Yoruba Word Of The Week : Ôkùnrin

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Ôkùnrin is the Yoruba word for man.

We all have an ôkùnrin in our lives, whether be our father, our uncles, cousins, brothers, friends or even husbands.

Whoever they may be, respect the men in your lives...

Even more so your fathers ["Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise--" Ephesians 12 : 6]

and wives, remember to honor your husbands ["Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3 : 18].

Let us also make it a duty to encourage them and advice them accordingly. 

The noun is : Ôkùnrin // A simple sentence is : Ôkùnrin ye ni mo fe (that is the man I married)

May God help us to be the best women for the ôkùnrin in our lives

Amen!!

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Relationships : Who Asks Who Out?

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Many will say the answer to this question is the guy but the tendencies these days do not at all follow this. 

In this modern society we live in, women are also starting to ask guys out and heck, even ask them for their hands in marriage. Today, we will be covering the former issue.

Growing up, I was exposed to the customary belief and always had an image of a guy asking a girl out. But after moving to the Westernized part of the world, I was surprised to see that ladies were also taking the bold step in asking guys out.

As baffling as it may seem to some, it is actually quite normal for a number of women. 

So what prompts this kind of behavior?

Frankly, every woman wants their knight in shinning armor, or dream about that prince that would carry them away...you know, everyone believes in romance. But then, what is so romantic about asking the guy out?

Most women believe that if they don't do it, then nothing would happen. They do this to have at least some chance of going out with the guy while other women just like to be in control and be the one leading things.

Personally, I have never done this before and I don't think it's up to the woman to ask the guy out. Call me old fashioned, old school or whatever but it's what I strongly believe. It's the man that supposed to take that step. If you think you might never get a chance with a brother you like unless you do the asking out, well just hold on and instead of asking him out why don't you voice out how you feel, especially if it's someone you already know very well. I don't advice you to jump the gun because I truly think if a brother wants a relationship with you, he will let you know it. 

Remember Ruth who waited patiently for God to give her a mate and even when she knew she had a chance with Boaz, she never jumped the gun, rather she let Boaz start the relationship. I encourage you ladies today to hold on and wait patiently for God's time. God's plan is for the man to find you and take you not the other way round. So if you have feelings for a certain brother, pray about it and be patient. If it's God'd will, it will surely come to pass.

What do you think ladies and gents? 

Have you ever done this before ladies? 

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Verse Of The Week : Do What It Says

 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

- James 1 : 22

This is our portion of scripture for this week.

This verse describes what many Christians have become or are these days : We hear but we do not imitate. We know but we do not act. 

Many go to church, many listen to sermons, many are warned but they do not act upon the word that is given them. Brother James clearly says such people are deceiving themselves, no one else. If you hear the word but do not obey it, you are only deceiving yourself. But, doesn't it sound ridiculous? How can you call yourself a Christian and hear God's word but do not imitate it? It's like saying while filling out a form, instead of putting the names of your parents, you put another couple's name even though you know who your real parents are. It's that ridiculous. Even brother James likened it to "someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like" (James 1 : 23 - 24). 

We are supposed to mirror Christ...Whenever we look ourselves in the mirror of our hearts, we are supposed to see Christ. The mirror in brother James' metaphor is the word of God and the image is Jesus. When we look into the word, we see Christ and we are supposed to imitate Him and become like Him so that when God looks into us, He sees Jesus, our role model. 

So therefore, let us ask ourselves why so many do not obey the word of God or practice what they hear?

● Verse 24 of James 1 suggests that they forget. But how can we forget the word of God? The answer to that is this : the word of God is misplaced and is not the priority. Do you forget your birthday, or your wedding anniversary or all your important meetings? I doubt it. So why forget the word of God? The word of God is supposed to be central in our lives, it is supposed to be the foundation. As Christians, we are to breath and live through the word of God. Even Jesus said in John 14 : 23 "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." So that means, whoever does not obey the word of God does not love God and therefore, God does not live in that person. This makes total sense because if you really love God like you should, you will not forget His word.

