Purpose Who? Purpose What?

Welcome Back! So glad to have you in this space today *smiles*

In the previous post I gave you a very brief overview of my childhood as it pertains to me trying to discover my purpose.

Now, buckle up! And let's proceed....

I went through Elementary School (Primary School for my Nigerian readers) and Junior High School (JSS for my Nigerian readers) with this dilemma, it bothered me more in Junior High School because I attended what is classified as a 'gifted and talented school', admission was based on merit...yet I felt so ungifted and untalented! My classmates were flourishing in various subjects: Art, Mathematics, Sciences, Music, etc. I was just there, bored and uninterested in any of the above.

I was an average student that mostly lived in her imagination. In my imagination, life was perfect and I ruled the world!...I wasn't too fond of school but I knew it was a requirement for success in life (that's what mommy and daddy told me). I longed for something  more, something greater, something beyond the walls of a school building. 

Eventually, I joined the band at school but I didn't last long. My instrument of choice was the viola (similar to the violin) but I just couldn't get it...we had an excellent instructor but once I struck those strings, what you heard was catastrophic. Within a few weeks, my instructor told me to see her after class and she let me down easily. Long story short, she told me that I would be better off in the choir *insert-very-loud-laughter* Although I've always desired to sing (and still do occasionally...hehe) my voice needs more than training,  it needs a divine intervention! So yea, I just remained in the choir as an "alto" until I left junior high school.

The time came when we were about to graduate, so we began to look for high schools that we wanted to attend. There were various criteria for each school and some of them had a particular area of focus (i.e. Sports, Arts, etc). After much frustration I opted for a school that focused on Health Sciences (Dentistry, Nursing, etc), I chose this school partly because I knew people who attended the school and secondly because it was an easy school to get into.

Once I got to High School, a whole new world opened up to me!!! Chai, see life! (Translation: Omg, is this life!?!?) Trying to discover my purpose wasn't my only dilemma now, trying to stay away from negative influences and holding on to my Godly principles was more of a challenge.

There was a lot more freedom in High School, you could dress anyway you wanted...school was like a fashion show everyday and "keep up with the joneses" wasn't easy, high end designers filled the hall ways...from Jordans to GUESS, also your hair always had to be on point (a nice perm or weave would do), along with extra long artificial nails and cute pedicures. I also got introduced to a social life...there were parties every weekend.

During a regular day at school, it wasn't surprising to hear that someone got caught in the staircase while smoking weed. Drinking alcohol was the "in" thing even though most people were underage (21 is the legal drinking age), and oh yes there was sex...it was the norm..."everyone" was doing it...there was one year in particular when some people just decided to loose their virginity...of course with sex came babies, my school was notorious for teenage pregnancy. I attended Clara Barton High School commonly known as 'Clara Abortion' because of the high pregnancy rates.

Not before long I found myself caring less about my purpose. I figured, I'll go to College and study whatever, get a job or two, get married, have children and live happily ever after...after all that's what I saw around me, most of the adults that I knew worked two to three jobs barely having time for their families, leaving most of their children to fend for themselves and be raised by the streets, then they came to church on Sundays looking all dolled up, and spent tons of money on clothing, jewelry, shoes, and bags awaiting the next party where they would "fun won tan" (Translation: show off). I mean by this time, I've accepted it as reality. I wasn't happy about it because my dreams were so much better but, hey!

Shortly after, I got my first official job at Wendy's...most of my peers worked, that's how you managed to keep up with the joneses when daddy and mommy's money ran out...well that's for those that had father's...it was in High School that I discovered that a lot of people didn't grow up with a dad....I was shocked because I don't know what I'd do without my dad

So, I started making my own money...finally started dressing decent, managed to afford a few name brand items, get my hair and nails done, even though I didn't get paid much (Minimum wage then 
was about $7 then). As a result of working at a fast food restaurant plus my love for food my hips started expanding...sigh...no more skinny girl. I was becoming a 'woman' and I noticed that I started receiving a lot of attention from the opposite sex also, which was new to me....


And the story continues....until next time!

You're blessed!

-Bunmi

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God's Grace

2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 

What is God's Grace?

In most cases, God's grace is simply defined as his unmerited favor. Which is true, however it's much more than that. It is God's divine empowerment given to man to live the God-kind of life. With God's grace, man is able to live the abundant life that Jesus came to give (John 10:10). A life where man is in total control, controlling circumstances and situations and not the other way around. 

