Manna for the Soul

  “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Many times in life, we experience anxiety as one season ends, and we wonder what lies ahead. This is much like what the Israelites felt as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Despite God’s promise of a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:17), they were filled with trepidation, knowing they faced new challenges, enemies, and uncertainties. In this pivotal moment, God Himself spoke directly to Joshua, commanding him to be strong and courageous, assuring him of His unwavering presence. As we stand at a crossroads, transitioning into a new year, God’s promise remains as true for us as it was for Joshua and the Israelites. He commands us to be strong and of good courage because He knows we will face challenges that require boldness and faith. He tells us not to be afraid or dismayed because fear and disco...

A Year of Trials and Triumphs What a year it has been! Like each person reading this, I have had my fair share of experiences in 2023. It has been a year filled not only with moments of joy and triumph but also with pain, uncertainty, anxiety, challenges, sickness, and betrayal. There were times when the only thing I had left was to cling to God for strength, especially when navigating uncharted territories in my life's journey. As I pen this, my eyes well up with tears, recalling some of those moments, some still vivid in my memory. What has continued to keep me going is God's presence and mercy, which has remained constant throughout the year. God's Promise: I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You As a believer who walks daily with Christ, I want you to know that when you have nothing left, remember that God's got you. In Hebrews 13:15 and Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8, we read about God's promise to never leave or forsake us. This promise assures us of His ever-present...

As a parent, I have become accustomed to desiring and often requiring complete obedience from my children, even when I've felt some rules I have made for my children are unreasonable. Biblically, we as parents must be intentional about instilling this character trait in our children. Unfortunately, the culture we now live in is lax in raising obedient children. But we need to recognize that a child with difficulty subjecting him/herself to designated authority will undoubtedly have trouble obeying God's word ~ both the Logos (written word of God in the Bible) and the Rhema (God's spoken word at a specific time).  I have felt the burden on my heart for some time now to write about obedience. It is a subject that every true child of God must honestly confront in our Christian walk. It is no wonder that in Ecclesiastes 12:13, we are told in no uncertain terms that it is everyone's duty to fear God and obey His commands ~ That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclus...

" After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen ." ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7:9-12‬ ‭KJV ‬‬ Are you seeking a renewed and deeper relationship with your Savior? This was me a couple of weeks ago. My life felt mundane and empty. Even though I religiously followed my daily routine in God's word with consistent prayer life, the Christian walk felt routine, with marginal passion and excitement. It just didn't...

One spring morning in April 2021, around 2 am, I woke up from what seemed like a nightmare. This was the third night in a row that I struggled to go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. I felt unsettled in my spirit so, I reached for my phone and opened my bible app to read and meditate on God's word. I have found it often useful to review the community page on the YouVersion bible app, where new passages highlighted by some of my friends on the app appear. This particular time, I came across one striking passage highlighted by two friends. The passage was from 2 Corinthians 12:8-10: " 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in pe...

Who would have imagined, this same time in 2019, that we will be living through a pandemic in 2020 that has changed life as we know it? Indeed, for most of us, the year 2020 has been a year like no other. The unprecedented changes to our work and social lives, not to mention the devastating stories about the significant loss of lives due to COVID-19, the growing despair due, in part, to racial injustice, climate change, and in part to the pandemic, and increasing cases of depression and suicides, are all enough reasons for us to worry about what the next year will bring. While we cannot downplay the terrifying ways the pandemic continues to wreck lives and how our individual lives have been impacted by other events that shaped 2020, it is important to acknowledge that the enormity of life's uncertainties is not peculiar to 2020 or any other year because uncertainty is a fact of life. So, how do we deal with anxiety from the uncertainties of life, you may ask. Obviously, there are s...