"Make me better" by Mali Music

"How can I reach out to someone else when I ain't got it together myself"

Whenever I listen to this song, it amazes me how much sense it makes and how I can relate to the message. The way people listen to music is so different, especially how we interpret certain messages. To me, this song is about a conversation with God, explaining how weak and no where near perfection we are with the type of person He wants us to be. I think this is the bitter truth most Christians find difficult to admit. That they are NOT perfect, nobody is. We have our weaknesses and our strengths, and most times in life we tend to give in to our weaknesses and live our life a certain way that isn't exactly "best behaved person" of the year. Honestly, I think it's fine as long as we end up realising our faults and confessing our sins. It seems like it's the only way we can move forward with God by admitting that we are sinners but the Important thing is that we try! That is all that matters, regardless of how we appear or what preconceived idea people have of us. With time the better version of you starts to come out if we just keep fighting for it.

The verse that really touches me in the song goes like this. "How can I reach out to someone else when I aint got it together myself" I relate so much with that saying because I guess that's exactly how I feel with this blog. I see myself as a voice speaking out to many young people going through the struggle of having that relationship with God but at the same time it's hard to make a balance with the way we live our life. Most times, I feel like who am I to encourage others about Christian things when I myself fall short from living that way. It's hard but I guess this is when the issue of God seeing the heart comes in. The Important thing is that we try :)

Stay Blessed&Inspired!

Zephia. xx

Precious gifts

What is your gift in life?
Are you talented musically? Are you extremely charismatic; there's just something about you that everyone loves? Are you a dreamer; who sees things that cannot even be explained Or do you have the power to speak and grab the attention of thousands?
Who are you....??


I think the most important thing in life, is identifying who we are as individuals. Living in a world, where we're wrapped up with so many things that influence us, we usually lose sight of who we really are. Probably because we're trying to be someone were not. We see things on TV and literally want to transform into a completely different person, not appreciating our own gifts or even realising that we have any. I know I'm such a culprit with this example. Most of the time, I want to be something I'm not just because it excites me at the time, but you know what ? That excitement dies overtime, because the true you eventually starts to come out and gets tired of being the person the world wants you to be.


The question is who are you? who do you think you are? Most of us probably just see ourselves with an average eye, especially if we don't have any talents (or rather we think we don't have any talents) I've always believed that everyone on earth has a hidden gift . A gift that is so unique about us, and that is what sets us apart from everyone else. "In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy,speak out with as much faith God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously and if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly" Peter 12:6-8.
God has given each and everyone a gift, but the problem is recognising what the gift is and how we can use it to make an impact positively. We weren't created on earth to just "chill" there is a task everyone has, we just need to tap into that special gift that we have that is God-given.
So now if you've been trying to be someone else or something you're not...two words STOP IT!
You will fail woefully! There can only be one you in the world. We need to stop trying to do what everyone else is doing and literally start doing what we want and not limit the things we are curious about because of fear that people would label us differently. But hey, if what everyone else is doing excites you, there is no harm as long as you are not trying to be something you are not, and lose yourself along the way.


I'll be honest with you, with this blog thing I'm sure people who think they know me socially are confused. They might not say it but they probably think "This is the same girl I see going out clubbing and doing this and that" yada yada but hey who said I was perfect? who is perfect? NOBODY. The beautiful thing about imperfections is that God always seeks out those who need Him the most, He is attracted to the lamest people and the biggest sinners believe it or not. I'll prove it "There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away" Luke15:7 Cool huh? So now I have that motivation to not give up and work towards the person I really am, but hardly show. Now who are you?


Stay Blessed&Inspired,
Zephia Ovia

Your faith will give you wings

"Hold me together..."

"Its not easy but I know you see me when I loose my way"


I recently just got introduced to this band called "Royal Tailor" from a friends blog and I've been hooked on a lot of their songs. Anyway the song "Hold me together" kind of explains everything I was trying to say previously, with my post on commitments.( SEE POST BELOW)


"We drop things in life and we mess up but HE can fix it"
"It doesn't matter if we make bad things happen or bad things happen to us He is going to be right there to hold us together"

Stay Blessed&Inspired,
Love Zephia

Commitments

One of the hardest challenges in life has to be making commitments; especially when you make a promise to yourself that you would be dedicated to seeing something through. Why am I talking about commitments? Recently I have found myself in a sticky situation where I made a pact with myself that I would start living my life a certain way and do things differently.
The problem now is keeping to that commitment, particularly when it involves God. We make promises all the time to people and sometimes we break them because we are only human, it is in our nature to be far from perfect so it is inevitable to break promises.  


