Week 10-Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Mind…

Hey! How are you all doing on this fine day lol? This week I have been feeling under the weather and have been sick (yet again). This week I have had tonsillitis, my throat has been killing me and I haven’t been able to eat much because of it. I have also been spending time with one of the neighbours and her children, which has been a source of comfort for me as I miss home.

It’s All About You Jesus

Me and some of the kids from Kids Club

I’m learning more and more to rejoice in the Lord despite my circumstances. God has been reminding me to focus on the bigger picture rather than paying attention to my issues and problems. For example I don’t like the food I eat at times, the sun is scorching hot down here and I sometimes find it so unbearable not to mention the ongoing issue with the language barrier. I’ve been meditating on Hebrews 11 and boy did it put me in my place. These champions of faith went through soo much yet here I am complaining and wanting to run home. Yes I’m struggling in my own way but it doesn’t compare. I need to remind myself that me travelling to the other side of the world was not in vein; it’s because of Jesus! When we take our eyes off Jesus, our problems will look bigger than they are.

Me and Baby Tama

Earthly Riches vs Heavenly Riches

God really spoke to me through Hebrews 11:24-26 AMP. It says “[aroused] by faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, because he preferred to share the oppression [suffer the hardships] and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life. He considered the contempt and abuse and shame [borne for] the Christ (the Messiah Who was to come) to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt, for he looked forward and away to the reward (recompense)”.

Moses gave up his status, riches and comfortable lifestyle all for Christ and God’s calling and purpose. He thought it was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt…do you feel the same way about Christ? Through this portion of scripture, God also encouraged me to stop focusing on the country I left behind and focus on the here and now. In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, “no one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God”. I can testify that the word of God really is sharper than any double-edged sword and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This convicted me, like it’s sooo true! I can’t be double minded. My body can’t be here whilst my mind is in London it just doesn’t make sense. I need to focus on what God has called me to here in Fiji and press on.

God I Place My Life In Your Hands

I have been praying about what to do after I finish outreach. I don’t want to make the wrong decision whilst at the same time I don’t want my decisions to be based on my own desires. I do miss London so much! I miss my family and friends, food (below are pictures of some of the food we eat on the base). I miss having my own space not to mention the little things like having the freedom to be creative and dress up but if God has called me to stay here for more than 6 months then I’ll be obedient and stay.

 Something I have been struggling with this week is worry; I have definitely fallen short in this area. As much as I have been ‘praying’ for God to direct my path and show me what He has in store for me, I have questioned where He is leading me to. Imagine I have questioned God’s sovereignty and character smh! I truly feel like I'm walking by faith, I don’t know what’s next but I choose to trust God. God spoke to me through Proverbs 3:5-6 and encouraged me to TRUST HIM. This pretty much sums up our relationship with God-we must have faith and trust Him, after all “the just shall live by faith and without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him.

                      

            

Worry-The Paralysis of Faith

When we worry, we assume responsibility for things we were never intended to handle. Matthew 6:25-34 speaks about how we should not worry. It’s a command from Jesus. To worry is to have a divided mind, and at the end of the day worrying doesn’t change anything. It simply draws us away from God and His faithfulness and righteousness and this is what Satan wants. If you find yourself worrying, I urge you to turn to God’s Word and let Him speak to you. When you cry out to Him and express your fears, He shall fill you with His peace and guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7). Before you even started to worry, God was already working things out for you because He see’s your tomorrows.

Thank you for reading what I have been up to, I pray you are encouraged and hope that by reading my blog, you are drawing closer to God.

P.s my email address is josieagyeman@gmail.com, feel free to drop me an email.

Love Miss Josie Jo

Xxx 

Week 9-A New Chapter Begins...

Get Behind Me Satan…

Bula! How are you all doing…this week spiritual warfare was going on. So basically the day before my birthday first my laptop just randomly decided to stop working as I was preparing to take notes for the lecture and this went on for a couple of hours. Then as the lecture was going on, I started feeling really really weak. It was weird because my body was not in pain, yet I literally felt like a spirit was pressing me down. I had to excuse myself from the lecture and go and lie down. Later one of the speakers from Australia came and prayed over me and I was able to walk and go back into the lecture. He explained to me that there is a lot of resistance; the enemy doesn’t like the fact that I’m in Fiji and drawing others closer to God.

Put On The Whole Armor of God...

As believers and soldiers in God’s army we need to expect this, we should not be discouraged. James hit the nail on the head when he said “dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4). It’s vital that we realize that warfare is always taking place; the enemy literally walks around like a roaring lion, looking for something to attack and spit out. In spite of this there is no need for us to fear because no weapons formed against us shall proper. Yes the enemy and his demons will bring the attacks but it shall not prosper because He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world. We must put on the full armor of God so that we will be able to stand against the wiles and schemes of the enemy (Ephesians 6:11).

It’s My Birthday!

This week I turned 22 and have been reflecting on the goodness of God. God has blessed me beyond words I’m telling you. This time last year I was preparing from my final year exams and a year later I’m in Fiji! Sacrifices have been made, but looking back they have been worth it. If not for Yahweh and the people He has brought into my life to encourage and exhort me, I would not be the woman I am today. It was Yahweh who gave me the strength to get through the darkest moments in my life. God has brought me so far…from primary school to university, He has brought me through situations with my friends and families not to mention guys and been so patient with me when I backslid. In spite of all the mistakes I made and continue to make, His plans and purpose for me have not

changed. He has remained faithful beyond words. 2 Timothy 2:13 declares that even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. That’s the God I serve, and if He has done all this for me, expect Him to do great and mighty things in your life too J

I want to encourage you all to be obedient to God, if He has called you to do something, do it! Don’t procrastinate, don’t delay, don’t make excuses because if you do, you will miss the blessings God has in store for you.

