Sticks & Stones
As unique humans beings, we all receive and perceive love differently. Ideally, there are five ways we “receive” love from other people: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time and Physical Touch. My love language is words of affirmation (as well as quality time). But no really, I really admire and cherish people sharing their hearts about me, to me. To this day, I still have birthday and graduation cards that I read randomly to rehear people’s words of affection towards me. I’m that person who has a journal of recorded and documented prophesies.
Although receiving words of affirmation, is a way for me to experience God’s love through His people, they had started to become a snare in my walk as a believer. Words of affirmation are suppose to bring out the best in me, but instead they’ve revealed how ugly my heart really was.
I’m sure we’re all familiar with popular Christianese phrase “if you don’t live by the praise of man, you wouldn’t die by their criticisms.” I wish that was my case, but I was dying internally from the lack of affirmation. Weird, right? But the weird part was that I wasn’t looking for affirmation in the sense of people complimenting how amazing my outfit was, or how white my teeth were, or how beautiful I was. It was the lack of affirmation in ministry that was causing me to lose my grip on life and creating tension between the friends I served with and I.
A friend once said, “You can’t say you don’t deal with something anymore if the opportunity to do it hasn’t presented itself to test you.” Meaning that you could possibly still have something residing in your heart, but because there hasn’t been an incident to test you, that thing hasn’t had it chance to manifest itself in your outward actions. Capishe?
The opportunity to see the inner battles of my heart presented itself this past summer when I was asked to join my ministry's Discipleship leadership board as the administer director. I had been involved with the department for two years and was a by-product of the discipleship program, so I was honored and excited to continue serving, but also ecstatic that it was on a higher capacity. And the plus side was I was serving with some of my closest friends. But these weren’t just any friends. These were the people you called to lead bible study, or administer deliverance, or even for godly advice on everyday life situations. It is one thing to do life with people like this, but another to serve with them.
Now that the opportunity had presented itself, it was a matter of time before the heart issue manifested. So as I mentioned, I was the administrative director. With a distorted view, I found myself being frustrated because I was under the impression that my role was insignificant. I wasn’t leading the training calls and I wasn’t teaching, so I indirectly assumed I wasn’t an adequate teacher, which led to my childhood battle with speech insecurities to resurface. But mainly, I wasn’t being affirmed like the other leaders. All I seemed to be doing was sending emails. Because I had no one telling me the significance of my role, I began believing my role wasn’t significant. Because I failed to see the great need for it in the department, I didn't take full advantage of my role.
In December, a group of us were at IHOP-KC Onething Conference. It was during a worship set one night, when Misty Edward ministered “I Shall Not Want.” It was right there and then when God affirmed me. As Misty sang, I could feel God comfort me and also remove the insecurities I was dealing with. Even in the prophesy room, God spoke through two fatherly mannered men about things God delighted in me. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom indeed. I was free, or so I thought. Remember the opportunity had to presents itself for me to be tested.
The opportunity presented itself once again. And it led to jealousy and offense towards people I really loved. After a week of the frustration, I called my personal prophet. He said one thing that put a halt to my inner battle: “Ask God what He has for Olamide. You need God to tell you what He sees in you.” *Boom* Shots fired. Who got hit? I was silent. My issue was I needed to hear that I was valuable and needed; but my solution wasn’t found in man, it was literally found in Christ.
My life verse is Colossians 3:3
"For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Well, my identity is hiding in Him as well.
“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”
Psalm 139:17 NKJV
While recently studying the Book of John, the Holy Spirit highlighted how Jesus really wasn’t seeking public recognition, but was secure in His identity, because He knew where it lied. Jesus proclaimed to be the Son of God, but yet many people didn’t believe Him. Including His family.
“‘For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”
John 7:4-6
But that’s the thing. Man will affirm you for what they see in public. We affirm traits we see people display and attributes they personify in their demeanor.
But God...God is different. He affirms us on what we do in the secret place, what we do in the heart. He affirms what is concealed to the human eye, revealing our inward nature and calling us by that. With God, it's not a matter of doing, but of simply being.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
1st Samuel 16:17
“... and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Matthew 6:18
Affirmation from man is temporary, but affirmation from God is eternal, for two keys reasons: 1. God is not a man that he should (or even could) lie and 2. God’s word doesn’t come back void, but fulfilled.
But God will affirm you at the appointed time, and before the right people.
