Let's Talk : Body Piercings And Tattoos

"Is it okay for a Christian to get a tattoo or a piercing?"

One thing you should know about me is that i NEVER preach my opinion and i absolutely HATE it when people do. I have never liked tattoos, never found it cute. I don't care if it's your mum's birthday, or a picture of Jesus (Who said that's what Jesus looked like anyway? LOL). The same goes for body piercings. Okay,I lied. I have entertained the thought of multiple ear piercings. It looks so cute on some people :) Nose piercings have always been a no-no though. Yuck! No offence to anyone with tattoos or body piercings though. Anyway, I digress.


Okay, what does God say about tattoos and piercings?

The Bible verse people would generally point to is:

"Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the LORD."(Leveticus 19:28)

So, they say, piercings fall under cutting your body. However, the Bible says for the dead. God was referring to pagan religion. I don't think any of my friends with body piercings did it for the dead, or as a way of practising idolatory. Ooh, my ears are pierced too (from birth), and I do not intend to close them. Does that make me a pagan or a sinner? NO! However, there are some people God might have instructed not to get piercIngs of any kind. If they read this post, or other Christian articles, or hear a man of God say it's okay to do so, and decide to get their piercings, will they be sinning? YES! 

Now to the tattoo issue. I believe this is different. God didn't say "Do not cut your bodies and mark your skin with tattoos for the dead". He didn't give a condition for tattoos. However, if i wanted a tattoo, and someone showed me this scripture, i could easily retort and say, Well, in the verse before it, God also said
"Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards." . Why is it that so many Christians trim their beards?

There are certainly many things in the Old Testament, that we as Christians under grace are no longer bound by. However, we CANNOT just discard some laws, just because they are in the old Testament. You can't just choose what commandment you want to obey, as it suits you.

I personally don't think God approves of tattoos or excessive piercings, and I wish i had scripture verses to back it up, but I don't. However, i implore you to pray and ask God to reveal to you, what to do. And unless you get a go ahead from God, DO NOT do it. If you are reading this, it's most likely because you want answers, and you're not sure. I implore you, don't get that tattoo, without asking God.
Romans 14:23 says "But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning."

Something I think you should consider before you even ask God if you can get a piercing or a tattoo is why you want it. Why do you want that tattoo? Why do you want that piercing? I'm sorry, I didn't hear that. Did you say just because you want to? That's not good enough. You need to remember that your body is the temple of the LORD. You can't just do with it, as you please. You also have to keep in mind, that as a Christian, you are a representative of Christ. So, when thinking of why you want that tongue piercing or that tattoo on your arm, please remember that  whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17)

Sometimes, people say what if i want a tattoo of a Bible verse? I don't need to hear from God for that. It 

Sweetheart, you cannot bribe God by saying, it is for the Glory of God. Let the way you live your life speak for you. God requires that we ink His word on your heart, not your flesh!


That being said, i do not believe that people with piercings or tattoos won't enter the kingdom of Heaven, and i would NEVER judge anyone or demerit them, based on whether they have piercings or tattoos.

May God help us. Amen!

Love you!

There's A Peace

This is a very long post, so i apologize in advance. So many things have happened in the past 5 days. But i will focus on one aspect, since it ties in with my last post. I'll blog about other things in another post.

GOD IS GOOD!!!! AHHHHH!

PEACE!!!!! This is something money can NOT buy. For the past couple of days, I have been having mini panic attacks. You know when you're trusting God to fulfil your expectations, and you've been praying for a while? (I see you nodding..LOL) Well,i have been trusting God for an approval of a request I made. I blogged on January 4th/5th about how the devil tried to fill my head with lies and doubt. Well, he's been at it since, he's been pushing for me to lose faith, however I thank Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, who has been giving me strength. So thankful to the Holy Spirit for always reminding me of God's promises, and encouraging me. I thank God for increasing my faith. Every time the devil would strike, God would raise a standard! I am so grateful. On the 7th of January, 2013, the devil tried planting seeds of doubt in my heart, asking what if God doesn't come through? What would happen. I started panicing, then decided to listen to some music. My itunes was on shuffle, and the first song to come on was 'Nothing i hold on to' by Will Reagan, then 'Climb' by the same artiste. Part of the lyrics are as follows:

I lean not on my own understanding
my life is in the hands of the maker of heaven

I give it all to you God
trusting that You'll make something beautiful out of me

There's NOTHING i hold on to

.....

I know that i can trust YOU
I will climb this mountain with my hands open

WHOA!!!!! Awesome right? Well God wasn't done encouraging m yet. Next song that came on was Don Moen's 'JESUS WE ENTHRONE YOU.' Before the song, Don gave a short exhortation. He said, (I'm paraphrasing);

There is nothing God wants to do more than to overwhelm you with His love. He waants to heal, remove depression, give comfort, strength, power. Emmanuel has come with every gift heaven has to offer. as you worship him, He's enthroned above your deepest needs.