The parable of the sower gives other explanations to why Christians do not apply the word of God in their lives :

● Matthew 13 : 19 speaks about how when one hears the word but does not understand it, the devil comes and steal it from them. Unfortunately, this is a prevalent truth in the church. Many christians lack understanding over even the littlest truths. It is true what Hosea 4 : 6 says "my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." Many are perishing today because of lack of knowledge. Remember "Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding" (Proverbs 4 : 7) and "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1 : 5)

● Matthew 13 : 20 tells us about those that immediately receive the word with joy but when faced with trials they fall away because they have no root. This refers to new converts that are not yet really rooted in Christ. When trouble comes, the word is useless to them because they are not yet really rooted in Christ. This reveals the fact that it truly takes the Spirit of God and His guidance to be fully apply His word in our lives. Our will is not enough. That is the plain truth and God's word does not seek our permission; we cannot say of the flesh "yes this part of the word I accept and this one seems fair so therefore I embrace it". It is of the Spirit and it is through the Spirit that we should accept and obey God's word.

● Matthew 13 : 22 reveals another set of people who hear the word but the word has no place in them because their heart and lives is already filled with things of the world. This refers to a whole bunch of people. We hear the word but because we chase after money and lust after the evil pleasures of the world, the word of God is literally "choked" out of us. Imagine that. That means instead of planting God's word in their lives, these people plant thorns and you all know how thorns are harmful.  Even Jesus said in John 12 : 25 " Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Now, after looking at why Christians do not follow God's word, let us look at the consequences of exercising God's word in our lives.

 James 1 : 25 answers the question "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."

Blessings. That's the consequence of being obedient to God's word. 

Brothers and sisters, let's not be just hearers but rather, hearers and doers for it holds great recompense. If you are determined to only hear God's word and not apply it in your life or rather you are bent on pretending you are applying it well, let me just let you know that God cannot be mocked, and you will reap what you sow (Galatians 6 : 7). I encourage you all dearest beloved to hold on the word of God because it is life itself (John 6 : 63) and without it, you cannot stand the whiles of the devil because it is a component of the armor that God has given us to stand (Ephesians 6 : 13 - 17). 

It is not so hard to follow God's word but before we can be able to, we need to totally let go of all the things of this word and submit to Him.

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16 : 24)

There is no other way. Please note that the denial comes before anything else but the decision is the number one thing. When you let go of the load of this world, then you can carry the cross of Christ and follow only Him.

I sincerely pray that God will give us the will to follow is word and give us the grace to use the Spirit in applying His word for every part of our lives, on a daily basis.

Amen!!

[For more on submission, please read this post and this one too]

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Yoruba Word Of The Week : Êrín

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Êrín is the Yoruba word for laughter. 

Êrín, comes in all notes and tones...but no matter how it sounds, laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds known to man.

We take it for granted but to be able to share a true êrín in between friends or loved ones or even stealing a solitary êrín is a luxury.

Not everyone is in the position to let out a êrín so the next time you find yourself letting out a êrín, be thankful to God and endeavor to to stop taking it for granted.

The noun is : Êrín  // The verb is : rërìín  // A simple sentence is : Mo le rërìín (I can laugh).

May shouts of joy and laughter never cease in around us in Jesus' name.

Amen!!

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DatFunkyFro's 2011 Fall Tendencies

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Last week I could still wear a t-shirt now I'm sporting cardigans. Glory be to God, the year has gone by so fast and it seems like yesterday that I celebrated the New Year with my family and friends. It's evident Fall is here and frankly, I welcome it with open arms. I think I have secretly long awaited the Fall in my heart and looked forward to it subconsciously. It was a great Summer, no doubt, and they only ever get better but it's time to experience the wonders and chills of the Fall.

Of course, with a new season, comes new tendencies, well, at least for me. This applies to different areas of my life and is valid for different specific points in my world. I am particularly excited about this Fall because to me, it's another chance, another season of change and metamorphosis.

So with no further ado, here are some of DatFunkyFro's very own Fall Tendencies you need to keep an eye out for :


NATURAL HAIR 

This Fall, I feel more more prepared than I was with my natural hair last Fall. This is what I am going to be doing this fall with my natural hair :

● Moisturizing with a water based moisturizing cream along with just plain water everyday

● Sealing with OMO OGO Naturals' butters, preferably the Shea - Cocoa Hair Butter

● Styling hair in lazy updos, protective buns and simple yet elegant styles

● Following my Healthy Hair Challenge as scrupulously as I can

● As little manipulation as possible


WARDROBE 

I am particularly excited about my dressing this Fall but I am not at all talking about me going shopping or anything like that because, believe me, I am surely going to be looking through my wardrobe and digging up some old wears to play with and I'm going to be mixing them all up.

● I am going to try mix matching colors - who says you can only have color in the Summer? I don't. Watch out for the colors.

