Re-arrange your make-up bag and include prayer!

Make up bag Check list

• ü  Eyebrow pencil
• ü  Mascara
• ü  Lip-gloss
• ü  Mac lipstick
• ü  FOUNDATION
• ü  Eyeliner
• ü  Concealer
• ü  Eye shadow

I looked at my make up check list and it somehow got me excited. It gets a lot of ladies excited, I mean you can look good for whatever occasion and i bet you will pick up so many followers with all that make up right? okay maybe not.

Well it’s great for women to look good and i for one have never been that Christian girl that does not advocate looking good and smelling good. You don’t have to spend thousands to look  good and its very important for a lady to practice good hygiene. When you look good , you feel good right?

Back to my checklist.......

I did a little research about one of the things in my make up bag checklist. Here is what i found out about foundation.

What is a foundation (for those not aware?)

Foundation is a skin colored makeup applied to the face to create an even, uniform color to the complexion, to cover flaws and, sometimes, to change the natural skin tone. Foundation applied to the body is generally referred to as "body painting.

When we apply this foundation it basically brings about the so called perfection many ladies are hungry for, but is that the foundation ladies need to really focus on? Is that foundation going to make you a stronger woman? Is it going to help you conquer?

I mean we often speak about getting “bae” and tying the knot but will this foundation we apply help keep our relationships together? Is it going to help us be better wives? Better mothers? Is it going to give us the strength to endure?

Don’t get me wrong i have nothing against using make-up and that is the reason I have a checklist I want to cover soon, but I have a problem with the fact that we often focus so much on the outside that we forget the inner being. Have you ever wondered why you can feel so “hot” yet feel so empty? We are busy trying to create perfection on the outside that we carry  on broken and empty inside.

I have gotten to realise that there is a certain FOUNDATION that we do not include into our make-up bags and this foundation is amongst some of the things that please God and that is PRAYER.

Prayer is a divine direct communication with God. You see there are so many reasons to pray and i can list a few

1.    To have a personal experience with God

2.    To empty our hearts unto God so He can empty himself in us

3.    To anchor us to God.

4.    Provides divine direction

5.    Strengthen our intimacy with God

6.    To transform us.

7.    Move us to another level of Faith

Unlike the natural foundation we use, Prayer wont cover your flaws but it will show them to you because who you are will drive you to take care of This that you are. The bible also says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-11New International Version (NIV)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong

 It makes no sense to cover our flaws with something that can easily be wiped off because what you cover someone else can uncover and use against you but when you put all in Gods hands,we know we are protected.

 Prayer unlike foundation does not only change your natural skin tone (your exterior) but it will transform you from the inside out. It will make you supernatural. Prayer is what creates that uniformity; YES!!! It brings about restoration and revives us.

We can try run away from this but it’s the truth that  we need to remind ourselves of. We can look beautiful all we want but we need to be prayerful women. I mean if you can’t trust God enough to open up to Him, How will you trust God if you are required to leave certain things behind?

If we focus so much on natural ways to do things, will those means sustain us? Will your beautiful make-up make you the woman God wants you to be? There is a saying that states that “You are the company you keep”, imagine the woman you would become if your company was God!!! There are so many qualities that can make us stronger and better women and all these qualities are in God. Qualities like forgiveness, Love, endurance, patience, humility, being gentle, Joy, kindness, Peace, Faithfulness and etc.

As we make our eyebrows, lipstick and foundation on fleek, let’s Make sure that our prayer life is on fleek.

Inner beauty is inside each and every one of us and the lack of confidence and acceptance has a way of moving us away from that. Investing only in outward beauty will forever leave us feeling like we are not beautiful enough, so put on that foundation called Prayer and watch your life, your confidence and the way you do things change for the best!

May we not only focus on looking good but also focus on BEING good.

