The Princess Priest

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light - 1 Peter 2:9

[theprincesspriest]

The reason for self-control

*All views are my own from my understanding of the Word*

I made a choice to look at more Christian content on my socials and I do feel motivated by the prayers and encouragements that are shared. I think what has surprised me is how often singleness content comes up with young ladies being so transparent about how they struggle with – to put it mildly, the lack of romance in their lives. I am a person who has been single for all thirty something years of life. I last shared about how I was moving on from my ‘crush’ and how difficult that has been. I really haven’t allowed myself to think of liking anyone else, I don’t have the emotional bandwidth for that.

One thing’s for sure is that other Christian young ladies are definitely struggling with desire; whether it be for romance or for physical intimacy especially during a certain point in their cycles. I can definitely relate, it’s so easy to imagine running off into the sunset hand in hand with my dream man, and that’s just the tamest of daydreams. Sometimes, especially during a certain point in my cycle, the daydreams are not so tame. I have found the older I have gotten, the more difficult passing that phase in my cycle has become. The reason I am saying all this is because I came across a well-meaning woman saying a prayer on socials to ‘take away the desires until her and the other Christian women who struggle are married.’

God will not take the desires away. How do I know this? I know this because the Word says so. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 it states, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The Word tells us how precious our bodies are to the Lord. We are where the Holy Spirit dwells and God takes sexual sin so seriously. The Word does not tell us to pray and fast against sexual immorality. It tells us to flee. The word flee means to ‘run away from a place or situation of danger.’ This shows you how serious sexual immorality is in the eyes of the Lord. Sexual immorality is literally a place of danger to our spirits. We cannot pray it away, we cannot fast it away, we cannot Bible study it away. We have to flee. Sexual sin is one category that Paul makes clear is the only sin that is done against one’s own self. Sexual sin is not just a physical thing, it can also be mental as well.

Jesus teaches on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:28, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Jesus shows us that mentally thinking about a person lustfully is the same as it being physical. This is actually so deep. The harmless imagination of the man of your dreams and you in a lovely house with a picket fence on the surface might seem fine. It rarely often stays tame. It’s so easy especially when dating someone you find attractive or if there’s someone you like, for those daydreams to cross into lust. As much as it may be down to phases in the menstrual cycle, this does not make it okay to give into these daydreams. Jesus goes on in v29-30,” If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” I am clearly not saying start cutting off body parts. Jesus is preaching metaphorically. To paraphrase, what I believe He is saying is guard your eyes and your hands from what could lead you into sin. As ladies (and men) it’s so easy to be swept away by romance, there wouldn’t be a successful romance novel industry if this wasn’t accurate. Notice, Jesus didn’t tell us to pray lust away. He said in the harshest terms, cut off whatever is causing you to sin. These are commands. I do not write this as someone who has been triumphant in this area of my life, I struggle with this because it’s so hard. The Lord is calling me and every believer to have self-control, Galatians 5:22-23. I really believe Jesus being harsh here is to emphasise how important staying away from sexual sin is. It is better to forgo temporary enjoyment whether that’s the high of a lustful daydream or physical sex than to sin against your own body that is the Holy Spirit’s temple.

As believers our bodies do not belong to us. The world that tells us every choice is our own and we are in charge of our lives. Being a believer means surrendering our will for the Father’s, and that is difficult. I still haven’t gotten there yet but I thank God for grace. I never feel qualified to share these insights the Lord gives, but I am challenging myself to share them knowing that God is working on me and every believer as we continue on in Christ. I know this because the Word states in 2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This to me means that although we as believers are new creations in Christ and no longer have anything separating us from the Lord, the transformation (leaving behind old habits) doesn’t happen automatically, it is a constant process. I know this because ‘are being transformed’ is present tense, not past tense and not future tense. It is something always happening by the Spirit of the Lord to make us more like Christ. Let’s not get down on ourselves for ‘not being there’. We are being transformed by the grace of God. Amen!

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in passion of lust…” The will of God for us is for us to be holy which absolutely makes sense because we have a Holy Spirit that lives in us and regards us as His temple. In the aforementioned 1 Corinthians 6:20 it states, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” The Lord wants to be glorified in us, not just in our bodies by physically abstaining but also in our spirits by mentally abstaining from lust. This does not come by praying, God is calling us to action as ‘abstain’ is a verb. It is an action to abstain from sexual immorality and that looks like developing your self-control. God wants every Christian to control themselves in sanctification and honour. That sexual relationship with one you’re not married to is a sin and that lustful daydream is a sin. If you know that movie, that book or that individual will hinder your ability to abstain then cut it off! It’s really not as easy as it sounds, it’s so difficult.

God is more concerned about our growth in Him than our comfort. It would be easy for God to take feelings away but He chooses to use all things we go through for His glory. Is God the One sending us the desire? No. James 1:13, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”  God is not the One who tempts us. We are tempted by our own desires. I can only speak for ladies, but sometimes it really is just that time of the month where one’s body is screaming to be fruitful, this is biological and is completely natural. What do you do when the desire comes? Do we give into it and spend hours thinking about a dream man or do we call up so and so for physical connection? No. No. No. We practice self-control. May the Lord help us.

One of the most evocative books in the Bible is Song of Solomon, in it there are poetic descriptions of how attractive the bride finds her to-be groom and vice versa, there’s palpable yearning for one’s beloved but what does the bride say? Song of Solomon 2:7, “I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.” The bride says this a few times in that book, this shows how important it is. It’s really salient I mention here that the goal for abstaining is to please the Father, no one is promised a beautiful marriage in return for abstaining. One abstains because it is the will of God, the reward is spiritual! The reason I mention the bride, is to say, there is a time for everything, Ecclesiastes 3. The bride is clearly emphasising that there is a time for love and all that comes with it. The waiting is never easy, if it was there wouldn’t be so many Christians sharing their experiences on socials. Singleness can be a difficult season for so many reasons. As much as that lady probably meant well with that prayer, I just knew from my understanding of the Word that it wouldn’t be that easy. May the Lord grant us grace.

