Hey guys!! I'm so excited to be blogging right now- words can't even begin to describe how much I've missed talking to y'all!
I was just sitting in my room, on the floor, preparing to speak at a training tomorrow, and I just became overwhelmed at how much God has done in my life over the past year. If only y'all knew who I was a year ago, compared to who I am now, you'd be so amazed at how much God has changed me and transformed me. I'm not saying that I'm this perfect Christian girl that doesn't do anything wrong, BUT what I am saying is that because I am such an imperfect person and God has still chosen ME & NOT changed his mind about me, I am so grateful and I know that I have seen the perfect love and amazing grace of God at work in my own life every step of the way. I'm just honestly so grateful that God doesn't give up on us, and that he doesn't bless us according to our works or our behavior. He blesses us because he loves us and he sees our END RESULT and not just who/where we are right now. So, I just encourage all of you to just give God your hearts and your problems and your worries and let him work them out for you- let him fight for you- let him repair your broken heart- let him show you a better way. I'm not about to sit here and tell you that walking with Christ is perfect because it's not, and sometimes, I want to give up on this God thing all together- I want to go back to living my life the way it was before I gave my life to Christ, but then I just remember how much God loves me and how he brought me out of situations that I should have died in & I just can't go back. I can't give up. So, if you're at a crossroad, please don't give up on God. There is a purpose behind every bit of pain God has allowed you to experience here on this earth. I am a firm believer that not everything we go through is God's fault- no. He gives us free will, and the ability to make our own decisions, however, I also believe that if God allowed you to go through it, he can use it to grow you, rescue you, and ultimately bless other people. Stay encouraged! Y'all are amazing. God bless you! Love always, Aaliyah
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Hey my loves,
I hope you're all doing absolutely amazing. This week's blog is going to be very different than my last one. I'm not going to focus on a "topic", if that makes any sense. I'm just going to talk about something that's been weighing on my heart. So, just to be extremely transparent here: this week has been SO hard. I felt more down/depressed this week than I have in a very long time. Before we dive completely in, I just want all of you to know that this is not me begging for sympathy or anything like that. We all struggle. We all have our days. I don't expect you guys to treat me any differently because I had a "tough" week. I just wanted to open up and share that with you all so that it helps you to understand the concept of this blog more. I know that if my week was rough, the devil was having a field day trying to make some of your lives miserable as well. I just want all of you who may be struggling with SOMETHING, anything . . . To know that God has got your back, and if you are in Christ, he's already won the battle you're fighting- AND ALL OF THE OTHER BATTLES YOU WILL EVER FACE. I'm not sure what you're up against, but I ask that you just take a step back, and remove your hands from the situation. When we are driving the car called "our life", God can't control what's going on. He's not going to just snatch the wheel from you while you're going 90-to nothing- in traffic during rush hour. That's not the way God works. I know it's easy to just tell someone to give their problems to God but man it's a hard task to follow through with. I know because I've been there, as a matter of fact, I'm there right now. Struggling to give God control of my life- not because he can't handle it, but because I'm scared to let go of my life. I'm scared to abandon my plans, and my route, and my way even though I know my way isn't God's perfect way. To be honest, it would be so much easier to just quit. To just walk away and throw my hands up and go back to my old life, but I can't. I can't because there is an assignment on my life to help some of you see Jesus. There's a quote that says "You may be the only bible some people ever read", and I truly believe that. I believe that as small as we (think) our call/assignments are, US not being WHO God has called us to be affects so many people . . . so many families. . . so many generations of people. So, I'm not here to beg for sympathy or to complain about how difficult my life is right now because I know that we are all up against something. I'm just here, begging you to stop running away from God. Stop thinking that you're in this alone. Stop telling yourself that you're not good enough, or that you can't handle it, or that you don't deserve it. Stop doubting yourself. Stop doubting your process. Don't you know that if you're facing hell on this earth, it's because the devil knows that there's a heaven waiting for you as long as you keep saying yes to God and no to him. You aren't on his hit list because he's bored and he doesn't have anyone else to mess with, NO! YOU'RE ON HIS HIT LIST BECAUSE DESPITE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE, AND THAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH, YOU'RE STILL ANOINTED AND GOD STILL HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. So it's time for you to break out of whatever cage you've placed yourself in and start walking in everything that God has planned for you. If any of you want to talk, I'm here! I promise I won't bite. I know what it's like not to have anyone to talk to, and be in the midst of a storm so please don't be afraid to reach out to me if you need to. Thanks to each and every one of you for reading my blog(s), I'm so grateful. I'm praying for all of you this week. I love you bunches, and God loves you a million times more. God bless you! Xoxo, Aaliyah Hello my loves!
