theoakings

[theoakings]

God just wants you to know Him. He wants to take you by the hand and walk with you through this imperfect world. He wants to hold your hands when they’re trembling. He wants to walk with you as you limp. He wants to be near in the quiet joys and in the aches of your growing. He wants to celebrate with you when you win. He wants you to walk in the story He wrote lovingly and specifically for you, hand-in-hand with Him, the Author.

He wants you.

He wants to love you.

[theoakings]

Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. I mean it, really look. What do you see? Do you see your mother’s eyes? Your father’s nose? Have you noticed you bear your mom’s laugh, your dad’s walk? Maybe your siblings all look like carbon copies of those who came before you.

That makes sense. We know that physical traits are passed down. It’s common understanding. DNA doesn’t lie. You inherit their smile, their posture, their health conditions- even the way you tilt your head when you’re thinking.

But that inheritance doesn’t stop at the physical! This is true for the spiritual! It’s a Biblical fact! There is spiritual inheritance, and it runs even deeper.

Just like you can inherit your ancestors’ features physically, you can inherit their patterns spiritually. You can inherit your ancestors’ callings, their blessings, and God forbid- their curses.

This is all over the Bible.

Read through Kings and Chronicles: So many sons walked in the same sins, or righteousness, of their fathers.

Abraham passed the great blessing and promise to Isaac, who passed it to Jacob, who passed it to the twelve tribes.

It’s spiritual legacy.

What was the first spiritual legacy ever passed to us? The sins of Adam. The first human. Romans 5:12-21

Adam sinned. It wasn’t just a personal mistake. His sins didn’t occur in a vacuum. It didn’t affect him in isolation. No, it was federal headship.

Adam stood as the representative of all humanity. And when he fell, all of us fell with him. Sin entered the human condition. Adam was called to leave the garden of Eden. Cherubims guarding the garden’s entrance. So that separation from God? It was passed down to us too. Just like your eye colour.

We toil. We suffer. We feel the weight of sin and brokenness because it’s in our spiritual DNA. But God didn’t want that to be the end of our story.

So He sent Jesus.

Jesus is the second Adam. Where Adam brought death, Jesus brought life. Where Adam’s sin separated us, Jesus’ righteousness restores us.

He’s our new representative. Our new head. Our new beginning.

When we place our faith in Jesus, in His blood, His cross, His resurrection, we are grafted into a new spiritual lineage. We are no longer children of sin, but children of God. And with that comes inheritance. We inherit mercy. We inherit righteousness. We inherit peace. We inherit the promises of God.

This is real. This is truth. Your reflection in the mirror? It tells part of your story. But your redemption through Christ? That’s the part that lasts for eternity.

Romans 5:12-21

Ephesians 1:3 “God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Romans 8:17 “Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…”

Galatians 4:7 “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.”

[theoakings]

Jesus was God’s plan from the start. Before He even breathed life into humanity, He knew we’d need saving. He saw the brokenness ahead and built grace into creation.

When you zoom out, the whole Bible feels like God introducing Himself. It’s Him pursuing us, making a way for all to know Him. All of it for one goal: that we’d never be separated from Him.

He knew everything it would cost to create us, and still chose to. That’s how much He wants relationship with us. That’s how much He wants us by His side.💗

[theoakings]

Wait on the LORD 💗

[theoakings]

[theoakings]

You are worthy! God has called you worthy!

In Exodus 29, God was giving Moses instructions on how to ordain and consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests.

Before their ceremony they had to supply a young bull, two rams, bread made of choice wheat flour and no yeast, thin cakes mixed with olive oil and wafers spread with olive oil. They were to place all this at the entrance of the Tabernacle before God’s presence.

Aaron and his sons would then have to be washed. They would wear their garments, and at that moment- be fully ordained as priests before God forever. A series of sacrifices would follow.

I found this so cool and interesting! They were ordained as priests BEFORE the series of sacrifices that cleansed their sins and declared their surrender and devotion to God?

YES. Aaron and his sons were not declared priests after they offered the sacrifices. They were already priests the moment they were clothed and ordained because God said so.