[theprincesspriest]

A Christian's reflection of the year

*The views are my own and from my understanding of Scripture.*

This year has been a rollercoaster. There were highs and lows. I started the year cynical, not being content with ‘just’ the love of God, I was struggling mentally and I felt so untethered from life. I just couldn’t look after myself. The only thing I could do consistently was work, and even that got overwhelming. I took on so much responsibility beyond my role, and yet felt so unappreciated by management. The workload increased beyond my capacity – it was unbelievably stressful. Did I always display the fruit of the Spirit in my interactions with people? No. Was I always patient, temperate, my speech seasoned with salt? No. I could have handled a lot of situations differently. Yet, I am here by the grace of God.

I think sometimes in the body of Christ, there is a focus on romanticising the struggle or dismissing it altogether with a ‘don’t complain, just praise’ mentality, and whilst I see where that comes from, for me it’s just not realistic. This year was hard for me. There’s no sugar coating it, but I can see the Lord’s hand in it because He was the One that got me through it. There are so many people suffering in this world; oppressed people going through ge**cide, famines, wars, corruption, those who are sick or in unbelievable pain. May the Lord come through for them in Jesus’ name. I don’t for one second put my experience in that category.

The goal of the enemy is clearly stated in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It is never a surprise that a believer would experience struggle, we have a real enemy whose desire is to cause chaos in a believer’s life. The juxtaposition here between the enemy’s goal and Jesus’ goal here is so glaring. Jesus wants to give us more than we can ever imagine. On one side, there is the enemy’s plan to ruin and destroy and on the other hand, there is Jesus who wants to give us life and life in abundance. This means there are always two opposing forces in a believer’s life, but Christians should rejoice because Jesus has already won and given us the victory, 1 Corinthians 15:57.

It's important to note that it is never God that causes our suffering – but He does allow it. If I am being forthright, that’s something I still ask God about because it just feels so perplexing.

In Job 1:6-12, the enemy comes to where the sons of God and the Lord are gathered and gets permission from God to test Job. As I write this, I literally have just realised, that even Satan has to answer to God. God in v7 asks Satan where he came from and Satan answers, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Satan is not omnipotent, he cannot be everywhere at once. This shows there is a limit to his power. In v11 Satan tries to tempt God and states,” But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” The enemy’s goal here was for Job to lose all he had so he would lose his faith in God. God does not give in to the enemy’s words. God does not need to prove Himself to anyone, especially not Satan. He tells the enemy in v12, “…Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” This shows it was not God that struck Job. He allowed the enemy to do it and still placed a limit on what he could do, which may not make a difference to someone going through the struggle, but it is not God who causes our suffering. Could it be, that the Lord has an excellent testimony of every believer like He did of Job in v8 and the reason why we are suffering is so we can experience God’s glory?

Yes, Job’s example was in the Old Testament but Romans 15:4 states, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” We are not to focus on one part of Scripture and ignore the others. All Scripture is useful for our learning as through the examples of the men and women of faith, we can take inspiration and glean from their mistakes, things they did that pleased the Lord and how their stories ended. It gives us hope to know how things turned around for them. The story of Job was painful, heartfelt and bitter but it ended in glory and the Lord restored and even gave Job more than what he lost. In 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This means the Word of God has capacity to equip us for every situation in life as every part of it came from inspiration from God. No parts are obsolete and no parts are random.  

The Word states that in 1 Peter 4:12-13, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” Peter told us in advance not to be surprised by the things we go through as believers’ because we have an enemy whose goal is to shake our faith. The challenges we face are the stepping stones to experience Christ’s glory. Everyone wants to experience glory, but bypass the challenges we have to face to see that glory, myself included, let me be real.

Sometimes the promise of glory in the waiting season feels so far away. There were nights where I had no words and my only prayers were tears. I don’t know how many times I wept and repeated like a mantra, Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I repeated it so often, I genuinely didn’t even believe what I was saying anymore. Relying on God the latter half of this year has really changed my view on how I look at things. I know it isn’t hopeless to believe in Him. As for my struggles with mental health, I am a lot better now. Thanks be to God. It’s a bit difficult to write but ever since my life-threatening experience in July, I can genuinely say I haven’t struggled with su**idal ideation. If I had not gone through that awful, awful experience, would I know how much I really wanted to live?

As much as Jesus wants to give us an abundant life, I think the Lord is more concerned about our growth, our faith, and being glorified with Him. There’s no other way to experience glory without going through suffering, unfortunately. I decided to take a leaf out of Paul’s book and gladly boast in my weaknesses because God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness, 2 Corinthians 2:9-10. So, I am encouraging you, to look beyond the suffering you may be experiencing and know that there is a purpose behind it. God can never leave you where you are, but this is a test of faith which produces hope in the glory of God at the end, and hope does not disappoint, Romans 5:1-5.

As I come to end of this year by God’s grace, I really marvel at how far I’ve come. God has really been working on so many areas of my life. I am perfectly content with the love of God, and that’s such a testimony for me. Even as I am nearing my next birthday (still early thirties) and I still don’t have a lot of stuff figured out. I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but I am so sure that the Lord is with me. The fact that He holds my time in His hands is so comforting because I don’t have to know where to go or what to do next – because He does. I genuinely had moments this year where I doubted that. I give the Lord praise because where I started the year off, is not where I am now. The Lord keeps bringing this Scripture to me, Isaiah 43:18-19,“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

This is a sure promise from the Lord that He is making ways for you where you never imagined. It isn’t normal for the wilderness to have roads through it nor is it normal for deserts to have rivers, but the Lord is making a promise for your sake, to let you know He is able to supernaturally turn the tables around like he did for Job, Joseph, Abraham etc. So, have faith that suffering ends in glory. God is doing a new thing and let’s hold on to that in the new year.

