Blessed Outside Of My Comfort Zone (part Two)

Blessed Outside Of My Comfort Zone (part Two)

Dear readers, I am always excited to sit down and write something all in the hope to encourage someone out there, but most importantly to give glory to God through testimonies of His grace and love.

This is the second part of the story that I started sharing about the hard times I went through when I lost my job. I had started asking God so many questions as to why He had allowed shame to befall me. I just couldn’t understand that even after all my prayers and my liberal heart and hand, I still couldn’t be helped out of that situation. I found the answer in the following scripture:

 ‘And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him’ John 9:1-3.

After thorough meditation on this scripture, I started changing my ways of thinking. I started studying the Bible with more comprehension. You see, before I understood certain things, I would always open my Bible hoping to find a scripture that will say things like ‘God is about to bless you’. But to my surprise, it was like God was just directing me to scriptures that talked about suffering, testing, temptations and persecutions. Sometimes I’d get really frustrated and close the Bible. But after I had read this scripture my eyes suddenly opened. I found myself enjoying stories about Job’s afflictions, David’s troubles, the Messiah Jesus’ suffering and a whole lot more. I came to understand that not every suffering we go through is caused by our disobedience. I learnt that God does allow trouble to come our way once in a while in order to test our faith in Him. I was getting excited, almost forgetting about my ordeal, though it was not easy because physical needs had to be met. But I discovered that my approach and ATTITUDE towards the situation changed completely. I stopped blaming people for not helping me out. I started thanking God for the glory that awaited me. I stopped asking questions like ‘God why me?’ I started praising God for He had trusted me enough to give me troubles knowing that I would overcome them.

However, the more I praised God, the more the devil stroke. My dear readers, it was problem after problem. Oh how wonderful God’s mercies are towards us! I became stronger by the day. I become a real lover of the Word of God. Because I was not working, I could spend about 3 hours just studying God’s word with joy in my heart. Revelations were pouring in my spirit like water from heaven. I remember waking up around 3am to read the Bible and pray till the breaking of the day. What I learnt during the periods of hardship, I could never have learnt them anywhere. I learnt to trust God for every little thing. Even to do my hair at the salon became a testimony and a reason to praise my God. Things that never mattered before, that seemed too normal, like buying a pair of shoes became so miraculous to me. I started celebrating any good thing I received. As I am writing this now, this same spirit has continued in me. I no longer take anything for granted. I celebrate God for anything good that I receive, no matter how small it is.

Time was moving fast. I stayed in this situation for 1 year and 4 months. I got to a point where I stopped asking God for a new job, but I was just thanking Him in advance. Then one day, a friend of mine proposed to me that I should take up a little job that he was offering me just to have something to do. At first, I ignored it because the job looked too degrading for me. I couldn’t imagine myself doing such a job. It was just too simple for me. I forgot about it for about two weeks before God scolded me with this scripture in Zechariah 4:10 ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand’. I just knew that God was addressing me on this issue. So I decided to just go ahead and accept the offer. I started the same day. It was not easy for me. The salary I was being paid per month could not even last us for a week. But I decided to trust God. I remember clearly how one day, when I was at this place of work, the devil, through an inner voice mocked me by saying ‘Look at you. From the manager of a big Organization, you have been reduced to nothing. Is your God fair?’ I felt like crying. I ran to the toilets and shed tears like a baby. Then I comforted myself and said ‘all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. Though my beginning be small, yet my end shall be great’. I came out like a soldier that just triumphed over the enemy.

After that day, God gave me joy unspeakable. I started enjoying the little job I had, I started working like I was the most well paid person in the whole world. When my salary would be given to me at the end of the month, I would rejoice and praise my God so much. Paying tithe was always the first thing I would do. With the little I had, I always found a way to help others. Suddenly, everything just changed. My attitude towards the job changed. I was happy, relaxed and full of peace. My readers, there is nothing that the enemy hates than to see an afflicted believer full of joy! It just drives him crazy. Joy from God can never be compared to anything else. Isaiah said it well in chapter 12 verse 3 ‘Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation’ I really drew water out of the well of salvation through this joy. I was being blessed outside of my comfort zone……..

My dear readers, the story is not yet over. I must end here so as not to steal all your time. I will be back very soon with the continuation of the story. I just want you to know that no matter what you are going through, no matter the pains, God sees them all and He has a good plan for you. He will heal you, restore you and renew you. I leave you with this scripture:

‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early’ Psalm 46:1-5

God bless you all…….