God's grace is the key to all your desires, it's the solution to all your issues, and it’s the answer to all your questions. God's grace is sufficient, it's all we have as believers and it's all we'll ever need. 

God's grace covers every nook and cranny of your life: your finances, career, marriage, education, etc. His grace is available to make you that image of perfection that he has created you to be. God's grace is able to turn your wildest dreams into glorious realities. God's grace covers it all! 

Like a blank check, all you have to do is fill in what you need it for; it's already signed with Jesus' blood so it can never bounce. His grace will never run out, it's forever abounding. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, the key words are 'all', 'abound', 'always', 'sufficiency', and 'every', these words describe the characteristics of God's grace. It’s all encompassing, it's endless, it's more than enough, and it applies to all circumstances.

Furthermore, God's grace is void of human effort (2 Corinthians 12:9), you don't have to work, struggle, or fight for it; as a child of God it's your personal property, a divine gift (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus paid the price for our access into this grace with his life (John 1:17). This grace is able to establish and perfect all that concerns you in life (1 Peter 5:10), just believe it!

Confession: Heavenly father, I thank you because your grace is sufficient for me. It abounds towards me in: my walk with you, relationships, calling, finances, marriage, etc, meeting all my needs in Jesus' name. I AM BLESSED!!!

Prayer Starter: Father in the name of Jesus, I thank you for your grace. In any area of my life where your grace has not yet manifested __________ (specify that area) I declare by faith right now that there is a performance of your Word concerning that area. Amen


You're Blessed!

-Bunmi

Wait...Before you go: 

1. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

I am the first born of four children. I come from an awesome family, my parents are great and my siblings have my heart. I love my family dearly. While growing up, I was a very quiet child, I never gave my parents any trouble or reasons to be concerned. Being the first born, I had the responsibility of  being a role model. I took this responsibility very seriously and mounted so much pressure on myself from a young age. My goal was to be "little miss perfect".

My childhood was filled with a lot of grey areas, i was extremely confused about a lot of things. My parents did a pretty good job with raising me, they gave me moral principles to follow and of course infused the Nigerian culture in me. They also brought me up in the way of The Lord, I mean we practically slept at church (come to think of it, we actually slept at church sometimes, lol ).

The main source of my confusion was a result of  never having an answer to the "What will you like to be when you grow up?" question, I mean I just didn't know! And of course with Nigerian parents, a doctor, or a lawyer was the only acceptable answer. But I didn't want to be a doctor, I hated hospitals...every time I went to an hospital or was around someone that was sick I felt so sad, all I wanted to do was to help them get better quick. And being a lawyer seemed sooooooooo boring! (No offense to all my doctors and lawyers out there, I got love for ya'll!)

So what did I want to do when I grew up? I just knew that I had this burden for helping people who couldn't help themselves, people that have giving up on life, people that have been rejected and despised by others, people who were hopeless, lonely, lost, afraid, etc. I also knew that I wanted to be my own BOSS, saw pictures of myself in my head sitting in my lavishly furnished executive office, calling all the shots! But after my lengthy research, I couldn't find any profession to satisfy my yearning. I wanted to help people entirely, not fix one part and leave the rest broken...and there's where my dilemma lied, all professions seemed to fix different aspects but never the whole being.

During my teenage years, I wrote a lot of poetry. It was one of the things that came to me easily, I never realized that I was good at it. I just wrote as the inspiration came, I found some of these poems a few years ago and discovered that from my teenage years until my college days my poems were centered on the topic "Self Discovery". I was so eager to discover what I was on Earth for. I was surrounded by so many friends and family that knew what they wanted to be, they were determined and driven yet I was just there, going through the motions, I was unfulfilled.

I grew up in a neighborhood that was stricken with poverty, high school drop outs, crime, teenage parents, and drug addicts. At first glance, these issues weren't glaring in my community because it just seemed to be the normal way or life. 

Plus my parents did an excellent job with shielding us for all the negativity, we were instructed to never mingle with the other children in the neighborhood, our only friends were the children of the two Nigerian families that attended our church and also lived near by. Of course being children, we managed to mingle a bit but thankfully it was never to our detriment. However, some of the other children in the neighborhood got offended, it led to various confrontations because they felt that we thought we were better than them. The truth was that were afraid of the discipline of our Nigerian parents!

