Often times it is said, "The Lord is so good and faithful to me. I'm so happy for all He has done for me..." This, indeed is great. It's good to be thankful. But wait, that's not my message, that's not what this is about. Here's the deal.

The Lord is good to you, but are you good to Him? The Lord is faithful to you, but are you faithful to Him? You're happy for all He has done, but is He happy with all you're doing?

Think about this. You may or may not be a church goer. You may or may not be a Christian. But here's an important insight. When you do wrong, you know it is wrong because of one thing, one judge in your heart, and that is your conscience.

Yes, you read right, your conscience. So, keep it in mind that while you're being grateful and thanking God for being good and faithful to you, be faithful to Him too. Be good to Him too.

When you've done wrong, you know it because your conscience will prick you, and there, you have to make a choice to either right the wrong, or go on with the wrong.

Hereon, in whatever you do, have it in mind that there's a God that sees all, and He's above. And make Him feel happy for what you're doing, while you're also happy for all He's doing. Because He says in His word that He's angry with the wicked everyday.

This is not just a writeup to read and say, "What a nice writeup." It's a timely message, and a call to you and me to strive to please the Lord in all we do. Enjoy your weekend, but remember, live for Him, the One who called you and saved you; Jesus. I am El Shava.

Lazarus, Jesus' friend was very sick. When Jesus was informed, he tarried before going. Not long, Lazarus died, but Jesus knew that it was to show the glory and hand of God.

He got there, and Martha, Lazarus' sister, asked Him why He didn't come earlier, that her brother is dead. But Jesus, after weeping (because He loved him) asked her where the he was buried.

Martha was hesitant, because he had already been buried for four days. As we all know, Jesus thanked His Heavenly Father, and prayed, then commanded Lazarus to come forth. And Lazarus rose from the dead! (John 11:1-45;)

Now, there's something we should learn here. God may appear to be late in our time, but in His, He's right on time. Think about this. If Jesus had gone earlier while Lazarus wasn't yet dead, He'd have still worked a miracle, but not as great as the one He did, such that turned the hearts of the people to believe in God.

Yes, you have many things going on with you, bad things people may not know of. You've been crying to God for days, weeks, months or years, and He still hasn't answered. Then, you're moved to say that He's late, and you feel it's the end of life.

No! He's not late. He's never late. He's always right on time, not your time, but His time. In the right time, He'll do as He has said. Remember, everything that happens, happens as God wants, to the glory of His name. So, dear friend, hold on to Him. Don't lose faith and keep trusting and believing in Him.

At the right time, He'll roll away the stone of problems from you, and you'll testify that indeed, He is Lord of all. He's still the same. He'll soon be here, roll back the stone, and call your name, to come out of your distress. God bless you, and have a great day. I am El Shava.

"What's humanity's hope if humans are like this? What do we really think will happen in the next few years? We'll be dead and gone in a matter of centuries, but who'll remember us and the legacy we left behind?"

Though I'm not certain how this world will be in the next few years, I'm sure and certain of one thing, no! One Hope. And that hope? Heaven! Yes, Heaven.

How conscious are you of Heaven? Do you ponder and wonder on the mystery of Eternity and where you'll be? Will you be in Heaven or Hell??

What do you really want that's keeping you from focusing on God? Education? Degree? Money? Food? Shelter? We all want that, but let's not forget that we don't belong here, and with time, all these shall pass, and you know what won't pass?

The Word. The Word that teaches that Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. And what's that life? Eternal Life with God. But where? Heaven.

So, I don't know about you. But as for me, I'm homesick for Heaven. Where I'll see the saints and angels. Heaven.🥹

Listen to Homesick for Heaven by Phil Wickham as you read this. Have a great Sunday.✨

Life. Up the mountain? Looks good. Everything appears to be going well. The grass looks green and the skies pleasantly blue. We talk about dreams and ambitions, building castles in the air. But, it's all a mirage.

Life. Down the valley? Everything's terrible. We try to blink away the tears, but they keep coming. We look left, right, forward, and backward; no hope. No one's coming to help us.

Why then, do we live? Going through the hustle, trying to shuffle our way with life, yet it seems like nothing is changing. Wake up, try to make ends meet, then sleep at night. Get fed up most times, weary and dreary many times, but we still keep on kipping. Fall to the ground, we still stand up and drag on, hungry, thirsty and tired.

We never get to know what life really is, except we know who we live for, and why we live. For me, here's who and why; Christ Jesus, my Lord and Saviour.

Jesus? He's all that really matters. Live for His glory, and show forth His will. Good times, I praise Him. Bad times, I praise Him more, because I have faith He'll still do good as He always does.

