Entry 5- How you coping?

From a number of conversations I've had with friends and acquaintances; and even from social media observation, I've noticed how whenever we are going through it, we tend to rely on alcohol, sex, trips, food anything (but God) to distract us from whatever situation we wouldn't want to deal with.

A personal favorite is getting a quick haircut and dying it or bleaching my hair. Don't judge me when you see me with a new hairdo. LOL.

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer... You probably know this verse. My main concern is: how do we go to God and put our worries on Him when we let the world in and forget about God during our trying times?

I'm not saying the trips and food are a bad thing. No. But, when does it go from a coping mechanism to an escape? And why should we 'escape' our problems when God is available to help you through all of them?


When it comes to coping with different types of trauma, committing to God can be hard because we want our healing process to happen quickly. We want our problems fixed as soon as possible because as human, for some weird reason, we are always in some sort of hurry!

And when it comes to coping, find balance! Don't over think or over rush your healing- you aren't fine and baby, that is okay. God uses uncomfortable trauma to teach us, to help us grow- just trust the process, no matter how difficult it seems.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 teaches us that our warfare may not even be of the flesh and relying on God helps a lot. You have God, why cope on your own?

Ultimately, you need to remember that, even with God, you don't have to cope on your own. Support system? Remember that?

Prayer for today
God, you feel our pain, you see our tears, you hear our cries. This is a prayer for all of us who don't know how to deal and cope with drama. Teach us to trust that you've got us always. Help us find healthy coping mechanisms that help us heal- a healing that'll bring you glory.
In Jesus' name do we pray!

Love,
Faith

Entry 4- YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

"Just tell me as it is! I want you to tell me the truth!" 

How often have you uttered this statement or a similar one? How often has this statement been said to you?

A lot of the time, we want people to come clean to us; be it financially, emotionally as well as physically. But, can you really handle the truth you ask for?

Do we pray for strength to handle the truth we seek?

Personally, in previous situations, I would legit forget about God and go out in search of this truth forgetting I am only human and may not be able to handle the results of my bold trip.

Without the Holy Spirit guiding us, I know you know that we aren't at all ready for the truth because we have no protection and comfort from Our Father but somehow, we still aren't prepared for results and I honestly wonder why.



More often than not, before we go seeking the truth, we've already assumed what these 'said truths' are because we are doing this alone and that shouldn't be the case.
In our weak, fragile minds, we know these revelations might just result in tears, hurt, sorrow yet, we still get broken down- why?

Why do we go looking for truths we can't handle then? Why do we seek these truths without God?

God's probably up there thinking these ones are getting too big for their boots- Let me just allow them to feel a little pinch of pain so they are reminded that they can't do this truth seeking without me.

When we pray to God we realize that God won’t give you something you can’t handle! It’s a nice, cozy idea in theory but it quickly clashes with real life. This is where you should accept that He has given you the tools to handle life's hurdles but that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy journey.

1 Cor. 10:13 teaches us that God won’t give you more than you can handle which is true but this doesn't mean it will be all smooth sailing.

Prayer for today: 

Father, teach us to trust that you won't give us more than we can handle. Let us know that even when we go out seeking the truth, we can depend on you to take us through the responses we get; and at the end of the day declare: I CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH! In Jesus' name have we prayed. Amen.

Entry 3- Seeking Comfort

I WOKE UP ANGRY TODAY!!

I should have been praying but was attending to things that really didn't concern me.
I had prayed about it, and was trusting God to deal with it but here I was allowing my emotions to do as they pleased.
Who did I think I was in that moment; trying to play God?
How many of you can relate?

Now you need to understand that God knows we aren't robots and He gets that we deal with our emotions on a daily hence sending down the Holy Spirit.
You also need to understand that when we are going through things, the Holy Spirit is there to give us comfort and protect us; only if we let God in.

John 14 shows us that God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us no matter the situation we find ourselves in. It gets hard- trust me, I know.

But it gets even harder for me whenever I think I have taken things into my own hands and not waited on God. Like why am I in such a hurry to heal? Where am I going to, without Gods unfailing love and support?



