Blessed Be Your Name

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

(Matt Redman)

Jesus Bring The Rain

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy

MercyMe

Voice of Truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!""You'll never win!"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!""You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

(Casting Crowns)

My Gethsemane Moment

I've been blessed with good health, hardly fall sick and when I do it's minor.

When I was carrying Mich, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be in good health and give birth naturally to a healthy baby, well as it turned out I had a c-section.

I always dreamed that I would have all my children by the age of 30, well... I had to re prioritise.

When I was expecting Nziiza I never imagined that I would go into preterm labor let alone have Jesus take him back immediately, again I was wrong it all happened.
It felt like the ground had been removed from under my feet, all these bombs hitting me from a direction I least expected.

Ok, where do I go?, well to the author of my life. "Jesus please help me, what is going on?" He was there, He comforted me and even though I couldn't get the answers I knew I was safe with Him, He healed me.

I'm on the go again and this time I'm praying and telling God how I would like to have another child without any trouble. As I move a long I'm reading the scriptures and understanding how I'm no longer under the curse, by His stripes I was healed and that means the curse that was placed on me because of the sin of Eve has been lifted, I can have a supernatural pregnancy and child birth.
Next day I get a call from my doctor and she is talking about a cervical cerclage, huh?? what are you talking about? never heard of it, never knew it existed, boof!!! another bomb.

"Ok, God what is going on?" this doesn't make sense. I begin telling Him how I don't want any of that stuff, no way.
Then He brings me to a point of total surrender, I'm like God, you know what?! I've come to realise that my life is not my own, I'm here to bring you Glory, it's not about me but about you and what you want to do with my life.

CLING!!!! My Gethsemane moment.

I would rather not go through these tough circumstances but if all this is so that your name is glorified, bring it on. If it means giving away all that I am, all that I have, health, family, friends, all the things that "define me", then let it be.
God if it means taking my life so that Glory comes to you, LET IT BE.

It's painful, it's hard, but I surrender all. Immediately there is a big burden lifted off of me, the pressure is off and an inexplicable joy comes over me.
Oh what JOY!!!.

Now I have an idea of what Jesus was talking about Matthew 26:38-39


'Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, "Stay here while I go over there and pray." Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. Then he said, "This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me."
Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?" '


It's a daily process of surrender ... Selah, Amen.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I've been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes
Like diamonds in my hand
But those trophies could not equal
To the grace by which I stand

In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone will I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
Only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
Now I seek no greater honor
Than just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses
To the glory of the Lord

(Michael English)

Though He slay me ...

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;
I will surely defend my ways to his face.
Job 13:15

When you are able to say this of the Lord, then you are in business.

Word of God Speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to seeYour majesty
To be still and knowThat You're in this place
Please let me stay and restIn Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay

(Mercy Me)

A glimpse of Glory

I've never experienced anything more supernatural than the time I held Nziiza in my arms, it was absolutely heavenly and surreal.
At the time it was almost like a dream but indeed I saw Jesus, I touched Him just holding my little baby. It is not an encounter that can be retold to effect in as much as it is an experience to be felt.
Sam and I partnered with God in creating this beautiful child, Nziiza was God's to start with and provided another opportunity for us to share in creation, to have a supernatural encounter with the maker Himself.
I believe that God wanted us to meet with Him period, that was Nziiza's purpose, brief but powerful.
Children are a gift from God and He grants them to us as stewards, he decides how long we will have them and there is no denying the impact they have on us as parents, guardians, sisters, nephews and what ever other capacity they assume in our lives.

The morning after Nziiza left, the song that was on my heart was,
"Oh it is Jesus, yes it is Jesus
It is Jesus in my soul,
For I have touched the hem of His garment
And His blood has made me whole".

Children are God's vessels of ministry and communication to us, we should be very careful the way we handle them.

Yesterday evening I was taking a walk in the park after putting Mich to bed, I was talking to God and telling Him how I was looking forward to seeing His blessings out of this and guess what He told me?, my love and devotion should not be dependent on what He is going to do for me because then my love is not genuine. I need to love Him regardless of whether or not He blesses me and my was that a hard teaching or what?!
The perfect reminder that I'm not my own but His and my life is meant to bring Him glory and not the other way around.
Lord, total surrender is really hard, I don't know how to love you unconditionally but I'm willing to learn, please teach me how.

Be still

Hide me Lord, under your wings
Cover me within your mighty hand.

When the oceans rise and thunder roars
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still and know you are God.

Rest my soul, in Christ alone
For there's power in quietness and trust.

