Imani Dunning

[imani-serves]

Lisa Bevere: A Wise Woman (Words of LIFE)

The Bible says, "A wise woman builds her house." What does that mean?

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[vicentethepoet]

The day was July 4th 2006,

I remember being in a daze Sitting on the porch of my sisters house and the sky was full of colors A bountiful abundance of all types of hues and shades Lighting up the skies And the vibration from their booms and crackles were so strong That I felt it’s current...

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Powerful

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Empty

There comes a moment (or a few) where life slows down. What thoughts swirl through your mind at that time? When you're off from work, when no one is home, when you have no missed calls/texts/emails/notifications--what is your temperament? Do you drown out the silence with something? I sometimes drown it out with music, Netflix, social media, or some other type of activity. At times, one would give anything to successfully ignore the gnawing that comes from complete solitude. God asked me why it is that I equate being alone with Him as 'lonely.' He helped me discover that what I count as living isn't what he counts as living. I viewed 'living my best life' as filling it with a relationship, hangouts with friends all the time, constant talking on the phone, constantly busyness, always running around to events, and remaining plugged in with all that's going on around me. He's shown me His Spirit within me is the living he's graced me to do. I once was dead in my sin and so far from Him. I filled my life with whatever I wanted and I was missing out on the one thing I needed--a relationship with God. It's easy to be tempted to go back to the old way of living as you've convinced yourself over the years that your old habits are right. (As though we could possibly know the right way to live out the life God has called us to.) He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38 NIV) And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Matthew 16:24-26 NIV) If you find yourself feeling empty, understand that God is able to fill you to the point of overflow. His presence can fill each and every void. His peace and overpower any stress, His Spirit can overcome all anxiety as it continues its work in you. You aren't alone. No matter what you have to know and trust God is with you now and forever more.

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Messy Life: To God Be the Glory

I'm an idealist. I have a beautiful and large mural of how I believe my life should look. It covers everything I've ever considered and I add to it as I learn new things. It used to consist of a certain amount of yearly income, a specific house, a specific town of residence, a specific husband, a specific number of children, weddings plans down to the color of the chairs, a specific type of honeymoon, a specific severity of life's storms, and all in all a God that would let me have my way. My beautiful mural accounted for my will but not God's.

Now I'm going through the grueling process of learning to view life for what it is, surrender my preferences, and instead focus on the will of God that He's currently revealing. I'd been so busy pointing at my mural trying to convince God to follow it, that I missed the perfect mural He is painting. Each day we see a glimpse of His mural. He may bring someone new into your life or have someone leave, He may present you with a new opportunity, He may share a bit of your future, or He may uproot some deep issues from your past. God does many things daily with His children across the world--the point is God is always moving. We never know anything before it's time.

So how is one to react when God ruins their plans? How should one react when life tosses them to and fro? So often it seems impossible to get your bearings in the middle of a storm. Is life about getting your bearings?

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. (Psalm 27:14 AMP) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

Those trials and "disruptions" are a gift. They are sent and allowed to transform your heart into the heart you're praying for. If you want to be fearless, you are going to have to face and overcome your fears. You don't just wake up and find your fear has left forever without having to first endure a process. If you want to trust God completely, He will allow tests to come where you'd ordinarily waver in your faith. It is by standing and counting it all joy that you build your trust. By running and continuing to doubt--nothing is built. You remain the same.

God has revealed repeatedly that we have power over fear. Jesus overcame the world. We have power over our emotions and over the evil principalities that roam the Earth. Though you have the power, if you don't use it you'll never be able to experience the triumphs you were meant to have. You weren't created and given your authority so that you'd sit at home and continue to worry. You are able to rise up with God's power working in you.

I don't know your situation but I know God has made us victors both in this life and the next. Join me in proclaiming that God deserves glory and praise no matter how messy life is right now!

