Tag: Education

Overcoming Shame And Guilt

Last Thursday, I focused on overcoming Shame and Guilt.

This message was personal to me as I spent years in battle with these two emotions so much so that looking back over my life, I can see where I have been robbed as a result of shame and guilt.

I spoke about the difference between shame and guilt.

Shame is internalised worthlessness e.g. “I am bad” and guilt is behavioural failure e.g. “I did something bad”. Shame and guilt differs psychologically but they are both often rooted in brokenness. Gnesis chapter 3 highlights this.

Genesis 3: 6-13

6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

Verse 10, you can see the shame in Adam’s response to God. Wherever there is shame. Two things follow, fear and the need to hide. Fear and hiding comes with shame.

From a psychological standpoint, shame is toxic, driving addiction and leads to social withdrawal whilst guilt can be adaptive, thereby fostering repentance.

Shame is often experienced by someone who has experienced trauma and childhood abuse. Guilt can work for one’s good as it highlights one has a conscience. Guilt is the acknowledgment that the behaviour was wrong but shame assumes identity with the action and that is not the truth.

Jesus Christ removed shame by dying on the cross and being raised from the dead on the third day. Because of this sacrifice, your identity is in Christ. You are now adopted as a son. Romans chapter 8 establishes this. I love that Romans 8:1 starts off with “there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. Condemnation is a little different from shame in that it makes you subject yourself to torture and make you believe you are worthy of the worst type of judgement. This is not the mind of Christ and this mindset must be cast down according to 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Shame focuses on self which then leads to isolation which then causes a dishonour to one’s own identity leading you to hide your gifts and the light of who you are.

Guilt focuses on the act which leads to repair and improvement- guilt helps one to focus on transgression leading to repentance.

There are so many scriptures in the bible that highlights characters who experienced shame and the redemption of Jesus Christ.

You can read about the Woman at the Well in John chapter 4. King David in Psalm 51 and the woman caught in sin in Luke chapter 7.

In conclusion, for those of you who read this and you are experiencing shame. I want you to know that Jesus is able to deliver you, heal you and set you free from this captivity. He came that you would have life and have it more abundantly.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord I thank You for highlighting the difference between shame and guilt. Heavenly Father, I surrender the shame and condemnation I have been carrying. I lay the burden of shame, guilt and condemnation at your feet. You encourage to lay down our burdens. Your burdens are light so I make an exchange Lord and I pick up the truth of your word that I am loved and accepted. I thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love according to Romans 8v38-39. Father God, I receive your adoption according to Romans 8:15. I cry out to You Abba Father, and I pray Lord pour your love upon me. I receive your love. Rebuke fear and shame from me in Jesus Name I pray amen.

To watch the replay to ‘Overcoming Shame and Guilt’, click here https://bit.ly/4aOQDN2

The Anatomy of Choice and Desire

Last Thursday, I taught on the anatomy of choice and desire, and the focus scripture was taken from James 1:14-15. This passage of scripture outlines the process of the conception of sin and how sin goes from thought to action. Below are the phases I discussed during the live broadcast.

James 1:14-15 shows the stages from desire leading to the consequence of following through with the desire.  

Desire > Thought > Action > Consequence

Phase 1 The Lure (Desire)– James 1:14 says, “But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed”. The Greek word for enticed is deleazō, which is a fishing term for bait. A fishing bait looks like a reward but hides the hook.

Phase 2 The Conception (Thought)– James 1:15 says, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin”. During the broadcast, I shared practical examples of what the conception looks like. The key here is to be aware of your triggers and put in place the necessary boundaries in place to stop the conception of sin being put into action. The conception stage looks like you, for example, knowing you are in heat but still going on that date and inviting your date back to your home. Here you start to rationalise the wrongdoing.

Phase 3 The Birth (Action)– James 1:15 says “It bringeth forth sin”- this is where your thoughts have moved from your mind to the external world by way of physical action.

Phase 4 The Full-Grown Result (Consequence) – “And sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death”.