It wasn’t their performance. It wasn’t their perfect sinlessness. It wasn’t their deep fellowship to God. They were only beginning to know God. It was God’s sovereign choice and His declaration over them.

In Christ, we are not called because we already have our sins perfectly handled, or because we’ve already become living sacrifices.

We are called, washed, and clothed first (justification) and then the journey of daily sacrifice, repentance, fellowship begins (sanctification).

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” (1 Peter 2:9)

He calls us priests before we get everything right. He makes us worthy by His word and His calling, not by our preparation. It’s never “clean yourself up, then I’ll call you.” It’s always: “I’ve called you. Now let Me clean you up.”

Your worthiness is not earned by how well you sacrifice, repent, or fellowship. Your worthiness is spoken over you by God’s call. And once you are called by God, no one can take that away from you.

May God bless you tenfold 💗💗💗

[theoakings]

Last week, I was in a really low place. I felt frustrated and upset with God. I was desperate for His comfort and for a Word from Him. He felt near, but He wasn’t speaking to me the way I wanted Him to, and that only made me feel more frustrated and a little disappointed. But deep down, I knew He would speak. He always does. It was just a matter of time. But in that moment, I was too impatient to (wait and) listen.

A little later after I posted on Tumblr about it, God spoke to me. He validated me. He comforted me. He did exceedingly and abundantly because today at church, the sermon kind of called me out a little bit. It was too specific to what I was feeling last Sunday when I was in that pit.

Luke 24:13-31

Context (Luke 24:1-13): This is the day of resurrection. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, and He had risen. However, His disciples don’t necessarily believe it yet. Earlier that day, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others went to Jesus’ tomb to check for His body and found His tomb empty. Two angels confirmed He had risen saying, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!…”. The women immediately told the apostles- Jesus’ disciples. But they didn’t believe the women because they were too consumed with grief.

Two disciples decided to walk to a village a few miles away from Jerusalem. As they were walking, they discussed their grief and confusion concerning Jesus’ crucifixion, and how they had not seen Jesus yet. As they did this, a stranger walked beside them. The stranger asked them about what they were discussing and the two disciples were bewildered! Everyone knew about Jesus’ crucifixion! Who was this stranger? And where did he come from that he didn’t?

But they put their bewilderment aside and explained their deep grief about Jesus of Nazareth. A “prophet”, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. They explained to the stranger that he had been crucified and that he had promised to rise from his tomb. But, they had not yet seen him.

The stranger rebuked them! Asking how they could have quickly forgotten the prophecies dating back from Moses that Jesus was the Messiah, destined to suffer before He would enter His glory!

The disciples urged the stranger strongly to stay with them because it seemed as though he had a longer journey. The stranger agreed. Upon his arrival, he made himself comfortable. He was at the table with them. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Only then did they realise that “stranger” was Jesus all along.

Much like the disciples, I allowed grief, sadness, frustration and disappointment to consume me. It choked out God’s Word and presence! I was saddening myself, waiting for God to reveal Himself to me a certain way! It made me overlook scriptures! It made me overlook what God had told and confirmed to me over and over. It made me reduce Jesus, to a prophet rather than see Him for the great Messiah He is!

You know, the disciples only recognised the stranger was in fact Jesus after they opened their home to Him, and had a feast with Him. After they allowed Jesus BE Jesus at their dinner table. I didn’t allow Jesus be Jesus in heart last week. He will come to us not always through the grand sign we demand but through the table fellowship, the quiet word, the unexpected sermon, the unglamorous way that still pierces.

Don’t let your grief consume you to a point that it chokes out God’s Word. Don’t let grief persuade you into forgetting who God is. Who He has confirmed- so many times in your life to be. Don’t wait on your expectations of how God will speak to you. Be open and receptive to all the ways God can reach you when you allow Him to be unapologetically Him.

Bye loves💗💗💗

[theoakings]

I’ve been battling tonight. Crying, feeling the weight of all these negative emotions and thoughts. I feel ugly, and so unworthy. God feels near, but He’s not speaking to me like He usually does or at least not in the way I’d like Him to. And tonight, that made me angry and upset with Him. Then I felt even worse. I felt angry, disappointed, and upset with myself for feeling that way towards Him.

