Wendy Grages, Author at 1Africa

Living in the grey area

Wendy Grages

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October 7, 2016

Have you ever found yourself living in the grey area? You may expect things to be black and white, clearly right and wrong, or obviously good and bad. As much as we would like it to be, life isn’t always like that. A grey area means there is more than one way to go and more than one option available.

My friend, Dane, recently posted a very provoking post about this topic. He said grey areas are nasty and dangerous. Dane explained how he knows this first hand. He said, “Trust me. I’ve lost some of the best things in life because the grey area was the easiest option.”

Dane’s fear of commitment, fear of being let down and fear of being hurt caused him to live in the grey areas. He was afraid that if committed to one thing, he’d miss out on a better opportunity. Yet, at the end of the day, he was left with nothing.

Grey areas allow you to live your life without commitment or conviction. Many people may think this is the optimum way to live because it allows you to keep your options open. While some people may think that this gives them what they desire, the Bible has something different to say.

In James 1:6-8 it says, “…be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Living in the grey area requires no faith in God and no trust in His plans for your life. As a result, it can give you a false sense of control because you think you are in the driver’s seat, so to speak.

Instead of living in the grey area, let’s be people of conviction and commitment. People who do what they say they will do. People who will stick to what they have agreed to do. There is power in the ability to stand firm in your decision-making.

God’s will for your life doesn’t have to be an enigma. Look out for my other post on how you can know what God’s will for your life is.

To know more about a relationship with God, click on the link below or on the pop up window.

How you can know God’s will?

Wendy Grages

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October 6, 2016

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A friend of mine recently asked me, “How can I know if it’s God’s will?” I know I have also had this question many times in my life. Many of us want to know what God’s will is when making decisions in our lives.

Some of the common situations where we need to know what God’s will is:

Changing jobs
Buying a house
Moving cities or countries
Entering into a dating relationship
Pursuing marriage

Although at times God’s will may seem mystical and unknowable, there is a way that you can know what His will is for you. Of course, you can choose to ignore God’s will for your life and just make your own decisions. In my life, I have found that route to be full of pitfalls and unnecessary mistakes and heartache.

Instead of making your own way, you can know God’s will for your life. He is not an absent or disinterested God. As a loving Father, He longs to be intimately involved in every aspect of your life. God wants to be included in the big decisions as well as the small, everyday things.

So how can you know God’s will?

Pray for wisdom and direction: God does not want you to stumble around life in the dark. Turn to Him in prayer and He will meet you there.
Walk through the open doors: Once you have prayed for God to lead and guide your decision, look for open doors. For example, if you are contemplating changing jobs and you get an interview at another company, you can take that as an open door. Walk through it until it closes. If the opportunity is no longer available, you can take that as a closed door.
Let God’s peace guide you: Here’s an awesome verse from the Bible found in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts...” Did you know that the word “rule” in this verse actually means umpire? Just like an umpire who makes decisions in a rugby match or a game of cricket. The peace of God can help you in making decisions in your own life. If you are deciding whether to enter into a dating relationship for instance, if you have peace about it (an inner calm in your soul), then you can take that as a sign from God to go ahead. On the other hand, if the decision causes you anxiety and turmoil, you can take that as sign from God to not go in that direction.

I sincerely hope that this has helped you today!

If you would like to have a closer relationship with God, please click on the link below or on the pop-up.

When you’re facing a fight

Wendy Grages

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October 5, 2016

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You probably are very familiar with the fact that in life, we are often facing a fight. I recently faced a really difficult situation. I literally felt like I was in a fight. A fight for peace, a fight for sanity, a fight for joy and a fight for strength. Can you relate?

As I was praying and talking to God about it, this thought dropped in my mind: Sometimes God takes you out of the fight and sometimes He gives you the strength to fight.

I know those aren’t the most encouraging words. We’d rather God take us out of the fight, wouldn’t we? After all, He totally can.

This reminds me of a passage in the Bible where Jesus and His disciples are travelling by boat to a certain town. It was Jesus’ idea to cross over the lake but while the storm raged, where was Jesus? He was asleep. The disciples were full of fear that they were going to drown and they could not believe the audacity of Jesus to be sleeping while they fought for their lives.

They woke Him up to make Him aware of the dire situation. What He does next is so interesting. He scolds them for not having enough faith and He instantly calms the storm. I have a few questions about this. Why did He calm the storm when He could’ve prevented it? Why was He sleeping when His disciples needed Him the most?