 For me, the challenge is finding a balance with how I live my life and if it pleases God. It is one of the most challenging things ever, because I live in a world filled with temptation and unfortunately I always find myself walking along the wrong path and doing things I am not supposed to be doing. I drift a lot, hence why I haven't blogged in a while, because I've been drifting from the me I'm supposed to be back to how I was before and I hate it.


I guess it's like procrastination; when we set goals to achieve something, but we just keep postponing them. Procrastination is a disease and it can only prevent you from moving forward in life.
I don't know what your goals are in life, or what your trying to achieve but I think it's time to put our foot down and make sure we keep those commitments. It might be to people around us, or maybe just a personal decision we made. Example: working harder this academic term, learning to save more, being a better person towards loved ones or controlling our anger. Most importantly if it's a pact with God we have to actually see it through, because He is unchanging towards us. Hebrews 13:8 "He is the same yesterday, today and forever" so why should we think it's okay to break our promises with Him, when He never breaks a promise with us.
I've decided to try and see my commitment through and I hope you do too, whatever it is.


Stay Blessed&Inspired,
Love Zephia.

The pull of sin in correlation with his love

Sin......

What exactly is your understanding of sin? Is it when you do something you know you weren't supposed to do or doing something extremely evil or just simply disobeying religious laws? According to the dictionary, the term sin "is an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law" In my own understanding, the word divine law has to be the laws given to us by God via the Bible. We tend to determine what is sinful and what is not. Although the Bible clearly states what is right and wrong.


One question I always ask myself is if we are made in Gods image, how is it that we are imperfect and continue to sin with ease? Honestly, I cannot fathom the idea behind it. I mean we live in a world of sin and there is absolutely nobody that is perfect on earth. We are all prone to sin and do things that are displeasing to man and God. This is mans greatest weakness; the struggle to do good.  Ecclesiastes 7:20 "not a single person on earth is good and never sins" This just shows how sin innately lives in us even from the minute we were born. There's a verse that explains perfectly what I am trying to say. It goes like this "The trouble with me is that I am all too human, a slave to sin, I don't really understand myself for I want to do what is right but i don't do it, instead I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong, it is sin living in me that does it" Romans7:14-17. Whenever I read this verse over and over again, it just makes more and more sense. We are imperfect because the power of sin lives inside of us as it is impossible to have a life without sin. Furthermore, when we sin and recognise our doings are impure i.e our conscience tells us that what we have done is wrong. This is good as it means that we accept our wrongs and a part of us did not mean to sin but the sin that is innately in us controls majority of our actions. We can't control it because it is part of our nature.


The reason why I wanted to write about this is because my biggest struggle is dealing with sin. I don't know what your struggle is; It may be lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, having a bad temper or even jealousy. The truth is everyone has a side that could be categorized as sinful. In my opinion, I don't think God expects perfection from us because he knows us inside out.  Before we sin he even knows what we are about to do that is why he is referred to as the Omniscient God. The issue is not the fact that we sin, but what we do once we know that we have done something wrong.
We have always been taught that when you do something wrong you apologize or repent. However, in my case it's the weirdest thing. I simply run away from dealing with the fact that I am not perfect and I am a sinner just like everyone else. I run away from confessing my sins because I'm probably ashamed and feel like I am not worthy enough to even talk to God. This is the worst mind-set to ever have! I always felt like once I've done something wrong that's it, God is probably done with me and tired of dealing with my crap right? WRONG.