I pray that you are all doing absolutely AMAZING. I can’t believe January is literally almost over. How crazy is that?! Okay, enough rambling Aaliyah, haha. So, today I want to touch on a topic that’s been so near and dear to my heart for weeks now- no seriously. I’ve been so conflicted about how I wanted to address it, but this morning, I really felt like God was urging me to write this, so it has to be for someone! This blog is going to be kind of different from the ones I normally write. . . so bear with me! First of all, I just want to put this out there: this blog post is for EVERYONE. Guys, girls, gay, straight, short, tall, saved, not saved. Like literally- it’s for everyone. I just want all of you to first know that GOD LOVES YOU. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. God loves you so much; more than you could EVER imagine. I know that it’s so easy for us to go through DIFFICULT things in life and forget that God loves us. Someone dies in our family, or we get our heart broken, or we have family issues, or whatever the case may be, and we convince ourselves that because we are going through a difficult situation/season, God doesn’t love us anymore- that he only loves the people who seem to have it all together. Well, let me just share something with y’all: NOBODY HAS IT ALL TOGETHER. I don’t care what it LOOKS like- nobody’s perfect, and neither is their life. We all have problems, we all fall short, we all make mistakes, we all sin, we all do wrong- SO STOP CONDEMNING YOURSELF. I know there are so many people who don’t come to Christ because they feel like their sin is SO much worst than everyone else’s; they feel like there is NO way that God wants anything to do with them because of the things that they’ve done. It really breaks my heart because I’ve been there. . . I’ve been at that place where it’s like “man look at me, look at my life, look at all of these things that I’ve done. . . there’s no way that God wants ME!? Like me?” and the answer is YES! He wants you, YOU that feels like the walls of the church would cave in if you walked in the building, YOU that didn’t wait to have sex until marriage, YOU that struggles with homosexuality, YOU that finds your worth/value in people/relationships. He wants YOU that’s been hurt, and abused. He wants all of you, man. There’s like this stigma that “you have to get your life together BEFORE you can come to God and be accepted by him” . . .Wait, How does that even work? If you had the power to FREE yourself from your own problems, your own pain, your own heartache, your own addiction, your own bondage, etc. etc. etc., then there would be no need for God. There would have never been a need for Jesus to DIE on that cross! So here’s the reality: You DON’T have the power to overcome it on your own, but when Jesus went to the cross for us, he took all of our mess, and he put it to death with him. So, I just want to encourage all of you that may feel like it is impossible for you to be ANY farther away from God than you already are now . . . God wants you. He doesn't want you to die and go to hell over these worldly, temporary things. All of the things we focus so much on, and all of the things that we dedicate so much time and attention to are only temporary. They will all fade away, and one day, we will ALL stand before God and be judged on the things that we've done. There's a scripture that I was reading the other day (Ezekiel 18:21-23), that talks about how when sinful people turn away from their sin, and choose to pursue God and his righteousness, that he forgets all the wrong things they've ever done and doesn't hold it against them. That he remembers their sins no more. How amazing is that to know that all it takes is you saying YES to God, and allowing him to come into your heart and help you on this journey called "life" and he will literally erase all of the WRONG things you've EVER done from his memory. That's just mind blowing to me. . That God loves us and DESIRES us that much that he doesn't even want to remember those things. Ezekiel 18:21-23: “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is fair and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. 22 None of the sins they have committed will be held against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” So, if you don't listen to anything I've said throughout this entire blog, listen to this: God wants you! He wants to do life with you. He wants to bless you in ways that you could have never even imagined. He doesn't care what you've done, or how much you've sinned, he just wants to help you. He wants to heal you. He wants YOU!! If only you could see the plans God has for your life, man, you'd stop running from him. I know there are so many people who feel like coming to Christ is or will be a death sentence for them, and in some ways it is, but not at all how people think. I know, for me personally, I felt like "well, I'll just have my fun, and live my life and do what I want to do first because I know after I give my life to Jesus it's just gonna be a boring life for me! I was so wrong." And some of you may laugh, but that's exactly what I thought, and I know so many people that truly believe that, but it's so not true. When you give your life to Christ, you FIND LIFE. There's nothing on the other side of "living how you want to" but death and an eternity in hell. I don't know about y'all, but hell isn't an option for me- I refuse to spend eternity burning in hell when I know that eternal life is an option for me because of Jesus's sacrifice. So, I just encourage all of you to run to Jesus because he's waiting for you- and it doesn't matter how bad you feel like you've messed up, God can handle it. So, what are you waiting for? I love you guys and I'm praying for you. Until next time, Aaliyah Hey Y'all!!
