Lessons, warnings and wins

Hey guys!

Welcome back to the blog!

Today, I want to touch on a couple of things. What an eventful two weeks it’s been since the last blog.

From event planning, interviews, submitting assignments and getting good grades, to receiving warnings from God but ignoring them, and Christmas being just around the corner—it’s been a lot.

Honestly, how much can one person take?

Sometimes, I feel like I’m not doing enough, and other times I feel absolutely drained. I definitely need to find a balance. But maybe I’m just not getting enough sleep.

To my fellow university students reading this, I think we can all agree that our sleeping patterns can be terrible at times.

Let’s start with the good grades I got. Okayyy, testimony timeee!

A month ago, I got my results back for an assignment I did based on lifestyle journalism.

Now, in lifestyle journalism, there’s a range of topics you can explore—from travel to film, fashion to food. But there’s one topic I’m sure you can guess I was drawn to: religion.

In class, we covered a variety of topics, but religion wasn’t one of them. When it came time to do our assignment, my lecturer warned me that it might be tricky to find references for Christianity in lifestyle journalism. She said I’d have to start my academic essay much earlier if I wanted to do well.

Now, one thing I’ve struggled with this year—and definitely won’t be carrying into the new year—is procrastination. If I’m being honest with you guys, I knew about this assignment since October, but your girl Precious left it till the last two weeks. And let me tell you, I DO NOT work well under pressure.

As I said, my lecturer told me that to excel in this assignment, I’d need to start my research early. Bear in mind, I had to source 25 academic journal articles. But with God, nothing is impossible, right?

Even though I was so close to dropping religion as a topic and switching to something I thought would be easier—like food or fashion—I decided to stick to the promise I made to God: dedicating my degree to Him. By His grace, I stuck it out and ended up getting a first! And it gets even better, guys, because my lecturer loved my essay so much that she wants to use it as an exemplary essay for students next year.

Won’t He do it? Oh yes, He will!

My warning from God

Now, let’s talk about the warning I ignored from God.

Saturday, 7th December 2024—I stayed up the whole night because I had a shift at 5am. Knowing me, if I’d gone to bed, I wouldn’t have woken up in time, and since it was a new job, I wanted to make a good impression.

At around 4am, I decided to watch a sermon by one of my favourite pastors, Stephanie Ike Okafor. If you’re wondering, the sermon was called “God Speaks to You.” As I was watching, she explained ways to know when God is speaking to you, and I was taking it all in.

But here’s the funny thing—and I feel like it’s a universal experience for Christians—we ask God to speak to us, and when He does, we either doubt it’s Him or convince ourselves it’s our own thoughts, or even the devil.

While I was getting ready for work, I heard in my head—twice—that I shouldn’t go. But silly me thought I was just imagining things. Why wouldn’t God want me to go to work? I mean, I’ve been struggling financially at uni, and your girl needs money! So, I brushed it off and carried on.

It was early in the morning, and it was so windy—the kind of wind that literally pushes you back as you’re walking. Red flag number one. When I got to work, there were complications, and we didn’t leave straight away. Some people were even sent home because the coach was at full capacity. I saw it as luck, but looking back, that was red flag number two.

Fast forward, we’re on the coach heading to Wales, when we’re told the shift has been cancelled because of a dangerous storm. If I had just listened to God’s voice, I could’ve been snug in bed. Instead, I chose to disobey—and look where it got me.

Moral of the story?

Trust when God is speaking to you. Just because something seems good in our eyes doesn’t mean it’s a God thing. We need to be so sensitive to His voice.

As we close, I want to talk about the Christmas season, as it’s exactly a week away. I feel like, as the years go by, the world tries to corrupt the meaning of Christmas. It almost feels like it’s losing its significance. But I’m here to remind you all today that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Yes, gifts are lovely, eating until you’re in a food coma is fun, and spending time with family is good for the soul. But let’s not neglect the main reason why we celebrate Christmas. Let’s bring back the Christ in Christmas.

Jesus is the greatest gift God could’ve ever given us (John 3:16). If your relationship with Him hasn’t been the best this year, I encourage you to spend this week—leading up to Christmas—seeking Him and being intentional with your time.

I know life gets busy, and there’s always a thousand things to do, but He’s waiting to speak to us. We just need to make time for Him.

If you need advice, I’m only a DM away—@preciousalwayys on Instagram. And don’t forget, if you need prayers, fill in the form down below, and I’ll be sure to keep you in my prayers.

Much love,

Preshh