Far Above the Ruby…Queen’s Code

The virtuous woman who can find? For her worth is far above the rubies.
It is not just enough to be a Queen with tiara, striking poise, impressive aura of a woman exuding the confidence and charm of a global icon. It is about something else tied to the royal queen-ship; it’s about your value as a woman and queen. Value not placed on the monetary returns but rather the abundant deposits in you from your Father who owns the earth and its fullness. Psalms 24:1; the value derived from your divine positioning and garment that you adorn yourself in. Value from divine positioning in Christ affirms your identity and place; deep seated in Christ that a man has to first find Christ to reach out to you because you are hidden in Christ.
Queen’s code require that the queen wears tiara and/or other queens’ artifact like the fascinators, Beret hats etc. The kingdom queen is however not concerned with physical trail of bracelets and monarchial flowing mermaid dresses. She is concerned with her general adornment of the spirit, her inner man, with which she clothed with dignity and strength.
A while back, I had an opportunity to share in a church in town during a ladies conference. As you can almost guess, the theme was on Proverbs 31 She. I focused only on two verses, vs 10 and vs 25.
A virtuous woman who can find? For her worth is far more than the rubies…
Vs 25, She is clothed in dignity and strength and she will laugh in the days to come.
The biggest Q in my teaching was who then is a virtuous woman? Are they even there? And if they are, where do you find her? The noble woman in this chapter does many things that most of us can’t seem to even reach half of. She is an entrepreneur, she is a homemaker, she works with her hands to make flax, she has helps but she wakes up so early to prepare her households. She considers a field and buys, she plants vineyard, fetches her food from afar etc. I ask myself how this is possible for a single woman who by all means doesn’t even need to work because her husband is a respectable and wealthy man and her attitude impresses me.
Then two things came out strongly during my preparation for the teaching.

The Divine Positioning of this ‘She woman’ and her clothing — dignity and strength; Just like the rubies, which are deep seated in the earth’s ground, not on the surface to be accessed by just any person, the virtuous woman is divinely positioned and hidden in Christ. She is so hidden than a man has to first seek the heart of Christ to find her. And clearly, it’s only a man who is resilient to search deep and tenacious enough who will be able to find her. The Lord, has her hidden in His wings because she has made the Lord God her habitation and she dwells in the shelter of the Almighty, Psalms 91.

The second thing is her adornment. It is written that she is clothed with dignity and strength; so supernatural is her strength that she accomplishes a ‘to do’ list than most of us can’t even half. Dictionary defines dignity as the quality or state of being worthy, honored or esteemed. Basically, the prepared bride is a woman clothed in dignity and knows who she is in Christ but also chooses to act in ways consistent with her high calling as a child of God. How do I respond when someone does something offensive such that the honor in my life as a child of God is not covered in mud? Even in the brink of despair and moments of frustration, a woman of dignity holds back her tongue and holds back her emotional outbursts. That as a prepared Bride, dignity will mean covering a multitude of sin with love, learning not to air dirty linen in public but rather resorting to resolve issues that crack our cerebrum with decency, wisdom, and godly council so that in all things, Christ remains exalted. She never lets her emotion rule her actions but learns to slowly but progressively manage her emotions.

On matters strength, she is clothed with a garment of strength; a kind that is extraordinary whose source had to be mundane. The virtuous woman-Prepared Bride- knows all too well that the flesh may fail her, but the Lord is the strength of her heart, her everlasting portion, Psalms 73:26.She also understands that even young men who are perceived to be strong may grow faint at heart but they that wait upon the Lord, their strength they shall renew and like eagles mount on high, Isaiah 40.28. As such, the Prepared Bride knows that total reliance for strength in the Lord even in marriage is critical. She always reminds herself every morning before facing the world that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her. Yes, ALL THINGS!
And as Paul writes to the Philippians, her nobility is pegged on her character and virtues he shares in 4:6; she focuses on what’s true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy!
Prepared Bride knows that she is Far above the Ruby…she has a price tag whose value cannot be attained. Her Worth is in her creator and not her husband to be and therefore, she chooses a path that will see her clothed with dignity and strength from where her identity is established…Jesus.

