KiKi's LAIR

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:14 -16 This is definitely one of my favorite scriptures but unfortunately, I don't think I have lived up to it that much. You know how they say "some things are easier said than done"? That is probably the case with the Matthew 5:14 scripture for me and many other people too. Working through doubts, fear of failure, and self-esteem to shine your light whether literally or figuratively could be quite hard.  Earlier during the month, I was...

If anything, I have started to understand why our emotions cannot be trusted. You know something or someone is not good for you but, your cravings and coconut head emotions are clamoring for it, so bad that you eventually give in. Now, when you give in to their demands, those same emotions turn on you and taunt you for not being strong enough to resist them. Traitors, I tell you!  Fear not, no boy has broken my heart.😆 I have just been having deep thoughts on how powerful or powerless my emotions can be based on the level of power I give them. If you read my previous post , you would be aware of the internal battles I've been dealing with since my mom passed. It will be four months in a few days, how time flies, although it still feels like yesterday.  I found it amazing how I could be on an emotional high for days, living my best life and feeling good, and then without warning the dark gloomy blanket of sad emotions would rest on me, plunging me into days of depression and i...

  February is here.  We'll all agree that the year is not so new anymore. The buzz about new year resolutions in the first place wasn't exactly there and I think we're beginning to get the hang of it.  "The New Year, New Me" mantra doesn't exactly work, what works is having a mental disposition that you want to change certain things about yourself whether it's the first day of the year or the 118th day of the year.  But this does not in any way mean that you neglect the importance of newness or the opportunity of a fresh start that a new day or new month gives you.  Maybe you've made plans, you have goals you want to achieve or a certain level you want to be at by the end of the year. NOW is the time to start. Not tomorrow, not the next day but now.  Get busy. Break down those goals you have written down into tiny action points that can keep you busy and productive. If you want to write a book, you can decide to write a chapter in two weeks. And by the...

In the past year, we have seen and experienced very trying times. Even if it hasn't too hit close to home, we've had friends, loved ones, church members, classmates, share challenges that could make you shudder and wonder how they're even able to get up in the morning. Or it could be that you have had to endure painful experiences as well.  And when our close ones share these challenges, we are quick to respond with that cliché phrase amongst the christian folk, "I'll pray about it" . It's such an easy thing to say, you know, something to make you feel or look spiritual.  It's not exactly a bad thing though except, Do you really pray about it, or does it skip your mind the next minute you're distracted and your mind wanders off to something else?  And then when it has to do with your personal problems, do you/have you really pray/prayed about it?. Pause for a moment and think about it. Many times we talk to the people around us MORE than we talk to...

I just finished reading The Ultimate Journey by Jim Stovall and I have been so blessed by it. It opened my eyes to a lot of things that we generally take for granted. One of which is Gratitude I've come to realize that there's never really a destination point as long as we are here on Earth. There will always be something to do, a prize to win, greater heights to attain, even problems to solve and challenges to overcome. I remember when I wrote my final exam in the university, we were so excited. We screamed and celebrated while carrying out all the necessary signing out ceremonies. In my mind, I felt like all the sleepless nights and late night studying had finally come to an end.  Little did I know that, I was just only getting started on this thing called life.  I have about a thousand PDFs on my phone that keeps growing in number. The more I read, the more I find out there is so much more I need to know.  At some point when I was at the verge ...

You and I, dear reader would both agree that a lot has happened in our lives already this year and we're just about getting done with the first half of it. I for one haven't been exactly reaching the marks I set for myself this year and it gets so frustrating when I look at how much is yet to be done that I want to just throw 'it' all away and just settle for whatever happens. The case might be the same for some of y'all. If you do not happen to belong to this category, well, congratulations! But I'd also have you know that there is always a better way to doing stuff and living life, just so you don't settle for whatever wonderful position you might find yourself in at the moment. So, first things first, what does it actually mean to 'Settle'? The meaning of the word varies over a wide range of definitions but in the context of this article it means, "To become fixed or permanent; to become stationary; to establish one's self or itself;...

