7+ Billion Graves
This past week has been one of death news around me - a few friends experienced losses. Can I tell you that until about a year ago, I didn’t not want to hear or have to process anything about death? I consciously locked any part of me that will even open myself to think of it. Deep inside of me I immortalized everyone - especially my friends and family. It was the reason why I took any death news so hard. I’d attend funerals of people that I happened to be in the same church community or societal organizations with and I would weep my heart and soul out. My tears will run so hard I can’t stop it because it’s coming from a deep part of me. That really hasn’t changed much as I still feel the pain of a loss when I hear it.
What changed for me was when God gave me a revelation to see and understand the death process. It was a journey that took months to renew my thinking pattern and transform my heart towards this “end of life” journey. The Holy Spirit nurtured me through what an eternal life looks like. Truthfully, that understanding added more burden because now every time I hear the news of death my first worry and question was if the person was saved and had accepted Christ as his Lord and personal savior. I then start to pray hoping that even if they did not have a relationship with God, that in their last moment and final breadth, they gave their lives to God. I selfishly want to see everyone in eternity, cuddling around the Throne of God.
Just this past weekend, I attended the funeral of a friend’s husband. I really was poised to hold my tears back but hugging the widow and feeling her trembling was more than I could bear. I was so moved to see hundreds of people present to support and pay their final respects. The hall was packed and people had to stand all the way in the foyer and even outside. At the end of the service, his soccer team surrounded the casket and played his favorite song as they wheeled it back to the hearse. It was a Francophone song with a beautiful rhythm to it and immediately the song came on, so many people started to do a similar dance. It was just beautiful but moved us to tears at the same time. My friend explained that the song was the deceased man’s favorite and he always did the dance with it every time you would meet him. I could see the waving of goodbyes through the tears and as I scanned around the room, a voice in my head said “7+ billion graves are waiting”. I looked at my best friend who was there with me and I said to her, “look at all these beautiful people here, each one of us will go through this experience some day. Each one of us will be in that casket some day.” The reality hit her as well and she confirmed the voice in my head. She said “to think that all people in this world will go though this is unfathomable but inevitable.” This can only humble you as a person. That a day will come when we will become fully spirit with no flesh and blood.
The preacher said something powerful at this service, that the dash (-) between the year of birth and the end of life is rather short. So I ask, if 7+ billion graves are waiting, what do you plan to do with your dash?
XOXO,
Lady Abena
Declarations For July 2021
Please pray with me….
Blessed be your name our Most High God and Father. We thank You for bringing us to the Seventh month of this unique year - 2021. We are forever indebted to You for Your mighty hand upon our lives and families. Abba Father, we bless You for preserving our lives thus far and providing for us in so many ways that we could not even fathom.
WE DECLARE THAT July being the 7th month and ‘7’ being the number of completion, everything you have started in our lives will be brought to completion this month, O Lord our Father.
- You will arise and have mercy on us for the time to favor us is now.
- We are sure of this, that You who began a good work in our lives will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.
- The testing of our faith through all the trials and temptations that have befallen us have produced steadfastness in our faith.
- Our steadfastness has had its full effect thus we will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
- Our Lord and Father, You will fulfill Your purpose for us by Your steadfast love, which endures forever. You will not forsake the work of Your hands.
- With You, O Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day in your sight.
- When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
- You are strengthening and empowering us to pursue, overtake and recover everything that we have lost.
- You are sending ministering angels to every area of our lives.
- You are mounting us up on wings like eagles to soar over and above our current situations.
- Our lives will speak of Your glory in this season of our restoration and completion.
- Just like Nehemiah, the completion of Your works in our lives will make all the people and nations around us afraid and feel greatly in their own esteem, for they will perceive that this work has been accomplished with the help of our God.
We declare that it is so and so it is in the mighty name of Jesus Christ we pray! AMEN!
XOXO,
Lady Abena.
