A few weeks ago after a conversation with someone, I was listening to the song “Yes” by Shekinah Glory. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYurqlr1E7g&ob=av2e) And God really started speaking and sharing things with me.
Often times, people get fed up with the situations they are in or have been in - the negativity, the hurt, the loneliness, the fear. This happens for both believers in Christ who have hit rock bottom and those that are still seeking to establish a relationship with the heavenly Father. A person finally gets to their wits end and cries out “God help me, God please change me, I need you….” And our loving Father is always willing to come to His children’s cries. When the bottom falls out, it is the most simple and easy step; to reach out and call out to Him.
But the question that comes along with that is:
Asking for change from Him, what are YOU willing, yourself, to change?
Like the minister sings in the song I mentioned at the beginning, “there is more that I require of thee…”. Another key part that I hear her say at the beginning of the song during the intro is: “I’ll forsake MY way for YOUR way God…the very thing I don’t want to do, I’ll do.”
We have to start recognizing that with the core catalyst for change in our lives being GOD, we ALSO have responsibility. We can’t just ask God for change and expect to “POOF”, see results with no work.
**Example**
A young person feels dark. Feels alone. Does nothing but goes out constantly. Clubs. Parties. Drinks to solve problems and not deal with emotions. Drugs. Destructive behavior. Seeks for answers and solutions in others. Spends countless nights crying. Drives self insane with thinking and being in depression. Asks for prayers and seeks council. --- next day, following week, following month, following year --- repeats behavior over and over again. Fast forward some time: that young person finally has enough and hits rock bottom and cries out to the Father - next, he or she gets up; & REPEATS the SAME behavior still again; but this time, all the while constantly crying out to God. Something within that HAS to give.
What I’m trying to say is, we can’t keep doing the same thing that keeps resulting in the same null, void, and empty response & crying out “FATHER GOD! CHANGE ME, FIX ME I NEED YOU!”, in the same breath. I have been in a boat very similar to the example I gave. I give all thanks and praise to God for instilling certain things in me at an early age that I had the knowledge to know that once I hit my bottom; I had to forget everything that I THOUGHT I knew & DO the “very thing I didn’t want to do but needed to do”; in order for Him to help me and pull me through to where I needed to be.
Changes are NOT easy. That is something even the youngest of the young can feel; if not understand. In “Yes” she sings, “Yes might cost you everything.” From experience, I can say it has costs me a good number of personal things. But I know that if I had not said yes, if I had not taken my responsibility in my cry for change years ago; I’d still be stuck - wondering, questioning, depressed, and hurt. Making the decision not only to truly reconnect my entire being to Christ for TOTAL CHANGE but to also WILLINGLY get rid of the things hindering me was the BEST decision I’d ever made. Of course things and people come along to try to sway my decision; & when they can’t- slander, attitudes and hurtful things fly my way. But I am FIRM in what I believe in and stand for. And with God, I know that I am covered under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91).
All that said: if you know someone in a boat similar to what I‘ve explained --the person is coming to you for prayer about being alone, feeling sad, and wanting God to change them - or if this is YOU…..just remember; God is always, ALWAYS there waiting to take a hold of your hand. Just remember, with your other hand; you also have work to do also. *smile*
Here are some scriptures that I stood on and read in my tough times & that I believe parallel my post :)
*Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
*Matthew 5:33-37 (NLT)
“You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”
*Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) --one of my FAVORITE ones!
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
*John 8:12 (KJV)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
*Matthew 16:24-27 (NIV)
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”
And here is something I found online:
Luke 14:25-35 (NIV)
The Cost of Discipleship or Being A Disciple
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
(http://www.jollynotes.com/)
Blessings & Love in Christ,
Nicole :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Godly Resources
I just wanted to list a few resources that may be beneficial for you. Everything I am going to list, I have personally used and has helped me in my walk. So here goes it:
- This youtube video of an awesome spoken word artist is a MUST see. Please, please check it out! http://youtu.be/-gb7n9B_8m8
- The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian. This is an awesome read that definitely will convicted you and help you in your prayer life as a woman. She also has other books like that of a praying wife and mother. Check them out!
- http://www.biblestudytools.com/ Great website with a vast amount of resources. Personally, I receive daily bible readings and a question of the day. They both help me to first read the word and fill my spirit with it, but to understand what it means to be a Christian.
- Eastern University: http://www.eastern.edu/. I am currently enrolled in my master’s program there and God is definitely present in the classroom! “EASTERN UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive Christian University that integrates faith, reason and justice for its students in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and non-traditional adult programs. This learning community consists of over 4,000 students who share a passion to make a difference in their lives, their communities, and the world”.
