Mastering Church Budgets: Strategies for Financial Success
By Dave Agboola One of the greatest challenges faced by church leaders is effectively managing church budgets and finances. Proper financial stewardship is key to ensuring the growth and sustainability of your ministry. By implementing strategic financial management practices, you can navigate the complexities of church budgets and achieve […]
Pastoring in the Digital Age: Embracing Technology for Connection and Growth
By Dave Agboola In this fast-evolving digital era, pastors and church leaders have a unique opportunity to use technology to connect with and engage individuals in unprecedented ways. Embracing technology allows us to break free from physical boundaries, fostering profound connections and expanding our sacred mission beyond the walls of our sanctuary. In this […]
Leading Through Tough Conversations and Conflicts in Church
By Fortune Ojie The church is a place with diverse kinds of people. Expectedly, everyone in church should be a part of the body of Christ. Everyone is significant according to their giftings and callings. Even though the church is meant to be a place of love acceptance and unity, like any community, conflicts […]
Balancing Ministry and Personal Life: Finding Rest During the Demands
By Dave Agboola Finding balance between ministry and personal life can be a challenge, as the demands of serving others can often be overwhelming. However, it is crucial to prioritize self-care and rest to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy balance. One key aspect of finding rest amidst ministry demands is setting boundaries. It can […]
Winning Strategies for Building and Leading a Strong Volunteer Force
By Godman Akinlabi Leading volunteers presents a unique set of challenges compared to managing paid employees. Volunteers are motivated by their passion for a cause, and they choose to give their time and skills freely. As a result, volunteer leaders must navigate the delicate balance between providing guidance and direction while also respecting the autonomy […]
How to Lead with Compassion and Empathy
By Dave Agboola Leading a church can present challenges, but it can also be an incredibly fulfilling experience when approached with passion and empathy. As a leader, your ability to emotionally connect with people can influence how they perceive you and their willingness to follow your guidance. To lead with […]
TO RELOCATE OR NOT!
Written by Temitayo Ogunmokun The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you… So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him…” – Gen 12: 1 & 4 Relocation has become […]
A Love That Runs Deep
Love is a word I thought I knew A universe of warmth within my home. Dangling from my mother’s back Laughing at the tickles of my father’s touch. Love is a world I thought I’d grasped, An awakening I hoped would never fade. Holding the hands of those I loved, Resting […]
Skills to Stay Relevant in a Changing World
Written by Victor Alagbe Nine years from now, by the year 2030, it is likely that most people will be working in jobs that do not even exist today. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020, 40% of employees can expect the core skills needed in their jobs to change […]
Building Your Online Brand
Written by Ugonna Iheme At the start of this millennium, less than one percent of Nigerians were internet users. By 2020, about half (over 100 million people) had internet connectivity, and a third of that used social media. Unsurprisingly, online branding – which uses the internet as a medium for positioning your business – […]
THE EVERYDAY LEADER II
Written by Eniola Ositelu “Here you have to run as fast as you can to stay where you are. If you want to get someplace else, you have to run much faster.” -Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland. LEARN TO EMBRACE CHANGE Anyone happy with where they were last year is probably not dreaming big enough. […]
THE EVERYDAY LEADER I
Written by Eniola Ositelu What comes to mind when you hear the word leader? Is it public office holders like the President, or even clergymen? Well, perhaps I should start with what leadership entails. Simply put, leadership is your ability to cope with change. With this view, if I asked you again who you think […]
Fast Track Your Career with Personal Development
Fast Track Your Career with Personal Development. By Chidi Iwe Personal Development can be fun, but there are times, if I am honest, when it feels like a chore. Today I will share several personal development secrets with you including how to make your personal development journey fun. But first, what is personal […]
LovingItis: Tune in to love
Loving: Present continuous tense for love. Synonyms: affectionate, fond, devoted, adoring, amorous, doting, tender, caring… Itis: Medical term for inflammation. Synonyms: redness, hotness, burning, heat, stinging, soreness, pain… Sentence: Doctor, errmmmm… it looks like I have lovingitis. My heart is tickling me, there are butterflies in my stomach and I cannot explain how […]
Discipline and Consistency
What then shall we say? Shall we continue to live purposelessly because days seem inevitable? Of course not! Is goal setting and discipline bad? Nay! We had not known tasks involved in living healthy and spiritual lifestyles, personal and career development, starting-up and managing successful businesses etc., until the law of discipline […]
Lessons of 2020
If you are asked how your 2020 went, your reply would probably go like this: January, February, March ……. BLANK…………., December. If your 2020 was anything like mine, March – December wasn’t blank. It was full of lessons! Let’s start with how 2020 was argued to be the start/end of a new decade. I double-checked […]
The Church in Nigeria: Silent No More!
