A LIGHT BULB MOMENT

This is another narration of an event in our CYFES fellowship.  Before I give you the gist. Have you ever had a song that you sing all the time but then one day as you sing the song, either alone or with other people a certain insight about the song hits you ? So, you may know this song:

Holy Ghost, do it again

Do it again, in my life

Open my eyes, to see Jesus

Seated upon the throne

I love to sing this song but what happened on Wednesday 27th November 2019 brought another dimension to my understanding of this song. After our opening prayer, a brother started this song and we broke out into an intense prayer session. He started by sharing a testimony that was shared by someone, of how God miraculously restored the person after a near death experience and then led us to pray that God will open our eyes to see Jesus seated on the throne. Because when our eyes are opened to see Jesus seated on His throne, we will realize that every kind of miraculous work is REAL in Jesus. He being seated on the throne signifies  a position of authority, power, majesty, possibilities.

When our eyes are opened to the truth that Jesus is sitting on the throne our faith will rise for we will see that indeed with Him all things are possible and nothing is impossible with Him. We will know that indeed he has the power to save, redeem, heal, restore, rescue and deliver us.

When our eyes are opened to see Jesus seated on His throne, fear and doubt is overcome because we see that all power and authority belongs to Him.

When our eyes are opened to see Jesus seated on the throne, we are reminded and assured of His sovereignty and we understand that there’s nothing beyond His control.

When our eyes are opened to see Jesus seated on the throne, as we behold the glory of His fullness, every other thing that contradicts him pales on comparison. Sin and every thing the world offers in exchange for a life in Him lacks it’s lustre because we are captivated by His glory.

When our eyes are opened to see Jesus seated on the throne, we are transformed within and without because in seeing Him we see ourselves. When we see His glory and majesty, we surrender ourselves in worship, wherein we are transformed.

If you are still reading up to this point and your are wondering how your eyes can be opened to see Christ Jesus seated on the throne. For Stephen and Isaiah they saw a vision of heaven. For people like Peter, God released the truth about who Christ is to His heart.

The Holy Spirit chooses which way to speak to us. He reveals the truth, an understanding of who Christ is and what the implication of Him sitting on the throne is to our hearts. As we comprehend that knowledge, a light is switched on in our hearts and as our hearts are transformed, our lives are transformed because this revelation impacts on how we interact with God and people.

When Stephen saw heaven and the glory of God, the fact that he was being persecuted in a very cruel way did not bother him, rather he prayed that God will forgive his persecutors, whereas naturally he should desire that they be punished.

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God… Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. .”.- Acts 7:55,56 &60”

When Isaiah saw a vision of heaven, he saw himself for who he truly was, because when we see Christ for who He is, we see ourselves for who we are. And with that revelation, the radiance of his glory transforms us to who He wants us to be as we behold Him.

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne;…⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”- Isaiah 6:1-6.

What image of Christ is in your heart? He was on the cross but not anymore. He is risen and now He is seated at the right hand of the father. May the Holy Spirit of God open our eyes to see Jesus and Him seated upon the throne and as we behold him we are transformed. In Jesus name, Amen!

“to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.- Jude 25”

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,- Colossians 3:3”

It is my desire that this truth will cause your faith to rise and stir you up to pray, as it was for us.

Featured Photo credit: google images

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A DETOUR INTENDED BY GOD

So, on Wednesday 20th November 2019, our CYFES fellowship was intended to go a different way than it actually did. Our plan was to play a game we call “pastor pastor” as a way to relax due to our exams, then continue our teaching plan later on.
However, due to some reasons we had a change of plan during the service. We started off our discussion time hoping that everyone will share something from their quiet time or something that has been on their mind that will benefit us or even to ask a question. However, after the first 3 people started, we launched deeper into a discussion based on the last contribution while connecting the first 2 contributions. What happened in our fellowship was a God intended detour. Now, let me tell you about the amazing insights we shared.