Christ? My All-Sufficient-One. I can't imagine going through the day without Him being there, holding me in His love. And when life gets darker, I seek solace in His Word, and peace floods my soul.

Above me, beneath me, beside me, behind me, He's all that matters. Light at the end of the tunnel? No, not so for me. Because He's the Light that illumines the dark tunnel. And till the end of time, my words, forever will be, He's enough for me, and He's all that matters to me. Jesus Christ.

In your relationship with God, be intentional. Are you serving Him because your family background says you should? Or are you serving Him because He demands so? Are you truly serving Him, or are you being hypocritical?

In your relationship with people, be intentional. Are you really who you say you are? Can people actually commend your efforts and recommend others to you when your name is called somewhere?

In your appearance and dressing, be intentional. The Bible commands, decency modesty and moderation. Are you keeping His word? Or do you go about leading others astray in your choice of appearance?

In your thoughts, words, actions and inactions, be intentional. Carefully calculate your thoughts before you utter a word or carry out an act. The outcome speaks volumes. Is your action commendable? Do you ponder and wonder on each word you say?

In all other aspects, be intentional. It pays.

I was broken, I knew. But there was no one I could tell. "They'll laugh at me," I thought. "They'll mock me." Yes, I still prayed, but not because I wanted to; my mom told me to always pray, and I had to obey her, because I couldn't disobey her.

The weight, so much that I didn't even have the courage to face anyone, scared that they'll see through my broken walls. I laughed, but behind the mask was sadness. I was lost.

I wandered on life's path, lonely and hopeless. Held down by chains of sins I clung to, which I knew was blocking me from seeing God's plan for me. A tattler, that I was. I tattled and rattled like an instrument, not caring to listen to myself. I carried on for years, despite going to church and all.

Until one day, Grace found me. I cried out in shame to my Saviour. I pleaded and begged for mercy and pardon, and He forgave me.

When Grace found me, I found myself too, my reason for living. Not because friends and family love me, but because He loved me first, and found me when I was lost. Jesus loved me.

And because He loved me and saved me, He loves you too, and wants you for/to Himself.

"I'm depressed," you say to yourself. But! You aren't; the devil makes you believe so. Seek no more for the Saviour, 'cause He's here today, to seek and to save the lost. Surrender your life to Him, and He'll forgive you, love and keep you more than ever before.

Something that was a part of us since we were young, but with the advent of social media and others, we're gradually drifting away from it. When we were young, we were told that "Readers are leaders." But we didn't read the reverse saying, "Leaders are readers", that to be an effective leader, you must be someone that reads.

Reading exposes you to new ideas and facts. There's one thing about reading you should know. To write a single book, an author makes a lot of research and findings, so as to not mislead his/her reader. When you read books, you get to know things you may not have time to research.

In fact, reading shapes the general nature of a person. If you read so much action, war, killing, etc. you tend to become violent. If you read romance carelessly, your thoughts go that way very easily, and so on.

Reading helps in personal growth, inspiration and motivation. There was a book I read some years ago, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens." Till this day, what I learnt from the book remains in my memory.

Reading helps you calm down too. It helps you escape stress and worry. When you're downcast and tired of life, pick up your Bible and read, and you'll love the peace that comes with it.

Now, we not only need to read books. Read your words, your actions and your thoughts. Read what your mind thinks about, so you'll not be led astray. Read what you say, think twice before saying anything. As we know, "The tongue is powerful" and "Life and death lies in the tongue".

Read your actions. If you carry out an act without thinking, it becomes an habit then a character, very hard to break down. And it changes the perception of others about you.

Have you ever wondered why you pray for hours but it seems like your prayers are not answered? You cry and wail, kneel and travail, but answers seem far? You even go for tarry nights, go to prayer houses and churches, still no answer, but when someone just lift his hands and sing to the Lord, there's an answer?

It's something you know, but you chose to ignore. PRAISES.

Most times nowadays, we only care about God's blessings, protection, provision, promotion, favour and success. And we pray for these, but it will still look like nothing meaningful is going on in our lives.

That's because we've failed to give honour to Whom honour is due. We forget that, "Prayers move mountains, but Praises move the Hand of God". We forget that , "In everything, give thanks." We forget the joy and gladness that comes by just praising God.

Many times, I've looked at the way things are at the moment, thought about how much he morrow will be, and feel like crying. But I look pass them and sing praises to God, and I tell you, the fullness of joy is inexplicable.

It's not all about "kabbashing" and casting out demons. Take a moment to praise God for what He has done, what He's doing and what He's planning to do and going to do. And you'll feel a change. Happy weekend. I am El Shava.

The sleepiness I felt earlier on left me, with stillness lingering, my nerves calm.