- Girlfriends Pray which can be located on Facebook by typing “Girlfriends Pray” in the search box or via their blog at http://www.girlfriendsprayblog.org/ . Great resource for women who wish to be connected to other women of God.
- Like Christian radio and gospel music? You can always listen live to Praise 103.9! I go to http://www.praisephilly.com/ while I am at work to listen to the music and get inspiration as well.
- Oh and there is this nice thing called the Holy Bible! There are different versions out there so find the one that suits your needs!
I hope you find those resources of benefit; they surely have helped me!
Be blessed,
Nadirah M.
- This youtube video of an awesome spoken word artist is a MUST see. Please, please check it out! http://youtu.be/-gb7n9B_8m8
- The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian. This is an awesome read that definitely will convicted you and help you in your prayer life as a woman. She also has other books like that of a praying wife and mother. Check them out!
- http://www.biblestudytools.com/ Great website with a vast amount of resources. Personally, I receive daily bible readings and a question of the day. They both help me to first read the word and fill my spirit with it, but to understand what it means to be a Christian.
- Eastern University: http://www.eastern.edu/. I am currently enrolled in my master’s program there and God is definitely present in the classroom! “EASTERN UNIVERSITY is a comprehensive Christian University that integrates faith, reason and justice for its students in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and non-traditional adult programs. This learning community consists of over 4,000 students who share a passion to make a difference in their lives, their communities, and the world”.
- Girlfriends Pray which can be located on Facebook by typing “Girlfriends Pray” in the search box or via their blog at http://www.girlfriendsprayblog.org/ . Great resource for women who wish to be connected to other women of God.
- Like Christian radio and gospel music? You can always listen live to Praise 103.9! I go to http://www.praisephilly.com/ while I am at work to listen to the music and get inspiration as well.
- Oh and there is this nice thing called the Holy Bible! There are different versions out there so find the one that suits your needs!
I hope you find those resources of benefit; they surely have helped me!
Be blessed,
Nadirah M.
Monday, April 11, 2011
PURPOSE.
Over the past few weeks, I've really been reflecting on and praying about PURPOSE. God, what is my purpose? How can I use my purpose to really bless another and draw someone to Christ? Am I here simply just to do my purpose dutifully and smile? The devil really had started to try and creep in and make me start questioning the child of God that I KNOW I am. I finally got to a point and told the devil "Get thee behind me!" and really started to do some serious praying. And of course, in the most discreet but profound way that only He can do, God revealed HIS answers to me.
I have been blessed with the opportunity, the past four years, to be the head of the dance ministry at my church And I have a good relationship with the girls that I’m over. And God began to reveal this to me: I need to remember, who do the girls ask to pray with them? Who do they text daily? Who do they come to with their stories, their fears, their triumphs? They share with me. It’s like God nudges me each time I receive a message from one of the girls and says “here ya go.” I questioned my purpose; thinking I wasn't making an impact and here in the most simple way, I am able to use the God in ME and experiences I've had, to help another come closer and closer with our Father God.
Normally for ourselves, we see not just how much of an impact we have on the life of another. But in your prayer time, God reveals it to you. We constantly ask God to use us to bless another and yet we rarely see how instrumental we are because we are too busy downing ourselves about a past issue or a person. All that said, I'm recognizing more and more daily, the GOD in me and the light that He has placed inside of me. He's shown to me that that is what my girls see; they see my purpose and it's truly made me recognize it more for myself.
On top of those questions posed in my brain (I so love how God operates), I went to get rid of some papers as I was "spring cleaning", & came across a paper I had titled "Purpose" that just blew my socks off because it went right along with the things I had been praying about. So to end my post, I'm sharing with you all & I pray that it blesses you and encourages you'; just as it did with me!
Much Love & Blessings,
Nicole
(ok sidebar: the piece I wanted to post is here but it got kinda weird when I tried to post it so I apologize in advance!)
------
God meant it for Good..
by Jon Walker
"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)Joseph's life was anything but peaceful. It was complicated by youthful folly, broken dreams, and the mean-spirited actions of others. Sold into slavery by jealous brothers. Thrown into prison on false charges. Yet he remained a man remarkable for his lack of bitterness or regret, always seeing God as the "Great Engineer" behind even the worst of circumstances. In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, "You meant it for bad; God meant it for good."