A. The first part was on how prophesy should be something that every Christian walks in. We have to understand spiritual seasons the same way we know natural seasons. For instance, when a cloud is forming we know that rain will fall, we know when summer or winter is coming etc.. We have to ask God to align us to His will, whereby we know what is on His mind and what He is set to do in different seasons. We commit to this through fellowship with God. Prophesy doesn’t necessary have to be dramatic and kick start with “thus says the Lord”, it is really about being sensitive to God and what He is doing. It is about serving Him prophetically, if we teach His word we teach with prophetic insights and if we we sing songs of worship it will be from a place of prophetic revelation. “… For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” – Revelations 19:10.

B. We read Hebrews 10:24- 25 and discussed growth and Fellowship. It is important to fellowship with brethren and sharpen each other, so that we grow. It is one of atmosphere to hear God speak as we encourage and edify one another.

C. Then, we discussed and dwelt on process as one of us shared on it. A lot of times we are fixed on getting to one point from another point and we neglect the process while getting on it. Our journey is not just about our destination, but who we become on our way to our destination. So, we extensively discussed, how we sometimes despise detours and can’t wait to get out of them into the plan we have in our head, maybe we should take our time and see that these perceived detours can actually be God’s plan.

So what does this mean for us?

1. God is sovereign and everything works together for good for those who love God. Some pathways that we consider detours, is actually God’s plan for us. It is God leading us where He wants us to be in His time.
2. God is a God of grace and mercy. He supplies grace for us to do what He wants us to do but even when we fail to do it, His mercy picks us up and reroutes us.
3. God works even with our mistakes and our mess. He doesn’t intend for us to make these mistakes and mess, but when we do he picks us up from it in His mercy if we come to Him and brings something good out of it. He started by lifting out of the pit of that mistake, he will not glorify the mistake. He takes us put of it and redirects us in the path of His purpose.
4. There are self inflicted detours. When our desperation or selfish ambitions lead us into paths, places, relationships that God did not originally intend for us. God will reroute us by His mercy if we come to Him, but, there are consequences. Abraham interrupted God’s plan with Ishmael, God still fulfilled His promise but strife arose between the two sons later on.
5. We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and walk in God’s grace which is the ability to do what he wants us to do because a lot of times we hang unto His mercy that picks us up when we fall and ignore His grace that keeps us from stumbling. ” Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,- Jude 24.”
6. If we can submit to life’s processes then we can submit to God’s process. If we can submit ourselves to school years in order to get a certificate, then we should be able to submit ourselves to God’s process while He takes us to where He wants to. We go through the process to be better suited for the destination. Purpose is not just in the big picture, but in every moment and every day, living for God’s glory. So, we follow God precepts upon precepts.

Our life is not our own and we can’t live it anyhow we want. God gave us the breathe of life, so our life belongs to Him and we live it the way He wants, so we must quit thinking that it is our life and we can do whatever we want with it. If we ever need to be reassured that we are were God wants us to be, we look within for an inner peace and Joy for therein lies the answer. So, it hinges on us being sensitive to God, how He speaks to us and what He is actually saying to us. So, we cultivate this sensitivity by having fellowship with God and fellowship with the Brethren.

I hope this stirs you up to prayerfully surrender your heart and life to God, withholding nothing and pledging to let Him have His way in your life. Asking Him for clarity and the grace to live from a place of prophetic revelation and for patience in all the processes He takes us through.

Shalom!

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“Ready To Say I do” by Tope Omotosho

I love stories and storytellers (chukles). So, It was easy for me to dive into this book because it started with a personal story of the author and that was exciting for me.

A lot of people like the idea of marriage and “Ready to Say I Do” is a book that highlights how important it is for us to be the right person before marriage. It urges us to invest in becoming the right person even as we hope to marry the right person too.

As emphasized in the book, becoming the right person starts with having the right mindset  about marriage and God’s expectations because He created marriage. It is a book that made me have an introspective look in my own life and it was such a powerful reminder of the right attitude and mindset before and after getting married.

I didn’t rush it, because with almost every page came solid lessons that are crucial for any lady who is anticipating marriage. So that we become the kind of people who are worthy to take the marriage vows and committed to keeping it.

