Jesus at the Center.

Who is at the center of your life? Who runs your life? Who guides your path?

It's easy to say that God is our everything, but does He truly occupy the central place in our lives?

When I began to meditate on whether Christ is truly my everything, I reflected on how I had addressed and reacted to various issues, challenges, despair, fears, hopes, and dreams.

Having fears is natural, and feeling doubtful can seem easier, especially when faced with setbacks. However, Christ does one thing: He rolls our lives forward.

I've witnessed Him do this in my own life, rolling my life forward step by step, and filling me with hope and confidence.

Initially, I had desired a dramatic, rollercoaster-like movement, but He chose to work differently.

I often share a part of my story from 2024, which marked the beginning of my hope story. That year, I faced attacks on my mental health, finances, family, and job, and it seemed as though the crises kept piling up.

Doubts about God's goodness arose, my hope wavered, and anxiety intensified. Yet, amidst these battles, I found God, and I heard His voice.

God gave me a message of hope and a victory song. Although I have been a Christian for a long time, I recently made a conscious decision to make God the center of my life.

God desires to be the One revolving our lives. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 16:8, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

The Psalmist came to understand that when God runs our lives, stability is assured. His eyes were fixed on God, and God took the central place, plotting every angle of his life accurately.

A few weeks after crossing over into the new year, my sister shared with me, "I don't know why, but I have so much hope about 2025. God has told me that it will be the year of settlements."

That word has continued to resonate in my heart, and 2025 has felt like a gift package from God. This package is still being unveiled by Him.

So I ask you, beloved, will you make God the center of your life? God plots the best engineering graph, and imagine when He takes the compass of your life and creates beauty out of it.

Like David, we can say, "I have made God the center of my life," and with Him by our side, we will not be shaken.

Stay revived!

You Cannot Hide from God: A Lesson from Jonah

 As I studied the book of Jonah, a song my mom often sings came to mind. It goes, "You cannot hide from God, you cannot hide from wherever you go, whatever you do, you cannot hide from God. His eyes are fixed on you."

It's fascinating how, at times, we believe we can hide from God. This was exactly what Jonah thought when the Lord gave him a specific instruction. Jonah was told to deliver a warning to the people of Nineveh because of their wickedness. Instead of obeying, Jonah chose to flee. He boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, heading to the furthest place he could imagine, thinking that perhaps by running away, he could escape God's call. He even went to the lowest part of the ship, believing that God would either not notice or that He would change His mind and choose someone else for the task.

What Jonah failed to understand was that the sovereign God who saw the wickedness in Nineveh and called him to speak to them had the ability to see him wherever he hid. When God has a purpose for you, He will go to great lengths to ensure you fulfill it, even if it means removing you from your comfort zone. God can shift your circumstances and take you out of your circle of friends, all to place you in a position where you will be willing to listen to Him.

Jonah 1:2-3 (NIV)
"Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord."

Are there instructions or tasks that the Lord has given you that you are running away from? Jonah tried to escape, but God pursued him. While Jonah was on the ship, God caused a violent storm that threatened to tear the ship apart. The crew, desperate for answers, cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Even in his disobedience, Jonah knew the storm was because of him, yet he was still asleep, hoping the situation would resolve itself. He even suggested they throw him overboard to calm the storm, perhaps thinking that by surrendering to the sea, he could escape God's pursuit.

But Jonah didn't escape. Instead, God had already prepared a fish to swallow him, and he spent three days in the belly of the fish. Even in the depths of the sea, God saw Jonah. He heard Jonah's prayers, and God’s words remained consistent. When we run from God's calling, it's remarkable how He often reminds us of the last instruction we tried to avoid.

Have you ever felt like delaying or avoiding God's command, thinking He might change His mind or that maybe, just maybe, running away from the people who encourage you will allow you to live life your own way?

But remember, when we choose to live for Christ, we no longer live for ourselves. We are called to live the life of Christ, and God never gives an instruction that will burden or harm us. His plans are always for our good. He equips us with the strength we need to carry out His will.

If God has given you an instruction, trust that you are capable of fulfilling it. With Him, you can do all things.

Stay blessed!

Stay revived!

Nineveh: A Love Redefined.

Growing up as a teen in the choir, there was a song we always turned to when looking for a piece to sing during our Valentine’s Day programs. Whenever we couldn’t agree on a song, this one by Hezekiah Walker was our go-to. The lyrics, “Love is patient, caring. Love is kind. Love is felt most when it’s genuine,” always resonated with us. But despite the beauty of these words, Love has been abused, manipulated, and misused.

This song is a beautiful reminder of what love is meant to be. It teaches us that God's love is the foundation that allows us to love genuinely. You can’t truly say you love someone if you don’t know what love is. God is love. It's striking how, often, people who claim to be in love can’t stand each other after a breakup—that is a love that is not genuine.

God’s love is evident in the story of Jonah. When God gave Jonah the task of delivering a message to Nineveh, Jonah tried to escape, but he ended up in the belly of a fish. Even in his disobedience, God’s love was evident. For three days, God protected Jonah, ensuring he wasn’t harmed or digested by the fish. God was patient with him, even in his disobedience. Jonah 2:1 says, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead, I called for help, and You listened to my cry.” Jonah’s gratitude for God’s love and patience is clear, especially after God saved him from the fish’s belly.

When Jonah obeyed and took God’s message to Nineveh, the people believed, turned from their evil ways, and God, in His love, relented from the destruction He had planned. Jonah 3:10 tells us, “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.”

But even after this, Jonah became angry. In Jonah 4:1-2, it says, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘I pray You, O Lord, was this not my saying when I was still in my country? Therefore, I fled before to Tarshish; for I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and You relent from doing harm.’”

It’s often easy to believe that some people are unworthy of God’s love, based on their actions. But God, the Creator of all, shows no partiality. He sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous, the wealthy and the poor. This is the kind of love we should emulate—the love that is not conditional, that isn’t based on what we can gain from others.

As we celebrate the month of love, let’s not forget that God’s love is for the whole world. He loved everyone. Let us strive to spread the love He gives, shining His light to all people. This way, we redefine love—not as something dependent on what we can receive from others, but as something grounded in who we represent.

Stay revived!

The Fragments from Our Miracle.

While reading about Jesus feeding the five thousand, I pondered the relevance of this miracle in my life. I imagined the loaves and fragments, wondering how God could create a miracle from what I had.

 John 6:12 stood out: 

"When they had all had enough, He said to His disciples, Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted".

Recently, I secured a job to meet my daily needs, a stepping stone I'd call "better than nothing." Yet, I found myself wondering, "How do I get to where I desire to be when I'm still nowhere?" I'd nursed dreams, but they seemed distant. Like the disciples, I thought, "How can I feed the crowd with just five barley loaves and two small fish?"

How do I achieve success when my current situation is blurry? 

How do I revive broken relationships or fit into a constantly changing world? But then I realized, the loaves were given to Jesus, the One who can multiply them until we're satisfied. Our "loaves" may differ, but we all have "crowds" to feed. By giving our limited resources to Jesus, we can trust Him to create a miracle.

We'll not only receive a miracle but also the fragments – the leftovers – will be a reminder of God's abundance. 

I am not where I desire to be, but I am trusting Jesus with my life; how about you?

Stay Revived!

By Guest writer.