Biblepraise Fellowship Online

Advent is a season of waiting, hope, and reflection. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are reminded that God’s intervention changes the course of history. Advent symbolizes that even in the face of despair, the story isn’t over. It is a time to remember that when all seems lost, God is faithful to bring restoration and life.The word “Advent” comes from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival.” It is a time when Christians prepare their hearts to celebrate Christ’s birth while also anticipating His second coming. During this season, we reflect on themes of waiting, watching, and trusting in God’s promises, even when the outcome seems uncertain.In the time leading up to Jesus’ birth, Israel had been waiting for the Mess...

Our eyes are powerful. Through them, we navigate our environment, make decisions, and respond to what we see. In many ways, the direction we look determines the direction we go. The Bible often uses the eyes metaphorically to illustrate spiritual truths because of how essential they are to our understanding and navigation in life.Our eyes guide us, influence our thoughts, and can even affect the condition of our hearts. In life, we are constantly drawn to look at the things around us—our circumstances, challenges, successes, and failures. Just as our physical eyes help us avoid obstacles, find our path, and make choices, what we choose to look at spiritually also determines our direction. Our eyes guide us both physically and spiritually, re...

Life is full of moments that seem to have inevitable outcomes—situations where, if left to their own course, would end in disaster, defeat, or despair. Yet, time and again in Scripture, we find two simple yet powerful words: "But God." These words remind us that God’s intervention changes everything. What could have been tragic or hopeless, when God steps in, turns into something transformative, miraculous, and life-giving.The Power of Divine InterventionThe phrase "But God" appears repeatedly in the Bible, emphasising how human limits are met by God’s limitless power. When the situation seemed beyond help, God stepped in, altering the course of history, lives, and destinies. This truth inspires modern-day Christians because it...

Imagine yourself on a small boat in the middle of a vast ocean. Suddenly, dark clouds gather, and a fierce storm begins to rage. Waves crash against your boat, the wind howls, and the vessel rocks violently. Panic sets in as you realize that your boat might not be strong enough to withstand the storm. In that moment of fear and uncertainty, a question arises: Who is in your boat?In life, we all face storms—challenges and hardships that threaten to overwhelm us. The key to thriving in the midst of these storms is not the strength of our "boat"—our resources, skills, or circumstances—but who is in the boat with us. **Is Jesus in your boat?**Storms in life are inevitable. We all face difficulties—whether it's dealing with a sudden illnes...

You don’t notice them during the day unless you really focus on them but at night, reflectors are extremely important in guiding drivers, ensuring that they stay on the right path and avoid potential hazards. They do this by reflecting headlights, transforming them into a visible guide through the darkness. Similarly, Christians are called to be reflectors of God’s image, guiding others through the moral and spiritual darkness of today’s world.Reflecting the image of God involves embodying His characteristics in our daily lives. This means demonstrating love, kindness, justice, and integrity in a world that often challenges these virtues.In Matthew 5:16, Jesus commanded us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glo...

I remember many decades ago as a young Christian, I heard the following song for the first time;We are a chosen generationA royal priesthood, a holy nationA peculiar peopleTo show forth the praises of HimWho has called you out of darknessOut of darknessOut of darknessinto His marvellous lightinto His marvellous lightI must confess I didn’t fully understand the impact of that song then. I was wondering, “Why are we singing that we are a peculiar people? Isn’t that a negative thing? In my mind, being peculiar meant being strange or odd. Little did I know then that the lyrics of that song was taken word for word from the Bible!  Apostle Peter wrote his first letter...

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word thrive as, “to grow vigorously,” “to gain in wealth or possessions,” or “to progress toward or realise a goal despite or because of circumstances.” This definition encapsulates the essence of what it means to thrive: not just to survive, but to flourish, prosper, and succeed regardless of the challenges faced.After God created man, He blessed them with a profound mandate: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). This blessing was an invitation to thrive, to exercise dominion, and to steward the earth. God’s plan from the beginning was for humanity to thrive by g...

The Christian journey is not a sprint but a marathon, characterised by challenges and trials. How we respond to these obstacles determines the depth of our spiritual growth. Yet, we cannot navigate this journey relying solely on our human strength. To grasp the essence of the Christian walk, we must first comprehend what it truly means to become a Christian..Being a Christian isn't merely about lineage, religious rituals, or attending church services. It's about recognising our need for forgiveness and salvation, and accepting the grace freely offered by God through Jesus Christ.Scriptural references such as John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, and 2 Timothy 1:9 underscore the foundational truth that our status as children of God is not earned but bestowed upon us by God...

As we approached the end of the year 2023, a familiar hymn from my secondary school days came to mind. It's incredible how the words penned by composers centuries ago remain relevant today, despite the changes over the years. The hymn, "Our God, Our Help In Ages Past," written by Isaac Watts in 1719, holds a special place in my heart.The first verse of the hymn resonates with my personal experiences. Towards the end of last year, I faced a severe illness that landed me in the hospital. This unexpected turn of events left my usually active self physically incapacitated and mentally drained. Despite the challenges, the knowledge that God, along with the prayers from my family and church community, sustained me through the difficult period.During my reco...

Embarking on a long journey requires careful and adequate preparation. I confess that I often leave preparations for journeys till a day or two before departure, thinking that I don’t have much to pack, only to discover at the last minute, bits and pieces of things that need to be put in place, giving rise to anxiety and worry that I might not be on time. Thankfully, my wife is the opposite. Any time I have a trip to undertake, she ensures that weeks before the time, I start preparing, albeit reluctantly. Several days before the journey, she would check to ensure that I have all the important things packed and if anything comes to mind, she would confirm that I have those things packed.As Christians, we often forget that our lives are full of short a...

