Dolly Writes

Hi beautiful people,

So, guess what? I am through with the book of Numbers. We are moving forward people! Glory be to the name of the Lord.

So, before I share my thoughts on this book, I wanted to give a quick update on the progress of my spiritual life. So, lately I have been feeling a little down. My mind hasn’t really been right and I have been feeling very distracted. I am not exactly sure why I am feeling this way but it hasn’t really been the best feeling. However, I have shared this with God and I am clinging to him for strength. I wanted to fill you guys in on this because it is something that a lot of people go through from time to time but I just want to remind you that God loves you and He is there for you always. Never forget.

So, let’s get into it.

I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would. It is one of those books that I wasn’t very familiar with in terms of content and so I wasn’t sure how it would be but I learned so much and I am thrilled to share it with you.

1. Follow God’s Guidance: A lot of times, we always feel like we know best but the truth is that we know nothing compared to God. As human beings, we have no way of knowing what is going to happen in the next second, minute, hour, day, year and so on but God knows. He knows our past, present and future and when He tells us to do something or tells us to go one way, it is for our good. We have to learn to trust God because He knows us better than we know ourselves. In Chapter 9, the Bible lets us know God’s presence came over The Tent of the Lord’s Presence in the form of a cloud. Whenever the cloud lifted, the Israelites knew that it was time to break camp and they followed this cloud wherever it led. When it came down and remained on the tent, the Israelites did not move. God always showed them the way and they followed Him. When you follow God and his instructions, you are doing yourself a favour because He will never lead you astray.

2. There is nothing wrong in asking for help: I think in this world, we always like to think that we can do everything by ourselves; we don’t need help. I go through this every now and then. Some times, I don’t want to ask anyone for help but the truth is no man is an island. We need help sometimes. For example, in Chapter 11, Moses got to a point where he was fed up. Listen, leading the Israelites was not an easy job. They always complained; always ranted. The second, things start to get uncomfortable, they got to complaining and Moses as their leader always had to deal with their complaints. But the truth is Moses was just a man and it can get tiring. So, here the Israelites go, complaining about Manna. First they complain that they want food, God sends them Manna and now they are tired of it and they want meat, so they complain. So Moses got tired and said to God in 11: 11-15 (GNT):

Why have you treated me so badly? Why are you displeased with me? Why have you given me the responsibility for all these people? I didn’t create them or bring them to birth! Why should you ask me to act like a nurse and carry them in my arms like babies all the way to the land you promised their ancestors? Where can I get enough meat for all these people? They keep whining and asking for meat. I can’t be responsible for all these people by myself; it’s too much for me! If you are going to treat me like this, have pity on me and kill me, so that I won’t have to endure your cruelty any longer.

And God heard him. So, God told Moses to assemble seventy respected men who could help him. So, whenever you are overwhelmed or you feel tired, don’t be ashamed to ask for help.

3. Do not doubt God: Listen, the power of God is beyond the understanding of any human. God’s glory is beyond anything you can ever think of. He is the LORD, ladies and gentlemen. Don’t question it. Don’t doubt it. God says in 11:23, Is there a limit to my power? There is nothing that He cannot do and you should feel good about that because He is your Father; He is my Father and it is an honour to worship Him.

4. Balaam and the talking donkey: Yo, when I was younger and I used to go the Bible Club, this story has to be one of the funniest Bible stories I have ever read. For some reason, the story just always put a smile on my face and I completely forgot about it until I read it in this book. Ya’ll, please go read Numbers 22 just to enjoy this. One important lesson though. When we serve God, we are not doing Him a favour, y’know. It is our privilege to be able to serve Him. God can order the stones to serve Him. The animals can serve Him. So, sometimes when we need to listen to God, He can even get an animal or an object to get you to listen. That’s all I’m going to say about this but if you have never read this story, please read it. It is a very interesting one.

5. God does not lie: I want you to always know something. God will never lie to you. I can lie to you; your friends and family can lie to you and the devil can lie to you but God will never lie. Everything he says about you is true and so when the devil tries to plant seeds of doubt in your mind, remind yourself of all that God has said about you in His word. Chapter 23: 19 (GNT) says: God is not like people, who lie; He is not a human who changes his mind. Whatever he promises, he does; He speaks and it is done. Please, never forget this. Sometimes, when the devil tries to tell me something, I almost believe it but I always have to remind myself that God loves me and He has said that He loves me and so  I have to believe that and you should to.