We are almost that time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our saviour, Jesus Christ. It's usually a season of love and sharing that just seems to bring out the good and loving side of everyone. But one striking fact is that sometimes we get carried away with planning and celebrations that we forget the actual celebrant, the main reason for the season. Everyone of us has a birthday and on that day we get gifts, wishes, calls and text messages from loved ones. That day just seems to be basically about us. When it comes to Christmas, I believe the same should apply. If the celebrant is having his party in church, well, what are you doing at home? If you're exchanging gifts with everyone else, what about the celebrant? Imagine you hosted a birthday party in your house and everyone came with gifts for each other except you, the celebrant...how would you feel? Over the years, this has been the case for Jesus. Of course, no material thing could be used to quantify the va...

There comes a time in our walk with God when we all eventually have to drop our Isaac. Our 'Isaac' in reference to the biblical perspective is something very precious to us, so precious that we feel we cannot do without. Mine was a relationship, with a person from whom I'd tried to derive my personality from and idolize unknowingly. The time had come and I tried to evade it just as always. But then again, knowing fully well that I'd get stuck at that level of my life if I couldn't let go, the battle in my mind started. With every wall of resistance I built, his word came like a bulldozer knocking it down. Until finally, I let go. I was so afraid, afraid of loneliness, of the unknown, of the future, that I wouldn't and couldn't make it on my own. Looking back now, we're both glad I did and here I am blazing my own trail, gradually learning to enjoy my own company, embracing wholeness, understanding my role in a bigger picture, impacting my world even...

Whenever I remember the first day I came across the bible verse that said, "Pray for your enemy", I smile sheepishly. I had shook my head with a "no-no" screaming in my it. How could I pray for those who hurt me? As in for what nah?! The thoughts in my head screamed. And the Spirit with a voice always calm as ever, answered, "Cause sometimes you would be the one that has hurt another. Would you love for them to pray for you?" Well,that did it for me, I argued till I knew I had lost the battle. I just said in my mind, "God I don't know how you expect me to do this but help me anyways". I still had some atom of doubt in my mind, I strongly believed all my enemies had to die by fire! Fast forward, two years after, I hurt a loved one and I sincerely and desperately wanted reconciliation but all my efforts were futile. I eventually went to God in prayer, I still wonder why we find it hard to seek God first when situations arise. And just as I...

Just like this picture, we'd want our lives to be prim and proper. But fortunately it doesn't always turn out that way. Why fortunately? Well, perhaps, there's a possibility that we would sink into a routine, running around in circles, never going back but yet never moving forward. Perhaps, there would be no aspirations, no dreams, no hope, and what is a man without hope? Dead. Perhaps, we would then rest on our oars and pride in the fact that we made it happen all by ourselves. This is seemingly possible as man has always tried to play god, most times to his detriment. Maybe the problems, the challenges, the bills, come so that in the process of dealing with them we bump into our purpose, our reason for being created, our existence. Perhaps they come that we may realize the endless possibilities of faith, increasing by each victory. Perhaps, the untidiness of a partner or the unruliness of a family member would teach us to love even when we do not feel like it. Perh...

Ever wondered what the statement, "All you need to succeed lies within you" means? Well, its not just some quote someone invented to make you feel better. Just before you were put in your mother's womb, God deposited certain things in you. Your mother might not have known but she was not just pregnant with you, she was pregnant with greatness. This has nothing to do with the circumstances surrounding your birth. It doesn't matter if you might have perceived that you were unwanted. You came into earth loaded with gifts, talents, potentials, creativity. But with all the issues and forces of life we battle with, most times we forget. And because you're not ready to fight, we settle for less, for mediocrity and join to celebrate those who were able to harness the potential in them. We forget what was embedded in us. No one was created to live this life and leave without leaving a mark, without others knowing you were here. No! Those gifts and talents were put in y...

