Get Over Yourself!

When I was a little girl, I always saw the world through a lens of self-preservation. As an introvert, the idea of putting myself out there was intimidating. Striving for perfection and harbouring a deep-seated fear of failure meant I preferred the safety of hanging back. I excelled in controlled environments, where I could meticulously plan and avoid any possibility of embarrassment. This mindset followed me through my formative years, shaping my interactions and often limiting my opportunities. While others were doing the most in school, I’d hide away with my nose in a book. My teachers frequently praised my academic achievements, pointing me out in class, unbothered by my secret commitment never to raise my hand because the thought of speaking up in everyone’s presence filled me with dread. I believed that if I stayed in the background, I could fade there and avoid making any waves.

This pattern almost continued into adulthood, but God! Working with children allowed me to be goofy and silly, a side of myself I rarely showed others, that demanded I work in a team and make connections. Just being myself caught the attention of my leaders who continued to give me more and more responsibility. Before long, I led a team that made collaboration and public speaking just another day at the office. Suddenly, stepping outside my comfort zone, which seemed unnecessary and even reckless, became essential for my growth and pushed me beyond my self-imposed boundaries. Yet even then, I still had some level of control. I lost this control when God placed a calling on my heart to start the Famous Warrior Community. The irony wasn’t lost on me that someone who had spent their entire life avoiding the spotlight was now being asked to step into it. Being obedient and giving my best to this ministry has required me to share my personal stories, create YouTube videos, participate in photoshoots, and even write a book, with many more to come. God kept asking me to get over myself at every turn, and it hasn’t always been fun. Yikes is an understatement!

Writing for my blog seemed easy enough until my storytelling demanded more and more vulnerability. Shaking that initial reluctance to be as open as I’ve been has become easier as I’ve seen my words inspire, challenge, and uplift others. I’m no longer writing for myself, but for everyone who needs to hear whatever God has placed on my heart to share. Creating YouTube videos, on the other hand, was a monumental challenge. I’ve never desired to be in front of a camera. The first few attempts were awkward and uncomfortable. I stumbled over my words, unsure of how to present myself. But with each video, I’ve felt a little more at ease. The real blessing has been the impact these videos have on people who connect with me and find hope and encouragement in my content. Photoshoots, too, have been a test of my resolve. I’ve always been self-conscious about my appearance, avoiding cameras whenever possible. I’ve learned to embrace the spotlight and see myself through a different lens. What helps is realising that it’s not so much about capturing an image than it is about conveying a message, whatever it is at that moment.

I’m learning to get over myself and in doing so, recognise that my story has value and that sharing it can make a difference in the lives of others. So, here’s to stepping out of my comfort zone, embracing vulnerability, and trusting that God’s plan is greater than my fears! The Famous Warrior Community has not only transformed my life but has also shown me the incredible impact we can have when we get over ourselves and allow God to work through us.

The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will, the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. ~ Romans 8:19-21 (TPT)

Are you showing up in this world the way you were created to? It’s a question I often ask myself and one I hope to ask my children as they grow and become who God created them to be. This verse in Romans speaks about us being the ‘sons’ of God in other translations and I’ve learned that this isn’t speaking so much to gender as it is speaking to relationship with God. Are you a child of God by way of having an intimate relationship with Him? If your answer is yes, there is a truth that will always hover over your life until you decide to grab hold of it and allow it to influence how you live your life. This truth is… All of creation demands your authenticity. The Spirit of God within you is yearning for you to be the person He knew in the secret place where you were being formed. We can’t afford to live randomly, going through the motions as if there is no purpose for our lives. Our problem is that we get in our own way and today I would like to share some ways you can get over yourself and allow God’s agenda to shape your life.

Seek God’s Kingdom

I’ve shared, lately, how I’m meditating on the kingdom of God and what this means in the life of a millennial in the year 2024. I’m still unpacking this in prayer and devotion but it’s crystal clear that there are resources, help, favour, and direction that God has already stored up for us if only we could align ourselves with the source of these things. Heaven is teed up to help us when our lives look like heaven. It sounds like a tall order to fill yet I believe that it begins in the smallest of ways. When you wake up in the morning, is your first thought about how God can be glorified through your life during that day or is it about your own agenda? I know life is busy and our to-do lists run so long that it’s hard not to let that be our starting motivation each morning. My encouragement to you is to allow God in. Even as you make your to-do list, ask Him what He may want you to do that day. It may be as simple as you slowing down enough to see your husband that day, truly see him and show him that you do. It could be to text or call someone and encourage them. It may be to pack an extra sandwich that you end up sharing with a workmate who forgot their food because they had a nasty argument with their teenager that morning.

My friends and I often say that following Christ is not for the weak and I believe this with all my heart, yet at the same time, it’s not rocket science. It doesn’t take all that when you simply allow God to be Lord and steer your life. Moments of checking in with Him, asking His opinion, casting your cares, or asking for His grace become like second nature such that it takes more effort to live your life ignoring Him. As you go about your day trying to make ends meet while upholding all the responsibilities you have to carry, let His kingdom be on your mind. How can you effect change, in your small way, for the kingdom of God today? If this is the sincere posture of your heart, you will be surprised how the Spirit of God, backed up with all the resources of heaven, will back you up as you show up in the world.

Tame your lust

When we think of the word lust, our minds go straight to sexual immorality. Yet the Bible speaks of a lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes. In First John chapter two the Bible says, “For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world.” Lust is simply our sinful desire to enjoy what we see or to have those things that appeal to our desire for physical pleasure. Lust is not just sexual, it’s giving anything more affection than we ought. While some things in our lives must get zero affection and energy from us, other things are to be enjoyed in moderation and adoration to God.

God wants us to enjoy our lives. People who believe that God is boring and takes pleasure in us suffering in servitude to Him don’t know Him at all. God created everything in this world. Even sex! He wants us to enjoy all the things He has set before us within the boundaries He has prescribed because as the maker, He knows how best we should engage with the beauty of this life He gave us. Our rebellion hates those boundaries and so instead of saying that we are rebellious and disobedient in our desire to go rogue in life, we cast blame on our Creator and accuse Him of being angry, cynical and boring. How far from the truth! God understands that our affection and energy are seeds that must be sown in the right places to produce our purpose and destiny. When we lust over things, we waste that seed and in turn, reap nothing but pain and emptiness.

Overcome yourself

Are you running your race of life to win or do you keep getting in your own way and tripping? How is your mental posture towards your life? Are you living to leave a lasting legacy? Is losing an option for you? The apostle Paul called us to have a, “losing is not an option,’ mentality. We all have a version of ourselves that is content with living a substandard life, one that barely makes a dent for anyone other than ourselves. We all have to get to a place of victory over that version of ourselves so that we can be led by the purpose-driven version of ourselves. This version of us is in tune with the Spirit of God about who we are. This version of us is kingdom-minded and this version of us is hell-bent on rejecting living life lazily going through the motions.

I have come to realise that the greatest tragedy in life is putting your legacy and destiny at risk for a life of mediocrity. Your legacy and destiny are at risk, not of getting stolen, but of being unfulfilled. That, to live and die not having fulfilled the purpose for which you were born, and to not even know what that was, is the biggest tragedy of life.

God has already done it all, you now just need to get in line with what He has done. Most times we get in our own way by allowing our disobedience, insecurities, doubts or fears to harden our hearts. My prayer is that at the end of your life, many will say that you were the type of person who was so determined to get over yourself and let God’s plan, will and agenda flow through your life, effecting change with the kingdom of God in the lives of those around you.