Back in November 2023 in my post All in a Week I shared how before my testimony, I felt like I was doing so much and getting nowhere. It felt like the Russian dolls but instead of uncovering an inner doll, the more I did something the more nothing happens. So when God started showing off as per my testimony in that post, it led me to want to do things in a different way. Instead of killing myself trying to do this and that, I decided to Trust and Rest in God. Trust that God will open the door. Trust that if the door is not opening God has seen something I haven’t seen and the protector that he is, he can not let me go through that door. Amen!
This has been so comforting because I don’t feel pressure to hustle myself to the ground in the name of putting myself out there and ceasing every opportunity. I’m not meant to cease every opportunity because not every opportunity has my name on it but most importantly not every opportunity has Gods hand on it. If Gods’ hand is not in it, why on earth would I want to get involved? Even if it is worldly appealing and enticing. We know this lesson very well from Eve & Adam and look at us now!
Before the end of the year I was reading the book of Acts, a fabulous book which highlighted to me the Strategy for 2024 in chapter 16. The chapter talks of Paulo’s journey to different places and how the Holy Spirit forbid him to speak in Asia and when he tried to go to another place, this time, this translation says the Spirit of Jesus did not allow Paulo and his company to go where they wanted to go.
In my history in this world, 4 floors to be exact, there are many times I have done things of my own accord and they have not ended the way I would have liked. I don’t blame myself because I didn’t know and hadn’t grown in faith, despite being a regular attendee at church. Regular attendance is not the key to spiritual growth and enlightenment. Regular private reading of the Excellent Book, hearing of the word, for me through sermons and praying are the keys that have taught me to do things in a different way, because they have really taught me about the character of God.
Had I known what I know now, I wouldn’t have hang out with some people, I wouldn’t have entertained some of Gods’ sons, I wouldn’t have reacted with vengeful or spiteful anger and most of all I would have asked God what to do. I still forget to ask God what his take is before I do some things. Just a few hours ago, I was composing an email to someone in my church, after seeing potential for us to do something together. I caught myself and asked God, should I send that email?
The reason I am leaning more on asking is because of what I have learnt. If I ask God for his Wise Counsel, the Wisest in the entire universe, I will Go Through the desert in 3 days instead of Wandering for 40 years. And we all know the children of Israel did not wander peacefully and joyfully. God will not lead me astray. Between Him and I, its me who will lead me astray guaranteed, whereas God will always lead me to victory here and into eternity guaranteed.
I know this from all the yes’s I’ve had this first week of 2024 where yet again, like in my post All in A week, God has been showing off again, but there’s been a difference in how he did it last time. I had told myself; I would take a break before Christmas up to 2nd Jan. It ended up not being a complete break, but I was doing light tasks which didn’t feel like work. Sometimes I would even go out and about and by the time I came back, it was the end of my working day so I would not do anything until the next day. During this period of very laxed working, and no hard effort to market my services, I got more enquiries on how people could use my services and a colleague I had approached months ago to collaborate, messaged me from what seemed like the blue.
Not only was she asking to collaborate but also expressed her gratitude that I am in her circle of life. I did not expect any of these especially the latter as I didn’t feel I had done anything for her. I had also approached someone in my circle to introduce me to someone I felt I could also collaborate with. The difference with this collaboration was that this person was in an influential position. With that principle I said earlier of allowing God to open it and if he doesn’t he has seen something I can’t, I did not put any pressure on the situation by expecting a response.
If God allows it no one can stop it. If he doesn’t because he has seen something, I am learning to be more ok with no’s and rejection. This is only Gods’ doing. Needless to say when I got a response that they wanted to set up a meeting, I was positively surprised and joyful which means me and my guardian angel under my leadership, did our happy dance. This time I pictured we were dancing around the throne. And even then I said I don’t know if we are allowed to dance around the “throne” but we must dance and praise because God has done a great thing.
What I am saying is this. The strategy for 2024, in anything, big or small is ask God for his wise counsel and don’t move until he says so. Until he says so, also relax. It is possible. I shared how only 2 weeks after being back home, I got news and a video of how someone had crushed into chestnut, my car with great injuries. I chose not to fret about it and had told God it’s his problem. I couldn’t deal with it from the rear view, side view, front view or back view.