6. Who God blesses, no one can curse: So, between Chapters 22 and 24, the King of Moab, Balak was trying to get Balaam to curse the Israelites but instead of cursing them, he blessed them even more. Balaam said in Chapter 23: 8 (GNT), How can I curse what God has not cursed or speak of doom when the Lord has not?

Ladies and Gentlemen, when God blesses you, there is nothing anyone else or anything else can do about that. Remember that.

So, this is all what I learned from this wonderful book. I enjoyed reading it and I really enjoyed sharing this with you guys. It really is a blessing to be able to do this and I am excited to keep this going. As I’ve mentioned, this gives me motivation to keep on reading and it really goes a long way in my own life as well so, I want you all to know that God is using you to bless me also and I am really grateful. I start reading the book of Deuteronomy tomorrow and I cannot wait to share what I learned with you when I am done. If you have read Numbers and you have anything else to add or you just want to let me know your thoughts, please use the comments box below. I am always willing and ready to hear from you.

P.S. I mentioned in a previous blog post that I will be changing my blog’s theme. That might happen in the next couple of days so don’t be too shocked when you see something different.

I love you all. Please Stay blessed.

Till next time, my darlings ❤

Photo: Divine Spirit

Hi guys,

So as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I am reading through the Bible and today, I finished the book of Leviticus. So, I just wanted to share a couple of things that I learned from this book.

So, Leviticus is a book that contains a whole lot of laws that was given by God to the people of Israel. In reading this book, the most important thing that stood out to me is the Holiness of God.

I have always known that God is holy. He is perfect. He has no speck of a speck of sin in Him. However, reading this book, my understanding of this soared to a whole ‘nother level.

I think we forget who God is a lot of the time. I am very guilty of this. I don’t think it’s intentional but I think a lot of times we fail to realise the extent of His power. God made everything. He was here before the world even began. When this earth was still full of water, God was there. He is the Living God. We should tremble at his feet. The name of God should make us fear and love and worship.

God is so gracious to us and so even when we take His name for granted, He is there to love us and forgive us.

God is the Ancient of Days. He is the Most High God. He is the I AM that I AM so, we need to learn to put some RESPECK on the name of the God who can snap his fingers in one second and this world as we know it can cease to exist.

Leviticus 10:3 says: Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said, ‘All who serve me was respect my holiness; I will reveal my glory to my people.'” But Aaron remained silent.”

God’s Holiness is unmatched and unrivalled. No one in heaven or on earth or below the earth can ever come close to being on His level.

One thing that worries me is that I don’t fear God enough and it has been my prayer to never forget the might of this Glorious God.

In this world it is easy to forget but through the grace of God and faith, I hope to always remember.

So, this is basically what was revealed to me as I read this book. God is Holy.

I am really enjoying reading the Bible and I have also been enjoying sharing it with you all. At this moment in my life – more than ever before – my spiritual life with God is the main priority and I am still learning.

I still make mistakes everyday. I still sin and honestly I am grateful for the grace and love and forgiveness that God gives because I don’t think I deserve it but that is who God is. He doesn’t love me because I am better than anyone else (because I am totally not); He loves me because that is just who He is.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I am starting the Book of Numbers tomorrow and I am excited about that so I’ll write on it when I’m done.

Till then my darlings. ❤

Stay blessed.

Love,

Dolly.

Photo: I’m So Blessed Daily

So, I decided to read the Bible all the way through. I have tried many times but never actually finished. This time though, I think I’ll finish because I am taking my time to read it and enjoy it and understand it as best I can and through the help of God.

So, I thought I will be sharing my thoughts when I finish reading each book of the Bible. I have already finished reading Genesis and Ecclesiastes so I might not be able to write onthem. On second thought, I might write on Ecclesiastes because it really has a lot of life gems in it but I’ll let ya’ll know.

Anyway, let’s talk about Exodus people. I finished reading it yesterday and I took note of  a couple of things that I learnt about it.