This is the consequence of the sinful act. This can be spiritual death, death to a relationship, distance from the presence of God, opportunities, etc.

Through further studies, I taught on psychological frameworks, coupled with the scriptures, to overcome the cycle of unbridled desire and sin. This is known as the top-down approach

Step 1– Exposure of Truth- you have to name the temptation and desire that is trying to overpower you. In Psalm 139:23-24, David asks God to search and know his heart and his thoughts. We have to commit our hearts and minds to God.

Step 2– Replacement (Reframing) – Set your minds on things above, according to Colossians 3:2. Don’t suppress the desire, face it and acknowledge it and find something else to take your focus off the desire. Remember last week’s teaching: a feeling only lasts for 90 seconds; it is what you do with those 90 seconds that determines whether the feeling is prolonged or dissipates.

Step 3– Seek support- this step shows the importance of community and accountability. James 5:16 says, “confess your faults one to another”. This is what takes the power away from the temptation the enemy is trying to keep a hold over you.

This is just a brief outline of the cycle of sin and ways for you to overcome unyielding desires using the scriptures, and also paying attention to your personal decisions. Decisions decide. Dahna-Esther also prayed for those who are dealing with guilt and shame as a result of dealing with the cycle of sin.

Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me the stages of how sin is conceived and when acted upon, the consequences it carries. Father, I ask You to keep me from falling according to Jude 1 v 24. Father, I ask, release your grace to empower me to say no and to flee from the temptations of the enemy. Empower me in the Holy Ghost to avoid the traps of the enemy. Father, cast down every thought and imagination trying to conceive sin in my mind that can then lead to my actions. Lord wash me and cleanse me and create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me in Jesus Name, I pray, amen.

Watch the replay to Anatomy of Choice and Desire– https://bit.ly/4aEHoiq

The Process of Desire

Last Thursday’s live focused on desire, and the psychological makeup and source of our desires.

We learnt that the following parts of the brain are responsible for the accumulation of our desires.

  • Amygdala: The central hub in the limbic system which plays a critical role in processing emotional responses, such as fear, anxiety, and pleasure.
  • Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) and Nucleus Accumbens: are key components of the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine to drive motivation, pleasure, and desire (specifically “wanting” or “incentive salience”).
  • Prefrontal Cortex (PFC): is responsible for rational thought and executive function. During intense emotions like romantic love, the PFC can exhibit decreased activity, contributing to the, “love is blind” effect.
  • Insular Cortex: constantly monitors the body’s internal emotional state (interoception), bridging visceral sensations with cognitive, “feelings”.
  • Hypothalamus: often linked to basic desires like hunger and sexual drive. 

I went further to teach on the neurochemistry of our emotions of desire and what chemical reactions are responsible for our various emotions;

  • Dopamine: The primary neurotransmitter associated with desire, motivation, and pleasure.
  • Serotonin: Regulates mood stability, with lower levels often associated with the obsessive thinking seen in early romantic love.
  • Oxytocin: Known as the, “bonding hormone,” it fosters trust and attachment.
  • Norepinephrine: Contributes to the euphoric and giddy sensations of romantic love. 

This shows that there is an interrelation between your emotion and desire overlapping with the various parts of the brain. Research shows that thoughts are transmitted via neurotransmitters which triggers and changes feelings.

Thoughts     >     Emotions          >        Behaviours

Your feelings are the conscious, subjective experience of bodily sensations processed by the brain. The highlight of last week’s live for me was this piece of research I read where the thought feeling cycle generally only lasts for 90 seconds in the brain before the surge dissipates. I asked the question, how many people are making life changing, permanent decisions because of a 90 second feeling.

There are three phases and four elements that contribute to the thought feeling emotion desire cycle;

Phase 1: The Spark (Emotions & Desire)

Everything usually begins with a stimulus (external or internal). Your amygdala scans for threats or rewards. If it sees something it wants, it triggers Desire via the release of dopamine. This is a physiological “itch” that demands action. 

