Godly teens

  Special one, we're moving ! Yessss A couple of days ago I finally bought into God's idea of expanding and stretching the curtains of my blogging journey. And yes, I admit I struggled with it for a while because it felt a little bit scary.  Actually, scratch that. It was very scary.  I didn't think I was ready and certainly didn't feel like making some commitments it would require from me. But I've learnt that when God says move, you better move! So whether I feel like I'm ready or not, this is me announcing to you that I would no longer be posting on the Godly Teens blog. We're moving to a new site, which would be the home of amazing and relatable blog posts from here on out.  I call it Purple Streaks. (Maybe I would write about how that name came about. *wink*) But before we head on over to the new site, I want to say a VERY BIG THANK YOU for being such loyal readers to my posts thus far. For commenting and sharing my posts. For critiquing my works and ad...

The bus stop was noisy as usual and her legs were beginning to ache. Susanna checked her watch, impatient. She'd been standing for over an hour now, and there was still no sign of a bus going to Ojuelegba. Strange, she thought. Even with the fuel and Naira scarcity, buses going to her area were rarely absent.  " Oga o " she sighed and placed a hand on her hip. ************ In the same bus stop, Tolani, eighteen, sat apprehensive. The pain in her lower abdomen and in between her legs were not going to stop her from accomplishing her goal. In fact, it was her motivation. That and the intense shame and guilt that had settled on her since she left the clinic an hour ago.  Her eyes darted back and forth the busy road, waiting for the perfect time to end it all. But the commercial buses stopping every once in a while to pick up passengers were making it difficult. She became impatient, restless. She thought about going further down the road that led to the express where cars ra...

Hi guys! Happy New Year! (Coming a bit late, I know) But I've gotten into the habit of not doing things, just because.  This month, I struggled to know what to write on this blog. I had a few ideas, scribbled them on paper, and was already writing on one, which was motivational/goal-smashing in style, when I was held back.  Apparently, God had other plans.  You see, motivation is good, but if you're headed in the wrong direction, it's the worst thing that can happen to you... So what does God want you to know, that He had to scrap my own writing plans? FOLLOW THE ARK. If you're familiar with the book of Joshua, you'd know that the Ark was a symbol of God's very Presence . Joshua told the Israelites before getting to the promised land (Jericho) that all they had to do was just go after it.  It was what would get them to the promise of God. Joshua even had to add that they better follow the Ark because they had not passed that route before. Everything was new, and...

"Hope is a flame that needs to be protected; it is the oxygen our dreams need to stay alive." -Eunice Obidi. Right now on this harmattan morning, as I write this blogpost, there are four items on the table before me: an empty glass, which held a steaming cup of Milo about four minutes ago; a red plastic plate with cake crumbs and clumps of abandoned icing sugar; a new notebook, it's pages smooth and crisp, waiting to be filled with everything bubbling in my heart; and an old notebook already filled cover to cover with different colors of ink. The old notebook, although wrinkled and the page edges folded up, is opened to a page titled "GOALSSS!" The writing is almost hard to read because it was written in red ink and is already smudging... But because I was the one who wrote it, it appears as clear to me as the day I wrote it on the third of January 2022.  As I read from line to line, page to page, I see the things I promised myself and God when this year started...

I love love the efforts you're putting into preparations for whatever test/exam season that lies ahead of you... But do you know that God's help will produce far greater results than your efforts ever will? Through every stage, from preparation to writing, there are five major ways God can HELP you in an exam season: 1. He orders your steps; One direction from God in that course can save you lots of time and efforts. Follow the course outlines, but don't forget to ask Him to guide you to places you need to concentrate on. 2. He reminds you; Ever walked into a test/exam and forgotten every single thing you read? It happens to a lot of people.  But fear not.  Believers in Christ have the advantage of the Holy Ghost, who has promised to remind you whatever it is you have studied but can't remember clearly.  Trust Him. 3. He assures you; For most people, exam seasons come with panic in the air.  As a Christian, you can exempt yourself from being a part of that.  The...

