The Bible talks about walking in the Spirit in the book of Galatians 5:16 but what does it actually mean? It means to walk in the ways of God, by allowing him to guide you through life. And when you live according to God's ways, life may not be perfect, but it will not overshadow you. Because God will give you the ability to handle all seasons of life. What’s more, he will give you peace in the midst of it. Peace that surpasses all human understanding.

These words has been the anchor of my loved ones and I for some time now. Recently, we turned it into a song and it just makes sense to turn them into a T-shirt slogan. A way of wearing our words on our sleeves, so to speak. Letting the world know that If you choose Jesus, you will never be alone. He will always be with you, through the good and the bad days. He understands what it means to be alone. That's why, when Jesus was about to be abandoned by everyone before his crucifixion, he told his disciples this:

"You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
- John 16:32-33, New International Version -

Meaning, he knows what it’s like to feel alone, which makes him the perfect one to accompany you through your life's journey. Think about it my lovelies!

I’ll leave you with some pictures of the creative process used to create the T-shirt for this blog post, along with the sweet voice of my favourite nonagenarian. He’s singing his favourite anthem of the moment, “ I am not alone, Jesus is with me.” Let his words remind us that come what may, we are never truly alone, if we have Jesus. Stay blessed and keep on going!!

If you tackle challenges with the right mindset, you will find that it comes with its own opportunities. The opportunity to learn and grow. If you're facing challenges and looking for ways to overcome it, this is for you.

Stay Blessed and keep on moving!

In an age of clicks, views and social relevance, maintaining individualism is getting lost in its maze. Your fulfilment won't come from being like everyone else. It can only come from being your true self. God made you solely for his purpose and you're here to achieve God's purpose for your life. If you're looking to find your purpose, this could be for you.

Stay blessed and keep on moving!

Using our life experiences to empower others, so that they can overcome their life’s challenges is a Christlike thing to do. That’s why the loss of this talented singer hits a raw nerve. Her songs were an encouragement to many, including myself. I know she will continue to encourage many more in future. Mandisa as an artist, has proven once again, that a gift is meant to be shared. And what’s more, you don’t have to know someone to be positively impacted by them.

Mandisa, I find in you, a kindred spirit, rest in peace. Hope you keep singing joyfully in the Lord's choir, bringing glory to God eternally! Below is ‘Overcomer’, a song by Mandisa that impacted me greatly.

At Easter, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ because he is our saviour. The only sure way to make eternity with God. There's a lot of hearsay about who Jesus is, but have you tried finding out the truth yourself?

The Bible says  we are to:
"Search the book of the Lord, and see what he will do."
- Isaiah 34:16, New Living Translation -

Because when you do, it might just surprise you what you might find. And when it comes to our salvation, Jesus is the one who can intercede for us before God the father, no one else. Which is why Jesus said:

“I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me."
- John 15:5, God's Word Translation -

Simply put, life without Christ is meaningless and in order to have a meaningful life, we need to have Jesus. Have a wonderful Easter!

We can all learn a thing or two from a mother's love. Like when a baby poos. Regardless of the unpleasant scent that fills the air, a mother would simply clean up the baby whilst cooing to her infant between nappy change. That right there, is love in it's purest form. Makes me wonder whether we could all take a leaf from a mother's book and love those in our lives holistically. What do I mean? Imagine seeing a profile on a dating site that reads:

"She will belch and fart at a moment's notice, interested? Call me!"

Would you honestly make that call? May be or maybe not? Truth is, I kind of wonder why truths like these aren't mentioned on dating sites. It will surely save unnecessary pretence, so that people can just be themselves and do away with the superficial malarkey. Don't you think? That's why I'm taking my hat off to Mothers this Mother's Day. Because let's face it, loving someone unconditionally is not the easiest job in the world!  

On another note, it's hard not to remember Mum on Mothering Sunday. One thing I do remember was how I would follow her like a puppy wherever she went! If she went shopping, I went shopping, if she had a passion for something, I would be sure to follow suit. It's how I learned to crochet, take cookery classes and even dabbled into the world of craft making! So, as I sat down on a bench at the tube station on my commute from work and pulled out a health Bar to snack on, I had a flash back. This was what Mum and I used to do whenever we were out and about and needed a break. She would get me a light snack to munch, whilst we took a little break before continuing our shopping trip.

Somehow, I had continued this practice without giving it much thought  until this moment. It's funny the subtle things we remember about those we've loved and lost. It brought a smile to my face. Clearly, Mum lives on in me. What would I say if Mum were here today? I would say, "Happy Mother's day to the one with a smile that melts life's troubles away." And in honour of all mothers past and present I say, Happy Mother's day. For sacrificing your time, your years, along with your toil and sweat to raise generations.

A subtle reminder that God is always on hand to help those who call out to him.

