Her Sides

This past year can be summed up in one word: shifts . Shift after shift, wave after wave—life kept moving, giving barely a moment to catch our breath. Many of us have felt stretched, shaken, or even uprooted. Foundations we thought were solid were exposed as fragile. Questions we never imagined facing became part of our daily reality. Yet, as the year turns to December, there is a sense of calm that reminds us of the shepherds hearing the angels declare, “Joy to the world.” Even after storms, peace can arrive. God uses life’s shifts—not to break us—but to purify, redefine, and rebuild us into stronger foundations.   Shaking That Strengthens Scripture says God will “once more shake the heavens and the earth” so that the things that can be shaken will fall away, but what cannot be shaken will remain (Hebrews 12:26–27). Life’s storms often reveal: a belief to surrender, a fear to face, an identity to release, a strength we didn’t know we had. The shaking isn’t the...

As humans, we all experience moments of fear—when we feel like letting go and trusting God is not an option. In those moments, God calls us to a higher place, a place of faith, courage, and trust. When our faith gets tested, God wants to help us dig in and trust Him wholeheartedly. Anyone who has had such moments can agree with me; it's a terrifying thing to do. Let go, hold on, or take that leap of faith at times when the stakes are high, and you don't know how the story will end. At those critical times, God invites us to do one thing and one thing only - trust Him.    Let's reflect on a story in the book of 2 Chronicles 20; here we see King Jehoshaphat facing an impossible battle that he knows may not end well, but God send him a word of reassurance: "He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's....

I am God's Masterpiece, created to display the glory of God, and so are you. We are made in his image, formed in his likeness and equipped with gifts and resources for his purpose. Each person you see walking around the surface of this earth is a part of that purpose, a unique piece designed by an expert craftsman. Each is uniquely chiselled, hammered and hewed for a reason. And it's not the reason we sometimes think it may be - it's a purpose aligned to his will.   In the bible story of Jeremiah, reading through chapter 18, God tells Jeremiah to go on a little field trip to a Potter's house and observe this craftsman at work. Jeremiah watches as this craftsman presses, rolls, moulds, breaks and transforms this clay lump into something beautiful, something uniquely made for use.   "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)   ...

The great thing about being a writer is you can go back and read your own articles and get some advice from yourself. I am sharing highlights from an article I wrote a while ago that's anchoring me at this point in my life. Here are three things to remember: When life throws one of its many curve balls, it leaves you spiraling.    Life's got its highs and lows .  We all go through good and bad times, but the key is to remember that there's always a brighter day ahead after the tough times.   Change is inevitable. It's  how we deal with it that matters—whether we face loss, defeat, or unexpected twists. You can learn from how others adapt and bounce back from these challenges.   Find strength in your faith.   Everything that has a beginning must have an end. For a godly person, the end is always peace. " Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace" Psalm 37:37 Lastly, it's all about perseverance and patience. Hang in t...

  As our life seasons change, what God plans for us and expects us to get involved may change. We must keep listening to his direction and stay alert for his guidance for change, so we are not stuck in the past, hung up on what he asked us to do in a past season that's no longer relevant.   As God's dear children, we must be attentive to hear what he asks us to do now, in this season. That's why being open-minded, flexible, and staying in tune with his spirit is critical to getting direction for the today of our lives and not the yesterday.    I like to think of my life and plan for it in decades, blocks of ten years. It's easier to project for a short enough time to prepare and a long enough time to execute. When I pray, I ask God for wisdom, guidance, and direction for what to do and how to live the best life is calling me to live each decade.    What should I do in my 20s, 30s and 40s? As I look back on each decade, I see how my plans and pri...

  "When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said   to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." John 11:43-44 ESV   When I hear the word 'emerge,' it stirs up powerful emotions of courage and faith deep within me. This word, emerge, paints a picture of a person or a thing coming out of a covering, solid and potent. Throughout the Bible, we read stories of God's mighty deliverance pulling his people out of situations and calling them into a divine purpose by words of his promises.    The story of Lazarus in John 11 is one such story and a favorite of mine. It offers one of the best descriptions of the power of God and its ability to call us out of difficult situations. The story, in a nutshell, tells us that Lazarus had died from a sickness, and it took Jesus a couple of days to reach where his body ...

If you feel like you need a new beginning, you should read Isaiah 57 from verses 14 to the end. It contains excellent promises of hope and fills you with fresh zest and courage to say, "today is a new day, a new dawn."     Today is a day of restoration, comfort and new beginnings. God's promises come clear and start with a call to return to God, our first love. Think about how you are experiencing your relationship with God today. Is it the same way as when you first believed? If not, this day brings an opportunity for a fresh start.    Remember your commitment to faith, passion for love, the joy of giving, and return to God with all your heart. Allow him to be the God of your life again. Take down everything you have made an idol, everything you have pursued more than you pursued your relationship with God.    Allow him to be first in your heart and life again. It's a new dawn, and it starts with a fiery passionate love for G...

There is a saying you may have heard; it says, "music refreshes the soul." The Soul – the very essence of our being. It is the part of our existence that lies between the world we live in and the world our spirit seeks to dwell. It is the part of us that lives on long after we are gone from this world. It is the part that seeks out its creator, the one our creator seeks. The Soul is the core of our being; it's the eternal being.   When disaster strikes, you may feel the pain in your body and could very well recover from it. However, if you let that deep dark feeling of loneliness and depression sink into your Soul, it will destroy your entire being. Look around you, see how worries, anxieties, and fear saps out life from souls around you. The hardship of our world serves to create a troubled soul. A troubled soul is a fertile ground for seeds of greed, wickedness, and evil to grow, which eventually grows into lost souls.   Sin...

  Every once in a while, something dramatic happens that throws a man’s life off course. It could be the loss of a spouse, a bad business deal, or issues with the law. Such defining moments often make a man wonder about what is essential in his life from that point on. It is so amazing how quickly a seemingly good situation can change and go horribly wrong, leaving people completely helpless and feeling utterly despondent. Everyone has gone through a time when all the plans have failed, all the help has been seized, and all the courage has withered in the face of an impossible situation.     At times like this, it’s easy to throw in the towel and just assume your new life. Sometimes we try to make a sense of it all, asking why did this happen and what am I supposed to learn from this experience? However, at the end of the day, nothing about what you have just gone through makes sense, so what’s the point? It’s really frustrating and often discouraging...

This week, my family and I read the book of Psalm 121 during one of our daily devotions just before bedtime. This Psalm is one of my favorites because it talks about how much God loves and protects us at all times. It holds a lot of truth and comfort that comes from the knowledge of who God is. When found, this knowledge makes you feel safe and secure in the arms of our heavenly father, especially in uncertain times like this one the world is going through. Recent happenings have threatened the world we know and challenge our sense of security.   We have seen lots of people fall ill and others fighting for their lives on death beds as a result of the COVID pandemic. The aftermath of the lockdown has left families struggling to make ends meet as the economy goes into recession. Companies have had to do many job cuts to stay afloat while some other companies have closed up. Just at the point the world's economies started to reopen gradually, a new heightened sense o...