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Funny thing is if you love communicating and consistently show up, you will eventually find your people. People who are similar to you in responding and sometimes even faster. I remember going for an event recently where everyone just cried when they were filled with joy. They were all distant relatives and it felt like sharing in a communal thing of vulnerability and openness. I grew up with closed, cold and very inexpressive environment where if your voice broke or you got emotional people would look away and act embarrassed and here were generations spanning maybe 4 or 5, that is to mean there was a great-great grandmother/grandchildren who teared up in joy and it was the most normal thing. It felt wonderful and I could not help but feel a little envious wondering how much time would have been saved trying to prevent the show of emotions freely and growing without hearing, ‘you’re too emotional’ or ‘why can’t you be strong?’ because tears are not an indicator of weakness or being ‘too emotional’.

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That time is past and can never be recovered and now I try to raise my daughter better albeit in the same environment that was so hard on me. One time, we were walking somewhere and I had to just have a good cry before I could go on. I ushered her to some seats, and tears were just flowing freely. I assured her I was alright because either of two things was happening: My tear ducts were full and they had to be emptied so new tears could have space and second was like a philosophy of sorts, imagine if God did not make tears readily, every time we needed to cry, we would make a face and someone would ask, What are you doing? and you’d say, I am waiting for my tears to form so I can cry. Instead, God made each of us with tears so we could cry tears of joy and tears from the hurt or even tears from laughter, all of which were designed to happen.

If you need to have a cry today, just go ahead, everything was already made by God to function as it does, don’t be ashamed and you’ll probably feel better afterwards. People need to cry more.

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I must confess the times when I thought I was being most humble, I was displaying the greatest levels of pride. There is a verse in the Bible that speaks of man(humans) being as grass that quickly fades away.

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Who God is

God is the Creator and Maker of the world and everything in it, Genesis 1. He is Sovereign and in control of all situations whether local, global, regional, family or personal. He is able to intervene and bring order to chaos. He has the power and might to overcome any challenge or obstacle. He gives us His peace in times of turmoil. The peace the world cannot understand. He promises us He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is Sovereign meaning He is over everything.

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:10

God is our Protector

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

God is full of lovingkindness

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Psalm 103:8

God is our Provider

²⁵ Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

²⁶ Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Matthew 6:25-26

God is ever present

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

...and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20

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Instruction

The word of God seems to take a different turn and approach, it does not ask us to imagine the worst but in most cases two words are repeated frequently, BE STILL. It seems counterintuitive in a world that begs you to take action each time something happens. And yet the unfaltering word of God tells us to trust in Him, to trust that everything that seems too big for us, you and I can trust His faithfulness in seeing it through.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
The other instruction we receive is DO NOT BE AFRAID. You and I should not be afraid of the present, past or future because God has it in His hands.

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6

Sure we like to know what’s coming next and who doesn’t? But God wants us to trust Him even when the path is unclear. He lights the way and we can see clearly and be guided by His hand.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

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Track Record

Each time the children of God faced turmoil that included threats of war, starvation, slavery, illness, plague, famine, giants, seas, formidable walls and so on, God sent His word through his prophets to assure them to remain calm and that He would see them through that situation. If you read on, God showed Himself faithful each of those times. God defeated armies, provided food, freed them from slavery and during the slavery He still blessed them, God healed them, He helped them face and overcome giants, parted seas and brought down walls and always met them as a solution to their need. Notice that the Lord God appeared to His children in the form they needed, in times of despair and anguish, He gave them rest, reassured them and restored them and He can do the same for you today. He can give you clarity in confusion, comfort in mourning, relief where you had been straining and healing where you are hurting, whether physically, mentally or spiritually.
Exodus crossing the red sea

Believe

Today would you believe that the living word is able to restore to you health, clarity and peace? Jesus said He gives us peace that surpasses all understanding.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”John 14:27
That peace is available to each believer and we can rest in God and trust His plan even when the world is chaos, you can still remain calm and rested because you know the One who holds it all together is in control.

“(A Psalm of David.) The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1

Rest assured you belong to God and He will never let any harm befall you on His watch.

