Her Sides

A great way to start your day is to spend time with God. You find Joy and strength to face your day when you spend some time daily in the presence of God. I have a set time I get up every morning and a place in my home where I sit every morning to pray and be with God. I usually have a few things to help me get the best from my Me Time With God. I have my bible, a notepad, a pen, a sticky note and a cup of tea. Your time with God sets the tone for your day. So don't rush off into the morning without praying. Listen to God as you read the bible and write down ideas He puts in your mind. A joyful morning starts with God, don't forget that. Here are a few things to get you started. https://amzn.to/3AwbkLp

‘I pray that . . .’A very simple phrase that we often read in many places, like in letters from friends, well wishes greeting cards, posters or wall frames. We see it so often and say it even more often that sometimes we forget what it really means. Throughout the bible, we read verses that start with these words. They are genuine prayers from an apostle to his followers, or from one friend to another. However, of all the ‘I pray that’ verses, this one stands out for me: “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.” 3 John 1:2. In many ways, this is the most wholesome prayer you can say for yourself and for a friend. Let’s take a minute to look at what it is about.   I pray that you prosper in every way In today’s world, the prosperity message has taken on a whole new meaning in our pulpits, where the call to give to God is often associated with receiving wealth back. My idea of prosperity, though, is simple—...

Welcome to 2018. In the last few hours of 2017 I spent some time thumbing through my bible trying to find a theme to define the New Year. Would it be a Year of New beginnings or of Resounding praise? Would it be the Year of Restorations or Healing? As I read through verses in the book of Isaiah, I was inspired by the tenth chapter,” …that you may know me and believe me.” God’s desire is to have a stronger relationship with his children in this new year. He wants us to seek him with all our heart, to discover for ourselves who he really is. Who is this God you worship? How well do you really know him? Is he the God of your fathers, therefore your faith is somehow inherited? Is he the God they taught you about in Sunday school? Why is he your God? Why do you believe him? My single mission this year is to rediscover God, to learn more about him and to build my trust in him. And as New Year resolutions go, this should be on top of your list too. It’s a new day, it’s a n...

By Funmi Yusuf I felt compelled to write this piece after some reflection and meditation on the scripture, John 2:13-16. In these verses, the bible talked about how Jesus kicked out all the people that were trading in the temple declaring that it is a 'house of prayer', not a 'house of business'. I am guessing the buyers and sellers must have been members of the temple else they wouldn't have been allowed such access. I can only imagine how upset and disappointed Jesus must have been when he came in to pray but was met by all the distractions and vanity. I imagine Jesus came wholeheartedly, seeking to set aside the worries and pleasures of the world and just worship his father. Instead, he was being chased down by sellers and haggled by money changers. How sad. Although in current times, the picture wouldn't be as dramatic as it was during Jesus's time (I hope), but the underlying fact of making the church a 'house of business' rather than ...

It’s a New Year and a great time to start over with God.  It’s a good time to set up some moments with God in prayer and in the study of his word. There is no better time to seek the face of your Maker. I can think of a million and one things you may need to ask for – kids, job, spouse, finances and many more. If I could give you one advice in 2017 it will be to seek his favor and help. The bible text above tell of how God has a time when he does answer our request and it’s in a moment of Favor. He also has a day when he sends help our way and it’s the day of salvation. Since our days are all numbered in his book and only his plan stands, you shouldn’t spend your time with God this year asking for stuffs. You need his favor and help and everything else will fall into place. So set some time to pray this month, seek the counsel of the All Wise God, read his word and listen for directions before you jump full speed into the year. You need his favor and help more than a...

This has been a particularly tough week for me. I have been so weighed down by the burden of all the mishaps going on in my country Nigeria and in particular with the missing 200+ girls from Chibok. Every time I listened to the radio, it was one piece of sad news after another. TV was just as bad, and international news even worse. When I met with friends, we ended up just getting depressed by the situation in Nigeria. After an emotionally distorted week, I went to God not in prayer but with questions. Why would a just, loving God allow such evil to happen to people who love him? No doubt a couple of the missing girls could have been Christian who love God, serve him, and obey his commands. So why would he allow that to happen to them? And even if they weren’t, what about their parents? Surely some of them could be tithe-paying tongue-speaking Christians who should have been under the covenant of protection we all believe in? Has God turned away from us completely, or has he gon...