Jennipher

Blessed Outside Of My Comfort Zone

 Blessed Outside Of My Comfort Zone

Hello dear readers. It is always such a great pleasure for me to type something on my blog. I created this blog in order to share my views, but most importantly to share the love that God has shown me. Every time I am about to post something, my prayer is that it encourages someone out there. God has done so much in my life that the least I can do is try to share His love, though it can never be enough to show my gratitude to Him. In my short life here on Earth -am still living though-, I have seen and experienced quite a number of things, both good and bad.  But in all these things, I want to believe that God‘s plan was to bring me closer to Him, and He succeeded in doing just that, because as I am writing right now, my heart longs for Him. I love Him so much and my desire is always to be in His presence. I love His word. Whenever I see or hear His word being preached, my heart is filled with joy. But this feeling of love didn’t just come in one day. It has been a long and tough road. I don’t mean to say that this is my final destination. Far from it!! My prayer is like the prayer of Paul the Apostle: ‘Oh that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…’’Philippians 3:10. I still want to love Him more, to know Him more until the perfect day.

I gave my life to Christ in March 1999, back in Zambia. I remember very well that I was just a teenager, in my 8^th Grade. I had just entered high school. It was the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I saw God change my life completely. But it was also not a very easy task. I mean we just entered high school. In many cases, that is a stage where many teenagers become highly excited about worldly things. But God gave me grace to overcome many temptations. Somehow, I knew deep inside of me that God loved me and had spared my life from destruction, though I didn’t deserve it in anyway. Before I had given my life to Christ, I used to listen to all manner of secular and worldly music. In fact at a certain stage, I was thinking of becoming a rapper. Yes you saw that right! Very funny, but true. But I thank God for His grace.

You might be wondering why I am writing all these things, but you will soon understand. I left Zambia and came to Senegal, after my precious mother was called to be with the Lord. She was the one that drew me closer to God. She is still my role model. She taught us how to pray and trust God even in the most difficult times. Her death, to me, was one of the most painful events I could have ever imagined. I just didn’t see myself living without her. But God, who is the greatest Comforter, has been comforting me even up to this day. I thank God for my dad. He is such a wonderful man. He became both a father and a mother to me and my siblings. He gave me everything I needed. I didn’t lack a thing. I was so confortable that I even forgot that sorrow actually existed, until the day that we left Zambia to come and live in Senegal, far from my family, far from my loved ones. You see, at a particular time, I though God had forgotten about me. I somehow lost my Christian life. I went back to the worldly music, and little by little, lost interest in even praying. However, deep inside of me, I knew that was not the correct way to do things. I must confess that even though I was no longer praying or reading the Bible the way I used to, there were still certain bad things I could never do. I believe the Holy Spirit was so patient with me, always reminding me of the things that I had read in His word. Those words kept me from sinning all the time. That is why I agree with David when he said ‘Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you’ Psalm 119:11. That is why I would encourage every Christian to always study God’s word because it is the words we hide in our hearts that will save us when temptations come. Like Jesus, when he was tempted, He used the word of God against the devil and the devil left Him. I somehow knew God still wanted me back, and finally He got me back to Himself: well not quite!! It was still a long journey.

After rededicating my life, I found my way back on the right track; God changed me and received me back in His arms. Oh how great is His mercy towards us!!! I learnt to trust Him and love Him. However, just because God is with us does NOT mean that we will not see trouble. In fact, I now believe that when you are in God, that is the time that the devils tries all he can to distract you, he brings all manner of challenges and temptations just to pull us away from God. But thank God for He always gives us victory. I had just started enjoying my life. God had just blessed me with a very good job in a big organization and I occupied a managerial post. I was enjoying the salary, the commissions and all the other benefits that the organization was giving me. All of a sudden, I had so many friends, (something that was unusually rare for me, because I have never had the habit of having many friends). But somehow, I think I was not the one actually asking them to be my friends, but they were being attracted by my ‘little prosperity’. Not that I am trying to boast, as my boasting is ONLY in the Lord. But I must confess that not everyone that you call a friend is really a friend, especially when you have something they need.

I was so confortable in this position. My so called ‘friends’ would come to me for some financial help, and because I have always loved giving (I think it is a gift that God has given me), I was ready to lend a helping hand. But then the devil stroke without mercy! Believe me Satan has no mercy at all. I lost my job and in the twinkle of an eye, I found myself in need-of many things. I had no money in my account. I had to pay house rentals, had to settle bills etc. of course, my dad was so kind to me, he would help me from time to time, but it was not enough especially that I am a lady and needed extra cash to satisfy some particular needs. I encouraged myself that it was going to be over in a week’s time or so. I told myself that sooner or later I was going to get a new job. But God had another plan. I tried to find comfort and help from my so called friends. Dear readers, almost none of them were willing to help me. It seemed as if everyone had changed, but I later realized that none of them had changed, they were being who they really are, a bunch of people that were just after me because of what I could give them. All of a sudden, I felt so lonely and cold. Even a person that I so much cherished and helped started leaving me little by little until he finally closed the chapter on me. But my real Helper, my Rock of salvation, the Friend that sticks closer than a brother- Master Jesus didn’t leave me at all. His word that says ‘….yea they may forget, but I will never forget you’ in Isaiah 49:15b came true in my life. He was there with me throughout my ordeal, even though at times I thought He had forgotten me. The first two months of that situation were so hard for me. Not only was I broke, but I was lonely. There was no one to encourage me except my two young sisters. I thank God for their lives. They were like cold water being poured on a dry and thirsty soul. May the Lord richly bless them.