Proverbs 31:30  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Proverbs 3:15   She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.

thank you for reading
<3kamo

You are amazing God. by Kierra Sheard

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creations revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

[Chorus:]
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You place the stars in the sky and You know them by name,
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim,
You are amazing God

[Verse 2:]
Who sees lightning bolts and tells them where they should go
Or sees heavenly store houses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gave source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

[Chorus]

Incomparable, unchangeable,
You've seen the depths of my heart and You love me the same,
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

[Chorus]

[Vamp:]
You are amazing God [5x]

God is constant.

Tonight i found myself on my knees looking at how great God is. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Let me tell you a little story.

There was once a little girl who had a tree in the forest. She often went there to just sit under its shadow and enjoy the fresh air. She would do her homework there and she often fell asleep there. Thankfully for her there were no wild animals there.
One day it happened that her parents bought her toys. Its an amazing thing right? Well lets wait and see.
She started playing with her toys and went to the tree once a week. It initially looked okay because what matters is that she went to the tree ( according to her). The less she went to her tree , the less she grew fond of it and the more she found it burdening for her to even go to the forest. She started dragging her feet whenever she had to go there and that day finally came, when  she stopped going to the forest.
Everything seemed okay and she was getting more and more toys. Like sand through the hour glass, time kept ticking and the seasons embraced this change.
More trees grew and the place now looked like a bush. There was just no way one would tell which tree was the one that the little girl loved.

One afternoon in summer she sat in her room and was feeling really hot. She felt so overwhelmed and started missing her tree. She cried everyday and felt like the tree had abandoned her but how can something that is STILL abandon you?
She asked herself questions and had no one to blame. That little destruction she got eventually pulled her away from something she held dear to her heart.
One beautiful morning, she went on a journey to the forest , initially she got lost until she saw this very HUGE tree, it was GREATER than them all and with its leaves it drew her closer and right there, she knew that is the tree she had always cherished.


See where i am going?

In life we often move away from God and we somehow don't see it because we will be so distracted and enjoying whatever is distracting us. Although that alarm within rings, we somehow ignore it until we feel overwhelmed, miserable, lonely and direction less. We then start asking ourselves questions and even accuse God of leaving us. Truth is, God never moved. He is a constant God. He is consistent and the same yesterday, today and forever.The problem here is not Gods presence but its us moving away from His presence. Like the little girl, we get so distracted that the very God we held dear to our heart is the very God we feel burdened to pray to, worship and even talk to.
When we remain IN God, we allow ourselves to be fully immersed in His presence that wherever we go, We allow Him to lead us. The one voice we should never shut out is the voice of God.

Today decide to do what is right and rekindle that relationship you had/have with God.If your emotions are telling you that you are beyond reappears, walk away from them and do what is right, they (the emotions) will catch up later and by that time, you will be way ahead.
God is right where you left Him and all He requires is for you to go back to His heart. God loves you and I and may we get to realize how loved we are by Him.

thank you for reading
<3 kamo

His Return to God.....

There he was.... trapped in strips and bits of sin. His shirt  had indulged in the taste of lust, his shoes had walked in the path he never thought he would walk... His pants were torn by the desires that clashed with his identity. He sat down and his mind took him back to that day.... that day when he was so fired up for God, it took him to that day when he had decided that the only woman he will look at will be his wife..... so what went wrong?

As he reflected and wrestled with his emotions , he found himself in that boat....in the boat he should not have been on. His eyes were enticed by a woman whose words were so poetic that her pursuing a medical profession seemed insane. It took him back to the first, second ,third and etc times his heart got broken.. It took him back to the days he started feeling burdened by what brought joy to his life (The will of God)......

He cried and felt ashamed. voices spoke from every angle.... the softest one said to him.... "Come near to me, i will heal you and help you". The louder voice said "get up, forget about your heartbreak and numb every emotion". he looked at the two and the most "realistic" one seemed easier to follow.... i mean why believe in the unseen when he could simply move on and forget it ever happened?