The nominal Christian population in Nigeria is approximately 80 million, traversing virtually all parts of our great country. It is widely suggested that Nigeria is home to the largest collection of black Christians in the world. When one begins to think about this sub-population as a socio-economic group, especially when juxtaposed with the Bible’s positioning of Christians as […]
THE PROVERBS 31 HUMAN
If you’ve been in the Church or around Christians for a while, you’ve probably heard a lot about the Proverbs 31 Woman, but did you know it was actually written by a man to his son? I bet you didn’t know that. Invariably, you can say the passage doesn’t just speak about the Proverbs 31 […]
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH
If there’s one thing we all want, it’s to be happy. As humans, we often shuttle between periods of overlooking happiness while trying to make ends meet and periods of chasing after it. Happiness is free, some say; so here are some tips to help you live happily: Gratitude: The power of gratitude cannot […]
GOOD MORNING HOLY SPIRIT
As much as this sounds like the title of a book by Benny Hinn, I am not here to talk about the book but the person of the Holy Spirit and why it is important to let Him lead us daily. But first, I would like to lead with a question: who is the Holy […]
Called to Lead
I stopped by Heaven’s gate to drop a hello the other day and was just in time to hear the Father say: ‘We welcome a great leader’ Ahh, perfect timing, I think. I join the applause and step aside to make room for the great leader. A moment later, I still don’t see […]
I am Possible
To Drive or Not To Drive… Hey! Growing up, I recall learning how to drive and how it looked impossible. I also recall going to a driving school several times, my father and my brother teaching me how to drive… albeit, I shamefully could not muster the courage to drive. My excuse was always […]
THE BENEFITS OF HABITUAL READING
Ever wondered why sometimes it is easier to remember something you read than an event you actually had, or a face you saw and interacted with? This is because when you read, your brain constructs webs of memories; it’s the way the brain is wired to remember things you put into it. While reading something, […]
5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Sleep
Sleeping is one of the necessary things in life we cannot do without, just like breathing, eating and loving. Every living creature gets to sleeps for an amount of time and at a time of the day. It is an inevitable activity. Even the busiest man to ever live on the earth found […]
The Dream Job
You may not like it, but it is what you’re presented with; it is not exactly what you want but you don’t have any other choice. You wish things could be different; well… maybe soon but not at this moment. So, you huff and puff deep within; your mind wanders a little bit and you […]
How to Handle Procrastination
At a point in our lives, we might have had those moments of panic when we realize we had a task to do but we had put it off until the last minute now our brains are on fire trying to get what could have been done in a month accomplished in one day. At […]
Equipping yourself for the age of Creativity.
The future does not belong to the geniuses. According to Warren Buffet, an idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan. It is no wander that the forces of life and luck usually gang up in favor of the man with a plan to remain relevant. Not more than 50% of […]
YOUR MIND – A POWER ENGINE
Dear You, If I tell you “let me be your motivation”, I’m only but a smooth talker. Nobody is truly your motivation except YOURSELF. You can sit through a thousand Ted talks and burn 20k on Motivational messages And it won’t strike a flame of passion within you. Yes! You […]
Overcoming Fear: My Frightful Flight
I lie down and sleep and all night long the LORD protects me. I am not afraid of the thousands of enemies who Surround me on every side. Psalm 3:5-6 One fateful morning, while travelling from Lagos to Port Harcourt, guess who sat beside me? That creepy, miserable, attention-seeking, lying beast called fear. Innocent […]
Watch and Pray
A successful life is one lived on the basis of the wisdom of God, which amongst other things, is premised on being watchful and prayerful. God is eternal in His perspective, so He admonishes us to “Watch therefore, and pray always…” – Luke 21:36. But is this call unto watchfulness as a result of […]
OVERCOMING DOUBT DURING THE PANDEMIC
I’m sure you’ve had some of these questions run through your mind – Question: “Is God aware of your troubles? Answer: Maybe he’s aware. Question: As a devoted Christian, does God get angry when I worry about my life especially in this pandemic season? Answer: “God understands when you doubt as life can be […]
Forgive me Father
________________________________________________________________________ Thursday, 30 April 8:03pm Forgive me Father, for I have failed. It’s been two weeks since my last depression. I’m here again. I thought the last time was the last time; yet here I am, two weeks later, like clockwork. Crawling, clutching, struggling to breathe; barely any fight […]
BALANCED DIET
‘You are what you eat’, is a phrase used by doctors, dieticians, nutritionists, fitness trainers et. cetera. Despite the fact that we might have heard it a gazillion times, the truth in that phrase remains constant. For the most part, it is clear that every stage of physical development comes with the need to […]
Worth Running For
“Why would anyone do this to themselves?” I wondered. I was standing at the finish line of a marathon, surrounded by throngs of people. Runners were completing the race, drenched in sweat, water and all kinds of performance powders and liquids. It seemed insane to me that anyone would spend hours running in the gruelling […]
Biblical Principles Applicable to Business
This article is a case study of the “parable of the ten virgins” in relation to Preparedness. I’ve been asking my Director for some instructions on how to go about certain things in my business and He started whispering some things I’d like to share with you. Stay with me, especially if you are an […]
Help is On the Way
Not only was the world not prepared for a pandemic, we were ill-equipped. Some people didn’t know enough about the pandemic, hence didn’t do enough to prepare for it. While some others knew how terrible a pandemic can be but felt it can be tackled on a spot. In a blink of an eye, Covid-19 […]
My Body, His Temple
Do you know you are a temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you? – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 It was a Sunday morning. At about 6am, JÒke’s phone rang, and she could not ignore it because she had one of those very loud ringtones, she rolled over and stretched to […]
In Christ Alone
It was December 2019, a new novel coronavirus had broken out in Wuhan, a region of China. It spread so rapidly, like nothing ever seen before. The strain was new; it had no cure. So, the disease continued to spread; and easily too. From a handshake to a simple hug, to standing next to an […]
We Wrestle not Against 5G
In Nigeria, we like gist – the juicier the story, the better and we have an opinion on everything. We fuel our gist obsession through social media whether it’s tweets, blogs or other e-info sources. And now, we are spending more and more time on social media to stay informed, as we practice social distancing […]
Quarantined in The Secret Place
“Yield and make the time count You can’t spend time you don’t create” -Anonymous- It is no longer news that the whole world is adjusting to this ‘new normal’ and what is coming after it. Panic and anxiety are all we hear from the media; it is so overwhelming to the point many people […]
Lockdown is not Lockup
It’s no longer news that the Covid-19 pandemic and its spread across the globe has killed thousands of people, crashed the global economy and plunged ‘normal’ life into turbulence and disorder. Various aspects of life have not been and will not be the same due to this. Experts have tried to unravel how to harness […]
A Grateful Heart
Somto hated Mathematics. He struggled with it in class almost every year. Despite my many attempts to help him improve his understanding of the basics, we just couldn’t make a headway. I would scream and be so impatient whenever I sat down to teach him; my wife and I even went ahead to get home […]
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