[imani-serves]

All that I have left to offer

Broken Spirit by Mali Music is an amazing song for anyone who feels inadequate, like they've messed up too much, like they may have disappointed too many people, or like God can't use them. Someone introduced me as strong the other day. Literally they said, "this is Imani...she's so strong!" I smiled and waved at whoever they introduced me too. I noticed that my heart smiled as well. It smiled because they ascribed a title to me that I rarely ascribe to myself. I use the words broken, open, messy, vulnerable, weak, desperate, hurting, passionate and hungry to describe the state of my heart at any given time. I prefer these words because they help me avoid and remember all of the crazy things that used to set up camp in my heart. Things like pride, selfishness, a committed love for sin, a feeling of invincibility, dishonor, lies, deceit, and ignorance. I'd just like to encourage you as you walk through daily life. What you have to give is enough. I personally never feel like I have much but I continually give all that I can. The reason why I'll have at least three books released this year, I launched an imaniserves podcast on Spreaker, I share blogs, I post voice memos on soundcloud, I'm constantly in meetings edifying others, and I use every chance I get to give some more; is because I remember how it felt to sit in my own mess. I know how it feels to have life knock the wind out of you again and again. I know how it feels to believe no one understands you. It's easy to assume that no one on the planet has ever been where you are. It seems like everyone else's life is always going better than yours. Their lives are more full, more fun, more exciting, and their walks are more fruitful. I've learned to focus on what I can give as opposed to "what they have that I don't." Whenever I feel fear, shame, alone or anything else -- I write or post about it. I have hundreds of posts, recordings, and words written in my books--because I'm only human. I feel the same things anyone else feels. I 'share my way' out of my pits. I proclaim that fear hasn't won through a transparent post... whenever I feel it beginning to grip my own heart. I allow my broken pieces to reveal my broken areas and I pour myself out onto the world. I hope as I continue someone may taste the God in my boldness. It's 2% my yes and 98% His presence. I'll continue to give all that I have left to offer in hopes that I'll hear the following precious words one day: "Well done."

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Dear Future Daughter, Don't be like Mommy

Dear Future daughter, I adore you gorgeous. You're not here yet and I know you're gorgeous because your dad is hot. I'm not kidding- look over at him! Mommy has good taste right? Owwww Anyways this letter is to give you sound advice! That advice is that you'd do your best to not be like me. I'm different now than I used to be but it took my entire life and some of yours to bring me to this point. I continually wore an invisible wedding band on my hand for the past 10+ years. No one knew, not even me. I was married to fear. I'd given birth to inadequacy, insecurity, shame, the tendency to hide, doubt, low self esteem and a deep hatred for everything about myself. Though you may be my first child, there were many before you. I thought if I opened my mouth people would laugh at me. I thought if I took any risks, I'd be sure to fail, I thought if I fell I'd stay down with no help. I thought if I was lost, no one would notice. I thought the only good thing within me was my uterus where ultimately you'd pass through. Imagine that? Dormant purpose, dormant life, dormant dreams were all there but I was prepared to simply wait for your arrival. I was sure once you arrived I'd have something to show for my life finally. Finally I'd be more than my husband's cheerleader, more than the woman serving in the background at church, more than the good friend/sister--I figured I'd finally matter once you got here. I've since taken the wedding band off and replaced it with the one you look at every day. I just want to admonish you not to be like Mommy. God will knock on the door of your heart, let Him in. Even if you're confused or you don't understand, let Him in. When He steps in He'll reveal the answers to the questions you've been asking. He's the God of all, God over all, God of your parents, God of your grandparents, God of your great grandparents. You can trust Him. Don't be afraid to take His hand when He offers it. Don't be afraid to run with God. He created you. He knows what to do with your heart no matter how fragile it is. He knows what to do with your life. After all, God wrote your story, I merely carried you to the first page of your book.

[imani-serves]

Dusty Shelves

God, I pray that those reading this would feel compelled to action. I pray that it'd be more than a feel-good piece, more than a conviction, more than something to browse. I pray that it'd be a life-changing experience. I pray that once they finish reading they will have had a tangible encounter with you. Let your Holy Spirit begin to minister and soften hearts even now. Help me to work alongside you to share what you've placed on my heart. This is all about you, In Jesus Name. Amen. I recently wrote something in my journal along the lines of: There are things on the shelves of my heart that shouldn't be there. They should be at your feet.

