THANKFUL FRIDAY

1.I am grateful for my immediate family ☺️! The Lord has arranged things in such a way that I get to spend most of my time with my parents and I must say, I'm growing fond of them!

A shout out to my mom who's my right hand, the doer of amazing things, the one who strengthens me when flesh fails (Of course she knows these sentiments!).

A hello to my dad who's teaching me patience LOL and who judges me for being 'African' just because I prefer to watch things that have to do with people of my skin colour. Lol! He's spoiling and scolding too. An African fathers' disorder maybe? Lol!

My twin, my manga-manga business, such a wonderful soul to be around. I thank God for the friendship we share and I am thankful that he enjoys my company. He told me some months ago that he wanted to offload and  he felt he could speak to me. I was chuffed man!

2. Thankful for the kids I teach and don't teach at church. Last Sabbath afternoon there were only 4 kids (the Adventurers had gone to a camp) and we just spent the afternoon together. They were reflecting about the week and it felt good just listening to their genuine stories. Man, I love these kids! One even allowed me to lay my head over her lap. It doesn't get better than this!

3. I'm thankful for real, meaningful, face-to-face relationships! So heart warming and beautiful.

4. The lessons God is teaching me and the conversations we have.

5. For well-thought, meaningful articles and the ability and appetite to read!

6. For scars that are healing.

7. And for the Sabbath! Sjoe, exhaustion makes you appreciate the Sabbath. It's more than that!

And many more things I'll share next time.


Image Source

medium.com

Articles that made me think & dig a little DEEPER {a}

I'm still DIGGING (introspecting)!

I have not come across such a well-put, realistic article like this one (busyness and not having the right sources I think). Excuse the f word and cringe if you must; but don't miss the point. Dig with me! Read the rest of the article here: https://thoughtcatalog.com/jamie-varon/2014/12/this-is-how-we-date-now/

We want a life that does not need the validation of likes, favorites, comments, upvotes. We may not know yet that we want this, but we do. We want connection, true connection. We want a love that builds, not a love that gets discarded for the next hit. We want to come home to people. We want to lay down our heads at the end of our lives and know we lived well, we lived the fuck out of our lives. This is what we want even if we don’t know it yet.

We bombard ourselves with stimuli, input, input, input, and we wonder why we’re miserable. We wonder why we’re dissatisfied. We wonder why nothing lasts and everything feels a little hopeless. Because, we have no idea how to see our lives for what they are, instead of what they aren’t. 

She also mentions something that resonates with me and happens to be the reason I'm off whatsApp & Facebook:

And, even if we find it. Say we find that person we love who loves us. Commitment. Intimacy. “I love you.” We do it. We find it. Then, quickly, we live it for others. We tell people we’re in a relationship on Facebook. We throw our pictures up on Instagram. We become a “we.” We make it seem shiny and perfect because what we choose to share is the highlight reel. We don’t share the 3am fights, the reddened eyes, the tear-stained bedsheets. We don’t write status updates about how their love for us shines a light on where we don’t love ourselves. We don’t tweet 140 characters of sadness when we’re having the kinds of conversations that can make or break the future of our love. This is not what we share. Shiny picture. Happy couple. Love is perfect.

We are The Emoji Generation. Choice Culture. The Comparison Generation. Measuring up. Good enough. The best. Never before have we had such an incredible cornucopia of markers for what it looks like to live the Best Life Possible. We input, input, input and soon find ourselves in despair. We’ll never be good enough, because what we’re trying to measure up to just does not fucking exist. These lives do not exist. These relationships do not exist. Yet, we can’t believe it. We see it with our own eyes. And, we want it. And, we will make ourselves miserable until we get it.

Article on deception coming up soon (as I cringe at how busy I've been to read and write on this issue). 

Breaking free from the shackles of social media

A week ago, I decided to break free from the grip of social media except for Instagram (photography pages are my joy). Oh, and I only chat to beloved one on whatsApp. Nothing personal. It just got exhausting. I have realized that social media somehow perpetuates being unreal. Somehow people put on the perfect pictures, perfect this or that. Everything is rosy. It's as if you aren't enough and you need more whenever you go online.