This book reminds us of what it means to have the God kind of life and builds our confidence. It encourages us not to settle for anything less than what God has for us and to put our energy into personal growth so that we become ‘the right spouse’.

The book communicated very important messages in a simple way, such that you can relate and it is worth reading. It applies both to the married and unmarried. So even if you have said ‘I Do’ it is still relevant to you.

P.S: You can find this book on OkadaBooks. Read it and feel free to come back and share your lessons on the comment section.

Don’t forget to like, comment and share with friends and family who are ready to say ‘I Do’ or who already did.

OVERCOMING ADDICTIONS

No matter how deep you are in the miry clay of sin, God can and will pull you out of it, if you dare to look up to Him and keep your eyes there.

sometimes we find ourselves too used to certain habits that obviously don’t glorify God. And if we are proclaimed Christians we often times keep it secret and we are not proud of it. Some of us feel guilty and unworthy yet helpless. While another category have a sense of false peace and justification that encourages them to continue in it. Some addictions include inordinate sexual lust of all kinds,masturbation, pornography, drinking, smoking, drugs, gambling, gossiping, lying etc. (Galatians 5:19-21, 2 Corinthians 12:20-21).
Addiction is the word, when you are tied to a habit that seems to always overpower you or to us Christians, I can say a habit that you always succumb to even when you don’t want to or you try not to. (Romans 7:15-20).
Task: is there something in your life, that deep within you, there’s this feeling that it’s not right but you keep going back to it? Be honest to yourself and to God about it if you are addicted…. Jesus is ready to work on you, tell him about it.  He said “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” –Matthew 11:28-30 Note: Jesus is inviting us to learn from Him.

The depravity of sin (Addictions) is that it dishonours God and destroys us. Addiction is a vicious cycle, it gives us a sense of false satisfaction and leaves us insatiable and wanting for more. It pretends to give us what we crave for, but in reality it takes from us. Addictions like termites eats up what we put in to fill it’s desires and digs a deeper hole in us. It takes our peace, leaves us empty and forces our hormones to depend on it to feel good. It takes God to open our eyes to see the depravity of sin and how moments of our lives that would have been offered up in obedience to God’s glory ebbs away with every single self indulgence (2 Timothy 2:19). Prayer: May God open our eyes to see from His perspective and may He work on our hearts, so that we hate sin and love righteousness (Hebrews 1:9).

Why must we overcome addictions?

• Addiction disguises to give us happiness and temporal satisfaction at a deep cost. It in fact robs us of spiritual growth, a life changing fellowship with God, of peace and more importantly of finding our satisfaction in God. “… God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6. If we say we have fellowship with light while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth”.-1 John 1:5b-6
• Addiction in the lives of most youths and adolescents is the devil’s way of diverting our youthful strength to hold unto dangerous habits other than God. The devil is scared of how far our commitment and satisfaction in God will affect him and his kingdom, so he does everything possible to steal from us and sin is his bait. And accepting his bait is accepting his invitation to make a slave out of us through addictions and he is a terrible slave master. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of whomever you obey, either of sin which leads to death , or of obedience which leads to righteousness.”- Romans 6:16
• Addiction is the legal entrance we grant the devil to terrorize our lives. When we open the window to the enemy, he comes in and opens the door for himself. Addiction is the way the enemy identifies with us because he finds something he can hold unto.
• The things we get addicted to are not fruits of the spirit, it contradicts the spirit in us because they are works of the flesh. (Galatians 5:17-24, 1 Peter 2:11).
  Addiction makes us preys rather than terrors to the kingdom of darkness. You can’t resist what you entertain. You can’t fight a kingdom that you buy what they sell. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). You have to stop all transactions with them to fight them effectively.
• Addiction deprives us of fulfilling what we were ultimately created and saved for which is glorifying God. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot.”- Romans 8:7. It keeps us in a web of selfishness and we are drawn to pleasure, self indulgence and gratification more than pouring out ourselves in love to God and thereby glorifying Him.
• Addiction, if not overcome can make us reprobates (sinning to a point where we can’t turn back anymore) which leads to eternal damnation. (1 Corinthians 13:5, Hebrews 10:26).
• Addiction creates an unhealthy emptiness in us, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. It does this by keeping us hungry for what it offers us so that we keep coming back to it to fill us and it thereby digs deeper holes in us leaving us more empty.