[theprincesspriest]

Moving on from rejection

In my last post I wrote about how the work of the Lord goes on and the difficulty in accepting my ‘crush’ – for a lack of a better word, didn’t feel the same way. I’ve always been someone who wears my heart on my sleeve. Still interacting with him as we are on friendly terms, is so difficult. I have realised I vacillate between feeling happy and hurt around him in equal parts. Happy because I am reminded of why I felt the way I did in the first place, and hurt because I remember how painful rejection is. I’m leaning on God in this season. I’m so grateful He’s placed great friends in my life that pray over and with me. I am reminded always, that rejection is something Jesus knew and knows even till this day.

Jesus faced rejection often, not just from those He grew up around but the world. I am reminded that I have a High Priest who sympathises with my weaknesses, Hebrews 4:15.There are countless examples of Jesus facing rejection. In Matthew 13, Jesus was surrounded by a great number of people eager to hear Him preach and He spends time telling them parables and teaching them the meaning of them. When He travels back home and teaches in the synagogue, the people scorned Him. In v53-58,’ “Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So, they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.’ This shows that Jesus was acutely aware that He would experience no honour amongst the people He grew up with, not even in His own house.

They could simply not believe what they were hearing. They knew Jesus, they knew His family, they disdained His knowledge because they were familiar with Him and they were unwilling to accept the Jesus they knew could have wisdom and do mighty works. They didn’t even refer to Him by name. One of the clearest forms of rejection is not being called by one’s name. It’s a refusal to acknowledge someone. They called Him a ‘Man’, listed the names of his kin but didn’t bother to say Jesus. The Bible is one long revelation of Jesus, so it’s no surprise that this fulfils Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 53: 2-3,’For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.’

The Word of God is impactful, mentioning that the Messiah would be ‘despised’ twice is stressed for a reason. God’s plan for Jesus to be incarnate was always for Him to be unassuming, without beauty in the worldly sense, for His hometown to be the most historically insignificant place of Nazareth that had no prominence. When Phillip tells Nathanael He has found the Messiah who is from Nazareth, Nathanael asks him in, John 1:46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” God making Jesus come from such an unremarkable place was never by oversight. In the humility of Jesus’ birth and life, God was able to show His love, forgiveness and power through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is why I love, Philippians 2:5-11 so much, it encapsulates the humility that Jesus had, how He was also God but obeyed the Father even unto death and this is why God has given Him the name above every other name. Hallelujah!

When I reflect upon Jesus’ earthly life and realise that rejection was something so deeply entrenched to His experience on this earth, facing romantic rejection is nothing when the One who was despised and rejected, died a horrible death for my sake and rose again in glory. By Christ’s death and resurrection, all believers have been reconciled to God the Father. It was a completely selfless act out of the love He has for us. As divine as He was, He was also a Man and He didn’t want to die, He begged God to take the cup of suffering from Him, and yet He obeyed out of deference to God’s will. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, ‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.’

It was on the cross that the wrath of God was placed on Christ and He became the once and for all sacrifice, Hebrews 10:12-14. Jesus faced rejection from men and He felt rejected at the cross. He cried out in Matthew 15:34 “…My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” I always wondered about this, and I realised that Jesus became literal sin and that separated Him from the Father. He knew no sin prior to this, in Hebrews 4:15 it states He was 'without sin' which means He had always been in constant union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I’ve written about this before. Genesis 1:26 God states ‘… “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...” By stating ‘Us’ and ‘Our’ God was not just talking about Himself, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It was not just a physically torturous death on the cross, but mentally, spiritually and emotionally torturous as He was disconnected from the Father. Sin always requires a punishment, Jesus became that punishment for us. So when the Word calls Jesus a High Priest who sympathises with our weaknesses, He really is. If there’s anyone who understands what it means to be rejected, it is the Lord.

How does one move past rejection?

Staying planted in the Word of God is so important when you feel less than. It is through the Word that I am reminded that anyone who is in Christ has been chosen, adopted into sonship and is completely loved, Ephesians 1:4-6. One may face rejection, but what does it matter when the Lord of Lords accepts you? When I think of the price that He paid to show this love, everything else becomes irrelevant. I remember watching the Passion of the Christ and being absolutely horrified watching the actor who played Jesus be wounded on the cross. I was quite young but I genuinely couldn’t watch. Instead of allowing rejection to overwhelm me, I think I’d rather be overwhelmed by God’s love. Throughout the Bible, there are constant references to God’s love for His people. There literally is no other illustration of love than Jesus dying for the world. In John 15:13 it states ,’Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.’ Not only does Jesus love us, but He calls us His friends. My heart bursts with gratitude for the Lord that it gets really hard to focus on anything else. It’s so easy when you experience rejection, to dissect yourself mentally and wonder what it was about you that wasn’t good enough for them. I have to remind myself that Jesus had me and every believer in mind on the cross. His love overshadows any rejection.

[theprincesspriest]

The work of the Lord goes on

I’m thirty-something (early thirties, thank you very much) and I have never been in a relationship. Deep breath. Saying this sentence has always made me feel terribly embarrassed. I have been navigating the worried glances of my family and friends since I was in my twenties asking me why there’s been no man. Truthfully, I have no idea. Perhaps, I’m odd, perhaps, I talk a lot, perhaps, I’m annoying. I can really say, I have never experienced liking someone who earnestly liked me back as much as I liked him. Some days, I’m okay, and other days, I’m not.

Sometimes, I let the opinion of the world sway me, and scour conversation boards as if they are the unadulterated truth of God, and shriek when someone my age calls themselves a late bloomer – what does that even mean? I’ve liked people of course, had countless crushes from just locking eyes with someone on the bus when I was a teenager, to almost-maybe’s but never-really’s when I was much older. As for my current crush, if I can call it that, somehow the childish, premise-less feelings that felt oh, so intense when I was eighteen just doesn’t fit here. It’s something that I don’t have the name for but it left me dazzled. I think I tried to convince myself I wasn’t feeling the way I was feeling, maybe to minimise the weirdness I felt that my age and lack of experience denoted. I was genuinely startled when I realised these nascent feelings that dominated my emotions whenever I spoke or saw him, grew. The feelings weren’t mutual and it really hurt. More than anything, I felt so foolish for not realising earlier.