Eeekkkk! I'm so excited to be writing tonight. It's seriously so fun just sitting down and talking to all of you. (yes, I said talking). I feel like all of you are apart of one giant group of people who just . . . understand me and my craziness, haha! Okay, so let's get started. Tonight, I'm going to be talking about something that I have struggled with GREATLY in my life, and I know most of you have as well! So here's my topic: It's okay to NOT be okay. So, for the vast majority of my life, I've ALWAYS felt like I HAD to be strong- as if being vulnerable wasn't an option. I was always that person that held their emotions in- I didn't like feeling "weak" so I never voiced my pain- I was scared to admit that I wasn't okay/happy all the time. If I was hurt about something, I would definitely be the only person that knew. I mastered "faking happiness" at a very young age. I would go to school during the day and pretend like everything was great, and then go home and ball my eyes out over something that may have been going on. I spent so many years holding in so much pain simply because I didn't know that I was allowed to admit that my life wasn't perfect and that I wasn't always "okay". Let's be clear: I'm not telling you any of this so that you'll feel sorry for me- I'm telling you this so that you'll realize that you're not the only one who feels this way or who has ever felt this way. The truth is: Nobody walks around everyday yelling out "TALK ABOUT YOUR EMOTIONS!", "YOU DON'T HAVE TO HOLD IT ALL IN", "STOP SWEEPING IT UNDER THE RUG!". I mean, it would be great if they did, but they don't. Society teaches us that being vulnerable is equivalent to being weak, and although that is COMPLETELY false, it's what we're taught, especially as women. We are conditioned to think that we are not allowed to ever take off our "mask" and show people who we really are OR how we really feel. . . and I think that that is ridiculous to say the least. I mean, who's great idea was it for us to just sweep everything under the rug, anyway? See, here's the thing about pretending: It works well for a while, but then one day, the load begins to become too heavy, and we get sick and tired of just putting band-aids on gunshot wounds. We get tired of wearing a mask for everyone- even ourselves. But this is what they don't tell you about pretending: you don't have to. You have a choice! You can choose to take off the mask at any point in time, and you can put down your broom. You can stop holding everything inside, and you can stop covering bullet holes with band-aids! YOU HAVE A CHOICE. You don't have to pretend. God gives us the privilege of bringing all of our problems, and troubles, and heartache to him- he gives us the option of laying it ALL at his feet. He doesn't require us to pretend- that's the beautiful thing about Jesus Christ. He wants us to come exactly as we are- maybe you're hurting? empty? broken? it doesn't matter- He just wants you to come to him. Put your faith in him and not in this world. He can transform ANY & EVERY situation that you may be in OR [have been in]. He can take everything that has ever caused you pain and turn it around and work it out for your good just as he promised (Romans 8:28). . .if you allow him to. So, whoever you are, wherever you are, I encourage you to just please take off your mask! Put down your broom; throw away your band-aids. It's okay to NOT be okay. It's okay to not have it all figured out!! You're not supposed to! Please know that wherever you are, you are not alone in your journey- God is right there with you, waiting for you to acknowledge him- he's just patiently waiting for you to get fed up with trying to figure everything out on your own. God doesn't require/expect us to be perfect or anywhere near it, to be frank, He just requires us to come to him! So, stop running away from God. Stop trying to sweep your problems/pain under the rug so that no one will see. Stop thinking that you are required to wear that mask. God is waiting for you to cast your care onto him! What are you waiting for, love? "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."(Psalm 55:22) I love y'all so much! -xoxo, Aaliyah Hey, y’all. I hope you’re all doing great! I’m going to try to make this blog as short, and sweet as possible. This area has been weighing SO heavily upon my heart, and I just really felt the need to address it because I know that it could possibly bless a lot of people, so please please please share this post if you know anyone who may be struggling in this area of their lives. Alright, let’s dive in!
How many of you have ever felt like God doesn’t desire to have a relationship with you because of the way you live(d) your life, or because of mistakes you have made in your past? Maybe you had sex outside of marriage and you feel condemned now? Or maybe you used to be a homosexual or “experiment” with that lifestyle and now you feel like you don’t have a chance? Maybe you feel like your mistakes are too big to come back from- or maybe you’ve just given up hope. Maybe you’ve given up on yourself, and on God. Maybe you don’t think that God will forgive you? Or that he even cares about what you’re going through or what you have been through. No matter what the case may be, let me just assure you right now that NONE of those things are true. See, the fact is- GOD WANTS YOU. He desires you. He longs to know you, and for you to know him intimately, and for you to have a REAL relationship with him. The job of the devil is to make you believe otherwise! He (Satan) wants you to believe the exact opposite. He wants you to believe that because of what you’ve DONE, God doesn’t want you. He wants you to believe that God is not concerned about you, that he doesn’t have a purpose for you on this earth, but that’s a lie, and I’m here to let you know that God loves you, and he longs to have a relationship with you, and it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or who you’ve done it with, or how many times you’ve done it, HE STILL WANTS YOU! He still has a plan for your life- he still wants to USE you for his glory. For some reason, there is this huge misconception about God. People that don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ think/believe that in order for God to love you, or want you, you have to DO