Bona fide Expressions

God's ideal plan was to be King over Israel, because He is who they needed. But somehow, they chose to put their trust in man and not God, their Ultimate King. He so loved them that He laid out the consequences of their choice, but they were bent on having a (human) king rule over Israel and were granted their desire. All the chaos that ensued after could have been prevented if only they had been obedient. When our motives don’t align with God’s plans for us, we put ourselves on the line of dishonoring Him. Things take a different turn because we chose to go the seemingly easy way but when God instructs us, our part to play is walking in obedience because He only has the absolute best in store for us. From now on, we must learn to follow as God leads; We'll certainly be glad we did! God bless you!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NKJV

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8‭-‬9 NKJV

In chasing after worldly things, we're literally missing the very essence of our existence, God. Indeed, we ought to live the life God gave us, but leaving Him out of every part means we're chasing after things that ultimately become idols. Our life is meaningful and fulfilling when we are intentional about spending most of our time engaging His Holy Spirit who dwells in all who determine to love and serve Him. He is yearning to have fellowship with us and should be the first person we think about and talk to daily. Let's be deliberate about making God our utmost priority. God bless you!

For those who’d rather live according to the dictates of the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are responsive to the Holy Spirit and are by Him led, “set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit” 
 (Romans 8:5 AMPC)

But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right — the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
Matthew 6:33 AMP

In a room filled with people lying prostrate, praising and worshipping God, one can feel so lost and unresponsive to the beauty of being in His presence. Spending time with God in the secret place, in prayer and meditating on His word makes all the difference. The perspective completely changes, and in a gathering of Saints we can effortlessly join in giving reverence to the Lord. As we grow in fellowship, we no longer feel comfortable hiding anything from our Maker, and our spirits are quickened, naturally responsive to His voice when He calls us to avail ourselves and be used by Him to draw others closer to Him. Let's be intentional about communicating  with Him daily. God bless you!

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NKJV 

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 NKJV 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints - Ephesians 6:17‭-‬18 NKJV

Knocking on doors the Lord clearly shuts for a reason, we embark on a pursuit for a help mate based on the wrong motives. Thinking  we are head over heels in love, we get trapped in an unbearable circus of pain and regrets. Marriage, being a lifetime journey, requires fervency in prayer and keen attentiveness to the Holy Spirit’s leadings when making the right spouse-choice. Let's not take marriage at face value and be intentional in seeking the Lord's face concerning it. In the end, we'd be glad we waited and followed God's leading. 
God bless you!

pray without ceasing
I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
Amos 3:3 NKJV

For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 AMP

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
I John 5:14‭-‬15 NKJV

Prayer is indisputably vital in our Christian walk. We are humanly naive to the possibility of treading on sloppy ground, yet we automatically take steps, esteeming the ground to be solid in the physical realm but often oblivious to what pertains spiritually. The God-Man Jesus expects us to discern both the physical and spiritual. God journeys with us and directs our movements all the time and so we must constantly engage His Holy Spirit in our daily endeavors. This gradually quickens our spirits and causes us to move in the direction He gives. Let's remain connected to Him by incessantly using His precious gift of prayer to us! God bless you! 

Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]
1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMPC

He will cover you and completely protect you with His pinions, And under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.
Psalms 91:4 AMP

In our walk with the Lord (which ought to be a close one), we must constantly remember how marvelous it is to be in His presence wherever we go. To have the Lord holding your hand and liberating you into expressing your love for Him in the most vulnerable of ways is the best feeling; nothing can compare or compete with the joy He brings. The devil from time to time, may attempt to consume our minds with thoughts or situations around us with the sole aim of  pulling us back and making us think God's love isn't enough. It's easy to believe this when we don't fully comprehend who we are in Christ and that only opens the door to entering into spaces that the Lord would rather we stray not into or encountering people who would seek to drag us away from the intimacy we share with the Lord. Truth is, the love of God knows no boundaries and as we faithfully remain in close proximity with Him, we grow in  confidence at every given point in time, unperturbed at the enemy's schemes to change our identity and alter our course.  God will definitely  lead us in the right direction. Let's continue to keep our eyes fixed on Him. God bless you!

You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. 
Isaiah 26:3 AMP 

For His loving kindness prevails over us [and we triumph and overcome through Him], And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord ! (Hallelujah!) 
Psalms 117:2 AMP

The Lord has bestowed on us several abilities, and we often twirl in different directions, having no clue where to begin. We were brought into this world for a purpose and in pursuing all that God requires from us, comparisons (that often deflate rather than uplift) must be our no-go resort. It's His direction we ought to seek; this way, the unique spiritual gifts we each have can be used in various mediums to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people all over the world. Let's stay connected to the Lord and He will certainly order our steps aright!
God bless you!

For just as in one [physical] body we have many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, so we, who are many, are [nevertheless just] one body in Christ, and individually [we are] parts one of another [mutually dependent on each other]. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them accordingly: if [someone has the gift of] prophecy, [let him speak a new message from God to His people] in proportion to the faith possessed;  if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:4‭-‬8 AMP

We're so eager to experience the unfolding of God's promises that we spend most of the time wallowing in frustration when we see nothing happening. We even go to the extent of looking for other alternatives just so we can get to the destination quickly. That, however only worsens situations and we end up not seeing God's good plans manifest accordingly. We ought to allow God to be in charge because He knows the end from the beginning and His strength is what we need for the journey ahead when He finally opens the door. We need Him in order to be successful at handling the tasks and to genuinely enjoy the blessings that come with our obedience to Him in fulfilling those tasks. Let's feast on His word and develop stronger intimacy with Him in our time of waiting so we can boldly fight the good fight in faith and finish the race honorably and to the glory of the Lord! God bless you!

 You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].
Isaiah 26:3 AMP

 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.
Isaiah 40:31 AMP

We get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we give a little portion of our time to God, or none at all.  Time spent with God, reading, meditating on His word, having conversations with Him is essential as we go about our daily routine. The closer we get, the more quickened we are by His Spirit within, becoming sensitive to and being led by  Him so we can easily face whatever comes our way as the conquerors that we are in Christ. Let's constantly communicate with the Lord, giving Him first place in our lives!

God bless you!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you. Psalms 32:8 AMP

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance]. 
Proverbs 16:3 AMP 

Guard [with greatest care] and keep unchanged, the treasure [that precious truth] which has been entrusted to you [that is, the good news about salvation through personal faith in Christ Jesus], through [the help of] the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 
2 Timothy 1:14 AMP

God, desiring to bring us to a place of redemption, sent His Son, Jesus Christ to this world, who demonstrated an extremely incomparable and incomprehensible act of Love, being condemned and crucified by  the ones who truly deserved to die. Jesus rose again however, and our atrocious deeds were completely blotted out; our lives now restored (and those who accept this actually experience it). God is calling, giving us a free invitation to know the Father through Jesus. Genuinely make the choice to accept this invitation and be a part of a liberating experience!
God bless you!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
Revelation 3:20 AMPC

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts and passions. Do not go on offering members of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness. But offer yourselves to God [in a decisive act] as those alive [raised] from the dead [to a new life], and your members [all of your abilities—sanctified, set apart] as instruments of righteousness [yielded] to God. For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God’s favor and mercy].
Romans 6:12‭-‬14 AMP

For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 AMPC