Picture Craze

We live in an era of cheap imitation where someone starts something (even if it’s something silly) and everyone jumps on it and social media has become a tool that is misleading a lot of people unknowing to them.

Recently, a random girl took a nude picture of her whole body and sent it to me. I was so upset I felt like punching her in the face. Why would she do such? Anyway, I decided I will speak to the ladies about this issue of picture craze that is fast becoming a trend on social media.

I felt in my heart to address this issue because until you know something is wrong, you most likely will continue in it.

I see ladies upload many different pictures on Facebook, instagram, twitter and other social media platforms. They take pictures of different angles of their face, they take pictures of themselves in the bathroom, they take pictures of themselves in the bedroom, and they even take nude pictures of themselves.

I take pictures too and I absolutely love pictures so I am not against taking pictures but I am concerned about the kind of picture people (especially ladies) take and put out there. If I can see your whole body in a picture you put online, you are doing too much.

 

Impression is very important and you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. When you put out a picture that shows your whole goodies, I’m going to form an opinion about you based on what I have seen.

One of the things I learned as I grew is, I have learned to respect women and I believe all of us men must respect women (and those who don’t respect women should learn).

That been said, I think since men must respect women, it is only fair that women give us something to respect. It is hard to respect someone who doesn’t respect themselves.

There is a saying “don’t leave your dirty leaning outside.” The statement is still true.

Nobody is interested in seeing all your goodies (maybe some people want to but certainly not me). Don’t jump on anything and everything you see going on social media space. 

If you want to be popular, putting up nude pictures is not the way to go. If you want to be popular, start a blog, write a book and just do something positive. I have a decent presence online today but I didn’t get there doing anything stupid.

My mentor once told me “you will always attract your kind” and that is so true. If you put out pictures showing all your goods online in search of a man, you surely will attract some men but you will attract a dog not a real man... A real man doesn’t want to see all your goods.

I don’t know who needed to read this, but I felt in my heart to address this anomaly so if you are involved in this madness, stop it. If you know someone who is losing her mind on social media, be kind enough and call her to order.

This is not about modesty or religion (notice I didn’t quote even one scripture all through?). This is simply common sense and nothing more. The bitter truth is common sense is not common.

Ladies love yourself, respect yourself, know your worth, keep your clothes on and portray yourself as a woman of class and you will be perceived as such and will command respect. Don’t follow the crowd.

In conclusion, I want to say ladies, I am sorry if I went too far with this but it was heavy in my heart and someone has got to tell you the truth and I am that someone that will tell you the truth and point you towards what is right. 

I want you to know I love you all and I am praying for you. Keep being the best person you can afford to be at all times and remain God’s pride!

Just Sharing My Thought

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Honesty Moment

 

In my last note “None of Us Is Perfect”, I talk extensively on the need for us to be sincere with our imperfections. In this note, I’m sharing with you my personal struggles not for you to crucify me with them but for you to pray for me (prayers is free) and learn from me.

When it comes to accepting our human imperfections, many of us try to resist it. And this is evident in the fact that people think of imperfectness as something that destroys ones self-worth but does it?

What is that one thing in your life that no one knows about? What are those areas in your life that you use all your energy to hide? What weakness are you covering up?

When I ask myself these same questions, what comes to mind is plenty… I really try to hide those days when I really don’t feel like following Jesus because I keep telling everyone to follow Him.

I have a tendency to over-analyze and over-think. My mind is always set on something to the point where I have difficult time sleeping. I move from one assignment to the next assignment and as my responsibility grows I have noticed that my nights have gotten shorter and my days, longer.

I give myself excuses as to why I must work so much and so hard but I know most of it is just foolishness. There's a time to work, and there's a time to rest. 

I love to inform people so I blog but most of you have no idea how hard it is to put one’s words and thoughts online for anyone who cares to look to see. Sometimes it difficult, not because of what people will say, but because of what it shows about my character.

I have said, I am sorry a million times yet it has not stopped from hurting people I love (unintentionally)… lol but seriously,

The number one struggle I had for a long time was my fear of failure. I stay up most night terrified that I was not going to be a failure until the day I made a bold decision to give all of my fears to God and have Him mold me into all He wants for me to become. 

Often we try so hard to be strong that we don't give God the opportunity to be strong in our lives. And that is wrong. At some point, you have to give all your mess to God and stop trying to figure out everything. 

