Week 31-I'm Waging War!

This week has been a busy and tiring week. On Wednesday I was invited to attend a public forum at the University of the South Pacific. The topic was about the health needs of marginalised people and justice in Fiji. The marginalised people include- the beggars, sex workers, prisoners and single mothers. I found it so insightful and eye opening as the purpose of the forum was not to point fingers and find someone to blame but about finding solutions and interventions to improve the lives of marginalised people in the community.

New Week, New Me

I have been feeling like a new woman this week lol. I’ve been feeling so empowered because God has been releasing the strongholds and shackles off my feet. I mentioned that last week I was dealing with the spirit of depression and mastering my emotions, and well this week I’ve been finding new ways to guard my heart. For example I have been downloading sermons on self-control and guarding your heart and would listen to it whilst walking to work or play it aloud whilst I'm at home. Whenever the spirit creeps up on me and tries to attack me I replay it and start quoting scriptures and bind the enemy.

No Weapons Formed Against Me Shall Prosper

Lately I have been feeling like forces have been working against me-BUT I am confident that the Lord will rescue me from evil attack!!! I see that satan will use whomever he wants to in order to stop the plans of God from prevailing. The scripture declares that we fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). People, it’s so important we have a discerning spirit so we are able to detect, expose and bind the plans of the enemy. We must be on our guard, standing firm in the faith, courageous and strong my brothers and sister (1 Corinthians 16:13).

I'm actually sick and tired of satan stealing what rightfully belongs to me, this week I had to wage war and take back what he had stolen from me. What's satan been stealing from you lately? Has he been causing divisions? Stealing your peace or joy? It's time to take it back, it's time to send satan packing, enough is enough!!!

My Rutoman Family!

At the moment I’m staying with such a lovely Rutoman family. God is sooo amazing, He knows how much I miss home and He has blessed me with a loving and generous family here in Fiji who have opened up their home to me and made me feel as though I'm apart of their family. I made dinner for them just the other day and through me looking after the children and cooking and cleaning I see that God is using these situations to improve my home making skills lol. 

Be Thankful & Bless His Name

I’m thankful for seasons like this because they are making me more independent and wiser  than ever before. I thank Yahweh for bringing me this far; I have overcome so many mountains and valleys all because of Him. Speaking of being thankful, this is an area that God has been dealing with in my life this week. Psalm 100:4 says “be thankful to Him and bless His name. The word bless means; to give thanks, exalt, worship, praise.  Gratitude is having a thankful spirit. Gratitude begins by acknowledging who God is and what He has done. Ingratitude, on the other hand, begins with a heart that refuses to be satisfied, that rejects the Giver as well as His gift (Romans 1:21). Sometimes I get so caught up in my adversity that I fail to thank Him for the little yet significant things like deodorant, a bed to lay my head and even shoes without holes to wear to work.

This walk is a journey and I’m learning to be more gracious with myself. I’m someone who likes things done to a high standard and this can also cause me to be hard on myself when I fail to do what is right and slip up. At the end of the day no one is perfect, we are all a working progress and transformation is gradual, it’s a process. 

Thanks for dropping by, please SUBSCRIBE & SHARE!

Selah :)

Miss Josie Jo

Xxx

Week 30-Season Of Planting...

It’s Just Emotions Taking Me Over

This week I‘ve battling with the spirit of depression and oppression. I have been allowing my circumstances to get the better of me urgh. At present I’m trying to find my feet in a foreign land. This is a season of planting and sowing for me as I feel like I'm starting from scratch. I was online and came across an article that said, “Depression is not cause by circumstances, but failure to trust Christ”. Reading that really convicted me. The whole essence of feeling something is that we may do something about it. I’m learning so much about myself like I need to guard my heart a lot more and exercise self control. If not I’ll continue to sink into the sea of depression. Proverbs 16:32 says “it is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities”.

If we want to have victory over our circumstances, it will not be through our feelings but through faith. Our faith acts as an agent to assist in fulfilling the predetermined purpose of God. We must stand firm against the enemy; anything that hinder the purposes of God in our lives.

Keep Pushing

As believers we must be relentless-unyielding, we can’t take no for an answer. We must not give up. We need to keep prevailing and pushing until the victory is won. The Israelites didn’t stop shouting around the walls of Jericho until the wall collapsed. Imagine if they had stopped on the 6^th day, would they have crossed over? Of course not! If you want to see breakthroughs in your life, you need to keep pushing. A mother keeps pushing until the baby comes out; keep pushing your victory is coming my friend! Are you committed and determined to become all that God had predestined you to be? Rest assured and know that His grace is sufficient for you.