If it's not that-it just get's tiring. The constant communication which doesn't really make up for real intimacy is exhausting. And lastly, it's really time consuming. My weakness was the status updates-any platform where I can write becomes a snare. So ja, I was there- updating, sharing and it just got to a point where I felt like I was oversharing. So what if I've just read a particular article? Essentially I didn't want to lose on the real moments while updating. I wanted to break free from keeping appearances.

And it's been so freeing! I have more time on my hands. I don't feel any pressure to write anything (because blogging makes up for it :) ). I'm just living life on my own pace and honestly, I plan on living like this till Jesus comes. I feel like in the near future I'll just have a smart phone and not use WhatsApp and Facebook.

I want more real, face to face relationships and these are more rewarding.

So ja, I am not returning from this sabbatical! 

THE BIGGER PICTURE:He GAVE Himself for us that we may experience victory in this present world for the next world to come

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.-Titus 2:11-14

This world is a training school for the higher school, this life a preparation for the life to come. Here we are to be prepared for entrance into the heavenly courts. Here we are to receive and believe and practice the truth until we are made ready for a home with the saints in light. - Maranatha, page 57

THE BIGGER PICTURE: He GAVE Himself that we (I) may be CLEANSED

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. ~Titus 2:11-14

He was willing to give Himself because He knows He won't fail us

He was willing to hang on the cross because our sinful propensities do not limit Him

He was willing to give of Himself because He wanted to give us something greater-liberty over self and everything else

He was willing. He went willingly that He may receive the gift of His scourging, wounding, and death: a people cleansed from all iniquity; a pure and peculiar people. People that are experiencing daily cleansing calling out to others to experience the same. That in the end, we may look forward to the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ.

INTROSPECTION: In light of what Jesus offers

Closely examine your own heart as in the light of eternity. Hide nothing from your examination. Search, oh! search, as for your life, and condemn yourself, pass judgment upon yourself, and then by faith claim the cleansing blood of Christ to remove the stains from your Christian character. Do not flatter or excuse yourself. Deal truly with your own soul. And then as you view yourself a sinner, fall, all broken, at the foot of the cross. Jesus will receive you, all polluted as you are, and will wash you in His blood, and cleanse you from all pollution, and make you fit for the society of heavenly angels, in a pure, harmonious heaven. There is no jar, no discord, there. All is health, happiness, and joy. (Maranatha, p57)

HOW DO I GAIN VICTORY OVER SELF-DECEIT? [Part 2]

⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ~Revelation 12:7-9

What was the cause of this war?

 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.~Ezekiel 28:15

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. ~Isaiah 14:13-14

From these two scriptures, we note 2 things about the Devil. Iniquity was found in him and he wanted the office of God. Instead of submitting to God as the Creator, He sought His place and the same adoration that belongs to Him.

This war was really about God’s law. The Bible speaking of angels says: Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. ~Psalm 103:20.

Angels do the commandments of God and they take heed to God when He speaks. Secondly, we are told they are God’s ‘ministers that do his pleasure’ ~Psalm 103:21

So Satan’s perfection not only referred to outward resemblance but inward perfection too – which refers to harmony to God’s law. This we know because we are told it was up until this point then iniquity was found in Him.

Furthermore in coveting the office of God he was essentially saying: I’ll no longer be God’s minister nor do His pleasure. He was rebelled against His Maker hence there war took place.

So two things led to this war: Sin in Satan’s heart and pride.

Other elements that led to the war in heaven

Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.~Ezekiel 28:17

The text above also speaks about Satan’s pride. It goes on a step further and highlights that Satan corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness.

Self-deceit had a play in Satan’s rebellion. So had disobedience.

When the Bible speaks of wisdom it says:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.~Proverbs 9:10

What does it mean to fear the Lord? The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.~Proverbs 8:13

And lastly it says: But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.~James 3:17

Thus in corrupting his wisdom, Satan no longer feared the Lord (hate evil, pride, the evil way etc.). Nor was he pure anymore because iniquity was found in Him.

Essentially, iniquity was found in him because he ‘transgressed God’s law’ because iniquity is ‘the transgression of God’s law’. ~1 John 3:4

Had obedience and self-lessness reigned in Satan’s with him continually doing God’s commands and heeding to God’s voice this war would not have ensued.

The war between two parties: how did Satan get angels on his side?