I'd like to take you on a brief journey through the crevices of one's heart.

We are born and as infants we experience countless things, most of which are forgotten. By the time we become a toddler, we have developed a view of our parents and those close to us. Most of this tends to be forgotten once we become a child, but remnants of this are still there. For example, toddlers repeat everything they see. They begin to form opinions, however loosely. They begin to determine whether or not they consciously like this or that, her or him, you or me. If they experience trauma, this is the age at which things begin to stick with them. They remember abuse, neglect, and emotions (that will become lifestyles) plant themselves in the heart of the toddler. By the time they're a child, they've made up their minds that they hate broccoli etc. By the time they're a teenager, they use the planted seeds and perspectives of their youth, to determine how new experiences will go. If elementary school was horrible, middle school will be horrible. If their parents were mean last year, they'll be mean this year.

As a teen and young adult, they solidify the things that have been placed in their heart previously. In addition, they continue the habit of counting each experience as the standard for how related experiences will go. For example, if they date and it goes horribly wrong, they enter the next relationship cautiously. They subconsciously spend the rest of their lives dreading and working hard to prevent that negative experience from ever happening again. Any new suitor is immediately compared to the last and compared to the pain as well.

The point of the story is, once you become an adult, your heart's shelves are overflowing. You have created mindsets based on your perception of past experiences. You've created judgments of people, based on how people have previously treated you. You've created a view of the world and the years to come based on years past.

This is a problem. Not everything on those shelves is true. In fact most of it likely isn't. Your shelves are full of interpretations.

In addition, once we stop running from Christ, we see that He has asked us to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. We tend to blow dust off various shelves and bring some of our load to Christ in prayer, tears, frustration, joy, and release. Then, we experience or think something that sends up an alert. We rush back to that shelf to see how we've handled it previously, but we see it's no longer there.. It's at the cross. This is the moment where we should rejoice. This is the moment where we should feel free. This is the moment where we can just relax trusting that God has it all under control.

Unfortunately, this is often the moment where we run to the cross, grab our past experiences/perspectives, and hasten to put them back on the shelf. We can't imagine how else to deal with the circumstances at hand. We began to miss our default reaction. We neglect to believe that God has a design for how to deal with what we're facing: because we're comfortable with our way of handling things. God is saying, "I know you're comfortable, but what's the point of following me if you don't want what I have for you? What's the point of following me if you run to your past for advice as though it has anything new to say? What's the point of doing the same old things (that never worked) yet praying for a new outcome? You want me to bless lifestyle decisions I never told you to make. You want me to allow you to do life your way, let you ignore my love, let you neglect to use my power, let you believe that you don't need me. But the truth is my child, you do!"

The definition of insanity is to continue to do the same things and expect different results. Those habits you formed from your broken places, those perspectives you carry from your disappointments, and those walls you built to guard your tired heart all have to go. If you want today to be different from tomorrow, you have to change what you do today, what you believe about what today holds, what you believe people will do today, what you believe your family is like today, what you believe your friend meant today, and who you believe God is today.

It is possible to have the fearful, broken, immature, and hurt-based perspective you had at age 12, at age 80. It is time to dust those shelves, bring each perspective/feeling/thought to Christ and let Him transform your mind. There's no use running into heartbreak repeatedly and blaming God. You keep facing heartbreak, because you do every relationship the same way. You can't do things while broken and expect a whole and fulfilling outcome. Not unless you give your brokenness to God and recognize that it is through God, that things fall into place. Even your broken pieces.

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV says Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 12:2 NIV says Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is-- what is good and pleasing and mature.

That word renewing in Greek means renovation, complete change for the better. It's time for a renovation! Seek God -- He has a vision of a healed and complete heart for you. You can access it solely through Him. Let's go!

[imani-serves]

What Matters?

I struggle so much with so many things! I think it's important to focus on what matters. I believe the process matters but more than that, the hands behind the process matter.

I struggle with the idea of a broken home... and thus repeating my experiences. I struggle with voids, and continually filling them with anything but God. I struggle with drive... I have spurts of motivation then they dwindle to complacency then back up again. Asking What Matters is so key. Do my struggles matter? Yes. Do they matter as much as my God? No.