The theology packed in that statement is astounding. "God meant it for good" means:
You can accept the past - No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle - or too big to be worked for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his fearful and famished brothers, who were forced to rely on him for survival.You can embrace the present - There's no need to play the "what if" game. The past is gone, and no energy you expend will ever change it. The future is in God's omnipotent hands, so you're free to focus on the present. Your job is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, trusting him to forgive the past and transform the future. Martyred missionary Jim Eliot once wrote, "Wherever you are, be all there" - not living in the past and not fantasizing about the future. God wants you in the present because that's where His grace will flow.
You can look expectantly toward the future - Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, unafraid of making mistakes and unconcerned that you may stumble into some terrible circumstance that takes you out of God's control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is working out some divine plan through you.
--> So what? <--
No matter how bad things get - God is still able to bring good out of it. Today, thank God that nothing - no disaster, no delay - is bigger than his ability to turn it into something good and godly.
Look for God's hand - Walking by faith means you see God's hand even in the most difficult of circumstances. You trust His ability and His willingness to transform the bad into godly good. God is not limited by people's motives. In other words, it doesn't matter why someone hurt you, God still can transform a deliberate, mean-spirited situation into something for HIS good.
What will you allow God to change? - There it is: some situation, or event, or person in your life that, as far as you can tell, was "meant for bad." How do you think God meant it for good? Ask God what He wants you to do with this situation (event or person). When He answers, do it.
Thank God & LET GO: Thank God that He is sovereign over your past, your present, and your future. Give God the circumstances, disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins from your past. Give God your current situation, your disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins of today. Praise God that He can work anything in your future for godly good, that you can walk in confidence that there is nothing anyone can do to you, or anything you can do that will be beyond the reach of God's grace and redemption.
I have been blessed with the opportunity, the past four years, to be the head of the dance ministry at my church And I have a good relationship with the girls that I’m over. And God began to reveal this to me: I need to remember, who do the girls ask to pray with them? Who do they text daily? Who do they come to with their stories, their fears, their triumphs? They share with me. It’s like God nudges me each time I receive a message from one of the girls and says “here ya go.” I questioned my purpose; thinking I wasn't making an impact and here in the most simple way, I am able to use the God in ME and experiences I've had, to help another come closer and closer with our Father God.
Normally for ourselves, we see not just how much of an impact we have on the life of another. But in your prayer time, God reveals it to you. We constantly ask God to use us to bless another and yet we rarely see how instrumental we are because we are too busy downing ourselves about a past issue or a person. All that said, I'm recognizing more and more daily, the GOD in me and the light that He has placed inside of me. He's shown to me that that is what my girls see; they see my purpose and it's truly made me recognize it more for myself.
On top of those questions posed in my brain (I so love how God operates), I went to get rid of some papers as I was "spring cleaning", & came across a paper I had titled "Purpose" that just blew my socks off because it went right along with the things I had been praying about. So to end my post, I'm sharing with you all & I pray that it blesses you and encourages you'; just as it did with me!
Much Love & Blessings,
Nicole
(ok sidebar: the piece I wanted to post is here but it got kinda weird when I tried to post it so I apologize in advance!)
------
God meant it for Good..
by Jon Walker
"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)Joseph's life was anything but peaceful. It was complicated by youthful folly, broken dreams, and the mean-spirited actions of others. Sold into slavery by jealous brothers. Thrown into prison on false charges. Yet he remained a man remarkable for his lack of bitterness or regret, always seeing God as the "Great Engineer" behind even the worst of circumstances. In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, "You meant it for bad; God meant it for good."
The theology packed in that statement is astounding. "God meant it for good" means:
You can accept the past - No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle - or too big to be worked for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his fearful and famished brothers, who were forced to rely on him for survival.You can embrace the present - There's no need to play the "what if" game. The past is gone, and no energy you expend will ever change it. The future is in God's omnipotent hands, so you're free to focus on the present. Your job is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, trusting him to forgive the past and transform the future. Martyred missionary Jim Eliot once wrote, "Wherever you are, be all there" - not living in the past and not fantasizing about the future. God wants you in the present because that's where His grace will flow.
You can look expectantly toward the future - Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, unafraid of making mistakes and unconcerned that you may stumble into some terrible circumstance that takes you out of God's control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is working out some divine plan through you.
--> So what? <--
No matter how bad things get - God is still able to bring good out of it. Today, thank God that nothing - no disaster, no delay - is bigger than his ability to turn it into something good and godly.