What can give you and I certainty in uncertain times? Knowing who God is, following the instructions laid in the Bible, seeing His track record in the previous circumstances, believe in God and having assurance in the eternal relationship we have with Him. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? If you do not, say this prayer and invite Him in your heart today:
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know I haven't been living right, please forgive me of my sins and come reside in my heart now and forever more. I believe and confess you are the Son of God and you died and resurrected for my sins. Wash me clean and accept me as your child today.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen!
If you have prayed that prayer, Welcome to the family, I am excited to have you and heaven rejoices over you. Send me a message and I will send you a free devotional and study to get started in knowing and growing in the word of God.
God be with you.

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When we are building relationships, we start with questions, and the more we get answers the more our relationship grows and we get to know each other. So how is it when we have questions we would like to ask God, instead of seeking Him for answers or His Word, we drift further and further away from Him? Perhaps it is the source of the answers we seek. When we encounter miracles we turn back and start trying to justify with logic and get drawn to unbelief.

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In the Book of Mark chapter 6, Jesus encounters resistance in His hometown and He is not able to do many miracles there and yet when He leaves to go to another town, the people bring all their sick to Him for healing, they even trust that just touching His cloak would heal them.

When they had crossed, they came to shore at Genesareth and moored there. As soon as they had disembarked, he was recognized, and they ran off into all the country round, and began bringing the sick after him, beds and all, wherever they heard he was. And wherever he entered villages, or farmsteads, or towns, they used to lay the sick down in the open streets, and beg him to let them touch even the hem of his cloak; and all those who touched him recovered.• Mark 6:53-56

The questions we even ask, are they seeking answers or are they mocking or questioning who God is? You and I know the difference between questions that are seeking answers and questions that are accusatory, take for example the beginning of Mark 6 and the kind of questions people were asking:

Then he left the place, and withdrew to his own country-side, his disciples following him. Here, when the sabbath came, he began teaching in the synagogue, and many were astonished when they heard him; How did he come by all this? they asked. What is the meaning of this wisdom that has been given him, of all these wonderful works that are done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Do not his sisters live here near us? And they had no confidence in him. Then Jesus said to them, It is only in his own country, in his own home, and among his own kindred, that a prophet goes unhonoured. Nor could he do any wonderful works there, except that he laid his hands on a few who were sick, and cured them; he was astonished at their unbelief. And so he went on round about the villages preaching.Mark 6

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The people from Jesus hometown began to cast doubts and wonder how He came to this knowledge. They could not simply have faith and that’s the simplest act, even in the atheistic ways, there are parts that require the total belief that God does not exist. Some who go out on this quest, place tests before God to ask why He cannot perform a certain miracle for them so they can have faith in Him. It is lopsided to stand in the side of unbelief and ask God to act so you can believe Him. God is God, He remains God whether you and I believe in Him or not. His ways are higher than ours and when we attempt to assert our human influence over Him to get the outcome of our choice we are failing to recognize His Sovereignty and turning into the Pharisees who asked Him for a sign so they could believe. Coming to Jesus, to faith, to believe in God is not a deliberate and conscious act of our own. God’s word tells us that He draws us in using the Holy Spirit and then we can begin the journey of faith with Him. To stand and say that by our own might, our own selves and by any act we came up with we somehow developed conviction and grew faith, is to rob God of His very nature and idolize ourselves, taking His glory for our gain.

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In the quest for truth, some have drifted far off and forgotten at all times we are at war. Imagine being in a war for our minds and beliefs and our very souls. In this war, the enemy is aware of the outcome that would satisfy you. So naturally like a hunter leaves out honey, or a fisherman some bait, the enemy leaves tidbits that he would use to reel you in. Sometimes your, Aha! moment that leads you further from God is the bait the enemy has set for you. The technology we have today doesn’t seem to help. We type in a question and get instant answers. Well I will tell you the truth, there are passages of Scripture I read and I cannot understand it and equate it with the God we know and serve. When I encounter such, I go back to God, I pray and I ask Him to help me understand. There are times, He would take months, others days, others He hasn’t yet responded and other times He directs me to read a different book to understand the one I am asking about. The Bible has this uncanny habit of repeating itself. Take for example, Isaiah, there are passages where God says He is God who foretells what will happen before it happens and says there is no other God that does that. In John 13, Jesus tells the disciples that He is sharing with them what is going to happen so that when it happens, they may know and learn to believe Him. In John 14, Jesus says, He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. These scriptures let us know Jesus foretold what would happen before it did just as God had stated in Isaiah. When we come across scripture that we do not understand we can ask God and He will reveal it to us. Sometimes even understanding the context, the audience, the time and the place the Word is being spoken will help us understand.

