#DailyExhortation: "Back to Love"

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Read, meditate and be encouraged. 

Have a wonderful day.

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#DailyExhortation: "11:11"

Hebrews 11:11

"And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise"

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#DailyExhortation: "FearLess Walk"

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,    for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

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#DailyExhortation: "Here I am"

7




  

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58: 7-11

Have a wonderful day.

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#DailyExhortation: "Be Patient, Be Blessed"

Good Morning Everyone,

Its a beautiful morning here in Lagos and have you looked at the skyline? *Drooling* God is good.

The daily encouragement for today is Hebrews 6:12-15

12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

13 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, 

14 saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”

15 And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Have a wonderful day, Be Blessed!

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In 200 Words || Photography meets writing

The whisper of the midnight wind gently rocked the canoes, I really don’t want to be disturbed tonight. I enjoy this time of the day except for the wind that rocks - it rocks my world and the high-pitched sounds of the toads. They are silent tonight, Thankfully. Not like i sleep or want to, I just want to be still.

Dawn slips in. The cock clears its throat loudly, enough to wake the stillness in me. Stillness is gone till twilight.

“E kaaro Iya Basira”

“E kaaro ma”

“Basira, shey o sun daada?”

“Beeni ma”

“E kaaro Iya alaje”

“A ji bi”

“Good Morning ma”

“Oja ti ya niyen?”

“Beeni o”

“E taa o”

“Amin”

Back and forth they go, chit-chat it sounds. Laughter, gossip, and more market stories. I don’t know who is speaking, i just hear voices. Nobody looks down at me.

Splash! splash! against my very core they go, on the way to their early morning hustle. I am dark here, see i don’t flow. I love the stillness. Only if i can be cleaned.

This is the next best part of my day, The Pleasantries, the laughter. Dawn comes tomorrow, we do it over again.

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#DailyExhortation: "High Priest"

Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God,let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 

16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This is your exhortation for today: Our High Priest knows!

Have a wonderful day.

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#DailyExhortation: "I Have a Plan"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

That is what the Lord speaking to YOU today. He has a plan for YOU and I. That should just be your foundation-al knowledge, he says he has a plan - then he really does - 

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Numbers 23:19

Alot of us wade through life with OUR plans, when all we have to do is get with God's plan. How do you do that?

Simple: Ask. He will answer, He may not necessarily show you the whole picture but he will give you steps.

He has already told us what to expect. Peace. No Evil. Hope. Future (NIV) So, just TRUST what he has said why?

"In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the WORD WAS GOD" John 1:1

Since, he is his word, his word failing is like HIM failing and we know that our God never fails.

"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean NOT on YOUR own understanding, in ALL your ways acknowledge him and he SHALL direct your path" Proverbs 3:5-6

Your Exhortation today is to: Know he has a plan for you. Ask in prayer of the said plan not wavering in that believe. Trust him with everything. most importantly; REST in HIM. 

Have a Blessed day.

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Introducing: #DailyExhortation

Hi Everyone,

If you've noticed i started posting 3 times a week ( Mon, Wed and Fri) at noon. I have no special reasons why i chose those days but i know i will keep up.

Anyways, yesterday i decided to start the #DailyExhortation column. This is me bringing a verse(s) of encouragement everyday (as the spirit leads ofcourse) and i was inspired by the word in Hebrews

"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" Heb 3:13  

After reading that i knew that i was supposed to do it, why? I have no idea really. I just know i am going to obey blindly. I asked "Can i do this?"

The Bible verse "I can do ALL things through christ that strengthens me" came to me and I hold on to it. I CAN and I WILL.

There is a page dedicated to it already and we start off Tomorrow Sunday, 8:00 am with "I have a Plan"

The #DailyExhortation won't be anything too long.
Just BiBle Verses that encourages, nothing more.

No rambling.

No Me.

Just the Word.

Just the Truth.

Just God.

I hope that the purpose of this according to what God has planned will be fulfilled in Jesus name. Expect it.

God bless you.

