Tag: bible

Know your enemy

~ OchiengFamily ~ Leave a comment

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The devil! There is none more charming and ruthless than you yet I choose not to believe your lies. Your smooth talking and coaxing will never convince me from staying true to the God I serve. When I realized it was my mind that you wanted I declared war on you to never give in to your ways. They say your greatest trick was convincing people that you are not real. That even if you existed, you were the stereotypical caricature with the red face, horns and pitchfork. You were reduced to a simple cartoon but I have grown deeper in the word to know your subtle tricks. No longer am I a victim of your perverse ways but I am now an heir to the throne of God. You may have come to plunder my spirit with your lies, deceipt and murderous ways but even in my lowest of lows my God has lifted me up from the depths of despair.

EPHESIANS 6:12 RSV

“For we are not contending/wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

I finally know my enemy and with Jesus by my side I will defeat Satan with every fiber of my being.

…Let me formally introduce myself!

~ OchiengFamily ~ 6 Comments

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Hi. My name is Rachel Ochieng. My husband, Steve has posted a few times on the blog but I think it’s time for me to take over!

No, but seriously. It’s been hectic and I just hope you have been encouraged by those words.

Since the fall of last year I’ve been working as a counselling intern at a nearby counselling center. My experience there over the last few months has been invaluable even though there were nights I came home with tons of paper work to complete but all in all it’s been great.

I consider it a privilege to have worked with some amazing people especially my clients who do their best to cope even under the most stressful and difficult times. There are times my heart would just go out to them and I wish I could give them a hug but policy dictates no touching so I have to do my best to stay composed and professional.

Before I understood what it meant to have depression and anxiety, I was the type of person to dismiss it and say, “Get over it!” I didn’t consider it as a “real problem” and that people just couldn’t handle a dose of real life. However, like most things in the world, you begin to see and experience the reasons why some people are driven into depression and I slowly began to empathize with their condition. If I think about it most of us, without realizing it are just one step away from losing their minds, but for the Grace of God. But I digress.

While some of my clients are just in need of medication to help with their depression, other take the bold step to find other means of coping and eventually overcoming their depression and one method I used with them was to help them find something to be grateful for in life. These clients, for the first time would see their lives from a positive perspective and find instances to encourage themselves and focus their energy on better things. There is power in finding something to be grateful for in life. It’s a chance to take your life back. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 17:22 that,

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine…”

I help my clients see that it is a process. It’s not something that will happen overnight but they are taking the right steps towards full recovery.

This is to encourage someone out there today to dare to be grateful for the little things. God bless you, and hope you have an awesome night.

Rachel aka Sosasmama.

A FRIEND IN NEED…

~ OchiengFamily ~ Leave a comment

Unexpected friendships are the best.

I once had a friend called Brian. He joined my school in sixth grade and like any new student he did his best to adapt to his new surroundings. The only thing Brian struggled with most was reading aloud infront of the class. You see Brian would stutter. He’d pause silently for about 5 seconds before he spoke and in his mind that five seconds was probably an eternity. He was teased relentlessly for this and I did not find it funny at all. I’m not sure how our friendship exactly started but we became quite close. We would hang out often and I noticed something very interesting about Brian over the next few weeks. He would not stutter whenever he spoke to me. He would stutter in the company of other people but it would never happen when it was just the two of us. Around me he felt most comfortable. He cherished my advice and he knew I would not make fun of him either.

He is one person in my life I would definitely call a best friend because we shared a kinship that no one else could come between.

After Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, she went to visit Elizabeth for three months and during that period their shared experience made their friendship stronger. They were both mothers to miracle babies and they had to advise each other, encourage each other and help each other emotionally.

LUKE 1:41 RSV

‘And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.’

Their bond was so strong, so deep that even Elizabeth’s unborn child leaped for joy. It is the spirit of God that connects and directs friendships. My wife and I have a supporting church family and our prayer is that as our marriage grows beyond that circle we will find friends we can connect with on a deeper spiritual level.

The term ‘best friend’ is said quite loosely today but who in your life would you consider a true best friend? Would you look out for them as much as they look out for you?

God bless you all and have a good night.

LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER. 

~ OchiengFamily ~ Leave a comment

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Abraham went out of his way to protect his nephew Lot. When their workers didn’t get along he spoke with Lot directly to resolve the problem. When Lot was kidnapped, he was ready to sacrifice his life to save him. And when God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham interceded for him so that the righteous could at least be saved in the city. These are three instances where Abraham stood up for his family.

A valuable lesson I want to teach my daughter is the importance of FAMILY. As her parents we will go above and beyond our duty to help her. She needs to be honest, respectful and responsible so that we can defend her if anything happens. If her character is consistent at home, we won’t have to worry about defending her in the world.

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Who are some of the people you care about in your life? Are you willing to sacrifice anything for them? If not, have a conversation with God to search your heart and give you the wisdom to make peace with them.
Thank you for your support readers and have a restful good night. God bless you.

 

MY BIBLE STUDY IS BETTER THAN YOURS?…NO IT’S NOT.

~ OchiengFamily ~ Leave a comment

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As you’ve probably noticed, most of my Bible quotes are from the Gospel of Luke. My goal was to take time and study the word of God more so I thought what better place to start than to get to know Jesus. It’s also a personal challenge for me to study Bible books that I’ve heard of or read about in passing but never really critically studied. My prayer is that you may also learn from it and be inspired to pursue your goals with renewed energy.  For now that’s what I’m doing and it’s helping me stay focussed and consistent.

While doing my bible study I write down important verses and classify them into three simple categories.

  1. Does the verse speak directly to ME? If so, what does it ask me to do.  Usually it’s a directive to do something specific (take action) or for me to react a specific way (emotionally; for instance through self control).
  2. Does the verse teach me how to directly relate to OTHER PEOPLE? Should I love them, Warn them, Be patient with them, teach them?
  3. Does the verse talk about GOD, Jesus or the Holy Spirit? What does it say about their Character? Are they Loving, gentle. kind? What is their function in my life and how can I relate to it to help others?

The list above is interchangeable but it’s allowed me to FOCUS more on what my RESPONSIBILITY is in the context of what the verse is talking about. I even made an acronym as a reminder.

ME +OTHERS + GOD= M.O.G

ummm….I need to revise that to remind me of something more pleasant than a morgue!

GOD + OTHERS + ME= G.O.M 

Everyone loves Gum.

Make your Bible study more practical to suit your needs. If your method is simply to memorize a verse and use that as inspiration throughout the day so be it. The beauty about God is that He will meet you exactly where you are. Always remember it’s not by works but by the spirit of God. You are not alone so let God help you.