Chiddy,
The Sisters’ Keeper
Preparing the Bride 006
Next week we look at The Ministry of a wife---Preparing the Bride Series

Worship and Warfare…The Battle is the Lord’s

God loves our praise; it’s a conduit to break open heaven. And yes, worship is an act of war against the enemy of our heart!

His Word

² Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom,^[b] from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). ³ Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. ⁴ The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

¹⁵ He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. ¹⁶ Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

¹⁸ Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. ¹⁹ Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” ²¹ After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his^[c] holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”

²² As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:2-4, 15-22

From my heart to yours

In my spiritual walk, I have had particular areas I have struggled to me put my members into death. So recently, I have sought the Lord all I know, prayed, believed and was sure it was done and over. I remember that morning as I went to bed after beautiful time in His presence; I was so peaceful and was telling myself that with the year of the Lord’s favor, all the captives will be set free.  That very day, I missed it again. I sat in my bed, cried, groaned and mumbled what I quiet can’t tell. I saw defeat. I saw helplessness. Weakness, disillusionment, brokenness and had a huge cry. I wanted to run away from all this. I was like “God, I can’t do this. I am not doing this. How do I trust You and You still permit it to happen? Why do You allow the enemy to triumph over me even when I have laid my weakness to the Cross? What am I to do Lord?”

I prayed the Elijah kind of prayer when he was running away from the wicked Jezebel. You know the prayer he was asking God to take him to be with his ancestor’s one because he was tired? I despaired. I was inconsolable. Nothing could comfort me as I sat on that bed. I complained and was asking God that because I have trusted God to watch over me and He allowed the enemy to seemingly crush me, there is nothing much left for me to do. I was exhausted. Then I couldn’t pray. As I sat there quietly, a word of the Lord came into my Spirit. The story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles and the victory that the Lord granted them. He, together with the children of Israel lifted their voice to worship and praise the Lord in the time of battle and as they praised Him, the Lord was fighting for them.

As I sat there and reflecting on the Word, one thing was clear, wisdom is knowing when the battle is the Lord’s. He wanted me to be still and see His deliverance. He wanted to show Himself strong for me so that I don’t get had headed with pride and forget that it is He who has helped me. He just wants to remind us that He is the mighty man of battle! And there I got it, sometimes victory is in worship. Worship and warfare like it was with Paul and Silas at the prison. Ascending worship caused the chains to be broken…and I bust out into a new song of praise. When you can’t pray, worship Him!
 God is fighting for us, pushing back the darkness.

Journal
Reflect on the first things that Jehoshaphat did.

·         Inquiring from the Lord

·         He chooses to mobilize people for a fast

·         Casts out any fear

·         Worships God in praise…and believes God for Victory

Whatever the battle, sing out to the Lord and let Him wage war for you. Yes, sing when cant summon the strength to pray, I say again SING unto the LORD  a new song!

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, thank You that You are my delivers, my restorer, my healer and my rock. Today as your daughters we ask that through Your Spirit, you will give us new songs to sing unto the Lord. Remind us now and again that the Battle belongs to You so that we can learn to be still and know You are God. May you teach us to sing worship, spiritual songs psalms and hymns with the confidence that as we worship, Lord You are waging war for us. Thank You for the Victory that we have in You Lord of Host. Amen

Love

Daughter of the Covenant

The Secret of the Shut Door!

To be set on fire, you must get close to God. When you feel cold, distant, and "out of it" spiritually, it's time to retreat to the closet, place yourself before the fireplace of His word, and allow the intensity of His face to restore your fervency.”

― Bob Sorge,

His Word

⁵ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. ⁶ But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:5-6

From my heart to yours

I really love Psalm 91 and the blessed assurance that accompanies dwelling in the secret place of the Lord; The guarantee of those who make the Lord their habitation to enjoy the protection of abiding under the shelter of His tabernacle. The Lord has been teaching me on the secrets of dwelling in His presence to behold His splendor, Beauty and Majestic glory.  He taught me about the blessedness of the shut door! The place of communion with the Father with everything else shut out. No TV, phone, Instagram, Facebook…etc. Just a simple girl, with my Bible, journal, highlighter, and the Lord who abides in the secret place. Occasionally the Lord through His Spirit will beckon me to go to His secret place because He has missed me. I would be still, sometimes standing amd ministering to the Lord, listen, pray, cry, meditate etc.