Secondly, knowing that God is Sovereign and over all will help us understand that God reigns over us His creation and there are things in this life we may never fully comprehend and our nature here would not even be able to comprehend. Take for example God made everything including evil and He uses it for His purposes.

Lastly, relying on the Holy Spirit to help us understand. The Holy Spirit was given to teach us all things. We can rely on His guidance in our daily walk in faith. Our questions and curiosities can serve to bring us closer to God rather than have us drifting away. Will you trust God with your questions and wait on His timing to answer?

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I walked back out and looked confident in front of the others but I did not wait for that call. I had forgotten all about it when I got the call to visit their offices. I was elated and went in. It was a preliminary to ensure I had the right documents and I was telling a lady I met there I hope I get picked, she responded dryly if they needed to check documents it’s because you were already picked. I went and got the social security, health insurance and health certificate. Finally, I got a call and was asked to sign a contract and provide copies of the documents. My first job! I was excited. I won’t bore you with further details but I met some of the most interesting characters during my time there. There was the manager who smoked and looked really cool and was patient with everyone, the deputy manager, a high strung woman who was constantly threatening me with throwing me directly out, the head chef who was always barking orders and insisting that everyone follow the whole procedure, the sous chefs who taught me all the shortcuts to cooking which was so ironic, the barista who gave beautiful ladies free drinks over the weekends, the hostess who was probably the sneakiest person I ever met and the funniest, she would do imitations of the manager and had me laughing even during the worst days. There were so many characters I wrote mini chapters of them all. I will share a couple of stories here under the Coffee Stories collection but if you would like a copy of the Book with all the juicy details, you can reach out to me directly. The E-book is only $10. It is light hearted, warm, it will have you laughing, smiling and if so inclined crying about it. When I look back at those days I wonder at how naive and oblivious I was to what was going on around me and yet that time lingers with me like the scent of a well brewed cup of coffee.

Was I too late?

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I found myself at a crossroad, a cross road I seemed to have been on several times throughout my life without even realizing it. People around me suggested a clear path, a path that truthfully I had gone on. I had done all the right things. I had gone back to school, done the course, started interning, grown and worked in the field and even reached the peak of success. I was miserable, I had learned to cope with the unease. The chiming sounds for alerts of meetings, the morning meeting catch up, the how was your week or how are you that required a flat answer. Honestly, I did not understand why anyone would force interaction they did not mean. I had become skilled in tasks I hated, I had adapted and learned to put on a suit, pretend for several hours and then binge on fast foods, TV shows, whatever influencers seemed to shine a light on that week, constant noise from morning to evening, all to ensure I never heard that question or even had to answer, IS THIS IT? I had everything I was taught was desirable for markers of success and yet here I was collapsed. I was choking and almost sunk with others desires and wants, others markers of success, others religious titles and ‘respect’. I asked God over a period of time, Is this it?

Surrounded by wealth, fame, people’s respect and status, I had wondered, Is this it? I asked God, Is this it? Is this all there was to life?

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Now as I tried to reclaim a past I had buried, I searched everywhere and nothing turned up. You see apart from the discouragement from others, I had carried deep shame that made me want to just wipe out and completely forget I had ever written anything. I deleted articles, I deleted accounts. I did everything to disappear and reinvent myself. Which was really like so many other choices in my life, choosing to keep the peace, agreeing with what everyone said and taking their way even when it made no sense and in some places, in the quiet of the night, when no distractions were around the question that lingered was, What am I doing here? Whether it was a different city, job, business, education and each time I silenced it by putting on anything to distract myself. The hardest person to lie to is yourself. Your mind gets unsettled, your body starts reacting and you keep going until the silence gets too loud and the truth stands in front of you, glaring, you know you are an imposter, playing a part that was never yours and you hope no one ever sees it.