I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong to be found in this situation. I found myself confessing all manner of sins thinking that it was because of sin that I had been put in that situation. Oh how wrong I was! Because I had nowhere to run to, I just decided to run to the Bible. It was the best decision I ever made. From the Bible I found out that challenges don’t necessarily come because we have committed sin, though in some cases it might be. I read the story of Job. The Bible says he was a righteous man, but God allowed the devil to strike him. I read the story of Joseph. He was just an innocent 15 year old boy who had lost his mom. But God allowed his brothers to sell him off like one piece of garbage. I read about the story of Jesus. The only begotten son of God, who had no sin in Him. But God allowed the devil to strike His only Son. Was I more righteous than all these people? Of course not! I cannot even be compared to them. But why did God do such a thing? I believe this question is a frequently asked question by so many people in the world. They wonder why God allows evil stuff to befall even His own people. I asked myself the same question, and God didn’t hesitate to give me the answer through the following scripture:

‘And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him’ John 9:1-3.

My dear readers, I have to end here for today. Please meditate on this scripture. I will be back very soon to give you the rest of the story. But in the meantime, please feel free to share or comment if you think it is worth reading. Should you have any suggestions or something to share with me, you can send it to jentamba@gmail.com. God bless you all in Jesus’ name

The Battle Is Not Yours Part Three

The Battle Is Not Yours Part Three

In the previous chapter, I had elaborated a little bit on what ‘giving our battles to God simply means, in my own understanding based on the Word of God.

God brings challenges our way in order for us to rely completely on Him. He loves us so much that He wants us to call upon Him every single time. Looking at the success in battles that the Children of Israel had, one might think that their army was the best, with the strongest soldiers etc. If that has been your line of thinking, then permit me to disappoint you a little bit. The children of Israel did not win the battles because they had a strong army. They won because the LORD was with them. And anytime God was not with them, they lost the battles (see Deuteronomy 1:42).

If it was because of strength, then David would not have killed Goliath so easily. According to Bible history, Goliath was one the hugest fighters the Philistine army had, he was about 2.9 meters tall, whereas David was nothing compared to this giant, who, according to the Bible, had been a man of war from his youth (I Samuel 17:33). However, because God was with David, he killed the giant Goliath so easily, even to the point of cutting off his head. My dear readers, you can win any battle in your life if God is on your side. No matter how big it is, no matter how strong the enemy looks, God can give you victory. All you have to do is to trust Him.

The moment we realize that we can’t do anything without God, that very moment we begin to win the battle. Jehoshaphat got victory because he realized that he could not do it on his own. He took the matter to the Lord, who is stronger than all the gods put together, the Lord of hosts, whose army is the swiftest and strongest army in the entire universe. On many occasions I have tried to fight certain battles and challenges with my own intelligence and strength, but it has never taken me far, because just like the Bible states “the race is not to the swift, and the battle to the strong….” Ecclesiastes 9:11

The problem we have many times is that we fail to trust God. You cannot hand over something to someone you don’t trust.  Equally, without faith, it is impossible to surrender our challenges to Him. Faith is a prerequisite needed before we can allow God to take over. We need to trust Him with all our hearts; we need to have it sink deep down our hearts that He is able to rescue us whenever we are in trouble.

What challenges are you having in your life?

-          Is it in your career? Have you been wrongfully treated at your place of work? Please take it to God in prayer while you continue doing the good work, and the Lord, who sees all things , shall reward you openly, for the Bible says “promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the judge; He putteth down one, and setteth up another” Psalm 75:6-7

-          Have you been wrongfully accused and disappointed by those you called your friends? Forgive them, take it to God in prayer and let Him handle the whole situation. Remember Jesus’ ordeal? He was crucified, beaten, insulted, treated like trash, but do you know one of the last prayers He made to the Father, even on the cross, with the pains in his palms, his sides that were dropping blood? He said ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34

-          Are you facing challenges in your marriage that seem impossible to resolve? Has your partner done you wrong? Continue loving your partner while you kneel down in your closet and pray for God to heal your heart and restore back the joy that has been stolen by the enemy. Please also understand that the devil hates to see families that are prospering. He hates the ‘family idea’, that is why his kingdom is a divided kingdom. When your partner wrongs you, don’t hate them, hate the devil behind it, fight it with prayers, while you keep on loving your partner. You will see how quickly the devil will flee from your family and peace will be restored back.