Phase 2: The Interpretation (Feelings)

As your body reacts (increased heart rate, butterflies in the stomach), your Insular Cortex notices these physical changes. This is where an emotion (biological) becomes a feeling (mental). You label the sensation as “excitement,” “anxiety,” or “longing.” 

Phase 3: The Narrative (Thoughts)

Your Prefrontal Cortex then tries to make sense of the feeling. It generates Thoughts to justify the desire: “I really need that coffee because I didn’t sleep well.” These thoughts can then loop back and amplify the original emotion, making the desire even stronger. 

I can almost hear you say I appreciate all of this research but how do I manage my desires? – now that  I know that my feelings and desire is not demonic, it is what I do with it that makes it a sin. Below I will share a few techniques coupled with scripture in how to regulate your desires with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) teaches us that by changing the thought, you can actually dampen the emotion and eventually reduce the desire. This is known as top-down thinking or cognitive regulation. This is the process where the pre-frontal cortex exerts control over lower level, impulsive emotional centres like the amygdala. Top-down strategies allow you to consciously reshape your internal experience.

I focused on one out of the four strategies- cognitive reappraisal. This is the most well studied and used top-down strategy. It involves deliberately changing the interpretation of a situation to alter its emotional impact. With this strategy, you identify the automatic thought that is fuelling your emotions and replace it with a more positive one. The impact on the brain is that this activates the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which sends inhibitory signals to the amygdala  which physically dampening the alarm.

 In scripture, Philippians 4v8 (KJV) instructs us to think on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest. Whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. Romans 12:2 (KJV) says  “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable , and perfect, will of God”.

So I challenge you, it is time to reconstruct some of those thoughts that has been impacting desires, especially the desires that have become unbridled and idolatrous leading to behaviours that don’t please God.

The second strategy I delved into was cognitive distancing- this technique is where in order to regulate a strong desire, one is encouraged to use distancing to view the situation from a detached perspective. Instead of saying “I want this” you say I am noticing the sensation of wanting”. You also start to imagine the long-term costs of giving rather than the short-term reward. James 1:14-15 outlines the consequence of sin after desire is conceived.

Prayer: Father in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord I thank You for this word and breakdown of how desire is formed in me. Father I commit my desires and my heart in your hand. Father God, regulate my heart to desire only what You have in store for me. Lord bridle my desires in You in the name of Jesus Christ.  Father I pray help me to surrender my will, desires and emotions to you. As it is my thoughts that fuel my feelings, Lord I submit my thoughts to you and any thought or imaginations that is exalting itself against You oh Lord I cast it down in the name of Jesus Christ according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. Father, align my thoughts, feelings and desires with your word and I submit my flesh to You in the name of Jesus. Father I thank You that You have heard me in Jesus Christ Name I pray amen.

To watch the full teaching on Desire- Part 2 , click here https://bit.ly/4aOnUck

Transition

Ever feel like you finally get a hang of life and its course, only to be hit with a surprise crossroad that shifts you into a world of decisions and the very thing you thought you finally had control of you no longer could handle? Sounds familiar?

This is Transition. When you think you have mastered Transition on one level, there is always another level that awaits your discovery. God is amazing and He is full of surprises. There is absolutely nothing that takes Him by surprise concerning you but there are times when He allows unexpected shifts which are a surprise to you. I have learnt to welcome every shift as an indication that my journey is speeding up and it means that I am getting closer to my destination called There. Everytime a car has to change gears it allows the car to move at a faster speed. Your ability to shift accelerates your journey.

Transition is your vehicle that ushers you to your place called There. Everytime there is a shift, and a sudden change it means that you are arriving closer to your destination. Everytime life throws a curveball it just means you need to shift. If you experience sudden betrayal or sudden separation of a longstanding relationship that is just destiny disguised as a heartbreak. Trust what the Holy Spirit is doing in this season.