In here, the Lord teaches us on the blessedness and joy of cultivating a secret life of communion with Him. It is in the secret place that we can experience Him simply yet powerfully. The sheer delight of being tucked away in a nook, your door shut, you are curled up in a comfortable position, quiet, the word of God laid bare before thine eyes, Jesus present, the Holy Spirit gently washing your heart and the love of God is awakened in those silent moments of meditation of His amazing grace. At that place, your spirit is ignited and your mind renewed. You become aware of the presence of the Father. Here, you talk to your Father and He talks to you in an intimate language of laugh. He makes you laugh in the Holy Ghost-I love when this happens a lot!

Jesus teaches about the secret place of the Lord and when we shut ourselves off the world and lock our doors(figuratively), we automatically enter into  the presence of the Lord and the Father is already in the secret place. It is His habitation. Matthew 6:18… but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

When you shut your door, you enter the presence of your father regardless of how you feel. At the secret place, you experience the taste of Heaven. When you know that you are in His presence and don’t even feel it, the knowledge of His presence will cause your soul to be inclined to the presence of the Lord.

You need to shut that door!

Journal

·         Have you ever desired to experience a taste of Heaven?

·         Have you ever experienced God in His secret place?

·         You need to shut that door! Retreat somewhere and shut off the world and have communion with your Father. He is already at the secret place waiting for you darling.

Let’s Pray

Father, I choose to dwell in Your secret place this day and I pray for grace to say no the world and shut the door of distractions to seek You. Lord because I have made the choice to abide in the secret place of the Most High and make these declarations with my mouth, I am not afraid of  terror of the night nor the arrows of the wicked that flies by day.  I have no fear or dread or worry of the pestilence that stalks in the darkness.  I am not at all fearful of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. A thousand of my enemies may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but it never comes near me but with mine eyes will thine see the reward of the wicked. 

Because Lord You are my Refuge and the Most High my dwelling place no evil shall befall me nor any plague or calamity come near my house. Thank you that You will command  Your angels special charge over me to accompany me and to defend me and to preserve me in all my ways of obedience and service. The angels assigned to me will bear me up on their hands lest I should dash my foot against a stone.  I will tread upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent will I trample underfoot.  I am always above and never beneath. Amen, and because I have set my love upon the Lord, He will deliver me, the Lord will set me on high, because I know His name and massive will be  the overflow of His mercy, love and kindness.  With a long, happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous life He is satisfying me and showing me His salvation. Amen

Daughter of the Covenant (Chiddy)

#35

What is in a Name? Everything!

The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. David.

His Word

³⁵ …“And the name of the city from that time on will be:the Lord is there.” Ezekiel 48:35 b
 ¹⁵ He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15
¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14
¹⁸ That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. Psalm 83:18
 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6

From my heart to yours

For a while, I have been researching the meaning of my maiden name Adisa in our local dialect. Unfortunately, I have never been lucky to find the exact meaning even from grandma. My name originates from Yoruba. The meaning of Adisa in Yoruba, Nigeria is One who makes himself clear. Elizabeth on the other hand means the Lord has Redeemed.—turned my life around and gave me double honor instead of shame. Not long ago, I was found in a dangerous place that saw me have an experience with my Maker and had to be baptized with a new name Chidimma because of the testament of the experience. Chidimma means God is good. Well, let’s switch from my names escapade and go to what’s important naming remains a significant thing.

What is there in a name? You ask, Everything. Absolutely everything! When Moses is sent to Pharaoh, he asks…And whom shall I say has sent me? The Lord responded and said, it is I, The Great  I AM THAT I AM. I have been thinking about God and all His names and I must say there is something about Nigerian culture that I love. They have a name for God for everything the Bible says about Him. They call Him names like:
Olugbala -(Our saviour)
Olorun ajinde-(The resurrected Lord)
Olugbega-(The lifter of our head
Awamaridi-(Unsearchable God)
Olowogbogboro-(God whose hand is long enough to reach at any length) and I found that to be really powerful.