Can I do anything about them? Yes. Can I do anything outside of Him? No. Did my past happen? Yes. Did God say He has plans for me, plans to give me a hope and a future? Yes. So does my past matter? Only, in the scheme of sharing victory. It's meant to be a launching pad not chains.

I just want to encourage you to run head first into your brokenness, hand in hand with Christ. Your name is written on the palm of His hands. (Isaiah 49:16) You are precious to Him. (Isaiah 43:4) He hasn't forgotten you. He's graced you for your current season. (2 Cor 12:9) He is just. (Isaiah 30:18) We can believe He'll fulfill every single thing He said he'd fulfill. (Isaiah 55:11) What Matters? God matters.

When anything besides God comes to take up residence in your mind, refuse to let it in. What do doubt, fear, deceit, insecurity, and negative flashbacks do but hurt you? There is never going to be a day when doubt does anything to your heart other than destroy it. Stop letting it in and expecting it to somehow not affect you. It's the same thing with temptation, lust, bad habits etc... why bother facing what Jesus took victory over on the cross? Submit it all to Him and move on. When fear and doubt come, tell them you have no room for them. Your mouth is full of praise, your mind is full of His word, your heart is filled with His presence, your Spirit is filled with His love. You are filled to capacity and can only accept Spirit-filled over-flow. Let us resolve to live in victory, live in peace, and live in freedom.

[imani-serves]

Overdraft

This morning I was doing some financial planning for this pay period. I subtracted rent and all of my other commitments from my account. I'd just settled on the amount I'd have for disposable income, when I was suddenly reminded my account was previously over-drafted. It changed everything about my plans, now I have to build up from a deficit, and I have less to use to do what I need to do. God gave me an incredible parallel. When you sin, you withdraw things from your future prematurely. Or you tap into accounts and blessings that you were never meant to have. When you tap into your future prematurely, you withdraw things you shouldn't have yet and you spend the spiritual portion God has given you know. Let me break this down. God depositis into us daily. He gives us life, strength, health, and mobility. However, He also teaches us grace, love, mercy, patience, trust, and many other things. At the rate he teaches us, if we never sinned we would quickly arrive to the balance or temperament necessary to receive the desires of our hearts. When we sin, we neglect what He's given us and we run low. When we haste and reach for relationships in the wrong timing, we lose what He's taught us about patience. When we argue instead of praying for our enemies, we lose what He's taught us about grace. When we ignore His calling or nudges in our lives, we forget to use obedience. There are huge repercussions for sin. God has to spend time healing us from the consequences of our own actions, mending the broken ties we had to people critical to our calling and so much more. By the time we've recovered mentally, we expect God to just continue from where He left off in us (Before we sinned). God doesn't "just continue," because we have huge craters now in our perspectives, in our hearts, and we broke our obedient track record. Before we get to a place where God can fully use us, He has to fill us once again with His grace, love, power, healing, and fruits of the Spirit like self-control etc. It's important for us to realize the true state we're in. I believe it's our default to want to believe we're full and just waiting on God to bless us. I wonder how many of us are in an over-draft state needing to be filled just to be "out of the red", running around on empty, too prideful to let God work on us.

We can look at Ishmael and Isaac in Genesis 16 and 21. Abraham and Sarah were promised Isaac but chose to create Ishmael (by having him sleep with Hagar), in their disbelief.

We can look at the nameless son of Bathsheba and David versus Solomon. David sinned against the Lord and slept with another man's wife, got her pregnant, and God killed their son due to their disobedience. (2 Sam 11 and 12) In both cases, God did what He needed to do to bring the line of Jesus to pass. However, both couples were tested and scolded for disobeying the Lord. They needed to grow in their faith, they needed to trust God's perfect plan in spite of what it looked like. I firmly believe God did not carry out His plan until they filled that deficit in their walk with God. The same is true for you and I. So where are you on the spectrum? Are you in a deficit? Is God trying to fill you just to make you whole? If you're whole, are you whole in every area of your life? Are there any areas where you're trying to race God in hopes that He'll bless you sooner? Are there any areas of sin you need to confess and repent from? My prayer for you is that you'll be honest with God and honest with yourself! Your human might and effort, will not move God's hand. Your faith will touch His heart. It's OK not to have it all together. We need to learn to trust our God who does!