Romans 8v28 states that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose (Amplified Version). The good the bad and the ugly are all working out for your purpose. I was listening to an interview with Pastor Keion Henderson and Dr Matthew Stevenson and Dr Stevenson stated that “Change either happens to you or through you”.

I truly believe the difference is in those who allow themselves to go through the many processes and shifts that life has to throw at oneself, to those who allow themselves to go through this process, are the ones that are used as vessels of change but to the one who refuses change ends up being on the dark side of Change.

The darkside of change is where you end up dealing with the harsh consequences of change. In a crisis, you can tell the difference between those who are prepared and those who were ill prepared. Crisis is only seen as crisis by those who fail to discern the times and prepare. Crisis is seen as an opportunity by those who choose to prepare ahead of the crisis. Look around the world and look at the response to our present crisis. I truly believe that our response is determined by our ability to prepare. Preparation precedes response.

In transition, your preparation will precede your response. Your preparation to be flexible with the curveball of change will determine your ability to navigate through the many stages of transition.

Once you learn the simple principle of ebb and flow (that is knowing when to respond and when to be still), then the many shifts that accompanies Transition will be welcomed as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

God bless you and thank you for reading.

The Unemployed Graduate

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Graduating from University was a huge achievement for me, firstly because I was the first in my immediate family to graduate and secondly I had to overcome a lot of emotional, mental and physical barriers in order to wear that gown on that amazing day called ‘Graduation’. I was on cloud nine and there was nothing anyone could tell me that could prevent me from dreaming and expecting for my great future. Just 2-4 weeks later reality had  hit home I need a job!!!!!! I started applying and  I started looking at different things that I could do;  I mean my University boasted about 60% of its graduates got a job within 6 months of graduating so I was hopeful and  after all I was only 2 weeks in to unemployment. What I had not anticipated was that I was going to be unemployed for seven months. Every interview I was invited to, their response was ‘you’re overqualified’. By November I had enough.

But there was hope, seven months later after I had graduated, I started a new role in HR and I was excited as it had some relevance to what I had studied at University but just one year later I became unemployed again  because the contract was only for a year and that season continued for another 3 years and 9 months. The purpose of this article is to encourage those of you who are facing unemployment. It is to let you know that you are in one of the best seasons of your life- How so? I hear some of you ask?

You see in those three years and nine months God blessed me to start my own movement Release Me where I facilitated workshops and God blessed my mind and hands to write and self publish my first book and so many opportunities came out of that. Sometimes what we think is rejection is actually God’s way of redirecting our paths to places and opportunities that we could have never thought of by ourselves had we not walked through this way of our process. I don’t despise those seasons of unemployment- God used it to mould me into the woman that I am today and He allowed me to discover parts of me that I never knew existed. So here are a few spiritual and practical tips as to how I overcame my season of unemployment.