His hands found themselves embracing the energy lust seemed to be luring him on with, his hands held the very woman that somehow kept stabbing his heart... His eyes fixed themselves on this woman and forgot about the very God that loved him before the world knew him.
Looking at it, it looked like a young man who was blinded by love but as i looked deeper ,i realized that there is more to it.

With his pen he started writing down what he felt and these are a few words that escaped from his mind and laid down on his paper.

1. I am heartbroken
2. I have fear to love again
3. I have insecurities. Which woman will love me? i am not as handsome as "Quinton"
4. My confidence has been crashed
5. My relationship with God is...... lets say i messed up big time
6. I have trust issues.
7. I am just hurt! i want the pain to go away.


Looking at the list, one would say it was okay for him to go back to the woman he got on that boat with but why do we keep going back to the places got saved us from? why do we keep going back to where we are broken?

He didn't know what she was capable of when he saw her right? not really. When his eyes came across her, his smile said i want her but that little voice said, NO....She is not the woman for you.That still voice that spoke was the Holy spirit which plays a huge role in the life of a christian.

Often we find ourselves in situations where we decide to travel without God. We choose routes we know are not in line with who we are but that "excitement" we feel somehow shuts out the voice that knows best... Gods voice.

The sad reality is that when we have fallen , we are afraid to go back to the Father and rather swim in that problem... i mean if you were disobedient why go back?
The prodigal son went back to his father and this was God saying , i know you messed up but my grace is sufficient. Come back to me and i will fill you up again.

The thing is, you cant do it on your own. You need to go back to the Man that knitted every part of you in your mothers womb, so that He can recreate you and mend your heart. Going back to the place of captivity will only break you even more and make you feel like you are not worthy of Gods forgiveness, love, blessings and Time.  The insecurities, the pain and hurt will leave you but it wont happen over night....When God created the earth, it did not take a second so don't expect that quick fix but trust God in the process.

Your insecurities and low self esteem need God Himself! How and why? Well You have been made in His image and through Him, you will know your identity and know who you really are.. A wise man once said "You cant reflect what you do not behold" and this truth is what we need to grasp, digest and understand. You are peculiar, holy, more than a conqueror, loved and Simply out of this world! Literally.

It is going back to God with our little pieces and allowing Him to mend us that we become restored.
It is allowing God to speak to our hearts and lives that we fear not.
It is being in His presence that all chains are broken.
It is being in His presence that we remain in His presence.
It is knowing God that we are able to love again and not allow past hurts to dictate to us how our future love relationships will be.

This young man had forgotten his identity in the midst of trouble and being broken but we thank God that he is a God of second chances, restoration and revival. I trust the young man will be revived and so will you.
 


Thank you for reading
<3 kamo

listen to shana wilson- Give me you.     Its worth listening to.
 May God revive us

A relationship with God!

 As i was having supper the other day, i started thinking about the relationships i have with my friends. I started thinking about how good or bad they are and if we spoke or opened up to each other enough to actually call what we have a relationship.

I normally like defining terms before i go deeper into them just to make sure we are all on the same page. A lot of people have different definitions of what relationships are but i will just try keep it short. A relationship is the way in which two or more people or things are connected, or the state of being connected. From this definition we can draw that for a relationship to occur, there needs to be a connection. This connection is what gives birth to intimacy which simply means to be close to someone.

What i realised about some of my friends is that:

v  We are open to each other

v  We allow ourselves to be vulnerable

v  We Depend on each other

v  We Share things

v  We give

v  We are always there for each other. Through good and bad times

v  We encourage each other

v  We pray together and study together

v  We show  a level of commitment to our friendship

There are so many things i have come across pertaining my friendships and luckily for me, the above mentioned have kept us together as friends. An intimate relationship in which we know  and love each other , is precious, fulfilling and it is a gift from God. It is God giving a slice of Himself to us.

So why not have the whole cake as well?