something, but that’s not how it works at all. Example: Let’s say you’re an alcoholic, or a drug addict, or an adulterer, or whatever, most people (outside of the body of Christ) think that in order for God to love you, you have to “get yourself together first”, but that is not at all how it works. See, that’s the amazing thing about God- he doesn’t require us to be perfect in order for us to be welcomed with open arms, but instead, he just requires us to come to him. That is all. Simply to come lay our problems at his feet, and ask him for help. He does the work. God changes us, and heals our brokenness, and helps us change our bad habits IF we allow him to come into our lives and have his way. What most people don’t understand is that the things that we face in this world are not just mere physical battles and we can’t conquer them on our own- 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12)- the things that we battle are SPIRITUAL. The addiction is spiritual, the LUST is spiritual, the envy (jealousy) is spiritual, the depression is spiritual, the bondage is spiritual, the emptiness is spiritual, those voids are spiritual, and we DON’T have the power to battle or OVERCOME them on our own. We cannot successfully “DO” life alone. We were not created to do life alone- we were created to depend on God for everything. To me, the most beautiful thing about God is just how much he loves us. I mean think about it- take a moment and let it soak in how much God TRULY LOVES YOU. It says in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I mean how amazing is that? To know that the same God who raised Christ from the dead loves us UNCONDITIONALLY and that there is absolutely NOTHING that we could POSSIBLY do to make him stop loving us! I’m not telling you this so that you will feel like you can still live however you want to simply because God loves you- No. That’s not at all my point. My point is that Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine, and that it doesn’t matter what bad things you’ve done in your life; he still loves you just as much! So stop beating yourself up about your past. If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior, you are a new creature! All of your sins have been washed away, and all of your mistakes have been forgiven. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life, my question is: what are you waiting for? God is waiting for you to acknowledge him, and for you to give your life to him. He is just waiting for you to call out to him. So, again I ask, what are you waiting for? Don’t do this life alone! He wants to help you! Allow God to come into your life, and heal you wherever you may be hurting, and allow him to fix whatever may be broken. If you are sick of living life on your own, and you want to truly have a relationship with Christ- if you want to know that you are going to spend ETERNITY with him when you leave this earth, please read the prayer of salvation below. Salvation Prayer: Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life. AMEN. I believe that if you prayed that simple prayer, you made a transition from death to life. You now have a place to spend eternity- in paradise with our Lord and savior. You also have someone to walk with you and help you through every single thing that you will ever face on this earth. As always, thank you so much for reading. I ask that you please share this with someone who needs it. My prayer is that through these posts, lives will be changed. I understand that NONE of this is about me, but it’s all about HIM. I pray that everyone reading this will get saved if they are not already. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them! I love you all, and I’m praying for you. Have a great week. God bless! -Xoxo, Aaliyah *screams* hey, y’all!! I’m so excited to talk to you guys tonight about something that’s been weighing on my heart, but before we get started, I just want to wish you all a happy happy new year. I truly believe that 2016 is going to be such a magnificent year for all of us!
alright, let’s get started! As you can probably tell by the title, I’m going to be talking about “separation”. The word separation itself is defined as: the action or state of moving or being moved apart. Based on the definition, it is clear that separation is all about MOVING. It’s about pulling away- being DISconnected from certain things and from certain people. See, when you become CONNECTED to God - He DISconnects you from the things of this world. He changes you, and he also changes the things, AND more importantly, the PEOPLE around you. Let me make this clear, I’m not saying that the moment you get saved, God removes everything and everyone from around you that’s not like him- No! That’s typically not how it works. See, change and growth is gradual. It’s a gradual process- It doesn’t happen overnight, and it usually takes place at the time that we LEAST expect it. Let’s be honest here, none of us like change. We long to be these amazing people, amazing christians even, but we do not like change because it is uncomfortable. It requires work. It requires us to die to some things/ways/habits, and we also have to put some things to death as well. To put this into more of a “real-world” perspective for you, I’m going to tell you how this topic applies to my own life. I joke all the time about how I don’t have any friends, and although I know I have people in my life that love/care about me, I really don’t have “friends”. I don’t consider myself popular, whatsoever, so let’s just get that clear. Now don’t get me wrong, I had my days when I was very “well-liked”, and when everybody was checking for the kid (I’m just being real), BUT that was when I was in my party/turn up phase. When I truly made the decision to live for God whole-heartedly, I saw people in my life drop like flies. I mean literally. As far as the whole friendship thing goes, I’m not one of those people who finds my worth in friendships so it doesn’t bother me to not “have” a ton of friends, but I can say that it feels so weird seeing all the people I used to hang with do things that I USED to do myself, and I no longer have the desire to participate in those things. It feels so weird to be in a certain “group/generation of people”, and not feel the slightest bit of comfort. To