Now I see things differently when we do something that goes against Gods will. Yes, He would probably be upset about it, but instead of running away and not wanting to deal with the problem, I think He wants us to come to Him and just spill out the problem. I like to think it's like talking to a best friend whereby there is NOTHING that can turn Him against his own creation. "Nothing can ever separate us from Gods love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow...can separate us from Gods love" Romans 8:38.  How deep can this love be? Think about it, reread the verse, let it sink in. "Absolutely Nothing can turn Him away from us" So we could be the biggest sinner on the planet, but He is still willing to accept us even when people reject us. It is beyond encouraging to know that regardless of our imperfections, there is actually a God who chooses to forgive us, and love us unfailingly. When I was much younger, people would always tell me "oh Jesus loves you blah blah" and I'd say "yeah, tell me something new", because it was something people always said, so I never saw it as anything big. To be honest, I don't think I ever understood how powerful that love they talked about really was until recently.


There is so much that we do and a part of us KNOWS that it is wrong; call it your conscience or the Holy spirit, the important thing is that we recognise that what we are doing is wrong. The next step is the hardest step, which is simply talking to God about our weaknesses that pull us to sin. I've decided that I cant run away from the things I do because God sees all and I would only be deceiving myself.
A friend told me he felt empty when he was going through some things, but the minute he started praying, he felt like that emptiness was being filled with some sort of inner peace which is the greatest feeling ever. I can relate to what he said because, whenever I do something I know goes against what I am supposed to stand for, I feel so empty and worthless; like I can never change. I have made up my mind that in order to move forward, I cant keep thinking like that so neither should you. When you do something wrong that goes against whatever you believe and you may not know how to handle it, don't run away from it; The solution is to Pray. I mean literally have a conversation with God about everything and anything, trust me it works. "In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly you will find me" Jeremiah 30:12.




Stay Blessed and inspired,
Zephia Ovia

See no evil, hear no evil

Luke 11:34 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness”

I’ve always believed that our eyes, ears, and mouth act as a window to our soul. I believe that whatever we take in, to flourish in us is what we would exhibit consciously or unconsciously.  It’s like telling a 5 year old to cover their ears when you don’t want them to hear you use foul language, because you know they would immediately repeat what you have said.  It’s the same pattern, when we see things on TV or listen to music and start repeating the same words in our every day lingo because what we have seen/heard has made an impact on us one way or the other.

I’ll give an example, when I first heard the Gucci mane song “Wasted” The intro of the song goes like this. (I’m sure a lot of you know it already but I just have to quote it so people understand what my point is in this message) Anyway so it goes “Rock star lifestyle might don’t make it. Living life high everyday click wasted…..party party party lets all get wasted”.

Now whenever I heard that song in clubs, literally all I wanted to do was get smashed. Like off my face. Simple. (I’m going to be honest with u guys. No point pretending or tying to put on “I am holier than thou” act, that’s not what this blog is about. It’s about me in transition to being a better version of myself and still showing my true colours, because change doesn’t come overnight it comes from within and of course when you constantly pray to God to help you find the calling he has on your life).

 This is just an example how words can easily leave an impression on us. This really got me thinking about the whole theory that our eyes and ears act as a window to our soul. I started to think, the things I allow myself see and listen to how does it reflect on my character? Does it influence me positively or negatively and how do I act towards others. For a while I’ve been thinking about this and we may not admit it but the music we listen too has such an influence on us. Especially in this day and age where we are just crazy over all sorts and we let song lyrics flourish in our lives. DON’T GET CONFUSED WITH WHAT I AM SAYING.

I love Music, and I have my selected artists, that I would go out of my way to learn the lyrics. I’m not saying oh don’t listen to this or that song, what I’m saying is sometimes there’s always some sort of hidden message in the things we listen to and the things we watch. Being young we love to be ignorant of a lot of things and our excuse is always that we are young hey so why not. I remember when I was much younger whenever there was a song I was listening to in the car and an adult happened to be there with me I would always turn down the music when it got to the swear words or when I knew the artist was talking about something inappropriate. I’m sure we have had those moments when our parents would say to us “what rubbish are you watching/listening too” and I just always thought omg take a chill pill it’s just music what’s the big deal. But now looking back, I see what the fuss is. You know there are songs out there that actually influence suicide. Music controls the emotions and sometimes there are certain songs that can make u happy, songs that make you want to cry, songs that just put you in a bad mood and songs that make you feel like your life is a complete mess!