I’m waiting for comfort, but it’s not here… yet. Yet.

If you’re feeling this way too, please know: God loves you. He really does. He hears you. He has so much compassion for you. He’s closer than you think, whether you feel Him, hear Him, or not. He will speak to you. Honestly, maybe He already has, and your mind was just too crowded to recognise Him.

But rest, my love. Quiet your mind. Breathe. He will speak. He is speaking.

⋆˚✿˖°

lol, if you’re feeling a little like me- this is what I asked chat to write to you:

God still chooses you. Even when you feel like a failure, even when shame whispers that you’re terrible, God’s Word speaks louder: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8).

You are not the mistakes you make; you are not the heavy feelings you carry. You are God’s beloved, chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), held securely in His hands. God still chooses you.

Nothing, not your sins, not your sadness, not your weariness can separate you from His love (Romans 8:38-39). His mercy is new for you every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). You don’t have to be strong enough, good enough, or worthy enough. Jesus already is. And because of Him, you are invited to come near, just as you are, and find rest for your soul (Matthew 11:28-30). He is not annoyed with you. He is tenderly calling you closer, again and again, with a love that never gives up. God still chooses you.

God bless you, byeeeee💗

[theoakings]

God defines goodness. Everything He says, does, commands, and creates is good. Apart from Him, regardless of how “nice” it may seem- it is evil.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned —“ Romans 5:12 (NIV)

Through Adam’s sin, death entered the world, and we’ve all inherited that sin nature from birth. Our flesh is innately sinful. As humans we are inclined to sin. In Romans 7:18, Paul writes:

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”

To turn from evil is a call for us to die to our flesh and evil desires. Our inclinations to lie, to steal, to cheat, to gossip- to oppose the Spirit of God. God is calling us to Him. He is calling us to exude His goodness. And by exuding His goodness, we bask in it.

This is an intentional choice we have to make. A choice that brings peace. Reconciling our hearts with God brings peace. Peace is His gift, one of His many goodnesses, His guard and protection over us, it’s a result of our reconciliation and fellowship with Him.

Pursue God = Bask in His goodness

Byeee💗💗

[theoakings]

Just a reminder:

God truly does hear you. He listens to you intently. He has taken account of all your cries. He has a pool of all your tears resting in the palm of His hand.

He will answer your prayers. Even the ones you forgot you prayed about.

Trust me, I know.

[theoakings]

I pray that you experience the bountiful love that is in Christ Jesus, because you are loved.

The kind of love that God has for you is agape love:

He possess a love for you that waits for no apology. (Romans 5:8)

His love isn’t dependent on your behaviour. (1 Peter 4:8) (Luke 6:35)

His love for you is always willing to give, cover, protect, and lay itself down for you. (1 Corinthians 13:7) (John 15:13)

Jesus loves You. And, I pray that you never doubt His love. His love didn’t need a reason to sacrifice for you. He chooses to love you fully, fiercely, and faithfully everyday. His love doesn’t retreat at discomfort. His love doesn’t fold at failure. His love doesn’t wait for perfection.

No matter who you are, where you are or what your life may look like- Jesus loves you.

Byeeeee!!!💗

[theoakings]

[theoakings]

Context: The Israelites’ slavery in Egypt began after the time of Joseph, who had risen to power in Egypt and saved the land from famine. During that time, the Israelites were treated well and settled in Goshen (Genesis 47). However, after Joseph died, a new Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8).

This Pharaoh saw the growing population of Israelites as a threat and enslaved them to control them. He forced them into harsh labor and slavery (Exodus 1:11). Despite the oppression, the Israelites continued to multiply, which made Pharaoh even more fearful.

“Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.” Exodus 2:23-25

The Lord raised up Moses, calling Him to be the shepherd of Israel in their deliverance to The Promise Land. And most of the times Moses and Aaron were face to face with the deceased Pharaoh’s equally corrupt son- God always commanded the same thing:

"Let my people go, so they can worship Me in the wilderness."

It had me wondering: why was God so particular about their freedom to worship Him in the wilderness?

Well, what does the Bible say about worship?