I don’t know what you think about when you think of love. Personally, I think of Westlife (aging myself here), and how a greater boy band may never exist. Westlife sang a LOT about love. Love they had lost; love they could not live without; love they were scared of losing. But one song […]
DISCERNING THE RIGHT COUNSEL
I want what is good for you doesn’t mean I know what is good for you. As we journey through life, we often get advice from many quarters, mostly unsolicited. Everybody older than oneself often feel the responsibility to set you right, including those who have never set a foot right. While most of our […]
From Lagos with Love
While this is a story about Valentine, it’s quite different from the popular one you know. And although the fourteenth has come and gone; if you stay with me, you’ll see that it fits this simple note of mine. First, I didn’t have an all-that-great valentine. From the days leading up to the fourteenth, to […]
Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage
Ladies, grasp your bonnets…or head-ties. Gentlemen, hold on to your suspenders. Your marriage is about to get lit! Open your bibles to the book of Romance Chapter 1. No, not Romans. Romance. This is no Epistle by Apostle Paul. My apologies for deflating your righteous airs but the Song of Songs is just as holy […]
The Burning Bush
Only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable you are. …Bill Gates… Today, many people have positioned themselves in a place that even if God tried to get their attention from all the distractions, His effort might not avail much. God longs for us to achieve our destinies and purpose […]
The Real Beauty
So, I’m here on another Instagram check and I see this amazing beauty whose figure I’ve always wanted to have. It was the curvy figure 8, flat tummy; skin goals-melanin popping; edges laid perfectly, eye brows perfect; eye lashes long and nails perfect! Goodness, is she even real?! No imperfections whatsoever and of course it’s […]
Waiting on God
“How long will I have to wait?” Mike asked Joe frantically… He was too nervous to sit still. He had been waiting for a feedback about his presentation for over an hour and he was beginning to get impatient. Joe replied him with a smile on his face; “Guy, calm down, you didn’t think […]
Breaking Addictions
What comes to your mind when the word “addiction” is mentioned? Just as some of us think that all doctors must be male and all nurses must be female, that’s how some of us see the word addiction as related to negativity. I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking that way especially when the term is […]
New Decade, New Me
A new decade bellows – “Hello, it’s 2020! A cool looking number, seem like a harbinger?” A voice in my head tells me that it’s not just another new year. It’s a defining decade. Now is a good time to have a pregnant pause. Why? “Because it’s a new season and there’s need to set […]
The Rejected Gift
‘Knock, knock’ ‘Come right in’, I bellow. It’s the delivery boy and he has a parcel for me. Smiling like a watermelon, I reach for the gift box. It’s covered in gleaming gold wrap, strapped with green and red ribbons. It feels like a million bucks. ‘What could it be?’ I wonder, as the […]
No Longer Slaves
“You unravel me, with a melody, You surround me with a song Of deliverance, from my enemies, Till all my fears have gone I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God” No Longer Slaves – Bethel Music The first time I heard the song “No Longer slaves” by Bethel […]
Be Intentional
John Maxwell, world renowned authority in the subject of leadership, once told a story of how, back in 1976, he received a gift from Eileen Beavers, his assistant at that time. As he unwrapped it, he saw it was a book with the intriguing title, The Greatest Story Ever Told. He couldn’t wait to read […]
Lessons from Kintsugi
We are all broken in one way or the other, aren’t we? Of course, we are since we’re imperfect. Someone is having sleepless nights because of debt, some individuals are complaining of slow growth in business and unfavorable government policies. For some, it could be an unhappy marriage, unemployment or poor work conditions. The list […]
Better at 70
Over lunch, a few months ago, a friend asked me what I liked to do on my birthdays. Before even thinking it through, I blurted out, “I like to be alone so I can think.” I find that I’m more honest when I don’t have much time to package my thoughts. As my next birthday […]
I Failed! written by Lynda Omerekpe
I FAILED! In recent times I’ve become more acquainted with LinkedIn than I used to. Well, I met my husband on LinkedIn and since then I figured more good things could come out of Nazareth – I mean, LinkedIn (lol, don’t judge me). Okay, let me get serious – my rendezvous with LinkedIn is […]
Another Psalm – Dear God, This is to You
When I sense demons gather on the perimeter of my bliss. When I get the feeling that something grave is headed my way. When I’m facing knives at every twist and turn. When one by one my tears are come. When little by large my healing vanishes. I am like a tree, ridden of […]
Uncluttered: Your Space, Your Schedule, Your Soul
My mind has been a mess, I have been screaming about being tired for more than a month now. I’ve been feeling anxious, sad, angry, worried, and a ton of emotions for about a month now. I sometimes feel like I am running in circles inside a vehicle but not being able to take hold […]
Is It Wrong to Have Nice Things?
There are times I realize that some things I really longed for become obsolete and unnecessary, then I ask myself; why did I ever struggle to get this? Other times I realize that I eventually do not use or need some things that I struggled to get. Have you ever felt this way? Now, […]
What to Look Out For in Choosing a Church
Before you over-analyse it, let me start by saying that, there’s absolutely no perfect church anywhere. Don’t forget that! Perhaps you are moving to a new location or you are just considering changing your church (for whatever reason), it is expedient that you think through this decision carefully, thoroughly and prayerfully. Why? Because one of […]
Instituting Boundaries in Relationships
In August 2018, an innocent dove built a nest in my bathroom’s window and laid two precious eggs. A similar incident happened in November 2018 and the dove abandoned the eggs as a result of my perceived disturbance each time I used the bathroom. Being fully aware that the dove acted based on its knowledge […]
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU
THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU **** You are smart! You’re a Genius! You have the capacity to take on and conquer the world! Let me guess, you’ve heard these words repeatedly said to you by family and friends in times past. I bet your close acquaintances have also joined the long line of people that think […]
Sharing Your Faith with Non-Believers
Do you find it difficult to talk about your faith with others – at work, in school or even in your community? Let me tell you a story… Hannah and Joy have been roommates for about two years and Hannah had always tried to invite Joy to church countless times. However, Joy wasn’t interested in […]
You Ought to Pray
Prayer can be viewed in 3D: devotion, discussion and demands. However, some of us have focused on the demands dimension of prayer for so long that we seldom struggle in the place of prayer. I have been there before, I used to struggle to find time to pray or concentrate in the place of prayers, […]
The Importance of Time
Time is defined as the indefinite, continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future. I read this definition over and over again just to get a full grasp of it; then I realized that what the bible said about everything under the earth being meaningless is absolutely true. As a deep […]
TRUE FEMINITY
Our Society places a high value on the physical beauty of women, but it does not understand all of the elements that make a woman truly beautiful. Feminity is a quality of acting in a typically womanly, demeanor, girlish or feminine way. To be truly feminine your inner beauty must be positively nurtured. […]
Self-Efficacy
More often than not, when we think of doing new things for the first time; our minds are riddled with anxiety, self-doubt and a lot of exaggerated ‘what ifs’. One major response to these feelings is accepting that perhaps we are not really capable of handling these challenges. The other response is facing the challenge; […]
What Do I Do Lord?