God is still good. So, what does one do when they find themselves hurting? We turn to the Lord. As I speak now, I have Christian music playing in the background and I am overwhelmed by the presence of God. There's the quiet whisper in my spirit that tells me how much I am loved by God. It isn’t a consolation prize to have the love of God. Paul put it best when he said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  

We are always in a constant state of pursuit in Christ and that doesn’t mean we have to be perfect, so we dust ourselves off when we face disappointment, pain, sadness or challenges, and continue on to fellowship with God, because He is the prize and the sole purpose of our lives as believers is to know Him and know what He has called us to do for Him. Jesus said in his prayer for all believers in John 17 (seriously recommend reading the whole prayer) in v3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” This literally shows us how important having a relationship with Jesus is as it is only through Jesus, we get to the Father, and this is what Jesus meant when he said this in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

My pastor said a few weeks ago, that we shouldn’t wait for a massive sign from the heavens before we know our purpose but we should think of the things that God stirs compassion in us for, for me, period poverty is so close to my heart. By God’s amazing grace, with help from my mum and her friends, I was able to get 450 sanitary towel packs distributed to girls’ schools in rural Nigeria. Glory to God! I know that all things will work out for my good because I am called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. (Finding your purpose and being obedient to what God has called you to do is a whole other subject that I really do not have the qualifications for.) So even if I felt ever so sad, I also felt the comfort of the Lord because I am doing what He called me to do, at least in this small way.

Disappointment in every sense, even romantic is definitely painful but the work of the Lord goes on. It doesn’t stop because I feel sad. It doesn’t stop because I feel like the odd one out. It doesn’t stop because I’m hurting. When John was locked up and he heard about the miracles of Jesus. John must have been so confused because this very God doing miracles could surely release him from prison? So, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is the One sent by God, or if he should look for another. Jesus goes about His day continuing to do miracles and then He addresses them in Luke 7:22, “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Did Jesus say He would come and free John? Nope. Jesus replied that the work of God still goes on regardless of how John was feeling or what state he was in.

John’s birth and life was to the glory of God, from the beginning of his existence in his mother’s womb in Luke 1, the Word states that his father Zacharias was visited by an angel and prophesied to him that he would have a son that would do mighty exploits for God and prepare the way of the Lord. In Luke 1: 67-80 the Holy Spirit comes upon Zacharias and he prophesies about what John’s role will be for the Lord. There’s no way that John could not have known of this growing up, there’s no way his parents wouldn’t have told him. John and Jesus were related and still Jesus responds to his messengers to paraphrase, the work of the Lord still goes on.

If I am being truthful, I’ve never understood this interaction because it made Jesus seem so unconcerned about John which is confusing since they were related. I don’t think I ever will really, but I believe God is more concerned about our purpose in this world than our comfort – which is difficult to accept.

The purpose of singleness as a believer is not to dream of love. Love is not a bad thing, after all God is love personified. The purpose of singleness is to devote time to the Lord in a way you wouldn’t be able to once married. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:32-33, “But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife.” My mission right now as a single person is to care for the things of the Lord and that’s absolutely a beautiful purpose to have. Let me dust myself off, and press toward the goal of Christ.  One of my most recited Scriptures that overwhelm me is Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” He is the strength of my heart when it’s hurting, so I will continue to hold onto Him and the purpose He has for me in this single season.

[theprincesspriest]

A Holiday To Remember

I’ve put off writing this not because I didn’t have anything to say but because I was wondering how to put my experience into words. In my previous post I mentioned I was going on holiday. I was so glad for the chance to relax because work was beyond manageable. You know how it goes, you come back to earth and life starts life-ing. Never did I forget about what the Lord taught me on holiday. I just felt like my job was so challenging again and put this post on pause. I had two very distinct, vivid experiences whilst I was on holiday and this is what the Lord showed me.

Having faith in God changes the atmosphere

I was so excited for my holiday with my siblings, the Lord had provided in a special way for me and I was so happy. We got to the airport and the plane was delayed for about 4 hours. Needless to say, I was so annoyed. My siblings and I had to figure out how to pass time at the airport. As we were finally on the plane, the pilot started apologising stating that the plane left its previous destination late and that the weather was not so clear which contributed to the delay. I can’t lie, I was a little apprehensive because of all the news of plane crashes. I just resolved to say in my heart, “Lord, I trust You, and we will be safe.” We really were.

There was turbulence on the flight and the flight crew had to announce about three times that we had to go back to seats and no one was allowed to use the loo due to the turbulence. The attendants went to every seat to check we had our seatbelts on. It was bumpy. The pilot announcing he had to go a different route due to the weather was a bit scary. In it all, I was very calm because I trusted in God. Despite the bumpiness, I had complete faith that my siblings and I and the entire flight would be safe because I knew God was with us. In fact my biggest anxiety was hoping I didn’t have to use the loo – flying makes my throat dry so I always drink so much water. Before I knew it, I slept.

When I woke up, my sister was like, “The flight was so scary.”

I asked her why, and she responded, “The turbulence.”

I said to her, “Oh, but we already knew there was turbulence.”

She said something like,” You were sleeping when it got really bad. You had no idea how scary it was.”

I was so amazed, whilst I was sleeping, the flight encountered the worst turbulence and I was completely unaware as I was sleeping.

The Holy Spirit reminded me instantly of how Jesus was sleeping in the boat in the middle of the storm, completely calm whilst the disciples were beside themselves with worry. Mark 4: 37-38, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” I love this because it is such a human thought, how many of us go through it and we call out to the Lord in anguish, “God, are You there?” Or, even, “God, do You care?”

In that experience, I just had this impression that God was showing me what happens when you trust in God. The basis of us receiving that peace and anything that God offers us in Christ, is through faith. Fear can diminish that faith. In v. 39-41, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace,be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”’

It's such a reminder to me, that we are human beings, and God knows this. In Psalm 103:14 the Word states, “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” The disciples had seen many miracles of Jesus and all had acknowledged that He is the Son of God. Yet, in the midst of dangerous waters and winds, it’s like they completely forgot who He was and focused their eyes on what they could see. That’s such a normal response and something I do.

