s hand(blessings) rather than His face (direction). What is the state of our proximity to Him? Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit? Passion for soul winning? When was the last time we asked God “what do You need me to do at this time?”

We are to be consecrated and set apart; our neighbours, colleagues, family members, spouses, friends shouldn’t be confused about our born again status..it shld be a badge that is obvious. I don’t mean force it or pretend but by the renewing of your mind..it will show on the outside.

Prayer Point:

I pray that the Holy Spirit infuses us with fresh fire and revival that will ignite our passion for God; grace for us to persevere in Prayer, Praise and Worship to God. That the eyes of our understanding be enlightened such that we are not busy with mere works but also conscious of our proximity to God.

Finally, I pray that we would forever be relevant to God’s purpose here on earth and may He never find a suitable replacement for our purpose here on earth.

God Bless You.

With Love,

TheProverbs31Woman

Serving God Better

Service to God is great gain. The Bible says when we serve the Lord, He shall bless our bread and water and take away sickness from our midst (Exodus 23:25). The Bible also says that The Lord has not asked the seed of Jacob to seek Him in vain. (Isaiah 45:19).

Some of us believe because we seemingly do not offend God, we are serving Him. As in because we don’t steal, lie, fornicate…  we are ‘safely’ serving God. Remember the parable of the talents..where the 3rd servant hid the singular talent given to him so as not to upset the master (Matthew 25;13-30). If God expected us to live that way, he could have applauded the guy; rather, He called him an Evil and Lazy Servant.  This story more or less teaches us that faithful service led to increased responsibilities in the kingdom of heaven, and eternal joy in the presence of the Master, Jesus Christ while unfaithful service led to condemnation, the removal of one’s stewardship, and an eternity of weeping and gnashing of teeth in outer darkness, away from the presence of our Lord. Many things we call practising Christianity is actually Morality. It goes beyond turning away from something bad..not doing certain things. The question now is what are you then doing?

Christianity is about pursuing right living and impacting the world as well. We are not meant to take sides but to take over and turn the Kingdom of this world to the Kingdom of our God. God doesn’t want us to be isolated or cut off from the secular for we are in this world but not of this world. He wants us to affect and impact lives where we live, work, etc as you don’t necessarily have to serve God within the walls of a Church. Do your colleagues see you as a child of God? Your spouse? Kids? Family members? Fellow motorists? Do we lift up our ‘holy hands’ in church and then use those same hands to do ‘waka you dey craze’ at those annoying keke napep drivers? Selah

How then can you serve The Lord better?

– Understand that we are God’s representative on earth and we were created to worship Him and do exploits as well

– Offer all of yourself to God. Romans 6:13, 1 Cor 10:31, Jn 12:9. You should be willing to serve God even in your present circumstance. Some of us want to wait for a better job, that husband we have been praying about, car, children etc before we serve God but rather God wants us to start NOW. Joseph and Apostle Paul are great examples of serving God in whatever circumstance you find yourself. We need to offer ourselves to God first before hustling to be used by Him. I will explain:

I’m one person that greatly desires to be used by God. I want to heal the sick, raise the dead, do crusades and all that but recently, I started asking myself if i wanted these gifts strictly to give God glory or a part of myself wants to be seen as ‘ that babe wey God dey use ‘

Truth is we need to continually ask God to search our hearts and purge us from every selfish desire so that we can truly serve Him in Spirit and in Truth.

I truly pray the Lord sheds more light on His plans for us and grants us the grace to live our lives for Him.

With love,

TheProverbs31Woman

Welcome

Dear Friends,

Oh yes..every reader and follower has become a friend of mine and most importantly shall become a friend of God cos that’s what its really about 🙂

It is truly a privilege to discover that before God created you, he was thinking about something, a solution to a problem that would become your Purpose/Vision/Assignment. I am on an exciting journey of discovering mine and would love to share my experiences with you but most imprtantly help you discover your purpose.

Your best days are here.

With Love,

TheProverbs31Woman