There are so many questions which need answering, decisions which need to be made and, there are a host of factors which could have an impact on the decisions we eventually make. This often leads to delayed decision making, erroneous conclusions and we are then plagued by the guilt we feel for having made a […]
The Potency of Music
“But after the final last year, when we came to Liverpool, it was not cool. One of my friends is a singer and my assistant coach we sang a song: ‘we saw the European Cup, Madrid had all the luck, we swear we’ll keep on being cool, we’ll bring it back to Liverpool’. “Nobody thought […]
Shift! You’re not a Tree
Making major changes in our lives may not always immediately mean the big changes like relocating to another part of the world, or finally hitting that 7-digit salary job. These major changes may usually start with a simple desire for improvement in an area of our lives and almost everyone has this desire lurking somewhere. […]
Battlefield of the Mind
I got into the fight again yesterday! I saw it coming and using the same old method, I was knocked down again! I was beaten again and felt hopeless and helpless! I wanted to scream but then I realised that won’t cut it. I didn’t know what came over me again – I said it […]
My (Not-So) Quiet Time
In recent times, I have struggled with having a quiet time even though I am aware of all the benefits of such a time. I know the spiritual benefits: communion and personal fellowship, which are indispensable parts of building one’s relationship with God. I know the physical and psychological benefits as well – meditation is […]
Wrestling with God…
“So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak…Then the man said, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless You bless me.” – (Genesis 32:24-26) Wrestling is a daunting physical exercise. It often leaves those who engage in it […]
Making Friends in a New Church
The Makinde family had the opportunity to relocate to a neighboring West African country, Ghana. As every blessing has its challenges, it took some months to settle in at work, find a school for their kids, obtain a residence permit, work permit, accommodation, hospital and of course a place of worship. So, they were on […]
THE BLESSING OF BEING A BLESSING
I’ve come to realize that generous people are always very prosperous and those who give in abundance always live in abundance. However, in the world we live in today, people want to continue living without giving. Life is built on the principles of giving. For example, with conception, a man gives sperm to the […]
The Impact of Sharing Testimonies
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; Revelation 12:11b Testimonies are evidence or proof of the acts of God by which we can trust Him to fulfill His promises in our lives because we’ve seen the proof in the life of someone else. In other […]
Don’t Lose Your Drive
The excitement, the thrill… The exclamation, loud shouts and screams… That rush of adrenaline and positive vibes…. As the words echoed in his ears at the conference, every sentence made absolute sense; it felt like someone was reading a chapter from a book written about his life – from the past, to the present and […]
Serve Yourself!
“One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves, almost always benefits more than he or she who is served.”- Gordon Hinckle January 2016 marked an important start into my career as a Public Relations personnel. Prior to that month, I was in-between jobs and things were not looking pretty […]
Pistis Foundation Records Massive Success with Ubomi Medical Outreach
Ubomi is the recently concluded free medical & surgical outreach organized by Pistis Foundation, the social intervention vehicle of The Elevation Church, and was in partnership with Pro Health International, a non-profit health care organization involved in periodic short- term healthcare outreaches across Nigeria and other African countries. The week-long medical & surgical outreach, which […]
LIMIT THE NEGATIVITY
The world revolves around the concept of duality and balance. Newton wrote in his third Law which states that “for every force in nature, there exists an equal and opposite force.” This is seen in our everyday lives; we have man and woman; light and darkness; sunshine and rain; work and rest; birth and death; […]
Then Comes a Clash – Fights and Conflicts
Have you ever wondered why people have clashes? The reason there is much conflict and fights around the world is the need to be right; everyone wants to be right. Many times, we humans hold our egos so high; allowing it to become so precious that we don’t want it bruised. Proverb 13:10 – Pride […]
Book Review: Burning Questions, Flaming Answers
When I started reading this book, Burning Questions, Flaming Answers by Pastor Godman Akinlabi; I thought it would probably follow the norm of any regular relationship book. For example, I thought I will see things like – in a relationship, do this or do that; but as I flipped through every page, I found myself […]
Road to De-mask Us
I am the guy you see all dressed up and arrayed with fine clothings. That flashy car is mine, you see that beautiful house and a lovely family? They belong to me too. But, I am also that hooded guy you see all bent and weighed down with worries of fear and pain wishing that […]
Is There One Person Made Just for Me?