[imani-serves]

Redefining Favor

Lately, I've had to redefine favor in my life. I've discovered that as a follower of Jesus it is often defined in our communities as: God answering prayer with our preference. For example, favor in the workplace might be defined as "I prayed for a promotion", God gave me a promotion. The favor is found or defined by the promotion.

God has been challenging me lately on this, because the perspective limits your view of God. Walk with me through this.. Let's say you pray for all your days to be full of grace, love, financial stability, increase, joy and all the other things that make you happy. If God continues to wake you up but your bank account suddenly drops to $0, your relationship with your significant other becomes strained, you don't get what you've prayed for concerning your family, and you notice that you lack peace have you fallen out of the favor of God? The opposite of what you've prayed for has happened. You're in the midst of a storm. The enemy is attacking you because you're so vulnerable right now. It seems like God isn't answering you. Have you fallen out of the favor of God? I dare to say you haven't! I dare to proclaim that you're right in the midst of where God desires for you to be. I proclaim His Word that all things will work together for the glory of God and those who love Him. I believe that because of Jesus you are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. I declare that the enemy no longer has any power over you, over your life, over your circumstances. I declare that God has only allowed all of this to pull YOU out of you and replace it with His character. God wants children who will praise Him as the thunders roar and the rain falls. We're all dancing and singing His praises in the sunshine and good times. God wants children who will fight to hold on to God's promises when it looks like they're so far off from seeing them come to past. Sarah laughed when God revealed to her that she'd get pregnant. But it happened! Jonah fled and thought He could actually escape the will of God. God made His will happen. Paul killed thousands, was struck blind after a God-encounter, and he was ultimately martyred. But God used him in mighty ways. I'm writing this with my own bank account having seen better days, employed yet not making enough to do what I'd like, and on the verge of blessings while at the same time on the verge of more storms ahead. Some of my prayers have been answered, most haven't. Have I fallen out of the favor of God? Not at all! I am living in the midst of it, living from it, living for it, and it is pouring out of me even now. God's hand is on my life and with His presence COMES His grace, His mercy, His power, His peace, His ability to make us whole, His wisdom, His love, and His everlasting pursuit. You my friend are in the palm of God's hand. Meditate on this visual. No matter how far you've strayed or how long it's been since you've seen a miracle, believe in the impossible. We serve a God who does the impossible. He longs to do a new thing in your life today.

[imani-serves]

Imani's Creed

Singleness has been a great way to determine who I am. I've always been either a lady in waiting or someone's girlfriend. I've lived life holding my breath, waiting for something amazing to happen. I never believed that I was part of the amazing experience, just that it would happen to me.

I'm not sure if it was from the movies I watched, books I read, or people around me but I never understood my power to make an impact. I never understood my ability to be more than a girlfriend or wife. I am a force all on my own and it's time to live from that. I tried to find purpose in encouraging others to live out their vision and pushing them to be their very best. It diminished my very important role of becoming the best that I can be. I didn't think I had anything to offer so I pushed and pushed thinking I could find my value in helping others reach their potential. I never thought of that as a gift in itself. I thought of it as my subordinate role. Not everyone can see others for who they are meant to be. Not everyone can love others in spite of who they are and in hopes of who they'll become.

That's a special character trait.

But I'm more than a cheerleader! I have a role to play in the field. I have my own sets of people to impact and who look up to me. I have wisdom and experience to share. I have a life worth living. I will have a purpose outside of being there for "him" and my children one day. There are men and women who need my compassion, my perspective, my experience, and my leadership. There are people in this world who need me to stand up and become all that I was meant to become. How will people be encouraged if I stay at home promoting everyone else but myself? I can talk for days on end about how this founder is exquisite, or that business will change lives! But what about me? What about my own business? What about my own skills? They matter. The world needs to be allowed the opportunity to experience me and all I have to offer. I am more than a platform for others. I am loving, I am passionate, I am honest, I am capable, I am strong, I am focused, and I vow to live out-loud. I vow to never again diminish the calling on my own life. I vow to stand boldly and confidently proclaiming that what I have is worth developing and sharing!

