Olubukola Oyetayo's Blog

Bitterness and resentment won’t do any good both to our health and spiritual lives. Forgiveness has been linked to improved mental health such as reduced anxiety, depression, stress and major psychiatric disorders. In addition, forgiveness not only improves one's health but also translates to God forgiving us our own sins too and in turn helping us grow spiritually and praying effectively.  Absolutely no one hasn’t been offended or offended others. However, we have a choice to make; either to let go/forgive and live a happy life OR keep holding on to offences and having a heart full of burdens. Here are few ways to forgive easily. We are an extension of God’s love We were yet sinners but God loves us (John 3:16). The Bible in Colossians 3:13 says we should  forbear and forgive one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” ‭ The Bible says we should love one another by extending God’s love to others. We can extend God's ...

Studies have proven that humans have short attention span. This is also applicable during prayers. We have a lot of things on our minds; office work, school work, what to eat, how to multiply income and million of things keep running through our minds at every point in time. It is important to not only watch these thoughts but also deal with them while we are praying. We want to eliminate all forms of distractions and focus on one thing/task per time. A good way to achieving this is by decluttering the mind from all worries and thought. We need to reposition our minds to what we are doing; which is praying. Also, we can turn off all phone notifications during prayers in order to fully concentrate. Another means to controlling distractive thoughts is by converting those thoughts to prayer requests. We think or worry over anything. Usually, the reason why this occurs is because we need help, we need solutions to these things that might be posing a sort of challenge or issue for us. M...

One thing for sure is that we can’t live life on our own. We need Jesus; to guide us, help us. In fact, we need Him for everything. He made the heaven and the earth, formed us out of His own image (Gen. 1:27). God is our maker, He leads us, knows what we need per time and the reason why He created us. We need to have a personal relationship with Him; that one-on-one communication. Why did He create you? What is His will? What we should do and shouldn’t? and 1001 and more things to commune with Him about. We have to take strategic steps to develop a daily communication and strong connection with God. Here are few ways to get closer to God, to hear from Him and live a Godly and purposeful life according to God’s will. 1. Meditate on a chapter/verse of the Bible daily The bible says meditating on the Word of God every day will make us prosperous and be blessed (Josh 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3). In a world of so many voices, we need to build up our faith through God’s word and live for Him. ...

Call me a foodie! Oh, yes I am a lover of good food.😎😎 And not just good food oh😅🙈 give me some firewood Party Jollof rice and I will be your BFF 😂  What is a Nigerian party without jollof rice? Absolutely none oh😂Before you continue salivating or wonder why the long talk, let me share how you can easily cook this easy Nigerian firewood jollof rice at home! First things first, see some tips below👇🏽  Tips For Nigerian Firewood Jollof Rice: 1. To get that perfect red colour jollof rice, I usually use either of these tomato paste brands: DE RICA or GINO - in the ratio of 1 sachet to 3 cups of rice. 2. Also, to get that perfect red colour jollof rice, I usually use lots of Red bell peppers (Tatashey) and small portion of Long Chilli peppers (Shombo) in combo with Scotch bonnet/habanero peppers 3. Roasting your peppers gives your jollof a very nice smokey flavour! 4 I use aluminum foil paper with a tight/perfectly fitted pot lid to cover the rice while cooking.  5. Per...

As human beings, we are sometimes faced with challenges from work, school, family, finances, amongst others. Matthew 6 and Philippians 4:6-7 tells us that we should not worry about anything but instead seek God’s righteousness, praying and giving thanks. Here are few ways we can overcome fear, anxiety when faced with challenges: 1.        Silence the voice of the devil: We need to beware of evil thoughts and strange voices when faced with crisis. The bible says guard your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23). Tell the devil confidently, that you are a child of God, you have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13) 2.        Speak in tongues: Oftentimes we don’t even know what to pray for. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit to intercede for us (Rom. 8:26-27). Take a moment today to pray in the Holy Ghost and you will see results. 3.      ...

We often times mix up hearing and listening. To effectively communicate both verbally and non-verbally, we need to actively receive a message.   During my undergraduate days as a Linguistics student, I was introduced to the study of language as a medium of communication. Here, I learnt terms such as the Encoder, Decoder, a Message amongst others. The encoder is the individual speaking or passing a message across while the decoder is the receiver. He/she receives the message through the art of listening. However, over the years I have always wondered as to how and why decoders/listeners don’t respond appropriately to the message being passed across.  Could it be that the decoder was distracted? listened to respond? Or didn’t understand the topic/subject matter being engaged with?  This then translates that being an excellent listener equals to being an excellent speaker in turn. The art of listening is an under taught communication skill which needs to be paid attention to...

HOMEMADE BREAD ROLLS Who says you can’t bake bread at home? Well, here is a simplified recipe on how to make bread rolls at the comfort of your home. Try this recipe this week.  INGREDIENTS  250ml/1 Cup of warm milk  Approximately 4 cups of all-purpose flour (500g)  15ml/1 tablespoon active dry yeast  1 big-sized egg  1/3 cup/83ml sugar  8 tablespoon/100g melted butter  1 teaspoon/5ml salt  1 teaspoon bread preservative or Vitamin C powder    DIRECTIONS  1. In a mixing bowl, test the yeast in the warm milk, by mixing the milk and yeast. Cover the bowl with a clean napkin in a dark corner for 10 minutes.  2. After 10 minutes, uncover and add egg, sugar, flour, salt and butter. Mix to form an elastic dough.  3. Transfer the dough to a greased surface and knead with both hands for 20 minutes until smooth (grease the working surface and your palms with vegetable oil).  4...