Well, when Jesus is above my needs, why worry. Right? At that moment, I laid down my needs at His feet.

Next song was Chris Tomlin's 'Forever'. The chorus goes

Forever God is faithful
Forever God is strong
Forever God is with us
Forever!

All i could say was, 'Yes God!!! You're faithful. You are with me! You are for me!'

I HONESTLY believe Jesus was my DJ that day. He made me that little mix. LOL. I was so encouraged after that.


Well, today, a series of what ifs came flooding again. God once again showed up!!! He reminded me of my devotional from December 29, 2012 that says He is faithful to do what He's said He would do. I don't need a plan B, because As though that wasn't enough, i got home and saw my uncle's post of facebook. The topic was 'GOD IS ABOVE EVEN IN YOUR CASE'. I KNOW RIGHT???????? AMAZING!!! Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of one of my favourite verses 'Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.'(Eph 3:20,NLT). Next thing i stumbled upon this song 'Such Joy' by Keith Staten. I liked the lyrics, so i youtubed it. Take this in, the song ended with that verse. Then i decided to listen to some songs, and ofcourse my itunes was on shuffle and 'God I look to You' by Jenn Johnson came on. Here's the first verse of the song:

God I look to You, I won’t be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You, You’re where my help comes from
Give me wisdom; You know just what to do


WHOA!!!!!!! I know right?????

Lastly, the next song that came on was 'God will make a way' by Don Moen

God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me

He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

Don then says in His exhortation, (i am paraphrasing) God hasn't forgotten about you or your situation. The bible says we are inscribed in the palm of His hand and Heaven and earth may pass away, but His word will remain. He can do exceeding, abundantly, above all we could ever ask or think. At this point, i honestly screamed out in tongues. I was so overwhelmed by God's love. He didn't just stop at the devotional, He kept reminding and assuring me that He is working on my behalf.

Words cannot express how i feel.. I love you Prince of PEACE! I love you Jesus!

Love you!

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?(Matt 5:30)

Doubt and Faith

P.S I wrote this post late at night on Thursday, January 3rd, but posted it at about 1am on Friday the 4th, which is why i said it's the third day of the year :)

*Sigh* I feel bad. It's only the 3rd day of the year and i already had pop. In my defence, i was REALLY thirsty and the only thing i could have was soda. I also bought fast food too *sigh*. Hey you! Stop judging me! LOL. Anyway, no point crying over spilled milk. Moving on! LOL. Before we move on though, i'd just like to say, i was in the mall for 6 hours and was really hungry, so i had no choice. Also, i had noodles, veggies and honey garlic chicken, so it wasn't that bad. Haha! Can you tell i'm defensive? LOL.

Ooooh, today, i got 2 pairs of Jeans, 3 sweaters, and a clutch purse for under $100. How cool is that? I paid less for the purse than the actual price. The girl at the store told me it was 50% off, so i was like yay!!!! I had been eyeing this envelope clutch for a while. I think it was love at first sight, but being the frugal person i am, i decided against buying it. Well, when i saw it again today, my heart was all warm and fuzzy. LOL. That's how i knew we were meant to be. Also, it was 50% off, how could i not get it? Anyway, i was on the check out line and i allowed some people to go before me. I just felt like being nice. Anyway, by the time i was ready to check out, the sales associate i had spoken to earlier was at the cashier. When she scanned my purse, she found out it was actually 30% off, not 50% off. However, she decided to still give me 50% off. I was super excited. Haha!

SIDE NOTE: Weird thing is, as frugal as i am, i have never gone shopping on Boxing Day. It's weird right? I think, it's the thought of a crowded mall that puts me off.

So, while at the mall, the enemy started speaking lies, and tried to feel my head with negative thoughts, telling me that the miracle I am expecting, won't come to pass. I entertained the thought for a second but immediately remembered who i am., the DAUGHTER of the MOST HIGH! I began praying and decreeing God's promises into my life. Thankfully, i had prophecies for 2013 typed on my phone, so i began to repeat them into my life and thanking God for them. Dear people, the devil is a LIAR! My faith was stirred up instantly! Glory be to God! I know each and everyone of these prophecies will come to pass as I have decreed, in Jesus' name. Below, are some of the prophecies. Please feel free to decree them into your life too.