How can we overcome addictions?

Addiction functions in a chain of lies of false satisfaction and pleasure, but God’s word will set us free with the truth (John 8:32). However, we will have to acknowledge that truth and be willing to be changed by it. Jesus is inviting us to the well (and that well is Him) that will satisfy us ( John 4:17-18). He wants to rebrand us and renew us but we have to fix our eyes on Him because he can relate with us (Hebrews 12:1-4, Hebrews 4:14-16). And what He is asking us to do is COME (Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 55:1-3). Leave your well of addictions (Jeremiah 2:21) and come and surrender to the master and the devil will flee (James 4:7-8). For every weakness, the Holy Spirit actively supplies the strength to overcome it. (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Note: please endeavour to read the bible verses.

• Acknowledge that it is wrong: trash every lie the devil is feeding you to use as an excuse to keep justifying your indulgence. You have to honestly believe what the Bible said about your addiction and it’s consequences, and stop justifying it. (Galatians 5:19-21). Devil’s strategy is still lies just like in the beginning, he lies to us that it doesn’t matter, he lies to us to remain comfortable in sin instead of embracing God’s grace provided for our rising. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” – Titus 2:11-12 We need to refuse to take solace in the lies of the devil. Prayer: Lord may your truth overcome every lie in my mind. Renew my mind with the truth of your word and sanctify me with your word. In Jesus name. Amen.
  “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”- John 8:32
• Be tired: sometimes the reasons we want to stop some addiction but then we still go back to it is because we love the sin. Our flesh loves the pleasure it gets from those sins but we are afraid of the consequences of the sin itself. In some cases, we dislike how it injures our ego of self righteousness. However, to overcome addiction we need to come to a point where we are tired of it. The prodigal son came to his senses when he was spent and he was even denied the pods that pigs were fed (Luke 15: 16-18). At this point he longed to go home. We have to get to a point where we are tired of drinking from the dirty wells we are drinking from and go back to the fountain flowing freely from Emmanuel’s veins to satisfy our thirst. A lot of people who really went through the wreckage and scars of sin before knowing Christ got to a point where they saw how wasted they were and they knew that there was more to life. We need to be tired of sin. If you are not yet saved and you are reading this piece, at this point cry out to God to save you and confess your sins to him. (Romans 10:13). Ask the Holy Spirit to come into you. And if you like the prodigal son or the lost sheep was once a son and a sheep but you were drawn away by your own lust and you wandered away, ask God to help you arise and dust yourself to come back to Him. Tell Him you are tired of drinking from a dirty well. 
  Prayer point: God take away every appetite for sin in me. Let the Holy Spirit cause my heart to long for you above everything else. 
• Believe that you will not be stuck in it, and that it is possible to be set free in Christ. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”- Romans 6:14. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”- 1 John 5:4. This truth sets us free (John 8:32).
  Then come to Jesus in humility. Open up yourself to him in sincerity and acknowledge your helplessness to deliver yourself. Jesus gave us victory through the cross over sin. Addiction deceives us that we can’t do without it but Christ is more than enough for us and we can be filled with all His fullness that when he heals us completely that addiction will be tasteless to us.
• Be intentional and determined: as the prodigal son made his mind up to arise and he did (Luke 15:18-19), you need to be willing to allow God help you. We need to be intentional about offering up our bodies to God (Romans 12:1-2). Redirecting our service to God and not self.
• We need to unlearn and re-learn: unlearn because it is the life we are used to and re-learn by renewing our minds through God’s word. We read it, meditate on it and believe it. (Psalm 119:9-11, I Peter 2:1-3, Colossians 3:1-12).
• Burn every bridge that leads you back to that pit of addiction. If they are friends dissociate from them, and if they are certain songs, movies, places that arouse those desires stay away from those those stuffs. (Matthew 18:8-9).
• Accountability: prayerfully chose a Christian brother/sister that will be like your accountability partner, who you discuss your progress and your drawbacks with.
• Do not allow yourself to be overcome with guilt, if you fall back while trying to stand. Encourage yourself in the Lord and rise again by the help of the Holy Spirit because your victory is sure. (Psalms 37:23-24).
• Through it all, don’t stop praying for God’s grace. He is the only one that can work in us to do his will and pleasure and He is the one who keeps us from stumbling. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”– Jude 1:24-25.

