It is an established fact in Christianity that the enemy of our faith is the devil. He is on the opposing side. Christians are on the other side. The field is life. Each side is in the game for a purpose. Our purpose is to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, the devil’s purpose is to prevent us and to destroy us. The rules of the game are as stated in the word of God, the Bible. The whistle was blown many years ago, when God put Adam in Eden.
This is not a message that is popular in this day and age. It is a frightening message. It has a tendency to chase people away from church. It is a demanding message, because when you hear a message like that, you can’t just walk away from it. It will haunt you for days thereafter. You will want to ask yourself many questions. Am I ready for that judgment? Will I pass? What do I need to change in my life now? How do I get ready?
Sometimes we feel disappointed by the things we feel ought to be and are not. Sometimes, we get carried away by other people’s achievements. We allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the things that we don’t have, the things that we have asked for and not received. At times like these, we need to cry out to God and let Him know our challenges. Ps. 61:1-2 says that when our hearts are overwhelmed, He will lead us to the Rock that is higher than us. He is that Rock. When we don’t know the way, He does. When we don’t know the solution, He does.
Trust is built over time. We need to have trusted God in little things before we can trust Him in big things. We need to have experienced His help in mundane matters before we can trust Him for big things. The earlier we start, the better.
This experience helps me appreciate afresh, the healing power of God and His presence with us. He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be with us always. He is with me even now, as I write this. As I think of weight loss strategies and pain management strategies without medication. As I promise myself to stay away from excessive eating and stay committed to walking and healthy eating, He is with me; helping me stay committed to the good things that promote health and healing.
So, what solution do I have to experience joy and encouragement on an ongoing basis? Look up! That’s what the preacher said. When you wake up in the morning and everything in you tells you that you are nothing and not deserving of a good day, you look up and remind yourself that it’s true. You don’t deserve a good day, but the One Who loves you more than you can ever love yourself has already gifted it to you. You only have to receive it. And even if the day still brings with it sorrow or pain, you can be assured that the One Who loves you is aware of it, and is working everything out for your good.
One thing is clear: being an African woman most likely guarantees that you will be demeaned, maltreated, considered less and be less appreciated and more prone to abuse than other women and other human beings in the world. It is the combination of two factors that individually qualify you for discrimination: being a woman first of all, then being an African. Like the saying goes, ‘It’s a man’s world’. Secondly, in almost all African traditions, the woman is considered to be less than the man, and that is putting it very mildly.
A very painful part of the aftermath of the scandal for me, is the reactions of a lot of Christians, defending their man of God and even denying the event. We do not have proof yet, whether or not the rape occurred, but the blind defense is what gets to me, and the excuses and arguments being proffered to support the positions.
Men of God are God’s servants and messengers, sent to represent Him and share His messages with the Body of Christ on earth. Because they represent God, they are to be respected. However, we must remember that they are still men and not God, so the respect we give should not be the reverence reserved for God. In addition, because they are men, they are equally susceptible to sin like all men are (men and women alike) and should not be deemed infallible, like God.
When a victim speaks up and is ridiculed, it brings the pain of other victims back to the surface and you suffer along, although secretly. The comfort survivors have is that God is there. He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3).
I wish there was more succor for the suffering, such as access to counselors and people who understand abuse and how to deal with it, both for the victim and for the abuser. This is because it’s not only the victim that needs help. The abuser does too.
I was recently going through an old journal of mine, written over eleven years ago and found this interesting portion, which I decided to share today.
