Yay! Yay!! Yay!! Happy new month….

The 8th month is here already. Okay, let me get nosy here. How’s the new year request list looking? How many on the list have got ‘ticks’ and ‘no ticks’? And don’t get me wrong, I have no problem whatsoever with having a new year request list. I do it. If anything, it sure means that you are expectant and stretching your faith.

As for me, this year was different in the new year. If anyone had asked me what do you want God to do for you this year, I guess I would’ve automatically become a stutterer. If I remember vividly, my Aunt who I was living with earlier this year asked me: ‘What will you have God do for you?’ and all I said was that he establish the works of my hands. And she gave me that ‘Is that all?’ look. Well! the truth is only if she could read my mind, she would’ve realised that from where that was coming from, that ‘looked’ better than the real deal.

You see, all I found myself repeatedly requesting from God was: ‘I want to come higher with you, I don’t know how but just higher’. Mind you, till today I cannot say that I understood the prayer, that was what my heart was saying; and I felt fine with it. Oh! and I had tons of requests that I needed to lay before God, but I found myself silent about them, not that they are not pressing needs. They are! But I wanted a change. I wanted freestyle. At least, one thing was sure- I will be freestyling with my maker.

This freestyle I envisaged is not what I envisaged. You know how you tell someone ‘do it as you like’ but you still have expectations of the task being done at least 60% your way. Well! Let’s say that was me when I was making that ‘come higher’ request to God. I expected the all round perks that come with making such a request. A girl cannot be asking for too much, yeah! And oh! don’t go thinking: ‘ Girl! you are that spiritual/righteous and the rest?’ Nah! I made that request in naviety. But it’s funny how God shows himself. There’s indeed more to our relationship with God than the perks/blessings, that we seek from him.

This much I can say- this year has not been like any other. To the physical eyes, this year can be described as a ‘ziggy-zaggy’ year. But my spirit has come to understand that in order to abound, you must abase. And trust me, it isn’t any joke. It is not as if God got bored and told Angel Gabriel, ‘Come let’s play ten-ten/tinko tinko with that Chinomnso girl’ [ten-ten/tinko tinko- Nigerian kids’ games]. Nah!!! God has been real with me. I mean so real.

I may not be able to share everything [I will do as I’m led to], but I remember crying one night and saying; God, I can’t take this, I want out. And he expressly said ‘stay there’. Emmm Hello!! Do you see what’s going on?- that was my immediate response. I went all out to leave the situation but I had a 2 day amnesia, I forgot that God is all-powerful, and can close any door that I may have opened in my will power.

I would love to say being a child of God is all sweet and rosy with honey. But I can’t. But how is our relationship with God and people when God tests us? When God strips us off everything that is attached to us- the accolades, the degrees, the businesses, the cars, the titles….will we still worship him? Will we still say to our friends, colleagues, families; this God is good?

Our walk with God gets real. Can we be like Paul in Philippians 4:12, and say ‘I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am’ MSG. Paul was in prison when he wrote this, and you would expect that someone who had done so much in the name of God, won’t be in such a position. But still, his stand did not change.

I know we are in such a time when people ascribe God to plenty, don’t get me wrong, it is God’s will that we prosper and be in good health [3 John 1:2]. But will we say that in the ‘not-so-plenty’, God isn’t there? Is our relationship with God based on what we can get from him or when the going is good?

I always ponder on what Job said: ‘Even if he killed me, I’d keep on hoping…’ [Job 13:15 MSG]. Like ‘hello!!!! Uncle Job, if he kills you, you will keep on hoping?‘ Hoping for what please? [I would have asked if I met him] He even went on to say- ‘Just wait, this is going to work out for the best- my salvation’. Wow!

I will be real with you. I can tell a lie and say ‘Oh!! I know what God is doing at this moment. It all makes sense’. It will just be that I will have a ‘frog-jump-conscience pricking’ moment. And it will just lead to another post titled; ‘I lied’. Lol. But I won’t say that. But one thing I’m sure of, is that I’m not in this alone. I see God peeling off and rebranding certain things in my life. My flesh hasn’t fully comprehended, not that it will ever. But the Spirit of God is ever stronger and my flesh must be subdued.

I could have waited till this phase is over and share this with you [at least, that will be the ideal thing to do], but one of the things that God is teaching me is ‘your ideal is not my ideal’. Let me say this before I forget- God tests, the enemy torments. Let us feel free to ask God- ‘who is in charge?’; when in such phase.

My lovelies, I want us to be encouraged. If you look deeply, there are victories taking place in the midst of all. We shouldn’t live a ‘ free but frustrated life’- murmuring, grumbling and using our favourite line- Ah!! God why me? Let us be like that tree/righteous man Psalm 1 talks about, that bears fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom [MSG]. There are fruits that will be harvested from this season, ‘the world’ may not see the sowing but remember that our light will shine that witnesses will end up glorifying our father in heaven.

While he works, let us soak into his word. Let us still be a blessing where we are being planted [we still need to bear fruits in all seasons]. Let us purposely cultivate the habit of thankfulness [Colossians 3:15]. We cannot be passive when it comes to developing this attitude. And let me say that while we are being tested, we may not pass ‘question 2’ immediately, but this isn’t a licence to allow the enemy to bring us to condemnation. Rise above his empty words, God is the teacher not him, and the last time I checked, He is a merciful teacher!

Who would have thought that a ‘naive request’ could open up abundance of knowledge of Him? Encourage someone; Share!

 

P.S Giveaway is still very much available here

Thought to share: When going through test periods, we have to be careful and sensitive when it comes to pouring out to another person- a friend, family member etc. It’s very key that whoever we are sharing this phase with, is in tune with God, enough to encourage us in the Lord, and not become melodramatic and turn the phase into a ‘it’s the demon from your village warfare’. Not everything is a battle!

Chinomnso Precious!