● Will be putting it all together - simple as that

●Will be going to be going with a bit of funky elegance and simple retro - let's what happens

● Accessorizing - I have always loved accessories but I don't think I have ever been able to put them together until now therefore I will be taking advantage of them to warm up the Fall


FOOD | HEALTH

● Work will be tilted towards drawing up and maintaining an exercising routine

● My eating will be monitored to avoid anything that does not benefit my health directly


SKINCARE 

Since from now on, it's only going to get colder, I am going to be stepping up my game in moisturizing, protecting and nurturing my skin by applying my present regimen and coming up with even better strategies

LIFESTYLE 

These past nine months have been a blast but they have also thought me a lot. I now truly know that we cannot take life lightly at all and we have to be 100% grateful for all we have and even what we don't. I believe these three coming months will be amazing by the grace of God and all I am about right now is love; being grateful and living each day to the fullest, walking according to the knowledge of God and in the light if His will.

By the grace of God, I will accomplish these and much more because I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me (Philippians 4 : 13)!

What are your own Fall tendencies?

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Verse Of The Week : Instruction Is Life

"As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.'”

Acts 24 : 25

This is our portion of scripture for this week.

We all know the context : here brother Paul is speaking to Felix after he was accused of the Jews and as he tried to talk to him about righteousness and all it entails, Felix declined.

When I read this verse a few days ago, I realized I'd actually never really paid attention to it. 

It's interesting to note how "Felix was afraid...". My question is, what was he afraid of? The answer to that question comes just before "Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come...". 

Now you have to understand that Felix was an unbeliever and instead of being curious, he became afraid. Why was he afraid of something he did not believe in. Why didn't just say "Paul, I do not believe in what you are saying" and he would have put an end to it. Instead, Felix was afraid. For something to provoke the feeling of fear in us, it has to have gained substantial ground in our minds. For example,  if someone says, "flying cows can sometimes randomly fall from the sky", you would not be afraid of a cow falling on you if you do not believe or at least suspect it were true.

It's the same case with Felix...He suspected and probably knew in him that what Paul was saying was somewhat true but because he did not want to change, he refused the gospel.

Beloved, it is true what they say about the truth being bitter. Felix got a bite of it and not wanting to repent shunned Paul.

But let's bring it closer to home : isn't this the same with us? Don't we shun the truth? Even us that we call ourselves Christians, we know deep down what we are doing is wrong, but still, we persist.

We go around, doing or saying this or that and we call ourselves followers of Christ, but when we see a verse in the Bible rebuking us and telling us what we do is wrong, we ignore it or when the Pastor preaches against whatever we are doing, we get annoyed and angry.

If you have a clean conscience, fear is not supposed to erupt in you when you read or hear the word of God because "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (1 Timothy 1 : 7). But rather, the word of God is for us to check ourselves and keep ourselves qualified even as the brother Paul said to brother Timothy "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3 : 16). 

Child of God, it is not the time to refuse correction or instruction in that area of your life where your are lacking, stumbling or need to improve. I know many Christians say, "I'll change tomorrow," or "there's still next year". But guess what, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4 : 14). I am tired of Christians that are doing this or that and they know it is wrong, but rather, they choose to abuse of the Father's profound mercy and play with their lives. Today is the day for change, not tomorrow, or next year. You cannot expect to have one foot in the world and the other in God, it is not possible because "Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." (1 John 2 : 4 - 6). It's as simple as that.

Even as the Psalmist said, "The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple." (Psalms 19 : 7) and King Solomon said, " For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life" (Proverbs 6 : 23) and also in John 6 : 63 it is written "The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life." And it is not for nothing that the Psalmist said "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalms 119 : 105).

Wherever your heart might be testifying to you to change, now is the time, today is the day. You know in your heart you should stop whatever you might be doing that is grieving the Father...don't push it away any longer.

May God help us to receive His word in our lives, submit and subscribe to it and let it change us!

Amen!

♥♥

   

Verse Of The Week : To Breakthrough

‎"You will call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest" 

- Isaiah 62 : 6b

This is our portion of scripture for the week.

The message is quite clear. Here the prophet Isaiah is talking to the Israelites but this also applies to us as we have also become children of God through Christ.

This verse reveals a truth that many Christians seem to have forgotten or are oblivious to : we are to cry out to God and not stop until we get our breakthrough. If you read on to verse 7 even the prophet Isaiah  continues and says "and give him no rest till he..."