Being the firstborn was tough, I didn't have anyone to look up to and give me advice. I had to figure it out on my own. There were certainly no role models in my community and church wasn't any better. I was so confused about the discrepancy between how the bible instructed us to live and what I saw at church. So I felt alone, confused, and different from others. I was very quiet, timid, shy, unhappy, angry and insecure. My self esteem was horribly low...I thought my nose was too big, my shoe size was massive...my hair was short and unhealthy...my face was fat...my skin was unevenly toned...and the list goes on.

Also, my mother and I didn't have a good relationship when I was younger. She was very strict and mounted heaps of pressure on me because I was the oldest. If I did something wrong, I dreaded the things she would say. Her words hurt more than her spankings (we get along now and I now understand that she only wanted the best for me).

But you know what the good news is?!?!

I found Jesus and I found ME! I discovered my purpose in Jesus! And My Life Changed!

You're Blessed!

-Bunmi

Wait before you go:

1. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

2. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' located on the right of this post.

3. If you have any suggestions or personal questions that you'd like for me to address, please fill out the contact form on the right of this post and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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I Heard His Voice

Our relationship started to dwindle shortly after that experience. I just wasn't happy with him anymore, I didn't see a future with him. But there was so much pressure to stay because our relationship was "public" and our families were involved. I endured for sometime until I reached my breaking point. He lost his job, stopped going to school, and stopped going to church, etc.

I had really big dreams which did not include taking care of a man. I knew that this wasn't the life that God planned for me. I was broken, I needed help and he was in no position to help. By this time I'd move off campus and lived with my cousin. She attended a church and I had no choice but to go with her since I didn't have a car at the time. Not knowing that me attending this church was all apart of God's big plan for me. I believe God ordered my steps to DC/Maryland primarily to become apart of this church.

Prior to the first day that I attended the church, three other people had invited me but I declined. During my first year at Howard University, I didn't go to church while on campus, I only attended church when I went home for breaks. I grew up in a church that always stressed that other churches were bad, and that it was the church sent to cleanse the world. So I stuck to reading my bible (even though I didn't understand it then)and praying while I lived on campus...I was just being religious.


One faithful day I went to church with my cousin. She most likely forced me to go. I didn't have any expectations in my heart, I was ready to go in and get out. When I entered, It was completely different from what I was used to. Their mode of worship was weird to me...all the jumping, dancing-with-all-your-heart moves, always happy-go-lucky didn't make sense. Neither did I know any of the songs that they sang, I felt lost each time I went there. 

Nonetheless, I continued to attend the church. There's one particular Sunday service that I'll never forget. We were late as usual and had to sit on the balcony. As I walked into the sanctuary I heard a voice in my right ear, it was loud and clear, it was gentle yet powerful. I just heard one word "ABSTINENCE", I was stunned and turned around to see if anyone was behind me. I also look around to see if anyone else reacted, but everyone was focused on what was taking place on the altar. 

I quietly took my seat and knew it that what just occurred was supernatural. I later discovered that it was the audible voice of God, that was the first time I've ever heard it. I had been praying about my relationship so I took that as a answer to my prayers, I informed my then boyfriend that we could no longer be intimate, but he wasn't having it. 

So I broke up with him amiss the pressure. His siblings and friends called to plead on his behalf and ask me to take him back. Of course he didn't tell them the full story, in an effort to protect him I had to tell them that the relationship ended for other reasons. He tried hard to get me back, surprises visits, claims of attempted suicide, etc but my mind was made up. I had to get right with God and I had personal issues to deal with.

To top it off, one of my family friends who was like a second mom to me (may her gentle soul continue to rest in peace) called me a few days after. She told me that she had a message for me from The Lord. She said, "Bunmi, you're different, you can't do what everyone else is doing". I took that as confirmation and pressed on.

You're blessed!

- Bunmi

Grace Seeds

What is it?

Grace Seeds is a devotional that God inspired me to write. I decided to title it 'Grace Seeds' because the bible says that the Word of God is a seed (1 Peter 1:23). The bible also says that God's Word is the Word of his grace (Acts 20:32). In order for a seed to be beneficial, it must be planted and watered until it brings forth a harvest. This is also true with God's Word. The Word of God can't not work for you until it takes root into your heart. Your heart is the core of your being; once the Word takes root in your heart it can not be taken from you. It is anchored in place by your faith in that Word.