  • Prayer– everything for me starts with prayer because that is how you communicate with God- Communication with God is a dialogue not a monologue- there were moments during my season when I prayed and I had to wait for God to respond. Sometimes He responded straight away, other times it took Him a while because He saw a head of time what He was getting ready to do for me. Many times, His answers were either Yes, No, Not yet or just pure silence. When God responded in silence, I  realized He wanted me to apply what He had taught me in my last season. God does not allow you to go through anything He has not equipped you for. I realize  He was preparing me for that season six years before it happened. Prayer provides the map to the route God wants to take you on. Even though I was unemployed, God through prayer led me to opportunities that would yield provision for those hard seasons.
  • Obedience- with prayer comes instructions and with God’s instructions, He expects us to be obedient to His instructions. Your miracle and breakthrough is hidden in the last instruction that God gave you. There were many instructions that God gave me and even though I tried to be obedient to everything I heard (I didn’t always get it right), half the things He told me to do didn’t make sense but now as I am in the promise Job (He showed me my current role in 2010), I realize all of the instructions were necessary and they were forming me for the position I am in right now.
  • Purpose- Knowing  your purpose and what you are called to do is important. Purpose fuels passion. When you have a deep sense of purpose, there is a passion that is formed in you and as you go through your journey, your passion and journey will start to become visible to others who will want to explore what is about you. Opportunities chase the Passionate and the purpose driven individual. The more passionate and purpose driven you are, the more opportunities God will start to release to you.
  • A Good Attitude– Never turn down an opportunity because you don’t think its ‘good enough’ or because it does not match your ideal role. I accepted many roles that were beneath my potential and pay grade but I humbled myself and learned what I had to from each opportunity. Smile through it and remain thankful- God is watching your attitude- He is looking at how you handle the small opportunities. So that in due season He can elevate and promote you.
  • Sowing– there are a lot of debates about whether you should tithe or give offering especially when you are unemployed- I truly believe that tithing comes with revelation. The revelation I received was to remain faithful even in the small. If you can be faithful in the little- God will make you ruler over much- Matthew 25v23 and Luke 16v10. Even if I only had £10 I had  a strong conviction to sow at least 10%. Even when I got my first full time job after such a long period  of unemployment, I had to survive off £950 per month, and out of that God encouraged me to sow. And every month God supplied my needs, I never went without food and clothing. No one could have thought that that’s all I was bringing home every month. Before my bills, I gave my tithe and offering, I believe in the principle of first so before I gave anyone else my money I gave it to God first,  it was a way of consecrating my finances and God always stretched it. I would have to do another article on the principle of sowing and tithing-  God used this principle to shatter glass ceilings over my life. It is not by my works but every instruction in this area I had honoured, and God came through for me.
  • Sign up with as many agencies as possible– A very practical principle- sign up with multiple agencies (Morgan Hunt, Brook Street, Reed, Adecco). I have learnt that the jobs market is about numbers, the more jobs you apply for the more chance you have of getting a job. Sitting at home praying all day is not enough this is where you apply works to your faith. How many CVs have you submitted? the rejections will make you weary but you have to push, press and persevere through all of that because your promise is on the other side of the rejection. I applied for over 1500 jobs, possibly 2000 in the space of two years until I gave up. The permanent role which I hold now came through an agency. Be creative and speak to friends and family. My first permanent job came through my landlady who lived across the road from me.
  • Managing the balance between Instinct and Intellect– To understand more about this I will encourage you to read Bishop TD Jakes’ book called INSTINCT. A huge mistake I made after graduating from University is I thought that it was all about my intellect, there was a bit of pride and ego at work hence the intense process. God had to strip me of that mindset. I walked around thinking I was entitled to get a job because I completed a law with psychology degree I mean who wouldn’t want me? that was a poor attitude and I realized even where I am now- that  employers value a person that can think and act with instinct and bring forth a solution that can yield results for his or her company. It always baffled me why people who never went to school were doing better than me- God taught me it is because they know how to think and move with instinct. They don’t just know theory but they know how to convert it into practical solutions. If you can get this, then you are on your way to your promotion. The day I caught this revelation, is the day my life started to change.

There are so many more principles that I would like to share but it is my prayer that as you obediently apply these principles that God will begin to open up doors that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard 1 Corinthians 2v9. May God shatter those glass ceilings of limitations and may He release miracles signs and wonders in your life as you obey the instructions of the Lord. May grace and peace be your portion in Jesus Name. Amen

God bless you and thank you for reading.

Managing The Season of Nothing’s Happening

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For ten years I had to deal with many lows as well as highs and watching what God has done over the last few months (video of my testimony is coming soon), I am led to share a few nuggets of wisdom of how to make it through the seasons of ‘nothing’s happening’. Have you ever found yourself in a place where you are asking God- Lord what are you doing? you almost want to take over the steering wheel of your life and show God how its supposed to be? I have been there so many times and I have even taken the steering wheel from God- because He doesn’t force His perfect will, He stood back and I ended up with a lot of broken bones and bruises- the beauty of God’s love is that He was waiting right there with open arms to nurture me and heal me and redirect and reroute me back to my original place in Him. God is calling you back to that original place of surrender.