BUSY BEE, BUSY BEE, I LOOKED IT UP and there was nothing there. I rubbed my face, I closed my eyes and looked down once again. I tried clicking on different places and saw the drafts had some items. I opened the items and smiled. I never deleted the blogs, I just reverted them to drafts. This was it! This was exactly what I was looking for and I opened the first and the next and so on. At the end of it, I cried so much I almost forgot to breathe. The words, the sequence, the research and yet somehow I had been convinced to feel shame for writing as I did. I remember THOSE YEARS shyly telling others, I write and being too embarrassed to show them even a word. I had hidden behind blog names that no one would ever find. CONVINCED THAT I needed the approval and rubber stamp of others to write or to even do anything. I laughed painfully and resolved to start writing again, write badly, carefree, messily and all type of ways until I could stand and fight for me.

Admittedly, I don’t think I have even reached the level I had 10 years ago. I keep hoping my neurons would reconnect with the old ones. The way may not be as clear or straight but I am taking it!

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Perhaps the world requires crazy stunts and headlines, shocking behavior or outrageous acts for you to capture their attention but you already hold the attention of the King. He knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, since that time to present you have never been along. The Lord has been closely by your side walking all the way with you, protecting you from harm, saving your life, preventing you from certain outcomes and preserving you.

The Lord is the GREAT I AM who is everything you need when you need it most, He is your friend when you require companionship, He is your faithful Father who already knows the depths of your heart and desires to give you every good and perfect gift. He is your Provider, giving you graciously what you need accordingly. He is your Protector, keeping you safe from harm. He is Mighty and fights for you and is victorious. He is a Deliverer, saving you from all bondage and addictions. He is your Savior, freeing you from the yoke of sin and setting you free. He is all things and because you are known to Him He will show up for you as needed.

When you get some free time today, turn to Him, pray, read His Word and learn what He means for your life. God be with you.

Christine Consuela

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For weeks, I wondered and stumbled, I avoided confrontation but that seemed to make things worse. Finally, without really thinking of it as a solution, I fasted. The first day, I was pacing about trying to remain focused, I looked at the clock and the hands appeared to be moving backward. I went back to bed, reasoning that so long as I was not eating I was doing okay. I slept for a few hours and woke up relieved when I checked the time. I walked straight into the kitchen to start preparing the meal I would have after and when I looked for the leftovers, I found the dishes clean. Immediately, I lost my temper and started asking how could anyone have finished all that food, that was the beginning of the end. I raised my voice, got more and more angry when anyone offered a solution and stormed off.

Later, I went outside and prayed and apologized to God but I was sure He was not buying into that apology, not with the way I had been going on before (*God is actually patient with each of us and He already knows everything even before we tell Him). The next day, I tried again and my prayer was, God help me! I spent time actually praying, reading the word and just sitting still. By the third day, I had confronted my behavior and realized it was not normal. I asked God for help and forgiveness and I finished the fast after a few more days.

Some weeks passed and the test came, two people close to me were in a shouting match, normally I would have picked a side and supported one of them. Now I sat their and asked each what the problem was and at the end of it, a solution was found. I was shaking by the time I got back to the house, I could hardly believe that I had gone all my life thinking that’s just who I am, I can’t change and right there the evidence suggested otherwise. I was in awe. I started crying and thanking God right there and then. And just like that, God cured me from a quick temper.

Some of the things I have implemented since then have included:

• Slow response to the triggering event, person or the voice

• Take time apart to review things calmly

• Write it out

• Look for a solution without magnifying the problem

• Understand when you just happen to be there (Maybe the person shouting isn’t necessarily questioning you or your character but you happen to be present and responding even calmly would have them react adversely.) So basically, no response is required in this situation. For example, I know a guy who goes off drinking and has a bad temper, so if I see his text or call at 2am, I am not going to pick up to be the one he unloads to and by the next day he will have forgotten.

• DRAW BOUNDARIES and keep them up.

• Preserve your energy; getting into unnecessary fights drains you during the exchange and afterward as it occupies space in your mind.

These are a few of the things I have done to cement this. The first step though is to correctly identify the behavior that you do not like or do not want to keep on repeating before embarking on bringing it to a stop. Know that there is nothing impossible for God.