When we see some things with our physical eyes that cause worry, panic and fear, it is so easy to fall apart in those times and forget that we literally we have the Lord with us wherever we go. It’s His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us. How much more tangible for the disciples who literally walked with the Lord but crumpled like paper in the midst of a storm?

Jesus draws a link between being fearful and having no faith. I cannot count how many times we read through the Word ‘do not fear’ or ‘do not be afraid.’ Fear is a quintessential human emotion. It’s something everyone has experienced at some point. Sometimes fear keeps us safe as it helps us avoid situations or locations that we think would be harmful. Yet, the Lord continuously warns us not to be fearful. Why? In 2 Timothy 1:7 it states, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Which means the spirit of fear opposes the power, love and soundness of mind that we have in Christ Jesus.

Focusing on power here, to me this is just an extension of faith or trust. In Luke 9: 1-2, “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” To me this shows that power is one of the tangible signs of receiving Christ Jesus. As Christians, God gives us power and authority over all and yet so many of us don’t walk in the miracles of Jesus, due to a lack of faith. In Mark 6:5-6,” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marvelled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.” How is it that the Lord of Lords could not do any miracles unless He physically laid hands on people? This is a demonstration of how a lack of faith literally limits the power of God in people’s lives. There are other examples of this like in Mark 5, the previous chapter, Jesus goes to heal Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the issue of blood intercepts Him by having the faith to believe her healing would come by touching the hem of His garment, Mark 5:27-28. Upon reaching Jairus’ home, they learn his daughter died. Yet, Jesus declared in v 36, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Nevertheless, the people were grieving, crying and some ridiculed Jesus when he declared the girl was only sleeping. In v 40 He took only the parents of the girl and those who came with Him where the girl lay and commanded her to get up, and she did. What can we learn from this? The atmosphere of faithlessness and ridicule would not allow for the power of God to be displayed, so He only took those who came with Him and the girl’s parents as He wanted to be in the atmosphere of faith to move.

I just knew in my spirit that I would be safe on the flight and I was. The peace of God calmed me so much I was able to sleep on the flight certain that the Lord was with me. I’d like to always think I would have such faith and I remember telling my friend about it and marvelling at the epiphany the Lord gave me.

What’s totally ironic, is that a few days later, I would be just like the disciples in the boat with Jesus.

When your eyes are on the waves

I was loving my break and doing so many activities. One of the things I really wanted to do was go on a banana boat. My siblings and I got on one and we were laughing and holding on whilst the boat made the float jump. Just for me to feel myself fly through the air and land in the sea with a huge splash.

I was absolutely terrified. I am not the best swimmer and I usually stick to the shallow end in pools but what struck me was how deep the sea actually was. I couldn’t feel a bottom and so, I started to panic. Yes, I was wearing a lifejacket but if I’m being honest, it didn’t fit so well but I didn’t even think of that. All I could think about was how afraid I was. I had read the week before of two friends that had drowned in a pool, and all I could think of was how much I hoped I wouldn’t join them. I thought of my siblings and how would they explain this to our parents. I was flailing, I was thrashing and I did not feel like I was able to stay above water. I could faintly hear my siblings shouting at me to be calm but I was anything but.

It was the scariest experience of my life. I kept swallowing water and the taste of astringent salt overwhelmed my mouth. My eyes burned so much, I could barely keep them open due to the saltiness. I kept choking on the water and my nose kept running (gross) as I was breathing in water. I could barely keep my head above water and was just swallowing so much water. I just kept thinking, “Oh Lord, is this where it ends for me?”

I kept calling out to the man on the boat to help me and save me, my voice was so faint as it took effort to lift my head above the water.  He just kept looking at me. I wish I could tell you I was full of faith and confident the Lord would send help. I was not at all. I was so afraid. Very much like the disciples in the boat. Was I thinking that I carry the Holy Spirit? Or that God has sent heavenly host to keep me in all my ways? I was just in a state of complete helplessness.

After what seemed like 10 minutes, I actually don’t know how long I was in water for. I was so tired and felt my strength giving. The man’s coworker came on a jet ski, swam over to me and I got on his back and got on the boat. I don’t even know how I injured myself, the sting was nothing compared to the relief of being saved. I honestly don’t even remember thanking Jesus at first, I kept thanking the staff for getting me.

It didn’t hit me what happened until I got back to my room. I started shaking and burst into tears. The Lord saved me. I just cried my eyes out and thanked the Lord for His help. Even in the midst of my faithlessness, He was still faithful to send help to me. My siblings kept saying I couldn’t have drowned with a life jacket on, but I know I was swallowing water and choking due to the panic, which is literally how you drown. I searched it, and yes you can drown with a life jacket on if you panic – which I was.

To have faith pleases God, of course it does, Hebrews 11:6. He is such a good God that even in the midst of faithlessness, He will still come and save us. In 2 Timothy 2:13 the Word explains, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” From the above verses, we know God moves in an atmosphere of faith and He is delighted when we have faith. This does not mean that He will leave us even if we are faithless. Going back to Mark 6:5-6 did you notice that it stated He could not do a great work unless He laid hands on a few sick people and healed them? Meaning that even in an atmosphere where there was little faith by others, His faithfulness was still at work and He still laid hands on people to heal them. He didn’t leave those he encountered sick to stay sick just because others did not believe. His power, His knowledge, His confidence in who God called Him to be was at work and He was still able to do miracles. In Acts 10:38 it states “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Although humans can limit the miracles of God in their lives by their lack of faith, Jesus’ faith was always enough to do miracles by Himself because God Himself anointed Him. He went and still goes in the fullness of the Godhead.

My experience in the sea reminded me of Peter in Matthew 14:29-31 he was able to walk on water until he turned his eyes to the wind rather than Jesus. What happened? He started to sink and cry out to God to save him. But God! But God! What does the Lord do? Did he leave Peter to sink? No. In v 31 “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”’ The Lord stretched out His hand to me that day and sent help. He didn’t let me drown even though I did not have faith to believe I would be saved.

