People make mistakes.

I want to share something with you that is releasing a blessing as I’m writing it. As in the middle of writing what I thought would be this current post, and by the time I got halfway through, I looked up, read it over, and realized it was garbage. Now, I want to remind you that all that I write is inspired by the Holy Spirit. I don’t write unless He tells me He’s given me a word.

I sought out God in prayer regarding why what He gave me to write was terrible and He said “I have to show you that people make mistakes.” This lesson then continued into my quiet time with the Lord as I was reading a story out of Judges 11:29-40NLT. In this story, a fierce warrior and commander named Jephthah had the Spirit of the Lord upon him, in order to defeat the Ammonites who were trying to reclaim land that the Lord had specifically given to Israel.

Before going off to battle, Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord saying “if you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering” [Judges 11:30]. Well, fortunately for the Israelites, they won their battle against the Ammonites and were able to keep their land but unfortunately for Jephthah, it was his daughter that was first to come out of the house to meet him upon his return. And Jephthah had to keep the vow he made to the Lord and sacrifice her as a burnt offering.

Though it was God’s plan for Jephthah to lead the Israelites to victory, it was outside of His will for Jephthah to make that promise. Even with the power of the Spirit of God upon him, Jephthah was still able to assert his own will and it cost him dearly. Oftentimes, people like to talk about how God gave us free will and the power of choice and how we must make our own decisions, trusting that God is with us. The problem is, man is not infallible.

When we make decisions without God and without checking in with God, we risk paying a very high and often unnecessary cost. Scripture shows us this over and over again. When Moses smacked the rock with his staff in order for the water to flow instead of speaking to it as the Lord instructed, it cost him access into the promise land. When Samson told Delilah the secret to his strength of his own accord, it cost him his eyes and eventually his life.

Yes, we’ve been given the power of choice but the word of God has shown us in big and seemingly small ways what happens when we choose by ourselves. The best choice? Not my will but Your will be done. Every. Single. Time.

Til’ next time, adieu!

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Run To Win!

Hi, my name is Victoria Iheanyichi Udebiuwa and my whole body is aching. My mind hurts from praying and reading the word but not yet seeing things come to pass. My mouth hurts from speaking the truths of God only to have unbelieving folk bite harder with their words. My shoulders hurt from forcing myself to walk tall when I’m really overwhelmed and burdened by the weight of my family’s expectations.

My stomach hurts because God said “yes” but He never told me when or how. My legs hurt from standing on the firm foundation that is Jesus Christ and feeling like I don’t have much to show for it. Now my knees are starting to buckle and it’s as though I’m about to crumble under the weight of the world, as I wait on God.

And yet despite the pain, despite the fatigue and heaviness, the word of God instructs us to run. Not only are we expected to run but since everyone else is running, we must run to win. [1 Corinthians 9:24NLT] Have you ever gotten to a place in your walk in Christ where you felt like you could hardly get yourself out of bed, let alone accomplish what was necessary to run your race? Has it ever gotten so bad that you questioned whether or not your confirmed promise from the Lord was indeed from the Lord? I certainly have.

So what do we do? We continue to believe. We continue to wait. In Isaiah 40:31NKJV it says “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Though our whole bodies hurt and we’re experiencing pain in different areas, though our legs have become wobbly and threaten to collapse, we can trust that none of these things are powerful enough to take us out or bring us down.

We can trust that God will honor our wait by “renewing our strength.” We can trust that continuing to do the right thing and yielding to the Holy Spirit even when it gets hard, will allow us to “walk and not faint.” We can trust that continuing to abide in Christ no matter what anyone else around us says or thinks will cause our legs to “run and not be weary.”

I want to encourage anyone who has come to a place of “enough is enough.” It’s not enough. If you haven’t gotten to the reason for your wait, it’s not enough. If you haven’t seen God move on your behalf (whether big or small), it’s not enough. If the praises of the Lord do not flow freely from your mouth because of how good God has been to you when you are not deserving of His grace, it’s not enough. When it feels like enough is enough, add something more to your wait. Wait and praise. Wait and listen.

Til’ next time adieu!

Sound Mind

As a writer, there’s nothing more frustrating and anxiety-inducing as writer’s block. You’ve been given the specific call to write, but every time you pick up the pen and paper or sit down in front of the laptop, you’re uninspired and left with a blank page and tons of doubt. The longer the block, the more your mind can feel like it’s spiraling out of control. Which brings me to today’s topic: “sound mind.” It was in my struggle to write today’s blog post that the Lord reminded me that I have a sound mind. I may not have felt like I did at the time and my situation may not have reflected it, but that didn’t make it any less true.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV says “for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Being given a sound mind means being given a mind that is complete and without flaw. This is a mind that is ordered by the Lord, just like your steps. This is a mind that is firm and stable, just like Jesus, the rock of your salvation. This is a mind that touches Heaven and vibrates in a manner that allows you to hear God’s voice. A sound mind is a beautiful mind and the Lord has blessed us all with this gift.

This is a PSA. This announcement goes out to all the phenomenal women who are not feeling as bright and shiny as they normally would. This word goes out to the Phenoms who have found themselves buckling under different pressures and aren’t sure which way to go. This is for all the warrior women who often feel confused and directionless because of the times we are currently living in. Sister to sister, it was on my spirit to let you know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you and to remind you that you have a sound mind!

The enemy always tries to feed us lies about ourselves and our minds but try as he might, he cannot win. For “no weapon formed against you will prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). Now what’s important to note about this scripture is that it doesn’t say that you won’t experience enemy attacks. It doesn’t say that nothing inherently bad will come. So at times, doubt will come, lack of confidence will come, writer’s block will come, rejection will come, sadness will come, fear will come. But no matter the weapon that comes formed against you, Victory is yours!

I want to encourage anyone going through a struggle today that’s got them questioning themselves or what they can do. God makes no mistakes. Whatever it is you’re experiencing now, will be a part of your testimony later. What started out as me venting about writer’s block, God turned into a blog post about having a sound mind. Trust God to transform your situation and He will not fail you.

Til’ next time, adieu.