It's ok to feel weak, because God is our strength. It’s ok to feel lonely; God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He even cares about the situations you put yourself in... So let go of your pride, take a moment to surrender all that you are to Him. 

The reality is this: We all go through tests and trails. We all have good and bad days. We all have struggles and although we all can choose to be positive in the mist of negativity, it is far better if we surrender all that we are to Him.

Grace is the fact that God knows every stupid mistake we will make, He knows all of our faults and struggles yet He still chose love us regardless.

Cover your sins, cover your weaknesses and God will expose them but expose your sins, expose your struggles and God will cover them.

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None of Us Is Perfect

What if I told you God doesn’t use perfect people!

What if I told you, you don’t have to be perfect for God to use you!
What if I told you not wearing certain types of clothing doesn’t mean you are a saint.
What if I told you going to Church, quoting scriptures and singing psalms doesn’t automatically make you a Christian!

I know I am going to get some bashing for this, but I’m going to go ahead with it anyway….

Someone may wonder, why I’m writing such a piece so for the purpose of clarity here is my heart for this note. I constantly receive texts and e-mails from people telling me of their struggles especially with regards to their walk with God so I felt in my heart to write on this issue of perfection.

We live in an overly religious culture where we constantly bombard us with the thought that God only uses perfect people so we have to be perfect for God to use us. Well, that is the furthest thing from the truth.

Looking through The Bible, you will realize that it is filled with examples of how God loves to use imperfect, ordinary people to do extraordinary things in spite of their weaknesses. The truth is, if God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done, because none of us is perfect.

Most people really hate the truth, and sadly most of them call themselves Christians. So what is the truth that nobody wants to hear? It is the truth about our sinful-selves. We really don't want to hear anything negative about ourselves so we act like we are perfect and pretend like we have it all together.

Most of us Christians always put out a false version of ourselves… usually; the person you meet when you meet someone at first is probably not the real person. People always put out their best trying to impress everybody. 

I receive loads of awesome, breathtaking incredible mails and text from different people all over the world telling how I inspire them especially in their walk with God. While I get humbled each time I receive such a modest compliment however, something I always stress on is, it is not about me but all about Him.

I must be frank with you people… I am not perfect and none of us is. I don’t care if you your mother told you that you are perfect, you are not. All of us including my humble self have struggles. Some people feel because I reach out with the gospel and encourage them in their walk with God, I am a better person (Christian) than them, - that is a lie.

I wish I could tell you I have it all together but truth is I don’t. True I love God and my earnest desire is that everything about me honors Him, from my thoughts to my words to actions but I don’t get it right all the time.

I am not ashamed to admit that sometimes I fall short. I am not ashamed to admit that sometimes, I struggle to pray and read my Bible. I'm not ashamed to say that I sometimes do things that make Him shake His head at me; I am not ashamed to say daily I need directions from God.

I know it’s scary to be honest. I know it’s scary to be open… but let’s face it people!

If we are going to be effective with the gospel message, we need to be real. No hiding, no faking… the fact that we are Christians doesn’t mean we are perfect. That God uses imperfect people should be encouraging news for us all.

We need to stop hiding our weaknesses and imperfections. Someone who hides can’t be known let alone helped. To be truly human is to be real. We are supposed to be honest with each other and encourage each other in our walk with God.

I know confessing one’s struggles is one of the hardest things to do because even if you are heard out, chances are you still will be ridiculed but as for me, I want people to know the real me not the “I got it all together” me.  

James 5:16 tells us “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” – (MSG)

There is absolutely no need of us pretending, having a holier than thou attitude doesn’t mean you are perfect. Wearing the most pious cloths don’t mean you are a saint. On our best day, our righteousness cannot be compared to God’s standard of righteousness. “Our righteous deeds are nothing but filthy rags” – Isaiah 64:6

As a human being I have to be realistic and tell you in our walk with God, all of us are going to fall at some point. We are going to stumble and fail God but that perfectly normal. Christ already made provision for that on the cross. When we stumble, even if it is repeatedly, we can take our failure before the Lord in repentance, and receive forgiveness.

My biggest testimony as a Christian is that with all my mess and all that I am, God still loves me, and He has the patience to pick me up, dust me off, and set me back on track whenever I miss the mark.

Now, here is a very important question! Can a Christian sin? Answer, yes! Sadly enough yes a real Christian does fall into sin but here is the difference. A real Christian doesn’t live in a continuous state of sin.