Conclusion:
Know that Jesus is a physician for both our physical, spiritual and mental infirmities. If He can heal our bodily diseases, he can also heal our soul, heart and mind. 
It is folly to trade our eternal satisfaction in Jesus for a momentary fleeting pleasure that leaves us dry and wasted. 
Lisa Bevere wrote in her book ‘Without Rivals’: “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward…. Promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what it meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” -C. S Lewis. 
Only Christ Jesus can satisfy us. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”- John Piper. Only in Christ can we have true, unadulterated and unfeigned Joy, for the Holy Spirit in us is a fountain and out of us who believe shall flow springs of living water (John 7:37-38) which includes both the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Self control and Joy comes from Him.
“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6

My prayer for you is that you will encounter God’s love and understand the breadth, height and width of His love, that you will grasp the reality of the cross and the resurrection of Christ and be transformed within and without. In Jesus name! Amen!

Elevation Worship (Oh come to the altar)

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling

Oh what a savior
Isn’t He wonderful?
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him
For He is Lord of all
Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you found.

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21 Lessons from “My Foolish heart” by Susan May Warren

The themes of this book are; overcoming fear, new beginning, courage, love and restoration.

1. The journey to our freedom after life takes unexpected turns could be really slow and painful, discouraging even. However we must not back down or take the progress we are making for granted, no matter how  little it seems. One day we will be completely free. This was Issy’s reality and even though what looked like her progress didn’t really give her hope, but that was the beginning of what led to her breakthrough, one step at a time. There are times we take a giant leap and then we fail we must not let it hold us down.
2. There are pits that life throws us into and beyond our sheer determination it will take God to lift us up.  Caleb had known fear because he had a first hand experience. So, he had a glimpse of what Issy was going through and he knew that  a person had to have  a firm grip on God to fight PTSD.
3. God’s grace is deeper than our lowest moment. This was Caleb’s thoughts when he recollected how God had saved him after he fell into a ditch when a roadside bomb exploded. His pain was so deep that he just wanted to let it swallow him so he would die but he had cried out to God and God had saved him.
4. We must learn to fight through pain, To control our bodies instead of our bodies controlling us. We must learn what it means to get back up and see a part of us that we never knew existed, to push beyond what seems like our limits and discover our new bounds. This is what Caleb wanted the boys he will coach to know because he had learnt it by learning how to walk again after his accident.
5. We must not put ourselves under an unnecessary pressure to fill another person’s shoes. Whether our parents, mentor, predecessor etc. It is a flawed attempt at living up to people’s expectations. We must dare to ask God for our pair of shoes and go on and wear it how he wants us to. Caleb understood this, as he fely lead by God to coach the boys and groom them into men while at it. Coach Presley already left a legacy and the whole community might just expect whoever will take over to fill in his shoes because his absence from the football due to his fatal accident created a huge gap. Caleb didn’t want that, he wanted his own pair of shoes.
6. We matter to God and he cares about us even when we feel we have failed him. Issy was not just trapped by her fear, she was also broken and ashamed because she felt she had failed and embarrassed God and so, God had abandoned her. She felt that as a Christian she was supposed to overcome fear instead she was living in fear and so it made her feel she failed God. Right in her mess, she felt God was doing nothing to her. The truth is that God is our father and just the way He sent help for Issy through Lucy, Rachelle and most importantly Caleb. God is doing something about us and in us, he will never forsake us nor leave us but we have to yield to him.
7. We have to be aware that people are watching us in everything we do and what message our lives send. I love the fact that Issy’s father gave her something to look up to by the way he lived his life and worked his art of coaching. The way he was not held down or kept on the sidelines by defeat or the fear of it. The way he believed in his players, seeing their potential, coaching them into strength. Issy wanted that for herself as well, as a radio show host that gives advice she new that to become that person she needed to coach herself out of the dark place she was so she can help others get over their fears.
8.  There is a freedom that only vulnerability & honesty affords. Caleb felt the need to keep his leg a secret for sometime because he didn’t want pity. He was putting up a front but there is a loneliness that comes with secrets. Until his secret starts to come out in the open one person at a time starting with Pastor Dan, then true freedom came along even as his pride was been crushed. That is what it means to be whole.
9. We ought to humble ourselves and receive God’s help at all times. God is not complaining and he’s not tired of us. Just like Peter, when he asked Jesus to go away from a sinful man like him after the big catch and how he refused Jesus washing his feet because he felt it was too much for Jesus do, Caleb felt that God saving him from the ditch and giving him a second chance at life, to become a better man is already enough. So, he didn’t want to bother God by asking for more help for anything. He felt the need to prove to God that he was doing something with what he has been given.  Victory came when he lay down that ‘disguised pride’ and accepted God’s help in all the ways that it came.