Tough question, right? But don’t worry; I will simplify it to make you understand. The truth is, you can’t know if someone is made for you if you do not know who you are; and how do you know who you are? It all begins with discovering your identity in Christ; you discover yourself through […]
Keeping Fit in 2019 #SmashThemGoals
Research showed that during Christmas, people gained an average of 1.3pounds of extra weight. As 2018 drew to a close, many people – myself included – brazenly looked their #CleanEating, #FitFam goals square in the eyes and said, “We’re so done for the year. See you again in 2019”, with a promise to “pick up […]
Movies and Christianity
I find it interesting how diverse the tools of the modern day Christian have become. They have come to transcend the traditional praying, fasting, supplication and speaking in tongues to include music and movies that are capable of challenging our deeply held beliefs, stimulating our prayer life and deepening our Christian faith. As you will […]
Doing Life Together
There is a zone in life that is more dangerous than danger zone, it is called comfort zone or solitary zone. Gone are the days when people were comfortably suffering and smiling; in this age and time, a lot of people are sinking and smiling. I’ve come to realise that doing life alone can be […]
Intentional with Spoken Words
My younger brother visited me in December 2018. Each time he was working with his laptop, a cool melody played on the background with occasional words like; ‘I am favoured, I am highly motivated, I am successful, I am the head and not the tail, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me […]
Nutritional Benefits of Fasting
Fasting is the willing abstinence or reduction from some or all food, drink or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast or dry fasting is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a particular period of time. We should all be encouraged to fast often asides religious fast because of […]
Fasting & Praying
It is a brand new year laced with everything new. We are unaware and do not have control of how the days of the year will metamorphose; hence we seek for guidance, put our hands on the plough and hope to be victorious. In the midst of all the excitement about the New Year, it […]
The Power of Silence
From the bustling noises of vehicles maneuvering the ever evolving roads in most developing cities, from the cacophony of voices perpetually raised in supposed normal conversation, to the various tunes emitted by radio waves, television sets and mobile phones, it’s a wonder that our minds are able to engage in any form of intellectual, cognitive […]
Fast More Than Food
As we have commenced our 21-day prayer and fasting for this year, we encourage you to use this time to purge your heart and mind of unnecessary habits that may distract you from the ministration of the Holy Spirit. We are used to fasting food i.e. doing without food for various periods of time. However, […]
Finding your Coping Strategy
This week, after a post-work hangout with some new acquaintances, I made myself sing out loud to some empowering, worship music on the way home (and unknowingly to the dismay of other commuters, who were treated to my voice on their drive home). You see, what should have been a time of unwinding, left me […]
Fired Up: Where is your Fighting Spirit?
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney Few months ago, I went to watch a football training in my neighborhood. I got into the training late but the relationship between the coach and players left a lot of lesson in my mind. The coach selected both […]
Waiting in Faith or Waiting Blindly…
Have you ever heard the saying – “we need the faith of Abraham to get by in life”? With this sentence, some of us are thinking, the only thing I’m seeing is a man who knew how to wait. I mean Abraham was literally the waiting ninja, but the bible confirms something; his faith was […]
If I Had a Million Dollars…
“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?” – Matthew 6:25 (NIV) Adulthood comes with a lot of responsibilities and there’s not much in life that adequately […]
A Life of Contentment
The world was bright, beautiful and less burdensome when we didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, when we didn’t have to impress some followers and friends whom we may never meet till we leave this world, and when we didn’t have to participate in a race of reality with fake fighter jets. The social […]
Social Media: For Us or Against Us
A lot of things have been said about the social media since its advent. Some people see social media as a platform where; People show off their ill-gotten wealth to impress those who may or may not be interested. Rumors are spread to the public to create chaos in the society. People inspire their followers […]
The Next Big Thing
“The Next Big Thing is here.” Just a few years ago, this referred to the Samsung Galaxy S5. The world is moving at a dizzying pace and keeping up can be difficult. From smart watches, machine learning to augmented reality, technology seems to lead the pack when it comes to getting to the next big […]
Turning your Mistakes to a Message
“Each life is made up of mistakes and learning; waiting and growing, practicing patience and being persistent”. –Billy Graham We all, at some point in our journey, may have miscalculated, taken a wrong step, engaged in an unprofitable investment, wrong career path etc. The word “mistake” definitely resonates with us as we have either made […]
Girl, Have You Caught the Fire?
The third edition of Made for More, a women’s conference organised by The Jewels of The Elevation Church, held on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th October 2018 at the Pistis Conference Centre, Lekki, Lagos. This year’s conference was themed “Girl on Fire”. The conference focused on helping women understand that they are more than their […]
Laughing Out Loud Without Losing Our Light
There was a general belief that Nigerians are the happiest people on earth, in as much as that fact is arguable, I think we have carved a niche for ourselves by creating comic relief out of sweet or sour situations. From ‘accolades’ and ‘assurance’ to ‘transmission’, we have proven that we no dey carry last [...]
Random Acts of Kindness
The world isn’t always a friendly, happy place to be in; many times people wear fakes smiles to mask their true emotions. The music legend and artist Fela Kuti called it “Suffering and Smiling”. To most people, hope is what keeps us going. It can be a real pleasure being in a friendly environment, where [...]
Relationship Boundaries
You finally summoned the courage to speak to him/her or you feel that you are both now really beginning to connect and are ready to move the relationship to the next level and then he/she starts setting up boundaries. When this happens, the conversation that sometimes goes on in your head usually sounds something like [...]
Golden Harvests of Grateful Hearts
One of the hardest things you will ever do in life is to keep giving cheerfully to someone who is not grateful. A young boy once looked at me in awe and said “Sir, I cannot do what you are doing, I cannot keep helping people who are not only ungrateful but also unworthy of [...]
Simple Truths about Being Single
There are so many reviews and articles on singlehood, most of which depict a depressed state and tend to stigmatize it. I tried to get reviews from a range of people and they had a lot to say on the topic, however, I found the following two the most interesting: You are disabled, if as [...]
10 Tips to Having a Great Day
It has become too cliché when we say that the day doesn’t always go as planned; no doubt about that. However, I have come to understand that life is intentional – you have to be intentional with what you do with your day, what you’ll wear to work, your daily activities, meeting schedule and even [...]
Golden Eggs
Do you remember some of Aesop’s fables; “The Hare and the Tortoise” (the old and revised version), “The Lion and the Mouse”…? Which was your favourite? I love the Lion and the Mouse a lot! It teaches about our dependence on each other, irrespective of the size and status. Great lessons were learnt through these [...]
Software Installation
Software is a program that enables a computer to perform a specific task as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). And yes, I might take a guess.. Someone might be thinking right now, this narrative though… No, it is not an Information Technology class. Then what?! … lol. There are different types [...]