[imani-serves]

Lessons from Ruth

Ruth looked at the circumstances, she looked at the explanation and chose faith over logic. I want to choose faith over human logic because faith gives you access to the mind and plans of God. Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord ’s hand has turned against me!” At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. (Ruth 1:12-14 NIV) But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. (Ruth 1:16-18 NIV) People are moved by compassion in a seemingly hopeless situation. Miracles happen when you press in. God I pray that I might work and harvest. I pray that I might do kingdom work knowing this pleases both you and my future spouse. My hands at work in the kingdom will demonstrate my character and heart for you more than anything else. Her work demonstrated her humility and compassion. That attracted Boaz to her. She could've stayed home in mourning or miserable. She could've even gone back to her home. She chose to work and provide for her mother in law, she chose obedience to the calling in her heart. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.” Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?” At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” (Ruth 2:2, 5, 10-13 NIV) Stay and remain close to your gender in spiritual community as you work. It will offer guidance and protection. God is at work where His commandments are kept and honored! So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law. (Ruth 2:23 NIV) When a man is honored, confident and sure he will do what he has to do to take care of his potential bride. Ruth showed she was available, He made an oath before God and took care of everything. He protected and honored her reputation in the shawl and blessed his mother and law for offering Ruth to him in marriage. And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. (Ruth 3:11 NIV) God I pray for a man who will not rest until it's all sorted out Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” (Ruth 3:18 NIV) God carried the line of Jesus through Boaz and Ruth! She gave birth to Obed (grandfather of David). God will birth unprecedented greatness through your obedience!! She could've dated a younger man, she could've gone home to her family and she would've missed out. God would've performed this miracle in another woman's life. Ruth chose to remain in the center of God's will and God blessed her and Boaz for it! I love how often it looked like that was it for them and nothing would come of it-- Ruth traveling and living with Naomi, working among lots of other women, the guy agreeing to take the land and then it all worked out in their favor for the glory of The Lord. God will complete His mission, will you allow Him to complete it through you? God will be glorified, will He be glorified by you and by your life? The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:17 NIV)

[imani-serves]

Forsaking all Else

God has really been impressing on my heart this idea of forsaking all for Him. The purpose of our lives is to live for God alone. It really has nothing to do with our feelings, our school, our job, our friends, our family, or anything pertaining to us. God has revealed: You life is mine. Every part of it! I will add what I want to add and take away what I want to take away. I will correct you as often as I'd like and praise you when I choose to. I will reign as King over this entire world whether or not you choose to walk in your calling. I have prepared a perfect plan for you to do things in my name to reach my children for the glory of my name and it's up to you to take the invitation. But understand that taking the invitation wont be easy. I will challenge you and you will be tested repeatedly! I desire for you to become just like my Son. People won't receive you but they will receive Jesus. If you preach Jesus but look like unbelievers, people won't believe you. You are a hypocrite each time you proclaim something that you don't live out. The Pharisees angered Jesus because of this same thing. Recognize that Jesus made you worthy of your calling and paid the price for you to be able to partner with me. He felt you were worth it so do you? Instead of voicing what you'll do and what you believe LIVE IT OUT. When I say Go, Go. When I say stop, Stop! When I say No, rejoice. When I say Yes, rejoice. When I take your friends away from you, praise me. When I take family away, praise me. Choose me and cast all of your cares on me. Understand that this life, and your very existence is strictly and completely for my glory. I have a no sin tolerance. I will not accept you misleading my children for the sake of the enemy. If you're going to support his destructive behavior by disregarding my commands, don't claim to follow Jesus. Don't lie to yourself, don't lie to people, and don't lie to me by living for him and worshiping me once you're done. If your heart doesn't match what you utter, I will charge you for it. Understand that this walk has the weight of the cross on it. When the Bible says to bear the cross, it means it literally. You don't have an actual wooden cross on your back, but the weight of his sacrifice is impressed upon the life you lead. Your life should shine light on the cross, on God's grace, on God's mercy, on God's humility. What does this mean? It means grace must be tangibly felt in all that you do, say, and believe. People should expect mercy from you and you should MEET that expectation because I have the same expectation of you. I've given you the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you. I've given Him to you that you might have a fighting chance of living this life the WAY I've called you to live it. I've called you to live it one way. The way that Jesus did. The Bible specifically addresses the cost of being a disciple in Luke 14:26-34 . You can view it here God has made His stand loud and clear. Sit down and weigh whether or not you actually want to follow. Not just whether or not if you want to follow, but what it means and if you'll choose God. God wants to be able to trust that you will choose Him over any and everything. Will you choose him over your significant other, family, job, school, plans, dreams, or anything else if it comes to that?? The Bible refers to life as but a wisp. Will you choose God? (Wisdom of Solomon 2:4-5) 4 Over time, our names will be forgotten. No one will remember our deeds. Our lives will pass away like the last wisps of a cloud. Our lives will be dispersed like a morning mist chased away by the sun and weighed down by the day’s heat. 5 Our time here is like a shadow passing by. There’s no turning back from death. It has been sealed, and no one will alter it. People will fail you, people will pass away, stocks rise and plummet, organizations are built on fallible people's ideas, and this entire Earth will pass away. God will stand. God will reign. God will endure. God will outlast it all.  Can He count on you to stand for Him and stand with Him for the rest of your life? He doesn't do lukewarm, or in and out depending on the day.

