Bloom

By Princess Vivian Izundu

Bloom was born out of intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus and was written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, including the title and the cover design. He prompted the author that she has learned and known a lot and that it was time for her to share with others.

Most often, people do not cherish and appreciate others even though the Bible tells us to encourage one another. Bloom is about how your Maker sees you, cherishes, appreciates, and values you. He cheers you on to keep going even when the things around us are screaming the opposite. He wants you to know who you are, what you have in Him, and how to make use of them. He is inviting you today to read, learn, and bloom like a watered flower plant. It is a book like no other, unique in itself. It expounds on who believers are in Christ and what they have, together with how to practically walk this faith walk and fight the good fight of faith on a daily basis. A peek into the book will convince you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638740575

Book preview

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Bloom

Princess Vivian Izundu

Copyright © 2022 by Princess Vivian Izundu

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All biblical citations were taken from English Standard Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise indicated.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Who You Really Are Part 1

Who You Really Are Part 2

Who You Really Are Part 3

The Maker Affirms His Creature

Conversation with the Maker

The Power of Words

The Holy Spirit and Tongues

Benefits of Speaking in Tongues

Living through Jesus

Achievements of Jesus for Believers

Achievements of Jesus for Believers

Bible Verses on Healing

How to Begin a Relationship with Jesus

More Goodies in the Lord

Rewards

The Father’s Love

Mind Renewal

Tips for Fighting the Battle

Acknowledgement

Iacknowledge the Holy Spirit for His great help in writing this book. He is the source of both the name and the content. Thank You, Lord. I acknowledge all the people who have made this book possible through different means. The Lord will reward you all at the resurrection of the righteous.

Introduction

What water is to a plant, words of encouragement, appreciation, and affirmation are to a human soul. Many people have never received any word of exaltation from anyone in their lives. Many only knew criticisms, condemnations, never good enough, or never did anything right. No wonder many do not know who they are, let alone appreciate others. They resort to the world, the media, their peers to tell them who they are, which never happens, and the cycle continues. You cannot give what you do not have. The Word of God tells us to encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). When was the last time you encouraged someone with your words?

Born and raised in Africa, children are seen and not heard. Mom was dead by the time I was two, and I was sent to live with several family members because my stepmom did not want to take care of me. Never has anyone told me, You are doing well, You are beautiful nor has anybody carried me on his/her lap as every child longs. Daddy, though a good man, did only what he knew how: fending for his family. He showed me love the way he thought was the best. I do not blame him; you can only give what you have. You can imagine what that can do to a child. This lingered into adulthood. It seemed that nobody cared. Everything looked good on the outside but the inside was full of questions. The good news is that the Lord sees and cares.

Bloom was borne out of an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who has given me a ministry of encouragement, especially among children who are less fortunate. He wants us to know who we are in Him, how He sees us, and to enjoy life in Him by living through Him, taking hold of all the privileges and merits of His death and resurrection and making them ours. He sees us as overcomers, more than conquerors, already at our destinies. You are not who you think you are; you are not a mess; neither are you a victim. You are not who the world says you are. You are who your Maker says you are. Who better knows you than God? He knows what He deposited in you. You may not feel it, but feeling has nothing to do with the truth of the Word of God; it has nothing to do with who you are. You are who God calls you, not what your feeling tells you.

Have you ever noticed how people always smile when you say a word of affirmation, appreciation, or encouragement to them? You have just deposited something into them; you just made their day. As you read this book, you will notice how you will open up like a flower petal turning toward the morning sunshine. What you say, what you allow others to say over your life or to you, and what you believe shape your life, good or bad—whether you believe it or not. Let your Maker take you on a journey of your life and show you who you really are in Him, what you have in Him, and how He sees you.

In order for this book to make perfect sense to you and for you to get the best out of it, it will be very good that you accept Jesus into your life, if you have not done that before. It does not take time; just say the short prayer below and believe it in your heart, and you will be saved, for it is written, The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8–10).

Prayer to Receive Jesus as Your Lord and Savior

Almighty God, thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, whom You love so much to be the atoning sacrifice for my sins that I might be made right with You. I confess that I am a sinner and I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. Lord Jesus, please come into my life and make me new and heal me of all my diseases. I confess You as my Lord and Savior, and I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead for my justification. I give You my life today. Please teach me and guide me from now onward and help me to follow You in Jesus’s name, I pray, amen. Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son.

Word Definition

Affirmation—The act of giving emotional or encouragement support to another.

Appreciation—The act of valuing, prizing, respecting, recognizing, and enjoying the good qualities in someone else.