I have come to realise that for a relationship to work , it requires two people to make it work. For our relationship with God to really grow in intimacy it requires pretty much what we give into our friendships, just on a deeper level.

• .        We need to be open with God

It is great to know that we are loved by God. Its great to acknowledge the fact that before the world knew us, He knew us. He preciously knitted us in our mothers wombs and ensured that a treasure like you and i can glow right before everyone.  This is love right?

Have you ever lived with someone you are not open with? Someone you hardly talk to? It is not so great, there are too many awkward moments and being with that person is not that fun. We need to get to a level where we understand that God is our father and like He said, He will never leave nor forsake us. WE need to be transparent with Him. By doing this ,not only do we lift the burden off our shoulders but we also create a platform of communication where we can hear Him speak directly into our lives and situations.  Instead of running to the phone, run to the throne. You will get more peace there. Having an intimate relationship with God requires us to put feelings and experiences into words .  

2.     

•   e  We need to depend on God and allow Him to be in control

I have realised that as much as we want to be the ones behind the wheel, we need to actually allow God to be in control. He is the manufacturer of the car (you) so He definitely knows how to take you to where you need to be  at the right time. Allowing someone to be in control involves you depending on them and for you to do so, it requires you to trust that person. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding:in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. I am sure you now see that Trusting in the Lord = Your paths being straight.

• .        We need to be able to Share with God.

This is pretty much the same as being open with God. We need to be vulnerable and open with Him. We need to give Him the deepest parts of who we are- Our affections, our hopes, our fears, our dreams and our secrets. To be able to share our inner world with God is really rewarding and it results in growth. It allows Him to remind us that we have not been given the spirit of fear, It allows Him to help us overcome, it allows Him to show us who we really are because when our inner world is not in sync with who we really are, it messes up with our true image. Just like pouring flavoured water into a still water bottle, it somehow makes one think that the water being contained has no flavour.

• .        We need to allow God to be there for us

I remember last year, i had to repeat a module. I wanted to hide myself from the face of the earth because i had failed and disappointed those who believed in me. I cried a lot until i stood up and told myself “You are a woman of courage, a conqueror and a victor in Christ. Get up and draw strength from God”. These sounded like mere words but they went a long way. God strengthened me and gave me the wisdom and pwer to throw that stone at Goliath without missing.  In our weaknesses we need to allow Him to strengthen us , in our addictions we need Him to help us overcome, In our insecurities, we need Him to bring about reassurance and remind us of who we are. Having fallen once should not push you away from God but should bring you closer. God is there for you and i, we just need to allow Him to take His position and do so.

• .       We need to pray and read the Word

Praying functions just like an umbilical cord. The same way it connects the mother and child, is the way it connects us and God. What does an umbilical cord do you may be asking, in the placenta, oxygen and nutrients from the mothers bloodstream pass into the babys bloodstream through the umbilical cord.  Not only does prayer connect you to God but it also provides nutrition to our being and keeps us strong. Prayer creates a personal experience with God and to make this experience more fruitful, we need to read the word. The very way the manual to a new phone, allows you to explore more about the phone, is the same way the word works.  You enjoy it and get to know God and yourself better.     

• .        We need to show commitment

A relationship requires commitment from two people, it requires both parties to give time to each other and it requires both parties to learn to prioritise.  We need to be committed to the things of God. We need to be willing to give our time to God.  We need to be willing to be of service and to learn to serve God wholeheartedly. The truth is, God is the one who holds true life and giving our lives to Him , enables us to find the true life.  Commitment is crucial and trust me, God proved His commitment the moment He gave His only begotten son to die for our sins.  Joshua Harris wrote “The joy of intimacy is the reward of commitment"

Let us move from  hearing about God to knowing God personally. The deepest and most meaningful of intimate relationships is the one between 

THE BEST FRAGRANCE TO HAVE ON ,COMBINED WITH LOVE IS YOUR CHARACTER!