be honest, It is the weirdest feeling I have ever experienced, and I can’t even really describe it- I just feel . . . Different. Like, on the inside, I feel like that one kid that eats lunch at the table alone, but not because people are mean to me and won’t let me sit with them (hence, mean girls), but because I feel isolated within myself- I feel so separate, and honestly, it’s a struggle for me because I see so many people living the way I used to live, and it breaks my heart because I know that there’s nothing on the other side of that lifestyle but death (not even physical death, but spiritual death). It just goes to show you how when God truly saves you from your sin- He changes you from the inside out, and he takes the taste out of your mouth for all of those things. In other words, he kills your bad habits- he makes it so that you don’t even find pleasure in the thought of doing those things anymore. It’s the same way with people. You may have hung with a group of people at one point in your life, but now you have nothing in common with those people anymore. It’s because y’all aren’t on the same level anymore. I’m not saying we should look down on people (that’s totally not the point here), BUT I do believe that you have to be honest with yourself enough to say “I know these people are not headed in the direction that God is taking ME in, so I need to separate myself from them in order to do what God has called me to do.” See, you can’t drag everybody along with you to your destination . . . everybody isn’t fit to travel with you! So please understand that separation is not a negative thing- It’s actually a positive one. You see, when God is taking you to new levels, he has to disconnect you from some people first--I’ve learned that when God is truly SHIFTING your season, you will notice it in the form of people. Anytime you find yourself being surrounded by new/different/less people, Your season is shifting. So, if you’re going through anything similar to this, or if you’re saved, but you haven’t gotten to that point where God just pulls you away from everything that’s “familiar” to you at the moment, please know that you are not alone- and that there is nothing wrong with YOU. Truthfully speaking, people aren’t going to praise you for living right- OR for living for God if they aren’t, but do it anyway. They might call you weird for wanting to stay at home, and read your bible or listen to worship music, instead of going out to a party with them on Friday night, but know that you are making the right decision, and God will REWARD you for living right. You don’t have to answer to them- you answer to God. I know it is a struggle to be the one person that stands for something in a room full of people that will go for anything, but it is so, so worth it. I wouldn’t trade my relationship with God for anything or anybody and I pray that you guys feel the same way. Being separate is HARD, but it is worth it and it is what God has called us to do in his word. “Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you (2 Corinthians 6:17). You see, God commands us to be separate from this world. He calls us to look differently- to act differently- to not take part in the things that they take part in. So, don’t be surprised that the people you used to hang with don’t fit you anymore, and all the sinful things that you used to take part in don’t interest you anymore- It’s because God has moved you away from those things and those people! Trust me, I know that living for God isn’t a cake walk, and there are test/trials, BUT God gives us the strength to endure it all and I know that ALL things truly do work out for our good, so with that being said, don’t worry about people. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and HE will bring people into your life who are striving to live for him as well. Also, If you see that your friends or EX-friends are headed down dangerous paths, please don’t write them off. It isn’t your job to save them (Jesus saves), but instead of talking about them, try to help them by praying for them- I believe that that is the best thing to do for someone- pray. Stay encouraged guys- and know that God has a plan for your life that is better than anything you could ever imagine. I love y’all. -Aaliyah So, if I can be honest here, this is a very sensitive topic for me. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always been very driven, very self-motivated. I never felt like I needed to wait on anyone to do anything for me that I could easily, or even not so easily, do for myself. As you can probably imagine I don't feel comfortable allowing other people to drive the car called "my life".
Before I dive into the meat of this message, I want to give you some of the back story. Okay- buckle your seatbelts. So, before I got saved, and even afterwards, to be frank, I always dated pretty . . . hmmm. . . not so "ideal" guys. They'd have good qualities, but there was always a flaw, a huge flaw. For example, I dated this guy once, and he was sweet & he "really cared about me", BUT he was also very insecure, and due to things he'd been through in his life/childhood, he was a very broken person on the inside. I never could figure out why all the guys I dated, or attracted rather, were all the same. They would have different faces, and different clothes, but on the inside, they were the same- broken. I always dated broken, wounded people. I didn't realize that I would attract these guys with all these emotional scars and wounds because I was so broken and emotionally scarred myself. So, even after I got saved, I would still attract the same kind of guys. It was because I had not surrendered that area of my life to God and I didn't realize it until much, much later. I would be trying to live for God in one area of my life, or even most areas of my life honestly, but I wouldn't let go of my relationship life. I thought I had that area ALL figured out- haha, "jokes!" (as my good friend would say). I would be completely committed to God in certain areas, but still over here talking to/dating guys that God never gave me the okay on. I had one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world. The truth is: I didn't trust God. I said I did, and I thought I did, but I really didn't. Trusting God is all or nothing in my