It took over nine years for me to learn to be still in the seasons when it seems as if nothing is happening or every dream is about to die. I had failed to recognize that there was an appointed time for every dream and prophetic word to come to pass in my life (I am living in the reality of some of those dreams right now- to God be the glory).

So what do you do when it seems as if God has forgotten His word over you. Here are a few things that helped me through those seasons of hardship and the season of ‘Nothing’s Happening’;

  • Rest–  Resting in God comes with trust and faith and this takes time. In the beginning of my transitional journey but in the middle (that’s the hardest part), this word annoyed me. For me, I found it impossible to rest when all hell was breaking loose in my life such as unemployment, rejection, threat of  homelessness, unpaid bills and everything else was coming against me all at the same time. When friends and confidants would say be still it really frustrated me until I stepped into the revelation of what it truly meant to rest in God. As long as I was up trying to figure everything out, that’s when God would step back.  I was spending most days hustling trying to find a job and nothing was happening. After being still in the presence of God,  I started living out Hebrews chapter 4 without noticing-  One evening when I was in an ‘opportunity chasing mood’- the Holy Spirit led me to do something fun and it was nothing to do with work. After being obedient- the Holy Spirit touched the heart of a sister and she released £100 into my account. Another occasion after another moment of serious disappointment , the Lord told me to explore a new area and record an encouraging video, within that same hour another woman of God released £100 to me. Resting in God is not laziness- when you rest in God you are saying God I am letting go off of every idea and I am placing my needs in your hands with the confidence that you are going to fix it- it takes faith to truly release to God and wait for Him to release divine strategies as to what to do or not to do next.  When I look at my life now- I think I should have rested more because God knew all along that I would get to where I am now. All I had to do was rest in Him; Instead I stressed out and allowed anxiety to get in and as a result  I spent the first few months of my new season recovering from stress related sickness due to all the anxiety and the worrying I encountered through my low season but God was still faithful to bring my dreams into manifestation. Now that I have learnt and I am still learning how to rest in God, things are happening quickly, doors are opening with almost no effort. I think it and if it is according to His will- God provides it. Rest comes with having faith and your faith is developed through reading the word of God and spending time in His presence.

 

  • Worship– God has been unraveling worship to me throughout this year. Worship does not just happen on a Sunday. Worship is not confined to a Sunday Service. It is that uninterrupted moment between you and the Heavenly father- whether its through singing, dancing praying. Worship is an antidote for the pressures of life. Singing was a form of therapy for me. After suffering closed doors one after the other, I would come home feeling deflated and the Holy Spirit would whisper- just sing- sometimes the pain was so intense I would end up crying whilst singing but after I get into it- the weight I carried throughout the day would just life and from that experience God would start to unravel the revelation behind every closed door.

 

  • Dream– you have to fight to keep the dream alive- Dreams are powerful. As long as you can keep on dreaming in the midst of adversity, there is nothing that the enemy can do to take you out. Never underestimate your ability to dream. If you can still see the future even in the midst of disappointment and hopelessness I promise you, you will come forth as pure gold. There is an expiration date on your process and season of ‘Nothing’s Happening’. After months and years of disappointments, I fought for my ability to dream- and after every dream I would write down these dreams and release it to God. Dr Mike Murdock says it best- Imagination is your ability to pre-play the future but a memory replays your past.  Where is your focus as you are reading this? Even if something disappointing happened 10 minutes ago, is your focus on the past or is your focus on the future- if you can see the future, you are unstoppable.