In our lives, I think we ask similar questions. When you are facing a fight, you may wonder why God allows you to go through it. After all, He has the power to prevent it in the first place. Or perhaps you are feeling like Jesus is unaware and absent when you need Him the most.

We have all been there. I have faced many a fight in my life and I know this to be true: Sometimes God delivers us from the fight and sometimes He gives us the strength to get through the fight.

I don’t always know why I have to face fights in my life. Here are a few things I do know:

He is in the fight with you – Even though it may seem like Jesus is quiet or “asleep”, the truth is, He is with you in the fight.

If He doesn’t prevent it, He will calm it – Jesus has the power to do all things, therefore you can trust Him that if He allows you to go through a storm, He will calm it for you at the right time.

Stand strong as you are facing the fight. Remember, sometimes God takes you out of the fight and other times, He gives you the strength to fight.

If you need to know God in a real and powerful way, please click on the link below or on the pop up.

It’s not God’s fault

Wendy Grages

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September 30, 2016

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I recently heard of a tragic situation where a small child lost their life. My first response was “Why God?”. In my human mind, I immediately think that because God is all-powerful and all-knowing, He could have saved her life. So why didn’t He?

When things go wrong, most of us look for someone to blame. As easy as it is to blame God, the truth is it’s not God’s fault when things fall apart.

We are living our lives in a world that is fallen and broken and full of sin and evil. Without going into a theological debate, the reason sin and evil entered this world is because the first humans God created fell into sin. They were tempted by our enemy, Satan, and gave in to sin.

God created a perfect paradise for us to live in and when sin entered the world, it all began to fall apart. It’s important to remember that when things go horribly or tragically wrong. Satan is roaming through the earth, looking for lives to wreck and destroy. He wants to pull us as far away from God as possible.

But here’s the good news! God loves us so much that He will not leave us that way. God has created a perfect place called Heaven where all who believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in complete perfection. The Bible says it’s a place where there is no more pain, no more sickness, no more sin or evil.

So when things go wrong, it’s important to remind yourself of this one thing:

It’s not God’s fault.

Yes, God is all-powerful and He could stop anything from happening. He is able to fix anything that has gone wrong. Why He does sometimes and doesn’t others, I don’t know. What I do know is that He promises to take what our enemy intended to harm us with and turn it around and make something good come out of it.

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. – Genesis 50:20

People may let you down and life might be hard but no matter what we face, it’s not God’s fault.

May I encourage you to not run from God when things go wrong, but rather run to Him. Trust that He will turn the difficult, confusing, painful, and tragic situations around for good in your life.

I love this quote by Max Lucado:

“In God’s hands intended evil becomes eventual good.”

That’s a promise worth holding on to!

If you would like to know more about spending eternity in Heaven and knowing Jesus Christ, click on the link below or on the pop up.

The lost art of sticking it out

Wendy Grages

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September 28, 2016

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Nowadays, we are so quick to give up when things get tough. We are so quick to throw in the towel when it gets boring or complicated or difficult.

You may have heard recently about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. After only two years of marriage, they are filing for divorce. This saddened me so much when I read about it. It reminded me that we have lost the art of sticking it out. I am not judging them by any means but I am sad for them. It seems like these days if things get difficult, our first response is to quit.

Friendships can get complicated. When they do, we are so quick to turn our back on people . It’s easier to take offense and begin talking behind people’s back than it is to work things out.

Family relationships can get messy. When they do, we become quick to cut people out of our lives.

Our job can become boring or conflict can arise in the office. When it does, we are quick to resign. It’s easier to start over new than it is to work through challenges.

It’s so easy to unfollow people on Instagram or block them on Facebook because they’ve annoyed us. We have lost the art of working through things.

A couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and were asked their secret to staying married. This was their reply: “We grew up in a time where if something wasn’t working, you’d fix it, not replace it.”

That is so very challenging, isn’t it?

What will your reaction be when things get tough, complicated, hurtful or boring? Will you quit and start again or will you see what you can do to fix the situation?

Let’s be a generation who rediscover the lost art of sticking it out. Our marriages, friendships, and jobs will be the better for it.

To stick things out, you need perseverance and strength. Knowing Jesus personally can help you to navigate difficult seasons and see them through. Click on the pop up or banner below to find out more.