opinion. You either have to go all in or back out completely. You can't trust him halfway. Can I be honest here? I didn't trust God because I thought that meant me being alone forever- or at least until I was much much much older. Let me tell you what I mean- this was my thought process: (yes, this is really how I talk to God, haha) I was like listen Lord, "I know you're perfect, and your will for my life is perfect but . . . I don't see NO guys out here trying to truly live for you and be real men of God. I see boys that go to church, but I don't see boys growing into men truly seeking you & trying to live a righteous life. Ain't no 18/19 year old guy about to tell me he wanna pray instead of have sex with me. So, with that being said, Lord. I think Ima take care of this on my own." I kid you not- that was my whole outlook on relationships. I felt like there weren't any good guys out there that were young and truly trying to live for God, but I was so sadly mistaken. There are so many amazing guys who are attractive and want to live right, I mean truly live right, and be that BOAZ to the woman that God has chosen/created for them. The thing is though- you have to be in position. How do we, as women, expect to find or be found by this amazing man, while we are out and about entertaining any and everybody just to occupy our time. God isn't going to reveal that man to you if you're not READY and in position to receive him. The point is- you have nothing to worry about. God has not forgotten about you- he has a plan for your life and it doesn't matter what you've done or who you've done it with or how many times you've done it- God can still use you. He still longs for you. He longs to be merciful and gracious to us. I encourage all of you, especially women, but men too, to wait on God- in every area of your lives- but ESPECIALLY concerning your spouse/relationship. Don't rush and settle for a counterfeit-wait for the real thing. I don't know about y'all but . . . I'm tired of getting it wrong. I'm tired of dating guys that aren't "IT" for me- I want the real thing. I want the man that God has for me. I want a man that can truly wash me in the water of the word, and pray some stuff up off of me if I need it. I want my future relationship- and my one day marriage- to glorify God. I want to be proud to raise up a generation of children that look like my husband because that man was sent by God. So, I encourage all of you to assess your lives. Are you in Godly courtships? Are you with someone you know good and well God ain't told you to be with? When you look at that man- would you want children that look just like him (not just on the outside) but on the inside? Is he saved? Does he have a real reverence (respect) for God? Does he pray/read his bible WITHOUT you telling him to? Check the fruit on that man's tree!! Does he respect you and your body as a temple of the holy spirit? Is he trying to have sex with you or is he trying to push you closer to Christ? Assess your relationships y'all. I know it's a battle, but trust me, it'll hurt a whole lot less now to cut things off than it would to suffer for a lifetime due to your disobedience to God by not ending those bad relationships.. Don't yolk yourself to anybody who is not God's best for you. Trust your instincts- if you don't have peace about him. . . If he isn't trying to live for God, etc. . . There is nothing for you to "pray" about before you cut things off. END IT! I pray that all of you will walk this journey with me and learn to truly wait on God. I promise, he will honor your commitment and faithfulness to him. I love y'all so much. Happy holidays & God bless. Matthew 7:20| Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. If you have any questions/comments/ concerns, feel free to email me. So, I was lying in bed a minute ago, trying relentlessly to fall asleep, but I was obviously unsuccessful. I kept thinking about this blog that I needed to write. . .
So a few days ago, when I wrote my last blog, and it went live, I was amazed at how many people were touched by it. I was reading all the comments thinking to myself “they cannot be talking about me. . . Like, Lord these people are actually moved by what I’ve been through and what you’ve done for me?!” It’s still shocking to me. To be honest, I never felt like people actually cared about anything I had to say. When I first started blogging a few years ago, I honestly don’t even remember the purpose of it other than that I LOVED to write . As time went on, however, and I started to truly come to know Jesus Christ and develop a relationship with him, I knew that I wanted to reach women- to encourage them- to let them know that they weren’t alone in their struggle and that there was hope. Although I knew what my dream was in terms of blogging and reaching/helping tons of women, and what I wanted to do, I didn’t really think it would happen. I didn’t think anyone would care about what I had to say. I felt so insignificant. I felt like what I had to say didn’t matter, and that no one was being touched by my writing so I didn’t feel any need to make it a priority. The whole time I was completely missing the purpose of it all. I’'ve come to realize that it doesn’t matter if I get a thousand likes on a post, or if one person reads it and likes it because that ONE like could have changed/saved someone’s life, and THAT’S what matters. The souls that you are responsible for leading to Jesus Christ- that is what matters. That is what we are all called to do- to help grow the body of Christ- to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I just want each and every one of you reading this to know that YOU matter. Without you, souls will be lost. Can you imagine how life would be if we all worked together to glorify Jesus? To lift him up? To bring people to him? Do you know what we could accomplish if we ALL said yes to him and chose to do our part? You may not get a pat on the back, or a long comment about how you touched someone’s life, but will you do it anyway? Will you pray anyway? Will you serve anyway? Will you give anyway? Will you trust GOD anyway? I encourage all of you to just examine your own lives. Where do you feel insignificant/small/unimportant, and why? Give that area of your life over to God- lay it at his feet. I know