I was thinking it’s so easy to remember what the lyrics to the new song is, but it’s extremely difficult to remember what the Bible says about certain things in the world because if I’m being honest, I don’t focus on God ENOUGH, and it is so bad. I try, like I really do but the “I try” is just not enough. I feel like God sometimes tries to speak to us, but we can’t hear his voice because our thoughts are clouded with rubbish from the junk we listen too and focusing on certain TV shows or meaningless gossip that add no value to our life. Remember I’m not saying don’t watch this or that because I know I’m going to keep listening to the music I love. This post is not to condemn music but rather to create an awareness of how the things we let flourish in us may kind of distract us from what God wants us to hear. Ecclesiastes 12:1-6 “ Don’t let the excitement of youth, cause you to forget your creator. Honour him in your youth before you grow old….. Yes remember your creator now while you are young”

Stay Blessed & Inspired

Zephia 

Headline-"WORRIES"

(#Its long but trust me read it to the very end :)

I realise that I worry way too much, if something bad is happening around me I automatically start to think of the worst that could possibly happen.

 Given situation, with the riots spreading every where from London to Birmingham to Manchester etc etc. I've been panicking ever since they hit Manchester because I go to university there. Literally the minute it came on the news that it was hit I went nuts and I'm sure people who live there can relate to this. Note I’m actually all the way in Tuscany, Florence to be precise, so I'm nowhere near the rioting but YET I was still panicking and thinking the worst. All these what-if questions started coming to my head.."what if they burn down uni" " what if they burn down my new apartment I just got with my friend" "what if they burn down the favourite milkshake joint my friends and I love going to" and "OMG what if they burn down sakura(it's a club in Manchester btw)" note how petty my what-ifs are meanwhile peoples lives are also at risk .

 So I rang my mom and started complaining about what these unlawful people were doing. Of course, the reason I called her was because I was expecting her to baby me #EPICFAIL at that trial. You know what she said.." Stop it! this is how the world is. They riot everywhere ALL THE TIME. Yes the situation is depressing but there is no reason to cry, first of all you should be thankful to God that you are alive and safe." When she said that, it didn’t even hit me that I was being inconsiderate. But what she said after..."How about in your country Nigeria where they have been burning churches in Abuja and killing Christians like it's nothing, the situation is still on going, and you didn’t call to complain about that when it was happening" OUCH! (one of those mummy talks that burst your bubbles but at the end of the day they are right)Yea that hit me really hard, it just showed how sometimes we are so engulfed with the things going on around us that we forget about the troubles in other parts of the world. Yes there have been words of encouragements, people saying #PrayfortheUK and that's fantastic, but the truth is sadly it's not just the UK that's in a messed up state. It may be the main headline, but there are many troubles elsewhere.  So my own request is #PrayforWorldPeace.

 In relation to me worrying, despite all these horrible things happening, I just had to calm down and actually pray. Not tweet with everyone saying “pray for this and that” but actually just pray by asking God for peace and then I read these verses and I felt so much better:

Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for what he has done, then you will experience Gods peace”

1Peter 5:7- “Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares about you”

I just thought to write this, because I’m sure there are many people out there worrying about this and that, It doesn't even have to be about what's going on in the UK. You could be all the way in America or Nigeria or some where in the world reading this post and you might be worrying about something that's going on in your life right now, maybe a job/new business plan, or friends you've fallen out with or family problems i.e health, or finding the "one" or maybe something to do with school. Just concentrate on those two Bible verses i've quoted and believe it! That when you give all your worries to God, he actually has a solution. You may not see it right away, but trust me it's there. 

Stay Blessed&Inspired.

Zephia

Unpredictable

This life is so unpredictable, you never know when yours would come to an end. Learn to live in love and be at peace with yourself and most importantly to the people around you.


