This months guest blog is from Tanya Robinson, Tanya, wife to Noel, mum and child of God. Founder of City Women Outreach – and is Chair of Women on the Frontline Ministries. A heart for women from all backgrounds, from ministering to sex workers in East London to reaching out to Professionals. She has spent 8 years ministering to substance misuses & sex workers, sharing the love grace and mercy of Christ, more recently involved with Christians in Government and a panel advisor for a community based Gangs initiative.

Tanya has a powerful testimony of God transforming love and indescribable grace. her heart is for people to celebrate their individualism in the knowledge of Christ’s abounding love and walking out their God given purpose.

The father has provided everything we need to fulfill the plans and purposes that are spoken about in Jeremiah 29:11. The issue has always been how do we receive that which He has promised. I have seen in myself and in many others, a level of self doubt, especially if there has been any history of abuse, be it physical, emotional, financial, parental, friend or family betrayal. There can be an innate inability to receive the love the father has and all that comes with that, an unbelief that as you surrender more of yourSELF that our gracious Father will actually step in and fill that dead space with His life, and to be honest, how would you know, if you’ve never experienced a love that is unconditional? This is an area, which has taken me years to comprehend, and I’m still walking through as His love for me is continually revealed and washed over me in waves, the Fathers love is unconditional. The quicker we come to that realisation, the sooner we can begin to understand that, the more we are willing to let go, trusting that the God who began this great work in you is faithful to complete it.

I love the Lord with all of my comprehension. The problem has been that I have had to learn to love myself, that has been a challenge. Loving the Father, yet not able to love yourself, how do you begin to believe that you are lovable and in turn able to receive the love the Lord has already lavished on us.. You have to walk in the knowledge and understanding that He loves you. I started this journey as I pondered on the fact that I am His creation and He has released me into the earth. When you create something and share it with others, you are proud of your accomplishment, you release it to fulfill its function, be it a piece of music, art or even a completed project at work whatever it might be. Just know He knew you before you were knitted in your mothers womb, He predestined it that you would be released to fulfill your purpose, He is proud of His creation, you are individual with a function within the body, He loves your uniqueness. All you need to do is walk closely with Him, so when the enemy of your soul begins to whisper his lies to you, you’ll discern and make that thought subject to the word of God, you will learn to take such thoughts captive and hand them to God.

Affirmation from others should be approached with caution, wisdom is required to know when we should or should not take on the opinions of others. My husband describes the process of decorating, when you put on the first coat of paint it can look terrible, people will have an opinion because they do not have the vision of the finished article. But when you have some understanding of the work He has planned for you, you are able to discern where that voice is coming from, if it is a person opinion or if they see in the Spirit where God is journeying you. For your confidence to increase in Him, a closeness and deeper understanding of who He is, is required. Submerge yourself in what the window of His word is revealing to you. When you read the word, this is the beginning of the understanding; the adventure is going through that open window of His word and getting to know your father, getting to know Jesus, walking with the Holy Spirit who is the one who reveals His himself in Spirit and in truth… get to know Him.

The enemy does not have the ability to take away the resurrected life within you, but he tries all he can to prevent you from accessing that life, from walking in the fullness of Gods provision. This is done with the aim that we would become frustrated with God because you’re not walking in the peace, joy, love, and the fruits, that were predestined for you. This frustration then feeds into our insecurities that His love is not for you, that it has conditions and possibly that this plan and purpose is for others. In this vein our walk becomes a battle just to stay saved and that is NOT what our faith is about. This is not living life in all its fullness; this is not the life Jesus died for us to live.

There is a tendency for us to see prosperity as financial blessing, when I talk about God prospering you; it is in the complete context of your walk. In our coming in and going out, in our ministries and family and friends. Whatever the area of provision, this is not just for us, but for the lives we are to touch. Different callings offer different areas of grace and differing requirements of provision. I believe as Christians we should walk in an abundance of the gifts, which we don’t just receive from the table set before us, that in the receiving there is an overflow of blessings from heaven, enabling us to pour into the lives around us. These outpourings of love, peace, joy, finance, is not for our benefit, it is so He will be glorified in the earth.