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Things DON'T fall apart || When it falls apart

Matt 6:25-26 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

"What do you do when things are not working out?" 
That was the question that birthed this post, and i have found myself asking myself this question(With no answers ofcourse) but in this walk I've also learnt what to do in times when i'm tempted to ask the question again.

A friend of mine took the bold step to ask me this a couple of days ago 

"What do you do when things are not working out?" He asked

In the bit to not sound too spiritual, i started asking

"How do you mean?"

"With what?"

Then there was the nudge inside my spirit and i just said exactly what i do when "it" doesn't seem to work out, when nothing makes sense. I started typing

"I take it to God"

"Whatever it is"

"Yeah, then wait" He added

"And Trust and believe" I said

"Then come to resolve - because you Trust him - that whatever happens God loves you regardless and even if it doesn't make sense now, all is working  together for my good because, I Love him" I added

I know this is easier said than done, but when Gods Love for you drives you and pierces through your being(I've been saying this alot x_x), believing and taking rest in him comes really easy.

If anybody knows about crumbling worlds around them, I think I have a pretty good idea what that looks like, and not until recently did I understand what knowing Gods Love towards you can change in your life. So, what exactly do you do when everything is not working out and it feels like the "forces" are just against you?

[Now, This are my thoughts and its not a take-this-step-it-will-work kinda thing. Its just whats worked for me]

- Breathe: Inhale deeply and exhale, now repeat 2 more times.

- Open your mouth and say this: Dear lord, i know that you Love me unconditionally. Nothing seems to be making any sense right now, the world around me seems to be crumbling around me. Please help me. Give me your peace ad-mist this storm, help me trust in you more. In Jesus name. Amen" and i know he will give you peace.

- Smile: I know bringing a genuine smile out of you might be hard, but think about something funny Like Obasanjo dancing azonto in boxers? or something sweet Like my adorable smile *bats lashes* Or Someone that you Love? Anything that fries your dodo and makes you give a genuine smile.

- Say "Thank You, Lord": Now, you are in a better place to offer thanksgiving, now praise him through the storm, praise him for the peace at least, praise him for anything.

- Rest: Yes! Just rest. Rest in the knowledge that he is God and although things are crumbling, he's got it together. Rest in the fact that he is piling those crumbled pack of card together in its place for you - because that's what he does - fix things for his children. Make the impossible HIMpossible.

"Let us labour to enter into the rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief" Heb 4:11

" Luke 1:37 - For with God nothing shall be impossible"

Get my drift? 

Sit back, relax for you have the creator of the universe working round the clock on your behalf Psalms 121: 3-4 "He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep"

One more things; don't forget him when it starts working out.

God bless you real good.

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All for Love

I am not eloquent

I am not articulate

I do not understand alot of the principles of English language

...or writing in its entirety

I'm just a girl that just loves to write

I write as it comes - sense and non-sense

Today is one of those days.

My feeling of inadequacy won't stop me or hold me back anymore.

I wrote about how suffering bought simplicity a while ago, 

It was one of my "arranged" attempts to  write about my feelings towards the lover of my soul did for me

for you.

Why did the words feel so inadequate?

what words could i possibly say to best describe this ultimate act of Love?

But today, i will drop my "feeling" of inadequacy and not try to be articulate, poetic or literally sound "right"

Today, i will just do what he expects of me.

speak the truth, from the deepest part of my heart.

Here it goes.

I grew up in the church, Lost.

religiously attending sunday services, Not transformed.

Listening to truth, still speaking trash from my heart.

Listening but not really listening.

I don't  to ask how many of use are/were like that?

I see hands about to go up, but this is his story not ours.

I thought I had found him, so I wasn't looking,

but i also felt empty, so i searched.

thinking what I had was "him" I looked for the more elsewhere

Little did i know that he was more, he is everything I needed.

When you are blind to the truth, you are really blind.

But in my little apartment in a land far away from home - he made me home.

Broken, broken-hearted, hopeless, searching, craving. He found me,

right there in that room, my journey started with him - In him - In me - with me.

In flesh he walked on the earth, so we can live.

bowed, bruised.

humbled, humiliated.

saviour, suffered.

son of man, mocked.

prince of peace, pierced.