The Lord is so faithful. I am in awe of His kindness. I had a fantastic holiday (apart from the sea) but in all things I thank God. God spoke so loudly to me with the polarity of my two experiences that I know, know, know, that He is faithful. My lack of faith does not stop Him from being faithful.

[theprincesspriest]

When Jehovah Jireh provides

I have been challenging myself to write more and break out of this writing slump. The Lord has been good to me, so I really can’t tell myself I have nothing to write. I called one of my dearest friends to have a catch up. I mentioned to her that I have been struggling to budget for my holiday. (My whole career has been in the finance area, but that doesn’t mean I’m an expert at budgeting!) I was just talking casually, a random subject brought up in between asking how her health was and telling her about my workplace dynamics. I thought nothing of it, and at the end of the call she just blessed me.

Let me tell you, I was shocked. I was not expecting it at all. Something I mentioned without thinking twice, God used as an avenue to answer one of my prayers. May God bless her abundantly. This got me thinking about the goodness of God. He really is Jehovah Jireh (God the Provider) for a reason. I was genuinely thinking to myself, but why did God put in on her heart to bless me? The number of times I’ve asked the Lord for forgiveness and yet He is still good to me. This morning, I was so determined to go to church, I woke up early and then somehow just fell asleep. God visited me where I was, when I didn't expect it. (No, I am not saying God visits us only in church, in Matthew 28:20 He promises to always be with us). Then I am reminded that it is never because of anything I have done, but everything He has already done for me.

In Ephesians 2: 4-9 the Scripture states, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Paul the Apostle makes it clear that God is “rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us.” It is the love of God for us that made God put in motion His redemption plan for the world from the beginning of time through Christ Jesus. The love of God is stated throughout Scripture like in John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Paul then goes on to elaborate in that in Christ we have been made alive through grace. This phrase “by grace you have been saved” is repeated twice for a reason. I’d like to think Paul is emphasising this point on purpose. Us humans have pride, it is literally a common theme throughout Scripture that God through His prophets constantly warns against being prideful and Paul acknowledges this. It would be so easy for someone to attribute God’s kindness to them as a ‘reward’ for their holiness, their good deeds, overcoming sin etc. Paul is very much emphasising the inclination of humankind to boast by letting us know, grace is, was and has never been of ourselves. We did nothing to earn grace. There’s no amount of avoiding sin that could make one worthy by oneself. Grace is “the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The goodness of God in my life is not decided by my going or not going to church, or by my conscious or unconscious trying to keep to God’s Scripture. It is a free gift that has nothing to do with me doing my ‘best’. It is all about the finished work of Jesus. Does this mean that we should sin anyhow because grace is available? Of course, not. Paul actually addresses this in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” 

What I am saying is the kindness of God which includes His provision is not determined by one’s perceived worthiness. In Exodus 17, when God had already shown His faithfulness by delivering His people from the hand of the Egyptians, the people still grumbled against God because they had no water to drink. They complained in v 4, “And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”  Can you imagine complaining against the Lord like this after seeing the plagues that befell on the Egyptians, and walking through the Red Sea? Yet, still in His goodness He commanded Moses in v 6 to strike a rock so that water would flow. Even in the midst of pride and forgetting what the Lord has done; He was still faithful to provide water for a people that complained against Him. I really like this example because it reminds me so much of myself. How many times has God come through above my expectations, Ephesians 3:20? Yet, how many times have I complained and let my emotions dictate whether I felt like praising Him or not? But He is still good and still provides. The people had Moses stressed, but God still provided.

God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus have been One since before the world was framed. In John 1 we see a very clear description of Jesus existing from the start and He is called the Word, who was made flesh for us. It doesn’t matter that that example above is from the Old Testament. Jesus declared in John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (In one of my posts, I have already done a summary of the existence of the Trinity since the beginning.) We will never understand how much God loves us. Yet in this I can be confident, that no matter how silly my prayers are, or even stuff I think about that I did not even pray over. He cares about them. Just like He cared enough about my lack of budgeting skills to provide for me. Not because I have done anything great, but because He can never deny who He is. So let us as believers get into the routine of “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7.

[theprincesspriest]

God can use anything to speak to us

So, I haven’t updated in years. It really wasn’t a conscious thing. I had many encounters with Jesus since I last posted but I just didn’t have the motivation to write anything. I am challenging myself more because I know the Lord puts things on my heart and I really do want to share them.

Last week or so, my local handyman came over for a job I asked him to do and I unlatched the garden door and discovered it wouldn’t close. The door post had shifted causing the door to butt against the post, rather than closing flush how it is supposed to. I got out my drill and assorted nails – I have a hobby of buying tools because I used to watch so many DIY videos. I tried and tried to push the post back into place and nail it down, to allow me to close the garden door but I couldn’t.

Eventually, I asked the handyman for help. He started giving me an explanation of why the post had shifted and how difficult it was to fix, and maybe I didn’t have enough patience in that moment because I interjected and said something along the lines of, "It doesn’t matter what’s wrong with it. I know you have a solution and can fix it. I tried and couldn’t do it, but I know you can fix it.” Of course, he did fix it and I was able to close the door.

In that moment whilst I having this interaction, I just had this thought. Imagine if I came to God with this kind of confidence, to know that no matter what I was facing and even when I come to the end of trying my own solutions which did not work – what if I trusted God? This thought really blew my mind.

One thing about God I have come to realise is He truly is El Shaddai (God Almighty). There have been so many times I agonized over situations that I truly had no solutions for. I have always struggled to sleep for decades but sometimes anxiety over situations keeps me awake. There are times where I have gone to God in prayer and asked Him to answer my prayers in the most specific way, only for Him to shock me by giving me the answers to those prayers, but in a way I could never have imagined. At the end of it all, I always sigh and say to Him, “God, you know, I should really just trust that you will answer my prayers and not tell you the specific way I want them answered because I know the result will be what I asked for.”