Look for God's hand - Walking by faith means you see God's hand even in the most difficult of circumstances. You trust His ability and His willingness to transform the bad into godly good. God is not limited by people's motives. In other words, it doesn't matter why someone hurt you, God still can transform a deliberate, mean-spirited situation into something for HIS good.
What will you allow God to change? - There it is: some situation, or event, or person in your life that, as far as you can tell, was "meant for bad." How do you think God meant it for good? Ask God what He wants you to do with this situation (event or person). When He answers, do it.
Thank God & LET GO: Thank God that He is sovereign over your past, your present, and your future. Give God the circumstances, disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins from your past. Give God your current situation, your disasters, hindrances, hurts, and sins of today. Praise God that He can work anything in your future for godly good, that you can walk in confidence that there is nothing anyone can do to you, or anything you can do that will be beyond the reach of God's grace and redemption.
For the GLORY of God!
For the past two weeks or so, that statement, “For the Glory of God”, has had new meaning. At a point, for me, it was just a nice saying- catchy words that can capture the attention of a few “likes” or comments on Facebook (and that is only telling the truth). But I now have a deeper appreciation for what that statement actually says and mean. As written in Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him”. We are created by God so that we can glorify Him; everything that we do serves a purpose under God and should glorify Him.
In reflecting on where I am in my life and the vision I have of establishing a neighborhood resource center, I realized that while being in grad school may look good, working full-time job is great, and having such an ambitious goal of creating that resource center may reflect greatly on me, everything that I am doing and everything I have is to be used to glorify God.
Sitting in class over the weekend, I thought to myself that God truly is using me and being in grad school is NOT about me. While God is the ultimate Source, He certainly leads us to resources for our benefit. God is creating me to be a resource for community members and more important His children. The beginning process of becoming that resource, is grad school. How awesome is that that God is using me for His Glory!
Remember, we were created to glorify Him. The skills, talents, and gifts are all to be used to glorify him. Oh indeed, For the Glory of God!
Be Blessed,
Nadirah M.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
I Have A Testimony!
In my own walk with Christ it hasn't been the most consistent. I have times where I was speaking as some dub "Christianese" and other times when I have a severe lack of faith. But your walk with Christ is your own because it is a personal and intimate relationship with the Father. However, you will be surprised as to how many people can relate to your story. Sometimes, especially in a storm, you feel alone, isolated, helpless not realizing that there are people who may be in a similar situation or have been in a similar place. Or on the flip side, you don't share the good things of Christ because you wonder who is going to listen, care or relate- as if that blessing is specific to you.
I say all that, to give a little bit of my story in the hopes that it can be a blessing to others who will read this.
Here goes it...
I had stopped going to church for over a year between end of 2008 and mid 2010. In that time, I truly lost my way or even more so, I turned my back from the only way- Christ. I recall back to August of 2010 where I was transitioning from over two years of employment with one organization to unemployment. I had opportunities to go other cities and to remain with the same organization but I felt a serious stirring in my spirit to come back to Christ. I felt that God, despite of myself, sins, and ways, was calling me back to Him.
I knew I could reach out to people to encourage me and to get back to a place where I was following God's will and not my own. Surprisingly, however, He chose a friend to introduce to me the 30 Day Prayer Challenge. She and her then boyfriend were going through the challenge that essentially challenges you for 30 days to pray, read the word, and overcome burdens that have you bond. Excitingly, I committed to the challenge with Nicole and to say the least it was a BLESSING! God really worked on me through the month of September. I felt restored, renewed and grateful. That same month amidst that challenge I also started going back to church.
But as the saying goes "the greater the level the greater the devil". I knew without a doubt that I was going to new levels in Christ but that offered greater enemies to attack me. While I was grateful to be back in church, to have been restored and renewed, the spirit of depression started to rear its' ugly face telling me that I'm hopeless because I was yet and still unemployed. I hid my depression putting on a happy face for the world and only letting a few close friends (like Nicole) in on what was really happening. I felt trapped! My bills and the pressure to pay were building but no incoming was coming in. Instead of giving it all to God as I know I should have, I wanted to give up. Ironically, what I kept so secretive I then shared with the Facebook world and posted a status as to how "I didn't want to be here anymore". What is so great about this is that God showed up and showed how GREAT HE IS! I did not think people would be able to read between my ambiguous statement but they did. Folks from church, friends, and family all were chiming in about how great God is, how He has a purpose for my life and that I must live and make a liar out of the devil. Though in that very moment of reading everything I didn't just say "okay, I'm not depressed anymore" I did however decide to give it all to God. That very Sunday at church God had a word prepared just for me! The message was simple Psalm 118:17 I share live and not die and declare the works of the Lord! How power and right on time that word was. Amidst thinking about taking my life God sought it fit to use one of His children to send forth that message. Needless to say, I was changed from that moment forth.