⁷And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. ~Revelation 12:7

We learn that the war took place between Jesus and his angels & Satan and his angels. Yet it’s important to note that Satan is a created being.

 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.~Ezekiel 28:13

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.~Ezekiel 28:15

Satan’s work as a Deceiver begins

³ And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.~ Revelation 12:3-4

It is important to note that the book Revelation uses symbolism and imagery to explain things. The text above refers to the great red dragon. In this context this dragon refers to Satan. Now it says something interesting: with his tail he drew the third part of the stars of heaven.

What are the stars and what does the tail of the dragon refer to?

¹² And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

¹³ And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

¹⁴ His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

¹⁵ And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

¹⁶ And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.~ Revelation 1: 14-16

My interest lies in verse 16 and it highlights that Jesus had seven stars in his right hand. Then we later on find out what is the meaning of these stars in this context:

 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.~Revelation 1:20

The text tells us that the stars here refer to angels. Now let’s put the puzzle together: Satan used his tail to get a third of the angels in the heaven, which are told were on his side in the war and were later cast down on earth.

Tail

Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail. ~ Isaiah 7:14, 15

The tail is associated with lies. So essentially what we learn is: The devil drew a third of the angels with lies, hence he was able to have angels on his side when the war took place.

Through lies, the devil began a journey as the Deceiver. Furthermore, Jesus speaking about the Devil affirms this by saying:

 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.~John 8:44

The Devil invented lies. He is the father of lies. And to deceive you cannot speak the truth. You must tweak it here and there.

So began the journey of Satan as a Deceiver. His first targets were the third of angels he left with in heaven.

We’ll look at how Satan managed to deceive humans in the following article.

The Last Lap of My Birthday Reflections

14. You can add value to someone's life without riches!
13. Your worth is not determined by how others treat you. Your worth remains constant regardless of your current circumstances.
12. It's going to be okay when you least expect it. Just know things are going to get better. Keep pushing till you reach that point where you can say, "I've given it my all."
11. How others treat you doesn't determine who you are; but your response or reaction does
10. Elderly folks & young children are lovely. Surround yourself with them once in a while.
9. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all you think and will use you mightily as you surrender to Him. (I'll share testimonies some other time)
8.Before you give your affections to outsiders (boyfriend, friends, etc.) : make sure your immediate family know and can testify that you love them.
7. You can do it IN Christ- that degree, that dream and whatever you put your mind on.
6. Be careful of what you do in front of children-they learn more by observing.
5. Be to someone what you wished others were to you! Upon reflection, I've wished to have someone to counsel me about career paths, spirituality and various aspects in my life and just be real. So, with God's grace I hope I can be that person to someone else.
4. Documentaries are a must!!!
3. There's no loss in supporting and celebrating others (so I'm learning)
2. You are not better---lest we forget!
1. Rather  lose everything that's tangible and temporal; rather than jeopardizing your relationship with God. Also detach from anyone or anything that lessens your commitment to God or cultivates love for sin.

HOW DO I GAIN VICTORY OVER SELF-DECEIT? [Part 1]

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? ~Jeremiah 17:9

We all have a heart issue. The problem is that our hearts are deceitful. So deception comes from within and our hearts happen to be wicked too. This combination cannot help us to overcome self-deceit. The scriptures have also made us aware that our hearts are unclean and nothing clean can come from us (Job 14:4; Job 15:14-16).

We need something outside of us to cleanse us from the wickedness and deception that abides in our own hearts.

The good news is: there is someone who can help us so we need not to worry and feel defeated. This someone is God. But in order to understand how we even got here, let’s go back a bit.

¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. ~Isaiah 14:12-14

¹² Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

¹³ Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

¹⁴ Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

¹⁶ By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

¹⁷ Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. ~ Ezekiel 28:12-17

From the following scriptures we can conclude the following about the Devil’s biography:

·         The Devil was created by God

·         His residence was in heaven and he often visited Eden

·         His original name was Lucifer

·         He was referred to as ‘the son of the morning’

·         He was full of wisdom and beauty

·         He has a workmanship of ‘tabrets and pipes’ – musical talent

·         He was an anointed covering cherub

·         He was perfect

Until he had a heart issue-Pride. We see that he coveted God’s office and was determined to have a throne too. Thus iniquity was conceived in his heart. He tried to exalt to the throne and instead war ensued.