From the readings shared, the psalmist makes a prayer to God concerning the enemies of Israel and he says, Lord, confound them in their wickedness that they (enemies of Israel) may know thy Name; that thou art Jehovah! There is something about knowing the Name of God and experiencing the power behind the name of God that means absolutely everything. Jehovah was known in Israel as the Incommunicable inexplicable, the Self-existing One, the I AM, Immortal, Invisible and Unsearchable God.

When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son and Gods providence met him, he called Him Jehovah Jire, the Lord will provide.
Moses with the Israelites when they realized God was fighting for them like He did later with Jehoshaphat, he called Him Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner.
Gideon, when they were up against the Midianites and the Lord gave them peace; he called Him Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace.
Jeremiah too had to remind the Israelites about a name of the Lord they had forgotten. That actually, we only have access to the LORD because of Christ.  He called Him Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness.
Ezekiel also called Him, Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is already there!
Yes, there is everything in a name and especially the Name of the Lord.

Journal

• Do you know God by His Names?
• Do you just know thousands of God’s Names and have never experienced the power of the very Names?

There is everything in the Name. God wants us to not only know His Names but experience His Names. That when we call Him Alagbada Ina, the one whose clothed with fire, then we can sing the song Consuming Fire by D Psalmist with a revelation that actually, it is not vain words we are repeating. We are calling Him for who He is and He is arising to consume evil works.
Let’s Pray
Father, this week we pray that we will not only know Your Name Lord but we will experience You in the power of Your Name. Allow us to experience You Father as we seek you in Your Word and in Communion. Let Your daughters testify that we have seen the Lord. Amen

Daughter of the Covenant (Chiddy)
#34

A Faith like No Other:Tested through the Fire

When we learn how to battle with the sword of the Spirit, with its two edges of the Word and God’s Holy Spirit, the enemy will flee before us.”
― Linda Evans Shepherd,

His Word

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11: 1,6
 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31


From my heart to yours
A while back, I was doing a study of Luke and when I got to chapter 22, there were profound lessons I drew; and a major one to strengthen my spiritual walk from a conversation Jesus has with Peter before His arrest. This is the same Simon who was given a new name Peter which means rock. Simon means weakness. At this time before he betrays Jesus, Jesus calls him two times, Simon, Simon- weakness, weakness and what does Jesus say, Satan our adversary has desired to sift Simon like wheat but the Lord Jesus prayed that he’d be strengthen and that his faith fails not so that after that, Simon will be His ambassador and be used to strengthen others.

Literally speaking, the process of wheat sifting is not easy, you first have to cut down the wheat, tie it down and crush and shake it off. Such a painful sifting process that the enemy has desired to work on not only to Peter but to all believers. The biggest encouragement though was that Jesus has already prayed that we be strengthen when we go through this fire so that we can testify and strengthen others with the testimony of our victory in the name of the Lord. In winning such kind of battles, faith becomes a critical component of our armor.

In letter to Ephesians, Paul admonishes the believers to put on the full armor of God and that shield of faith is to be used to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one that flies by day. Ephesians 6:10-18, Psalms 91:5-8. The past few months have been a time of refinery for me and sifting but in all this I have continued to see the strong arm of the Lord contending with my contenders, Psalms 35. Faith then helps us to see and behold that which is not as if it is because we know whom we have believeth and are persuaded that His Word is true and is spirit and life to us who believe.
Faith does not see, it just believes before seeing the tangible. It believes in God and takes Him at His Word.
It is such faith that conquers battles, withstands adversity, it’s not ordinary, transforms people, its irresistible, it resists Satan, it’s not staggering, unwavering, it’s a faith that thrives through rough seasons, it’s a winning faith that travels with confidence and trust on the Lord  through a route it has never treaded before. It’s an Elijah kind of faith that commands the heaven and calls fire from heaven. It is that faith that pleases God. It is the apostolic faith that quenches the fiery darts of evil. God wants such faith in His Solders!

Journal

Has your faith ever been tried through fire?
What lessons did you draw during that season and how has it built your faith in the Lord?
Faith believes God when the physical eyes can’t see. Faiths comes by hearing the Word of God, are you taking time to study, practice and teach the Word of God like Ezra devoted himself so that your faith is unshaken?