Drip! Drip! Drip! goes the blood.

The blood that cleanses my sins - your sins - away and makes you worthy to dwell in his presence.

I am not perfect, I am still a work in progress.

Oh how glorious is what he did for me - for you.

All for Love.

That Love, Unconditional Love, inseparable Love.

Me, You, Redeemed by that blood, all for love.

Let the knowledge of that love pierce through you and draw you, me into his embrace.

If i were not here, if it was just you

He will do it over again, and again and again.

..All for Love!!!!!!!

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Dear Future Me

**Disclaimer: This post is really going to be long. i really hope you don't sleep off on us.**

I'm not sleeping - Yet, i'm thinking about the future. Really -____-

I got this letter from the past, I wrote it a year ago(September 8, 2012) i didn't get to read it till Monday morning(I don't sync my mail with my phone) and i had serious mixed feelings, wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Cry because, its all i needed to hear at this time and laugh at my small humor and how much I've grown. I can only be forever grateful to the Lord of Hosts. Really, You will understand why when you read the letter and my reply. I decided to post this personal stuff here because, I really just want to brag on God.

Here goes nothing and everything.

Dear Future Me,

Hey girl.

Whatever you are doing right now, can you just stop?

Oya say "Thank You Lord", because if you are reading this, he has been faithful as ever.

Now i'm going to want you to do some evaluations and remind you of some truths :)

Btw? How are you? Hope you are good?
How is life after NYSC? Hehe fun shey? Sup with Unilag? I'm sure Gods going to do the best for you.

Have you met K? Did you get to use a camera? How did you feel? Hope learning hasn't been difficult? Or maybe you've not started sha abi? Have you?

How is the future treating everybody around you?

Is there a new guy? I sooooooooo doubt it, knowing you.

How did series of scars come along?

Hope you have been thinking about money for make-up classes? 

I trust you are staying happy, I trust you are trying to hang out with people right? Please don't tell me u backed out?

I know you are saying you would be going to the gym please get off your a** and go work out!

How has your Spiritual life been? Do you feel his presence now? Are you reading the bible? Going to church? Have you joined the choir like we said? Oya!! Go and join! :p

You need to drag your a** to the beach, I know how much you want to go, oya organize something with your sisters or D, he promised a shoot right? *dancing*

Please hang out more ooo!! Be happy, stay inspired.

Your nappy hair nko? Dreads? ​​​*Lol*

And T? Hope you have stopped thinking about him so much? Have you heard from him lately?                                                                                                      Hope you are healing fine? Does it still hurt?

*sigh*

So, girl!! I Love You!!

Don't forget to remind yourself that; Life ain't about you, love others. Grow in love. Every opportunity is an avenue to grow. Life is a trust. Life is a test. Let it go. minus negative people. Be hopeful. Be optimistic. Be realistic.

Be slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to get angry!

Forgive seventy times seven times.

Everyday strive to be a better person. Have a positive attitude to everything. LOVE till it hurts and don't stop!!

God is ALWAYS with you and please don't forget in the dark all he told you in the light.

Muaaahhh!! Muaaaahhh! No one can love you as much as I do, well maybe except God :D

Me, in the past. 

This is my Reply:

Dear Me(In the past),

Just when i think you've run out of tricks to surprise me, i get this email. Wow! Just Wow!! You just never seize to amaze me at the way your head spins right? do you?

What goes through your head when you decide to write things like these that still makes sense a year later?

I Love you, really. I underestimated you, I am sorry.

I can remember watching you write this in that office at kontagora, clueless, broken, in pain - yet - you even sound so excited about the future. I am grateful to God for that time.

Now, You asked so much questions i don't even know where to start. Lets start with the most important.

How is my spiritual life? I know, then, my spirituality was a part of my life. Now, i am my spirituality. God isn't just a part of my life anymore but he is ALL of my life. Somewhere in between this one year, a process of total surrender has/is taken/taking place and that has put God in his place in my life. Its not just saying anymore, its doing. Best decision ever. #ProudJesusGirl

Aha! The Choir. I joined - finally - I know x_x. I also had to leave, because I kinda changed my church. God is in the process of putting me where he wants me to serve in this new church, there is no rush.