Mission Possible: Easier than you Think
In Acts 1:8, Jesus was speaking to His disciples just before He ascended into heaven that He was going to pray to the Father to send the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was saying this, the Holy Spirit has not yet come and so what He was saying was future tense. But today, Jesus has risen [...]
Mission Possible Series: To Samaria with Love
We have been learning from our series (Mission Possible) on how to reach out and preach to those around us; our families, siblings, friends, neighbours, associates, co-workers and so on (these are the people in our Jerusalem and Judea) but after we have done all of that, what next? In Acts 1:8, there is a [...]
You may be the Problem, not your Village People
In the course of my career journey, I have had the opportunity to sit on several interview panels for potential new hires across various levels and cadres, from mid-level hires all the way to senior executive. However, the most entertaining of the lot, for me, remains the discussions with entry level and second level hires. [...]
Diplomatic Mission
Our first reading is from the book of Mathew 9:35 The bible says that ‘Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their Synagogue preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and diseases among the people but when he saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion because they were [...]
The Driving Force
"People have motives and thoughts of which they are unaware" Albert Ellis Motive is simply the reason for doing something, the why behind our actions, the trigger and prompter behind our every move. Our motive can be right or wrong which adversely affects our actions. Sometimes we make a bold step like a career move, [...]
Winners are Quitters
I love quotes and over the years, I have seen a lot of people make reference to this one by the awesome American football player coach… “Winners never quit and quitters never win” - Vince Lombardi However, as a budding poet, I love disrupting the intellectual space with poetic licence and I have written a [...]
Lagos, the Otedola Bridge Inferno & The Trailer Tales
Walking into the hospital premises to ask for directions was such a breeze that we couldn't imagine what was ahead of us until we started talking. "Good Morning," a member of our team said to a nurse, "we are from The Elevation Church, and are here to see the victims of the fire incident at [...]
Episodes…
“Life is choice driven, we live and die by the choices we make daily”. …Pastor Chris Ugoh… Life is also like a serial film, a new episode starts at the end of one and continues till it gets to the end. How we play out our scripts in each episode has an effect on [...]
The Lepers are Coming
The book of 2nd kings 6: 24 -30 tells the story of an extreme situation that was going on in Samaria at the time. Benhadad the king of Syrians gathered all his army and besieged the Samarians until there was famine in the land. There was the entire army of Syria on one hand and [...]
How to Get God’s Ears!
The moment I understood that prayer is simply talking to God I was unleashed. I began to feel God was actually beside me, like literally within earshot and I took full advantage of this revelation. I began to engage him in all kinds of conversations from what to wear, to talking about my crush or [...]
Let Him.
LET GOD HELP YOU He wants to hold your hands He wants to open your eyes He wants to lead your feet But why do you struggle with this? How naïve of you to think you know what’s best When you are merely a speck amongst all the rest Yes, a speck you are but [...]
The Drink of Choice
The Drink of Choice I love the taste of water; I can hardly drink anything else. Nothing quenches my thirst any better and it is almost impossible for me to eat a meal with anything else than water! Does this sound like you? The truth is that description up there is totally ME, the fact [...]
Loving is Hard! Or is it?
Loving is hard! Or is it? Exhibit A: Me! Mission: Practice loving others as we are commanded to do in 1 Corinthians 13. I picked Patience. Lord knows I need some of this in my life; I’ll practice this for one week. Execution: Day 1: Things started off great, I prayed and pleaded with God to help me as [...]
The Case for Our Trials
(Exodus 18:8, 11 GW) 8 "Moses told his father-in-law everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel, all the hardships they had had on the way, and how the LORD had saved them." 11 "who treated Israel with contempt. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods.” [...]
The Maturity Challenge
-Written by Fisayo Hi dear and there! You may remember growing us as a child and you clearly hear your parents give you an instruction as they were heading out, but you pretend not to hear and find ways to dodge the responsibility. Unfortunately, no matter how many tricks you employ, that ignored instruction still [...]
WE ARE SOO LOVED!
Sometimes, I ask my kids random questions just to hear what goes on in their minds, and what they say (as they are both toddlers) literally cracks me up. So today I pulled aside the "bigger sister" to ask a seemingly simple question. Here’s how the conversation went: Me: Do you love your sister? Bigger [...]
God put His love on the line
-Written by Adanma “What made me love Christ wasn’t that all of a sudden I started figuring out how to do life. What made me love Christ is that when I was at my worst, when I was at my lowest point, when I absolutely could not clean myself up and there was nothing […]
Speak the Word
So I absolutely love this song from Tina Campbell (half of the music duo, MaryMary) and her husband Teddy Campbell called, ‘Speak the Word’ from her first solo endeavour. For me, it’s a reflection of how powerful the Word of God really is and how we don’t speak of it enough. We’re so stuck thinking about traffic, the children, school, boyfriends/girlfriends, […]
Love
LOVE -Written by Anthony Otuya-Ndubishi Love is a noun that is abused, misunderstood, verbalised and faked. Humans yearn for unconditional love, they’re sometimes disappointed because of the fallibility of the human spirit. The love of God is overwhelmingly refreshing, you can’t measure the height, length, breadth and width. The love of God is not […]
Walking with God
"Enoch walked with God and was no more because God had taken him", Genesis 5:24. Every time I read this scripture, it amazes me. Here is a man whose only story is that he was born, married, had children and then disappeared just because he walked with God. It seems to put a dent on [...]
The Lesson From Abraham
Abraham believed in God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. The story of Abraham sometimes reads like a fairy tale. I love the fact that he is the father of faith and so as my father, I benefit from his blessings. I took some time to think of what made him the father of […]
My long road to a healthy lifestyle
Written by Abiola Falusi For a long time, when people asked me what my cloth size was, I’d say to them I wear a UK cloth size 10. Truthfully, I had been a size 10 for five years and this was because I hadn’t really changed my wardrobe; and so my clothes had somehow grown [...]