Place of Worship...

Towards the end of this week God has been working on me a lot mentally and changing my mindset. This week’s topic has been Worship and one of areas the speaker touched on was our place of worship. Our place of worship is the place we spend most of our time and upon reflection, I see that my laptop has become my place of worship (the way I reacted to my laptop not working was soo not right). God also revealed with me that I have become idle with my time, browsing through Facebook for example instead of concentrating on other things. Facebook is such a big TIME-WASTER people; it seriously rubs us of our purpose. Satan is using the media to distract us from our calling and purpose. “Little” things like this are what are could be hindering our relationship with God and our personal growth.

I felt so convicted, I had to repent and every time I would look at my laptop I would see it as a “god”. Now I’m not saying there is something wrong with having a laptop, no lol. What I am saying is that anything that draws us away from God becomes an idol. What’s your place of worship? Is it your mobile phone? Job? Friends? Television? Sports or leisure activities?

Live A Holy Life

One of the chapters I have meditating on this week are 1 Corinthians 7, which speaks about the married and unmarried. We go through different seasons in our life and if you are in the season of singleness I want to encourage you to be concerned with God’s Kingdom and His will. Live a life that is separate and set apart in body and spirit. Devote your life to Him. When God believes its time for you to enter into a relationship and get married then He will bring the person. In the mean time, make the decision to be celibate and to live a holy life. Leviticus 11:44 says “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourself and be holy, because I am holy”.

Thank you all for dropping by lol and reading what I have been up to. Feel free to drop me an email: josieagyeman@gmail.com, I would love to hear from you. 

Miss Josie Jo 

Xxx

Week 8- And When He Has Tried Me, I Shall Come Forth Like Gold…

He Is An Awesome Wonder

This week’s topic has been the Father’s Heart and we have also been learning about spiritual gifts. This week’s speaker started prophesying and saying that there is someone here who has been finding it hard to sleep at night! I was like oh my goshhh this was me! It was yet another confirmation for me, demonstrating how awesome God is and it took my relationship with Him to another level. God speaks, He isn’t just a supreme being that sits on His throne in heaven, He is also here with us on earth…Can you hear Him speaking to you?

Fun Times With My Fijian Children

This week I led Kids club and the topic was The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31). We did icebreakers, sang songs and performed a drama based on the story. I’m learning more and more the importance of teaching children to live according to the word of God especially as the world is becoming more corrupt by the day. If we teach our children the path of wisdom, we are saving them a lot of heart ache, frustration and confusion when they get older.  Proverbs 22:6 says “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”. It’s not only the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children are walking in the right direction, as believers we are ALL apart of the body of Christ, if we see something needs correcting or feel that you could encourage a child in some way, we should. If we don’t then we become passive and God hates passivity, it’s sin; “to him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). 

I had an eventful weekend with some of the ladies Auntie Jiurie introduced me to. Friday night was spent fellowshipping with other believers till the early hours of the morning. What a week end- it was definitely an eye opener for me filled with fresh revelations. It has probably been one of the hardest weeks of my life. I have felt lost and confused!

The weekend before my birthday has been a hard one. I have spent a lot of my time comparing myself to how I used to look. Satan has been discouraging me a lot this week, it’s my birthday in two days and I look sooo different from the person I was last year. God has been continuing to show me that my identity is comes from Him. He has been stripping me and it to be honest with you all, it hurts.

I broke down on Saturday night but I thank God for surrounding me with people to encourage me. My best friend Anna is such a blessing to me as well as the other girls I spent my weekend with. God is sooo faithful!!! 1 Peter 3:3-4 really spoke to me…my clothes, braids, make up, jewelry don’t define me as a person and also God is more concerned with my heart. I just pray that God gives me the grace to get through this process.

Apart of me didn’t want to come back to the base this week. I was dreading it. I want to go back to London but I know that if I do then I can’t and won’t fulfill my purpose and calling. I have felt distant from God, I have felt like He has stopped speaking to me. Isaiah 55:7 speaks about how our thoughts draw us away from God. This has been the case for me. My thoughts have meant I’m not focused on God.

I went back to the base on Sunday night and opened my Bible and I was led to Jeremiah 31:3-4. All I can say is that God is faithful beyond words. This passage of scripture described perfectly what God is doing in my life. It said; "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt". The word build means; to establish, strengthen, increase and mold. Sometimes I question and wonder why the changes and stripping has to take place but then I remember that it's because He loves me. God loves us too much to allow us to remain the way we are. I’m going through a season of change. I am in the process of being rebuilt. God has not left me. Being a disciple for Christ means you will be refined so God can use you as a vessel for His glory but in the end it will all be worth it.

This walk isn’t easy at all. God wants to transform us so we can become like Him. Some areas of my life are walking according to the ways of the flesh rather than the Spirit. Parts of my mindset are like the worlds rather than His Kingdom so now God is drawing it all out. I can choose to give up but then if I do, what’s next? Where will I go? Back to the world? Hell no! I refuse because there is nothing there for me in the world. Since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden we all need to be rebuilt. God wants to restore man to be like He had originally intended in the garden of Eden. Us becoming born again is the first stage and as important as it is, it doesn't end there. After conversion, we need to allow God to transform us. Will you allow God to rebuild you?