Last week I decided to check with another neighbour if they knew wat happened and they told me though they hadn’t seen the incident, they saw the police were called and they took my details. This means my insurance claim should be smooth sailing unlike before where I didn’t even know what had happened and who had caused it. The testimony here is I relaxed and God worked.
As we ask God for his Sovereign wisdom, I Ask that we may be ok with his answer. Off course we will be ok when it’s a yes, but when it’s a No, I ask for divine wisdom so we don’t look at the No with human eyes and most of all are not consumed and overpowered by our feelings. May we be overpowered by the Truth that if it’s a no, God has seen something that we haven’t seen and its not going to be good for us in the short term, long term or eternity terms. My testimony is when you relinquish the outcome and leave all your plans with God, he really will show off for you, in my case, every day this week.
Sometimes there is the temptation to take short cuts, ask certain people for help or be like Sarah and Abraham who felt God was taking too long. It didn’t work out peacefully and they learnt that they should have trusted God because even after taking their short cut God still came through! Hallelujah! We live in a world full of all sorts of “help” available. The chapter in the book of Acts I was reading also told of the slave girl who had a spirit of divination. After annoying Paulo for many days, he charged the spirit to come out of her and it did as commanded.
The strategy for 2024 is not only ask God for his wise counsel and trust him, but if we ask any human being for help, they should not be someone that Jesus or Paul or any anointed person will be casting demonic spirits out of them. We need to trust if God can send his son for us as individuals, we can ask him any question and he will answer us in his time and in his way. The only people we should heavily rely on to go to God on our behalf or show us the way are Jesus our intercessor and the Holy Spirit, a job they gladly do.
The final strategy of 2024 as per Acts 16 is what Paulo and Silas did when they were wrongfully put in Jail, having being attacked, garments torn, beaten with rods and many blows inflicted upon them. They prayed and sang hymns. Stress changes the chemistry of your body significantly and every moment you spend in a state of stress speeds up the ageing process.
If your body is constantly stressed, it will get out of balance and your body will start to wear out, your metabolism, thyroid function will also be affected meaning weight management becomes harder. Stress management techniques include singing, meditation/prayer. But we know from Paulo and Silas story, their prayers and singing was not as a stress coping tactic, it led to a miracle! With God, when you do little, he gives you far much more than you can ever ask think or imagine.
After their singing, there was a great earthquake that left their doors opened and every single person’s fetters were unfastened! After reading this I decided this needs to be my strategy. Anytime I make such a pact, the practical shortly follows.
On New Years Day I was going to drive to an event an hour and a halfway. Soon after leaving the house, the car got stuck in the mud as it had rained heavily earlier. After I got it out there was a noise, and I was worried that the car may not reach the destination. I tried to investigate with my non mechanical eyes but couldn’t see anything. In Kenya I don’t have the confidence of roadside breakdown cover I am used to.
I was starting to get worried, and I remembered my pact. I prayed and praised God that he was going to do something. After driving 10 minutes while heading to the petrol station to see if a mechanic could check it out, the noise stopped! I went to a supermarket to get supplies to take to the event and after restarting the journey, there was no noise and the car was all good! Praise God!
What God has been teaching me is this. When things are going nowhere, Trust him because contrary to sight, by faith I am absolutely going somewhere. I still don’t know where I am going, but I refuse to believe I am going nowhere just because I don’t see what I want to see. What God has been teaching me through his Biography aka the Excellent Book, is that when I take the strategies he has stated like praise him at all times, he knows why he is asking me to do that far much more than my scientific understanding will get.
As the Sovereign Creator he knows what strategies will renew my mind, calm my spirit and enable me to take heart in the difficulties and annoyances of life. Most of all if I Trust and Obey him, because in my own life I have seen there is no other way, I will discover Gods’ way always, mightily and victoriously pays. As from my testimonies this week and before, I’ll gladly repeat what I said the whole of 2023. God is Good, God is Great, God is the Ultimate Best and that’s his Nature For Eternity.
Related Chapter
Acts 16
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Next Post out on 13/01/2024
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