it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture- I know it’s easy to get sucked in by everything going on around you. I know it’s easy to feel small in such a big, big world, but I can assure you, God has a plan for your life- he has plans to prosper you and not to harm you- to give you HOPE and a future. God is faithful. He will lead you in the right direction, if you let him. Please understand that your obedience could be tied to someone else’s salvation. If you are not in position to do what it is that God has called you to do, someone’s life could be in danger! Can you imagine standing before God one day having to explain to him why you didn’t do what it was that he ASSIGNED for you to do? Don’t you know that there are certain people that ONLY you can reach? That God has strategically set it up that way? We have to be in position! Satan and his minions are running rampant all over this world. People are struggling, and they need help. They need prayer. They need someone to be there for them and to show them that there is hope. You have got to be that light to someone in the midst of their darkness. The bible says to let you light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. I want you all to know that God longs to use you. He doesn’t care what you’ve done, or who you’ve done it with, or how many times- all he cares about is loving you, and helping you to become the person he has created you to be. I think it’s amazing how God knows all the wrong we’ve ever done and all he wants to do is love us, and be good to us. Just take everything you’ve been worried about and lay it at his feet. I don’t care who told you that you didn’t matter, or that you weren’t important- but you are. I cancel out every feeling of insignificance, and unworthiness, and worthlessness in Jesus name. You have a purpose here on this earth. It's time to get to work! I’m praying for all of you. God bless. Until next time, -Aaliyah Hello Loves,
I’m so sorry for not blogging lately-- I’ve been going through so much (not that that is any excuse at all to abandon you guys). Can I just be honest for a moment? The real reason I haven’t been blogging is because I didn’t feel like I was worthy. I didn’t feel like I had the right to tell anyone what to do, or how to be/stay encouraged in their walk with Christ when I was actually struggling with my walk, and drowning in my own mess. So, instead of being a big girl, and getting my life together sooner, I ran from my purpose. I ran from God. I ran from my testimony, and I chose to live my life exactly the way I wanted to-and I payed the price. You see, there is a price to pay when you decide to walk outside of God’s will! There is a price to pay when you play in the enemy’s territory. When God tries his best to protect you from something or SOMEONE and you ignore him, you open yourself up to multiple attacks of the enemy. You uncover yourself. You take off your armor. You put down your weapons. The bible says to RESIST the devil and he will flee-- but what happens when you don’t resist? Stay tuned to hear my testimony of the last four/five months of my life. So, about five months ago- I made a decision to stop living for God. Not literally, or verbally, or formally, but slowly. Day by day, compromise after compromise. I decided to take my life back into my own hands-- I decided that I KNEW more than God knew. I decided that I would live the way I wanted to and I would worry about the consequences later. So here it goes: In July of this year, I reconnected with someone I’d been friends with for a VERY long time. We hadn’t talked for months up until then because I cut off all communication with him months prior because I saw that he was becoming an idol to me. So, like I said, In July, we started back communicating and everything... and life was good. So one night, he took me out to dinner, and we had a great time. Life was perfect. I was like “yesss! finally!” So, after dinner, I was in the car alone- and the holy spirit spoke to me in a very quiet, but alarming way. I began to feel sick to my stomach--it was that nauseating feeling you get when you’re about to throw up. He told me that I was in the wrong place-- that I had to get out of that relationship/situation IMMEDIATELY. I was like . . . No lord! WHY? I love him. He’s nice to me. He takes me out to eat. I wanna marry him. I can’t cut things off..” So . . I didn’t. “I basically said BUMP you God. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I love him, and he loves me! I’m not leaving. I’m happy.” So instead of listening to God, LIKE I SHOULD HAVE, I chose the temporary happiness. I chose to do things MY way, but then when would things would go wrong between us, I would pray and ask God to fix it- I wanted him to bless my MESS. I wanted to stamp God’s blessing on something that I created-- something that God never ordained or gave me the “okay” on simply because I didn’t want to let that relationship go. You see, what’s funny though, is that I didn’t realize that my vision was limited- I was blinded. God can see around the corner (he can see all of the things that are up ahead). It’s kind of like when you’re driving, and you’re going around a curve. Your vision is impaired. The only thing you can see is where you currently are. You have no idea what will be waiting for you when you actually make it all the way around the curve to the other side. You can’t see the danger you’re going to run into because your VISION is impaired, and if you’re not careful- you’ll run off the road. So let’s fast forward to now, five months later, and I’m alone. There’s no more boy. No more hopes of a happy ending with him, no more dates, none of that. At first, when we ended, I was broken. I mean shattered- I woke up one day, and he was gone. Everything that I had focused all of my attention on for the last one hundred and twenty plus day (four months) was gone. And no matter what I did, he wasn’t coming back. I knew he wasn’t coming back because HE was not who God had for me, I knew God had destroyed that relationship. He rescued me-- but I wasn’t happy about HOW he rescued me, so I was even more broken. You see, the entire time, I knew it wasn’t going to work- I knew it wasn’t going to last forever, but I wanted it to, I wanted him to change-- to grow into God’s best for me