Most mornings, I wake up with a song in my heart. This song can make me feel better, give me hope, or energize me, depending on how I'm feeling. Today, the song I had in my heart was "Still (Hide Me Now)" by Ruben Morgan from Hillsong. This made me think about the difficult times I've been through in the past and how God has been with me.The lyrics of the song goes like this;Verse 1Hide me nowUnder Your wingsCover meWithin Your mighty handChorusWhen the oceans riseAnd thunders roarI will soar with YouAbove the stormFather You are KingOver the floodI will be still and knowYou are GodVerse 2Find rest my soulIn Christ aloneKno...

There are so many things today that is designed specifically to distract us from God. Some of those things are in our face everyday while others seem minor but gradually chip away our attention without us realising it.I previously held a position at a company that provided online users with voucher codes. Several features we developed on the website were strategically designed to capture people's interest and encourage them to make purchases through enticing discounts. The website experienced an immense influx of visitors in search of discount codes. This is just one medium, there is Television, Radio and of course the billboards that flash their images at us especially in major cities in the world.The world seems to be in frenzy to make us look for t...

I have always been captivated with the account of Moses’ relationship with God as written in the scriptures. One aspect that I found really interesting is how much he depended on God. Leading the children of Israel to the promised land with their tendency to rebel at the slightest obstacle was obviously a tedious and onerous task for Moses. In Exodus 33, God told Moses it was time for the Israelites to move from where they had camped while he met with God on Mount Sinai. He had been away for 40 days but before he returned, the people had decided to make other gods for themselves because according to them, “We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:1)Once the rebellion...

In Part 1, we examined how prayer came into being, tracing it's origins back to when the generation of Seth began to all upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:25-26) We considered what would have been the main focus of their prayers and highlighted two topical issues which were, repentance from sin and God fulfilling His promise to crush satan's head and restoring man to his original state. Part 1 ended with the first reason why prayer is important, which is, prayer re-aligns our hearts to the one who created us.Secondly, Prayer is important because it is powerful. In the second part of James 5:16, we read, “The prayer of...

How do you feel when you meet with someone very important? Even better, what if you had the opportunity to spend time with someone really important? Generally speaking, there is usually a sense of excitement when someone anticipates meeting someone they’ve only heard of but not actually met.As I was thinking about this, I remembered one of my friends many years ago who met someone important and shook hands with them. Jokingly, he raised his hands and said, “I’m never going to wash this hand again”.While it is always exciting to have the opportunity to meet with famous people, the effect of that meeting soon fades away. In come cases, after spending time some famous personalities, people have often come away with a sense of disappointment because they discov...

The year 2022 has been a very difficult one for many and it hasn’t even ended yet. The year began with global concern as Russian forces massed the Ukrainian border. On February 24th, the Russians began what they referred to as ‘special military operation’ by attacking several Ukrainian cities including the capital city Kyiv. It initially looked like it would be a quick battle with the Russians swiftly taking major cities like Kherson but eight months later, the war rages on.The global effect of the war in Ukraine has been the sky rocketing of energy prices which has fuelled inflation in several countries, thereby causing untold hardship to many who before now, were barely able to make ends meet. According to the Russel Trust, food banks between Apri...

On Thursday September 8, 2022 I was in a queue to enter into BOXPARK in Wembley Park for an Awards Ceremony when my phone buzzed. I checked my screen and saw the notification from one of the news media, ‘Queen Elizabeth II is dead”. I looked around and saw that other people on the queue were doing the same. Since then, the passing of the Queen has taken centre stage in the media up till today when she was finally laid to rest.For me personally, what struck me about the Queen was her unflinching and unapologetic devotion to God and openly declaring her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I learnt that there had been pressure on her to tone down her messages of faith but she never changed who she was or what she believed in.  Her strong...

In most cultures in the world, it is common for adult children to live with their parents until such a time when they decide to move out to live on their own. There was a time especially in the West, when children could not wait to be 18 so they could move out and be free of parental control. The trend these days however seem to be that adult children want to live with their parents as long as possible. I believe this is mostly due to a couple of reasons with the top on the list being economic factors. While living with their parents, children have free access to feeding and other utilities they would have otherwise paid for if they were living on their own. Although they enjoy these facilities freely, they come at a cost to their parents who have to foot th...

My wife and I have been on holiday in Morocco for a week. It was quite a refreshing time of rest and relaxation. One of the highlights of that holiday was the food. We are used to having our breakfast late especially on weekends and days when we are not working so it took a bit of adjustment for us to maker sure we get to the restaurant between the hours of 7:30am and 9:30am to have our breakfast. The sheer amount of food choices available was quite overwhelming but it was fun deciding on what we would eat first and what we would eat next.  By the third day, we began to eat less and less not because we no longer enjoyed the food but because we knew we just could not keep up. It seems the more we ate, the more food came out of the kitchen. It felt like th...

I was invited over the weekend for a thanksgiving/send-off service. When the invitation came, I was not sure I would attend because I thought I had a program in church on that day. Fortunately, I learned in time that the program was not for that particular Sunday, but for the next one. The coast was therefore clear for me to attend the service I was invited to. On that Saturday morning however, I began to feel feverish and this again cast doubt on my ability to honour the invitation. Nevertheless, after a long night rest, I was strong enough to make a firm decision not to miss the service.I set off on a rainy Sunday morning. My destination: the maximum-security prisons in Lagos, Nigeria. The event was the thanksgiving service of the Pastor of the protestant group of ch...