Many times, we tend to forget this and tend to stop half way through or even sometimes, when we are just about to get our breakthrough.

Brothers and sisters, to breakthrough, we have to persevere. Perseverance is the key to open doors and success. God answers prayers but sometimes, we are to go on praying, believing and crying out to God and surely, if what we are asking is according to His will, He will surely answer for He knows the plans he has for you, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29 : 11).

Child of God, remember, "...no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalms 84 : 11b). Whatever you are looking up to God for, crying out to Him for or waiting on Him for, do not relent, do not stop and do not cease. God will surely answer you according to His will. 

Please do not give up, especially when your breakthrough is just around the corner. It is especially at this time that the devil steps in and tries to discourage us and lead us away from our breakthrough.

Wait on the Lord, pray continually and fast as God leads, you will surely breakthrough. Do not let the devil steal your breakthrough...Be patient, and consistent, do not relent for God will surely show up on your behalf in that situation you are believing him in. Giving up is certainly not the key or the solution. 

Remember the story of Hannah (1 Samuel 1)? Remember her determination and her perseverance? She never stopped praying. At the end, she got her result : Samuel. There are other such examples in the Bible.

My pastor says someone once said push for Christians means Pray Until Something Happens...

May God teach us how to persevere in Jesus' name and by His grace, we will surely breakthrough!

Amen!

♥♥

Yoruba Word Of The Week : Êbùn

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Êbùn is the Yoruba word for gift.

No matter how small or even big, it is always nice to receive a êbùn.

The gesture is never too small ... it is truly one act that speaks volumes.

Whatever you can give, never overlook a chance to give a êbùn.

Whatever you receive, always do it gladly and whatever the êbùn or the price that came with it, be grateful always.

The noun is : Êbùn // A simple sentence is : Mo gba êbùn (I received a gift).

May God help us to readily give rather than receive (remember ‎"It is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20 : 35) and to be appreciative of what others give us!

Amen!


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Verse Of The Week : You Are Much More Than You Know

"When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, 'The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.' "

- Judges 6 : 12

This is our portion of scripture for this week.

We all know the story of Gideon : how God used him to deliver the Israelites.

Don't you wonder why the angel called Gideon "mighty warrior"?

It's amazing, how the angel already called Gideon what he was later going to be (in delivering Israel) even before Gideon himself knew about his future task. The angel did not say to Gideon, "hey Gideon, you weakling" or anything of the sort.

Doesn't this make you wonder?

This only means one thing : God does not see us for what we are, but rather, He sees our future and sees what we are going to be. Do not under estimate yourselves like Gideon did (“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6 : 15) but rather, we should see ourselves like God sees us. 

This is the trouble with many of us these days and this attitude greatly impedes our progress.

Instead of looking forward and seeing ourselves through the eyes of God, we see the past and weaknesses. We remember all our wrong doings and wrong choices and look at out present mis- happenings. 

We cannot press forward with this kind of mind set. God does not see you weaknesses or your past but He looks into your future and calls you by what you could be if you would just let Him transform you and work through you.

The other thing to hold on from this verse is that the angel told Gideon "The Lord is with you". That was the first the angel told Gideon. Of course, Gideon asked questions (“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6 : 13).

Don't we do the same thing? We ask, Lord where are you? Why is this happening? I know I have asked such questions before but the angel said to Gideon, even before anything else "the Lord is with you". What an awesome report to hear. Even before gideon voiced His questions, the angel already countered them with his statement. It's the same thing with us today, God wants us to know He is with us, even when the situation and circumstances say otherwise. He knows we are concerned and worried, but He wants you to know He is with you.

Don't try to understand God or figure Him out with your finite minds...He is infinite and even when we feel nothing is right and that God is nowhere to be seen, He is right there, with you, in that storm, in that tragedy or whatever it is. 

Another thing to note is that to be able to deliver the Israelites and change their situation, Gideon had to look beyond his weaknesses and background...He had to accept he was truly a "mighty warrior". That means, before the deliverance could take place in reality, it had to have taken place in Gideon's mind.

It's the same thing with us.

Before we can break free from our situations and let God truly work in our lives, we need to get that deliverance in our minds first and see ourselves as God sees us as if we had already overcome whatever we might be going through.

You've got to let go of your past, of your pains, of your weaknesses, of your short comings...God cannot work in your life with all those hanging over your head. You need to be mentally transformed by Him and realize all those things are passed away, they do not matter to God. He has forgiven you after you asked for forgiveness and as long as He is concerned, He has forgotten them ever since. ( "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalms 103 : 12).