1. When God qualifies you for something, don’t question it: When God called Moses to go and free His people from Egypt, Moses could not believe that God chose him. He said in Exodus 3:11 (GNT), ‘I am nobody. How can I go to the King and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’  God spoke to him and let him know that he will be with him and guide hm. Even then, Moses still said in Exodus 4:10 (GNT), ‘No, Lord, don’t send me. I have never been a good speaker and I haven’t become one since you began to speak to me. I am a poor speaker, slow and hesitant.’  At this point, God had to remind Moses of who He(God) is. In Exodus 4:11 (GNT), God said ‘Who gives man his mouth? Who makes him deaf  or dumb? Who gives sight or makes him blind? It is I, the Lord. Now, go! I will help you speak and  I will tell you what to say.’ God knows us better than we know ourselves. No matter how broken we are, He can still use us to His glory. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God lets us know that His grace is sufficient for us as his power is made perfect in weakness. This means that God can use our weakness and flaws to His glory. When God tells you who you are, you best believe it because it’s only what He says about you that matters. If God has qualified you for something, no one else can say nothing. To others and even to himself, Moses was not a great speaker but God had plans for him and he ended up being the person that led the children of Israel out of slavery by the power of God.
2. It is easy to forget what God has done for us: So, God led the people out of Israel through Moses and He provided for them whatever they needed. When they were thirsty, he made water come out of a rock. When they were hungry, he sent manna down from heaven. Yet and still, whenever something wasn’t comfortable for them, they complained. They asked Moses why he brought them out of Egypt where they could have been living comfortably. At least, they would have had food and water. Imagine that! God literally brought them out of slavery but when things got a little uncomfortable, they forgot about what God did for them. To the extent that, when Moses went up to the mountain to speak to God, they decided to make a god (gold bull-calf. see Exodus 32) to worship because Moses had been gone a long time. Then, they decided to worship this god and started praising it as the one that led them out of Egypt. Anyway,  God eventually had Moses shut that down. When I was reading it, I could not believe how much they complained. Then, I had to take a look at myself. It is  something I have done countless times. God has provided for me in the most incredible ways. Yet and still, I complain when things get uncomfortable. It ‘s only recently  that when things get tough that I try to remind myself of all the good that He has done for me and trust that He is there for and with me all the way. Never forget what God has done for you.
3. God knows exactly what he is doing: Okay, so the book of Exodus beginning from Chapter 25 to the end speaks a lot on building. So, basically God gave specifications on how he wanted specific things to be built . One of the reasons why Moses was on the mountain for so long was because God was telling him how he wanted  the sacred things like the Covenant Box, The Tent of the Lord’s Presence, The Altar for Burning Incense, The Garments for the Priests and a host of others to be made. He was very specific. For example, in Exodus 30:1 (GNT), He says, Make an altar out of acacia wood, for burning incense. It is to be square, 18 inches long and 18 inches wide, and it is to be 36 inches high.’ He gave building directions and tailoring directions down to the T. He knew exactly how he wanted them to be made. Now, if God can take such care into the making of all of these, just think about how much care He took into making you.

Anyway, that’s about it. The book has a lot of lessons and the interesting thing about the Bible is that different things speak out to different people. You might read it and see all the stuff that jumped at me or something else will totally make complete sense to you. These were the lessons that spoke out to me more. I plan to do this with each book that I read and I hope you enjoy it. Honestly, you guys are helping me through it because doing it this way also encourages me to keep on reading because I really want to finish it this time. Anyway, let me know what you think and have a beautiful week my darlings.

Stay blessed always.

Love,

Dolly. xx

Today, I learned some great things in church and I wanted to share it with you all because it reminds us of who we are. I shared them on twitter and I’ll share them below.

Hi guys,

So I know I have been away for a while but I will explain later. In resuming my blogging duties, I want to share something inspiring by an amazing person. So, I have known Shawn since I was a young little lass growing up in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria. Lol. Anyway, for a moment in my life, my religious journey took a detour but I have started a relationship with God once more and it is all so beautiful. Shawn shares the most amazing perspectives on Facebook as a young Christian man that really bless me. He has allowed God to use him as a vessel and I really wanted him to write something that I could put on here that will be a blessing to others as well. So, please read and be blessed. 