Love&Peace
xxZephiaxx

Inspiration from within

So my really close friend Simi Seriki, was telling me about an experience that has helped her look at life from a different perspective. Everything she explained just made so much sense and I want everyone to read this post, trust me it's worth it! (I don't take credit for any of the words written in this post. This is by Simi, all I'm doing is publishing) Enjoy! :)

At the end of the church Service last Sunday, the Pastor made us perform an exercise that really left an impression on my heart. He said we should imagine that we were in Heaven,and there was a big screen,and on it,God played us a DVD entitled "what could have been". Imagine this DVD gave us a visual ordeal of the life we COULD have had,if only we yielded to the voice of the Lord.
This simple story got me thinking about the concept of 'destiny'. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, and I often find myself echoing this phrase impulsively, to either a friend who has lost a loved one,or to another who has failed her driving test. But it recently occurred to me,that this phrase runs deeper than what it might seem at face-value.
Everybody has a destiny.Nobody was created by accident.
In Jeremiah 1:5, God says:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”
What i got from this was that for every individual that God has created, there is a specific task that only that person can achieve. Your talents are as such,because they are necessary catalysts that enable you to achieve what you were born to do.I don't know what you might be talented at- for that person who is an amazing singer,it could be that God wants you to use your voice to honour him in praise and worship,and you shouldn't let that go to waste. The enemy might try to trample on your destiny by making you insanely shy/nervous, but with God,this can easily be overcome.
While all that might sound straight forward (and being a believer is really very straight-forward!) I think the more challenging concept is that of accepting that the hardships you go through-whatever they might be, are there to shape who you are to become,in order for you to fulfil your destiny.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."-Romans 8:28
It steal beats my imagination, that God would allow a woman to die during child birth! it makes me question why God bothered bringing that child into existence in the first place,if he is to grow up never knowing his mother. But it could be that her simple task was to be the womb from which this great child was conceived in,and God wants to use the child to perform great signs and wonders in His Name. And for the child, it could be that the experience of growing up without a mother is all in plan with his own destiny, because as long as he steadfastly trusts in God, He would use his story to encourage others in similar situations,and in that way win more souls for God. It's difficult and sometimes over-bearing, but the reason we shouldn't give up is that we can be assured that God will not leave us nor forsake us through it all. This same God sent his only son -Jesus, to die for all our sins. The only reason Jesus became man and experienced the things He did,was so that he could subsequently die on a cross, for you&I. Think about it,it couldn't have been easy,even for God to watch his Son suffer,but wouldn't we say it was worth it?? He is the same God that was back then,and He would never give us anything we cannot handle.
In the same manner,we should endeavour to encourage each other,rather than be so quick to criticise.I think the worst thing will be for one to fail to fulfil his/her destiny before their time on earth is done,and it's even worse if your harsh words had a part to play in it.
In the first place,the only way to know why you were created is to ask God,and continue to diligently seek His face in every situation you find yourself in.
Conversely,the easiest way for one to miss their destiny is to think they can do it all by themselves. I'd love to see them try,because I know that all the gifts we need, God gives us freely..If only we ask and believe.
It's not an easy journey. I know just as well as you that it's become routine to be so inspired by the Sunday service,and then to forget it all the moment we become choked by the things of the world- be it parties, "gist",TV shows,relationships,family problems,etc. These things clog our mind space,and they make God less of a priority in our lives. The only answer to all our problems is God. Another reason Jesus became flesh was so He could go through some of the things we go through e.g. temptation.Therefore,we know that He will be compassionate and we can be rest assured that God will have mercy on us,as long as we continue to live a life that is attractive to Him.
We can simply start by asking Him to be our everything. It's a simple prayer! There's a song by Tim Hughes called 'Everything', and the lyrics go something like "God in my living,God in my breathing….God in my thinking,God in my speaking…Be my everything". This is a principle I am personally trying to apply to my life,and I know that I'm not there yet, but I also know my best is yet to come by God's Grace- and so is yours! Amen. So for as many people that read this and can relate to it,it's always encouraging to remember that regardless of how many times you fall short of being worthy, He still loves you 
God Bless 
Simi Seriki.

Fear

Fear to me, is an emotion that can easily control your life. It hinders your ability to do something. Being afraid of something or someone simply means that you have labelled that thing or person as a threat in some way or the other, it's like almost having an anxiety attack when your scared of something.
Okay so what's my point, why am i going on and on about fear. Well I was doing some thinking (yes I'm quite the thinker) and I started remembering times in my life when I've always wanted to do something but couldn't because I was afraid.  I strongly believe that fear is an emotion we tend to let flourish in our lives because sometimes we just cant be bothered to deal with it, after all everyone has a phobia right?  But why should we allow fear get the most of us...think about it.