How do you see you? What do you think of yourself in your heart? What picture do you have of yourself in your mind's eye? The answer to these questions determine to a large extent what your life turns out to be like. It affects everything that concerns you and this is why having a good picture of yourself is necessary. You can never outperform the picture you have of yourself. There'll always be a synergy between what image is on the inside and the action produced outside. Firstly, your picture of you determines your relationships. Like begets like, and we unconsciously attract people like us. The people around you paint the picture you have of yourself. If you could at this very moment sweep through your friends list in your mind, you would find out that you chose them because there was some sort of bonding between you two which resonated from your inside. And these relationship have at some point influenced certain decisions you've made in life whether good or bad. Ever...

Nothing in society is more destructive than irresponsibility. The reason we have such conflicts and debilitating experiences in the world today is because the world is filled with people infected by the irresponsible spirit. Irresponsibility means not being answerable to authority, lacking a sense of accountability or not liable or able to answer for consequences. Even God's household of faith is involved in this sense of irresponsibility. When sin is confronted from the pulpit, the message is too often transferred to the person sitting in the next pew. Few want to hear a pastoral rebuke. Many Christians are loving unclean lives and don't want anyone to reprove or correct them. This is the spirit of irresponsibility. Irresponsible people are experts at transferring blame for their own irresponsible actions. Adam, the first man started this trend when he spoke in defense, "God, the woman you gave me....remember it was you who gave her to me...she gave me the fruit, a...

Take me to Lala land, Where am free to dream, With wanton abandon Where the crowds are cheering and the chants are roaring, Only its the name of another, of one higher than mine, Take me to Lala land, Where hearts are pounding, as winners are called out, Where the 'thank you' speech reels out of my mouth, With beaming faces under the spotlight, Take me to Lala land, Where I can be anything I want to he, Where I can dream of anything and everything, Where my mind has no limitations, Traveling back and forth to realms of greatness, Beyond what my eyes can see, Beyond what my head can contain, Widening my capacities in ways unimaginable. Take me to Lala land, Where I can see my future, Just as my maker has prepared, Where I can feel the aura of excellence, Just before it manifests, for surely it will Come with me, with eyes closed and minds racing, Let's travel together, to the cosmos of our destinies, To a place where only healthy thoughts can ta...

“Do you spit or swallow?” This is one of the most important question of life (maybe for a reason I don’t know, people fail to ask it more often) Whether it is a wine tasting or brushing your teeth, or eating water melon with seeds in it or in short whatever, your attitude to life determines whether you would spit or swallow.

So today deliberately wanted to turn into a bad day but I didn't let it. I had barely slept for two hours after an all night when my dad woke me up, I was just looking at him like, "You no dey sleep?" He wakes you up in such a way that you hear his voice even from your deepest of dreams and you jerk up with your heart beating times two of its normal rate. Remember I told you he's a disciplinarian. After attending to what needed attention, I tried to get back to my much needed sleep and cramps set in. Really??? Nothing was getting in the way of this my beloved sleep so I hurriedly took some pain killers and snuggled into my pillows, thirty minutes later, I was staring at my ceiling trying to convince myself not being pregnant now was a good thing, Mother Nature had apparently won. So I attempted to read, but the words seemed to jump out of the pages, dancing in circles around my head, just like in Tom and Jerry. Finally, cramps gave way to sleep, two hours later...

If I tried to measure his love I'd run out of tapes to roll If I even attempted to imagine it I'd exhaust the capacity of human thoughts. So I'll just wade and bask in volumes of it Till am so far beneath to wander away. In it every fault, mistake and wrong is washed away And even if I tried to pull away It'd draw me back with force Calvary's sacrifice It has never failed even in apparent defeat It has never left even in severe loneliness It has never, not because it won't but because it can't. This knowing brings peace and joy Even in moments of brokenness and undoings. It forever stays as long as I want it And I want it now and forever.