The Pregnant Virgin
Written by Lynda Omerekpe It felt like the whole world was crumbling on her shoulders when she found out Tony was married and his family was living in Canada. He played his cards nicely, checked the right buttons, a “church brother” too! He was just too good to be true; the kind of man you’ll [...]
Wake . Pray . Slay
WAKE . PRAY . SLAY Chances are you’ve seen this phrase on social media or you perhaps have seen people wearing T-Shirts with the words Wake-Pray-Slay written on it. You are probably wondering what slaying which literally means to killing, has to do with waking and praying. Relax, it’s probably not what you are thinking. [...]
Whatever Happened To Those New Year Resolutions?
The last few seconds of the eve of every year is usually counted down with bated breath and the New Year is heralded with ecstasy. The reason for this is not farfetched. Many have come to view the first day of January in every year as a clean slate, an opportunity for a fresh start, [...]
TEC at 6 – Why I Love The Elevation Church
Being a member of a family usually gives one a sense of belonging; by family I don’t mean your biological family or people related by blood. I mean a group of people who share same vision, ideas and common goals; this could be a committee, group or association; but for me it is my church, [...]
Activating Your Faith for Miracles
Activating Your Faith for Miracles Fisayo Talabi To Anne, no one really told her about the ‘hard’ part of giving her life to Christ. She had only heard about the many miracles Jesus would do in her life and how all the negatives would turn around to positives. She heard about how her sins would [...]
Christ Is the Reason for Christmas
How would you feel if you had lots of goodies on your birthday? Cakes, chocolates, gifts, all shades of rice from jollof to fried including coconut, ice cream, chicken and every delicious treat you can imagine? Your friends even get so excited about your birthday that they throw parties in their own houses to mark [...]
The Definition of Love
Love is God. Love is an intense affection for another person based on personal attachment. We say we love other people when we're attracted to them and when they make us feel good and appreciated. With the world, when love is spoken of, it is assumed that this type of expression of love can only [...]
Succeeding In Times of Recession
It is a global phenomenon in the world as at today how popular the word “RECESSION” has crept into the economy of different nations and even our dear nation has not been spared. It has subtly entered into our sub-consciousness and has become the major factor for decision making even in the lives of Christians. [...]
Achieving Greatness through Purpose
There is an action which propels man to greatness; unfortunately, many people go through life without realizing this. In Luke 10:40-42, Jesus said one thing is needful, not many things. Therefore, I am not interested in doing many things but just that one task which heaven has purposed to launch me into eternity. Mary Magdalene [...]
Maintaining a Perfect Heart
Jude still recounted with horror and in pain, the incident that had taken place much earlier at the emergency ward at the hospital where he had gone to on an official assignment. It broke his heart to think of the poor woman who had had to die from immense pain. He even considered that it [...]
Fighting Temptation
Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation.” The opening scripture is from one of the most common portion in the bible. It begs the question, is it possible to live a temptation free life? As Christians, we all go through temptations in our daily walk. It is a constant battle between our flesh and [...]
Maintaining a Positive Attitude
‘It’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you respond to what happens to you that makes the difference’ - Zig Ziglar. Many fail to realize that we create our reality by the thoughts and beliefs we maintain about life in general; therefore, what we believe in our inside is what we see [...]
Diligence In The Workplace
“Observe people who are good at their work-skilled workers are always in demand and admired; they don’t take a backseat to anyone”-. Proverbs 22:29 (MSG translation) We all know that one colleague who is the boss’ favourite; the go-to guy or gal for solutions at work, the one who when it’s their turn to make [...]
So What’s The Plan?
Funny how it seems like 2017 just started yesterday; however, as I write this we’re half way through it! ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’, so the saying goes, but if you ask me, I think it flies whether you’re having fun or not. So let me ask, with the days running by so fast [...]
Human Enhancement & Perfection In Christ
Psalm 139:13-16 “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in [...]
THE ESSENCE OF PRAYER
Whenever I think of the concept of ‘Prayer’, I’m reminded of a song from my childhood “Prayer is the key, Prayer is the key, prayer is the master key, Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer, prayer is the master key”. To some people, prayer is only needed for emergencies, sickness, difficult situations or [...]
LITTLE FOXES THAT RUIN THE VINEYARDS
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, Our vineyard that are in bloom” Songs of Solomon 2:15 The above scripture is interesting; even though it captures the conversation between two lovers, it however carries a profound instruction for every child of God. Foxes are destructive regardless of the size [...]
Let go and let God
Cast your burden on the Lord [release it]and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail). Psalms 55:22 (AMP) As I was wheeled into the theatre, the only prayer I said repeatedly in my heart was, "Lord, have your way". These were the only words [...]
THE POWER OF A SMILE
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 There is a common saying that when life throws lemons at you; just smile and make lemonades. Many people find it difficult to smile and only believe that you should smile when things are going very well; nice and [...]
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE…JUST BELIEVE
Something remarkable happened in Argentina in 2012; something beyond human imagination and far above medical comprehension. It was a MIRACLE. An Argentine woman Analía Bouter, gave birth to a “stillborn” baby but found her alive in a hospital morgue 12 hours after doctors pronounced the infant dead. She insisted on seeing the body of her [...]
THE SWEET FELOWSHIP OF THE HOLYSPIRIT
Some weeks ago, I had the need to go to Berger from the island. I didn’t even know where Berger was and decided to employ the services of a taxi company. The journey was long, full of uncertainties, stops here and there. I ended up being the one directing the driver, then we had to […]
IS IT WORTH THANKING GOD?
‘HAS GOD REALLY BEEN GOOD TO ME’? Perhaps, you are currently asking yourself this question due to circumstances around you. It’s easy to be grateful to God for good experiences in your lives. When faced with challenging circumstances, it is almost impossible to have an attitude of thanksgiving. The truth is, God doesn’t expect you […]
LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
…heralding the second coming of Christ Thieves usually don’t inform their victims before their arrival. Instead, they always prefer to act when no one is expecting them. In the same manner, the Master said to us that like a thief in the night, so also He will come for His own, when no one is […]
SERVICE TO GOD
From the beginning of creation, God had a reason for creating man and that purpose is to love and serve him, therefore as Christians, one of the vital aspect of our fulfilling destiny includes serving God genuinely. Service gives us a great deal of fulfilment one that gives meaning to our life. Ephesians 2:10 For [...]