Now, you may be saying but you are still unemployed and the problems are still there. While that is true, I would add that the problem no longer was mine to handle (it really never was). I gave it to God and I rested on Philippians 4:6 which says Do not be anxious [do not worry] about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Need I say more? I did not worry because I made it known to God what my needs were and I knew He would work it out in His timing.
So at this point, I am restored/renewed, back into church (which should not be sold short- the assembling of the saints is important), and I have overcome the spirit of depression and suicide. God favored me because even in the mist of all of this I was accepted into Eastern University’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program. Isn't God just SO GOOD!?
The New Year came in and I just knew that this was my time! With grad school in the near future, having become more active in the church, I just saw a job in my future! And guess what, He proved Himself right again. In mid January, a former leader of the organization I had mentioned earlier sent me a job posting- a job just perfect for me. A job, only God could have sent my way. A job offering more and better than I would have had had I stayed with the other organization. Needless to say, I applied and went through the rigorous interview process. On February 15 2011, I started my new job!
I am now happily working and in grad school. While everything is not perfect I know where I am is exactly where God wants me to be. Even more important, when the next storm comes (because there will always be a storm to test your faith, challenge you, and strengthen you) I will be prepared and equipped to fight and endure.
If you are in a storm just know that God has His hand on you. He has not forgotten about you. If He can prove His self mighty in my life I know He can and WILL do it for you. Just trust in God and put all your faith in Him. Don't let the devil win! You are more than a conquer! The storm will be over and you will be better because of it. God loves you. So if you weeping now, look for the morning because that is when the JOY comes.
I thank you for reading my rather personal story. I hope it is a blessing to you all.
Grace and Peace,
Nadirah M.
I say all that, to give a little bit of my story in the hopes that it can be a blessing to others who will read this.
Here goes it...
I had stopped going to church for over a year between end of 2008 and mid 2010. In that time, I truly lost my way or even more so, I turned my back from the only way- Christ. I recall back to August of 2010 where I was transitioning from over two years of employment with one organization to unemployment. I had opportunities to go other cities and to remain with the same organization but I felt a serious stirring in my spirit to come back to Christ. I felt that God, despite of myself, sins, and ways, was calling me back to Him.
I knew I could reach out to people to encourage me and to get back to a place where I was following God's will and not my own. Surprisingly, however, He chose a friend to introduce to me the 30 Day Prayer Challenge. She and her then boyfriend were going through the challenge that essentially challenges you for 30 days to pray, read the word, and overcome burdens that have you bond. Excitingly, I committed to the challenge with Nicole and to say the least it was a BLESSING! God really worked on me through the month of September. I felt restored, renewed and grateful. That same month amidst that challenge I also started going back to church.
But as the saying goes "the greater the level the greater the devil". I knew without a doubt that I was going to new levels in Christ but that offered greater enemies to attack me. While I was grateful to be back in church, to have been restored and renewed, the spirit of depression started to rear its' ugly face telling me that I'm hopeless because I was yet and still unemployed. I hid my depression putting on a happy face for the world and only letting a few close friends (like Nicole) in on what was really happening. I felt trapped! My bills and the pressure to pay were building but no incoming was coming in. Instead of giving it all to God as I know I should have, I wanted to give up. Ironically, what I kept so secretive I then shared with the Facebook world and posted a status as to how "I didn't want to be here anymore". What is so great about this is that God showed up and showed how GREAT HE IS! I did not think people would be able to read between my ambiguous statement but they did. Folks from church, friends, and family all were chiming in about how great God is, how He has a purpose for my life and that I must live and make a liar out of the devil. Though in that very moment of reading everything I didn't just say "okay, I'm not depressed anymore" I did however decide to give it all to God. That very Sunday at church God had a word prepared just for me! The message was simple Psalm 118:17 I share live and not die and declare the works of the Lord! How power and right on time that word was. Amidst thinking about taking my life God sought it fit to use one of His children to send forth that message. Needless to say, I was changed from that moment forth.
Now, you may be saying but you are still unemployed and the problems are still there. While that is true, I would add that the problem no longer was mine to handle (it really never was). I gave it to God and I rested on Philippians 4:6 which says Do not be anxious [do not worry] about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Need I say more? I did not worry because I made it known to God what my needs were and I knew He would work it out in His timing.