Through this devotional, I desire to see my readers get results and to profit by the Word of God. The Word is true, it's endowed with power to make things happen (Hebrews 4:12). As believers, this is our 'secret weapon'. I'm tired of seeing believers barely making it or living ordinary lives, it's time to live the abundant life!

How It Works:

1. Each devotional beginnings with an opening scripture.

2. Next, is the content of the devotional, which provides insight into that scripture.

3. Next, there will be a confession in line with the content

4. Lastly, there will be a prayer starter

What is a Confession?

Confession is speaking in line with the Word of God. It is to be done in faith (as a result of a conviction in your heart).

For example, 

Scripture:1 Peter 2:24 King James Version (KJV)

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Confession: Father your Word says that with the stripes of Jesus Christ I was healed, therefore I declare that I am healed from this ---insert sickness-- (i.e. cold) in Jesus name.

We confess what we believe and desire to see, when God was creating the Earth, he didn't say "Oh no! It's dark out here, I don't like this!" Instead he said  "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). And surely there was light!

***I'll go into more detail about confession at a later time in one of the devotionals***

What is a Prayer Starter?

A prayer starter is a snippet to jump start prayer in line with the content of the devotional. It is always good to take time to pray in line with the Word of God after studying it. That's one way to get it to stick! 

That about sums it all up!

I pray that you will be blessed as you read each devotional!

You're Blessed!

- Bunmi 

Wait...Before you go: 

1. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

2. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' located on the right of this post.

3. If you have any suggestions or personal questions that you'd like for me to address, please fill out the contact form on the right of this post and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

4. You can share this post and all previous posts on facebook, twitter, etc by clicking on the respective social media icon on the right of this post.

You're Welcome!

This blog is titled "Destination Destiny" it's the name that the Lord gave me...he told me to chronicle my journey to discovering purpose and beyond. 

The Lord laid it on my heart to start this blog about two years ago. At first I was very hesitant, because the Lord told me to reveal intimate details about my past that I'm not necessarily proud of. However I am now at a place where I am not ashamed of who I was, because the bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new". That's right, in Christ I am brand new ... not refurbished or renovated. In Christ, my past is nonexistent. 

As a pastor, I've counseled a number of people. After sharing their issues with me, most of them are shocked when I tell them that I've been in their shoes before. It was then that I realized that there was a huge gap. Often times people see one's glory but never truly know their story. Many people are ashamed to share their stories. I thank God for the likes of Joyce Meyer, who bare it all for the sake of the gospel. After listening to the message titled "No More Sheets" by Juanita Bynum, My life changed, I felt relieved. Finally I had someone that understood me! It was then that I realized that my best days were ahead of me.

In obedience to God, I launch this blog. The Lord is going to change lives through this blog. And that's more important than the way I felt initially. When I was going through my secret struggles I sincerely wished that I could have someone to confide in or find a resource to help, but none were readily available. This is my way of helping those going through the same or similar struggles that I got through by the grace of God.

Destiny is always beautiful, when you find it, treasure it! 

About three years ago, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. I decided to ditch my plans and follow God. He asked me to move away from family, friends, and the country where I was born and raised to a land that he'd show me, sounds familiar? Yup just like he told Abraham (Genesis 12) many years ago. So here I am, in the middle of God's Will! There was no way I could have planned out my life to be this great, it's definitely all God's idea!

So here's an open invitation to come along with me on this journey! You're lucky, you don't have to pack your bags and literally follow me, you can enjoy from the comfort of your laptop, phone, tablet, etc. I promise you that it's going be lots of fun! You know why? Because, God's in it!

This blog will also feature a devotional written by me...bringing you God's Word in a practical and simplistic way. I will also be featuring some of my short stories, snippets of my novels, etc.

You're Blessed!

-Bunmi 

Wait...Before you go: 

1. Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

2. You can subscribe to this blog and receive email updates once a new post is published by entering your email address in the 'Follow by email' located on the right of this post.

3. If you have any suggestions or personal questions that you'd like for me to address, please fill out the contact form on the right of this post and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

4. You can share this post and all previous posts on facebook, twitter, etc by clicking on the respective social media icon on the right of this post.