-          Have you experienced disappointment in your relationship? Forgive and forget. Move on with your life, while believing God for a better relationship that will be fruitful. It might be that the relationship you lost was not going to bring you happiness. Sometimes, we don’t know why things happen. We don’t understand that sometimes, God removes certain people from our lives so as to bring better ones. He has a good plan for your life.

-          Could it be that your children are misbehaving? Take it to God in prayer and continue to love and encourage them.

 I might not have mentioned your case, but God knows it and the good news is that there is absolutely nothing impossible with Him. Don’t lose hope. The devil’s main objective of bringing such challenges your way is to see you frustrated, beaten down and eventually losing hope in God. However, you must also understand that if it happened, it is because God allowed it. Nevertheless, His objective is to increase your faith in Him so that you can please Him, “for without faith, it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6. And when you please Him, He blesses you abundantly. Through these battles, His desire is to see you get closer to Him like never before. My main emphasis on these points is the fact that you have to continue doing good. Don’t let one unpleasant situation ruin your whole life. Just because one or two people have not shown you does not mean that you should stop loving others. Just because some people did not appreciate your sacrifices does not mean that you should stop giving. I am writing from experience. The Bible states “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not’’ Galatians 6:9

Let us pray: Lord I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that I cannot fight and win this battle on my own. I need you and I decide to hand it all over to you. Give me the grace and strength to carry on, while you fight for me. Give me inner peace even in the midst of chaos and help my unbelief. I trust you to give me victory. I thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen

Did you just pray that prayer? Then I assure you that you are halfway through it. Rejoice and praise God till He gives you total victory.

Please feel free to comment on this blog. You can also share it if you think it is worth reading. Together, let us spread the love of Christ. If you have any suggestions or anything that you would like to share with me, don’t hesitate to drop me an email at jentamba@gmail.com. The Lord bless you all!!

The Battle Is Not Yours (Part Two)

The Battle Is Not Yours Part Two

One of the most important things we have to understand when we are faced with challenges is, as I had pointed out in the last chapter, to understand that we cannot win them on our own. Jesus, when He was on Earth, promised to send us the Helper- the Holy Spirit, simply because He knew that we would definitely need help (John 14:16). In many Bible passages, we find several places where we are encouraged to ‘call upon God’.

Calling upon God simply means asking Him for help. It is a good way to demonstrate our faith in Him, because you cannot ask Him to help you if you do not trust Him. Now I am sure some people might be wondering what it means to hand over our battles or challenges to God. Through my own experience and understanding, I believe when you decide to give it all over to God, you are simply saying ‘Lord take it up, I will not worry about it anymore, I will not stress about it anymore’. Let me give you a scenario to help your understanding: Imagine that you are carrying a heavy load on your shoulders. The pain is irritating and wearing you down. Then, all of a sudden, you find someone that is ready to help you carry it. You give the load to this ‘helper’. How will you feel? Will you still feel the pain that you felt when you were carrying it? Obviously not! You will feel so relieved because the pain would have ceased.

In the same way, when we decide to hand over our problems to God through prayer and praise, we are actually giving Him the load we were carrying, which should lead us to a feeling of relief. Moreover, there is a scripture that I love so much that backs it up in such a sweet manner: “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 11:28-30

Do you remember the story about Jesus praying and weeping in the garden of Gethsemane? To summarize it, the Bible illustrates that Jesus was with a heavy heart and decided to go and pray. He came three times to meet His disciples so that they could ‘watch’ with Him, but he found them asleep each moment. So he decided to pray alone. However, at the third attempt, the Bible tells us that Jesus came back and said these words to his disciples that were fast asleep “Sleep on now, and take your rest…..” You can read about it in Matthew 26:36-46 I believe there are many lessons to be learnt from this passage, two of them being:

- You cannot always count on other people to pray with you, because they don’t feel the pain you feel

- After praying to God about a problem, we should feel relieved and ready to move ahead

Is there any unpleasant situation that you are going through? Is it so painful that you can’t carry it anymore? Well I have good news for you. There is someone that is ready to carry it for you. His name is Jesus. He loves you and wants to see you happy. All you have to do is go to Him in prayer. You can pray this simple prayer with your heart

Lord Jesus, I thank you that you care about me. I also thank you that I can always trust you to help me whenever I am in trouble. I acknowledge that you have all the power to help me and that without you, I am nothing and I can do nothing. I humbly ask that you intervene in my situation. I give this load that I have been carrying to you and I pray that you strengthen me through your Holy Spirit. Take away worry form my heart and give me the grace to trust in you more and more. I thank you for it in Jesus name

Did you just pray that prayer? Then know that you have made a huge step in winning the battle. Rejoice and praise God in advance, knowing that He has answered you.

…………..to be continued…………………