“Though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin”. - Proverbs 24:16

David is known to be “a man after God’s heart” but anyone that has ever read the Bible knows David was a long way from a saint. He had flaws, he wasn’t perfect. You see, we are saved by grace and not works. I’m not saying works isn’t necessary but works only comes in after we have been genuinely saved. We don’t become better to get saved. We get saved to become better.

When you think of the limitations in your life, you may be tempted to conclude, "God could never use me." But God is never limited by our limitations. God is not looking for the strong, perfect or most able individual. All He is looking for is the available.  In fact, he enjoys putting his great power into ordinary containers.

God doesn’t only use our best part. He also uses our worst parts. He take the good and the bad, mixes it together for our good and for His glory. You are not too much of a mess that God cannot possible use you for anything. The thought that “God only uses perfect people” is one of the most destructive lies a person can believe.

I don’t know who needed to read this but I trust God that this piece will speak to your heart. Don’t kill yourself trying to be perfect. Stop pretending, stop hiding. If you have struggles, come out and seek help.

The most important question in life has nothing to do with whether or not you are perfect. The most important question is “do you have a relationship with God through Jesus?” if yes then seek to grow that relationship and the Holy Spirit will gradually conform you into the image of His dear son.

I'm not perfect, you are not perfect, and none of us is perfect. God is still working on us all and until the day we are glorified in Christ Jesus none of us will ever be perfect.

Flaws are just a sign showing us that we all need a savior…

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What do you mean when you say, “I love you?”

One thing we are all guilty of as a people is “we all say things we don’t mean” from time to time. I do it, you do it, and everyone does it. I however want us to realize words are so powerful that we cannot afford to keep saying things we don’t mean.

God created the entire universe with words. Words are that powerful. The Bible tells us death and life is in the power of the tongue. – Proverbs 18:21 and in Matthew 12:36 scripture says “I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We have to learn to be so careful with our words because they carry such great weight. Since the day I read the above verse, I became extremely careful with what I say. We all need to grow to a point where we only say things we mean.

Someone recently asked me this question (what do you mean when you say I love you?) via www.ask.fm/emmasensation and I have been meaning to write about it for quite some time.

To begin, I would like us to consider what Jesus told his disciples and by extension all of us before He departed earth.  “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. -  John 13:34-35

From the above text, you’d realize that for the believer, love is not an option. It is a must, it is a command. God expects us to love (not only those that love us but) everyone including known enemies.

So when I was asked the question “what do you mean when you say I love you?” I had to think deep and by the way I’m such a deep thinker.

In our culture today, to say “I love you” at any level has become too easy. As a matter of fact, many people use this powerful phrase loosely. In effect, its true meaning has become so blurred.

Our confusion about “I love you” is complicated by our too casual use of the word "love." We love everything. We love shoes! We love Music! We love chocolate. And we love God. By the time we have finished loving everything, we are not even sure what the word means anymore.

And oftentimes, when some people say “I love you”, what they mean is, I love you but only until a newer, cooler, more comfortable friend comes along that I love more. Then my love moves on. This is often the case because many do not understand love in its proper context as God intended it.

In the Bible, 1Corinthians 13 to be precise, Love is defined in its purest, clearest and simplest term. And until we understand love the way God intended, we may not even be sure of what we mean when we say the phrase “I love you”.

When I say "I love you”, this is what I mean….

When I say “I love you”, I mean: I will be patient to you and I will be kind to you. I will not be envious of you, and never boast to you, and I will never be proud to you. I will not be rude or self-seeking. I will not be easily angered and will not keep record of your wrongs.

When I say "I love you," I mean: I will not delight in evil but I will rejoice with the truth. I will protect you and always trust you. I mean: I will always hope and persevere with you because this is what I love you means to me.

So people, the next time you want to use those very valuable words, understand what you are saying and please choose to live up to your words.

What do you mean when you say the “I love you?” 

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Dear Future Wife – DFW

A while back, #DearFutureWife was trending and twitter and I jumped on it and did a few tweets. Apparently, some people liked my tweets so much that they favorite and retweet them and I got a couple of DM’s to tweet more on DearFutureWife  so this time, I decided to put it a note form so you too can enjoy it so here we go!

Before I jump on the topic proper, I want to say this for the purpose of clarity. I have had a lot of people ask me if, I was married or engaged to that special one; well, I am not married neither am I engaged but marriage is one thing that I’m so looking forward to.