Life after NYSC. Fun? You have no idea. All the "responsible" you felt in Niger, this is nothing compared to it. Lagos "responsible" be like say he get another meaning *Phew* and its so expensive, to think that God is getting rid of the Ijebu in me *tears* I can't be cheap again. 

Yes, Life is fun at the same time gets challenging but i always wake up knowing I have a big God and everything is Himpossible. See that? Himpossible. My new vocabulary. I Love it.

Yeah. Yeah. You didn't have to rub it in, So what? I don't have a new man - but I have Jesus - Yes, if getting to know Jesus more is the price i have to pay and not be in a relationship right now? Its worth it biko. Heey! don't get me wrong oh, i'm still awesome as ever and the applications are piling but when you are not ready, you are just not ready.

One big head boy *Side eyes Sope* said to me "You know in the long run Jesus will not cuddle you and kiss you"  *RME*

Leave me jor, i know oh. Don't rush the potter na, let him finish the molding in his time abi? :p

You asked if i've held a camera? hmm.. even better, I sleep in one - See why I said I underestimated you? How all of this happened within the year, only God has the explanation, only him gets the glory. After NYSC, I cleaned out my savings and paid for photography training and a couple of months ago, i got a D7000. I limited you and the God in you, I know better now. Yes, taking pictures feels soooooo good, I can't explain my love for it. Its amazing, to say the least.

Days i was using my friends camera. :)

I did go to the beach, after all this time. Thanks to Wale for making it happen and I had maximum fun.

You asked about T? Let me be honest with you as you have been with me. God sent me to show some love to his daughter recently and everyone thought I was "such a good friend" but when God says go? you go. good friend or not. Half way on the trip, it hit me that there was a possibility of seeing T, but God reminded me "This is not about you, but Love for my daughter" and that brought a peace and calm to my spirit, soul and amazingly my body and when i heard her say "People really Love me" that was the confirmation of Gods word for me. I was ecstatic. Okay, back to T.  
I did see him and I cannot tell you what that did to me, reminding myself of why I was there was the peace I felt inside and after I told A, she said I was really calm about it. Praise the Lord.

I can't say i've stopped thinking about him, and i cannot say i have not healed - over healing is worrying me sef - I got the balm of Gilead *pops collar* Also, Remember Jesus knew exactly where the colt was(location wise) i also KNOW that God knows where i am at and he is the almighty and my father, so i rest in my knowledge of his knowledge(makes sense?) I should stop talking here.

Did you say gym? I ended up loving gym time, I got my trimmed tummy and much more sef, and everybody is beginning to think I have some kinda disease that is sapping all the fat, imagine? I went and got the body that i wanted biko.

Someone asked my sister recently "How is your sister, the fat one" iLaff, when I was chubbier - they talked. I lost weight now, plenty talk. I am enjoying the fact that my tummy is trimmed and I don't worry about how it looks in dresses anymore. I don't go to the gym again now, but I try to stay healthy - when I eat x_x 

My neck is not this long again tho' x_x

I really cannot but say "Thank you" to God for taking us through that difficult part of our life, looking back i couldn't have done it without him. People laugh when i say God is the strength of my life, they don't understand why i will forever take him seriously. I live for this reference point. We really couldn't have done it without God. I will brag on him till i draw my last breath.

Thank you for the courage to pick up where you left off. Thank you for the strength to face the day even when you cried your eyes out the previous night. Thank you for the positivity of the word you let pierce through your very essence and negativity. Thank you, for without you there will be no me.

I am not where i want to be, I am glad i was where i was, pressing forward to where God wants me to be. He promised to lead me by the hand and take me there. I am patiently waiting.

Yours in the process,

Present You.

This is why i won't stop writing at-least in my journal to always have a reference point, Sope reminded me of this verse when i forwarded the mail to him. 

Habakkuk 2:2-3

2 Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

This is one of the times i just want to scream. Like my mind is blown away. At the appointed time, the vision will speak and i will bring my tables(journal entries) with dates for you to see. 

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