"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”
Matthew 3:16-17
How we receive love shapes and forms how we perceive the relationships we have. Once I knew the state of my heart, I was able to be vulnerable with those around me. I began to confess to my friends the battles I was secretly dealing with. With full transparency, I shared how I felt and was able to receive my much needed healing, peace, and assurance.
”Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”
James 5:16
“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Roman 8:30
Until the time, when God raises me up in His hands, I will be here dwelling in His Heart. There is no better feeling to know you are His and He is your’s.
![True Life: I didn't wake up like this [The story before the glory]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54a8ad21e4b0970e0f17e95e/1458530765987-MU6NSV2IF1WIBGDN75J5/The+Story%281%29.png)
The Pursuit: God’s Perspective
When we read Genesis, sometimes we forget how literal we’re supposed to take it. For example, in Genesis 1 verse 26 it says, “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature” ESV. We’ve read it a hundred times to the point where we’re desensitized to its message. We are made in the image of God, LITERALLY, not figuratively. You’re probably reading this and thinking, “We get it ma, get to the point.” It may take me a while to finally land, but follow me.
Okay, God made us after His likeness, and then we fell. Does that mean we stopped being the image of God? Well, not really, it actually means we forgot who we were. It’s like long-term amnesia. You're not acting like yourself because you lack true identity, So when you accept Jesus, you have this epiphany where you're reminded that you were made in God’s image and after His likeness. In 2nd Corinthians 3:18 Paul stated, “And all of us, as with unveiled face, continue to behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another.” The longer we’re saved, the more we begin to resemble God.
Alright, now that the foundation is down, we can get to the fun part. Being a woman created in His image is fun. When God created us in His image, there was no catch, and it was not a mistake. He purposefully created male and female. So the rest of this article is for women (guys, please keep reading. It’ll help you too). This is a series about women, and we were created after the image of God. But, what does that even mean? Do you recall a time in your life, where you were sitting, minding your business, until life came and gave you a wake-up call? Just last week you were doing #NoBoys2KForeva and you wake-up and your whole world is screaming #Boys2kForeverNdAlways please and thank you. Welp, that was a 180°. You were single and waiting, enjoying your singleness, and doing all the other single people phrases. So what happened? That deep yearning to be pursued starts to tug on your heartstrings. You’re stuck and you start recounting your mistakes and where you could have missed it. What if I told you, you didn’t sin, you didn’t backslide, and you're still single and content? That tug, and that yearn you feel is natural. It’s a reflection of God (remember we’re made in His image). God is all too familiar with that feeling. God felt that same feeling and even still feels it. God is neither male nor female, but our femininity and masculinity originates from God.
This helps in multiple ways, it teaches us how to manage that yearn, and it also helps us relate to God in a way unique to women.
You’re sitting in your room, in your #Boys2KForeva phase and you think to yourself, “all I’m asking for is a guy who is consistent and wants to be my bestie.“ Get this, God said the same thing. In Hosea 6:6 (MSG) He said, “I’m after love that lasts, not more religion. I want you to know God, not go to more prayer meetings.” God is doing #MyPeople2kForeva too, we can see the desire of His heart through this passage. Before Jesus came to die for us, those were dark and sad times. All God wanted was to be with us, but a lasting sacrifice had to be made in order for us to experience that same intimacy. All you want, is to be pursued and God can relate to that. All He wants is to be pursued and wanted. Seek God first. Pursue God the way you want to be pursued. We don’t get to pursue our husbands before courtship. We’re on the receiving end of the pursuit, but that feeling of wanting to be pursued might just be a feeling exclusive to femininity. You can give to God what you want to be given to you. Isn’t that exciting and fulfilling? When I discovered this, it opened up an intimacy with God that I never took advantage of. He’s more than just the “guy best friend” that we try to box Him into; He’s the best friend that we can relate with. The church of Ephesus committed one sin, “you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love]” Revelations 2:4 AMP. The feeling in this verse is all too familiar. You’ve felt it, and now you know your God feels it too. Chase after God with everything you have, it’ll offer a fulfillment that can’t be compared.
