I turn thirty today people of God! A whole 1,2.3, and 0 like 30 years old! If I am being honest, it feels surreal that I am 30 today because it feels like yesterday when I was a teenager jumping up and down in high school trying so hard to be that cool kid. Oh! What days I have lived behind!
How do I feel about this big day or this new decade? you may ask just as a couple of my friends have asked. If I am being honest, I feel extremely pumped thanks be to God for the ministry of Pastor Lawerence Oyor. Thanks to God through Pastor Lawerence Oyor’s ministry, I could spend quality time in God’s presence. I spent the past week at a Battle Axe retreat in a city near me and it was such a blessing!!!!! In fact it is still a blessing to my soul as I still bask in the Euphoria of fellowshipping with young believers and soaking in God’s presence.
Although I am still pretty expectant of gifts from my good God, I can say that this time and provision to attend this retreat is an awesome birthday gift from the Lord :). I can go on and on about the retreat and its impact on my life but I am literally trying to get my voice back. There was a lot of praying, worshipping, screaming, decreeing, word studying, soaking, listening, and hearing the voice of God. It was beautiful! I hope that as you read, you are inspired to find some time to go on a prayer retreat too. Retreats like these do awesome wonders than we can imagine to our bodies, souls, and spirits.
Now to my little bible studying sharing on this blog post. There is this one scripture that stood out to me during this retreat among the many we read.
The people who walked in darkness
Isaiah 9:2
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them, a light has shined.
This was a prophecy spoken by the Spirit of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah over 400 years before this word was made manifest amongst God’s children. This prophecy was spoken over God’s children who walked in darkness and were condemned to eternal death. Fast forward to Matthew 4:16, the word of God came to life, and the light of the word -Jesus Christ came to give us light. As I read this scripture, all I could see was myself; this was my prior state till the good Lord evaded my life with His beautiful light. I used to be that girl who thought I knew it but unknown to me, I was in so much darkness. I remember being that girl and I am probably still that girl that listens to people’s challenges and gives counsel. Back in high school and college after listening, I would give ridiculous advice such as, “Follow your heart”. How foolish I was! I was blinded by my immersion in the world and sadly, I didn’t keep my blind counsel to myself, I spread it to people around me. I guess, this is why God has fueled my heart with the passion to keep sharing His light with the world within this space. Because, Lord did I sit and walk in darkness! Lord did I dwell in the shadow of the death until God’s light shined upon me. As I think about this, I sat in the shadow of death right before God came to my rescue. I was in a season in my life when I struggled with depression and my nights were filled with sobbing, and cries for the Lord to take my life or save me. God has been so soo good to me brethren, I really cannot imagine my last seven years without the light of Jesus which has flooded my life.
I know the difference between living in darkness and light. O the difference is as clear as night and day and I give all the glory to my Jesus who has flooded my heart and life with His loving light. The thing that sin does is give an illusion of wisdom whereas that path leads only to anxiety, confusion, depression, and eternal death. The word of God tells us that there is a path that seems right to a man, but the end therein is death. The same scripture goes on to say that on that path, there may be laughter but it is shallow seated because deep inside the heart is sorrow masked with shallow laughter – Proverbs 14:12-14. I know firsthand what it feels like to sit and walk on this dark path; nights and nights, in search of answers, looking to fill in that void, anxiety, fear, frustration, and depression were close companions in those seasons. O! Blessed be the day, the light began to evade the depths and core of my soul.
Do I have everything that I desire? Not yet but do I have complete satisfaction, Joy, and peace of mind? Absolutely! The Joy of the Lord has become my strength over and over, His voice has given me clarity over and over, His light has lit my path, and His word has strengthened me. What a joy and privilege to know the Lord and I am glad that I launch into year 30 with the Lover of my soul – Jesus Christ.
As I wrap up this post my dear friend, I would love to extend an invitation to this sweet life too. If you have read up until this point and the Lord Jesus isn’t your friend, He sure brought you here to show you His love for you. My Jesus Christ loves you regardless of what your past may look like, regardless of what thoughts you might have in your mind right now. In Jesus’ name, I encourage you to open up to Him, speak to Him from the depths of your heart about how you feel, and ask Him to save you. He listens and answers prayers, I have first-hand experience of His attention to my outcries.
To my dear brother or sister in Christ whose love for Jesus may need rekindling, please come back home where Love resides. I pray that as you come back home you experience the Love of God afresh and be empowered to keep living in the Light of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at info@abimbolaswalk.com.