What is God all about (Part 2)

Wendy Grages

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September 19, 2016

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Last week we had a look at what God is all about. We discovered that God is all about people. I promised to follow up this week with Part 2 to give us some practical ways that we can be all about people.

The verse we were looking at is found in 2 Chronicles 1:10-11, where King Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge so that he could govern God’s people well. Today I want to focus on God’s reply to him and discover how we can apply it to our lives. We need to be about what God is about.

“Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” – 2 Chronicles 1:11

Note the first thing that God says: “Because your greatest desire is to help your people”. Solomon’s greatest desire wasn’t wisdom or knowledge or riches or fame or success in battle. His greatest desire was to help people. Wow, how challenging is that?

I’ve had to ask myself, “Is my greatest desire to help people?” Honestly, no it’s not. But I want to be more like God and I want to be about what He is about, and that is people.

No matter what city you live in, or what country you find yourself in, we can all look around and realise that people need help. They need the help we can give them as individuals and they need the help we can give them corporately, as part of a church or organisation.

So do you want to me more about people? I certainly do.

Below are some practical ways we can all be more about people:

Look around: In your neighbourhood, is there a single mom who needs her lawn mowed? Is there an elderly couple that is lonely or a stay-at-home mom who could use a helping hand? I think if we are more aware of who is around us, we will begin to see the need that people have and we most certainly can do something to help. We don’t have to do everything, but we can all do something.
Join forces: Individually we can do much to help people around us but collectively we can do so much more. My church recently had its annual “Be The Change Day,” where we participated in different projects around our city. More than 2 000 people were able to make a serious difference to help people all over our city. We visited retirement centres, cleaned up litter on the beach, painted refuges, and much more. Individually, we could never have the impact that we had collectively. What can your church do to help people in your neighbourhood?

Let’s open our eyes and begin to notice the people around us. Let’s be less about ourselves and more about people.

To find out more about a real relationship with God, click on the link below or on the pop up.

What are the foundations of your life?

Wendy Grages

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September 13, 2016

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We all know foundations are important. They are what support buildings and houses. Without them, buildings would crumble. But what are the foundations of your life? Did you know you should have solid things you are building your life on? What happens if you don’t?

There was this beautiful, massive tree that had fallen over in a storm. What was fascinating was that despite the size of the tree, its roots were surprisingly shallow as they lay exposed. No wonder this tree couldn’t withstand the storm, despite its great size.

That’s why it’s important to have solid foundations that you build your life on. So that when things get tough, you are still standing.

It’s interesting to me that in tough times, the foundations of our lives are what get attacked first. For example, you may have that nagging thought, “Why are you staying pure and keeping yourself for your spouse? No one else is.” Or another one could be, “Why are you putting God first in your life? It’s not working.”

Having strong foundations is important to success in life. Building on them ensures that your life will keep moving in a good direction.

Here’s some thoughts on how to achieve this:

Stand firm: When tough times come, when your foundations and values are under attack, keep standing on what you know is right.
Keep building on the right foundations: Pursue a relationship with God; be integrous, generous, and kind. These are amazing foundations to cultivate if you want to be successful in life.
Remember, you’re building for the next generation: Our lives are never just about us. It doesn’t end with you. The foundations you build on today will set up future generations to come for success. They often say that our kids start building where we left off. Therefore, it’s even more important to build on the right foundations.

So what are the foundations of your life? It’s a sobering question and one I hope we will all give some thought and introspection to.

If you would like to know more about how to pursue a relationship with God, please click on the pop up banner or on the link below.

What is God all about?

Wendy Grages

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September 8, 2016

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There are many attributes that describe God such as love, kindness, and faithfulness, and they are all descriptions of who He is. But have you ever thought what God is about? Have you ever wondered what is on His mind all the time?

I believe that we can be more like God if we are about what He is about. Did you know you could be more like God? Wouldn’t it be awesome to be more like Him?

I came across a verse that you may have heard referenced before but this time it hit me in a new way. It’s found in 2 Chronicles 1:10 and it’s the account of Solomon who was made king over Israel. God appeared to Him and asked him what he wanted God to do for him as king. This was his response: “Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?”

The next part of the story you may be familiar with. Here was God’s reply: “Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people— I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!” Solomon certainly hit the jackpot on this one. Not only did he receive the wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s people, he got everything else he could ever have wanted as well.