The most common fear I believe is the fear to Fail. That word "Failure"powerful isn't it.  One thing I've observed is that everyone is always striving to be the best, to be above the competition and not Fail which I think is such a good spirit to have, to be determined and motivated, however we are so afraid of failing in life that in the process of trying not to fail we end up failing because fear just happens to be an influence. (however it can go the other way) Okay Imagine going for an interview or exam, and you are so scared, all you want to do is panic and tell everyone how scared you are this that blah blah. (#Confession-I know i used to do it, tbh it won't be normal if we dint do it at least once nobody is that calm in life ) Anyway back to the topic. By the time you get to the interview or exam you just freeze like totally blank out like one of those zombies in 28days later. Why because of FEAR.


Sometimes people are afraid to be different or show who they really are, we fear that we might not be accepted or loved or seem"cool" because we don't conform to the way society wants us to be. But in all honesty, the way the world works we can't be loved by EVERYONE there would be criticisms here and there, people talking rubbish trying to bring you down but you know what the greatest feeling is, when you end up facing your fears and not giving a care what the world thinks as long as you know God is somehow working in your life.

 Isaiah 41:10-"Don't be afraid, for I am with you, don't be discouraged for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you." I don't think I need to explain in depth what the verse is saying it's self explanatory...basically God is saying don't live in fear. To battle fear we need to have faith by letting God come in and just work his magic because we honestly can't do it alone, yes we might get encouraging talks like what I do on my blog, but at the end of the day I can keep writing and writing and somehow inspire you but you know where the ultimate power lies? With God. My words can only be encouraging to an extent, I bet after you read this post by tomorrow you would forget and go about your business, and you know what that's fine because I can only put a thought in your head, I don't have the power to make you deal with your fears only the Big guy can, so start off by asking Him anything you don't even need to be THAT religious, and you would be surprised just what he can do :)
I know I have doubts and fears, it's perfectly normal so what I'm going to do is take my words into practise and ask God to help me deal with it.

Happy new month!! (I just had to say that because I finished this post at the start of a new month) :D
Stay Blessed&Inspired
Zephia xx

The Power of FAITH

For the past couple of days, I would like to say I’ve been on some sort of journey in terms of my relationship with God. From age 13, I was always told that I was a Christian and it was imperative to believe in God and go to church etc etc, but not until recent did I actually understand what it means to have a relationship with God. 

I was reading my Bible last night, and I came across the teaching of “FAITH” in the book of Hebrews. (Hebrews11:1) explains that “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” According to the dictionary, Faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” an alternative definition is that faith is a “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.”

Through this definition, I’ve come to realise how important it is to actually have faith, we hear the word all the time, maybe when your going through something and everything just seems impossible and then someone says “have faith” we never really take it in when they say that but the word itself is so powerful. What distinguishes most believers from everyone else is our ability to have FAITH. We have faith in the things we cannot see, and I know it sounds bizarre but if you believe in the existence of a supreme ultimate being known as GOD in heaven then you are accepting that you have faith. Having faith in something is like making a wish and KNOWING it would come true, not HOPING, that it would come true but believing that it will. I’ll give some examples of situations in my life that many of you might be able to relate to. 

Imagine you just had an exam and you start to feel it dint go as well as planned but you know how hard you worked and didn’t sleep because you were up all night revising like crazy! Now faith is believing that all your hard work was not useless and you would come out with an A or 1st class or 2.1(second class upper) regardless of how you felt the exam went. I know this happens to many of us, sometimes we come out of exam saying “ah the exam was weird blah blah blah” knowing deep inside that we faith we would actually come out with a brilliant result and not doubting the situation, and at the end of the day what happens…BAM! You just magically happened to pass those exams way above average and you start telling you friends “omg I swear i didn’t even read that hard, I don’t know how I got it” RUBBISH! lol You got those grades because you know you worked hard, even if it was last minute and you had faith that u would do well because failure was never an option.