…

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

When the above phrase is uttered, our minds quickly interpret it as our rights as human beings, our rights as citizens of our respective countries, our rights as members of some group or any other association we find ourselves in. And our minds are correct in jumping to this conclusion. However, there is one area of our lives where we do not harness the power of our rights. Our rights as children of God. This may come to you as a shock- either because you are a strong born-again Christian and doing quite well with your faith, or because you don’t even know that you have rights as a child of God. I know I was ignorant, but in recent times, I have come to understand the invaluable position I hold and the power I can command as a child of God. I am now on my journey from Clark Kent to Superman, by God’s grace.

First of all, to be able to harness your rights, you must have them. That means, you have to be in Christ to have the identity. Having Christ introduces the Holy Spirit and He serves as an international ID for you. It is He that is seen to identify you as a citizen of Heaven. At this moment, I’ll let you in on these rights. Believe me, at the end of it, you’ll want to be a citizen in this exquisite country called Heaven. So let’s dig in:

1. You have got the Holy Spirit. Like I said earlier, the Holy Spirit is your ID card. His presence is the evidence of you being saved or transformed. In Acts 2, the Bible speaks about the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the signs that signal His presence.
2. This Holy spirit is the spirit of God. As such, you have God in you. Wait a minute! Read that again. You have God in you! That’s awesome if you ask me. 2Tim 1:7 says His spirit is not one of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. The presence of the Holy Spirit means you can stand tall. If you will choose faith over fear in absolutely anything, I assure you that you will be rejoicing at the end.
3. The ability to do ALL things. Not some things. ALL THINGS!! Don’t believe me? Check out Phillipians 4:13. We can do ALL things through Christ. We have to remember the ‘through Christ’ part. With and in Christ, ALL things can be done. ALL hurdles can be scaled, ALL mountains can be leveled for you, ALL crooked paths can be made straight, ALL sorrow can be joy, ALL loss can be gain. Personally, to be able to do ALL things through Christ is encouraging. I can get through anything because I’ve got Christ in me.
4. You own it all. Remember we are children of God? As such, we are heirs to the throne. We are heirs in the Kingdom. The Bible says we are joint heirs with the Son (Jesus Christ). That means equals. We can then do what Jesus did while here on earth. That includes but is not limited to healing the sick, prophesying, raising the dead, teaching in multitudes, being the light of the world, being called the Sons of God and so on. God created all things. He owns everything. Since I’m his son/daughter, I can ask for anything in the name of Jesus and as long as it’s in accordance with His will for me, I’ll get it. Same principle as a child asking a parent for money or a toy or permission to go on vacation and so on. God is God, but He is also Father and He is Friend. Remember that.
5. We have got the ultimate end. Our ends are so glorious. Here’s why I say so. Jeremiah 29:11 says His plans for us are of good and not evil, plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future. If that doesn’t motivate you to just let Him do Him in you, then I don’t know what does. He made us. He knows what’s best, and best of all, that’s what He is willing to give us. We just need to let Him.
6. He isn’t inconsistent. Now this one gets me everytime. Maybe because of the inconsistency that surrounds us. Joshua 1:9 says we should be strong! Be courageous! Fear not! Because He is with us wherever we go now and forever more. If your boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife said those exact words, you’ll be loyal to the end. Well, God is even more consistent. What’s your excuse not to obey? Personally, if He sticks to just this one, I’m good. I’m sticking with Him. If you need any further evidence of the level of His consistency, take a minute of your time and check out Hebrews 13:8.
7. You are a conqueror. In fact, you are more than a conqueror. Romans 8:37 says you slay everything in front of you through Him. All through the Bible, the men and women who overcame difficult situations were those who had God. 1John 4:4 tells you that you have overcome – note: not ‘may overcome’ or even ‘will overcome’- through Him, and He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. I tell you this! The he in the world is your finances, he is your health, he is your struggle physically, mentally, physically and emotionally. You have overcome that ‘he’ already. You just have to tap into it. You just have to know it.

I could go on and on. The Bible doesn’t run out of secrets. I gotta tell you, God is deep. He has given you victory already. You just have to get to know Him, be His friend, listen to Him and watch barriers fall. It’s not easy! It’ll go against your natural instinct because you are flesh and He is spirit. But people have done it. I am doing it, and I have to say. It’s the most popular secret in the world. See what I did there? Lol.

I’ve gotten to enjoy being myself more because I’ve gotten to know the Guy who made me in the first place. Try it. It works.

I hope this blessed you like it did me and a big thanks to Shawn for sharing this.