Dear Diary, I wish people know that the way you treat others will directly or indirectly affect you.  Beyond the laws of karma, it’s only human when people treat you the exact same way you treat them. Call it “Garbage in, Garbage out, if you want; but the shit is real. A couple of days ago, MJ, my friend, went to do her registration at school and was number twenty-something on the queue. We had planned to wait till she was done before we got lunch, but 2:00pm came and it was not even close to her turn. I decided to walk to a nearby supermarket to get myself something to eat in the meantime, because I was hungry. So I walked into this store and took a McVities shortbread and a drink (someone must've used this combination to curse me🤦), then walked to the cashier to pay for my goods. And this was where the devil had planted someone to try to ruin my day. The cashier, a woman above thirty, eyed my goods and opened the cash register. Then looked at me and said, “I don’t ha...

                                "The people you listen to are a preview of the future you." -Jeff Henderson.   There's something about mindsets that's mind boggling. They're like new computers or phones or blank canvases at birth. The applications or programs that you download in them are what make your system different from mine and able to do different things from mine. As we grow, we are consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously downloading software that will determine the kinds of lives that we live. If the voices you hear constantly tell you that you're incapable, too small, and terrible at doing certain things, guess what's going to happen to you? Yep! You’ll cripple yourself into consistent failure. On the other hand, what happens if the voices you hear regularly, tell you what's possible and not what's impossible; if the voices you hear tell you there's really nothing hard about...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m very big on purpose. Purpose is the reason I wake up every day, with the knowledge that there is a particular people out there who ought to benefit from God’s deposits in my life.  But guess what this lifestyle has made me discover. I’ve realized that to really fulfill purpose/destiny, you have to figure out how to hear God for yourself. Sure, we’re wired to make mistakes once in a while as we journey through life, but trust me, there are some mistakes that do not have to be made. [Like choosing the wrong career path, friendships or partner.] And the only guaranteed way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to hear God. For yourself. So maybe you’re thinking, “How do I make that happen?” Follow me. 1.          Join the family: The first step to being able to hear God is to be sure that you are born again, [and that’s just a fancy way of saying you have given your life over to Christ to not just be your Father ...

(Image from Shutterstock) I'm at the fruit woman's burial. Everyone is dancing and singing. They are all in matching attires of white and they sing and clap as they dance after her coffin: "Ile l'onlo, tarrara. Ile l'onlo..." I can't feel the happiness that they feel. I just can't.  "She lived a good life," I hear a man say behind me to his friend.  "Yes. Very very good. She was so easy going, so gentle and nice." Tears are threatening to fall from my eyes as the Holy Spirit reminds me of one solemn truth. No matter how good a life was, if it wasn't surrendered to God, it was headed for Hell. But I can't tell them this. I can't ruin their celebration.  From a distance, I watch a Priest pray over the coffin. "May her soul rest in peace." He said. Again, torrents of tears fall from my eyes. If that woman had not given her life to Christ, her soul could never rest in peace.  It was a bitter pill to swallow. Even f...

The rain is pelting down hard on the pavement outside. The colour of the sky matches my mood today as I seat on my bed staring out my bedroom window. The wind and rain bend the branches of the palm trees outside and it reminds me of why I'm here in the first place; why I'm not studying or scrolling through my phone, or at a sleepover in Kike's house.  Yesterday, a particular news knocked the life out of me and changed my mood from the colourful, rain-bowed sky it was, to one with different shades of gray.  The fruit woman down the street had died. Diabetes, they said. She was just a fruit seller to me, so I shouldn't be here grieving so hard. Not if I had obeyed the voice of God few weeks earlier. Maybe it was because she was so young, friendly and full of life, that I had delayed telling her about the burden in my heart. Five times, I had heard the Holy Spirit urge me to tell her about God and His Beloved Son, Jesus who died so that eternity in Heaven could be secured....

(Image from Flexx Mag) "Mtcthewww," Mercy hissed at her phone screen where a news headline informed her about the elongation of the strike. "These people are using us to play football and they think it's funny." Frustration surged through her and she was not sure who to blame for her predicament. The federal government or the academic staff union of universities. She had spent six years doing a five year course, and these people were still not merciful enough to reach an agreement. "God, these people are delaying my future!" She groaned in anger. "My mates are already working and building the life of their dreams, and here I am, a victim of circumstances." "Who says you are?" Mercy turned her head to see her mother standing by the door of her room. She had not heard her come back from work. She sighed. "Mummy you don't understand. I feel so helpless. Nobody cares about my future in this country. Nobody." "Do you?...