Lastly, understand that God wants to be pursued the same way you want to be pursued, helps make “the wait,” a little easier. Think about it. When you’re in the depth of your #ILoveBoys phase, you can whisper to God and He can laugh with you. He can comfort you in the way only He knows how. Trust me. I’ve read articles, books, and listened to sermons, anything that would make the wait easier. Until I l finally gave in. You’ve learned most of it, and you even put a majority of it into practice. You can’t make the wait any shorter or any less bumpy, but you can find solace in The One who can. God had to wait, God is still waiting. You think you have to wait 2 years 3 months and 23 days, but imagine having to wait centuries to be rekindled to the one whom your heart desires. Pretty inconceivable, right? This is where the masculinity of God really comes in. He can offer strength and even soothe your yearning heart. As a woman, protection and stability is like a pot of gold. God said He is not a man that He should lie. If He said it, it will come to pass. What did God say about your wait? Did He give you a scripture? A date maybe? God is speaking to your current situation. Hear what He has to say about your wait and stand on it.
“Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you”
Psalms 119:11
Lacking faith is weighty, a weight we can’t afford. Listen to what God is saying to you during your wait, hide it in your heart, and have faith towards it. “…And everything that does not come from faith is sin” Romans 14:23 NIV. In Luke 2:19 ESV it says that, “Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Treasure the word God has given to you and use your time while “waiting” to ponder on them. His promise prepares you for what’s to come.
In essence, women were made after the likeness of God; we can pursue God the way we want to be pursued because we know how it feels. God makes our pursuit easier because we’re able to grab hold of His promises. When you feel that yearn of pursuit, change it from feeling like you messed up, and use it to remind yourself that you’re Godly and you're feeling the very heart of God. Don’t wait on boys; wait on men. Men that pray for you, men that hear from God on behalf of you. It’s worth it, so very worth it.
The True Meaning of Love: The Greatest Gift of All
Sometimes we look for the source of love in places where it does not exist. Sometimes we don’t even realize that love is what we are searching for. The world’s view of love is measured conditionally by what the world can do for us. If it brings pleasure, it’s considered love. If it brings success, it’s considered love. If it brings happiness, it’s considered love. But what about the bad times? What happens when those things that once pleasured us or brought us success and happiness begin to bring us pain? Would we still consider it love?
One of the most contradictory statements I hear is “love is pain,” but that’s not true. We will go through pain, but it’s our circumstances that bring pain. The world brings pain. The devil surely brings pain. In reality, Love brings everything but pain and sorrow. Love should not make us fear (1 John 4:18). Love heals pain when life destroys the characteristics of love as seen in 1 Corinthians 13; our patience, our kindness toward each other, etc.
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18
So then, what is love? The only absolute definition I can think of is 1 John 4:8 “…God is love.” Love is knowing God and keeping His commandments. Love is a supernatural powerful and eternal mindset that can literally change the way we see and respond to things if we get it from the proper source—God. Love is a choice that we each individually need to make every moment of our lives in order to correctly confront the issues we face.
Why do we need love, the real kind? The two greatest commandments of all require us to love God and then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). The only way we can love God is if we have a relationship with Him. The only way we can love our neighbors as ourselves is if we 1) actually love ourselves and 2) have a relationship with God to know what love is, because again, He is love. Love teaches us how to live the way God intended us to live. As the Son of the One who created love, Jesus embodied love when He chose to do His Father’s will. He showed His love for the Father by submitting and being obedient, even when He knew how much physical pain it would cause him.
The love of God bridges the gap of sin that separates us from the Creator. Without His love, we would have no sense of conviction, no understanding of the purpose of the Cross, and no real relationship with God. We would continue to toil to do good and follow the commandments the best way we know how, yet still fall short. That is not needed, because God’s love covers a multitude of sins. God’s love gives us a desire to please Him and be pleased with how He originally created us. Love is the best gift God can ever give us because of everything that He includes with it!
Love is more than just an emotion, it’s a virtue. Real love is not temporary and it’s not conditional. God’s love is bigger than us. His love does not always make sense. His love does not just disappear when we abandon Him or when we blame Him for what the devil has done in our lives. His character cannot be questioned because He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. Because of this, His love cannot increase or decrease based on what we do, it’s not performance based. All we have to do is know the real love that comes from Him. In life, we will face moments of pain, confusion, hurt, and many other emotions. Jesus went through pain in order to complete His will, but the love He had for the Father kept Him until the very end. Running to our temporary pleasures will only satisfy us for so long but the true source of love, which is God, keeps us until the very end.
Brofriend: Moving From Brother In Christ To Boyfriend
So guys, do you have someone you like and are interested in? Read this real quick before you have another thought.