Revelation 3:16 (NIV)

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Here's yet another invitation to get serious about your walk with God. He's put all the cards you need to see on the table. Eternal life, abundant life, a Savior who gave His all, a resting place, permission to enter His incredible presence and so much more! Your move.

[imani-serves]

Lust and its Lies

-If I get someone, I will stop having these dreams and yearning for intimacy

-If I find someone, I'll be pure

-If I find someone, I'll change

  The truth is that no man or woman can change you, only God. How many God attributes have we given to flawed humans and expected them to pan out?

  Brothers and sisters in Christ means nothing alone by the title.. People love to throw the name of Christ around as though He approves of or is even in their reckless lifestyles. The Bible clearly states that fleshly desires disturb the Spirit and show a lack of reverence for God. Don't believe that church attendance for you or them is a substitute for the daily purging and correction one should experience from an intimate relationship with God.

  The question is never are you beautiful, are you attractive, or are you worth loving? Lust tells us to wear things that expose our beauty and do things to prove we are worth something. Lust says: feed his lust to get him to love you. All the while God is saying, where is that in the Bible?? It specifically says to flee lustful thoughts and opportunities for temptation. It specifically mentions women dressing modestly and winning over their future husband with submissive behavior and a holy inner spirit. 

  It is about whether Christ permeates every aspect of each individual's life, period.

  My prayer lately has been: Take my heart, take my fear, take my life and hold it to your commands. And boy, have I learned how wretched my heart truly is from that prayer. There are layers and years upon years of bad decisions or teaching that I still believe in today. I'm glad God is bringing me through this process and breaking the old out and replacing it with His design! I encourage you to stir yourself up and ask God to break you daily.

  Relationships your way will either never work, or you'll have a lifetime of striving ahead of you for things God would've provided if you'd let Him.

  -I need physical intimacy for this to be a real relationship. The difference between single and dating is I have someone to cuddle and get intimate with.

  But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. [Ps. 37:29; Matt. 5:5.] (Psalm 37:11 AMP)

  1 Peter3:4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3, 4 NIV)

  Titus 2 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (Titus 2:4, 5 NIV)

  Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. (Song of Solomon 8:4 NIV)

  Imagine! His left hand cradling my head, his right arm around my waist! Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready. (Song of Solomon 8:3, 4 MSG)

  Stop believing that you're exempt from anything but especially lust. It's something that saturates our current culture. It's in almost every book, movie, song, social interaction in school/work/public so do you really think you've escaped unscathed? Some of that is in your heart and coloring your perspectives. 