A city that bears God's name can cry out to him and he will rise to their defence, but if a city chooses to forsake his name, how will he fight for that city? This is not to say that God won't listen to the prayers of his faithful servants when they intercede for their nation. Thing is, the nation itself needs to have a heart for God in order to reap the real benefits of an intimate relationship with God. We see an example of this in the Book of Daniel 9:19 when Daniel, a servant of God interceded for his city. He pleaded to God on behalf of his people saying:

"Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

Note the words ' Your city and your people bear your name.'

Whatever was going on with the city in question, they still had something that served as a reminder, that they once had some sort of connection with God. Fast forward to this present world and you will realise the difference. What difference is that?  It's the realisation that this current world (with the exception of a few), no longer bares God's name. By that I mean, they no longer call on God's name in a public space. Countries who in earlier times, flew the flag for God by incorporating the word of God in their constitutions, have now stripped themselves of anything that remotely connects them to God.

This is evident in the way they restricted the teachings of the gospel from their educational establishments and limited the use of God’s word in their economy. It was not unusual to have a nation’s currency display the words ’In God we trust’. Some nations whose cultural, financial or economic institutions were established on God's word have now ceased from applying it to their constitutions.

Looking at the state of the world today, compared to when God was revered by the nations, there is a significant difference. The world is more chaotic, more hostile and less welcoming. Why? Because it has lost respect for the very God who made all things and forgotten who he is. So now they mock his name in anyway they can and at every given opportunity. However, it really doesn't matter what negative things anyone says about God. What matters is what God says about the world that he, (not us) created. The Bible says in Numbers 23:19 that,

'God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn't change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.'
(Numbers 23:19, God’s Word Translation)

Jesus, who was God manifested in human form never (ever) sinned. The one thing we know, according to the Bible is this: due to the sin committed through Adam the first man that ever lived, sin entered the world. Which inturn, changed the world from doing the good will of God, to doing wicked (sinful) things. See Romans 5:12-19, New Living Translation.

 For this reason, God said he would, 'Create new heavens and a new earth (where) the former (things) shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. Isaiah 65:17. Also see Isaiah 65:18-25. Which means that God will rebuild the world back to the way he originally intended. And whether we like it or not, God's word will come to pass because God himself said this:

'...my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'
(Isaiah 55:11, New International Version)

That is to say, it is not a matter of 'if the world will come to an end, but when. Though no one knows the exact day when Jesus will return, it's a certainty that it will happen. Jesus said this in Matthew 24:36,

"concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Matthew 24:36

Thing is, when it does happen where will you be? Will you be on God's side or will you be against him? Let's remember that before the world ends, God is giving every single one of us the chance to repent from our sinful ways. Ways he described as 'wicked'. See Ezekiel 33:11

Failure to accept God's offer to make the earth right again, will lead to eternal separation from God. So what choice will you make? Will you choose to have the fear of the Lord again or will you choose to be eternally separated from God? Before you answer that question, I urge you to pause and take a quick look at the state of the world today. Do the things happening in our world today show wisdom or lack of judgement? Then decide who you want to follow, God or the world? Remember, the decision you make will become final once you leave the earth.

Also, what makes a city are the people who inhabits it. God created the nations from a man called Abraham. The Bible says in the book of Genesis 17:5 that God told Abraham,

“….You will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.”
(Genesis 17:5, New Living Translation)

Since God made the nations through Abraham, it means that a nation whose heart is not right with God, represents a people whose heart is not right with God. So, how can things be made right in our cities or our nations? It can only be made right, if we turn back from our ‘wicked sinful ways’ to having the fear of God again. The bible says in Proverbs 9:10 that,

‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’
(Proverbs 9:10, New International Version)

Which means, for a nation to make wise decisions, they need to have a profound respect for God. Something the world lacks today. When the nation of Isreal turned away from God, he told them this in the book of Ezekiel 33:11,

“As surely as I live…I take no pleasure in the death of wicked (sinful) people. I only want them to turn from their wicked (sinful) ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness (sinfulness), O people of Israel! Why should you die?

Today, God is saying the same thing to you, the people that make up his nations, ‘turn back to God’. Why not think carefully about God’s words, because he is waiting to receive you with open arms and it's never too late to turn back to God.

God is so amazing! Because he not only gives us the grace to start each day afresh, he also gives us the grace to start the year afresh. First he gives us the ability to wipe the slate clean daily, then after living three hundred and sixty-five days of the year, he enables us to wipe all those days out (if we so choose) inorder to start afresh again. Talk about God-given detox for the body, mind and spirit! As we wave good bye to 2023 and open our doors to 2024, I'm raising a warm glass to you all. Wishing you a better new year, where we can let go of the past and look forward to the future. I’ll leave you with this song by Jeremiah Paltan called the moon, hope it puts you in the mood for the new year celebrations!

"Forget what happened in the past,
and do not dwell on events from long ago.
I am going to do something new."
(Isaiah 43:18-19, God's Word Translation)

Happy New Year!
Luv Kemi West (The Postman)