This year,

God is turning all my concerns into testimonies.
I will reap where i didn't sow.
What doesn't belong to me naturally, heaven will release unto me.
I will not labour before i receIve.
I will be sought out.
I will be celebrated.
God will speak peace to my storms.
My star will shine bright no matter the darkness around me.
Stagnancy in my life will be addressed, and progress will follow.
will be a year of completeness.
I will never run dry of blessings.
will be a most wondrous year for me.
will be a year of next levels.
will be my landmark year in my spiritual adventures.
I will receive double honor for every shame i have ever experienced or that the enemy has planned for me.
I will receive divine speed for accomplishment.
Unexplainable but undeniable occurrences will happen in my life.
will be a year of signs and wonders.
I will be a glorious wonder to behold.

More specifically, by the 3rd week of February 2013 (February 21), i will be a glorious wonder to behold. The Lord God Almighty, would have done wonders in my life.

In the name of Jesus! Amen!

I can't wait to share my many testimonies with y'all as the months go by :)

Love you all.

You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established for you: and the light shall shine upon your ways. (JOB 22:28)

What's Cooking??? :)

So, like i said in my introduction, i LOVE cooking.
The holidays have come and gone. Last night, i didn't know what to make for dinner. I peeked into my fridge and saw less than a quater of the whole turkey i got for Christmas left. I'd normally use up leftover turkey in salads, soups, sandwiches, stir-fry's etc.
However, last night, i felt like making chilli. I didn't have all the ingredients to make it but i was really craving it, so i decided to improvise. Chilli is super easy to make.

I love the trio of onions, red pepper and green pepper when cooking, However, i had only onions on hand. Also, i like using diced tomatoes in my chilli but only had crushed, so i added two cups of water to the chilli. (If using diced tomatoes, no need for water). Also, for a turkey chilli, i'd normally use ground turkey but since i had leftover turkey, i decided to use that instead.

Also, i had previously cooked raw kidney beans in a pressure cooker, so i used it instead of opening a can of beans.


Okay, let's get to the process. like i said before, Chilli is really easy to make and takes only about 40-60 minutes to make. This took only 30 minutes though. I'm guessing it's because my turkey was already cooked


Ingredients on hand:
Olive oil
1 large Onion
3 cups cooked turkey
Kidney beans
1 can Crushed tomatoes(796ml or 28 oz)
Salt
Cumin
Water

Heat about 2.5 tables spoons of oive oil in a pot

Add in your onions and turkey, and fry for about 3-4 minutes

Add in kidney beans with 2 cups of water. I mashed half the beans

Add can of tomato, salt,cumin,black pepper, all purpose seasoning, whatever spices you want in there.

Leave to cook for about 20-25 minutes, and voila! It's ready to eat :)

This dish got a nod of approval from my brother, who is a picky eater. We had it with toast last night. Tonight, i will be serving it over a bed of rice or spaghetti. Yummy!

Do you like chilli? Ever considered making it?

Happy New year!!!!!

Yes! We made it! Glory be to God in the highest! Awesome GOD!

Welcome to 2013 people!!!! :-)

So yesterday, i came across my new year's resolutions for last year and discovered i didn't stick with one single resolution. Sad right? I wasn't sad though,i just laughed at myself. I am really not one to cry over spilled milk. Instead, i condense it! Get it? No? SMH! I'm cooler than you are :P

Anyway, i decided that 2013 is a new year to try again. However, instead of New Year's resolutions, I will write out my 1 year goal in categories. Before writing this last sentence, I felt like I lacked direction. However, i just realised that these short term goals would help to keep my life in perspective. Last night/early this morning at church, one of the many things i asked God for was direction. I believe He's started the good work in me :)


SPIRITUAL GOALS

This year, by God's grace, I will:

Daily spend time with God outside of bible study/prayer meetings
Keep journal and make daily entries
Fast weekly
Keep vigil every last Friday of the month
Read through the entire Bible

FITNESS AND HEALTH GOALS

This year, by God's grace, I will:

LOSE 20 lbs and get a toned body by

Eating clean (No pop, juices, dairy, cakes, sweets)
Working out more often
Cutting down on carbs (goodbye rice/pasta? Never! Lol)
Filling half my plate with veggies/fruit at every meal


PERSONAL GOALS

This year, by God's grace, I will:

Smile more often
Choose to be happy no matter the situation
Choose to love everyone regardless of their personality
Be kinder to people
Improve my communication skills
Volunteer
Cut off my relaxed ends (Been holding on to them for too long.LOL)


Whoa!!!! That's a long list. Haha!!!!! But i am so confident that I will achieve all these goals. I serve a God of limitless possibilities. Can i get an Amen? :)

What are your goals? Feel free to comment below, so we can pray for one another. May we all accomplish all we've set out to do this year in Jesus' name. Amen!

Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.(Psalm 37:5, NLT)