My girlfriend and I have been together and in courtship for a year and some change now. She is an extreme blessing to my life and assists me with all of the wild ambitions that my heart takes me towards, but it wasn’t a quick and easy process. We did not just meet, fall for each other, and then say “Hey! Let’s start courting!” It took much more than that. Hi, my name is Gabriel. I was once a “Brother in Christ”, but now I am a proud boyfriend.
Some of us have been single for so long, that it feels weird saying that we are someone’s “boyfriend” or “significant other”, and starting the process feels just as weird. When we find the person, who we think has potential to fill that spot, it’s not easy to initiate the process, but once you get your foot in the door, it almost feels like smooth sailing from there.
Well, I’m here to just talk about how to get your foot in the door. Before Deborah, there were some young women that I was interested in and sought after. I even had thoughts of building some kind of future with them, but the issue was with them……well the issue wasn’t with them, it was with me. I knew I liked them, but that was about it. I didn’t know what to do after that, but I knew one thing, I did not know how to use intention. Say it with me: Intention, intention, intention. Let’s say it together: intention.
So let me tell you a story: there once was a beautiful girl that I met at a friend’s birthday dinner, and I thought she was the best looking young lady. There was something about her that drew me to her. She had so many amazing qualities, was articulate and a bunch of other great things. When we spoke, my intention was not to try and make her anything. I just thought she looked really good and I knew I had to get her number because she had something refreshing about her. We talked every now and again, but as time went on, our conversations became deeper and deeper. We began to talk more and opened up in a way that exposed ourselves to one another. All the while, I didn’t notice until I really noticed that I was falling for this girl. I was excited to talk to her and she seemed to like talking to me and we did it so often, it became habitual. When we spoke to each other, she satisfied this thing in me and I liked that. The problem was that I had no idea what to do with it. I simply liked it. I enjoyed it. When we talked, I noticed that the sound of her voice would cause me to feel good. I knew that she would talk and tell me things that she wouldn’t tell anyone else. I truly enjoyed it, but this was the problem: I did nothing, but enjoy it. We were living in the moment and it felt good, but the moment lasted longer than it should have. There should have been a next step and I should have initiated it. I lived in the moment much too long with her.
Men listen. When God made us, He made us to be the pursuers, the initiators, and the ones to start this thing up. The usual process for dating regularly is for a guy to ask a girl out and not the other way around. With this girl, I just enjoyed her, I fantasized about what we could be even in the future and romanticized what it would be like to just be with her and have her as mine, but the problem was that I never communicated these things to her. I never initiated the next step of our relationship. Everything we did and said was assumed between us, there was no definition of what we actually were. We just went along with what we felt with no boundaries of where it began and where it ended. We did what we wanted and what we felt, and the worst part is that I told people I liked her and what I saw her as in my life, but I never shared these things with her. I feared to get out of the phase that we were in, everything felt good and I did not want that to change because we were “getting more serious.” It would be too risky to not tell her, so instead I just behaved as if things would naturally just take its course and we’d just end up together somehow.
Side Note: Gentleman, this is how you are destined to get “friend zoned.” Assuming that because you feel a certain way about someone and look at that person a certain way: 1. Does not mean that they know. 2. Does not mean they see how you treat them as unordinary from their other guy friends and 3. Does not mean that they will pick up on those clues and take it as you liking them. Sorry.
Assuming that they know. Nothing is just known, you usually have to be told for definite understanding and knowledge. If not, then you are left with an assumption and people usually don’t act on assumptions, its not safe.
Assuming they notice how you treat them. Just because you treat a girl a certain way, does not mean that they take it as you like them. They may just see you as a really nice guy and thats how you treat all your female friends. Just because you look at a girl a certain way, does not mean that you like her! I know, I know, a lot of movies have a third party that say “I see the way you look at her,” but that doesn’t mean it will be that way in real life. It just means you look at her in a certain way! Which brings me to my third point..