The Words Of My Mouth
I can’t imagine how many times and how many people have cited this scripture in the last decades of my life. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits”, (Proverbs 18:21 ESV). I personally have cited this hundreds of times and to be honest with you, this scripture has haunted me too many nights lately. Why? Because even though it flowed so easily out of my mouth, I have not been obedient to it. It began to haunt me because I have been through some ugly seasons in my life and out of my pain, hurt, anger and bitterness, I said things to people who hurt me that I wish I had been more gracious about. Those I couldn’t say to in person, I made these decrees in my place of brokenness and in prayer and believe it or not, some of the prayers took immediate effect on the people. I was really ignorant and underestimated the power that backs the words that come out of my mouth.
All the times that I prayed to the Lord that “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”,(Psalm 19:14 KJV), I was really confusing the Holy Spirit. Thank Jesus that He searches my heart and knows the mind of my spirit and intercedes for me according to the will of God, (Romans 8:27, paraphrased). If this had not been the case, none of my prayers would have been answered or desires met. I was very convicted when I saw the effect of my words. It didn’t bring me joy. Some of the effects unfortunately cannot be repaired and some have cost me greatly. Some even left me in more pain and distraught. The Spirit of God did a 360 with me and caused my compassion to supersede my desire for vengeance. So much so that He made me turn around and pray and intercede for the same people I was praying against. I resisted this instruction from the Holy Spirit for a long time and struggled with it. I cried through the prayers, blessing my so-called enemies and asking Him, Jesus, to forgive them and show them mercy. I did it reluctantly at first but as I kept praying every day, my heart was completely changed. A deep sense of compassion and mercy took over me and I let out a painful cry on their behalf that God should cancel every word I have spoken over their lives. I had repented from saying them or even thinking about them and I want these people restored just as He restored me. It was then that I heard him remind me that “Vengeance is mine and I will recompense”. In other words, when He sees my heart filled with compassion, He will repay in His own way and will.
He then allowed me to go back in time and reflect on so many good things that He had done for me, even when I was not obedient to His will. His goodness was overwhelming and I felt terrible that as undeserving as I am, He chooses to love me relentlessly so why not show the same grace and mercy towards others. Our words can really give life or destroy life. Every time God was about to do something in the bible, He asked the prophets to speak it out. I pondered over this for a long time - why will God only do it when a word is spoken? The dry bones wouldn’t come to life until Ezekiel uttered the words to call them forth to life. (Ezekiel 37 paraphrased). This means that WORDS bring everything into being. Creation happened through words spoken by God. A person’s destiny can change overnight by uttering the right words or the wrong words. Nations have gone to war because of words. Words that have been declared over people's lives have caused open doors or created major delays and stagnation in their lives. Words, words, words….whew! To think that we only speak about 1% of the things we think about, yet the few words that come out can make or break a person’s life, is scary enough to make me desire to put a muzzle on it.
Yes, I made a decision to be very conscientious about what comes out of my mouth for the rest of my life. This is definitely a tough call but with a total submission to the Holy Spirit, I can prevail. My words have to build, create and nurture. My words must heal people and grow people. My words have to deliver people and break negative cycles in their lives. My words should lead me into good graces and glories. My words should resemble the words of Christ, with love and compassion. My words should not intentionally hurt or destroy anyone and all these are doable. When the heart is willing and obedient, the spirit of God will lead.
My mother always stressed that if what is coming out of your mouth is not from a place of love, just don’t say it. The mouth only speaks what the heart is full of. What if I am angry? I’m allowed to be angry at certain things or people when they offend me am I not? This is a tough one but while I think I can still be angry, I should not let the sun go down on my anger as the bible says. Most importantly, I should not utter the words at all. No one ever got into trouble for what’s in their head except what came out of their mouth. One of my favorite quotes is from King Duncan in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face.". I am bent on keeping this written on my forehead to remind myself that what’s in my mind cannot be read and I don’t need to utter them if they are not coming from a place of love but a place of anger.
As you navigate through your week, spend some time reflecting on the words you have spoken over people’s lives. Join me in this journey to change our words. To really echo the Psalmist in ensuring that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts will be pleasing and holy before the Lord. I pray that the Lord will give us the grace to speak life everywhere we go. Choose to let your words be a blessing to others this week.
XOXO,
Lady Abena.