Rooted and Built up in Christ

I started this sexual purity series 3 years ago and I just realized I never finished it 🤣. If you've read the previous posts in this series, you'll remember I mentioned that it was going to be a 3-part series, and today I'll be sharing part 3 😊 Yay! Finally! I was reminded about this series because of a post I made on my Instagram page exactly 6 years ago today. You can check out the post here: dara_mamora  and follow me in case you're not already👀.  Before we get into the topic for today, I'll like to reiterate that the concept of sexual purity isn't just limited to not having sex before marriage as sexual purity is first and foremost a thing of the mind/heart because sex doesn't just happen. Before the actual act, certain seeds were planted in the mind that facilitated the action. Seemingly innocent acts of listening to a kind of music, watching a certain movie/show, reading a type of book, hanging out with a friend/certain group of friends can lure us ...

Psalm 23 is probably the most popular book of the bible, I'm sure even some non-christians know it by heart. Today, I was having a conversation with my mum that opened my eyes to interpret verse 1 of this psalm differently. The New Living Translation of verse 1 reads, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need". So as my mum and I were discussing, she says, "God is your shepherd so you lack nothing, if you ever think you lack something then you don't need it". Wow! Simple as these words were, they were still so profound because for the past few months, I've been burdened by fear, worry, and uncertainty as I've thought about my future. I'm nearing the end of my masters program so I've started job hunting and just in general planning for next steps, but because these past 5 years of my life have been so tumultuous in regards to my career progress, hitting one road block or the other due to my status as an international student, that feeli...

Last week was a very tumultuous one to say the least. From losing a high school friend to dealing with conflict in a relationship to disappointment about a performance on a test. Like me, we've all had a fair share of dealing with life's struggles, which sometimes leaves us wondering, "why me?"or "why do bad stuff happen to good people?", questions we'll probably never know the full answers to till we get to ask God face to face. However, I remember last week in the midst of everything happening, God reminded me about the story of Job  (I've linked an interesting summary of the story for your reference), a righteous man who loved and honored God. In fact, God personally described him as "blameless- a man of complete integrity" (Job 1:8). Job was a man of such high-standing before God, the devil had to take permission from God to test him because the devil believed the reason why Job was faithful to God was because of his blessings; Job was ...

The tightness in your chest, like something heavy is weighing against it. The feeling of hopelessness, unworthiness, worthlessness, frustration, confusion...Depression; it manifests itself in ways, sometimes, words can't express. We've all been there before or maybe you're even going through it right now. As much as we Christians don't like to admit it, depression is real. Many times, we confuse faith with denial. But refusing to acknowledge something isn't faith, that's fake. Furthermore, how can restoration and healing start when we live in denial? So, "what's the alternative?" you may ask. Number one is acknowledgement. Before I started writing this post, the first thing I asked myself and even researched was, "why did God give us emotions?". If it wasn't okay to feel certain emotions, why did God give them to us in the first place? Asking these questions also brought to mind something I learned from a book I read recently, which i...

"Don't get tattoos, Don't get piercings" the religious folks would say. But God has them. The only difference between Jesus' tattoos and piercings and most people's is that His aren't frivolous. They hold great value and are symbolic of His love for us. I must also add that His piercings aren't cute either. He went to great lengths to get them on Calvary's cross. The crown of thorns on His head, the nails in His hands, the nails in His feet, the spear in His side...He did it all for you. In chaotic times like this, when we feel alone, forgotten, and helpless, I hope this image remains clear in our heads. God loves us. I pray that we come to understand how far-reaching, deeply intimate, and endless this love is in this season (Ephesians 3:18-19 TPT). "But Dara, I've lost my job. I'm depressed. I'm hungry. I'm frustrated". God sees you. He has tattooed your name on His palms and you're always on His mind (Isaiah 49...

The media does what it does best, which is, sell fear. Let's be real, how often do we hear good news on the news? From health to politics to the economy to immigration, you name it, it's all negative. So, in the midst of all these happenings, especially in light of the corona virus, just wanted to remind you that as believers we are covered. This is not to downplay the situation or say you shouldn't do what you're supposed to do like eating healthy, staying hydrated, and washing your hands, but this is to say don't give in to fear. With schools getting shut down, grocery stores running out of supplies, and workplaces switching to working remotely, it is very easy to cave in. But as believers, we must learn to take our stand in situations like this. The scripture that readily comes to mind about protection in times like this is Psalm 91. Please take time to meditate on the entire chapter but I will share a few of my favorite verses below to encourage you. 1. Go...

The end of the year is usually a reflective time for all of us. We would use different adjectives to try to qualify what the year has been, and as I scheme my mind to find an adjective to qualify mine, words fail me.  2019 started on a very rough note. I graduated with my masters in August of the previous year, and had received an offer to work for an organization I was so excited about. But my excitement was cut short by some of the challenges international students face in the U.S. The protocol here is that you apply for your work authorization document 90 days before graduation or 60 days after, and the normal processing time to receive the document after you turn in your application is usually no more than 90 days. I applied for mine well in advance of graduation, sometime in June. However, for whatever reason, I did not receive my work authorization card until sometime in February, 238 days/8 months later. Those 238 days were some of the hardest times of my life. I mean I ...