  -None of my beliefs or preconceived notions about relationships rooted in Christ are wrong. |This is a prideful assertion assuming that God has no more work to do in you. You haven't learned all that there is to learn and the very process of the single period is to rectify all the skewed beliefs you do have. If you have no wrong beliefs that means you're perfect. If you were ready you'd be in a God centered relationship right now. So if you're single, God has things to show you and work to do in you that will require your permission and humility!|

  -I don't need counsel because I was spiritually mature when I was single.

  It's easy to flee lust when you rarely have opportunity to it to show up. Unless you struggle with it concerning yourself, when you're single you're able to deal better because there is no one to get lustful with. Allow for consistent godly counsel to check in on you. Be honest about the areas you're struggling with and need prayer/advice for. Accept their chiding and criticism as they've likely gone before you and have your best interests (and best interests of your souls) at heart.

  -My past doesn't affect my current mentality or my current motives.

  By nature, your brain makes decisions about the present based on past experiences. It recollects a memory that is similar to the current task at hand, and tells you to handle the current task the way you've handled it previously. For example, someone taught you to tie your shoe. The next time your shoe laces were untied, your brain went back to the visual of how they were tied and told you to repeat that process. Then voila you tied your own shoes.

  That's great for shoe tying but what if you were impure in previous relationships, or what if you were hurt in certain scenarios? What will happen is, when presented with opportunity, you may resort back to your default. You'll find that certain things the current guy does really hurts you even though they don't mean it the same way the one in the past did.

  For example, in the past, physical intimacy was on 150% all the time. That's how I knew an ex cared for me. When he was happy with our relationship, we held hands, kissed, talked on the phone all the time etc. When he was mad, he would take all of that away in a sort of punishment. So next, I dated someone who wanted to strive for purity and guard our hearts. They stated we shouldn't do anything physically intimate and we shouldn't talk too much (because intimacy fools you into thinking you're much closer than you are and shifts your thinking from God to the other person and lust).

This makes sense logically, but emotionally I was devastated because previous experiences just kept replaying in my head.

  I was so sure this guy didn't want to talk so he could cheat like the last guy or I was so sure that every day we didn't speak he loved me less! I tried to overcompensate and pressure and do all kinds of things that were wrong- because I was afraid of losing him. This was all in my head, but I was so frantic that it really affected our relationship negatively.

  - I don't have to actively cast out every unholy thought, daydream, or feeling. They're natural so it's OK.

  They're natural, yes. Naturally sinful. If you're a new creation, you should think on holy things, and things that honor Christ alone. Get serious about shutting the door and bolting the locks on lust. Leave no room for it to enter. Be so full of the Holy Spirit and desire for God, that lust is intolerable in every aspect of your life, mind and heart!

  -Once I learn all these things, I'm good to go. I don't have to learn anymore.

  There is a constant lifetime process ahead of us where learning and purging will take place. Never think you've 'arrived' because you'll shut the door on an opportunity for God to work on you.

[imani-serves]

[imani-serves]

Persevere in Godliness

I don’t know about you but this is one of those confessions that don’t always match up to my life. I know the importance of godliness, I know I’ve been equipped to pursue it and I know sin is my only other option, yet I struggle.

It seems like I almost want to worry, I feel better trying to do God’s job, and I would rather stress my body out trying to do the supernatural than wait and rest! What? Why would I choose worry over rest?

John 3:5,6 says Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (John 3:5, 6 BOOKS)

This tells me two things: 1. I should be operating in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit all the time. When I’m not, I’m operating from flesh. 2. Flesh-directed actions produce more flesh-directed actions. Sin produces more sin. So by compromising and not trusting God once, I’m telling my flesh that I’ll follow it next time. If I don’t choose to let the Spirit direct my path and thought-life, I am following my flesh!

1st Timothy says Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:7, 8, 10, 12-16 NIV)

So I must fight to be Spirit led. My flesh has been leading me for years and I must be diligent in these matters! I must devote my life to watching my life and doctrine. I must persevere (meaning push and endure/ flee temptation) both for my sake and those I’ll reach!

It’s a big job but we serve a bigger God! Praise The Lord!