Christine Consuela

A year ago, I could not have understood why she seemed so obsessed. Surely, I was passionate about things but not in the way she went about it. That was until I started writing again. Before writing, I had started a counseling practice and I let it grow organically. However, when I started writing, I did not mind what it looked like in the beginning, I just wrote, each day I had to write whether it was books, articles, short stories, mini series, I just had to put it down. It affected everything because I could no longer share this with the people I knew who had discouraged me over 10 years ago and somehow I had believed them and hang everything up related to writing. I had wandered through diverse careers trying to fit in and doing all manner of odd jobs. Each time it felt like I had to first write a script before I presented myself to interview panels. It was ironic that I was relying on something I enjoyed to get through uncomfortable situations. It felt like I was writing a character I had to play and my mind and heart would not REFUSED to play the part. I was such a nervous wreck at one point I just started crying midway, it was not very professional. The lady who was interviewing me at the time gave me such grace and walked me through a counseling session. Imagine that! Going for an interview and it ends up being a counseling session. I would repeat the words I was meant to say back to myself and they sounded hollow, I hated the networking events, they seemed to be a show and tell sort of arrangement where everyone was trying to show how important they were and speaking using ‘industry terms’ that just made no sense to me. I moved through that stage of life in a daze. I dreaded meetings and the introductions involved and ‘the final thoughts from the team’ the thing that saved me was picking one point from the agenda and just making up words around it or even restructuring it.

And now here I am writing again and it gives me such tremendous joy. I can almost understand the obsession I witnessed in those ladies. I am stumbling through it, perhaps the neurons in my brain trying to reconnect with the past writing skills or formulating new pathways altogether. I am still shy about some stories and so I put them on paid instead of showing them openly. Sometimes I fear the relationships around me would fall apart if they read some of those accounts which are true but no one likes to look in the mirror and see the blemish or rather some people like to gloss over flaws and the words there would be highlighting, underlining and putting in bold some character traits they would rather not see. The faith and confidence I have is in a word at a time, a sentence, a paragraph and I could meet, join or form a community of different creative people. My belief in God allows me to reason that when we are creating we are the most like Him, creating beauty that would let others know of His existence.

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I was choosing to sleep hungry, I had started feeling heavy the last couple of days and I found the routine of going for devotion and prayers led to my automatically serving food as I had to first serve my daughter. I skipped the whole thing all together tonight by claiming to be too sleepy and indeed I slept for an hour or so. It was raining outside so it made the sleep all the sweeter. Now here I am at 9.30pm feeling a little hungry and yet choosing not to eat. It is a miracle in itself as there were days I had absolutely nothing to eat and I was not anticipating anything to come my way. In those days, I prayed to God that the days would come when I would fast willingly and not because food was not present. I chuckled to remember that prayer was being answered right now.

I was still putting my company together though I felt that perhaps I was not fully maximizing or letting others know about my company enough. I was sure there were people looking for my exact services. I had the website, I had the profile, the Youtube and even the Facebook, Substack and Patreon and still there was nothing. I decided to pray continually for my company to take off. I prayed I would meet clients soon.

As for my ministry, I think Facebook did a good job of promoting it though I had restricted who would be able to follow me. I wanted engagement and learning at the same time. I had noticed some people just oogle and only like the things that seem to have hurt. I quickly removed them and embarked on opening a Twitter account. I did not know too much about it but I was determined to try.

Each day I gave a little more to the company. I knew for now it seemed I was the only one who knew about it but soon clients would come in and the whole thing would grow. I believe strongly that what I am offering is exactly what someone else is looking for. I press on toward the goal. Each day is not the same yet I find it easier to encourage myself in the Lord, to wait upon Him and to keep pressing on until one by one they all come.

Christine Consuela

I looked around and I almost despaired. I saw the people, I saw the leaders, musicians, artists, performers, fathers, parents, everybody who I thought stood had compromised. They had given in to the god of this world, their reward was fame, money, power, and other goodies. They had set aside the Savior of the world and chosen to satisfy the lust of the …

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I am like a child in the arms of my Father. I want to try this and that. I want to explore and test. I want to help! Yet no matter how often I multitask, I come to the realization I could never have my attention on everything that requires my time. I turn to my Father and surrender all that I have and am and sometimes even before I let go, news reaches me concerning something I had entirely forgotten about. I hear the good news of how my Father set it up. It all works in my favor or rather to prove His lovingkindness toward me.