I was in a room full of people, some looked young and oh well some were pseudo old (not really old but appeared that way).

Everyone was having fun. There was a group of ladies by the corner, sipping on tea and gossiping away like they were going to be paid for it and on the other side of the room  was a group of guys.... one of them was really quiet and all i could hear was "No i think the new BMW is better than that". It was very typical of them because a lot of men seem to love cars.  The room was so busy and everyone was minding their own business well UNTIL.......

a very beautiful lady in heels walked in, don't get me wrong all the ladies in the room were gorgeous but this one......She had this odour that simply forced itself into our nose. It violently grabbed our attention and did not want to let us go.

We all looked at her and you could see she was starting to feel uncomfortable and she tried to trick us by  depicting a Mona Lisa smile that we could all see was not genuine! 

yep!! she got that much attention because she simply SMELLED GOOD! her cologne PROVOKED PEOPLES SENSES including mine!

what is it that i love about some Fragrances?

They speak

• Luxury
• warmth
• reassurance
• freshness
• give the impression that you are clean
• strength (in terms of the smell and lasting effect)

There is something that we all have that pretty much works like the cologne she had on and that is CHARACTER.

Character is the combination of mental characteristics and behavior that distinguishes a person.

We all have this but unfortunately our characters can never be the same, in the same sense that we use different fragrances to smell different. Its very important that we focus on building our characters because they speak for us... they can speak luxury/not, they can create warmth where you are/ create a cold environment, they can bring out reassurance that you are confident and spray your strengths wherever you are, they can bring about positivity (freshness)/ radiate negativity (contaminating others), they can give us an impression or idea about how you think and carry yourself , they can determine how you will provoke our senses and the type of lasting effect you will leave with us and lastly  they can inform us about how strongor weak your character is.

Things like self love and building your self-esteem are essential but bringing restoration and growth in your character is very important.

Your character will determine how you handle storms when they come your way, it will determine how you treat different relationships, it will determine what you do after having failed at something, it will determine how you will persevere,it will determine how you can endure and it will determine how you behave after God has blessed you....BASICALLY.... Your character is the boat you need to be on in order to move from one area to another (be it from bad to good, from having nothing to having something) and in order to move from one level to another.

SO.......... as much as we want to spend time filtering our pictures, finding the perfect dress/suit and finding the perfect spouse....let us sharpen our character.  

Like sharpening a pencil, the process might hurt a little(here and there) but let us do so anyway because the results are what matter the most.

Check-list

1. self love    - CHECK!

2. loving and caring about others  - CHECK

.3. CHARACTER- CHECK CHECK!!

  

thank you for reading 

kamogelo <3

A lil bit of Winter indulgence

WINTER WINTER WINTER!!!

i am personally not a fan of winter. It is cold, forces one to dress up ( a lot of clothes on) and it comes with a lot of colds and flu. As a student it is not my favourite season because it makes me a bit lazy and that is no exception since i have not yet graduated.

The following are a few outfits i think would be great for winter. I am a huge lover of heels which is why most outfits are heel orientated. I hope you will find something you love


 This look is by Funeka who is the owner and DV designer. It is very classy and the colours are good together haha black and white will always be.  The outfit looks warm so not only will you look gorgeous but you will be warm too.

Something elegant and sporty! (kefi styles)

white is the new black!! the heels and top are great together. The bag is that loner that stands out. i love this look(amanda du pont)

these colours are great for winter!! The heels go very well with the fur jacket and ofcourse the pants and the hair are a perfect match. speak of the "perfect pair"(DV- its not a secret)

Another outfit that speaks volumes. i love the way she co-ordinated the colours and the jewelry. Its not tooo much of it. Its enough !!! (DV- Its not a secret)

This look is quiet and yet hard to miss(on the left). The jeans and the way she made dark bold colours come together so well is what i love most about this look. I love the shoes as well.....ofcourse its not heels this time(Kefi styles)