Staying above your challenges

A million times I have asked myself how I went back to those things that keeps me from enjoying Christ. A lot of times I wonder how challenges/temptations I had once overcome can resurface and hook me down.
I use to think that once you overcome something, it's done and dusted. I thought none of the issues that God has helped me deal with can ever come up again and then make me struggle.
Well, in a lot of ways I was wrong but out of my ignorance God has brought forth wisdom. Now I know better and now, I want to share what I have learnt.



You see, since I began my walk with God, he has never stopped blowing my mind, he has taught me lots and lots of stuffs but more and most importantly He has transformed my life. I'm a very very imperfect person, one with a lot of flaws and mistakes but God teaches me with every experience and gives me lessons with every mistake or wrong decision just has he has helped me deal with my issues but in the last one month one of those issues resurfaced and I found myself falling deep into it. I even began to question God and I resolved that maybe 'it is just is' and there's nothing that can done about it - like, there has to be that one thing that is part of your personality or an inborn trait that cannot be changed. But, even with that resolve, I wasn't comfortable, I knew what I was doing was wrong and that it was drastically affecting my spiritual life (I barely studied the bible anymore) and so I cried to God for help: "Father, please take this away from me. It's causing so much pain. Why can't I resist this temptation, overcome this challenge and move on? Would I have to deal with this for the rest of my life?".
God being His gracious self answered me and said, "In my presence, there is Freedom."

He taught me that, if I could only remain in his presence then nothing would be too much too handle, no temptation would prove irresistible. All I need to do was to cultivate a deeper CONSISTENT relationship with him. If I could continually feed on His word, then the sword of truth (I.e. The word) would automatically always come forth when I need it. I don't need to cram scriptures, I just needed to allow the word take heed in my heart, in my soul, and in my spirit and the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest,- He will bring to my remembrance those words when I need them, he'd draw forth the sword when a battle is drawn. (Cool yea?)

This made me remember a time in my life, actually during the ASUU strike, when I was so high on Christ, I was like a glutton for the Word, and at that time that thing hunting me now was nowhere to be found. I practically forgot about it, even the memories were slowly fading. I thanked God everyday for I believed he had gotten me through the ISH (he actually did and still has) but when I got to school and got 'too busy' to spend quality time with God I found my old demons resurfacing. Remember the scripture that says
"When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place,it says, i will go back to the home I left. When it gets there and finds the place EMPTY, clean, and neat, it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before..." Math 12:43-45 (CEV)

Well, I believe that was what happened here. I left God's presence, I stopped feeding on the word, my spirit became weak and so the old demons resurfaced stronger but now, as I have began to reshape my relationship with God and feed on his word, I find myself stronger - It's easier to resist and overcome that challenge. Infact, some of the questions I asked God sound really silly and stupid to me now and my resolution? Aaah! That was serious ignorance speaking.

What i'm really trying to say here is: NO MATTER what you are struggling with - even if you had overcome it before but it seems to have come back again - the Lord can take it away, all you need do is stay in his presence.
Whatever addiction you may have, be it Smoking, masturbation, sex, stealing, pornography,- whatever, in God's presence you'd find liberty, you'd find freedom from it. God is capable of filling that vacuum in your life and keeping any and every demon out.
In his presence, you'd find Fullness and liberation. Just keep studying, keep Praying, just keep being in fellowship and you'd see transformation, one that will forever be visible.

A CONSISTENT relationship with God, keeps you growing stronger, keeps your spirit basking and keeps you above every and any challenge or trial or temptation.


KNOW THIS---»You are not alone, nothing is new under the sun and no one is perfect; I am not. Yes! I'm growing and I'm better than before but I still can never be perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, we all fall really really short once in a while but I thank God for his grace and his mercy that keeps us afloat and picks us up when we fall.

But for God's love where would we be, where would you be?
I'm a product of grace, you can be too.
Just knowing God loves you and is not angry with you and is ever willing to take care of you, accept you and watch over you should be enough to get you to stand up. Jesus loves you, receive his love, experience his love, WALK in and with his love and you'd be transformed, you'd be above and would stay above all challenges.

God bless you.

Much love!