Biblepraise Fellowship Online

Inspirational Writings, Stories and Poetry.

Posts with Tag: hope

by Steve Popoola on
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...
by Steve Popoola on
In an earlier article, I shared my thoughts on the God who sees. In this piece, I will like to draw your attention to the God who knows.Being human, we are limited by the things we know. There is so much about the universe we live in that we don’t know. Netflix recently released a TV show titled, Surviving Death. I only watched the 1st episode because the other episodes seem to focus more about mediums which I don’t care about. The question scientists were asking was, ‘What happens after death? There was also the question of how people who had been certified dead were able to use their senses when science says, the brain stops functioning after death. I believe that science is only asking the question that scripture already answers for us.Not knowing...
by Steve Popoola on
No doubt, 2020 has been a year many around the world couldn’t wait to see the end of. So many things happened in that year that a lot of us have never experienced before. If not anything, the sheer number of people who have died and are still dying directly or indirectly from being infected with COVID has been staggering and unfortunately, this has dovetailed into the beginning of 2021.I have personally not experienced any year since I was born, when Church buildings were closed for services for months on end. I currently live in a part of England which is in the highest tier of COVID restrictions, preventing my Church from opening our doors for services. At this time, there is speculation that restrictions will be tightened up nationwide in order to curb the rate of i...
by Steve Popoola on
As many countries implement various measures to tackle the spread of Coronavirus, I couldn’t help but think of the role that the Church should be playing at this critical time.A few days ago, I was sharing with my wife my thoughts on the effect of the coronavirus lockdown on many churches which meant they could not open their doors to the public. It dawned on me that it didn’t matter whether the church building was a small community hall sitting 20 people or a mega church sitting 50,000 - they were all empty.  One fact emerges from this thought, the Church is not made of buildings. No matter how wonderful and lovely they are, how big or small they are, how organised or structured they are, at this time in history, they have become unus...
by Steve Popoola on
Unless you have been living in another planet within the last few weeks, by now you already know of Coronavirus which the World Health Organisation recently declared as a global pandemic. Little did anyone know that what started as a localised infection in a small community in China would eventually move swiftly across borders infecting and killing people in various countries of the world.Expectedly, the immediate reaction of many has been fear. Governments of many countries have closed schools, restricted movement and taken measures to ensure that the virus does not spread among its populace. Anywhere you turn, you can see that people are afraid although as it is typical for the British, many are putting up a brave face although you can see them flinch if yo...
by Steve Popoola on
Life is all about stories and these stories are woven into a complex tapestry revealing the journey of a man or woman through life. From the moment a baby is born, a story begins. Some of these stories are made made up of other stories, while others are seemingly stand-alone stories with a start and an end. Stories are very important. Stories need to be told in order to convey facts that may be required to save a life out to establish the truth. When you are ill and visit a Doctor, the first thing he or she asks you is, ‘Can you tell me what the problem is?’ Most often than not, the patient begins to tell his story. The Doctor, seeking further information will often ask more questions which in turn will generate another set of stories. Analysing those stories co...
by Steve Popoola on
As a year rolls towards its end, many of us reflect on how the out-going year has been for us in terms of the choices and decisions we made and how that affected both us and the people around us. We also think about events that have happened to us and how it impacted our lives either positively or negatively.Reflecting on the past is good as it helps us see areas where we need to improve or lifestyles we need to change for our own good and for the good of others. Once we have done that however, we need to move on to focus on the future.  It is easy to get stuck in one place if we do not leave the past behind. We can fall into the trap of living in past glory that we do not see the need to improve until it is too late. In the same vein,...
by Steve Popoola on
Another year is around the corner and as usual, we look ahead to the new year with hope and expectations of good things to come. For others however, the start of the new year may be a scary and frightening one due to many reasons. It could be a debt due to be repaid or an impending life changing surgery with a 50-50 chance of survival. The bottom line is, the emergence of a new year can be that of hopeful excitement or terrifying expectations.For Christians however, we have a sure foundation. Isaiah 33:6, “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure”. As I look back into the outgoing year, one re-occurring decimal has been the faithfulness of God to me and...
by Steve Popoola on
I have recently been spending some time on a chapter in the Bible - Hebrews 11. This chapter is often referred to as the Hall of faith due mainly to the fact that it lists the men and women who lived exemplary lives of faith.One thing I noticed about these people was that there was nothing superhuman about them. They were men and women just like you and I. What set them apart was that they decided on a course of action which changed not only their lives but also the destiny of nations.The chapter starts with a definition of faith “as the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”. It goes further to say, “This is what the ancients were commended for” (Hebrews 11: 1- 2) One thing that strikes me abou...
by Steve Popoola on
For the Christian, prayer is simply our direct line to God and it is always on 24/7. My children know how frustrated I get whenever I call them and I get sent to voicemail either because they exhausted their phone batteries and didn't recharge or they placed their phones somewhere while they were elsewhere. When praying to God, you can be sure that there is no point of failure. When we pray in Jesus name, heaven hears us instantly. There is no linking from one communication tower or network to another. It is instant and immediate!Having defined what prayer is, the next logical question is, "Who is qualified to pray?" The only qualification for prayer is having a right standing with God. Without this, prayer is more of a wish list and a gamble. Naturally, the follo...
by Steve Popoola on
A commentary on Acts 3: 1-10.As a child, I learnt the art of understand certain 'looks' my mum gave my brothers and I when we were in public and she did not want to voice out her reaction.The looks varied, depending on the severity of our behaviour. Sometimes, you could sense that she was annoyed and other times, you could tell that you were in trouble whenever we got back home.When people look at you, what do they see? Do they see a person who cares for them or do they see someone who is focused on self?One day, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray. As they got the the template gate called beautiful, they saw a man who was lame from birth. Every day, he would be carried by others to thi...
by Steve Popoola on
On Thursday June 23, 2016, the people of Great Britain went to the polls to decide the future on England, whether to stay or remain in the entity called the European Union.