Most times, we're too busy with life that we don't stop to look back and forward at the road we're walking. Because of this, we walk on a desert road, lonely and weary.

We forget that the One who gives strength is always available, but if we don't call out to Him, we'll walk alone, guided by our fleshly, carnal knowledge, with no idea about what will happen sooner or later.

Stop, reflect, and say these words, as you continue in your walk; "One day at a time, Lord. Help me to walk one day at a time, sweet Jesus."

I am El Shava.

Weak, I trod down the path that led to the church. Inside, I felt empty; nothing felt alive. I listened to songs from playlists on my phone, still nothing. I reached, heaved a deep sigh and got in. I muttered some words of prayer and joined the brethren in praising God.

Time passed, the choir stood up stage for their ministration. As the keyboardist started playing, I paused. I listened, and something rose in my chest. I recognized the tune; One Day At A Time by Lynda Randle. I blocked off all wandering thoughts and closed my ears. Tranquil, I heard the soloist sing the first stanza, then the choir chorused the refrain.

Suddenly, something stirred deep inside me. And it clicked; sudden realization dawning on me. I realized that lately, though I was actively walking with God, there was a prayer I hadn't made, some words I hadn't said, "One day at a time, Lord."

There and then, I closed my eyes, and shaking my head slightly in meditation, I whispered to the Lord from my soul, "One day at a time, Lord. Help me to walk one day at a time, sweet Jesus." And calmness came upon my soul.

To be continued...

I am El Shava.

The devil won't tell you to keep shut, stop talking and be still, but God would. Here's why.

When you talk too much, you let important things leave you. You can't process your thoughts and pick the right choice of words. Your heart leads you on and later, when you think on all you said earlier, you'll find yourself regretting.

Empty vessels, they say, make the loudest noise. When you're filled to the brim, you won't spend time wasting all you have unnecessarily.

Narrow down your talks and talk less. You lose a lot when you talk a lot, unnecessarily at that. But when you calculate before talking, you find yourself carefully doing everything you planned out and the joy is unspeakable.

We're commanded to be moderate in all manner of conversation. Talk less and think more. I am El Shava.

Look over the hills and mountains yonder, watch the sun set ever so beautifully. Watch the birds fly up in the skies. Feel the calm breeze touch your skin and send shivers down your spine.

Look at the grasses and marvel at how green they are. Pick one and feel it. Watch grey clouds cover the blue skies, watch how the trees dance to the tune of the wind.

Go to the seas and gaze at how perfectly they flow, all commanded by God. Feel the soft beach sand and smile. Hear the cocks crow and the birds chirp.

Then, you will know that there's God, He loves and commands nature. And if He loves them, He loves us too.

Take a deep breath, be still, let silence reign, feel His peace, and know God is real. I am El Shava.

Life, they say, is full of ups and downs. But lately, it feels as if things are fine. No, there's no certainty that things are actually fine, but I just let God take the wheels and drive me, and I couldn't feel any better love.

I remember the times I was weighed down by overthinking. There was God, but I was blind to that fact. I had let the noise of problems and people weigh me down so much that I couldn't hear His whispers in the silence. His whispers saying, “Be still. I'm here.”

I thought I could walk this path alone, as long as there's family and friends. But He's made me realize that I can't walk without Him holding my hand.

I've blocked my ears from the noise of the world and in the silence, I'll hear His whispers. His whispers of love, because I can only hear Him in the silence. Oh! How salient this silence is!

I am El Shava.

As a very important virtue irrespective of age, gender, status and race, accountability involves being responsible for actions, being open and honest about decisions/actions, being willing to explain and justify actions, and accepting the outcomes of actions.

Every aspect of life requires responsibility. In relationships, in marriages, financially, at different professions, leadership, and even spiritually, accountability is required of us in all our endeavours.

You hear people say, "It's my life; I chose what I do with it". But have you forgotten, or do you know that even though you aren't accountable to people, you'll give an account of your actions here on earth to God in Heaven at the end of time?

In families, some so called men act highly and haughtily, "... After all, I'm the head. So I decide what to do. No one dares question me." They fail to realize that being the head doesn't mean you have to be irresponsible. Of course, of what use is the head without the body?

At offices and other workplaces, accountability is also needed. Not just in finance but in character and ability to carry out one's duties. In relating with people daily, we need to be accountable. Accountability helps foster trust, happiness, peace, reliability, personal growth and improved satisfaction. It's essential in personal and professional settings, relationships and leadership roles.

Remember, whatever you do here is being recorded in Heaven and on the last day, you'll give an account of your actions. So, watch what you do, and how you do them. Jesus loves you, and wants you to be with him at the end of time. I am El Shava.