It is through faith that the impossible becomes possible. In hebrews 11:7 “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood” Yes we all the know the tale of Noah’s ark and the massive flood, well most of us do. I think this story is actually a great example when it comes to having faith. Back in those days i’m sure noah was probably seen as a laughing stock or a loser to most of his friends because he must have been building that boat for years, I cant even imagine, according to the bible noah was 600 years old X_X wow…so people must have thought this man is actually nuts to be building a boat for a flood that seems impossible to ever occur. However Noah stood his ground and had Faith that what God had told him would come true. In the end what happened….the mighty flood came and who survived? Noah and his family. In my opinion Noah is def a lej (legend) to have carried that faith.

Anyway that was just an example to get my point across how powerful faith is. For most of you starting university this year, waiting for your grades in August to see if you can finally enter the University of your dream, all you need to do is have FAITH :D and you would get there. It’s easier said than done, but the mind is powerful and if you can conceive the idea of getting in then it would surely happen. Best believe!

I may not be the holiest person out there or a preacher but this is how I feIt and thought to share it with you, I hope everything I’ve said kinda made sense and you could relate to it some way or the other in an area of your life. Whether it’s having faith that you would get that job/start that company you’ve always planned for or having faith that you can get back into that relationship that seems impossible to fix, or having faith that you could fix that broken friendship, or having faith that someone in your family or friend can be healed from whatever illness. Oh and how can I miss out..having faith that your favourite football team wins that very important match. ;)

God is faith! #belieedat!

Zephia. x

Forgiveness is key

So my last post was on the power of faith, and now I feel I should write about my thoughts on Forgiveness. The two famous “F’s” in our lives to me is Faith AND Forgiveness.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the way I’ve lived my life and how I’ve treated people in the past and how I treat others today, and I realized the biggest problem we all deal with is learning how to truly forgive others. There’s this saying we all like to adhere to “I can forgive but I would never forget.” I’ve always thought there was nothing wrong with not forgetting what others have done to you as long as you forgive. I mean there’s nothing wrong with that right? WRONG. It’s so hard admitting this, but whenever we deliberately chose to remember the horrible things people have done to us in life, we might as well not forgive them.  Deliberately choosing to pile up someone’s mistakes in your head is actually a burden, similarly when you don’t forgive and hold a grudge against someone. Sometimes we tell ourselves “Oh that person is so insignificant to me, blah blah blah, I don’t care what they do blah blah, I don’t fux with that person anymore blah blah. ” But the reality of it all is that when we say those words it shows how much that person actually affects our lives. If we can see that person/those people (whoever has offended you) and their presence simply makes us uncomfortable to the point that we want to leave, doesn’t this make you stop and think what a burden It is that you haven’t forgiven that person.

I mean the fact that their presence makes u uncomfortable that has to mean that a part of you is greatly affected by their existence and that’s worrying. I’ve been in tons of situations like that, and if any of you have then I’m sure you have an idea what I’m talking about.

Okay here’s the hardest thing I’m going to say. Did you know that when you don’t forgive others God cannot forgive you. There I said it. Shocker! There’s proof I’ll show you. According to Mark11:25 it says “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too” how scary is that? :s so in other words we must forgive people who have hurt us so God can forgive us. I know it’s easier said than done, but when you actually think about it, not being able to forgive is such a burden. To carry such anger and hatred over someone else when we should really be focusing on our lives, instead we spend time dwelling on irrelevant things and don't move forward.

I was reading something on about allowing God to work his way in your life, and one of the things stated was how forgiveness goes against our human nature. This made so much sense to me because as humans we are innately evil according to ancient Philosophers such as Plato. (I think it was Plato.) Some of you may have heard of the thesis on the innate nature of mankind and whether we are born good or bad. Anyway I’m not going to go deep into a philosophical debate. My point is, suppose humans are innately evil, and forgiveness is not part of us maybe that’s why we find it difficult to forgive others or maybe we just don’t forgive as a way of putting our guard up to avoid getting hurt again. However from what I read it explained that our “job is to forgive through faith until the work of forgiveness is done in our hearts by God” I assume this means, we must TRY to let go of grudges and if we actually pray about it and admit we need help to let go of the pain someone has caused in our lives, I believe God would actually work his magic and BAM! We just transform into this kind-hearted human being. Forgiveness is essential in life. It’s written everywhere:

Colossians 3:13-“ make allowance for each others faults and forgive anyone who offends you..”