Before this time, campaigners had done all they could to convince the electorate which way to vote. Unfortunately, twenty-four hours before the vote was scheduled to begin, many were still undecided. On Friday June 24, 2016, to the surprise of many, a majority of the British voters decided to leave the European Union.

Since this historic decision, there has been a cloud of uncertainty over the future of Great Britain with many seeing the decision to leave the EU as death knell to what was once referred to as Great Britain. While many who voted to leave have been jubilating, there have been reports of people lament...
by Rubel Shelly on
Have you noticed how candid the Bible is about its heroes? It doesn’t whitewash the flaws and foibles of its characters.
Abraham is not only the Father of All Who Believe but the scared rabbit who puts his wife in jeopardy to save his neck. King David is not only the Man After God’s Heart but the adulterer who lies and kills a man to try to keep the affair from being exposed.
Peter is not only First Among Equals in the band of apostles but the frightened fisherman who denies knowing Jesus of Nazareth in his hour of need – not once, but three times.

So how can these people be “saints” and “examples” to the rest of us? How are we supposed to find hope and encouragement from reading their stories?
That que...
by Steve Popoola on
I was awake but my eyes were still closed. I could hear the footsteps of people hurrying off to work and the sound of distant traffic.
I had finished my secondary education a couple of years before then and would have loved to seek admission to the university like my other friends, some of whom were already in school. The reality of the situation told me that would not be a possibility for now. What I needed was a job. If I could save up for a few months, maybe I would have enough to seek admission into the university.

by Steve Popoola on
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11)

By now the excitement that heralded the start of  the year has waned. The hopes and aspirations of the new  year for many is beginning to look bleak and the future looks so uncertain.  It is back to the daily grind and the harsh reality of today.

For many, the year did not start on a good note – it was not the way they would have wished to start the year. In Somerset,  South West England, it has been a devastation caused by floods. Homes and businesses have been under water for weeks, causing people to evacuate their homes and sources of livelihood.



For many others, it has been the loss of a loved one or source o...
by Steve Popoola on
As one year ends and another one begins, it is usual for people to review their lives in the out-going year and  make projections into the new year. 


 

Some people make resolutions based on changes they want to make in the new year. These resolutions are often made to curtail habits or to achieve something significant.  What happens most times is that these resolutions are most often than not broken within the first few weeks into the new year.



by Steve Popoola on


In our present age, it is so easy to become depressed and overwhelmed. There are many issues within and without that continually threaten our peace of mind. Some of these pressures could be internal;  like for instance, when we feel a sense of sinfulness which often leads to guilt and a sense of inadequacy.





Another thing that  could threaten our peace of mind is fear and worry.  We worry about our past actions and what effect it may have on our future, we worry about whether our investment today will yield anything worthwhile in the future to justify the investment, we worry about the children and the pressures...
by Steve Popoola on



There is no doubt that we live in trouble times. Many countries have been going through years of recession and this has affected many businesses with direct impact on the livelihood of families.

As I watched the news yesterday, my attention was drawn to an old couple who had been adversely affected by the man's loss of job as an Engineer in America. He told the story of how they no longer have health insurance; they are now in debt, had their electricity cut and now they were losing their home. My heart went out to them and I wished I had the resource and ability to help them. I realize however that theirs is not an isolated case, they are just one of the millions of families goin...
by Janet Seever on
Haze hung like a thin gray blanket over Manila. Although it was only 6:30 a.m., I knew the day would be another hot, humid one—my blouse was already sticking to me. Dreading the trip ahead of me, I wished I could make the nightmare of the past few days vanish.

Weaving in and out of traffic, our Filipino driver was taking my co-worker, Helena, and me to the bus station. The traffic was as unnerving to me now as it had been when our family arrived in the Philippines five months earlier to do mission work. An occasional honk of a horn indicated a driver was claiming the right of way.



I settled back against the seat, my mind whirling. I hadn't slept well for several nights and my body was running on adrenaline. My husband, Dennis, had spent several days in the modern Manil...
by Steve Popoola on
Exactly one year ago, a cloud of grief descended on the Nigerian nation as the news of Dana Air Flight 992 spread like wildfire. The Media and Social Networks buzzed with updates on the event and the identifying the victims of the crash even before the official flight manifest was released. It was one of the worst air disasters recorded in the Nigerian aviation history.

Grief poured out like rainfall as people who knew them posted pictures of whole families perishing in the ill-fated aircraft on social network sites like Facebook.



One year later, the airline that owned the aircraft is back in operation and it is business as usual but for those who lost loved ones, which includes me; we can only take comfort in the one who comforts those who grieve. Knowledge of scriptu...
Steve Popoola
Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the founder of the Biblepraise Fellowship Online. He lives in Kent, United Kingdom, where he works as an IT Professional. He serves currently as a Worship Leader in his local church and on occasion, speaks at invited events.