“Assuming they will pick up on the clues and take it as you liking them. The girl may even notice you treating her nicely or looking at her a certain way, but this DOES NOT mean that she will know automatically or even that she will assume that you like her and would like to date her. She may just think that this is who you are or wonder why you do it. Some people simply don’t catch on quickly. So to my guys and even girls, try not to get friendzoned. It has happened to me before and it really sucks. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
As I reflect on the experience I had with the girl, I don’t ever believe we had an actual conversation about how we like each other (which I should have stepped up and started) or what we would like to do to be progressive with our feelings. Everything was caught up in our assumptions. There was really no sense of intention. In turn, this led to our downfall, a lack of a definition now caused a lack of intention and drew us apart. I was too immature to know what to do and how to do it. I did not know that as a man, I should step up and let her know my intentions and how I felt about her in order for us to progressively move forward. Because we had shared so many deep things with each other and had a relationship based on assumptions that were not controlled by boundaries that would protect us and our hearts, both of us dealt with a lot of hurt as the relationship fell apart and I know this pain all too well; Pain from experiences like this can discourage us so much that it affects our future relationships. I know some guy friends who won’t take the step of being intentional because they fear that if they do and it turns out to be wrong, then everyone will judge them or say negative things. As guys, we don’t want our character or anything else judged negatively, our ego hates it. This is why I recommend taking your time before you begin to share yourself and who you are with someone. And make sure you stay in a friend level until you know this person well enough to share your feelings and intentions with, so that you can then move forward if they feel the same way back. The Bible asks us:
“Can two walk together, unless they agree?”
Amos 3:3
When you have this conversation, you must prepare your heart for any possible outcomes because sometimes people won’t share the same feelings that you do or may not be in the place where they are ready to pursue a relationship. A lot of different factors can come into play. Make sure that you remain of a “friend” intimacy, meaning keep the boundaries that friends have and treating them like everyone else, before you go giving your heart and whole being to someone else. I say this because at times we use each other just to satisfy something, not knowing that the other person was looking for something more or less. Don’t be up late talking to her about your deepest dreams and desires, giving her special treatment, going above and beyond, or showing her extraordinary affection until you know the interest is mutual. There needs to be a clear conversation and conclusions made so that there is a basic understanding between the both of you. This is needed so that both of you are aware of how to move forward. You won’t know how to handle something if you don’t know what it is.
So guys once you establish that you want to pursue a relationship with her, be intentional. Pursue her! Not to sound barbaric, but when an animal is being hunted it knows, and when someone or something is being sought after they know as well. The desire is made known through the intention. If you make it clear that you are pursuing her, the woman will have an equal understanding of the matter. So as you two begin to grow closer (with the right boundaries in place, so no one goes too far too early), you can move comfortably knowing where your relationship stands as well as how you want to proceed in the future. Because of the purposefulness and intention of the predator or pursuer, it is clear what is going down.
My pastor recently said, “Men don’t value what we don’t pursue.” Upon knowing my girlfriend for a year and some change before I began “pursuing” her, she knew. Before we even decided to start talking, we had many intentional conversations about how we felt about one another, what we were looking for in a relationship, if we were ready, set up boundaries, and how we would communicate and move forward together. We spoke to mentor figures that we had to make sure that we were not just googly eyed at some person who looks good or dresses well (because we fulfill both of these things) and to ensure that we were somewhat prepared for what we desired to begin. I’m telling you, she could tell the difference and so could I. I told her what I felt for her and she told me she felt for me. Matthew 5:37 says:
“But let your Yes be Yes, and your No be no, For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:37
With her, everything was different. I was intentional in treating her right and people could tell that I felt for her, without me saying anything. I let it be known with my actions. I was purposeful. And that’s what they really want out of us, to be intentional and purposeful, not to just enjoy their company in ways that satisfy our needs, and then move on to something else.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”.
Proverbs 4:23
So don’t just ask to “hang out,” ask her out on a date when thats what you mean, this is how she will be able to tell your intentions and not have to GUESS what you feel for her or if you even have feelings at all. Don’t send mixed signals or even tease her by going above and beyond at one point and then retracting that by being extremely minimal and distant from her. Women like consistency and that is not it. Wait until you're ready and know her well enough in friendship, then be intentional and ask her on a date, or tell her that you like her and would like to get to know her better. Just be clear and state your intentions from the beginning or from whatever point that they change. Then you go from there, and when/if that date kicks things off, hopefully it leads to more. As both experience and understand how each other feel, those things can now be managed instead of manipulated by one person. There’s no twist of the arm, no need to call the girl thirsty or pressed because the dynamic of your relationship is open and transparent; Nor is there a need for games or fights for power. So then if you’re like me when I did this with my girlfriend, you will want to move into courtship, which is a whole other environment, but lucky for you, Deborah and I will be soon be sharing what courtship looks like for us. So men, take this advice and remember to be intentional!