I have heard so much and seen much gone wrong with marriages that it gives me a lot of concern however, no matter what happens in marriages, I do believe in marriage and I am looking forward to be married in the near future. God created marriage and He wouldn’t have created marriage if it wasn’t good.

No matter what our culture says, marriage is still God’s idea and a marriage that will work is a marriage that has God at its center. With that being said follow me as I share these thoughts with my future wife – whoever she is and wherever she may be.

Dear future wife, because I believe you are worth the wait, I’m in no hurry. I am patiently waiting on God to bring us together and whenever He puts us together is fine with me. He makes all things beautiful in His time. Until then, I'm waiting and serving. Can't wait to be with you and start a family with you my dear!

Marriage is a lot of work and with that in mind; I am fiercely preparing myself to be not just a great man but a godly man, a godly husband and a godly father. One that will lead our home in the way of the LORD and not according to what the culture says.

Dear future wife, I made a commitment to devote my life to Christ, letting Him shape me, mold me and make me into that godly man you’ve been waiting for. I make bold to say that I’m more in love with Jesus than I have ever been. And you are going to have a man after God’s heart for a husband.

Dear future wife, I can’t wait to ask your father your hand in marriage but before I do that, I will first go to your heavenly father and ask for your hand in marriage because when God approves of our union, your father will not disapprove. I can't wait to call you my wife, lover and best friend.

Dear future wife, I am striving daily to become a Job 31 man, because I want us to have a godly marriage. I want our marriage to be a module for many other marriages so we are going to have a close, Christ centered marriage relationship. I want people to see Christ in us and through us get to know Christ.

Dear future wife, let’s settle this absolutely: Sex for us will only be in marriage so until the day we exchange our marriage vows, be rest assured we will never mess with our bodies- God’s temple. Purity for us is not an option; it is a standard.

Dear Future Wife, No matter what life throws at us; divorce will never be an option. When we have rough times, we will pray through them and ask God for wisdom to work things out. I’m making a commitment in advance to be faithful to you all my life through thick and thin.

I need you to realize that conflicts are a normal part of a healthy relationship. It’s really not the absence of conflict that will determine whether or not we have good relationship but it’s knowing how to handle the conflicts that will (most certainly) arise will that determine whether or not we have good relationship.

I will never abandon you, not at anytime or in any form through all of life. You will be right by my side and our children will never be without a father. I promise you that I will make it home in time to spend quality time with you and our children.

Dear future wife, just so you know, I have been praying for you for everyday for the past five years and I won’t stop even after God brings us together. Here are some random prayers thoughts for you. All you have to do is say AMEN!

I pray that you will give your heart totally to Jesus Christ. I pray that you will treasure and cherish Him more than anything in this world. I pray that you will trust the Lord each day to get you through whatever life throws at you and grow in your relationship with Him daily.

I pray that Christ alone will always be enough as you as you wait on Him to bring us together. I pray that you will be contented with everything God has given you and that you will have patience to wait for the things He has promised you.

I pray that you become confident and humble. I pray that you become honest and kind. I pray that nothing will stop you from smiling and that you will always stay true to who you are. I pray that you will never lose faith in yourself and that you will stand apart from the crowd, set apart for Christ.

I pray that the LORD will protect you from all evil and grant you physical, spiritual and moral strength to fight temptations and difficulties. I pray that God will give you strength in areas where you are weak and strengthen you in every area of your life.

I pray that the LORD will God satisfy every desire of her heart, draw you close, consume your heart with His love, claim her passions, and may all that you strive to be draw you closer to God and He to you.

I pray that this prayers works for you in Jesus name. Amen!

Dear future wife, there is so much thoughts and prayers I want to share with you but I will take a bow here. I hope this piece blessed you.

Love,

Your future husband♥

-Emmanuel.

In closing, I want to encourage every unmarried person reading this by saying, marriage is a beautiful thing when it is done God’s way and hear this; there is a man/woman out there for you. Don’t stress, don’t sweat. God will bring him/her in His time but until then, make the most of your singleness for God.

Pray in advance for your future spouse, speak life and goodness into their life, tell God to keep him/her safe, cause him/her to grow into a godly man/woman and a godly husband/wife and fiercely prepare yourself towards marriage as you wait on God to bring you and my future spouse together.

Ladies if you loved this piece simply replace Dear Future Wife with Dear Future Husband.

Just Sharing My Thought

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