Bloom—To flourish in youthful beauty, freshness, or excellence; to mature into your achievement potential.

Encouragement—To cheer someone up or on; to support someone and give him or her hope and confidence.

Lord—One who has the power and authority over others; a ruler by preeminence or hereditary right to whom service and obedience are due.

Master—Someone that has authority over another; an owner of a slave.

Truth—A spiritual reality or a transcendent fundamental; the state of being the case.

Chapter 1

Who You Really Are Part 1

Part 1

Identity struggle has been a problem since the fall of man. The human heart longs to belong. Young and old question themselves, Who am I? Unable to get an answer, they go with what the society or the peers tell them, yet they have no peace or settlement in their hearts about who they really are because the world cannot answer spiritual questions. You are a spirit that lives in a house called body, and you have a soul that connects the two. Your soul comprises of your will, emotions, and your mind. Worldly things cannot satisfy your heart; you are made for so much more. Again, in the world, there is always something in vogue; if it is not slim shape, it is being fat, one thing or the other, so you are not ever sure who you are and you feel not measuring up, not belonging. You keep looking for yourself, and you have to perform to belong. It is because you do not really belong here; your citizenship is in heaven. You are in the world but not of it (Philippians 3:20; John 17:16).

There is no better place to search for who you are than the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is the owner’s manual, the guide for believers. God, in His mercy and love, put together His Word through different people to tell us who we are, where we came from, whose we are, what we have, what we are supposed to be doing here, and where we are going. Ignorance of the Word has become the number one problem in the church not to talk of the world. How will you know who you are if you do not read the book that tells you all about it?

Second to that is unbelief, lack of trust in God and His Word. It sounds too good to be true, and so we just mentally accent to it, not necessarily believing it. But whether we believe who the Bible says that we are or not does not change who we are. God is a God of His Word; He is not going to fall off His throne or change what He said about us just because we do not believe Him. The earlier we believe, the better for us because we are the ones to enjoy the promises. God is all-sufficient in Himself; He does not need anything. He did not write the Bible for Himself but for our benefit. You cannot assume your position and possess your possessions without believing that they are really yours.

The Bible is a mirror that shows us who we are and how God sees us. Most often, we do not believe what the Word of God says; we only agree to it. No wonder it has no power in our lives. It is not because the Word of God has lost its power, but because it needs to be mixed with faith in order for it to work for whoever is reading it.

The reason for many people not believing the Word is because they were not taught to believe the Word; some did not even know that they are supposed to read the Word for themselves; they rely only on the priests and pastors to feed them. Someone once told me that he does not read the Bible, that he leaves it to the priests to do that and interpret for him. Some people have been brainwashed into believing that they could not understand the Word of God. Think about the apostles. They did not attend any special Bible college, but they turned the world upside down with the Gospel. We only need the Holy Spirit to teach us and open our eyes to see what He wants us to see each time we read the Word and He is living in you if you are a believer.

Yes, the Bible says that the carnal mind cannot understand spiritual things because they are discerned spiritually; it is foolishness to him (1 Corinthians 2:14), but when you are born again, the Spirit of God comes to live in you and He is the One that will help you understand the Word of God. You only need to ask Him to open your spiritual ears and eyes and teach you. He is our Teacher, Helper, Counselor, Comforter, Advocate, Guide, Reminder, Strengthener, Standby, the Spirit of truth and will lead us into all truth (John 14:26).

You Are a Child of God

The Word of God says that to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:5).

It is a very big privilege to be called a child of God because it comes with inheritance. As a child of God, you have access to God Himself. We can come boldly to Him because Jesus has paved the way for us. You can call Him Father because He has given us His Spirit that cries out, Abba, Father. He protects you, provides for you, and lavishes His love on you. Think about parents, how they take care of their children without the children asking them to take care of them. It is a natural instinct that parents take care of their children. Likewise, your heavenly Father takes better care of His children more than any earthly parent can. He gave us a little bit of His parental attributes to take care of our children. How much more do you think He will take care of you?

And if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:17)

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. (Galatians 3:26)

We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Everything the Father has is Christ’s (John 15:16); and everything Christ has we have because we are in Him. What a deal! Being a child of God comes with a lot of goodies. Just keep on reading to find out. Think about what it means to be an heir naturally. Everything the child’s father has is transferred to the son. It does not depend on whether the son is good or bad, behaving well or not, but for the fact that he is a son automatically qualified him as an heir and will inherit everything the father has. That is awesome. I don’t know about you, but I am thrilled by that.

You Are Chosen

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for