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24, NIV)

When God was commanding Pharaoh to let His people go so they could worship Him in the wilderness, God was revealing that the act of worship is synonymous with freedom.

The Israelites were slaves. They had no freedom over their time to take a break from their labour, to rest and worship the LORD. So when God gave Pharaoh that command- when God was ushering the Israelites into their Promised Land- He was calling them into a life of freedom from their oppression. A freedom to belong to Him.

True worship can’t happen in bondage. That’s why deliverance came first—freedom to worship is freedom to align with your Creator. To live in sync with God’s design for you.

As one of God’s people, you operate under the convictions and leadings of the Holy Spirit. You are free from the bondage of sin and its consequences. You are free from the world’s deceptions and masquerades because you know and follow the Truth. That is worship. Worship is more than songs, lights and instruments. It’s when you surrender your life to God, harvesting from His Spirit and Truth.

Worship is synonymous with authority.

Remember, the Israelites were slaves. Pharaoh had power over them. But when they were delivered, they were no longer under Pharaoh’s dominion—they were under God’s. That shift gave them an authority: to walk in covenant with God, to hear God for themselves, to walk in their God-given identities, to carry His glory.

As God’s people, worshipping in Spirit and in Truth- we are set apart, holy as God commands us to be holy, Temples of the Holy Spirit.

We are given authority through Christ Jesus (Luke 10:19).

Worship is giving God His rightful authority over your life, and in return, He gives you authority as His child.

As God’s child you are delivered. You are free, and you have been given authority. 🌸💗

God bless you!!💗

[theoakings]

El Roi: The God who sees me.

Thanking God right now because He’s always here for me—always listening to my vents, groans, and whining. He never tunes me out. He’s always here. He’s always listening. Even when cynicism tries to tell me otherwise because He might not be responding as quickly as I would like at that very moment, He always shows me how much He loves me and sees me.

Everything I say—every tear I shed—is recorded. Time and time again, He proves that He’s listening. That He hears me. After venting, I’ll hear Him respond a few moments later when my mind is finally quiet. He’ll lead me to a revelation. He’ll speak through someone. He’ll give me a dream or a song. He’s always listening.

[theoakings]

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.

The word, impressed, means to feel admiration or respect for something. This verse warns us against admiring, respecting, and following our own wisdom and understanding. Because, relying on our own wisdom is pride.

Pride is more than just arrogance—in Christianity, it’s the excessive belief in our own abilities. It’s the source of most sin. It’s the mindset that says my understanding is better, my way is more reliable, even above God’s. And that’s dangerous. When we place our own wisdom above God’s, we start to disregard His infinite authority. We stop seeking Him, we stop listening, we walk in our own world-given identity and slowly, we distance ourselves from Him. Pride leads to separation from God because it says, I don’t need Him.

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

Instead, we’re called to fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Fearing the Lord doesn’t mean being afraid of Him. It’s not a terror. It means having deep reverence, respect, and awe for who He is. It’s recognizing His holiness. It’s humbly acknowledging His power, and His authority. It’s a comprehension of who God is and, in turn, living in a way that honours Him.

And fearing God is where true wisdom begins.

When we humbly acknowledge the glory of the One who created us, we accept that we don’t know it all. That we will never come close to without God.

Fearing God compels us to become dependent on His Word, which is Him and His Truth that leads us to live rightly. This kind of reverence brings humility—it’s a surrender and obedience. Because when we truly understand God’s character, His power, His Word, and His perfect will, we can’t help but follow Him and reject what is not of Him. He is the source of all that is good—because He is good. Everything He creates is good, and everything He calls us to is good. Fearing God allows us to walk in His goodness rather than the evils that seek to destroy us and defy Him.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 9:10)

I pray that you and I will continue to walk in the perfect grace, mercy, and goodness of our God. May He guide us in His perfect will, leading us to harvest from His Spirit and His Spirit alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God bless you!!💗💗

[theoakings]

I pray you’re overwhelmed by the perfect love and abundant grace of Christ Jesus as you call upon His name, surrender all pride, doubts or fears and depend on Him.💗

God bless you, pookie.

[theoakings]

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)