 

  • Plan– It is not enough to just dream through the hardship but in those quiet seasons, plan for the manifestation of your dream. That is the purpose of the ‘Nothing’s Happening’ season. That is where you plan and prepare for the promise. What is that dream home going to look like- what is the colour scheme. What outfits will you wear to your new job? (90 % of the time when  I left my house I dressed like I was going to work in my seasons of unemployment). What does your budget look like when you start to make that dream money? In 2016, I created a ‘dream budget’ of how I  would spend and invest my money when I started getting a steady income. How will you treat that man of God when God releases Him to you (ladies?) or how will you treat that woman of God when God releases her to you (men?) It is easy and free to dream but it costs to birth that dream into manifestation and it all starts with prayerful planning. The key to seeing manifestation is plan and prepare- God will not release to you what you desire if you are not spiritually, physically, emotionally or psychologically ready for the promise (this is for every dream- not just a man/woman).

I have so much more nuggets to share but for now, I will leave you with these. For every reader who will take time to read this, it is my prayer that God will give you staying power to complete your process because at your appointed time, you will come forth as pure gold. I pray God’s supernatural strength over you and as your days are so shall your strength be. God bless you and thank you for reading.

 

Your Movement Has A Sound

 

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Towards the latter part of December 2017, I kept hearing the Holy Spirit say, ‘Your Movement has a sound’. ‘Your purpose has a sound’. ‘Your obedience has a sound’. Every time you obey God and every time you say yes, a sound erupts from glory and an alarm is sent from Heaven to Earth and to Hell. Often times when you set out to do what God has instructed you to do, you are often met with opposition, do you know why? It is because your movement has a sent a sound to hell and in response to your purpose the enemy sent opposition to stop you from fulfilling your purpose. What some people do, they give up and they stop. I have done this so many times over the past few years. But last year in 2017, God taught me to push and Move with the instructions no matter how much opposition I experienced and now God is moving on my behalf. Every time you meet opposition and you choose to move ahead in boldness, God releases a sound that will cause Hell to cease its opposition. Read 2Chronicles 20v22, this is the position that God requires of us this year. Your worship is a symbol of honour to Him. In the midst of opposition, praise and worship is your greatest weapon. This year, every time you feel intense warfare or as I call it labour pains, just sing and praise.

I truly believe God is saying in this season that the enemy will not be able to stop you in your next decision to move because this time God is sending the sound of chariots and horses and a great army  ahead of you according to 2 Kings 7v5. No more will you feel alone or defeated, because God is sending special enforcement of angels to help you carry out the assignment that will set both you and those around you free. Your movement will feed a people and deliver a people from spiritual famine and bondage. Don’t take it lightly that new and innovative ideas are coming to you inn this season. Everything that the Lord commands you to do, do it in obedience and watch Heaven move on your behalf.

God bless you and thank you for reading…

 

Dahna  O. Fearon

Refresh And Restore


We are in a season of refreshing and restoration- 2Kings 8:1-6; Take hold of it. God has seen the tears you have cried. He has seen the seeds you have sown. There is getting ready to be a deluge of supernatural blessings and breakthroughs. 1Kings 18:41. In this season He will pour out His spirit upon you to recover all- 1Samuel 30:8. He will pour out His Spirit upon you to possess your promise.

God’s healing power is being released upon you. You will now have the attitude of Caleb where you will see that you are well able to possess the land. You will no longer see yourself as a grasshopper Numbers 13: 30-31. New strategies will be given to you in your quiet time with the Lord. Listen and take heed to what is being spoken to you. The next set of strategies are necessary for the possession of your promise.

Refresh- give new strength or energy to reinvigorate.

Restoration- the action of returning something to a former owner, place or condition.

God bless you and thank you for reading.

Dealing With Rejection In The Church (Part 2)

Rejection Poster 2

“A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success”- Bo Bennett

Below are a few points on dealing with rejection in the church;

1.Understand that rejection is redirection and relocation to your new place of purpose and destiny- Joseph’s brothers rejected him and that rejection led him to the pit which ushered him to Pharaoh’s palace.

2. Sometimes God will allow rejection to happen to redirect your focus to God as your only source.

3. When rejection happens in the church (the people), it is an indication that what you are carrying is far too big for the reject-er to handle. Healing from rejection starts when you realise that the same people who have rejected you may  have also been rejected.