I'll tell you a really, really short story:

After my recent failed attempt at starting a relationship with a man I thought was supposed to be the LOML, I turned to the bottle for comfort. I could've sought God but I felt I didn't deserve the comfort His love gave to His children. Then my dependency on the bottle grew with each passing day because in the moments I drunk, I felt a certain comfort- but it left as soon as I sobered up.

In my new found re-connection with God, I'm slowly accepting the protection and comfort that the Holy Spirit offers. The comfort I'm talking about comes with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. It's a decision you have to make on your own; for yourself and no one else!
Read Acts 9 to understand more on the comfort the Holy Spirit brings once you invite Him.

Prayer for today: 
God in Heaven, we come to you with open hearts
Teach us to seek you during our toughest times
Help us to understand that healing takes time but in you, we receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit that grants us peace of mind to continue to live. 
In Jesus' name have we prayed. Amen. 

Love,
Faith

Entry 2: Jumping on & off the train

We pray about things and get impatient when our prayers aren't answered immediately!

There was a time I left a job because I was unhappy- Yes, I had a good paying job, 'some' colleagues who made the work environment bearable but I wasn't satisfied and was ready to jump on the next available train (well not just any train.)

The signs were all there to be patient but you see, I was in a hurry and mentally done with this place (Agency work- If you know, you know).

Anyways, I got an amazing offer via LinkedIn. I said YES almost immediately- Must have muttered 'thank you God' at this point but that was it.

Fast forward a few months later; I quit this said job, but this time, I didn't jump on the next available offer. I fasted. I prayed. I fellow-shipped. I asked God for Grace and I had prayers said for me. Remember the support system I mentioned earlier?

God hears our prayers and expects us to use the manual He has freely given us to grow.
He prepares us for the things we pray for because let's be honest, the trains we pray for come with their own issues too, right?

So, how do we expect to overcome those if we aren't prepared for them?

Breathe in and out, take your current situation in. Are you really ready for the next train should your prayers be answered right now?

James 1:4 teaches us that by developing patience and trusting in God's timing, we feel completely satisfied; lacking nothing.

Let's understand that through this process, we even develop a greater relationship with God and a better understanding of who we are through Gods' Grace. (Read- Exodus 13:17-18.) 

PRAYER FOR TODAY: 
Father in Heaven, teach us, your children, to be patient when it comes to you. Give us the mindset to understand that everything happens in your time and we should understand that at the end of the day, everything good happens in Your time.
In Jesus' name have we prayed. Amen.

Love,
Faith.

Entry 1: Finding me again

I had been having a great year; quit a few jobs and finally landed that dream role I was made for.
The relationship between my family and myself couldn't have been better.
My love life..... hmmmmm my love life on the other hand wasn't going great at all. If my love life was a test, let's just say a woman was failing at it!

I felt like a failure even though everything else in my life was going great.
I wanted to give up on myself, give up on the concept of love and just live life like my mate Gianna did; care-free, sex, drugs, you know, the works.

Then one day, it hit me I hadn't tried God!

I say tried God as if He is this 'thing' we can just pick up as and when we like huh?
But, that's exactly what we do though, no? We mostly seek Him out only when we need help, when really and truly that isn't the best way to live our best Godly lives.

So yes, I did the most obvious thing and sought after our Father in Heaven.
I was scared, my failed self didn't even think I deserved an audience with him.

But the moment I lay it all out there, crying out to him, bearing out my hurt, anger and frustration, I was reassured with this text- "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened , and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

See, God never asked me to come to him with my perfect self; shoot, now that I think about it, how would he help a 'near perfect' me?
I went to him to find rest. I went to him to find guidance because this life yea, if you don't have God, what's the point?

The journey I know isn't going to be an easy one but that's where having a good Christian support system (in the form of THE BIBLE, friends, family, online communities and a personal favorite, online and offline diaries) comes in. I pray this finds and touches someone today and encourages you to begin and or continue your journey with God today.

Prayer for today: Father in Heaven, today I pray you touch anyone who needs you today. Let them find their way to you so you can heal them in aspects of their life that need your healing touch. In Jesus' name have I prayed. Amen.

Love,
Faith.