10. No matter how far gone we are, we are not irredeemable. This can not be said too much and it is not cliché. Seb Brewter had done a lot of things he is not proud of and had even given in to defeat at some point. A time came he’d straightened up, found his way into a church, fallen hard at the foot of the cross, cried  his eyes out over his sins, and promised to start over.
11. Sometimes we want to regain what we’ve lost our own way, we want to do it in a way that we will get the glory and feel heroic again. We just might mess up again. When God gives us a new beginning, let us trust Him to walk us through it and make us into who he wants us to be. Seb Brewster thought that becoming the coach, doing what Coach Presley once did and getting the accolades of the community will help him redeem his failures and mistakes and make him be a hero and the man of honour Coach Presley wanted him to be. However, that position wasn’t where he was meant to be.
12.  When we betray our virtues, we are throwing our pearls to the swine and you know what the swine does, it will trample on it. In our present world where virtues like virginity feels obsolete, Lucy has tasted the result of guarding her virtues loosely even she hadn’t planned it that way. But there is restoration. Lucy came to a point where she truly understood what it means to receive and experience the grace of God and that was what set her free from shame.
13. “Maybe you shouldn’t strive to be the woman you left behind, but the one who is out ahead”- Susan May Warren. There are sometimes that due to the turns life take we lose who we used to be. Instead of trying to do a factory reset let us rather trust God to take us from our current state to who He wants us to be. Issy had always been very intelligent & ambitious. However, after the accident and watching her mother die and her father rendered quadriplegic, she had been held down by a form of fear that tears one apart and make them feel like they will never be whole again. She mourned the girl she used to be but maybe she could leave that behind and look out for who she could become.
14. Sometimes our fears gives us a false promise of keeping us safe. We convince ourselves that we do not want to get hurt. But maybe if we dare to stop holding ourselves back we might be surprised by what we can be. This is what Rachelle, Issy’s coach wanted her to do. “…There is light ahead just keep walking towards it” – Susan May Warren
15. “Life is football. It’s pushing ahead, and maybe you make yardage or maybe you don’t, but you get knocked down all the same. And right then, you have enough people cheering for you, and enough heart, you push to your feet and get back in the huddle and go another round. Life is football.” “Sometimes, though players get hit so hard they’re slow to get up. And then they’re afraid of getting hit again. Afraid of really throwing themselves into the game.” – Susan May Warren. This was Caleb talking with Issy and he knew what it felt like because he had experienced that fear.The key is always to get back up, get out there and do our best with all our heart.
16. Sometimes there are things God allows because that He wants to get our attention. Right in that ditch was where God got Caleb’s attention and even though he survived with a leg that was later amputated he lived each day grateful for grace. He understood that God is more interested in his soul than his leg. Right in that ditch before help came he kept repeating 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.  Caleb told Issy, that he determined that if he lived. He wouldn’t let fear take over his life but would instead let God’s power and self-discipline pour through Him. ‘…And love.
17. We are to live for the cheers of God and not that of man. Seb understood this when he became honest to himself about why he wanted to be a coach. He didn’t want to worship at the altar of his accolades anymore. “He wanted a new heart, a heart free of the filth-the mistakes, failures, the selfishness of his past. A heart that understood and drank in grace.” So he prayed: “God, this game is yours, whatever you have planned. Make me a man built for others. A man built…for You.”
18. We have to be willing to accept His (GOD) love and grace. And only then are we able to turn around and do it for others. Daily grace, for you, for them. Daily grace. The courage to get back up. The courage to stay in the fight.” This is what Caleb finally choose to do as he remembered his discussion with pastor Dan and decided to show the boys his leg.
19. “In fact, God’s love is perfect, and He puts that into us, so we can love the way he loves. Most of all, because of His perfect love, I can trust Him, whatever happens. Yes, “perfect love expels all fear.” Yet the perfect romance wasn’t with Caleb… but with God. The God who loved her perfectly, even when she was a mess. The God who hadn’t forgotten her. The God who had brought the one man who could help free her from the darkness and placed him right next door. The God who had a perfect future for her. The God she could trust. She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry for my fear, how it’s held me hostage, how I’ve let it determine my life. I want to break free; I do. Help me to stop fearing what is out there and trust you.”- An excerpt from the book. This was Issy when she decided to drive a car again, after two years.
20. For a broken ware to be fixed by a potter, it has to be somewhat soft. If it is completely hardened the potter will have to grind it to powder and start all over. A broken ware can only be remolded if it has regained some moisture. This is from the place when Caleb met the potter about to fix a broken pot and when he asked she began to explain to Him about fixing the pot. This was later reflected in the story in what God did in Caleb and Issy’s life. The woman told him that when she is done he won’t recognize that it was once broken. Isn’t this what God does with us too, when we submit ourselves to be remolded by him, it won’t be easy but we will come out whole.
21. Even in our career we must give God room to express himself through our art or science. This is what coach Presley did through the football program. It was not just him coaching the young men in the sport but also using the principles of that help in winning the game to  build character into them. The entire community knew it and Pastor Dan acknowledged it.

