Never Farther than the Father’s Love

It is impressed upon my heart to share with you this heartwarming truth;

No matter how far you think you’ve strayed, you’ve never strayed too far. You’re never too far gone for the Lord to take you back into His loving arms and welcome you back into His family.  Nothing can separate you from your Father’s love.

NOTHING.

Let’s let that sink in for a moment…

                                       -Selah-

Remember the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son? (Luke 15). That story is so assuring. No matter how far he strayed or how long he was away for, there was still great rejoicing when he returned and his father was so pleased and overjoyed to have him back. It didn’t matter that his son had squandered his inheritance or had blatantly disobeyed him. All that mattered was that he was back.

Likewise the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep. The point is that God, our loving Heavenly Father is always ready to welcome us back into His presence with open arms, irrespective of how far we’ve strayed. (Luke 15:7)

We must learn to rest in the truth that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:38-39) Nothing catches God by surprise. With the exception of outrightly denying the presence and power of the precious Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29), no sin is too great to be forgiven, no life too condemned to be salvaged.

Don’t let guilt prevent you from claiming your inheritance and taking your rightful place in the Kingdom. Why waste your time dwelling on past sins that the Lord doesn’t even remember? (Isaiah 43:25) Why are you holding on to what God has let go of ?

Yes, God abhors sin, and His love isn’t a license to disobey Him. Rather, it is an enablement to live for Him. Because of God’s love for us, we can live freely in Him, rid of all encumbrances the devil uses to hold us back and make us believe we aren’t worthy. After all, the devil fears the power that is activated in one who knows his true worth and identity.

His love isn’t a license to disobey Him. Rather, it is an enablement to live for Him.

Today, decide not to let the world dictate your emotions and actions to you. Don’t let your past define you or put an inaccurate label on you. Allow God’s Love to transform you. It is all encompassing and wide enough to cover all your sins.

And remember that no matter how far you stray, you can never go farther than your Father’s love for you.

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“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:18-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

P.S. For more insight on the unforgivable sin (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit), click here !

Be Patient With Yourself

I’m the first person who needs to write this little piece of advice down in RED BLOCK LETTERS on a piece of paper and stick it on my forehead. Not just there even. On my arm, bedpost, purse, Bible and everywhere really to remind myself of this important advice:

“BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF“ !!!

Too many times people have come to me frustrated and annoyed with themselves about how slow a progress they’re making.

“I want to change. Why haven’t I changed already?“

“How many times am I going to fall before I finally learn to stand firm??“

“I’ve repented, why am I still sinning?”

“Why do I still lose my temper even though I’ve surrendered myself to God ???“

These are common frustrations we all share. But like I always tell people who confide in me about these things and like I’m telling you now, you need to see yourself as a precious mineral. (Malachi 3:3)

Gold and silver, before they become the precious valuable metals that are so sought after, are first rid of all impurities, melted, and passed through fire. Even olive oil which has many benefits goes through a rigorous process before coming out refined. The olives are crushed and pressed in order for the oil to be extracted.

Every time you feel like you’re moving at a snail’s pace in terms of growth, just remember that Mecca wasn’t built in a day, olive oil didn’t drop from the sky and gold was once covered in soil.

And even more so, if your Mighty Father, the One you’re seeking to please, isn’t being impatient with you, then what right do you have to be impatient with yourself ??

I once shared this analogy with my friend about having a toddler and teaching them to walk.

Imagine you were teaching your toddler to walk and he kept tripping over and falling. Would you be annoyed with him or you would patiently pick him back up, hold his hand and guide him to try again? Yes it make take a while, and our precious toddler may even get frustrated but your love for him and your constant presence by his side will assure him that if he keeps trying, he’ll eventually learn to walk. And guess what, he does! After many failed attempts and falls of course.

It’s the same thing with us and God! We often times make mistakes and slip and fall in our daily walk with Him. But our loving Father is always there to pick us back up, guide us and hold our hands till we get it right, and even after! If a parent would patiently and lovingly teach his toddler how to walk despite the many failed attempts, then how much more our Loving Father in Heaven ?!

Really if you think about it like that you will endeavour to be kinder and more patient with yourself.

Good things take time.

Character transformation requires a DAILY renewal of mind (Romans 12:2)

So don’t give up. Forge ahead. Persevere.

But through it all just remember to BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.

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Check out this article The Refiner’s Fire which expatiates on the refinery process analogy. Be blessed!

 

Break the Stigma.

Faith & Fire

In honour of mental health awareness month (and my birthday month…this is irrelevant but exciting), I would like to talk about the stigma surrounding mental health in Ghana, specifically depression, anxiety, and suicide. It’s a topic that has driven me to pick my future profession, and something that has made me want to have a voice…the reason why I started this blog.

I am not sure when I first heard about depression, but by the time I had understood what it was, I could call myself very mildly depressed. I was very young, and as a Ghanaian, it’s something that is just not talked about, period. Aside from being Ghanaian, I am coming from a relatively wealthy home, and I am an only child. I am a girl. I am close to my parents, I seem to have everything I want. I am healthy. I am a Christian. But it…

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