God wants to move in you and through you. You just need to let go of all that negativity and past, stop questioning God and look forward and begin to see yourself as He sees you.

Fear not, He is with you and He will always be. (So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" Isaiah 41 : 10).

May God help us to let go and see ourselves as He sees us.

Amen!

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Yoruba Word Of The Week : Ìdáríjì

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Ìdáríjì is the Yoruba word for forgiveness.

We have all needed Ìdáríjì at one point of our lives...from our friends, family and even especially from God.

Just as others dáríjì it is also required of us to do the same.

Remember, everybody deserves a second chance.

The noun is : Ìdáríjì // The verb is : dáríjì // A simple sentence is : Mo ti dáríjì e (I have forgiven you) and also Jesu ti dáríjì gbogbo ese mi (Jesus has forgiven all my sins)

May God help us to forgive like He forgives us!

Amen!

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Prayers For The Week : Let's Keep Praying

Blessing and love beauties and gents!!

Today, I have three prayer requests that I need you to please remember in your time of prayer:

● Please pray for the lovely owner of the blog Robyn's Nest. I just realized today that she wrote a good-bye post back in May and in it she said she was not going to be posting on the blog anymore. On her blog, she talked about how she had been diagnosed with IH...Quite frankly, I do not know why she stopped blogging, or what she is up to right now, but I would just like us to pray for her healing and for God to give her peace and that all she endeavors to do will be blessed along with her marriage and family.

● My second prayer request is for Nigeria. I am sure some of you have heard about the recent car bombing of the U.N base on Abuja, the capital...please join me in praying for my motherland, that God would put total peace there, and stop any kind of violence

● Lastly, but not least, let us pray for those that live where the hurricane Irene is said to hit...let us pray that God will keep and protect those that are not evacuating, and those that are evacuating will be protected and God, in His divine way will provide for them.

May God bless you a hundred fold over as you pray for these ones!

I would also like to encourage you all to not relent in your prayer lives!! We fight through prayer, we protect our territory through prayer, we conquer through prayer and we get answers through prayer!! Please don't let the devil lie to you, prayer is never too much and in these times, it's not time to get comfortable and let the devil sneak in!

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" James 5 : 16

[And please do not forget that you can send me your prayer requests and join you in prayers!]

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Relationships : How Do I Know He's Interested?

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Blessings and love beauties and gents!!

I pray you have all had a wonderfully blessed Monday!

 I am going to be talking about something that has never really been visited on DatFunkyFro. This is my first post of my most recent topic called Relationships. 
Please note that I am in no way a relationship counsellor, or anything near it. I am in no way professional when it comes to relationships but I'm a woman who wants to share and want to learn much more about it.
Now, with all that being said, today's topic is about the question, I'm sure most of us ladies have asked ourselves at least once - how do I know he's interested in me? or how do I know he likes?


Many believe this is a question only teenagers ask but believe me sisters, these questions are relevant today for even the matured, adult woman.

So how do you know a guy likes your vibe, wants to get to know you better  or wants to make you his girl? I've also asked myself this many times, about different guys and all I can really say is that, not everything is the way it seems, and I have gathered this from my past experiences.

The truth of the matter is, unless the guy says it with his own lips, then there really is no rule to knowing if a guy is really interested. It really depends on the guy and you.

However, we as women, we love to dream and turn the littlest things into a story.

We see a guy staring at us and we start putting two plus two in our heads to make five. The brother could just have been staring at your beautiful hair and wondering how you go it that way, or he could be staring thinking you were someone he knows or he could just be a million miles away day dreaming with his eyes carelessly on you. Seriously, I don't think this is a good indication of if a guy is interested or not especially if it's not a brother you know personally but maybe the guy on the bus or the guy you always see in the grocery store.
Now if it's a brother you know and speak to, well, it's a bit on a different scale. If you find him staring at you well...apart from it being awkward I'd say he might be wanting something more than your friendship.

What else? Some women think because a guy always wants their attention he might be interested. I disagree. This guy might just enjoy your company and friendship without wanting anything more. There are many guy like this. They want to talk to you, call you but just maybe for advice or because they genuinely care for you as a friend. It doesn't always mean he is interested.

What about the guys - mostly guys at work or at school - that start getting all gentle with you and taking out dirt from your hair when they see it and touching your shoulder when they speak to you and stuff like that? Again, this doesn't really mean anything. There are guys that are just like that.