When the oceans rise and thunder roars
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Focus

Did you know that unbelief is a sin?
Well that is what the Holy Spirit has been teaching me lately, through different circumstances in my life. Reading this scripture today crowned it all. Hebrews 3:12-14

12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

There are many times God has shown His promises to me, how He will never leave me nor forsake me and that in everything He has my interests at heart. But time and again I find my self falling back to doubts and fears influenced by what I see going on around me, around the world, everywhere. I felt like He was telling me to focus, to keep my eyes on Him and what He says and not what the world is showing or how I am feeling. This is the typical experience of the Israelites being led out of Egypt, they complained a lot, every after a miracle they would be quiet for a bit but soon forget and start complaining again. They failed to look at the bigger picture, the bigger God but were engrossed in petty issues. I guess that why it took them forty years to get to the promised land and sadly non of the people who started the journey actually made to the land because they died on the way. That says a lot doesn't it?

I have been anxious about the future, what will happen in a few months when Sam starts his internship and is not home as often as I would have loved, or where we will stay when we get back from Dallas, let alone the crazy heat that everybody talks about in Dallas. There have been a whole lot of things on my mind and just when I was indulging in this worry the Holy Spirit quickened my mind to Philippians 4:6-7 that says;

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Help me Lord to see you as you really are, The Almighty God.

A beautiful Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. [a]
4 Their voice [b] goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Praise the Lord!

It is time to Praise the Lord!It's not time to ask or petition but to give thanks and Praise God for who He is.When we petition, we are asking God to do things for us but that is not what He is calling for. Right now He desires hearts that are full of gratitude and that Praise Him for who He is.He delights not in the strength of the horse, nor does He take pleasure in the legs of a man.The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness. Psalm 147:11He determines the number of stars and calls them each by nameHe is great and mighty in power; His understanding has no limitHe covers the sky with the cloudsHe supplies the earth with rainHe makes grass grow on the hillsHe provides food for the animalsHe spreads snow like woolHe hurls down His hail like pebblesHe sends His command to the earth; His word runs swiftlyHe grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat"He captures your life, your entire life, in one glance. He sees your birth and burial in one frame. He knows your beginning and your end, because He has neither". Isn't that Awesome?!, I read that in a book by Max Lucado maxlucado , I couldn't put it better.I was just thinking, you know how these days it's all about "who you know, and who knows you"?, well quite honestly I know not of any one who can do even an eighth of one of the things mentioned about God. I'm definitely privileged to be known by God and that in itself causes me to praise Him.

Revelation

"You opened my eyes to your wonders anewYou captured my heart with this loveBecause nothing on earth is as beautiful as you"That's the song on my heart today.There are things I have known about God for a long time but somehow lately I'm getting a fresh revelation about them.Forexample, that God loves me inspite of what I do, He loves me! Period, it has nothing to do with what I do or who I am.Nothing I say or do will EVER change the fact that He loves me. I can not make Him love me more or love me less, He just loves me, He is fixated on me, He knows everything about me, even to the tiniest details like the way my nails grow.He calls me to love Him too, but the big difference here is that even though I have every reason to love Him using the "because" factor, as in He is naturally good, gives me nice things and so on, He is calling me to love Him for who He is and not for what He does/can do.His doings/ works are like the icing on the cake, but who He is/ His character is the real deal.He calls me to stand in His righteousness, note that there is absolutely nothing I could ever do to get into right standing with God. It's about allowing God to take control of my life and having Jesus dress me in His righteousness through the blood He shed at calvary. All I have to do is acknowledge and surrender, no need to sweat it.Now isn't that just amazing?!

Marvel

The word of God is so wonderful, at times I'm left speechless and in awe.The other day I was reading Psalm 111 and the character of God was imprinted on my heart in an amazing way.It says;7The works of His hands are [absolute] truth and justice [faithful and right]; and all His decrees and precepts are sure (fixed, established, and trustworthy).8They stand fast and are established forever and ever and are done in [absolute] truth and uprightness.9He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant to be forever; holy is His name, inspiring awe, reverence, and godly fear.Verse 5 in the NIV says ... He remembers His covenant forever.10The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever.There is a whole lot of things that stand out for me in these scriptures but the one that I would like to mention is His covenant. God's covenant with us is all about Him, it is His show, we partner together but He is the one who "rocks". I'm excited that God made a covenant with me as a believer and He has vowed to keep it forever, nothing will change that regardless of the many times I fail.This kind of ties in with something else that I have been learning, that it's not about me but all about Him. The "show" is His, I need to get out of the way so that God is exalted, takes His rightful place. Yeah, so I have needs, I want to achieve certain objectives, the list is endless but I have to learn not to focus on my issues but on God. Besides, isn't He the one who has Fire going before Him to consume His enemies on every side? The one whose lightening lights up the world that the earth sees and trembles?AND the one who makes mountains melt like wax before Him, before the Lord of ALL the earth?God is true, righteous, just, faithful, trustworthy ... so I was thinking if He can do all these things just by being who He is - God, certainly my lists of prayer requests are, can I say meagre?!For a long time my needs have been the center of my focus but when I see that God can literally make mountains disappear, I realise I need to focus on Him more than on what I want Him to do for me. I guess it's time to get out of the way and allow God to take center stage.