God is so faithful to keep His promises. Even when we cannot see and yet at times it is right in front of us, only thing is it is not familiar because it looks different. It looks like healing, patience, fruit, timing, His glory, well planned, with forethought and definitely the opposite of familiar pain, let down, hurt, reneged promises, insults, ridicule and basically abuse. If you read God’s word you will never miss His hand upon your life. You won’t miss those moments where if you were really honest, you could have never done it without His intervention. You get to see all things working for good, even the things that seemed puzzling or complicated, He straightens them out and a clear path is set before you for the fulfilment of His will.

You begin to enter His rest where no matter what it looks like on the outside, you trust His plan more than your current surroundings even more than your past occurrences and any contrary evidence. You get access to the peace that surpasses understanding. The peace that looks like stillness when everyone around is trying to do more to fight the waves, you are more than aware that God has got it. You can keep still and wait for His hand. You can trust His promises. You can believe the discernment He gives you. You can rely on His faithfulness to see you through.

The little surprises come when for example as a writer I am tempted to write the entire story to how I think my life should go, yet the one who writes and speaks the Living Word would write so much better than I could ever imagine. And so slowly I learn I can trust His timing for everything, even what I don’t understand.

Christine Consuela

Has someone ever gossiped about you to YOU? That might be a hard one to comprehend but here goes. I went to one of the vendors nearby and he started chatting me up whether I knew what a relative of mine had done, I responded I did not and so he goes on and on getting more and more descriptive as though he wanted to show me how much he knows about it and…

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Tonight I was in a mood, as a matter of fact it was the whole day. It started the previous night where I saw in a dream the enemy mocking me and I suffered spiritual attack. Some part of the day it got to me. I started wondering what am I doing wrong? Then I looked up a certain wife ministry and as I stared at her website I felt like a total loser. I thought to myself if AI is the shortcut guys are taking I am going to do it too. I went ahead and changed a few descriptions on some pages but I still felt lousy. I snapped at my daughter for just being a kid and not helping even though I enjoy doing those chores alone. I went to the TV and put on some worship and immediately calmed down. It was the kind of worship that praises God and not the I,I,I kind.

Later on another song from 20 years ago came on, by this time I’d apologized to my daughter, I looked at the main singer and he had a weird addition to his outfit. Due to some time I had spent following false preachers, when I finally got out of it, I went on a deep dive and even wrote a book on how to recognize them and this singer was wearing one of those items. I started arguing with myself in my mind trying to justify what I was seeing. At first, I thought no way! 20 years ago guys were still doing this stuff. I decided because he has a page on Youtube let me check the kind of music he puts out now. I did not have to search too long after typing the name, the song suggestion appeared n the search bar. There he was dressed like a clown, singing and dancing some nonsense and making a fool of himself. I wish I could share the links but trust me he looked as far from the Lord as ever. I wanted to be shocked but the evidence was already there from 20 years ago this was literally the trajectory. I think I had to see it so I could see the direction little compromises lead to.

In the book of 1 John the writer gives us so many nuggets concerning this:

Some went out from the apostles but they never really belonged to them; some were never really born again

The difference between children of God and the children of the devil; the one who does right is of God, the one who does not do what is right is not of God

No one who lives in God continues sinning; the one who continues sinning has not seen or known God

Many false prophets have gone out into the world; test the spirits

Anyone born of God does not continue to sin

I wanted to go right on back to those descriptions and change them immediately. I had to wait a while but I finally did it. Let us guard our hearts, ears and eyes. The worst thing about such people is they are blind and they are misleading others too. If an artist says he/she is secular everyone knows what to expect but if someone labels themselves with Christ and then goes forth to put out what is contrary, it is choosing fame and wealth to deliberately mislead the children of God. Some of these artists have families and I understand that they want to put food on the table but at what cost? I did not share this to scare you but some of your favorite songs just check them against scripture, ask the Lord for discernment and wisdom to navigate. There is so much evil influence in the world today that you and I aren’t even aware of. Sometimes I look at the next generation and I am genuinely concerned. They will have zoned out, then certain beats or sounds will play and they get immediate interest. Music is a powerful worship tool, who are you really worshipping when you turn the music up, is it God or the enemy?

Christine Consuela