Now, let me play two different scenarios :

● you are at school and there's this guy you always see in the library and he is always stealing looks at you...what's the verdict? Well...there is a good chance the brother might want to get to know you better or even ask you out so as to get to know you better.

● you find one of your guy friends wanting to spend more time with you all of a sudden, complimenting you and being so caring...again, he it does not mean he is interested.


At the end of the day, if you really want to know if a guy's interested in you well, wait to hear it from him. There is no fruit or fun in speculating.

Another thing is, whether he's interested or not shouldn't really matter unless you are interested yourself...


How do you ladies know if a guy is interested?
How do you gents act around the ladies you are interested in? How do you let her know?

♥♥

Verse Of The Week : For His Glory

"All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." 

- John 17 : 10

This is our scripture for the week.

In this passage, Jesus is praying to the Father in His last few moments left here on earth. The emphasis of this powerful prayer was for His present disciples at the time and His disciples to come.

In this portion of scripture, Jesus clearly states one the most important truths of a Christian's life : We are His, even as brother Paul states in 1 Corinthians 6 : 20 that we have been "bought with a price". The Price is Jesus' precious blood shed on the cross of calvary for our sins.

That's the first part. The second part is an important fact many Christians choose to ignore or are not aware of : our number one purpose is to glorify Jesus.

Many Christians hold on to the first truth but cast away or have just no had the revelation of the second one.

Yes we are His, and since we are His, it is inevitable for our lives to glorify Jesus, since He is in us as He is in the Father, who has given Him all things.

The second truth is therefore the direct consequence of the first one.

It does not make sense to say we are of Jesus and born again, yet, our lives reflect, little to nothing of Christ.

This should be our goals, aspirations, to glorify God through every single aspect of our lives. Not just half of our lives or two thirds of it, but all of our lives. Remember, Jesus did not say, "Some glory has come to be through them", instead He said, "ALL glory has come to me through them".

If truly, Jesus is in us and we are His, then it is imperative for us to bring Him glory in every area of our lives...And this, should come naturally to the one who has truly given themselves to Jesus and believe that He is from the Father, who has given Him all things.

Firstly, for Jesus to be in us, we cannot be of the world. "I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me" (John 14 : 30) and "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4 : 4) and also "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16 : 33).

Secondly, if we are not of this world and Jesus is in us, then we have to glorify His name in every area of our lives and show case Him because " “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5 : 13 - 16)

Now, why are so many of us still failing to glorify Jesus in every area of our lives, why is it that Jesus' glory is not being revealed in our lives?

This is due to not submitting all our lives and everything we are about to Christ.

Many Christians say they are of Christ, yet they subscribe to the practices of the world and walk according to it's ways...this is partially giving your life to God...Jesus cannot be glorified in such a life.

We need to be completely in Christ for Him to be completely glorified in our lives.

Remember, Jesus was praying for the ones that are His, that are in Him and not for those in the world " I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours." (John 17 : 9).

We cannot have one leg into our walk with Christ and another leg inside the world...such a behavior is not acceptable to God "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelations 3 : 16). Unfortunately, this is where a number of Christians find themselves today "in between".

You cannot call yourself a disciple of Christ and fail to be in Him, of Him and about Him. It doesn't make sense. ("By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles" Matthew 7 :  16).

At the end of the day, Jesus knows those that are truly His and it is for those He will and does intercede for before His Father.

If you want to run after the world, then go ahead but if you want to run for Christ, then do it with everything in you and let Jesus be glorified in every area of your life; from the little things like the way you dress and talk, your hobbies, school, to bigger things like your marriage and your carrier.

As His disciples, His children, His brothers and sisters, we are to bring glory to His name (For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" Matthew 12 : 50). 

Child of God remember, "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." John 14 : 21

May God give us the grace to live to the glory of HIS name!

Amen.

♥♥

Yoruba Word Of The Week : Àdúrà

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Àdúrà is the Yoruba word for prayer.

We all need we all need to àdúrà,

we all need to gba àdúrà (to pray).

In every stage of our lives, àdúrà is never irrelevant.

Develop an attitude of àdúrà because our Lord, God, answers àdúrà wa (our prayers).

The noun is àdúrà.  

The verb is : gba àdúrà 

A simple sentence is : "àdúrà se pataki gon" (prayers are very important).

May God give us a hunger to pray and teach us how to do so!

♥♥