When I first started this journey of living my life on purpose with God at the forefront, I thought everyone would be happy for me. Manuela found her purpose! I was so excited that I knew, finally, why I was here on earth, and I was bursting at the seams eager to do something with the gifts, talents, and skills God has given me and allowed me to learn. But my expectations were wrong. I did not have a band of cheerleaders rooting for me. Few people rejoiced, and many did not even care. I soon discovered that not everyone will celebrate you when you are doing great things and fulfilling the assignments God has uniquely designed just for you.
In the world, we live in we are constantly bombarded with so many images of the woman. We are told what to wear, how to talk, what size to be, how to think, and so many other things. As we delve deeper and understand God’s love and purpose for us, we get a better understanding of who we are as a woman. We are powerful, dependable, teachable, hardworking, amazing, loving, strong, talented, dedicated, caregivers, and so many more attributes.
For a long time, I didn’t know who I was. I allowed society and titles to define my womanhood. It wasn’t until I started working out with a life coach Rickey Gatewood, and in one of our sessions, he asked me who I was, and I answered him with my titles, and he said “no Manuela, who are you without the titles?”
I can tell you that day forever changed my life. I had no idea God was birthing something new in me: The “Dear Women Organization”, and the life coaching sessions were preparing for what God had in store for me. I couldn’t help other women without answering the call God has for me, and I had to heal and allow God to transform my life.
Dear Woman, do you know who you are? Do you know God’s purposeful plan and assignment He has for your life? Have you tapped into the greatness inside of you? The Bible says, “Your gift will make room for you” (Proverbs 18:16). God has designed you for a specific purpose only “You” can fulfill. You are uniquely different from other women, so much “so” God has taken the time to count the hair on your head because you are valuable to Him.
I wasn’t always this confident and self-assured…
A 19-year-old teenage girl was in service in Brooklyn NY, where she had gone with other choir members to sing. While in that meeting, she heard God clearly say to her that He wants her to preach. The voice was so clear and loud that even though she tried battling it, she knew this was no human voice. And then she decided to answer the call. She pressed her way through the crowd, lifting her hands and heart, forgetting her struggles, pains, and negative experiences momentarily surrendered to God and accepted the call. The Christ-like journey doesn’t end with an altar call. It is the beginning of a new journey with Christ. It’s the first step to ensuring a beautiful eternity.
The brief conversion experience above was my very experience. I was that 19-year-old teenager who received the clear call of God in that beautiful service. But again, I was a 19-year-old teen who was struggling with dampened self-esteem, and self-worth. I was almost lost in the world. Before my conversion, I had encountered several events that made me feel I didn’t belong here. It all felt different – I was nobody at the time. I was overlooked, ignored, verbally abused, and harshly treated by those I looked up to. Yet, deep inside, I always felt there was something unique about me, but I couldn’t place it. God had to prune and mold me into the woman I am today. I had to learn to affirm myself, stop the negative talk, and learn to love my flaws and all. I couldn’t tap into the greatness inside of me until I faced my issues. I couldn’t love people without learning to love myself first. Moreover, I learned that while self-affirmations are important, but God’s words of affirmation breathe life into your soul and spirit.
Manuela Obas has become the woman she is today because, at some point in my life, I surrendered totally to God. You see, accomplishing God’s purpose for your life is not determined by titles, your bank account, or your skills and abilities. It is all about the Lord working in you. It was no longer my will but the will of the Father. At that moment, I found the strength to believe in myself and in what God is doing and will do through me. I started making very strong affirmations that see me through the not-so-pleasant circumstances of life.
Understanding the power of self-affirmation is very much needed in this present time when the world is going haywire with negative news popping up on every information channel there is. We are constantly faced with situations that stress us mentally, emotionally, and materially; and we have a lot of people around us who no longer care about the wellbeing of their neighbors. In such a time as this, self-affirmations are one of the most potent tools to drive us through this highway of negative energy.
WHAT IS SELF-AFFIRMATION?
Self-affirmation occurs when certain positive features of the self, such as moral integrity and competence are confirmed and reinforced. Cognitions required to achieve this state of affirmation may be called affirmation resources. Self-affirmation also means the act of affirming one’s worthiness and value as an individual for beneficial effects (such as increasing one’s confidence or raising self-esteem).
MEANING OF POSITIVE SELF-AFFIRMATION
Positive self-affirmations are statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. Proverbs 16:24 puts it this way “Kind words are like honey-sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”
Self-affirmations build energy within you to keep moving. It nourishes the body so that it radiates the energy within you. When you repeat them often and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.
POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS TO TELL YOURSELF EVERYDAY
I let go of all that no longer serves me.
I love myself fully, including the way I look.
My life becomes richer as I get older.
I can do anything I put my mind to.