There is something beautiful about being loved by someone. To be loved and known. The person sees the possibility of who you can become even when you cannot see it. They want to help you look past your fears and in fact overcome it. This is who God is to us and who Caleb was to Issy. “We could all be trapped by our past if it weren’t for the perfect love of God.”- Susan May Warren.

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Lessons From “My Foolish Heart” by Susan May Warren. Part 5

1. “In fact, God’s love is perfect, and He puts that into us, so we can love the way he loves. Most of all, because of His perfect love, I can trust Him, whatever happens. Yes, “perfect love expels all fear.” Yet the perfect romance wasn’t with Caleb… but with God. The God who loved her perfectly, even when she was a mess. The God who hadn’t forgotten her. The God who had brought the one man who could help free her from the darkness and placed him right next door. The God who had a perfect future for her. The God she could trust. She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry for my fear, how it’s held me hostage, how I’ve let it determine my life. I want to break free; I do. Help me to stop fearing what is out there and trust you.”- An excerpt from the book. This was Issy when she decided to drive a car again, after two years.
2. Even in our career we must give God room to express himself through our art or science. This is what coach presley did through the football program. It was not just him coaching the young men in the sport but also using the principles of that help in winning the game to buid charaacter into them. The entire community knew it and Pastor Dan acknowledged it.
3. For a broken ware to be fixed by a potter, it has to be somewhat soft. If it is completely hardened the potter will have to grind it to powder and start all over. A broken ware can only be remolded if it has regained some moisture. This is from the place when Caleb met the potter about to fix a broken pot and when he asked she began to explain to Him about fixing the pot. This was later reflected in the story in what God did in Caleb and Issy’s life. The woman told him that when she is done he won’t recognize that it was once broken. Isn’t this what God does with us too, when we submit ourselves to be remolded by him, it won’t be easy but we will come out whole.