5 ways to deal with pressure at work
It’s Monday and I’m sitting at my desk looking at the many things I have to tick off my to-do-list; some of them are time bound while the others are not. I don’t know if I will be able to tick them all off today but I am going to put in my best to [...]
THOU SHALL NOT COME LATE!
“If you are 15 minutes early, you are on time if you are on time, you are late and if you are late, you didn’t want to be there” – Anonymous. This topic brings to mind one of the unforgettable experience by former America president, George Washington. One day he asked a man to bring […]
Recipe for Success in 2018
A new year has just began, many resolutions are still in the air. Many ideas are flowing in different directions. No doubt about it, we all have a traffic of ambitions and aspirations. Many people are craving to achieve their goals and target for this New Year; some people have written it down while others […]
THIS THING CALLED LOVE
I LOVE YOU! How excited do you get when you hear these words? Anytime Laura hears “I LOVE YOU”, she begin to blush uncontrollably, her dark cheek skin turns pink in an instant, I just Shake-My-Head. One day after work, I and the girls were out for drinks, it was a Friday night. We were [...]
NO STRINGS ATTACHED
(CAN MEN & WOMEN REALLY BE “JUST FRIENDS”?) Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7) The above question, though easily phrased, is not one that can get an easy answer. And quite interestingly, whatever answer that we might come up with does not […]
SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE, YES OR NO?
Let's talk about SEX.. So we all know what this means so I don't need to give a definition. This is one topic that is mostly talked about and also mostly 'shyed' away from. In some churches, the mere mention of the word sex makes you a sinner. Sex is a spiritual act, a connection [...]
SEARCHING FOR GREENER PASTURES
Oladele, was a young guy with a bright future; as a teenager, he had always imagined the great things he will achieve when he grows up. Even though he was not born with a silver spoon, he vowed to make his parents proud. He was one of the best students in school, from Primary school […]
GROW LOCALLY, THINK GLOBALLY
Gen 13:14-15; “And the lord said to Abram after that Lot was separated from him, lift up now thine eyes and look from where though art northward and southward and eastward and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. The bible […]
SELF ESTEEM
(MY SELF-ESTEEM IS MY ADVANTAGE) “Of all the judgments we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves”. Have you ever imagined what life would look like if people didn’t have low self esteem? Self esteem is one of the psychological disorders affecting people in most countries. Research […]
CHOOSE TO LIVE LIFE
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. …Marcus Aurelius… Would you like to be a five year old child again? So I went to check out an apartment with Abiodun, the facility manager of an estate and here comes this lovely chubby little […]
BROKE BUT NOT BROKEN (HOW TO MANAGE YOUR FINANCES)
Remember that feeling when you’re broke and it is 23 days to pay day? Or the feeling when your pay-check finishes even before pay day…. Yeah, we all have experienced this feeling one time or the other in our adult life; and you can testify that is not a good feeling at all – especially [...]
TO SLAY OR NOT TO SLAY
I went to the market last weekend all covered up in an “abaya” (northern attire) and head scarf looking regal. When I passed through the crowd of Hausa men who sell gold and change money(bureau de change) in front of their shops; they all came after me “hajiya, do you want pounds or dollars?" Some [...]
STOP TALKING, START ACTING
One of my least favorite beginnings to a sentence is “I’m going to”. I’m going to start my diet next week, I’m going to start a business next year, I’m going to register at the gym next month, “I’m going to quit smoking soon, but I’m never actually doing these things and this is the [...]
MAINTAINING A POSITIVE SPIRIT
Have you ever been in that state of mind where you are struggling to keep a positive mindset even though everything around you doesn’t feel alright? It is normal for us as humans to make plans and hold expectations but one of the few constant things in life is disappointment. When this occurs, we […]
Digital Transformation – Best Buy as a Case study
Who would have ever imagined that one day, technology will be a part of human existence? Even up to the point that virtually everything we do in our daily lives have some sort of digital interference. To help you understand this article, I will like to define Digital Transformation. Digital transformation is the change associated […]
This Is How We Overcome
Hello. We started our Accelerate Conference yesterday and this is an excerpt from Dr Mensa Otabil’s message: “The day you decide to do something significant for God understand that you will face severe opposition from the enemy. All hell will break loose to resist you because satan understands that when a believer wants to do […]
Maintaining a Positive Spirit
Have you ever been in that state of mind where you are struggling to keep a positive mindset even though everything around you doesn’t feel alright? It is normal for us as humans to make plans and hold expectations but one of the few constant things in life is disappointment. When this occurs, we tend [...]
Stop Talking, Start Acting
One of my least favorite beginnings to a sentence is “I’m going to”. I’m going to start my diet next week, I’m going to start a business next year, I’m going to register at the gym next month, “I’m going to quit smoking soon, but I’m never actually doing these things and this is the [...]
Broke but not Broken (How to Manage your Finances)
Remember that feeling when you’re broke and it is 23 days to pay day?Or the feeling when your pay-check finishes even before pay day…. Yeah, we all have experienced this feeling one time or the other in our adult life; and you can testify that is not a good feeling at all – especially when [...]
Sex Before Marriage, Yes or No?
Let's talk about SEX.. So we all know what this means so I don't need to give a definition. This is one topic that is mostly talked about and also mostly 'shyed' away from. In some churches, the mere mention of the word sex makes you a sinner. Sex is a spiritual act, a connection [...]
Cash Your Passion – A Guide to Financial Freedom
Finding your feet at the beginning of every year and positioning yourself to achieve set goals can be difficult sometimes. Mostly because when a new year starts, there are uncertainties about how the rest of the year will be. To some people, it is another year of ‘hustling’ and looking for how to put food [...]