This brings me back to my interaction with the handyman. I wasn’t really focusing when he was telling me the reason why the post had shifted. I just knew that he had the solution. If I was to always believe in God this way, would I be less anxious?

The Word tells us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Google states that the Greek word for boldly is parrhesia (παρρησία) and it refers to speaking freely and frankly, often with courage and even at personal risk, especially when addressing someone in a position of power. God invites us to come to Him with sincerity and bravery, regardless of the fact we are addressing the God of the Universe. This to me, shows me how much God loves us. He literally is the Beginning and the End, but He wants us to engage with Him, to talk to Him, to request of Him and to know that He is the mercy and grace we need.

He is a good God. In Matthew 7:7-11 it states, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” The Message translation of this Scripture is, “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?”

God is not deceitful. He isn’t out to trick us. He is a benevolent God who delights in us and sings over us, Zephaniah 3:17. He will not give us something so different or so negative to what we ask for. I wonder how God feels when I ignore Him and try by myself, or when I tell Him how much of a struggle something is and then add a quick, “O Lord, please help me.” What if I did not stress over the problem but went to God in all humility and boldness eschewing all pride and just let Him work it out?

If this is something you also struggle with, you are not alone. We are not of the world but we live in the world. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the cares of life. By things that just don’t seem to be working. By things that you just can’t control or fix by yourself. I am a normal person who worries about stuff, just like any other person. Although I know God asks us not to worry, it really is not that easy. Going through life and experiencing the things I have experienced has made my walk with the Lord shaky at times. I remember when my life literally hit rock bottom and grief unlike anything I have ever gone through, rocked my universe on its axis. I was depressed. I was overeating and gained so much weight. I was isolating myself from my friends and ignoring all calls/texts. I stayed indoors even when the sun was blasting through my window. Through it all, I can genuinely say now with hindsight, that I could not have survived it, if not for the Lord. So, I am going to try to be more bold, more trusting and more honest with God. I hope you will as well.

[theprincesspriest]

Unity is powerful

It’s the season where I remember I have this site and I write my yearly post. I have had so many impressions to write on but just did not feel motivated. I have had something I have wanted to expand on, so here it is.

God loves unity. Unity is not just for people who have an interest in common, or companies or those in relationships. God wants all people to be united.

How do I know? Let’s go back to the beginning.

In Genesis 1: 26-28, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In this text, we see that God is not talking to Himself. He went ahead with the creation of man with the Holy Spirit and Jesus. He was not alone. We know this from, “Let Us make man in Our image.” In John 17:5, Jesus says, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” This tells us that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God are One and have been One since before the world was created which we read about in the text above.

In John 17, we see Jesus praying for Himself and for believers. It is a prayer where Jesus talks about His relationship with the Father. In verse 20, Jesus says, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all One, and it is God’s will that we may also be one and also one in God through Jesus Christ, His Son. This is a prayer for all believers, those at Jesus’ time and those to come, and rather than seeing this as two different types of unity, He sees it as an unbroken bond with no lines of separation between unity of His people and the unity He desires between them and the Trinity. There is also a reminder that their relationship existed before the world was.

As someone who has become a fan of foreign shows where I used to stick to dubbed shows, (I cannot hear in one ear so I have subtitles playing so I thought it would be difficult to watch shows if they were in another language – it is fine.) I like Chinese and Korean shows, so much so that I am learning Mandarin. (It’s actually very difficult!) The Tower of Babel story has been on my mind as I have been studying this new way of speaking including saying words of a like pronunciation but different tones.

The Tower of Babel story is about the people united in one accord and a common tongue to build a city with the aim that the top of the tower would reach heaven. In Genesis 11:6-8: “And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” The Almighty is saying to paraphrase, the people are united and so they can achieve anything. Could it be that unity is powerful? Is this why satan wants to cause division? (Did you notice that God is not alone here, “Let Us go down…”) I like through this story we see how different languages came to be.

In a world that is full of division; different political views, differences of views about vaccination, Brexit, wars, racism, classism and so many other things. It seems as if the different sections of people thrive off dividing us. Even for people who speak the same language it’s the same. Not to talk of whole families fighting from each other. It was the same in the Bible as well, countless letters from Paul to churches where he was reprimanding them for being so divided. The Tower of Babel shows us, that God Himself, decided when the people are gathered with one purpose they can achieve anything and even He had to change their language so they could no longer understand each other. Whether you see it as a story or a real event, the understanding is clear; unity is powerful.

As we reflect on the end of the year, let us pray for unity. There are people whose jobs rely on stoking division but those who stand together in unity and pray for unity will surely achieve their aims.

[theprincesspriest]

This has been a weird year, from coronavirus to racial injustice to restrictions and to so many losses, this year has hurt so many. I come to the end of it exhausted mentally, emotionally and at times spiritually. Despite this, I still praise God. That fact that I am writing this means I am alive. At many times this year I wanted to write but I couldn’t. My heart was too heavy and weeping had blurred my vision leaving me incapable of attempting to write. As I cried for yet another black individual slain by the police and racism, I just couldn’t put feelings into words. I felt deep sorrow over Ahmaud Arbery, I felt it with Breonna Taylor, I felt it again when George Floyd’s murder was broadcast all over the news, I felt it again with Elijah Taylor. I felt it again in the UK with Belly Mujinga, Christopher Kapessa and Shukri Abdi, the last two had died questionably the year before with barely any attention. The only reason I knew of them was because of an inquest or renewed interests in the cases. This was nothing new, we have been seeing this for years, unarmed black people being slain at the hands of police, the brazenness of their attackers who harm with impunity and legal systems all over the world that oppress the very justice they were created for.