So at this point, I am restored/renewed, back into church (which should not be sold short- the assembling of the saints is important), and I have overcome the spirit of depression and suicide. God favored me because even in the mist of all of this I was accepted into Eastern University’s Master of Science in Nonprofit Management program. Isn't God just SO GOOD!?
The New Year came in and I just knew that this was my time! With grad school in the near future, having become more active in the church, I just saw a job in my future! And guess what, He proved Himself right again. In mid January, a former leader of the organization I had mentioned earlier sent me a job posting- a job just perfect for me. A job, only God could have sent my way. A job offering more and better than I would have had had I stayed with the other organization. Needless to say, I applied and went through the rigorous interview process. On February 15 2011, I started my new job!
I am now happily working and in grad school. While everything is not perfect I know where I am is exactly where God wants me to be. Even more important, when the next storm comes (because there will always be a storm to test your faith, challenge you, and strengthen you) I will be prepared and equipped to fight and endure.
If you are in a storm just know that God has His hand on you. He has not forgotten about you. If He can prove His self mighty in my life I know He can and WILL do it for you. Just trust in God and put all your faith in Him. Don't let the devil win! You are more than a conquer! The storm will be over and you will be better because of it. God loves you. So if you weeping now, look for the morning because that is when the JOY comes.
I thank you for reading my rather personal story. I hope it is a blessing to you all.
Grace and Peace,
Nadirah M.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Welcome!
Greetings & Welcome to our blog “Christ’s Daughters”! We are blessed that you choose to come and check us out as we talk about the good things and challenges we face being women of God; daughters of Christ! We give all thanks to God for placing this in our spirit. We pray you will be blessed from the postings and we hope that what you read here, you will take to your family, friends, coworkers, church members and many more people. Without further ado, let us introduce our self and our personal and unified goal of this blog.
So our blog is titled “Christ’s Daughters”! We struggled to decide on a cohesive name that will best describe us and the purpose of our blog. When we shared our introductions with one another, coincidently we both referred to our self as a daughter of Christ. In my spirit that just felt like the right name to title our blog for that in it is a blessing; and for those of you who are reading this and may not know- you are a child of God! Let this be your first reminder! John 1: 12 says, “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”. J
So who are we?
My name is Nadirah but I go by Nadiva, Grand-mom, Dirah Do and many other interesting nicknames; To Christ, I am DAUGHTER J ! I hail from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! I grew up in North Philadelphia all of my life, so yes I am a product of the urban and/or “hood” upbringing. I’ve been attending the same church on and off (will discuss the inconsistency throughout my future posts) since I was a little girl! I like to believe I am a part of one of the greatest church families at The First Church of Love, Faith and Deliverance under Pastor Rosie Wallace! I was educated at Shippensburg University where I met one of my best friends ever and co-contributor to this blog, Nicole! Since my days on the college campus I have been working in various nonprofits and soon to be working on my Master of Science degree in nonprofit management. I look forward to sharing my trials, testimonies, hardships and frankly the fun I have being a Christian!
Hello! My name is Nicole; I am a daughter of the most high God & a firm believer in Christ. I was born & raised in Lancaster, PA and still currently reside here. Humorously enough, I grew up in the suburbs - opposite of Nadirah's neighborhood; which is why I think we mesh well. We bring different things to the table. I've been a member of Vineyard Heritage Center (YesArelaH Ministries, Inc) my entire life. My Grandmother is the head overseer of the ministry and my Aunt & Uncle are the Pastor's of our church. My church is literally my second home - when I'm not at home, I'm at church. As Nadirah mentioned, I too attended Shippensburg University where we met; and since then for the past 3.5 years, I have been working as an assistant teacher to a K4 Classroom. I am so looking forward to sharing my love for Christ with you all & sharing some of my experiences, pitfalls, triumphs, & testimonies which have gotten me to where I am at today.
Moreover, Nicole and I talk constantly! Our conversations run the gamete from daily occurrences to major life blows. She’s my best friend so you can image how much we talk and the things we discuss. During one of our conversations we were discussing how people think living a Christian life is boring. We were also conversing about how in the flesh it is challenging to “die so that Christ can live in you”. From that, rather interesting conversation, we decided to write a blog so that people can see that yes as Christians we have challenges and yes as Christians we have fun and yes as Christians we have the power to overcome and that we are more than conquers.
So we hope you enjoy and come back to check out our postings!
Be blessed,
Christ’s Daughters,
Nadirah & Nicole
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