Highlights of 2021
Man oh man, all I can say about this year is God dey. As usual, my life was as dramatic as it could be. With all the amazing things God did and taught me this year, there are a few I want to highlight. I hope God would use this to lead you into a deeper revelation of His ways and His word.
This year I learned what it means to:
Live a yielded life
The word yielded means to permit, give way, lay one’s arms down, surrender.
To do this, there has to be a physical and spiritual release of control over everything. I struggle with so much frustration and anger because like every other human being I craved to have power over the outcomes of certain situations. I had a vision and a plan of how I expected things to fall into place and when they didn’t I felt frustrated or as though I wasn't progressing. So many times, I almost missed out on the blessings that I had prayed for because it wasn’t delivered in the form I envisioned in my head. I love this verse from Proverbs 19:21 in the passion translation and it says “A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of God’s purpose will succeed in the end.”
I need you to read this verse, know this truth and find peace. The sooner you grasp this, the sooner you see the moves of God that you once overlooked. To put it in one sentence, the will of God will always prevail. But we can’t understand the depths of this by the thinking of our human flesh. The human mind that functions by the nature of society would oppose this because “I want it my way” but the mind that is in tune with the spirit of God jumps for joy because it knows that a life surrendered and aligned with the will of God is better than anything else we could ever imagine. Surrender is not a sign of weakness but wisdom. Being humble enough to say, Lord, I can’t do it on my own. I know I have a dream but I need you to give me the wisdom and understanding to know what to pursue and what to walk away from. God, I need you in the details of all that I do. The best part is that we gain more than God does when we surrender and ask Him to be the center of our lives. I have so much more to say on this topic but I’ll save that for another write-up.
Know Jehovah Jireh
Also called Yahweh-Yireh, which means “the Lord will provide.” I had so many things I took to prayer that seemed unattainable, promises that seemed like they would never come to pass, and much more. I worried, I feared, I cried and I questioned God time and time again. Then Elevation & Maverick City released their song Jireh and I sang it from the rooftops and according to Spotify, I listened to it 197 times. One day, I felt the Lord ask me, do you believe and see that I am Jireh? You sing it but do trust that I am who I say I am? And it wrecked me. I said the words and I knew of His name, Jireh, but I did not walk in the confidence of someone who knew that God was, is, and will be my provider. Financially, emotionally, and in healing. The truth was that not seeing the tangible fulfillment of His provision made me doubtful. I took my eyes off Him and focused more on what my physical circumstance spoke instead of holding on to what His word and His resounding promises said. I decided to counter doubt with truth and truly walk out having greater faith. When God told Moses to do something that seemed far out of his reach, he questioned God just like we all do. (Reference Exodus 3) Exodus 3:13-14 says “But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” 14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” The Lord reminded me, that His name is I Am and whatever my need is, He is just that. Whether it be stability, provision, healing, wisdom, confidence, strength, etc. His response is…
I Am healing
I Am provision
I Am strength
I Am freedom
It’s one thing to know of His names but it’s another thing to believe it and declare it over a situation that seems like a dead end.
Know the authority you have in Christ
This is a big one! Imagine having access to something and never tapping into it. God tells us that we are made in His image and that we have all we need through Him. I am someone who has dealt with identity issues, self-esteem, paralyzing fear, severe anxiety, and other heavy-bearing things. I remember in several moments of tears and feelings of defeat hearing a whisper say “pick your head up, you have the authority to overcome.” It took me a while to realize the power of Christ that was in me. I knew the bible talked about the authority we have as daughters and sons but I only understood it at surface level. This challenged me to get deeper in my bible readings and reminded me that it was more than just words on paper. It is active and alive.
The word of God says, “Now you understand that I have imparted to you my authority to trample over his kingdom. You will trample upon every demon before you and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will harm you as you walk in this authority.” Luke 10:19
This means we don’t have to succumb to the hardships and overwhelming feelings we deal with. This means that by the power of Christ that is in me, I can speak to the spirit of fear that debilitates. This means that I can cast out demons that bring forth anxiety, oppression, doubt. As humans, we have natural emotional and physical reactions to situations and we also have the authority to command thoughts and emotions that are evoked to be obedient and align themselves with Jesus Christ. (Corinthians 10:4 -6)
Job 22:28 states, "Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee and the light shall shine upon thy ways."This scripture is a powerful testament to the power of spoken words, When we decree and declare according to God's Word, we are operating in our dominion authority and activating our power to establish God's will in the earth. - Kimberly Jones
Start declaring God’s word over your life, your thoughts, and everything that you do.
If you’re gonna fight, fight well
This goes hand in hand with the previous point. You can’t fight if you don’t know what you’re supposed to fight with. Life is a roller coaster and there will always be challenges and opposition to the things that God is walking us towards. Sometimes life’s obstacles have us at the end of our rope and it legit looks like we’ve lost and we naturally start to give in to the feeling of defeat and hopelessness. After living a life that once entertained the thought and feeling of being defeated, I’m here to tell you it’s time to wake up and know your position in battle. You do this by remembering who the God you serve is - Deuteronomy 20:4; Know your enemy - Ephesians 6:12; Armor up - Ephesians 6:10-18.
We often lack knowledge of the type of battle we’re fighting and show up empty-handed or with the wrong weapons. The truth is everything that comes against us is more than just the physical manifestation of our troubles. Ephesians 6: 12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” There is warfare happening daily in the spiritual realm and when you know and accept this reality, you will understand the importance of remaining armored up at all times. This comes by spending time in the Word of God, intentionally setting time away from all the distractions to be in a quiet place with Him, and praying without ceasing.
May the Lord take you all to greater heights and may you find deeper intimacy with Him. I pray that you would seek him with all your heart and that you find yourself living yielded to His will. Amen.
Happy New Year!
