I Bi Dem: Woman, Wife, Mother

I don’t know how many of you have been in situations where you have prayed and fasted and nothing seems to be happening. In fact, the situation seemed to be getting worse. You move on to bind and cast and laminate as my husband will say and yet the problems or issues seem to have just purchased a recliner and made themselves comfortable in your life. I wonder if you have been in such situations. I have from time to time.   I have heard while listening to biblical teachings that what to do at such times is to praise God. Really? Praise? What for? I haven’t received answers, so what should I praise God for? Bear with me while I unpack what I have learnt. Praise is warfare that puts dread on the problem, shifts your focus to see beyond the problem and ensures victory no matter how the situation turns out. Oftentimes we think that we fight best when we are able to defend our grounds or when we don’t give the enemy a chance on our side. But how about taking the battle to the enemy...

Imagine you sent your child to buy something on a ‘buy a product and get something free’ promo and the child comes home with only the free something but not the product the gift is attached to. How would you feel? In our local markets in Southwest Nigeria, we often ask for extra from the seller especially when buying grains. We call it "jara". It is over and above the purchase quantity. Whatever is put in a measure is not considered extra until the measure is full to the brim. Only then does the concept of ‘jara’ makes sense. It will be stupidity to ask for only the ‘jara’ and not the real measure. Yet, that is how most of us live our lives. We focus on, strive after, chase after the 'jara', and even give up the main for the extra. In Matthew 6:33, the Lord instructed us to focus on the main with a promise that He will give the ‘jara’. He directs us to what He considers the main thing. He says, ‘But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these th...

My son likes to watch fantasy sci-fi films. So I do too by association and interestingly I have been able to follow (in a manner of speaking) the story lines. I got hooked up on Star Wars for a while and I have watched The Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and the like. It is nice to escape to the world of unreal and make-believe. Sometime, I laugh loud at some of the actions or the things taken for granted in these films but wish that I have some of the superhuman abilities of the characters. Wouldn’t it be nice to move from place to place in a flash and get all I need to do just like that? Or be able to lift heavy objects, create electricity, heat and frost at will? What a life that will be! My favourite superhuman power is the characters’ ability to travel within different worlds and to go back and forth into the past and future. Some of characters are able to go back to the past to correct mistakes and right the wrongs. They create different timelines and the...

God calls us to partner with Him in two special ways. First, in witnessing through words and action; secondly through prayers. No force on earth can compare with the power of prayers. It is inviting the all-powerful Creator to intervene in our affairs.   Prayer changes situations; not always the way we want, but the way it is needed. The best gift one can give anyone is the gift of prayers. Time spent praying - interceding for someone is always time well spent and we all need to have people to stand in the gap for us at one time or another. I am a confirmed believer in the efficacy of prayers. For me coincidences do not happen. I know beyond all doubts that God is at work all the time. Knowing how powerful prayer is and how important it is for us to pray for others, the antagonist on the stage of life always wants to ensure that that bond of cooperation between man and God does not happen. Satan tries his best to make sure that no prayer goes on and if it does, it is...

Insecurity is something that plagues the best of us at different times for different reasons. We feel insecure about various issues like our physical appearance, competence at some tasks or skills and relationships among many others.  It is often expressed as a feeling of anxiety about one’s ability, lack of confidence and feeling vulnerable. We all have some of these feelings at one point or the other. Not to do so will make us narcissist. It is when it becomes a way of life that it becomes a problem. Feeling insecure can rob you of all joy and make you less competent than you really are. No one is born feeling insecure; we learn it as we go through life from experiences like what others say or do to us, our past failures or our take on life issues. The fact that insecurity can keep you from being all that God has planned you to be is enough reason to root it out of your life.  A good way to start is to have a correct opinion of yourself. See yourself the way God sees ...

I wasn't great in Maths at school; in fact I sucked at it. I can't remember 90% of what we were taught. Thank God that I managed to master some simple calculations that I need for everyday life. And thank Him for calculators, conversion tables and Google to help with ‘adult school’. One of the few things I did manage to learn and retain is that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So till today I always try to take straight routes if they are available. I know that while twists and turns and detours may be good for a story line, they are definitely not the best for me in terms of time and petrol.  Take a trip with me along any river you know and you will notice that that particular maths truth is lost on the river. The rivers simply do not look for a straight path; they look for one without obstruction. The river is all curves and twists and it takes at least twice the required time to get to its destination. But then who is checking the time for a r...

Although it is the mother-in-law that is often at the receiving end of many jokes, we must not forget the other side – the daughter-in-law. There can’t be one without the other. As the saying goes, ‘It takes two to tango.’ A worthy mother-in-law must realise that there is another woman in her son’s life and that there is no need for competition between them. The spot light now belongs to the new woman in her son’s life. For some mothers, this is a bitter pill to swallow. They don’t believe anyone is good enough for their son, no one can cook his favourite dish like she can, no one can give him the advice he needs to see him through life, and no one can replace her. And it is true. No one can take a mother’s place, but a wise mother should know when to step aside. When I think of the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the comment made by John the Baptist in John 3: 30 comes to mind. He said with reference to Jesus Christ, “He must increase, I decrease.” John...