Haha. I can’t even keep away for just about three weeks.
You know you love it too. Haha.
Plus yawl keep the stats BOOMING
Thank you… 😍👏Let’s do more please
Anyhoos, I wanted to pop in and say hey…
Plus share something short (hopefully) with yawl. This is especially because I get asked questions like this from both my mentees and my friends plus I have also seen people make this mistake so this presents me an opportunity to share on a large scale, my AWESOME blog…💞😍
Happy new month guys.
#GroupFABHug
Tz my baby’s birth month so I agree with my friend Emma who says it is the BEST month of the year.
He puts June second.
He’s crazy. Ignore him. Haha
OK let’s blog ‘But FIRST…’
This phrase has been highlighted in my spirit man strongly in very recent times.
Here’s where it comes from
Back up a bit to get the gist of the whole thing. The whole chapter is really good.
Not only is the economy at the time is dreary (there is a famine) but the woman is a widow with a son, and she’s down to her very LAST meal after which she has resigned to death yet Elijah ignores all of this and has the guts to make a request and even say BUT (me) FIRST…
The latter part of last year was a very VERY tight one for me financially. Right into early this year.
Running two homes became official and with one rent being new, the other’s rent being renewed… phew!!! Plus getting a car…
Lord. A. Mercy!!!
I had to really scrap stuff together, cut off a lot and tighten my belt.
Infact some service days I would realise I didn’t have enough so I would give ‘something‘ sha or I didn’t even have an offering to give. I had let MY needs literally consume me. I mean it had more real estate in my heart than the things of God.
Sad. But. True.
One day, I had a moment.
After I read this scripture.
My needs were REAL but becoming this woman I was becoming was unreal!!!
There is one that gives freely/scattereth yet gets even more and the other witholds unduly/is stingy and yet comes to poverty/want (Prov 11:24)
Truth is I am by nature a good giver. Just that those months got me going from say 80% to 30%.
Both to God. And to people.
After that moment, I repented from being too into myself.
Sometimes, even the choir needs a sermon so I preached to myself, the same thing I had both practised and preached to others in the past.
You put GOD FIRST with your finances (tithe, offerings, seeds/sacrifices and charitable giving) and then work the rest of your spendings and savings around the rest.
Around WHAT’S LEFT!!!
Intentionally and deliberately, that was what I did both for me, KingDaveed and my Homehelp.
I got envelopes and took care of God’s business for March FIRST including tithe, offerings for each service day, sowed both into His house and His prophets (over us) and gave out some too as we were led. Literally, I wrote God post dated cheques. Haha.
Interestingly, I was just praying seriously about what I sensed God was telling me when one night, hubs tells me that he feels God wants us to sow XX amount.
For our budget, it was much and I think he sorta thought I just may feel one kain about it.
Whosai!!! Me that had been praying. It felt sooooo good to know hubs and I were on the same page on it. Tz on days like that I am reeeeaaaaalllllyyyyy REALLY glad I married him.
Every other expenses came AFTER THAT!!!
And trust me, I was happy to deny myself of a few things so long as I was in obedience with God.
Put God right in the middle, then build around Him. Don’t try to do your own thing first and then give Him from what’s left…
Don’t be stupid like I was.
That’s how I used to live. That’s how I intend to live going forward. I don’t ever intend to forget again.
Amen!!!
BUT God FIRST!!!
You know what, I was telling someone yesterday that I was too excited for March and going forward. God is the BEST business partner ever. See how the widow’s story ended na…
With the way the WORLD economy (not just Nigeria) is even going, you know you need a better business partner than man. Or the government.
You know what, just today I had a testimony. It was a real UNREAL moment for me. I still prayed about it this morning and I recall just teasing God to fix it because ‘...You can do anything na…‘
Like one of my best friends said as I shared with her
‘…later someone will say there is NO God. devil na bastard!!!…’
And funny thing is as I spoke to hubs tonight, he very EXCITEDLY shared TWO testimonies that happened today at work. Something we had been believing for just clicked back to back.
I mean, just because we decided as a family to put GOD FIRST…
This is just March 1 oooo. Kai!!!
But you know what? Even if, and I say this sincerely, even if I see/saw NOTHING, I will keep living that way. I just am absolutely hopelessly in love with Jesus that I wanna HONOR HIM with what He has so graciously blessed us with.
And not just your finances, there are other ways we put God first in our lives.
Sit down and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you.
But let me share another.
We need to put GOD FIRST as we start our day. In other words, make sure the first thing you do on waking is spend time with God.
Block out that time and then work the rest of your day around what’s left.
I was at prayer meeting this morning and the Pastor read out something in Job I had NEVER seen in the Bible.
NKJV says Have you COMMANDED the morning…?
I mean Job had spent all those previous chapters complaining and whingeing and when God responds, part of what He asks him is
‘…do you even wake up and command your morning. Command the economy to favor you. Command evil people to steer clear of your way. Command Angels to be on guard???’
Or do you wake up and command your phone, twitter and IG?
Or do you wake and command your workout?
Because I workout a lot, I know sooner than later, you would get to point where maybe because you are pressed for time, you just jump into your WO and postpone Quiet time with Jesus for later.
Or NEVER as most times becomes the case.
I believe in starting your day right with God.
Give Him the first and BEST part of the day even if it means waking earlier than usual and watch Him take care of the rest of the day
Happy new month guys.
Cheers to putting HIM FIRST!!!
God is crazy about you. Yup, He really is crazy about you and me.
Love,
E’
PS
I finally got UNDAUNTED!!! By my crazie Aussie Sister chick
What EXCITED looks like...
I have bawled so much reading it tho.
Not done yet. I am taking my time. Plus, my heart…💔
Nigeria gets some bad press right at the beginning too
:'(😭😭😭
#HumanTrafficking
Anyways, I need a Joyce Meyer Bible. Have one last person to gift pending. I am tired of looking. Anybody know where I can get in Lagos, Nigeria???
Laterna and Bible wonderland don’t have.
Oh and Joyce’s Overload is finally out.
This is awesome!!! Joyce is a great grand mom
Soooo excited to get my e-copy…
Yaaaay!!!
Tani tagged me on IG when she saw the post and I just laughed…
Like gurrrrrl, Joyce and I practically wrote that book. Lol
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