Now you might have heard that because Solomon asked for wisdom, God gave him everything else as well. I’m not sure that’s entirely true. I believe it’s not so much about the fact that Solomon asked for wisdom. It was why he wanted wisdom that moved God.

Here’s what I discovered:

He needed wisdom and knowledge to lead God’s people, to do what God had entrusted him to do and do it well.

He didn’t think he was up for the task and knew it all. He realised that without God’s help, he wouldn’t be able to do what God had entrusted him to do. Although confidence is important, it should never be in ourselves but in God working through us and enabling us to do it.

So what is God all about? God is all about people. It moved God’s heart that Solomon desired to lead God’s people well. God is not so interested in our success or our accomplishments or even our gifting and abilities. God’s heart is all about people and that is what moves Him to act.

So how can you be more like God? Be about people! Check back next week for some practical ways on how to do this.

If you are far from God and would like to reconnect with Him, click on the link below or on the pop up window.

Don’t do life alone

Wendy Grages

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September 6, 2016

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Growing up, I remember a song we would sing that said, “I can do it on my own.” While that might be a good attitude to have when it comes to doing things that you should be able to do on your own, the truth is that there are some things we should never do on our own.

We were never designed to do life alone. Yes, some people might live alone, but we should all have people we can turn to so that we don’t do life alone. Think about it: who would you call in the middle of the night in a crisis? Do you have someone in mind?

When times are tough, sometimes our natural inclination is to draw back and isolate ourselves. Sometimes being around people is the absolute last thing we feel like doing. This, however, is dangerous. Look at animals in the wild, for example. It’s the animals that stray off from the herd that are the first to be devoured as prey. When we isolate ourselves our perspective is skewed and we can find ourselves struggling in our situation for longer than is necessary.

So how do you make sure you don’t do life alone?

Phone a friend: Make sure you have at least one friend or family member that you can turn to in a crisis. Maybe you’ve had good relationships in the past but if they are not in a good way right now, you should be intentional about nurturing them again. You never know when you might need a friend.

Find a family: If you don’t have any friends or family you can count on, can I encourage you to join a church community? When God created you, He designed you to do life in a family environment. When that is not present in our lives, a church family can be a tremendous support and blessing in your life. I love this verse in Psalm 68:6: “God places the lonely in families”. When natural family is not present, church family is there to do life with you.

God is always there: If all else fails, at the end of the day, this one thing is true – even if everyone in your life forsakes you, God is always there for you. He is always ready to love you and bring you through anything you may face. This powerful verse in Psalm 125:2 says: “Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.” You are never alone.

I hope this encouraged you today!

If you need prayer or want to draw closer to God, please click on the pop up or on the link below. We would love to chat to you.

What to do when your prayers aren’t answered

Wendy Grages

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September 1, 2016

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What to do when your prayers aren’t answered

Many of us have prayed for something haven’t we? Whether it’s a promotion at work, a baby, a spouse, more money, or healing, we’ve all prayed about our needs. In fact, the Bible encourages us to pray and ask God to provide. But what do you do when your prayers aren’t answered?

I’ve come across a number of people lately who have gone through this, including myself. My friend’s dad died of cancer, my other friend has been seriously ill, and another friend is facing a dire financial situation. They’ve prayed, and others have prayed, but God did not answer their prayer.

So what do you do when your prayers aren’t answered?

Trust God’s timing: He sees things from an eternal perspective and His timing is perfect.

Trust His love for you: When your prayers aren’t answered, the first thing we think is that God doesn’t love us. But He loves you more than you can comprehend! His love isn’t demonstrated by His answers to prayers. His love is demonstrated by the fact that He sent His only Son to die for your sins so that you can have a relationship with Him.

Trust His goodness: God is good, no matter what the circumstance screams back at you. Sometimes God delivers us out of the fight and sometimes He gives us the strength to fight. Can you still declare the truth of who God is even when you haven’t seen the outcome you were praying for? Can you declare that God is good; that He heals; that He provides even when you haven’t seen it yet?

There’s this awesome verse in Psalm 119:68 that says:

“You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.”

When you haven’t seen the answer to your prayer just yet, hold onto this truth that God is good and that He does good. Trust Him that He knows what He is doing with your life.

To know more about having your own relationship with God, click on the link below or on the pop up banner.

Wendy Grages

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