This year was spent scrolling through social platforms absolutely horrified by the statements of people who tried to justify these deaths. I asked myself many times, where was their humanity? If it had been a relative, would their views change then? Did skin colour really matter to the point that some people could not see what was wrong with for example, George Floyd’s death? ‘But he was a criminal!’ they cried. Is it not the basis of Western society that all men are presumed innocent until proven differently? Should previous convictions mean that his life had no more worth? Cue, the black lives matter movement which then turned into the debate in the UK of it being political, too American, unnecessary in the UK, the cause of racial tension etc. Side note: if one cannot understand that some groups will try and hijack the movement for their own cause to try and twist the meaning, then there is something wrong. To deliberately conflate the attempts of some with an actual movement, shows a lack of comprehension. To be clear, in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, I am referring to the movement that is loosely defined as ‘all lives cannot matter until black lives matter also.’ It is about black people being on equal footing where there is actual data that shows inequalities compared to other races, where there is data that shows that BAME people are disproportionately affected by coronavirus and other health issues, judicial inequalities, overt and covert racism and microaggressions. (All links are from the UK) I have found myself astounded by those who continuously reject that there is a need for this movement when hurting families left bereft by a system that allows them to grieve without a semblance of closure, would say otherwise.

To end the year reflecting on this through the light of God’s Word, I am reminded of Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John 4. It is significant to note, that Jews traditionally had no dealings with Samaritans, as stated in John 4:9, (which made Jesus conversing with the Samaritan woman all the more ground-breaking). The Samaritans and the Jews would have been separate, in verse 19 we see a difference when the woman states, “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” This shows that they already had years and years of differences, by referring to her forefather Jacob earlier we can presume that Samaritans had been worshipping their own way long before Jesus was born and therefore separated from the Jews because of it. However, Jesus perserveres in ministering and eventually reveals He is the Christ. What has always struck me about this is that this woman was also separated from her own community, when we read of this woman, she is alone and meets Jesus at the well. The well would have been a hub of activity, and yet no one else was around? We learn that the hour of the day is the ‘sixth hour’ which would have been the hottest part of the day. Jesus reveals to her that He knows she is living with a man who is not her husband and that she has had 5 husbands already. It is fair to presume that she is someone who was ostracised by her community as she is outside when no one else is. Then when she encounters Jesus and realises He is the Christ, everything changes. A woman who was avoiding others then goes out to tell people of who she has met from verses 28-42. Here we see Jesus disregarding the long-established social dictates of society, ignoring culture, ignoring the status quo to not only reconcile a woman separated from her community, (they addressed her directly in verse 42) but to reconcile her and the others to Christ. Jesus loves all people, the example He led was to reconcile all people to Himself. When the disciple Phillip asks Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responds, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9) Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Father are One. Where we see Jesus’ heart for people regardless of race or culture, we see God the Father’s and the Holy Spirit’s.  In light of the injustices we see in the world, let us remind ourselves that in God’s Word we are all equal before Him. There is nothing, no group that we have created, or construct, or divisions however long established, that separates us in His sight. Galatians 3:28,”There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

[theprincesspriest]

The Princess Priest

This blog has been blank for years. I have wanted to write and found myself unable to for a long time. The reason being that I was going through so much and struggling with my faith that it just felt ridiculous to even try. Ages ago the phrase ‘princess priest’ kept coming to my mind and this blog is based on 1 Peter 2:9.

‘But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’

As Christians we are God’s chosen people, we are a royal priesthood and that makes us princes and princesses. It doesn’t mean that we have it all together and it doesn’t mean that we have all the answers. We are special to God, He chose us to bear good fruit, He has made us holy by His Son’s sacrifice and He has chosen us for a purpose. For His purpose.

To be chosen by God is such an incredible honour, I used to think that I made the choice to give my life to Christ. I didn’t. He chose you and He chose me, John 15:16.

God pursued me relentlessly, every time I would hear my pastor teach I would feel convicted. It felt like Jesus was speaking directly to me and I couldn’t shake it and I could not run away. He chased me and showered me with love, every Bible verse I would read about His love for me would play over and over again until I surrendered and gave my life to Him.

Falling in love with Jesus has been the best decision I have ever made. It hasn’t been easy. Since I gave my life to Christ I have gone through so many storms to the point where I would wish I was dead. Another reason why I took so long was because I felt like it was wrong to talk about tribulations, I thought I had to make Jesus as attractive as possible so other souls could be saved but I realise now that going through hardship is a major part of being a Christian. To remove this from the equation is not the Gospel. Don’t get me wrong, loving Jesus is great and He brings such peace and joy in a way that I have never found outside of Him. If you are a Princess Priest (or a Prince Priest) be prepared to go through struggles, be prepared to go through things that would make you be on the verge of giving up on everything, be prepared to be so lonely you have no choice but to cling to Jesus and be prepared to know Jesus is everything you have, John 16:33.

Jesus warns us that we will go through troubles, if you are going through something now as a Christian know that Jesus has overcome the world and you as a Princess Priest or Prince Priest have overcome through Him. There are so many examples of people in the Bible that went through hardships such as Job, Joseph, Jeremiah, David and the apostles. The apostles went through so much that they even despaired of life, 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 but they went through these things so that they would rely on God.

I want to encourage anyone reading this that is wondering if God loves them because they are going through bad times that He does love you. A pastor once told me that the fact that Lazarus died did not mean Jesus did not love him, in fact when his sisters sent word to Jesus they said ,’Lord, the one who you love is sick.’, John 11:3. In verse 5 we are told again,’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.’ They were loved by Jesus but He allowed them to go through losing Lazarus and going through the pain of mourning so that God would be glorified in the end, (verse 4). Jesus loves you. He loves you so much. He loves you so much that He would choose you to bring Him glory. Going back to 1 Peter 2:9, our purpose is to proclaim the praises of God who brought us out of darkness and into his light. In my opinion, darkness doesn’t just mean saving us from hell, it also means saving us from everything bad in this world. We are created to bring Him praise and some of the best praise comes from the most difficult experiences. The end result is always glory! Praise be to God.

Please do not think you are alone, one of the lies of the devil is to convince us we are the only people going through suffering. All believers will go through some suffering, 1 Peter 5:9. God has not left you alone, He is with you in suffering, Isaiah 43:2. The suffering will only be for a while but afterwards God will restore you, 1 Peter 5:10. The story of Job is one of the most amazing examples of restoration after suffering, he lost everything but God gave him more than he lost by the end. Job 42:12.