Richard slid his feet into his shoes, excited about the day stretched out ahead of him. He was going to the movies to catch up with a couple of friends he had not seen since the ASUU strike started. Not that the movies was his favorite place to go or that he had particularly missed his friends. But he had heard Rachel, Mide’s cousin would be there too. He had liked the girl the first time he met her, and he felt this was going to be a good opportunity to push further with her. Besides, the outing would be a healthy distraction. His house was beginning to drive him crazy. He switched off the lights and was about to leave his room when he felt a familiar tug at his heart. He looked back, wondering what he was missing. He saw his Bible on the floor near his bed and for a second, he felt like going to pick it up and maybe say a few words of prayer to God before leaving, but time was going and he had friends to catch up with. When was the last time you caught up with Me? A voice within ...

Rose sat on her favourite chair, staring into space and feeling lost. It had been two months since the most unforgettable day of her life, where a vigil she attended had sparked a hunger in her to know God more. She had felt so fired up, so enthusiastic about the things of God, that prayer had become her habit and the Bible sweeter than sugar cookies. She remembered feeling as if fire lived in her bones, because anytime she prayed, it felt like God Himself was in the room with her. Nostalgia blanketed her. Things were no longer the same. Her story was different now. She had changed. As the table clock beside her ticked steadily, she closed her eyes and walked down memory lane. What had caused her fire to die out? How come she had not read her Bible in a long time now, and prayer had become so big of a burden? Where was the desire she had felt so strongly two months ago? As she pondered, pictures of yesterday began to waltz through her mind. She remembered how two weeks after the vigil,...

The military man shoved him into the dark cell and locked the door. He stumbled and hit his head on a wall. It was so dark, he couldn't see anything and the pungent smell hanging in the air threatened to make him barf. How long were they going to keep him here? He slid slowly down to the floor as tears burned his eyes. What would Kike, his newly wedded wife be doing now? He hated that she had to experience his arrest, the way they had  broken into their house and arrested him like a common criminal.  "See, Mr. Mike. This matter is very simple." His captors had told him. "Stop making noise about this Jesus guy and we will let you go back to your family."  He had refused of course. How could he deny the One for whom He lived? Consequently, here he was in a prison cell, on an island he could not identify, far away from the rest of the world, maltreated, beaten and locked up. He knew what they were trying to do. After series of previous threats and arrests...

Hello Special! Is it too late to say Happy New Year? I hope not. But I do know that it's not too late in the year to form a reading habit. Which is why I ’m proud of you for deciding to read more this year.  Welcome! (Google photo) BECOMING A BETTER READER Today’s culture doesn’t exactly give you a trophy for being a reader. It’s almost like there are more important things to do/attend to. But guess who will thank you when you decide to pick up the reading habit? Your future self! That’s right. Reading is an investment into your future, helps you to become wiser with life’s matters, and is a smarter way to pass time than scrolling through social media. So how do you become an avid reader, especially if the thought of books does not currently get you excited? 1.       Start with what you like : What is that one thing that makes you happy whenever you think about it? Is it money? Business? Goals? Food? Health? Relationships? Fiction? God? Start ther...

Phew! We blinked and it’s December already? Who else agrees with me that 2021 has been one heck of a ride? The speed, the bumps, the twists, the turns... But we've got to hand it to 2021. It was a year of growth! Yasss, raise your hand if you can count one or two ways you grew this year. C’mon, take inventory and bless God for the wonderful human you’re becoming!👏👏👏 Speaking of growth, this year, books were my catalyst. Isn’t it amazing that there is this ocean of knowledge out there that you don’t have to pay a dime for, if only you can read?! Here are some of the significant books I read this year.  Hopefully, at the end of this post, you would want to read one or two of them. 1. ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear :  I used to be this person that was almost always overwhelmed with activities. I had so much going on and I was always gettting to breaking point too soon. But busy doesn’t equal productivity. Through this book, I was able to form new habits that started bringing me...