Let’s Pray
Father, this week we ask for one thing, help us build our faith in You and the power in Your Word. Release Your grace of faith that cannot fizzle out in the midst of adversity Lord upon Your Daughters; That we will have unquenchable fire of the Lord in our lives to quench the arrows of enemy and resist him in Jesus Name. And if there be any unbelief in us, Lord help our unbelief. Amen.

Daughter of the Covenant

#33

Fear of Singlehood…

Calvary greetings after a long while of silence, 

You see, I was one of those girls who grew up knowing that by mid 20s, I will be married and begin making my family. Well, it didn’t happen. Sometimes I would wonder whether it was because I was too smart and strong-willed, too shy, too conservative, too strict, not so good enough, not hippie or just not beautiful enough to bowl a man over. I thought of many things; that maybe I will not be able to experience the gift of marriage. I fell in love too. Not once but a few times. I thought to myself finally, the curtains are down and our happily ever after is here. But somehow, things happened and here we are. I found myself into some few wrong ones too, mostly, wanting to feel special and also have someone to talk to late into the night and argue about who is to hang up first. You know those little things that make dating really exciting. 

There were days of feeling sorry, sad and confused. Fear crept in too sometimes. “Will I be married someday? Will I even meet a good man out here? They were seasons with dozens of question; questions that drove one to entertain the strangest of a male who will show an ounce of attention. A wrong move if you ask me. But I have come to appreciate one truth; the season of singlehood is one of the sweetest joys one can have. You get to enjoy a perfect Father –Daughter moment without distractions. 

You know, there are times I would pack my bags and travel to a new city or place, I wish I would make those memories with someone special and it broke my heart that the only thing I could do was journal. He can’t share the moments with me, but I can only share through my journals. I stared at the beautiful sunset, cruised to some quiet island in the early morning orange glare of the rising sun, the reflection on my face and the cool breeze flipping my hair messily. I kept every memory safely tucked in my journal. Sometimes I would look down and feign a smile when the water boat guy will ask why I am going to some island alone. Then I would face him, smile lightly as I adjust my hair and mumble something like, “He has phobia for water, he couldn’t join me,” Then he would say something like, “I wouldn’t let my woman out here alone with a group of strange men ,” in that Giriama accent. “I will swim the ocean just to show her that I got her back.”  I would smile and adjust my camera lens and capture the scene around. 

Back then it was difficult. I had fears that ate my esteem. But when I realized how precious those moments were, I think my single season is the most beautiful phase of my life. You get to have a great opportunity of bonding with the Father. You talk to him about your secrets; you tell Him even how you don’t understand His sons’ behavior.  You engage Him like the little princess you are to help you understand our brothers, you even tell him of a stupid crush you have and know it is not right and how they drive you crazy. You know, just the kind of stuff that goes on between daddy and her daughter. The season affirms to you through friendship about your worth, value and how your father looks to you. A princess you are, with your identity pegged on your Father. He helps you to put your heart in Him, and like in the movie” Courageous” He softly and tenderly asks  you to give Him your heart, That He will guard it and entrust it to a man after His heart.

“Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Proverbs 31: 29

Yeah, my Father –Daughter time has taught me that, my worth.  I am a daughter of my Father, who is dearly loved. Daddy’s girl; He hides me. He shares my joy, my pain, my laughter; He tells me am beautiful, fearfully and wonderfully made.

He reminds me that even in that vacation, I was not alone. In the quiet island, I was never alone. He was there, He shared my memories. He was there kissing my forehead with the rays of the sunset, singing me beautiful songs with the chirping of the birds, excited with me as I got thrilled observing the marine life in the massive ocean. 

He was there when I sat across my bed reminding myself that someday he will be here, the three of us together. That he will be worth the wait. And even though my Father will be right in our midst, it will be special but different. It will be me with my moochie but my Father will be there. As for now, I will enjoy the time with my Father, I will dance with Him, I will watch my favorite movie with Him, I will travel places with Him and one day, I will share these memories with my father to my darling. I will keep my journal and gladly share my memories with him, so that he will know about my Father too.

For now, enjoy your father –daughter time darling!

Wont you?

PS: The website is now on…   www.lizzieadisawrites.com

  check out…our stories will be posted there from now hence fourth. Thank you!

Love

The sisters Keeper

#TrippleS122