4. Healing begins when you start to experience the unconditional love of God through His word and worship.

5. Healing begins when you accept the rejection- accepting that the rejection has taken starts the healing process and you will start to see that  the issue does not lie with you but the issue lies with the reject-er. Please note that acceptance of the rejection is different to reacting to the rejection.

6. Healing from rejection within the church starts when you stop reacting to it- my mentor said to me a few years ago that rejection is not valid if you are chasing the person who has and is rejecting you- it is when you keep reacting to their rejection- that is when the pain of rejection is birthed .

7. Accept that the person does not have the capacity to love you- they cannot give you what they do not have and that is when you will get the power to love again.

8. Understand that the church (the people) is not perfect. Everyone is wounded and hurt in some type of way. The Church is like a hospital, everyone who visits the hospital has an ailment and it is the same with the church, everyone who attends has an ailment in their spirit, soul and body and have come to see the chief physician which is Jesus Christ for their healing.

9. Disappointment in the form of rejection happens when you place unrealistic expectations on others and when you are looking for approval from people instead of God; no one can love you or accept you like God can.

10. Remember that you have been rejected for a purpose and that Jesus loves you.

God bless you and thank you for reading.

 

 

 

Dealing With Rejection In The Church (Part 1)



For the past few weeks I have been writing on rejection, what it is, the characteristics of rejection, fear of rejection and self rejection. I wrote on the fact that when rejection happens, it is because the environment that you are looking to for acceptance is incapable of handling the greatness that is on the inside of you.

I would like to focus on rejection in the church. There are so many wounded souls within the church and there are so many who have left the church because they have been rejected by leaders and others who have been set to watch over and protect them. I am writing this blog to all those who have suffered rejection in the one place that you expected to be accepted- The Church.

So who and what is The Church?

The Church is commonly defined as a building used for public worship; many people refer to the church as an organisation- but the word church in the bible comes from the Greek word Ecclesia which means a called out company or assembly- whenever the word church is used in the bible, it is referring to people- 1 Corinthians 1v2. So when I am talking about being rejected in the church, I am talking about being rejected by the people who are the church not God- you see Jesus’ love for you is unconditional and nothing that you do could ever make God reject you or stop loving you.  One thing that helped my healing process from rejection was that;

The Rejecter has also been rejected

I see a cycle within the body of Christ, there are so many leaders who have been rejected by their spiritual fathers, that has created this vicious cycle of rejection. What we have are rejected spiritual sons and daughters turning into spiritual mothers and fathers who are now rejecting their spiritual sons and daughters. It takes a level of maturity and getting into a place of revelation to see the spirit behind rejection within the church. The result of this type of rejection is that there are spiritual sons and daughters who have and are still walking around not understanding their identity and looking to other spiritual fathers/mothers for the spiritual validation that should have been given to them by their spiritual fathers.

Solution

The solution to this is seeking God and discovering what God is saying about you- your identity and purpose is found in God and oftentimes, I believe that God will purposely hide your call and assignment from the man of God. I am not saying this is always the case because the man of God is set to guide, guard and protect you. However, God does not always reveal everything to the man of God concerning you. I experienced this is in my personal life, I could not understand why my spiritual father at the time could not see what God was telling me about my purpose and destiny- my purpose got so intense that I could barely sleep or eat. I had to step outside of the boat and with that decision came rejection.

Was I upset? yes, I was on the verge of bitterness especially when I had dealt with my natural father not being in my life throughout my teenage years but in my metamorphosis process, God began to show me that rejection meant redirection and where I was positioned at the time, my environment could no longer accommodate the greatness that I was carrying on the inside of me. I started to love and appreciate my leaders from my past as, if they had accepted me and approved of me, I would have remained in the same place; I recognised that my leaders may have also experienced rejection at some point in their lives and may not have noticed that they were passing on the same treatment. I started seeing God’s hand in the rejection. The rejection was just a vehicle that was transporting me to my place of purpose and destiny.

God bless you and thank you for reading