37 = 30 +7

37 today and I will never forget how old I am because I just add 30 to Aletheia’s age 7 and I will have my answer!

I became a mom at 30 and at 37, have a 2 month old baby! I remember growing up hearing that it’s not safe or wise to have kids after you are 35 as it’s hard to recover and you won’t have the energy for your kids.

Honestly, I am healthier and stronger than I ever was when I was in my teens and 20s!

Pre-Jesus, I was addicted to smoking, drinking almost every other day, sleeping at 5am, not exercising and not eating regularly. I had backaches and gastric and would be panting just from climbing up the stairs to cross an overhead bridge. I would get tired in my arms from raising it up to tie my hair. #truestory

I had always “wished” that I would not be like this but I just “could not help it” and did not have what I have now through the Holy Spirit – self-control. It’s the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit and how God answered my pleas for help when I met Him, that has changed my life today. Ever single addiction that I had, I prayed and asked God to take away from me, or simply fell away when I was too intoxicated with God’s love to be craving any other high.

I was always taught about the fruits of the Spirit and how we had to have self-control, patience, kindness, etc when I grew up in Sunday School. But these were impossible by self-effort for me and only possible through having the Holy Spirit come make home inside of me and then bear fruit.

Jesus said that it was better that he goes away so that He could leave us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the gift that Jesus came to give us – He died on the cross so that we could be forgiven and washed of our sins when we repented- so that the Holy Spirit, who Is HOLY, can be IN us.

It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into Holiness- Day by Day, if we keep walking with and talking with him. Being Led by Him – changes our lives inside out.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:16‭-‬23

Thank you God for 37 years of life and life abundantly, for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me, for your gift of salvation. Thank you Jesus, for saving me, for your blood, for giving me the Holy Spirit. Thank you Holy Spirit, for daily teaching me all things about Jesus and revealing Jesus to me everyday. I love you Father, Son and The Holy Spirit. l