⁷ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

⁸ And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

⁹ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. ~Revelation 12:7-9

On the next article, we will discuss the initiation of Satan’s journey as a Deceiver.

Then we’ll answer how mankind became deceived up to now and finally discuss the solution to gaining victory over self-deceit. Stay tuned!

DECEPTION: TWO-FOLD

DECEPTION:

The act of deceiving or misleading.

Artifice practiced; cheat

Deception is not one-sided. It is two-fold. It comes from within and from without.

Inward Deception

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?~Jeremiah 17:9

From this text, we learn that inward deception comes as a result of our wicked hearts. Our hearts are wicked because we are sinners. The Bible speaking about the human condition says:

For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 (glory=character)

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. 

What is man that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman that he should be righteous?

Behold he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? {Job 14:4; Job 15:14-16}

These texts go on further to explain the evil nature of every human being and this we can conclude as a reason for inward deception or self-deception.

Outward Deception

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. {Revelation 12:9}

We note that the Devil exists and his habitation is the earth. He does not exist alone but with his angels. He has a mission and it is in deceiving the whole world. He is responsible for every deception that is in the world. Furthermore, none of us are immune to his deception. Every race, tribe, nation, and people is not immune, including you and I.

In follow-up articles we will seek to answer the following questions:

·         How can I gain victory over self-deceit (inward deception)

·         How do I determine what is deception?

·         How do I gain victory over the Devil?

·         Why does the devil use deception and what is his end goal?

·         What constitutes deception?

Help Me Understand

I've been reflecting a bit about some of the tendencies that we have as women when our hearts are unconverted. We become strange, we become the strange woman. Why is it that we hate each other so much as women? Why are we so intent on breaking each other? What do we gain from all of this? What do you gain when another women is hurting? How can her pain bring happiness to you? How is her pain or flaw making you better as a Christian?

Furthermore, what is about men that makes us so willing to sacrifice ourselves, values & our relationship with God? Why? I pray God gives us the eye salve. I pray He reminds us that anything besides Him is a 'broken cistern' with no substance. I pray God help us to desire Him and no else.

May this be our deepest longing:

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.-Psalm 73:25

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.-Ephesians 3:14-19

Birthday Reflections

16. It's really worth the wait

Waiting isn't really a nice process. It barely is.You keep wondering about the 'when' and the 'how' it will finally happen. Sometimes waiting can make you distracted and end up missing out on enjoying the present. But waiting on the Lord makes all the difference in the world. It's really worth it. I've tested it & proven it!

1. Around mid-year, I was praying about something I really needed. I could see it would really make a big difference in my life & even concluded that it'd really help me towards future plans. I even made promises to God about how I'd do A,B, & C! How naive of me! After all, 'our promises are like ropes of sand'. Anyway I didn't get what I wanted.

But I got something way better. It's good for my growth as a person & it's given me a chance to pursue what I really love - writing. It's given me the opportunity to interact with different people too. I really enjoy what I do.

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. ~Psalm 62:5

 Wait upon God. Lean upon Him in entire dependence; for His everlasting arms will sustain you. He who says that not a sparrow falls to the ground without the notice of the heavenly Father will care for those who love and trust Him. Jesus knows every throb of pain, every throe of anguish and distress, and He will give His children grace to endure the afflictions that He permits to come upon them. His heart beats in sympathy with suffering humanity and those who suffer most have most of His pity and sympathy.~Published in Signs of the Times, February 28, 1906.

15. A NO from God is better than a 'yes' from the enemy

2. I desperately wanted to attend something. I was so confident that I'd have money then. But when the time  came, money wasn't there. I wasn't disappointed but I just wondered how everything would've turned out. Let's just say my heavenly Father who foresees things from afar was protecting me. How can I repay Him?

Godless Zeal & Missing The Point

As a church we are currently reading the book of Acts and it's been eye opening. It's made me think deeper about the whole purpose of the gospel and whether I truly understand the will of God. I've found myself asking: how is it that, we can read the word of God and still completely miss the gist of the matter? How is that, while thinking we are serving God, we can be scattering with Satan? This is something worth noting. I know in my personal Christian walk I've had moments when I've completely missed the point and instead of becoming a better person I wasn't.