Hi Lovelies! Been a while!! *sigh* But I have been lifing/adulting, the way the young folks of these days like to say lol. And if you don't know the meaning, just look it up in the urban dictionary. But today, I was inspired to write for two reasons 1) a post I saw on the Instagram story of one of my followers which in summary talked about the importance of developing passion because passion grows with utility. In other words, what you don't use, you lose. So, lovelies, whatever your gifting is (singing, speaking, writing, art etc) make sure you intentionally develop it by USING it. 2) My 25th birthday was 5 days ago and this past one year has been pretty challenging for me *phew* my faith has been tested like never before, and while it's been a painful process, I'm thankful for the growth and lessons I've learned. So, today I will be sharing some of the lessons year 25 has taught me: 1) Trust in God's timing for my life: the older I get, the more I...

Hey Lovelies! It's been a while! I feel like I always start my posts with an apology for how inconsistent I have been and a promise of how I am going to do better and I end up not following through *sigh*. So, today I am not even going to make any promises lol. I am just going to say Happy New Year!! and dive into the topic for today :). The past few months have been very trying for me as I have been waiting on God for breakthrough over a certain situation. And mehn... it's really been a journey. There are days where I am all fired up and my faith is all out regarding the situation, and there are days where I just want to stay in bed all day and sleep, sort of as a coping mechanism, and honestly, there are days where I've really done that. However, I thank God for His word and my wonderful support system, which have kept me going. My siblings, my parents, and my church family have really been amazing. It is such a great thing to be surrounded by people of faith whe...

How long, Lord, how long? I know you're never late but I guess we see time differently To you a thousand years and a day are the same because you're not bound by time You live in eternity So while I watch my clock and count seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months, years.... Waiting for you to show up You whisper to my worried heart: "I'm right here with you" Oh I ought to know that by now, we've been friends a long time now And you're a true friend, one that sticks closer than a brother But I forgot that so soon.... I got carried away waiting for the arrival of that special gift that I thought you left me Oh how easy it is to focus on the gift that we miss out on the giver Oh how easy it is to forget the many mountains you've brought me over So while I'm in the waiting room, Help me to see things through your eyes, Lord Help me to see time through your eyes, Lord Teach me the lessons you want me to learn And most importantly, may...

Hi lovely people! I know I've been MIA and  I   honestly  have no excuse so I won't even try to give one. But thank God for the STRONG inspiration to write today :). I emphasize strong because I've felt God speaking to me in the last few days about self-love and just embracing how He has made me. Today, I was watching a video on Ashley Empowers youtube channel (side note: go check her out, she's so inspiring!) and the video resonated with me on so many levels. The video was based off a question a lady had sent to Ashley and basically the lady was wondering if she'll ever find love as a plus-sized woman. She's in her 30s and now considering losing weight so she can find a man. Sure you guys may be wondering why this resonated with skinny Dara lol. But yes it did because it took me back to my teenage years when I was still in highschool and used to be so insecure about my weight. I was super skinny and the smallest girl in my year. I was made fun of, called...

The society we live in now preaches "safe sex" but then again, is sex outside of marriage ever really "safe"? can sex outside of God's will ever be "safe"? The answer is no. While condoms and birth control pills, which are not even always 100% effective, can protect us from pregnancies and STDs (the physical consequences of sex), they can't protect us from the emotional and spiritual consequences of premarital sex. The spiritual and emotional consequences of premarital sex we often tend to ignore are even more serious than the physical consequences. And why is this so? It is because sex is primarily a spiritual activity than a physical activity as the world tends to view it. Whenever we have sex, a spiritual bonding occurs- two people become one flesh (Mark 10:8, Genesis 2:24). Hence, the reason why God wants sex to be expressed only within the confines of marriage is to strengthen the intimate bond between a husband and a wife; God doesn't...

Hi Lovelies! Today I'll be starting a three-part series on maintaining sexual purity in a sex-crazed world. This topic has been on my heart for several weeks now so I believe God was leading me to write. Many times, when we think of sexual purity, we equate it just to waiting till marriage for sex. But today I want to say it's more than that! Sexual purity actually starts from the heart. In our equating sexual purity to just waiting for sex, a lot of us have thought it okay to do everything else but have sex. I won't lie I've also been guilty of this faulty thinking till the Holy Spirit began to convict me. The issue of waiting for sex is not so much about the sex itself as it is taming your flesh and saying no to lust. So, today we'll be focusing on the heart aspect of sexual purity. In subsequent posts, we'll focus on the why and how to wait aspect of sexual purity. So, what is lust? Dictionary.com defines it as an "intense sexual desire or appetite...