so that God would let me keep him. How stupid and selfish is that? I cared more about a person- a man- than I did about God OR his plan for my life. If I would have not been set free from that relationship, I would have forfeited everything that God had for me. I would have failed him. I would have died in my sin- I would have died- and probably gone to hell all over one person. I want you guys to know that I’m not saying any of this to bash the guy that I was with- he’s an amazing person, and I still love him very much, however, I know that he is not God’s best for me- and I also know that it is not God’s will for me to be in an unequally yoked relationship. The bible clearly states that we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers-There is a reason for that! Light and darkness have no fellowship. Righteousness and unrighteousness have no fellowship. Ladies, please- do not make the mistake that I have made SO many times. Don’t pour all of your energy into missionary dating (dating someone with the expectation that you can make them change). If that man doesn’t listen to GOD, what in the world makes you think that he’s going to listen to OR change for YOU?! It is not your job to change any man- and you don’t have that power. You can pray for him, and lay hands on him, and take him to church, and call the prayer lines, and lay on your face all day, but if HE isn’t ready/willing to change, he won’t-- only God can change people’s hearts. I say all of that to say this- Listen to God and take heed to his warning(s). You never know what God is trying to save you from. If I would have walked away when God told me to, I would have never had to go through any of the things that I went through. I would have never cried over the loss of the relationship. I would have never had to endure the pain of a broken heart. God warned me- but I chose to live my life MY way, and yes, I had to pay that price. I know that all of my sins have been forgiven, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have to suffer the consequences. Sometimes I still shed a few tears, sometimes I still wake up and ask myself why I even made such a stupid decision, sometimes I still want to call him and tell him I miss him, but I can’t. . . I know that when all of this is over, God is going to use my pain, and my story for his glory. So to any of you who may be in a similar situation, please listen to God. You can miss your DESTINY by being connected to the wrong person. I need you to know that God can still turn it around for you. I need you to know that he is still able- that you are never too far out of God’s reach. He still wants you. He still longs for you, but you have to allow him to help you- you have to allow him to strengthen you. You have to give your life BACK to him before it’s too late. Don’t give up, I love you! -xoxo Have you ever, as a girl, around that "time of the month", had severe menstrual cramps? I'm not talking about the kind of cramps that you can handle & still complete all your tasks for the day, but I mean those cramps that leave you trying to keep your body perfectly still while shivering and often times crying because of the amount of pain that you're in? If you haven't ever been in this position, Stop reading right now & go praise God because honey, cramps ain't no joke! Okay, Okay- But in all seriousness, have you ever felt this way? I know I have! Well, this morning, when I was laying in bed, almost screaming and crying at the same time, The holy spirit placed this on my heart! When God is pruning us, I mean truly pulling out of us everything that is not like him, it is painful! I mean straight up painful. At the time, it feels like we are going to pass out, cry, scream, etc. all at the same time, but in order to BIRTH what God has placed on the inside of us, we have to go through the process. The truth is, those horrible cramps are apart of a process that is necessary for those of us who want to give birth to beautiful children someday! In the same exact way, the painful pruning process that God takes us through is necessary if we want to ever give birth to the purpose that he's placed on the inside of us.
Just like in a physical pregnancy, you can abort your purpose if you're not careful. You can miscarry God's plan/purpose for your life by quitting in the middle of the process. Yes, the process is painful. No, none of us are always happy about the way God chooses to shape and mold us, BUT Romans 8:28 declares "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." So, although you lost those friends, or you had to end that relationship, or college didn't work out, or you lost that job, whatever the case may be, God is working it out for your good. I know it hurts. I know it doesn't feel good. I know it feels like your body can't handle this much pain, but you will make it to the other side . . . . if you don't quit on him! You are pregnant with purpose and God is trying to get you to the birthing place, but you won't let him. Every time he tries to continue his good work in you, as he promised, you push him away. You abort his plan. You give up on him. You're disobedient to him. You don't lay down your life daily, you don't take up your cross and follow him. Instead, you do things your way. You constantly ask God when it's your time . . . when he's going to bless you . . . blah blah blah. But every time he instructs you to do something, you ignore him. You tune him out. Sis, God has a plan for your life. You are pregnant with purpose. You were created to accomplish his will for your life- To solve a problem on this earth. This life is not your own- it's his. Start by saying yes to him. There's a reward on the other side of your obedience. Stop aborting your process because it hurts. God gives us grace to make it through hard times when we are obedient to him. I know it's not an easy task, but sis, you have to trust him! You have to be obedient to him. All it takes is saying yes, Lord. I surrender all to you! Now really surrender. Give your life to him. I love you all & God loves you more. be blessed. P.S.- If you feel like God has left you, you're wrong. We walk away from him-He never walks away from us. Draw near to him sis, and he will draw near to you. The bible says that he's near to touch! -Xoxo Until next time, Aaliyah. |