In my personal experience this has happened when I've valued doctrine without seeking validation from God. By this I mean taking a principle and applying it wrongly; without actually asking God whether I am doing what he wants on a daily basis. I think it's really important to constantly ask God if we're still in His will. It's easy to be so engrossed in the truth while becoming more evil. Look at the Jews- how they were so keen on condemning & killing; yet the whole purpose of the gospel is to wash our sins away. It's to hate sin and not the sinner.

I believe when truth becomes effectual it changes us to God likeness and I think our personal duty as we continue to come into contact with truth is to ask ourselves if it's making us more like Christ & mindful of the next person. The gospel is deep. It's not about knowing-but it's truly about a changed life and about saving humanity from the sting of sin. I pray that we never lose sight of the bigger picture and truly our safest is in behold Christ & the cross. I pray we don't get to the point where we're so engrossed in the things of God and completely miss Him!

On losing Christ & Retaining Him:

[ Based on Luke 2:41-51]; Desire of Ages: Chapter 8

If Joseph and Mary had stayed their minds upon God by meditation and prayer, they would have realized the sacredness of their trust, and would not have lost sight of Jesus. By one day's neglect they lost the Saviour; but it cost them three days of anxious search to find Him. So with us; by idle talk, evilspeaking, or neglect of prayer, we may in one day lose the Saviour's presence, and it may take many days of sorrowful search to find Him, and regain the peace that we have lost.

In our association with one another, we should take heed lest we forget Jesus, and pass along unmindful that He is not with us. When we become absorbed in worldly things so that we have no thought for Him in whom our hope of eternal life is centered, we separate ourselves from Jesus and from the heavenly angels. These holy beings cannot remain where the Saviour's presence is not desired, and His absence is not marked. This is why discouragement so often exists among the professed followers of Christ.

Many attend religious services, and are refreshed and comforted by the word of God; but through neglect of meditation, watchfulness, and prayer, they lose the blessing, and find themselves more destitute than before they received it. Often they feel that God has dealt hardly with them. They do not see that the fault is their own. By separating themselves from Jesus, they have shut away the light of His presence.

It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.

As we associate together, we may be a blessing to one another. If we are Christ's, our sweetest thoughts will be of Him. We shall love to talk of Him; and as we speak to one another of His love, our hearts will be softened by divine influences. Beholding the beauty of His character, we shall be "changed into the same image from glory to glory." 2 Corinthians 3:18.

20. Choose friends wisely through prayer

I am thankful to God regarding the gift of friendship. I have come to value friendships immensely. But I realize the importance of choosing wisely because friends play such a huge role in one's life. I have come to realize that, if  a friendship leads me to a closer relationship to God and I do not find myself having to compromise principles, then it's good. I also appreciate honest friends who tell me when I err. I have such an one in Sharon's mom (whoop whoop). Haha!

I am also thankful for Thami's friendship. Each experience with her has made realize how much I need God. Man, I'm just thankful to have someone I can share my experiences with without feeling ashamed. She is the kind of a friend who literally takes your hand and tells you to not be afraid. And she does this with so much affection and genuineness. God bless her soul. I am thankful for every other friendship because it challenges me to become a better person.

19. Life makes sense when you serve others.

My best days are  the ones when I am a better daughter, sister, friend & server to those I come into contact with. Misery really comes when there's no purpose in my life.

18. Appreciate and Invest in your youth!!!

Man, I look back and feel like I haven't lived at all. Where did the time go?! I want my youth back. I think I spent a great portion of my youth self-conscious and closed in. I then started to think about marriage at 20 LOL. Why???? Now, I'm out here thinking, thank God you saved from getting married from such a young age. There's so much I still need to do. But my advice to those younger than me would be: to not be fearful and closed in such that you miss out on great opportunities. No need to rush. Just enjoy each stage because it does get real. And once in a while you wish you can be a baby with no cares.

17. Have a personal relationship with God

You really need one and it's awesome too. I've realized that sometimes we can be friends with those who have a deeper relationship with God and be deceived into having a sense of security; while we do not even know God. We each need to pursue God individually and we must never fall into the trap of comparing our own relationship with God with what others have with Him. OWN IT. BE OBSESSED WITH HIM. So worth it.