Matthew 18:21(One of the disciples say to Jesus)” lord how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? (Jesus replies) No not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (when I read this I was like ahn! :o *jaw drop*) X_X #deep!

Remember I’m not telling you how to live your life, I’m simply just pouring out my thoughts and writing whatever I feel I should write. But hopefully this kind of inspires you. I know I am nowhere near that PERFECT forgiving person attitude, but I hope someday I can be that person…if I’m being honest I’m working on it and one day I’ll get there. Hopefully so would you too :)

xxZephiaxx

"This type love"

I’ve always been a fan of Def Jam poetry. This has to be one of my favourite spoken words by shihan, because I think it’s something everyone can relate too. Call it corny or cheesy, lol but I think what he says is so real because at a point in everyone’s life, you have probably felt this way about a significant other ;) or in the case of very few maybe not Yet!

xxZephiaxx

Pushing Harder for your dreams

I’m sure at a point in everyones life they always imagined what it would be like to be a star. Probably many of us imagined what it would be like to have a voice that would rock a crowd, or be the famous fashion icon that everyone wants to follow, or be the famous actor/actress people see and literally break down with tears of joy. Well when I was much younger I remember my friend always having that dream. This video right here, is my childhood friend Emma singing to a Beyonce cover, watching her…it just makes me realise when you push hard in life for something you want you would eventually get it! It hardly comes easy at first, but that’s just part of the process, it’s about taking baby steps and facing all sorts of challenges before you actually get there. Dreams do come true because she is a star and she’s on the way to being the celebrity with the voice that would rock a crowd.


xxZephiaxx

Appreciating your life more

This video is beyond inspiring, it just sends a message out that we should appreciate the things in life that we do have, because there are others in worse off situations. When i watched it, it just made me appreciate God more for the wonderful things he has done in my life, for health, happiness, providing for me and just being the biggest influence in my life. If i’m being honest majority of the time I forget to be grateful about my life, I forget to even thank God just for waking me up in the morning, I forget to thank God that I am alive and well and looking forward to a new day. Sometimes it takes watching videos like this or listening to inspiring stories for me to remember how good God is in my life, I know I’m not the only one that goes through this problem. My prayer today is that this ungrateful attitude changes not just in my life, but also in your life, (yes you reading this post right now) :) because life is beautiful, it doesn’t suck! We have a lot to be grateful for, think about it!

xxZephiaxx

Positivity

Be happy and stay positive :)

You know those moments when you just feel like getting depressed for no reason, or you start thinking negatively about the things in your life that you wish you can change but its just kinda too late…well I had a moment like that today. It made me realise that depression and happiness is simply a state of mind, we define our own happiness and determine what makes us happy or sad. If someone annoys the hell out of you, its up to you to decide whether their actions are going to control your emotions, you could decide to stay positive and simply tell yourself “today nothing is going to bring me down!” But then again its easier said than done. 

The point i’m trying to get across is, when we have those sad/depressed mood moments, we need to stop and think why we put ourselves through the stress of getting worked up at trivial things in life that could easily be solved. I am the number one culprit of this, literally I let petty things get to me and that's my whole day ruined. When I reflect back on it, in my mind i’m like really..I actually let those persons words or actions determine how I feel for the whole day. (absolute rubbish) Nobody should have that much power to control your emotions, because you are your own ruler, so you should live to please yourself, bring happiness into your life by staying positive&being surrounded by positive people that bring you up. THINK before you get angry, if the situation is worth getting upset about and then act.

HAPPINESS IS KEY

xx Zephia. xx

What this blog is about

So recently, I started writing a lot of inspirational things that came to my mind and posted them on my tumblr blog. I really dint think a lot of people would identify with everything I was writing, but then I started getting tons of encouragement to keep writing and start a proper blog so the world can see what I have to say and my words are not just limited to those who have a tumblr account. So here I am on blogspot ! In the next hour I'm going to transfer the few things I've written on my tumblr here so you can all see where I'm headed with this blog.
Hopefully your inspired with my words :D
Bless,
Zephia.xx