Rage-bait alert: Try Fasting in Surulere

Dear Beautiful one,First of all, why can’t today be a public holiday? Shouldn’t we just celebrate Nigeria every Friday in October? A girl can only dream.Now, let’s get to business before our bosses call us for meetings that could have been an email.Let’s do a quick daily check-in together. Remember, we’ve been exploring ways to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health, and today I’m led to talk with you about your spiritual health.Someone say, ‘P.T’Just kidding.Now, let’s say that your water hydration is a work in progress, your skincare serums have been applied, and we won’t even discuss our daily screen time. But how is your spiritual health doing?It is so easy to spend our days constantly servicing everything: the people in our lives, our calendars, our physical fitness, our social media feeds, while leaving our spirit running on low-battery mode for months at a time.And honestly, we usually only notice the neglect when we start getting irritated because someone is breathing too loudly near us, or when our internal monologue starts sounding like an angry danfo conductor high on cheap alcohol.Contrary to what people think about spiritual health, it isn’t about being completely perfect, speaking in tongues for 30 hours, and expecting the whole of Ikorodu to shake when you read Psalm 91.No.It just means spending quality and intentional time with God.I started seeing prayer differently when I realised God wanted to hear from me, and that most of my ideas and direction came through prayer.I’m constantly overthinking. My mind has 100 tabs open at the same time. (NGO, autism, work, books, fried yam, chores), so it can be a bit difficult to move through that noise; so, my place of prayer is where nothing matters but me and God (Not even spicy spaghetti and gizzard)I also started looking at prayer times as if my angels or Jesus were waiting for me at my prayer altar.Imagine you waiting for your friend at the gym, anxious, knowing that they need to work on their physique, and they never show up.That is almost like our prayer life. God is that friend waiting at the gym, and you’re the friend eating sugary popcorn at 12 am.For those who actually take our spiritual life very seriously, if we miss prayers for three days, it starts to show on us; we get very annoyed, and our bodies begin to hurt us physically. You can probably relate.I was getting snappy at work, and when I got home, I went to my prayer altar and let out everything that had been moving in me.So, if you’re interested in taking prayer as seriously as you should, start with structure. My pastor made it simple with a few questions.When do you want to pray? How do you want to pray? When do you fast?See, don’t start by having one hour of prayer. When I didn’t have a job, it was easy to sit in the place of prayer for an hour, enjoy the Word of knowledge, and intercede; unfortunately, I got busier and couldn’t stay for an hour every day, so I started giving myself a little grace.If I didn’t feel like praying, I would spend time worshipping.Here is the link to my intimacy playlist, and a little secret: try putting on a Minister GUC or Kaestrings song; I assure you the river will be stirred up.Try it this weekend.Another thing that helps preserve your spiritual life is actively running away from things that could hurt you or pull you away from God. I call these your triggers.I’ll give you an example. I actively stay away from some movies because if I watch them, thoughts and desires come, and I end up in a problem I could have easily avoided.You know those movies; I won’t say much.And yes, whenever I am fasting, I don’t actually leave the house. Because if you live in Surulere, there is no way you won’t be annoyed, and every single time I go out while fasting, someone annoys me, and I say some things.People dey provoke me. The easiest way to ragebait me is to actually keep moving while people are waiting at the zebra crossing to cross, like the LAW demands. That’s on the side. I know my triggers, little or big, and I avoid them.So try to stay away from people who drain your spiritual soul, and sometimes that could even be certain friends. One thing I’m learning now, and not being sorry about it, is muting some posts. There are seasons in your life when you need certain information, and sometimes your followers don’t get it. So, feel free to mute or block (whatever floats your boat)So, yes, that’s it.Just so you don’t think I’m perfect: sometimes when I wake up in the morning, I check my phone for updates. I recently started actively reading my Open Heavens devotional before I touch my phone.Some days, I wake up with my phone in my hands; some days, I don’t. But I’m actively trying to be better, and God sees that. We don’t serve an unreasonable God who doesn’t understand; as soon as He sees our efforts, He strengthens us to do more.So, beautiful one, let God see that you take Him seriously and are ready to meet Him in prayer and grow in intimacy.Another thing that helps is having friends. One of the blessings this year was having a prayer group with my friends; even when I don’t feel like praying, we are there to fan each other’s flames. For some of you who loveeeee to talk to your partners, especially those who aren’t married, you can make up times to pray together.Maybe in that season you get the confirmation of your time together… or not…Don’t look at me like that. E dey happen oh.So, beautiful one, I’d love to help in any way I can to make sure you spend time in prayer. (But so that you know, I dey cry for prayer sha) I host prayer meetings twice a month for special-needs families, but you can join and pray some of the prayers for yourself. Click this link to join our community.So, that’s it for today.Your soul deserves just as much routine maintenance as your daily schedule or skin. Take a slow, deep breath today and give your spirit the room it needs to rest.I pray that holy fire falls on your altar, that God pulls you into intimacy, and that lives are changed because of you.And to that certain person who keeps running away from the ‘call’, omo, God will visit you in your dreams and give you that mantle. Oloruko Jesuuuu!Alrighty, take care. Have a beautiful weekend, but remember to pray this weekend, not just at Church and whatever you do… If you’re fasting and you come to Surulere, be prepared.Love, your sister-in-christ,Twi-Twi.

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