I’m worthy of respect and acceptance.
My contributions to the world are valuable.
I am blessed with an amazing family and friends.
My life is full of amazing opportunities.
I’m free to create the life I desire.
I’m open to new adventures in my life.
I’m bold, beautiful, and brilliant.
My body shape is perfect in the way it’s intended to be.
It is also very important to note that we have the Bible which is rich in words that always lift the spirit. The Bible holds some of the best positive affirmations that exist. This is so because we are told in 2 Tim. 3:16.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (NLT)
As women who are evolving daily, it is important that we see ourselves through the lenses of God’s eye daily and not through the lens the world sees us; and there’s no better way to do that than constantly read God’s word and affirm them to ourselves. Fortunately for us, God sees more than we do. We see inexperience, God sees potential. We see inadequacy, God sees a willing heart. You see, God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8 saying, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. His will and purpose for our lives are discovered through the consistent, conscious, and intentional study of God’s word. It builds the best courage, positivity, and self-worth you can ever imagine.
Some scriptures I use for personal affirmations are:
I Will Trust In The Lord Always – Habakkuk 3:17-18
I Will Not Be Moved – Psalm 125:1
God Rescues Me From Trouble – Psalm 138:7
I Am Sufficient In God – 2 Corinthians 3:5
I Am Blessed With Every Spiritual Blessing – Ephesians 1: 3
I Am Forgiven – Ephesians 1: 7
I Am Chosen By God – Ephesians 1: 4
I Trust In God’s Timing – Ecclesiastes 3:1
I Am Loved – Isaiah 43: 4
My Past Does Not Define Me – Isaiah 43:18-19
God Answers My Prayers – Mark 11: 24
A HIGHLY EVOLVED WOMAN – WHO IS SHE?
When God called me, He made me understand that my story is my message. He wants me to reach out to all those struggling to let go of their will and follow Him. And while doing this, He gave me a burden for the whole woman. This ministry is one which specifically reaches out to the woman and womanhood. Helping them to evolve from who they are to who they were created to be. This is the woman who has evolved highly above what society thought or imagined. A highly evolved woman doesn’t believe everything she thinks: She recognizes her own inner biases and works not to let them affect her decision-making. And when stuff happens, she doesn’t take it personally, as if it happened to her. She is the Proverbs 31 woman.
Things A Highly Evolved Woman Do Differently
She competes with no one.
She uses pain to motivate herself.
She’s got “compartmentalizing” down to an art form.
She actively supports other women.
She operates from a place of objectivity. A highly evolved woman doesn’t believe everything she thinks: She recognizes her own inner biases and works not to let them affect her decision-making.
Humility is second nature to her
She’s authentic.
BORN FOR THIS – WOMEN SPEAKING GOD’S WORD
“A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches.” Any woman who is compassionate in her life will be rewarded in heaven, while those who act in anger will be punished. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” There are so many wonderful women in the Bible who were phenomenal, and they recognized their strength in God. Some women in the bible who spoke the word of God include:
- Hagar
The Lord gave Hagar a promise similar to the promise given to Abraham (Genesis 16:7-10). Hagar then “gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: `You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, `I have now seen the One who sees me” (verse 11).
What Hagar said is now in the word of God. She told us one of the names that tell us who God is. He is the God who sees us, and Hagar is the person who spoke that truth.
- Miriam
After God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea, Miriam sang praises that are now part of the word of God: “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.
“Miriam sang to them: `Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider have hurled into the sea” (Exodus 15:20-21). In public worship, Miriam sang what is now the word of God.
- Deborah
The next prophetess in the Bible is Deborah. The story of “Deborah” in the Bible shows us that the Lord calls ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. The Lord prepared Deborah in her worship with Him, which helped her hear God’s voice. So often we are afraid to step out of our comfort zones and become everything the Lord has called us to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Dear woman, the best life to live is that which God has called us to and ordained us for.
He said to Jeremiah “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified[a] you; I [b]ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV).
We have not just shown upon earth to complete numbers. Not with all of the sophistication, the talents, the skills, and every other endowment God blessed us with. You and I are responsible for how we leave earth. In my different stages of evolving into who I am and who I am becoming daily, I couldn’t help but notice that my self-affirmations have become a pillar of strength at all times for me. As outlined above, I have seen myself exhibit the different characteristics of a highly effective woman. This is very much achievable.
Dear woman, you can be better!
You can rule your world, inspire greatness, and overcome any hurdle along your path. We have been created with so much strength that creation cannot overlook. Dear Woman, it’s time for you to be bold and courageous and do the unique and amazing things God is calling you to do.
There is a purpose to fulfill. You are unique, extraordinary, and remarkable. You are a woman of great purpose, live it!
Dear woman, Arise!:
Blessings!
Manuela
