Upgraded Reality

Forgive me as I continue to celebrate our month of love. Three years ago, Ceaser and I celebrated a special milestone in our marriage: our 10th wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion, we decided to do something fun and a bit outside our comfort zone, we learned choreography to Beyoncé’s song Upgrade You. We spent hours practising, laughing at ourselves, and enjoying the process. Sharing the final result on Facebook brought even more joy, but the real celebration was in those shared moments of connection and laughter. Since then, every anniversary has been a reminder of that dance routine and the joy it brought us. It’s a moment I cherish because, through Ceaser’s love and commitment, my life has truly been upgraded.

Thinking about how marriage ought to reflect God’s love for us, I realise that just as Ceaser’s love has upgraded my life, so too has God’s love. If marriage is a mirror of the relationship between Christ and the Church, then the love and commitment God has toward us are meant to upgrade our lives in unimaginable ways. My birthday is in a few weeks and as I think back on my journey with God, I can see His fingerprints all over my life. He has upgraded me in ways words can’t fully describe, but my heart knows them well. His protection, forgiveness, favour, mercy, and grace are constant sources of upgrade. And don’t get me started on His peace. There’s a peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that holds me together when everything else seems like it’s falling apart. God has been so good to me, and I know He has been good to you, too.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on these upgrades, and how my life has transformed and continues to evolve because of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. As I’ve journaled more purposefully the past week, something powerful stands out to me: the consistent trigger for these upgrades has been worship. Worship, for me, is more than just singing songs or attending church services, it’s a recognition of my deep need for God and a response to His faithfulness in meeting that need. When I worship Him, whether in the highs or the lows, I find that God meets me where I am, and it’s in those moments of intimacy that the upgrade unfolds.

I see this pattern in every area of my life, my friendships, my marriage, and my work. Whenever I’ve surrendered, acknowledged my dependence on God, and lifted my heart in worship, He has shown up in ways I couldn’t have imagined. He upgrades my perspective, my circumstances, and even the condition of my heart. It’s almost like that choreography Ceaser and I practised for our tenth anniversary, there’s a rhythm to it, a grace in the steps, and with every movement, there’s a deeper connection. Just as we learned new steps together and experienced joy in the process, God teaches me new steps in life through worship, and in that process, my life is transformed.

This isn’t just my story, it’s the story of anyone who dares to enter into a relationship with God. He desires to upgrade our lives, not because of anything we’ve done, but because of His deep love for us. It’s a love that surpasses understanding, an unwavering commitment, and a grace that continuously invites us into more. When we recognise this, when we surrender and worship, we make room for Him to do what only He can do: upgrade our lives. So, as I continued to dip my toes in my thirteenth year with my Ceaser, I’m reminded not only of the love we share but also of the greater love that sustains us both. And just as our marriage continues to grow, I know that God is constantly working behind the scenes, upgrading every part of my life.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory. ~ Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Your identity is your reality. If you want to experience the realities of God’s kingdom in your day-to-day life, alignment with God’s will must become a consistent part of your lifestyle. This is because whatever we refuse to submit to God’s transformative power will always revert to it’s old state. Genuine alignment with God doesn’t come out of a desire for blessings but from a reverent fear and adoration of God. When we live our lives with this posture of reverence and worship to God He says to us, “Baby, let me upgrade you.”

Why do we need upgrading? Well, we tend to become preoccupied with low things yet this is not where we must be focused. Our identity in Christ is foundational to the alignment of our perspective and lifestyle. From our identity, which is lifted in Christ, we should have an elevated perspective. But let’s keep things a buck… While we’re raised with Christ, we still have to live this life down here on earth and because of this, the temptation is to think and behave low. I’d like to encourage you, as I encourage myself, by reminding you that you were never called to be ‘normal.’ You’re called higher because God reveals His will for your life from that Christ level, not our normal world level. So, how do we keep our minds and hearts fixed upwards when it’s so much easier to look down?

Stay spiritually active

We can’t afford to be spiritually lazy. Fixing our minds and hearts upward takes effort and intentionality. There is so much demand for the attention and affection of our minds. The false version of you died on the cross with Jesus. In Him, we are redeemed and upgraded. This upgrade makes it so that regular-degular, sameness and status quo will always pull against the newness that God is bringing out of you. When we fix our eyes on what is above, it may start blurry but as we stay focused, God begins to clarify the things He is showing us.

There is a version of you that died and is dying so that the truest version of you can come forth in glory with Jesus. That version of you reflects God and in this, God is glorified and others are drawn to Him. Our enemy wants us to settle with the little that God has done in our lives thus far. He whispers to us and tries to convince us that we have died enough and hopes that we become complacent and comfortable right where we are. The truth is that until we see our Lord face to face, we have more dying to our flesh yet to do. More dying to our old ways of thinking, generational patterns, sinful ideas and selfish ambitions. Everyday we submit to God He continues to grow us up and transform us from the inside out. It’s not so much about what you feel but about who you’re becoming. You may not feel stronger, more in step with Him or more spiritual but if you’re committed to staying at His feet, there’s a guarantee in Him that you will not stay the same.

Make worship a lifestyle.

God wants to upgrade us, yet He patiently waits for us to come to Him willingly. This is why worship has proven to be so cardinal in my life. It keeps me coming to the feet of my Father. Even when I am afraid or a little jaded by disappointment, when I worship, I can’t help but return to where I know He’ll transform my perspective, His presence. Worship isn’t about loud music, having an angelic voice or knowing all the words to the latest worship songs. Worship is about the song we sing to God in our hearts. When you wake up, as you drive, as you cook, as you exercise and as you work, what song bubbles up in your heart? It may be an actual song you have known over the years, or it may be a few phrases that you repeat over and over with no specific tune. These are the songs our hearts are singing before the Lord. They bubble up from beyond our mind’s comprehension, deep into the recesses of our deep affection for the One who deserves all the adoration we can give and more. This is why it’s so important to listen to music that speaks of God’s Word and character. During times of trouble or even during times of praise, the Holy Spirit will bring those lyrics to your remembrance as your heart does what it was created to do… worship God. It doesn’t matter if you don’t sing, these are songs that bubble from more than just the vocal chords. If this sounds foreign to you, I’d encourage you to sing out to God daily, no matter how awkward it feels at first. Don’t wait until you’re in church to sing and lift holy hands to our God. He wants to hear you worship Him as you bath, dress, drive, cook, clean, wash and all the other things that fill our very busy and very real lives.

Worship is how you access God’s heart and mind towards you. As we give Him glory, He reveals His glorious plans for our lives. Worship reminds us who God is as we put Him in His rightful place in our lives and hearts. So, in anticipation and for activation, find your song. It may be an actual song or it may be a song in your spirit. Regardless, keep that song and let your experience of God continue to write the songs of your heart. Make up your mind to stay spiritually active. Listen to songs with lyrics that are biblically sound. Sing God’s Word. Sing God’s character. Sing God’s goodness. As you do, I pray that He upgrades your perspective, your thoughts, your aspirations, your desires and your life.