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THE OPEN MARKET

I remember the open markets back in Africa
as you make your way past the stalls
you are met with very determined and enthusiastic sellers
calling out to prospective buyers,all trying to convince you to
stop by their shops..
sometimes the very bold ones would literally drag you to their stalls
a lot of times,they really don't have what they say they have..
other times,with sheer luck you can stumble on a good buy..
If you are from the part of the world where I am from..
you sometimes hear very enticing words( and sometimes annoying ) like fine woman come this way
pretty girl,African queen,Sugar potato and all sorts of endearments, all in the bid to draw your attention and advertise their wares..

As I sat in my bedroom there was an open market brewing in my mind
I battled with the devil trying to shove his suggestions my way.
oh how enticing this suggestions were,believe me
He painted pictures in my mind
trying to sell lie upon lie to me in the sweetest most subtle way

  • Oh he was saying things like..can you imagine what Abi(my sweet hubby) said,how could he do that..and the more I listened (seeds of anger were brewing)
  • how about the what if's..he said see how much confidence you have in God,what if he fails,what if it's actually God's will not to heal,what if everything suddenly goes wrong..(Ha do you see doubt springing up)
  • He continues with aah poor you,It's such a tough life you have,see all the things going wrong,is it only you,reminding me of all my challenges(his plan..self pity)
  • No one cares about you...where are all your friends when you need them..(depression,sadness that was his ploy).



As I jolted back as each wave of emotion subsided
 I could hear the still small voice saying..
Renew your mind Stella,take no thought,
the devil comes to steal,kill and destroy
same strategy,same game plan.
Guard your heart with diligence.. Prov 4:23
think on things that are true,honourable,right,
pure,lovely,admirable,excellent and worthy of praise.Phil 4:8
The holy spirit was selling to me all the truths in God's word
How precious I am to God,How faithful God is and how he never lies.
He reminded me of testimonies,He reminded me of the truth...

So......
What goods was I going to buy..
who was I going to patronize
whose suggestions(wares) appealed most to me?

See the problem is not the suggestions that are hurled at you
we live in a world where information is forced on us through
the Media,Information technology,peers and all.
It is what we do with the information,the thoughts,the suggestions that really matters
Do we stop to listen,consider and agree with those suggestions
or do we shut our ears and listen only to the truth.

Just like our open markets,you can't help what you hear
but you can choose to stop,listen,move on or go in and have a look,
what you pay for is your choice.
Today I challenge you to get rid of every thought
that doesn't agree with God's truth about you
or your situation....



Buy the truth and sell it not! Provs 23:23










Comments

remi said…
another great post. I am a fan. The devil can come under any form and we really need to renew our mind daily. Thank you for sharing and may God continue to be with you and your family.
12 April 2013 at 19:00
Stella Agwor said…
Thank you dear Remi..we would not loose this battle in our minds..we have victory on every side..God bless your home too.
12 April 2013 at 20:52
Unknown said…
Hi Stella,

I'm from FEBC, an established international Christian organization with a mission to share the Gospel. We recently started the Gospel Blog, a collection of posts surrounding the theme of sharing the Gospel, with topics on missions, evangelism, church, faith, and culture.


I read through a few of your posts and really enjoy your writing style and the thoughts you have to offer. We would love to have you contribute to our blog. I believe it would really benefit our audience, as well as point a lot of people back to your own website.

You can visit the blog at
http://blog.febc.org
You can view our main site at http://febc.org

If you are interested, please let us know by filling out the form at http://blog.febc.org/guest-blog


Thanks!
16 April 2013 at 00:20
GRACE "PinkHeart" said…
The analogy is great.
I might not be able to filter what I hear as much as I want to (after all the ears are like satellite dishes picking up signals everywhere and are without "lids" unlike the eyes) but I choose the filter what my mind processes. I choose to do this by renewing my mind everyday. So help me Lord.
19 April 2013 at 17:10
Eno-obong said…
Hmmm...............really things come up through thots.
19 April 2013 at 23:18
Grace Esssien Umoh (SpringHouse) said…
So much to hear, can't run away from that, we all need the word and the presence of God to renew our minds so as to listen to what God has to say.
19 April 2013 at 23:54
ANI BRIAN - purplebutter(SpringHouse) said…
Even in an open market, with all the persuasions from the sellers, what you pay for is your choice. Everyone advertises his products: the good and the bad. They can only advertise, persuade, lure and try to convince but they can't force out the money from your pocket. Negative ideas sometimes crop into our thoughts but there's always a still, small voice speaking peace into every troubled situation. I can overcome with the word of God. The present situation might try to overshadow the still small voice, but it sure works.
Thanks Stella.
22 April 2013 at 11:17
Stella Agwor said…
so true..The holy spirit still speaks to us..even in the midst of all the noise in our soul....He reminds us of all truths. .lord help us to renew our minds daily. .God bless you All.
22 April 2013 at 17:19
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