Transformation Starts In The Mind Yo!

God wants us to change because He wants us to be prepared for what He has next in store for us. Every area of my life has already been conformed to this age and it must be transformed. To be transformed is to move from one form into another. Transformation must first take place in the mind (Romans 12:2).

Also, I have noticed that lately I have been so discontent with my current situations but God wants us to be content with wherever we are. The word content means ‘to be in a state of peaceful happiness; to be satisfied’. God wants us to be like Paul who was joyful, thankful and content in whatever state he was in (Philippians 4:11). The opposite of being content is impatient, restless, unhappy, envious, frustrated. Now this does not mean we become comfortable and complacent with our circumstances, it simply means we are not allowing our circumstances to determine how we feel.

I made the mistake of thinking that an improvement in my circumstances would make me happier-that’s a lie from the pits of hell. If I’m not grateful and thankful for what God has given me now, how can I expect to be ‘happy’ when I receive more. People, we can’t wait till our lives are in ‘order’ before we decide to be joyful.

And The Refining Continues

God has been using my relationships with others to humble me. In James 4:6 it says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The word humble means to be more concerned about honoring God, free from vanity, unassuming, submissive, having a low estimate of one’s importance. The word oppose mean; to be against, dislike, disagree with, be in opposition. God actively stands against us when we are prideful and He generously pours out His grace in our lives when we respond with humility-which one do you want?

Besides working with the police and doing community work I have recently started mentoring teenagers, oh and I finally decided to enroll for swimming classes haha.

That’s about all from me, have a lovely week :)

Miss Josie Jo

Xxx

Week 29-Father, Make Me Better...

So this week I officially started counselling the police officers woop woop! I love the fact that I’m getting back into the routine of work and although it’s been a bit nerve wrecking for me to adjust to a new setting which is male dominated, I see how God is using me to be the light within the work place.

Praise Him Regardless

This week I have been learning that whether or not God meets my ‘needs’ I must continue to praise Him and boy let’s just say it hasn’t been an easy lesson to learn. Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced the prospect of being burnt to death but in spite of this they still trusted God and remained faithful. In Daniel 3:17-19 they said  “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up”. They were such faithful men. The word faithful means to remain loyal and steadfast and this is what God calls us to be.

Because He Loves, He Disciplines

Apart of me still gets frustrated when things don’t go my way. Like the other day I started complaining and questioning God’s character when I asked Him to provide something for me and He didn’t. God spoke to me and said,  “Josie, a father doesn’t give their child everything they ask for every time and you need to understand that”. I was like wow! I made the mistake of coming to God as if He was a genie or something when He’s not! He’s our heavenly Father who loves us and demonstrates His love by chastising and disciplining us (Hebrews 12:6).

Don’t Be A Conditional Praiser

The book of Habakkuk has been encouraging me greatly through this season of my life. God called Habakkuk to embrace what He called him to endure and the prophet did just that with joy. God calls us to do the same thing, we will have our trials but He wants us to embrace it with joy and thanksgiving. Habakkuk 3:17-19 certainly puts things into prospective. Like lately I have been feeling like I'm in a dry place, a place of lack not only financially but-spiritually and emotionally too but God has been challenging me to be like Habakkuk, who, being in a place of want still chose to say “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. This is true faith. God wants us to still make the decision to read our Bible, pray, to go to church and to do whatever else He has called us to do even when circumstances change for the worst.

Master Your Emotions

What else has been happening in my world? Oh yes so God used a friend to expose to me a weakness of mine-my emotions! Like situations lately have made me realize that I have been allowing myself to be ruled by my emotions and this is something that I need to work on. Joyce Meyers once said that “an emotional person is defined as: one easily affected with or stirred by emotions; one whose conduct is ruled by emotion rather than reason. With the help of the Holy Spirit I’m now on the path to learning how to exercise self-control more and not allow my emotions to make my decisions. A quote I came across said “wisdom says wait; emotions say hurry” and this is sooo true.

Thank you for taking the time to read what I’ve been up to this week. I’m praying for you all.

Much Love,

Miss Josie Jo

Xxx