There is something beautiful about being loved by someone. To be loved and known. The person sees the possibility of who you can become even when you cannot see it. They want to help you look past your fears and infact overcome it. This is who God is to us and who Caleb was to Issy. “We could all be trapped by our past if it weren’t for the perfect love of God.”- Susan May Warren.

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Lessons From “My Foolish Heart” by Susan May Warren. Part 4

1. Life is football. It’s pushing ahead, and maybe you make yardage or maybe you don’t, but you get knocked down all the same. And right then, you have enough people cheering for you, and enough heart, you push to your feet and get back in the huddle and go another round. Life is football.” “Sometimes, though players get hit so hard they’re slow to get up. And then they’re afraid of getting hit agin. Afraid of really throwing themselves into the game.” – Susan May Warren. This was Caleb talking with Issy and he knew what it felt like because he had experienced that fear.The key is always to get back up, get out there and do our best with all our heart.
2. Sometimes there are things God allows because that He wants to get our attention. Right in that ditch was where God got Caleb’s attention and even though he survived with a leg that was later imputated he lived each day grateful for grace. He understood that God is more intterested in his oul than his leg. Right in that ditch before help came he kept repeating 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. Caleb told Issy, that he determined that if he lived. He wouldn,t let fear take over his life but would instead let God’s power and self-discipline pour through Him. ‘…And love.
3. We are to live for the cheers of God and not that of man. Seb understood this when he became honest to himself about why he wanted to be a coach. He didn’t want to worship at the altar of his accolades anymore. “He wanted a new heart, a heart free of the filth-the mistakes, failureds, the selfishness of his past. A heart that understood and drank in grace.” So he prayed: “God, this game is yours, whatever you have planned. Make me a man built for others. A man built…for You.”
4. We have to be willing to accept His (GOD) love and grace. And only then are we able to turn around and do it for others. Daily grace, for you, for them. Daily grace. The courage to get back up. The courage to stay in the fight.” This is what Caleb finally chose to do as he remembered his discussion with pastor Dan and decided to show the boys his leg. He decided to extend that grace when they were discouraged to show them how he had stayed in the fight despite been brought low.

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Lessons From “My Foolish heart” by Susan May Warren. Part 3

1. No matter how far gone we are, we are not irredeemable. This can not be said too much and it is not cliché. Seb Brewter had done a lot of things he is not proud of and had even given in to defeat at some point. A time came he’d straightened up, found his way into a church, fallen hard at the foot of the cross, cried his eyes out over his sins, and promised to start over.
2. Sometimes we want to regain what we’ve lost our own way, we want to do it in a way that we will get the glory and feel heroic again. We just might mess up again. When God gives us a new beginning, let us trust Him to walk us through it and make us into who He wants us to be. Seb Brewster thought that becoming the coach, doing what Coach Presley once did and getting the accolades of the community will help him redeem his failures and mistakes and make him be a hero and the man of honour Coach Presley wanted him to be. However, that position wasn’t where he was meant to be.
3. When we betray our virtues, we are throwing our pearls to the swine and you know what the swine does, it will trample on it. In our present world where virtues like virginity feels obsolete, Lucy has tasted the result of guarding her virtues loosely even though she hadn’t planned it that way. But there is restoration.
4. “Maybe you shouldn’t strive to be the woman you left behind, but the one who is out ahead”- Susan May Warren. There are sometimes that due to the turns life take we lose who we used to be. Instead of trying to do a factory reset let us rather trust God to take us from our current state to who He wants us to be. Issy had always been very intelligent & ambitious. However, after the accident and watching her mother die and her father rendered quadriplegic, she had been held down by a form of fear that tears one apart and makes them feel like they will never be whole again. She mourned the girl she used to be but maybe she could leave that behind and look out for who she could become.
5. Sometimes our fears gives us a false promise of keeping us safe. We convince ourselves that we do not want to get hurt. But maybe if we dare to stop holding ourselves back we might be surprised by what we can be. This is what Rachelle, Issy’s coach wanted her to do. “…There is light ahead just keep walking towards it” – Susan May Warren.

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